As the plane got closer to the ground, she became more and more jumpy. This calculated move she was making was becoming more and more risky by the second. She didn't know if this was the right move after all, coming back to the place that she had once loved, where she had once lived. Her life was there, she had made a name of herself. Well actually it was her family's name that had made her known, but her reputation preceded her. She was maybe semi-well liked when she had returned to her family, but by the time she had left things had changed. She had made mistakes, a lot of mistakes, but she had been alone and scared. That was how she had left this town she once called home: alone and scared. But little did she know when she left town she wasn't alone at all.
"Mommy?"
Her four and a half-year-old daughter, Ellie, calls out to her and manages to break her of her thoughts. She reaches down to make sure her daughter's seatbelt is secure and then brushes some of her dark raven colored hair behind the little girl's ear. She watches the little girl smile up at her and her dimples pop out- those are all from her father and she knows it. She wonders how he's going to react to all of this- her coming back and their daughter, he didn't even know she existed. She can picture his face now- full of rage, but pieces of happiness. He loved his children more than his own life and she had always promised that she would not keep his child away from him, but she had done just that. But that wasn't why he was going to be furious.
"What's wrong, El?"
Her mom's voice is soft and gentle; it's the only voice she's ever known her mom to have. In her four years on this earth, she's never heard her mom yell, not even at her uncle for bringing over his old friends to play poker when it's late at night. She's not sure why they're on a plane or why they've been on a plane for so long, but she trusts her mom.
"Your legs keep shaking, it's rocking the plane more than the pilot, mommy."
She plants a kiss on her small daughter's head and smiles at her. She knows her nervous energy is rubbing off on her precious daughter, but she can't help it. This trip was out of the blue. She had finally garnered up enough courage to go back to a town that hated her and to face the man that abhorred her. She felt awful, because she was bringing Ellie along as a shield, but she couldn't go anywhere without her daughter. She had never been away from her daughter.
"Mommy's sorry, baby. I'm just very nervous."
"Cause you're gonna see daddy again?"
She grins at the small child. Ellie had spent all of her life around adults and because of it she was so very keen to picking up on adults' cues. She hated that Ellie knew just by looking at her face and her body language how she was feeling. Because of this, everyone joked that Ellie would grow up to be a therapist, but that was a long way away, they had to survive this trip first.
"Yeah it's that and a lot of other things. Mommy hasn't been here since before you were born and for me that was a long time ago. I was a different person before you were born, you made mommy a better person."
Ellie grins at her before grabbing her mom's arm as the plane starts descending through the air. They both watch as the city of Port Charles comes closer into their view. She can't stop her legs from shaking now and she wonders how any of this is will turn out. She wonders if she'll ever be able to return home with her daughter after this trip. She wonders if her bravery will ruin life as her daughter has known it for the past four years. She moves up the arm bar that separates them and pulls her daughter into a fierce hug. She kisses the top of her head and then rests her cheek on it.
"I'm so sorry."
Ellie doesn't hear her mother and instead continues to hold onto her until the plane lands. She lets her mother lead her off the plane and to the baggage claim where their bags have yet to arrive. Her mom picks her up and rests her on her hip; her hands automatically go around her mom's neck while her head rests on her shoulder. Ellie looks out of the airport windows and sees the sun shining outside, but inside she feels like it's time for bed. She lets out a loud yawn just as the conveyor belt starts and suitcases start traveling.
"You're tired, aren't ya, El?"
She feels the child nod on her shoulder. She doesn't have time to respond, because she sees their oversized suitcase coming toward them, she had to pay about two times the normal fees because of the weight of it alone. So it's not surprise to her when she struggles to lift the suitcase off the conveyor belt with Ellie in her arms.
"Here, let me help you."
A familiar male voice calls out from behind her. She watches as he pulls the suitcase off the belt for her and places it in front of her. His eyes meet hers and she feels like her cover may have been blown; he may recognize her right here in the airport. She has to bite her tongue in order to not call him batman, because maybe Prince Nikolas wouldn't remember her after all.
"Do I know you? You look really familiar."
She smiles kindly at him and takes note of the small family behind him. She recognizes Spencer, even though five years have certainly changed him, luckily he can't remember her- he was only three at the time. She doesn't recognize the woman or the baby in her arms, however the ring on her hand certainly has a royal sparkle. She breaks out in a grin. When she had met Nikolas he was still trying to get over his dead fiancé, Emily. There had been a spark between them, but he was so fragile that it never mattered, plus she was too dark for him- he needed someone with light to offset the darkness that was within him. He had done well for himself. A wife and another son, she was truly happy for him.
