Thank you to Nikki Black, NimfXx and Guest for leaving reviews. This is kind of a filler chapter that did not want to be written so sorry for the late update. Enjoy.

Chapter 38: Off To Grandmother's House

Alisha sat bouncing on the back seat of the car, well not technically because the seat-belt was forcibly holding her down. They had already been driving for three hour and eighteen minutes. They should have been there already but they had stopped to get gas and for a bathroom break.

"Only a little longer." Kathy spoke before pointing out the window. "That was a park I used to play out as a child."

Alisha looked outside to see a small area surrounded by trees. There was a structure, swing-set and a sandbox but other than that it was mostly just a big open space. There were a few children on it now and a couple parents sitting on benches but for the most part it was deserted. Not that surprising seeming it was still only February.

Thankfully, it was only a few minutes later that the car pulled into a driveway. Alisha was almost immediately mesmerized. In front of her sat a small house that almost looked like a cottage out of a fairy tale. It was one story and the front was surrounded by a small fence. There was a walk way that led to the front door that was lined with shrubs that would bloom as soon as spring came. Even though it looked the same as the houses on either side, Alisha was convinced there was something special about this one.

In the front seats, Kathy and Jeff exchanged glances before smiling and climbing out of the car. Alisha rushed after them, grasping both of their hands as they made their way to the front door. It opened as they were approaching and two strangers stepped out.

Alisha felt heat rush to her cheeks as she immediately shied into the person on her right, only realize after the embarrassment eased slightly that it was Kathy there instead of Anny. Still, she didn't mind. She did however remember to give the two strangers a bright smile as she hid half way behind Kathy's leg.

The two strangers smiled in response, the older woman lightly giggling. She had light blonde hair that was generously speckled with gray. It was cut into a short bob, level with her chin which gave her face a soft appearance. She had brown eyes that were surrounded by wrinkles and was always ready with a smile. The man that stood beside her had hair that was fully gray but his green eyes were lively and twinkling as he stared at his only child.

"Morning Mom, Dad." Kathy said.

The old woman stepped forward and embraced her in a one armed hug as Alisha still held Kathy's other hand.

"Come in, all of you." She said when she stepped back, quickly herding the small group inside. When the door was firmly closed behind them, they quickly shed their jackets before introduction were made.

"Jeff, these are my parents, Claire and David. Mom, Dad, meet Jeff and this is his youngest daughter, Alisha." Kathy said.

Alisha was still somewhat shielded by Kathy's leg but upon hearing her name she stepped out so she was in full view before spending a few minutes studying the couple in front of her. Well, they certainly looked like grandparents, not to mention they still hadn't stopped smiling. The house around them was also what she had expected. It was neat and clean but also slightly cluttered with nick-nacks and old things she couldn't name. There was also the smell of cookies that hung over the entire place.

"It's nice to meet all of you." Claire spoke, before squatting in front of Alisha. She had worked in a daycare before she had retired and she severely missed all of the children. "My daughter's told me a lot about you. She said that you did cheering."

Alisha beamed, her shyness fading away. "Uh-huh, I just started this year and it's really fun but we won't compete for another couple weeks or so." She explained.

"Wow, really? It sounds incredibly interesting. I'd love to hear more about it over lunch."

Alisha nodded, her small curls bouncing as she did.

"Speaking of which, the ham should be just about done." Claire said, standing up and heading off to the kitchen.

Alisha followed behind her rather than stay and listen to the adults talk. Claire moved to the oven, pulling on mitts before taking out a pot. She pulled out a thermometer before sticking it in the meat. She left if there for a couple seconds before puling it out and moving the ham onto a platter beside her. When she turned, she caught Alisha watching her.

"Would you like to help me set up the table?"

She hurried forward, moving to the small stack of dishes that Claire had motioned to. Together they worked in silence as they moved to set up the lunch and by the time they were done ten minutes later, they had a small feast settled on the table. There was ham that had a glaze that was making it shine in the light. There was also mashed potatoes, squash and peas. Homemade biscuits were on the table as well as a pitcher of lemonade and another of punch. Alisha was sure that they would never be able to eat all of it and that wasn't even mentioning the cookies that she had spied sitting on the counter.

Everyone was called to lunch and they quickly dug in, the small chatter mixed in with the sounds of the cutlery scraping against the dishes. Alisha listened as Kathy and her dad talked about the hospital they both worked at, telling stories of some of the patients they had worked with. Every now and then David would make comments but for the most part he was just content to sit and listen. It had been a while since he had seen his little girl looking this happy.

