Told you! Kept my promise! YAY! I got 18 reviews in one day! I love you guys! You're awesome! So here's an extra special chapter for you. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH STEPHENIE MEYER OR THE TWILIGHT SAGA!!
Previously…
"Does he know she's sick?! How do you think he'll react to that?! Do you honestly think he'll stick around when she's gonna die?!" I froze, how could she say that to me.
…
"It's okay, shhh. We both know she's going to be fine," he whispered in my ear. I turned to press my face into his chest. He held my head there with one hand, the other arm wrapped around me.
"I know," it was just a whisper.
Bella's POV:
"I'm driving," I said to Edward as I packed the diaper bag. He had Rora with her head on his shoulder asleep, and Antoinette in her car seat in his other hand.
"No you're not," it was a statement, as if I couldn't win this argument.
"Yes I am."
"No. You're not."
"You don't know where it is, if you did I would let you drive," I turned to face him, bag packed.
"You can tell me where to go."
"Why can't I just drive?"
"Because frankly I don't trust with your own two feet, why on Earth would I trust you behind the wheel of a car?" he was smiling, I would have hit him if it wouldn't have caused me more damage then him.
"Stupid, indestructible vampire," I was muttering. He laughed. "Fine, you can drive. But figure out where to go by yourself," I started for the door but a cold arm went around my waist.
"Don't be mad…on second thought, do, it's absolutely adorable," his velvet voice purred.
"Adorable?" I whispered.
"Adorable," he confirmed.
"At least you don't find it amusing," I turned to face him, my eyebrows raised. He quickly pressed his lips to mine, melting my annoyance in an instant. It was short but sweet, so, so sweet. It made we want to stay here, forget I had a mother to eat dinner with. "Can we stay?" I whispered helplessly against his lips.
"We have to go to dinner."
"Why? It's not like you can eat the food anyway," he chuckled quietly.
"I want to meet your parents."
"Why?" I groaned, they weren't the most interesting people in the world, more interesting than me, granted, but still. Besides, I didn't want to face my mother, not knowing what kind of fight we'd get into today.
"I have to meet them eventually, Bella."
"Why?"
"Because they're your parents. Come on, you've met my family."
"Yeah, but that's different."
"How is it different?"
"Edward, please, I just don-,"
"She's not going to say anything, love," so he knew what was bothering me then, sometimes I doubted that he couldn't read my mind. "I don't have to read your mind to know what's bothering you," again, making me doubt that he couldn't.
"You don't know she won't say anything," my voice sounded scared.
"I'll be there the whole time. And the second she thinks anything that might to lead to that topic of conversation I'll get you out of there, okay?"
"Edward, pl-,"
"Bella, you'll be fine," I couldn't doubt the sincerity in his voice.
"Okay," he kissed my forehead and picked the car seat back up. I opened the door for him and he led the way out of the house. We hadn't spoken since we got in the car, except for the occasional "turn left" or "turn right". I was nervous, scared, I really just didn't want to go! Edward must have felt my tension because about half way there he grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips. I looked over at him, he was staring at me. He stroked my cheek, "You'll be fine," I nodded and held his hand to my face. When we pulled up to my parent's house my Antoinette woke up crying. I jumped out of the car and took her out of her car seat. "Shhh, baby. It's okay, mommy's here," she didn't stop. My mom walked out of the house, "Oh, dear. Is she hungry?"
"Maybe," I turned to Edward, "Get Rora, I'm gonna get Antoinette a bottle," he nodded and kissed me quickly. I took the diaper bag from the car and went inside. My dad was in the kitchen, "Hey, Bells. She okay?"
"Yeah, I think she's hungry. Hold her for a sec," he took her from me. He looked so out of place and unsure holding a baby, I wanted to laugh. I filled the bottle with water and then added the formula. When it was done I took Antoinette back from Charlie and gave her the bottle. She seemed to quiet down. "Grandpa!" I turned; Rora was running up to Charlie. He smiled and picked her up; she threw her arms around his neck. "Hey, sweetpea."
"Grandpa! Guess what?!"
"What?" he was smiling.
"Yesterday daddy took me to the park! And I went on the swings! And then daddy got me a hot chocolate!" Charlie looked taken aback at the word "daddy", but maintained his expression well enough for Rora not to notice. When she looked away he gave me a questioning look, I smiled sheepishly. "Bella, can I talk to you a minute?" I turned to Renee, then Edward. He nodded slightly. Didn't make me feel any better.
"Sure, mom," I followed her to the back patio. She looked at me a minute, deliberating what to say, I imagine.
"Bella, I'm so sorry. I jumped to conclusions yesterday. Edward seems very sweet. And he does seem to love Rora, despite…Bella, please forgive me."
"For which offense?" that came out sharper than intended. "The one where you said she'd die or the one where you accused a guy you'd never met of being like my asshole of an ex-husband?"
"The second one," she whispered almost to low for me to hear.
"What about the first?"
"Bella, you already know what I think."
"Yeah! I do know what you think! And you're wrong!"
"She's not going to make it, Bella. We both know that."
"NO! You think that!"