"I get that a lot, but I can't say I know you. Anyways, thanks for the help, we're kind of over packed, if you can't tell."
He smiles at her and nods. His wife calls him, they have to go, they supposedly have a family get together that they need to get to. She watches as he rolls his eyes and she smiles. That was always what he had wanted, she knew that. He wanted to settle down and give Spencer a real family, because his little prince deserved that much.
"Yeah, it was no problem. Anyways, I hope to see you and that cutie pie around town."
She watches as he walks away and for a split second she wishes it was her, she wishes she could give her daughter the stability of a real family, but instead Ellie only has her and her great uncle. But then again, she had never had a true family either and she had kind of turned out okay. She feels Ellie giggling and looks down at her.
"What's so funny, Ellie bug?"
"He said I was a cutie pie."
"You are a cutie pie, silly. Come on, lets go get a car and blow this popsicle stand."
She manages to pull the suitcase behind her while still holding Ellie all the way to the rent a car station. When she gets to the kiosk, she puts Ellie down and grabs her hand. She pulls out her fake id and hands the woman her credit card. She gets a car that has a car seat for Ellie and will blend in with the normal Port Charles clientele, the windows are tinted and it feels safe to her. She thanks the woman, picks up her daughter, grabs the luggage and heads toward the car. She pulls her sunglasses down off her head She puts Ellie down by the backseat passenger door.
"You stay right here, mommy has to put the suitcase in the trunk."
She pops the trunk and struggles to lift the suitcase into the trunk. She wishes that Nikolas was here to lift it for her, or Johnny. She wishes Johnny was here, period. Johnny didn't know she was alive, didn't know he had a niece. He didn't know any of it and she missed him more than anything. It had been hard for her leaving five years ago in the dead of night with Uncle Rudy's goons. They had saved her from being buried alive and had gotten her to a doctor that was able to help her while also making sure her baby was okay. She was scared that once she showed up on Sonny's doorstep he would have her killed even though Ellie only knew her. But she had to do this, because she couldn't let him think he won. They had feelings for each other at one point after she had saved his life at the mob meeting, but she knew neither of them would have those feelings when he saw her and their child standing in his living room. She just wanted Ellie to know her family.
Finally she gets the suitcase in the trunk and looks to see Ellie still holding onto the car door. She didn't know why she was so paranoid. Everyone believed her to be dead and even if they did realize it was her, they probably would soon enough. She opens the car door for Ellie and lifts her small body into the car seat. She kisses her daughter's cheek and looks into her brown eyes; she gets those from her father too. There was no mistaking that Ellie was a Corinthos.
"You ready Ellie bug?"
"Yes, mommy!"
Claudia is close to tears, when she had lost her son close to six years ago, she thought that was it. She though for sure that there was no way she would have another child, but then about a year later she gave birth to Ellie at a hospital in Milan. She was five pounds and six ounces of perfect and from that point on everything was to be about Ellie.
"I love you, baby."
"I love you too, mama!"
She closes the door and goes to the driver's door. She takes a deep breath before starting the engine. She's not sure what she'll find at Greystone Manor. Will she find Kate or Olivia or Carly in the spot she once held? She knew he would move on, of course, their marriage, especially at the end, was nothing to mourn for and she was not someone he would mourn for. She still shuttered to think of the awful things she had been accused of and done, but that was the old her. Ever since becoming a mom, she had changed, everything in her life was about Ellie- no one else, including herself, mattered.
Finally she puts the car in drive and leaves the safety of the airport to go down the all too familiar roads that lead to her ex-husband's house. She looks into the review to see Ellie jamming along to the CD she had played. Claudia smiles, this was going to be the best thing for her.
She's surprised that Ellie is still awake when she pulls into the manor's driveway. A new fear envelops her. What if the guards stop her at the door and don't let her in? She steels herself for whatever is going to happen. She is strong and she's knows that she can handle this no matter what happens, plus the gun that's attached to her body helps a little bit. She gets out of the car and grabs Ellie from the backseat. She knows her daughter probably wants to walk, but holding her means that a quick getaway, if necessary, is possible. As she gets closer to the door, she realizes the guards are busy carrying out boxes of Sonny's good alcohol. The fact that they're distracted makes it very easy to slip into the living room where a guard is carrying out the last of the alcohol. Claudia raises an eyebrow as a blonde woman, who is not Kate, watches the alcohol go. Finally their eyes meet and Claudia watches as the blonde's eyes shift to Ellie.
