Walford is My Home for the Holidays

by MythMoonWitch

Part 2 of the "Walford is" series. Our residents celebrates Christmas through Valentine's Day in usual Albert Square fashion.

10. Chapter 10

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

Chapter 10

Alyssa took the paper bag off her lap once he pulled up outside the house and slid out of the car. She shut the door and got her bag and laptop case from the footwell then dug her keys from her pocket and opened the front door to get inside. She left it open for him and made her way to the kitchen and got a couple of plates out and popped them in the oven on a low heat to keep them warm as she unpacked the food.

She placed her Dad's to one side then got out the chips she had ordered and one of the now warm plates from the oven and emptied the contents of the paper wrappings onto it. She dug in the draw for a fork and placed the plate on the table as she reached for the ketchup.

Jack followed Alyssa into the house, feeling a bit useless. He could have carried something. He folded his arms and gazed at the fiery-haired and fiery-tempered love of his life, mistress of his heart and gave an internal shrug. When she wanted help, she'd tell him, in no uncertain terms either.

He walked over and slipped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her hair at the side of her neck.

"So...while the Dad's away..." he purred in her ear.

Alyssa felt the butterflies as she always did when he touched her: the familiar feeling of her tummy turning on it's head. She placed the ketchup bottle on the kitchen counter and leant back against him for a moment with a smile. She turned in his arms and slid her arms around his neck, then tilted her head up and kissed him.

"The headmaster and his fiancée play?" she breathed against his lips as her forehead rested against his.

"Hmmm," he gave her a brief kiss. "Let's take the food up with us, we'll need refueling," he said and grabbed the food and went up the stairs two at a time. "Hurry up, slow-poke," he called down to her.

Alyssa grabbed up her plate after squeezing a blob of ketchup onto the chips and replacing the bottle. She picked up the tray and a couple of cans as an afterthought, no doubt they would be thirsty later and in no mood to move. Balancing them carefully she made her way upstairs and deposited the tray on the dressing table before shutting the door, stripping off her clothes and joining him on the bed.

Jack dipped a chip into ketchup and held it to Alyssa's mouth. He tapped her nose instead of letting her bite it, getting ketchup on her nose. Then he held the chip up to her mouth again so she could take a bite. He let her eat the chip and then licked the ketchup from the tip of her nose.

Alyssa swallowed the chip and frowned at him. "That was a complete waste of ketchup," she pouted, then grinned as she rubbed at her nose with her wrist.

"I got it all off," he told her, "and it was only a tiny bit besides. Now," he began and dipped another chip in ketchup, "have another."

He took them steadily through the chips, dipping some in ketchup and feeding them to her and eating others himself, kissing her lips, neck and shoulders in between times. When the chips were gone, Jack put the plates aside and looked at Alyssa with undisguised greed before pressing his lips to hers.

"I'll have you for dessert," he told her and did just that.

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

Gerald dragged his feet and smoked as he walked grudgingly back to the house. The racing hadn't been good. He had lost practically all his bets bar one. One, that won him less than half of his overall bets for the that day. He snorted as he stubbed the cigarette out and chucked it carelessly into the bin. He cast his eyes over the house as he drew near and dug in his pocket for his keys. His fingers touched a small balled up betting slip and he scowled. Rubbish. He threw it at a tree uncaringly and forced his key into the lock and let himself inside.

One foot in and he could smell the chips. His mouth watered and he went directly to the kitchen. He glanced around for Jack or Alyssa and saw neither of them. Alyssa had been here though. A small drop of ketchup was on the counter. She always had ketchup with chips. He cleaned it up and spotted his food in the microwave. He set it for a minute and grabbed a can out of the fridge. He drank half back and tapped it while the microwave whirred. He could hear hushed voices upstairs. It didn't take a genius to work out where his daughter and her fiancé were. He shook his head and pulled his pie and chips out of the microwave and plonked himself onto a chair at the table and ate his food.

