Chapter 22: They Do

The big day had finally arrived. The time had gone by so fast, everyone felt as if it was only the blink of an eye.

"Is Lief at the place already?" Josefin was admittedly nervous that today was her wedding day.

"Yup. Arvid, Edvin, and Karl are there with him. They made sure that he didn't see you when they were leaving the house."

Chapter 21: Ties That Bind

Josefin had searched as many places as she could in Aurora Skies. Predictably, no sign of Karen.

At some point, Josefin realized that the chances of Karen being in a place she liked were slim. Instead, she looked in places the girl wouldn't normally be.

Soon, there was only one place left to look.

The outside itself was enough to fascinate Josefin. Though small, the building was very well decorated. She hadn't noticed the place before, almost as if the building had sprung up overnight.

And oddly enough, despite it being late at night, the lights were on.

The inside was even more beautiful to her, when she stepped inside.

"Now why didn't I notice this place before?" Josefin said, seemingly to no one. "I'd say this would be the perfect place to have a wedding."

Chapter 19: Don't Run from your Problems...

To say Karen was displeased with her father's decision to marry Josefin would be a severe understatement.

Indeed, her worst fears were becoming reality.

Karen was unsure how to show her father how upset she was with this turn of events. She had an idea, though.

All she hoped was that she would not be caught.

Chapter 18: Not So Hallur-ing

It had already started to become dark by the time Lief got to the next house.

It wasn't too entirely implausible, as the third wife lived out of town. Lief didn't blame her.

Lief bit his lip as he walked up the steps. She was, after all, an ex-wife. 

He was prepared for the worst, started from the moment she opened the door. 

Chapter 15: Gather for the Great Announcement

(Note: Since this week has a holiday, I'm hoping to try something a little different with the chapters, so the chapter I want will be on the occurring day.)

"So what do you guys think our parents want to talk to us about?"

Later that night, the children were gathered in the living room, making small talk until Edvin got home from work.

"I have an idea as to what it is, but...You never know." Karen was hoping that her suspicions were untrue. The last two times, however, she had no such luck.

Chapter 14: Break the Ice, and the News

"So how are we going to tell them?"

Early the next morning, the newly engaged couple were discussing how to properly present the news to their children.

Josefin was understandably concerned and at a loss. Her fiance, on the other hand, seemed none too worried.

"Don't worry. I got it under control. I'll make sure both of us have the kids know by tonight."

"Are you sure it'll go out all right, Lief?"

At that point, Lief made a face as if to say, "You think it won't?" He once again assured her that her fears were unfounded.

Then, both of them heard Kristin crying from upstairs, a sign she had woken up. Lief took the opportunity to take care of her before she woke everyone else up.

Chapter 13: Pop! Goes the question!

(I ended up speeding up ahead in the storyline setting, in part due to the fact I'm not really the best when it comes to taking pictures.)

A few months had passed. The two families seemed to now have almost a sense of one.

Though Karen and Arvid remained together, Karen had better accepted her father dating her boyfriend's mother.

It was as Karl said. There was no point in making a fuss if Lief and Josefin were happy.

She was still reluctant about it. And coming events would make it even harder for her.

Chapter 11: Doesn't That Just Burn You Up?

It wasn't long before the Oss family had already spent an entire day living under the same roof as the Helgasons.

Much to Lief and Josefin's delight, the boys were already bonding quite well with Karen's siblings. Admittedly, Edvin and Arvid were at a loss as to how to change a diaper.

Other than that, though, things went quite well.

Edvin enjoyed playing Peek-a-boo and This Little Piggy with Kristin. So much so, that he actually dreaded having to leave for work.

As for Arvid and Karl, theirs was a more subtle but no less important relationship.

It rather baffled Arvid, having to know that Karl's studies were far too advanced for a boy his age. Nevertheless, he was willing to help him out however he could.

But not everything was completely without a hitch.

Chapter 10: Moving Day

For the next few weeks or so, things between Lief and Josefin were amazing.

Lief was sure Karen was hoping something would go wrong. But unfortunately for her, things between the two adults couldn't be better.

So good, that Lief decided now was a good time to merge the families.

Not in the marital sense, of course. Lief felt he was going to hold back on that for now.

The father of three decided to wait a little while longer.The last time he rushed into marriage, the result was obvious.

This time around, Lief was going to try a different approach. The next chance he got off of work, he drove up to the Oss house.

As if by some stroke of luck, Josefin was there.

"Hey, pretty lady," He greeted her with an admittedly cheesy sentiment. "So I was wondering..."

"Yes?" The way Josefin looked at him was a mix of hopefulness and confusion.

"I know we haven't been dating that long, but I was hoping that maybe, I don't know..." Lief never understood why it was so hard to talk to her about such big commitments. He soon decided to take the "mince-no-words" approach.

"Josefin, would you and yours like to move in with me and mine?" Now that the request was out, Lief was afraid she would reject him and laugh at him.

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 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 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.)