A/N- As requested, a fic with an older Flora interacting with her parents on a normal-ish day.

Caroline woke gloriously slowly with no alarm clock going off, which meant it was the first day of the half term break and she could do whatever she pleased whenever she pleased. A sleepy smile lit her face as she rolled over and reached out without opening her eyes. Then the smile widened and she half opened her eyes. "Good Morning."

10 year old Flora glanced briefly from her book. "Morning."

"..good book?"

"Mmhmm."

Caroline wriggled closer until she was snuggled up to her daughters side. "I started a book about 3 weeks ago but I put it down and now I can't find it."

"You probably tidied it away." Flora said absently, turning the page.

"Mm, probably." Caroline replied with a smile, closing her eyes again. "Where's your mum?"

"Don't know. You just looked lonely in bed so I decided to come and keep you company while you slept."

"Mm, you're a good girl." Caroline squeezed her closer.

When Kate returned a few minutes later with coffee, Flora asked, "How do you sleep in the same bed as mama? She's like an octopus."

Kate laughed as she placed the coffee beside the bed and sat on the other side of Caroline from her daughter. "I like it." She brushed hair from Caroline's face and tucked it behind her ear so she could see her lovely serene sleep face.

"Even in summer?"

Especially in summer Kate thought, thinking of naked octopus Caroline. "It's always freezing in here anyway, even in summer. Is that one of your school books?"

"Nope. I've finished those already. This is one of Will's poetry books from his room."

"Did he say you could go into his room?" Kate asked, finger tracing the freckles she could see on her wife's shoulder where her T-shirt had slipped down.

"Yes. He said I can take any books I want."

"Okay." Kate replied. "…but poetry? Wordsworth? Are you actually-"

"I was enjoying it." Flora replied, without needing to add until you kept talking.

"I can write poetry." Caroline suddenly interjected sleepily, beginning to roll over to snuggle into her wife.

"She can't."

"I can. My love is like a hot water bottle."

"Still so flattering, Caroline."

"My love is like a thermal vest."

"She's trying, Flora, and that's all we can ask."

"shall I compare thee to my jeep Cherokee.."

"Unnecessarily large and bad for the environment?" Flora offered helpfully, echoing her mother from a decade before.

"…I'm still working on that one." Caroline muttered.

"It's been over 10 years since you started." Kate pointed out, taking a sip of coffee.

"Perhaps time to give up, mama. You're no Wordsworth." Flora offered.

"I did not wake up in my own bed to be insulted at 8am on the first day of the half term holidays!" Caroline grumbled.

Flora giggled as she wrapped an arm over her mother from behind and squeezed her. "Love you."

"Mm."

"Oh, she's cross." Kate offered teasingly.

"She's not. She's just sleepy and you two keep talking."

Flora rested her book on Caroline's back and continued to read on her side as Kate absently stroked blonde hair and thought about plans for the holidays. Caroline usually fell back asleep until 10 on the first day of the holidays, so maybe she could take Flora out to get some things for a late breakfast. And she needed to remember to check Flora's bag for food so there wouldn't be an unwelcome surprise like there was last term. She should probably check Caroline's, too, after that moudly apple that Beverley still mentions 3 years on.

Suddenly a sleepy voice cut through the peaceful quiet. "Shall I compare thee to my jeep Cherokee? Able to be used in all terrain, and in any weather..ee."

"Give it up, Caroline." Kate laughed, kissing blonde hair with affection.

"Shall I compare thee to my jeep Cherokee. Comfortable-"

"Possibly not bad.."

"Dependable."

"..I'm feeling very matronly."

"Nice smelling."

"Better."

"..has a little step to get in."

"You've ruined it now."

"My favourite thing in the whole wide world."

"..mum or the jeep?" Flora asked. "and that definitely didn't rhyme."

"Depends who makes me a coffee."

"Already made!" Kate said triumphantly.

"Then, Flora, definitely your mum. And for your information, young lady, poetry doesn't have to rhyme."

"Doesn't have to make any sense, either, as far as i can tell." Flora sighed dramatically closing her book with a bang before cuddling into her mama again.