Warmth. All around her, Nico felt warmth.

Not that it felt bad. No, in fact, it felt amazing. As Nico shifted around in her spot, her mind still clinging to the remnants of sleep, she couldn't help but think that she had something important to do that morning. Grumbling, Nico did her best to bury herself back into the comforting heat, not wanting to wake up so early.

As she started to nod off again, a slight pressure on her head and the sound of a velvety voice once again dragged her to the waking world.

"Nico-chan… you need to wake up." Nico's eyes fluttered open, trying to push through the morning grogginess that held her captive, before flipping herself over to face the direction of the angelic voice.

"Nngh. Just five more minutes… it's too early…" Nico mumbled, as she closed her eyes once more. A tired smirk crossed her face when the person next to her let out an exasperated sigh, before a painful tug on her ear made her shoot up straight on the bed. "Hey! What gives Maki! That really hurt you know." Glaring at the haughty grin that the redhead was shooting her way, Nico couldn't help but huff before turning away. "Jeez, it's too early for this. Besides, isn't it your day off? I thought we would be able to sleep in for a while."

"True, it is my day off. But do you remember why I have today off?" When Nico's pout shifted into a confused frown, Maki couldn't help but sigh again. "I swear Nico, how your forgetfulness hasn't gotten you in trouble yet is beyond me."

"I'm not forgetful! I totally remember what today is!" Maki's unimpressed stare made Nico fidget in her spot and run her hands through her long hair, thinking through all of the important dates that she could be forgetting.

Just as realization crossed her face, the patter of footsteps alerted the two women of another presence approaching their room. The door creaked open slowly, a small raven haired child silently making her way through the doorway. Seeing that the two women were awake, a large grin overtook her normally sharp features before she flung herself onto the bed. Bouncing on her knees, the girl clapped happily as she let out a silent cheer, causing Nico and Maki to both sport grins of their own.

"How could I forget? It's our little star's first day of school, isn't it?" She ruffled the little girl's hair, taking delight in the silent giggles that she let out before her hands were batted away.

Maki watched the two interact, her amethyst eyes sparkling as she watched her daughter bounce around the bed, mussing up the sheets before she rolled right onto Maki's lap. Chuckling, she pulled her daughter fully into her lap and wrapped her arms around the girl, resting her chin lightly on the top of her head.

"Emiko-chan, are you excited for your final year at elementary school? I bet Hanayo will have lots of fun things planned out for you and your classmates to do this year."

Looking down, she watched as the young girl rapidly started signing with her hands. "I'm super excited mom! This is going to be the best year ever! It'll be even better with aunt Hanayo as a teacher!" The beaming smile the girl had made the two older women sport grins of their own. Emiko's excited signing was interrupted by two fierce growls, causing both herself and her red haired mother to blush crimson. Taking her chin off of Emiko's head, she looked up at Nico, pulling her mouth into a large pout.

"Nico-mama, Emiko and I are hungry. Would you be a dear and go start breakfast while we go get dressed? I'm sure Emiko wants some extra time to get ready for her first day of class." Batting her eyelashes, Maki did her best to look like a kicked puppy.

Nico did her best to stay strong, even going so far as to look away, but a small tug at the hem of her large shirt drew her attention downwards. The sight of her daughter, lip quivering, and magenta eyes watering shattered any remaining resistance she might have had left.

"Grk! Alright, alright, you both can stop making those faces. Seriously, you look like I took a tomato and stomped on it." Nico grumbled. "Nico-mama will make a special Nico-nii breakfast to kick off the schoolyear!"

Jumping up off the bed, Nico held her hands up in her signature pose, giving a cheesy wink to the two left on the bed.

"Take your time getting ready, and I'll have everything ready by the time you both are finished."

Emiko clapped enthusiastically, climbing off the bed to give Nico a quick hug, before dashing out of the room to get prepared.

Nico watched her daughter leave with a warm smile, before the sound of sheets rustling drew her attention. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Maki lying on her stomach, chin propped up in her hands as she appraised Nico in the early morning light. Nico, dressed in an extra-long pink t-shirt that she used as nightwear, looked radiant in the early morning light that shone through the partially covered window.

Nico, seeing the redheads gaze on her, took a second to look her wife over as well. Dressed in a simple black t-shirt with a purple μ's logo above the breast and purple night shorts, Nico couldn't believe how lucky she was to be married to such a lovely woman. The shorts did nothing to hide the redhead's luscious legs, and the shirt was just one size too small, being Maki's since high school.

