Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A is for Aeroplane

1998

Geri groans, glancing at her watch for the umpteenth time. At the rate the traffic is going, she’s missing her flight for sure . She even made sure to leave extra early, with the goal of getting coffee before her flight, but that idea’s out the window now.

She pulls out her mobile phone - she should at least call Mel to let her know - and groans again. The two of them had been talking on the phone until late, not wanting to hang up. Of course, one o’clock in the morning was the time Geri then learned her charger wasn’t working, and her phone died about ten minutes after that. Hopefully Mel would understand.

She gets a dash of hope when she arrives at the airport and can check in, but security’s bit of a nightmare - it seems even being a worldwide celebrity doesn’t get you out of national security checks. She still tries to stay hopeful, but her fears are confirmed when she arrives at the gate - the door is closed, and she can see the plane pulling away from the gate through the wide windows. However, the staff are more than helpful and lead her to the first class lounge to keep her out of the public eye.

“Not to worry, Miss Halliwell. We will get you on a new flight,” the attendant at the first class counter tells her kindly in Spanish. “Anything for a Spice Girl. You said you’re flying to Belgium, yes?” 

“That’s right,” Geri confirms, grateful to have fans worldwide. She offers up what she hopes is a charming smile.

The attendant smiles back, then turns to her computer. She narrows her eyes a little at the screen, tapping away, and then her face lights up. “We have a flight departing in about twenty minutes. It is going to Brussels South Charleroi Airport though, but we can arrange for a car to collect you and bring you to where you need to be. The two airports are only a forty-five minute drive apart.”

Geri lets out a sigh of relief, and beams. Just in the last five minutes, she was picturing a rough night stranded at the airport and having to sleep on a bench, so honestly, an extra drive would be nothing . Especially if it meant being back in Mel’s arms sooner. “Yes, that would be incredible, thank you so much,” Geri gushes, and the attendant beams.

“Of course, not a problem. And we have room for you in first class as well, Ms Halliwell. Please relax here for just a moment, I will call a security personnel to come and collect you.”

“You’ve literally saved my day - is there anything I can do for you?” Geri asks, and grins when the attendant stammers a little, finally asking for an autograph. Geri more than willingly scrawls out a short thank you message and her signature. She hands it over with a grateful smile, before heading to relax in the first class lounge. Maybe today isn’t such a rough day after all.

“Are you alright?” Victoria asks, after Mel sighs for probably the fourth or fifth time.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I’m just bored,” Mel replies with yet another sigh. She glances out of the window of the large hotel room, watching a plane descending towards the airport, then heads over to the sofas where Victoria, Emma, and Melanie are currently sprawled out while reading magazines and snacking on a fruit platter, some French soap playing on the TV in the background.

She plops down next to Emma, who eyes her over the top of her magazine. “Geri’ll be here soon enough,” she says with a soft smile. “Why do I get the feeling that once she arrives, you won’t be bored anymore?”

Mel rolls her eyes at the knowing look in Emma’s eyes, but grins a little - because she knows Emma is right. “I just don’t see why we all had to do these promo events separately,” she remarks, and steals a strawberry off the tray.

“Like Simon said - there’s too many places, not enough time,” Melanie C pipes in, but her tone is patient. “Honestly, I didn’t mind going to Luxembourg, especially having my brother come with me. I hardly get to see him anymore.”

Mel nods, knowing that Melanie is right. And she enjoyed going to Berlin with her own sister, having seen her off at the airport that morning for her connecting flight home to London. But still, she’s now been apart from Geri for a total of thirty six hours now, the longest it’s been since they became a couple six months earlier, and honestly? She hates it.

“At least we get today off to rest - not poor Geri though, after a day of travel,” Victoria says. “But I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s show, should be a good one, yeah?”

“I hope we…we…”

Emma’s voice trails off, and Mel glances curiously over, to see that Emma’s distracted by the television playing silently in the background. What had been a random soap had been replaced with a serious looking reporter, and a fast moving ticker at the bottom of the screen. It’s all in French though, and Mel squints at the foreign words as if that would help her understand it better.

“What’s up, Em?” she asks curiously, and glances around for the remote. Victoria’s already on it, turning the volume up, but that doesn’t help her in understanding the rapid stream of French the reporter is saying.

“I - I’m not sure, my French isn’t great,” Emma says, faltering a little. She glances over at Mel, and there’s a troubled expression on her face. ‘I just, I think…I thought I read something about a plane crash. And they said it was Madrid.”

Mel stills, the blood in her veins turning ice cold. “What?” she asks, her voice slow and unsure.

Emma leans towards the television again, and her breath catches. “Yes. A plane crash - it left Madrid an hour and a half ago, it was meant to land in Brussels in twenty minutes. It went down about ten minutes ago, in northern France.”

“But wait - it can’t have,” Mel says slowly. Her brain is struggling to comprehend Emma’s words. “Geri’s flight left Madrid about then - but it wouldn’t be hers. Did they say what airline?”

Emma doesn’t reply, covering her mouth with her hands and staring at the television in horror. Melanie, sitting on the other end of the couch, has gone silent, and Victoria reaches out to take Mel’s hand. 

There’s a beep at the hotel door, and it flings open a moment later. Their publicist Jo comes charging in, closely followed by Camilla, the group’s executive assistant, Nina, their PR manager, and a couple security guards. 

Mel sees Jo take in the television, the horrified look on Emma’s face, then turn to her. There’s pain and fear on her face, and this is when Mel realizes something is wrong. Very wrong.

“What happened?” she demands, rising to her feet. “Where’s Geri?”

“We don’t know,” Jo says carefully. “I just got word of a plane crash - and the initial report is that they think it’s Geri’s flight - but there’s no official confirmation yet, so I don’t know if Geri-”

“No,” Mel snaps, and Jo startles at the venom in her voice. “No,” Mel repeats again. “Don’t you dare say it. Don’t you dare. Where is she?”

“Mel, honey, slow down,” Jo tells her. “I don’t know where she is.”

“Bloody call her, then!” Mel shouts. “Where’s my phone?”

“Her calls aren’t going through - her phone’s off, or not working.”

Mel grabs onto that like a life raft. “Her phone probably died - we were on them talking til after one in the morning, she was saying the battery was about to go-”

Jo nods encouragingly, but Mel can still see the fear on her face. “Exactly. I’m calling the airline, we’ll get answers. We’ll find her.”

But Jo doesn’t say anymore. She’s distracted by something behind Mel, and her face just drops , but Mel doesn’t know why, because Melaine’s stepping forward, blocking Mel’s view, and she can feel Victoria taking her by the shoulders, steering her sit back down. Mel struggles, not willing to sit, she wants to see Geri, she doesn’t understand what’s happening.

Then Emma is crying, and so is Victoria, and Melanie turns to her, absolutely shattered. 

And Mel knows.

The plane that crashed - it is Geri’s flight.

Because on the television in front of them, there’s another breaking news banner flashing on the television, and Geri’s picture is being splashed on the screen. This time, the announcer is speaking in English, and Mel manages to catch one phrase. “...confirmed among passengers: Geraldine Halliwell, member of the British pop group the Spice Girls…”

Her heart stops.

Geri’s plane crashed.

It crashed.

“No,” Mel says, but her voice is like water, and she can’t quite focus her eyes on anything in particular. She can feel Victoria’s tears, wet against her shoulder, and then Melanie’s kneeling in front of her, reaching for her hands. 

“It’s just breaking,” Melanie says, and Mel’s throat catches, not wanting to miss a single word. “But right now - they’re saying no survivors - they don’t-”

“Then get me the goddamn check in counter!” Jo snarls into her mobile phone. Next to her, Nina’s pulling out her own mobile, fingers flying over the buttons, her face contorted in anxiety. 

Mel doesn’t notice any of this though - she can’t tear her eyes away from Geri’s beautiful blue orbs on the screen, her face frozen in a smile. Mel remembers that particular photo having been taken, they’d been getting headshots done in the early days of the band, and they’d been making faces at each other behind the camera. 

Mel’s never going to see those eyes again. She’s never going to make Geri smile again, she’s never going to hear that laugh. Her body goes numb, and Geri’s name runs on repeat in her head. She’s surrounded by the girls, but she’s alone, and she thinks she actually might shatter into a thousand pieces.

Geri drums her fingers on the armrest of her chair, gazing out of the small window as the plane descends. The landscape grows bigger and bigger, until the plane wheels touchdown on the runway with a bump. Although it had been an easy flight, she’s more than eager to get to the hotel and see the girls - see Mel. She hopes she can convince Mel to skip dinner in the hotel restaurant, so they can order in room service and have some time alone, just the two of them. At this point, they’d been apart for thirty eight hours - not that she was counting - and she was ready to see her girlfriend.

The head flight attendant comes on the speaker, jabbering away in rapid Dutch, then French, but Geri doesn’t bother listening. She can barely keep up with Spanish, let alone learning any other new languages. She unbuckles her seatbelt, and as soon as the doors are opened, she eagerly departs the plane. 

There’s an attendant already waiting for her the second she steps out. He’s young, and clearly a little starstruck by her, and hastens to take her carry-on for her. “You choose - good plane,” he says to her in broken English.

Geri’s not quite sure what that means, but she smiles politely all the same, then gestures towards the airport. He nods rapidly, letting her through a staff door, and through the quiet employee halls until they reach a side door, where a driver and dark sedan is waiting. 

She thanks him and then slides into the car, grateful that she was able to skip the hubbub of the airport. The complexities of flying when famous wasn’t something she’d ever considered back in the day, when they were an unknown group of five just trying to get their big break.

“Er, to  Hotel Métropole, yes?” the driver asks in a heavy French accent.

“Yes, thank you - er, merci,” Geri replies. He nods, starting up the car, and Geri sinks back against the seats. This nightmare of a travel day is nearly done, and soon enough, she’ll be back with the girls, and most importantly, back in Mel’s arms.

She can’t wait.

Therefore, the moment the car pulls up at the hotel, she thanks the driver, and retrieves her carry-on from the trunk. Normally she should be calling Jo to have security meet her to escort her up - you never knew when a fan would sneak inside - but with her dead phone, that’s not happening.

The elevator ride takes ages, but finally she’s in front of the main hotel suite, the one that they were all collectively using as a main base, and digs her room card out of her pocket. At least she didn’t lose that . 

It takes her a second to properly swipe the magnetic card, then she sighs with relief as the door swings open

“Hey,” Geri calls, stepping inside. “Bloody hell, you wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had. Missed the first flight, some angel of a flight attendant got me on a later one to Charleroi. It took forever to drive here-”

She stops.

Instead of just the four Spice Girls, like she’d expected, the room is a little more full. Jo’s there, on her phone, and Camilla’s standing by the couch, her arms around Emma. There’s a couple of security guards, deep in conversation with Nina.

Her eyes catch on Mel, hunched over on the couch, Melanie and Victoria on either side. Mel looks up at her, and their eyes lock, and Geri’s immediate thought is she’s crying, what’s happened?

Because Mel’s not just watery-eyed or red-nose. She’s completely undone . Her eyes are swollen, and her face is pale. Her arms are wrapped around herself, as if she's trying to hold herself together. Something bad has happened. Did someone die? Is it's Mel's family? Fear grips onto Geri like a vice.

But she doesn’t get the chance to voice this, because her name is screamed, a guttural cry from Mel’s lips, and then Mel is running to her. Geri barely has a second to drop her carry on before Mel’s flinging herself into Geri’s arms, holding her so tight that Geri can’t tell where she ends and Mel begins - not that she wants to.

“Mel, love, I’m here,” Geri murmurs into her hair, caressing her back as she feels Mel’s body shuddering with sobs. “What’s wrong, are you okay?”

Jo’s closing her phone, then steps closer. “Geri, honey,” she says gently. “There was a plane crash. Your flight - Madrid to Brussels - the aeroplane went down in France about an hour ago.”

Realization slams into Geri, and now Mel’s reaction, the scent of fear that permeates the room, the panic - it all makes sense. “Oh my god,” she murmurs, and clutches Mel a little tighter. “I wasn’t on the plane,” she tells Jo. “There’d been traffic getting to the airport, so I missed it. An attendant helped me onto another one to Charleroi, but my phone died, I couldn’t get a hold of you all. I just figured that you’d realize I got held up.”

Over Mel’s shoulder, she can see Emma, crying, now in relief, being hugged by Victoria and Melanie. Victoria catches Geri’s eye, and doesn’t hesitate to come over, pulling the other two with her. 

Geri opens up one arm to embrace her, not letting go of Mel, and the five end up in a group hug, clinging to each other. They stay like this for a full minute, before Jo steps forward again, having hung up from a quick phone call.

“The press is being informed,” she tells Geri. “Some idiot didn’t think to fact check before announcing that you were a victim, they just ran with the first hint of a story. We’ll need to release a statement, but I’ll give you a few minutes to settle in first.”

Geri offers up an appreciative smile, then turns her attention to Mel. The sobs have slowed, and Geri nuzzles into her neck. “It’s okay, love, I’m here,” she murmurs.

Mel withdraws, but only enough to properly look in her eyes. “I know. I just - I thought I’d lost you,” she admits, her voice cracking. Geri brings a hand to her face, cupping it gently as she uses her thumb to wipe away the tears. Then she pulls Mel into a kiss. It’s messy, and intense, and full of the love and passion that they have for each other.

“You’ll never lose me, okay?” Geri tells her, once they break apart, and Mel nods.

“Good,” she says, finally smiling, and Geri lets out a soft sigh. She leans forward, resting their foreheads together.

They stand there together, completely forgetting about the rest of the people with them in the hotel room. Around them, the others begin to breathe easier, the tension in the room shifting from raw panic to cautious relief. Emma wipes her eyes, then gestures to Victoria and Melanie to go to the couch with her, to give them some space. Geri appreciates that more than she can express.

“I love you,” Mel murmurs softly.

“I love you too,” Geri replies, then startles as she feels Jo’s hand on her shoulder.

“Why don’t you two go take a few minutes,” Jo says, gesturing to the bedroom, and Geri nods. She takes Mel by the hand, leading her to the small bedroom that the group had been using as overflow storage. She catches Emma’s eye right before she closes the door and they share a meaningful smile, before Geri turns back to Mel and guides her to sit on the bed.

Mel’s much calmer now, but isn’t ready to properly let go of Geri yet. They intertwine their hands, and Geri can’t help herself from giving her another kiss.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Mel says after a moment. “I honestly thought I’d lost you. It was chaotic, and Jo didn’t know where you were, and the news had put one of your headshots up saying that you had been on the plane.”

Geri kisses her again, softer this time, pressing her lips to Mel’s with reverence. “I’m so sorry, babe. If I’d known, I’d have moved mountains to call you. I thought I’d just show up a little late, complain about the traffic and how crap Charleroi is.” She gives a watery laugh. “Not walk into this.”

Mel closes her eyes, taking a deep breath, letting the sound of Geri’s voice anchor her. “I don’t care where you landed, how long it took. I’ve never been so glad to see anyone in my life. You’re staying glued to me for the rest of the day,” she murmurs.

“Deal,” Geri whispers, her lips brushing Mel’s temple. “You’re not getting rid of me.”

And they sit there, wrapped around each other, just taking each other’s presence in. Soon enough, they’ll have to rejoin the group, Geri will need to make a statement to the press, and life will go on.

But for right now, neither woman plans to let go of the other for a very long time.

Chapter Text

B is for Backstage

Set in 2019

“Fifteen minute call!” a voice shouts from the hall, followed by a couple sharp raps to the dressing room door. “Fifteen minutes!”

Mel acknowledges the reminder, then turns back to Allegra. “Almost done?”

“Yep,” seventeen year old Allegra confirms, twisting open a tube of eyeliner. “Close your eyes, I just need to fix this one - I swear, Mum, if you blink again…”

“I didn’t blink!” Mel protests with a grin, but closes her eyes anyway. “You just got in too close. My eye was defending itself.”

“I’m literally the only reason you look cool right now,” Allegra mutters, her attention laser-focused. “You should be paying me.”

“I am paying you,” Mel says. “In lifelong gratitude and good genetics.”

Allegra doesn’t reply, too focused on carefully applying the eyeliner, then leans back. “Done. Wow, Mum. You look fierce.”

Mel grins, and glances in the mirror. “Damn. Yeah I do. Thanks babe.”

Across the room, sixteen year old Xavier had kicked his feet up on the coffee table, clearly relaxed, even as the buzz builds around them. “So,” he calls out casually, “who wants to place bets on if Mama will cry during the opening number?”

“Oi, you!” Geri says, pointing a finger at him, but she can’t hide her smile.

“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing,” he replies, holding his hands up in defense. However, the effect is somewhat ruined by the smirk creeping across his face. “But Mama said you did before Wembley in ‘98, and I saw the YouTube videos of your 2007 show. It’s basically a tradition for you to do that.”

“She already cried during rehearsal,” thirteen year old Levi chimes in without looking up from his phone. “So we’re already past odds.”

“Only because they had the lights going and the band played that slow intro,” Geri mutters, shaking her head. “It caught me off guard.”

Mel laughs, and heads over to her wife. “Ignore them,” she says, pressing a soft kiss to Geri’s cheek. “I love when you get emotional - oops - hang on, I got lipstick on your cheek.” 

“You’d better not have,” Allegra calls out, sending a mock glare at Mel.

Geri catches her eye as Mel rubs a thumb over the lipstick. “Thanks, love.” She reaches up a little, cupping Mel’s neck, and pulls her in for a proper kiss on the lips.

Nine year old Indigo, wedged into the couch next to her, groans loudly. “Excuse me, there are children here!” she says chidingly. “You could at least wait til we’re out of the room, yeah?”

“Sorry baby girl,” Mel replies breezily, as she pulls back from Geri. “Can’t help it sometimes, with a mum as gorgeous as yours.”

This elicits a groan from all five kids, but Geri just laughs, and takes hold of Indigo’s hand. “I promise we’ll at least try not to embarrass you when we’re on stage,” she says, winking.

“Oi, watch it - I’m not promising anything!” Mel cuts in.

“Are there really forty thousand people out there?” Indigo asks curiously, gesturing vaguely to the closed dressing room door.

“More than that, right?” sixteen year old Josie says, from Indigo’s other side. “Like, seventy thousand, right?”

“Yep,” Mel confirms. “But, you lot’ll have the best seats in the house - and we’ll be looking for you, so you’d better be waving!”

“Still wish we could have gone on stage with you though,” Josie adds, and Mel catches Geri’s eye. They were actually planning on surprising the kids - all of the Spice kids - with getting to come on stage for when they sing Mama , but it’s going to be a surprise right up until security gets them from the VIP tent during the song before it.

There’s a knock on the door, and Mel’s sister Dani comes in, dressed up and beaming. “Who’s excited? Your mums have to go in a sec so it’s time to come with me.”

“Alright, you lot,” Geri said, standing and brushing imaginary lint off her costume. “Everyone got their wristbands and their phones charged? Remember, no wandering off no matter what, you have to listen to Auntie Dani.”

The kids respond with a chorus of agreement, and Geri takes a second to hug Dani, murmuring a thanks for helping with the kids. 

“Oh honey, you two are getting me into the shows for free - I’ve missed it!” Dani replies with a grin. “Go rock it!”

Dani stops to hug Mel and murmur a few words into her ears, then herds the kids out of the room.

Geri turns to Mel, and lets her eyes scan the whole way up Mel’s body. Allegra wasn’t wrong, Mel really does look fierce, with her big hair and sharp eyeliner and fitted leopard print catsuit. 

And hot.  

Geri bites her lip, grinning, and is about to kiss her, when there’s another knock on the door. 

“Time to head backstage!” one of the crew calls, and Geri takes a slow breath, then takes Mel’s hand.

“Ready?” she asks.

“Ready,” Mel replies, and grins - then leans forward and kisses Geri anyway. Then they follow the crew out to the holding space, just behind the curtains leading to the stage, where Emma, Victoria, and Melanie are already waiting.

“There you are!” Emma practically bounces toward them, full of energy. “Was wondering if you two had snuck off for a quickie or something.”

“Oh my God, Emma,” Victoria says with a groan. “Don’t give them any ideas!”

Mel just laughs, slinging an arm around Geri’s shoulders. “Please, like we’d need an excuse.”

“We’re literally about to perform in front of seventy thousand people,” Melanie C points out, adjusting her earpiece. “You’d think you’d be focused.”

“Excuse me, I can be focused and think my wife looks incredible in a catsuit,” Geri replies with faux dignity, then breaks into a grin.

Mel blows her a kiss, then bumps shoulders with Emma. “God, I’m excited,” she says, and cranes her neck toward the stage. “The crowd sounds hyped!”

“Agreed - although I feel like half of that noise is just from my kids,” Victoria says with a laugh. “Their minds are going to be blown when we bring all the kids on stage.”

Emma grins. “I can’t wait to see their faces when they see the crowd. It’s going to be awesome, isn’t it? We did it all twenty years ago, and now our kids get to experience it.”

“And finally end the complaining that we didn’t bring the kids on stage at the Olympics,” Mel adds, and Victoria groans at that comment.

“You’d think they’d have been more grateful to have at least gotten to go to the Closing Ceremony,” she remarks. 

“I just remember Allegra coming up to us after and admitting that okay, maybe we were kind of cool, for parents,” Geri says, and they all laugh again.

One of the stage hands comes over, and they pause their conversation while he does a final check of their mic packs. It takes him an extra second to get Emma’s sorted, and when he’s done and is walking away, she grins at the girls. 

“Here’s hoping I don’t have a mic pack accident like what happened at last week’s dress rehearsal,” she says, referring to the moment when she’d leaned up against a metal beam, ripping the pocket that held the pack, so that when she spun around, it went flying out and almost clocked their guitarist on the head.

“Hey, better that then splitting your pants mid-set,” Melanie remarks darkly.

“That’s because you did a flying kick off a speaker,” Victoria points out. “I nearly had a heart attack.”

Geri grins. “To be fair, at least you did land it, and it wasn’t in front of a crowd.”

“Honestly, if we can get through the first three songs without someone tripping or spontaneously snogging, I’ll be thrilled,” Melanie replies, grinning as she checks her earpiece.

Emma’s eyes sparkle as she nudges Mel. “We probably should have split them up a bit more. The two of them next to each other during Viva Forever is going to be risky.”

“Oh please,” Geri says sweetly, “we’ve got self-control.”

Victoria gives her a look. “That is an outright lie and you know it.”

Geri just smiles, clearly unbothered. Mel grins, reaching out to slap Geri’s butt. “Sorry ladies, but can’t help it, with this fine specimen,” she jokes.

Melanie rolls her eyes, and reaches out to drape one arm around Victoria, but whatever she was about to say is drowned out by a loud cheer from the crowd, and they turn towards the stage. They can’t see the crowd or anything due to the curtains shielding the back of the stage from their backstage area, but another tech guy suddenly comes scurrying through them, clearly startled.

“You alright there?” Mel asks him, and he grins sheepishly.

“Yeah - I just had to duck out to adjust one of the mic stands, and I dunno if they thought you lot were about to appear or something,” he replies. “Bit of a shock.”

“You get used to it,” Melanie tells him, and he shakes his head, hurrying off to check something else.

“Man, I remember when we did Istanbul that first time,” Emma says, smiling softly. “That crowd was tiny, but still, what a rush.”

“And none of us ever thought we’d still get to do it, twenty years later,” Mel adds.

Victoria smiles softly, draping one arm around Emma’s shoulder, while reaching to squeeze Geri’s hand with her other hand. “I love all of you,” she says honestly, more sincere than she ever usually gets. “It’s been an amazing couple decades with you all, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Geri grins, and blinks a little, not wanting her emotions to ruin her eye makeup. Mel notices, and uses the sleeve of her catsuit to lightly dab at the corner of Geri’s eye, then glances at the others. Melanie takes the hint, and draws Victoria and Emma into a question, giving Mel a moment with her wife.

“Come with me for a moment,” Mel says, and tugs on Geri’s hand. 

“Where are we going?” Geri asks, half laughing, as they hurry out of the makeshift dressing room and to the backstage space.

“You’ll see in just a sec,” Mel says, and grins.

She leads them down a narrow corridor tucked behind the main stage setup. Geri thinks she’s going to stop, but they continue past crates of lighting equipment and coiled cables, while the thump of bass from the pre-show playlist slowly gets louder. A stagehand sees them, and nods, so Mel pulls Geri along as they slip behind a black drape. It leads to a few metal steps that they climb to a small platform tucked behind one of the massive speaker towers.

It’s private here, insulated from the buzz of the stage crew doing their final checks. The two women are almost entirely hidden from view, and from this angle, high enough, and just off to the side, they can see the entire stadium stretching out before them. Tens of thousands of fans, their phone lights twinkling like stars. However, no one can see them, and Geri slips her arm around Mel’s waist, pulling her close.

“Insane to think that after what, seventeen years? There’s still so many people who want to hear us,” she murmurs.

Mel grins. “Oh, we’ve still got it, alright. It’s going to be amazing being back on stage, with all of us.”

Geri glances over, her smile soft. “Do you remember the first time we played here, was it in ‘97? You were pacing like mad, trying to pretend you weren’t nervous.”

Mel scoffs. “I wasn’t nervous. I was hyped.”

“Babe, you were sweating through your costume.”

Mel grins. “And you were crying behind the speaker stack. Don’t act like you weren’t all cool.”

“Yeah, well, I never claimed I was,” Geri replies with a laugh. “The kids sure don’t think so.”

“Mmm, even performing in front of all these people, and we’re still just their dorky parents,” Mel says, and glances back out to the crowd again.

Geri’s smile deepens. “I hope they love it. Allegra said she’d film as much of the concert for us as she can. I didn’t point out that we’ve already got professional cameras for that.”

“She’s a teenager. Nothing’s real unless it’s on her phone.”

They both laugh at that, but there’s emotion behind it. Geri turns to wrap both arms around Mel, and leans in to press a soft kiss to her lips.

Mel doesn’t hesitate to kiss her back, bringing one hand to cup Geri’s head as she deepens the kiss. She feels Geri moan softly, and grins, taking advantage to caress her lower lip with her tongue.

