And Then Came You
Disclaimer: I own nada.
A/N: Thank you for the words of kindness. The following chapter was written a week ago. Thank you for the kind words I have received.
Psst… Serenity-baby,
I wrote this to you last night when I was thinking of you. I love you! Don't be sad! I'll be with you always. See you soon- Your sexy Papacito
Have you ever heard the murmur of the night, calling out to the moon? It's a soft ballad that only lovers hear. It's the voice of freedom, laughter and joy, intertwined and woven together to whisper in your ear how much I love you! It's a fleeting look, a tender smile that turns everything old new.
If I call your name, will you answer? If I say your name, will you hear? I will whisper in to the wind a secret, in the lowest voice there can be. It will reach you when you are sad; whenever you hear my name or when in your eyes there are unshed tears.
I am never far, I am always near. From my heart you never part, you are always with me, dear!
I just thought I shared this! I have spent the entire night reading his letters and emails. They always had something fluffy and cute. He was so romantic and so cute! I'll forever miss him. But I'm finally ready to say goodbye!
xXx
Letting Go: The Beginning of A New Chapter
I do recall every experience of my entire life. I remember the sweet voices, the perfect smiles, and the safety of her embrace. Her voice was a melodic ringing of wind chimes in a summer day.
"I love you so much, baby girl!" she said, her voice containing millions of emotions, just like it did when she first held me. I turned to face her and for a moment, I felt that I was reliving that first day of my life again. My mother stared at me quizzically.
"Is something wrong, princess?" she asked softly, almost as a lullaby.
I wanted to answer her, but all I could do was gaze into the deep chocolate wells of her eyes. How many times, had I been enthralled by the beauty of her face and the softness of her voice?
"Do you know where we're at?" she asked me worriedly.
"I'm alright, mom." I replied, smiling at her. I stared at her and felt so lucky to have her as my mother. My best friend and confidant happened to be my mother.
"I know where I've always been!" I said, hugging my mother tightly.
She slightly pulled away from me and smiled as she stared in to my eyes. She cupped my face in her hands and brought her lips to my forehead, to kiss me.
"I'm thinking the same thing as you." I whispered lowly. Her thoughts carried her to the first time we met, seven years ago. It was in a bright birthing room in a Rhode Island hospital, when my life changed forever.
I placed my hand on each side of her face and began to show her images of our first encounter. She began to cry and the people that walked around us, stared at us curiously. Little did they know that the person that stood before me wasn't a friend, but my mother!
I felt my eyes begin to fill with tears, as I continued to show her imageries of our life together. It had been a perfect and wonderful life the one my parents had given me. I never doubted the depths of their love for me. They molded me to be a strong individual, capable of loving unconditionally.
"I never regretted my decision of having you, Ali. I'm sorry I tried to force you to get rid of your angel. I'm so sorry." she sobbed; I touched her shoulder and smiled at her.
"It's OK, Mom. It's in the past." I reassured her. "I've the best life now. I have Mallory Moon, she is my little Seth and I have the best family in the world. I'm thankful for everything that I have. Plus, Mom, she is such a blessing to us all."
She laughed behind her tears. "That's true! Ali, I'm also thankful that I was blessed with such an exuberant, precious baby girl and granddaughter. Every achievement, triumph and victory that you've accomplished to this date, is a proof of how great you are! I would've never given you up! And I am so sorry for the way I treated you! I always dreamed of having a precious little one like you. You look so much like your father, and that makes me love you even more, Ali. He is the man that I adore and love; I'm just glad that I had the opportunity to experience the love of a child towards her mother." she said, wiping her eyes with the facial tissue.
"Rosalice, you are the testimony of our love. Even though, we can't tell the world that we are mother and daughter, to me, you'll always be the miracle that your father and I made. I love you!" she sobbed, reaching in to her coat pocket to retrieve another facial tissue.
"Mom," I began, taking her hands in mine. "That's why I didn't give up on my angel, Moon. She is a present from Seth to me. She summarizes my love for him. She is another new reason to live for. She's my world." I whispered, kissing my mother's cheek.
"I love you so much, princess. I should've never doubted you. You're a great mother, I've seen your dedication towards Mallory and it makes me proud. I guess I was a good mother, too." she cried.
"The best! I love you too! Mom, don't cry! You'll ruin your makeup. You know how Daddy hates it when we cry! I also don't want Moon to see me crying. She gets sad when I'm sad. I love to always see her smile. She has daddy's smile!" I said, holding back my own tears.
"C'mon, let's go inside before it starts raining and my graduation gown gets ruined." I sniveled, hugging my mother once again.
"You're right!" she said, taking my hand in hers as we walked inside the gymnasium. Many curious faces turned to look at us as we walked past the small groups of people that were chatting and talking.
