Written by C

Joanna

Intro

Starters

Bonnie

Intro

Starters

Zoe

Intro

Starters

Rose

Intro

“it’s still not your problem though.” alex smiled, getting up from the desk. a small chuckle slipped from her at zoe’s teasing. while she was thankful she had her around, and wouldn’t change it for the world, she also didn’t want the other exhausting herself. “it’s not your lack of work ethic that’s gonna get you fired, you know. it’s you thinking you’re being clever that’s gonna get you in the end.” she teased back, making her way back over to the door. “i’ve been to bonnie’s. so, you gonna come eat or what?”

“It shouldn’t be your problem alone,” Zoe said with a small shrug before moving to sign out of the computer. She enjoyed her work, far more than anything she’d done whilst studying but she really could use a break. “Oh I’ll never say no to Bonnie’s.”

“so was you guys. i should’ve dealt with the consequences of my own actions. that wasn’t on you. when you said you’d fix it – i didn’t think you were gonna take the fall for it.” cody swallowed, looking up at his sister. if there was one thing he had been struggling with for the past ten years, it was this. everything he felt he had taken away from her. “i’m just – i’m sorry you had to do that. i love you, and i’m really happy you’re here.” 

“I know, I also knew that if I said what I was gonna do you’d never let me. I made my choice Cody don’t go taking that away from me.” Rose said gently but firmly before smiling brightly as he admitted to being happy she was here. “Good. Remember that when I use all your money for clothes and books.”

“since when do i behave?” lee laughed, leaning back into the park bench. she knew the last thing joanna wanted was to not be around her child right now, but she could also see how tired she was. letting out a sigh, lee looked over at her. “i’m just saying. we’re around. that’s all.” she smiled, pressing a kiss to her best friend’s head. “you guys ready for the christmas market yet? bonnie’s been running herself into the ground again over it.” 

alfie laughed, nodding in agreement. “she’s got training to put up with the likes of us! only a teacher could,” she joked. alfie was incredibly lucky to have lee and jo. there’d been a point in life, when family, mishpacha, had seemed sparse. she’d left everyone, everyone behind in new york. even though she’d been “not on speaking terms” with her family ( which was vernacular for estranged ) after her pregnancy was revealed, and it hadn’t been her decision. and she’d thought she may never know the feeling of a full and happy family again. but jo and lee, finding them, that had dashed any doubt in her mind. the red head smiled softly. “okay, let’s lock something in,” she agreed. “sooner rather than later!” she added.

“Teaching and decades of being stuck with us.” Jo chuckled feeling more relieved than anything that she had been able to make Alfie laugh. Things had been so much harder for her friend with this pregnancy that at times she’d felt a little guilty for how wonderful Thomas had been. “Well I have nothing on my social calendar right now do I?”

as alex picked up the glass in front of her, she couldn’t help the small smile on her face at her best friend’s teasing. no matter how bad things had been – just being around bonnie would usually help. she let out a sigh. “so both, yeah.” grabbing the bottle from bonnie, she poured them a glass each, the contents of her own soon disappearing with one swift motion. “i know i can. doesn’t mean you want to know everything. or should know everything.” 

callie watched with respect as bonnie put people in their places and smiled as she spoke to her again. ‘small chocolate shake for jude and i’ll have a coke please.’ she adjusted the little boy in his seat and smiled down at him. ‘can you say please and thank you to bonnie now, jude?’ he mumbled a please and thank you and callie looked up with another smile. ‘and a portion of fries would be great too.’

Bonnie’s whole persona switched as soon as Callie began speaking and she even gave a smile as Jude mumbled his words before nodding. “Yeah of course I can, I’ll even throw the fries in for free because of the disruption.”

“i’ll keep that in mind.” nikko promised, a smile forming on his lips. “it’s a cool place. the kinda place i always thought diner’s should look like, but had yet to see over here.” he chuckled, glancing up at the wall as he laid eyes on the menu there. “cinnamon rolls, huh? they any good? i’m just asking ‘cause i’ve been burned before. seems like there are a lot of misconceptions about that particular baked good.” 

“Oh please do,” Bonnie said with a smile before turning to look at the menu he was looking at. She was proud of what she’d accomplished with the restaurant so to hear someone praise it always brought her joy. “Well my spouse says they’re nydelige but I’ll let you be the judge.”

“well, why didn’t you just say so? save us all the trouble.” lee smirked, feeling her wife’s hand on her waist. it was rare for them to show much affection in public, especially bonnie, and lee was about to enjoy every moment of it. it took everything not to touch her back as she let out a sigh. “c’mon. cough ‘em up. i’m starving.”

“Oh but then I wouldn’t have an excuse to do this,” Bonnie teased gently. She knew that her difficulties with public displays of affection were difficult for her spouse at times so she tried to be better at showing it. “Come on then, but don’t eat them all at once.”

“i’ve been to masen’s too many times this past week, it’s getting embarrassing. but my son has more plans than i do, and i don’t know what to do with myself anymore. i didn’t think he’d be acting like a teenager at five.” nikko let out a small chuckle, looking up at his friend. “ah man, benji would love that. let me know when you’re off work and we’ll figure something out?” 

“Ah the busy social life of little children,” Zoe said with a bright laugh. Rajan was usually the exact same as shy as his mother was he didn’t seem to have the same uncertainty. “Yeah of course, I’d love that.”

“no. ‘course i’d to do that. s’not like i’m gonna drag you all the way out here and leave you to fend for yourself. that’s not what we do, you know that.” cody smiled, tilting his head as he crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at his feet as he swallowed. “i hurt him though. that wasn’t on you.” his jaw clenched for a moment. cody knew exactly what he had done, and the fact that his sister had paid for his bad decisions had been more than he could handle at times. “look, you know i’ll be forever grateful for what you did. i just – it’s gonna take me a while to forgive myself for letting you do that. you’ve lost out on so much – all because of me. and that – that’s gonna take some time to come to terms with. so yeah, i’m gonna do whatever i can to set you up for success, because i owe you that much. i took everything else away from you – so i owe you anything and everything i can give you.”

“You didn’t drag me anywhere Cody I wanted to come to see you.” Rose said gently, she couldn’t imagine staying anywhere that didn’t involve at least one of her siblings. She felt the familiar tug of her heartstrings when Cody spoke about the man meant to be their caregiver and shook her head trying to resist the temptation to hug him once more. “You and the others were all I had Cody, I wasn’t going to let anything put you away.”