Wow thank you so much to all the reviewers/alerters/favers of the last chapter, I never expected such a big response to the story. I'm really enjoying writing this at the minute, hence the quick update. I really love Aunt May; I think she's fast becoming an extremely evil Stendan-er and her naughtiness is only just beginning. Hope you all enjoy this new chapter!

Ste Hay had been in many strange situations in his life but this had to be the strangest. Ten minutes earlier he'd finished his shift at the Deli and had by chance dropped by the Brady's to get a signature. Now he was sat at their dinner table with every pair of eyes at the table watching him. That wasn't the weirdest part, the weirdest part was Mr Ice King Brendan Brady (who Ste would have bet money was straight) had a hand on his leg like it was the most normal thing in the world.

'Is that stew nearly ready?' asked Aunt May, she had insisted that was what Ste should call her. 'You'd think she was catching the sheep herself, wouldn't you?'

Ste laughed nervously at her joke and tried to ignore the pressure Brendan was adding to his leg.

Aunt May turned her eyes back to Ste. 'Poor lad, you must be starving. You look like you haven't eaten in months; I hope our Brendan looks after you.'

'Of course I do,' said Brendan confidentially. 'Nothing's too much for my Stephen.'

Ste found himself choking on the glass of water he was just about to swallow. Up until ten minutes ago Brendan Brady hadn't even known he was alive. Cheryl and Brendan Brady had always been an enigma to him, a puzzle that he could never work out. They seemed to live separate but parallel lives to him and Amy, it was only when they needed events catering that their lives crossed.

'Is this true Ste?' asked Aunt May.

'Oh yes,' said Ste. He jumped up and let out a squeaking noise as Brendan began to stroke up and down his leg, the bastard! What type of man rubbed a stranger's leg so intimately? An arrogant one! The Irish man seemed to be enjoying Ste being the centre of his aunt's attention, like it was some game. Well two could play at this game. A part of Ste wished he'd held out for ten grand.

'So how did you and Brendan meet?'

Ste's eyes lit up at the question. 'Well that's a long story.' he caught Brendan's hand and gently moved it away from his leg, crushing his fingers as he did it. 'I caught Brendan walking home one night, he was crying because some guy had insulted his moustache.'

Nate snorted on the other side of the table.

Ste shot him a winning smile. 'So I took him into the Deli and made him a cup of coffee. It sort of all stemmed from that really.'

Brendan raised an eyebrow with an expression of disbelief on his face. 'It didn't quite happen like that Aunt May, Steven likes his little jokes. We met because young Steven couldn't keep his hands off me one night at the club. I kept saying no, but the lad desperately hung around me like some bad smell. Who can blame him really, ay?'

'Oh Brendan.' said Ste fondly patting his cheek. 'You pretend like you're this big man about the village, but deep down you're just a soft pussy cat. Don't you remember that night where you didn't sleep a wink because you watched me the whole night. What was it you said again? That you'd never known true beauty until that night.'

Brendan twitched a little. 'I'm sure Aunt May doesn't want to hear about that Stephen.'

The expression on Aunt May's face showed otherwise. 'I always know you were a sensitive soul deep down Brendan.'

'Oh yes,' said Ste. 'Our Bren is very sensitive.' He nuzzled his face into Brendan's neck. 'Touch me like that again and I will tell her you cry at baby animals.' he whispered, before placing one single kiss on his neck and pulling away.

Brendan opened and closed his mouth; the kid had a lot of nerve. He was beginning to realise perhaps it wasn't Aunt May he should be worrying about but the young man he'd invited into his home.

'Dinner's ready!' said Cheryl cheerfully, she carried in a dish and placed it in the middle of the table. She glanced around the table. 'Have I missed something?'

'We were just hearing some of the finer details about Ste and Brendan's relationship.' said Nate quickly.

'So what do you do for a living Ste?' asked Aunt May, she seemed to have little interest in Nate.

