"How- what- why-" Stephanie stammered as the flame-haired Scottish girl looked at her expectantly.

"I think you might need to sit down," Lauren giggled. "As I said, I've got a car waiting..."

"Umm, okay," Stephanie said, following Lauren to her car in a state of near-shock. "Why- why did you-"

"Why did I take the option that was best for my career?" Lauren asked. "Kinda answered your own question there, didn't you? Steph... We've gone as far as we can with out of Heaven. And sure, we've got fans. We've got rich. I'll always be grateful to Joshua for the opportunities he's given me. But The Angels have been cancelled, his projects with the 'Teen Angels' and the 'Sky Angels' were failures and if we don't act soon, we'll be next for the scrapheap."

"How- how did you even sign with Spencer and Hall?" Stephanie asked, barely able to process what Lauren was telling her.

"I gave them a call," Lauren shrugged. "All of our contracts have buy-out clauses in them, they decided I was worth the money, so here I am! I've already had a rehearsal session with Saraya and Niamh, I'm sure when you meet them you'll love them as much as I already do."

"You- you turned your back on people you said were friends," Stephanie mumbled.

"The same friends who gave you that fat lip?" Lauren asked, pointing to Stephanie's bruised mouth. "Yeah, that's a friendship we both need, isn't it? Look, Steph... It wasn't an easy choice. As I said, I'm really, really grateful to Joshua for getting my foot on the ladder. But he can only get me- get US- so far up the ladder." Lauren's speech was interrupted by the sudden bleeping of Stephanie's phone, informing her of a new text message.

"...Sorry," Stephanie grimaced.

"S'okay," Lauren shrugged. "We won't be at the agency for another ten minutes or so, you know how traffic is in the city centre."

"...I grew up in London," Stephanie said bluntly. "You grew up on a farm, like, beyond the wall."

"Just- read your text," Lauren said, giggling at her friend's teasing. Stephanie snorted with laughter, before trying to suppress her conflicted emotions as she read the text message.

'Hi Steph, thanks for your message,' the text- which was from Stephanie's friend Janet- read. 'Good to see you're making new friends. Since leaving the hospital I've been trying to get out more and meet new friends too. I've joined a support group for LGBT people where I've met another transwoman called Debbie. She's a bit younger than me but she's been very supportive. She's even helped me look for work, no luck yet but I'm getting very positive vibes from the interviews I've attended! Hope to talk to you soon. Janet x.' Stephanie blinked back a tear as she scrolled up to read the message she'd originally sent to Janet, attached to which was the photograph of her, Kayla, Nikki and Sarah dressed in their fancy gowns- a memory that Stephanie would always treasure.

"Lauren," Stephanie whispered. "If- if we'd, you know, 'included' you more-"

"It wouldn't have made a difference," Lauren said. "In our career we can always, ALWAYS make new friends. But our career won't last forever. We have to take make the most of what we've got while we can."

"You're absolutely, absolutely right," Stephanie said.

"So you'll sign?" Lauren asked expectantly.

"No," Stephanie replied. "Take me home, now." Stephanie allowed herself a smug smirk as Lauren's jaw dropped and her face screwed up in confusion.

"Umm, why, exactly?" The Scottish girl asked.

"I'm guessing you had to ask permission from Spencer and Hall to be here?" Stephanie asked.

"Well, yes," Lauren replied. "They're not going to just let their assets go randomly roaming around the streets."

"Even to see people they claim are their friends?" Stephanie retorted.

"We ARE friends," Lauren pleaded. "I told you, I recommended you above all the other girls, even Kayla!"

"Really, Lauren?" Stephanie asked. "After the way you've shunned me and sneered at me ever since the truth about me came out? What I think happened was that Spencer and Hall tried to smear me- and through me, Joshua- with what Dannii knew, and when that didn't work, they decided to use you to try to get to me. No. I'm not working for some place that only sees me as an 'asset'. Take me home."

"Fine, your loss," Lauren shrugged. "I'll just ask Kayla to see whether or not she wants a contract."

"Huh, good luck with that!" Stephanie snorted as the car turned around and headed back toward her house.

"You really think Kayla will put friendship before her career?" Lauren sneered.

"She knows what's most important," Stephanie retorted.

"Yeah, yeah she does," Lauren spat as the car pulled up outside Stephanie's house. "See you round, Steph. Maybe at the awards ceremonies, where we're winning them and you're stuck at a table at the back near the toilets."

"Fuck you, Lauren," Stephanie spat as the car sped away, taking her former friend with it.

The second she re-entered her home, Stephanie got out her phone and hit the speed dial button for Kayla's number, smiling as the phone was answered within two rings.

"What is it, Steph?" Kayla sighed.

"Just a heads up," Stephanie said, ignoring Kayla's negative attitude. "Our former bandmate Miss McTavish is on her way round to you with the offer of a contract."

"Huh," Kayla replied. "Wonder what makes her think I'll be so responsive second time around."

"S- second?" Stephanie asked.

"Yeah," Kayla said. "She was just here half an hour ago, trying to persuade me to jump over to Spencer and Hall. Wait, wait, has she just talked to you?"

"Yeah..." Stephanie replied. "Kinda hinted that when I turned her down, she was going to try to persuade you to go over to them. Also hinted that I was the first member of the band that she'd seen..."

"And- and you turned them down, right?" Kayla asked.

"Of course," Stephanie replied. "I dunno if you realise this, Kayla, but... You're probably the closest- no, scratch that, you ARE the best friend I've ever had. Sure, I lived with Lauren for months, but- but I just feel closer to you, you know?"

"...Thanks," Kayla mumbled.

"And you- you also turned Lauren down?" Stephanie asked.

"If by 'turned her down' you mean 'slammed the door in her face', then yes," Kayla said, making Stephanie giggle. "Steph, I- I'm sorry the way I snapped at you, okay? I'm just stressed out, the band's the most important thing in my life right now, and to see it fall apart..."

"Except it hasn't," Stephanie said confidently. "Adeola will never betray her uncle, Becca will never betray Adeola or her brother, and you and I are still loyal. Loads of bands have gone from a 5 piece to a 4 piece and survived. Take That, One Direction..."

"Umm, Steph, they're- they're both kinda boy band..." Kayla said.

"Meh, then we'll just be the first all-girl band to do it," Stephanie shrugged. "The first ALL GIRL band, right?"

"You said it, sister!" Kayla laughed. "Though, umm, I think Addie might still be a little pissed off at you..."

"Then I'll apologise," Stephanie said. "Text Addie and ask to meet up tomorrow, I'll go along, show I'm not too big to get down on my hands and knees."

"I will," Kayla said, before taking a deep breath. "...And there's still the Jamie matter-"

"If that cunt wants to apologise to me, she knows where I am," Stephanie said darkly as she ran her tongue over the bruise on her mouth. "I'll grovel to Adeola. I am NOT grovelling to her."

"...Okay," Kayla whispered. "I'll text Addie and call you back soon, okay?"

"Okay," Stephanie said as she ended the call.

As she laid back down on the sofa, however, Stephanie wondered whether she'd made the right decision in declining Lauren's offer. The Scottish girl had made a lot of valid points- Spencer and Hall were always a much bigger agency than Heavenly Talent, and almost certainly wouldn't shout at their employees, as Joshua had done to Kayla, or demonstrate incompetence in their management decision as Jonathan had done by calling the morning's 'assembly'.

However, unlike Lauren or Kayla, Stephanie hadn't auditioned for the band in an attempt to find fame and fortune. Sure, she wanted fame and fortune, but her primary motivations for auditioning were to prove to herself that she could successfully pass herself off as a woman and find work as 'Stephanie'- and that goal had been achieved a long time ago. Stephanie was entitled to want more, but every time her ambitions threatened to get the better of her, she was ironically reminded of the words of her nemesis, Jamie-Lee Burke- it's better to want what you have, rather than have what you want.

----------

As Stephanie was musing on Jamie's words of wisdom, Jamie herself was sulking as she laid on her sofa at her parents' home, musing on how terrible her birthday had been up to that point. With her fiancé having to work overtime and her best friend not talking to her, the only people Jamie had for company were her parents, and their company wasn't thrilling the twenty-give year old transwoman.

"Cheer up," Jamie's father urged as he walked through the living room. "Anyone would think it was your birthday or something!"

"Hilarious," Jamie grunted.

"Well your day won't improve if you just lay there all the time feeling sorry for yourself," Mr. Travis snorted. "You know you'll apologise to Charlotte eventually, so-"

"Tomorrow," Jamie interrupted. "I- I can't face her today. I'll go tomorrow. Huh, I was going to apologise to Stephanie tomorrow, no chance of THAT happening now..."

"Because you don't want to apologise, or you think she wouldn't accept it even if you did?" Jamie's father asked.

"Both," Jamie sighed.

"Well what about your other friends?" Mr. Travis asked. "Give them a call, get them round here to cheer you up."

"Mary's still in hospital," Jamie explained. "Krystie will be with her, Hannah and Viks are both at work, Nikki's gone with Hannah today, Sarah's on Stephanie's side... Yeah. No fiancé, no BFF, no friends today."

"Stuart will be back in a few hours," Mr. Travis said. "They can't detain him at his studio overnight. In the meantime, I guess I'LL have to try to cheer you up!"

"You really don't have to," Jamie said.

"You want to be left on the sofa to stew?" Mr. Travis asked.

"I want- ugh," Jamie spat. "I don't know what I want. This for all to be over? This to have never happened in the first place? Next thing I know, one of the Angels will defect to Spencer and Hall, and- I genuinely don't know what'll happen if that happens."

"Then stop worrying about it," Mr. Travis said, giving his daughter's shoulder a gentle squeeze. And get up and get some shoes on. I know exactly how to cheer you up."

"This should be good," Jamie said as she slipped on a pair of flats.

"Oh, it will be," Mr. Travis said, smiling smugly as he handed his groaning daughter a golf putter.

"Oh, come on, dad..." Jamie moaned. "I sucked at it before, I'll suck now... And is golf really your answer to everything?"

"Not 'everything'," Mr. Travis chuckled as he headed out to the makeshift putting range in his back garden. "But I refuse to let you sulk for one more second, okay?"

"Okay," Jamie sighed as she gripped her putter, getting the sudden feeling that her day HAD just got worse.

----------

"Well, today was interesting," Nikki quipped, making Hannah giggle as the two of them drove home from a long day at work. “Kinda don’t know who or what to believe anymore. I mean, Jamie? And Steph? Actually FIGHTING? I am DREADING tomorrow, working with Jamie…”

“Tell me about it,” Hannah sighed. “Have you heard anything from either of them? I mean, you’re close to both, right? Because, well, you know…”

“Not a peep from either of them,” Nikki said. “Which is odd, as, you know, it’s Jamie’s birthday, you’d have thought you’d have seen at least an Instagram post or something, showing off her presents, or something at least from Stuart, but nothing. Is- is Jonathan ordering radio silence or something?”

“Jonathan isn’t ordering anything at the moment,” Hannah replied. “He- well, Viks says… Viks says he’s having a REALLY hard time coping. But you are NOT to tell anyone else this, okay?”

“Of course,” Nikki whispered. “Hope I don’t need to polish my CV…”

“Never heard it called THAT before!” Hannah laughed, making Nikki groan with embarrassment. “Sorry, sorry, I know that’s still a sensitive area for you…”

“…Another joke?” Nikki asked.

“Wish I could say yes,” Hannah laughed. “Seriously, though… You’ve got to try to keep your pec- umm, I mean, you’ve got to try to smile, haven’t you? A few months from now, we’ll probably look back at this and laugh. I hope we will, anyway…”

“Doubt Steph will,” Nikki mused. “Or any of the other members of the band.”

“Not immediately,” Hannah said, leading to an awkward silence in the car.

“What- what have you got planned for tonight?” Nikki asked.

“Well the plan WAS going to Jamie’s birthday party,” Hannah sighed. “That’s obviously not happening now.”

“Yeah, I got that text from Charlotte too,” Nikki whispered. “I’m probably just gonna spend the night with Sarah and the girls, assuming they’re not too busy doing uni reading or something.”

“Are Jacinta and Ophelia back from Brighton yet?” Hannah asked, impressing Nikki with her knowledge of her two friends.

“This weekend coming,” Nikki said. “So just the four of us tonight.”

“FIVE of us,” Hannah said with a smug grin.

“…Really?” Nikki asked. “You want to spend the evening in a cramped, two bedroom student flat?”

“It’ll only be ‘cramped’ because there’ll be other people there,” Hannah said. “And I’d rather spend the evening being ‘cramped’ with my friends than alone in my flat.”

“But your flat is GORGEOUS,” Nikki said as she remembered the rare occasions when she was invited into the lavish four-bedroom apartment.

“True,” Hannah said with a smug grin. “But it doesn’t have you girls in it!”

“Aww,” Nikki cooed. “Okay, Katie & Lauren’s it is, then!” Hannah giggled excitedly as Nikki reprogrammed her satnav to take them to the small two bedroom flat, where they spent the rest of the evening gossiping about their lives, their work and their studies, and made a point of avoiding any talk of the rifts that threatened to irreparably split their ‘extended family’ apart.

Despite Hannah’s reassurances, Nikki remained worried about both her future and her friends’ futures. With Sarah’s help, she’d bonded with Stephanie in a way she’d never managed before, and she’d truly hoped that with her in the middle, she’d be able to bring Jamie and Stephanie back together. After witnessing the two women fighting, however, Nikki believed that nothing would be able to bring them together, and that very soon, one or more of the women would permanently cease to be her colleague- or worse yet, permanently cease to be her friend.

