"What I can't understand..." She closed her eyes for a moment, Jacob's fingers trailing lazy circles over her stomach as they lay on the sofa in the office, both of the girls upstairs and asleep. "Is why he decides this now. One minute it's as if she's an inconvenience to him, and then the next..."

"Which is exactly why she won't be going, Con. Ava told him so." He assured her, pressing a kiss to her head as he sighed and looked down at her. She turned her head to look up at him, remembering Sam's face at Ava's little outburst. A small smile crept over her face, and he tilted his head as he noticed it. "What you smiling at, sweet cheeks?"

"Ava."

A grin spread over Jacob's face as he too remembered the manners of his youngest. He shook his head in amusement, before moving his hand from her stomach to her hair, wrapping a single curl of it loosely around his index finger.

"I can't lose her again, Jacob." He heard her whisper, and he exhaled, "...If she decides to go, which I really don't think we will, we can just go after her." Jacob decided, and Connie was soon looking at him hopefully. "We could both get a job there easily, and you know Ava will fit in wherever she lives."

"You'd really do that? For me?" Connie asked softly.

"I'd do it for our family." Jacob replied confidently and was pleased to see a slight smile on Connie's lips. "Come on, bed time."

"I won't sleep." She sighed.

"We can watch a movie, then, but if we stay here much longer your back won't thank you in the morning." Jacob pointed out, his fingers finally stopping so he could sit up and hold a hand out to his wife.

With another sigh, she allowed him to help her up, and a few short minutes later they were curled up in bed, the TV playing quietly in the corner, though neither of them were paying attention to it. Connie's eyes were half shut as she tried to focus on Jacob's heartbeat where her head rested on his chest rather than the thoughts racing through her mind, and Jacob himself was thinking about what they'd do if Grace decided to go with her father.

"Mummy?" Came a sudden, quiet voice from the doorway. Grace stood there nervously, and when Connie silently held open an arm to her, she ran to the bed, slipping under the covers to snuggle to her mother's side. "I can't sleep." She admitted quietly.

Connie dropped a kiss to her daughter's hair, unsure how to reassure her.

"Why don't I go and make you two a hot chocolate? Always helps me when I can't sleep." Jacob offered with a hopeful smile. Though neither of them thought it would work, they both nodded in response and watched Jacob as he slipped from the room.

"...If you're worried about hurting your father, or me, you don't need to, sweetheart. We just want what's best for you." Connie spoke softly into her daughter's hair.

Before Grace could reply, there was a wail from down the hall where the girl's bedrooms were. As Connie and Grace scrambled from the bed to check on Ava, Jacob took the stairs two at a time and rushed past the bedroom door towards Ava's room. However, he found her just into Grace's room with tears rolling down her face as she wailed, "Gracie's gone! I want Gracie!"knowing that no matter what he said now, it would only be when Sam left that she would truly believe that Grace wanted to stay.

"Come here, darlin'." He scooped Ava into his arms, murmuring gently to comfort her as he walked back across the landing to his and Connie's room. She and Grace stood worryingly in the doorway, retreating back towards the bed as Jacob came through. He said nothing more, but allowed Connie to take Ava from his arms and wrap her tightly up in an embrace, watching as she walked backwards to sit on the bed, rocking her daughter in her arms as Grace knelt next to her, talking quietly to Ava as she began to stop crying. When Connie looked up at him, he gave a small nod before leaving and turning to the stairs.

"You don't want Grace to stay with us?" Ava turned to Connie, watching innocently as her mother's face fell and her eyes drew sideways to look at Grace. She closed her eyes, the memories and pain of the years of fights and hurt between them bringing themselves to the surface again at Ava's accusation. She shook her head, and smiled a small, grateful smile when she felt Grace's hand edge over one of hers which was pressed at Ava's back.

"That's not what's happening, sweetheart."

"But I heard you!"

"That's not what Mummy meant, Ava. It's complicated." Grace turned to look at her Mum, knowing that this was an echo of a conversation they had had in fact not so long ago, when this situation had arisen previously. "My dad is being silly. Very silly, and he wants me to live with him. But I don't want to. I know I don't want to, but mummy and Jacob, they worry about how I feel and want do to what's best." She watched as Ava regarded her intently, slipping slightly from Connie's lap to move closer to Grace.

"You need to tell them, Gracie. Because I don't think they-"

She broke off as Grace began to laugh, before pressing a brief kiss to her sister's forehead. "Don't you worry, I'll make sure they know."

