First off I'd like to start this chapter off with a HUGE thank you to everyone that has been reading and commenting on my fic! You guys are amazing, we've reached 100k reads! So amazing.

Thank you again, it's much appreciated.

I love you,

ArtistWriter

-Author POV-

Kimberley and Cheryl had spent their afternoon cuddled on the sofa, tangled together as one. All they needed in this moment was each other, desperate to feel their revived hearts seep warmth within them.

Madison, young, naïve Madison had spent her day talking on the phone, chatting the hours away. It was the role of a man, it had been a few years since she last found herself longing for a mans love. Connor wasn't always around, not the way Christopher was, and now with Jamie entering her life, she finds herself settling into a pit of hope.

Kimberley clears her throat, getting her wife's attention.

"Hm?" Cheryl's eyes avert from the television screen, and meet the concerned blue-greys.

"She's not come down for dinner and she's been up there since the morning."

"Not like she's answering the door when I bloody knock," Cheryl rolls her eyes, "Why don't you give it a try, instead of telling us what to do." She sighs softly, returning her gaze to the film.

"I'm not in the mood for her attitude." Kimberley now rolls her eyes.

"You need to stop that," Cheryl turns back around, with her eyebrows furrowed fiercely together. "You are her Mum," She points her finger to Kimberley's chest, "You need to start putting your foot down and showing her that this isn't okay, it's not okay baby, no it's not." She finishes, with a soft sigh.

Kimberley smiles lightly, "I'll go up if you give me a kiss."

"No—"

She gasps, "Don't be mean." She pouts, shuffling closer to her stubborn wife.

"You'll get your kiss when you come back." Cheryl giggles, trying but failing to push her wife away.

"I want a kiss now," Kimberley whines. "Please."

Cheryl huffs, playfully.

"C'mere." They giggle, kissing ever so sweetly. Without each other – they would be nothing. Their lips were sealed in a love that could never be matched, a love only to grow and push past every problem.

Tongues swirl in unison, a rhythm they have created through the years of being together.

"Mmm." Kimberley groans, pulling her wife in closer, needing to touch the perky backside she'd forever be in love with. "Your ass," She groans. "So fcuking perfect."

Cheryl giggles; loving all the attention her wife would constantly give her.

"Okay," Cheryl pants, pulling back. "You've got your kiss, now go upstairs."

Kimberley pouts.

"It's not going to work."

Kimberley pouts further, fluttering her eyes playfully.

"Such a child."

The blonde stands to her feet, laughing lightly.

"I would choose my words carefully, baby." She winks. "It would be a bit.... Repulsive? If you were married to a child." She dodges the pillow thrown at her.

"Fcuk off!" Cheryl shouts, shaking her head as her wife bolts out of the living room and rushes up to their daughter's bedroom.

Kimberley stops in front of Madison's space, taking deep breaths to collect her raged breathing.

She knocks.

And knocks.

And knocks once more.

"What?" Madison finally makes her presence known, her voice weak and laced with sleep.

"Are you sleeping?" Kimberley asks, remaining outside the teen's bedroom.

"Hm." Comes a groan.

The blonde rolls her eyes, continuing with her knocks nonetheless.

"Go away!"

"Please open the door, I would like to speak to you—"

"I don't. I'm tired – go away!" Madison groans agitatedly, rolling onto her back.

"You've not had anything to eat all day—"

"I'm not hungry."

"Stop acting so childish," Kimberley rolls her eyes, "Open this door so we can have a civil conversation—"

"I don't want to!"

Kimberley hisses her breathing, hands clenching into tight fists.

"Fine!"

"Fine!" Madison echoes her mother's words, shuffling around in bed until she was finally comfortable.

Kimberley storms back downstairs and darts straight into the kitchen.

Cheryl frowns, shooting up from her seat only to find Kimberley rummaging through the kitchen cabinets and drawers.

"What are you doing?" She frowns.

"Where are they?" Kimberley huffs, messing up the organized drawers Cheryl had taken time to clean.

"Enough!" Cheryl hurries to her wife, and stops her hands from disorienting the contents.

"Where are they?" Kimberley repeats.

"If you'd calm down for a single second," Cheryl hisses, taking her wife's hands away from the kitchen counter top. "And told us what it is you're looking for I'd tell you."

The blonde sighs, "The keys—"

"Which?"

"The bedroom keys."

Cheryl rolls her eyes, "You're not doing that."

