"Hi." Hollie said with a warm smile, instantly seeing the nervousness on her mother's girlfriend's face. "Nice to meet you."

"Hey. You too! I've heard so much about you." Vix replied, visibly relaxing at her words. "Nikki never stops talking about you and how great you are."

"Well, who can blame her?" The teenager joked.

"I hope you don't mind… I wanted you to meet Hol." Nikki said, glancing between them.

"Not at all." Her girlfriend assured her quickly. "I was going to ask when I could meet her." She glanced over her shoulder. "Besides, it's not as though it was going to be just the two of us, anyway."

"Nicola!" A voice met their ears, a terrible Italian accent attached to it. "Ciao, Bella!"

"What is he doing here?" Nikki asked, rolling her eyes as her daughter turned and stared at Mr Reid who was standing at the top of a short flight of steps watching them.

"Sue called, something about kids teasing her, so I said she could come meet us and then Tweedle-Dee turned up with Tweedle-Dum. You don't mind, do you?" Vix asked in a rush, not waiting for an answer. "Got you a G&T. I would have got Hollie a drink, but I didn't know she was coming."

"I'll sort it." Turning to her daughter she spoke before Hollie even had a chance to open her mouth. "Soft drink, Hols. You're not eighteen until next week."

"Loser…" The teenager grouched, but she ordered a coke and followed Nikki to the table where Vix and Hector were sitting with Sue and Simon.

Hollie was used to hanging out with members of staff by now. No one even seemed to remember that she was their pupil after a while, as she joined in their conversations and laughed at their anecdotes.

The more she spoke to her, the more Hollie decided that she liked Vix. She was so laid back and she spoke to the teenager like she was actually interested in what she had to say. Hollie was intrigued by the way the woman talked about her jewellery making business. She took off her necklace and held it out to the girl, who examined it in awe. Hollie realised at once that it matched Nikki's bracelet and grinned as Vix caressed it instinctively as she reattached the clasp around her neck.

Barely even noticing that her mother was uncharacteristically quiet, Hollie bombarded Vix with questions about her business and jewellery making in general. She was thrilled when the woman promised to show her how to create her own designs and even joked that she would pick her brains to design a range of jewellery to appeal to teenagers.

"Hey, Mum, I know what you're getting for Christmas this year!" Hollie joked, immediately turning her attention back to Vix and not acknowledging that Nikki hadn't even noticed her daughter had spoken to her.

Vix, however, had noticed. "You OK?"

"I wanted a ring." Nikki replied, causing her daughter's eyebrows to shoot up so high that they almost disappeared into her hair.

"A what?"

"Not a bracelet…"

"What? Like a ring, ring?"

"Did she just…?" Hector started, but Sue stopped him.

"Is that mad?" Nikki asked, looking directly at her girlfriend.

"Should we really be–?" Simon started, but again Sue held up her hands and shushed loudly.

"Are you serious?" Vix asked and Nikki, after a quick glance at her smirking daughter, just nodded. "Can I wear the dress?"

"Answer the flipping question first!"

"You haven't asked me one, yet."

"You're gonna make me say it?"

"Yeah."

Nikki got down on one knee and took Vix's hands in hers, looking directly into her eyes. When she spoke, her voice trembled. "Will you be my Civil Partner?"

"No." Vix answered. Before she could stop herself, Hollie let out a surprised squeak. "I'll be your wife, though."

A round of applause broke out around the table as they kissed. Nikki grinned at her daughter, who beamed back. Sue reached past Hector to nudge the teenager in the ribs, smiling warmly at her.

"You'll have to call me Auntie Sue!"

Hollie looked at her blankly. "Yeah, that's not going to happen, Miss, sorry."

"I'm quite happy for you not to call me Mummy." Vix admitted.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of doing that, either." The girl said with a grin. "I think Mum's enough for anyone."

Hollie persuaded her mother that she really needed to tell Eve about Vix and the engagement in person. She was delighted when Nikki agreed that the younger girl could come and visit over Hollie's birthday weekend. Not mentioning anything to her sister about their mother's news when she spoke to her was incredibly difficult.

