Twilight

[Jody]

The dinner was as I expected, really funny.

Aden is so funny you just don't know what going to come out of his mouth next but you know it's not going to be good or that somebody is going to be looking at him distastefully.

I loved all the Geoff/Belle stuff. Poor Belle, Geoof of all people managed to get her to cry. I hope she doesn't start second guessing her relationship with Aden after that.

So Melody's dad isn't her dad. Wonder how Melody going to react to that. More importantly wonder what hilarious thing Aden will have to say about that.

[zzazzb]

Maye Larry's her father, thats why christine and him get on so well, cause they used to know each other, which would make Meldoy and Aden half bother/sister, and then one day Belle and Aden would get married, and Geoff's practically Belles brother so in some creepy way Geoff and Melody could be related..

or not. *shrugs*

update soon?

[maccaz]

I think I know why Melody's father is not her father...

Maybe Christine was raped, therefore making Melody a child of rape. And perhaps Christine only married her husband because she wanted some sort of proper family upbringing for Melody, for her sake.

That could also explain why she keeps such a tight reign on Melody. (Spoiler-tagged just in case I turn out to be right and inadvertantly spoil the story for you all )

[LuvAden]

Belle is getting changed into dry clothes and slowly steaming about what Geoff said. How dare he be so judgemental all the time! Aden wasn’t perfect by a long shot, but who was? At least he didn’t hide behind bible stories and a moral code that was invented by a bunch of men in a world that no longer existed. It was high time Geoff joined the 21st century.

She sits on her bed. Aden was hard work, she admits that. He did deliberately set out to wind people up but...she thinks, but what? What makes it acceptable for him to do that? His past with this grandfather? His screwed up relationship with his dad? Maybe Geoff had a point. Why was she always so quick to defend him when most of the time he showed no sign of remorse?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christine sees the shocked expression on Larry’s face.

“Does he know?” Larry asks.

Christine nods.

“But he...he doesn’t understand.”

God, she thinks, what a mess I’ve made of my life.

“Eddie and I spent years trying for a baby but it just wasn’t happening.” Christine begins. “We didn’t seek any medical advice, it was too embarrassing, all those tests. We figured it would just happen. His family kept asking when we were going to give them a grandchild, Eddie’s brother and his wife had three kids in the length of time we’d been married.”

She thinks back and remembers feeling like such a failure. Larry remains quiet, he gets the feeling she needs to get this off her chest. Christine begins again.

“Edward was getting on really well at work and was going for a huge promotion. It meant a lot of long hours for him and also a lot of networking with his work colleagues. He’d been getting on very well with his boss, David. He was two years younger than Eddie but had climbed the promotions ladder faster. He was charming, friendly, goodlooking. He always made time to talk to me, compliment me – which was more than Edward did anymore.”

Christine pauses again. She can see what Larry is thinking. It’s what Eddie thought too.

“I admit...I liked the attention. I liked when he stood near me.”

Larry looks at the floor, a little embarrassed by her candidness.

“And when one day he...brushed against me...instead of setting him straight then and there I...I almost wished he would do it again.” And I got my wish, Christine thinks bitterly. “Another colleague of theirs lived in the same street as Eddie and I, and they had a party one evening. I was feeling tired and decided to leave early. David said he would walk me home. I should have said no...” Christine pauses. “It was less than a five minute walk and we chatted easily. He said he was going to go home too and I invited him in for a coffee before he went.” Christine is glassy eyed now.

Suddenly Larry thinks that maybe this was not going to go as he first thought.

“While I was making the coffee he stood behind me. I could smell his aftershave. Feel his breath on my neck and I felt a tingle down my spine. I knew I had to put a stop to it...but I wanted to enjoy the feeling just a little longer...I let him put his hands on my waist...” she bites her lip for a second. “I turned around then and tried to laugh it off, move away from him...he wouldn’t let me go.”

Christine sobs. Larry, just as he did on the beach, puts a comforting arm around her.

“All I could think was - why did I invite him in?”

[xknomex]

OMG belle is questioning her relationship with Aden

EDIT: sorry forgot to say about christine and larry (or charry as Frogg put it )

poor christine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Frogg]

Aww poor Christine. I hope Larry opens up to her about what happened to him and Aden. Aww I really like Charry, I wish they were a cannon couple.

