Danielle's POV :
Everything was going great at home.
Charlotte was slowly getting more and more comfortable and Stefania had moved all the things she needed and wanted at my house from hers.
We were nearly finished with filming the first part of the season, before the winter break.
"Charlotte are you ready to go ?" I shouted from the living room.
"I'm coming, I'm coming !" She yelled back, running to the front door while trying to put on her socks.
"Did you take the forms for therapy ?"
"Oh," She said looking at me.
"I'm here in two seconds." She said, running back to her room.
I didn't like being late but honestly I liked when Lottie acted like a typical teenager.
She was carefree.
"I'm here." She said out of breath and we stepped into the car.
"What is Stefania doing today ?" She questioned curiously.
"She's going to show around her house for potential new residents."
"Oh, okay."
"That means she's staying with you forever ?" She asked.
"And with you." I said and watched as a little smile appeared on her face.
We soon arrived on set and immediately headed to hair and makeup.
Our scenes went smoothly but Lottie had a lot to do so when we came home in the middle of the afternoon, she was exhausted.
"You can rest for thirty minutes but then you have therapy." I said gently.
"Mmmmh." She answered and collapsed on the couch.
"Dani's cuddles ?" I suggested.
She nodded without lifting her head but I could see her grinning a little.
I sat next to her and she snuggled close to me.
"You can try to close your eyes a little, take a power nap."
Charlotte managed to rest a bit, but far from what she needed.
She sleepily followed me to the car and I drove us to her therapist's office.
"Don't fall asleep baby girl." I said as she rested her head on the car window.
"But I'm tired."
"I know sweetie, and as soon as we're home you take a little dinner and you can go to bed."
Once we arrived, I led her to the office.
We were greeted by Pauline like last time, but today I was going to wait outside.
Lottie turned to me, her eyes full of tears.
"You're okay sweetheart."
"I'll stay right here," I said, sitting on a chair in the waiting area.
"Don't leave please." She whispered.
"Oh no sunshine, I'll never leave I promise." I said and pulled her into a hug.
"You're so brave sweetie Lottie, such a strong girl." I said quietly.
"Are we ready to start ?" Asked Pauline.
"Yeah." Murmured Lottie.
I watched as she followed Pauline into the bright room and turned one last time to look at me with a cute little pout.
"You're okay." I mouthed and blew her a kiss.
Charlotte's POV :
"Did you have time to fill out the forms I gave you last time ?"
I nodded and handed them to her.
"Thank you honey."
She set them down on her desk.
"I'll take a look at them."
"Where do you want to sit ?"
I pointed silently to the couch Danielle and I sat on on the first appointment.
Once settled, Pauline started the session.
"So as I said last time, I wanted to keep talking about your vision of family."
I stared at my lap, not knowing what she wanted me to say.
"I have a little game here that I think could help."
"Do you want to try ?" She added, opening a deck.
I nodded, liking the idea of playing.
At first it looked like a Happy Families game.
But when I looked closer at the cards, some of them had characters like a friend, a cousin, a paternal figure, and even a pet.
"Now the rules are a little different from the original game."
"I'll ask you if you have a particular character on your hands and if you do, you have to give it to me. If you don't I draw a card. Like in the normal game."
"The difference is that you can stop at anytime if you feel happy enough with the cards you have in your hands."
I nodded, it was pretty simple.
"I'm starting." Pauline stated.
"I would like the son please."
"I don't have it !" I said liking the game.
"Your turn," Pauline said.
"I would like... the aunt."
Pauline gave it to me.
At my next turn, I asked for the family pet, and then the daughter.
At some point, I liked many of my cards but I didn't want some others.
"Wait I have a question,"
"What am I supposed to do with the cards I have from the beginning of the game if I don't want them in my family ?"
"Well, you can keep them or set them to the side."
"They're still in your family but you don't have to play with them if you don't want to."
I nodded.
"In this case..." I said and put some cards on the corner of the table.
