#Day 2#

Chapter 10

Ava POV

"Mu- mum-y mummy- mum- mummy," my dream slowly fuzzes away to Chaska's voice, and him bouncing up and down at the foot of the bed cuts me fully from my dream world.

"Yeah Chask?" I yawn, stretching out my arms and legs, which sends a short wave of pins and needles from the end of my toes to the tips of my fingers.

"Grandma say breakfast is ready." He smiles, jumping off the bed and running out the door as soon as his feet hit the floor.

I sit up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, as the cool air sends a shiver down my spine. "Grandma? What are you…? Oh fuck." My eyes shot wide open, surveying the room around me. Yesterday was real… shit, yesterday was real!

I leap out of bed, almost running into the door frame on my hurry out of the room. I run down the hall way to the kitchen, having to grab onto the kitchen doorframe to get grip, as my socks continue to glide with ease over the slick wood floor.

The sweet smell of pancakes, mixed with fresh coffee hits me first. Then I see Mum's smiling face as she places a short stack of pancakes in front of where Chaska's scrabbling onto a white wooden chair. Seth is sitting on the other side of the table stuffing his face, in a hurry to get on with his weekend.

I smile lightly as my mind remembers back to a time when Seth was the one in Chaska's spot, getting all Mum's attention. When Leah was the one standing right here, content to just watch the world move around her, and I was the one stuffing my face in a hurry to get to Embry's house and start my weekend. Embry... I wonder what he's doing right now?

No Ava! I tell myself. That was preteen Ava that was obsessed with everything Embry did, I am not her any more. This being back in familiar surroundings must have brought back some old feelings because now as I walk over and take a seat next to Chaska, snippets of Embry flash through my mind. His bright eyes, soft-looking lips, strong arms… Ava! Stop! It! Now! This is not the time, not the place, and definitely not the guy to be fawning over.

"Morning darling," Mum says, bringing me out of my mind, as she walks over to the boiling coffee pot, clicking it off.

"Morning," I smile. I lean closer to Chask, running a hand over his messy morning hair and press a kiss to his forehead, as he drowns his stack pancakes with maple syrup.

"Coffee, Ava?" Mum asks, as she walks over to me and sits a steaming stack of pancakes in front of me.

"Yes please Mum," I say, as I pry the bottle of syrup from Chaska's fingers.

"But mummy, just a little bit more," Chaska says reaching for the bottle.

"No Chask, you're already too sweet," I say sitting the bottle at the far end of the table.

Mum chuckles softly and ask me, "How much milk, and any sugars? Or are you to sweet-"

"Ava, sweet, ha yeah right," Seth scoffs, laughing as he stands and takes his empty plate over to the sink.

"Seth, funny, ha yeah right," I scoff at Seth then look back to Mum, who is wearing an amused smile. "No sugar and just a drip of milk, please."

"See, told you she wasn't sweet," Seth shrugs innocently, smirking on his way to the front door.

"No Seth, I'm too sweet," I smile, cutting into my pancakes and taking a generous bite of the fluffy goodness.

"Yeah right," he says slipping on some shoes and opening the front door.

I swallow the food in my mouth before saying "Yeah Seth, I am right."

He chuckles shaking his head, calling out bye as he leaves, shutting the door behind him as Mum places the cup of coffee down next to me.

"God, I missed family mornings like this," Mum says, taking a seat across from me with her own cup of coffee.

"Yeah, me too," I smile, a little sadder, before taking a sip of my coffee. "Hmm just right," I sigh, pulling the cup away from my lips.

In my last years here family breakfasts were of a rare occasion. When I started dating John, he would come by early and we would walk to school together, getting breakfast from the bakery on our way by. Around the same time Leah started playing soccer, with her having to go to early morning training most days, that left Seth and Mum home to enjoy each other's company.

"So, what do you two have planned for the day?" Mum asks after a few minutes of silence.

