Thank you for the reviews, I was a bit nervous posting it after such a long break. As you can see I have been taking creative liberties with the timeline.

2.

It seemed like an eternity that they stood there without anything being said as Nick regained his composure and Carla took a series of calming breaths.

"Is everything ok?" Leanne asked, coming up behind him. "Carla," she stammered, just as shocked as Nick was to see her one time friend, one time enemy stood just feet away.

Scared she would lose her nerve Carla made the first move. "Er … Is it ok if I come in? Please."

She hated herself for sounding so nervous, hated what being back here was doing to her equilibrium as she felt her heart beat speed up and the palms of her hands become sweaty inside her pocket.

"Sure," Leanne agreed, taking Nick by the hand in an almost possessive manner and leading the other woman inside.u

Standing at the edge of the sofa Carla watched as they both sat down, their eyes never leaving her as she ran through a million different ways to explain why she was here. "I guess you're wondering what's going on," she began. "Why I'm here … after so long."

"Just a bit," Leanne agreed.t

From his place on the sofa Nick could hear sounds mumbled around him but he couldn't seem to speak, for years he had tried to leave her in the past, to lock her away in a little box and never think about her again, but now she was here, stood just feet away from him looking more amazing than ever before.

Lifting his eyes he took in the natural wave of her hair, the depths of her eyes and the sun kissed glow of her skin as his gaze travelled downwards over her tiny curved waist and ridiculously long legs, unlike most people he knew the last 7 years had been good to her, she looked happy, healthy and in control.

"Michelle. She called me, told me about what was happening … with Mason," Carla began shifting her weight nervously from one foot to the other.

"I don't see how that is any of your business," Leanne spat, her protective instincts taking over as her thoughts turned to the little boy sleeping upstairs.

Casting a quick glance over her shoulder she wanted to run, to go back to the hotel, wrap her arms around her daughter and take her as far away from here as possible. Away from all the pain, bitterness and lies that surrounded her past.

"You see the things is … the bone marrow donor … it's … she's … Summer … a little girl … my little girl … Michelle she begged me, Jake … he said it was a long shot, that the odds were small but apparently not that small because she's a perfect match," Carla whispered, not really sure if she was making any sense but needing to get the truth out there.

Leanne's eyes clouded over with confusion. "I don't understand," she breathed. "The transplant coordinator said they found a match in America, an anonymous match."

"And for the most part that's true," Carla nodded, realizing this was going to be a lot harder than she ever imagined as Nick remained silent, his eyes never leaving her.

Leanne stood up and faced the woman that she still blamed for so much of her past heartache. "Carla. Please, you're really not making any sense so … just tell us … what has Mason's donor got to do with you?"

Taking a long deep breath Carla sat down on the empty chair, her eyes darting between Nick and Leanne as the latter sat back down and slid her arm around him making a silent unspoken gesture that made it loud and clear that he was hers now.

"Michelle called and explained the situation to me, that you had been waiting for a donor for months and time was running out, she didn't want to because she knew what it would mean but she also knew what it would mean if you didn't find one," Carla began, deciding to start at the beginning of the most recent chapter.

"What has Michelle-"

Carla stood up again. "Please, just let me finish because if I don't say it now then … I might lose my nerve."

"Ok," Leanne agreed.

From his place on the sofa Nick nodded, the pieces already starting to fit together in his head. "Ok," he echoed.

"She called me because of her, because of Summer, my little-girl … your little-girl Nick," Carla finally admitted her breath catching in her chest because now that the truth was out there she knew there was no taking it back.

Nick stood up, slowly and cautiously he walked towards her. "My little-girl?" he repeated, needing to hear her say it again.

"Yes," Carla confirmed. "Summer is your daughter, when I left here I was pregnant."

Swallowing past the lump in his throat Nick clenched his fists in front of him. "Did you know?"

A few seconds went by in absolute silence. "Yes. I found out that morning."

"You should have told me," he half-said, half-growled his anger at the situation growing by the second.

"Probably, yes," Carla agreed. "But I can't change that now."

Nick closed his eyes, trying to block out all of the emotions that were swirling around inside his head creating a noise so loud he didn't know what to think or feel. "Why?" he asked, finally finding his voice again. "After everything … why … I didn't deserve this Carla … you had no right."

