Um ... oops. I seriously have no idea how I managed to forget, but this chapter was finished over a week ago, but ... yeah.

I'll just post it now and we all pretend it never happened, kay? ;-)

So ...

Here we go, next one, woohoo!

"Sit down." Rosalie pointed to the big bed in the middle of the room and watched Maddie climb onto it and sit down.

The big flat screen was just opposite the bed, so this was the best place to be in order to enjoy a movie.

Emmett walked over to the sideboard and put a DVD into the player, hiding its cover from view.

"You'll see soon enough what it's about, Tiny," he laughed when he turned around and noticed his sister's curious eyes trying to look past him.

She still didn't look like her normal self - she seemed subdued. But that's what Emmett was here for, wasn't he? To make his sad little sister a happy little sister again.

Grabbing a big pillow from an armchair, he then threw it in Maddie's direction for her to catch. He knew how she sometimes liked to hug pillows to her chest to rest her head on. Then he slumped down next to her, remote in hand, and started the movie that was supposed to be the perfect item to lift her spirits.

Rose tsked at the impact her husband had landed with because she was busy brushing Maddie's hair and had nearly ripped her hair out with the brush.

The moment the beautiful piano music of the movie started however, they all sat there in comfortable silence on the soft bed and became entranced with the story.

As soon as the movie was over, Emmett looked expectantly up at Maddie who lifted her head from the pillow and glanced at him.

"So?" he queried with a huge smile on his face and his eyes gleamed with excitement.

Maddie looked at him as if she was waiting for him to say something more.

"Don't you get it?" he asked, sounding incredulous.

Maddie didn't move.

"To be honest, I don't get it either," Rose remarked while lazily pulling at a loose strand on Maddie's bathrobe.

He sighed and sat up.

"Maddie," Emmett started, then cleared his throat before continuing, "you are my doggy poo."

Rosalie stared at him as though he had gone mad.

Maddie blinked owlishly, then pushed her tongue against the inside of her cheek, looking pensive for a moment. "You compare me to poo, while you are a beautiful flower?"

Emmett pulled his shoulders up slowly, holding his hands palms up - to him it was incredibly obvious.

Rosalie's jaw dropped - that was not what she had expected for her husband to imply.

But then something happened which first startled, then relieved both of them.

Maddie started smirking, trying to suppress a laugh, but eventually - failed.

This girl sat there and suddenly cracked up with laughter. She let herself fall onto her side, head resting on Rose's knee, who then reached up and put a hand on Maddie's still damp hair.

She laughed so hard that it was infectious.

Emmett joined in immediately, while Rose needed a moment longer. She still didn't get why Emmett would compare their beautiful sister to feces, and she certainly didn't understand why Maddie would consider this to be absolutely hilarious.

Emmett wiggled his eyebrows at his wife, utterly proud of himself.

Maddie tried to catch her breath and sat up. "You," she choked out between laughs, "are a flower and I am dog shit?" She honestly did not stop laughing.

How did this happen? She had been depressed for nearly a week now, wouldn't talk to anyone and just sat next to her stupid window staring at the forest day in day out. And suddenly she sat here and literally laughed her ass off at something Emmett had compared her to?

He had insulted her, hadn't he? Rose shook her head in disbelief and got up from the bed.

"You two are decisively stupid," she said with a smirk. She honestly didn't get their sense of humour. But it wasn't important right now. Important was, that Emmett had managed to make their little sister laugh again.

"Why am I the poo, why not you?" Maddie asked then.

"Because you, Tiny, make me happy by being my little sister. Without your cheerfulness, I am sad as well." he explained. Yes, he had changed it ... a lot, but the way he saw it, it did make sense in a way.

The little dog turd in the movie did not know it's purpose in life, because it was ... yeah, it was just a pile of muck. But by helping a flower grow and becoming a part of her, he had finally understood and found his meaning in life.

That was very deep for Emmett, wasn't it?

"I love the movie, Emmett," Maddie said with a smile and threw her arms around his neck to hug him. "Thank you."

He hugged her back and smiled at Rose.

"You're welcome, Tiny," he said and reached up to ruffle her hair.

Maddie let go of her big brother, only to turn around on the bed and face her sister.

"Thank you, Rosie," Maddie said with a smile and scooted over to her in order to hug her as well.

Rosalie returned the hug, but asked, "What are you thanking me for, Maddie? This was Emmett's idea."

