Carl and Jimmy spent the rest of that evening in the pub together, and now it was getting late, and Carl had-had a few too many to drink. He staggered over to the bar, where Diane was stood.

"Another one please?" Carl slurred.

"I think you've had quite enough. Don't you?" Diane asked-him, but it was a rhetorical question.

"The way I'm feeling, nothing is enough. Now give me another drink!" Carl ordered, beginning to get frustrated now.

At that very moment, Chas walked-out from the back and witnessed a very-drunken Carl bothering Diane for another drink.

"Everything alright here Diane?" Chas asked, being falsely-innocent, and pretending to be unaware of the situation that was happening around her.

"Chas. Everything will be just fine, as-long as Carl agrees to go home and sleep off the alcohol without any trouble." Diane replied to Chas, but her words were meant for Carl.

Chas took a step forward, so that she was now next to Diane, instead of behind her, and looked at Carl directly in the eyes.

"Carl. Leave. NOW." Chas told-him firmly before Jimmy appeared from behind his brother, grabbing him by the arm and tugging him away.

"Come-On Mate, your drunk, and you've got work in the morning. Now let's go before you get yourself barred, or even worse…..arrested!"

"I Love You Chas!" Carl shouted drunkenly as he was dragged-away by Jimmy. "I Love You. I Do." He kept-on until Jimmy shoved-him out of the doors of the pub.

As much as Chas hated Carl at the moment, she still had a part of her that still loved Carl, and always would love-him. They had been through so much together, that-that kind-of love wasn't just going to fizzle-out in a couple of weeks or months. It was going to take Chas years to completely get over Carl. And as for Carl, well, he would never get-over Chas.

"Diane, do you mind if I just take a quick break?" Chas asked, on the brink of tears. She couldn't deal with seeing the man that was once her fiancé, in a drunken-state like-that.

Chas wandered out the back, and then left through the back-door, before she went hurried to go and catch-up with Carl and Jimmy. She hid from their sight-lines for a while as Jimmy led Carl into their house. When Carl had walked-through, Chas revealed-herself.

"Jimmy." Chas whispered loudly. "Pst. Jimmy." She continued.

Jimmy turned-around and spotted Chas. He shut the door quietly behind-him, and then met Chas at the top of the path.

"What do you want?" Jimmy asked her quietly. This wasn't the time, nor the place for this, It was getting dark, and if Chas wasn't careful, she would be getting herself into some deep-trouble with the rest of the Dingles for even going near to this place, The place where her drunken-ex was lurking-about inside.

"Is he alright? Carl, I mean." Chas asked.

Jimmy sighed angrily. "Oh what do you care Chas?" Jimmy asked, fed-up with Chas' love-games. One minute she loved Carl, the next minute she was sleeping with him.

"Hey, as much as I hate him at the moment, I do still care about him ya know. You know fully well just how much me and Carl have been through together. You've been there all-along. You've known all along. Even when Carl was with Lexi, we still loved each-other. You know that." Chas told-Jimmy, pleading with him to be understanding with her.

"Yeah, and even after you humiliated him in front of the whole village, took all of his money, and lied to his face about being pregnant with his baby, he still loves ya. But I know better than he does. Even if you DID get back together now, you'd only be splitting-up again by the New-Year. And it's not necessarily all your fault, but you have a family behind ya, who would happily kill Carl for ya if you would let-me. So to answer your question, no he's not alright, he hasn't been alright since Dad died, and he never will be alright, but the closest I can get him to being alright, is when he's with me, working his socks off to keep our Dad's business up and running. So leave us alone Chas, we don't need you." Jimmy told Chas furiously before he turned on his heels then headed back inside to deal with a drunken-Carl.

Chas just stood-there on the spot for the next 5 Minutes or so, in floods of tears. She couldn't take-this anymore. She Wanted Carl back. She Needed Carl back. And she was Going to get him back. Whatever it took.

Chas soon headed back towards the pub which had also now become her home. She walked-into to face the wrath of Diane, for being late-back from her break.

"Well that was a flamin' long break!" Diane said as she waved-off the last-few customers. "It's closing-time now. Thanks for your help." She continued angrily, before she looked-up and Chas and saw the red-marks around her eyes from where she had been crying. "Chas? Chas, are you alright?" Diane asked her, placing a hand over her shoulder as she approached-her.

"No Diane. No I'm not flamin' alright. Okay?" Chas replied to Diane tearfully as Aaron walked-in, having calmed-down from earlier.

"Mum?" Aaron said, concerned for his Mother. 'What's up with her?' He silently mouthed to Diane, but she just shrugged her shoulders at him and mouthed 'I don't know.' In reply.

"Oh Aaron, thank-goodness you're back." Chas said as she sniffed the last-few tears-in.

"Hey, I only went for a quick-walk. What's Up Mum?" Aaron asked, but Chas just fell-silent.

"Is it Carl?" He asked, getting angry at the thought of that idiot upsetting his Mother.

There was no reply from Chas.

"It is isn't it?" Aaron asked.

But there was still no reply from Chas.

"ARGHHH I WARNED HIM. I'LL KILL HIM!" Aaron shouted furiously.

"NOOO." Chas finally replied to Aaron. "Don't you dare hurt him. You leave Carl alone alright?" Chas ordered him firmly.

"Well why an earth not? I told-him to leave-you alone, and now he's gone and upset ya, so I'm gonna give-him just what he deserves.

"NO AARON. No ya won't." Chas shouted, the tears returning to her eyes, and beginning to fall rapidly once-again.

"Then give me one good reason why I shouldn't reason why not?" Aaron asked angrily.

"Because….." Chas trailed-off tearfully.

"Because what Mum?" Aaron Questioned once-again.

But Chas fell-silent again.

"ANSWER-ME." Aaron shouted.

"NO. Just because. Alright Aaron?" Chas pleaded with him.

Aaron put both of his hands over his Mother's shoulders and shook her forcefully back and forth, as if to try and get her to think about what she was saying.

"I'm not gonna give-up on you this-time Mum. Carl needs to get just what he deserves!" Aaron tried to convince his Mum.

"Well he doesn't deserve a beating okay….." Chas trailed-off.

"Why Not Mum?" Aaron continued to push his Mother.

"BECAUSE I STILL LOVE HIM!"

Sorry for the nasty Cliff-Hanger. It'll all be worth it in the end I promise-you.

Some exciting stuff coming-up pretty-soon!

:). Please-Review. :).