Luci looked around the table. She had forgotten that Allie had been adopted. "Maybe I should go get her." she said thoughtfully.

"Would you Luci?" Mrs. William asked, looking miserable, along with Mr. Williams and Alyssa. Nick and A.J. looked totally bewildered, and the rest of the Williams family continued waiting like nothing happened.

Luci stood up and walked from the room. As she walked into the front hallway she heard the front door slam shut. She headed to the front door, and opened it gingerly. "Al?" she asked, softly, stepping into the front porch. Allie was sitting on the porch swing, swinging back and forth slowly.

"Why didn't you tell me, Luc?" Allie responded, as Luci sat next to her.

"I wanted too you know....Melissa didn't even really come out and tell me. I was 10 and I went to pick up the phone and she was talking to your grandmother about it. I asked her about it and she told me." Luci replied, forgetting about the previous tension. "She said not to tell you. I really wanted too, but I didn't want to break my promise."
 
"Why didn't they tell me?" Allie begged, suddenly slamming the back of the swing against the house.

"I don't know, Allie...It's a hard thing....Maybe they didn't want to upset you....Maybe they knew how you would act....Maybe they loved you so much that they thought if they told you, you would want to find you real parents and they would lose you. They really do love you, Al. I can tell." Luci suggested. She kind of understood Allie's pain.

"But why didn't they tell me?" Allie repeated, angrily.
 
"Listen, Allie. You have two parents who love you, and care for you. You are one of the luckiest people I know! You still have your Mom. Your Dad is home every night. My Mom is dead. My Dad is rarely ever home. You have a real family. They may not be your biological parents, but they love you. Why don't you understand that?" Luci responded, frustrated. Allie didn't understand how good she had it.

Allie sighed. "Your right, Luc...but I just can't forgive them. I just can't." she stated firmly.
 
Luci shook her head, aggravated. "You just don't understand. While your out here being a spoiled brat, you parents are in there feeling horrible. You have no idea what it's like not to have parents. Sure I have my dad, but he's never there. Why the hell do you think I always wanted to be at your house after my Mom died? Because of all the love in this house. You need to realize that they are they only parents you will have. You can't leave them. You need them and they need you. They have been their every step of the way, you can't leave them now." she retorted, no longer sympathetic.
 
Allie took a deep breath, readying herself to speak, but paused. "I....your right Luci, and I know you are, but I have to think about this. I think I'm going to leave now, okay? The bus stops at the corner in a couple of minutes and I'll take it back to the apartment." she said, sadly, standing up.

"Okay, Allie, but you need to talk to them. If you don't you will regret it for the rest of your life." Luci told her, standing up, and hugging her quickly before walking back into the house.

 

~+~+~+~+~
 

An hour later Luci pulled her BMW into Nick driveway. They had stayed quiet the whole ride, none of them really sure what to say. "I'll call tomorrow." Nick muttered before getting out of the car. A.J. quickly slid into the front seat before Luci pulled out of the long driveway.

"Luci...?" A.J. inquired quietly.
 
"A.J....I'm not really in the mood to talk right now okay?" Luci replied.
 
"I was just going to ask if you were okay. Ever since you talked to Allie you seemed....upset...." A.J. responded, watching her.
Luci put her head against the head rest. "I....am worried about Allie and when we talked we talked about my Mom dying and it totally reopened the hurt." she confided, the words just slipping out.
 
"Your Mom died?" A.J. repeated a bit surprised.
 
"Yes. She was out at our barn where we keep the horses and she was helping me saddle my horse, Pretty Princess, when my dad's horse, Mighty Monster, got out of his stall and started freaking out. My Mom went to get him and he reared up hitting the side of her head. She fell and the horse came down on top of her. It killed her instantly. I was six." Luci explained, blinking away tears.

"Geez..." A.J. breathed. She had seen her mother being killed. That had to be the most traumatizing thing in the world. A.J. couldn't image life without his Mom.
 
"I just wished I had a little more time with her. I wish I could have told her I loved her." Luci said, before quickly wiping away the tears before they could fall. "Allie doesn't understand that. She doesn't know how much her parents really love her -- biological or not. She has no idea what it's like to lose both parents."

"But wait...your dad is dead too?" A.J. questioned, confused.
 
"No...He might as well be. He's never home. Never." Luci informed him, pulling into his driveway.
 
"I'm so sorry, Luci." A.J. replied, turning toward her and hugging her. He, immediately felt all the stress in her body exit. He pulled back slightly, and brought his lips to hers. Fireworks exploded, and the kiss stopped both their hearts.