~Free~

~

Viggo smiled and relaxed into her touch, nodding at what she said and knowing she did enjoy it. His brows raising gently at Jilly before he laughed at her deflating and going back to her school work, “don’t worry, bug. We’re gonna breeze through this now.” He said gently tapping his daughter with his foot to get a smile from her again. His gaze met Clarissa’s and he smiled, “yeah?” His brows raising as he matched her kiss, he watched her leave and sat up to help Jilly once more, “alright, alright. We have some motivation now so we’ll get through this.”

_______________________________________

Gyda shrugged, “it was just a matter of time before you fell for Viggo’s teasing.” She smirked but nodded fully understanding where Clarissa was coming from. “I get it. It’s definitely different but I think it’s good for Jilly. I mean, when it comes down to it it’s a woman she doesn’t have to share with a bunch of other kids.” She shrugged, “she’s a good kid, and definitely a huge help, I definitely think it’s good you two already have a relationship.” Her brows furrowed, “and at least things won’t change there. Jilly’s had enough people in and out of her life. Including myself. Having some kind of stability in a female definitely helps her out, and probably in the end will help Viggo out too. And of course bring you three closer together.” She chuckled. “All I have to say is I told you so.”

Gyda nodded it had been a big struggle for all of them and she hadn’t made it any easier on herself but having the kids now and knowing life was not only difficult at time with all the rugrats but amazing as well. It was all Gyda had ever wanted. “I don’t think I could be happier even if I tried, honestly. I mean of course we have our worries and things but I just… I’m so happy to be where we are.” She squeezed Clarissa’s hand back and chuckled, “I know, I know. We’ve been away way too long but I’m pretty sure we’re back for good now. Egypt was a blast and just like me and T revisiting our roots but this is home. This is where we started building our family and our life now.”

Gyda’s brows pulled together as Clarissa went through all the drama and nodded slowly. “Wow, yeah, make sure to pencil that in for that me, Rose needs to be revisited.” Gyda smiled and chuckled, “I’m just getting the idea together right now so I can get it all figured out.” She shrugged, “budgeting and stuff like that are the last priority and figure out how to register it and stuff.” 

------------------------------------

“It only took a couple of years.” Clarissa chuckled at her friend, thinking back to all the times that Viggo had teased and flirted her in the past and how she had so adamantly turned him away. At least that time was used to build a friendship between them. She nodded as Gyda talked about Jilly and ran a hand through her hair. “It definitely helps - I just keep telling myself that I have to be very sensitive to her and what she wants. I just don’t want to overstep with her or with Viggo.” Clarissa chewed her bottom lip in thought for a second before speaking up again. “Sometimes, I feel like Viggo is unsure and I’m sure that he’s just being cautious. I just wish I knew where he actually stood.” Clarissa knew it was a conversation she would have to have with Viggo but she had promised to go at his pace so she was, or she was trying to at least. 

Maggie still felt bad that she had gotten things so mixed up. “I still feel bad that I just… assumed but I guess I always assumed it would be you two.” She shrugged, a bit of her insecurities and self worth peeking through before she smiled, “it does seem like you have a really awesome life.” She smiled at Clarissa moving forward in her love with this man that seemed to care greatly for her. “That sounds amazing Clarissa, she seemed like she really loved you too when I saw you with them.” Her brows rose and her cheeks blushed a bit, “Not really, no.”

Kip spotted the toy by his foot and couldn’t help but smile as he looked in the direction that it had come from. “Oh, no worries. I mean the throw is actually really impressive.” He said as he sat up on the bench some, looking over to Gideon to make sure he was where he had left him and all good. “Yeah, he doesn’t like to sleep at home it seems.” He said with a laugh, resuming the slight push and pull he had been doing in hopes he would settle. It had been a long 5 months for him since Gideon had been left with him. He hadn’t been sure that he would be able to do it but here he was, being a dad and hopefully pulling it off. “Is it that obvious I don’t sleep?” He asked before laughing.

