We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Emmerdale or River City
Chapter 7
Whitney waved excitedly to Charlie as he pulled up.
"Bang on time, Charlie, thank you so much for this," Whitney said as she opened the back door of his black cab. Lauren ran to the back and opened the boot and she and Whitney carefully laid the garment bags with the outfits in them inside and closed it before climbing into the cab. Lauren nudged Molly and jerked her head at Bolton.
"He's never going to tell her is he?" she huffed quietly while Whitney was still standing on the curb and couldn't hear them speak.
Molly shook her head at Lauren with a sigh. "I've had another word with him, he reckons that she's going to think he only likes her because of everything she's got going for her now," she said. "Stupid idiot," she added huffily as she looked over at him.
"Bolton, come on!" Whitney yelled over and then ducked into the front seat of the cab. She quickly twisted around and grinned at her friends.
Bolton looked up at the sound of Whitney calling his name and launched into a jog to catch up with the girls. He noted the looks he was getting from Lauren and Molly and ignored them. He knew they were still trying to get him to admit his feelings to Whitney, but that wasn't going to happen. He was sure she'd take it the wrong way, and he didn't want that. It was best he left it alone.
Molly shrugged at Lauren and rolled her eyes as she followed Bolton into the cab.
"I never thought I'd say I can't wait until Monday," she told them and Lauren nodded and then looked at Molly.
She frowned. "What happens Monday?" she asked.
Whitney rolled her eyes.
"I go to the bank with all this," she said and shook the folder before stuffing it in her bag. "I'm going to need to find a good place to hire people who can sew if this works out. I'll have to reorganize the room I sew in now, too. It's big enough for at least six people if I put the other stuff in the stockroom," she mused.
Molly nodded with a smile and then turned her head to stare out of the window as Charlie drove them back to the Square.
"I'll help if you want," Lauren offered.
Whitney grinned at her. "Right now, I'm more concerned about you helping me celebrate," she shouted and Charlie cleared his throat.
She leveled her finger at Bolton. "Don't forget your promise about buying me drinks," she reminded him.
Bolton grinned at Whitney and nodded. "I hadn't forgotten, though, I have to admit, I'd rather it be celebrating," he told her with a grin as he leant back in his seat and kept his gaze fixed on her. He knew that Molly and Lauren knew he liked Whitney, but he wasn't going to tell her. She didn't like him anyway; she'd said she just wanted to be mates. He would respect that.
"Well, there is much to celebrate I think," Whitney said in a posh accent and then grinned. "I got loads of orders and you got loads of DJ contacts and how many guys asked for your numbers?" she asked Molly and Lauren.
Lauren blushed. "I think I lost count," she giggled. "But Molly got more than I did," she added and winked at Molly.
Molly looked at Lauren and snorted. "Hardly!" she smiled. "Whenever I turned to look for you, you were in the centre of a group of guys," she said with a laugh.
Bolton zoned out for the rest of the ride and watched Whitney's reflection in the glass of the window instead of actually staring at her. He puzzled over what Molly was urging him to do. He knew that if he didn't tell her soon then Molly or Lauren would probably do it for him. He didn't want that. He'd have to tell her tonight, she was going to be drinking; she would be less likely to reject him if alcohol was influencing her decisions. He nodded to himself, that's what he'd do.
Lauren snorted and looked at Whitney and shook her head dismissively while twirling her finger next to her ear. "She's crazy," she mouthed and gestured at Molly and Whitney burst into laughter. She quickly handed Charlie the money when they arrived at the pub and chivvied her friends from the cab.
"Let's go, let's go, time to par—tay," she announced and slung her arms around Molly and Lauren as they walked into the pub.
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Gene stumped out of his office and looked at Ray.
"What are you looking so happy about?" he grunted and gave a lopsided smile so Ray would know he was joking. "I know it's almost time to go home, but you needn't look quite so excited. I'm thinking about going to the pub when we're done here, what do you reckon?"
Ray nodded. "Rowan and I are already going to the pub, Guv," he smiled. "So yeah," he grinned back. "I'm up for the pub," he said.
"What's up with you recently?" he asked cautiously. "You're always moody," he added with a shrug.
Gene gave Ray a look. "Nowt you need to be concerned with," he said and went outside to smoke.
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Rowan helped Nora and Mercy clean the dining room and then all four of them took care of the kitchen in short order.
"You know, let's just close up early," she suggested and grinned.
"I'm out of here then, Rowan," Syed said and gave Rowan a quick kiss on the cheek before nearly running out the door. Rowan looked at Mercy and Nora.
"Well, what are you waiting for, go, go," she shooed them out and locked the restaurant door behind them before going back upstairs. She locked up the deposit and then went up to the twin's room.
"Hi, Abi, ummmm, how would you feel about making some extra money?" she asked the girl. Rowan was grateful the girl had agreed to occasionally babysit when the restaurant was shorthanded and Rowan was busy. It was only three or four hours, but Abi seemed to enjoy the extra cash.
"How?" she wanted to know.
"Well, Ray and I were thinking of going to the pub. So, would you mind staying for another couple hours or so? I can make you dinner," she pleaded. Abi bit her lip and gave Rowan a considering look before grinning.
"Sure," she said. "Is it to celebrate?" she wanted to know and pointed at the ring, "and they told me."
"Yes, just a quiet drink or two," she admitted. "What would you like for dinner?" she asked.
"Sketti and meeballs," chorused the twins who had been busily making a fort in the corner near the window.
Rowan cocked an eyebrow at Abi.
"Spaghetti is fine," Abi told her. Rowan nodded and went downstairs and quickly cooked dinner for Abi and the twins and made sure there still some brownies for them to have for dessert. She whispered the location of where the brownies were hidden to Abi and then kissed the twins and headed out. She briskly walked to the station and went inside. She waved at Adam and noted she'd arrived just in time for Ray to leave.
She walked to the end of the hall first and went into the main room. "Don't suppose you two would like to come to the pub and have a drink?" she asked them.
Ginger looked up and caught sight of the ring and practically leapt over his desk.
"You're actually doing it?" he gasped and she blushed and nodded. He pulled her into a hug.
"Of course I'll come for a drink," he told her and then grabbed her hand and held it up so Shaz could see the ring.
"Look what she's done!"
Shaz gasped and came out from behind her desk. She wandered over and took Rowan's hand to inspect the ring. She glanced up with a grin. "Don't bother telling us, then," she teased before hugging her.
"Congratulations," she exclaimed. "When did it happen?" she wanted to know as she released Rowan.
"Just Monday, but we've been so busy and we'd been sort of keeping it quiet until we're ready to announce it," Rowan replied.
"But you're wearing the ring, it's going to cause questions," Ginger told her.
"Yeah, but only my employees at the restaurant have seen it, I've haven't had time to go anywhere else really."
She jerked her thumb towards the door. "I better go get him," she said and gave Shaz and Ginger a cheeky wink before heading out the double doors and down the hall. She poked her head around the door and smiled at Ray.
