A/N: Hey all, I'm aware that this story is moving a little slowly but please be patient. Things are about to move long a little quicker in the next few chapters and there will be more Peter/Carla interactions coming up. I've got a lot planned for this AU and I more people become interested as the story progresses.
"Shoes off and on the rack please. Then you can go up and put your pyjamas on. You're going straight to bed as soon as we're done with our tea." Carla ordered as soon as they arrived back at the flat.
Frank went to greet them and frowned when he saw that Carla had returned without the items she had set out to purchase. "What's going on?" He questioned once he took note of the tension between his fiance and their child.
"I think I'll let our darling daughter explain." Carla responded, sarcasm lacing her tone.
Two pairs of adult eyes landed on the little girl who had yet to utter a word since leaving Dev's. Rachel avoided both their gazes and barged past Frank in order to go over to the couch. She picked up the remote that was on the coffee table and turned on the TV.
Carla hurried over and snatched the remote from the girl in order to promptly switch off the flat screen. "Have you completely lost your mind? What did I just say?"
Rachel crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at her lap. Frank went over to stand by Carla's side. "Right, can someone please just tell me what's going on? I don't care who it is. I just want some answers." He demanded.
Carla whirled on him and shrugged, "Rachel thought she would try out a new career as a tea leaf." Frank frowned in response, still not quite understanding what had gone down, "she tried to nick a can of pop from the shop and Dev caught her. God, I was so embarrassed. I even stuck up for her at first." Carla shook her head in disbelief and threw herself down onto the couch.
Frank crossed his arms and directed his next words at Rachel who was still yet to speak at that point. "What have you got to say for yourself, blondie?" He asked but of course the child refused to incriminate herself, "right well, it's safe to say you will be going to bed without any desert tonight and you can forget any weekend activities this week. Instead you'll be helping Carla and I with some spring cleaning around the house."
"It's summer time." Rachel sassed back but did not look at either parent.
"Don't get smart with me!" Frank roared. He drew in a calming breath before continuing, "Go on, get changed. I'm sick of the sight of you!-"
"Frank!" Carla exclaimed in shock. Sure, Rachel deserved to be punished but Frank's harsh words were not going to achieve anything.
"No, Carla! Her attitude needs to change and fast. Otherwise she's going to leave me no choice but to give her a good hiding!" Frank exclaimed.
"I hate you!" Rachel exclaimed as she sprung up from the couch. She didn't even wait for a response before she ran off up the stairs to her bedroom.
The two adults were left in a tense silence which was broken by Frank. "Tea will be ready in five minutes."
Carla scoffed and shook her head. She looked him up and down in disgust. "Funnily enough, I'm not hungry any more." She spat out.
"What's that supposed to mean? Why are you in a mood with me?" Frank questioned incredulous.
His fiance got up from the couch and stood right in front of him so they were nose to nose. "Don't you ever threaten my child like that again. You hurt one hair on her head and I'll-"
Frank took a step back as his eyes widened in disbelief, "well something's got to be done about that girl. I warned you months ago that we had to get her in line. We've tried your softly softly approach and today has just proven that it doesn't work. I can just about deal with the attitude but stealing-"
"Maybe she wouldn't have done what she did if you had just agreed to let her have a measly half glass of pop! That's the problem with you. You're never willing to compromise – it's either your way or the highway! You can never take responsibility when shit hits the fan! There's always someone else to blame because the amazing Frank Flamin' Foster can never do any wrong!" Carla ranted as she paced up and down in front of the couch.
"You're blaming me?! Maybe if you actually worked with me instead of against me and actually made an effort to be a parent instead of parading her around like one of you precious designer accessories, she might actually respect me as her father!" Frank retorted, getting just as irate with his partner.
Carla shook her head as her top lip curled up in disgust. She crossed her arms as she came to a stop in her pacing, "maybe she would respect you a hell of a lot more if you didn't speak down to her all the time. You do the same thing with me, you know? Maybe if you showed her a bit more affection and a little less so called 'discipline', she might actually open up to you." She pointed out.
Frank closed his eyes in reluctant defeat and sat down on the couch. He reached up and gently pulled his fiance down so she could sit beside him, "I've tried but no matter what I do, she just pushes me away. I wish she had warmed up to me the way she has with you." He drew in a deep breath and rubbed Carla's back in order to release the tension radiating from her.
