1 01

IN A COZY LIVING ROOM, a little girl sat opposite two grown men. The two men were looking at the little girl dumbstruck. Their mouths were hanging wide open from shock with what the little girl just told them.

"So, let me get this straight. You want to be an actress, right?" the man with the blonde hair asked the little girl.

"Yes, I want to be an actress. Then, when I grow up a little more, I'll go into singing, Dada," the little girl said with her two-beautiful molten gold-colored eyes staring wide-eyed at them and with the sweetest voice she could muster. Paired with her chubby cheeks, the two-grown man's heart are already beginning to waver.

"But angel, you're only three years old," the man with the dark hair said. Worry can be seen etched across his face, even though he is very much beginning to waver.

"I know that Papa," the little girl said in her cute 'duh' voice. "I'm going to do it now, so that when I grow up, I am going to be even more amazing," the little girl declared proudly with her chest puffed up.

"But princess, you don't really have to do this. We know that you want to be an actress and we support you. But, you can do this when you are older. You're still young now and we want you to have a normal childhood. You're going to be young only once after all. We love you very much and we want you to have the best of everything," the little girl's Dada said. He was trying very much to convey to the little girl that she can still do what she wants, preferably when she's a little bit older.

"Dada, I love you and Papa, too. And I love Xander and Ricky very much too. Though, they sometimes annoy me. But, I know what I want. You said it yourself, most people don't know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. But, I am very lucky that I found what I want to do as early as now. Wouldn't it be a waste to not start following my dreams as early as now," the little girl reasoned quite eloquently.

"We understand that angel. Trust me we really do. I know that you and your brothers are very fortunate to be able to find what you want to do for the rest of your lives as early as now. And I am very thankful to God about that. But, you see angel, you are already a child model. If we add being a child actress to the mix, wouldn't that put to much pressure on your shoulder. You are still very young and we don't want you to be burdened too much with things such as this," her Papa reasoned with her.

"Papa, I know very much what this means. It means I must work very hard for my dreams and I understand that. You and Dada taught me that everything worthwhile in this earth is something that you must work hard for. And I know that my dream to be an actress is a very hard one. I'll get hurt, be under a lot pressure and scrutiny and will probably want to quit a lot of times along the way. I'll probably also fall and fail countless of times. But, that's alright and I understand that. But, I still want to do it," the little girl said resolutely. Determination as clear as day in her eyes.

"When did you get so eloquent, little Missy," her Dada said. Pride and worry were warring in his eyes. He honestly doesn't know if he should be proud of his little girl, or be worrying about the future. Seeing as that her older brothers are just as stubborn as she is. He and his love would really be in for a wild ride. Truthfully speaking though, he is not as worried with the boys as he is with his little girl. Since first, their eldest - Xander is already eighteen years old. He is old enough to know what is right and wrong. He has had a childhood filled with love and he has a will that has been tempered from time and time again. Yes, he has failed. Countless of times, but he knows how to take things with a grain of salt. And above all, he knows how to stand up again after each failure. He is ready. Plus, they know in their hearts that it's time to let him stretch his wings and fly. Ricky, on the other hand, is already thirteen years old. He is still young, but despite that he shows maturity the bellies his age. Like his siblings, he is just as passionate about his chosen passion. He shows such enthusiasm and care for what he does that it is such a joy to see him do what he loves. He still has ways to go, but they know in their hearts that this is what he's meant for. Such love and passion for one's craft at such a young age is no laughing matter of course.

"From you Dada and thank you for the compliment. It is well appreciated," the little girl answered her father's exasperated reply. Her Dada upon hearing her reply did not know whether to shake his head and laugh it out, or cry instead. Sometimes he truly regrets teaching their kids the proper way to sass back to people. Or perhaps he should have specified that the sassing is not applicable to him. The little girl's Papa, on the other hand, was shaking in hidden laughter at his love's current predicament. He is truly enjoying this too much.

"Okay. Okay. Ms. Constance Avalon Hope," Ava's Papa said in his most formal voice. "Me and Atty. Hope shall be discussing about this, okay? We will let you know about our decision tomorrow at the earliest."

"Okay. I expect a favorable response by tomorrow morning," Ava said in her most formal voice matching that of her Papa's. After all, her Dada has grilled into them siblings that during negotiations, one shouldn't lose their cool or you will lose the deal and this is a very important deal to her after all. With that she promptly (as ladylike as she could) got down from her seat and walked to her room.

"Do you need us to tuck you in angel?" Ava's Papa asked as she was making her way to the stairs. He truly can't hide the amusement in his dark blue eyes at the way their little girl acts.

"I can do one night without being tucked in," Ava said as proud as she can whilst turning to face her parents, "You have important matters that need to be discussed after all. And I am expecting a very positive response to those matters." After saying her final piece, she then made her way to her room on the second floor and left her parents once more gob smacked.

"She got that sass from you, my beloved," Ava's Papa said to her Dada. Amusement and mirth flying through his golden eyes. A small tug of a smile making its way to his face. "You did teach them after all. Regretting it, now aren't you?"

