Later in the afternoon the two girls surfaced and came downstairs to the kitchen where Jude was waiting for them. They both wore somewhat pained expressions as they took seats at the table.

"Good night last night?" He asked with a smug smile.

"Yeah, brilliant." Jesse answered half heartedly.

"Really good." Effy echoed in a similar tone. Jude laughed.

"I'll make you some breakfast, or as I should call it at this hour brunch." He began to prepare bland foods that wouldn't excite their sensitive stomachs.

"Jay-Jay!" That excited voice from this morning cried and the blonde tot came running towards her.

"Hello Mattie." She smiled through her pain and ruffled his hair.

"I'm glad you're awake." He beamed and gave her a big hug. Effy thought it was the cutest scene ever.

"Seriously he's been looking to wake you up since he got here this morning." Jude confirmed.

"Why were you sleeping on the floor?" The child asked in an amused manner. Jesse looked at Effy and giggled.

"We just fell asleep on the floor." The simplest explanation was always best. "Mattie did you say hello to Effy?"

The boy looked at the brunette then hid his face shyly in Jesse's shoulder. Effy chuckled at how cute he was. Jesse lifted his head from her shoulder to look in his eyes.

"Are you pretending to be shy?" She laughed as did Jude. "You're not shy!"

"I am." He argued.

"He's really not." Jude commented, setting a plate of toast down on the table. "Come on shy boy let's leave the girls to eat their breakfast in peace."

"He's cute." Effy smiled when they left.

"Please tell me you're talking about Mattie." JJ teased. Effy raised her eyebrows suggestively and poked her tongue out at the red head. JJ grimaced.

"Yes Mattie." Effy rolled her eyes. "Do I ever get to meet your sister?"

"You hang around here long enough I'm sure you will." Jesse shrugged; though she was secretly dreading Rhiannon meeting Effy because her sister was sure to interrogate her to find out if there was anything going on between them. She made a mental note to make sure they were never left alone together.

"So how are you feeling Eff?" She asked munching on a piece of toast.

"Surprisingly well considering how drunk we were." The brunette answered.

"Feel up to doing something today then?" She asked. She was enjoying spending time with Effy so much she didn't want to part just yet.

"Alright." Effy shrugged. She wasn't ready to leave just yet either.

"Want to head into town?"

"Alright." She nodded.

"You're very compliant." Jesse said with a grin. "I like that in a girl."

Effy shook her head and giggled; refusing to acknowledge the shiver that thought sent down her back. After breakfast they returned to Jesse's room. Effy threw herself on the bed and felt like she was sinking into it.

"Your bed is so comfortable. Why didn't we sleep here last night?" She asked, perplexed.

"I have no idea." Jesse said lying down beside her. "My back is aching!"

"Mine too. Next time we sleep in the bed." Effy informed the other girl who was quite thrilled at the thought of there being a next time. Waking up with the brunette's arms wrapped around her had not been the worst experience in the world.

"Deal." She agreed. "But right now we should get up because I'll fall asleep again and we wouldn't want to waste the day now, would we?"

"No we would not." Effy replied half heartedly. She couldn't help thinking that a day spent in bed with JJ would be far from a waste.

"I'm going to take a quick shower; make me feel more human. I won't be long, make yourself at home." She smiled and left the room.

Effy used this time to properly look around Jesse's room; she had been much too drunk to take it in last night. There was a bookcase in the far corner with shelves full of CDs, DVDs and books, which Effy noticed were all organised alphabetically. She scanned the titles to see if there was anything she recognised. All she could say was Jesse definitely had a varied taste in music, there was a bit of everything on the shelves. She had good taste in movies too, well mostly. On her bedside table there were three pictures. One of a younger JJ holding a child, probably Mattie, another more recent one of Jesse, Jude, Mattie and a blonde girl who looked just like Jude whom Effy presumed to be Rhiannon. The last picture was old and kind of grainy. It was of a woman in her twenties, maybe, in a white wedding dress smiling coyly in front of the camera. She had the same blue eyes that Effy had been thinking about more and more recently. She picked up the picture to examine it further.

"My mum." Jesse's voice shocked her. She looked up to find the girl standing in the doorway with a towel wrapped around her. She crossed the room to stand beside Effy and took the photo from her hands and looked at it lovingly. "That was her on her wedding day."