Carla rested her head on his shoulder and squeezed his thigh, "I know you've tried but...kids like Rachel, they take a lot of work and patience. I think maybe she will open up more to you if maybe you did the same with her. You can be a bit...rigid at times."
Frank contemplated her words before letting out a sigh. "I guess you're right and as athe parent I know I need to try harder. I want this family to work, Carla. I love you both so much. I don't want to lose either of you." He responded. "And I'm sorry for those things I just said. I didn't mean a word of it. You're a great mother and Rachel is lucky to have you."
Carla lifted her head from his shoulder and cupped his face in her hands, "we both said some pretty nasty things. I'm sorry too. Just please promise to never threaten to hit our child ever again. God only knows what she's been through during her time in care."
Frank closed his eyes in regret, "you're right. I guess you're not the only one I should be apologising to, aye?"
They gazed into each others eyes for a few beats before leaning in to kiss tenderly. They only broke apart when a voice called out to them.
"Is tea ready?" Rachel asked flatly, clearly still upset with the pair of them. She was mad at Frank for threatening to smack her but she was more hurt over the fact that her CC had seemingly forgiven him for his harsh words towards her. All she wanted to do was eat and then go to her room where she could cry out all of her big feelings.
Carla pulled away from Frank and stood up to face the girl. "Frank was just about to dish up. You can help me set the table." She announced as she grabbed the table mats and cutlery from the breakfast bar and headed over to the dining table.
The three sat in a tense silence as they ate their tea. No one particularly felt like making small talk that night so it was safe to say there was an awkward atmosphere. The only sounds that could be heard was metal scraping on porcelain or the ticking of the clock on the wall.
Rachel kept her head bowed as she made a great effort to avoid eye contact with either parent. She hoped that this way she could avoid another lecture. Unfortunately, her appetite seemed to have disappeared after a few mouthfuls of cottage pie so instead of eating she mainly focused on smushing the mashed potato and mince together with a few peas added into the mix every so often.
Carla took a sip of wine when she was halfway through her own portion only to discover that Rachel had hardly eaten a thing. "Eat some more please, Rachel. Frank put a lot of effort into this."
Rachel shot a quick glare at her mother before giving Frank the side eye and promptly let her fork fall onto her plate with a splat. She had to repress a smirk when some food landed on the sleeve of Frank's shirt.
Frank slammed a fist on the table top in frustration. "For god's sake, Rachel! Enough sulking and just eat will you?"
The girl thought about her next move carefully before piling her fork with a mountain of food. She shoved the whole lot into her mouth and chewed a couple of times before looking over to Frank. She then proceeded to open her mouth wide so he could see its contents and then went back to chewing in exaggerated motions.
Frank shook his head at the display but before he could comment or act on his urges to lash out, Carla reached out a calming hand and rested it on his forearm. He gave her a questioning look and she just shook her head, her eyes begging him not to react.
Carla then focused back on her daughter who was now slumped in her chair, her arms folded protectively over her chest. Usually the pout on her lips would melt Carla's heart but on this occasion it only made her feel defeated and heartbroken. She could see that her child was deeply upset and all she wanted to do was gather her in her arms and assure her everything would be ok.
Alas Carla knew that, in this situation, she couldn't cave. Rachel's behaviour that evening had been appalling and the girl was in need of correction.
"If you aren't going to eat the rest of that, you can go stand in the corner and wait for Frank and I to be finished. Then I think we will all have an early night." Carla announced.
Rachel let out a huff and got up from her chair, letting the piece of furniture scrape along the hardwood flooring in the process. Carla grit her teeth and watched the girl stomp over to the designated time out corner before returning back to her food, looking up every so often to make sure the little girl remained where she was supposed to.
It didn't take long for the couple to finish up with their meal and before long they found themselves about to clear the table. Carla cast a look over at the girl in the corner and only looked away when she felt the plate she was holding being taken from her.
"Why don't you try and talk to her? Hopefully she's calmed down a bit." Frank suggested. "I would offer to do it myself but I just think I'll set her off again."
Carla nodded and gave him an appreciative smile before going over to the corner of the room. She refrained from crossing her arms in her usual go to stance. She had read somewhere about the body language one should exhibit when coming to discipline. One line was stuck in the woman's mind: 'Be open and honest. Do not cross your arms but do tell them how their behaviour made you feel.'
