Watching Bianca drive away after saying goodbye, Janet had that sinking feeling in her stomach again. For the rest of the day she made a lot of fun with the twins, trying to overcome the fear of loss. That night she tossed and turned, sleeping and waking, dreaming of Bianca never coming back. In the morning, wrung out from lack of sleep, she struggled to get going but somehow managed to get them all out the door on time. There was plenty to catch up on at work yet still she found herself distracted, frequently checking her phone, waiting to hear from Bianca. At last, when it was almost time to go home, a message - 'Safely at Ryan's'. That was all. Janet wasn't sure what more she had expected but she was wracked with disappointment.

In the days that followed she got back into the swing of things at work and difficult as it was, had to keep her mind on the job. Never before had she found it so hard to immerse herself in the task at hand. The ever-practical, ever work-consumed Janet King, found herself thinking that she should take some leave and follow Bianca to Cairns. No sooner a thought than dismissed as ridiculous, but a thought nonetheless. Night-time was the worst. Sleep was elusive, her mind filled with thoughts of Bianca next to her - longing to hold her, feel the beating of her heart - then the irrational dread of never having her there again would almost suffocate her. Fear of going through the devastation of losing Ash all over again would grip her. She wondered how much more of this she could bear and still function. Come back soon Bianca. I want to be with you and I think you want to be with me. How are you coping? Is it helping to be away from me?

Friday came and no further word from Bianca. What if she really did decide not to come back? Try as she might, to convince herself that she was being irrational, Janet felt sick thinking about the possibility. She kept telling herself that Bianca had said they would talk when she came back, so of course she was coming back.

Bianca hadn't visited Ryan as often as she would have liked. Over the years she had always seemed to have other commitments when holidays came around, and had managed only a few extended long weekends with him. They phoned each other quite often and kept in touch through social media. His wife, Helen, had died after a three year battle with breast cancer. A year or so after her death Ryan took a job in Cairns and had been there ever since. Bianca had hoped that he might eventually find someone else, but he had gradually come to terms with his loss and now said he was doing well enough with the single life.

Sitting on the edge of the pool with his legs dangling in the water, he watched his younger sister knocking herself out doing laps. She had sounded so tense when she rang, that he had taken two days of his annual leave to give her a chance to talk if she needed to. Finally she did a leisurely breast-stroke lap and floated over to him. He patted her on the head. "Do you reckon you've done enough yet?" His grin belied his concern.

"Reckon I have." She got out, wrapped a towel around her shoulders, picked up her water bottle, and sat next to him. "I need to get my breath back."

"I should think so. Are you trying to drown yourself?"

"Just working out."

"Geez BG, there's working out and there's killing yourself." As a teenager, Bianca had been a big fan of the Bee Gees, and with her initials it didn't take long for her to become BG. Ryan was the only one who sometimes still called her that. "When you get your breath back let's have a cold drink at the cafe."

After they had showered and dressed they sat at a table outside the pool cafe with their iced tea and coffee. "So what's going on? Why are you killing yourself in the pool?" Bianca had not yet told Ryan of the break-up with Janet. Now, under his intense gaze she would have to explain. Not so easy given how conflicted she was still feeling since their time together in Geraldton. When she didn't answer Ryan tried again. "Is it the hot-shot lawyer you told me you were involved with? Has a couple of kids. Twins I seem to recall."

Bianca grinned at the description. "You know it's Janet King you shit-stirrer. Yes, she has twins, Liam and Emma. And yes, it is about Janet. I wanted to be there for her but too often it seemed as if I didn't exist. She always has a cause that takes her whole attention. A one-sided relationship isn't enough."

"But what about the kids? How is this affecting them?"

"Liam will be missing me. He's a great kid and loves having me around. Emma thinks I want to take Janet away from her, so she will be glad I'm gone." She gazed out over the pool.

Ryan waited for her to continue. They had been close growing up and Bianca had always been the steady, calm one, except for a couple of teenage years when she was hard to get along with and threw a few tantrums. She had been there for him as much as she could all through Helen's illness, sharing his grief when she died, being his shoulder to cry on. Now it looked like she needed a shoulder.

