CHAPTER 5- Jealousy

Demi's POV

Jealously lives upon doubt. It can either turn to madness or cease when we pass from doubt or certainty. there's a green-eyed monster in all of us. Whether it's materialistic or with relationships we all get jealous, it's human nature. What we do with our jealousy is different with all people. You can let it consume you, or you can allow it to motivate you to new heights. To get angry and wallow in your frustration, to let it help you strive to be better. Jealousy is a tricky thing though. In relationships, a little jealousy is key, because it shows the other person still cares and is afraid to lose you. How ever jealousy can quickly manifest into an ugly thing that tears even the strongest bonds apart. Don't let jealousy consume your life, use it to motivate yourself and turn it into good.

~*~

Today is the day I have to spend with a fan who won Seventeen Magazine's 'Spend an afternoon with Demi Lovato!' contest. I'm really excited, I haven't been interacting with my fans much after the accident because everything is so confusing. But now, it's all getting a bit clearer day by day so I've decided to get back into the swing of things. Mac is still sleeping, so Nick and I are sitting on the floor together on the couch, enjoying a rare moment of peace.

"So what are your plans today?" Nick murmured as I snuggled deeper into his chest between his legs and clutched my coffee.

"Well I'm spending the afternoon with that girl Taylor, who won the contest to hang out with me... So I don't suppose you could watch Mac tonight?"

Nick sighed, "She's not gonna like that, but okay."

I sighed with him, "I know she won't. but I don't know if I want to take her with me, maybe it's good to get a little separation... You know?... I just can't tell if she'll be mad or not because-

Nick's lips went to my neck, cutting off my ramblings, "It's no big deal, I'll just hang out with Mac. She won't even know you're gone!"

~*~

I tip-toed to the door as quietly as possible so Mac wouldn't notice me leaving. Sure enough, I dropped my keys and her head popped up above the couch.

"Momma?"

Cursing in my head, I smiled, "Yeah babygirl?" She got off of the couch and ran over to me, twirling a piece of her long brown hair in her fingers.

"Where are you going?"

I shrugged, "Just to see a friend."

Her lower lip quivered, "Can I go too?" Take on look at her face I knew she was seconds away from a meltdown,

"Alright C'mon."

~*~

I walked into Seventeen Magazine headquarters holding Mac;s hand tightly. Lately she's had the tendency to wander off in public places. It scared the crap out of me.

"Mommy why're we here?" Mac said, shying into my side as the busy workplace frightened her. I picked her up and hugged her tightly as I quickened my pace.

"We're picking up a friend then we're gonna have fun okay baby?" She nodded and I finally found the right room, knocking on the door.

"Come in!" Slowly, I opened the door to see a petite girl. She turned around and all of the blood drained from her face, It was actually quite comical to watch.

"Hi! Are you Taylor?" She nodded mutely, "Well I'm Demi, I think we're supposed to hang out today or something... So let's ditch this place." Shifting Mac so she was on my hip, I grabbed the girl's hand. "Shopping?"

Taylor and I immediately clicked. Within five minutes she'd gotten past the whole 'Oh my God it's Demi Lovato' phase and was now laughing in the car with me as I cranked the music higher.

"So where are we going?" Taylor giggled, once a song we both didn't know came on.

"Hmm.... Topshop? I don't know how much money they gave you for our little shopping spree..."

Taylor held up her wallet with a smirk, "A thousand okay?"

I laughed and nodded, "You're my kinda girl."

We got to Topshop and Taylor ran around like a kid in a candy store. Mac however, was not into it and stayed by my side the entire time while I gave Taylor my opinion on the clothes she picked out. she had great taste, leather jackets what were slightly ripped and studded, and some heavier things because it is still cold in California during the winter. After about two hours, we paid and left.

"So where do you wanna get dinner?" I asked Taylor as we got into the car.

She snuggled and smiled, "Anywhere's good."

"MACDONALD'S!" Mac yelled from the backseat, making me wince.

"Mac you had McDonald's yesterday."

She shook her head stubbornly, "McDonald's!"

I sighed and noticed Taylor's smile falter slightly. She's skinny- really skinny. And- although she had tried to hide them, there were red lines trailing up her wrists. Taylor has an eating disorder. And McDonald's would not help that at all.

I sighed again, "Mac we can't go to McDonald's." Pouting, she stared out of the window leaving me to deal with Taylor.

"Where do you want to eat sweetie?" I said gently.

She sighed, "Uhm... Pizza?"

I smiled, "Sure!"

With that, we were off.

Taylor ate her slice of pizza slowly, chewing every bite for about a minute before swallowing with a slight wince. Mac picked at her slice grudgingly and I made a mental note buy her McDonald's for lunch tomorrow.

Suddenly, Taylor stood up, "I-I'm gonna go to the bathroom."

Standing up also, I took her hand and looked directly into her eyes, "Don't do anything you'll regret."

Taylor froze, then slowly nodded and walked off. I sat down with a defeated sigh and Mac poked my wrist.

