1 month earlier...
The resounding slap across Bumper Allen's cheek echoed through the door and into the auditorium, where the Bellas were stretching for dance practice.
"Ok come on girls! Make sure you feel it in those hammi's!" Chloe commanded in the hopes that it would draw the attention away from the argument their fellow heartbroken Bella was having with the graduated Trebelmaker out in the hallway. Even though they couldn't make out the words, the girls got the gist.
The red head looked up to see that her distraction was fruitless and gave up, moving to sit down on a stadium chair.
"I know they had a rumble in the hay before he skipped town but but Donald told me they hated each other...what really happened?" Stacie asked turning to Becca, the DJ noticed the Bellas looking at her for information, seeming she was rapidly becoming close with Amy. She looked around at them all, feeling pressured.
"Guys, you know I can't tell you. I'd be totally breaking her trust...but he was different around her when he wasn't hanging with the other Trebles" she replied, Cynthia Rose scoffed.
"So you saying that he chucked that burrito at her to show off? That's just nasty!" Becca sighed in slight agreement but she wasn't about to let her friend be the subject of mindless bickering.
"Yeah but he apologised for that...I kinda get why he did it though. I mean can you imagine how much shit would have hit the fan if Aubrey found out that one of her 'precious Bellas' was sleeping with a Trebelmaker? Especially Bumper? He didn't want that to happened to her" she explained, there was a brief silence as the girls were reconsidering the way they saw Bumper.
"I can see why she fell for him..he's really hot" Ashley said smiling, Chloe bit her lip.
"I distracted Aubrey for her while she slipped him her number at the riff off" she admitted grinning cheekily. Some of the girls giggled, approving of her sly act against their former fearless leader but the room fell silent as the Australian Bella walked back in looking unhappy, scratching the back of her neck.
"Everything ok?" Stacie blurted out with good intention and concern for her. Becca shared a look with the curvaceous blonde, she knew a lie was going to pop out of her mouth in front of the girls but spill in tears later on with her in their new shared room in the Bella house. Amy put on a fake attitude look.
"Yeah! Just can't catch a break from desperate guys wanting all this" she fibbed, indicating to her curvy frame. She sighed and looked around at them all.
"So you guys must be finished by now" Chloe stood up with enthusiasm.
"Nope, we haven't started yet" Amy rolled her eyes.
"Bugger"
Present...
Amy stood in front of the mirror examining her underwear clad body.
There weren't many times in her life where she thought of herself as fat. With her father reminding her she was overweight growing up and her mother not providing with any emotional support, she turned to Ryan...when he wasn't being told off for 'feeding her delusion'. She knew she had to boost her own self esteem, so to save those twig bitches calling her names behind her back, Amy just started introducing herself as 'Fat Amy'. She really was quite surprised when size 6 Head Bella Aubrey Posen let her in. It had been the first time she'd been picked for her skill instead being rejected because of her appearance.
Being beautiful helped her get noticed by the opposite sex but her size made it hard to keep them past a one night stand...then came Bumper Allen.
He didn't care about her weight, even after she gained more when he left her to go work for John Mayor. To him, she was whoa mama! She shook in ALL the right places.
They talked one after noon over regular post-sex, jar of salsa, about supermodels and how unhealthy they looked. Bumper told her he preferred women with meat on their bones. A few butterflies took flight when he added that he'd pick a girl like her rather than a twig bitch any time.
A pair of arms snaking around her waist pulled her out of her thoughts, making her jump.
"Whatcha doing?"
How that man snuck up on her without detection quickly became irrelevant as he nuzzled into her hair before resting his sleepy head on her shoulder.
"Just thinking..sorry I tried not to wake you" she replied bringing a hand up to run her fingers through his hair.
"Why can't these animals be open to a more sensible time for breakfast?" Bumper complained trying his hardest to stay awake. The ex-Bella laughed quietly, turning in his arms.
"I knew you weren't going to cope with these 5am starts" Bumper groaned in agreement, leaning against her and burying his face in the crook of her neck. "How's about you set the alarm for 7 and when you get up I'll make you breakfast?" The American lifted and turned his head slightly to press a soft kiss to her jaw.
"Can I have you for breakfast?" Amy ran her hands down his body to cup his bare backside.
"When we get back home, you can have me for every meal, for as long as you like" she promised, squeezing his cheeks firmly. Bumper pulled back to look at her with a tired face and raised eyebrows.
"Mmm...that's a big promise" he looked like he was going to fall asleep right there if he didn't go back to bed.
"And I make good on them, you know that...now go" she said, giving him a light smack before they let go of each other.