Ronnie's eyes slowly opened as the sound of the door closing woke her up. She looked at the TV. News. How had it got so late? She hadn't thought she was that tired. She noticed the empty container that had held the cinnamon rolls and grimaced. She'd eaten them both! Greedy pig, she chastised herself. She let out a soft groan and wondered what time Ray would be home.

She closed her eyes and opened them again as she yawned hugely. Her eyes widened as she heard her stomach growl loudly and she put her finger to her lips.

"Shhh," she said sternly and sat up. She pushed her hair back and noticed Ray standing there. She realized the sound of the door had been in the flat and not on TV.

"Hi, I fell asleep and didn't make it out to go shopping," she said and managed to look a bit shamefaced. Her stomach growled again and she put her hands on her belly and leaned on the back of the couch and looked up at him with a studied, pleading expression.

"Takeaway?" she asked plaintively.

Ray grinned down at her and nodded as he made his way to the cabinet and pulled out the various takeaway menus they had. He grabbed the phone and sat down next to her on the sofa and passed her some of the menus as he looked over the others.

"What d'you fancy?" he asked as he flicked through his small handful and looked over at hers. "I'm not really too bothered," he grinned. His attention was caught momentarily by a story on the news and he looked up and watched until the newsreader came back on with some news about a school that had done a load of charity work. Uninteresting. His attention moved back to Ronnie and looked at the menu she was reading.

"Sooo...?" he smiled as he slipped an arm comfortably around her shoulders.

Ronnie sighed and looked through the menus. She was hungry, but had no idea what she wanted. She growled in annoyance and waved the menu.

"I don't know," she wailed. "I'm just hungry."

She flung the menus to the floor in aggravation and glared at the wall. She shifted until she was seated sideways between Ray's legs with her legs draped over one of his legs and she leaned against his chest. She looked at the scattering of menus. She picked one up that was still on the couch and toyed with it.

"I guess get Chinese delivered," she finally decided. "Sweet and sour chicken and….um….egg rolls….ummm….BBQ pork and I guess beef with broccoli," she held up the menu for him to take and shifted comfortably against him. He smelled so good. She didn't remember him ever smelling quite so good.

She shifted slightly so he could get his phone from his pocket and then began unbuttoning his shirt as he called the restaurant. She pressed her face to his bared chest and inhaled as she traced a finger over his flesh.

Ray slid his arm around her waist as she deposited herself onto him and wisely didn't comment on her little tantrum. He grabbed up the menu she had chosen and dialled the number.

He shivered discreetly as she undid his shirt and scanned the menu for the numbers of the dishes she had chosen as he waited for the restaurant to pick.

"Hey mate," he answered when the phone was eventually picked up. The hand that held her waist went to take her hand that was tracing over his chest. She couldn't keep that up while he was on the phone. "Yeah, can I get 25, 37, 12 and a couple of number 78? Yeah? Great two of those as well then," he grinned and squeezed her hand in warning as he let it go.

Ronnie's eyebrows went up slightly as he grabbed her hand. She moved her hand that was behind him up and then grazed her fingernails down his spine.

When he let go of her hand she snaked it up and around his neck and began to toy with the curls at the nape of his neck. She carefully dragged her top over her head so that she was only in her knickers and began to slowly press hungry kisses across his chest as she waited for him to get off the phone.

The moment he was she snatched it from his hand and put it on the coffee table before slinging her arm around his neck again and pulling him to her for a kiss.

Ray growled and immediately used his hands to clutch her to him tightly. He kissed her fiercely and then pulled away when the need for oxygen became too great.

"Unfair," was all he said.

His hands moved to rest on his hips as he looked at her, his eyes travelling down her body and then back up. They finally rested on her breasts as he considered them. One hand came up to caress them as he looked back at her.

"I think you're right. They are bigger," he commented then leant his mouth down to her and replaced his hand.

