Who: Estella Derrick and Florence Gibbon
What: Sisters!
Where: Estella's kitchen
When: Night of Jen's return (Jen/Flo, get used to it)



"Jacobdontstickyourhandsinthat!"

Estella snatched away the pudding cup with stern look toward her son, who stared right back with apathetic eyes. She needed him neat for when Florence got here, and normally he was quite good at using his spoon (as good as a two-year-old could be, anyway), but Estella was getting the feeling that he was getting some...tips from a little boy named Marcus Flint on how to make mealtime more exciting.

She loved Marcus, she did; he just had some bad habits that needed to be worked on.

She held the cup out to Jacob, watching him carefully, silently willing him to pick up the spoon to show her that he was indeed going to eat his pudding like a proper gentleman. It wasn't odd for her to have such contests with her son, but Estella liked to think that they were little life lessons for him.

"Good boy!" she said happily as he picked up the spoon, and Estella put the pudding cup back down. She watched him begin to dip his spoon in, but then something caught his attention and he slammed his hands to the highchair's table, knocking the pudding straight to the ground.

"FLO!" Jacob shrieked, and Estella whirled around to see her sister. "FLO FLO!"


Florence had entered Susie's flat without a knock. Long ago she had stopped doing that unless she knew that her and Jake were having a romantic night but tonight she knew that Estella was expecting her. She wore her normal clothing of black slacks and silk shirt. Her heels clacked against the tile of the kitchen. In her hand she held a large bag with a pretty blue bow on it. She grinned as she heard Jacob shrieking her name. She walked up to her nephew and kissed his cheek and with the same excitement he was feeling she said "Jacob! Jacob!"

She sat down at the kitchen table setting the present down on top of it. "Are you being a good boy for Mummy?" She asked Jacob, her blue eyes glittering with amusement. One of her true enjoyments in life was her nephew.

She picked up the pudding that was now by her feet and took out her wand delicately, "Scourgify," she said easily the contents of the pudding cup disappearing. "I don't think it's such a good idea to be knocking pudding cups to the ground baby boy." An affectionate nickname Jen had picked up for Jacob when he was first born. She finally turned to Susie and smiled fully, no smirk, no half smile. "I've missed you Susie. I really have. I wish you could have made it out to Rome."

Spilled pudding could not push away Estella's glee at seeing her sister. Why, she'd been very very excited for Jen to head off to Rome and just...just live, but she'd also missed her terribly. Being busy with Jacob and the dance studio, their contact had been very minimal which Estella deeply regretted. Merlin, so many times had she wanted to just pop over to her sister's to dish about Caden and the lovely things that were happening between them, and now! Well! She was back!

Tears welled in her eyes as Estella let out a squeak of happiness and once the pudding was out of the way (she was excited, but not excited enough to make a mess all over her clothes) she enveloped her sister in a hug, happily rocking her back and forth.

"I wish, you're going to have to tell me everything---I've missed you so much!"

She laughed at the hug and hugged Stell back, "I've missed you too Susie." She hugged her tightly, "Let's focus on the Jacob's present first. He's eying that sucker as if he's trying to magic that over to himself so he can rip it open. Isn't that right baby boy?" She let go of Stell but held onto her hand and squeezed it gently, "I will tell you everything though. All the nasty gritty details of me being in Rome and how much of a b i t c h I was to Smeth." She took a deep breath and tried to blow away the depression that was creeping into her system. "I'm sorry I missed your birthday Jacob. I was trying to come home to see you."

She brushed a piece of hair out her eyes and put her attention onto Jacob. She tickled his sides gently. She handed the spoon towards her nephew, "No presents until after dinner is finished though okay?" She was trying to distract herself. She wasn't happy with herself for the way she broke up with Smeth or the fact that she had been swept off her feet by that man. She held back a growl in her throat over the thought of the actor. 'Stay positive!' she told herself.

"How about you? Are you finally living life again?"

Estella sat back on one of the stools of the kitchen, pulling another out for Florence and tapping the seat gently. Merlin, she simply could not wait to share stories, and it was really ridiculous how easily people could get her to talk about Caden (not--reporters or anything, but her friends). He was just that--talk...able? No, that wasn't right at all! Estella let out a breath; he got her flustered and he wasn't anywhere near her house.

