[center][color=teal][h2]Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey[/h2][/color][/center]

[color=teal]"I know, I know,"[/color] Jess replied, cringing again. [color=teal]"It's just, uh, been a while."[/color] She fell quiet, staring out of the car window, at nothing in particular. Getting emotional had been bound to happen, but people doing that was one of the many things that annoyed Roxy. Undoubtedly for reasons.

Throughout the journey, Jess watched the outside world drift past. A world she still felt out of place in. Readapting could happen with time, but to build a life, an identity, would mean impacting on somebody else's. Traces of the anchor's foul mood crept through to her.

Once they'd arrived back at the garage, and another, more subdued goodbye had been said, Jess stood by the front door as the car disappeared into the distance. As good as it had been to see her mother for the first time in years, she couldn't forget that sick feeling of worry that hadn't even been her own.

[hr]
[center][color=aqua][h2]Amelia Bailey[/h2][/color][/center]

It was with mixed emotions that Amelia drove home. The day she'd been waiting for had finally happened, but it shouldn't have been like this. Her daughter's future shouldn't depend on someone like Roxy.

Whatever her story may be, nothing gave the anchor the right to treat Jess that way. Amelia clenched her jaw, no longer having to hide anything. Not that there'd been much point in trying to hide things from her daughter, as it had turned out. She didn't want to think what her inner feelings must have done to Jess. It was only because she'd wanted to keep this first family meeting in years as conflict-free as possible that she hadn't called the anchor out, but Jess most likely knew how much she'd wanted to.

At some point, she'd have to say something.