Suspension Interlude

An entire week passed for Viola and Ellen as their suspension dragged on, and at the very least, they still had another week to go before they were allowed to go back to school. They unfortunately weren't at school to do their homework or turn it in, so every day they missed put them further and further behind in their studies. It was a bit harsh of a punishment, but considering they did voluntarily fight someone (granted, they didn't start it), it was at least justifiable in any case. They still haven't heard back from the school on whether the suspension was extended, but considering they haven't called yet, they felt fairly confident that they were going to be allowed back soon.

It was a slow Monday morning when Ellen opened her eyes – it was still dark outside, and she turned her head to the side where she could see the red numbers of the clock atop Viola's dresser informing her that it was six thirty in the morning. She blinked her eyes a few times to gain focus, and she turned her head to her other side, where she saw Viola sleeping peacefully, a bit of drool leaving her mouth and wetting her pillow. A graceful sleeper she definitely was not, but all the same, Ellen still loved her more than anything, flaws and all.

She contemplated whether to get up or stay in bed next to Viola, savoring the warmth, but she had been doing that for nearly a week now, and she didn't really want it to become something that she got tired of, so she gently stood out of the bed, staying silent as to not wake up Viola, and she stepped towards the door and out into the hall. She had to blink a few times at the bright light coming from the bathroom, and she walked forward, pretty sure that her new father was in there getting ready for work.

"Hello." She called, walking over and peering in to see that Mike was looking into the mirror, combing his hair. He looked over towards the door, and gave her a quick wave, which she promptly returned.

"It's a bit earlier than I thought then," He muttered, turning back to the mirror and getting a knot out of his hair, "You're almost always up at six thirty on the dot, so I still have a half hour before I really need to head out." Ellen watched him become less tense.

"You use me as a clock?" She asked, trying not to sound amused, but it was difficult to do when there was a smile crossing her face as she asked. She finally gave up trying to seem stoic, and just giggled as she wanted.

"You haven't been up for the past week, and it was only then that I realized that I use you like that," He chuckled, setting his comb down, "Where have you been? Sleeping in because of the lack of school?"

"Kind of – well, Viola is at any rate." She rolled her eyes – Viola wouldn't be up for another two hours at minimum, "I've just been staying in bed because I like to look at her sleep…" She blushed when she realized that she said that aloud. She was just so relaxed that it came out so easily.

"I see." Mike muttered, and Ellen noticed that he seemed a bit more subdued after she said that, as he straightened out his button up shirt, and patted down the slacks he was wearing, making sure he looked presentable before he picked up the tie he set down next to the sink and began to put it on.

"Are you still upset about it?" Ellen asked quietly, looking away from him as she asked, "You got quiet all the sudden."

He let out a deep sigh, "I'm just not used to the idea quite yet, and I'm not sure if I ever will be." He admitted, keeping his eyes on his reflection as he put on his tie. He took a quick glance over at Ellen, and saw that the girl looked miserable now, "Come on Ellen, cheer up, don't act like that." He hated to see her like that, since he considered her a daughter as much as Viola.

"I don't understand why it's hard for you," She muttered, "We just love each other. Do you think that it's fake, or that we'll grow out of it?"

He finished his tie, and turned fully towards her, rubbing his hand through his blonde hair, "I know you and Viola care for one another very much, but is it true love? I'm not saying that it's not, but you two are still just children in my eyes, who's to say that you won't grow out of it?" He shrugged, looking away at the look of hurt that flashed in Ellen's eyes, "And it just makes me feel uneasy to know that if it is a real love, then my daughter is not into boys."

"So what if she's not?" Ellen challenged, "You're saying that you'd be upset with her? With me too?" She crossed her arms, daring him to cross the line and say that 'yes' he would be.

However, he shook his head, "I wouldn't be upset or disappointed. In the end, it's always going to be your choice, and I just want you to be happy. I'm just worried about what the future may hold for you, not to mention that I won't be getting any grandchildren – but enough of that." He shook his head, "Come on, let's go get something to eat before I have to head out, alright? I'll make you something."

Ellen nodded, seeing the obvious ploy for what it was, but she had no desire to pursue the subject further. Plus, he won himself some points in her book by claiming that it would be her choice, so he wouldn't restrict them. She allowed the subject the drop as she followed her father downstairs and into the kitchen, where she sat down as he walked over to the counter.

