Martha's First Wedding

A/N: Here's another Baby Martha interlude to tie you over until I get caught up in the storyline. I actually have a pretty big two-parter done, but there's a handful of background to cover before that. Point is, I HAVE been writing. But don't expect a whole lot, as classes have started up again and I'm going to become a ghost for a few months. Things should pick up during the summer though.

Timeline: Early May 1975

"Little Miss Martha," Katy called as she stepped into the lounge, worried that the flat had gone quiet while she was in the bathroom and letting out a sigh of relief when her daughter appeared from behind the sofa. "How did you get back there?" She asked as she picked her up.

Martha simply sneezed three times in response.

"Yes, I know. It's dusty back there," Katy replied. "And now that I have you, let's go check the post, shall we?"

Martha babbled in response, getting a kiss on the head in return as her mother laughed and opened the door, double-checking to make sure she had the key before making her way downstairs. It was one of her rare days off and she intended to enjoy it, despite the fact that she hadn't seen her boyfriend in two days, but she figured it was probably for the best. The last time Cutler had come home, he started screaming at Martha because she had managed get a hold of one of his catalogues and had proceeded to simply rip the pages out of it. The argument had ended with Martha screaming and Katy ducking to avoid being hit with the book as he threw it across the room before slamming the door and heading out.

'Oh, well…' Katy thought with a sigh as they hit the ground floor and headed to the postboxes.

"I thought that was you!" A woman said, approaching just as Katy turned her key in the box. "I feel like it's been forever!"

"That's because it has been, Jean," Katy replied.

"I know. I've just been so caught up with work and preparing for the baby…Oh, hi there, Martha," Jean said with a smile upon noticing the girl in her mother's arms. "How is she?"

"Cheeky as ever. Last night she attempted to eat a page out of one of my mother's ledgers and then just smiled at her disgusted expression when Grandma finally got her to spit it out."

"Oh, dear."

"But, other than the occasional incident, she's a good girl."

"Is that true? Are you a good girl?" Jean asked, getting a laugh and smile in response from Martha. "She has the prettiest blue eyes."

"I know. She gets them from her Granddad."

Martha looked up at the mention of her grandfather.

"Yes. Tell her, Martha. You look very much like Granddad."

Martha babbled in response and turned back to Jean, her eyes falling on her stomach.

"Are you excited?" Katy asked, following Martha's gaze.

"Of course. Though, it's a bit scary."

"It'll be fine. You're going to be a great Mum, I know it."

"Thank you."

"What do you think it is?"

"I'd love to have a little girl, but my husband really wants a son to pal around with. So, we'll see. How old is Martha now?"

"She'll be ten months next week."

"Does she talk yet?"

"No, but we don't worry about it. She'll talk when she's ready. I was told that I didn't say my first word until I was fourteen months and my sister didn't speak until she was a little over a year, so she's normal."

As soon as she finished speaking, Martha whined and shifted, as she was beginning to get bored listening to grownups talking and leaving her out.

"Okay, okay," Katy sighed as Martha took her hands to her face and tried to push her away. "I should probably head back upstairs and let her get back to her hatbox. Would you like to come up for some tea?"

"That would be lovely, thank you," Jean replied as Katy finally pulled the post from the box and then locked it, soon moving past her to take the lead as they headed upstairs, Katy setting Martha on the ground the first chance she got.

"She'll be fine for a moment, follow me," Katy said, leading her into the kitchen to put together the tea and a small assortment of biscuits while Martha entertained herself with her hatbox.

As the grownups continued their conversation, Martha crawled in the box, and then crawled out of it and rolled it across the floor, frowning when it didn't come back to her and soon figuring that hatboxes were no fun unless you had someone playing with you. With that thought in mind, she made her way into the kitchen and settled herself next to her Mummy's chair and whined.

"What's the matter, Martha?" Jean asked, moving to pick her up. "Can I?" She asked.

"If she'll let you," Katy shrugged, knowing that Martha rarely got along with strangers.

Surprisingly, Martha allowed Jean to pick her up and put her in her lap, figuring that she must be okay if Mummy had let her in and was smiling. "There we go," She said. "What's wrong? Are you lonely?"

"Probably. She's a little too used to hatboxes rolling back to her," Katy said as she continued to rifle through the post, raising an eyebrow at an envelope trimmed in pink as Martha tried to reach for the biscuit plate in the middle of the table. "Go ahead and give her one. The strawberry crème is her favourite."

Jean smiled and did so, laughing when Martha quickly snatched the biscuit out of her hands and stuffed it in her mouth.

"My God…" Katy gasped as she looked over a piece of paper. "Vanessa's getting married."

"Hm?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. She's one of my colleagues…She's actually only a few years older than me."

"Is it hard?"

"What?"

"Being young and unmarried…with a child?" Jean asked, her eyes low, as she feared her friend's reaction, knowing the question was a bit rude.

