Hello Sister, Goodbye Life
Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight saga. All recognisable characters, content or locations belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Warning: Language. Adult themes.
Author's Note: So... it's ten to eight pm on Christmas eve, I'm about to endure a few torturous hours of carols on TV and Christmas day is only a few hours away. First things first, you guys are absolutely phenomenal! 106 reviews in seven chapters! You guys are awesome! Another thing, I'm sorry if I didn't get to all of you reviewers last chapter and tell you who the kiddies' baby momma is. Truth be told, i didn't expect the bribery to work. Lastly, due to the fact that it's the holiday season and all, I'm not sure how many people will read/review/receive/favourite/alert this but it would really make my day(?) if you guys gave me your opinion, any feedback you have or whatnot. So, enough of my rambling. I have no bribery for you this time... nonetheless, Merry Christmas, Seasons Greeting, have an amazing holiday, yeah. xx
Chapter Eight
Unwritten
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
Unwritten - Natasha Beddingfield
Bella Swan
It was the weekend following the barbecue at the Cullen family estate and Rosalie had plans with Emmett. I was jealous, no doubt, as my social life had plummeted since gaining the custody of Madeleine. I sat, Madeleine in her play pen, in the living room with laptop on my lap, doing a review of Jessica Stanley's court case. All had gone in our favour and Jess now had full custody of her three year old daughter, her ex-husband with visitting rights.
Madeleine seemed to like the toy phone as she held it to her ear – upside down – and babbled into it non-stop for a good twenty minutes until she finally dozed off in her play pen.
It was nearing six-thirty and I'd already fed her some dinner, so I didn't bother waking her up, instead continuing with my report.
Just as I finished my concluding paragraph, the intercom buzzed throughout the first floor – thankfully not waking Maddie – and so I saved my document before heading into the kitchen and pressing the button to speak through. Looking at the TV screen showing what the camera saw, I saw that it was Grandma and Grandpa Swan visitting from Forks.
"Grandma? Grandpa? What're you doing here?"
"Now, is that the way you greet your grandparents, love?" Grandma Marie asked teasingly.
Two minutes later found me helping Grandma – who was using a cane – up the front steps as Grandpa Swan gathered their overnight bags.
When we were all comfortable in the living room, Madeleine still asleep in her playpen, I looked expectantly at my grandparents. "So... what're you doing here?"
I hadn't seen them since my parents' funeral and, even then, briefly. As much as I loved my grandparents, I hardly ever saw them and at the funeral, I was so wrapped up in my self pity, trying to keep Rosalie sober and Madeleine quiet that i hardly had time to socialise, let alone with my grandparents, whom I saw at least three times a year.
"Well, love," Grandma Swan began, "You're a young woman who deserves a life of her own so your grandfather and I decided to take Madeleine off you for the weekend so you can do whatever you like."
"Oh, i can't ask you to do that," I protested, "Gran, Grandpa, that'd make me feel so bad."
"Good thing you're not asking us then and we're insisting," Grandpa replied as he reclined in Charlie's armchair.
It struck me in that moment that, if Charlie and Renee were still alive, Charlie would be sitting in the same spot as his father, Renee in the same spot as Grandma Swan, relaxed across the futon.
Inexplicable grief washed over me and my eyes filled with tears that I tried – and failed – not to let spill. Grandma Swan, with her supermom instincts, knew a meltdown when she saw one and pulled me into her arms where I finally grieved the loss of my parents. She held me across her lap like a small child and I wrapped my arms around her neck, breathing in the smell of cinnamon and flour and home and relishing in the maternal feeling her hug gave me and, as my body racked with sobs, Grandma Swan ran her hands up and down my back and whispered reassurances in my ear, promising me that it'd all be okay. And because it was Grandma Swan and Grandma Swan was never wrong, I nodded into her neck and began to pull myself together.
The next night, Saturday, found me standing in the front doorway with an impatient Rosalie looking nervously at my grandparents. "Now, you're sure that you'll be fine?" I asked for the third time within the hour. "And you know my cell and can reach me anytime?"
Grandma Swan rolled her eyes and nudged my high heeled feet with her cane. "Go, love, enjoy yourself! The night is young, the alcohol is flowing and we've got everything all under control."
I nodded hesitantly and allowed Rosalie to pull me towards my recently picked up Honda roadster. She shoved me into the driver side and climbed into shotgun and, before I could change my mind, I peeled out of the driveway, headed for Gilhooley's.
Angela and Kate were already there when we arrived, sitting across from each other in a booth at the back of the Irish pub, both slightly typsy. We slid into the booth and called over a waiter, Rosalie ordering a pint of beer for each of us.
When Ange and Rose were well on their way to hangovers the size of the Colosseum, they decided that a nightclub was their next destination and I, as silently appointed designated driver due to the fact that I'd only had one pint, was their chauffeur.
We entered Eclipse, Angela and Rose linked at the arm and giggling like stupid school girls, Kate and I with slightly more decorrum, reigning in the giggling to undignified snorts between us. As Rose and Ange made their way onto the dance floor, Kate and I squeezed our way to the bar where two cosmopolitans and six purple nurples were ordered, courtesy of Kate. "A cosmo and three shots each, babe! That way, we go halves on the bill, yeah?"
I nodded, slapping down a ten and five as Kate did the same. Clinking one of my shots with hers, I said, "To fantastic grandparents and... good drinking buddies!"
"Bottoms up, babe!" Kate replied, tossing her head back and downing her shot. I did the same, exhaling sharply at the burn I felt at the back of my throat.