"That's the only way she'll listen—"

"It'll only push her away—"

Kimberley sighs, slamming the kitchen drawer shut, "So what am I supposed to do?" She sighs again.

Cheryl smirks.

"What's that look for? This is no time for joking around – stop that."

"I have an idea," The Geordie giggles, "Come on."

-------

Madison's deepest of dreams soon diminishes into darkness; she awakens again that night, but this time to loud Christmas tunes blaring through the house speakers.

"You've got to be fcuking kidding me." She grits, sitting up and tying her hair up in irritation.

The music never stops, and her patience soon runs out.

Madison climbs out of her bed, and storms out of the bedroom ready to give her parents a piece of her mind.

"WHAT THE FCUK!?" She shouts, stomping her way down the stairs in search to kill her parents. "MUM! MAM?!!" She keeps her shouting shooting out of her in rage.

Kimberley and Cheryl share a knowing smirk, fixing their Christmas hats and striding their way out of the front room.

"Yeah?" The blonde can't hide her smug smirk, as Cheryl.

"What the fcuk! Lower this sh*t!" Madison demands.

Cheryl rolls her eyes, pulling the remote out of her pocket and lowering the volume.

"If you knew I was sleeping why would you blast the speakers?" Madison breathes deeply.

"Well, it got you down here didn't it?" Kimberley raises an eyebrow, quickly grabbing her daughter as she goes to make a run for it.

"Let me go!" Madison squirms in her mother's hold, "I don't want to stay down here!"

Kimberley grasps the teen, and throws her over the right of her shoulder.

"PUT ME DOWN!" Madison continues her shouting, kicking and punching Kimberley's back as she walks them over to the sofa.

"Kimberley," Cheryl sighs softly, "Put her down."

The blonde throws the teen down to the sofa, earning another infuriated grunt from her daughter.

"I want to—"

"Listen here," Kimberley speaks sternly, "I'm not one against beating the crap out of you just to knock some sense into that thick skull of yours—"

"Don't be so fcuking rude!"

"Girls." Cheryl tries to get into the heated argument.

"The only rude one here is you," The blonde hisses, "Are you going to listen or do I have to tape your mouth shut?"

Madison narrows her eyes, "I can't stand you."

"Well I can't stand you either, looks like we're agreeing on something for once." Kimberley drops herself down beside Madison.

"Can we just speak calmly to each other?" Cheryl asks, sitting on the coffee table and facing both of her girls.

"I'm tired."

"Sweets," The Geordie sighs softly, "Please, baby, let us just talk."

Madison rolls her eyes, arms folding firmly against the small of her chest.

"Are you going to let us talk now?"

Madison shrugs in response.

"Look, baby, your Mum is sorry—"

"Excuse me—"

"Kimberley." Cheryl grits, "Enough."

Both Madison and Kimberley sit sulking on the sofa as the Geordie tells them off for their irrational behavior.

"Now," Cheryl breathes in deeply, fixing her red Santa hat and continuing her very serious speech. "Madison, I need you to understand that when situations happen you don't go running off every single time – no let us finish." She stops the teen from uttering a single word. "I understand that us fighting with Jamie wasn't the most rational thing to do, but you knew damn well not to bring him around. You're just in the wrong here."

Madison rolls her eyes.

"Roll your eyes one more fcuking time and I'm smacking them right out of that head of yours."

Kimberley smirks.

"And what are you smiling at?" Cheryl shoots at her wife, getting the smile to wipe right off of Kimberley's expression.

"Madison, I'm going to tell you this one last time, I don't want Jamie coming around here. Understood?"

Silence.

"I said understood?"

Madison breathes in defeat. "Understood."

"Now apologize to your Mum—"

"But—"

"I said apologize to your Mum, I don't want to repeat meself again."

Madison frowns. "Sorry."

Cheryl cuts in, "Look at her and tell her you're sorry." She demands.

Madison groans in annoyance, turning around and meeting her mother's blue-greys.

"I'm sorry."

Kimberley smiles softly, "I'm sorry too, come here." She forces the teen into her arms, and holds her tightly.

Cheryl smiles; glad they were getting somewhere.

"I still can't stand you." Madison discreetly whispers to the blonde.

"Makes two of us." They pull apart, smiling at each other. "Are you done being a moody brat—"

"You still have to apologize too – and not just to me." Madison cuts her Mum off.

Kimberley frowns, "What for?"

