A/N Thanks for all your reviews - all very much appreciated. Sorry for the delay in this update - there will be more to come.

Chapter 3

When Caroline awoke, it was just starting to get light. The early morning sun streamed into Kate's bedroom around the outside of the curtains. Remembering where she was, Caroline opened her eyes, seeing the back of Kate's head very close to hers. She had one arm draped protectively across Kate's middle and their legs were entwined together. Kate's hand, in sleep, held hers, and Caroline wondered for how long they had been in this position. Despite expectations to the contrary, Caroline had fallen asleep almost instantly the previous night; the soothing, calming presence of Kate responsible for this, she was sure. She felt refreshed and that was just as well she knew, as not only was there plenty of cleaning up to do, she had some very real decisions to make which were very possibly going to take her down a road for which she had not planned.

Caroline slowly extricated her legs from Kate's, swung them carefully out of the bed and headed towards the bathroom. Glancing at the alarm clock, she saw that it was only just after 5:30, far too early to be awake on the weekend, but she was very much awake and doubted the possibility of a return to sleep. After the late night she had inflicted upon Kate, she didn't want to risk disturbing her, thinking she would instead slip downstairs and leave Kate to sleep. She would bring Kate tea, and toast perhaps, a bit later. Returning to the bedroom, Caroline's attention was caught by the sleeping Kate. Caroline's breath caught as she inhaled, taking in the fact that she was the one Kate had chosen to be able to see this. She leant against the doorframe, watching Kate's chest rise and fall, her hair sprayed out across the pillow, a peaceful expression on her face. Caroline had long been captivated by Kate's beauty, but even longer by her gentle, soft nature. For as long as Caroline had known Kate, she had been attracted to that part of her, the part that cared unfailingly and without expectation. At the beginning, though, she couldn't have foreseen this. This level of intimacy that the two women shared was new to Caroline and if she was honest, it frightened her more than a little. When Kate looked at her, she saw her, like no one had ever done before and that left her vulnerable, unable to maintain the barriers she'd spent years erecting around herself to keep people out and, she now was very aware, parts of herself firmly inside. But it was worth it.

Caroline padded slowly across the room, silently opening the bedroom door and closing it behind her. She stopped and listened at each of the doors to the rooms that housed her hopefully still sleeping sons. Satisfied by the lack of sound from either room, she crept down the stairs and into the kitchen. As quietly as she could manage, Caroline boiled the kettle and made a pot of tea, pulling the blinds in the kitchen to let in the sunlight. She could see the beginning of a beautiful day, in more ways than just the weather and in very stark contrast to the previous night. Taking her tea into Kate's dining room, she found a cushion and sat on the window seat, looking out onto the garden. Kate's small garden was beautiful. Clearly designed to maximise visual appeal whilst minimising maintenance requirements, it benefitted from the early morning sun and Caroline wished that it was a little later in the day and warm enough to sit outside. She gazed out of the window and drank her tea, savouring the tranquillity and safety of Kate's house.

She had finished one cup of tea and what was left of her second was long cold when she became aware of another person in the room. Looking up, she saw William crossing the room towards her. She smiled as he bent and kissed her on the cheek.

"Are you ok?" His voice was quiet, not wanting to wake anyone still sleeping; the chance of his mum to himself for a short time present in his mind. Caroline nodded and smiled at him. She moved her feet and he sat next to her, close beside her, still looking at her with concern.

"What're you doing awake so early?" Caroline's tone demonstrating love and tender concern for the son so attuned to his mother's thoughts and feelings.

"I don't know, really. I just woke up and thought Kate wouldn't mind if I came down and made some tea."

"Of course she won't mind. This one's cold now. I'll make some more."

"No, I'll make it. Give me your cup. You stay there." William got up before Caroline could argue. She smiled at him again and surrendered the cup she'd been nursing for the last half an hour. Caroline watched him move toward the kitchen and felt thankful that he'd coped so well with the events of the last twenty four hours. He was nearly grown up and assuming his exam results were as good as expected, assuming John hadn't wrecked that as well as everything else, he would be off to Oxford in the autumn. His potential departure filled her with conflicting emotions. She wanted him to go, of course she did, and she was extremely proud of him, fiercely so. She wanted him to experience everything that such a University could offer him but he was her William. Hers in a way he had never been John's and she knew that missing him didn't even start to describe what she would feel with him gone. She blinked any potential tears away as William made his way back across the room, this time bringing two cups. Caroline took one from him.

"Thank you. I'm going to take this back upstairs in a minute. Why don't you see if you can some more sleep. We had quite a late night last night." There was a pause while William continued to study her face.

"What are you going to do, Mum?"

Caroline sighed.

"I don't know yet. I'm going to have to see a lawyer, I think..." Her brow furrowed. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok. It's not your fault. I just want him to stop behaving like that. It's embarrassing... For him, I mean." Caroline reached for William's free hand and held it tightly.

"I know. It'll be ok. I'm going to talk to him. Later...when we get home." William nodded.

"Ok." William moved back towards the door, paused to look at his mum, smiled, and went back off up the stairs. Caroline heard him on the landing overhead and then the faint sound of the door closing. Her attention shifted back to the garden and the birds flitting around looking for food.

