It's been so long since I updated this that I fully expect everyone to have forgotten about it, and not be interested anymore, and I'll completely understand if that's the case, but since I spent so much time writing it I figured that it'd be a waste if I didn't at least try to finish it off, so in a effort to do just that I'm starting up again!

Thank you so much for all the encouragement you've all given me all the way through this, it is unbelievably appreciated, I started this story half way through my final year at uni, and I graduated in July, which I think is why I sort of stopped the updates, because I tended to write this when I had pressing important work to do and now I don't have any I've lost motivation a little, but I'm going to carry on now. (or try to at least!)

I got a few reviews a while after I last updated and they are why I'm going to try to polish this off because your words were so nice! So hopefully this will repay you for them.

Cheers again Kay xxxx

"Hi." Nick smiled as he pulled open the door to reveal Amelia and Lauren on the other side.

"Hey." Amelia smiled back as Lauren began bouncing around their legs.

"We're here to play on the beach." She said excitedly still bouncing as Imogen arrived at the front door already wearing her bathing suit and water wings.

"Yeah, I heard that." Nick smiled down at her.

"I already have my bathing suit on and everything." Lauren grinned up at Nick pulling her shirt up to show him.

"So I see, you look like you're all set Lo." Nick nodded down at her raising his eyebrows as he smiled slightly at her excitement. "Where's Jas?" He asked as they headed towards the kitchen and Abby who Lauren and Imogen ran towards to inform of their readiness.

"He's gone to get supplies." Amelia said with a resigned expression as Abby shot her a quizzical frown, looking between her and Nick. "We don't have any fun beach stuff apparently, so he's gone to buy it, I don't know really, he'll probably turn up with a boat or something." She shrugged and nodded laughing slightly.

"There's a tone of beach stuff here." Abby told her frowning comedically as she laughed lightly.

"There's no telling him." Amelia smiled with a resigned shrug.

"Daddy come on." Imogen said grabbing Nick's hand, pulling at him, she hadn't been allowed out swimming until Lauren arrived and she was desperate to get going.

"Ok, I'm coming." Nick said as he allowed himself to be pulled away and the three of them headed outside.

"You all set for a day of beach fun?" Abby asked, queryingly with a raised eyebrow as she watched Amelia yawn.

"I'm all set for a day of sunbathing fun." Amelia said nodding as she covered her mouth and shook off some of her weariness.

"I need allies for sunbathing, the Johnson's' don't seem to think it's important." Abby chuckled as she headed out from the kitchen.

"They all about playing are they?" Amelia smiled as she happily accepted a mug of coffee from Abby.

"Yeah, they don't ever seem to stop." She smiled at Amelia who nodded back knowing the time Nick spent playing with Imogen. "You want the ten cent tour?" Abby questioned indicating the surroundings with her eyes.

"Absolutely." Amelia nodded sipping from her mug as she did. "Although Lauren's described this place in so much detail that I feel like I know it already." She laughed slightly.

Abby indicated that Amelia should follow her as they headed through the living area and towards the stairs, it was the first time Amelia had been to the house since Nick and Abby had moved in and she was eager to see what all the fuss was about, she got a pretty good idea as she followed Abby looking into various rooms as she went, it was a beautiful house, and the view was even better she noted as she looked out of the window in their spare room over the lake and towards the city.

"God, this place is amazing." She said her voice belying her honesty as she continued to look around.

"It's nice hunh?" Abby smiled at her nodding her agreement.

"Yeah." Amelia half chuckled, it was more than nice. "I was offended when Lauren told me she was going to come and live here with you guys but now I can't blame her." She added as she checked out Imogen's room.

"She did not say that." Abby laughed looking at Amelia as she pulled her head out of Imogen's room.

"Oh she did, but I actually might move here with her." Amelia added semi seriously, smiling over at Abby.

"She doesn't want to move here." Abby laughed slightly.

"No, no, she does, I was slightly reassured by the fact she thought I should come as well though." Amelia laughed rolling her eyes at Abby, as they headed back down the stairs.

"D'you want another?" Abby offered indicating the now empty mug in Amelia's hands.

"Yeah, please if you don't mind." Amelia nodded handing the mug back to Abby who re-filled it along with her own as they stood on opposite sides of the island counter in the kitchen.

