Charlie; a little girl who desperately needed catching.
Leo, Oscar and Atlas; her three older brothers who awaited with open arms.
~
Five year old Charlie's life gets turned upside down by the sudden passing of her beloved mother.
The little girl is...
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"One more story?" Charlie begged, looking up at Leo with the best puppy eyes she could produce.
She was currently tightly tucked into the large bed of one of the many guest rooms in the apartment, her stuffy 'Paul' safe in her arms.
"No, sweetheart. You've had three now." Leo said, shaking his head in an attempt to block out the puppy eyes he saw.
"Those eyes should be illegal." Leo shook his head, flicking Charlie under the chin and making the five-year-old giggle softly.
"It's sleepy time now," Leo whispered, leaning down to place a long, endearing kiss onto the little one's forehead.
"Um, Leo?" Charlie shyly called just as he was about to turn to leave.
"Yeah, baby?" He replied, smiling softly. Leo kneeled beside the bed and gently stroked her cheek.
"I-is this... f-forever now?" Charlie asked hesitantly, her eyes staring right into his as if it held the answer she was looking for.
Leo loved the little girl with everything that he had, more than life itself. His heart painfully broke with the vulnerability of the question his little sister had asked.
Gently taking her little hand, he soothingly rubbed circles into the back of it, effectively calming Charlie's nerves.
"Yes, sweet girl. You're ours now. We've got you, baby girl, and that will never, ever, change." Leo affirmed in the most soothing tone he could produce.
Leo placed one last kiss onto her forehead, and then switched the side table light off, leaving the pink starry night light he had found in Charlie's suitcase to accompany her throughout the night. And quietly making his way out of the room, Charlie began to fall into a deep sleep.
- One year ago -
"Where's my baby gone?" Charlie's Mummas's voice echoed through the room, making Charlie giggle uncontrollably from where she hid from her under the covers of her bed.
"Oh no! My Charlie disappeared! What will I do?" The voice cried.
Charlie immediately jumped out of her hiding place at the sound of her Mumma's distraught voice, not wanting her to be the cause of her Mumma's sadness.
"I'm here, Mummy! I just hiding there!" Charlie squeaked worriedly, pointing to the bed and smiling reassuringly at her Mumma.
"I know, my love. Mummy was just joking." The older woman smiled fondly, running her hand through her daughter's soft, wild curls.
"But, Mumma sounded so sad!" Charlie pouted, tears appearing in her eyes.
"Oh, sweetheart. It's alright!" The older woman chuckled, pulling the little girl into her arms.
"Mumma's got you, sweetheart. Don't worry. I know my sweetheart will never hurt Mumma. Do you know why?" She asked, looking down at her little girl.
"W-why, Mumma?" Charlie asked curiously, rubbing the tears from her eyes.
"Because you are my sunshine, and you will always be my precious little sunshine."
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away."
-Present-
Charlie's eyes snapped open.
She wanted her Mumma. She wanted her Mumma's cuddles and her lullaby's and her soothing words whenever Charlie scraped her knee or had a bad dream.
But she couldn't have them anymore.
Charlie couldn't have her Mumma anymore.
Tears started to well up in the sad little girl's eyes and began to trickle down the little girl's cheek.
She couldn't comprehend the fact that she would never be in her Mummy's arms again. It just didn't make any sense.
Her Mum was the kindest soul in the whole wide world.
What did she do wrong?
Charlie's sobs grew louder as she slipped out of the big bed with Paul and waddled out of the room.
The little girl had no set destination, but she couldn't lie there in the strange bed any longer, the frightening thoughts of her Mumma's absence flooding her mind.
Giving up with her stumbling step, Charlie collapsed into a pile of tears in one of the dark hallways of the large apartment, hugging Paul tightly in her grasp in an attempt to hide away from the bad thoughts.
"The fu-?" A sleepy voice suddenly muttered, having heard the sobs of the young child.
A light switched on in the hallway, and there stood a shirtless Atlas with a look of concern plastered onto his usually emotionless face.
"Charlie?" He whispered, still too tired to comprehend what was going on.
Charlie choked out another sob as she looked up at her big brother. She felt guilty for waking him, but currently, bigger things had filled her mind.
Atlas looked at his baby sister's tear-stained cheeks and sniffly little nose, putting the pieces together.
He slowly walked over to the little thing and scooped her up in his arms, holding her tiny body impossibly close as she cried in his chest.
"You gave me quite a scare, little monkey." Atlas smiled softly, looking down at the little girl.
He slowly walked back into his room with Charlie cuddled in his arms and walked over to the en-suite and placed her gently on the counter next to the sink.
"Let's get rid of these tears, hmm?" Atlas simpered, grabbing a handful of tissues from the tissue box and gently wiped her cheeks.
Charlie sniffled wearily and slowly began to lean forward on her brother's chest.
"All gone." Atlas smiled, bending down to kiss her now dry cheek.
"A-atlas?" Charlie stuttered sleepily, looking up at her older brother.
"What is it, little one?" He asked, running his hand through her sleep crazed hair soothingly.
"S-stay with you?" Charlie asked, unable to form a complete sentence as her eyes began to close.
"Of course." Atlas chuckled.
He picked up Charlie's little body and carried her over to his bed. Placing her next to him, he wrapped his strong arms around her, appreciating the warmth Charlie gave him in his naturally cold bed.
Charlie looked down at the mysterious tattoo she saw earlier on her brother's arm just as her eyes began to close.
Charlie
Waking her slightly from her sleep, she traced the letters with her little finger and looked up at her brother, who stared back with loving eyes.
Atlas placed a kiss on her temple and reached over to the bedside lamp, switching it off. "I love you, sunshine ."
And Charlie fell into a deep sleep, content in her brother's arms.
-Edited 14/04/2020 with help form the lovely MsFishyLee
