Chapter Text
Tim had been forced to do paperwork and meeting after meeting so Lucy had been assigned to the front desk until cleared by her doctors when she noticed a little girl who couldn’t be older than twelve walk into the precinct. She had brown messy hair and was carrying a beat-up backpack, face too dark for a little girl of that age. She ignored everyone she walked past, only stopping when she reached the edge of the desk. She pressed her little fingers to the edge, pressing her chin on them, and waited until the pretty officer was available. Lucy finished the report she had been typing on the computer before facing the little girl, bending slightly over the counter to get closer to her.
“Hi, I’m Officer Chen. How can I help you?”
Lucy saw how the little girl’s eyes widened in surprise? Fear? Recognition? She couldn’t really tell, but she wanted to help her if she could. She leaned closer to the little girl, offering a smile to try and make her feel safer.
“I’m Senna and I’m looking for my mommy.” Answered Senna with a cute little voice, brows coming together on her forehead in a frown.
“Do you know her name? Where do you live?” Lucy asked, fingers moving to the keyboard next to her, ready to type what information she could get, not thinking for one second that she wouldn’t need any of it. She watched as Senna pulled her too big for her backpack around and pulled a photo from the little front pocket.
“I have a photo of her” She held the photograph against her chest, fingers white with how tight she was holding it. “Can I see?” Lucy reached out slowly, fingers extending to softly touch her fingers until she let go, not forcing it away from her. She understood the value of memories and photographs of your loved ones. She had plenty of her childhood, auntie Amy, Jackson, the academy, college, but none she’d ever held that tightly to her heart.
She pulled the picture from her fingers with her left hand, closing the fingers of her right hand around Senna’s finger in comfort. She turned the photo around, scared to see what she would find in that photograph. A gasp escaped her lips, photo falling to the ground in her surprise when her eyes landed on her face, ten years younger.
ten years ago
Lucy Chen was sitting at the table of her parents house, not her mom. It hadn’t felt that way for a few years now, but it’d become worse in the past few years, ever since she had decided to change her major and give up her parent’s perfect plan. She was about to drop a major bomb on them and she didn’t know what to expect from it, except that it wasn’t going to go well for either of them.
She waited for her mother to finally give her two minutes of her precious time, but the longer she waited, the less courage she had. Her dad was sitting across from her, waiting for Vanessa to finish her call. After another 10 minutes, she finally blessed them with her presence, sitting next to her husbands, hands falling to the table in a hard thump.
“What did you have to say that couldn’t wait for our family dinner on Sunday?” Sassed Vanessa, eyes locking onto her daughter’s. She was losing precious time with her patient and she didn’t have time for this.
“I’m pregnant.” Murmured Lucy, looking at her father in the hope that she’d find some comfort in his eyes, but she could see the split second his walls came up and he fell into the coward he’d always been, hiding and following her mother’s opinions and rules.
“You’re what?!” Yelled Vanessa, hands slamming on the table in anger. “How could you? You ruined everything!” She pushed herself up, chair tumbling down with the movement. Her father was silent, staring at Lucy and nodding along to what her mother was saying. “You’re a disgrace to this family. You’re getting rid of this pregnancy. This is not up for discussion.” Screamed Vanessa before storming out of the room.
“I can’t.” Murmured Lucy, stopping Vanessa in her escape.
“What do you mean, you can’t, young lady?” She turned around and pulled her daughter from the chair, hands slowly tightening around her arm.
“I’m further than three months along.” Whispered Lucy, eyes falling to the ground in a mix of shame and fear. It wasn’t like she had done it on purpose.
“Look at me, when I talk to you, Lucy.” Growled her mother. Lucy looked up, locking her eyes with her mother’s. She realized in that instant that she was terrified of her mother and what she was capable of. “Go to your room, your father and I need to talk about what we’re going to do about this situation.”
“But?!” She tried to remind them that it was her body, her baby and her life – that she could do what she wanted with it, but one look from her mother and Lucy was running to her room, closing the door quietly and blocking it shut with the chest she kept next to the door for that purpose before falling in bed, sobbing as silently as possible.