As she fell asleep later in the evening, wrapped in her fiancée’s loving embrace, Nikki tried to focus on the positives in her life, specifically the biggest positive of all- her love for Sarah, which had not waned one bit. By trusting in Sarah's judgement, she had regained Stephanie as a close friend, and she was sure that no matter what happened, she would always have Sarah- and that was truly all that she needed.

----------

“Worst. Birthday. Ever,” Jamie moaned and she rolled over in bed, barely cracking a smile at the feeling of her fiancé encircling her waist from behind.

“Worst WEEK ever,” Stuart sighed tiredly. “It’s going to take ages to remix all the tracks on the album, and I do have to remix ALL of them.” Jamie sighed as she listened to Stuart’s woes- the last thing she wanted was to be burdened with Stuart’s problems as well as her own, but she knew how much of a burden she had been to him over the past few days, so listening to Stuart talk was the least she could do. However, every time Stuart mentioned Stephanie’s name, Jamie grew more and more tense, until her body felt like it was about to explode.

“…Jamie?” Stuart asked as he felt Jamie’s tension through his embrace. “Are- are you okay?”

“No, no I’m not okay!” Jamie whined, tears forming in her eyes. “My career’s in pieces, my friends all hate me, I spent all day today-my birthday- playing fucking golf with dad instead of partying with my friends…”

“I still love you,” Stuart whispers, tightening his embrace. “And your friends don’t hate you. You’ll be seeing Charlotte tomorrow, right?”

“Well- I guess,” Jamie sniffled. “After work, anyway…”

“Which shows that your career isn’t completely in pieces,” Stuart said. “And she WILL forgive you, and you WILL have the party you deserve.”

“I just- I just wish I didn’t NEED forgiving,” Jamie moaned.

“Well, short of hijacking a TARDIS, there’s nothing I can do about that, I’m afraid,” Stuart said, making his fiancée snort at him.

“Don’t try to make me laugh,” Jamie sighed.

“Well I’m not going to make you more miserable, am I?” Stuart asked, eliciting a chuckle from Jamie. “Was that a laugh I just heard?”

“…Yes,” Jamie sighed.

“What are you doing at work tomorrow, anyway?” Stuart asked. “Been so wrapped up in my own work worries, hardly fair to dump them all on you…”

“Endorsing a new brand of fashion tights,” Jamie replied. “Just various brands and patterns on people’s legs.”

“I’ll- I’ll just lay here and nod, pretending I know what you’re talking about,” Stuart laughed. “Even I did spend a lot of my teenage years trying to avoid my sister’s attempts to inflict her sense of fashion- which included her love of colourful tights- on me.”

“…Becca or Emma?” Jamie asked.

“Emma, believe it or not,” Stuart laughed. “Yes, the same Emma who spends all day nowadays wearing very serious skirt suits and only wears tights that are a shade of black.”

“You know,” Jamie teased, “if you DID want to try on some of the tights I bring home tomorrow, I wouldn’t object…”

“Get some sleep, babe,” Stuart ordered, making Jamie giggle as she rolled over. Like Nikki, she had her worries, but she knew that she’d always have the support of the person she loved, no matter what happened.

When Jamie woke up the following morning, her anxieties hadn’t miraculously vanished overnight, but that didn’t stop her from wearing a smile on her face as she showered, applied her make-up and dressed in a short, long-sleeved black minidress along with a pair of the fashionable tights she was endorsing, a teal pair with small cat face silhouettes sewn throughout the fabric.

“Me-ow!” Stuart teased, laughing as Jamie threw a pillow at his naked body. “People seriously wear those on their legs?”

“They will after I endorse them,” Jamie said smugly. “Celebrity power, after all…”

“And you are, of course, wearing them for the money?” Stuart asked.

“Well duh,” Jamie laughed. “Really think I’d wear THESE otherwise?”

“Good point,” Stuart laughed. “When’s Nikki getting here to pick you up?”

“About 45 minutes,” Jamie said. “Want a lift to the studio?”

“Please,” Stuart laughed, before making Jamie sigh as he pulled on his loudest pair of psychedelic socks, followed by his trademark look of a pair of tatty, black jeans and an old t-shirt with the image of a rock band on the front.

“Morning Jamie, hi Stu!” Nikki said with a grin as the couple climbed onto the back seat of her car. “Does this mean I get to claim extra petrol expenses today?”

“It does indeed,” Stuart laughed. “If you could drop me at the agency, please.”

“Can do,” Nikki said. “While it’s still there, anyway…”

“Enough pessimism!” Jamie chastised her protégé. “You’ve got work every day this week, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Nikki sighed. “Actually would’ve liked to have spent some of it with Sarah before she gets back to uni, but, you know, money…” Jamie and Stuart both laughed as the car headed through the packed London streets, eventually dropping Stuart off at his place of work before reaching the TV studio where Jamie would be working. After touching up her make-up in her carefully prepared dressing room, Jamie rendezvoused with Nikki at the edge of the set, along with four tall models, each of whom were wearing a pair of multi-coloured tights underneath plain black leotards.

“Ahh,” Nikki giggled. “You know, one of these days, you WILL need someone to fill in for one of the models… Kinda feel underdressed wearing black tights, heh.”

“Underdressed, maybe,” Jamie teased. “But girly and gorgeous? Always. I’m surprised we didn’t call on you, anyway, normally when I’m reviewing legwear Dannii’s our chief model, but I guess we’ll have to make do without her.”

“Ella’s much better in that role anyway,” Nikki said, making the eighteen year old Australian model blush as she playfully patted her on the shoulder. “Frankly, I reckon we’re better off without Dannii.”

“Meh, you would, given what she did,” Jamie shrugged.

“…Umm, what is THAT supposed to mean?” Nikki asked.

“Umm, what is THAT supposed to mean?” Jamie asked. “That accusation? What, you think I like Dannii more than you? Kinda like the way you now like Steph more than me?”

“I didn’t say that,” Nikki sighed as the troupe of models began to fidget uncomfortably. “Why are you being so paranoid, anyway?”

“Go- go and wait in reception,” Jamie growled. “If I want you, I’ll send for you.”

“…Yes, ma’am!” Nikki snorted, grabbing her tote bag and leaving the set. Jamie took a deep breath to calm her nerves as the crew began to leave the set.

“You saw none of that, okay?” Jamie asked the four models, who all nodded nervously. The twenty five year old transwoman forced a smile on her face as the show’s host greeted her with a gentle hug, before leading her and the four models onto the set.

“We’re just going to talking about your new tights today,” Kate- the presenter- explained. “But if there’s time at the end, is it okay if we ask a few questions about your recent life as well? I think it was your birthday yesterday, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” Jamie said with a giggle.

“Oh, happy birthday!” Kate laughed. “Well, we’ll talk more during the interview, okay?”

“Okay,” Jamie said, feeling relaxed despite her latest argument as the cameras pointed at her and she began to be broadcast live across the whole of Europe...

----------

“Steph!” Mrs. Abbott yelled, waking her daughter from her slumber. “Stephanie! Get down here! Your breakfast’s getting cold!”

“I’ll be there in a bit,” Stephanie grunted as she woke up and the events of the previous day came flooding back to her- the fight, her arguments with Adeola and Kayla and her rejection of Lauren’s offer.

“No, you’ll be here in the next ten seconds!” Mrs. Abbott shouted, making Stephanie roll her eyes as she threw her covers back, pulled on a light pink dressing gown and padded down the stairs, gasping at the unexpected sight that greeted her as she entered the living room.

“Hi Steph,” Adeola said with a stoic voice as she, Becca and Kayla fixed the transwoman with a firm stare.

“Hi- ugh,” Stephanie spat, before letting out a long sigh. “Addie… I’m sorry for what I said yesterday, I’m sorry for criticising Jonathan, I know he’s got a hard job, I certainly wouldn’t be able to do it… I was wrong.” Stephanie smiled as Adeola let out a quiet giggle, before jumping up and wrapping her in a tight hug.

“Apology accepted,” Adeola said with a warm, wide grin. “And thank you. Kayla told me about what Lauren said and did yesterday… I’ll be honest, there’s a part of me that thought you would actually have gone.”

“And a part of me that’s jealous that I wasn’t asked,” Becca quipped, prompting giggles from the other girls.

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Stephanie asked. “Reckoning that I’m, you know, a splitter?”

“I guess,” Kayla said, “because I think if I were in your position, I don’t know if I’d be able to stick around people who I thought wanted me gone.”

“And in fairness, we can’t afford to lose ANOTHER member of the band,” Becca said.

“And in fairness, Jonathan really did screw up yesterday by getting us all in to watch Lauren’s vid,” Adeola conceded. “Uncle Joshua wouldn’t have done that.”

“Umm, he did for Constellation, didn’t he?” Kayla asked.

“Well, yeah,” Adeola said, “but Constellation affects the whole agency. Lauren splitting just affects us four, so we’re the only ones who should have known. Well, we’re the first who should’ve known, anyway. Would’ve avoided… Well, yeah.”

“How- how is your mouth, Steph?” Becca asked cautiously.

“Sore,” Stephanie sighed. “Lauren of course pounced on that the second she saw it.”

“She couldn’t know that it was Jamie who did it though, surely?” Becca asked.

“Who else was it going to be?” Stephanie shrugged. “Either her or someone else at the agency… I will admit, I WAS briefly tempted by what Lauren was offering.”

“Me too,” Kayla whispered.

“Hell, I think any of us would’ve been,” Becca mumbled. “But you know what? In a way… I’m actually kinda glad that Lauren’s gone. And not just because it means that my brother’s going to be swamped with work for the next few weeks, heh.”

“Why glad?” Adeola asked her best friend.

“…Because what Jamie said was right,” Becca sighed. “When we started the band it was always us-“ Becca gestured to herself and Adeola- “and them.”

“We did- we did feel a bit, you know, ‘excluded’ at the start,” Kayla mumbled. “And not just because I was only seventeen at the time. We- I mean, me and Lauren- we always got the impression that you wanted a band to be like the Angels, like, ‘true friends’, but- you know- we never got treated that way.”

“And that was 100% our fault,” Adeola sighed. “We should’ve made more of an effort. Point is, though, you three did kinda outnumber us two…”

“Well that’s your fault for not being more people, isn’t it?” Stephanie retorted, making Adeola roar with laughter.

“Ahh… That’s exactly the sort of thing my uncle would say,” The dark-skinned girl chuckled.

“How is he, anyway?” Kayla asked.

“A LOT better,” Adeola said with a happy grin. “Went to see him before coming here, he was actually sat up in bed, heh. Umm… Didn’t tell him about Lauren, though, figured that was the LAST thing he needed right now…”

“Well when he gets out,” Stephanie said with a confident grin, “he needs to know that, four or five, his band is waiting for him, right?”

“Hell yeah!” Becca giggled, holding her hand in front of her. “Out. Of. Heaven.”

“Out of Heaven!” Adeola cheered, clamping her hand on top of Becca’s.

“Out of Heaven!” Kayla laughed, adding her hand to the pile.

“Out of…” Stephanie said as she placed her immaculately manicured hand on the top of the pile.

“Heaven!” All four girls cheered simultaneously, before Stephanie flopped dramatically onto her sofa.

A mere twenty-four hours earlier, she’d worried that she’d irreparably alienated herself from her band, but with their visit to her home and their acceptance of her, Stephanie had never felt more loved. What Becca had said struck a chord with Stephanie- ever since she’d revealed the truth to Lauren, the Scottish girl had grown distant, even shunned Stephanie at times. Now that she was gone from the band, it meant that the only people left were all genuine, close friends of Out of Heaven.

Lauren had undoubtedly tried to split Out of Heaven apart with her actions, but Stephanie was determined that the band would be stronger than ever- and a quick look at her bandmates convinced her that they felt the same way too.

----------

“This pair, modelled by the lovely Ella,” Jamie said as the Australian girl stepped in front of the camera and playfully kicked her legs, showing off the pattern on the tights, “is what I like to call the ‘spider web’, if you see, the tiny threads woven throughout are actually threads, rather than dye.”

“They look so cool!” Kate gushed as Ella did a twirl before returning to where the other models were lined up.

“They are!” Jamie giggled. “Colourful tights like this are a great way for a girl to express her individuality. Of course, there’s nothing stopping any boys from using them to express their individuality, either!”

“Ah, of course!” Kate laughed. “I bet you wished you had funky tights like this when you were fifteen, am I right?”

“Heh, of course!” Jamie giggled as she crossed one brightly-coloured leg over the other.

“Which was, of course, ten years ago yesterday, am I right?” Kate teased, making Jamie giggle bashfully.

“It might have been, yes!” Jamie squeaked. “Didn’t have as big a party as previous years, just celebrated with my family and my fiancé, all the people I REALLY need with me.”

“This wouldn’t be because of the new ‘Constellation’ modelling group, would it?” Kate asked, momentarily making Jamie’s smile fall.

“No, no, we’re not worried about them,” Jamie said dismissively. “In fact, I’m actually happy for Dannii, she’s been a friend of mine for a long time and I’m happy to see that she’s doing well.”

“So the Angels aren’t afraid of the competition?” Kate asked.

“Not at all,” Jamie said with a cool smile.

