Chapter 2.20 Daydreamer

Butterflies were cute.

A few of them colonized just up the road from the house, so of course Belle wanted to try and catch at least one. That, and because it wasn't all too far from the house, she could go out on her own without her mom worrying about her.

She grinned at the butterfly she caught, finding it ticklish as it moved around on her hand. She couldn't wait to show off what she had caught to her mom and Tyler. Her mom was a little moody this morning because she didn't sleep all too much with the baby keeping her up at night. Hopefully the butterfly would cheer her up. She didn't have enough time to show her mom though before the school bus came for her.

However, Alyssa was bothered by quite a few things. It started when she brought baby Nathaniel home. Sabrina was his room, watching Alyssa as she put the baby down. "So, what's going on between you and... Tyler, was it?" She questioned, both on his name and what it was between them. "He was the one you briefly dated as a teenager, right?"
"Right and we're just friends. He was going through a breakup with his ex girlfriend, and I needed help with the kids and I asked him if he could help out and he agreed."
Sabrina shook her head slightly. "He's really one of a kind." She murmured, keeping her arms folded, "And you shouldn't be stringing him along Alyssa."

"I'm not stringing him along. We're just friends. Nothing more and nothing less." She said simply, turning to face Sabrina who was face palming.
"He likes you Alyssa. What ex would help out just because?" She asked, trying to make her point.
"I doubt that he exactly wanted to stay with Spirit, his other ex, and I invited him to stay here because I needed help with the kids." She dismissed Sabrina's idea rather quickly.
"I'm just saying, don't act so dumbfound when it happens." Sabrina smiled at her. "You deserve someone who likes you, and who you know you like back."

Alyssa stepped back a little, confused. "Since when did I say I liked him? As an adult." She added, frowning. She couldn't help but feel like a teenager again with all this talk of 'he likes you, do you like him?'. She was too mature for that malarkey.
Sabrina shrugged, grinning mischievously. "Just an intuition of mine, Lyssie. Just remember that I expect to be a bridesmaid at yours and his wedding." She teased, winking.
She scoffed, and rolled her eyes. "There's nothing there. You're clutching at straws, me and him are purely platonic. Sure, there was something there once upon a time, but I doubt there's anything there now. Besides, it's way too soon since what happened with Damon." She sighed.

Sabrina frowned lightly. "He wasn't right for you Alyssa, but you never know. You could still have your summer wedding, just not with the guy you originally thought." She smiled slightly. "Just because it didn't work out with one guy in your life doesn't mean you can't ever be happy in love again." Her hands went to her shoulders in a comforting manner.
Alyssa sighed. "I don't feel that way, I've not even thought about the possibility of it since he came to stay." She murmured, and honestly hadn't. She knew that if any feelings ever did come up, she would just knock them back down with a metaphorical bat. The last thing she wanted to do was wreck her friendship with him. The first time they broke up, when she cheated, that did enough damage. She didn't want and couldn't do more.
Sabrina grinned. "You never know Lyss. I should probably get going soon, just remember that I expect to be a bridesmaid." She took her hands away, smiling and humming 'Here Comes the Bride' as she walked out of Nathaniel's room.

Alyssa sighed. The only thing worse than hopeless romantic, meddling siblings were hopeless romantic, meddling siblings in law. She didn't want to date anyone right now, it was too soon since everything that had happened with Damon. Not like she wouldn't like being in a relationship... But it was too soon! Way too soon. She hadn't even thought about Tyler in that way until Sabrina got the ideas in her head.

And now he was all she could bloody think about! She couldn't help but daydream about what if they did stay together, and if she didn't cheat on him in the first place. Would they have had their own kids? Probably, knowing how much she loves hers, and seeing how Tyler was with Ash. She did love the life she had, she just couldn't help but wonder though.
Back in reality, the two of them had taken the twins and Nathaniel out to the Summer Festival while it was still warm. They brought a cute little picnic too.
Alyssa couldn't help but admit she was partly jealous of how Ashton is with Tyler. Her own son favoured Tyler over her! However, she did find it precious how much of a shine Ashton took to Tyler. See, even her kids would be fine with it! Now Belle seems to be getting along with him better.