Meeting each other's gaze, Nico couldn't help but blush as a teasing twinkle entered Maki's eye. "Nico-chan is such a kind and caring mother. You try and act tough, but you're just a big softy around Emiko and I, aren't you?"

Nico scoffed, injecting as much sarcasm into her voice as possible. "Puh-lease! I am tough. I just happen to know that Emiko needs to eat a hearty breakfast every day if she wants to get as big and strong as me!" Puffing out her chest and resting her hands on her hips, Nico looked at Maki with a serious expression. A few seconds passed with them looking at each other, before Maki had to turn her head and stifle a giggle.

"H-hey! Stop laughing! I'm trying to be serious here!"

Crossing her arms with a pout, Nico watched Maki stand up from their bed, still giggling as she pulled Nico into a tender hug. "There there Nico-chan. I'm just playing with you, there's no need to get so cranky with me."

Burying herself into Maki's chest, Nico tried to say something, but her words were muffled beyond recognition.

"Nico, it's hard to understand you with your face buried in my chest." Maki admonished, yet still not making any effort to move.

Nico looked up into her wife's eyes and repeated what she had said. "I said, that having Nozomi as a neighbor has been a bad influence on you. Between the both of you, I'm surprised that Eli and I haven't gotten any gray hairs yet."

Maki only hummed and continued to hold onto Nico, relishing in the feel of her wife pressed against her. She never knew that her life would turn out like this. She always thought that she would grow up alone, and take over her family's hospital. At the very least, she expected to end up marrying a friend of her family, and learn to tolerate them at best. When Honoka had found her and asked her to compose Muse' first song, Maki had to admit that moment had drastically changed her life for the better.

Nico nudged Maki when she saw the younger woman get lost in thought. "Maki-chan, go get changed. I'm sure Emiko is waiting for you to help her with her uniform. I'll have breakfast ready by the time you both are done." Before Maki could say anything, Nico leaned up and pecked her on the lips, before dashing out of the bedroom with a laugh.

Shaking her head with a smile, Maki went to follow when the clock on her nightstand caught her eye. 'Damn! We better hurry up and get ready!'

Setting the last plate on the table, Nico proudly looked over her work. Three plates sat at their modest mahogany dinner table, each containing a helping of rice, alongside some eggs and bacon, coffee for Maki and herself, and a glass of juice for Emiko. She had even laid out Emiko's food into a face for Emiko, knowing that the small gesture would make her daughter happy.

Sitting down in her seat, Nico took a look at the ring on her finger as she waited for her wife and daughter to join her at the table. A simple platinum band, both her name and Maki's were engraved on the outside of the ring, while the inside contained Maki's surname. She blushed as she remembered the day she officially became a Nishikino. Some people thought that they had rushed into their marriage too fast, considering Maki had just graduated from high school at the time, but in Nico's opinion, life was too short to care about things like that. She loved Maki, and Maki loved her, that was all that mattered to them.

Now thirty-seven years old, Nico was able to say that she had no regrets on how she lived her life. She became the super idol she had always wanted to be, she married the only person to capture her heart, and now she gets to raise her beautiful daughter with the one she loves.

Her musings were interrupted by the soft thumping of footsteps coming down the stairwell. As Maki and Emiko both entered, Nico stood and swept an arm over the table in a grand display. "Ta-da! Eggs and bacon, with a side of rice. We also have some strawberries if you want some, since it's such a special occasion. Now c'mon, sit, sit!"

Taking their seats, the family said their thanks before Maki and Nico started to dig in. As she was about to take a bite, Emiko noticed how her food was arranged and silently giggled, before sending her mother a large smile. Turning to Maki, she lightly tugged on her sleeve to get her attention before pointing to her plate.

Maki looked over to see what her daughter wanted to show her, and couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "Nico-chan, you really are good at making people smile, aren't you?"

Swallowing a bite of rice, Nico pointed her chopsticks at Maki. "Of course I'm good at it! I may be retired now, but Nico-nii was the greatest Super Idol of her time! Making people happy like I did isn't a skill that will just fade away." Returning to her meal, Nico missed the playful eye roll that Maki sent in her direction.

