A Mialotte Story: Good in a crisis

Breakfast

The young girls were both sound asleep in their beds, as was their mother with her new girlfriend. Charlotte had fallen asleep in Mia's arms as they reminisced about their favourite parts of the day. The couple were particularly tickled by the youngest's earlier confusion about where Mia would sleep.

"Mummy, where is Mia going to sleep?" Lily would ask. Mia gave Char a look, hinting that she would be the better equipped to answer Lily's line of questioning. Violet giggled to herself at the little one's lack of comprehension.
"Well, sweetheart, Mia will sleep in my bed with me" Charlotte answered, hoping it would satisfy Lily's curious mind. It didn't.
"But I thought only mummies and daddies shared beds" Lily voiced innocently, leaving Charlotte puzzled as to how she could explain hers and Mia's relationship.
"Lil, you know when mummy and daddy loved each other, and we would share a bed?" The young girl nodded, encouraging Charlotte to continue. "Well, it's like that. I love Mia very much, the same way that I used to love daddy" Charlotte explained, trying to simplify the situation enough for her daughter to grasp.
"Does that mean Mia is my mummy too?" Char could see the cogs turning behind Lily's eyes as she tried to make sense of what her mummy sharing a bed with someone new meant. There was no judgment or preconceptions, only eagerness to understand. Mia decided to interject, knowing that Charlotte was stumped for a response.
"Someday, Lily." Mia said softly with a smile, ruffling the little one's hair.

The redhead's statement only confused Lily more, but now found herself being aggressively tickled by Mia and needing no further explanation as she forgot all about it amidst her loud belly laugh's. Charlotte watched as the pair got themselves into a fit of laughter and exhaustion. She had known exactly what Mia meant. It was a declaration of love, an indirect promise to her sweetheart that she would be around for a long time, and devote herself unconditionally to Char and her daughters. Charlotte felt tears welling up at the idea of her girlfriend becoming a mother to her children. Those girls would be so loved.

As 2am rolls around, and Mia stirred awake as she felt Char tossing and turning, getting flustered with the duvet and throwing it off. "Char" Mia spoke softly, trying to wake her sweetheart from her agitated state with a delicate shake. Mia could feel the heat radiating from Char's body, as little beads of sweat formed.
"Mmm" Charlotte mumbled as she continued to fidget, still asleep.
"Baby, you're boiling, do you want to strip down?" Mia suggested in a hushed tone, expressing concern for her lover. As Mia leaned in closer to Charlotte to wake her with a kiss, she noticed a damp patch on the bed. Finally, Charlotte started to come around, slowly awaking from her deep slumber.
"Sweetheart, unless you're just happy to see me, I think we need to get you up and changed" Mia teased, trying to deflect Charlotte from feeling embarrassed. She turned on the bedside lamp and Charlotte groaned as she realised what had happened.
"Ugh, I've come on! That would explain the night sweats. Sorry, baby."
"Don't apologise, Char, we all have periods" Mia giggled.

She was completely unfazed, knowing that she herself, and probably most women, had been in the same position several times. She remembered apologising to Reece out of embarrassment many moons ago when they were teenagers, expecting him to be revolted. But instead, he would just help her clean up, not making a spectacle of it and bring her a hot water bottle to settle her cramps afterwards. "Why don't you go to the bathroom and get yourself sorted and I'll change the sheets, okay?"

Charlotte was grateful for Mia in that vulnerable moment. The redhead made her feel so at ease, washing away any feeling of insecurity. Char returned from the bathroom, sporting nothing but a pair of lacy black underwear. Her mostly bare physique capturing Mia's gaze. "I'm too hot to put anything else on" Charlotte disclaimed.
"Yes, you are" Mia replied in a sultry tone as her eyes travelled up and down Charlotte's body. Charlotte grinned and threw a pillow in her girlfriend's direction, reprimanding Mia for her impure thoughts. The two got snuggled back into bed after Mia had put on some fresh sheets, and feel asleep in a distant spooning position. Mia only lightly draped her arm over her sweetheart, being aware that she was overheated and not wanting to overwhelm Char by being too much in her personal space.

