~~~"Ooooh! If my mother knew.." The last of her words were bitten
back in fear and Gabrielle's eyes flashed angrily and then sickly elatedly.
"Your mother wouldn't care! Your mother left you because she couldn't deal with your insolence and poor behavior. Honestly, it is a miracle I was kind enough to take you in. No one else could control you. Your mother couldn't love you. No one does."~~~~~~
Isabella woke up as a loud sob escaped her throat.
To her surprise, Marguerite was the first to rush into her room.
"Are you okay?" she asked, hurriedly.
Bella just stared at her for a moment as she continued to sob. "Do you love me?" she finally croaked.
Marguerite was so surprised she took a step back. "What?"
"Never mind," she mumbled. "Just a bad dream."
"Oh, tell me about bad dreams!" Marguerite sighed, taking a cautious seat at the end of the bed.
Wiping her face, Bella asked, "What were yours about?"
"Honestly? You." Marguerite admitted.
"Me?" she squeaked with surprise.
"Well, they weren't all bad dreams. Last night's was horrible, though."
"Oh."
"It was like I was in your time, watching..watching what I guess were your memories." Marguerite looked up cautiously and found Isabella watching her intently.
"What happened?"
"Well, the first one you were rather young in, which was yesterday afternoon. You, Jack, Layton, and Jane in a field. You tackled Jack because he wouldn't listen to you. You said something about being too far from camp. He said something about 'bloody sisters' and you threatened to have his mouth rinsed out." Marguerite sighed and glanced at Bella to see a bittersweet grin on her face.
"I remember that. I was 7, Layton 6, Jack 5, and Jane 2. We did get in some trouble. What about the bad one?"
"I saw Gabrielle....and I saw her beat you." Marguerite felt herself begin to cry, both in anger and pain. "And Layton tried to intervene. She threatened that if he told anyone she would beat you to the point you couldn't walk for weeks. She hit you because Nathaniel got a bruise when someone else was watching him."
Isabella herself remained stoic when she brought up the memory. "I remember."
Silence hung over the two for a moment.
"So it is true what the Zanga say," Bella finally whispered.
"What do they say?"
"They say that you are empathetic to people's memories and feelings. A vessel of sorts. It is a gift. Or a curse."
"Most things are. Do you spend a lot of time with the Zanga?"
"I spend at least a couple days there every time I run away," she replied easily.
"You run away often then?" Marguerite queried.
"At least once a year. On the anniversaries of very bad days. I always visit the Zanga villiage because one of my best friends is there. Cobi, the chief's grandson," she explained.
"I know. I've seen him. He was born last year."
Isabella smiled and her eyes took on a different gleam. "Oh, he was, wasn't he?"
Marguerite raised an eyebrow. "What's that tone of voice?"
She looked taken aback for a moment and then regained her composure. She grinned, very Roxton-esque. "Nothing at all. What makes you ask?"
"Because I've used that tone," the woman laughed.
Isabella rolled her eyes and giggled. "I don't have the faintest idea what you are talking about."
Suddenly, "Good morning, ladies, nice to see you up. Sleep well?" Roxton was in the doorway, grinning a lot like Isabella was.
"I slept fair, John. Come on in," she beckoned and patted the place on the white sheets next to her. He came in and took a seat. Now Bella was in between her two future parents.
"What were you two gabbing about?"
"Isabella's crush on Jacobi, the Zanga prince."
"What?! We were not. There is no such thing! Honestly!" She turned bright red and crossed her arms. Marguerite and Roxton laughed.
"Come now, Marguerite, it's not right to tease Bella so."
"Oh, and it's all right to tease me?"
"Of course, you're not our teenage daughter."
Isabella snorted and giggled. "Stop it you two. You fight like children! Good thing I'm separating you two..or else.. Oh wait! I have to get here somehow!" She grinned wickedly.
"Isabella!" Roxton and Marguerite cried in unified disbelief.
She was laughing hysterically now and collapsed back onto the bed. Struggling to control herself she barely managed, "I'm sorry. It's true!"
Roxton and Marguerite chuckled and locked gazes. Isabella noticed the adoring glances they were giving each other and sat up gently.
"I'm," she said between laughs, "Going, to go, get some, breakfast."
She excused herself and the room was quiet, silent even.
"I'm sorry," they finally said at the same time.
"This is silly!" Marguerite cried. "We're apologizing for things we've yet to do."
"But we are going to do them," Roxton said painfully. "Our son dies and you leave me."
"You marry a woman that beats our daughter."
They let the simplicities of their own horrid crimes to the other settle into the air between them.
"Kind of makes all these years of chasing pointless. We know it won't work out," she said after a few minutes.
"It was worth it," he grinned. "It IS worth it. Have you looked at her? Talked to her? She's amazing. Very worth it. I love you. I apologize in advance for every ounce of pain I cause you, but I love you and I need you."
Marguerite's voice dropped below a whisper. "I love you, too. But we're both setting ourselves up for grief and anger."
He leaned forward and kissed her passionately. "So?"
She stared at him for a moment with tears in her eyes. She stuttered over a few responses, but could find none.
"Marry me.."
Author's note: Dumdumdum! Who said it?! What will the other person say???? AHHHHH I'm so evil!!! I can't believe my evilness. Oh my!!! No tomatoes, please!!!!!
