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As Jac closed the front door she could hear Julia practicing for her grade seven piano exam in the living room. She closed her eyes for a moment and listened, allowing herself to feel the gratitude she held towards the family she had built together with Jonny. Today it was another anniversary of Amelia's death. Yet another year had somehow sneaked by and whilst the grief had become easier, it was still the hardest day of the year for her. Her girls and her husband had allowed to her the space to carry on exactly as she wished on this date, not asking or expecting too much from her. Jac kicked off her shoes and hung up her coat before walking down to her office to deposit her bag into her study. She paused for a moment to look at the photograph of Amelia on her desk. 'Still missing you little one' she whispered as she gently pushed the frame a millimeter to the left, realigning it to its usual position after the cleaner had moved it slightly whilst dusting. Jac walked back out of her study and down the hall to the kitchen where her husband was preparing dinner.

'Hey you' he smiled at her as he looked up from the saucepan he was stirring.

Jac walked over to her husband and snaked her arms around his waist and rested her head against his back. 'Thank you for the tea light candle' she spoke softly.

'I thought that was you?' Jonny frowned 'it was there when I went down to her plaque to lay flowers before I left. I saw your flowers and assumed you'd left the candle as well.'

'Nope not me' Jac mumbled as she breathed in the scent of her husband's clean t-shirt. 'Maybe it was Mo?'

'I reckon it was Mo' Jonny nodded as he continued to stir the white sauce for the fish pie. 'It's the exactly the thoughtful sort of thing she would do.'

'Where's Ava?' Jac asked as she released her hold on her husband, intending to get showered before dinner.

'Upstairs supposedly doing homework but is probably skyping Markus' Jonny chuckled. He looked up as Jac reached the door 'Jac?' he smiled as she looked over to him 'I love you too.' She gave him a little one dimpled smile in return.

Jac crept quietly up the stairs towards Ava's bedroom trying to be as stealth like as possible. She could hear Ava chatting away to Markus oblivious to her return home. 'Interesting way to study' Jac spoke pointedly as she leaned against the doorframe to her daughter's room. She arched an eyebrow as Ava looked up from her laptop screen.

'I finished my homework first' Ava smiled guilty.

'Hi Jac' Markus called out from the computer.

'Bye Markus' Jac replied loudly. She could hear him laughing before he disconnected the call. 'I thought we had an agreement that until your exams are over school nights are Markus free?'

'It was only a quick skype' Ava pouted.

'Once you two get wittering on a quick skype becomes a two hour long nonsensical tête-à-tête' Jac rolled her eyes.

'You and Uncle Jonny are the same' Ava crossed her arms defiantly 'yesterday you spoke for twenty minutes about fire alarms.'

'Uncle Jonny and I are married, adults, already in successful careers, not studying for exams' Jac ticked off her points on her fingers. 'You Markus will have loads of time together over the summer.'

'Yeah because you and Amanda won't be finding reasons to keep us apart' Ava tipped her head knowingly.

'So sue us for caring' Jac narrowed her eyes 'one day you will thank me for my excellent parenting.'

'I guess when I'm a world famous artist I probably will' Ava sighed dramatically. 'This heartache of being kept apart will inspire some of my most emotionally moving work.'

'Yep I'm sure it will' Jac turned on her heal and began walking down the hall towards her own bedroom as she called out 'I want to see your completed homework so books on the kitchen table in fifteen minutes young lady.' She smiled knowingly as she heard Ava scrabbling to get her school bag.

…..

Jac watched as Julia toyed with her food not really eating much. She had been quiet throughout dinner whilst Jonny and Ava chattered about the vegetable patch and a new exhibition starting in one of the local art galleries. 'How was your day Julia?' Jac asked her. Julia shrugged and continued to play with her food. Jac looked across the table at her husband, silently asking him to continue the conversation.

'I always thought my fish pie was a favourite of yours, what's up?' Jonny asked. 'You've been quiet ever since we got home.'

'If you don't talk to us we can't help you to fix it' Jac spoke gently as the silence continued.

