━━ CHAPTER TWELVE / sergeant barnes
episode two, part one.

If Demi was completely honest, she didn't remember exactly how she got to the DEPRAC station in an interview room. It was dark which was doing wonders for her throbbing head and nobody was talking to her which was another good thing. But it also meant that she was stewing in her emotions. Her annoyance swirling around and around in her head.

Before eventually, she found herself too exhausted to be annoyed anymore. Everything that Lockwood had done was valid, Lucy had been reckless but she was also new to the company. She worked on instinct. This wasn't what she was used to, not really. Even if she had worked up north, it was different.

And so Demi gave up trying to blame someone. Instead, she sat with her forehead cooling against the interview table, begging for sleep to take her over. But then the door opened and she shifted to sit up straight. Inspector Barnes was standing in the doorway and he stepped into the room before he closed the door behind him.

They were both silent until he sat down across from her. He gave her a cup of water and Demi smiled thankfully. She took a few small sips before she settled back, seemingly a little more comfortable now then she had been.

"Do you know how many rules were broken by you and your friends tonight?" He asked curiously. Demi stared at him, confused. It wasn't her agency. This was not her responsibility, "You were one of the best when you were at Fittes. And now this? Setting off Greek Fire in a closed environment?" Demi scoffed and she placed her cup of water down.

"It was an accident," Demi responded with a small shrug. Barnes hummed softly, nodding his head as he looked down at the file in his hand. It was an empty file but Demi couldn't see that. Her heart squeezed and the thought of being jailed for this suddenly sprung to mind. Whether it was her agency or not, she had been complicit in breaking DEPRAC rules.

"I assume your parents don't know about your new job?" Barnes asked curiously as he closed the file and rested it in such a way that Demi couldn't see how truly empty it was. Demi didn't know how to respond to his words. All those months ago, she had quite literally ran away from home. She wasn't even sure what her parents were doing now. If they had looked for her, any of it. She had heard nothing, seen nothing.

"How is that relevant?" Demi asked quickly. Barnes shrugged and leant back in his chair.

"You tell me," He said. Demi narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything. Suddenly, she didn't want to talk and the water that was placed in front of her tasted unpleasant. The dryness of her throat made it hard to breathe but she didn't care. She wouldn't take anything from him, "I did give them a call. They should be able to pick you up." Demi's eyes shot open and her chair scraped back as she moved to stand up.

"I want to leave now. Unless you're arresting me, you have no right to detain me," She snapped suddenly. Barnes cocked an eyebrow and he watched as Demi's eyes seemed to frantically search the room. Her entire body language stiffened.

"Are you afraid of your parents?" He asked. The brunette tilted her head and met the older man's gaze. It was silly to even imply that she was but the thought of seeing them right now, covered in soot and smoke and with a probable concussion was the opposite of what she wanted.

"I want to go home now," She responded. Barnes gestured for her to sit back down but Demi refused.

"Your parents are on their way." Demi shook her head aggressively and Barnes waited for her to elaborate.

"You have no right to detain me. Can I leave?" Demi asked. She didn't feel the need to explain anything to the man. The thought of getting back to Portland Row was what she wanted, what she needed right now. Not an interrogation from a man she barely knew over something she hadn't even started. It was Lucy but she wouldn't say that to him.

"Feel free," He said, gesturing towards the door. It was too easy but Demi didn't care. She walked over to the door and pulled it open. DEPRAC was a maze but she eventually found her way to reception just as Lockwood appeared from another set of stairs. His coat was over his arm and when he saw Demi, he sped-walked straight to her.

"I want to go home," She said before he could even get a word in. He nodded and glanced around. Barnes was watching them from the balcony above reception, "My parents are coming. We need to go," Demi added. Lockwood looked down at the girl and he could see the worry and panic written across her face. So, he grabbed her hand and the two headed out of the building together. Lockwood called for a taxi and only once they were sitting inside did he finally let go of her hand.

The girl stared off outside the window as the streets passed them by. The sun had risen and London was slowly coming to life. Demi had missed out on sleep and her morning run though the adrenaline from their night probably made up for it.

