Requested by @IcysLab

Do you ever meet someone and suddenly fall in love? Like, they say your name and the entire world stops around you. You're friends but you want to be way more than that? You're so in love that it makes you ache with joy every time they're near.

No matter what happens, you'd defend this person with your life. You love them in silence and have so much patience to wait for their love. It's an anticipation you just can't get enough of

That's how George Karim is to me.

And we have a job today, a dangerous sort of job. Lucy and Lockwood are paired up and George and I are paired up.

I was nervous and very much scared. Lockwood said that the job paid good and we needed that sort of money at the moment.

We were visiting an old church in the countryside. It didn't seem like a dangerous job at first, not until George did his research.

It turns out that there had been some sort of freak accident of some type. A candle fell during a sermon and lit some cleaning supplies on fire, effectively poisoning and then burning everyone inside.

Authorities say it was accidental. No survivors were left but the stone church stood where it was abandoned.

Then the Problem started and the houses around the church had all but been abandoned.

No one was interested in the church, not until a development company wanted to buy the land to make some houses.

Lockwood only got the job because he knew someone's sister's aunt's best friend's cousin or something like that. He had connections is what I'm saying.

We were on the seven o'clock train to a nearby village when I fell asleep. Being an agent didn't exactly give me a good sleep schedule.

Up for five hours, down for two, up for twelve, down for 15, up for one, down for three. It wasn't healthy and it wasn't fair but it paid me and the others.

I felt the train coming to a stop and someone shaking me awake. "Come on, y/n. Lockwoods in a bad mood right now. And Lucy wants to get some coffee."

George.

I opened my eyes to George, which, honestly, was a wonderful sight to wake up to.

"Lucy couldn't wait another two minutes?" I asked, stretching and standing up.

"Well, Lockwood went to find a taxi. Lucy wanted coffee to stay up for the next five hours and I couldn't just leave you."

"M, kay."

I grabbed my duffle bag and George and I left the train and onto the surprisingly busy platform.

George and I found Lockwood and Lucy trying and failing to get a taxi to take us to the haunted church.

"No one wants to drive over there. It's a forbidden place." Lucy told us.

Lockwood came running over suddenly. "I found a driver. He'll take up but we have to go now. No one goes there after dark."

We all agreed and George carried my bags to a waiting blue car. The man Lockwood was talking to seemed about sixty or so. He was clearly on edge as Lockwood negotiated a price with him.

We got into the car and I was still tired but very wary. The way everyone was talking about this place made me very nervous. My sleepiness wasn't helping.

The man driving introduced himself as Ron. I didn't care much for his story about the haunted church because I've read all about it with George. Instead, I just rested against George's shoulder. He didn't mind and if he did then he didn't complain.

But I knew this mission was going to go to hell because first of all, we were all sleep deprived after our last case and second of all, I forgot my flares.

In my very great defense, it wasn't my fault. It was Lucy's. She asked me for help finding her boots as I was restocking my bag.

Then we left 20 minutes later.

We arrived at the church just before sundown as the man said he would and he promptly left us in the dirt a short walk away from the church.

I watched George's frustrated face. He was looking at a copied layout of the church. He took out a pencil from his bag and drew on the paper, making escape routes and rest points before we moved in.

Lockwood scrunched his nose before talking, "Alright, we're going with each plan in order. They seem to be type two only. So, first we'll enter through the right since it's closest and move towards the center where the ghosts seem to be the strongest. Then we'll secure those sources and circle back for stragglers. George, if you and y/n need to get out, don't hesitate to find Lucy and I, okay?"

"Whatever you say boss," George nodded.

Lockwood and Lucy went towards the church first, then George and I. It was already sundown when we got to the church. No doors or windows were left on the building. Just a stone structure and a DEPRAC warning sign.

We all walked in and I felt such bad vibes immediately. George set up the chain circle to fall back on and Lockwood did the same on the other side of the church. I flicked my torch on and so did the others.

Noises swelled up around me, screaming and shouting all at once. A baby crying and a child screaming were the loudest.

"There was certainly a lot of pain here," I said loudly.

"I'm getting at least fifty death glows. All different shapes," Lockwood said. He pointed to an area of the ground that was charcoal black with burnt and broken bone fragments.

Instinctively, he took out some salt and sprinkled it on the bones. It was almost like a chain reaction as the ghosts, around twenty of them, rose up around us.

There was louder screaming and hissing in my ears. I gripped my head as George pulled me away.

"They're too bloody powerful," I yelled.

The ghosts followed us but they couldn't get us in the iron circle.

"Should have brought a broom," I groaned. "We could have swept the bones up and been on our merry way." I yawned.

George's striped shirt was already covered in cobwebs and his black trousers were all dusty.

"We need a better plan."

"Better than standing in a circle waiting for morning?"

"I told Lockwood this job was too much and he didn't listen. Even Fittes didn't want this case," George replied. His rapier was drawn and I took mine out as well.

"Well, we're here now. We just need to get back to the center and throw a bunch of netting over the bones," I offered.

"How in the bloody hell are we going to get back to the center if every ghost is surrounding both of us and Lockwood and Lucy?" He pointed across to where they both stood in their circle, back to back and struggling.

Lucy was holding her ears. I guess she was hearing the same as me.