"Mommy!" Melody spoke loudly, and Alyssa only then realized how locked up in her own thoughts she was. "Can I?" She asked, smiling sweetly.
"Can you what?" Alyssa asked, looking down at her daughter.
"Explore!" She grinned. "Me and Ash go explore." She smiled sweetly. Out of the corner of her eyes, Alyssa could see Ashton looking up, confused. Out of the two, Melody was certainly the ring leader.

"I'm not so sure Mel." Alyssa frowned, remembering last time when Belle nearly went missing. She couldn't deal with both Melody and Ashton going missing, but it was a lot emptier today...
"Please? Pretty please?" Melody frowned, managing to pull her best cute face. Mommy always fell for that, silly mommy.
Alyssa sighed slightly, "Only if the two of you promise to stay close. Don't go too far, and stay on this side of the fountain. Always make sure you can see me, and don't go any further the other way than past me. Also, try not to cause too much havoc and don't go into the fountain." She laid down the list of rules, frowning. She wasn't all too sure about letting them go off on their own, but the park was mostly empty as it was a work day. The only people that would be here are other people with their kids.
"Okay." Melody grinned, managing to take in the rules. She went off, and Ashton followed after her.

"She really is the leader of the two, isn't she?" Tyler chuckled at how Ashton just followed his sister without any doubt.
Alyssa shrugged, "At least he's learned early that women are always the ones in charge." She grinned in response. "It just works better than way." She laughed a little, if anything slightly nervously. She mentally slapped herself for acting like what she thought was an idiot around him.

Melody loved the view from on the fountain. It was higher up for her than just standing would be. Ashton however was rather hesitant about joining her up there. "Mommy's not gonna be happy." He frowned, warning her.
"So?" She asked, having fun. She pulled her legs in from where they were dangling. "Wuss." She taunted him, grinning
"Am not." He pouted, looking up at her. "You're naughty."
"Are so, am not." She stuck her tongue out, and stood up on top of the fountain edge.

"Get down." Ashton frowned, worried. His sister was truly crazy sometimes.
"I Queen Melody! Bow down!" She declared, and pointed to what seemed to be one of the lampposts. "'Specially you! Evil light!" She yelled, then giggled.
"Get down." Ashton repeated, joining his sister up on top of the fountain. Maybe if he joined her up there, he would convince her how silly it is being up there.

"Stop being silly." Ashton frowned, getting annoyed now. "You'll fall and get hurt."
Melody got upset, and started to cry. She didn't want to get hurt! What would her mommy say? She would tell her off, and she didn't like getting told off, at all. "I don't wanna get hurt." She sobbed, covering her eyes with her hands. "I wanna get down." She blubbered. "Don't like it." She sniffled.
Aston looked at the floor. It was way too far to jump down to, but perhaps sit then slide down? He decided that was probably the best way, and for once, he took charge and got down from the fountain edge and Melody followed.

"Lyss? Are you alright?" Tyler asked, frowning. He's noticed that Alyssa's been acting rather oddly around him lately. She was often in a daydream or just plain out of it.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Super fine." She grinned, staring at his chest. She was wrapped up in her own thoughts once again. She didn't particularly mind it all too much but it wasn't like she would ever tell anyone. She preferred to keep her dirty thoughts to herself. She woke up from her daydream though after he clicked his fingers in front of her face.
"You sure? Because you keep daydreaming."