"For the way you attacked Robert—"

"Okay I didn't attack him—"

"Yes you did—"

"Girls."

"I did not!"

"Yes you did!"

"GIRLS!"

Madison and Kimberley jump in their spot, finally acknowledging the Geordie's fury.

"I want one of you to explain to us what happened out there – one at a time!"

Kimberley speaks before the teen gets a chance to say her part.

"She came home with that god awful boy – did you even know what time it was?" The blonde challenges Madison, raising an eyebrow in question.

"I needed to be out until the situation had calmed down." The teen defends herself.

"And what if it didn't?"

"Then I would have never come home."

Kimberley laughs lightly, ignoring Cheryl's unimpressed expression.

"Wow, so you would have just stayed out? Until when? Do you not understand that just because a problem shoots it's never solved with running away!" The blondes voice raises, and Cheryl allows it. She allows the mother to say her part, because although she hated seeing her daughter being told off, it was needed.

"Says you!" Madison shouts back at Kimberley.

"What about me?"

"You're the one with the fcuking temper you fcuking territorial psycho—"

She's not sure where it came from, but Kimberley slaps her daughter across the face.

"Kimberley!" Cheryl shoots up from the coffee table and pushes her wife away from the teen. "And that is no way to speak to your Mum!"

Madison stands to her feet, one hand resting to her sizzling cheek.

"I never want to speak to either of you again! I'm going to Dads." She strides her way out of the front room, both women right behind her.

"You don't have a say! We're your mothers—"

"Some fcuking mother's you are." She spits out, "Don't fcuking talk to me again!"

Kimberley and Cheryl remain still, standing at the bottom of their grand staircase, both lost for words.

"I.. I don't know where that came from." The blonde whispers, shakily.

"You've only made it worse," Cheryl grits, snapping her head and meeting the apologetic blue-greys. "Don't you ever fcuking dare put your hands on her again."

"I'm sorry—"

"I don't want to fcuking hear it!" She takes off her Christmas hat, slams it to the ground, and follows the upset teens trail hoping to fix the mess they currently were in.

Taking a deep breath, she enters the bedroom without a single knock to the wooden door. She follows the loud huffing and puffing emitting from the closet and finds her daughter throwing whatever she could into her travel bag.

"You weren't kidding, huh?" Cheryl leans against the closet door, arms folded and eyes keeping up with the fast actions Madison was doing.

"Does it look like I'm joking?" The teen scoffs, throwing a few more items into her opened case.

"I don't know how you're going to do it," Cheryl takes a different route, a light smile lingers to her lips.

"Do what?"

"You know, living with Jamie." The Geordie continues, "Could you imagine, waking up every morning with him all in your business?"

"He's not like that."

Cheryl laughs, "You don't know a single thing about him.. As a matter of fact, you should probably go live with him."

"I will!"

"Well then go," Cheryl puts her arms up, "Not going to try and stop you this time."

Madison forces her expression to remain unimpressed, but the frown was slowly creeping its way.

"Shows how much you care about me leaving."

"Yeah, guess I don't care at all." She shrugs, slowly walking away.

"Wow!" Madison shouts, "Wow!" She repeats, now zipping her case and dragging it out along the way.

"Wow what?" The Geordie meets her daughter's raging expression.

"How could you just kick me out?"

"Kick you out?"

"Yeah! Mum slaps me and you kick me out? What am I even to youse!?" The tears are held back, but it was a job keeping her emotions intact.

"You're the one that ran upstairs and started to pack your sh*t! Don't you dare turn this around on us!" Cheryl fires back, not giving her daughter the upper hand this time.

Madison scowls, throwing her case to the ground. "Were you not downstairs?!" She grits, "Your wife fcuking slapped me across the face!!"

Cheryl sighs softly, "Calm down and we can have a civil talk!"

"Are you fcuking high!?"

"Madison, so help me god if you don't keep your tone down I will slap you meself!" Cheryl hisses, walking to her daughter and taking a hold of her.

"Let me go!" Madison tries, but fails to fight the tight grip.

"You and I are having talk." Cheryl drags her daughter to the sofa, and forces them both to sit beside each other.

The teen sits in place, panting and huffing.

"It's not going to be easy," Cheryl begins. "It was never going to be easy."

Madison breathes, "I don't know what you're on about."

"Your attitude needs to be put to rest for a fcuking second! I understand you're me daughter, and well, I was never the best teen either. But right now, as your Mam, as your best friend.. Put the attitude to rest." Cheryl speaks softly, getting her daughter to sigh in defeat.

