"Oh, Mrs. Connor – it's so good to have you back!"
"Thanks, Julie." Carla smiled at her employee warmly as she sat in The Rovers surrounded by an array of familiar faces – some friendly, some not so much. "It's good to be back."
"You're looking fabulous as always, Mrs. C." Sean exclaimed with his usual enthusiasm. "So tell me, is it true what they say about the blokes in LA? Are they all ridiculously good looking with flawless tans and perfect abs?"
"I think you've been watching too many Baywatch reruns, Sean." Carla laughed, thoroughly enjoying herself. She hadn't realized just how much she missed everyone until now.
"Who's up for another round?" Rob asked as he got up from his seat and approached the bar.
"Well, that depends on who's buying." Fizz replied jokingly as she raised her nearly empty glass in Rob's direction.
"Alright, this rounds on me. Anything to help celebrate the return of my favourite sister." He declared proudly, earning himself a unanimous 'Awwwwwww' from the crowd.
"Yeah well, that's not exactly saying much considering that I'm your only sister." Carla shot back, smiling at her baby brother affectionately.
"Yeah, yeah. Way to ruin the moment." Rob replied, motioning towards her empty glass. "Sure I can't tempt you into something a bit stronger than orange juice?"
"Thanks, but I think I'll stick with another dose of good ol' vitamin C for now. Ta."
"Living in California hasn't turned you into one of those health freaks, has it?" Michelle asked jokingly, her gaze then travelling to Carla's stomach. "Or is there a little Barlow baking in the oven?"
"Better not be." Rob muttered under his breath as he handed his sister another glass of orange juice.
"Peter isn't the only one who's decided to jump back on the wagon." Carla explained, ignoring her brother's snide remark. It were no secret that Rob wasn't exactly Peter's number one fan. Hopefully that would change once they got to know each other better…
"You've quit drinking?" Michelle asked, her reaction a mixture of suspicion and pride.
"Yep. Haven't touched a drop in months." Carla declared, taking another sip of her juice.
"Ya know, Just because he's got a drinking problem doesn't mean you have to go and change your whole lifestyle just to suit him." Rob argued, his contempt towards Barlow apparent.
"It's called being supportive, Rob. You should try it sometime." Carla replied, glaring at the younger man in warning. "Besides, it was my decision - Peter had nothing to do with it. I do have a mind of me own, ya know."
"That's an understatement," Michelle chimed in, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "You're the most stubborn woman I've ever met. Nobody could force you into doing something you didn't want to do."
Carla inwardly winced at her words. If only that were true. If only she was still the strong, independent woman her friends and peers all thought her to be. Somewhere along the way, she had lost that part of herself. It would be easy to blame everything on Frank and what he had done to her. But truth be told, Carla had begun to lose herself the moment she fell in love with Peter Barlow.
And in many ways, her lover's most recent betrayal had left Carla feeling more vulnerable and abused than she had at the hands of Frank Foster.
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Peter lay awake in bed staring up at the ceiling. He was completely and utterly exhausted, but couldn't shut his brain off long enough to get some sleep. This jet lag was going to take some getting used to – although, he supposed he would have many more sleepless nights to look forward to in the not so distant future…
Peter's wayward thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the bathroom door being flung open, light momentarily flooding the room before Carla hit the switch and gingerly crawled back into bed.
"Are you alright, love?"
"Do I look alright to you?" She replied, turning her back to him as she tried to get comfortable.
"You look gorgeous. Positively glowing." He declared truthfully, reaching out to stroke her hair – his heart breaking when she flinched away from his touch.
"Shut up, Peter." She hissed, wrapping the covers around herself more securely.
"It won't be like this for long, ya know." Peter tried to reassure her. He hated this distance that existed between them now, especially during what were meant to be the happiest time in their lives. "All the books say that it's only meant to last the first few months."
"Oh, really?" Carla replied sarcastically. "And exactly which book would that be? What To Expect When You Trick Your Girlfriend Into Getting Pregnant?"
"I really wish you'd stop saying that…" Peter sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"Yeah, well. I really wish you'd let me be the one to decide if I actually wanted a kid before you went ahead and turned me into a human incubator without my consent."
"Damn it, Carla!" Peter shouted, hurt by her words. "You're making it sound as if I…"
"As if you what? As if you raped me?" She shouted back accusingly, finally turning around to face him – eyes brimming with unshed tears. "You may as well have…"
"Carla…" He grimaced, voice barely above a whisper as the venom of her words sunk in. "How could you say that to me?"
"How could you do this to me?!" She shot back, the pain and betrayal in her voice nearly breaking his heart. Peter realised now that he probably should have went about things differently. He'd been so focussed on getting sober and putting his plan for the future into action, that he hadn't really stopped to consider that his dreams may not be her own. But Peter still maintained that the end result would make it all worthwhile in the end. Carla would come around eventually, he was sure of it.
"I know you're still angry with me, and I'm sorry if I've hurt you – I never want to hurt you." Peter tried to reassure her, his voice taking on a gentle quality as he reached out to lace his fingers through hers – pleased when she didn't pull away. "I love you so much. You know that, don't you?"
"Yes." Carla sighed, her anger finally beginning to subside. "And I love you, but..."
"No 'buts'," Peter interrupted her with a kiss. "Let's just leave it at that for tonight, alright? You need your rest."
"This isn't over, Peter." Carla warned, stifling a yawn as she closed her eyes and snuggled into his embrace.
"I know," He smiled, dropping a gentle kiss on her forehead as he held her close. Peter knew that she was still furious with him for what he had done, but he also knew that their love for one another was enough to get them through anything.
This baby was a blessing – a new beginning for them both. Eventually, Carla would come around and realize that he'd made the right decision.
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4 more years, baby! Sorry I did not post chapter 4 last night as promised. I was too busy watching CNN, lol. On a sidenote: Yes, Carla's pregnant. And no, this won't be your typical 'Carter baby fic' - I promise. ;)
