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The universe had done a very good job of picking Billie's life up and turning it on its head in the past twenty four hours. She'd photographed an impressive high profile magazine shoot and she'd been reunited with Jamie (albeit just as friends).

This was the sort of stuff normal people talked about, stuff they'd tell their friends, but Billie could hardly talk to Colin or the other boys about Jamie, they all despised him. She couldn't talk to Roy either for obvious reasons, and she wasn't keen on the idea of talking to Alfie and Madison who would support her regardless of what decision she made.

Which is how she ended up coming into work early, waiting in Dr Sharon's office for her to arrive. She hadn't even booked an appointment, she just knew that this way she wouldn't allow herself to run away.

The girl who had vowed that she didn't need therapy had ended up in a therapist's office within twenty four hours of Jamie Tartt's return.

The office door opened and Billie sat up straight with an awkward smile, "Good morning, can I help you?" Dr Sharon asked, placing her bike and bag beside the spare sofa.

"I was wondering if..." Billie muttered, tapping her fingers against her knees, "You'd be free for a session...if you're busy, it's fine, it's great in fact."

"I'm free now," Sharon assured her, closing the office door, "Take a seat."

"I've always been a bit skeptical of therapy, but my friend, Colin told me that I've been in my own head a bit, and said you're great, so I thought I'd give it a try," Billie rambled, which was something she always did when she was anxious.

"Why do you think you're skeptical of therapy?" Sharon asked as the two women sat opposite each other.

"My dad is very much a 'keep calm and carry on' kind of man," Billie explained, "So we never really talked about feelings, nevermind paying someone to listen to them."

"So, I assume that means you came here for a reason?" Sharon replied, and Billie wasn't entirely convinced that she was ready to get right into it.

"People normally talk about their childhoods don't they?" Billie sighed, "Should I just start with that?"

"Do you want to talk about your childhood?" Sharon asked, because the point of the session was that it was led by what was going on in Billie's mind, no one else's.

"Not particularly," Billie huffed, "But I know I should, because I know it'll help, and I might be a fucking skeptic because of my childhood and maybe talking about it will help you understand my apprehension towards talking about these things."

"These things?"

"Feelings."

"Right, well, tell me about your family dynamic, who was there when you were at home?" Sharon asked, ready to listen intently.

"It was me, my sister, Mum and Dad, my brother had already moved out to Sunderland before I'd been born," Billie explained, "My sister went to uni while I was still in school, I'm sixteen years younger than my brother, I was an accidental pregnancy."

"How do you know?" Sharon asked.

"My parents were in their forties when I was born, when I was twelve I worked out that I'd been conceived on their wedding anniversary, and there was also the fact that my siblings were both much older than me," Billie told her, "It was always made clear to me that I was an inconvenience to my parents."

"An inconvenience?" Dr Sharon remarked.

"Well, all their friends had adult children who were going off to uni, so they'd have all this free time, but my parents were busy being parents to me, and I think they blame me for robbing them of that," Billie explained.

"Is that an assumption?" Sharon asked.

"You've not met my parents," Billie sighed, "They tolerate each other, if they hadn't had me, they'd be divorced, they'd probably also have divorced if their son didn't become a Premier League footballer."

"Do you think that your parents' relationship has shaped the way you approach your own?" Dr Sharon asked and her words were quite the suckerpunch.

"A good friend made me see that I'll let myself get hurt because I'd rather that than be alone," Billie explained softly, "I did that in my last relationship."

"What was that relationship like?" Dr Sharon asked.

"It was fine at first, but then I started to realise that he had a reputation, he's a professional footballer so when he messed up the world knew about it," Billie told Dr Sharon, "I was nineteen and naive when we got together, and he let me think that the way he was treating me was normal, and I honestly think he loved being seen as this Premier League Playboy with a girlfriend who'd roll over and take it."

"How did it end between you?" Sharon replied.

"I suppose I finally realised my worth, some good friends helped me see that I deserve better, and I'm glad that I got out when I did because I found out that he'd got another girl pregnant," Billie explained, "They're together and raising the baby now."

"That can't have been easy," Sharon sighed with sympathy, "Have you dated since your last relationship?"

"Not in the traditional sense," Billie answered, "I had this very brief thing with this guy, and it was fun, but we're just friends now."

"How did that happen?" Sharon asked, "Going from fun to just friends?"

"I ended it," Billie admitted, "Because I was scared of getting hurt, and he said that he was fine with it, and then I didn't hear from him for almost five months and now he's back in my life and we're doing the whole just friends thing."

"I see," Sharon nodded slowly.

