Hey guys, sorry this took so ridiculously long to update, I've been swamped! I'm up to my eyes in school work because I got wuite behind when I was off sick and I had 3 practical mock exams for art in the past 2 weeks! One of which, I might add, was a 5 HOUR exam! I've got the rest of my mocks coming up the week after next so I hope once those are over, updates will be much more frequent!

This one is quite long so I hope it makes up for the wait, all though I'm not very happy with it! Especially the last part :P Anywhoo, all feedback is graciously welcome and if I get enough of it, I'll have the next one posted by Sunday night ;)

Hope ye like...

December 21st 2007

The shrill screech of my ringtone pierced the crisp morning air, making me heart was still beating at a hundred miles an hour as I fumbled blindly around my bedside locker, searching for the offending object. Eventually, locating the thing that had so rudely interrupted my dreams, I pulled it up to my ear, answering it without checking the caller id. "Hello?" I asked, my voice still thick with sleep.

It was Friday. Friday was my favourite day of the week because I didn't have to be at work until 11a.m., Jeremy didn't work Fridays so work was a much less stressful environment and I was finished at five. Basically, Fridays were good because I got a lie in in the morning, no Jeremy and I was finished early. So I didn't like it when my Friday ritual of sleeping til ten was interrupted.

"Sophie? It's Jane" the person on the other end of the line replied. I started to wonder what she could possibly want. She never called me. I didn't even realise she had my number. "Is Sian with you?" She asked without waiting for a response from me. I turned my head to see an empty space beside me in the bed. I glanced at my watch which informed me it was only half past seven in the morning. "No…she's gone for her run" I answered, reaching across to Sian's pillow to pull the post it note she had left me from it. A smile spreading across my lips as I read it;

'Hey babe,

Gone for my run!

Will probably be back before you wake

But left this just in case ;)

Love you,

Sian xxx'

Sian had a morning ritual. She set her alarm for ten to seven, got ready and had a quick, light breakfast (usually just some fruit and a cup of tea), she got dressed after her breakfast and at twenty past seven she went for a forty minute run, then she came back, showered and was ready to leave for work by half eight. I knew all of this because she had been sleeping at mine and Tina's a lot recently and she was always up and ready before me. Naturally, I had inquired into why she got up so early. I was baffled by the thought of her having so much energy in the morning. I had never been for a morning run in my life and was pretty sure I never would. I'm not a morning person. I usually stay in bed until the last second before I need to get up.

"Good, I thought she would be. Listen, I need your help" Jane said, sounding slightly urgent. My suspicion was growing. I had thought Jane hated me ever since the smoking thing. I don't think she even believed Sian when she told her I was quitting. As far as I knew, Jane hated me. Hence my confusion at her early morning call. My suspicion was aroused by the fact she called me at a time when she knew Sian wouldn't be with me.

"What do you need help with?" I asked cautiously.

"Well, I've heard from Sian that you're a pretty good cook. Well actually, she never shuts ups about your cooking so I thought you could help me out with a little something. I planning a surprise birthday party for her next week…" Jane began explaining her suspicious call.

This was where I interrupted her. "Woah! Wait a second, she never said it was her birthday" I said, rather loudly, sitting up in the bed.

"Honestly, I'm not surprised" Jane answered "She hasn't celebrated her birthday since the year before she got sick and she never tells anybody when it is, claims she doesn't want a fuss"

"Oh" I replied, feeling slightly better about not knowing it was Sian's birthday, "So when is it and what do you need from me?" I asked, making a mental note to go shopping for a present as soon as I got a chance.

"It's the 28th of December, next Friday, and I was planning to have the surprise party at eight on the day. So I was hoping you would be able to make some of the food she's been raving about since you two got together. What do you think?" Jane asked.

"Ya, of course I will. Is there anything in particular you want me to make?" I asked, getting excited about the idea the more I thought about it.

"Well I know she loves that cornflake chicken thing, she say's it's her favourite but I'm sure you'll know what she likes." Jane answered. I was impressed, this was one of the most civil conversations we'd had since she attacked me over being a smoker. "Oh and Sophie, one more thing…" she added.

"I'll need help occupying her for the day until it's time for the party because you'll be cooking and I'll be organising everything so if you think of anything could you let me know?" she asked. I hadn't thought of that aspect of it but an answer came to my mind instantly. Katy.

"I could get Katy to keep her busy for the day" I suggested.

"Perfect! Thank you Sophie, I really appreciate it" Jane said, sounding the most genuine I heard her towards me.

"No problem" I said, a little surprised by the sincerity in her voice.

"Great. I'll talk to you sooner to the day about the arrangements. Bye" Jane finished the conversation.