“Well we’ll get the chance to hear their side tomorrow,” Kate said, turning her attention to the camera, “when we’ll be joined by Constellation members Jade and Mia Cooke, as well as fashion & beauty blogger Bella Brittain and rising YouTube star Zelda Malik, so make sure you tune in, same time, same place!” Jamie forced a smile on her face as she waved goodbye to the camera, but the second she was off the air, she turned to the host of the show with a deep frown on her face.

“…Sorry,” Kate cringed. “Orders from my producer, they wanted to get a soundbite from you about Constellation. You know, a lot of news outlets are calling this whole thing ‘The War of the Angels’ or ‘The War in Heaven… ly talent’.”

“Yeah, well that’s a bit of an exaggeration,” Jamie laughed. “If there really was a war, I wouldn’t here shilling tights, would I? It’d be Kelly or whatever her name is.”

“Meh, you’re a household name, she isn’t yet,” Kate shrugged. “Anyway, I promise next time, no talk of the enemy, okay?”

“…Okay,” Jamie laughed, giving Kate a hug before leading the four models off the set. “You did good out there, Ella. Wouldn’t have thought it was your TV debut!”

“Thanks!” Ella laughed. “God, need to call my friends, need to call my grandma… Hope Kayleigh-Ann was able to watch this…”

“Heh,” Jamie chuckled as she left the models to change, before returning to her dressing room to find Nikki waiting outside with a frown on her face. “Here to apologise?” Jamie coldly asked as she walked past Nikki without breaking her stride.

“…Seriously?” Nikki retorted. “After the way you spoke to me?”

“Umm,” Jamie retorted. “Which one of us is the employer and which one is the employee again?”

“I’m not apologising for calling you paranoid,” Nikki said as Jamie exchanged her multi-coloured tights for a plain black pair. “These last few days… Jamie, seriously, you need help. When was the last time you talked to Sarah’s mum?”

“I don’t need a counsellor,” Jamie spat. “I’ve finished my transition, you don’t see Doctor Williamson anymore, do you?”

“I would if I was feeling down,” Nikki argued. “Please, Jamie…”

“One more word that isn’t an apology, and you’re fired, okay?” Jamie said sternly, silencing the tearful teenager.

“I’m- I’m sorry,” Nikki whispered.

“Wasn’t so hard, was it?” Jamie asked, oblivious to how upset she’d made her protégé. “Now I guess it’s my tur-“ Jamie was interrupted mid-sentence by the ringing of her telephone.

“…Your mum?” Nikki asked. “She usually calls after-“

“It’s the agency,” Jamie mumbled as she answered the phone. “Hi, Jonathan!”

“Jamie,” Jonathan said from the other side of the phone, “what the hell was that!?”

“Umm… It was a review of a new brand of tights,” Jamie replied, confused by Jonathan’s hostile attitude.

“You know what I mean,” Jonathan growled.

“Umm… I really don’t,” Jamie said, her own hostility growing.

“Acknowledging Constellation?” Jonathan said. “Saying you ‘wish Dannii well’?”

“Well what was I supposed to do?” Jamie spat. “Pretend they didn’t exist? Spit on their name? Funny, I seem to recall you breaking up a fight yesterday, I’d have thought you’d be happy that I was being more mature!”

“That’s not-“ Jonathan began, but he was not given the opportunity to finish his sentence.

“And what’s more, they brought it up!” Jamie shouted. “And just for the record, your uncle would NEVER have called up one of his talents- especially one of his biggest talents- just to yell at them, especially after ruining their birthday the previous day! Frankly, Jonathan, I’ve only had my degree for less than a week and I could a much better job than you of running this agency, because the way you’re going, by the time Joshua gets out of hospital, there won’t even BE an agency left for him to run!”

“Fuck you!” Jonathan yelled, slamming the phone down and leaving Jamie fuming.

“J- Jamie?” Nikki whispered in a scared, timid voice.

“Shit!” Jamie yelled, hurling her phone into the dressing room’s sofa.

“I- I’m sorry,” Nikki mumbled, earning a long sigh from the blonde transwoman.

“No, I’m sorry, Nikki,” Jamie sighed. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you, DEFINITELY shouldn’t have threatened to fire you… God knows none of the Angels would get anything done without you, heh.”

“Apology accepted,” Nikki whispered, exchanging an awkward hug with her mentor. “What- what did Jonathan say?”

“Ugh,” Jamie spat. “Basically accused me of promoting Constellation in the interview I just gave.”

“Oh- what?” Nikki replied. “Hardly ‘promoting’…”

“EXACTLY,” Jamie snorted, before sighing as her phone bleeped yet again, this time to inform her of a new text message.

“…Jonathan?” Nikki asked.

“No,” Jamie said, gasping at the identity of the message sender. “…It’s from Dannii.”

“D- Dannii!?” Nikki asked. “What… What does she want?”

“Thanks for the shout out,” Jamie read the message aloud. “Been a while since we last chatted, call me when you get the time, I might have something you’ll be interested in.”

“What does THAT mean?” Nikki asked.

“God knows,” Jamie sighed. “…Though I guess it couldn’t hurt to hear her out, right? Kinda understand why she split?”

“We KNOW why she split,” Nikki spat. “Fame and fortune over friendship. You- you’re not going to actually call her, are you?”

“…I dunno,” Jamie sighed. “Gotta speak to Charlotte first.”

“More petrol miles?” Nikki asked, earning a giggle from her mentor.

“Sure,” Jamie whispered. “And Nikki? Never think that we don’t appreciate you, okay?”

“Okay,” Nikki giggled as they headed back to her car, which soon whisked the two of them through the streets of London toward Charlotte’s vast, imposing house.

Jamie took a deep breath as she knocked on the front door. She still had her own key, of course, but following their last conversation, Jamie felt it best that she didn’t barge into Charlotte’s home unannounced.

“I’m coming,” Charlotte yelled from inside the building. As she opened the door, however, her face instantly fell. “Oh. It’s you.”

“Yeah, it’s me,” Jamie whispered.

“Here for your birthday presents, I take it?” Charlotte asked.

“I’m here for you, Charlie,” Jamie whispered. “I- I’m sorry for what I said. I was out of line… I just want us to be friends.”

“Jonathan called about fifteen minutes ago,” Charlotte said coldly. “Told me what you said to him.”

“Did he tell you what he said to me?” Jamie retorted. “Did he tell you how he spoke to me?”

“He’s our boss,” Charlotte said.

“Joshua’s our boss,” Jamie said. “Jonathan’s just filling in for now. And not doing a good job of it either!”

“Funny you should mention Joshua,” Charlotte spat. “You had the time to give our opposition a shout-out on TV today but no time to give Joshua a ‘get well soon’? Or a mention of Mary’s new daughter?”

“It- it never came up!” Jamie pleaded. “They mentioned Constellation, I commented, they ended the show- what was I supposed to do?”

“Show some support to the only father, the only family I have anymore,” Charlotte whispered. “I- I don’t want to even look at you right now.”

“Then fine,” Jamie spat. “The feeling’s mutual. See you later, Charlie.” Jamie kept an angry pout on her face as Charlotte slammed the door, though the instant the door shut, Jamie’s face fell and tears began to freely flow from her eyes.

“Goddd…” Jamie sobbed as Nikki gave her another awkward hug. “Just- just take me home, please…” Nikki nodded as she helped Jamie into her car, and remained silent throughout the whole drive back to Jamie’s parents’ home, where the twenty-five year old woman flopped onto her sofa and let out a long, pained groan. She could handle having Stephanie as a ‘nemesis’, but to have her agency call her up just to criticise her, and even worse, to have Charlotte refuse her apology, was something Jamie simply couldn’t stand.

As Jamie played with her phone, it seemed as though there was only one person in the world who actually wanted her. Jamie paused before dialling the number on her screen, contemplating whether or not she would make her situation any better, or whether she would end up making it much, much worse.

“Hello?” The soft, feminine voice on the other end of the line asked.

“Hi Dannii,” Jamie said with a grin. “It’s Jamie, Jamie-Lee Burke.”

“Oh, hi Jamie!” Dannii squeaked excitedly. “It’s SO cool that you called, I almost expected Joshua- or whoever’s in charge- forcing you not to talk to any of us, heh.”

“Umm, you mean like your bosses have been doing?” Jamie asked.

“Huh?” Dannii replied. “Never mind, not important. I’m just going to come out and ask, Jamie- how would you like to be Constellation’s official mentor?”

“…I’m listening,” Jamie whispered as Dannii began talking in great length and at great speed about the new opportunities she had been offered.

----------

“No. Fucking. Way!” Sarah gasped as Nikki flopped onto the sofa next to her. “Jamie seriously forced you to apologise? Seriously threatened your job?”

“She apologised herself a little bit after, but yeah,” Nikki sighed. “I mean, I’ve seen her stressed before, but jeez…”

“That’s not just stress, she’s a fucking psycho,” Stephanie spat, leading to an awkward silence.

“I did- I did recommend that she call Beverly,” Nikki whispered. “Dunno whether or not she will.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Stephanie snorted. “People like her are just pure ego. And I have the scars to prove it.”

“Hardly a ‘scar’,” Kayla said, earning a disapproving stare from Stephanie. “Umm… You do have a point, though…”

“She wasn’t always like that, you know,” Nikki sighed. “When we first started working with her, she was always so sweet. It was just a few months after her SRS, it was like she wanted to help the entire world find out who they were. It was like she could actually do it, too.”

“She WAS cool,” Sarah sighed. “Maybe she’s just stressed? Maybe she’s jealous of all her friends having kids, I know she felt that ‘urge’ a while ago…”

“Either way,” Stephanie announced, “there’s no point in US worrying about it, right? I mean, Out of Heaven will go on, we’re all cool, right?”

“Those of us who don’t have to work with Jamie, anyway,” Nikki snorted.

“Well if the worst should happen,” Kayla said with a smug grin, “Out of Heaven will always need a good PA, especially now that we’re going to have to relaunch all our merchandise now that we’re a foursome…”

“You already have a PA!” Nikki laughed.

“No, we have PAs,” Kayla retorted. “More than one, we don’t have, like, one girl we can rely on for everything, like the Angels do with you.”

“You’re bigging me up a bit more than I deserve,” Nikki laughed.

“Hardly,” Sarah giggled, giving her fiancée a tight cuddle.

“And I know Becca and Adeola will go for the idea too,” Stephanie said. “If you’d like, I can talk to Adeola, maybe get her to talk to Jonathan when he’s free…”

“It would be good for your career,” Sarah said. “The Angels has been cancelled, so you won’t be getting as much work there, but like Kayla said, Out of Heaven are going to be really busy the next few months…”

“…Okay then,” Nikki giggled, earning cheers from the other three girls.

“This is going to be SO cool!” Stephanie squeaked as she gave Nikki a tight hug. “And, you know, when I start oestrogen…”

“With you every step of the way,” Nikki giggled. “Both of us are, right Sarah?”

“Of course!” Sarah laughed as she hugged Stephanie. “Who needs the Angels, anyway?”

----------

Jamie had a blank expression on her face as she strolled through the front door of the Krystie Fullerton School of Dance and took a seat in the reception area next to a small group of proud parents, who were watching the lesson on CCTV. Dannii’s offer had caught her by surprise, and it wasn’t something she could simply accept or decline without giving it a lot of thought. If she joined Spencer & Hall, the monetary benefit would be immense, and not just to her, but to Stuart as well. Dannii- speaking with the authority of her agency- had guaranteed him a high-paying job as well as her, and even though Jamie knew it would be a hard sell, separating Stuart from his sister, she also knew that he could be just as ambitious as she was when it came to his career.

However, if she left Heavenly Talent, it would affect more than just herself and Stuart. The Angels- regarded by many as the closest, most genuine and, most importantly, oldest group of its kind- would be no more. But then, this was the same group who were rejecting Jamie, who were treating her like a pariah for expressing her opinions and doing what she thought was right. Jonathan- the husband of one of the Angels- had treated her like she was a naughty schoolgirl, even though he was barely two years older than her. And Charlotte, Jamie’s supposed BFF, had looked down on her like she was something she’d scraped off the bottom of her shoe. Jamie asked herself: did she want the forgiveness and acceptance of people who would treat her like this, when she could get guaranteed acceptance and friendship elsewhere? People move on, it was a simple fact of life. Was this Jamie’s time to move on?

“Oh, hi Jamie!” Krystie giggled as she left her dance studio, several teenaged girls (and even a couple of teenaged boys) in tow. “Sorry, I’ve already been to see Mary today, think she and Natasha will be asleep by now.”

“That’s okay,” Jamie said with a tired grin. “It’s actually you I kinda want to talk to anyway.”

“Huh, okay,” Krystie said. “Ash, you go get ready, I’ll just be a minute, okay?”

“Okay,” one of the young male ballet dancers replied as Krystie led Jamie into her office.

“So… ‘Sup?” Krystie asked, sitting down behind her cluttered desk.

“It’s- ugh. I’m not sure how caught up you are…” Jamie moaned.

“After the fight yesterday, I’m trying to stay as non-caught up as possible,” Krystie said in a cold voice.

“Yeah… Sorry about that,” Jamie grimaced. “It’s just- I dunno. Stephanie just- she just winds me up, you know? The way she lied to get everything…”

“You’re not exactly the fountain of truth either,” Krystie reminded her friend. “Are you sure this isn’t about Stephanie not taking oestrogen?”

…Maybe, I dunno,” Jamie sighed. “And now I’ve fallen out with Charlotte as well, and Jonathan this afternoon…”

“He is NOT doing a good job, trying to fill his uncle’s shoes,” Krystie sighed.

