Author's note: I have no idea where this came from. It might have been a story that I had seen on the 'Lewis' page - a crossover with 'Silent Witness' featuring Dr Sam Ryan. It made me think of the last time that Kevin Whately and Amanda Burton appeared on screen together was many, many years ago, on a somewhat forgotten programme called 'Peak Practice'. I had loved the show and had adored those characters. It's rarely repeated these days and sadly never available to download or stream. But 'Lewis' fans may know that it was created and written by the same writer who wrote the fabulous 'Rambling Boys' episode, Lucy Gannon. She's always been one of my favourite television writers. Anyway, one afternoon - this story came out. It's got a couple of chapters to go and I have no idea if anyone remembers it but thought it would be fun to put it up in case there are any other 'Peak Practice' fans left out there.

'The Return'

Rated M for mature themes

Author Disclaimer: Most characters are not mine. I own Matty.

Chapter 1

She looked up at the building feeling nostalgic and devastated all at the same time. It was a home now. Someone else's home, a family's by the look of the toys in the garden. It hadn't been a home then of course. Although when she thought about it perhaps it had been in a way. Not her actual home, she didn't ever actually sleep there, although there were times when she might as well have. But it was in so many ways the focus of her entire life for a very long time.

It was a refuge. First from a disastrous relationship, which had left her alone and ashamed. And then a haven from the overwhelming grief after her father died. She poured her very being into it trying to preserve his legacy. While the world around her moved on, she did everything she could to keep this little part of the world exactly the same as if her father had never left. Often at the expense of her own personal life. She smirked. Well, at least until a cocky Geordie walked in the door and turned her nicely ordered, career focused life upside down.

So many memories. Mainly happy ones. It had helped her get over Michael. And it had helped her from falling in to the dark abyss of grief where she teetered at the edges for so long. She had done a lot of growing up in a short period of time.

She had made some her of closest friends during her time there. Had lost her parents. Had found her one true love. Lost her surrogate mother as well as a child. Had found her future.

Part of her felt guilt that she couldn't hold on to her father's dream, but the more rational side knew that it had helped her move on to set her own dreams. Follow her own path. She reflected that while there was some sadness there was more gratitude than anything else. If it hadn't been for this building, she certainly wouldn't be where she was now.

She turned to look out over the village and breathed deeply. It felt strange to be back. She hadn't set foot in the village for 22 years. Not even when they had returned to the UK over 15 years ago. They had been too focused on the trauma in their lives at that time to give the village any thought. Focused on purely getting what they needed from the finest doctors in London.

Once that traumatic period in their life was over they had considered visiting but most people they had known had also moved on. Or had made it clear they were not wanted. So they had moved to another rural town on the west coast of Wales. Close enough to get to London when they needed to and far enough away to pretend they didn't spend every waking day hoping they would never need to.

It was, in the end, a death that had brought them back to Cardale. One that she never realised would affect her in the way that it had. Alice had been the very essence of the village, a permanent fixture. And despite her illnesses and trials and tribulations, at the grand old age of 101, it was as if she was indestructible.

Chloe had been the one to tell her. They kept in touch regularly, phone calls over a bottle of wine, sharing photos of the kids and updates on their lives. They met up several times each year, visiting each other's homes. Chloe and James had even visited them in South Africa during their time there. It was a friendship that had surprised her. Although she had always cared for them greatly, had grown up with them in fact, it was Jack who had been closer to them in the latter days in Cardale. She and Chloe, on paper, never had much in common. Then she had become a mother and she found in Chloe a kindred spirit. Who at her worst moments had helped her piece herself back together. She held on to the friendship with a ferocity that surprised her and no doubt surprised Chloe. But it was a friendship and a love that was reciprocated and she supposed that she too had been there for Chloe in her darkest moments.

She had been desperate to come. She couldn't not. Despite the fact that she suspected that she was going to be made to feel very unwelcome by someone she once considered her best friend. Someone she thought would be in her life forever. Her loyal partner. Someone else who had helped her and who she had helped. She wasn't quite sure why she deserved the level of bitterness he had shown her. Or the abandonment.

She knew that he had been aware of what had brought them back from South Africa but he had never got in touch. He'd asked Chloe once, in an email, how it had gone. But Chloe rarely heard from him either. The odd Christmas card, which showed he had travelled to the states only to return to Derbyshire.

She had sent him a letter when she learned about the death of his daughter. She never got a reply. Her husband tried to pretend that he wasn't devastated by the way they had been treated. Tried not to show his hurt. It didn't feel deserved. All they had done was try to live their lives in the best way they knew how. And go where they felt they were needed most.

