"What do we do now?" Anna asked Lucie, gesturing to the sleeping child that lay between them on the bed.
"We adopt her," Lucie replied. Anna couldn't suppress a tiny grin at that. Anna had wanted to adopt little Sam ever since they met her in Eleanor's torture basement, but she wasn't sure if they would ever make it out. By some miracle, however, they did. All three of them had escaped Eleanor. She and everyone working for her in this ring of torture had been successfully taken into police custody. Now, the three girls were free, and their abductors were no more. And since Lucie, Anna and Sam were all only victims, although they were taken into court several times over to testify about what had been done to them, they were released without much hassle. Only Sam's story had not found a truly happy ending.
It was during one of the many trials for Eleanor and her cult that it was made public knowledge that Sam's parents were dead. They had been murdered trying to rescue Sam. This meant that Sam was now, technically, an orphan. And the court originally insisted upon sending her away to a local orphanage, but that was when Anna had stepped up and expressed a desire to adopt the child for herself. She was legally an adult and she had a house and job of her own, she would be able to support a child if she so chose. Of course, the adoption process for Sam hadn't been that simple, but when Anna continually expressed her desire to keep Sam, the battle began.
But even though Sam was not legally in Anna's care yet, she had stayed with Anna for this whole ordeal. Now, she was nestled up between Anna and Lucie and while she slept, Anna told Lucie about her plan to adopt Sam. Initially, Anna feared that Lucie would reject the idea simply because she was just too broken and traumatized to be able to deal with someone else, let alone an orphaned child. But actually, the total opposite happened. If anything, Lucie's trauma made her all the more determined to be a parent towards Sam. The more Anna thought about it, though, the more it made sense. Lucie was trying to keep Sam from falling into the same Hell she did, and besides, since both of them had understood the concept of being abducted and tortured at an early age, both of them would have something to bond over, as strange as that sounded.
"When should we tell her?" asked Anna, once it was decided she and Lucie would raise Sam themselves.
"Tomorrow morning," Lucie answered.
"Ok," Anna agreed and Lucie smiled, a rare and beautiful sight. A new family had just been born.
A year later, Lucie, Anna, and Sam were all living happily together under one roof as a new family. Although Sam, initially, had been heartbroken to realize that her parents were dead and that she would never truly be able to go home again, learning that she would be allowed to stay with Lucie and Anna had been a huge relief to her. They had been her only friends during this dark time in her life and she was glad to know that she would not be separated from them. Especially not Anna, who had been the one to save her in the first place. So after all the legalities were smoothed out, Anna and Lucie became Sam's legal adoptive parents. She never called them "mother", but the loving bond was there just the same.
In Sam's eyes, Anna was the most caring, selfless person she had ever met. No one could have been more gentle, sweet, understanding, patient or compassionate than Anna. It was Anna who would sing her to sleep and it was Anna who would reassure her that everything was alright. It was Anna who promised to keep her safe and it was Anna who chased away her monsters and nightmares.
And in Sam's eyes, Lucie was the strongest and bravest person she had ever met. Although Lucie wasn't quite as affectionate as Anna, there was still a very good heart within her. She was wise, caring, understanding and enduring. She became Sam's confidante when Anna was not enough. It was like Lucie, herself, had said, she and Sam would have a great deal in common just because they had both suffered through very similar situations. Because of that, Sam had someone to look up to and someone to learn from. Lucie became a teacher for her, as well as a parent. She might've been a bit more emotionally conflicted, but she always seemed to know just what Sam was thinking or feeling. Sam was certain she would've gone crazy if she hadn't had Lucie and Anna in her life!
Lucie had become Sam's confidante and Anna her caretaker. Both of them fulfilled vital roles in her life and she was forever grateful for them for all that they had done for her. Of course, Sam never stopped missing the family and home she used to have, but Anna and Lucie were a new family to her now, and they were probably the best she could've ever hoped for. They were just so good to her and to each other. And it was thanks to their combined efforts that she began to heal, physically and emotionally.
"Bye Lucie! Bye Anna!" Sam hugged them both tightly before boarding the bus to take her to school.
"Bye Sam!" the two older women replied, waving farewell as the yellow machine drove away around the corner.
"She's a good kid and she's doing so well," Anna smiled fondly after the girl.
"I know. I'm so proud of her," Lucie agreed with a smile to match Anna's. It was a sight neither of them ever thought they would see.
