A Mialotte Story: Good in a crisis

Facade

Charlotte arrived at the sister nursery after her shift the next day with the intention of speaking to Reece. She knew she'd be asking a lot of him and wasn't even sure if he would agree to help out with Mia. But Mia had no one else, and Charlotte hoped that despite the years of orchestrated manipulation, that after 23 years together, Reece would still find it in him to care for her as a friend.

"Charlotte, I'd love to help. After all, Mia was such a big chapter of my life...but, I don't think Marjorie would be very happy with me and I can't lie to her. So, I'm sorry, but I just can't" Reece apologised, prioritising his love's feelings and respecting her limits.

Charlotte understood, she did consider whether Marjorie would feel comfortable with Reece dedicating so much time to his ex-girlfriend. But now what was she to do? She couldn't leave Mia alone for days at time while she had her girls, and she would never neglect her parental responsibilities for the sake of anyone.

Charlotte pondered for a moment about what to do, she stood in the office starting to grow anxious. Autumn noticed her biting her nails. She had been there assisting Reece for the day as he was still without a deputy since Mia was let go. Autumn was rather good at listening intently without looking up from her computer screen, so Charlotte was taken by surprise when she chimed in, interrupting her troubled silence.

"I'll do it" Autumn offered simply. She wasn't one to explain her motives or directly express her emotions, but everyone knew her heart was always in the right place even if her actions and un emotive expressions were a little unconventional.

Reece and Charlotte both shot her a look of uncertainty, did they just hear right? Was Autumn really prepared to dedicate her time and energy to the mean redhead after so many years of chaos and betrayal? It did actually cross Reece and Char's mind that Mia may end up back in the hospital after a visit from Autumn.

Autumn sighed as she felt all eyes on her, and blinked slowly as she moved her gaze from her computer to address the pair of idiots before her. "Don't give me that look, I can play nice when I want to." Secretly, Autumn had been ready to rekindle her relationship with Mia for a few months now, after having felt a new found respect for her. She had seen Mia grow with Charlotte by her side, and noticed her efforts to try and repair what she had once broken between the tall deputy and her brother.

Autumn and Mia were similar in many ways. Both beautiful, strong and, protective yet, destructive women in their individual forms, blossomed out of years of trauma. The two were inseparable as children  all the way through to their teens. Neither of them grew up with a strong female role model in the home.  Leaving Mia and Autumn to nurture each other and learn from one another.

Charlotte didn't want to push any buttons by questioning the deputy, she'd witnessed the wrath of Autumn many a time. Char simply thanked Autumn and then made her way to Mia's, picking a few bits up for dinner on the way. When she arrived, she could see that Mia had fallen asleep on the sofa with the TV on. This was the first day Mia had been left to her own devices at home and Charlotte knew that Mia, being as stubborn as she is, would've pushed herself too hard. She gently placed a kiss to Mia's head from behind, trying not to wake her, then went through to the kitchen to make them both dinner.

Mia woke up to the sound of sizzling and hearty aromas coming from the kitchen. She smiled to herself as she peered over, watching Char in her own little world as she danced whilst she cooked with her headphones on. Mia stood up and steadied herself before slowly sneaking up behind Char, who was stood at the stove. Probably not her best decision. The redhead went to remove Char's headphones but she was then greeted with a loud yelp and slap on the arm with a wooden spoon.

"Erm.. Ouch!" Mia exclaimed playfully. Although there wasn't much force behind Char's movement and Mia didn't even flinch, the wooden spoon did leave a slight mark on her arm.
"Oh, baby, I'm sorry! You scared the life out of me, it was just instinct" Char apologised feeling guilty.
"Sweetheart, I'm more concerned that if there were really an intruder, you thought a tap with a wooden spoon would've saved you" Mia chuckled, pulling her sweetheart into an embrace by the waist and kissing her on the lips.
"That's enough of your cheek, Amelia" Charlotte retaliated with a smirk on her face. "Now go sit down, you should be resting."

Mia was enjoying being ordered around by Charlotte, and the playful moment they had just shared was a small reminder of the comfortable normality they once lived. The more time that passed, the more guilt Mia had come to feel. She just wished Charlotte wasn't so level headed, putting her anger for Mia to one side while she cared for her.

"Baby, I've got the girls for the next few days, are you gonna be okay? I'll still come and see you in the mornings of course." Charlotte informed Mia, sitting across from her at the dining table as they ate their dinner. She was getting ready to tell her that Autumn would be coming to check on her rather than Reece. Char wasn't sure how the redhead would take it.

"I'll be fine, Char, even if I do have to put up with Reecey and his snark comments" Mia admitted jokingly. Charlotte was fidgety, her face painted with dishonesty.
"Well..."
"Well what, Char?" Mia asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing at her sweetheart.
"Well... Reece didn't want to upset Marjorie by coming over, which is understandable right?" Charlotte was careful with her words as she continued. "So, Autumn offered to come instead." She wrinkled her eyes shut, biting her lip in anticipation of Mia's response as she expected to get an ear full.

"Oh." Charlotte relaxed and opened her eyes to read Mia's face, hoping it would give more away than her vague response. It didn't. Char could typically read Mia like a book but, right now, she was none the wiser about how she was feeling. "Oh? What are you thinking right now?" Charlotte asked tentatively.

Mia realised she must've looked rather unsure for Charlotte to question her. Truthfully, she didn't know how she was feeling about being alone with Autumn. She knew they still shared somewhat of an appreciation for each other after the night that Autumn dropped Carly off at Char's house. But, the two hadn't spent any time together since Mia made her big comeback. The redhead was still under the impression that Autumn hated her.

She brushed it off and put on a facade. "Nothing, Sweetheart, I'm fine" Mia said as she stood up taking their plates to the kitchen, placing a kiss to Charlotte's temple on her way. She had to take a minute to rebalance after getting up too quickly, standing with her hands pressed on the kitchen counter and her head bowed. Char came up behind her carefully putting her hands on her shoulders to soothe her. She could see that Mia was trying to ignore her pain.

Charlotte helped Mia into bed, having not pried any further at Mia's thoughts. She figured that there was mixed emotions that she hadn't come to terms with just yet. Char sat beside Mia on the bed and gently stroked her pretty red hair until she fell asleep. It didn't take long for Mia to drop off as adjusting to being back again home was taking its toll.

Charlotte placed one last kiss on her love's forehead and off home she went. It felt weird to leave her, the two had never been so separate since being together. Previously, any time Mia had been home from her travels, she would reside with Charlotte.

On her drive home, Charlotte thought about how there was so much yet to discuss with Mia. The kiss, the night of the accident, Mia's poor coping mechanisms. She was beginning to feel comfortable around Mia again, and felt herself falling head over heels like the first time. Never wanting to leave her side, and picturing a future where Mia would look after her and her girls. Charlotte knew it was time to have a conversation with Mia, before she began to fall deeper.