"She's beautiful." Effy half whispered. She realised she'd never asked about the other girl's mother before. "You look like her."

"Really?" Jesse lifted her eyes from the picture to look in Effy's crystal blue orbs.

"Yeah." She smiled and nodded.

"My dad thinks so too but I've never been able to see it. I mean look at her she's stunning." She smiled but Effy could still hear the pain underneath her words. She ran her finger across the woman in the pictures face and looked at Effy again. "She died when I was 5."

Effy's mouth fell open, she had sort of been expecting something like that but she was still shocked. The girl was so young when she lost her mother.

"She was killed in a car crash, driving home from work." The girl's eyes glistened with tears.

"I...I'm sorry...I didn't know." Effy instinctively reached out to her and pulled her in for a hug. She felt terrible for bringing it up.

"How could you?" Jesse shrugged and blinked away the tears. "Anyway it was a long time ago...people shouldn't be afraid to talk about it."

"It doesn't bother you?" She asked quizzically.

"Not really. I miss her, but she was my mum I don't want to not talk about her." Jesse shrugged then changed the subject. "Do you want to shower?"

"Yes, please, that would be nice." Effy nodded.

"There's towels and stuff in the bathroom. You know where it is." She smiled. Effy crossed the room stopping in the doorway to look back at JJ. She opened her mouth to say something but she didn't know what she wanted to say. More than anything she just wanted to take her in her arms and make everything better; but she knew she couldn't do that.

"I won't be long." She smiled weakly and left the room.

Jesse replaced the picture on her table and switched on her laptop to select some music. She pulled on her underwear and a pair of skinny jeans and dug her hair dryer out of the drawer. She got so carried away singing along with Florence and the machine and drying her hair that she didn't hear Effy re-enter the room. When she turned around and saw the brunette standing in nothing but a towel she jumped out of her skin. Effy was grinning at what she had just observed and she was also staring very intently at JJ's exposed skin, following the lines of her floral tattoo up and down her rib cage. The familiar tingle she felt between her legs in appreciation of the sight shocked her as much as it excited her.

"Uh Eff..." Jesse narrowed her eyes at the supposedly straight girl who was checking her out. Effy managed to tear her eyes from JJ's body to look in her amazing blue eyes. "You're kind of staring."

"Oh...yeah...sorry." She stammered feeling her cheeks flush red.

"It's ok." The half naked girl chuckled. "What's the point in having this body if it isn't being perved on?" She winked.

"I wasn't perving!" She replied a little bit too defensively. "I was...appreciating. You're tattoo is very pretty."

"Thanks. It was a birthday present from Jude." She smiled. "Remember Sara from last night? Her girlfriend designed it for me."

"It's gorgeous." Effy stole another peak at Jesse's beautiful curves under the guise of checking out the ink again.

"You need clothes." Jesse suddenly realised. "Jeans might be a problem but I'm sure dresses and long tops will fit you just fine. Take whatever you want out of the wardrobe."

"Good point." Effy smirked standing tall beside Jesse. "How small are you exactly?"

"4ft 11 and a half." JJ bit her lower lip and glared at happy.

"And a half?" Effy giggled, reaching up on her tiptoes and looking down on JJ. Jesse retaliated by standing on her tiptoes and giving her a playful shove.

"My doctor said it's important." She retorted, feeling Effy shove back. "Not my fault you're a giant freak."

"5ft 6 isn't that tall for a girl." The brunette pointed out grabbing Jesse's arms before she could push her again.

"I didn't say anything about you being tall." She stuck her tongue out at the girl because she knew she had won. Effy conceded defeat, relaxing her hold on the other girl's wrists but not letting go completely. Their eyes locked and the air became thick with tension.

"This wardrobe then?" Effy cleared her throat suddenly too aware that they were both quite undressed. Jesse sucked in a deep breath.

-

"See Naomi now doesn't the fresh air just make you feel better?" Katie drew in a deep breath and smiled as they walked down the high street. The surly and slightly ropey looking blonde refused to respond knowing anything she was thinking of saying would only earn her a slap from her girlfriend.

"It is a nice day." Emily mused looking at the sky. The sun was trying to peek through the clouds and it was only mildly chilly.

"Exactly!" Katie nodded. "Perfect shopping conditions."

