Charli's POV

"I'll have a cat named Bark and a dog named Meow. The house, a two story country style home, will have a wrap around porch with no less than four rocking chairs and two swings. On five, no ten acres of land. Yes at least ten acres, enough land for some livestock llamas, ponies, a small herd of goats, couple pigs in a pen, maybe a few cows...I'll be a county judge, rule over misdemeanors and small town disputes. I know it's all a fantasy and I'll probably never leave the city again, but Tennessee gave me a whole new perspective of life."

It was a Thursday night and Charli was sitting with Josh at Inkburg, eating cold pizza and drinking warm beer. She'd grown very fond of her Tuesday and Thursday nights apprenticing with Josh. They were kindred spirits. No, he didn't have her educational background, or her flair for the dramatic (he was almost too chill sometimes) but they were alike in that when Josh decided to be a tattoo artist he devoted himself entirely and never looked back. She'd had the same experience when she'd found the law. She looks down avoiding eye contact and asks him, "what about you? Where do you see yourself in 40 years? Retired in Canada, working part time as a zamboni driver?" He laughs and she smiles a genuine smile, something she rarely did outside the company of her nieces and Charles.

"Yep, and I'll have a pet pig named Moo and a cow named Oink" He bumps her shoulder gently with his, they're sitting on the floor backs against the wall their feet crossed at the ankles. "Honestly I don't spend much time worrying about the future and where I'll end up. I'll just go wherever the wind blows me, I am here in Brooklyn at least another ten years though as per my lease agreement."

"Let me know when and I'll get you out of that lease easy peasy."

"Says the lawyer who can't break her own sublease agreement. How much longer are you going to be staying with Charles?" He says Chucky's name with lazy disdain she rolls her eyes not taking the bait. The drama between Josh and Chucky had been exciting at first but now it just seemed too drawn out. Josh wasn't aiming to get back with Liza, Charli had interrogated him enough to know that, while there was still love between the former couple it had evolved passed romance and living happily ever after. Still Josh was having a hard time getting over his prejudice of her brother. It didn't help that Charles had been taking cooking lessons from Maggie and the two had become friends as a result. She was actually really enjoying Chef Chuck, he'd made a lasagna the other night that she wholeheartedly believed could bring peace to the Middle East. Maggie was a genius, and Charli knew it was hard for Josh to 1) lose Liza to Charles and then 2) have to share Maggie with him too. The male ego was too fragile she concluded. She decided to just let Josh be bitter about Chucky, he'll get over someday and if not oh well that was his loss. Because as dorky as her big brother was he was someone you definitely wanted in your corner. She left Josh's eyes on her, had he said something? Asked a question? Oh yeah the sublet thing! She swallows her pizza and answers quickly. "They'll be out in four weeks, so I'll be with Chucky till then."

"Just in time for the baby to be here."

"Oh yeah, wow getting close huh? You ready?"

"Yes...no I-I don't know what I am, sometimes I can't wait to meet my kid...sometimes I'm so afraid I can't move. Claire is freaking out too, I'm worried that her stress might hurt the baby so I'm flying her mom in next week to stay for a few months. Claire needs her mom ya know?"

Charli took a big swing of her beer. It was a touchy subject with her, moms...her own mom won't be there if Charli ever does decide to procreate.

"I can imagine, and that's very kind of you to bring her mom here. You're a good dude. She staying in the city or Brooklyn?"

"Casa de Josh..."

"You don't have room for another person in your apartment! Kelsey is going to kill you!...please let me be there when you tell her???"

"Too late Claire told her yesterday." He runs his hand through his hair and sighs. "It was not a good morning. There were a lot of tears mostly mine. Kelsey is looking for a place in Manhattan"

"What about Lauren?"