The therapy session lasted about another half an hour until it came to a natural conclusion when Billie was due to start work. She hadn't necessarily reached any solid conclusions or made any eye opening revelations, but she was a step or so closer to where she needed to be. Progress is still progress, no matter the size of the step.

Billie made her way downstairs, heading for her office, discarding her bag on the desk and retrieving her camera, slinging it over her shoulder as she caught sight of the large A1 photo frame filled with photos of the team she'd taken on her disposable camera that the boys had gifted her for her birthday during the summer.

"Bils," She looked over her shoulder at the sound of Colin's voice, "You got a minute?"

"Yeah," Billie smiled, perching on the edge of her desk, "You okay?"

"Have you seen this?" He held out his phone, displaying a photo of Ted and Jamie talking in the pub last night, no doubt an hour or so before their own chance meeting.

"I hadn't seen that," Billie answered honestly, she and Jamie had ended up laying on the pitch for at least another hour before they both decided to return to their respective homes, so she'd not had much sleep, meaning that checking social media wasn't the top of her priority list.

"Do you think he's coming back?" Colin asked as he slipped his phone into his pocket.

"I'm not the person you need to ask," Billie told her friend, "But from what he said yesterday-"

"You saw him too?" Colin remarked, "Fraternising with the enemy?"

"Firstly, fraternising is a bit fucking dramatic," Billie sighed, "Secondly, he's not the enemy, he did some shitty things, but he's changed, Colin."

"Where'd you see him?" Colin asked, like a protective brother more than anything, even though he was unaware of what had really happened between her and Jamie.

"I bumped into him in London," Billie explained, "After the photoshoot, we talked, and honestly I think he's changed."

"But that doesn't make up for what he did, and what it might do to the team if he comes back," Colin reminded her, which as much as she was in Jamie's corner, she knew was completely true.

"I know that," Billie assured him, "And whatever happens, we'll all be okay."

"Was this an argument?" Colin frowned.

"I don't think it really counts as an argument, just a conversation with mild disagreement," Billie smiled.

"Okay, good, because I didn't like it," Colin sighed in relief as he hugged her, "And I was worried that we'd fall out over Jamie Tartt of all things."

"Now that would be a disaster," Billie grinned as she wrapped her arms around him, "I tried therapy this morning."

"You did?" Colin asked with a proud smile, "What did you think of it?"

"It was fucking weird, Kents don't talk about feelings."

"Weird?" Colin frowned.

"Good weird."

"Now this, this is bad weird," Billie told the coaches as she rejoined them at the side of the training pitch after taking a few quick photos of the boys during training.

"Somebody order training extra spicy today?" Coach Beard replied, indirectly agreeing with her statement.

"Yeah, it's got that Nando's peri-peri sauce on it, huh?" Ted remarked in agreement, looking over his shoulder at where Dr Sharon was sitting to watch the training session, "How come everytime I look back there it's like she's getting closer?"

"Maybe she's got bad eyesight, needs to move closer to see the boys," Billie suggested as Will approached with some cups of sports drinks for the coaches and Billie.

"Thank you, Will," Ted nodded at the young man as he took his cup.

"Optical illusion induced by your mistrust of her profession?" Coach Beard replied as Nate took a sip of the sports mix.

"Metaphor, huh?" Ted shrugged.

"Bingo, Ringo," Beard nodded as Nate dramatically spat out his drink in disgust.

"Is there- is there pineapple in this?" Nate looked at his colleagues.

"The fuck's wrong with pineapple?" Billie muttered, taking a sip of her drink and liking it better than anything she'd bought from a shop, turning to Will who stood further along the pitch and offering him a thumbs up before pointing to the cup in her hand.

"I'm with Ted, we've been overrun by incompetent outsiders," Nate sighed.

"I don't think I said that, did I?" Ted frowned, and Billie also agreed with the American.

Ted looked over his shoulder again, "She's definitely getting closer."

"She's cool, I like her," Billie assured him, "And I'm an impeccable judge of character."

"Didn't your ex boyfriend cheat on you repeatedly?" Nate looked at her.

"I'm a slightly less than impeccable judge of character," Billie corrected herself, watching as the boys continued to play poorly, and it seemed quite clear that Sam's heart wasn't really in it, "You fellas seeing this?"

"You're right, Sporty Spice," Ted nodded in agreement, "Hey, Nate, hit me two times, will you?"

Nate blew his whistle and Ted approached the team, "Hey Sam, hold up, hey, look, baby, when you make that pass, you gotta put some grass under it," Ted explained, "Make Dani chase it down like it's a loose toddler in a busy parking lot."