"Ready to go, acuisle?"
Ray looked up at Rowan happily and then looked around with a frown "Where's my little troublemakers?" he asked her as he stood and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. He slung an arm over her shoulders.
"I've asked Abi to watch them a few more hours. I made them all dinner and do you know a 17-year old girl that would refuse extra money?" Rowan explained and chuckled.
Ray shrugged. "Probably not," he agreed as he followed her out and trailed after her towards the pub.
"Pub?" he asked her as he lead her through the station, waving briefly at Adam as he passed the front desk and took Rowan outside.
"I am ready for drinking, acuisle," she agreed and walked out with him.
Ray held the door of the Vic open for her and followed her to the bar. He smiled at Annie and glanced at Rowan before ordering.
"A pint please, and..." he looked at Rowan again. "Vodka Lemonade?" he asked.
Rowan nodded. "Oh, yes."
She looked behind her and saw Jack and Alyssa coming in.
"Better add another pint and a white wine spritzer to that, acuisle," she told Ray and jerked her chin in their direction. She never noticed Annie's face going pale at the sight of Jack with Alyssa. Annie quickly ducked her head to cover her reaction. She'd known he was married, but he'd said his wife had left him. Clearly he'd been mistaken.
Annie put the drinks up on the bar and took Ray's money.
Ray pushed Rowan's drink across the bar to her as he grabbed up his pint and turned around to look at where Jack and Alyssa were. He shrugged and looked back at Rowan.
"So, you do realise they're going to want to know when we're getting married?" he said to her with a raised eyebrow.
Rowan picked up her drink and looked up at Ray.
"Well, it is sort of important information to know, don't you think? It's one thing to say it's going to happen, it's a whole other thing to say when," she explained and laced her fingers with his.
Ray nodded at her slowly as he took a sip from his pint and studied her.
"Well, when do you want to get married then?" he asked her. "It's up to you, Rowan, I don't mind when as long as we do," he shrugged as he reached out a hand and stroked her cheek briefly.
Rowan smiled at Ray and shrugged. "I'll figure it out."
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Shaz nodded silently once Rowan had left and she rewound the video and paused it.
"There!" she exclaimed as she pointed at the screen; she had paused it so that Ginger could see Lucy Beale shutting one of the drawers in Shaz' desk.
"Why else would she be shutting a drawer if she hadn't put something in there in the first place!" she said angrily.
"Maybe it was already open, Shaz, we didn't see her open it, but still, I can't see it being anyone else," Ginger admitted.
Shaz frowned at him. "We also didn't see anyone else closing any draws," she told him. "It has to be her!"
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Lucy carried the final stack of files towards CID. She was getting mightily tired of having to hump all this paperwork around instead of sitting in on the interesting investigations. She thought again of Alex's offer to mentor her. None of the other officers seemed to be taking her seriously. She was still being harassed and it was getting tiring. She couldn't dare complain or it might make things worse. But DSI Hunt had been impressed with her and Alex had seemed to as well. It would definitely be better than being stuck with what she was having to deal with now.
She stumped down the hall, glad that she was done for the day once she'd dropped these off. She shifted the folders so she could reach the door handle and went inside the main room and nodded and smiled at Shaz and Ginger when they looked at her.
"Just more paperwork," she told them and dropped some files in Chris' desk tray before walking over to Shaz' desk.
Shaz looked up at Lucy sharply and watched her coldly as she moved around the office. She watched her as she came over to her desk and folded her arms as she watched the younger officer.
"You're in this office a lot aren't you Lucy?" she said coolly.
Lucy put the files for Shaz in her tray and then looked up at her.
"Well, yeah," Lucy replied with a shrug. "I have to bring all the files over, so I'm in here at least twice a day. Why?"
Shaz nodded slowly.
"Are you ever asked to bring anything other than files into this office?" she asked, her tone slightly accusatory as her gaze flicked over Lucy.
Lucy narrowed her eyes and tilted her head at Shaz. "Like what else?" she asked in confusion. "I don't understand. They give me the files and I carry them in, that's about all there is to it."
She looked at Shaz and then at Ginger who was also giving her a searching gaze. She began to feel uncomfortable. What in the world was going on?
"Can I ask what this is about...ma'am," she added, her uncertainty causing her to pause and almost use Shaz' name. Who were they to sound so accusing anyway?
Shaz tilted her head sceptically as she watched the young PC.
"I just want to know if they give you anything else to bring to this office," she said simply, her tone still cold.
Lucy held out the files. "Just what's in the stack they hand me. I'm just supposed to bring it in and put the paperwork in the trays," she explained with a gesture at Shaz' in-tray. "They put post-its on so I know what goes where, that's it," she added.
"It's all basically banded together, files, paperwork, anything like that, I don't have to go through it and mess with it," she pointed out.
"So, no one's given you any post or anything like that to deliver in here?" Ginger asked.
"Well, if they did, it would be in the stack of files and stuff," Lucy told him, her tone slightly exasperated, "sir," she almost forgot to add. She was getting mightily tired of this. She wished she knew what they were on about.
Shaz chewed her lip as she continued to study Lucy Beale. She nodded silently and sneaked a look at Ginger, then returned her gaze to Lucy.
"So no letters addressed to myself or DC White that you've been told to deliver?" she pressed.
Lucy huffed out a breath, but tried to keep her temper. She held out the files she still held.
"Look, then, this is the stuff I bring in all the time," she cried, her temper getting the better of her. "What is it you're getting at anyway? What is it exactly am I supposed to have done? I'm not stupid, you know," she snapped. They clearly thought she had done something, what it was, she had no idea.
Shaz glared at her. "Oh no, I don't think you're stupid, Lucy, quite the opposite!" she snapped back. "But even you should know that threatening and blackmailing police officers is a rather stupid thing to do!" she said angrily.
Lucy's eyes widened. "Blackmail, what?" Lucy burst out. "What are you talking about? I'm not doing any such thing!"
She gaped at the pair of them. Threatening and blackmail. Not that she hadn't thought about it.
"I don't believe...what makes you think..." she tried and failed. She was at a loss for words. She had done nothing!
Shaz growled at Lucy and pulled the most recent letter that she hadn't shredded yet and slammed it down on the desk.
"Stop playing dumb and innocent and own up!" she snapped angrily.
"Own up to what? I haven't bloody done anything!" Lucy shouted back. She looked at the piece of paper Shaz had slammed down on the desk and then back at Shaz and Ginger.
"Are you saying you haven't been putting these letters in our desks?" Ginger asked with a gesture at the paper.
"I don't put anything in the desks!" Lucy told him. "I put the stuff in the tray and move on, that's it!"
She glanced down at the paper and pointed at it. "What's it supposed to be anyway?"
"You're saying you don't know what it says?" he pressed.
"No, I don't!" Lucy nearly shrieked.
Shaz folded her arms at Lucy and then looked pointedly at the door.
"Get out," she ordered coolly.