'I own and run a Deli.'

'Oh,' said Aunt May approvingly, 'A business man like our Brendan.' She lifted up the lid on the stew and sniffed. 'I hope what you cook is better than this stew.'

'I think Cheryl's a wonderful cook.' said Nate bravely.

'You're a good liar,' said Aunt May. 'That'll serve you well when the two of you get married.'

Ste glanced around the table at everyone; this was perhaps one of the most awkward family dinners he'd ever attended.

'Stephen's a great cook.' said Brendan, breaking the tension. He lifted up the lid on the stew and started to ladle it onto everyone's plates.

'How would you know?' asked Ste teasingly. 'All you ever order is a jam sandwich and a latte with too many sugars.'

Brendan paused in the middle of his plating up and his blue eyes looked piercingly at Ste. 'I didn't know you were the one who prepared my order.'

'Saturday's the only day you come in; it's my usual day out back in the kitchen.' Ste tried to hide his blush. Why didn't Brendan realise it was impossible not to notice him? He was a mysterious figure who only appeared in the village late in the evenings and seemed to have little time for anyone but his sister. No wonder everyone in the village seemed to talk about/watch him at some point. Amy's ex Lee had once joked that he thought the man was a vampire. He was pretty sure that nosey Dianne would give her right arm to be sat where Ste was now.

'You own a horse don't you Nate?' asked Aunt May, breaking the tension between Ste and Brendan.

'Yes,' said Nate warmly, a look of surprise on his face that the older lady had remembered he was still there.

'How did the poor thing end up in this stew?'

Ste dropped his fork and dived under the table after it, silently shaking with laughter under the table. When he emerged again he noticed that Cheryl had an expression of distaste on her face.

'This is awful, isn't?' she asked them.

Ste glanced down at his plate which consisted of lumpy gravy and stringy looking meat. Even without trying it he could tell that the vegetables would most likely be hard.

'How about I order us a take-away?' asked Nate diplomatically.

'Don't do that.' Said Ste quickly. 'If you've got some eggs I could make us all a few omelettes.' This is how ten minutes later Ste found himself in front of the Brady's cooker on his fourth omelette. He jumped as someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

'Sorry.' said Cheryl quietly, 'I didn't mean to startle you love.'

'That's alright.' said Ste. 'How are they enjoying the food?'

Cheryl smiled warmly at him. 'You'd think you'd cooked Aunt May a gourmet meal, she's enjoying it that much. I've never seen her take to anyone like she has you. Thank you for saving the night.'

'No problem.' flushed Ste. He was growing to like Cheryl; he'd never even spoke to her properly until today. She had seemed so unreachable, just like Brendan.

'I'm so glad Brendan's found someone like you, I was so worried about him for a while.'

Ste opened his mouth to answer, but closed it as he noticed Brendan standing behind the two of them. He grabbed a plate and slid Cheryl's omelette onto it. 'There you go another Ste Hay special.' he passed the plate over to her and then began making his own omelette.

'Thanks love,' she said warmly and winked at the two of them. 'I'll leave you both to it, no funny business in the kitchen boys.' she slipped out and headed towards the table.

Ste turned away and carried on making his omelette. He could feel Brendan's intense gaze on him the whole time.

'I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable earlier.' said Brendan so quietly that Ste nearly didn't hear him.

He didn't say a word and continued to focus on his omelette.

'I'm trying to figure out a riddle Stephen.' said Brendan quietly. 'How is it we've lived together in this village for three years and I've never noticed you before?'

'Maybe it's because I'm not worth noticing.' said Ste simply as he found a plate for his own omelette and slipped past Brendan to join Cheryl at the table.

'So Ste,' said Aunt May as he sat down. 'How long have you and Brendan been mixing business with pleasure?'

Ste dropped the fork he was raising to his mouth, thinking he'd misheard the woman.