"Momma she has battle scars."

**

"Can you get white tattoos?" Mac wondered, stroking the ink on my wrist that read 'Stay Strong.'

"You can, but I don't have any."

She pointed to the scars lacing up my wrists, "Then what are these?" I inhaled sharply and hesitated, thinking my answer through.

"See this?" Turning her hand over and pointing to a scar on her wrist. Mac nodded. "That's called a scar. Scars show up when you get hurt and it's a reminder of when you were hurt." I paused, "Well these are very special scars. They're battle scars. If they're red, they show that someone is still fighting the battle. If they're white, that means the person has won the battle but still fighting the war."

Mac looked thoughtful, "Like the waitress."

My eyebrows pulled together, "Huh? What waitress?"

Mac nodded, "Our waitress had lines like this only more, and they were red. Does that mean she was losing?"

I shook my head, "NO babygirl, those scars mean that they're fighting really hard. And sometimes they get hurt in battle, kinda like soldiers. Do you get it?"

She nodded, "Will I ever get battle scars?"

This time I looked her dead in the eyes, "I pray to God every night that you won't."

**

I sighed and pulled Mac into my side, kissing her forehead. "Yeah babygirl, she does. But she'll be okay."

Taylor came back to the table then, with a small smile, "I didn't do anything."

Pulling away from Mac I grabbed her into a tight hug, "There you go sweetie. I'm so proud of you. So fucking proud."

She grinned and wiped away a tear, "I just couldn't do it Demi." Taylor shook her head, "I've just never been able to resist like that before."

Taking her hands in mine I nodded, "Don't worry. This is the first step, it gets easier."

We decided to go to the arcade after dinner. Mac was bouncing around in her seat, she loves the arcade. Taylor and I had a ski ball tournament planned, on the ride here she'd casually mentioned that she was good at it so I naturally challenged her and talked smack the entire ride there.

"Ready to get your ass kicked?" I teased as we walked into the brightly lit building, Taylor just laughed.

Mac held my hand tightly and looked around with wide eyes, "Momma I wanna play that!" She squealed at every machine.

I smiled, "After ski ball, we'll see."

Suddenly she stopped walking, "I wanna play now!" With a roll of my eyes I motioned for Taylor to go on ahead of my and crouched down to Mac's height.

"Mackenzie. I'm supposed to spend the day with Taylor. I let you come alone because I wanted you to have fun instead of staying home with Nick. So you need to behave. I spend every single day with you and you need to share."

Mac glared and ripped her hand away from me, "I don't wanna play with her."

I cocked and eyebrow and pointed towards the big playhouse area, "Then go play over there and i'll come get you when I leave."

This time, Mac changed her tactic, looking at me with pleading eyes that would've worked any other day and a pouting lower lip.

"Please momma?"

I shook my head and pointed again, "March." The glare was back and she stomped over to the playhouse. Running a hand through my hair I made sure she got over there and then went to find Taylor.

"Hey!" She said with a smile as I walked up to where the ski ball machine was. "Everything okay?"

I nodded, "Yeah, she can just be a little clingy sometimes."

Taylor gestured to the machine, "Good thing, because i've been warming up, and I think the ass-kicking is going to be my job."

I grinned, "We'll see."

~*~

Mac's POV

After Demi left I follow her to where the skiball was. Her and Taylor were laughing and playing like bestfriends. I sat down, behind another game so they couldn't see me and watched them play for a long time. Demi won, then Taylor, then Taylor again.

"Do you wanna play another round to try and redeem yourself?" Taylor asked Demi.

She checked her phone, "Oh shit, we gotta go, I have one more surprise for you! Let's go get Mac."

Uh oh.

I ran back to the playhouse just as Demi and Taylor got there. "Hey bug, ready to go?" Demi said holding out her hand. I didn't take it, but walked past her out of the door. If she likes Taylor so much maybe she should become her mommy.

~*~

Demi's POV

Mac's been acting strange all day, but I know she's going to love this. I drove out to the beach and set up blankets and pillows for us to sit on. Taylor sat next to me and I put my arm around her.

"Ready?" She nodded excitedly. The clock on my phone hit 9:00 and the first boom sounded, lighting up the sky in brilliant colors.

"Fireworks?!" Taylor squealed.

I giggled and nodded, "The perfect end to any day! The show lasts for about half an hour so I figured we could watch a movie at my place after?"

Taylor cocked an eyebrow, "Princess Protection Program?" I rolled my eyes but nodded and Taylor hugged me. Wrapping an arm around her I looked up at the sky.

"Momma it's too loud!" Mac whined behind me.

I sighed, "Just plug your ears Mac, looked how pretty they are." I advised, then turned back around.

After the fireworks were over I drove back to my house. Taylor was awestruck as we pulled up and I giggled, "Well C'mon! There's someone I want you to meet." We walked inside and I shut the door behind me.

"Babe?"