Turning back to her daughter, Maki saw that she was already half way done with her meal. "Emiko, you need to slow down. You don't want to get a stomachache on the first day of school, do you?" Emiko stopped just as she was about to stuff a whole piece of bacon in her mouth. Instead, she took a small bite and chewed slowly, truly not wanting to make herself sick.

As the family finished up breakfast, Nico collected all of the dishes and set them back into the kitchen to be cleaned later. As she did that, Maki had walked up to her daughter's room, double checking to make sure that Emiko had all of her school supplies ready to go. "Alright, so we've already packed your pencils, pens, notebooks, a coloring book for your breaks, hmm…" Maki hummed, tapping her chin in thought. "I think that is everything…"

Emiko mirrored Maki's pose, also trying to think of anything else that she needed. Walking over to the tall mirror next to the door, she looked herself over to make sure her uniform was on correctly. Giving the mirror a smile, she was about to turn around when the sight of the small red bow around her neck gave her an idea.

Maki was startled when Emiko dashed out of the room, and was about to call after her when the girl in question rushed back in carrying a very familiar, and very nostalgic item.

A worn and slightly frayed red ribbon.

Bringing the ribbon up to her mother, Emiko nervously looked at her feet, before taking a deep breath and looking up to meet Maki's gaze. Setting the object into Maki's hand, Emiko quickly signed before she could lose her nerve. 'Mom... I know that this was mama's ribbon in high school, and that she gave it to you when you proposed to her, so it's super-duper important to you both, but I wanted to know if I could wear it… at least just for today?' Looking down, she braced herself for rejection. She stood there for a moment, expecting her mother to tell her to put the ribbon back but was pleasantly surprised when Maki pulled her into a gentle embrace.

"Of course you can wear it. I'm sure Nico-mama would also love to see you wearing her ribbon." Gently guiding her daughter to the bed, Maki hopped up behind her and held the ribbon up. "Is a ponytail alright for today? I don't want you to be late for school." Emiko's delighted nod was all the answer she needed.

Once her hair was done, Emiko ran back over to her mirror to admire her mothers' handiwork. Her pink eyes sparkled in delight as she took in the sight of the ribbon, tied into a neat little bow to hold up her hair. Spinning around, she tackled her mother onto her bed, giving her the best bear hug her small frame could muster.

Their attention was drawn away when they heard the 'snap' of a camera going off. Looking over her daughter, Maki caught sight of Nico standing in the doorway, phone out as she tried her best to stifle her laughter. "Pfft, you guys are so adorable that it should be illegal!" Her daughter and wife both crossing their arms and pouting pushed Nico over the edge, peals of laughter escaping her as she watched the two mirror each other's expressions of dismay.

"Nico-chan…" Maki's eye twitched as Nico held her sides, breathing deeply to try and cut off any more chuckles. "You plan on deleting that picture, right?" Standing, Maki brushed off her black slacks and adjusted the sleeves on her pink-striped white blouse.

Backing up a bit, Nico waved her phone in victory as Maki took a few steps towards her. "Nope! I already sent this one to the rest of μ's, so there's no chance of it getting deleted now!"

"Why you…" Maki's eyes narrowed as she got closer to Nico, who noticed the look in Maki's eye.

Nervously chuckling, Nico tried to back up again. "N-now Maki, let's not do any too hasty okay? Nico-mama will make it up to yoUUU!" Before she could turn tail and run Maki scooped up her wife and threw her over her shoulder. "AHHH PUT ME DOWWWN MAKI-CHAN! YOU'LL MESS UP MY DRESS!" Nico yelled, struggling to get out of the redheads' hold. Before she knew it Nico was gently dropped onto her daughter's bed, both Emiko and Maki looking at her with sinister grins adorning their faces.

"U-uh, c-can we talk this out?" Nico gulped when Emiko shook her head in denial, before both mother and daughter pounced on the smaller woman. "Haaaahahahaha! S-s-s-stop! Tickling me! P-p-please! I give, I-I give!" Nico writhed under the offending digits that poked and prodded at her sensitive sides, trying to curl up and cover herself.

Eventually Nico lost the strength to plead for mercy, so Maki and Emiko stopped their tickle attack to let Nico breathe. Body still jerking and tears in her eyes, Nico looked up at her wife and daughter with a pout. "You both are meanies…" Turning to Maki, Nico's voice raised into a whine. "You started this Maki, so you better take responsibility."