"Well--yes," her ears burnt red, thinking that the last time she and her sister had sat down together, Estella had still been deeply rooted in her depression over Jake. It had just been the two year anniversary and while she'd gone to the cemetery with Jacob and hagd cried for a while, it wasn't the gut-wrenching, never-going to recover kind of crying spell. No, she--had been talking to the grave, telling Jake about the things his son was doing, talking about her issues with her brother, talking about--she had mentioned Caden, she'd mentioned how good he was to Jacob and that she thought he'd like him and--

--oh, okay, no time to get emotional.

"Erhmm--his name is Caden, Caden Flint? He's on the United, they--they're the ones who've won the league cup these past two years," Estella was definitely brushing up on her quidditch knowledge, "And...we'll have been dating a year in August, he's amazing, Jen, you must meet him."

Merlin, a year! It had gone by so quickly, and Estella's heart pounded harder at the prospect of going even further.

She grinned and began to laugh and began to tease her, "Stella has a boyfriend~ Stella has a boyfriend~" She said in a sing song voice. "I almost wish I would've come over in jeans. As you're the only one who sees me in jeans anymore. Well and Tobias and now and again Smeth...when we were dating." She huffed out. She got a little more serious at that matter.

"If you want me to meet this Caden then I will Susie. If he's important in your life than he's important in my life." She went into her pocket and snagged a hair tie that she always carried and put her hair up. She sighed and dished on some of her life in Rome, "I found him sleeping with another, much prettier, actress and that's why I'm back in town...I feel foolish for acting the way I did. He booted me to the door after I got upset and left me with the money in my pocket. I worked my way back to England."

She kissed Jacob's cheek as she talked and sat down on the stool next to Stella finally. She had been pacing as she normally did when she was upset. Thinking similar to her sister, this was not a time to get upset. She bite back the bitter taste of tears and looked up with a weak smile. "Silly right?"

Estella let out a strangled sort of sound at the news of her sister's boyfriend---lover or whatever he may have been. Goodness, that had been a surprise, even if she hadn't exactly shown it at the time. Estella suddenly felt quite guilty. If she hadn't been forcing herself down into her self-induced depression she would have at least been able to talk to her sister, and--she wouldn't have stopped Florence from going, but some sort of...advice, could she have given advice?

She would have said something and things would have ended up better. Or at least she hoped.

"I'm so sorry," she said with a shake of her head, gripping onto Florence's hand. She didn't want to tell her she could have owled or she could have flooed through, that Estella would have paid for everything to get her back. The last think her sister needed was for her to remind her of mistakes, "It's not silly, it's--horrible that it had to happen to you, and--I'm glad you're home now."


Lover would be the closest thing to accurate on the actor she had moved to Rome with. The relationship was stilted and purely based on sex. It was was horrible but true. She never had the same type of closeness with Johnny that she had with Smeth. She regretted almost every second that she had spent in Rome. She exhaled deeply as she squeezed Stella's hand back. "It's over now. It's not like I'm in love with him or heartbroken over it. Really I'm not. I'm just pissed that someone cheated on me. Y'know?"

A crack was heard as she rolled her neck, eyes cast towards the ceiling to avoid direct eye contact. She was so scared that if she met eyes with Susie she'd start crying and then it wouldn't stop. So much had gone wrong in Florence's life and she didn't want to think about it at this point in time. "So tell me about Caden!" She said brightly trying to make an obvious attempt to change the subject. "I want to hear all about him! Also give me the low down on Tobias! I haven't heard anything from him yet." A big grin was plastered on her face. This smile seemed fake and faux. Stella would spot it immediately. Not only had the two had grown up together but they had been best friends once upon a time.

They would get back to Florence later. She wanted to be caught up on family drama, friend drama and Smeth. It seemed like second nature to want to know about Smeth, even if they weren't together and only friends...for the moment. Silly girl was persistent and wouldn't give up until she got what she wanted. She wasn't brave and she wasn't cunning but she was fierce and that had to count for something.

