You know what day it is today. Do you want to meet up?

Jody's reply was an instant one: No.

Rubbing her eyes, she yawned and turned over in bed. Today was not a special day. She didn't know why Luke was making such a big deal of it; it was just another Sunday wherein she was going to eat breakfast, brush, shower, and then go to the gym to train with Amy.

Are you sure? It'll just be me and you; Millie's going down to London.

She rolled her eyes. She couldn't care less where his bitch of a girlfriend was going to be, and it wasn't going to change her mind either way.

So? I'm busy 2day.

A knock on the door drew her attention and she peered up from her cracked phone screen to see Charlie popping her round the door. Jody muttered a lethargic 'good morning' before yawning again.

"Morning!" Charlie replied. "Are you going to go down to the cemetery today? Do you need someone to go with you? I'm up for it."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Jody said dryly, sitting up on her elbows. "I've got no interest in going."

"Are you sure?"

She nearly growled. Yes, she was bloody well sure! Why did everyone keep asking her that? Charlie was the third to ask that morning alone, the first being Tyler who'd texted to make sure she was okay.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she questioned, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed and standing up. "Just because I forgave her, it doesn't mean that I have to like her. I don't."

Charlie's eyes widened. "I know, but she was still your mum. You don't have to like her to go and lay flowers at her grave."

"Well why have you never laid any at your dad's grave then?" she snapped, shrugging her dressing gown on. "Since you suddenly think dead deadbeat parents deserve to be remembered now?

Charlie's face hardened. "I would if I knew where he was buried. My mum's never told me. But thanks for reminding me; I'll ask her the next time I visit her."

Jody suddenly felt horrible. "Charlie, I didn't mean to sound so—"

"It's okay," Charlie cut her off, forcing a fake smile onto her face. "Let's go and get breakfast."

Before Jody could even begin to formulate a reply, Charlie swiftly turned around and disappeared from view. Sighing inwardly, Jody shoved her hands into her fluffy pockets and followed the older girl out, intentionally leaving her phone behind on her bed. The way things were going, there was a good chance that Kingsley would somehow end up texting her about the 'great matter' everyone else just couldn't stop talking about.

The kitchen was quiet; most of the household members preferred to sleep in during the weekends, especially on Sundays. Unfortunately, Jody had been forced to give her Sunday lie-ins up in favour of bettering her boxing skills; the gym was quietest and therefore at its best in the mornings. She grabbed some cereal and sat down at the breakfast bar, shifting uncomfortably in her seat as Charlie and Alex discussed something in hushed whispers. Bringing Charlie's father up had been a low blow, she knew that, but she couldn't, for the life of her, figure out why she'd done it in the first place. What was wrong with her?

Breakfast continued to be a tense and silent affair until May-Li entered the kitchen with baby Henry Joseph in tow. While the others immediately started rising from their seats to fawn over the baby, Jody stayed rooted to hers, uninterested in seeing him. It wasn't that she didn't think he was cute—far from it, actually—but she found the prospect of being near him daunting. Suppose May-Li asked her to hold him for her while she ran some sort of errand? She'd just end up dropping him on his head. She knew she would.

"May-Li," Mike started, walking into the kitchen, "have you forgotten about the funding panel?" He stopped when he saw Henry, giving his colleague a pointed look.

"He'll be gone soon and so will I," May-Li assured, bouncing Henry on her hip. "I'm just waiting for the babysitter to get here."

"Babysitter?"

"Mhm. Childminder's ill. He's got the flu."

"May-Li?" Jody began, quickly getting up as Henry eyed her. "Could you drop me off to the gym on your way to the meeting?"

"I'm afraid I can't," May-Li answered with a frown. "The meeting's on the other side of town and if I drop you off, I'll be late. Sorry..."

Dunking her bowl into the sink, Jody humbly shook her head. "It's alright. I'll just walk."

By the time she got to drying her hands, the doorbell rang, but no one seemed to notice because they were all enthralled by Henry. Sifting through the baby bag with a determined expression on her face, May-Li asked for someone to 'please go and answer the door' for her.

"Don't ask me," Floss grumbled, crossing her arms. Apparently, she was the only person who'd heard the request. "The last time I answered the door, I got a nasty shock!"

Jody rolled her eyes; Floss was, of course, referring to the arrival of the new temporary resident who also happened to be her 'mortal enemy', Ross of Boland House. She threw the hand towel down on the counter. "I'll get it!"

