First off, I want to apolgize for the typo in my author's note at the beginning of the last chapter. I'm aware that the last chapter was chapter nine, and that todays' chapter is chapter ten. I'm sorry if that caused any confusion for some of you guys.

But enough about that 'cause I just wrote up a new chapter! :D I figured that you guys wanted to see the conflict between Ellie & Oscar's children got worse. Now, you'll know. ;P

Also, I have a poll on my page about my old multi-chapter fanfictions. If you could vote on it, I would greatly appreciate it! :)

I own nothing related to WWE.

Anyways, please read & enjoy! :D

Starting Over

Chapter Ten

The next few days were uneventful, yet full of tension. Dominik and Aalyah were both still not entirely convinced of Ellie's true intentions. They only saw here as "Dad's new girlfriend who only wanted his money and to hurt him"; and they couldn't let that happen, now could they? Of course they wanted their father to be happy- but Dominik and Aalyah didn't believe that Ellie would make him happy.

Ellie could tell that trying to get along with Oscar's children was going to be an uphill battle. They made sure that she couldn't try and become close to them, no matter what. Ellie was greatly hurt by their coldness, but she couldn't blame them for their behaviour. But still, Ellie just wanted some sort of connection with Oscar's children- she truly loved them and saw them as her own.

Ellie woke up the next day at around six in the morning. Her insomnia decided to rear its ugly head, so she had no choice but to wake up and get ready for the day. She slowly got out of bed and made her way downstairs into the kitchen. She could hear Dominik and Aalyah getting ready for school, so she approached with caution.

"Morning," she said in a kind voice.

Dominik and Aalyah didn't respond- they continued making their lunches for that day. Ellie, not wanting to start a fight, made herself breakfast and ate it before heading back upstairs. She saw that Oscar was starting to wake up.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Ellie nodded. "I just couldn't sleep. How are the kids getting to school?"

"They'll have to get a ride from one of us," replied Oscar. "We can go together so that you know where it is if you ever take them or pick them up."

"Sounds good," said Ellie before lightly kissing the tip of his nose. "What time do they have to leave at?"

"Around 7:30 or so."

"Alright," said Ellie. "So… do you plan on getting up anytime soon, or are you just gonna sleep all day?"

"Do I have to get up?" whined Oscar.

"Yep, sorry!" said Ellie in a sing-song tone. That caused Oscar to chuckle.

"Alright, fine. You win this time," said Oscar with a slight groan.

Ellie giggled as she got back off the bed. She adjusted her pyjamas, but Oscar stopped her. She gave him a look of confusion. Without a word, he began to kiss her passionately on the lips. He rested his arms around her waist, while Ellie managed to cradle his head with her hands. They soon broke apart from each other due to lack of oxygen. Ellie smiled at his gesture, but she was still confused as to why he had done it.

"Not that I'm upset, but what was that for?"

"Just a good morning kiss," replied Oscar with a smile.

"Well, good morning to you too," responded Ellie as she pulled him into another tender kiss.

The car ride to Dominik and Aalyah's schools was as uncomfortable as it could be. Ellie could feel both children's eyes staring at the back of her head as she sat in the passenger seat beside their father. She managed to ignore their constant staring and focus on where Dominik's high school and Aalyah's elementary school were located. They ended up dropping Dominik off first.

"Have a good day at school!" called out Ellie as he left.

"Bye," he uttered loud enough for her and Oscar to hear right before he shut the car door.

Oscar smiled apologetically before driving over to Aalyah's school which was roughly a five minute drive.

"See you later, Aalyah!" called out Oscar.

"Bye, Dad!" she responded. With that, she shut the door and walked towards the entrance of her school. Oscar and Ellie soon drove back home in silence, holding hands. Once they got into Oscar's home, Ellie sat on a chair in the living room, put her head in her hands, and sighed sadly. Oscar sat beside her and put an arm around her shoulders in an attempt to cheer her up.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be… they have every right to be miserable and to hate my guts. I knew it wasn't going to be easy… I just didn't think it was gonna be this hard." Ellie could feel tears welling up, so she tried her hardest to blink them back. She didn't want Oscar to think that she couldn't handle the situation, but she couldn't deny the fact that it hurt whenever Oscar's kids acted cold towards her. She wanted to be a part of their lives so badly, but they kept rejecting her.

"Baby, things will get better. I just don't want you to give up on them," said Oscar.

"I couldn't- I wouldn't," replied Ellie, looking up at her boyfriend. "I love you all too much to do that. Remember- 'Yo no me doy por vendica'."

"I'll pick the kids up if you like."

Oscar glanced at Ellie from the TV. "Are you sure? You don't have to."

"I want to," replied Ellie.

"Alright," said Oscar. "Dominik's done at 2:30, and Aalyah's done at that time, too."

"Okay, thanks. I'll see you soon, babe," said Ellie before kissing his cheek.

"Bye, babe," called out Oscar.

Ellie blew a kiss before getting into her black BMW X6 and driving to Dominik's school. She saw Dominik, and he saw her. She could tell that he looked pissed off to see that she was picking him up as oppose to his father. But he still got in the back seat of her car- though somewhat reluctantly.

"Hi," he said flatly.

"Hey, how was school?" asked Ellie.

