That evening, Kate found herself tucked under the covers of a luxuriously big bed in the guest room of the Elliot house. She napped on and off, and didn't even have to get up to have a drink or eat, finding everything she could possibly need on the bedside table. Caroline would appear every so often in casual clothes to check on her, and the last time she came it was in a pair of silk pyjamas. Kate found them strangely comforting.

Assuming Kate was asleep, Caroline made sure the blinds were shut and flicked off the bedside light. Then, she leaned down and dropped the gentlest kiss on Kate's forehead. "Sleep well."

"Caroline?" Kate said gently as the blonde reached the door. "Thank you."

"What for?" Caroline asked.

"Being you." Kate said simply.

For once in her life, Caroline felt that just being herself was enough.


It seemed to go like this for the next few months. Caroline alternated between being happy and being very sad. Being an attentive friend and being so formal it was like they didn't know one another. Almost once a fortnight, she would show up with the boys and a lot of anger towards John for some idiotic thing he had done. The boys changed from calling her Miss McKenzie to Kate. They started seeking her out at other times, too. At school, they would ask her for help with their work, and every so often they would text her to come and pick them up, usually when John had forgotten.

Everyone seemed to take it for granted that she would be there, be dependable. And she was.


"Caroline. I know you said you didn't want to be disturbed.." Beverley began.

Caroline smiled and without looking up, pressed the intercom button. "Send Kate in."

A moment later, the door opened and Kate walked in with a ready smile. "How did you know it was me?"

"I told Beverley I would behead her if she let anyone in. So for her to even ask, it had to be the boys, my mother, or you. Lawrence wouldn't be seen dead near my office, Will has a free period so I said he could go home, and my mother would have trampled over Beverley and come straight in."

"What Illustrious company I have. How is Will?"

"Still has a bit of an upset tummy, but better than he was."

"I don't understand how I got sick, the boys got sick, and you haven't even had so much as a headache."

"I've got the constitution of an ox."

Kate snorted.

"What?" Caroline lifted her head.

"Sometimes you sound like you're 86 and not 46, Caroline Elliot."

"Did you come here just to insult me, or did you want something, Katherine McKenzie?"

Kate smiled back at her boss, forgetting momentarily why she had come at all. "Oh! I wanted to ask you about Friday. I found, and please think about this before dismissing it out of hand- Caroline; goat yoga! It's yoga with goats who-"

"Fish and chips on the beach?"

"You're an old lady." Kate smiled as she stood at the sound of the bell. "Fish and chips on the beach it is."

Caroline smiled and gazed after Kate for a long time after she left the office.

"Missing those goats?" Caroline asked that Friday as they sat against a wall on a deserted beach and watched a beautiful sun setting, a wrap of fish and chips between them.

"Are you kidding me?"

Caroline laughed and reached for another chip. "Oh, funny girl."


"Caroline, I'm freaking out and I need you!"

"Frea- what's happened?" Caroline stood up from her home desk, already trying to remember where she'd kicked off her shoes. "Where are you? I'm coming."

"Tescos." Kate replied miserably.

"Tescos? What…" Caroline stilled.

"I forgot I agreed, and now I don't know what to do!"

"Agreed to what? Kate, it's 10am on a Saturday, I've no idea what you're-" Caroline began, then stopped herself. What would Kate say if the situation was reversed? "..is it the Tescos near school? Go to the cafe around the corner and get yourself a coffee. I'll be there in 20." She offered, then as a panicked afterthought, added "do you need your epipen?!"

"No." Kate smiled, feeling a little calmer now Caroline was on the job.

"Good. God. We need a code to start off a call with, otherwise any time you panic call me, I'll think you've been kissing people after eating confiscated chocolate bars in small rooms and need your epipen." Kate let out a laugh that lit Caroline's face. "I'll be there soon."

"So, because my home is sort of in the middle of where everyone lives, I said I would host the birthday. And then promptly forgot about it."

"Sorry..how many people are coming? How many friends?"

"6."