"Okay, I'm sorry." Madison speaks, sincerely, looking down into her lap in shame.

"Are you going to let us talk? And actually listen to what I have to say?"

She gets a nod in response.

"The way you spoke to your Mum wasn't okay—"

Madison goes to interrupt but the Geordie continues nonetheless.

"I understand she was just in the wrong for slapping you, but she is your Mum at the end of the day. Respect should be given."

Madison groans, and sulks in her spot.

"Look at us, sweets." Cheryl reaches over, placing her hand to the red marked cheek. "I love you, how could you just want to up and leave us?" She asks, her eyes glimmer with fresh tears.

"I just," Madison sighs, averting her green eyes in embarrassment. "It's all I really know how to do."

"Run?"

Madison nods.

"Why? Why do you constantly need to do that?"

Madison shrugs.

"No, baby, I need you to tell us." Cheryl strokes the warm cheek affectionately, getting her daughters eyes to meet hers once more.

"Because," The tears come rushing down, flowing to the touch of her mother. "Because even when I was loved I still felt alone. I know youse-youse love me," She cries, "I know youse care about me-me.. But I still feel alone." She cries, allowing her mother to take her into her arms and cradle her in a loving touch.

Cheryl doesn't speak, she knew in the moment of tears and cries, the soul was vulnerable and exposed every wound living in the depth of its darkness.

"When-When I was younger," Madison sniffs, wrapping her arms around Cheryl's neck and resting her head to the chest that thumps with love for her. "When I was younger, I always looked up to the stars wishing to be held this way.. By you. I would wish for you to find me and take me home, and when Christopher died, the only thing I knew how to do was runaway.. Because being alone was the only time I felt loved. And now.. Being in a home," She looks up to the Geordie, finding her mother crying along with her. "Being in a home where I know love exists scares the sh*t out of me." She sniffs.

"Why?" Cheryl sniffs along. "Why does it scare you?"

"Because I'm scared it will all be taken away from me."

The Geordie holds her daughter tighter, "You need to stop thinkink this way."

"I..I've accepted Christopher's death, and I know I will be with him again one day.. But that made me even more terrified to lose youse. I'm sorry for being such a b*tch all the time.. I'm sorry for giving youse the hardest time. I love youse, I love youse so much."

Cheryl smiles, glad her daughter had finally crumbled every wall sternly surrounding her heart.

"You're not going to lose us, monkey butt." She laughs lightly, "I love you, I don't think you realize just how much we love youse."

"Hm," Madison shrugs, "I know youse love me.. I just haven't accepted it yet." They share a smile; tear stained cheeks and beautiful glimmering eyes.

"Are you going to stop being a moody cow now?" The Geordie cheekily asks.

"That's not nice," The teen pouts, nestling her head back against her mother's chest.

Kimberley knocks on the door, softly.

"Come in." Cheryl shuffles up, but never lets her daughter go.

Madison remains still, secretly terrified to meet the blondes eyes. In a way, she was ashamed for the way she acted and what she spat so vilely.

Kimberley walks over, cautiously taking a seat beside her wife and sniffling daughter.

"I'm sorry," She begins, "Look if it makes you feel any better, you can slap me all you like."

Madison can't suppress her giggle, she releases the soft naïve tune, earning a smile to the blondes lips.

"I'm sorry." Kimberley repeats.

The teen looks into her mother's apologetic blue-greys for the first time since the fight.

"I'm sorry too."

"For real this time?" Kimberley smiles.

"Mhm."

"You can slap me.. Do it."

Madison sits up in her mother's lap; Kimberley gulps.

Is she seriously going to slap me? She'd mentally thought.

Kimberley clasps her eyes shut, ready to take the blow.. Except it does come. Instead of a slap, Madison seals her lips against her mother's cheek, lingering the sweet affection in apologies.

"I'm sorry." She whispers.

Kimberley's eyes open, smiling to her daughter. "Come here." She takes Madison and embraces her tightly.

Cheryl's smile grows from joy.

"You too." Kimberley pulls her wife into the hug, they all melt to the touch.

"I love youse." Madison whispers.

"I love you too, Mado." Kimberley kisses her daughters sore cheek with love, "I love you." She repeats.

"No more fighting." Cheryl cuts in, "I'm being dead serious with youse! I'm sick of it."

This earns a laugh from the beautiful little family.