"See you tonight!" Janet said with a smile as Ellie, Kacey and Monique paid for their purchases and waved goodbye to her.

"Bye!" Ellie replied with a giggle that warmed Janet's heart.

It had been almost four months since Ellie had moved in with Janet, and in that time, a lot had changed for both women- mostly for the better.

Janet's body had reacted well to the hormone treatments she'd been prescribed in early December, and her trial had quickly become a permanent prescription. Janet knew that she would need to take the medication for the rest of her life, but it was a small price to pay to be able to life the life she truly wanted to live.

Shortly after she started taking her oestrogen pills, Janet and Ellie had celebrated Christmas together, and while they enjoyed their first holiday in their new genders, it was a bittersweet experience for both women, as it was the first Christmas they had spent apart from their families. Janet had ensured that Ellie had plenty to unwrap on Christmas morning, of course, and Ellie had been more than generous in her gifts for Janet, but no present could make up for what both women had lost. Both women put on a brave face for the other, and genuinely enjoyed the 'new traditions' of the festive period (including Ellie working herself into a near-frenzy as she tried to prepare the Christmas pudding), but deep down inside, they knew that they were both hurting.

After Christmas had passed, however, Janet often found herself looking in her wardrobe at the two gifts she'd wrapped and put in there before Christmas- one labelled 'to Ethan' and the other labelled 'to Lindsay'. Janet never failed to shed tears whenever she looked at the presents, or at the gifts she'd bought her son for his eighteenth birthday and the ones she'd bought her daughter for her sixteenth birthday. Every day that she was apart from her children hurt Janet more and more, but she was determined not to let it destroy her life, and especially determined not to let it get in the way of her responsibilities toward Ellie.

Ellie had put on a brave face over Christmas, but Janet knew that she was missing her family just as much as Janet was. She suspected that Ellie had also bought gifts for her family, especially her younger brother, who Ellie very obviously missed a great deal. Sure, Ellie had her friends, and Kacey and Monique seemed to spend every spare second they had keeping Ellie company and cheering her up, but neither they nor Janet were the family that had spent sixteen years raising Ellie. Then again, that same 'family' had thought nothing of abandoning Ellie when she needed them the most. Janet often found herself wondering just how much more of a mother she'd been to Ellie than the girl's own mother had been over the previous sixteen years.

As she shut down her register at the end of her shift, Janet mused that her motherly duties would soon be put to the test. Before she headed home, Janet planned to do some shopping of her own, for gifts, party supplies and a birthday card- specifically, a 17th birthday card for Ellie. Her birthday was on the 24th of February, leaving Janet just three days to ensure that she had everything she needed to celebrate the birthday- even though she'd already bought plenty of supplies.

"Don't need to ask what you're doing tonight, do I?" Meredith giggled as she and Janet pulled on their fashionable winter coats. "Umm, by which I don't mean to pry, it's just that you've been busy planning this party for weeks, and I assumed you were still planning it... Right?"

"Damn right," Janet said with a grin. "It'll be Ellie's first birthday as Ellie, and I'm going to make sure it's her best yet!"

"Well, your first birthday as Janet was pretty good!" Meredith giggled. "I mean, I know I had fun, and you seemed like you were having a lot of fun, right?"

"I did, yeah," Janet replied. "Does mean that we'll have to skip Friday night drinks, though."

"Again," Meredith said in a teasing voice toward the third member of their group. "Well, drinks where it's just the three of us, anyway!" Janet smile as Shannon started to blush at the memory of the party they'd attended the previous Friday, though her embarrassment quickly turned to joy as she stared at the sparkling diamond ring that had been slipped onto her finger on Valentine's Day- even if it did remind Janet of the plain gold band she continued to wear on her ring finger. However, Janet soon found herself smiling as she remembered the party, which was attended by virtually all of Shannon's female friends and relatives- none of whom scorned or judged Janet, instead simply accepting her as the woman she was.

