Emilie's New Dress

The rest of this past week went on without incident.  We didn't have many other opportunities to escape the room, so we had plenty of time to sit on the curio, visiting and getting to know our new little guest.  And I have to admit, she was a cutie.  Emilie's initial shyness soon melted away, at least when she was around Robby.  She chattered on and on in an expressive, animated manner, and she had a captive audience in my husband.  She had him wrapped around her little finger, no mistake about that.  

In spite of my frustration with Beast'sbelle, I realized (after I'd cooled down) that it wouldn't be fair to take it out on Emilie, so I tried my best to be friendly with her.  Not overly-friendly, though.  I didn't want to get attached and encourage Beast'sbelle's meddling any further.  

I must say, at first I almost felt a bit jealous of this little one who held Robby's attention so completely.  I mean, here it was, our first Christmas together as a married couple.  I'd hoped for a wonderful, romantic Christmas and at least one night of privacy.  More and more, it was looking like our first Christmas would be spent as a party of 3 (well, a party of 7, counting Rapunzel and Eugene and their girls).  

Goodness, you all must think I'm being terribly petty. :{  It was just a big adjustment that I wasn't quite ready for.  I was happy with the way things were with just the two of us.  Maybe that was it...I didn't like the idea of sharing my husband, even if it was with an adorable little girl doll.

A few days after Emilie's arrival, Beast'sbelle came in again, holding something in her hand.  She walked right up to the curio instead of doing other things first, so I knew she had come to speak with us.  I couldn't help but notice the pleased expression on her face when she saw Robby and Emilie getting along so nicely.  

"Hi Emilie," she said in a friendly tone.  

Our little guest turned and gave Beast'sbelle a shy smile.  

"I found this the other day and thought you might be interested," Beast'sbelle continued.  She held out a beautiful white dress just Emilie's size.

Emilie's eyes widened and she sprung to her feet.  "Oh, thank you!" she cried out, taking the dress and hugging it to herself.  

Beast'sbelle looked extremely pleased with Emilie's excitement.  "You're welcome," she responded happily.  Then she turned to me.  "Belle, maybe you could help Emilie over to the dressing room so she can try it on."

I nodded cooly.  There was no way I could refuse so simple a request, but I would NOT give Beast'sbelle the pleasure of acting all excited and mushy myself.  I just caught the rather confused look in Beast'sbelle's eyes before I turned and held out my hand to Emilie.  "Come with me," I told her, giving her a friendly smile.

Emilie took my hand shyly and followed me over to the makeshift dressing room (which, as you all will probably remember, is the space behind Beast'sbelle's wedding picture on her nightstand).

"Here we are!" I announced as we hopped across to the nightstand.  "You can take your dress back behind here and try it on.

Emilie hesitated for a moment.

"Is something wrong?" I asked her gently.

She looked embarrassed.  "I can't un-Velcro myself," she announced, her cheeks turning pink.

In that moment, I felt a twinge of sympathy for her.  She was as much a victim of this scenario as I was.  What did she know about this whole thing?  What had Beast'sbelle told her?  Was she worried that if she couldn't do everything just right she'd be sent away?

I smiled down at her without even having to remind myself to do so.  "Don't worry," I assured her.  "I'll help you.  Why don't you turn around and let me get the Velcro in the back, and then I'll Velcro your new dress once you're in it."

Emilie let out a long breath, relief flooding over her face.  "Okay," she said, turning around so I could un-Velcro her sundress.  When I'd finished, she slipped behind the picture, clutching her new dress close to her.

"I'm ready," she announced timidly a few moments later.  She peeked out from behind the picture frame.

I smiled.  "That's a very pretty dress," I complimented her, turning her around so I could attach her Velcro.

Such a little comment, but she glowed as if I'd showered her with complements.

"It's just missing one thing, though," I informed her when I was done.  

She looked up at me with a curious expression as I reached for the back of my head.

Within moments, we were back at the top of the curio.  Beast'sbelle had disappeared again.  Robby informed us that she'd gone to pick up her girls from school.

"What do you think of Emilie's new dress?" I prompted Robby.  The little one was almost exploding with anticipation.

Robby gave her a big smile.  "You look beautiful in that dress," he said.

Emilie grinned from ear to ear.

