A/N: I've tried to write this chapter so many times and I'm still not happy with it, but I just wanted to get it up and move on because it's mostly filler (with a bit of sisterly banter for good measure!). Next chapter will be Jasmine meeting Emma (and Jonny) for the first time, I've had it planned out for a while so it shouldn't take me too long!

Also, just a disclaimer that there's not really an overarching "dramatic" storyline for this fic. Some things will happen, but it's more just an exploration of how their relationship could have played out and seeing them as a family. Hopefully enough of you are still interested because I have a few ideas in the pipeline :)

As always, please R&R! and feel free to send any ideas/prompts to me on here or tumblr if you prefer (my url is hastingsmitchell). I'm also considering renaming this fic seeing as the title doesn't really fit any more, please hit me up with any suggestions! xo

"Okay, yeah, that's fine. See you then."

Jac ended the call as she walked into the living room, flopping down in the empty seat at Jasmine's feet. The blonde had reassumed her position from the previous night, curled against the arm of the chair like a cat as the two had spent the morning lazily watching Friends reruns. This had started an animated discussion on which characters they liked (Jasmine was obviously a Phoebe fan, and surprisingly Chandler was Jac's favourite), which had then spiralled into a more general discussion about their likes and dislikes. They'd consciously tried to keep the conversation light after the emotions of the night before, and both women were secretly thrilled to be discovering so much about the other- it was a start, at least.

Jasmine looked up at her sister curiously as the redhead leant back into the chair. "Everything okay?" she asked, not sure whether her interference would be welcome. Jac smiled assuredly. "Yeah, it was just Jonny. He's going to bring Emma back a bit earlier than usual seeing as I've got the day off, he's on shift tonight you see. Actually," she hesitated, hoping her suggestion would be met with a positive reaction, "he's taking her to the park in a bit, I said I'd meet him there. I thought you might want to come too?"

Jasmine was silent for a moment. She hadn't been expecting that bombshell so soon. Less than 24 hours ago she'd barely been on speaking terms with Jac, and now she wanted her to meet her daughter? After so many months of waiting and wishing, it felt very surreal.

"I, um… Are you sure?" she questioned nervously. "Isn't it a bit sudden?" Jac frowned, sitting up straighter. "I just thought seeing as you're here, you could meet her. She is your niece, after all, and I think I've kept her from you long enough. But if you don't want to-"

She hadn't finished her sentence before Jasmine interrupted her.

"No! No, it's not that. Of course I want to! It's just a bit of a shock, that's all. I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon. But I'd love to, if that's okay with you," she babbled, not wanting the opportunity to be taken away from her.

"Well if it wasn't I wouldn't have asked, would I?" Jac retaliated. 'Look, the sooner you get to know her, the sooner she'll get used to you. We'll have to introduce you as my friend first though, she might be confused if we jump straight in with the family stuff. I've never really told her much about it."

Although Jasmine felt a slight pang of disappointment, the blow was softened by Jac referring to her as a friend. That alone showed how much their relationship had developed in the past few hours, and it warmed her heart more than she'd ever let on to know that the redhead was happy to consider her as such. Baby steps, she reminded herself.

"Yeah, that seems fair," the blonde nodded. "Things are confusing enough for us, imagine how a three-year-old would feel?" She chuckled, letting her sister know there was no malice behind her words, and Jac raised her eyebrows good-naturedly.

"Exactly. Better to ease her in gently," she replied. "We'll have to leave in half an hour, so you better start getting ready." She looked commandingly over at Jasmine who quickly hauled herself up off the sofa. After all this time, she was finally going to meet her niece – she hoped the day would live up to her expectation.


Jac rolled her eyes as the blonde fiddled with her hair for the umpteenth time since they'd got in the car. "Would you stop flapping? You look fine, leave your hair alone," she instructed. Jasmine looked down at her hands, rubbing them together. "Sorry," she blushed. "I just want to look alright, this is a big deal for me you know! I want Emma to like me."

"It is a big deal, for all of us. Even Emma - not that she knows it yet. But she's not going to care what your hair looks like or how much make-up you're wearing. She's three years old, Jasmine! As soon as she realises you're there to play with her, she'll love you." Jac glanced over at her sister as she spoke, the reassuring undertone of her voice softening the bluntness of her words. "You really think I'd have raised my daughter to care about appearances?" She quirked an eyebrow, causing the younger woman to chuckle slightly. "I know, I know. I'm just nervous. The only other family member I've ever met is you and I think we both remember how that turned out," Jasmine confessed.

The redhead felt a sharp sense of regret as she recalled that day, wishing she could turn back the clock and make things right. She hated the way she'd made her sister feel and the impact it had had on their relationship, and it was clear that those feelings were still very much at the forefront of Jasmine's mind.

"Well, today will be better. I'll make sure of it," Jac said determinedly, resting her hand on Jasmine's arm for a few seconds before she turned her attention back to the road. The blonde smiled, a genuine smile this time, and a comfortable silence filled the car before Jasmine spoke up again. "So, is there anything I need to know? Anything Emma loves, or hates for that matter?" Jac was touched at the effort her sister was going to in order to impress her niece.

"Let's see. She's very touchy-feely - clearly she doesn't get that from me - so expect a lot of hugs and hand-holding." The redhead paused as Jasmine snorted, mock-glaring at the younger woman until she stopped. "She goes everywhere with her yellow blanket. Oh, and she's princess-mad."

Jasmine nodded, absorbing every morsel of information she could find. "Something tells me she doesn't get that from you, either," she smirked. Jac shrugged. "I was always more of a tomboy myself, but I did go through a Cinderella phase at one point," she mused. "Really? I'd have thought Elsa would be more your thing," Jasmine teased, failing to suppress a laugh as Jac rolled her eyes once more.

"Oh ha ha, Jac Naylor the infamous ice queen strikes again," she replied sardonically, but the twitch of her mouth gave her away. "Emma's obsessed with Frozen, actually, like every child on the planet. She's always dressing up as Elsa."

"I'd have thought she'd be Anna," Jasmine wondered. "You both have the hair, after all." Jac looked indignant on her daughter's behalf. "Nope, Emma always has to be the boss. Now that she definitely gets from me," she smirked. "No, if anyone's like Anna it's you. You're both all… bubbly and excitable. Like a puppy."

"Well, I am the little sister," the blonde said in a sing-song voice, hoping she didn't sound as nervous and desperate as she felt saying those word. She wasn't sure how Jac would react to such an explicit comment. There was a beat of silence, then the redhead locked eyes with her in the rearview mirror. "You are," Jac smiled pointedly, acknowledging the relationship between the two of them out loud for the first time. Jasmine's own smile matched her own, and after a moment the women both burst into peals of laughter. So this is what it's like to have a sister.

After a few seconds, Jac had calmed down enough to continue. "Anyway, where were we? Oh, Emma's dislikes. She's scared of the dark, can't sleep without her nightlight on. She hates peas. And she's not too keen on large animals either." Jasmine took all of the answers in her stride, mentally storing them away in case she'd need to remember them.

"Okay, cool. I'll bear that in mind." She gazed out of the window as Jac swung the car through a large iron gate, the crunch of gravel under the tyres alerting her that they'd reached the car park. "You ready?" Jac asked, cutting the engine. The blonde took a deep breath and nodded.

"Ready."