(Author's Note: I know Amy's boyfriend was mention on the show as Tom but I changed it to Jason. Frankly, I don't think this is my best work, but what can you do, Sorry it took me so long to update, hope you enjoyed and don't forget tell me what you thought!)

Chapter Six~ "Gonna Cut You Down (Part Two)"

"Daddy?"

Ste slowly turned around to see Lucas standing a couple of feet away from him .

"Mummy said you're an Angel now…"

Ste dropped the bag he was holding, went over and gave his son a hug, "I'm…I'm so sorry, Buddy." Ste stated trying to hold back tears.

"Leah and Me misses you, Daddy," Lucas stated quietly.

"I know and I miss you guys, too."

Ste pulled Lucas into another hug, "Lucas, Buddy I need you do me a big, big favor for me. Are you listening?"

The little boy nodded his head yes.

"I need you to not to tell your Grandpa Mike or Mommy that you saw me"

"Why, Daddy?"

At this point tears started to form in Ste's eyes, "…'Cause if you tell them it might upset them."

"Oh…" Lucas only responded "Daddy?"

"Yeah, Buddy?"

"Why did you have to go away?"

Ste sucked in air trying to hold back the rest of his tears, "I…I didn't want to…" Before he could finish his sentence he heard Mike from

inside. " I have to go…I love you…" Ste finally stated has he grabbed the bag he had dropped and as he took off running. Just as Ste was

running off, Mike ran out of the market to see his grandson standing in the middle of the sidewalk. "Hey!" Mike called out to the man who

was running away. He turned his attention to his grandson, "Lucas who was that man?" he asked as he kneeled to Lucas' eye level.

Days Inn Hotel; Room 234

"You know you and your boyfriend should probably work on being more quiet when you're doing it…"

"Did I ask you your opinion on me sex life, Adams?" Brendan asked as he finished counting the money the Thomas had brought with him.

" I'm just saying…"

"Well, don't. Okay, everything seems to be here. Right, now, about the IDs and passports?"

"I have yours with me, but my guy is still working on Ste's."

"Okay, and what about the car I asked for?"

"Brendan, would you stop worrying about everything I have it under control."

"Well, I have a lot riding on getting out of the country. If it were just me it would be one thing, but…"

"I know, Ste in the picture now and you can't let anything happen to him."

"Yeah," Brendan nodded in response. "I don't know what I did to deserve a man like him."

"Right, umm, let me go get Ste's things from my guy and let me go pick up the car too." Tom stated as he headed towards the door.

" You know what, why don't I go with you." Brendan said as he grabbed his wallet and made his way towards the door.

"What do you not trust me or something?"

"I never said that." Brendan stated as he and Tom made their way out of the hotel room. Just as Brendan closed the door, Ste came around the corner, " There you are," Brendan stated at the sight of his boyfriend. "Was wondering what was taking you so long."

"Yeah, umm, sorry long line at the shop." Ste stated trying not to make eye contact with Brendan.

"Are you okay?" Tom added.

Ste cleared his throat, "Umm, yeah, right here are some sweets I got your favorite." Ste stated as his dug the candy out of the bag.

"Thanks, are you sure your okay, Steven?"

"I'm fine, " Ste tried to reinsure Brendan. "Where are you two off to, anyway?"

"We have to finish up some last minute deals before you and I leave… Steven, did something happen?"

"It's nothing to worry about, Bren."

"Did the police spot you?" Tom questioned.

"No, no, nothing like that." Ste responded

"Steven?"

"Look, you go do what you need to do and we'll talk about it when you get back." Ste told Brendan as he made his way to the hotel room.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what happened." Brendan stated as he grabbed Ste's arm. Ste wanted nothing more to lie to Brendan, but it really would have been no use. Brendan knew Ste too well. How was he supposed to tell Brendan about seeing the kids? If

he were to say anything, the first thing Brendan would do would be to tell Ste to stay and to be with his kids. Although, Ste would want nothing more to be with his children again he couldn't, if he return to the village or show his face to the kids and Amy he would lose them

forever.

"Steven, you need to tell me what happen, and don't even think about lying to me." Brendan demanded.

Ste let out a sigh of frustration, "I saw Leah & Lucas, okay!"