"Oh, so you think you can do better?" Sam called out as Ted turned back to the coaches, "Come here and do it then."

"The fuck is happening?" Billie muttered to Coach Beard at Sam's uncharacteristic outburst, "Is mercury in retrograde?"

"Oi, easy, bruv!" Isaac shouted as Ted stopped to assess the situation.

"No, no, no, that's okay, Sam's right," Ted insisted, "There ain't nothing going on out here on this field that I can do better than any of y'all, unless you break into a game of finish that Jimmy Buffett lyric, then I'd be changing your latitudes and attitudes left, right and centre."

"Fuck, I think I need to get stoned tonight," Billie sighed, unable to comprehend what was going on in front of her.

"I know a guy." Beard muttered as they watched Sam walk off of the pitch.

"Hey, Sam, I'm just trying to help the team here," Ted insisted.

"Bullshit." Sam called out as he walked back towards the clubhouse.

"If this is a nightmare, please wake me up," Billie muttered at Sam's uncharacteristic outburst.

"I'm gonna see what all this is about real quick," Ted told Billie and the coaches as he ran after Sam, looking up to where Dr Sharon was sitting, "He's not normally like this, you know, so..."

"I guess Sam doesn't like Jimmy Buffett," Beard sighed.

"Who's Jimmy Buffett?" Nate asked.

"Really?"

Billie didn't really know how she ended up as part of an impromptu Diamond Dogs meeting, but she did, standing beside Higgins as they both leant against the window.

"Higgins, as a founding member of the Diamond Dogs, it breaks our little bowwow hearts to see you wandering around this building, a man without a desk," Ted told his friend, "We'd like to ask you to move in with us down here with my man, Nate, what do you say?"

"Oh, that would be perfect," Higgins remarked gleefully, grateful to avoid sharing a desk with Laughing Liam, "I mean, only if it's okay with Nathan."

"Yeah, of course," Nate nodded hesitantly.

"Roomies!" Higgins offered him a high five which then became an awkward displacement of hands as Billie and the two Americans watched on.

"Now, before y'all bounce, I do have one piece of football business we need to discuss," Ted told the group, "And that is Jamie Tartt's future with this team."

"I thought that was settled," Beard replied as Billie's ears pricked up at the topic of Jamie's return.

"Well, I did too," Ted sighed, "Then I was talking to Sam, and he unsettled it."

"Sam wants Jamie back?" Nate frowned.

"Definitely not," Billie muttered.

"Sam just reminded me that he himself has got a great dad," Ted explained, "Not everyone has that, and isn't the idea of never giving up one of those things we always talk about in sports? And shouldn't that apply to people too?"

"Two aces is very tempting, could be exactly what we need," Higgins added in agreement.

"But, it could also ruin morale to have someone in here just belittling people all the ti-" Nate cut off his own sentence when he caught sight of Will laying out folded towels in the locker room, "Will, Will! Not beneath the lockers, on the bench, man, come on."

"Sorry." Will nodded.

"What a donut," Nate remarked, "What was I saying?"

"What about you, Coach?" Ted asked Beard. 

"Pro: He's a great player, Con: He's a poop in the punch bowl," Beard answered honestly.

"Billie, you got any thoughts?" Ted looked at the young woman.

Billie could've spent ages listing the reasons that Jamie deserved a place on the team, and she knew that Ted would listen if she did. But she thought better, deciding to keep it as simple as possible.

"I'm with Ted," Billie declared, "He's done bad things, we've all done things we're not proud of, and from talking to him-"

"You've spoken to Jamie?" Nate frowned.

"Yes, why does everyone keep acting like it's a big deal?" Billie huffed, "Anyway, I do genuinely believe that he's not proud of the things he said and did, and in bringing him back here, you'd be bringing back the same player, but a different man."

"She's good," Higgins held out his fist, meeting Billie in a quick fist pump.

"Alright, Diamond Dogs, and Billie, as canines, we are supposed to lack opposable digits, but right now I'm gonna ask you, thumbs up or thumbs down?" Ted looked around the room.

Nate and Beard were both quick to offer the coach a thumbs down, while Higgins and Billie went with thumbs up. Billie truly believed that Jamie belonged with Richmond, and it wasn't a selfish decision, she'd be happy as long as he was happy. But if the team could see some of the Jamie she had seen, maybe they wouldn't hate him, maybe they'd forgive him.

Billie was sitting on her sofa, halfway through an episode of Gavin and Stacey when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled out to see Jamie's contact, Jamie who before they'd gone their separate ways the night before had asked for her number. It had been a mistake, but he wasn't ready to admit that or the reason why he did it, to Billie, he wasn't sure he ever really would be.

