A/N Thanks for the kind reviews from FlyFirstThinkLater, GirlWednesday and Chloe_x. :) If there's any spelling mistakes or anything I'm sorry, I'm going to check it over later. xx

Sinead's P.O.V

The last time we'd all been at the folley, Jasmine had told us, as Jason, that we were never going to see him again. I never thought it would mean we'd never see him as Jason again.

"Fucking hell", Bart cursed loudly behind me as he tripped and landed in a bundle of nettles. I couldn't resist laughing slightly.

"You alright babe?" I asked, trying to keep a straight face.

"Fan-fucking-tastic", he replied sarcasticly. I helped him up, both of us laughing, and I almost forgot we were probably about to be over as we both leaned in for a kiss and he placed his hands around my waist. I looked up, confused, as I heard him gasp.

"What's up?"

He didn't say anything, just stood, transfixed where he was. I followed his gaze to where Jasmine was sitting on a bench, looking straight back at him. I hadn't expected her to get here so quickly. I looked back and forth from her to Bart a few times, seeing the looks they were giving each other - Bart's expression far more caring than any of the looks he'd ever given me. In that moment, I knew it. I'd lost him. I'd thought I'd prepared myself for this but nothing could have helped me be ready for this level of hurt. I'd started to loose any shred of hope I may have had when he'd called me Jasmine in bed on Tuesday night, while he slept soundly next to me later I'd cried myself to sleep. But now, seeing how he was looking at her, how she was looking back at him, I couldn't bare it. All three of us just stood there for a good twenty seconds, digesting what was happening, me feeling more like an outsider than I ever had in my life, I was completly isolated from this huge moment they were sharing without even haven spoken a word. I turned on my heels and ran as fast as I could until I was far out of sight and earshot from either of them or any-one else, not that I thought they'd be thinking about me in the slightest right now, and finally let the tears fall.

Bart's P.O.V

Sinead was being a pain in the ass. A pretty adorable pain in the ass admittedly, but a pain all the same. However, I'd just about managed to shift Jasmine from my mind for a few seconds, and took the oppertunity to give Sinead my full attention. As we leaned in, I cursed myself for still thinking of Jasmine. I could actually picture her, sitting on the bench at the end of the folley. She looked completly real and three dimensional, unlike my usual visions of her, and although I knew there was no way it could be her, I found myself stuck to the spot, unable to do anything except look at my hallucination.

Sinead followed my gaze then looked back at me, looking almost as taken aback as I was. There was no way she could see her aswell unless ... unless ... Jas looked up at me and smiled the same old smile, looking at me in the same way I was certain I was looking at her.

The same light blonde hair, tucked behind at the front, loose fitting faded demin jeans, a checked shirt with an unzipped hoodie. Those gorgeous brown eyes. I felt like I was seeing a ghost, but at the same time, an angel. My thoughts were so clouded with the image of pure beauty in front of me that it took a while to fully register the situation. Jasmine Costello was right here, in front of me, almost close enough to touch.

I moved closer to her, slowly, still slightly cynical of her existance, even though it was plain for me to see that it really was her. But there had been so many times, mostly just before drifting to sleep or shortly after waking up, when I'd swear I could see her in the corner of my room, only to discover it was my imagination. Now, however, she was really here. I must have repeated that sentance so many times in my head but I needed to, I needed to convince myself that this was reality.

"Jas?"

She nodded.

"Jasmine". I repeated her name, but in full this time, to reassure myself more than anything else.

"Can I..?" I guestured to the empty bench space beside her.

"Sure".

She looked and sounded just as nervous as I felt as I sat next to her. The bench wasn't minute but also wasn't exactly spacious, and our legs grazed against each other as I sat. The touch of her, no matter how small, made it feel like darts of electricity were pumping through my body. I reached out my hand to her's, taking it fondly. She pulled her hand away.

"What are you doing?"

"Just ... touching you. Sorry, I just ..."

"Need to know your not seeing things?"

"Yeah", I admitted sheepishly. "I can't quite get my head around the fact that your here. I mean ... wow".

"Is that good or bad?" She laughed nervously.

"Good. Definatly good. Way more than good. Un-describable".

