A/N: PLEASE READ
There are two conversations happening simultaneously here so I put a series of XXXXX's between them so you know when the scene changes. This way you can see reactions of different characters without having to read the same thing twice.
There is an epilogue after this, a short one, but technically this is the last chapter. I really enjoyed writing this one and am going to miss it, but it has to end sometime. This may also be the last story I post to this site since it seems like my work doesn't get as much attention here as it does in other places and posting here is kind of a headache. We'll see, maybe I'll change my mind. Anyway, hope you enjoy.
Rose sniffed and silently stared out the car window as James drove them home. "They're never going to speak to me again," she said finally.
"Sure they will," he declared confidently, "once they get over the initial shock, they'll come around."
"I suppose," Rose sighed and turned toward him, "I was hoping to do things a little nicer, you know? Like over dinner while we explain our story first, then we tell them. Not like today, having it thrown in their faces by some mad man."
James laughed at her description.
Not seeing the humor in her words, Rose asked, "who was he anyway?"
"Dr. Tucker, our hospital administrator."
"He's so eccentric," Rose recalled looking puzzled, "how did he know about everything that was going on, did you tell him about us?"
"The only conversations we've had were loud ones," James admitted, "and usually about patient care or equipment. I never told him anything about my personal life, or anyone else for that matter. I guess he's paying more attention than I give him credit for."
"Is he always like that?"
"Nah," James shook his head then smirked at her, "sometimes he can be rude."
Rose laughed which eased a bit of their tension.
"Why don't we order some food," James suggested, "then just stay in for the night and try to unwind a little."
"I'd like that," Rose smiled, although her eyes still revealed a bit of sadness.
Rory was napping on the sofa when Amy stormed into his flat, slamming the door behind her. Rory leapt up shouting, until he realized it was Amy.
Amy stared at him fiercely, stomped into the kitchen, and grabbed a bottle of water. She took a drink, easing her parched throat, then stomped back into the living room and looked back at Rory who was watching her oddly.
"Well…" she snapped irritably.
Rory didn't know what was going on or what he was supposed to say, he started thinking back on his day, wondering what he had done to make her mad. Baffled, he simply muttered, "uhh.."
"Aren't you going to ask what's wrong," she barked, it wasn't a question, but a demand.
"Oh," Rory perked slightly, "what is it?"
"Rose and James, that's what," she shouted, then took another drink and began pacing furiously.
"Rose and James," Rory's brows drew together in confusion, wondering what she was talking about, "what did they do?"
"Each other," Amy snapped back.
Rory was still in the dark on this one, "huh?"
Amy stopped pacing and groaned irritably, "for two months, as we were trying to plan our wedding around James and Rose's constant fighting, they've been sleeping together. She's even been staying at his flat! Remember how I've been trying to figure out who that was, well it's Rose!"
Rory appeared passive, "oh…"
"Oh," Amy asked, "that's all you have to say. They've been sneaking around, lying to us about it, and all you have to say is, oh?"
Rory didn't say anything else and just stared dumbly, with his jaw hanging open as if about to speak, but he didn't know what to say.
"How are you not upset," Amy cried out in annoyance, "when I heard, I was furious, and then, well…poor Jackie…"
Rory swallowed nervously, "I know, but...I mean…she had been visiting him a lot."
"What," Amy stared back, "you never told me about that."
"I thought they were doing it for us…for our wedding," Rory admitted, "but they did seem to be getting along really well and then…" he stopped when he saw Amy growing more upset.
"Then what," Amy urged him to continue.
"Adam mentioned something one time about Rose cheating on him with James," he watched Amy's eyes growing wider and he quickly explained, "but, he has been caught lying quite a lot lately and he sensed Rose was going to break up with him. I just assumed he was trying to cause problems again. He tends to do that when he wants to take the focus off himself, so he doesn't get in trouble."
"Why haven't you mentioned this before," Amy asked.
"I didn't want to stress you out over nothing," Rory admitted apologetically, "I thought it was another one of Adam's crazy stories." He took the bottle of water from Amy's hand and put it aside. He wrapped his arms around her waist, "I'm sorry, but I honestly didn't believe it, and I didn't think it was worth mentioning."
Amy sighed and buried her face in the crook of his neck, "why didn't they say something sooner, what made them wait this long?"
