The jingle of a bell sounded above them as Nicky held the door for Red to go inside. Red tucked wild strands of hair behind her ears as she stepped inside, thankful to be out of the chill that the wind had cast over the city. Nicky walked closely behind, unraveling her scarf from around her neck and balling it up. Marka had looped it over her neck as she left that afternoon, and though Nicky brushed it off, it felt good to be thought of. She had learned that unlike Red, little gestures like that didn't come naturally to Marka. Love languages, they called it. Neither of them found it easy, but they were trying. It was a start.

A waitress looked up from wiping crumbs from the counter and beamed them a smile. "Grab a seat anywhere you'd like, I'll be over to take your order in two ticks."

"Thanks," Nicky said, tucking the scarf into her pocket of her coat.

Tugging on Red's hand, she pulled her over to a small booth by a window. Light streamed in through the window and the crisp yet bright day swathed the whole booth in a golden glow. It gave Nicky a halo of sorts and a smile curled the corner of Red's lips upwards as she slid into her seat.

Nicky flopped down too, immediately flipping the menu open and splayed it out in front of her. "Order whatever you want," she said. Raising her eyebrows, she pulled out a wad of dollar bills from her pocket. The money her father had given her spilled over the table. "This is on Les."

"Nicky!" Red looked around worriedly, knowing all too well that this wasn't the best part of town, and stuffed the money into her own purse. "Did you steal that from your father?"

"You think I wanna go back to jail for what, two hundred dollars?" Nicky scoffed. "This is his guilt talking. He said spend it on Parker, but she has everything she needs." She wrinkled her nose. "Besides, there are worse things I could spend it on than ice cream."

Red held her hands up in agreement. "You're right," she said, picking up her own menu and scanning down the items. "I think I'll splash out on a milkshake," she said after a beat, looking up at Nicky.

Nicky nodded approvingly. She scrunched up her napkin as she looked over the menu herself. "An Oreo shake sounds pretty good," she conceded. "But so does the Peach Melba…"

"Get both," Red said, placing her menu down. "I told you I thought you were getting too skinny."

"My jeans say otherwise," Nicky complained. "I don't think I'll ever fit into my pre-prison wardrobe. I thought you were supposed to lose weight."

"Well, don't be getting any ideas," Red said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "And don't stress about it. Once Parker starts to walk the weight will just fall off. You'll be too busy chasing her to do much else. Trust me, she'll be toddling before you know it."

Nicky looked at Red a wistful expression clouding her features. "Walking! I feel like it was only yesterday she was tearing my insides up."

Red cringed at her turn of phrase but nodded in agreement. How had so much time passed already? It seemed like only last week that Red had started a new job as Marka's cook, nervous that she wouldn't be able to protect the baby that hadn't even been born yet. Now she couldn't imagine life without Parker.

"I know," Red said. She looked around the old ice cream parlor. With only a couple of waitresses and only a couple of customers, it was the perfect spot to sit and recoup. She couldn't lie, she had missed having Nicky all to herself. It was the only luxury of prison - time to have together. Even if you didn't appreciate it at the time, it had been a bonding experience.

Before Red had the chance to reminisce, a bubbly brunette stood in front of their table. A small notebook was clutched in one hand and a pen in the other.

"Hi, ladies!" she sang brightly, tapping down on Red's menu with a pen. "Can I take your order, or are you still deciding?"

Nicky flashed a smile. "Two Oreo shakes," she said, glancing over at Red to confirm. When Red nodded, she continued. "And I'll have a Peach Melba too please. Anything else for you, Ma?"

Red hid a smile at her pet name. Nicky, wisely, didn't choose to use it around Marka, and though Red missed hearing it used in almost every conversation, she understood. "No thanks, mylashka," she said pleasantly. "It's not as easy to keep the weight off as you get older."

"Oh, go on," Nicky said, kicking Red gently under the table. "We can walk home to off-set the calories."

"I don't think you read the calorie information if you think a ten minute walk will off-set another ice cream," she said. But then she smiled at the waitress. "I'll have the cookie dough too, please, honey."

The waitress beamed a smile. "Coming right up!"

"It's been a long time since this," Red remarked, gesturing between the two of them. "Seems like forever ago and only yesterday at the same time."

"Mm," Nicky agreed readily. "I've missed it. We should make this a monthly thing."

Red smiled and nodded in agreement; it felt good to hear those golden words. She found her purpose in needing to be needed, and she couldn't lie, she craved to hear Nicky saying exactly that. Taking Nicky's hands in her own, she rubbed her thumb over the back of Nicky's fingers.

"I've missed this too," she admitted, once the waitress had walked away. "Sharing you with Marka has been hard."

Not as hard as she had expected, granted, but still hard. The woman was likable, despite her faults, and even Nicky was warming to her. They functioned as a unit now...a family, Red would even say.

Nicky looked up guiltily. After a beat, she said, "I know. Your boys must miss you...I take up all your time now."

