Veronica closed the door behind her and took in a deep breath, eyes falling on the back of her mom's head. She was seated on the living room couch, shifting through half a dozen boxes that had been placed on the table in front of her as well as beneath it.
"Hey," She greeted, a little confused as she went over and stood next to her. "What's all this?"
Hermione looked up in surprise, pulled free from whatever she'd been so engrossed in. "Veronica! Sorry-" She shook her head, hopping up to her feet at once. "I didn't hear you come in. How'd your first day go?"
"Good, good," she grinned, following her mother's lead as she sat back down. "I made it on to the cheerleading squad!"
Though she didn't look surprised nevertheless Hermione beamed at her with pride, quickly enveloping her into a hug. "Oh honey that's wonderful!" The pair chatted happily for a while as Veronica told her all about her first day, detailing everything from her new friends and the threeway date she'd secured for the back to school dance.
However once she reached the end, Veronica mentally warred with herself on whether or not to say something about Elena. Did her Mom know that Riverdale of all places was where she'd ended up? Right in plain sight? She didn't know how she hadn't thought of it. In the time they'd spent apart Veronica had sometimes imagined her lounging in a hidden away manor in some foreign country somewhere, sipping from a bottle of Coca Cola as she populated it solely with books and rescue animals. But the fantasy had soon been peeled away when she had been informed in the midst of a heated argument with their father that he had cut her off. There would be no fancy home with expensive books and all the pets she'd ever wanted but their parents had never let her have. She would be out on her own in every way possible, the reality of which had left her too horrified and sad to verbalise. And so like her mother and father she'd bottled it all up, never to speak of her or her disappearing act ever again.
She'd missed her so much it'd been hard to breathe at times. Elena, her older sister, the one unchanging variable in her life had just gone. There one day and ripped away the next. But now she was here, and she was okay despite everything and now... Now perhaps they could find their way back to the way things had been before.
"Mom-" She halted mid-sentence as she caught sight of something in one of the boxes. "What is all this?"
"They're Elena's." She responded, her voice indicating no kind of emotion as she made zero eye contact with her. Veronica found it a little too calm and business-like, slightly suspecting that it was an act. Her mom had been anything but, when they'd came home that day so long ago to find Elena gone.
Veronica peered into the box closest to her, pulling out Elena's teddy bear Mango from the pile. She was an average-sized bear, with bright blue fur, a dark blue dress and dark blue shoes both of which were decorated by real jewels. Though she was a little worn with age, the jewels certainly hadn't lost their shine, twinkling in the light as she turned the bear from side-to-side. Her sister had been attached at the hip to her for as long as Veronica could remember, childhood memories stretching back to Mango attending family days out, functions, vacations and even having her own place at the dinner table. She'd even had pride of place on Elena's room desk when she got older. She was the Woody to her Andy. However in that moment, Veronica had the uncomfortable realisation that she probably hadn't had time to grab her when their father had evicted Elena from their home.
It seemed she hadn't had time to pack a lot of the things she'd loved.
Veronica propped Mango up in her lap, smiling lightly as she patted her on the forehead before continuing with her search. "You have all her stuff?" She pulled out old books, textbooks, old game consoles, pictures and some badly drawn art she made a mental note to snap a picture of later. And that was in just one of several boxes. Veronica spied a few bigger ones by the door that were probably housing some bigger things, along with a few odds and ends Veronica could remember seeing in her room before she was effectively barred from entering it by their father.
"I-" Hermione held up her hands, letting them fall to her lap in defeat. "Your father wanted to get rid of it all. He sold some things on but I made sure to keep a couple of things. I- I couldn't let him get rid of everything. I had it all taken out of storage just before we moved. I thought maybe..." Her eyes trailed upwards, brimming with barely concealed emotion as she met Veronica's gaze. "Maybe she'd want it back."
Veronica smiled sadly as she spared a glance at Mango, taking her mother's hand into hers. "I think so too."
When Hermione finally met her gaze, Veronica barely restrained herself from throwing her arms around her mom and crying with her. Elena was okay. She was doing well and she didn't hate them. With her father practically catatonic in the days following, she and her mom had had to mourn the loss of Elena in their lives on their own.
"You saw her." Hermione stated.
"Yeah," Veronica nodded, "Elena was okay though mom, really! I mean she's still harbouring a very intense grudge towards daddy, but what's new? And we talked! Really talked! She took me on a town-wide tour, I got to meet some of her friends, and we even stopped by her roommate's bakery for macarons. Look!" Veroncia pulled out her phone, fuelled by excitement and cheer at this new turn in her life. Things were going to get better, she could feel it. Even if they didn't have as much money as they were used to and her father might be being put away for a long time, Elena was in Riverdale and wanted to mend fences. They could get back the most important thing they'd lost.
"What is that?" Hermione frowned, as Veronica merely showed her a contact number on her phone.
"Look at the name."
Hermione's eyes widened, slightly awe-struck. "She gave you her number?"
"And her Instagram," Veronica grinned, brimming with pride. "Though on closer inspection she seems to mostly use it to follow geek accounts and post memes. She wants to start over mom, she promised me as such. You should go talk to her!"
"Veronica-" A panicked edge crept into Hermione's tone. "You talking to Elena is one thing, but-"
"But what?"
"I didn't plan for this part." Her voice trembled, so soft and yet so fearful.
"You knew she was here." Veronica realised, her mouth falling open. "You did, didn't you?"
