Sorry about the delay in posting this, I've been so busy and hardly had time to write the past week but I have updated my other three fics as well so you have plenty to read! Hope you enjoy it.
"Walford here we come," Ronnie smiled at her daughter as they clambered into the taxi, hearing the boot slap shut as the driver forced it closed. Danielle sat, uncomfortably, with the seat belt strapped below her bump, cradling it in her hands. A smile graced her face as Ronnie sat beside her, soothingly placing her hand on Danielle's knee. "Ok sweetie?"
Danielle gently nodded as she turned her head to stare out of the window, breathing heavily as she did. Ibiza had been amazing, they had had such a good time there but they both knew it was time to return, Danielle's due date was creeping ever closer and the restrictions on pregnant women flying was becoming a stress on Danielle's mind. The sun beat heavily down on the black cab, radiating its heat inside and causing Danielle to break out in a sweat, feeling the effects of the heat more so in her current state. It hadn't been so hot in England in such a long time; last time they were here it was heavily raining.
"I hate airports," Danielle admitted as they relaxed in the departure lounge, staring at the rain drops running down the large glass panes. "I'm always the one to get caught at customs. I remember last year, we were going to France and I got beeped at the machine and Gareth couldn't stop laughing. I only had a pair of tracksuits and a vest top on! It was so embarrassing," Danielle rambled on. "This big woman had to come over and pat me down,"
"Well, you didn't get stopped this time…" Ronnie shrugged as she edged closer to her daughter, smiling as she did so. She loved just looking at her daughter, just staring into her brown doe eyes and knowing that she was hers, that this little girl – well this woman – was hers, all hers.
"Do you think Amy will have grown up a lot?" Danielle innocently questioned as they drew closer to Walford.
"Yes she'll be a fully fledged teenager when we get there," Ronnie joked, seeing the unimpressed look fade across Danielle's perfect features. She saw Danielle's eyes look down on her stomach, gently reaching out for her mother's hand and placing it underneath hers,
"It's kicking again," Danielle whispered, as she saw Ronnie's eyes light up with joy.
"Ronnie! Ronnie! Come quick!" Danielle cried as they settled themselves into the apartment. Danielle hadn't seen Ronnie move so fast, as she jolted into the spacious living room, panic overcome on her face,
"What is it Danielle? What's wrong?" She asked, concern echoing through her voice – worried that there was something wrong with the baby.
"Come here quick," Danielle indicated to her right, moving slightly over to create a space for Ronnie. As soon as she was seated, Danielle grabbed Ronnie's hand and placed it on her stomach, as she watched her mother's eyes glisten with happiness.
"Can you feel it?" Danielle whispered as she felt the butterfly like movements continue inside her. Ronnie nodded as she grinned at Danielle, not wanting to move her hand from her baby's stomach. This was real, she was sat here – next to her beloved daughter – and she was feeling the precious kicking of her unborn grandchild.
"Careful!" Ronnie cried out as the cab drew to a rather rapid halt, sending both Danielle and Ronnie forward, Danielle clutching her stomach. She relaxed back and let out a large sigh, whilst under the glaring stare of her mum, "She's almost 6 months pregnant!"
"Look, I'm sorry love but that car came out of nowhere," the driver said as turned around in his seat to the unimpressed stare of Ronnie, whose attention quickly turned to her daughter.
"Are you ok sweetie?" Ronnie soothed as she edged closer to Danielle, not caring about the seatbelts restriction or how uncomfortable it was for her; all that mattered was her daughter and her grandchild.
"I'm fine Ronnie," Danielle replied, flashing her mum a smile as she did so, trying to prove to her ever protective mum that she really was. "Really, I am" she stressed, realizing that it didn't matter if she was telling the truth or not; Ronnie still wouldn't give up pressing her daughter for more information.
"Why didn't you tell him who I was?" Danielle cried as she stormed into the apartment; this was the first time she had shouted at Ronnie but with her hormones all over the place, everything was stressing her out.
"Danielle," Ronnie's voice remained calm as she tried, and failed, to calm her daughter down. "It's complicated ok; I didn't want him hurting you,"
"Oh, and that's all you think about, isn't it!" Danielle cried out loud again, as she paced around the living room not daring to give Ronnie eye contact, who stood at the doorway pleading with her daughter.
"You're pregnant Danielle! I was trying to protect you!"
"Protect yourself more like," Danielle muttered, before raising her voice once again, "You don't want me to ruin your fun over here by letting everyone know who I was!"
"It's not like that Danielle," Ronnie was pleading with her daughter to understand, she wasn't protecting herself, she wasn't. She was trying to stop her darling daughter from getting hurt; she knew what he was like. He was a player and would only end up using her baby and causing her more pain. "He's a player, he will only hurt you!"
"And you know that how? He's my age Ronnie, I wanted some fun, a nice night out for once and you won't let me!"
"He's thirty Danielle!" Ronnie blurted out as she let her breathing relax, she couldn't shout at her daughter, she couldn't and she wouldn't. She had changed and she had to prove it, no matter how hard it was to make Danielle understand. "And what about our baby?"
"You're so unbelievable!" Danielle cried as she fell back onto the sofa and crossed her arms, wondering where she had gotten all this anger from. "Everything is about you," she accused as she pointed her finger at her mother, "You want your fun without me getting in the way, after all who'd want a daughter like me?" Danielle mimicked, shocked at how easily the words had spilt out of her mouth.