"When I left here for Devon I planned on telling you. I was going to wait a few weeks, let things calm down and then I was going to tell you everything … but when I got to Devon I was a mess … I did things and … things I'm so ashamed of … things that could have really hurt her but they didn't … she survived … all of my mistakes and selfish actions … she survived and when I had the scan, when I saw her I knew that I had to get better, that I had to be a better person so I could be the mother she deserved. It was never about hurting you Nick, or punishing you it was about keeping my head above water and I knew that the place I was in back then … it was dark and coming back here would only have made it worse," Carla paused, sitting down again as she felt two pairs of eyes burning into her.

Looking down at her hands she started speak again, her voice barely audible above the pounding of her heart. "I know it was selfish but back then it seemed like the only choice I had. One day I just found myself at the airport with nothing but my passport and a change of clothes. When I arrived in LA things were … let's just say the grass isn't always greener … but they got better … and she got bigger and stronger and day by day so did I … and then she was here."

"When I held her for the first time she was so tiny, so perfect and so untouched by the past that it terrified me, I had no idea how I could be everything she needed. I was a train wreck during my pregnancy but holding her, feeding her, feeling her heart beat against my hand … something changed, I made a promise to her that day that I would be the best mother I could be and I knew that meant staying where I was," Carla continued as Nick and Leanne remained silent, letting her speak.

"It wasn't easy, I made mistakes but together we made a life, together we learnt, being a mum, being her mum has taught me more than any other challenge in life and I'm not perfect but we make it work … what we have it works. Summer she's … incredible … I know every parent probably says that about their child but she really is. She's stubborn, smart, beautiful, brave, sarcastic as hell and has an answer for everything but she's also kind, generous and intuitive … when I told her why we were coming here, that her blood could help save a life she didn't hesitate … she's scared … but she's determined to help," Carla finished, sitting back in the chair as she let Nick and to some degree Leanne digest what she had just told them.

Pacing back and forth across the small living room Nick didn't even know where to begin, this morning when he woke up things were better than they had been in months. Mason was home, they had found a perfect bone marrow match and his relationship with Leanne was back on track.

Now less than 24 hours later he was more confused than he had ever been. He had a daughter, a little-girl that he had never even met, a little-girl that he probably never would have found out about if Mason wasn't sick, a little-girl that was going to have to undergo a painful procedure and general anesthetic to save the life of someone she had never met.

He had a daughter. Above all of the noise in his head those 4 words were the loudest as they played over and over again.

"I have a daughter," Nick said, as he stopped his pacing and finally voiced them out loud.

Not only did he have a daughter though but he had a daughter with Carla, the one person in his life who would always be his biggest regret, letting her walk away, not listening to his heart and letting his anger take control.

With his back to her he looked up at the pictures of Mason scattered across the walls and hard surfaces. "Does she know?"

"About you? Yes, she doesn't know that Mason is her brother though … she knows that she has another dad, a biological-" Carla stopped, suddenly realizing what she had said and hoping that Nick had not picked up on her slip up.

He had though as the words cut through him like a knife. "Another dad? Why is there someone else she calls dad?"

"Yes," Carla admitted, knowing that there was no way she could keep the truth from him, after all that would mean expecting her 6-year-old to lie and she would never do that to her daughter.

"Who?" Nick demanded to know.

Carla stood up again suddenly feeling the need to be anywhere but where she was. "Jake."

"And he is what? Your husband? Your fiancé? Your married bit on the side?"Nick spat, anger taking over as he let the words spill out without even thinking about what he was saying.

Letting his harsh words slide Carla shook her head. "He's my partner. I met him when Summer was about 6-months-old, we became friends, really good friends and then when she was about a year old we started dating … we're not married, he's asked but he understands that it's not something I want, what Jake and I have is good, it's really good even now over 5 years down the line it's still … fresh and new and I don't need a piece of paper to tell me that he's who I want to spend the rest of my life with. I've been down that road before … too many times …it's different this time."

"But she still calls him dad?" Nick queried.

"It was her choice, she knows that he is not her biological dad but … it's her choice Nick," Carla reasoned.

Nick shook his head."And what about what I wanted? What about my rights? You took them all away from me when you decided to fly my daughter halfway across the world and let her start calling someone else dad."

