I Wanna Sing You a Sunrise

Chapter 11: Independence, part II

A/N: Wow, thanks so much for the amazing response to the first part! Much appreciated!

It's been a rainy week, so I spent evenings watching all three parts of The Hangover - I'm not normally a comedy person at all, so hadn't seen them before but they were actually quite enjoyable:) And they gave me a possible Bradga fic plot that is currently writing itself in my head...I will post it if I manage to get it out.

Anyway, onto the next chapter. Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

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She pressed her face against the cool white plastic of the float, slightly shocked by her own words; her little sister was quiet for a moment, then cleared her throat. "Wow. Just to clarify... are we talking about B or C?"
Stefani chuckled dryly into the float. "Would I be having any trouble if I was talking about my fiancé?"

"I know, I just wanted to..." Natali sniffled. "I am so proud of you for admitting that. I mean, I knew it of course but... hearing you say it... it's incredible. Do you feel better?"

"Hmm." She raised her head, listened to her body for a moment, brow furrowed. "I think I do, actually. Doesn't hurt as much."

"See? You have to stop bottling things inside yourself; let them out. You can always talk to me, you know that." Natali stopped rubbing at her back. "Do you feel like you can get out of the pool? We should get you some food and then we'll think about your little... problem. Not that I think it's really a problem and to me, the solution is glaringly obvious, but I know you're not me and you have a lot more to take into consideration."

"Yeah. Thanks for understanding that." Stefani felt strong enough to let go of the float, following her sister to the pool steps and slowly pulling herself up. There was some pain, but she managed; Mike handed them both towels and she smiled gratefully, wrapping herself into the soft white cotton.

"Stef?"

Bradley's voice was so worried that it made her insides jolt and she turned her head, encountered his eyes.

"Are you okay? You looked like you were really hurting in the pool."

She gave a small smile. "I was a bit. But it's better now."

"Okay. I'm really sorry for what I said and the way I... the way I left." His brow furrowed a little. "I didn't even think about any... possible consequences."

"Don't worry. Everything's okay." She glanced past him, frowned. "Where's Irina?"

"She left already, to get Lea home. Mum wanted to stay, chat more with your parents." He nodded towards the house and she followed his eyeline, laughing as she spotted Gloria in an animated conversation with Joe and Cynthia.

"Wow. They seem to be getting along."

"I agree. God knows what they'll get up to." He grinned. "You should get something to eat before it's all gone."

"Yeah, I will." Stefani hesitated. "You're not heading out yet, are you?"

"No, no. It's still early." Bradley turned, started to walk away from her, turning to glance over his shoulder. "Nice dive, by the way."

"Thanks. I've been practising." She reached for her clothes, briefly wondering where Christian was.

In the bedroom, her question was answered by a note on the bed.

Gonna crash a few bars with the guys. Call me when you're ready to talk. C.

"Well, there's a mature way to handle things," she muttered, removed the wet bikini and pulled on underwear, the denim shorts and a black strapless top. She didn't really like Christian's way of often dealing with problems by turning to drink, especially at his age; she felt like he should have been a little more responsible, especially considering he had a teenage daughter who looked up to her father in everything.