"I finished my family !" I exclaimed and placed the chosen cards in front of me.
"What do we have here ?" Asked Pauline, leaning over the table.
"An aunt, a maternal figure like a teacher or a friend's mom, a pet and a daughter."
"Can I ask who you put aside and why ?"
I took the cards from the corner of the table.
"Well, the dad, the godmother and the grandparents."
"I didn't keep them because..."
"Um..."
"I don't really know." I confessed.
"You just didn't feel like they were needed in your family ?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"Do you think it would be fair to compare the family you chose and your real one ?"
"Uuuuuh... Not really."
"I didn't put a mom and a dad in my family." I noticed.
"And for the aunt and the maternal figure, can you think of people in your real life that could be these persons ?"
I blushed, knowing exactly why I picked these cards.
"Probably Stefania and Danielle."
"Tell me if I'm wrong," Pauline said.
"Are Danielle and Stefania feeling more like family than the one you grew up with ?"
I nodded.
Talking about my parents was starting to make me upset, and talking about Stef and Dani was starting to make me miss them.
"Alright. What I want you to understand here is that your family doesn't have to be the one you grew up with, or the stereotypical mom and dad."
"Your family is supposed to be the persons you feel comfortable with, who take care of you when you're sick or when you don't feel too good, who are trying their best to make you laugh, who are sometimes willing to do things you won't like in order to help you."
"For some people, their closest family are their friends, for others it'll be their grandparents. And sometimes you wait very long until you meet the persons that are making you feel like you belong to a family."
I nodded, trying to take everything in.
"Who are the persons that correspond the most to this definition of family ?"
"Danielle and Stefania." I said without an ounce of hesitation, which surprised me.
"Good job Charlotte." Pauline praised.
"Do you want to go back to Danielle now ?" She gently asked.
"Yes please." I said suddenly feeling nervous that she left.
When my therapist opened the door, Dani raised her eyes from her phone and looked at me with a big smile.
"See, she's still here." Whispered Pauline, like she had read my mind.
I ran to Danielle and wrapped my arms around her, burying my face in her stomach.
"Hi sweet girl."
"How did it go ?" She asked, more to Pauline.
"Very well, Charlotte did a great job today, she should be proud of her."
"Like last time, she may feel a little drained and sensitive tonight so don't hesitate to cuddle her as much as you can." Pauline smiled.
"I won't let go of her." Dani said and hugged me tighter.
"Come on," She said and picked me up, placing me on her hip.
"Let's get you home my sunshine."
We said goodbye to Pauline and Dani drove me home.
"Do you want to talk to me about the session ?" She asked, her eyes focused on the road.
"Not really." I said feeling a little ashamed.
"It's okay, I don't mind at all Lottie."
She soon pulled into the driveway and we made our way inside.
"Hi my love." Danielle said, pecking Stef's lips softly.
"How was your day ?"
"A bit long, we had a lot of visits but we chose a nice couple who was very happy to move in as soon as possible because the woman was pregnant and it's due to next month."
"Ooooh, that's good news !" Dani replied.
"Both for the house and the couple I mean."
"Si, I'm relieved we found residents easily." Stef finished.
"And you bambina ?" She asked, turning towards me as I let out a yawn.
"Someone had a big day and will have an early night." Danielle laughed.
I walked to the couch and let myself fall on it, feeling exhausted.
"Therapy was okay ?" I heard Stefania whisper.
"Pauline said she did very well but I don't know what they talked about."
I closed my eyes but my slumber was immediately perturbed by something licking my face.
"Catsbyyyy, stooop" I whined.
"Lay down with me." I instructed and he snuggled next to me.
I fell back in a not-so-deep sleep and was woken up by someone shaking me slightly.
"Dinner's time bambina,"
"Open your eyes Charlie it's time to eat my bella,"
I grunted and rubbed my eyes but stood up to follow Stef into the kitchen.
