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As long as she could remember Lucy always said her prayers before going to sleep. This was a little known fact because if her gang had suspected she would have lost street cred in their eyes as believing in a God of any sort was very un-badass-like. It was something Lucy and her father, Lucius, did together before he would tuck her in for the night and go off to one of his late night meetings with her uncles for the family business.
"God bless Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Bosco, Uncle Steve, Little John, Aunt Sophia, and Grandmam."
"Very good, Lucy, and who else?"
"Oh yeah, God bless the Lakers, the Red Wings, and the Ohio State Buckeyes. May they stick it to the Wolverines again this year."
"No, Lucy. That wasn't what I was waiting to hear." Lucius smiled expectantly, encouraging his only daughter. Little Lucy looked at her father puzzled. She couldn't, for the life of her remember what she should say. "May God protect all the little children who are …" he started for her and then the light bulb went off in her head.
"Without a home and who have no family to depend on. May He shine his spirit down on them and bring them hope." A pause. "Daddy, what good is a shinning spirit going to do if they don't have a family?" Lucy looked up at her father her eyes sparkling with questions and an innate intelligence.
Lucius smiled and a thoughtful expression passed over his dark features. "You know, that's a good question. I don't know. I always thought it sounded nice and comforting. What do you think?"
"I think it sounds silly. Why doesn't God just come on down and save them if he's all good and all?"
Lucius, not in the mood for a debate, rolled his eyes and answered her patiently. "Because God leaves it up to us to save ourselves. God helps those who help themselves."
"But those kids didn't do anything to deserve that hard a life." Lucy pouted. "I don't understand. I think God is something you guys made up to keep me kneeling for hours in church and before bed every night."
Lucius smiled benevolently at his daughter and took a deep breath before responding. "I'm a businessman, not a priest so I won't be able to debate you on this. Life is precious it's a tremendous gift, but with that gift comes responsibility. We have to take care of each other, support our family, that kind of thing" He cleared his throat and continued. "But we also have to have faith in something. I believe in God."
"But you can't see God. How do you know he's around?"
"I see God every day. I see him in you and your mother's beautiful smiles. I feel his warm embrace on a summer day." He looked at his daughter. She was looking at him skeptically. "It's a matter of faith. You're looking for a logical answer and I can't give that to you."
Lucy smiled triumphantly and jumped up to a standing position by her bed. She placed both her hands on her father's shoulders. Two pairs of matching chocolate brown eyes met. "Ha! You just admitted that all this stuff we've been doing is crazy! There's no logic to it. I knew it!"
Lucius' smiled transformed into a stern frown. "I said no such thing, Lucy. Faith is different. Faith doesn't require proof. Faith knows and feels in one's gut absolutely and that is all the proof you need." Lucy rolled her eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me. I'm not joking."
"I know. It just seems … weird … I guess." Lucy frowned and sat down on the edge of her bed. Lucius stood up and walked over to his daughter's bookshelf. He walked back holding a book. He opened the book and thumbed through it until he found what he was looking for and handed the open book to his daughter. Lucy looked at the book and then at her father. He pointed a specific passage out to his daughter. Lucy read. " When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things."
Lucius sat down beside his daughter on her bed. He looked into his daughter's questioning eyes and watched the spark of comprehension ignite. Lucy could be stubborn at times and she could be playful. He loved witnessing her spiritual growth. "Lucy, you know I love you, right?" She nodded her head. "You know that I would never lie to you about something important." He could sense her thoughts and added "Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny don't count." He continued. "I know this is confusing for you. It confuses me too at times." He paused to let that sink in. "The best way I can explain this – hell the only way I can explain this - is this: One day you're going to meet somebody, and this person is going to be so special you're going to want to become the best version of yourself that you can become - your mom did that for me – and this will be your biggest challenge in life. It won't be easy. Nothing worth having comes easily; you have to work for it. It will be a struggle, but it will be worth it. You will have to believe in yourself and you will have to have faith that all will work out as it should. If you don't have faith you cannot hope for anything better in this life and you'll always feel trapped. Right now you're a kid, but you are going to grow into a wonderful woman and what I'm saying to you right now will all make sense. My faith guides me and your growing faith will guide you too to where you're supposed to be."
Lucy yawned and looked at her father. "Can I go to bed now? I'm tired." Lucius laughed gently and pulled back the blankets and sheets on her bed and watched her crawl in. He hugged her and kissed her gently on the cheek. Then he crossed the room and turned out the light and shut the door behind him.
Amy was sleeping soundly next to Lucy in her hideout. This was only their second night together. Less than 48 hours ago Lucy had 'kidnapped' Amy away from the DEBS at the bank. Lucy was looking at her and thinking of her father. She hadn't dreamed about him in some time, and the vivid imagery of her nightly prayer ritual with her father kept her awake.
She studied her face and her heart filled with wonder. This beautiful blonde woman, this perfect score was beside her. She left all that she knew behind for her. She chose Lucy Diamond, a badass master criminal, over her friends over security. Lucy was awed by the choice Amy had made.
"… this will be your biggest challenge in life. It won't be easy." Amy's face serene in the moonlight, peaceful. "… it will be a struggle, but it will be worth it." Lucy reflected on her life lived up to this moment. Stealing, roughing up the competition or just trying to stay alive. She went to that dark place in her heart, when she got her revenge on Schaeffer for murdering her family. "… If you don't have faith you cannot hope for anything better in this life and you'll always feel trapped." It was in this moment, in her head which was compiling a list of all the things she'd done that were bad, all the reasons why a girl like Amy shouldn't be with her, that her father's voice was most assuring, and she finally knew in her heart what her father had tried to tell her all those years ago. She didn't even know that she remembered it until now.
Lucy got out of bed and walked around to Amy's side. She kneeled in the moonlight and prayed a heartfelt, genuine prayer for all that had happened in her past and all that would happen in her future with Amy. When she had finished she gently kissed Amy's forehead and then she got back into bed and immediately fell asleep.