Claire was thinking along the same path and to go along with it, she was happy to have a full house again. There family had always been small and she was worried that it might remain that way. It was nice to have the noise and chatter to listen to, to have voices there again. Granted it wasn't like Jeff and his daughters were family yet, but she could always hope. It was time she had grand-kids, even if they were step ones.

"Who's that?"

Claire glanced up, pulled from her thoughts at the question. She glanced to where Alisha was looking and saw a photo on the wall of a young girl. She looked to be about ten with fine, blonde hair that was pulled into two pony-tails. She was smiling, her lips pulled back away from teeth that were covered in braces.

Claire smiled. "That was Kathy."

Alisha gaped in surprise before she turned to her. "You used to have braces?" She asked.

Kathy nodded, giggling along. "They were horrible things so if you even hear the dentist mention it, run."

Alisha laughed as Jeff spoke. "Don't be giving her any ideas."

"Do you have any other picture of Kathy?" She asked, turning back to Claire.

She grinned as Kathy groaned. She didn't even say anything before standing up and rushing out of the room, only to returned with a thick photo-album. She scooted her chair so she was sitting next to Alisha and opened it, showing a picture of a small baby wrapped up in a pink blanket.

Alisha cooed.

"She was the most adorable child," Claire explained. "even if she did like to scream a little to much."

"What happened there?"

Claire laughed as Kathy's face turned bright red. In the picture was a three year old with dark marker all over her face with it heavily focused around her mouth.

"At the time her dad was growing a beard. She was fascinated by it and decided she was going to grow her own. I tried explaining that it wouldn't work but she was adamant. When she couldn't get a beard to grow, she decided she would draw one to show the hair where it needed to grow"

Alisha covered her mouth as she giggled.

"Kathy was always doing stuff like that." Claire said, a small smile on her lips as she started reminiscing. "I remember one time we went into a store and there was a very big man there. He had quite a belly on him and when she saw, she turned to me and said 'Mommy, is that man going to have a baby?' I couldn't help laughing as I tried to apologize."

Alisha laughed but when she heard Kathy groan in embarrassment she turned to her. "It's okay. I used to do stuff like that to. When I was little I saw this group of girls that were wearing these face covering things. I thought they were ninjas and I asked one of them if she could walk up walls like on the t.v. shows."

The entire table broke out into giggles as Alisha recounted the story of how she had met the group of woman wearing hijabs.

The lunch finished as they all took turns telling embarrassing stories. Alisha couldn't help but howl with laughter when her dad told a story about when he was little and had came across his first person of color. Maine was not a diverse state and most of the people were white so when he saw someone with dark skin he had walked up to them and told the man that he needed to take a bath because he had dirt all over him. The man, to his part had just laughed it off and explained that was what his skin looked like normally. Her dad had been thoroughly ashamed of himself for a while because of that event before shrugging it off.

When all the dishes were cleared away and the table was cleaned, the chocolate chip cookies were broken into and glasses of milk were supplied. Alisha took a big bite, happy to find that they were still slightly warm and the chocolate gooey. She quickly ate one and reached for another, realizing that these cookies were almost as good as the ones that Esme had made.

"So can you tell me more about cheering?" Claire said, turning to Alisha.

They were all sitting in the living room now and Alisha quickly launched into an explanation of the routine. Of course most of the words and phrases were lost on Claire but she still listened avidly, commenting and asking questions. Alisha beamed under the attention and decided that she would show her some of the stuff she was doing.

"Do you want to see? We can go outside and I can show you." She said, already grabbing the older woman's hand and dragging her towards the door.

Claire laughed as she went with it, Kathy following behind. David moved to follow but Jeff said something and they stayed behind to talk. Kathy and Claire quickly put on their jackets while Alisha just remained in her shirt. It was easier and she would soon be warmed up with all the things she was going to show them anyway. When they went outside, she found a spot that looked good and stood ready. The backyard was decent sized. The fact that they didn't have any snow was nice because it meant she could tumble over the dead grass. There was a few muddy places though so she planned to avoid those.

Alisha glanced over, checking to make sure both woman were watching before running forward and launching herself into the air only to dive towards the ground. If she had been in a pool the action wouldn't have looked out of place but she was diving straight for the ground, Claire couldn't help but cry out. Just as Alisha's hand came in contact with the ground, she seemed to fold into herself, gracefully rolling with the momentum before standing up, perfectly fine. In the end it had looked like she had done nothing more than a roll but it was how she had gotten into it that made Claire's heart beat fast.

