Carla woke up early the next morning and turned over in bed. She smiled at Frank who was still sound asleep beside her. She wrapped her arm around his waist and began to plant feathery light kisses over his bare chest before making her way up his neck. When she got to his mouth, she placed a more firmer kiss to his lips and her smile widened when she felt him respond to her affections.

The dark haired woman cupped Franks cheek in her hand and pulled away so she could look into his now open eyes. "Good morning." She whispered and bit into her bottom lip coyly.

Frank smirked and wrapped his arms around her middle in order to pull her closer towards him. Carla relaxed against his chest as she drew soft circles on his forearm with her finger tip.

"Good morning. Someone's in an exceptionally good mood." Frank commented.

Carla hummed and nodded in agreement. "The only thing that would make me happier than I am now is when Rachel gets to come home with us." Then she caught sight of the little white blouse and black trousers that were hanging up on her wardrobe door. "I think she is going to look adorable in her uniform. Don't you think?"

Frank chuckled and said teasingly, "Carla, you do realise that this isn't her actual first day of school right? She's eight years old. That's not exactly a baby."

His girlfriend glared at him in response. "I know that! But she is my baby and today is the first day I get to take her to school. It's a day that deserves to be remembered so I will most definitely be taking pictures in order to make sure it is."

"Don't you think you're being a little over the top about this? I mean it's not like you're actually her mother." Frank pointed out rather insensitively.

Carla pulled herself out of his hold and climbed out of bed. "I can't believe you just said that." She spat forcefully. "What did you think I was hoping to get out of this whole fostering thing? Rachel isn't just a five minute wonder for me, you know? Me and that little girl - we come as a package deal and if you don't like that then you know where the door is!" Carla ranted before storming out of the bedroom. She couldn't believe he had gone an ruined a perfectly good morning in the space of just a few seconds!

Frank groaned in frustration and turned onto his back. He stared at the ceiling as he thought about his next move. He really didn't want to lose Carla and he realised that if he wanted to keep her, he had take the kid on too.

A kid who didn't even like him.

XXX

Carla was making herself look busy in the kitchen area of the flat when Frank crept into the living area. He tip toed over to where she was and peered over her shoulder in order to watch as she poured herself a coffee from the pot.

"Is there enough for one more in there?" He whispered into her ear.

Carla seemed to ignore him as she stirred her coffee before throwing the teaspoon onto the counter with a loud 'clank'. She was angry and she made it painstakingly obvious. Her anger was only emphasised when she removed herself from between Frank and the kitchen counter.

Without even looking at him she voiced her displeasure whilst she made her way over to the dining room table. "I'm not talking to you right now. In fact I don't even want to see you at this precise moment so why don't you just go home."

Frank steadied his breathing in order to think of a way to get back into her good books. When he had a plan in mind, he followed Carla's path and sat down in the chair right beside her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Carla shot Frank a dirty look before going back to her fashion magazine and coffee. "Did you not hear what I just said?" She muttered.

Her business partner reached over to the magazine and closed it in order to get her attention. Frank finally spoke up in time to prevent her from biting his head off. "I'm sorry. I know I was a little thoughtless with my words back there."

Carla laughed sarcastically, "thoughtless? Frank, what you said was down right insensitive! You know how much it hurt me to leave Rachel in that hospital. You were there for crying out loud!" She exclaimed. "And now I'm this close," she held up her hand to show a small gap between her forefinger and thumb, "to getting her back and here you are trying to put a dampener on it all. She isn't just some car I can trade in you know? I was hoping that when we - and I mean me and you when I say 'we' by the way - get her home with us, we could make a start getting on actually adopting her."

Frank closed his eyes and tilted his head back, "Carla, I-"

"No! I'm not finished." Carla interrupted before he could say a full sentence. "Rachel comes first. She's my number one priority. You have to remember she had been staying with me before me and you ever even considered a relationship so if you think I'm going to choose you over her then you've got another thing coming, Frank Foster!" She finished off matter-of-factly before taking in some deep breaths to calm her nerves.

After a tense couple of minutes of silence, Frank finally spoke. "Are you finished? Can I speak now?" He asked. When there was a subtle nod from Carla, Frank carried on with what he was going to say. "I know how important Rachel is to you and I know what I said probably wasn't what you wanted to hear. I'm just worried about you that's all. It's still early days and anything could happen. I want that little girl where she belongs just as much as you do but you have to remember it's still going to be a little while until she gets there. I just don't want to see you get hurt." He hoped he sounded sincere even if his feelings didn't match his words. Frank wanted Carla and he would do practically anything to get her.