“Maybe we could sneak back to the dressing room for a quickie,” she suggests, her voice a little low and husky.

Geri grins, nipping at her lower lip. “I’m game if you are,” she breathes back, kissing her again.

However, before they can move, a roar of cheers rises from the stadium, louder now. One of their warm-up tracks finishing, signaling the show is just minutes away.

Mel presses a kiss to Geri’s temple, quick but full of feeling. “Tonight then. And I’ll take my time too. Come on then, Mrs. Halliwell-Brown. Let’s go remind them who the hell we are.”

Geri grins, taking her wife’s hand in hers, and squeezing. “Damn straight.”

Hand in hand, they make their way back through the curtain and back to the others, with the pulse of the crowd thudding through the floor.

And they’re ready. Together. Just like always.

Chapter Text

C is for Cough

March 1997

Geri’s first clue that Mel isn’t feeling well isn't from something she’s doing - it’s the fact that she’s not doing anything. 

They’re backstage at The Big Breakfast , eating toast and trying to remember who’s meant to sit down with the host first in the interview. Usually, Mel’s in the thick of it, cracking jokes, winding Victoria up, or twirling a strand of Emma’s hair to make her squeal. 

But instead, she’s sitting back on the sofa, zoned out, and Geri frowns at the sight.

“Mel?” Geri says softly, nudging her leg with her foot. “You alright?”

Mel blinks and looks up. “Yeah. Just tired.” But it’s her voice that gives her away, a little huskier and raspier than usual, and Geri notices. She notices lots of things about Mel, generally, but this makes her slightly uneasy, and keeps a closer eye out. Mel does fine though in her portion of the interview, making the host laugh, and this settles Geri’s unease a little.

However, by the time they make it to their next event of the day, The Pepsi Chart Show , Geri’s unease has turned to outright concern. Mel’s engaged in the interviews, but Geri can easily see how it takes Mel an extra second to draw her breath, and several times she has to turn away to cough into her elbow.

When they’re heading back to the green room after to change before they’re picked up to return to their hotel, Geri tugs on Mel’s hand, holding her back for a moment.

“Hey, are you sure you’re alright?” she asks, a little firmer now.

Mel shrugs, but it’s weak. “Just knackered. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

Geri can see the faint flush in Mel’s cheeks, the slight glassiness in her eyes. She steps forward and presses the back of her hand to Mel’s forehead.

“Oi,” Mel grumbles,but she doesn’t back away from Geri’s touch.

“You feel warm,” Geri says, eyebrows pinching. “And your voice sounds like gravel. Don’t act like I’m imagining it.”

Mel sighs, caught. “Fine. Maybe I’m coming down with something.”

“See now, that wasn’t too hard to admit, hmm?” Geri teases lightly, but she drapes an arm over Mel’s shoulder, and they start continuing down the hall to the green room. “Soon as we’re back at the hotel, I’ll make you a tea with honey, that’ll help.”

Within a half an hour, a car comes to pick them up, dropping them off at their hotel. Mel has to admit, as much as she loves her bed at home, she doesn’t necessarily hate the aspect of their fame that results in entire top floors of hotels being reserved for their use. Generally, they try to stick to the five of them sharing a suite, or at least have adjoining rooms, while other rooms are used for their management and security teams, and a command center.

 These days, they’ve each got their own room, but they tend to stay close, a cluster of adjacent suites with management and security stationed further down the hall.

As they walk down the hallway, keycards in hand, Emma throws a worried look back at Mel, whose steps have gotten progressively slower.

“You alright?” she asks.

“Just tired,” Mel rasps. “I think I’m getting a cold.”

“Oof, that sucks,” she says. “Try get some rest, yeah?”

“And we’ll come check on you in a bit, I’ll ask Jo to scrounge up some cold tablets,” Geri adds

“Thanks,” Mel replies. The idea of having a lay down in bed for a bit sounds wonderful.

Mel unlocks her room and steps inside, already kicking off her shoes. She shrugs out of her jacket and flops onto the bed for what she thinks will be just a moment, but the next thing she knows, someone’s gently shaking her awake.

She blinks rapidly to clear her vision, and Geri’s face swims into focus. “Hey,” Geri says softly. “How’re you feeling?”

“Okay,” Mel replies, but her voice is scratchy and raw. Her chest is tight, so tight, and just something as simple as breathing feels like a chore.

“Here, I brought you tea, some medicine, and dinner,” Geri tells her. “Can you sit up a bit?”

Mel does so, assisted by Geri, and accepts the cup of tea. The liquid is hot, yet refreshing on her throat, and she detects traces of honey that soothes her. But when Geri holds up a room service tray, Mel wrinkles her nose. “I’m really not hungry,” she manages to rasp out. “My throat hurts, I don’t think I can swallow much.”

“I guessed as much, you sound like you’ve been smoking five packs a day,” Geri points out. “I have soup, mashed potatoes, and pudding - you need at least something in you, for the medicine to work.”

Mel grumbles, but quietly, she appreciates Geri looking out for her like this. With a lot of coaxing she manages half of the mashed potatoes, a few sips of soup, and most of the pudding, however it takes extra long to eat due to multiple bouts of coughing fits.

Geri removes the dishes when she’s done, and hands over a glass of water and some pills. “I’ll be honest, Mel, that cough really doesn’t sound right,” she says carefully. “You might need to see a doctor.”

Mel’s already shaking her head - she hates doctors offices, and hospitals. “I’ll be fine, I just need some rest,” she replies. “Besides, I’ve got you looking after me.”

Geri considers her for a moment. “I won’t call now. We’ll see how the medicine works. Think you can get back to sleep?”

Mel nods, and she’s asleep before Geri’s even closed the door.

“How is she?” Victoria asks, when Geri re-enters Emma’s room with the tray of half-eaten food, where the others were all hanging out.

“Not great,” Geri replies honestly. “Her breathing is way worse. She ate some food though. But honestly, I don’t like her chances of singing tomorrow.”

“So what do we do, should we cancel?” Melanie asks hesitantly.

“Or maybe wait to see how she’s doing in the morning?” Victoria adds.

Geri shrugs. “I guess wait and see how she is tomorrow,” she agrees. 

The four of them settle into the sofa, and Emma finds a movie on the television to watch. Melanie heads to bed after a half an hour, and Victoria follows not much longer. When the closing credits start to roll, Geri hugs Emma goodnight, then steps out into the hall. Her hotel room’s the one next to Emma’s, but she glances to the other side at Mel’s closed door. She’ll sleep easier if she knows that Mel’s doing okay, so she quietly heads in.

Mel’s awake, coughing fitfully, and Geri immediately notices how raspy her breaths are. “Oh Mel,” she says softly, hurrying to her side.

“Sorry if I woke you,” Mel manages, but Geri shushes her with a light touch.

“No, I was up still. Your breathing is worse. Think you can stand? Let’s go in the bathroom, I’ll get hot water going in the shower, the steam should help.”

Mel agrees, and Geri slides a hand around her waist, supporting her up. She snags a blanket off the bed on the way to the bathroom, and drapes it on the cold tile for Mel to sit on.

The hot water steams up very quickly, and Geri settles next to Mel, one arm around her shoulders, trying to listen to the sounds of her breaths over the running water. They manage for fifteen minutes, then Geri settles Mel back into bed. Although her breathing is slightly better, it’s still awful, and each cough sends a rattle through the bedroom.

Geri bites her lip, then makes a choice. “I’ll be right back,” she whispers, and slips out into the hallway, and going into her own room. She picks up the landline, and dials Jo’s number. Not only is Jo their publicist, she’s become a close friend, and she always knows what to do in basically any situation. She’ll be able to help - at least, Geri hopes so.

Jo is clearly sleepy when she answers the call, and Geri does feel bad for waking her. “It’s Geri,” she says softly. “I’m so sorry to call so late.”

“It’s alright, always. What’s wrong?” Jo asks, already sounding more alert.

“It’s Mel,” Geri replies hesitantly. “I didn’t tell her I’m calling you, but…is there any chance we can get a doctor to come see her? She’s gotten a lot worse, and she’s struggling to breathe. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“Yes, absolutely,” Jo replies immediately. “I’ll make a couple calls now, then I’ll be over, alright?”

Geri thanks her and ends the call, then checks back in on Mel. She’s sleeping fitfully, her breathing labored, and it’s with relief that Geri answers the door only forty minutes later, letting in Jo and a man dressed in a sharp suit who introduces himself as Dr Garvais. 

Geri leads him into the bedroom, and that’s when she knows for sure that Mel’s doing worse - the woman doesn’t even try to tell the doctor she’s fine. He checks her oxygen levels and temperature and pulls out a stethoscope to carefully listen to her breathing.

When he’s finished, he stands and speaks in low tones to Geri and Jo.

“She’s got acute bronchitis. Likely viral in origin, but her lungs are inflamed, and that cough is doing her no favors. Her oxygen levels are holding steady, which is good, but she’s going to need proper rest and treatment.”

“What does she need?” Geri asks.

“I’ll write up a prescription for a steroid course, a bronchodilator inhaler, and antibiotics, just to be cautious. We’ll have them delivered within the hour.”

“That’s great, thank you so much,” Jo tells him sincerely. She walks him out, and with the room quiet again, Geri helps Mel settle back into bed. She settles in next to her, monitoring Mel until the door opens again and Jo slips in, a bag in her hand.

“He put the prescription into an overnight chemist, and they put a rush on the order. I have her meds - can you help me with the inhaler?” Jo asks.

“Course,” Geri replies, and sets up the nebulizer carefully. Once Mel has the mask on and is breathing in the medicated mist, Jo promises to check back in the morning, and heads out. 

The treatment doesn’t take long. Geri puts it away while Mel lays back down, then sits back up. “I think I can breathe better upright, to be honest,” she says, then pauses to cough.

Geri considers her for a moment, then gestures for Mel to scoot forward. She adds some pillows to the sides, then carefully climbs into the bed, settling in behind her. “Lean back,” she says, adjusting a little as Mel does so. “Does this feel better?”

“It does,” Mel replies. “Thanks, Geri.”

“Anytime,” Geri replies honestly. She slips her arms around Mel’s waist, feeling her nestle into her a little more, and they both slowly drift off into sleep.

The following morning, Mel wakes, feeling more rested than she has for a few days. Then she realises - she’s not alone in her bed. Geri’s asleep behind her, arms loosely wrapped around her waist, and Mel remembers Geri propping her up last night to help her breathe easier. It definitely helped, and Mel feels a rush of warm affection for her friend.

There’s a light rap on the door, then Emma, Jo, and their PR manager Nina slip inside.

“How are you feeling, Mel?” Emma asks with concern, as she perches on the edge of the bed.

“Better,” Mel says. “We worked out that I can breathe better sitting up. And that inhaler treatment worked.”

“I’m glad, however, you still sound like shit,” Jo says bluntly.

Mel barks out a raspy laugh at that.

“So look,” Nina says, glancing down at the clipboard in her hands. “We have the team meeting in an hour in the command suite. Then you lot need to leave in two hours for The Girlie Show . We’re going to ask Simon for Mel to sit out.”

“Wait, no,” Mel cuts in. “I’ll be fine,” she adds, but the end of her words are cut off by a coughing fit. Geri rubs her back, then shakes her head. 

“C’mon, you’ll kill yourself trying to sing through this,” she points out. 

“Fine” Mel agrees with a grumble, but she’s not that upset - she really does feel awful. “Maybe I can’t sing, but I want to go to the interview at least. And I’ll go to the command meeting to talk to Simon. I’m going to shower first though.”

With a plan now in place, the others leave the room to go get themselves ready. Geri makes sure Mel gets to the bathroom safely before leaving, and Mel takes her time, turning the water a little extra hot to breathe all the steam in.

The girls are all ready by eleven and they head into the hall, to the next suite over. The hotel had it set up as their base, with a dining table for them to eat together and a a bedroom having been converted to an office for Simon to use. The office door is closed when they arrive, so they settle in on the couches.

A moment later, Simon comes out of the office, nodding at them, and perches on the edge of the dining table.

“Right,” Simon says briskly, flipping through a sheaf of papers. “Today’s tight. Car picks you up at one for The Girlie Show , you’ll be filming straight through until six. Then back here for the press debrief.”

“Actually,” Emma interjects gently, “we were hoping Mel could sit this one out. She’s really not well.”

Simon doesn’t even look up from his papers, already shaking his head. “Not an option. This appearance is locked in.”

Melanie leans forward, frowning at him. “Simon, look at her! She’s coughing every few minutes. She needs rest, not cameras.”

“She’ll be fine,” Simon replies flatly. “She doesn’t need to sing much, just show face, that’s all.”

Mel opens her mouth to argue but ends up doubled over in a fresh coughing fit. Geri immediately reaches over to steady her, and the sharp glare she throws at Simon as Mel recovers says everything.

“She’s not doing this,” Victoria adds firmly, arms crossed.

Simon ignores them all, sliding off the desk and walking back toward his office. “We don’t have time for this,” he mutters.

Geri stands. Her jaw is tight, and Mel can see that her irises have brightened in anger. “Then you’d better make time.”

Without waiting for a reply, she follows him into the office and shuts the door firmly behind her.

Mel just stares at the closed door, her heart aching a little. Not from her sickness, but the thought of Geri, being so defensive and protective of her, sits in her chest, warm and tangible. Mel appreciates her more than she could ever express.

The front door to the suite swings open and Jo and Nina enter. Jo immediately narrows her eyes. “He said no, didn’t he?” she asks flatly.

“Yep,” Emma replies.

Jo starts heading to the office door, but Victoria reaches out to snag her wrist.

“I wouldn't go in there if I were you,” Victoria warns, and Jo pauses, clearly confused.

“Why?” she asks.

“Geri’s tearing Simon a new one right now. He’s insisting Mel has to perform tonight, and she’s clearly not well enough to do so,” Emma replies. “Quite the knight in shining armor, our Geri is.”

Jo glances at Mel, and there’s a funny look in her eye that Mel can’t quite interpret. However, it’s gone in a flash, and Mel has to look away as she bends over in another coughing fit.

“Simon doesn’t scare me,” Jo says after a pause. “I’ll go see if Geri needs any backup. Don’t worry, Mel, you’re not singing like this. Go ahead back to your room, take your medicine, and we’ll check back in. We’ll come find you when we’re done.”

“Of course,” Melanie says, and she’s at Mel’s elbow in a flash, guiding her up. They head out of the hotel suite and to their rooms, and Emma makes a round of cups of tea for them all - extra honey in Mel’s.

Meanwhile, the moment Jo steps inside, she’s greeted by the tail end of Geri’s fury.

“-She’s exhausted, she’s wheezing, she couldn’t sleep through the night without coughing up a lung! What part of that do you not understand?” Geri’s voice echoes off the suite walls, sharp and cracking at the edges.

Simon stands with his arms folded, jaw set, visibly trying to hold his ground. Nina lurks in the background, pretending to be reviewing the schedule for the day, but she’s clearly listening in.

Jo closes the door behind her. “Sounds like you’ve already covered the basics,” she says in the heavy silence.

Simon turns to her. “Jo. Good. Maybe you can talk some sense into her.”

Geri lets out a breathless, incredulous laugh. “Oh, do try,” she says, her voice thick with sarcasm. “I’m sure Jo’ll be thrilled to help you shove Mel onstage half-dead.”

“I’m not shoving anyone-”

“Really?” Geri snaps. “Because it sounded a lot like, ‘She’s the lead on this song, she has to be there, we can’t pull it, it’s too late.’ ”

“She’s one-fifth of the group,” Simon says coldly, and folds his arms. “This is what she signed up for. What all of you did. This is a scheduled show, we can’t just bloody cancel it-”

“She’s sick.” Jo’s voice cuts clean through the argument. It’s calm, but final, and it makes both Simon and Geri go quiet.

“She’s sick,” Jo repeats. “And she’s not performing tonight.”

Simon opens his mouth, but Jo holds up a hand.

“You want to push someone until they collapse on camera? Go right ahead and try. But when that press hits, you’ll be the one answering for it. Not the girls. And not me.”

There’s silence for a beat; Geri’s chest is rising and falling fast, arms still folded tightly across her front, like she’s holding herself together with sheer will. She then straightens her posture, and glares at Simon. “Em, Vic, Melanie, and I will perform tonight,” she says slowly, taking care to enunciate each word. “Mel will come with us to the interview, but it will be made extremely clear to the producers that she will not be singing, or all five of us will walk out. This discussion is over.”

She spins on her heel and heads for the door, not breathing again til she’s in the hallway. She leans against the wall, taking a second to calm herself, and is joined shortly by Camilla and Jo.

“You okay?” Jo asks her cautiously. 

Geri offers up a wry smile. “Sure, assuming I’m not about to be fired,” she replies darkly. “But he was clear out of order, I couldn’t not speak up. Not that it did anything - he was still going to make her sing, you’re the only reason he stopped talking.”

“Yeah, well he knows I’d probably leave my job for the lot of you if I had to,” Jo points out. “But gonig in there and arguing - well, Mel’s lucky to have you. Now look, let’s head up, it’ll be time to leave soon. Can you make sure Mel has another inhaler treatment first?”

“Absolutely,” Geri agrees. They part ways, and Geri heads into Mel’s room. She sees the rest of the girls on the couches, and she joins them but doesn’t sit - she’s still too worked up.

“So, did it work?” Victoria asks, glancing at Mel, then back to Geri.

“Kind of - Mel, you’re coming to the interview, but you’re not singing,” Geri says, sighing. “I’m sorry. I really tried to get-”

“Babe, no, you did amazing,” Mel says, and she reaches for Geri.

Geri takes her hand, and perches on the edge of the coffee table. “I was trying to get you out of the whole thing though,” she replies, but Mel shakes her head. 

“No, I still wanted to go anyway. But knowing I don’t need to sing is huge. Seriously, Ger, you really went to bat for me, and I appreciate it so much,” she says quietly.

Geri’s aware of the other three girls right there , so she just offers up a soft smile. “Anything for you. Now, I promised Jo I’d make sure you had another treatment before we left. Is it still in your bedroom?”

The car picks them up soon enough, getting them to The Girlie Show studio slightly early. The girls settle into the greenroom, while Jo and Nina immediately go to check in with the producers.

They’re back a few minutes later, announcing that it’s all set - the producers are fine with Mel not performing, and they’ll be sure to make it clear during the interview that she’s unwell.

“They’re not going to need to try hard for that - just listen to her,” Victoria says, not unkindly, as Mel breaks out into another hacking cough.

“Well, they’re just grateful to have gotten the Spice Girls to come in, they’ve been pushing to get you for months now, so it’s worked out,” Nina says. 

The interview goes well - Mel’s able to make a few jokes, though it’s clear from her voice that she’s struggling. She does break into several coughing fits, but Geri’s right there with a bottle of water, subtly rubbing her back, and the host promises that those moments will be edited out for the show that airs.

Mel’s able to stay on the sofa while the girls perform, then heads back to the greenroom together. “Remind me never to sing your verse again,” Melanie says, flopping into an armchair. “Nearly died trying to hit that last note.”

“You did alright,” Mel rasps, her voice gravelly but fond. “Still think you were flat, though.”

“Cheeky cow,” Melanie replies, throwing a balled-up tissue in her direction.

“Great show, ladies,” Jo tells them. “Car’s already here, so whenever you’re ready, we’ll head back. I’m calling ahead to have dinner brought to the command suite for you.”

The girls nod, and start putting on coats and gathering their things. The ride back to the hotel is quick, a few room service attendants are just coming out of the suite as they arrive.

“Oh my god, this smells incredible!” Melanie exclaims, as they kick off shoes and shed coats, taking in the sight of the covered trays on the dining table. Closer inspection shows bowls of steaming beef stew and thick slices of buttered bread.

“I requested it this morning, they’ve had it slow cooking all day,” Jo informs them, as they all settle around the table. “Mel, it should be soft enough to not irritate your throat.”

Mel’s grateful for that, and she manages to polish off half a bowl - less than she’d usually eat, but the most she’s had all day. Her lungs are still tight, her breathing sounding rough, so when they finish up, Geri nudges her.

“I’m going to go run you a bath,” she murmurs. “The steam seemed to help you last night.”

“It did,” Mel replies raspily. “Thanks, G.”

Mel relaxes on the couch with Victoria, chatting about their day, until Geri returns to let her know the bath is ready. Mel easily spends at least a half hour soaking in the hot water, and by the time she gets out and wraps herself in one of the plush hotel bathrobes, her breathing is already a little easier. 

“Feel better?” Geri asks, in the middle of setting up the nebulizer when Mel re-enters the bedroom.

“Yeah, I do actually,” Mel replies. “Thanks, G. For all of this,” she adds, gesturing to the medicine that she’s getting ready, and the fresh cup of tea on the bedside table. 

“Anytime,” Geri says, and Mel detects a touch of softness, but it’s gone a moment later. “I’ll have your medicine ready in just a sec, if you want to get pajamas on?”

Mel agrees and changes quickly, then settles into her bed. Geri helps her put the mask on, and they sit together in silence while Mel focuses on breathing it in.

When it’s done, Geri puts it all away after, then hesitates for a moment. Mel reaches up to catch her hand. “Can you stay with me tonight?” she asks, and Geri gives her a soft smile.

“Course I will,” she replies, and climbs in next to Mel. She spends a few moments adjusting the pillows around them, then wraps an arm around Mel’s shoulders. Mel sighs softly, and lets one of her hands drift to take Geri’s. She loves that she can just be herself around Geri - no Scary persona, no ‘in charge attitude’ all the time. Sure, those aspects are part of her, but she feels so relaxed and safe right now, and it’s with that thought that eases her into sleep.

Geri wakes up first in the morning, glad to see that Mel is still asleep - it seems like she’d had a better night, with less intensive coughing. The door opens and Emma slips in, with a cup of tea that she sets on the table next to Mel, and a coffee for Geri.

“How’s she doing?” Emma asks quietly, as Geri takes a slow sip.

“Better, I’m hoping,” Geri replies. “She didn’t cough as much last night, and her breathing felt a little better. Hopefully the meds are really working.”

“She probably shouldn’t sing today though,” Emma muses. “But I was talking to Melanie, we’ll go talk to Simon if needed. Just waiting for Jo to come and give us the rundown for the day.”

“So I should probably wake her up soon,” Geri says, but she feels Mel start to move.

“No need, I’m awake,” Mel replies, her voice hoarse and rough.

“Yeah, you’re definitely not singing today,” Emma says, and laughs when Mel groans. “You’ll manage missing one more.”

Geri gives Mel’s hand a soft squeeze, then gestures to the table. “Em brought you tea. Here, drink up, and I’ll get your meds ready.”

The rest of the morning goes quickly. Geri makes sure that Mel takes her medication and a nebulizer treatment, and she’s pleased that Mel’s breathing definitely sounds better, even standing up. Jo does agree that she shouldn’t sing though, but Geri can tell Mel has some of her energy back. 

The Live and Kicking appearance goes off without much fuss, the producers being more than fine with Mel not singing. She joins in the chat though, her voice still hoarse but sharp with her usual wit. The host throws a joke her way and Mel cracks up laughing, only to dissolve into a coughing fit mid-way through, which Victoria was ready for with a bottle of water at the ready.

The drive to the photography studio is quick. The shoot is for TOTP and Smash Hits , quick back-to-back setups, where the five of them rotate through outfits and backgrounds. The makeup artist had worked wonders on Mel, removing all traces of sickness and exhaustion from her face, then actually tsk’s when she turns to do Geri’s makeup.

“I was told only one was sick,” the artist says with a frown. 

Geri glares at her. “Excuse me? I’m fine?”

The artist has the grace to blush, but shakes her head. “Sorry honey. But you’re clearly not getting enough sleep, you’ve got days worth of bags under your eyes. You really ought to prioritize your sleep, you know.”

“Thanks for the tip,” Geri says dryly. She doesn’t bother explaining the sleepless night’s she’s had looking after Mel, she’s just glad Mel didn’t overhear the makeup artists’ comment.

The shoot is fun - each magazine had their own spin, so one set of photos were in coordinating outfits and clean group poses, where the other was more ‘embrace your style’ and lots of natural shots of the girls horsing around.

It’s during a break between setups, while the others are crowding around a monitor to look at previews, that Geri feels the slight tingle on the back of her neck, like someone’s watching her.

She turns, just slightly, and finds Mel looking at her.

She’s not staring, exactly, just looking at her quietly, with a softness that makes the rest of the room blur a little. There’s something in her face, in the small curve of her lips, that steals Geri’s breath - almost like Mel’s seeing something she hadn’t noticed before.

It lasts barely two seconds.

Then Mel shifts, and clears her throat like she might say something. But instead, she nods at Geri’s mouth. “You’ve got lipstick,” she murmurs awkwardly.

“Where?” Geri asks, instinctively moving to wipe it.

Mel reaches first, brushing her thumb gently across the corner of Geri’s mouth. “There. Got it.”

It’s nothing. But Geri swallows, hoping her face doesn’t give her away.

Mel smiles a little, and walks off to join the others. Geri watches her go, then focuses her attention back to the shoot.

Despite constant coughing, Geri can see Mel’s energy has mostly returned, and she’s glad to see it. However, when they’re in the van on the way back, Mel crashes and sleeps against Melanie’s shoulder the entire ride back to the hotel.

Everyone’s fairly tired, so it’s not long after a late dinner that they start going through their evening routines - showering, skincare, getting pajamas on - and heading to bed. Geri goes through her routine of making sure Mel has her medication, then hesitates for a second after putting it away.

“So, the meds are working so well, that I think I can start sleeping laying down again,” Mel says, her voice a little raspy but clearer than it’s been in days.

“Great,” Geri says with a grin. “Bet your back will be thrilled for that.”

Mel lets out a laugh. “Same with yours,” she says. 

Geri pauses. “So you’ll be glad to have your bed back to yourself again?”

“Ehh, to be honest, it’s been nice having you with me,” Mel admits. “You’re like my own personal heater, you run so hot. Want to just crash again, like we used to?”