To be honest, she had expected a cheer and perhaps even a dance, she hadn't expected this type of gymnastic skill, even when tumbling had been mentioned.

"She's pretty amazing, isn't she?" Kathy asked, leaning closer to her mother as they watched Alisha do a simple back-walkover. This wasn't nearly as fear inducing as the first one had been so she was able to relax slightly.

"I'll say. How come you didn't do any stuff like that when you were little?"

Kathy gave her a look. "Because you were always scared I was going to die."

Claire paused before nodding. "You would have. I was right not to let you."

Kathy snorted before turning back to Alisha. She had moved onto doing round-off back-handsprings.

"You should see Annabelle cheer. She's pretty good herself and she always seems so happy when she is there." She said.

Her mother leaned over, putting her arms around her shoulder. "It's nice to see you getting involved with these children. I always wanted you to be a mother."

She rolled her eyes. "It's not like that mom. Annabelle is to old to have another mother and Alisha, she's been through a lot of stuff. I think right now she just needs someone there more than anything."

"Well, it's still no different. Now tell me more about Annabelle, what she like?" Claire asked, curiosity growing in her eyes. "If she anything like that one then they must be quite a handful."

Kathy snickered before shaking her head. "No, Annabelle isn't quite like that, though there are times when she is definitely childish, though it is always when she is playing around. But most of the time, I think the best description is just strong. There's a way that she carries herself that makes her seem older and she's so mature and level-headed."

"It sounds like she's quite the girl, you'll have to make sure to bring her up next time you visit."

"I'll try. You know if I was like she is when I was her age I probably would have graduated two years earlier." Kathy said.

Claire laughed, remember how much trouble her daughter had transitioning into college and then actually going for her master and doctorate. They both glanced over in time to see Alisha running before she jumped, doing a front flip before landing it on her feet.

"Why don't we head back inside before you get cold." Claire suggested, having seen enough of the acrobatics. She didn't want the child to mess up on something and get hurt.

Alisha nodded before quickly running to their side, her cheeks flushed pink with the exertion. They walked back into the living room to see both the men shaking hands. Alisha paid it no mind as she asked where the bathroom was. Kathy directed her to it and it was on her way back that Alisha came across a door that was slightly ajar. She peaked into it to see a bedroom. It had all the normal things, the bed and dresser but what had caught her eye were the shelves along the wall.

She pushed the door open wider, stepping inside to get a better look. Along a good amount of shelves sat rows of glass dolls. Their skin, eyes and hair all ranged from the darkest black to a pale white and they were arranged in such a way that each one complemented the others. There were also various sizes, ones that were so small that is would fit in her hand to one that was nearly as tall as she was. Some of them seemed very old as well. There was one doll whose white dressed had faded to a yellow. It was missing one shoe and it looked like it even had a crack doing down the side of it's face.

"They're very pretty, aren't they?"

Alisha jumped at the voice, whirling around to see Claire standing in the doorway. If her cheeks weren't still pink from tumbling earlier they would have colored, as it was her cheeks just darkened a shade.

"That was the first glass doll I ever got. She was a present from when I was a little girl, probably about your age." She pointed to the old doll with the cracked face. "I've been collecting them ever since."

Alisha nodded, looking down at her feet at having gotten caught staring at them. It wasn't like she had asked to walk into their room anyways.

"Why don't you pick one out and you can take it home with you."

Her eyes flew wide at the suggestion. "Are you sure?" She asked.

Claire only nodded, a genuine smile resting on her lips. "Of course, every girl should have her own glass doll. If you ask, I'm sure Kathy can even show you hers, although she doesn't collect them like I do."

Alisha paused before slowly turning back around towards the dolls. She walked along them, closely looking at each of them, even picking up a few every now and then only to put them down. She stopped though when she came upon one. The porcelain skin was a light tan, the cheeks dusted a light pink. The lips were a bit thick, the cheekbones high. Straight, brown hair surrounded the face that held a pair of wide, gray eyes. She wore a pink dress that had a gray apron on it, the same color as they eyes and small pink shoes. There was a gray bonnet but Alisha thought that she would look better without that bit.

Alisha pulled it from the shelf before holding it out to Claire. "What about this one? It reminds me of my Anny."

Claire simply nodded before they both left to rejoin everyone else, Alisha now clutching the doll in her arms. The rest of the night passed quickly after that. They spent the afternoon talking and they even went outside again for Alisha to run around a bit. They went out to a local restaurant for supper and they even ordered dessert. After that it was time to return home. Alisha made sure to get a promise that not only could they come visit again but that Kathy's parents would come up to Forks sometime to visit them. Only when they promised that each of these would happen was she content to leave.

