Please, please, please I need the second part of the Northern Lights.
Guys, thank you all so much for your patience.Thank you for being so supportive and for all your kind comments. Apart from a chaotic schedule, I’ve been delaying this because I was indecisive between a couple of development ideas...hopefully I picked the most interesting one! This is shorter than part 1, but the good news is I’ll indulge our common Lee thirst in part 3...
Once again, the storyline is slightly altered to give this relationship more time before Lyra, Iorek and the others step into the picture. Hope you enjoy it!
In case you missed it, Part 1 can be found here.
NORTHERN LIGHTS - Part 2.
“Tonight,” he promises.
And then, just like that, he’s gone. And you have absolutely no idea how both of you are going to make it to tonight.
Except, he doesn’t show up that night. Or the next. Lee Scoresby seems to have suddenly disappeared into thin air, and you have absolutely no idea where he’s gone. You try to carry on with your daily routine, as though nothing is wrong. But Lee is constantly on your mind.
You go through various emotional phases. Initially, when he doesn’t show up at dinner that first night, you’re confused and more than slightly frustrated. Your last encounter had left you…well, breathless, and for more than one reason, and you’d been anticipating this moment to finish what you’d started. Then, you try to rationalize: he’s probably late because he’s taking care of some business… You expect to see him show up after dinner. No trace of him. You go to bed, still disappointed. You feel hopeful the following morning, sure that he’ll show up for breakfast. No such luck. Frustration starts turning into doubt. But you know he’s a man of the world, this is probably normal for him. No plans, no responsibilities, no expectations. You try to suppress the bitterness from creeping into your thoughts, but as the day progresses you feel yourself becoming more angry at him at first, then concerned as lunch comes and goes. Dinner follows soon after. By now, you’re genuinely worried.
You try to keep yourself busy with your dinner shift, but it’s not an easy task. You heart races every time the tavern door swings open and you look up expectantly, but still no trace of Lee. Your head is pulsing with a storm of emotions that are giving you a migraine. You half heartedly finish your tasks, and when you feel like you can't take it anymore you quickly decide to grab your coat and excuse yourself from your boss, telling him you need to go take a walk. You step out into the cold, your fox daemon close behind, and as soon as the tavern doors swing shut behind you, the noise immediately dies down and you’re surrounded by peaceful silence.
You take a few deep breaths, exhaling little puffs of smoke as you simply enjoy the quiet. Your fox sits down besides you, waiting. Someone opens the door behind you, prompting you to start walking away as the tavern noises threaten to make your brain combust again. Your daemon follows. You wrap your scarf tighter around your neck and start trudging through the snowy streets, not quite sure where to go.
You walk aimlessly for a while, allowing your thoughts to drift back to Lee. Why had he disappeared so suddenly? What could have happened to make him leave like that? You figured he knew what he was doing, but the North could be a very dangerous place, even for a guy like him… You stop in your tracks. What if…something bad had happened to him? Your breath hitches slightly. Oh God. What could you do? You try to focus. Think. Think, damn it! Where could he have gone? What did you know that could help you find him?
Out of nowhere, a brief memory flashes in your mind: Lee talking secretively with his daemon at lunch, whispering about the bear and the…stolen armor…? You pause. You know this is a dangerous matter. You’d heard the rumors, and had always made sure to steer clear of them. But what if that was exactly your answer? You hesitate for a moment. But then you realize your concern for Lee is greater than your reluctance to get involved in something so taboo, so you decide to throw caution to the wind and head towards the first place that pops in your mind… the exact place where - you’d heard - the bear could be found, hiding…
You’re quietly marching towards your destination when a sudden movement catches your attention out of the corner of your eye as you’re passing by an alley. You stop, frowning, and look down as your daemon. She’s also looking towards the alley, ears pricked up in confusion. You exchange a glance with her. Had you imagined it? Just as you’re about to carry on, a faint groan makes you jump. You take a cautious step in the alley, and as your eyes adjust to the dark, you see another movement. Followed by another lament. Your eyes widen and rush towards the sound, your daemon running behind you. You have to push two heavy barrels and a couple of garbage bags out of the way to follow the noises…. And then you gasp when you finally see him. Lee is crumpled on the ground, leaning against the alley wall, head hanging low and eyes closed. Hester is cowering on his lap, scared by the ruckus you’d made but still trying to protect him. You notice one of the daemon’s ears is flopped, and there’s a bruise on one of her hind legs. Your fox daemon cautiously steps closer to her, sniffing her attentively.