Hermione merely nodded in confirmation, lying back in her seat. "I had Adams and Andre search for her. When they returned with an address in Riverdale I could've-" She trailed off, momentarily losing her composure as she clenched her fists in frustration. "Why didn't she just call? Why move into some strange apartment and live without any help rather than just coming home?"
"You know why mom, Elena's pride is as big as daddy's." Veronica retorted with a snort. If Elena could have heard her comment at that moment, Veronica was certain she would have earned herself a hard shove. "Is this why we moved here? So we could be with Elena?"
"The major one, yes. When your father was arrested I saw an opportunity and I took it. Get away from New York and get back in contact with her in a way she can't avoid." Hermione explained, the words pouring forth as though she'd been keeping them locked away for so long she was about to burst. "It seemed so easy. But now-"
"You're scared."
"I argued with her too much," Hermione admitted, "I should have fought to get her to open up about school. I knew something was wrong-"
"School?"
"She was flunking out." Hermione explained, fingers travelling to her temple to rub stressfully at it. "I found out not too long after... After she left. Why she had the sudden dip in grades I still don't know." She was embarrassed. Veronica thought, a deep pang of sympathy reverberating through her. And I bet daddy found out! Veronica squirmed uncomfortably, a movement that didn't go unmissed by her mother.
"Veronica." Hermione arched a single elegant brow, the single utterance of her name a firm order to explain herself.
Her shoulders sank in defeat. "She... May have admitted to having some problems at the time. Mental health ones to be exact." Elena was going to kill her for telling their mom. When they were children they'd had a fight over who was going to have a bath first. The argument itself had been nothing special, just one of their many petty fights over the years. But this particular incident had been significant, as whilst they'd fought the bathtub upstairs had overflowed and completely flooded the top floor of their home. They'd resolved to blame it on a nanny who'd just been fired that morning, and henceforth they'd vowed not to rat the other out for anything. Elena's trust in her meant everything and the Lodge sisters were not snitches, but Veronica couldn't help but feel that this was one thing she couldn't keep from their mother. It was too important.
"Specifically?"
"Anxiety." She sighed. "Don't tell her I told you, I think she's a little embarrassed by it. Which is ridiculous but I suppose it's why she never voiced her feelings. It makes a lot of sense though, right? Why she turned all Howard Hughes-ee as soon as Daddy wanted us all to go out to a public place."
"I thought she was just being obstinate with your father," Hermione replied, smiling sadly. She buried her face in her hands momentarily, her head rising from her hands with an unreadable expression across it. "Thank you for telling me honey."
"Mom- Are you okay?" Veronica hesitated, before pulling her into a hug. "Should I have not told you?"
"No, no." She dismissed, a flicker of sadness sneaking its way past her defences before being stamped out seconds later. The two women extracted themselves from one another, Veronica still cautiously gripping her mom's hand. "You were right to. You were-" Her face fell, her walls of defence crumbling at once under the weight of her emotions. She bowed her head shamefully. "I let her down. She must hate me."
"Mom..." She hated seeing her cry. "You have to talk to her. Apologise. Let her know how much you missed her. How you sent people out looking for her and kept all her stuff. If you stay holed up in here she's going to assume the worst. Prove her wrong!" She urged, desperate to get through to her. "Elena could never truly hate you mom. I can say with the utmost confidence that I know she doesn't have it in her. I remember how close you guys were. That kind of understanding between two people doesn't just go away."
Sensing that she'd successfully reeled her mother in as she met her eyes once more, Veronica ploughed onwards. "Look she's working the night of the semi-formal why not go talk to her? Or if you don't want to spring it on her consult the roommate."
"The roommate?" Hermione shot her a questioning look. "What did you say their name was?"
"Nell."
A look of pure amusement fell over her mom's face, her pure bafflement clear as she let out a small but undeniable laugh. "Nell." She stretched out the single syllable, as though she were weighing the person in question up purely from it. "Blonde, perky, looks like she fell out of a sitcom?"
Veronica nodded, frowning at her curious reaction. "You know her?"
"I met her this morning." Hermione barely missed a beat, jumping on to a new line of inquiry. "How did that happen?"
"Elena said she used to babysit her when she came here for visits. She offered her somewhere to stay. She seemed really nice from what I saw."
"Nell." Hermione muttered, shaking her head to herself as she seemed to be momentarily lost in her reverie. She remained so for a few seconds too long, snapping out of it at once when Veronica said her name. Hermione turned to Veronica, offering her a tentative smile. "I'll think it over honey." She promised, running a hand fretfully through her hair as she rose to stand. "Who knows?" She shrugged, "Maybe it won't go as bad as I'm imagining it will."
Once she had gotten the door open Nell all but crawled into her apartment, dragging her feet as she closed and locked it all while groaning like a zombie. Once she was done she threw her keys in the direction of the little key bowel she and Elena kept by the door, but it missed, veering left of the shelf it was kept on and falling uselessly to the floor. Nell followed suit, her bag still thrown over her shoulder as she sank to the floor. "Uggggggggggggh!"
"You'd make a crappy pitcher," Elena remarked from her place curled up on the couch, clad in pjs as her eyes remained glued on something she was watching on the TV. "So how was your day?"
"My feet are dead, the brides of this town are out to kill me, and I still have to plan for whatever it is I'm going to do for Taste of Riverdale. Everyone who's everyone is gonna be there!" Nell stressed, still face down on the floor. She was a whiner. A total whiner who had no idea what to do. "Pop! All the fancy restaurants! The new Korean place! The ice cream parlour! And the cheese guy! Oh my god the cheese guy is gonna be there I'm doomed!"