I was looking at the charred surfaces of the church when I noticed something. "Wait. Do you see those markings? They're all around the center where we saw the bones. But the charring stops right past this door. Meaning that there is a set path the ghosts can take."

"You're saying that if we avoid the charred bits then the ghosts won't follow us? That sounds a bit absurd but given that we don't have any other options I'm willing to try it. We just need to get to the front where those pillars are," George said. "On three. One, two, three!"

We both jumped and ran, swinging our rapiers to delay the ghosts as we went. The pillar side of the church proved my theory. No ghosts followed us but just lingered on the edge of the charred parts.

But my theory only lasted a second when a ghost came up from behind a pillar. This one was a priest and a very angry looking one too. He held up a metal cross in his transparent arms, pointing at the other ghosts.

The ghost didn't attack us. Instead he stood on the uncharred marble and faced the other ghosts.

They seemed to be afraid of him.

I waved my rapier at the ghosts and George did at the same time, resulting in my blade hitting my arm and cutting me open.

"Damn it!" I screeched and dropped my rapier.

"How come everything always goes wrong for us?" George asked.

"I don't know why. I just know I need stitches as soon as possible," I gasped as pain overtook my arm.

Lockwood and Lucy jumped in suddenly, took them long enough. I guess they realized what we were trying to do. The priest ghost wasn't attacking us even though he could.

George pulled me back further away from the ghosts and wrapped arm in some bandages from his first aid kit on his belt.

I was very dizzy and tired and I couldn't stand it. I felt like falling over. George caught me as I tumbled and we both sank to the floor. I watched Lucy and Lockwood as my vision blurred.

".......open, okay?" George was saying something. "Keep your eyes open! Lockwood, she's losing a lot of blood!" George shouted.

"S'fine Georgie, at least I'm with you," My words were slurred and my eyes closed.

I heard ghosts and screaming and Lucy yelling and George telling me to stay awake.

Metal was clanging all around and I smelled the sweet smell of George before passing out.

--

I woke up in a DEPRAC hospital. One arm had an IV and some other stuff hooked up to it. The other arm had bandages and some dried blood.

I looked around the room, a very basic hospital layout for a wounded agent. In the corner in a chair sat George, fast asleep.

I really did want to get up but then I realized that any movement would most likely make me dizzy.

I watched George for a bit and honestly, I was falling in love with him all over again.

I know Lockwood probably finished the case while George carried me out and I was so very grateful. I looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was nearly a day after the church case.

I yawned a bit, feeling hungry and wishing I had some biscuits right about now.

Suddenly, George started moving in the chair. He was awake. George sat up and fixed his glasses on his face, then turned to me.

"Oh thank goodness you're awake. Lockwood was about to have a fit if you didn't get better by noon," George said. He stood up and walked over closer to me, sitting on the edge of the hospital bed.

"What exactly happened?" I asked.

George sighed, "Well, we didn't get rid of all of the ghosts. Lucy was on her own for the most part. Lockwood ran out of flares and used a flare bomb as a last resort. I was waiting outside and when the guy in the blue car came back, he called for an ambulance," George looked shaken. "Y/n, I really thought, I thought you wouldn't make it. You were shaking for a bit and you turned really cold and I thought you had stopped breathing."

My heart hurt when he said that. I guess it was way worse than I thought.

I said, "I'm fine now." But even as I said that, my arm burned and my stomach turned from not eating. I felt the pain in my head and all in my body as George looked me over. His eves lingered at my arm and then to my face.

"I think it's my fault," George spoke. "If I was more careful then you wouldn't even be here."

"George," I started, grabbing his hand with my good arm. "I'm alright. I'm okay. Look at me. I'm still here. It would have been much worse if you weren't with me."

"Next time I promise I'll be there for you. I swear I won't let anything bad happen to you, y/n," George whispered. Even as he said that, I could hear his voice breaking and his lip quivering. "I would have never gotten over myself if I never told you how I felt about you. And the truth is, I really do care for you and love you so very much that it stung to watch you struggle."

I was stunned. Well, not really.

Secretly, I had been hoping that George felt the same way every time we were together.

I smiled at him, "Don't cry, Georgie. I'll be home for a while to rest but I'm okay. We can snack on biscuits and tea together. And when I'm better, I'll take you out for coffee at that cafe you always talk about."

George smiled, though I could still tell he felt remorseful and bitter with himself.

"You hate coffee, Y/n. I'd rather we spend the day at a bookshop," George offered.

"You know me so well," I grinned.

"So well that I brought you biscuits," George replied, reaching into his pocket and brandishing a pack of my favorite biscuits. "You can take as many as you want. No rules for you."

"And here you are, holding out on me. I really couldn't love you more G," I beamed at him, forgetting about the pain I was in and focusing on us.

George was here and I was alright. We shared biscuits until a nurse walked in, followed by Lockwood and Lucy.

We all went home after my arm was rebandaged and cleaned up again. I was reexamined and got some stitches on other parts of my body. Lucy helped me change and get cleaned up.

We ordered some takeaway and sat in the kitchen. George sat particularly close to me with his knees touching mine.

At bedtime, I asked George if he would stay with me. Not because I was scared, but because I was happy to finally be close with him. 

We cuddled even though George hogged all of the blankets. It was nice and peaceful and his breathing calmed me despite his snores.

I wanted to stay like this forever. Blissful and content yet completely aware that I was living my dreams.

I had finally earned George Karim.