THE GIFT OF YOU
Author's Note: During the premiere of season 12, AlIie and Elizabeth's scene in the schoolhouse brought me to tears. It was palpable, at least to me, that their healing continues. There was SO MUCH in that hug, in Allie's sigh, and how her chin dropped on Elizabeth's shoulder.
I knew I needed to give this scene the microfiction treatment. Truth be told, it was a challenge. I've written Allie before (in my fanfic series When Hearts Shine Bright), but now she's older, she has a bit more experience, and writing a teenager might not be my forte! But I tried to give this scene justice with a bit of Allie's POV, and explore what might have been going through her mind and heart.
Erin and Jaeda hit it out of the park with this one! Your portrayal inspires so many, and this stepmother also finds healing through your work.
Our relationship can be whatever you want it to be. You can come to me no matter what.
The words echoed repeatedly in Allie's mind and heart. The young girl meant it when she told Mrs. Thornton their relationship didn't have to change. It wasn't her place to want more, but this woman she'd grown to love so much had changed their course with her words.
Could it be? Could life be giving her the gift of her? If Mrs. Thornton loved her father, could she grow to love her as more than just a student? In her heart, she believed it. She had never met a kinder soul than Elizabeth Thornton. Of course, there was that time in the past—when she had felt discarded, and her heart had been broken to pieces.
But her gaze fell to one of the books she helped stack. The Secret Garden. She'd read it a while ago, right after she had finished Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It was one of her favorites and one she revisited frequently.
Allie knew how to read between the lines. She knew the garden represented the soul and needed to be tended and nurtured for it to flourish. She knew that the characters of Mary and Colin had found healing while tending to the garden.
She also read between the lines back then—when Mrs. Thornton chose another while it was clear how she felt about her father. She had never been able to pinpoint the reasons for those choices. Maybe there would come a time when Mrs. Thornton would confide in her and explain her heart.
But yes. She was glad. More than glad if she was being truthful. She felt a happiness she'd never let herself feel—one she never thought could be within her grasp.
However, she couldn't articulate it. There were things the heart felt that didn't translate into words. They could only be shown through an honest gaze, a simple touch, or an embrace. There was so much yet to be said, but time would provide. Maturity, understanding, and time would provide.
For now, she'd revel in how they both had sunk into that embrace, where relief had washed over her, along with the promise of the mother she'd always longed for.