A/N It was always our intention to add a final chapter but it's taken rather longer than anticipated, for which we apologise. We would like to thank you all, especially those who have supported and encouraged with their reviews and messages since the first chapter was posted (over 3 and a half years ago!) Happy Christmas and all the very best for 2019.

Chapter 30

'Maman!' the impatient teenager's call and the sound of a heavy rucksack hitting the floor echoed around the stairwell. 'Anyone home?' The question was greeted by the same level of silence as the exclamation had produced. Exasperated sighs accompanied slightly stomping footsteps on the hall's newly-laid wooden flooring before the youngster did an about-turn and kicked designer trainers in the vague direction of the dresser before continuing through to the kitchen. 'I'll get myself something to eat then,' she sulked to herself.

'Oh, hello darling, I didn't hear my favourite teenager come in. I've been in the office sorting out your Gran's bank stuff. Was the library able to help?' said a welcoming, cheerful voice from the other side of the room.

'There you are! Yeah, sort of, but I might need some help. I'm stuck on the crime and punishment module but I'm starving and, as you're always lecturing me, low blood sugar doesn't help concentration levels.' All was said with a broad smile and full expectation that there would be a favourable response.

'Firstly, I don't lecture; encourage with concern, maybe but I certainly don't lecture. Years of trying to talk sense to teenagers taught me to save my breath. Secondly, and I dare you to quote me, that's why I Google things rather than spend time in the library. Why they have such a blanket ban on eating and drinking is a mystery to me. They open the building seven days a week on this new keypad self-admission system to make it more available on one hand and drive people away with the other. Not that I should suggest you break the rules or have an unhealthy sugar intake, but nobody would know if you had a chocolate bar or three with you when you went in and none when you came out. Oh well, do you want a sandwich, you can have ham... '

...'I'll eat anything. Anyway, what have you got to do with Gran's bank?' Flora interrupted; having only taken in the first few words of Kate's mini rants, as she liked to call them. The youngster grabbed a glass of milk before perching on a kitchen stool to watch in anticipation as her sandwich was being prepared.

'Just some finance to do with the flat and the house. It's the one area I have be involved with as it's part of the joint account that covers things like council tax. She was insistent that we set it up that way when she moved in. Her way or the highway, as she...'

'Hmm just like you then,' the teenager interrupted again.

'Haha very funny,' came the response, said through smiling eyes. 'You were only a few months old when your gran moved in. That was downsizing chaos. Too many belongings for such a small space! Then, when we were just about to breath a sigh of relief that we'd finished sorting it out, she admitted that there was more still to come as she'd ordered some new cupboards for the bedrooms. At that point I rather began to wish she had taken the highway!'

Mum and teenager shared a knowing look, followed by giggles.

'It's just as well I know you're only joking,' said the subject of their discussion who had come through to the kitchen from the direction of the door linking the flat with the main house. 'Don't believe a word of what your mother says, Flora. SHE ordered the cupboards as a surprise for me, knowing that I'd had couldn't bring all my belongings with me when I came back to England. Your other Gran's furniture was okay but, oh the wardrobes! No wonder she didn't want them when she moved to the farm!'

'Your Granma's got that wrong, Flora. It was more a question that your Auntie Gillian made it quite clear what was and what wasn't going to be allowed over her brand-new doorstep. She said she'd put up with second-hand all her adult life and nothing out of the ark was being given houseroom. Battles galore ensued because her husband left her after the farmhouse burnt down so she was more than a little temperamental and vulnerable at the time. It was touch and go that they'd give up the flat and move in with her. Obviously if they hadn't gone, your Grandma wouldn't be here. Ask your mum, she'll tell you chapter and verse on that particular series of events.'

'The farmhouse burnt down? Holy sh, sorry, how come I didn't know that. My knowledge of this family has more gaps than my history module. I would ask mum, but, where is she?' questioned the pretty fifteen-year-old, tucking her wayward curls behind her ears before biting into the tuna mayo sandwich.

'She said she was going for a shower, but I think she's probably fallen asleep. She was up most of the night looking after Tom. Your little nephew is a lovely boy and it's great having him stay but we breathed a huge sigh of relief when William said they didn't need him to stay for a second night! I'll go and find her while you tuck in and keep Grandma company.'

ooooOoooo

Later that evening, dinner eaten, and history coursework completed, Caroline, Kate and Flora were slumped in the lounge, ostensibly watching television. The two adults snuggled together on the sofa on the brink of sleep while their young daughter spread herself across two bean bags, phone in hand as usual.