Neither of us seemed to really know what to say, so we sat in silence for a minute - not awkward so much as tense. It could never be awkward between us, not really, I still got the intense feeling of love radiating from her, something so much stronger than anything I'd ever felt for Sinead or Maddie or any-one else for that matter. However, this was difficult. There were so many things we needed to discuss, so many things I needed answers to, so many things I needed to tell her. But I also wanted to treasure this moment, as strong as the urge was to kiss her I also wanted to just look at her. The idea of her ever leaving my side again was enough to drive me insane. Whatever she was back for, she had to stay. There was no question about it.

"I love you", I told her. There was so much I needed to say, but that seemed to sum it up, for now at least. I anxiously awaited her response.

"Where have we heard that one before?"

I was slightly taken aback by this. All I'd wanted was for her to say three simple words. That was all I'd ever wanted, since the moment I'd first laid eyes on her that day in Evissa, my cousin Carmel's beauty salon.

"You've heard it before", I told her, "because it's true".

She didn't say anything for a few moments, as if trying to take everything in.

"Well anyway, I just thought you should know I was back". I noticed she was staring at the ground. "You should go and check on Sinead".

What? Sinead had completly left my mind for the past few minutes, I'd actually forgotten all about her. Looking around now though, she was nowhere in sight. I figured she must have ran off when she saw Jasmine. It made sense.

"I don't want to go and see Sinead".

"She'll be upset Bart".

I slammed my fist down angrily, causing the end of one of the strips of wood that formed the bench's seat to snap off.

"For Christ's sake Jasmine!"

I hadn't even known my voice could reach such a volume. But all the emotions inside me over the past two years had finally gotten to boiling point. I felt like I was about to explode, as every single memory of anything remotly important from my life came flooding into my brain.

My Mum leaving me, Dad being angry at being lumbered with having to look after his son. Him marrying my step-mum and everything getting better. A hillarious kick-about in the park with Jonno and Neil. My first date with Maddie, where she'd complained about literally everything. Walking back from school with Jonno one day, talking about which last meal we'd request if we were on death row, when I saw my Dad standing at the end of the street, a solem expression on his face. Him telling me my step-mum had died. The funeral. Dad palming me off with Aunt Myra, who I hadn't seen since my third birthday, and cousins Theresa and Michaela, who I'd seen so little times that neither of them initially realized the relation and tried to chat me up.

Moving into the McQueen's, meeting all of my extended family - Theresa and Michaela had been enough of a nightmare so when I discovered I had even more cousins in the form of Jacqui, Mercedes and Carmel, I'd been less than estatic. Feeling so alone, in a family I barely knew, abandoned by anybody that mattered, in some crappy little village that didn't even make the map. Then, helping Carmel out one day, bored as hell, I'd spotted this girl at the other side of the salon. I'd put down the box I'd been carrying and sat beside her. She was beautiful, with a personality to match, and since that day, somehow, she'd made everything alright.

Lying in a hospital bed after being stabbed by some mysterious Jason kid, Jasmine running in through the doors giving me a huge hug had given me the boost I needed, I instantly felt the pain subside - even though the power of her hug had almost crushed my incredibly fragile ribs, her being that close to me, caring for me, was all I'd needed. Then I told her what Fern had told me - that it was Jason who had stabbed me. Jas got way too defensive, and after a while I began to catch on just how simular they looked, sounded, and put two and two together. Jasmine didn't even bother to deny it, came clean about everything, although she was adamant it had been Fern who'd stabbed me. Jasmine Costello, my girlfriend, the person who meant the world to me, made my life worth living, wanted to be a lad.

Everything had changed from that moment onwards. There'd been so many tears, so much heartbreak. There had been times when, in my desperation for her, I'd promised her everything - that I'd be with her even as a boy, as Jason. But I wasn't gay. She seemed hurt by the fact it was Jasmine I wanted, but she didn't seem to get that by that, I meant her. She wasn't two people. She most certainly wasn't Jason, even if she did have an annoying tendancy to refer to herself in third person whenever she spoke about herself as Jasmine. There'd been times where my inner turmoil had gotten the better of me and I'd taken it out on her, threatening her. Times when I was forced to pretend I'd accepted our mates-only status, that she was Jason for good. Jasmine had told me she felt trapped in the wrong body, but with her as Jason all I could think about was the role reversal - how Jasmine was now trapped inside a boy, how I needed to do everything I could to snap her out of it, to release her.

