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"I'm home," Caroline called as she shut the door behind her. "Sorry it took so long, the market was crazy busy."
Making her way to the kitchen, she found Klaus studiously working at the table. "Hey, babe," she greeted before dumping the groceries on the counter. "What are you doing?"
When her husband scrambled to open the newspaper, Caroline knew something was up. A brash man, he was never one to hide even his worst actions, especially not from her. No, he wouldn't be hiding whatever he had been doing for his own protection. To protect someone else, though, might be another story. "Klaus," she said warningly. "Tell me you were not writing out Amelia's thank-you notes for her."
"Love-"
"Nope," Caroline said, shaking her head at his overly innocent expression. "You can put those puppy dog eyes and these groceries away. Amelia!"
Little footsteps pattered down the stairs, only for their nine-year old daughter to bound into the kitchen. "Hi, Mommy!"
Arms crossed, though, Caroline was not amused in the slightest by her gap-toothed smile. "Amelia, what did I ask you to do while I went shopping?"
"To clean my room," the girl answered primly, holding her hands behind her back.
"And?"
"Well," Amelia said, pouting. "I couldn't clean my room and write out the thank-yous from my birthday, and Daddy wasn't doing anything, and his handwriting is so much prettier than mine, and he can draw things on the cards too, and-"
"And it wasn't Daddy's birthday," Caroline interrupted. "Part of being a big girl is appreciating when people take the time to share a special day with you. And aren't you a big girl?"
Amelia just stomped her foot and crossed her own arms, and Klaus desperately tried to keep from laughing at the image of Caroline and her mini-me in a standoff. "I am a big girl, which is why I thanked everyone already," Amelia shouted. "I don't need to write out a stupid card to thank them again."
With that, the whirlwind of blonde curls and pink pajamas flew out of the kitchen and loudly made her way up to her bedroom.
Sighing, Caroline turned to Klaus. "You're a pushover, you know that," she asked, noting his calm as he indeed put away the groceries.
"She had some good arguments," he answered with a shrug. "But I shouldn't have let her circumvent your instructions," he conceded, leaning over to place a kiss on her cheek. "I'm sorry, love."
"Thank you," Caroline said, ready to let go of her anger. Instead, she gave into her fear that they were going about this all wrong. "What do we do? Clearly, she's not going to listen to me, and you're too susceptible to giving into her whims. We're her parents, it's our job to instill good manners."
Klaus cocked his head in thought. "If it's manners you're after, I think we're missing an obvious ally," he pointed out, pulling out his phone. He waited for the call to connect, smiling at the familiar greeting. "Hello, brother."
The doorbell rang out, and Amelia excitedly bounced down the stairs for any excuse to get out of her still messy room. "Someone's here," she called out before answering the door. "Uncle 'Lijah!"
"Hello, Miss Amelia," Elijah said, lightly patting the girl's head when she wrapped him in a tight hug. "How are you today?"
"I've been so bored cleaning my room, and Mommy is mad at me for no good reason," she rattled off. "But I found all my old stuffed animals that have been living under my bed and some old Barbies, too!"
Nodding, Elijah followed his niece to the living room where Klaus and Caroline were expecting him. "Yes," he said in answer to Amelia, "it's a very good idea to clean out your old toys to make room for all the generous birthday gifts you must have received."
"I guess," Amelia muttered, shrugging.
"Did you not like your presents," Elijah asked patiently, remembering the goal of his visit even without the meaningful looks he received from Caroline.
"They were great," Amelia said, perking up. "I got a doll, a science experiment kit, coloring books, tickets to the ballet, and-"
"You're a very lucky girl," Elijah broke in. "Someone cared enough about you to give you something special for your birthday. They wanted to find something you'd like, something you'd appreciate. And it sounds like everyone did a very good job."
Amelia wilted a bit, realizing what her uncle was getting at. "You want me to write thank-you cards, too," she asked quietly.
Smiling, Elijah pulled the little girl into a hug. "I want you to appreciate the people who gave you those gifts as much as the gifts themselves," he clarified. "Because they love you, right?"
Amelia nodded against his chest before pulling away and walking to hug Caroline, too. "I'm sorry, Mommy," she whispered.
"Thank you, baby," Caroline whispered back, winking at Elijah. "Now, if I help you, will you write out your thank-yous?"
"Yes," Amelia said decisively, grabbing her mother's hand to pull her to the kitchen. "And you can't let me spell any words wrong, that would be the worst."
Klaus smiled indulgently as his girls left the room. "Thank you for the assistance, brother," he said to Elijah.
"Thank you for asking," Elijah answered. "As much as you tease about my formalities, I'm glad you can still appreciate them."
Rolling his eyes, Klaus stood to pour them both a drink. "Always the perfect elder brother," he sighed.
"And uncle," Elijah corrected with a smirk, looking more like his troublesome siblings than ever. He accepted the drink just as Amelia ran back into the room.
"Thank you, Uncle 'Lijah," she chirped, dropping a card in his lap before bounding away again.
A glittered monstrosity, Elijah couldn't help but enjoy the pink pen's scrawled note inside the card. "Thanks for the savings bond, even though I can't touch it for twenty years, which is foreverrr," he read aloud.
Klaus chuckled at his daughter's less-than-polite gratitude. "Baby steps," he assured his brother.