"Lucy!" Nellie Lovett called to the blonde woman who was dancing wildly around her parlor. "Come help me make the pies." Lucy immediately stopped dancing, a wild smile on her face. She had always loved helping Nellie make the pies.
"Yes, the pies!" She danced her way into the shop. "Help Nellie make the pies!" Nellie sighed and quickly followed Lucy. She was used to Lucy's dancing and mindless comments. After all, she had been caring for her for fifteen years now. It hadn't been easy at first, but she had slowly gotten used to it.
Nellie quickly snapped back to attention when Lucy started throwing flour into the air, laughing.
"Flour for the pies! Flour for the pies!" She sang over and over. Nellie couldn't help but smile. Yes, Lucy could be annoying sometimes, but she was also very entertaining.
"Yes, Lucy, the flour is for the pies, not for throwing." She gently scolded.
"I know Nellie, I was only having fun." She threw one last handful into the air before sitting politely on a stool in front of the counter.
Nellie sighed again. "Now, dearie, I need you behind the counter with me of you're going to be helping."
"Oh, yes, I knew that" Lucy said, scurrying over to Nellie behind the counter.
Nellie often let Lucy help her with the pies. Thankfully for her, Lucy was capable enough of following directions and mimicking Nellie's actions, although she did get distracted every one in a while. Nellie was grateful for the extra help, and Lucy often kept the mood light by singing, which allowed them both to work faster.
They set to work, Lucy obediently listening to Nellie's directions and copying her actions. While they worked, Nellie let her mind wander, as it often did, occasionally turning her gaze to Lucy and giving more instructions.
She thought back to the first time she had let Lucy make the pies with her, a few months after she had taken the arsenic. By then, she was fairly familiar with the way Lucy acted, and figured that she could handle making pies, especially with Nellie beside her to watch her closely. Unfortunately, Lucy had managed to make a horrible mess of things, throwing everything around, diverting her attention to other things, and often leaving what she was doing altogether to wander around the shop absently, only to return a few minutes later and ask Nellie what she was doing. She had forgotten things often back then, and was rather useless. Over time, her memory had improved, and she didn't forget quite so much, which Nellie was thankful for. Yet in the fifteen years of making pies with Nellie, Lucy had not remembered how to make them on her own.
Nellie didn't mind so much; even if Lucy did remember how to make the pies, she still would not have left her alone to make them.
Lord only knows what sort of trouble she would get herself into, Nellie mused, thinking back to Lucy throwing the flour. Silly woman would make a right mess of things.
The jingling of the bell indicating that a customer had entered the shop brought Nellie back to the present. She looked up, ready to tell the customer that he had to wait if he wanted a fresh pie, but the sight of the man before her made her stop dead.
Her eyes went wide and she stifled a gasp. She knew those eyes. The man himself had changed almost beyond recognition, but as long as Nellie lived she could never forget those eyes.
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Hello everyone! This is my first fic, so please let me know what you think, and if I should continue. Constructive criticism welcome.