"I think she'll go with Kelsey. They're kind of a package deal. I'm going to miss them though. But I've got a family to think about. I just hope they can find something nice and cheap." He sighed again. He shouldn't be this worried about Princess Barbi and her fairy sidekick, he should be worrying about diaper genies and which baby laundry detergent to buy. Not that she knew from personal experience, but she remembered Pauline ripping Chucky a new one when he had came home with Persil laundry soap instead of Dreft...Dammit she thought with exasperation, she was going to have to do something nice. She picked up her phone and dialed, she ignored Josh's quizzical expression and talked to the person on the other end of the phone.

"Hey Steve, it's Charli...I'm well thank you, and you?...oh wow that's exciting let me know when the opening night is I'll be there...yeah so I'm getting kind of homesick how soon can you-...you've been out for two weeks?...yeah I must have missed your phone call...wow moved in with Cody, I'm happy for you...beautiful thanks babe! Lunch sometime byyyeeee." She puts her phone down and looks to Josh. "So I may have a place for Kelsey and Lauren."

"What?" He asks incredulously, not sure what he just heard. She sighs like the martyr she imagines herself to be and explains.

"It's my place a two bedroom loft in the city. Steve" she points to her phone to indicate that's who she just spoke with, "my sublessor has vacated the place and I'm willing to rent it out cheap. I think Kelsey and Lauren will like it there. It has character and isn't too mainstream." She sees the questions about to start pouring out. "Look Steve is a friend he needed a place to stay I was in Nashville there was no reason for my place to sit vacant. I told Chucky there was a lease because...well I wanted to move back home for awhile, I missed my family. So I'll show Kelsey the place tomorrow if she likes it she can move in right away. Charles will probably be ok with me staying with him longer. He has been super weird the past two days, ever since I put my notice in at Millennial. I don't know why he cares so damn much it's not like I was ever going to stay long..." Josh is just staring at her with the strangest look on his face, like he can't quite decide what he thinks of her. "There will be a lease contact for Kelsey though..."

"You don't have to rent your place out to Kelsey. I'm sure she'll find something. You don't have to give her your home."

"I'm not giving anything, besides I am home that loft was just something I bought out of law school, I couldn't live with Pauline so I emptied my trust fund and bought real estate in NYC. Always a good idea right?"

"Still that's very kind of you, Kels will probably shit herself."

"Yeah, I didn't do it for her." She avoids making eye contact and decides to change the subject. "So do you think I'm ready to tatt a human??"

"God no." He's with too much conviction.

They banter back and forth two friends enjoying each other's company. It's midnight before she actually leaves, and almost 1am when she finally does get home. As she's tiptoeing through the dark house she nearly dies when she sees a figure sitting alone in the dark kitchen the only light source is the light above the stove. It's just Chucky he's nursing a tumblr filled with an amber colored drink, probably scotch.

"What the hell Chuck?!? Psycho much??" She flips the over head light on and she can fully see the mess that he is. This was definitely not his first drink of the night, something was wrong. "Liza here?" That was a fair question, on the weeks the girls were with Pauline Liza would typically stay over at least two nights usually more. He shook his head curtly and refused to make eye contact. So he was going full shut down on her. Great she had a tv appearance in the morning and the makeup people did not like having to cover up exhaustion, she always felt like a clown whenever they had to apply more than usual. "Are you and Liza fighting?" She silently prayed that they weren't, despite her efforts to keep Liza at arms length she'd grown to really like and respect her, and she really was perfect for Chucky. Again he shakes his head no, he speaks quietly.

"it's late Charli go on up to bed. I'm fine, really."

Well that was a lie, or he wouldn't have called her Charli. He was trying to deflect her entirely, too bad for him she knew all his tricks.

"Okay Charles...you've been moody for two days if it isn't Liza is it me? Are you angry that I quit Millennial? Look it was just a temporary gig I was never-" he cuts her off realizing she wasn't going to just let it go.

"Pauline is going back to Los Angeles. Next week."

"Shit, that does suck. But Chucky at least she's telling you about it this time, and the girls are older they'll be able to process it better. Also they've lived through this before, it won't be easy but I don't think it could possibly be as bad as last time. We'll get the girls through this."

