The last day of term was a Friday. Mai and Masako joined their classes together for the day so that everyone could watch Christmas films and play games. Many of the students had brought in gifts or cards for their teachers and so they piled them under the small Christmas tree in the corner of the classroom.

Mai held back a groan when she saw the large box Millie carried in. It was the size of a large shoebox and Mai dreaded to think what was inside.

The day was full of sugar and laughing. Mai and Masako had put 'team building' into the lesson plans and tried to bring some educational games in where possible.

They waved their students off at the end of the day with the odd tear. Millie accosted Mai and pulled her down so she could whisper in her ear.

"Don't open your present until you get home!"

She then ran off in the direction of Dr Davis's car.

Mai smiled after her, rather bemused. She saw off the last of her students and then walked with Masako back to the classroom. They sorted their various gifts, chatting all the while.

"...wanted to go to France again but Mum insisted we stay home this year. I think it's because her sister has been ill but Dad's still disappointed," Masako rambled. "He likes skiing. Or rather, he likes to pretend he's skiing. I think really he likes the snow and drinking."

Mai laughed and picked up her haul.

"I've never been skiing."

"Really? We should go, maybe February half term?"

"Yeah, maybe."

"What is that giant box?"

"A present from Millie," Mai said. "It's kind of heavy. I dread to think what's inside."

"You better tell me."

"Of course I'll tell you!" Mai said. "As long as you get that door for me…"

Once the two teachers had loaded up their cars, they hugged and bid each other farewell for the holidays. Mai climbed into her car and wiped away a tear. She was going to miss Masako, and her kids.

She drove home without the radio on and lugged everything up to her apartment in silence.

Mai set all her gifts down under her two foot tall tree and smiled. She took a picture and sent it to Masako before heading to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea.

When she returned to her living room, now with a cup of tea, Mai did not notice that anything was wrong for a good few minutes. She had flicked on her TV and was looking through the guide for something suitably entertaining to watch — the news was too depressing for this moment but maybe Come Dine With Me would be funny — when she saw it out of the corner of her eye.

Millie's present had opened.

Mai slowly put down her tea and leant forwards to get a better look. It had indeed been a wrapped shoebox and whatever had been inside had now escaped.

"Oh fuck…"

Mai doubled checked the box. She picked it up and looked inside, underneath where it had been and all around. She then checked the picture she had taken. The present had definitely been wrapped and closed.

"Fuck. No Mai, bad word, don't say fuck."

She took a deep breath and began to search her apartment methodically. It can't be that bad. Whatever it is, can't be that—

"Ahhhhh!"

Mai screamed as something touched her legs. She ran into her bedroom and shut the door quickly behind her.

"What the fuck was that? Where is my phone?"

But she had dropped it in her haste to run. Mai looked around for a weapon. The best she had were a pair of heels.

"Fuck."

Mai steeled herself and crept out. She just needed to get her phone. Then she could call for help.

"Oh."

She did not need help. She could see exactly what Millie's present had been. It was currently lapping at her tea with a large note attached to its collar.

Mai let her shoulders sag in relief. She walked up to the fluffy grey cat and detached the note. The cat looked warily up at Mai for a moment and then returned to drinking the tea.

The note read: Dear Miss Taneeyamar, this is Luna. Now you wont be lonely! Dont tell Dad! Love from Millie!

Mai groaned.

"Oh Millie…"

Mai put the note down and sweeped the cat up into her arms.

"Let's find you some food, and then we'll get you home."

She noted the tag on Luna's collar. It had a phone number. Mai found a tin of bone free cooked salmon and tipped it out onto a plate for the cat. Luna ate it greedily while Mai retrieved her phone from where she dropped it.

Mai typed in the phone number and hit 'phone'. She put it on speakerphone and waited for someone — presumably Dr Davis — to pick up.

"Hello, Oliver Davis speaking, who is this?"

"Hi, Dr Davis, this is Miss Taniyama, from Amelia's school?"

"Ah, Miss Taniyama, did Amelia forget something?"

Mai grimaced.