Geri grins - she has many fond memories of her and Mel sharing a bed at the Spice House. She loves affection, and so does Mel, so she’s not saying no to this opportunity. “Can’t get enough of me, huh?”

“You wish,” Melanie replies, sticking her tongue out.

But Geri just grins, and climbs into bed next to Mel. “Full day tomorrow,” she says, settling under the covers.

“But no singing,” Mel adds. “Just an easy couple days of just posing and witty remarks, and we get a day off. And then Top of the Pops performance, right?”

“Yep,” Geri replies. “That’s going to be awesome. Good chance for you to get some extra rest to be ready for that.”

“This medication has been working like a dream though. I’m already feeling way better and it’s been two days, so I should be great then,” Mel says. “I do know, that I’d be nowhere this good, if it wasn’t for you,” she adds, softer.

“Anytime,” Geri says lightly. “You’d do it for me.”

“I would,” Mel confirms, and grins. “Probably with a little less grace and a little more sarcasm, but yeah.”

Geri laughs. Mel grins back, and rolls over to snuggle into Geri’s side. Geri wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her a little closer, and together, they drift off to sleep.

Chapter Text

D is for Disrespect

2016

“Everything alright in here?”

Geri glances up at the doorway of her home office, to see the family housekeeper Amelia standing in the doorway, eyebrows raised but a small smirk on her face.

Geri grins sheepishly. “I’m guessing I was sighing a little loud?” she asks.

“Just slightly,” Amelia replies. “Here, I made you a fresh cup of tea, that usually helps.”

“Thank you so much, you’re the best,” Geri replies, and she means it. Amelia’s worked with them since the twins were little, starting as a nanny and transitioning more to a house manager ever since Indigo started full time school. She’s still close with the kids, working evenings and helping with driving the kids around to extracurriculars, and Geri’s beyond grateful to have her support.

“Of course,” Amelia replies. “Right, then I’ll leave you to your work.”

“Thanks,” Geri replies, offering up a warm smile. She turns back to her computer, sighing, and tries to straighten her thoughts out for her writer’s block. She’s solidly halfway through her novel, yet has hardly written three paragraphs today.

Before she gets much further, her mobile buzzes, and she glances down to see Victoria on the caller ID. She grins, and answers.

“Hey, G,” Victoria’s voice comes through the line, warm and open. “How are things?”

Grateful for the interruption, Geri replies, and they fall into easy conversation. It’s been a while since the two have caught up, and twenty minutes pass easily, before Geri’s startled by her office phone ringing. She glances at the caller ID, and frowns.

“Hang on, Vee, sorry - the kids’ school is calling the landline. Can you give me a sec?” Geri asks, and when Victoria confirms, she sets her mobile down and picks up the landline handset.

“Hello?” she asks, wondering if she forgot to send in a permission note for an excursion or something.

“Mrs Halliwell-Brown? This is Mr Donoghue, your son’s English teacher,” a firm voice says through the line, and Geri straightens up. She knows all of her kids' schedules well enough to realize he's Xavier's teacher,  not Levi's.

“Good afternoon,” she replies. “Is everything alright with Xavier?”

“Unfortunately not,” Mr Donoghue replies. “I have him here in my classroom. I had to remove him from my class earlier, due to extreme disrespect and speaking out of turn. He is currently in after school detention.”

“Xavier was disrespectful?” Geri echoes, shocked. This was the last thing she’d expect to hear. Sure, Xavier could be hot-headed - he’d certainly inherited Mel’s temper - but he was also an excellent student, and well spoken for a fourteen year old. She and Mel had never had to deal with behavior concerns for him, aside from being a little too aggressive at football matches once or twice.

“Yes. I’d appreciate if you could come down to the school and we could have this conversation in person,” Mr Donoghue continues. “Are you available?”

“Yes, I’ll come now. Give me twenty minutes,” Geri replies, and ends the call. She sets the receiver down, and then reaches for her mobile. “Vic, you still there?”

“Yes - everything alright?”

“I’m not sure. Xavier’s in trouble at school, his teacher said he was disrespectful, and he wants me to come down for a meeting,” Geri explains.

“Xavier? Your Xavier? Disrespectful, seriously? He’s the most well mannered fourteen year old I’ve met in my life,” Victoria replies, and Geri has to at least smile a little in pride.

“That’s what I thought too. Hopefully it’s just a misunderstanding, but I better go deal with it. Can I call you later, we’ll finish planning our catch up then?” Geri asks, and when Victoria agrees, they give farewells and end the call.

Geri takes a second to check in with Amelia to let her know that she’s heading out and to ask if she’s okay making sure the rest of the kids get home off the bus okay, then collects her keys and purse. Once she’s on the road, she calls Mel, putting the call through on the car speakers.

“Hey babe,” Mel says cheerfully when she answers. “Great timing, we just wrapped. How’s your day going?”

“Interesting,” Geri replies, and fills her in on the phone call with the teacher.

“Nah, something’s not right,” Mel says, and Geri can tell she’s shaking her head. “No way would Xav be rude, it’s not on. He knows better. When will you make it to school?”

“I’m about ten minutes away,” Geri replies. She’s glad there’s no traffic, especially with it being close to the end of the school day when it usually picks up. “What’s your schedule like, do you want to meet us there? Or I can fill you in after?”

“No, I definitely want to come, hang on a sec,” she says, and says something to someone in the room with her. “Okay, Keira’s getting the driver to pick me up now. I’ll be at least fifteen minutes though, probably closer to twenty, if that’s okay?”

“Sounds good, see you soon then. Love you,” Geri tells her.

“Love you too,” Mel replies, and ends the call.

“Mrs Halliwell-Brown, lovely to see you,” the school secretary says when she buzzes Geri in.

“Alicia, hello,” Geri greets her, and offers up a warm smile. “I hope you’re doing well. I got a call that Xavier’s in a bit of trouble?”

“Your Xavier? Surely not,” Alicia replies, and frowns. She clicks around on her computer, then nods. “Wow, apparently so. He’s down at the English department’s office, would you like me to get someone to escort you down?”

“I remember, that’s alright,” Geri replies. She accepts the visitor's pass, but pauses as she’s about to leave. “Oh, Mel’s going to be joining as well, she’ll still be another ten to fifteen minutes, if that’s alright?”

“Of course, I’ll send her down!” Alicia replies cheerily, and Geri nods in thanks.

The halls are quiet, students having been released for the day a solid thirty minutes earlier. It’s a nice school, Mel and Geri having toured several before settling on this one. It’s private, with small class sizes, and Geri particularly likes that they take all years, so that all of their kids are at the same school, albeit different buildings and classes. She and Mel have been there enough between school events and teacher conferences between their five kids, so it only takes Geri a moment to reach the English department.

Xavier’s sitting on a bench outside of the department office, his head low, swinging his legs. “Xav?” Geri calls, and his head snaps up.

“Hey Mama,” he says quietly. “I’m guessing my teacher called you?”

“Yes, he did,” she replies, just as quietly. “I’ll admit, I was surprised, as it doesn’t sound like you. But I know I don’t have your side of it yet. Let me go and see if he’s ready.”

He nods, and Geri sighs to herself, before knocking on the office door. She sees Mr Donoghue inside on the phone, and he nods at her, holding up one finger to ask for a minute. She nods, and steps back to Xavier to settle next to him.

“Are you mad?” Xavier asks her.

“Honestly, love, I don’t know the story yet,” she replies honestly. “Why, do you think I have a reason to be?”

He shrugs. “I mean, I stand by what I said, but yeah, I could have done it better?” he says after a moment. “He was being rude to one of my friends, so I spoke up.”

Geri frowns. “What do you mean, rude?”

Xavier hesitates. “I mean, I wasn’t that rude, but I did disagree with what he said, and I called him out on it. He’s a good teacher with learning and stuff, but he really hates being questioned, so I definitely made him mad by speaking up.”

“What did he say?” Geri asks curiously, but before Xavier gets a chance to reply, the office door opens and Mr Donoghue steps out.

“Thank you for coming, Mrs Halliwell-Brown,” he says. “Please, we’ll head to one of the conference rooms.”

Geri internally rolls her eyes - the conference rooms are literally by the front office, she walked past them on the way to the English department. Was his goal in having her come to the department first to make sure she saw Xavier sitting by himself?

Still, she just nods, and they silently make their way down the hall. Just as they’re about to head into the conference room, Geri makes a point of catching Alicia’s eye - when Mel comes, she should know where they are. Fortunately, Alicia realizes immediately and offers up a smile, nodding her head.

“Please, have a seat,” Mr Donoghue says, gesturing to one of the chairs, while he settles himself down on the other side of the table. Geri does so, Xavier sitting next to her, and Geri turns to the teacher expectantly.

“Right,” he says, clearing his throat. “I’ll get straight to the point. In class today, your son was quite disruptive. He raised his voice to me, accused me of unfair bias, and was frankly extremely disrespectful in front of other students. I had no choice but to assign him a detention, though I’m sure you’ll want to dole out additional punishment at home.”

Geri raises an eyebrow at that last remark. Seriously? “I see. Can you be a little more specific as to what led up to the moment?” she asks, her tone neutral.

“We’ve been studying Romeo and Juliet in class, and the students were encouraged to explore different interpretations. One student made a poor reflection of a potential relationship between two male characters, and another student disagreed - which I always encourage debate in my classroom. However Xavier escalated things quite unnecessarily.” He exhales through his nose, and crosses his arms. 

He’s clearly trying to be intimidating, but Geri isn’t phased. She can tell he’s dancing around the subject. “Exactly what did the other student say?” she presses, a little more firmly.

“Nothing particularly unusual for teenagers. Just regular teasing, you know, it was boys being boys. And I reminded them to stay on task, but Xavier became very emotional and accused the other student, and myself, of homophobia.”

“He didn’t just tease him, he called him a faggot,” Xavier cuts in, glaring.

Mr Donoghue’s jaw twitches. “And I told him that was inappropriate,” he says quickly. “But again, Xavier’s reaction was disproportionate. He called out the other student, and when they didn’t apologize, he stood up from his seat, and shouted at the other student, and disrupted the class.”

“You said the slur was inappropriate. Did you take any disciplinary action toward the boy who said it?” Geri asks, trying to keep her tone even.

Mr Donoghue hesitates slightly. “I addressed  it verbally, however my focus was on maintaining order and redirecting the discussion. These are sensitive topics, and I can’t always protect every student from things they don’t like to hear.” He offers a thin smile, and shrugs like his actions were more than reasonable. “After all, if you live an alternative lifestyle, you have to accept that not everyone will approve. That’s freedom of speech,” he adds and Geri stiffens.

“I see,” she says carefully. “And when Xavier defended his friend against a slur, that was the disruption.”

“He challenged my authority,” Mr. Donoghue says, with more edge now. “He implied I was part of the problem. That’s not acceptable in my classroom.”

Xavier shifts in his seat, his knee bouncing. Geri places a calming hand on his knee, but doesn’t turn to him. She's still watching Mr. Donoghue carefully. “So,” she says slowly, her voice still level, “just so I’m clear, when a student calls another a homophobic slur in your classroom, you respond with ‘boys will be boys.’ And when a different student stands up and says that’s wrong, he gets detention.”

Mr Donoghue splutters. “You’re twisting my words!” he says sharply, and starts to say something else, but he’s cut off by the sound of a throat clearing in the doorway.

Mel is standing in the doorway, flanked by the school secretary, who’s staring into the room with a shocked expression. When the attention turns to them, Alicia scurries away, but Mel steps further into the room, settling down into the seat on the other side of Xavier.

“I apologize for being late,” she says, not taking her eyes off Mr Donoghue. “I’m Xavier’s mother.”

“But…” he says, faltering, glancing between her and Geri. Geri can just tell, he’s probably comparing Xavier’s light complexion and blonde hair to Mel’s darker skin and curls, and forming his own opinions.

“Have you met my wife, Melanie?” Geri asks, and she knows her tone is probably a little pointed, but to be frank, she doesn’t entirely care. 

He blinks rapidly, gaze going between them, then clears his throat, trying to regain hold of the situation. “As I was explaining,” he says firmly, “Xavier was disrespectful and disruptive. Now, I’m not going to extend the consequences past today’s after school detention, but I want it to be clear that this behavior will not be tolerated in my classroom.”

Mel’s eyebrows raise, and she places her hands flat on the table. “Sorry, I’m just catching up here, so correct me if I’m wrong. Xavier was standing up for someone who got called a slur, and he’s the one in trouble?”

“He was disruptive ,” Mr. Donoghue insists sharply. “This isn’t about what was said, it’s about how he reacted. He challenged me in front of the class, in front of all the other students.”

Mel scoffs. “Xavier’s not the one who disrupted your classroom. That happened the moment you decided a slur was just ‘boys being boys.’ You seem more concerned with being challenged than with protecting your students. That’s not teaching. That’s ego.”

“Excuse me?” Mr Donoghue says incredulously. “You’re missing the point! A teacher’s authority has to mean something. And if students think they can accuse someone of -isms and -phobias every time they disagree, then we lose all control.”

“No,” Geri says calmly. “You lose control when you allow hate speech in your classroom and do nothing. And you lose respect when you punish the person who stands up against it.”

Mr Donoghue splutters again, but he doesn’t get the chance to rebut, as Dr Palmer, the school principal, comes sweeping in through the open doorway. “I’ve just been briefed by the front office,” she says crisply. “Mr. Donoghue, I’d like to speak with you privately in my office. Now.”

“But I was just—”

“I heard enough,” she says sharply. “Please.”

He hesitates, clearly flustered, then rises to his feet. “We’ll revisit this later,” he mutters, but no one replies, and he leaves the room.

Once he’s gone, Dr Palmer turns to Mel, Geri, and Xavier, perching on the edge of a chair. “First, let me say that I am so sorry. I wasn’t aware of the situation until just now when Alicia came to get me - she overheard some of what was said when she escorted Melanie to the room.”

“Thank you,” Geri tells her. “Xav, want to give a quick rundown of what happened in class?”

He does so, and Geri fills in the gaps for Mel and Dr Palmer about what was said with Mr Donoghue. When she finishes, the principal’s face is stormy, but she manages to remain professional. 

“Look, allow me to be candid with you,” she says. “I’m horrified. The idea that a student in this school was called a slur, and that the teacher in the room not only minimized it, but punished the student who spoke up, is completely unacceptable. That is not who we are at this school.”

“We agree,” Geri replies. “We appreciate you stepping in. However, I do have concerns regarding next steps. I don’t want Xavier to be penalised in English class due to his teacher’s biased views - especially now that he is now also aware that Xavier has two mothers. If I’m being frank, I also can’t say I particularly would want him teaching any of our other kids.”

“I completely understand,” Dr. Palmer assures her. “Mr. Donoghue is a new hire this year. I’ve had no prior concerns raised about him, but that ends now. I’ll be launching a formal review immediately, and in the meantime, he will be removed from classroom duties until this is investigated properly. I’ll be in touch when it is finalised, with next steps.”

Mel exhales, some of the tension finally leaving her shoulders “Thank you for taking this seriously,” she says quietly.

“I always will,” Dr. Palmer replies. She turns to Xavier, and her expression softens. “Xavier, I want you to know that I’m proud of you. You did the right thing. Standing up for others, especially when it’s hard. That demonstrates great courage, and this school needs more of it.”

Xavier shifts a little in his seat, clearly not used to being praised by the principal, but he gives a small nod. “Thanks,” he mutters.

Dr. Palmer stands, smoothing her skirt. “We’ll follow up officially in the coming days. In the meantime, Xavier, there will be no record of that detention, and you’re free to head home. If you ever feel uncomfortable again in any classroom, you come directly to me.”

The Halliwell-Browns rise as well, and Geri reaches out to shake her hand. “We appreciate that, truly,” she says. “We look forward to hearing from you.”

They exit the office, and after a final farewell, Dr Palmer departs to her office. Geri catches the eye of Alicia and mouths a thank you, before draping an arm over Xavier’s shoulder - a tricky feat, considering they’re the same height. “Right, let’s go home,” she says, and glances at Mel. “You were driven here, right? Do you need to go back to work, or will you come home with us?”

“I’m done for the day, I’ll come home with you two,” she replies. “I’ll just call Keira and update her.”

Mel pulls out her phone and has a quick chat with her PA while they head to the car. She ends the call as Geri starts pulling out of the school parking lot, and twists around in her seat to face Xavier. “You okay?” she asks carefully.

He shrugged. “I guess.”

“You don’t have to guess,” Geri said gently, glancing at him through the rearview mirror. “You can tell us how you’re feeling.”

Xavier shrugs. “I dunno. Still kind of embarrassed, I guess.”

“Why?” Mel asks.

“’Cause he made it sound like I was just, like, lashing out for no real reason, like I was being dramatic. And everyone in the class looked at me like I’d overreacted. Even Adam told me I shouldn’t have said anything, although I think that’s probably because he was embarrassed as well.”

Geri’s fingers tighten slightly on the steering wheel. “Love, it’s okay. You did the right thing.”

“You didn’t hear how I said it. I was rude. I, like, totally snapped at him. I think I actually said ‘Are you serious?’ and then just kind of went off.”

“That’s alright,” Mel says insistently. “Sometimes being polite doesn’t get the message across. Especially when someone’s being cruel and trying to dress it up as ‘opinion.’ I think he expected you to stay quiet. I think he assumed you’d be too worried about getting in trouble to say something, and then the second you stood up to him, he panicked. Because you made it clear he wasn’t in control of the room anymore.”

Xavier considers this. “Do you think I made it worse for Adam?”

“No,” Geri says gently, glancing at him again in the rear-view mirror. “You showed Adam that someone had his back. That’s never the wrong thing.”

Mel leans her head back against the seat. “And if that teacher can’t handle a teenager calling him out when he’s being out of line, he’s in the wrong job.”

Xavier nods, and his face brightens a little. “So, you guys aren’t mad at me, or disappointed?”

“Of course not!” Geri replies immediately. 

“Xav,” Mel said, serious now, “there’s not a single part of what you did today we’re disappointed in. You were brave. You stood up for someone who needed it. That’s the kind of man we’re raising.”

He lets out a small breath, something tight loosening in his shoulders.

“Okay,” he says quietly. “Thanks.”

Geri reaches for his hand as she stops at a red light, giving it a soft squeeze from over the seat.

“We’ve got you,” she says. “Always.”

Chapter Text

E is for Ending

Set in January/February 2001

Geri’s the first to wake, and she stretches lightly, then rolls to glance next to her. Mel’s still fast asleep, one arm slung over Geri’s waist, and there’s the faintest smile on her lips, as if she’s dreaming of something nice.

Geri could stay in bed all day with her wife, but she runs through their agenda for the day in her mind, and perks up - today’s the day they’re finally getting back to work, after a two and a half month break. It was an incredibly well deserved break, after they finished their third album’s world tour, and they’d all mutually agreed that they needed rest - a huge step up from earlier days in the band’s success, when Geri had to fight with their old manager Simon to get just a week’s break.

Not wanting to wake Mel, she carefully slips from the bed, and heads to the bathroom down the hall, not wanting to use their master bath and risk waking Mel up. She showers, throwing on jeans, a crop top, and her favorite softest jumper that she stole from Mel, and heads to the kitchen.

The answering machine is blinking red, so she hits play while she puts the kettle on and rummages through the fridge.

“ Hi loves, it’s just me,” comes Mel’s mum Andrea’s voice from the machine. “ Just letting you know, we got your letter in the mail from Fiji, can’t believe it took so long to arrive considering you had a whole visit with us after. But that was lovely of you to think of us while on your honeymoon, we’ve stuck it to the fridge. Can’t believe it’s already been a whole week since you two were up here last, Dani wants to know when you’re coming to visit next. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that Geri, I found that ring you’d lost, it’d fallen behind the bed. I can pop it in the mail, or hang onto it for when I see you two next. Alright loves, take care of yourselves, talk soon!”

Geri grins, as she pours herself a cup of tea. After taking a three week belated honeymoon in Fiji, she and Mel had spent a good two weeks up in Leeds at Mel’s parents house, and she and Andrea had gotten quite close. She’d also misplaced one of her rings, a birthday gift from a few years ago from her sister, and had been worried it was gone for good. She makes a mental note to call Andrea back that night, and heads to the living room.

The sun is streaming in through the floor to ceiling windows, and Geri settles onto the loveseat, tucking her feet under her and pulling a throw blanket over her lap. Her journal is on the side table next to her, and as she sips her tea, she flips it to a random page.

Tuesday December 2nd

Only a couple days left in Fiji, which is going by too quick. We’ll have to come back again soon, maybe to celebrate the next album. Could be fun to have the girls come along as well, provided Mel and I still get some private time to ourselves. 

Mel organised a dolphin watch boat ride yesterday and it was amazing, the boat had a net that we could lay on that dragged through the water, and there were a pair of dolphins right next to us. Also did some more snorkeling and that was absolutely incredible, I bet Emma would have loved it too.

I’m looking forward to this evening. I've booked us a couples massage, and then a private waterfront dinner. It’ll be a little elaborate, but worth it for Mel, I just want to see her happy. I don’t know what I did to get so lucky for her to fall in love with me. Six months of marriage and it’s been incredible, we’ve connected so much during our time here. I’m glad we waited to do our honeymoon now instead of squeezing a quick trip in before the tour, this has been so rejuvenating.

Right now, I’m up under the cabana while she’s getting us drinks, we planned a quieter day just relaxing at the beach. She packed her leopard print bikini and it’s driving me crazy. As much as I love working with the girls and I am looking forward to planning the next album out - Mel and I were mucking about the other night and sort of planned out the chorus and bridge to a new song - I’d be thrilled to just stay here forever, the two of us. I mean, yes we’d get bored, but for right now, all I need is the sun and sand and a cold drink and my beautiful wife.

Here she comes, so I’ll wrap up for now xoxo

Before she can turn to another entry, the silence is cut by the sound of the pipes in the master bedroom letting out a soft groan - one of the quirks of their posh, but old flat. Geri grins to herself - Mel’s up. She sets her tea down and heads back to the kitchen, fixing a cup for her wife exactly the way she likes it, then returns to her cozy spot in the living room.

It’s not long until Mel joins her in the living room, wrapped up in one of the fluffy white spa robes that they’d ‘accidentally’ packed at a hotel stay a year ago, toweling her damp hair. 

“You’re all ready, and you have tea made? You’re eager for the day to start,” Mel says, accepting her cup with a grin.

Geri shrugs. “What can I say, I’m looking forward to seeing the girls today. I think this has been the longest we’ve all been apart since we started the band, right?”

Mel considers the thought, and nods. “Wow, I guess so. We’ve never really taken a break this long, have we? But I’m glad we did, it was definitely needed.”

“It was,” Geri agrees. “Speaking of which, your mum must have called last night while we were out at dinner, there was a message on the machine. She found my ring that I lost, and also wanted to thank us for the letter we sent her from holidays.”

“Who’d have thought, seven years ago we were skinny dipping in Gran Canaria, this year we’re writing letters to our parents. What happened to us?” Mel moans, only half kidding.

Geri grins. “Hey, just because I have manners, doesn’t mean we’ve lost our spark. I’d go skinny dipping with you right now, if it was warmer, and there was a beach nearby.” She sets her tea down, and leans over to suck lightly on Mel’s pulse point, getting a rush when she feels Mel’s breath hitch, fingers digging into her thigh.

“Well, we do have a perfectly good bath,” Mel says, setting her cup down as well, and casually letting her robe fall open, revealing nothing underneath. “And, we still have a good hour before we need to leave…”

Geri’s excitement of seeing the girls in a bit, and the planning for their next album, falls to the back of her mind. She doesn’t even care that her makeup is done perfectly, or that if her hair gets wet, she probably won’t have time to style it again - the sight of her naked wife is too damn tempting.

Geri reaches for her, but Mel stands, offering up a wink as her robe puddles at her feet. “Think I need to go ‘practice’ my skinny dipping,” she says teasingly, and turns. “Think you need some practice too,” she adds over her shoulder, and starts walking towards their bathroom, adding a sway to her hips. 

Geri licks her lips, and rushes to follow.

They lose track of time, rushing to finish getting ready right as they hear a short beep from outside, signalling their driver has arrived. Geri grabs her mobile and shoots him a quick text to say they’ll be down in a couple minutes, and turns back to the mirror to finish applying her lipstick.

“Sorry I made us late,” Mel says, as she adds the final bit of product to her curls. She doesn’t look particularly sorry at all.

Geri smirks. “For once, no apologies needed. That was entirely worth it,” she replies. The bathroom still has the lingering scent of sex, and she’s glad their housekeeper isn’t on the schedule to come today.

“Ready?” Mel asks, and Geri caps her lipstick.

“Ready,” she says, and takes Mel’s hand. They head out of the flat, offering up a smile to the doorman as they reach the front doors, and find their driver waiting by the car, holding the door open for them. 

The drive to Jo’s office isn’t long, and it’s with excitement that Geri gets out of the car when they arrive, pulling Mel along behind her. Geri’s excited to see the girls, and get back into the swing of things - the two month break honestly did wonders for her, and she’s never felt more fresh and revitalized.

Their driver confirms he’ll be nearby and drives off, and the two of them head into the building, riding the elevator to the seventh floor to Jo’s office. They’re the first of the group to arrive, and find both Jo, their publicist, and Nina, their PR manager, sitting on one of the long sofas, reviewing some documents together.

“Ladies, welcome back!” Jo calls, and she and Nina rise to come and greet them properly. “My goodness, you’re both looking so refreshed!”

“Yes, well three weeks in Fiji will do that to you,” Geri replies with a smirk. “We’re excited to be back at things, and to see you two and the rest of the girls, but I think I could have easily spent another month there.”

The four of them settle on one of the sofas, catching up on things since the break, but pause after a few minutes to greet Melanie, and then again almost a minute later when Emma arrives, beaming to see them all.

Victoria ends up being a solid ten minutes late - “Sorry, the nanny was late getting to my house, threw my whole morning off,” she apologized, as she hurried to settle herself in - but once they’re all sitting, Jo clears her throat.

