Aftershock (Sequel to Yes I Am- A Demi Lovato Fanfiction)

Chapter 8 (Fanfic Swap @LovaticChonni)

"I have some uh- things to do first" Alexis tells me. I quickly scribble down the address onto a napkin and hand it to her. Her eyes widen a little as she scans it. "Nice neighbourhood." I'm not quite sure by what she means by that remark so I just ignore it. She starts to gather up her stuff, "Are you sure about this?"

"Well, this arrangement will benefit both of us in the long run, correct?" I inform her.

"Correct" Alexis confirms.

"Then I'll see you after" I conclude, she nods in my direction slowly, flashing me a small smile. I smile back and watch her saunter out of the shop, barely glancing back in my direction. I stifle a yawn and get up from my chair. I deposit the tray with the cups and teapot onto the counter, graciously thanking the employee that stood there. My foot catches on the way back and I have to clutch the table to steady myself. I grab my bag and cautiously walk out of the shop, making sure not to trip again. Ellie is in the middle of a tantrum when I get to the day-care, howling and throwing toys around. The lady flashes me a desperate glance before I take over. I take Ellie outside and set her in her car-seat, but it doesn't shut her up. "Right back baby girl" I mumble and rush back into the day-care. After thanking the day-care lady and signing the book they keep at the side of the room I walk back outside. Ellie’s screams have lessened slightly, but not my much. I begin the short drive home. When we reach the house Ellie is still yelling. "What's wrong baby girl" I unbuckle her from her car-seat and bring her inside.

"Noooooo" She howls into my ear. I start singing to her in a desperate attempt to soothe her.

"Hush little baby don't you cry, mommas gonna buy you a mockingbird". She stops squirming in my arms and stares at me. "And if that mocking bird doesn't sing, mommas gonna buy you a diamond ring" I continue. Her now peaceful eyes stare at me, reminding me of the way Amelie would look at me in the mornings. I bite my lip, trying to cast away all thoughts of Amelie so I can just focus on Ellie. I bring her into the bedroom and lay her onto the bed for a nap. I attempt to leave the room but she calls for me

"Mommy". Eventually I just lay down next to her, her breathing pace slows down as she falls asleep. As much as I'd like to fall asleep alongside her, I can't. I have to make the house look at least a little bit presentable before Alexis arrives. I get out the vacuum, praying the noise won't wake Ellie as I turn it on. I'm enjoying a mug of strong coffee as the doorbell rings. My muscles are aching slightly from the hard work and walking over to the door seems to strain each and every one of them. She stands on the doorstep playing with her hands.

"Hello" I say, smiling faintly at her. She smiles back and I invite her in. She has a guitar strapped to her back and she carries a bag which I presume has her clothes in it.

"Thank you for this".

"No problem" I tell her. After showing her the room she'll be staying in I walk back to the kitchen. My coffee is cold by now so I dump it and get to work on making another one. The slight pitter patter on the roof outside indicates it has started to rain. Alexis reemerges into the room as i'm pouring more coffee into my cup. "Want one?" I offer.

"Yes, please." I join her at the table with two steaming coffees. At that moment Ellie waddles into the room

"mommy I scared."

"What's wrong baby girl?" I walk over and haul her up into my arms. "You're getting heavy" I comment. She points to the roof, and looks at me with her big eyes. "It's only rain baby" I tell her soothingly. The weather chooses to release a big burst of thunder right at that statement. Ellie squeals and buries herself in my chest. I walk back over to where Alexis sits. "It's just thunder, nothing to be scared of" I whisper in Ellie’s ear.

"When I was little my parents used to say thunder was just God playing baseball" Alexis pipes up quietly. Ellie reemerges from my chest and turns to stare at Alexis curiously. "I'm Alexis," She introduces herself. Ellie looks at Alexis, then back to me.

"This is E-" I start to say before Alexis cuts in. "Ellie, I know" she finishes for me. Ellie sticks out her arms towards Alexis, indicating she wants a hug. She looks nervously to me, making sure it's alright. I nod slightly as she takes Ellie out of my arms.

A/N: So the totally fab and uber famous @LovaticChonni wrote this chapter :D She writes ‘You Can Fix What’s Been Broken’ so make sure to read that if you haven’t (In which case I’m wondering which rock you live under) because it's fab just like her :D:D:D We did a fanfic swap thing and so I wrote a chapter of hers which is over on her pageeeee xxx