As it wqs Saturday, everyone finally got to enjoy a sleep in. Everyone but ava, that is. Up at her usual time, she checked to make sure everyone was asleep before she snuck downstairs to put her mum's heels on. Spying the bag with Grace's new dress still by the door, she soon pulled that on too and then rushed into the kitchen. She was dressed like a grown up, so she would make herself a coffee like her parents always had.

Climbimg onto a kitchen chair, she pulled out a mug and turned the kettle on, pleased with herself. She might make grace one, too.

"Grace, have you seen my weights? Your mother took theme out of the room and is refusing to tell me where-" Jacob stopped in his tracks as he saw Ava wobbling precariously on a chair at the counter, before he realised she wore Grace's dress and Connie's heels. He then saw what she was holding, and ran over to her to extricate the kettle from her fingers and place it back down, lifting her from the chair to sit on the surface.

"Ava, what are you doing?! The kettle is dangerous, you don't touch it!"

"I wanted to give you a-"

"Heart attack!"

"Surprise. I was making coffee, daddy."

He shook his head in exasperation, helping her to wriggle of the dress that she was truthfully finding too scratchy and uncomfortable.

"Leave that to me. Shoes." He held out his hand, unable to suppress a smile at his daughter's facial expression. "Come on, what will mummy say?"

"She doesn't know!"

"Ava, mummy knows everything."

Hovering outside the door, Connie took a few steps back and then called, "Ava, I hope you're not wearing my shoes!"

Startled, Ava kicked them off and hopped from foot to foot as Jacob rushed out the other door from the one his wife walked in. "I wasn't!"

"And why is Grace's dress out if you weren't playing dress-ups?" Connie raised an eyebrow, biting back a smile at her response.

"Daddy wanted to try it on!"

"Well I think we both know that's a fib, your daddy wouldn't fit into that dress!" Connie replied, finally smiling as Jacob re-entered and grumbled.

"He will be able to if you don't tell him where his weights are."

"Alright, muscles. You agree not to keep them in the bedroom, like I've asked you a thousand times before, and then I will tell you." Connie ruffled her daughter's hair. "Go and get dressed, sweetheart. Grace wants to go out for breakfast."

Excited, Ava ran from the room as Jacob examined Grace's dress and then folded it up to put it back into the bag. "How is she?"

Connie gave a shrug, wrapping her arms around herself to ward off the chill before Jacob's hands ran down her upper arms and forced her to unfold them so he could take her hands. "And how are you?"

"Fine."

"Good fine, bad fine, Jacob leave me alone fine?" He questioned, eliciting a smile.

"As if you'd leave me alone anyway."

"You know he too well, sweet cheeks." Jacob dropped a kiss to her forehead and then pulled her close, smiling when Connie hugged her back. "Did you drop the girls off okay?" She stood at the counter in the kitchen, turning around on hearing Jacob come through the door.

"Yep. Usual moaning and groaning aside from the eldest."

She rolled her eyes in response, and reached up to take two mugs from the shelf above her head. "I spoke to Henrik whilst you were out, I'm going back in tomorrow."

"Are you-"

"Yes. And you've spent far too much time at home anyway, I can't have you getting used to it."

"What would I do without you?" He reached around to take the coffee pot, dropping a kiss to her hair as he took off the lid and spooned two generous meassures into either mug.

"Oh, I was meant to ask." She pulled away from him, placing her hands on her hips and tilting her head towards him. He sighed, knowing that this was the tell tale sign that he had done something wrong. "What was she doing down here on her own?"

"I have absolutely no idea."

"I'm not falling for that one."

"She was up early, and she was just messing about in the dress and your shoes."

"So there is water all over the side and the floor because?"

Jacob turned his head quickly, groaning as he saw the puddle of water that must have shot from the kettle in his rush to take it away from his daughter. It dripped onto the tiles of the floor, which of course did not go unnoticed by his wife. He turned back to her, sighing and about to try and explain without getting his head bitten off, before he heard footsteps running down the stairs.

"Mummy! Mummy we're ready!"

"Just a minute darling, we need to-"

"Nope, come on, let's go!" Jacob ushered his daughter from the room, internally thanking whatever fortune had bestowed him that morning, before turning back to see Connie still standing in the kitchen, unimpressed. "I think you should go like that." He nodded at her, she was wearing one of his shirts which trailed just to her knees and her hair was beautifully messy and tufty, but she simply scooped Ava from him, muttering about "blood silly daddy" as she stomped up the stairs, leaving Jacob in the hallway chuckling.

He'd just finished cleaning up the water when Grace walked into the room hesitantly, arms folded around herself as her mother had done moments earlier. "Jacob?"

"Grace?" He glanced up at her before turning to ring out the cloth into the basin.

"..I want to do it." Grace said with determination.

"Do what, firecracker?" Jacob questioned, turning back to give her his full attention.

"..I want to change my surname so I can be like Mum and Ava. And you." Grace spoke nervously, and when she saw Jacob's hesitation, the frown on her forehead deepened and she stepped away. She thought' he'd want this.

Finally finding his voice again, Jacob stepped forward and spoke gently. "You know I'd love that Grace, but I think that's something you need to discuss with your mother and father. And I don't think it's something to consider while you're angry with him."