After the engagement, Vix had informally moved in with Nikki and her children. At first Hollie had been worried about what Tom would feel about the sudden development in his ex-fiancée's life, but he was quick to congratulate them when Nikki told him the news and, the next day, he presented them with a card. Hollie had been thrilled when he asked her advice on a house he was thinking about buying and had informed him it was great.

The night before her birthday, Hollie had arranged a DVD and pizza night with Tom and AJ. He beamed at her as she climbed into his car, before checking she was sure she wouldn't prefer to spend the evening with Kevin or her friends instead. When she just shrugged and wrinkled her nose at the suggestion of going out with her boyfriend, Tom got the distinct impression that perhaps not all was well. She didn't elaborate, however, so he didn't push things.

"Is Emily going to be at yours?" Hollie asked as she fastened her seat belt and Tom started the engine.

"Is that a problem?"

She shrugged. "She's alright… she's not mum, though."

Tom sighed. "Your mum and I are–"

"I know, I know." Hollie agreed. "I just…"

"Hol, your mum is getting married." Her stepfather reminded her gently. "I thought you were happy about it?"

She rolled her eyes. "You and mum have been engaged twice and still not got married. I severely doubt this one is gonna last long enough for them to make it official."

"Hollie?"

"I want Mum to be happy, alright?" She reminded him. "If she's happy at the moment, pretending her and Vix are for keeps and she's gonna get married, then fine. You and I both know it's not going to happen."

"That's not fair, Hollie." Tom frowned at her. "Give your mum a break."

"I am!" His stepdaughter complained. "That's what I'm saying. And when it's over, I'll be there to pick up the pieces, like I was when you chucked her."

Shaking his head at her words, Tom forced himself to let the matter drop, knowing that he wouldn't change Hollie's view of the situation. Instead, he focused on their current situation. "Look, if you're not ready for DVD nights with my new girlfriend then I'll ask her to stay at hers tonight."

Briefly, the teenager considered being a brat and demanding that he did just that. Then she considered his feelings about the matter, as well as the situation itself, and decided that acting like a spoilt child wouldn't solve anything.

"No, it's cool. She's alright…" She sighed. "She makes good hot chocolate, anyway."

Tom grinned. "Don't let your mum hear you saying that; she'll get jealous."

"That's the idea."

"Hollie… Nikki is with Vix now and I'm with Emily."

"I'm not an idiot; I know that. I just… I wish things were the way they were."

"Don't you like Vix? Is that it?"

"Yeah, course, I do." Hollie replied quickly. "She's great and I like Emily, too. I just… I'd like them better if they weren't with mum and you. I'm the same as everyone else… I want my parents and my family back together."

Tom reached out and held her hand tightly. "Hollie… I love your mum. I always will. But things have moved on. If I thought… but she's happy with Vix and we've got to accept that, OK?"

"It's not fair."

"Come on, Hols… you're going to be off to university next year; you won't be at home anyway. Surely you want your mum to be happy?"

"Da– Tom." She blushed, ducking her head to allow her hair to hide her face from view. "Of course I want her to be happy… but I want you to be happy too. I want us all to be happy. Together."

"D'you know what would make me happy?" Tom asked, grinning and squeezing her hand. "A large pepperoni and The Italian Job."

Rolling her eyes, Hollie let the subject drop as Tom pulled up on the driveway of his house and followed him inside. Tom ordered pizzas, hanging up just as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Hollie called, pushing her mobile into the back pocket of her jeans after sending her mother a message to remind her where she was.

Emily looked slightly taken aback at the sight of her boyfriend's stepdaughter on the other side of the door, but covered it up easily, sending her a warm smile and shrugging off her coat. She asked how school was, laughing when the teenager shrugged and pulled a face in response to her question.

The evening passed quietly. Hollie received a brief text back from her mother, telling her to have a nice time, an hour or so after she had sent hers. Frowning, the teenager had dropped her mobile onto the coffee table and snuggled closer to her stepfather. It just made the idea that things had been better when Nikki and Tom had been together much firmer in her mind.

When Hollie woke up the next morning, her eighteenth birthday, her first thought was that it should have been Tom downstairs laughing in the kitchen with her mother. Instead, she could hear Vix singing along to the radio. Sighing, the teenager hauled herself out of bed and got dressed, putting a little more effort into her hair and makeup than she usually did.

