The Yearly 365 Challenge

Prompt #136 (Plot Point) Starting A New Life

Smiling down into the cribe; looking at her sleeping daughter. Reaching down to gently tucking the blanket a little closer to her infant. Soft blue eyes gaze upon her daughter. Her eyes drift sideways to the second cribe where her son was staring right back at her. Smiling softly she shakes her head gently. "You need to some rest son. Like your sister here. After all we just finished off a very busy day here."

Dagwood cooed softly up at his mother.

Jupiter gently whimpers in her sleep.

Polly sighed as she gently stroked her daughter's back before moving towards her son's cribe. She leaned down as she placed her hand on his rising chest. "Get some sleep Dag." She husks in a low soft voice. She pleased her son wasn't trying to fight sleep … that he was just about to drift off; hopefully he won't decided to whine and wake his sister. She gently moved her hand around her small son's chest; it usually helped him fall asleep at this point.

She smiled as her son drifted off to sleep. She stepped away from the cribes and made her way towards the open doorway. She looked back before she half closed the door. Making her way down the hallway; and turning into the living room.

"I want to say thank you for allowing the twins and I to stay here." Polly tiredly smiled at the two women whom were sitting at the round table.

"It's our pleasure." Hermione looked up with a gentle smile.

Veronica looked over at Polly. "If I could have my then I would have B and Chic here today also." Her shoulders tensed up at the thought of her best friend; and her brother. The siblings of Polly Cooper whom have moved into the Pembroke once more.

Polly sank down in the middle of the over stuffed couch. Her head resting on the back of the couch. "Mom may be over bearing … but she's not abusive."

Veronica and Hermione silently made eye contact before turning back at the young teen mother.

Polly sat up. Her eyes narrowed. "She's not absuive." She stressed.

"Forget how she is over bearing towards you and Chic; Pol. She's even more so with Betty." Veronica stood to her feet. "Mama Alice is causing Betty to self harm." She snared as her palm came down hard onto the table.

Polly's eyes drew fire. "Perhaps this isn't the safe place for the twins after all."

Hermione stood to her feet, and moved over to sit next to the young scared teenage mother. "Polly ..." She began.

Veronica soften. "I'm sorry Polly." She hated that she had to apolize for her deep anger against Alice Cooper. Yet again how Alice Smith Cooper was winning. "I'm not sorry for my deep anger against your mother; Polly; but I'm sorry that I brought it up." She breathed. "I'll do my best not to always bring it up unless you are ready to discuss it." She sat back down in her chair.

Polly sighed deeply. "Mom loves Betty so much. She fully knows that she passed the gene onto Betty. She had known this ever since she saw the signs as early as when Betty was two years old. Mom was always told that she had to handle her own issues on her own …"

"Her parents never did try to take Alice to the doctors." Hermione nodded her head.

"Mom has taken the steps on getting professonial help for Betty as soon as she suspected. But Mom still doesn't want to broadcast it to the world. She doesn't want to talk about it – not even within the family. She still wants to hide it." Polly frowned.

"I can't do this with you right now." Veronica spoke in a dead voice. Her hands crossed across her chest. "I know that if I try to fight this then we are going to raise our voices and scare the twins. I don't ever want to do that." She sighed as she walked towards the door. She paused at the end of the couch. "We will get into this fully Polly. But I will make sure that I have a open mind and heart to hear what you have to say." She looked deeply into Polly's eyes. "I pray that you will do the same with me."

"Of course." Polly nodded as she looked concernly in the younger teenager's eyes. "You love Betty very much don't you." She smiled softly; she didn't have to address it as a question. It was a fact. A true fact.

"No matter what happenes Polly; I don't want you to move out. Pembroke is your home for as long as you need it." She turned and left the room.

Polly sighed as her head rested against the back of the couch.

"There is a reason why you aren't living in the Cooper house after all." Hermione spoke up in the silence. She had kept a firm eye on the side of Polly's face; and watched as the tension just kept on mouting on the young teenage mother. She rested her arm on the back of the couch. "I believe you Polly; Alice is a lot of things … but she's not abusive. She'll never be." She took a few breaths. "But she has done a lot of damage to all three of you. You are wise keeping her time around the twins to a limit."

"They have to deal with mom's blood coursing through their veins; plus the Blossom family blood in them." Polly lifted her head. She looked forlorn at the older woman.

"From what I heard Jason was the one whom pretty much escaped most of the Blossom family bloodline traits …. so the twins are safe from that." Hermione hummed. "As for your mother; Polly; Betty will be very protective of them. She'll make sure that Alice doesn't do the damage that she did to her."

Unshed tears sparkled in Polly's eyes. "I wish Jason was here. I felt safer and stronger with him by my side when I first learned I was pregnant. I knew no matter what with him by my side … we could raise the twins to be loving and open caring human beings." She frowned as lowered her eyes. "I never dreamt that I would have to start over from the start over plan that we had set upon."

Hermione just looked sadly onto the new mother's bowed head. What could she possible say about Jason's death. About his murder. A murder that just finally got solved. A murder that still has to come to trial.