BAAH I know I'm late. I've had a busy past couple of days. I like to update Monday's because that's the worst day of the week and it helps me have a better night knowing I sat down and made some people happy by reading my stories. :) Even though this chapter is slightly shorter than the others, I promise to make it good.

Disclaimer: And yet, I still don't own anything except my own OC's and this plot line. :)

Chapter 7 Far too late

Charlie stared at her mother with wide eyes. Her blue eyes glistened with tears as she felt the thick, heavy atmosphere between Sam and Melanie. After Sam had slammed the door, Charlie tried to understand what had happened through words between Sam and the nice guy Charlie met at the wedding. Charlie had instantly felt a connection with the taller man. Sam barely brought any male to their house, so when Charlie and Topher observed the bond Sam and Freddie had; it brought an instant smile to their lips. Freddie reminded Charlie a lot of the description Sam had for the King in the many bed time stories Charlie would hear.

"He makes Momma sad, Charlie. He's a good person, but he told me Momma needs to let Freddie be happy too. I think he meant that for Momma to be happy, he needs to be happy," Topher pondered at his twin. Charlie simply frowned at him.

Approaching Sam slowly, Charlie watched her mother gain her composure back. Sam had put Charlie down as soon as the door shut and sat down on the couch, burying her face in her hands resting on her knees. Her shoulders shook with the silent tears that escaped the usually collected blonde. Putting a delicate hand on Sam's knee, Charlie smiled at her mother. Sam stared at Charlie, dumbfounded. Charlie crawled onto Sam's lap and encircled her tiny arms around the blonde's neck. Giving Sam a light peck on the wet cheek, Charlie whispered, "I love you Momma." Topher climbed the couch and sat next to Sam, kissing her cheek as well with a smile.

Sam felt a tear slide down her already moist skin as she smiled at her both children. Choking out a laugh, Sam kissed Charlie's cheek as well, "I love both of my babies."

Melanie watched the three have their moment with a smile on her features. Topher silently sat next to Sam, leaning his head on Sam's side. Sitting across Sam, Melanie spoke softly, "This wouldn't have happened so abruptly if you would have told him before. I'm glad you decided to tell him yourself though."

Sam sighed, "He figured it out on his own."

Melanie nodded, "Just like I had foretold."

"Oh shut up. You aren't always right, Mel," Sam scoffed.

Melanie grinned, "But most of the time I am."

"We should probably tell Carly," Sam said.

"I'll give her a call. You should start packing everything. We have to leave tonight or else we'll miss our flight and you have to work tomorrow," Melanie spoke quickly as she stood up and reached for her phone on the kitchen counter.

Sam smiled at her daughter. "Well guys, let's go get your bag finished so we can go back to our cozy room in California," Sam joked.

Charlie pouted, "But I like it here. It just needs the beach. I love the beach!"

Topher grimaced, "It's always raining here, how can you like it Charlie?"

Sam laughed, "Calm down you two! We need to go back home. How about we come back during the summer for a bit to visit again?"

Charlie smiled, "Please? I can't wait to go back and tell Liam about Seattle!" Charlie slid off of Sam's lap and ran towards the room she shared with Topher. The boy followed closely behind his sister. Sam freely smiled.

OxOxOxOxOx

"Hey, we just came by to say good bye," Sam smiled at Carly, who stood in the door way.

Carly leaned on the wood and sighed, "I'm sorry about what happened with you and Freddie. If I would have known…I would have been next to you and made sure you didn't do anything stupid."

Sam shrugged, "It doesn't matter anymore. We already talked about it. He lied to me and so did I. He knows what I kept from him but I haven't seen him since then. I don't care what he does as long as he doesn't try to make one of his 'happily ever after's'. He knows those aren't real and so do I."

"Oh Sam, please don't be so bitter about this. I really wish you two aren't leaving Seattle like this," Carly frowned.

"It really doesn't make any difference anymore, Carly. He waited until after we slept together and even then it took one phone call to know that he had a girlfriend. He neglected to tell me that."

"You never told him you had his children."

"That was my own choice! If I did, I would've ruined his whole life!"

"You don't know that. What if you two did have your own 'happily ever after' just a different version?"

"Carly, even you know that's not possible. It's Freddie. We have a past relationship weird in its own way. I haven't even spoken to him in 5 years."

"You chose not to talk to him. You wanted nothing to do with him."

"He moved on. So did I."

"No you didn't, Sam. If you did, you wouldn't be standing in front of me saying it out loud to see if it's convincing enough for you and me," Carly crossed her arms.

Sam chuckled, "When did you get so smart, kid?"

Carly smiled, "About the same time you got responsible for another human being, Puckett."

The girls giggled at the levels of maturity they relished on. Sam took a deep breath and exhaled. Stepping forward, she smiled. "I have to go, Carls. I'll definitely come by this summer. I already promised Charlie and God knows that girl can hold anything and everything against me."

Carly laughed. They hugged and Carly moved to close the door. "Thanks for coming, Sam. It was nice to see you in person for once. Maybe I'll see you for Charlie and Topher's birthday."

