I am so sorry I took so long to update! I hope you enjoy!
SO I've been getting a range of reviews after the last chapter and wanted to give some explanation...
I thought a lot about how I wanted to write the last chapter and wrote it as realistically as I could considering the situation at hand.
Even though Charlotte had made progress in therapy, realistically, one session just starting to get through the surface of her years of abuse isn't wasn't going to keep her from being frightened.
There were some instances in it that she reflected some better reactions after the therapy, but with the abuse she suffered, it wasn't going to stop her from being frightened at more triggering aspects.
Additionally, there was one point at the end where Derek and Emily had to hold her still. While they told her that she could stop if it was really bad, they knew she'd have to get the shots and they were both there to be holding and comforting her and thought it would be worse at that point for her to stop and then have to go through the whole process again.
Hope that cleared some things up and enjoy this chapter!
Back home, the three had a relaxing night.
Charlotte was glad to be done with the doctors and Derek and Emily were too.
They were also glad that she was reacting much better after the appointment. With her previous ones, it had taken hours, or a day for her to understand she wasn't in danger, but this time it was almost immediate. It gave them hope that her therapy sessions were working even though they were challenging.
During dinner, Emily's phone rang.
She pulled it out and saw that it was Melissa calling, and she should take it.
She put up one finger to signal she'd be back to Derek and Charlotte then walked into her office to answer.
"Hello?" She picked up.
"Emily, hi. It's Melissa." She replied
"How are you?" Emily asked
"Good, good thanks. I have some great news for you. All of the paperwork was approved for Charlotte, and I got you an appointment to meet with a judge tomorrow. If all goes well, the adoption could be legalized by the end of next week." Melissa said, the happiness evident in her voice.
Emily's heart soared and she broke out into a huge grin.
"Really? That's amazing. When tomorrow?" She asked eagerly.
"11. Will someone be able to watch Charlotte while you meet with Judge Carlson?" She asked.
Emily smiled as she looked back at the table where Derek and Charlotte were playing with their food, making pictures with it.
"I think that can be arranged." She said smiling at them.
"Great, I'll see you then."
"Thank you so much" Emily said, and hung up.
She walked back to the table, unable to hide the grin from her face.
Charlotte giggled at the creation she had finished making on her plate.
"You look happy Mommy" she pointed out, smiling.
"Yes Mommy what're you so smiley about?" Derek teased.
"Well, tomorrow I've now got an appointment with the judge..." she said, smiling.
Derek's jaw opened slightly before smiling along with her. "Emily that's amazing!" He said, laughing in disbelief at everything happening so perfectly.
Emily looked down to see Charlotte's face twisted with confusion.
"Why a judge? Awe you in twouble?" She asked.
Emily chuckled. "No sweetpea, the judge will help sign things that will let you be adopted soon" she replied.
Charlotte smiled too. "That means I wive hewe fowever?" She asked hopefully.
Emily nodded. "That's exactly what it means." She said.
Charlotte's face broke out into a huge grin upon hearing this confirmation, and Emily couldn't help but hug her, which Charlotte returned quickly.
"But tomorrow I won't be here when I'm meeting with the judge and that means I'll need someone to stay with Charlotte..." she trailed looking to Derek.
Derek smiled, happy to be able to spend the next day bonding with Charlotte.
"Well I would like to volunteer my services" he offered.
Charlotte nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
"What awe we gonna do Daddy?" Charlotte asked
"Oh that's a surprise princess" he said, tapping her nose and electing a giggle. "I can get pretty boy to join us." He thought out loud.
"That's a good idea" Emily smiled.
"Pwetty boy?" Charlotte repeated slowly, confused.
Emily and Derek chuckled at her pronunciation of their friends nickname.
"Spencer, who did all the rubix cube tricks with you" Emily clarified.
Charlotte nodded and smiled at getting to see him again.
"But" Emily said, looking at the clock, "that means we've got to get to bed monkey! You've got a fun day tomorrow" she finished, taking the threes empty dinner plates over to the sink.
"Ice cweam fiwst?" She spoke up hopefully to Derek who was still at the table with her.
"Always ice cream first" he replied with a wink, getting up to get the two bowls.
After enjoying their ice cream, it was time to get Charlotte ready for bed.
Emily got another phone call verifying the appointment for the next day.
"Can you take her up?" She asked Derek as she saw the number pop on her phone. "I'll come as soon as I'm done this call."
Derek nodded then walked to the table where Charlotte had just finished yet another puzzle and lifted her into the air, swung her around, and started walking towards the stairs.
"Whewe we going?" She giggled.
"Bedtime silly" he said, ascending the stairs and setting her down at the doorframe.
"Want to go pick some PJs?" He said.