"Yeh, bye" I said as I hung up the phone, tossing it back onto the bedside locker. I puffed out a breath of air, flopping back down into my pillows. My mind was already racing with ideas for what I could make Sian for her birthday. I knew there was no way in hell I would be able to get back to sleep after that.

I pulled myself out of bed, making my way to the kitchen. If I was up I figured I might as well make myself a cuppa. I was standing with my back leaning against the kitchen counter when Katy came into the kitchen, dressed for work and carrying a pile of hardback copies. "What are you doing up so early on a Friday?" she asked, setting the hardbacks down on the table and moving over to grab a cup for herself.

"Phone call woke me at half seven and I couldn't get back to sleep" I answered as the kettle clicked off. I gestured for her to sit down and started making both of our coffees.

"Everything okay?" she asked, sounding momentarily concerned.

"Ya, great actually. It was Jane" I said as I handed her one of the cups of coffee.

"Ta" she said taking it. She blew on it twice before taking a quick sip, "I thought Jane hated you?" Katy asked, confusion evident in her voice.

"So did I" I replied truthfully "but she said it's Sian's birthday next Friday and she's throwing a surprise party and wants my help. She's asked me to make all of Sian's favourite foods for the party" I informed her.

"I didn't know it was Sian's birthday!" Katy squealed, "Why didn't you tell me Soph, I'll have to get her a present!" I explained to her how I hadn't known either and told her what Jane had said about Sian not celebrating her birthday since before she'd gotten sick. She agreed to keep Sian busy for as long as possible on Friday and we started discussing gifts we could get for Sian and planning a shopping trip.

We were debating whether or not jewellery would be a good idea as a present from me when Sian walked into the flat. We quickly changed the topic to Katy's work as we heard the from door shut. She was still slightly breathless as she pulled her headphones out of her ears making her way into the kitchen. Sian looked between us with a confused expression on her face as we both greeted her. She had little beads of sweat across her forehead as she crossed the kitchen towards the sink. Even sweaty and panting she managed to look beautiful. She filled herself a glass of water and took a large swig from it before she spoke.

"Hey, what are you doing up so early on a Friday Soph?" she asked, moving from the sink to sit at the table with us. She leaned in to kiss me swiftly before settling into her seat and taking another large swig of water.

"Rosie rang my phone and then I couldn't get back to sleep" I answered, glancing at Katy, who gave me a subtle nod of approval. I didn't like lying to Sian. Even if it was for a good reason.

"Okay, Rosie being up before noon is even weirder than you being up this early" she chuckled, causing Katy to release a snort of laughter. It was true. Rosie usually slept the day away as she rarely had to be anywhere before two in the day. My sister was a glamour model and promotions girl. Which meant she spent her time scantily clad doing photo shoots during the day and going round popular clubs even more scantily clad at night.

"Yeh I know, she was on her way home from a night out, still drunk and thought it'd be a good idea to ring me" I said, feeling even more guilty. I was worrying that she would see the guilt in my face and know I was lying when Katy came to my rescue.

"Christ, you'd swear she was still a teenager" Katy said, standing up from the table, glancing quickly around the kitchen as though she was looking for something. "Have either of you seen my lesson planner by any chance? It's a dark green ring binder" she asked, as she pushed the clutter of the kitchen counter around.

"Um, I think I saw it on the window in the living room" Sian answered, also getting up from the table. I watched as she moved over to the sink to deposit her now empty glass.

"Cheers Sian, I'll see you guys later" Katy said, scooping up the pile of copies before making her way through to the living room in search of the work journal.

We both bid farewell to Katy as she rushed off for work, thankfully pulling attention away from the conversation we'd been having about my morning phone call. "I'm going to grab a shower before I'm late for work babe" Sian said, kissing my cheek as she made to leave the room.

"Ya okay, do you want anything to eat before work?" I asked, getting up and rinsing my now empty coffee cup.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked, her eyes lighting up at my suggestion.

"You go shower, I'll surprise you!" I said, flashing her a cheeky wink. She shot me a mock scowl before prancing off towards the bathroom.

I decided to make her pancakes for breakfast. As I set about making the batter I skimmed through the present ideas Katy and I had managed to come up with, trying to decide on something. I knew it was going to be a long week, trying to hide the party secret from Sian but I also knew it would be worth it in the end. I was hoping Christmas would provide enough distraction before Friday for me to avoid slipping up in front of Sian.