Viggo smiled at her suggestion and exhaled sharply, “you sure you want to do that? You don’t have to cook us dinner. We can always order something.” He gently ran his hand up and down her side, smiling at how much Clarissa did for them and how much Jilly enjoyed it. He fell in love with her more and more each day really he just didn’t want to rush things for hisself, Jilly, and especially Clarissa. Jilly was excited about the prospect of helping Clarissa cook and Viggo raised a brow at her with a smile, “if you don’t finish that you don’t get to help.” He chuckled turning his attention back to Clarissa, “That would be a fantastic idea.. maybe I can return the favor too.” He smiled catching her lips with a kiss after she nipped his, “let’s get this homework done then so we can start this dinner and get everything ready for bed.” 

Clarissa combed back his hair gently, a smile on her features as she shrugged. “I know but it’s okay. You know I don’t mind at all, I enjoy doing it.” There was a joyful laugh that bubbled from her at Jilly’s excitement to help her with cooking. Tutting her tongue, Clarissa pointed to her father. “What he said, my friend. But the sooner we finish this up, the fast we can make a mess of the kitchen.” She winked at the little girl, earning herself a giggle before she eagerly turned back to her homework. Once her attention was elsewhere, Clarissa looked back to Viggo. She hummed, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Oh, I like the sound of that.” Pressing one last kiss onto Viggo’s lips and a ruffle of Jilly’s hair, Clarissa pushed herself off the couch. “I’m going to get started, get all the boring stuff out of the way.” She explained at Jilly’s protest before she headed to the kitchen and began to pull the things she needed for dinner. 

~

Gyda noted the way Clarissa’s cheeks reddened and smirked, “I’m happy he makes you happy but you didn’t have to lead into it like that. I know what’s been going on without Viggo going into detail.” She wiggled her brows, “you both deserve to be happy though and I’m sure it’s not the easiest thing having Jilly around but she’s always enjoyed you since she was little. So that probably makes it so much easier.” 

She watched her friend with the baby and smiled, “you’re holding the last one for a while.” She chuckled and sighed, “after the boys the doctor in Egypt suggested a hysterectomy. We decided to try one more time and Itani happened after a year, almost two. We knew after her she would be the last one.” She pouted a bit but smiled, “I hated it but I didn’t want Hana to have to babysit for us.” She chuckled pulling her oldest daughter in for a hug and tickling her. “She was a big help during it though, made sure T wasn’t getting to tired on us or anything and telling me when to call Halima and tell her to come tell T to rest.” She chuckled but shrugged, “I think I got my rest in after Itani after I was able to get up and go again it was simple to pick it all up. Well not all of it up but ya know. It’s something I always wanted and I damn sure wasn’t gonna complain. I put T through too much hell worrying about me and Itani for that.” 

“How are they by the way? Siggy and Makoa? Viggo told me about the accident and Rose? What’s going on with her?” Her brow raised, “please don’t tell me I need to punch her again. I regret the first time I probably won’t the second.” She laughed though about the kids and smirked, “he told me about the cheerio hair. He said you looked exhausted as hell though and he knew you had a lot on you. Viggo is a pretty damn good kid wrangler but he had to do it most of his life with me and Thor.” Gyda smiled, “I am, I told T I think we belonged here all along. It was nice to experience living in Egypt and nice to be a housewife with little side gigs occasionally.” She shrugged, “but now that I’m back here I got something pretty big planned. With all my struggles with fertility I want to start a non-profit support group that spreads awareness about fertility struggles and maybe one day grow it into something that can help women with their fertility issues.” She shrugged, “I’ve been working on it a lot lately when I have time to should be getting it off the back burner pretty soon though.” 

"I should have known you’d somehow figure it out before even I figured it out myself.” Clarissa chuckled, knowing Gyda had always had a knack for knowing her better than she knew herself. Most of the time, at least. “It’s not that Jilly gets in the way, I would never say that, but it’s definitely different than anyone else I dated. But it helps that I already had a relationship with Jilly and we get along. She’s so funny and honestly helped me when I was overrun by kids.” Clarissa laughed, but she was extremely happy that Gyda seemed to be okay with them seeing each other. If Gyda had been upset, well... Viggo and her would have had to have a conversation. “I’m still waiting for some sorta sarcastic remark for how long I kept saying it would never happen.”

