Waiting For My Real Life To Begin
by Laura Spudzmom
Chapter 03
Stefan sat back, wrapping an arm around Elena.
"Well, it would be nice to meet my niece and have a chance to get to know her before all of the intense work begins. I hate to say it, but there is a ton of practice that goes into the comportment of a lady of the past eras.
Why don't you check out of the hotel you're in and come and stay here? I don't know if you're planning on staying here with her the whole time or not but it would be nice if you could stay a few days at least so that she has a familiar face around the place until she gets to know us."
Renée glanced up at Damon and he nodded and saluted her with his glass.
"You're welcome as far as I'm concerned Renée. The world would be a scary place indeed if I felt the need to hide from all of my ex's."
Renée smirked. "I just bet."
Turning to Stefan, she answered him.
"You know, I wasn't quite sure what kind of a reception I would get when I came here, so I hadn't made any solid plans but I'll give it some thought and let you know within a day. I have to go back to Bella tonight, and I'll bring her by tomorrow. Does ten tomorrow sound good?"
Stefan nodded. "I'll have a room ready for you in addition to the one for Isabella, just in case."
Renée rose from her seat and smiled at Stefan.
"You've been very kind and gracious about this whole thing and I thank you for that. You as well Elena, and thank you for speaking to your friend Bonnie. I'll see you tomorrow."
They showed her out and she breathed a sigh of relief once she was behind the wheel of her car.
It had gone way better than she could have hoped for and she had some hope for her daughter for the first time in days.
Lost in thoughts of cold ones, witches and time travel spells as she was, the drive seemed to pass in the blink of an eye and she entered the room to find Bella just as she had left her, curled into a ball on one side of the bed.
It looked as though she hadn't moved a muscle and she probably hadn't if the last few days that Renée had observed her were any indication.
Renée only hoped that Bella would get better and begin to help herself once she was back to the land of the living. If she fought her recovery...
Renée shook her head. No more thinking for her tonight. She was bone weary.
Quickly taking care of the necessities and changing, she climbed into the other side of the bed and was out before her head touched the pillow.
The next day, she was knocking on the door of the boarding house at ten sharp, a decidedly somnambulistic Bella in tow.
She was surprised to see Damon opening the door to her. Pleasantly so, if she were to admit it.
She had always wanted him to take an interest in their daughter and when he hadn't her heart had broken a little for herself, but mostly for Bella.
To Bella's credit though, she had done well with the concept of a missing father somewhere out there in the world and hadn't lamented the fact that he seemed to want nothing to do with her.
At least, she had on the surface.
Bella, being the private person that she is might have harbored deep pain concerning the subject. She was very good with keeping Renée in the dark about many things it would seem, after all.
Sighing at her run-away thoughts once again, Renée greeted him.
"Good morning Damon."
He stepped to the side, holding the door. "Renée, won't you come in?"
Ushering them into the house, Damon got his first looks at the daughter he had shunned the minute he'd learned of her conception.
How could he have a child in his life after all? What kind of a father would he be? Certainly no example to be looked up to and loved.
No, he had decided long ago that he wouldn't ruin her life like that and so to see her now was like a stake to the gut, but he'd never admit that to anyone. He would cover it with sarcasm and vitriol as was his usual modus operandi.
With his resolve strengthened, he plastered on the well known bitter smirk and ushered them into the living room where his brother and Elena waited with a reluctant looking Bonnie.
Once everyone was introduced, seated and exchanging pleasantries, Damon studied his daughter and could see the direness of the situation clearly.
She was dying; there was no longer a doubt left in his mind.
Her blue eyes that matched his perfectly were flat and blank, her skin sallow and dry, her lips beginning to crack.
She looked as though she was suffering a private hell and Damon was impatient to give her some of his blood just to see an improvement.
Crossing the room, he bit into his wrist and sat next to her, placing his wrist up to her mouth, which was already slightly open.
What he hadn't counted on was her potential response. She went from being a placid zombie to a screaming banshee in a second, knocking his bleeding wrist away and striking at anything that came close to her from that point on.
Everyone in the room looked on, frozen in shock but Damon jumped on the couch behind her and pinned her limbs with his, whispering in her ear to calm her as he rocked her gently.
It began to work and he continued as tears flowed down her cheeks in a torrent, sobs wracking her petite body.
"Bella, Bella, shhh, my beautiful daughter. It's going to be alright. I'll make it better for you beautiful girl. Shhh, I'll fix this baby girl, you just have to give me a chance. Can you do that baby girl?" He murmured to her quietly while loosening his hold on her a bit.
She turned in his arms almost immediately and clutched to him, her face buried in his chest.
"It hurts so bad daddy. It hurts so much I can't stand it. And you weren't there. You've never been there, and I need you daddy" she sobbed, "I need you."
He continued rocking her and buried his face in her hair.
"I'm here now baby girl. I'm here now and I will fix this, you'll see sweetheart, but you have to help too, alright?"
He backed up just a bit , taking her cheeks in both hands so that she had to meet his eyes.
"I need your cooperation if I'm going to be able to fix this for you baby girl. Can you do that?"
She hesitated the barest moment and then nodded through the tears that continued to flow.
Laying her head back against his chest, she spoke again. "Yes, just please don't leave me daddy. I need you. It doesn't hurt as bad with you near."
Damon sighed and rocked her.
"I'm not going anywhere baby. I promise you. I know that I've let you down your entire life so far sweetheart, but in this I won't fail you, I swear it."
