Spin The World - - - *

[Marc Dominique Delabarre]

If someone had asked Marc what he’d be doing at twenty four, he’d have answered with; fixing computers, playing video games and being in love with Bella. Never once would he have stopped to consider this and he would have probably laughed at anyone who even suggested it until now. He’d been in Arles for a little over two weeks and now he was on the flight back to New York, still unsure of what was going to happen when he got there.
He had tried to keep Bella in the loop, but things had been so hectic that he rarely had a chance for a proper phone call with her. There seemed to be so much to deal with. There were papers to sign, meetings to attend, documents to fill in, people to speak to and, of course, the funeral; one of the most awkward moment of Marc’s life to be certain. Everything was surreal and he couldn’t tell Bella the truth over the phone because, well, it was so big that she either wouldn’t believe him or she’d drop dead on the spot-Marc himself had been close to fainting in the hospital himself when the news had been revealed to him.

He turned his head to his left, smiling softly down at the small boy who sat next to him, his six year old mind engrossed in the game on the PSP that Marc had bought specifically for the journey to New York. He spoke quietly to him in French and the little boy lifted his head up to answer the older man. It was still hard to get over and looking down at the young boy was like looking at himself almost eighteen years ago. How had he never known? How had this been kept a secret from him for all those years?
Marc had no idea how he could explain this to Bella, but he was fairly certain that she wouldn’t want to be with him after this, especially not with her own possible pregnancy-something Marc had forgotten all about nearly after everything that had been happening in Arles. He hadn’t slept properly since arriving there and every time he closed his eyes he could hear the steady beeping of the hospital machines, the mumbling of doctors and her tired voice, revealing to him the biggest secret of her life.

Marc had raced into the hospital, tripping over his own feet and exhausted from the travelling and the jet lag that was kicking in. Gasping for air, he stammered the name in a desperate voice at the reception desk; “Daphne. Daphne Rousseau.”

[/color] A short phone call later and a tall doctor appeared, instructing Marc to follow him to Daphne’s room. He had to ask; he didn’t know the full story yet and when the doctor spoke, he felt the tears spill from his eyes. “Miss Rousseau sustained serious injuries in the collision…” he began to list the injuries, numerous ones that made Marc’s stomach turn, “…the only thing keeping her alive at the moment are the machines and even they will not be able to help her for much longer.”

Inside the private room, Daphne’s mother greeted Marc with teary eyes, thanking him for coming so quickly. “She did it because of how much she loved you Marc.” Did what? He didn’t know why he was here and looking at the fragile woman on the bed was almost enough to make his strength crumble. She managed a weak smile at him and he moved closer to the bed, taking her hand in his and smiling down at her through his tears. He never thought that this would be the way they’d be reunited.
“You came.”
“Of course I came.”[/color] He smiled, stroking hair from her pale face.
“I’m…sorry. I never wanted y-you to find out like this…b-but, he’s going to need you Marc.” His eyebrows furrowed. Who was she talking about?[/i]

He wasn’t going to lie, his heart was slightly broken. Not because he was in love with Daphne, although he would always care for her, but because of the six years he missed out on because she was scared of what would happen to him. She didn’t care about how anyone saw her, but she didn’t want him to be the bad guy, or for his dreams to be ruined by an unplanned baby.

Marc stood there, shocked as she repeated the words that were spinning around his head, making him dizzy. “You have a son Marc.”
He looked around the room and swallowed, unable to take all of this in. “How? Where?”[/color]
Daphne smiled up at him and reached out weakly, limply brushing her fingers against his. “The last night…we spent together. We were in…Rome…” She stopped, wincing in pain. Time was running out and the doctor kept pacing outside, trying to hurry up their goodbyes. “He’s with my dad…waiting room. Can’t see me like this.” He squeezed her hand tightly, shaking his head, not knowing what to say or do. “He’s going to need his dad now, Marc. Please…I want him with you. Promise me…you’ll look after him?"
Marc swallowed hard, the tears falling freely now as his emotions finally overwhelmed him. He knew his answer though; he knew what his heart needed to say. “I promise.”[/color] He managed a small smile and she weakly returned the gesture.
“I never stopped…loving you…” He didn’t know how to respond. He loved Bella now, there was no doubting that, but everything was suddenly thrown in his face and he didn’t know what to do, but he couldn’t leave it here…not like this, with him gaping like a fish at his dying first love. So, he smiled again, bent down and softly pressed his lips to her cold ones, just for a brief moment, before pulling away and taking a shaky breath. “He…He looks exactly like you Marc…”[/i]

She had died just as they were being introduced too.
“Marc Dominique Delabarre, meet Laurence Chase Delabarre, your son.”[/b]
Daphne had kept pictures of Marc up ever since their son had been born and the little boy moved forward to hug his dad immediately.
Following that came paperwork…lots of paperwork and interviews with people and sorting out the right way to bring Laurence to NYC. Luckily, his father had been able to speed things up with his contacts in the political field, but that didn’t make any of this easier. Most nights, Marc had sat up with his mother and Daphne’s mother, trying to make sense of all of this, until eventually they had insisted on father and son going home the day after the funeral, convincing Marc that it would be easier to go sooner, so that Laurence could get settled and Marc could deal with the things that needed to be done in the city.
And with Bella.
She was going to blow through the roof when she found out and Marc was semi-convinced he’d be looking for a new apartment.

The plane began its descent and Laurence pushed his PSP in his colourful rucksack, clutching a teddy close to his chest as the craft softly touched down on the runway at JFK. Marc placed his hand over his son’s and smiled warmly at him. Although he was still getting used the idea of being a dad, he couldn’t deny that bonding with Laurence came a lot more naturally than he expected…but then the boy was pretty much a clone of Marc at that age. Gathering their hand luggage and helping Laurence slip his bag on his back, Marc took his tiny hand protectively in his own and helped him down the airport stairs. He watched with loving eyes as Laurence looked all around him, eyes wide in amazement as they approached the terminal, stepping in line behind the others until inside the arrivals lounge. “Bienvenue à la maison, Laurence.”[/color] He whispered, happy to see a rare smile on the face of a boy who had almost lost everything.
Maybe, just maybe, everything would be alright in the end.
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• • •

TAGGED! Bella <3
WORDS! 1396
OUTFIT! Fuzzy Duck
LYRICS! What Can I Say- - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! “Welcome home” and yeah, pretend the italic scenes are in French. I’m not translating that much! xD <3 <3 <3

[Arabella Marie Curtis]

Bella had survived.