“You try telling him that,” Jamie snorted.

“Well…” Krystie said. “I guess it IS a stressful job, especially with the wannabes breathing down our neck. Your neck, at any rate- I’ve always got this place to fall back on should my modelling work dry up.”

“Yeah, rub it in, why don’t you?” Jamie laughed. “I’m just glad I still have one friend who’ll talk to me.”

“Not just ONE friend,” Krystie said. “You’ve got your fiancé, your family…”

“Yeah, I guess…” Jamie mumbled. “Krys, I- I’m in a really, really difficult place.”

“Oh- Jamie?” Krystie asked, her voice softening as she saw tears form in the transgendered woman’s eyes. “What is it?”

“I got a call from Dannii today,” Jamie sighed. “She- she says that Spencer and Hall will offer me a job if I want it. In Constellation, I mean, as their ‘mentor’, their Charlie to the other girls’ Angels, pun not intended.”

“Are you going to accept it?” Krystie asked.

“…Really?” Jamie asked with a laugh. “No ‘how dare you’? No righteous indignation about betraying Joshua whilst he’s in a hospital bed?”

“It’s your life,” Krystie shrugged. “You have to do what you feel is best. Obviously, I’d prefer it if you remained with the Angels, but I’m not going to try to force you to make a decision.”

“Um, Krys,” Jamie said with a giggle. “Why exactly is it that the only one of the Angels with a pierced clitoris is also the most sensible of us all?”

“Oh, I had that taken out AGES ago,” Krystie laughed. “Kept getting caught in Mikey’s teeth…”

“Okay, maybe not the most sensible,” Jamie giggled.

“Meh, I’m the only one who’s a teacher, I have to be,” Krystie shrugged. “Speaking of, I have girls to go and teach, but I will just ask this- what do you want, really?”

“I- I just want things to go back to the way they were,” Jamie sighed as she followed Krystie back out to the reception area, where a group of young teenagers were sat waiting, all eight of whom were wearing the traditional ballet uniform of a pair of soft pink tights and a black leotard. Jamie scanned the faces of the star struck young women and allowed herself a wide grin when she realised that she’d met one of the girls before.

“Hi- Laura, isn’t it?” Jamie asked, making the fourteen year old girl giggle.

“Yep, ‘fraid so!” Laura replied, fidgeting excitedly.

“And…” Jamie said, racking her memory. “Megan, Nicole, Harriet, Priya, Suriya…”

“Mia,” one of the girls- a dark-haired girl with pale skin- said nervously.

“Ash- Ashley,” the final girl said whilst clearing her throat.

“Nice to meet you all again,” Jamie giggled. “You all getting extra tuition from Krys- sorry, from Miss Fullerton?”

“Yep!” Laura replied. “Well, our best girlie Ash is, anyway!” Jamie let out a good-natured giggle as Ashley’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“I really want to get all eight of them doing a routine together in our next show,” Krystie explained. “Eight’s a perfect number for choreography. Also, I think Nicole might be trying to show you something on her wrist…” Jamie laughed as she recognised the shiny blue wristband that the mousy-haired girl kept fiddling with, a wristband that she herself had worn in publicity photos for The Angels’ mystery boxes.

“Ah, yes,” Jamie giggled. “Was that in August or September’s box? We get these things so far in advance, you see."

“September,” Nicole replied.

“It’s also against the uniform code, isn’t it, Miss Wyatt?” Krystie asked, making Nicole blush as she removed the wristband and put it back in her bag.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you from your dancing,” Jamie said. “Thanks for the talk, Krys.”

“You know I’m free to talk anytime,” Krystie said with a warm grin. “Come on, girls.”

“Oh wait!” Jamie said, making the room pause before they re-entered the dance studio. “Umm, girls, umm… Are you following this, umm, this Constellation thing?”

“Ugh, bunch of wannabes,” one of the girls, a shorter Asian girl, replied with a light Indian accent.

“I kinda like them,” Laura shrugged. “Because they’ve got Dannii Samson, who used to be in Nikki Thomas’s Angels. Prefer the real thing, though.”

“They do have their own transgendered woman though, don’t they?” Another girl- a tall girl with glasses- asked.

“So?” Laura snorted. “She’s probably a wannabe too.”

“Just because she’s in a group that’s copying mine, doesn’t mean she doesn’t genuinely want to transition, same as either of us,” Jamie said.

“Well- yeah, I guess,” Laura mumbled. “I guess I could like her eventually.”

“And she is Asian,” the other Asian girl replied with a thicker accent than her sister. “Much as I like the Angels and the Teen Angels, you are all white.”

“That’s why Out of Heaven were cool, because of Adeola,” the first Asian girl said. “Well, and Steph, obviously!”

“Yeah!” Laura giggled.

“…Even after what came out last week?” Jamie asked. “About her, you know…”

“Meh,” Laura shrugged. “Made me a feel a little awkward at first. Then I realised that, like, I’m really, really lucky to be able to have hormones when I’m fourteen, even if it isn’t, like, PROPER hormones. And some people are lots, lots unluckier than me.”

“Yeah,” Ashley said in a nervous, quivering voice. “Stephanie- she’s- she’s, umm, really, umm, a real inspiration. Helps me, you know, feel that I can, umm, be me…”

“Wait…” Jamie said, staring at Ashley fidgeting nervously in her dancewear. “Are- are you also transgendered?”

“Aww!” Mia giggled as she gave Ashley a hug. “You passed, Ash!”

“I’m sure you’ve met Ashley at least once before,” Krystie said. “Though SHE was dressed quite differently.”

“Ashley isn’t out in public yet,” Laura explained. “She doesn't have a diagnosis yet, but she is out to her parents, thanks to Miss Fullerton, Mademoiselle Renou and Nikki Thomas!”

“…You didn’t think to ask me to help with the coming out?” Jamie asked.

“Didn’t want to trouble you,” Krystie shrugged. “You had enough on your plate.”

“And you didn’t?” Jamie retorted. “Sorry, sorry, I’m taking up valuable dancing time, I’ll see you tomo- huh, guess I WON’T see you tomorrow morning.”

“Well, whenever we see you, we’ll see you,” Krystie said, before bidding Jamie farewell with a tight hug.

“Bye, Krys,” Jamie whispered, holding onto her friend’s hug as long as she could before letting go.

As she drove home, Jamie mused on her encounter with Laura, Ashley and their gang and realised that if she did leave the Angels, it wouldn’t just be her friends and family that she’d affect, but her legions of fans as well. For better or worse, girls like Laura, who were well into her transition, and like Ashley, who had yet to begin her transition, looked up to her as a role model. Jamie could easily tell just how close the eight girls were with each other- possibly even closer than she and the Angels had been at the beginning of their fame. They had probably fallen out in the past, and would inevitably fall out again at some point in the future, but they always returned to each other, just the same way that Jamie had always found her way back to Charlotte in the past.

Jamie had difficulty sleeping that night, such was her anxiety about her decision. Her heart yearned to remain a part of the Angels, but her head knew that with Constellation, she would earn more money, she’d be given unconditional respect by her colleagues, all of whom were younger than her, and as her encounter with Krystie had proved, there was nothing that would stop her from informally remaining friends with the other girls if that was what they really wanted. However, the formal events she went to, the launches, the premieres that all six Angels attended would be a thing of the past- but as Jamie knew all too well, all good things must come to an end.

Jamie was already awake when her phone rang the following morning, breaking her concentration. Jamie forced a tired smile on her face when she saw the identity of the caller, before taking a deep breath and answering the call.

“Hey, sexy,” Jamie cooed.

“Hey, sexiER,” Stuart laughed. “Sorry I couldn’t make it back last night, was up until 2am trying to sort out this fucking album.”

“As long as you make it up to me later, you’re forgiven,” Jamie laughed. “Stu… There’s something I need to tell you, something that isn’t easy.”

“…It isn’t- it isn’t that you used to be a man, is it?” Stuart asked, making Jamie sigh loudly.

“Really?” Jamie asked.

“Sorry,” Stuart chuckled. “Had that one saved up for the ‘there’s something I have to tell you’ speech for a while now… Figure that you wouldn’t tell me you’re breaking up with me over the phone, so I’m kinda safe… Hope I’m kinda safe, anyway…”

“I- I’ve been speaking to Spencer and Hall,” Jamie whispered.

“…Oh,” Stuart said bluntly. “I see.”

“After yesterday, um, Dannii texted me,” Jamie explained. “I called her, we got chatting, she put me on to the management there, and they, umm… They arranged an interview for this morning at eleven.”

“Oh,” Stuart mumbled. “I-, umm, I…”

“Yeah,” Jamie sighed. “Stu- ugh. Look, the Angels are pretty much on their last legs, Charlotte hates me, Jonathan hates me and he’ll be in charge of the agency for the foreseeable future… Spencer and Hall have offered me more fame, more money… I’d be stupid not to at least hear them out.”

“Well, obviously, I’ll support you no matter what you choose,” Stuart said. “I- no, I’m not going to say ‘I wish you’d spoken to me first’, I don’t want to be THAT type of man.”

“Thank you,” Jamie whispered. “No matter what, even if we work for different agencies-“

“Opposing agencies,” Stuart corrected his fiancée.

“-Opposing agencies,” Jamie continued, “even then, you’ll still be the most important person in my life. You’ll still be the man I love. After the interview, I want to see you, okay? Face to face, a lunch date, like we used to in the old days.”

“Umm… I kinda spend lunch breaks at the agency,” Stuart mumbled. “Umm… ‘inflated’, if you know what I mean…” Despite herself, Jamie giggled at Stuart, before sighing loudly.

“I’ll call you after the interview,” Jamie said. “I suppose I’d better start getting ready…”

“I’ll wait for your call,” Stuart whispered. “I love you, Jamie-Lee.”

“I love you, Stuart,” Jamie said, wiping away a single tear as she ended the call and headed into her shower, thoroughly cleansing her body and washing her long, sandy hair, treating it with every conditioner she had until it glistened in the morning sunlight.

After drying herself off, Jamie returned to her bedroom to get ready for the day, and it was only as she sat down at her dresser that she realised that she was in the exact same circumstances she was on the first day she became a woman- sat in a haze of femininity, preparing for a job interview with Spencer and Hall that would determine the future of more people than just her. The only difference was that this time, Spencer and Hall were interested in her, rather than Charlotte- and of course, her breasts and her genitals were real, flesh and blood, and not latex prosthetics.

The most important difference, though, was that this time, Jamie-Lee truly was a woman. When she’d woken up in Charlotte’s bedroom all those years ago, she’d never before imagined living her life as a girl. As she applied her subtle, professional-looking make-up, Jamie realised she couldn’t imagine not living life as a girl, not spraying on perfume, pushing expensive gold earrings through her lobes or pulling on a very smart black bra and thong set. She couldn't imagine not pulling on a short, tight skirt that exposed her nylon-covered legs, or buttoning up a smart white blouse that enhanced her feminine figure, or slipping her feet into a pair of high-heeled shoes that gave her three inches of extra height.

As she examined herself in her mirror, everything felt right to Jamie. Everything was as it should be- she was a picture of feminine beauty, a woman envied by other women and desired by men. And yet, she felt just as afraid as she had on her first morning in Charlotte’s house, and for the same reason- she was alone, taking a step into the unknown.

As she walked through the posh, modern reception area of Spencer and Hall, Jamie projected the image of a cool, confident young woman, ready to take on the world. Her look was immaculate, her face inscrutable and her stride confident, but with every step, Jamie felt more and more unsteady on her heels, and by the time she reached the reception desk, it was all she could do not to lean on it for support.

“Jamie-Lee Burke, here for my eleven o’clock meeting?” Jamie asked the receptionist, who pointed her toward the stairs. The blonde woman gripped the banister tightly for support as she climbed the stairs, and took a deep, nervous breath as she was confronted with a door emblazoned with the word ‘CONSTELLATION’ in big, bold letters. Clenching her hand into a fist, Jamie knocked on the door as gently as possible.

“Yes?” The serious, deep-voiced man behind the door barked.

“It- it’s Jamie-Lee Burke,” Jamie said.

“Come in,” the man ordered. “Please take a seat.” Jamie nodded as she sat down, taking care to keep her skirt smooth and wrinkle-free as she lowered herself into the chair and slowly crossed one leg over the other.

“Thank you for coming, Miss Burke,” the man said. “My name is Sawyer, Christopher Sawyer. This will just be an informal chat to answer any questions you may have about Constellation, and the end, I’ll also be asking you a few questions.”

“About- about what?” Jamie asked.

“Just about your ambitions,” Mr. Sawyer answered. “And about your time with Heavenly Talent.”

“I see,” Jamie whispered as she tried to get comfortable in her chair.

“As I’m sure you’re aware,” Mr. Sawyer began, “Constellation is marketing itself as the new number one modelling super group for the UK. Whilst the group bears similarities to your former group, the Angels, we’re not positioning Constellation to be a competitor, or even a replacement, but something entirely new.”

“But aimed at the same demographic?” Jamie asked.

“The target market for Constellation will be girls aged 13-19, yes,” Mr. Sawyer said. “The ITV2 television programme will be aimed at an older demographic, women aged 20-29.”

“I see,” Jamie said. “Dannii said- she said you were looking for a ‘mentor’ figure for the group?”