She sat up, frowning slightly. "What?" She asked, confused. "Did you say something?" She tilted her head slightly.
He furrowed his eyebrows. "I was wondering if everything was alright. You've been acting weirdly. You keep daydreaming." He frowned.
"Do not." She retorted, a little too defensively. She hoped he didn't think she was acting strangely. She had to dial it back, and try not to act as daydream-y around him.
"Yes, you do. Is something wrong?" He genuinely seemed concerned, and he was. He didn't get why she was acting weirdly.

She sighed, "I'm just a little tired, and my sister-in-law said something that really stuck in my mind." She murmured.
"What did she say?" He asked, wondering what it would have been for it to affect her as much.
She hesitated, wondering if she should tell him or not. Should she tell him that Sabrina thought he loved her? Probably best if she didn't. "I'm not so sure if I should tell you or not, you'd probably think it was ridiculous."
He half smiled at her. "If you're not comfortable telling me, it's fine." He shrugged.

After the horrifying event on the fountain was over, Melody knew who was responsible for it. The balloons! It was all their fault! They had tricked her into going up there. She growled, and wait straight to attacking them. Evil balloons! But luckily Queen Melody could handle it all before it got too out of hand. She vanquished the balloons before they could attack again. After they were defeated, she knew Melotopia would be safe.

Ashton copied his sister, unaware of her intentions. He (like most boys) found it fun to destroy things. Even more fun knowing that his mommy can't tell him off for scratching it to pieces. He could just say it was someone else! How perfect.

Alyssa was considering whether or not she should bring up what Sabrina has said. It could possibly ruin their friendship, and she knew she didn't want to do that. But what if he did like her in that way? Then everything would be fine, and they could start dating. But what if he didn't and she said something? That would ruin everything between them. But if she just ignored it and hoped it went away... What would be the point in that?
"My sister-in-law said that she thought that me and you seemed rather couple-ish. It's been on my mind, because it's a crazy thing to say, isn't it?" She laughed a little, playing as if she thought the idea was absurd.

"Is it though?" He asked quietly, "I mean, we live together, we know each other really well and we've been getting along better than before. Your kids seem to-"
Alyssa cut him off, "Seriously? That's how you're going to do it?" She teased, grinning. "I know you don't exactly like spilling out your feelings but still." She shrugged a little.
He sighed, "Alright, fine. I really like you Alyssa. If anything, I've not stopped. At times, I honestly wished I didn't feel the way I do. Like after the incident that happened and caused us to break up the first time, I wanted nothing more than to be angry at you, because I was. I just couldn't though, I couldn't get my head around hating you. You just have this hold over me that doesn't make me think straight and gets me to talk about my feelings which you know I hate doing, but you make me do it anyway. I really want to give us a second chance."
Alyssa went over to him, smiling. She leaned in...

And kissed him. It was just as perfect as she remembered all that time ago. The same feeling of fireworks, and the same heart-pounding nervousness. She honestly felt like she was a teenager again.
He pulled away ever so slightly, and asked, "So, you want to try again too?" He grinned.
She laughed a little, "What do you think?" And she kissed him again. She was more than happy to give them a second chance.
Perhaps Alyssa should trust Sabrina's intuitions a bit more...

Chapter 2.19 Making Friends                                                                  

Chapter 2.21 Loonies in a Lift

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AN: Marital Structure is Second Chance!

The baby didn't get featured a lot this chapter, so in case you missed on his name, it's Nathaniel :)

See, don't complain that I don't give you nice endings, this is a nice ending. I also want to say that I honestly didn't see this happening quite as soon. I half wanted to leave it a chapter, but then I realized I really wanted something to happen soon, and I needed this to happen. I don't feel as if it was too rushed though. At least Alyssa gave it a little try of her being single(ish).

I also want to say I love writing for Melody. She has rather '... I don't know' traits. I kinda like how I'm shaping her out to be though so far.

Chapter 2.19 Making Friends

"Purple di-no-saur-ous" Melody grinned, pronouncing the word slowly. 

Melody's mommy had taught her to say big words a little slower than shorter words so she didn't get herself muddled up. "Purple dino-saur-ous." She showed off the toy to Belle, who just rolled her eyes.