"I actually wanted to ask you something." Abby half frowned, looking slightly sheepish as she watched Amelia shake off another yawn, nodding as he did, hopping onto one of the breakfast stools.

"Sorry." Amelia apologized as he held her hand to her mouth again. "Shoot." She nodded.

"Are you ok?" Abby frowned laughing slightly at her little sister as she rested her forearms on the counter and leaned towards Amelia.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine I just came straight from work, I'm a bit tired that's all." Amelia shrugged smiling as she rolled her eyes.

"Why aren't you at home asleep?" Abby asked with a laugh and a quizzical frown, usually after a night shift Abby was asleep as soon as she got home.

"I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the best house in the world." Amelia chuckled adding, "And it's not like lying on a beach all day is strenuous." Amelia smiled. "And I'm not on tonight or tomorrow so I'll catch up then." She smiled back. "So what did you want to ask?" Amelia pushed changing the subject.

"I…I" Abby paused faltering slightly as she narrowed her eyes and took a breath. "Ok, I told Maggie that I'd go see her, and I was going to take Imogen with me and I was wondering if you'd maybe want to come as well." She finished pouting slightly as she watched for Amelia's reaction.

"To see Maggie?" Amelia asked looking slightly pensive.

"Yeah, Nick's working so he can't come; and I told her that I'd go, and she asked if I could see if you and Lauren maybe wanted to go." Abby said looking slightly apologetic as she half smiled and Amelia looked extremely cynical. "You don't have to I just told her that I'd ask." Abby shrugged as she stood up fully.

"Have you told her about you and Nick yet?" Amelia asked, eyeing Abby slightly suspiciously, Abby had told her that she wasn't entirely sure how or what to tell Maggie about her impending marriage. She watched as Abby chuckled and smiled.

"Yeah, she threatened to come and visit which is why I said I'd go there." Abby laughed looking over at Amelia as she finished, squinting a little.

"She must spend more time going back and forth between here and Minnesota than anywhere else doesn't she?" Amelia smiled, laughing slightly as Abby moved to pour herself another coffee.

"Yeah, I blame you for that though." Abby retorted as she turned back to face Amelia.

"Why, I'm not the one moving house, getting married, gaining children and becoming a doctor left right and center." Amelia laughed smiling at Abby now.

"You have a point." Abby said smiling a small smile as she nodded at Amelia again.

"So when were you thinking about going?" Amelia asked as she sipped from her mug and Abby returned to rest her arms on the counter.

"Two weekends time, I have a couple of days off and Nick's working that weekend so I figured I'd spare him the ordeal." Abby shrugged as she watched Amelia for a reaction.

"Ok, well, let me think about it and see what Jas is up to, I have a feeling that he's in Boston that week, so if he is I'm in." Amelia nodded smiling slightly, Lauren would love it at least.

"You're sure?" Abby asked raising an eyebrow.

"Why not?" Amelia said with a resigned smile holding out her hands.

"Ok, you should probably know that Eric might be there as well." Abby added looking slightly skeptical again.

"Ohhhh really." Amelia said smiling again, laughing slightly, she could see why they wanted her to go now.

"Yeah, you don't have to come though." Abby added quickly, she didn't want Amelia to feel like they were trying to trap her into their family, well, she actually wasn't but Maggie almost certainly was.

"No, no, let me check with Jas, and I'll come." Amelia smiled shaking her head, laughing lightly.

"Thank you." Abby smiled back, genuinely, warmly as Amelia finished off her coffee.

"Are you thinking it's tan time?" Amelia asked as she hopped off the stool and picked up a bag of her and Lauren's beach stuff from the floor.

"Almost certainly." Abby smiled nodding at Amelia as she dumped the rest of her coffee down the sink and led Amelia to the sliding doors out into their yard and towards the beach, Abby pulling her sunglasses on as they did.

"Christ it like a hundred degrees out here." Amelia said as she dumped her bag on the sand as she and Abby moved in unison to pick up the clothes that Lauren, Imogen and Nick had left in a pile when they'd headed into the water.

"Just be grateful you're not working." Abby said raising her eyebrows as she sat down cross-legged on her towel.