"You make a good mom," Anna grinned as she and Lucie returned inside once the bus was out of sight. She slung an arm around her taller friend's waist as they crossed the old threshold together.
"You make a better one," Lucie replied teasingly, kissing Anna's head.
"Don't be silly," Anna protested, blushing. "You've scared away her monsters and yours!" she said. And it was true. After realizing that she would never ever see her parents again, Sam began to see the same monsters that Lucie, herself, had seen for so many years. But somehow, Lucie found the key to vanquishing them. None of them were quite sure what that key was, all they knew was that Sam was already experiencing a decrease in the monsters that she saw and Lucie was in the same place. Maybe there was hope that the monsters would finally stay gone this time!
"That's only because I'm always with you," Lucie replied, refusing to take too much credit. This was also true. Anna had been there for Lucie when nobody else was. It was always Anna who could snap Lucie out of her hallucinations, even when they got dark. Now that they were together constantly, with Sam tying them tighter than ever, Lucie felt happier now than she ever had in her whole life before. Lucie owed Anna everything, including the credit for how well they were all doing. Lucie felt that she probably wouldn't have learned love, compassion and maternal-protectiveness had she not experienced it from Anna first. Anna's kindness was something Lucie could never repay, but she would try harder and harder every day to be the girl Anna deserved.
"Don't be silly," Anna repeated, touched. "You're stronger than you think you are, with or without me. And you're an excellent mother all on your own," she added. This time, Lucie didn't answer verbally. She only shook her head again, a playful grin still on her face.
Nine years later, Lucie and Anna were lying on their lawn, stargazing together in silence. Sam was away at a friend's house.
"She's growing up so fast," Lucie said. Her voice was low and husky. Anna could detect something sad within her voice as well.
"She is," Anna was unsure of what else to say because it was true. Sam was no longer a cowering little girl. In fact, she was no longer even a little girl! She was a beautiful, intelligent, compassionate and mature young woman. Although she would still relapse into her dark history from time to time, these attacks were few and far between. After a decade of help from Lucie, Anna, and therapists of all kind, Sam had found the necessary coping skills to continue life despite what had been done to her as a child.
Lucie was gladdened by this because she knew that she did not want Sam to have to go through all the pain and suffering that she had. Even now, after nearly two decades, Lucie still suffered from nightmares and monsters. Unlike Sam's, Lucie's demons never truly went away. They were nowhere near as vicious as they used to be, but they weren't dead either. Lucie had learned to cope, though, and although it was a pain to still be burdened by demons and nightmares, Lucie was willing to fight through it all for the sake of her new family. What she couldn't make peace with, however, was the realization that Sam would be going off to college soon.
"I'll miss her," Lucie confessed.
"So will I," Anna's smile was bittersweet. She really had come to see Sam as a daughter. "But this is her shot at life. We can't try and take it from her, no matter what it makes us feel," she sighed.
"Of course. I'd never do that!" Lucie replied. "I'm just going to miss her. I know I should let go, but I don't want to. I want to be a good mother!"
"You already are," Anna replied softly. She scooted closer to Lucie and Lucie rolled on her side to face Anna head-on.
"At least I'll always have you," she murmured.
"Yeah, unfortunately, you won't be getting rid of me that easily," Anna chuckled.
"You're the best mom ever," Lucie replied, kissing Anna's lips as she said this.
"No, you're the best mom ever. You've carried us all through so much. Sam is lucky to have you," Anna kissed back affectionately.
"No. Sam is lucky to have us," Lucie amended, refusing to let Anna try and humble her way out a well-earned compliment again.
"We're lucky to have us," Anna joked, then she looked deeper into Lucie's eyes and saw a love in them that she almost didn't think was possible.
"I couldn't agree more," the taller girl whispered to Anna.
The pair went back to stargazing after that, but this time they didn't look to the skies. Instead, they were searching for the stars in each other's eyes. They were the stars that shined with light and love and they were even prettier than the ones in the heavens hanging over their heads. The constellations they found there in each other's eyes were amazing, beautiful, and endless.
AN: I know this is seriously unrealistic, OOC, and counter to the whole message of the Martyrs film but, you know what? I don't care! I just wanted one happy fic for these three girls, so here we go. I hope you enjoyed it, as AUish as it was.
(This one follows the idea that they did escape the first time and were able to call the cops ASAP before moving back into Anna's house).
BTW, this was a little inspired off the YouTube video "Chasing Cars, Lucie X Anna". I highly recommend watching that video even though it stays far more faithful to the storyline than I did, LOL.