She doubted that his feelings were rational, and perhaps if she had pushed it, hadn't been thousands of miles away, she would have burst through his door as she had done on previous occasions and forced him to speak to her. But she was thousands of miles away, and a new mother, trying to be a doctor and a wife. And as he lost a child, she was faced with losing hers.

It was Chloe that had told her about the baby's condition when she was born. And it was Alice that had told her about the sad death and the seeming end of his second marriage. She had reached out, only to have the door slammed in her face.

She would have to face him tomorrow though. Knew he would be as devastated as she. If not more so. It was perhaps only her and Alice who had known how to pierce through that arrogant pompous act he always adopted when he was at his worst.

She wiped away a tear, surprised at it. She hadn't seen Alice for ten years. Alice had visited Chloe and James at their B&B in North Wales when she and her husband were there. It had been a fantastic time, reminiscing about the village, their childhoods, their loved ones, their friends. But the spectre of sadness wasn't far away. Alice had told them more about the traumatic event that she doubted the village would ever recover from. The tyrannical ex-soldier who had torn through the village with a callousness and evil that she thought could never exist in her home town.

She had known about the events of course. Chloe telling her to turn the tv on one day, calling for her husband as they watched the events unfold with growing horror and shock. She had called Alice who was too upset to say much. She had even tried Will's first wife, never her favourite person, but she had known even less than her at the time although was just as upset. There had been a rift between Will and his eldest children and despite how little she thought of Sarah it surprised to her to learn how much it obviously distressed her and she was trying to convince the boys to rush to their father.

She and her husband discussed travelling up there when she received another call from Sarah, updating her on Will's condition. Sarah had told Will about their conversation and it was made clear that their concern wasn't wanted. Maybe they should have gone anyway but neither of them could face causing him more distress. So they got on with their lives, checking in with Alice regularly but never contacting Will or Sarah again. They had thought they would never return to Cardale.

Until the phone call from Chloe. Until today.

She had left her husband at the Manor Hotel who was reminiscing with Rita who had bizarrely been called in from retirement to help manage the Manor until new tenants could be found. Chloe and James would be arriving soon. She wondered how they would feel being residents at their old home…

"Thought I might find you here."

She was jolted out of her reverie as her husband's arms wrapped around her stomach and felt his warm breath against her neck as he pulled her towards him. All this time. Nearly 25 years together, give or take a few months when they had fallen out. And he still made her shiver in anticipatory delight.

She supposed their relationship had somewhat settled from the passionate affair it had started out as. Parenthood and the passage of time does that. Although since their son had gone away to University it had reignited them in a way that had surprised her. And delighted her. They had never stopped being passionate, or stopped the fiery nature of their relationship that was always going to be present with two such headstrong people, but with it being just the two of them they had more time for each other. Her husband's semi-retirement had also helped. He was still trying to get her to do the same but she wasn't quite ready. Not yet.

"You okay pet?"

"Just reminiscing."

He squeezed her tighter and sighed, "It's weird. Almost as if the place hasn't changed, and yet so much has."

She nodded in agreement, "I didn't realise how much I missed it."

"Me either."

She turned in his arms, surprised, "Really?"

He nodded as his settled his arms around her, "I have a lot to thank this place for. I did a lot of growing up here in a short amount of time."

She laughed, despite their differences there was so much about them that was similar, "I was just thinking the same thing."

"Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if we stayed?" He nodded to the building behind him and she looked at it over his shoulder contemplating.

"I like to think we wouldn't be any different. I wonder if it would have been different for others though."

"Any regrets?"

She shook her head, "I've loved our life. I loved South Africa. If I have any regrets, it's not about the choices we made for ourselves…"

"We can't take responsibility for other people Beth."

"I know. But being here now, perhaps things would have worked out differently for Will if we had stayed."

Her husband sighed, "Maybe. Maybe not."

He looked down at her and smiled, "Come on. Enough of this. We are going to have plenty of time to be morose tomorrow. James text me, they were 30 minutes away 10 minutes ago and I promised to have a pint ready for him."

"Some things never change."

He grinned, "You wouldn't want me to."

"I really wouldn't."

He moved away and grabbed her hand to lead her down the steep drive back in to the village. She stopped and pulled at his hand to make him face her, him being just that little bit down the drive to make their heights a bit more equal.

"Just a few more minutes Jack."

He smiled at her and followed her gaze across the hill. A thousand memories assaulting them both. She felt Jack lightly tug at her and she moved towards him to accept his kiss. His hands reached up to cradle her face as he caressed her lips.

She pulled back slightly and smiled at him, "You aren't going to be up drinking with James *all* night are you?"

He smirked back at her in a way that made her grin in return, "Not bloody likely Dr Glover. Not when I've got you in my bed."