"For being honest with me," Maddie whispered in Rose's ear.

Rose pulled away to look her sister in the eyes. They looked big and oddly innocent, even though these eyes have seen too much already. Rose nodded her head, which made Maddie smile.

"It's stuffy in here," Emmett remarked while stretching out on the bed. "How about we go to the movies or bowling or shopping or running or -"

"We got what you are getting at, Emmett," Rose said before turning her gaze on her little sister in front of her. "Where would you like to go?"

Maddie bit her lip while thinking about it. A small smile crept across her face, but then she let out a sad sigh. "To the movies, but you won't like the one I'd like to watch."

"You know what? I'll just watch it anyways. Go get changed," she said and enjoyed seeing Maddie's face light up at that.

Maddie climbed off the bed and got a pat on her behind by Rose, who called after her, "Hurry!"

Maddie didn't need to be told twice, she all but flew to her room, changed into some of her favourite clothes and jumped down the stairs to meet up with her siblings again.

"Look who's excited," Emmett grinned at Maddie.

"You two go ahead, I'll be right there," Rosalie said when they had reached the bottom of the stairs.

She watched them heading for the garage, Emmett giving Maddie a piggyback ride, before she walked into the living room where her parents were seated on the couch watching TV. She could still hear Emmett and Maddie talk.

"So, what's Rose?"

"Rose, too, is poo," Emmett replied, which made Maddie giggle and Rose roll her eyes.

"Emmett, Maddie and I are going to the movies," she said and watched her parents turn around in surprise.

"I told you I heard her laugh, Esme," Carlisle said and a smile spread across his face.

"Thank you so much, Rosalie," Esme said; thankfulness, love and relief all prominent in her voice.

"Don't thank me too early, I think she still doesn't want to talk to you."

Her mother's face fell. "What can we do?"

"Give her time. When I come back I will want to talk to you about her. There are a lot of things that have been going wrong in this house," Rosalie stated and took a step backwards, then turned on her heel and left the room to join Emmett and Maddie in the garage.

"Take her upstairs, I'll talk to Carlisle and Esme," Rosalie whispered to Emmett the moment they parked the car in the garage. The trip to the movies had been fun, even though Rose really hadn't enjoyed the movie.

He nodded, then said, "Come on, let's go upstairs, Maddie."

"Okay," she responded, jumped out of the car and waited for her brother by the door.

"Are you coming, Rose?"

"No, I'm really not a big fan of Gameboys," she said with a smirk.

"Suit yourself." Maddie shrugged her shoulders, then followed after Emmett who had walked past her and into the kitchen.

They met their parents in the foyer.

Curious eyes were on Maddie, and she didn't really like being stared at.

"Hello," Emmett greeted them.

"Hi," Maddie said giving them a glance, then walked up the stairs behind Emmett.

She seemed wary, Carlisle and Esme noticed. But at least she had left her room and was talking again.

"Is she still upset about what happened on Monday?" Esme queried.

Rosalie frowned, then decided to clarify something for her mother. "She is upset about the last couple of months, you saw her."

"Yes, but she cannot expect us to let her be outside all by herself for several hours, she is too young," Carlisle said.

"No, she isn't. She is mature enough for that. And the way you treat her, she is losing confidence in herself."

Esme shook her head lightly. "I don't want her to feel that way. But to be honest: I wouldn't feel comfortable not knowing if she was safe."

"What do you think might happen to her?" Rosalie queried and she sounded incredulous.

"There are all kinds of dangers."

"Esme, everything bad that could possibly happen has already happened to her. She is older and stronger now, and she has us."

"Aren't you afraid for her?" Esme asked in a hushed voice.

When Rosalie spoke again, her tone wasn't fierce anymore, but soft again. "I am, but I am also afraid that she might lose her sanity or leave us."

Esme nodded her head sadly.

Now Carlisle spoke up again. "We'll explain to her once more that -"

"- are you blind? Look what you are doing to that girl!"

"Rosalie."

"You should listen to me, because you obviously don't know her at all. It will end very badly if you keep on telling her that she just has to understand. Approach her when you can make concessions, and only then," Rosalie spat, then stalked from the room.

They just stood there. Carlisle looked taken aback by the way Rose had talked to them and Esme held a hand over her mouth in shock.