"I hope you do come. That would make her day special. I wouldn't change this week for anything, Carls. Have fun at Hawaii. Take a lot of pictures…but keep all the skanky ones! I have two four year olds at home!" Sam joked.

Carly threw her head back with a cackle. "Bye Sam."

Sam smiled back. "Bye Carly."

OxOxOxOxOxOx

"Ready, Charlie?" Melanie smiled at the bouncing girl.

Charlie smiled in her seat. Sam had made sure the buckle was nice and tight. Melanie leaned over between the aisle and poked Charlie in her side. Charlie giggled and squirmed. "Aunt Melanie, I can't wait to come back and visit again this summer!" Topher had fallen asleep as soon as they sat in their seats on the plane.

Melanie raised an eyebrow, "Sam promised to bring you back this summer?"

Charlie nodded eagerly, "Yep! She said that we would come back and visit Aunt Carly and Uncle Spencer. I like him. Maybe we'll get to see Freddie again."

Sam sat next to the young girl. She wasn't paying much attention as Melanie entertained her but the mention of Freddie caught her attention. Whipping her head, she questioned Charlie, "What about Freddie?"

Charlie turned to her mother with a wide smile. "Well since you liked to spend time with him and I like talking to him, I thought we were going to see him this summer too."

Sam groaned. "That's not why we're coming back this summer. Besides, he's a bad man."

Charlie frowned. "But you were yelling at him and you do that when you don't want to keep talking about something."

Melanie snorted at the observation Charlie spoke out loud. Sam glared at her twin. "Now why would you say that, Charlie?"

"Because you do it to Aunt Melanie all the time. Topher told me," Charlie stated.

Sam sighed. "Charlie, you and Topher just have to understand, Freddie's not a good guy like in the princess stories. He's the bad guy."

Charlie shook her head. "No! No he's not! He's the good guy!"

Sam watched her daughter become severely upset. Sam gave a deep exhale. "Charlene Olivia Benson, we are not going to talk about this right now. We will continue this conversation at home."

Charlie stared blankly at her mother. "Why?"

Sam sat, stunned, "Because I refuse to explain everything to you here."

"Why?"

"Charlie, stop."

"Why?"

Sam glared at her daughter. Charlie sat there with a determined expression. It was the same expression Freddie would have when Sam would challenge him to talk back to her. Sam blinked and gave up. "Charlene, that's enough. Keep going and you will be in some serious trouble when we get home; trouble as in no fat cakes for a week."

Charlie gasped. Nodding, she gave in, "Yes ma'am."

Sam reached down and pulled out a coloring book. Handing it to Charlie, she entertained the four year old. Leaning over, she sat watching Melanie stare at the scene unfold in front of her. "She's a lot like him, you know," Melanie whispered.

"I know," Sam muttered with a troubled expression. "More than she even knows."

Melanie chuckled, "Are you ever going to tell her?"

Sam's eyes widened. "I didn't even show Carly the picture you gave me! How can you think I'll tell her about him?"

"She's going to want to know; maybe not today or tomorrow but in the future. Besides, Topher's seen the picture. I heard him confess that to Freddie in the hallway," Melanie hinted.

Sam shook her head in denial. "That day's not soon for Charlie. I still have time."

Melanie sighed. Shifting in her seat, she opened her book and began reading. Sam shifted in her seat as well. Pulling her iPear out, she plugged in the headphones and let music fill her ears softly. She could still hear Charlie hum so she knew it wasn't loud that she could keep an ear out for Charlie. Closing her eyes, she drifted to a much needed nap.

A girl sat down across the room. Her long golden brown curls were tied in a large messy bun on top of her head. She was hunched over a desk, scribbling furiously. Small scratching sounds echoed throughout the dark lit room. Sam approached her slowly, her arm extending towards the girl. Reaching the girl's thin shoulder, Sam let her hand squeeze it gently. The girl's head bobbed up and swiveled towards Sam. Her eyes were hidden behind taped glasses that were leaning far too much to the left. She smiled a crooked smile at Sam and moved to stand up. Her eyes blue eyes twinkled with delight.

The girl moved to hug Sam as she just stood there, frozen. The girl noticed the tension and frowned. "What's wrong?" she whispered.

Sam noticed the girls' style of dress; it was a blue dress that had short sleeves and was tight until her natural waist but puffed out and ended at her mid-thigh, she wore black boots with no heel that covered half her shins. Sam's eyes couldn't move away from the ying-yang necklace she wore loosely around her neck. The girl was covering the work on the table and Sam couldn't discreetly peer over the girl's shoulders to see it.

"What are you working on?" Sam frowned. The girl was being stubborn about showing Sam the work.

The girl smiled. "It's a surprise."

"Show me or I'll make you," Sam threatened. The girl kept her smile and laughed.

"You're used to getting your way, huh? I knew there was always a reason why we spent my entire childhood alone with your sister and Topher. Everybody moved on with their life, except you. You didn't even have the balls to tell us about it. Your sister told us…when we graduated high school. I'm not showing you this because you held it from your own children for so long, I want you to know how it feels to be in the dark," the girl spat. The entire time, she held a smug smile.