"Thinking of a date yet?" Janet asked the newly-engaged woman.

"...Probably summer next year," Shannon mumbled in reply.

"Decided on bridesmaids yet?" Meredith asked in an overly-excited tone of voice.

"I... Umm, not quite," Shannon replied, trying her best to avoid making eye contact with the two women. "I've got, you know, a sister, and school friends..."

"It's okay," Janet said. "I'd probably look silly in a bridesmaid's dress anyway."

"You absolutely would not!" Meredith said in a firm tone of voice. "Would she, Shannon?"

"Of course not!" Shannon giggled, making Janet blush. "Oh, umm, sorry..."

"No, it's okay," Janet said with a grin. "Kinda needed the pick-me-up, heh. But, you know, duty calls... See you two tomorrow!"

"Bye Janet!" Meredith and Shannon said simultaneously as the 43 year old woman made her way out of the still-busy supermarket with a determined look on her face.

----------

"Three days to go!" Monique teased Ellie, who blushed as she was reminded of her upcoming celebration. "Reckon Steph'll drop round on Friday night to say hi?"

"Doubt it," Ellie sighed. "Don't think she even knows when my birthday is..."

"Umm, it's on your Facebook, innit?" Monique asked. "It's how you found out Janet's birthday, right?"

"Yeah, and Steph didn't drop round for that either," Ellie reminded her friend.

"Yeah, but- and no offence to her, but- Janet's, like, old," Kacey said.

"Well- as long as you two are there, right?" Ellie asked. "That'll be enough for me."

"D'aww!" Monique cooed. "Well I'll bring my selfie stick just in case, hehe!"

"Just as long as you are coming for me and not her," Ellie grumbled.

"Hey, there's no need to be, you know, paranoid or something," Kacey retorted. "You'd think you'd be happy on your birthday, right?"

"Normally, yeah," Ellie sighed. "But- ugh. It- it'll be my first birthday without my family there, and that kinda sucks..."

"'Kinda' sucks?" Kacey asked. "If it was me it'd totally suck. And, like, it's still the anniversary of the day your mum gave birth to you, isn't it? They should still celebrate it, you know?"

"There's even less chance of my family being there than there is Steph being there," Ellie sighed as the trio headed away from their college after another day of learning.

----------

"Hi Ellie," Janet said as the teenager walked through the front door of the flat. "Good day at college?"

"Meh, same as always," Ellie replied. "Good day at work?"

"Same as always," Janet replied with a chuckle. "Are Monique and Kacey well?"

"Yep," Ellie said. "What's for dinner?"

"Whatever you feel like making," Janet replied, smirking as the teenaged girl headed into the kitchen to begin cooking, while she turned her attention back to the webpage she had open on her laptop.

When Janet took on the parental responsibility for Ellie, she'd had to fill out a lot of forms to make the arrangement official, forms she'd requested and was given copies of. The forms contained the usual details- name, address, occupation details... But one of the forms had also included information Ellie had provided about where she'd previously lived, which included her parents' names and last known address. Janet was willing to bet that they wouldn't have moved in the nine months since they'd last seen Ellie, or if they had, they wouldn't have moved away from London. Janet had spent the previous hour searching as many directory enquiry websites as she could to find Ellie's parents contact details, and just as Ellie had walked through the door, the search had paid off. Janet had a contact telephone number for the teenaged girl’s parents and was determined to ring it the following day... But she was still none the wiser as to what she'd say to them.

On the one hand, Janet wanted to be diplomatic. She wanted to repair the relationship between Ellie and her parents, to reintroduce them to their new daughter and begin the healing process, so she knew she had to be calm and polite. But at the same time, Ellie's parents' attitude toward her offended her to her core. The notion that someone could abandon all responsibility for their child was a concept that Janet couldn't understand, and she hoped she never would understand. They were Ellie's parents solely in the biological sense. They'd provided her no support of any kind over the preceding nine months, and that made Janet wonder whether or not they even deserved to have Ellie in their lives.