"I'm not all that good with kids. Haven't had much experience. But I do love those two and hope we can work it out. I know it sounds selfish, maybe it is, but in the long run it wouldn't be good for the kids if it's not good for me."

"I guess that's true, but you need to get it sorted, and quickly. It's not fair to have kids caught up in the mess."

"I know that and I feel so bad about them. But there were too many times that I tried to talk to Janet and she brushed me off, or had something more important to discuss. Then, when eventually she wanted to talk, I had already decided it was too late for me and I gave her back her keys."

"Pretty drastic action Kiddo. But I don't understand how you ended up in Geraldton with her."

Bianca recounted the events of the night Janet turned up at her place - the injury to Graham and Janet's decision to go to Geraldton. "When she asked me to go with her, how could I say no?"

Ryan was quick to give his opinion. "From what you have just said, I would say you could quite easily have said no! You must be totally struck on her to make such a decision." Pain flickered across Bianca's face and Ryan was immediately contrite. "I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you. You really have fallen hard for her haven't you?"

Bianca nodded. "I need to be away from her for a while to sort myself out. She wants to try to mend things, but I'm not quite ready to deal with it." The thought of how hard it was to be close to Janet and not rush her off to bed made her heart race and her legs weak. It crossed her mind as she looked at the pool, that she needed a cold dip, just as she'd told Janet to take a cold shower…

Ryan pushed away his glass. "Come on little sister, time to go home."

The view from Ryan's back verandah was magnificent. Rainforest coated hills coming down to meet the coastline, glimpses of the azure waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Bianca had rustled up a salad for lunch and they sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the food and the view. When they had finished the meal Ryan broke the silence.

"How long are you going to stay? I love having you but you can't put it off forever."

"No, I can't. I'd like to stay a few more days, try to settle things in my mind. Haven't had much success so far."

"What if I take you rafting tomorrow? Have to go back to work on Thursday."

"Oooh, yes. I'd love that. How many times have we been going to do it and something has gotten in the way?"

"Ok. I'd better book straight away." Booking done, the rafting was all set.

"What else are you going to do?"

"Want to go snorkelling again. It must be five years since that other time I did it, so I'm going to have another look at the Reef. Otherwise, run a bit, do laps in the pool. Maybe go through your DVDs." She grinned and made a face at him. "Might find something worth watching." They often teased each other about their different tastes in movies and music. Different in a lot of ways, yet they did have quite a few favourites in common.

"Smart arse! You know I've got stuff that you like. One Night Only is still there."

"Oh, great. I haven't seen it in years. I'll dig it out when you're back at work."

Next day they were off early to go rafting, and what an experience it was. Through the most amazingly beautiful rain forest, with cliffs 100 metres high in some places. Crazy bumping down the rapids, great boulders looming on either side. Several people fell into the water from some of the other rafts, but in Bianca's raft they all managed to hang on. In quiet parts of the river the guide wedged the raft between rocks. Everyone jumped from the back of the raft, diving under it and popping up at the front, then floating down the river a bit. Some people climbed the huge boulders and amid shrieks of delight, and some of fear, jumped from them into the river.

When they stopped for a BBQ lunch on the river bank Ryan's friend Jake joined them. He was obviously interested in Bianca, and after a lot of chit-chat, asked if she would have a drink with him the following evening. She gave him a wide smile and said, "I'll have to check with my partner." Quickly he backed off, red-faced, even through his tan. He shot a 'you could have told me' look at Ryan, who suppressed a grin. "Don't think she's interested mate."

Emotion overwhelmed Bianca. My partner. But is she? Do I really want her to be? Does she want to be? Can we make it work? She walked away from the group back to the river's edge, concentrating on how exhilarating the ride had been. For now, she had to push away thoughts of Janet.

Lunch finished, it was time to get back into the rafts. Another 10 kms down the river and the ride was over. The rafts were loaded onto the trailers and they all got back on the buses for the return trip to Cairns. On the way they stopped at a pub in Tully to check out the photos of the trip and have a drink. Then back to Cairns.

