"Hello to you too Jagger," said the woman cheerfully.
Her eyes fell on Alyssa.
"Explain, please Charlie," she ordered calmly.

Mick reached towards Alyssa, who instinctively moved away, out of his reach.
Her body trembled slightly. Years of her father's beating had made her afraid of men reaching towards her.

"This is Alyssa," Mick said, "She's being abused at home so we're adopting her."

The woman smiled.
"I have no objections. The house is big enough."

Charlie kissed her cheek.
"Thank you Shirley. Where are the others?"

"Krissy's in the garden, Patti's upstairs, Theo and Alex are in the kitchen and Mick's lot are in the living room I think."

Keith led the way to the kitchen, a large room tiled in grey with a long table, where two blonde girls were seated.

"Hello my darlings," said Keith, smiling.

"Hello Dad. Who's this?" asked the younger of the girls, gesturing to Alyssa.

"This is Alyssa. Her father is abusive so we're adopting her. Alyssa, this is Theodora, my eldest, who's the same age as you, and Alexandra, who's thirteen."

Theodora stood up, extending her hand to Alyssa with a smile.
"Nice to meet you Alyssa. If you're being adopted that'll make us sisters. You can call me Theo, most people do."

"Feel free to call me Alex too," Alexandra added, also shaking her hand.

Their friendly smiles and easy acceptance immediately made Alyssa feel at ease.

"Alex, go get your mother please," said Keith, cracking his knuckles as he sat in her vacated chair.

The door opposite the one they'd come through opened to admit Ronnie, a woman at his side.

Her dark hair was pulled into a high ponytail, gold hoop earrings glinting as she threw a coat onto a chair, scratching Shadow's ears.

"Krissy, meet Alyssa. Alyssa, my wife Krissy," said Ronnie.

"So you're being adopted?" Krissy asked as she shook Alyssa's hand.

"I...I think so."
She could still hardly believe it and pinched herself occasionally to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

Krissy smiled as Alexandra came back into the kitchen, followed by a woman she closely resembled, along with another woman, two boys and a girl.

"Alyssa, this is my beautiful wife Patti, and Mick's lot," Keith said with a smile.

Patti greeted Alyssa with the same warmth as her daughters and she liked her instantly.

Mick smiled at the other woman.
"Jasmine, my partner and my children, Austin, Calvin and Sally."

Mick's children didn't acknowledge her. Sally had her mother's auburn hair and looked around Alexandra's age, while the two boys looked older than Alyssa and closely resembled their father.

"Where have you put "Goddess in the Doorway" Dad?" Calvin asked.

"I've burned every copy except the one in his car," said Keith casually.

Calvin stared at him, his eyes wide with horror.

Keith let out a dry, smokey laugh as he searched his pockets.
"I'm joking. I think I saw a tape on the Stones room mantlepiece," he said, extracting a pack of cigarettes and flipping it open.

Patti glanced over at him as he pulled one out with his teeth and lit it.
"Have you got a reason for lighting that?"

"The last one wasn't long enough," Keith answered, exhaling a cloud of smoke as Jack jumped onto his knees.

Patti shook her head affectionately, filling the kettle and putting it on to boil.

"Throw me your lighter," Ronnie said to Keith, ignoring Shirley's disapproving mutter about smoking at the table.

He drew out the chair next to him.
"You can sit down by the way Alyssa."

Alyssa fiddled with the corner of her record cover as she sat, running her thumb over Mick's signature, then Ronnie's, Charlie's and Keith's.

She noticed Mick had left the room and leaned towards Ronnie.
"Are all Mick's children Jasmine's too?"

"No. Only Sally. The boys are from a previous relationship of Mick's," he replied, reaching over to steal an ashtray from Keith.

"Who wants tea?" Patti asked.

"I think an easier question would be 'who doesn't want tea'?" Charlie said as he fetched himself a mug.

"Here please Mum."
Theodora indicated a mug on the table.

Patti glanced at Alyssa.
"Would you like tea darling?"

Alyssa looked at her, her eyes filling with tears as she saw the kindness in the woman's expression, heard how easily the word "darling" passed her lips, as easily as "bitch" had passed her father's when he spoke to her.

She started to cry, overwhelmed by the idea she was in a house where people would call her "darling", especially as they weren't related to her and had no reason to.

Patti quickly wrapped an arm around her, rubbing her back.
"Ssh love. What's wrong?"

Alyssa gradually calmed down, breathing in the scent of Patti's orange perfume, head against her shoulder.
"You called me "darling." You didn't hit me for crying," she whispered.

Patti dried her eyes.
"You'll get used to endearments. We all use them casually here. As for hitting, the only type that happens in this household is in play unless someone-" She threw a pointed look at Keith "-is badly provoked."

"Your father must have been an absolute bastard if you've gone fifteen years without being called anything loving," Charlie commented.

"'Girl' was the most pleasant thing he called me," Alyssa said simply.

Everyone in the room stared at her in shock, total silence falling.

There was a flash of silver as a knife was thrown across the room, narrowly missing Krissy's head.
It landed, quivering, in the door and all eyes turned to Keith, who was on his feet.

He drained his mug, extinguished his cigarette and calmly left the room, removing the knife on his way out.

Theodora stood up.
"Leave him. He'll cool off himself," Patti told her.

"Who pissed in Keith's tea?" Mick asked as he crossed to the sink, avoiding Skye lying on the floor.

"The bastard who called himself Alyssa's father," said Ronnie, flicking ash off his cigarette.

Patti filled her husband's empty mug with tea and gave it to Alyssa, who thanked her as she took a sip.

Mick dropped into a chair next to Shirley, scratching Buddy under the jaw as he poured himself tea.

Once Alyssa finished her tea, Theodora smiled at her.
"Ready for a tour?" she asked.

She nodded, lifting her mug.

"Leave it. My boys are on dish duty." Mick smiled, sipping his tea.

Alyssa nodded again before following Keith's daughters out of the kitchen.

A/N
Happy birthday Keith Richards!!!
And happy wedding anniversary to Keith and Patti!