"Going," Lucy said sharply as she frowned at them both. Now, she was angry. She still wasn't sure what was going on, but she had an idea it had to do with what they'd done. Someone else must know, too! Lucy narrowed her eyes and glanced back at the closed doors to the main room as she turned the corner, this wasn't over.
She pulled out her phone and scrolled to Alex's number. She'd had enough of being pranked and bullied and harassed. Alex had offered help when no one else had. She pushed the 'call' button and waited for Alex to answer.
Shaz glared after Lucy.
"It was her!" she muttered to Ginger.
"I'm not doubting you," Ginger said. "I personally don't see who else it could be."
He popped out the disc and held it up. "We'll hang onto this as evidence, since we don't actually have any fingerprints on the envelopes…." he said and trailed off. "We'll have to watch again to see if she was wearing gloves at any time."
Shaz nodded with a sigh. "Sure, we can do it later, right now we have all of this," she said gesturing at the mass of files that Lucy had brought into the office with her. "To get through," she said as she pushed his share of files towards him and grabbed at her own.
Shaz looked at her computer and picked the first file off the pile and opened it unenthusiastically. How dare Lucy deny it! It was blindingly obvious that it had been Lucy that was leaving these notes everywhere! It couldn't be anyone else!
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Alyssa smiled at Jack's reply. He was eager. She knew he was sorting the garden out today, she'd set him that task by complaining about it. He was being a lot more attentive than usual lately she'd noticed. She reckoned that it was only because he was concerned about her after her operation but she wished he'd stop. She was beginning to feel a little claustrophobic from the attention he was giving her all the time.
"I finish at 5," she sent back to him then put her phone in the drawer. She began a doodle on the corner of the appointment book.
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Jack worked his way through the weeds and sighed heavily as he wiped his forehead with the back of his arm. One less thing to worry about when break started. Then, maybe they could spend a few weeks up north at the cottage. Get away from it all for awhile, that was what she needed.
He went inside and scrubbed himself down in the shower and then pulled on some comfy jeans and a t-shirt before walking over to the salon to get Alyssa.
He peered around the door to make sure it was empty and then walked up to the counter.
"Excuse me, miss, how much for a Brazilian?" he asked.
Alyssa looked up and shook her head at him, a smile playing around her lips.
"No, Jack, you're not having a Brazilian," she told him with a smile as she shut the appointment book and went to lock the back door. She came back out and looked at the time. "Oh what a shame!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry, Sir, but we've just shut for the day, you'll have to come back on Monday," she said with a grin.
Jack chuckled. "Ah, well, isn't that just my luck," he huffed and threw his hands up in the air. "So, if this place is closed maybe you could come have a drink with me?" he asked.
Alyssa smiled at him and moved around the desk.
"I think I'd better let you know that I am actually a married woman, so we can't let my husband know," she said to him with a small grin as she slid her arm around his waist.
"Ooooo, so you're a bad girl?" he asked and wound his arm around her. "Fantastic, let's go," he added and hustled her out of the salon.
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Kim drained the rest of her drink and looked at Denise.
"Another?" she asked.
"Haven't you had enough?" Denise wanted to know.
"That's only three, no big deal, D," Kim complained and went to get another drink. She avoided ordering from Annie and felt her heart stop a moment in her chest when she saw Jack and Alyssa come in. Great, just what she needed, she thought with a sigh.
"Feeling better, Lyssy-baby?" Kim greeted. She might as well get her hellos over with, then it wouldn't look like she was avoiding them.
Alyssa spotted Rowan and Ray instantly and began to make her way towards them.
She smiled at Kim and nodded. "Much, I'm just bored of confined to the house, I can't tell you how relieved I was that Tanya needed me in today!" she said with a small look at Jack.
Kim nodded and went back over to Denise and sat down.
Alyssa slid her arm from around her waist and looked back over at Ray and Rowan, she looked back up at Jack. "Looks like Ro and Ray have got us drinks," she smiled at him.
"Yes, it does look like that indeed," Jack agreed. He quickly grabbed Rowan into a hug and then grabbed her hand to look at the ring.
"Nice one, mate,' Jack said and slapped Ray on the arm. He took his pint and handed Alyssa her wine.
"So, when's the big day?" he asked Ray and took a drink of his pint.
Rowan snorted a laugh and looked down, she couldn't look at Ray knowing what the expression on his face had to be.
"Let's go sit down," Rowan said to Alyssa and dragged her towards a table.
Alyssa left Jack and Ray to it as she followed Rowan to a table. She smiled as she sipped her wine.
"So, when is the big day?" she asked with a grin. "And don't you dare forget your promise about asking me to help with organising this, Ro, I am holding you to that," she said as she levelled her finger at Rowan's face with a small chuckle.
"No idea," Rowan said. "I'll have to think about it I guess. I told Ray I'd figure it out."
She sat down and chuckled at Alyssa. "Of course I'm going to keep my word, you've done this once already. I don't have a clue."
She reached into her bag and pulled out a thick magazine.
"I did buy this though, last night," she said as she put it down. "I just want a simple dress, simple everything."
Alyssa nodded eagerly and her eyes lit up at the sight of the magazine. She reached over and flicked through it, glancing up at Rowan studiously for a moment before looking back at the magazine. She bit her lip as she flicked through pages, folding down corners to mark certain pages as she went.
She passed the magazine back with a smile. "I marked the dress styles I think would suit you," she said with a grin as she reached for her glass again.
Rowan watched Alyssa fly through the magazine and shook her head.
"You never cease to amaze," she told Alyssa, her tone full of admiration. She took a long gulp from her glass and began to page through and see what Alyssa had marked.
Alyssa sat back comfortably as she watched Rowan go through the pages she had marked, occasionally pointing things out to her on other pages as Rowan went through the magazine herself. She glanced up and around the pub after a moment and watched the other people before getting bored and moving her attention back to Rowan and the magazine.
Rowan watched Alyssa out of the corner of her eye and tried not to laugh.
"So, where's your notepad, why aren't you making a list?" she teased.
Alyssa stuck her tongue out at Rowan. "Who says I'm not already doing that at home?" she retorted with a sly smile.
"Well, then feel free to share here, Lyss," Rowan shot back and nudged Alyssa with her elbow.
Alyssa shook her head. "It's not finished yet," she said quietly as she cradled her glass and looked at Rowan with a smile.
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Ray watched Rowan and Alyssa as they left and then turned to Jack with a shrug and a rather smug grin.
"We haven't decided when, yet," he said. "I'm just overjoyed that she finally agreed," he said as he glanced at the two women again, he looked back at Jack.
"You were lucky, mate, Lyss accepted your first proposal straight away, took ages for Ro to accept mine," he said.
Jack nodded. "True enough. Things could get complicated though," he warned Ray as he gestured at Rowan and Alyssa sitting with their heads together. "I'm willing to bet Alyssa is going to help her plan."
Ray glanced over and raised his eyebrows. "Looks that way," he sighed.
