OK, lovelies. I have made a start on the next part of Katy Mitchell's story. I'm not ENTIRELY sure where it's headed yet – not that I was with 'Not Another One?' either until it got there!

Please let me know what you think!

Becki xxx

Katy struggled with the shopping bags in her hands. She was sure that walking back from the supermarket was a lot further than walking to the shop – especially as it was now raining heavily and the buses had decided to make her wait a long time before turning up.

She and her older sister, as well as baby James, had only been back in London a week, but already it felt like months to the teenager. After the sunshine, warmth and relaxed atmosphere of Malibu, the greyness of the English city was almost suffocating. Ronnie, being Ronnie, had organised everything before they'd left America – the flights, a flat, everything. Katy wasn't entirely sure why their being back in the country had to be such a secret. But it was.

Not even Roxy knew they were back. Katy had been forbidden from telling her friends either. The teenager guessed it was because Ronnie was terrified about how people would react if they went back to the Square – Jack and his family mainly. The blonde didn't want to flaunt her son in front of them now that they knew he wasn't a Branning at all; especially after letting Jack think he was his son for four and a half months.

On the other hand, the teenager really didn't care about not living on the Square at the moment. There were too many things that she was ashamed of to be able to look people in the face properly. Ronnie knew everything – Connor, the kiss with Jack, Michael, everything. No one else did.

They'd stayed in America for less than two months; a month and two weeks to be exact. It had been fun, but neither sister could completely relax. Although Katy's aunts and their families had made them feel totally welcome they were still painfully aware that they were living in someone else's house so, when Ronnie had come to her one day and suggested that it was time they thought about moving back to Britain Katy agreed immediately. Besides, she didn't want Ruby being born in America.

It was still raining as Katy banged her way through the front door and along the tiny, poky corridor of the flat she and her sister were renting. It was a complete dump; though nowhere near as bad as the flat she had her mother had lived in for several years.

"Is that you?" Ronnie called from upstairs. Katy pulled a face, wondering why her older sister asked such stupid questions. Of course it was her; who else would have let themselves in with a key and carted a loud of rustling shopping bags to the kitchen. Knowing better than to make a sarcastic remark, however, Katy just shouted back a confirming greeting.

Wincing slightly as she bent to start putting the shopping away, Katy put a hand on the side of her bump, easing herself back up to a standing position. There was no denying that she was massive now. Every time she went anywhere people gave her cautious looks; as though they thought she was about to pop at any moment. Sometimes it came in handy, like the cute guy carrying her bags onto and off the bus for her, but at other times it just made her feel incredibly uncomfortable with everyone looking at her.

Apart from the bump, the teenager looked very different to when she'd last been in the UK. Her hair, which had been shoulder-length, so black that it almost had a blue tinge and mercilessly straightened with a full fringe, was now auburn with a sweeping side-fringe. It was longer too and she'd stopped straightening it quite so much, letting it fall into the naturally loose, wavy curls that it wanted to.

Katy looked different in herself, as well. Although she'd put on weight throughout her pregnancy, it seemed to have fallen off her in other places. Her face was thinner than it had been, as were her arms and legs. Ronnie was worried, although she didn't say anything to alarm her sister.

The blonde looked exactly as she had done when they'd left Walford in April, except slightly more tanned. James had grown a lot. He was definitely Ronnie's son; he looked a lot like her. Katy had joked that he had Phil's hair, or rather lack of it, which hadn't really amused her sister. James was in a clingy stage, crying if anyone but Ronnie or Katy came near him, which was why the teenager had headed out to do the shopping alone.

Ronnie appeared, bouncing James on her hip, as Katy finished putting the food away in the fridge and cupboards. Handing the baby to her sister, Ronnie put the kettle on. Katy sat at the table, bouncing James on her knee and watched her sister almost vaguely. She found it difficult to sleep at the moment and was constantly tired.

"You should have left the shopping out. I'd have put it away." Ronnie said softly, taking in her sister's drooping eyelids worriedly. Katy shrugged.

"I've done it now."

"Why don't you go and have a lie down, then?" The woman persisted. Ronnie felt guilty for all the pressure she'd put on Katy in the early stages of her pregnancy while she was suffering from a mixture of guilt and depression. Now she was feeling so much better she was determined to make it up to her younger sister.

Katy shook her head. "No point… if by some miracle I manage to fall asleep there's no way I'll sleep tonight."

Ronnie sighed, trying not to get annoyed with the teenager for being difficult. Being stuck in this disgusting, dingy little flat wasn't what the blonde wanted for her five-month-old son or her pregnant teenage sister and it was making her irritable. She knew that it was having the same effect on Katy, but neither of them had verbalised these feeling to the other. It just hung in the air between them; heavy and irritating.

"Listen… I'm gonna go and email Rox." Katy said, standing up and moving James to her hip. "Don't worry… I won't tell her, I just want to speak to her, OK?"

"Yeah… d'you want me to take the baby?" Ronnie offered, holding out her arms.

"You have a break. I'll watch him for a bit." Her sister said smiling gently. Ronnie returned it, then instinctively wrapping her arms around the teenager. Katy closed her eyes, breathing in Ronnie's scent. It was comforting and calmed her down. The blonde kissed her temple affectionately. "See you in a bit."