"It's dinosaur, not dinosaurous. And it's not even a dinosaur, it's a dragon." She sighed. Her mom had told her to try and get along with the twins better, but it was kind of difficult when they couldn't say all too much and Melody especially spoke in rather broken sentences and fragments.
Melody frowned, confused. "Purple?" She asked.
"Yes, it's purple." Belle confirmed. "Just because it isn't the species you thought doesn't mean it isn't still that colour."

"No 'ragon! No!" Melody squealed, moving the purple dragon toy up to her. She then made mock eating noises, as if the plastic toy was going to devour her. "No 'ragon! No eat Melody!" She then threw the dragon toy to the other side of the room, scared.
Belle watched her little sister, blinking. Was she that weird when she was little? "How about we play something else?"

"Play." Melody grinned, willing to try something new to play (rather than with dragons that wanted to eat her.)
"What you do, it you cover your eyes..." Belle trailed off, covering her eyes with her hands, then quickly pulled them away and went "Boo!" She grinned. "The game's called Peek-a-boo."
Melody gasped, then giggled. "Peek-boo!" She chirped in.
"Peek-a-boo." Belle corrected.

Belle covered her eyes, and Melody soon copied. Melody wanted her own chance at playing the game too. It wasn't fair that only Belle got to be the lead in the game. Melody was a few seconds behind Belle though.

"Boo!" Belle grinned, taking her hands away from her eyes.
"Boo!" Melody repeated and mimicked Belle's actions, giggling. "Peek-a-boo. Peek-a-boo." She chanted, grinning.
After a while, Belle got bored and stopped playing. Melody decided that she wanted to try and spend some time with her mommy.

"Mommy?" Melody whispered. and gently reached up and poked her on her knee. "Mommy?" She asked, a little louder this time. She frowned when her mommy didn't wake up. She clambered up on to the bed, and instead of just sitting down, she jumped down and landed neatly on her butt on top of the bed, startling Alyssa awake.
"Mel?" She asked, trying to calm down slightly. Her daughter seemed fine, which made Alyssa wonder what she was up to. "Is everything alright?"
Melody thought it was funny to scare her mommy like that, but she did feel a little bit bad. "Sorry." She pouted slightly. "Wanted to play with you." She grinned sweetly, and sat on top of her mommy's legs. Her mommy was comfy to sit on.

Alyssa smiled slightly, albeit confused at where her youngest daughter chose to sit. "I hope you're comfy there."
"What wanna play?" Melody asked, grinning but also thinking about what to play. "Can play hide and seek?" She suggested.
Alyssa shook her head. "Mommy's not really in the mood for playing right now Sweetie." She pouted lightly. "And I can't get up and play if you're sat on me." She laughed a little.
Melody slid down, and sat next to her on the bed. "Now?" She asked, but her mommy shook her head again.
"Maybe later." Alyssa smiled slightly, and Melody rested her head on her stomach.

"How did baby get there?" She asked, confused. "Who put it there? And why it's there?"She asked the questions all at once, curious.
Alyssa frowned, not so sure how exactly to answer her. Melody was without a doubt way too young to learn about how babies are made, she also couldn't exactly say the 'when a mommy and a daddy love each other' story either. She bit her lower lip, unsure of what to say.
"Well?" Melody asked, looking at her mommy.

"Well..." She started, and trailed off soon after starting. "The stork usually brings babies to a mommy and daddy that really love each other. See, the mommy and daddy have too much love for each other, the stork brings along a baby so that love isn't wasted. Sometimes, the stork can make mistakes and thinks that a mommy and daddy really love each other, but they don't have enough love for each other and the baby, so all their love goes to the baby and there's just none left over." Alyssa tried to keep an upbeat tone when she spoke even though what she said had a sad ending, she knew that it must be difficult for Melody and Ashton. They had next to no clue why everything was happening, and Alyssa couldn't tell them without the danger of hurting their feelings.

