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billie_kent: amsterdump courtesy of jamie_tartt

COMMENTS:
colinhughes: you've trained him well

jamie_tartt: left my heart in Amsterdam <3

maddsgreen: i miss you!!!

keeleyjones: LOVE

To comprehend yet another loss was tough, to comprehend a loss in what was considered a 'friendly' or an 'exhibition match,' was painful. Being a Premier League team, AFC Richmond should have been capable of holding their own in a friendly match, instead they conceded five goals, still struggling to cover ground on the pitch following Zava's departure from the club.

The team were in Amsterdam, hosted by Ajax at the Johan Cruyff stadium, a city that offered so much, except what it couldn't offer Richmond was a win..or even a draw. Billie had left the team in a sombre state when she collected Jan and Roy for a post match press interview, and as she watched Jan answer his fellow countryman's questions it became evident just how downtrodden the team truly were.

It wasn't a surprise, to feel as though they couldn't do the one thing they were paid to do. Most of them had played the game since they could walk, they were some of the best players in the sport, and yet they couldn't quite break through the doubt and the noise.

"Roy looks like he's clenching his arsehole," Billie whispered to Keeley as they stood beside Higgins, observing the post match interview and Roy's classically uptight manner.

"He could do with some of the finer things Amsterdam has to offer," Keeley smirked as the two women observed the interview.

"I really hope you're not talking about sending my brother, your ex boyfriend to a strip club," Billie frowned.

"I meant he could do with a spliff or two," Keeley sighed.

"Well, your past self told me all the best spots but you'll have to remind me," Billie teased, referring to the video that had been playing on the TV in her hotel room, similar to the one that played in Liverpool, in fact most of the hotels the team stayed in.

"Fuck off," Keeley laughed before the two women returned their attention to the interview.

"And so, Roy Kent, don't you think Richmond's objectively poor performance is due to the fact that you're nothing without Zava?"

"Who cares? It's a fucking friendly, a friendly is a pretend match, this is a pretend conversation, you're a pretend person with a pretend job, and I'm having a really hard time pretending to give a shit," Roy told the interviewer, leaving the man speechless.

"Wow," Billie exhaled.

"Your brother really says it how it is, huh?" Keeley sighed.

"Pretty sure that media training hadn't been invented when he started playing," Billie smiled, her eyes lighting up at the sight of Will walking down the corridor in her direction, armed with multiple kit bags, "Good to see you, kiddo."

"You too, love the vintage," The young kitman smiled graciously, admiring her newest retro Richmond jacket from when FILA had sponsored the club back in the nineties, which she'd paired with wide legged blue jeans.

"Thanks, lovely," Billie grinned.

Will promptly turned to Keeley with a smile, "Love the pink."

"Oh, thank you," She grinned fondly.

"Okay," Rebecca joined the group, taking Will's place, "A night out in Amsterdam it is, let's make the most of it, what's the plan?"

"I'm spoken for, I'm afraid," Higgins sighed, "It's my first time in Amsterdam and I have a date with someone special in the red light district."

"Does Julie know about this?" Billie frowned, having a strong sense of loyalty to the woman.

"Yes, she's all for it," Higgins nodded before leaving the three women with a smile as he headed for the team bus.

"Nah." The three women hummed in disbelief.

"Just you and me then, lovelies," Rebecca smiled at the two young women who shared an awkward knowing look, "What's that look for?"

"What look?" Billie frowned.

"The look you both do when you've got bad news, like Dermot O'Leary on the X Factor," Rebecca quipped, "Out with it."

"Apparently, tonight is the best aurora borealis ever, like it's the aurora boreal-ist...in Norway," Keeley replied hesitantly, her eyes filled with something that Billie hadn't seen in a long time, "And Jack and her plane are waiting for me at the airport right now."

"Subtle...and amazing," Rebecca grinned, hiding her disappointment that she couldn't spend the night with two of her favourite ladies, "And you, Miss Kent?"

"I'm taking Jamie out, he just doesn't know it yet," Billie smiled fondly, because she wanted to treat him, and she also knew that Amsterdam was more than just a city to him, it was a place full of memories he'd prefer to forget, "I've booked us this boat tour thing, they serve you a three course meal while taking you up and down the rivers and canals of Amsterdam."

"Sounds gorgeously romantic," Rebecca replied, delighted for the young woman, noting the place she had been in a year ago compared to that moment.

