Adopted By The Hemmings (mgc)

Nine

Blood dripped from her bottom lip as Luna gazed into nothing. Her teeth remained attached to the plump, pink flesh as they tugged at the cracks. She tugged at the collar and sleeves of her dress. Soon Liz's voice traveled up the stairs calling for her. Taking a shuddering breath, Luna looked in to her mirror once more, making sure she looked decent.

She was satisfied enough, even without makeup upon her face, while ignoring the prominent dark circles under her eyes. Making her way down to the bottom of the steps, she looked towards Liz, who was frowning.

"Lu, what happened to your lip?" She grabbed a tissue, coming over to the small girl. Once she cleaned the blood away, she placed her arm around Luna's shoulders, and guided her from the house.

The ride to the church was quiet. Liz and Andy didn't seem to mind as they held hands over the front console. They had sent Luke ahead with Ben and Jack as they waited for her to get ready this morning. A lump formed in Luna's throat, but she quickly forced it down. Closing her eyes she leaned her head back, not wanting to see the sun that was shining.

She hadn't realized that she had fallen asleep until her shoulder was being shaken. Her eyes blinked quickly as she tried to regain focus. She found Luke leaning against the frame of the car.

"Hey." That was all that left his lips as he held a hand out to her. She slipped her small hand in his as he helped her from the car. They didn't speak as they walked inside the church. Luna's throat tightened as she looked at the floor instead of her surroundings. He led her further into the building, her grip never loosening, until he sat her down.

"I have to go find mum, just stay put okay? Ugh, I don't want to leave you alone. . ." She felt him stand up and knew he was looking around. Someone new joined them and she heard whispers. Luke kneeled down once more in front of her.

"Lu, Mikey's going to sit with you while I go find mum. . is that okay? You won't be alone." He stood up again whispering something else to Michael before walking away. Mikey sat down next to her without a word. He just placed his hand over hers, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. It was soothing and she was grateful. Closing her eyes, she leaned against him resting her head upon his shoulder.

He moved to place his arm around her shoulders, holding her close. It was odd, a relatively new sensation for her, but it was one that she didn't mind. She kept her eyes shut as he began to hum softly. She knew she would have to open her eyes sooner or later. She bit her lip nervously, breaking the skin once more.

"Hey, hey Lu stop that. . ." Michael's soft voice called to her gently pulling her lip from her teeth. Her eyes popped open and she peered up at him in shock. She watched him as he grabbed a tissue from a nearby box. He began gently dabbing at her lip as she continued to stare at him. His mouth seemed to be locked in a frown and his brows furrowed as if he were in pain.

Once her lip was cleaned once more he caught her gaze. His fingers glanced across her cheek gently before he tucked her into a hug. They stayed that way until Luke and the rest of the family came to join her. Michael let go and moved away from her as Jack and Ben gazed at him, their expressions unreadable.

"Mikey, you and the boys will be seated in the pew directly behind us if you wish to go find them." Liz spoke softly. Luke traded places with him as Mikey went back into the hallway. Luna peered at her family as they sat next to her, but she did not look forward. She found her hand back in Luke's as Jack sat on her other side.

She tucked her chin to her chest as she heard some more voices coming into the room. Luna's hands began to tremble and each breath she took rattled in her chest.

"Can you breathe okay?" Jack leaned down next to her ear. Luna nodded her head, and tried to answer him.

"I - I'm fine. Does everything look right?"