"Well," she began, leaning over to give me a kiss on the cheek.
"I guess it's time that I go and find your father and my other baby girl, in the crowd. The rest of the family is sitting inside." she laughed.
"I'll see you after the graduation, princess." she said softly, caressing my face tenderly.
I watched as she disappeared through the crowd, and for the first time in my life, I felt like she was saying good bye. It wasn't in her words, but in her actions and attitude. Earlier, her thoughts were about the first time we met and about how I've had grown throughout the years... She was silently letting me go, to fly in different skies and create new adventures.
"Hey, Sarah!" Evry Alistair said, as she stood in front of me. She was a good friend from class. "Who was that?" she asked curiously, looking at my mother.
"She's my father's wife." I said nonchalantly, smiling at her.
"Are you OK?" she asked worriedly, as he waved her hand in front of me.
"Evry, when does the ceremony start?" I asked, looking past her, ignoring her question.
"Um," she said awkwardly, staring down her wrist watch. I stared up at her, waiting for an answer.
"Twenty more minutes, why?" she asked, eyeing me peculiarly, turning to face my line of direction. "Do you need my help for something?"
I shook my head and ran past her. "If I don't make it in time… you can do the Valedictorian Speech!" I shouted, running among the crowd, following my mother scent.
"But I don't know what to say!" she yelled fearfully.
"Improvise!" I screamed, briefly stopping to wave at her.
I ran down the hall, as her scent became stronger. I trailed after her, until I found her leaning against my father's chest as she cried.
I hid behind the wall, peeking as at them. My daddy had Mallory Moon in his arms as he stroked my mother's bronze hair softly and told her that everything would be alright. I could hear their thoughts and I felt so sad. They were saying goodbye to my childhood, to our life together, to everything that included me.
They were letting me pursue my own life and dreams. I had a daughter that needed her father. They wanted me to start the second chapter of my life without them. How sad could my life be without them? I had already lost Seth Jacob and Seth. I knew that Mallory Moon was my world, but how could I live a day without my mother's smile or without my daddy's hugs?
I was theirs and seven years together was not enough. We were going to live an eternity… forever was a long time. Moon and I needed them. I was lost without them. There would be enough time to live on my own and start my own path, with my precious daughter. I wanted to wait a little longer. I still needed my mommy and my daddy.
"No!" I shouted angrily, as I came from behind the wall.
"I won't accept it. I'm your daughter and I'll be damn if you're going to give me up so fast. Moon and I need you" I shouted, walking to where they stood.
I saw Mallory following me with her attentive eyes. She was so precious as she smiled down at me. My angel: she had inherited the beauty of the people that I loved the most. She had my father's radiant smile, nose and dark straight hair. She'd her father's dimples and the shape of his eyes. She had my mother's pale complexion and soft blush on the cheeks. Her eyes were green, just like Papa had them when he was human. She was just perfect, a perfect little angel, just like I'd wished her. She had my father's spirit and optimistic disposition as my Seth.
I walked to them and stopped in front of them, reaching out to touch my daughter. I heard Moon's sweet innocent voice in my head.
"I love you, Mommy! Are you sad? Please, don't be sad. I'll smile to make you happy."
"I'm alright, princess. I'll be fine, don't worry." I said, smiling at her. I turned to my father and mother and sighed.
"I don't have the strength to part from you guys." I cried, holding Mallory Moon's tiny hands. She laughed so preciously, showing her tiny white teeth.
"Seth finished Med School and I know that he's still not ready to come back in to my arms. I don't have anything anymore… I only have Moon and my family. I understand that he is still coping with the loss of Seth Jacob. I know he needs time to heal. But it's not fair that you want to let go of us! Moon and I need more time to be with you guys, until I finish college. Please, dad… mom."
Moon nodded and turned to face her Papa Jacob. She smiled at him and clapped her hands happily.
"We still need more time, mom and dad. I can't raise Mallory on my own. I don't want to take her away from the only family she'd known. I still need to do things girls my age do! I haven't gone on a proper date with someone! Mom hasn't grounded me for using her clothes or stealing her credit card! I haven't come home an hour late past my curfew. Daddy hasn't threatened to beat up any guy he catches in my room!" I chided, walking closer to them.
My father laughed. "You have done all of those things, Jacobina!" he said, shaking his head. "You've done everything and more, princess." he said softly, extending his arm, welcoming me in to their hug.
"You have done so much more. You had a daughter, you do steal my clothes and you had Seth in your room many times." she said, sniffling.
"No, I haven't, mom!" I said offended. "Ok, most of them, except, the one about stealing your credit card!" I laughed.
