Chapter Two

Amy woke up the next morning more rested than she had been in what felt like years and within seconds of opening her eyes Amy realizes that Emily's dark eyes are boring into her. "Good morning." Amy greets.
"Mornin' sleepy head."
"Did I sleep late?"
"Uh-huh," Emily nods, "real, real late."
Amy glances over at the clock shocked to see that it was 7:30, she hadn't slept that late in years. She was usually up at 4:30 to make a hot breakfast for Marcus before he went to work at 6:45, "I did sleep late, I'm sorry. How long have you been up?"
"Looong time..." Emily utters solemnly.
"You didn't wake up anyone did you?" Amy asks already knowing the answer to that question, her daughter could be silent as a mouse.
"Un-huh." Emily shakes her head, "nope. Can I get dressed yet?"
Emily loved clothes, and she had a lot of them, Marcus always seemed to be under the impression that gifts were the way to win back the love of his daughter and wife. "Yeah, we have to go downstairs and get your clothes though, they are still in the car." Emily had been asleep the time her head hit the pillow the night before just after Noelle finished making the bed and Amy had been both to exhausted to change her out of her dress or to even think about bringing their bags up. "You wait right here and I'll go down and get out suitcases."
"Okay," Emily whispers nodding.
Amy quietly slips out of her own room knowing from the silence in the house that no one else is up quickly she grabs both her and Emily's duffel bags and sets them down taking in the scene around her. She'd forgotten in all the years she's been away just how much she had loved it in Everwood, how peaceful the scenery could make you feel no matter how you were feeling on the inside. Taking a deep breath of the cool country air Amy picks up the bags and manages to make it back into the bedroom without waking anyone in the house.
"Yay, clothes!" Emily giggles softly. "I love my clothes."
"What do you want to wear today?" Amy asks.
"I dunno." Emily shrugs.
Amy nods, "okay, I'll change first while you decide."
Amy quickly selects a green flora skirt and green tank, she'd learned long ago to cover the bruises and as Emily continues to decide on her outfit for the day Amy set to covering the many bruises on her body. By the time she has completed this daily ritual she turns to face her daughter, "so have you decided yet?"
"Yup," Emily nods pointing out the outfit she had lain out for herself.
"Very cute," Amy comments on Emily's white lace-up capri pants and white tank top with light blue stripes that crisscross in the back.
"And my blue fwower sandals and my sunglasses." Emily adds.
Amy nods, "sounds good to me."
"Pwease help me with shirt?" Emily asks, within seconds she has herself tangled in the crisscrossing sleeves.
"Of course," Amy suppresses a small smile at her daughter, but she stops short when she sees the bruise between Emily's shoulder blades. Quickly turning her daughter to face her Amy asks, "where did you get this bruises?"
"What bruise?" Emily asks her brow furrowing in thought.
"The one on your back," Amy's heart is pounding in her chest.
Emily shrugs, "I dunno."
Taking a deep breath Amy gently touches her daughter's cheek, "sweetie, you have to tell me the truth, did Daddy do that to you?" Marcus had never lain a hand on Emily before and if he had she didn't know what she would do.
"Uh-huh." Emily shakes her head, "I prahmise."
Amy searches her daughter's innocent face, "promise promise?"
Emily would never double promise if she didn't mean it, "prahmise prahmise."
Taking another deep breath Amy asks, "why don't we wear another shirt until your bruise heals."
"How come?" Emily asks.
Very rarely did Amy lie to her daughter and she wasn't about to now, "because I don't want Grandma and Grandpa to think that Daddy hit you too."
"But he didn't." Emily's four-year-old logic doesn't grasp the fact that her mommy's parents wouldn't believe anything her precious mother would say.
"I know sweetie, but can we just do what I say?" Amy asks.
Emily nods, "that shirt den."
Amy nods, "I like this one too." She pulls the white shirt over Emily's head and replaces it with the scrunchie red floral one.
By the time Amy and Emily are finished getting ready they hear movement in the hallway and Harold's voice through the door, "Amy we are leaving for breakfast in half an hour if you guys are coming you may want to get up."
Amy pulls the door open, "we're ready whenever you are."
"You are both up already?" Harold asks clearly surprised.
Amy nods, "we are early risers, we'll probably just watch some cartoons before you guys are ready to leave."
Harold nods, "okay."

"M.J's hasn't changed at all in all the time that I've been gone." Amy muses as they approach the diner.
No," Rose smiles, "I suppose it hasn't."
"Do they have hot chocolate?" Emily asks
"Better than anything you've ever had Ema-lou." Amy responds.
"Really? With marshmallows?" Emily asks.
"As many as you want." Amy states.
"Yummy! I love marshmallows." Emily informs her grandparents.