“So, it’s great to have you all back together,” she starts, smiling around the room. “Now, I know that at our last meeting in November, we discussed using the break for you all to get some well deserved rest, and start thinking about what’s going to be next. I presume you’ve all got an idea?”

Geri grins, nodding - she and Mel had actually spent an evening together in a hammock on the beach in Fiji, just talking, and had managed to write almost an entire song. They weren’t sure if it was ‘Spice Girls’ material, exactly, but it definitely sparked her creativity and had her almost pining for the recording studio.

“Actually, I have,” Melanie says, clearing her voice a little, and Geri cocks her head - there’s something very slightly off with her tone, but she can’t quite put a finger on it.

“Go ahead, Melanie,” Jo encourages. 

Melanie sighs, and glances around the group slowly. “So, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this break,” she starts, and sighs again. “And I think that, maybe, I might be done.”

Emma frowns. “What do you mean, done?”

“Done, like I think my time in the Spice Girls has come to an end,” Melanie finishes.

Geri’s mouth drops open in shock. Of all the things she thought Melanie might have said, this wasn’t even on the list. “You’re leaving the group?” she asks faintly, and feels Mel slip a hand into hers, offering a comforting squeeze.

“Yeah, I think so,” Melanie replies. “And it’s nothing personal, I just…I think I’ve given all I can to the band, and it’s been an amazing run, but I think that I need to move on, try some different things.”

There’s silence for a full couple of seconds, everyone processing, then Victoria clears her throat.

“I agree,” she says simply.

“You agree?” Geri asks, her mind racing to catch up. “What, you want to leave as well?”

“I don’t want to leave,” Victoria clarifies, and shrugs. “I love what we’ve built, I always will. But I think that maybe it’s the right time now. I’m in a different place now. I’ve got my own things going on, and David and I are talking about another baby, and honestly... I just don’t feel the pull to keep going. I feel ready to let it go.”

“We’ve all got things going on,” Emma adds, clearly trying to stay hopeful. “That’s why we took the break. Doesn’t mean we have to stop.”

Melanie offers up a sad smile. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to let you guys down, you all mean the world to me. But I just don’t think I have it in me to continue.”

“And look, I was thinking, we all know the band would have to come to an end eventually,” Victoria adds. “Now could be the right time. We have nothing in the works, no major commitments, so it’s the least impact.”

“Not to mention, there’s no negativity about us in the press or anything. This gives us a chance to end it on our terms,” Melanie adds.

Nina leans forward, nodding. “From a PR perspective, that’s actually a pretty powerful way to do it. Making it a group decision, that keeps your reputations and the legacy of the group intact.”

“You guys are really serious about this?” Mel asks, and Geri turns to glance at her. Mel is serious, her gaze pinned on Melanie and Victoria, and Geri’s finding her incredibly hard to read.

“Yeah, we are,” Victoria replies quietly. 

Mel nods slowly, almost resigned, and Geri squeezes her hand roughly, drawing her attention. “What, you’re okay with that?” she asks in shock.

“No, I’m not,” Mel replies quietly, her voice lower. “But babe, I don’t know what could be said right now, that will change anything. Maybe we need to take a day, process it all.”

“Actually, that’s a good idea,” Jo says, and claps her hands together. “Look, this isn’t a decision, it’s just a conversation. Nothing’s set in stone. Let’s take a few days, think about things, and then regroup to discuss it further, yeah?”

“I’m not changing my mind - I don’t want to be done,” Emma says immediately, and Geri nods. But she can’t say anything else, because a lump has formed in her throat, and she doesn’t think she could get any words out if she tried.

“I’m going to call for the car to pick us up,” Mel murmurs to Geri, who just nods. Emma gets up as well, pulling out her own mobile to presumably call for her own driver, and Geri glances over at Melanie and Victoria, both who are leaning towards Nina who’s talking in a low voice.

Geri doesn’t care what Nina’s saying to them. She doesn’t care about anything. Everything is ruined, it’s changing, and she’s powerless to change it.

“Come on, love, he’ll be downstairs in a minute,” Mel says, interrupting her thoughts. “We’ll be in touch. Bye all.”

Geri offers up a halfhearted wave, meeting Emma’s eyes and giving the tiniest hint of a smile, before following Mel out of the office and back to the elevator. Mel reaches for her hand and she takes it, holding tight, and they stay like that the entire ride down and getting in the car as well. They’re both silent, processing, and Geri spends the drive home staring out of the window at the blustery grey London sky.

The moment they step inside, Mel braces herself. She knows her wife, and she knows that something’s coming.

She’s not wrong.

“Well, that was fucking brilliant,” Geri finally bursts out, throwing her hands up. “I can’t bloody believe that they’d do this.”

“Geri, love,” Mel starts in her most calming voice, but she’s interrupted by Geri holding a hand up.

“Don’t try to placate me,” Geri says with a shake of her head. “That was basically an ambush, you can tell they’d already talked to Jo about - which I can’t believe she didn’t even have the decency to say anything to us!”

“Say what?” Mel asks. “She’s the one who organised this meeting to begin with, she couldn’t have done anything more that wouldn’t be risking her contract.”

Geri shakes her head even more vigorously. “We’ve all worked so, so hard for this. We’ve created a legacy. For what, though?”

“Love, it’s not a done deal,” Mel tries. “That wasn’t a decision, it was just a conversation.”

Geri laughs fruitlessly. “Right, a conversation in which two of five members decided they’re done, and without them, the band is basically done. It’s the end. I mean, you heard what Melanie said. And Vic was just - she didn’t even blink, she’s not changing her mind. We don’t really even get a say at this point.”

Mel sighs. “And unfortunately, that’s part of being part of a group. So we can just work out what the best next steps will be.”

“So what, you’re fine with it? Just giving up on everything we’ve all worked so hard for?” Geri demands.

“I didn’t say that,” Mel replies carefully, choosing the right words. “I love the band, you know that. And I always will. But the girls are right, we have done so much. We’ve made bloody history with it. And if the band’s going to come to an end eventually, maybe now is the right time, when we can do it on our terms. No scandals, or drama, just our choice.”

Geri’s already shaking her head, her arms crossed tight. “You sound like Nina,” she accuses. “Like we just ticked a nice little set of boxes with the band, and now we can just end it all tidy and move on.”

“Ger, come on,” Mel says, tamping back a sigh. “It’s not the end of us. It’s just-”

“That’s not the bloody point!” Geri shouts, and her voice cracks. “You are the most important person in my life, but the group saved me, and it gave me everything, and now we’re ready to chuck it all because it’s neat and dignified?”

“It’s not about dignity,” Mel says, and she can feel her temper rising. “It’s about knowing when something’s run its course.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Geri hisses. “It’s always been easy for you. Maybe it’s not so hard to walk away when you’re not the one who had to claw her way into being somebody.”

Mel stares at her, her shoulders tense. “You think I don’t know what the band means to you?”

“You can’t!” Ger snaps, and Mel can see her eyes welling up - from frustration or sadness, she’s not sure. “Mel, I’m going to have nothing after this. You didn’t have to fight the way I did. You’ve never been the one everyone wanted to leave behind!”

That stings. “You say the band means everything to you, yet you had no hesitation three years ago when you were ready to leave us all back then, huh?” she shoots back. “No cares at all how it’d affect the rest of us, you were all for packing your bags and disappearing without telling any of us a damn thing!”

The words echo in the silent kitchen like a gunshot.

Geri freezes, her breath audibly catching. She stares at Mel, and there’s a million different expressions on her face - pain, fear, anger, but the worst? Betrayal.

Mel freezes as well, stricken. She can’t believe she just said that. She took it too far, and that could very well be the nail in the coffin of the most important relationship of her entire life. “Ger, wait. I didn’t-”

“No,” Geri cuts in, her voice low and flat. She stares at Mel, and her breathing shudders slightly. “No. Fuck you, Melanie. You did. You went there.”

They stare at each other for several tense seconds, then Geri spins on her heel, grabbing her coat from the counter.

“Where are you going?” Mel demands, stepping forward. She half reaches out as if to grab Geri’s sleeve, but hesitates, her hand hanging uselessly in the air.

“I need some space,” Geri replies sharply, and leaves. The door slams with a harsh bang behind her, and it’s like a shot to Mel’s heart. She staggers, clutching onto the marble countertop to steady herself. What the actual fuck just happened? How did they derail so fast?

“Fuck!” Mel shouts, the word echoing through the kitchen. She runs a hand through her curls, trying desperately not to start crying. Why the hell did she say that? She knows how hard a time that was for Geri, how difficult the decision then would have been to make to leave the group, and how much that decision was ruining Geri. It took so long for Geri to work out not just to stay, but to heal , to grow, to love out loud.

And for Mel to just throw that back in her face…Mel thinks she wouldn’t be surprised if Geri doesn’t forgive her for that.

A sharp ringing breaks the silence, and Mel blinks a little, the sound cutting through her thoughts. It’s coming from the landline, hanging on the wall on the other side of the kitchen, but Mel ignores it. What should she do? Does she go after Geri? How can she fix this?

The landline goes silent, however within a few seconds, there’s a sharp tone coming from Mel’s bag that she’d tossed by the front door when they walked in - her mobile phone is now ringing. With a sigh, she retrieves it, and sees Emma’s name on the screen.

“Hey,” she says into it, leaning against the counter.

“Hi,” Emma replies. “Are you guys home yet?”

“Yes, got in a few minutes ago.”

“I’m in the car still. I just wanted to check in to see how you two were doing.”

Mel sighs. “Not great, if I’m being honest,” she says, and her voice cracks on the last word.

“Oh honey, I’m sorry,” Emma says. “Want to talk about it? Want to put me on speaker so the three of us can talk proper? Or you guys can come over?”

“No, I can’t - Geri’s not here. She just left. We had a row, a big one,” Mel says, and has to blink back tears. “I said something awful to her - and I wish I didn’t.”

“It’s okay,” Emma says soothingly. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Mel presses her free hand to her eyes, trying to stop the tears forming. “She’s taking it hard - really hard. And I was trying to reason with her, and she thinks that it’s easy for me to walk away, when she had to fight so much harder, you know, since she came from literally nothing and no training or anything, not like the rest of us. And she implied that she’ll have nothing after this, and I got a little upset at that, because what, am I not important to her at all? But I went too far. I threw it back in her face about her almost leaving in ‘98. And Em, the hurt and betrayal on her face - I really fucked it up.”

“Mel, you didn’t,” Emma says carefully. “I mean, yeah, it’s not great what you said. But it’s Geri. No matter what, you do mean the world to her, and this isn’t going to change that.”

“I can’t lose her, Em, I can’t.”

“You won’t, hon. She loves you. And she loves this band. And right now those two things feel like they’re tearing each other apart. She might just need some time to figure it all out.”

“God, I wish she didn’t leave,” Mel says. “I wish she was here so I could properly apologize, let her know I understand better.”

“Do you know where she might have gone?” Emma asks, and Mel pauses. Geri left, no keys, but she did take her coat…she knows.

“Yeah, I do,” she replies. “But I don’t know if I should go after her. Maybe she needs space.”

“Maybe she does,” Emma agrees. “But if it were you out there hurting? She wouldn’t wait.”

Mel blinks, her throat thick. “No. No, she wouldn’t. Sorry Em, I gotta go.”

“Of course. Call me later, or tomorrow, keep me updated, yeah?” Emma asks.

Mel agrees, and ends the call. She then grabs her coat, shoving her boots on, and hurries out of the flat. Her heart is racing as she makes her way to the doorway to the roof, hoping that she’s right. She rushes up the steps, and has a visceral wave of relief wash over her when her eyes spot Geri.

The redhead is sitting on a bench, her coat wrapped tight around her. She doesn’t flinch at the sound of Mel’s footsteps, and Mel takes that as a good sign, settling in next to her. They sit in silence for a few moments, then Mel shifts to face her.

Geri’s nose is pink from the cold, and her mascara has smudged under her eyes as if she’d rubbed them. A stray tear has made its way halfway down her cheek, and Mel doesn’t hesitate to reach up and brush it away. Then she lets out a heavy sigh.

“Geri, baby, I’m so sorry,” she murmurs. “I should never have said what I did about ‘98, that was way out of line.” 

Geri stays quiet for a few seconds. Then she let out a small breath, her voice hoarse. “You meant it, though.”

“I didn’t,” Mel says instantly, and shakes her head. “I promise. I was just hurting, and I lashed out in a terrible way. It was cruel. You were being honest about how you felt and I twisted it like a knife. That’s not what we do.” She pauses, considering her next words. “I love you,” Mel adds, even quieter. “That’s… the one thing that’s never changed. Even when we were shouting or crying or figuring everything out. It’s always been you. And no matter what, I want to be here for you.”

Geri finally turns her head. “I didn’t mean it either. What I said, about not having anything after the group. That was horrible. You’re - God, Mel, you’re everything to me. You’re my entire world. You know that, right?”

“I do,” Mel replies, and reaches out to pull her into an embrace. She can feel Geri shaking a little from soft, silent sobs, and she just holds her a little tighter. She wishes she could take all the hurt and sadness away from Geri forever.

They spend a minute or two like this, before Geri’s tears stop, her breathing evening out, and they pull apart. Mel rests her forehead gently against Geri’s.

“You’re not losing everything, love. We still have each other. We still have our life.”

“I know,” Geri whispers. “I just… I panicked. I gave so much of myself to the Spice Girls, and I’m proud of what we did. But when they said it was over, it felt like - like I’d disappear with it. And that’s not fair to you. Because the most important thing I ever did wasn’t being Ginger Spice. It was choosing you.”

Mel swallows hard, her chest tight. “That means everything.”

Geri gives her a weak smile, brushing a tear off her cheek. “I’m sorry I made you feel like you weren’t enough. You’re more than enough. You’re my whole bloody universe.”

Mel leans forward to give her another soft kiss. “And you’re mine. Even when you say daft things and run off to freeze on the roof.”

Geri lets out a rough laugh. “Well, I am Ginger Spice. Drama is part of the persona.”

Mel grins, and takes advantage of the light moment to take Geri’s hands in her own. “Come on, it’s freezing out here. Let’s go back to the flat and warm up.”

Geri nods, and lets Mel tug her to her feet. Together, they make their way back to the stairs leading back into the apartment building. For once, Mel’s not sure where the future is going to take them, with the uncertainty of the group, but they have each other, and that’s all that matters.

Several days later, the Spice Girls, along with Jo and Nina, get together again. This time they meet up at Mel and Geri’s flat, Mel having wanted a more comfortable space for them.

Emma’s the first to arrive, an hour before the others are scheduled to come. Considering she was the only other one who didn’t want the group to end, Mel and Geri felt talking to her first would be best.

“So how are you feeling about it all now?” Mel asks her, as Emma settles in at the kitchen counter next to Geri, while Mel makes them each a cup of tea.

Emma sighs. “I mean, I still don’t want to end the group,” she admits. “But it’s like what you said the other day - what can be said to change anyone’s minds? If Vic and Melanie are done, then they’re done. Doubt they’ll decide to go for another album - you know Victoria, once she decides something, that’s that.”

Geri nods glumly. “Right. Don’t worry, I’m the same as you. I don’t want it to end yet either, but Mel and I talked a load these last few days, and we’re pretty much at that point as well. All I can hope is maybe they’ll be on board with bringing the group back again in the future, who knows?”

Emma lightens up at that idea. “Oh, like a reunion tour or something!”

“I wouldn’t mind doing a Spice Girls documentary one day,” Mel adds. “That could be a fun project for us later down the line, with less pressure.”

They all throw ideas out for a potential documentary, and then the conversation drifts to other career ideas - individual ideas - that could be possibilities, to family, and friends, and so on. By the time the doorbell buzzes, signalling others arriving, they’re finishing their second cup of tea, laughing over favorite memories of the past few years.

They sober up, remembering that the arrival of the others means the end of something special, and Mel tells the doorman to send them up while they relocate to the living room, where Geri sets down a platter of scones, finger sandwiches, and a large pot of tea.

Jo’s the first to arrive, giving Geri a warm hug with soft, understanding eyes. Geri hugs her back, and hopes that things might work out that Jo could remain in their lives - she’s become a close friend to them over the past six years. 

By the time Nina, Victoria, and Melanie have arrived, and everyone has settled into the living room, there’s an anxious vibe in the air.

“So,” Jo says gently, after a few moments of silence. “How are we all feeling?”

Mel exhales slowly. “We’re still not thrilled, but… better. We’ve had time to let it settle.”

“I’m okay,” Melanie says quietly. “Sad, yeah, but I’m still in the position that it’s time to end the group. Or at least, it’s time for me to depart.”

Geri feels a soft pang in her heart at that, but it’s as if Mel can read her mind, because her hand is slipping into hers a moment later and offering up a gentle squeeze.

“I’m also still feeling the same,” Victoria adds. “I’ll always love you guys, you’ll always be my best friends, but I need to be done.”

Nina glances at Emma and Geri. “I know you two were the most against this decision the other day,” she says carefully. “Have either of you changed your minds?”

Geri slips her free hand into Emma’s. “No, we still want to continue the group,” Emma admits. “But we understand. We can’t force you guys to want to stay, so we know that this is where things have to end.”

“But if there’s ever a chance of a reunion later down the line, maybe a documentary, or literally anything, we’d be on board,” Mel adds in a rush, and Melanie grins at that.

“I wouldn’t say no to that at all,” she says, grinning. “A ten year reunion world tour, eh?”

Victoria raises an eyebrow, but smiles, and Geri smiles back at her.

“So” Jo says, clearing her throat, “the next step then, is going to be how to decide to do this. We’d want it to be fairly soon, considering you’ve already had a two month break, we want to beat any potential media speculations.”

“Could we announce it through a magazine interview?” Geri asks, finally speaking up. She’s a little surprised the words were able to come out past the lump in her throat. “So we can make sure everything is said the way we want it to be?”

“That’s a fantastic idea,” Nina says, considering it. “A good exclusive interview, with a final photoshoot. Front page feature - any magazine would snap it up in a heartbeat, so we have some good time to decide.”

“I’ll start drafting something for you all to approve. We’ll find the right magazine, something elegant but accessible. Maybe Hello! or Marie Claire ,” Jo suggests.

Victoria crossed her legs, nodding. “And we make it clear that there’s no drama, and no big fallout. We’re not disappearing, we’re just… closing the chapter.”

“And it’s a group decision, not a fall out or anything,” Mel adds. “We’re still family.”

She squeezes Geri’s hand even tighter, and Geri can feel her eyes welling up with tears. Not wanting to show the others how upset she is, she turns to bury her face into Mel’s shoulders, feeling her wife’s arms come around her. A moment later, she feels Emma pressing up against her back, joining the hug.

It only takes a second, then Victoria’s right there, wrapping her arms around the three of them, and Melanie’s joining in, and the five of them just sit there, holding each other. Geri’s tears fall, disappearing into Mel’s hair, and she’s not sure who’s hand is rubbing her shoulder, but at this moment, she knows she’ll still have her best friends. It’ll be different -  very different - but they’ll survive.

“The Spice Girls: One Last Time, Together”

Marie Claire Exclusive, February 2001
By Heather Kingston

The five women of the wildly popular Spice Girls are gathered before me in the sunlit lounge of a London photo studio, settled comfortably across several plush lounges. The atmosphere is light, but behind the warmth is a quiet sense of finality. Not sadness, exactly, but a mutual agreement. After half a decade of friendship, music, and girl power, the Spice Girls are ready to say goodbye.

“We talked about it for a long time,” Melanie Chisholm says first, thoughtful and sincere, as she stretches back in an armchair. “It wasn’t an easy decision. But we’ve grown, all of us. And we realised it wasn’t fair to keep putting pressure on something just because the world expected it.”

“It’s not a breakup,” Emma Bunton is quick to add, from her seat beside Victoria Beckham. “It’s a pause. An end to this chapter of the band, but not to us. We’ll still see each other all the time - I mean, I’m already planning on visiting this one on the weekend so I can babysit,” she says, nudging Victoria, who smiles fondly.

“I think we just reached a point where our lives are pulling us in different directions,” Victoria says, calmly. “And it doesn’t feel like a loss, per se, it more feels like we’re giving each other space to grow into new opportunities. I’m so proud of what we’ve done. And even more proud that we could make this decision together, kindly.”

I’m surprised at the fact that five different women could all so easily agree on a monumental decision, and this is where Geri Halliwell-Brown speaks up, from where she’s perched on a loveseat next to her bandmate and wife, Melanie Halliwell-Brown.

“It took a few conversations,” she admits, smiling sadly. “There were some tears - mainly mine, and I can’t say I wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to reunite again sometime in the future. But we’ve all made the agreement that this is the right time for us, to wrap up our legacy.”

When asked if there was a particular moment that sparked the decision, Melanie Halliwell Brown shakes her head. “No, it just came naturally,” she explains, and laces her fingers with Geri’s. “We all decided to take a two month break after our last tour - it’d been a huge one, with so many cities, and we all felt we’d earned it. Geri and I finally got to take our honeymoon, which we’d pushed off because of the tour, and spent some time with my family.”

“We just found that now is a good natural stopping point,” Melanie C continues. “We’ve had four hugely successful albums, and a few tours, and nothing lined up for after our break. And the break was good, it gave clarity, and time to adjust.”

The conversation turns towards their legacy of the Spice Girls. With such a widely sensationalised group, having been dubbed ‘Spice Mania’, what do they hope that people will remember of the group?

“That we meant it,” Victoria says without hesitation. “The fun, the friendship, the message. Girl power wasn’t a slogan, it was how we lived.”

“We were real,” Emma adds. “We were performing for us , not for the cameras, or to portray a particular identity. We were just unapologetically us, and I hope it teaches a lot of people out there to be themselves.”

“We stood for something,” Geri says quietly. “And I’m proud of that.”

It’s going to be quite a shock to many people, to learn that the Spice Girls will be separating, which leads to my final question, to see where they will end up. What’s coming next for each of the girls?

“I want to keep making music,” says Melanie C. “I’d like to try some solo work, maybe some collaborations with other artists. But I want it to feel fresh, and personal. I've got a lot more to say.”

Emma is equally open. “I’d love to do more radio and maybe some presenting. And I’ve always wanted to try a bit of acting. Nothing serious! Just something fun, maybe a cameo or two.”

Victoria offers a serene smile. “I’m really focused on fashion. That’s where I feel most inspired right now. But being a mum is my first job, always, and I’m looking forward to some quality family time”

When it’s Geri’s turn, she looks the most contemplative of the question. “I’m honestly not too sure,” she admits. “Although, I have a lot of stories in my head, especially from the past seven years, that I wouldn’t mind getting down. Perhaps I’ll write a book, maybe it’ll be the first of many. I’m not sure. But I want to try something that’s just mine.”

And finally, when I turn to Mel Halliwell Brown, she’s quite animated. “I’ve got ideas,” she says with a grin. “I’d still like to explore music a little more, I’d love to work with artists who inspire me. And I’m definitely curious about TV. I’d love to judge on a show, or host something bold and fun. Something a little scary. You know me.”

Geri rolls her eyes affectionately. “She’s always looking for a bit of chaos.”

There’s something steady and unspoken in the way that the Spice Girls sit together - close, relaxed, and entirely at ease in each other’s company. Despite the weight of the news they’ve just confirmed, the mood is not heavy. There’s sadness, yes, but more than that, there’s pride. They’re ending this chapter on their own terms, with love and mutual respect still at the center of it all.

Whatever comes next, whether it be music, books, babies, fashion shows, or television spots, they won’t be doing it alone. Their bond has never just about the music. It was, and is, about friendship, laughter, loyalty, and the kind of history that can’t be replicated.

Chapter Text

F is for Fire

Set in July of 1998

“Wow, this hotel is gorgeous,” Emma says wonderingly, as she spins in a slow circle around. 

She’s right - the hotel is stunning . The suite that Jo booked them in has a large, luxurious living room, with several couches and a dining table that seats eight. There’s several bedrooms spitting off, each of which have their own bathroom, and Mel grins as she sees the huge marble bathtub in the bathroom off the master bedroom.

“Geri and I bags this room!” she shouts, and shoots a wink at Geri. 

“Hey, your room is bigger!” Victoria exclaims, coming from one of the rooms to glance in where Mel’s tossing her suitcase on the king sized bed.

“Yeah, but we’re two people sharing the room, and this room only has one bed,” Geri points out. “So it makes more sense that we’d need more space.”

Victoria can’t quite argue that point, and when Emma suggests the two of them sharing the second biggest room, that has two queen beds, Victoria begrudgingly agrees. That leaves Melanie having the small room with another queen bed to herself, and the women spend the next half hour unpacking and settling in.

There’s a sharp rap on the door and then Jo bustles in a moment later, closely followed by Nina. Mel grins at them, and Jo smiles back, but clears her throat, clearly on a mission.

“Right, ladies, I have an announcement to make, if you can all come,” Jo calls, and waits for the others to make their way to the living room. Mel flops down on one of the couches next to Geri, twisting a little so her legs drape over Geri’s lap.

“So, what’s up?” Melanie asks, the last to join them, as she stretches out on the floor, leaning up against Emma’s legs.

“Some exciting news - Viva Forever just reached number one back in the UK!” Jo announces, grinning. Whatever she starts to say next is lost, as the girls break out into cheers and hollers.

Geri leans forward, pressing a fiery kiss to Mel’s lips, who kisses back eagerly. Mel knows why Geri’s so happy - that song is easily one of the most important ones to them, Geri having written it about Mel before they’d become a couple. Geri hadn’t admitted that at the time, of course, but had let it slip in private conversations between them since, and it made Mel love the song even more.

“So, tomorrow, you’ll have a quick exclusive with The Sun ,” Nina adds. “They want a quick photoshoot tomorrow while you're at the venue, but it won’t be too intrusive. It’s slotted in before soundcheck, and you’ll already be in your costumes for the show, so no extra fuss.”

“Now, it’s already five. I made reservations for you for seven for dinner, the restaurant’s only five minutes away. Does that still work, or would you prefer a night in?” Jo asks.

“Dinner out,” Melanie says immediately. “We’ve had room service and plane food for three days straight, I’m dying for a nice steak.”