"Who are you?"
Claudia is amused, for as long as she's been in the mob world she's never heard of this blonde who has captivated Sonny's attention, which is why she's asking. However, on further examination, Claudia realizes why this woman may be in Sonny's home- the blonde is pregnant. Claudia grins, Sonny was never one that could keep it in his pants.
"You're in my house, shouldn't I ask who you are?"
Before Claudia can answer, she hears his voice and her stomach feels like it's sinking. It's the voice that once caused her so much pain and heartache. The one who knew exactly what to say to make her attack. They had once promised each other after their son died that they would stop verbally sparring one another; it had only lasted a few months.
"Ava, how many times have I told you- you are a guest in my home and are not meant to be rude to other guests."
He stops dead in his tracks when he sees who is standing by his desk. His eyes, just as Ava's had, travel to the small olive-skinned, raven-haired child in his ex's arms. He knows without a doubt that she is his child then when she smiles at him and her dimples pop out, he knows for sure. The anger has dissipated in him from the years that he thought Claudia was "dead". The coma had not set Michael behind, instead it had only pushed him forward to a life outside of crime, he wondered if he had Claudia to thank for that.
"Ava, as in Ava Jerome?"
The blonde smiles, shoots a pointed look at Sonny and crosses the room to shake her hand. Claudia shoots out her hand that isn't holding Ellie to shake Ava's hand. She secretly wonders if Ava and Sonny hate each other as much as she and Sonny once hated each other.
"Ava Jerome at your service and you are?"
"Claudia Zacchara. It's nice to meet you, Ava."
"It's nice to meet you as well."
She smiles as much as she can even though Sonny is watching her like a hungry animal. She shifts her hand back down to her side, so it's closer to her gun and watches as Ava's eyes widen in recognition. She realizes that her name still precedes her, even though she's supposedly dead.
"El, that's your daddy, his name is Sonny."
The silence is thick and Ellie shifts in her mother's arms before yawning again. Claudia plants a kiss on her daughter's cheek and Ellie reciprocates the love. Sonny has to stifle the grin that is forcing its way to the surface; he remembers what he said to her the night of her birthday party. He told her how he was glad their son had died so he didn't have to suffer by having his mother be Claudia. He hadn't regretted it after the fact and as the years had passed, he had barely though about it, but now as he stood a good twenty feet from his ex-wife and his newly found daughter, he regretted it.
Ava on the other hand smiles sadly at the picture before her as her hands automatically find their way down to her growing middle. She'll never get a chance to love her child the way Claudia is right in front of her. Sonny is going to kill her the second the baby exits her body and everyone knows it.
"So Ava, you and Sonny are having a baby."
She says it without question, even though she would like to question what Ava did and why all the alcohol was getting hauled out of here. Claudia could really use a drink right about now. She watches as Ava and Sonny make eye contact just for Ava to quickly snap her eyes down to the floor. There was no fighting for dominance in their relationship like there had been in Sonny's and Claudia's, Sonny was clearly in control here.
"Well, yes, maybe."
Claudia laughs to herself and can't help but take a shot at Sonny.
"Well when you go to get the paternity test make sure Sonny drives you home. Accidents tend to happen when the mothers of his children are driving alone."
Ava looks back at Sonny and sees his eyes shift to the ground in shame. She wonders how Claudia manages to have that kind of power over him. She realizes that there is history between them and Claudia is capable of taking cheap shots at her ex-husband. For once Ava smiles, she's found someone who can control Sonny and may actually be on her side.
"Claudia…?"
Since the first time he saw her, he finally speaks. His voice is exactly how she remembers it, strong but soft, that makes you weak in the knees. But she doesn't falter, not anymore. He doesn't have that kind of power over her anymore.
"Yes Sonny?"
He doesn't want to have this moment in front of Ava, but he doesn't want to take the time to dismiss her. He needs to know the truth about the small child in Claudia's arms.
"Is she mine?"
His eyes land solely on Ellie, who is now fast asleep in her mother's arms. He notices how Claudia rolls her eyes, like he's asking a dumb question.