Clarissa listened closely to everything Gyda was telling her and though she had known parts of the story from their conversations, it always amazed her to hear it again. “I’m just so happy for you. I know how much you struggled and to see your kids, healthy and happy, and you, healthy and happier than I have ever seen you....” Clarissa sighed, reaching over to take her friend’s hand and give it a squeeze. “Well, I’m ecstatic for you and I’m so happy to be able to finally get to actually meet the whole family and hang out with them and all.”

Clarissa groaned, shaking her head at the mention of Rose. “Let’s just say that if Teddy was still around, Rose would be 6 feet under.” She chuckled, settling into the couch. “Well, Rose was attacked an evening, going home and this random guy Owen jumped in to help her. But the thugs who attacked her came back and I guess they got this Owen guy pretty good. Rose says that she just wanted to know what was going on so she lied to the cops and doctors and told them she was his fiancé. Owen woke up with no memories and Rose has now been living this huge lie of helping Own recover while he thinks she’s his fiancé and Olivia is his daughter.” The story sounded more and more fictious and crazy the more times Clarissa told it. “So, yes, please punch her again. She needs it.” She calmed down after a second, her heart soaring with excitement as Gyda told her about her newest adventure, something so personal and close to her heart. “This is going to be amazing and you are going to bring a voice and help to so many woman who have and are struggling with the same. I am so utterly excited for you and I know that this project is going to be big. I am so proud of you. What are your next steps?”

~

“She’s a lot better at it than me, that’s for sure.” He pulled Clarissa closer to him and smiled at the feeling of her fingers in his hair. His eyes slightly closing at the feeling of finally being able to just relax after a decently stressful day for both him and Jilly. “I’d rather you stay right here.” He groaned but chuckled, “but if you want to make dinner I can’t refuse it. You know that.” He said finally smiling at her with a sleepy grin, “I could say we could order something but I know what Jilly will want for the fourth time this week.” He rolled his eyes before mouthing the word, pizza to Clarissa and pulling her in to stretch out on the couch with him instead, “but whatever you do I can’t promise I’ll be awake for I could just about fall asleep right now.” 

Clarissa watched with adoration in her brown eyes as Viggo relaxed at the threading of her fingers through his hair. It had obviously been a very long day for him. The brunette chuckled at his groaning protest, rolling her eyes playfully. “As much as I would love, that, we have to eat something either way. So, why don’t we do this?” She glanced over at Jilly quickly for second, making sure she was okay with the next problem before continuing. “I’ll stay here with you while Jilly finishes up her homework and then us ladies will make some mini lasagna cups.” She giggled when Jilly turned to look at her and smile brightly. “While you go and take a shower and relax. By the time you’re done, we’ll be finished and we can eat. How’s that sound? Do you wanna help me cook dinner for your dad?” She questioned them both, humming in content as he pulled her to stretch against him on the couch. Leaning up to his ear, she whispered so only he could hear. “And then I can help you relax later on tonight. I’m thinking massage.” There was a cheeky glint to her eyes when she pulled back, her smile barely contained by the way her teeth nipped at her bottom lip.  

Maggie listened fully to Clarissa’s story once it had been completed she raked her hand through her curls and expelled air from her inflated cheeks. “Wow, that’s a lot. I’m sorry you had to go through all that. You seem happy now though, for sure. I don’t think I could see anyone being a town babysitter but you.” She smiled, “you were always really good with kids.” She raised her brows and shrugged, “so are things okay with your boyfriend now? Is your ex still messing things up there?”