"Ellen…" He spoke up yet again as he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a carton or eggs, "I know you're upset with me right now, but I just want you to know that no matter what you decide in the future, I'll always back you and Viola, ok?" He pulled out a pan from a cabinet near the floor, and then walked to the stove.

Finally Ellen allowed a smile to cross her face – she should have known that Mike would back her. She gave him a warm smile that made him feel at ease as he turned around to look at her. "Thank you daddy." She replied brightly, using Viola's terminology which was slowly beginning to affect her own, "I shouldn't have doubted you."

"It's all right, I know that you're just a bit… jumpy, when it comes to people judging you and your choices." He saw her tilt her head in confusion, "You haven't noticed?" When she shook her head, he elaborated, "Everything you do, you feel the need to make sure that you have someone's approval – if they disagree, you get really moody and upset."

She blinked as she looked down at the table – was she really like that? She thought about it, and could recall countless times that she changed her behavior accordingly so Viola would like her better, or felt upset after she did something Viola didn't like. She never realized that she made decisions based on how others would react to it. She looked up in surprise at Mike, "I never realized I did that until now."

"It's always good to learn something about yourself. " He replied, continuing to cook the eggs, "It's nothing to be troubled by, just be true to yourself."

"True to myself," She muttered, "Do things that I like, right?" She saw him nod, and thought about what she actually did like. She liked Viola, her friends (even Amy, despite how upset she was with her), she liked playing games, she liked school – she liked a lot of things. "I see. So I should make decisions based on what I want and don't want to do, correct?"

Mike laughed out loud at that, "Ellen, I think you're putting way too much thought into this. Just do what you always do – if you like how things are, just keep doing it. Other than being suspended of course, I'd prefer if you don't do that again."

She blushed lightly at what he stated, but she nodded, perhaps she was overthinking this too much. Just be natural, that was what Mike said. What was natural though? Was it just what she normally would do? How should she act natural now that she knew that she had to act natural? She let out an annoyed groan as she pressed her forehead against the table, "Stupid mind, stop thinking so much…"

Mike chuckled at the sight of Ellen looking so frustrated, and then he served her the eggs he'd been cooking the entire time.

XxXxXxX

The distant sound of a vacuum cleaner roused Viola out of her sleep, and she opened her eyes, blinking them a few times. She still felt very tired, but she let out a big yawn, and forced herself to bring her legs over the side of her bed. She couldn't see Ellen anywhere in her room, though she had a good idea of where she was by the sounds of the vacuum. She slowly stood up, wiping away a line of drool that led down her mouth.

She looked over to the clock, and her heart skipped a beat – it was already nine! She had seriously been sleeping in for that long?! Letting out a loud groan, she walked out of her room and towards the bathroom. She took stock of her appearance as she stepped into the bathroom, noting how messed up her hair was, with knots and other bits tangled up. She was very glad that her hair wasn't as long as Ellen's, for as much as she appreciated her hair, she didn't really care much for spending ten or twenty minutes combing it.

She remembered the time, and tried to think of what to do for the morning: eat breakfast, brush teeth, comb hair, shower, comb hair again once it dries a bit, do chores, then whatever. She let out a sigh, and walked out of the bathroom, still in her light blue pajama shirt and pants. She walked downstairs, undoing a knot in her hair with her hands, since it was annoying her so much. Finally she reached the bottom of the stairs, and headed into the kitchen.

"What to eat," She muttered, ignoring the loud sound of the vacuum in the other room, she was positive that it was Ellen getting a head start on their chores, so she just ignored it as she went to the fridge and pulled out the gallon of milk, and then she got a bowl and some cereal, walking over to the table. While Ellen might like her cereal dry, Viola needed milk with it, she just didn't like how dry cereal was without it. Once she mixed everything to her desire (nearly filling the bowl to the brim with milk – just how she liked it), she started eating, still blinking sleepiness out of her eyes.

Moments later, she heard the vacuum turn off, and it was blissfully silent for a few seconds, before Ellen walked into the kitchen, still dress in her own pajamas as well. She noticed Viola, and smiled while she rolled her eyes, "Sheesh, I thought you would never wake up!" She exclaimed, walking over to the table, where she sat down beside Viola, "You look good, by the way." She replied sarcastically.

