Both Connie and Rita stood in front of the bathroom mirror. Connie had brushed her hair whilst Rita showered, and as the blonde picked up her glass bottle of foundation she found a long dark hair curled about the lid that stuck to her damp fingers.

Connie glanced at the blonde in their reflection, her make up brush paused half way between her compact and her face.

Rita met her gaze and she frowned slightly in question as she smoothed foundation into the skin of he cheek with her fingertips.

"You're incredible."

She began, and Rita grinned, expelling an amused breath of a laugh.

"Thank you, for helping Grace...and for the card."

She added, finally bringing up the brush to he cheekbone. Her cards had been beautiful, Grace's with it's felt tip drawing of herself and Grace, and Rita's, decorated with nothing but a hand-drawn picture of a pair of glossy black Louboutin's, Rita's hand writing – straight up and down and written with black ink, wishing her the best birthday...giving her all of her love.

Rita rubbed a streak of foundation just beneath her eye before turning away from the mirror to look at her properly.

"You're very welcome!"

She was still smiling and her teeth touched against he bottom lip in a way that made it impossible for Connie not to lean in and kiss he gently, quickly, brushing the tip of her nose against Rita's before pulling away again and turning back to the mirror.

Rita watched her for a moment as she bronzed the hollows of her cheeks, contouring her face before highlighting her cheekbones.

"It's funny..."

"Hmm?"

Rita paused and looked down at the array of make up before them. She wasn't quite sure how to put into words what she wanted to say.

"I mean...months ago, if someone had told me I'd be standing here now, next to you..."

She paused, that wasn't what she meant, this wasn't about the fact that the woman she stood next to was 'Connie Beauchamp', she'd come to terms with that, somehow. This had to do with something else entirely.

She glanced back up, Connie was watching her, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"I never imagined I would end up with a woman."

She concluded finally and Connie leant her hip against the sink, turning slightly to face her and reaching out to take her hand, not to draw her in, not to comfort her, only to hold it, because it was hers.

Rita flushed, their hands held between them, silent for a moment until Connie spoke.

"It's different, isn't it."

She said quietly, a smile behind her eyes.

"Good different."

Rita added, and the smile that had hidden behind Connie's eyes spread across her lips.

"Yes...good different."

She confirmed and she squeezed the blonde's hand before letting go, both women turning back to the mirror.

Connie reached for her eye liner and removed the lid, leaning forwards to apply the black pencil to the outer corners of her eyelids.

"So..."

She murmured, trying to keep her mouth still, and Rita couldn't help but smile as she watched her whilst she twisted off the lid of her lip balm.

"What have you got planned for the rest of the day?"

She asked, knowing full well that Rita had something up her sleeve.

The blonde arced an eyebrow and touched her tongue between her teeth, setting the lid of the lip balm down onto the counter.

"Grace and I have something planned...but you'll need to put on something warm...and I'll need to borrow your car."

Connie stopped what she was doing and raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow.

"My car?"

She repeated dubiously.

Rita nudged up against the other woman, amused by her obvious worry.

"I'm going to take us all out."

She said with a look of triumph and the eye liner Connie held between her fingers gave a slight wobble.

"Well, just tell me where we're going, I don't mind dri-"

"Connie."

Rita struggled against a laugh and she raised her stick of mascara at her, pointing at her with the end of it, her dark eyes lowered.

"I'm perfectly capable of driving your car. I won't crash. I promise."

She paused and let her head fall to one side.

"I just want to take you out."

She added, her voice quiet, testing, waiting for Connie's response.

"Ok...ok...sorry."

Connie drew in a breath and Rita grinned triumphantly and unscrewed the lid of her mascara, following Connie's movements as they both leaned against the mirror and Rita attempted to apply her mascara without her mouth gaping open like a fish.

"It means ever so much to me that you're trying so hard with Grace."

Connie's words were muffled as she swapped eye liner for lip stick and Rita pushed the mascara wand back into the tube.

The blonde shrugged and drew in a breath.

"We're getting there."

She winked.

"Now hurry up, your daughter will be getting impatient."

-.-

More later! Thank you ever so much for the lovely reviews from the last chapter, as usual they made me smile! xxx