"What's the special occasion?" Rosie asked as they pulled up outside the restaurant, shooting her mother a look that was wary and distrustful. She felt rather like a dog who was about to be put down and was therefore being given one last special treat before heading to the vet...

"Who says there's a special occasion?" Emily replied. (The occasion, of course, was her anniversary with Alex, but she couldn't say that just yet.) "Can't I just want to take my daughter out to her favourite restaurant?"

Rosie's expression was still skeptical, but she didn't comment further. At least, until the hostess lead them towards a table at the back of the restaurant where a familiar figure sat...and the moment Rosie recognized said figure, she came to a sudden stop.

"Something wrong?" Emily asked, noticing the way she froze in place.

Rosie shook her head slowly, though she couldn't seem to form words as she was too busy seeing her life flash before her eyes. This was it...they'd found out about her crush and were sitting her down to talk about how inappropriate it was and...

With a gentle hand on her daughter's shoulder, Emily guided her towards the table, in spite of the fact that the teenager looked rather like she was headed to the gallows.

Alex smiled brightly when she caught sight of them and she had to remind herself that she couldn't kiss Emily in front of the girl...yet. "Hello, Rosie," she greeted when they took the seats opposite her. "Hope you're studying for Monday's test..." she added playfully.

Rosie groaned. "Ms. Miller..." she whined. "It's Saturday. No school talk allowed."

Alex laughed softly, then shot her a teasing wink, making the girl blush bright red.

Once they'd ordered their food, a silence laden with nervous anticipation (from all three of the women) settled over the table. It was Emily who ultimately broke it – though, not before she caught Alex's gaze and they shared a silent conversation in which they both confirmed that this was something they still wanted to do. "Ro, there's something we want to talk to you about..."

Instantly, Rosie's hackles were raised, ready to defend herself and/or lie through her teeth, depending on what Emily said next. What she said, though, was nothing Rosie could ever have expected...

Emily's gaze was fixed on Alex, the softest smile playing about her lips. She'd thought she would be nervous when the time to confess arrived, but she found that she wasn't. At all. In fact, she was almost giddy. "Alex and I are dating." And, now that the truth was out there, she reached across the table to rest a hand on top of Alex's, squeezing it gently.

"What?" Rosie said, completely deadpan. She watched in abject horror as the two women joined hands, staring at each other with so much love that Rosie wanted to vomit.

"It's coming up on three years now," Emily added. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner, but I didn't want to upset you or..."

Rosie interrupted by slamming her palms down on the table. "No!" she very nearly shouted, attracting stares from other diners.

Her reaction seemed to startle both Emily and Alex and they shared a brief look of surprise and confusion before Emily attempted to explain, "I'm sure it comes as a shock and it will take a little getting used to, but..."

She laughed bitterly, interrupting Emily once again. "No fucking kidding!" she snapped. "How could you do this to me!?"

Alex's brows knit in confusion. "Rosie, I know it's a little weird because I'm your teacher, but I assure you that I don't treat you any differently than I do my other students. If anything, I'm harder on you because I know exactly how much potential you have."

Deliberately ignoring her, Rosie continued glowering at her mother. "I can't believe you lied to me all this time!" she hissed. "You're such a fucking hypocrite!" And, sensing that she was about to fall apart, she stood suddenly and sprinted through the restaurant to the bathroom.

For several moments after she fled, Alex and Emily sat in silence as they digested the rather negative reception to their news. "I'll go check on her," Emily said with a sigh.

"Let me," Alex suggested, having a feeling that the teenager might be more receptive to someone who wasn't her mother just then... She followed Rosie to the bathroom where she'd locked herself in one of the stalls, sobbing. "Rosie?" Alex called out. "Can we talk?"

"No..." she said on a sniffle.

She wasn't about to be dissuaded, though. She leaned against the door of the stall and said gently, "I'm sure it's difficult to get used to the idea of your mother and I dating – especially after so long – but I want you to know that your mother has spent a lot of time worrying about how this will affect you. She didn't want to tell you until she was certain that her and I were serious enough to warrant telling you."

Wiping tears from her cheeks even as more fell, Rosie managed to choke out, "That's not why I'm upset..."

"Do you want to tell me what's causing your distress?"

"No," she insisted a second time, more emphatically.

Alex sighed sadly. "I respect your boundaries," she said gently, "But I want you to know that I'm here for you, okay? If you ever want to talk about this – or anything else, for that matter – I'm a safe place. I won't even tell your mother."

As much as Rosie appreciated the sentiment, all she wanted in that moment was to fall apart in peace. "Please, just go," she begged, hating the way her voice broke as she pleaded, but needing Alex to go away.

"Alright," Alex said, holding her hands up in surrender. "I'm leaving. I just want you to know that your mom and I both love you, okay?"

"Leave!" she shouted, choking on a sob and falling apart completely.