But whenever Janet had those angry or scornful thoughts, she reminded herself of precisely why she was taking the steps she was- not for Ellie's parents, but for Ellie herself. Ellie's parents' feelings were irrelevant, just as Janet's herself would have been if Ethan or Lindsay had been hurting and needed her support. For Ellie's sake- and for no one else's- she was determined to open lines of communication.

All throughout her day at work, Janet found herself being distracted by her impending phone call. She ran through all the scenarios in her head- that Ellie's parents wouldn't even acknowledge her, that they'd get angry, that they'd be indifferent, or even that they'd welcome getting reacquainted with their daughter. Janet even considered the possibility that Ellie might even move back in with her parents after her birthday, and that it would mean that Janet would be alone in her flat- but even if that did happen, Janet knew that she and Ellie would be friends for life.

Eventually, the clock ticked 3pm, signalling the end of Janet's work day, and the middle-aged woman let out a sigh as she headed to a quiet corner of the staff area to make her phone call. She knew what she was going to say- she just wished she knew what Ellie's parents were going to say.

As she dialled the number into her phone, Janet’s digits trembled more and more, and when she was ready to make the call, she hesitated- was she doing the right thing for Ellie? Could her interference actually make matters worse for the girl?

"What could be worse than being abandoned by your parents?" Janet mused to herself, before taking a deep breath and pressing the 'call' button. "No going back now..." Janet braced herself as the phone rang four times, before being answered by a woman with a pronounced London accent.

"Hello?" The woman on the other end of the phone asked.

"Ah- hello, is- is this Mrs. Sharon Blake?" Janet asked in as official-sounding a voice as she could manage.

"Speaking," Ellie's mother replied. "Can I ask who's calling, please?"

"I- my name is Janet Cole, and I'm calling with regard to- to your eldest child," Janet said, bracing herself for the inevitable backlash.

"I only have one son," Sharon replied, her voice immediately descending to a low growl. "Who did you say you were again?"

"I'm-" Janet said, before briefly pausing. "...Your eldest child's foster carer." Not technically untrue, Janet thought to herself.

"Are you letting him prance around in dresses and kiss random boys?" Sharon sneered, instantly raising Janet's heckles. The transwoman had to take a deep breath before considering her reply.

"I am allowing ELLIE to express herself the way SHE feels fit, if that's what you mean," Janet replied.

"Huh, some 'carer' you are, then," Sharon scoffed. "What that BOY needs is some sense knocking into him! HE is a boy and HE always will be!" Janet closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to calm herself down as she listened to the unapologetic bigotry of the woman she'd tried to open a dialogue with. She'd hoped that not seeing their firstborn child in nine months would give the parents a chance to think and reflect on their actions and their attitudes, but it had become clear that Ellie's mother was incapable of seeing beyond the end of her own nose- and that was something Janet had plenty of experience with.

Both of Janet's parents had been born in 1940, and both had been products of their time. All throughout Janet's childhood, whenever she acted in a way that wasn't what they deemed 'right'- whether that was listening to music they didn't like, watching the wrong TV programmes or even acting in a way they considered 'gay' or 'feminine'- Janet was punished with a clip around the ear, a punishment that would be repeated until she'd, in the words of her father, 'learned his lesson'. No matter how much the world changed around them, Janet's parents wouldn't change, and nothing proved that more than on Janet's daughter's seventh birthday, when Lindsay had a party with five other girls... One of whom was a Pakistani girl named Faiza. Janet's only memory of that birthday- and probably Lindsay’s only memory as well- was of having to explain to the tearful girl why her grandparents refused to stay for her party.

Janet's parents both passed away less than five years afterward, but their attitudes left a lasting impression on the transwoman. She knew she'd never be able to shake the feeling of guilt every time she wore the clothes that corresponded to her proper gender, but that didn't mean that she couldn't spare Ellie the same torment.

