The Queen Vic was resplendent. Pristine, white coverings adorned every table, complete with gleaming cutlery, the finest white china, spotless champagne glasses and perfectly crafted arrangements of flowers. Wedding banners that congratulated the happy couple – Peggy and Archie – hung from every wall, sweeping between silvery balloons that bobbed and floated upon silken ribbons. Everything was perfect as the residents of the Square talked quietly amongst themselves.

Or at least it had been.

The door to the Vic slammed shut. Champagne glasses rattled on the nearby tables, the wedding decorations and balloons swayed beneath the force of the blow that locked Danielle and her lies outside forever. At the noise the murmurs inside the room abruptly ended, whispers dying on the tongues of the gossiping locals. Ronnie glared around the inside of the pub, her anger flaring dangerously in her eyes, challenging the wedding guests to utter one out of place word that would unleash her rage. No one spoke. They looked away, staring into drinks, fiddling with expensive cutlery, unable to meet her gaze. Ronnie dismissed them all with a look of contempt as she always did. Such petty people were beneath her. So unhappy with their own pathetic lives, they had to find amusement in the problems of others. She would be the talk of the Square, but what did it matter? They had no idea of what it meant to be her, to live a life in mourning, to carry the pain she bore.

The silence continued to reign over the reception party. Without a target to direct her anger towards, Ronnie felt her blood cool and she slumped against the wood of the door. How could she have not seen how unstable Danielle was? It was clear the abortion had pushed her over the edge. Even so, she closed her eyes, sighing as the young girl's words rang in her ears. "I'm Amy! I'm your Amy!" Danielle's voice screamed through her mind, dislodging the guard Ronnie kept around her heart. She had wanted to believe her, hoped against hope. She would have given anything…everything…to find truth in her claims, but Danielle had no proof, no locket to substantiate her pleas. And how could she? Her Amy was dead.

That gut-wrenching thought struck like a hammer-blow, driving a spike of grief into her heart before she could steel herself once again. Ronnie let out a slight sob and then drew in a deep breath, grabbing the locket that hung around her neck to restore her composure. The reassuring feel of the drop of silver was the shield that protected her from the world. As long as she had that, the unconditional love she held for her baby was enough to sustain her through anything. Quickly she blinked back tears, buried her hurt, and wiped the moisture from her eyes. Ronnie Mitchell's moment of weakness passed like a brief shower of summer rain. Seconds later it was if it had never been.

"Ron? Are you okay?" Ronnie looked up to see her sister standing before her. Tears glistened in her blue eyes, her face a picture of concern.

Ronnie offered Roxy a forced smile and touched her arm. "I'm fine, Rox. Honestly." The lie was effortless. She had years of experience at hiding her pain. Nineteen to be exact. "Just give me a few minutes to sort my makeup. I must look like a sight."

Roxy nodded. Putting aside their recent problems over Jack, she quickly hugged her sister, aware of how deeply Danielle's words would have affected her. "No change there then," she said with a slight laugh, attempting to make light of the situation. Releasing Ronnie, she was pleased to see her sister make an attempt to return the smile.

"Veronica?" That was Archie. Ronnie instinctively stiffened at the sound of his voice. Despite his apparent change, it was still difficult to be at ease around her father. There was too much history to simply overlook. Nevertheless, she held her ground as he approached, willing to hear him out following his earlier words of reassurance on the landing.

"V," he continued carefully, testing her mood. He had frozen with fear as Danielle had searched frantically for the locket. Suddenly his carefully crafted deceit had looked so flimsy, but with her now out of the picture, he knew that soothing words were all he needed to cement his victory and control over the situation. "Why don't you go and get yourself cleaned up. Forget about Danielle. The girl clearly needs help and I don't want her little scene to ruin Peggy's big day." Archie smiled. "Don't worry, you go, I'll take care of things out here." He placed a hand on her arm, and the other on Roxy's. "I just want my girls smiling."

Ronnie looked at her father, searching for any signs of deception, until at last she offered a weak smile and then moved across the bar, ignoring the collective stare from the guests that followed her every footstep. She moved quickly into the bathroom, found a mirror, and set about attempting to salvage her makeup. With a piece of tissue she dabbed away the mascara that had run from the corners of her eyes, then paused to stare at her own reflection.

For the first time Ronnie noticed each and every one of the slight lines that marred her skin. She traced her fingers across each one, noting the withdrawn, haunted look that had entered her blue eyes without her knowing. Ronnie sighed. She was tired, tired of hating, tired of fighting. At thirty four what did she have to show for it? No friends, no family of her own…nothing. Looking at the locket, she lifted it to her lips to kiss. Perhaps it was time to move on. Her baby was gone, dead for all those years. Although she could never truly forgive her father for taking Amy away, what now was she really holding out for? Unlike Danielle, Amy would never walk through her door and call her 'Mum'.

Finishing her makeup, Ronnie threw the tissue into the bin and stepped back into the bar. Directly opposite the doorway, her father stood smartly in his suit explaining the situation to their guests. Ronnie moved across to Peggy while listening to his words and lightly touched her shoulder in a show of support. Her aunt – now her step-mother – offered an affectionate smile as she moved past and took her place at the table. Roxy turned in her seat to check up on her, but Ronnie waved away her attention. She pointedly chose to overlook Jack's attempts to catch her eye. Whatever complicated feelings she had for him were not worth worrying about any longer. Roxy was welcome to him. If she was to make a fresh start, then it would be a total one. Ronnie looked at her father.

"…a troubled girl. Myself, my family – Veronica especially – have tried to help her but its clear that she needs professional assistance." Archie caught Ronnie's eye and saw her nod in agreement. In that moment he knew he had won. "Hopefully she'll get that, but I don't want her outburst to spoil this occasion. This is a new beginning." There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd. Archie smiled triumphantly and turned to his best man. "Now then Billy, why don't you try your speech a second time?"

"Actually," Ronnie interrupted, standing from her chair. "I would like to say something." The attention of the gathering swung her way. She could see their questioning looks, feel their eyes upon her, and for the first time she felt nervous in front of the residents of the Square. What she was about to admit wasn't easy. Ronnie Mitchell didn't discuss her emotions. She took a deep breath. It was time to address that, to make a change. "I've been unhappy for a long time…a long time…" She stalled, having not planned her speech. Her eyes met Archie's and he smiled encouragingly. "All I know is…you've changed."

Ronnie spoke directly to her father and lifted a glass from the table. She looked at it and laughed. "It's empty," she announced, prompting a ripple of shared amusement around the room. Roxy moved to choose another from the table in front of her and hand it towards her sister. Her aunt, however, got there first with a bottle of the finest champagne so Roxy put the glass back.

"Here you go, Ronnie love," Peggy said with a smile, filling the empty glass Ronnie held. "I think you could use this. We all could."

Ronnie smiled. It's was Peggy's wedding day and here she was fussing over her. She thanked her aunt as she placed the bottle back onto the table. Taking her refilled glass, Ronnie raised it in a toast and exclaimed, "To Dad."

"To Dad," the Vic said as one.

Archie smiled. He had his family, everything he had ever wanted. Victory was his.

The wedding celebrations commenced.

On a table, a glass went unnoticed.

In that glass, a locket was forgotten.