From where they stood in the kitchen they heard the front door open and close, they heard Rita's voice rise in surprise, and the flutter of nervous laughter. And then, on the tiled floor came Grace's galloping footsteps, a squeal of delight, and then she was sliding along the floor on sock clad feet to where she came to an alarmingly abrupt halt in the door frame of the kitchen.

"Grandma's here!"

She had both her hands on the door frame and she twisted herself to and fro, her feet slipping and sliding beneath her, a smile across her pink lips.

Without meaning to Connie let out a noise akin to someone who had been mortally wounded. She felt herself pale, she felt such a sinking feeling that she had to reach for a chair to hold on to, and Alistair reached out for her instinctively, his fingertips at her waist.

"Mummy?"

Grace stopped in her movements and raised one eyebrow.

Connie glanced up.

"Don't you want to see Grandma?"

Grace asked, a look of confusion passing behind her dark eyes. Connie pursed her lips into something resembling a smile and gave a brief shake of her head.

"Now isn't really the best time..."

"I thought you liked Grandma?"

Grace asked, folding her arms pointedly across her chest.

From in the hallway they could hear the rustle of Audrey's coat and the slip and click of her shoes as she removed them on the doormat. Who must she think Rita was? Did she already know? Connie closed her eyes and forced herself to stand up straight. She raised a hand to where she pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers.

"I do, I..."

She paused, opened her eyes and let her hand fall to her side.

"Go and say hello, Grace. Go and..."

She waved a hand and Grace huffed, rolled her eyes and slipped from view, back into the hallway.

"Not your Mum then?"

Alistair asked, and she started. She had forgotten he was there. She clapped her hands to her sides and drew up her shoulders, releasing them back down with an exhale.

"No...No. Grace's father's mother. She's..."

She shook her head, vaguely searching for the words.

"Likeable from a distance...like the sun... except without the warmth."

She sighed, and Alistair laughed silently, nodding slowly. Somehow she knew that she didn't need to explain further, that somehow he just knew everything – that Audrey didn't yet know about her relationship with Rita, that she didn't want her here, and that somehow her presence alone was threatening enough to make Connie feel faint.

"Don't panic."

He leant closer to her so that he could speak quietly, close enough so that she could smell him – of coffee on his breath, of his aftershave, and the clean smell of his clothes.

"I'm not panicking!"

She protested, but the thin ice was under her feet again, the uncertainties, the worry...she arced an eyebrow at him.

"I'm trying not to."

She sighed as she spoke and again he reached for her without thinking and took hold of her hands in such a way that she ought to have felt awkward, self conscious even. Instead she felt as if she had known him her whole life, and he was about to impart yet another invaluable piece of wisdom which would inevitably save the situation.

"I'll back you both up. Go on...I'll make coffee."

He let go of her hands as quickly as he had taken them and she felt for a moment unsure of what to do with them. She let them fall slowly back to where they rested against her thighs, and she glanced toward the sitting room. She could hear the voices, the scrape of chairs as Rita's parents rose to greet this unexpected guest, and she could hear Grace speaking, laughing, and the soft sound that her socks made against the wooden flooring.

Silently she made her way back into the sitting room. Rita's parents were returning to their seats, and the room seemed to hush as several pairs of eyes turned to Connie.

Rita stood by the door, so close that Connie's shoulder brushed her as she halted.

"Audrey's here!"

Rita announced pointlessly, her voice strained and as Connie glanced at her she caught the vaguely wild look within her dark eyes, the inward panic, and the twitch of her lips.

"Am I interrupting?"

Audrey asked, taking the seat which Connie had vacated, sitting down, not caring in the slightest whether or not she was interrupting.

There was a chink of china behind her and Alistair cleared his throat.

"S'cuse me!"

He was overly chirpy, and when Connie moved out of the way so that he could enter the room – tray of coffee cups arranged on it's surface – all eyes turned to him.

"Coffee, Mrs...?"

"Strachan."

Audrey answered quickly. Alistair lowered the tray to her and she selected a coffee after only a moments pause. She looked up at him as he rose again, a frown between her eyes.

"So."

She took a sip, curling her lip in distaste as she swallowed.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?"

She asked, looking to Connie as she rested the cup on the thin fabric of her trousers.

Connie caught the look of challenge behind the other woman's eyes. She cleared her throat, she daren't look at Rita, she couldn't bare to look at her... She swallowed.

"Uh, this is, this is..."

She gestured blindly to Rita, never quite making eye contact.

"This is Rita...Freeman-"

She turned her attention hurriedly back to the room before her.

"Her brother, Alistair and her parents...Phil and-"

Her mind went suddenly blank. For the life of her she could not remember Rita's mothers name. Nothing would come to mind – no thought, name or otherwise, she was simply left, hovering mid-sentence, feeling the overwhelming sense of dread swallowing her whole.

"Alice."

Rita's voice was a whisper beside her.

"Alice."

Connie repeated, though no louder.

Audrey looked between the two of them, from the wide eyed alarm of Rita, to faint glimmer of sweat across Connie's forehead.

"And why are we all gathered here today, hmm? I feel as though I am missing out!"

Audrey took another sip of her coffee as she spoke, and looked immediately as though she wished she hadn't. She set the cup down on the side table next to her and pushed it as far away as possible without it tipping over the edge.

"Rita's parents are visiting for the first time. We haven't met before."

She paused and touched her fingertips to her lips, glancing finally to Rita, there eyes meeting for the briefest of moments.

"Rita is...Rita is my...Rita..."

She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. Her what? Her girlfriend? It sounded ridiculous even to think it...she sounded ridiculous she realised. She felt her cheeks flush. She had seen just now what she had only sensed before, that the whole world was ready to be their enemy, and suddenly what she and Rita had together seemed no longer love or anything happy but a monster between them, with each of them caught in it's fists. She swallowed again, her fingers trembling against her mouth, her lips paper-dry.

She let her eyes fall closed for the briefest of moments, and blindly, she let her hand fall, and she reached out for Rita's, finding it almost instantly. She took hold of it as she opened her eyes. Whatever happened, she decided, whatever happened now they would meet it without running.

She exhaled and felt Rita squeeze her hand. At any rate, she thought, she was happier than she ever had been before... why worry about defining everything? Why worry what Audrey would think?

She licked her lips, and turned again to Audrey.

"Rita is my partner."

She said, her voice as clear as a bell, ringing out proudly for everyone to hear.

-.-

Apologies for not updating yesterday. I'm struggling through a week of asthma attacks at the moment. I'll do my best to catch up. Hopefully this update will be enjoyed! Please feel free to review, they always make me smile :) xxx