Ok, so I'm hoping I haven't lost too many of my reviewers from Noughts, Crosses and a Not So Happy Ending and I hope this sequel doesn't disappoint anyone. Please R&R and feel free to be critical but only in constructive ways. Updates may be slow to start with because I need to reread Checkmate so that I get all my facts right.

Also this directly follows on from the one-shot What He Deserves.

Ly'all.

Together and Divided
Chapter One:
Sephy's POV:

"Our main story tonight: The County Prison has announced that Kamal Hadley has been killed by his cellmate. The cellmate who has yet to have been named is said to have beat Kamal Hadley to death. The former deputy prime minister was in jail for the abduction of his daughter Persephone Hadley and was…"

I didn't turn the TV off, but I stopped listening. I found myself lost in my thoughts even though I wasn't really sure what it was that I was thinking. I waited for myself to feel something, but nothing came. A picture of him - I still couldn't think of him as my Dad, but I couldn't think of him by his first name right now - was shown on the screen as the news reporter continued speak about him and his death.

His death. My father was dead. I found myself thinking back to when I was little and wanted nothing more for my Daddy to come home and stay home, back when all I wanted to hear was his voice say "Princess". Back when I was nïave enough to think he actually cared about me, Minerva and Mum. Back before I grew up and saw him for the bastard he really is. If he had died back then, back when he was my Daddy and I was his Princess then I would've been devastated. I would've probably screamed and shouted and denied it. I would've cried for days and I would've missed him with all my heart.

The fact was though, that he wasn't my Daddy anymore and a long time had passed since I was his Princess. So much had happened since then and I hated him now. I hated him when he was alive and nothing about that changed because he was now dead. I couldn't be one of these people who goes on about how great someone was because they're now dead. I couldn't see the good in him anymore. I wasn't sure there ever was any.

"Then why don't you drop dead" that had been my thought just before he kidnapped me. I couldn't even remember what it was he said to make me think it. I just remembered being worried because it wasn't one of those flying thoughts, it was how I really felt. I felt like I didn't care if he dropped dead at any moment. Now someone had arranged that for me and I proved my thought to be right. I didn't care.

I felt like I was being somewhat heartless because I didn't care, but I couldn't force myself to feel something that wasn't true. I went too long trying to be what the world wanted, to do what the world wanted. I spent too long being what was accepted and not who I really was. Not anymore, I know who am I now and I plan to stick by that. And a part of that is not faking things. I knew it would be hard, I was an expert faker, but I couldn't fake this even if I wanted to. Which I didn't, not really.

If anything I was regretful. I regretted that my father wasn't the man I thought he was when I was young and stupid. I regretting that Callie Rose would never be able to get to know either of her granddads. Both killed through jail. One through injustice. One though justice. I didn't regret that Callie Rose wouldn't know my father, but thinking about his death made me think of Ryan's death as well. I was regretful that she'd never know Ryan. I knew he never really liked me, but I'm sure he would've grown to love Callie Rose.

I wondered about the man who killed my father. Who was he? What had been his reasons? Was it a mad un-thought through action, or was it something he had been planning. He was a Cross so he wouldn't hang for it - another unfair thing about society. I didn't agree with hanging full stop. I found myself extremely curious about him. The majority of Noughts in this country wanted Kamal Hadley dead. At least all the of Liberation Militia would've happily killed him without a doubt. No one would've thought that his death would happen at the hands of a Cross.

I found myself feeling calm and full of relief and I hated it. My father was dead and I was relieved? That couldn't be right. I had to think about my family though, a think Kamal Hadley never did. His death meant he could never hurt me, Callum and Callie again. I was pretty sure Mum wouldn't be too upset about his death either. My sister on the other hand…

Minvera was in many ways like my father, however, I did believe she had actually feelings. She did care about people, she did care about her family. She cared about all of her family though. She always loved our father. His death was going to effect her badly. While the majority of the country would be celebrating, Minerva would be one of the only ones actually grieving. I actually couldn't think of anyone else who would miss him. It was sad in a way, but it was all his own doing. I wondered if Minvera had the news on and had heard about this.

I was about to walk up the stairs and see if she was watching it. If she wasn't I'd break the news myself. I was about to, but then another picture was flashed on the news. It had moved onto a different story now, but I recognised the man in the picture.

"In other news, Jude McGregor has been arrested on suspicion of the assault of Cross hairdresser Cara Imega."

I flicked the TV off after that. Life wasn't just going to settle down and leave us all alone was it? Of course not, I had never believed it would. Happy endings didn't exist, endings didn't exist. The story continues and as long as the story continues so do the problems. I didn't have much doubt that Jude had assaulted this girl, though. The reporter said suspicion, but I knew the police had been after Jude for ages. If they could pin something on him, they wouldn't let him go. How would Callum feel if Jude was in jail?

I tried to forget about Jude and went upstairs to check on my sister. Minvera and I were the only ones in the house. Mum and Meggie were out shopping - since everything that happened since Callum wasn't killed, Mum and Meggie had started to get their friendship back to how I remembered it when I was young. Good things did come out of life. Callum was out looking for a job, while Callie Rose was at nursery. I was the only one who was here to tell Minerva if she didn't already know.

I knocked on the door, something I always did now. If she told me to go away now, I did. With everything that had happened I felt like I had lost/was losing my sister. She had many of the same opinions as Dad. She always believed Ryan was guilty and, how did she put it? "The apple never falls far from the tree". She hated that Callum was living him, but she was outnumbered. The only reason she hadn't moved out was because she didn't have anywhere else to go. But at the end of the day we were still sisters. I knew we'd still always be there for each other when necessary.

'What?' she snapped.

'Can I come in?' I asked.

'Why not?' her voice was sarcastic, but I opened the door anyway. I couldn't just walk away this time. She needed to know if she didn't already. The second I saw her though, I knew she did know. All around her eyes was red, and there was tears running down my face. It still always scared me when I saw Minerva crying. Despite everything, the fact that I knew she wasn't as big and strong as she used to make out, she was still my big sister, and I still saw her as the strong one. Though I was sure she thought I was the strong one.

'You've heard?' I asked.

'What do you care?' she snapped again. I wasn't sure if she was really mad at me or just in need of someone to channel her anger at. I wasn't sure what to say, but Minerva continued, before I could think of something. 'You hated him, you're probably happy he's dead. Aren't you?'

'I…' I couldn't lie to her, but I couldn't tell the truth. I wasn't happy, but I wasn't upset either.

'See, you can't even deny it' Minerva said. 'Our Dad is dead and you're happy. You truly don't care about anyone but your blanker fiancée do you?'

'Don't call Callum that' I automatically defended him.

'Yeah, just like I thought. Callum first, everyone else last like it's always been' Minerva said. 'Just get out Persephone, don't come here pretending you care when it's obvious you couldn't give two hoots'

'Miner--'

'GO'

I did then. I walked back out, being sure to close her door behind me again. I went back into my bedroom and thought about what she had said. I knew she wasn't right, but I still found myself having to think about it. As I thought about it, I saw two things; first she was more like our father than I thought; and second that I probably did appear to rate Callum first. Probably because he was my childhood constant