Phoebe
I cuddled up to Carter on the sofa and we pressed play on our movie. Jess was upstairs with Ellie having a little sleepover and honestly, I think tonight had been going pretty well. We'd ordered pizza for dinner which they both gobbled up like greddy little piggies and then I bathed them together- as requested by Ellie's caregiver. Her and Alex were going out tomorrow for a wedding. He'd asked me to watch Ellie tonight whilst he went to the stag do. However, the wedding was around lunch time and we had to get her ready here before dropping her off at the venue on time as Alex was part of the groomsmen and didn't have a chance to do it himself. I didn't mind of course. After the bath, I got both of them ready for bed and put on a movie for them in Jess' bedroom. Jess wanted midnight snacks at 8pm but I obviously said no and let them know it was sleepy time as Ellie had a busy day tomorrow. To be honest, Ellie looked so tired when I put them down to bed. Hopefully, Jess got the hint and settled down pretty quickly too. It was about 10:30 now and in the last hour and a half I hadn't heard much at all.
"Beautiful?" Carter asked me and slid his hand up my t-shirt. I giggled, grabbed it and looked at him.
"We have two little ones upstairs and I don't think either will appreciate walking in on us doing the do dah," I smiled.
"The do dah, huh? Is that what Jess calls int when she's little?" he teased making me hit him gently on the chest.
"Be quiet and watch the film, perv," I moved closer to him and slid my hand up his top.
"And I'm the perv," he mumbled, making me smile. I loved him really.
"I was actually going to ask you a real question," he said a few minutes later.
"Oh yeah," I looked up at him, "what's that?"
"Do you think Alex would return the favour and have our little one one night in the near future?" he caressed my waist, making me shudder.
"Yeah, he would. Why?"
"Because I want to see how loud you can be." He smirked without missing a beat and I blushed heavily. I hid my face in his neck and took a deep breath. God.
"You really had to go and make me horny the one night we can't do anything?" I groaned.
"I did it to myself as well baby," he giggled and held me close to him before landing a soft kiss on the top of my head. "You're aren't the only one suffering."
I was about to make a comeback when I heard a little shuffle by the door, then Ellie's small voice saying "Phoebe?" I sat up and looked at her. She looked so sad and I could see tears forming in her eyes.
"Hey, sweetheart," I opened my arms for her and she came scrambling over before hiding her face in my neck and crying heavily. "Oh, darling. What's the matter?" I asked. I pulled her onto my knee and rubbed her back.
"I so tiwed," she whimpered, clinging to me.
"Why don't you go to sleep then, angel?" Carter mumbled, sitting up beside me and handing me a box of tissues. Ellie's head came from my neck and she took a tissue, gratefully.
"Jess won't wet meee," she whined before wiping her eyes and nose. "S'e keeps poke mwe when I twy an go seepy and den cwimbin in mwy bed sawying it no seepy it pway time. I twied twell her dat mwy daddy no bwe happy if I tiwed bu she no wisten an jus' waughin," she explained all very fast and all very sadly.
"Oh angel," I held her close to me, quite angry at Jess. I'd explained to her before Ellie came that it wasn't going to be an ordinary sleepover and that Ellie needed to sleep for tomorrow but clearly, she didn't listen to me. Carter rubbed my leg before getting up, obviously to go speak to Jess. He paused the movie on the way and I sat back on the sofa, holding Ellie close to me.
"You can rest for a little while here, baby," I reassured her and ran my fingers through her blonde curls. Whereas Jess had black as black can be hair which could almost touch her bum, Ellie had gorgeous blonde hair which reached down just past her shoulders. I loved to play with it. I wasn't sure what Alex or she did exactly but it was always unbelievably soft. Jess's hair got tangled easily so we'd always have to be plaiting it or tying it up but she never let me cut it- to be honest, I didn't want her to either.
"Awe woo sure?" Ellie mumbled sadly and began playing with my necklace. I smiled and nodded.
"Yeah darling- I'm positive. You need lots of sleep and if Jess won't let you, I will." I kissed her head softly and she cuddled in closer to me. I grabbed a blanket from behind me and wrapped her up before moving her to a cradling position. She smiled softly, began sucking her thumb and shut her eyes to sleep.
Carter.
I walked up the stairs slowly, trying to figure out what I was going to say to Jess. I wasn't sure at all really. She was being a monkey and I think it was purely because she had her friend around but it didn't really give her the right to be selfish or mean towards Ellie. I knocked on her door softly and pushed it open. The little minx was in her bed pretending to be fast asleep.
"Don't you think that Daddy knows all the tricks in the book?" I smirked and walked around to go sit on the side of her bed. She huffed, flopped around and glared at me.
