Finally! After about a week of no inspiration, I finally found some, so here's what I got. I have to thank Kate aka flashpenguin once again. After about a 2 hour conversation on the phone, that we are blaming on Dave and Hotch, I finished this story. I've got lots of stories in my head, and I'm gonna try to get some out in the next 8 days before I leave for college, so keep a look out.
"Daddy?" 7 year old Mia Rossi whispered from the stairs as she clutched her father's favorite blanket to her chest. Dave turned his attention away from the current book he was working on to his daughter standing at the foot of the stairs.
"Mia? What are you doing up?" Dave asked the small child as she approached his recliner. Reaching down he pulled Mia into his lap.
"I miss mommy. I couldn't sleep, I didn't get to say goodnight to her." Mia said as she cuddled against her father's chest.
"You were already asleep princess when your mom called, she asked about you." Dave said wrapping the blanket around his tiny daughter's frame.
"She did?" Mia asked with a small smirk on her face and her right eyebrow rose.
"She wanted to know where you were, and she wanted you to know that she will be home tomorrow."
"Will you tell me a story Daddy?" Mia whispered.
"Sure Mia." Setting his book and glasses on the table beside his recliner, Dave wrapped his arms around his daughter and took a deep breath.
"Once upon a time," Dave started "There was a beautiful princess named Emily. Princess Emily was the most beautiful princess in the whole world but she wasn't happy."
"Why not?" Mia asked looking at her father.
"Princess Emily wanted to be a knight and save people who were in danger, but that's not a princess's job. So, Princess Emily worked hard for many years, until finally she decided that she would have to move away."
"Like far away?" Mia questioned.
"Exactly, Princess Emily moved very far away, where she met the Evil Queen of the land." Dave said with the perfect Evil Queen in mind.
"What's the Evil Queen's name?"
"Uh," Dave started, knowing that he just dug a deep hole for himself. "That's not important. Then one day the Evil Queen of the land decided to grant Princess Emily her wish-on one condition." Dave got a serious look on his face.
"What was it?" Cara asked fearfully and snuggled closer to Dave.
"She could never ever fall in love. So, the Princess decided that she would let the Evil Queen grant her wish. After the Evil Queen had cast her spell over the princess, the princess was sent into the village. Once the Princess arrived in the village, she met the captain of the guard Sir Aaron. Sir Aaron granted the princess permission to join him and his knights. The Princess along with Sir Aaron's knights saved many of the surrounding villages from dragons and any enemies. Years had passed since Princess Emily had been granted her wish, and she was happy but she always knew that something was missing," Dave said glancing down at Mia.
"What was missing?" Mia asked.
"The princess was missing her prince. The princess knew that she could never fall in love because she had wanted to be a knight. The Princess didn't know that the Evil Queen had left her one way to fall in love. The princess had to be truly loved for who she was. One day, Sir Aaron's best friend, Sir David joined his knights and was immediately captivated by the princess's beauty."
"Daddy? Is this story about you and Mommy?" Mia asked raising her eyebrows in perfect imitation of both her parents.
"No Mia, It's about Sir David, and Princess Emily. Sir David watched the princess from afar for many months before even speaking a word to her. Eventually, he found the courage to talk to Princess Emily and from that moment, he knew that he loved her. More time had passed since Sir David and the princess had talked, neither knowing that the knight was slowly breaking the princess's spell. Sir David knew that he needed to tell the princess how he felt about her."
"How did he feel about her?" Mia questioned sleepily adding a small yawn at the end.
"The knight loved the princess. So, one day, he did something completely out of character, he told the Princess that he loved her. Immediately, the spell was broken and she told the knight that she loved him too. Sir David and Princess Emily lived together forever because their love was stronger than any Evil Queen's spell." Dave finished with a glance down at his daughter.
"That's not how the story goes Daddy" Mia whispered as her eyelids began to droop.
"Okay princess, I will try again tomorrow, but right now, it's time for you to get back in bed," Dave said gathering his daughter into his arms.
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"Mattie, since Daddy is asleep downstairs and Mommy isn't here, I'm in charge and I'm supposed to put you down for your nap." Mia told Matthew as the two children climbed the stairs towards the bedrooms.
"Why?" Matthew questioned his sister.
"Because I'm oldest," Mia told him proudly.
"Why?"
"Because I was born first."
"Why?"
"Mattie, I don't know why I was born first." Mia said getting annoyed with the small boy.
"Are you gonna tell me a story Sissy?" Matthew asked as he climbed into his bed.
"I'm gonna tell you the story that Daddy told me last night, but he didn't tell it right, so I'm gonna fix it," Mia informed her brother as she climbed onto the bed beside him. "Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there was a beautiful princess named Emily." Mia said in a very dramatic voice.
"That's Mommy's name." Matthew pointed out.
"Princess Emily was the most beautiful princess in the whole world but she wasn't happy."
"Why not?" Matthew asked snuggling deeper into his bed.
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Emily closed the door softly behind her because it was naptime and she didn't want to wake anyone up. She laid her go-bag by the door and stepped into the living room where she noticed her husband asleep in his recliner.
Noticing the pile of papers scattered across the floor, she knew that her husband was up all night working on a new book, so she let him rest and went to check on her children.
As Emily reached the top of the stairs, she heard Mia's little voice coming out of Matthew's room.
"Princess Emily moved far away, where she met the Evil Queen of the Land, Queen Strauss. Then one day the Evil Queen of the land decided to grant the princess her wish- on one condition," Mia told her brother with a dramatic pause at the end.
"What condition?" Matt asked his eyes as big as saucers.
"She could never fall in love. So, the Princess decided that she would let the Evil Queen grant her wish. After the Evil Queen had cast her spell over the princess, the princess was sent into the village. Once the Princess arrived in the village, she met the captain of the guard Sir Aaron. Sir Aaron granted the princess permission to join him and his knights. His knights named Sir Spencer and Sir Derek."
"Like Unca Aaron, Unca 'erek and Unca 'pencer?" Matthew whispered.
"No. They are knights, not our uncles," Mia informed her brother as Emily softly chuckled behind the door.
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Emily was still chuckling as she walked back downstairs after listening to the story of Princess Emily and Sir David. Her husband was a world-class author that could captivate a room but couldn't tell a story right to his children.
"Dave?" Emily whispered as she knelt down beside his chair.
"Em, I must have fallen asleep. Where are the kids?" Dave asked as he brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Upstairs. Mia was telling Matthew an interesting story about Princess Emily, Sir David and Evil Queen Strauss," Emily replied in a dramatic tone. "I can't believe that you made Strauss the Evil Queen Dave. What happens if Mia or Matthew says that in front of her?"
"I didn't." Dave said shaking his head while trying to unsuccessfully suppress a smile.
"Oh Dear God. That means Mia added that herself." Emily pointed out running her hands over her face.
"Well, that proves it; Mia is definitely your daughter Em," Dave joked as she slapped his arm.
Emily said nothing, she just grinned.