A/N: Thank you to everyone that is still following my story and giving such lovely reviews. I hope you find this chapter engaging!

Chapter 22: Bombshell

The holidays had come and gone at a far faster pace than Caroline had desired. It was now into the first month of spring term and she was again bombarded by meeting after meeting and assembly after assembly, time now crawling at a painstakingly slow pace. She yearned for time to speed up again, at least until April, when she and Fiona would finally be married.

It was Tuesday, the day of the annual spring term science fair. Despite her affinity for the subject, and the promising work she had seen from the students at the end of last term, she was not at all thrilled about staying late for the event. Flora had woken early that morning with a low fever and although Caroline knew Fiona would take excellent care of her, she had really wanted to stay home and play mum. She had barely been able to talk herself out of it, her ultimate sense of responsibility finally persuading her in the end. She had called Fiona half a dozen times to check in, finally getting much needed relief on the last call when Fiona said the fever had gone and Flora was running around like it had never even happened, but she was still keeping a watchful eye on her.

Caroline had enjoyed the science fair far more than she had anticipated. The caliber of the presentations was above her expectations and she found the eagerness of some of the year twelve students very stimulating. It was almost 9pm before the last group of students and parents left the school, Caroline and Beverly politely ushering them out the door. The two women made one last round to check for any wanderers and then locked up the school and headed their separate ways.

oOo

Caroline walked in the front door and removed her coat and purse with a sigh. The busy day and long hours had finally caught up with her and she was exhausted. She took off her heels at the door and headed down the hall toward the kitchen. There was no sign of Fiona or Flora downstairs, so she headed upstairs to check Flora's room.

As she approached the doorway, she could hear Fiona singing. She walked up quietly and peered around the corner of the door frame to see Fiona lying on the bed next to Flora, who was falling asleep. Fiona was running her hands in Flora's hair and singing to her in a low, soft tone, Caroline registered the words as Irish. She stepped into the door, and leaned quietly against the frame, crossing her arms in front of her. Fiona didn't notice and continued to sing; Caroline smiled and watched on in ardor. As Fiona finished the song, she bent down and kissed Flora's head, then turned and saw Caroline in the door.

"God, you gave me a start. I didn't know you had come in," she said with a jump, but trying to keep her voice at a whisper. She stands up and crosses to Caroline, leaning in for a romantic kiss.

"You know, you never cease to amaze me. You are beautiful," Caroline reaches up and brushes a strand of hair from Fiona's face, then wraps her arms leisurely around her body.

"What were you singing to her? I know it was Irish."

"Oh, it was a lullaby my mum used to sing to me, and her mum used to sing it to her. Clare loved it when she was little too." Caroline looks at Fiona as a small smile curls across one side of her mouth. She shakes her head and leans in, placing a lingering kiss on her lips.

"I love you Fiona Doyle," she says as she pulls away, Fiona smiling brightly back at her.

"And I love you. Now, how about we go down and get you something to eat. I've saved a plate for you." She steps into the hall, walking toward the stairs. Caroline takes one last look at Flora with a smile, before pulling the door half shut, and then follows.

Fiona ushers Caroline to the couch, urging her to prop her feet up and relax, insisting she will get the food warmed and bring it to her there. Caroline dutifully agrees, secretly thankful for the tender love and care. Fiona returns a few moments later with the meal and a glass of red wine. Caroline devours the food, not realizing how ravenous she was. Fiona watches on in amusement, sipping her wine on the couch next to her. Caroline finishes the meal and places the plate on the coffee table and turns to face Fiona, stretching her legs across Fiona's lap. Fiona sets down her wine and starts rubbing Caroline's feet and calves. They sit quietly for a while, each enjoying the contact and silent company.

"Fiona, I've been thinking…" Caroline sits up, moving her legs from Fiona's lap, and scooting across the couch to sit closer to her. She takes Fiona's hands and sets them in her lap.

