Disclaimers: Same as always. I'm not making any money; they don't belong to me (for the most part), just taking them out for a spin.
A/N: Well I got one pretty please with chocolate on top so how can a girl say no to that.
"Hello Mother." Charles did nothing but stare at his mother and hope and pray that she had changed her mind. While he maybe did not have the closest relationship with his parents, he missed their presence; he wanted her to be involved in the lives of his children.
"Hello Charles. Honoria said that you would not object to my joining you for dinner this evening," she said in a small voice, hoping her son would not ask her to leave.
"You're staying for dinner too Granny?" exclaimed the little boy, clearly overjoyed at the prospect.
"Of course she is," replied Charles. "Do please come in. Mary, Emerson, come here please".
The two girls appears, quite shocked to see an extra person.
"Mother, this is Emerson and Mary, your granddaughters," he said extending the olive branch.
"My, aren't you two lovely. I'm so very pleased to finally meet you," she smiled warmly.
Both girls smiled back politely but Charles noticed a change in Emerson. Mrs. Winchester came and sat down in the living area and chatted politely with Mary while Emerson and Charles finished in the kitchen.
"Why does she suddenly want to know us?" she quietly asked her father as she set an extra place.
"Emerson, if she did not want to be here and meet you, she would not have made the effort by coming here tonight." Charles explained. "I know you are suspicious of her motives but please give her a chance."
They engaged in polite conversation as they ate. Mrs. Winchester asked the typical questions which adults ask children and both girls answered and Mary made the effort to engage in polite conversation. Emerson was quiet which unnerved Charles greatly.
"Dinner was lovely Charles. And which one of you lovely girls is the talented chef?" asked Mrs. Winchester.
"Daddy made dinner Granny," Charlie explained as he started to rub his eyes; the hour of his bedtime was fast approaching.
"Really?" she asked, quite shocked by this development.
"We've been teaching him," explained Mary.
"I'll do the dishes Dad," Emerson said as she stood up and started collecting them. "You should get Charlie bathed, he's ready for bed," she said, indicating to the small boy whose eyes were starting to droop.
"I'll help you Emerson," Mrs. Winchester said, getting up to help.
Both Charles and Honoria were taken aback by this but said nothing as Charlie was picked up and carried to the bathroom. Clearly Mother wanted to speak to Emerson and her own children got the hint.
It was Mrs. Winchester who spoke first as the two worked together.
"You have been analyzing me all night," she simply stated. "You've been trying to puzzle out why I am here."
"How did you know?" she asked. Even her father had not yet learned to read her moods that well and she had seen him everyday for the past month.
"Because, you, my dear girl, are precisely like me; from those eyes and hair right down to your fingers you are a Montgomery and we are a very suspicious people."
"Who are the Montgomery's?" she asked.
"My side of the family," she explained, "And you are one of us," she explained as she washed a dinner plate and handed it to Emerson to dry and put away.
"Emerson, the reason I have not been to see you three yet is that until yesterday, I had not forgiven your father. I was so disappointed and distressed that he had done something like that; used a woman for his own pleasure with so little regard of the consequences. I should think that even with his financial support that you suffered because he was not a presence in your life. Am I correct?" she asked.
Emerson said nothing but nodded yes. "It was hard. People would say things behind our backs and sometimes to my face. They would call me a bastard and sometimes parents wouldn't let their children play with us. They treated us like we did something shameful," she said quietly, looking at the dish in her hands.
"Emerson, I never want my children or grandchildren to know hardship or privation. What your father did inflicted both of those on you children. The reason I came tonight is because I do not wish to inflict suffering and privation on myself or my son. When your aunt showed me your picture yesterday, I realized that by staying away I missing time with my son and his children when they needed me most. I was not the best mother in the world but I love my son and I've already lost another. Your father is very precious to me even though I may not say it enough just as you three are precious to me," she said as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind the young girl's ear. "Emerson I think you need me right now; you've lost your mother and that is a hardship a young girl should not have to suffer. I know I need you, your sister and brother and most of all, your father. I understand how much he loves you and I want to be present when he needs me and when you need me," she said as she gently touched her cheek.
"Alright," she said as she hugged her grandmother.
"Emerson, Charlie wants you to read 'Horton Hatches an Egg' to him," her father said to her causing her to break apart from her grandmother's hug.
"Duty calls," she said as she left the room with a smile on her face.
"How much did you hear?" Mrs. Winchester asked her son as she washed the last dish and handed it to him.
"All of it," he said as he took it from her. "Did you mean it?" he asked in a small voice as he out the last dish away.
"Every word," she said as the tears started to well in her eyes. "Charles, I have lost one son through circumstances beyond my control. I will not loose another because my pride got in the way. I was mad and disappointed but I have forgiven you. You love those children and you did what you thought best. I may not agree with what you did but I cannot regret those children. Will you forgive me?" she asked.
"There's nothing to forgive," he said as he pulled his mother into perhaps the first hug of his adult life.