"The cheese guy?" Elena frowned, halfway through eating a ginger cookie.
Nell frowned at the sound of her eating, looking up to find her roommate with two ginger cookies and a bottle of Coca Cola to keep her company. Nell made a series of outraged noises at the sight, picking herself up from the floor as she wagged a finger at Elena. "You made ginger cookies? Without me?"
Elena let out a snort at her pouting. "I found a recipe online. Wanna try?" She held out the uneaten one for her to take. "It's really yummy!" She urged, her tone mocking. "I even made sure I didn't burn anything this time!" Nell had taken to teaching Elena how to bake in the summer, which after a few not so great attempts she'd found pretty fun to do. Something about the process was relaxing, gently guiding her forever rattling thoughts away and settling them solely on the process of the recipe. She could understand why Nell did it for a living.
Nell hung her bag and coat up on the coat rack beneath the shelf, slowly trudging back to Elena and taking the cookie from her. She collapsed next to the younger girl, placing her spare hand on her bare ankle.
"BAH!" Elena jumped away from her, cringing at the icy sensation from her fingers. "Jesus fuck- Why are your hands so cold?" She demanded.
"I spent the last half hour of my shift knee-deep in the freezer," she laughed, taking a bite out of her cookie, "I THINK I HWAVE FWOSTBWITE!"
"Good?" Elena gestured to the ginger cookie.
Nell grinned warmly, offering her a thumbs up once she'd finished the last of it. "These are great!" Elena felt a part of her warm at the praise, so soft and raw and vulnerable that it made her want to hug Nell for her sincerity. It was one of the things she loved most about her. She was as candid as they came. There was no underlying threat or hidden meaning lying beneath some carefully chosen words with her. Nell was just Nell. "Want to work behind the counter too?"
Elena shook her head vehemently. She did the occasional bit of deliveries on her bike for the bakery, which meant she was only exposed to Anal Baker Nell in small doses. When things got busy or hard she turned into a complete stressball, and her way of coping was micromanaging the hell out of everything around her. It was one of her more unpleasant traits which Elena chose to steer clear of. Though considering the people she'd dealt with previously, it was a laughably small flaw. "I'm good. So you were saying about the cheese guy?"
"Oh! Right." Nell nodded in acknowledgement, shifting around slightly in order to get comfortable. Elena threw her legs over hers, earning herself a poke to the ankle as Nell settled her head against her hand. "Carl's Cheese Emporium. It's not too far from the Register's office. Big hit with the older crowds and any tourists that travel through the area. He's got every cheese ever made! Not to mention all the merch! Cheese shirts, cheese magnets, cheese cards, cheese toys- I can't compete!" She threw her hands up in defeat. "And the worst part is that he's nice! Really, really nice! And people like him and his stupid cheeses so much that he's gonna blow me out of the water!"
"Stop saying cheese."
Nell sighed. "I shouldn't go. I've got so much going on. I mean it sounds so exciting and cool but-"
"No, you have to go!" Elena urged, earnest and encouraging as she stared forcefully at Nell. "Stop it, the place is great! Everyone and their mother likes Top of the Muffin. You can't compare yourself to other business owners Nell, believe me it'll just send you spiralling down a rabbit hole. You my colourful friend are one of a kind just like your bakery. Think of everything that's gone right with that place instead of hyperfocusing on everything that's not perfect." Her own words struck a chord within Elena. A voice in the back of her mind chimed in that it wouldn't do her bad to heed them.
Nell was touched. She gave the teenager an affectionate nudge, smiling in what she hoped was a grateful manner. "Thank you." She murmured softly.
"You're welcome."
"Yeah," Nell nodded in agreement, encouraged by her comments. "You're right! I'll show the best of my shit off! I'll blow him-"
"That sounds really bad out of context."
"-out of the water instead!"
"Plus it's free advertising and I volunteered to help Pop with his stand, so I wouldn't mind a friendly face." Elena quickly added, smiling through her comment.
Nell grinned, merely shaking her head at her. "You're on. Oh! I can make Cinnamon Rolls! And Kiwi tarts! Ooooo and a Mandarin Cheesecake!" She exclaimed enthusiastically, making Elena smile at the sight. Nell had an effortless way of cheering her up. Everything from her fairy-like gait to her cheery sunshine attitude made Elena practically suffocate with fondness for the older girl. She was good and kind and normal. Nell was everything she had ever wished for in a family.
"That's the spirit!" Elena enthused, grabbing her drink to take a sip through the straw. "Aim to dominate!" She exclaimed, punching her fist into the air.
"Okay now who sounds bad out of context?"
"It's me, I'm the fool." Elena conceded defeat, rising from her seat momentarily to grab two blankets for the roommates to cosy up in. (They were also saving on their heating bill to boot.)
The pair settled down and got cosy, agreeing to put on a movie they both liked as they unwound from their respective days. Twenty minutes into the movie however Elena saw Nell's leg begin to bounce nervously, a sure sign that she wanted to talk about her Mom but was unsure of how to broach it. Nell did not let diffcult conversation topics lie like her mom and dad. Life with her had been such a stark contrast in the beginning, but especially in that aspect. If some bump in the road emerged with her mental health or something not so great happened at school, Nell would always gently try to wrangle it out of her. They would talk it out, a healthy outlet or some other solution was decided upon and life went on with just a little bit of weight off of her shoulders. She was all about the healthy communication thing, and even in times where Elena wished she would just let something go, she was grateful to the blonde for showing her what she had been missing. And most of all for caring. For caring so clearly and undeniably that even Elena's loudest anxious thoughts couldn't conjure up something that could argue otherwise.