'Oh, mum, tell me about Gran and Grandad moving into the farmhouse. Mummy and Grandma started to tell me because I didn't know there'd been a fire, but they said to ask you.'

Caroline slowly opened her eyes and gave a sideways frown in the direction of her wife before turning towards Flora.

'Oh, they did, did they.' Caroline exclaimed while repositioning herself and Kate, who suddenly appeared to be in a much deeper sleep than a few seconds before. 'That was quite a time and I think I'll need to condense it as I, for one, don't have the stamina for more than the highlights. So, edited version coming up.

'It started, really on the day that we found out about you. Well, that's not strictly true. It started way before then but that was before your Gran met up with Grandad again so that's not something I can be a primary source of information about…'

'Oh, mum. Stop with the history tuition already.'

'Sorry, couldn't resist! Anyway, your Auntie Gillian was married at that time to the brother of her first husband. He was called Robbie. The second husband was called Robbie, that is, the first was Eddie. He'd died some years before. Anyway, he had a fall. Robbie did. Quite a bad one. Well, could have been bad but he wasn't seriously hurt, so I guess it wasn't. That was on the day that we found out the IVF had been successful, and they were due to come here for lunch the next day so that we could tell them our news. Not that they knew the reason for the lunch, obviously, but that was our plan.'

'Now I know why you're into science and not history.'

Caroline smiled broadly at the cheek and perception of her youngest child.

'Thank you for that assessment. I'll remind you of that next time you want some help with your homework! Now, where was I? Oh yes. Well, they cancelled out because Robbie wasn't up to it and things went from bad to worse in Halifax. Robbie appeared to be alright, but he couldn't do much to help himself as the bruising developed. Gillian, Auntie Gillian, was tied up with the farm so most of his care fell to two people who were full of good intentions but lacking in physical ability. It was a few days later, the Tuesday I think it was, when I had a phone call from your Gran.'

ooooOoooo

"'I can't keep doing this, Caroline. I really can't. I don't blame Robbie as he's not one to make a fuss, so I know the pain is genuine, but he can barely make it to the bathroom. I daren't let Alan keep going up and down those stairs, it could kill him with his heart the way it is. Then this morning I noticed that my right ankle was about twice it's normal size, so Alan frog-marched me to the surgery. Well, drove me there, obviously as I'm not up to….'

'Oh dear. Are you alright?'

'Well, who knows. I saw a locum doctor who said he thinks it's just fluid and I've to rest it as much as I can. Fat chance of that, isn't there? It would be ok if it wasn't for the stairs or if Raff and Ellie were here to help but they've gone down with some virus, allegedly if I'm any judge, so they've stayed over at Ellie's mum's house. Any bright ideas, Doctor?'"

ooooOoooo

'Anyway, it turned out that I do have bright ideas occasionally and once Gillian helped Robbie down the stairs, Alan drove them here and we settled Robbie in the spare bedroom at the flat. That way, with it all being on one level, both Gran and Grandad could help look after him and Gillian could concentrate on running the farm.'

'This was meant to be an edited account! What about the fire?' Flora interrupted. Like many teenagers, her attention span was limited when her phone's beeping was calling her attention elsewhere.

'Believe it or not, this is the edited version! Right. Where was I? Oh yes, the fire. Well, your aunt likes a drink as you well know. It was the second night that she was on her own. It seems that she'd had more than an odd glass, drowning her sorrows and feeling sorry for herself, she said later, as she doesn't do solitude. A smouldering candle must have set things alight, is what the fire investigators thought. She'd crashed out in her bed, but fortunately for her she woke up to use the loo just as smoke started seeping upstairs. It was an old farmhouse with very solid walls and ceilings, which probably helped to save her life. She escaped out of Raff's bedroom window by climbing onto the outhouse roof and called the fire brigade. The house was gutted by the time they arrived, and it was cheaper to demolish and rebuild than repair.'

'Why did he leave? Definitely a lightweight.'

'Oh, well, the thing is that he blamed her for the fire. They'd not long got back from holiday, actually their honeymoon, and it seemed that there'd been some problems then about how much she'd been drinking. For Robbie, it was more than enough and although they'd not been married long, he'd known her for long enough to realise that she wasn't going to change, and he realised they should never have married. They battled on for a few weeks, but it wasn't just the house that was beyond repair. She was devastated. He'd been her first boyfriend, before she met Eddie.'