"Though Ro won't let Lyss dominate everything," he added with a grin as he watched the two women."I don't think I'd like it if Lyss made Rowan into something she isn't," he said thoughtfully and looked up at Jack. "I know you love Alyssa and everything, but if she made Rowan into a clone of herself I think I'd go mad," he chuckled and looked back over at them.
"I think Alyssa might surprise you. She knows full well her style doesn't suit Rowan, she'll find something that does. She really could do better than just managing a salon, she had very good taste," Jack told Ray proudly. "She can be bossy though, when she knows what she's talking about."
Ray considered Jack's words and thought about some of the clothes that Rowan bought when she had gone shopping with Alyssa and silently agreed that Jack was right, though he could sometimes see Alyssa's influence here or there Rowan never got anything that wasn't her.
"So," Jack began. He took a drink off his pint before he continued. "When do the pair of you think you'll announce the happy news?"
He grinned at Jack "Well, now's as good as any other time" he told him. Ray glanced over at Rowan and then made his way over to her, glancing at the magazine she was absorbed in before tapping her shoulder with a smile.
"You wanna make the announcement now?" he asked her happily.
Rowan glanced up as Ray tapped her shoulder.
"I didn't know we were making an announcement," she said to him. "I thought we were just having a little celebration."
Ray raised his eyebrows at her. "And how are we supposed to celebrate if people don't even know that it's happening?" he asked with a small snort.
"So, what, everyone in the world needs to know?" she asked him, her tone slightly teasing. She held up her drink. "This is me, celebrating," she added with a small giggle.
Ray nodded. "Fine," he said with a grin. He kissed the top of her head and then climbed up onto the seat. He cleared his throat loudly to get the attention of everyone in the pub.
"I'd just like everybody to know," he began with a grin down at Rowan. "That I've asked Rowan Tremaine to marry me, and she, has said yes," he announced proudly to the pub.
Rowan blushed at the various shouts of congratulations and dropped her head to the table.
Alyssa laughed and tugged on Ray's sleeve to make him get down from the seat. Ray looked down at Rowan and spotted the look on her face and hopped back onto the floor quickly. He grinned broadly at her.
"I am so embarrassed," she mumbled and then looked up at Ray. "I might have to kill you," she said, her face still bright red. She looked at Alyssa. "I should kill him, shouldn't I?"
Alyssa looked at Rowan and patted her shoulder. "I'd wait until you get home before you kill him," she advised with a chuckle.
Jack laughed and clapped Ray on the back.
"I think you're in for it, mate," he warned and grinned before glancing at Rowan and Alyssa. "Definitely in for it."
Ray looked at Jack and shrugged. "That might not be so bad," he said as he looked at Rowan. "All depends on what 'it' is," he grinned.
"I have a feeling 'it' will be very unpleasant," Jack mused. He nudged Ray as people began to walk over, offering to buy drinks for the happy couple.
"Well, looks like you won't have to pay the rest of the night," Jack joked.
Ray shrugged and looked over at Rowan, he'd make it up to her. He just felt that everyone should know that was all, and what better place to announce it than the pub!
He grinned at Jack and nodded. "We may have to stick around for a bit," he said happily and looked at Rowan and Alyssa. He sighed and looked at Jack. "The grovelling starts here," he muttered.
Rowan nodded at Alyssa. "I'll have to do it outside, though, otherwise I'll end up with blood everywhere," she said as she glanced up at Ray and then away as people began to stop by to give their best wishes. Rowan looked at Alyssa after Mo finally finished going on about all the discount gear she could get Rowan for the wedding. "I'll have to make it really painful."
Alyssa chuckled and nodded. "I'll lend you my toolkit," she smiled. "So much damage you can do with a toolkit," she added with a look at Ray.
Rowan's gaze brightened. "A toolkit, that sounds very…useful," she said, raising her voice slightly and glancing sidelong at Ray.
Ray looked over his shoulder at Rowan and pulled a face.
She turned her attention back to Alyssa. "So, this list then…."
Alyssa nodded. "I'll bring it over when I've finished it, it's basically a load of stuff that I think you'd like, dresses that would suit you, etc," she explained briefly.
"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you've already been planning things for me," Rowan teased. "I imagine you couldn't resist."
"Ro!" she said with a grin. "Wedding is the magic word!" she laughed.
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Jack chuckled. "I hope you're good at groveling, then," he said. "Do you want to stay here or go play darts? I'll take it easy on you in deference to the fact you might get beaten once you are home."
Ray chuckled and looked over at the darts board. "If you going easy on me means I stand a chance of beating you then, darts it is," he grinned and led the way over to the board.
"Of course, you should get another pint, since it's being bought for you," Jack advised.
Ray grinned at Jack. "That's not such a bad idea," he grinned as he changed direction and detoured to the bar.
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Bolton started slightly as he felt someone kick him and looked up to see Molly following Whitney and Lauren out of the cab. He shook his head before following the girls and stretching as his feet hit the pavement.
"Right then, let the drinking begin!" he grinned as he gave Whitney a small push to get her moving into the pub. Molly looked at Lauren with a sly grin and grabbed her arm to hold her back as she watched Whitney and Bolton go into the pub.
"We have to make him tell her today," she told her.
"Oh, don't worry, I fully intend to. I think maybe a bit of Truth or Dare might be in order? Then we could really have some fun," Lauren whispered and flashed Molly a wicked grin.
Molly grinned at Lauren. "How utterly evil are you!" she said appreciatively to her friend.
"Why, thank you," Lauren smirked.
Whitney glanced back at Lauren and Molly, wondering why they were hanging back, but caught sight of Bolton next to her.
"You know this is all down to you, don't you? What you did really made my part of the show happen," she said as they got to the bar. "This should be yours," she said as she handed him the bottle of expensive champagne. She put a hand on his shoulder and stretched. "And this," she said and kissed his cheek.
"You really are the best and don't let nobody tell you any different," she declared and turned to Annie. "Yeah, I'll have a vodka tonic, he's buying," she said.
Bolton pulled himself back to reality as she kissed his cheek and nodded at Annie as he placed the champagne on the bar. "Oh please, if you weren't so talented then it wouldn't have happened," he told her with a grin and pushed the bottle back across the bar to her.
"I was merely a tool to your success," he added. "But... if you want to kiss me again, feel free," he grinned at her.
Whitney grinned up at Bolton. "Well, you did help a lot," she said. "And I really appreciate it," she reached up and kissed his cheek again. She picked up her drink and looked at Bolton, then looked around for Molly and Lauren.
"Let's go sit down," she told him as she saw her friends still with their heads together. "I don't know what they're up to."
Bolton didn't hold back his grin as she kissed his cheek again and he reached behind him to pay Annie for the drinks and grabbed up his glass.
Bolton looked over at Molly and Lauren, he frowned, he didn't know what they were up to either but he had an idea that it would involve him and Whitney. He was pretty sure that that was all the two girls talked about.