Hollyoaks Village

Cheryl and Nathan made there way through the cemetery, Cheryl was holding the flowers she had bought close to her body, Nate wasn't

too far behind, everything about the place made her think about all she had lost in this town; first, Malachy, Steph, Lynsey, not to mention her respect and love for the monster that was her father and now Ste. As much as Cheryl tried to forget and move on from what Seamus had done to her brother, she truly never could, it was hard because there was two versions of her father the one she grew up with and now that man she saw the night, who was going to hurt her brother..., Cheryl quickly closed her eyes to prevent the tears from falling, her big brother, the best one anyone could ever ask for, the same man who had given up his whole life for his sister's happiness, he had given up his boys, his freedom, and the love of his life, so that Cheryl could have hers, and all she was asked was to keep an eye out on Ste. Cheryl finally made her way to Ste's gravestone, which read,

Steven Robert Hay

13 October 1989 - 23 March 2014

Loving Father, Friend and Partner.

Cheryl kneeled down next to his grave and placed the flowers up against the headstone.

"Oh, Babe." Cheryl sobbed out.

"Why don't I give you a moment." Nate stated as he placed his hand on Chez shoulder.

Cheryl nodded her head in response Nate quickly gave Chez a kiss on the cheek and gave her some space.

"Ste…I'm…I'm so sorry…" Cheryl whispered out with a small cry.

Manchester, England

Mike unlocked the door and let the kids into the house. Just as he shut the door his phone began to ring.

"Hello?" Mike answered.

"Dad, oh my god I just got your message, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, Amy, everything is fine."

" Did you call the police?"

"And tell them what? I think my grandson just saw his dead father?" Mike whispered into the phone so that the kids wouldn't hear him.

"Are you near the kids?"

"Yeah, we're in the family room."

"Well, turn on some cartoons and go in the other room, please." Amy responded. Mike quickly flipped on some cartoons on the TV, " Okay, kids you two watch telly while I talk to mommy." The kids only nodded in response. Mike made his way to his room. Once Leah saw that her grandpa had left she turned her attention to her brother. "Lucas?" she questioned. Lucas, who was playing with his toy airplane, only continued making motor noises. "Lucas?"

"Yeah?" he asked as he still played.

"Did you really see Daddy?"

"Yeah, I told him the we misses him."

(In Mike's Room)

"Do you really think it was him?" Mike asked his daughter.

"It can't be, Dad. They found his body in the deli after the fire, the DNA matched."

"But I mean what if? Would it really be the first time someone in that village faked a death?"

"Lucas is sure that the man was Ste?" Amy asked.

"100%"

"I don't know, maybe... maybe, it was just a man the looked like him, did you see what he looked like?"

"No, by the time I got to Lucas the man was running down the street."

Amy let out a sigh.

"Amy, What if that was Ste?"

"Okay, if it was why would he run off like that?"

"Wa… wait a minute weren't you telling me that his ex, that Brady guy, just broke out of jail a couple of days ago?"

"Yeah, but Dad, Ste's been dead for six months…"

Days Inn Hotel; Manchester, England

"Adams, you go get the rest of the stuff and be back in a half an hour." Brendan stated as he returned his attention to Ste.

"Okay, I'll see ya in a little bit." Tom stated as he made his way down the hall

Ste unlocked, opened the hotel door as he and Brendan each made their way into the room closing the door behind them. Ste made his way

to the bed and threw Brendan's Hat and sunglasses on it, along with the bag from the market.

"So you…uh… you saw the kids?"

"Yeah,"

"Did they see you?"

"Lucas did…"

"What...did he say anything?"

"That Leah and him missed me." Ste spoke softly as a tear rolled down his cheek. Brendan walked over and pulled Ste into a hug. "I'm such a bad father." Ste whispered into his lover's chest. Brendan cupped Ste's face and tilted it up into his eye-line, "You're not a bad father, Steven."

"I… I am…do you want to know what I did the moment I heard Mike calling for Lucas? I told Lucas to not to tell his mother and Grandfather he saw me! What kind of person does THAT!?" Ste nearly screamed. Brendan released Ste's face and took a step back from

him, at this point Ste could no longer hold back his tears, "Bren, my kids… for the first time in over a year were right in front of me. They've grown up so much… Leah's looking more and more like her mom and Lucas…(sigh)… I mean what else was I supposed to do?"