Smirking, Maki leaned forward, close enough that her breath ghosted over the raven-haired woman's face. "I think that can be arranged…" she murmured, swooping in to claim Nico's lips with her own.

The kiss was short and sweet, not wanting to go any farther with Emiko standing nearby, but still conveying their feelings for each other. Even after so many years, they both felt that electric tingle from every kiss they shared. Nico secretly hoped that the feeling would never fade.

A sharp knocking from downstairs startled the two apart. Maki raised an eyebrow, silently asking if Nico knew who it could be. Nico only shrugged before moving to go answer the door while Maki helped her daughter put on her schoolbag.

As she neared the door, whoever was on the other side started knocking again, even more rapid than before. Nico couldn't help but let out a groan of annoyance. "I'm coming already! Sheesh, people have no patience these days." Stepping up to the door, she looked through the peep hole, only to gasp in surprise. With a mighty swing, Nico tore the door open and grabbed the two who were standing behind it into a hug, careful not to squish the sleeping girl in Nozomi's arms. "Nozomi, Eli! You didn't tell me that you all were back from your trip to Russia!" Pulling back for the duo, Nico frowned as she looked around, seeing that someone was missing. "Hey, wait a minute… Where is Arina?"

Before Eli could get a word in, a stern voice spoke up from behind Nico. "Auntie Nico, I'm right behind you!" Facing the direction of the voice, Nico turned to find another blonde girl, not much shorter than she was, standing with her hands on her hips and green eyes boring into her own.

Hiding her giggles, Nozomi broke up the one-sided staring contest. "Nicocchi, you ran right past her when you came to hug us." Nozomi grinned when Eli could only put a hand on her temple and sigh.

Nico could only rub her head sheepishly, telling the younger girl that she was sorry. She pulled the younger girl into a hug as well, before she noticed that Arina was wearing the same uniform as her daughter and carrying her own schoolbag. "Y'know Ari, there is someone who will be even more excited than me to see you. You can go up and say hi, Emiko should be ready to go."

The little blonde's face lit up in excitement at the news. "Really?" When Nico nodded, the girl shot into the house, wanting to see her friend as soon as possible. Okay! I can't wait to tell Emiko-chan all about my trip!"

"Hey, no running in the house!" Eli called with her arm reached out, only to retract it when her words fell on deaf ears. "Jeez, that girl… Sorry about that Nico, on the plane ride home all she could talk about was how much she missed Emiko and how much she wanted to catch up when she got back."

Nico shrugged, waving Eli and Nozomi into her living room. "Don't worry about it. Emiko really missed Arina as well, so I'm sure she'll be happy to hear all about your trip." Nico took a seat in her recliner while Eli and Nozomi took a seat on the leather couch that occupied the back wall. "Speaking of your trip, when did you guys get back in, anyway? Maki and I didn't think you would make it back in time for the first day of school."

Adjusting herself to get comfortable, Nozomi spoke up. "Actually, we got back in just yesterday. Elicchi's mother really didn't want us to leave, but I didn't want Arina to miss her first day of school either. Besides, little Anna here was starting to miss home." She gestured to the still sleeping girl in her arms. Nico couldn't help but smile at the spitting image of Nozomi, with eyes just as verdantly green as her mother's when awake, to the purple hair worn in the same low twintails that Nozomi had sported in high school.

Drifting off into silence, Nico saw Eli looking down at her watch with a small frown. "Eli, is something wrong. You look like someone went and stole your parfait."

This comment earned Nico a small scowl, which had Nico snickering in amusement.

"No, I'm just worried we won't get our children to school on time. Wouldn't it seem like bad parenting if we can't even be punctual on the first day of school?" Eli sat back, tapping the arm of the couch as they all waited. Luckily for the blonde's sake, footsteps were heard coming down the stairs, Arina gripping Emiko's hand as they ran into the living room with bright smiles on their face, Maki not far behind.

"C'mon everyone, don't just sit there! Let's get going! Emiko and I are both super excited to see all of our friends again, isn't that right Emi?" The girl in question only nodded her head with a small blush dusting over her cheeks.

Maki walked up to the group, putting her hands on the children's shoulders to try and calm them down. "Good morning, Eli, Nozomi. I'm glad to see that you both are safely back from your trip." Shooting the couple a small smile, she continued. "While I would like to catch up, we should get going before they are late. We can talk on the way there."