Red shook her head. Her hands folded in front of her as she played with the wedding ring she had never taken off. "No...they have their own lives to lead. You know, they're busy with their own babies. Jobs.."

"You're still their mother," Nicky said.

"I know," Red said. "But I made a lot of mistakes with them. I wasn't there for them when they needed me. Not like I was there for you. I love them with every part of me and I know they love me, but it's different, what we have. I'm not a factor in their lives anymore. I don't think I have been for a long time." Red heaved a sigh.

Nicky glared. "You were a great mom to them. They don't know how lucky they were."

Red laughed softly. "They probably think that about you, you know. They're not bad boys. They set me up with an apartment when I first got out. Helped me on my feet. They love their mama, but they don't need me."

"I need you," Nicky said quietly.

"You could get by without me," Red said generously, and she meant it. Though she had her doubts in the past, she knew now that Nicky could take care of Parker - and herself - without too much of a problem. They might live on take-out and have pink underwear from a rogue red sock in the wash, but Nicky put her everything into being a mother. And she was good at it, now she knew how to be one.

"Maybe," Nicky said doubtfully. "But I wouldn't want to."


As soon as Nicky's key turned in the lock, she could hear the rhythmic beat of Marka's heels echoing down the hallway towards her. Having eaten far too much ice cream and feeling victorious about yet another chapter of her past being closed, she was in no rush to have another drama or emergency thrust onto her.

Yet Marka seemed pretty insistent that this was important.

"Nicky? Nicky, is that you?" Marka's voice was colored with concern as she came through the door, Parker on her hip. There was an anxious tension in the room; a horrible atmosphere that Nicky sensed instantly.

Though Parker was giggling, Nicky could feel her heart hammering in her chest. Since Parker's stay in hospital, she had found herself experiencing more anxiety than she was used to. It didn't affect her daily life too much, but when she panicked, she panicked majorly - and she could feel herself getting lost in the feeling. She forced herself to focus.

She reached out to touch Parker's leg. "What's wrong? Has something happened?"

"No, no, sweetheart," Marka said impatiently, squeezing Nicky's arm tightly with her free hand.

She nodded to Parker, who was clutching a letter in her tiny starfish hands. She waved it in front of her mama, eyes bright upon noticing her in the room.

"This got put into next door's mailbox by mistake, would you believe it? It's for you!" Marka gently tugged the letter from Parker's hands, ignoring her not so quiet protests, and handed it to Nicky. "Go on; open it!"

Nicky turned to Red, turning the letter over in her hands. "It has the logo on it," she said, tearing the envelope open. Anticipation was building in her stomach, churning the ice cream she'd just shoveled down. The sweetness was turning sour and she swallowed hard.

"Cross your fingers," she muttered.

"No need," Marka said brightly, bouncing Parker on her hip. "You're in, I'm absolutely sure of it. Now come on, tear it open! I almost steamed the damn thing open myself."

Nicky quickly tore the envelope open all the way, and then scanned the page. "I'm in!" she screamed. Parker looked startled at her mother's sudden outburst, and hung back. "It's okay, sweetie, mommy's happy!"

Nicky plastered a smile on her face and took her baby from Marka. "I'm gonna make you proud, baby doll." She nuzzled her head against Parker's cheek and laughed when she did. "Real proud!"

"I think you already have," Red said quietly, chucking Parker under the chin. Nicky passed Parker to her babushka, smiling as Parker pressed her curls into Red's neck. "But this will be so good for you."

"I hope so," Nicky replied. "Will you watch her for a while? I wanna look up my schedule and check the route to the campus," she said excitedly. "You'll be okay with grandma and babushka, won't you?" she asked Parker, twisting a curl of her hair around her finger.

Marka hid a smile, proud of her daughter, who before had never been excited for anything remotely educational. She also felt a surge of pride at being called grandma. Though she had to share that duty with Red, she found it relieved some of the pressure rather than creating jealousy. Parker loved them both and didn't see any of Marka's faults. She beamed at Red whenever she walked into the room, and she yelled for Marka when she saw her too; it was nothing short of music to her ears, because despite her flaws, her granddaughter looked at her like she hung the moon and the stars. She was determined to get it right this time. For Nicky and Parker.

"I won't be long," Nicky said, already bounding to her bedroom. She looked back at Red and Marka. "How about dinner tonight to celebrate?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Marka called after her daughter. Calling after Nicky had been something she'd been doing her entire life, but this time, she finally felt like she'd done something right with her. She couldn't help the smile on her face, and blushed when Red turned to see her grinning like the Cheshire cat. She covered her cheeks with her hands, and turned away shyly.

"It's okay to be proud," Red said, a coy smile on her own face. "I couldn't be prouder either."


