Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my own creations.

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Jen was the first to arrive.

Allie had always had respect for her fellow female work colleague, but that was about the extent of it. They were just a little too different for her to really call her a friend. Thankfully Matt and Emma were hot on her heels and so she only had to make small talk for about fifteen minutes.

Whereby Mia had hid behind her when she introduced Jen, the little girl quickly shed her shyness when the couple arrived. Matt followed Allie into the kitchen with the potato dish that Emma had cooked, whilst Mia had already found an instant friend in Matt's better half and was pulling Emma by the hand into the lounge room to show her something or other.

Allie was bending over and putting the potato dish into the oven when the next team member made their arrival known. Or rather, it was Mia's shout of 'Ow, my head!' that had her rising and turning. Nick stood in the doorway holding Mia upside down in his arms, her hair almost touching the ground, as his eyes flew to her face. 'Look what I found hanging around the door,' he declared shaking the laughing girl in his arms. 'She belong to you?'

Whatever response Allie might have said was prevented when Matt stepped into the kitchen around Nick. 'Mate, is there any beer left in the shop?' Matt puffed as he put the slab on the kitchen bench.

'Yeah yeah,' laughed Nick before he turned his attention to Mia. 'You ready to walk again sprout?'

Mia's response was drowned out in laughing screams as Nick threatened to drop her and she began to walk on her hands. 'Nick, try not to drop my kid will you?' called Allie. 'And Matt, if you could put the beers out the back, that would be great.'

When Simon and Duncan arrived ten minutes later, the door was opened by Nick holding a little girl fireman style over his shoulder with a plate of uncooked meat in hand. Duncan's first introduction to Mia Kingston was an upside down wave and a grin just like her mother's. Stepping into the house, they saw Jen and Emma transporting various bowls and the like from the kitchen to the backyard, Allie working madly in the kitchen and Matt heating up the barbeque.

Intentionally or not, the men soon found themselves standing around the barbeque cooking the meat, whilst the women were in the kitchen. Mia moved between both groups, any and all shyness now officially gone around the friendly people that her Mummy – and Nick – worked with. At one point, she'd been sent into the kitchen with a request for another set of tongs from Nick, but as she sidled up to her mother, the request that she had in mind was of a completely different nature. 'Mummy,' said Mia sombrely.

Allie turned away from the conversation and the bowl of salad that she was preparing to look down at her serious-faced daughter. 'Yeah sweetheart?'

'I think we should open the chips now Mummy,' continued Mia just as sombrely.

'You reckon?' said Allie, struggling to maintain the serious nature of the conversation.

'We wouldn't want them to go off,' reasoned Mia with a nod of her head.

'Mm, we wouldn't want that now would we?' responded Allie. 'What do you say that you go fetch the big bowl and I'll open up the bag. Hmm?'

Mia scrambled for the cupboard, her excitement barely contained as she punched the air with a quiet 'yes!' Emma, Jen and Allie managed to hold off on their laughter until Mia had left the kitchen with the bowl of chips in her arms, happily chomping away en route to the backyard once again.

'Quite the little sweet-talker isn't she?' laughed Emma as Allie snorted. 'That amongst other things!'

Working together, dinner was quickly on the table.

Allie's outdoor setting only seated four, and so it was a little cosy as seven adults and one four year old pulled up various chairs and huddled around the table. The meat was on a long tray in the middle with salads, breads and condiments surrounding it. There was an easy camaraderie as everyone loaded up their paper plates.

Allie held Mia's plate in her hand as she asked her daughter what she wanted. Mia was keen on a sausage in a bun but balked at the salad. With visitors over, she was hoping that this would be an opportunity for her to get out of eating those vegetables that she hated so much. 'I don't want any green things,' Mia complained.

'Well, that's fine,' responded Allie. 'But remember, if you don't eat any salad, they'll be no ice cream for dessert.'

'I don't like ice cream,' declared Mia as she pushed away her mother's hand that held a clampful of lettuce, tomato and carrot.

'Right,' said Allie slowly as she gave Mia her plate and placed the mound of salad onto her own.

The dinner conversation was light-hearted. The team knew that something was up, and apart from Nick no one knew exactly what it was exactly, but it went without saying that it would be talked about later. Instead, Mia found herself to be the centre of attention and was thrilled to find herself sitting between Nick and Emma as she dug into her hot dog.

As the table was cleared, and dessert dishes were brought out, Mia was beside herself with excitement. 'I'm going to have an ice cream with sprinkles, chocolate topping AND marshmallows,' cheered Mia from her position on Nick's lap. Nick was sipping his beer and talking with Duncan on the other side of him and so Matt floundered as to how to answer this declaration. 'Umm, that's nice. Are you sure you're having dessert?'

'Yep!' said Mia with a big nod, twisting in her seat. 'Yum yum yum!'

But Mia was in for a rude shock when she jumped off Nick's lap, sprinted around the table to pick up a plastic bowl and bounced on her two feet as she looked up to her mother, only to find her request for dessert denied. 'Why?'

'Remember what I said before?' said Allie as she scooped out ice cream for the rest of the team.

'But I want ice cream!' protested Mia.

