We do not own EastEnders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road or Emmerdale

Chapter 26

Rowan frowned as she heard her phone ring and reluctantly let go of Ray's hand to answer it. She rolled her eyes at the caller.

"Yes, Jack, what do you want? The match was a draw so don't even think about starting anything," she warned him.

Jack chuckled. "No, it's not about the match, which I hate you for getting to go and see it in person, just so you know," he told her.

Rowan covered the phone and looked at Ray. "Jack is cross that we went to the match," she snorted and uncovered the phone.

"Sucks to be you, doesn't it Rimmer? Now, what do you want? My breakfast is coming and I'm hungry."

"It's Alyssa's birthday next month, the 18th. I really think a party is in order," he told her.

"Really, the 18th?" she remarked and took a sip of her coffee. "Yes, I agree, I think a party is in order. I'll throw together some ideas when I get home okay?"

"You're the best, Ro, really, I love you terribly," he said in a jokey posh accent. Rowan sighed.

"Yes, yes, I know. Later, Jack," she said firmly and flipped her phone shut.

"It seems Alyssa's birthday is next month and Jack thinks a party must be planned," she told Ray before starting on her food.

Ray nodded and shrugged.

"Now, about the dress, yes it can be let out, but..." she trailed off and nibbled at some bacon. It wasn't as crisp as she liked, but she kept it to herself. "You sort of have to see the dress," she explained lamely and shrugged. "Can't be helped. It's not like I did it on purpose to spite her," she chuckled.

Rowan felt excitement and happiness bubble up in her and she stood, grabbed Ray's face in her hands and kissed him soundly. She let go and let him feel how she was feeling', the mix of fear/pure joy/love/anxiety/excitement tinged with lust as she gazed into his eyes. She put her forehead against his with a small sigh and then let go of him and sat back down.

Ray watched her go and sit down in wonder! He shook his head to help clear it and gazed at her.

"No one person can feel all that Ro! How are you not exploding?" he asked with a grin and reached over for her hand.

"I'm the same," he smiled. "But not all at once," he chuckled at her before releasing her hand and going back to his breakfast.

Rowan chuckled and ate some more of her food before answering.

"I don't know. Right now, I'm mostly very happy, but it's all always there, though I'll admit, it was mostly nerves and outright terror until I told you and you were happy...well...not upset...about it," she gave him a small smile.

Ray smiled at her. "Why would I be upset? I think its fantastic," he assured her.

She picked up a slice of toast and put it back down. "I want to plan a trip back home. Just for a few days, maybe early May, after Lyss' birthday, but before the wedding. I want to tell Gem in person and I want her to meet you and...well...I want everyone to meet you," she told him and finally took a bite of her toast.

Ray nodded at her. "I'll admit I'm curious about where you used to live," he said. "But if they all talk like JT I'm gonna have to concentrate when I listen to them," he grinned as he ate the final piece of sausage and drained his tea. "So, you good to go?" he asked as he studied her plate and looked at her questioningly.

Rowan drained her coffee.

"Yes, I'm ready," she said and stood up and took Ray's arm.

"Some are worse than others. Junior is pretty easy to understand. He runs a charter plane so he's worked on his accent so he's easier to understand. Junior is JT's older brother. Gem is easy to understand, I think," she shrugged and tightened her hands on his arm and smiled up at him.

"They won't find you terribly easy to understand either," she told him and chuckled.

Ray raised his eyebrows at her. "I can't see why not! I'm easy to understand, I speak English, don't I?" he scoffed at her as he led her out to the car. He opened the car and encouraged her to get inside. He followed suit and climbed in the driver's side to drive them back to London.

Rowan chuckled. "They speak English, too," she told him and got into the car.

"But your accent is going to be just as difficult for them to understand as theirs is for you," she told him as she fastened her seatbelt. She settled back in the seat and gazed at Ray. She tilted her head at him.

"So, would you like me to dance for you tonight?" she asked him playfully.

Ray looked over at her "You really need to ask that?" he asked incredulously then grinned and shook his head disbelievingly before pulling away from the kerb.

Rowan bit her lip around a smile. She fished in her bag and pulled out the most recent packet Gem had sent her and began to read it. She'd got it just yesterday and hadn't had a chance to read it yet.

She read bits out she thought Ray might find interesting and glanced at her watch. She thought they would make it back in time for lunch rush.

Ray listened to Rowan speak as he drove and managed to get them back to Walford with plenty of time for Rowan to get her stuff for the Restaurant sorted. He parked up outside and waved briefly at Ffion and JT before heading upstairs to change his clothes.

Alyssa looked up and prepared a smile as the door opened. Her face froze at the sight of Davina and she had to stop herself from clenching her fists. She took deep breath and resolved to treat Davina just like another customer: as much as she could anyway.

She didn't smile though; she couldn't smile at this woman, so she kept her face impassive and skimmed through the appointment book. She looked back up at Davina and fought hard to keep her voice as impassive as her face. "We've got a free slot at 2pm today?" she said. She would not let Davina's presence get to her.

Davina cleared her throat and blinked. So, Jack's...whatever...was going to be civil, Davina could be civil, too.

She forced a smile on her face and nodded. "2 is fine, thank you," she forced out and then turned and left. She took a deep breath as the door to the salon closed behind her and she walked back to Max's to get her car and head off to the job interview.

Alyssa nodded and added the appointment to the book then watched Davina leave, and finally let out a breath she hasn't realised she had been holding. She reached for her phone and sent off a text to Jack.

"She's back."

Jane left Bianca in charge and headed for the salon. The blond highlights she'd had added to her hair and the style she had chosen both needed touching up. She paused with her hand on the door as she noticed that woman who was at Max's last night walking away. She frowned briefly then smoothed her expression, determined not to let it bother her. She walked into the salon and flashed Alyssa a smile.

"What did leggy blond want?" Jane couldn't help but ask, then instantly regretted it. It had flown from her mouth before she'd had a chance to think. She didn't want anyone to know that she'd started to go soft on Max, especially now. She would need to get over it.

Alyssa smiled back at Jane. "Don't worry, I don't like her either," she admitted and looked after Davina with a scowl on her face. "She's Jack's ex," she explained and then looked back at Jane.

"Sorry, that was Max's visitor last night. I wouldn't have minded so much if he'd at least had the decency to call and cancel. We're supposed to be mates," she added. "So, anyway, I need the hair done."

"What? No text or anything? Rude much!" she commented with a frown then skimmed down the appointment book. "Umm, Kim's free in 20 minutes or Gayna's next slot is at 1." she said. "And Davina wanted her nails done," she added. "Her appointment's at 2 so if you want to avoid her I'd go for Kim," she advised.

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Jack furrowed his brow at Alyssa's text. Who was back?

"Who's back?" he sent in reply.

"Ahhh," Jane nodded.

She listened to her choices. "Yes, I'll take Kim. I don't want to be here when she's here. I mean, I can understand, but it's still annoying. I might do the same if I were in his shoes, not that that's likely," she chuckled.

Alyssa smiled back at Jane and added her appointment in then glanced down as her phone went off. She gave Jane a smile as she read the text and frowned.

"Davina," she sent back and put her phone down again and looked back at Jane. "You've only got 15 minutes before Kim's ready for you, you're welcome to hang around," she smiled as she left the desk to let Kim know about her new appointment.

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Jack groaned as he read Alyssa's reply. Davina. That was the last thing he needed.

"What is she doing here" he sent back in reply.

