AUTHORS NOTE: So this is inspired from Adele's "Someone Like You" and it's not solidly based on the song, just the idea of coming back and seeing things have changed. It's a part of my London series but minus Five Years Ago and Pregnant and Punished obviously so firstly read Just Hold Me. Also my little darlings, hiatus is over!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters.

[Time Changes Things]

Pulling up outside the apartment, the brunette woman turned to the side and looked at the wacky young woman sat next to her. Her hand had been glued to her mobile since they'd left London but it hadn't really bothered the driver. She wasn't one for small talk when driving so she was glad the other woman had been occupied. Sighing, she looked up at the house and bit her lip gently as she realised that the place really hadn't changed in ten years.

She should have argued harder about not coming here. She had avoided Christmas', parties and even deaths of loved ones just so that she wouldn't just randomly walk into him anywhere but the minute work sent her here, she just bowed down and did as her pain in an ass agent told her too.

"I'm afraid that I can't do that," Jackie Reid said staring at the form in front of her, her hand twisting the diamond engagement ring on her finger which was a habit she had when she felt nervous. "I can't go back to Glasgow." She pointed out to her agent in a determined tone but she could hear the quaver as well.

"Jackie darling," Richie said leaning forward, his hands clasped as he stared at her. Jackie had dealt with many gay men in her life, Stuart being one of them, but none had been as annoyingly camp as Richie. He was all rainbows and butterflies in a world that was all grey and miserable. She had wanted to fire him for years but the bastard did get the work done. "It has been ten years since you were in that lovely city of yours. Things will have change. Things do change." He promised and Jackie just rolled her eyes. "I'll get Danielle to sort your arrangements out, as always."

Jackie shook her head. "No need. Just tell Danielle to have her bags packed." She said standing up, her hands wrinkling out imaginary creases in the tight brown pencil skirt that she was wearing. Richie looked up at her, his brow wrinkling with confusion as his fingers hovered over the phone. Jackie didn't even know why he bothered because Danielle always rang her to double check the arrangements anyway.

"I still have my apartment in Glasgow," she quietly admitted as she took out her phone. "Don't bother with Danielle. I'll phone her." She said leaving the office with her phone in her hand, her manicured nails tapping in the phone number that she knew off by heart. "Danielle sweetheart, we're going on the road again..."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay to do this?" Danielle asked finally taking a break from texting away on her phone and showing all her attention onto Jackie. Since publishing her first book four years ago, Danielle had been a part of Jackie's life and she knew every aspect. It was her job to make sure that Jackie had everything she wanted or needed to finish each novel. The two women had bonded one night over a bottle of wine when Jackie and her second novel had had a serious disagreement. They'd literally poured their souls out to each other and they'd been close ever since.

"Dannii," Jackie said reaching over and squeezing her hand, "I'm going to be fine." She lied knowing that she'd need to make the effort to get in touch with her family and friends that she'd left behind all those years ago.

"Does Bren even know you're here?" The mention of her fiancé made Jackie sigh as she looked back at the apartment. In Bren she thought she'd found someone who understood that time was a sacrifice seeing as he was an Chief Crown Prosecutor but when she'd given up the force she spent more and more time on her own and realised why all her previous relationships had failed but he was getting better.

"He's in the middle of a big case now but I left a message with his personal assistant and said I'd phone him back later," she told Danielle and noticed the woman roll her eyes before she pulled out her phone again, her long bright pink nails chapping away at keys. Jackie envied the young woman's quirkiness. She had short spiky hair that was dyed red, pink, blue and purple. She wore clothes that showed everything such as today where she was wearing a bright green vest top, a purple tartan mini skirt with bright green tights and a pair of purple all star sneakers. The curve of her right ear was decorated with little silver hoops, her nose had a small hoop, there were three stars tattooed at the back of her left ear and Italian writing was tattooed down her neck to her right shoulder but she never mentioned what it said.

"Okay. Well tonight we have off so I pencilled in time for you to have food with..." She looked up at Jackie. "Times will have changed, Jackie. I think you need to see them all." She said smiling at her which gave Jackie the confidence that she needed. She reached over and squeezed her hand. "Then you have an interview tomorrow on that T.V. show you winch about all the time, The Hour to promote your new book. I'd say your friends already know you're coming back if they've seen it advertised."

"True point," she said before wrinkling her nose and sighed. "How about we go inside, shower and then order in food while I pluck up the courage to go see my friends?"

"That sounds rad," Dannii commented squeezing Jackie's hand one last time before climbing out of the car. "What are the chances we can get something vegetarian?" Jackie just laughed as she remembered this was Dannii's first time in Scotland.

"Remind me before we need to go home that I need to take you to a chipper," she teased back before helping with the suitcases and for the first time since yesterday, she felt calm.

TO BE CONTINUED...