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"Kari-Anne dinner!" you called up the stairs before resuming your position of filling the plates. It had been about a year now since you took Kari-Anne from that terribly abusive environment her mother provided and you didn't regret it one bit. You loved having her around and it was nice to see her becoming increasingly happy now that she was free to be herself. You heard rapid footsteps coming down the stairs and laughed as she skidded to a halt in front of you. "Shepherd's Pie night?!" she asked with a hopeful smile You nodded and laughed in response "Yes love, Shepherd's Pie night." She scurried to her seat and smiled thankfully as you sat her plate in front of her before taking your seat and starting to eat. "So, tomorrow is your birthday, what do you want to do?" You asked her with a smile as you two ate. The grin you received in return was so much of Fillip's that it made your heart clench in sadness. "I was thinking we could go to the SAMBEL clubhouse. My da told me he got me a present and it's there, we just have to go pick it up." she said hesitantly, knowing about the history between you and her father. You stopped with your fork halfway to your mouth and looked up at her in shock "Your father contacted you? When" you asked in surprise. Last time you checked Kari-Anne hadn't heard from him in months so the sudden news caught you off guard. "Last night, he called after you went to sleep," she explained "Does he know that I have you now? About what your mother did?" She looked down at her lap in embarrassment and played with her hands "No, I'm afraid to tell him." she admitted softly."I don't want him to have to come all the way to Belfast just for me." You sighed sadly and gave her a small smiled before putting your hand on her arm "We can go love, it'll be interesting to see what your Da has come up with." you said with a supportive smile. ***** Time Skip***** Interesting was certainly the word to use for the situation. When you had arrived at the clubhouse you found Fillip standing there with a bouquet of flower for his little girl, expecting Fiona to be with her but instead got you. After the initial shock wore off Kari-Anne begged you to bring him home and let him have dinner with you two and you being the giant softie you were agreed. She had left to go get a present her friend had got her, leaving you and Fillip alone together in awkward silence. He was sitting at your kitchen table as you cooked, getting ready to ladle out the soup you made when he spoke. "I don't know what to ask about first, why you have Kari-Anne or why nobody has told me?" he asked, looking up at you. You sighed softly and turned to face him, looking into the eyes you had missed so very much. "Fiona and Jimmy were abusing her and she didn't want to tell you because she didn't want you to worry about her being here with me." you revealed sadly. His face contorted in anger as he stood up from his chair "I'm gonna kill him." he growled, stomping towards the door. You could see Kari-Anne's birthday going down the drain with every step he took so you did the only thing you could, you threw the spoon in your hand at him. "No Fillip, you can't do this on Kari-Anne's birthday!" you yelled after him waiting until he turned around before you continued "She has waited so long to see you and if you're gone when she gets back she'd going to think you left again and I am not going to sit there and watch that little girl cry over you once more!" you yelled, coming to a stop in front of him. He stared at you with wide eyes, not used to seeing this side of you, even if you were engaged and expecting at one point. "(y/n) I-i'm sorry, I didn't know." he admitted "Fiona was just always so restrictive with my visits and I wasn't allowed to see her that much. I didn't realise it hurt her that bad." he said guiltily You looked up into his familiar brown eyes and sighed when you saw the sadness there "Fillip I didn't mean to-" "Why did you take her?" he interrupted, asking the question he'd been waiting to ask "I mean i'm not offended or angry but why was it you, how did you know?" Your cheeks flushed red before you made your way over to your couch, realizing you'd have to tell him of your still existent feelings about him. "After I heard about what Jimmy did to you I decided to check back in on you to make sure you were okay and I found out you had a little girl and a wife." you admitted softly, the mention of Kari-Anne sparking memories from your relationship "I found out that they were under Jimmy's thumb and I thought that the least I could do for you was protect them so you had a family to come home to. I started noticing bruises and bandages on Kari-Anne so I got out that old photo of us and I approached her one day after school and I explained who I was and showed her the picture. We ended up going out for coffee and she decided that she wanted out. I took it to court and I won." you admitted softly He studied you for a moment before sitting next to you, taking a moment to think. "Why did you think you had to protect them?" he asked, looking to you. "I felt like I owed you, I still do. I lost our baby when we were together and then I left you. Keeping your family safe so you could have happiness when you returned is my way of saying i'm sorry." you admitted, looking over at him with soft eyes. "Love, that wasn't your fault. You didn't know we were going to lose the baby and as far as I'm concerned you have nothing to owe me, you're free to move on with your life (y/n)." he said softly, placing a hand on your knee. You looked up at him sadly, knowing he had already moved on from you and the love you once shared. "That's easy for you to say, you're married and have a child, i'm alone and single." you sighed, studying your hands to avoid meeting his eyes "You've already moved on." "No, I haven't." he admitted, tilting your chin up with two fingers "I still love you just as much as I did the day you left me and the fact that you took in my little girl and saved her makes me love you even more." he said with a smile. You felt a flicker of hope in your heart before it was stomped out by reality "Fillip we can't do this, you're married." you said sadly, pulling away only to have him wrap an arm around your waist and pull you closer. "Was, I was married." he revealed with a small smile "I decided it wasn't right of me to say married to her when we both want to move on, even if it's for her and Kari-Anne's protection." You stared at him in shock before a moment before a smile broke out on your face and you launched yourself at him, capturing him in a passionate kiss only to have him chuckle and pull you closer. "I've missed you my girl." *****6 months later***** "Hey lass, did you already grab the box with your pictures in it?" he called from the moving truck parked in his driveway. After a few months of sticking around Belfast Chibs had to go back home and he ended up taking Kari-Anne with him, leaving you all alone. He came back after a month away to tell you to pack your things so that you could move in with him. Now here you were, finally getting the last of your stuff shipped in, 3 months pregnant, and happily living with your old man and your now adopted daughter Kari-Anne. "Aye, it's on the couch." you called back as you started picking them up and arranging them on the entertainment center. You heard the door shut on the moving truck and then felt arms around your waist, resting on your belly a few moments later. "I love that picture." he whispered in your ear, looking at the frame that held the pictures of your first ultrasound and one you and Kari-Anne had taken back in Belfast. "It has all of my beautiful girls in one picture." "Fillip we don't know if it's a girl yet." you chuckled softly, leaning back into his chest. "It is, I can feel it. We're gonna have a little girl who's going to be just as beautiful as her mommy." he said, causing you to blush. "Well in that case we'd better start gearing up because two girls running around here that are part you will kill us. Our girls certainly aren't going to be tame their whole lives." you said with an amused grin "Our girls, I like the sound of that." he said with a prideful smile, thanking the heavens that he had another chance to do things over with you after all these years.
