A/N Been watching 'Chain Reaction' again, and I had an idea. What would have happened if Dennis had have been there when Tracy had a panic attack, instead of Mike? I then realised that there were a few days in between the first and second episodes in the third series, and so I decided to fill one of them with my idea. Hope you like it. :-)

Tracy POV

What a day that was. It was a few days after I fell down the stairs, yeah, the time Kitty pushed me. Well, Dennis decided to take over, and then, when I was at my lowest, he decided to take Mike away from me. It didn't go well, because... Well, I'll tell you the whole story, shall I? From the beginning...

I'd been feeling rough for a few days. Well, I did have a sprained wrist, and a cut that I had to put a new plaster on every morning (and that wasn't easy, when I had to use a mirror and do it myself, with a sprained wrist).

And Dennis was doing my head in.

OK, it was more than that

I was livid.

He was constantly putting Mike down, saying that everything he did was better than anything Mike had ever done.

And after all Mike had done for me, especially recently, that hurt.

A lot.

And I could see it was hurting Mike too, and that made it even worse.

And then, one day, it all got too much.

Mike had told me to talk to him if there was ever anything wrong, so he could help me.

But I couldn't.

Every time I tried to talk to Mike, every time he was alone, Dennis would turn up before I got a chance.

And neither of us dared to ask Dennis if we could have a minute to talk in private.

He probably wouldn't have let us anyway.

So, when the kids were in the living room, all yelling at each other, I broke.

I was basically a repeat of what had happened a few weeks ago. I walked in, trying to sort it out, and my body went into shock.

I felt my legs about to give way, and hoped someone would catch me.

And they did.

But it wasn't Mike.

I felt the hands grip me tight, making my breathing even harder than it already had been.

"Whoa!" said the voice of the person, and I immediately knew who it was.

Dennis.

As I fell the kids went from arguing to calling to me and Dennis, asking me if I was OK, worried looks on their faces.

And then I heard Mike.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Dennis let go of me as I got to the floor. "Stacy here is just being a drama queen."

"Stacy?" asked Mike, confused. "Oh my God, Tracy! What's happening?!"

He tried to run to me, but Dennis held his arm in the way.

"She just collapsed, she'll be fine," said Dennis.

Mike looked panicked as he realised what was happening. "No, she's, she's having a..."

Dennis turned to face him and cut him off.

"I said there was nothing wrong," said Dennis. He turned back to the kids. "Oi!"

Suddenly the room fell silent, apart from my breathing.

"Everyone, go to your rooms," he said.

Everyone froze for a minute, looking at Mike. He gave them a small, sad smile, admitting defeat, before they began to leave.

"And you," he said, looking at me, "are coming to the office with me, right, now."

I panicked even more. I needed Mike, to wrap his arms around me, to tell me everything was OK.

But Dennis wouldn't let him.

"Dennis," said Mike once all the kids had left. "Let me through."

"No," said Dennis. "She just needs to stop messing around, and if you start pampering her that will never happen." He knelt down next to me. "You come with me, right now, or there will be serious consequences."

I quickly nodded, standing up on shaky legs, trying to get my breathing under control. Mike tried to go to me, but Dennis stopped him again.

"I said no," he said.

He was treating Mike like a child, and I hated it. Mike and I both knew what would be best now, but Dennis wouldn't have listened to us even if we'd shouted it at the top of our lungs.

"Office," said Dennis, pointing in the direction I needed to go. He turned to Mike. "You'd better wait in the hall: I need to talk to Tracy by herself."

"But..." began Mike.

"Wait in the hall, and I'll talk to you when we're done," said Dennis. He then followed me to the office, leaving Mike standing there in shock.

When we got to the office, Dennis shut the door, and gestured for me to sit down.

"Right," he said, leaning closer to me. "What happened?"

"I, um, I..." I trailed off. The words were stuck in my throat, and I couldn't speak. "I need Mike."

This wasn't just that I wanted Mike, or thought Mike would help. This was that I needed him. Really needed him.

"Well, maybe you'll have to have me as a substitute instead," said Dennis, giving me a smile. Not a smile like Mike would give though. It was an evil smile, full of him knowing he was making me suffer.

"I need Mike," I said, tears coming to me eyes.

"Why?" asked Dennis. "Because he doesn't mind you being a drama queen? Because he makes you feel good about yourself even when you've done something wrong?"

"No, I..." I began.

"I bet that back there wasn't even a real panic attack," interrupted Dennis. "I think you just made it up to get attention."

And then I lost it.

But not in an angry way.

In a panicky way.

"No, I didn't make it up!" I said, tears beginning to make their way down my cheeks. "I didn't, I didn't, I didn't!"

"Turning on the waterworks won't work with me," said Dennis, folding his arms.

"I want Mike," I said, trying desperately not to scream it out. "I need Mike."

And then I didn't know what else to do.

"Please," I said. "Please, you have to believe me. I'd never make up something like that, and I'm not just trying to get attention. I'll try my hardest to sort myself out. Please."

And then Mike burst in.

"You leave her alone," he said. His voice was quiet, but very, very angry. "Tracy did just have a panic attack, and I will not listen to you telling her off any more. Understood?"

Dennis just smiled. "OK, well she'll be wanting peace and quiet then won't she?" He turned to his desk and handed me a pile of files. "Take these to the quiet room, and you can sort them in there."

