A Handful of Pixie Dust (Sequel to The Art of Survival), chapter 8
"I can't believe you just did that." Billie Joe said, annoyed that Bethan could do something so stupid.
"Me neither." Bethan told the atmosphere. She was sat on the sofa at Billie Joe's house while Nia was playing upstairs with Estelle, Frankito, Joey, Jakob and Ramona. After she had left Rhys, Bethan had gone to Mandy's to get Nia and left before another argument ensued. In absent panic, Bethan headed straight to Billie Joe's unaware that his band mates and their children were with him.
Seeing Bethan's hazed expression, Billie Joe sent the children upstairs and extracted the encounter with Rhys from her. Needless to say, he was annoyed that Bethan could even consider meeting Rhys after what he had done let alone meet him to consider allowing him into Nia's life. He sat next to Adrienne and watched Bethan hugging her knees, noting how child-like she looked as she retreated into her mind.
Slowly, Bethan dropped her head onto her knees and groaned. "I'm an idiot." she declared in a muffled voice into her knees.
"No you're not." Adrienne soothed.
Bethan raised her head and gazed at the group. "I guess I'm still a little bit lost, you know? A little messed up over what has happened." She banged her head against her knees. "I just thought maybe we could be a family or something, that Nia could have some stability in her life. That's all I want."
Looking briefly across at Billie Joe, Mike got up and sat on the arm of Bethan's chair. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him. "It's all right, Pixie," he reassured. "It doesn't matter now. You did the right thing."
"I can't believe you said all that to him," Tre laughed. "I wish I could have been there to see his face."
Bethan smiled faintly at Tre. "I know. I can't believe I said it either," she told him. "I don't even know where it came from. It just appeared." She laughed giddily and leant against the back of the chair. "I didn't even know what I was going to say to him. I was so nervous but then I saw him and heard all his false concern and I just got so mad and said whatever came to mind."
"And you said the right thing, thankfully," Mike told her. "You can't trust him around Nia."
"Yeah. And anyway, Nia don't need him," Billie Joe added. "She got us."
"I know." Bethan sighed. She looked up at the group with a smile. "No one can match you guys. Nia thinks the world of you."
"And we think the world of her." Mike replied.
"Yeah that chick kicks arse!" Tre exclaimed.
"She is something special." Bethan agreed with a proud smile caressing her lips. As she sat in thoughtful silence, she heard excited steps rush down the stairs.
"Mummy!" Nia exclaimed racing into the room and skidding to a halt in the middle of it.
"What it is, baby?" Bethan asked, leaning forward.
"I'm engaged to Frankito!" Nia announced, her eyes gleaming.
As the others sat in an amused silence, Tre stood up and walked over to Nia. Kneeling down in front of her, he looked up with his lips forced into a pout. "That's not fair," he complained. "I wanted to marry you."
Nia's face dropped into a pout mirroring Tre's and she put her hands on her hips. "Uncle Tre!" she exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Now I have to go break Frankito's heart!" She shook her head in annoyed disgust at Tre before turning around and walking back towards the stairs.
Laughing as she watched her baby climb the stairs to break the news to her fiancé, Bethan's doubts were massacred. She had made the right decision. Nia didn't need any other father figures in her life when she had the three sat in front of Bethan. Mandy was just firing prejudiced blanks at Bethan's insecurities and missing the target. She didn't know Green Day or how they were around Nia. It was magic. Pixie magic. They were the best surrogate fathers ever.
Bethan smiled at her own mistake. Like she said, she had been lost and panicked, seeking solace in the first possible solution that dangled in front of her without realising it was a blatant mistake.
Watching the group joking with each other, Bethan knew this was all she and Nia needed. And, at that point in time, she wouldn't alter it for that stability she'd craved. Sinking into her seat, she thought, 'Who needs stability when you have serenity anyway? '
"Me neither." Bethan told the atmosphere. She was sat on the sofa at Billie Joe's house while Nia was playing upstairs with Estelle, Frankito, Joey, Jakob and Ramona. After she had left Rhys, Bethan had gone to Mandy's to get Nia and left before another argument ensued. In absent panic, Bethan headed straight to Billie Joe's unaware that his band mates and their children were with him.
Seeing Bethan's hazed expression, Billie Joe sent the children upstairs and extracted the encounter with Rhys from her. Needless to say, he was annoyed that Bethan could even consider meeting Rhys after what he had done let alone meet him to consider allowing him into Nia's life. He sat next to Adrienne and watched Bethan hugging her knees, noting how child-like she looked as she retreated into her mind.
Slowly, Bethan dropped her head onto her knees and groaned. "I'm an idiot." she declared in a muffled voice into her knees.
"No you're not." Adrienne soothed.
Bethan raised her head and gazed at the group. "I guess I'm still a little bit lost, you know? A little messed up over what has happened." She banged her head against her knees. "I just thought maybe we could be a family or something, that Nia could have some stability in her life. That's all I want."
Looking briefly across at Billie Joe, Mike got up and sat on the arm of Bethan's chair. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him. "It's all right, Pixie," he reassured. "It doesn't matter now. You did the right thing."
"I can't believe you said all that to him," Tre laughed. "I wish I could have been there to see his face."
Bethan smiled faintly at Tre. "I know. I can't believe I said it either," she told him. "I don't even know where it came from. It just appeared." She laughed giddily and leant against the back of the chair. "I didn't even know what I was going to say to him. I was so nervous but then I saw him and heard all his false concern and I just got so mad and said whatever came to mind."
"And you said the right thing, thankfully," Mike told her. "You can't trust him around Nia."
"Yeah. And anyway, Nia don't need him," Billie Joe added. "She got us."
"I know." Bethan sighed. She looked up at the group with a smile. "No one can match you guys. Nia thinks the world of you."
"And we think the world of her." Mike replied.
"Yeah that chick kicks arse!" Tre exclaimed.
"She is something special." Bethan agreed with a proud smile caressing her lips. As she sat in thoughtful silence, she heard excited steps rush down the stairs.
"Mummy!" Nia exclaimed racing into the room and skidding to a halt in the middle of it.
"What it is, baby?" Bethan asked, leaning forward.
"I'm engaged to Frankito!" Nia announced, her eyes gleaming.
As the others sat in an amused silence, Tre stood up and walked over to Nia. Kneeling down in front of her, he looked up with his lips forced into a pout. "That's not fair," he complained. "I wanted to marry you."
Nia's face dropped into a pout mirroring Tre's and she put her hands on her hips. "Uncle Tre!" she exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Now I have to go break Frankito's heart!" She shook her head in annoyed disgust at Tre before turning around and walking back towards the stairs.
Laughing as she watched her baby climb the stairs to break the news to her fiancé, Bethan's doubts were massacred. She had made the right decision. Nia didn't need any other father figures in her life when she had the three sat in front of Bethan. Mandy was just firing prejudiced blanks at Bethan's insecurities and missing the target. She didn't know Green Day or how they were around Nia. It was magic. Pixie magic. They were the best surrogate fathers ever.
Bethan smiled at her own mistake. Like she said, she had been lost and panicked, seeking solace in the first possible solution that dangled in front of her without realising it was a blatant mistake.
Watching the group joking with each other, Bethan knew this was all she and Nia needed. And, at that point in time, she wouldn't alter it for that stability she'd craved. Sinking into her seat, she thought, 'Who needs stability when you have serenity anyway? '
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