As they were getting into the car, Kathy leaned down, whispering into Alisha's ear. She pulled back and they both grinned. Just as they were about to pull away, David and Claire standing in the doorway as they waved, did Alisha roll down the window, sticking her upper body out the opening as she waved back.

"Goodbye Grammy and Grandpa, see you next time!"

They blinked, their eyes widening as they disappeared from view as both Kathy and Alisha were left giggling at their surprised expression.

Annabelle's POV

For the next week after Jake's visit, I waited in Home ec, watching for some type of reaction from Chelsea that would let me know that Jake had, in fact, broken up with her like he had said. Part of me was still debating on whether I should feel guilty over it or not but I couldn't really bring myself to care all that much so instead, I just sat in class, asking her how she was doing. She would reply with short, one word answers but she never seemed anything more than cold so I figured it hadn't happened yet.

The first change I noticed was when I walked into class on Thursday. She was sitting at the desk, staring at her phone and her eyebrows were drawn together. She almost looked … worried.

When I asked her if she was okay, she kind of just shrugged me her shoulders, not giving me an answer. It wasn't until the next day that she actually offered up anything. As soon as I was at my seat, she turned to me, chewing on her lip. There was clear worry in her eyes and she was clutching at her phone, her knuckles white.

"You haven't heard anything from my Jacob have you?" She asked.

I almost wanted to scoff at the 'my Jacob' but I was able to hold it in. Jake was his own person, not a possession "No, why? Is everything okay?"

She paused before slowly shrugging her shoulders. "I haven't gotten a reply from him the past couple days and even when I called his house, it just kept ringing."

I could feel my eyebrows rising in surprise. Was this his way of breaking up with her? If he thought ignoring her would be a good way I would have to knock some sense into him.

"I don't know. I haven't heard from him in a while." I explained. I mean it had been almost a week.

"I'm starting to worry. No one was at his house either and I was keeping my eye on his place pretty constantly the past couple days. Usually he's home by three but it looks like he hasn't been there at all." She continued, for once talking freely.

Um, okay? "Maybe he's just busy or needs some space." I hinted, wondering what was actually going on.

Her eyes hardened as she glared at me. "My Jacob would never need space from me. He loves me. I don't know what you're talking about."

I couldn't hold in the scoff this time and she glared at me for a second longer before she turned to the recipe we were supposed to be doing today. I sighed, running my hand through my hair. This was going to be a long class. I was starting to regret taking it.

Either way, I would text Jake to see what was going on when I got out of school. I didn't want to take the chance of Chelsea seeing me send him a text, not with her acting like she was now.

After gym, I picked up Alisha from school and we headed home. I sent a text as I started on supper but I was slightly surprised when I never got a reply back. The next day, Saturday, we had our last competition before states. Alisha was excited for states both so she could see what place we got and because competitions for her age level started soon after.

In the end we got second which was good, only five points away from first, still though, I was curious to see how we could improve and get those extra points. We had pushed everything to the max and I don't know what else we could change to do better.

On Sunday morning, I woke up and made a quick breakfast of pancakes. Alisha seemed happy to munch on them while she watched cartoons. Kathy and Dad seemed appreciative of it too, although they ended up sleeping in for most of the morning so the pancakes were more of a brunch for them.

Jake still wasn't here.

I washed the sink full of dishes before pulling out my homework and checking everything over. I also got a head start on a essay I had due at the end of the week. When lunch rolled around, I made sandwiches for everyone.

Still, Jake didn't show up.

I checked my phone and I still had no reply. I sent him another text but at this point I wasn't expecting him to reply. Alisha walked in, asking if we could watch Sailor Moon. I put in the last season for her before snuggling into the couch with her. She still clutched the doll she had received from Kathy's parents and to be honest it might be just a tad creepy. Not only did it have an uncanny resemblance to me but it was also just plain weird. Okay, maybe I was just being a baby but glass dolls freak me out. There's a reason why I had never had one.

We watched the fifth season well into the afternoon and we were just getting to the halfway mark when Kathy and Dad started making supper. It was at this point that I admitted that Jake probably wouldn't be coming over and it was at this point that I decided that I was actually going to kick his ass the next I saw him.

I was done with people doing this and more specifically I was done with him doing it. This wasn't the first time. I was just glad that in the end, I never told Alisha he would be over, at least then she wouldn't have to be disappointed again.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I promise, we will get into some big drama next time so see you next Thursday.