The group all agreed, everyone standing and making their way to the front door. As everyone started to exit the house, Nico stopped and snapped her finger in surprise. "Shoot, I almost forgot something. I'll be right back Maki-chan, don't go too far without me!" Maki only shrugged as she watched her wife dash back into the house.

Not even a minute later, Nico popped back out, locking the door before making her way to their large group. "Sorry about that. Emiko-chan, here's your lunch! I couldn't let you suffer at the hands of those nasty school lunches, especially on your first day of class." Unzipping Emiko's schoolbag, Nico gently set the packed lunch in before resealing the bag.

Emiko beamed as she quickly signed with her free hand. 'Thank you mama, I love you'

Nico blushed at her daughters praise, but was quick to return the sentiment. "I love you too Emiko. Now let's go, your school awaits!"

As the group made their way towards the elementary school, Maki walked alongside Eli and Nozomi while Nico played around with the kids. "How was the trip Nozomi, Eli? Arina seemed to have lots of fun, the way she was talking to Emiko made it seem like she won the lottery."

Nozomi smiled as she adjusted the sleeping girl in her arms, leaning forward a bit to look past Eli. "Oh, it was very relaxing. Elicchi took us around her grandmother's hometown and showed us all of the sights. Her mother even brought out the photo album to show Arina and Anna all of Elicchi's embarrassing pictures." Nozomi grinned innocently while Eli sputtered, trying to rub the blush from her cheeks.

Maki smiled as she watched the two interact. Eli, who finally fought down her blush turned to Maki. "It was honestly great to see my mother and father. Ever since they moved back to Russia, it became a whole lot harder to visit them, so any chance we can get to see them is nice." Looking ahead of them, she caught a glance of her daughter and Emiko, holding hands and running circles around Nico and laughing when Nico started to get dizzy. "Although, it is great to be back. Arina would tell us non-stop about how she wanted to take Emiko to Russia someday, and how much she wished we could've taken her with us."

"Hmm, they sure have grown close over the years, haven't they?" Maki observed the way her daughter would smile at Arina, and how they always were an arm's reach away if they weren't already holding on to each other. "Though, I'm glad that they can rely on each other. Emiko can be so shy on her own, but when she is with Arina she becomes much more outgoing."

The trio all nodded their heads in agreement as they watched Nico try and pick her daughter up, only to stumble for a couple of steps before deciding that it wasn't such a great idea. Instead, she decided to tickle her, causing the girl to shudder in silent laughter as she tried to grab onto her mother's hands.

"Nicocchi sure does make a wonderful mom. I'm sure with the both of you as role models, Emiko will grow up to be and outstanding person." Nozomi praised, causing Maki to look away in embarrassment.

"T-thank you, Nozomi. You and Eli both are great parents as well."

Not long after, the gate to the elementary school became visible. Many parents were milling around, pleasantly chatting as the kids all ran up to their friends, happy to see them after the break.

Walking closer to the crowd, Maki and Eli looked around to try and spot some familiar faces while Nozomi and Nico stuck close to their kids.

Maki's attention was drawn to the sight of two gingers rapidly waving their hands in the air, signaling their group to go over.

Shaking her head with a sigh, Maki heard Eli chuckle as she too spotted her friends across the courtyard. "I think we found who we were looking for." The blonde said, gesturing for Nico and Nozomi back over to them.

"We might as well hurry up and get over there before Honoka and Rin cause even more of a ruckus. Emiko, do you want to go over and say high to all of your other aunts?" Maki looked down at her daughter, tilting her head in question.

Emiko nodded her head, dragging Arina towards the larger group on the other side of the school yard.

"Y'know, it really sounds weird when you say it out loud like that." Nico couldn't help but say as she tugged Maki along with her, Nozomi and Eli on their heels.

"But Nicocchi, aren't we all like family anyway? It isn't that strange that everyone in μ's would be considered an aunt to Emiko and Arina."

"I guess that's true, but who would've figured that we would all remain friends for so long? I sure didn't see that coming, that's for sure." Nico shrugged, before both herself and Maki were tackled into simultaneous hugs from their friends.

"Nico-chan!"

"Maki-chan nya!"

