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Author's Note: Hi everyone! How are you? Hope you're doing well! Ready for tonight's Resurrection? I know I am! But because we still have a few hours till then I thought I would post the second chapter of this story. Thank you so very much for the wonderful support you all have given the story! It means so very much and I hope that you enjoy this next chapter as well! Thanks for stopping by to read, please if you have the time please don't forget to review, I would really love to hear your thoughts on both the story and even the show :D Thanks for reading, hope you like, and as always please, Enjoy!
Back at the Langston house, it had been some time since Fred had given Lucille the news that he never hoped—never imagined—he'd have to give her. She had managed to compose herself and stop crying, but as soon as she did Fred suddenly wished for the tears to come back. Now that Lucille wasn't crying, she wasn't doing anything. She just sat there in silence, looking as if she was lost in her own world of thoughts.
They had moved into the kitchen now. Lucille sat at the kitchen table—in Henry's usual spot—and across from her was a chair where Fred's jacket and duty belt hung on the back. It had been a long day for him too. He didn't plan on going back to the station tonight unless it was a very serious emergency.
"I forgot how hard it could be to boil water," he joked as he handed Lucille a mug; she didn't laugh. "I hope the tea's alright."
Lucille looked up at him and gave a small smile, "I'm sure it's just fine."
And then she was gone again. Back in her own world inside her head that must have been filled with thoughts about who knows what.
Fred was just about to take a seat beside her when the doorbell rang. He looked over at Lucille but it appeared that she hadn't heard the sound.
With a light sigh, he said, "I'll get it."
However, Lucille never saw Fred leave. He had taken the kitchen exit that lead out to the main hallway and her gaze was fixed on the exit of the kitchen's back door.
That was the last spot where she had seen her husband alive—he had been so angry at her and her at him. The last time they saw each other they had been arguing, she couldn't believe it. Henry's last thoughts of her must have been of how much he hated her, but what really killed Lucille was that he must have died thinking that she hated him.
That wasn't true, it couldn't be farther from the truth. She loved her husband—stubbornness and all—but she'd never be able to tell him this again.
A fresh fountain of tears was threatening to pour out and they nearly made it out until Lucille spotted Maggie and Marty enter the kitchen with Fred not too far behind.
"Aunt Lucille," Maggie said softly as she made her way to her aunt and wrapped her arms around the older woman.
From his spot, Marty watched the hug between aunt and niece. He heard a few murmured words but he didn't even try to make out what they had been. That was a private moment between them and Marty wanted in no way to intrude.
Quite some time had passed before the Langston women pulled out of the long hug. And when they did, end their hug, small tear shining smiles were exchanged before Maggie squeezed herself behind Lucille's chair so that she could take a seat in the kitchen chair on Lucille's left.
Marty stepped towards Lucille and placed his hand over hers, "I'm very sorry for your loss."
"Thank you," she said with the tiniest of smiles and the most tearful eyes.
As Lucille said this she gently squeezed Marty's hand with hers as if inviting him to stay and sit with her too. Marty did just that, taking a seat on Lucille's right, straight across from where Maggie sat.
"Where's Jacob?" Maggie asked the question that was on Marty's mind.
"Upstairs."
It was Marty's turn to ask a question, "How's he taking all of this?"
"He doesn't know," came Lucille's even reply, her eyes never met Marty's or Maggie's, she just stared straight ahead.
Maggie and Mart exchanged looks of worry before looking at the two older family members; Marty looking at Lucille while Maggie stared over at her father.
"He doesn't know?"
"She hasn't really had the chance to tell him yet," Fred answered for his sister-in-law but it looked like she had a reply of her own to make.
"I can't tell him," she said, still in her numb state.
After hearing this, Fred joined in on the concerned looks that were being shared again between his daughter and Marty.
"Lucille, you've gotta tell him," reminded Fred, as gently as he could.
"I know I have to tell him," Lucille said, breaking out of her daze to show some annoyance at what had just been said to her. "But I can't." she could see the frowns that had formed on their faces and knew she had to give further explanation.
"Jacob is so much…" she swallowed hard, trying to push back the lump she felt in her throat, "so much like his father. He looks so much like Henry when he was younger," Lucille added then paused just for a moment, "I keep thinking back to when we were told about Jacob's death. The look on Henry's face…I don't want to see it again on Jacob and know that once again I had a role in putting it there. I can't!"
The last two words came out as a mix between a shout and a sob, before Lucille bowed her head in attempt to hide the falling tears. Maggie's heart broke for her aunt and she soon moved closer to Lucille, pulling her into another much needed hug. The men meanwhile, exchanged looks from the sideline of things.
"It's gonna be okay," Maggie tried to bring her aunt some comfort. "You don't have to do this alone."
Fred nodded when he heard his daughter's statement, "Maggie's right, you've got us."
"We'll help you," added Marty with a reassurance.
Carefully and slowly, Lucille looked up with red eyes and a sniffle, "Thank you," she whispered to them.
Marty nodded, "But if you don't mind, I think we should tell Jacob sooner rather than later."
"Tell me what?"