Viola let out a small chuckle as she looked at Ellen – the girl had combed her purple hair, so it looked smooth and perfect – though she knew that since she hadn't gotten out of her pajamas yet, that she hadn't taken a shower quite yet. Her blue eyes flickered back up to Ellen's golden ones, and she asked, "When did you get up this morning?"

"Six thirty," Ellen answered, "I didn't think you'd take this long to get up, so I just started doing my chores – I wanted you to comb my hair, but you were taking way too long." She gave Viola a displeased frown, "Seriously, I think I'm going to start waking you up at eight from now on."

If Ellen was expecting Viola to be upset by that, she needn't have worried, because Viola nodded, "Yeah, when I saw what time I was, I freaked out. I feel so lazy for sleeping in so long." She chuckled a bit, looking back down to her cereal and taking a quick bite.

"Well, it's good that you feel that way then," Ellen answered, her frown fading away, "Anyway, I've just vacuumed the living room, since I was feeling bored and you weren't up yet. We should get a console or something, that way I can pass the time while waiting for you."

"A console?" Viola asked, turning to look at her again, "What's that?"

"A video game console," Ellen clarified, seeing Viola blush quickly since she really ought to have known what she meant, "It's ok, it's early and you're still tired." She made an excuse for Viola, who nodded back gratefully.

"Yeah, that could be fun, but I don't know if daddy would appreciate it. He's always telling me to go outside and play with my friends, he hates seeing how kids nowadays do nothing but play games inside all day." Viola explained, "Though I've always wanted one too, maybe we can convince him to get us one for Christmas?"

Ellen fortunately knew what Christmas was, and she knew the traditions surrounding the holiday – she remembered reading about it when she was all alone. Those days were now thankfully becoming a bit blurred, but she could still remember them quite well. Hopefully in the future, they will become just something she could only vaguely remember and think of as insignificant – the sooner she got to that state, the better, she figured.

"Ellen, you're zoning out again," Viola replied, giving her a concerned look, trying to make eye contact, "Are you ok?"

Ellen snapped out of it, and shook her head quickly before looking at Viola with an embarrassed smile, "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just… thinking." She knew that Viola was privy to what that meant, so she looked concerned yet again, so she elaborated, "Nothing bad, don't worry about it, please."

"If you say so," Viola muttered, still feeling concerned, but she knew that if Ellen said that it wasn't bad, then she was being truthful. If there was one thing she knew about Ellen, it was that she was almost always honest with her, no matter what. "Are you going to feed him?" She replied, changing the subject as she pointed down to the cat that meowed at Ellen once her vision centered on him.

"Ah, Mr. Whiskers," Ellen smiled happily at her feline companion, "Of course, I'll feed you." She got up, and followed the cat over to where the food dish was located, and she knelt down to feed him. As he was eating, she pet him, cooing and giggling whenever the cat glanced up at her. "Sometimes I feel like I don't pay enough attention to him," She muttered, looking back up at Viola, "I hope he's not mad."

"I think it's fine, he's a cat after all," Viola chuckled, taking another bite of her cereal. She turned her head a little to watch Ellen continue to coo to her cat, and she felt happy for the girl.

"Oh, by the way," Ellen glanced up at Viola now, and walked back towards the table, "I talked to your dad this morning, before he left for work." She saw Viola perk up curiously, "I asked him about how he feels about us…" She saw Viola tense now, "And he said that he wasn't very happy about it, but he would allow it if it made us happy."

"I see," Viola mumbled, looking down at her cereal now in thought, "I wish there was a way to get him to accept it, or at least not be upset about it."

"I've done some research on it – on same-sex relationships, I mean." She clarified as Viola looked at her questioningly, "And it's really frowned upon. I guess it's because I wasn't raised in a normal setting, but I don't see anything wrong with it. If two people love each other, they should be able to be together, right? Regardless of whichever gender they are." She crossed her arms and looked upset towards the ground as she began to pace around, "So I can see why dad's a bit upset about it, he is just worried about us, and he knows that our culture doesn't really find it acceptable."

"Yeah, that's true," Viola nodded, "I know all of that already though, and I don't care about it." She insisted, "Even if people will hate us for it, I still want to be with you."