He nodded at her and gestured for her to lead the way over, narrowing his eyes at Molly and Lauren the moment Whitney turned her back to him. He hated that they were always plotting against him. He wasn't going to tell Whitney how he felt, it was obvious she didn't feel the same way. It was easier to let her think he thought of her the same way as she saw him: as a friend.
Lauren got drinks for herself and Molly and a tray of shots. "Let's go sit down with them and get started."
She walked with Molly over to the table and put down the tray and then placed a shot glass in front of each of them.
"We're going to play Truth or Dare," Lauren announced. "Molly, you go first."
Molly whipped her head around to look at Lauren and frowned. "Why do I have to go first?" she said and looked at Whitney.
"I think, as we are here to celebrate Whit's fantastic achievement that she should go first," she said with a look at Lauren.
Whitney picked up her drink and drained it as Molly and Lauren sat down with a tray of drinks. She gratefully took the vodka tonic that was on the tray and smiled her thanks at the girls.
"Truth or Dare...what?" Whitney asked and narrowed her eyes at them, then frowned at Molly's comment.
Lauren quickly raised and lowered her brows at Molly then turned to Whitney.
"Guess you're going first," Lauren said. She would have preferred Whitney be a bit more drunk for this.
Whitney looked at them, then glanced at Bolton, picked up the shot and knocked it back. She put the glass back on the tray and looked at Molly and Lauren. "Truth."
Molly grinned slyly at Whitney and looked at Lauren briefly before sitting back in her seat and grinning.
"Out of everyone in this pub, right now, who would you shag?" she asked.
Bolton narrowed his eyes at Lauren and Molly; he was not looking forward to his go.
Whitney shook her head and let out an exasperated chuckle.
"Who else?" she asked, almost rhetorically. "Mr. Rimmer, of course, just like practically every other girl who went to school there."
She folded her arms and looked smugly at Molly and Lauren before grabbing the edge of the tray to turn it.
Lauren looked at Whitney, then Molly, then Bolton. "She has a good point, a very good point," Lauren agreed and took a sip of her wine. She looked at Molly as the next shot stopped in front of her.
Whitney also looked at Molly.
"Guess it's your turn, eh, Molls?" Whitney smirked.
Molly nodded and sat back as she knocked back the shot and looked at the three of them. "Dare!" she said with a grin.
"Hmmmmm," Whitney began and looked at Lauren.
"I dare you to flash the pub," Lauren said quickly and Whitney burst into laughter.
"Good one, go on then, Molls, get up and go for it," Whitney urged, gesturing Molly get up, turn around and lift her top.
Molly frowned at the pair of them and sniffed as she stood up. She turned her back to her friends as she grabbed the hem of her top and wrenched it up and pulled her top right off. She turned to her friends and sat down again before pulling her top back over her head.
"There," she said as she grabbed her glass and took a sip.
Bolton snorted and sipped his drink as he watched the three girls. Yeah, he was dreading his turn. He had an idea what his truth would be, and he wasn't looking forward to asking for a dare.
Lauren and Whitney both shouted and catcalled at Molly and chuckled at the other random comments Molly's display had drawn.
"Nice one, Molly," Lauren patted her friend on the back. "You better spin now."
She watched as Molly did so and the glass stopped in front of Bolton. She grinned and looked at Molly, then over at Whitney.
"I guess it's your turn now," Whitney said to him, not noticing the nearly identical looks of mischief on Lauren and Molly's faces.
Bolton looked anxiously from Molly to Lauren. If he said truth they'd no doubt make him admit that he liked Whitney more than he'd let her know. He took up a shot and drained it, slamming the glass back on the table he narrowed his eyes at them.
"Dare," he said confidently. This way they couldn't make him admit anything.
Molly grinned broadly at him and looked at Lauren with a sly smile.
Lauren smirked back at Molly and pursed her lips, then gave a small nod as she turned to face Bolton.
"Okay," Lauren began, drawing the word out. "I dare you to snog Whitney, and I mean, a full on, proper snog," she added, then winked at Molly.
Whitney gaped at Lauren, and then at Molly, snapped her mouth shut and looked at Bolton. She was at a complete loss for words, but at the same time, she wanted to hug Lauren.
Bolton kept his face calm and passive. But inside he couldn't be happier, a valid reason to kiss Whitney. He turned to her and shrugged before sliding his hand into her hair and pulling her face closer. He glanced at her eyes once before pressing his lips firmly against hers.
Molly looked at Lauren gleefully and took a triumphant sip from her drink
Whitney half-melted against Bolton at the feel of his lips on hers. She slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, hoping it wouldn't end too soon.
Lauren gave a small, tight smile and gave Molly a fistbump as she mouthed, "Result," at her friend. She looked at the pair of Whitney and Bolton , who showed no signs of stopping and then turned to Molly again.
"I guess it's my turn, then," she decided and picked up a shot and drank it then grinned at Molly.
"Dare, of course," she said.
/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\
Charlie caught sight of Whitney and Bolton kissing and sighed. Molly getting up and flashing the entire pub had been bad enough, now this.
He saw Annie apologizing to another customer and put down the glass he was drying so he could walk over to the table.
He heard Lauren say "dare, of course" as he reached the table.
"Look, you guys have to settle down, we're getting a lot of complaints about well…you with your top," he gestured at Molly, "and now them," he waved his hand at Bolton and Whitney.
Molly nodded slowly at Charlie and grinned broadly when an idea came to her. She turned her head slowly and looked at Lauren.
"Kiss Charlie," she said simply.
"Wait…what?" Charlie demanded to know, not sure he'd heard what Molly had said.
Lauren's eyes widened with delight at Molly's words. "I love you," she barely whispered and before Charlie could back away, Lauren stood up, grabbed his cheeks and fastened her lips on his. Charlie rocked back slightly, but Lauren had tight hold of him and her lips actually felt quite nice on his. What was he thinking? He raised his hands and put them on Lauren's upper arms to push her away, but found himself unable to do so.
Behind the bar, Annie watched Lauren grab Charlie and frowned. She looked around. The whole pub was watching that girl kiss him…and he wasn't pulling away! She marched over and grabbed hold of Lauren and yanked her away.
"Get your hands off him!" Annie snapped. Charlie and Lauren both gaped at her.
"It was just a dare," Lauren murmured.
"I don't care, you've got no business kissing him," Annie shot back.
"Annie…." Charlie began and Annie flashed a look at him. He backed up and quickly shut his mouth, nearly tripping over Kim.
"Hey, now," Kim said, as she sidestepped Charlie. She put a hand on Annie's shoulder and shoved her away from Lauren.
"They're just playing a game, it didn't mean anything, not like what you got up to," Kim said loudly.
Annie was very aware that conversations were stopping and everyone was looking in their direction. She didn't know Kim very well, but she'd seen enough to know she was a loudmouth.
"What are you talking about?" she demanded to know.
Kim swayed slightly as she moved closer to Annie. She waved her arm in an expansive gesture. "You know, the other night, when you spent the night with him over there!" Kim slurred, the volume of her voice raising slightly and her hand dropped to point at Jack.
