4 sets of eyes looked up at the building from inside the car. It was raining outside, the sky was darkening with storm clouds, and the house looked more than a little menacing.

"And we are sure that no one has been murdered here?" Asked William.

Caroline tutted and undid her seatbelt. "Beverley and Paul are here. Be polite, and be respectful because this is someone else's home. Okay?"

As both boys nodded and climbed from the car, Caroline was surprised by a quick kiss on her cheek from her girlfriend. "What?"

"I love you." Kate said simply as she too climbed from the car.

Caroline still felt those words physically and had to stay in the car to catch her breath.

"Is mum coming?" Beverley asked the boys as the agent opened the front door.

"Probably waiting for an open door so her hair doesn't get wet." Lawrence shrugged. "Hey, they have a dog! Kate! Look!"

"He always draws my attention to something he wants, because he thinks I will convince Caroline we need it. It's never worked, but I give him points for trying." Kate told Beverley as Caroline's feet finally crunched up to the steps.

Soon they were given time to walk around the property themselves. Caroline went straight for the kitchen, Lawrence outside, and William and Kate wandered from room to room.

"Mum's already sold on this place."

"It's not even on the market yet. He might decide not to sell." Kate offered as she entered the room beside the master bedroom. It had so much natural light, and it would be perfect for a music room.

"…I'm not sure I should have much say about a new home. I won't be in it for long."

"Don't let your mum hear you say that. She wants you living with us until you're our age. I do, too, in fact. So you get as much say as the rest of us. And-" Kate went quiet when she walked into the room on the other side of the bedroom. It was large, bright. The perfect room for a nursery. She turned to look around the rest of the room.

Having been alerted to something going on by her eldest calling out to her, Caroline rushed up the stairs to find a nervous William at the top. "Kate's crying."

"Why? What happened?"

Caroline didn't wait for a reply as she rushed into the room Kate was In. She knew instantly why there were tears. The room had clouds painted on the walls, and hot air balloons. There was a baby's name outlined on the wall, half painted and then abandoned.

"Mum?"

Caroline just held her girlfriend tightly,not hearing when Beverley led William away to look around elsewhere, somewhere quiet where she could explain to him what had upset Kate.


Sometimes, Caroline felt low for no reason she could ever grasp onto. Sometimes she thought of all the changes in her life and panic made it feel like she was drowning. She was trying so hard to be who everyone needed, she was trying so hard to be brave, but she couldn't be. She couldn't even breathe.

But now she had something else in her life. Something she could grip onto.

She hoped that was something she could offer in return.

"Kate."

The staff room was full of people the next morning. It had got around, care of the governors, that Kate and Caroline were an item, but Kate refused steadfastly to discuss it, having been burned by Michael Dobson, and they were never seen together anywhere. To have the headmistress come into the staffroom with Kate's name on her lips had the gossips buzzing.

Kate glanced up from the coffee she had been gazing into, a smile on her lips when she saw the container in Caroline's hand. Caroline had made the cake Ginika had given her the recipe for. "When did you make cake?"

Caroline sat down and put the container in front of Kate. "Last night after you went to sleep. I know you wanted your mum. It was the best I could do." Aware of eyes on them, and aware those eyes were accompanied by wagging tongues, Caroline still reached out to tuck some hair behind Kate's ear and give her cheek a quick, tender stroke. "You left early."

"I went back to the house. To look at the rest of it."

"Kate-"

"I know you think it's a bad idea now, but it's the perfect house. I'd..that room would need to be painted, and we would have to use another room as a nursery if..but it's the perfect house for us. The kitchen is beautiful, there's an office for you, a games room for Lawrence, and library, a music room. It is too good to pass up."

Echoing Kate from days before, Caroline said "let's sleep on it. For a few nights. We can go back on the weekend and take another look together." Caroline kept her hands tightly in her lap to stop herself reaching out again. "The immediate panic now is that Roxy is coming over tonight, and all I have to serve her is your mum's cake and some Brussel sprouts."

Kate wrinkled her nose. "Make a list and I'll go to the supermarket on my way home. I'll be done earlier than you."

"Home." Caroline repeated with a smile. "I used to think home was a house, but home is you. Home is the boys."

"Don't say that sort of thing in a room full of our colleagues when I can't kiss you." Kate replied forlornly.

Smiling, Caroline stood up, straightened her jacket and put on her Doctor cap. "And don't eat that cake before you've had your proper lunch or I'll be very cross with you."

It was said sternly, and had the gossips raising their eyebrows, momentarily distracted enough not to notice the wink the head mistress tossed her girlfriend.


"Hi." Lawrence hovered by the kitchen doorway as Kate entered the house that evening and hung up her jacket.

"Hi." Kate smiled, unsure why she was being greeted.

"Can I make you a cup of tea?"

"Ah..sure. Yes. Thank you." Kate tried to keep the surprise from her face and voice.

Lawrence turned and went back into the kitchen to turn the obviously recently boiled kettle on to boil again.

"…good day at school?" Kate ventured as she put the shopping bags on the bench.

Lawrence nodded.

"…any problems with any of your teachers? Because I have access to their lunches, I could always slip something into them."

Lawrence smiled at this. "What, poison?"