"Ok" Bumper yawned as he made his way back to the bed they were sharing and fell on it, pulling the covers back over himself.
Amy threw zipped up her thick jacket as she stepped out into the cold wind. On her way to the pig pen, Jax rushed over to greet her, his tail waggling furiously.
"Mornin gorgeous boy" she crouched and gave him a good scratch behind the ears "Oh I missed you..did you miss me? Yeah?" Jax barked at something behind her, she turn to see Ryan and Travis approaching her with 2 wheelbarrows full of scraps for the pigs.
"Mornin Chook...where's Bumper?" Ryan asked, they put the equipment down as Amy stood back up.
"I gave him the morning off, at home he doesn't get up til like 7, they're abit precious like that " she joked, Ryan let out a small laugh before turning to Travis.
"Mate we've got this. Why don't you get started on the cows?" he asked, Amy and Travis knew he was trying to politely send him away so they could talky privately.
"Yep, sure thing" Travis replied with a nod giving Amy a smile as he set off to do is assigned jobs. She moved to the other buggy and picked it up, ready to get to work with her brother.
"Did Mum call back last night?" She asked, pushing the gate open to the pig pen.
"Yeah, about 10, you and Bumper were already asleep and I didn't want to wake you. The surgery went well and he's stable...I was planning on visiting him today if you two wanted to come along"
Amy thought about what her fiancé was on about...making the effort so she could go home clear minded and forget about everything for a while. "Also, Nan's down from Sydney to have lunch with us" The blonde Aussie lit up.
"Alright, we'll go" she replied without hesitation. Nanna Morris was one other person in her family, besides her brother, she had told about her acceptance into Barden University.
A letter or 2 would turn up in Amy's pigeon hole each month, for the first few years, it made her feel less homesick but after she got fully settled, they were something she looked forward to.
"Do you remember when Mum tried to ride Callen and he threw her into the mud?" he asked pushing the wheelbarrow handles up to pour the scraps into the trough, Amy let out a loud snort laugh.
"And you got smacked so hard for cheering on Callen!" Her wheelbarrow suddenly slipped off the other trough but she caught it with her thigh, wincing as it dug into her skin through her jeans.
"Chook! You ok?" Ryan rushed over immediately and pulled it up and quickly finished the job, threw it over the concrete basin before checking to see if Amy hurt herself.
"Yeah it's ok, it'll probably just bruise" she said rubbing her leg.
"Do want some ice?" Amy screwed her face up and shook her head. Ryan rolled his eyes at his stubborn sister.
"Nah, we don't have time for that, what's next?" He looked one more time at her leg to make sure she was fine before taking her hand and leading her towards the chook shed.
Bumper pushed his arms threw his hoodie before pulling it over his head and straightening it around his middle. The smell of bacon and eggs hit him as he made his way down the stairs into the kitchen.
"There he is! Mornin mate!" Ryan said to the American cheerfully, mixing the fruit through his bowl of cornflakes. Bumper threw him a smile.
"Hey! Its cold" he replied, shivering as he made a beeline for the ex-Bella.
"Oh but you weren't cold when you were standing there nude in front of me earlier" she pointed out, Ryan slowed his scoop into his cereal, getting a mental image. The blonde turned around to embrace Bumper, raising her arms over his shoulders to link them behind his head. He moved his own around her, slipping them into the back pockets of her pants
"That's coz you're smokin hot baby" he threw back with lust in his voice, pulling her to him and grinding his hips against her's. Amy grinned leaning forward, their noses touching. Bumper tilted his head, taking her mouth in a sensual kiss, making her sigh and open her lips under his, deepening the intimate liplock. Hearing a soft moan, her brother finished the mouthful he had in his mouth and put his elbow up on the table.
"Get a room you two..struth!" he huffed with a small smirk on his face. The halted their kiss before twisting to look at the disgruntled Australian.
"We're in the kitchen...that was Mum and Dad's rule" Amy replied cheekily, Ryan smile grew as he shoved another spoonful of breakfast in his mouth.
"But why did they make that rule?" he mumbled between chews, Amy growled and threw her head back.
"So we they could see us and we couldn't sneak off and do naughty stuff in our bedrooms" she recited, rolling her eyes. "Man I hated that part of the rule" Ryan chuckled. Bumper turned back to her, pulling his hands out of her pockets to run them up her back, peaking over her shoulder briefly at the concoction that was cooking in the large pan.
