I'm sooooo sorry I haven't updated in forever. I got really sick for awhile and had to do tons of make-up stuff afterwards. I'll try to update more often, but it probably won't happen til mid-June - sorry! This chapter's short, but it sets the story up for a few more chapters - sorta. Well, I hope you like it!
Tyler came back that Sunday, and was tossed out on his ass three hours later when he and Lucy got into a fight again.
Dominique came home to find Lucy sobbing in the bathtub. She sent a letter to Tyler, telling him not to come back for awhile.
He didn't, for another year.
Lucy hadn't seen her family in all that time. She didn't go to Christmas at the Burrow, she didn't go to any Sunday lunches at the Burrow, didn't see any family besides Dominique.
Dominique reported back about the rest of the family, telling her how they were all doing. Molly had started going out again, had decidedly unreformed.
Lucy didn't know what to think about that. She wasn't sure she wanted to think about it at all. It hurt to think of her big sister. Once upon a time Lucy had thought Molly was her best friend, her confidant, the one she took her troubles to and asked advice. But Lucy hadn't seen her in a year and when she had last seen her, best-friend Molly was the furthest thing from reality.
Lucy spent Christmas in Notre Dame Cathedral, wandering about the city and watching the happy families playing in the gardens.
Dominique said Nana Weasley had jumped on her the moment she'd arrived for Christmas and Easter dinner, asking all sorts of questions about whether or not she knew where Lucy was. But Dom didn't say anything about Percy or Audrey or Molly asking about her. Lucy just assumed they hadn't. She'd wondered if Nana had made her a sweater that year.
Dom said that everyone looked a little different. Percy had more lines across his forehead, a bit more gray in his hair. Audrey had gained a few wrinkles, as well. Molly had begun wearing low-cut shirts and low-slung jeans, again.
But apparently, the real mystery was Rose. Dom said Rose hadn't hugged a single person at Christmas, or Easter. She didn't even let Albus or Scorpius Malfoy hug her. And the entire family knew Malfoy was in love with her; Lucy had always thought Rose was in love with him, too, she just didn't know it yet.
Lucy was missing a lot. She knew it. But she didn't know how to fix it. If she let anyone know where she was, then her parents would know. What if they came?
Or worse, what if they didn't? What if they knew where she was and didn't care? What if they really didn't ever want her back, want to see her again?
Lucy shook her head. She wasn't going to think about that. She had to work.
Lucy got home to an empty apartment. Two letters were flopped facedown on the kitchen counter, both addressed to her.
She picked up the first – Dominique's handwriting. "Lucy, I'm at Jean's tonight. Might stay for the weekend. See you!"
Lucy set that back down and went to the second. Her heart very nearly stopped beating when she saw the straight scrawl – Tyler's.
Lucy,
I remember in third year when you had decided to learn mermish. You sat by the lake for hours and hours, days turned into months and you just listened to the mermaids, determined to unlock their hisses and high pitched noises. You did, remember? Well, now I'm just as determined to fix you. I know you don't think you need fixing, but then at least let me help. I'm coming by to visit.
See you soon, Lucy,
Tyler
The only thing that immediately crossed Lucy's mind after reading Tyler's letting was: uh-fucking-oh. And then she burst into tears.
Review, please!