"I promise we will make it up to you," Billie assured the woman.

"Yes, you will," Rebecca nodded.

"Oh, great job, Jan!" Keeley called out as the native Dutchman headed past the three women, "And, Roy, thank you again for doing this."

"Yeah, anytime," Roy nodded.

"I love you," Keeley squeezed her best friends' hands.

"Love you," Rebecca and Billie replied, squeezing back before the petite blonde hurried off down the corridor.

"Where's she going?" Roy asked as he joined Billie and Rebecca.

"Somewhere that believes they deserve her," Rebecca quipped and Billie was grateful that she saw the real Roy too, that she understood his reasoning for the breakup beyond just 'wanting space' and 'being too busy.'

"See you on the bus, Royo," Billie patted her brother's shoulder before wandering off down the corridor towards where the team bus was parked.

Billie approached the team bus, making her way up the few steps to be met with the faces of disappointed and downtrodden footballers with little enthusiasm between them. It was no wonder why; they had been defeated yet again, and as far as they could see it, there was no way of undoing that, in their eyes, the only way was down.

"Alright, Coach...es," Billie offered Beard and Ted a quick fist bump before leaning against the seats in front of them, "You get the feeling it's going to take more than just a movie night to resolve this?"

"I agree, Mrs McPhee." Ted chimed, ever chipper despite the team's loss.

"I'm going to look past you calling me Nanny McPhee and blame it on today's loss," Billie smiled, "In the meantime, can Jamie and I politely swerve movie night and curfew?"

The two coaches glanced over their shoulders at the mellow faced striker, turning back to Billie, "You're not planning on getting stoned are you, Sporty Spice?"

"Got a wholesome date night lined up, he just doesn't know it yet," Billie replied, even though it was more than just another date night, it was an escape, "I promise to have him back and in bed by 10PM."

Ted knew that Jamie needed a breather, he knew that the striker had been working and training whenever he could, just trying to be the man the team needed him to be. Jamie didn't need to say anything for Ted to see that he could do with a break, what he needed was not to think about work, and Ted felt safe in the knowledge that Billie knew just what Jamie needed.

"Why the heck not?" Ted smiled, "You gonna head back to the hotel with us first?"

"Yeah," Billie nodded, "Could do with a freshen up."

"Well, you kids have fun," Ted nodded before Billie made her way back down the bus towards where Jamie was sitting beside Sam, earphones in his ears as he gazed out of the window with a sense of hopelessness.

"Hi," Billie smiled as she sat in the two available seats across from him, "You okay?"

"Yeah," He turned to face her with a half hearted smile, "Seeing your face helps."

"I've got something planned for you later," Billie told him, delighting in the opportunity to spoil him the way he always did for her, "We'll go back to the hotel and get changed, then we're heading out for the evening."

"I'd love that," Jamie replied with a slight smile, "Feels like we've barely spent any time just me and you."

It was true, with Jamie's intense training regime and Billie's hectic work schedule, most of the time they spent together was spent with the team, Billie's friends or Billie's family.

"You gonna tell me what you've got planned?" Jamie asked, touched by Billie's efforts.

"I've booked us a canal cruise with food on board," Billie explained as her brother walked down the aisle towards the back of the bus, making his presence known as he brushed past Jamie and Billie, "The best way to see Amsterdam is by river."

"You did that for me?" Jamie raised his eyebrows in bewilderment.

"Yeah, we've always been saying we should do more touristy shit in the cities we visit," Billie reminded her, "Besides, you spent the entire coach ride chatting my ear off about every building we went past, this way you can tell me all about it over a three course meal and bottle of wine."

"You're alright with that?" Jamie raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, three of my favourite things, good food, good wine and the sound of your voice," Billie assured him, because as much as she didn't want to make a big deal of the situation, she wanted him to see that she would always be there when he needed her most.

"Why are you doing this for me, Bils?" Jamie asked, and Billie couldn't help but feel a pang in her chest. The man she loved still wasn't used to people going out of their way to make him happy. She didn't need a reason, she never needed a reason to love him.

"I know what it means to you, being here," She paused as she reached across the aisle and took his hand in hers, referring to the conversation they'd shared the night before the journey to Amsterdam, the conversation that had lasted two hours as they sat on Billie's bed, Nelson at their feet with nothing but fairy lights lighting the room, "We made new memories at Wembley, let's do the same in Amsterdam."