And then she told me she was moving to America. The year she'd been gone had been the most horrific in my life, even worse than getting abandonded twice over, because Jasmine was no longer in my life. With her as Jason, but living here, I'd at least been near to her, no matter how much it killed me every time we hung out as Bart and Jason. With her gone, no phone-calls, texts, emails, I was as empty as my inbox. I felt constantly hollowed out, like I wasn't the whole of a person anymore, and as much as others tried, no-one could ever fix that but Jasmine.

But now she was back. Sitting right beside me, a shocked expression on her face at my outburst. Not just Jason, who I hoped to God every night would one day return, but Jasmine. Who I'd actually by then lost hope of ever seeing again. The moment I saw her the whole in my heart felt as if it was being given a re-fill, I felt something I hadn't truthfully felt since she left. I felt alive. My heart literally melted at the sight of her. Jasmine was back. I had everything I could ever need, everything was uphill was from then on because no matter what hardships came my way, nothing could ever compare to the pain of loosing her.

And just as I got to talk to her, she was wanting me to go after Sinead. How could she say that? How could she even think of Sinead right now? How could she do this to me! Did she not have any idea how much she was killing me by telling me to check on Sinead?

I quickly wiped away a tear from my cheek, hoping Jasmine hadn't seen it. I hadn't even been aweare of crying, but I wasn't too suprised due to the sheer emotion shooting through me.

"Jas", my voice was shaky. "Jas, just promise me you won't leave me again".

Suddenly we were kissing. All thoughts other than my love from her dissolved in my mind. Who cared why she was suddenly back without a warning, how she knew exactly where I'd be, why she'd changed her mind about being Jason. That could be sorted out later. Right now my sole focus was on letting her know just exactly how I felt. As I kissed her softly and slowly, I felt her hands wrap gently around my neck, sensed her smiling into the kiss as I placed my hands on her waist. After what felt like eternity but nowhere near long enough, she slowly pulled away from me.

"We need to talk first".

"About what?" I honestly didn't understand what we so urgently needed to discuss. Obviously I gathered that a few things needed explaining on her part, but wasn't this what really mattered? Us being together?

"I need to find Riley", she replied, ignoring the question. She looked nervous. "He still doesn't know I'm Jasmine again".

I eased my urge to kiss her again to the side for a moment as I thought about what she'd just said, and put my arm around her in an attempt to comfort her. I couldn't quite comprehend why she hadn't thought to tell her own brother of her change back to her origional gender, but it wasn't my place to judge - just to be there for her, no matter what. I was aweare I sounded like I was making marrige vows in my mind, but Jasmine had that kind of effect on me. I placed a kiss on her cheek, which she seemed slightly uncomfortable with.

"It'll be fine", I told her. "He'll be happy to see you. Especially as you. Jasmine".

She nodded, then got up without a word.

"I'll see you around Bart", she told me as she started to walk off.

I'll see you around? What the fuck? Was that seriously all I got? What the hell happened to I still love you, I always will? Every inch of my body wanted to follow her, but deep in my heart I got the feeling that I needed to give her some time.

Jasmine's P.O.V

It had been a long time since I'd set foot inside The Dog In The Pond. The first time I'd come here had been as Jasmine, every-one in my family had managed to forget about my return from American Summer Camp that day and got a hell of a shock when the daughter and sister they were positive was in America walked through the enterance. If that had been a shock, nothing could compare Riley for this time - simular circumstances, only this time not only did he think I was in America, but thought I was living as a boy.

I must have been just standing outside, looking at the outside of the pub, building up the courage to go in, for a good half an hour. Luckily the village was quiet and no-one I knew had recognised me. Dodger Savage had walked past, giving me the eye as he did so, but as far as he knew I was just so random girl. I laughed a little at the thought of what he'd think when he found out the girl he'd been checking out was the same person that used to be Jason Costello.

"You can do it Jas", I instantly recognised the voice beside me.

"I know I can. When I choose to do it, however, is entirely up to me and nothing to do with you".

"Jasmine your not being fair".

I'd been determined not to look at him but this comment had angered me so I turned to face him. His eyes were full of concern. I forbid myself to think about that. All I'd wanted for the past year had been to see Bart again, our encounter just now had matched up to all of my dreams and beaten any expectations. However, the shock of how intense it had felt to finally see each other again reminded me that we still had plenty to talk about.

"Fair? I'll tell you what's not bloody fair! What's not fair is how you can tell me you love me, promise me everything, only to pretend it never happened ten minutes later, keep stringing me along, because your too frightened of what being with a transgender guy might to do your image!"