"Rachel darlin', can you turn around for me? I think we need to talk before you go up to bed." Carla spoke softly.
At first it seemed like her request had fallen on deaf ears but after a moment or two, the child turned so she was facing her CC. However, Rachel refused to look up from her toes.
Carla took a step forward and crouched down awkwardly. She dipped her head slightly so she could gain some form of eye contact before she spoke. "I think you know that your behaviour today has been pretty poor. I understand you were upset about not being able to have some pop but that didn't give you the right to steal or be rude to the grown ups around you. Especially Frank and I." She paused as she gave the girl a chance to think over what she had just said, "what you did today made me feel frustrated and disappointed but it also made me feel really sad because I know that you must have been really unhappy to act out like that."
The dark haired woman could see that the little girl had closed her eyes at her admission and Carla's heart almost tore into two at the sight of a couple of tears that streamed down Rachel's cheeks. The factory owner tenderly reached out and used the pads of her thumbs to wipe the moisture away.
"I'm sorry, CC. I was just angry and I know that it's wrong to steal." Rachel let a couple of sobs out and hiccuped slightly.
Carla gave her daughter a gentle smile and nodded in acknowledgement, "I know that you know that, baby. That's why I know that first thing tomorrow, you're going to apologise to Dev." Rachel nodded in agreement and held out her arms in a silent request to be held. Carla's smile widened and she pulled the eight year old towards her. She sighed in relief when she felt Rachel return the embrace and rest her head on her shoulder.
The two remained in their position for a few minutes and after he had finished clearing up, Frank went over to join them. He rested his hand on Carla's back and rubbed it softly. He too had seemingly calmed down from that evenings fiasco as his lips were turned up into a relaxed smile.
"How are my two favourite girls?" He asked.
A few things happened in a short amount of time after that. Frank's gaze met Carla's before he caught the eye of the girl who was resting on his fiance's shoulder. Carla's eyes slid closed in regret when she felt Rachel stiffen almost immediately after hearing Frank's voice. Her natural reaction was to rub the little girl's back comfortingly. She then gave Frank an apologetic look when Rachel manoeuvred her head to Carla's other shoulder so she didn't have the man in her line of sight.
Frank went to rest his other hand on the back of the child's head but Carla subtly shook her head and mouthed silent 'don't'. She then focused back on the child in her arms, "I think Frank has something he wants to say to you as well, sweetheart." Carla gave him a pointed look and he heaved a sigh.
Frank had never dreamed of having to apologise to a child after having disciplined them. However, if he were being honest with himself, this whole situation had completely and utterly drained him. He wanted nothing more than to just get it all over with and get the child into her bed as peacefully as possible. The stubborn man swallowed his pride as he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to say.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier, blondie. I shouldn't have threatened to hit you either, that was wrong of me. I hope you can forgive me." His tone was as soft as he could manage and he knew that Carla was pleased with his efforts when she gave him a wink and a heart stopping smile.
However, the half sincere apology had no effect on the person it was aimed at. Rachel clung onto her mother tighter and refused to acknowledge Frank's words. Carla felt the girl's hand move just slightly and she could just picture the girl placing her thumb in her mouth – her go to form of self soothing.
Carla sighed and reluctantly pulled the girl away from her. She gently extracted the thumb from the girls mouth and smoothed down her hair. "Frank has said that he's sorry. Do you accept his apology?" She asked. Rachel, still refusing to talk in Frank's presence, shrugged her shoulders in response.
Frank let out a huff of exasperation which drew the attention of Carla who gave him a warning look. She then turned back to the child who was stood in front of her, "well as much as he was in the wrong for what he said, your father is owed an apology from you as well-"
Rachel gave her mother a look of betrayal and stepped back from her in order to increase the distance between them. "He's not my dad! I hate him and I won't say sorry! It's all his fault!" She screamed. Her face had gone a deep shade of red and hot, angry tears cascaded down her flushed cheeks.
The girl went to storm off and she had almost gotten away due to Carla being too stunned by her response. However, Frank was quick to scoop the child up into his arms and put her over his shoulder.
"Let me go! Put me down! I hate you!" Rachel screeched as she thumped the man on his back in order to get her aggression out.
