In any event.

A/N- This is my first non Rizzles fan fic so it feels a bit strange but I just love this show and this couple. I cannot get enough of Caroline Elliot! Not sure how long this will be, I thought two parts but now I am thinking possibly more.

On days like these, not that there were many, it took a little while for Caroline to adjust, a day off, but even she was expected to take them occasionally. It had tended to be, a day off to help mum move out or to take William to University. A day off for herself was something strange to her. Caroline had been conscious of trying for the last 20 minutes of her walk,to relax a little, take in her surroundings, this wasn't a march between classrooms, it was supposed to be a gentle stroll.

That was when she saw her.

Just when she was easing up, letting go, just when she was vulnerable. She thought at first that it was her imagination, someone who had a similar look or a trick of the sunlight. It had happened before. Someone dashed in front of her eye line and then was gone as Caroline raised her hand to shield her eyes and looked again, her breath stopped.

Kate was pushing a small child in a swing, grinning with delight as the child swung back and forth, holding onto the rail of the seat and kicking her feet frantically. For a moment Kate saw only the child, the rest of the world shut out from their game and Caroline watched like a voyeur as a thousand feelings swelled within her.

It had been two years since they had last been together. Two years since Caroline had kissed goodbye to the best chance at complete happiness she thought she would ever encounter. Two long years and yet here she was and somehow it didn't seem such a surprise.

Kate's eyes suddenly darted to the frozen figure that watched her from beyond a low set of green railings, as if she had the feeling of being watched. Caroline saw a second of confusion before the wide and natural smile broke on Kate's face and a rush of relief flooded the headmistress.

They stood smiling without a word until the swing, loaded full of adorable little girl, thudded forgotten into Kate's mid section, and she bent double against the impact. Caroline chuckled as Kate shook her head at herself and straightened. Kate caught hold of the swinging seat as it came toward her this time and pulled it to a stop before reaching in and taking the little girl in her arms, unseating her and placing her on Kate's hip as she strode to the railing.

"Hello." Kate said as she reached Caroline.

"Hi." Caroline managed "She's beautiful."

She had no need to ask if the child was Kate's, she had her coloring and smile, they clearly belonged to one another.

Kate gazed at the child. "Yeah, she is. Her names Mya."

Caroline took the child's chubby little fist with three of her fingers and wriggled them playfully.

"You look so..." She had been about to say good, but realised it wasn't just that. "...Happy."

Kate's smile was smaller now, almost wistful, she sighed a little and repositioned the child at her hip. "I am." She said honestly.

Caroline nodded. "I'm glad."

So much to say and yet each sentence seemed to total so few words.

"You're not at school today?" Kate asked.

"No, I have a day off. I don't really know what to do with myself." Caroline admitted, sounding a little more lost than she had meant to.

"We could walk with you?" Kate suggested with a casual half shrug.

"Yeah...that would be...yeah...nice." Caroline replied.

As Kate carried the now squirming bundle over to a pushchair and lowered her in, Caroline wondered why she was now trembling all over, it was warm out, but she had to shake off the sudden urge to shiver and for a moment she held onto the cool metal of the railing, needing to grasp at something solid and real to ensure she wasn't in a dream.

Kate pushed Mya around to the gate of the small playground and out to the path that Caroline was on.

"You look...the same, but different." Kate said as she fell into step beside Caroline.

"I suppose I am, the same but different." Caroline smiled.

"There's been someone else." Kate stated, just the slightest hint of accusation.

Caroline's eye brows stretched into her hair. "Just a friend." She confirmed. "We see each other now and again for a bit of...fun. It's not l..."

"Love?" Kate jumped in.

Caroline took another blow of shock, she'd nearly forgotten how direct and outspoken Kate could be. "I was going to say...It's not like you and I."

Caroline turned red as soon as the words left her mouth, she looked at the pointed toes of her shoes.

"Caroline Elliot, do you have a fuck buddy?" Kate said in mock horror.

Caroline couldn't help the look she threw around them to make sure no one else was in hearing distance. Old habits.