"Well, sort of, yes. She gave me a present today and it just escaped into my flat and I think you ought to come and collect it."

Dr Davis's tone changed abruptly.

"What did she do?"

"You have a cat, right? Grey fluffy thing called Luna?"

"Yes."

"Well Luna is eating a tin of salmon on my kitchen countertop right now…" Mai heard Dr Davis breathe in and out heavily. "Millie put a note on her collar saying that I wouldn't be lonely now."

Another heavy breath.

"I can't even be mad, she was trying to be nice to you," Dr Davis muttered finally. "I'll come and collect Luna now, I apologise for Amelia. Eugh. I can drop her off at my parents."

"There's no rush," Mai said quickly. "I can text you my address?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Dr Davis hung up.

Mai texted the address, saved his number to her phone, and then snapped a picture of Luna to send to Masako along with a detailed explanation.

Dr Davis arrived half an hour later looked rather harassed.

"Amelia is quite upset with you," he said as he entered Mai's flat.

"Why?"

"Because she said her note told you not to tell me, and the first thing you did was tell me…"

Mai had the grace to look ashamed of herself.

"Well, she's your cat, I thought you'd be worried!"

Dr Davis sighed.

"Luna is an outdoors cat usually, if I didn't see her for a day or two I wouldn't be too surprised. It was quite a clever plan on Amelia's part."

"Well I think it was very sweet of her," Mai said.

"Yes, I just wonder what happened to the chocolates she originally bought you," Dr Davis replied.

Mai laughed.

"Would you like a drink?"

"I should be getting back," Dr Davis said, looking away. "I shouldn't be imposing on you."

"You're not," Mai said quickly. "But anyway, Luna is in the living room, come with me."

They found Luna where Mai had left her, curled up on the sofa. Dr Davis lifted the cat into his arms and smiled at the animal.

"You've been on quite the adventure, hmm?"

"I have no idea how we didn't realise she was in that box all day."

"Yes, I imagine if the RSPCA found out, they would lock Amelia up for cruelty, perhaps I will tell her that. Luckily, Luna seems to be okay."

"She's a very chilled out cat," Mai commented.

"Yes, quite. I got her years ago, before I had Amelia, to convince my mother that I was fine on my own."

"Perhaps I should get a cat of my own to convince Millie," Mai mused.

"Or you could come to dinner," Dr Davis blurted.

He was looking away.

"I…"

"I think Amelia would forgive you for ratting on her if you did."

"I wouldn't want to impose on you like that."

"You wouldn't be. Not if you wanted to come."

"Well… I mean…" Mai's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish.

"It's okay, you don't have to. I just thought—"

"Can I be honest with you?" Mai blurted.

"Of course."

"I…" Mai closed her eyes and grimaced. "I have a bit of a crush on you." She opened her eyes, but refused to make eye contact. "And I don't think it's a good idea to encourage those feelings. You're a parent and I'm a teacher and Millie already has the wrong idea about our relationship and—"

"You are interested in me… Romantically?"

"Oh jeesh, this is so cringey, I'm so sorry."

"I don't have to pick Amelia up until later, if you'd like to dine just the two of us?"

Mai's eyes widened.

"But you went on that date with that other woman. Millie told me all about it!"

"Yes, because I thought you weren't interested. It went rather badly."

"But you're a parent! I can't date a parent!"

"Technically, I'm an uncle so—"

"But—"

"Just dinner," Dr Davis insisted.

"Dr Davis—"

"You can call me Oliver, you know."

"Oliver, oh fuck. Okay, just dinner then. Let me grab my jacket."

Mai scurried around for her jacket, keys and wallet. She followed Oliver and Luna out of the door and locked up.

"Masako is going to have so much fun if she finds out about this…"

"Masako?"

"The Year 1 teacher, she started at the same time as me."

"Ah. Well, come on then Miss Taniyama."

Mai laughed.

"You can call me by my first name too."

"I don't actually know your first name."

Mai laughed again as they reached Oliver's car.

"Mai, Mai Taniyama."

"Nice to meet you, Mai."

"It's very nice to meet you too, Oliver."

