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'Are you ok?' Jonny asked Jac as he watched her unload the dishwasher that evening 'you've been a bit quiet'

'It's been a long few days' Jac shrugged as she put mugs away in the cupboard.

'You hardly ate anything at dinner' Jonny continued knowing she would either snap at him or let him in on her real thoughts.

'I wasn't hungry' Jac sighed wishing Jonny would leave her be just this once.

'You spent longer than usual putting Ava to bed, wouldn't she settle down?' Jonny enquired innocently.

'No she went to sleep just fine' Jac answered him as shut the door on the emptied dishwasher and lent against it. 'Any more pointless questions you'd like to ask?' she spoke harshly crossing her arms across her chest.

'Yes I'd like to know why are you being so defensive and why won't you talk to me?' Jonny spoke calmly even though he knew he was annoying her. He couldn't bear the thought of Jac shutting him out, he wasn't prepared to lose her like that.

Jac let out a long sigh as she walked out of the room and headed towards the bathroom, the only room with a lock. Jonny let her go and considered his next move as he heard the sound of the taps being turned on to run a bath. He waited until he heard the water being turned off and then settled himself on the hallway carpet with his back up against the bathroom door.

'I love you Jac Naylor-Maconnie' he spoke quietly as he listened to the sounds of Jac settling herself down into the water of the bathtub. There was no answer from her so Jonny decided to keep talking anyway as he knew she would be listening. 'Sacha told me that like Ava you were also reading at a young age. It seems so strange that you know so little about your own childhood, perhaps you should talk to Granddad George some more about when you were a little girl.' There was still no response from Jac but Jonny took it as a good sign that she hadn't commanded him to shut up. 'I bet you were a cute child. I bet you were like Ava, Granddad George is always telling everyone how much his Ava is like his Jac.'

'Apparently I was a handful' Jac words came softly through the door to Jonny 'I was too much work'

'How'd do you know that?' Jonny asked encouraged by Jac's voice but not her words.

'I read my social services file when I was in my twenties. It's the reason she gave every time she left me. Probably the same reason I ended up being bounced from placement to placement. Apparently I had complex needs.'

'Such as?'

'Jesus Jonny, does everything have to be spelt out to you?' Jac spoke crossly.

'Don't blaspheme' Jonny scolded her. 'So that was a stupid question. I just want you talk to me Jac, you're shutting me out.'

'I…'Jac's voice trailed off.

'Just use me as a sounding board then' Jonny spoke 'it doesn't matter if it doesn't make sense.' There was a few minutes silence before Jac finally spoke.

'When Michael bought Ava in and announced she was reading everyone was so excited and Jasmine felt we had to be proactive in some way. I just wanted to pick Ava up and take her away from all that fuss'.

'You wanted to protect her in some way?' Jonny sounded as confused as he felt.

'Yes' Jac answered.

'What from?'

'From her being made to feel she was different, as though she were abnormal. Sacha and Jasmine started talking about preschool and I said no. I was coached when I was child and I hated it. It made me noticeably different to my peers. By the time I was eleven I thought I knew enough to sabotage their plans for me so I purposefully failed the eleven plus, messed up every entrance exam I could and once I even played mute during an IQ test. I think that was the last straw for my mother.'

'Why would it matter to her? And who were the ones with the plans?'

'Social services. You hardly think that it was my mother who arranged extra curricula tutoring for me?' Jac laughed bitterly 'the only blessing my mother saw in having a child with high IQ is that it meant she could use the excuse that I was too demanding every time she wanted to take off. She was hoping I'd get a scholarship to a boarding school and then it would be problem solved'

'So why did you sabotage it? Surely going to boarding school would have got you out of her hands?'

'I was a child Jonny' Jac sighed exasperatedly 'I didn't know any different then. I was scared of leaving what I knew and of never seeing Granddad again. She made sure she got revenge for that one though didn't she?' Jac spoke bitterly.

'Incidentally how high is your IQ?' Jonny voiced the question he'd been longing to ask since he'd met Jac.

'You promise you won't get excited?'

'I promise' Jonny answered her sarcastically rolling his eyes

'Last time I was tested which was many years ago it was one hundred and seventy one.' Her answer was met by a long silence. 'Are you still there Jonny?' she asked uncertainly.

'I'm sorry, did you just say one hundred and seventy one?' Jonny couldn't hide the shock in his voice

'Yes'

'So you're like in the…'

'The nighty eighth percentile yes' Jac finished for him.

