Disclaimer: Only the fic is mine.
AN: An idea that's been bouncing in my head since I watched the second movie. Unbeated, so I'm sorry for all errors.
****
"Hi Pumpkin!"
Lydia smiled as her dad embraced her and then grinned at Richard holding Astrid in her car seat.
Delia then joined them as dad and Richard shook hands and he smiled at Astrid, the eight-month old cooed happily loving the attention.
They moved to the living room and Lydia took Astrid out of her car seat.
"Going to reintroduce you to some special people. "
They had last been here when Astrid was two months old.
Her teenage self definitely wouldn't recognize the woman she had become, a world famous medium and paranormal investigator, a wife and now a mother.
She and Richard had married two years ago, he was an environmental lawyer and he liked to call himself a closet hippie.
He had a quirky personality and accepted her completely.
****
Lydia went upstairs to the attic, "Barbara! Adam! It's us."
A doorway in the wall open and her two surrogate parents came out of it.
They were frankly more real parents than her dad and Delia had sometimes been, although things had definitely improved in the last ten years.
"We're you in the Netherworld?" Lydia asked, "I thought you could only get a certain number of visits."
"Taking care of something." Adam replied, "He smiled at Astrid, "She's such a beauty."
"A perfect, little, doll." Barbara whispered, tenderly.
They then caught up on everything that had happened since her last visit.
Lydia couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong, she had known Adam and Barbara long enough to know when they were hiding something.
***
Everyone else was asleep and after feeding Astrid, she went up to the attic.
"I know something is up." She told them gently, "We've always been open with each other."
Barbara smiled at her, "You've been just like our child."
"You made our after lives truly worthwhile and bearable." Adam said sincerely.
Lydia felt her stomach drop, "You're scaring me."
"We found a way to move on much earlier than the usual time, if your purpose is truly complete and you can prove it, you're granted entry into the Netherworld."
Adam's tone was one of finality.
"You've been our daughter Lydia but you're all grown up with a family of your own. Our purpose is finished." Barbara said gently.
"I love you both, I still need you." Lydia whispered. "I'll try to come more often..."
"The arrangements have already been made, sweetie, we'll be leaving at the end of the week."
Lydia burst into tears and couldn't stay there, she startled Richard by rushing into bed and sobbing.
He held her and eventually she was able to tell him.
"I wish I could see them myself and talk to them."
"Just when I think everything is stable..."
"It is," Richard told her firmly, "I'm still here, so is Astrid, your dad and Delia."
She smiled at how he was trying to soothe her.
"And you still have your memories of your surrogate parents."
***
The time passed to quickly and Lydia managed to see things from their perspective, stuck in one place while everything and everyone passed them by.
She could understand them grabbing the chance to leave.
Richard stood with her holding Astrid as the doorway appeared.
"Try to watch out for you know who." Lydia told them, she tried not to shudder.
"Juno says they've dealt with him; we'll be in an area nowhere near him." Barbara told her.
"It's time," Adam whispered.
"I love you both," Lydia whispered, tears in her eyes.
How much crying could one person do?
"We love you too." Barbara told her.
"I love you." Adam said next, "And I trust you to look after my model city."
"We all will." Lydia told them.
Adam and Barbara joined hands and with one last smile they turned and walked through the wall doorway.
And with a tumbling sound it sealed itself shut.
Richard put an arm around her and together they all walked downstairs.