Ellie was having a crisis.

Okay, maybe 'crisis' was a bit dramatic, but it sure as hell felt that way.

She lay down on her bed sideways, feet dangling off the edge as she gazed thoughtfully up at the ceiling. She had gone to her room to do homework, but she found it hard to concentrate.

Ellie finally decided that she needed a second opinion, and who better to ask than her Welsh mother?

Ellie easily located her mam, who was in the living room reading a book, her dog, Fanw, nestled next to her on the couch. At Ellie's appearance at the doorway, the dog looked up and wagged its tail stub (more so its rear end). She had reached the age of a young adolescent dog, and now she looked like an awkwardly gangly Welsh corgi, her legs longer than she was used to.

In the months following Delia's surgery, Ellie's mam had walked Fanw every day, socializing it with people in the streets and training it in the dog park, teaching it Welsh commands. When the temperature began to plummet, Delia continued the training in their home.

Ellie entered the living room and sat down in her mum's usual recliner.

"Hey Mam?" she asked.

"Yes, cariad?" Delia responded, not looking up from her book.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it, sweetie?" Delia prompted patiently, still skimming her book, but letting Ellie know she was also listening.

"What would…what would you say, if I told you… hypothetically…that a boy asked me to go to the movies with him?"

Delia's eyebrows pulled together in concentration as she comically appeared to seriously mull this over.

"Hypothetically?" Delia clarified.

"…Yes," Ellie said. Silence stretched as the brunette's face screwed up in thought.

"Wear a condom."

Ellie gave a start, not believing what her mam just nonchalantly said.

"…What?" Ellie sputtered.

"Wear a condom," Delia repeated airily, returning to her book.

"But it's the movies, that doesn't mean that we-" Ellie began, only to be cut off by her mam's dry laugh.

"Ellie, you have no idea how many women I've had to tell that they're pregnant, and they would always say, 'but at first it was only supposed to be dinner!'" Delia interrupted, turning the page of her book while adding, "Believe me, I was your age once…things often happen spontaneously, and you often don't think about the consequences just then."

Ellie was quiet as she considered her mam's words.

"So…so you wouldn't be mad?" Ellie asked softly.

"Mad? If you didn't wear a condom, yes, I would be mad."

Ellie's face flushed red before she stammered, "No, I meant…you wouldn't be mad…even if…you know…"

"I wouldn't be mad if wha-" Delia suddenly broke off and looked up from her book for the first time, looking taken aback. The brunette slowly closed her novella before placing it on the arm of the couch so she could look at her daughter full on. Ellie squirmed, embarrassed under her gaze. Her mam was, if anything, very observant and socially deductive.

"Ellie," Delia began softly, "are you afraid that your mum or I would be angry with you because you wish to go out with a BOY?" Ellie opened her mouth and then shut it again, because she didn't want to insult her mam any further, but her Welsh mother had hit the nail on its head.

At her silence, Delia's face fell.

"Sweetie," Delia whispered, "after everything your mum and I have been through, why would you think that?"

"I don' know," Ellie mumbled at her feet. Delia sighed heavily before standing up and gesturing for her daughter to follow her into the kitchen.

Bewildered, Ellie treaded after her, Fanw merrily tripping over her over-sized paws as she followed them.

Delia filled a kettle and began to set out tea things, her back to Ellie. Cautiously, Ellie sat down on a stool.

"I think it's about time I told you a story," Delia said softly, in a forlorn tone. Her daughter held her breath, unsure of what was about to come out of her mam's mouth.

Delia gently placed the kettle on the stove, her expression reverent and thoughtful.

"It's not my story, really, but I believe you should know it," Delia began, looking at her hands, "You see, fifteen years ago, a young woman fell in love with another woman. She had no family other than her estranged father, who sent her Christmas cards and designer scarves for her birthday."

Delia took a deep breath as Ellie began to realize who she was talking about.

"This woman started dating the other woman, and for a while no one knew. Not even her flat mate. Her girlfriend wanted desperately for her to come out, so that they wouldn't have to slink around and constantly watch over their backs, but this woman was terrified of a certain someone finding out; her father. She always told her girlfriend that it was nothing, that she didn't care for her father, but they both knew she did, deep down. A few months after they started dating, they got drunk one night and their flat mate caught them together. The cat was out of the bag. But the couple soon realized that no one cared; or rather they got careless, as the woman would put it."

Delia began to pour the tea, her hands trembling slightly as the steam rose up in tendrils in the chilled air. She pushed a tea cup at Ellie, and the young woman warily took it as her mam took a shaky sip of hers'. Delia swallowed her mouthful before continuing in a trembling voice.

"They were dating for around two years, and the woman had met her girlfriend's parents', who were conservative but still supported their daughter and her partner. This…gave the woman the illusion that her father might be just as acceptable towards her; maybe even make him more interested in her life maybe. So one day, the woman packed an expensive bottle of wine and took her girlfriend to meet her father."

Delia knitted her fingers together and stared at them, fidgeting slightly. Ellie swallowed.

"They didn't last fifteen minutes," Delia whispered hoarsely, blinking away tears, "They entered the mansion, a house she hadn't been in for ten years, and she said, 'Hello father, this is my girlfriend'…"

Delia broke off and appeared to try and collect her thoughts for a moment.

"…and her father stared at her, and the woman just stared back. Her girlfriend couldn't say anything, she didn't know this man from Adam. And then he just…he hit her, slapped her across the face. She dropped the wine bottle and it shattered over the floor. Her girlfriend grabbed her, tried to pull her back from her father, but she just stood there in shock. The father said, 'Don't you come anywhere near me, you filthy THING, get the hell out of my house'…"

Delia bent down and buried her face in her hands before mumbling, "I finally got her out of the house…she didn't cry until we had gotten back to campus…She sent him Christmas cards every year, on his birthday, but he never made contact again." For a silent moment Delia didn't move her head and Ellie gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Ellie whispered softly.

Delia released a sigh before straightening and giving her daughter a calculative gaze.

"Your mum and I literally went through hell to be together, Ellie," she said calmly, "and I'll go through it again before you have to experience it. I don't care who you date, and I can assure you your mum wouldn't give a damn either."

Ellie smiled ruefully at her mam.

"Okay, Mam," she said, jumping down and helping Delia put away the tea things. Ellie went to return to her room, when Delia called after her.

"Ellie, honey," Delia said, "This…hypothetical boyfriend…"

Ellie blushed, "…Yeah?"

"Is he…hypothetically nice?"

Ellie smiled, before saying, "Yes, he is. He is also hypothetically cute."

"He sounds unreal," Delia said with a smirk.

"Of course he does," Ellie bantered back with a wide smile, turning to climb up the stairs.

"Oh, and cariad?"

Ellie paused and looked back at her mam questionably.

"Yes, mam?"

"Make SURE you wear one of those hypothetical condoms I put in your closet on the top shelf when you go on this hypothetical date," Delia said deadpan before sweeping out of the room with her dog bounding after her, leaving Ellie gaping on the stairwell.

Shaking off the shock, Ellie ran up the stairs and dashed into her room before ripping open her closet. Stepping on a luggage bag she used for football tournaments, Ellie rose up and groped along the top shelf, until her fingers brushed across a slender, dusty box in the back. Snatching it with a grunt, Ellie coughed as dust cascaded over her as she beheld just what her mam had told her was on the top shelf of her closet; a box of two dozen Trojan condoms.

Wow, how did she not notice that.

"MAM, WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"