Melody stayed quiet for a while, before saying. "Wanna dog. Get a dog?" She was then back to her happy, smiley self. "Wanna fluffy dog."
Alyssa smiled, "We'll see about a dog, Sweetie. Maybe after the baby's born we can get another." Speaking of which, she was glad that Melody was content with the answer she gave to where babies come from.

Meanwhile, Belle was reading downstairs on the new couch they got. "'You swear you aren't pulling my leg?' I kept saying to her. 'You swear you aren't just pretending?' 'Listen,' she said, 'I have known no less than five children who have simply vanished off the face of this earth, never to be seen again. The witches took them.' 'I still think you're just trying to frighten me,' " Belle read aloud, trying her best to do voices for each character so it seemed more real. She had already read this book before, but sometimes it's nice to reread things.
"What are you reading?" Belle rolled her eyes at who was asking that question.

"A book." Belle answered coldly, already bored of the conversation. She kept on reading.
"You know, you could try being nice." He went over to her, and sat down next to her. He wasn't willing to give up on her just yet. He looked at what she was reading, "The Witches, huh?" He asked, smiling slightly.
"I could try." She murmured, narrowing her eyes at him. "I've already read it before. The boy gets turned into a mouse and they defeat the Grand High Witch and turn her and all the other witches in to mice." She smirked, trying to spoil it for him.
"I know, I read it too when I was about your age." He smirked back at her.

Belle sighed, and put the book down on the coffee table. "I didn't realize it was a million years old." She retorted. She hesitated a little, before deciding to talk about the book with him. Her mom doesn't read all too much unlike her, so she figured it might be nice to talk about it. "I like the bit where Bruno gets turned into a mouse. I don't like him."
"I didn't like him all too much either. He seemed like a show off, but he's better than the Grand High Witch though." He pointed out.
Belle laughed a little. "Anyone's better than her." She smiled.

"It's not real though." Belle whispered, raising an eyebrow at him. She knew he knew it wasn't real, she just wanted to clear up that she knew it wasn't real either.
"How can you be so sure?" Tyler asked, teasing her. "Witches do exist." He smiled slightly. "Your Aunt Rosie's a witch."
She shook her head. "But Aunt Rosie's not a witch like the ones in the book. I've seen her hands, and she doesn't have claws."

"You never know, she might have gloves that look like human hands to cover up her claws." He teased still, but it wasn't really working.
"That's silly. Besides, Aunt Rosie doesn't have flat feet, she has toes." Belle shrugged, at least she was fairly sure her aunt did have toes. "I mean, I think she does. She's always wearing her boots." She murmured, starting to get scared. Was her aunt a child hating witch like the ones in the book?

"Aunt Rosie isn't a bad witch, is she?" She whispered, scared. How could she have missed out on seeing those vital things? Oh God, her aunt was going to turn her into a mouse! She wouldn't look good as a mouse! What if her mom set out mousetraps everywhere like how the witches had planned? Belle was never visiting Aunt Rosie again, ever!
Tyler grinned, "I don't think you'd have cousins if she was." He pointed out, and got a well deserved glare from Belle.
"You scared me." She grumbled, and even though for the moment she was a little angry at him, he could tell that she liked him now (or at least, didn't hate him quite as much.)

It made Alyssa smile to see that Belle and Tyler were finally getting along. It wasn't like Belle was going to forever snub Tyler, but it was better that they were friends sooner rather than later.
As nice as it was though, she didn't exactly come downstairs to marvel at her daughter managing to make friends with Tyler. There was a much more important reason why she came downstairs. Her contractions had started and she needed to go to the hospital. "Tyler? Can I talk to you?" She more said rather than asked.