"Sometimes," Katy admitted, knowing that it wasn't meant to be insulting. "It's definitely not easy, but I don't think I would change it. I love my Little Miss Martha too much. I like to think everything happens for a reason, so I don't believe it's a mistake and it's only really difficult when people make it out to be. I can't tell you how often I get rude looks from people when I take her out to the supermarket or the park."

"That's not right. It shouldn't matter that you're young, what matters is that you love your daughter and are a good mother to her."

"I try," Katy replied as she stood and made her way to the fridge and then went about preparing and soon returning to the table with a juice bottle for Martha. "It helps that she's relatively easy," She continued as Martha snatched the bottle out of her hands, her eyes saying 'thank you.'

"And how did you accomplish that?" Jean asked with a smile.

"I didn't. The ease of care depends on the child more than anything. Martha, for example, has never cried much, but she'll always let you know what she's thinking. On the other hand, she's rather mischievous and always getting into things and she's got a bit of sass in her."

Jean simply smiled at Martha, who smiled back and then turned to her mother when presented with another biscuit.

"And she loves to eat, which can be a good or a bad thing, depending on her mood and preference for the day, but anything strawberry is always a hit," Katy explained, laughing as Martha followed the biscuit as she moved it in front of her face, finally whining and reaching out when she got fed up with her mother's game. "Now, that's not polite."

Martha frowned and then let out a louder whine and kicked her feet, far from amused with this game.

"Told you," Katy shrugged and finally handed over the biscuit before sitting back down and letting the conversation move on and then into the lounge, where she and Jean spent a good amount of time playing with Martha before Jean decided she had stayed long enough and headed out and to her own flat, which was just a floor below theirs. "No, Martha. You can't go with her," Katy said, quickly picking her up before she could crawl out the door.

Martha glared at her, not understanding why she couldn't go out and explore and follow the lady who gave her biscuits and understood how to play with hatboxes. She simply whined, frowning when her mother laughed and shut the door.

"Oh, You." Katy kissed her head and then set her down, watching as she crawled off and soon settled down with some blocks, leaving her mother to go back to the post. 'I'm going to have to see what I can do about getting off that day…' Katy thought of the wedding invitation. 'And then there's Martha…She says children are welcome…so, maybe…' Unsure of what to do, Katy simply set the invitation down to think about later and went about clearing the table so she could work, making sure to keep a close eye on Martha, grabbing her again at supper time, after which she was put to bed, her father still very much absent until the following morning, when he stumbled in at seven AM, saying nothing to either his girlfriend or daughter. Though it was relatively upsetting, Katy preferred when he said nothing because it meant he wasn't yelling.

Martha regarded her father with caution, watching him closely as he moved about and Mummy set a bowl of oatmeal mixed with strawberries in front of her, giving her the signal to stay quiet, though she didn't quite understand, but she didn't need to be told either, as she knew enough to know that if she made noise, Daddy would yell, and if she didn't, he'd leave her alone.

Soon, Katy took Martha to dress her and Cutler settled himself in the armchair, staying there and quiet as Katy slipped out the door and took her usual, morning trip to her parents' house, not at all surprised when Martha reached out for her Granddad when he opened the door.

"Good morning, Little Lady," David said, carefully taking her out of her mother's arms. "She's awake this morning," He observed.

Katy nodded. "She is, and she already had breakfast so don't let her trick you into feeding her again for another hour or so."

"I know the drill," David replied, looking down at Martha as she looked up at him. "And so do you," He reminded her, getting a frown in response.

"I think you know everything else, so I'll be off. Bye, Martha," Katy said, leaving her daughter with a kiss and a wave.

The moment she closed the door, David set Martha down and took her jacket. "Well, what do you want to do today, Little Lady?" He asked, watching and following when she crawled off into the kitchen.

Once she hit the tile floor, Martha stopped and sat a minute, trying to figure out her next move, smiling and moving again once she caught site of her pushchair resting against the wall behind the dining table. Without a second thought, she headed over and sat in front of it.

"No, Martha. We're not going for a walk now, you just got here," David replied, noting her frown as she crawled off again, this time around the counter to the sink, where Laura was handling the last of the breakfast dishes.

Once she caught site of her grandmother, Martha settled herself on top of her foot and whined.

"Hm?" Laura muttered, soon looking down. "What's the matter?" She asked, getting another whine in response before turning to her husband. "Oh, David. Take her out. You know she loves it."

David sighed, knowing himself defeated, as not only was it two against one, he simply didn't feel like starting a pointless argument. "I guess you win, Little Lady," He said as he moved to pick her up, taking her first back into the lounge to get her jacket before letting her crawl around for a bit while he set up the pushchair and got himself situated.

"That wasn't right you know, playing one against the other," He said upon strapping her in.

Martha simply titled her head and gave an innocent smile in response, her eyes saying "is that what I was doing?"