We ate the three of us, making small talks about the gossips on set and the next projects of everyone.
The more I stayed at the table the more tired I was getting.
At some point, I thought my head was going to drop into my plate.
"I think it's time to go to bed baby." Said Danielle.
"Mmmmh," I said standing up and holding my hand out of Danielle to take.
She took it and led me to the guest bedroom.
"Lift up your arms hun," She slid my shirt off.
"Stand up, here, put your hands on my shoulders." She said so I could balance myself while she took off my pants.
Dani snuggled me into soft and comfy pajamas.
She helped me get under the covers and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Close your eyes baby girl,"
"You'll have a good night full of pretty dreams,"
"Good night Lottie,"
Stefania's POV :
"Did she settle quickly ?" I asked as Danielle came back.
"Yes, she fell asleep within the first seconds I started stroking her hair." She answered, sitting next to me on the couch.
"Do you want to watch a movie ?"
"Yessss, it's been so long." My girlfriend whined.
I pressed play on a random film when the doorbell rang.
I turned towards Dani and frowned.
"Who could it be at that hour ?" She asked and stood up.
I followed her curiously.
She opened the front door to two strangers, dressed in classy clothes.
There was a bodyguard standing next to a big black car.
"Good evening," The lady said, holding her hand out for my girlfriend.
"Hello ?" Dani said, not knowing who they were.
The man cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry, I really don't recognize you." Danielle said honestly.
"Valeria and Ashton Rayne, parents of Charlotte. Nice to finally meet you." The woman said in a fake tone.
Wow, I wasn't ready to see them turn up here.
I watched as Danielle had the same expression on her face.
"And you're here for ?" She demanded, not wanting to let those people take control.
"To collect Charlotte."
"Not happening." Danielle said, going to close the door but the man put his foot before she had the chance to do it.
"She is our daughter, we are asking politely."
"Go get Charlotte." The woman named Valeria demanded.
"Charlotte is sleeping right now, she had a big day so she needs to rest." I stepped in.
"I don't really care actually," Retorted Valeria.
"I want to see my daughter, and she is coming with us."
"She's not. She's staying right here."
"She told us about what you put her through so we won't let you take her like that." I started getting angry.
"Do you want me to call the police ?" Valeria raised her voice.
"You're holding a minor in your house, a minor you have no rights upon." She completed, losing her temper.
"She's here because we care about her and we want her to be safe ! Not like when you threw her to LA without a cent in her pocket !" I shouted, an inch close to the woman.
"Okay okay, let's all take a breath and calm down." Danielle interrupted.
"Do you want to come in so we can talk about it ?" She suggested, incredibly calm.
I knew inside she was panicking and fulminating at the same time.
"No, we won't enter this... house." The man now said with a lot of scorn.
"If you don't give us our daughter right now, this man will." He added, turning to look at the bodyguard.
"You wouldn't..." I said, thinking he was bluffing.
"You want to try and see ?" Ashton raised his eyebrows.
"Danielle," I murmured, not knowing what to do.
"I- I- she doesn't-" My girl stuttered, as stunned as I was.
"Well, you don't give us the choice."
In the twinkling of an eye, the big bodyguard walked passed us.
"NO ! No wait," Danielle said, making him turn around.
Suddenly, a small frame appeared in the corridor.
"What is- mom ? Dad ?" Charlotte said in disbelief.
"Hi Charlotte, come here, we're coming home." The lady smiled nicely, even if it was clear that her attentions were bad.
"What- why ? No no no I'm staying here." Charlie panicked.
"Stefania please, Danielle I'm staying here right ?"
"Lottie I- I don't know-"
"Charlotte please don't fuss."
Valeria was stern, we couldn't make her leave with our girl.
"Patrick please, get her." She said after a few seconds of exasperation.
The tall man continued his way into our house and grabbed Charlotte who immediately started fighting.
"NOOOO !"
"No no no no pleeeeaaase !"
