"Do you think I was too hard on her?"

Kylie looked up from the paper she was reading to observe Rhiannon with a raised eyebrow. She had been stirring her coffee ceaselessly, a thoughtful expression on her face, for the past ten minutes. It was the first time she had really spoken since the night before when she had turned up on Kylie's front doorstep looking like a drowned kitten. Rather than driving, Rhiannon had walked there from her house in a downpour, apparently to give herself time to think. After she had told her friend what had transpired between herself and Imogen, she had fallen into a thoughtful silence and Kylie had left her to it, figuring that she needed to sort things through on her own. Now it was morning and they sat outside at the local diner waiting for their breakfast to be served.

"Hun, you know she needed to hear it. Okay, maybe you were a bit blunt, but it's probably the only way she is going to realise how much her daughter is being damaged by her absence. I just don't think Kiara is ready to tell her how she feels yet."

"I don't know about that, Ky." Rhian countered thoughtfully, considering the change that had come over the young girl of late. "She seems to be more outspoken where her Mother is concerned now. I hope she didn't hear what I had to say last night though. I just got so angry, I couldn't control myself." She shrugged, finally taking a long sip of her coffee.

"It's okay Rhian, you didn't upset me." Rhiannon almost spat out the hot liquid as she turned to see Kiara and Jeff standing behind her. "I'm glad you said what you did. It helped me to tell her how I felt. She didn't really like it very much though." Kiara admitted with a shrug and while Kylie nearly dropped her coffee, Rhiannon didn't falter as she disputed the girl's theory.

"Either way, I shouldn't have let you hear me talk to your Mother that way. You shouldn't ever be stuck in the middle of our problems." Rhiannon told Kiara firmly, before standing and giving her niece a fierce hug.

"They're my problems too, Rhian." Kiara retorted, taking comfort in the embrace. "And besides, Kylie is right, Mom needed to hear it." Rhiannon pulled back and looked the girl in the eyes. They were fiery and full of anger.

"Speaking of which, after you order, why don't you both sit down and tell us what happened after I left?"

"We've ordered already. Jeff's paying, isn't that right?" Kiara asked him cheekily as she sat down next to her Aunt.

"Apparently." He replied dryly and Rhiannon shook her head.

"Don't worry about it Jeff, I'll pay."

"Nah, I promised Kiara I'd get it this time. You can shout the next one." He grinned and sat next to Kylie, giving her an appraising glance.

"How very generous of you." Kylie rolled her eyes and set down her mug, rubbing her temples as if she had a headache coming on. Jeff looked slightly injured, but said nothing as Kiara began to relate what had happened the previous night. By the time she was finished, their breakfast had arrived, but Rhiannon suddenly found herself feeling so sick that she couldn't take a bite.

"I'm so sorry it came to this, Kiara. I shouldn't have left last night, I should have stayed to take care of you." She admitted, full of remorse and Kiara took her Aunt's hand.

"I understand why you left. I actually appreciate it. It gave me a chance to talk to Imogen without her turning it all back onto you. Well, she did try, but since you weren't there, she couldn't ignore me to scream at you instead." Kiara grinned, pretending the night's occurrences hadn't bothered her in the slightest, but Rhiannon knew better.

"Kiara, I understand that you're growing up now, but you still shouldn't be put in this position. You've had a hard enough time growing up without a father, you don't need me and your Mother putting you in the middle of our disputes as well."

"Well, it's a bit late for that, don't you think?" Rhiannon closed her eyes as she heard her sister pose the question from behind her. Kiara spun around to see her Mother standing next to Matt with her arms crossed and a superior look upon her face. Imogen never wore that look unless she was planning something. Kiara felt the sense of security she had left shatter into a million pieces as she suspected what was to come.

"What are you talking about Imogen?" Rhian, who had regained her sensibilities, demanded, as she looked her sister square in the eye. Imogen just smirked and pulled up a chair next to Kiara.

"Well, I realised that you were right. I have been neglecting my child. I figure that the only way to really redeem myself in both your eyes, would be to organise a way for Kiara and I to spend some...quality, time together." She served her sister a sickly sweet smile as Rhian went pale, realising the implications of what Imogen had just said.

"And?" She asked, brusquely, after waiting a few moments for Imogen to drop the bombshell. But her sister just took a leisurely deep breath and stared up to the sky for a few minutes, trying to make this moment last as long as possible.

"Well, the only way that I can really do that...is to take Kiara with me on tour."