"We call it friends with benefits." She corrected with a chuckle, holding her handbag in front of her with two hands. Once the moment of levity had passed she looked seriously at Kate.

"And you? Do you...are you...seeing somebody?"

Kate shook her head. "Single mum now." She shrugged. "Not the catch I once was, don't get out much and when I do I have usually got some baby puke in my hair or something."

Caroline grinned at the image as much as the new information.

"And is Greg the father? Does he have anything to do with...?"

"Oh, god no!" Kate frowned. "Seems you were kind of right about him, bit of a prick really. Turned out he was a bit obsessed with me, ever since Uni and he thought we could...well...it got a bit ugly in the end."

"I'm sorry." Caroline offered sincerely.

Kate was quiet for a moment, remembering how she'd felt when she had realised what a mistake it had been to involve her old friend in her baby plans, but she had been desperate, bloody minded, willing to sacrifice anything. She had wanted to go to Caroline then, one of a hundred times, but she didn't, not thinking she could handle that look of I told you so, on top of everything else.

"Well, She was worth it all." Kate said sweetly as she strained to look over the top of the pram to her little one's face.

"Hmmmmm, they are." Caroline agreed.

"How are the boys?" Kate asked curiously.

"Oh, well." Caroline began. "William is planning to take a year out and travel, which I actually think will be great for him. He has always taken everything so seriously, if he isn't careful he'll end up like me."

It was a familiar phrase, Caroline had used it before in reference to her son, but now, here, it seemed all too true. She really didn't want her kind of life for William. Didn't want him to have a similar fate.

Kate had remained quiet. "And Laurence?"

"Oh he's fine. He actually knuckled down at the last minute and did quite well in his exams so he has options, which he currently seems to be exploring...a different one every week." Caroline grumbled lightly.

They had walked slowly to the main entrance of the park and lingered there now. Caroline's stomach had tightened and she realised that this is where they would part.

"I have to get My home for her lunch." Kate explained.

"Oh sure. Don't let me hold you up." Caroline rushed.

Kate smiled sheepishly. "Only...I was wondering if you might want to pop in...for a coffee. I don't get too much adult conversation these days and it would be nice to catch up properly, if your not..."

"No..no...I mean yes." Caroline was so unaccustomed to being flustered. "Yes, thank you. I'd like a coffee."

Kate beamed. "Good." She remarked, leading the way out of the park and toward home.

Xxxxx

Caroline sipped at her coffee, it was going cold in the cup but she held it to her, reluctant to finish.

"We were supposed to go shopping today, but something came up and she had to have Emily Jane." Caroline explained of Gillian, the two had grown closer over the past two years, pushed together by their parents union and then by mutual loneliness.

"Oh, she and Mya could have had a play date." Kate crooned as she shot a glance at her daughter who was just about to fall onto her bottom, having careered into the leg of the coffee table.

Kate shot up off the chair to help the child up and check her over, before she waddled off again.

"Sorry." Kate said pulling a face. "I know I am a bit preoccupied, she's just at this stage where she thinks she can do anything but her body hasn't quite caught up to her yet."

Caroline finally drained her mug and stood up. "I should get out of you hair, I can see you're busy."

"Well." Kate stood now too, blocking Caroline's exit. "Perhaps we could do it again. Maybe one night after bed time when I could give you my full attention." She said breezily.

Caroline breathed in the nearness. She still smelled like Kate. Suddenly Caroline didn't know if she could do this and it showed on her face.

The friendly smile that Kate had fixed on her face, fell flat.

"I'm sorry Caroline." She said raggedly. "For the way it ended, for the things that I said..."

Caroline shook her head slowly. "It's in the past..."

But it felt like yesterday.

It had been the parting shot she would never forget. "It never really got started, just a few embarrassed fumbles."

She had deserved it. She had been stupid. She had put her own concerns before Kate time and time again. But how she must have hurt her to provoke this cruelty. Kate was not...she was never vindictive or malicious. Caroline had realised instantly that for her to say the things she did, Kate must have been heartbroken.