Ten minutes went by. Her foot came into play, swinging from side-to-side in time with the swish of a character's sword.
Another five and she was swishing her head from the screen to Elena's face, firmly deciding upon speaking and then frantically changing her mind within seconds.
"Oh for the love of-" Elena grabbed the remote and paused the movie, turning to meet Nell's eye. "What?"
Nell offered her a placating smile, her nose wrinkling so much that she looked as though she'd smelt something foul. "You okay?"
A startled laugh bubbled over Elena's lips. "I'm fine." She nudged Nell's arm with her own. "You on the other hand look like you're riding on horseback."
Nell glanced down at her still fidgeting leg. "Oh!" She exclaimed in alarm, eyes popping to the size of jawbreakers. She stopped at once, pulling her blanket up to her chin. "Gotta stop doing that!" She mumbled to herself. Regaining her train of thought, her attentions swung back to Elena like a pendulum. "We haven't talked about the Mom thing properly."
"We don't have to talk about "the Mom thing" at all." Elena air-quoted, already aware that she was fighting a losing battle.
"No I think we do," Nell pressed, gentle but insistent, "Are you gonna talk to her?"
Elena nodded, though she was wearing a reluctant expression that spoke volumes to Nell. "I know I'll have to but-" Her voice wobbled, a soft laugh escaping her lips. "I'm going to sound like I'm five right now but-"
"It's okay." Nell assured her.
"She's going to yell at me."
"She's not going to yell at you."
Elena shook her head. "No she's going to yell at me, I'm going to be told what an awful human being I am, and that I could never hold a candle to her, the ever infallible Queen of not messing up." Her eyes had trailed downward, forcing Nell to poke her on the shoulder in order to look up.
"You're not an awful human being and I really doubt she's going to yell at you." Nell gave her a nudge to the side. "When I saw her today she seemed..." Nell waved her hands in search of a word. "Regretful."
Elena's face softened at that, though Nell saw her try her best to hide it. "She-" A second of hesitation stretched between them, but then: "She was?"
"Yeah." Oh kiddo. "Look I'm not telling you to brush aside the stuff that's gone on between you two, far from it. But instead of bottling it up and never mentioning it- radical concept here but hear me out- talk to her. Give it a shot. Pour out every little bit of bad blood that you've got stored up there-" She pointed to Elena's heart. "and see what happens." Nell held up her hands. "You've got nothing to lose with her and everything to gain. I mean look at today with Veronica!"
A shy smile crept on to Elena's lips. "It's nothing."
"No it's everything. You swung! You took a chance and look what happened! Good things! Great things! You're talking again! You did a home-run!" She paused, leaning forward conspiratorially. "Did I get the baseball lingo right?"
Elena chuckled in response, feeling the shakes reverberate deep within her bones. She gave her the thumbs up. "An A- for sure. But ah- Nell, my mom she's all about appearances and well-" She gestured to the frayed fabric of her pyjama shirt she'd been playing with. "I'm afraid she's gonna hardcore judge. I mean I get my judgey-ness from her so you can imagine." She laughed self-deprecatingly. "I mean I don't care." She quickly added. "I'll go on and live my life but-"
"It'd be pretty dang sweet if she didn't go hardcore classist on you." Nell supplied knowingly.
"I'm not ashamed." Elena told her, firm and unwielding in her tone as she stared Nell straight in the eye. "I work."
"You do." Nell acknowledged with a nod of her head.
"I pay my half of the rent, I paid for everything in my closet and all the stuff in my room. I'm proud of that. I-I'm glad I'm not some rich heiress who sits on her ass all day anymore. And I know my mom did everything humanly possible to get away from this life, and she probably thinks I'm insane for giving all that up. But my new life, it's not perfect or squeaky clean, but I've made it into something that feels like an actual home. One where I feel safe and wanted and have an actual normal routine for myself. I don't care if she turns her nose up at me. But at the same I've been thinking all day about the way things used to be with her. We used to go out on girl trips. When Veronica or Dad were busy we'd sometimes go to this out of the way bookstore. They sold all sorts of first editions and expensive one of a kinds and we'd get gelato!" Her entire face brightened at the memory, a complete juxtaposition to the corner of her eyes which were slightly tearing up at the memory.
Nell felt a sad pang within her, both for Elena's loss and herself. She'd never gotten to have anything like that growing up. It sounded nice. Really nice.
"She'd buy me all the stacks of books I'd bring back after a two hour search and-" She smiled fondly. "When I wasn't looking she'd take a couple and sign them inside with messages inside. To Elena, You need a haircut, Love Mom, Dear Elena, Please stop putting blue streaks in your hair, Elena, I'm raising the world's biggest book hoarder. Sometimes in Spanish, sometimes in English. It was just a simple thing but it meant a lot."
Nell stared in realisation, something significant clicking into place mentally. "The really nice ones on the top shelf of your bookshelf?" The books in question were eight very expensive looking editions of classic books, which no one other than her was allowed to touch if they valued their lives. They were sleek, leatherbound, and probably would have cost Nell an arm and a leg just to get one. Elena had let her see them up close on occasion, and they were every bit their money's worth. She'd never quite understood her possessiveness over them until now.