The brunette twin then proceeded to drag them round all of her favourite shops in search for that one item that was out there somewhere that would make her feel better when she owned it. Emily had fun browsing too; she even picked up a new top. Naomi trudged along behind them dutifully holding their bags when they needed to use the changing rooms. She really wasn't in the mood for shopping. She really wasn't in the mood for anything but curling up in bed beside her lover and waiting for her hangover to pass; but there was no chance of that happening now.

"I'm going outside for a smoke." She informed the twins as they rummaged through the rails in a vintage clothing shop that Emily loved. They nodded without taking their eyes from the clothes and she rolled her eyes.

She stood outside the shop, leaning her back against the shop and lit up. She relaxed slightly as the nicotine entered her blood stream and made her feel a little better. Emily was right, it actually was quite a nice day given the time of year. She sucked another puff of her cigarette and watched the people passing. In the distance she saw two familiar faces that made her smirk and intrigued her.

"Hi." She said in an almost amused tone.

"Hey." Effy greeted her.

"How are you feeling today?" JJ asked. Naomi had been so preoccupied with speculating what was going on with the two girls that she forgot one of them was to blame for the rotten hangover that was torturing her.

"I feel like shit! Thank you very much." She raised an accusing eyebrow at the red head whose mouth fell open in indignation.

"You say that like it's my fault." She huffed.

"It is your fault." Naomi stated plainly. "You with your shots."

"My shots?" Jesse's voice rose a little. "I think you'll find that I did not order that first round of shots. Technically Sara is to blame." She argued.

"You ordered the second round." Naomi reminded her, flicking her butt away.

"Oh yeah." She chuckled, blushing slightly. "Sorry."

"Where did you two sneak off to anyway?" She asked, still with that accusing tone, noting the fact that the clothes Effy was wearing almost certainly did not belong to the brunette. The two girls shared a look and a smile.

"We went home." Jesse shrugged.

"Together?" The blonde raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Maybe." Effy replied coolly.

"Uh huh." Naomi smiled and gave them a look that told them she was onto them.

"Did you have a good night?" JJ asked.

"Yeah it was fun. You should have seen the state..."

"What's taking you so long?" Katie demanded, popping her head out of the shop. She was surprised to see the three of them standing there.

"Hey Katie." JJ smiled, hoping the twin would not feel awkward after their kiss now she was sober.

"Hello." She smiled back as if nothing had happened.

"What's going on?" Emily asked, wondering to see what was keeping her sister. "Oh hi guys."

"Hey." They greeted her. The twins stepped out of the shop and joined the congregation in front of the window.

"What are you guys up to?" Katie asked nosily.

"We just thought we'd come into town for a bit." Jesse shrugged. "I guess great minds really do think alike, eh Katiekins?"

"So it would seem." She smiled.

"Where did you go last night?" Emily asked remembering their vanishing act in the club.

"We went home." Effy explained. JJ looked at her wondering if she realised she had just referred to the Hennessy household as home.

"Together." Naomi added with a poorly contained grinned. She loved being right.

"Oh." Emily didn't know what to say. She couldn't exactly just come out and ask them if they had slept together or were thinking of sleeping together. Thankfully her girlfriend saved her from the silence.

"I was just telling them about Pandora." Naomi informed the twins.

"Oh God!" Katie gasped. "You should have seen her! Dancing away like an idiot, talking shit to random gay guys...I swear she must have fallen over at least 5 times as well."

Effy and Jesse giggled. If their own little private party hadn't been so much fun they might have felt bad about missing out.

"She had to go home this morning and reassure her mum it had been nothing but a girly sleepover at Jesse's house." Emily added.

"Oh Angela." Effy rolled her eyes.

"Anyway what are you two doing now?" Katie asked nosily. Effy and Jesse looked at each other then back at Katie.

"Nothing really." Effy shrugged.

"I was about to suggest we get some coffee. I need coffee." JJ said. "Would you three like to join us?"

"Yes." Naomi answered without a moment's hesitation. This plan had the duel bonus of no longer shopping and a caffeine hit.

"Where?" Katie asked as they began to walk down the street.

"I know a place. Luce's." Jesse smiled to herself. "Best coffee in town."