"Your daughter- DAUGHTER- has been through a lot over the past nine months," Janet said sternly. "She's had to deal with rejection, depression and even homelessness. As her parent, you have a duty to-"

"Duty?" Sharon scoffed. "HE has a duty to US to do as we say! And HE knows that all he has to do is apologise to us and forget about this 'transgender' nonsense, and he'll be welcomed back with open arms."

"Well you learn something new every day," Janet growled. "I never realised that a parent's love was supposed to be conditional."

"Don't call this number again," Sharon spat. "Do, and we'll have you arrested for harassment." Janet cursed under her breath as Sharon terminated the call- it had gone just about as badly as she'd imagined, and she was forced to admit that her own attitudes hadn't helped. She was supposed to be impartial, offering an objective view to Ellie's parents, but she'd allowed herself to get angry, which had only made matters worse.

The one positive Janet took away from the phone call was that it proved that she cared about her children more than Ellie's parents cared about theirs- Ellie included.

"Hi Ellie," Janet said with a quiet sigh as the teenaged girl entered the flat. "Good day at college?"

"Not bad," Ellie shrugged. "Work's kinda piling up though, you know, getting near exams..."

"Yeah, I remember my days at school and university," Janet replied. "Believe it or not."

"You're not THAT old," Ellie retorted, making Janet smile. "Get up to much at work?"

"Oh- the usual," Janet lied. She saw no point in upsetting Ellie when she only had bad news to report about her parents, especially when Janet believed that the situation was not beyond repair.

The telephone call to Ellie's parents had been a disaster. Janet knew that if she called again, Sharon would immediately hang up on her, or worse still, follow through on her threat to report her to the police. However, for Ellie's sake, Janet wasn't prepared to fall at the first hurdle. She needed a new plan, one that Sharon or Ellie's father couldn't simply 'hang up on'- and there was only one option that came to mind.

"I've got tomorrow off work," Janet announced, surprising the teenaged girl.

"Hope it's not on my account," Ellie said. "'Cause of, you know, my birthday and all..."

"Oh- no, no, got a, umm, appointment with, umm, social services," Janet lied.

"Thought they fit their visits around your working hours?" Ellie asked.

"Not always easy when my shifts are practically 9-5 anyway," Janet said, hoping that Ellie would drop the subject and not press further, despite how unconvincing she knew she sounded.

"Huh, okay," Ellie shrugged. "Want me to get dinner ready?"

"Please," Janet replied, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief as Ellie headed into the kitchen to prepare their evening meal. Janet saw no point in getting Ellie's hopes up when there was no guarantee of success, and while she hated keeping the truth from her, telling her about the telephone call would only cause Ellie further stress- even though withholding the information was causing Janet herself stress.

The evening meal passed without any mention of Janet's planned activities, and both women opted to get an early night, though Janet found herself struggling to sleep as she mentally prepared herself for the following day's confrontation.

When Janet woke up the following morning, she was unsurprised to find that Ellie had already left for college, leaving only her dirty breakfast dishes and a 'good luck with the social worker' note in her wake. Janet tried to use the monotony of her outstanding housework to relax her mind, but she still found her stomach churning at the thought of what she was preparing to do.

When Janet called, the worst that Ellie's mother could do was hang up the phone, but if she showed up in person, it had the potential to be much worse. She could be physically restrained, or even attacked... Or Sharon could decide that Janet was threatening her and have her arrested, and if she was imprisoned and her transgendered status was found out...

"No- no," Janet chastised herself. "Don't focus on the worst case scenario. You're there to help Ellie. You're there to be rational. Sharon's an adult, she's not going to start a fight as long as you talk to her as a rational adult." Janet took several deep breaths to calm herself, before heading to the bathroom to shower and prepare herself for her meeting.