Rory stroked her back soothingly, "I don't know, did you ask them?"
"No," Amy said, "not with all the yelling going on, then Jackie ran off and I just couldn't look at them anymore."
"You know you're going to have to face them eventually and ask them why they did what they did," Rory pointed out.
Amy sighed a long sigh, "I know."
"And really," Rory proclaimed, grasping Amy's shoulders, and attempting to hype her up, "if you think about it. Your cousin and your best friend…two people you love…together. Shouldn't you be happy? Happy there is no more fighting and…" he stopped talking when Amy didn't look so pleased, "or not… "
It was just after eight in the morning when James woke up. Rose didn't sleep much so in turn, he didn't sleep much. The majority of their evening was quiet as they relaxed together on the sofa, but once they went to bed, Rose became restless and she didn't settle down until the early hours of the morning when exhaustion claimed her.
Despite his lack of sleep, James's internal clock worked perfectly, and now he was wide awake. Eventually, he got up, got dressed, and ate breakfast, leaving Rose alone to sleep since it was a holiday. He assumed she would probably be asleep for a while and, unlike him, she could sleep for hours.
He thought about the previous day, wondering how they were going to approach everyone and wondered who to talk to first. Amy would probably be easier, although she feels betrayed by each of them, she at least didn't hate him.
Jackie, however, she still despised him, just as Rose had at one time. She accused him of having some sort of ulterior motive, unable to believe they could actually be happy.
He couldn't blame her, why should she suddenly trust him? It took several weeks for Rose to realize that he was a better man and, even when she began to realize it, she didn't fully trust herself.
Then he had an idea, possibly a terrible idea, but it was the best idea he had. He went into the bedroom, checked on Rose who was still sleeping deeply, then headed to the kitchen and wrote her a note before grabbing his keys and leaving.
Jackie may not believe Rose, especially if she really believes he's controlling her in some way. Which is why he decided to face her alone. Rose will probably be angry with him, but he wanted Jackie to see how serious he was and how much he cared about her daughter.
He reached the estate within minutes, and as he approached her flat, he began to second guess himself. He told himself this was a bad idea and wanted nothing more than to run, but he fought that urge and immediately knocked before he could change his mind. It was silent within the flat and he couldn't help but feel a little relieved. Then he heard approaching footsteps and a lump formed in his throat.
Jackie opened the door, still wearing her dressing gown, and took one look at him before attempting to slam the door.
James managed to stop the door with his boot before it closed. He didn't mean to do that, it was just instinct, but Jackie pulled the door open again and was now piercing him with her intense glare. He took a step backward and apologized quietly, "…sorry."
"Sorry for what," Jackie snapped, "kicking my door or shagging my daughter?"
"The door," he blurted out, "and I'm not…it's not…"
"Oh please," Jackie retorted, "you're trying to tell me you're not?"
"It's not what you think, I mean…not that…" James stopped his rambling, "can we just talk?"
Mickey came out of his flat when he heard Jackie yelling and noticed James standing there with her. He jogged over, "what's going on?" He stopped beside Jackie and stared accusingly at James.
Jackie crossed her arms, "remember how you mentioned this one trying to move in on Rose? Turns out he's been shagging her this whole time."
James sighed, "that's not what this is about."
Mickey gulped and looked at Jackie before sheepishly stepping away, "yeah…Rose told me a couple of days ago."
Jackie's jaw dropped when she heard this, "so everyone knew but me? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Rose made me promise not to tell," Mickey replied, "she said she was going to tell you."
She stared at Mickey in shock, "and you're ok with this?"
"No," Mickey answered truthfully, "well, I mean, I told Rose I could maybe learn to accept it."
"Accept it," Jackie asked, "how are you supposed to accept it?"
"Because I trust her," Mickey admitted, "and I think she actually cares about him." He gave James a slight glance then looked down at his feet and let out a long breath.
Jackie looked horrified and didn't know what to say next, or who to say it to.
After what felt like an eternity of silence, James pleaded, "can you please let me explain?"
Rose woke to the sound of knocking at the front door. She blinked her eyes open and saw that James was gone. The knocking continued so she got up, put on her dressing gown, and headed to the door. She looked around for James, who was nowhere to be found, then opened the door. To her surprise, it was Amy, and she was staring back at Rose just as surprised, if not more.