As things turned out, Floss wasn't the only one surprised upon opening the door that morning: there, out on the doorstep, stood none other than Tyler Lewis.

"Hi," he greeted, a bashful grin on his face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, unable to hide her surprise. "Don't you have to swing by your stepdad's street food outlets later?"

"Oh, you're here!" May-Li exclaimed from behind, before he could answer. Jody turned her head to see the care worker walking into the lobby with Henry in his pushchair. "I just need you to look after him for a few hours. Everything you need is in this"—she held up the bag she'd been rifling through earlier—"but if you're unsure about something, drop me a text. I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

"Hold on," Jody interrupting, looking between the pair before settling her gaze on Tyler. "You're babysitting?!"

.:. QK .:.

"What?" Tyler asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jody jumped, realising she'd been staring at him for the last few minutes as he'd fed baby Henry. "Nothing. I just didn't know you were a baby-whisperer."

He chuckled, gently placing little Henry in his pushchair. "I'm not."

"How do you know what to do, then? And why did you agree to babysit him in the first place?"

"Kamal's sister asks him to look after his nephew who's a little bit older than Henry sometimes and I've seen him do the basics enough times to know. As for the babysitting, I offered." The sofa sunk as he sat down next to her. "I, uhh, called May-Li about something in the morning but she told me she couldn't really talk because the childminder's ill and Alice is away. When I heard how stressed she was, I thought why not?"

She nodded. "So you're going to help Kamal later?"

"That's the plan," he answered before turning towards her, biting his lip somewhat hesitantly. She blinked, feeling awkward. Somehow, she knew what she going to ask, and sure enough, he did. "So, how are you holding up?"

"I'm fine," she replied shortly. "Today just feels like any other day, really. I'm going to go to the gym and get on with my life "

"So you're not upset or anything?"

A frustrated sigh escaped her lips. "No! You already asked me this, remember?!"

"Yep," he said, nodding slowly. "You said you were fine that time too but, honestly, I didn't believe you. I still don't."

Why the hell not?!

"Because you keep snapping."

Blood rushed to her cheeks; had she said that out loud? What else did he expect her to do, though? Everyone's concern was doing her head in. How was she supposed to get on with her life if everyone, including him, kept reminding her of today's so-called significance?

"Well, I am fine," she asserted, crossing her arms. "I'm just a little annoyed because everyone keeps asking about..." She trailed off, wrinkling her nose; if she acknowledged what day it was, he'd think she actually wanted to talk about it. "Anyway, I will be fine once I get to the gym. Amy's expecting me."

"Amy-might-be-your-sister-Amy?"

"That's the one."

"Why don't I walk you there?" he suggested, his eyes lighting up. "May-Li told me I should take Henry out for a walk, anyway, and I've never been to the gym before."

"That's not something you want to admit to people," she teased. "Especially girls."

"Haha," he said sarcastically, though a smile tugged at his lips. "You're the only girl I need."

Shocked, Jody peered into the lobby with wide eyes to see if anyone was loitering around before turning back to him and slapping him on the arm. "What if someone heard that?! You know what this lot are like!"

He laughed. "I think they all know what's going on, Jodes. Some of them knew before we did, remember?"

"Don't remind me."

All of a sudden, Tyler sniffed the air, a look of disgust appearing on his face, and then leant down to sniff Henry, which he seemed to regret; he immediately pulled back and let out a noise. He turned to her just as the foul smell reached her nostrils. She hadn't smelt anything that bad since she'd visited Sasha's house while her sister, Olivia, was being potty trained. "Before we leave, could you just watch him for a sec? I'm gonna need rubber gloves and a nose clip."

"Me?" she asked, gulping. Being around Olivia had been hard enough, and other people had actually been around then. Looking after a baby on her own, though? She couldn't handle it. "Why can't you just take him?"

"Because he stinks right now. If I take him to the kitchen, there's gonna be a riot." She thought about that for a second, concluding that he was probably right. "I won't take long. Just do it. It'll be fine. It'll be good practice for when you're a mum."

WHAT?! Her, a mum? What a joke! Unfortunately, by the time she found her voice, he'd already left the room. She released a shaky breath, looking at the smelly baby in the pushchair. Was that what Tyler wanted for them in the future? A baby? Or, more likely, a bunch of babies? If it was, he was going to be sorely disappointed; she couldn't be a mother. What did she know about babies? What did she know about burping, feeding, and all that? She shook her head. That stuff could probably be learnt; surely, no woman was born knowing how to raise a baby? No. The major problem was that she didn't know anything about providing a little human being with a good, happy childhood. To do that, she would've had to have had one of those herself. That woman lying beneath the cold hard ground, the woman she was expected to be mourning and remembering right now, had made sure she hadn't.