David shook his head and stood from his position in front of her after double-checking to make sure she was secure before they headed off, Martha smiling as she looked around at the sites.

'You act as if you don't see this every other day,' He thought as she pointed ahead at a man with his dog that they waved at as they passed. "Yes, Martha. That's a dog," He said as she continued to point, soon gesturing towards the road, "And that's a car, and down the street is a lady," He continued as they passed a woman balancing a grocery bag in her arms, who stopped and glanced at Martha.

"Well, aren't you beautiful?" She said.

Martha smiled and squealed at the compliment and the woman laughed.

"She looks like you," She said to David, getting another smile from Martha. "Yes, you look just like Daddy."

"Actually, I'm her Granddad," David admitted.

"Really?" The woman raised an eyebrow.

David nodded. "But, I'll take that as a compliment. She actually looks nothing like her father; she takes heavily after my daughter."

"She has your eyes. What's…"
"Martha," David said, knowing the question.

Before the woman had a chance to speak, Martha looked up at her and babbled at the mention of her name.

"Are you trying to tell us something, Martha?" The woman teased, getting more babble in reply.

"I think she's trying to tell me that it's time to move on. She probably wants to see Ms. Fitzgerald's flowers.

"Oh, alright. Perhaps I'll see you around then."

"Perhaps. It was nice meeting you," David said as they shook hands, then the woman headed on her way and he continued on, soon stopping in front of the mentioned neighbour's home and finding her, as expected, outside.

"Good morning, Donna!" He called and she turned around, smiling as she stood and made her way over, a flower in hand.

"Hello David, Martha," Donna said, setting the flower on Martha's tray, watching as she smiled and picked it up with wide eyes.

"I figured she'd like to see how your garden is coming along."

"I've only just started. It'll be a bit before it's finished in its entirety."

"She doesn't care, she just likes pretty flowers," David said as he looked down at his granddaughter.

Martha ignored him as she turned the yellow flower over in her hands, admiring the colour and simply prettiness of it, soon catching the smell of it. With a curious look, she turned it over again, soon figuring that if it smelled good, it must taste good and brought it to her mouth, only to have it snatched out of her hands.

"NO, Martha. Flowers are not for eating," David scolded, getting a whine response as she looked up at him with pleading eyes. "No." He said, ignoring her when she started to cry.

Donna looked at Martha and then him, her eyebrow raised.

"She'll stop soon. She always does when I don't pay attention," David shrugged and they went on talking for awhile, Martha quieting about halfway through the conversation when she realised that her crying was getting her nowhere. "Are you done, now?"

Martha simply looked up at him, frowning when he started to wipe her face.

"Don't give me that look," He said upon standing back up, shoving the handkerchief back in his pocket. "We're going to get going now. Nice seeing you Donna."

"You too," Donna waved them off as they continued down the block, steering clear of further interruptions for the remainder of the walk, David just enjoying his time with his granddaughter and Martha enjoying everything she saw, as her Granddad had chosen to take an different route this time around.

"Are you happy now?" David said to Martha upon arriving home. "You got your walk for the day."

"You talk to her like she's a dog," Millie said as she came around from the kitchen.

"And what are you doing here?" David asked as Martha squealed.

"My boss rang me this morning to tell me that the client canceled, so I figured that while I was off, I should make some time for my niece," Millie replied as she knelt to un-strap Martha and then pick her up. "How are you this morning, Martha?"

Martha babbled at her aunt and quickly turned her attention to her hairclip, reaching for it until Millie pushed her hand away.

"No, we're not playing with that," She said, ending with a kiss on her head before moving to the sofa, sitting Martha in her lap to remove her jacket, her travel blanket having fallen when she picked her up out of the pushchair. "It's pretty, huh?" Millie said, speaking of her necklace as Martha turned her attention to it, soon taking it in her hands to play with it. "Just be careful. You wouldn't want to break it. It's a special necklace, your mummy made it for me for my birthday."

Martha stopped a moment and tilted her head at the mention of her mother, but quickly let it go and resumed playing with the necklace.

"I have a present for you," Millie said. "Would you like to see it?" Not waiting for an answer, she simply stood and carried Martha into the kitchen, reaching into her handbag and soon presenting her with a grey, stuffed elephant with a purple ribbon around its neck. "This is Ellie," She explained, smiling as Martha reached for it with a wide smile of her own, soon taking to shifting around until her aunt set her down.

On the floor, Martha turned Ellie over in her hands, trying to figure her out. She wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to be exactly. She recognised cats and dogs from her walks with Granddad, but Ellie was neither.

After a few more moments of contemplation, she became content with the fact that she was soft and squishy and safe to throw, so she threw her across the room, laughed, and headed after her, getting a raised eyebrow from Aunt Millie in response as she stood and followed.