"Sorry," Amy snapped out of her daze, "I was just at your flat, but you weren't there…and then I figured…" Amy rubbed her eyes and grumbled, "god, this is so weird."
"I was going to call you," Rose said as she let Amy inside, "but we decided we should wait until today. Just to let everyone calm down."
"We decided…" Amy scoffed as she repeated Rose's words, looking bewildered. "You do realize how strange that sounds, right?"
Rose's shoulders rose up and dropped in a lazy manner, "not so much anymore."
"Well, let me tell you," Amy's voice began to rise, "from my perspective, it's really fucking weird! It wasn't even a year ago that you hated him so much, you didn't want him on the same planet as you, and suddenly I have to just accept the fact that you two are some sort of…COUPLE!" She paused and stared at Rose's clothing beneath her dressing gown and complained rudely, "don't you wear any of your own clothes anymore?"
Rose looked down at the t-shirt she was wearing and rolled her eyes before tightening her dressing gown.
"Sorry," Amy finally whispered, "this is going to take some getting used to."
"I know," Rose nodded, "and I swear, we were just about to tell you."
Amy could see the sincerity in her eyes and mumbled, "ok, fine." It wasn't fine, but yelling was getting them nowhere, so she forced herself to remain calm, "but why two months?"
"It's kind of a long story," Rose admitted.
Amy crossed over to the sofa and planted herself at one end, "I've got time," she told Rose assertively.
Rose shuffled over and sat beside Amy, then stared at her hands as she wondered where to start. The beginning, probably, she told herself, so that's what she did, "remember that day James came to talk to my class?" Her brows furrowed, "wait…it was before that…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jackie poured some tea for herself and Mickey, leaving James to make his own. As she sat down at the table she muttered, "I can't believe I'm even listening to this." She scowled at James as he sat across from her, then demanded he get started, "go on then."
James felt completely out of place, he's not one for sitting with family while having tea and talking about things of this nature, then he remembered why he was doing this and started talking. "First, Rose feels terrible about how yesterday turned out."
"Not as terrible as I do," Jackie replied.
James ignored her comment, "and I agree that she should have said something sooner, but she was confused."
"Of course she was confused," Jackie interrupted, "she knows this is wrong and doesn't know how she got stuck in this mess."
"Jackie," Mickey nudged her, "can you just let him talk, I kind of want to hear his side of the story too."
"Fine," Jackie grumbled and looked back at James with cold eyes.
James ignored her stare, took a deep breath, and resumed the story.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Wait," Amy stopped Rose after the bit about James having chips with her after speaking to her students, "so that day when I called, and you got upset with me for asking if you knew where he was, he was there with you the entire time?"
"I didn't know how to explain myself," Rose told her, "I wasn't supposed to get along with him. I promised myself I wouldn't, but I sort of did and before I knew it we were laughing and having a good time. Then, as we were leaving, he gave me his phone number, and later that night we were texting each other."
"So, you start texting and then you're having sex," Amy presumed.
"No," Rose corrected her, "that was only the beginning."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"So, you WERE pursuing her," Jackie roared accusingly, after James mentioned stopping by Rose's class to lend her his book.
"No," James quickly corrected her, but then he thought back on how nervous he was that day and made a confused face. "At least that's what I told myself. I guess I just wanted to keep talking with her now that we were getting along, just to keep things friendly between us."
"Hmm," Jackie hummed critically as she took a sip of her tea.
"That was it," he added, sensing her skepticism. "If she ignored me after that, I would have left her alone, but then she texted me again that night…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"So, that's how he ended up with a cat," Amy said as she stroked Stormy's head. The cat was warming up to her, but still sat on Rose's lap protectively.
"Yeah," Rose smiled down at him, "he was so tiny you could hold him in the palm of your hand."
"Is that when you two…" Amy asked intrigued.
"No," Rose groaned, "I keep telling you it didn't happen that quickly. At that time, I was still telling myself that I was being ridiculous. Only I found myself thinking about him constantly and the following day I was at the shop, looking for cat toys to bring by…for the new kitten."
"Why didn't you mention it to me then," Amy asked. "If you were thinking about him that much and talking to him, why didn't you just say so?"