Kate woke to the sounds of birdsong and the same streaming sunlight that Caroline had woken to, only brighter. She reached out her arm and found Caroline's side of the bed empty and not even warm. The bathroom was quiet and the door open, so she knew Caroline couldn't be in there. Kate lay for a few moments, remembering all she had been told the previous night, remembering how wonderful it had felt to be the person Caroline called when she needed help, remembering and relishing again the feeling of Caroline legitimately in her house, in her bed all night. With the boys there as well, there had been no worrying about them, no rush to get back and no guilt. Kate wondered what it would be like for this to be normal, for her to go to sleep alongside Caroline every night, what it would be like to wake up to Caroline every morning. Getting out of bed, Kate stretched and pulled on her robe before going in search of Caroline and some tea.

Caroline had no idea how long she had been sitting gazing out of the window at the birds when suddenly warm arms slipped around her shoulders and soft kisses were planted on her neck and cheek. She turned and softly met Kate's lips, gratefully, welcoming them with lips slightly parted, her free hand taking hold of Kate's shoulder.

"Mmmm. How long have you been up?" Kate's voice still husky from sleep.

"Not sure. What time is it?"

"Almost seven."

"A while then. I was going to bring you tea in a minute." Caroline reached for Kate again, kissing her firmly this time. As Kate pulled away to look at Caroline, she took Caroline's hand and held it.

"How're you doing?"

"I'm fine, Kate. Just...I don't know...I've just been thinking about things I suppose. What I'm going to do...how nice it is to be here, with you." Caroline shifted in her seat and moved her legs to make room for Kate. Kate sat down and drew Caroline's legs across her lap, bringing her hands to rest either side of Caroline's knee. "I know that this wasn't the plan, you know...last night... but I feel...so...I don't know...calm and like I haven't felt in ...a long time. Being here, with you, it's invigorating, Kate, its'..." Caroline exhaled and shook her head. "It feels like home and I know it's' not, you know, my home, but it feels-"

"Caroline, it's ok, I know what you mean. I feel it too. Last night, for the first time, I wasn't worried about anything. You were here, all night, no rushing to get back, no waiting for the phone to ring. You were here, with me and it was valid, it was ... justified. And waking up, knowing you were here this morning was...just..." Kate leant into Caroline's offered kiss, closing her eyes and breathing in Caroline's smell. She reached out her hand, caressing the back of Caroline's head and the kiss became deeper and more passionate. Once it was over, the women sat, foreheads together, looking at each other for some minutes before Caroline lifted her legs from Kate's lap and placed her feet on the floor.

"I'll put the kettle on again." Caroline stood, taking Kate's face in her hands and kissing her forehead warmly. Caroline, cup in hand, set off for the kitchen, still able to feel the imprint of Kate's lips on hers, able to think of nothing else. Kate looked out at the view Caroline had been admiring so intently and made a mental note to do some tidying up later if the sun continued. Hearing Caroline in the kitchen, knowing she felt so at home in Kate's home, made Kate blissfully happy and not for the first time she pushed the disbelief out of her head. She followed Caroline into the kitchen, leaning on the door frame, watching her as she dropped a tea bag into each cup. Kate was entirely mesmerised by Caroline, even just making tea. There was no effort on Caroline's part to seduce or to hypnotise but for Kate, there was no escape; she would do anything for Caroline and she was fairly sure that had been true since they first met.

Kate took the extra steps into the kitchen necessary to be able to touch Caroline and moving against her, slipped her arms around Caroline's waist. Caroline arched her back in response and turned her head to the side, waiting for Kate's lips to find hers. Kate leaned closer and touched her lips to Caroline's, eliciting an exhalation from Caroline that disclosed her satisfaction. After a moment, both faces returned to the task of tea making. While the tea was steeping, Caroline turned herself around in Kate's arms to face her and lifted her arms, draping them loosely around Kate's neck. She kissed the end of Kate's nose lightly and smiled.

"Did you have anything planned for this morning?" Caroline was hoping that she wasn't going to have to rush back to Conway Drive and that they might get to spend a lazy morning together, her and Kate and the boys. Kate shook her head and kissed Caroline again.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Oh...I don't know...something slow and relaxing that doesn't involve John or my mother!" Caroline raised her eyebrows and grinned as she looked at Kate before her voice took on a more serious tone. "A lazy breakfast and lots of tea...and you, definitely lots of you." Caroline kissed Kate and felt her smile as she returned it.

"I think we can manage all of that. I picked up some croissants last night and there's bacon in the fridge and plenty of bread. Will bacon sandwiches interest Lawrence do you think?"

"I should think they probably will, yes."

"Ok, but until William and Lawrence are ready to make an appearance, how about we take this tea, upstairs, back to bed and we can find something slow and relaxing to do there, which I can guarantee will not include John or your mum!" Kate flashed a playful grin at Caroline and was rewarded by theflush working its way up Caroline's neck. The two women collected their tea and quietly, not wanting to wake the boys, made their way back up the stairs to Kate's bedroom.