He looked taken aback for a moment, then angry himself.

"Well I'll tell you what's not fair. Making me fall in love with you before thinking to maybe, I don't know, mention the tiny little detail that you actually want to be a boy! Oh! And I'll tell you what's also not fair! Leaving for no apparant reason, not keeping in contact, so that I have no idea whether or not the girl I'm in love with has had a permenant sex change!"

"I think it's pretty obvious that I haven't".

"I know that now! I didn't know it for a whole fucking year though, did I?"

Neither of us said anything for a while after that, just stood looking at each other - not wanting to speak to each other anymore, but not wanting to look away either, after so long apart.

"Jasmine!"

I forced myself to turn away from Bart at the sound of my twin brother's excited exclamation. As strong as my love for Bart was, I hadn't seen Seth in nearly a year either, and he was an important guy in my life too. As much as we fought, our bond as twins could never really be broken.

I flung my arms around him as he hugged me, both of us holding on tightly. Finally we let go, Seth looking down at me estaticly, but also like he was struggling to take it in.

"I can't believe your here. That Jasmine's here. That you're Jasmine again".

Seth had a habbit of thinking aloud, which often meant he didn't have as much of a way with words as most others.

"I've missed you too", I replied, knowing that was what he'd meant. "It's been boring as hell this last year, without the constant calamity of your love life for entertainment".

"Oh ha-ha", he replied sarcasticly. "Hillarious. You just had to go and spoil our little moment there, didn't you?"

"Yep", I smiled, laughing. We'd had our hug, said our I miss you's, now it was time to get back to normality. I'd been looking forward to it.

"Not the first time she's done that today, is it Jas?" I'd almost forgotten Bart was still here until his comment.

"Bart..."

It was too late, he was already walking away. Seth saw me watching him leave.

"Don't even think about it. You can chase after Bart McQueen later, right now I want to spend some time with my twin sister. It's been a while".

"Yeah", I agreed. He was right, I could find Bart later - I was looking forward to some way-overdue quality time with Seth. "But I need to find Riley, too".

"He's upstairs", Seth told me.

I followed him into the pub. It was a magior deja-vu walking in, looking around.

"Oh my God!" I heard the shrill squeal of Theresa McQueen as she trotted her six-inch heels in my direction. Great. Bart's cousin and one of the many village gossips. Exactly what I needed.

"What is it Theresa?" Anita Roy sounded vaguely amused by her friend's enthusiasm as she watched the squeal from the comfort of the table Theresa had previously been sitting at. Thank God Anita was here. I didn't know if she was visiting or had moved back - as far as our friendship went I was hoping for the second - but it was a relief to have some-one to calm Theresa down, the last thing I wanted right now was the McQueen version of the Spanish Inquesition. "Oh my God", Anita repeated, in a much calmed tone, as she saw me. Getting up, she walked over and gave me a hug.

"Jasmine", she exclaimed, smiling. "I thought you were living as Jason full time now?"

"Change of mind", I told her. "Long story". I hadn't even explained to Bart or Seth yet, it seemed wrong to tell Anita all about my decision before either of them. Or Riley. Jesus Christ, soon half the village was going to know before him. "I'll talk to you about it later", I told Anita. "Right now I need to see Riley".

As I said his name, Riley himself appeared from behind the bar.

Riley's P.O.V

After finally finding a bar pump that worked, I made my way from the storage room back to behind the bar, where Jacqui McQueen was meant to be working but was nowhere in sight. Bloody typical. I rolled my eyes. I'd have a good mind to sack Jacqui if she wasn't the sister of the mother of my child. If you got on the wrong side of Mercedes' family, you instantly put yourself in a war with Mercy aswell. We were on thin enough ice as it was, I didn't want to cause her to cut back the time I was allowed with my son.

While scanning the pub for Jacqui I noticed Seth was back from wherever it was he had been, I hadn't really been listening when he'd told me, and was now surrounded by girls. Well, there were only three of them but it was still surrounded by Seth's standard. One I recognised as Theresa, another McQueen - the village was filled with them - another I vaguely remembered once being friends with Jason, and the other I assumed must be their friend. I could only see her side-on but she looked a hell of a lot like - she interrupted my thoughts by turning around. In front of me was some-one I'd thought I'd never see again. A wave of love rushed over me as I came face-to-face with my little sister once more. I was confused as hell but that could be pushed to the side for a moment as I came out from behind the bar and hugged her.