Home at Ryan's, it was showers, and a cold drink on the back verandah. Now Bianca was feeling tired and hoping she might sleep well, after the disturbed nights of the past few days.

"That was a most fantastic day big brother. Thanks. I think a light snack and an early night for me."

"Me too. It was a great day. Glad you had a good time. Were you bothered by Jake?"

"No, not by him. Only that it made me think too much about Janet."

She did sleep well that night, woke up early and went for a run along the Esplanade. People were out and about enjoying a stroll in the parkland, jogging along the foreshore paths, dare-devil kids on the skate park. Although the area was much more extensive, it reminded her of the walks with Janet in Geraldton. And there were cruising yachts in the Marlin Marina to remind her that Janet got sea-sick. Janet, Janet, Janet. Always in her head and in her heart. Seemed being far away from her wasn't going to help at all.

Ryan was off to work soon after breakfast. "I'll take Peggy Scoo (his nickname for his Preggio motor scooter) and leave you the car."

"Peggy Scoo! Buddy Holly. You nutty brother - still love that 50s and 60s music. Got some of it on my phone. I can just as easily use the scooter."

"No you won't. Take the car."

"Ok, ok! Thanks."

Once the kitchen was cleaned up she went through the DVDs and found 'One Night Only', as well as 'The Castle', and 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert'. Somehow she didn't feel like watching any of it, and thought maybe she and Ryan could watch 'Priscilla' after dinner. They had watched it several times, and always ended up rolling around with laughter. Not 'The Castle'. She didn't need to watch any lawyers in action, even in a comedy.

So, what to do today? First up better book the snorkelling for tomorrow. That done, she decided to climb the Red Arrow track, which she had done several times on previous visits. It was a popular workout track with the locals, many of whom would jog round the circuit three or more times. She dug out a pair of sturdy joggers she had left at Ryan's years ago and tossed them in the back of the car. Near the entrance to the track she found a parking spot, changed into her joggers and headed up the track.

It was a short, steep climb to the top where there were two lookouts. From the first lookout there were views of the airport, and the northern coast all the way to Double Island. Another short climb and she was at the second lookout with views of the mangroves, the mouth of the Barron River and a great view out to Green Island. On the way around the circuit track there were glimpses through the trees of the city and the Esplanade. Bianca decided against running and did the circuit three more times at a brisk pace. All done with the track, she went through the Botanic Gardens to the Cafe for an iced tea. She resisted the temptation of their famous waffles, finished her tea and went home, needing to shower after the exertion in the warm weather. Refreshed, she made a sandwich and settled in to watch the Bee Gees.

Ryan arrived home from work to find his sister busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. "Wow! When did you become domesticated BG?"

"Ha! You know very well that I can cook. And I do. Quite often. Anyway, it's mild beef curry and steamed rice. Very simple."

"I'm impressed. Do you want to move in?" Bianca winced and looked disconcerted. Ryan was puzzled. "What did I say?"

"It's ok, it's not you. Janet asked me to move in too. But without any discussion or taking into account that Emma resents me."

"Oh, I see. Another thing for you to sort out."

They enjoyed dinner out on the verandah, where they seemed to have all their meals. It was so pleasant, at least while the weather stayed reasonable. After dinner they did watch 'Priscilla', and Ryan was so happy to hear Bianca laughing uncontrollably, enjoying it as much as they always had. When the movie was over, they chatted for a while then went to bed. Each had an early start in the morning.

As Bianca walked from the car park towards the boat she was surprised by a voice in her ear.

"We meet again Ryan's sister." She turned to find Jake grinning at her.

"Hi Jake. Are you going on the boat too?"

"Indeed I am." He stopped grinning. "And hey, sorry about putting my foot in it the other day. I shouldn't have assumed you were available."

"That's ok, no big deal." She gave him a cheeky grin. "I suppose I should be flattered. And you weren't to know I was with someone."