"Carla!" Frank called out over the child's protests and winced when a particularly high pitched scream shot right down his ear canal. Carla stood up and faced the man she was about to marry. She tried her best to block out the screaming child in his arms although he heart almost broke for the hundredth time that night when Rachel reached out towards her.
"Let's get her up to bed. She's emotionally exhausted." Carla spoke as she lead the way up to Rachel's bedroom. She turned on the calming fairy lights purchased by Frank months ago and turned down the quilt. She stood back when Frank made his way over to the bed with a very subdued Rachel still over his shoulder. The dark haired woman was confused as to how the girl could go from screaming at the top of her lungs one minute, to completely docile in the next.
The parental duo caught a brief look of the girl's face when Frank laid her gently down on the bed. There was no clear emotions to be seen but Carla could see the anger and anguish in her baby's crystal blue orbs.
The girl was quick to pull the covers over herself and turned onto her side so her back was facing the two adults. Frank and Carla shared a look, both just as lost as the other. They had never seen the child emotionally shut down before so they certainly didn't know how to fix it.
"Goodnight, blondie. I hope you feel better after a good nights sleep." Frank spoke before leaving the room.
Carla contemplated her next move and smiled sadly when her eyes landed on the book that was on the bedside table. "How about a chapter of 'Harry Potter', aye?" She spoke gently as she grabbed the book in question and settled herself down on the bed. Her back rested against the headboard and legs stretched out in front of her. Usually, the child laying beside her would snuggle into her side and rest her head on Carla's chest or abdomen. However on this occasion, Rachel remained stock still and refused to acknowledge her mother's presence.
The woman only made it through a couple of sentences when suddenly, Rachel sat up in bed. She then snatched the book out of Carla's hand and dashed it against the opposite wall. The book bounced off the vertical surface and knocked a few trinkets off of the chest of drawers in its line of descent before landing on the floor with a thump. Rachel returned to her previous position on the bed before she even saw the moment the book had landed.
Carla pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. She was starting to get a stress induced headache and at that point, she couldn't wait to climb into her own bed. The raven haired woman climbed off the bed and gazed upon the child sadly.
"I know you aren't happy with Frank and I right now but just know that no matter what, I will always love you. You can scream, and thrown things and ignore me all you want and I will still love you." Carla promised to the unresponsive form below her, "I hope you manage to get some sleep. You know where I am if you need me." She finished before she bent over at the waist to place a soft kiss to Rachel's cheek only for the eight year old to move away.
Carla nodded sadly and resisted a deep sigh before she slowly backed out of the room. She took one last glance between the carelessly discarded book and the lumpy figure on the bed before heading down the stairs.
She wasn't sure how much longer she could go through life walking on egg shells constantly. Something had to give and she'd be damned if she gave up on her little girl.
Carla huffed and switched positions for what felt like the fiftieth time. She looked over at the bedside clock only to find out that it had just past one in the morning. She sighed and glared at Frank who was lightly snoring away, seemingly without a care in the world. The woman swallowed back yet another sigh and decided she needed to get out of that room.
Getting out of bed and wrapping her silk dressing gown around herself, Carla made her way out of the bedroom and into the main living space of the apartment. She softly padded over to the kitchen area and got herself a bottle of water from the fridge. Half the bottle of fresh liquid was gone when she heard soft whimpering which seemed to come from where the couch was.
Carla frowned and listened carefully when the thought occurred to her that she might have just been sleep deprived and was starting to hear things. However, she was proven wrong when the whimpers became louder and she could make out semi coherent words.
"No. Please. Leave me alone. CC...please don't go...Mummy!"
Carla's heart was in her throat as she made her way over to the living area. Standing in front of the couch, a wave of sadness overcame her when she saw that it was indeed Rachel who was tossing and turning, her face screwed up in distress as she clearly fought against something or someone in her sleep. "Don't leave me, Mummy! I'm sorry..."
Carla drew in a deep breath when she heard that magical word once more. However before she could celebrate, she was forced to take action when soft sobs and whines began to fall from the little girl's lips. She crouched down beside the couch and reached out slowly. She began to run her fingers through the child's sweat drenched hair in a soothing manner.
"Shhh baby, it's ok. Mu-CC's here. I've got you, baby girl." Carla whispered into the darkness as she continued her gentle ministrations.
