"Oh. You've made a start." [S2, Ep4 - Caroline to Kate]
"Kate! Where are you sweetheart?!"
"Up here Caroline." Kate called down to her girlfriend from upstairs.
Caroline climbed the stairs and found Kate on the landing looking suspicious.
"What're you doing?" Caroline smiled at her girlfriend.
"Nothing."
Caroline walked towards Kate smiling, "Uh huh...what kind of nothing would that be then?"
Kate put her arms around the blonde woman and kissed her cheek before trailing her lips across Caroline's jaw to her ear, "The nothing kind of nothing..."
"Kate, you're very good at diverting me...and I'm definitely enjoying your...distractions but...you're a rubbish liar." Caroline made no attempt to move away from Kate's ministrations however and it was clear she was definitely enjoying the feel of her girlfriend's lips on her skin but she made it clear she wasn't being fooled.
"Can't a woman kiss her girlfriend without being accused of subterfuge?!" Kate tried very hard to sound appalled at her girlfriend's insinuation but even to her own ears she didn't sound convincing.
"She can, yes. But...I'm not convinced of your total...innocence Ms McKenzie...despite how bloody sexy you are." Caroline smiled at Kate and kissed the corner of her mouth. "Right...have you tried the tester pots of paint yet? Are we still going for the muted apricot?" Caroline walked towards Olivia's room.
Kate darted in front of the blonde headmistress, blocking her way, "Umm...I haven't entirely decided yet."
Caroline was beginning to understand what was going on. "Ok. Let me have a look at the colours we've tried so far."
Kate braced herself on the door frame, "No need. I haven't...tried them all yet."
"Kate. What are you hiding?" Caroline was amused rather than annoyed.
"Hiding? What do you mean?"
Caroline smiled, "Can I get past sweetheart?"
"Do you...need to?" Kate put her hands on Caroline's hips.
Caroline put her hands over Kate's, "Yes. I need to." She removed Kate's hands from her hips and pounced on her, tickling her ribs. Kate gasped, batting her off, trying to get her to stop. Caroline then used her distraction to slip past Kate into Olivia's room.
Caroline stood inside the baby's bedroom, looking astounded. "Oh." She gaped at the wall. "You've...made a start."
Kate looked a little guilty as she stood behind her, "Just a small one."
"Kate, you've painted a whole wall. Bright yellow. Which definitely isn't muted apricot."
"Caroline, sweetheart...I just thought that Olivia would maybe be more...stimulated by primary colours...and it is a very...happy colour."
"If by 'happy' you mean bright, then yes it definitely is." It's not however, what we agreed on...or what fits in with the rest of the decor of the house." Caroline was aware she was sounding pompous and somewhat overbearing but she felt a strong sense of right...both regarding the 'agreement' that she felt had been breached and the more subjective sense of taste when it came to decor.
"Caroline, she's a baby! She doesn't care about continuity of decor, she just wants to be stimulated and inspired." Kate looked at Caroline, astonished.
"Inspired? Kate, that's a bit over the top! Olivia is beautiful and probably very bright but I think you're over-reaching a bit with the 'inspired' comment."
Kate glared at her, "We're clearly not going to agree here so there's little point continuing to discuss it."
"It would seem not", Caroline was curt, "Looks like you've made up our mind for us." She turned and left the room.
Kate, left alone in Olivia's bedroom, felt a bit shell-shocked. Have we really just had an argument over the colour of a wall? She admitted to herself that she had made a unilateral decision about how to decorate Olivia's bedroom and she obviously had known that Caroline might not approve but in essence she couldn't really understand the problem. Surely she was right and a brightly coloured room would be more appropriate for their little girl? She sighed heavily as she studied the yellow wall...
Later that day, Caroline was in town having afternoon tea with her mother. Celia could clearly tell that something was wrong and asked her daughter, "So where's Kate and Olivia, I thought they were coming too?"
"Kate's taken Olivia to see her mum."
"Oh. A bit last minute isn't it? Is her mum ok?"
"Her mum's fine...but she hadn't seen her for a week or so and Grace misses Olivia."
There was a pause then Celia said quietly, "I was looking forward to seeing Olivia today too." She looked at Caroline sharply, "Have you and Kate had a row?"
Caroline looked at her mother with a surprised expression, she opened her mouth to say something but then clearly thought better of it as she closed her mouth again. After a short pause she said, "Why don't you come 'round...you and Alan...sometime next week for dinner...and you can spend some time with Olivia before she goes to bed?"
"That'd be nice love, yes." Celia smiled at her daughter. "So, have you and Kate had a row?"
Caroline rolled her eyes, "You missed your vocation, mum." Celia looked at her quizzically. "You should've put those interrogation skills to better use...maybe working for MI5?"
Celia tutted, "Well you're being so...evasive. And I worry about you...I don't like to see you unhappy."
