Disclaimer: Not mine, all Fox Family. Except for Bella and the baby--those are mine. Next part is S/S, and the part after THAT is Kate, David, Peter and Sophie. And THEN I'll actually get to the ACTUAL STORY, I promise. :)
This Time Around
Chapter 2
Juliette Waybourne Ciceros woke up with a smile on her face, just like she had every morning since she was nineteen and had married the man sleeping beside her. Turning her head, she watched him sleep in the new morning light, and her smile grew bigger. The light made him look younger and more handsome then he already was.
His deep dark eyes opened, and Auggusto "Auggie" Ciceros met his beautiful wife's smile with one of his own. He reached out to stroke her cheek and then to press a light kiss against her mouth.
"Hey twig." Auggie grinned at her, taking in her round cheeks and sparkling eyes.
"Not so much anymore." Juliette laughed, throwing the comforter off to reveal her heavily pregnant stomach.
"But still as beautiful as ever. Maybe even more so." Auggie assured her, laying his hand flat on her stomach, feeling their daughter kicking against Jules' stomach.
"I love you." Juliette smiled, laying her hand over her husband's. The sunlight made the matching golden bands on their fingers sparkle.
"Not as much as I love you." Auggie whispered to her, touching his forehead to her cheek and inhaling the scent of her hair.
The perfect moment was broken by a little giggle and the pitty pat of feet. Turning to the doorway of their rather small bedroom, the Ciceros smiled and waved to their first born, Isabella. The dark eyed child giggled, and ran into the room, wiggling up in between her parents.
"Good mornin', Mami, Papi." Bella giggled, her four year old face nearly angelic.
"Hi baby." Auggie laughed, pulling her against him and hugging the stuffing out of her. Bella just laguhed harder, pulling corresponding laughter out of her mother.
"Come on you two, we gotta get going." Juliette reminded her family, swinging her feet out of bed and hoisting herself up as carefully as she could.
"Watch it, bonita, you need some help?" Auggie asked, concerned, as he too got out of their bed, Bella still held firmly against his chest. Jules rubbed her back, but shook her head, her long hair flying out around her.
"No, I'm fine. Come on sweetie, let's let Daddy get ready for work, and make some breakfast." Juliette reached out her hands to her young daughter, who squirmed away from her father to run to her mother.
"Okay, Mami."
"I'll be right out ta help, baby." Auggie promised, stopping on his way to the shower to kiss her softly.
"Thanks."
"Mami, come on!" Isabella's impaitent little voice called. Both Juliette and Auggie laughed, sharing another short kiss before they set off toward their sepearte duties.
By the time Auggie was showered and dressed, Juliette and Bella were nearly finished making breakfast. He wondered into their tiny kicthen and smiled at his wife and daughter as they stirred batter and set the table respectively.
"So what's on the agenda today?" Auggie asked comming up and hugging Juliette from behind. His arms wouldn't quite fit around her waist, much to her disgust and his amusement.
"Well, we're going to go play at the park for a little while this morning, then go visit grandma for a little bit, and then I've got work. You'll pick her up after school's out, right?" Jules listed for her husband.
"Yeah--I gotta an art club meeting but I should be there by four thirty." Auggie assured her, patting her pregnant belly before turning to his daughter and swooping her up into a tight hug. Bella laughed and hugged her father's neck hard and planted a light kiss on his cheek. The family continued making breakfast together, and soon enough, they were sitting around the table, their breakfast laid out before them.
"Who would have thought?" Juliette suddenly asked, her dark blue eyes dancing.
"Who would have thought what, Jules?" Auggie asked her, curious.
"That you, Mr. Ciceros, would be an ART teacher, and I would work in a VIDEO store." Juliette giggled, her eyes sparkling.
"Certainly not you're mother." Auggie noted. He immidately regreted his remakr when he saw the stricken look on his beloved wife's face. "Hey...Jules...I didn't mean..."
"Hush." Juliette waved her hand, her smile returning. "I don't give a DAMN about that woman---who cares if she won't 'claim' me anymore, because I followed my heart and didn't marry for money, like SHE did? I'm happy. She's not. Who's the stupid one?"
"That's great Juliette." Auggie smiled proudly at her, leaning over the table to kiss her.
"I know. Peter will be so proud, when I tell him about it at the reuinon!" She grinned.
"Yeah, that's comin' up pretty soon isn't it?" Auggie remember.
"What's a reunion?" The little girl piped up, her dark eyes wondering.
"It's a party, where you go and see all you're old friends. You'll get to meet all of Mami and Papi's old friends." Juliette explained. Auggie's eyes landed on the clock and he spat something out in Spainish.
"I'm gonna be late. I'll see you both when I get home." He told them in a rush, kissing each in turn and running out the door.
"Papi's always running late, isn't he, Mami?" Bella asked, giggling just a little bit.
"We keep you're papi distracted." Her mother agreed, her eyes laughing. "Go pick out what you wanna wear today. I'll be right there."
"Kay." Bella called, standing up and running out of the room. As soon as her little girl was out of her sight, Julitte felt tears welling up in her eyes.
"Damn you anyway, Mom. Give up the half-breed bastard-girl, Juliette. I won't have MY daughter rising a half-breed. Well, whose happier NOW Mommy?" Juliette spat out angrily, her mind replaying the discussion that lead to her and her mother's current--and PERMENANT--estrangement. "I hate you, MOM."
The ringing of the telephone shook her out of her thoughts. Standing up, she let all the hate and resentment drain out of her, as she picked up her phone, and chirpped "Hello, Ciceros resident."
"Juliette?" A vaugely familair female voice asked. Juliette srunched her eyebrows together, trying to place the voice. Then it clicked.