"What's going on little monkey?" I asked. I hated being strict with her but sometimes it had to be done yet, now I didn't want to.
"Nothing daddy," she huffed and crossed her arms.
"Well if 'nothing' is really going on- wouldn't your best friend be sleeping in here rather than downstairs in your mummy's arms?" She shot me another glare and looked to Ellie's bed.
"It no mwy fault she couldn't seep here," she grumbled and sat up.
"Oh yeah? So you poking her and laughing at her was her telling porkies was it?"
"No," she grumbled quietly and turned away.
"I didn't think so," I sighed. "You can't be doing things like that to your friends sweetheart." I wanted to keep a softer voice and try to reason with her but I didn't know how long it would last, considering the glares she was giving me.
"I no care," she huffed again, kicking her legs out at me under the covers. I sighed and looked at her again.
"I don't want to get angry with you baby. You've not been very nice to Ellie and you need to say sorry."
"No I not!" she raised her voice to me. I sighed again and before I lost my temper, got up and walked out of the room.
"Noooo!" she squealed, charging after me. She crashed into me and pulled at my clothes. I don't know what for but I picked her up and walked her back to her bedroom before lying her in bed.
"It's sleepy time," I said and tried to put the cover on her but her kicking legs prevented me from doing so. I got up, went to walk out again but she was in front of me, pushing me back. I sighed, picked her up and put her back in bed before leaving again. This time, I got to the corridor before she was on me, kicking and screaming and crying.
"Jess, please," I pleaded and picked her up. I laid her down in bed.
"No daddy! No seep! No seep! No seep! No seep!" she chorused, kicking at me and the bed. I got up again, ignoring her and walked to the stairs before she pulled at my t-shirt. That time I heard a rip. I turned around, took a deep breath, picked her up and walked back to the bedroom.
"No daddy! NOOOO!" She screamed and kicked at me and punched at me and screamed in my face as I laid her down in bed. As I left, this time I shut the baby gate. It was a specially made one which, as she was so short even as an adult, she couldn't reach the top of. She screeched at me and shook it so hard I thought it might come off the hinges.
"NOOO!!! NO daddy!" she screamed and kicked and cried but I ignored her, walking downstairs and straight to the kitchen to clean my face. I was beyond angry at her but I couldn't show it. I couldn't let her know through my actions I was mad. I had to use my words once I was calm. It sucked that she could though.
"What on earth is going on?" Phoebe asked, coming into the kitchen.
"She was kicking me when I was trying to speak to her so I left the room but she chased me, kicking and screaming so I put her back in bed again and again but each time all I got were squeals of anger and kicks. Phoebe, she's going mad and I don't know what to do!" I whined. I felt so out of my comfort zone. It was always Phoebe who dealt with her behaviour- especially this bad. I don't even know why I went up in the first place.
"O-okay. Go and watch Ellie for me. I'll try talking to her," she said. She rubbed my arm, kissed my cheek and then walked off up the stairs. Calling Jess's name on the way.
Phoebe.
The screams coming from Jess right now were pure and utter anger and I had no idea why. We've had problems with anger in the past but not recently. I think the last time she was this angry was almost a year ago. My baby was doing so well. I had no idea what had triggered this reaction but I was hoping I could sort it out pretty damn quick considering it was 11pm. Calling Jess's name got her attention and she screamed the words 'no' and 'I won't' and 'I don't want to'. I had no idea what she was referring to but I suppose I was about to find out. Turning the corner, I was shocked to see Jess's legs under the baby gate, clearly trying to get out. Now though, she was stuck.
"What's all this about young lady?" I said, standing in front of her with my hands on my hips.
"No! I no wan go seepy!" she shouted at me.
"I didn't raise my voice at you so you don't raise your voice at me," I said, pointing a finger at her.
"No mama! Go way!" she cried and pulled at the gate. I quickly opened it and as I did- she escaped quickly enough and ran down the corridor. Just not quicker than mummy. I grabbed her at the waist and felt her thrash and heard her scream as I held her.
"Sweetheart, I need you to calm this down now," I said calmly in her ear. She cried and thrashed but thankfully didn't scream. I backed us up against the wall and slid down it, holding her in my arms. She sobbed and still struggled against me but I let her.
"Come on, shh," I whispered and moved some tangled hair behind her ear. She kicked out and moved more against me but I just tightened my grip. She huffed and tried to struggle more but I could see and feel her getting more and more exhausted. Eventually, her struggles stopped and she slumped against me, panting and crying.
"That's it. Good girl," I praised gently and held her head against my chest. I let her cry all of her anger out and rocked us side to side on the hallway floor, allowing her to feel her emotions without hurting herself or others. I had no idea what had happened with Ellie but I was curious and also quite mad myself.
