Ellie kissed her husband swiftly while he was sleeping, and then got out of bed. Like every other morning, she headed into her home studio, which was three doors down, and she picked up her guitar. She started to strum a little while she was still in her pajamas, and then looked up as she heard the floor creak slightly.
"Oh I'm sorry, Buddy." Ellie said.
Her four year-old-son, Jamie, shook his head and came and sat down next to her.
"I've been awake for an hour." He told her. "What are you writing, Mommy?"
Ellie shrugged. "I don't know yet. I just felt the need to come in here and write another song."
Jamie nodded, and then got up and went over to the keyboard, and started to plunk around on it, a little. Ellie took a moment to smile at him, admiring his curiosity and his natural talent for the instrument, and then went back to strumming a little, and humming out the ditty that had come to her in her dream.
"Band practice is earlier today, than normal." Dallas told his wife, smiling a little, and then yawning.
Ellie looked up. "It just kind of came to me."
Dallas nodded. "Pancakes or omelettes?"
"Pancakes!" Jamie cried excitedly, and hurried out of the room towards the kitchen.
"You know, when you made Belle his Godmother, I think she took it a little too far and taught him her eating habits." Dallas joked.
Ellie shrugged. "Don't complain--the girl's a hearty eater."
Dallas chuckled a little to himself, and then went to go and make some pancakes with his son in the kitchen. Ellie bit her lip a little as she watched him leave, wishing that she had the courage to just tell them everything. She shook the thoughts away though, and went back to her song until Dallas called her down to breakfast. Though not a huge fan of pancakes, she knew Dallas and Jamie were, so she toughed them down with laughs and smiles, and then went back up to her studio and started to plunk away on her keyboard.
"Jamie wants Belle to take him to the park. I think I'll go with them." Dallas announced, coming into the room.
Ellie looked over at the clock and then got up quickly.
"I have to get to the studio!" She exclaimed.
Dallas chuckled. "Yes you do. Now get going."
Ellie nodded, and hurried to their room, getting dressed and then grabbing her coat. She met Dallas and Jamie at the door, and kissed them both before she headed out in her car. When she got to the studio, Max, the guy who owned her label, smiled that she was there, and they set to work. It was her third CD, and she really wanted it to be better than the last two. When she got home later that day, she set to making dinner, and looked up as knuckles rapped against the kitchen doorframe.
"I vote for something with cheese in it." Belle said.
Ellie laughed. "What is it with you and cheese?"
Belle shrugged. "It's the meaning of life."
Ellie rolled her eyes. "Lucky for you, Jamie came up with 'Macaroni and Cheese Sundays', so you're in luck."
"Are you sure that kid isn't mine?" Belle joked.
"Sometimes I pretend you have a kid too." Ellie admitted.
They both nodded, and then Belle decided to stop where the conversation was going, and help Ellie with more than just the mac and cheese for dinner. They both knew that everything about motherhood had come really fast to Ellie, and that since Belle was older, and definitely more of a flirt, she would have gotten married and had kids first, but for Ellie, it just all apparently had to be done.
"Belle!" Jamie cried, coming in from outside.
Belle turned around and crouched down a little, hugging him as he ran into her arms.
"Someone made mud." Belle laughed.
Jamie smiled. "Dad sent me in to get washed up."
"Jamie! Now look what you did to Belle's shirt." Dallas said. "Come on. Let's go upstairs and wash up for dinner."
Belle stood up and shrugged. "Unlike some people, I happen to like mud."
Dallas chucked at her and rolled his eyes, and then took Jamie by the hand, and led him upstairs.
"You are weird." Ellie told her, rinsing off the macaroni and adding the cheese sauce.
Belle nodded. "Born like that, and wouldn't have it any other way."
The two smiled at each other--they'd been best friends for so long, that everything just kind of happened between them. Conversation was easy, fighting was easy, making up was easy--they were meant to be friends, and so they embraced that part of their destiny, and just rolled with the punches--both of them the richer for it.
"I'm loving the smell of this pudding." Belle said dramatically, putting it into the fridge to firm up a little.
Ellie laughed. "You're completely retarded."
Belle shrugged. "I just like my work."
Ellie rolled her eyes, and then Belle set the table, and Ellie placed the food on it, calling down Dallas and Jamie, Jamie of whom, had taken a bath, and was now squeaky clean. He insisted on sitting next to Belle, and they all talked and laughed all the way through dinner. Then they played some games and horsed around a little, before Ellie went to tuck Jamie into bed. Dallas sometimes did the tucking in, but Ellie was kind of protective of her son--she and Belle both.
"Is Aunt Belle coming over this weekend to play?" Jamie asked.
Ellie smiled a little. "She can if that's what you all want to do."
Jamie smiled. "Good."
Ellie leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Goodnight, Jamie."
"Goodnight, Mommy." Jamie yawned.
"Goodnight, Buddy." Belle whispered, standing in the doorway.
Jamie beamed. "Goodnight, Aunt Belle."
Belle came over and kissed his forehead too, and then Ellie turned out the light, and the two left Jamie and his Scooby-Doo night light, and went into Ellie's studio. Ellie sighed a little, and Belle ran her hands along her shoulders.
"Hey, you look like it's been one of those days." Belle said, knowing all too well that some days, Ellie was just feeling a little overwhelmed and terrible. "You're doing fine."
Ellie nodded. "Thank you for always being here for us."
Belle smiled. "You're welcome. It's my job."