Ellen looked up and smiled at Viola now – if she hadn't seen the fight that Viola put up against Emilia, she wouldn't be sure if she could trust those words, but seeing how strong she actually was when it counted, Ellen felt confident that Viola meant every single word of what she said. "That makes me really happy to know," she said genuinely, "But I hope you're ready… There's rumors going around about us in school, so we'll have to pretend we're not together there, not to mention the rules your dad set for us make it so we can't really show affection for one another outside of a few private moments a day."

"Yeah, and you're about to say how no matter what, it'll probably get out that we really are together one day, and that we should be prepared for the backlash?" She saw Ellen give a small nod, "I'm not afraid of it, even if it means bigger and meaner people will bully us, I don't care."

"Good," Ellen replied, "Because I don't care either." She wished she could kiss Viola now, but the girl was still eating her cereal, so she opted to simply sit down beside her instead, and patiently wait for her to finish. It didn't take too much longer, since Viola was nearly done anyway, and soon the two were putting things away.

"Before we take our showers, I need to comb my hair, so you go first, ok?" Viola told Ellen, but Ellen quickly shook her head, "What?"

"I'll brush your hair for you," Ellen replied, "We have all day to do our chores, there's no rush, right?" She led Viola into the living room she just vacuumed, and set her down on the couch, and she quickly grabbed the comb she used for her own hair and sat down beside Viola, "I love combing your hair, it's so beautiful."

Viola's face lit up red and she shook her head rapidly, "That's not true at all, your hair is way prettier than mine. Mine is just a boring blonde color, but yours is a really good color, and it's so long – I don't know how you care for it!" She grinned at Ellen, who returned it despite the red blush covering her face, "I'd have long hair too, but I don't feel like caring for such long hair, it just takes too much time."

"I don't mind it," Ellen mumbled, "It gives me time to think," She put the comb in Viola's hair, and gently slid it downward until she hit the first knot, she pulled the comb out, and then worked her way from the bottom up, undoing a bit of the knot each time until it was completely gone, "I honestly think you'd look absolutely beautiful with long hair, you should consider it."

"W- Well…" she was blushing yet again – what was Ellen up to? She was in a really happy and complimentary mood, not that Viola particularly minded, since it made her feel really happy, but Ellen usually wasn't in this good of a mood. "You seem really happy, you know, it's kind of scary to me."

Ellen didn't get angry or even let it dampen her mood a little bit, and she just giggled instead, "What do you expect me to act like after what you just said?" She giggled again at the clueless look on Viola face, "You did just admit to me that you loved me and that you wanted to stay with me regardless of what others say, am I not allowed to be happy about that?"

Though the tone of voice was playful, Viola was thankful that she said that, because that was definitely something Ellen would say. She chuckled, and shook her head, but quickly stopped when she felt Ellen start combing again, "You're allowed to be happy for it, goof ball," She replied affectionately, "and if I do let my hair grow out, would you act like this all the time?"

Ellen, in a very giggly mood, did it yet again, "You'd like that, wouldn't you."

"Yeah, I would actually." Viola answered, "You're acting absolutely adorable right now. I just want to hug you and never let go!"

After removing another knot, Ellen leaned forward and kissed Viola's neck, causing the girl to shudder at the light touch, "I wouldn't exactly be opposed to that, you know." She whispered in Viola's ear, causing the girl to shudder yet again. She then leaned back and began to comb Viola's hair again, "But if you do grow it out, I'll help you care for it, that way you don't have to do it alone. It could be fun!"

Viola let out a soft giggle, "Well, since you're acting so happy right now, I feel like I should oblige you, so I guess I'll let my hair grow out and see where it goes from here." She looked thoughtfully upward toward the ceiling, "The last time I had long hair was back when my mother was still around, if I recall." She remembered she cut it shortly after the woman died, "I think I got rid of it because it reminded me of mom, actually." She let out a soft sigh, "She would always comb it for me every morning, and tell me how beautiful it was, and then when she died, I just… didn't want to deal with it anymore I guess."

Ellen's mood dampen a small bit at that, "Viola, if you don't want to do it, you don't have to indulge me, you know."

"No, it's fine." Viola replied as she wrapped her hands around one another, "I told you a while ago that I'm over it, and honestly, I think it might be nice to have long hair again, and if you help me with it, I'll definitely grow it out."