"Now, what was that for, Martha?" Millie asked as Martha picked Ellie back up, holding her up to her aunt, who took the toy while she crawled off and found her hatbox, stopping in front of it and then pointing at Millie again.

As soon as Millie handed Ellie back, Martha dropped her in the box, laughing when Millie finally understood and put the lid on the box, soon getting out two more with some inspiration and getting her niece into a game where she had to choose the hatbox housing her toy that kept her busy until snack time.

Later on, after lunch and a nap, Martha found herself out of the house again, accompanying her aunt while she ran a few errands and being brought back to her grandparents shortly before her mum arrived to pick her up.

"You should have told me you were free," Katy said upon seeing her sister.

"I didn't know until a little after eight and by then, she was already here," Millie said, glancing down at Martha, who was sitting comfortably in her arms.

"And what's that?" Katy asked as her daughter held out her new toy.

"Ellie," Millie replied.

"Did Aunt Millie get you a new friend?"

Martha smiled and babbled in response as she reached out for her mother.

"I took her out for awhile too. We went to a few clothing shops and the supermarket."

"You've had a busy day, huh?" Katy asked, playing along with Martha's babbling. "Oh, yes. That's interesting, but I've got some even better news. We're going to a wedding."

"We?" David asked as he stepped into the lounge. "As in you and Martha?"

"Yes. One of my colleagues is getting married next month and I got my invitation yesterday. I talked to her today and she said children were more than welcome and that there will be adequate care and snacks provided. She loves kids and doesn't think it's fair to leave her younger relatives out of her wedding. She actually thinks they could add something," Katy explained, kissing Martha's head when she finished.

"But, Martha's just a baby," Mille argued. "Don't you want to spend your time there drinking and laughing and dancing rather than looking after her?"

"I can do that with her. I told you, care will be provided, and in the event she doesn't get along with the other children, I can handle her, you know that."

"But…are you sure…" Millie started.

"Yes," Katy snapped. "Look, I appreciate your concern, but I've made my decision. My Little Miss Martha and I are going to a wedding."

Martha whined.

"What? Are you upset because we're not paying attention to you?" Katy asked, watching as Martha bit down on Ellie's head as a response. "Oh, Martha," Katy sighed and her daughter looked up at her with a cheeky smile, getting a kiss on the head before being set down and pulled into her jacket before heading home to relatively quiet flat that didn't stay quiet over the next few days, with several arguments arising out of nothing, from Katy's work to Martha's existence and even the messiness of the flat.

After days of shouting about nothing, Katy was grateful to have a break when her mother asked her out on a shopping trip, the intent being to get a special dress for Martha to wear to her first wedding.

"Do you know what the theme is?" Laura asked as they stepped into a specialty, baby boutique.

"She said it's a springy, flowery atmosphere. So, we should probably stick with lighter, spring colours," Katy replied, while, in her pushchair, Martha squealed, excited with the new setting.

Hearing the noise, a saleswoman looked up from the pile of clothes she was folding, smiled and quickly headed over.

"Hi," She greeted. "Can I help you find anything?"

"I need a special occasion dress. But, I want it to be something simple and easy for her to move around in," Katy explained.

"Follow me," The woman said, easily leading them to the correct section. "This is all of our occasion wear and…" She trailed off at the sound of Martha's whine. "And who is this?" She asked.

"Martha," Laura replied.

The woman looked her over a moment. "You know…She has the same colouring as my niece." She thought for a moment, headed to a nearby rack and came back with a ruffled, pink dress. "I bought one of these for a family party a few months back and it looked great on her. It really brought out her eyes."

"I like it," Laura said as she took it.

"I'm not so sure, Mum," Katy said. "Martha doesn't really wear pink, remember?"

"Why don't we ask her what she thinks?" Laura suggested, soon kneeling down and presenting the dress to her granddaughter.

Martha looked up at her grandmother and then down at the dress on her tray, taking a fistful of it before whining and pushing it away.

"You don't like it?" Laura asked, getting a "duh" look in response.

"I told you. How about this one?" Katy asked, picking up a blue one that Martha also whined at as she kicked her feet.

"But, Martha, you like blue."

To everyone's surprise, Martha simply slammed her hands on her tray.

Katy raised an eyebrow, knowing it was unusual for her daughter to throw such fits and quickly glanced at her watch. "Oh! No wonder you're upset. It's past snack time."

"But I didn't…" Laura started.

"I did," Katy said, reaching into her handbag and producing a bag of Cheerios, quickly putting a handful on the pushchair tray and getting a smile in response as Martha eagerly picked up a handful and the saleswoman cocked an eyebrow.

"How many kids do you have?" She asked.

"Just this one," Katy shrugged.

'You would think she has at least three with the way she reacts…Most first-time mothers have to fiddle with bottles and changing bags and three choices of snack…' The woman thought, soon shaking it off and leading them over to another section, where they alternated between searching for outfits and amusing Martha, until Laura pointed another one out.