'What the hell are you doing with an average IQ like me?' Jonny joked.

'Don't' Jac spoke softly.

'Don't what?' Jonny laughed missing the upset in Jac's voice 'you could have gone to Mensa and met yourself a fellow genius.'

'Go away Jonny' Jac angrily wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes, glad he couldn't see them.

'Och, Jac come on I'm only teasing you' Jonny suddenly heard the hurt in Jac's voice. 'I'm sorry I was being an idiot, I didn't mean it'. His apology was met with stony silence. Jonny thought hard about their conversation, feeling there was some way he could redeem himself. 'That's what you want Ava to avoid isn't it? Teasing and taunts from her peers and adults treating her differently?'

'Yes' Jac answered him softly surprised he understood her 'I want her to be normal.'

'What's normal Jac?' Jonny asked softly.

'I don't know' Jac admitted 'I was sat with Ava just now watching her innocent little face sleeping and all I kept thinking was how easily I could mess this up. I don't know, the enormity of raising Jasmines daughter for her just hit me. How do I know if what I'm doing is right?'

'She's trusting us with most precious thing in her life' Jonny spoke fully understanding how Jac felt.

'Exactly. See you get it. Sacha and Michael couldn't seem to grasp enormity of the problem. They kept giving me advice that every parent feels the same, that they'll be there to help us and to snap out of it because it's not all about me.' Jac listened to Jonny's silence before adding 'that last one was Michael and not Sacha. Making me feel selfish wasn't helpful. Especially not to his new cream sweater, which may now be stained with tea.'

'I'm hoping it wasn't a scolding hot cup of tea' Jonny grinned imagining Jac pouring her beverage over Michael.

'It was lukewarm' Jac answered him ' I'll probably still have to apologise.'

'Well it's not the first time you've baptised him with your drink, I'm sure he's used to it by now' Jonny stood up and tried the door handle. Surprisingly she hadn't locked it. 'You know we are probably going to mess up with Ava at some point' he informed her as he entered to room and sat down on the edge of the bath 'but, and this is an important but, we are not going to actually mess Ava up. You know Jasmine trusts us with Ava, she tells us all the time.'

'I know' Jac wiped away unwelcome tears with the back of her hand.

'And Michael and Sacha are right, we've got so many people who we can go to for help and advice.' Jonny cupped the side of Jac's face with one his hands 'You Jac Naylor-Maconie, don't have to worry because I know you. I know you won't let yourself fail Ava because you love her too much.' He traced the track of one her tears with his thumb.

'We're lucky to have you' Jac whispered to him.

Jonny shook his head 'no its fate that brought us together, not luck'

'I'm losing my sister Jonny' Jac spoke as a sob rose in her throat.

'I know' he wiped away her tears that were cascading down her face. 'I wish we weren't losing her but it's coming'

Jac nodded her head unable to speak through her sobs.

'It's ok to feel like this Jac, don't listen to Michael'

'Granddad doesn't think he can bear be there right at the end so I've promised them I'll be there, I'll hold her hand as she dies' Jac spoke thickly through her tears.

'I admire George's honesty' Jonny stood up and picked up Jac's bath sheet off the towel rail. 'Come on you're starting to shrivel up' he told her as the held the towel up so he could wrap it around her as she stepped out of the bath.

'He wouldn't have been it if hadn't been for Jasmine correctly guessing him. She's so brave, she's got the whole death planed out' Jac spoke as Jonny enveloped her in a hug with the towel. 'How can I match her bravery Jonny? How can I watch my sister die?' she sobbed against his chest.

'Shh' Jonny soothed her rubbing her back 'why don't we take it one day at a time?' he kissed the top of her head as her sobbing lessened. 'Now I've got some news that is likely to make our wee miss very happy' Jonny forced a smile as he pulled away from Jac.

'What?' she asked him, wrapping the towel more securely around herself.

'Come and see for yourself' Jonny took hold her hand and led her over to the widow. He opened the frosted pane as wide as it would go so Jac could see the large flakes of snow falling thick and fast.

'Bloody hell, its actually properly snowing' Jac spoke with amazement.

'I know!' Jonny spoke enthusiastically 'Ava should be able to get to build her first ever snowman!'

'You are a fool Jonny Naylor-Maconie but that's why I love you' Jac gave a small smile before kissing Jonny softly.