“Oh thank God…it’s you!” Hester whimpers when she recognizes both of you. “I was afraid they’d come back!”
“Hester! Lee!” You call out, pushing more stuff out of the way to clear the space around them. “W-what happened to you?” You ask the daemon as you crouch besides Lee, placing one hand on his arm and the other on Hester’s fluffy head.
Lee groans, lifting a hand to his forehead and forcing himself to open his eyes and look at you. You notice there’s a dark bruise beneath his left eye, and his upper lip is cut. “Ow…’evening, darlin…don’t worry, it’s nothin’, just a little unexpected altercation…” he winces and closes his eyes again as he tries to straighten himself up. He clutches his side, a painful hiss escaping his lips.
“Lee!” you and Hester both cry out, worried.
Lee frowns, “Stop makin’ a fuss, the both of you…I was just…just tryin’ to rest my eyes for a second…”
“Lee,” you interrupt him, placing your hand above his and making him look back at you, “You’re hurt. Both of you are. I’m going to go get some help -”
“No!” He exclaims, jolting upright for a moment before collapsing back down, wincing in pain. You place your hand on his chest, to try and keep him still. He automatically takes your hand into his own. “N-no, darlin’…” he repeats, slower, looking at you intently, “Help is the last thing I’m gonna get from the people in this town right now…you just…would you mind just helpin’ me out here for a second, sweetheart?” You cast a worried glance towards Hester, but she nods in agreement.
“We can’t risk them coming back,” she whispers. You understand now is the worst time to ask who ‘they’ are, so you merely nod back at her and scoot closer to Lee. You help him drape an arm around your shoulders, and clumsily manage to drag both of you on your feet, staggering slightly under his weight. Your fox stands besides Hester, both daemons eyeing you worriedly.
“My sincere apologies, darlin’,” Lee mumbles, wincing in pain once again as he tries to stand a little more on his own two feet, “Under normal circumstances, I would never allow a lovely gal such as yourself carry my damn weight like this…”
You shake your head, “Shush, and knock it off with the charm, Lee… We gotta get you both out of the cold right now.”
It’s no easy task. You tremble under Lee’s weight, stumbling as both of you try to make your way down the alley to take a shortcut back to the tavern. The cold wind pierces your flustered cheeks, you struggle step after step as you try to avoid the snow slush, and you have to stop every couple of seconds to catch your breath. Lee keeps muttering apologies under his breath. You can tell he’s not used to being helped like this. Your two daemons lead the way, making sure the coast is clear. After what feels like forever, you arrive at the back door of the tavern. You manage to stumble inside the kitchen and then into the main room, where you help Lee slump onto a chair as you collapse into a messy heap on the floor, panting for breath. You rip open your coat and tug your scarf away to help you cool down. Your daemon delicately sniffs around Hester to examine her. Nobody talks for a good few minutes as you collectively catch your breath. Then you break the silence.
“Lee…we need to get you to your room to check your wounds.”
“Darlin’, I’m sure I can make it -” he groans, slumped over the table with his head on his hand, “Just give me a double whiskey and give it a second…”
You frown at him, lifting yourself up from the ground, “But you’re too hurt, it’s dangerous for you -”
He raises a hand to interrupt you, and lifts his gaze to meet yours, “Hey, I know what I’m doin’ here, okay? Appreciate the help, but I’ve managed much worse than this. Just give me that drink and let me breathe for a moment….” His eyes soften as he sees you taken aback by his firmness, “Please, darlin’. Just help me out like I’m telling you.”
You finally give in, and head behind the counter to pour him his drink. When you place it in front of him, he places his hand on your forearm and bows his head slightly. “Thank you, sweetheart,” he mumbles, nodding towards the chair besides him to signal you to sit. You do, pulling your chair right besides his, and gently taking off his hat as he takes a sip of whiskey. Now that you can see him up close, you notice he’s more bruised than you’d imagined. As he drinks, you quickly scan over his body and notice there’s a dark stain on the side of his ribcage, and a cut on one side of his pants. You shake your head with worry, “I don’t even want to think about what might’ve happened if we hadn’t found the two of you in that alley….”
You catch him looking back at you with his usual smirk.