"Tartt," Billie smiled as she paused the TV, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You haven't been talking about me at work, have you?" Jamie asked, but from his tone she could tell that he was alright.

"I might've reminded a couple of old friends of your pricky magnetism," She grinned to herself, "Why'd you ask?"

"I'm coming back," Jamie answered and Billie couldn't ignore the smile that crept onto her face at his words, "Ted's asked me to come back to Richmond."

"I had a funny feeling that might happen," Billie replied, reminded of her conversation with the Diamond Dogs, "You feeling okay about all of this?"

"It's gonna be fucking weird to see them all again," Jamie replied honestly, "But I know it'll be alright."

"Why's that?" Billie asked as she lay back on her sofa.

"Because you'll be there," Jamie told her, "And those boys listen to you."

"I'm not getting involved, Jamie," Billie sighed, not because she didn't care, because she did, but because the boys needed to see that he cared, that he was making amends because he wanted to, not because Billie had pushed him to.

"Why not?" Jamie frowned.

"Because they need to see that righting your wrongs is something you're doing for yourself, not because I've encouraged you to do it," Billie told him, "I'll still be there, but you've got to let them see that they can trust you on and off the pitch."

"I know," Jamie sighed.

"Jamie."

"Billie."

"I'm proud of you, for doing this," Billie sighed, "I know it's not easy, but you'll be great."

"If I'm going to be making up for the shitty things I did, I think I should start with apologising to you," Jamie told her, leaving her stunned, "I know I had me own reasons for doing what I did, and not saying goodbye, or even just replying to your messages, but I should've said something, because I know what that means to you."

Neither of them truly realised that they were healing themselves and healing each other all at once. They were growing together, understanding themselves and each other, because that's what friends did.

"And despite being in the Championship, we've seen a thirty two percent increase in engagement across the club's social media accounts," Billie told Rebecca, Keeley and Higgins.

It was the day of their monthly meeting in which they all discussed all things marketing and digital production for the club. Keeley would provide updates on the brand endorsements available to the team, along with performance stats, while Billie would focus on the social media and production side of things, workshopping new possible ways to elevate the team's image despite being in a lower league.

"That's fantastic," Rebecca smiled.

"Colin's 'answering the internet' interview has been doing great numbers," Billie told the group, "For the month ahead I'm thinking more of the same, as well as experimenting with some high fashion style shoots with some of the boys, it'll be a good way to enhance the team's image and potentially open up the floor to further brand opportunities."

"Speaking of which, the people at Dubai Air have asked specifically for Sam, there's a photoshoot set up for Friday," Keeley explained, which Billie was delighted about, one of her friends getting an opportunity he deserved.

"Good for him," Rebecca smiled with enthusiasm, "That young man deserves some recognition."

"Yeah," Billie and Keeley nodded as there was a knock at the door and in walked Dr Sharon.

"Hello," The woman smiled as she entered, approaching Tebecca's desk where the group were sitting, "Sorry to interrupt, I'm Sharon Fieldstone."

"Yes," Rebecca exclaimed as she stood up to shake the woman's hand, "It is lovely to meet you, Dr Fieldstone."

"Please, call me Sharon," She insisted, shaking Keeley's hand too.

"It's good to see you again," Billie smiled.

"I just wanted to stop by and thank you for the lovely gift basket of bottled water," Sharon told Rebecca as Billie and Keeley frowned at each other in confusion.

"Well, Ted said that you didn't eat sugar," Rebecca replied.

"But so many other things don't have sugar in them," Keeley reminded Rebecca, both her and Billie silently agreeing that perhaps a bouquet of flowers would have been a better alternative.

"I really am glad that you're joining us," Rebecca smiled at Sharon as Billie looked over her shoulder out the large window, the sight before her raising her to her feet, "I hope that you'll be just the boost we need to get things going around here, Billie's only had good things to say about you, isn't that right, Billie?"

Billie's eyes were trained on the pitch, or rather on the person walking onto the pitch, the person she knew was coming back, but seeing him back in a Richmond training kit was startling, yet natural.

Jamie was home.

"Billie?"

Billie looked back at Rebecca, then Higgins, Keeley and Sharon, before looking back at Jamie as he took his place at the edge of his team, clearly nervous, "Sorry, I was just..."

The rest of the group joined Billie at the window, each standing in silence when they laid eyes on Jamie Tartt. Billie was smiling to herself with pride, Higgins was surprised, yet happy to see the striker back on the team, Sharon was intrigued by Billie's reaction, and Keeley and Rebecca were too.

author's note: billie and jamie entering their 'healing to best friends to lovers era' - who cheered?