To 8Ball3- You guys don't have white mice? It's white chocolate in the shape of mice, I thought they were a universal pick 'n' mix thing! :O IT IS JESSICA'S KID, BAM!

To An-Unnamed-Goose- Blame it on my brother, he does a very good Australian accent :P

To Anonymous Person Lucky 13- Lou is a terrible influence on herself, so... yay XD And of course! Stealing a hairbrush is on par with murder in my house (I've lost five during lockdown :( )

Jessica didn't react straight away. Lizzie glanced to Harvey, hunching her shoulders in silent question- what do I do now? I think she's broken.

"It is her." Harvey assured, pulling Jessica's incredulous stare to him. "I did my thing." He waggled his fingers. "And found her in Australia. For the record, I hate Australia. There was a spider this big," he held his hands up, indicating something the size of a dinner plate, "in the toilet of my hotel room." Louisa snorted, pointing and laughing at him. Harvey raised an eyebrow. "Ooh, you would have loved the snake that came in to breakfast, Lou. It was thiiiiiiissssssss big." He spread his arms as far as he could, standing on his toes for emphasis. Louisa stuck her tongue out and hid behind Jessica's legs.

"How-? Why-? What-?"

"Oh, she's coming back."

"When-? Are you-?" Jessica swallowed dryly. Stuart appeared, touching her elbow gently and returning her slushie to her. It was still rather cold, a little melted, but enough to give her something to concentrate on. She took a few sips, letting the coolness wash down her throat and settle her stomach somewhat. "Thanks." She mumbled, handing it back to him lest she drop it. Stuart nodded once, patting her arm reassuringly. "You're… you're really Elizabeth?"

"Ah." The young woman winced. "I'm just Lizzie."

"Lizzie." Jessica said, testing the name. "Lizzie…" She focused on her face, her hair. That was her hair, those were her eyes. Their face shape was similar, she was easily five foot ten or eleven, rocking nervously on the soles of her feet.

A tug on her hand.

"Are you OK?" Louisa asked.

"I-" Jessica faltered. How did she answer that? Yes? No? Maybe? Send help?

Louisa stared up at her, picking at her lip.

"Bad?" She worried. "Is this bad?" Tears speckled in her eyes, startling Jessica. "Wanted ta do nice thing, not bad!"

"Oh gods." Jessica crouched in front of her, hands on her shoulders. Louisa sniffled and sobbed, dragging her fists across her face. "Lou, it is a nice thing, I promise. I just… I'm surprised, I… I came here for movies and sweets, not- oh, please don't cry, please." Harvey appeared next to her. He picked Louisa up and she clung to him, crying miserably into his shoulder.

"I've got this." He promised, gripping Jessica's elbow to help her up. "You take that one." Jessica gripped his arm, words bubbling in her chest, not quite able to come up. Harvey seemed to understand, smiling. "Anything for you, Jessica." He squeezed her hand and then gave her a kindly, encouraging push towards Lizzie.

Jessica was in half a mind to ask if something extra had been added to her slushie. There was no way- no way- this young woman before her was the baby she had never got to see. Not once, in all these years, no matter how much she had wished for it, did Jessica actually believe she would get to see that baby again.

But here she was. The lost daughter, only located because the found daughter had had an idea.

She stopped within arm's reach of Lizzie, hugging herself. Up close, it was so much more obvious how alike they looked. Lizzie was staring back at her, examining her features too, touching her chin.

"Lizzie suits you." Jessica croaked. The young woman gave a feeble smile.

"Thanks. Um… sorry, Elizabeth was just…" She made a face and Jessica laughed.

"I named you after my nan." Lizzie started at this, eyes widening as she realised how much family there was or could be. Jessica stretched out a hand, her fingers brushing Lizzie's cheek. Tears burned her eyes. "I'm so sorry." She managed. "I- I had no choice, I'm sorry."

"What happened?" Lizzie was starting to cry too, welling up. "I- I did ask him," she gestured at Harvey, "but he said it was better if you told me?" Jessica nodded, biting her lip. She glanced back. Harvey had sat Louisa on the counter. She was still sniffling and teary-eyed, but Harvey and Stuart were chattering away, playing with Halloween decorations, letting her eat her sweets, coaxing a smile out of her. "Is he your boyfriend?" Heat flooded Jessica's face.

"Wh-? No. He's not-" She floundered as Lizzie snickered.

"He came all the way to Australia to find me for you. Anything for you, he said. You'd better make him your boyfriend."

"He's Lou's teacher."

"Oh, love that." Lizzie nodded, wiping her fingers under her eyes. "Is that… do I have a sister?"