"Thanks, Alyssa," Jane said and went to sit down and wait.

Alyssa came back down with a chuckle at the conversations going on upstairs, they always amused her, especially Kim's incessant chatter. She smiled at Jane as her phone went off again.

"Getting her nails done," she sent back. How was she supposed to know why Davina was here? It's not like she wanted to talk to the woman!

She looked back at Jane. "D'you want a coffee or anything?" she asked.

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Jack sighed and shook his head. He hoped Davina wouldn't be around for long and that he would be able to avoid her.

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"Oh, no thanks, I'm fine," Jane replied.

She hurried upstairs when it was finally her turn.

Alyssa watched Jane disappear up the stairs and sighed. Davina was back. Brilliant. Things turned out so well the last time she was around! At least this time she knew for certain that Jack didn't want Davina. That was a consolation, but still, Davina's presence made her anxious. She really didn't like the woman, not one bit.

Alyssa looked around and went to tidy the pile of magazines in the seating area, she was looking forward to lunch now, she could talk to Rowan and see Jack. She wanted to see Jack. Lunch could not be here quick enough.

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Declan finally returned to the Square just before lunch. He wondered where the restaurant Jack was talking about was located. He sent off a text and Jack replied with the address. Declan rolled his eyes. The address didn't help if he didn't know where anything was.

He sent off another text asking for directions and Jack sent them back and said he might be a bit late.

Declan found the place somewhat easily and parked his car before heading inside the restaurant.

"It's nice to see you, Jack, how are you doing?" Ffion asked as she led Declan to a table.

"I'm not Jack," he corrected her, keeping his tone kind.

"Oh, um..."

"I'm his cousin. My name is Declan," he told her as he sat down.

"Right, of course. Well, I'm Ffion and it's nice to meet you. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Tea, please," he replied and she nodded.

Jane came downstairs happily, feeling much better now her hair was fixed. She handed her money over to Alyssa and gave her a quick wave before going back to the cafe. Max came in to eat and apologized profusely to Jane for the previous evening.

"It's fine, Max," Jane told him. "But we are mates and it would have been nice if you'd at least texted me or something to say dinner was cancelled."

"I'll make it up to you, alright?" Max offered and Jane reluctantly nodded. Davina came into the cafe a few minutes later.

"Hiya, Max," she said and slipped an arm around his waist.

"Oh, Davina, this is my friend, Jane. You didn't really get to meet properly last night," he introduced. Jane gave Davina a nod and turned away.

"Sorry, but it is lunchtime and I'm quite busy."

"Oh, it's fine," Davina said, making sure not to show she was bothered by the way Jane was snubbing her. She turned to Max.

"So, I've got the job," she told him. "Not too far from here either. So it looks as though I'll be around for awhile."

"That's great news," Max said and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

Jane got out her phone and sent off a text to Alyssa.

"Bitch got job. Staying"

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Alyssa smiled at Kim as she went off for lunch and Alyssa put the closed sign up as she left the Salon. She checked the time on her phone and read the text that she found there. She scowled and hopped on the nearest bus. Davina was staying! Brilliant! She picked a seat near the back of the bus and fired a text back to Jane.

"Brill! That's all we need! FFS"

Alyssa looked up as she got near the restaurant and quickly made her way to the front of the bus and got off. She walked the short walk to the Restaurant and spotted Jack, or Declan inside. Alyssa smiled and waved at Ffion as she made her way over to the table and then turned her attention back to the man sitting there. She judged by his clothes that it was Declan: she had also noticed Jack wearing his blue tie this morning and Declan wasn't.

She slipped into the chair opposite him and smiled. "Hiya, Declan," she turned her attention to the kitchen and tried to see if Rowan was back yet.

Rowan followed Ray up so she could change into clean clothes. She tossed her letter packet on the kitchen table and got changed. She went over to Ray and kissed him thoroughly before going into the bathroom to put her hair in a ponytail and hurrying downstairs.

She saw Jack and Alyssa seated at a table and went over.

"Boo," she said to Alyssa as she walked up behind her and tapped her shoulder. She grinned as she dropped into the chair next to her. "That was a road trip I won't soon forget," she remarked and flashed a smile at Jack. Declan smiled back, wondering who this petite, pretty American was. He mulled over her road trip comment and realized it was possible that this was Rowan. He drank his tea and simply sat and listened.

Rowan looked back at Alyssa.

"So, what are you up to?"

Alyssa beamed back at her and failed to hold back a chuckle. She glanced at Declan and realised that Rowan hadn't noticed it wasn't Jack. She looked back at Rowan and shrugged.

"Not much, except, I don't know whether you've got my text, but Ronnie, Alex and I have re-planned your Thursday afternoon for you. And don't even think about wriggling out of it Ro, because we aren't letting you off this time!" she said then looked back at Declan and smiled.

"Yes, I got your text which is why I came straight over here instead of the kitchen," she told Alyssa. She sighed.

"Okay, I'll go along if it will make you happy."

"Jack's cousin's down from Yorkshire for a bit, too, Ro this is Declan and Declan this is my sister, Rowan," she introduced.

She glanced over at Jack...no Declan...at Alyssa's introduction.

"I did wonder why Jack was being so subdued," Rowan said as she shook Declan's hand. "Very unlike him."

"Yes, we look alike, but that's about the extent of it," Declan agreed and let go of Rowan's hand. This was the one with the scary boyfriend according to Jack and Alyssa. Not that Declan was scared, but he didn't fancy getting a fight started today.

Rowan looked around to see if Ray had gone. She'd forgotten to ask him what time he'd be home from work. Or did he have today off as well? She really needed to start writing it down.

"Look, I better get in the kitchen, lunch rush will be starting soon. I'll try to talk to you after and let me know what time Thursday," she told Alyssa. She looked at Declan.

"It was nice to meet you," she told him.

"You, too," he replied and smiled.

Rowan turned to walk back to the kitchen, but didn't make it. Jack arrived at that moment and grabbed her up and spun her around.

"It was a draw," he teased her as he swung her around. Rowan thinned her lips as she looked at Jack and went limp in his arms. Jack saw her face and put her down.

"You have to stop doing that Jack," she told him. "I don't like it."

"I know, but I love winding you up, Ro," he said back and flashed her a grin. She sighed.

"I know you do," she said and went into the kitchen. She walked over to the calendar and flipped to April. Hmmm, the 18th was a Monday, she'd have to see if the 17th was okay. She walked around and checked everything in the kitchen, smiling at JT and Syed as she did so.

"I really appreciate you guys keeping this place ticking over for me so I could leave," she told them.

"You never take a proper day off," Syed said in response.

"Nope, you don't. So, we're happy to do it. Did you have fun?"JT agreed.

"Yes, it was great. The match was a draw, but still enjoyable. We want to this pub he used to go to all the time and I saw where he used to work and I met his mother," she told him.

"What was that like?"

"I like her, and Ray says she liked me. I told her she was welcome to come and stay anytime."

JT grinned and hugged her. "I'm glad. So, when..."

"Am I going to take him to meet Gem?" she finished his sentence for him. "As soon as possible. There are many reasons I can't go into right now. I have to make a phone call and then we'll get ourselves in gear for lunch."

She left the kitchen and went to the stairs that led up to the flat to call Dr. Bond.

"Hi, Dr. Bond, I'm glad I caught you. Um," she glanced into the hall to make sure no one was nearby, but kept her voice low. "I need to get an appointment booked. Yes, well, I've had a positive pregnancy test and so...oh, thanks, yes, I'm more excited than I can say."