"Do you really have to ask? You know she is. Her name is Ellie, she had a rough flight, and she's exhausted, she was too intrigued by the sights outside of the window to sleep."
"Why don't you take her upstairs? To your old room, no one's been in there since you."
Ava stands between them, watching the back and forth that's taking place, it's like a power struggle. She had done her research on Sonny, but Claudia's name had barely come up except for the fact that they had married as part of a business deal. There had to be more history than that, however.
"How do I know that once I put her down you won't kill me like you didn't have a chance to five years ago?"
He lets out a sigh of frustration. Ava's eyes grow wide.
"If I wanted to kill you still, I would've done so already."
Claudia rolls her eyes at Ava, making Ava smile. Something is oddly familiar about this woman, she feels like maybe they could get along.
"Can't we just sit down? She'll freak out if I'm not there when she wakes up."
Sonny nods and sits in his chair. Memories flood his brain. Like the time they returned home after she had fallen down the stairs to find the house redecorated- it hadn't been changed since then. Or when she stood behind his chair and felt their son kick for the first time. Or the night they made love in front of the fireplace. He finally realizes how much time they spent together in this very room. He watches as Ava sits as far away from him as possible without giving away the animosity between them to Claudia, but he has a sinking suspicion that she already knew, she liked to feed off of the animosity between others. He watches as Claudia walks over to him and gingerly places their little girl in his arms. He smiles at her before focusing completely on the small child in his arms. She looks like them, a perfect mix of the two of them. He runs the pad of his thumb down her face and feels the silkiness of her dark hair tickling his arm. She felt small for her age, but she fit perfectly in his arms.
"So why are you on house arrest?"
His head shoots over to Claudia who is now sitting next to Ava, their bodies turned toward the other and Claudia's back is completely facing toward him. Ava looks over at him, as if she's asking him for permission to talk to Claudia. He can physically feel Claudia roll her eyes and groan in annoyance.
"No, no, don't ask him for permission to tell me your dirty little secret. I'm good at keeping secrets believe me. Actually, you know what, Sonny why don't you go put Ellie upstairs to sleep and then make some food. I'm sure she'd like to try your famous lasagna or baked ziti."
She smiles sweetly at him and for some reason he's inclined to follow her instructions. Ava needs to eat for the baby and Ellie needs to eat, mainly because Claudia said so. He lets out a huff of frustration before getting up to take his daughter upstairs. Once the girls are alone, Claudia lounges on the couch and takes in the room around her. Sonny hadn't changed anything, except for moving his desk.
"Alright, come on, Ava. What's going on? The tension between you and Sonny is palatable, and I know tension. So what did you do?"
"I killed Connie."
Claudia's eyes grow wider.
"Connie as in Kate Falconeri? You didn't!"
Ava's smile grows as Claudia claps her hands almost in delight. But then the moment passes when Claudia realizes what her killing Kate means.
"It was for business, you understand that, right? I mean you're a mob princess, you know how this business works. I was protecting my brother at the time."
"I completely get it, I mean years ago when Sonny kidnapped my little brother, I was furious and the only thing I knew to do was strike back. I mean Johnny, he was my world back then, my saving grace and when Sonny took him I went crazy. I knew Sonny could kill him whenever he felt like it."
The story intrigues Ava, everyone had heard of the love between the Zacchara Siblings. Everyone knew Claudia would do anything to protect her kid brother. She had always admired the relationship, mainly because Julian had never had that kind of protective instinct when it came to her.
"What happened?"
"He returned Johnny, but I couldn't let it go. Johnny came back to me after being tortured and Sonny wasn't going to get away with it. I ordered a hit on him, paid a doctor-slash-drug dealer by the name of Ian Devlin to take him down at his warehouse. Next think I know Devlin is firing when Sonny's kid is in the warehouse- Michael, you've probably met him. The bullet ricochets and hits Michael in the head, which put him in a coma for a year. But here's the kicker, that December my father decides he'll give our organization to Sonny if he marries me."
"Did your father know that you had a part in Michael's shooting? Did he not know that arranged marriages were no longer in style?"
She looks incredulous and Claudia laughs at her.
"He knew, but his fetish was torturing his children, so me marrying the father of the kid in the coma was right up his alley. Anyways, the truth kept getting closer and closer to coming out and then I ended up pregnant."
"With Ellie?"