"Jacobina, we have to let you go. We're not erasing you from our hearts. We are letting you go to live the life you want to live. We can only hold your hand for so long. It's up to you to live your life the way you want it to. Make your own mistake and have fun while doing them. Raise this cutie, marry Seth and have your own family. We'll always be here when you need us. We are your parents and love you very much! And because we love you so very much, we are letting you go. Go to Seth! Show that freaking idiot that he needs to be a man and step up to his responsibilities and live the life that you were meant to live with him! Create your own destiny!"
I pulled away from his hug. I snatched Mallory Moon from his arms.
"So, does this mean that from today on, I'll embark on a journey on my own with my daughter?" I asked, biting the inside of my lip, trying hard not to cry.
"You aren't alone, baby girl. You have a new reason to live!" my mother said, running her pale finger along Mallory Moon's porcelain skin.
My mother smiled and grabbed my arm and brought me against her chest.
"You are ready to live your own life. Today you graduate, baby girl, you're no longer a child. You're a mother. You promised that you would graduate High School with excellent grades… and you did." she said, wiping her tears with her pale finger.
"You let Seth leave to find solace in his loneliness after your baby boy died. You have devoted yourself to raise Moon on your own. You haven't reached for Seth in order to let him grieve and help him finish his dream of becoming a doctor. He deserves to be with Mallory Moon. He deserves to know the joys of being a father. He needs to know that his beautiful baby girl is the cutest girl in the world. He needs to see her. You have made so many sacrifices to make others happy. When are you going to live your own life? When are you going to pursue your own happiness?" she asked me, taking my daughter's fingers in hers.
I held on to my angel tightly, and pressed her softly to me, while inhaling her sweet scent. Moon placed her small hands on my shoulder and cooed happily. She was so beautiful and she reminded me so much of Seth.
"Do you want to see your daddy?" I asked her. She laughed and nodded.
"Well," I sobbed. "After my graduation we're going to fly to Michigan and you'll see your gorgeous father for the first time, little Seth!" I cried, as I rested my head on the crook of her small neck.
"Michigan? I'll see Daddy?" she said happily inside my head. I nodded and kissed my sweet baby girl.
My mother took Mallory Moon from my hands and shooed me. "You're going to be graduating! Go hurry, before they start without you." she said, behind tears.
I looked at my parents holding my daughter and I felt sad. It wasn't the same without Seth. My mother continued to wave at me to leave. I laughed, hiding my disappointment and ran down the hallway of my school.
I made it to the line and Ms. Simmons stared at me angrily. "We're about to start, Ms. Black." she hissed, taking my hand and guiding me to my spot on the line.
The ceremony past slowly and after two hours I was no longer a high school student. I was a graduate! I know that there was a long journey ahead of me, but it was good to know that I had already past a milestone.
My family celebrated my achievement. Jasper and Alice bought me a golden locket with the picture of my family. Bella and Edward bought me the silver Porsche I had been asking since Christmas. Rose and Emmett gave me tickets to visit Bolivia. My grandparents gave me an envelope with a credit card, that had unlimited uses. Everything was great.
"Ali," my mother said, pulling me a side. "I forgot my cell phone in the gymnasium. Can you go get it for me?" she asked, pouting preciously,
I laughed lightheartedly. "I'll go get it." I said, turning around, but she stopped me.
"Ali," she began. "You should take Moon with you. Show her your old school." she suggested, winking at me.
I took Moon from Rose's arms and smiled at her. She was so beautiful and pretty. Alice had dressed her in a pink dress, with a white headband. Moon smiled up at me and clapped happily. She looked like a small two years old. She was growing fast, but not so fast. I still had time to enjoy her.
I carried Moon in my arms and pressed her lightly to my chest. She was so gorgeous, that everyone stopped to admire her. I was proud of my daughter. She was my biggest accomplishment. I walked down the hall, pointing at things so Moon could see. She was enthralled by everything.
I walked in to the gymnasium and saw the janitors picking up the foldable chairs from the floor. I walked to the bleachers where my family sat and found my mother's cell phone.
"Forgetful!" I muttered, reaching down to grab it. I sat Moon down and removed my graduation gown. She stared at me with her big bright green eyes and an incessant smile on her lips. My little doll!
As I bent down to carry her, my mother's phone rang. I stared at the screen and read "Restricted". I sat beside Mallory Moon and grunted.
"Hello!" I said irritated.
"Ali…" the thick, husky voice said. My heart stopped and my tears began to fall. I looked at Moon and she continued to smile, her tiny hands touching mine.
"Seth!" she said in my mind, laughing and giggling cheerfully. She pointed at the doors of the gymnasium.
"Seth?" I asked, following the direction her eyes were pointing. There he stood. His large frame stood leaning beside the doorway, one hand holding the phone to his ear and the other waving at us.