Golden Lockets

And In The End...

George was sitting on the front stoop, his hands clasped together, tears in his eyes. He was waiting desperately for his daughter to come home. Seeing the look on her face when she had discovered the truth about her origin had been truly heart-wrenching. Nothing could erase the memory of those terrible few seconds. They were permanently engraved into George's memory. He wished he could turn back time and fix all of the mistakes that had been made that fateful morning, but he couldn't do that. All that he could do now was wait.

Ringo ambled out of the house and sat beside George on the stoop. He tried in vain to think of something uplifting to say, even though he knew nothing could make the situation better. Serenity was gone and it didn't look like she'd ever return. Ringo and George sat in silence for several minutes. They were both staring at the front gate Serenity had run through during her panicked departure.

"She was so upset, Ringo," George whispered, gripping his hands even tighter.

"You can't blame her for being a little shocked," Ringo said.

"A little?!" George cried, turning to glare at his friend. "Ringo, she ran out of the house, screaming and crying! You scared her something fierce!"

"I'm sorry," Ringo murmured, ducking his head.

"No, don't be sorry! You should be ashamed, terrifying a little girl like that on her birthday! She's probably run away to Hong Kong for all we know."

"You don't know that."

"It's more than likely." George let out a long sigh. "She hates me so much."

"No she doesn't!" Ringo cried. "Serenity's your daughter! She loves you! She thinks the world of you - I know she does. This whole charade should blow over soon and she'll be back in no time."

"How could anything like this blow over?!" George shouted. "You just told my daughter the most traumatizing story ever and you expect her to forgive us for lying to her for such a long time?! If I was her, I'd never forgive myself!"

Ringo didn't respond. He just sat there in silence, contemplating on what to say. Nothing came to mind. The awkward silence set in and lingered, utterly refusing to leave. All George and Ringo could do now was wait and hope that their precious daughter would come home.

* * * *

Halfway up the street, Adam and Serenity were making their way back into their neighborhood. They were walking hand-in-hand, completely terrified of what might happen when they got back to Serenity's house. They weren't too sure of what they were terrified of, but they were on edge even so.

"Adam," Serenity said, stopping dead in her tracks.

"What's wrong?" Adam asked, stopping also.

"I - I don't know if I'm ready to go back."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. It's still all too weird. I'm having difficulty understanding what's real and what's not."

Adam nodded like he understood. "It's all right, Reeny. If I'd just gone through the morning that you have, I would have some major trust issues too."

Serenity giggled feebly, but Adam could tell she was feeling nervous beyond belief. He broke their clasp and gently wrapped an arm around her tense shoulders. The minute his arm went around her, Serenity's tension faded and her entire body relaxed. She snuggled close to Adam, brushing her cheek against his own, breathing in his strong, musky scent.

Adam placed both arms around her, holding her close. "I love you, Serenity," he whispered.

"I love you too, Ad," Serenity replied softly.