A/N: This one shot was inspired by the following exchange between cxrebirth and I over on Tumblr:

whattheclarke . tumblr post / 661529461485944832

They made a post about Carly, Freddie and Millicent, I replied saying I could totally imagine Millicent creating a presentation, they then created a photo scenario which prompted me to write this… I love the way we can collaborate with complete strangers online!


It had been a long day for Freddie and his small team of web developers, their newest app was set to launch at the end of the week but it was still experiencing an ongoing glitch. He had spent the whole day wrapped up in code.

As he pulled his front door key from his pocket his stomach rumbled and he remembered that he hadn't even stopped for a proper meal all day. He sighed and rolled his shoulders back, trying to relax and let the day's stress fall away before he joined his family.

The key got caught in the lock for a moment, but he gave it a well-practiced jiggle to the left and it gave way. He opened the apartment door to find his new wife - a word he still couldn't believe he now associated with Carly - sitting cross legged in the corner of the teal couch they had picked out together when they had first moved in.

If her clothes were anything to go by she was clearly looking forward to an evening relaxing at home. She was dressed casually in a pair of black leggings and the My Way or the Rosé T-shirt he had given her a couple of years earlier. Her hair was thrown up haphazardly in a high ponytail and she was lazily flipping through a magazine, a coffee mug balanced precariously on her knee.

In stark contrast to Carly was his daughter, Millicent. She was still in the same dark jeans, sneakers and colourful blazer she had worn when she left for school that morning. Her hair was elaborately twisted into a bow on the top of her head, with curls falling around her shoulders and her face was fixed with a look of determination as she paced expectantly in front of the TV.

The moment Millicent heard the door open her head shot up.

"Good, you're here," she exclaimed before Freddie had even fully made it through the door. "I have a very important presentation planned."

Much too used to Millicent's eccentricities Freddie ignored her and hung his keys on the hook by the door. As he strode towards the kitchen he passed behind Carly and placed a quick kiss on the top of her head.

Carly smiled up at him as he continued to the bench and placed his bag on it.

He grabbed an apple from the mosaic fruit bowl in the centre of their island counter and tossed it between his hands before taking a large bite.

"Hello Dad, how was your day Dad? It's so good to see you Dad," Freddie mocked, his mouth still full of apple as he made his way back to the couch and took a seat beside Carly.

Millicent cleared her throat, demanding the two adults' attention.

Carly placed her magazine and mug down on the cluttered coffee table and turned her attention towards the teen.

Millicent stood tall and sure by the TV as she glanced down at her phone, tapping away at it.

Immediately responding to Millicent's instructions the generic screensaver images on the television gave way to a new image, which spiralled into view before coming to a halt.

Freddie's eyebrows raised as he took in the image and quickly turned to Carly, who was staring back at him, a similar look of befuddled curiosity sketched across her face.

As they made eye contact the corner of Carly's mouth twitched upwards before she pursed her lips together and Freddie bit down on his tongue, holding back a chuckle.

Proudly displayed across the screen was a badly photoshopped family portrait. Images of Freddie, Carly, and Millicent's heads were all floating above stick figure bodies. Within stick-figure Millicent's arms was a swaddled baby whose face had been covered with a rather disturbing picture. A picture that had clearly been generated by some sort of app that had morphed both Carly and Freddie's faces together to create one single Freddie/Carly combo baby.

"Isn't this just the perfect picture?" Millicent began.

"It screams love, joy, hope, family." Her hands flourished with each word, her voice dripping with exaggeration as she drove her point forward. "Why, I think Millicent deserves a baby brother or sister."

Millicent tapped at her phone again and a title appeared in front of the image. Reasons Millicent deserves to be a big sister.

"Millicent," Freddie interrupted as he nervously scratched behind his ear.

Millicent glared at him as she spoke, "Please save all questions for the end."

Carly reached across and gave him a reassuring pat on his thigh as she let free a light snicker.

Millicent redirected her glare at Carly for just a moment before bounding into the rest of her presentation.

"I have been an only child for 13 years now and I think I am finally ready to share my position as the centre of your universe. Facts are; I'm not getting any younger and neither are you two."

Although the statement was directed at both of them it was Carly whom Millicent paused to quickly look up and down.

Carly rolled her eyes good naturedly at the all too familiar jab and waited for her step daughter to continue.

Millicent put on a tough act, but in reality she was jealous of all her friends who got to grow up with siblings and was starting to feel a little bit lonely. She didn't want to admit to her vulnerabilities though and instead launched into a well-rehearsed speech.

