Spotlight: the Sequel

Untitled Part 24

A/N: Song used: "Never Grow Up"- Taylor Swift

Previously...

It took a few months later, and we were back together to shoot the music video for "New Horizons". We arrived hand-in-hand on a cloudy Seattle morning in a small house. We'd shoot the performance scenes in the living room with the band, and all over the floor had our old band photos. In the end, Edward and I would add some more recent photos with our daughter. My favorite part was featuring Carlie to the world on our own. We'd barely posted any pictures of her in social media, so the fact that she was in our first music video in three years was truly a blessing.

We released our album after it was done being edited, mixed and processed a week after the music video, and it rose and stayed in the iTunes top 10 Rock charts for a month.

~oOo~

One night, I couldn't sleep and I heard our daughter call out to me. Trying not to wake Edward up beside me, I quickly put on my robe and walked to Carlie's open door.

"Mama..." she reached out to me, and I automatically pulled her out of her crib and into my arms.

"Hey, baby, what's wrong? What happened?" I whispered, and she pointed to her closet. The closet was closed, but the shape of a coat hanger peeked out.

"Scary claw." My daughter sniffled and pointed, curling into my hair.

I turned on the light on her bedside table and pointed to the coat hanger. "Baby, it's not a scary claw, it's just a coat hanger." I brought her closer to the closet so she could see. "Look. See? It's not scary."

"S'not scary?"

"No, it's not. There's nothing scary in your closet, Carlie. You're safe, kay?" I poked her tummy, and she smiled. I wiped her tears away and held her close.

"Sleep with you and Daddy?" she mumbled, yawning.

"I think you'll be okay in your own room tonight, honey. Mama and Daddy are tired."

"T'morrow?" her eyes started to fall as she yawned again.

"We'll see."

"Mama, sing Never Grow Up?"

I smiled as I sat us into the rocking chair on the other side of her crib. "Ok, but then it's back to sleep, 'kay?"

"'Kay." She sighed.

Your little hand's wrapped around my finger

And it's so quiet in the world tonight

Your little eyelids flutter cause you're dreaming

So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light

To you everything's funny, you got nothing to regret

I'd give all I have, honey

If you could stay like that

Oh darling, don't you ever grow up

Don't you ever grow up, just stay this little

Oh darling, don't you ever grow up

Don't you ever grow up, it could stay this simple

I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart

And no one will desert you

Just try to never grow up, never grow up

I looked up to hear Edward's sleepy voice singing along. He put on his red robe, but his hair stuck up everywhere. I smiled when he came closer to sing the rest, even though I could tell he was still tired.

"Daddy..." Carlie trailed off, and he kissed her hair.

As we sang our little girl to sleep, images of my childhood with my sisters clouded my mind. Memories of Rosalie and Alice pushing me on the swing, my mom brushing my hair back, my dad and I walking in the park. Memories of my mom dropping me off for school, and my face tomato red after she kissed me goodbye. Tears pricked my eyes as my heart pulsed in my throat as I thought of how much my parents would have loved Carlie. My mom always wanted me to have my happy ending, and it was bittersweet that she wasn't here anymore to see it. A tear fell on my daughter's sleeping forehead, and I kissed it away.

"You okay?" Edward whispered, brushing my tears away. Concern replaced the sleep in my eyes.

I nodded, and left to tuck Carlie in before I lost it. I walked quickly but quietly out of the room. I crawled into my and Edward's bed under the covers. I squeezed my eyes shut as more memories of my dead parents fluttered into my mind. It had been 10 years since their deaths, and I thought that I'd grown past them, but it was times like this that made me miss them the most. I missed them everyday, but being a wife and a new mother made me ask questions only my own mother would understand.

Edward's crawling into bed near me pulled me out of my thoughts, but the tears kept coming. I cuddled into his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around me.

"What happened in there?" he nodded towards Carlie's bedroom.

I sniffled and cleared my throat. "She got scared of a coat hanger, so I turned on the light to put it away. She asked me to sing "Never Grow Up" for her, and that's when you came in. And then, it made me think of me and my sisters and my parents, and my childhood, and how they'd love Carlie, and you, and...I just really miss them." I felt tears soak through Edward's robe, and I rubbed my eyes away. I felt his hands make small soothing circles on my back, and he sighed deeply. "I know they're still with us here," my hand floated to my heart, "but it's not always the same. And I know I have Esme and Rosalie and everyone kinda makes up for that, but still...I just...that made me think of them, you know?"

Edward brushed my eyes with his thumbs and kissed my lips softly. "I never really know what to say when you talk about your parents, but it's only because I've never felt that. I've never felt the pain of losing a parent. But you're right, they're still here." He lay a hand on top of mine on my chest. "And here." He caressed my temple towards the side of my head. "And I can see parts of your mom in Carlie, too. She's so sweet and observant. She sees everything. And she makes sure that everyone around her is happy, just like your mom did. Your parents will always be with you, everywhere. I'll miss them, too. I really liked your father." He smiled, and I kissed him again, snuggling deeper into his arms.

"Thank you for understanding." I said, feeling better and loving my family even more, past and present.