"What's up?" He asked, wondering why she looked quite so panicked. He would have just found out for himself, but she had told him not to.
"We need to go to the hospital." She said outright. "It's time; the baby's coming."
His eyes widened, "What?" He asked, rather quietly. "A-Are you sure?" He stuttered, and knew he probably shouldn't have asked that when Alyssa gave him a look.

"Pretty damn sure." Alyssa spoke though gritted teeth. "We need to go to the hospital." She repeated.
"Hospital?" Tyler asked, blanking out for a moment. "Right, yeah, hospital." He murmured, snapping out of his daze. He called someone to look after the kids before helping Alyssa to get to the hospital.

Chapter 2.18 Successful Woman, Scarlet Woman                                        

 Chapter 2.20 Daydreamer

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AN: I forgot how many little dashes I usually do there. Hmm...

Sorry about mini-cliffhanger. Baby's met next time though :)

The book Belle and Tyler were on about is The Witches by Roald Dahl. It's this book about this boy who lives with his grandmama after his parents die, and he learns about these horrible women called witches and their leader the Grand High Witch. All witches hate children and want them gone, which was why Belle in particular was worried in case Rosie was a bad witch (she's not. She does have toes, fingernails and doesn't have blue spit or wear a wig (seriously a cool book for kids))

I found it difficult to write the part where Alyssa was talking to Melody about where babies come from.  I had no clue what anyone would say in that situation (it would be easier if she was with someone properly though) so I did best with what I could. It was a kinda depressing mini-speech, I think. Ah well, Melody's about three in my mind so I doubt she'll remember.

Chapter 2.18 Successful Woman, Scarlet Woman

Alyssa's eyes widened when she heard Ashton squealing

She didn't quite have time to register why, but (out of paranoia) she just assumed it would be something bad. She stopped sorting out her hair and straight away went to his room, worried. She didn't notice that the other side of her bed was empty though before leaving her room.

She found herself more than relieved though when she saw it was just Tyler playing with Ashton. She couldn't help but smile, seeing how much fun Ashton was having. She watched the two of them for a while, before cautiously saying "You scared me."
Tyler turned, turning Ashton the right way around too. "Sorry if I woke you." He half smiled rather sheepishly, "I heard him making a fuss and you were still asleep, so I came in here to check he was alright."

She was a little worried how he heard him and she didn't. "I was awake anyway so that's probably why I heard him." He shrugged, knowing that she was worried about it.
She nodded, "How did you get so good with toddlers anyway?" She asked, a little curious. She narrowed her eyes slightly, "And I've told you before not to read my mind."
"I can't help that you're easy to read, but I'll try." He teased lightly. "I have two brothers who are a lot younger so I know what to do with them." He smiled.

She smiled at him, "Thank you, I'd prefer to have my thoughts to myself. I'm going to check Melody's okay," she lowered her voice to a whisper "just wait a while before leaving this room though, just in case Belle's around." Alyssa bit her lower lip. She was mostly cautious about how Belle would react. She wasn't like the twins who were a little too young to fully take in why Damon had gone, and she didn't want her eldest daughter getting the wrong impression about Tyler being here.
Tyler nodded. "Got it, and I doubt she'll react that badly." He half smiled reassuringly. What's the worst that could happen if he did run into Belle before Alyssa explained everything?

Ashton got moody again after a little while, mostly because he was tired. "'leepy." He murmured simply. Even though he was the better walker and talker out of him and Melody, he didn't show it at all.
"I know, you were up early." Tyler spoke quietly, and moved to put Ashton back into his crib. He couldn't help but smile at the fact that at least one of Alyssa's children already likes him. Hopefully the two girls were as easy to get along with.

