Author Note: This is a one-shot that expands the scene in Season 2, Episode 10, "Prophecy". That episode was so action packed and the acting was top notch. I just wanted to continue the scene between Henry and Lucille.
Resurrection
Reflection
Lucille's hand still covered her heart. A heart that was heavy with remorse. Her own husband, Henry Langston, spat her greatest regret out loud. "I didn't blame Jacob's death on you." But it was said in anger. It was alleged during the heat of an argument that was a long time coming.
She bit back the sob that was just waiting permission and instead she had pointed her finger towards the door. "Just leave!" she had told Henry. She ordered her husband of 30 years to leave their home. God, what kind of wife was she?
Henry had opened his mouth to protest, but as was his nature, he clamped his lips shut and stomped out the door. Lucille's pale hands went to her face, covering her cheeks as the tears fell. She had only fallen asleep for a short time….just enough time for her son to drown in the river. Oh God, reliving this nightmare was going to kill her!
Henry sat in his car, fingers thrumming the steering wheel. He was angry with Lucille but dammit, she said things about his mother, which while true, still stung. Barbs and slurs muddied the happy living room of his house. It was almost as if Jacob wasn't "returned" and the sad old couple was just surviving. Again.
Resurrection
Lucille wandered the kitchen, wiping already clean counters as if she could sanitize all the surfaces her mother-in-law's vile essence had touched. Margaret had already brainwashed her grandson Jacob, and did Henry listen when his wife tried to warn him about his mother? No!
Lucille leaned against the sink, her head dropping and the soiled dishtowel falling to the floor. She fought back the tears because she was a strong woman, but the disappointment in her husband overwhelmed her.
She had been studying for a biology exam, being a wife and mother and frankly, she was exhausted….she dozed off. Was she asleep for minutes or hours? It didn't matter because at the end of the day her son was dead. Her boy had drowned and Henry blamed her.
Lifting her head, Lucille looked out the kitchen window that was still splattered from last night's storm. Henry's truck was gone and she hadn't even heard him leave. What was happening to her? Maybe she should have asked Maggie to stay. Maybe asked Maggie for a sedative. Maybe asked to have her sanity back.
Resurrection
His fist slammed down on the steering wheel and Henry winched when it hurt. Okay, it didn't hurt as much as having your wife of 30 years order you out of your home. Anger and a slip of the tongue and words that should never have been said. "I didn't blame Jacob's death on you." Well, yes he did, but that was years ago and when Jacob returned….all those old feelings came bubbling back to the surface. Jeez, Lucille should know him well enough to recognize when he acts crazy.
His mother. When he finally started to believe that Jacob was back for good….here came Margaret Langston in all her dark gothic glory. But that was great, because she was his mother. Jacob had his mother while Henry and Fred Langston had a chance to reunite with theirs.
In a perfect world.
Accepting that Margaret Langston had returned meant that Jacob was real – never mind that it was 30 years later and he should have been a grandfather by now. His adolescent son was back, warm and in the flesh with all the memories a young boy should have. His innocence was refreshing.
It was sad that he and Lucille missed out on Jacob's growing up, but now in their twilight years, when patience ruled over impetuous, they could appreciate the little things they would have missed. This second chance was a godsend.
In a perfect world.
It was almost too much to stomach, learning the truth about his mother from her own lips and God knows how his brother, Fred, never said more than he did. The Matriarch of the Langston family watched good men get killed. Murdered and she tried to cover up the story as if the history of Arcadia just simply didn't exist. Or matter.
His mother was correct about one thing. Henry and Fred Langston had grown up in a bubble. One that she created and the same bubble they never questioned. Until today. Until she took his 8 year old son Jacob and fled to that old shed.
This wasn't right; he shouldn't be out in his truck thinking these thoughts! He should be with his wife – explaining what he had learned with Lucille. That was the right thing to do.
Resurrection
Lucille sat on the front porch, the living room lights just a dim glow behind her. It was dark and Jacob was playing in his room. Thank God he didn't hear the argument earlier and thankfully hadn't asked where his father was. She didn't know.
Her fingers tapped on her kneecaps as she looked at the steps of the family home. How many times had she stood on this stair step watching as the bus picked up Jacob for school? What about the times Henry would drop his tool box and rush to the door for a glass of ice cold tea? How many….?
Her pondering was interrupted by the sound of gravel crunching as a car came up the drive. No headlights and it parked at the entrance. Lucille stood up and squinted to see who was running towards her in the dark. It better not be one of those horrible people that painted the red cross on her front door!
Like a lighthouse beacon, the warm lights of home drew him in. The sight of Lucille on the steps made his heart swell with love. Henry was running.
Lucille was caught up in her husband's strong arms as he peppered kisses on her tear-stained cheeks. She looked at him with smiling eyes and those soft hands scratched his beard. "I could never stay mad at you." She confessed with a small voice.
Henry looked down into the face that he would always love and replied, "I was kind of counting on that."
She laughed like a young girl as he swung her in a circle and pressed his cheek to the top of her hair. Solemnly he tipped her chin. "I'm sorry. I was an ass."
Lucille only hugged him back. "I'm sorry I told you to go." She was, she really was.
He smiled and brushed the fresh tears from her face. "You're gonna forgive me….just like that?" Henry looked up at the bedroom window of the second floor. Jacob's bedroom lamp had clicked on and he felt a sense of relief. Everything was falling back into place.
She nodded. "Just like that. We're too old to squabble and besides….we have an eight year old to raise."
Henry laughed for the first time in day and replied, "Amen honey. Amen."
The End
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A/N: Special thanks to Nannygirl for the wonderful cover art - she vividly captured my story in that tiny picture. Brilliant! Also, I do not own any of the characters of this ABC television series. I'm only *borrowing* them for my fandom. Thank you ABC!