"Thanks again fer doin' this." Joss shook hands with the Space Center's pilot.

"No problem." The middle-aged man gave a crooked smile. "To be honest, it was great to get a chance to stretch the old girl's legs a bit. Most of the time I don't get to do any more than take her up for atmospheric readings."

"Have a safe trip back." Bonnie offered, getting a nod and a 'Happy Holidays' in return before the pilot clambered back into the aircraft.

The two women walked across the tarmac of the small airfield. Joss looked subdued, hands stuck in her pockets. Finally, she spoke.

"Is it okay if we take a rain-check on dinner? I got some stuff t' think about."

"Of course." Bonnie was disappointed by the request. But it's probably best to let her work through things in her own time. "Do you want to do later this week, or just wait until Wednesday again?"

Joss chewed on her lip for a moment. "How 'bout Saturday night?" She gave a humorless chuckle. "I think my weekend just freed up."

"Saturday is fine." Bonnie rested a hand on the younger woman's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "My place at seven?"

"Sounds like a plan. But I'll cook, okay? Nothin' fancy, like you can do ... but I make pretty good burritos."

"Sure." Bonnie nodded. She glanced around as they reached the airfield hangar. "I guess we'd better call a taxi."

"Nah, we can take Aimee." As Joss spoke, she pulled out her cell phone and started typing into it.

"Your bike? What about my luggage?"

"No problem. We can leave it at the hangar. After I drop you off, I'll grab my car and come pick it up."

"I can't ask you to do that, Joss –"

"You didn't ask. I offered." The younger woman gave Bonnie a stern look. "I'm a Possible. Just accept it and say thank you."

The former cheerleader laughed and held up her hands in surrender. "Thank you."

"No problem. Aimee'll be here in ten minutes." Joss caught Bonnie's confused look, and grinned. "Not much point puttin' an AI in a vehicle and then not givin' it the ability to drive itself." Hazel eyes glinted with momentary pleasure. "She aced the test when she took it."

"Your motorbike has a driving license." Bonnie shook her head at the idea.

"Of course. Wouldn't be legal for her t'drive herself if she didn't."

The brunette gave an amused snort. "Now I think about it, I don't know why I'm surprised. Weirder stuff happened with Kim all the time."

Andy's response to her father's actions was as colorful as Joss's, and far less anatomically plausible. "I can't believe he did that to you, my love. Are you okay?" He paused. "I'm an idiot. Of course you aren't okay."

"I'm still a bit shell-shocked." Bonnie admitted. "But I haven't had much time to process it. I crashed into bed almost as soon as I got home last night –" In fact, the only thing she'd done before crawling under the quilt was text Tara to confirm she'd reached home okay. She'd omitted any mention of the ticket cancellation. "- and I called you as soon as I woke up this morning."

"Anything Eric and I can do to help, you let us know, okay?" Her one time boyfriend was quite insistent. "If you need cash to cover bills or hire a hitman -"

"Andy!" The brunette couldn't help but smile at the young man's outrageous comment.

"Okay, hold the hitman." Andy contrived to sound disappointed by this development. "But really, if you need anything, anything at all, let me know. When do you go back to work? I can fly you back over here if you like. Give you some space from all this."

"You don't need to do that. I'm going to be okay." Bonnie gently interrupted, smiling at her ex-boyfriend's generous offer.

"You're sure?" Andy sounded doubtful. "If you need to stay there for work reasons, I can clear my calendar and fly out to see you -"

"It's okay, Andy. Really. I won't pretend that it doesn't hurt that my father did what he did -" And that my mother let him. "- but it's not like we were close."

"It still has to be tough." Andy observed. "So if you need anything. Anything at all. Just tell me. I'll make it happen."

Bonnie was touched by the young man's offer. "Thank you. And ... as rough as this thing with my father has been ... it's also shown me that I have people in my life will drop everything to help me when I need them." The gratitude she felt was like a lump in her throat, and Bonnie swallowed to clear it. "That's real family."

"Real family would be letting those people do something, instead of just thanking them for the offer." The Englishman mock-chided.

"Sorry you don't get to be a knight in shining armor this time, honey." The brunette smiled. "But someone else already swooped in and rescued this damsel when she was in distress."