Brendan stood a couple inches away from Ste taking in all he was saying, "Ste… This is what you're going to do right now, you're going to get your things, and you're going to … you're going to go to them."

"What?"

"You belong with your kids."

"I belong… you're kidding me right?"

"You shouldn't have come after me, Steven."

"Okay, if I go back… how do I explain me being not being dead, hmm?"

"Your smart man you'll think of something."

"If I go back I'm looking at jail time… not to mention the moment I get back it won't take long for the police to figure out that I was in the one in the car…"

Brendan didn't know what to say at first and as much as he loved Ste, he knew that he couldn't have Ste go on the run with him any longer,

but no matter what came from it, he knew what had to be done. "The most you'll get is a year or so and … you…you say temporary insanity…you do whatever it takes to get you cleared"

"Brendan, I didn't tell you about the kids for you to do this, I told you because I didn't want to keep any secrets from you."

"I've stolen enough of your life from you…" Brendan stated as Ste close the gap between them.

"You haven't stolen anything, Bren, I wish you'd understand that. I know you think that… your right by doing this, but your not. Amy was right to keep the kids away from me, they are better off…"

"Don't… don't you dare say that, Steven."

"It's true, though," Ste stated as he walked of to the bed and took a seat leaning up against the headboard. Brendan followed, "Amy got married." Ste stated.

"And that some how makes you an unfit father?"

"(Sigh) he's a good man…100 times better than I'll ever be," Ste stated ignoring Brendan's last comment. "He's American, (Ste let out a small laugh) what is it with Americans, ay?" Ste asked making a slight joke about his marriage to Doug.

"They're quiet annoying if you ask me." Brendan joked back.

"He's got a PhD, you should know… a good job, even has a kid of his own. He's great with Leah and Lucas, too." Ste rambled on, not really understanding what he was saying.

"When did this man come into the picture?" Brendan questioned.

"Jason? They've been together for a while now, but they got married about a year ago."

"Have you met him?"

"Yeah, the first Christmas I spent without you. Amy and him bought the kids for a visit. Met his daughter, Katie, that was when they told

me about the wedding."

Brendan grabbed Ste's hand.

"I ruined that Christmas…I ended up drunk and getting arrested, by the time I got out Amy and Jason had taken the kids back to

Manchester."

"Steven, I hope you know that I never wanted any of this to happen." Brendan stated, Ste nodded his head in acknowledgement and gave

him a quick kiss. " I know and to be honest, I thought, I was okay with it at first when you left. I even convinced myself that I hated

Kevin ended up coming back into town and Chez Chez went up for sale, I tried to buy it, that didn't work out, and it was just like losing you again. After that it was like a downward spiral. I lost it…"

"Was that when you started dealing?"

"It was a fast way to get cash to buy the club…"

"What happened, why didn't you just stop?"

"Don't know really… just didn't." Ste Stated as he stared out into space. "Bren?" Ste questioned after a couple of minutes of sitting in silence.

"Hmm,"

"Do you think, if none of this happened, if we had gotten the happy ending we had talked about, that… that we'd have a baby?"

"Uh, unless you grew a vagina without me knowing…" Brendan joked.

Ste chuckled at the joke, "Would you stop, you know what I meant, like adoption or surrogacy."

"I don't know really, I hadn't really ever thought about it. After Paddy was born, I thought that was it, the boys were the only kids I will and would ever have... How about you?"

" To honest at first I didn't but after we got back from Dublin, after everything we went through and after seeing you with our Leah and Lucas. I started picturing your Deccy, Paddy, my Leah, Lucas and a little Brady-Hay baby…" Ste stated with a faint smile.

"Hmm, " Brendan responded along with a smile. "Sounds great."

" I think we would have made great parents together you know…"

"Ta," Brendan responded.

"...How did we even get to this point? One minute we're wrapping presents for Leah and Lucas now this..."

"All the more reason you to stay with them." Brendan stated.

Ste sat up and faced Brendan, "You don't think if I could I would? Like I said the kids are better off without me, I chose to let people think I died because I knew they'd all be better off." Ste tried to explain to his lover.

"And what were you going to do spend the rest of your life hiding?"

" I felt that would be better than walking around and living a lie. That's why the moment I found out you escape from jail I went looking for Tom, and when he told me where you were I knew I had to be with you. So nothing and I mean nothing you do or say will ever make me change my mind."