ME JUST GOT BACK FROM MEXICO!! INCORRECT GRAMMAR! I KNOW! Sorry…I felt like arguing with myself…teehee : ) : ) : ) I actually have some funny stories to tell you…but an author's not is not the place for it. Maybe I'll put them on my profile…if you want me to. Enjoy!!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT!! Nor do I own the story that Edward reads Rora in this chapter, it's a real story out of a real book my mom used to read me…I don't own the book, either.
Bella POV:
We stayed at the Cullen's for a while longer. I talked with Alice and Esme. We got to know each other a little better. They were both wonderful. Alice had so much energy for such a little person! And she promised to take me shopping…I hate shopping…but I just couldn't say no to that face. Stupid, pushover Bella. So next Friday Edward was going to watch the girls and Alice was taking me shopping…Joy. Aurora had fun, after she woke up Alice kidnapped her and they played dress up. She came back downstairs dressed as a fairy princess, wings and all. Ballerina Princess Sleeping Beauty, that's all she answered to all day.
I didn't see Rosalie after that morning, or Emmett. I asked Edward and he said that they were upstairs; he looked reluctant to share more. I had a feeling it was about Rosalie's feelings toward me. She looked so covetous, so forlorn this morning. I wish she would talk to me. Maybe in time. Maybe one day she wouldn't hate me so much.
We were driving back home now. Aurora was telling us about all the fun she'd had playing dress up and Antoinette was trying to tell us something. "From now on my name is Ballerina Princess Sleeping Beauty!" she ordered at us. We laughed; I turned to look at her. She was so cute giving orders. I reached back to tickle her sides. "Mommy! Stop!" she squirmed away from me, as far she could in a car seat, anyway. I smiled at her and turned back to the front. Edward was driving one handed; his right arm was resting on the armrest, his hand hanging. I took his hand in mine, he looked at me and his lips turned up into my favorite crooked smile. I smiled back at him and brought his hand up to my lips, I kissed the back of it and then held to my face. Reveling in the warmth his cool hand brought to me. I leaned back into the leather seat and sighed in contentment.
"Mmmmy! Mmmmy!" Antoinette was yelling at me. She was pounding her fist on her highchair. She had pink mush all over her face and on the hands that were now flailing everywhere. "Antoinette, stop, let daddy clean your hands!" Edward was laughing and trying to wipe her hands with a wet dishtowel. I was howling with laughter at the two angels in front of me. Antoinette had thrown the open container of baby food at Edward, and now they were both covered in strawberry mush. Edward was attempting to clean her up and she was being extremely difficult. "Baby, be good for daddy," I was still in my chair laughing. When I spoke she looked at me and then back at Edward and held her hands up to him. He smiled and picked her up. She wiped her hands in his hair and I fell of my chair in laughter. "Hey, don't wipe your hands in daddy's hair!" he was laughing, too. She smiled innocently at him and his eyes melted to pure love. These girls could get away with murder! I couldn't imagine the things they were going to get away with when they were older! Oh God… I shook my head. Then my heart melted as I looked at them, how did I get so lucky? I didn't deserve them, any of them. I knew my girls had been sent to save me, my angels. And Edward…oh, Edward, he was…he was…he was my everything. And my girls…we got to enjoy them together. I finally had the whole thing, I had Edward- my love, and I had the two sweetest little girls in the world. I had the whole the thing, and that thought made me smile.
Edward POV:
Antoinette was asleep and we were giving Rora a bath. She was splashing us with soapy water and swimming as far away from us as she could in the bathtub. Bella and I were drenched. "Aurora Rose! Come here!" Bella was trying to sound stern, but I could see the amusement in her eyes. Apparently Aurora could, too, because she just giggled as squirmed away from us again. We hadn't been able to get past her hair, she still had shampoo in it, "Rora, you're going to get soap in your eye. Come here!" She pondered that for a moment and then just squirmed away again. She was swimming around in the huge tub, I reached out again and this time I caught her. "Got you!" she laughed and tried to get away, I didn't let go of her. Bella washed the shampoo out of her hair and washed her body. Once she was done we got her dressed and tucked her into bed. "Daddy, read me a story!" looked up at me, her big brown eyes pleading.
