Hello all! Continuing this little au world...thanks for all the support and love I've gotten for this story! You guys are the !

thanks to my wonderful friend Hogwarts-Duo for betaing! (This means the mistakes still here are mine because I missed what she told me to fix!)

"Scottish Lass Publishing, how

can I help you?" Gwen answered the phone like always. "Hold on I'll transfer you."

The phone beeped, and Elsie picked it up straight away. "Elsie Hughes, how can I help you?"

"Mrs. Hughes. There is a man here claiming to be Ainsley's father and wants to collect her from school. I'm not entirely sure what to do. This man is becoming almost irate," the school administrator said in a rush.

"No, no. I'll be right there. Make sure Ainsley stays out of sight from him please," Elsie replied in a stern voice before hanging up the phone and quickly grabbing her cell, her purse, and her coat.

"Gwen, I'll be gone the rest of the day. If anyone call's tell them I'm out and I'll be back tomorrow afternoon." Elsie said briskly.

"Yes, ma'am," Gwen replied quickly and watched as Elsie nodded and headed out the door.

-/-

"I want my daughter, and I will see her now," Joe Burns shouted.

"No, Joe, you won't see her today, or any day after, per the court order," Elsie said icily as she strode into the office of Ainsley's school.

"That was before I found out you were shacking up with another man!" Joe spat at her.

"Oh come off it, Joe. I'm not the one who broke the marriage vows by cheating am I? And we are not shacking up. We are engaged. And he still lives in his own house!" Elsie said exasperatedly.

"Well, are you really going to deny me the chance to see my daughter?" Joe asked.

"Yes, and you need to leave, and not come back. I'll have them call the police, Joe," She threatened darkly.

"You'll regret this, Elsie. I'll see to that," He mumbled as he slammed the door behind him.

She rubbed her temples then asked for her daughter to be called to go home.

She dropped to her knees and let her little girl run into them only to hear the door open once again. She looked up and Charles was standing there as large as life.

"You have classes all day! What in the world are you doing here?" Elsie exclaimed as she clutched her daughter tightly.

"Gwen called in between my classes, Els. She said you looked pretty frazzled as you ran out. I know two things. One, there is only one thing that would make you look frazzled when it comes to Ainsley. Two, you only run when there is something chasing you or you are protecting our girl here," he said kindly.

"Well, you certainly hit the nail on the head there, Charles. Are you free for the rest of the day?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yes, love, I am free to spend the day with you and the little lass," he said enthusiastically. Ainsley giggled and leaned over into his waiting arms. He gave her a tickle and they all walked out together.

"I'll meet you at the house Els. Do you want go with your mummy or me?" He asked Ainsley.

"I will ride with you!" Ainsley looked to check with her mummy who nodded slightly.

-/-/-

Elsie snuggled into Charles's side and rested her head on his shoulder. She had just gotten Ainsley to fall asleep for her nap. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

"What happened, love?" he asked carefully.

"Joe just showed up. After four years of nothing. Not so much as a birthday present, or a Christmas gift. No money, no card, no nothing. Now he just shows up because … because he hears about you and me? It's not fair to that little girl, and now he plans to try and take her from me?! What the hell gives him the right?" She let out a sob at the end and buried her face into his chest.

"Shhh, Els. He won't get custody. He will never get her. You have a stable job, a house that is paid for, a long term relationship that is about to be a marriage. You have it all together, Elsie. You are the better parent. They will take all of that into consideration if he petitions the court, and that is a big IF," he said calmly.

He held her as they talked of the future, and the past. How Joe had gotten so angry when he was drunk, had beat her the once, and that had been it. She had packed the very next morning and went to Isobel and Richard's house. She went had opened a separate bank account in only her name and transferred her money from the joint account they had shared. She had her lawyers file for the divorce, with full custody and no need for child support. She had won when she shown the court her blackened eye, and they had read the report of the three broken ribs.

Charles and Elsie had only broken apart as Ainsley had come out complaining she was hungry. They had spent time with her and then Charles had tucked her back in for the night.

When Ainsley was settled, he told Elsie his own story, how he had lost his way, fell in love only to be betrayed.
He told her of the business folly he had entered in, then came back home, penniless, and ashamed.
His mother had loved him anyway, and he had worked as a server in a restaurant eventually making enough to put himself through the rest of school, and even the doctoral program. Then, after a few years, he noticed that he had a neighbor with a little girl who was almost as nosy as her mum. The little girl had wandered over to his yard through a gap in the fence and had interrupted his gardening. She had giggled the first time she heard his voice and then suddenly tripped over a root that sent the three year old reeling and skinning up her knee very badly. He had scooped the crying girl up and looked over to where she came. Nothing. Then he took her inside to bandage her up. He had juggled for the little girl until she had stopped crying. Then he had heard a panicky voice calling out. He had picked up the little girl, Ainsley she had told him, and carried her outside to her mum. They had traded her over the fence where she had asked him in for tea. The rest, he explained, was history.

She had smiled at that and they had settled more comfortably onto the couch and into each other. They had slept together on the overly large couch and, in the morning, Charles found that not only did he have Elsie snuggled into his side, but he, also, had Ainsley snuggled on his chest. He chuckled to himself at the perfectness of the situation, and the fact that he couldn't wait to add more to the perfectness that was their life.

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!

Much love,

Samantha=)