"No, it was a little boy, but I had a miscarriage after a car accident caused by Sonny's daughter, Kristina. See I was driving home from the paternity test I had taken, Sonny thought our son was Ric's, and Kristina was upset and came into my lane, when I swerved I flipped my car. Carly actually had to pull me out of the car before it blew up."
"So why did they try to kill you when they found out? Hadn't you paid the price? I mean Kristina killed your little boy, Michael was only in a coma for a year and now he seems fine."
"Sonny and Jason didn't work that way back then. I don't know who his new enforcer is, but I doubt it'll work that way for you. How'd Sonny even find out that you were the one who killed Kate? Man, that skinny bitch used to be awful to me when me and Sonny were married."
"Well of course, his dutiful ex-wife Carly found a recording of me saying that I was the one who killed her. She had to run right to Sonny with the news."
"Jesus, freaking Carly could never mind her own damn business. I mean I owe her for pulling me out of a car that was going to explode, but she always has to be in someone's business and she's always so sure of freaking Sonny's next move. Like Sonny's gonna kill you for this, Sonny's going to do this, blah, blah, blah."
Ava hits the couch cushion in excitement and then laughs at Claudia's impression of Carly.
"Finally someone understands! Everyone is either a saint in this town or nothing and Saint Carly knows all. God, I threatened to kill her, but then Sonny locked me in this damn house. He took away my phone, Claudia, he has this place on lockdown twenty-four seven. I threatened to give the baby alcohol poisoning, of course I never would, but he doesn't know that so he took all the freaking alcohol out of this house. I figure if he's going to kill me, I might as well make it difficult for him until then."
Claudia grins, knowing that if Sonny had actually known of her sins on his family, she would have done the same thing. Your brain automatically tells you to make the person's life a living hell no matter what. It makes you believe that if you cause enough trouble, your captor will free you. The thing was, Sonny would weather any storm if it meant getting vengeance for his precious Kate- Connie- whatever her name was.
"Who's the other potential father?"
"Morgan."
"Morgan as in Morgan Corinthos, little Morgan Corinthos?"
Ava laughs to herself.
"He's anything but little now, my friend. He's gorgeous and caring. We were actually dating, can you believe that?"
"No, I actually can't."
Ava doesn't mind the interruption, but instead continues.
"Well we were and we were actually in love. I know it seems weird, because I'm so much older than him, but I love the man. Sonny and I having sex was a mistake, a huge, colossal mistake. I slept with them both on the same day, both unprotected and ended up pregnant."
"So you're either carrying Sonny's child or his grandchild, that's hysterical, I mean not for you of course, but to the general public it's pretty damn funny."
"I think if I wasn't in the situation, it would be funny, but it's not. Morgan doesn't know I killed Kate, he doesn't get why I'm living with his father. When Sonny came to kill me on his island, he pointed the gun at me and all I had to do was shift the gun down to my stomach and he practically instantly recoiled. I felt so powerful, he couldn't kill me, but then he brought me back here and I was trapped."
"I get it, Ava, I do. I was you five years ago. I mean, sure Sonny didn't know my secret, but I sat on this very couch five years ago and was terrified of how my own husband was going to end my life, it was hell. But stop being so submissive and scared, damn it. You're doing a great job of making his life a living hell, but don't stop being a bitch too."
"I guess I should behave more like you?"
Ava and Claudia share a devilish grin and laugh.
"More like me, more like Carly, or Olivia or Connie. Whoever's bitch you wanna emulate, do it. For God's sake, Ava, you're the first woman I've found in this town that I may actually like, don't screw it up by behaving nicely. Cause if you start behaving more like me, then we could probably be BBFF's- best bitch friends forever."
Ava laughs at her comment, it was true, she had become soft and scared, but she would change it. Claudia turns her head as she hears ruckus in the kitchen and realizes Sonny must have dropped a pan.
"Look, will you go check on Ellie, I know I'm awful for asking a woman in your condition walk up all those stairs, but you know- oh well."
Ava rolls her eyes at her new "friend".
"Sure, whatever you say, bitch."
Claudia smiles.
"Thanks, whore."
Once Ava is gone, Claudia walks to the kitchen where she sees Sonny waiting on water to boil for the pasta. She pauses at the door.
"Is it safe for me to come into a room full of knives with you?"
"Yeah, I think you're pretty safe. Where's your new best friend?"
Claudia hops up on the countertop right next to where he's standing.