"How about this? I never see her wear purple," She said, holding up a lavender dress with a double-layered, ruffled skirt and matching ruffled sleeves.

"I love that one," The saleswoman said, "And, it comes with a flower headband and matching socks."

"Too bad Martha will wear neither," Katy said. "But, I do like the dress. Why don't you see what she thinks?"

Laura nodded and presented the dress to her granddaughter, who took a fistful of it, looked it over and smiled. "She likes it."

Katy smiled at her daughter and flipped over the price tag, startled when her mother simply pulled the dress away.

"Don't worry about that. I'll pay for it."

"You don't have to do that I…"

"I want to. It's what Grandmothers are for," Laura insisted as she turned around and they followed the saleswoman to the register."We still have some time to kill," She said after she paid. "Why don't we go see your sister? I think she'd like a little surprise."

Martha squealed before her mother could answer, signaling her approval of the idea.

Katy sighed. "I guess if she's in, I am too." She turned to her daughter. "Already a great negotiator and you can't talk." She shook her head and they headed out, their next stop being the office of the event planning company Millie worked for. It was a tiny, family owned party shop that dealt with smaller gatherings such as birthday and hen parties. Inside, Millie dealt with unfiled paperwork and a difficult client, flipping pages as she fought the urge to simply tell the overbearing mother on the line to "fuck off" for expecting so much for a three-year-old's party.

She hung up with an aggravated sigh and put a hand through her hair, looking up at the sound of footsteps approaching her desk.

"Katy?"

"Millie."

Martha squealed.

"Martha," Laura laughed, continuing the name chain.

"Hi, Martha." Millie quickly stood up, made her way around the desk and picked Martha up and out of her pushchair. "You're in a good mood."

"Of course she is, she just got a new outfit," Katy said, watching as her sister pushed a curl out of Martha's face.

"I see. A new outfit always cheers me up too. Where's Ellie?"

"Here," Laura said, pulling the toy from her bag and quickly handing it over when Martha smiled and reached for it, soon showing it off to her aunt.

"Yes, I know Ellie. I gave her to you, remember?"

Katy gave a chuckle. "She's a baby. She's lucky she knows her name, Millie."

"And what is her name?" Millie's boss asked as he rounded the corner.

"Martha," Millie replied.

"I didn't know you had a child."

"I don't…Technically. She's my niece," Millie said, easily catching the man's hand reaching towards Martha. "Don't do that. She hates strangers touching her."

"Oh, sorry. I should have known, my youngest son was the same way. How old is she?"

"A little over ten months," Katy replied as two other women joined them in their little circle.

Martha glanced up at the women and frowned as they approached her, followed by the new intern, who tried to touch her and got a scowl in response before she looked up at her aunt and whined.

"Everyone, stop," Katy ordered. "She doesn't like being crowded."

Frightened by her tone, everyone backed up and gave them space, taking their time in approaching her and looking over Martha, who relished in the attention once she had breathing room. Unfortunately, everyone was soon ordered back to work and Katy, Laura and Martha were politely sent out to complete their errands, including lunch at a restaurant where Martha was not amused by her grandmother's lack of cookie sharing. Luckily, her mother made up for it at home with strawberry crème biscuits before busying her with some blocks to work on Vanessa's wedding gift, which was completed just hours before the wedding.

'There, perfect,' Katy said, smiling as she tied the ribbon the morning of before getting up from her spot to fetch Martha, who absentmindedly fiddled with her blanket as she sat, waiting for her mother to come.

"Good morning," Katy greeted as she pulled Martha from her cot. "Today's the big day," She informed her, getting a tired head tilt in response. "Oh, you." Katy kissed her daughter's head before quickly changing her and then heading into the kitchen, placing her in her highchair while she threw a quick breakfast of cereal and baby milk together, turning back to her jewellery as Martha ate, grateful that Cutler was still asleep in the bedroom.

While her mother worked, Martha pawed at her food and slowly ate, whining at her mother once she had finished.

"Hm? Oh, I'm sorry, Martha," Katy said, quickly putting down the beaded necklace she was tying. "Are you done?"

Martha simply gave her a "duh!" look and titled her head, getting a sigh in response from her mother as Katy rose to take the dishes and then her daughter.

"Good. Let's get you changed. Granddad will be here soon to look after you while mummy gets dressed, then he's going to take us to the wedding. Isn't that exciting?" She said as they reached the nursery, where she quickly got Martha into her new dress, as, she never minded being changed, until it came to the socks, which she glared at when her mother brought them out, determined to try. However, after twenty minutes of fighting, she gave up and simply sighed while Martha gave her a cheeky smile, her eyes saying, "I win again."

"Fine, no socks," Katy decided just as a knock came at the door. 'That'll be Dad,' She thought, quickly grabbing Martha and rushing to answer the door, not surprised when her daughter gave a happy squeal at the sight of her grandfather.