Rose sighed and slumped back against the sofa, "I know it doesn't make sense, but I didn't know what to make of it myself. I felt like a hypocrite, especially after I was just with you the day before, pretending I couldn't stand him."
Amy sighed, disapprovingly, "fine, so bought the cat some toys, then what?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Rose can't cook," Mickey laughed, then shut up when Jackie glared at him, "sorry."
James smirked, "that's what she told me, so I encouraged her to help me while I made dinner."
"Is that your trick," Jackie asked, "entice her with a kitten and dinner, then you seduce her until she goes to bed with you?"
"No," James said back sternly, "I was not seducing her, I honestly enjoyed talking to her. Which is all we did for the rest of the evening. Before she went home."
He was losing patience with Jackie and her constant interruptions, but he did his best not to let it bother him to much. When it appeared that she settled down, he continued, "the next time I saw her was at the hospital, waiting to be seen…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Is that why you were so quiet at lunch that day," Amy asked, "I thought it was just because you were sore from the injury and worried about the stitches."
"A little bit of both, I suppose," Rose admitted. "That's when I really began panicking because I noticed this way he looked at me, and I liked it. Then all I wanted was to see him again. I guess that's why I agreed to go on that date with Adam."
"Oh," Amy muttered when she remembered roping Rose into that date, "I'm so sorry about that."
Rose shrugged, "it's fine, I should have just said no then, but I wanted a distraction from James. Thinking if this date went well I would get over him and forget about all this madness."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"She invited you out," Jackie stared at him inquisitively, "are you sure you didn't insist in some way that she meet up with you?"
James shook his head, "she called me that morning and mentioned where she was going, asking if I would be there. Then she mentioned how she hated being out alone and I realized she was asking me to come along, so I decided to stop by."
James began speaking faster when he noticed Jackie was about to interrupt, "when I got there, she told me she was shopping for a date, but instead of shopping she dragged me away to play paintball with her. Then her students showed up and…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"You didn't…" Amy gasped, and her eyes grew three times wider, "YOU…kissed…HIM?"
Rose laughed, "I know, I just went for it. He seemed surprised too, but then he started kissing me back."
"Well, finally," Amy cried out as she tossed her hands in the air jubilantly. "Sorry, go on."
Rose chuckled, "so, halfway through the kiss I…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"What," Jackie leapt from her chair, "you want me to believe she just suddenly started kissing you?"
"If you ask Rose for her side of the story, she would tell you the exact same thing," James responded. "I did nothing to prompt it and to be honest, she surprised me."
"And I assume you did nothing to stop her," Jackie snapped, disapprovingly.
"Well, no," James said honestly, "but, she was still in complete control, even when she began to…" his face paled and the room fell silent.
Jackie looked mortified, "no she didn't…"
James cleared his throat, "anyway, I didn't hear from her after that and then I saw her at the hospital, eating lunch with Adam. I figured she didn't want anything to do with me anymore, so I decided to leave her alone and let her be happy. I didn't see her for several days and I assumed that was it for us, then she showed up at my flat. I thought she wanted to talk about what happened between us, which we did, but then…" he paused and rubbed his neck uncomfortably.
He took a deep breath, and pressed forward, avoiding eye contact with Jackie, "Then a few days after that, she showed up at the hospital…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Amy stopped her after Rose finished telling her about the third night spent with James, "are you saying that you kept going back to him, but you were still doubting yourself, and you wouldn't talk to me about it?"
Rose sighed, "I didn't tell anyone about it, even a friend at work who doesn't know anyone involved has no idea about this. It was then when I decided to stop seeing him, texting him, or talking to him. I thought avoiding him would stop me from falling for him again, but it turned out to be the hardest two weeks of my life. He would call, and I would have to fight the urge to answer it, then he texted and I would delete the message before I could read it."
Rose teared up at the memory and Amy rubbed her shoulder, "I wish I could have helped you through this, maybe I would have talked some sense into you."
"Yeah," Rose sniffed, "but James found me first and confronted me…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"See," Jackie countered, "you corner her and intimidate her until she agrees to start seeing you again?"