No one in the room could believe what they had just witnessed, least of all Renée.
Stefan sat back, wrapping an arm around Elena.
"Well, it would be nice to meet my niece and have a chance to get to know her before all of the intense work begins. I hate to say it, but there is a ton of practice that goes into the comportment of a lady of the past eras.
Why don't you check out of the hotel you're in and come and stay here? I don't know if you're planning on staying here with her the whole time or not but it would be nice if you could stay a few days at least so that she has a familiar face around the place until she gets to know us."
Renée glanced up at Damon and he nodded and saluted her with his glass.
"You're welcome as far as I'm concerned Renée. The world would be a scary place indeed if I felt the need to hide from all of my ex's."
Renée smirked. "I just bet."
Turning to Stefan, she answered him.
"You know, I wasn't quite sure what kind of a reception I would get when I came here, so I hadn't made any solid plans but I'll give it some thought and let you know within a day. I have to go back to Bella tonight, and I'll bring her by tomorrow. Does ten tomorrow sound good?"
Stefan nodded. "I'll have a room ready for you in addition to the one for Isabella, just in case."
Renée rose from her seat and smiled at Stefan.
"You've been very kind and gracious about this whole thing and I thank you for that. You as well Elena, and thank you for speaking to your friend Bonnie. I'll see you tomorrow."
They showed her out and she breathed a sigh of relief once she was behind the wheel of her car.
It had gone way better than she could have hoped for and she had some hope for her daughter for the first time in days.
Lost in thoughts of cold ones, witches and time travel spells as she was, the drive seemed to pass in the blink of an eye and she entered the room to find Bella just as she had left her, curled into a ball on one side of the bed.
It looked as though she hadn't moved a muscle and she probably hadn't if the last few days that Renée had observed her were any indication.
Renée only hoped that Bella would get better and begin to help herself once she was back to the land of the living. If she fought her recovery...
Renée shook her head. No more thinking for her tonight. She was bone weary.
Quickly taking care of the necessities and changing, she climbed into the other side of the bed and was out before her head touched the pillow.
The next day, she was knocking on the door of the boarding house at ten sharp, a decidedly somnambulistic Bella in tow.
She was surprised to see Damon opening the door to her. Pleasantly so, if she were to admit it.
She had always wanted him to take an interest in their daughter and when he hadn't her heart had broken a little for herself, but mostly for Bella.
To Bella's credit though, she had done well with the concept of a missing father somewhere out there in the world and hadn't lamented the fact that he seemed to want nothing to do with her.
At least, she had on the surface.
Bella, being the private person that she is might have harbored deep pain concerning the subject. She was very good with keeping Renée in the dark about many things it would seem, after all.
Sighing at her run-away thoughts once again, Renée greeted him.
"Good morning Damon."
He stepped to the side, holding the door. "Renée, won't you come in?"
Ushering them into the house, Damon got his first looks at the daughter he had shunned the minute he'd learned of her conception.
How could he have a child in his life after all? What kind of a father would he be? Certainly no example to be looked up to and loved.
No, he had decided long ago that he wouldn't ruin her life like that and so to see her now was like a stake to the gut, but he'd never admit that to anyone. He would cover it with sarcasm and vitriol as was his usual modus operandi.
With his resolve strengthened, he plastered on the well known bitter smirk and ushered them into the living room where his brother and Elena waited with a reluctant looking Bonnie.
Once everyone was introduced, seated and exchanging pleasantries, Damon studied his daughter and could see the direness of the situation clearly.
She was dying; there was no longer a doubt left in his mind.
Her blue eyes that matched his perfectly were flat and blank, her skin sallow and dry, her lips beginning to crack.
She looked as though she was suffering a private hell and Damon was impatient to give her some of his blood just to see an improvement.
Crossing the room, he bit into his wrist and sat next to her, placing his wrist up to her mouth, which was already slightly open.
What he hadn't counted on was her potential response. She went from being a placid zombie to a screaming banshee in a second, knocking his bleeding wrist away and striking at anything that came close to her from that point on.
Everyone in the room looked on, frozen in shock but Damon jumped on the couch behind her and pinned her limbs with his, whispering in her ear to calm her as he rocked her gently.
It began to work and he continued as tears flowed down her cheeks in a torrent, sobs wracking her petite body.
"Bella, Bella, shhh, my beautiful daughter. It's going to be alright. I'll make it better for you beautiful girl. Shhh, I'll fix this baby girl, you just have to give me a chance. Can you do that baby girl?" He murmured to her quietly while loosening his hold on her a bit.
She turned in his arms almost immediately and clutched to him, her face buried in his chest.
"It hurts so bad daddy. It hurts so much I can't stand it. And you weren't there. You've never been there, and I need you daddy" she sobbed, "I need you."
He continued rocking her and buried his face in her hair.
"I'm here now baby girl. I'm here now and I will fix this, you'll see sweetheart, but you have to help too, alright?"
He backed up just a bit , taking her cheeks in both hands so that she had to meet his eyes.
"I need your cooperation if I'm going to be able to fix this for you baby girl. Can you do that?"
She hesitated the barest moment and then nodded through the tears that continued to flow.
Laying her head back against his chest, she spoke again. "Yes, just please don't leave me daddy. I need you. It doesn't hurt as bad with you near."
Damon sighed and rocked her.
"I'm not going anywhere baby. I promise you. I know that I've let you down your entire life so far sweetheart, but in this I won't fail you, I swear it."
No one in the room could believe what they had just witnessed, least of all Renée.
DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.