i think a lot about lockwood in the creeping shadow because he spends four whole months searching for the perfect case to convince lucy to work with them again. they get cases that constantly put on them on the front page of the times, they finally win agency of the month, everyone’s talking about them but none of them are enough. none of those cases are good enough to convince lucy. lockwood knows that unless it’s something she can’t refuse, it’s not even worth trying. then penelope fittes brings him the perfect case and lucy very nearly doesn’t accept but then she’s onboard. everything is as it should be again. they’re all working together like a proper team, like a proper family. lucy is by his side and her talents are the only reason they solve the ealing cannibal case. then it’s over. it’s done and solved in a single night and she’s gone again. but this time it’s a little bit worse because what hope does he have now? his one excuse the first time was having the perfect case. they got the perfect case, they solved it. what the hell beats a personal request from penelope fittes tailor suited to lucy? he’s lost again. he doesn’t know what to do. he spends an entire day mourning her, not knowing when he’ll see her again. and then she shows up at his doorstep that night, injured and bleeding and asking for his help. it’s the first time the universe has been on his side since lucy turned up for an interview two years prior. he doesn’t hesitate, he’s not letting her go again. it’s like that scene from the end of mulan, you can’t just stay tonight, you have to stay until you’re no longer in danger, who knows how long that’s going to take? you can have your old attic back, we’ve barely touched it! then he spends as much time with her as he can, opens up his sister’s room for her, goes with her to the underground, ropes her into coming to aldbury castle, does everything possible to be with her. all lockwood wants is to get lucy back. he’s not losing her a third time.