An hour later, Nicky padded out of her bedroom with a grin on her face. She felt renewed, full of life, and ready to face the challenges that awaited her. Red looked up from the kitchen table as Nicky walked in, her face expectant. Her laptop was tucked under her arm. She wasn't done with her research, but the sounds of Parker screeching happily had drawn her out of her bedroom.

Nicky beamed up at her with a goofy smile and Parker grinned back from the little painting activity Red had clearly set up for her. So that was why she was so happy, she thought.

"So?" she asked, after Nicky said nothing. "Everything straightened out?"

Nicky nodded excitedly. "I'm only on campus one day a week at first, but that builds up in the second year. By that time, Parker will be old enough for nursery. I even looked up some nurseries around here, the wait lists are crazy!"

"I know," Marka said dryly. "I had you signed up before you were even born."

Nicky raised her eyebrows. It didn't surprise her, but with the two year wait list she had heard about, she wasn't entirely sure Marka was wrong this time. Giving the comment nothing more than a small laugh, Nicky sat down at the table with her laptop, and cranked open the lid. The college page was still open on the desktop. Goosebumps littered her arms as she shivered with anticipation. This was for her and her only, and she was determined to better herself even if she didn't strictly have to.

"She wouldn't cope in nursery," Red cautioned, looking up from helping Parker finger paint. More paint had ended up all over the toddler than the paper, but the pair were having fun. And seeing as her daughter seemed to rip off her clothes the moment Nicky wrangled her into them, there was no danger of clothes getting stained either. "They don't care about the children, only the money."

Nicky raised her eyebrows. She had no doubts that one of them wouldn't cope with her at nursery, but she was pretty sure it wasn't Parker she had to worry about.

"I'm just telling you what I read," Nicky shrugged. "They said it's good for babies to spend time with other kids. Socialisation, they said."

"Maybe if you left the house sometime," Red suggested, mirroring the shrug. She turned back to Parker, gently dipping her palm into the yellow paint and then pressing it onto the paper. "Look, you made the sun!"

Parker looked at the paper, then at her palm, in amazement. The joy she found in everyday objects really was inspiring, and with everyday that Nicky cared for her daughter, her confidence grew. Now she found that she didn't stress with every cry or whine. It had become a part of life, as normal as breathing.

Nicky watched the scene with a small smile. She lived for these moments, the bliss of domestic life. It was true what they said; home is where the heart is - and this was home, even when Marka came home from work. She was learning to enjoy Marka's company, albeit in small doses, and Parker adored her grandmother. Seeing her little face light up at the sight of Marka made Nicky less antagonistic. She couldn't hate anybody that Parker loved so much.

"I go out," Nicky said defensively, looking over the lid of her laptop. The idea had been that Red would keep Parker entertained whilst she continued sorting out her start date, but upon hearing the giggles floating through the air, Nicky hadn't been able to resist coming into the kitchen.

Red's eyes rolled good naturedly. "Don't eat the paint, honey," she said to Parker.

She turned to Nicky next, holding her fingers up. "You visit Lorna," she said, counting with her fingers. "You go into school once a week, you visit NA once in a blue moon...and you go wherever I drag you."

Nicky closed her laptop with a sigh. "Yeah...that's going out, isn't it?"

"You could take Parker to the park if she needs socialisation," Red suggested, rolling her eyes at the term. "Socialisation; do they think she's a fucking Pomeranian? But anyway, the park - it's only a ten minute walk and you've never even been."

Even Marka snickered at the remark, though she sipped her coffee in an attempt to stifle the sound.

"I don't like kids," Nicky complained. "They're so loud, they scream and run all over the place…"

As if on cue, Parker shrieked as she waved her piece of paper in the air. Little splatters of paint went flying in several different directions, and Red arched an eyebrow at Nicky's statement.

"That one is different," Nicky countered, coming to a stand and taking the tray from Parker's highchair. She scooped her little girl up, brushing her cheek against her wild blonde curls. "She's mine."

Red smiled. "Yes, it's always different when they're yours...which is why I'll stop complaining about you turning into a hermit."

"I'll be a hot-shot lawyer before you know it," Nicky cautioned, tickling Parker's tummy. "Out every night of the week, then you'll miss me."

"If by night you mean five-thirty when you get back from work, then yes...I'll miss you very much," Red laughed. "But my little Iva will keep me busy, won't you, hmm?" Red reached out and pinched Parker's cheek. "And when mommy's a hot-shot lawyer, she can get you out of whatever trouble you put her through when you're older." Red smirked.

"Oh, don't even joke about that," Marka muttered, feeling faint at the thought. Nicky grimaced, looking exactly like Marka, and nodded quickly.

"Agreed!"

A/N:

First of all, thank you for reading. It means the world to me. Secondly, I'm sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I've been insanely busy and also having a lot of writer's block, which is a bad combination! Anyhow, I hope you liked this chapter. Please let me know what you thought. Also don't be afraid to let me know what you'd like to see, because the end is near and I don't want anyone disappointed.

Hope you're all wonderful.

- Star xo