"What did I do to deserve you, darlin'?" Jamie smiled fondly, lifting her hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles three times.

"Hey, fellas," Billie, Jamie and the rest of the team looked up to see Ted stood at the front of the bus, "I'm about to say three words no coach ever says unless he dang well means it."

"You're all shit," Colin suggested.

"No."

"Knowledge is power?" Bumbercatch added.

"True but no," Ted answered.

"Live, laugh, love," Sam smiled.

"Nope."

"Today's cardio is dancing to a One Direction medley?"

Each of the boys turned to Billie with knowing smiles as Ted sighed, "Wrong again, but great suggestion, which we'll note down...correct answer is, no curfew tonight...that's right, I don't wanna see your pretty faces till we get back on this bus, at what time, Coach?"

"10AM, baby!"

"You heard the man, 10AM," Ted confirmed, the bus erupting in cheers of delight, "Alright let's be careful out there hill street blues."

"No curfew in Amsterdam, boys!" Van Damme squealed.

"Should we all take naps so we can stay up later?" Dani asked his teammates.

"No," Isaac addressed the bus, "We push through and we all meet in the lobby, five o'clock sharp."

"Tonight is gonna be mint!" Jamie exclaimed, as he stood up, offering Billie a quick kiss, delighted that his teammates would be having their own fun while he and Billie spent a well deserved date night, knowing they'd probably all reconvene together later that night anyway.

"Not for you, Tartt!" Roy shouted, silencing the team.

"Eh?"

"Let's go," Roy remarked as he stood up and made his way down the bus.

"Roy, you can't be serious," Billie sighed as her brother stood between her and her boyfriend.

"Billie's booked me a surprise trip up the canal," Jamie protested, much preferring the idea of spending the evening with his girlfriend than his girlfriend's brother, "What about that?"

"I'm sure she could get a refund...or take Colin," Roy suggested, glancing at the Welshman who simply shrugged his shoulders, "You're not on fucking holiday from training?"

"What about my stuff?" Jamie shrugged.

Roy took Jamie's bag, made his way towards the front of the bus and handed it to Will, "Throw this away please," He nodded before making his way off the bus, shouting, "Let's go!"

"I can come with you if you want," Billie assured him, unsure whether he was content with the idea of spending an evening in the city he'd prefer to forget with her brother instead of her.

"It's alright, babe," Jamie took her hand in his, "You have fun with the boys, get stoned on them brownies and leave me ninety five voicemails telling me how much you love me."

"That happened once," Billie smiled as he leant down to kiss her, "And it was jägerbombs, not weed brownies."

"Be good," He pecked her lips before making his way down the bus, stopping beside Will, "Don't actually throw that away, yeah?"

"I'll probably just give it back to Billie," Will whispered with a smile.

"Good lad," Jamie nodded, "Bils!"

"Yeah?" She looked up from her phone to see home smiling back at her from the front of the bus.

"I love you."

"Love you too," Billie grinned as the rest of the team cooed and wolf whistled, just as a group of brothers would.

Billie had been sitting, or rather laying on the large bed in her hotel room for the past couple of hours. She'd decided that she'd probably just spend the evening at the hotel, order some room service, watch one of her favourite movies and inevitably fall asleep until Jamie would return and try his hardest not to wake her up.

She had intended on spending the evening with the team, but instead decided that if she couldn't spend the night with Jamie, she'd spend it in their hotel room, watching one of their favourite films.

The sound of Bridget Jones' Diary hummed away in the background as she edited photos of the boys from the match on her laptop. She appreciated the routine of the job but as she focused on the photos in front of her, she wondered if there was more she could do for the team's media presence, something that would expand her creative horizons.

Before she could ponder any further about her future career opportunities her phone buzzed beside her. She picked it up to see a message from Roy, his live location attacked.

ROYO
Your boyfriend's like a
hyperactive jack russell.
If you join us I'll look
after Nelson for two weeks
next time you want a holiday.

BILLIE
Promise?

ROYO
Pinky promise.

BILLIE
See you soon

She knew how much it meant to Jamie to be in Amsterdam, and she knew that as attentive as her brother could be, he wouldn't know about Jamie's Amsterdam based history, and she felt a tug on her heart to be where he needed her, by his side.

She promptly climbed out of bed and changed out of her pyjamas back into her tracksuit from earlier that day. She then slipped on a pair of gazelles and scraped her long hair back into a ponytail before making her way down to the lobby.