"Okay, daddy will read you a story," I sat down on the edge of her bed.
"YAY!" she clapped her hands together. I smiled.
"Which story do you want me to read?"
"Mmmm…. Huh! I know!" she hopped out of bed and ran to the bookcase. When she climbed back in bed she handed me a big square book with a purple spine and a cat on the front. "Read me this one, daddy!" I looked at the cover; it said '5-Minute Fairy Tales'.
"Which story?"
"The princess one!" I smiled, there were tons of princess stories in here.
"Which princess one?"
"The dancing princesses!" I looked at the table of contents, the 'Twelve Dancing Princesses'.
"Long ago there lived a king who had twelve beautiful and clever daughters. The princesses slept in the same room with twelve beds in a row. The king loved his daughters, but he was concerned about what they did each night. The king carefully locked the door of the princesses' room every night, but the next morning he always found the princesses' tired and out of sorts. More puzzling still, their silk dancing slippers were worn to shreds.
"When the king asked his daughters why they were so tired, the princesses merely said, 'Beloved Papa, we have been sleeping peacefully in our beds all night,'
"The king wanted to find out the truth about his daughters. So the king issued a proclamation around the kingdom that the first man to solve the mystery of where the princesses went to dance every night would choose a wife from among them. However, anyone who tried to discover the princesses' secret had only three nights to succeed.
"It was not long before a prince arrived at the palace to try his luck. The prince was led to a small chamber next to the princesses' bedroom where a door connecting the two rooms was left open. The twelve princesses could not leave without being seen by the prince. The prince accepted a cup of wine offered to him by the princesses. In no time, he was sound asleep in his bed.
"When the prince awoke the next morning, the princesses were asleep in their beds. The prince was surprised to see all their worn out shoes!
"The next two nights, the same thing happened. The king was very angry and he banished the prince from the kingdom. Many other princes met the same fate. The king thought he would never find out the mystery of where his daughters danced at night.
"One day a poor, wounded soldier came limping along the road. He had just sat down by the side of the road to eat his meager meal of bread and cheese when an old woman appeared all dressed in rags. 'Won't you have a bite to eat with me?' said the soldier to the woman. He offered her half of his simple meal. 'Where are you going?' asked the woman?
"'I'm going to find work,' replied the soldier. 'Perhaps I can find out how the princesses wear out their shoes!'
"The old woman said, 'Listen! Do not drink the wine that princesses offer you. Take this cloak, for it will make you invisible. Then you can follow the princesses and discover their secret!'
"The soldier thanked the old woman and headed at once to the king's palace. That night, the soldier was led to the room next to the princesses' bedroom. He was offered a cup of wine. The soldier pretended to drink the wine, letting it drip into his scarf. Then he lied down pretending to sleep. When the eldest princess heard the soldier snore, she said, 'Make haste. We must get ready for the ball!'
"The princesses chattered and laughed as they dresses in their best gowns and jewels and arranged each other's hair. Only the youngest felt uneasy. 'Something isn't right,' she said.
" 'Don't be a little goose,' said the eldest princess fondly. 'That soldier is sound asleep. He won't be up until morning!'
"When the princesses were ready, they put on their dancing shoes. Then the eldest princess tapped on her bedpost on three times. The bed sank into the floor and became a staircase. The eldest princess stepped down into the opening in the floor. One by one, her sisters followed her. The soldier sprang out of the bed and threw on the magic cloak. Then he followed the youngest princess down the long staircase. Because his legs were lame, the soldier stumbled and stepped on the hem of the youngest princess's gown. She shrieked with alarm.
"The princesses and the soldier went down many flights of stairs until they came to a forest of silver trees. Then they came across trees of gold and trees of diamonds. The soldier broke off a branch from each kind of tree that they passed.
"The princesses hurried to the edge of a beautiful lake. There, twelve princes awaited them in twelve little painted boats. Each prince took the hand of a handsome prince," I looked up from the book to check if Aurora was asleep, she was looking up at me expectantly her eyes wide.