"Oooo toad in the hole yum!" Amy smiled as she moved out of his embrace to grab the plates off the top of the microwave. She placed them on the bench before grabbing the egg flip and scooping up the two slices of bread with eggs cooked inside, dropping them on a plate each then doing the same with the 4 rashes of bacon. Bumper picked up the full plates and she followed him over to the table where they both sat down to eat it. The Tonehanger picked up the slice of bread and bit into it, making a noise of approval at his fiancé's great cooking. "So what's the plan for today?"
"We're visiting Dad before lunch" she replied, picking up a piece of bacon. Bumper stopped chewing to look at her.
"You're prepared for it?" Amy nodded as she broke off a crispy bit and popped it in her mouth.
"Nanna Morris will be there too..she's really looking forward to meeting you". Bumper ate up his bread and egg with enjoyment.
"Me too, she sounds like a lovely lady"
In the shower, Bumper pressed his Aussie lover against the wall, lifing her bruised thigh over his hip before slowly entering her. She bit her lip trying to stifle her moans, the water cascading over them was making their bodies slippery as they kissed. The American's justification for having sex in the shower, was that she'd have something nice to think about if her dad decided to throw another abuse bomb at her.
It was was definitely something nice.
"YOU READY TO GO YET?!" Amy slipped on her flatties and stood up.
"YEP! COMING! she called back to her brother, Bumper followed her out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Ryan grabbed his keys off the hook over the microwave.
"Right" he said, going to walk out the door. Amy stopped him, grabbing his jacket.
"Uh..Bump and I were talking and we're heading home tomorrow arvo" The red head nodded, he wasn't super happy about it but they probably missed home and wanted to spend as less time with their Dad as possible.
"Oh alright"
"We really appreciate you putting us up and its been great catching up but..I've only just moved into his place and we've kinda put our lives on hold to come here for Travis and Dad" Ryan hooked the set of keys over his thumb and gently took hold of her arms.
"Its ok. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, you'll always be my favourite big sister and I'll always love you" he replied making her smile.
"I'm you're only big sister" she replied with a small chuckle. Ryan nodded.
"This is true..it just means we'll have to move up the drinks with the boys tonight". he said as they exited the house, locking it behind them.
"Should I be worried?" Bumper asked looking between the two. He drank when he was at college but this was a whole new ball game with 5 grown men.
"Yeah, he'll look after you...right?" Amy asked, giving her brother a tap on the shoulder. He unlocked the truck.
"Of course! James is gonna be designated driver coz he's on cold and flu tablets at the moment. We might make a real Aussie out of him yet" Oh god he was going to get smashed.
The three of them climbed into the truck before heading off to the hospital.
They passed 4 rooms before turning a corner to Paul's room. Amy took a deep breath and grabbed Bumper's hand before walking in. Paul turned his head towards them. His eye was badly bruised, there were sterystrips across his chin and his arm left arm was in a sling. Travis had done a number on him.
"Sweetheart" Paul said weakly, giving the biggest smile he could with the limited energy he had. Amy and Bumper walked over to the bed while Ryan sat down in the nearest seat. She needed Bumper to help her overcome the hurdle, not him.
"Hi Dad...how ya feeing?" she asked, the atmosphere was different, Bumper didn't feel the pressure on his hand like in the hotel restaurant, back home.
"I've felt better love, the nurses have been real good in keepin the pain down" Were they being civil to each other?
"What? You haven't offered 'em a tour of your wine cellar yet?" Amy joked cracking a smile, Paul's smile widened before it faded into serious.
"Listen sweetheart, the doctors tell me I almost died on the table...and it made me realise that I went too far... I did wrong by you and your brother...I'm sorry" Was it for real? Did he apologise to his daughter? A tear fell down Amy's cheek. "Do you think maybe we can start emailing each other when you get back home?" The ex-Bella tried to hold back a sob.
"I'd like that" she replied quietly, Bumper squeezed her hand gently to let her know he was happy for her. He cleared his throat.
"Umm, we got off on the wrong foot...clean slate?" he asked the older man, he wasn't going to ask him for permission to marry his daughter yet but it was important to keep in the good books with him...for her sake.
"Great, I'll leave you to talk for a few minutes, I'll be right back" he said, kissing her on the temple and letting go of her hand before moving to exit the room, tapping Ryan's foot on the way, indicating to follow him.
Once out of earshot, Bumper's demeanour changed to concern.
"Who the hell is that and what's he done with Paul Wilson?" he whispered, Ryan lifted an arm and placed it on the railing beside him.
"Yeah I know what ya mean, that was weird" Bumper rubbed his arm, getting agitated.
"If he fucks with her again..I've already punched him in the face once..I don't know if I'll be able to control myself this time" The Australian scoffed in agreement. .