Nico and Maki could only look at each other helplessly as their friends squeezed the life out of them. Maki tried to shift out of Rin's grasp, only for the short haired woman to cling on tighter. Nico, on the other hand, tried to be as limp as possible in an attempt to keep her ribs from cracking. Luckily for them, another familiar voice came to their rescue.

"Honoka-chan, Rin-chan, I think they need to breathe." Both of the addressed women let go with sheepish laughs, Honoka rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. Nico looked towards the familiar ash haired woman who was dressed in a stylish business skirt and matching blouse. The woman shot all of the others a smile, sidling up next to her childhood friend.

"Thanks Kotori. Any longer and Emiko would have become an orphan." This earned Nico and elbow to the side, Maki shooting her a glare at the morbid remark.

"It's no problem, I'm just glad to help out. Besides, if Umi-chan were here she would have given Honoka-chan and Rin-chan a good scolding." Kotori shot her childhood friend a teasing smile, causing Rin to look away and start whistling while Honoka turned to her friends with a weak chuckle.

"Haha, sorry about that you guys, it's just good to see everyone all together again. It's not often we all get to meet up like this anymore. Or at least, most of us get to meet up."

Nico looked around, noticing that there were a few people missing from their group. "Now that you mention it, how come Umi and Tsubasa aren't here? I saw Hanayo over by the front of the building greeting her new students so I get why she isn't here, but what about the others?"

"Ah, Tsubasa-chan wasn't feeling too well, so she is still resting at home. She said it was up to me to take our daughter to school!" Honoka exclaimed, hands on her hips in pride.

Kotori giggled at her friend before turning to address the others. "Umi-chan is starting her first year as Otonokizaka's principle, so she had to be there for the opening ceremony alongside my mother."

"Oh. That uh, sounds like fun. I think." When that earned her another elbow to the side, Nico turned to glare at her wife. "What?"

Maki returned the glare, crossing her arms as she did so. "Don't be rude Nico. Umi worked hard to earn her position, you should be happy for her." Turning to Kotori, Maki gave her a small smile. "By the way, we'll have to come by sometime to congratulate her."

"That'd be great! I'm sure Umi-chan would like that."

Any more conversation was cut off by the crackling of an intercom. 'School will be in progress in 10 minutes. I repeat, school begins in 10 minutes. All teachers are asked to show their students to the classroom.'

"Looks like it's time for us to leave. C'mon Maki, let's go say goodbye to Emiko before we leave."

Taking the redhead's hand, Nico strolled over to where Hanayo was corralling children into a small group.

Maki walked up to the brown haired woman, greeting her with a small hug. "Good morning Hanayo. How was your break?"

Adjusting her glasses, Hanayo gave both Maki and Nico a bright smile. "Maki-chan, Nico-chan! It's great to see you guys. I had a wonderful break, but the twins kept Rin and myself busy for the most part. I'm just excited to have everyone's children in my class for their final year. What an odd coincidence…"

Nico and Maki turned to look at the group of kids, seeing many familiar faces. Those familiar faces all called out greetings to their 'aunts', smiling when they were returned.

Maki saw her daughter squeezing her way out of the crowd, and promptly squatted down to scoop her into a hug. "You have a good day at school Emiko. If you need help don't be afraid to ask Hanayo, and if she isn't around find another adult. And make sure to keep a pad of paper and pencil with you. Nico-mama and I will have our cell phones if you ever need to get a hold of us, and I tucked our numbers into your blazer's pocket for safekeeping." Maki would have kept going if her wife didn't drag her off of their daughter.

"Alright Maki, that's enough. She'll be fine, now let me say my goodbyes." Sending a blushing Maki away with a pat on the rear, Nico turned to give her daughter a hug of her own. "You have a great day at school, Emiko-chan. Me and your mother will swing by to pick you up once your class is over, okay?"

Emiko nodded, pecking her mother on the cheek and signing a quick 'I love you' before running back to all of her friends. Nico couldn't help but smile and shake her head when she saw her daughter immediately latch on to Arina's hand, causing the taller blonde to smile down at her.

"Yeah, she is definitely in good hands."

"Nicocchi, hurry up! Elicchi and I want to treat you and Maki to lunch."

"Be right there!" Nico shouted, casting a quick glance back at her daughter who was surrounding by friends and family, silently giggling at the antics of everyone else. Nico felt an exuberant smile cross her face as she went to meet up with her wife and friends.

'I have a feeling that this is going to be a great year.'