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walkswithcoyoteThe trip back was giving Mercy a lot of time to think.
Christmas at home hadn't gone exactly the way she'd thought it would.
Her two stepsisters - yeah, she still wasn't used to even thinking about having sisters, step or otherwise - had been truly excited to see her and to show her how the spare bedroom she'd stayed in for the few months she'd lived with them had been made over into what the littlest one, Nan, referred to as 'a real bedroom just for you!' Nan had practically dragged her down the hallway in her excitement, talking a mile a minute, while Ruthie had more quietly pointed out some of the things she'd thought Mercy would particularly like. It had been pretty much exactly to Mercy's taste, she thought maybe Bran had told her mom about her bedroom back home - well, back in Aspen Creek.
They'd had a bunch of Mercy's favorites as part of the Christmas dinner and everyone had clearly made a huge effort to pick out gifts that they thought she'd really like. Enough so that it made her feel a little guilty about how little thought she'd put into the things she'd gotten them - even if everyone had seemed pretty happy with them. They'd included her in everything they did, going out of their way to make sure she didn't feel left out, until by the end of the evening she'd had to escape into her room, just to get a little space and try and straighten things out in her head.
**************************************
All the togetherness had been a little overwhelming, so Mercy had taken advantage of Nan and Ruthie's preoccupation with their favorite presents, and her Mom and Curt talking quietly while snuggled together on the couch, to escape down the hallway to her room for a while. Still she wasn't that surprised when there was a quiet knock on the open door.
She looked up and managed a half smile for her mom, who was standing in the doorway, looking concerned.
"Everything okay, Mercy?"
Mercy nodded, her throat suddenly too tight to speak. Her mom hesitated, then came over and sat down beside her on the bed, tucking Mercy's hair back behind her ears. "Want to talk about it?"
It took her a minute to get the words out and even then, all she managed was, "Everyone's just so nice," before she was brushing away the stupid tears that started falling.
Mercy's mom pulled her into a hug and Mercy let herself rest her head against her mom's shoulder, giving in to the tears. "It's a hard Christmas for you, I know. The first one away from your home."
Mercy pulled away and looked up in surprise. Her mom's eyes were more than a little teary themselves and she gave Mercy a rueful smile. "Don't think I'm not aware that Aspen Creek has always been your home. Or that I don't know I should have told you about... everything... a long time ago. Actually, I wanted you to come back when Bryan and Evelyn," she hesitated, being careful of the phrasing, "when they died, but Bran said you'd asked to stay on your own in the house and that he thought you'd earned the right to be where you chose. I know you'd still be there if it hadn't been for Samuel - and oh, Mercy, I am sosorry about what happened with him."
That brought a fresh round of tears and for a few minutes her mom just held onto her and rocked her as if she was a much younger child. "You really loved him, didn't you?"
All Mercy could do was nod and her mom held her a little tighter.
"Still do, huh?" Her mom gently brushed at her tears. "It will get better, I swear. But it takes time, especially when you care so much. I don't know that I've ever really quite gotten over your father and I only knew him for such a short time. But he cared for me and made me feel safe at a time I really needed that - like Samuel did for you."
Someone cleared their throat from the doorway and Mercy looked up a little nervously to see her stepfather, Curt, standing there. "I know this probably isn't the best of times, but I know you're heading back in the morning and I wanted to make sure I had a chance to say my piece," he said quietly.
Mercy sat up a little straighter, darting a glance over at her mother who looked a little curious herself.
"I'm not sure if you know this, but I was against your going to that Fandom place. Not because I didn't think it might be good for you to have a little distance and space to wrap your mind around showing up here and finding not just your mother, but all of us." He nodded over at Mercy's mom. "Margi and I have made our peace over the choices she made, even if I do wish she'd gone about things differently. Still, what's done is done. My concern about you leaving was that I was afraid you'd see it as getting kicked out of one more home when you'd already lost so much. It just about broke my heart to think of you feeling that way. So I want you to know once and for all that as far as I'm concerned you're one of my daughters and you're family and you'll always have a place here."
He shifted his position, crossing over to her and crouching down a little. "From what I hear you've made a place for yourself in Fandom and you seem to be happy there and I'm glad about that, but I want you to know that this is your home and you are always welcome here. For a day, a weekend, or forever. You are welcome and you are loved." He touched her hair gently, then leaned in to kiss her forehead a little awkwardly before standing back up. "All right. I guess I've said my piece, so I'll leave you two to your girl time. If I don't see you before you leave in the morning, Mercy, you have a safe trip back."
With a nod he was gone, and Mercy had looked up at her mother, eyes wide with wonder.
"He's a good man, Mercy," her mom said with a smile and Mercy let herself be pulled into another hug, feeling almost as if maybe she was at home for the first time in a long time.
*************************************
Mercy shifted a little in her seat, thinking about everything that had happened. It didn't change what had gone before, but it sure looked like the future could be a little easier. She closed her eyes, resting her chin on her hand with a small smile, and let the bus take her to where the portal back to Fandom would be waiting.