She peered around the door again to make sure no one was nearby.

"Well, tomorrow would be better. I've just got back from Manchester and I've got a lot to do. Okay, yes that's perfect, thank you," she said and flipped her phone shut. She went back into the kitchen.

"Oh, one more thing, JT," she said as she began to rapidly chop chicken. He looked at her expectantly.

"We need to start planning a birthday party for Alyssa. Jack called and asked me this morning. Her birthday is the 18th, which is a Monday, so I'm thinking we can have it on the 17th. I think he wants it to be a surprise so we'll have to keep it quiet."

JT nodded. "Easy doings," he said and glanced over at Syed, who was making salads on the other side of the kitchen.

"What about yours?" he asked her and raised an eyebrow. "Pretty interesting it's the day?"

Rowan snorted and shook her head. "I haven't celebrated in over 10 years. I'm not bothered, JT. Just forget about it, okay? It's just another day."

JT looked at her a moment, then reluctantly nodded. Of course he would forget about it. Until he had the chance to speak to Ray and Alyssa alone. He went back to cooking the soups and said nothing more about it. Rowan watched him walk away and hoped he would keep his mouth shut. She didn't do birthdays anymore, not her own at any rate.

Jack watched Rowan head towards the kitchen and then went over and dropped into the chair she'd been sitting in.

"Sorry I'm late, sometimes getting out of there is impossible," he remarked. Declan nodded.

"It's fine. I've been enjoying the company of the lovely Alyssa," he said. "I've met Rowan and kept the handshake short, though I don't see this supposed hulking boyfriend so am forced to wonder if you were lying."

Jack glanced around. "No, he could be up in the flat or at work," he turned to Declan. "He's a DI, did we mention that?" he asked and grinned.

Declan sighed and shook his head before looking back at the menu.

Jack reached over and grabbed Alyssa's hand and kissed it before smiling up at Ffion as she approached.

"So, everybody ready?" Ffion asked.

Gene gratefully left the Super's office and went outside to smoke as he pondered his situation. When he finished, he went looking for Alex.

Alex looked up for a moment as Gene came back and finished writing down the details of the spa afternoon for Shaz. She smiled at her friend and then stood and went to fiddle with the duty rota to see who could cover for Shaz; Alex had Thursdays off anyway so that wasn't a problem. If they couldn't get someone to cover then she would talk to Gene and see whether he could spare Shaz for an afternoon.

Gene spotted Alex and went over and grabbed her arm.

"We need to talk," he said and dragged her out of the room and into the hallway. He held up a hand to forestall any questions as he pulled her down the hall to the room where their offices were. He sat her on her desk and folded his arms, then shut the door.

"It seems I am going to be made DSI," he told her. "I'll be taking over for the Super when he retires next month," he told her gruffly.

Alex's eyes widened at his news, whatever she had been expecting him to say it wasn't that, she beamed at him and threw her arms around his neck, "Gene that's wonderful news, Congratulations!" she exclaimed and pulled away with a smile, then furrowed her brow. "Next month?" she questioned. "They've only given you a month?"

"No, what do you think all these meetings and trips with the Super have been about? Why do you think I needed you back at work? This started just a couple of weeks after you had Sammy. The Super told me what was going on and has been setting it up for me to take over for him. I've had more than a month. But he's going to announce it today and I wanted to give you fair warning," Gene told her.

Alex sighed. "And here was I just thinking you missed me," she smiled at him and linked her fingers with his. "Are you ready for this Gene? D'you want to do it?" she asked gently.

After lunch, Max walked with Davina back to the house and let her in so she could get her suitcase.

"Now, the flat where I'll be living isn't far from here so I'll be coming around often," she promised.

"That's great news," he said and kissed her.

"I thought so, too," she said and kissed him back. She hurried upstairs, grabbed her case and tossed it into the back of her car.

"I'll see you later, then."

"Yeah, later."

She kissed him again before climbing into her car and driving off.

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Alyssa watched Rowan attempt to get to the kitchen and grinned as Jack caught her. She raised her eyebrows at him as he sat down opposite her and smiled. "You have to wind her up don't you," she grinned. "It serves you right if she does something nasty to your food," she said and looked away from him as Ffion appeared.

"I'll have whatever Ro's doing as the special today please, Fee," she asked.

"She won't do anything nasty to my food," Jack protested. "She loves me."

He stuck his tongue out at her and grinned as Alyssa ordered the special.

"She's doing fajitas," Ffion replied.

"Oooh," said Jack, "having that. Chicken."

Declan nodded. "Chicken for me too, please," he added. Ffion jotted it down and nodded at Ray as she passed him.

She smiled and wrote Ray's order down and headed back into the kitchen and handed Rowan the ticket. Rowan snorted when she saw what Ray had ordered. She hung the ticket up so JT could start on the order and pulled her phone out.

"I'm making fajitas Sure you don't want beef?" she texted Ray and chuckled.

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Ray came out of the bedroom and walked downstairs, he figured that as it was lunchtime, he could have his lunch here as usual and then go to work afterwards, he could tell the Guv that he had only just got back and that way not get into trouble about it. He nodded, good plan.

Ray scanned the restaurant as he entered and sighed, the lunch rush hadn't started just yet, but he wouldn't disturb Rowan until after it was done, he knew how she got when she was cooking and he didn't want to be on the receiving end. He looked around and his gaze caught hold of a mane of red. Alyssa. He shrugged, it beat sitting by himself.

Ray made his way over and took note of the two men, one had to be Jack. He grinned at Alyssa and caught Ffion before she vanished. "Bangers and mash please, Ffion," he smiled at her before taking the spare seat at the table and doing a double take. Two Jacks?

"Either, I've hit my head or had too much to drink or there is actually two Jacks sitting there," he said to Alyssa as he pointed at them. "And I haven't been drinking today, yet anyway," he added with a frown.

Alyssa smiled. "That's Jack," she pointed and then turned to Declan. "And this is Declan, his cousin," she introduced. "Declan, this is DI Ray Carling, Ro's partner," she said with a smile.

Ray nodded at him and then looked back at Alyssa. "They do look the same right? I'm not hallucinating or anything?"

Alyssa gave him a funny look. "Look the same...?" she questioned. "What d'you mean look the same?" she asked with a frown.

"He..." Ray gestured vaguely at Declan. "Looks exactly like Jack!" he explained and Alyssa studied the pair of them, her eyes dancing as she fought to hold back her laughter. "Really? I don't see it," she said as she looked back at Ray. "Are you sure?"

Jack grinned at Ray as he sat down and then looked at Alyssa as she introduced Declan. He sighed as she wound Ray up and chuckled as he reached over and put a hand over Alyssa's mouth.

"It's not nice to bait the bear," Jack whispered to her and smiled apologetically at Ray.

Declan held out his hand to Ray.

"Nice to meet you, Ray, and yes, we do look alike, sadly. However, I'm not crazy," he said.

"I'm not crazy, either," argued Jack. Declan turned and looked at him.

"Of course you're not," he said soothingly to his cousin, then looked back at Ray as Jack frowned and took his hand from Alyssa's mouth.

Ffion came over and put a mug of tea in front of Ray and re-filled the others' drinks before heading off to another table.

Alyssa frowned at Jack as he covered her mouth to stop her speaking but stuck her tongue out and licked the palm of his hand by way of retaliation.

