Author's Note—
Hi my Angels! Can't believe it's been four months now that I've been working on rewriting At last. This story is so special to me and I hope just as special to you.
I love you all. So much.
TW- Mentions of domestic violence, miscarriage and child loss
Charlotte was nearing the end of her pregnancy and still working at the nursery full time. She didn't want to be coddled or treated differently. She was going to be with her students as long as she could manage. Char had initially planned on working up until she gave birth to Alexander. She was more than happy to and had done the same with Ren and Ellie, but that was more so out of fear. Not wanting to be alone with nothing to distract her from her life with Nick.
Mia tried her best to convince Charlotte to take a few weeks to herself before their baby boy would be born but she was being stubborn. Mia could see how exhausted her wife was becoming and the way the pregnancy weighed heavy on her body and mind. The way she'd linger in the mirror, her hands holding her bump, with such a deflated look on her face.
Mia wished she could be inside of her wife's mind and understand what she was thinking, understand how she could help her and make her feel better. Charlotte was still as beautiful as the sweet, shy woman she met years ago now. If not more beautiful than she'd ever been to Mia because she was carrying their little boy, creating life.
Lingering underneath the excitement for their baby boy was insurmountable grief. It made getting out of bed every morning hard for Charlotte and sometimes on her break, she'd find herself knocking on Reece's office door. She'd sit with him quietly as he worked, just wanting his presence and warmth around her. The two shared many coffees, though Char's were decaf, each chance they were given.
Every moment she spent with him was a breath of fresh air when the thought of her Angels weighed heavy on her mind. Sometimes she'd have to convince herself again, that she lived for a reason. Even if at times she wished she hadn't. Why should she get to live a beautiful life when she was unable to protect 3 sweet souls? She doesn't understand why anyone would protect her when she was clearly a monster.
In these moments of thrashing and crying, Reece would hold her close to his chest. His hands placed on her cheeks, like they had years before when holding her face together. He'd hold her till she finally tuckered out and would stop struggling against him. Anytime she'd begin to scream at him for saving her, how he should've left her to die, he'd whisper to her how much he loved her. How lucky Renee Kate, Elaina Jane, and Alexander Reece are to live with a mother who protects them all she can. A mother who stays, not just for her family, for herself.
Charlotte worked herself up to the point where she couldn't recognize herself in the mirror. She'd stare at her reflection, trying to find something loveable but all she saw was a monster. She could understand why Nick had been so violent towards her. He may have torn her apart and held her life in his hands, threatening to squander it many times. This time though? Her life was in her own hands and not just hers, but Alex's too.
Sometimes it took a few moments or several minutes for her to see herself for who she was and not the monster Nick wanted her to be. The version he had created of her in his mind and forced onto her to make the cruelty of his actions warranted. That version of Charlotte has never existed anywhere but Nick's mind and now in the back of her own.
Charlotte was losing herself in the grief and memories of her past, but she really was excited and happy about baby Alex's arrival in the next coming weeks. Reece tried to convince her to take a few days off before she had planned too, he could tell she needed to rest. Stubborn as ever though, she refused and continued to work up until the week before her due date. He made sure to stay in the rooms with her as much as he could, keeping an eye on her.