Before Grace could reply, Connie and Ava entered the room, Connie's footsteps slowing when she saw the look that passed between them. "...Ready to go?"

Grace nodded, storming past her mother to wait outside, Ava rushing after her.

"What-" Connie began, but Jacob shook his head, leading her out of the kitchen. "No, Jacob, what-" Connie attempted again.

"How do I always manage to look underdressed when I go out with you three?!" Jacob deflected with a grin as they met the girls by the front door.

"Girls, the car's open." Connie ushered for Grace to take Ava, and grabbed Jacob's arm as he made to follow them.

"She wants to take my name, I said she needed to-"

"What did you say?!"

"I was just going to say, stop interrupting."

She sighed, and tilted her head as a sign for him to continue.

"I said she needed to speak to you and Sam."

"Sam has nothing to do with it-"

"Connie, he does-"

"No! I wanted her to have my name, so there's no reason for her to not have it changed, as long as that's what she wants."

"But he should know. I'm not her father-"

"Grace doesn't even have Sam's name and he'said her father!"

Jacob sighed, knowing whatever he said now make little difference. "Let's do this later, okay? Come on, a bit of breakfast will do you some good, moody."

"Don't you call me-"

"Oh, don't dispute it sweet cheeks, you know you are." He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before locking the door, jogging over to her car to open the passenger door for her.

Both Grace and Connie were quiet over breakfast, leading to Ava and Jacob having to be even sillier than usual, but after being snapped at by Grace, Ava grew quiet as well, making Jacob give a loud sigh before staring down at his food. He felt he needed to do something to make everything right for everyone, but everything he tried recently seemed to fail.

Matters were then made a million times worse by the person who walked through the door. Under the table, Connie's hand suddenly reached out and grabbed Jacob's tightly, and when he glanced towards her, he saw Sam Strachen walking through the door. His eyes were searching for someone, and before anyone could utter a word he'd seem them and approached the table. Hands full of present, Jacob noted with dismay. Just what Grace needed.

"You don't change much, do you Connie? you used to come here years ago. Hi, Grace!" Sam opened his arms to his daughter, but she didn't even raise her head, instead setting her jaw into a familiar line that Connie knew meant she was about to yell.

"What are you doing here, Sam?" Connie's voice was cold, and for a moment all Jacob could think of was that even at her angriest she'd never spoken to him that way.

"Is one of these for me?" Ava asked innocently, trying to peer into one of the bags Same held before Jacob pulled her away and onto his knee.

"You can have them all. I don't want them. Can we go, mum?" Grace questioned, still not looking at her father.

"Gracie..I'm so sorry about what I said. I've flown all the way from America to tell you how sorry I am. With some of your favourite things, I might add."

Jacob tried never to interfere with Connie or Sam where Grace was concerned, feeling it wasn't his place, but now he was unable to stop the words snapping from his mouth. "You can't buy her happiness with presents."

"I don't think you get to comment on what I do, Jacob." Connie's hand tensed in Jacob's, and he gave it a reassuring squeeze. She then looked to Sam, her expression turning from one of shock and surprise to one of anger.

"He's been more of a father to your daughter than you've ever been-"

"Connie, that's not fair-" Jacob tried to interrupt her, but she dismissed him.

"Who took her when you couldn't cope, Connie?"

"YOU'RE HER FATHER, THAT WAS YOUR JOB." Grace moved to squeeze beside Jacob, who now held both girls next to him as their mother confronted Sam.

"It was your job as her mother-"

"Don't you dare-"

"Connie, I just want to spend some time with Grace."

"Well your daughter doesn't want to spend time with you. Not after your little 'this is all about my family but not about my daughter' chat." People in the restaurant had now turned to look at them, and Jacob decided that perhaps he should intervene before the accusations became increasingly personal as they no doubt would.

"Sam, go to the house. Give us twenty minutes to finish here, and then we'll all sit down and talk."

Connie's head whipped around, about to ridicule Jacob's idea but before she could, something told her that in fact, this was probably the better idea. At least then, they'd have some privacy, the girls could go out with Jacob and Sam and her could talk.

Scared by the yelling, once Sam had gone, Ava insisted on sitting with her mother and refused to eat anymore. As everyone else just played with their food as well, Jacob soon paid the bill and escorted his family out. Grace remind quiet, dragging behind them towards the car.

"Why don't I taxi home and you can stay in town with the girls for a while?" Connie questioned Jacob softly so neither child would hear.

Jacob glanced at his wife warily. He was unwilling to leave her alone with Sam in what he knew was a volatile situation, but he also didn't want to submit either Ava or Grace to the situation. Finally, he gave a soft nod. "Grace, how do you feel about going to see that new movie you've been on about all week?"

Grace's eyes flew up to Jacob before moving to her mother who usually vetoed the idea of going to the movies. "Now?" When Jacob nodded, she glanced towards Connie again. "What about Dad?"

"I'll go home and talk to him, sweetheart." Connie offered with a smile. "And when we've discussed everything, you can come home and see him, or I'll ask him to go."

"...Okay." Grace nodded, secretly relieved because she knew there was going to be yelling involved.