Ray nodded at Declan as he shook his hand and then looked at Alyssa with a frown. "You're hilarious," he told her dryly and she grinned at him. "It was a stupid question, they look identical," she shrugged at him.

Ray frowned at her. "You could've given me a straight answer," he grumbled.

Alyssa shook her head "Where would be the fun in that?"

Ray looked at her a moment and struggled to find a response to her questions, then reached over and deliberately messed up her hair. Alyssa glowered at him once he finally let go of her head. "What the hell, Ray!"

Ray admired his handiwork for a moment with a smile and then shrugged. "Well, I could've left you alone..." then he grinned and imitated her voice. "But where would be the fun in that?"

Alyssa scowled at him and set about fixing her hair so that it resembled something other than a bird's nest.

Ray looked down at his phone and raised his eyebrows at the text from Rowan, he glanced over at the kitchen and caught small glimpses of her through the serving hatch as she darted around.

"Nope, I'm sure I want B&M :) x"

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Rowan shook her head at Ray's reply and stuck her phone back in her pocket. She peered out of the kitchen and saw Ray muss Alyssa's hair and put her hands over her mouth to stifle a chuckle.

JT put the plates up on the pass-through and hit the bell so Ffion would know the food was ready. He glanced at Rowan, whose attention was elsewhere and hurriedly sent a text to Alyssa.

"Ro Bday Apr 17-help?"

Syed walked over and looked at JT.

"What are you up to?" he wanted to know. JT waited until Rowan had gone out of earshot with the food and then gestured Ffion into the kitchen as well. He looked at the pair of them.

"You keep this to yourselves, cause she might kill me if she finds out," he paused and glanced back into the dining room. "Ro's birthday is April 17, I'd like to do a party for her." He glanced out again.

"Now, Alyssa's birthday is the 18th, and Jack's already asked Ro to plan a surprise party for her, so I say we do a double party, for them both," he grinned.

Syed and Ffion looked at each other and nodded.

"Great," he told them and waved them to get back to work when he saw Rowan turn to head back to the kitchen.

Jack and Declan chuckled at the interplay between Ray and Alyssa. Jack leaned over to Alyssa. "See, I told you not to bait the bear," he said and tried to help her smooth her hair as he looked over at Ray and grinned.

"Nice one, mate," he said appreciatively and jumped away from Alyssa in case she tried to smack him. Declan sighed and looked over as he saw Rowan wave off Ffion grab up the plates and walk towards them with the food.

Rowan handed around the plates and pulled a hairbrush from her apron pocket and handed it to Alyssa. She leaned over to Ray's ear.

"I've got an appointment for tomorrow," she whispered and kissed his cheek. "What time are you home from work?" she asked.

Ray raised his eyebrows at her. "Really, that was quick," he furrowed his brow as he thought and then looked back at her. "Around 5 I think," he told her. "What time did you book it for?" he asked curiously.

"Simon is going to call back to confirm the time, but I asked for late afternoon, after lunch rush," Rowan whispered back.

Declan ignored the others and started on his food. "This is fantastic," he remarked after swallowing his first mouthful.

Rowan glanced over and blushed. "Thank you," she said and looked back at Ray.

"I'll see you when you get home," she told him, her voice full of promise. She pressed a soft kiss to his lips causing Jack to make gagging noises.

"Get a room," he said in mock disgust.

Rowan looked over at Jack, then at Ray, her eyes taking on a wicked glint as her lips curved into a smile. She looked at Jack again.

"But I thought you liked to watch," she said tartly.

"Oh! Rowan, that is just so wrong!" Jack wailed and covered his head with his hands. "So wrong!"

Rowan looked at Declan and winked then at Ray. "I win every time," she whispered to Ray gleefully and kissed him again before heading back to the kitchen.

Alyssa gratefully took the brush from Rowan and ran it through her hair determine to get it looking decent again. She sighed as it finally fell back into place and slipped the brush back into Rowan's apron with a word of thanks.

Alyssa burst into laughter at the pair of them and couldn't make herself stop at the look on Jack's face. She shook her head to herself as Rowan walked away and picked up a fork as she swallowed back the rest of her laughter. She chuckled as she started on her food.

Ray grinned at Jack as he pulled his plate towards him and mixed the mash with the gravy. "You dug yourself into that one," he remarked as he started to shovel mash into his mouth.

Alyssa pulled out her phone as she felt it go off and raised her eyebrows as she looked towards the kitchen and then nudged Ray and showed him the message. "Did you know?" she asked and he shook his head. "No," he frowned and looked towards the kitchen, too. Why hadn't she told him her birthday was coming up?

She looked over at Jack and pushed her phone towards him. "Ro's birthday is the 17th of April," she told him. "She never said."

Jack looked at the text and shook his head, too.

"She'd hardly confide in me would she?" he asked Alyssa and turned to Declan.

"Did you know about this?" he demanded.

Declan sighed. "I don't even know her, Jack."

Jack flashed him a grin. "It seemed only fair not to leave you out of the conversation," he said and looked back at Alyssa. "So, what? Plan a party?" he shrugged and looked at Ray.

JT waited until Rowan was immersed in cooking and slipped out into the dining room as the rush was tapering off.

He carried the pot of tea and pretended to refill their drinks.

"Whatever you do," JT said, "do not tell her I told you. Trust me, she'll know it was me that told. I'm the only one here who could possibly know it," he told them. "I thought maybe we could plan just a little party for her since it's a Sunday," he said quietly and gave Jack a look.

Jack nodded as he understood.

"She didn't say about it to be mean or anything. She stopped celebrating it and she said to her it's just another day. I don't think it occurred to her to say anything. But I made a comment cause she's got yours writ on the calendar," he told Alyssa. "So, now..." he trailed off and shrugged.

"I better get back there before she wonders what I'm doing," JT said and hurried back to the kitchen.

Jack looked at Ray and Alyssa. "I think a small party would be nice," he said.

Ray nodded at Jack. "Nothing massive, she's not big on that sort of stuff and if she didn't want us to know about it then we have to keep this quiet," he smirked.

Alyssa nodded. "So, where do we have this party?" she asked. "We've got the pub, our place, here..." she trailed off as she tried to think of any other possible places. "The club," she added as an afterthought.

"Here might not be a bad idea," Jack said. "We might have an easier time fooling her."

Declan watched them plan. This wasn't his thing. He focused on his food.

Jack looked at Ray and then at Alyssa.

"When do you think we should have it?" he wondered.

"We should have it Sunday," Alyssa decided.

"You know, your birthday is the day after hers, what if we pretend to be planning a party for you?" he asked Alyssa. Of course, he already had JT planning a surprise party for Alyssa, diverting her attention this way would help tremendously. He would see about getting the club or something for Alyssa's party. She wouldn't suspect a thing. He smiled.

Alyssa nodded. "That's not a bad idea, plan a party for her, but my birthday is a brilliant cover," she agreed with a smile.

Ray looked curiously from Jack to Alyssa, he was pretty sure that Jack had wanted to plan a party for Alyssa, he frowned slightly but shrugged to himself, he would ask when Alyssa wasn't around. He didn't want to ruin anything by blurting it out. He let his mind travel and wondered what to get Rowan for her birthday, it would have to be something amazing, something beautiful, something she would love. He sighed as he thought.

"See, I'm not a complete moron," Jack said smugly and set about finishing his food. Declan looked at him and raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "These fajitas really are fantastic," Jack mumbled then looked up.