Clarissa shrugged at the apology, momentarily forgetting her dislike for the other woman. “Eh, it’s fine. I still have it better than most so I can only be grateful. Besides all of that mess just brought to where I’m supposed to be. I can’t be mad about that.”  A small smile covered Clarissa’s face at the compliment; it meant more than Maggie realized. Clarissa had always doubted her care-taker responsibilities and to hear that she might be decent at it, was nice to hear. Granted, Maggie didn’t see the whole cheerios in the hair fiasco, but Clarissa would take what she could get. “They’re pretty great right now, actually, we’ve worked it out. Taking things at his pace, whatever he’s okay with and of course, his daughter. It’s different dating someone with a kid. I love Jilly with my whole heart; she’s a ray of sunshine, but we are both very acutely aware that she comes first so we go slow. What about you? Got your eye on anyone?”

“Is it inappropriate to say I hope I don’t get any of his vibes rub off on me while I wear them?” Charlie said and followed her to the room and looked through the box, grabbing a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and he quickly changed while she was out getting changed herself. He took his clothes to her washing machine. He went to the kitchen and grabbed himself a beer, opening up his dominoes app and then went to the living room. Charlie ordered their food and then sat on the couch, relaxing into the comfortable couch cushions. Once she joined him, he looked over. “I think I’m gonna burn these after I’m done with them.” He said and shrugged. “Anything is fine, honestly, you pick.” He added and raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What did she think?”

“Nope, it’s not, because sometimes I say the same thing with just having his stuff here.” Clarissa chuckled clicking her tongue in thought. “If he wasn’t such an ass, I’d probably actually return some things but that’s just a can of worms.” It didn’t take long for Clarissa to change out of the painted-ruined clothes and she tossed them in with Charlie’s in the wash, praying and hoping that the paint would come off. Soon enough, Clarissa was relaxed against Charlie, sipping on a bear as she flipped through the movie options in Netflix. “Do it, I dare you.” She laughed,  the sound amplified by the beer bottle she had pressed to her lips. She grinned as she faced Charlie, rolling her eyes disbelief . “She thought we were married!” Clarissa exclaimed as if it was the craziest news ever, which in many regards, it was. “When I was overrun by kids, I ran into her and I don’t know she came to that conclusion but she thought we were married and the kids were ours.” Shaking her head, Clarissa settled back down again her best friend and settled on a movie for them to watch. I Care A Lot  seemed interesting enough. “I mean, I know that many people thought that would happened, hell, in high school for freshman year, I thought it might happen too but when she said it, it just made it seem so nuts. Do we really give off that vibe?”

~

Gyda nodded, “he does.” A knowing smirk on her face, “he goes on and on about you all the time.” She was partially digging to see if Clarissa was going to admit they were together like Viggo had or if she wanted to keep it quiet. If she did there wasn’t much Gyda could do about it but it wasn’t much fun if Clarissa didn’t let Gyda get a couple licks in about how Clarissa avoided Viggo for so long. “Yeah, he said you two have definitely become good friends and keep each other a lot of company.”

Gyda smiled at Hana and nodded, “I know, it breaks my heart. I miss my little buddy that liked going everywhere with me.” She heard a loud noise from outside and rolled her eyes, “I’m sure those two are tearing the house down out there too.” She picked up Itani and smiled at her before passing her over to Clarissa, “and this one, is probably going to be as much trouble as those two out there. I definitely do not suggest moving with a six month old. It is not fun at all. Especially to another country.” She smiled at Hana and winked at her, “but I think we all missed it here and wanted to come back and just pick up where we left off,” she said before laying out in the floor.

A blushed creeped along the tops of Clarissa's cheeks and she had to clear her throat to cover up the smile that came on her face at the thought of Viggo gushing about her. She was silent for a few second before lifting her head back up to face Gyda. “We did become really good friends.” She wrung her hands, unable to hide her smile. “We’re seeing each other...and I know it's unexpected and crazy but he... he makes me happy. Him and Jilly.”