They tried to act like a normal family, greeting her with birthday presents and celebratory wishes, something that made the teenager arch an eyebrow in mocking amusement. Nikki shot her a couple of frowns, demanding to know why her daughter was making Vix feel uncomfortable, receiving only innocent shrugs in return. Hollie was far more interested in Eve's visit and Jo, Sam, Abi and Harry's arrival the next day than any atmosphere between herself and her mother's fiancée.

"Thanks for my present, Vix." Hollie thanked the woman opening the handmade, specially designed necklace and earrings set. Nikki grinned at her, clearly relieved by her reaction. "I love them."

"You are most welcome, babe. They'll look great on you."

"Come on… we need to get going." Nikki reminded them, not for the first time. "Your birthday is not an excuse for being late."

"You excited about Eve coming up?" Vix asked, looking over her shoulder at the teenager sitting in the back of Nikki's car as they pulled away from the curb.

"You have no idea."

"Nikki said you weren't so fond of her when you first met."

Hollie laughed. "I decked her."

"I'm so proud." Nikki muttered sarcastically. "I don't know what happened between them that day, but they've been thick as thieves ever since."

"Sisters, init." The teenager shrugged, distracted by her almost incessantly beeping mobile. "Like you and Auntie Jo."

"Jo?" Vix asked, looking at her girlfriend in clear confusion.

Hollie's head shot up and she narrowed her eyes. "You haven't told Vix about Jo?"

"I haven't not told you; she just hasn't come up in conversation."

"You have a sister and you didn't think to mention her?"

"Jo's my cousin." Nikki clarified. "Although she has always been more like a sister; her parents practically raised me."

"She's coming up with her family tomorrow, isn't she, Mum?" Hollie asked.

"As far as I know."

"You'll get to meet them at my dinner, then, Vix."

They dropped the woman off at work and the two Bostons headed towards the school. Nikki was very quiet on the drive and Hollie was too engrossed in her mobile to realise. It was only when her mother drew up in the car park and still hadn't spoken, that the teenager turned in her seat and fixed her with a stern look.

"What?" Nikki asked, not liking the way her daughter was looking at her.

"Why are you acting all… weird?"

"I'm not."

"You are!" Hollie argued. "Why haven't you told Vix about Auntie Jo? Why are you acting as though you don't want any of the family to come and visit? Are you ashamed of them? Or is it to do with–"

"This has got nothing to do with being ashamed!" Nikki assured her at once.

"So…?"

"What if Eve freaks out that I'm engaged to a woman? You know how much Jo and Sam liked Tom… what if they think this is all too fast…?"

"Then you talk to them. You convince them that you know what you're doing and you're happy." Hollie told her mother firmly. "And Eve… she won't care."

"Really?"

"Course not, Mum! Eve just wants you to be her Mum, just like I do." She paused. "Is everything OK?"

"It's fine!" Nikki snapped.

"Alright, alright…"

"Hol…"

Hollie unclicked her seatbelt and moved her hand to the door handle. "Come on, we're late, remember?"

Nikki sighed and shook her head, climbing out at the same time as her daughter. Sue stopped them as they headed towards the school building. She grabbed Nikki's hand and scrutinised the ring carefully.

"Oooh! Vix sent me a picture! Oh, that is beautiful!"

"Right, thank you."

"It's all happening so quickly. Err… not a criticism, just an observation."

"Yeah, it's been a bit of a whirlwind." Nikki admitted, allowing herself to breathe more deeply when her daughter pushed her arm through hers and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Yeah and… meeting Eve this weekend. I mean Vix can't wait! That's one lucky daughter you've got there. Two mums to look after her." Sue gushed. Then she looked at Hollie, reaching out and touching her arm. "Oh… and you, Hollie… you lucky thing!"

Hollie didn't reply, she simply raised her eyebrows in acknowledgement of the woman's words and shook her head at her mother. Nikki smiled weakly and worked her engagement ring off, putting it carefully in her pocket.

At the questioning look on her daughter's face she explained. "I don't want it to get lost or anything."

Unconvinced, but not arguing, the girl kissed her quickly on the cheek and hurried away to join her friends in the entrance hall.