Sian arrived back in the kitchen, dressed in her work clothes just as I was setting two plates of pancakes down on the table. She looked amazing in her work clothes. She wore a black pencil skirt and a white blouse under a black jacket. Her hair was tied back in a neat bun and her reading glasses were perched on top of her head. "Those look amazing Soph" she said, taking a seat at the table.

"You look amazing" I mumbled in reply before, coming around the table and stooping to kiss her. She reciprocated almost immediately, her hands sliding around my neck and settling in the hair at the back of my head. Eventually I pulled out of the kiss, keeping my forehead pressed against hers. "Your pancakes will go cold" I whispered, eliciting a small giggle from Sian.

"At this rate, I'll end up the size of a house with all the amazing food you keep making for me" she said turning to look at what I'd made. There was maple syrup, Nutella, lemon juice and sugar on the table along with the pancakes so that she could choose whichever topping she wanted. I knew she'd go for the Nutella but I wanted to give her options anyway.

"I might have to stop cooking for you so, can't have a fat girlfriend can I? I mean what would become of my reputation" I joked, giving her a playful shove in the arm.

"Shut up" she mumbled, shaking her head.

December 24th 2007 (Christmas Eve)

My palms were sweaty and my heart was racing as we waited outside the door. I glanced nervously at Sian only to find her regarding me with an amused expression on her face. "Babe, relax. They'll love you" she said, encouragingly. It didn't really help. She leaned across and kissed my cheek. That helped a little. "Come on" she said, linking her arm through mine and opening the door. We were at Jane's house and I was meeting Sian's parents for the first time. To say I was nervous would be the understatement of the century. I was absolutely shitting it.

I knew how important Sian's relationship with her parents was to her. She had also warned me that her Dad was still coming to terms with the gay thing so if he came across a bit blunt, I shouldn't take it to heart. He was trying and that meant everything to her so I was going to be on my best behaviour for Sian's parents.

She opened the door and pulled me inside. We could hear movement and voices coming from the kitchen as we took off our jackets and hung them on the banister of the stairs. Once we'd hung up our jackets, Sian took my hand in hers once more and lead me through to the kitchen. The first thing that came into my view was Henry sitting at the table with a woman I could only assume was Sian's mother. Jane was standing at the kitchen counter on the other side of the room. "Hi Everyone, Hi mum" Sian sang, rushing across the kitchen to embrace her mother in a hug. "Happy Christmas"

"Hi Petal, same to you" Sian's mother replied, as the broke the embrace. Sian turned back to me and reached her hand towards me. I took her hand and she pulled me forward so that I was standing right beside her and her mum.

"Mum, this is my Sophie, Soph this is my mum" Sian introduced us. I could hear the eagerness in her tone and didn't want to disappoint her now, especially not after hearing her introduce me as her Sophie!

"It's lovely to meet you Mrs Powers" I said as politely as I could, extending my free hand with the friendliest smile I could muster in my nervous state.

"Oh, you're so sweet, call me Janet Sophie love. And put that hand away!" She said, pulling me into a hug, not unlike the one she had given Sian only moments ago.

Once the formal introductions were over and done with we sat down at the table. Jane brought us over some drinks and the conversation began to flow quite smoothly. My nerves were calming, aided by Janet's warm reception of me and there was also the fact that Sian's hand was resting on my lap under the table, squeezing my leg reassuringly as I chatted amicably with her mother. I couldn't believe how well we were getting on. I'd never done well with the whole meeting the parents bit of any of my previous relationships. However, there was still a small nagging feeling in the back of my mind. "Where's Dad?" Sian asked as there was a lull in the conversation.

"He just popped to the shops to get some ice for the drinks" Janet answered "He should be back in a sec". She spoke to soon as a man walked into the kitchen carrying a bag of ice under his left arm.

"Starting to snow out there" he informed the room at large as he set the bag of ice down on the counter. My nerves were back in full force. I knew Sian's dad would be the biggest obstacle I would face tonight but I didn't realise I would feel this terrified when I actually saw him.

Sian gave my knee one last reassuring grip before standing up. She took my hand again. I felt slightly better with the contact. "Dad, this is my girlfriend, Sophie. Soph, this is my Dad" Sian said. I felt about an inch tall as he looked me up and down.

"N-nice to meet you Mr Powers" I said, cursing the stutter that made the sentence sound so pathetic. I didn't extend my hand this time. I just gripped Sian's hand tighter as I waited for him to react to me.

"You and all Sophie" he said, hesitantly holding out his hand. I noticed a bit of an Irish accent mixed in with his Mancunian accent. Sian had mentioned before that her Granddad was Irish but I hadn't expected her Dad to have any sort of accent. It sounded strange if I was honest. I shook his hand briefly, wary of the fact that he was still observing me.

