Aaaa I thought I would've finished this one much sooner but I was distracted by Animal Crossing. Anyways thank you to everyone, on AO3 and FFN, for reading and for the kind comments! If anyone has a prompt/scenario suggestion, even if it's a single word, let me know with a comment or PM, I'd love suggestions!

It had all started with a watch. To think that something so simple could ignite such a big argument.

Lucy's watch had broken out of nowhere, the wristband snapping as she tightened it that morning, falling to the floor and cracking the glass. No great loss, it had been on the cheaper side and she'd had it for many years anyways. So she had asked her grandmother for a new one, and was told that someone was being sent out to the city later that day for a shopping trip and would pick one up for her then. She accepted this answer at first, but it began to bother her more and more as the day went on. Why couldn't she go along and get one herself? Why did she have to stay in the house all day, never allowed to walk around the city that she now lived in, that she could see from the window? She had resented that rule from the beginning and was upset to find that she had become used to it, complacent with being trapped here.

Lucy marched back up to her grandmother and firmly stated that she would prefer to go along on the shopping trip today. The Contessa shot her down immediately - no, you may not leave the house, remember – and changed the subject. But Lucy felt strong that day and would not back down, demanding to know why, and not taking "because I said so" as an answer.

This is how, half an hour later, they were both still standing across from each other in the Contessa's office with the argument beginning to heat up.

"I just want to be able to go somewhere, anywhere, like everyone else can," Lucy pleaded.

"You aren't like everyone else." The Contessa was clearly losing patience. "You need to stay here."

"What, forever? So I'm a prisoner here?"

"Prisoner is a harsh word. This is for your safety."

Lucy threw her hands up. "What could possibly happen to me if all I'm doing is going to the store for an hour?"

In a low, dark voice, the Contessa warned, "I have seen many things happen in my line of work. Terrible things that I do not desire to describe to you. It doesn't take an hour; all these people need is a few seconds."

"So it's back to this, huh? Back to you." Lucy crossed her arms and glared. "It's all your fault choosing that life. You're evil, you lie and cheat and backstab, all for your own gain. You get involved with dangerous people and let them use you for the voice. It's bad enough you do all that, but you've cursed your whole family too!"

"That is enough!" The Contessa was practically shouting, now furious. "I will not tolerate you speaking to me like this! As long as you live in this house, you will follow my rules, and that's that."

She scoffed. "Why do I get the feeling you'll keep trying to control me even when I'm older?"

"I am your guardian and I expect you to listen to me!"

"Do you really think my mother would be happy to see this?" Lucy asked accusatorily. "I don't know what she was thinking leaving you in charge of me. Maybe she thought you'd have changed by now but clearly you haven't."

"That's enough," the Contessa repeated. She sounded weaker this time, almost tired.

But Lucy was just getting started. It was as if the lid had been opened and all her emotions could finally be free. "You act like you're worried about the effect your 'job' could have, and yet you keep doing it anyways! You only care about yourself!"

"Lucia-"

"And you try to control me like a puppet! You can't force me to be like you!" Lucy was shouting now, fists clenched at her sides and a fire in her eyes. "I'm not allowed to leave the house, or go to school, or have friends, and I'm sick of it! You can't keep me locked up in here all my life!"

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST TRUST ME? I ONLY WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU, OLIVIA!"

Silence.

Lucy had opened her mouth to retaliate but stopped. Her grandmother's words bounced around her head for a moment and her expression became confused. While she had never heard the Contessa yell like that before, it was what she said that threw Lucy off guard rather than how she said it. The quiet stretched on until at last she managed to get out an "um?"

The Contessa was still staring in fury until her own words settled in. All at once she seemed to deflate and her face went blank. "'Lucia'. I meant… to say 'Lucia.'" Her tone was calm now, almost robotic. She turned her back towards her granddaughter and walked slowly to the door. "Go, then, if you want." She left, leaving Lucy alone in the room's sudden silence.

/

An hour had passed since the argument. The Contessa sat out on the patio, staring out at nothing and wondering where it all went wrong. And how it was continuing to all go wrong. How it seemed that no matter what she did, she was doomed to repeat the past.

She heard the door open and footsteps making their way towards her, then the creak of someone sitting in a chair a few feet away.

A few minutes went by with the sound being birds chirping in the garden until the Contessa finally spoke, her voice dull and plain.

"You're back early."

Lucy took the band from her hair and shook it free. "Didn't go."

The Contessa gave a grunt in acknowledgment and another few minutes of quiet passed.

Putting her hair back up in a ponytail, Lucy stared at the ground and cleared her throat. "Mum didn't like the rules either then." It came out as more of a statement than a question.

"No, she did not," the Contessa answered anyways. "And she had a lot less." She sighed and then stated firmly, "I have already lost a daughter, I am not going to lose a granddaughter too."

Lucy nodded, although her grandmother likely couldn't see as they had still not looked at each other once. This was an acceptable explanation, at least for today. She could wait a few more days before bringing it up again, in a calm conversation next time; perhaps then her grandmother would be more receptive to relaxing certain rules. Lucy felt that the Contessa still had much to answer for, but maybe that would have to wait. Until Lucy was older. Until she had the right questions. Until the Contessa was ready to own up to her actions.

But for today? Maybe this was enough of an understanding. Maybe it was enough to argue, and to forgive without words. Words could come later, when they were both ready. For now, it was enough to sit near each other and listen to the birds, looking forward to the new day tomorrow.

This was inspired by the line from the Steven Universe episode "Sworn to the Sword," where Pearl is arguing with Steven and says something like "Why won't you let me do this for you, Rose?!" I've always thought WOW what a great line! And I think there is a 100% chance the Contessa would slip and call Lucy by her mom's name at least like, twice.
ALSO "Prisoner is a harsh word" is what she said to Wing in the first book when introducing them to HIVE!