What was truly terrifying was that Tyler would never fully understand what that felt like. Sure, he had numerous horrible memories of his mother lying limp in bed, crippled with depression, but at least he had the good ones too, those of playing in the park together and having ice cream. What did she have? Kingsley's drunken rage? Denise's cruel reminders that she was nothing more than an accident? Gray's absence? She couldn't recall any happy memories, not even one.

.:. QK .:.

She was still agonising over it when Tyler called her name, gesturing towards the pelican crossing box. Snapping out of her thoughts, she pressed the crossing button and offered him a subdued smile.

"What's wrong?" he asked, seemingly unconvinced by her facade. "You look worried."

"I've been thinking about what you said," she replied as they crossed the road, "and I know we're still young but I don't think I want what you want. I mean, I don't want kids. That's gonna become a problem in the future, isn't it?"

"Why?"

"Because if we don't want the same things out of life, especially something as big as that, then how do we even work as a couple?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I mean why don't you want kids?"

His question made her straight up stop in the middle of the busy footpath. How could he even ask her that? Couldn't he see why? He knew what her family was like, what sort her mother had been. He knew.

"I think you've forgotten who I am, Tyler," she stated as someone pushed past her. "I'm the girl who was raised by Denise Jackson. I might've cut her off, I might be a Gray again, but she's always going to be part of me. Half of me. The only half that I know."

"So, it's not actually that you don't want kids," he began, beckoning her to follow as he pushed Henry's pushchair out of the congestion, "but you think your being in care means you can't have a family? Because I get that. I really do."

"It's not just that," she said, joining him at the entrance to a side road. "It's my mum. I can't remember a single play date, bedtime story, trip to the park! I bet she never even took me out when I was his"—she nodded at Henry—"age. How can I raise a child when I've got nothing to base it on? Nothing good, I mean. There's plenty bad..."

"I could ask myself the same thing about being a dad because I've never met mine but that doesn't mean I'll be an awful one. Growing up, I knew what kind of dad I would've wanted and I can try to be that dad to my own kids."

She blinked. The four-year-old version of her had also dreamt up a dad but that was all it had ever been—a lonely child's sad dream. "That's great an' all, Tyler, but it's fantasy. My mum was a real person, and she thought that locking me up in my room was normal. You tell me how I can raise a happy child when that was my prime example of a mother."

"Well, that's the thing, isn't it? Your mum might not have gave you the best childhood but because of that, you know exactly how not to treat a child. You hated being locked up, how lonely and scared it made you feel, so you'd never do that to your own kid."

He was right; she would never treat any child like that, let alone her own. However, that alone wouldn't make her a good mother or even a decent one; her child wouldn't grow up abused and/or neglected but he or she wouldn't necessarily have a happy childhood either. Mundane was the first word that came to mind. Either that, or Tyler would be the fun dad and she would be the boring, emotionally distant mum, like her own.

"Look," Tyler spoke, drawing her attention, "like you said, we're still young. Maybe, when we get to that point in life, you'll feel differently about all this."

He said that like she was bound to change her mind, but what if she wasn't? What if this was one of those things they were never going to agree on? Could their relationship survive it? She feared the answer, but still asked anyway.

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

She couldn't argue with that. After all, what was the point of disturbing the peace now over something that wouldn't affect them for years to come? They still had to finish their education, get jobs, get their own place...

Henry cooed just then, reminding her of his presence, and as she looked down at him, the corners of her lips automatically curved upwards. If there was one part of motherhood she was going to have no qualms with, it was the sight of a cute little face peering up at her.

.:. QK .:.

After a couple of hours of training, Jody had May-Li pick her up and listened in amusement as she was updated on the situation at home: May-Li had smashed her funding panel presentation but Mike had called the contest to determine who won the funds, in the form of a room refurb, off due to cheating, and Ross was moving back to Boland House within the hour, officially making him the Ashdene Ridge resident with the shortest tenure, which was ironic because Floss was set to become the one with the longest tenure by August 2021. More surprising still was the news that the two former mortal enemies had become fast friends. Fast indeed.