Half an hour later found my Cosmo and three shots downed and me dancing with Kate on the dance floor, Rosalie and Angela cheering to our left as we grinded up against each other.
I rolled out of bed around mid morning and groggily made my way into the kitchen. To my relief – and utter surprise – I had no hangover – thank god – and just a mild burn at the back of my throat due to the alcohol I'd drank. Grandma Swan had cooked up a feast of eggs, pancakes, hash browns and bacon and was in the middle of serving it across the dining table, pretending to understand Madeleine's babbling.
Maddie was dressed in a light pink frilly shirt, denim skirt and little pink sandals, her dark brown hair in tiny pigtails.
"Have a good night last night, darling?" Grandma Swan asked me as I slid into my customary seat at the dining table.
"Yeah," I replied, "Thanks for watching Maddie, Gran, it's really good to get out with the girls."
Gran rolled her eyes and began to serve me a plate of food. "Darling, I'm always happy to babysit for you, just like I was always willing to babysit you all those years ago." A look of deep sorrow crossed her face and I wondered how much pain she'd suffered with the loss of her only son and daughter-in-law. Someone said a long time ago that there was something strange about living out your child. Is that what Gran thought?
Grandma Marie placed my breakfast in front of me and I dug in happily, suddenly feeling ravenous and pushing my thoughts to the back of my mind for another time. As Grandpa Swan entered, frowning disapprovingly when he saw his wife wasn't using her cane, and began eating when a plate of food was placed in front of him, all thoughts of cane usage out of his mind at the same time bacon appeared in his line of sight.
Gran rolled her eyes and took her own seat, serving up her own breakfast. Somewhere between an incomprehensible retelling of a day in the life of Madeleine Grace Swan, Rosalie stumbled in and happily dug into the breakfast set out for her. Her golden hair was, fittingly, a haystack and her makeup was smudged halfway down her face. The whites of her eyes were bloodshot and the clothes she'd worn last night were rumpled.
"Morning!" I greeted cheerfully, bragging the fact that I didn't havve a hangover and she did. She glared mutenously at me and tossed a piece of bacon in my direction. She missed by a mile though, and the bacon struck Maddie smack bang in the middle of her forehead. The one year old in question frowned, picked up her dry fruits and tossed a handful at Rosalie, grinning triumphantly when the dried fruits struck her in the nose.
I guffawed, as did Grandpa Swan, as Rosalie stared, open mouthed, at my toddler sister and Grandma Swan frowned disapprovingly.
"Rose, my one year old sister has better aim than you!" My laughter left me in stitches and slumped over the dining table, gasping for breath while Grandpa chortled away in his own seat.
Maddie returned to munching on her sultanas, apricots and dates while the rest of us returned to our own breakfasts, leaving the scattered fruits to be picked up later.
An hour later found Rosalie, neatly dressed and hair appropriately immaculate, sitting on a deck chair with Grandma and Grandpa Swan, nursing a coffee and headache. Maddie was in her swing-chair-thing being pushed by Grandpa Swan's foot while I reclined on the swing seat, swinging side to side as I lay across it and reading Wuthering Heights. Grandma Swan was doing the grandmother cliche of knitting and old man Swan was keeping Maddie occupied.
This was how Angela and Kate found us an hour later. Both looked worse for ware and I reluctantly moved to a sitting position so they could sit beside me. Angela slumped into my side and Kate onto the back of the swing seat, groaning slightly.
"We were wondering if you guys wanted to head to Starbucks."
"Sorry, I'm not hungover, though I'm sure Rose would love a mocha caramel frappe."
It was midday when Grandpa Swan announced that it was time they left. Reluctantly, I bid them farewell and a safe drive back to Forks. With hugs and kisses all round, they drove out of sight, leaving me and Madeleine home alone.
"So, Mads, what do you say to some Dora the Explorer?"
Maddie happily clapped along to Dora the Explorer in her chair-swing-thing as I facebooked. It seemed to be my main form of socialisation these days and I snagged the oppurtunity to go on whenever I could. Such was now, where I found that I had four friend requests from Alice Whitlock, Jasper Whitlock, Emmett and Edward Cullen. I accepted all four invites and began to happily facebook stalk Edward.
His display picture was a family photo, in which was Esme and Carlisle, Alice and Jasper, Emmett, Edward, Evangeline, Anthony and Noah, so I presumed it was a rather recent shot. My own display picture was a family photo, in loving memory of my parents, of my parents, myself and Maddie, about a month before they died. It was one of those ritzy uptight professional shots and while Charlie was dressed in a tailored suit, Renee wore a black ball gown, I a dark maroon one and Maddie a little grey frock. Charlie was seated in an armchair and Renee stood to the side of it, her hand rested on his shoulders. I sat slightly in front of Renee on a foot stool and Maddie sat on the floor by Charlie's feet.
Edward's relationship status was "single" and so I presumed that he was no longer in contact with his childrens' mother. We weren't good enough friends for me to ask about her and he'd never braught the topic up so I hadn't bothered being curious. It wasn't my business, after all.
His wall posts were mainly from friends from college or school, some from his brother and sister, too, while his main photo album mainly consisted of photos of his family. There were two other albums, though, one of his college days and one of his high school days. He seemed the sensible guy in each album, so it made me wonder who could've walked out on him, if they even did so. Here was a nice guy, smart, handsome and, well, the American woman's dream so, if someone had walked out on him, it makes one wonder why.