“Plus, I wouldn’t say no to popping a bottle of champagne to celebrate our seventh number one,” Mel adds. 

Jo raises an eyebrow. “As long as you lot remember you have a show tomorrow night. Right, we’ll be back at a quarter to seven to go to the restaurant. Freshen up in the meantime.”

Jo and Nina head out of the suite, leaving the girls to their own devices. It’s a good thing that the suite has three bathrooms, considering all five of them want to shower before dinner. 

Emma volunteers to go last, and Mel does as well, but only lasts ten minutes before she sneaks into her and Geri’s ensuite, letting her clothes pool at her feet before slipping into the shower with Geri.

“Oh hey, this is a nice surprise,” Geri says, her voice a little husky. 

“Figured we could share, save some water and all that,” Mel replies, smirking. She lets her eyes slowly pan down Geri's naked body, and licks her lips. “Gorgeous,” she murmurs, dropping a kiss to her shoulder.

A half hour passes far too quickly, though somehow between kisses, and touches, and soft moans, they manage to both get clean. The vanity is wide enough for them to stand side by side after, wrapped in plush white towels, while they take some time to get hair and makeup done. 

Geri finishes first, slipping out to the bedroom, and returning a few moments later in a tight red dress, then takes the eyeliner from Mel, finishing it herself. 

“Perfect,” she murmurs when she finishes, capping it and setting it on the counter.

“I know you are,” Mel replies, wrapping her arms around her, and kisses her. They quickly lose track of time, startling when Melanie bangs on the door shouting that Jo’s here.

Mel’ still only in a towel, and rushes out to pull on a black bralette and low rise pants, then follows Geri to the main room.

“Ready? Lipstick’s a little smeared, the both of you,” Jo says, sighing, but there’s a smirk twitching at the corners of her lips. “Right, let’s go.”

The limo’s already waiting out front, and they pile in, laughing and adjusting heels and handbags. Detroit’s golden hour light filters through the tinted windows as they drive downtown, the skyline just starting to sparkle. It pulls up to a stunning old mansion - three stories tall, ivy creeping up one side, and glowing lanterns framing the ornate double doors. “This is it?” Victoria asks, peering out.

“The Whitney,” Jo confirms, nodding. “It was built in 1894, and supposedly it’s meant to be haunted. But don’t worry, I checked, they do serve Moët.”

Melanie lets out a low whistle as they step out. “Can’t say no to a bit of posh.”

The table’s already set with champagne flutes, and once they’re seated, a waiter pops a bottle of champagne and pours them all a glass. He leaves, and Jo holds up her glass “To you lot, for an unheard record of seven number ones.”

“To Viva Forever !” Melanie cheers.

“To Geri for writing it,” Emma adds, nudging her with a grin.

Geri goes pink. “I had a little help.”

“You did not,” Victoria snorts, already sipping her champagne. “You didn’t even want us to change the title, you said it came to you in a dream.”

“A dream where she was making out with Mel, probably,” Emma adds cheekily.

“Excuse me,” Geri says primly. “That was a perfectly artistic dream.”

Mel chokes on her drink, laughing. “Pretty sure it was mutual.”

The group laughs, sobering a little when the wait staff re-enter to collect their dinner orders. The food is exquisite, and they chatter about the tour and travel as they eat. The meal passes quickly, and before they know, Jo is herding them back outside.

Just as they’re getting back into the limo, Geri halts, causing Melanie to crash into her from behind.

“What’s the hold up?” Victoria asks, trying to peer around Geri. 

“I just had a brilliant idea,” Geri replies slowly, staring across the street. She grins.

Victoria follows her gaze, and sees a small tattoo studio. It’s small and unobtrusive, aside from the blinking neon Tattoos! sign in the front window casting a pink glow onto the pavement below. “Oh hell no, Geraldine, not a chance,” Victoria chides her, and gives her a light push into the limo.

Geri lets herself be pushed in, but she can’t stop grinning. “Come on, wouldn’t it be a perfect way to celebrate our seventh number one single?” she exclaims.

“What would?” Emma asks curiously. 

“Getting matching tattoos,” Geri replies, and Emma’s eyes light up, along with Mel’s.

“That’d be brilliant!” Mel declares, and elbows Melanie next to her. “Come on, don’t you think? It’s not like you don’t already have some.”

Melanie considers it for a moment, then grins. “Yeah, okay. But only if Vic does as well. Jo and Nina too.”

“Hey, don’t drag me into this!” Jo exclaims. “Besides, I think you lot are forgetting something. Might I remind you, that you lot are the Spice Girls?”

“So?” Mel demands. “What, we sing so we couldn’t handle getting tattoos?”

“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant,” Jo replies with a laugh. “I meant that you’re a global phenomenon - you can’t just stroll into a tattoo shop at nine o’clock at night with no prior warning! You’d cause a bloody media frenzy. You’d send Nina into an early grave.”

Nina nods vigorously from beside her, but then gets a sly grin. “However,” she says slowly, “I bet Jo is clever enough that she could probably find a reputable tattoo artist to come to the hotel tonight, and hold a private session? Because I’ll be honest – I’m down for this.”

Victoria’s refusal is easily drowned out by the other four cheering in agreement. “C’mon, Vee, think of the bonding experience this’ll be!” Emma wheedles, offering up her best angelic smile.

“Something to show the grandkids in fifty years, yeah?” Melanie adds.

“What, like showing them our tour footage, and old costumes, and the piles of our merch wouldn’t be enough?” Victoria replies wryly. “Ok, you know what - fine. As long as it’s something small and subtle.”

“Deal,” Geri replies instantly, and turns to Jo. “So, you amazing, wonderful, fabulous publicist of ours…what do you say?””

Jo sighs, rolling her eyes, but pulls out her mobile phone. “Let me make a few calls,” she says finally.

Thirty minutes later, the five Spice Girls, plus Jo and Nina, are back in the hotel suite, sprawled out over couches, while Cass, a calm woman with her hair thrown back in a messy braid and completely unphased by the fame, finishes setting up her supplies at the dining table.

“Alright, so what are we thinking?” she asks, her accent coming out in a Midwestern drawl.

“We should get something to match,” Melanie suggests. “Something subtle and small, like V said, but something that means something for us all.”

“Ooh, I like that,” Emma replies, contemplating. “A spice shaker?

“I’m not getting a spice shaker on my body,” Victoria says with a shake of her head.

“What about a planet? Like ‘cause we’re global and stuff?” Emma suggests.

“That’s cute, but doesn’t really scream ‘spice girls’,” Mel muses. “Maybe something that really shows the five of us?”

It takes a little debating, but they finally settle on a design - an infinity symbol to signify ‘everlasting’ from one of their songs, with a music note embedded in the middle. Even Victoria likes it, and actually volunteers to go first to get it over and done with.

She chooses her hip, maintaining a straight face for the entire fifteen minutes it takes, but lets out a long breath when it’s done. Cass smooths ointment over it, then calls for the next girl. Mel goes next, choosing her ribcage, then Geri picks her wrist. Melanie follows up with her shoulder blade, Emma goes for her ankle, and then the girls manage to somehow convince Jo and Nina to get them as well. 

“Come on, you two know we’d never have made it without you,” Melanie cajoles, and Geri nods.

“We might be the faces, but you two are definitely part of it,” she adds. “Come on, Nina, you go first - where do you want yours?”

Nina ends up doing her ankle as well. When it’s Jo’s turn to have hers tattooed on her arm,  Mel bumps Geri’s shoulder. “So, call me crazy, but I was just thinking…want to get one more tattoo?” she asks quietly, not wanting the other girls to overhear.

Geri’s interest is immediately piqued. “Yeah? Like what?” she asks curiously, grinning.

“Oh, I didn’t get that far,” Mel admits. “Just caught up in the spontaneity. But something special, just the two of us. What do you think?”

They consider a few ideas, and settle on a sun setting over a beach - the location of one of their vacations they’d taken to Fiji, before they’d been a couple, where Geri had first gotten the idea to write Viva Forever.

“Done,” Cass proclaims, smoothing ointment over Jo’s arm. “Anyone want anything else?”

The rest of the girls decline, calling out thanks, but Geri and Mel move forward. “Actually, yeah,” Mel tells her. “If you’re up for it? The two of us want to get one more.”

“Sure,” Cass replies easily. “Do you know what you want?”

They nod, Geri quickly sketching it out, and they both decide to get them in matching spots on their ribs. Cass works carefully and efficiently, then cleans up and heads out after.

“She was awesome,” Emma says, examining her wrist. “How’d you find her, Jo?”

“Through a friend of a friend,” Jo replies. “And she was paid well, so I’m glad you’re all happy. Right, tomorrow’s agenda - rehearsal at noon at the stadium, for the show. I’ll have the car here for eleven thirty to collect you all.

“Wait, we actually get to have a bit of a lie-in tomorrow?” Geri asks, grinning.

“Don’t get used to it,” Jo replies dryly. “Don’t take it as an excuse to stay up late tonight, yeah?”

“Too late for that,” Victoria says, and she twists open the cap of a bottle of wine from the kitchenette. “You and Nina’ll stay for a drink, right? Come on, we just hit out seventh number one, we deserve a toast.”

Jo sighs, but the corners of her mouth are twitching. She helps Victoria pass glasses of wine around, then they all settle on the couch and toast to the success of the Spice Girls.

They clink glasses, then sink back into the sofa cushions and armchairs. “God, I forgot how much tattoos sting,” Melanie mutters, rotating her shoulder gingerly.

“Oh, please,” Victoria says. “You barely flinched.”

“Because I’m too hardcore,” Melanie shoots back, grinning. “But I forgot how much it hurts after.”

Emma shifts a little, where she’s curled up on the carpet leaning against Geri’s legs. “We should play something,” she says brightly. “Come on, we’ve got wine, no early call, and we just made pop history.”

“You’re going to suggest Never Have I Ever , aren’t you?” Mel says, eyeing her.

Emma shrugs with a wicked smile. “Obviously. Come on, it’ll be fun!”

“I don’t trust anything that starts with you saying ‘come on, it’ll be fun’,” Geri mutters, but she’s already tucking her legs up under herself on the couch.

“You’re just scared I know all your secrets,” Emma teases. “C’mon, I’ll go first then. Never have I ever… snuck out of a hotel room to meet someone.”

Jo groans. “Oh no.”

Mel takes a long sip. So does Geri. And Melanie. And after a moment’s hesitation, even Victoria lifts her glass.

“Okay, what?” Emma cries out in astonishment. “You all have?”

The rest of them laugh, and Jo shakes her head. “Unless this was pre-Spice time, I’d rather not hear the details,” she tells them, then groans again when they grin sheepishly. “Right, lets move on. Hmm, never have I ever accidentally texted something to the wrong person.”

There’s a moment of silence, and then Geri lets out a groan and drinks.

Emma gasps. “No way, who did you text?!”

Geri hides her face in one hand. “I meant to text Mel,” she mutters.

“Oh my God,” Mel cackles, almost spilling her wine. “I forgot about that!”

Jo raises an eyebrow. “Who did you actually send it to?”

Geri peeks between her fingers. “My sister . She rang me immediately, and I panicked and pretended it was lyrics I was workshopping.”

“That’s the worst excuse I’ve ever heard,” Victoria says, laughing. “What was it even about?”

“Absolutely not,” Geri says, lifting her chin. “Next question!”

“Alright, my turn,” Melanie says. “Never have I ever, um, snogged someone in a broom cupboard.”

Emma blushes, trying to subtly take a sip of her wine, but they all see and burst out laughing.

“Oh, Emma !” Victoria scolds. “Where?”

“I’m not saying!”

Mel elbows her. “It was at the BRITs, wasn’t it?”

“I’m saying nothing,” Emma says primly, but she’s glowing. “Who’s next?”

“Never have I ever stolen something from the Spice movie set,” Victoria says, glancing around.

They all drink, including Nina, who grins. “Sorry, but the photoshoot scene where you guys were doing the outfit montage, and Melanie and Emma dressed up as Danny and Sandy? I definitely stole the leather jacket Melanie was wearing, it’s literally my favorite jacket now,” she admits, to laughter.

“Oi! I was totally going to take that too, but I couldn’t find the bloody thing!” Melanie exclaims. “I ended up taking the one Emma had worn!”

“My bad,” Nina says with a laugh. “Hmm, let me think, never have I ever given out a fake number.”

Victoria shrugs as she drinks, followed by Melanie and Jo. Mel shakes her head. “Nah, if I don’t like ‘em, I’d just tell them,” she admits, and they all laugh.

“Ooh! Never have I ever had sex in a dressing room,” Emma says, grinning expectantly at Victoria, who rolls her eyes.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Em. I prefer to wait til after the shows, when David and I have a proper hotel room,” she says, smirking.

However, on the couch across from them, Mel and Geri exchange a look that’s guilty and loaded. Then, to the collective shock of the room…they both drink.

Emma gasps, while Jo, Nina, and Victoria all groan simultaneously.

“Wait, when was this?” Melanie asks, half curious, half horrified.

“That’s probably not information you’d want to know,” Mel replies with a grin.

“And we made sure we weren’t late for soundcheck,” Geri adds helpfully.

“Right, I think I’ve heard enough,” Nina says, laughing, and gets up. Jo rises as well, but pauses in the doorway before heading to their suite.

“Remember, the car’ll be picking us up at eleven thirty. Make sure you all drink some water tonight to ease off any hangovers - headaches aren’t getting you out of rehearsal tomorrow, you hear? Goodnight ladies.”

The girls bit them goodnight, then return to their game. It fizzles out after a few more rounds and they move to just general conversation, and someone opens a second bottle of wine that they work their way through.

It’s not enough to get anyone drunk, but Geri definitely feels a happy, warm buzz by the end of her second glass. It doesn’t take too much longer until Mel starts sliding a hand over Geri’s thigh, offering up a few extra kisses, and Geri can tell Mel’s feeling it as well - Geri’s come to learn that her girlfriend gets handsy when she’s buzzed.

Rather than give the other girls a show, Geri grips Mel’s hand and winks at her. “Alright you lot, I think we’re going to head to bed,” she says, faking a yawn.

“Yeah, it’s time for some sleep,” Mel agrees, but the effect is lost as she slaps Geri’s butt as they get up.

Melanie groans. “Sleep, sure. Just keep it down, yeah? We don’t need to hear anything.”

Geri just laughs, and blows her a kiss, before pulling Mel into the bedroom. The door has barely shut before they’re kissing, hands roaming, and articles of clothing are removed and tossed haphazardly on the floor.

Mel slides her tongue into the kiss, caressing Geri’s before nibbling on her lower lip, and Geri lets out a low moan. She pushes Mel onto the bed and then climbs on top, taking a second to drink her in. “Stunning,” she murmurs, and Mel arches a little, undulating her hips into Geri to prompt some friction.

“Patience, my love,” Geri tells her, then captures her lips into a heated kiss. She breaks away, meeting Mel’s eyes, which have darkened to almost pure black in desire. “I plan to take my time with you.”

And she does. As far as Geri is concerned, Mel is a goddess, and her body deserves to be worshipped. So she takes her time, stroking Mel’s bare skin as she sucks on her pulse point, grinning into it as she hears Mel’s breath hitch, before making her way to her breasts. She caresses them, sucking lightly on a nipple then switching to the other, while she slips a thigh between Mel’s legs to settle against her core.

“Fuck,” Mel hisses, her nails digging into Geri’s back, but Geri hardly notices. She starts slowly rocking her hips to add a little pressure, but keeps her focus on her hands and mouth on Mel’s breasts. She relishes the stream of moans and curses coming from Mel.

She’s come to know Mel’s body well, that she can tell exactly when Mel needs more. Grinning, she rolls her hips into Mel’s core one more time, then pulls away. Mel starts to whine, but she cups the back of her neck and pulls her into a rough kiss, before sliding down. She kisses and licks and nibbles around her navel, her hips, the crease of her thighs, before settling at the apex. Mel’s so wet, and so ready, that it only takes a couple fingers to slide in, for Mel to orgasm.

Geri grins to herself, keeping her fingers inside Mel and moving them slowly as she rides out the waves. Mel usually needs at least a little clit stimulation to come, so whenever she does without it, Geri takes it as a bonus win. But not only that, Geri loves seeing Mel like this, messy and undone and satiated. She loves that she’s able to bring her to that state with just her fingers and her mouth and her words.

Once Mel starts coming down from her high, her breathing evening out, Geri slowly starts thrusting her fingers again, and stretches her neck forward to send a slow lick up the center of her.

“Oh, fuck ,” Mel moans, her hands reaching down to twist into Geri’s hair. She’s pulling a little, but Geri doesn’t care - if anything, it’s turning her on more, and she starts licking Mel more methodically, sucking on her clit while keeping an even pace of withdrawing and thrusting her fingers, curling them up.

“Geri - fuck - oh my god oh my god - don’t stop baby don’t stop,” Mel says, her words barely intelligible, as she writhes under Geri’s ministrations. Geri doesn’t plan to stop at all, and amps up the pace. It takes only a few seconds and Mel’s coming for the second time, thighs clamped tight around Geri’s face as her body curls up in pleasure.

Geri waits it out, not complaining about her position at all. She’s turned on, the dampness spreading between her thighs, and all she wants is to climb on top of Mel, press their cores together, and start rocking into her. But she can’t resist one last, slow lick of Mel, then sliding up to press additional kisses to her breasts again.

“Fuck, babe, you’re incredible,” Mel says with a soft sigh, her breathing ragged still, and cups Geri’s cheeks to tug her upwards a little more. Geri lets her, and when Mel presses an open mouth kiss to her lips, Geri doesn’t hesitate to slip her tongue in - then gasps into Mel’s mouth, as she feels one of Mel’s hands slip between them and cup her between the legs. “You’re so fucking wet, aren’t you,” Mel mutters, rubbing a little, and Geri thinks she could almost come from that alone. “Bet you wish you were on top of me, riding me, huh?”

Mel knows her well. “Yeah, I do,” Geri replies, her breathing getting heavy already. Mel grins, and spreads her thighs a little.

Geri doesn’t hesitate, and sits up, adjusting her position until their centers are pressed together. One thrust of her hips sends pleasure shooting through her, and she grips at Mel’s thigh, pulling a little to get a better angle, desperately seeking that sensation of their clits rubbing, of their - 

BEEP BEEP BEEP

The sound is shrill, cutting through their lovemaking like a blade.

“What the fuck?” Mel exclaims, stilling her movements, fingers gripping tight to Geri’s hips.

“Is that the fucking fire alarm?” Geri groans. She’s so close . Maybe it’s a drill, and they can just take a few extra minutes, and she bucks into Mel again, chasing that high - 

“Guys, are you asleep? We gotta go!” a voice shouts from behind the closed door - Melanie’s, Geri realizes. She groans.

“Yeah, just a sec!” she shouts back, groaning again as Mel releases her hold, and she rolls off her reluctantly.

“Fuck, I’m sorry baby,” Mel says, helping Geri stand so they can scramble to get dressed. “You were so close too, and so wet. I’ll make it up to you after, yeah?”

Geri nods, but the moment’s already passed. The wail of the fire alarm isn’t stopping, and for a brief moment, she wonders if they could actually be in any danger. She accepts the bathrobe from Mel, who’s wearing a matching one, and she shoves her feet into the matching slippers.

They exit the room to find Jo and a security guard already there, barking at Victoria to leave her luggage behind and just get shoes on.  She nods at the two of them, gesturing for them to go to the hallway, where Nina, Camilla, Emma, and Melanie are standing in a huddle, along with an additional two security guards.

As soon as Jo and Victoria join them, Nina directs them to the nearest staircase. “Can’t we just jump in the lift?” Emma asks, and Nina shakes her head

“Not if there’s a fire, that’s the worst place you could be,” she replies.

Mel slides her hand into Geri’s as they all make their way down the staircase. There’s no conversation, everyone is too focused on not tripping down the stairs. It's at this moment that Mel wishes the presidential suite didn’t have to be on the top floor - however at least the hotel is only ten floors high. The hotel they’d stayed at in Florida had put them on the fiftieth floor; that would have been horrible.

As they descend, the scent of smoke slowly starts to permeate the air. Mel thinks she’s imagining it, but then she sees Victoria sniffing as well. “Holy shit, is that smoke?” Melanie cuts in, and the group exchange worried glances, picking up the pace.

When they make it outside, the security guards immediately find a secluded section of the parking lot, directing the girls to wait there. There’s dozens of hotel guests and staff milling about in pajamas, but fortunately no one has realized who they are yet.

Jo leaves them to go check in with the hotel staff, and Victoria turns to the others. “I still can’t believe Jo wouldn’t let me bring my things,” she says with a frown. “What if the hotel does burn down and we lose everything? All I’ll have left is this,” she adds, gesturing to her black silk nightgown and matching robe.

“At least you’re not sweltering in that,” Geri grumbles, tugging at the plush bathrobe she’s wearing. “This thing is like an oven.” It doesn’t help that outside in the Michigan summer air, the heat’s settling on them.

“Just take it off, no one’s going to care about your pajamas,” Emma says, and shrugs. “I mean, what, even if paps find us, do I really care if they get photos of me in my jammies? They’re cute.”

Geri blushes lightly. “I’m not exactly wearing anything under this,” she mutters, and Emma’s eyes widen, flicking over to Mel.

“You either?” she asks.

“We were a little occupied in activities that didn’t exactly involve wearing pajamas, okay?” Mel tells her with a half laugh, half grimace.

Emma blushes beet red, and both Melanie and Victoria groan. “That’s more than we needed to know,” Victoria says, and turns to Nina, currently engaged in a conversation with Camilla. “Jo not back yet?”

“No, but I’ve called a car to come,” Nina replies. “I’d rather you lot be sitting in a car with tinted windows rather than standing out here - especially considering the clothing situation,” she adds, nodding at Mel and Geri with a shake of her head.

“Okay, it’s not like we knew the bloody hotel was going to catch fire, did we?” Geri exclaims hotly.

“Gee, someone’s a little sexually frustrated,” Victoria mutters in a low voice, just quiet enough for Geri to miss it, but Mel hears. She sticks her tongue out at Victoria, then wraps an arm around Geri’s waist, pulling her to the side a little so they have a moment of privacy.

“I’m so sorry for the shitty timing,” Mel murmurs apologetically. She does feel bad - she was spoiled with two orgasms, yet Geri had nothing.

It’s as if Geri can read her mind, because she offers up an easy smile. “Love, it’s fine,” she assures her. “I was highly enjoying myself taking care of you, trust me .” She winks, and almost goes in for a kiss, but stops herself - there’s too many people around who could see.

“Well, I’ll be making it up to you the second we get back into the room,” Mel promises her. “Going to get you worked up and wet and just begging for it, you hear me?”

Geri lets out a breath of surprise, her eyes glinting, but doesn’t get to reply before Jo returns, motioning the girls to gather up.

“So, there was a fire, but it was contained to just the kitchen,” she announces. “The fire department still has to come and do a full building check, but once that’s done, you’ll be good to go back into the suite again. I’ll see if I can get a car to come or something-”

“Already done,” Nina jumps in, and points to a long black limo cruising silently into the hotel parking lot. It immediately catches the attention of several hotel guests, their necks craning to see who they are, and Mel’s pretty sure she hears the words ‘is that the Spice Girls?’ called out.

“Right, in you go,” Jo says, gesturing toward the limo, but holds a hand up to Mel and Geri before they can step forward. They pause, and she digs around in her large back, withdrawing a small bottle of hand sanitizer. “I don’t want any sex details,” she warns, squirting a portion into each of their hands. “But jesus, you two are so unsubtle.”

Mel and Geri just grin sheepishly, rubbing the sanitizer into their hands, then follow the rest of the girls into the limo, and Jo follows behind. The limo is comfortable, and air conditioned, and the next twenty minutes is spent relaxing on the chairs. Emma dozes against Camilla’s shoulder, Victoria dozing against Emma, and the rest of them make casual conversation until Jo’s mobile phone buzzes.

“Okay, hotel’s clear,” she tells them, after reading the message. “Security’s going to escort you inside through- the side door. The crowd’s realised you’re here and they’re a tad excited.”

They feel the rumbling of the limo’s engine starting up, and it glides forward to the side of the hotel. Mel’s grateful that they can use the lifts again, and it’s with a sigh of relief when they arrive back outside their suite - only to realize, none of them brought a room key.

“Don’t worry - you’re lucky you lot hired me, honestly,” Jo says with a wry grin, pulling a spare out of her bag. “Now, I strongly advise you all to get some sleep - you’re still getting picked up at eleven thirty. The show isn’t stopping because of a fire alarm, unfortunately. Goodnight ladies.”

They say goodnight, and immediately head to their bedrooms. Mel takes Geri’s hand, leading the way to their master bedroom, and once the door clicks shut, she lets go of Geri. Her hands go to her waist, deftly untying the sash of the robe, and lets the robe gracefully fall to the floor, pooling at her feet.

“So, I believe we were in the middle of something?” Mel says huskily, reaching for the sash of Geri’s robe. “Something about you dripping wet, and on top of me? I didn’t even get a taste of you yet, we need to rectify that immediately.”

Just hearing those words coming from Mel’s mouth is enough to send fire through Geri’s veins. She grins, flinging the robe off, and steps into Mel’s arms.

She doesn’t think they’re going to get much sleep at all tonight.

Chapter Text

Set in 2022

“Hey, I’m home!” Indigo shouts, as she enters the house and drops her backpack at the foot of the stairs. She’ll have to take it upstairs - she has a ton of homework she’s already dreading - but she’s craving a snack and a cold drink.

As she heads down the hall, she hears a door opening deeper into the house. “Indi, that you?” Mel’s voice calls.

“Yeah,” she calls back. “In the kitchen!”

She’s already gotten an orange half peeled before Mel walks in, her breathing a little uneven. “Sorry babe, I was doing weights, lost track of time,” she apologizes. “Here, I did a cheese plate for you,” she adds, pulling a covered plate of a few cheeses, salami, and crackers from the fridge.

“Yum, thanks!” Indigo replies with a grin. “Where’s Mama?”