"Shelby Merrick?" Jules squeaked.
"That would be Shelby Merrick-Barringer now, Princess."
This Time Around
Chapter 2
Juliette Waybourne Ciceros woke up with a smile on her face, just like she had every morning since she was nineteen and had married the man sleeping beside her. Turning her head, she watched him sleep in the new morning light, and her smile grew bigger. The light made him look younger and more handsome then he already was.
His deep dark eyes opened, and Auggusto "Auggie" Ciceros met his beautiful wife's smile with one of his own. He reached out to stroke her cheek and then to press a light kiss against her mouth.
"Hey twig." Auggie grinned at her, taking in her round cheeks and sparkling eyes.
"Not so much anymore." Juliette laughed, throwing the comforter off to reveal her heavily pregnant stomach.
"But still as beautiful as ever. Maybe even more so." Auggie assured her, laying his hand flat on her stomach, feeling their daughter kicking against Jules' stomach.
"I love you." Juliette smiled, laying her hand over her husband's. The sunlight made the matching golden bands on their fingers sparkle.
"Not as much as I love you." Auggie whispered to her, touching his forehead to her cheek and inhaling the scent of her hair.
The perfect moment was broken by a little giggle and the pitty pat of feet. Turning to the doorway of their rather small bedroom, the Ciceros smiled and waved to their first born, Isabella. The dark eyed child giggled, and ran into the room, wiggling up in between her parents.
"Good mornin', Mami, Papi." Bella giggled, her four year old face nearly angelic.
"Hi baby." Auggie laughed, pulling her against him and hugging the stuffing out of her. Bella just laguhed harder, pulling corresponding laughter out of her mother.
"Come on you two, we gotta get going." Juliette reminded her family, swinging her feet out of bed and hoisting herself up as carefully as she could.
"Watch it, bonita, you need some help?" Auggie asked, concerned, as he too got out of their bed, Bella still held firmly against his chest. Jules rubbed her back, but shook her head, her long hair flying out around her.
"No, I'm fine. Come on sweetie, let's let Daddy get ready for work, and make some breakfast." Juliette reached out her hands to her young daughter, who squirmed away from her father to run to her mother.
"Okay, Mami."
"I'll be right out ta help, baby." Auggie promised, stopping on his way to the shower to kiss her softly.
"Thanks."
"Mami, come on!" Isabella's impaitent little voice called. Both Juliette and Auggie laughed, sharing another short kiss before they set off toward their sepearte duties.
By the time Auggie was showered and dressed, Juliette and Bella were nearly finished making breakfast. He wondered into their tiny kicthen and smiled at his wife and daughter as they stirred batter and set the table respectively.
"So what's on the agenda today?" Auggie asked comming up and hugging Juliette from behind. His arms wouldn't quite fit around her waist, much to her disgust and his amusement.
"Well, we're going to go play at the park for a little while this morning, then go visit grandma for a little bit, and then I've got work. You'll pick her up after school's out, right?" Jules listed for her husband.
"Yeah--I gotta an art club meeting but I should be there by four thirty." Auggie assured her, patting her pregnant belly before turning to his daughter and swooping her up into a tight hug. Bella laughed and hugged her father's neck hard and planted a light kiss on his cheek. The family continued making breakfast together, and soon enough, they were sitting around the table, their breakfast laid out before them.
"Who would have thought?" Juliette suddenly asked, her dark blue eyes dancing.
"Who would have thought what, Jules?" Auggie asked her, curious.
"That you, Mr. Ciceros, would be an ART teacher, and I would work in a VIDEO store." Juliette giggled, her eyes sparkling.
"Certainly not you're mother." Auggie noted. He immidately regreted his remakr when he saw the stricken look on his beloved wife's face. "Hey...Jules...I didn't mean..."
"Hush." Juliette waved her hand, her smile returning. "I don't give a DAMN about that woman---who cares if she won't 'claim' me anymore, because I followed my heart and didn't marry for money, like SHE did? I'm happy. She's not. Who's the stupid one?"
"That's great Juliette." Auggie smiled proudly at her, leaning over the table to kiss her.
"I know. Peter will be so proud, when I tell him about it at the reuinon!" She grinned.
"Yeah, that's comin' up pretty soon isn't it?" Auggie remember.
"What's a reunion?" The little girl piped up, her dark eyes wondering.
"It's a party, where you go and see all you're old friends. You'll get to meet all of Mami and Papi's old friends." Juliette explained. Auggie's eyes landed on the clock and he spat something out in Spainish.
"I'm gonna be late. I'll see you both when I get home." He told them in a rush, kissing each in turn and running out the door.
"Papi's always running late, isn't he, Mami?" Bella asked, giggling just a little bit.
"We keep you're papi distracted." Her mother agreed, her eyes laughing. "Go pick out what you wanna wear today. I'll be right there."
"Kay." Bella called, standing up and running out of the room. As soon as her little girl was out of her sight, Julitte felt tears welling up in her eyes.
"Damn you anyway, Mom. Give up the half-breed bastard-girl, Juliette. I won't have MY daughter rising a half-breed. Well, whose happier NOW Mommy?" Juliette spat out angrily, her mind replaying the discussion that lead to her and her mother's current--and PERMENANT--estrangement. "I hate you, MOM."
The ringing of the telephone shook her out of her thoughts. Standing up, she let all the hate and resentment drain out of her, as she picked up her phone, and chirpped "Hello, Ciceros resident."
"Juliette?" A vaugely familair female voice asked. Juliette srunched her eyebrows together, trying to place the voice. Then it clicked.
"Shelby Merrick?" Jules squeaked.
"That would be Shelby Merrick-Barringer now, Princess."