As the morning arose, Mia found herself being woken up by the sound of little footsteps creeping in to the bedroom. She smiled to herself before turning over catching Violet and Lily in the act, stopping them in their tracks. Mia couldn't blame the girls for being nosy, they were simply trying to adjust to a stranger being under their roof in mummy's bed. She put her finger to her lips signalling for the girls to be quiet as Charlotte was still asleep. Mia felt as though her girlfriend deserved a little lie in after her disrupted slumber last night, and knew that the cramps would shortly make an appearance.

Mia got out of bed and suddenly became very conscious of the short, tight fitting, silk nightdress she was wearing as she noticed the little wide eyes stood before her. She threw on Charlotte's dressing gown and ushered the girls out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind her. "Girls, why don't we let mummy sleep in for a bit, and go downstairs to make some breakfast" Mia suggested, getting the little ones excited.

Before you know it, the three of them were in the kitchen covered in flour. Mia had guided Violet and Lily in making the pancake batter almost independently, allowing them to feel a sense of pride. She carefully showed Violet how to cut the strawberries  and bananas before handing her the knife letting her take over, closely watching to make sure there were no accidents. Mia could see the fulfilment in Violet's stance as she held the knife autonomously, and the way Lily looked up to her sister with amazement. Priceless.
Both the girls were infatuated with Mia, watching as she overdramatised herself flipping the pancakes for entertainment. The redhead found herself having a ball sharing this bonding moment alone with the girls, maybe more so than them.

"What's going on in here?" Charlotte wondered into the kitchen, wearing an oversized t-shirt since her dressing gown was already spoken for. She chuckled, noticing her daughters were covered in flour and their faces smothered in chocolate spread as they inhaled the fruits of their labour.
"Mum, Mia let me cut the fruit all by myself!" Violet exclaimed proudly.
"Yeah and I got to stir the mix!" Lily shouted in excitement. Charlotte sat down facing the girls at the table as Mia went to get their pancakes that had been keeping warm in the oven, kissing Charlotte's head en route. Mia arranged the chocolate spread and fruit on top of Char's pancakes to form a smiley face, the same as she had done for the girls. Both of the grown women embracing their childlike qualities as they grinned at it.
"Wow, girls, these pancakes are amazing! You did such a good job!" Charlotte professed, praising her daughters as she took her first bite.
"Mummy, Mia flipped them, and they went really high!" The younger expressed in enthusiasm. Mia winked at the little one, asserting her impressive flipping skills, which drew a smirk from Charlotte.

After Mia had cleaned the mess leftover from breakfast, including the very sticky children, the girls happily sauntered upstairs to brush their teeth and get dressed. They were eager to play out in the garden with it being such a nice day. "Thank you so much for this morning. You didn't have to do all that, you could've just woken me up" Charlotte professed as she hugged Mia from behind.
"Sweetheart, I was happy to. You do so much, and I wanted them to know they could rely on me too" Mia said as she turned around before kissing Char deeply. "How are you feeling?" She asked.
"Well rested, thanks to you" Charlotte said with a smile, taking hold of Mia's hand.
"No cramps?"
"Well, yes, but they've never stopped me" Charlotte established with confidence.

It only made Mia appreciate her sweetheart more. Char was like superwoman to her, and she couldn't stop admiring the mother's invincibility. Charlotte hadn't complained once about her period, and Mia wasn't oblivious to her occasional wince, but Char powered through not even admitting to her pain. It didn't stop her or slow her down, and Mia only saw a mama bear protecting and caring for her young. "Look at her go" the redhead thought to herself in admiration.

Charlotte and Mia got themselves ready for the day and joined the girls in the garden. It was particularly warm out, and they were all struggling to adapt to the heat after having such miserable weather for most of the year. Charlotte decided to get the paddling pool out for the girls, in attempt to cool them down. That was probably her first mistake. Within an hour, all four of them were drenched through. The young girls couldn't resist splashing the water in Charlotte and Mia's direction, which actually just spurred on a grown ups vs kids water fight. The morning passed, full of loud laughter and sloshing as they all enjoyed family fun in the garden. A promising glimpse of their future ahead.