Then Robby tilted his head.  "What's that I see in your hair?" he asked.

Still grinning at the attention, Emilie turned to one side so he could see.

Robby shot me a tender smile.  "I think I recognize that flower."

Now it was my turn to blush.

Robby directed his attention back to Emilie.  "Why don't you go show Eugene and Rapunzel your new dress?" he asked her.  "I'm sure they'd like to see it, too."

Emilie didn't need any further encouragement.  She raced over to our friends and did a pirouette.  I could hear their kind words and complements, but my attention was on my husband, who patted the spot next to him on the curio.

I sat down next to him and he wrapped his arm around my waist.  "Thank you for doing that, Sweetheart."

I felt a little funny.  "It...it was just a flower."

"It was more than that to her," he disagreed.  He paused for a moment.  "Look, I know this has been hard for you.  I'm just so glad to see you making an effort to make her feel welcome."

I was embarrassed.  "Was it that obvious?" I asked sheepishly.

"Well, we had just finished a conversation about how you weren't ready for kids and I was, and then Emilie arrived.  It didn't take long to put two and two together," he said, giving me a wink.

I looked up at him seriously.  "Do you believe what Beast'sbelle said, about Emilie just being here for the holidays?  I mean, she looks just like us, and we both know how much Beast'sbelle likes to meddle."

Robby looked amused.  "Well, she did kind of get her way with us in the long run, didn't she?  Maybe she's got good instincts."

"That's not the point!" I said a little too sharply.  

Emilie, Rapunzel and Eugene turned toward us for a moment before Rapunzel directed everyone back to their own conversation.  

I blushed and continued, a little softer this time.  "Beast'sbelle may have good instincts, but we're not just her playthings that she can direct and control at whim.  We have feelings too, and quite frankly, I feel very offended that she just sprung this situation on us without consulting us first!"

Robby tucked a strand of hair back behind my ear, the amusement still shining in his eyes, "I wouldn't worry too much about it.  I don't think she would outright lie about Emilie just being here for a visit, although I definitely think she's hoping something will work out with the three of us.  But let's just enjoy the incredible gift we have of spending Christmas with this adorable little doll and see what happens from there, okay?"

"I still don't like it," I protested quietly.  "It's not fair to any of us."

"Maybe not," Robby said thoughtfully, "but remember, humans do suffer from odd misconceptions from time to time.  Most of them think they're supposed to decide everything for us.  Beast'sbelle is learning, but she is still human, after all.  We can't expect her to understand everything."  

My husband is always so patient.  I seriously wonder how he does it.  Here I was, ready to give Beast'sbelle a good scolding, and he was content to simply go with the flow and see what happened.  Of course, he was also the one who was ready for kids.  

I still felt that Beast'sbelle should know how I felt.  I mean, what if (Heaven forbid) we did end up becoming parents sooner rather than later, and she started bringing home more and more little dolls?  How many would we end up with between her control freak tendencies and Robby's tender heart?

Robby kissed my cheek.  "You're still stressing," he informed me, as if I needed to know.  

"Always!" I replied in a playfully sarcastic tone.

At that moment, Emilie's laugh rang out.  Something Eugene had said had amused her.  She did have a sweet little laugh, and I found myself smiling at the sound of it.

I suddenly noticed that Robby was watching me, a smile on his own face.  "She is a sweetie," I admitted.  "I just don't think I'm ready to be a parent!"

Robby kissed me again.  "Who says you have to be?  I'd suggest just taking Beast'sbelle's words at face value.  Enjoy this chance to try out parenting with no strings attached.  You might be surprised at how much you like it," he teased.

I still wasn't sure.  "But what if..." I began.  Before I could finish, Emilie came bounding over and plopped down in Robby's lap.

"They liked my dress too," she informed us, her eyes sparkling.  Her eyes traveled over the two of us, taking in our outfits.  "Now I feel like I fit in with everyone," she said, looking down at her white dress with something close to awe.  

Robby exchanged a smile with me over her head.  We'll talk later, he mouthed.

I nodded.  What else could I do?  It wasn't a conversation I could have with Emilie sitting right there.  I tried not to notice how cute she looked sitting on Robby's lap.  Oh mercy, where on earth would we be when Christmas was all over?  I just hoped we could get through this ordeal without any hurt feelings or broken hearts.