Carla mulled over his little speech before she looked him right in the eye. "Do you really mean that? You really want the three of us to be a family?" She asked, her tone a little skeptical.

"Of course." Frank told her seemingly wholeheartedly.

"Then why did you say what you did?" She asked him, the hurt was clear in her tone.

Frank sighed and took her hands into his own. "I just got a bit...scared. Things are moving so quickly. What with me moving in here and Rachel back in the picture. Yesterday was such a good day and I loved seeing you so happy but...it just reminded me of how much is actually on the line here."

Carla softened at his somewhat honest admission and smiled at him. "Everything is going to work out fine. Jackie practically told me that herself yesterday before she left."

Frank looked at her questioningly. "Really?"

"Mhm," Carla hummed and nodded, "and I suppose if you're really serious about being with me on this, then we should set up a meeting with her as soon as possible."

"Sounds good." Frank told her.

"Great!" Carla exclaimed excitedly. She glanced down at their clasped hands and looked at the time on Frank's watch, "you know I should really start getting ready. We don't want Rachel to be late for her first day." Carla went to get up but then decided to remain seated when a thought suddenly occurred to her, "Hey, why don't you come with me? We can drop her off together." She suggested.

Frank sighed with a wary expression on his face. "I don't think Rachel will like that idea. I mean she hasn't quite warmed up to me yet if last night is anything to go by. I don't want to put her under any pressure on such an important day as today." He told her doubtfully.

Carla pouted and cupped his cheek. "She's going to have to get used to you being around, baby. I've already told her you're moving in. Let's start as we mean to go on, eh? We're going to be a family and this is an important day for all three of us." Frank didn't miss the almost desperate plea in his partner's eyes and he seemed to deliberate what she had said before he finally nodded.

"Ok. Let's do this. Together." He agreed determinedly.

Carla grinned and stood up. "Great! I'm going to jump in the shower while you have a coffee. I know how grumpy you get if you don't get to have one first thing in the morning."

XXX

Frank and Carla arrived at Roy and Hayley's just after seven that morning. Carla looked around the living room before she turned to Hayley. "Where's Rachel?" She enquired when she didn't see the girl.

Hayley chuckled a little. "You didn't tell me that she wasn't a morning person. I've been trying to get her out of bed for the past half an hour."

Carla sighed and rolled her eyes at the child's antics. "I'm sorry, Hayley. I'll go get her." She said before heading off towards the room Roy and Hayley had allocated to Rachel.

The door creaked slightly when Carla opened it. She peaked around the door frame a little in order to see into the room and smiled. Rachel was sprawled out on the bed with the duvet half hanging off herself and the bed, thumb in her mouth.

Carla crept over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. She reached out her hand and began to tickle the sole of Rachel's exposed bare foot. The girl whined and her leg twitched as if trying to get her foot out of reach of the relentless fingers. However, Carla's hand chased the foot where ever it travelled to and leaned over so her mouth was just over Rachel's ear.

"Wakey, wakey, baby. It's the first day of school!" Carla whispered softly and then went on to place a kiss to Rachel's cheek. "Come on, Rach. Breakfast is ready and I think Hayley's made your favourite." She raised her voice slightly when the girl began to stir.

Rachel's eyes opened blearily and a little fist went up to wipe the sleep away. Her eyes then focused on Carla and she smiled. "CC, you're here." She rasped out, still half asleep.

Carla climbed into the bed behind the girl and wrapped a protective arm around her. With her chin resting on top of the blonde head, she spoke in a soft tone, "of course I am. I wouldn't miss your first day at a new school."

Rachel turned and buried her face into Carla's chest. "I've missed morning cuddles." She murmured whilst she fiddled with Carla's blouse.

"Mmm. Me too. It won't be long and then we can have morning and bedtime cuddles every day." Carla responded. She allowed them to fall into a peaceful silence for a few minutes until she felt the little fingers that had been playing with her top stop moving.

Carla pushed the girl back slightly and ran her fingers through the child'sbed head. "Uh, uh. None of that. Wake up." Carla spoke at a much louder volume than what she had used since being in the room.

Rachel groaned and sat up in bed. "I hate waking up early." She grumbled.

Carla chuckled and rubbed the girls back. "Come on. Breakfast will begetting cold." She announced and didn't move from the bed until Rachel had done so herself. Carla placed a hand on Rachel's shoulder and nudged her towards the still open door.