"Good morning, Little Lady," David greeted, taking her from her mother. "Well, aren't you pretty today?"

"It would be prettier if she would wear her socks and headband."

"Now you're just being ridiculous. Right, Martha?" David asked, smiling at her smile.

"Can you keep her busy while I get dressed?"

"Of course. We'll be fine."

"Last time you said that she came back covered in apple juice and spaghetti sauce."

"It's not my fault you came home before I could get her changed. But, don't worry about us, go get dressed," David ordered, looking down at Martha as his daughter ran off. "Come on, Little Lady. Let's find your box." He said as he set her down.

Catching the key word, Martha smiled and followed her grandfather as he opened the shoe cupboard and then rolled the hatbox across the floor, watching as Martha squealed and chased after it, climbing in as soon as she got the chance.

David smiled and shook his head as he made his way over and managed to keep her busy until Katy appeared an hour later in a light-blue sundress.

"You're wearing that?" David asked.

"Yes. It's a nice dress, and Vanessa said the wedding has an airy, springtime vibe. You didn't criticise your granddaughter."

"She's the grandchild. She can do no wrong," David admitted as he picked her up. "Except when she does wrong. Like eating Grandma's ledgers."

Martha giggled and then babbled at him as her mother pulled her shoes and cardigan on and then rose to take her daughter and slip her jacket on.

"Thank you for the ride, Dad," She said as they left.

David shrugged. "It gives me something to do. You know I don't like going out on weekends."

"Just take the compliment," Katy ordered before they headed off, arriving with time to spare, which was a relief, as, it meant they didn't have to rush to get Martha settled. Instead, Katy took her time in getting her into the pushchair and making sure she was set with her blanket and toy before thanking David again and heading off, invitation in hand.

"Name?" The man at the door, one of Vanessa's cousins, asked.

"Katy Costello."

The man looked at his clipboard and then raised an eyebrow, as if scanning for suspicion.

"It might be under Katherine," She added.

The man raised another eyebrow and then nodded before turning her over to the bride's teenage brother who was acting as an usher. After a quick glance at his chart, he led her to an edge seat, where she could sit comfortably and put Martha's pushchair next to her.

"Thank you," She said with a nod as she sat, slipping the box she held under her seat and smiling as Martha fiddled with Ellie and then looked up at her. "You're going to be a good girl, right?" She asked, being immediately interrupted.

"Bored!" Snapped a toddler directly behind her. He looked to be about two and indeed, bored as she sat next to his mother in his suit.

"All you have to do is sit here for a bit, then you can go play," His mother encouraged, getting an unseen eye roll from Katy, who wouldn't have dared acted like that as a child and found her empty soothing ridiculous.

However, instead of opening her mouth, she simply turned to Martha again, who babbled at the brother as he walked by again, smiling when he smiled at her. "She forgot to say 'thank you,'" Katy remarked.

The boy simply laughed lightly. "Well, you're very welcome, miss…"

"Martha. Little Miss Martha," Katy replied.

"Little Miss Martha?" He asked, getting a scowl and Ellie in the face as a response.

"Martha," Katy hissed, quickly swatting her hands. "No."

"It's fine," The boy handed Ellie back. "I think she was just telling me not to use Mummy's pet name."

'At least you understand,' Katy thought with a smile as he was called back to his post. Luckily, Martha stayed quiet for the remainder of the wait, but, unluckily, she whined as soon as the ceremony started up. "Shush, Martha." Katy ordered, getting a whine in response as her daughter shifted around. She raised an eyebrow at her and watched until it clicked. 'I get it now. You want to see,' She thought, smiling as she took Martha from the pushchair and sat her in her lap, not surprised when she settled down and focused on the events in front of her, while the boy behind her was scolded for kicking his neighbour's chair and then his own mother. Again, Katy rolled her eyes, but ultimately ignored them throughout the ceremony, which Martha behaved herself through until the end, where she let out a happy squeal at the kiss, getting laughs from those around her and Vanessa, who waved before heading out with her new husband.

"Is that you approving?" Katy teased as Martha giggled, thinking she made some kind of joke. 'You're something else, you know that?' She thought as she put her back in the pushchair as everyone was dismissed to the reception in the church's banquet hall and free to mingle before the meal.

"I am so glad you came!" Vanessa said as she approached and hugged Katy. "And you brought Martha!"

Martha looked up at the sound of her name and squealed as Vanessa knelt down.

"I'm glad you approve of my husband," She teased before turning back to Katy, "If you want to take a break, my sister is watching the kids over there." She quickly waved towards the playpen in a separate part of the room.

"Good to know. Some interaction with other kids my do her some good."

Martha paused and then looked up at her mother with a raised eyebrow, her eyes saying "excuse me?"

