A/N: Once again a note of thanks is needed for my co-hort who has helped our ladies navigate their way to Circular Quay, Darling Harbour and the Sydney Zoo. It truly is more fun to travel with a friend.
Kate was the last one to make it down to breakfast. Just a little bit earlier, Caroline's eyes blinked open and for a brief moment, she had absolutely no idea where she was. She turned over to see Kate in her usual comatose state with Flora, clutching her bunny rug, fast asleep in between them. She had no idea when Flora might have joined them in the bed as there was no squeaky bedroom door to give her away like at home.
As soon as Caroline shifted to look at the clock, Flora sprang to life and cuddled into her. "Morning Flora," Caroline whispered as she scooped her in for a big hug. "Do you know what today is?"
"Kangaroo day?" Flora's eyes grew wide with excitement.
"Shhh. That's right. It's kangaroo day. How about we let mummy sleep a little more and we go in search of some breakfast?"
"Can I have eggs and toast," came the simple reply from the child who was always easy to please. Despite their attempt to not wake her, Kate heard the quiet exchange and opened her eyes in time to see Caroline lifting Flora to the floor. "You sleep in and I'll see to her. You need your rest to go see kangaroos." Caroline leaned over to kiss her forehead before chasing Flora into the en-suite to clean her teeth.
Kate was clutching a bottle of tequila as she made her way to the breakfast nook about a half hour later. She had been unable to fall back asleep and looked like she needed more than one cup of wake-up juice to help fully open both her eyes.
"Breakfast of champions there Kate?" Patsy said in greeting. Kate, feeling like a walking zombie, didn't immediately register the tease so Connie came to her rescue. "Perhaps you'd prefer to start with a cup of coffee or tea first."
Kate looked down at her hands and then realized what she was carrying and brightened a little. "Sorry. I meant to give this to you last night but in my haste to get Flora to bed I forgot."
"Aw. Cheers mate! I see shots in our future. Con put limes on that store list." Turning back to Kate, she continued, "Have a seat and I'll get you a cuppa."
"Ooo. Please put hand cream on the list for me," Caroline asked as she looked down at her now very dry hands. It seemed neither she nor Kate had thought to pack any and she wanted a small tube for her purse.
"Tea. Yes. That'll do nicely. Thanks," Kate said as she moved to kiss Flora on the cheek and took the seat Patsy vacated beside Flora. She encouraged her to finish her eggs. "Flora, you have to eat all your breakfast if you want to go to the zoo."
"How did you sleep Kate?" Connie asked as she moved the creamer and the sugar bowl to where Kate could reach them as Patsy put a steaming cup in front of their tired guest.
"I slept great, once I fell asleep. Thanks. How about you, Caroline? How'd you sleep?" She looked up at her wife who was seated directly across the table from her. Caroline met her brown eyes with soft blue ones that said a more tender good morning then any words could at that moment.
"I don't even remember falling asleep. I must have been out as soon as my head hit the pillow. Don't tell me you had trouble nodding off?"
"I was too keyed up from our chat. Did you tell them?" Kate decided to take her tea black. After the weak tea on the plane, a bracing cup was most welcome.
"No. I was waiting for you." Caroline's head tipped to the side as she watched Kate take a sip and return her cup to its saucer.
"Is your answer still the same?"
"Is yours?"
"Yes."
"Good. So is mine."
Patsy and Connie, as well as Flora, glanced back and forth between Kate and Caroline, amused by their exchange. Suddenly realizing they had an audience, they burst out laughing at themselves.
"I assure you, Kate hasn't been drinking yet this morning. The tequila is a gift she got because I shared with her our conversation over margaritas that night you told me about Connie. She thought a round of margaritas might be in order during our visit."
Connie could feel her heart melt at that moment. "What a lovely gesture. Perhaps over those drinkies you'll tell me exactly what she said about me."
"As for the rest of what you just heard, in case you can't guess, we're delighted to go to Whitesunday Islands with you. It's a very thoughtful offer and sounds perfect. Perhaps after my second cup of tea, I'll be awake enough to discuss all the details," Kate explained.
Flora took the last bite of her eggs and asked if she could watch some telly. Connie set her up in the lounge, just off the kitchen, with some cartoons she hadn't seen at home. Realizing she was instantly contented, Connie returned to the kitchen, ready for Kate's breakfast order. Kate started to wonder if Connie was the chief cook when Patsy rose from the table and shooed Connie to go enjoy her coffee with the others; Patsy's consideration of Connie at that moment made Kate smile.
As she scrambled some eggs, Patsy asked Caroline what she was alluding to the night before when she mentioned having made some plans for them.