"We know JT will make the food, but how do we keep her from trying to help?" he looked at Alyssa. "You're going to have to keep her distracted," he said. "You and all," he said and pointed at Ray.

Ray grinned. "I don't think I'll have a problem keeping her distracted," he said and his grin widened as he looked back over at the kitchen and smiled happily.

"I can't do it, she'll automatically think I'm up to something," Jack explained.

"I wonder why she would think that?" Declan snorted and drained his tea. Jack looked over at him and grinned.

"Look, I've got another meeting to get to. I'll pay for this and see you later," Declan said. "It was nice to meet you, Ray," he added and clapped Jack on the back before picking up the check and heading to the register to pay.

Jack snorted laughter as he watched Ffion flutter over Declan again.

"Is it because he's rich or because he's handsome do you think?" Jack asked curiously with a brief gesture at Declan and looked at Alyssa.

Alyssa snorted at Ray and then raised her eyebrows at Jack. "Definitely the money," she grinned. "I don't think he's all that good looking," she sniffed indifferently and shrugged at Jack.

Alyssa waved at Declan through the window as he got into his car and then looked back at Jack. "Definitely not good looking at all."

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\

"Well, of course I missed you, woman," Gene said and pulled her tight against him. "But I wanted to tell you that, too. Care to go celebrate?" he asked and nodded in the direction of his office.

"You'll have to be quiet though, I'll have a reputation to protect now," he grinned at her.

Alex wrapped her arms around him and gave him an incredulous look. "I'll have to be quiet?" she gaped at him. "You make more noise than me!" she scoffed.

Alex looked over her shoulder at the office full of people and then back at Gene. "I'm sure they can spare us for a while," she smiled.

Gene walked over to the door leading to the hall from the office and closed it. Then took her hand and led her into his office and closed the door and dropped the blinds before pressing her up against the wall and taking her lips with his as his hands slid over her torso.

Alex wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer to him. She couldn't help but love him, she wasn't sure what she would do without him: she loved his brash attitude at work, his tender side that he rarely showed to anyone but her, Molly and Sam. She loved the way he made her feel: loved, needed and safe. She could see all his faults, yet loved each one as they made him who he was.

Alex ran her fingers through his hair and then down his chest as she pushed his jacket to the floor and loosened his tie. She broke the kiss and gazed at his face for a moment with a smile.

Gene slid his hands under her shirt and over the soft skin of her back. He couldn't imagine wanting anyone but her. She was truly the most amazing woman he'd ever met. His hands moved to her front and began to caress her breasts as his lips moved to her neck.

"Bolly," he murmured against her neck.

Alex's eyes rolled shut as she clung to him. "Gene," she breathed. He made her feel weak at the knees every time. She ran her hands down his back and tugged his shirt out of his trousers and undid the buckle to let his trousers fall.

She ran her hands up his chest, under his shirt, and rested them on his shoulders as she gasped out his name again.

Gene's hands flew to her waist as he un-tucked her top. He unfastened her trousers and pulled them and her knickers down. He grabbed her leg and pulled it to his waist as he pressed her against the wall and thrust into her, groaning into her neck as he did so.

He knew he shouldn't do this here, but he didn't care. He slipped his hand over her leg and held it to him as he moved inside her.

Alex moaned softly and used both him and the wall behind her as support. She ran her hands up his back and held onto him as she tried with all her might to be quiet. She buried her face in his hair as she murmured his name over and over.

Gene clutched her to him and breathed her name. He began to speed up as he felt himself getting close.

"Bolly," he groaned as he felt himself go and slammed his lips down on hers.

Alex clung to him and kissed him hard. She pulled away when the need for oxygen became too great and rested her forehead on his shoulder as she fought for air. Her eyes closed and she smiled. "Congratulations, again," she breathed.

Gene chuckled. "Thank you," he murmured and wrapped his arms around her tightly. He kissed the side of her head.

"I guess we'd better get back to work," he rumbled softly, regretfully. He wanted to stay here with her in his arms. He never seemed to get time for that anymore. He wondered if he would get more time or less when he was Super.

He reluctantly let her go so she could fix her clothes and bent down to pull his pants and trousers back up and belted them quickly.

Alex pulled herself back together and made sure she was looking presentable. She smiled as she reached over and fixed his tie for him as he buttoned up his shirt.

Alex kissed him again once they were both dressed and looked at him. "So, when is this being announced officially?" she asked as she went to open his office door.

Gene followed her out of his office and to her desk. He paused a moment and then went to open the door that led onto the hallway before turning back to her.

"I think he plans to do it sometime today. After lunch maybe, he wasn't very specific. I'm not moving to his office though," he decided. "I'm staying right there," he pointed at his office door. "Where I can keep an eye on you," he finished and grinned at her.

Alex raised an eyebrow at him and smiled. "Don't trust me Gene?" she asked as she sat herself down at her desk. "Or just can't live without my presence?" she grinned.

Gene raised an eyebrow at her. "What do you think? Why have a picture of you on my desk when I can look out my office and see you in person," he chuckled and went to go have a smoke.

Alex grinned as he walked away and smiled to herself. She turned to her desk and grabbed up the folder waiting for her attention.

/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Chris looked over Shaz' shoulder at what Alex had written down for her.

"Do you want me to come in and cover that afternoon? I'd be willing since I have that day off," he offered. He hated it when they didn't have the same days off. It made it harder to plan trips to visit Shaz' family. He swore to take her once a week if she would agree not to move from Walford. He fully intended to keep that promise. He liked it here. Ray was his best mate and the Guv was like a father to him.

Shaz turned to him with a smile "Are you sure?" she asked "You'd rather work than take your day off?"

"Why would I mind? You're not doing this until the afternoon right?" he asked as he tapped the paper. "So it's only half a day," he shrugged. "I don't mind doing that for you."

Shaz smiled at him and reached over to kiss him. She pulled back with a grin. "Thank you, I'll make it up to you," she promised and kissed him again.

"Oh really," Chris grinned. "Well, then, I'll make sure to get here plenty early so you have time to leave. I want to make sure you have plenty to make up to me." He chuckled as he kissed her back. He leaned down to her ear. "We could go home for lunch and you could thank us properly," he whispered and trailed a finger down her arm.

Shaz ran her hand up to stroke down his cheek and she glanced over at the Guv's office. Her eyes widened. "Looks like the Guv and Alex aren't going to noticed if we're missing," she smiled and stood up from her desk and took his hand. "Let's go," she smiled.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Jack looked at her in dismay as she waved at Declan through the window. He watched Declan smile and wave back.

"But..." he trailed off and looked down at his food. "Maybe you should marry him instead if you want a rich man," he huffed and slammed down his cutlery and stalked out. He slammed into his car and drove back to the school.

Declan started his car and watched Jack drive off in a state. He wondered what had happened. He drove to his appointment, deciding it would be better to leave it.

Rowan came out of the kitchen at the sound of the restaurant door slamming.

"What happened?" she wanted to know as she saw the look on Alyssa's face.

"Lyss? You okay," she whispered and grabbed Alyssa into a hug. She looked at Ray.

"What the heck?" she mouthed at him.

Alyssa watched him storm out in shock and confusion. What the hell was that and where had it come from? She stared at the restaurant door, dumbfounded. She had only been teasing, she hadn't expected him to storm off like that. She felt her mood plummet and found she couldn't tear her gaze away from the door.

She felt Rowan pull her into a hug and clung to her. She didn't want a rich man, she wanted Jack: her insane, gorgeous, overly sensitive fiancé!