"I knew I would dread the day you mastered that look," Katy sighed as Vanessa was called away. The exchanged a few more words before the heading in opposite directions, Katy and Martha doing a bit more mingling before she dropped her off with the other kids for lunch, glad to be placed close to them in the seating arrangement.

"And who is this?" Vanessa's sister, Tina, asked.

"Martha," Katy replied as she picked her up. "Where do I put her?"

"Just set her down and hope she doesn't pick a fight," Tina said and Katy nodded, setting her daughter with the other kids and then pulling her box from the pushchair basket and setting it next to her.

"You be a good girl while Mummy's gone, okay?" She said, leaving her with a kiss.

Unsure of what was happening, Martha whined as her mother left her, but soon gave up and took to observing the other kids, two of which were babies playing with toys while the other four-three boys and a girl, were big kids who could walk like grownups. However, she also noted that they minded their own business and stayed in their corner, so she made up her mind to stay in hers with her hatbox, spending a decent amount of time entertaining herself before they boy who had been sitting behind her mother took notice and walked over, wondering how fun could be had without him.

Martha looked up at him when he approached, as, he towered over her, and simply furrowed her brow, choosing to ignore him as she flipped her box over and tapped her hands on it.

In response, the boy looked down at her, unsatisfied with her lack of reaction and kicked the box over. "NO." He declared, earning a scowl and a whine in response.

"Andrew, behave," Tina warned, thinking she didn't have to say much more, as, words always worked with her two girls.

Andrew glanced at her briefly and then turned back to Martha, who chased after the box. Unfortunately for her, he was faster and quickly snatched it up. "Mine," He informed her, getting a decent whine in response.

He ignored her and stomped off with the box in hand, not bothering with her as she followed, giving up when she realised she wouldn't catch him and sitting in the middle of the circle and waiting, hoping the box would come back and first whining, and then crying when it didn't.

Unsure of what was going on, the other kids looked at her and then started up too, sensing the tension as Tina jumped up and tried to take care of them all at once and Katy rushed over along with two other mothers, having heard the commotion.

"What's the matter with Martha?" Katy asked as she picked her up, knowing something was wrong. Martha hardly ever cried, instead choosing to express her feelings with her eyes.

Martha calmed down in her mother's arms and then glared at Andrew, watching as her mother followed her gaze to the boy, who was being comforted by his own mother.

"Oh, I get it. He took your box."

"Excuse me?" His mother said.

"That box your son has belongs to my daughter," Katy explained politely.

"You're kidding right? It's just a box," The woman snapped.

"It is not 'just a box,' it's her box," Katy retorted. "And it shouldn't matter what it was, point is that it was hers and he stole it."

"Take it then," The woman snapped, practically throwing it at her, muttering, "Overbearing bitch."

Katy chose to ignore her, not wanting to cause more unnecessary trouble and simply walked away before her temper got the best of her. "Come on Martha, you can sit with me," She said as she sought out and set Martha back in her pushchair, thanking Tina and apologising for the trouble before heading back to her table. She got a few looks, but, for the most part, people ignored her when they realised that Martha was going to be quiet as she sat, alternating between playing with Ellie and fiddling with the bottle her mother had given her upon sitting. Instead, they settled and decent conversations were struck, Katy ignoring the glares of Andrew's mother, who was revealed to be Bella, when she showed up with her son in tow, who, as expected, whined and complained until the food arrived.

Catching the new smells, Martha looked up from Ellie, her eyes growing wide when she saw the food in front of her mother. After a bit of staring, she whined and started reaching for it, quickly catching Katy's attention.

"Are you hungry too?" She asked, quickly reaching for the bag under her seat and presenting Martha with a few crackers that she stared at before looking back up and pointing at the plate. "What? Do you want to share? Is that it?"

Martha babbled in response and Katy smiled and turned to one of the passing servers, who returned with a smaller plate that she quickly set up and then presented to her daughter, smiling at her squeal as she tried the different foods, which included pork, two vegetables, and a noodle dish.

Meanwhile, across the table, Bella tried her hardest to get her son to even slightly consider touching the food she was giving him.

"Please?" She urged.

"NO!" Andrew snapped.

"But it's really good. Mummy likes it, see?"

'That trick never works,' Katy thought as she glanced down at Martha happily picking at her plate without even the slightest complaint. She smiled to herself at the fact that she didn't have to try gimmicks to get her to eat, she just did. But, she gave her no choice either. It was eat or starve in their house, and she was grateful that her daughter was smart enough to choose the best option rather than be picky. After another quick glance, Katy turned back to the table and started a decent conversation with a couple across from her, while, next to them, she could see the frustration on Bella's face growing.

"If you really want him to eat, I have some snacks that Martha's not going to…" Katy started before being rudely interrupted.

"I don't need your help. I know how to handle my son," Bella snapped, gasping as Andrew, in a typical, two-year-old tantrum, knocked over her wine glass.