"Bils!" Isaac called out as she entered the lobby, the entire team turning to face her as she approached, "Where are you off to?"

"Third wheeling my two best boys," Billie told him, noticing Colin's absence, "What are you lads doing?"

"We're trying to decide where to go," Sam replied.

"My cousin's hosting a party," Jan told her.

"Martin Garrix?"

"Yeah."

"Surely that's a no brainer?" Billie glanced at the boys.

"Van Damme wants us to go to a sex show," Isaac added, knowing how Billie would react, "The votes are equal."

"You boys can't be serious?" Billie pinched the bridge of her nose, preparing to serve the boys some tough love, "You'd rather watch tired people have sex which they are insanely underpaid for than attend a party where you could get some for yourself?"

"She's right," Sam nodded.

"I raised you boys better than this," Billie sighed, "Now be good, okay?"

"Have a good night, Billie," Isaac called out as she made her way out of the hotel.

It didn't take Billie long to track Roy and Jamie down, given that they weren't too far from the hotel. She laid eyes on Jamie first, his hands buried in his pockets with a smug grin on his face while Roy sat on a pillar, attempting to regulate his breath and inevitably realign his knee.

"You've not killed him already, have you?" Billie smiled at Jamie as she approached the two men.

"What are you doing out here?" Jamie grinned, greeting her with a hug as he kissed the side of her head.

"Got bored editing photos, and the boys were still brainstorming what to do when I left so I thought I'd join you gorgeous fuckers," She replied, choosing to leave out Roy's message to her.

"He's like one of those annoying fucking tourist headset things," Roy huffed, glancing up at Jamie, "How do you know so much about here?"

"It's Amsterdam, how do you not?" Jamie remarked.

"Never been here in my life," Roy sighed as Jamie stood behind Billie, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"What? Never?" Jamie frowned, "Not one drag party?"

"No."

"Not one international match?"

"No."

"Not one emergency flight diverted here because some EasyJet passenger was being a prick?" Jamie smirked.

"I'm so proud of you for flying low budget," Billie whispered with a smile, kissing Jamie's hand.

"That never happens," Roy scoffed.

"It does, it does happen if you're being enough of a prick," Jamie remarked with a smug smirk, "Which I was."

"It just looks like a Disney version of an old city," Roy replied, clearly still frustrated by Jamie's upbeat demeanour.

"He took us to Disney World once," Billie told Jamie, "Hated every fucking minute of it, didn't you, Royo?"

"Because it all looks so fucking fake, just like this does," Roy huffed, "Windmills? Fake."

"I ain't even from here, and I'm offended," Jamie quipped, placing a hand against his heart, "Windmills are real, man, what are you talking about?"

"Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it," Roy remarked, assuming Jamie would simply leave it there, but as Billie watched Jamie's eyes light up, she knew it would be quite the opposite.

"We need bikes," Jamie declared before running off.

"Jamie, I'm not sure that's a good idea," Billie called out after him, knowing how Roy would feel about it.

The Kent siblings spent a good twenty minutes attempting to keep up with Jamie who led them down various back streets until they reached a corner where Jamie stood.

"The fuck are you doing?" Roy huffed as he and Billie approached Jamie.

"Just be patient," Jamie whispered as a random man approached them with a bike.

"Bicycle?" The man passed the bike over to Jamie as Billie and Roy shared a mutual glance of concern.

"Thank you," Jamie smiled at the man, oblivious to the Kent siblings' hesitance, "Two more, please."

"I love a challenge, hold this," Jamie's new friend declared before running off down a nearby alleyway.

"Mate, we've just made tonight amazing," Jamie laughed, patting Roy on the shoulder.

"I don't wanna ride around on a fucking bike," Roy huffed, shrugging Jamie off.

"Jamie," Billie attempted to shoot her boyfriend a look of concern, knowing how her brother felt about riding a bike, "I'm not sure this is a good idea."

"Oh, come on, it'll be fun," Jamie insisted.

"Voilà," The bike man returned, armed with two bikes, "Sixty euros."

"Have a hundred," Jamie handed over a wad of cash, passing one of the bikes to Roy, "Here."

"Get that thing away from me," Roy held his hands in the air.

"Oh, come on," Jamie teased, still unaware of the context behind Roy's reluctance to take part in Jamie's plan.

"No, I don't want it."

"J, just leave it," Billie sighed.