"I confessed to Kate last night that I booked that hotel on the Harbor you suggested. Since you said Friday was a day you'd both be otherwise occupied, that's the night I got us tickets for the Opera with dinner beforehand. I booked the hotel from Friday through Monday but I can shorten the reservation to check out Sunday so we can catch the flight with you."
"So you were planning to take a break from your love nest to come to the wedding?" Patsy teased.
"I thought I'd give Kate some time off for good behaviour," Caroline said dryly as she winked at Kate. Hearing Caroline so casually, yet overtly, referencing their love life made her suddenly fancy her wife as she was enjoying seeing the playful side of Caroline that Patsy brought out in her.
Clearing her throat first, Kate changed the subject to cool her growing desire. "Do you two go to the Opera House much?"
"We do every now and then. Some of our friends who are diehard opera fans have season tickets and we will often take their seats when they can't attend," Connie explained. "Otherwise, we'll go when a big guest star comes through or something special is on."
"How about you Kate. Are you a big opera fan?" Patsy asked as she dished up and served Kate's breakfast.
"This looks fantastic. Thank you," Kate said as she took her first bite. "I always think going to the opera is so romantic. The costumes and sets; the old stories and music; I just love it all."
"Then you're in for a treat as this production of La Boehme is suppose to be stunning," Connie reported. "What's your favourite?"
"As luck would have it, La Boehme," Caroline replied for her since her mouth was full. "Kate speaks Italian but I don't so I'll be glad for the subtitles."
"La Boehme. You say romantic, I say rheumatic," Patsy said to Caroline with a chuckle but her remark went right over Caroline's head.
"Remember Cher's line in Moonstruck? The one that I think made you choke on your popcorn?" Patsy said to jog Caroline's memory. Suddenly the penny dropped and Caroline smiled at Patsy over her teacup as she replied, "Ahh. Coughing up a lung?"
"Yep. That's the one." They shared a laugh while their mates quietly waited to see if more of an explanation would be forthcoming. Without any prompting, Patsy continued, "I dragged her out of the lab one weekend to go see that movie. She was driving me nuts about an experiment that kept failing and I just thought we needed to take a break. I maintain it helped because when we went back to the lab the next morning the formula worked on the first try."
Before they could go any further down memory lane, Flora came back into the kitchen to ask if it was time to go see kangaroos yet.
Once the breakfast dishes were cleared, they loaded Flora into her pushchair and set off to the station to catch a train to the city. As they emerged from the station at Circular Quay, both Caroline and Kate were amazed at the beauty of the harbour as their eyes spanned the bridge, the opera house and the busy yet beautiful waters of the harbour. They strolled to the ferries where they caught one to Darling Harbour; here Flora was able to visit the Aquarium and the Australia Native Zoo, where she was finally able to wander among the tame kangaroos and see koalas and fancy lizards up close.
A zoo volunteer, decked out in a khaki uniform, in the kangaroo area, asked Flora if she knew what a baby kangaroo was called. Suddenly shy, she shook her head no in response. The volunteer explained that a baby kangaroo is called a Joey and Flora started to giggle. Since her mums were with Patsy a few steps behind, she tugged on Connie's shorts to get her to bend down so she could whisper something to her. Connie laughed as she stood back upright. "She just told me that her friend next door is named Joey but he's not a kangaroo."
Although the kangaroos met her expectations, Flora instantly fell in love with the Koalas. She wanted to cuddle one but another volunteer in a matching khaki uniform explained to her that for the safety of the tiny bears no one was allowed to touch them. She offered to escort her to the area where she could get close enough to have her picture taken with one. Connie instantly recognised that Flora didn't seem at all shy interacting with the second volunteer and decided it was because she understood she was a helpful and safe adult; she marvelled at how bright and curious Flora was for a three year old.
A short time later, Flora giggled and screamed as she scratched the back of a turtle that emerged from a shallow petting pool on their way to watch the seal show. After a late, waterside lunch, they caught the ferry back to the city.
Connie came alongside Kate as Caroline and Patsy strode ahead with a now sleeping Flora. "I can't tell you how happy we are that you came all this way, especially with a little one in tow. It means the world to Pats that Caroline is here."
"Well, it was the impetus we needed to do something special; and Caroline is equally as excited about having time with you both. I think she and Pats have a lot to reminisce about and I'm loving hearing their stories."
A couple of hours later and after shopping at David Jones, where Caroline picked up some much needed hand cream and Kate bought a dress to wear to the opera, they made their way back to the house in time for drinks and nibbles on the terrace.