It took all of Katy's willpower to hold back the inevitable eye roll as Martha looked up at her and smiled, as if to say, "Look at me being a good girl!"

Katy smiled and gently ran a hand over her curls before turning to help everyone else clear up the spot, letting out a sigh of relief when everything settled again and they moved on with the conversation, Bella struggling with her son for the remainder of the meal up until the cutting of the cake, when he shut up as soon as a piece was set in front of him. However, he frowned and started up again when he saw that the cake was vanilla, as he wanted the chocolate that half the grownups had.

"Andrew, shush," Bella warned. "I am not giving you chocolate. End of story."

He said nothing and looked up at her like she was crazy, as if to say "how dare you tell me 'no?'" Frustrated, he let out a huff and got up, making his way to the other side of the table, where, next to Katy, Martha eyed her own, small, chocolate cake, trying to figure out how to eat it. Andrew furrowed his brow at the sight, wondering why she got chocolate and he didn't. But, instead of whining he simply walked over and grabbed her plate, surprised when she quickly pulled back with a whine.

"MINE!" Andrew snapped.

"Hey," Katy snapped. "That's hers, young man." She quickly grabbed his left arm, the right one holding on to the plate, which fell to the ground as Martha lost her grip and Katy pulled Andrew away from her daughter. "And what made you think that was a good idea?! We don't pick on people smaller than us, especially babies!"

"Don't you dare talk to my son that way!" Bella snapped, slamming her hands on the table as she stood.

"Well if you're not going to do it, I will!" Katy retorted. "In fact, I'm sick of you! The boy clearly has no sense of discipline and you do nothing to help, coddling him when he gets scolded even though he deserves it for picking on my daughter."

"Don't act like she's an angel! She's the one who got all the kids screaming!"

"Because he stole her box! All she did was cry. She's a baby! They do that! How was she supposed to know it would confuse everyone else? Besides, where do you get off, talking about my kid when she's been quiet the entire time? I don't see her knocking over wine glasses and screaming over cake."

"You act like he's some kind of devil!"

"No. He's just an undisciplined brat."

Bella simple scoffed as she stormed over to her and pulled her now screaming son from Katy's grasp and carried him off.

"Thank God," An older woman a few seats down declared as she stood. "I thought she'd never leave. Thank you," She said to Katy. "If you ask me, we need more mothers like you."

"I didn't really do anything," Katy shrugged.

"Only told her what we were all thinking," The woman said, moving past her to kneel in front of a pouting Martha, setting a plate on her tray. "Here you are, Dear. You can have this. I'm not supposed to have cake."

Martha squealed as she set it down and immediately stuck her hands in it, having finally figured out how to tackle the cake.

"Martha," Katy groaned, moving to wipe her up. "I spend my time defending you and then you make a mess?"

Martha simply gave her a cheeky, chocolaty smile and stuck another handful of cake in her mouth, getting a laugh in response.

"I love you," Katy laughed and Martha smiled again she continued to pick at her cake, her mother cleaning her off once she finished.

"Excuse me, Miss?" A man said just as Katy finished up with Martha.

"Yes?" Katy replied politely.

"Would you like to dance?"

"I'd love to…But, my daughter…"

"I'll watch her," The older woman offered. "You go have fun," She urged, shooing her off before she had a chance to say "no."

Martha looked up at the lady and tilted her head, giving a surprised whine when she lifted her out of the pushchair and into her lap, but, she settled once she realised it was the nice, old lady who had given her cake, which made her more than okay in Martha's book.

"You know, your Mummy never told me your name. Should I guess?" The lady teased, getting a whine in response as Martha shifted around, reaching for the empty bottle on the pushchair tray.

"You don't want that. It's empty. Perhaps your mother has something else," She said, quickly looking around before finding the monogrammed changing bag under the chair. The bag itself had been second hand, but Laura did some work on it, including adding Martha's name, and made it look like new. "'Martha,'" She read, getting a squeal in response. "Is that your name?" She teased as she handed over another juice bottle and then looked her over. "Sounds about right. You look like a Martha."

Martha simply smiled, and she and her new friend spent a bit of time playing around with Ellie and cloth serviette puppets until Katy reappeared and took her daughter back.

"She's probably due for a change. Thank you for your help," She said.

The woman waved her off. "It's not a problem. I raised six of my own, so I'm used to this sort of thing. Besides, it helps that she's a good girl."

"For the most part," Katy teased. "Come on, Martha. Let's get you changed and maybe we can put you with the other kids," She said as she set her back in the pushchair, getting a raised eyebrow in response.

"Yeah…Maybe that's not the best idea. I guess we'll mingle then."

Martha simply babbled in response, and Katy took that as an answer as they headed off, spending the rest of the day in decent spirits as Martha charmed everyone she met, and Bella sulked in a corner with her ever uncooperative son.