When Jacob returned with the hot chocolates, he found everyone sat back in bed, Ava's favourite movie playing on the TV in the corner of the room. For a brief moment, Jacob remembered when Ava was a baby and he had woken on countless nights to find Connie watching kids movies for the first time with tears on her face.

"One for me, too?" Ava asked hopefully as she saw Jacob stood with a tray of hot chocolates.

Smiling, he passed her the smallest, then passed one to Grace before finally placing one into his wife's hands and quickly covering hers with his as he sat down, to stop her shaking from tipping the hot drink over. Connie gave him a grateful smile and sipped on the drink, surprised when she began to feel her eyelids growing heavy.

..

When Connie woke the next morning, she found herself trapped on the bed, remembering why they used to nickname Ava 'Monkey.' Though the girl's head was resting on her sister's shoulder, she had somehow managed to move in her sleep until her body was horizontal, her body and legs resting over her parents. Connie turned her head and couldn't help but laugh at the tiny space Jacob had made for himself on the edge of the bed, Ava's toes painfully close to poking his eyes out.

Both a baby and a 4 year old resting on her bladder, Connie was soon forced to wriggle her way from the bed, and soon found herself wandering through the rooms downstairs. Though she was supposed to clear up, Ava's toys remained everywhere, Grace's books and pencils littered most surfaces, and somehow there seemed to be stolen high heels hidden in the most obvious of places. When Grace was younger, Connie's life had been so black and white, but now it was so full of colour and noise and life. Walking towards Jacob's gym, the room that was supposed to be his sanctuary in a house full of females, she smiled when she found the walls covered in photos and the floor also covered in toys and books. Why did Sam have to come now, when life was so perfect?

"Mum?"

Connie turned to find Grace stood behind her looking nervous.

Before her mother could speak, Grace offered, "I want to spend the day with dad."

"Oh." It was all Connie could manage as she felt her heart sink.

"..I don't want to go with him, but I don't want him to feel bad, either. I thought maybe a day out might help..." Grace continued nervously.

Connie forced a smile to her lips. She knew how easily Grace could be persuaded. "Of course, sweetheart. Why don't you give him a call?"

It was 5 minutes later, when Connie had returned to the warmth and safety of Jacob and her monkey that Grace stormed in, in tears once more. "He's gone! He said he would come back tomorrow, but he went back to America and he didn't even say goodbye! I hate him!"

"Oh, sweetheart..."

"Why does he do this, Mum?"

"Grace, come here." Jacob patted the small space left on the bed in between him and Connie. He brought her into his arms, looking over her head to see Connie watching them sadly, as Ava now climbed to reach her arms to her mother's shoulders.

"I only wanted to make sure he knew why I wanted to stay..."

"I know."

"I'm never going to see him again, am I?"

Jacob paused, uncertain of how to respond. There wanted as no point lying to her. He looked back to Connie, whose eyes were turned downwards, as she thumbed the buttons on Ava's pyjama sleeve.

"Maybe not, firecracker. But give him some time, he has a lot to think about. And you have us all here, right? We're not going anywhere." This time he did see Connie look up, relieved to see a small smile that widened as she watched him comfort her daughter.

Grace nodded, and quickly brushed the tears from her cheeks. "Love you, Jacob."

"I love you too. All of you, a lot." He rubbed Grace's shoulder and brought her to him in a hug, mouthing "especially you" with a wink to Connie over her head.

Despite the fact she wanted to stay in bed for the whole day and ignore the world, Connie soon got everyone up, having decided they'd go on a family outing. Although everyone was tired, by 10am they were all in the car and going somewhere, although Connie hadn't decided where until she saw a sign.

"Left lane, Jacob." She instructed from the back seat, where Ava had insisted her mother sit with her.

Grace glanced out the window and slipped out an earphone, "London? We're going to London."

"We are going to give your room a complete makeover and buy you a new wardrobe!" Connie decided.

Grace turned to glance at her mother and then gave a squeal of happiness.

Though Jacob raised his eyebrows, remembering what a slippery slope it was when buying Grace's happiness in the past, but he remained silent and just drove where she instructed.

When they arrived, Ava was still refusing to leave her mother's side, and it took a good 5 minutes before she agreed that Jacob could carry her. By that time, Grace already had a list of shops she wanted to go into and was bouncing with excitement, so when Connie was finally free from Ava, Grace pulled her arm.

"Come ON, mum. We have so many places to go, and I don't want to miss anywhere!"

"If we miss anywhere, we'll just stay overnight and go tomorrow. one day off school won't hurt." Connie reassured her daughter, smiling when Grace took her hand to lead her into the first shop.