"I've never heard of it." Katie shook her head, unable to imagine why she had never heard of it. Emily grinned beside her sister when she realised why her sister didn't know where it was. JJ led them the short distance around a couple of corners and stopped outside the tattoo shop.

"Here?" Katie asked incredulously looking at the red head like she'd lost the plot. "We're going here? For coffee?"

"Best coffee in town Katiekins. I assure you." JJ grinned and entered the building.

"Back so soon?" Luce greeted her brightly. "And I see you brought a bigger audience this time. It's nice to see you again Emily"

"We're just here for coffee." Jesse informed her while Katie, Naomi and Effy speculated about how JJ knew this strange woman and how she knew Emily. She seemed to be very well connected in the world of Bristol lesbians.

"Oh yes that's right you were out last night." The purple haired woman recollected. "How was it?"

"A little bit messy." She chuckled.

"Well don't be so rude JJ introduce your friends."

"Sorry. This is Katie, Emily's twin sister, Naomi, Emily's girlfriend, and this is Effy." JJ explained.

"No connection to Emily." Effy added with a giggle.

"Any connection to JJ?" Luce asked suggestively.

"Not as yet." Effy smirked back. Luce nodded approvingly at JJ.

They ordered their coffee and sat down on the big couches to hang out for a while.

"Why here?" Katie asked, after tasting the coffee and finding no discernable difference between it and the coffee you could get in any generic café.

"It's cheap, it's comfy and the manager doesn't get pissy if you want to spend the whole afternoon her chilling out." She pointed out.

"Fair enough." Katie accepted that it was a very good point.

Luce sat down beside them and they animatedly discussed the previous night's events, carefully skimming over the Katie and JJ kiss so as not to embarrass either party or incite Emily again. JJ had been right about the atmosphere in the tattoo shop, it was all too easy for them to spend the rest of their afternoon there. While they were sipping on their first refills the door to the shopped pushed open and a tall, thin girl with shoulder length dark brown almost black hair walked in. She wore tight fitting faded denim jeans with a black leather biker jacket. She was like something right off the pages of a magazine.

"Gabe!" Jesse cried out excitedly when she recognised her.

"Thank God." Luce sighed. "I was worried it was a customer."

"Nope. Just me." The girl smiled almost shyly, a little intimidated by the large group of people she didn't know.

"Come sit down." JJ encouraged her, patting the seat beside her that wasn't occupied by Effy. "Meet people."

"Ok." She looked a little frightened as she took her seat. She looked at them nervously with the most amazing hazel eyes.

"Gabe this is, Naomi, Emily, Katie and Effy." She gestured to each girl as she introduced them. "Everyone, my good friend Gabe."

"It's Leah!" She informed them, not wanting them to think Gabe was actually her name. They would only call her that and she was trying to shake that nickname. The girls looked confused.

"It's a stupid nickname Jesse gave me when we first met and I can't get her to stop calling me it." The girl elaborated. Effy felt a small knot form in the pit of her stomach when she realised that this girl shared a history with JJ that she knew nothing about.

"Why do you call her Gabe?" Luce asked, suddenly realising she didn't know.

"Because when I met her she was just a little gay-by." JJ laughed and gave Leah a patronising hair ruffle.

"That was almost a year ago." The dark haired girl groaned. Jesse shook her head and pouted.

"Oh Leah." She sighed. "You will always be my gay-by."

"Leave her alone Jay." Luce said in a warning tone. "Don't forget I remember how you were when you were fresh out of the closet."

"Promptly shutting up now." Jesse pretended to zip her lips.

"Now if you'll excuse me I actually do have an appointment soon so I better go set up." Luce climbed of the arm of the sofa. "Help yourself to the coffee if you want more while I'm gone Jesse knows where it is."

"Thanks." They smiled at her as she disappeared into the side room.

"So...Leah...how come we haven't seen you around?" Katie asked, wanting to know more about Jesse's friend. She suddenly wished she had dressed a bit nicer this morning but she had been severely hungover.

"I go to Badminton." She informed them with a nod anticipating their reaction. The all girls boarding school elicited the same reaction in most people, shock and a little confusion as to why anyone would want to go there.

"Really?" Emily asked in a shocked tone.

"I know. I get that a lot but it's a good school." She shrugged wishing there wasn't so much attention being focused on her.