Jack, his attention already distracted by the two women, froze and swallowed hard when Kim pointed at him, his grip on the pint glass he held becoming overly tight. He quickly put the glass down on the bar and stood still. He could feel his face going pale.
Annie's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't thought anybody had seen her! "I don't know….." she began and Kim cut her off.
"Oh, don't play Miss Innocent with me, Blondie. I saw when Denise checked the pair of you in and I saw you sneaking out the next morning!" Kim bellowed. She caught sight of Charlie behind her and jabbed her thumb at him. "He don't look surprised," she observed.
"No," Charlie said quietly. "I know what she did."
"Huh!" Kim huffed loudly and looked at Annie again. "I guess that's why he was staying at the B&B then."
Annie flushed and looked down.
Rowan looked up from the magazine at the commotion being caused by Kim and couldn't hold back a gasp at what Kim said. She looked over at Jack; it was all over his face that Kim wasn't making it up. She immediately turned to Alyssa. This wasn't going to be pretty.
Alyssa sat there and stared at Jack. He wasn't denying it! Why wasn't he denying it? She looked between them and saw the truth written all over their faces. Angry tears began to fall and she brushed them away furiously. She rose from her seat and looked between Jack and Annie.
"She's the reason you didn't come home that night," she said, her self control hanging by a thread, her voice full of anger and hurt. "That night when I needed you," she continued as she stepped around the table and faced Jack, her fists clenched.
"So, while I was at home, worried sick, scared you were in hospital or worse," she said, her voice getting tighter and tighter as she fought to keep herself as calm as she could. "You were busy shagging that tart!" she shrieked at him as her control snapped. "And then to top it off you had the sheer audacity to come home and treat me like dirt the next morning!" she added as she shot daggers at him. "How fucking dare you!"
Alyssa turned around and looked at Annie, sizing her up as she moved towards her, her expression deadly. "And you!" she snarled. "You're going to have to have plastic surgery to fix that pretty face once I'm done with you," she growled out as she moved towards Annie furiously.
"He said his wife left him," Annie tried to explain and began to back away.
Jack strode up behind Alyssa and grabbed her arm as Annie was backing away from Alyssa. She was glad when Jack interceded; Charlie clearly wasn't coming to her defense.
"You left, Alyssa, you told me you didn't want me and you walked out the door. What the hell was I supposed to think? I went and I got drunk and she helped me to the B&B. She did say no at first, it's not her fault. I was drunk and I was hurt and I thought you were gone and not coming back. You could have stayed so we could have talked the situation out. But you just went off and left me thinking you were going to have a termination, you could have shown me paperwork from the doctor showing me it was a…" he waved his hand while he tried to think of the word, "ectopic thing, but no, you walked out, you left," he bellowed at the end and glared at her.
Alyssa whipped around and glared at Jack. "Don't fucking touch me!" she snarled at him as she pushed him away "I said I didn't want you there Jack! But you wouldn't listen! You never listen!" she yelled back at him.
Rowan grabbed hers and Alyssa's bags and shot a look at Ray.
"Lyss, come on," Rowan said softly as she grabbed hold of Alyssa's arms. "Let's go, come on, you don't want to go to jail, not worth it."
Annie took advantage of Rowan distracting Alyssa to move away, she wanted to be out of that madwoman's reach. She glanced at Charlie, who still looked at her dispassionately and did nothing to help.
Jack stumbled backwards and narrowed his eyes at Alyssa. She still didn't get it!
Ray looked over at Rowan, caught her look and nodded. He came up and stood between Jack and Alyssa, pushing Jacks chest with one hand to make him take a step back away from his wife.
"Lyss, stop making a scene, now is not the time or the place" he told her softly.
Alyssa glared up at Ray. "I think now is the perfect time," she growled at him and made to step around him. Ray sighed and caught her arms and lifted her up off the floor, he really hadn't wanted to do this. He looked at Rowan and jerked his head at the door before holding Alyssa over his shoulder and carrying her out of the pub. Alyssa kicked and screamed in his grasp.
Jack opened his mouth to retort when Ray swept his wife up over his shoulder and carried her from the pub. He looked sadly at Rowan as she glanced back at him furiously. Alyssa would never hurt Jack, no matter what she still loved him.
Rowan walked over to Jack and put a hand on his arm, as if to say something, and then slammed her knee hard into his groin. "You…." she spat as she watched Jack drop to his knees before her then turned and stalked from the pub.
Annie watched gratefully as Ray carried Alyssa from the bar. That had been close. She bit her lip as she watched the short woman, Rowan that was it, knee Jack in the groin and leave. No one moved to help him and he clearly couldn't stand up. She hurried behind the bar, threw some ice in a plastic bag and went back around and held it out to Jack. When he finally took it, she helped him stand.
"Sorry," he mumbled and staggered across the pub towards the door, choosing the one Ray had not left by.
/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\
Bolton snaked an arm around Whitney's waist and pulled her closer to him, she was kissing him back! He could hardly believe it. He had to remind himself that it was just a dare, and that this was only happening because it was a dare, but god, he didn't want it to stop.
Whitney felt his arm move around her and leaned closer. She knew he was only doing it on a dare, but she'd been wanting him to kiss her for so long! She would take full advantage of it. She tightened her arms around his neck and daringly intensified the kiss, totally oblivious to everything around her except Bolton.
Whitney was vaguely aware of yelling going on and cracked open an eye to see Alyssa advancing on Annie. She broke off the kiss and watched, wide-eyed. If Annie had slept with Jack, then she wouldn't long survive it. She'd seen what Alyssa had done to Davina, and she had only kissed Jack.
She glanced at Bolton and then back at the spectacle in front of her, her arms still wound tightly around Bolton's neck.
Bolton turned his head curiously and saw Mr. Rimmer's wife looking furious. He smiled as he realised that Whitney hadn't broken her hold around his neck even though she was absorbed in what was going on around them. He took the opportunity to tighten his hold around her waist, holding her closer to him as he watched another man carry the screaming redhead out of the pub. He sighed and looked at Whitney. Now the kiss had been broken he didn't know whether she would want to kiss him again or if she had only done it for the dare. He looked at her face curiously.
/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\
Lucy sighed and snapped her phone shut. No answer. She looked at her watch. It was time to go home anyway. She stalked to the locker room and quickly changed out of her uniform, glad to see her spare clothes had been unmolested. She stormed out of the station and glanced first in the direction of her flat, then in the direction of the pub. She needed a drink; she decided and turned towards the pub. She pulled her phone out and tried calling Alex again. She really needed some advice.
She went into the Square and sat down on one of the benches as she waited for Alex to pick up. "Come on, please answer," she breathed.
/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\
Alex looked over at the kitchen table as she heard her phone go off again. She left Sammy on the floor with his colouring books and moved over. She frowned at the number and answered the phone.