Unfortunately, Belle didn't seem necessarily want to get along. She had heard her mom talking to someone in Ashton's room, and this time she wanted to confront a stranger (she was braver now after that rude woman with the red hair was mean.) "Who are you?" She asked outright, her eyes narrowed. If she had to be mean, she was going to be.
He was startled to see Belle just outside of the room, glaring at him. He smiled at her though, wanting to get along with her."I'm Tyler, I'm one of your mom's-" He started, but was cut off.
"I don't care." She glared, but couldn't help but feel as if she's met him before. She hasn't, has she? She's probably just met someone similar. "The last time a stranger was here, Damon left soon after that. I'm not letting you take away my mommy." She said simply yet harshly. "She's mine."

"I'm not going to take her away Belle." He sighed, frowning. He did wonder what she meant by 'the last time a stranger was here'.
She stepped back, wondering how he knew her name. She figured her mom must have told him. "How do I know that? I can't trust you. And how do you know my name?" She shook her head, frustrated. Right now, she just wanted him to go. He was getting on her nerves. "Actually, I don't care, and I don't like you." She huffed, turning and going back into her room.

Alyssa overheard most of the conversation between Tyler and Belle, and soon the slamming of Belle's bedroom door. "She'll warm up to you sooner or later." She gave him a sad smile. "I'll talk to her after my doctor's appointment, which you're still alright driving me to, right?"
He half smiled and nodded in reply. "Right, and I hope she does."

The car ride to the hospital was fairly quite, until Tyler hesitated before asking. "What did Belle mean by the last time a stranger was at the house?" He asked. He had been wondering what she meant by that, figuring that was the main reason why she didn't like him.

Alyssa frowned, confused. "She said that? I really don't know what she meant by it." As far as she was concerned, no one new had come into the house for a while. In fact, the last time guests were over was at Belle's birthday party, and that was all family. "Unless if Damon invited someone over when I wasn't there." She muttered.

"Seriously though, how do you not want to know the gender?" Tyler asked after the doctor's appointment. Alyssa had been insistent on not finding out.

"Surprises are better." She shrugged, smiling. "It's not like the gender matters all too much though. I already have two daughter and a son, so I just want the baby to be happy and healthy." She said simply, smiling.

"Yeah, but still. Isn't there at least a little bit of you that wants to know?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah but-"

"Alyssa!" She was cut off by the sound of someone calling her.

Tyler glanced from Alyssa, to who he assumed was one of her friends, and back to her. "I'll go get the car while the two of you talk?" He suggested.

Alyssa didn't know who the woman was, but she couldn't help but think she looked familiar. If she knew her name and she didn't know her's, then the other woman didn't know her for a good reason. "It's alri-"

"If you could, that would be great." Vicky interrupted, smiling. "Me and Lyss need to catch up on girly things." She grinned.

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" She asked, curious. How did this woman know her name and who she was? There was no chance on earth it could have been a lucky guess.

"A lot of people know who you are Alyssa. However, I'm a little disappointed you don't know who I am." Vicky pursed her lips lightly; Alyssa got a bad feeling from this woman. "I'm Vicky. And yes, I'm that Vicky. I'm your ex-fiance's Vicky." She smiled, not a nice smile though. Alyssa was more certain she was just showing off her teeth more than anything.

"What do you want?" She grumbled.

"Well, someone's a little narcissistic thinking I'm here specifically for them." Vicky scoffed, "I'm going to work, sweetie. It's what I do instead of spending all my time on my back and popping out kids like you." She smirked.

Alyssa couldn't help but laugh a little in disbelief. The nerve of this woman. "Excuse me? I have a job thank you very much." She narrowed her eyes. 

"Well, no offence but it's not like you're exactly a saint, are you? You've got three, soon four, kids all by different men, and it looks like you have another guy lined up already." She laughed, mocking her. "I'm just saying that I'm more of a successful woman while you, my dear, are more of a scarlet woman."

"I am not a slut." Alyssa growled, huffing. "Just because I've not settled down to one guy doesn't automatically make me a slut." She frowned while glaring at Vicky.

"Of course not all of your break ups were your fault." She smiled sweetly, albeit condescendingly. "After all, who wants used vanilla when they can have timeless chocolate?" She smirked, and Alyssa figured what she was on about, and what Belle had meant earlier.

