"Why did you give them the address, Frey?" Hannah demanded, stamping up the stairs and leaving her younger sister staring at her from her position just inside the front door of the farmhouse. "Why the fuck did you give them the fucking address?"
"Hannah!" Jo shouted irritably from the kitchen, hearing her girlfriend's voice clearly from the floor above.
They had received a call, half an hour previously, to let them know that Sharon, Anthony and Sarah were about an hour's drive away from them. Hannah had immediately begun stamping around the house in a foul mood snapping at everyone who came into contact with her. Her mood had plummeted further when Freya and Alex had arrived and informed her that they had told the women's mother and grandparents to head straight for the farmhouse.
Jo was completely aware that her girlfriend's temper stemmed from her worry about what would happen when her estranged family arrived. Hannah's defences immediately rose the second any of the Hoylands were mentioned in her earshot, although Jo was sure that if they all gave it a chance, they could make their relationship work.
"Mum?" The brunette smiled down at Molly, who was frowning up at her. "Why does Mama get so angry with Nan?"
"It's not your Nan that she's angry with, sweetheart, it's her parents. You remember Anthony and Sarah, right?" When the nine-year-old nodded, Jo lifted her to sit on the kitchen cabinet, keeping her hands on the little girl's waist to steady her. "They're just very different to your Mum. She's stressed with this new case we've got… She'll be OK."
"Why do they have to come if they're horrible?" Molly muttered with a scowl. "Grandma and Granddad are coming; we don't need any more old people."
With a laugh, Jo tapped her nose gently. "Don't you let them hear you calling them old." She warned, winking at the little girl. Then her face grew serious. "But try your best to be polite to them, lovely. For me?"
With a theatrical sigh, Molly nodded. "I suppose I can try, Mum."
"That's my girl." The brunette said, kissing her on her forehead and swinging her down to the ground. "Go and make sure your brothers and sisters aren't causing too much chaos… I wouldn't want your Mum to actually explode with anger."
Jo chuckled as Molly skipped away, before heading up the stairs in search of her girlfriend. Hannah was nowhere to be found in their bedroom, or indeed any of the bedrooms on the upper floors. Catching sight of her reflection in the mirror, Jo quickly changed and ran a brush through her hair to make herself look more presentable. It might not help much, but it wouldn't hurt.
With only five minutes before the Hoylands' estimated time of arrival hit, the brunette made her way back downstairs to continue her search for her girlfriend.
She eventually found Hannah sitting out in the garden, her knees pulled up to her chest and her cheek resting on them as she stared at the tree in front of her. The brunette sighed and settled herself next to the younger woman, leaning back against the fence and tilting her head back to catch the warmth of the sun.
"Why does so much go wrong for us?" Hannah asked softly after a long silence. "Why do we spend our time being threatened and kidnapped and slap bang in the middle of fights?"
Shrugging, Jo kept her gaze fixed straight ahead of them. "It keeps things interesting, doesn't it?"
"I don't want interesting all the time. Sometimes I just want calm. We couldn't even do a holiday without something going wrong."
"You were the one who pushed to get us on the case, babe."
Hannah exhaled sharply. "I know. I'm sorry."
Turning, Jo fixed her with a sharp gaze. "You have nothing to apologise for."
"They're my family. I persuaded you to get involved in this case–"
"Babe, I was involved in this case from the beginning. My ex-girlfriend was the getaway driver in an armed robbery in the tiniest village I have ever been to, apparently just because we are here."
Reaching for Jo's hand, Hannah linked their fingers, examining them closely. Raising their joined hands, she pressed her lips gently to her girlfriend's knuckles and kissed them softly. "Whatever happens I need you to remember I love you, OK?"
"I love you too, Han." Jo replied sincerely.
Nodding, the red-head climbed to her feet and pulled Jo up as well. "Come on. Let's get this over and done with."
"You promised Freya you'd be calm and polite, remember?" The brunette said with a smirk.
Hannah snorted. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
She yanked on her girlfriend's hand and pulled her closer, pressing her lips firmly against Jo's and kissing her soundly. Moving her hands down, Hannah squeezed the older woman's bum with both hands, grinning as they pulled apart.
"How d'you reckon they'd react if they saw me do that?" She asked innocently.
Jo rolled her eyes. "Don't even try it, babe, you'd probably cause a riot."
"It'd so be worth it."
The two women headed back to the house, swinging their joined hands between them. When they let themselves in through the back door and into the kitchen, they could hear voices from the hallway and Hannah's lip curled instantly into a hostile sneer.
"Breathe." Jo advised with a soft smile.
Hannah muttered something indistinguishable under her breath, before pushing the kitchen door open more violently than was necessary. She stamped into the hallway, coming to an abrupt halt at the sight of so many people filling the small space.
Freya, Ellie and Jen were talking to Sharon and Ian, who were cooing to Dylan and Finn, who were being bounced in the latter young women's arms. Max and Rach were talking to Liam, who seemed slightly disinterested by the whole thing. Anthony and Sarah were speaking to their younger great-grandchildren, who looked as though they'd rather be anywhere else.
As soon as their presence was noticed, Caitlyn pulled her hand out of Sarah's and launched herself at Jo's legs. The brunette swung her onto her hip easily, stepping forward to greet their visitors. She took no notice of the scowls that immediately settled over the elder couple's faces, smiling warmly at Hannah's mother and step-father instead.
"Hi," she greeted them warmly, "how was the drive?"
"Long." Sharon replied with a grin, leaning forwards and kissing her on her cheek. "Any chance of a cuppa?"
Nodding, Jo led the way into the kitchen and put the kettle on. With Caitlyn still clamped to her side, almost like a security blanket, she leant against the cabinets and shot a warning glare at her girlfriend, who seemed to be fighting down the urge to comment on the way her grandparents were looking at Jo.
Everyone piled into the kitchen, as though scared they'd miss something if Hannah kicked off. The red-head could feel all eyes on her as she busied herself lifting mugs out of the top cupboard and lining them up along on counter. Almost as though they were performing a well-rehearsed dance, Jo and Hannah set about making the tea and coffee.
Even before they turned around, the two women felt the piercing gaze of Hannah's grandparents on the backs of their heads. When they did turn, they saw the elderly couple seated side-by-side on the other side of the table, both of them clasping their hands together on the surface in front of them.
Sharon and Ian were sitting together at the far end, the woman smiling gently at Molly who was standing between their chairs and chatting nonstop. Fin was sitting on his grandmother's lap, plucking at the brightly coloured string of beads she was wearing around her neck. After a few moments, Dylan left the protection of his mother's side and wandered across to them, clambering into his step-great-grandfather's lap and beginning to question him about a wide range of topics.
Liam was leaning against the wall beside Max, trying to hide the fact that he almost hero-worshiped his older brother. Theo was standing with them too, listening to their conversation and chipping in every now and again.
"Alright?" Ellie muttered, moving to stand beside Hannah and picking up a couple of mugs for herself and Freya.
"Keep calm." Jen advised with a grin, joining them and taking another two mugs for herself and Rachel. "But if you can't… we've got your back." She joked, before scuttling away when she was fixed by a pair of unimpressed looks.