"Are you alright, Ava?" Grace hung back as she noticed her sister gaxing around the park they were walking through. Jacob looked behind him when he noticed the girls were lagging behind, but was happy to see how Grace held Ava's hand and talked to her as they walked slowly. He turned his attention back to Connie and took her hand, fully aware of the giveaway smile that pulled at her lips despite her head facing forwards.

"Ava?"

Grace squeezed Ava's hand to get her attention. She got no answer, she was completely distracted. It was beautiful, the vast, open green space that was spread before them, tall buildings poking over the tops of the trees. There were a lot of people sat down on the grass, a mix of families and couples, and Grace watched bemused as Avas head turned from side to side and around her as she took it all in.

"Hey..."

Grace stopped where she stood, and took both of her sister's hands in hers.

"Why don't we go and see Peter Pan?

At this, Ava's eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly, in delight.

"Peter Pan?!"

"There's a statue not far from here. And..."

She bent down, to whisper in Ava's ear.

"You know that on Hyde Park Corner, that's where the BFG climbed over the wall?"

Ava began to hop where she stood, a tiny squeal escaping as once again she gazed around her.

"Come on, let's go and ask Mum."

Grace and Ava ran the short distance to catch up with Connie and Jacob, who turned around and exclaimed as Ava practically barrelled into him.

"I expect that hurt her more than you!"

Connie chided, taking her daughters' hands and shaking her head at Jacob, who simply chuckled.

"Mum, can we... Take a break?"

"Hm?"

"We've been shopping a while, and it's been lovely, but I want to show Ava some things."

Connie turned to her daughter, surprised.

"Oh?"

"Mummy, please don't be angry, it's not that-"

"No, no darling, I'm not! What is it you want to do?"

"I want to show Ava Peter Pan. And the wall-"

"Where the BFG climbed over to go and see the Queen!" Ava let go of her mother's hand and began to skip happily backwards in front of them. Connie looked to Jacob, who was trying to supress a grin.

An hour later, Connie, Jacob, Grace and Ava found themselves being one of the families that were relaxed on the grass. Jacob had momentarily disappeared while Connie was taking photos of her daughters, and when he returned it was with a rug and a picnic. "Where did-"

"Always be prepared, that's my motto." Jacob grinned as he spread the blanket out and Ava flopped onto it happily.

"No, that's the Boy Scout motto, and I bet you were always been too naughty to be a scout, Jacob Masters." Connie teased before joining her youngest as she began to look through the foods her father had bought.

"Gracie! Lunch!" He called. Somehow, miles from home in a huge city, she had managed to find a friend from school.

Saying goodbye, Grace rushed back to her family with a grin, falling down next to her mother before pulling into a strong hug, suddenly overwhelmed with happiness. It was a warm, sunny day and she was having her very first picnic. "I love you, mum."

"I love you, too." Connie dropped a kiss to her hair.

"I love mummy, too. And you. You love me back, don't you Gracie?" Ava questioned as she settled herself in her mother's lap, worried her new pretty dress might get dirt on it if she sat alone.

"I love you the most of anyone," Grace assured with a smile.

"Well, you know...I'm feeling a little left out here. I love you all." Jacob sighed, sticking out his bottom lip and making it wobble, much to Ava's delight. She was the first to giggle, followed by Connie and then Grace. "Don't laugh at me!" Jacob protested.

"I love you, Jacob." Connie finally offered, and Grace was amazed at the ease it came from her lips.

Trying to voice her feelings just as bravely, Grace offered quietly, "I love you too, dad."

Jacob and Connie's eyes met over Ava's head and then both looked towards Grace.

Her cheeks turned red with embarrassment as she plucked up the grass from beside the picnic rug, unable to look at Jacob. Before he could reply, however, Ava added, "I tolerate you, daddy."

"You tolerate him?!" Connie questioned, amazed her daughter knew such a word. "Jacob, I'd say this calls for something only very cheeky little girls get. What do you think, Gracie?"

"Definitely." Grace nodded, biting back a smile as Ava began to glance worriedly at the people on the rug.

"Tickle time!" Jacob cried.

As Ava squirmed on the rug and laughed loudly with delight as her mother tickled her, Grace found an arm gently around her shoulder.

"I love you too, princess." Jacob offered quietly.

Grace smiled happily to herself. She used to watch families with jealousy and sadness, but now she finally had her very own. Leaping forward, she joined in with her mother, and Jacob was soon called in to save Ava amid breathless laughter from the whole family.

Grace decided this might be her favourite day ever.