Hey There Baby Girl [Demi Lovato Fan Fiction]

Epilogue

~•~•~ Eighteen months later... ~•~•~

It would have been easy to say that they all lived happily every after...but that would have been a lie. 

That's not to say that life wasn't exceptionally better, because it was. Kesha moved to America, just like three-year-old her had dreamed she would. She lived in the Lovato home and became close to her entire family. She enjoyed the weather and the freedom to live her own life. And, most of all, she enjoyed Demi and how settled they were together.

Despite all the good though, a lot of damage had been done. 

Kesha continued to push the boundaries of those around her, constantly needing them to prove their stability, prove their love for her. This was hard on Dianna, who just wanted to make up for her mistakes. There would be shouting matches and plates smashed and lots of tears. Time and time again, the entire family showed up for her, never getting mad, never kicking her out. They wanted Kesha to believe in them. And, with a lot of therapy, she started to. 

The hardest times were always when Demi went way. She would tour or travel back to England to see Vicki. At first, Kesha could join her, but it wasn't always practical, especially once their were discussions of school. Kesha also ached for her friends back home, the ones who had dragged her through life when she was all alone. Demi ached for Kesha when she was away, and Vicki when she was home. Skype just wasn't the same. The two of them struggled with being apart. 

Dianna and Dallas would have whispered conversations about the two girls, huddled under the stairs so they could hear Kesha coming but couldn't be heard themselves.

"Is melancholy the right word?" Dallas said once. "That's how they both seem to me, you know? Fine but deflated..."

"They pine for each other," Dianna agreed.

"But we love them so much, they don't need to just rely on each other anymore. I don't understand," Dallas said desperately.

"It's a trauma response, darling," soothed Dianna, "That's what the family therapist said. They can't help it."

"It will pass," Dallas insisted.

"Perhaps..."

Now, however, the family stood in the kitchen. The sun was beating in through the window, warming the home. Demi was visiting once again, Vicki in tow. She was outside petting the horses while Demi caught up with her family. Kesha was upstairs in her attic bedroom, unaware that Demi had arrived. It was a surprise.

Demi was handed paperwork by her mother. She scrawled a signature, then flew from the door. The first Kesha was aware of any disturbance was when Demi flung open her bedroom door. It bounced against the wall, causing Kesha to spin around.

"AH! Demi!" she squealed, "What are you doing here already?"

Demi was laughing and crying and waving papers at Kesha.

"What is that, you crazy woman?" Kesha laughed, "Let me see?" She snatched the papers from the air and started to read. "Certificate of Adoption... Demi... What... What is this?"

"Do you wanna come home with me?" Demi asked through sobs, hands on her face.

Kesha stared from Demi to the signatures on the papers; Demi's and Dianna's.

"I bought a house...in England...with Vicki... Do you want to-?" 

Before Demi could even finish her sentence, Kesha had thrown herself into the woman's arms. She breathed in the sweet vanilla scent, nestling into the only place that felt truly safe. She let her tears and laughter flow freely. 

She thought about how hard the past few years had been. She thought about the trauma of starting a new life, and how it didn't seem so scary to start all over again, not this time. She knew she would always have a place here, in the attic bedroom, if she ever needed it. But she could go back to being a niece again, rather than a spare daughter.

She pictured what it might be like to live with Demi and Vicki. She thought about family meals, dancing and singing after school, their faces being the last thing she saw at night and the first thing in the morning. She thought about how much they would laugh together. She imagined doing her exams and maybe even passing. Was university in her future? Would they watch her pack up a car one day and cry as she drove away, but not far?

It hit her how crazy it was that she assumed she would have a future now. And how wonderful...

"Yes, Demi," she breathed, "Take me home."

~•~•~ The End ~•~•~