She'd lasted through the two and a half, nearly three, weeks of Marc's disappearence. Though, at some points, she swore to god she was going to give up on ever thinking of him coming back. He kept putting her off with half-truths, barely spoke to her, and wouldn't even clue her in as to who the hell was dying or dead or whatever the fuck had happened. It had originally broken her heart. Him rushing home and not even bothering to tell her the heck he'd left her, crying and confused, in the middle of their apartment. But, now? Now she was starting to get pissed off. Everytime she tried to call, he'd end their conversation within ten minutes. He'd never tell her anything, and barely even spoke about how he himself was doing. She'd tried to find a way to pull him back whenever he said he'd needed to run and do this or that, she never truly found out what, but nothing seemed to work. Bella was beginning to think she was really, finally losing him.

So, what other way to confront him than at the airport in front of hundreds of people who could, hopefully, keep them from attempting to rip each other's throats out again? Bella thought it was a relatively good plan. He couldn't put her off if she pulled a hissy fit or gave him the puppy dog look. And, if that was what it was going to take, then she would damn well stoop to that level. She just wanted to know what the hell was happening!

The time spent a part hadn't been solely filled with her tears and lamentations, however. The morning after he vanished, Bella had nailed her co-audition with Clairice. Even that cruel woman had graced Bella with one of her rare compliments. But, nobody except Bella herself knew why she'd done so well. It was because of Marc, and because her audition monologue just so happened to be sad. And sappy. And as romantically cliched as could be. She had thrown everything possible into that short five minutes and had wowed the directors in a heartbeat.

They'd called her back the next morning, right as she was recovering (yet again) from another fit of hysteria about Marc. She'd basically gotten the part over Clairice. But, not even that made her really smile. Marc wasn't here to celebrate with her, to tell her what a good job she'd done, or take her out to dinner, of even give her a proud peck on the forehead. He was on the other side of the globe, and it made Bella's heartache even more. She hadn't had time to even tell him about it on the phone.

Granted, she hadn't had time for anything lately. She'd fallen into this sort of depression ever since the door closed behind Marc. Bella wouldn't, couldn't, eat, rarely got more than forty minutes of sleep, hadn't even given the casting directors an answer yet. She didn't know what to do without the answers she needed from Marc. She didn't know what to do without him.

Bella had easily weasled out of him the day he was coming home, and it wasn't that hard to find out which plane he'd be on. When you were rich and had a dad back in London who could pull some strings, finding a person was rarely difficult. However, she'd taken one moment to wonder if he would even want her there. He hadn't seemed to even care about her in the past couple weeks... what difference did now make? No, there was a difference. Now, she was going to get the whole truth out of him. And, if that involved learning that he no longer loved her, then so be it.

She just wanted to fucking know.

Bella woke up that morning with a tiny ray of hope in her heart. She'd be seeing Marc, who, for now at least, was hers. A small smile played on her lips as she turned the thought over in her mind, getting dressed quickly and going to put Gemma into something adorable, as well. The puppy was coming with her to the airport, more for moral support and comfort than for the dog's own well being. Bella would need someone, something, to help her get through whatever it was that today had in store for her. But, she'd survive. She'd last two and a half weeks without Marc, and she'd lived. She'd learn how to cope, eventually, without him. It would simply involve a lot of heartbreak, crying, and painful healing.

She caught a cab to the airport, tipping the driver and strutting into JFK like the true, confident young woman she was currently impersonating. Honestly, Bella was falling apart inside. There was a pregnancy test in her purse, one she'd slipped in because she knew it was high time this all ended or really began. Besides, she wanted things cleared up before she spoke to Marc, who may or may not have been about to become a father. Sneaking into the bathroom was easy enough. The waiting, though... that was the hard part. Bella stood by the sink, staring down at the little stick with wide, frightened eyes. If it said positive... her life was over. And, if it was negative... then what the hell was going on? She seemed to be asking that question a lot lately. And she was starting to get sick of it.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, the answer to all her questions popped up.

Negative.

Bella had to keep herself from screaming in joy. She wasn't pregnant; the scare had all been for nothing! Glancing down at her watch, she smiled as she saw Marc should've been in the arrivals' lounge now. Bella gathered her things, tossing the test and grinning as she rushed to where she hoped her boyfriend would be. This had to be a sign, right? Surely, surely this meant things were looking up for the two of them. Her eyes scanned the sea of people, finally landing on the dark head of curls she loved so dearly. She shoved her way over to him, Gemma yipping in an annoyed tone from inside the carrier that was on Bella's shoulder. But, she honestly didn't care. All she was concerned with was seeing Marc.

"Marc!" Her smile widened as she came up to him, and she couldn't stop herself fromt throwing her arms around his neck, totally oblivious to the small, mini-him that was at his side. She kissed him tenderly, deeply for one moment, before Gemma's tugging on her shoulder caused her to wince in pain. "Cut it out, Gems," she mumbled, pulling away from Marc to see what the heck was up with her dog.

That was when she, finally, noticed the little boy.

The little boy who looked exactly like Marc.

"Wha-Who is that?" she asked, eyes turning from the child to Marc. Bella had to keep herself from saying 'what' in the nastiest voice possible. Obviously, she knew what the kid was.

But, why the fucking hell did he look like Marc?

• • •

WORDS: 1252!
TAG: Daddy...? <3
LOCATION: Screaming, JFK
OUTFIT: this classy sass!
LYRICS: "Forever and Always" by Parachute
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Marc Dominique Delabarre]

He had yet to work out a plan as to how to break all of this news to Bella. There hadn’t been time to give it much thought thanks to everything keeping him busy whilst away from the big apple, but now it finally hit him that he had no clue as to what to do once they stepped out of the airport.
He had to see Bella, yes, but he didn’t want to take Laurence to the apartment, at least not yet. Marc and Bella had a lot to talk about and there was a high chance of some screaming and another fight between them both before Marc discovered where he stood in her life now and that was not something he wanted his son to see upon arriving in this strange city that would become his new home.

So, what could he do? He needed someone to look after Laurence whilst he cleared things up with Bella and gave her the explanations that she deserved after he’d dodged her so much during his time in Arles. Hopefully she’d understand that what he had to say was not the kind of thing that should be talked about over the phone and she’d forgive him for that much, at least.
Could she forgive him for bringing a son back though? Would she piece together the years, the time and the logic of it all? Marc hadn’t even started college when Daphne had fallen pregnant and could anyone possibly believe that he had been oblivious to the existence of Laurence for the last six years? His family sure hadn’t done.

“Marc Dominique Delabarre! What is the meaning of this?!” His mother only ever used his full name when she was angry and that she was. The tears of anguish were still streaming down her face and his father sat still in the leather chair, a glass of the finest bourbon tightly clenched in his hand.
“I swear, I knew nothing about this until today.”