"Mate, we take the bikes, we find a windmill," Jamie told Roy, seeing no fault in his plan for the evening, assuming it would be a wholesome way to bond with his girlfriend's brother.

"No, I said no," Roy shrugged.

"Why the fuck not?" Jamie frowned.

"I don't know how to ride a bike!" Roy exclaimed, Billie releasing a sigh of relief as Jamie stared at Roy in bewilderment.

After a moment of painful silence, Jamie and the bike thief burst into a fit of laughter while Roy and Billie stood beside each other in silence, unsure of what to say.

"No refunds," The bike thief told Jamie before running back down the street into the night.

"Fucking hell, Roy," Jamie laughed, "Do you know how to tie your own laces?"

"Stop being a dick," Roy warned and the smile on Jamie's face slowly dropped, "When I went to Sunderland, my granddad told me he'd teach me how to ride when I came back for Christimas and then he fucking died, and I haven't been on a bike since...And now saying that out loud, I realise that never learning was actually a great disrespect to his memory and now I feel ashamed, so can we stop taking about it and go back to me just taking my negative emotions out on you, even if you deserve it or not?"

"I've got Dr Sharon on speed dial, just say the word," Billie whispered, following her brother's emotional word vomit.

Jamie glanced between the two Kent siblings, he'd spent the last year learning to understand the dynamic that existed between the pair. Roy was traditionally the protector, in the way that any older brother would be, but Jamie also saw that there were areas of life that Roy hadn't had the chance to experience because he'd had to grow up so quickly. That was where Billie came in, she did what she could to fill those gaps, to help him see what the world could offer him beyond football.

Jamie felt a responsibility too, to support Roy rather than ridicule him in the way he may have done two years prior.

Growth was a remarkable process, right?

"Go on, Roy," Jamie passed a bike to Roy, "For Grandad."

"Fuck."

Billie had been sitting on a bench beside the canal for the best part of an hour, watching her two most favourite men in the entire world bond unknowingly. She was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs as she smiled fondly with glossy eyes.

She hadn't expected Jamie to put so much effort into teaching Roy how to ride a bike, and as Roy's sister she felt a need to protect him from embarrassment, hence why her attempts to quash Jamie's bike based plan. But as she watched Jamie guide Roy up and down the paved street she realised that she didn't need to doubt either of them.

Courage had found its place in Roy's heart, not to be strong, he'd always been strong, but to allow himself to be vulnerable, that was as great a strength as any. Billie watched both men with pride, choosing to sit silently on the sidelines, observing the way they were connecting and bonding. She found it hard to believe the place they were in at that moment compared to the resentment that lingered between the two men two years prior.

"It's all about balance, man," Jamie assured Roy as he wobbled on the bike, "Just like dribbling, if you can dribble, you can balance, that's it!"

There were no notes of patronisation in Jamie's voice, he genuinely wanted Roy to learn, his voice was gentle, and he remained entirely attentive, focusing on the task at hand.

As Billie watched her boyfriend teach her brother how to ride a bike, images flashed through her mind of her future with Jamie, of a little boy with dark blonde hair on his first bike in the local park, his father encouraging him to pick his feet off of the floor as he assured him, "I won't let you fall, little man."

Jamie was going to be the best dad one day.

"Yeah, that's good, alright, mate!" Jamie's voice snapped Billie from her daydream as she looked up to see Roy chasing Jamie down.

"I'm gonna kill you," Roy muttered with a smile, looping around Jamie.

"You're doing it," Jamie grinned with pride.

"I'm doing it," Roy laughed in disbelief as he cycled past his sister, "Let's go find a fucking windmill!"

"For Grandad!" Jamie cheered as Roy peddled away down the street.

"You know," Billie appeared beside Jamie, a tentative smile on her face, "I thought it was impossible to love you more than I already do, but you've done a great job of proving me wrong."

Jamie smiled back at her, not quite sure of what to say to that. Billie sensed that, bridging the gap of silence with a kiss, pulling away and looking up at him with a grin, "Shall we go find a windmill?"

"Let's fucking go," Jamie muttered, taking her hand in his and looking down the street to see that Roy was just a dot in the distance, "Eh, wait for us!"

Billie and her two favourite men had been cycling for about half an hour, their legs were aching but it didn't matter, because they had each other. Billie liked being with them both, she loved it, she did what she could to savour it.

