Caroline slowly drifted out of fitful dreams and into consciousness. Before she had even opened her eyes, she knew that the situation was bad. Taking a deep breath in through her nose, she tried to assess how severe the hangover was. She cracked open an eye and immediately slammed it shut again as the brilliant morning sunlight stabbed at her retina.

Bile jumped up into her throat. Hardly a good sign.

Forcing the cool and collected headmistress part of her psyche to take over, she began to run a mental catalogue of the damage:

Feet? Digging uncomfortably into the arm of a tiny sofa.

Legs? Cramping from a night curled in the foetal position.

Back? Aching, obviously.

Stomach? Eugh! Okay, moving swiftly away from that thought.

Throat? Like sandpaper.

Head? Pounding.

A good night then, by all accounts.

The blonde continued to focus very hard on her breathing, concerned that any sudden movement may actually kill her. As she took stock of her physical aches and pains, she came across the now familiar knot in her stomach, recognising it instantly for what it was - the cold dread of telling Kate, sitting like a stone in her belly.

On one level, Caroline knew that Gillian was right; that she was hopelessly in love with Kate, that Kate would adore this child, and that maybe it could be enough for her to simply be there for them both, without loving the baby like a mother.

Yet the fact still remained that it was unfair to lie to her partner about how she was feeling (or not feeling) about the imminent arrival. In the cold light of day, Caroline knew she needed to have a conversation with the woman she loved, and that if the conversation went badly enough, then that woman might leave her.

Although, this could all be academic, and I may have to spend the rest of my life clinging to this couch…

A moan from the far side of the room caused Caroline to risk cracking an eye open again, although much more slowly than before. It felt dry and gritty, but as her vision swam into focus she made out a dishevelled figure, splayed horizontally across the other sofa.

"Gillian?" she whispered, voice raspy.

"Mmmm." A possible response.

"You okay?"

"…D'pends…"

Caroline yawned, "On what?"

"On whether this is the worst hangover in history or I've actually died and woken up in Hell."

Caroline snorted a laugh and grimaced at the wave of nausea that followed, "Well, if you're in Hell, I'm there too."

"…Figures..."

Caroline grinned, "Charming!" She took another deep breath, "Give me a minute for the room to stop spinning and I'll make us some coffee."

"Mmmm."

The blonde rubbed her eyes, "Did anyone ever tell you that you are quite the hostess in the mornings?"

Gillian mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "Piss off!" into a cushion, and her friend smiled again as she gathered her energy for the mighty task of sitting.

XXXXX

It had taken a couple of hours, many bacon sandwiches, and even more painkillers before Caroline had felt well enough to attempt the drive home. But as she entered her beautiful kitchen to find Kate reading contentedly at the breakfast bar, she instantly regretted every second she had delayed the trip.

Stopping at the doorway, Caroline took a second to admire the way her partner's simple white blouse made her caramel skin glow invitingly. Taking in the small smile tugging at the brunette's lips, the headmistress felt simultaneously ready to burst with affection and burst into tears.

She watched for a few more seconds, heart aching over how at home the younger woman looked in her kitchen, before clearing her throat and stepping into the room.

"I'm back."

Kate's eyes left the page in surprise. She smiled warmly, before taking in her partner's slightly dishevelled appearance and raising her eyebrows knowingly, "Oh dear, heavy night?"

Caroline laughed and walked over to link her arms around the younger woman's waist, "If you think I look bad now, you should have seen me a few hours ago." She placed a gentle kiss against soft, dark curls.

"Poor you," Kate grinned, affectionately tucking a strand of Caroline's hair behind her ear, "And how is your favourite drinking buddy this morning?"

Caroline snorted, "Oh trust me, Gillian's even worse." She rested her forehead gently against the brunette's, "I missed you."

"It was only one night, Caroline!" Kate teased, although the headmistress thought she sounded secretly pleased.

Her suspicions were confirmed when the younger woman kissed her cheek with a quiet, "I missed you too."

Caroline savoured the warmth and closeness of her partner for a few more seconds before reluctantly pulling away. She sat down on the nearest barstool and took a deep breath, "Kate, we need to talk."

The younger woman nodded in agreement, "Yes, we do." She motioned to the book in her hands, "I've been researching baby names. What do you think of 'Flora'?"

"Flora?! Like the margarine?" Knocked slightly off kilter by the sudden change of subject, Caroline was less diplomatic than usual.

A pained expression fluttered over Kate's face, "No! Not like – well okay, a bit like the margarine, but also like flowers and things, you know?"

"Hmmm..." Caroline tried to sound more enthusiastic than she felt, "When John and I were expecting the boys -"

"Caroline!" Kate's tone was suddenly sharp, "I am not choosing a name that you and John considered!"

The blonde frowned, "Why? We had some lovely girls names picked out."

Kate fixed her with piercing eyes, "Look, you've done this all before and you love the boys. That's great; I love them too. But this is my first child – our first child together – and I don't want John any more involved than he has to be. This is about us."

Caroline rolled her eyes, "Well it certainly isn't about John! I was only saying that we liked the name -"

"Caroline! A name that you and John considered is not happening! I already put up with so much of bloody John! He mopes around here like he still owns the place, which incidentally, he doesn't."

The blonde opened her mouth to speak but Kate raised her hand to prevent it, "And before you say anything, I know it's good for the boys to have him around, but it's my home too now and he is always here! I share enough with your ex-husband; I am not sharing baby names with him as well."

Caroline relented, not wanting a discussion about John, of all people, to make things more complicated than they already were, "Fine. What about Penny? It's Penelope really, but -"

Kate wrinkled her nose, "It's a bit formal, isn't it?"

At that Caroline folded her arms defensively, her hangover back with a vengeance, "Well it's not a brand of margarine, but you can't have everything…" she closed her eyes against the pounding at her temples.

Kate snapped the book shut and sighed, frowning down at the table top. Caroline suddenly missed the happy and relaxed version of her girlfriend that she had been watching moments ago.

Reaching out, she looped her arms gently around the younger woman and kissed her cheek, "Kate, don't listen to me. This is your baby; you should choose whatever name makes you happy."

The brunette stiffened slightly and pulled away from the embrace, meeting Caroline's eyes with a serious gaze; "I thought she was our baby?"