The English Rose

The Story Continues

A few days had passed since the debacle at the New Year's Eve ball. It took Bella an additional day to fully recover from the breakdown in the library. She was surprised to learn that she wasn't given any drugs and that she came out of it well enough on her own. Though she knew she wasn't completely alone during that time. A lot of her memories were fuzzy but she did remember that her Alice came. She came to the ball after Bella had lost all hope that she wouldn't return her affection after hearing everything of her past. Yet, she showed up, she saw Bella in the middle of a psychotic breakdown and she stayed. Hermione has seen her during one of her lowest points and still laid in bed with her and held her all night. "I don't know what I've ever done to deserve her," Bella admitted to her niece when she came to her room two days after the New Year.

"You've been yourself and my opinion might be a wee bit biased but I think you are pretty amazing," Dora laid in the bed next to her aunt. They were both propped up against the headboard as she went over the events of the ball with her aunt. "She was so embarrassed when we changed your clothes."

Bella thought for a moment and then her eyes grew wide, "I wasn't wearing any underwear, was I?"

"Nope."

"Did she see anything?"

Dora chuckled, "are you being shy? That's not really like you."

"Oh stop," she shoved her niece with her own shoulder, "you know I'm not a prude. I just hope she wasn't uncomfortable."

"She was the perfect gentle lady," Dora smirked. "Seriously, she was stationed at the top of your head. If I recall, she said something along the lines of not wanting to see something that she was entitled to see yet."

Bella cackled, "I guess we are both sort of skirting around the physical side of the relationship. I mean," she shrugged, "well I don't know if I can... well...you know yet," she looked pleadingly at her niece, "don't make me say it."

Dora laughed, "I get it. I'm sure if you mention it to her and the medication then Hermione will be happy to wait until you can both thoroughly enjoy each other."

"Probably but I suppose I need to see if we are still even a thing."

"What do you mean? She came. She showed up after everything. If that wasn't a declaration of love then I don't know what is."

"I guess I'm just not sure I deserve a happy ending."

"Aunt Bella," Dora rested her head on her aunt's shoulder, "nobody deserves it more than you."

"But why?" Bella closed her eyes and rested her head back against the headboard. "I'm broken. She deserves to be with someone who has all of their shit together."

"Nobody has their shit together."

"True but she deserves someone who won't fly off the handle at any given moment."

"You know it's not like that auntie," Dora looked up at her aunt. "The moment she came into the room, you calmed. It was the wildest thing I've ever seen. I'm not saying that you'll never have a breakdown again but I am saying that she helped you in a way I've never seen anyone do before."

"What about her? You are telling me all these things she offers to me but what do I have to offer in return?"

Dora's heart broke a little at the vulnerability in her aunt's voice. "Your love," was the simple answer.

"And you think that's enough?"

"Yes," Dora pulled out her phone to check the time. "It's almost afternoon. I believe I heard mum saying something about letting you leave today."