Ronnie froze, as her mouth fell open. "Danielle," she whispered as she approached her daughter, kneeling on the floor in front of her, the pain shooting through her skin as she was reminded of the memories she would rather forget, "I thought we'd got over this,"
Danielle couldn't bear eye contact with her, dodging her eyes from Ronnie's. She hadn't meant to say it; it had just slipped out in the heat of the moment, she could see the pain that had flashed across Ronnie's face, the hurt. She hadn't meant it, she hadn't.
"I didn't mean it, I…I'm sorry Ronnie," Danielle spoke quietly as she thought about her actions to her mother, the woman who had proved her love and regained the majority of Danielle's trust, regretting the words that had slipped out.
"Baby," Ronnie embraced Danielle in a hug as she felt a few stray tears leak through her top, ruffling her daughter's hair as she did so, "You know I'm sorry don't you sweetie. If I could take it back I would,"
That had been their first proper argument, the first argument when Ronnie had known exactly who Danielle was. She felt stupid relieving it in her mind but at the time, it had felt like the right thing to do.
"Ready?" Ronnie asked as she opened Danielle's door, the suitcases at her feet, as she helped Danielle out. Despite having just over three months to go, her bump had grown considerably in the past month and was causing Danielle a few problems with her back especially when she had been sat down for so long.
"Ready," Danielle smiled, looping her arm through Ronnie's as they dragged the suitcases to the Vic doors; Danielle pulling the smaller one but still struggling.
"Dan! Dan!" Stacey's shouts echoed through the Square, causing Danielle to turn and smile at her best friend, "You didn't tell me you were coming back so soon!" Stacey embraced her best friend, acknowledging Ronnie with a nod. Despite both having the same interests at heart – Danielle – they didn't always get on.
"I…I wanted it to be a surprise," Danielle replied, hoping that Ronnie would back her up, as she pulled away from Stacey.
"You've gotten so big!" Stacey explained as she studied Danielle's bump, "Look like yer gonna pop!"
Danielle sighed, typical Stacey Slater, but that's why she loved her, "Thanks Stace, that's what I really wanted to hear," Danielle smiled sarcastically at her friend, protectively placing a hand on her bump.
"Only joking Dan," Stacey laughed as she once again pulled her friend into a hug, oh how she had missed her, "I'm so glad you're back Dan, but I have to go and work on the stall – I'll talk to you later without Miss Protective watching us! I hope she behaved herself! She whispered into her ear, leaving Danielle in a fit of giggles as she walked off.
"What did she say?" Ronnie questioned as Danielle continued to laugh, the joyous sound making Ronnie's heart burst with love and sending tingles up and down her spine, as they attempted to heave the heavy suitcase through the considerably smaller door.
Danielle shook her head, as the smile remained on her face – some things were best kept secret, away from the parents. Ronnie narrowed her eyes slightly at her daughter, thinking greedily that she wanted to know, needed to know, what had made her daughter laugh.
However, her attention was soon taken away from the situation as Roxy came bursting in, Amy fixated onto her hip. "Ron! Dan!" She cried out as she ran over to them, embracing them in a big hug. "Did you have a good time? I've missed you both so much!"
"It was great Rox," Ronnie pulled away from Roxy, standing next to her daughter and wrapping her arms around her shoulders, smiling as she did so. The first summer she had spent with her daughter, and the best one of her life. Danielle playfully smiled at Amy, before coating her in kisses.
"So, what stories do you have to tell me Dani? I hope your mum didn't act inappropriately – if you know what I mean!" Roxy winked at Danielle whose face flushed red with embarrassment. At the same time, Ronnie playfully hit her sister, shocked at how she could suggest such a thing, especially in front of such innocent ears of her daughter. She knew Danielle was pregnant and knew what that had entailed but still, any mention of 'it' around her daughter came as a shock to Ronnie; her daughter was too young to hear anything of the sort.
Half an hour later, they were sat in the lounge drinking orange juice and still discussing their holiday; Amy had since fallen asleep in the arms of Danielle who was gently brushing her fingers through Amy's soft blonde hair. It had been about six weeks since she had seen her cousin and aunt and she had missed them both like crazy, and Amy had grown up so fast.
"There has to be at least one story, you were away for six weeks!" Roxy moaned as Ronnie refused to tell her any details, or even spill a tiny amount of information.
"Nothing happened Roxy," Ronnie declared before standing up, stretching her legs and making her way to the door, slowly pushing the handle down, "I'm off to get another drink, want one?" Roxy shook her head, determined to find out some gossip from this holiday, "Danielle?" Ronnie called out, to be greeted with a simple shake of her head and that gorgeous smile.
Within seconds of Ronnie leaving, Roxy jumped up and joined her niece on the sofa, "So, what happened?"
"I can't say, she'll kill me!" Danielle explained, hushing her voice to a quiet tone desperate for Ronnie not to hear, gently rocking a sleeping Amy in her arms.
"I promise I won't tell Dan," Roxy replied, a cheeky grin appearing on her face.
"Ok, ok – one story" Danielle gave in, "Well we went to this restaurant and Ronnie was getting a bit tipsy, even though she said she wasn't," Danielle giggled to herself as she remembered, "and she kept saying that her feet were cold whilst holding her cheeks in her hands, and then she asked the waiter for a bucket of ice," Danielle struggled to control herself as she carried on the story, Roxy now joining in, "and then…then she started pouring herself more glasses of wine and somehow she ended up throwing it at the waiter! It was so embarrassing but it was hilarious!"
"Danielle!" Ronnie appeared at the doorway, a glass tightly cupped in her hand, joking with her daughter, "I thought we agreed – we weren't telling anyone!"