"Well now that I do know, how about we have lunch together?' He grinned again. "Or do you have to check first?"

Bianca pulled a serious face. "Cheeky!" Then with a little smile, and mock formality, "I would be delighted to join you for lunch."

Snorkelling over the Reef was a truly amazing experience, and Bianca found it every bit as awesome as she had five years ago. There were turtles, hundreds of fish and many varieties of coral. A clownfish in an anemone, and a dory fish, made her think of the twins and 'Finding Nemo'. A big blue napoleon fish came up wanting to be touched and there was even a wobbegong lazing around on the bottom.

At lunch Bianca and Jake sat with a noisy, hilarious group. Jake proved to be very good company and Bianca enjoyed his wicked sense of humour. He was an experienced scuba diver and tried to talk her into learning to dive with the instructors on the boat. She assured him that she was quite happy to do some more snorkelling at the second location.

That evening, she and Ryan went to the markets and she couldn't resist buying a soft toy napoleon fish, just like the one she had touched. As she tucked it under her arm, it occurred to her that Emma might like it and the story of the snorkelling. What would Liam like? She asked Ryan for suggestions. "Cant go wrong with Lego. Has he got any?"

"Lego. Of course. Great idea. Yes he has got some. They both have. Janet encourages Liam to get him away from the computer games for a while."

They went to Kmart and Bianca chose a Nexo Knights Lego box for Liam

When they got home she took out the napoleon toy, and with a wistful little smile, said to Ryan, "Time to go home and get this sorted one way or the other."

He agreed. "Like I told you, work it out. Can't have those kids messed up. If you love her so much, you're going to have to find out what you're prepared to do to be with her. And what you are willing to accept from her."

"I do love her. She knows that I do. I can't go back to a one-sided relationship, so we'll have to see if she can really be an equal partner with me. She says she wants to be."

"Time to find out. I hope she sees what she has to lose."

"Spoken like a true big brother. Thanks for the support. Thanks for taking in your mixed up little sister and giving her a good time."

"The pleasure has been all mine. Glad to have you any time. Maybe next time you'll bring them all too." He couldn't resist a very cheeky grin.

"Now wouldn't that be something?" Seemed the cheeky grin ran in the family. "I'll be working hard to make that dream a reality."

"I hope your Janet will be working just as hard on it."

"i'll go tomorrow if I can get on the plane." No problem getting on the flight. Better let Janet know.

Friday night, the twins in bed asleep, and Janet was startled by the ring of her phone. 'Bianca' lit up the screen. She answered quickly. "Bianca. How's it going? Are you ok?"

"Yes I'm fine thanks. It's been great. How are you doing?"

"Missing you desperately."

"I know. We need to talk. I'm coming home tomorrow."

Janet's heart soared. "You don't know how glad I am to hear that."

"I think I probably do. What if I come over on Sunday?"

"Oh please, yes. Come for dinner."

"I think lunch would be better. Maybe Robyn could have the twins for a few hours?"

"Good thinking. I'll check with her and let you know. Ring me when you get home."

"I will. We can see about dinner once the kids are back."

Janet already had the door open before Bianca could ring the bell. The electricity between them took their breath away.

"Come in. Please." Janet managed a tight smile.

"Thanks." Bianca's smile was also tentative.

They stood looking at each other, feeling awkward yet again. Bianca put her bag on the side table, turned to Janet, pulled her in close and kissed her. And kissed her. Janet drew back, breathless.

"I think you missed me too." Bianca kissed her again, one hand in her hair, the other delicately tracing a line around her ear down to the curve of her breast. Janet pulled away a little.

"I thought we agreed we weren't doing this yet."

"You don't want to?"

"Of course I want to. You know it. Are you saying you have changed your mind?"

"I can't get you out of my mind. Didn't help running off like that, so I might as well be here, trying to find a way through this thing with you."

"And you think some time in the bedroom is the way to start?" Janet raised an eyebrow and gave her that look.

"Keep looking at me like that and you can pretty much guarantee it."