Elena nodded in confirmation. "One in the same. I grabbed some of them when I was... You know."
"Elena."
Nell gave her a look that Elena knew all too well. "I know, I know. You've got to at least try or you'll live the rest of your life wondering. I'm just scared. We haven't talked in so long and we've never-" Elena gestured wildly. "-talked for even longer. Emotions weren't much of thing in the Lodge family unless someone was dying or Dad caught Veronica sneaking a boy into the house."
"For what it's worth I'm sure she is too."
"How did you gather that?" Elena wondered.
"She-" Nell hesitated. "She got kind of emotional when we started talking. Namely... Well namely about you kiddo." A regretful look passed over Elena's, her eyes trailing downward as she ran her fingers through the soft material of her blanket. "Hey-" Nell grabbed the part of her wrist that was covered by her pyjama shirt, stopping her at once. "She's not gonna care about your lack of money. Sure it'll be an adjustment for the both of you, but what I mean to say is that you'll be the only thing she cares about. Whether you're in expensive clothes or not, you're still her baby. Look I could be totally wrong, but I got a good sense from her. This is your choice. I'll be here either way."
"Can you come?"
"What?" Nell stalled in her tracks.
Big brown eyes that were identical to her mother's looked up to meet her, full of fear and apprehension. "If I do talk to her, would you be there? I don't know as my wing man or something?" She pleaded, her brow furrowing with worry.
If she said no she would be the biggest monster alive.
But if she said yes-
If you say yes you'll be going to support your incredibly anxious buddy, who seriously doesn't need you frothing at the mouth the minute you see a certain someone. Elena needs supportive friend Nell, not perve extraordinaire Nell. Get it together!
"I'll have my pom-poms ready," Nell confirmed with a wink, heart beating a mile a minute. "I'll- I don't know find a place to hover or something. A booth at Pop's or some other neutral place perhaps?"
Elena pointed a finger in agreement. "Now that is an idea!"
"I'll even leave the car running."
"Ha Ha."
"You're being brave." Nell complimented, hoping to boost her up a little. "Seriously so. Just rip off the band-aid!" She urged, miming the act in question and even wincing from fake pain. "You did it today! And once "the mom thing" is all over with well... From what you've said there's something good there. Potentially something you could work towards having again. Why not focus on that?" She patted Elena on the shoulder. "Give it a whirl. And you never know, I could potentially have two new people to embarrass you in front of."
"Of course you'd focus on that," Elena laughed as her phone buzzed on the table. She picked it up and glanced at the message, her mouth opening in outrage. "That little bitch-" She laughed in surprise, the sound pouring out unexpectedly.
"What?" Nell frowned.
"It seems Veronica found some of my old drawings." She admitted a little sheepishly, flipping her phone around to show Nell the picture she'd been sent.
Nell's frown deepened as she stared at the picture, a mass blur of different shades of blue crayons and a mixture of what appeared to be gel pens thrown into a blender. "Is that a blimp?"
Elena gaped at her in disbelief. "It's a sheep!"
"Ohhhhh."
"It's not that bad." Elena defended.
"No, no of course not." Nell replied, handing back her phone. "No ones drawings would be perfect if their writing arm was in a cast."
Elena pulled a face of mock anger, throwing Nell the finger whilst the blonde threw her head back and laughed. "It's a cute blimp!"
"It's not a blimp!"
But her argument was to no avail, as the older girl continued to giggle at her expense.
The rest of the week proceeded mostly without incident. Elena had an uneventful week of back-to-school homework and her jobs to juggle, and Nell had welcomed the Andrews Construction crew through her doors to begin work on the bakery repairs. Though the noise from the crew's machinery sent her nerves rattling everytime they went off, she took comfort in the fact that she was well on her way to ticking off another problem.
But just as all thoughts of "the mom thing" had settled comfortably to the back of her mind -listed away with every other thing from the start of the week- it was soon pulled to the forefront of her mind.
As she was bringing a tray of beignets to the shop's front window for display, she caught sight of a familiar face stepping out of an equally familiar car from across the street. Hot mom alert! Nell found herself gaping in surprise, so much so that she had to force herself to look down. She began depositing the contents of her tray, stacking each of them neatly across the small space all while keeping one eye trained on the scene out front. What was she doing here?
The why of it all happened to click into place in the millisecond Nell looked up once more, catching Hermione Lodge's eye at once.
She raised a hand in greeting, smiling lightly as Nell waved back awkwardly. She quickly dropped her hand, cringing inwardly. She sucked in a deep breath, all too aware that the other woman was making her way over to the shop.
"I'm an adult." She muttered under her breath. "I'm a responsible adult who can talk to pretty women like a normal human being."
The bell dinged noisily, bringing Nell's erratic thoughts to a screeching halt. Her attention instantly fell upon the very out of place Hermione who'd just walked through the door, clocking her at once.
"Hi." Nell squeaked as she met her by the door, flashing what she hoped was a friendly rather than psychotic smile at the other woman.
"Hello again." An amused smile played at the corners of Hermione's mouth, an action that left Nell's stomach fluttering an annoying amount.
Hermione pulled her hand out from her totally chic white coat, pointing a finger at her. "Elena's roommate?"
Nell returned the action without thinking, parroting her questioning tone. "Elena's mom?"