"Good," Ellen replied sweetly, "It'll take a while to grow it as long as mine, but it'll be a lot of fun to see it growing!" She smiled at the thought of it, and then remembered to say, "Make sure daddy knows, we don't want him to get you any haircuts!"

"I'll make sure daddy knows," Viola replied, putting heavy emphasis on the word 'daddy' so Ellen could realize that she said it. She turned slightly to see Ellen's red face, and she knew the girl realized that she subconsciously said that.

"You do that," Ellen muttered, still blushing at being caught calling Viola's dad such an embarrassing name. Even if Viola did call her father 'daddy', Ellen felt it was a bit childish. She decided not to think about it, and returned her attention to finishing Viola's hair, "All done!" She exclaimed happily, setting aside her comb and moving her fingers through Viola's hair. Viola let out a soft moan as she did it, so Ellen continued to move her fingers throughout the smooth and combed hair, gently rubbing and scratching Viola's head.

"That feels great…" Viola sighed out, her body relaxing at the mere sensation, "Keep it up…"

"I'd love to, but we really need to take a shower." Ellen replied, getting her hands out of Viola's hair, ignoring the disgruntled groan that the girl uttered out, "Come on, let's go."

"Do you want to go first then?" Viola asked, sitting up straight and moving a hand through her hair, pleased with the lack of knots and tangles, "You've been up all morning, so you can go, I'll wait for you."

Ellen turned red, and averted her eyes from Viola, looking at the opposite end of the couch. She felt Viola's body heat just beside her, and she absolutely loved the touch, and she couldn't believe she was asking this, but she mumbled, "Let's go together."

"What was that?" Viola asked, not hearing it due to how quietly Ellen mumbled it, "I didn't hear you."

"I said," Ellen spoke up louder, her whole face a very bright scarlet, "Let's go together – like when we first met, you remember?"

Viola turned a bit red now too, and looked away, "B – But w – we can't!" She stated quickly, bringing a hand up to her face to try and cool down the burning area with her touch.

"Why not?" Ellen asked, looking over at Viola, despite how red her face was, "We did it before, remember?"

"I remember," Viola nodded, "But we weren't a couple back then!"

Ellen smiled, her face still completely red, "So you're more willing to strip down in front of a stranger, but not someone you love?"

Well, y – you know!" Viola grumbled, "You'll look at me and stuff, and it'll be embarrassing! I'm only eleven too, so… you know…B – B – But if it's you…" She looked aside, and Ellen was afraid that she would combust since she was blushing such a bright red color, and she was almost positive that she could see smoke coming out of her ears

"It'll be fun," Ellen leaned towards her, and placed a hand on Viola's thigh, "We don't have to do anything naughty – we'll just take a shower together, quick and easy, right? This way we'll both get done a lot faster."

"But I wanted to – " Viola shut her mouth and looked down to the floor, and shook, realizing that she vocalized what she actually wanted to do. "I – I mean, well, I'm just curious, and since you suggested it, I thought, well, maybe we could do things, and I – I…"

"Are you suggesting that we break one of your father's rules?" Ellen asked, "And like you said, you are eleven, you know." She was having far too much fun at Viola's expense now, she knew that, but the girl's reaction so far has been both hilarious and cute, so she kept it up.

"No!" She denied, shaking her head, though she looked down to the floor and mumbled, "Well… maybe…" She covered her face with her hands, "I'm so embarrassed!"

"Let's go," Ellen whispered, leaning even closer so their faces were only mere inches apart, "You know you want to."

"Ah – bu… you… I … we…. Uuubbbb…" She sputtered, and now Ellen was positive that she just broke Viola, so she learned back and started to laugh. Viola glanced over in a daze, and slowly regained focus, "I – you – Ellen!" She yelled, "You were just trying to get me to react that way weren't you!"

"Honestly, yes." Ellen nodded, "Well, not originally, but then you went ahead and acted like that, and I couldn't resist! You were so cute, by the way!" She giggled at the deep scarlet that still covered Viola's face, "But I'm being serious, let's do it."

Before Viola could protest at all, Ellen got up and off the couch, and grabbed her hand. She didn't really fight it – she didn't really want to fight it, so Viola just allowed her to lead her upstairs, where they entered the bathroom together.