"Just a shame about the people in it, eh?" JJ scoffed.

"Well yeah." Leah giggled. "It does majorly suck now you're gone."

"Hang on..." Katie held her hand up to clarify a point. "You went to Badminton?"

Naomi and Effy looked just as shocked.

"What did you think I just materialised in second year at Roundview?" Jesse chuckled.

"Well no. I never really thought about what school you went to but I never would have guessed Badminton." She shrugged.

"Why? Do I not look like posh boarding school material or something?" The red head feigned being insulted.

"No...It's not that." Katie's face flushed.

"Relax Katiekins...I'm just messing with you." She assured the older twin.

"Katiekins." Leah nodded in appreciation. "Why couldn't I get a nice nickname like that?"

"She was already Katiekins when I met her, sorry." JJ smiled unsympathetically. She liked the nickname. "Anyway we were just talking about Kitty Killer last night, it was their first time."

"Not everyone is a victim of that place like you." Leah smirked. "Was it any good?"

"Yeah." Emily nodded and smiled, wanting to engage Jesse's friend in their conversation.

"I had a great night." Effy added.

"Really? For the whole two hours you were there." Naomi raised her eyebrow and smirked at the brunette who glared at her.

"Just because I left doesn't mean I didn't have a great night." Effy replied raising her own eyebrow pointedly at Naomi.

"Is that so?" The blonde grinned. She knew there was something going on between Effy and JJ.

"I clearly missed something didn't I?" Leah wrinkled her nose in confusion.

"Effy left the club early last night...with JJ." Emily filled the girl in with an amused look on her face. She was enjoying this teasing almost as much as Naomi. Leah turned to her friend and smiled at her. JJ rolled her eyes.

"Ok Campbell we get it you're a gossip now can we please move this conversation along?" She had to fight to contain her grin when Effy shot her an amused look. If Jesse didn't know any better she'd swear the brunette was enjoying all the speculation.

"Alright." Naomi pouted because she had been called a gossip and had her fun ruined.

They made small talk and joked around for another hour or so. Everyone in the group warmed to Leah instantly, she was so unimposing and friendly it was hard not to feel like she had always been part of the group.

"So are you guys doing anything tonight?" Leah asked. "Because I really fancy a drink."

"We hadn't got any plans...but I'm sure I could be persuaded." JJ grinned impishly. "How about you guys?"

"No." Naomi said firmly. No way could she deal with another hangover like this. Although the night had been really good fun. "Well maybe..."

"I'm in." Effy grinned at Jesse and she felt butterflies in her stomach. Emily and Katie looked at each other thoughtfully. Emily would definitely go if Naomi was going and Katie really didn't want to miss out. Plus it couldn't hurt to get to know Leah a bit better. She was rather fashionable; something that couldn't be said for a lot of her friends.

"Us too." The older twin spoke for both of them.

"Let me guess..." Jesse looked at Leah. "Kitty Killer?"

"It's not like there are a lot of other good gay bars in town." Leah pointed out with a glare.

"And you call me a victim." Jesse rolled her eyes. "Then again happy hour is till 12 on Saturdays so...what do you say Katie, think you can handle another night in a gay bar?"

"Yes." Katie made a displeased face at the insinuation that she couldn't.

"Great, then we'll see you tonight?" JJ asked as Leah got up to leave. "Why don't we meet in the cocktail bar at 10? Make the most of happy hour?"

"Sounds like a plan! I'll see you there." She flashed a dazzling smile that took Katie's breath away slightly. "It was nice meeting you all."

"You too." Katie smiled back at the girl, her brown eyes twinkling. Something that of course was picked up on by Effy.

"See you later Gabe." JJ said giving the girl a hug before she left.

"I can't believe you talked me into going out again." Naomi shook her head. Everyone laughed.

"It didn't take much convincing." Emily scoffed. The prospect of heading out again that evening cleared up whatever remained of their hangovers. They paid Luce for the copious cups of coffee they had consumed and extended an invite to join them that night.

"You have to come." Emily informed her sternly. "Since you didn't show up last night."

Luce looked extremely amused. "Well alright Red. I guess I'll see you there then."

"Good." She smiled that cute little smile of hers and they were gone.

"Damn!" Luce chuckled to herself when they left. "Why are the cute ones always taken?"