"Oh, I'm not complaining." Amelia grinned as she stripped off her t-shirt to reveal her black bikini top and incredibly toned stomach and kicked off her shoes, grabbing a towel from her bag and flopping down onto it next to Abby.

"Mommy I need my wings." Lauren announced arriving beside them dripping as Abby looked back to Nick and Imogen who were still splashing happily around in the water.

"Susan didn't look like a happy woman when she turned up for work this morning." Amelia laughed as she dug through the bag retrieving Lauren's armbands, handing one to Lauren to blow up as she took charge of the other.

"I bet." Abby smiled. "God, you're lucky she didn't know this was your plan for today, she'd never have let you leave" She added with a slight chuckle; Amelia nodded her agreement as she blew up the wing in her hands, and Abby took charge of the one Lauren was doing a completely ineffective job with, taking over its administration herself.

"Mommy are you going to come and play in the sea?" Lauren asked excitedly as Amelia helped her put the first wing on her arm and Abby handed her the second.

"I will in a little while." Amelia nodded at her earnestly as she tugged to get the second armband onto Lauren.

"No Mommy only one." Lauren countered tugging the wing in the other direction.

"Lo, you need to wear both." Amelia said as she continued to tug the water wing up as Lauren tried to pull it down.

"No, just one." Lauren shook her head.

"Just one's going to make you lopsided." Amelia shook her head as she reasoned with her daughter.

"No it wont it's funner." Lauren frowned.

"Immo's got both on look." Amelia pointed back to the water, Lauren turned and considered this for a second before relenting and allowing Amelia to pull the second back up her arm.

"Where's Daddy?" Lauren asked as she looked back to her mother.

"He's on his way." Amelia nodded back at her smiling. "Go swim." She said as Lauren looked from her back to the water and ran off as Amelia smiled at her running away momentarily, waiting to check she was safely back in Nick's charge before flipping herself over to lie on her stomach, smoothing her short denim skirt down as she did, and Abby lay down on her back.

"So have you set a date yet?" Amelia asked turning to look at Abby.

"For the wedding?" Abby questioned, bringing her hand up to shield her eyes as she looked over at Amelia who nodded. "Not yet." Abby shook her head with a slight smile.

"Any idea when it might be?" Amelia asked closing her eyes.

"Nope." Abby replied turning her head, closing her eyes as well as the sun beat down on them and the occasional five year olds shriek came from the water.

"You going to go for the full works?" Amelia asked her head resting on her arm as she looked over.

"What, church, white dress those full works?" Abby asked in reply her eyes still closed as she faced the sky.

"Yeah, the whole kit and caboodle." Amelia said with a hint of laughter.

"I haven't even thought about it." She said shrugging the prospect off.

"Oh come on, you must have thought about it." Amelia said pushing herself up slightly frowning knowingly at Abby as she rested on her elbows.

"I honestly haven't." Abby shook her head looking over shielding her eyes again as she looked over at Amelia.

"You have, admit it." Amelia said smiling as she chastised Abby.

"Lie down, you're blocking the sun." Abby said pushing Amelia's shoulder as she tried to ignore her. Amelia obliged but didn't give up on her line of questioning.

"Ok, so expensive white dress or not?" Amelia asked smiling to herself, as Abby's eyes remained closed.

"If by 'white dress' you mean a wedding dress then I don't know." She murmured her reply.

"You going to book a church?" Amelia asked still smiling to herself.

"I don't know ask Nick." Abby shrugged the question off.

"Oh, come on, you must have some idea of what you want to do." Amelia said pushing as she frowned slightly; she knew that Abby knew she was trying to wind her up good-naturedly and was fairly secure in her position as Abby looked over at her smiling slightly.

"I really don't, I haven't thought about it, I don't know if he has." She said as she turned onto her stomach, turning her head to face Amelia.

"Ok well d'you think you will go down the full works road or not?" Amelia continued as she looked over at Abby.

"Why are you suddenly so interested in all this?" Abby asked with a hint of suspicion.

"I'm not suddenly interested, I'm just interested." Amelia said shaking her head into the crook of her elbow.

"You're planning something." Abby said with narrowed eyes as she surveyed her sister.

"You've turned into a very suspicious individual d'you know that?" Amelia laughed slightly.