That news definitely piqued Andy's interest. "You can't say that and then stop. Spill the beans, old girl."

Bonnie filled him in on how Joss had organized the flight home, focusing only on the help the younger woman had given her, and omitting any mention of Joss's own relationship issues. Those were the Montanan's private business, and not something she felt she should discuss with anyone else.

"I'm glad to hear you have someone looking out for you who actually lives nearby, rather than in another country." Andy said at the end of her account. "She sounds like a good friend."

There was a slight emphasis on the last word, and Bonnie bit back a sigh. "That's all she is, Andy."

"Are you sure?" There was no accusation in the question, just concern.

"She has a girlfriend, Andy." It seemed that was no longer a true statement, but it seemed the easiest way to defuse the question.

"And where was that girlfriend when the lady knight was rescuing you?" Andy was not so easily dissuaded.

"I don't know." Not exactly, anyway. "But I know Joss wants things to work with Reba. She would be -" Is. "- very upset if they broke up. And even if she was on the market, she thinks I'm into guys."

"Oh please." Andy laughed at this last objection. "I don't have enough fingers to count all the hetero boys I've crushed on. And weren't you the one who spent your whole high school career mooning over a girl you thought was straight?"

"Yeah, but high school me was a dumbass." The dry comment got the laugh she expected. "And those straight boys you liked ... I bet you weren't exactly close friends with any of them."

"Well, no." Andy admitted. "I tended to worship from afar unless I got the right 'vibe' from a guy. In which case I got up close and personal, and fast."

"I really don't need the details." Bonnie reminded him, prompting another laugh. "My point is ... Joss and I are friends. If circumstances were different, we might have been more. But they aren't and we're not."

"Okay, I surrender!" Andy chuckled. He paused, then said softly. "I just don't want you to get hurt. I love you, you know."

Bonnie did. "I love you too." She told him. "I'd say you're like the brother I never had. But based on my sisters, calling you my brother would probably be an insult."

"Well if you're looking for a new family, the Havershams will be pleased to have you." Andy assured her. "Eric and I adore you, and my dad does too. I bet he'd adopt you if you asked nicely."

The brunette chuckled. "That could be awkward."

"Awkward?" Andy sounded confused.

"Well ..." Bonnie took a breath, then took the plunge. "... if your father adopted me, I'd be your sister. People might get grossed out if you got your sister pregnant."

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"Andy?"

"... are you saying ... ?" The question was tentative, almost fearful. Bonnie had only heard Andy sound this uncertain once before, when he originally raised the subject.

"I am." She confirmed. "The answer is 'yes', Andy."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

"You don't need to decide now, you know -"

"I know, Andy." Bonnie interrupted. "You said I could take as long as I needed. And I have. As crappy a Christmas as this was, it's shown me who my real family are. They're not the people whose blood I happen to share. They're the people who will stand beside me and do anything for me. The people who will always be there for me ... and vice versa. I will be proud to have your and Eric's baby."

Bonnie had never believed the expression 'eyes as wide as saucers' was meant to be taken literally. Joss seemed not to have got that memo, given the bewildered stare she was giving the brunette.

"Ya told him 'yes'?"

"I did."

"Wow." The younger woman sat back from the table, still looking bemused. At least her expression was no longer strained, as it had been when she arrived for their agreed Saturday night dinner. It was that anxious air which had prompted Bonnie to disclose her decision. Joss obviously had something – presumably to do with Reba – weighing on her thoughts, and this subject should take her mind off it. "But ... they don't want to have a kid fer a few years yet, right?"

"That's correct. Three or maybe four years."

"Well ..." Joss spread her hands. "What if in three or four years you're datin' someone? I bet a lot of guys would object to their girlfriend carryin' another man's baby."

Guys will not be a problem. Though perhaps now was not the best time to make that revelation. "If I get seriously involved with anyone, I'll let them know about this well in advance. If it's a problem for them ... they're probably not right for me." Bonnie carefully kept her terms gender-neutral.

"Man, yer a tough one." Joss chuckled, taking the sting out of the words.