The two of them laughed at once, both giving a slight nod in confirmation. Nell found her little laugh absolutely charming, finding the sensations it gave her rather like when she drank hot chocolate but dialled up to a ten. A warm and content feeling that spread through her being at light-speed, and one she found that she didn't really want to end. "Small towns." Nell shook her head to herself, indicating to the left of her for Hermione to follow. "They really are... Well, small. We can talk over there if you'd like?"
"I would."
Nell's muscles tensed as she made her way over to the more private section of the shop, all too aware of Hermione's shadow following closely behind her. What was she going to say exactly? Why yes I'm the woman who used to babysit your kid! Yes that's right she's now living with me. Please God don't think I'm some kind of pervert!
Nell directed her to a secluded table that directly overlooked the park that was located across the street, a nice, oddly fitting sight that she hoped would keep the other woman from yelling or threatening her for taking her daughter in and effectively away from her. Nell was no pushover by any means, but dear God she didn't like raised voices. It always reminded her of the Sisters despite the years that had passed since her time there, sending every hair on her body shooting upwards without fail.
Hermione however didn't seem to be readying herself to yell like Nell had assumed. Her attentions were diverted elsewhere as she looked over the shop, a pleasant look on her face as she took in the aesthetic Nell had worked so hard to cultivate. "You did a great job with this place."
"Thank you." Nell swallowed, smiling nervously as she clasped her hands together in her lap.
Hermione met her eyes once more, gesturing to the furnishings that surrounded them. "You picked all of these out yourself?"
"I did." Nell confirmed. "I know a guy." She giggled despite the nerves that were rattling within her. "I know a guy. God I sound so serious. My friend Luke, we ah grew up together. He ended up working in one of the fancier antique furniture stores in Centreville, and not to brag or anything but he gives me a scoop on all the good stuff. I mean-" She patted the floral patterned parlour chair that she was sat on and gestured to its twin that Hermione was sat on. "I got those two half off!"
Hermione raised an impressed brow, admiring the material on the chair for herself. "That's a steal."
"I did feel pretty pleased with myself when I came out the store that day," she pretended to puff up her chest as she grinned, finding her breath drawing short under the other woman's stare. Hermione looked at her with such a level of calm, composure and put togetherness that it made Nell feel like she was the only other person around. She just seemed to radiate self-assured, laser focused energy that made Nell long to have her eyes on her for as long as possible. Nothing Nell would say in the next few minutes would be able to penetrate the now rock solid walls that were holding Hermione Lodge together, and that both impressed and slightly terrified her.
Nell dug her teeth into her lip as a small stretch of silence spread between them, which she found herself desperate to break. "Can I get you anything? A croissant maybe? Or just coffee? I make a mean coffee." She offered.
"I don't-"
"Please, let me get you a coffee." Nell pleaded, wincing a little at how dumb she sounded. You're not dumb you're just... Heading into some unknown territory here.
Hermione bowed her head, her smile a little sheepish and making for an uncanny resemblence to Elena. "I'll take a coffee."
Hermione told her exactly what she wanted and Nell headed off to the back to scramble the concoction together. She distracted herself by repeating the exact order over and over to herself, all while trying desperately not acknowledge how nice she thought the older woman looked today.
Once Nell was finished she picked out the nicest oversized coffee mug she could find, a dignified deep purple colour that she began pouring the coffee into. She urged her hand to stay steady, setting the coffee pot aside to check that the level of liquid was just the right amount. She became vaguely aware of Theo hovering curiously over her shoulder, though she pointedly chose to ignore him.
"Nell?"
"Hmph?"
"Want me to get you a ruler?"
Without turning Nell gave him the finger, though a snickering Theo was undeterred. "Why are you measuring coffee? Anal customer?"
"Nope." She shook her head, finally satisfied with the amount. She grabbed a nearby pink mug and poured the rest of the coffee inside of it, then she proceeded to chug the contents down her throat. She gasped once she was done, a little breathless from the act.
"Jesus."
Nell carefully lifted Hermione's mug, handling it with more care than a mother with a newborn. "Did you see the woman at the table?"
Theo nodded as he followed after her back to the front of the shop. "Oh, isn't she the woman with the loaded felon husband? Everyone around town's saying her and her family lost all their money."
Nell nodded frantically, silently praying to every deity she didn't believe in that she didn't spill the mug. As they came back behind the counter, Nell nodded towards the woman in question, who seemed to be busying herself with her phone whilst she waited. "That's Elena's mom."
"No!"
"Yes!"
"Are you two going to fight to the death for the title?"
Nell let out a frantic laugh. "If my hands were free Theo-" She shook her head, her eyes narrowing into a glare. "I'd really like for her to maybe not think I'm a total moron, so please just-"
"There's no spillages, just watch out for the stray chairs." He advised, patting her tenderly on the back before sending her on her way. "I hope the sucking up goes well!"
"Thank you!"
Thankfully she made it back to the table in one piece without so much as a drop spilling. Nell found herself breathing a little easier as she sat the mug down in front of Hermione, all but collapsing in her seat. "I'm sorry for the wait, but trust me you'll love it. I've made many a caffeine addict from it." (Elena would not so subtlely leave a giant bag of the coffee bean brand they would buy in bulk on the kitchen counter before she went to bed at night. Nell of course obliged and made some for her favourite little addict in the morning.)
Hermione took a sip of the coffee, eyes glowing with appreciation as the taste hit her. She nodded in approval, an act that sent a wave of giddiness blasting off within Nell like a crap-ton of fireworks. "Very good!" Hermione praised.
"Really?" Nell questioned, wondering momentarily if she was just being polite.