"Uh, yes. I guess she would be. I, uh, adopted her a couple of months back." Jessica's hand fell to Lizzie's shoulder. "I never wanted to give you up, never. But I was fifteen. I didn't have a choice."

"My dad-?"

"Oh, don't worry about him. I literally got with him to annoy my mother."

"I'm…" Lizzie blinked. "I'm a spite baby?"

"Well, no- maybe… it's complicated, OK? You'll understand if you meet Mother, but I'm not talking to her at the moment."

"Why?"

"She's a bitch."

"Oh." Lizzie's eyes sparkled. "I sense drama. Do tell."

"Later." Jessica promised. "After I've had a lie down. I… I can't believe you're actually here. But… how were you in Australia?"

"My foster family moved out there."

"Were they nice?"

"They're lovely people. They, um…" Lizzie hesitated. "They actually convinced me to come back with Harvey. I was… scared?" She looked at Jessica worriedly, as if expecting her to shout or protest. "I'm sorry, I… I always wanted to know about you, but… I never thought I would get to, you know?" Jessica nodded, dragging her sleeve across her face. Lizzie wrung her hands and then lunged forward, crashing into Jessica and hugging her tightly.

There was a stunned moment of silence and then Jessica finally let herself hold her daughter for the first time.

Lizzie came back with them. Stuart let Louisa have her sweets for free (and she had eaten most of them anyway, so he couldn't weigh them to price them) and showed them out the door, but not before pumping Lizzie's hand, delighted to meet her. "These two are my best customers!" He beamed. "Best customers!"

Harvey drove. Jessica sat shotgun, still a bit shaky to drive. Louisa sat behind her and Lizzie sat next to her, examining her curiously.

"How old are you?"

"How old are you?" Louisa countered, biting the head off a white mouse. Lizzie raised an eyebrow.

"I'm seventeen."

"Nine."

"Do you… like living with, um, with Mom?" Lizzie said the word carefully, like she had never said it before. It sent a little wriggling sensation about somewhere between Jessica's lungs. She glanced in the rear view mirror to see Louisa nodding, the rest of the chocolate mouse disappearing. Lizzie smiled. "What do you get up to then?"

"Stuff."

"Oh, stuff. I love stuff. Stuff is fun." Louisa eyed her warily.

"Mom, she's weird."

"So are you, Lou."

"But I'm a cool weird. She's weird weird."

"Um, rude." Lizzie protested good-naturedly. "I'm pretty damn awesome, even if I do say so myself." Louisa hummed dubiously and Lizzie tutted. "I don't like your attitude."

"Good." Louisa fished around in her sweet bag, finding a piece of chocolate fudge. She offered it to Lizzie. "Want one?"

"Thank you." She smiled, popping the sweet in her mouth.

"What about you, Lizzie?" Harvey asked. "What do you like to do?"

"Ooh, I like surfing. Nothing competitive though, just fun." Jessica and Harvey exchanged looks. "I swim too. I've got this camera that can go underwater, I take photos of fish and coral and stuff. Can I have another one?" Louisa held the bag out to her. There wasn't much left, but Lizzie had clearly won herself some points with the daughter of Neptune, not even realising. "Can you swim, Lou?"

"Yes. Mom says I'm a fish."

"Oh, really?" Lizzie mused. "Maybe we should go, I could teach you to surf if the waves are good."

"How long are you staying for?" Jessica asked, turning in her seat.

"A few weeks, maybe? I didn't buy a return ticket."

"Why not?"

"I… well, I wanted to travel a bit, so…" Lizzie shrugged.

"I've got three suitcases in my car." Harvey announced. "Hope you can manage all that."

"I'm a strong, independent woman." Lizzie declared, sitting up straighter, proudly.

"Oh, I know someone like that." Harvey laughed, nudging Jessica with his elbow. She smirked at him, facing forward again.

They pulled up outside Jessica's block of flats. Harvey's car was parked outside. He, Jessica and Lizzie all got a suitcase each. Louisa, being the helpful and considerate child that she was, managed to climb her way up onto Lizzie's suitcase and sat on top, looking at her new big sister expectantly. Lizzie extended the suitcase's handle.

"I'm not helping you if you fall off."

"Had worse." Louisa shrugged, peering into her sweet bag. Lizzie raised an eyebrow at Jessica, who shrugged a shoulder- just go with it, it's easier.

Carting the suitcases up the stairs was… fun. Carting the suitcase with a nine-year-old quickly falling into a sugar rush was not fun. "Why are you so tall?" Louisa demanded, sucking sugar off her thumb. "I don't get ta be tall. Stop it."

"You're nine. You'll get taller as you get older."

"What's Australly like?"

"Australia and it's hot."