Dinner was successful. So they had another. They hid their relationship from Millie. She thought her father was going out with other friends. But after school, Mai and Oliver maintained the air of friendship that Millie had come to expect.

This continued for the rest of the school year.

As did Millie's attempts to set them up.

She forged a Valentine's Day card from her uncle to her teacher and gave it to Mai. Mai had shared it with Oliver that evening, and they had laughed about it.

"I'll save this for when she's older," Oliver had said. "She'll be mortified."

Millie also gave Mai an Easter Egg, supposedly from her uncle. Mai had accepted it and shared it with the class, much to Millie's annoyance.

The only other people that knew about Oliver and Mai's relationship were Masako, and Lin and Madoka, who often babysat. Mai did not want to gossip train at school cluing into the fact she was shacking up with a parent...

So when the Summer Holidays finally started, and Millie was no longer one of Mai's students. Oliver took some time off work and vowed to take Millie out for the day. Mai just so happened to be at the Natural History Museum at the same time.

And they just so happened to bump into each other in the Dinosaur Exhibit. And no one complained when Millie suggested Mai should walk around with them. And when Millie suggested that Mai hold Oliver's hand because dinosaurs were scary, Mai agreed wholeheartedly, as long as she could hold Millie's hand too.

"But I'm not scared," Millie declared, running off to watch the animatronics.

Once they were out of the Dinosaur Exhibit, Mai asked another question of Millie.

"Can I let go now?" She held up their entwined hands. "Now that it's not scary anymore."

"Uhhh…" Millie's eyes widened in momentary panic. "No! No you can't because you might get lost!"

"What about you though?" Mai asked. "Won't you get lost if I don't hold your hand?"

"No, I'm a big girl, I don't get lost."

Mai stifled a laugh.

"Where do you want to go next then?" Oliver asked.

"Fossils! Auntie Madoka said some of the fossils are as old as you Dad, is that true?"

"Some of them are even older," Oliver said. "Some of them are as old as Auntie Madoka."

"That's so old…"

They spent several more days together over the summer holidays. Mai even babysat a few days, so that Oliver did not use up too much of his annual leave and did not impose too much on his own parents.

On one of these occasions, Mai asked Millie an important question.

"Millie?"

"Hmm." She did not pause from her colouring in.

"Would you like it if I lived with you and your Dad?"

"Well it would be silly if you got married to him and didn't live here."

"We're not getting married yet," Mai said gently. "But we thought it'd be a good idea to try living together to see if we'd like to get married."

"Oh no, Dad wants to marry you. He told me," Millie said knowingly. "He said I can be a bridesmaid too. And that way you won't have to live in a cupboard at school all the time."

Mai almost choked.

"He said that, did he?"

"Oh yes. But Dad said that he was worried it was too soon to ask so he's going to wait to ask you properly. He's silly like that."

"Getting married is a big decision," Mai said. "He's right not to rush into it."

"But he loves you. And you love him, right?"

"I— Yes. I do."

"So I don't see why there is a problem. Grown ups are rubbish."

Mai decided to leave it at that.

Mai moved in with Oliver and Millie before the end of the Summer Holidays. When school started again, Millie cried when she realised she'd have a new teacher. But Mai assured her that Mr Brown was a good teacher and that she'd learn lots from him.

Millie didn't like it one bit.

Until Mr Brown told Millie in confidence that he thought that Mai and Oliver should get married. It had been Mai's suggestion. And as soon as Millie considered Mr Brown part of Team Get Mai and Oliver Married, things went much smoother.

They went even better when Mr Brown did a whole series of lessons on different marriage celebrations from around the world. He did have a degree in Religious Studies after all…

Oliver proposed exactly one year after the Luna incident. Mai said yes. Millie was overjoyed.

Mai cried with happiness when Millie started calling her 'Mum'.

They married the following summer in a fairytale-like wedding. Millie's idea of course. Mai formally adopted Millie as part of the process.

And they lived happily ever after.

Author's note: Last chapter! This was another "this was going to be a oneshot" story so... Please review :)