"Your mother wouldn't care! Your mother left you because she couldn't deal with your insolence and poor behavior. Honestly, it is a miracle I was kind enough to take you in. No one else could control you. Your mother couldn't love you. No one does."~~~~~~
Isabella woke up as a loud sob escaped her throat.
To her surprise, Marguerite was the first to rush into her room.
"Are you okay?" she asked, hurriedly.
Bella just stared at her for a moment as she continued to sob. "Do you love me?" she finally croaked.
Marguerite was so surprised she took a step back. "What?"
"Never mind," she mumbled. "Just a bad dream."
"Oh, tell me about bad dreams!" Marguerite sighed, taking a cautious seat at the end of the bed.
Wiping her face, Bella asked, "What were yours about?"
"Honestly? You." Marguerite admitted.
"Me?" she squeaked with surprise.
"Well, they weren't all bad dreams. Last night's was horrible, though."
"Oh."
"It was like I was in your time, watching..watching what I guess were your memories." Marguerite looked up cautiously and found Isabella watching her intently.
"What happened?"
"Well, the first one you were rather young in, which was yesterday afternoon. You, Jack, Layton, and Jane in a field. You tackled Jack because he wouldn't listen to you. You said something about being too far from camp. He said something about 'bloody sisters' and you threatened to have his mouth rinsed out." Marguerite sighed and glanced at Bella to see a bittersweet grin on her face.
"I remember that. I was 7, Layton 6, Jack 5, and Jane 2. We did get in some trouble. What about the bad one?"
"I saw Gabrielle....and I saw her beat you." Marguerite felt herself begin to cry, both in anger and pain. "And Layton tried to intervene. She threatened that if he told anyone she would beat you to the point you couldn't walk for weeks. She hit you because Nathaniel got a bruise when someone else was watching him."
Isabella herself remained stoic when she brought up the memory. "I remember."
Silence hung over the two for a moment.
"So it is true what the Zanga say," Bella finally whispered.
"What do they say?"
"They say that you are empathetic to people's memories and feelings. A vessel of sorts. It is a gift. Or a curse."
"Most things are. Do you spend a lot of time with the Zanga?"
"I spend at least a couple days there every time I run away," she replied easily.
"You run away often then?" Marguerite queried.
"At least once a year. On the anniversaries of very bad days. I always visit the Zanga villiage because one of my best friends is there. Cobi, the chief's grandson," she explained.
"I know. I've seen him. He was born last year."
Isabella smiled and her eyes took on a different gleam. "Oh, he was, wasn't he?"
Marguerite raised an eyebrow. "What's that tone of voice?"
She looked taken aback for a moment and then regained her composure. She grinned, very Roxton-esque. "Nothing at all. What makes you ask?"
"Because I've used that tone," the woman laughed.
Isabella rolled her eyes and giggled. "I don't have the faintest idea what you are talking about."
Suddenly, "Good morning, ladies, nice to see you up. Sleep well?" Roxton was in the doorway, grinning a lot like Isabella was.
"I slept fair, John. Come on in," she beckoned and patted the place on the white sheets next to her. He came in and took a seat. Now Bella was in between her two future parents.
"What were you two gabbing about?"
"Isabella's crush on Jacobi, the Zanga prince."
"What?! We were not. There is no such thing! Honestly!" She turned bright red and crossed her arms. Marguerite and Roxton laughed.
"Come now, Marguerite, it's not right to tease Bella so."
"Oh, and it's all right to tease me?"
"Of course, you're not our teenage daughter."
Isabella snorted and giggled. "Stop it you two. You fight like children! Good thing I'm separating you two..or else.. Oh wait! I have to get here somehow!" She grinned wickedly.
"Isabella!" Roxton and Marguerite cried in unified disbelief.
She was laughing hysterically now and collapsed back onto the bed. Struggling to control herself she barely managed, "I'm sorry. It's true!"
Roxton and Marguerite chuckled and locked gazes. Isabella noticed the adoring glances they were giving each other and sat up gently.
"I'm," she said between laughs, "Going, to go, get some, breakfast."
She excused herself and the room was quiet, silent even.
"I'm sorry," they finally said at the same time.
"This is silly!" Marguerite cried. "We're apologizing for things we've yet to do."
"But we are going to do them," Roxton said painfully. "Our son dies and you leave me."
"You marry a woman that beats our daughter."
They let the simplicities of their own horrid crimes to the other settle into the air between them.
"Kind of makes all these years of chasing pointless. We know it won't work out," she said after a few minutes.
"It was worth it," he grinned. "It IS worth it. Have you looked at her? Talked to her? She's amazing. Very worth it. I love you. I apologize in advance for every ounce of pain I cause you, but I love you and I need you."
Marguerite's voice dropped below a whisper. "I love you, too. But we're both setting ourselves up for grief and anger."
He leaned forward and kissed her passionately. "So?"
She stared at him for a moment with tears in her eyes. She stuttered over a few responses, but could find none.
"Marry me.."
Author's note: Dumdumdum! Who said it?! What will the other person say???? AHHHHH I'm so evil!!! I can't believe my evilness. Oh my!!! No tomatoes, please!!!!!