'So, the wardrobes had to go too.'

'Exactly. Gran and Grandad had been flitting between here and there for ages while they decided whether to buy their own house. In truth, Grandad didn't want to leave the farm, but the stairs were beginning to be a problem and he knew that would only get worse. Building something from scratch meant that they were able to factor in their needs and have accommodation on one level, and with Robbie leaving they knew that Gillian would struggle if they left too. Of course, with Grandad now being very frail, well beyond his use-by date as he says, it's wonderful that they can continue to live together, with Auntie Gillian able to look after them both now that Raff has taken responsibility for the farm.'

Kate shifted position and opened her eyes. Not for the first time that evening did her wife consider Kate's 'sleep' to be manufactured, for the purpose of avoiding the conversation. She didn't blame her; it hadn't been easy to give the gist of the events without straying into territory that she wanted to keep from their beloved daughter.

'Hello sleepyhead! How come you get to have a nap when it was me who was awake with Tom at two and five this morning?!'

'Because, as you well know, your snoring is enough to wake the dead when you do sleep. In fact, that may well be why Tom woke in the first place! How will we cope when Lawrence and Angie move back to England with their three when his contract ends next year? We'd better hope he gets a job down south!'

'Down south? Wash your mouth out and please don't mention that prospect to my mother. In her eyes that's tantamount to high treason.'

Caroline lifted her left arm to allow space for her wife to snuggle underneath. Three months after their sixteenth wedding anniversary, their connection was as strong as it had ever been. They would be the first to acknowledge their good fortune and happiness but like all relationships it had taken effort, determination and compromise to keep the ship afloat. The couple drifted back into a semi-sleep contentment while Flora returned her attention to the phone.

ooooOoooo

'You did well to give a credible account of the fire without relating any of the unsavoury aspects of the evening. Have I mentioned that I like your hair that way?'

They were preparing for bed, Kate sitting on the edge of the bath while Caroline pulled the brush through her shoulder length blonde hair. Since taking early retirement from Sulgrave the previous year she had not been so meticulous about colouring the grey, resulting in a more natural look. Caroline bent down to kiss her wife's cheek.

'I'm glad you approve. It saves a fortune in hairdressing costs! But it's no wonder I've got grey hair after putting up with you for the past 16 years.'

'Well, considering that I have more grey hair than you I'm not quite sure about your logic,' smiled Kate, with full understanding.

'You know exactly what I mean. "Ask your mum, she'll tell you"! I must remember to thank Ginika too next time I see her.'

Kate put her hand up to stroke her wife's bottom.

'And I'll have none of that pitiful attempt at an apology! Seriously, do you think it was ok? I didn't want to lie but there are things that she doesn't need to know; information that would serve no good purpose.'

'It was fine, Caroline. Honestly. It was a lifetime ago and as you say, it would serve nobody any good purpose for Flora to know the full details. Her hair is curly enough without hearing what Gillian was really up to that evening!'

'Don't.' She smiled, the passage of time having diluted the antipathy that she remembered feeling all those years ago. 'I often wonder how Robbie controlled his anger, poor man. Fancy finding out that your home has burnt down because your new wife had got drunk with her step-sister's ex-husband and they were too busy shagging to realise the house was on fire. If she'd had any decency at all Gillian would have told Robbie that John was in the house when the fire started, rather than wait for him to find out when the insurance letter came through the post. Honest to goodness, what a time that was.'

'Yes, and you were so anxious to protect me from any stress, terrified that it would cause a problem with the pregnancy! It was a good job I wasn't allergic to all that cotton wool you wrapped around me.'

The two women shared a hug and a kiss which thoroughly demonstrated their bond. Familiarity had not bred contempt but an insurmountable amount of gratitude and respect for what they were fortunate to share. The kiss was not a chaste expression of their love and, tired or not, they both knew very well how their evening would conclude.

'Life doesn't get any better than such a kiss,' Caroline murmured as she gave up the idea of brushing her hair.

'Oh, doesn't it?' Kate replied. 'Let me see if I can improve on perfection. It's just as well Tom's not here because woe betide anyone who disturbs what I've got in mind.'

Sometime later they both slept well, as secure in each other's arms as in the awareness of their love. Their story is never ending, although this account of it is now complete, because they had found in one another the source of life and contentment which was beyond compare, and in so doing they reached the hearts and minds of others, and that's the long and the short of it all.