Solveig and Jace both worked jobs that occasionally demanded odd hours, and that sometimes meant that the girls were left to their own devices on Saturday mornings. Caroline knew she should have been doing the homework she was given on Friday, but Vikki had other ideas and dragged her to play video games. But Caroline wasn't the easy opponent she'd hoped for."Ugh! There's no way you can be beating me so often without cheating. I'm amazing at this and you're just a stupid kid. Go and play with your dolls or something!"
Vikki felt like she had a lot of reasons to hate Caroline. For starters, Caroline was quite the avid student and actually listened when their parents helped her with her homework.
Soon she was getting straight A's and she didn't half show off about it. Vikki called her a suck-up but all that got her was gentle reminders from her parents that she could get top grades too if she tried.
Despite the fact they weren't getting any younger, Solveig and Jace's attempts for another child and had been successful pretty much straight away. Jace invited his sister Petal over as soon as possible and she and Solveig caught up with stories about pregnancy and motherhood.
"It's kind of freaking me out though," admitted Solveig. "Having another baby... I never thought I'd have this many children!""It takes two to tango, sweetie. You're a doctor, you know full well where babies come from!"
Her next stint of maternity leave arrived quickly and she tried to relish more time at home with her daughters... it was less suffocating this time around. Maybe she was finally getting the hang of this whole work/life balance thing?
Vikki didn't get any more feminine or scholarly with the advent of puberty. She kept her hair as short as ever and never wore skirts - ew, ew, ew! - and instead of going to after-school clubs like her parents told her to, she kept up with her gaming achievements.
Being a tomboy hadn't stopped guys from being interested in her - she wasn't exactly shy and retiring with it. She had a sort of boyfriend already and had her first kiss. She'd made the first move!
Although "boyfriend" was a bit of a strong word for their relationship. He was more like a willing victim of her pranks.
Jace was a bit worried about his baby girl spending so much time with a boy, but Solveig pointed out that he obviously really liked her. Why else would he put up with constant waterballoons, joy-buzzers and noogies? Vikki wasn't in love or anything, but it was nice to have someone to kiss... and someone to torment who didn't run off crying.
Solveig was used to pregnancy enough now that she didn't freak out when her contractions started. Jace had taken some time off work so she wandered off to find him."It's time," she said gently.
He held her hands and smiled. "I'll call the taxi."
Jace and Solveig's third and probably final child was a little boy who looked just like his daddy. They named him George. Vikki was sort of intrigued by him on the grounds that a little brother might be more fun than Caroline.
Jace may have had a son to carry on the family name, but Caroline was still his special little girl. He knew he wasn't supposed to have favourites but Caroline was so adorable it was hard not to!
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