As May-Li pulled up into the drive to park her car next to Mike's, Jody glanced out of her window and spotted Tyler standing by the front door, holding Henry in his arms.

"Tyler's still here?" she asked, looking back to May-Li. "I thought he would've been with his stepdad by now."

"Ah, I asked him if he could look after Henry just a little bit longer so I could collect you from the gym," May-Li answered, her eyes trained on her reverse camera. "Anyway, he'll be free any second now. I finally got hold of one of Alice's mates who can take Henry home and keep an eye on him until I finish work."

Jody nodded, waiting for May-Li to turn the engine off before throwing the door open and climbing out of the car, lugging her gym bag along with her. Once she reached the front door, she set her bag on the ground and silently stood by as Tyler smoothly handed Henry to May-Li.

"Freedom," she teased, digging her hands into her pockets as they walked up the drive, away from the house.

"Work, more like," he said, blowing out his cheeks. "Kamal's gonna pick me up in a minute and then we're straight off to the outlets."

She raised an eyebrow, noting his reluctance. "Hey, if you don't like it, why don't you just say? I know you had a deal with your mum, but you don't have to work there if you really don't want to."

"Nah, I don't mind it; it gives me something to do on Sundays when I'm not studying. It's just now that I'm here with you, I don't exactly feel like leaving."

His feelings were only natural; prior to this morning, she hadn't seen him since Wednesday lunchtime, and despite agreeing to bear the distance until her trials were over and done with, she couldn't help but feel that their meetings were too few and far between. She sighed. "I know exactly what you mean."

"But I've got to keep my word; I told Mum and Kamal that I'll help, so I'll help," he said, kicking a stone on the gravel. "You know, it sounds silly but I don't think I realised how important family is until today. I mean, when we're here, all we think about is getting our forever families but we don't really realise why until we're actually living it."

Sidestepping as a black car came up the drive, she nodded as if she understood what Tyler was saying but, in all honesty, she had no clue. Didn't care kids understand the need for family better than anyone? After all, all any of them ever wanted was to go back home or find a new family. So, how could Tyler claim to understand that feeling even better as a former care kid? Today, no less? What'd happened today, besides her mother's death anniversary?

"Oh, thank God you're here!" May-Li exclaimed from behind, and Jody turned to see her care worker rushing to greet the owner of the black car with Henry's pushchair in tow. Somehow, the sight reminded her of a comment Tyler had made earlier regarding a phone call to said care worker. "By the way, why did you call May-Li in the morning? Is something wrong?"

He looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Err, why would something be wrong?"

"Err, because as much as you like May-Li, you wouldn't call her at seven in the morning just for a chat. None of us would."

"Sure I would," he said, flashing her a grin. "I'm a friendly guy!" She crossed her arms, giving him a pointed look. It didn't even take five seconds for him to drop what his teachers called his 'fool act'. "Alright... I did want to talk to her about something but it's all done now; I had a chat with Mike instead. It's all good."

"What's all good, though?"

A car horn interrupted them; Jody looked up to see an all too familiar silver sports car stopping in front of the driveway.

"Aaaaand that's my ride!" Tyler exclaimed, seemingly all too happy to escape her.

"I'll get you for this, Tyler," she warned, glaring at him as he gave her a little wave before scurrying towards Kamal's car.

Odd. At first, he hadn't wanted to leave her but now he was literally running away. What on Earth was going on? She shook her head, shooting him a salty smirk as he looked at her through the window before heading inside.

Family is important. What had he meant by it, exactly, and why had he told her, of all people, when all she had left was Luke, and possibly Amy? Despite everything, however, his words gave her pause; if family was indeed as important as he said it was, and surely it had to be, even to someone in her situation, then why had she turned Luke down yet again? She was a damned fool. When else would she get an opportunity to go to his place without Millie lurking around in the back? As she hopped up the stairs, she checked the time on her phone. 10:31. There was still time to go and see him before lunch or maybe even stay for lunch, and they didn't even have to talk about Denise, not if she didn't want to.

What was she waiting for?

A/N: Thanks for the reviews!

yourfire—I'm pleased to hear that it all makes sense. I've got something huge planned for the necklace so watch out for that!

Charlie—I never even thought Tyler's news could've turned out to be bad until you mentioned the possibility. As you can see, it wasn't bad at all. At least not for Jody. I'm looking forward to your Piper episode. No need to apologise for the late review. Unfortunately, I can't relate; my dad was away on pilgrimage for three weeks so we couldn't go on holiday :(