After applying a moderate layer of make-up to her face, Janet paused as she opened her wardrobe and considered her look for the day ahead. She wanted to appear professional, but not TOO severe, and she definitely wanted to appear feminine, as she was certain that her 'status' would come up during the course of the 'meeting'. Her fingers briefly moved over her best pair of (women's) trousers, but she quickly moved on to her favourite pencil skirt, which she removed from the wardrobe along with a smart, closely-fitted turtleneck.

Janet took several deep breaths as she squeezed herself into her 'firm control' pantie corselette, before sliding a pair of opaque black tights up her legs and stepping into her chosen outfit for the day, finishing her look with a pair of low-heeled court shoes and a plain winter coat.

Ellie's parents' house was less than four miles from Janet's flat, but it still required two tube rides, giving Janet plenty of time to mentally prepare for the confrontation. However, as she knocked on the non-script front door, Janet's nerves rendered her barely able to remember her own name.

"Just a second," Sharon's unmistakable voice came from within the house, Seconds later, she opened the door, and visibly recoiled in confusion at the sight of the transgendered woman on her doorstep. "...Can I help you?"

"Y- yes," Janet said, swallowing once to compose herself. "My name is Janet. We spoke on the phone yesterday." Janet tried not to shiver as Sharon's face twisted into an angry scowl.

"I have nothing to say to you," Sharon spat, preparing to slam the door in Janet's face. Janet, however, would not let herself be deterred so easily.

"Well I have something to say to you," Janet said firmly. "Something you're going to listen to whether you like it or not, because Ellie IS your child and you still have a responsibility to her!"

"What about HIS responsibility to us?" Sharon retorted.

"There we are again," Janet scoffed. "Conditional love."

"I told you I'd have you arrested if you ever contac-" Sharon growled, before suddenly pausing mid-sentence, her eyes going wide as she looked more closely at Janet. This is gonna suck... The middle-aged transwoman thought to herself. "Wait, you- you- you're a man too!"

"The term is 'transgendered woman'," Janet said firmly, trying not to let her emotions overwhelm her. "Just as your DAUGHTER is a transgendered girl. A girl who turns seventeen tomorrow, and all she wants for her birthday is to know that her parents still love her!"

"You pervert!" Sharon shrieked. "No wonder you were so eager to foster our son, I bet you molest him every night! That's what you trannies do, isn't it! I ought to call the police and have you locked away forever!" Janet bit her lip as she felt her entire body begin to tremble with rage at the other woman's naked prejudice.

"Go right ahead," Janet hissed. "I'm sure they'd have a few words with you, last time I checked, filing a false police report was a crime, wasn't it? Not sure whether or not slander is but if you're slandering an entire community, such as the transgendered community? Which includes your daughter, by the way."

"HE is no child of mine!" Sharon growled. "Fuck off before I call the police!"

"Fine, I'll go," Janet sighed angrily. "Ellie is much better off without your 'care' anyway. But let me tell you one thing, from one parent to another. I would feel ashamed, truly ashamed of myself if I ever treated either of my children the way you're treating Ellie. You do not deserve to call yourself a mother. At all."

"Get off my property," Sharon hissed, creating a tense moment on her porch that only lasted for a second before being broken by the presence of a young man behind her- a young man that for one brief second, Janet mistook for her young flatmate.

"Mum?" The teenaged boy asked. "What's going on? Who's she?"

"Sh- this person is leaving," Sharon said in as calm a voice as she could manage. "You're not well, Jack, you should be in bed. Unless you think you're well enough to go to school now?"

"Not really," Jack moaned, though Janet, drawing on her years of experience as a parent, could instantly tell that the boy was a lot healthier than he wanted his mother to believe.

"Leave," Sharon hissed, slamming the door in Janet's face. Before the door closed, however, Janet was able to yell one final sentence, one she hoped would lead to some form of reconciliation between Ellie and her family.

"Your sister says hi, Jack," Janet yelled before the door closed and she let out a long, tired sigh of frustration.