"It must be the company I'm keeping." Abby replied as she settled down onto her arm, her position mirroring Amelia's.

"That might have something to do with it." Amelia nodded and closed her eyes, she could see that she wasn't about to get much more out of Abby about any of this at the moment, she'd try with Nick later instead.

"We could elope." Abby mumbled, shrugging slightly as she closed her eyes and Amelia's shot open.

"You can't elope." Amelia said pushing herself up onto her elbows and shaking her head as she laughed slightly down at Abby who had a glimmer of a smile on her face.

"We could." Abby said opening her eyes to look up at Amelia, shrugging dismissively at her.

"No, you can't because I promised Lauren that she gets a new outfit when you guys get married and she asked for a dress so you have to have it with her because I don't think I've seen her in a dress for like three years." Amelia said semi-seriously.

"So I have to get married with Lauren there because you haven't seen her in a dress for a while." Abby laughed slightly as Amelia nodded helplessly at her.

"Yes." She laughed.

"Ok, here's the deal, you persuade Imogen that she has to wear a dress as well and then we won't elope." Abby said smilingly as she and Amelia both laughed.

"Ok, or, you can elope as long as you take your niece with you." Amelia offered.

"Ok." Abby laughed back at her as they both turned after a particularly loud yelp from the water. They both turned to sit cross-legged on their towels and watched as Nick picked Lauren out of the water and threw her backwards away from him as she shrieked and hit the water while Imogen swam back to him and he picked her up and threw her in the other direction as Lauren emerged.

"They must spend a lot of time doing this." Amelia observed smiling over at Abby.

"Yeah, they do, you'd think it would get boring hunh?" Abby mused as she nodded.

"For him yeah, but I can imagine that five year olds find this very entertaining." Amelia observed with a raised eyebrow as she looked at Abby.

"You would have thought so, but it seems like it's the other way around a lot of the time." Abby smiled and laughed slightly.

"Oh my god." Amelia said with laughter in her voice as she looked past Abby and spotted Jasper headed for them.

"What?" Abby asked looking over at her. Amelia nodded in Jasper's direction as he approached and Abby turned again to see her brother in law heading in their direction laden with bags and a boxes and a cool box.

"Did you leave anything in the store?" Amelia questioned, laughing slightly as Jasper arrived in front of them.

"That place has the coolest beach stuff in the world." Jasper said grinning as he began to drop items around them and Abby looked up at him as well as he rested a cool box on the ground and Amelia delved immediately into it.

"What did you get?" Amelia asked pulling a Popsicle out of the box, offering it to Abby and grabbing another for herself as Abby took it off her, pulling her sunglasses over her eyes.

"Loads of stuff." Jasper replied pulling his shirt up and over his head before he plopped to the ground.

"What does this do?" Abby asked pulling something that looked like a mill wheel from a bag as she took the Popsicle out of her mouth.

"You put it in the water and turn the handle and the water sprays everywhere, it's awesome, they showed me in the shop." Jasper nodded as he set too opening the biggest box oblivious to Abby and Amelia exceptionally dubious looks and Amelia began to route through the second bag.

"How much did you spend on all this crap?" Amelia asked pulling an un-inflated rubber ring and a lilo from the bag, continuing her inspection.

"It's not crap." Jasper retaliated concentrating on the box in front of him, still trying to pull it apart, Amelia coughed, as if proving her point as she pulled a super soaker from the bag.

"This isn't crap?" She asked displaying the extravagant water gun.

"That definitely isn't crap, you used to use those in the bar, that's a vital piece of equipment that was missing from our lives previously, and you certainly won't think that all of this is crap when you're sliding down you're very own…. inflatable water slide." He said with a flourish as he turned the box he was struggling with over to show them. Amelia frowned at the picture on the front of the box, as Abby pulled it towards her slightly.

"You know this won't work don't you." Abby said with a chuckle as she released the box and Jasper pulled the colorful thick plastic item out.

"Have a little faith Lockhart." Jasper said grinning.

"Have a little sense Carmichael." Abby retorted looking exceptionally skeptically at Jasper.

"Mealie, grab that and start blowing." Jasper said stretching the item out and pointing Amelia in the direction of the second blowhole as he started to inflate the thing.