“Meeting at her publishing house for the next book release,” Mel replies, as she gets out two glasses and pours them each water. “She’s picking Levi up after football practice so they should be home in about an hour. Amelia made us beef bourguignon for dinner before she left for the day, so that’ll be ready right after they get home.”

“Sounds good,” Indigo replies. She fills Mel in on her day while finishing her food, then pauses after putting her plate in the dishwasher. “Oh, I meant to ask - are you going to be home for the next few days?”

“Sure am,” Mel replies, grinning. “Mama and I have a charity gala to go to next weekend, but in the meantime, I have no work and no plans. Why, want to do something? You and I haven’t had much one on one time lately.”

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Indigo tells her. “But I was asking, ‘cause I actually need your help with a school project. Mama’s help too. It’s for my Media Studies class.”

“Sure, what’s the project?” Mel asks, intrigued.

“So, we have to create and host a game show. We’re allowed to base it off a real gameshow, as long as we can properly make it work. And my media studies teacher is Mrs. Davies, and she’s a big Spice Girls fan,” Indigo explains.

Mel smirks knowingly. “Let me guess, you want to do a gameshow with me and Mama as the contestants, to try to score brownie points with your teacher?”

“I mean…yeah?” Indigo admits, at least having the grace to look a little sheepish.

Mel grins wider. “I love it. You’re a genius. Full disclosure though, Mama’s going to be a little harder to convince. But I’ll help.”

“You’re the best, Mum, thanks!” Indigo replies.

“I know,” Mel replies casually, and laughs. “Now, how was school?”

Dinner’s a relaxed affair, filled with the kids' conversation on their friends, and football, and school. Mel and Geri listen with interest, both glad that their kids enjoy talking to them, and they make sure to ask questions.

Afterwards, Indigo offers to clean up - to which Geri gratefully agrees, but it puts her slightly at edge that Indigo wants something. Of all their kids, she’s the least subtle. However, it’s been a long day, and Mel’s offering to open a bottle of wine, so Geri just thanks her daughter, and settles in the living room with Mel and a glass of red.

“So, all good at your meeting today?” Mel asks after taking a slow sip, stretching her legs up to drape over Geri’s lap.

“Eh,” Geri replies with a wave of her hand. She takes another sip of her wine then sets the glass on the side table, so that her hands are free to start stroking up and down Mel’s calves, massaging lightly. “We spent forty-five minutes debating font sizes. Font sizes , of all things . Most pointless thing too, because finally Jo stepped in and shut it down with a reminder that we’re focusing on uniformity and we’re keeping it the same as the previous books in the series.”

Mel snorts out a laugh. “Thank God for Jo.”

“She’s the only thing standing between me and death by sans serif.”

Mel shifts slightly, curling her toes in appreciation as Geri massages along her calves. “Well, you’ve got me too, babe. Though I’m not much help with fonts.”

“No, but you’re good at wine and being warm and letting me complain,” Geri says, glancing over at her with a soft smile. “So you’re my favorite person right now .”

“Right now?” Mel asks in mock outrage. “Only right now?”

Geri grins. “Sorry love, but you’ll have to fight Indigo for the top spot. She did the dinner clean up, without being asked. Though I have to admit, I’m suspicious.”

As if she knew she was being spoken about, Indigo appears in the doorway.

Mel straightens slightly. “Hey, baby girl, the kitchen’s all clean?”

“Yep,” Indigo says brightly. “Just wanted to come talk to you both. About my Media Studies project.”

Geri’s nods slowly, trying not to narrow her eyes. “Sure, love, what is it?”

Mel tries, and fails, to hide her grin. “Go on then.”

“So,” Indigo says, stepping fully into the room and perching on the arm of the sofa. “We were assigned this project to create our own original segment of a game show. I’m allowed to base it on a real one, as long as I host it and produce the video myself. And I want to do it with you two.”

“With us how, exactly?” Geri asks warily.

“I want you both to be the contestants,” Indigo replies, and tilts her head imploringly at Geri. “Please, Mama, please say yes.”

Geri sighs. “I need details. What exactly will this entail?”

Indigo draws in a deep breath. “So, it’s due next week, and I have to create and host a full game show segment. Like, plan it and record it and edit it and everything. And I was thinking that I want to do it based on The Newlywed Game .”

Mel lights up. “Oh my God, yes.”

Geri’s hands pause on Mel’s leg. “Wait. That show where couples get asked personal questions and get embarrassed on camera?” She’s already shaking her head.

“It’s not that bad,” Indigo says quickly. “It’s funny! And kind of sweet. It’s not live or anything, I’m just recording it for class.”

Mel turns her head toward Geri, a playful glint in her eye. “Come on, babe. It’s for school. Our daughter’s education. What could be more noble?”

Geri groans, and reaches for her wine again. “You can’t use Levi, or any friends for this?”

“Mama, it’s the newlywed game . That means it’s for married people. You two are married. You’ve been together forever. You’re adorable. The class will eat it up.”

“Exactly,” Mel says. “We’ll look like legends. Plus, your teacher’s a Spice Girls fan, isn’t she?”

“She loved The Spice Girls,” Indigo confirms. “Mama, I’m pretty sure you were her favorite Spice Girl too.”

Geri narrows her eyes. “And I’m pretty sure you’re trying to emotionally manipulate me.”

Indigo puts her hand over her heart. “Excuse me? I would never. ”

“You absolutely would,” Mel says with a laugh. “You are my child.”

“And also mine,” Geri mutters, then groans softly. “Alright. Fine. But-”

“Yes!” Indigo pumps her fist in victory.

“-but,” Geri repeats firmly, holding up a hand, “you are not putting this online. No TikTok, no Instagram, no YouTube shorts, no Facebook reels, and no other possible social media sites that exist now or in the future. And you send it directly to your teacher with strict instructions that it stays in class. Do you agree to this?”

“Absolutely, I promise!” Indigo replies, and flings her arms around Geri. “Thank you! I’m going to start planning it right now!”

She bounds out of the room, and Geri turns to Mel, shaking her head. “You realize I’m going to say something completely mortifying and live to regret this.”

“Probably,” Mel agrees cheerfully. “But don’t worry, I’ll be right there with you. You embarrass yourself, I embarrass myself. That’s marriage.”

Geri just sighs, and takes a long swallow of wine.

Indigo has everything set up for Saturday afternoon, the time that she’s decided the lighting will be the best. Mel and Geri both have to admit, they’re impressed with how much effort she’s putting into the project, from the set up of the sunroom that she’d decided would be the ‘studio’, to dressing the part. She’d even gone as far as to set up multiple cameras around the room, claiming it’d look more professional to be able to edit it to switch angles throughout the game.

Privately, Geri thought that the seventeen takes Indigo had recorded of herself as the host, explaining how it would work and introducing Mel and Geri as the contestants, was a little much, but she didn’t dare say anything.

“Okay, so don’t forget, I’ll be calling you by your names, not Mum and Mama. And don’t use any of my baby nicknames, just pretend like I’m a regular host, okay?” Indigo asks, as her finger hovers over the final camera’s record button.

“You got it, babe,” Mel tells her, settling into the armchair next to Geri. Indigo narrows her eyes for a moment, then switches on the camera. She steps into the middle of the room, flashing a bright smile.

“Right, as I’d explained, each contestant was interviewed privately for their list of answers, which have all been recorded separately on these white cards,” Indigo announces, smiling into the camera as she strolls around Mel and Geri’s seats, tapping a nail on the stack of papers in front of Mel. “We’re now ready to play…the Newlywed game!”

She settles behind her ‘podium’, which was really three boxes stacked neatly on top of each other and draped with a sheet that Indigo had adorned with a gameshow sign she’d created out of cardboard. She picks up her note cards, and smiles dazzlingly. “Our first question will be for you, Mel. What is Geri’s dream holiday destination?”

Mel grins. “Oh, this is an easy one. It’s Gran Canaria, because that’s where we took our first trip together, back before we were even a couple, and I know she’d love to go back there one day, more than anywhere else.”

Geri smiles softly - at Mel or at the memory, Mel isn’t sure, but Geri holds up her first card that has ‘Gran Canaria’ written neatly in large block letters, and Mel beams.

“That’s right!” Indigo calls out, pressing a small bell on her podium to mark the correct answer. “That’s one point to Melanie. Over to you, Geri. What’s Mel’s go-to snack when she’s secretly hungry at night?”

“Pickles,” Geri replies immediately, with no hesitation. “Specifically, the Grillo’s classic dill pickle spears that we get from the specialty shop in the States, that she’ll slice into chips before eating.”

Mel lets out a loud laugh, as she holds up her first white sign. She’d only written ‘pickles’, but had drawn a little picture of the jar next to it. “You’re good, babe,” she says with a grin.

Geri smiles, but shrugs. “That was an easy one,” she replies. “You nearly grounded Levi last year when you thought he’d eaten your last jar.”

Mel laughs again, and Indigo taps the bell. “Correct!” she calls. “Right, back to Mel. What is Geri’s favorite way to spend a Sunday morning?”

“Having a lie in, then a big family breakfast and going to the farmers market,” Mel replies, glancing at Geri, who grins and holds up her sign that says ‘sleeping past nine and family breakfast’.

“Correct! For you, Geri. What’s Mel’s least favorite chore around the house?”

“Mopping. She has zero patience for that,” Geri says with a laugh.

Mel shrugs, and holds up her sign, that says ‘doing the floors’. “Close enough.”

Indigo dings the bell. “That counts! Right, final question for each of you for this round. Mel, what’s Geri’s signature dish, like the one that she makes better than anyone?”

“Another easy one. Her chicken and leek pie with the special cheese crust. Although don’t tell my mother that Geri makes it better,” Mel answers, grinning.

Geri blushes lightly, but holds up her card that has ‘Chicken and leek pie’ written on it. “I disagree, your mother’s still better at it than me, but thanks for the vote of confidence,” she says, and leans over to peck Mel on the cheek.

“Right, ladies, remember this is a family show,” Indigo calls out - clearly she’s well aware of how quickly her mothers can escalate. “But that is three correct for Mel. Geri, your final question. If Mel could have literally any career, even if she doesn’t have the training for it, what would it be?”

Geri snorts out a laugh. “An astronaut,” she replies without even needing to think of it, and Mel turns to her, mock offended.

“Oi, don’t laugh at that, you said it would have been a cool job!” she exclaims, but can’t hide her grin.

Geri pats her knee reassuringly. “You’re right, I did say that,” she replies. “And love, if it ever works out for you, you’ll make the coolest astronaut ever.”

Mel narrows her eyes, but grins, and Indigo clears her throat. “That’s right! So we’re ending round one with a tie, three and three. Stay tuned for round two!” she announces into the main camera, then turns, grinning at her mothers. “That was great. Here, I’ll take those,” she says, collecting their answer cards, and replacing them each with a small whiteboard. “Anyone need a break or are we good to keep going?”

“Keep going, babe, this is great” Mel tells her. She glances at Geri, glad to see that her wife seems to be having fun, then straightens up in her chair.

“Okay, so this round, I’m going to ask a set of questions, that you both need to write the answer down on your whiteboard. The point goes to the correct answer, so either you both can get a point, or it could only be one of you. Right, here we go. First question, who’s the better driver?”

“That’s a bit subjective, don’t you think?” Geri asks, while Mel immediately starts writing on her board.

“Nope,” Indigo replies sweetly. “I asked Allegra, Levi, and the twins - and they all had the same answer for this one.”

“Come on babe, hurry up,” Mel says with a grin, elbowing Geri lightly.

Geri sighs, then writes her answer. At the same time, they hold them up. Geri’s has ‘Mel’ written, and Mel wrote ‘Me! (obviously).’

“Hey!” Geri says in indignation. “Not that obvious.” 

“Of course, my love,” Mel replies, then winks at Indigo. “We both get a point, right?”

“Right,” Indigo says, and blows a kiss to Geri. “We still love you though, Mama. Okay, next question. Between the two of you, who’s the better cook, and what is the best dessert they make?”

“I don’t even care that this one’s subjective too, I’ll go along with it,” Mel replies, grinning, as she scribbles down her answer. When Geri’s ready, they hold their boards up, both agreeing that it’s Geri and her sticky toffee pudding.

Geri grins. “Play your cards right, and I might make that for dessert tonight,” she says to Indigo, who grins. 

“On that note, Mama, you’re my favorite. Okay. Clear your boards, here’s the next question. What was your first fight as a couple about?”

They scribble their answers, then hold up their boards. 

“Packing, that’s right! You both get the point there,” Indigo says. “Auntie Em gave me the answer to that one, she said you’d been a couple for about day and a half a day at that point.”

“Yeah, and she got caught in the middle, not that she even knew we were a couple at the time,” Geri says, grinning. “But we worked it out after about two minutes.”

“Yeah, after you kissed me, I couldn’t be mad at you after that,” Mel adds.

Indigo raises an eyebrow, then shakes her head. “Final question. Who said I love you first?” she asks.

There’s a pause while Mel and Geri write on their whiteboards, then hold them up. For the first time, there’s a difference - Mel had written ‘Geri’ but Geri had written ‘Mel’. 

“Oh, we have a contention here,” Indigo calls. “Ladies, explain your answers!”

“So, I remember the night well, it was in May of 1998,” Geri explains. “When we first became a couple. I had said that I was in love with Mel, but I didn’t actually say the exact phrase ‘I love you’ until after Mel said it to me.” 

She turns to Mel, a satisfied grin on her face, and Mel grins back. “You’re right, I did say it first that night,” she says with a small nod. “However, you said it to me before that. It was two months earlier, and you thought I was asleep, and you told me you loved me.”

Geri’s mouth drops open in surprise. She knows exactly the moment Mel’s referring to. Before they’d become a couple, they’d often share a bed - sometimes platonically, sometimes fooling around. They’d been on and off like that for nearly two years, never talking about it, and not when they (which really meant Mel) were in relationships with other people. There was a night that March, where Geri had seen Mel flirting with one of the dancers, and she had gotten so jealous that she’d dragged Mel to bed that night and had her way with her. Mel seemed to enjoy the passionate, slightly aggressive sex, and when Geri thought Mel had fallen asleep, she confessed that she loved her. She didn’t have the courage to say it any other way, not yet.

But it didn’t matter, because the next day, Mel became official with the dancer, and Geri fell back to the sidelines. They never talked about that night again.

“I had no idea you heard me,” Geri says finally, aware that Indigo is right there and recording them.

Mel offers up a small, unsure smile. “I did. I got scared, if I’m being honest. But it worked out in the end, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Geri replies. She gives Mel a soft smile, already forgiving her for not saying anything that night - because it all really did work out. They eventually got together, and they now have twenty years of marriage and five kids and endless memories.

“Er, that got a little more emotional than I expected,” Indigo cuts in, glancing between them awkwardly. “I might edit that a bit, yeah? Let me just record a points update, then we’ll go to the final round.”

Mel nods, and when Indigo turns to face one of the camera’s she’d set up, Mel leans so that she’s not in the shot. “You’re not upset with me, for not saying anything that night?” she asks quietly, keeping her voice low as to not be picked up on any of the cameras.

“No, love,” Geri replies, just as softly. She reaches out to cup Mel’s cheek. “Because honestly, if you had said anything? It would have changed the entire trajectory of our lives. And I’m so happy with how things have turned out.”

“Me too,” Mel says. “Being with you was the best decision of my entire life. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Geri replies. She leans forward, kissing Mel gently, and smiles into it as she feels Mel kiss her back.

“Um, excuse me? Can you honestly not keep your hands off each other for five minutes?”

They pull apart to see Indigo glaring at them, hands on her hips. She’s so reflective of Mel when she’s annoyed, that Geri can’t help but laugh. “Sorry babe. We’ll do better. Are you ready?”

Indigo huffs, and nods. She removes their whiteboards, then clears her throat. “Okay, we’re going into the final round with Mel up by one,” Indigo announces into the camera, and glances down at her index cards. “This is the lightning round. I’ve already gotten the correct answers from each of you for this, which I have here. We’re going to start with Mel. So you’ll get a set of questions, rapid fire, but you only have thirty seconds.  Are you ready?”

“Ready,” Mel replies confidently. 

Indigo nods, setting thirty seconds on her phone. “Ready…go!”

She launches into the rapid-fire questions, all a variety of questions about Geri’s favorite things. Mel answers them with ease, a couple times saying the answer before Indigo has even finished saying the question. Geri watches from her seat, arms crossed but smiling softly, occasionally raising an eyebrow at some of Mel’s faster replies.

Mel only falters once, when Indigo asks what’s Geri’s favorite chocolate. Mel confidently answers ‘Terry’s chocolate oranges’, right as the timer goes off.

“You got them all, except that last one - the correct answer was the dark chocolate Lindt balls.”

“What? She usually gives them to me,” Mel says, surprised, as she turns to Geri.

Geri blushes lightly. “Yeah, that’s because I know they’re your favorite too,” she admits. “So I’m happy to let you enjoy them. But yeah, when you’re away for work, they’re all mine.”

Mel laughs, touched at the little selfless things Geri does for her without her even realizing. She makes a mental note to immediately pick up a box of just dark chocolate Lindt balls when she’s at the shops next, just for Geri to enjoy.

“Okay, so let me see, you got seven right, that puts you at fourteen right,” Indigo says. “Geri, you’re at six, so you need eight to tie, and nine to win.”

“Bring it on,” Geri says confidently. 

Indigo starts the timer, then begins asking her questions with the same speed and energy, barely giving Geri time to breathe between prompts. But Geri answers them all, precisely and correctly. 

There’s not even three seconds left when Indigo asks the question, “What was special about Mel’s outfit on the day you met?”

Mel grins, thinking there’s not a chance Geri would know the answer to this. However, her mouth drops open in surprise, as Geri answers right as the timer goes off. 

“She was wearing socks that had sugar and spice on them, and they were the only thing with color, the rest of her outfit was black.”

Mel stares at her, jaw slightly open. “How the bloody hell do you remember that?”

Geri shrugs modestly. “Because you had your feet up on the sofa, and you were making Victoria laugh. I remember thinking you looked ridiculous. And cute. And that’s actually what inspired me when I had that idea for the song Sugar and Spice, back when we were still Touch and not the Spice Girls.”

Mel just stares at her, shocked, but Indigo grins. “You did well, Mama. That was eight. Eight out of eight.”

Mel lets out a low whistle, impressed despite herself. “Look at you. I’m also shocked you know what diner I go to when I’m in LA.”

Geri rolls her eyes. “Because you always get their raspberry pancakes and send me a snap. The diner name is on the edges of their plates. I pay attention, love.”

Indigo grins. “So, that means Geri ends with fourteen points, which means we have a tie!”

Mel groans. “No way. I demand a rematch.”

Geri just laughs, reaching for Mel’s hand under the table. “Next anniversary,” she says, squeezing her fingers.

“Fine,” Mel mutters, but she’s smiling too.

Indigo turns back to the main camera. “And that concludes The Newlywed Game, with our contestants Mel and Geri. Thank you for tuning in!” She gives a bright smile, holding it for an extra second, then breathes out and reaches to stop the camera from recording. “Okay, I’m glad that’s done, because now I’m going to have hours of editing ahead of me,” she says, moving to the other three cameras to turn them off.

“Babe, you did awesome hosting that,” Mel tells her. “Seriously, that’s gotta be worth full marks.”

“Hopefully,” Indigo says. “Thanks for doing it for me. Especially you, Mama, I know you weren’t thrilled about it.”

“At the end of the day, you come first, baby girl,” Geri says. “I was always going to say yes. But you did great, I’m proud of you. Can we see the finished clip before you submit it?”

“Absolutely,” Indigo promises. She gathers up the cameras. “I’m taking these to my room, I’ll be back to clean the room up. Thanks!”

She heads out, and Mel stands, stretching, then extends a hand to Geri, tugging her to her feet. “Come, my love,” Mel says to her. “I think we deserve the last of the bottle of red we opened last night. And I’m pretty sure there’s a bag of Lindt chocolates stashed in the freezer - the dark ones are all yours.”

Geri grins, and kisses her wife.

Chapter Text

2001

“I’m just going to step outside for a call. But the two of you should stay inside, keep looking around, okay? And I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have when I return,” the estate agent says, holding up her mobile. 

“Okay, thank you,” Geri replies, and the estate agent nods, bustling her way out the front door. Geri takes the opportunity to turn to Mel, and raises her eyebrows. “So, what are you thinking?”

Mel glances around the space, and holds her hands out. “Honestly? I love it. Can’t you picture us spending the rest of our lives here? Hosting parties, and filling the bedrooms with kids?”

“Love, there’s eight bedrooms,” Geri points out hesitantly. “Does this mean you want us to have eight kids?”

Mel pauses, then reaches for Geri’s hand, leading her through the house to the living room, where they settle down on the sofa. “So, I s’pose we never really talked about kids, did we?”

“I suppose not,” Geri replies cautiously. “So, I take it that you do?”

Mel bites her lip. “Yes. Does that mean you don’t?”

“Oh, no Mel - yes, I want kids, and I want to have them with you,” Geri replies hurriedly, reaching for Mel’s hand. “I’m not sure about eight, but I can’t wait to start a family with you.”

Mel grins. “Okay, so I was kind of kidding about filling every bedroom,” she says with a laugh. “I’d definitely like to have at least three, but closer to four or five could be nice? That being said, I’m open to compromise.”

“I’d been thinking maybe three, so four could be a good compromise,” Geri says thoughtfully.

Mel’s grin widens. “Four kids in four bedrooms - the master for us - and that leaves three rooms, which could mean a couple of guest rooms, and maybe an office for you? You once talked about writing a novel, so you should get your own quiet space to do that.”

Geri’s speechless for a moment - yes, she had once mentioned that she wanted to write a novel, however it had been several years ago, before she and Mel were even a couple. They’d been on a tour bus traveling the UK in the midst of their fame from the first album, and the rest of the girls had dozed off. She and Mel had huddled together in the backseat, sharing their hopes and dreams, and she’d mentioned wanting to write more as a throwaway comment.

She’s touched that Mel would remember this, and she leans forward, cupping Mel’s face in her hands as she presses a kiss to her lips. Mel sighs into it, pulling Geri closer. Geri’s about to deepen the kiss, when they hear the front door closing.

Regretfully, she pulls back, but takes a second to rest her forehead on Mel’s. “I love you,” she says softly.

“I love you too,” Mel replies, just as soft. She rubs her nose against Geri’s, then slowly stands, taking hold of Geri’s hand.

They find the estate agent in the front foyer, who’s tucking her mobile phone back into her purse. “So, ladies, what are we thinking?”

Mel and Geri share a look, an entire conversation said in a glance. “We’re interested, and we’d like to put an offer in,” Mel tells the agent.

“Oh, wonderful!” she exclaims, clapping her hands. “Let’s move to the kitchen, shall we? And we can discuss the details.”

2002

“Oh wow, G, this look amazing!”

Geri glances up from where she’s settled on the floor, attempting to put together a nightstand. Mel’s in the doorway, and Geri’s breath hitches a little, because the way the light is shining behind Mel makes her look almost ethereal, not to mention the glow that she’s had ever since she got pregnant six months ago.

“I’m glad you think so,” Geri replies, as she abandons her project to stand. She dusts off her hands on her shorts, then reaches for Mel and slides an arm around her waist. “I don’t know how, but the cot was easier to build than the bloody side table.”

“You know, we could just pay someone to come and finish putting it all together for us,” Mel points out. “We are Spice Girls after all.”

“We could, but I’m almost done,” Geri answers. “Besides, I kind of like looking around and knowing we did this for our baby girl,” she adds, and glances around the room.

The moment that Mel had gotten a positive pregnancy test after several visits to a fertility clinic, they’d picked which bedroom in the house would become the nursery. And then once they found out they were having a girl, they spent an hour debating paint colors, finally agreeing on a soft yellow.

Over the last two months, Geri had been steadily working on getting the nursery set up, painting the walls and constructing furniture. She wouldn’t let Mel help, insisting the paint fumes weren’t good for the baby’s health, and that Mel shouldn’t be doing any heavy lifting. Mel let her, enjoying being fussed over a little, but it was finally almost ready.

“I’m grateful to have you, babe,” Mel says, and rests her chin on Geri’s shoulder.

“Love, you’re carrying our baby - this is the least I can do,” Geri counters. She glances down at Mel’s swollen belly, and reaches to rub it softly. “Only two months to go.”

Mel grins. “I can’t wait. Although when we’re three months in and sleep deprived and the house is a mess, I might regret saying that.”

Geri laughs lightly, and slides an arm around Mel’s back. “Come on, I’m ready for a break anyway. Want to go relax in the sunroom and I’ll make us tea?”

“Mmm, yes,” Mel agrees happily, and lets Geri guide her from the nursery and downstairs to the sunroom. It’s one of the bonus rooms - windows stretching around three walls, and they’d added an overstuffed sofa, some plants, and a few knicknacks. It’d easily become their favorite room, especially in spring and summer.

Mel settles down on the sofa while Geri ducks to the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with a tray holding two cups of tea and a plate of digestives. She sets the tray down on the low table and settles beside Mel on the sofa, tucking herself in close, their hips pressed together. Mel shifts slightly to make room, then rests her hand on Geri’s knee.

“Still feel okay?” Geri asks, passing over a cup.

Mel nods, and wraps her fingers around the warmth. “Yeah. I'm a bit tired though. She’s been kicking non-stop all day, as if she’s having a proper dance party in there.”

“She is your daughter,” Geri teases, taking a sip of her tea. “God I can’t wait to meet her.”

“Mmm, same,” Mel replies. “Who knew, the two wildest Spice Girls, settling down into calm domestic life.”

Geri laughs at that. “Not what I’d have pictured in ‘97 if we were asked where we’d be in five years,” she admits. “But this is exactly perfect.”

2006

“Alright, get ready! Geri just texted that Emma’s car is pulling into the drive!” Mel calls loudly to the group of people gathered in her large back garden.

They all hush, and Melanie and Victoria hurriedly make their way to Mel, glancing eagerly at the sliding door that leads out to the back deck.

“Can’t believe our baby Em is thirty,” Victoria muses quietly.