[/color] His tone was weary, tired and emotional. He was in no mood to fight with his parents now and Laurence would be here soon once Daphne’s parents had helped him pack a few things for an overnight bag. He had returned to the Delabarre home to prepare his family for what would be happening.
“Bullshit! How do you not know that you have a son?!” His father stood up, slamming the glass on the antique table before turning to face his son.
“Daphne never told me. She kept it a secret so that this wouldn’t happen! I never had a clue until today.”[/color] Marc looked his father straight in the eye, knowing that it was the only way to convince him of the truth.
“You were eighteen Marc. You should’ve been able to control your hormones enough so that this didn’t happen! What are we supposed to tell everyone now?” His father didn’t back down and his mother’s sobs were too much to listen to right now, especially after everything that had happened.
“Accidents happen, dad. You know that, and right now, there is a little boy with our last name who has just lost his mother. So, do what you like, but I am going to care for my son and when the time is ready, he’s coming back to New York with me.”[/color] Marc had never had to stand up to his father like this before and he could feel the prying eyes of his younger siblings staring from the ornate staircase.
“Do you really think that she’ll have you back now? You were a teenage father, another one of them statistics and to the rest of the world, it looks like you neglected your responsibilities to Daphne and to your son. You can’t take them six years back and change them.”[/i]

He did hate himself for not knowing until it was too late, but he had the future with Laurence; something that Daphne would never get now. He had apologised to everyone who would listen, son included, about not being there, but it turned out that Daphne had worked hard to keep Marc in a good light and her parents didn’t resent him for it at all, but telling them that Laurence would have to move to New York with him had almost tipped her mother over the edge, terrified that she’d never see her only grandson ever again. There were long summers though and holidays where Marc knew they’d be in Europe at least for a few weeks and after vowing to keep in touch every way possible, she had calmed down enough to mourn the loss of a daughter, not of a family.
Marc had gone out, bought and installed a webcam system so that the Rousseau’s would be able to talk to their grandson across the distance and it had taken three very long sessions to show them how to use it. Laurence was eager to speak to his grandparents when they landed and Marc had promised him that once the time difference allowed it, then he could.

He fished his phone out from the depths of his pocket and began to scroll through the numbers for someone to take care of Laurence whilst he sorted things out with Bella, but before he got a chance to do anything, he caught a glimpse of the beaming actress that seemed to be running towards him. His face turned into one of confusion and panic for a second before her body collided with his and he felt her lips pressed against his. This was not how Marc had planned for Laurence to meet Bella and, whilst one arm encircled the waist of the girl he loved, the other held tighter onto his son. He had missed her; missed holding her and kissing her and there was no way that he could deny that, but right now, this was not what he needed. He didn’t want to cause a scene at the airport, at least. “V-vhat are you doing ‘ere, Bella?”[/color] He asked, unsure of whether to be thrilled or scared by her arrival and what it would mean now, especially since he had a little boy clinging to him, pressed up against his side.

Marc hadn’t been looking forward to this, even after he’d found time to plan out how to tell her. Now she had caught him off guard and unprepared and he really had nowhere to run. It was just a good thing that Laurence didn’t understand English yet, otherwise there may have been even more of a problem. He picked Laurence up from the ground and held him in one arm as he reached out to take Bella’s hand gently. “I vanted to tell you later, once I vas able to think straight, but you ‘ave…surprised me ‘ere. Zhis is Laurence Chase Delabarre, ‘ee eez…zhere eez no easy vay to say zhis. Bella, can ve talk about zhis at home please? I do not think zhat zhis eez zee place for zhis.”[/color] He spoke quietly, softly and gently, not wanting to upset his girlfriend…at least she was for now.
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• • •

TAGGED! Bella <3
WORDS! 1252
OUTFIT! Fuzzy Duck
LYRICS! What Can I Say- - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Arabella Marie Curtis]

She hadn't even been allowed to go out to Arles, to see him, to know what was happening. She'd gotten "hello", "good bye", and "no" out of him every time they spoke. Not like it had been that many times, though. Bella had even called in the middle of the night, morning for him, just so she could maybe get a few more minutes of hearing his voice. But, he'd blown her off. Again. Like each and every other time she'd tried. And it was killing her more than words could explain.

Bella could feel the panic as her lips pressed against Marc's. He... he didn't even hug her all the way. The rejection flooded her system within split seconds, and she automatically stepped back from him. She'd expected at least one single moment of perfection after two and a half weeks apart, of her being almost totally distant from him. But... he didn't even kiss her back, didn't even say hello. His question was asked like her meeting him here was the biggest disaster on the planet. It hurt, like everything from the past couple weeks did. Her surprise was a total tragedy, like the little things she'd tried to do to get him to talk, or do something besides brush her off repeatedly. It felt like she was trying to win him over all over again.

She didn't answer Marc, as her mind was consumed by the little kid standing next to him. He looked so much like him, it was scary. But there were differences, ones she recognized easily. So whose "differences" were they? Had his parents had another kid? The two were obviously related. That could've been defined by a total stranger. But, why the hell was it here? With her Marc?

She watched Marc warily as he scooped up the child, eyes darting between the face of it and him. For the first time ever, her hand felt unfamiliar in his, not warm and endearing like it usually was. It didn't feel right to see him, to even be here now. He'd pushed her away so much... she should've known better than to show up. Had he even planned on seeing her again?

Bella tried to choke the thoughts, turning her attention to the kid. Why the hell hadn't he, at least, warned her?! This affected her as much as it did him, so why had he kept her shoved out of it and locked away in a closet? Bella hated the way he had been speaking to her, as well. And, what he said didn't help anything, either. This had been their conversation for the past couple weeks, minus the name.

And Bella was fucking sick of it.

She was sick of being kept in the dark. She was sick of not knowing anything. She was sick of the half-truths and little white lies. Bella wanted to know what the hell was going on, and she wanted to know. And she'd do everything in her power to make Marc tell her here and now.

"No, Marc, you're telling me now. I'm done with this 'I'll tell you later' shit! It's later, two and a half weeks later. I want to know what the hell is going on, and why the freakin' hell that looks like you!" she said, almost glaring at him with eyes that were spilling fire. Bella gestured to the kid - Laurence - as she said 'that'. Yes, he was still a thing to her. The thing that had entirely ripped Marc from her with one little phonecall. Why was this kid so much more important than the possible one they were going to have? Why was he more important to Marc than her?