“Stop worrying so much ‘bout me, honey…” he says, “It’s just another beatin’, nothin more…I’m used to it.”
You huff, raising your hand and gently running it through his hair to push it out of his face before caressing his jawline. “Finish your drink, we’ve got to get you in your room and out of these clothes to clean you up…”
Despite the seriousness of the situation, he can’t help raising his eyebrows at your proposal, “Well now, missy, when you put it that way…”
You slap his forearm lightly, and he winces, “Seriously…? Now’s not the time, Lee!”
“All right, all right…I was just tryin’ to lighten the mood…”
Somehow, he actually manages to get back on his feet, and although he’s still unsteady and keeps stopping step after step, groaning in pain and frustration, you slowly make your way. Getting up the stairs is a pain in the ass, but you help him out and finally manage to reach his room. You swing the door open and help him over to the bed, letting him slump on the mattress and lean against the headboard. Hester and your daemon stand silently by the door.
“Listen to me,” you sit next to him, placing a comforting hand on his leg, “I’m going to be right back, okay?” You try to move but his hand grips your wrist.
“Darlin, I told you…”
“…And you can trust me. I know what I’m doing, okay?” You look at him intently and he surrenders with a huff, letting you go. You try to get up, but then he grips your wrist again. You look back at him, slightly annoyed. He’s serious. “Hey…” he whispers, before pulling your forearm gently towards him. He leans in closer to you, eyeing you intently, and you feel that familiar rush of heat flooding back to you. He stops just a breath from your face, his forehead almost leaning against yours, the sudden intimacy of the gesture flustering you. He doesn’t take his eyes off of yours.
“Thank you for finding me,” he murmurs, and before you can answer he leans in and kisses you.
You close your eyes, the blissful feeling of his lips back on yours flooding you in a very welcome haze of happiness. You tentatively place your hand on his torso, afraid to hurt him, but he takes your wrist and pulls your arm upward and around his neck, letting you know it’s okay. You wrap your other arm around him too and gently dig your fingers in his hair at the nape of his neck. He moans appreciatively, shifting his body to face you and slowly running his own hand up your thigh and up to your waist. You let out a breath didn’t know you’d been holding, feeling the relief of having him in your arms again wash over you. You move your hands to cup his face, caressing his jaw and neck. He bops his nose against yours, urging you to deepen the kiss. Your consience suddenly tugs at you, reminding you of the urgency of the situation.
“Lee…” you try to whisper against his mouth, “You need help…”
“This is all the help I need, sweetheart…” he murmurs back, silencing you with another kiss.
You know you need to go fetch help and you know Lee is still very much in pain. But his lips are intoxicating, and the feeling of his arms encircling your waist to pull you against him, and his mouth nudging yours open, and his shallow breath against your lips, and his soft moans, and his hands gripping your skin tighter, make it so hard to concentrate on anything else… For a moment you allow your mind to go blank, except for the way you taste his lips with yours and you fill your breaths with his scent. His hands slip under your shirt and his cold fingers caress your back, making you shiver...He bites down on your lower lip, softly moaning when you mirror his action...His tongue caresses yours, making you whimper as his hands glide further up your back and he starts leaning forward, slowly trying to push you on your back...He feels so good that you almost forget what’s going on, and start abandoning yourself backwards....
But then you accidentally move your hand down his torso, and when it glides past his ribcage he breaks the kiss, letting out a pained gasp. That’s enough to pull you out of your lusty haze. You mentally slap yourself: what were you doing?! The man was beaten up and you were letting yourself get turned on instead of running to find help! You pull away and straighten yourself up, ashamed.
“Lee, I’m so…I’m so sorry, sorry, I’m…I’m the worst,” you stutter, even though he immediately raises a hand to signal he was fine.
“Darlin, it’s nothing, just a tiny scratch…”
“No,” you say resolutely, taking his hand in yours and looking intently at him, “I’m going to help you, okay? I’ll be right back,” you promise, leaning in for a quick reassuring kiss before straightening up and heading for the door. You cast a quick warning glance to Hester, “Keep an eye on him, the front door’s locked and there’s no one else here.” Hester nods.
You leave Lee with one last meaningful glance, and rush out the door and down the stairs with your daemon trotting besides you. Thankfully, you knew exactly where to find help. You only hoped you could keep all of you out of trouble.
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