"Happy Christmas Dad" Sian said, reaching up on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek.

"You too petal" he answered, wrapping his arms around his daughter. It didn't go unnoticed by me that both of Sian's parents had called her petal. I smiled at the thought, it was cute. They broke the embrace and he looked at me with what I can only describe as an awkward expression. He opened his mouth as though he was going to say something but seemed to change his mind and puffed out a breath of air.

"Shall we sit down?" Sian suggested, seemingly oblivious to the awkward tension between me and her Dad.

I nodded and followed her back to the table. The night seemed to progress well from there. We had a few drinks, mine non-alcoholic as I was driving home later, and the conversation seemed to flow quite well.

A short while later, I was sitting at the table chatting with Janet and Henry while Sian, Jane and Mr Powers were sorting out the nibbles Jane had prepared for the evening. "You're doing well kid" Henry whispered, causing Janet to start laughing. She was very pretty. She looked like an older combination of Sian and Jane. She dressed very classy and was a little more posh than what I was used to but she was making an effort with me and seemed to like me. I appreciated it. Sian's Dad on the other hand hadn't said much more to me since we'd been introduced.

"He's right" Janet said as she managed to stop laughing "You've made a good start with Vinnie, I'm sure once he relaxes a bit he'll love you as much as I do" That genuinely made me feel better. Sian arrived at the table then, sitting beside me as she placed a plate of mini vole-au-vents and another of breaded jalapenos on the table in front of us.

"Hey" she said, kissing my cheek. Jane and Vinnie placed more plates of food down on the table before taking their seats. Everyone slipped back into conversation as we ate and drank. I was mainly talking to Sian, Henry and Janet. Later on we moved into the living room. I was sitting on the end of the couch, chatting to Henry. We were becoming good friends and Jane seemed much friendlier towards me since the phone call the other day.

Sian was chatting with Jane when Vinnie came back into the room, carrying a tray with fresh drinks for everyone. He sat in the armchair beside my end of the couch. After a couple of moments of him looking at me in an awkward silence he spoke; "So….Sophie…what is it you do" he asked.

I could tell his asking was more about him making an effort for Sian than it was about him getting to know me but I appreciated it none the less. "I'm a chef, I work in a restaurant called 'The Lemongrass' in town" I answered.

"Oh I know that place, the food is very good" he replied politely. This seemed to be the ice-breaker between us and before I knew it, we'd been talking for over half an hour. I told him all about work and how I'd gotten into cooking at a young age and he told me about his grandmother teaching him to cook as a child when he used to spend his summers in Ireland. He had lived there for several of his teenage years before moving back to Manchester when he was nineteen.

After a while, when we had both relaxed around each other, Sian came over and sat down on the couch beside me. "Hey you two" she greeted cheerfully. I could tell she was getting sleepy and I guessed the wine she'd consume wasn't helping. I glanced at the clock, it was almost midnight, no wonder she was getting tired.

"Hiya Petal" Vinnie said, watching cautiously as Sian wrapped her arms around my left arm and rested her head on my shoulder. It wasn't long before Janet approached us.

"Vinnie we better get going, it's late and if I stay up much longer I'll never be able to get up tomorrow" She said, happily.

"Alright love" he said, stretching before he pulled himself up out of the arm chair. Janet said goodbye to Jane and Henry, while Vinnie went to grab his car keys from the kitchen.

"Goodbye Petal, see you tomorrow" She said, hugging Sian tightly. She turned to me when they broke their embrace. "It was lovely meeting you Sophie. I can really see what Sian sees in you" she said hugging me. "Happy Christmas girls" she said, walking with a slightly tipsy saunter towards the door.

Vinnie came back into the room to say goodbye to his children. He shook Henry's and before making his way over to us. "Goodnight Sian" he said as he hugged her.

"Night Dad" she replied, kissing his cheek again.

Then he turned to me. I was feeling slightly nervous again, despite how much we seemed to have progressed earlier on I still found him intimidating. "Goodnight Sophie" he said quietly, outstretching his hand for me to shake.

I shook it, replying "Goodnight Mr Powers".

"Call me Vinnie" he said, glancing one last time at Sian before he turned to leave.

We waited a few minutes in silence until we could hear their car pulling away outside. Once it was certain they'd left, Sian turned to me. "Soph that went so well, you were great with them Babe!" she said, wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing my cheek.

"Wow Sophie, Dad didn't even take to Henry that quickly" Jane said, clearly shocked.

"Well done kid" Henry added "he wouldn't even let me call him Vinnie til the third time I met him" he laughed.

That's that then! Hope it wasn't too crap! I promise the next one will be better! xx