"Your brother will be along in a minute...thank you."

Alice accepted the mug of tea that Rita held out to her with a smile.

"I didn't know he was coming."

Rita said as she turned her back and offered out a coffee to her father who raised his eyebrows with a look that quite clearly stated that Rita's brother wouldn't miss this for the world...

"So..."

Alice cleared her throat and arranged the mug against her chest, cupping it with both hands to warm them.

"How did you two..."

She gestured with a hand and looked between the two women who sat opposite her in separate arm chairs, hopeful that she wouldn't have to elaborate any further.

Rita shifted so that she could fold one leg beneath herself and grinned.

"She had me at 'supraventricular bypass.'"

She laughed as she spoke, and raised a hand to itch the side of her nose.
Connie took a sip of her coffee and winced at the sudden rush of sweetness that filled her mouth. Rita must have mistakenly given her at least two spoonfuls of sugar...she touched her fingertips to her lips and reached to set her coffee down on the side table next to her arm chair.

"Actually we-"

Rita began to elaborate, but a sudden rap at the door and a ring of the bell cut her off.

"That'll be your brother."

Phil's voice was strained as he stretched back in the chair, raising a hand over his head to scratch noisily at the back of his neck.

"I'll get it."

Connie made to stand but Rita waved her free hand in much the same way as her mother seemed to have a habit of doing.

"No, it's fine, I'll go. You need to stay in the warm."

She murmured, and squeezed Connie's shoulder before retreating from the room.

"Oh, are you poorly?"

Alice asked, leaning forward with obvious concern. Connie gave a brief shake of her head.

"No, no, just a cold..."

She answered quickly, too quickly, and almost immediately Connie felt the atmosphere tense, and she longed to reach back for her mug, just so that she had something to occupy her hands with. She drew in a long breath.

A heavy silence seemed to settle over them, an uneasy tension in the atmosphere that made her shift in her seat.

Three pairs of unsettled eyes glanced unceremoniously about the room and tried to avoid catching other glances that passed by. She noted the uncomfortable shift of Alice in her seat, the grasp of her hands, and the unconscious cross and uncross of her legs, the heals of her shoes scraping the wooden floor.

From the hallway she heard the stamp of boots on the doormat, and the murmur of voices – Rita's laugh...

"I think I'll just make another coffee..."

She stood up abruptly and reached out for her mug. Suddenly she couldn't bare the thought of being in the room when Rita's brother appeared. Her head was beginning to throb even more, and her body felt heavy and sluggish, she needed the cool quiet of the kitchen to gather herself.

"Can I get either of you anything?"

She asked as she made her way to the doorway that led through to the kitchen, but to her relief both Phil and Alice declined politely.

Once in the kitchen she exhaled, she felt every aching limb relax. She placed her hands on the cool of the work top and leant her head forward against the kitchen cabinet, the cool of the wood easing the pain within her head.

She closed her eyes and sniffed, she could feel the pulse of her sinuses and the pain at the back of her throat as she swallowed.

"Going that badly, hmm?"

A voice she didn't recognise made her start and she pushed herself away from the counter, turning around more quickly than she had meant to. She felt a sharp splintering pain within her right ear, and just for a moment she thought she might topple off balance, but a hand caught hold of her, holding her steady.

"You alright?"

He asked, and she looked up at him, focusing on him. He was older than she had expected, he was clearly the elder brother. He had that grown-up choir boy look, except for the tattoos that swirled above the neckline of his grey jumper, and he had the same blonde hair as his sister, though his was cut short, but his eyes weren't brown like Rita's, they were a sea-glass green, and they were laughing.

-.-
More tomorrow, I promise that one will be longer! :) I'm so glad the last few chapters have made people laugh/smile ! I'm interested to know what people would like to see happen with her parents? :)xxx