Janet eased out of Bianca's embrace. "I want to make love with you Bibi, more than ever. But I want you to be sure about this."

"I said I couldn't give you my heart again. What a load of bullshit! As if I had suddenly been able to take it back! I thought I could wrap it up, protect it from you." She pulled Janet back into her arms, but she pulled away again.

Her voice was strained, tight with emotion, as she placed her hand on Bianca's heart. "Then I will have to be very, very careful not to trample it."

Bianca dropped her hands to Janet's waist, and said very quietly, "Yes you will, because no matter how much I love you, I can't stay around if we aren't equal partners."

She kissed Janet again, pulling her back in hard against her. "We need to get this out of the way, this chemistry between us." She grinned. "Seems to me we need to deal with the lust, so that we can talk about us, love and the future. You do still want to talk about us?"

"As if you need to ask. If you're sure this is where you want to start …"

Janet propped on one elbow, kissed Bianca. The light lingering kiss of delight, passion all done.

"Do you still think this was a good idea?" Janet was genuinely concerned, afraid that with the sexual tension now relieved Bianca might regret it.

Bianca, still in the misty afterglow of fulfilment, pulled her down on top of her running her hands gently over her, Janet's head tucked into her shoulder. "It was a wonderful idea but now we need to shower and do some talking."

"Shower. Together?" Janet rolled away and they both laughed, thinking of their awkwardness in the motel.

"Mmmm, yes please." Bianca got up and pulled Janet up too. "And we haven't even thought about lunch."

"Who needs lunch?"

"I know I will. After we shower. You have got lunch?"

Janet rolled her eyes. "Get into the shower."

"You too."

They teased and giggled under the spray, not wanting to leave the aura of love-making. With one last playful splash and snuggle Bianca dragged herself away, stepped out and wrapped herself in a towel.

"Come on out you get. We have serious business." Janet turned off the water, joined Bianca and planted a kiss on her wet shoulder. Bianca draped a towel around her using it to pull her close.

"When will the twins be home?"

"Just before dinner, so we have time enough to talk."

"Lunch first."

"All you think about is your stomach."

"Er, no. I thought you might have noticed something else on my mind for the past hour or so!" She tousled Janet's hair with the towel, letting it go so that it fell over her face and shoulders. "C'mon, get dried. Time for lunch and talk."

Lunch was prepared and shared, still in a bubble of intimacy that they didn't want to leave. Meal finished, kitchen cleaned up, they stood looking at each other not knowing how to begin the discussion they must have. Bianca took Janet's hand and kissed the palm. "What are we going to do about us, Ms King?"

"Find a way to make us permanent, Inspector Grieve."

"Ah, yes, to find that way." Still holding Janet's hand, now pensively kissing the fingertips.

"We will find the way, Bibi." Janet murmured, squeezing the hand that was holding hers.

"Am I going to be Bibi from now on?" Bianca teased, letting go of Janet's hand.

"Only in private. If you want to be."

"I wonder if the kids will be happy about it."

"They'll be fine. Not as if I've never called you Bibi around them."

"Sooo, if I get Bianca from you here, it will mean I'm in trouble?"

Janet leaned in and kissed her. "Don't be daft!"

"Daft! Did you console yourself with British television while I was away?"

"Haha. Daft is a very useful word, so stop being it and give me your thinking about us."

"Hard to be serious right now. Everything seems so perfect. It would be very easy to slip into a comfort zone but there are things we need to sort."

"There are. And I did need consoling, but television, British or otherwise, was never going to cut it. I was beside myself with the dread of your not coming back. I could hardly get you out of my mind enough to function at work."

Bianca was completely taken aback. "You really thought I wouldn't come back?!"

"Silly, I know, but I did. My rational mind told me not to be ridiculous, but my stewed up stomach and panic dreams at night told me otherwise."

This was a very different Janet from the one Bianca had walked away from only two weeks ago. Bianca put an arm around her shoulders. "How could you have tortured yourself like that, when I'd said that we would talk when I got back? I'm sorry you were so upset. I was fooling myself that being away from you would help. Big mistake."

