Lucy sighed deeply as she looked in the mirror. She looked over her tired face and rubbed her eyes to fix it. To no avail.
She looked down briefly before she opened the mirror up to her medicine cabinet. She took out the five pill bottles and like second nature, took the amount needed for each medication into her palm. She jumbled them around lazily in her palm before swallowing them. She breathed uneasily and sighed before she washed it down with some of the water from the sink.
Lucy spent her morning running errands before her quick shift. Today was Saturday, so there wasn't much to do in the music shop. You would think Saturdays were busy but in Stars Hollow it was backwards. Sunday was the busiest day of the weekend. Where all the food is discounted and the church goers are out and about.
She caught a glimpse of nostalgia pass her as she watched a burly man walk down the sidewalk across from hers. She furrowed her eyebrows. Who was he...
She blinked a couple times and the man was out of her peripheral vision. She frowned slightly before shaking it off and going along her way.
"Lucy!" she heard a familiar voice call her. She turned around to see that Lane was hurrying over to her. She frowned slightly, "Lane?" she spoke in disbelief. She smiled, "Hi!" Lane replied.
"What's up?" Lucy spoke not sure what else to say. She hadn't seen Lane since her last day of school.
"Oh nothing much. On the ups and downs again. Actually, I'm getting married!"
"Married??"
"Yeah! Next weekend, and with things being planned ontop of each other last minute I wanted to see if there was a spot for you to attend!" she smiled excitedly. Lucy felt her heart stammering, "I uh, well-"
"Don't think-please!" Lane begged, "I want all my friends to be there, and well, we haven't talked in a while, but I would like for us to catch up. A weddings as good a time as any." she chuckled. Lucy furrowed her eyebrows.
"Lane, we're not really friends.."
The words slipped off her lips like slugs.
"It's just that.. we haven't talk at all. Since I was pulled out of school.."
Vomiting. Vomiting slugs.
"Friends shouldn't have to wait for a wedding as an excuse to talk to each other. I mean I left school for crying out loud I didn't move to a new country. In fact the only one who really keeps in contact with me is Dean, and that's only because he feels guilty for sleeping with me."
Endless, slug, vomit.
Lane's face paled in comparison to how cheeky she was a few seconds ago. "S-so-"
"It's a no, Lane. I'm not going." Lucy said before turning around and walking into the music shop. She got behind the counter; tied her apron around herself, and exhaled. She felt her heart stammering. How could she have done that? Why didn't she stop talking. It was as if a wave of truth serum just bound around her like a noose. And the only way to keep it from tightening around her neck was to talk.
An evil Wonder Woman whip.
She breathed out uneasily. She backtalked Lane. Probably one of the only members of Stars Hollow that still gave a damn about her. She breathed out. She could apologize right?
DING!
The bell of the store door rang as a customer walked through. Two actually. Stout and both a little thick. One blonde old lady and one red haired. Definitely not natural.
"Lucy darling! So wonderful to see you!" the red haired mused, "I didn't know you worked here!"
"D-do I know you?" Lucy said unsurely; as she awkwardly smiled. She was still trying to steady her heartrate and push what just happened to the back of her mind.
"Yes- well - actually you probably don't remember me, but I remember you!" she said in a sing-song tone. "My name is Miss Patty darling. I knew you when you were small." she smiled, "I knew your mother too actually. One of my piano players for my plays."
"My mother?" Lucy's heart stammered again.
She smiled friendly, "Yes." she said, "Such a protege she was." she reminisced. The yellow haired woman spoke up, "Hi Lucy, I'm Babette. I'm Rory's neighbor. Me and my husband Morey, that is." she rasped.
"Nice to meet you." Lucy peeped.
"I don't know if you remember this, but you used to stop by my house ever so often when you were with Lorelai and Rory. You would play with my garden gnomes, some." she said. Lucy slowly shook her head, "Can't say I do remember. Sorry.." she said softly.
"Oh it's not trouble Sugar. You were young." she assured her smiling. Miss Patty beamed and spoke up, "Well, there's no use reminiscing now. We actually came to run a few errands." she smiled.
"What can I help you with?" Lucy tried to smile. It was heavy. And fake.
"Well darling, I'm running out of new sound in my studio. The little girls want to dance to something current you know." she searched the aisles. She looked back at Lucy, "...Where are your records?"
"L-like... vinyls?" she clarified; her eyebrows raised, and Patty nodded. She quickly came from behind the counter around to where she was. "Over here," she lead her to the small section of vinyls they had in stock.
"Not much current music, hm..." she muttered.
"Well not on vinyl no.." Lucy spoke.
"Well, I suppose we'll have to come back then." she told her and Babette, "I have to buy a cd player." she said before heading to the door with her blonde friend. She immediately stopped, "Oh!" she turned around to face Lucy again; an elegant twirl it looked like, "Miss Lucy, I almost forgot. Have you talked with your father yet?"
"My father." Lucy's brows knitted in confusion.
"Yes. He's in town. He's been to your place a couple times, I only assumed he's talked to you at least once already.. no?" she asked casually.
Lucy paled, "No."
"Well. When he does, you'll let us know right?" she asked. "Oh-sugar you are obligated to do nothing- she's just being a nosey nelly." Babette croaked.
"R-right." Patty stammered awkwardly as she smiled again. This one seeming forced. "Sorry to intrude, we'll be going now."
And with that they both left Lucy to her thoughts. Lucy felt sunken. Like her body had just been sucked inside out and outside in again. If she couldn't before, she definitely couldn't steady her heart now.
He was back. Her father was back. She didn't think he would come see her. What does he want. The conclusions she came up with were more than unpleasant and she bit her lip hard enough to bleed. Her father was back. And what's worse, she barely recognized him.