I got up and began to leave the room. Mike tried to follow. But Dennis wasn't going to let him win that easily.

"Why don't we leave her alone for a bit?" he said. "She can tell us what happened when she comes back."

I felt tears come to my eyes as I went into the quiet room and sat down on the sofa. I needed Mike. I needed him, I needed him, I needed him!

I threw the files across the room before I lay back on the sofa, tears running down my face. I needed Mike, but Dennis wouldn't let me have him.

I realised then that he wanted me to suffer.

And there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Just then there was a knock at the door.

I quickly picked up the files, opened one, wiped the tears from my eyes, and put a smile on my face, before I called, "Come in."

I was right to put on an act. Dennis opened the door and came into the room.

"Just came to see how you were doing," he said. "I thought I heard some files fall on the floor, but I must have been wrong."

I gave a quick nod.

"Well, I'll leave you to it," he said. He gave another evil smile. "Come for dinner in a few hours, OK?"

He didn't wait for an answer as he left the room.

I felt the tears begin to roll down my cheeks again as soon as he'd gone. It wasn't fair. If he hadn't have been here, everything would have been fine. And even if I had have had another panic attack, Mike would have been here to comfort me.

Just then there was another knock at the door.

I went to wipe my tears away, and then I realised something.

This knock was much softer, much less frightening.

Could it be...

I gave a small smile as Mike opened the door.

"Hey," he said. "I heard what you said in the office, and I thought you might need a hug?"

I nodded gratefully as Mike wrapped his arms around me, making me feel safe.

"How did you get in here?" I asked.

Mike gave a smile, a warm, friendly one. "Johnny and Liam are staging some kind of massive disagreement that will probably end in a huge fight, so that Dennis has to sort it out." He gave a small laugh. "I think they were planning on the whole Dumping Ground taking sides, and having a mini war."

I smiled, before I realised something. "They're doing all that, for me?"

Mike nodded. "They know what happened, because they all saw it, and then Liam sat on the stairs and listened to the rest." He paused. "They just wanted to help in any way they could."

"Do they believe me then?" I asked anxiously.

Mike gave my shoulder a rub. "Of course they do," he said. "Most of them saw it a few weeks ago as well, and they know you wouldn't do something like this if it was made up."

I smiled, gripping onto Mike like my life depending on it, cherishing these precious moments.

Just then we heard footsteps.

"Dennis," said Mike. He quickly pulled away, before standing up and going to the door. "I'll be back when I can." He gave me a quick smile, before he left the room, closing the door behind him.

I sighed, before I nearly gasped as I heard what Mike said.

"I heard her crying, so I went in to see what was wrong, and she was just sitting there, absolutely fine, just making crying noises," he said. "You were right. She was putting it on. It's all just an act."

I heard him tap the door lightly as Dennis answered him, letting me know he was making it up. I gave a small smile, knowing Mike was on my side.

Just then there was a crash from upstairs.

I heard Dennis run up the stairs, and then Mike came back into the quiet room. He enveloped me in a hug straight away, letting me relax.

"You know what I said just then, it was made up, right?" asked Mike.

I gave a nod.

Mike sighed. "Good." He paused, looking at me. "I didn't want you to think I meant it."

"I know you didn't," I said. I was just exhausted, and wanted to stay here with Mike as long as I could, just sitting with him.

Mike seemed to sense that, and he didn't say anything, just began to stroke my hair, calming me.

After a minute he spoke up.

"What happened earlier?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"Dennis," I said. "He's just, he's horrible. And he's horrible to you, And I hate it."

"And that on top of Cam not being at home is too much?" Mike asked gently.

I gave a small nod, tears beginning to make their way down my cheeks again.

"Shh," said Mike gently, hugging me close. "It's OK, it's alright. I'm here. I'm looking after you now. Shh. Shh."

We sat there for a few minutes, me crying in his arms, him gently rocking me back and fourth, soothing me.

And then Dennis came in.

"What are you doing?" he asked. "I told you to leave her alone."

Mike took a deep breath, giving me a squeeze. "But I know what's best for Tracy," he said. He paused. "I've known her for years, and I don't have to explain myself to you."

"But I'm in charge," said Dennis.

"Not of how I treat Tracy," said Mike. "She's not a child, so you can't tell me what to do." He held me tighter, as if protecting me. "And you can't tell me what to do with the kids either. I know them, and I know what they need. And I'm going to treat them just as I always have: with kindness."

"That's why this place is out of control," said Dennis. "Because you aren't firm with the kids." He gestured to me. "And you need to be a bit more professional with your staff, especially during work hours."

I closed my eyes, desperately trying not to cry as Dennis told Mike off yet again.

But, unlike the times before, Mike stood up for himself.

"You can't tell me how to treat my staff," he said. "And Tracy's upset. She hasn't done anything wrong, so I'm allowed to comfort her." An angry look came to his eyes. "Or do you want me to just leave her to cry?"

"She needs..." began Dennis.

"Don't you dare tell me what Tracy needs," said Mike. "I've known her for a lot longer than you, and I won't let you push me around anymore."

Dennis gave one of his evil smiles, before he left the room.

I gave Mike a smile, before I sighed, knowing that we were only part way through of what would probably be a very long struggle...

A/N Hope you liked it. I would write the rest, but if you want to see it just watch the second episode, because it's between the two episodes. :-) Please review. :-)