"Going to Cairns wasn't a mistake. You needed to take care of you for a change. I'm not used to your putting yourself first and it was a shock when you decided to go. Perhaps what I went through while you were gone, was some of what I've too often put you through."

Bianca cupped Janet's face in her hands, smoothing her temples, and said softly, "That wasn't my intention. I felt I needed space. I really didn't set out to hurt you."

"Now you're being daft again. I know you went to try to sort yourself out, not to punish me." She gave Bianca a quick kiss and they moved to settle comfortably on the lounge.

They sat quietly for a few minutes, each waiting for the other to speak. Janet broke the silence. "I do want to be considerate of you. All the time. I know that sometimes I won't be, and you'll need to pull me up if I go back to my bulldozer ways. Depends if you can live with that."

"Your bulldozer I can handle. What I can't handle is being shut out. We've talked about that and I know you want to let me in. Might take some time for you to get used to that."

"I'm not so sure. A good thing about Cairns is that you were on my mind all the time, and I had to try to face what it would be like without you. Being without you has taken over from being without Ash. I'm not torn now."

Bianca entwined their fingers. "Do you want to talk about Ash?"

"Yes, if you're ok with it." There was a hint of uncertainty in her eyes and Bianca was quick to reassure her. "Of course it's ok. I said I'd help but it sounds as if you're getting there on your own."

Janet kissed her cheek. "I've made progress, but don't you start planning your escape."

Bianca's little half smile again. "I'm not going anywhere."

Janet took a while to continue. "We were together a long time and Ash will always be part of me, but now it's our time. We can't waste it."

Bianca, choked up with emotion, moved to stretch out on the lounge, bringing Janet into her arms. Her voice was husky, "I want you to tell me about Ash. And… I want to hold you."

Janet snuggled closer. "When Ash and I first got together we were young and had the crazy, wild attraction of youth. Couldn't get enough of each other. The passion waned over those first few years and I see now that it was my obsession with work." She paused a few moments. "Ash did try to tell me she was missing the fire but, as usual, I was too busy diving headlong into one crusade after another. Then came the children. Exhaustion is the enemy of libido, and boy, were we exhausted!"

Bianca kissed the top of her head. "Did you get it sorted out?"

"Not properly. The kids were still so young. Then Ash was gone." A faltering breath as the pain surfaced again. Bianca held her closer. Janet tilted her head, so that she was looking deep into Bianca's eyes. "We're older and not as wild, but I didn't expect to find such irresistible chemistry with anyone again." Bianca waited, but Janet said no more about Ash, seemingly content to stay quietly in her arms.

After what seemed a long time, Bianca brushed her hair with a light kiss. "It's getting on towards time for the kids to come home and there's more we need to talk about."

Janet sighed. "Yes, there is. For a start, we will no doubt have disagreements. Maybe even a blazing row or two."

Bianca grinned. "Not too much of the blazing I hope. Well not that kind of blazing anyway."

"We're not supposed to be talking hot. This is the serious conversation." Janet tried to sound chiding, failed hopelessly.

"Irresistible chemistry. Very serious!" Bianca tried not to smirk, also failed hopelessly.

"It's amazing! Don't know about serious." Janet snuggled closer again.

Bianca stroked her hair. "How are we going to get anywhere if all we can think about is sex?"

Suddenly Janet was serious. She sat up, a little away from Bianca, holding both her hands. "I'm not just thinking about sex Bibi. I'm thinking about how much I love you and want to be with you. I love our banter too, but this is about a future together."

"I know it is. Equal partners future. I love you too. We'll have to wait a while for the permanent part." A wicked grin. "But we can't kid ourselves about the hot sex."

"No we can't. We'll have to try extra hard to make time for that." Janet tried to keep a poker face, but couldn't suppress a smile.

Bianca was thoughtful. They must talk about the children. This wasn't just about whether she and Janet could make a go of their relationship. She frowned a little. Janet saw it and was immediately concerned. "What is it? Why do you frown?"