Ronnie moaned softly at the feel of his lips on her flesh and shivered. She shifted under him carefully and shifted her backside so she was next to him rather than between his legs and leaned slowly back, her hands on his shoulders to pull him with her as she rested her head against the pillow she'd slept on earlier.

"Oh, Ray," she whispered and tightened her grip on his shoulders. She moaned again and shook with desire. She burned under his touch.

Ray continued to fondle her breast with one hand as he lavished attention on the other with his mouth, slowly. He adjusted himself to the new position so that he was comfortable. He smirked against her skin as he switched breasts and took his time. He was in no rush and was enjoying himself, he wanted her, but this time, she came first.

He moved his hand down her stomach gently and teased the band of her knickers before slipping his hand inside and stroking her.

Ronnie arched against him and cried out and clenched the material of his shirt in her fists. She was ready, more than ready, why was he tormenting her? She gasped for air and words began to spill from her lips, telling him how good it felt, what it was doing to her, begging him for more in the most graphic and detailed terms she could manage.

Ray's head lifted and his fingers stilled as she spoke. His eyes widened as he looked at her. He had never ever heard her speak like that before. His eyes closed as he tried to stay in control of himself. If she kept talking like that then he would lose his control very quickly. His mouth clamped over hers as he silenced her words with a rough kiss as his hands began to move again.

"Shhhhh," was all he said when he pulled away and resumed his work on her body: worshipping every beautiful inch of her.

Ronnie's eyes flew open when he kissed her and she met his gaze when he told her to shush. But she couldn't. She cried out, a long drawn out cry and grabbed fistfuls of his shirt as the first wave washed over her. She wasn't sure how much she could take, but bit her lip to stop herself talking.

She shook beneath him as her breath came in short panting bursts. As the next wave slammed into her, her mouth flew open. She wanted him inside her, thrusting hard, filling her and this time, instead of begging, she demanded.

Ray groaned loudly into her flesh at her words. He wouldn't be able to do this to her if she kept saying things like that. Mind you, that was what she wanted: who was he to refuse her? He raised his head and looked down at her as he stopped touching her and lifted himself off her so that he could get out of his trousers.

Once all his clothes had been stripped away he tore her knickers away and stroked his hands up her body as he looked down at her face. This woman loved him? This beautiful woman wanted him over any other man? It was too good to be true, but he wouldn't question her. He loved her and wanted her, too. His hands cupped her face and he kissed his as he trust into her and groaned into her mouth simultaneously. She was perfect.

"Yes!" Ronnie exulted as he thrust into her. "Oh, Ray!"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and her leg around his waist as she bucked beneath him. He drove her crazy and she loved it. Nothing compared to this.

Ray clutched her to him fiercely as he maintained his pace. His fingers traced over her body as he moved inside her and he watched her as he went. Her name was torn from him over and over again as he kept going. He couldn't stop. Couldn't slow. Could do nothing but what he was doing. She drove him to this every time and he never tired of it. How could he? She was incredible and every time it was different in one way or another. His hands reached for her face and he crashed his lips against her own in a desperate attempt to get as much from her as possible.

Ronnie kissed him back and broke off the kiss as she cried out his name again. He did this to her every time. She couldn't get enough. She gasped for air and tried to recover. She pressed soft kisses to his lips and put her hand on his cheek and gazed into his eyes.

"Oh, Ray," she let out a long sigh. The two times since she'd asked him to come home had been unbelievable. Her head was spinning. "I am jelly bones again," she told him and laid her head back onto the pillow.

She kept her hand on his cheek and gave him a soft smile. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, because I don't think I do."

Ray looked down at Ronnie and felt his heart burst. She thought she didn't deserve him? He didn't deserve her, she deserved so much better than him. He kissed down her neck and rested his head on her shoulder. "You deserve better than me," he whispered into her skin.
She pulled in another deep breath. "When do you think the food will get here?"