"Dem?" Anthony said softly. The brunette turned her gaze away from the outside world and to the boy sat beside her. She raised an eyebrow and he gave her a cautious smile, "Did Barnes speak to you?" He asked. Demi nodded and she slouched back in the taxi. Her head rested against the headrest and she let her eyes fall closed. It had been such a short conversation and yet had rattled her all the same. Just the mention of her parents sent her into a complete panic.

"I didn't say anything. And then he brought up my parents and whether they knew about this job. He called them. He called my parents. Why would he do that?" Demi asked. The panic and anxiety still gripped her chest. There was nothing wrong with seeing her parents but after so long, the thought of being in the same room with them made her feel panic-stricken. They would hate how she was working now.

She had thrown away a promising career after one case going wrong to now be working for a smaller agency and living with three people that she really barely knew. Lucy was almost a complete stranger. Lockwood had found her in the middle of a park in the middle of the night and offered her a place to stay and she had trusted him without a second thought. George was a boy that was a little socially awkward and she knew so little about him. All that she could really say was that he was a klepto and wanted nothing more than Lockwood to let him research for once.

It wasn't a lot but then again, she never really knew much about anyone she had surrounded herself with. Everyone at Fittes were strangers. Just people she had to work with. At least at Portland Row, she felt at home. It made her head hurt just thinking about everything with her parents.

"We're going home now. You don't have to worry about it," Anthony said. Demi nodded and she turned her gaze back to the streets of London. Then she felt his hand taking hers again. It was an unspoken touch and they interlaced fingers without even a glance. It was just comfortable and Demi continued to stare off.

While Anthony stared at her, admiring her face in the morning sun.

-

Portland Row was quiet as the pair walked up the steps. Demi was tired and the adrenaline from the panic had dissipated now. All she wanted was to curl up in bed and try and make it through the rest of the day. Though the better part of her knew that she had to stick to her routine. If she slept through the day now, her schedule would be obliterated and it would make everything so much worse in the long run.

Lockwood pushed the door open and the pair stepped inside. Demi wiped her shoes off before she dropped her rapier into the holder. Anthony glanced down at her, watching her sluggish movements before he placed his own rapier beside hers.

"I think you should go to bed," He said. Demi's head snapped up to meet his gaze and she shook her head softly.

"I need to go for a run and get a shower," She mumbled in response. Anthony sighed. The voices of George and Lucy could be heard floating through the hallway from the kitchen downstairs but it wasn't the time.

"You look exhausted," He retorted. Demi shrugged and she glanced over at herself in the mirror. Her face was smeared with soot and the bags under her eyes were prominent. Lockwood was right but she didn't want him to be.

"I need my glass of water," She said. Anthony glanced down at her before he turned to the kitchen staircase.

"Go get a shower, I'll bring your water up in a minute." There was no questioning that so Demi promptly nodded her head and she headed up to her bedroom. The stairs suddenly felt so long and in the time it took to climb the stairs, she regretted every life decision she had ever made all before settling on contentment when she opened her bedroom door.

Her bed looked so inviting but rather than collapsing into it, she grabbed a fresh set of pyjamas from the wardrobe before she trudged back downstairs to the bathroom. She locked the door and switched the water to a tepid temperature before she got in.

The soot came off her face easily and she ran her fingers along her scalp and the bits that had clung to her hair came loose. She was quick to shampoo and condition her hair and wash the rest of the soot off her body. When she finally stepped out onto the bathmat, she felt clean again. The soft fluffy towels were a welcome feeling and she dried off before switching into a comfy set of pyjamas.

And she stepped out of the bathroom with a bundle of dirty clothes to drop into her washing basket - which she did as soon as she was in her room. The brunette dropped down against the bed just as Anthony appeared at the door with a glass of water.

He was still covered in soot and he placed the glass carefully down on the bedside table.

"George and Lucy are downstairs and they're both alright," Lockwood said as he leant against the frame of the door. Demi turned her gaze to the boy and sent him a half-smile. It worried him how affected Demi was by merely the mention of her parents. It had clearly taken it out of her, "I'm going to grab a shower. Shout me if you need anything." He didn't know how to get her to open up and he was worried that she'd break down like she had the first night they had met. It wasn't something he knew how to deal with despite his best attempts.