"Coach, I know you have me best interests at heart...or the club's anyway, even though you're clearly upset about something else and you're taking it out on me," Jamie began to speak as they cycled, "What I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry for being a dick earlier, I've been to Amsterdam twice."

Billie took a heavy breath, gripping the handlebars of her bike as she knew what was to come next. All she could see was the man who'd laid beside her as she cradled him to sleep, as she'd pondered what he'd told her about his experiences of Amsterdam while nothing but the sound of his steady heartbeat filled that room.

"When I was fourteen, me dad was trying to get back with me mum, and he was acting like some sort of fucking super dad or some shit, and he bought me out here for some father-son bonding time," Jamie retold the story he'd shared with Billie some nights before, "Anyway, he said it was to watch a football match, but after the game, he took me to the red light district for my real present...he took me to lose my virginity to those ladies behind the windows."

"Jesus, must've been traumatising," Roy sighed, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

"No, she loved it," Jamie answered, earning a puzzled frown from Roy, "Oh, for me, you mean? No, I don't know, I don't really remember."

Billie had wondered whether Jamie had spoken about it with Dr Sharon when she was at the club, but as she listened to Jamie retell it for a second time, she feared that he either didn't see how wrong it was for his father to put him through that, or perhaps he'd allowed the memories to fade into insignificance as a way of coping.

"Anyway, a couple of years later, me mum brought me back here, we went to the museums, did all the tours, and it's the first time I had stroopwafel, never forget that time," Jamie smiled fondly, "Even though me dad weren't here, he was still kind of there with us, you know?"

"I was a dick today too, I'm sorry," Roy admitted, "I think Keeley's got a girlfriend."

Instead of stopping to unpack Roy's statement, to discuss the new revelation in a way a younger Jamie may have once done, he glanced at Roy, simply nodding, "Let's go find us some windmills, eh?"

"I've never seen a windmill up close, not a proper one," Billie muttered as she stood in between Jamie and Roy, her arms linked through both of theirs, "Not including those modern wind turbine ones they have in fields."

"They're alright," Roy shrugged, refusing to admit how much he'd enjoyed himself, even though Billie and Jamie already knew it.

"Beats the red light district, eh?" Jamie attempted to make light of his earlier revelation, as Billie interlocked her hand with his, resting her head against his shoulder.

Roy glanced at his sister and her boyfriend, acknowledging the love that lingered between them, he didn't regret the resentment he had a year ago regarding the idea of his sister dating Jamie Tartt, the striker had a lot of growing to do. And grow he had, from a boy to a man, he'd earned his place beside Billie, and as much as it would've once pained Roy to admit it, Jamie had earned himself a place in their family.

"I'm erm...I'm gonna grab some pictures of the river for Phoebe," Roy muttered, making his excuses to give the couple a moment alone before shuffling past the windmill.

"If you'd have told me two years ago that I'd be spending an evening in Amsterdam teaching Roy Kent to ride a bike with his sister instead of getting stoned in the red light district, I would've laughed," Jamie sighed, squeezing Billie's hand, "But now...Now there's not really anywhere else I'd rather be."

"Ditto," Billie smiled fondly, kissing his shoulder as they kept their gazes on the windmill, "And I want you to know how proud I am of you, J."

"For what?"

It pained her that he didn't quite get it, that he didn't fully understand that what his dad had brought him to Amsterdam to do was wrong, that he'd been taken advantage of. As much as she wanted him to be angry at his father for that, she knew that anger never got anyone anywhere, that if anything it would hold him back from healing. He'd unknowingly cut himself free from the clutches of another memory tainted by his father, and for that she was both grateful and proud.

"I'm proud of you for being you, my love," Billie gazed up at him, "And the way you wear your heart so openly."

Everytime Jamie looked at Billie he felt as though he was made to love her, and she was made to be loved by him, as though it were his purpose. He wouldn't mind it if that's all that he'd been put on earth to do.

It was as though there had always been an invisible string tying him to her, to the sister of the man he'd spent his childhood admiring, a man who perhaps one day he'd call his brother in law. Well in truth, they were already there, from the day Roy cradled him in the Wembley locker room to the burden Jamie shared about his previous trip to Amsterdam, Roy had found himself a younger brother, and Jamie had finally found what he'd spent his whole life searching for.

author's note: thank you so much for your patience! sunflowers is one of my favourite episodes and i wanted to make sure i got it right! hope you all enjoyed it <3