"Fine," replied Dominik.

Ellie nodded before starting the car again and driving to Aalyah's school. She was waiting in the playground of her school, surrounded by a group of girls and guys. Ellie assumed that they were her friends. She could see that some of them noticed Ellie's car approaching. They nudged Aalyah and pointed towards Ellie car. Aalyah saw what they saw and immediately looked depressed. She hugged her friends goodbye before slowly getting into the SUV.

"Hey, Aalyah," said Ellie as she began driving away from the school.

"Where's my dad?" she asked almost automatically, completely bypassing Ellie's question.

"He's back home," replied Ellie. "Is something wrong?"

"No," snapped Aalyah.

Ellie nodded in response. The drive back to the house took about fifteen minutes- longer depending on traffic- but it felt like hours to Dominik and Aalyah.

"Why didn't our dad pick us up today?" asked Dominik.

"It's not that he didn't want to pick you guys up; I just decided that I wanted to," replied Ellie.

"Well, can you not pick us up anymore?" piped up Aalyah.

"I can't guarantee it…" Ellie trailed off, unsure on how to respond. She began to get nervous about how things were going to play out. "How come?"

"We like him better," declared Dominik.

"You have no right to live in our home. You don't even love our dad!" added Aalyah.

"Just leave!" spat Dominik.

"We don't want you in our lives," concluded Aalyah.

Ellie bit her tongue and chose not to say anything, only because she had no idea how to approach the situation. They soon got home, much to all of their relief. Once they all got inside, Dominik and Aalyah greeted their father before heading off to their rooms to do their homework. Oscar understood that they were focused on that, but he couldn't understand why Ellie was quiet the minute they all got home. She sat on the couch in the living room and tried to distract herself by reading a random magazine. Oscar quickly sat beside her, hoping to figure out whether or not she was fine.

"What's wrong, Ellie?"

She set the magazine to the side and became silent for a few moments. What had occurred in the car between her, Dominik, and Aalyah began to replay in her mind, causing her to start crying. She didn't want to cry and fear that Oscar would think that she couldn't handle being a step-mother to his children. But everything that both children had said to her had hurt so badly, it was unbearable. Ellie couldn't hold it in any longer- she just let all her sadness and pain out through her tears. But Oscar was there, and he was more than willing to give her the comfort, love, and support that she needed. He held her while she cried. Once she managed to regain her composure, she began to speak.

"When I was driving Dominik and Aalyah home, Aalyah asked why you hadn't come pick them up. I told her that I felt like it. She asked if I could stop. When I asked why, Dominik told me it was because they like you more. Aalyah then said that I had no right to live here, and that I didn't love you. Dominik told me to leave, and Aalyah said that 'we'- referring to you, her, and Dominik- don't want me in your lives. I was too hurt to even respond to their words. I'm sorry for crying like this, but I just couldn't hold it in anymore." Ellie wiped her eyes with her fingers, trying hard to not start crying again.

"Ellie, I'm so sorry. My kids don't act like that. I can't believe that they would say such horrible things." Oscar meant every word he was saying. Their behaviour was inexcusable, and they had no reason to say the things they said to Ellie. All she wanted was to be a part of their lives- was it too much to ask for them to at least get along with her and not treat her like dirt? Apparently, it was.

"I'm not mad at you, Oscar… really," said Ellie. She noticed that Oscar was starting to tear up. The Colombian's heart broke because she didn't want him to be sad.

"Please don't cry."

"I'm just devastated that my children would do such a thing. I love you so much… I don't wanna lose you," revealed Oscar.

"Oscar, I will not give up on them. I love you, and I love them too much to just abandon you because of what they said. I'm staying whether they like it or not! I refuse to give up on them; just like how I refused giving up on you." Ellie kissed his lips softly to make her point.

"Now that is one of the reasons that I love you," said Oscar as he pulled her into his lap.

"And I love you," said Ellie before they kissed yet again.

Dominik could hear everything that was taking place downstairs, and he began to freak out about what he and his sister had done. He immediately texted Aalyah, hoping to talk to her now.

Come to my room ASAP! PLEASE!

He soon got his response.

I'm on my way.

Dominik kept his door open until Aalyah finally entered. He shut it behind her before they sat on the floor to discuss what was going on.

"Have you been listening to everything that they're saying?" asked Dominik.

"You have too, haven't you?" replied Aalyah.

"Obviously. But I'm nervous now. What if dad freaks out on us? You know how upset he'd get whenever we were bad with mom," said Dominik.

"We'll just listen to the same old speech, pretend that we got the message, promise to not do it again, and keep being cold to her. I think the whole 'being mean' thing was a bad idea," said Aalyah.

"That's perfect! Aalyah, you're a genius!" said Dominik in an excited whisper.

"I know," she responded jokingly.

"Dominik! Aalyah!"

The two children gulped as they got up and started walking downstairs.

"Remember- don't be nervous," whispered Aalyah as she squeezed one of her older brother's shoulders. "Just listen, pretend to care, promise to not do it again, and apologize if necessary. We'll be nice for the rest of the night, but we'll be cold again in the morning."

There ya go! I hope you all enjoyed it... I know I sure did. ;D

Please review, and don't forget to stay tuned for chapter eleven! :D

- Elizabeth