He could be anyone passing by. Anyone.
She blinked only a couple times throughout her shift. Waiting for a customer, any customer, to drop in. Even if it was Patty and Babette back from the electronics store.
No one came in. Which was more dangerous to Lucy; leaving her to mull over her fears some more. When her shift was over and the owner relieved her of her duty she bolted out of the store. She could have sworn she heard something coming from her boss' mouth, but she didn't stop to find out.
She went to grocery store, hoping she could salvage her average day. What says less hectic than Doose's Market?
She walked in and darted to the refrigerators; looking through them for some sort of refreshment. She sighed and looked at the variety of choices. Thanks to Taylor's new movement, there was no sugary carbonated drinks that weren't completely fucked with.
All bottles read GMO, gluten, or sugar free.
"This is sad." she heard a gruff voice say. She looked up next to her to see the big man from earlier. She looked at him confused for a minute, "What is?" she asked; assuming he meant to say that for a reason to a perfect stranger.
Well. Not so perfect of a stranger.
"No where do you see a Sprite. Or Coke." he said, "Gotta go to the expensive ice cream parlor across the street, that figures." he chuckled ironically.
Lucy nodded in agreement, "..Well. There is Luke's. Probably why it's so popular now a days." she shrugged and looked at the man. The guy looked back at her with his steeley blue eyes and smiled through his thick beard, "Maybe. Worth the trip too. Get to sit down and everything." he shrugged.
"They do to-go orders if you're in a hurry." Lucy spoke up after a small silence.
"Oh they do? That's new." he nodded and looked back at the glass. Lucy picked at her fingers, "You used to live here?" she assumed.
"Yeah," he exhaled, "Long time ago." he looked at her briefly, "And uh, actually grew up here. Well at least the important years I did."
Lucy nodded and continued to pick at her cuticles. "Well uh.." she reached into the fridge finally before holding it up briefly to him like a tip of a hat, "I guess I'm going to stick with a sugar free apple juice." she shrugged; closing the door.
"Not in the mood for Luke's?" he asked.
She stopped briefly, "No.. I uh. I kind of burnt that bridge at the moment. It'd be too awkward." she shrugged. The man nodded understandingly and gave a humble wave, "Well. Hopefully you can step in there again." he bid her.
She nodded awkwardly smiling before she went to the register. Dean smiled briefly to her. "Who's that?" he asked.
She shrugged, "Just a stranger." she said bluntly.
"You two kind of look similar, cant put my finger on it." he said more to himself. She shook her head, "I think you're sights leaving you, Dean." she said. He was a big burly looking lumberjack. Not even close in resemblance.
"Yeah, you maybe right." Dean admit as he scanned the drink, "I've been pulling extra shifts, maybe my mind is leaving me."
She saw the man was approaching to check out as well having gotten some fruit and stove top dinners. "Stocking up there?" she asked looking at his items.
He looked at her and smiled, "Somewhat." he nodded, "Kinda been squattin' till I move on to the next town."
"Oh." she nodded before pulling out her wallet to pay. She pointed to his items and gestured Dean's attention to them, "These too." she told him.
"Oh, no sweetheart, you don't have ta do that." he assured her.
"Well, on the account of Luke and Jess not speaking to me, I can't buy you a meal there, so just let me buy you one here. I need all the good karma I can get today." she said as Dean rung it up.
He smiled gratefully about to comment on the sentiment before he actually heard what she said. "Jess...?"
"Yeah." she said casually, "Luke's nephew. You probably don't know him, he hasn't been around long." she said.
"You, used to be friends... but now you're not?" he clarified. Lucy cocked her head to the side curiously, "Yeah, I guess.." she said.
His smiled disappeared as his eyes stared. As if seeing her for the first time. Lucy was slowly reconsidering ever talking to this man by the way he was looking and acting now.
"Sir are you okay?" Dean tried to interject. Both the young adults watched the man's bushy lip quiver and his eyes get a little glossy.
"...Lucy-Lu?" his voice croaked.
Lucy froze as she looked at him. "No..." she felt her words leave barely above a whisper. "No..." she breathed unsteadily. "Y-you can't-" He really couldn't be. Standing before her. He had grown in size, almost seeming bigger than she remembered. His beard covered his face well but now she could see the dead give away was his eyes. The same eyes she stared at in the mirror every morning. The eyes that reminded her how much she hated about herself. The eyes that reminded her of Him.
"Lucy-Lu--"
"NO--"
She whimpered as she hurried out of the store quickly back to her home where it was safe. Against better judgement, James hurried after her. "Lucy-darlin' please-" he tried speaking; rushed but gentle and definitely pleading in his tone.
She hurried away running as fast as she could; trying to picture herself running a marathon, as if it would escalate her speed. She felt herself running and running and running until her lungs were burning a fiery furnace.
"Lucy?" she heard as she turned a corner down an alleyway. A shortcut to the other side of town. She briefly saw Lane with who Lucy assumed was her feonce, but didn't stop to find out. She looked behind her to check if He was still there. He wasn't but she couldn't stop running.
Safe. She was looking for somewhere safe.
"What? Lucy what's going on-" she heard another familiar voice say. But she trudged on and ran faster until she ducked into the nearest store to breath.
The smell of old bounded paper filled her nose as she tried catching her breath. She looked around the bookstore and hurried into a secluded aisle to breathe. She closed her eyes and slide down onto her bum to slow herself down.
Her heart wouldn't stop pounding in her ears and her breaths were still quick and relentless. Lucy rubbed her sweaty forehead and found herself weasing for air.
"Lucy?"
No.