"You're putting her through unnecessary pain."
"It's not unnecessary! It's going to make her better! The treatment is going to make her better!"
"No it's not, Bella. It already stopped work-,"
"That was a different treatment!"
"It doesn't make a difference."
"Oh! I'm sorry, mother! I'm sorry I don't want my daughter to die! I'm sorry that I care! I'm sorry that I'm not ready to give up on her!" I was screaming, Charlie could probably hear me, even. "And I'm sorry her own grandmother is!" she kept quiet. "Say something! SAY SOMETHING!"
"What do you want me to say? You just accused me of not caring. It's because I care I don't want her on treatment. I don't want her to suffer if there's no point."
"THERE IS A POINT!"
"What point, Bella? She's not-,"
"YES SHE IS!"
"BELLA, SHE'S GOING TO DIE!" Renee finally lost her temper.
"Renee, Bella? Dinner's ready," Charlie looked scared we would go off on him, too. I pushed passed him inside. "Bella, I'm so sorry. I had no idea-,"
"Its okay, Edward. You couldn't have known I'd go off on her, you can't read my mind," He pulled me into his arms. "Where are the girls?"
"Antoinette's asleep again and Rora's watching TV," I nodded.
"Let me get her for dinner," I pulled away from him, he stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. I walked into the family room. Rora was sitting in front of the TV Indian style. "Honey, don't sit in front of the TV, you'll hurt your eyes," I sat down and pulled her into my lap. She laid her head against my shoulder.
"Mommy?" she sounded scared.
"Yes, baby?" she bit her lip.
"Member when we found Squishy upsid down in his tank?" Squishy had been her fish.
"Yes?"
"And you said he died, that he went to be wid God?"
"Yes?"
"Is that…is that what's gonna happen to me? Am I gonna die like Squishy?" her eyes teared up. I gasped.
"No, baby! Never! Nothing is going to happen to you, okay! Do you understand me, Rora?! Never!" a tear slid down her cheek.
"Then how cwome gwandma said that?"
"Because grandma is scared. She didn't mean it. Aurora, look at mommy, you're not going anywhere. You're staying here with me and daddy and sister. Okay? You're staying here. Ignore grandma. She didn't mean it," I held her to me tight, one hand on the back of her head he other around her torso. I was trying to hold in tears now, too.
"Mommy, I don't wanna be like Squishy," she whispered through her tears.
"You're not going to be, baby. You're staying right here. I brought you into this world and I'm going to keep you in it. You're staying with mommy."
"Bella what did you say to her?" I looked up at my mother. "You can't just go telling a 3 year old she's going to die!" the end of her sentence was a fierce whisper.
"I didn't! You did! She heard you!" her face froze in a mask of shock that quickly turned to pain and regret. I got up off the floor, Rora in my arms. Edward was standing in the doorway an expression of pure anger on his face, he was looking at Renee. "Edward, get Antoinette, we're leaving," he nodded his agreement. I walked out the front door, Edward was behind me, he had already unlocked the car. I put Rora in her car seat.
"Bella! Wait! I didn't mean it!" I rounded on her.
"Don't give me your apologies now, I don't want them!" I spat at her.
"Bella-,"
"Don't call me," with that I got in the car. Edward, with his brilliant vampire skills, backed up perfectly and shot out of my parent's driveway in a matter of seconds. No one said anything for a while. "Mommy, are you mad at me?" oh no. how could I make her think that? I was about to respond but Edward beat me to it.
"Princess, mommy's not mad at you. You didn't do anything, sweetheart," he was looking at her over his shoulder.
"Are you mad at me, daddy?" her face was still tear soaked.
"Don't be silly. Daddy's never mad at you. Mommy and daddy love you so, so much, my Princess Ballerina Sleeping Beauty. We're not mad at you at all," he gave her a small smile; I reached my hand back to her. She took it and nodded at him. Edward reached his hand back and tickled her side; she gave a small giggle and squirmed. Edward smiled bigger this time and turned back to the road. When we got home I whipped up some grilled chicken for me, and some Mac-n-cheese with broccoli and ground turkey in it for Rora, it was the only way Rora would eat her veggies. When she was done I dressed her for bed. Edward came with me to tuck her in. "Night, baby," I kissed her forehead.
"Goodnight, mommy. Goodnight, daddy," she looked up at us.
"Goodnight, Princess. We love you. Sweet dreams," Edward kissed her cheek and turned out the lamp on the nightstand.
"Daddy, the night light!"
"Of course," he flipped on the little flower light. "Now go to sleep, okay."
"Okay. Love you daddy. Love you mommy."
"We love you, too, baby," I kissed her again and stood up from the edge of her bed. I grabbed Edward's hand and le him to my room. Antoinette was in her crib and I in my pajamas and all I wanted to do was sleep. I pulled him into bed with me. I felt his arms around my waist and his mouth at my ear, "Sleep, my Beautiful Bella," I was too exhausted to argue with him. "Night, love you," with that I fell into a dreamless sleep.
A/N: Don't hate Renee to much…okay, go ahead, I hate her right now, too. REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!