----------

"One sleep left 'til the Christmas in February!" Monique teased, making Ellie blush as they left their college at the end of the day.

"We are not calling it THAT," Ellie retorted with a giggle. "...They put up decorations at Christmas, for one thing!"

"Ooh, now THERE's a challenge!" Monique giggled. "Think we might be able to a thing or two there, eh Kace?"

"Just leave it with us," Kacey said with a smile. "'Cause, like, it's your seventeenth birthday, but it's also, like your first, innit?"

"I guess," Ellie shrugged. "At least I know this year all my presents will be, you know, 'right'. Last year I got a West Ham scarf and a Fast and Furious box set..."

"I'd have had the scarf if you didn't want it!" Kacey said, making the blonde girl giggle and roll her eyes.

"And I'd DEFINITELY have taken the box set!" Monique giggled.

"You like watching movies with fast cars in them, then?" Ellie asked.

"Not really," Monique replied. "But I definitely like watching movies with Dwayne Johnson in them!"

"...He IS hot," Ellie giggled as she and her friends went their separate ways and headed back to their respective homes.

Ellie found herself buzzing with excitement as she walked up the stairs to hers and Janet's flat- despite everything that had happened over the past twelve months, she knew that she could rely on Kacey and Monique, and could definitely rely on Janet to make her birthday enjoyable, and more importantly, as girly as possible. Kacey was right when she said that it was also 'Ellie's first birthday, but Ellie was determined that it would be the first of many. She'd spent so much of the time since her last birthday feeling miserable and sorry for herself, and although her pessimism had been justified, she was determined to turn a corner and start to feel good about herself. And she had a lot to feel good about- though her new-found positivity started to dwindle when she walked through the front door of the flat and saw Janet sitting in her usual chair with a stern expression on her face.

"Hi Janet," Ellie said, trying to brush off the older transwoman's serious look. "Me- meeting with the social worker go okay?"

"Ellie, please sit down," Janet said, causing the teenager's knees to wobble. "I- I need to tell you something."

"What- what is it?" Ellie asked as she lowered herself onto the sofa and a million scenarios rushed through her head- all of which concerned whether or not she'd need to find a new place to live the following day.

"I- I didn't have a meeting with the social worker today," Janet confessed, her demeanour just as nervous as Ellie's. "I went to- to see your mother."

"My- my mother?" Ellie asked, dumbfounded by the news. "My mother!? What the- why would you do that? And without telling me?"

"Ellie, please calm down," Janet whispered.

"Calm down!?" Ellie asked. "Seriously? After you go behind my back like this!?"

"I was only trying to help," Janet insisted as she felt herself shrink into her chair under the teenager's unbridled anger.

"And did it help?" Ellie asked.

"...No," Janet whispered, frowning as Ellie let out a long sigh of frustration. "Ellie, please try to understand that I only want to do what's best for you. I'm sure you realise that tomorrow isn't just your seventeenth birthday, but in a way it's also your first."

"Yes, I do realise that," Ellie said, frowning at the realisation that Kacey's statement didn't just mean that it was Ellie's first birthday as a girl, but also her first as an effective orphan.

"Whether or not they choose to accept it," Janet explained, "as your parents, they do still have a responsibility toward you."

"Let me guess," Ellie sighed. "Mum responded by saying 'oh but what about her responsibility toward me'? By which I mean my so-called responsibility toward her?"

"Got it in one," Janet sighed.

"That's because I know my 'mother'," Ellie spat. "One of the most selfish people in the world. Takes it as a personal insult if you don't immediately jump to your feet when she clicks her fingers."

"She did strike me as a little self-centred," Janet mumbled.

"Only a little?" Ellie snorted. "Must've caught her on a good day."