Frank was the first to notice the two of them enter the room as Hayley was dishing up breakfast and Roy was laying the table. He made his way over to the pair and crouched down in front of his future 'daughter'. "Good morning, blondie. Did you sleep well?" He asked, trying to force a soft smile onto his face.

Rachel frowned and leaned back so her head was resting on Carla's stomach. She looked up at the woman behind her who smiled and moved a piece of blonde hair away from her face. The child then looked at Frank who was still in a crouching position.

"Why are you here?" She asked.

Frank smiled, trying his best to ignore the tone of voice Rachel had used. "Carla and I thought it would be nice if we could all go to school together." He told her.

What happened next confused everyone, including Roy and Hayley who were now both looking over at the three other occupants in the room curiously. Rachel plopped down onto the floor at Carla's feet and brought her knees up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her legs and hid her face.

"I'm not going to school. I'm staying right here." She stated adamantly.

Carla knelt down next to the girl and placed her hand on her back. "Hey, what's this about? You seemed fine a minute ago." She said softly, wanting to hear the girl's justification before she jumped the gun and lost her patience.

Rachel lifted her head and looked at Carla. "I don't want Frank to come!" She insisted.

Frank sighed and stood up straight and decided that if he was going to play a fatherly role in this kid's life, he was going to start as he meant to go on. "Ok, that's enough theatrics. Stand up please." He told the child more than asked but of course, Rachel just ignored him. "Rachel, come on. We haven't got time to mess around."

Carla stood up and went over to Frank, placing a soothing hand on his shoulder. "Maybe you should let me deal with this." She suggested.

Frank shook his head and muttered under his breath. "How is she going to have any respect for me if I don't put my foot down now? She needs to learn that what we say goes."

Carla took a couple of steps back from her boyfriend and ran her fingers through her hair. She supposed he was right in a sense. An hour ago she basically told Frank that they were a team so she guessed now would be the right time for him to step up to the plate in order to deal with their future daughter.

Frank turned his focus back on the girl on the floor. "Come on. Up we get. You're making a show of yourself now with this ridiculous behaviour." He said sternly.

Rachel shook her head before lifting it. She glared as she spoke. "I'm not going if you are!"

Carla stepped toward the girl with the intention to intervene but Frank held up a hand in her direction to stop her. He then stooped down slightly and went to reach out towards Rachel who scooted back on her bottom. Frank held back a growl but continued with his plan and wrapped his hand around the child's upper arm.

Rachel screeched and thrashed around. "Get off!"

"Frank-"

Without looking at his girlfriend, Frank spoke to her. "No, Carla. She needs to learn that it's not just you in charge anymore and she will be going to school." He then proceeded to try and bring Rachel to her feet by her arm.

"No! Get off! That hurts!" Rachel yelled and tried to kick her foot out in Frank's direction.

Carla couldn't take the scene before her anymore. She understood where Frank was coming from but the sight she was faced with was just too much for her to bare. She hated seeing her girl so distressed and she wasn't going to let the situation carry on any longer.

"Frank! That's enough! Let her go." Carla demanded.

Frank hesitated momentarily before he finally released his hold on the girl who still squirmed on the living floor. He then got to his feet and looked over at Roy and Hayley who quickly made themselves look busy. "Fine. You deal with her." He spat towards Carla and made room for her to approach Rachel who was now sat cross legged with her arms crossed.

Carla gave her partner an apologetic look as she passed him. She didn't like the defeated look on his face but at the same time, she needed to make sure that Rachel was ok. Memories of her childhood made her aware of what it was like to be manhandled by a grown man. Of course she knew that Frank hadn't used enough force to hurt but his actions could have still possibly scared the little girl.

"Rachel, please stand up." Carla spoke firmly. Rachel looked up at Carla and sighed before getting back to her feet. Carla then bent forward lightly and hooked a finger under the girl's chin to prevent her from looking away. She didn't even see any hurt in the child's eyes, all she saw was defiance. Frank clearly hadn't hurt her too much as there was not a single tear in sight, "that show you just put on was completely unacceptable. You're eight years old, not three. I don't know why you decided to behave like that and I want an explanation please."

Rachel peered over Carla's shoulder at Frank who had a neutral expression on his face. She then connected her eyes back with Carla's, "I don't want Frank to take me to school." She whispered.

Carla sighed and got down onto her knees. "That's no excuse for the way you were acting, baby. Kicking and screaming isn't going to get you anywhere in life."

