My Fair Ladies

Talk To Me

Siobhan and Viv woke early to drive Jamie to nursery together. Siobhan had been bonding really well with Jamie and enjoyed spending time with the inquisitive young boy. Like his mum, Siobhan also loved his thirst for knowledge. Siobhan woke tangled in Viv's arms. "Morning angel." She kissed Viv on the cheek before cuddling in close. The two women laid there for a few minutes in each other's embrace before getting up and starting their day. Viv went to wake Jamie starting his morning routine as Siobhan went downstairs and began making coffee and pancakes for the three of them.

Viv drove Siobhan and Jamie to the nursery. Viv pulled into her usual space right near the gate. Leaning over the centre console she pulled Siobhan into a kiss. As they separated Siobhan spoke, "I'll collect Jamie tonight and come straight home." "I'll be home as soon as I can." Siobhan got out of the car. "Come on little man, let get you inside." As she opened the door to unbuckle Jamie from his seat and lift him from the car, Viv looked in her rear-view mirror admiring the view she didn't believe she would see all those weeks ago. "Thank you for taking him in Bon Bon, I love you." Siobhan looked in the same mirror. "I love you." Siobhan smiled to her although she was still struggling with some things. Siobhan lifted Jamie out of the car, taking his hand in her own as they walked into the building. Siobhan was unaware someone had been watching them.

Mia and Clodagh pulled into the car park. Clodagh looked around to Quinn in the back seat. "Aww babe she's fallen asleep." Clodagh turned back and looked at Mia but her attention was focused elsewhere. "Babe, you okay?" Mia's focus snapped back as Clodagh placed her hand on her thigh. "Yeah, I'm okay Clo." Clodagh got out of the car without uttering another word heading to collect Quinn from her seat. Mia watched her perplexed as she strolled off into the building. She sat for a few moments before following. Mia walked into the building and headed towards the meeting room, just as Siobhan arrived to start her day. "Nice to see you playing happy families." Siobhan looked up at the redhead. "Mia." "Shibs." Mia watched the blonde as she walked into the room. "A little birdie told me you were still going to be working here." Siobhan looked at the redhead perplexed. "Yes, Autumn and Reece decided to let me keep working here and allowed me to keep my place on the board." Siobhan took at seat at the desk in the meeting room. She busied herself taking out her laptop and turning it on. "I saw you in the car park playing happy families with Vivian and Jamie." Siobhan smiled to herself as her thoughts turned briefly to the little family she had found. "It would seem so." Mia stood with her hands on her hips. "You know, you don't have to mask around me." Mia had now caught Siobhan's full attention. "Excuse me?" Mia smiled empathetically. "You know, all the smiles." Siobhan's mind began to race with questions. What does she know? What am I not hiding enough? Who else can see? "Why wouldn't I be smiling? Im happy." Mia let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Oh, sure you're happy. To the rest of the world, but you just got out of a relationship with what I can only describe as a monster. Nobody walks away from that unscathed." Siobhan looked at Mia with a look of shock as Mia carried on. "Come on your cheeks must be hurting from plastering on that smile all day." Siobhan swallowed hard before she could speak. "What makes you think it's plastered on?" Mia looked at the blonde with shock. "I think you're forgetting that once upon a time I too was the recipient of Roger's..." Mia gulped before she carried on talking. "Affections." Siobhan gave Mia a look of sympathy. "So, I, in some part, know how it feels to walk away from him." "You seem to be fairing up just well what makes you assume I'm not doing the same?" Mia let out another sarcastic chuckle "let's examine that shall we? I'm in love with the most incredible woman I've ever met in my entire life, yet before Roger died, I could only stay with her a week at a time before I had to leave the country. Because if I stayed here too long, my skin would start to crawl, because of how close I was to him. Does that sound like I was doing ok to you?" Siobhan's eyes went wide with shock as she sat looking at Mia. Mia stood with her hands on her hips "I know shock right, I have feelings. Stupid feelings were costing me a absolute fortune in flights." Siobhan was still shocked. "But you always seem so confident." Mia lowered her head before she spoke feeling vulnerable. "It's all an act Shibs. The only person I am and was myself around is Clodagh and Char before she left me for Reece. However, I saw you plastering on the same smile in front of Vivian." Siobhan sighed as she lowered her head knowing Mia was right. "Shibs you can't bury these feelings. They'll eat you from the inside out. You have to get them out. Talk to somebody." Siobhan became a little defensive in her tone as she responded to Mia. "That's rich coming from someone who's just admitted her coping mechanism was to flee the country." Mia narrowed her eyes." "And did you never notice that I was coming back longer each time?" Siobhan's eyes went wide. Mia's comment intrigued her. "It was because I was talking to Char. And then I talked to Clo when we started dating and I still talk to her now even though that monster is gone. The more I opened up to them the less weight I felt." Siobhan stood thinking briefly before she spoke. "You were Roger's puppet for a long, long time, I was only with him for a year." Mia snapped back at Siobhan. "There is no minimum time threshold that you have to meet in order for it to be considered traumatic, okay? Once is enough and I'm guessing it was a lot more than one time with you." Both women looked at each other a silent understanding between them. After a few moments Mia broke the silence "Talk to Viv, she loves you and she left a man for a very similar situation. Who better to understand than her?" Siobhan's looked at the floor trying not to show her vulnerability to Mia. "Hm." As much as the blonde was trying to hide it Mia could see it. "Or me." Siobhan looked up at her perplexed. "Roger's a different kind of monster, so I know the effect he can have. Just look at Reece and Autumn, he left a trail of destruction wherever he went." Siobhan now had more of an understanding of the redhead. "Thank you, I'll take your offer into consideration." "Shibs I honestly mean it I'm only ever a phone call away if you ever need to talk." The redhead turned to leave and meet Clodagh for the walk around the nursery for Quinn's induction. "Mia?" Siobhan called after her "Thank you." Mia turned back to face the blonde. "No problem, but please do try and talk to Viv, it will help."

As Siobhan watched the redhead disappear from her view, her thoughts began to race with everything that had just happened.

Mia is right I do need to talk to someone.