Your Choice (Book Three)

Mother/Daughter Reunion

A/n so this is late, I am sorry for that :/ it is a little longer than usual I think...please enjoy! And good news, my last exam is on Friday so after that I can just write whenever I want and feel like it! So no more schedules wooh! xD

Emmeline Rose opens up her backpack and starts to stuff in things she may need; a jumper, her purse and her bike lock. Today is the day, she is going to see her mother. She gives herself a once over while looking in the mirror; she wants to make a good impression. She decided on wearing something neat yet practical as she will have to cycle to Costa where she is due to have a coffee – or a hot chocolate in her case – with Vanessa. She is wearing a pair of blue, high skinny jeans with a coral crop top over lying a white shirt. Emmeline pockets her phone and grabs the rucksack before skipping down the stairs. She pops her head around the door and into the living room to say farewell to whichever parent is humming in there quite contently. "I'm going." She states and rushes off.

"Hey, Emmy wait!" Benedict calls and appears into view holding her bike helmet. "Tom would kill me if I let you go without this." He passes the sky blue helmet over to her as she rolls her eyes with a sigh. "It may not be 'cool' but we care very much about your welfare. Okay?"

"Fine." Emmeline grunts making Ben chuckle under his breath before his expression turns slightly serious.

"Are you sure you don't want one of us to come with you? I don't mind." He rambles with worry.

"I'll be fine dad." She says to him and he smiles contently.

"Okay..." He trails as he pulls out a ten pound note out of his trouser pocket. "Have fun." She nods and expresses her gratitude after she turns around to run out of the door and onto her bike. She loves her bicycle, although Tom is slightly resentful about her riding on the busy London roads she argues that it is the only thing that keeps her fit and not looking like a potato. She is not very sporty or active you see.

Emmeline rides around the corner and smiles when Costa comes it few. She pedals up to the bike rack which is just outside and ties her bicycle to it using her lock. She undoes the catch on her helmet and carries it into the café where she greets the barista who she has become very friendly with over the last few years and peers around looking for Vanessa. She sees her. Vanessa has her dark hair flowing just below her shoulders, her hands are cupping the mug as she gazes off into the distance. Emmy starts to feel nervous and like the air is leaving her lungs but that is all forgotten when Vanessa looks up and locks eye contact with her with a smile. She approaches the table which is by the window so she balances the bike helmet on the window sill and greets her mother. "Hi." She squeaks and Vanessa opens up her arms for a hug which Emmeline takes with grace. They both pull apart after a few seconds and take their respective seats.

"I ordered you a hot chocolate." Vanessa speaks with her welsh lilt taking Emmeline back a bit. She had almost forgotten that she is half welsh. "Is that okay?"

"T-that's perfect." Emmy smiles to her mum who takes a sip of her own drink.

"So..." She trails. "You said you would talk to me about someone called Max?" Together they talk for nearly an hour not just about Max (although that did take a good twenty minutes) but about hobbies and school and Shakespeare. Things are all going great, almost so well that Emmeline forgets about all the horrid things that her mother did to her fathers. Almost. "What's that?" Vanessa asks snapping Emmy out of her thoughts. She follows her mother's eye line down to her wrist and the back of her hand which is purple, bruised and swollen from an incident at school...

*Flashback*

"Come on Max..." Emmeline taps her foot impatiently waiting for her friend to finally find his chemistry textbook. "We are going to be so late." She mumbles as the bell rings signalling that the class has begun. She is gripping onto her own textbooks and exercise books for the next few periods in her arms.