"I've heard that line before." Amelia muttered with an eye roll and a smirk as she sat up and took hold of the garish yellow end of the plastic; Abby smiled to herself and chuckled.

"Shut up and start blowing woman." Jasper laughed as he came up for air and Amelia started helping to inflate the slide, handing her Popsicle to Abby.

"You've heard that line as well right?" Abby chuckled over at her; she saw Amelia's mouth smile as she continued to puff and Jasper shot Abby a look.

After ten minutes of inflating interrupted by conversation Amelia took a deep breath and plugged the first part.

"Jas, it's going to take all day to blow this thing up." Amelia frowned, looking at her red faced, slightly sweaty husband dubiously.

"No, it's not, it's fine." Jasper retorted, he wasn't a big fan of people not trusting his ideas, despite how ridiculous they may be. "Keep going." He nodded at her as he plugged the main body of the slide and carried on to the next stabilizer part.

"What's that?" Imogen asked as she appeared and flopped beside Abby, closely followed by Lauren who began to hang off Jasper's back.

"It's supposed to be a slide." Amelia informed her.

"It doesn't look like a slide." Imogen replied looking a little perplexed.

"It doesn't look like a slide at the moment Imm, but it will, trust me." Jasper nodded reassuringly at her.

"If I were you Imm, I wouldn't trust him." Abby told her conspiratorially leaning down towards Imogen as she lowered her voice.

"Awesome." Nick said as he arrived and picked up the box lying beside Jasper, inspecting the picture.

"That's what I thought these two don't seem to think so though." Jasper said indicating Abby and Amelia as Lauren and Imogen began to pour over the picture on the box.

"If you think it's awesome then you can blow the thing up." Amelia said handing the part she was about to start on over to Nick who took it willingly sitting down, on Abby's towel, semi soaking her in the process.

"Where'd you get Popsicles?" Imogen asked looking from Abby to Amelia.

"You want one?" Amelia asked reaching for the lid of the cool box. Imogen nodded vigorously at her, smiling.

"Magic word Immo." Nick said as he took an air break.

"Please." Imogen said instantly as Amelia pulled one out for her.

"Me too please." Lauren added releasing her grip on Jasper's back and heading round to her mother taking a seat on her towel.

"Can you take my wings off?" Imogen asked turning towards Abby, holding her arm out assumingly. Abby obligingly pulled at the bright orange wing on Imogen's arm and then at the next one.

They'd been sitting there for another twenty minutes by the time Jasper and Nick finished with what had turned out to be a fairly sizeable inflatable slide with two huge floating stabilizers on either side and were inspecting it proudly as it sat on the sand. Lauren and Imogen were both climbing on the side floats also quite impressed with their fathers' efforts.

"What were you saying about it being rubbish?" Jasper asked smugly looking over at Abby and Amelia.

"You haven't tried it in the water yet." Abby replied raising her eyebrows, not willing to admit she was wrong just yet.

"You're a cynic Lockhart." Jasper said with a grin as he looked proudly over at the item.

"Girls you ready to do a test run on this thing?" Nick called over to Lauren and Imogen.

"Yeah." They cheered in unison

"Prove Abby and Melia wrong." Nick said to them encouragingly as they clambered off the slide and looked about ready to tare off down to the lake. Imogen paused though as Nick added the last part of his statement, she faltered as she looked from Nick to Abby and back, unsure as to whether or not she wanted to prove Abby wrong, Lauren quite clearly was unfazed about proving her mother or Abby wrong and skipped off down to the water hand in hand with her Dad, the slide under his arm.

"Immo, you coming?" Nick asked pausing, holding out his hand for her as he gathered up four water wings from the surrounding sand. Imogen stood and looked worriedly at Abby for a second before cupping her hand around Abby's ear and whispering to her, grinning as she pulled away Abby smiled back at her and nodded as Imogen grabbed Nick's hand and they headed off down the beach, leaving Abby chuckling behind them.

"What was that about?" Amelia questioned looking skeptically at Abby who was watching Imogen race towards the water with Lauren by her side.

"Female solidarity." Abby shrugged laughing slightly as she rolled her eyes.

Ok there we go, there are more chapters to come so I'll do my best to keep them coming regularly!