"What would you, how would you feel about adopting Flora? I've thought about this for a long while and it would make me so happy if you were to become Flora's mother, officially, with me. I know we would still be a family once we marry, but if you adopted her that would make us even more of a family. It would give us all security, like you said before, and Flora would have two mums to love her. I can't imagine anyone else raising Flora with me, or if something ever happened to me. I trust you to love her and raise her as I would. It would give me great peace and make me very, very happy, if you would say yes, or at least consider it. What do you think?" She bites her bottom lip and raises her eye brows in anticipation. The small smile that has slowly been growing on Fiona's face finally blossoms into a beautiful grin.

"Caroline that is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever asked me. I would be honored to be Flora's mum with you." The two women share an ecstatic giggle before Caroline pulls Fiona in for a long, deep kiss.

Her kisses quickly migrate down Fiona's chin to her neck as the arousal sparks between them. Fiona's hands search out Caroline's waist and slowly pull her blouse from her skirt, hungry fingers slipping under, craving contact with Caroline's warm skin beneath. Caroline leans forward and crawls above Fiona, forcing her to lie back. She runs a hand between Fiona's breasts and down her stomach, until making contact with the top of her trousers. She unfastens the button and zip, then slides her hand under Fiona's shirt, coming to a rest on her breast, where her fingers begin to trace soft circles. The kisses and caresses grow more intimate and hungry, until Caroline finally pulls away, both women panting with desire.

"Shall we take this upstairs," Fiona purrs with a seductive smile, Caroline nodding her agreement. They make their way to the bedroom, hand in hand, and Fiona shuts the door behind them.

Caroline walks backwards into the room, slowly removing her clothes as she does. Fiona follows, slipping out of her clothes just before they make it to the bed. They crawl onto the bed and sit, facing each other, kissing and caressing all of their most sensitive areas. Fiona moves forward, straddles Caroline's thigh, and moves her leg into a position for Caroline to do the same. They start slowly grinding in unison into each other's thigh, the pulsing growing stronger in each woman's core. Fiona grabs Caroline by the hips, guiding her into a faster pace. Caroline wraps her arms around Fiona's neck, entwining her fingers into her hair and pulling their faces together. Hungry lips take hungrier tongues as they each get closer to climax. Just as they reach the edge, they stop kissing; their foreheads pressed tightly together, and stare hungrily into each other's eyes. The wave of release ripples through Fiona first, Caroline just seconds behind her, their moans mingle as they climax in unison. They slow their pace, eventually coming to a stop, allowing the pleasure to wash over their bodies.

"Wow," Caroline says overlapping Fiona's "Oh my god," causing them both to laugh heartily. Fiona kisses Caroline once more before moving off of her leg, allowing them to both lie down, after slipping beneath the duvet. Caroline nestles her head onto Fiona's chest, wrapping her arm across her body as she does. Fiona winds her arm under Caroline's neck and around her back, playing with her soft blonde hair. They lay in silence for a long while, each lost in their own thoughts. Fiona eventually shifts to sit up, causing Caroline to rise up with her. Caroline looks to Fiona and registers the troubled look on her face. She leans against the pillows, facing Fiona.

"Caroline, I need to tell you something," Fiona begins in a timid voice, but keeping her eyes locked on Caroline.

"Alright," she says, half questioning, feeling a little lost by Fiona's change of mood.

"It's bound to come up eventually, so I want to tell you, rather than you find out and think I was trying to hide it from you." She adjusts her body so that she's propped up against the head of the bed, facing forward. Caroline sits up, curling her legs to her side, a knot beginning to form in her stomach. Fiona takes in a deep breath, releasing it on a sigh as she nervously picks at her fingernails in her lap.

"When I was 17, I was arrested, and spent 3 nights in jail," she looks at Caroline, who sits quietly, obviously waiting for her to continue. She takes another breath and carries on.

"I was arrested for aiding escape of 4 criminals; they thought I was in on the crime, but the charges were dropped." She looks up to Caroline again, who's looking at her with a confused furrow in her brow.