So, he pulled her door to and headed into the bathroom. Demi barely even acknowledged that he had gone and she lay down in the bed. Her gaze fixed on the ceilings, eyes wide open. She could feel the exhaustion clinging to the corners of her mind but she didn't particularly want to sleep. And for the next half an hour, she turned over a few times trying to get comfortable before she gave up completely.

The brunette slid off the bed and adjusted the hood of her sheep hoodie before she trudged into the hallway. She took the stairs down to Anthony's room and knocked on the door. It had been pulled to fully which meant that he was likely in there, working.

"Come in," He called through the door. Demi pushed it open cautiously and when he looked up from his desk, he let a smile appear on his lips, "Did you manage any sleep?" He asked. The girl shook her head and his smile turned to a frown as he turned in his office chair. He was dressed in a t-shirt and joggers, his hair damp from a shower and his skin clean of soot and dirt. He looked adorable. Demi let out a soft sigh and crossed over to the boy's bed. She sat on the edge of it as he swivelled his chair to be facing her properly.

"Can I just stay in here? With you?" She asked. Her voice was so quiet and soft and her head was tilted down. The hood falling over her face a little. It was hard to say no to her when she looked so cute like that.

"If that's what you want," He responded and he watched as the corners of her lips tilted up into a smile. "I'm just writing up reports so feel free to lie down." Demi nodded and she shuffled further back on his bed. He then turned back to his desk and Demi watched him for a moment. He began to scribble down another page of notes and the corners of her lips turned up more into a smile. There was something so adorable about him when he was doing the mundane tasks.

It made her weak at the knees and she knew that if he just turned slightly, he'd see her staring. So, with that anxious thought, she shuffled completely on the bed and moved to lie down. Her head rested against Anthony's pillow as she snuggled into herself. The covers weren't pulled up over her feet so they were getting cold but she ignored it.

It felt slightly odd that she was even lying in his bed like this and everything already smelt like him. If she got under the covers, it would be so much worse. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing but Demi wanted to keep her sanity intact for at least a little while longer.

"Is it okay if I lie down as well after these notes are done?" Anthony asked curiously. Demi hummed in agreement, not having the energy to tell him that it was a stupid question since it was his bed that she was occupying. He glanced back and watched as her eyes fell closed. The sleepiness finally won over from the anxiety.

It took a few more minutes but he eventually finished his pages of notes and got up from the desk. He walked over to the bed and pulled the covers back slightly only to realise that Demi wasn't under them at all. He frowned.

"Dem," He said softly. She looked up at him, her eyes blinking open and she looked completely exhausted and yet so adorable. The fluffy sleeves of her sheep hoodie had been pulled over her hands and he just wanted to kiss her. Not that he ever would. Not without asking first anyway, "I need to pull the covers back." A soft groan escaped from the girl's lips and she pushed herself up as he pulled the covers back slowly. Her hip lifted off the bed until the duvet was finally free. Then he put it over her before he got in beside her.

There was a respectful distance between them much to Demi's dismay, not that she could really voice that in her sleepy state. She was constantly flicking between sleep and consciousness as she blinked up to take in Lockwood's face. His gaze was trained on her, not in a creepy way but in a loving, adoring way that Demi always seemed to misinterpret.

"Is this okay?" He asked. His voice was soft now, quiet. He was too worried that he would wake her from her sleepy state to speak any louder. She needed sleep more than anyone else did. Everything had weighed down on her and after he had practically forced her off the balcony, he felt a little guilty. This was his way of making it up to her.

"You can get closer," Demi mumbled as she snuggled her head down into the pillow. He seemed taken aback by the response before he shuffled a little closer. Not by much but just a little. Part of him knew that she wasn't in the right state to be making any decisions so he still kept a respectful distance. He had a feeling she had a concussion.

"I'll be fine here," He chuckled softly and Demi opened her eyes sleepily, glaring playfully before she closed her eyes again.

"Don't let me sleep for too long."

"I won't."

-