Chapter 8: Apology Accepted

After Karl had gone to bed that night, Karen was still awake waiting for her father to get home.

She wasn't sure exactly when he was supposed to get home. It wasn't like any of her dates with Arvid, where she gave a set time and place to pick her up.

Lief was a grown man, he could drive around and carouse with Josefin as much as he wanted. She couldn't tell him what he could or couldn't do.

Well, she could, but chances were he'd not take her seriously. 

Karen had no choice but to patiently wait until he returned. She pinched herself from time to time in an effort to keep herself awake.

It was, in fact, nearing midnight when Lief came home. Upon entering, he saw his daughter standing in the hallway, and his cheery mood dissipated.

Chapter 7: Heart-to-Heart

(As a bit of a special gift, there will be two updates for today.)

Karen was still pretty steamed over her father dating again. She was more so when he was now dating Mrs. Oss.

Normally, when her dad found a new girlfriend, she just dealt with it and waited for the inevitable divorce proceedings. But not this time. Not with Josefin.

Thankfully, today was the weekend, so she and Karl had the whole day to spend at home.

And by spend the day at home, that meant they sat and watched TV in their pajamas.

Karen didn't mind Karl. In fact, they got along quite well. Both of them always swapped jokes, and made good company.

Today, though, Karl could sense something was off about Karen's mood. Something not of a laughing matter.

Chapter 6: Lay Bare The Inner Feelings

The early morning confrontation with his teenage daughter still made Lief feel uneasy.

He knew she disapproved of this relationship, but he was still at odds as to what he should do.

Lief knew he could ask Josefin, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to put a damper on their date.

But then, he was also curious about how Arvid felt about it. That is, if Josefin had told her boys at all yet.

In the end, Lief decided to just cross that bridge if he came to it tonight.

But until that point, he was just going to have a nice little time with Josefin.

Chapter 5: Blow Out, Fall Out

Lief had managed to keep his new relationship with Josefin a secret from his children.

He was not entirely sure how they would take it, but it would not be long before the truth came out.

Though perhaps he could have chosen a better time to break the news.

For whatever reason, Karen had woken up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. Perhaps it was simply one of the many quirks of adolescence.

Or, it might have had to do with the fact she fell off the bed in her sleep, at some point during the night.

Either way, Karen clearly was not in the mood for anything displeasing.

Chapter 4: In the Name of the Moon

Some time after what he still wasn't sure was an actual date, Lief still couldn't get Josefin off his mind.

Of course, that had happened to him at least three times before, and none of those times ended well. And yet, something told him she was worth it.

Nevertheless, he was wary. Arvid and Edvin's mother was a widow, after all. He had no experience with widows.

But then, there was nothing wrong with courting a woman with experience. On the other hand, Josefin might still be grieving her late husband.

Lief wasn't going to push her into a potential relationship if she didn't want one. It was still worth a try, though.

So, the next chance he got, he waited until Karen got home from school. When she did, he made sure she was all right on her own.

Of course, perhaps Lief should have taken better note of the night.

Chapter 3: It's a Date! Or is it?

Lief had not actually expected it to be only Josefin to visit his home.

He also had not expected her to show up so early.

But of course, that was not going to stop him from being a decent host to his guest.

According to Josefin, Arvid was called into his part-time job, and Edvin hadn't been feeling too well. Lief was...saddened to hear that.

But nonetheless, he would make sure that Josefin was appreciated. And he even promised he'd go visit Edvin if possible.

"So, is your husband keeping an eye on Edvin while you're gone?" Lief had to ask.

As she answered, Lief couldn't help but notice Josefin's smile was a little tight around the edges. "I'm...afraid not," she said in a rather sad tone of voice.

"Huh? Why not?"

Chapter 2: Serendipity

The next day, true to his word, Lief had finished at the office, and come to take Karen home.

He knew he could take his time, but Lief really didn't want to dawdle. Not to mention he had asked the neighbors to watch Kristin before he went to work. Surely, they weren't being too inconvenienced?

It was better than constantly hiring a babysitter, and not as expensive. But, hopefully, Lief would relieve them of that duty shortly, and they could head home.

But first things first. Pick up Karen.

Lief was given the familiar greeting from Edvin Oss. It was friendly, if not a tad blunt.

But then, Edvin wasn't one to be overly wordy. He was more suited to give a handshake and a short "Hey."

After being let in, Lief had to ask if the boys' parents were home. As if expecting the answer, Edvin responded with "Mom is."

For whatever reason, Lief never actually met Mr. and Mrs. Oss. But he attributed that to not knowing the boys all that long. But this time, he felt it was about time to meet the parents.

Chapter 1: And They Call It Puppy Love

In most families, a father is very protective of his daughter, and who she is involved with. This is especially true if said daughter is already dating.

But that was not the case with Lief. He knew the boy his beloved daughter Karen was dating was trustworthy.

He also knew that his daughter would never go off somewhere alone without his permission. If he deemed a location unsuitable for Karen by herself, he would deny her going.

But Karen's boyfriend Arvid was a good boy. Lief knew that. Arvid's brother Edvin was also able to be trusted.

When Lief was at work, he could count on both boys to watch his children.

So when Karen requested that she spend the night at Arvid's house, Lief was all to happy to let her:

Prologue

(Note: Unlike Soif de Sang and Rötterdämmerung, this story will not be told in first person. Rather, it will be told in third person, it a sort of borderline fairy tale format. I say fairy tale, because, well, I may have been inspired by the beginning narration of the Disney version of Cinderella.)

(Anywho...)

Once upon a time, in a snowy little town called Aurora Skies, there lived a little family.

This little group, by the name of Helgason, lived comfortably in their stately home.

The head of the household, Lief, was a good man, who loved his three children more than anything in the world.

Though very invested in his job in business, Lief still managed to find time for his son and daughters.

His children were, by name: Karen, the eldest, Karl, the middle child and only son, and Kristen, the baby.

Although he was devoted to his three young ones, still Lief felt they needed a mother in their lives. Someone who would be there for them should any misfortune befall him.

But here is where this father is flawed. His experience with married life is...a negative one. For Lief has been married three times, each time thinking he had finally found his perfect match.

He had been wrong. Every...single...time.

Lief is a good businessman, a good parent...he is apparently simply not a good spouse.

But that didn't stop him from searching for his true love.

Not only did he want to find a wife, he wished to find a mother for his three children. One that would care for them as her very own.

So far, Lief's luck has been lacking to find such a woman.

But yet, through it all, Lief remains determined to find his soulmate. For with each passing day, this father only grows more determined, to make his little family finally, truly complete.

(End of prologue.)