"Ok. My brother, Liam, who I told you about, was a member of a small group of the IRA in Dublin. I knew he was part of it, but I didn't really understand what he did. I knew about the violence that some IRA members had taken part in, but Liam always told me that his group was assigned to canvassing for new members, and occasional peaceful protests. I had gone with him to pass out flyers on many occasions and even went to a number of rallies. I did it more to spend time with him than anything else; I looked up to him so much." She shifts nervously and laughs to herself as she recalls her naivety.

"Well, one day he asked me to pick him and 3 friends up at this pub a few blocks from the café I worked at. I remember him being very adamant that I be there to get them at exactly 7pm. When I picked them up they were all very excited about something. I asked what was going on and Liam told me they had just won a bet with some other blokes, and not to worry. I remember thinking he was lying to me, but I just presumed it probably had to do with a girl or something. We took his friends to one of their houses and we went home. At around midnight there was a banging on the door that woke us all up. We all went downstairs to see what was going on, and when my dad opened the door, the police rushed in and took me. Liam had tried to run out the back door, but they caught him. They said we had been involved in a bombing. I was terrified." She fidgets again, but continues to look at Caroline, needing to gauge her reaction as she proceeds.

"A bomb?" Caroline interjects, a foreboding tone in her voice.

"My brother and his friends had set off a small bomb at the Royal Mail office near that pub. A witness saw them leaving the scene and someone else identified me as driving the car they got into. The police thought I had been part of the plan." She lowers her head in shame as the memories come back to her, pausing a moment in her story.

"Was anyone hurt, killed?" Caroline probes cautiously, perceptibly afraid of the answer.

"A man was hurt pretty badly, but no one was killed, thank God. They had set it off in a rubbish bin behind the building and the poor fellow had walked out just as it went off." She shakes her head and laces her hands together in her lap.

"And…did you know anything about it, Fiona?" The second question even more wary than the first.

"No Caroline, no I didn't. That's why they eventually let me go. My brother and the other lads all testified that I was innocent and had no idea about the bomb. The police had been hesitant at first because they had known of my involvement in the rallies before and I had once been caught vandalizing a building with them, which I am not at all proud to admit. My brother and the other lads went to prison, and my brother was later killed in a fight with an anti-IRA prisoner. I was no charged, but the incident still shows up on my record as an unwilling accessory to the crime." Caroline sits quietly, processing the bombshell Fiona has just dropped. The knot that started in Fiona's stomach has grown so tight she's afraid she'll vomit if she moves. She takes a few breaths trying to loosen its grip.

"I wanted to tell you because it will come up on my background when they do an adoption review and I didn't want you to hear about it for the first time then." She reaches a timid hand out, and places it lightly on Caroline's knee.

"Caroline? I need you to say something." There is a long anxious silence before Caroline finally speaks.

"So, did you have any involvement in any violent acts before that?" Caroline is almost afraid to look at Fiona, unsure of what else she might have to say.

"No. The rallies sometimes got out of hand, but Liam would always rush me out immediately so I wouldn't get hurt. I really had no idea that they did any violent activities. I know now that was just stupid and naïve on my part. Caroline, are you angry?" She nudges her hand forward until she's touching, but not holding Caroline's.

"I'm not angry, Fiona. I'm just, it's just…a shock, I guess. I don't really know what I think, to be honest." She shifts her body and leans against the headboard, mirroring Fiona's position. Fiona sits in agony, fearing what Caroline is thinking. She turns to her and takes her hand, waiting for Caroline to meet her gaze.

"Caroline, I promise you I didn't know anything. I have never forgiven myself for it, for not being wise enough, or questioning enough, to know what they were doing. I would have told someone if I had known. They could have killed someone…" she trails off as tears start to well in her eyes. Caroline squeezes her hand and gives her a sad half smile.

"I know Fiona, I believe you, I just…I just need some time to think, ok? I'm going to go to sleep." Fiona nods silently, as a tear falls from her eye, she quickly brushes it off and Caroline releases her hand and turns over, pulling the duvet up high under her neck.

Sleep is far out of grasp for both of them the rest of the night, but each is too fearful to speak, so they lay awake silently in the dark.