Ray shrugged at Rowan, in all honesty he wasn't sure what had happened, he was glad Rowan had showed up though, he wasn't good at the whole comforting thing.

Alyssa took a shaky breath, Jack was angry and upset with her and now she had to face Davina, what if Jack actually believed that she wanted Declan, what if he left her and went back to Davina! She pulled away from Rowan and picked up her fork, she pushed the last mouthful of fajita into her mouth and chewed unenthusiastically, fighting to stay calm and not let it get to her.

She swallowed her mouthful and looked back up at Rowan. "He just told me to marry Declan," she said "I was only teasing, he just snapped," she said and pulled out her phone. She pressed Jack's number into the phone and called him. She wanted him to know that it was him that she wanted, he was the one that she loved, not Declan! "I don't want a rich man," she muttered to herself as she pressed her phone to her ear.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Jack stalked through the school, his face like thunder. Everyone moved from his path. He heard his phone ring and pulled it from his pocket. Alyssa. He was in no mood to talk to her. She had likely only been joking, but he'd always been jealous of Declan's skill with women. He rejected the call and dropped it back into his pocket before slamming into his office and flopping onto his chair with a sigh.

The last thing he wanted was for Declan to have any sort of chance with Alyssa. She was his!

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Declan went to his meeting and when that had finished, he decided to check out the pub. He smiled at the pretty blond barmaid when he ordered his pint and nodded at the tall man who walked up protectively behind her.

Seemed all the women here had overly protective men, he sighed and carried his pint over to a table. He sat and watched idly as people came and went. He finished two pints and then went outside. Where to go now? he wondered. He glanced around and noticed a lovely, tall blond walking towards him. She was looking right at him and smiling.

"How are you?" Davina purred as she walked up. She couldn't believe Jack was here, standing outside the pub, all alone. Max was still at work, now was a good chance.

"I'm fine," Declan replied. "How are you?"

"Missing you, Jack," she told him and tilted her head. Declan sighed.

"I'm not Jack," he told her. She furrowed her brow.

"Don't play games with me, Jack," she said in a warning tone.

"I'm not, my name is Declan. Jack is my cousin. We look alike, but I'm not him," Declan told her regretfully.

Davina rolled her eyes and grabbed Declan's face and kissed him thoroughly. Declan's eyebrows flew up, but he kissed her back. She pulled away and looked at him.

"You're right, you're not Jack," she agreed.

"What do you want with Jack anyway?" he wanted to know.

"We were engaged once. I ran into him again a few months ago, and realized I still had feelings for him. When my job finished up I decided to come back here. I've got a job nearby and I'm going to do my level best to get him back."

"I see," Declan said and gave a small nod. If Jack went back with this Davina woman, it would leave the field to Alyssa clear for him. Declan smiled.

"I might be able to help you a little bit. I'm only here for a couple of days, but I'll do what I can."

"Really?" Davina asked him in surprise. Declan shrugged.

"Don't see why not. Damsel in distress and all that," he said with a slow smile.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rowan let Alyssa go and moved closer to Ray and slipped an arm around his shoulder.

"How was your lunch?" she asked him softly so as not to disturb Alyssa. She picked up his empty plate and touched his cheek. "You should get to work. I'll see you when you get home," she said and leaned down and kissed him. She couldn't get enough of kissing him and didn't care who watched. She broke off the kiss and smiled at him as she gazed into his eyes.

Ray nodded at her. "Brilliant as always," he told her and sighed. Work! He wanted to stay with her.

"Go," she said softly.

He reluctantly stood and kissed her forehead before waving at Alyssa and leaving the restaurant.

Rowan stacked the dishes after Ray had left and then sat down and looked at Alyssa.

Alyssa bit her lip as she put down her phone: he hadn't picked up. She looked down at her phone helplessly and her eyes widened slightly as she caught the time, she really didn't want to go back to work and figured that she could delay it for a while. She looked across at Rowan as Ray left and managed a small smile.

Declan talked with Davina for a few minutes and then went back to Jack's house. He only had a couple of days before he had to go home. But he could come visit again. He flipped through his diary and called Nicola to update it. He was free the weekend they had discussed having the party on and told Nicola to write down he would be in London for personal reasons that whole weekend. He also added the wedding in June before hanging up.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rowan gave a small sigh and smiled back at Alyssa. "I'm sure it's fine. I think maybe he's a bit overly sensitive where that cousin of his might be concerned, you think?" Rowan toyed with the cloth napkin and put her chin in her hand. "Give him some time to calm down and he'll be fine, I'm sure," Rowan added reassuringly.

Alyssa sighed and nodded "He's sensitive, anyway" she agreed "Now Davina's around again, and if he is sensitive where Declan is concerned then..." she sighed again. "I don't want Declan," she huffed.

"Oh, no, when did she get back?" Rowan asked in disgust. "He's already rejected her though, last time he was here," Rowan said hopefully.

Alyssa nodded. "She's got an appointment at the Salon this afternoon, Jane overheard her in the café and apparently she's staying," she grouched. "I know, last time he said he would rather go with Bianca than Davina," she smiled.

"Oh, ugh, I'm so sorry. She was with Max before right? So, maybe she'll stick with him. But I tell you what," Rowan said, her accent thickening slightly. "If she goes after Jack, she'll have both of us to deal with."

Rowan was silent again for a few minutes as she watched the lunch crowd trickling out. "Did I tell you I met Ray's mother when we went to Manchester? She's quite a lady," she said with a chuckle. "She's got a feud going with one of her neighbors."

She looked up and raised her eyebrows. "He took you to meet his Mum?" she smiled. "That's good right?" and she beamed at Rowan. She knew that Rowan and Ray were crazy about each other and was happy for the pair of them.

Rowan grinned. "I think it's good. She seemed extremely happy he'd brought a woman to meet her. He said she liked me. I told her she could come visit anytime," she added with a shrug.

"Now I want to take him home with me. I haven't been back in so long. I read Gem's letters to him, but I really haven't told him a whole lot about when I was growing up. I think it would be nice. Spend a few days there, show him around," she smiled dreamily and looked at Alyssa.

Alyssa smiled at her and grinned "It's good that she likes you though!" she smiled happily. "And I bet meeting your family will be an experience for him" she said as she drained her mug.

Rowan snorted out a laugh. "Meeting my Kin would be an experience for anybody."

"You know what you should do, you should go to the school, catch him when he's done for the day and lock him in his office with you and have your wicked way with him. I don't think he'll have any doubts after that about how you feel," Rowan giggled. She picked up the stack of dishes.

"Now there's an idea, I may just have to do that," she chuckled.

Alyssa smiled at Rowan and pulled her into a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow Ro, I need to get back and mentally prepare myself for Davina, I've also got a leg waxing appointment at 1 so I need get back sharpish," She smiled at Rowan and waved at JT and Syed as she left and headed back to the Salon.

"Speaking of work, I best get back to it," she said with a sigh.

Once the lunch mess was tidied, Rowan sat down in the kitchen. Simon called her back to confirm her appointment with Dr. Soames. She texted Ray to let him know the appointment would be at 2:00 tomorrow. Then, she borrowed Syed's laptop and started checking plane fare prices to Virginia and emailing her old friend Louisa to plan a possible visit home.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rowan finished looking into the trip and then stood up to help make the dinner orders that would be picked up at 5. She discussed taking a week off with JT and Syed. Syed suggested Christian might be willing to help out if things got too busy while she was gone. Rowan nodded. Not a bad idea. Now it just remained to see if Ray could get the time off. If they went the first week of April that should give him time to ask. They could leave on a Friday night. She smiled and felt the excitement bubbling up inside her. Louisa had insisted she and Ray stay with her and Junior. Rowan liked the idea of staying in the house where she'd grown up and she was interested to see what Junior and Louisa had done to the place.