James' slammed his fist down, "I didn't intimidate her or force her to do anything!" He pulled his hand back and cursed himself for his outburst, then he took a deep breath and spoke calmly, "I just pointed out what was really going on, then let her know I would wait until she was ready. I had no idea she would take as long as she did, but I did keep my promise to her."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"That's when I tried getting rid of Adam. Then mum found out about him and I had to sit with them, pretending we'd been dating that whole time when really it was James I was with." Rose groaned, "he knew I was trying to end it and made it impossible. So, the next time I tried was at the hospital, where I saw James with Lynda and he saw me with Adam. I was so distracted by some rumor Adam made up about them that I forgot what I was there for."
"Yeah, Rory mentioned he would do that," Amy grumbled.
"We didn't see each other again until Rory's party the following day." Rose huffed, "that's where he showed up with Lynda and then saw me with Adam, making the whole situation worse."
"Which is why you two were shooting each other dirty looks all night," Amy asked.
"I didn't realize anyone noticed," Rose smirked. "I finally confronted him later that night when I saw him headed upstairs to use the bathroom. That's we realized it was a big misunderstanding. Of course, James was still upset that Adam was the cause of it all and really didn't like seeing him anywhere near me."
Amy remembered their long disappearance that night, she just never put two and two together, "wait, you two didn't…" She noticed the reddening of Rose's cheeks mixed with the guilt in her eyes and cried out in shock, "at the party? In my parent's house?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"So, your friends get to find out before her own mum," Jackie argued, after James told her the story about the night Rose met Jack.
"Only because we got caught," James explained, but Jackie didn't fully accept his excuse. "My friend Jack warned us that the longer we waited, the harder it would be, and he told me that if I didn't persuade her to do it soon that it would all blow up in our faces. Which is basically what happened the other day when I saw that hickey on Rose."
"And that's when I found out," Mickey added and began telling Jackie his part of the story.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"That explains his behavior when he showed up at our lunch the other day," Amy realized, "as well as yours." Then she appeared to get a little upset, "and Mickey gets to find out before me?"
"I didn't plan it that way," Rose tried assuring her, "it's just how things went."
Although still annoyed by the fact that Mickey was in on it first, Amy then asked, "so how did you find him?"
"I didn't," Rose told her, "after several attempts at calling him and not finding him at the hospital, I decided to just wait for him at home…his home," Rose quickly corrected herself.
"Wait," Amy stopped her, "are you living here…with him?"
"No," Rose told her honestly, "I just stay here…a lot…and I have a key…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"And that's it," James said as he reached the end. "We laid it all out, she explained what happened, and she told me that she didn't want to hide this anymore. So, yes, we were just about to tell you," he repeated. "There was just one last thing…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"…I needed to deal with Adam first," Rose said at the end of her story. "After speaking with you and my mum I went to the hospital to make sure he knew things were over, and James hung toward the back to be sure he understood completely. Then you two showed up and, well, you know the rest."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Both Amy and Jackie needed a moment to let the entirety of the story sink in, both feeling overwhelmed. Although still feeling cross, Amy somewhat understood Rose's actions while Jackie didn't appear to feel any better about any of it.
Jackie looked at Mickey who seemed passive then looked at James, "you expect me to just forget everything and be happy for you?"
"No," James told her simply. "I didn't expect Rose to ever forgive me either, maybe she hasn't, but over time she learned to separate the past from the present."
Jackie grunted and leaned back in her chair as she crossed her arms. He could feel the judgement in her stare when she asked, "do you love her?"
James' smile lit up his face and he replied without question, "absolutely."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Do you love him," Amy asked.
Rose smiled and hid her face shyly, she peered back at her with bright eyes, "yes."
Amy grabbed her and hugged her, partially crying and partially laughing, "you do realize it would have been so much easier coming to us sooner. Rather than going through all that mess?"
"I know," Rose breathed, "I just wish I knew that back then."
Amy pulled back and wiped a tear from her eye, "I think I need some tea."
"Me too," Rose stood up and headed to the kitchen as Amy followed.
Amy glanced around, "where is my cousin anyway?"
"I don't know," Rose sounded confused as she filled the kettle, "he was already gone when I woke up to your knocking. Then you began yelling, and I didn't stop to think about it."
Amy leaned her hip against the counter and glanced over, seeing the note James had left, "uh oh."
