Michelle and Rob were both sat with their heads down, scribbling information into files and dates into diaries.

"It's a good job I've got you around you know!" Michelle said without lifting her head.

"Why's that boss?" Rob replied.

"All this paperwork's too much for two, never mind one!"

Rob looked up before smiling:

"Say it", he said, grinning.

"No, not again. You're not making me say it again," Michelle laughed.

"Go on, I'll tell you a secret if you do", Rob tempted her.

Michelle pursed her lips and stared him down.

"Okay, fine, but I'm saying it quickly and never again..."

"Go on..."

"Thank you for staying back to help me out and I love you loads and I much prefer you to Carla and..."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?"

Michelle spun around to face the door, the blinds were down so she couldn't see who it was but, no, it couldn't be...

She jumped out of her seat and forced the office door open... It was.

"Carla!" She screamed, running and leaping on her.

Carla was laughing, she wrapped her arms around Michelle so tightly that she thought she must be hurting her.

Michelle pulled away, still jumping about with her hands on Carla's shoulders.

"When did you? Why didn't you te-? Where have you...?" She didn't know what to ask first.

Rob was stood behind Michelle laughing.

"You knew she was coming back?!" She turned to Rob and slapped him on the arm, laughing.

"This was the secret! I was about to tell you! Anyway if I had done then we would have all missed out on that reaction, wouldn't we?" Rob replied, jokingly rubbing his arm better.

"Hey, hey" Carla replied, walking over to Rob and giving him a hug, before pulling Michelle in to join them, "you two are acting like brother and sister, that's our job isn't it mate?"

At that moment Carla moved her arm and pulled Rob into a headlock.

"Why did you not tell Michelle, you idiot?!" Carla said through a smile.

"That reaction was priceless Carla! Come on, I'm sorry okay, let go" Rob exclaimed, trying and failing to loosen his big sister's grip on him.

Michelle was laughing hard. Carla let go and made her way into the office with her friend following.

"That, is embarrassing." Michelle muttered to Carla as they walked away, leaving Rob on his knees, adjusting his creased shirt collar.

"So, how have you been?" Carla asked as she dropped into her old office chair, leaving Michelle to take a place at Rob's desk.

"Same old. Well, Ryan moved back and we've had plenty of trouble with him, but I'll catch you up on that when I know more myself. Where have you even been Carla?"

Carla decided not to press her friend on the mention of Ryan, noting how her head dropped when she talked about him. She clearly didn't want to go into that.

"Well we spent the last couple of months back in L.A. actually. Ended up there after one of Peter's mates said he was going."

"How is Peter?" Michelle finally asked after hearing Carla bring him up.

"He's much better, he's great. He's back to his old self, and he's going to stay that way." Carla smiled: "thank you for asking."

A few seconds went by.

"God I've missed you." Carla broke the silence. "You don't even know how much."

"Oh believe me, I do." Michelle responded, thinking about everything that had happened in the months that Carla had been gone, how much she'd needed her.

Carla studied her friend for a while, watching as she fiddled with a pen in her hands.

"Rovers?" She asked.

"I thought you'd never ask," Michelle said, looking up and grabbing her bag.

Carla put her arm around her as they left the office, finding Rob sat a machine giving them some peace.

"Come on Robbie, Rovers!" Carla said, holding out her hand. He smiled as he took her hand and kissed her gently on the knuckle.

"It's good to have you back." He said, standing up and wrapping his arm around her.