"We have to talk about how all this is affecting the kids. Ryan got stuck into me. Told me to get it sorted, and quickly. That it isn't fair to have them caught in the mess. He's right of course, but Emma still resents me. I have some ideas about things to do with her as opportunities come up. I think she'll be intrigued with what I brought back for her."

"I wondered what was in the big bag you dumped on the table!"

"Something for each of them. Don't curse me when you have to build Lego…"

"Lego is fun for a little while. And it gets Liam away from the screen."

"I know you like to do that. Ryan suggested Lego. Must confess I'd been thinking computer game." She paused, thinking that no matter what she and Janet decided to do, it wouldn't be easy for the twins.

Eventually she continued, "However this turns out for us, we must keep it as simple as possible for them. Even if I were ready, I think moving in would be a bad option."

Janet moved back close to her. "You aren't ready yet, we both know that. We can talk about it later." She settled back in Bianca's arms. "Both the kids asked about you while you were away, which we'd expect from Liam. He'd have you here in a heartbeat."

Bianca nodded. "And Emma?"

"I don't think she minds your being around as much as she makes out. She asked what you would be doing in Cairns."

"That is a surprise. What did you tell her?"

"I told her that you hadn't seen your brother for quite a while and wanted to spend some time with him. She wasn't satisfied with that and wanted to know if you'd be doing any fun things."

What surprise and relief it was to Bianca to know that Emma was not so opposed to her after all.

"Wow! And what did you say to that?"

"I said I was sure there were plenty of fun things to do in Cairns. You would probably go in a boat to look at the Great Barrier Reef coral and the tropical fish."

"Did you tell her I might go snorkelling over the Reef?"

"Oh, no. I didn't think of that. Did you?" Janet didn't want to think about the boat part, but she would love to do the snorkelling.

"I sure did. And it was just as amazing as it was when I did it five years ago. I have photos."

"Em would love that. She's the outdoors, athletic one."

Bianca agreed. "She certainly is that. Liam would tag along, but I'm sure he'd be just as happy with his computer games."

Janet nodded. "He would, but he's so easy going that it's not hard to convince him to take part in the outdoor stuff."

Bianca smiled at the memory of Ryan's quip about bringing them all next time. Then she thought of Janet's problem with boats and took a deep breath. "Don't think too hard about this - I went white water rafting! It was such fun. I have photos of that too."

"Ooooh. I won't think about it at all." Janet shuddered and looked up at Bianca. "That's something you can tell Em all about. Just make sure I'm out of earshot." Bianca kissed her again. "There is stuff you can take to help cope with boats, you know that. Then, on a very calm day, you could come snorkelling. We would all go. The kids would love it."

She stood and pulled Janet to her feet. "But for now, I'm thinking we take it a day at a time. Sounds trite but we just have to work on it. It's such a relief to know I have a place to start with Emma." Janet reached up, putting her arms around Bianca's neck and they held each other tightly. "One day at a time. Equal partners. We are going to do this Bianca."

Bianca kissed her forehead. "I do hope so." She grinned. "So, am I to be Bianca in serious conversations?"

Janet nuzzled into her neck. "Bianca, Bibi, whichever comes out. All that really matters is that you're here."

"I think I shouldn't be here too much for now. And no staying overnight. Give Emma a chance to realise that I'm not the enemy. I do love them both Janet."

"I know you do and Emma thinks a lot more of you than she wants us to see."

Janet eased out of Bianca' embrace, still holding her lightly around the waist. "We are going to be a family." Bianca kissed her lingeringly and murmured, "But now, my love, I need tea. Coffee?" The endearment sent a thrill fluttering through Janet. "Yes, please."

When Robyn arrived with the twins Janet and Bianca were in the kitchen preparing dinner. Liam rushed to give Bianca a big hug. "So glad you're back Bibi." Bianca hugged him back. "I m glad too." Emma gave her a smile. "What did you do in Cairns Bibi? Did you go on a boat?"

"Yes, I did. I'll tell you about it after dinner. Hi Robyn. How are things with you?"