“Yes, that is the role we see you adopting,” Mr. Sawyer said. “Acting as an older, wiser, more experienced celebrity. The reality show wouldn’t focus on you, but would focus on the four women we see as the ‘core’ of Constellation- Miss Watson, Miss Cooke- the older Miss Cooke- Miss Witkowska and Miss Nichols.”

“But- but Dannii isn’t one of the core members?” Jamie asked.

“Miss Samson is more of a long-term project,” Mr. Sawyer clarified. “We hope to keep adding new members to Constellation and rotating the members of the core group. As Miss Samson is the youngest of the nine members, she will need to wait before becoming a member of the core group, as will the younger Miss Cooke.”

“I see,” Jamie whispered. “Will- will I get the chance to meet any of the members today?”

“Yes,” Mr. Sawyer said. “Miss Watson, Miss Witkowska, Miss Samson and Miss McTavish are in the agency today taking publicity shots.”

“Kelly’s here?” Jamie asked, prompting a smile from the otherwise stoic man.

“She is indeed,” Mr. Sawyer said. “When we told her we were interviewing you today, she was very eager to meet you.”

“I’m very eager to meet her,” Jamie said.

“Well, after this meeting, I’ll introduce the two of you,” Mr. Sawyer said with a friendly grin. Jamie smiled a genuine smile for the first time during the interview as the middle-aged man moved onto details or her pay- which, as promised, would be far higher than what she received from Joshua- her workload and what would be expected of her, how she would be expected to behave in public as a representative of the agency and, most crucially, limits on communicating with her existing friends, which Jamie was relieved to learn were not as restrictive as she had expected- she’d be allowed to socialise with any of the Angels anytime she wished, but forbidden from taking part in official Angel activities, such as the regular weekly parties or dance lessons. Jamie was forced to agree that it would be a small price to pay for the extra money she would be receiving.

Once the ‘informal chat’ had concluded, Mr. Sawyer led Jamie down to one of the small photography studios in the office complex, where Jamie watched as the four young women- Kelly, Katya, Dannii and Lauren- took turns getting publicity photos taken whilst wearing various different clothes and make-up styles. Jamie was forced to suppress a smirk when her eyes met Kelly’s, and the oriental transwoman immediately turned to Katya- who stood next to her- and excitedly whispered in her ear.

“I think our presence here has become known,” Mr. Sawyer said with a smile. “Come, I’ll introduce you.” Jamie smiled nervously as she followed the middle-aged man to where Kelly and Katya were stood, giggling nervously. “Kelly, Katya, I’d like you to meet Jamie-Lee Burke.”

“Oh my god!” Kelly squeaked as she excitedly shook Jamie’s hand. “I am SUCH a big fan of yours, I mean Dannii told me that you might be coming in today but I didn’t really believe it, I mean, I thought you and the Angels were so tight that you’d never even consider coming over to join Constellation but then I saw you on the other side of the studio and-“ A cough from Katya caused Kelly to stop in her tracks and blush at her unbridled enthusiasm. “…Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Jamie giggled, giving the excited oriental girl a gentle hug.

“Hi, I’m Katya!” The brown-haired girl stood next to Kelly said in a light Eastern European accent. “I’ve been a fan of the Angels right from the start, never thought I’d get to actually meet one of you!” Jamie giggled as Katya and Kelly gushed over her, musing that the stories she was hearing from the two girls were very different from the stories she heard on their official introduction videos.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Jamie said, giving Katya a gentle hug. “Are- are you both professional models?”

“Yep!” Kelly said. “Since I graduated two years ago, I got signed to the agency a few months ago. I actually sent a portfolio to Joshua at the start of year, but didn’t get accepted.”

“Our- sorry, THEIR loss,” Jamie said with a smile.

“I’ve been modelling semi-professionally for five years,” Katya explained. “Up until signing with the agency six months ago I worked at the Playboy club in London.”

“As- as a bunny?” Jamie asked.

“Naturally,” Katya said with a smug grin.

“And yet she STILL won’t let me borrow her uniform,” Kelly playfully sighed.

“I told you, we’re not allowed to keep them,” Katya retorted with an air of frustration in her voice.

“…Anyway, we know what we’re doing for Katya’s birthday in December!” Kelly said excitedly. “Speaking of, Jamie, I didn’t see any photos from your birthday party on your Instagram?”

“Uhh… I kinda, kinda celebrated privately,” Jamie mumbled. “Just my parents, my fiancé…”

“You and Stuart are SUCH a cute couple,” Kelly sighed. “Me and Kurt are also okay, I guess… Kinda early days there, never really dated a transman before but I figure if anyone knows what our journey is like, right?”

“Actually I only started dating Stuart after my operation,” Jamie said. “We were friends beforehand, but not, you know, lovers.”

“I would LOVE to hear all about your transition,” Kelly sighed. “You know, girl to girl…”

“I’d love to hear all about yours!” Jamie laughed.

“Mr. Sawyer,” Katya said with a cheeky grin, “I think you might need to free up a private office…”

“That can be arranged,” the middle-aged man replied with a smirk as he led Jamie and Kelly to a small office down the corridor from the studio. “I’ll be in my office when you’re done, I’ll have a contract printed out for you to look over and sign, okay?”

“O-okay,” Jamie said. “A contract? Already?”

“I’ve already spoken to your manager at Heavenly Talent,” Mr. Sawyer said. “He’s agreed the terms to activate your buyout clause.”

“Wow,” Jamie sighed as she sat down opposite Kelly.

“First of all, I LOVE that suit,” Kelly giggled, seemingly unaware of Jamie’s shock. “Nothing says ‘feminine and strong’ like a pencil skirt, right?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Jamie laughed. “I- I like your dress, though.”

“Aww, thanks!” Kelly laughed, standing up and doing a twirl in her knee-length red cheongsam. “I’ve hardly ever worn traditional Chinese dress before, but the ‘bosses’ thought it’d be cool… And it IS pretty, you have to admit!”

“Definitely,” Jamie laughed. “You- you don’t have an accent, though.”

“…I did,” Kelly laughed. “Well, it’d probably be more accurate to say that Kevin had an accent. I’ve been speaking with this voice for over three years, though, I don’t know how to speak any other way, heh.”

“Have you had surgery on your vocal chords?” Jamie asked.

“No, thank GOD,” Kelly laughed. “Not really a fan of going under the knife, I’m lucky that my dad’s side of the family are all, well, ‘generous’ women so these are all real, heh.” Jamie smiled as Kelly pointed to her B-cup breasts.

“Surgery SUCKS,” Jamie snorted. “But it’s the only way you’ll, you know…”

“I know,” Kelly sighed. “But I am really, really looking forward to it… Is it, you know, really different?”

“At first,” Jamie said with a smile as she rubbed her nylon-covered thighs together. “After a few months though, you won’t even remember being any other way.”

“Is Nikki feeling the same way?” Kelly asked, making Jamie frown in confusion. “Nikki… Thomas? I think she’s three months today, isn’t she?”

“Umm, yeah…” Jamie replied. “You- you know Nikki?”

“I follow as many transgender blogs as I can,” Kelly said, her cheeks again flushing with embarrassment. “Dannii doesn’t talk about her much, which is kinda a shame.”

“Nikki’s cool,” Jamie whispered. “Really, really cool…”

“Yeah,” Kelly said. “And- and of course, I know Stephanie, I mean, Kurt talks about her a bit…”

“She’s less cool,” Jamie said coldly.

“Meh, I dunno,” Kelly shrugged. “I mean, she’s what, twenty? Same age I was when I started transitioning. I mean, when I was eighteen, I was obsessed with all things girly, and if you’d given me the chance to live full time as a woman, I’d have bitten your arm off, heh. But to actually take that step to say ‘I am a woman and that’s all I want to be’… Well, you know just how hard that is, especially when you have very traditional, conservative parents, heh.”

“…Actually, I don’t know that,” Jamie confessed, earning a small gasp of shock from Kelly. “When- when I started, you know, ‘being Jamie-Lee’… I was estranged from my parents, living by myself… Didn’t so much as own an item of female clothing. Couldn’t afford it, heh.”

“But- but your blog-“ Kelly pleaded.

“Doesn’t tell the full truth,” Jamie whispered. “Charlotte- Charlotte came to me, offered me the life of ‘Jamie’… I couldn’t resist.”

“Hell, who would?” Kelly laughed.

“I- I’m sorry if I misled you,” Jamie said. “With my blog, I mean.”

“It’s your life, it’s your decisions,” Kelly shrugged. “Same goes for Stephanie, I guess. She’ll find her own way eventually, anyone who was quote-unquote misled by her will get over it sooner or later. Heh, knowing celebrity life, probably sooner rather than later!”

“Yeah,” Jamie laughed as she contemplated her own behaviour toward Stephanie.

“And she’ll always have her friends, right?” Kelly asked. “I mean, Lauren doesn’t want anything to do with her, but I read Kayla- Kayla Ford? I follow her Instagram too, she and Steph seem SO tight. So do the other two left in the band. That’s what I never had at uni and always wanted, a proper, close, tight group of girl friends. My own ‘Angels’. I thought that with your show being broadcast during my last year, I’d be part of a copycat ‘Angel group’, but no joy.”

“Where did you go to university?” Jamie asked.

“UCL,” Kelly said. “So I lived at home with my parents, which helped, but I was studying politics, and most people on my course were these neoconservative morons who took one look at me and tutted throughout every lecture.”

“Hence why you went into modelling instead of politics?” Jamie asked.

“Yeah, kinda,” Kelly said. “And like I said before, I wanted that ‘clique’ of tight-knit friends… Figured that modelling was the best way to get it, and companies are always looking for models with a different, more ‘exotic’ look.”

“Well, looks like you’ve got your clique now!” Jamie laughed.

“Yeah,” Kelly laughed, before letting out a grimace. “Well… Ugh.”

“…Kelly?” Jamie asked.

“I mean, yes, I’m sure eventually Constellation WILL be like that second family to me,” Kelly sighed. “But- you know? It’s just ego after ego flying around everywhere. You saw the way Katya responded to just the tiniest teasing, it’s like any excuse she can get to score points, she takes. Dannii’s the same way, so are Jade and Mia… Don’t really know the other girls well enough yet. I- I guess that’s just the way it is, umm, were- were the Angels, you know, at the beginning?”

“Umm… No, actually,” Jamie whispered as she thought back three years to the birth of the Angels. “We- we were always tight, right from the start, we were friends long before we were ‘Angels’. I mean, Viks wasn’t even a model when we started hanging out with her, she was a size 12, we were size 8s, but we treated her all the same. We really were friends, not colleagues…” Jamie’s voice trailed off as she remembered back to the early days when she and the other five Angels all hung out together, before their work and their social lives began to blur together. She remembered the support they gave when she was recovering from her SRS, the way they would always be available to chat at any time of day, the way that when they were working, they’d show up unannounced to offer support…

“That sounds so amazing,” Kelly whispered. “You know, Jade and Mia actually have another sister who ISN’T a model? They barely talk about her, barely even acknowledge her.”

“What does she do?” Jamie asked.

“She’s an archaeologist,” Kelly answered.

“Oh, that’s so cool!” Jamie gushed. “My mum was into archaeology when she was younger. Well, she used to watch Time Team, anyway…”

“I love that show,” Kelly enthused. “Not officially, of course, doubt the agency would approve of us watching anything other than TOWIE of Made in Chelsea…”

“…Or the Angels?” Jamie asked.

“As if they’d let us,” Kelly snorted. “Even though I never miss an episode, heh.”

“Don’t want to promote the opposition?” Jamie asked. “Yeah, I get that…”

“But still,” Kelly said with a wide grin, hopefully with you on board, Constellation and the Angels can eventually be friends, rather than opponents… Assuming that Katya, Jade and everyone can actually get along, heh… Can I share- can I share a secret with you, please?”

“Well, I am supposed to be your mentor,” Jamie chuckled.

“…I always fantasised about- about being a member of the Angels,” Kelly mumbled. “I’m sorry, I know that sounds creepy…”

“Not at all,” Jamie laughed. “Just means we were doing our jobs right, heh.”

“After I came out,” Kelly continued, “I followed you and the Angels closely. Even joined a ballet class, always imagined one day I’d get invited to one of your Monday lessons, heh.”

“Oh, cool,” Jamie enthused. “Do you have pointe shoes?”

“Nah, I only went for a couple of months,” Kelly said. “Plus I hadn’t, well, ‘grown’ then, I kinda felt self-conscious in my leotard…”

“Did you go to Krystie’s class?” Jamie asked.

“Didn’t have the patience for the waiting list, heh!” Kelly laughed. “And if I went, I’d probably have spent my whole time gushing over Krystie, heh.”

“Trust me, she’s used to it,” Jamie laughed. “Though most of her students now just see her as ‘Miss Fullerton’.”

“Even Mary’s daughter?” Kelly asked, making Jamie laugh.

“Daughters, plural,” Jamie corrected Kelly, making the oriental girl laugh.

“Oh, so cute,” Kelly sighed. “Have you seen her yet?”

“Not yet,” Jamie sighed. “Think Mary’s still in hospital. Getting out today, actually.”

“Oh, you should definitely go see her once you’re done here!” Kelly laughed.

“Yeah,” Jamie said, before wondering how accepted she would be if she showed up to greet Mary, having torn the Angels apart.