'Someone printed of some of the stuff about me from the internet and posted it into my locker' Julia spoke sadly as a tear rolled down her cheek. 'I guess they must have figured out my old name and googled.'

'Who was it?' Ava spoke angrily. Not being the same classes as Julia meant she wasn't always around to protect her. 'And why didn't you say anything?'

'Because I knew you'd get angry and cause a massive scene' Julia's voice shuddered as she tried to keep her emotions in check 'and also because, well, because it's today.'

'Julia it doesn't matter what else is going on, you always tell us okay?' Jac spoke firmly as she gently rubbed Julia's back. 'Yes today is a sad day for me and your Dad but it doesn't mean that we wouldn't be interested in helping you.'

'Did you keep the stuff they'd printed?' Jonny asked gently.

Julia nodded 'it's in my bag.'

'Right then you and me will go to the headmistress first thing in the morning' Jonny decided 'they must have a way of record what the girls are looking at on the PC's at school so they can figure out which little bully did it.'

'I was starting to feel normal, like a normal kid, you know?' Julia sniffed.

'Yeah I know' Jac spoke softly.

'When we find out who did it we'll set Issy on them' Ava joked and was pleased when Julia gave a small laugh.

…..

'Mum?' Julia spoke softly as she watched the reflection of Jac plait her long hair for her in two long French braids. 'Do you think that maybe I shouldn't have starting going to school?'

'When you first said it I thought that it was going to be an unmitigated disaster' Jac spoke honestly as she concentrated on her daughters hair. 'But then I saw you laughing with Amy and two other girls when I went to pick you up about two weeks into the new term. You were stood on the steps and you looked radiant and I thought 'wow she has friends'. When I was your age I had no one in my peer group at all. I was angry all the time and far too clever to understand that behaving superior to everyone wasn't a way to make myself popular. So I lied to myself that I didn't need anyone anyway, I was better on my own. But the truth is I so wished I had some to laugh about the stupid stuff with, to share new music or movies with.'Jac tied a hair tie at the end of the plait and looked up at her daughters reflection. 'So no, I no longer think that you shouldn't have started school, I actually think it's the best decision you've ever made.' She gently squeezed Julia's shoulder as she added 'You're not going to let that one stupid bully stop you from making the most out of it.' She smiled as Julia nodded determinedly.

'Is that why you insisted that Ava went to school? Even though she threw so many tantrums? So she would know how to make friends and stuff?' Julia asked.

'Yep' Jac nodded. 'Ava absolutely needed to learn to how to talk to people her own age and to not be such a bossy little know it all. Honestly when she was five she was almost intolerable.' She smiled as Julia laughed. 'I actually hope that one day she has her own little genius so she can suffer like me and your Dad did.'

'I wish I'd been here then' Julia laughed and then looked sad as she realised that if she had been she never would have had to go through the trauma that had been her childhood.

'Me too' Jac spoke softly. 'You and Ava are both my world, you know that don't you?' she smiled as Julia nodded. 'I wouldn't have had anything but my career without you and your Dad.'

'Do you think that one day I can have the same as you?' Julia asked. 'Like a nice house, a partner, kids and a great job?'

'Sure, you can do anything' Jac nodded. 'You've just got to keep going and never give up.'

'I promise I'll never give up' Julia spoke determinedly as she turned around on the stool to face her mother. 'You and Dad never gave up on me, even when I was a complete mess, and I'm going to repay you by making you proud.'

'You already make us proud' Jac kissed the top of her daughters head. 'How about you do it all just for you? To make yourself happy and proud?' `

'Thank you' Julia suddenly spoke.

'For what?' Jas asked in surprise.

'For everything. For giving me a home and for not letting me self-destruct when I'd wanted to so badly.' Julia bit her bottom lip as she saw Jac was trying not to cry. 'I mean, I guess, just thank you for being a great mum' she finished awkwardly.

'You do know you never actually have to say thank you?' Jac spoke tickly as she fought to compose herself. She hugged her daughter tightly. 'Just be you Julia, that's all we want. Just for you to grow into the beautiful young woman you were always meant to be.' y