"Yeah, really good Bianca. We're all glad to have you back." Robyn liked Bianca, had thought Janet was ready to commit again with her. Now there was a rift. Janet could be so exasperating! Robyn was quite sure it would have been caused by her often insensitive ways. Still, Bianca was here, so they must want to sort it out. She would be quite happy to help more with the twins if the two women sometimes needed to be alone.

Janet now had the children in her arms and looked at her mother over their heads. "Will you stay for dinner Mum?"

"Well yes, I'd love to. Need any help?"

Janet was surprised that Robyn accepted. They didn't get on well, and she thought it showed how much Robyn liked Bianca. "No, we're fine thanks. Oh, unless you want to tell the kids about your trip, and show them your photos Bianca?"

Both children were delighted with that suggestion and begged in unison, "Yes! We want to see the photos. Please Bibi." Emma, even more enthusiastic than Liam, wanted to know about the boat trip.

Bianca went to her bag and brought out the photos. She didn't let on about the gifts. That could wait until after dinner. The three of them sat on the lounge, one child each side of Bianca. Emma was wildly excited about the rafting. "I would so love to do that Bibi."

"It was fun. You're a little bit young yet, it would be too dangerous. But in a couple of years, who knows?" Emma was leaning comfortably against Bianca, absorbed in the photos and Bianca's stories. Liam was cuddled up close, of course. Happy tears welled in Bianca's eyes and she blinked them away.

This was far more than she had dared hoped for. Emma still relaxed against her, took the photos of the coral and the fish, taking time to look at the detail of each one. Bianca continued, "You could learn to snorkel though Em. Don't need to go to Cairns to do that." Emma seemed suddenly to remember that she wasn't supposed to like Bianca and moved away from the contact, giving the photos back to Bianca. It seemed she didn't want to concede just yet. Bianca was disappointed, but confident that the little charade that Emma was playing would soon dissolve. She gathered up the photos. "Ok, that's all for now. Time to set the table." Liam was quite comfortable where he was and objected, "I want to hear more about it, pleeease."

Bianca laughed, indulging in half a hug as she dragged him off the lounge. "Plenty of time for that later mate. Off you go and help Emma." He reluctantly went to help with the table.

Dinner was relaxed and chatty, mostly about Bianca's time in Cairns. Robyn was seated at the end of the table, the children either side of her. Liam had begged to have Bianca sit next to him, so Janet and Bianca were opposite each other. The looks they exchanged throughout the meal left Robyn in no doubt about their feelings. Liam had to be shushed frequently and reminded to keep eating. Emma didn't have much to say, seemingly happy enough offering a comment here and there, but not directly to Bianca.

Robyn curbed Liam's chatter and found herself enjoying the warm family atmosphere - not always the case when she and Janet were together. They did rub each other up the wrong way. When dinner was finished she left the table, saying to Janet, "What if we clean up and Bianca can finish showing the kids her photos before bath and bedtime?" Janet readily agreed. "Yep, and I think Bianca has something else to show them too." Emma and Liam scrambled from the table, both talking at once, asking what else Bianca had to show them.

She took the parcels from her bag. "There you are. I brought these back from Cairns for you."

They impatiently tore the paper away. Emma held the napoleon fish up, admiring the colours. "It's just like the one in the photos. The one that came up to be touched!" She hugged the toy, a big smile of delight spreading across her face. "Thanks Bibi. He can go on my bed." Bianca was overjoyed at the response, hoped for, but be no means expected.

Liam was wide-eyed over his Lego. "Thanks Bibi. I haven't got any Nexo Knights. Can we build it now?" Bianca laughed. "It's a bit late to be making a mess. What if I pick you up from school tomorrow and we'll build it when you get home?" She turned to Robyn and Janet. "Would that suit you Robyn? Ok with you Janet?"

Both women nodded. Robyn replied, "Yes, that would be great Bianca. I'll be able to take my time over some errands I have to do."

"Fine with me." The look Janet gave Bianca said the prospect of having her there when she got home was much more than fine.