Chaska says something but his mouth is so full of food it ends up sounding like "Blow ta bleach."

"I'm guessing you said go to beach?" He nods excitedly. I look back to Mum and say "Last night I made plans to meet Leah at First Beach around eleven, so we'll probably spend most the day there."

Sue POV

I watch as Ava and Chaska eat away happily. Every so often I take a sip of my coffee. It still doesn't feel real that Ava and her son, my grandson, are sitting right there in front of me. For so long I had been worried about Ava, having to tell myself that she was dead just to try and push my thoughts of her to the far corner of my mind, so I could move on and try to rebuild my life. That was the hardest thing I had ever done, will ever do, in my life.

The shock I got from opening the door to find my second born standing there, perfectly healthy; hasn't worn off yet. But I'm probably the happiest I have ever been getting her back, and gaining another member of the family to love. At first sight Chaska had already won his way into my heart, his darling eyes, sweet smile, just all round preciousness. And Ava never lost her place in my heart, it has just been shut down, and dark, closed off to happiness for so long, that the lightness that's now taking its place is a foreign yet very welcomed feeling.

I'm just so, so happy to now have them in my life, and so, so scared that they're going to have to leave. Sooner or later Ava will have to go back to New York City or wherever this world takes her and hers. For a few seconds I wonder if it's worth the joy of knowing, to the pain of losing but then I see Chaska lift his plate up so he can drink the leftover syrup and end up spilling it down his chin and all over his shirt, and know that yes. This will always be worth it.

Ava POV

The clock on the wall just passed ten thirty, and I was doing one last check through my beach bag to make sure I didn't forget anything. Towels, water bottles, sunblock, hats, snacks, phone, sunglasses, book, and because I know if I don't take them I'll need them, band aids.

After cleaning up breakfast and the god awful mess Chaska got all over himself; I changed into a long, Boho Maxi blue and white striped dress, over a white bikini, matched with platform, white, wedge flip flops. I pull my hair back into a bun, before hooking the brown leather straps to my wicker beach bag over my shoulder before going to the living room. I find Chaska running around the living room in his new lime green rash guard and trunks, both with small black sharks printed on them. He holds the handle of a red bucket in one hand and a blue spade in the other, banging both together happily.

I chuckle walking over to the door. "Chask, you right to go?" I ask, opening the door, and take him sprinting by me to the truck as a yes. "Bye Mum," I call into the house.

"Have fun," I hear her call back, before I close the door and go to help Chaska get into the truck.

The drive to First Beach is a short one filled with Chaska's exited murmurs and my light chuckles. I'm glad today is so nice, barely a cloud in the sky, a rare occasion for La Push. But I as well as everyone else that has ever stepped foot in this town before knows it won't last forever. Sooner or later the rain will come back.

…

A few people are spread along First beach when we get there. I don't recognize any of them, they all look pale like they're from Forks or tourists, come down to the water to enjoy the sunny day. I hold Chaska's hand as we walk down the beach, passing a group of teens sunbaking, an older couple walking the opposite way, and some young kids kicking around a football as who I assume to be their parents chat away happily.

I lead Chask to the far end of the beach, where the waves are smaller and there's soft sand, different to the pebbly stones that coat most the beach.

"Now don't go too far out, remember if you can't see me I can't see you, and…" I release Chaska's hand and with a fingertip up his chin so he's looking me in the eyes. "Have fun." I smile as his face lights up like the sky on fourth of July.

He dashes to the water, jumping as his feet touch the water and landing knee-deep and being sprayed all over by his own splash. He squeals and chuckles away, kicking at the water, happy to play away by himself. I watch him for a few moments before setting down my bag and grabbing out the largest towel, tossing its bright green and pink stripes out over a dryish looking patch of sand.

I sit down on the blanket, then look through my bag and pull out my phone. Holding it up, half shielding the camera with one hand, I capture Chaska's fun in pictures and short videos, his joy transforming into my own.

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