"I want you to know that I wanted to make things better between you and her," Janet said. "I hoped to try to improve your relationship, build bridges-"

"Oh, I understand," Ellie said, before letting out a long sigh. "And I'm sorry if I, like, got in your face. I know you were only trying to help, just- if you'd told me before, I'd, like, have told you not to bother. You'd be pissed off if I talked to your wife behind your back, wouldn't you?"

"Well- I guess," Janet said. "And I'm sorry that I've made things worse. Because for better or worse, I've agreed to take care of you, and I see that as meaning more than just giving you a bed for the night and regular meals."

"I bet you were a better parent to your children than my mum was to me," Ellie said quietly.

"...I may or may not have said something similar to your mother earlier today," Janet confessed, before smirking as Ellie let out a loud giggle.

"She won't have liked THAT," the teenager snorted.

"Sorry," Janet mumbled.

"Nah, just wish I could've seen it," Ellie shrugged. "Did- did you see my dad too?"

"Think he was at work," Janet said apologetically. "What does he do, again?"

"Works for the Highways Agency, filling potholes," Ellie replied. "He's, like, a 'proper' man. Always had his own, like, ideas about what kind of man I should be. Me and my brother." Janet smiled sympathetically as Ellie sniffed back a tear.

"...I'd be proud if I'd raised a child like you," Janet said, causing the tears to flow freely from the young woman's eyes. "I really would. You're clever, independent and a lot stronger than you think."

"Even though I'm sat here crying my eyes out?" Ellie moaned.

"Especially because of that," Janet whispered, sitting next to the blonde girl and giving her a gentle, motherly hug.

The following morning, Ellie got out of bed at her usual time, which was almost an hour and a half after Janet, giving the older woman time to get the living room ready. When Ellie stepped into the small room, her face instantly lit up at the sight that greeted her.

"Happy birthday!" Janet cheered, smiling as Ellie giggled with excitement.

"Oh my god!" Ellie gasped as she scanned the room. The sofa was covered in a small, but still respectable pile of presents, there were pink streamers hanging from the lampshade and the back wall was dominated by three silver balloons- one shaped like an 'E', one like a '1' and the other like a '7'.

"You can open one present now," Janet said. "You don't want to be late for college today of all days! The rest will still be here when you get home." Ellie squeaked with excitement as she tore open the wrapping paper of the largest gift, sighing happily as it was revealed to be a brand new curling iron.

"Oh my god, thank you so much!" Ellie sobbed.

"I figured with hair as beautiful as yours," Janet shrugged. "Now go on, go and get ready for college! I take it Monique and Kacey will be coming home with you tonight?"

"Oh- only if that's okay," Ellie said.

"Yeah, I'd say it's okay!" Janet giggled. "Now go on, I'd better get going now before I'M late, heh."

"Thanks Janet," Ellie said softly, before giving the older woman a tentative, friendly hug. "You're the best!"

"Well- I'm not bad, heh," Janet replied, before heading through the front door of the flat. Once she'd shut the door behind her, she immediately got her phone out of her handbag and checked to see if she'd received a reply to the Facebook message she'd sent the previous night...

----------

Ellie's day at college went as per usual, with one notable exception- when she'd arrived, she'd been greeted by her friends placing a sparkly tiara on her head and a pink sash over her shoulder that read 'birthday girl'- both of which Ellie of course removed before her first class, but which she was only too happy to put back on once classes had ended for the day.

Ellie was so eager to get back to her flat to open the rest of her presents and properly begin her party that she practically sprinted once she and her friends had got off the tube, but when she opened her front door, she was unprepared for the sight that would greet her.

Sat in her usual chair was Janet, but opposite her on the sofa were two young, brown-haired women that Ellie felt she knew very well- even though she'd only met one of them twice and hadn't met the other one at all.

"Oh- my- god!" Ellie squeaked. "Steph!?"

"Happy birthday, Ellie!" The famous singer said, rising from her seat to give the blonde girl a tight, friendly hug. "Hi, you must be Kacey, and you must be Monique, right?"