Gemma, on the other hand, seemed enthralled by the little boy. Bella could feel her tail wagging in the case, and the puppy was practically jumping out of the case to lick Laurence and/or Marc. She pulled her hand from Marc's, not taking her scorching eyes off of his until needed. Bella gently, she'd never hurt her baby, pushed Gemma back inside the case, muttering annoyed swear words at the innocent dog. Really, she wanted to swear and scream and shout at Marc. And the kid that he was holding.

But, Bella knew that wasn't what was truly going on here. She wanted to know why he'd left, yes, and if he was alright, who the fuck the kid was, what had happened in Arles. But most of all, she wanted to know why he'd kept her out of it all. He'd promised her over and over again that she'd be a part of his life forever, so why wasn't she allowed to be in this piece? It was like he'd locked her out of his entire family life, a place she constantly worried about filling whenever his parents or siblings were mentioned. And, he'd never answered her question about if that was why she couldn't come.

Did they all hate her there? Did they all think her cruel and selfish for stealing their son and taking him halfway across the world?

More questions that Bella hadn't gotten answers to.

But those answers were going to be given now, if it was the last thing she did.

• • •

WORDS: 930!
TAG: Daddy...? <3
LOCATION: Screaming, JFK
OUTFIT: this classy sass!
LYRICS: "Forever and Always" by Parachute
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Marc Dominique Delabarre]

How was he supposed to break the news to Bella over the phone? He had returned to Arles because his ex-girlfriend was dying. Yes, he had kissed her – briefly. Now, he had a son that he knew nothing about until two and a half weeks ago and yes, he would be living with him in New York until college came around, at least. Wow. Marc never envisioned himself planning something like that.
There was a lot to process still and there was an awful lot left to do still, too. Where would this leave him and Bella? He loved her so much that words couldn’t even begin to explain his feelings, but he had a loyalty to his son. There was a bond forming between them that nothing and no one would be able to break if the ultimatum was ever given.
Then there was schools and medical forms and…there was too much for Marc to think about right now. First off, he needed to see if there was still a home with Bella; still a future for them.

She wasn’t going to like this, he knew that much. There was too much that had happened in the last few weeks that he had neglected to tell her. It was a hard situation for him to be in. He wanted to tell her everything, explain everything to her in detail, but it was not the kind of conversation that should be had over the phone, especially when he couldn’t jump on a plane so easily this time; not with Laurence and everything that came with him to consider into the equation.
Bella had asked him every call if she could come to Arles and every time he had to tell her ‘no’. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her there, but with Daphne’s family to consider and the fact that he had a son who was mourning the loss of his mother; a loss he was too young to fully comprehend, things just weren’t the best for Bella to come into. Marc himself had been a mess most nights and he didn’t ever want Bella to see him that way and he knew how she’d react if she knew the truth and had been in Arles when it all came out. That wasn’t something he wanted Laurence or any of the families exposed to, especially not in such a trying time of grief and acceptance.

The longer he stayed on the phone to her, the harder it was to keep calm and act as if everything was alright. He knew she’d be suspicious by now that he was hiding things from her, but he had hoped that she’d be patient enough to allow him to explain himself fully and his actions in detail before she’d pounce on him like she did. It kind of made things harder to deal with, especially whilst balancing a six year old in his arm.

Marc could see the hurt, anger and confusion in her eyes as she looked between the two Delabarre’s and it almost ripped him apart too. He felt exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Right now, he was in no state to be dealing with the consequences of this and he wanted nothing more than to go to a bed somewhere and sleep until he genuinely felt alive again. Ever since they had let Daphne off of the machines and she had died, he had found the life being drained from him too, as he came to terms with everything and set about organising what would be his next move.

“You always have a home here Marc.” His mother whispered, leaning closer to her son as he sat on the sofa, head cradled in his hands.
“Everything is in New York though. Bella, my job…I can’t just leave them there and is it so selfish of me to want them?”

[/color] He asked, his head pounding after the revelation and aftermath of it all.
”No, but this isn’t just about you or even Bella anymore. There’s Laurence to consider and you need to do what is best for him too.” Her hand slipped into her son’s and she smiled sadly at him. It pained her to see one of her own children so conflicted and torn up like this; especially when it was the son who always kept his wits about him and handled everything with the calmest of natures.
“But a new start may be what he needs. I’ll never let him forget Daphne or replace her, but I don’t think I can stay here and do this, knowing that I missed six years here because I was in London and New York looking after everyone else.”[/color]
“It’s what you do Marc. It’s what you’ve always done, but what matters now is that you’re there for Laurence and I know you can do this. I’ve never had more faith in one of my children.” Marc bit back the tears and hugged his mother as though the world was about to end, letting himself break down after keeping everything bottled up for so long. “Come on. If you want your son with you in New York, then we have a lot of papers to push. Don’t worry Marc, I’ll be with you every step of the way while you do this.”[/i]

When she said the word ‘that’, Marc felt something burning inside of him; some protective instinct that he’d never felt before. His jaw tensed and he took a deep breath, determined to keep his cool about this in front of his son. Laurence was already tucking his head beneath Marc’s chin and silently cuddling up to his dad. “Fine. If you vant to know, zhen I vill tell you. Laurence looks like me because ‘ee eez my son.”[/color]
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• • •

TAGGED! Bella <3
WORDS! 1007
OUTFIT! Fuzzy Duck
LYRICS! What Can I Say- - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Arabella Marie Curtis]

Arabella had been promised countless times that nothing was going to break them apart, that Marc would love her through everything, no matter what it was. So, why did it feel like he was taking back each of those words now? She wanted to know why so badly. Was this all because of her and the fight they'd had? The question had been burning in her mind since he'd left. Was all of this her fault?

It was impossible, though, right? He wouldn't go running home to his family after they'd almost, almost made up their fight. And, it hadn't really been that bad. Just... a misunderstanding and Bella being dramatic. What was new? The screaming. Bella knew that was the answer, but she had hardly been in a state to admit that to herself. She blocked out all the hurtful words they'd exchanged in hopes of turning to a brighter future as soon as he came back home to her. If he came back home at all.

No, that wasn't right. "Home" wasn't with her at all, was it? It was with his family back in France, where she most obviously wasn't welcome. Was she even welcome in his life anymore? Bella wanted him back in hers, she really did. And she'd do anything to go back to how they were before all of this happened, before she found out about this stupid scare of a pregnancy. She wished Marc could be hers again, just hers and nobody else's. Sharing him wasn't fun, as she'd learned with her first trial of living without him. True, they'd actually talked then, but he had still been on the other side of the globe. That was about the only similarity, however.