Clarissa grinned when Itani was passed over to her, immediately swooning over the baby. She sat her down on her lap, bouncing her lightly while one hand reached up and pinched her cheeks, earning herself a squeal and giggle. “You have your hands full; that’s for sure. I don’t know how you do it. I was taking care of Siggy and Makoa’s kids and Rose’s baby and Jilly sometimes and I almost lost my mind.” Clarissa laughed, looked up at Gyda. “If it wasn’t for your brother, I’m sure the kids would have won.” If she was honest, it probably wasn’t far from the truth but she had loved every second of it. “You were missed deeply; you have no idea and I’m so happy you are back. Are you happy?”

~

Maggie’s eyes landed on Clarissa and she froze. “I… I thought.” She gulped down the anger in her throat and started laughing, her hand resting on her forehead and then moving through her hair as she listened to Clarissa’s explanation. “I… I thought when I saw you with those kids… I thought you and Charlie. You talked about him like.” She shook her head again and sighed, “I’m sorry. I just assumed.” 

She shrugged and sat down, “I assumed it because I thought it would always happen, ya know? Especially after I left. I thought I was out of the way and you were able to…” She shook her head ashamed of the fact she had just assumed that. “Can… can we start over and you tell me everything from the start? Like, explain it all.”

"I talked about him like..." Clarissa trailed off, completely thrown and confused but the more she thought about their last conversation, the more she realized how things could have been taken completely different. The brunette waved off Maggie's apology. She wasn't the first one to assume it and probably wouldn't be the last. 

"I think a lot of people always thought it would happen." She chuckled, shrugging because she got it. Childhood best friends, super close, both bookworms and now one of them an author? It made sense but Charlie and Clarissa were far too close for that to be a reality. "Oh sure, uh..." She squinted, adjusting Jilly on her hip. "When we went to college, I met someone. Got engaged to him, Christian. My parents died, caught my fiancé cheating on me. Left McLean and moved here a few years ago." She scratched her head, trying to give her the general overview. "Bought the bookstore, fell in love, got heartbroken, made some really good friends and met my current boyfriend. Charlie moved down here. My friends' lives went to crap, I was the town babysitter. My ex-fiancé came into town, caused a rift with my boyfriend but we've made up and now we're here." She shrugged, thinking she got most of the major events at least. "I think that covers it. 

~

“Definitely anything but exciting.” He smirked and knew Jilly felt the same way. He accepted her kiss, smiling against her lips before shaking his head, “she’s better at math than I am but they definitely make it a lot harder these days. You’ll get it, Jilly and we’ll both learn a bit more from this.” He said ruffling her hair. He sat back on the couch and removed his glasses, “not yet, we’ve been working on homework since she got home. This is her last thing. You got something in mind?”

"I know, I was babysitting a couple of days ago and I helped my friend's son with his homework; the math nowadays makes my head hurt." Clarissa chuckled, her eyes scanning Jilly's worksheet. "But that's cause we're so old now." She joked, tickling Viggo's daughter slightly. "You'll get it cause you're so young and smart." There was a soft smile on her face as Viggo ruffled her hair and she relaxed against him, enjoying the comfort. Her fingers ran through his hair slowly, tilting her head in his direction as he spoke. "I can make dinner if you'd like? That way when she's done, the food can be ready? I don't mind."

Charlie couldn’t help but laugh as he looked at himself covered in paint. “I also think we are both terrible painters and you should definitely hire someone to come in and paint these walls.” He said with a shrug of his shoulders. “If I have to add all the extra meat, I’m getting a second with pineapple on it.” He said as he looked down at Snickers. “Okay fine, how can I say no to you huh?” He said with a laugh as he pulled his phone out and opened up the Dominoes app, ordering their pizzas. “Oooh, movie night too? Alright. I’m glad I came over to paint.”

“Come on, I think I have some of Christian’s old things there you can change into. I accidently packed them when I ran away a couple of years ago.” She motioned for Charlie to follow her into her spare room. She dug through the closet to the very back where she had a box that needed to go to donation and put it on the bed. “Check to see if you see something. I’m going to go change out of these clothes before I end up getting paint every where.” She nudged him playfully before slipping into her room. It took a few seconds but she was changed and met up with Charlie in the living room, plopping on the couch with the remote in hand. “Okay what do we want to watch?” She asked, pulling her knees to her chest. “Oh I ran into Maggie the other day and you’ll never believe what she thought!”