Cheryl interrupted the silence. 'I was just telling Aunt May how you cater for quite a few of our Chez Chez events. We were wondering at what point during the night you two slipped off down into the cellar together, or is it the office?' she winked at him again.

Ste felt himself going red, it was almost a relief when Brendan slipped back next to him and put a reassuring arm round his shoulder.

'Lay off him Chez, he's trying to eat his dinner. I've never asked about the gruesome details of you and Nate's relationship.' said Brendan trying to hide how uncomfortable the topic of conversation was making him.

After the plates were cleared Ste wondered if it was coming close to the time where he could make his escape. The evening hadn't been that bad, bar the odd few awkward questions. He hated to admit it but he'd had quite a nice time with the Brady's. Even Brendan had been the perfect gentleman after the touching incident, only touching him enough as to not cause any suspicion that they were anything other than a couple.

'I think it's time for a movie.' said Aunt May placing herself right in the middle of Nate and Cheryl on the sofa. 'I've brought Gone with the Wind for us all to watch, just like we used to when you two were kids.'

Brendan pulled an expression that showed that those times were not happy childhood memories. 'I'm not watching that, that film is like never ending torture. I think that cat of yours threw itself under that car so it wouldn't have to watch it again. In fact I might just go follow its example.'

'Sit down Brendan.' said Aunt May coldly, she looked over at Ste and her eyes softened. 'Have you ever seen it before?'

'Err.' Ste tried to ignore Brendan's death glare. 'No I haven't.'

'Brilliant!' said Aunt May. 'It'll be an experience you'll never forget.'

'Yeh, because he'd have died of boredom by the end of it,' muttered Brendan under his breath.

Ste tried to look enthusiastic, remembering the five thousand pounds at the end of it all. He turned back towards the kitchen.

'Where are you going?' asked Aunt May.

'To get a chair.' said Ste.

'Don't be silly.' she pointed at Brendan. 'You can sit there, on his knee.'

Ste opened and closed his mouth. 'I couldn't...'

'He doesn't bite lad, just sit on his knee!' she barked.

Ste tentatively stepped forward, looking at Brendan for instruction. The businessman's expression was blank just like his own. He took one more step and tentatively sat on Brendan's knee, his back was straight and he barely dared to move.

'Now you.' said Aunt May, turning towards Nate. 'Prove to me you're not as gormless as you look and set up this DVD.'

A few hours later Ste found himself close to falling asleep, his eyes kept on closing and his head would tilt forward every few minutes. His awkwardness with the club owner had long since been abandoned and he had slipped into a more comfortable position on the older man's lap. Brendan, however, seemed to be getting more and more uncomfortable. For the past twenty minutes he had been awkwardly shifting underneath him and kept tugging at his collar as if the room was getting very hot.

Ste felt embarrassed to admit it, but it was getting close to his usual bedtime. He always took the opening shift at the Deli so he could be finish in time to pick the kids up from school. It was another reason why the only time he ever glimpsed Brendan was during the early hours of the morning.

'Poor lad.' said Aunt May as the ending credits finally rolled. 'You better put him to bed, he looks as if he's about to fall asleep any minute.'

'She's right.' said Ste, 'I really should be getting home.' He put a hand over his mouth to stifle a yawn.

Aunt May sat up as if an electric shock had gone through her. 'What on earth are you talking about? You can't walk home, not when you're this tired. You can stay here and sleep in Brendan's bed tonight.'

Brendan open and closed his mouth. 'I'm sure Stephen's got better things to be doing at home.'

Aunt May gave him a cold look. 'You know anyone would think you were ashamed of the poor lad. If he doesn't stay here tonight then I will think your relationship is all one big fairytale.' She let the statement simply hang in the air.

Ste sleepily raised his eyes up to meet Brendan's and for a second it seemed as if he could read his mind. He let out a sigh and knew he was going to regret his decision in the morning. 'You heard her Brendan; you better take me to bed.'