"Jake being her dad, that was never a conscious decision … it just happened, he's the only man she's ever known, to her everything is so black and white; I'm her mum, I love Jake and we are together so Jake is her dad," Carla explained.

"It should be me she calls dad," Nick whispered.

Carla walked around so that he had no choice but to face her. "I know what I did was wrong, that keeping her from you was wrong but I need you to think really hard before you go doing anything we might all regret-"

"You make it sound like I'm a danger to her," Nick spat. "She's my daughter. I would never do anything to hurt her."

"Not intentionally no. But she's over here in a place that is totally alien to her and soon she is going to be surrounded by people she has never met who all want a piece of her, who all want to claim a role in her life. She's 6-years-old Nick. LA, me, Jake our friends and family out there that's all she's ever known … I'm begging you please, don't make any rushed decisions because she's the one that will have to live with your choices-"

"Just like I have to live with the consequences of yours," Nick retorted, cutting her off.

Carla nodded. "Don't make Summer pay for my mistakes."

"Can I see her?" Nick asked, his voice suddenly softening.

Reaching into a bag Carla pulled out an envelope, she knew that this question was coming so she had brought a series of pictures with her that documented Summer's life so far. "It's a collection of my favorite ones."

"I mean-"

"I know what you meant," Carla said. "And yes. But I think you need time to calm down first and maybe talk things through," she added, her eyes shifting between Nick and Leanne.

Standing up Leanne spoke for the first time in ages. "She's right. It's late, we should sleep on it and then perhaps tomorrow we can make a plan."

"Ok," Nick agreed a headache starting to form behind his eyes.

Reaching into her bag again Carla pulled a piece of paper out. "This is my number and the name of the hotel we are staying at. We have an appointment at Manchester Children's Hospital tomorrow morning for some pre-op tests but I should be free to talk after that."

"I-"

"I'm sorry," Carla apologized as she made her way to leave. "For keeping her from you, for everything you are both going through with Mason … I really am."

And with that she left, leaving Nick and Leanne alone to digest everything she had just told them as she stepped outside into the cold Manchester night, walking to the edge of the street she reached the bus stop before stopping, sitting down she leaned her head against the glass as she let the tears fall. She knew telling Nick would be hard but she hadn't imagined that seeing him again would affect her as much as it had.

She was happy with Jake. Happier and healthier than she had ever been with anyone else and she loved him, despite her refusal to marry him she knew he was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. But that didn't change the fact that Nick would always have a piece of her heart, after all he was the father of her child. Just like Peter would always have a piece of her heart and Liam before him.

She couldn't go there though, she had to leave all of those pieces in the past and concentrate on the future, on the life and family she had created for herself and Summer in LA.

CS – CS – CS

Back inside the house Nick was still standing, his eyes fixed firmly on the door since Carla had left, walking up behind him Leanne wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

"Nick-"

"Please just-"

Nick trailed off, not knowing what to say bringing his hands up to his face he rubbed it tiredly before moving over to the chair and sitting down.

"Summer."

"Summer."

Saying her name out loud Nick tried to get used to the way it would feel, how it sounded and everything else that came with the realization that he had a daughter; a little-girl called Summer.

"Do you think she's a Connor?" he wondered.

Leanne shrugged. "I don't know. I mean Connor was her married name and well Paul isn't the father but … Johnny is her father now so … maybe, probably."

"I … this is all such a mess," Nick realized, desperately trying to plan his next move but having no idea where to start, after all this was a first for him.

"We'll figure it out, together, just like we always have," Leanne tried to reassure him, she realized she was going to be walking a very difficult line over the next few days, she needed to support Nick and make sure he knew she was on his side but also the last thing she wanted to do was upset Carla, after all she was allowing her 6-year-old daughter to be a bone marrow donor for her son, something that was a lot to ask of an adult, let alone a child so young.

Nick looked up, his eyes as broken as he felt. "I need to know what to do."

"I can't answer that for your, all I can say is that whatever you decide I'm here for you," Leanne vowed.

Standing up Nick headed towards the door. "I need to talk to her."

Running after him Leanne stood with her back to the door. "Are you sure that's such a good idea? I mean emotions are high right now, things might be said, things that cannot be taken back."

