"So, how is this going to work, exactly?"

Rita asked. She couldn't keep the smile from her lips.

Connie stood in front of the full length mirror, her arms raised, her hands behind her head, taking the hair grips from her hair and setting them on the dressing table one by one.

"Would you like a set of rules?"

She asked, glancing at Rita in the mirror, the hint of a smile behind her eyes. She pushed her fingers through her hair, searching for any stray hair grips, and then threaded her fingers through it to smooth her now loose hair from her face.

Rita watched her without blinking.

"I was thinking more of an instruction manual."

She murmured, and Connie arced an eyebrow as she turned to face her, her back to the mirror.

"I'd say you were doing perfectly fine without one."

She said simply, and folded her arms, the silk of her dressing gown creasing against her chest.

"I just, don't want to make a fool of myself... Are we friends?...are we dating? Are we seeing each other?"

She could feel herself beginning to get ahead of herself. She didn't want to push Connie, or to come across as needy. She just needed to know for sure that this wasn't some obscure dream.

Connie held out a hand, and Rita looked momentarily confused before taking it, and allowing herself to be pulled up from where she sat so that she stood before Connie. Still the heigh difference between them, even though Connie was without her heels, made Rita feel somewhat insecure.

"I'm struggling."

She began slowly.

"I'm struggling with what happened. I didn't think I would, but I am. I can't promise you this will be easy, and I can't promise that I'll be...physically able...yet..."

She spoke softly, in a voice that Rita hadn't heard before, and at the mention of the possibility of more, her cheeks coloured and she nodded hurriedly, glancing briefly to Connie's mouth. She wished so hard that she could erase what those men had done, so that what they had now was untainted, and as pure as it should be.

"I'll look after you."

Her voice was choked, but she meant it. She would do everything she could to look after her.

"I can wait for you. I don't have to kiss you, or even hold your hand...we don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Just knowing I can be with you, and that I can help you in some small way...that's all I want."

She whispered. Her eyes pricked with tears that glittered in the lamp light.

Connie drew in a long, long breath, and glanced up to the ceiling, her own eyes shining, and her throat ached so that she was forced to swallow and clear her throat before she even attempted to speak again.

"Well, then."

She smiled a smile that wobbled at the corners, and she ran the edge of her hand beneath her eyes just before the tears fell.

"I think we should go downstairs, open a bottle of wine, and drink to 'us'."

Hello everybody. After I put that picture up that I drew/painted of Chloe Howman, my twitter has gone a bit mad with new followers, I wondered if any of them were you? Hello, if you are, and thank you!

I will see if I can squeeze another update out tonight, just to see what they get up to next.. :)

I hope everyone is having a lovely evening xxx