Sam was furious, "Don't talk to me like that! Have some respect, bitch."

The girl crossed her arms across her chest and laughed. "Who the hell are you to tell me about respect? You have a juvenile delinquent's record and you thought you could fucking keep that from me? Look at me; I'm your exact replica! The only difference is that I inherited his brains, something you obviously missed."

"How do you even know this?" Sam seethed.

"It's because I'm your daughter. I'm the one person who stood by your side and defended you from everyone! But you kept everything from me! EVEN HIM!" the girl burst into tears. "You made me grow up hearing about him in your stories and seeing him but never knowing he was my father. Even Topher had his suspicions but I refused to listen and believe any of his crazy assed theories!"

Sam stood frozen. This girl…was claiming to be Charlie…"Y-you're lying. Charlie's not even five yet!"

The girl choked a laugh, "You're delusional. If you think you can keep doing this to me, you're wrong."

"You're the one who's delusional! You're claiming to be my fucking daughter!"

"I am your daughter! The daughter you rose by yourself and kept everything from!"

"How was I supposed to tell you 'oh yeah you were a mistake'!"

"I knew I was a mistake but you should have owned up to your responsibilities and fill me in when I meet him and told me he was my father!"

"Even he didn't know you existed! I wasn't going to show up on his doorstep with two children when he left and barely looked back."

"That's where you're wrong. You assumed everything was against you. He always looked back; he always had you in his heart. He loved you. You refused to believe someone that caring stole your heart. You did what you knew best; you ran away. You ran away from the best thing in your life and risked mine and Topher's because of your selfish needs. You're a piece of shit." The girl's voice had turned into venom.

Sam shook from her anger. Shoving the girl's shoulder away from the table, the girl was thrown onto the chair, which slid back a few inches. Sam leaned over the paper on the table, gripping the edges of the table until her knuckles turned white. There was a photograph next to it, a familiar photograph. It was the photograph that Melanie had given Sam of her and Freddie. The larger paper was a drawing of the photograph done in chalk. The impeccable detail put into the chalk drawing had Sam's emotions churn her stomach. She placed a hand on her open lips and took a step back. She could feel the knot in her throat become undone and she curled onto the ground and let the tears slip down. "Where did you get this picture?" Sam whispered.

"Aunt Melanie gave it to me when you died…"

Sam's eyes shot open. Her surroundings were filled with soft music. Realizing she had the headphone still plugged in, she pulled them out and sat up to stretch. Charlie was sitting next to her, drawing on the back of a plain paper. The younger girls' curls cascaded around her shoulders and covered the picture. Sam tried to shake away the feeling of Déjà vu from watching her daughter. Pulling out her phone, Sam checked the time. They were bound to land in about thirty minutes.

"What are you drawing, Charlie?" Sam asked with a soft smile at the younger girl.

Charlie stopped and looked up. Covering the picture with her arms, she laughed at Sam, "It's a surprise, Momma!"

Sam's heart dropped at hearing those words. Her dream flooded her images flashing through her mind's eye. "Can I see it?"

Charlie smiled and nodded, "When I'm finished."

Sam's leg bounced as she watched Charlie look over the picture and inspect it. Deciding it was decent; Charlie uncovered it and put it in Sam's hands. "Done!" Charlie smiled.

Sam stared intently at the picture. A blonde stood smiling holding hands with a tall brunet; in between them, stood two smaller versions of the blonde but with brown curls. "Who are they?"

Charlie's eyes lit up and she smiled even bigger, "Well that's you, and Freddie and Topher and me! Do you like it, Momma?"

Sam swallowed the lump in her throat. She strained to speak, "Y-yeah I do, Charlie. It's beautiful, baby."

Charlie smiled triumphantly at Sam's words. "I'm going to put this up on the fridge when we get home."

Sam nodded and gave the drawing back to Charlie. Melanie's voice rang in her head as Sam glanced out the window, "She's going to want to know; maybe not today or tomorrow but in the future."

"Sam, we're landing soon. Make sure Charlie's strapped in tight," Melanie whispered over her shoulder.

Sam nodded and turned to her twin. Topher had awakened and was reading a picture book. Melanie was texting on her phone with a wide smile. Sam smirked while she made sure Charlie's seatbelt was on tight enough. "Who's that, Mel?"

Melanie's cheeks dusted pink without looking up from the phone. "It's Adam from my Chemistry class. He's just helping me stay on top of my stuff in the class…shut up Sam." Sam laughed softly but her mind kept reeling back to Charlie and the drawing. Her dream was like a bad buzz in the back of her head.

What did you guys think of her dream?! :D It took a couple of tries to get it the way I wanted it seen and expressed. Anyway, just wanted to let you guys know this story is almost over. 3 more chapters (if I can stick to my outline). I have an outline where I wrote out everything I want to happen in each chapter and just detail it the best I can and tie it up with a pretty bow and upload it for all of you wonderful people who review, favorite, alert, and just READ! Reviews are always the best. I want to know what you guys think Freddie will do with the decision of the twins. You noticed the absence in this chapter, right? Don't worry, he'll be back next chapter! (Which I'm finishing up the last details and can upload it on time!)