"I was thinking slugs. Or a frog. Especially if it's that history teacher who always clears his throat before he speaks."

Lawrence actually laughed a little at this, and Kate was quite pleased with herself.

"Your mum said she will be home about 5, and Roxy is coming for her dinner, so-"

"Mum told me about the..about your..about why you cried yesterday at the house."

"Oh." Kate stilled, then fiddled with her coaster. "…I'm sorry you had to see that. I wasn't prepared, so I wasn't…I didn't expect to see that."

"…I went to the library at lunch and got some books. About how to prepare yourself for getting pregnant." Lawrence's cheeks went bright pink. "It says what to eat, and what vitamins to take."

Kate had probably read those exact books, and probably thousands more, but she was so touched that Lawrence found himself enveloped in a tight hug. "I'm not..I don't know, still, why it happened, Lawrence. And it might happen again if your mum and I.."

"But we can give it the best chance, can't we?"

"We can." Kate nodded, kissing his cheek before she wiped away a few of her tears with her sleeve.

"…can I go and play video games for a bit?"

Kate laughed softly and nodded, watching him go before she looked at the books placed next to her still empty mug. She was torn between a feeling of acceptance and happiness, and the dread of one more person who she might let down.


"Hi." Caroline kissed Kate's cheek. "Did you get everything on the list?"

"Yep."

"Ok. I'm going to go and change and then I'll get started. Is William home yet?"

"Not yet."

Caroline nodded and went to leave Kate to her marking, but stilled when she saw the other books on the table.

When kate heard her pick one up, she offered "Lawrence. Apparently your talk with him yesterday inspired him to venture into the school library."

"..I'm sorry. You've probably read these back to front already. I'll-"

"No. It's fine, Caroline. It's nice he thought of it. I'll read them again."

"But its…well, it's more pressure on you, isn't it. And you don't need that." Caroline worried the edge of the book on top. "I shouldn't have talked to him."

"You should. It's fine, Caroline. I'm ok. We agreed to take this step by step, moment by moment, and at the moment I am ok. I'm..nervously excited. But I'm ok."

Caroline didn't look convinced but nodded anyway, returning to kiss her girlfriend hello now she had broken her concentration for a moment. "Was the cake ok?"

"Perfect. Just like mums."

"Good." Caroline kissed Kate again. She made it half way out the room before she returned for another one. "I love you."

Kate smiled, stroking Caroline's wrist in a way that made her shift from leg to leg. "…are you shitting yourself about tonight?"

"You're supposed to be a language teacher, Katherine. But yes, i am."

"It will be fine. It was be lovely. She's really nice."

"Mm. Well. You'd know, having already met her."

Kate bit back a smile, but was saved from having to say anything else by William rushing in nervously.

Dinner was not going well.

Caroline couldn't seem to shake Dr Elliot and only had questions about school.

Lawrence was attempting to embarrass his brother as much as possible.

Even Kate, who was usually one to be relied upon, was being very quiet.

The only saving grace was that his dad hadn't turned up.

It was finally Roxy who saved William from either screaming or bursting into tears. "…is now the wrong time to tell you that you've got £3.50 in overdue library fines, Kate?"

Lawrence burst out laughing and even Caroline choked briefly on her wine.

"I don't! Do I? What for?!" Kate looked aghast.

"Kate. If I knew you were in debt I never would have let you near the family silver." Caroline managed to squeak out, setting Lawrence off again.

"Has it been there a long time? Oh god, I'm mortified."

"If you need to borrow some money, Kate.." Lawrence offered. This caused Caroline to laugh, and soon mother and son were leaning into one another laughing so hard that even Kate had to smile.

"Stop laughing at me!" Kate protested. "I'm sorry, Roxy. I'll pay it next time I'm in, I promise."

Roxy waved it away, glad to have broken the tension in the room.

"Before kate sets off to sell the teaspoons, shall we have dessert?" Caroline asked, dabbing under her eyes to fix her make up as she stood up. "It's Kate's mum's recipe, and it's everyone's favourite."

"How long have you two been together?" Roxy asked.

"Too long." Kate replied a little sulkily.

Caroline dropped a brief kiss to Kate's hair as she passed her, and it warmed William's heart to see not only an open display of affection, but also no fears appearing in his mothers face at Kate's words.

"It depends where you think it started. 6 months officially, I suppose. 2 years since we started.." Caroline paused to think about an appropriate word.

"Gayyyyzing at each other." Offered Lawrence helpfully.

"Very funny. You can help me with the dishes now."

Lawrence groaned but got up to help her.

"It's been lovely to meet you. You're welcome any time." Caroline hugged Roxy briefly at the door.

"I promise we are not always so quiet and boring. We even sometimes play a very loud and competitive game of scrabble of an evening." Kate offered.

Roxy laughed. "I'll be sure to come over for that next time it happens. Dinner was lovely. Oh, that's my dad!"

Caroline slipped out with william and Roxy to meet Roxy's father, but Kate stilled in the doorway, feeling it wasn't her place.

"This is my mum, Caroline. And in the doorway is my..my step mum Ka-"

"Kate McKenzie." The man in the car offered.

Frowning at her name being mentioned, Kate stepped from the doorway and pulled her cardigan more tightly around herself.

"..Richard?!"