"Let me GO !!" She cried.
"Stop ! You're hurting her !" Danielle yelled, trying to pry Charlie from the bodyguard.
But he was so much stronger than her, it was no use.
"We're coming for you bambina !"
"We're going to find you Charlie !" I shouted as she was forcefully pulled into the car.
"DANIELLE !"
"STEFANIA !!"
"PLEEEAAASE !"
She kept crying and screaming for us.
"Why are you doing that ?" Danielle asked, tears falling down her cheeks.
"Charlotte has new acting opportunities which are promising. She will make a lot of money if she works hard." The woman stated, unbothered by the cries of her child.
"LET ME GO !"
"Don't do that, we're begging you." I said, practically getting down on my knees.
"DANIELLE PLEASE"
"STEFANIA !" Charlie kept wailing.
"We are her parents. Now ladies, please forget about Charlotte."
"Next time you will see her will be on big billboards for her next movies." She smirked deviously.
"She can't eat gluten, it makes her sick and- and she's easily tired so she has to have long and nice nights of sleep and please, please mind her anxiety," Danielle explained in one breath as Valeria was making her way to the car.
The bodyguard closed the door just as we saw Charlotte's father slap her in the face.
"Mio Dio," I sobbed, the car leaving the driveway.
"Danielle she- it can't be possible they can't-"
"Oh Danielle," I fell to the ground, sobbing on my hands.
My lover stayed up, looking at the now empty road in front of us, tears silently pouring from her eyes.
-----
The next morning, I woke up my eyes red and puffy.
The room was still in the dark so I patted the space next to me to find it empty.
"D- Danielle ?" I asked, my voice shaky and husky.
No reply.
I made my way to the living room and then to the kitchen.
There she was, staring out the window.
I could only see her back, but I watched as her shoulders shook.
"Bambina..."
I made my way to her and immediately wrapped her in my arms.
"She's really gone ?" Dani asked, her voice as broken as mine.
I didn't find the strength to answer so I only nodded.
"We need to find a way to make her escape." She stated seriously.
"We need to get her back with us. She belongs here."
"I know, I know bella." I said hating seeing her upset.
"What can we do ?" She asked, turning to face me.
"Unfortunately not a lot."
"Her parents are very influential. No one would believe us or investigate this family."
"But we need to do something !" She answered, raising her hands in the air.
I looked at her and put my hand in front of my mouth, realization hitting me again.
"Our Charlie," I cried.
Danielle and I tried to comfort each other the best we could.
At some point, I decided to text Barrett to let her know what was happening, maybe she could find a way to help, or just support us.
"Poor baby must be so scared." Dani said as we were cuddling in the lounge.
"She's a strong girl." I tried to convince myself.
The doorbell rang and I instantly stood up to let Barrett in.
But to my biggest surprise, she didn't come alone.
Behind her were Jaina, Jay, Grey, Merle and even Zaiver, Emily, and Peter.
My eyes filled with tears at the sight of all our friends gathering at our home to help us.
"Oh, Stef..." Whispered Merle and pulled me into a hug.
I tried to suppress my sobs, needing to be strong.
"Danielle is in th- the lounge." I managed to choke out.
We all sat in the veranda and Jaina made us some lunch.
"We need to do something, she can't stay with them." I stated.
"They're dangerous people, her dad hit her in the car yesterday night. I'm sure they won't hesitate to do it again." Danielle completed.
"Do you know where they live ? We could go and try to reason with them." Said Emily.
"They'll have security guards all around and we tried, we tried to make them change their mind." My girlfriend sighed.
"Maybe we should actually call the police." Proposed Grey.
I explained that police wouldn't bother to go and see because of their place in society.
"If they're using their fame to avoid an inquiry, we should do the same." Suggested Peter.
We all looked at him interrogatively.
"I get that they're very rich and influential, but they're only two."
"We're so much more if we all get together. I mean calling Stacy, Boris, all the cast and crew of Station 19 and even Grey's." He continued.