Taylor's face went white and she grabbed my hand, "Wait. When you say 'babe' do you mean-"

"Demi?" Nick came into the hallway in just sweatpants with no shirt making Taylor's eyes pop out of her head

"Oh my God. You're Nick Jonas."

He chucked, "Yeah, that's me!"

"DADA!" Mac yelled and ran over. He picked her up and she snuggled into her chest.

"Hey baby, did you have fun?" Mac stayed silent and Nick gave me a questioning look which I returned. "Well let's get you cleaned up okay? It's late." Mac nodded and Nick carried her upstairs.

I turned to Taylor who was still sitting in shock, "Oh come on! It's just Nick!"

She glared at me, "Yeah, just Nick Jonas. Shirtless. No biggie." She said sarcastically. Giggling, I grabbed her had and went into the living room,

"Let's watch a movie."

~*~

Nick's POV

I carried Mac upstairs and put her on the bed, then helped her into her pajamas and laid down next to her. Mac scrambled onto my chest, cuddling into me while I stroked her back.

"What's going on monkey butt?"

She sighed, "Momma doesn't love me anymore."

I frowned, "What do you mean?"

Mac shrugged, "She loves Taylor more now." She said it with such sadness, it was obvious Mac believed it whole-heartedly.

"Mac, that's not true. Demi loves you more than anything. She just wants to spend time with Taylor."

She shook her head, "You weren't there Dada." Sighing, I got up, pulling her with me. "C'mon let's get you something to drink then we'll go to bed." Mac nodded and followed me downstairs.

"Okay so warmed milk good?" I asked, rummaging through the fridge.

Mac sighed, "Yeah." A few minutes later I turned around proudly with a cup to an empty kitchen.

"Mac?" I walked out and sighed, she was watching Demi and Taylor cuddle on the couch laughing at the movie that was one. In that moment, I saw what Mac was seeing and sympathized with her. Demi looked completely focused on Taylor. And, if it'd been like that all day, Demi has a lot on apologizing and fixing to do. "C'mon tiger." I whispered, and picked her up by wrapping one arm around her waist, "Let's get to bed."

~*~

Demi's POV

After Taylor left I went upstairs to my bedroom where Nick was laying on the bed, scrolling through his phone.

"Hey." I murmured, crawling over to him and laying on his chest.

Nick sighed, "Hey Dems." His arms stayed at his sides and I automatically knew something was up.

"What's wrong?" I murmured, pooking his cheek.

Nick pointed to the door, "Go ask Mac." Pouting, I leaned in but he pulled away.

"Nickk. Look I'm probably going to end up sleeping there so you're not gonna kiss me goodnight.... Oh well."

I got up and walked about five steps before I was roughly pulled back and turned around by strong hands. Nick's lips crashed on mine passionately and his tongue brushed at my mouth, making my knees weak. All too soon, he pulled away and smirked.

"Goodnight... Sweet dreams."

I frowned. "Tease." Then walked out.

"Mac?" I called softly, and knocked on her door. There was no answer, cracking the door open I peaked inside. Mac was laying on the bed sleeping, her face stained with tears. I shut the door behind me and walked over to the bed, sitting on it and stroking her hair.

"Mac?" She woke up and instantly her eyes filled with tears and she moved away from me on the bed.

"Get out please."

I frowned, "Mac-"

"No Demi. Please get out. I'll be packed tomorrow." My body froze, she called me Demi. That's when I realized how serious it was.

"Mac please just talk to me baby."

My hand reached out but she flinched back, "You can go be Taylor's mommy, you don't want me anymore. She can even have my room." I sighed and pulled her over, ignoring it when she squirmed and laying down so I was over her.

"Mackenzie what is your last name?"

She sighed, "Riv-"

"No. What is your last name."

There was a pause, "Lovato."

I nodded, "Ad my last name?"

Another pause, "Lovato." Taking her hand so it was pressed against my chest I did the same thing to her.

"That's right. We're family. More importantly you're my daughter and I am your mom. I love you more than anything or anyone in the entire universe okay? I love you more than Nick- and don't tell him I said that." She smiled slightly, "I love you even more than I love myself. You're my world babygirl. My entire world."

She nodded and hugged me tightly, "I love you too momma.. always." I nodded and laid down next to her now that I was confident she wouldn't try to escape and so we could cuddle.

After a few minutes I groaned, "And how many times do I have to tell you that you're not going back to that God damned orphanage ever again?"

She giggled and kissed my cheek, "Sorry.... and sorry for calling you Demi."

I smiled, "You had a good reason to, but i'm momma okay?"

She smiled back, "Okay." I settled back against the pillows and ran my fingers in patterns through her hair.

"Go to sleep babygirl. I love you."

She snuggled closer to my warmth, "I love you too momma."

I kissed her forehead, "Always."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey everyone! Okay so this was my collab chapter with @undyinglovato... Basically she has a fanfic that Taylor is Demi's daughter so it's basically the same plot line with Mac and Taylor switched and a different writing style in hers chapter so please go check out all of her stories!

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Next update; Sunday

-Rachel