"Don't you go pointing fingers now Mr. Fernandez. They got it from the both of us. And don't think that I don't know that you taught them how to push my buttons with the whole 'I know I'm going to fail, but that's alright, I'll still push through and come out stronger' speech. Do you honestly think that I won't know that you are teaching them, my love? That was the same speech Xander and Ricky gave thank you very much," Atty. Hope said to his love in his most 'duh' and accusatory voice. Does his love honestly think that he can get that one over him? Come on, they have been together since their teens. He knows him like the back of his hand. That is why when Xander mentioned the 'speech' in front of him when he was telling them about following his dreams, he already had a hunch. Then, Ricky came giving his 'speech' about following his dreams as well. His hunch then grew into a suspicion, but since he saw Ricky outside of the door of the living room when Xander was making his dream speech, he didn't think much of it. Once was okay, twice perhaps, but thrice; now, that confirms that somebody (my love) has revealed my kryptonite to our kids. And that somebody would have to compensate me, since my poor barrister heart truly can't take the fact that our kids are growing up so fast and reaching their dreams in such a short span of time from another. It's all within the year.

"You are very much welcome, Atty. Andrew Michael Hope. You've always said that the greatest defense is offense, right? The kids are too young to know that great of an offense against you. So, it is better that I teach them how to defend against you via teaching them a great offense against your rather than looking it for it on their own. Which will then lead to them discovering bits of your past that you might not want them to know yet," Atty. Hope's love said with conviction in his whole being as if he were truly doing a good deed for his beloved by giving their kids ammunition to make him fold.

"Really? What bits of my past are we talking about? Don't you know that I am a law-abiding citizen? I have nothing in my past that I regret, Mr. Harold Estevan Fernandez," Mr. Fernandez' beloved said quite haughtily knowing that there is nothing that his love can use against him. He made sure no one would know about that past.

"Do you really want to go there my beloved?" Atty. Hopes' love said with raised eyebrows. His eyes daring his beloved to truly answer his question. He'd really like to know whether his beloved really doesn't know that he has a lot of dirt on him. After all, one of the foundations of a good relationship is knowing dirt on your other half that you can use as ammunition for negotiation purposes (bedroom negotiations included as well).

"Of course," Mr. Fernandez' beloved assured proudly. He believes highly in his cover-up skills quite well. His tone is reminiscent of that of Ava's response to his exasperated question earlier. It truly is a puzzle where he thinks their children got it from (answer: them).

"Oh, so the incident about you dancing naked around your brother's house when you were babysitting doesn't ring any bells?" Atty. Hope's love inquired with a full on devilish smirk painting his chiseled face. His blue eyes were dancing with unrestrained mirth and fondness at his other half. It truly was cute when the big bad lawyer thinks that he can hide anything from him. The moment he saw him that first time all those years ago was after all, the moment that he decided that he will be his. Ergo ensuring that he knew absolutely everything about him (without his knowledge of course, he doesn't want to look stalkerish after all).

"How did you know that?" Mr. Fernandez' beloved asked with big wide eyes. His heart was beating faster than normal. Well, faster than it is when he is with his love. His beloved does always manage to make his heart skip a beat even after all this years. He knows in his heart that he buried those memories and the evidences associated with that a long time ago.

"My beloved, do you really think I won't know that. I think you are forgetting who I am," Atty. Hope's love said while getting close to his beloved, cornering him near the end of the sofa. His lips brushing against his beloved's fully red ear (via utter embarrassment). "Of course, I know all about that little incident of your Atty. Hope," Atty. Hope's love said in his most seductive voice (his lips still near his beloved's red ears), "I know how you stripped naked and danced your heart out to the Beatles while singing all you got; in celebration of your acceptance into law school. Not to mention the fact that the kids were still in the house at that moment, and how you scarred poor dear Alex in your little episode. Your butt really look cute by the way," Atty. Hope's love said to him, paired with a saucy wink in his beloved's direction.

"What?!" Mr. Fernandez' beloved asked.

"My beloved, you don't honestly believe that we first met on that bus stop, right? Why do you think I told you that I fell in love with you at first sight? Well, given that at the time, you were soaked from head to toe and I can see the glimpse of your gorgeous physique underneath all those clothes did help your cause, though," Atty. Hope's love told his beloved, "Anyways, it was because of your bod first, my beloved. The good sense of humor, the inability to be teased in any sexual manner, and that brain and wits of yours are only icings on the cake. You dancing around in your birthday suit that sunny day was what got me hooked into you in the first place," Atty. Hope's love told him in a no non-sense voice.

"Bu-bu-but. H-How did you? -" Mr. Fernandez' beloved was utterly flustered by his love's confession and he can't help but stutter. The almighty big shot lawyer who never loss a case was now hopelessly caught in his love's pace. If his colleagues saw him now, they probably won't believe that he Atty. Hope, was being made flustered and embarrassed by his better half to such a state. It would be an outcry.

"Come on now, my beloved, no need to get all tongue-tied. I haven't even laid may lips on you, yet," Atty. Hope's love told him unashamedly.

"W-we were talking about Ava, my love. We should get back to the matter at hand," Mr. Fernandez' beloved said, trying his utter best to get his bearing back together.

"Well Atty. Hope, my beloved, I think this matter is best discussed in the bedroom, don't you think? After all, we don't want any impressionable young minds to chance upon us, right?" Atty. Hope's love told him teasingly, "Or do we?" Atty. Hope's love told him said this while dragging his other half to their bedroom. He honestly did not care that any of their children chance upon them. Seeing that their youngest was already up in her bedroom, their younger son was at his friend's place, and their eldest is old enough to know about the birds and the bees anyways. It also doesn't hurt his cause that he can convince his beloved to his side of the matter once he got him all nice and tucked in their bed. Ribbons would probably ensure that he didn't escape him or cuffs, either would do perfectly. It truly was a wonderful idea to get their bedroom soundproofed.

Despite Mr. Fernandez' beloved's utter bewilderment as he was being dragged to their bedroom, he was unable to escape his love's clutches. Just like the first time his love's eyes landed on him. He was an utter goner and he will not have it anyway.