Chapter One

As the two troublesome teens entered Walford Tube Station both realised that they had no money. Stacey and Chris Slater were coming to Albert Square to live with their great uncle Charlie; although Charlie wasn't even aware that they were coming to live with him. Just last week their mother Jean had finally lost it and was sectioned; to avoid going into care Stacey lied that they were staying with relatives in a place called Walford. Chris was 10 years old; he had short brown hair and the cutest little face imaginable; it seemed to Chris that every woman he met noted on "how he'd be a looker when he grew up".

Stacey and Chris ran out of the tube station and as Stacey went to get settled in at the Slater house Chris decided to look around the place he would be calling home soon. He walked into a cafe where he found a stingy looking man behind the counter talking to a little blonde girl who was probobaly his daughter

"Please dad, it's just a tenner" said the blonde girl following her father as he placed some food on a table

"Lucy, you had your pocket money last week" said the man "No more until Saturday"

"But dad if I don't get something for Lizzie's birthday she'll hate me" said the girl crying "And then I'll have no friends"

"Fine" sighed the man pulling a five pound note out of the till and handing it to Lucy "But just five pounds OK"

"OK" said Lucy and she turned off the tears immediately. Chris was impressed on two accounts; one about Lucy turning on the tears and two that she had a £5 note whereas he had never seen one before. Chris cornered Lucy; she was quite pretty. Lucy wasn't looking where she was going when she bumped into Chris. She looked up at him. "Cute" she said to herself

"Quite impressive fake tears their" said Chris as he and Lucy headed down the market "Chris Slater". Chris held his hand out to Lucy; she took it and went slightly red

"Lucy Beale" she said "I've not seen you around"

"Just moved here; well hopefully moving here it hasn't been fully cleared yet" said Chris as he and Lucy sat on a bench in the middle of the square. Lucy hadn't taken her eye off Chris throughout their whole conversation

"What's your full name" said Lucy intrigued by the Artful Dodger type boy. He had a very cockney accent

"Christopher Brian Slater" he said in a fake posh voice. Lucy winced slightly

"What's up seen a ghost" asked Chris

"No" said Lucy "Didn't know you were a Slater; that's so cool"

"Why is that cool" said Chris. Being a Slater certainly wasn't cool to him

"Well all your relatives" said Lucy "I mean Zoe is so pretty; she gives me fashion advice. Kat owns a pub and your nana Mo is so funny". Chris didn't really know what Lucy was going on about; he did not know these people and couldn't even remember if he'd ever met them.

Stacey spotted Chris on the square

"Made a friend already I see" she said glancing at Lucy who looked uncomfortable. "I've cleared it with Uncle Charlie and he says it's fine; we can stay as long as we want to"

"Great" said Chris "See you around Lucy"

"Bye" said Lucy walking off; Chris realised he hadn't taken the fiver. He was going to but he quite liked Lucy; he'd made his first ever friend

"That you're girlfriend then" said Stacey as she guided her younger brother to his new home

"As if" said Chris walking in "Ahh, you must be me Uncle Charlie"

"Yes" said the rather old and fat man "And I'm very pleased you've come to stay. Now we've got to go to court today because of some buisness"

"Is it cos Little Mo got raped last year" said Stacey

"Watch your mouth" said a scary looking old woman "Alright Chris, you won't remember me will you? Well I'm your Nan; Mo"

"And I'm Kat" said a black haired woman "I'm the fun one"

"The easy one more like" said a pretty young brown haired girl. Kat gave her daughter a look "Alright Chris, I'm your cousin Zoe. We used to play football together when you was little; do you remember"

"Not really sorry" said Chris finally getting a word in edge ways "Are you OK with me staying"

"We're fine" said Charlie putting his arms around Stacey and Chris "I know we're taking off more than we can chew with you two but a Slater never turns his or her back on another Slater"

"Now you can either stay here with Garry and Stacey" said Charlie pointing Chris towards the slightly smelly looking middle aged man in the corner "Or you can go and have an explore and make some friend"

"Already made one" said Chris

"Really who" asked Zoe

"Girl called Lucy Beale" said Chris "Her dad seems like a right tight git though"

"That's one word for him" said Mo

As Stacey and Garry went in doors and the rest of the family headed off to court; Chris decided to have a little look around his new home