Hey all, I know I had initially marked (Not So) Happy Endings as complete, but... here's another chapter (taking place post 7.06) and there should be at least one more to follow it, involving Maddy and Fiona's talk in the kitchen. I still feel rather strange writing Fiona with this sort of family dynamic, but I keep doing it, so... Enjoy!
"Hello?" Madeleine intoned, cradling the phone between her shoulder and head as she tried to get Charlie into pajamas after his bath.
"Hi Maddie, it's Fi."
"Hi honey, listen, I'm trying to get Charlie down for the night. Could I call you back in about fifteen, twenty minutes?"
"Oh, well, actually I was just going to ask if I could stop by for a little while…" Fiona trailed off.
Sensing something more behind the younger woman's words, Maddy quickly agreed. "Of course, I don't see why not. And I'm sure Charlie would love to see his Auntie Fi for a minute before bed," she said with a wink for the sleepy three year old.
"Ok, thank you. I'll see you both in a few minutes. Tell Charlie I'll tuck him in."
About fifteen minutes later, Fiona was stepping through Maddy's front door and following the sound of Charlie's giggles to his room.
Fiona paused for a moment at Charlie's door, and leaning against the frame, took a moment to quietly observe grandmother and grandson.
Maddy was reading the boy a picture book as he struggled to keep his eyes open. Madeleine closed the book with an "And then they all lived happily ever after," and a kiss to Charlie's forehead, which Fiona took as her cue to announce her presence.
"Are you sailing off to dreamland yet, my little prince? She asked, stepping into the room and perching on the edge of the boy's bed.
"Auntie Fi!" the boy crowed, all signs of sleepiness temporarily forgotten.
Madeleine laughed as she stood to leave. "I'll give you two a couple of minutes. Fi, I'll be in the kitchen when you're ready."
It wasn't said, but both women knew that sentence had really ended with a silent 'when you're ready to talk about whatever's bothering you.'
"Auntie Fi, will you tell me a story before you tuck me in? Please!" Charlie asked, dragging out the syllables in the 'please' to at least twice their normal length.
Fiona chuckled. "No, not tonight. Grandma already read you a story and you need to get some sleep."
"But I want to know more about the knight and the princess!" Charlie pouted.
Fiona winced before quickly schooling her features back to a smile. She should have known better than to start telling that story. Charlie was never going to let it go.
"Well, darlin', the knight is very busy with… work, right now, so I don't have many new stories to tell you about him."
"Aw, okay. I guess that makes sense," the boy conceded.
"But I want to meet him someday! When you see him again, can I go with you? I think he makes you happy and I like it when you're happy, and I want to be a knight someday! I think that would be really cool!" Charlie exclaimed, seemingly all in one breath.
"Whoa there, slow down, Charlie. Take a deep breath and lie back down," Fi advised the boy, who had worked himself up to a half seated, half crouched position in his excitement.
"And actually, you have met the knight. But it was when you were a very tiny babe, so you don't remember."
"I have?!" the boy practically squealed.
"Yes, you have, now hush. It's late and you need to be getting ready to sleep. If we're too loud, grandma will come back in here and send me home. You wouldn't want that now, would you?"
Wide eyed, Charlie silently shook his head.
"Okay. The knight and your daddy were… very close. And even though the knight hasn't seen you in a very long time, I think he would be very proud of the great little boy you're becoming," Fiona told Charlie, trying to hold back the tears that seemed to have been constantly bubbling just below the surface ever since she had finished the job with Michael and Sonya the day before.
Thankfully, Charlie was too engrossed in the 'story' to notice.
"He'd be proud because I'm not a smelly baby anymore, right?" Charlie asked excitedly, and Fi had to laugh.
"Well, that and other things, yes," Fi chuckled. "And now it's time for you to go to bed," she said, standing and pulling the boy's blankets up to his chin. "Sweet dreams, Prince Charlie." And with a quick kiss to his forehead, Fiona was gone, shutting out the lights and closing the door behind her.