Rejection, anger, confusion, and heartbreak all fresh wounds on her flammable skin, Bella stood in front of Marc. She wanted to know what was going on, and she wanted to know now. You didn't just show up in an airport with a kid after two weeks of being gone and not get asked questions. And Bella was going to ask about ten million questions and finally get some fucking answers. She watched the tension radiate through Marc, but she knew it was rolling off of her own body in waves. Bella was pissed off now, and she was barring her heart against the hurt that she was, deep down, expecting. But, she also knew he'd kill her no matter what if he said he didn't love her anymore, that he was leaving her for this... thing. And, even if he didn't say it aloud, Bella wouldn't be his second place. She'd had enough of it in the past half month, and wasn't about to go through more of it when he was standing in the same city as her.

As his words slammed into her ears, all emotions but two left her body: confusion and betrayal. "He's your... your w-what?" she choked out, staring at him with heart broken eyes now. Bella could feel her entire body freezing as the next question rolled into her head. "He doesn't look that old... did Marc che- No, no, he wouldn't do that to you, Bella," she silently fought internally. "He wouldn't... would he?"

"How old... how old is he?" she whispered after a long moment, the betrayal winning out over the confusion and heartbreak now. Marc had never even bothered to tell her about this kid, even if it was born before they had started dating. Did he really think she'd judge him for having a son?

She sure as hell wouldn't. For that, at least.

She would have a bit of an issue with the fact that he hadn't fucking told her. And, besides, why was the chit here now? Ruining her and Marc's life, everything they had planned. It was- "He's his son, Arabella! Where the hell's your heart?!" she could almost hear Kari screeching at her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked now, voice getting stronger. The fire was returning to her body now, slowly, but it still was. The angered betrayal was fueling it, and Bella wasn't doing anything to stop it. In her eyes, she had a right to be pissed. Marc hadn't clued her in, had barely spoken to her, and now he just showed up with a kid... who was his son.

And he expected the drama queen to be fucking calm?

Good luck with that one.

• • •

WORDS: 820!
TAG: Daddy...? <3
LOCATION: Screaming, JFK
OUTFIT: this classy sass!
LYRICS: "Forever and Always" by Parachute
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Marc Dominique Delabarre]

Yup. This was a difficult thing to say and now they were stood in the middle of arrivals having a conversation that was never intended for public ears. Everyone around them was greeting friends and relatives with big smiles and love and they were caught up in their own little soap opera. There had been a reason he had wanted this conversation to happen in private, without Laurence nearby and the confusion, the emotions and the heartbreak on Bella’s face was that very reason.
He didn’t want to hurt her. He never wanted to hurt her. Marc wanted this to work for them, he wanted to be a father and keep Bella in his life, but it wasn’t going to be easy and he could see the betrayal in her eyes. He couldn’t blame her; if their roles had been reversed he’d have felt the same.

What could he say though? He was still only just getting his head around the facts and that there was a small human who kept calling him ‘papa’. He didn’t know what to say to Bella. He couldn’t promise that everything would be alright, he couldn’t say that things would work out because he simply didn’t know. Now he had Laurence in New York, he didn’t know what to do with him. There had to be schooling sorted out, he needed to learn English, have a bedroom of his own, find out what foods he liked…there was so much still left to do and Marc didn’t think that he could do it alone.
Would Bella stand by him though? She hadn’t signed up for this and considering how much she freaked out about her possible pregnancy, he didn’t expect her to want to stick around to help him raise a child who, currently, wouldn’t understand a word she said and who was still very much mourning his mother – someone he never even got to say goodbye to.

Daphne’s injuries had been too severe and the adults decided that it was best for Laurence not to see his mother like that. Even with make-up, the wounds were still visible on her face and Marc did not want his son to be having nightmares about it for the next year or more. They broke the news to him as gently as possible and Marc had held him close as he cried; choking sobs and French mumblings into his shoulder whilst his grandparents consoled each other. At first it had felt like he was intruding; he didn’t belong here. The only reason he was there was for his son and it took a lot of reassurances from Daphne’s family to convince him that it was okay and that Laurence did belong with his, as per Daphne’s dying wish. It didn’t make it any easier though and Marc had spent night after night trying to accept what had happened, often watching his son sleep in what had been Marc’s old childhood bedroom. The Rousseau’s had been adamant that Laurence spend time in the Delabarre home so that he could bond with Marc before flying out to New York, but it still didn’t make Marc feel any less guilty; to him, it felt as though he was stealing Laurence away from everything he had grown up with. The little boy had handled everything well though, and had even told Marc that he was excited about New York. It would be different when they were there though and the ‘holiday’ period was over. Marc’s biggest fear was that he would hate it; the noise and the people and cling to his father as much as possible, even after the mourning period was long gone.

Marc really wanted to get out of the airport and have this conversation elsewhere, but he knew that Bella would be reluctant to leave now until he gave her all the answers that she wanted. He knew that he owed her them and he understood her refusal to budge until she had them, but seriously, there was a child watching and whilst he may not be able to understand their words, he was by no means stupid and Marc figured that he’d be able to sense the tension between the two adults if this escalated to anything out of his control. Laurence already seemed a little nervous of Bella anyway as he cuddled closer to Marc. After all, she was a stranger.

“He vas six last month. He’s my son, Bella.”

[/color] The words were still hard to believe, even for Marc and he could understand Bella’s confusion and fears right now. It was how anyone would react, Marc was sure of it.

He took a deep breath, knowing that if he wasn’t careful, Bella would start screaming at him about this. He kept his voice as calm as possible, his explanation to the point and just said it before she could think anything of his hesistation. “I did not know zhat ‘ee even existed until I got to Arles. I ‘ave spent zee last two weeks trying to figure out ‘ow to tell you, Bella and to get my own ‘ead around eet. Zhis vas not something I vanted to do over the phone, you understand zhat, don’t you?”[/color] He hoped to god that she did, because otherwise, he really didn’t know what he’d have to do to help her see his reasons.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Bella <3
WORDS! 934
OUTFIT! Fuzzy Duck
LYRICS! What Can I Say- - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Arabella Marie Curtis]

All Bella could currently do was stare.

At Marc, at Laurence. Back and fourth between the two. She couldn't believe what he'd just told her. This... this kid was his son? They looked similar enough, that was for sure. But... he really had a child, a son. And Bella hadn't been the one to give it to him. She'd wanted to be the one to give him his first born, though doing that at the moment was not a happy thought. Still, she had wanted to do it eventually. And now, now this kid was here, crumbling one of the cherished dreams Bella had never dared to tell anyone about.

But, it wasn't just that. This kid, Laurence, was ruining everything she'd had planned. Bella had made a promise to herself to fix this, her relationship with Marc. And, if that had included going to Arles, she would've done it. And now, now this kid was here and he was smashing every single one of her plans to try and mend whatever was left of her and Marc's love. She had even planned to attempt to learn cooking, and try to figure out something about the computers he loved so much. Bella was willing to do anything to get Marc back... but now it looked like the chance had been ripped from her by this... this child. And she didn't know what to do to stop him.