"Really." She confirmed, sincere and straight to the point as she sat the mug down. Nell's forever moving leg relaxed at once. "So-"
"So-" Nell settled her hands in her lap, willing them to stay still. "I met your other daughter the other day. Veronica isn't it?" Hermione gave a noise of confirmation. "She's a sweet kid," Nell complimented, "Tipped extra too so she's a good one in my books."
Hermione laughed lightly, taking another sip of her drink. She too seemed a little unsure of how to proceed, which made Nell feel a little better. It was always nice to know when someone was in as equally an uncomfortable boat as you. "That's Ronnie for you. I suppose she got it from my mom, she drilled it into the girls from day one to look out for people in the service industry. I remember getting read the riot act at sixteen for not tipping at a resturant once, and I still heard about it years later." She rolled her eyes, though more out of affection than true annoyance as a wistful smile crossed over her face.
Nell found herself doing the same, as she'd always liked Elena's grandparents. José and Apollonia Gomez had been the first people to ever employ her after she'd made it out of the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Her brother had been supporting them both for a while, but Nell had been determined to go out and find something to help contribute to their growing list of bills. By chance she'd spotted a notice in the local post office asking for someone to occasionally watch their grandchild during the summer while they were busy with other responsibilities and with that the rest was history. She'd gotten on well with them both. José would always insist on walking her home and making sure she got there in one piece, always ready to talk her ear off about town gossip and Apollonia had even introduced her to Pop who'd given her her first full time job. They'd been kind. So, so kind that it had made her heart hurt. Cruel words and brutal force were all she'd ever known growing up.
"They were good people, Mr and Mrs Gomez." Nell found herself saying, still unable to call them anything but that as it felt far too informal otherwise. "I- I was sorry when I heard they'd passed. They were wonderful."
"Thank you." Hermione nodded, formal and rigid though Nell didn't miss the small glimpse of sadness that passed over her. "That's right, you knew them. When you..." She trailed off.
"When I babysat Elena."
"Yes."
"And so we get to the elephant in the room." Nell commented, pulling an awkward face that made a startled Hermione seem to unfurl and relax a little. "God if she heard that she'd hit me." She muttered, more to herself. She clasped her hands together on the table and crossed her legs, straightening her back as best as she could given her awful posture. "Okay first and foremost, I am not a pervert."
Hermione spat out the mouthful of coffee she'd just drank back into her mug. Her eyes were as wide as saucers. "I should hope not." Hermione stared, completely bewildered by the direction she'd swerved in.
"I just wanted to get that out of the way," Nell stressed, "Some people in town, mainly Alice Cooper who's just, well -BLAH- like to make some off colour jokes about my relationship with your daughter. I would just really like you to known that I am in no way a sexual predator."
A hand flew to Hermione's mouth as she bit back a laugh, realising the eccentric blonde was being entirely serious. "Nell you really don't have to worry about that."
"I can give character credentials! My brother works for national security and my best friend's wife is a PI! Patrick's no help though he'd tell you to your face that I have her working like a mini Cinderella and-"
Seemingly without any forethought Hermione's hand flew to Nell's own, stopping the rambling woman in her tracks. Nell's mouth closed, her eyes trailing downward to the sight of their touching hands, now minus Hermione's gloves. Nell couldn't help but notice how long her fingers were. All delicate and smooth like the rest of her, topped off with some long cream coloured nails that were almost as pretty as their owner. But most notably her skin and her touch were soft and gentle, as though she was brushing her hand up against glass and was afraid it would crumble should she apply too much pressure. "Nell I think you've more than assured me you're not a slave driver."
"Sorry." Nell let out a brittle little laugh, forcing herself to focus on something other than the other woman's hand as she extracted her own. She'd liked feeling her hand on hers again though. Very much so. "Sorry I- I ramble when I'm nervous."
"Why are you nervous?" Hermione queried, arching a perfectly elegant brow. She sounded genuinely confused to Nell but somehow non-judgey, so she felt at ease in elaborating despite her nerves.
"I just want you to know that I take looking after Elena seriously. Like... Incredibly so." She explained, feeling a little calmer but all too aware of the still intense rhythm of her heart under the other woman's stare. "I'm not some awful freak who's just trying to leach money from a vulnerable kid. I make sure she eats, that she gets to work okay and does all her homework, I told Weatherbee he had to call me if she so much as skipped a class, oh and I gave her a curfew! I mean she's never out past ten even on a weekend but the point stands!" Nell closed her eyes, feeling a stress headache coming along. She rubbed at her forehead with her forefingers, staring red-faced at Hermione. "Okay that's all." She sucked in a much needed breath, her face scrunching up in mortification. I want to die. "It's nice to see you again by the way. I didn't say that did I?"
"It's nice to see you again too." Hermione chuckled, oddly charmed by the blonde's manner. Though she was a little high strung, the elder Lodge woman could tell the girl in front of her had a good heart. And a big one at that. Though a deep feeling of sadness tugged painfully at her heart at the thought, Hermione could see why Elena had flocked to the company of such a person like her. "So Elena she's..." She hesitated for a moment, but forced herself to finish her sentence, her longing to know more overcoming her fears. "She's alright?"
Nell nodded assuringly, looking at Hermione in a way that told her she could see the anxiety she was trying to keep from showing on her face. Hermione herself relaxed at her words, tension and worry she'd been holding within her for a long time fading away.