"Alex Hunt," she answered as she picked up the other box of crayons and moved back to the floor where Sam still sat.
"Yes, hello, DI Hunt, it's Lucy. Ummm, you said if I was having any more trouble that I could come to you," she began hesitantly. "Well….just a few minutes ago, two of the CID officers were accusing me of some sort of blackmail, leaving letters about something in their desks," she continued. "I don't know why, ma'am, I haven't done anything. I don't open their drawers or anything, I just put the files on the desks like I'm told and occasionally chat a minute. But they seem to think I'm leaving other stuff, too, and I'm not, ma'am, I swear."
She gave a heavy sigh. "I don't know what's going on. I don't know if this is just some big prank being played on me or if someone's trying to get me into trouble."
Alex frowned. CID were bullying Lucy now? This wasn't right.
"Okay Lucy, if you tell me which members of CID are victimising you then I'll have a word and find out what's going on," she said. "This has got to stop," she added, anger seeping into her tone.
"It may not entirely be their fault," she said, trying to sound reluctant, she hadn't done anything wrong and she be damned if she'd take any more of this, best to play it as best she could. An outright accusation wouldn't help get Alex on her side.
"But it was DS Granger and DC White. Apparently some sort of letters are being left for them. DS Granger showed me one, it said something like 'I'm going to tell what you did' or something like that, I wasn't really looking close. And I swear, ma'am, I don't know what they're talking about. I haven't been leaving any notes of any kind in anybody's desk," she explained.
Alex frowned. Shaz and Ginger victimising a trainee PC? That was very unlike them. Her frown deepened as she listened to Lucy.
"Okay. I'll find out exactly what's been going on Lucy, don't you worry," she answered. "You will let me know if anything else happens?" she asked. Now that Lucy had finally opened up and told her what was going on she wanted to keep on top of it and monitor what was happening. She wouldn't stand for this!
"Yes, ma'am, I will," Lucy said gratefully. "Thank you, ma'am."
Lucy snapped her phone shut and breathed a long sigh. That was one thing sorted. Whoever was doing this to her was going to pay. Though, she had to wonder how whoever it was had known Shaz and Ginger had done anything wrong. Or were they just picked at random for no reason and just bad luck they had a secret to hide? Lucy didn't care. She turned around as she heard shrieking coming from the pub and saw DI Carling carrying a screaming redhead from the pub. Her eyebrows flew up. Clearly she'd missed something interesting. She rubbed at her face. Maybe she should just go home, she wondered. It would be dark soon enough and she didn't relish walking home in it.
She got up and shoved her hands in her pockets as she headed for home.
/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\
Alex put her phone down and looked at Sammy
"What?" he asked her defensively and she shook her head at him.
"Nothing Sammy, just things at work" she sighed and watched him turn back to his colouring. She raised her eyebrows "When you've finished that how about we start on your writing again?" she asked him as she pulled the small booklet from under the coffee table and offered it to him. The Nursery had given all the children nearly ready to go to School little booklets with letters drawn out faintly and simple words for them to start learning how to read and write their alphabet.
Sammy looked at her contemplatively and then nodded "Kay" he agreed as he went back to colouring in his picture.
Alex watched Sammy draw and sat back against the sofa. Shaz and Ginger bullying a junior officer? That couldn't be right. It had to be a misunderstanding.
/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\
Ginger picked up the files Lucy had left behind and put them in the trays where they belonged.
"Only an hour left, at least," he said with an air of relief.
/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\
Once they were a safe distance away from the pub, Ray put Alyssa down and she slammed a fist into his shoulder before turning around and staring angrily at the pub.
"I wasn't going to let you hurt him Alyssa, you'd only regret it" he said quietly as he rubbed his shoulder where she'd hit him. Alyssa nodded once and held her arms around her middle as she stared at the Vic.
"How could he?" she whispered quietly as her tears finally began to fall steadily.
Rowan went over to Alyssa and folded the woman in her arms. "Ray, go get the car, Lyss, you can come home with us, okay?" she said softly as she stroked Alyssa's hair. "I hit him where it hurts," she whispered in Alyssa's ear.
Alyssa clung to Rowan and nodded silently as she sobbed.
Ray watched for a moment before hurrying off to get the car. He drove up alongside the pavement where Rowan and Alyssa were standing and came to a stop to give them a chance to climb inside. They could put Alyssa in the spare room, and find some reason to explain to the twins in the morning when they woke up and found their aunt staying with them.
"Get in," he called to them.
Rowan helped Alyssa into the back of the car and held her as Ray drove them home. She had to concede that Jack had a slightly good point, but still, what had he been thinking? Rowan was furious with him.
She gestured Ray to get the door for them and then helped Alyssa from the car and up to the flat. She sat her on the couch and then went into the kitchen and searched the cupboards until she found Ray's stash of brandy and quickly poured some into a tumbler. She carried it to Alyssa, knelt before her and pressed the glass into her hands.
She quickly unslung her bag from her shoulder and held it out to Ray.
"Get the money for Abi," she told him. "She should be upstairs with the twins, we owe her," she did a quick calculation in her head, "fifty."
Alyssa sat down numbly and took the glass from Rowan and held it silently in her hands. Her tears had stopped at some point during the car ride, now she just felt hollow.
Ray nodded at Rowan, taking the bag from her and digging for her purse. He grabbed out the money for Abi and glanced at Alyssa once before hurrying towards the steps and climbing up cautiously. He poked his head into the bedroom and then heaved himself up.
"Hey Abi," he whispered to her quietly, he wasn't sure whether the twins were asleep yet, but at least they were in bed. He handed out the money to her. "Here," he said and looked at her. "Do you need a lift home?" he asked her as he got up to stand on his feet and went over to check on the twins.
Abi looked up from the easy chair she was sitting in and put down her phone. She quickly stood up and took the money he handed her and quietly picked up her bag and put the money in it.
"They fell asleep about half an hour ago," she told Ray quietly and then nodded.
"A ride would be nice," she said, "thank you, Mr. Carling," she replied gratefully.
Ray nodded at her and made sure that both Denis and Claire were tucked in before turning to around and gesturing for her to make her way down the steps. He followed her down and moved over to Rowan as Abi made her way to the door. He handed Rowan back her bag and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"I'm just going to drop Abi home," he told her and glanced at Alyssa who was just staring at the brandy in her glass.
Rowan glanced up at Ray and nodded, shoving her bag next to the couch so it was out of the way before moving to sit next to Alyssa on the couch.
He smiled at Abi as he led her outside and opened the car door for her. He made sure she was strapped in safely before driving her back to Walford and pulling up outside her home. Ray watched her climb the steps to her house and made sure she was safely inside before driving home.
/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\
"Oh my god," Lauren sputtered and looked at Molly then over at Bolton and Whitney. She turned quickly back to Molly and shifted her finger in their direction before grinning at Molly.