As much as Jamie was frustrated by the fighting she had seen during the previous week, she did love all of the Angels as though they were her sisters. Families may argue, Jamie reasoned, but they were still families nonetheless, and Kelly’s words made it clear that no matter what Spencer and Hall wanted the world to believe, Constellation were not a family. What they were, however, were a new opportunity- and not just for more money. In just ten minutes, Jamie had formed more of a bond with Kelly than she had with Stephanie in the previous eighteen months. Jamie genuinely liked Kelly, and knew that if she rejected Spencer & Hall’s offer, she would be hurting her new friend- and, as Jamie was so fond of saying, you can never have too many friends. Either way, Jamie would have to hurt someone before the end of the day…

“I think- I think I’d better go and talk to Mr. Sawyer now,” Jamie said confidently.

----------

“Aww, she is SO cute!” Nikki squeaked as she cradled the two day old girl in her arms.

“Be careful with her head!” Mary urged.

“Umm, hello? Baby sister?” Nikki reminded the worried mother. “I know what I’m doing, don’t I, Natasha?”

“My turn!” Zoe pleaded, gently taking the tiny infant from Nikki’s arms. “Ahh, she is another little ballerina, just like her big sister, isn’t she, Kristina-Leigh?” The entire crowd cooed happily as the tutu-clad two year old girl nodded.

“Your whole family is just so cute,” Charlotte sighed as she pushed a trolley full of drinks through from her kitchen. “Kinda wish I had a second now.”

“Sure, you’re twenty-five, you got plenty of time,” Mary laughed.

“Ehh…” Charlotte grimaced. “No offence, Mary, but I kinda wouldn’t want to bring another kid into the world until I was sure about my own life. God knows I panic enough about little Keithy as it is…”

“You worked today, right?” Mary shrugged. “Jonathan’s promised me all the work I can handle, when I feel up to it.”

“…And we might be getting more work to share around us soon,” Krystie mumbled, darkening the mood in the room.

“I still can’t believe she did that,” Charlotte spat. “Stabbing Joshua in the back whilst he’s in a hospital bed.”

“She only said she was going for a meeting,” Krystie insisted. “It’s not like we’ll never see her again.”

“Why are you sticking up for her?” Charlotte asked.

“Because she’s my friend,” Krystie replied bluntly, silencing the entire room.

“We should- we should get-“ Nikki mumbled, before being interrupted by very phone in the room bleeping to notify their owners of a new text message.

“…Speak of the devil,” Hannah quipped as she read her text. “She- she wants to see us at the office… In an hour.”

“At- at the office?” Mary asked. “As in, Heavenly Talent’s office?”

“I’d assume so,” Hannah shrugged. “Doesn’t give us long to go home and get changed…”

“If this is what I think it is,” Charlotte whispered, “it wouldn’t matter WHAT we wear.” The men and women gathered in the vast room all grimaced, before heading toward the front door to answer Jamie’s invitation. As she sat down in her car alongside her fiancée, Nikki let out a long, frustrated groan.

“Don’t be worried,” Sarah whispered, supportively squeezing Nikki’s hand. “No matter what, you’ve still got your new job with Out of Heaven, right?”

“Yeah,” Nikki said with a smile. “And I am looking forward to it, it’s just… I dunno, I’ll miss her, you know? I’ll miss having a mentor…”

“There’s only so much any mentor can teach you,” Sarah said. “Certainly, when it comes to being a woman? You already know all there is to know.” Nikki smiled as Sarah gave her thigh a gentle squeeze, before allowing her fingers to explore underneath the hem of Nikki's short skirt. “Three months, Nikki. You know what THAT means, right?”

“…It means I have to check to see if I’m up to it,” Nikki grimaced. “I’m still kinda sore down there… And kinda swollen still…”

“I can wait,” Sarah shrugged. “I want your first time to be just as special as mine. God knows you deserve that much.” Nikki smiled as Sarah removed her hand from her thigh, though her heart continued to pound as she followed the convoy of cars to Heavenly Talent’s office in the centre of the city. She’d known Jamie for years, but over the prior few days, it was like she was a stranger- and as Nikki drove, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d never truly know her mentor ever again.

----------

“I’m glad we were able to work this through,” Jonathan whispered as he signed the document and handed it to Jamie. “I, um, I regret some of the things I said. I’m sorry if I hurt our friendship. I’m glad we can still be friends.”

“So am I,” Jamie mumbled. “I- I’m sorry too, sorry for the way I’ve acted the last few days. Friends?” Jamie extended her hand, which the dark-skinned man eagerly shook, a tired smile spreading across his face.

“Friends,” Jonathan said. “I, um, think everyone’s waiting for you downstairs.”

“I really hope this is the last time we have to use that damned studio for an announcement!” Jamie said, making Jonathan chuckle as he took her hand and kept her steady on her heels as they descended the stairs. “You know, Jon, people might say you’ve not quite got your uncle’s brains… You’ve definitely got his laugh, though!” Jamie smiled as Jonathan threw back his head and roared with laughter, a laugh that, while slightly higher-pitched than his uncle, nonetheless brought a smile to the face of everyone in the reception area who heard it.

“Come on,” Jonathan said, leading the blonde woman to the studio where she and her friends had received nothing but bad news during the preceding twelve days.

Jamie took a deep breath as she entered the studio and scanned the faces of everyone present. All of the Angels were there, as were their partners and their children. Jamie grinned as she saw Mary sat on the front row, cradling her newborn daughter in her arms whilst her first child- Jamie’s goddaughter- squirmed in her father’s lap. Jamie had hoped that the first time she saw baby Natasha would be under happier circumstances, but she was just happy to be able to see her at all.

Nikki and her friends were all present, as well, though Jamie found herself unable to return to stare of the woman who was now her former protégé. Krystie’s business partner Zoe was also present, as were three of her friends, women Jamie knew from the ‘Sky Angels’ reality show the agency had produced- and knew from having got to know them since their introduction to the ‘family’ many months beforehand. Ella, the same young woman Jamie had worked with the previous day, was present too, alongside her friend Abbey-Gayle and several other young women whom Jamie didn’t recognise.

Jamie gave Stuart’s hand a quick squeeze as she stepped past him toward the front of the room, though she couldn’t even bring herself to return his gaze, not least because he was stood next to the one person Jamie dreaded seeing the most.

Stephanie bit her lip as she saw Jamie coolly stride past her toward the front of the room and tried not to let the sight of the blonde haired transwoman get under her skin. She’d spent the whole morning in the recording studio with what remained of her band, re-recording tracks for their album, when they all received text messages ordering them to report to the adjacent studio to listen to Jamie’s announcement, even though Stephanie placed no value whatsoever on anything Jamie had to say. Like the other women in the room, Stephanie had heard the rumours that Jamie had had a meeting with the management team at Spencer and Hall, and she hoped that Jamie would announce her imminent departure to that agency and then leave, never to be seen again in the offices of Heavenly Talent.

“My friends,” Jamie announced, taking a deep breath to steady her considerable nerves. “The last two weeks have been hard for all of us. And I acknowledge that I am part of the reason why. My actions were selfish and immature, and for that, I apologise, I apologise fully and unreservedly. Nikki, what I said to you yesterday was wrong. Charlotte, what I said to you on Monday was unforgivable. And Stephanie… The way I’ve treated you over the last few months has been despicable.”

“Go on,” Stephanie said, frowning as Kayla reprimanded her with a light punch in the side.

“I’ve been where you are,” Jamie said. “I know what it’s like to feel like you have to hide who you truly are. I guess I just thought that as you and I are, well, the same, that meant I was entitled to know your secrets. I was wrong. And I apologise."

"...Apology accepted," Stephanie mumbled.

"Same here," Nikki said.

"And from me," Charlotte whispered, handing her son to her husband before approaching Jamie and giving her a long, tight hug. "So... Is this it, then? The end of the Angels as we know it?"

"...Ah, yes, the interview," Jamie said. "Yes, I did speak to Spencer and Hall earlier today. I met with management there, spoke to some of the members of Constellation, and they offered me a contract." Jamie grimaced as the assembled crowd let out a collective sigh.

"A contract..." Jamie said, taking a deep breath. "...That I turned down. Instead, I signed a new contract with Jonathan just a few minutes ago that will keep me at Heavenly Talent for the next TEN years."

"R-really?" Charlotte asked, her jaw dropping. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Jamie said with a warm smile. "This is my family. And yeah, we don't get along, and yeah, there are some people in here who I'll never be friends with, but you don't turn your back on family." Jamie giggled as Charlotte wrapped her body in a tight hug, before sighing contentedly as the rest of the crowd turned the embrace into a group hug.

"I knew you wouldn't let me down," Charlotte whispered in Jamie’s ear. "I'm sorry if- well, I'm sorry. I- I love you, Jamie."

"I love you, Charlotte," Jamie whispered, before grinning as she approached the chair where Mary was sat, cradling her newborn daughter. "Now, can I FINALLY please be introduced?"

"She's only been out of me two days!" Mary laughed. "Natasha, say hi to your auntie Jamie!"

"Hello, Natasha!" Jamie cooed at the tiny infant, giggling as she squirmed around in Mary's arms. "I suppose I'll have you to thank in future years when I get fewer birthday presents, heh."

"They're still wrapped up at home," Keith said. "Waiting for you..."

"That sounds like EVERYTHING I want to do right now," Jamie sighed. "Try and get back to normal... There's something I need to do first, though." Jamie bit her lip as she stared at Stephanie, then Nikki, before her gaze settled on Sarah.

"...Of course," Sarah whispered. "I'll- I'll text her now."

"Text who?" Charlotte asked.

"The person I should've spoken to right from the start," Jamie replied.

----------

Stephanie stretched her limbs as she exited the car, before straightening her short skirt and her dark tights. Behind her, Jamie-Lee Burke did the same, having travelled straight from the agency without even going home to change first. Stephanie regarded Jamie with a suspicious stare, but nodded at the twenty five year old woman as they walked together into the posh office. Her mouth still stung from where Jamie had struck it days earlier, and it had taken all of her willpower not to return the favour during the silent car ride, but Stephanie had managed to put her anger behind her for the duration of the ride.

Stephanie wasn't convinced that Jamie's idea would work, or even have any positive benefit at all, but she was at least willing to try to make it work- and she knew that the person that she and Jamie were going to see was the only person who could make it work.

"Hello Jamie, hello Stephanie," Dr Phillips said as the two young women walked into her office and sat down in separate seats, not looking at each other. "It was lucky I had a vacancy today to fit you both in. Sarah's filled me in about what's been happening, about the, um, fight... I want to hear from both of you first, what do you want to get out of this session?"

"I want us to not be enemies anymore," Jamie said. "Simple as that. I've grown tired of hating Stephanie... I want to try to understand her better."

"Stephanie?" Dr Phillips asked.

"I just want to be able to get on with my life without constantly having to check my behaviour around Jamie," Stephanie replied, fixing Jamie with an accusing stare that the blonde woman was unable to return.

"I want you two to begin by airing your grievances," Dr Phillips said. "This is the opportunity to get anything off your chest. I want the two of you to tell each other why you don't like each other, but I want you to begin every sentence with the word 'I'. Don't make accusations, don't use insulting language, just state, using your own words, why you dislike one another. Stephanie, you go first."

"Jamie, you-" Stephanie began, before withering as her counsellor fixed her with a stern stare. "Jamie, I- I feel like you think that I'm not good enough to be your friend. You- um, I mean, I feel like you only want me as, like, a 'mini-me', not a true friend. I, um, I feel like you don't WANT to trust me."

"Now you, Jamie," Dr Phillips said.

"Stephanie," Jamie whispered. "I- I, um, I feel like YOU don't want to trust ME. When you- uh, I mean, um, I felt, you know, betrayed when the truth came out about your transition. I felt like you thought I couldn't be trusted. I felt like you didn't- you couldn't see me as a true friend. I- I wanted to be a part of your life, but I felt like you only wanted to exclude me."

"Just because we're both transgendered, it doesn't mean we have to be best friends," Stephanie said bluntly. "I- I'm sorry, I shouldn't have spoke-"

"No, it's okay," Dr Phillips said. "You're right in that not all transgendered people are the same, and not all transitions are the same. In fact, you'll never find two transitions that are alike. Stephanie, I want you to respond to what Jamie said. Again, use only sentences that begin with 'I'."

"I- um, I didn't know whether I could trust you," Stephanie said. "Because- umm, I mean, I was having difficulties coming to terms with my transition, and I, uh, I felt like if you knew the truth, you'd be offended... And you- uh, I mean, I feel like you were."

"Jamie, you respond to what Stephanie said," Dr Phillips instructed. "Same rules."

"I was only offended by the lies, not by your transition," Jamie said. "I was offended by the feeling that you thought- um, I mean, I feel like you thought I was unapproachable." An awkward silence filled the room as the two young women mused on what the other told them.

"This isn't going to be a quick process," Dr Phillips explained. "It won't change the nature of your relationship overnight. But over time, I'm sure the two of you can work out your differences. Eventually, you may even be able to call each other 'friend'. This is the first step. We will take ALL the steps together, if that's what you really want."

"It is," Jamie said, wiping a solitary tear from her eye.

"Stephanie?" Dr Phillips asked.

"...Yes, yes I'd like that," Stephanie whispered.

An hour later, Stephanie climbed into the waiting taxi and let out a long, tired sigh. The session had been mentally and emotionally draining, yet the young woman felt oddly refreshed, like a weight had been lifted from her. She and Jamie had finally cleared the air, and whilst she wasn't sure that she could ever call the blonde woman a 'friend', Stephanie was at least confident that she no longer had to worry about Jamie's disapproval of her life, and that she'd be able to live her life the way she wanted, without anything to hide anymore.