"I need to know why," Nick stammered, his while body practically deflating.

"She told you why," Leanne reminded him.

Nick shook his head. "She told me why then … all those years ago … when she was a mess … but what about last year or the year before … why Leanne? She's my daughter, I'm a good dad-"

"The best," Leanne agreed.

"I just want to see her," Nick cried walking back into the lounge.

Leanne picked up the envelope Carla had left."I know it's not the same but at least you'll be able to get an idea of what she looks like."

With shaking hands Nick took the envelope from her and opened it, the first picture was clearly taken at a birthday party, a small infant was sat on the sand in nothing but a brightly colored nappy and gold party hat with '1' written on it. She had no hair, large blue-grey eyes that were looking away from the camera at something only she could see as she smiled.

"She's so beautiful," Nick whispered.

Leanne couldn't help but agree, the young infant in the picture really was a beautiful child. "She looks like you."

"She looks like Carla," Nick observed.

Leanne shook her head. "She has your eyes."

Taking a picture from the bottom of the pile Nick certainly wasn't expecting what he found. It looked recent as the girl in the picture must have been 5 or 6-years-old, she had wild curls falling down around her shoulders, a dark purple crash helmet on, she was wearing a pair of black denim shorts an LA Lakers t-shirt and she was stood with one converse clad foot on a skateboard and her hand on her hip.

"Looks like you have an action child on your hands," Leanne laughed, genuinely amused as she looked at the picture, the young girls' adventurous spirit obvious in every pixel.

Nick found himself mesmerized by everything about the young child, she was looking at the camera, her eyes bright with the sense of adventure. "She looks … I know you can't tell what someone is like from a picture but she looks happy."

"She does," Leanne agreed.

"I don't want her to end up hating me," Nick admitted, finally voicing his worst fear out loud.

Leanne rested her head on his shoulder as he switched to the next picture, this one showing Summer in a denim dress, her hair pulled back into two braids and a pair of shiny purple converse high tops as she sat on a bean bag next to a large infinity pool with a book clutched tightly in her hand.

"Do you think that's where they live?"Nick wondered. "I mean if it is what do I have to offer eh? I mean I live in a small terraced house on the same street I always have … it's not exactly an infinity pool on the beach in Los Angeles is it," he worried, suddenly realizing just how much of her life he had missed out on.

Leanne took the picture from him. "You don't know if that is her house and besides if it is that's all just material worth, you're her father Nick, if you want to be a part of her life then you have every right to be … you just need to tread carefully."

"I do … I really do but it's not even like we can have shared custody is it? I mean what's going to happen once she's recovered from the procedure, they're going to go back to LA and we will still be here and it's not exactly like Carla can just stick her on a plane to spend every other weekend with me now is it?" Nick worried, his mind running away with him as he started to worry about every single worst case scenario.

"You need to just take it one step at a time; first you need to ring Carla and arrange a time to talk and then you need to meet your daughter because you can run through every single what if in your head but until you've met her, until you get to know her that's all they are Nick; what ifs.

Closing his eyes Nick ran his hand across the image of Summer before opening them again and looking up at the picture of Mason.

"Do you know what I don't understand? What are the odds of Summer being a match? I mean no one in your family matched, everyone else who was tested didn't match … Amy didn't match … and I know Michelle asked Carla to get her tested because she thinks they are half-siblings but … they don't have any biology in common so … what must those odds be?" Nick said voicing out loud a secret that he and Leanne had kept from everyone, a truth that only Nick, Leanne and Steve were aware of, that Mason Tilsley although in name and law he was Nick's son the reality was that he was biologically Steve McDonald's child.

Leanne rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I have no idea but she is … you heard Mason's consultant … she's a perfect match and I know it's strange and this may sound … crazy … but maybe she was meant to be his match, because if she wasn't then …. Carla never would have told you about her."

"Maybe," Nick muttered his eyes never leaving the image of Summer and the skateboard.

As Leanne watched her husband run his finger gently over the picture of his daughter she couldn't help but worry. Carla Connor was not exactly her favorite person in the world and she knew, just like everyone just how much her husband had been well and truly in love with the Underworld boss, even after she had broken his heart. And now they had a child together, a little-girl that was half him and half her something she had never been able to give him.