XxXxXxX

Viola was afraid that the red on her cheeks might permanently stain there, but no matter what she did, she couldn't stop thinking back to the shower and blushing like mad. While both of them were incredibly shy and nervous at first, they had slowly broken out of their shells throughout the period they were in the shower. What would normally take Viola maybe ten minutes to do took her nearly a half hour, and she didn't even want to mention half of the things she did in there, but now she felt as though she had an understanding of her body a girl her age really shouldn't have. Whether that was bad or good, she wasn't too sure, but she didn't feel bad, so that meant that it was good, right?

At any rate, she was now in her room, dressed in her clothes for the day, which, since they didn't really plan on leaving the house at all, consisted of sweat pants and a white T-shirt she just found in her dresser for some odd reason. She was sitting on her bed, still blushing as she thought back to the shower, while Ellen was yet again combing her hair – they were going to have to switch positions soon, so she could comb Ellen's hair, but she didn't mind, since it would give her something to focus on other than the embarrassing thoughts running through her mind.

"Do you think your dad will be upset that we did that?" Ellen randomly asked out of the blue, causing Viola to nearly jump out of her skin. She looked back at the purple haired girl currently dressed in some shorts and a T-shirt like herself, and saw that Ellen was just as red as she was.

"There is no way in the world he will ever find out about it, right?" She turned to Ellen, "So he won't be upset, because he will think we didn't break any rules. There, problem solved, now please stop making me thinking about how daddy would react if he knew!"

Ellen chuckled, "Yeah, you're right, I'm just trying to think of things to talk about, since it's so quiet." Fortunately, since they combed prior to the shower, Viola's hair didn't have many tangles that needed to be dealt with, and soon, they switched positions, with Viola combing Ellen's hair now.

They managed to do a little bit of small chatter, but nothing serious, and within ten more minutes, they were finished, and they went their separate ways to do the chores that their father asked them to do. Ellen went to resume vacuuming the rooms on the bottom floor, while Viola was forced to go around and dust things. Afterwards they would rendezvous and gather laundry to put in the washer, and then go separate ways again – Viola to go clean the dishes, while Ellen would tidy up their bed rooms, and then finally they would rendezvous again to clean the bathroom.

Things went off without a hitch, Viola and Ellen both methodically and quickly doing their primary jobs. Though it took a couple of hours, both of them finished in the bathroom without issue, sitting down next to each other, leaning against the bathtub.

"Chores done!" Viola cheered, "What time is it?"

"Just about three," Ellen informed her, "I saw the clock before we went to the bathroom, so I at least think it's nearly three." She shrugged, and let out a sigh as she closed her eyes, "At least tomorrow is going to be a short day, since we won't have to do a lot of the same chores."

"Good," Viola muttered, sitting up, "What are we going to do now though? It's only three. I don't really feel like going out, maybe we can do something at home?"

"You can play piano for me if you want," Ellen immediately suggested, her eyes brightening up considerably, "And you can sing too! I love hearing you do that."

Viola blushed a healthy shade of red, and averted her eyes away from Ellen and scratched her cheek, "You really like hearing me play, don't you? If you really want, I can do it for you, since I do need to practice a piece for tomorrow."

"I'd love it!" Ellen exclaimed, "Come on!"

Ellen's eagerness to hear Viola play the piano transferred to Viola as eagerness to play well for Ellen, so as she sat down at her piano and turned towards her audience, "Hello everyone!" She waved at both Ellen and Ellen's pet cat currently sitting in her lap, "Um, today I'm going to play a song my teacher has been teaching me for the past week. It's Beethoven's Sonata number fourteen, or much more commonly known as the Moonlight Sonata." Her audience clapped politely, and she turned around towards the piano, and began to play the piece as she was taught.

Ellen loved every single second of it, savoring every note that Viola played. There were several hiccups here and there, but even then, Ellen didn't allow it to break her concentration as she listened to the song. At the same time, Viola was going into a trance-like state she went into when she played her music, and she allowed her hands to glide over the keyboard and play the song how it was intended. She didn't know if she was playing so well because of her own skill, or because of Ellen's presence, but at any rate, when she finished, she felt very proud.

"That was amazing!" Ellen cheered, clapping her hands together, causing her cat to glare up at her and jump off of her lap, and it walked away. Ellen didn't seem to mind at all, and exclaimed, "You're truly a master!"