"We could also contact Jason and Alberto," Added Jay.
"And even Shonda." Finished Zaiver.
I was getting emotional seeing all these people join to save our baby girl.
"All together we're stronger, richer, and smarter." Peter said in the end.
"It could work," Danielle said, suddenly full of hope.
"Let's start now, I don't want Lottie to stay one more minute in the hands of these motherfuckers."
We didn't lose time in calling everyone we knew from Station 19 and Grey's Anatomy, including the staff, the actors and writers, some producers and dressers, well, everyone.
The writers decided to start jotting down what we were going to share with the world, and we published a petition which we also sent to all of our family and friends to convince the police to investigate the Raynes.
In the meantime, Dani and I tried to contact Charlotte, but she wasn't answering her phone, neither were her parents.
"I hope it will work." My blond girlfriend murmured as we went to bed.
"We have to keep hoping, and we have to fight." I answered, pulling her close to me.
-----
It took around five days for all the documents to be seen and shared all around the fandom and now, even the news and journalists were talking about this affair.
"Charlotte Rayne is only twelve years old but since her earliest childhood, she is the main earner of her family. Between castings and red carpets, no one really asked if she chose to live the Hollywood life. But recently, we discovered that this so-called dream was in fact a nightmare." Jaina read a new article.
"Forced to act and to play, pretending she's a happy teenager, Valeria and Ashton Rayne, her parents, pretty easily hide this abuse. Child labor is coming back in the US but is punished by the law." She continued.
"Her friends and coworkers are highly expecting people to sign their petition and follow the movement to help Charlotte escape her cruel parents. An inquiry will start soon." Our Latina friend finished.
"It's hard to hear that but if it can help her, I'm willing to share this article." Danielle said, wiping a tear away.
Suddenly, my phone vibrated.
'Miss Spampinato ?'
"Yes ?"
'Officer Johns from the local police. An investigation opened for the case of Charlotte Rayne, we would like to collect your testimony, and the one of Miss Danielle Savre.'
"Of course, would you like us to come to the police station ?" I asked, relieved we were going somewhere.
'As soon as possible please Miss.'
I hang up after giving Danielle's information and we got ready in no time to go to the police station.
There, we explained everything that happened last week, from the call to Charlotte's parents to the moment they nearly kidnapped their own daughter.
The police officer took it very seriously and immediately called a patrol in New York.
We didn't get any news for twenty-four hours, and we were starting to think something went wrong.
But on Sunday morning, Barrett and Merle were staying at our place, we got a call.
'Officer Johns talking, Valeria and Ashton Rayne were arrested this night in their house in Manhattan. Charlotte is currently being repatriated to Los Angeles, you'll be able to see her in a few hours.'
"Wh- what ? Oh my, wait, where can we go see her ??" I asked my heart racing in relief but also nervousness.
'She'll stay at the police station with us until we know what do to.'
'And between you and I Miss Spampinato, you should be proud of you and Miss Savre, you saved that girl.' He said and I could hear the smile in his voice.
"Thank you thank you thank you !" I screamed and hang up.
"They found her ! They have her, she- she's on her way to LA and she's okay she- she's back," I said running to the veranda where our friends and Dani were sipping coffee, discussing our next move.
"They have her and she's okay." I finally got out, reality hitting me.
I broke down and if Danielle wasn't quick to catch me, I would have fallen to the ground.
"Oh my love, it's good news."
"We'll have her back." She said reassuringly.
"I'm just- I'm so relieved." I confessed.
"I am too." Dani added, hugging me tightly.
Author's Note :
I wanted to end this chapter so many times while writing it because I wanted to put loooots of cliffhangers but honestly I also wanted to write a long chapter and I couldn't let you guys not knowing what was gonna happen to Charlotte !
Still a little cliffhanger because we don't know in what state she'll be when Stef and Dani come back to her.
What do you think will happen ?