"Blimey. 6? 6 whole people who are your friends."

"Am I not worthy of 6 friends?"

"Oh, I'd say you're worth at least 7 to 8 friends." Caroline smiled over her coffee. "Can you remember what the birthday girl likes, or places you usually go together as a group? Then we can write a menu before we go back to the supermarket."

"Supposing I can cook it." Kate said glumly. She had apparently agreed to hosting this dinner for uni friends weeks ago, but had no recollection of the conversation. If they'd called on a Friday, there was a good chance that was Caroline's fault. She didn't like when people interrupted their Friday.

"I can help."

"..you will come to the party, won't you? Please, Caroline. I need you there or I'll be in a panic all night." Kate reached forward and grabbed the blonde's hand.

And that is how Caroline found herself at a party with people she didn't know. No, that's not right. Dr Elliot found herself at a dinner party, sitting straight backed in a chair as everyone else chatted and laughed. Her desire to be there for Kate had overridden her hatred of any kind of gathering.

Kate was used to this side of Caroline now and continued to treat her exactly the same way, but Caroline knew her friends were wondering why kind, lovely, funny Kate would be friends with someone like her. She would make her excuses. She would slip out. She could-

"Do you have the recipe for this, Caroline? It's delicious. I'm not even finished yet and I already want to have the whole bowlful again." Kate's friend Claire smiled at her.

"Oh..Ah..I think I have it at home. It's an old family recipe. I can text it to Kate and she can send it to you?"

"Where's your phone? I'll put my number in." Claire grabbed Caroline's phone. "I've got a delicious bread recipe that will go perfectly with this, I'll text it to you."

"I'm a mess when it comes to bread, I'm afraid. Yeast takes one look at me and dies."

"Excuse me? Why does your home always smell like fresh bread then?!" Kate asked, pausing as she refilled wine glasses.

"…I put supermarket bread in the oven when I know someone is coming over." Caroline mumbled.

This caused an uproar of laughter at the table, and Caroline felt herself relaxing.

"What do you mean where are you sleeping? At home! I didn't agree to sleepovers! The only person who is staying is my Caroline, because of her superior kitchen cleaning skills." Kate whirled around now to find Caroline, who was currently sat on the arm of the couch and frowning down at her phone, texting William who had had an argument with his dad. "Caroline? You will stay?"

"She lives 5 minutes down the road. It's an hour or more for the rest of us." Another friend protested.

"But!" Kate stopped in front of Caroline, putting a hand on either cheek. "Caroline with a cloth in her hand is magic."

"You're only my friend for my cleaning skills."

"Not true. You also make a mean paella." Said claire.

"Excuse me! What are you doing? She's my friend, not yours." Caroline found her face momentarily pulled toward and buried in Kate's cleavage.

"She can be my friend too, can't you Caroline."

Kate released her and gave a dramatic sigh before offering "I suppose she can. She's a very good friend."

"Am I?" Caroline wondered why she suddenly felt a little light headed when she had only had one glass of wine all night, wanting her wits about her as the others drank.

"The best." Kate nodded before going off to try and wrestle the bags off her friend Steph. "Oh, I was only joking. I've set up beds upstairs for you in the boys room."

"Boys room?" 6 women asked in unison.

Kate glanced at Caroline. "It…I.."

"My sons. Sometimes we stay over here when my husband's inner idiot flairs up."

"Ex-husband." Kate corrected.

"Estranged and eventually to be ex-husband." Caroline replied with a smile, standing. "I'd better get back, theres been an argument that i need to sort out.. It's been lovely to meet you all. Kate, I cleaned as I cooked so there's not much mess, but text me in the morning if you need me."

After the goodbyes, Kate met Caroline at the door and held open her coat for her. "Thank you."

"It's what friends are for." Caroline smiled at her friend.

She watched Caroline until she had climbed into her car, and then shut the door with a smile.

When she turned back to her other friends, they were all watching her in silence. "What?"

"…How long have you been in love with Caroline?"