He was, after all, a kid. Marc's kid. Part of Bella knew she'd become second place to that in Marc's heart. It killed her to think about it, but she knew it was true. That was just the kind of guy Marc was. He'd give everything up for the one person he loved the most. And Bella was no longer going to be that person as long as Laurence was here. To say the least, her heart was shattering before her eyes.

She'd gotten used to being spoiled and petted and comforted by Marc. Hell, she almost expected it nowadays. But with Laurence here? What would become of their times together? They barely saw each other as it was, and carting around a kid would make things even worse. And they hardly had the space for him in the apartment. It was tight with only the two of them and Gemma! Would she get pushed out of his life now that he had a kid to look after? Would she let herself be locked away once more?

The relief that flooded Bella at the first part of his sentence was only visible for a mere second, but it was still there. He hadn't cheated on her at all. Six years was before their time together, but she did have to wonder whose time it had been with Marc. Who was Laurence's mother? "At least he didn't cheat on you. Forget about the mother part," her mind said bitterly. But Marc hadn't cheated on her. He had, however, totally slashed their lines of trust for the time being.

And his somewhat ridiculous story about not even knowing he had a son wasn't helping things. Bella rose an eyebrow at him, partly in disgust and partly because she was internally debating whether or not to believe him. He'd never lied to her, not even once in their relationship. But that was before this all happened. And now, it wasn't exactly easy for her to entirely trust him.

"Then you should've let me come out there instead of keeping me in the dark here, worried sick about you and whatever the hell was happening! But, oh wait, I didn't know anything because you wouldn't fucking talk to me so I couldn't even figure out what to be worried about!" she snapped, shaking her head at him. Honestly? No, she didn't understand why he'd locked her up here when she could've been there for him, like he always was for her. Bella couldn't understand why he'd let the both of them be miserable apart when she knew they could've been making each other better. Her only answer was that he didn't want her embarrassing or disgracing him in front of his family. Not that she wasn't doing just that in front of his son. It didn't bother her, however. The kid was bound to see them argue about this eventually, so it might as well be now in front of witnesses. Plus, this way, neither her nor Marc could kill each other. And Bella was used to making a spectacle of herself. It was what she did for a living.

"No, I don't. I don't get why you wouldn't talk to me, why you blew me off every single time I tried to talk to you, why you kept pushing me away when I just wanted to help," she said, though the words cost her more than she let on. "You don't even want me here now! You probably wouldn't have told me if I wasn't, though, would you?" she shot at him, the hurt and frustration thickening every piece of her sentencs now.

But, it was obvious to her she'd made a mistake coming her.

He didn't want her. She should've stayed locked in the dark.

Too late now.

• • •

WORDS: 943!
TAG: Daddy...? <3
LOCATION: Screaming, JFK
OUTFIT: this classy sass!
LYRICS: "Forever and Always" by Parachute
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Marc Dominique Delabarre]

Right now, things had never been harder for Marc. He loved Bella so very much, but he had his son too. If she couldn’t accept Laurence then he was left with no choice but to leave her and their relationship behind. He was all his son had left now and he couldn’t let anyone ruin that for him, not even Bella; despite how heart breaking this was for her.
If she was willing to help him get used to this and if she was ready to stand by him and give this unusual situation a chance, then Marc had every confidence that all of their problems could work out over time. Maybe he was being a little too hopeful or a little too optimistic, but he had promised Bella that he would always come back to her and he wanted to keep that promise as best as he possibly could. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, one day maybe even have children together and get married, but the reality of the matter was not as simple as his rose tinted perspective wanted things to be.

Just because he had Laurence in his life now it didn’t mean that his feelings for Bella had changed. Yes, it had angered him slightly when she had referred to the little boy as ‘that’, but he still loved her. He still wanted to come home to their apartment every day and surprise her with flowers, jewellery, and dinner reservations…everything he had done before he went away. He wanted to cook her meals she loved the most and cuddle her on the sofa. Yes, it wouldn’t be exactly the same and he would have a lot of time with Laurence that may interfere with their casual and carefree lifestyle that they once had, but that didn’t mean that it couldn’t be good. He had hoped that eventually, they’d be able to embrace the idea of a family life, where they’d tuck Laurence in bed each night, he’d help teach him English and Bella would play with him whilst Marc was cooking…it was all part of his ideal world, but, of course, nothing was going to work out like that.

She was reacting as he expected her to, but still he couldn’t help feeling a little defensive. Everything he had done was him trying to do what was right and she couldn’t see that? Why couldn’t she understand how difficult it was for him in Arles? See the logic behind him not inviting her out to see him? None of this had been about him or her, it was about Laurence and putting Daphne to rest. He wanted all of that to be done and in the past before he introduced Bella and Laurence, so that there was no feeling of replacement or confusion for the sake of the young child involved in this; a child that Bella was clearly forgetting about as she put Marc in the role of the villain before even giving him a real chance to explain everything.

“Zhis ‘as never been about you or even us! You couldn’t come to Arles because zhis vas not a Delabarre funeral! Laurence’s mother died and I felt like I didn’t belong zhere. ‘Ow vould ‘er parents and ‘er family feel if I ‘ad invited you, as though I ‘ad zee right to do so? My son needed me and zhat vas the only reason I stayed away so long. Zhere vere things to be arranged, goodbyes to be said and, did you miss zee part vhere I found out, for zee first time, zhat I vas a father?!”

[/color] This had been bubbling up inside of him now for weeks. He’d not had the time to really let it all out, other than the one time he cried with his mother. He didn’t want to start yelling in the airport-it was the last thing he wanted, but right now Bella was trying to twist this to be about how he had let her down, when all he had been doing was trying to be a good father. Maybe she really was still too young to understand this? Maybe Marc had made a mistake following her in the first place when, right now, it was clear that they expected completely different things from each other.