"Daddy! Keep reading! They get to dance with princes now!" I smiled at her eagerness and kept going.
"The soldier quickly hopped into the boat with princess and her prince. On the other side of the lake stood a lovely castle, a fanfare of trumpets announced the arrival of the twelve dancing princesses and fireworks lit up the sky. The princes and the princesses stepped into the castle, where beautiful music welcomed them. There the princesses danced with their princes for half the night.
"Soon the princesses' slippers were worn-out. The princes rowed the twelve princesses back across the lake, and this time the soldier rode with eldest sister. -,"
"He likes her, hah, daddy?"
"Yes, I think he does," she was so adorable, so innocent. "Let daddy finish the story, okay?" she nodded. "The princesses bade their princes good-bye and promised to return the next night.
"Then the princesses hurried back the way they came. They were so tired that they slowed down at the top of the stairs. The soldier was able to dash ahead of them, throw off his cloak, and jump in his bed.
"The princesses got to their room and put their old and tattered shoes in a row. The eldest princess checked on the soldier to be sure he was asleep and said to her sisters, 'We are safe!" With that, all twelve sisters fell fast asleep in their beds.
"The soldier wanted to see the forests and castle again, so he did not reveal what he knew the next day.
"The soldier did the same thing for the next two nights. He pretended to sleep and followed the princesses. On the third night the soldier took a golden cup from the castle to show the king as proof.
"The next morning the king sent for the soldier and asked, 'Good soldier, have you discovered where my daughters dance their shoes to shreds every night?'
" 'Your Highness, I have,' said the soldier. 'They sneak down a hidden staircase. Then they walk through three enchanted forests to a beautiful lake. There twelve princes take them across the lake to a castle where they dance the night away.'
"The king could not believe the soldier's story, but then the soldier showed him the cup and the branches of silver, gold, and diamonds. The king called his daughters, who admitted the truth.
"The king told the soldier that since he solved the mystery he could choose one of the princesses to be his wife.
"The soldier had already decided that he liked the eldest princess the best. She was clever and spirited, as well as very beautiful. For her part, the princess thought the soldier was clever and kind.
"The soldier was given royal garments to wear. He and the eldest princess were married, and all the wedding guests happily danced the night away. The end," I looked down at the sleeping angel and smiled. Then closed the book and put it on the bedside table. I kissed her forehead and turned to the doorway. There I saw Bella with biggest smile on her face. I walked over to her; I took her arms and place them around my neck, "Will you be my dancing princess?" she giggled.
"Why, I'm sorry my good soldier, but I don't dance."
"Why not?"
"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but this princess isn't very graceful," she laughed again.
"I'll lead," I whispered in her ear. I picked her up bridal style and carried her downstairs. I pushed play on the stereo remote and place my hands on her waist. She leaned her on my chest and we swayed in circles. "You know you're not bad at this."
"Says you," I laughed at her.
"Come on, tell me you're not enjoying this."
"Who said I wasn't enjoying this?" she smiled and pressed her lips to mine. I deepened the kiss, and I knew I wasn't being as careful as I should with her, but I couldn't stop. When she pulled away to breath she whispered, "I love you, Edward."
"I love you, too, Bella."
A/N: I was so gonna write more…but it's 2:08 am…and I'm tired…and my neck is stiff. I hope you liked, I thought it was sweet. A lot of the stuff in this chapter was inspired by myself when I was little, like the nickname, only I was Princess Ballerina Snow White when I was little, even though Sleeping Beauty is my favorite princess. And as I said in the disclaimer my mommy used to read me that story. I still need ideas for my 100th review! You guys need to tell me now or I'll have to make something up! And…as always…REVIEW!!
P.S. I know today is Thursday…well, Friday technically. And I got back from Mexico on Monday…and I'm sorry it took so long. But, first, the computer deleted the original Ch.10 I had, and then every time I tried to write someone or something needed me. So I was distracted. It's really not my fault, but I'm sorry anyway. Virtual hugs for everyone who reviews…or I'll resort to threats and blackmail…
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