How things could have been.

For those of you who think a happy ending is better!

Alfie stood behind the bar smiling in his wife's direction, Kat was sat next to Ronnie on one of the corner sofas she had decorated a wonderfully extravagant silken red. The calm in the Vic was a darn sight different to the usual atmosphere, but he loved it!

Each woman was cradling a little boy - Ronnie a fair, curly haired baby, like a little pink pig - cute and Kat a chunky black haired chap with huge blue eyes - Alfie's boy! The new mums were smiling, laughing and chatting about…well he didn't know, but in a funny way he didn't need to. Because he knew they were happy and they deserved that - both of them. Their lives hadn't been easy to say the least, so he knew that whatever conversation they were having was about cheery things, neither wanted to talk about their past. Not now.

Mrs Moon gazed over at him and winked, then shook little Tommy's arm for him to wave at his daddy and Ronnie mirrored her actions in Jack's direction, only she called out "Hello daddy" and turned back to her friend.

His attention is grabbed when the pub doors swing open and two younger women waltz in, the younger versions of those women sat down. The best, proudest, most beautiful mistakes either of them had ever made.

One was carrying a baby girl - one and a half maybe two, blonde hair to match her own and little baby jeans. The other held the hand of her daughter, she was six and had lovely long dark hair and a flowing yellow dress, her nanna wouldn't approve! She preferred leopard print.

They carried on past the bar, Zoe leaned over it and gave Alfie a hug, his step daughter…more like real daughter now! Then they went over to their mothers, sat down with them and out their opinions into what seemed like a hysterically funny conversation. It wasn't long before Danielle and Ronnie swapped babies, bobbed them up and down on their knees.

"Go on, go and sit down." he heard a voice say, it was Vanessa. She had noticed him watching them, his little ready made family and closest friends. Jack was stood with them now, holding Ronnies hand and laughing along with them, Danielle nudged him. He must have said something rude, or inappropriate…standard for Mr Branning. Alfie did as he was told, of course he did.

"hello granddad" little Vivy, named after her great gran, Kat mum. She looked like Kat, when he squinted his eyes and when she yawned. He picked her up and gave her a cuddle, she giggled like Kat too!

Danielle's little girl is called Katy, after Danielle's other mum Katherine. Because although she's not there anymore and she isn't blood…she loved her, yeah because she looked after her. And even though she knows it's not possible - Danielle swears little Katy has Katherine's nose.

It doesn't take much for all of them to stay happy, just their family and a few jokes and even though everything is so different now to how they were a couple years back it felt right, yeah happy.