Caroline thought of the day that she had last spoken with Kate alone. It was three months after Kate's birthday, after their doomed weekend, after they had ended. Kate had avoided her in school. They had communicated on school matters through emails and handwritten messages left on Caroline's desk. Caroline had watched her sometimes, without meaning too, across the school field, in the staff room, whenever Kate had noticed she would instantly move away.

"I'm handing in my notice." Kate had said as she placed an envelope on Caroline's desk, she stood behind the chair rather than sit on it. "I have been offered another job."

Caroline removed her glasses. "Surely there is no need for that?" She'd asked. "Your an excellent teacher Kate, we would hate to loose you. I would hate to loose you because of ..."

"It's self preservation Caroline. I just don't want to be here anymore." She'd said simply, her arms wrapping around her middle. "I can't be here anymore."

"I see." Caroline had said. Just that. Not, don't go, please stay, I'll do anything, I love you.

Kate had turned and Caroline had watched her leave.

"I know." Kate said now, bringing Caroline back. "I know it's past, but I didn't ever say...how sorry..." A tear ran down Kate's cheek and Caroline moved to brush it away at the very same moment that Kate did, their hands meeting on Kate's cheek, Kate taking Caroline's fingers in her own and pressing them to her face.

"Me too." Caroline whispered through her own tears.

A thud across the room and the sound of Mya's cries interrupted the moment as Kate scrubbed at her face and scrambled to her daughters aid, holding the crying child closely to her as she knelt on the floor.

"I am going to go." Caroline stated. "But I do want to see you again." She stood tall. "What night do you want me to come round?"

"Errr...any...I am always here...Tomorrow?! Or is that too soon?" Kate rubbed soothing circles across Mya's back.

"Fine." Caroline confirmed. "I'll bring wine and some food, maybe we could cook together?" She suggested.

They had cooked together often, most of the life in Caroline's house had been conducted in the Kitchen. She had loved that Kitchen. She designed it herself, every inch, every implement, she had been the master of it. And for the brief time that Kate had lived with her they had spent most evenings in the kitchen, cooking, laughing. The memory of becoming so wrapped up in a kissing session with Kate that she had cremated a perfectly prepared coq au vin, surfaced without permission and Caroline flushed.

Kate nodded. "Great." Just as Mya, believing she was not getting the proper level of sympathy, began crying more loudly. "I'll see you then."

Caroline let herself out of the front door and back into what was turning out to be a lovely afternoon and felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, followed by the muffled ring tone. She spied Gillian on her caller ID and accepted the call.

"Gillian, Hi"

"Hiya, Calamity Jane has just gone off for her nap so I was wondering what you ended up doing with yourself. I felt bad having to cancel on ya."

"Oh, don't worry about it, we can do it some other time." Gillian said smoothly. "I went out for a walk and bumped into an old friend so it turned out..."

"Yeah, it's a nice day for it..." Gillian commented as she walked around the room picking up bits of toys and throwing them into a large whicker basket.

"It was Kate." Caroline said suddenly.

"What? Kate, Kate?...Your Kate?" Gillian asked surprised.

"Yes, Kate. We went for a Coffee. It was nice. She's invited me around tomorrow night." Caroline said trying to contain her excitement and quell the butterflies in her stomach.

"Bloody hell!" Gillian exclaimed. "Well...that's...that's good isn't it?" She checked.

"Yeah, I think it is." Caroline admitted. "Terrifying, but good."

Gillian shook her head and grinned into the phone, she had witnessed the devastation that Kate had caused when she left Caroline. Caroline had been strong in front of the boys, tight lipped in front of her mother, feeling some degree of resentment that her own attitudes had become so ingrained in Caroline that she was afraid to really be with Kate. Then one night she had been at the farm for a drink, it had been fairly early in their renewed friendship and they still had issues of their own to face and yet Caroline had poured it all out. Told Gillian everything, how she felt about Kate, how she had behaved, how Kate had treated her. It had been the beginning in their new relationship. Caroline had told Gillian things she had never even told Kate and believed she never would.

Xxxx

A/N- So, I want to get the next chapter out before Tuesdays episode...better crack on then. Thanks for reading xxx