"As the future CEO of a Fortune 500 company I need every opportunity to build my leadership and management skills. What better way then by training a young, impressionable mind to cater to my every need?"

Millicent clicked through her slides as she detailed the ways in which a sibling would benefit her, and the roles and responsibilities she believed she was best suited to fulfilling throughout the hypothetical child's life.

As she concluded her presentation she added one last light hearted insult.

"Besides, If you wait too much longer, people will assume the kid is mine… Which means they'll think you're the grandparents!"

With a final tap on her phone the screen faded to black and she looked at Carly and Freddie expectantly.

Carly was clearly amused, and struggling to hold back a grin, choosing instead to hold her hand over her mouth and strike an unnatural thinking pose. Freddie however was the comedic picture of shock, with his jaw hung open as he blankly stared at his daughter.

Shaking his head, Freddie composed himself.

"So, I can talk now?" He asked.

"Only if it's to agree with me." Millicent declared, holding her index finger out in the air.

"Millie, sweetie, A baby is a lot more work than a goldfish or puppy! It's a massive responsibility and not something…"

"Are you implying I'm not up to the challenge?" Millicent cut in. She was ready to defend her request, armed with multiple pre-planned persuasive arguments to pull from at a moment's notice.

"No," Freddie sighed. "But we might not be up for it just yet." He gestured between himself and Carly and looked back at his wife, silently asking for a little help.

Carly however was now silently observing Freddie with her head tilted to the side and only blinked back at him, leaving him completely alone to continue debating with a 13 year old about their previously agreed upon plans concerning children.

"Look, it's great that this is something that excites you, but it's simply not a topic you get much of a say on."

"But, what about…"

"Millicent!" Freddie cut her off, the tone of his voice indicating a pretty firm warning.

Millicent wasn't used to this warning tone, as it wasn't one Freddie used often. She quickly stopped talking.

Freddie shuffled along the couch closer to Carly and patted the sofa cushion he had just vacated, inviting Millicent to sit.

"I know Carly has been in your life almost as long as I have," Freddie began once the teen had settled herself beside him.

"And that despite your claims otherwise you rather like me," Carly interjected.

Freddie turned and offered her a small smile, silently thanking her for finally joining the conversation before he continued.

"And, even though it was only made official a few months ago, it feels like she has been a part of our family for a lot longer. You need to remember that this is still really new to us."

"We're still just getting used to being married," Carly agreed as she gave her shoulders a small shrug.

The three of them sat quietly for a moment as Millicent stared down at her lap.

"Hey," Carly whispered as she reached across Freddie to hold one of Millicent's hands. "I promise you'll be the first person we tell when it does happen."

Millicent tried to hide her smile with a forced sigh, "Fine."

Sensing the need to finish the conversation Freddie stood up.

"I haven't eaten all day!" He announced as he considered the forgotten apple still clutched in his hand. "Do you guys feel like take-away tonight?"

As Carly brushed her teeth she stared back at her reflection, thinking.

She had been thinking all night, ever since Millicent had cornered her and Freddie with that presentation. She was suddenly experiencing an unsettling sensation of butterflies whenever she looked at her husband.

Children weren't an unfamiliar topic between the two of them, it was something they had discussed in loose terms many times back when they had first started dating, along with other hypothetical dreams and plans for the future. Back then it had been intangible, a nice thought but not something which felt grounded in reality.

As their relationship had progressed so had the conversations, hypothetical dreams had become possibilities, but they were still distant. Something they knew they both wanted, but were not yet ready to commit to.

After their engagement a lot of conversations had shifted, things that had once been casually considered or the topic of throw away comments had become serious. Many nights had been spent lying in the darkness of their bedroom, cuddled up to one another and whispering about any and every thought which crossed their minds.

"I can't wait until we get to be parents together," Freddie mumbled into Carly's hair as she lay in his arms.

Carly hummed in agreement, caught in a blissful state somewhere between consciousness and sleep. She was too comfortable to commit to forming actual words.

As Freddie spooned her from behind the hand which had been resting over her waist travelled down. He nudged the elastic of her silk pyjama shorts down just enough so that he could splay his fingers across the exposed skin of her abdomen.

Warmth shot up Carly's spine as she walked her hand down to rest on top of his and they both stayed still, unspoken thoughts communicated through touch.

There, In the middle of the night, the passing of time barely existed. They stayed that way for what felt like forever, wrapped up in each other and their thoughts and the notion of what could be.