The four heads looked up and turned to see Jacob standing in his pajamas only a few feet away from them. They each stared at the young boy worriedly; none of them knowing just what to say and their silence seemed to frighten Jacob.
"What's going on?" he asked but his question was only answered by more silence; so he turned his eyes to the one person who he'd never seen worried or afraid—until now that is. "Uncle Fred?"
The sound of his name caused Fred to glance over at the kid. He knew his brother had died thinking that this boy was his son but Fred had yet to make that same recognition. He didn't know who this person really was, so he didn't know what to say. Luckily, someone else did.
"Jacob, buddy, why don't you come sit over here?" Marty suggested as he scooted out of his current seat and over to the chair right beside it, making room for Jacob to sit between him and his mother.
No questions asked, Jacob did as he was told and sat himself in the open seat. Marty took a deep breath, he remembered his own words said just moments before—how it was better to tell Jacob sooner than later—but now with the boy sitting next to him, looking at him with big eyes, Marty was starting to think that later might actually be the better choice.
He turned his stare away from Jacob for just a moment and caught the sight of Maggie giving him an assuring head nod. That little nod suddenly gave Marty the strength he needed to continue.
"Jacob," he began in a calm and steady tone, "There was an accident."
This information made Jacob's brows furrow and he began to look around the room. Everyone was there, only his dad and grandma were missing…but his mom was crying.
"It was my dad, wasn't it?" Jacob somberly asked Marty.
The agent nodded, "Yeah, it was."
Jacob's eyes stayed on Marty, "But he's gonna be fine, right?"
Hearing this question made Marty feel even worse than before, he couldn't give the boy the answer that he was hoping for. Again, he looked over at Maggie hoping to get some more assurance or support from her but it wasn't as successful as before due to the new tears shining in her eyes.
"I'm afraid not, buddy. Your dad was hurt pretty badly," Marty explained, keeping his voice soft. "He died."
"But he's gonna be fine," insisted Jacob.
His words confused his cousin enough to make her forget about her sadness and tears and instead ask, "Jacob, you know what Marty means when he said your dad died, right?"
"I know what death is. I died," he reminded and then a smile broke onto his face, "And then I came back. Just like my dad will."
Hearing Jacob's explanation gave Maggie a realization that she hadn't even thought of before. She looked over at Marty and her father and by the apprehensive expressions they wore on their faces, it didn't look like the idea had crossed their minds either. It apparently had not entered Lucille's mind either but she reacted much differently than the rest of them.
"Jacob! You're right!" she said suddenly smiling grandly, then looking at the others. "Henry will come back! He'll be a returned!"
"Hold on a second, Luc. I don't think you should get so excited too quickly," said Fred, placing a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "I mean we don't know for sure who or what these returned really are. Do you really want Henry to come back like that?"
Lucille glared angrily up at the man who quickly moved his hand off of her when he saw the look she was sending him. Meanwhile Jacob nervously looked down; not because of what happened to his father but because of what his uncle had just said.
Marty could feel the tension in the room rising. The family had already been through enough today, he didn't want to see them go through any more unneeded drama, so he stepped in hoping to revise Fred's comments as well as the emotions they had sparked.
"I think what Fred means is that there's still a lot we don't know about the returned," Marty stated, ignoring the defeated and slightly annoyed look he was getting from the sheriff; his focus was on Lucille. "We still don't know how any of this really works…"
A smile began to creep back onto Lucille's lips, "It doesn't matter that we don't know how it works. All that matters is that it works and it's happening!" she told him, her smile growing more and more, "It happened with Jacob, it happened with Margaret, and it'll happen with Henry. Maybe it's something that runs in the Langston family, I don't know and I don't care as long as it brings back Henry."
Maggie's aunt had given her a theory about the returned that she'd never considered, however, before she could think too much about it, she remembered a detail about the returned that Lucille seem to have forgotten.
"Aunt Lucille, it took Jacob and Margaret decades to return," she reminded, "Uncle Henry might not come back today or tomorrow. He might not even come back years from now. He might not come back at all."
"He'll come back," Lucille firmly argued with just enough anger to make Maggie, Marty, and Fred drop the subject.
Their silence made Lucille's smile appear once more as she stood up and looked at her son, "Come on, Jacob, let's get you back to bed. There's nothing for us to worry about now."
Jacob stood up, ready to go back up to his bed; his mother placed her hands on his shoulders to carefully lead him out of the room.
"You're my little ray of sunshine, you know that?" Lucille asked, kissing the top of Jacob's head causing him to smile.
The trio sat at the table and watched the mother and son leave the room that became silent as soon as they were gone.
"Dad," Maggie said, worry evident in her voice—worry for her cousin and most especially her aunt. "What're we gonna do?"
Fred heaved a sigh, "I don't know."
Author's Note: So what did you think? Yay? Nay? Somewhere in between? Be sure to let me know in a review!
I have one more chapter planned out and could possibly post later today if you all would like :D It's not the final chapter but it's what I've gotten up to so far. I'm hoping after tonight's episode I'll get inspired with more ideas.
The next chapter we'll see Jenny, a little Marty/Maggie bit, and more Lucille and Jacob hoping for Henry's return.
Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, stay tuned, take care, and have a nice day!