They could stay a night or two with Gem as well. She could take him to eat in the restaurant her mother used to run, take him swimming at the pond and she would have to take him up to Gem's hayloft. She'd never gone there with a boy when she was growing up. She couldn't wait to go there with Ray.

She cooked up some beef fajitas for dinner and carried them up to the flat and put the plates on the kitchen table. Ray would be home soon. She smiled and patted her still flat tummy. Tonight, she was going to dance for him. She pulled a can out of the fridge and put it by his plate and fixed herself a glass of iced tea, then sat down to wait.

Rowan toyed with her food then picked up Ray's plate and put it in the microwave so she could heat it up when he got home. She looked at the clock and sighed. He could at least let her know he was going to be late. He hadn't responded to her text about the time of the appointment either. She hoped nothing was wrong.

She sat back down and started to half-heartedly eat her dinner.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Davina went to the salon at 2 for her appointment and avoided so much as looking at Alyssa. She even gave her money to the nice woman who had done her nails rather than give it to Alyssa at the desk downstairs before hurrying off to meet Max.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Jack stayed in his office and pretended to occupy himself with paperwork while he let thoughts of Alyssa run through his head. She had to have been joking with him, he chastised himself. He nearly picked up the phone to call her and apologize, but stopped himself. He knew he was being pathetic, but he just couldn't help it. With Davina back in town, the last thing he wanted to be doing was fighting with Alyssa. But they weren't really fighting, not yet. He'd thrown a tantrum and stormed off like an adolescent. He put his face in his hands and berated himself once again for being such an idiot.

He would apologize to Alyssa when he got home. And he would cook for her. He nodded. Yes, that always helped. He grabbed his cigarettes and then dropped them back in the drawer. He was trying to quit as a wedding present to Alyssa. He wanted to surprise her. But it wasn't easy. He had hated the idea of buying cigarettes so he kept one new pack at all times and the open one he was pretending to smoke from, and occasionally really smoking from, on him at all times to make it look like it was business as usual. He shut the drawer with more force than intended and stood up and began to pace.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Alyssa took the money that Davina had paid from Maddie and put it into the till, the woman didn't even have the balls to face her. It would have made her laugh if she wasn't in such an awful mood. She was hurt that Jack had told her to marry Declan, he made her sound like she was only marrying him for money which wasn't true, she was marrying him because she was in love with him and didn't want to lose him. Ever! She hugged herself for a moment as she tried to calm down. She was glad that the last appointment was in an hour. Then she could close up the Salon and go home and have a drink. She sighed as she set about checking the work stations for any used up cosmetics that she needed to replace. She needed to keep busy.

Jack finished at school and drove to the salon. He'd snuck out early, but he didn't think anyone would notice. He drove past slow at first to make sure he could see Alyssa through the window and then parked just past the salon before getting out and going inside. He shoved his hands in his pockets and approached the desk quietly as he watched her count items on the wall. He cleared his throat quietly to let her know he was there and waited for her to turn around, a small, ashamed smile on his face.

Alyssa stopped what she was doing as she heard him behind her, and closed her eyes, willing herself to turn around. She straightened herself and turned around to face him, Alyssa looked at him reproachfully and then sighed as she returned to her desk and sat down behind it. She looked back up at him and raised her eyebrows at him expectantly.

"Are you going to tell me what all that was about in the restaurant? Because no matter how much you might want me to marry Declan it isn't going to happen, because I don't love him," she told him quietly.

Jack walked around the desk and dropped to his knees in front of her, grabbing her hand in both of his.

"I'm sorry. I get overly sensitive sometimes. I don't know what I was thinking. I acted like an idiot," he sighed and looked up at her. "Let me cook dinner tonight and make it up to you," he offered. He slid one of his hands slowly along her leg and up her skirt as he met her gaze.

"Are they gone upstairs?" he asked and gave her a slow smile.

Alyssa couldn't help but smile down at him and shook her head. "Gayna is still with someone, a body scrub," she explained and knelt down opposite him, she slid her arms over his shoulders and pressed her lips to his gently. "Don't do that to me again Jack, don't accuse me like that," she told him with a sigh. "I don't want a rich man unless he's you," she added and kissed him once more before taking his hand and making him stand up.

"I'm sorry," he said again and pulled her tightly to him. "With Davina here and Declan showing up and he fancies you, I can tell, I guess I'm just on edge," he explained. "I guess I just never feel like I'm good enough for you."

He bent down and brushed his lips against hers. "You're such a posh bird," he said and gave her a half-smile. He kissed her more thoroughly.

"So, I'm thinking we could take our little trip the last week of April, how does that sound?" he asked her.

Alyssa tilted her head "The trip to Birmingham?" she asked with a smile and then nodded "Yeah, last week of April will work, you've got that week off right? Easter?" she grinned and looked up as she heard footsteps upstairs.

Alyssa looked back at Jack. "Sounds like Gayna has finished," she smiled. "I'll be done in a bit," she told him and moved her face closer to his. "You're perfect for me Jack, stop worrying," she told him and kissed him again. She smiled and broke the kiss at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs "Now, move out the way so that I can work!" she grinned as she let go of him.

Jack nodded in reply. "I'll see about getting us a place to stay then, or you can, I don't know the area," he confessed.

Jack quickly moved out of her way. He didn't want her more upset with him.

Alyssa gave Jack another smile then turned to sort the woman that Gayna had accompanied downstairs. She waved both Gayna and her last client off and then turned to tidy up her desk and get the appointments written up for the girls for tomorrow.

He sat and looked out the window as she finished working and stood up when she grabbed her jacket.

Alyssa finished working and got her stuff packed up then looked back at Jack with a smile as she grabbed her jacket from the stand.

She took his hand and looked up at him. "Home? You did promise to cook for me."

"I did indeed promise to cook," he agreed and led her to the car.

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Whitney got home from school and gave Declan a friendly smile. She rummaged in the fridge to get herself a drink and tried not to think about him sitting on the couch in front of the TV. She had Brett. But he looked like Mr. Rimmer. She'd fancied Mr. Rimmer since he'd come to the Square. Now here was this bloke who looked just like him, but was single and rich to boot.

Declan smiled back at Whitney and turned his attention back to the news. He could tell the girl seemed to fancy him, but she was a bit young for him. He preferred someone a bit older, someone like Alyssa. He sighed. Jack had all the luck! He wondered if this idea of Davina's would work at all.

Whitney eyed him as she stood in the kitchen and drank her soda. She wouldn't know what to talk to him about anyway. She grabbed up her laptop bag and hurried upstairs.

"Declan here alone! Yikes! Soooo tempting," she sent to Molly.

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Jack went straight to the kitchen after a quick wave at Declan and started pulling ingredients from the fridge. He hoped pasta would suit her, there wasn't much to be had.

"Whitney is here," Declan told Jack as he came into the kitchen and watched Jack for a few minutes. "Are you actually going to cook?" he wanted to know.

"Yes, I can cook you know," Jack replied huffily.

"You are full of surprises," Declan said and grinned.