She nodded obediently, walked to the drawer, and pulled out a pair.
"Good choice" he replied. "Do you need getting out of your shirt?" He asked, seeing her button down flannel style shirt and knowing buttons were still tricky for her.
She nodded, slightly hesitantly, and walked over to him.
His hands reached and got the top one unbuttoned, and Charlotte completely froze seeing men's hands taking off her clothes.
Even though it was just Derek, something clicked off in her mind as he reached for the second one and she wasn't in her room anymore, she was back on the ground in the basement...
"I said get up." Hosben shouted to Charlotte's cowering frame. "NOW."
Charlotte was so scared. She heard Master bring someone down with him and she hated that.
They were so mean to her, and they always hurt her.
She would much rather go without water than have to be alone with one of them.
A sharp kick met her side and she yelped, cowering down further in a ball.
Hosben was furious. How dare she behave like this in front of a paying costumer?
He shrunk down to her level right next to her ear.
"If you don't get up and do as you're supposed to right now you will get the bath after this. And that won't even be the worst of it." He threatened harshly.
Charlotte gasped.
Not the bath.
She stood up as told and faced a man at least 5 inches taller than Hosben with dirty yellow teeth that showed in his menacing grin and a beer belly from his dirty shirt.
"Half hour" Hosben reminded, giving Charlotte a final hair pull before he ascended the stairs leaving Charlotte with that days monster.
The man wasted no time and ripped her shirt off her small body.
"N-no!" Charlotte whined, trying to turn away from him.
He slapped her face.
"You'd better start listening" he warned, starting to grope her chest.
"Noo stop it pwease!" Charlotte cried again.
"Charlotte, Charlotte sweetheart it's just me. Daddy.. Derek... you're in your room, you're safe" he said to her eyes darting around the room.
"No I don't want to do that! It huwts me!" She cried.
Emily had been ascending the stairs when she heard the unmistakable noise of Charlotte in distress, and she ran to her doorframe to see Derek crouched at her level, a safe distance away, trying to calm her.
He looked back and met her eyes.
"What happened?" She said, rushing over to them.
"Flashback" Derek mouthed to her with a sad look replacing his usual cheery one.
"Charlotte, honey? I want you to just take a deep breath. It's just mom and Dad sweetheart, we won't hurt you." Emily said, finishing breaking Charlotte out of her episode.
Her bright green eyes darted up and relief flooded them when she saw it was just Emily and Derek.
She sniffled and crawled over to her mom's lap.
"Shhh, you're ok. You don't ever have to do that again." She reminded, rubbing her back.
"Daddy I'm sowwy" she said after a minute of Emily calming her.
"Oh Char, you don't have to apologize. I shouldn't have tried to help there. You just got stuck in a bad memory, you have nothing to be sorry for." He told her.
Once Charlotte calmed down, she finished getting changed, took her medicine, and brushed her teeth.
Emily started to lead her to her bed, but Charlotte stopped in her tracks, and looked up at her Dad.
"Want to sleep with us champ?" He asked, already knowing the answer.
He lifted her as she returned her thumb to her mouth.
Once they got into bed, however, her excitement for the next days adventures returned. Emily and Derek welcomed the change knowing she usually was asleep as soon as her head took the pillow and got to read her twice as many stories making her happy and comfortable.
"Ok Char, we've got to get to bed if you want to have energy for tomorrow's fun with Daddy and Spencer" she said.
Charlotte nodded obediently and she wiggled down further under the covers with a grin still covering her face.
Emily chuckled. "What are we gonna do with you?" She said, making Charlotte grin wider and turning out the light.
"Goodnight sweetheart, we love you very much" Emily said.
"Night champ, we love you honey" Derek echoed.
"Goodnight Mommy and Daddy" she replied, sleepily, drifting of peacefully to sleep.
The night was uneventful with no nightmares or bed wetting, another good sign to Emily and Derek.
At 6 am Charlotte woke up, too excited to fall back asleep, and eventually started to slide out of bed.
As she jumped down, Emily woke up.
She looked over at the clock and back to Charlotte.
"What're you doing up? Are you ok? Does anything hurt?" She asked, going into full mom mode.
Charlotte nodded her head, curls swinging back and forth.
"I'm just excited fow today! I could no sweep." She explained with a smile peeking at her lips.
Emily smiled at her happiness, and slid out of bed with her.
"Then I guess we should start today with a good breakfast... say... pancakes?" She suggested, knowing they were Charlotte's favorite.
Charlotte nodded with a smile.
It was going to be a fun day for them all.
A/N- I'm so sorry this took me forever to update! I hope people will forgive me and still read! As always please review with any suggestions for the next chapter and feedback. :)