She finally looked Estella in the eyes again. Any tears that had threatened to fall were gone.

Estella pursed her lips, nodding and holding back any comments she wanted to make about this man and how she would smack him upside the head with a rolling pin. That would come for later, when they could rant and curse without worrying Jacob. And of course, when Jen was ready to actually talk about it. Estella had never experienced such betrayal, but she knew that any woman could imagine the pain and---ugh.

"Well," she'd avoid talking about Tobias for the moment, she needed to keep this lighthearted for Florence's sake and anything involving their brother and his marriage would simply be anything but lighthearted. "He's---Caden, he's...he's so---"

She flushed; how was it that she could never describe him properly? People probably thought she was a fool, "He's very...manly, just--he's quiet but funny and tough and--he's got a son, Marcus--"

"MAHKIS!" Jacob shrieked at the sound of his friend's name, and Estella grinned.

"Oh, I've got pictures--" Estella dropped off the stool and went over to the counter, pulling out the packet of pictures she'd developed from Jacob's birthday party. She flipped through them to find one of Caden, which proved difficult. "Here's one of us."

It was of the four of them, the boys' faces covered by the dinosaur masks but it was actually a really nice picture. Estella admired it for a second before handing it and the entire pack to Jen with a grin, "He refused to wear the mask, though."


A big grin came across Florence's face as she took the photo from Stella. Not only was he good looking but Estella was absolutely smitten with him. "I see Jacob has a new best friend and I think it's bed time!" She picked Jacob up with a flourish. "Auntie Flo will read a bed time story and then tuck you in." She whispered in the two year old's year, "I got you a big dinosaur that looks like your mask." She grinned back at Estella and so did her nephew. It looked almost if they were conspiring something together.

After about a half hour Florence reappeared her hair down and looking weary. "He's harder to put to bed than he used to." She huffed out a breath and went to the kitchen and began to raid the fridge looking for a bottle of wine. "I'm so happy for you. Caden seems like something solid in your life other than Jacob. How old is Marcus?"

She continued her hunt for wine and maybe if it were possible cheese. She doubted Stella had any, cheese that was. She offered a weak smile. Occupying herself was the best way to go right now.

Estella let out a sigh of happiness as she watched her sister take Jacob up to bed. It was so good to have her back, especially given the current circumstances with Tobias. She'd managed to avoid her brother as much as possible, but the thoughts still lingered. Mafalda had been talking to her, but not as much as usual, and it was just--she'd apologized, but she was too scared to confront him about anything. She could hardly handle a fight like that in the journals, there was no way she'd be able to in person.

She'd just been finishing up the dishes when Jen came back down, and began to wipe her hands on a dishcloth hanging from the handle of the stove.

"Marcus'll be four on the thirteenth," which reminded her that she needed to talk to Jolene about party arrangements, if there were going to be any. Estella smiled lightly, wanting to continue talking through the night about Caden (and about this man Florence had run off with, even if he'd broken her heart--she wanted details), but she knew that she had to inform her sister's about their brother's current situation.

"Tobias and Mafalda are talking divorce," she said softly, leaning her back into the sink. "He was--he'd been cheating on her." Estella let out a breath, trying not to get worked up over it again, but it was hard, "and--she's pregnant, so there's that to worry about too."

She smiled at the thought of Marcus, she really wanted to meet this little boy. She turned and looked at Estella, "Are you serious? With who?" She let out a deep breath. She should've come home sooner. "Tobias told me that Mafalda was expecting but nothing more than that. He's taking me out to lunch tomorrow." She watched Estella carefully, "How did Mafalda find out?"

"I really want to meet Marcus. Maybe we can have a small party for him just so he and Jacob can play together." She crossed her legs easily. She couldn't think of anything else really to say she'd come out about her stuff after Estella got through telling her what happened. She kept her mouth shut and waited for the explanation. Look what happens when she leaves for a year. Her brother's marriage is in jeopardy and her sister starts dating again. Next thing she'll hear is Smeth is dating someone and she has no chance in hell to get him back.