Alyssa followed Jack inside and went upstairs to get changed. She dumped her things on the floor next to the bed and changed out of her work clothes to her jeans. She came downstairs with a smile and went to the kitchen and saw both Jack and Declan there.

She went behind Jack and wrapped her arms around his waist as he worked and peered over his shoulder to see what he was doing. "So, what're you cooking me?" she asked.

"I am cooking pasta," he said, "and there will be some sauce and…." he trailed off and looked in the oven. "And some chicken," he grinned. "I hope that suits."

Declan made a gagging noise and left the kitchen.

"You can go elsewhere you know," Jack called after him and turned to wrap his arms around Alyssa's waist.

"What do you think about taking your dad out to dinner when we go? I mean, we can invite your mother too, if you want, but I like your dad and we should make sure he's still coming to the wedding," he shrugged.

Alyssa shrugged and nodded "Sure, I'm not going to the house though, I'll text him so he knows we are coming up and invite him," she agreed. "I'm pretty sure he's still coming to the wedding, Jack," she smiled and kissed him happily.

"Sounds good to me," Jack replied merrily.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Alex grinned as he walked away and smiled to herself. She turned to her desk and grabbed up the folder waiting for her attention.

Gene was right. After lunch, once everyone was in the station, the Super gathered everyone into the main room and announced that next month, Gene would be taking over. He clapped Gene on the back and made sure everyone toasted him with a drink before leaving. Gene grinned around at everyone and then went over to Alex.

"I think we should get Molly and Sammy and go out to dinner. What do you think?" he asked.

Alex smiled at him and nodded her agreement, a family celebration, she beamed and kissed his cheek. "I think that's a lovely idea."

"Can we buy you a drink at the pub, Guv?" Chris asked and looked at Shaz with a grin. Ginger and Rhys stood up and nodded excitedly at the idea of going to the pub.

"They aren't going to bring in a new DCI are they?" Rhys wanted to know. "I mean, with respect, the old Super was a bit old to be going out on cases. But with the Guv here, and you know, two DI's, we don't really need one do we?"

Gene shook his head. "Just me," he grinned.

Ray grinned at the chatter going on and caught sight of his phone on his desk. He grabbed it as he saw the texts and read them. He smiled at the appointment and hastily sent a text back that he would be there and then one about the Guv's promotion with an explanation about why he was late. He promised her that he would be home soon and then put his phone back down.

"Right then, one drink at the pub," Gene announced and wound his arm around Alex's waist, "then I'm taking my family to dinner."

"Let's go then," Rhys said and pushed Ginger out the door in front of him. Chris grinned at Shaz and looped his arm with hers and led her out.

"Any excuse for the pub," Ginger sighed and pushed back at Rhys as his friend kept trying to shove him down the hall.

Alex slipped her own arm around Gene and she grabbed her coat.

Ray grabbed up his stuff. One drink at the pub to celebrate the Guv's promotion then back home to Rowan. The appointment was tomorrow, he would go with her. He sent a text saying he was going to have one drink then go straight home. He followed the others to the pub.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Rowan heard her phone beep and picked it up. She smiled at the message and sent back her congratulations to Gene and sighed. She picked up the can and put it back in the fridge. She gnawed her lip. She went and took a quick shower and put on the outfit she planned to wear to dance in and put her dressing gown on over it. She would do her hair and put on some make up while Ray was eating his dinner. She went and sat at the computer and started checking flight prices and chatting with Louisa as she waited.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Since they could only get him one drink, Chris, Rhys and Ginger all put in a bit of change to buy a pint for Gene. It seemed silly but they didn't want to incur Alex's wrath by getting Gene drunk and keeping him from taking her to dinner. They could always take him out for a proper drinking session after his promotion was final.

Gene looked at Alex. "Better make sure Molly knows we're going to dinner. I'm guessing she's at Peter's so we can pick her up from there and then go fetch Sammy. Think about where you want to go," he finished as he picked his pint up from the bar and took a sip.

Alex nodded and smiled at him as she whipped out her phone and sent off a text to Molly "Gene got promoted to DSI, we are all going out to Celebrate :)"

She picked up her glass of wine with a smile as she watched her colleagues.

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Molly picked up her phone from Peter's coffee table and rolled her eyes at Whitney's text.

"RESIST! LOL :)"

She then read her Mum's text with a smile. "Tell him Congrats! Am at Peters"

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

"I am but it's HARD! " Whitney sent back and looked back at her homework. She heard Jack and Alyssa come in downstairs and felt a sigh of relief. It was easier to avoid him with them around. She really liked Brett and didn't want to mess things up.

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Molly chuckled at the text and sent one back. "Man up and try not to think about him!"

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

"Am doing homework :P" Whitney sent back and chuckled.

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Davina and Max frowned at each other as the rowdy officers came into the pub.

"We can go if you want," he told her.

She thought about it a moment and then nodded.

"I should get home, early day tomorrow and I offered to cook Julia dinner. Why don't we get together Friday night?" she suggested. Although, if her little plan worked, she might be spending it with Jack instead of Max. She smiled.

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Rowan was thoroughly enjoying her conversation with Louisa. They'd been best friends growing up and Rowan had missed her terribly over the years. She would just have to make sure Louisa didn't tell too many embarrassing stories about her when Louisa met Ray. Not that Rowan had ever been caught with a boy, but there were other embarrassing things that Rowan would prefer to forget. She was glad she would get to take him to meet Gem, but it hurt that her parents wouldn't be able to meet him. She knew her father would like him. She thought her mother would, too. She was sure they would approve.

She glanced at the clock and started printing out the prices she'd found for flights. She called the bank and checked her balance. The restaurant had been doing well enough that Junior's payments for the house had just been sitting in the bank. She could easily afford the airfare. And Junior would pick them up at the airport and fly them to the town at no charge. She got everything together and went to dry her hair before it dried too much on its own and was unmanageable.

Ray would likely be home any minute now. She started heating up his food in the microwave and got the can out of the fridge and put it on the table. She knew some women might say something about the way she seemed to wait on him, but she liked taking care of him. He always appreciated it, he showed her all the time even if he didn't come right out and say thank you. If he ever took her for granted she would put a stop to it right quick. She put her hands to her belly. And now she was having his baby! She couldn't wait until her appointment tomorrow. Once she knew all was well, she could start telling people.

She would tell Alyssa first. Alyssa had been there for her when she'd gone to see if having children was even possible.

She did a bit of stretching and then started looking through the CDs for some music to dance to while she waited.

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Alex patted Gene's shoulder as she spotted the level of his pint getting lower and lower. "I'm going to get Molly," she told him and kissed his cheek before leaving the pub.

Alex crossed the road and the Market to the Beale's house and rang the doorbell.

Molly looked up at Peter as the doorbell went and leant off him so that he could answer the door.

Peter went to the door and opened it.

"It's your mum," Peter called to Molly and stood aside to let Alex in.

Molly looked up at Alex as she came in and raised her eyebrows. "We're going now?" she asked as she grabbed her things and shoved them into her school bag.

"So, it's nice Mr. Hunt got promoted," Peter said for lack of anything else to say as he watched Molly pack up her books.

Alex smiled and nodded at Peter. "Yes, it seems he and the Super have been discussing it for ages but never said a word to anyone," she smiled and then looked over at Molly. "Yes, Molls, before Gene gets too pissed, the department is celebrating."

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Gene let them buy him one more pint and he quickly drained it and headed out of the pub with a quick wave.