Chapter Text
Holly had always wanted a younger sister. From the time she was just a little girl and even through her teen years, Holly would daydream about having that sisterly connection with someone. She didn’t mind being an only child, it meant all her things could be exactly where they were meant to be, but sometimes she just felt that it’d be nice to have that kind of relationship with someone else. Little brothers always looked too messy for her taste, but a little sister had plenty of potential.
It’s one of the reasons she’d been excited by all of Lockwood and George’s talk about Lucy Carlyle. She had heard only a little bit of information from her time at Rotwell about Lockwood and Co. It hadn’t been nearly enough, but she liked how sincere her new employer was, and she’d been thrilled at the idea of another girl on her team. Maybe this would be her chance to bond with another girl and get that sisterly experience.
She was woefully unprepared for Lucy to hate her so ardently and viscerally from the moment they met.
It had nearly been enough to make her give up the idea of some kind of bond tying them together. Nearly enough – because Holly was certainly not a quitter. Sisters also fought, she heard of that plenty while growing up. This lended to that side of sisterhood, but Holly was determined to figure out what exactly it was that made Lucy hate her so. She was nice to the younger girl, but that seemed to do absolutely nothing. She tried to be helpful, but it seemed Lucy had absolutely no desire to be helped. Lucy was also horribly messy in a way that made Holly glad she didn’t actually live at Portland Row. She would’ve been driven insane nearly instantly. Her helpful suggestions in these matters also seemed wholly unwelcomed, even though a clean space meant a clear mind, and Lucy certainly seemed like she could use that.
It wasn’t until after the Wintergarden case that things really clicked for Holly. The way Lucy and Lockwood fought after that. The look of devastation on Lucy’s face when Lockwood chastised her. Oh. Oh – it all made complete sense now. Lucy had a crush on Lockwood. The poor girl was completely infatuated with him, and he didn’t return her affections. Holly should’ve spotted the signs before, but she was so new and Lucy definitely was more stoic and aggressive in her feelings. Holly was no stranger to falling head over heels, but hers was a more gentle and fumbling kind of crush. She had no experience crushing on boys, but they were fairly simple creatures when it came down to it. Their crushes were just as obvious as any schoolgirl crush. Holly was almost certain Lockwood had no romantic feelings for their poor Listener, but the other girl could not say the same.
That was it. Lucy was jealous of Holly. It wouldn’t be the first time something like this happened, even though girls never had a reason to be. Even if Lockwood became enamored with her, Holly would have no such affections for him. He was sweet, cute, and charming – all the reasons Holly imagined Lucy fell for him – but Holly never found herself interested in men.
Still, if jealousy was the only thing keeping her and Lucy from getting closer, Holly could certainly kill two birds with one stone. She’d become a confidant for the other girl. She’d show herself as an ally for getting Lockwood’s attention, building up Lucy’s confidence in her ability to date more than just a boy who didn’t like her back. Hopefully by the end of this arrangement two things would be true: Holly would finally have the sisterly bond she always wanted and Lucy would move on from Lockwood. It was hardly foolproof, but Holly was a planner and a perfectionist. This was entirely within her expertise.