[maccaz]

Looks like my theory was partially correct...

Update soon.

[LuvAden]

Yep Maccaz you were on the right track

BTW Frogg...Charry? Brilliant!! See how perfectly their names go together - they are meant to be!! LOL

Chapter 6

Belle hears a knock at her window. One guess who that was! She pulls back the curtain and opens the window. Aden’s long leg appears first and then the rest of his body. He grins broadly and kisses her quickly on the cheek.

“Place hasn’t floated out to sea then!” he laughs.

“We got a plumber.” Belle says flatly.

Aden looks her over. Something isn’t right.

“You ok?” he asks.

“Fine. What are you doing here?” Belle folds some clothes away.

“Giving the old man some space.” He goes to put his arms around her. “But do I really need a reason?”

Belle pulls away. Aden visibly becomes tense.

“What’s wrong? Why are you being weird?” he asks.

“I’m sorry, are you the only one who’s allowed mood swings?” Belle snaps.

Aden is quiet for a moment, watching her. She avoids making eye contact and fusses with some more clothes. Aden takes in her rigid posture and her lips pursed into a thin unhappy line.

“What have I done?” he asks.

Belle sighs.

“It’s not what you’ve done or not just what you’ve done,” she struggles to explain, “it’s who you are.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Larry hands Christine some tissues and pats her shoulder comfortingly. He feels both angry and upset on her behalf and he knows that tissues and pats on the shoulder aren’t much comfort but its all he can do. That and listen. From his own experience he knows that having someone listen and believe you is more help than anything.

“He said I’d been asking for it.” Christine continues, tears streaming down her face.

“They say that to make themselves feel better.” Larry tells her.

“He was right though, I had encouraged him. I invited him in. I let him put his hands on me.”

Larry puts his hands on her shoulders and turns her to face him directly.

“Did you ask him to stop?”

Christine nods.

“Then he should have. It wasn’t your fault.” Larry hopes she believes that. For years he had believed that what happened to him had been his fault. “Did you go to the police?”

Christine shakes her head.

“I cleaned myself up and waited for Edward to come home, but it was so late when he did and he’d had a lot to drink. He fell asleep immediately.” That had been the longest night of her life. She had lain awake all night going over and over how she would tell Edward in the morning. “He slept late the following morning. I didn’t know what to do so, I did my normal chores. I was reading the paper when Edward got up. There was a big trial making all the headlines. A young woman was accusing some hotshot executive of raping her. The tabloids were having a field day dragging up all sorts of things about her past. I couldn’t see how any of it was relevant. What did it matter who her boyfriend was when she was 17? It was like she was the one on trial, not him.”

Christine twists the tissue around in her hands until it is a stiff knot.

“I thought when Eddie saw me that he would know. That he would be able to tell I was different. I felt different so how could it not be blatantly obvious to everyone who looked at me? Like a stamp on my forehead saying – damaged goods. But he just said good morning like he always did and looked over my shoulder at the paper. Then…then he said how disgraceful it was what that woman was putting that poor man through.”

Christine gulps.

“It was obvious she was lying because why would a successful man like that have to rape a woman like her when there were probably dozens of others lining up to be with him.”

More tears run down her cheek. Larry grimaces sympathetically.

“I didn’t want to be that woman.” Says Christine. “So I decided then that I was going to put it behind me.”

“What he said doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have believed you.” Says Larry.

“Even if he did, no one else would. No one believed that woman and that man went free.”

“There were different circumstances maybe.” Larry suggests.

Christine shakes her head. Hearing a few weeks later that the man had been found not guilty had confirmed to her that she had been right to stay quiet. That woman’s life was ruined.

“How did you manage seeing David again after…” Larry thinks about his father and realizes he knows the answer.

“I pretended it hadn’t happened. Edward got the promotion and it meant us moving away so…problem solved, I thought.”

If only it were that simple, Larry thinks.

“Then I found out I was pregnant. I knew it couldn’t be Eddie’s, we’d spent so long trying and nothing. I didn’t know what to do.”

Larry can’t imagine how difficult that must have been.

“I went to confession and explained it all to the priest. He said the baby was a gift from God, no matter how it had been conceived and that it was my priority now. He was right. Melody has been a gift.” Christine smiles thinking of Melody. “Eddie was overjoyed when I told him I was pregnant. I was so scared he would question it but he didn’t, he thought we had finally done it.”