After she'd stopped crying, I picked her up and carried her to her bedroom. I set her down in her bed and sat beside her before covering up her snuggly. She whimpered and stayed close to me. I wrapped an arm around her and let her stay close to me.
"Shall we talk about what that was, hm?" I mumbled after a few minutes. She shook her head slightly and put her head on my chest, closing her eyes.
"You want to rest first?" I asked gently, playing with her hair. She nodded and I stayed quiet. We could talk about it in the morning. Right now, all I cared about was getting her to sleep and then checking on Ellie and Carter.
Thankfully, she fell asleep pretty quickly, I think the shouting and tantrum tired her out even more. I slid out from under her and made my way downstairs. Ellie was sprawled out on the sofa bed which Carter had set up and I presumed he was in the kitchen. I went through and saw him sitting at the dining room table with his head in his hands. I walked over, quietly pulled a chair up next to him and put my hand on his back.
"Baby?" I mumbled, leaning down to kiss his cheek.
"Hm?"
"What's the matter?" I asked, moving some floppy, black hair from his face. I could see he had been crying, making my heart hurt.
"Did I upset her?" he mumbled, sitting up slightly but fiddling with his hands.
"No hun, you didn't." I whispered and wrapped my arms around him more. "She's had underlying anger issues for a long time now. She used to be really really bad but we managed to get them underwraps. Whatever has upset her tonight, has upset her a lot but we can sort her out. It's not your fault, darling." I kissed his cheek and held him for a moment. He put his arms on mine and sighed.
"Positive?"
"I'm 100% positive," I smiled and went to kiss him softly. He smiled and kissed me back.
The next morning, I woke Ellie up whilst letting Jess sleep some more and went to get her showered and settled her down in my bedroom so I could do her hair. She was such a content little when she wanted to be and it was adorable. Carter had gone off to work so it was just Jess, Ellie and I in the house as the dogs were at their daycare. I had Jess' baby monitor next to me and I had begun to hear a little bit of shuffling but no shouting for me yet so I left her to it. Ellie was watching a children's TV show on Cbeebies and I carried on styling her hair.
"Annnnndddd," I giggled, finishing the bobble. "All done little one." I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her cheek. She giggled and turned to me.
"Tank woo," she muttered.
"You're most welcome darling. Do you want to keep watching this here and I'll go see how the little monkey is doing?" I said and climbed out from behind her. She nodded, held her blanket in her lap and kept watching the TV contently.
I slid into Jess' bedroom, expecting her to be asleep but she was in fact- very much awake. She was sat with her back to her headboard, hugging her knees. I could see her cheeks were tear-stained and her eyes red around the edges. She looked at me quickly before hiding her head in her knees and whimpering.
"Angel?" I mumbled, walking in further and sitting beside her on the bed. I put one hand on her foot, trying to coax her out of her hiding position and caressed it gently. "You okay?"
She didn't answer me or really react to me at all to be honest, making me quite sad. "Do you at least want a cuddle?" I asked, moving closer to her slightly. This time, I received a little shrug and in Jess's upset language, that meant 'yes please, I need that desperately.' I moved up the bed and pulled her into my side. She sighed but wrapped her arms around my neck before moving to straddle my lap for a better cuddle. I wrapped my arms around her back and drew patterns on her ribs.
"You're alright baby girl," I said softly to her and played with her hair a bit.
"I sad," she whispered back to me. I smiled a little and squeezed her.
"Why darling?" I was proud of her for getting that far. She always has to be coaxed into telling me her feelings.
"I tink dwat I whined de seepovwer an now Ewwie no wike me!" she whispered and hid her face further in my neck.
"Oh no, baby that's not true!"
"Dat defnitwey no twue woo siwwy biwwy!" I heard a little squeal as the blonde baby jumped onto the bed beside Jess and I. Jess looked up from my neck with a tear stained face to Ellie who was looking stern and serious. "Woo no wiun anytin an woo has to do somefin seriously wong to gwet wid of me!" Ellie giggled. I loved her little speak- it was too adorable.
"Woo no mad?"
"Noooo I no mad. I no woo gwot upswet b but woo mummy hewped woo an I seeped wike daddy said so so we bof otay now. No be sad siwwy. I wike it when woo smiwe," Ellie poked Jess's cheek and kissed it. I smiled and rubbed Jess's back as she leaned in to give Ellie a cuddle. They cuddled it out and soon, were two very giggly little ones. Hopefully, I'd get a chance to discuss the anger with Jess later but for now, I'm going to let her take in the rest of her sleepover.