#i just realized i went heavy on the h alliteration on that last sentence lmao

[sisterofficerlucychen]

What/If - Chapter 2

Where is she?  

The four walls around her feel familiar but she can’t quite make it out, the objects that surround her still blurred figures that she can’t quite focus on. She’s hesitant in her actions, dark eyes scanning the room as she tries to piece it all together. Blink once, blink twice. Hazy objects become lifelike as they settle into the picture and she realizes she’s in her room. Her old room. She’s back in the apartment.

“What the—“

Her reflection catches her eye through the floor length mirror tucked at corner of the room. She steps towards it until she's standing in front of it. Brows furrow at the image staring back, she doesn’t recognize what she’s wearing. She’s in a lace white dress, classic and pristine, as it flows right below her knees. She stands a little taller than usual in platform wedges, the straps in a matching shade to the dress with a woven heel. Her hair cascades down her back in soft, bouncy curls parted in half with a small clip holding two small strands back. The only thing she recognizes is her jewelry; the dainty gold necklace Tim gave her for their first Valentine’s together and the moonstone ring that saved her life. She looks nice, as if she was ready for a dinner date with Tim on the patio of their favorite restaurant during a breezy summer evening. Except the gnawing at her stomach suggests otherwise. This is most definitely not a date.

The scent of warm vanilla fills her lungs as clattering from the other side of her door catches her attention. Someone’s out there. She doesn’t hesitate to move as she walks to investigate whose behind the ruckus in what sounds like the living room. Any other day she would have hesitated, made sure she had her off duty weapon in her hand but there are too many questions spinning in her mind and she desperately needs answers to the mystery that surrounds her.

“Jackson?

Jackson looks up from his spot on the floor. He’s sitting in between the couch and the coffee table with a Swarvoski Baby Yoda figurine in front of him. She recognizes it immediately, it’s the one she broke and never quite got the chance to replace. He beams at her with a smile that makes her heart ache. He’s looking at her with that thousand watt grin, the one that could make any room light up. Even through the confusion and worry she’s feeling, she can’t help but smile with him. Lucy doesn’t miss a beat before she’s kneeling beside him, wrapped in his embrace.

His arms wrap tightly around her and he feels so real. She can hear him breathing softly, the familiar scent of cologne she hasn’t smelled in years, how warm his body feels against her. Except, he’s not. Her heart aches at the reminder of what it was like to grieve him, to continue living life without her best friend by her side. Doubt clouds her mind as she struggles to find reason because he’s not real but he is. He’s existing in this moment, bright and lively, she can touch him and see him. Jackson’s dead, so how is he here hugging her?

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