He shook his head, laughing at how well she could twist these things. He held onto Laurence tighter, hugging him to his chest, silently reassuring his son that it was okay. “You are unbelievable Bella. I ‘ad things to do. I ‘ave not even ‘ad zee time to think in zee last two weeks, let alone talk to you for hours! I ‘ad to arrange travelling, visas, pull Laurence out of ‘is school and away from everything zhat made Arles ‘is ‘ome. I ‘ave just dragged my son across zee world and you are acting more childish about eet zhan ‘ee eez!”[/color] He took a deep breath and then met Bella’s eyes with an icy stare. He thought these trust issues of hers were cleared up before he left and yet, here she was, acting like he was the world’s biggest jerk…again. “No. You are right. I did not vant you ‘ere right now. I vanted to get Laurence settled, find someone to babysit ‘im for a few hours and zhen I vas coming ‘ome, to you, to explain everything from start to end. But maybe, maybe eet eez good zhat you are ‘ere now, because now I can see exactly how little trust and faith you ‘ave in the man you supposedly love! You know vhat? Forget zhis and forget us. I cannot be vith someone who thinks so little of me before she even ‘ears the whole story.”[/color] He grabbed the suitcase handle with his free hand, preparing to walk away from Bella and everything they has worked for two years to achieve.

It would kill him, but clearly there was no room for him and Laurence in her life and that meant that he had to break their hearts to do what was right.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Bella <3
WORDS! 1059
OUTFIT! Fuzzy Duck
LYRICS! What Can I Say- - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Arabella Marie Curtis]

Bella had always done things for herself. Always, always, always. It'd been only about Bella; what Bella wanted, what Bella dreamed about, what Bella needed. Even her parents had gone along with it. That was why she'd even asked Marc here to New York in the first place. She needed him, wanted him. And what Bella wanted she usually got. Even with Marc, that was usually the case. She was spoiled, and she knew it.

It made all of this even harder. She didn't know what to do, what to say to Marc. Bella only knew what she'd been through in the time he'd been away, and those were the emotions she was working off of. She'd given him countless opportunities to explain what was happening, and he'd turned down every single one. What was he expecting her to think after that? That he'd just gone on a spur of the moment vacation? Bella knew better, and she was starting to see this "I never knew I had a son" crap in a different light. Did he think she was really that stupid? That he could make up some story to pacify her, when it was obviously too out of this world to be the truth?

Or... had he done it to protect her? That sounded more like the Marc she'd fallen in love with, the one she was still in love with. But, it was obvious to her that he'd changed. He'd grown up in that two weeks of them being a part. And he'd stepped even farther out of her reach than he was before. This kid had changed her Marc into a complete stranger who happened to be living in the body of her boyfriend. Or what had been her boyfriend. This wasn't the Marc she knew, loved, or even recognized anymroe. This was what he'd transformed into while she was hiding here in New York. Or, rather, being kept here so she was out of the way.

"Amazing how I can find out more in three seconds than two weeks!" she snorted. But, Bella stored away the words, knowing she'd have to piece this whole, gigantic jigsaw puzzle together herself. Obviously, Marc wouldn't be doing it for her. "If it wasn't a Delabarre funeral, why were you there?" she challenged. It had something to do with the Delabarres' if he'd vanished that quickly, she knew that much. "How should I know how they'd react? I don't even know who his mother is! Nobody told me," she said back, trying her damnedest not to shout the ending. Nobody had told her anything, so how was she supposed to know any of this? He hadn't bothered to, she wouldn't call his parents, and it wasn't like she was extremely close to his siblings. "You ran off after finding out you'd be the father of my baby," she added icily. He had run off though, and spent two weeks off in Arles with this kid who he, supposedly, didn't even know he had. Bella still wasn't buying it.

"I wasn't asking for hours; I was asking for more than five seconds and a few answers!" Her eyes dimmed for a moment as he called her childish (again) but, she brushed it off. He wasn't going to see her cry today... at least not yet. "At least, if it would've been me, I would've told you to avoid all this!" Bella met his gaze with fired eyes of her own, the hurt in the thousands of miles away now.

"I think it's become clear you don't want me anywhere," she answered in a flat voice. It was the only one that wouldn't show an emotion she was actually feeling. Heart break, anger, frustration. Any other tone, and he would've known in a second that his words sliced deeper than she let on. "How am I supposed to trust someone who won't even tell me the truth? How am I supposed to have faith in him when he runs off and entirely forgets about me until he's back in the same city as me?!" she screamed, ignoring the disgusted stares of the people around her. The two of them did look more than a bit insane, but this had to happen at some point in time.

"I was already forgotten," she said, every emotion she could possibly muster up filling her tone. The impulse dragged Bella's logic away, and she couldn't stop what happened next. She stepped in front of him, her hand slamming against his cheek.

With her lips set in a firm line, she turned on her heel and walked away.

All hail the Drama Queen.

• • •

WORDS: 870!
TAG: Daddy...? <3
LOCATION: Screaming, JFK
OUTFIT: this classy sass!
LYRICS: "Forever and Always" by Parachute
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Marc Dominique Delabarre]

This…this was not Marc. The emotions and the frustration he was feeling was not part of who he was, not at all. The sane part of his mind tried to calm him down, make him think straight, but the rest of him was too tired, too shocked, too broken and too exhausted to even pause for logic. He wore his heart on his sleeve and it had been breaking for the last two weeks and up until now, he’d been able to keep it together with the thin fibres that kept him remembering what he had with Bella.
The short phone calls; brief and unfair, were actually what had kept him pushing through the piles of paper, talks, meetings and decision making because he knew that the quicker he got through it the quicker he’d be able to return home to her.

Now? Now all the love he had for her was dissolving, mutating into something that didn’t even have a name. His heart was breaking, yes, but at the same time, he couldn’t believe how she was acting. He was a patient man and often listened to Bella’s dramatic rants with a soft smile and hugged her when they were over, but today…today he couldn’t even think about having any sympathy for her, not now. To begin with he had tons and was working on apologies and plans to show her how sorry he was, but all of that was gone now. His mind was solely on his son and what he had to do as a father. Right now, Bella was tarnishing everything with this pathetic ‘me, me, me’ attitude and Marc was sick to death of it. The girl was incapable of seeing the bigger picture, understanding what has happened and not even caring about the little boy in Marc’s arms who had just lost his mother!

He couldn’t control himself. The emotions boiled up and he found himself snapping, a new side to him, to this fatherhood emerging and he couldn’t believe that it was Bella who had brought this out in him. He stopped caring about how she felt and he let rip like there was no tomorrow. “’Is mother eez Daphne Rousseau! She vas practically crushed to death in a car accident.”

