This happens after stirring the storm but Owen doesn't fake his death. Just thought I would say. LoL.

1. The Accident.

Ashley POV

"Oh, I forgot to tell you your Dad rung earlier." My mum smiled at me as I got into the car. It was her afternoon off so she picked me up from school.

"What did he say?"

"He said he was coming down next week for your parent's evening and was going to stay for the week."

"Really?!" Despite myself I felt a jolt of excitement at the prospect of Dad coming down during term time to see me. Ever since he had got the job at Cola club (yeah I knew all about it, he would never keep a secret from me.) I spent all the school holidays at his flat in London with him. I had used to like Cola club for brining him closer to my home in Cornwall so I could see him most weekends but then it had been destroyed and moved up North so I barely ever saw him. I had to keep reminding myself that it was better then when he was a solider and I didn't see him for months at a time and he was in constant danger. Although to be fair Cola club didn't exactly sound safe.

"That's what he said." Mum mumbled and I could tell she was worrying that he wouldn't show and I would be left heartbroken. I was about to point out that he had never once not shown up, it was more a case of having to leave soon after because one of the Cola's were in trouble. The two of them had had blazing rows about his obvious preference for the cola's over his own child although he had always denied it.

"He'll come. It's an important Parent's evening, all about my GCSE's. He'll be there. You'll see." She looked over at me and smiled.

"I know Ash, I just worry. It's my job in life." I smiled at her then turned my attention back to looking out of the windscreen. There was a huge lorry coming towards us down the country lane.

"Mom!" I screamed but it was too late. The last thing I heard was the screech of car breaks and shattering glass...

Owen POV

"Hey Penny. How are you?"

"Fine Owen." She muttered coldly.

"Is Ash there?" I was desperate to get off the phone with Penny. We had been arguing a lot lately.

"No she left for school. I'll tell her you called." She paused for a minute before sighing. "What else do you want?"

"She was telling me that she had a parent's evening coming up and I thought I should come down and go to it. I thought I could stay the week and spend some time with her." I was praying she would say yes. I hadn't seen Ashley in almost a month and I missed her. She was growing up so fast and I felt like I was missing most of it.

"Yes you can. She'd like that. But if I tell her you're coming and you don't show up then I swear I won't be responsible for my actions." She warned me.

"I'll be there I promise. I won't let her down again."

"Just remember this conversation." Then her voice went softer. "What happened to us?"

"We grew up." I smiled sadly as I thought of my childhood sweetheart and the relationship we had shared. We had had Ash when we were sixteen and had got married when we were eighteen. It hadn't lasted very long. Five years, to be precise, in the end we just grew apart.

"How's your job?"

"Oh, you know the usual." I tried to be vague as I couldn't lie to Penny.

"No, I don't neither of you two tell me anything." She complained.

"How is your job? Still working at the paper?" I quickly changed the subject.

"Yeah. I should really get going." She sounded reluctant to get off the phone.

"Yeah of course. Bye Pen."

"Bye Owen." I hung up on her and went over to the desk where I kept five photo frames in a neat line. All of them were of my daughter. I picked up the oldest and the newest. The oldest was when she was two and a bridesmaid at our wedding. The newest had been taking the last time I had seen her. Where had all that time gone?

"Owen!" Tyrone put his head around the door.

"Coming." I smiled and headed out of my office to take my woodwork lesson.

It was summer and for once the sun was shinning. I was outside with the Cola's taking my woodsman lesson. It was five o'clock but still hot and we were trying to make fire.

"Look Ty's coming." Gideon pointed out as he stood up to collect more twigs. I turned and sure enough Tyrone was coming racing towards us.

"OWEN!! OWEN!!"

"WHAT!" I called back to him, wondering what was up.

"THE HOSPITAL CALLED! PENNY AND ASHLEY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN A CAR ACCIDENT!!"As the words sunk in I felt sick. This couldn't happen, they couldn't die... "Owen?" Tyrone had reached us and was stood just a few feet away from me. I nodded and started running for my car but Tyrone got there first and opened the driver seat.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm hardly going to let you drive. Now get in." I obeyed his demands and sat in the passenger side trying not to let my fears engulf me. One thing was for sure, this was going to be a long drive.