"She went upstairs to check on El for me, thought maybe if she bonded with our daughter you'd be less inclined to kill her."
He rolls his eyes, maybe Claudia hasn't changed, she's still a schemer just like she was five years prior to this talk. He has to agree with her logic though, he was so angry that Ava had killed Kate, but she was possibly carrying his child and then if she bonded with another one of his children, she would be harder to kill.
"Is that so?"
"I doubt you've changed that much in five years, so I was taking a chance."
"Jason personally put you in a grave, how'd you manage coming back from the dead?"
"You really think Uncle Rudy's men weren't watching, waiting for the moment to get me the hell out of there? They were, they pulled me from that grave so quick, put a Jane Doe in there. I mean how shitty would you have felt if you knew me and our baby died, instead of just me, especially after all those wonderful, glowing things you had to say about me at my birthday party."
"You're still a smart ass."
"You still state the obvious. I'm so shocked."
He pours the pasta in the boiling water and starts another pot for sauce and meatballs. She watches him carefully, just like she used to. The kitchen was his safe place; he retreated there when he needed to be calm. So, in the past, when she was allowed in his kitchen, she paid special attention to everything he did.
"You know her real name is Adela, after your mom, but I called her El since I found out she was a girl practically and then Uncle Rudy started calling her Ellie and it just stuck. I told her the good stuff about you and her brothers and sister, unless another secret child has been revealed to you that I didn't know about."
"Nope, for today just Ellie."
After a long pause and a stir of the sauce he was working on, he continued.
"And thanks for honoring my mom, I may have only said her name once to you in passing conversation."
"Like I didn't do my research before coming to Port Charles all those years ago, geez Sonny it's like you don't know me at all."
He grins at her as he pours the water out of the pasta. She lets him work in silence for a while, knowing that he needs it. The peace and quiet might even make him more willing to what she's about to ask him next.
"Sonny?"
He doesn't even look up from his sauce.
"What?"
"I know you loved Connie, but-"
"No buts, Claudia. Michael's shooting all those years ago was an accident, Ava killed Connie out of cold blood."
"It was business, Sonny! Come on, do you really want your kid to grow up without a mom? Or what if Morgan's the father? Do you really want him to have to raise your grandchild all by himself? What are you gonna do if the kid comes up to you one day after seeing that all of his friends with their moms and asks where his mommy is? Cause guess what, Ellie asked me that and it was a hell of a lot easier to say 'El, your dad is in Port Charles and one day we're gonna go see him' then it would be to say 'El, I murdered your dad'. I'm just saying, Sonny, take your head out of your ass and do what's best for your child or grandchild for once in your life. The world does not revolve around you."
He goes to slam his hand on the countertop by her leg when he hears Ava walking toward the kitchen. If, for some reason, Ellie was with her, he didn't want his daughter to see the angry side of him. He tried to shield his children from that side of him.
"Damn it, Claudia."
His voice is barely a whisper.
"Mommy!"
"I know you hate that I actually am being logical about this, but you should try it sometime. Maybe I'm exactly what this house needs."
She hops off the countertop and walks to Ava who is holding Ellie.
"Hi, baby girl. Did you have a nice nap? Did Auntie Ava wake you?"
She takes Ellie from Ava and kisses her daughter's forehead. She tickles her stomach and smiles as the child elicits a squeal. When she looks over at her new friend, she can see that Ava is smiling too. Maybe her and Ellie staying here for a little bit would be in the best interest of Ava and Sonny, both.
"No, I was awake, but confused so I laid there and then Auntie Ava came to get me. I asked her to carry me so she did."
"Baby, Auntie Ava really shouldn't carry you right now, cause she's already carrying a baby in her belly. So if Auntie Ava ever comes to get you again, you need to walk until she has her baby, okay? But after she has the baby she can carry you again, alright?"
"Okay, mommy!"
"Okay, tell your dad that he needs to hurry up and cook so we can eat. Until then we'll go into the living room and stay out of Sonny's way."
"Please hurry up cooking, daddy!"
"Will do, princess."
Claudia and Ava start walking away and Claudia can't help but see the look of amazement that is on her older friend's face. When they get to the living room, Claudia sets Ellie up with her princess dolls on the floor and the two adults sit on the couch.
"How do you even manage to control him like that?"
Claudia laughs and pats Ava's knee reassuringly.
"You stick with me kid and you might learn a few things."