A/N: Hello darlings! So, here it is, Chapter One of 'Let it Be' (credit for the title goes to VampireGleekxx who suggested it to me. I totally, totally love the Beatles and as soon as it was suggested I thought it would be perfect!). It's slightly different to 'Not Another One' and 'Just Watch Me' - at the beginning, at least. You'll find out why when you start reading!
Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this! :)
"Katy?" Jack called softly, knocking on the teenager's bedroom door. He hadn't heard her come in in the early hours of the morning, but he didn't most mornings. Pushing open the door slightly, he saw that the curtains were still drawn. In the dim light of the room, Jack saw the covers bunched up in the middle of the bed and smiled, shaking his head.
Closing the door quietly, he retreated, picked up his jacket and headed out of the flat. After the night before at Ray's flat he had a pounding headache and was looking forward to getting his head down in the office of the boxing gym.
"Ronnie." He said as enthusiastically as he could manage, answering the call from his wife. "How are you? How are the kids?"
"Yeah, we're fine thanks. How was Ray's?"
"Quiet…" Jack lied.
There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Liar!" Ronnie laughed. Jack chuckled. "Did you have a good time?"
"Yeah, it was good."
"Did Katy get in alright?" Ronnie asked, barely giving him time to finish his sentence. "She didn't text me."
"I looked in on her this morning." Jack assured her, wedging his phone between his ear and his shoulder as he unlocked the door to the gym. "She hasn't surfaced yet."
"Are you surprised? She hates mornings at the best of times and the club doesn't close 'til three." His wife chuckled. "Anyway, today's her day off, isn't it? Katy'll probably stay in bed 'til this afternoon."
Jack flipped the lights and went down the steps. "That's true. Listen, babe, I've gotta go…"
"You got a hangover?" Ronnie asked knowingly.
"Just a little one."
She chuckled again. "Alright, I'll speak to you later."
Smiling, Jack shook his head as he hung up. Putting his phone down on the desk, he flipped through the envelopes he'd collected from the post box. Sighing, he dropped them on the desk and settled himself on the sofa for a nap.
x-x
"Maybe Katy found it?" Ben suggested anxiously. He and Jay were in the Arches, trying to work out how they were going to find the photo frame that had killed Heather. "I mean, you let her know Jean had it, right?"
"Yeah, but she never text back." Jay snapped at him.
"Is she working today?"
The older boy shrugged. "I dunno! Probably… it's Saturday."
"Right… let's get the spare key to the flat and go and have a look." Ben suggested standing up.
"Spare key?"
"Yeah, Roxy's one. It's on the hook in the kitchen."
Jay shook his head. "We can't just go into the flat and hunt around her room?" He hissed.
"She won't know!"
"What if someone comes back? What if she's not at work today?"
"We'll ring the bell first." Ben said, thinking on his feet. "If no one answers we'll let ourselves in. Then if someone comes back we'll… if it's Jack we'll say Katy sent us to get something with her key and if it's Katy then we'll just tell her… we'll tell her that Roxy said I could borrow a CD or something."
"That is rubbish."
Ben shrugged. "Well let's at least try it."
With a sigh, Jay nodded. Taking off his overalls, he locked the door of the garage behind him and they made their way home to pick up the key. Outside the flat, Ben rang the bell and spoke into the intercom. They waited a couple of minutes and, when there was no answer or any sign that there was anyone inside, he inserted the key in the lock and turned it.
"I still ain't sure about this…" Jay muttered as Ben unlocked the flat door and went inside.
Closing the door behind them, Jay followed the younger boy into Katy's bedroom. The curtains were still drawn and the duvet was all bunched up. With a sigh, Ben tidied it quickly, pulling the curtains open. Jay looked around the room awkwardly, not wanting to go through Katy and Roxy's things.
Ben, however, did not share his qualms and began rooting through his cousins' belongings, opening drawers and rummaging around inside. He even lifted the mattress in Ruby's cot to check underneath it. Jay shoved him and replaced the mattress carefully.
"Help me then!" Ben snapped.
Sighing and rolling his eyes, Jay gingerly prodded a pile of neatly folded clothes before turning his attention to the wardrobe.
"It ain't here." The older boy sighed after about twenty minutes of searching the room.
"Maybe it's in the living room? Or Ronnie's room?" Ben suggested.
"Don't be thick!" Jay snapped. "Katy's not an idiot."
"Alright. So it ain't here." Ben agreed with a sigh. "Come on, let's get out of here before someone comes back."
No sooner had they opened the bedroom door, however, than the flat door opened as well. Jay swore under his breath as Jack walked in. He narrowed his eyes at the two teenage boys standing in his living room.
"What are you two doing in here?" He demanded suspiciously.
"Katy asked me to come and get her a jacket." Ben said quickly. "She gave me her keys…"
"Right. You better get her a jacket then." Jack answered, turning away to put the kettle on.
After a hurried, silent argument, Ben returned to the teenager's bedroom and grabbed a denim jacket off the back of the chair at her dressing table. They said a hurried goodbye to Jack and almost raced each other out of the flat and back to the house. Thankfully Phil and Shirley were both out when they got there, so the boys were able to talk freely.
"We'll put her jacket in our wardrobe until we can get it back in her room." Ben said. "So, we know Katy doesn't have it, so either Jean's still got it or it went in that rubbish van."
"But we can't go back and look through the stuff at the Vic. Jean would do her nut!"
x-x
"Yeah, I'm feeling much better now thanks babe." Jack chuckled, taking a gulp of his tea and sitting on the sofa. "A kip in the gym and a couple of brews sorted me right out."
"Have you seen Michael today? How's the baby?" Ronnie asked.
Jack leant forward to put his mug on the coffee table and swapped his mobile to the other ear. "Yeah, apparently she's getting there. He said Janine's doing worse than Scarlett."
"I can believe that. It can't be easy having such a premature baby."
"Yeah." Her husband agreed, turning on the TV and pressing the mute button before the sound reached his wife on the other end of the line. Ronnie hated it when he was watching TV at the same time as talking to her.
"Have you seen Katy yet today?" Ronnie asked, laughing softly.
Jack chuckled. "Nah, but her curtains are open now and her bed's made… well, as made as it ever is, so I'm guessing she's gone out. Ben and Jay said she'd sent them to get her a jacket, so she's probably with them and Lola. I dunno…"
"That's good. Billy will be glad." His wife said. "He's been on at me to get Katy to spend some time with Lola to talk about being a teenage mum."
"Lola will have it harder than Katy, I reckon."
"How'd you work that one out?"
Taking a sip of tea before he answered, Jack shrugged. "Lola hasn't got you looking out for her, has she?"
"'Course she has. She's family."
"Well, yeah." Jack agreed. "But she's not Katy, is she?"
"No, she's not. Although what you mean by that I have no idea!"
"Come off it, Ron!" Her husband chuckled. "Katy's your princess, isn't she? Whatever she wants, she gets."
"No she doesn't! I don't spoil her." Ronnie argued, sounding offended. "She works hard. I just… help her out a bit. Anyway, if anyone spoils her it's you!"
Jack laughed. "Maybe. Anyway, what time are you home tomorrow?"
"About lunchtime. You know Roxy doesn't like early mornings!"
Jack laughed and said goodbye. He hung up and settled down on the sofa to watch whatever James Bond film they were showing before meeting his brothers at the Vic for a couple of pints later.