Something's gotta give

1 - Family portrait

"Come on everybody... In need your broadest and cutest smile - NOW!" Charlie shouted at the five other family members in front of her. "And for heaven's sake freeze - just for a second!"

The little girl with the blond-curled hair and blue-green eyes stopped for a moment to frolic around with the seventh attendee, a tricolored Australian Shepherd which instantly went down by her appeasement gesture, not leaving the girl out of its sight. "Daddy! Mammi's just cursed!" the girl said accusingly.

Charlie took her camera down and looked with a helpless and guilty expression on her face at her husband who was playfully rolling around on the grass with his two eldest. "Timeout, Cope! Let go off me for a moment, Miles!" he said to the approximately 8 and 4 years old boys who appeared to be "mini-mes" of their father. Copeland obeyed immediately and let go off the blue-grey eyed lean but thoroughly fit man in his late thirties. With the younger kid sitting on top of him the man managed to raise his head, giving his wife an overwhelming flashing smile before he grabbed his daughter, pulling her close.

"Yeah... she did, sweetheart! Once again! Dammit!", the man said sternly, not stopping smiling but winking at the woman in tight light blue jeans and a tank top on, kneeling opposites to him, the children and the dog, waiting for the chance to catch the bunch on her DSLR. "Daaaad... now you've cursed, too!" the girl cried, slapping her father on the arm holding her. "Sorry", he replied apologetically, still smiling. "My fault. I'm a bad role model, am I?" His youngest, about the age of the girl, still and concentrated on playing with -or better: balancing- his soccer ball all by himself suddenly kicked the ball away. "You're soooo stupid, dad." The man turned his head to the small boy who seemed to consist of bones and tendons only. "You may be right, sonny. Come here... and explain. Why the hell ya think your dad's stupid then, eh?" The woman shook her head with feigned annoyance and sighed. 'We should really watch our language, at least when the kids are around', she thought as her husband swore again.

The boy let himself fall to the ground besides his father and gave him a peck on the cheek. "'Coz..." The boy paused, thinking. "Sorry, Mammi... Because I so wannabe..." "Excuse me - what?" his father asked quietly. The boy rolled his big blueish eyes, sighing and stroking back the sweaty strands of his hair which was as curly as his sister's - but much more the color of his father's. He took a deep breath before he continued, correcting himself. "Because I so want to be like you, daddy. And I'd never choose a bad role model."

The man squeezed the boy instead of an answer, kissed his temple and turned his eyes back to his wife. 'Thank you', he mouthed. "What for?" she asked loudly in surprise for she learned to read his lips over the time. "For everything you did. For having these four children with me. For caring. Not only for the kids but for me, mainly. For keeping me on the ground. And especially for taking care of... you know..." he answered, speaking out loud now, too.

Charlie knew that he was talking about her stepsons, his first-borns. She had to swallow. 'You're an idiot, Ryan', she thought. 'You're such a bloody idiot, really ... but still... you're the idiot I'm in love with and I am married to. How could I not love Copeland and Miles just as much as I love our twins, Maddie and Mark, you stupid bastard?'

Instead of telling him what she was thinking she said: "Yep. Got it. You can thank me later. Intensely." She winked seductively at her husband. "Now... get up, you lazy crowd. We really need to get that photo ready. Or... I'll send you all to a professional, instead!" The children and Ryan laughed, protesting. Copeland suddenly raised his voice above the others: "Don't you do that to us, Charles! A family portrait can't be done by any other but you. Get that self-timer ready and join us... mom." Ryan stared at his son in disbelief. So did Charlie. Then the couple's eyes met.

"Did it", Ryan said calmly. Charlie nodded, in total shock - not sure if she'd really just heard what she thought she never would. But hoped for, all that time. "Finally", she answered very quiet, almost whispering.

And then... her feelings overwhelmed her, all of a sudden. And she had to think back... how it all began... how she fell in love with Ryan Benjamin Tedder. Who was already a public figure, a celebrity at that time but... she'd known NOTHING about him.

It all started out by... coming home... more than 3 years ago.