Rachel tucked her chin towards her chest and looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry, CC." She whispered.

Carla sighed and nodded, "ok, darlin' that's a start but I also think you need to apologise to Frank as well as Hayley and Roy." She stated before gesturing for Frank to come closer. He did so a little reluctantly and rolled his eyes a little when Carla pulled on his suit jacket to get him to kneel beside her. "Frank, Rachel has something she would like to say to you. Don't you, sweetheart?"

Rachel gave a small nod and looked at the man. "Sorry, Frank." She spoke monotonously.

Frank took in a deep breath before releasing it. "That's ok, blondie. I'm sorry for being a little bit harsh with you."

There was an awkward beat of silence that Carla decided to gloss over rather quickly. "Why don't you go and apologise to Roy and Hayley and get yourself some breakfast. Frank and CC need to have a little chat."

Rachel nodded and gave Carla a brief hug around her neck before going over to Roy and Hayley. Carla watched her go and when she was sure the girl was out of ear shot, she stood up and gestured for Frank to do the same.

"Carla ,I-"

"Not now, Frank. You were a little out of line back there. Do you know how many people that little girl has probably had manhandle her like that in her short life?" Carla lectured.

Frank scoffed and shook his head. "Manhandled? Carla, I barely touched her. How else was I going to get her up off of the floor? She certainly wasn't going to of her own accord." He asked incredulously.

Carla crossed her arms and gave him a stern look. "You touched her without her permission. You probably freaked her out. It's near enough the same thing." She sighed when she realised that this fiasco wasn't going to be sorted anytime soon. "Look, why don't you just head over to the factory. I know it's a little early but I think it's best if just Hayley and I take Rachel to school. We'll talk more when I get to work."

"But-" Frank tried to protest.

"I'm sorry this morning hasn't worked out like we planned. We'll try again another day. Maybe it's too much as well as too soon for her. Please Frank, I promise she'll come round and everything will work out. I just can't deal with anymore tension right now." Carla practically begged him to go.

Frank sighed and then nodded his head. "Ok. Fine. But this conversation isn't over." He said before going over to the table where Roy and Hayley were sat eating breakfast with Rachel. "Roy, Hayley, I'm sorry but I won't be joining you for breakfast. Something urgent has come up at the factory. I also want to apologise for my lack of judgement a minute ago. Nothing like that will happen again."

Hayley gave him a sympathetic look, "you don't have to apologise, Mr Foster but thank you." She told him.

Roy nodded in agreement, "indeed. These things cannot be helped sometimes. Feel free to take a mug of coffee with you." He added.

Frank nodded and with one last look at Rachel - who ignored him - and Carla who mouthed a 'sorry', he made his way out of the flat without another word.

XXX

A while later, Rachel was skipping through the school gates in a carefree manner. She held onto Carla and Hayley's hands as they went along. "This playground is better than the one at my old school." She commented.

A voice from somewhere called out to them, "good morning!"

The three of them looked in the direction of the voice to see Brian Packham waving in an overly excited way. They made their way over to him as he carried on speaking. "If you would like to follow me to the school reception, we can get Rachel set up for the day."

The reception was a short walk away but as soon as they got inside that's when Rachel's attitude changed. In the blink of an eye she went from being a talkative little girl to a quiet little mouse.

Rachel released Hayley's hand and gripped onto Carla, burying herself into the woman's side. Brian, used to this kind of display, turned to Hayley.

"Uh...Mrs Cropper, would you like to follow me? There's just a couple of papers that need to be filled out. I'm aware of Rachel's circumstances so I know you won't be able to fill it all out. I believe Mrs Connor will be on the list of approved people to pick Rachel up along with your husband? Is there anyone else that needs to be added?" He asked.

Carla was the one to respond, "uh, yes. My partner. Frank Foster." She said and Brian looked to Hayley questioningly. Hayley nodded in agreement. After all, her and Roy did temporarily have the final say when it came down to important decisions like that.

"Ok that's fine." Brian accepted and gestured for Hayley to follow him.

Carla approached the receptionist while Rachel continued to cling onto her. "Hi, is it possible to get a few uniform jumpers?" She asked.

The receptionist smiled and nodded. "Of course what size do you need?" She asked as she got up from her chair.

Carla quickly responded. "Aged seven to eight please. And maybe a couple in eight to nine. I'll take two of each." It still worried her that Rachel was in clothes a size too small but she was hoping that with the proper nourishment she would shoot up in no time.