That night, Stephanie slept soundly in her bed for the first time in days.

----------

"It's so good to be back in this room," Stuart laughed as he stepped out of his jeans and dumped them on the chair at the end of Jamie's bed. "Girly as it is, of course..."

"And it's only ever going to get girlier," Jamie said, making her fiancé snort with laughter. "But yes, it is good to finally be home, under the same roof as- heh, as my sister."

"Do they do 'blood sisters' the same way they do 'blood brothers'?" Stuart asked.

"If they do, I'm sure as hell am not bleeding," Jamie laughed. "...Sorry, sometimes forget, 'bleeding's kinda a sensitive subject..."

"It's okay," Stuart whispered. "Been the better part of a decade since I last 'bled', heh. Do you- do you suppose they'll ever make it so, you know, transgendered girls like you can, well, 'bleed'?"

"A hundred years from now, who knows?" Jamie shrugged. "I mean let's face it, you're sat there right now with a raging hard-on, a hundred years ago THAT wouldn't have happened!"

"Very true," Stuart laughed as he stared at his penis, which had been made fully erect by the implant within it.

"And a hundred years from now," Jamie laughed, "maybe transgendered men like you will be able to shoot their load all over their girlfriends?"

"Now THAT would've been a birthday present to remember!" Stuart retorted. "Speaking of... Were- were you happy?"

"More today than on my actual birthday, yeah," Jamie laughed. "I mean, the dresses, the make-up, they're cool, but the best present of all is that our, well, our 'family' is back together."

"You DID spend your whole actual birthday with your actual family, you know?" Stuart reminded his fiancée.

"Well, I guess," Jamie mused. "And yes, it was fun, hanging out with dad... But what I have with Charlotte and the rest of the girls... That's- ugh, this'll sound silly..."

"It's closer than family?" Stuart asked. "Doesn't sound silly at all. I mean, think about it, Charlotte doesn't have any family, Mary's all live in Ireland, Hannah barely sees hers, you and Viks fell out with your families for prolonged periods... Seems like Krystie's the only Angel who has a healthy relationship with her family and she moved out at the age of 18 and only sees her parents once a week at most. It's only natural that you'd be closer than sisters. Take it from someone who has two sisters and used to be one himself."

"I guess," Jamie laughed. "Sisters AND cousins, I mean, if I'd fallen out permanently with Nikki I'd have been heartbroken, and Stephanie..."

"...Topic change?" Stuart asked.

"Nah," Jamie whispered. "If Steph and I never become friends... That's okay. Just as long as we don't become enemies ever again."

"Did kinda make my life extra awkward, having to work with her day in, day out," Stuart laughed.

"...Sorry," Jamie grimaced.

"It wasn't all your fault," Stuart said with a wide grin. "It isn't with Becca, either. I'll work on her, get her- well, you know..."

"No rush," Jamie laughed. "Pity that I had to let down another potential 'cousin' to stay in the family... You know, I was all so ready to hate Kelly, but she's cool, really cool."

"Because you took the time to get to know her?" Stuart asked.

"Yes, yes, point taken," Jamie sighed. "No prizes for guessing who you were talking about."

"Did you at least get Kelly's contact details?" Stuart asked. "A phone number, a Facebook friend request?"

"Yeah, we've been texting tonight," Jamie replied. "She's disappointed, obviously, but I think she gets why I turned down Spencer and Hall."

"Well, I'm just glad this whole thing is behind us and we can try to get back to normal," Stuart said. "Well, normal minus a member from my band, anyway. And our boss."

"And our TV show," Jamie sighed, giving her fiancé a kiss as he got into bed with her. "And our PA... Gonna be weird going into work, knowing that Nikki's now working with your band. But still, I guess at least we have still got work. And most importantly, we've still got each other."

"Always," Stuart whispered, returning Jamie's kiss before switching out the light and closing his eyes."

----------

"Mmph," Sarah moaned as Nikki's phone loudly chimed to inform her of a new text message. "Nikki, I get that you love your job, but seriously?"

"Ugh," Nikki moaned as she checked her phone. "It's from Jonathan. Viks's photoshoot today has been canned."

"Oh, what?" Sarah groaned. "Why? Is she laid up with morning sickness again?"

"No..." Nikki said, a wide grin spreading across her face. "It's for a good reason, this time."

Two hours later, Nikki's grin grew wider than ever as she stood outside the main office of Heavenly Talent, dressed in her smartest, tightest skirt suit, her favourite brand of barely black tights and her highest-heeled stiletto pumps. Beside her stood her fiancée, dressed equally smart, and surrounding them were the entire Heavenly Talent 'family', mere hours after their reconciliation. However, there was still one member missing from the 'family'.

"I think that's him!" Jonathan shouted as a black London taxi loomed into view. Less than a minute later, the taxi pulled up alongside the crowd, who all loudly cheered and applauded as Joshua Benedict stepped out of the taxi, accompanied by his wife Judith.

"Enough cheering!" Joshua laughed in a voice much tireder and quieter than his usual bombast. "You will give me another heart attack!"

"Don't say that!" Judith chastised her husband. "There, you've seen that the agency is still standing, now can we PLEASE so home and get you some rest?"

"In time!" Joshua boomed.

"Please, listen to Aunt Judith!" Jonathan pleaded. "I've got thing under control here. I have, honestly."

"He has, Joshua," Jamie said, exchanging a knowing smile with Jonathan.

"Really, he's been doing a great job," Stephanie insisted.

"Then where is Lauren McTavish?" Joshua asked, before sighing as his nephew stared guiltily at the floor. "It is alright, Jonathan. Something I learned a long time ago is that you cannot fight greed, you cannot fight ego. Her choices are her own and no longer any concern of ours. Now... I should head home to rest."

"Yes, you should!" Adeola chastised her uncle, who let out a good-natured chuckle at the young woman's defiance.

"I can rest easily, knowing that the agency is in good hands," Joshua said. "And you all, you ALL are supporting my nephew, right?"

"Of course," Jamie said, the whole crowd nodding in agreement.

"Then get back to work!" Joshua boomed as he climbed back in the taxi along with his wife.

"You heard the boss!" Jonathan yelled, smiling as the crowd dispersed. "Jamie... I could use some help. You know, in the office, getting things straight... Wanna put that new degree of yours to use?"

"I'd be happy to," Jamie said with a warm grin as she followed Jonathan back into the office, whilst the rest of the crowd returned to their homes.

Nikki smiled as she watched Jamie follow Jonathan into the office building. Joshua's words, 'you cannot fight ego', had resonated in her ears. Over the previous week, she'd seen her mentor's ego grow to the extent that she wondered if the Jamie that she'd known was gone forever. Her willingness to 'lower' herself to do admin work, however, reassured Nikki that the Jamie she knew, the Jamie she loved, was not only back, but she wouldn't be going anywhere for a long, long time.

----------

Kelly Watson fidgeted in her tight pencil skirt and her stiletto-heeled pumps as she stood in front of the imposing office building. Outwardly, she was prepared- she was wearing her most expensive suit, her most expensive designer shoes and her favourite jewellery, her make-up was immaculate and her shoulder-length jet black hair had been tied back into a very professional ponytail. She was the image of coolness, but inside, her heart was fluttering with nerves.

"May I help you?" The receptionist- whose nameplate read 'Ella'- asked as Kelly strode toward her desk.

"I'd like to speak to Mr. Benedict, please," Kelly replied with a quivering voice.

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Benedict isn't available today," Ella replied. "If you'd like to submit a portfolio, I'll see to it that he or one of his agents receives it and reviews it."

"Tell him-" Kelly said, before biting her lip, aware of how diva-like she was about to behave. "Tell him that Kelly Watson would like to speak to him about a contract."

"...Right away, Miss Watson," Ella said as Kelly tried not to smile too smugly.

Ten minutes later, Kelly found herself sat opposite the young but imposing figure of Jonathan Benedict, trying not to squirm as he questioned her. To Kelly's relief, sat alongside Jonathan was Jamie-Lee Burke- who had greeted Kelly like an old friend the second she'd stepped through the office door.

"I'm gonna be honest," Jonathan chuckled. "This was the LAST thing I expected to happen, heh."

"I'm kinda surprised myself," Kelly laughed. "When I signed up for Constellation, I was expecting- heh, I don't know WHAT I was expecting. A family, maybe, a group of true friends... Sure, I was also expecting fame and fortune. I want to be famous, I want to travel the world, see all the most exotic places... But I- I don't want to do it alone."

"You wouldn't be alone in Constellation," Jonathan said.

"Wouldn't I?" Kelly sighed. "Those girls aren't my friends. They aren't anyone's friends. Each one of them is lining up to position themselves as the 'true' face of Constellation. That's not a 'family'. Well, unless you count the Lannisters..."

"I sympathise, I really do," Jonathan said. "But what you want- it's asking a lot. REALLY a lot. Buying your contract from Spencer and Hall... You know you'd be taking a huge pay cut, right?"

"I understand," Kelly said.

"And even though we get on, there's no guarantee you'll get on with the rest of the Angels," Jamie said. "I'll of course speak up for you, vouch for you-"

"I understand," Kelly repeated. "I told you yesterday that I always wanted to be a member of the Angels, I fantasised about it. I thought I'd have it with Constellation... I was wrong. Dead wrong."

"There's also the legal aspect," Jonathan sighed. "Spencer and Hall will NOT be happy about us poaching their 'star player'."

"They poached Lauren from Out of Heaven," Kelly retorted. "Call it tit for tat? Pun NOT intended, of course."

"And the cost of buying out your contract," Jonathan sighed. "It'll cost considerably more than Spencer and Hall paid us for Dannii and Lauren combined. And without the TV money from the Angels, that's gonna be a hard price to justify."

"I have contacts," Kelly shrugged. "When my dad moved back from Hong Kong he got a job working as a consultant for loads of different companies. I'm sure I can persuade him to whisper in a few ears."

"Yeah, well unless one of those ears belongs to Jeff Bezos, I'm gonna have a hard time justifying the cost to my uncle," Jonathan sighed, before looking on quizzically as Kelly relaxed back into her chair with a wide, smug grin on her face.

----------

"It's a gamble," Jamie said as Jonathan collected the multiple-page contract from his printer. "Are you sure about this?"

"No," Jonathan sighed. "But one of these days, one day soon, all this will be mine. Uncle Joshua's heart attack proved that that day might be sooner rather than later. I've got to prove to him that I can make these big decisions, you know?"

"If you don't mind me saying," Jamie mumbled, "it sounds more like you need to prove this to yourself."

"...You're probably right," Jonathan said with a heavy sigh. "You really sure you'll vouch for her?"

"100%," Jamie said with a warm grin. "Now come on, 'Simba'!"

"I'm gonna be a mighty king..." Jonathan playfully sang as he and Jamie returned to the office where Kelly was waiting. "Sorry for the delay."

"It's okay," Kelly said. "Is- is that it?"

"Yep," Jonathan said. "Just sign where I've marked, and you'll officially be an Angel."

"Oh my god, this is so cool," Kelly laughed as Jonathan handed her a pen.

"Cooler than signing for Spencer and Hall?" Jamie asked.

"A million times cooler," Kelly said as she signed her signature on the pages. "There, I was just getting a job. Here... I already feel like part of a family."

"Well just so you're aware, families do fall out from time to time," Jonathan said. "It's gonna take time for you to settle in. And I expect you to deliver on those promises, okay?"

"I'll start making calls the second I get home," Kelly laughed.

"You've got a mobile, start the second you leave the office," Jonathan teased, letting out a playful chuckle to let Kelly know he wasn't being entirely serious. "But I think that's all we need... Welcome to Heavenly Talent, Kelly Watson!"

"Thank you for having me!" Kelly laughed, before gasping at her double entendre. "Oh my god, I'm sorry, I- I didn't mean-"

"It's okay," Jonathan laughed. "Now you'll have to excuse me, I've got a lot of cheques to write... And a LOT of explaining to do to my uncle!"

"Want me to help?" Jamie asked.

"Nah, you go," Jonathan said. "Introduce Kelly to the rest of the girls. No offence, Kel, but I think we've spent enough time in massive conferences in the studios downstairs."

"Amen to that!" Jamie laughed. "Come on, Kelly, I'll introduce you to Charlotte. And the two Keiths, of course!"

"So cool," Kelly giggled as she and Jamie walked down the stairs and out the front door of the agency, where a taxi was already waiting for them. "You- you actually do live with Charlotte, then?"

"I actually do live with Charlotte!" Jamie giggled. "I spend some time at my parents, some at my fiancé’s house, but most of the time we stay at Charlotte's."

"Oh my god, that is SO cool," Kelly sighed. "Like, watching the Angels, I always thought that the house was, like, a set or something..."

"Nope!" Jamie laughed. "And yes, it really does contain a huge L-shaped function room with a bar at one end and a big-screen projector at the other! Think it used to be multiple living rooms or something, then Charlotte's father had it converted."

"Awesome," Kelly said. "And- and I'll be allowed to go to the parties? You know, the Saturday-"

"Allowed? Try OBLIGED," Jamie laughed. "And you'll be 'allowed' to get up to speed with ballet, if that's what you really want."

"Definitely," Kelly laughed. "Well, up until I go in for my op next year, anyway..."

"Ah, of course," Jamie grimaced.

"I'm still SO nervous about that," Kelly mumbled. "Would- would you mind, you know, if I picked your brains? Like, if I became, you know, an unofficial 'protégé'?"