"That's putting it a bit strongly, but I do think I did very well." Viola claimed as she turned around in her seat towards Ellen, though she was smiling at the praise nonetheless.

Ellen shook her head, "No, it's not overstating it at all, I loved it." She smiled at Viola, causing the girl to blush and look aside from how genuine Ellen seemed to be.

"Well, ah, thank you." Viola mumbled, chuckling a bit as she scratched her cheek in embarrassment, "A – Anyway, do you want to hear another song then?" She absolutely loved hearing Ellen's praises, since it seemed like the girl genuine enjoyed her work, and she enjoyed playing the piano just as much.

"Of course!" Ellen nodded eagerly. Viola turned back around in her seat, and soon, she was playing yet another song for her one-person audience. It meant so much to her that Ellen, enjoyed the music she produced, and she wouldn't trade Ellen for an entire auditorium if given the chance. She lost herself again in her music, flowing through different melodies and harmonies throughout the course of what only felt like minutes.

So it surprised when her father suddenly walked through the front door – he wasn't supposed to be home until six! Why was he here? She lost track of where she was in the song, and turned to look at him, "Why are you home so early?" She asked, her vision was a bit hazy, but that typically always happened when she focused so much on the piano that she lost track of the world around her.

Mike gave her an amused look, and he couldn't help but smile and chuckle, "It's almost six thirty you know." He took off his jacket that he was wearing and put it on a coat rack right next to the front door, and he made his way over to the living room where they were playing, and took a seat next to Ellen.

"It's been that long?!" Viola asked as her eyes widened, and she looked over to Ellen, "You could have stopped me you know! I tend to get lost when I play, and well…" She nervously looked to the floor and was unconsciously tapping her knee with her fingers, since she had been playing piano so much for the past few hours.

"It's fine," Ellen assured her, "I loved every second of it, it's like having a concert in our home!" This time while Viola blushed and averted her eyes yet again, Mike observed the situation.

Now that he knew about their… arrangement with one another, he was constantly beginning to notice little things that slipped by him before. For instance, he couldn't help but realize that the reason Ellen seemed to enjoy listening to Viola was play was because it was Viola playing, and not because she liked the music that much. Of course, she must have attained some appreciation of the music that Viola plays if she was willing to listen to it for so long, but clearly, in his mind, the driving force was her affection for Viola.

In addition to that insight however, he again noticed how happy and embarrassed Viola was acting by simple praise from Ellen. Prior to learning about their relationship, he would attribute it to the simple fact that any praise seemed to make Viola act very shy, but now, he noticed smaller things – like how shyly Viola smiled back at Ellen, for instance. Another notable thing was how Ellen was almost always hyperbolic in her appreciation for Viola – she could never just say 'it was good' to her.

While their relationship would make him uncomfortable for a long time, he was beginning to wonder if it was actually good for the girls to be like this with one another. While he didn't mention it to them, he was beginning to notice other things as well: Ellen was becoming a lot more open and expressive with her emotions. The Ellen he met back in the woods when he was hunting would never be laughing and smiling like the one that sat beside him now. Viola on the other hand was beginning to become more confident, and from what he heard about what happened at school, she was beginning to stand up to herself instead of just allowing things to happen.

He knew that they didn't have to necessarily be in a relationship for these changes to occur – even if they were just best friends, they would have begun to affect each other just as much, but he was pretty sure that being in a relationship, even if it was platonic (he dearly hoped, anyway), was making the changes occur at an accelerated rate. He only wished that Viola becoming more confident didn't have the negative side effect of getting her suspended from school, even if it did sound like the girl who she went at had it coming – not that he would ever say that in front of his daughters, of course.

It was for those reasons that he didn't tell them to stop being in a relationship together. It was for that reason that he allowed them to sleep in the same room together, and it was for that reason that he would not get in the way if the relationship ever did develop beyond the puppy love it currently was. It made them happy – that much was clear just from seeing how happy and proud Viola was right now, simply from receiving Ellen's praise, and how happy Ellen was to witness Viola look like that.

It was a complex situation, that was for sure, but maybe he was just making it too complex like how Ellen was making things difficult for herself that morning – at any rate, he had to make dinner for his girls. "I'm going to go make dinner now, it'll be ready in a hour." He stood up from the couch, stretching his arms, "You two have fun."

