Things settled into something of a groove after that. They would go out on a Thursday evening for dinner, and they would find at least three times a week to spend some time alone, whether it be in a storage cupboard or at one of their homes in the miraculous event that all the kids were out.
Jac was finally settling back into the groove at work and Fletch had finally emerged from the heap of admin that piled up every January. The kids were all behaving themselves, Mikey included, and life was proving to be as simple as it ever was.
Fletch had been given Tuesday off so he had offered to keep Emma at his rather than her spending the day in the creche and Jac had thanked him gratefully. He had come to pick Emma up on his way back from the school run, with Theo waiting in the car.
"Alright, little Naylor!" Fletch greeted as he opened his arms and took Emma from Jac.
The redhead seemed flustered, an empty mug of coffee in her other hand and wearing only one sock. It was only just past nine, she wasn't in a rush.
"Sorry, I'm a bit of a mess this morning, didn't have time to shower because little Madam here decided she wanted to cover herself in breakfast instead, didn't you?" Jac chastised, bopping Emma on the nose lightly with a smile. "Thank you so much for doing this, Fletch. You're a lifesaver."
"I know, I know, I'm a saint among men," he preached jokingly, pressing a fleeting kiss against her cheek before turning to leave. "Remember your other sock!"
She rolled her eyes at him and went inside to get ready, knowing how much the next ten hours were going to drag without him there to ease the burden. All she could hope was that Emma had a more enjoyable day with Fletch and Theo to keep her company.
Fletch managed to keep the kids occupied all day, even persuading the pair of them to take a nap in the early afternoon. Evie and Mikey walked Ella home from school so that he didn't have to muck about trying to fit three car seats next to each other.
At 3:45, the three of them bundled through the door and managed to wake both of the toddlers up.
Luckily, Ella thought Emma was the best thing since sliced bread and managed to keep her busy with her Barbie collection while he attempted to start on dinner. Evie went straight up to her room to study and Mikey wasn't far behind her on the way up the stairs with his Xbox controller in hand.
Theo sat happily at the dining table, colouring in a Transformers book, while Fletch focused his attentions on the bolognese.
He turned on the radio and danced around the kitchen to the new Calum Scott song; he knew who it was only because Evie had been talking about him for weeks and how this album was going to be the biggest release of the year and she needed to buy it urgently.
"Daddy!" Ella yelled out as she bounded into the kitchen. "Emma fell over and she's hurt her knee. She's crying, Daddy!"
Fletch masterfully turned down the heat on the hob so that it wouldn't boil over and followed Ella through to the living room where Barbies were scattered across the floor messily. Emma was curled in a ball, sobbing as she cradled her knee.
"Oh dear, what on Earth's happened here?" He asked in a mock-dramatic tone, kneeling beside her and swiping her fringe out of her face with his thumb.
"Hurt my knee," she sniffled, already beginning to calm down.
"Oh no! Well why don't I give it a magical medical kiss and it'll stop hurting? Naughty knee, upsetting Emma!" He tutted, reaching for her bent leg and extending it out to make sure she hadn't actually hurt herself.
A timid nod from the little girl and he dropped his head to press a big kiss through her jeans, punctuating it with a 'mwah'. He looked up to see a smile creeping onto her face as she wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her top.
"No more Barbies," she mumbled as she stood up and shook her head confidently.
"Okay, why don't you come and colour with Theo until dinner's ready? Then Ella can come and join in too!" Fletch suggested with a grin. "Later on, you can tell your Mummy about what a brave girl you've been, can't you?"
It took barely ten minutes for the incident to be forgotten and for Emma to become her bubbly self again. By the time that the two eldest came down to eat, she didn't even think to tell them about the terrible ordeal.
The time flew by until it was bedtime for the youngsters. After just one more episode of Peppa Pig and a few pages of their new bedtime story, Ella and Theo were both out like a light, and Emma was drifting fast.
Fletch carried her downstairs and set her down on the sofa, Jac would be here to pick her up in half an hour anyway. He turned on the news with the volume low, letting the time pass until he heard the doorbell and went to answer it.
"Sorry, I'm late, aren't I? I got stuck in an emergency op and didn't think it'd last as long as it did," Jac rambled as she stepped inside. "Is she ready to go?"
"She's just asleep on the sofa, you may as well carry her to the car. I need to tell you, though, earlier she tripped over and hurt her knee; I don't think it'll bruise and she was upset about it for all of five minutes, but I thought I'd let you know all the same."
Jac was concerned for all of two seconds, exhaling in relief as Fletch explained fully.
"She didn't want you to call me, did she? Did she eat all of her dinner? She wasn't too much trouble, I know she can be a handful-"
"Jac, she was fine, don't worry. I've raised four of my own, your delightful daughter is not going to send me over the edge just yet," he reassured softly, reaching up to rub her shoulder. "I'm sure she will tell you all about her day when she wakes up tomorrow."
She nodded and leant to kiss him sweetly.
"I'll see on Thursday then," Jac finished, almost sounding like a promise, before turning to carry her sleeping daughter to the car.