"'Protégé'?" Jamie replied. "No. 'Partner', on the other hand..." Kelly grinned widely as the taxi made its way through the streets of London, eventually arriving at the vast house where Jamie lived. Jamie grinned as she took her key out of her handbag and let herself and Kelly in, and her grin only grew wider as she heard the unmistakable sounds of a baby's laughter coming from the living room.

"Charlotte?" Jamie called. "Charlie, you in?"

"No, just the two of us," Eilish replied as she emerged from the living room with Keith junior in her arms. "Ah... I see we've got a guest!"

"Yep!" Kelly giggled nervously. "I'm Kelly, Kelly Watson."

"Oh, believe me, EVERYONE who spends more than five seconds in this house knows who you are," the Irishwoman laughed. "Does this mean, then, that I'm not going to get to be the seventh Angel after all?"

"Well... Not the OFFICIAL seventh," Jamie laughed. "When will Charlotte and Keith get back?"

"About an hour, they just went out for a late lunch," Eilish replied. "Make yourself at home."

"...I live here," Jamie retorted in a blunt voice.

"I was talking to our guest," Eilish chuckled, earning a stuck-out tongue from Jamie in response.

Jamie and Kelly spent the next hour getting to know each other better, discussing their childhoods, their difficult school lives, their relationships and their families, before Charlotte and Keith arrived home just after half past three. As expected, Charlotte gasped when she saw Kelly sat on her sofa, but after thirty seconds of explanation from Jamie, Charlotte was embracing Kelly like she was a friend she'd known her whole life.

----------

"No matter how many times this happens, it never gets any easier," Mrs. Abbott said, wiping away a tear as Stephanie packed away her clothes into several large suitcases.

"I know," Stephanie sighed. "But it just makes sense this way. Besides, I'm twenty, I need my own space... And besides, the way Tom and Amanda are going, soon you may have grandchildren to lavish all your attention on!"

"I'm too young to be a granddad," Stephanie's father jokingly protested.

"You're 54," Stephanie reminded the balding man. "You're really not."

"Just- just get packed," Mr. Abbott chastised his giggling daughter.

"Don't rush her!" Mrs. Abbott snapped. "We've had twenty-nine years of nothing but boys under this roof... I'd like to enjoy the last few minutes of finally having a girl living here while they last." Stephanie blushed as her mother spoke- for all the months it took for her friends to accept her as a woman, her mother had always been a pillar of support, and she felt a pang of guilt at moving out of the house for the second time in as many years. However, she knew that the home she'd be moving into would support her just as much as the one she was leaving- a belief that was confirmed when she finished packing and handed the smallest of her many suitcases to the tiny blonde girl waiting outside the room.

"This is going to be BEYOND awesome," Kayla laughed as she hauled the suitcase downstairs. "We're going to have so much fun, staying awake all night watching TV, playing videogames..."

"Gossiping, painting each other's nails?" Stephanie concluded, making Kayla giggle as she made her way downstairs to the borrowed van with her own suitcase.

"Doing things we want to do because we are two independent women who AREN'T defined by any categories, gender or otherwise," Kayla said with a smug grin. "Okay boys, all yours." Stephanie and Kayla smiled as Stephanie's brother Danny, Becca's boyfriend Riley and Adeola's boyfriend Marco all entered the house, returning minutes later with several much, much larger suitcases.

"We are still going to subscribe to SOME gender stereotypes, right?" Stephanie asked.

"Oh, hell yeah," Kayla giggled. "Come on guys, keep it moving!"

"Make us all a cup of tea and we will!" Danny retorted, laughing as his sister gave him the finger.

"...Just a pity your other brother couldn't come," Kayla sighed.

"One step at a time," Stephanie whispered as the last of her belongings were loaded into the van. "One step at a time..."

"Well, that's that, then," Mrs. Abbott sniffled as she gave her daughter a long, tight hug. "You come back here anytime you want, okay? You keep your key, anytime you need to stay over, or even if you just want to raid the fridge. That goes for both of you, right?"

"Thanks," Kayla said as Mrs. Abbott gave her a long hug. "I'll take care of her, I promise."

"You'd better," Mrs. Abbott said, making Kayla giggle.

"Come on," Riley moaned. "Mikey wants his van back at some point today."

"BOY!" Stephanie and Kayla yelled simultaneously, making each other squeak with laughter.

Stephanie and Kayla whiled away the rest of the night helping Stephanie get settled in, before relaxing by, as promised, playing videogames and painting each other's nails. Despite it being her first night in an unusual bed, Stephanie slept soundly, knowing that she was under the same roof as not just her best friend, but the best friend she ever had, or, in all likelihood, ever would have.

----------

All the members of the Heavenly Talent family slept soundly throughout Thursday night, even the newest member of said family. Kelly's father had been concerned for his daughter when she'd told him about her change in job, and was irritated when he found out that she had made promises that he would have to keep, but he was happy to make said promises, and Kelly had a spring in her step as she entered the offices of her new agency on Friday morning, dressed in her second-most expensive skirt suit and heels.

Kelly's presence drew a lot of murmurs as she stepped into the studio where her friends had received so much bad news over the previous two weeks, but the smiles on Jamie's and Jonathan's faces reassured her, and the wide grin of Joshua Benedict- who was observing the meeting by webcam from his home- made her especially excited.

"My friends," Jonathan said, "you have my absolute, 100%, cast iron guarantee that this is the last time we will all be sat in this studio like this. Because after today there will be no more fighting, no more arguing and needing to apologise... And no more lies."

"You may have noticed that there's an extra face in the crowd today," Jamie said with a smug grin that unintentionally got under the skin of many in the crowd, including Stephanie. "I'd like you to all meet Kelly Watson, FORMERLY of Spencer and Hall... And now officially the seventh Angel!"

"Umm... No offence to anyone, but did we need a seventh Angel?" Mary asked, making Kelly bite her lip to keep herself from retorting.

"In fairness, we've had at least ten more unofficial Angels for the last couple of years," Jamie replied. "The only difference is that Kelly will be promoted alongside the six of us who are, you know, 'original Angels'."

"Promoted how?" Krystie asked. "We've, like, got no show, Constellation are going to eat up all our work... No offence, Kelly, but you may have swapped the winning side for the losing side."

"I'd rather quote-unquote lose with genuine people than 'win' with a bunch of phoneys," Kelly retorted. "Constellation are entirely artificial."

"You did hear what Laura and her friends said on Tuesday, at your class," Jamie reminded Krystie.

"Well- yeah, I guess," Krystie said. "And I guess if we're anything, we're, heh, 'genuine'..."

"I- I just want you to give me a chance," Kelly said.

"Well obviously we'll give you a chance," Hannah said. "But Krystie does have a point, we've got no show, I've only worked one day this week..."

"You will have a LOT more work coming your way soon," Jonathan said with a smug grin. "Not least filming for the FOURTH season of the Angels!"

"Wait- wait, what?" Charlotte asked. "ITV2 renewed us?"

"Nope!" Jonathan said, his grin growing wider. "Thanks to Miss Watson's contacts, I have secured for the six- sorry, the SEVEN of you a deal for two ten-episode seasons... On Amazon Prime."

"Amazon Prime!?" Krystie asked, her skepticism immediately replace by excitement.

"Does- does this mean that we-" Stuart asked before being interrupted.

"No, we can't have any crossovers with Clarkson, Hammond and May," Jonathan laughed. "Trust me, I've already asked. What we can have, though, is increased exposure for the Angels resulting in increased work- exposure and work that can easily be shared with the remaining members of the former Teen Angels and Out of Heaven."

"This is awesome," Becca breathed happily.

"Does this also mean that the ban on-" Krystie began, before being interrupted.

"Yes, regular parties and dance lessons are hereby reinstated," Jonathan said. "With one exception- we're having the party at Charlotte's house tonight instead of tomorrow. We've got a new member- no, TWO new members to welcome, after all!"

"If the second new member is Natasha, I hope you mean 'this afternoon' instead of 'tonight'!" Mary said.

"As long as you promise to give me a break six months from now!" Jonathan replied, whilst gently squeezing his pregnant wife's hand.

"...Deal," Mary said with a happy, contented smile.

"Excellent!" Joshua boomed from the laptop's monitor. "So stop sitting around in those hot, heavy suits, go home, get changed and have fun this weekend! Next week, you will all be back at work or university and working hard! So go home!"

"Yes, boss!" Jonathan laughed.

"Everyone apart from my nephew!" Joshua laughed as the rest of the crowd dispersed and headed back to their homes.

The whole 'family' spent the afternoon at Charlotte's house, spoiling Mary, her husband and both of her daughters with gifts and attention, before returning to their homes to change, the women into their chicest party dresses and the men into their smartest shirts and trousers. By 8:30pm, they were all- minus Mary and her newborn daughter- back at Charlotte's house, celebrating Kelly's arrival into the 'family'. The oriental girl felt embarrassed at the attention that was being lavished on her, but her embarrassment quickly faded and she soon felt like she'd been a part of the family her whole life.

At around 10pm, with the party in full swing, Kelly became aware of Jamie gesturing to her from near the bar. As Kelly approached, she quickly saw that Jamie was not alone, but was accompanied by Nikki and Stephanie.

"Hi Kelly!" Nikki giggled semi-drunkenly. "Welcome to T-girl corner!"

"Thanks," Kelly laughed nervously.

"Hi Kelly," Stephanie said, her mood and her demeanour much more sober than Nikki's. "Kurt not with you?"

"Umm, no, he's visiting his parents in Canada this weekend, probably boarding his plane right now," Kelly mumbled, acutely aware that her boyfriend used to be Stephanie's boyfriend.

"I think... We should go somewhere quieter," Jamie said, leading her three fellow transgendered women upstairs to her bedroom, where they all elegantly sat down on Jamie's bed or on one of her chairs.

"Frankly, I'm glad our family has another T-girl," Nikki said. "I mean, no offence to you, Jamie, and absolutely ZERO offence to you Steph, but I- I kinda wish I could be friends with all the T-girls in the country. Hope the Angels are still going in three years when Laura turns eighteen, she'd LOVE these parties."

"Well, the Angels ARE getting another two seasons," Jamie said smugly. "We do well enough, we might just get more..."

"Let's just concentrate on the first season first," Kelly said. "You know... When I first- when I first came out, I honestly thought I was alone. I mean, I have enough trouble fitting in as it is, I'm not quite Chinese, I'm not quite English, not quite oriental or Caucasian... I've spent most of my life being used to being alone, isolated because of who or what I am."

"Tell me about it," Nikki sighed. "I literally don't speak to anyone from my school anymore. I um, came out literally the day after I left school, the same day actually, after my last exam..."

"I know," Kelly said as her cheeks began to redden. "I, um, I kinda read your blog..."

"Oh- really?" Nikki asked. "So cool... Then you'll know that if it wasn't for Sarah, I- I wouldn't be here. And I don't just mean 'I wouldn't be sat here with a vagina wearing a dress'... I might not even be here at all." Nikki sighed happily as Jamie gave her a quick, gentle hug.

"Same for me and Charlotte," Jamie sighed. "She didn't just give me this life, she gave me A life."

"...I guess the same goes for me too," Stephanie said. "'Steve' was just some directionless, unemployed loser. 'Stephanie' is a winner in everything she does, and it's all thanks to this 'family' I've been adopted into. Well, maybe not a winner in EVERYTHING, but- I'd rather be sat here wearing this dress than wearing trousers. And I have no intention of letting 'Steve' back into my life. Ever."

"Atta girl!" Jamie giggled. "I know you'll get your hormones soon, I'm sure of it."

"Want me to pout at Sarah's mum for you a bit?" Nikki offered, making Stephanie snort with laughter.

"Appreciate the offer, but it'll happen when it happens," Stephanie replied.

"Oh, but I do a GOOD pout!" Nikki said, before pushing her lips forward and widening her eyes in the deepest pout she could manage- a feat that made Stephanie, Jamie and Kelly all giggle.

"Ooh, ooh, me next!" Kelly laughed, before matching Nikki's pout. Jamie and Stephanie both took their turns pouting, and by the end of the 'session', all four girls were having difficulty breathing, they were laughing so much.

"You know..." Kelly said. "Being sat here... It's not the dress, or the jewellery, or the hair or the make-up, or even the hormones that I'm most grateful for. It's this- the four of us. Whether we're real girls or transgendered girls or even not 'girls' at all... We're friends. And that's the greatest thing about being a girl- having girl friends. Umm, by which I of course mean-"

"To friendship," Jamie toasted. "The greatest thing about being a girl."

"To friendship," the other three women repeated as they clinked their glasses together.

The four women's lives weren't perfect by any measure. They'd all found out that people who were their friends would just as happily stab them in the back the first chance they'd get, but they also found that if they have someone wanting to be their friend a chance, they'd gain a friendship that could last the rest of their lives.

Nikki looked forward to her new job working with Stephanie and the band, Stephanie looked forward to her new life living with Kayla, Jamie looked forward to renewing and strengthening her relationships with her friends, and pledged to become more mature as she entered the second half of her twenties, and Kelly looked forward to several more parties like the one she was attending. But most of all, the four women looked forward to relaxing following the two hardest weeks of their lives.

Their lives weren't perfect, but they were still pretty amazing, and they were undoubtedly infinitely better than they would have been had they still been male. And Jamie, Nikki, Stephanie and Kelly wouldn't have it any other way.

"Girl life forever!" Nikki cheered as the clock struck midnight.