Isabella 'Bella' Marie Rickman: This is Me

Part 18

Alan was finishing off the cooking and decided to leave the kitchen for a little while and head into the front room to see that Tom and Bella wasn't back home yet.

The doorbell rung, Alan got up from his armchair and headed to the door to be greeted by Sophie and Jacob. Michael, Sharon, and Chris were just unloading the car full of presents. Michael had locked up the car as Bella and Tom pulled up behind them.

"Uncle Michael. Let me help with that." Bella got out and locked up her car and went around to help with all the gifts.

"My my Bella. You have passed your driving test! When did this happen?" Michael asked.

"I passed on the 23rd. I bought the car the day after and drove down last night after the last show. So, I can drive myself around now." Bella told him.

"Oh Bella, we missed your 18th Birthday. We were going to drive up and watch the panto, but Jacob wasn't very well. But we have booked for the last show on the 3rd of January. So, we will see you doing your craft." Michael explained.

"Oh, that will be great. I will try and get you into the afterparty that we are having. It will be no trouble as I presume that Jacob isn't back to school until Wednesday?" Bella asked.

"That will be lovely Bella. Thank you so much for inviting us." Michael replied.

"Right, let's get out of this cold and into the warm house." Bella giggled and walked up the steps to the front door.

Jacob ran up and hugged Bella so tight that he had missed her so much.

"Bella, I have missed you so much. I managed to get into university. I'm studying Graphic Design." Jacob mentioned.

"Ooh you are following in Uncle Alan's footsteps then. He was a graphic designer before moving into acting full time." Bella told her long-time friend.

"Really? Uncle Al you can draw?" Jacob asked of his Godfather.

"Yeah, I can. I will show you some of my designs later. But let's all get a drink and celebrate Christmas." Alan headed into the kitchen and brought out a tray with 8 champagne flutes on with two bottles of Moet on the tray.

Alan cracked open both bottles and poured them out for everyone.

"I would just like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and that I hope that all your dreams and wishes come true. Merry Christmas." Alan toasted to is family and friends.

"Merry Christmas." They all replied.

"Well, I have some news for you all." Bella told them.

"You're not pregnant, are you?" Alan laughed.

Bella turned and looked at her dad and pulled a mad face. She wasn't happy what he had said.

"NO! I've been in Sheffield for the last couple of months. This is the second time that I have seen Tom. So, stop asking that right now." Bella was holding the champagne flute with her left hand.

"ISABELLA MARIE RICKMAN! Do my eyes deceive me, or did my brother here drop to his knee and proposed to you?" Chris looked at the beautiful ring that adorned her left-hand ring finger.

"Yes Chris, your brother here did, and I accepted." Bella giggled and hugged Tom.

"Congrats to you both." Sophie hugged Bella and Tom.

Alan just stood there and looked at his grown-up daughter hugging her friends and potential in-Law's. He didn't want her to leave him at all. But he loved her. Even though she changed after the accident all those years ago. Alan got used to the new Bella.

Bella turned and looked at her father. He just then looked down at his glass.

"Dad, are you ok with this?" Bella had asked of him.

Alan just looked up and then walked away into the kitchen to finish up the Christmas dinner that he had spent all day cooking.

Tom walked up to Bella and hugged her from behind.

"I will have a talk to him later Bella. I will try and clear the air between us all. Come on let's have a lovely dinner followed by the opening of all our gifts." Tom kissed Bella on the cheek and then guided her to the locked dining room which Bella had decorated earlier that morning.

Bella unlocked the door to see that everything that she had done was put away. Just the candlesticks remained. Bella was upset that she had wasted the morning for her dad to take down all the Christmas decorations that she had put up to make the dining room more festive.

"You guys go on in and sit down. I'm just going to head up to the bathroom." Bella moved away and headed to the stairs and ran up them.

Bella headed to her bedroom and looked down at her left hand to see the engagement ring that Tom had given her that afternoon on their walk. It seemed that her dad didn't approve of them getting engaged. So, Bella did the only thing that she could do. She re-packed her suitcase with a change of clothes from her wardrobe and then wrote a note for Tom and placed the ring on top of the note.

Bella was leaving everything behind. She got her phone out and took the Sim card out and left it with the ring, she also disabled the Find My iPhone app so that no one could find her at all.

She quietly shut her bedroom door and headed down the stairs and put her coat and shoes on and picked up her house and car keys and headed out of the house for the last time.

She had finished being the daughter of Alan Rickman. She would totally cut him out of her life along with all her friends and family that she had.

Bella loaded up the car and started it up and headed back to Sheffield where she was appreciated. Bella started to cry as she left her family behind, but she knew that she couldn't stay there.