[ooc: NFI, NFB due to distance, ooc welcome.]
Christmas at home hadn't gone exactly the way she'd thought it would.
Her two stepsisters - yeah, she still wasn't used to even thinking about having sisters, step or otherwise - had been truly excited to see her and to show her how the spare bedroom she'd stayed in for the few months she'd lived with them had been made over into what the littlest one, Nan, referred to as 'a real bedroom just for you!' Nan had practically dragged her down the hallway in her excitement, talking a mile a minute, while Ruthie had more quietly pointed out some of the things she'd thought Mercy would particularly like. It had been pretty much exactly to Mercy's taste, she thought maybe Bran had told her mom about her bedroom back home - well, back in Aspen Creek.
They'd had a bunch of Mercy's favorites as part of the Christmas dinner and everyone had clearly made a huge effort to pick out gifts that they thought she'd really like. Enough so that it made her feel a little guilty about how little thought she'd put into the things she'd gotten them - even if everyone had seemed pretty happy with them. They'd included her in everything they did, going out of their way to make sure she didn't feel left out, until by the end of the evening she'd had to escape into her room, just to get a little space and try and straighten things out in her head.
**************************************
All the togetherness had been a little overwhelming, so Mercy had taken advantage of Nan and Ruthie's preoccupation with their favorite presents, and her Mom and Curt talking quietly while snuggled together on the couch, to escape down the hallway to her room for a while. Still she wasn't that surprised when there was a quiet knock on the open door.
She looked up and managed a half smile for her mom, who was standing in the doorway, looking concerned.
"Everything okay, Mercy?"
Mercy nodded, her throat suddenly too tight to speak. Her mom hesitated, then came over and sat down beside her on the bed, tucking Mercy's hair back behind her ears. "Want to talk about it?"
It took her a minute to get the words out and even then, all she managed was, "Everyone's just so nice," before she was brushing away the stupid tears that started falling.
Mercy's mom pulled her into a hug and Mercy let herself rest her head against her mom's shoulder, giving in to the tears. "It's a hard Christmas for you, I know. The first one away from your home."
Mercy pulled away and looked up in surprise. Her mom's eyes were more than a little teary themselves and she gave Mercy a rueful smile. "Don't think I'm not aware that Aspen Creek has always been your home. Or that I don't know I should have told you about... everything... a long time ago. Actually, I wanted you to come back when Bryan and Evelyn," she hesitated, being careful of the phrasing, "when they died, but Bran said you'd asked to stay on your own in the house and that he thought you'd earned the right to be where you chose. I know you'd still be there if it hadn't been for Samuel - and oh, Mercy, I am sosorry about what happened with him."
That brought a fresh round of tears and for a few minutes her mom just held onto her and rocked her as if she was a much younger child. "You really loved him, didn't you?"
All Mercy could do was nod and her mom held her a little tighter.
"Still do, huh?" Her mom gently brushed at her tears. "It will get better, I swear. But it takes time, especially when you care so much. I don't know that I've ever really quite gotten over your father and I only knew him for such a short time. But he cared for me and made me feel safe at a time I really needed that - like Samuel did for you."
Someone cleared their throat from the doorway and Mercy looked up a little nervously to see her stepfather, Curt, standing there. "I know this probably isn't the best of times, but I know you're heading back in the morning and I wanted to make sure I had a chance to say my piece," he said quietly.
Mercy sat up a little straighter, darting a glance over at her mother who looked a little curious herself.
"I'm not sure if you know this, but I was against your going to that Fandom place. Not because I didn't think it might be good for you to have a little distance and space to wrap your mind around showing up here and finding not just your mother, but all of us." He nodded over at Mercy's mom. "Margi and I have made our peace over the choices she made, even if I do wish she'd gone about things differently. Still, what's done is done. My concern about you leaving was that I was afraid you'd see it as getting kicked out of one more home when you'd already lost so much. It just about broke my heart to think of you feeling that way. So I want you to know once and for all that as far as I'm concerned you're one of my daughters and you're family and you'll always have a place here."
He shifted his position, crossing over to her and crouching down a little. "From what I hear you've made a place for yourself in Fandom and you seem to be happy there and I'm glad about that, but I want you to know that this is your home and you are always welcome here. For a day, a weekend, or forever. You are welcome and you are loved." He touched her hair gently, then leaned in to kiss her forehead a little awkwardly before standing back up. "All right. I guess I've said my piece, so I'll leave you two to your girl time. If I don't see you before you leave in the morning, Mercy, you have a safe trip back."
With a nod he was gone, and Mercy had looked up at her mother, eyes wide with wonder.
"He's a good man, Mercy," her mom said with a smile and Mercy let herself be pulled into another hug, feeling almost as if maybe she was at home for the first time in a long time.
*************************************
Mercy shifted a little in her seat, thinking about everything that had happened. It didn't change what had gone before, but it sure looked like the future could be a little easier. She closed her eyes, resting her chin on her hand with a small smile, and let the bus take her to where the portal back to Fandom would be waiting.
[ooc: NFI, NFB due to distance, ooc welcome.]