Estella nodded along with the idea of Florence meeting Marcus, though how wwEstella nodded along with the idea of Florence meeting Marcus, though how well it would go, she had no idea. Marcus did have the reputation of...being a demon-child, but he was much better behaved when he came over to her house. Though, she could definitely see Caden threatening to take away every last one of his toys if he misbehaved before they came over.

"It--well," Estella took a breath, pushing the heel of her hand into her eye while she talked. Maybe she could fight off the migraine she knew was going to burst as they continued to talk about this, "I was at Mafalda's and--she started getting upset about Tobias being out late and she had said she'd been suspicious of him and---I can't keep a straight face and she just kept asking questions and--"

Her lips twisted tightly, "I never actually said it. But it was obvious enough, he bloody hates me for it too, I dunno what to do, Florence, I can't stand it!"


She took another deep breath before she spoke and a flinch at being called Florence. Estella was upset and she'd let it go this time. "The only thing you can do is apologize and if I know you've probably already done that. He doesn't hate you, he's upset with you. And honestly? He has no right to be upset with you. He knows you can't lie. I doubt Mafalda thinks very high of any of the Gibbons right now." She uncrossed her leg and went to Estella, "Susie the only thing you can do right now is wait for it to blow over. Which it will. He never stays mad at you long and I'll talk to him tomorrow too. So that's something isn't it?"

She make a quick subject change, "So. I'm seeing Smeth tomorrow," she said brightly as she grabbed Estella's hand and gave it a quick squeeze. "At our old coffee shop." Hopefully this would change Estella's attitude and have her bursting with a sisterly nosiness that she had always been when it came to Jen's well being. "No tears tonight and if there are I'll make Toby feel like shit at lunch."

She grinned widely at her sister. "Your son was also a handful to put down. He wanted me to read about nineteen different books to him and I told him that he was only getting three and he sat on my lap and pouted for about two minutes and then fell asleep in my arms." If there was one thing Florence was good at it was getting Estella sidetracked from what was truly bothering her.

Estella barely had a chance to agree with Jen about everything; in her head, she knew that she hadn't done any wrong (well, except be a horrible liar), but her heart was what usually controlled her. It was still going to ache to see Tobias no matter how illogical she knew it was for her to be in the wrong, and that was just how she was, there was no getting around it. But--her mind could only dwell on it for a second, because her sister had said the magic word.

"Smeth?!" she nearly shrieked, but settled for a high pitched squeak. Oh, oh! Estella had been so terribly upset about their breakup; she'd been planning on Smeth and Jen getting married since they were born, not that she'd ever admit that outloud. Except she was bad at hiding her emotions, so her sister could probably read her mind on that subject.

"Oh--oh okay," Estella hurried over to the ice box and pulled out the cheesecake no one had eaten at Jacobs' party (mostly because she'd hidden it so she could have it for herself). Flicking her wand out with a swish, a pair of forks and plates zoomed out and hovered behind her, leaving Estella free to grab Florence's wrist and drag her to the sitting room so that their chatter wouldn't wake up Jacob.

"We have much to discuss."

Florence began to laugh, loudly. She could read her sister's mind and she was laughing so hard she was holding her sides. She picked up the fork that Estella had magicked over. "Yes Susie, Smeth. I want him back. Please tell me he isn't dating someone else and if this keeps up we're going to be up all night. "And you don't have to hide your excitement over the matter. I know you want us back together and if this keeps up we'll be up all night talking and catching up." She took a bite of the cheesecake and made a soft "Mmmm," song it was a weakness of hers. Sweets always had been. "I couldn't find the wine Susie where is it? A good glass of red wine would be perfect with this."

She grinned up at her sister, "Yes we do have quite a bit to discuss. The joys of being a year away from each other and me wanting the man I dumped back in my life." She sighed and thought of Smeth, "And what a man he is." Her eyes twinkled as if lost in memories of the two of them. She came back down to earth "I'm willing to dish my life story of what happened in Rome now. I just didn't want to swear in front of Jacob. I feel quite nasty towards Johnny and it's not something he needs to hear about. I'm not even going to tell Tobias the entire thing. Just to save my own ass. He's already on me for mock flirting with Sirius." She stuck out her lower lip and pouted a little bit, "As if I'd do anything with Sirius. That makeout session in the corridor was enough."