"Maybe. Maybe not. I'm willing to compromise on a lot of things. This isn't one of them." Bonnie paused, trying to think of an example from her past. Her romantic life didn't really offer any. "It ... it's like with my father. I put up with a lot of from him out of ... I guess out of loyalty? But when he targeted my friends, he crossed a line."

Joss grinned. "I'll keep in mind that criticizin' yer friends is off-limits. Yer like a momma coyote protectin' her cubs."

"Are you calling me a bitch?" Bonnie asked, archly. That got an outright belly laugh from the younger woman. The brunette gave her own smile in response, then continued. "Besides, I'm not the only one who cares for their friends. Both you and Andy were fighting mad about what my father did."

"Of course we were. We're yer friends."

"Yeah, I get that." Now. "But ... I don't have much experience having friends, Joss. Real friends, I mean. Everyone at high school tried to stay on my good side, but that's a long way from real friendship. Not that I cared at the time, but I've grown up a bit since then, thankfully."

"... so what ya said last month ... about how if you can't find common ground on an issue, the relationship won't work ..." The Montanan asked the question with a deliberately casual air, but the way her eyes dropped and slid away from Bonnie's made it clear that it was anything but casual. "This is the kind of thing ya meant?"

"Yeah, it is." Bonnie nodded. Let's try to keep it relaxed. She grinned. "Monogamy and a baby for Andy and Eric. Those are my 'must haves', relationship-wise."

"Mine are pretty similar. I'm right there with ya on monogamy. And ya already know I want kids."

"Did Reba want children?" Bonnie regretted the question as soon as she asked it. I promised myself I wait for Joss to be ready to talk about it. "Sorry. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"It's okay." Joss reached over and gently squeezed Bonnie's hand. "Ya gave me some space like I asked." The auburn-haired woman grinned. "Honestly, if I were in yer shoes, I wouldn't have been as patient." She paused, apparently collecting her thoughts. "Reba wasn't keen on the idea of having kids. She didn't outright rule it out ... but it obviously wasn't somethin' she really wanted. When I learned that, I shoulda made a decision ... either kids are a must have, or they aren't."

"From what you said before, it sounds like you've made that decision."

Joss sighed. "Now, yeah. But at the time ... I liked Reba, and I didn't have the courage to give up what I had with her right then for what I need to have some day in the future. So I didn't make a big deal of it, and just tried t' carry on with things. Which shows that for a rocket scientist, I can be pretty dumb. If there's some huge barrier to yer relationship workin' out, you won't do yerself any favors by ignorin' it."

"Yeah, I get what you mean." Bonnie nodded.

"Of course, I didn't realize I was bein' an idiot at the time." The Montanan gave a rueful grimace. "But even if I was pretendin' nothin' was wrong, Reba knew somethin' was up. She just didn't know what. That's why she kept pushin' me about stuff - like back at Thanksgivin', I mean. She felt like I was driftin' away and she was tryin' to drag me back."

"I guess this is something else you didn't know at the time?"

"God no. It all came out at Christmas. What kicked things off isn't important." Joss's attempt at a nonchalant shrug was obviously forced, but she rushed to continue speaking, and Bonnie didn't call her on it. Not something she wants to talk about yet, I guess. "But Reba finally asked me why I was pullin' away, and I finally told her what the problem was." The younger woman gave a humorless chuckle. "Which floored her. When I'd mentioned kids and then dropped it immediately, she figured it wasn't a big deal to me."

"I guess, given that you broke up, that she definitely doesn't want kids?" Bonnie waited for Joss's nod before continuing. "Well, you shouldn't feel too bad about ending it, then. You were never going to work out."

"Yeah, I know." Joss sighed. "It still hurts though. I liked Reba; I really did care for her. And she cared for me. And we both made things worse than they had to be, by not talkin' about stuff. Me more than her, probably." The Montanan trailed off, fingers plucking at the table cloth, then shrugged. "The important thing now is to learn from it, right? Which means talkin' about stuff, rather than ignorin' it." She managed a shaky grin. "So have some pity for my next girlfriend; I'm going to talk the poor woman's ear off."

Author's Note: So are you all as shocked as Andy? :)