"Hopefully it won't come to that" Ryan replied, lowering his arm and placing his hands on his hips "Mum told me that he's even dropped the charges against Trav so..maybe he has changed, I don't know...look, we'll just see how this pans out ok?" Bumper nodded before turning and leading them back into the room.
"I'm looking forward to seeing Nan today. I haven't seen her since I moved to America..but she's sent me letters the whole time" Amy said shifting in her chair she'd moved next to her father's bedside.
"That must've helped while you were all by yourself over there" Amy looked down at her hands in her lap.
"I wasn't all by myself Dad, I made friends pretty fast..and I've got Bumper" Paul laid his arms down at his sides on the bed.
"Is he a keeper?" he asked her. Amy had to choose her words carefully. Was it the right time to tell him that she and Bumper were engaged to be married? If she didn't tell him and her mother though and got married with out them knowing she would have to hear about it for the rest of her life.
"We're actually engaged" she said hesitantly. The information was either going to be received well or he was going to drop the 'abuse bomb' as Bumper described it. His face was expressionless for a moment before he smiled at her with happiness.
"That's great..let us know when the date is and we'll be there" That was easy.
Bumper and Ryan walked into the room as Amy was standing up and leaning over to kiss her father goodbye. The American moved to her side to shake Paul's hand, giving each other a manly nod.
"Alright, Nan and Mum will be waiting for us in the café, we better go..I'll come visit you tomorrow Dad" Ryan said from the door.
"Bye Dad" Amy said giving him a small wave before turning and leaving with the two men. As they reached the exit doors, Bumper wrapped an arm around his quiet fiancé.
"You alright? That went better than we thought it would" he said, Amy kept her eyes forward, walking through the big double doors that lead out of the ward, they stopped at the lifts.
"Yeah..we're on good terms..but I still wouldn't trust him as far as I can throw him" she replied as the right lift binged and opened.
Sharon waited with an older woman and younger woman with dark hair and a little older than Amy, in front of the café across the road from the hospital.
"Is that her?" the older woman asked pointing at the pedestrian lights down the street.
"Yep" Amy, Ryan and Bumper walked down the street towards them, it had been 4 years since Amy had seen her grandmother, she couldn't wait to thank her for helping her survive the first 2 years of college. Even thought she made friends really quickly and was having great sex with Bumper, it still made her homesick on occasion.
"Hi Nan!" she called excitedly as they reached the three women.
"Oh I've missed you, come here my beautiful girl" Nan said enveloping the blonde in a big hug, rocking her from side to side, Sharon smiled.
"Veronica? Wow! We haven't seen you since we were kids" Ryan said leaning forward and giving the younger woman a kiss on the cheek.
"Yeah it's been a while, I live in Melbourne now, working at a law firm" she replied. Amy pulled back a little and grabbed Bumper's hand.
"This is this is Bumper, my fiancé, Bumper this is Nanna Morris and Veronica. Veronica was Nan's foster child, when we were kids, every holidays we'd fly up to Sydney and spend time with them" Amy explained. Nanna Morris let go of Amy and stepped towards Bumper, looking him up and down, she approved.
"Well you're quite the spunk aren't you?..Oh yeah marry this one!" Bumper blushed slightly.
"It's wonderful to meet you, Amy's told me a lot about you" he said giving Nanna Morris a small hug. She stayed close to him.
"You too. She told me how you two met" she whispered, giving him a wink. Amy nudged her grandmother softly on the arm. Bumper let out a small chuckle, free range pony pfft more like love sick puppy.
"Nan.." The older woman grinned, she was just like Amy remembered, cheeky and young at heart.
"Alright, shall we get lunch?" Sharon suggested ushering the group into the café.
They had lunch with relaxation, reminiscing over old times. Nan got their attention.
"Sharon and I have waited a long time to tell you this. There was a very special reason why I came down here to see you all. I wanted to tell you when you were older but due to unforseen circumstances there hasn't been a chance to" she said bending down to pull a folder out of her bag. Sharon had waited for years and the moment was finally about to happen. "I have here, a copy of all three of your birth certificates..and I want you to look at them..together" she handed each of then their own birth certificates. There was silence as the three of them sat inspecting the papers, looking over at each other's.
Patricia Amy Wilson: Father - Paul Raymond Wilson and Mother - Sharon June Wilson
Ryan Daniel Wilson: Father - Paul Raymond Wilson and Mother - Sharon June Wilson
Veronica Sarah Collins: Father - Bruce Graham Orr and Mother - Sharon June Morris