"Are there really snakes?"

"Yes. Lots of them."

"I ain't goin' there then. Fuck off."

"Lou!" Jessica protested, Lizzie gaping at her. She couldn't help but laugh a little, Louisa making faces at her- their mother. "Oh my gods, you're a brat."

"You're a brat. I'm out of sweets."

"Those were supposed to be for the movie, Lou."

"Do you get sweets in Australly?"

"Yes."

"Do they have snakes?"

"We have snake-shaped sweets, does that count?" Lizzie glanced back. Louisa had turned around on the suitcase, facing forward, her legs swinging through the gap in the extended handle. "Please don't fall. I can just about stick a Band-Aid on, I'm not qualified for anything else." Louisa looked her dead in the eye for a whole two seconds, before crossing her feet at the ankles and flopping back, hanging upside from the top of the suitcase. Lizzie gave a startled little cry, before realising the child was still attached to her luggage. Harvey smiled at her, concealing an amused snicker. Jessica was rolling her eyes. "Is she always like this?"

"No." Jessica sighed. "Sometimes she's worse."

"Can hear you!"

"There's hearing and there's listening, Lou. You never listen."

"Sorry, what?" Louisa asked innocently. Jessica glowered over her shoulder, then at Harvey who was cough-laughing.

"I'm going to kill her."

"Please don't. I can't cover up murders."

"That's lies."

"I'm sorry," Lizzie cut in, mind rattling away with questions about these people and what she had caught up in this time, "but I thought you were a teacher?"

"Uh, yes. I am." Harvey nodded, biting his lip in thought. "It's a long story." He settled with. "Like a very, very, very, very, very, very, very-"

"OK, I get it."

"-very, very, very, very, very, very long story."

"Missed a very." Louisa chimed. "I'm stuck."

"We're nearly there."

They forgot one, itty-bitty pegasus-shaped thing.

Jessica opened the door and woke Storm up from her nap on the rug.

"No!" She slammed the door shut again, whirling round and pressing her back to it. They all stared at her- Louisa, confused; Harvey, a silent oh shit, forgot about that, and Lizzie, who did not remain quiet.

"Are you OK? Do you need, like, a doctor or something?"

"Uh, the place is a mess! We weren't… expecting company?" Jessica laughed nervously, firing help me, help me! looks to Harvey. He did nothing of the sort.

"Uh-huh. Say, where do you keep a horse in a high-rise?" It was her turn to be stared at. "What? It's a large, dark grey thing on your floor. I did see it."

"Don't call her a horse." Louisa advised. "She don't like it."

"Well, what am I supposed to call her then?" Lizzie asked. Louisa started to speak, Harvey and Jessica both frantically shaking their heads.

"Storm." She settled with.

"Storm." Lizzie repeated. "Can I… meet Storm?"

"I don't know. Can you?"

"Oh, you're such a teacher." Lizzie squeezed her way forward. The key was still in the lock and she reached for it. Jessica probably should have stopped her, but she made no effort to, her body not responding to the panic signals her brain was sending out.

Lizzie threw open the door and marched in, hauling her suitcase-and-sister behind her. Louisa dropped from the luggage into a handstand, flipping over to stand. Storm was still on the rug, legs tucked neatly under her, but was staring at them, not appreciating her interrupted nap. She snorted at Lizzie.

Who's that? Why does she look like the scary lady?

"She's Lizzie." Louisa responded. "We found her."

Oh, is that the baby scary lady said about?

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, are you talking to her?"

"Yes." Jessica and Harvey came in, the former cutting a hand across her throat. "Uh…" Louisa's brow furrowed. Why did Jessica want to cut her head off?

Lizzie moved forward to greet the horse, freezing only a few steps away from her. Storm was sniffing the air, ear flicking.

She doesn't have apples. She protested.

"She's got wings." Lizzie breathed. "Why does the horse have wings?"

I'm a pegasus!

"You can see that?" Harvey beamed, eyes sparkling.

"I'm not blind, of course I can see she has wings."

Tell her I'm a pegasus or I'm gonna bite her arm off.

"Storm says she's a pegasus." Louisa decided to leave off that last bit. Lizzie's brain looked like it on overdrive already, she didn't need to know her arm was in danger just yet.

Her new big sister wasn't quite sure who to look at- the small child that could apparently talk to winged horses, the long-lost mother who stood with her head in her hands, the man who was a teacher by occupation and by nature and who was clearly bursting to tell her all sorts, or the pegasus on the rug that was sniffing her sleeve.

Louisa tapped a finger on her chin. "You need ice-cream." Lizzie's shoulders slumped, head spinning.

"Yes please." She agreed meekly. "I do need ice-cream."