Caroline softened at her mother's words, "Mum, I'm not unhappy but..we have had a...small...difference of opinion."
"What about?" Celia's question was to the point but then she tried to backtrack a little, to sound less intrusive, "...if you want to tell me of course."
Caroline laughed out loud at her mother's attempt to be circumspect, "Mum, you need to work on your subtlety...it's not quite there yet." Celia just continued to look at her, not saying anything and Caroline looked at her for a moment before saying quietly, "It seems a bit silly really...but we argued over what colour to paint Olivia's room."
Celia said dryly, "That does seem a bit silly, yes."
Caroline tried to explain, "No...see we'd agreed on a kind of muted apricot colour but Kate just went and painted a whole wall bright yellow...without even consulting me." She looked at her mother with an outraged expression.
Celia said wryly, "Yes. I can see why you'd be so annoyed. Yellow, in a child's room; what was she thinking?!"
Caroline swallowed, feeling a little foolish but persisted in trying to persuade Celia of her viewpoint, "I thought we were trying to fit it in with the rest of the decor in the house...but it seems Kate changed her mind...without telling me."
"It's hardly a hanging offence Caroline! And it seems to me, you just need to adjust to living with someone who has an opinion on decoration and decor...it's not as if you ever had that before with John, he just let you do whatever you wanted with the house."
Caroline was quiet for a moment, then she said, "Don't beat around the bush mum, tell me how you really feel."
Celia smiled, "You just need to give a little bit Caroline. Sounds like Kate just wants a bright, colourful room for Olivia...it's not worth falling out over."
Caroline sighed, "No, I don't suppose it is."
"Caroline, are you upstairs?!" Kate shouted from the hallway, having arrived back home with Olivia.
Olivia decided to join in, "Mama! Mama!"
Caroline came to the top of the stairs, "Yes, I'm up here. How's your mum?"
"She's fine. Are you coming down?"
Caroline smiled, "Can you come up a moment?"
"I can...but why?"
"Up mumum, up!" Olivia jiggled in Kate's arms.
"Just...come up and see", Caroline seemed cutely excited about something.
I hope she hasn't repainted in bloody muted apricot! Kate tried not to be negative but she wasn't willing to allow Caroline to railroad her. She took a deep breath and climbed the stairs.
Caroline reached out and took Olivia from Kate, "Hello sweetheart", she kissed the little girl's cheek and Olivia then kissed her back, making a loud smacking sound as she did so.
Caroline laughed and leaned over to kiss Kate but the younger woman leaned away, "What have you done?"
Caroline raised her eyebrows in surprise but took Kate's hand, leading her into Olivia's room, "Come and see."
Kate walked into the room, having braced herself against seeing a swathe of muted apricot. The first thing she saw was the yellow wall she'd painted herself and she was immediately confused. Caroline saw her face and smiling, steered her around to the left so she was facing the adjoining wall.
"Look mumum, look!" Olivia shouted excitedly.
Kate gazed at the wall in amazement. It had gone from a plain wall to one adorned with a large rainbow, clouds, coloured stars and hot air balloons, the biggest of which was painted with Olivia's name.
"Oh Caroline!" Kate looked at her girlfriend in wonder, "It's...wonderful! Did you do this all yourself?"
Caroline looked a little bashful. "Well, the rainbow and the stars are just glorified stickers...but I painted the clouds and the balloons, yes."
Kate looked lovingly at her girlfriend, "You are...magnificent! And very talented! I didn't even know you could paint!"
"It's only a couple of clouds", Caroline muttered.
"Hardly!" Kate reached up to stroke her girlfriend's face. "It's fabulous, darling!" She took a breath then continued, "I'm sorry I avoided your kiss before...can I put that right now?"
Caroline leaned in and the two women kissed softly, tenderly, until Olivia leaned in from Kate's arms and placed a sloppy, smacking kiss on Caroline's cheek, trying to join in. The two women stopped kissing each other and laughed at their daughter, then kissed one of the small girl's cheeks each. Olivia giggled at her mothers' antics.
That night, Caroline came into the bedroom to see Kate already in bed. "So you left me to clear up so you could come to bed?" Caroline's words seemed accusatory but her eyes sparkled.
Kate smiled sexily, "I did tell you to leave it and I'd do it in the morning. In fact, I think I was quite...clear about it."
Caroline returned Kate's smile, "Well, I've done it now. I think I'll just have a quick shower darling."
Kate threw back the duvet and said, more than a little suggestively, "You can if you like but...I've already started...without you...and I wouldn't want you to...miss any more than you already have."
Caroline looked at Kate astonished and then her expression slowly changed to one of amusement and then undisguised sexual interest. She pulled her t shirt over her head in one fluid movement, dropping it on the floor, then unbuttoned her jeans and as she unzipped them she said, "No, now I'm clear about what you want...I'm right with you!"