Rose turned to her, "what?" She took the note and felt her heart stop, "oh shit."
Rose was dressed within moments and they rushed out of the flat to Amy's car and sped off. When they reached the estate, they saw James' car parked outside, and Rose raced upstairs as Amy tried to keep up.
Rose expected to hear yelling, or worse, breaking dishes as she approached. Instead it was eerily quiet when she rushed through the door and was relieved to see James sitting calmly at the table with her mum and Mickey.
Jackie looked up and Rose, obviously disappointed, "tell me you aren't being serious."
Rose looked up at James and shared a quiet hello, then back to her mum, "I can't."
Silently, Jackie stood up and brushed past Rose as she headed toward her bedroom.
Rose rolled her eyes and followed her, "mum, you need to stop and just listen to me."
"About what," Jackie argued, "he told me your whole story, bragging about how he convinced you to keep crawling back to him."
"I wasn't crawling back," Rose argued, "and he didn't convince me to do anything. I wanted to be with him, just like he wanted to be with me."
"I know," Jackie said, "he said that too, now he thinks he's in love with you."
"Because he is, and I love him too," Rose grabbed Jackie's shoulders and turned her to meet her eyes, "Mum, I know you don't want to believe it, but it's true. You can be mad at me all you want, but don't blame him for any of this."
Jackie had no words, she just sunk down onto her mattress and looked at her daughter who, she realized, was a fully grown adult and not the little girl who came running to her every time she was hurt. Rose had accomplished so much more than she did at her age, and she experienced her share of heartache as well.
Jackie sighed, "don't expect me to be thrilled about it, but like Mickey said, I can learn to accept it."
Rose sat down beside her and took her hand, "that's all we want. I knew this would be hard for you to understand, and that's why it was so hard to tell you, but just know we're happy and I'm going to be ok."
"I know you will," Jackie sighed unhappily, but tried to smile despite her doubts. She nudged Rose, "go on then, I'll be out there in a minute to make breakfast."
Rose smiled and got up, as she headed out of the room Jackie called out, "tell him he's washing dishes after."
Rose left the room giggling and went back to the kitchen to find James chatting with Amy and Mickey, who seemed to be in better spirits. James stood up when Rose entered, and she walked into his arms.
"Everything alright," he asked her quietly.
"It will be," Rose grinned and raised up on her toes to kiss him.
"That's so… strange," Amy announced loudly. She looked at Mickey, "I'm seeing it, and I still don't believe it."
"Maybe we can be a little more convincing," James said and dipped Rose back in a much deeper kiss.
Jackie walked in, seeing the display, and groaned out, "will you cut it out, you don't have to keep trying to prove it to us." She shuffled in and looked around at everyone in the kitchen, "now if you don't mind," she waved them away, "I need some room to cook breakfast."
Rose pulled James toward the living room as Amy and Mickey followed. He glanced back toward the kitchen, "so now what?"
"We wait for breakfast," Rose told him and smiled, "then you get to clean up after."
"Ah..." James nodded, then he looked in at Jackie who appeared to be using every dish possible to make breakfast. He groaned in annoyance, but if this is what he had to deal with from now on, he would do it.
"An entire plate for one biscuit," James complained to Rose as he washed dish after dish, following their unusually large breakfast, "and did you see how she would get a new mug every time someone refilled their tea?"
Rose giggled as she dried dishes beside him, "at least she started referring to you by your name, instead of himself or that one. Plus, she didn't poison your food."
"That we know of yet," James responded lightheartedly, "it'll be hours before we know for sure."
Rose laughed and rested her head against his shoulder. He glanced down at her, kissed the top of her head gently, and whispered loving words to her that only she could hear.
"So, what's your take on all of this," Mickey asked Jackie as she watched them from the other room.
Jackie took a deep breath, "I suppose I can't be too upset if he makes her that happy."
"Yeah," Mickey sighed in agreement, "it'll take a while to get used to, but Martha says he's a good bloke."
Jackie glanced toward Mickey, taking her eyes off the pair for just a moment, when she heard James yell. Her head snapped back to them and she saw Rose had taken the spray nozzle and turned it on James. She was now soaking him as well as flooding the kitchen.
"For Pete's sake," Jackie cried out and rushed into the room to stop them, only to have Rose turn the spray on her as well.