"Jayde, please be careful," Emily called out as the girl scampered up one of the tall stools in the hospital cafe. "You already hurt yourself once today, I'm really not in the mood to make a second trip to the ER."

"Moooooom," Jayde groaned, spinning the chair around to shoot Emily a roll of her eyes. "You're badicalous," she said in her best attempt at the word 'ridiculous'.

Emily just laughed. "Just sit still while I get you a hot chocolate," she instructed.

"And cimmnon bun?" Jayde asked, batting her eyes sweetly.

With a little sigh, Emily smiled. "Sure, silly girl."

When she found her way back to Jayde, she was confused to see her chatting animatedly with a grandmotherly woman like they'd known each other for years.

"Mommy!" Jayde squealed, "This my new friend!"

The woman turned, offered Emily a smile. "I'm Fran," she introduced herself. "I was just telling your little cutie pie here how adorable she looks in her Beauty and the Beast dress."

Emily rolled her eyes. "She practically lives in it, to be honest."

Fran nodded. "I raised two daughters, they were the same way."

Then, Derek approached. "Hey, Mama, making friends?" He stopped, though, upon catching sight of Emily. "Oh, hey, Em... What are you doing here?"

For several long moments, Emily looked stricken now that her secret was coming to light. "This little monkey tried to climb a tree, then fell. I thought she might've broken something...luckily, it's just a little sprain. Cost me a night's work, though..."

"Oh!" Fran said with a glance at Derek. "Is this a friend of yours from the bar?"

Emily shot Derek a quizzical look, but could easily read between the lines and she certainly wasn't about to ruin things for him. "Yeah," she agreed, "We work together."

Derek turned to Jayde and said, "Do you mind if I borrow your mommy for a moment?" When Jayde nodded, he gently guided Emily out of earshot. "Why didn't you tell me you had a daughter?" he asked.

She sighed. "I have to be private with Jayde's existence," she said softly. "People have a low enough opinion of strippers as it is, they just assume we're terrible neglectful mothers. I can't risk her being taken from me."

He held up his hands in surrender. "I'm not going to tell anyone, Em, you can trust me." She didn't seem so sure of that. "I've got enough secrets of my own," Derek insisted, "I don't want to make trouble for you or your daughter."

For a few moments, she seemed to weigh his sincerity, ultimately deciding she believed him, offering a grateful smile to prove it. The two of them stared at each other, looking like they both had something to say, but neither was quite sure exactly what it was.

They were saved having to come up with words, though, by Jayde flinging herself against Emily's leg, staring up at her mother with wide adoring eyes. "Mooooooommy," she groaned. "Are you done yet?"

Stroking a hand over her daughter's braided hair, Emily murmured, "Yes, Green Bean. Are you getting bored?"

She shook her head vigorously. "Nope! Fran is fun! She said we should come for dinner!" She tugged on Emily's hand. "Can we go? P'ease?" She worked up her best puppy dog eyes to assist in convincing her.

"I don't know," Emily said slowly, obviously rather embarrassed. "We don't want to intrude, I'm sure Fran is very busy and..."

Fran was quick to insist, "You wouldn't be intruding – I love to cook and I rarely have anyone over to cook for anymore. Not even Derek lately, since he's always working..." She shot him a pointed look which he at least had the decency to shirk away from.

Emily hesitated briefly, still seeming unsure. She exchanged a quick glance with Derek as if asking for his permission. He nodded once, knowing how happy it would make his mother to have the little girl over, filling the house with her laughter and little footsteps.

Fran's house was nothing like the numerous places Emily had lived over the course of her life. Not like the palatial ambassadorial mansions she'd stayed in while growing up and certainly not like the dumpy little apartment she rented now.

It was simple, yet homey with quaint decorations and warm sunshine spilling in from wide windows. The walls were adorned with family photographs and drawings no doubt made by Derek and his sisters.

It was the kind of home Emily hoped one day to have for Jayde to grow up in... At least for now, she made up for the lack of visual appeal by hanging as many pictures of Jayde as humanly possible.

"Your mom is really sweet," Emily commented to Derek as the two of them set the table while Jayde assisted Fran in the kitchen. "She's so good with Jayde."

"She's the best Mama in the world," he said, nodding his agreement with a soft smile she hadn't known him capable of. "But from what I can see, you're a pretty great mother yourself.

She shrugged modestly. "I do my best. Jayde only has me to rely on, so I have to work twice as hard to do right by her." She hadn't intended on sharing so much, but once the words were past her lips it was too late to take them back.

He raised a brow, intrigued by the unexpected divulging. "There's no one else in your family who helps you take care of her?" he asked, unable to imagine that ever happening in his own family and feeling sorry for both Emily and Jayde that it was their reality.

"JJ and I count on each other," she explained, "She babysits Jayde while I work and I do the same for her son."

"But what about Jayde's father?" he asked, unable to help himself.

With a sigh, she just shook her head, shrugging helplessly in place of any actual answer.

Thankfully, Jayde chose that moment to come trotting into the room carrying a plate of cookies. "Mommy!" she exclaimed eagerly. "I made these with Gramma Fran!" Between Emily's lack of culinary skills and Jayde's lack of supportive grandparents, she didn't exactly have a lot of opportunity to bake.

Emily opened her mouth to gently chide her daughter about calling a woman they had no relation to 'grandma', but she didn't have time before Fran joined them, gently explaining, "I told her she could call me that if she wanted. I hope you don't mind."

And, rarely able to deny Jayde of anything, least of all a family, Emily nodded.

"Great!" Fran exclaimed, "Because if I have to wait for Derek to give me grandbabies, I'll be the oldest grandmother in the world..." She smirked to show she was only teasing...mostly.

"Mama, please!" Derek groaned, a combination of embarrassment and exasperation crossing his face.

Fran wasn't about to retract the statement, though. "Dinner is ready," she announced. "Maybe afterwards Emily will tell me more about this mysterious job where you two met... Derek is always so evasive about it."