"Jasmine, what the-?" I asked after we ended our embrace, not wanting to let her see just how elated I was to see her once more.

"Nice to see you too Riley", she laughed.

"Come on", I said, struggling not to let my massive confusion show in front of everyone in the pub, "Let's get you both upstairs".

Bart's P.O.V

I kicked off my trainers as I closed the front door behind me. I'd have to chuck them in the bin. It was a shame, they were brand new and although they were admittedly knock-off, they were still a good brand. But I'd kicked the ground and everything on it so frequently on my way back from The Dog In The Pond that the front of both shoes had completly fallen through. I was still angry with the whole Jasmine situation, and it hadn't helped that on the way home I'd passed the Graffiti Mitzee is fat that Jas and I had sprayed the second time we'd hung out, the day of our first kiss. Well, the day I'd first kissed her. She'd pushed me away from her and ran off. I should have known something was wrong then, really. But I didn't. I ignored all my insitincs and fell for her anyway.

And what had it got me? Jasmine was never going to be simple. Today was the proof of that. I loved her, honest to God I did - I loved her more than life itself, I didn't care how soppy and shit it sounded, it was true. And I was fairly sure she loved me too. She had too. You couldn't love some-one that much just for them to not love you back. It wasn't fair.

That last thought brought my memory back to the argument Jasmine and I had just had. I hadn't even thought to ask her how long she was going to be around for. Whether she'd be at college tomorrow. Shit. College. I'd only just realised how I'd skived off today. I made my way to the answer machine quickly, checking for any messages from the college. Luckily there were none.

"Don't worry", my cousin Mercedes, who I hadn't even realised was in the room, told me. "I deleted the college's messages for you. I'm not going to tell Mum". Thank Christ. The last thing I needed after the head-fuck of a day I'd had was Aunt Myra in a pissy with me. "As long", she continued, "as you look after the baby tonight. I was planning on going to the pub".

I rolled my eyes.

"Is that really the best idea?" No-one really ever knew what the situation was between Mercedes and her ex-fiancee and father of her child, Riley, but whatever chance they had of a potential relationship they had Mercedes always ruined by pushing him too fast, spending most of her time at the pub so he had to speak to her.

"Do you want to get in shit about college or not?"

"You realize blackmail is illegal?"

"You realize my last name is McQueen?" She had a point.

"Fine", I sighed. "I'll look after the baby".

It wasn't that I minded looking after him, I loved my little nephew. Okay so he was technically my second cousin, but I referred to him as my nephew in the same way that I called Kathleen Angel, Theresa's daughter, my neice. It was just that I could really do with some peace and quiet to try and figure things out. There was no chance of that with a screaming one-year-old to care for.

"Oh my God, Bart", Theresa gushed as she burst through the door with her friend Anita, who was staying with us for a few days. I tried my best to ignore her, it was awkward - she'd been Jasmine's friend which instantly made me dislike her as she brought back memories I'd been trying to forget. Also, recently after Jas had told me about her want to be a boy, desperate to get her out of my mind I'd had sex with Anita in the school janitor's closet. Especially after today, seeing Jasmine again, I was not in the mood to see Anita Roy.

"You'll never guess who I just saw!" Theresa continued.

"Keep it down Theresa, I've only just got him to sleep", Mercedes ordered, gesturing towards her sleeping baby.

"Jasmine Costello!" Theresa lowered her voice slightly, looking at me eagerly.

"You what?" Mercedes seemed to forget all about keeping quiet in her shock.

"It was definatly her", Anita added, not that any-one had asked for her input. "Jasmine's back Bart".

"Yeah, Theresa already said", I snapped at her. "And anyway, I know - I've seen her".

"You have?" Theresa looked like she was about to burst with excitment.

"Yes", I replied, not wanting to go into it too much, mostly because I didn't want to talk about it but also partly to annoy her. All three of them had their eyes on me, hesitantly awaiting an answer. I headed upstairs and slammed the door to my room shut. I could imagine them downstairs talking about me, deciding whether or not one of them should try and talk to me. They'd better not. I was not in the mood for talking.

Once I'd waited a few minutes and was pretty sure they wouldn't be coming in, I finally let my guard down and allowed myself to cry.