Whitney looked at Bolton and gave him a small smile before blushing bright red. She slowly unwound her arms from his neck, letting her hands slide slowly down his chest before dropping them to her lap. She slowly slid one hand from her leg and put a hand on his before raising her gaze to his. She hoped that kiss hadn't just been for the dare, she'd thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted more.
Bolton couldn't help that his face fell slightly as Whitney took her arms from around him, but recovered himself almost immediately. He reluctantly loosened his grip around her waist and gradually pulled his arms away from her. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand slightly before looking up at Molly as she cleared her throat
"Right," she said and she pushed a shot towards Whitney. "Your go". Molly watched Whitney and Bolton and felt like hitting her head against the table, even after that kiss they were both still unsure. If Whitney didn't ask for a truth then Molly had another dare all set up.
Whitney pulled her gaze from Bolton and looked at Molly. She looked down at the shot and toyed with it for a moment before pushing it back across the table towards Molly.
"Actually, I'm ready to go home," she said and then looked at Bolton expectantly. She couldn't bring herself to ask him to walk her home, but surely he would offer.
Lauren's eyebrows went up at Whitney's statement and looked at Molly before picking up the shot Whitney had pushed away and drank it down.
"I don't think I'm ready to go yet, are you Molly?" she asked.
Molly frowned at Whitney and folded her arms grumpily. "You can't go yet, Whit! We're supposed to be celebrating!" she protested.
Molly looked at Lauren and a small smile crossed her face as she nodded. "I'm staying," she agreed.
"You'll make sure she gets home okay, yeah?" Lauren asked Bolton.
Bolton nodded at Lauren and then looked at Whitney. "Shall we go?" he asked her as he stood up so that she could get out.
Whitney shrugged and quickly slid out when Bolton got up. She walked over to Molly and leaned over to hug her.
"I think I'm going to finish my celebrating at home, if you get me," she whispered to Molly and chuckled as she straightened up.
Molly laughed and hugged Whitney back, sneaking a glance over her shoulder at Bolton. It seemed as though Whitney skipping her go wasn't that bad after all.
"Night, girls," she said flippantly over her shoulder as she took Bolton's arm.
Lauren looked back at Molly after Whitney and Bolton left. "We did it," she said triumphantly and raised her glass.
Molly nodded and eyed the shots that were left.
"How about we just drain these?" she suggested. "There isn't really any point in playing Truth or Dare now that we've finally got Whitney and Bolton together," she smiled.
"Sounds good to me," agreed Lauren and she picked up another shot. "To us, we are awesome," she said and drained it.
/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\
Bolton waved at the two girls as he led Whitney out of the pub and began to walk her home. He sighed softly as they walked, he wondered whether she'd let him kiss her again and if he shouldn't just risk it anyway. The worst that would happen would be her throwing him off her and she hadn't seemed to mind too much when the kiss was a dare.
Bolton stopped suddenly and turned to face Whitney.
"I think I should tell you why Molly and Lauren wanted to play Truth or Dare," he told her softly. "They wanted me to admit to you that I like you, really like you, Whit," he said. "Your gorgeous, talented, funny, independent, clever," he listed as he looked at her.
Whitney looked up at him in surprise.
"I never thought they had a reason beyond it would be fun, those sneaky cows," she said in an incredulous tone. She felt her insides turn to mush as he listed off things about her.
"Really? I thought you just liked me as a mate, all that time you never got in touch, I thought you just weren't interested," she told him. She slid an arm around his waist.
"Why don't you finish walking me home and then...well...you could make sure the flat is okay...and maybe we could have a glass of this," she suggested and tapped the bottle of champagne.
Bolton slid an arm around her and sighed. "I figured that you'd just forget about me, you know, with the whole long distance thing," he said. "And it had only been one night, not really anything too serious," he shrugged.
Bolton eyed the bottle and smiled at her. "Fine by me," he grinned at her and kept his arm firmly around her shoulders as he walked back to her flat.
"I really wanted to stay in touch," Whitney said and sighed.
She leaned against him happily as he walked her to the flat.
/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\
Denise went over and grabbed Kim and quickly dragged her from the pub before she could cause any more trouble.
/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\
Alyssa sat and cradled the glass of brandy without drinking it. She stared at the amber liquid blankly. Jack had slept with someone else. He'd been drunk but that was no excuse. He'd believed that she'd left him so he jumped straight into bed with the nearest blond. She felt sick.
Alyssa looked up to see Rowan was still sitting with her and she took a small sip of the brandy, it didn't help.
Alyssa didn't know what to say, she wanted to scream at Jack, to tear Annie to pieces, she wanted Jack to hold her and tell her that it was a lie: that he hadn't slept with Annie at all and that Kim was making it up.
She finally opened her mouth to speak. "You know what really gets me?" she said quietly. "That he didn't even have the guts to own up to it. That he wasn't going to tell me, he was just going to pretend it never happened," she said bitterly.
Rowan let out a small breath. "I'm sure like most people, he thought he wouldn't get caught," Rowan told her. "He did have a small point though, when you left the way you did. It doesn't excuse his behavior, but in his mind, he was being reasonable."
Rowan huffed out a small breath. "Which is why I felt it was perfectly reasonable to knee him in the groin," she added with a shrug.
Alyssa smiled briefly.
"He wasn't listening to me, he'd got it into his head that I was having an abortion and I couldn't take it," she sighed. "I just remember seeing red and having to get out of there to calm down," she explained.
Alyssa looked up at Rowan and placed the glass of brandy on the floor. "What am I supposed to do Ro?" she sighed heavily as she pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them.
"Well, Lyss, to be fair you wouldn't let him go with you, he was scared, he doesn't know about that kind of thing. All he knew was you were pregnant and then you weren't going to be," Rowan told her and stroked Alyssa's hair back.
"But I was trying to explain to him! If he'd just listen!" she said in exasperation as her fists clenched involuntarily.
"You can stay here as long as you need to, we'll tell the twins Jack's gone out of town or something, with any luck they won't catch on."
She gave Ray a small nod when he got home, but turned her attention quickly back to Alyssa. She slid an arm around Alyssa's shoulders and held her.
Alyssa nodded at her and moved to hug Rowan. "Thanks," she murmured into Rowan's shoulder.
Alyssa eventually pulled away from Rowan and wiped her eyes again. "I think I'm going to go to bed, Ro," she sighed as she stood off the couch and finally drained the brandy from the glass.
Ray stood and watched Alyssa disappear into the spare room and then looked at Rowan with a sigh. He went and got the glass and put it in the sink. He looked at Rowan again and picked her up. "Come on," he sighed. "Bedtime," he told her with a kiss to her forehead. He placed on her the bed and undressed before crawling in. He frowned slightly.
"Am I still in trouble for telling everyone in the pub?" he asked her, what he'd done wasn't nearly as bad as what Jack had done.
Rowan quickly changed in her nightshirt and got into bed and huddled against him.
"No, you just embarrassed me doing it like that is all," she told him and kissed him. "I was mostly teasing...mostly," she added and smirked at him before snuggling down and falling asleep.