"... Damon did cheat on me, didn't he?" Alyssa asked quietly. She would have thought that he'd at least own up to it when she owned up to her own adultery, but he didn't. 

Vicky sighed, bored. "Ever the genius, aren't you Alyssa?" She then looked at her, "And it's not like you're fully innocent either. If you didn't cheat, he wouldn't have come back to me." She pointed out, and looked behind herself. "Looks like your next boy toy is waiting for you."

She frowned, "Well, I hope the two of you are happy. No two people deserve each other more." And with that she walked off, not wanting to stoop to her level.

Tyler noticed that Alyssa was upset when she got into the car. "Is everything alright? What did she want to talk to you about?"

"I'm fine, and it doesn't matter. Can we just go home?" She frowned, speaking quietly. What Vicky had said really hurt her feelings. She wasn't a slut, was she? Maybe she was, after all Vicky did have a point. All of her children (except Ashton and Melody) were half siblings.

Once back home, Alyssa lounged on the couch. She was going to talk to Belle, but she was feeling really upset right now, and didn't want to start crying in front of Belle. What Vicky said really hurt her feelings.

"Seriously, Lyss. Something's wrong, can you just tell me what it is?" Tyler asked, frowning.

"Do you think that I'm a slut?" She asked in return, frowning. "Be honest. If you think I am, just tell me." 

He shook his head, sighing. "I don't think you're a slut." He moved her legs so he could sit on the couch, but she just moved them right back to where they were, pointing out that it was her couch and her rules.

"I kind of am one though. I mean, none of my kids are full siblings, apart from Ashton and Melody and it's literally impossible for them not to be fully related." She frowned. "That, and the longest I've been with someone was with Damon and that all went south really quickly." She sighed, and although she'd hate to admit it, Vicky was right, she was a slut.

"You're not a slut Alyssa. You've made mistakes and had accidents, but you're not a slut." He frowned. "That, and not settling down right away doesn't mean anything. People settle down at their own paces." He shrugged.

She sighed softly, "I think I should just swear off all guys. It never ends up well, and it never works out. I would get cats but I don't really like them." She crinkled her nose at the thought of those animals.

"You can't exactly swear off all guys, Lyss." He pointed out, half smiling. "And what's so wrong with cats?" He asked

"Cats are jerks and I prefer dogs." She shrugged. "And I know I can't swear them all off. It would be horrible to ignore Ashton, and I have you." She smiled at him.

"I think there's one more guy that'll want your attention." Tyler smiled warmly at her, his hand moving from where it was resting on her ankle to her belly.

She raised an eyebrow at where his hand was. "You think it's a boy? I kind of thought it was going to be a girl." She shrugged, smiling.

"It's a boy." He spoke confidently. Alyssa gave him a confused look, and he explained how he knew. "The doctor was thinking it when he asked if you wanted to know." He bit his lower lip, remembering that she didn't want to know. "Sorry." He murmured.

She grinned, her hand going on top of his. "I'll forgive you this time for telling me something I didn't want to know, only because it cheered me up." 

He half smiled, "Well, it's what I do. I'm the guy you go to when you need cheering up."

She smiled in return. "Only because you're good at it." And she realized that she really did miss having him around, that and she's glad he's not with Spirit anymore mostly because she was the reason he didn't talk to her for so long. It felt right having him around again.

Chapter 2.17 Reflections of Actions                                                          

Chapter 2,19 Making Friends

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AN: So, I'll reveal that this generation's misc fun is Half-Siblings, and I realized that apart from the twins, there haven't been any full siblings in my legacy yet. The first generation was kind of mandatory with the family structure, and this generation it's a rule. 

Unrelated note: It's kinda fun writing a bitchy character. I don't know why, but I like writing for Vicky and I liked writing for Tawni too. What can I say? I like writing for the antagonists.