The Clash, Book One

Chapter 35: One Little Tear, Part B

A few blocks away at Jacinda and Sabine's apartment, Lucy told her mother: "Mom, I'm so happy to be back here with you," as the two of them sat at the table.

With a smile, Jacinda responded, "Yeah, me too." She then rose to her feet and added, "Come on," nudging her daughter along, "Got to grab your backpack for school. And don't forget you got ballet after, okay?"

Lucy turned back around to face Jacinda before she suggested, "Actually, now that I'm back here for good, I was wondering if we could invite Henry over and share the good news with him," just as Sabine walked into the room.

Jacinda shared a look with Sabine, who poured coffee, before she tried to offer a smile toward her daughter.

She then responded, "Let's just see how, um, we can get through day one, and then we can talk about it tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, Mom," Lucy answered, seemingly satisfied. She then left to go to her room, but she soon stopped to face her mom again.

"What is it, baby?" Jacinda curiously questioned.

"I had one more thing to ask you," Lucy began, shuffling on her feet. She paused before she continued, "I wanted to hang out with Nick. Maybe we can go get ice cream before I go to ballet?"

Jacinda bent down to be on her daughter's level and rubbed her hands along her arms before she spoke, "If that's really want you want, Luce."

The dark-haired girl bobbed her head as she responded, "Yeah, I do, Mom." She shrugged before she added, "I just wanted to, like, talk to him and see what he's like."

"I think that's a good idea," Jacinda began with a small smile, rising to her feet. She then placed her hands on her hips and continued, "I'll call him and see what he says - I'm sure that he wants the chance to try to be a good father to you."

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows at the word "father," and she stated, "That's not why I want to see him," earning a raised eyebrow from her mother.

A thoughtful look then entered Lucy's brown eyes before she explained, "I mean, I do want to talk to Nick, but he's not my dad."

With a sigh, Jacinda then interjected, "Because you still believe that Henry is." At her daughter's nod, she then tried to reason, "I know you have this idea that we have this whole other life, but sometimes, things really are as they seem."

"That's just what the curse wants you to believe," Lucy pointed out. She then told her mother, "You and Henry's lives are together - you just don't remember. Just like Nick and Alena's lives are together, and I have to help them, too."

Jacinda took a breath before she bent down once more. She then gently explained, "I know your heart is in the right place, but we all have our own lives, baby. You have to let things be."

With a shake of her head, Lucy stubbornly spoke, "You, me, and Henry, we're a family, Mom. And Alena's our family, too, because she's Henry's sister. Don't you see why I have to help her and Nick?"

Jacinda only looked at her daughter for a few moments - she knew that once she got an idea in her head, it was difficult to talk her out of it.

She sighed once more before she said, "Why don't you go get your backpack, and we'll talk about all of this later, okay?"

Lucy nodded before she turned around and headed to her room.

Sabine then commented, "Kid's not gonna give up on this, huh? This takes "Parent Trap" to a whole new level." Jacinda sat back down and bobbed her head in agreement before Sabine continued, "Out of all of the theories that Lucy has come up with, I don't think I ever expected her to say that Nick is her uncle."