"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" came the shrill voice of little Tiffany Butcher through the bedroom windows. Amber sighed as she and Caitlin watched Chris sleep, curled up in a little ball on the sofa. It was meant to have been their first proper Christmas together as a family but Stacey had to go and ruin it by stabbing Janine Butcher. Amber was furious; with herself for getting her hopes up, with Stacey for ruining Christmas and with Chris for lying to her face every day for the past six months. His sister had killed someone and Chris had helped her cover it up, Amber was fuming
"That girl is so bloody annoying" said Caitlin drawing the curtains back from the flat and let the sun in, it was unusually sunny for a Boxing Day morning. Chris groaned as the sunlight hit his face and woke him up, he sat up stretched his arms out and rubbed his eyes.
"Not dead then" said Amber harshly; Chris looked hurt as Caitlin gave her sister a hard look. Amber shrugged and walked off
"Babe, c'mon there's no need for me and you to fall out" said Chris getting up and following his girlfriend into the kitchen. She didn't turn around to see him instead focusing on washing up some mugs "Look, I know yesterday didn't exactly go to plan as you wanted it to" he said. She turned around and gave him a glare that made him shiver slightly
"Didn't go to plan" she shouted "Didn't go to plan would be over cooking the turkey or Mo giving us horse instead of turkey not finding out that my boyfriends sister killed a man and then stole somebody's husband"
"Well I aint exactly thrilled about it babe" said Chris "How do you think I feel? Do you think it's easy for me to accept that?"
"Do you think it's fair that I gave up on my family again and again for you and your rotten family" she shouted pushing against his chest "I gave up everything for you because I loved you. Then you re-pay me by covering up a murder"
"Stacey would have gone down for life" Chris shouted back "Lily would've been left without her mum"
"She would've had us and Jean and Kat and Alfie" Amber shouted back "But look where we are now. Your sister broke up yet another marriage and stabbed somebody who is now in hospital probobaly dead. She's one away from becoming a serial killer"
"Janine aint dead you idiot" shouted Chris "And I know Stacey aint been a saint in all of this, but was I meant to do"
"Tell the truth and do the right thing you dick" Amber shouted back "I'm surprised you aint be done for perverting the cause of justice. Just get out Chris I don't wanna look at you". Picking up his jacket, Chris stormed out of the apartment and headed over to the Vic.
"Charlie Slater how have you kept your hear all of these years" Alfie was saying to himself as Chris entered the Vic.
"First sign of madness is that Alfie" said Chris "Talking to yourself"
"Oh ha-ha very funny" said Alfie making his way to the back where Chris was him having entered through the cellar door "Anyway, you alright"
"I've been better thing aint too good with Amber" said Chris "I don't get why she's so angry – if I'd told her I knew about Archie she'd have gone straight to the police"
Alfie patted Chris on the back as he made his way upstairs finding Jean being comforted by Mo in the living room of the Vic. Mo looked delighted when Chris entered the room
"Thank gawd you're here" she said making a break for the door at the first opportunity "Now be a good little boy and look after your mum". Mo exited the room and made her way downstairs, Jean was on the far end of the sofa looking out wide-eyed at nothing. Chris sat down next to her
"I don't want to talk to you" she said vacantly "This is all you fault"
"Oh here we go" sighed Chris getting up. Jean turned around and looked up at her youngest son "Here we go" he repeated "St. Stacey kills a man and breaks up yet another marriage and all of a sudden it is my fault"
"You should've been watching out for her better" said Jean angrily getting up "You should've been making sure she didn't do all of these things"
"Why?" shouted Chris angrily "Why should I? I'm 16 and she is 22 years sold. She made all of her own decisions and it aint my job to look after the mad bint"
"You're her brother" screamed Jean
"And your her mum" Chris shouted back "Where were you during all of this? Eh? Talking nonsense to somebody somewhere no doubt making a complete fool of yourself and me like you normally do". Jean slapped Chris hard around the face.
"What is it with you" Chris said quietly but angrily "What is it with you immediately jumping to blame me for anything that Stacey or Sean did. You complain about me being a handful and yeah I've gone off the rails at times but I've never killed anyone! I've never broken a marriage up and I'm not a complete raving nutter like Sean was. Look around mum, where are they? Not here, both of them have gone. And I'm the last one standing and yet you choose to push me away by treating me like this"
"Chris I'm sorry I slapped you" said Jean making her way towards her son but he pushed her away and stormed out of the room passed Kat who had been eavesdropping on the conversation. Chris sat down at the table in the Queen Vic kitchen before making his way out of the Vic and towards the tube station
Chris hated hospitals. Ever since his dad died he had always hated hospitals but he needed to be here today or else he was going to go mad. Looking around various rooms he eventually found his neighbour Pat Butcher sitting with her step-daughter Janine who had been stabbed in a room. Chris entered the room and made Pat jump
"What the hell are you doing here" she said angrily "Don't you think that you're sister and you're family have done enough"
"Why does everyone think that I'm responsible for them" said Chris "I've come here to make sure Janine's alright because believe it or not Pat I think Janine's the victim in all of this"
"That's big of you" said Pat "But why?"
"I know that Stacey weren't a saint and I know that Janine aint either" said Chris "But I am sick of everyone around me fighting; me and you for instance there was a time me and you got on"
"It was nice of you to come" said Pat "You're a kind boy Chris and I wish as much as everybody that all of this had never happened. Janine will survive; don't you worry"
"Cheers Pat" he said shooting the woman a genuine smile before leaving the room and heading back to the Square
Chris was making his way back to the Vic when the voice of Ryan Malloy running towards him distracted his attention
"What do you want" Chris said walking away from Ryan who kept on following him
"I just wondered if you'd heard from Stacey or Lily" said Ryan, he sounded desperate but Chris could not forgive Ryan for his behaviour over the past few months.
"Even if I'd heard from Stacey you would be the last person on my list that I would tell" said Chris angrily squaring up to Ryan "Now just stay away from me". Ryan tried to grab Chris's shoulder as he walked off but Chris instead turned around and punched the man straight in the mouth. Ryan fell to the floor looking shocked and Chris made his way into the Vic where he found Amber dropping off some big bin liners
"What's going on" Chris asked
"I'm kicking you out" said Amber "I'm done Chris, with you and your entire family. You can go to hell quite frankly".
Author Note: I've decided to bring back the Chris Slater storyline. The original should be floating about somewhere it has a lot of info on the type of person that Chris is if you're curious. Otherwise enjoy the story