Prompt: Elizabeth (or Henry) explains the significance of her and Henry's matching necklaces to one of the kids
Stevie leaned her head against her dad's shoulder. It was her first chance to spend time with him since her breakup with Jareth, and it was something that she needed desperately. It had been nice to spend time with her mom, and having her there had been just what Stevie needed. Now, she needed the same thing she had needed every other time she'd had a breakup; her dad. He'd been there through every one of her breakups and this time was no different. He'd taken one look at her and known, and now she was curled up against him on the couch and sighed.
Glancing over, her eyes landed on the necklace that Henry was wearing, two small charms that were very familiar to Stevie resting against his tee shirt. She reached out and wrapped her slender fingers around the chain, and with a glance down, Henry was reminded of a much, much smaller version of his eldest child. He recalled the way that new baby girl, who had seemed so fragile and tiny, had curled against his chest and wrapped her perfect little fingers around that same chain so long before. He couldn't help but smile slightly at the memory, marveling at how that tiny baby had become the beautiful woman who was curled up against his side now.
"What do they mean?" Stevie asked softly, and he followed her gaze to the two small pendants, which were just like the ones his wife often wore on her own chain. None of their children had ever asked that question before. Henry smiled slightly and kissed Stevie's head.
"Your mom and I got them before I was deployed," he replied, reminiscing on what a sad and heartfelt moment that had been, the goodbyes and the way that Elizabeth had wrapped her fingers around the pendants, too, as if she could infuse them with enough love to keep him safe and bring him home again.
"Protect me," Stevie read aloud from the second of the two pendants. Henry nodded.
"Is it about God?" she asked, and Henry considered how to answer that for a moment.
"Sort of," he replied. "It's about divinity, I think. It's about faith. I don't think that necessarily means it's about God. I think the point of the phrase was that we were both trusting whatever forces we believed in to protect us both when we were apart." Stevie silently turned those words over in her head.
"You believe in God," she stated, and Henry just nodded.
"Mom doesn't," she said. Henry nodded again.
"True," he agreed quietly.
"Then...did it mean different things to each of you?" Stevie inquired.
"Not at the core of it," Henry answered. "At the core of it, we both had faith that I was going to come home and we were going to be okay. We had faith that whatever divine thing had brought us together, be it God or fate or happenstance or sheer will or love, would bring us together again when it was all said and done. And that was always enough."
Stevie held the other pendant, the blue enamel heart, in between her thumb and forefinger, and glanced up at her dad.
"What about this one?" she asked, and henry smiled.
"I think that one's self-explanatory," he said, and Stevie smiled.
"We carried each other's hearts with us, no matter the distance," Henry clarified unnecessarily.
Stevie sighed, and it was clear to her dad that she was thinking about something, so he remained quiet, letting her think.
"I just wish that I could have what you and Mom have," she sighed after a moment of silence, and looked over at him with the blue eyes she'd gotten from Elizabeth. Henry, as he had so many times over the course of her life, melted at the sight.
"Oh, sweetheart," he sighed, pulling her close. He wished he could protect her now the way he had when she was still the new baby girl that could lie on his chest over his heart, close enough and tiny enough that he could keep her safe from everything.
"It just seems so unattainable," she said.
"It's not," Henry assured her. "Mom and I have had our fair share of issues over the years, just like any other relationship. It's not unattainable, Stevie, and I really believe you're going to find what Mom and I have."
"How can you be so sure?" she asked, looking up at him again. He smiled slightly and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
"Because I believe in you," he began, "Because I know what an incredible woman you are, and because I believe in love."
"Is that why you still wear them?" she asked softly. "Because you believe in love?"
"Maybe," Henry shrugged. "That, and because I believe in her," he added softly. Just then, as if on cue, Elizabeth wandered through the kitchen and into the den. Henry leaned his head back to look at her, and Stevie watched his eyes light up at the sight of her mom.
"Hi, babe," he said, voice noticeably different when he addressed Elizabeth. She smiled brightly back at him and leaning in to kiss him, quickly and upside-down, before she pressed her lips to Stevie's forehead.
"Hi," she said to both of them. "What are my people talking about over here?"
"Love," Stevie and Henry chorused in unison. They looked at one another, and Henry laughed as he pulled his daughter close. And right then, Stevie believed in love, too.