But Rose's words had been honest and they knew that she just wanted what's best for her sister.

"Maddie? Your father and I would like to take you on a hunt," Esme said carefully and peeked into her daughter's room.

Maddie looked up at her from her position on the bed, then nodded.

Esme gave a tiny sigh of relief. They had planned on talking to her in private and she was glad that Maddie wouldn't avert them anymore.

"Come downstairs when you are ready, dear."

"I am ready."

"Good. Come along, then." Esme waited by the door. When Maddie walked past her, Esme closed her room door and followed her down the stairs. On the second landing, Esme stopped for a moment to tell Carlisle that they could leave now.

"Ready, honey?" he asked when he saw Maddie leaning against the newel post at the foot of the stairs, braiding strands of her hair and looking bored.

She nodded, then walked ahead to the front door and opened it.

No, her cheerful side definitely wasn't back yet.

Together they ran into the forest for their hunt, but halted when Carlisle suddenly suggested, "Why don't we sit down and talk for a moment?"

Maddie looked at him with a blank facial expression, then walked back to where he was and sat down on a tree log.

She could have declined talking to them if she had wanted to - they would have understood.

But somehow Carlisle had a feeling that she also wanted to get something off her chest.

Esme seated herself on a tree stump opposite Maddie while Carlisle spoke.

"Rosalie talked to us about you and we thought a lot about her words during the past couple of days."

Maddie waited for her father to go on.

"So we would like to try something next week. If - after school - you would like to return home all by yourself, we are willing to let you walk or take the bus. You'll tell us then if it's all right with you."

Maddie snorted while staring at the ground. "You're shitting me, right?"

"Madeline."

She lifted her head then, her eyes flashing with anger. "If it's all right with me? Since when do you care?"

"We always -"

She glared at him and said, "When you changed me, did you ever stop and think if it would be all right with me? That living with you would be all right with me? You don't care about all that!"

"Of course we do!"

Maddie shook her head at her father's answer. "Like hell you do. I asked you to kill me and you said that vampires cannot die and therefore cannot be killed. You lied to me."

Now there was a deadly silence.

Esme had apparently turned to stone a while ago - she just sat there and stared at her husband and daughter.

Carlisle was dumbfounded. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How-"

Maddie, being a little pissed, interrupted her father before he could annoy her further. "Tanya told me. You have to dismember a vampire, then burn the pieces, she said. Funny, huh? That she would know something that you don't, even though you have watched tons of executions."

Carlisle let his fingers run through his hair roughly - it was a reaction to stress. But when he spoke, he was calm and collected. "Maddie, you had been too new to this kind of life. You needed to give it a chance before wishing for something final like that."

Maddie sounded like something inside of her had snapped. "I could have died as a human, suffocated or bled to death - whatever! - and I wouldn't even have felt it. You didn't let me. Then when I asked to be killed, you didn't let it happen. Who the hell do you think you are? It isn't your choice to make."

Carlisle took a step backwards and slowly sat down next to Esme.

"What are you trying to tell us? That you are tired of living?" Carlisle felt like he couldn't think straight, like this talk wasn't real.

And Esme - Esme was in shock, obviously.

"No, I am just trying to tell you that I will want my choice back. One day I will ask to be killed ... and that is exactly what's going to happen then."

"Nobody would do such a thing," Esme whispered while shaking her head - her eyes were wide with fear and denial.

Maddie snorted at that. "Don't worry, it is no ones responsibility but yours."

All of a sudden a wicked smile formed on her face, and she pledged in an icy voice, "I will make you two do it."

When they just stared at her, crippled by their daughter's words, Maddie clapped her hands together once, startling them.

"So! I guess I'll see you at home then," she exclaimed cheerfully, turned around and was gone.

"Where are Carlisle and Esme?" Edward asked when Maddie walked into the foyer through the front door, alone.

He had been playing the piano, but stopped the moment he detected his sister come back home without anyone to accompany her. That was peculiar.

"In the forest," Maddie replied casually and pointed behind herself with her thumb.

Edward looked like he was trying to listen for something, then said, "Esme is crying. What did you do?"

"Nothing, we just talked," Maddie shrugged her shoulders and took her shoes off at the door, then walked towards the staircase.

He stared at her. Was she serious? "They are both frantic, Maddie."

Maddie looked at him, an unreadable expression on her face, before turning around and ascending the stairs.

:D

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