[/color] He spat, venomously, so very glad that Laurence couldn’t understand a word of this. The truth about Daphne’s death had been kept vague, just the basic details so that it didn’t upset him too much. “I vas zhere because I am Laurence’s father and because Daphne vas someone who I cared about. I may ‘ave loved you, but you don’t stop caring about the rest of the world.”[/color] Every word was laced in venom, his eyes burning as he sought out to put Bella in her place and show her that none of this was about her and that the world did not evolve around the spoilt little drama queen that she was. “You veren’t told because zhis actually ‘ad very little to do vith you. Zhis vas about Daphne and Laurence and after all zhis time, she still loved me.”[/color] Shaking his head, he ignored the comment about being a father to her child. That was something he would deal with later, if it was the case. Right now, he was letting out all the hurt and frustration that had built up over the last two weeks on the one person who dragged it out of him better than anyone. “I ‘ope for zee child’s sake zhat you’re not pregnant. You are too self-absorbed to give attention to another living being. And I did not run away because of zhat and you know eet! My life eez not solely about you and I could not give you answers zhat I did not ‘ave!”[/color]

He ran his hand through his hair. A can of worms had been opened now and he couldn’t stop. Every emotion known to mankind and then some were flooding out of him in the most unattractive way verbally possible. People were staring and Laurence was pressed up against his father like nothing else could protect him. Marc hugged his son, but cared about nothing else in that moment. Bella…the girl was infuriating and he wanted to know what possessed her to act like such a conceited little bitch.

The impact of her hand against his cheek caught him off guard and he heard the sobs of Laurence start up as Bella began to walk away. Marc was nowhere near done though and he followed her, hot on her heels as he continued to yell and scream at her, whilst holding his son as close as possible. “You are such a drama queen! You really cannot face reality vhen the limelight is not on you! You spend ages trying to convince people zhat you are not some little child, but vhen the time comes to act your age, you fail, every time. Tell me, eez eet seriously impossible for you to think about someone else vithout trying to relate it back to you or ‘ow you can benefit from eet? Zhis eez not some Broadway show, Arabella and ve are not characters on a stage zhat you can toy vith until you are zee only one ‘appy, cause zhat eez all you ‘ave ever cared about – you!”[/color] There was no stopping him and he kept on going shouting and screaming everything that came into his mind whether he honestly believed it or not. “I ‘ave never lied to you and I never vould, but clearly none of zhat matters to a materialistic, stuck up little bitch like you! You can hate me, you can never want to see me again, but you do not make my son cry and expect me to forgive you for it. I do not know who zee ‘ell you think you are, but let me tell you zhis; until you stop being so damn selfish, no one eez going to take you seriously and I am through with you.”[/color] He stormed past her and loaded the case into the first cab he saw, placing Laurence inside before turning back to Bella for one last hit. “I love you Bella, but zhis? Zhis disgusts me. Laurence eez a child for god’s sake and you...I ‘ope to god you grow up one day.”[/color] He slammed the door behind him as he got in the car, giving the address of the Plaza to the driver and not glancing back once as the cab pulled away, but instead he hugged his son and whispered softly in his ear;
“It’s me and you kid, just me and you.”[/color][/i]
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Bella <3
WORDS! 1157
OUTFIT! Fuzzy Duck
LYRICS! What Can I Say- - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! Marc is hated right now <3 <3 <3

[Arabella Marie Curtis]

There was a very small reason Bella was dragging this out. Besides the fact that she was in fact pissed and in need of some deserved answers, she wanted to know what had really happened in Arles, not the edited version she knew Marc would give her. He'd spare whatever he could so she wouldn't worry about it, and Bella didn't want that right now. Or, well, the guy who'd left New York would've done that. This one... Bella didn't know what he would've done. But, she knew for sure that she'd be getting the whole, entirely true, story out of him.

And there was only one way to do that.

It involved screaming, yes. It would involve crying later on, yes. And it'd involve a lot of goddamn heart break. But, Bella needed to know what had so easily ripped Marc away from her. So, she'd get him pissed off. It had worked one time before, though she'd hardly been aiming for it then. Now, at least, she'd somewhat expect whatever blows he decided to deliver, even if they were only verbal. Those tended to last a lot longer than physical ones, anyway.

"Two more question answered," she reminded herself as Marc snapped violently at her. "Just get it over with, Bells. If he loves you, he'll forgive you for it later. And you'll forgive him for whatever the hell he does say."

However, it was getting more and more difficult by the second to keep her calm. Seeing Marc like this pierced her heart straight through. And, to think she'd caused it? It made everything a thousand times worse. Bella could tell he was exhausted; one look at him told her that much. And she'd still chosen to pick this fight. Why? Why had she done it? Because she needed the answers he hadn't given her, and she wasn't a very patient person. But, also because she wanted to know what the hell he'd had to bare while he was gone for so long. She just wanted to help him like he always did with her.

The insults hit her hard, but Bella did her best to shove them off. If screaming at her did any good, then let him scream until he was hoarse. The fire flickered in her eyes when he mentioned the Daphne girl still loving him. She was why he'd gone home... so what if something had happened to Bella? Would he come racing to the rescue for her, as well?

Everything had become too much for her, had hit too close to home. That was why she'd slapped him, an action she'd probably regret for the rest of her life. Why did she always ruin things like this? Why? She shook her head as she walked off, Gemma seven pounds of silence on her shoulder. Bella kept her head held high, refusing to turn around though she could hear Marc following her. She let his words sink in around her, refusing to stop walking as she made her way out of JFK International. Stopping would mean giving into the tears threatening her eyes, and she wasn't going to cry in front of him. Not today. Not after everything he had just said that assured he couldn't care less about her.

But, four words had her freezing mid-step.

"... stuck up little bitch..."

They replayed in her mind as he continued on his rampage, Bella's heart freezing in agony. He'd really called her a bitch, the one person she'd never expected to. The one person she would've bet anything on that, no, he'd never say that about her.

Bella let him storm past her, eyes errupting in fire once he turn around. If he loved her, he would've have just called her a bitch. Though, she would admit, she was acting like one. But it was the only way to get the answers she needed. And, now she at least knew what the hell had happened. He'd raced across the globe for the girlfriend he'd left six years ago, the one Bella had thought he'd forgotten about.

"Aller en enfer," she spat at him, delibrately using French this time as he turned back around. Bella had picked up that the kid didn't know English. But, lukily, she knew French.

And, if it would piss Marc off more, then so be it. Bella didn't want to be the only one suffering from this, even if she would be the one with the broken heart while he mused about how much of a bitch he'd been dating.

"You're not a bitch, Bells. You just know what you want, when you want it, and you don't always know the politest way to get it." Bella could hear Kari, the one person who wouldn't call her a bitch, except jokingly. She needed her sister, and that was the one person she thought about as she watched Marc's cab speed off.

If she numbed him out, maybe this entire day would just become a blur.

• • •

WORDS: 890!
TAG: Daddy...? <3
LOCATION: Screaming, JFK
OUTFIT: this classy sass!
LYRICS: "Forever and Always" by Parachute
NOTES: I had no clue what to say >.< & "Go to hell" <3 ;3