"Wait!" Viola exclaimed, "Do you want to hear me play a song?" She was blushing a little as she asked, and Mike knew just why – she would have never asked him to listen to her music before, she would have just let him go. He knew that she wanted him to hear her play, so he sat back down.

"Of course, dear." He answered, and both girls gave him a happy smile as she turned around and began to play. There was the confidence Viola was gaining, and Ellen sat closer to him, displaying the more affectionate and open nature that she was gaining. Perhaps the two of them being together was beneficial after all. He almost wished that they'd stay together their whole lives, since they were having such positive effects on one another, but he knew that it was unlikely. Once the two matured and grew, he knew that it was highly likely that they would drift apart. It was a shame, really, but that was life.

XxXxXxX

"What do you think Emilia is doing with her time off?" Viola asked as she lay down beside Ellen that night. She had just been up to turn off the bedroom light, and now they lay together in the darkness, Ellen immediately wrapping her arms around Viola, and Viola was not far behind and holding Ellen as well.

"She's probably plotting her revenge against us," Ellen replied in Viola's ear as a soft whisper, her eyes were closed and she seemed relaxed, ready to fall asleep at any moment.

Viola shivered from Ellen's breath touching her ear, and she thought about what Ellen said, and shook her head, "No, I don't think that's the case. I don't like her any more than you do, but I doubt she is just plotting her revenge, she's just an average girl like us."

Ellen tiredly smiled, though her eyes still remained closed, "Emilia? Average? Don't let her hear you say that." Viola giggled as well, knowing that Ellen was right – Emilia wouldn't be too happy at all.

"I mean it, though," Viola insisted, feeling tiredness beginning to overcome her as well, "Do you think that she'll…" She suppressed a yawn, "she'll stop trying to bully us when we get back to school? She knows that we'll fight back now, so I don't know if she'll really start bullying us again…"

"I don't know," Ellen replied, "We'll cross that bridge when we get that."

Viola nodded, and leaned her head forward so she was resting against Ellen's chest. She felt Ellen's breath on her hair now, sending shivers through her spine, and she Ellen's arms wrapped protectively around her, she felt so very warm and tired. She gave in to the warmth, feeling secure knowing that it was Ellen, and slowly her consciousness faded as sleep overcame her.

They still had a week until they had to get back to school, so she decided to follow Ellen's advice and not worry about it. They would cross that bridge whenever it came up, as Ellen said.

XxXxXxX

Notes:

I got around to actually reading the new 'Ellen Diary' short story, and all I can say is that it makes me pissed. I wish I hadn't read it, but I was curious, and it's just as upsetting to me as the end of the game was. It reminded me why I wrote 'My Discovery' in the first place, so I could make myself feel better, and it reminded me of why I disliked Ellen so freaking much. I don't care how shitty her childhood was, what she did was completely unforgivable. It just puts me in a foul mood - I HATE stories that have sad endings. Obviously I can't go back and edit my story, there would be far too many changes that need to be put in place, so I guess this puts every Witch's House story I've written firmly into 'Alternate Universe' territory, which is fine. I might go ahead and write a new one that lines up with the short story, but that's for the future, and honestly, I don't know if I want to keep writing in such a depressing universe to begin with.

Anyway, back to this story, where Ellen isn't an unlikable sociopath, there are a few things I want to note:

First, yes, this chapter is mostly filler that HAMMERS in how much Viola and Ellen are changing. As I edited it, I couldn't help but shake my head at how heavy handed I was being, and I even considered just skipping the chapter entirely, but I have it written already damn it! Plus, it's filled with Ellen/Viola fluff, which this story has been missing for a while now, so I hoped I pleased the ten of you that read this story with that.

Secondly, you may notice that Ellen keeps referring to Mike as either: Viola's dad, dad, or daddy. This is intentional, it's meant to show that she's slowly accepting Mike as her new father over her old bastard of a father.

Third. I know they are acting far, far, far, far, far more mature than an eleven and twelve year old should be acting. They're like adults in a children's body, I know. I think it would be interesting to go back and try to rewrite it so they act more like the children that they are, but that would be a huge undertaking, and I don't necessarily mind too much that they act more mature.

Lastly, I PROMISE that the next chapter will end the 'School Days' arc, and then we'll have a time skip. If the next chapter doesn't end the school days arc, then feel free to yell at me or something.

Thank you all for reading!