'You didn't eat your greens, so no dessert,' said Allie firmly as she handed a bowl to Duncan with a smile.

'Everyone else is getting some, so why not me?' pressed Mia.

'Everyone else ate their dinner,' reasoned Allie as she handed another bowl to Jen.

'Simon didn't finish his,' said Mia stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest. It was at that exact moment that Allie handed Simon his dessert bowl and the man opened his mouth to apologise, but was cut off. 'We're not talking about Simon, we're talking about you,' said Allie.

'But...' protested Mia.

'No,' said Allie in a tone of finality.

In a last bid attempt to acquire the meal she so desired, Mia turned on the waterworks. 'Not going to work on me sweetheart,' said Allie in an even tone as she put the lid on the ice cream container.

Emma tried to intervene and offer Mia some of her dessert, but Allie was quick to put a stop to it. 'Mia needs to learn that there are consequences for her actions.'

Mia's tears then turned into a full blown tantrum as Allie stood from the table and walked into the house to put the ice cream into the freezer. When she returned, the team all looked at each other uncomfortably as Mia's continued tears and begs for dessert were ignored. The cries continued for another minute or two, but when Allie still refused to back down, Mia gave up and went inside.

She was back five minutes later carrying a colouring book, and everyone marvelled at the sudden change in the child who was now happily scribbling away at the table.

But the child they saw an hour later was a completely different one all over again. When Allie made a mention of bed time in five minutes, Mia looked up from where she was reading a book with Emma and asked 'why?' in a whiny voice. 'Because it's late and it's past your bed time.'

The overtired girl promptly burst into tears.

All attempts by various members of the team to amuse or console her were in vain – even Nick's picking her up resulted in Mia kicking and pushing herself out of his embrace. Finally, a sniffling Mia made her way over to her mother and scrambled up into her lap. As Mia positioned herself, Allie wrapped her arms around Mia, kissed the top of her head and rocked her. She stopped as she found that the conversation had suddenly gone quiet and the team was looking at her.

She blushed at the attention, but maintained her hold on Mia, and soon enough the conversation started up once again.

After Mia's eyes slipped close and flew open again determinedly for the fourth time that minute, Allie decided that it was bedtime. Feeling a little self-conscious, Allie stood up from her seat with her daughter in her arms. 'I'll just put her to bed and then I'll be back...' she trailed off awkwardly. How did one describe what she wanted to talk to them about?

'I'll manage the tea and coffee,' said Nick standing up from his seat, Emma not far behind him with her offer of assistance. She flashed Nick a grateful look before she jostled her daughter. 'Say good night sweetheart.'

The only response she received was a grunt as the cranky girl buried her head further into her mother's neck. A chorus of 'good nights' followed Allie as she stepped into the house, Nick and Emma close behind. Emma kept walking to the kitchen, but Nick took a quick moment to press a kiss to Mia's head with a whisper of 'good night sprout' as the little girl grumbled in response, before making his own way to the kitchen.

Having put Mia to bed with little objection, Allie headed toward the back of the house once again. Taking a deep breath, she took a moment to observe the team unnoticed. Emma sat on Matt's lap as they laughed at something Simon said whilst Duncan and Jen were discussing something that required much gesturing as Duncan repeatedly hit the table with his finger. Nick was standing with one foot propped up on a chair as he leaned forward and cupped his hot drink in his hand, watching Jen and Duncan argue.

She remained incognito for a few more seconds before Nick turned and caught her eyes. She held his gaze for a moment longer before Nick broke it as he reached down to the table and lifted another mug into the air, gesturing in her direction. She stepped out the doorway, her hands brushing against Nick's as she took her coffee and took a sip and nodded her head in thanks. Still standing, she realised that the conversation had died off once again and all the attention was on her. She smiled awkwardly. 'Mia asleep?' asked Matt conversationally.

'Yeah,' confirmed Allie. 'As long as there is something on, Mia will stay awake. But the night owl is finally asleep now.' She laughed nervously, took a deep breath and without much further ado just blurted out the reason for this impromptu, short-notice gathering.

There was silence as she shared her story of the failed undercover operation, her 'surprise' nine months later, all about Keith Ryan Bacchus, the release, and most importantly Bacchus' potential claim on Mia. The silence stretched a little longer when she stopped talking and her eyes found something interesting in the pavers.

Jen was the first to speak. 'So what happens now?'

'Well, at the moment it's a waiting game. I'll be fighting any claim that he has, but I just wanted you all to know,' she finished lamely.

The responses were overwhelming and overlapping. 'Anything you want us to do, let us know.' 'You're a good mother.' 'We'll do anything we can do help.' 'There's no way that he'll take your daughter away from you.' 'Don't worry, nothing will happen.'

She was ill-prepared for the fierce hug and promise that Emma gave her. 'If you ever need anything, let me know. Okay?'

Some time later, Allie stood at the kitchen sink not long after the team had left. Her hands were doing a good job of washing the dishes themselves as her mind was nowhere near it. Amazingly, she felt like a load had been lifted off her shoulders.

She startled as Nick reached for a plastic container off the dish rack next to her. 'That went pretty well didn't it?'

That it did.

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Next Chapter: Allie finds herself a little, ah, closer to Nick that morning than she expected.