"Pauline plans to take the girls with her." He says this with little to no emotion and Charli knows he has to be robotic and devoid of any emotion because he would not be able to say the words otherwise. She's silent as he fills her in on the phone call from two days ago, how Pauline has already found a home and a new prep school, how she intends to let Charles have the girls on holidays and a few weeks in the summer. How she's hired a mediator, and even though she says she doesn't want a nasty custody battle she does have the best family lawyer already on retainer. When he's done talking he downs the remainder of his drink and refills it from a half empty bottle of scotch. The smell accosts her nostrils unpleasantly.

"Okay. Okay..." She's talking more to herself than to Charles, working a plan of action out in her head. "Who's the mediator?"

"Don Frankle."

"He's fair I've suggested him to clients before, but he is a mama's boy so he'll be biased towards Pauline. The good thing about mediation is that the mediator is not there to judge or pick sides they're are only there to help two parties come to an amicable solution to a problem-"

"I know what mediation means Charlotte. I don't need you to fix this ok? We'll work it out."

"Probably not in mediation, your best bet is arbitration. Pauline may have the most expensive family lawyer in the city but you have me, I'll tear her apart there's no way she'll be awarded full custody and get to move those babies away from their home..."

"Except she's the one with a full time job. She didn't sleep with her assistant and have to give away her family company. She didn't employ Edward LL Moore for years despite there always being some rumblings of his behavior. And Bianca didn't start fights and raise problems at school under Pauline's watch either. I failed. I failed at my marriage, I failed at Empirical, and now I've failed at being a parent."

"Please that's all circumstance! Pauline is the one who literally left her girls for more than a year. No one is ever going to rule in her favor. Stop moping and get your ass in gear."

"I can't let you take down Pauline. The girls will never forgive you, and...Pauline is their mother they need her."

"They need you, they've lived without Pauline before." He shakes his head not willing to listen to reason.

"I...if I can't talk Pauline into letting the girls stay here...then I will go to California too. I can fly in for the quarterly board meetings."

"You'd give up your home? Your life here? Me?"

"They are my life." He sighs. "And we both know you'd move too in a heartbeat" She nodded, she'd been away from her family for two years, never again she thought never again. Even if it meant Mars she go with them. She can be a tv commentator anywhere, and there was an abundance of crime in LA. But there was no way Chucky would be happy in California.

"Liza?..." and she saw his heart literally break in front of her.

"She has her life, career, family here I could never ask her to come with me."

"Chucky, you're going to have to let me go to bat for you. I promise not to play dirty, but there has to be a way for everyone to win here."

"Charli..."

"Charles..."he wasn't ready to hear her plan for arbitration, so she decided she could prep him for mediation. Who knows maybe they could settle this nice and sweet...doubtful but at least she can give him some tools of negotiation to help him. She spent the next two hours going over and then going over again his best chance at arguing his case for full custody. As they were finally heading to bed Charles stops when they reach the top the stairs and asks

"How did I get here?"

"By putting one foot in front of the other, and that's how you'll get out of this mess one foot in front of the other..." She sighs and says "bite by bite...hey, how do you eat an entire elephant?" She sees a shadow of a smile creep slowly on his face. It was something their mom would ask them when they were sure they couldn't accomplish some goal they'd had as kids.

"You are a bundle of cliches today, huh?"

"Maybe but it's true. To eat an elephant you have to do it one bite at a time...bite by bite. So buck up Chuck you're just at the trunk there's a whole lotta elephant left."

"You're awful...but thanks."

"Anytime, but hey can you do me a favor?" He looks at her spent from no sleep and too much scotch, but he nods dutifully. "Tell Liza about what's happening, ok? She deserves more from you. We both know you don't like to share the bad stuff but Chucky she's not going to leave you if you show weakness." And before he could scold her for injecting into his relationship, she hugs him and scampers off to her room.

End