Larry takes the mangled tissue from her hands and gives her another.

“Everything was going well after Melody was born. I had been afraid that I might find it difficult to love her but I didn’t. The moment I saw her…” Christine smiles again. “she made my whole existence in life worthwhile.” Christine’s face changes. “But then Eddie started talking about trying for another child. I knew we could try all we wanted, we wouldn’t have any but obviously I couldn’t tell him that. At first I humored him but then I began to think that if we didn’t conceive he might question how Melody had happened so I started to avoid…” Christine looks away for a moment. “We rowed about it sometimes but eventually he stopped wanting to. I hated being so duplicitous but there was no other way. I decided to make up for it I would be the best mother and wife I could be in every other respect.”

Clearly, she thinks miserably, I failed at that too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Geoff arrives at the beach and worriedly looks around for Melody, its difficult to see with only the lights from the Diner nearby. When she had messaged him asking him to meet her here he had become worried. This wasn’t like her. She said she would explain when he got there.

“Melody?” he calls out.

“Geoff, here.”

He turns in the direction of her voice and sees her sitting on the sand, her arms wrapped around her knees.

“Mel are you alright? Has something happened?” he asks.

She doesn’t answer and he sits beside her and asks her again.

“I’m sorry for worrying you,” she apologizes, “I just really needed to see you.”

“Won’t your mum worry about you being out so late?” he asks.

She shakes her head and makes a small noise, not quite a laugh but almost.

“She hasn’t come home yet.” She says.

“Has something happened?” he asks for the third time.

“Maybe.” She says distractedly.

Geoff is starting to get really worried now.

“Melody…you’re starting to scare me.” He tells her nervously.

Melody turns to him and smiles suddenly.

“I’m sorry.” She says again. “I don’t mean to be weird. I just…” she gets a vacant look in her eyes again. “It’s just…it’s all been a lie and I don’t know what to do.”

“What’s been a lie?” Geoff asks.

“Everything.” She says.

Her eyes glitter with tears. Geoff waits for her to explain more but she doesn’t. He assumes it must have something to do with her mother, he can’t think of anything else that would upset her. He knows Christine has mellowed a lot but she still controlled Melody’s every move.

“Have you thought about going to stay with your dad?” he asks gently.

It would be hell being so far away from her but if it meant getting out of her mother’s clutches it would be good for her. Melody gives him a strange look.

“I’d have to find him first.”

“I thought you said he was in the city?” Geoff is confused.

“Edward Jones is in the city.” Melody says. “God knows where my father is.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Belle watches fearfully as Aden angrily paces around the room. She had tried to explain to him the way she felt but it hadn’t come out right, now he was blaming Geoff for it because she had mistakenly told him what he said.

“Aden please calm down.”

“Oh I’m calm.” Aden says, his hands held behind his head. “You’ve let bible boy convince you that I’m some kind of undeserving, evil monster…”

“No!” Belle shouts. “That is not what I was saying.” She shakes her head in frustration, she can’t make him understand.

“So what were you saying?”

She takes a deep breath and speaks calmly.

“The way you act…” she begins.

“I’m a scumbag, I get it.” He interrupts.

“No! Will you listen?” she takes another breath. “You…deliberately try to get people to hate you.”

“I speak my mind. I’m not a hypocrite like everyone else in this town – that makes me evil?” he says.

Belle shakes her head.

“There is a difference between speaking your mind and being nasty to people for no good reason other than you can.” She looks at him lovingly. “I know you’re a good person, I know how sweet and kind you can be…why won’t you let other people see that?”

Aden makes a face.

“I’m happy with who I am. I don’t need everyone to like me and say what a nice boy I am and if you do need the world’s approval before you can be happy then…you’re with the wrong guy sweetheart!”

Belle can’t believe what she thinks she is hearing.

“What are you saying?”

“I am who I am. Take me or leave me.”

[Frogg]

Ooooh great update.

Mel knows interesting, I wonder how she found out?

Poor Christine. Go on Larry your turn to open up.

Belle, Belle, Belle what have you done? I'm with Aden on this one he is who he is and Belle knew that before she started dating him. She can't expect him to have a personality transplant just to suit her.

[maccaz]

Good chapter.