Charlie had needed this, needed the time to forget what his mind was doing and just have fun with someone who meant the world to him. There had been a lot going on recently but he was excited to paint, which sounded weird but he ended up painting a lot of rooms because he was tall. He only had himself to blame for their current situation as he had been the first one to put paint on Rissa. “I know.” He said with a grin, rolling his roll pin over her shirt too. He couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t think we are getting very far in the whole paint the room thing.” He said and set his brush down, trying to catch his breath. “Plus I can order pizza or something?”

“Charlie!” shrieked, laughter bubbling out of her as she felt the paint seep through the cotton of her clothes and began to touch her skin. With a sigh, Clarissa calmed her laughter and looked around the room in dismay; they’d been at this for an hour at least and they had barely gotten a wall done. “I think you’re right.” Giving up, Clarissa put down the roller pin on the paint tray. “Oh! yes! Meat lovers?” She asked, skipping before spinning around and walking backwards out of the room. Snickers, her beloved young dog, nosed Charlie, almost as if urging him to order the pizza. He knew he always got fed a slice. “We can watch a movie too?”

~

Gyda chuckled and shook her head, “you could have come anytime and you know it. So what’s have you been up to? I hear you’ve been keeping my brother company.” Her brow raised, “he tells me about you every damn time he calls to check in.” She chuckled, “I hope he isn’t driving you insane. I feel terrible leaving you here with him to deal with.” She said bringing Clarissa into the living room but taking a detour outside to pull Torben off the fence. 

She ran her hand through her hair at him and sighed, “I swear he is a handful.” She said plopping down on the couch, before pointing to Hana, “remember how little this one was when we left? She’s grown on us completely. I tried to stop her from growing though.”

There was a deep scarlet that covered her cheeks as Gyda brought up Viggo. She had wondered how long it would take her best friend to bring it up or if she even would. She wasn’t sure how much Viggo had told her and while Clarissa had told Gyda some of it, she never dove too deep into details. Unsure of how much they were disclosing. “He does?” She asks, following Gyda into the house and settling into the living room. “Oh... I think we’ve both been keeping each other busy.”

A soft smile crossed her features as she turned to look at Hana. It had been so long since she’d see her. It  was like she was a mini person now. “Seriously; I’m pretty sure she’s doubled in size.” Clarissa chuckled, crossing her legs and settling on the couch. Gyda’s house was full of life, it made her happy for her friend. “It’s so good to have you guys back; seriously missed you so much. You’ve missed a lot.”

~

Maggie’s brows rose, “boyfriend? I… I … I thought.” She closed her mouth then at the words ex-fiancé, and then she said she had talked to Charlie about it and that sent Maggie for a loop. “You mean… you mean Charlie know?” She stood up then and shook her head, “he knows and he’s okay with all this? With… with you having a boyfriend? Clarissa! You… you have kids with him.” She nervously laughed and was pacing then. “I mean, I’m not one to judge but is… is Charlie really happy that his wife has a boyfriend?” 

Clarissa’s eyebrows furrowed, not understanding why Maggie was so surprised that Charlie would know. He was her best friend. “Of course he knows.” She chuckled, tilting her head in confusion. Her dark eyes bugged out when she mentioned having kids with him, a shocked laugh being forced from her. “W-What?!” Her mind tried to work overtime, trying to piece together Maggie’s words and trying to figure out how in the heck she thought she was married and had kids with Charlie. Of course at some point in her life, she had considered it. Charlie was her best friend and during a small spell in high school she had breifly considered it but it had gone as quick as it came. Charlie was too much like family for it to ever be anything more. “We’re not married or have kids together.” Clarissa chuckled uneasily. “This is my boyfriend’s daughter and my friends kids; I’m just looking after them. Charlie.... Charlie is family, always has been.” Her eyebrow raised in question, shifting her weight nervously. “Where...why did you think we were married?”