As Freddie's fingers began to slowly trace and dance Carly pulled away slightly, her sensitive skin feeling overwhelmed at his touch. She rolled onto her other side so that she came face to face with him and placed a sweet kiss on the tip of his nose before settling back so she could look directly into where she knew his eyes would be once her sight adjusted.

"When?"

She asked the question that had so far remained unexplored between the two of them.

"Honestly…" Freddie hesitated, nervous about expressing his instinctive answer. "I'm ready now."

Carly's stomach dipped and turned, excitement and joy mixing with fear and anxiety.

She knew he would have more to say if she just waited and chose to respond only by reaching forward and cupping his cheek in the palm of her hand.

"I never got to experience any of the firsts with Millicent. I love her as my own but sometimes I feel like I missed out. Becoming her father was a whole different experience, I had to gain her trust and prove I wasn't trying to replace her dad. Some days I felt like we were never going to bond and even though I wouldn't change anything I can't wait to do it all the more traditional way, you know?"

Carly nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know."

It was Freddie's turn to wait. These night time conversations had become a sacred space for the both of them, a time to share secrets, desires and worries without fear of any distraction. He knew there was more on her heart.

"I know exactly what you mean," she sighed.

"I'm scared, I know Millie loves me, but this is new for the both of us, she's learning what it means to have me when she already has a mom and I'm learning what being her step-mother means, what being part of this parenting team with you and Gwen means."

Carly gulped lightly, feeling as though she was letting Freddie down. "I need to focus on that right now, but maybe after a year, once we have all settled into life, then I'll be ready."

Freddie closed the distance between the two of them slowly, his lips hovering just in front of hers and their breath becoming one. He waited until anticipation got the better of him and gradually allowed their mouths to touch. As the kiss deepened he tried to communicate his feelings through it. Reassuring her that he was perfectly happy with her answer.

He peppered a few short kisses to her lips before pulling away entirely and spoke with conviction, "I'd wait a lifetime for you."

After taking a final look at her reflection, Carly spat the last of her tooth paste into the sink and rinsed her mouth out.

She quietly padded towards the door which separated the bathroom from their bedroom and leant against the doorframe. She took a moment to watch Freddie, who was sitting up in bed and playing a game on his phone.

As she encouraged herself to broach the subject Freddie looked up and caught her watching him.

"What?" He asked, raising a questioning eyebrow towards his loitering wife.

"I've been thinking," Carly announced as she walked towards him and plopped herself down energetically beside him on the bed.

Freddie smirked, catching the opportunity to tease her.

"Thinking? That doesn't happen often!"

She slapped at his arm lightly but otherwise ignored him.

"I've been thinking about Millicent's presentation," she expanded.

"Oh?" The statement caught him off guard and he locked his phone screen, placing the device down on the bedside table.

Carly reached out and held his hand, her thumb tracing well practiced circles along his knuckles. After a moment of silence she took a breath of courage.

"I know I said I wanted to wait a year and we've only been married a couple of months. I thought this was going to take a lot longer for us all to get used to."

She looked at him and smiled. "Maybe we shouldn't wait?"

"Shouldn't? Or you don't want to?" He asked, digging a little but to make sure she wasn't feeling pressured.

Her smile became slightly shyer as she spoke her next words, "I don't want to wait."

Freddie tilted his head to the side, considering her and taking in what she had just said.

"Unless, of course, you want to wait…" she hurried to add, misinterpreting his silence.

He chuckled softly and reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear before resting his hand on her knee.

"No, I don't want to wait," he reassured.

The shy smile on her face broke out into a large grin and she pulled him forward for a quick, excited, sloppy kiss.

"So, how soon are we talking?" Freddie asked as they separated.

Although already incredibly joyful, Carly perked up, launching into the plan she had considered earlier that night.

"I can call the doctor's office in the morning and hopefully get an appointment in the next week or two to have my IUD removed."

Freddie considered her with astonished eyes, surprised by the reality that she had clearly been thinking through a plan all evening.

"And after that, well it might take some time for my cycle to figure itself out and for us to start tracking things, but there won't be anything actively preventing pregnancy anymore so we can just relax and see what happens."

"Ok," Freddie whispered as he cupped her face in his hand.

"Ok?" Carly asked, the butterflies in her stomach now flying at full force.

He pulled her forward and mumbled a final "Ok" before sinking into a kiss he hoped conveyed all of his emotions.


A/N: I also post my stories over on AO3. Over there I shared an image I created of Millicent's badly photoshopped family portrait. Unfortunately I can't include images on this site so if you want to check it out I go by the same username over there!