Rachel's distressed movements gradually came to a stop and her eyes blinked open. She looked up at the ceiling in confusion as her eyes flickered in every direction until her eyes landed on Carla. "CC?" She questioned, her voice heavy with sleep and raw from crying.
Carla nodded and wiped the girls tears away, "I'm right here, darling. What are you doing out here?" She asked.
The eight year old looked away from the woman and fiddled with her favourite blanket which was covering her from the tummy downwards. "I couldn't sleep up there. I was coming to get you but then I saw my blanket and decided to sleep here. I didn't want to disturb you or...Frank." She explained, hesitating before she spoke the man's name out loud. "I guess I just had a bad dream...but it's ok now. I can go back to my bed." She went to get up but only managed to get herself into a sitting position before she was stopped by her mother.
Carla took the blanket from her daughter and settled on the couch beside her. "How about we just sit out here for a bit? I couldn't really sleep myself so I came out for some water. Do you want some?" She offered the half full bottle to Rachel who nodded in appreciation and accepted the beverage.
After a long sip, Rachel let out a sigh of relief when the cold liquid soothed her raw throat. The two sat in silence for a few moments with Rachel staring ahead into the darkness whilst Carla twisted a lock of the child's hair around her finger.
"CC?" Rachel whispered. Carla hummed in response as she continued to play with the blonde hair. She would be lying if she said she was disappointed at going back to being referred to as 'CC' but she wasn't about to pressure the emotionally vulnerable girl into doing or saying anything she was uncomfortable with.
"Am I ruining your life?"
Carla stopped her ministrations abruptly and rested her hand on Rachel's shoulder. She was able to gently twist the girl's upper body so she could look her dead in the eye. "Of course not! Why would you ask such a thing?" She asked incredulously.
Rachel looked away temporarily and shrugged her shoulders, "you were happy before I came along, right? You didn't want kids."
The mother sighed and patted the tops of her thighs, "come here, Rach." She gently ordered and beckoned the girl towards her with open arms. The little girl hesitated briefly before she decided to give into the desire for the thing she wanted most in the world in that moment – a hug from her CC.
Once Rachel was in a comfortable position on Carla's lap, the woman wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter. She pressed a kiss to the top of the girl's head before resting her cheek on the same spot. "It's not that I never thought about having kids." She started off, "I married Paul – that's your Aunt 'Chelle's brother – when I was quite young. We were both very ambitious people. He started his own business and I was just about to start my own but then as you know he...passed away."
'Not to mention the fact that I was about to divorce him for being a cheating scumbag.' Carla thought to herself but of course, she didn't say it out loud. It was in the past and Rachel didn't need to know any of that. Maybe one day but that day definitely wasn't the day.
"After Paul passed away, I got busy with the factory so I didn't really have time to think about children. Then I met Tony...we got married but then I found out that he wasn't a very nice man." Carla definitely left out some key points between Paul's death and her disastrous marriage to Tony. Her life back then was pretty messy and complicated, she didn't want to corrupt her little girl's mind with all the sordid details.
Rachel was silent as she contemplated Carla's reasoning for not having kids up until that time in her life. Once she had thought it all over, she nodded in acceptance. "I guess that kind of makes sense." She whispered.
Carla smiled and lifted her head before she spun Rachel around on her lap so she was facing her. She cradled the girl's head in her hands and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "not long after Tony came and left, someone amazing came along and changed my life for the better." Carla said.
Rachel frowned in confusion, "who?" She asked curiously. She didn't remember Carla mentioning any boyfriends just before she had met Frank.
Her mother chuckled and tickled her, "you, silly." Rachel giggled and refrained from squealing loudly so as not to wake Frank. She didn't want this little talk to be interrupted. She missed spending time alone with CC. She sighed in content when Carla drew her back into her arms and laid down on the couch. A thumb made its way into her mouth as her head rested on CC's chest just above her heartbeat. The little girl's eyes closed softly when she felt her blanket being draped over her shoulders. "The best thing to ever happen to me was you breaking into my house. No matter who comes along now isn't going to change anything between us. You're always going to be my little girl."
There was a peaceful silence as the two Connors reflected on the past few months of their lives. Neither of them could ever imagine their life without the other.
"CC..." the girl let out a deep sigh. There was something she desperately wanted to say but she didn't know if she should. She didn't want to risk ruining the tender moment.
