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voice// un: L.Mills

[If everyone knew or not, Lucy feels like she has to say it. In case some of Emma's friends didn't know, they should. she has cried a lot over this, and while it does get a bit easier each day...she does miss her grandma a lot. She misses her family a whole lot, but one thing at a time. When she turns on the feed, it's just her voice. Not as chipper as she was before, more somber and softer.]

If anyone was friends with Emma Swan, I'm sorry to say...she's gone back to her home world.

[Which, thinking about it, would either dropped her off at Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest, but that's not the main point.]

She would've said goodbye if she had the chance, so please don't hold that against her.

[Done. At least people know now....and hopefully she did the right thing.]

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[well, Victor won't lie to her or pretend he doesn't want to spend time with Jim or see him a lot, but he'll be sure she knows she won't be replaced. He just wishes he knew how to do this better. But then, isn't that the wish of just about every parent in the world?]

Then I'd better get started on dinner. See if you can find a good story for us to read together.

[It is the wish of every parent to do something better, or to have a manual on parenting, but life doesn't work like that.]

Can I help with dinner? Please?

[She doesn't want to leave his side, he just got home. ]

[a manual would be so nice, sobs]

Of course you can help. Wash your hands first and I'll get out what we need. I was thinking we could make spaghetti and meatballs, so you'll need to help me form the meat into balls.

[And nod of her head. Maybe they should visit the library again to borrow more books.]

Are we making the noodles too?

[She leaves quickly to go wash her hands and then comes right back to him.]

That can be a project on my next day off, since making homemade noodles takes a few hours. We'll just cook the noodles I bought at the market this time.

Now we're going to have a bit of salt and pepper for the meatballs, but what other kind of spices do you think would be good?

I thought it didn't take too long. Those cooking shows never made it seem that way.

[Then again, Lucy hadn't paid too closely to how much time was needed to let the dough rise, or cook or bake or whatever it needed to do before it became noodles.

They were settling into something that was normal and familiar to her. Doing things together, Victor asking questions to get her mind going and to think about what the next step should be. She enjoyed spending time like this, where he gave her responsibilities, and structure.]

Maybe oregano? I can't remember if that's more of a spice than an herb..or rosemary?

[it's all about experimenting and testing to see what goes well. Even if these meatballs don't taste right in the end, it's something they created together and they can learn what didn't work to make them better next time. Victor smiles and nods, taking down both herbs]

They're herbs and you're correct, both are good to use with meatballs. Sprinkle some of both on this cutting board. We're going to roll the meatballs here. It's okay if the meatballs are different sizes.

[he tries to let her do as much as possible, mainly acting as supervisor]

[Experimenting and cooking, all rolled into one. At least if it doesn't taste good, they will have fun learning what not to do next time. Or, try to have fun. It's hard for Lucy since she's still processing what happened to Emma. She'll get through it, she's a tough kid.]

Okay. [She reaches for the herbs, carefully pouring out a little into her palm so she could sprinkle it on the cutting board, trying to make sure it's an even layer of oregano and basil.]

They can't be too big though...right? Won't it take longer to cook?

[When something's smaller, it'll cook faster, but bigger takes more time.]

Very good, Lucy. That's right.

[he knows that she's still having a hard time, but he's hoping that focusing on making food will help her a little bit. At least, focusing on a task has always helped him get through stuff.

He shapes some meat into a ball to show her an example of what size they're going for]

We can make some extra to give to your friends if you want. I bet they'll be impressed when you tell them you made it yourself.

[Lucy pays attention to what Victor's doing, and pushes up the sleeves of her shirt before attempting to do the same.

....ground beef feels weird. Like....squishy, but it's also weird knowing that it's muscle.]

I don't think they'd want any. [And she's slowly making friends with the kids in her class. Slowly.

Really, she'd much rather play with Nico and the other gods.]

Are we making the pasta sauce too?

You never know. Let's make extra anyway.

[he looks amused at the question] We can if you want. We have ingredients for it.

Would it take longer to make dinner?

[Because, she wouldn't mind. Her homework's done and she doesn't know what story to pick out...and she wants to keep spending as much time as possible before bed time starts.]

We don't have to make extra...unless you really want to.

[Sigh, probably to give to Jim. That's her guess.]

Not that much longer. The key is timing. If the sauce takes ten minutes and the meatballs take thirty, we can make the sauce while the meat is cooking. That way, it will all be ready at the same time, see?

[he smiles and shrugs] That’s okay. We can always make more another time.

Mmm... [Lucy thinks about it for a moment. It made sense, if they timed it just right, everything could be fresh...but not the noodles.] Maybe we could save that for when we make the noodles from scratch?

[There's a shrug from her too. He could take the extra meatballs to Jim, if he wanted. Maybe it's best to talk about something else...]

How was work?

