Quiet Like a Ghost

Chapter Twenty: Genius

Bellatrix is now three and is a complete daddy's girl. Which I love and hate. My cancer's been slowly getting worse since the morning I passed out and poor Trixie never wants to leave me alone. I scared her a little bit ago because I couldn't do anything because of a massive headache and since then she's been even more attached asking if I hurt.

"Daddy!" Trixie calls running into the bedroom. "Hey baby girl, where's Momma?" I ask her. "Making foody." She tells me climbing on the bed. "Oh. Any cookies for the cookie monster?" I ask teasingly, tickling her stomach. "DADDY! Stop!" She giggles, turning red quickly.

<<Quick Interupption, Bellatrix's Appearance>>
Extremely fair pale complexion (That occasionally is so pale she looks dead), dark brown hair, her father's grey-blue eyes, average height of a three year old.
<<Ok, Done.>>

"Bella, time for lunch! Bring your father too!" Opal calls. "Ok Momma!" She calls, "Momma wants you to come with me." She tells me as if I couldn't hear. "Ok, let's go then." I get up, picking her up.

"Tuna and crackers for Bellatrix, whatever he wants me to make for dad." She smiles weakly, being a mother exausts her. "I'll make myself a sandwich. Go relax." I wrap my arms around her, kissing her temple. "Ok." She yawns, "Matter of fact, sleep, I got her." I whisper, kissing her lightly. The nice thing about Trixie is she doesn't think kissing is gross, she finds it cute, so there's not any awkward, 'ew' moments.

"Do not give her a ton of cookies like last time." Opal scolds. "I promise..." I smirk. "Dad! Don't make promises you aren't going to keep!" Trix whines. "Yeah, don't, mister." Opal smiles, pecking my cheek and walking away.

"You are going to get me in trouble, Missy." I smile at Bellatrix. "Sorry." She shrugs putting a cracker of tuna in her mouth. "What do you want to do today?" I ask. "Go see Uncle Chris and Penelope." She smiles, she loves them. It's Chris' fault, always giving her sweets and toys. "Ok, we can." I nod, texting Ryan since he always comes with me if I leave the apartment and he's moved into the apartment next to us so Bellatrix can have her own room.

After an hour, I have Trixie ready and Ryan is ready to go as well. "Yay! Uncle Chris!" Trixie runs towards the front door. "What about Uncle Ryan? Am I just chop liver?"

"Yeah." I chuckle. "Daddy! Don't be rude! I love you too Uncle Ryan!" She runs back over to hug him. "That's better." He smiles hugging her back. "Now let's gooooo!" She sprints back to the door.

Once at Chris' place, we watch Trixie run around talking while Chris just nods and says, "Uh huh..." After she's calmed, we sit around the tv, watching Harry Potter, which scares Bellatrix but she'll grow out of that. We are a horror movie family after all. Bellatrix is sitting on Chris' lap, hiding her face in his chest whenever she gets scared. He doesn't mind, it seems every girl he knows does that.

Penelope came out finally, after deciding she looks creepy enough, and sits by Chris and Bellatrix. "Hi." Chris whispers, kissing her. She kisses back, breaking away soon after. "Hey." They are two weird people but they have a very adorable relationship.

Bellatrix squeals that something scared her, quickly flipping around, putting her face in his chest. "If she keeps this up she'll be a good movie date." Chris looks back at me. "Shut up. Baby girl, come here." I call her over. She obeys, climbing into my lap. "Why are you scared?" I ask her.

"Voldemort is scary looking and he's going to kill Harry!" She squeals. "But don't you think Harry is powerful enough to defeat him?" I ask. "Maybe but Voldemort is older and knows more stuff than him so that alone is a, a, I can't think of the word..." She sighs, thinking. "Disavantage?" I ask. "Yeah! That it."

"Your kid thinks too much." Chris chuckles from where he was laying down on the ground, holding Penelope. "I do not, it's just, why would they put young boy against a old man?" She complains. "I cannot wait until the only thing she thinks about is boys because she's making me feel inadequate. I wasn't thinking that much at three." He complains. "Yeah, she got her mother's over thinking trait." I tell him.

Before the end of the movie, Trixie fell asleep in my lap, and like always, looks dead from her ashen skin tone. "I think it's about time we get back home." I yawn, tired as well. "Ok." Ryan nods, I stand up, holding Bellatrix on my hip.

I buckle her into her car seat and get in myself, Ryan in the driver's seat. "I always get nervous when she's asleep, I don't think I've seen anyone look that dead and still breathing." He tells me as he pulls out. "Yeah, mom says I was like that too, not quite as ashen toned but and I quote, 'disgustingly pale.'" I smile. "Disgustingly huh?" He chuckles, "Your mother is rude."

When we get back, Opal's up. "Had fun?" She asks, walking up to us. "Yeah, I did, it wore her out." I babble, not sure of what to say really. "Hmm. You want me to put her to bed?"

"No. I got it, you can rest." I tell her and she kisses me. I kiss her back, pulling her as close as I can with a toddler in my arms. "We might have to have Ryan and Allie watch her while we go somewhere..." She smirks. "Mmhmm." I nod, using my free hand to grab her butt. "Put the kid to bed and then we'll talk, ok?" She chuckles.

I carry Bellatrix to her room, setting her in her bed. I heard something under her pillow, so I take it out. It's a diary. She's three, does she even know how to write? I open it which goes against my better judgment but sure enough there's messy child handwriting.

Momy is teeching me how to rite. It is prety fun. I just dont think I am doing it rite. She also told me I shold uze this book to rite my thots out. I dont know why. But I will.

Dady gets relly bad headaches. I hope he is ok. Momy always seems scard wen he dos.

I stop reading there, I'm about to cry. She shouldn't have to worry about her dad, she's only three after all. "What did it say?" Opal's small voice asks. "She's worried about me." I put the diary back and kiss her head goodnight.

"Babe, of course she is. We all are." She sighs as I walk over to her. "She shouldn't have to." I whisper, wrapping my arms around her, nuzzling my head into her neck. "Maybe but she does and we can't change that." She pets my hair.

We stay there for a bit, Opal holding me. "Daddy? You ok?" Trixie calls. "Yeah, I'm ok. You should go back to sleep." I walk back over to her, moving her dark hair out of her face. "Ok." She whispers so quietly I could barely hear her. I kiss good night again, walking back over to Opal.

We walk in to the living room and Opal pulls me to her, kissing me passionately. Ok then... I smirk against her lips, pushing her against the wall. "Babe, let's go somewhere..." She squeaks, gripping my hips, turned on. "Ok."

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Author's Note: l looked back and I noticed I screwed up Ryan and Allie's relationship details, we'll go with them getting married quickly after meeting as what happened because I forgot my other train of thought.