"Oh my god, yes!" Monique squeaked as she and Stephanie exchanged a hug. "We're such huge fans of yours, it's so amazing to finally meet you!"

"What are you even doing here?" Ellie asked. "I thought you were on tour?"

"I am, that's why I can't stay long," Stephanie giggled. "But I wasn't going to NOT pop down and wish you a happy birthday. And introduce you to this young woman, who's a lot smarter than she might look, hehe! Ellie Blake, I'd like you to meet Nikki Thomas, Out of Heaven's PA!"

"Hi, it's nice to meet you!" Nikki said as she exchanged a gentle hug with the birthday girl. "Steph's filled me in on everything that's been happening, sounds like you've had it REALLY rough."

"Ugh, you have NO idea," Ellie sighed.

"Well, what I DO know is that no girl should be upset on their birthday," Nikki said. "Like Steph said, we can't stay long, but I want you to know that anytime you need to talk, I'll always be available to listen. Though from talking to Janet I know that she's a very caring, very wise woman. Steph and I may have been lucky to have had the support of our parents, but Janet- Janet can support you just as well."

"Probably even better," Ellie said softly, smiling as she noticed the older woman's eyes start to well with tears.

"I really wish we could stay longer," Stephanie sighed, "but the rest of my adoring public's waiting for me, heh. But I did want to give you our present, hehe!" Ellie smiled excitedly as Stephanie handed over a small, gift-wrapped envelope. Ellie tried not to get her hopes up as to what the envelope would contain, but she couldn't stop her imagination from getting the better of her- and for once, she was not disappointed when she opened the envelope.

"Oh my god!" Ellie squeaked as she pulled three thin slips of cardboard out of the envelope.

"Are- are they!?" Kacey gasped.

"Three tickets to our show at the O2 tomorrow night," Stephanie said with a grin. "You're all coming. I insist."

"Oh my god thank you so much!" Ellie squeaked, giving Stephanie another, much tighter hug.

"It really was the least I could do!" Stephanie giggled. "Helps that I'm friends with the boss, hehe! Now we really go have to be going- I kinda want to keep on the good side of my boss, hehe! Enjoy the rest of your birthday, Ellie. You've more than earned it."

"I will," Ellie said, shaking with excitement as she and her friends sat in the now-vacated sofa.

Ellie and her friends spent the rest of the evening in a state of near-euphoria following their celebrity encounter, however brief it was. Ellie was grateful for all of her other presents, which included clothes, make-up and other beauty products, but none of them could compare to the concert tickets. Janet knew this, and didn't mind one bit- she was just happy that Ellie would be able to enjoy her birthday. Her biological family might not have been willing to help Ellie out, but if the previous few days had proved anything to the two transwomen, it was that being related to someone by blood didn't mean that you were family. As far as Janet was concerned, Ellie was family- and that was a feeling that was most certainly mutual.

----------

"Good concert?" Janet asked as Ellie walked through the front door, exhausted but with a wide, euphoric grin on her face.

"The BEST," Ellie said. "Out of Heaven are SO cool..."

"Well, I'd get saving if I were you, I've heard rumours they'll be touring again later this year!" Janet said with a giggle. "I'm going to head to bed now. Don't stay up too late!"

"I won't," Ellie replied with a grin as she reached into her handbag for her phone. The teenaged girl grinned widely as she looked over the photos that she'd taken at the concert, selecting the best one to send to her friends, but when she opened up Facebook to write the message, she got the shock of her life when she saw that she'd received a message from a highly unexpected source.

'Hi Ellie,' the message read. 'Hope you had a good birthday. Mum and dad check my phone so I have to delete this message once I've sent it and you can't reply to it earlier, but I just wanted you to know that I miss you and I really wish you could come home. Hope I can see you soon, Jack.'

The teenaged girl didn't even try to control her tears as she read and reread her brother's message over and over again. Maybe some blood relatives or hers could be family after all...