"Yeah. Elena's great!" Nell visibly brightened at the mention of her daughter, a sight that Hermione found oddly touching. "She's really come a long way since she got here. She's got a good group of friends, small but pretty darn great. Oh she's been doing so good at Pop's!" Nell gushed. "You'd be so proud! And she's a whizz when she helps me out here. I know she had some trouble with her grades in New York-"
"That's right."
"-but she's totally bounced back! She put her mind to it, knuckled down, and-" Nell beamed with pride, shaking her head to herself. "Well you know. She's done so well especially with her anxiety."
"I didn't know." Hermione admitted, eyes shutting momentarily as she gathered herself.
"What do you mean?" Nell frowned, tilting her head in confusion.
"I didn't know she was..." She waved a hand. "You know..."
"Oh."
"I mean she's always been shy, but I thought she was just being stubborn and keeping to what she knew. Great parental instincts, huh?" Hermione quipped, dripping with self-deprecation. She came to rest her head on her hand, eyes weary and tired in a way that broke Nell's heart a little. The love Hermione had for Elena was evident to her, but the year and half they'd spent apart and the revelations of the past week had clearly taken a toll on her.
"You couldn't have known." Nell tapped a nail lathered with pink nail polish against her jeans. "I-I didn't." She admitted. "I always just thought she was a naturally quiet kid. But then she asked for help with finding a therapist, and then she got diagnosed, and well... I know I felt like I should have seen it. But the important thing is that it's known now! And she's got all the help she needs, with maybe, hopefully, some additional support on the family side of things?" Nell wiggled her eyebrows hopefully.
"If she'd like that," Hermione agreed, still wearing that sad look in her eyes that made Nell want to hug her. "Veronica said she would be open to talking."
Nell nodded enthusiastically. "She is."
"So..." Hermione smiled, a little hopeful, a little embarrassed. "What exactly has she said about me?" Her tone was light, but Nell sensed the underlying worry underneath.
"She's not really one for talking about you or your husband, but it's not been all bad." Nell tried to assure her, but even she could hear the lie in her voice.
"That bad huh?"
Nell crumbled at once, offering her a sympathetic smile. "Most of the strong language was reserved solely for your husband."
Hermione shook her head. "I can't say that surprises me."
Nell wondered whether she would be treading on forbidden ground, pausing as she thought over how best to verbalise her thoughts. "I can't speak to her relationship with you and your husband, but in your case... Well she thinks she's something of a disappoinment to you with all the stuff that went on with her. Which is crazy and I told her as such but- Well with Elena I've found that if you don't say something outright to her she kind of assumes the worst. "
Hermione seemed to be absorbed in thoughtful silence as she took in Nell's look, her face transforming after a minute into complete despair. "She said that?" Her voice came out soft and quiet, a breath away from crumbling down as she stared into space.
"I honestly think it's her brain chemistry talking."
"You're trying to be polite." Hermione tried for a wobbly smile, but failed miserably. Tears began to well in her eyes. "I don't for the record. She's perfect. She's always been-" Her voice wobbled and Hermione forced herself to look out to the park, all green and beautiful as a handful of parents and children walked through the stretch of land. Nell did her best to pretend she hadn't noticed.
Nell busied herself with brushing off the dried flour that had stuck on the apron she was wearing. "You know I get the sense you're not one for the big emotional talks. Elena's the same, it's like trying to get information from a KGB spy. But ah- The other night we talked. We really talked for the first time in a long while, about you, as a matter of fact."
Hermione blinked back her tears, her probing brown eyes turning back to Nell once more. "She told me about about your girl trips. In particular the bookstore. She really liked going with you to the bookstore." Nell emphasised, smiling warmly at the memory.
"Maddox's." Hermione recalled, a fond smile tugging at her lips. Years worth of memories seemed to flash across her face all at once. Nell felt herself crumble internally at the sight, smiling along with her for a comfortable few moments. Her inner patchwork artist as Patrick put it began to rear its big soft head, and before she knew it Nell found herself speaking.
"From the little I've seen I can tell you kind of mean the world to her Hermione. And... Well I think she's terrified her little bust-up with her father ruined things permanently with the two of you. She's pretty scared of you rejecting her. Of judging her."
"She has nothing to be scared of from me." Hermione insisted, firm and unwielding.
"I know." Nell murmured, not a hint of argument in her voice.
Nell caught her eye, an unspoken understanding travelling between the two of them. She saw the mom who just wanted to re-connect with her child once more, lying beneath the elegant, seemingly indifferent at first glance outer shell. She would do what she could to get them in the same room.
"Look Elena's meeting me here after school in about ah..." Nell checked her watch, chewing at her lip all the while. "An hour and a half if she doesn't have watergirl duty-"
"Watergirl duty?"
"Her friend got her the gig as an extracurricular, it's a long and very Blossom-y tale for another time. Anyway she's meeting me here either way. If I give her a heads up would you maybe wanna talk to her? Face to face?" Nell suggested, pulling out her phone to wave it in offering.
Hermione's face transformed immediately, looking very much like the deer in the headlights her daughter had looked like the other night. "Right now?"
"Yeah." Nell mimed ripping off a band-aid. "Come on." She gently urged. "If the two of you had it your way you'd be avoiding each other out of fear for the rest of your lives."
Hermione considered her words for a moment, appearing to weigh up the pros and cons before finally reaching the conclusion Nell hoped for. She gave her assent with a nod. "I'll give it a shot."
A little apprehensive but hopeful most of all, Nell began typing out the text.