The receptionist got the items Carla requested and told the woman the cost. While other parents might have thought the price of the jumpers to be extortionate, Carla thought nothing of it as she was used to buying expensive clothing on a regular basis. She wasted no time in opening up one of the jumpers and unfolding it.

Carla laughed softly and looked down at the girl who had wrapped her arms around her waist. "Rach, you're going to have to let me go if we're going to put this jumper on you."

Rachel reluctantly stepped back and allowed Carla to put the jumper on her. Carla smiled and resisted the urge to coo. "Ok. Picture time! Smile!" She announced and pulled out her phone.

Rachel clasped her hands in front of her and gave the camera a small smile. Carla took the picture and spoke once again. "Ok now one with one of your goofy faces!"

Without needing to be told twice, Rachel made herself go cross eyed and put a finger in either side of her mouth before sticking out her tongue. Carla laughed and shook her head as she took the shot. "I think that's your best one yet but don't do that with your eyes too much. We don't want them to get stuck like that."

Rachel giggled just as Brian and Hayley returned. "Ahhh, there's nothing more pleasant than the sound of a child's laughter." Brian stated and smiled at Rachel.

Carla turned to Hayley, "can you just take a quick picture of me and my girl on her first day at Bessie Street?"

Hayley smiled and accepted the mobile Carla passed over to her. "Of course."

Carla stood behind Rachel and draped her arms around the girl's shoulders. The two of them grinned in Hayley's direction. It took some fumbling on Hayley's part, but she was eventually able to figure out how to capture the moment.

Carla and Rachel went over to Hayley and she showed them the photo. Carla's smile widened to the point where her pearly white teeth were showing. "Awww. I love it. This is definitely going in a frame on my desk at the factory."

It was at that moment that Brian reminded them of his presence. "Sorry to interrupt but it's time for Rachel to go to class. Morning registration is about to start."

Carla once again felt Rachel cling onto her arm. She looked down at the child and smiled. "You ready, darlin'?"

Rachel nodded reluctantly and allowed Carla to lead her out of the school's reception as she followed Brian and Hayley. They eventually came to a stop outside a classroom door.

Brian knocked and a young woman answered, "ah, Miss Maloney. This is Rachel Shipton. Today is her first day at Bessie Street so she's a bit shy. I'm sure you and the rest of the students will make her feel at home though."

Miss Maloney smiled and nodded. "Of course. Hi, Rachel. You have no need to be shy. Everyone is really nice in this class. Later on today we have art so that will be really fun. Do you want to come inside and meet everyone?" She spoke in a soothing Irish accent.

Rachel looked from the teacher and then up to Carla who gave her an encouraging smile. "Go on, baby. Be the brave girl that I know you are." She then gave the child a squeeze and a kiss to the top of her head before pushing her gently towards the teacher. "I love you and be good. I'll see you at tea time."

The door closed but not before Rachel could look back one last time at Carla and Hayley who both waved at her.

"Bless her. She looked so sad." Carla commented, a hand pressed against her chest.

Hayley couldn't believe that her normally no nonsense boss was going all soft and all it took for that to happen was a little eight year old girl. She smiled softly at Carla who seemed momentarily lost in her own world. "She'll be fine, Mrs Connor."

Carla nodded and then turned to face Brian who spoke once more. "Just to let you know, we don't actually provide book bags for the children. So if you could get Rachel a backpack as soon as possible that would be great. Also, Friday is PE day for the Year 3s so she will also need her PE kit. Black shorts and a red polo neck will be fine."

Hayley and Carla nodded along and followed behind the head teacher who lead them back out of the school. "I'll pick those up later on today." Carla stated. Although Roy and Hayley said she didn't have to, Carla insisted on still purchasing all the stuff Rachel would need for school as well as day to day life. They put a stop to her generosity when she offered to pay them weekly for food. They told her that the money they received from social services would be more than enough to cover that area of Rachel's care.

The two of them chatted with Brian for a little longer, telling him that if Rachel came across any problems that it would be best if he called the factory as that was where they would both be for the majority of the day. They then bid their farewells and left the school.

Carla smiled as she climbed into the passenger seat of Hayley's car. She was glad that the actual school drop off had gone without a hitch- except for Rachel's timid behaviour - but then she remembered the scene that had happened earlier that morning just before breakfast. It was safe to say that Carla was dreading having to see Frank so they could discuss it. She just hope that they didn't end up arguing.