That sounds good. That way, it'll be completely homemade.

[when they've made enough meatballs, he slides them in the oven to cook]

Good. I saw a few patients, but nothing too life-threatening. What about school? Are you liking it any better?

Yeah. Homemade and maybe taste a little different since nothing was from a can.

[With the meatballs in the oven, Lucy goes to wash her hands in the sink, drying them off with a paper towel.]

It's okay. It's there...still like our lessons better. [There's a pause as she wonders if she should ask this or not...but she wants to know.]

Would our lessons come to an end because you're seeing Jim?

That's very true.

[he also goes to wash his hands again, getting stuff ready to cook the noodles. He won't get the water boiling for a while, though, so he has time to just sit and talk with her]

Of course not. I'll only end our lessons if you want me to, Lucy. Until then, I'll continue teaching to the best of my ability.

[he thinks for a moment of how best to explain this] It's true that I'm going to want to spend time with him, and do things just with the two of us, but I'd also like all three of us to do things together when you're ready for that. And who knows? He might have a thing or two he could teach you. He is the captain of a star ship, after all. He's seen stars and planets and all sorts of unusual things. I bet you could learn a lot from him if you were interested.

[Sitting and talking, two of the things Lucy likes to do, especially with one of her favorite people. Then again, it's really three people she's close to: Victor, Jefferson, and Nico.

There's a drop of her shoulders, relieved their lessons won't end because Victor was seeing someone. This is new territory for her. She wanted to get her parents back together. She needed them to, but having someone she's also equally close to and having them be with someone else...it's hard to grasp sometimes. It wasn't a matter of being 'enough' for Victor, but she didn't want to lose him, or be seen as a hindrance.

But, things were changing and she wanted to know what else would change--if her time with him would be cut short so he could be with Jim.]

It's not just the teaching and learning...[There's a soft sigh as Lucy tries her best to convey what she's feeling. An uneasy feeling of being replaced (he's assured her she wouldn't be, but the fear is there), or thinking he may place her in something close to a boarding school (though he assured her shew as stuck with him). Those doubts and fears still lingered, gnawing at the edges of her heart.]

By "the two of us"...I know you mean you and Jim, but what about you and I? What about the things you and I do together? Will that be shortened so you can spend time with Jim? Or for the three of us to do things?

[She really didn't like the third option right now. She was still trying to get to know Jim at her own pace, and while learning he was a captain...he was still a stranger to her. Albeit, she's made friends quickly, it was a different ball park when it came to adults who were trying to get close to those she cared about.]

[that question takes some thought as he again tries to consider the best way to answer her. He wants to be honest, after all. He knows he can't rush her on spending time with Jim, but doing so would help her not think of him as a stranger. Victor simply planted the seed in her mind so she can think about it]

I can't guarantee that our time together won't be cut short sometimes, Lucy, but that's only because I'm a doctor. Sometimes we're called away with no notice. I'll take you with me to the hospital when I can, but my primary focus will be on the patient who needs me. So if James is the one who is hurt and needs me, I will go to him.

But if it's not an emergency, if James just wants to do something together at a time when you and I normally would be together, then no. I would not cut our time short. Nor will I include him unless you're okay with it. Though... I'll be honest, I'm hoping you'll think about it. Like with helping us move. We have a lot of stuff and an extra person will make the process go quicker.

[Lucy doesn't mind waiting for an answer. Victor let her have time to think about what she wanted to ask. He didn't rush her for a question, or press her for an answer. He was trying to get her to accept Jim more quickly, but he needed to be careful. Forcing her to get along with someone could easily back fire, and she could rebel or misbehave. Not that Lucy would want to, but every child had their limits.

She was greatly relieved to hear their lessons--their time together wouldn't be cut short. If there wasn't an emergency, if they had plans, Victor wouldn't suddenly cancel them in favor of spending time with Jim. He wouldn't simply brush her off and let her stay at home all night long.]

That makes sense...you need to save people--and if Jim's hurt, I wouldn't be upset or want you to not help him. You're a doctor, it's part of your job.

[There's a soft hum with Lucy looking down thoughtfully.] I can think about including him in the things we do, but if he wants to help move, he can. I was trying to figure out how...this would work. If Jim would get special treatment and I fell by the wayside or became an inconvenience to have around...or an after thought.

I'm trying to be optimistic, I'm trying to be brave...but it's a lot to take in...that's all.

I understand. I’m trying to figure out how this works, too. But we’re a team now, so we’ll work through it together. I will never let you fall by the wayside. I love you, and I will do my best to always make you feel loved and wanted.

[Those words are enough to make Lucy cling to Victor and give him a tight hug. That's all she wanted to hear. To know she won't be forgotten and he loved her just as much as she loved him. He was her family...and he was making for a great parent.]

I love you too, Victor.

[See? She told him he was good with kids.]

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