Carla softly patted the child's back with one hand as she cradled the head on her chest with the other. "What is it, baby? You can tell me anything." She assured.
Rachel took a few seconds to contemplate whether or not she was ready to voice her feelings. She eventually decided that she was brave enough to do so and she trusted her CC enough to open up to her.
"I...I don't want you to marry Frank." The statement came out as a minute whisper. If it was entirely possible, Rachel clung onto her mother ten times harder. She was afraid that the woman would push her away due to her admission. For a while now, Rachel couldn't fight of the thought that if Carla did marry Frank, something awful would happen
Carla paused her ministrations briefly but carried on near enough straight away. She didn't want her daughter to know that her request had unnerved her. It was eerie how the confession had somewhat matched the inner battle Carla had going on inside her own head. "Can I ask why?" She couldn't deny that she too had her own doubts in recent weeks regarding her pending nuptials. If an eight year old could see cracks in hers and Frank's relationship, did that mean everyone else around them was seeing them as well?
Rachel removed her thumb from her mouth so her words would come out more coherently. "It's not the same any more. When I first lived here, we had fun all the time. Now there are so many new rules that Frank has made. Sometimes I don't even know about the rules so I break them on accident which means I get in trouble. I feel like he doesn't like me very much and would prefer it if I wasn't here." She tried to explain her big thoughts and feelings to the best of her abilities and she really hoped Carla understood what she was trying to say.
The dark haired woman swallowed the lump in her throat. She hadn't realised how discontent her little girl had been feeling with the new set up. Sure, she was aware that Frank and Rachel didn't see eye to eye all that much but she hoped that over time the two of them would bond and develop a close knit father-daughter relationship.
"What makes you think he doesn't want you here?" Carla asked, wanting to focus on the more pressing matter. She had to get this all cleared up before she even considered going ahead with the wedding. She didn't think she could go ahead with the plans they had if her child wasn't happy with it.
Rachel hesitated as she thought back to the time when Frank had threatened to get her taken away by social services. He had cornered her in the kitchen and grabbed her arm in a painful death grip. She had tried to keep a distance from the man since then but sometimes it was just impossible. She didn't know what it was, but there was something about the man that made her hate the thought of being alone with him.
"It's just...he's always shouting at me or telling me off. He-" she halted abruptly. She was going to say 'he scares me' but she didn't want to worry her CC. It's not like Frank was constantly hitting her or anything like some of her previous foster parents.
Carla let out a breath she didn't realise she had been holding in. She thought maybe she had missed out on some major traumatic event in her daughter's life but apparently she hadn't.
"Frank...he's old fashioned. He only tells you off because he cares about you and what people think about you. If he didn't care, he wouldn't tell you off." Carla reasoned. "As for the other stuff, I'll speak to Frank about us all doing more fun things together. Maybe we can plan a weekend away to Blackpool or somewhere before summer finishes. How does that sound?"
Rachel looked up at her mother and gave her a small smile. She nodded in silent agreement before returning back to her original position. "I guess I can give him another chance." She whispered.
Carla placed a kiss to the top of the girl's head and smiled. "That's my girl. Now I want you to promise me that you will always come to me when your thoughts and feelings overwhelm you. I think that's why yesterday went so wrong, don't you?" Rachel nodded once again in silent agreement and snuggled deeper into Carla. "And I promise that if things don't improve, I will think about possibly postponing the wedding until you're ready."
Rachel smiled wide at that and breathed a sigh of relief. She felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders and some inner peace had been restored. A soft yawn escaped her lips just before her thumb returned to her mouth.
Carla held her wrist up in front of her and was just about able to make out the time on her watch aided by the moonlight that filtered into the room. She suddenly felt exhausted when she realised it was almost two in the morning. In just over five hours, they would all have to get up and prepare for the day ahead. Especially herself and Frank who had a very important meeting with a new client at nine sharp.
"Let's try and get some sleep. Tomorrow is a new day and everything will seem better when the sun is up. You'll see." Carla spoke as she closed her eyes and rubbed Rachel's back comfortingly.
Rachel too closed her eyes and shifted a little so she could get more comfortable. "Goodnight, CC. I love you."
Carla's heart melted at the sleepily slurred words and she smiled lazily in her own half asleep state. "I love you too, baby. Always."