“I know, right,” Mel replies. “Can’t believe she was just going to skip celebrating.”

Melanie’s about to say something, but hushes as a couple shadows reflect on the sliding door glass. A moment later, Geri steps through, followed closely by Emma.

“Surprise!” shout all fifty guests, a couple letting off confetti poppers, and Emma stumbles into Geri in shock, who catches her with a laugh.

“Oh my god! You guys!” Emma exclaims, her eyes wide as she takes it all in.

“Happy birthday, lovely!” Victoria says, stepping forward to embrace her, and Mel, Geri, and Melanie pile onto make it a group hug. They hold it for several long seconds before pulling back, and Emma’s blinking back tears. 

“How on earth did you lot manage this?” she asks, taking in the family and friends all gathered in the yard, the tables of canapes, fairy lights strung up everywhere, and bar set up.

“Everyone’s parked in a field nearby, we had a car service bring them all,” Mel replies with a grin. “And just hired some people to set up. But honestly, who cares about the details, it’s your birthday! Someone get this girl a drink!”

Melanie hands over a glass of champagne, and Emma accepts it with a grin. She’s immediately swept away by some relatives, and Mel turns to face the other three. “Successful surprise,” she says, grinning.

“That was perfect,” Victoria agrees, watching after Emma with a fond smile. “I don’t know what’s better, how great a job your staff did setting this party up, or the fact that you hired babysitters for the kids upstairs so we don’t have to worry about them all night!”

“Mmm, babysitter, definitely,” Geri says with a laugh. “We haven’t relaxed in ages.”

“Well, that’s not going to be happening again anytime soon,” Victoria remarks, pointedly eyeing Mel’s five-month pregnant belly, “so you’d might as well enjoy it. Shall we get some drinks and mingle?”

The four of them venture into the garden, pausing at the bar to pick up flutes of champagne (and juice for Mel, who’d requested it in a flute as well so she can at least feel like she’s in the spirit), then start chatting with guests. 

The next few hours fly by, filled with laughter and conversation, and a huge birthday cake that Emma eagerly blows the candles out on. Things don’t wrap up til close to two in the morning, with the kids upstairs asleep and guests and partners having all gone home, leaving just the five Spice Girls awake.

Emma had drunkenly reminisced about their band days, where they’d share a hotel suite and stay up all night, and when Melanie suggested they do that, all five rolled with it. Geri had dug out a few air mattresses that she’d set up in the living room, and between those and the sofas, they were now all sprawled out comfortably.

“This was the best night you guys,” Emma says from where she’s dropped onto one of the air mattresses, splayed on her back with her feet tucked under Mel’s. “You’re the best friends ever. I always wanted a surprise party.”

“We know,” Mel remarks, grinning. “You only told us about seventy times in the past decade.”

“This house was perfect for it,” Melanie adds, from her spot on the couch next to Victoria. 

“Mmm, a great party place,” Emma agrees, nodding. “Perfect. Puh. Perrrrfect.”

Geri laughs at her, the blonde still a little drunk. “It is a good house for parties,” she says. “Remember that rager we threw back when we all had that Spice house?”

“Oh my god, that’s when someone threw up in one of my shoes,” Victoria groans. “Don’t remind me. These parties, with the nice wine and catered food, definitely a little more my taste.”

The others laugh, nodding in agreement, and the conversation shifts to their favorite memories over the years, before they gradually drift off to sleep one by one.

2010

Geri’s favorite time of day has easily become early mornings, right as the sky starts turning dusty pink and gold with the sun just starting to peek out. She’s always been an early riser, so she had insisted on taking the early morning feeds with Indigo so Mel could sleep in and get her much needed rest.

While the rest of the family sleeps, Geri quietly enters Indigo’s nursery, collecting her right as she wakes and getting her changed and ready for the day. From there, she swings through the kitchen to collect the bottle of milk Mel had pumped out of the bottle warmer, then goes to settle down in the sunroom to enjoy the sunrise, and her baby.

Geri loves the sunroom, it’s easily one of her favorite spots in the house. She settles into the plush couch, savoring the warm weight of Indigo against her chest. She knows that Indigo is their last baby, so she’s making the most of the time that she can. Indigo drinks the entire bottle, and after Geri burps her, Geri picks up the book she's been reading and starts reading it aloud. Indigo, having started to fuss a little when the bottle ended, settles right back down with the smooth cadence of Geri's voice.

It’s here that Mel finds the two of them an hour later, nestled together on the couch, Geri still reading and one of Indigo's hands wrapped tightly to a lock of Geri's hair.

“Don’t you think that’s a bit old for her?” Mel asks softly as she joins them, nodding at the thriller in Geri’s hands.

Geri grins. “Oh absolutely, but while she has no idea what I’m saying, I’m making the most of it. Why are you up, it’s only seven? It’s Sunday, there’s not even school or sports or anything today?”

“Mmm, I woke up and I was lonely, so I figured I’d join you here,” Mel replies, and stifles a yawn. “How’s our girl been this morning?”

“An angel, as always,” Geri replies, her eyes falling to Indigo’s brown  eyes and soft skin. “Extra snuggly. She finished the bottle you pumped last night.”

“Good girl,” Mel says, and rests her chin on Geri’s shoulder so she can gaze down at the baby. “So, that day we had with the girls that got you feeling all melancholy and wanting one more? I’m so glad you did. Five kids is a lot, but this is perfect.”

“It really is,” Geri agrees. “And to think I only wanted one or two.”

“And you’re okay with the fact that we turned your office into the nursery, right?”

“Of course!” Geri replies, with no hesitation. “Come on, it was the best option. Besides, I don’t mind my office being downstairs. There’s better lighting in the den anyway.”

Mel considers that. “True. We really did pick out a great house, didn’t we?”

“We did,” Geri agrees.

2014

“Actually, it’s a little crooked, a little more to the left!”

“Mu-ummm, I’ve already moved it left to right about five times,” Xavier complains. “My arm’s getting tired. Please, at this point can you just hire someone to put these up? I’ll even pay for it out of my pocket money!”

Mel grins. “Sorry baby. I’ll finish it when Mama gets home. Go, be free!”

Xavier grins, handing the framed picture to Mel, ducking her hand that’s about to ruffle his hair, and heads out of the living room toward the stairs.

Mel listens to the fading sound of his feet pounding up the stairs, but is quickly distracted by the picture frame in her hands. She smiles softly at the image of her and Geri, standing close with their eyes closed and foreheads resting together, holding each other as they soaked in the moment.

It had been only two months since they’d gotten married in a private, but finally legal, ceremony. As soon as the news had broken about gay marriage being legalised, they’d decided they would go ahead with it - they still considered themselves married since 2000, so this was more like a renewal, but they wanted to make sure they had the legal protections that every other married couple got.

Geri had come across Euridge Manor and had fallen in love with its stunning gardens, the large lake, and stone buildings. Mel fell for it too when Geri had shown her, and it didn’t take long for them to have it reserved and all planned out. It wasn’t a large wedding - only them and thirty of their closest family and friends, but it was private, and romantic, and perfect.

The photographer had been recommended to them by Victoria, and he’d been incredible. The photos had arrived earlier in the week, and Mel and Geri had easily agreed on which ones to print to be displayed in the house. Now, Mel’s finally got all of the prints in frames, and she figures that an easy way to score brownie points with Geri if she can get them on the wall before she gets home.

“Mummy?”

Mel’s focus is cut by four-year-old Indigo’s voice, and she turns to see her daughter in the doorway, her eyebrows knitted in confusion. “Hey, baby girl,” Mel says to her, setting the frame down carefully so she can scoop up her daughter. “You doing okay?”

“Yeah,” Indigo replies. “I was playing with Miss ‘Melia but she’s making dinner now. What are you doing?”

“I’m putting up the photos from mine and Mama’s wedding,” Mel tells her, shifting her weight to one hip, so that she has a hand free. She reaches down to the collection of framed pictures and plucks one out. “And I was just admiring this one a moment ago.”

It’s a picture of the three girls - twelve year old Allegra, eleven year old Josie, and four year old Indigo, all of them in similar maroon dresses. Indigo’s holding Mel’s bouquet and laughing, and it’s easily one of Mel’s favorite pictures of her daughters ever.

“Hey, that’s me!” Indigo exclaims, grinning. She reaches to touch the glass with sticky fingers and Mel moves it out of the way, setting it back on the bench so that she can swing Indigo up into a hug.

“That is you, and I’m going to get these pictures on the wall to surprise your Mama with when she gets home,” Me explains. “But, I noticed that your picture wall hasn’t had anything new in about a week - want to go draw something so I can put that up as well?”

“Yes!” Indigo shouts, and wriggles for Mel to put her down. When she’s free, she skips out of the room, Mel turns back to the frames.

Somehow, without Xavier helping, it’s actually easier to get the frames on the wall. She works her way methodically putting up one at a time, then stepping back to see if they need to be adjusted.

Just as she’s reaching to put the last frame up, she senses a presence behind her, then a moment later, two slender hands slide around her waist from behind. Mel grins, feeling her wife press up against her back, and she leans back slightly into the embrace.

Geri presses a kiss to Mel’s shoulder. “You got the pictures up,” she says softly, a clear note of appreciation in her voice. “I love them.”

Mel sets the final frame down, and twists in Geri’s arm so she can properly face her wife. “Same,” she agrees. “I wasn’t expecting you home for another half an hour, I was hoping to get them all up first.”

“Love, it looks amazing,” Geri assures her. “This was a great surprise. I just ran ahead of my schedule today. Oh, before I forget, Jo called. She said Hello! reached out, they want to do a feature on the house. Photos, interview, all that.”

Mel raises an eyebrow curiously. “Like, one of those 'at home with...' spreads?”

“Exactly,” Geri nods. “Now that we’re legally married, they want to do a highlight. Jo said they called it a spotlight on the “newlyweds and their beautiful blended brood,” or something,” Geri says, using her fingers for quotation marks

Mel snorts. “They really said ‘brood’?”

“Yes, Jo laughed at that as well when she told me.”

Mel pauses, considering, then shrugs with an easy grin. “Well, we’ve done worse. And we do have a bloody gorgeous house.”

Geri grins. “We do. Even more so, with your hard work,” she adds, and gestures to the wedding photos on the wall.

“Hang on-” Mel says, frowning, and reaches for the last frame. She hangs it, eyes the wall critically, then straightens a couple of others. “There. Now it’s perfect.”

2020

“Okay, so let me preface this statement with the fact that I absolutely love our home,” Mel says, as she strolls into the kitchen where Josie and Levi are sitting at the counter doing school work, while Geri’s slicing up fruit into a bowl.

“What about our home?” Geri asks, pausing with a knife in one hand, a mango in the other. Mel takes advantage, and leans over to drop a soft kiss to her lips. 

“I love it,” Mel continues, “but my god, I am so sick of seeing the same bloody wall every day.”

Geri lets out a light laugh. She’s not surprised that Mel’s going a little stir crazy with the lockdown, not having gotten to leave the house in almost a month now aside from a few trips to the supermarket. “I’m sorry, love. They said on the news that the lockdown should be over in a few weeks.”

“Yeah, but that’s what they said two weeks ago,” Josie points out. “One of my friends thinks that we’re probably going to just finish the school year online.”

Mel groans. “Say less, babe.”

“What, you’re sick of your own children already?” Josie asks in mock horror.

Mel cups her cheek and plants a loud kiss there, laughing as Josie groans and pulls away. “I might be sick of being in the house, but I could never be sick of you lot. In fact, I might go do some yoga outside in a bit, want to join me?”

“We still have class online for a couple more hours,” Levi points out to Mel, who sighs dramatically.

“Give me five minutes to finish this, and I will?” Geri offers, and Mel grins, leaning over to kiss her again.

“Hey, there are children right here!” Josie says indignantly, when the kiss continues longer than a second and Geri sighs into it a little.

“Sorry,” Mel says, pulling away, but she doesn’t look sorry at all. “Right, I’ll check with the other two, then I’ll be outside.”

Geri nods, her breath catching a little as she watches Mel leave the room - twenty years of marriage and she still finds herself as attracted to her as ever. She then turns back to the fruit salad she’s prepping, and starts slicing a little faster.

“Think Mum’s going to survive the lockdown?” Levi asks curiously, as he erases an answer on his maths worksheet.

Geri laughs. “I think so - but the more important question though, is will we survive her?”

Both Josie and Levi laugh at that. Geri scoops some of the fruit into a smaller bowl for the two of them to share, wrapping the larger bowl to put in the fridge, then washes her hands. She’s already wearing leggings and a long sleeved top comfortable enough for yoga, so she grabs a couple bottles of water, and heads outside.

She loves their back garden - it’s huge, and over the years they’d ended up with a chicken coop, a few goats, and most recently, a flock of ducks. They’d also built out the outdoor kitchen space to accommodate their growing family, and a large outside shed done up as an open space which became Geri’s outside office when the weather was nice, a space for Allegra to practice singing, or a fun family movie night.

This is where Geri finds Mel now, two yoga mats already rolled out, and the space heater already warming the area. Mel’s sitting serenely on one of the mats, and pats the other for Geri to join. 

“No luck with Indi or Xavier?” Geri asks, settling down next to her and sliding her shoes off.

“Nope. Can’t be too annoyed, they’re all doing school work. I even told Indi she could skive off for a bit and she was horrified that I’d suggest it. So just you and me, babe.”

“Mmm, no complaints here,” Geri says, and leans over to kiss her wife again. “Maybe after we work up bit of a sweat with yoga, we could take advantage of those double shower heads in our bathroom?”

“Absolutely,” Mel manages to reply through kisses. “Or maybe we could skip the yoga and do that now?”

Geri grins. “If you think we could get past Josie, then by all means.”

Mel groans. “Our kids are too damn perceptive. Right, twenty minutes, then you’re mine, Ginge.”

“Deal,” Geri replies.

2025

Geri pauses. “Wait,” she says slowly. “Are you telling me, that all night tonight, there are not going to be any children home? No one shouting about the ice cream being eaten, or barging into our room without knocking for help finding their airpods, or used glasses just being left on the kitchen counter?”

Mel grins. “You got it, baby. And I’m taking advantage of that. We’re having a date night, but staying home for it. I’ve let Jo and Keira know we’re taking the night off, I’m ordering us a takeaway, and I picked up a bottle of your favorite red earlier today.”

“Melanie Janine Halliwell-Brown,” Geri says softly, and reaches to cup her face. She kisses her, slow and languid, and nibbles lightly on her bottom lip before withdrawing and pressing their foreheads together. “You’re incredible, you know that?”

“I do, but you can tell me that again,” Mel replies, and leans in for another kiss. “Now, I’ve drawn you a bath, go relax for a bit, alright?”

Geri’s eyes light up. “Wait, really? You’re spoiling me too much. Want to join me in the bath?”

“Normally yes, but I have things to do. Go, relax,” Mel orders lightly, and gives Geri a swat on the behind. 

Geri grins again, and heads upstairs to their bedroom. She can already smell her favorite vanilla candle burning in the bathroom, and she pauses in the threshold as she takes in the glass of wine and her current book resting on the bench next to the tub, which is filled with steaming water and a rose bath bomb. She has no idea what she did to deserve this special treatment, but she just slips her dress off, and slides into the bathtub with a grateful sigh.

She loves their bath - they’d renovated the bathroom ten years earlier and Mel had insisted on a two person whirlpool tub. At the time, Geri thought it was a little overkill, but it’s easily become one her favorite features of their house - and something that she and Mel have made very, very good use of.

A half an hour passes easily. She only gets a chapter of her book read, preferring to just close her eyes and focus on how good the heat of the water feels on her muscles. Eventually though, she gets out and towels off, then pauses in the threshold of their bedroom - Mel’s laid out one of Geri’s dresses and a pair of heels on the bed.

Geri grins. It’s one of her favorite dresses that she’s hardly gotten to wear, having just said to Mel the week before that they haven’t really had any occasions for her to get to wear it. She finishes toweling off and slips into it, then spends another fifteen minutes in the bathroom to blow dry her hair and throw on a little makeup.

“Wow, you look incredible,” Mel says, when Geri makes it downstairs. Mel’s waiting for her at the foot of the staircase, dressed up herself and holding a bouquet of roses. “Here, my love, these are for you.”

“Oh my gosh, baby, these are gorgeous. Thank you,” Geri says, eyes wide in surprise. She accepts them and then kisses Mel hard, not having any other words to express to her wife how appreciative of her she is.

“Come, dinner is waiting,” Mel says. She leads Geri to the formal dining room, where she’s set one end of the large table with their fancy china and candles. The dishes are already plated up with the Italian food Mel had ordered out.

Geri laughs softly as she takes in the table. “You’ve really outdone yourself, my love.”

Mel pulls her chair out gallantly. “Only the best for my wife.”

They settle in, and Geri takes a sip of her wine. “Mmm. Perfect,” she murmurs. “If you’re trying to seduce me, it’s working.”

Mel smirks. “Oh, I’ve got plans, don’t worry. But first, please eat. You’ll need your strength.”

Geri raises a brow and deliberately crosses her legs under the table. “You’re lucky I’m hungry.”

“I’m always lucky when you’re hungry,” Mel replies with a wink, and Geri’s breath actually catches a little.

They talk as they eat, enjoying both the food and each other’s company. To Geri’s surprise, Mel had even ordered a creme brulee for dessert for them to share, and Geri takes advantage of a little of the cream getting on Mel’s upper lip to kiss it off.

When they finish, Geri helps carry the dishes to the kitchen, then grabs Mel by the waist. “Any chance I can take you upstairs and get that dress off you?” she murmurs, and leans forward to suck on Mel’s pulse point.

Mel grins. “I mean, I’d planned for us to watch a movie together next, but I could be flexible with these plans…”

Geri nips at Mel’s neck, and slides one hand under Mel’s dress, cupping her between the legs. “We could be flexible,” she suggests, and applies a little pressure. “Like, I could stretch you out on the bed, and just have my way with you.”

Mel swallows heavily. “Done. Movie forgotten.” She palms Geri’s cheek, turning her to kiss her roughly. Without losing contact, they somehow manage to stumble their way upstairs, shedding clothing as they go. When they reach their bedroom, Mel gives Geri a push, causing her to splay out on the bed. Mel straddles her, grinning down at her naked wife.

“Don’t forget, we have the house to ourselves tonight,” Mel reminds her. “So no need to keep quiet. I want to hear you screaming my name when you come, you hear?”

Those words alone send a rush through Geri, and she doesn’t hesitate to reach for her wife. They don’t leave the bedroom for the rest of the night.

Chapter Text

Set in March 1995

The landline rings, its shrill tone echoing down the silent hallway.

“Ughhhh,” Mel groans, shoving her pillow over her head to block out the sound. “Who the bloody hell is calling so early?”

“No idea,” says Melanie, from the bed next to her, and Mel hears the sounds of her getting out of bed. A couple moments later, the ringing stops, and Mel can hear the faint sounds of Melanie having a conversation with someone.

Mel stretches a little, warm and cozy under her blankets, and tries to fall back to sleep. She’s just trying to remember what she had been dreaming about so she can continue it, when a pillow whacks her across the head.

“What the fuck, Melanie?” she shouts, sitting up and letting the pillow fall to the floor.

Melanie grins, looking wide awake despite having only gotten out of bed two minutes ago. “That was Chris on the phone,” she says. “He said they have contracts for us!”

It takes a second for Mel’s sleepy brain to process. “Wait, contracts? Like, actual contracts for Touch?”

“Yes!” Melanie replies gleefully. “He wants us at the office at nine. So get your arse out of bed!”

They’ve been begging for contracts for months, and for some reason or another, their managers Chris or Bob Herbert kept pushing it off. It’d been making Geri quite tetchy, and Mel wasn’t too impressed either, but none of that matters now - it’s finally time.

“Lets wake the others!” Mel says, jumping out of bed. “You get the girls, I’ll get Geri?”

When Melanie nods and heads towards the closed door of the room that Emma and Victoria share, Mel hurries past her to the final door, which is Geri’s tiny bedroom that she has to herself. Mel flings the door open and leaps onto the bed, landing half on the mattress and half on Geri.

“Jesus, Melanie Janine Brown, what the fuck are you doing?” Geri shouts, as she startles awake.

Mel just beams at her, leaning down to plant a kiss on the corner of her mouth. “Contracts are ready!” she exclaims, and pokes Geri in the side. “Time to get up, sunshine! We’ve got contracts to sign!”

“And you couldn’t have just shaken me awake like a sane person?” Geri groans, swatting Mel’s hand away, but then pulls herself to a sitting position. She rubs at her eyes, then finally grins. “Wait, real, actual contracts?”

“Yep! So come on, let’s get to it! What’re we going to wear?” 

They make it to the Heart Management office with fifteen minutes to spare, Geri getting lucky to find a prime parking space right out the front for her Fiat. They all climb out, then hesitate.

“Eh, let’s just go up now,” Mel declares. “Who cares if we’re early - we’re starting things off on the right foot, Chris’ll see how serious we are.”

Geri lets out a snort of laughter at that, but they all dutifully follow Mel inside. Brenda, the receptionist, informs them that Chris hasn’t arrived yet, but they head to his office anyway to wait. Geri sits down in Chris’s fancy chair, Mel perched on the desk next to her, and the other three take the visitor chairs in the room.

They’re talking about plans for the next weekend when Chris finally does show up, and they straighten.

“Right, girls, glad you made it,” he tells them, and Geri jumps out of his chair, grinning sheepishly. He doesn’t seem to mind, and steps around her to reach into a filing cabinet, extracting a sheaf of papers.

“Okay, here are the contracts,” he says, passing them around, and Mel feels a tiny thrill as she accepts hers. It’s thick, more pages than she was expecting - although to be fair, she’s never seen a contract before, and has no idea how thick it should be to begin with.

“Now, girls, let me find you a pen,” Chris says, patting his pockets, and Emma grins.

“Hang on, you don’t want us to sign them this second, do you?” Geri cuts in, and Chris’s hands still. Emma’s smile slips a little, and the other girls turn to her, confused.

“Well, yes?” he replies, confused.

“It’d be pretty irresponsible of us to blindly sign a twenty page contract without reading it through,” Geri points out, and holds up her contract. “You wouldn’t mind us getting these back to you in a few days?”

“Er - I suppose not,” he replies doubtfully.

“Great, thanks Chris!” Victoria says smoothly, clearly catching onto Geri’s implications. “Anything else for us today?”

He’s clearly unsettled, not having expected things to go this way. “No, that was all. Call me when you’re ready to return these, right? Tomorrow, maybe?”

“Maybe!” Geri replies with a grin, and links arms with Victoria. “Come on girls, I wouldn’t mind getting a coffee while we’re out!”

“Mmm, that’d be nice,” Victoria agrees. She reaches for Melanie, and Emma and Mel bring up the rear as the five girls head through the offices and out into the bright London sunshine. Emma starts to say something, but Geri hustles them to the car first, shaking her head slightly at Emma.

“Okay, what was all that about?” Melanie asks, once they’re safely inside Geri’s Fiat. 

“Right, so we finally got contracts, and I definitely don’t want to take away from the excitement of that,” Geri explains. “However, we really should be reading these first, before signing them. We don’t know what terms and conditions Heart put in here. I’ve once signed a modelling contract without reading it and that really didn’t go well for me. And we’ve got such an incredible group with so much potential, we really need to do this right.”

Mel crosses her arms, shifting in the cramped back seat. “You could’ve said something before we were in there, Geri.”

Geri glances at her in the rearview mirror. “I didn’t know they were going to just hand them over and expect us to sign on the spot. Did you?”

“That’s not the point. You made it awkward.” Mel’s tone is sharp now. “We’ve been waiting for months, begging for this contract, and the second we get it, you’re on your soapbox.”

Emma sinks lower in her seat, fiddling with the corner of her contract. “She’s not wrong, though…”

“Thank you, Em,” Geri says, eyes still on the road. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t be excited,just that excitement shouldn’t make us…I don’t know, reckless I guess.”

“Yeah, but the timing, Geri,” Mel pushes, leaning forward. “You embarrassed him. You embarrassed us. We could’ve planned for this better. What if he changes his mind now?”

Geri’s jaw tightens. “If he changes his mind because we want to understand what we’re signing, then maybe we shouldn’t be signing with him at all.”

“Oh, come off it,” Mel huffs. “It’s not some conspiracy. He’s trying to get us a record deal-”

“On his terms!” Geri snaps. “That’s how this works, Mel. The contracts are designed to protect them. And you know what? If we’re serious about this being a real career, then we need to take it seriously from day one. Not just ‘trust the bloke in the office because he gave us a bit of paper.’”

Silence falls in the car. Emma looks like she wants to disappear into the upholstery. Victoria glances between them but says nothing. Melanie keeps her gaze out the window, her lips pressed in a line.

Mel sinks back in her seat, frowning. “You’ve always gotta be the loudest voice in the room,” she mutters.

Geri’s hands tighten on the steering wheel. “And you always think that you’re always right,” she shoots back.

Mel doesn’t reply to that, and Geri just sighs, turning the car on. “Is anyone still up for coffee?” she asks.

Mel stays silent but the other three agree, so Geri drives them to their favorite little coffee place near their house. When they get out of the car and start heading inside, Mel catches Geri’s eye and gestures for her to wait a second. Geri does so, offering up an unsure smile.

“You’re right. ‘Course you are. I’m sorry,” Mel says, and Geri lightens a little - she and Mel may butt heads just about every day, but at least they make up just as easily. She always feels better when they do, a tension being released she didn’t even realize she was holding.

“All good,” Geri replies easily. She slings an arm around Mel’s waist, and they head inside. Emma sees them, offering up a grin of relief that they’re good again.

They hang out at the cafe long enough to drink their coffees, before piling back into the Fiat and heading back to the house. There, they sprawl out in the living room with their contracts, reading through.

They’re quiet, an occasional ‘hrmph’ or page turn being the only sounds. Eventually, Melanie lowers her contract and glances around. “I’m not even finished this yet,” she says slowly, and sighs. “But this contract sucks.”

