This is for innocent-vengeance's Infidelity Challenge. It's through Roxanne's persective as she watchs her parents -George and Angelina- marrige fall apart. If you like it please review. Also, I'm sorry if it isn't realistic in any way, this isn't something I've ever personally experianced.
Roxanne is two and she's sitting on the stairs waiting for Daddy to come home. She sucks on her thumb and blinks sleepily as she waits. She tries not to make noise, doesn't want to get in trouble. She can't stop the yawn though and soon Mummy's wrapping her up in soft arms. Roxanne snuggles closer and plays with Mummy's braids. They stay like that, Mummy holding her, for a while and then the door is opening and they're both enveloped in strong arms. Roxanne giggles as Daddy presses a kiss against her hair.
"Daddy!" She says happily and wraps her arms around his neck.
"Hey, Roxy, what're you still doing up?" Dad asks swinging her up into the air above his head. It feels like she's flying.
"Wan'ed see you, Daddy," She laughs. He grins up at her and she grins back.
"How 'bout I tell you a bed time story?" He asks and gives her a small tickle.
Daddy chuckles and gives Mummy another kiss before taking Roxanne upstairs to her room.
Roxanne is five now and still sucking her thumb, she's scared. Mummy's crying and Daddy sounds really upset. She wonders where the little baby brother or sister she was promised is. The doctor told her the baby brother or sister had to go, where did it need to go? She hates the baby for leaving and making Mummy and Daddy so sad.
She bites at her nail as she hears Mummy cry even more, when will she stop? Does she need a band-aid? Roxanne scrambles up and goes to get the doctor box from under the bathroom sink. She pulls out a band-aid...two actually because Daddy's sad too. With the band-aids in hand she creeps down the stairs and goes to the living room.
"Roxanne, oh...sweetie, what are you doing?" Mummy asks, her voice sounds all wobbly as Roxanne sticks the band-aid on her hand then does the same for Daddy.
"Makin' you better," she says frowning up at them, her brow furrowed with child-like concern.
Mummy made a small noise, it shouldn't have scared Roxanne as much as it did.
"Go upstairs Roxanne," Daddy said in a strange voice, all broken.
"'Kay," Roxanne said hugging both her parents and went up to her room to tuck herself in.
She's ten now and she's sitting on the top of the stairs, Dad is working late. Really really late and Roxanne is waiting for him to come home. She hears a knock at the door, maybe Dad forgot his key? She hears the familiar sound of a key turning the tumblers of the lock and she flys down the stairs to hug her father. She comes to a tumbling halt as she stares wide eyed at the man in the doorway. A man that is not her father.
"Mum!" She calls out as she backs away from the startled man.
"Oh...oh Merlin," Mum mutters when she sees who it is.
"Angelina?" The man turns to Mum looking confused. "I thought you said the kids would be asleep."
"I thought they would be...you better go, I'll owl you or something," Mum tells him. He nods and quickly leaves.
"Who was that?" Roxanne shouts as soon as the door closes.
"That was a...friend of mine," Mum tells her. Something about that doesn't sound right to her.
"But...why did you tell him we were asleep?"
Mum sighs, "Roxy...things are complicated. Can you keep this between us for now? Don't even tell Freddie?"
Roxanne hesitated for a few moments before nodding and running up to her room as fast as she could.
She's eleven now, her letter to Hogwarts still firmly grasped in her hand as she hears her parents shouting in the kitchen, and the living room, and the dinning room. They're storming from room to room, slamming doors, shouting as loud as they can and Roxanne wishes she could make them stop. Just stop.
She knows why they're yelling;Mum got an owl from her 'friend', Dad found out and they've been at it ever since.
Freddie sits beside her on the stairs, tears running down his face and his hands over his ears. Roxanne can't help but hate her parents for upsetting her little brother so much.
They both flinch when they see Mum storm out the door and slam it behind her. Dad follows quickly behind her and the shouting dims a bit as the door blocks some of the sound.
Roxanne wonders why Uncle Fred keeps getting brought up as Mum and Dad yell. What does he have to do with anything?
Dad walks back in a bit later, "Roxy, Fred..." he sighs and doesn't finish his sentence he just goes and pours himself a fire whiskey.
Roxanne quietly takes Freddie back up to her room.
It's only a few months later, Christmas vacation to be exact, when Mum and Dad announce to Roxanne and Fred that they're splitting up. Mum is moving in with her 'friend' and Dad will be keeping Roxanne and Fred.
Roxanne isn't too surprised, well yeah, she actually is but things with her parents have been slipping for a while now. Maybe this this was just the straw that broke the camel's back?
Roxanne gets up from her chair and quietly leaves the room. She goes up to her own room and slams the door shut behind her.