And to a certain review; yes I did delete a chapter because I didn't like it and no one had left a review on it so I assumed none of you did either so it didn't matter.
And now, finally, please enjoy :)
Café
It was a yet another overcast day in Forks, as though the days dragged by and all blurred into one mushy grey, a grey that Bella hated when she had moved here. But now as a vampire? She could see colours she never knew existed, could see things so clearly, she could see through the clouds above and spot the stars hiding behind the brightness of the sun.
"Momma?"
Bella turned her gaze from the window and back to her daughter, who sat in front of her looking at her hot chocolate with an expression that could only be described as pessimistically peeved as though it were an insult to her that it merely existed.
"What's up?" Bella asked with a tiny smile.
"It smells bad," Nessie said almost inaudibly. "I don't like it."
To anyone else it would seem as though the child were shy due to her hushed way of speaking but she was not. Bella decided to give her a test run in public to see how well she'd do. Jasper and Alice were a few tables down in deep discussion but if anything went wrong both could stop them.
Granted Nessie had been quiet today as she had walked with her mother, holding her hand sensibly and gazed at every building, car and person that they had passed. Bella had opted to make her speak out loud in public, she loved hearing her little voice and she thought it might push her to be louder like a normal child would instead of having to make people crouch over so she could touch their face.
They had chosen a tiny café to sit in where Bella had bought her apple juice, a hot chocolate and some Victoria sponge cake; none of which the child had looked impressed with, something that bothered Bella a little.
As a child she had adored hot chocolate; cream, sugar, sprinkles on top or maybe a chocolate flake or marshmallows whilst rereading her favourite book. But Nessie preferred blood and human blood at that even though she made do with an animal's, all the same it was something that unnerved Bella immensely seeing her tiny daughter bite open an animal and have blood all over her face.
She could eat and survive on human food and so Bella was determined that she would find something Nessie liked.
"You haven't even tried it yet," Bella said coaxingly. "Blow on it a little and try some, you'll be surprised."
Nessie grimaced as though she trodden on dog poo but made to do as her mother had said until she glanced out the window and her little porcelain face lit up with excitement.
"Vladimir," she said, pointing across the street. "Look, momma."
The Romanian? Bella turned to look and indeed it was him, she wondered why on Earth he was still in Forks as the Volturi confrontation had been just over a week ago by now. She had assumed that they had left to return to Romania, by swimming there most likely as she certainly could not imagine he and Stefan with passports and sat on a plane.
Nessie was near to bouncing out her chair; the child found the two Romanians fascinating for some reason.
Vladimir stuck out like a sore thumb in Forks in his old style goth get up which made Bella want to wrinkle her nose. She realised that it was the first time she had seen him without Stefan.
Ness clambered onto the seat next to her on her knees and planted her hands on the café window to peer at him more clearly.
"Where's Stefan?" She asked and tried to look up and down the street by pressing her head flat against the window as though she bend light to make the view change.
"I don't know," Bella said honestly and before anything else could be done Nessie tapped the window.
It obviously was not that loud, especially to human ears but to a vampire it was easy but still Bella found it unnerving that Vladimir's head turned and his gaze located the noise in a second with his eyes zeroed in on her child.
She wondered if she looked predatory when she did such things.
Nessie waved at him but the older vampire didn't even wave nor smile back at her, just stared. His stare did not break even when Stefan shot up from the alleyway behind him to stand next to him, he glanced at Vladimir and then turned to see what he was looking at.
Both gazes moved from Ness to Bella who made sure her expression stayed like steel; more out of pride than anything as though it would make her seem weak to look uncomfortable.
"Can they sit with us?"
She took her eyes from them in surprise at her daughters sweet request.
"I'm not sure if-"
"Never mind, they left," Nessie pouted out the window as Bella glanced back in alarm at the fact she hadn't noticed nor heard them.
"Thank Christ," Bella grumbled under her breath and immediately remembered Nessie's oh-so-amazing-not-human hearing and inwardly groaned as said child looked at her, face scandalized as though she had sworn and she wondered if she could bribe the child to not tell her father until she recalled mind reading.
She slumped back in her chair and mentally gave up. At least she personally had privacy in her own head.
"Momma, you were disrespectful."
"Eat your cake."