“Right!” Mel exclaims, and tosses her down. “Ger, seriously, thank you for speaking up today, sorry about before. I’m so glad we didn’t sign them.”

Geri sighs. “I’m disappointed. I mean, I didn’t think it’d be this bad.”

“I don’t even understand most of this, there’s so much legalese in this,” Emma says, and the others nod fervently. “Like, there’s a ‘morality clause’ - I don’t even know what that means!”

“So then, what do we do?” Victoria asks. “Do we try to negotiate?”

“Are we allowed to do that?” Emma asks.

“I mean, it couldn’t hurt, could it?” Mel replies.

Melanie frowns. “They could take the contracts away,” she says darkly.

Emma winces. “It took us ages just to get these contracts!” she exclaims. “If they take these away, then we’re basically screwed, right?”

“I mean, not entirely,” Geri says thoughtfully. “Surely they’d have to expect us to negotiate these. But do any of you know what we’d want to negotiate for? I don’t even know where to start, d’you think we just pick the non-negotiables, or rewrite the whole thing for what we’d want?”

Mel flips through a few pages. “Like here, where it says about the bit about the restrictions for artistic freedom, I don’t like that. It sounds like they want the option to censor us, and that’s not on.”

The conversation derails for a couple minutes, as the girls start going through their pages and calling out other parts that they don’t like.

“What about I call my dad?”

Victoria’s voice, sharp and clear, cuts through the noise, and the girls stop talking to turn to her.

“Your dad?” Emma asks, unsure. “Is he a lawyer or something?”

“Well, no,” Victoria admits. “He’s an electronics engineer. But he’s pretty good with contracts, and that sort of thing. I could call him and see if he’d take a look at it for us, just to get another opinion?”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Geri says seriously, tapping a nail on the contract in front of her. “Another set of eyes. It’s not like it’d hurt, right?”

The girls agree, so Victoria nods and heads over to the landline, dialing her home phone. She talks for several minutes, during which the others turn the conversation to other things, but they quieten immediately when she hangs up.

“Right, he said he’ll come over in the morning around eleven and meet with us,” she explains, and Geri grins, clapping her hands.

“Excellent,” she says confidently. “We did tell Chris we wanted a few days to read it over, so that works out.”

“Well, no need to worry about this for the rest of the day,” Mel says blithely. “Anyone fancy a walk to the pub for a drink?”

Mel, Geri, and Victoria end up heading to the pub, the other two opting to stay back and do their own thing. The three of them stay for at least an hour, before slowly walking home where they find Emma’s put together jacket potatoes and beans for them all.

After they eat, the five of them settle on the couches in the living room. Victoria passes around a bottle of nail polish and Melanie finds Death Becomes Her starting on the television, and the evening becomes one of Mel’s favorite kinds, just five best friends hanging out together.

Slowly, the girls start yawning and trickling off to bed. Finally, it’s just Mel and Geri left. Mel’s drowsy, but not enough to want to head upstairs to go to sleep. Plus, Geri’s leaning against her on the couch, her weight warm and comfortable, and Mel can’t bring herself to disturb her. Instead, she absently runs her fingers through Geri’s hair as they watch whatever late night variety show comes on next.

“Are you sure you’re not upset with me for speaking out at the office today?”

Geri’s voice is quiet, not her usual brash, confident tone. Mel’s fingers still in her hair, and she reaches for the remote with her other hand so she can mute the television.

“No,” Mel says, just as quietly, but shifts a little to properly face Geri. “Did I do anything to make you think I’m upset? Because I’m not, honest.”

“No, you didn’t,” Geri admits. “I just…you’re my best friend, and being in this group means a lot, and I just want to make sure we’re doing the right thing, you know?”

Mel nods, and resumes running her fingers through Geri’s hair. “I want the right thing too. I’d rather we take our time, then rush into the wrong thing. Thanks for looking out for us, babe.”

Geri nods, and burrows into Mel a tiny bit more. Mel grins to herself and pulls the old throw blanket off the back of the couch to cover them. 

The girls do a rush clean in the morning, wanting to make sure the house is tidy for Victoria’s father. He arrives promptly at eleven, and they usher him into the kitchen to settle in at the dining table.

“Alright then, girls, let me take a look at what we’re dealing with,” he says, getting right to business.

“Here,” Melanie says, handing her copy over. “We all got the exact same thing.” 

He nods, taking it from her, and adjusts his reading glasses. “Right,” he says slowly, and starts to read.

The girls watch him anxiously, but quickly realize how boring it is to just sit there and watch someone read. Geri lasts about a minute before getting up to make tea for everyone. By the time she arrives back at the table, Melanie’s doodling on scrap paper, Emma’s behind her french plaiting her hair, and Mel and Victoria have their heads tipped together as they flip through a magazine together. After putting the tea down, Geri settles next to Melanie and they play seven games of hangman until Victoria’s dad finally clears his throat.

“Right, girls, I’ve read it,” he says, and they immediately stop what they’re doing to focus on him.

“And, what do you think?” Victoria asks nervously.

He frowns. “Honestly? I wouldn’t sign this. It’s completely favoring the management company, which I would expect to a degree, but this one has virtually no rights for you. It even says you’d retain no rights to your masters, and you’d only get a sliver of royalties.”

Mel frowns. “Yeah, that’s not on,” she says firmly. “I’m not okay with that.”

“Neither,” Geri and Victoria both say at the same time.

Melanie cocks her head, considering. “Okay, so what are our options? I mean, we have to sign something.”

“Right, but you don’t have to sign this,” Victoria’s dad replies, and shuffles the papers together. “I know you’re all eager, and I understand why. But this contract ties you up for years and gives you barely any say in what happens to your work. That’s not a fair start, that’s basically a trap.”

Emma bites the corner of a nail anxiously. “But they’ve put all this time into us already.”

“So have you,” he points out. “From what Vic’s told me, you’ve all been rehearsing, recording demos, doing showcases. If they believed in you, they’d offer better terms.”

“Right, so we negotiate,” Geri says firmly, but frowns when she sees Victoria’s dad hesitate. “What is it?”

He winces. “Look, girls, you could negotiate. At the very least, you should try. But I’ll be honest with you, girls…I don’t think they’re expecting you to.”

Victoria knits her brows. “What do you mean?”

“They’ve waited months and months to get this to you, and then they call you last minute for an early morning meeting to give them to you to sign, with no lawyers involved?” he says. “That’s not how people operate when they’re offering you something fair. That’s how they act when they’re hoping you won’t notice what you’re giving up.”

Mel’s jaw flexes. “Then they have no idea who they’re messing with.”

“We’re not going to give up,” Melanie adds.

He considers this. “Good. I think you all have good heads on your shoulders, and you’ll make the right choices. Just be careful. There’s a good chance that if you show up and request negotiations, they’re going to try to push you into a corner, and apply pressure, make it seem like it’s now or never.”

“Thanks Dad,” Victoria says.

“Anytime, girls,” he replies, and hands the contract back over to Melanie. “Right, any chance you’ll all let me take you out to lunch? My treat, of course.”

The girls grin, jumping up from the table, and rush to get ready.

They have studio time booked for the afternoon, so after a leisurely lunch with Victoria’s dad, they head to the studio after. They’re anxious when they arrive, in case Chris or other Heart Management execs are there waiting for them, but they get lucky and run through their songs in peace.

They’re back at the house before dinner, all still full from lunch so they only graze for dinner. After though, they end up back in the living room with fresh cups of tea and their contracts.

“Right, what are we going to do about this?” Melanie asks. “We’ll have to see Chris, he left a message on the answering machine that he’s going to drop by here in the morning.”

Victoria groans. “He’s really not going to go easy on us, is he?”

“Not if he thinks he can con us into signing these,” Melanie replies. She sighs. “So what, do we go and ask for a formal meeting, and get a lawyer who can help negotiate the terms?”

“That’ll cost a fortune! Maybe we can ask if Heart can bring on a neutral negotiator, who can argue for both sides?” Mel suggests.

Emma wrinkles her nose. “He’s gotta know we can’t afford a lawyer, I doubt he’d agree to hiring one on their money.”

“Then we just make our own list of what we want, negotiate that, get it written up, and then have my dad review it again?” Victoria suggests.”

“That could work,” Mel says thoughtfully.

“Or maybe,” Geri says slowly, “we could leave.”

Silence.

The other four of them turn to face Geri, surprised.

“No, just hear me out,” she presses, her mind working rapidly to work out the details. “We’re a great group. We have actual potential to really make it. I mean, remember the last showcase we did? There was a ton of interest. And remember that guy Elias, that Chris was going to set us up in a songwriting session with sometime this week? He’d mentioned in one of our showcases that he’d love to work with us. So maybe, we just don’t sign the contracts, and we leave.”

Emma, Melanie, and Victoria all look hesitant, but Mel meets her eyes, grinning. “You know, you have a good point,” she says. “I bet he’d have good contacts.”

“Do you even know how to get a hold of that guy?” Emma asks dubiously, but Mel waves a hand dismissively.

“I’m sure we could figure it out,” she says, and leans forward. “Okay, I think I’m with Geri on this one. Yeah, Heart did put a lot of time and effort in, but so did we. And they’re so willing to screw us around with a dodgy contract, so I don’t feel bad about leaving. I bet we could do it.”

“But wait, our masters - they have the tapes,” Melanie points out. “Wannabe’s one of the best songs we’ve ever written. If we leave, we lose Wannabe. And the others.”

Geri considers this. “Maybe we could get it back,” she counters. “Let me worry about that. But seriously, what do you guys think?”

Victoria hesitates, then nods. “If you can get the masters back, then yes I’m in!”

“Same!” Emma says, grinning, and she grabs Victoria’s hand in excitement. They all turn to Melanie

She throws her hands up in resignation, but there’s a smile playing across her lips. “Alright, I guess we do it. We’ll leave Heart. So we better get busy tonight and plan this out, because I’m pretty sure Chris wouldn’t hesitate to show up here tomorrow to get us to sign those contracts.”

Just as Melanie had suggested, Chris does plan to show up in the morning. The landline had rung around eight, which they let go to the answering machine, and it was him calling to let them know that he’d be coming by around ten to collect their signed contracts.

“Shit,” Melanie says, when they gather around the machine to listen to the message. “That’s less than two hours away.”

“It’ll be okay, we have a plan,” Mel says reassuringly. “And it’s a bloody good plan. This is going to work, I just know it.”

“Right, then we’d better get packing, I think, if we have less than two hours,” Victoria points out.

The girls nod, and immediately get to work. They fill suitcases and bin liners with clothing and make up and linens and pretty much everything they could fit. They make sure to leave just enough out in the living room and kitchen - the only rooms that Chris would ever go into - so that it doesn’t appear like they’re about to do a runner.

They cram all the bags and boxes and cases into the bedroom that Emma and Victoria share, and Geri’s bedroom, keeping the doors firmly shut. The bedroom that Mel and Melanie share, they leave the door open, thinking it’ll make it more natural as well.

Just before ten, they gather in the living room, each of them a different level of nervousness. “Right, Ger, you’ll start us off, yeah?” Mel asks.

Geri nods, and grins a little. “I got this. And we’re all sure on the plan, and going forward with this, right? Because once the ball’s rolling, then that’s it.”

The other four nod seriously, and Emma lets out a shaky sigh. Mel throws an arm around her, pulling her in for a side hug. “This’ll all work,” she tells her. “Trust us. We’ll call you all with the update tomorrow.”

“And you’re sure you’ve got my mum’s number memorised?” Emma asks.

“Memorised, and written down,” Geri assures her. “We won’t forget. Vic, what time do you think you’ll join Em and Melanie at Emma’s?” 

Victoria frowns. “No idea, to be honest. Some time in the morning, I’m sure, I should be ok to borrow my sister’s car, she’ll be off at uni still.”

Before anyone else can reply, there’s a sharp knock on the door. They all glance around, nervous but sure, then Victoria stands. “Here we go,” she murmurs, then opens it with a dignified smile. “Good morning, Chris.”

“Ladies,” Chris says as he enters. “I hope you’re all ready to sign your futures away,” he remarks, heading straight to the armchair that Victoria had been perched in and takes a seat. She frowns behind his back as she closes the door, and steps over the sofa to settle in next to Emma. 

He sets down his briefcase, then makes a show of adjusting his cuffs before withdrawing some pens. Geri watches him coolly.

“We have looked it over,” she says. “And most of it seems fine. But there’s one bit I wanted to ask about.”

Chris’s smile falters just slightly. “Go on.”

“This clause here,” Geri says, flipping to the marked page and holding it out to him to see. “There, where it says management has final approval over all press imagery.”

“Yes,” he says, and nods. “That’s a pretty standard clause.”

“But there’s nothing about us having approval,” she points out.

Chris chuckles. “Well, we can’t run every photo past five different moods, can we?”

Geri raises her eyebrows. “Excuse me?” she asks, realizing that she doesn’t need to pick a fight with the other girls. Chris has given them the perfect opening. From Mel’s body language, she can tell that Mel’s realized this too. “We should get to have final say, so we’re not stuck with pictures being printed if we look awful.”

Chris waves a hand dismissively. “You girls are always thinking you look awful. No need to be so emotional about bloody pictures. Trust me, we want the best for you anyway, dodgy pictures won’t be making us any money.”

Geri stands slowly. “Emotional?” she repeats, and her voice rises an octave or two. She’s not even trying to start a fight, but now she’s having to restrain herself from swearing at him. “That’s rich. You think because we’ve got ovaries, we’re not allowed to have opinions?”

“Jesus, Geri,” Mel says with a groan. “Can you not start?”

Geri glares at her, eyes flashing. “I’m not starting anything! I asked a question, he’s the one who made it sexist.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Mel argues. “Why do you always have to make a scene?”

“Are you kidding me, Melanie?” Geri says, shouting now. 

“Geri, that’s not what she meant-” Emma tries, but Mel shakes her head aggressively.

“Don’t speak for me, Emma! Yes it was what I meant, actually,” Mel replies, standing as well and crossing her arms. “You thrive on bloody drama, you’ve always got to take every little comment so bloody personal and wind things up!”

“Oh get off it Mel! Excuse me for not wanting us to look like shit on the front page of Smash Hits,” Geri snaps. “God forbid we care what we look like!”

“Oh, please,” Mel shoots back, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “You think everything’s some feminist crusade when really it’s just your ego.”

“Hey, that’s enough,” Victoria calls out loudly. “You’re upsetting Emma.”

But Geri doesn’t seem to hear her. “You’re unbelievable,” she shouts at Mel. “Ready to give up all your morals for a bit of fame?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Mel yells. “You know what, I don’t have to listen to this crap. I’m going for a walk. You better not follow me.” She grabs her coat from the hook by the door and storms out, slamming it behind her. The bang makes the glass panes in the windows rattle.

“Oh my gosh,” Emma manages, a few tears sliding down her cheeks.

“Great, I hope you’re happy, you both made Emma cry,” Victoria snaps at Geri. “Come on, Em, let’s go for a walk, we can get a cuppa.”

Emma nods, avoiding eye contact with Geri, and the two head out the front after Mel.

Geri turns her gaze to Chris, her chest heaving a little, and just lets out an angry groan. Then she spins on her heel, and storms down the hallway to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her with a loud bang.

It’s now only Chris and Melanie left in the living room. “Christ,” he says, shaking his head. “Five girls under one roof, it’s a wonder you manage to get anything done between the hormones and the hysterics. Every decision’s a bloody soap opera.”

Melanie bristles slightly, but maintains her composure. “You know, it’s just been a stressful week,” she says, waving a hand halfheartedly. “They just need a little time to cool off, yeah?”

He groans, glancing down at the unsigned contracts. “Yeah, fine,” he mutters, and reaches for his suitcase. “I’ve got a packed day today, I won’t be back in the office until around eleven tomorrow. You lot better be there at eleven on the dot, with the bloody contracts signed, you hear?”

“Loud and clear,” Melanie replies, and smiles sweetly. “Thanks, Chris!” 

She sees him out the door, then hurries to the window to surreptitiously peer out the corner of the curtains. The moment his car has disappeared down the road and turned away, she lets out a big sigh of relief.

“Geri, he’s gone,” she calls out, and a moment later, the bedroom door swings open and Geri’ rejoining her in the living room.

“Think he bought it?” she asks, and Melanie grins.

“Definitely,” she replies. “Man, G, you really sold that!”

Geri lets out a laugh, as the back door swings open, and Mel, Emma, and Victoria all spill inside. “We just watched his car go tearing off, he’s properly annoyed,” Mel says, and grins. “Pretty much froze our tits off waiting for him to go. But it worked, yeah?”

“It worked!” Geri confirms, and grins as Mel grabs her into a tight hug. She hugs back just as tight, and feels Emma join in, followed by Melanie, and finally Victoria. The group hug lasts for a few moments, before finally breaking up and they settle back on the sofas.

“Honestly, I thought I was going to lose it at one point,” Melanie says. “Emma, great work on those tears!”

“Thanks!” Emma replies with a cheeky grin. “I got out of so much trouble when I was a kid because of those fake tears.”

“I’ll bet,” Victoria remarks with a grin. “Right, are we still on track for the rest of the plan?”

“Oh, about that - as he was leaving, Chris mentioned that he has a packed day and won’t be in the office until eleven tomorrow,” Melanie says. “So Mel, Geri, if you two still plan to try to get the tapes back, at least you won’t run into him.”

“Perfect,” Geri replies, her eyes glittering. “Vic, did your sister say what time you can come pick up her car?”

“Anytime after noon, so even if we’d leave now, she’d be back in her residence hall already,” Victoria says, after glancing at the clock.

“Excellent. You three are still good to finish the packing while we’re gone?” Geri asks, turning to Mel, Emma, and Victoria.

“Yep, we’ll be fine,” Mel says, and makes a shooing motion. “You two better get a move on, lots to do this afternoon!”

They all grin, and split up. With the help of Mel and Emma, Geri shoves as many bags and boxes into the backseat and trunk of her car - all the non-essential things that the five of them own, that they won’t need anytime soon. Once it’s full to the brim, Geri and Victoria climb in, and make the forty minute drive to Buckinghamshire New University, where Victoria’s sister’s attending.

Geri drops Victoria off in front of her sister’s residence hall, with the promise to meet up again in an hour back at the Maidenhead house. She then shoves her Radiohead cassette into the car’s tape deck, and sings along at the top of her voice the rest of the drive to her sister’s house in Watford.

Natalie’s not home, but had told Geri on the phone the night before where the key would be found. Geri uses it to let herself into the garage, and transfers all of the boxes and bags into an empty corner, then sighs. Hopefully it won’t be too long until she and the girls have a new place to live, and she can collect their stuff.

When she arrives back to Maidenhead, Victoria’s already back with her sister’s Ford Explorer, to which she, Emma, and Melanie are loading the last of their things into the boot. When Geri steps into the house, she pauses, because now it looks like no one lives there, with all the personal effects completely gone.

“We got all the packing finished,” Mel says as she passes through to the living room and sees Geri. She grins. “So all that’s left is to finish loading up the cars, most of it’s done. But Emma’s a little emotional, so we’re doing one last group meal together, yeah?”

Geri grins back, taking Mel’s outstretched hand and letting her lead her to the kitchen. The table’s been set with disposable plates, cups and silverware, and fish and chips takeaway sitting in the middle. Emma’s pouring wine into the cups, while Melanie tosses stuff out of the fridge and Victoria leans against the counter, chatting.

“Oh good, you’re back, perfect timing,” Emma tells her. “Come on, Melanie, the expired tomato sauce can wait. Lets eat before it all gets cold.”

They settle at the table in their usual seats, and as Geri glances around, she feels a rush of affection for these four women. They’re not just her band mates, they’re her best friends, and whether it be good or bad, everything’s going to change after today. So she tries to soak up the moment, enjoying the five of them being together a little longer, because none of them know exactly when they’ll be reuniting next.

All too soon, they finish, and after throwing their plates and things in the trash, it’s time to head out. 

“Promise you’ll let us know how it’s going, yeah?” Melanie says, hugging Geri tight.

“Promise,” Geri replies honestly, releasing her so that she can hug Emma next.

“And you won’t put yourselves in danger getting the masters, okay?” Victoria asks Mel as she releases her from a hug.

Mel grins wickedly. “Yeah, I’m not promising that one. But don’t worry, it’ll be fine! And the five of us’ll be back together before we know it.”

With one more round of hugs, and a few tears from Emma, they all finally leave the house. Victoria, Emma, and Melanie climb into Victoria’s sister’s car, while Mel and Geri squeeze themselves into the Fiat - the back crammed full of the last of their belongings. With a short beep of the horn, Victoria pulls out of the drive, and Geri turns to Mel.

“Are we ready for this?” she asks, as she starts the car.

Mel draws in a breath. “Ready.”

Forty five minutes later, Mel’s a little less sure.

They’re parked on a side street away from the Heart Management office. The office closes in about fifteen minutes, and they both know that the only people left at the office at this point in the day would be Brenda, the ancient receptionist, a couple interns, and maybe a low level manager. Definitely no Bob or Chris Herbert, the two that could actually ruin their plans.

“Right, you sure you’ve got this?” Mel asks, slightly hesitantly. “Sure you’ll be able to pull off inconspicuous?”

Geri glares in mock indignation. “Inconspicuous? Don’t let the red hair fool you, babe, I’m a pro at sneaking into places.”

Mel laughs. “Yeah, alright,” she agrees. “Hang on, take this,” she adds, just as Geri’s about to step out of the car. She rifles through her pockets, frowning, then reaches for her bag that’s shoved in the back. A moment later she finds what she was looking for, and grins as she hands it to Geri.

It’s a guitar pick, early white with a scuff across one edge, like it’s been used and pocketed too many times. Mel rubs her thumb across the smooth surface, then drops it into Geri’s palm.

Geri eyes it curiously. “A guitar pick?” she asks, unsure.

“Yeah,” Mel tells her. “I nicked it a few months ago, when we were at Strongroom studios and we wrote Wannabe. That was the pick used when we were figuring out the melody. And I figured it’d bring us good luck, so I stole it. But I think you should have it now. Keep it safe, yeah?”

There’s a flash of something on Geri’s face - longing, or tenderness, or hope, Mel’s not quite sure - it’s gone too quickly. “I will,” Geri tells her, grinning as she tucks the pick into her pocket. “Right, here goes.”

She turns to exit the car, but pauses and turns back. Impulsively, she leans across the center console, catching Mel behind the neck and pulling her into a kiss. It’s hot, and heavy, and over way too soon, and Geri grins at the slightly dazed expression on Mel’s face. They’ve fooled around a couple times before, usually when they’re drunk after a night out, but Mel secretly loves kissing Geri. Not that she’d necessarily admit that, mind. 

“What was that for?” Mel asks, once she shakes off the surprise, a tiny smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

“For good luck,” Geri replies breezily. “I mean, you’re the one driving the getaway car, gotta make sure you’re ready too, right?”

“Right,” Mel echoes. Her lips still tingle a little. 

“Here are the keys. Keep it running until I get back. See you in a few!” Geri says, and slides out of the car.

“You got this, babe!” Mel calls, grinning as Geri blows her a kiss.

Mel watches her until she disappears around the corner, then gets out of the passenger seat and hurries around to the driver’s side. She sinks back into the chair a little, and sighs nervously. All that’s left to do now, is wait. 

She sits in silence for a minute, before flipping on the radio. She scrolls through the stations, but there’s nothing that catches her. She debates for a second about going through Geri’s cassette collection, but realizes they’re stuffed somewhere in the backseat, amongst the rest of their possessions. So she turns the radio off, and just sits, waiting.

The clock on the dashboard clicks over, and the closer it gets to five, the more tense Mel gets. Geri should be back out any second now - but then it goes past five, and her nerves ramp up a little. Something had to have gone wrong. 

She’s about to start driving to the front of the management office so she can see if the coppers have been called, when there’s a flash of red. Geri’s coming around the corner and is striding briskly toward the car. Her gait is awkward, and Mel frowns a little.

“All good,” Geri hisses as she slides into the passenger seat. “Now drive, hurry, in case anyone realizes!”

Mel doesn’t hesitate to pull out, going the opposite direction to the offices. She glances over at Geri, who’s shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Mel’s heart sinks though, when she sees that Geri’s hands are empty. “You didn’t get the tapes?” she asks, resignedly.

“Course I did,” Geri says, and grins confidently. “Did you doubt me?”

“No,” Mel replies, although she absolutely did. “But where are they - wait, Geraldine, you didn’t…”

“Well, Brenda was there, I couldn’t exactly just walk out with them in my hands, could I?” Geri says defiantly.

“They’re in your knickers!” Mel exclaims, and nearly crashes the car as she lets out a bellowing laugh.

“Jesus, Melanie, pull the bloody car over before you drive into a lamppost!” Geri shouts.

Mel does so, pulling up in a half empty fast food restaurant car park. Geri immediately unbuckles her seatbelt and twists awkwardly, shoving her hands in her pants, and withdrawing a handful of cassette tapes. From where Mel’s sitting, she can see ‘Wannabe - vocals’ written on the label of one tape, and she lets out a whoop.

Geri laughs as well, and carefully puts the tapes in the glove box. “Easier than I thought!” she croons. “Chris had them right there in his top desk drawer, no lock or anything! He was basically asking for them to be taken.”

“Bet he’ll notice first thing tomorrow - good thing we’ll already be long gone!” Mel says with glee.

Geri grins cheekily. “Actually, he might not notice right away - I replaced them with a handful of other tapes laying around. Unless he’s reading the labels, he won’t be able to tell right away.”

“Genius!” Mel says. “Although, I gotta say, when I saw you coming down the street, basically waddling - yeah, definitely not inconspicuous.”

Geri laughs good naturedly. “Right. Well, we’ve got the tapes. Now, all we have to do is drive to Sheffield, call all the E. Kennedys in the phone book, and convince him to help us get a new management company. No big deal, right?”

Mel grins, and reaches to squeeze Geri’s hand. “Babe, we’ve got this. You ready?”

Geri squeezes back. “Yeah. Let’s go.” She rebuckles her seatbelt, and they head out into the busy London street, ready to figure out whatever comes next.