He raised his head to look at her and then at the time on the TV. He looked back at Ronnie and shrugged as he climbed off her and pulled her back onto his lap and into his arms as he looked back at the TV.

"What are you watching this rubbish for?"

Ronnie gave him a soft kiss when he looked at her. She giggled as he pulled her up and back into his lap and reached down and grabbed the fleece she'd been sleeping under earlier and dragged it up to wrap around them as she cuddled against him.

"I wasn't really watching it so much as sleeping through it," she replied. She heard the buzzer for the door go and raised her head. She pulled the fleece around herself and got off his lap so he could go let the delivery guy come up.

Ray watched her and grunted as he stood up grudgingly, as much as he was hungry, he had been enjoying cuddling her and felt too comfortable to move. However, it seemed she was unwilling to go, and in her current state of dress he didn't want her to go out there either. He grabbed his underwear and pulled them on, followed by his trousers. He grabbed his wallet and made his way downstairs to the front door and paid the guy for the food. Ray brought the bag full of plastic cases back up and shut the door behind him. He grabbed a couple of plates and a fork each and took the whole lot back to her and sat down next to her as he unloaded the contents of the bag onto the table in front of them.

"There. Enough food to feed an army," he grinned and dug in.

Ronnie grabbed a fork and the container of sweet and sour chicken and began to eat her way steadily through her food. She sat back and let out a long breath when she finished. She'd eaten nearly as much as Ray she noticed.

"I'm tired," she muttered. She stood up and dropped the fleece blanket on the couch and gave Ray a quick kiss before going to the bedroom and climbing into bed.

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

Whitney grinned. "I know, I emailed him and teased him about it," she sighed. "I'm kind of jealous though, you know. The last thing I went on even resembling a date was the party at R&R's, with Bolton. Seems like ages ago. I never heard from him again, suppose I shouldn't be surprised," she shrugged.

"I guess I just need to get school done and become one of those ball-breaking career women who can't be bothered with men," she joked as she finished packing her clothes. "There, all done."

She closed the suitcase and went methodically through her room to make sure she had everything she wanted to take. She nodded. "That's it then." She looked around her room and sighed.

"You know, I just thought of something. I won't be able to invite you to sleep over when I'm at Peter's. Your mum would go spare and your step-dad, he'd probably shoot someone."

Molly picked up the things Whitney had indicated and sighed. "And I doubt a sleepover is going to be fun with a screaming baby. He woke up at least 5 times last night. Mum was a wreck this morning," she shook her head. "Besides, it's like, almost less than a year until I'm 18. Then no way can Gene or Mum chastise me for having a sleepover around guys," she grinned. "I might get away with it if I promise to sleep in a separate room to them. No funny business," she chuckled.

"I have my own room, you can stay in it. They probably wouldn't mind so much if Peter wasn't your boyfriend," Whitney snorted. She slung her knapsack over her shoulder and picked up the two suitcases.

"Okay, I'm ready," she said and opened her bedroom door. Bianca saw Whitney emerging from her room and took one of the suitcases from her and carried it downstairs.

"You be careful now, Whit, yeah?" Bianca said.

"I will B, don't worry. Let me know when something shows from the school, I'm supposed to hear something this week."

Bianca nodded and got the door.

Molly grinned and waved at Bianca as she followed Whitney out and walked happily along with her to Peter's house.

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

They walked in to the Vic and Minty nudged Ricky when he saw her come in.

"It's her from earlier," he whispered. Ricky looked over at and then back at Minty. "Lucky Max," Ricky remarked.

Gene looked over and looked Davina up and down as she followed Max to a table. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Minty.

"You were right," he commented appreciatively and took a drink of his pint.

Davina noticed the men from the garage staring at her, well, the big balding one was at any rate, and a big man they were playing darts with. She focused her attention on Max as he brought back the drinks.

Max utterly and completely charmed Davina over dinner and when he asked her if she could come back and spend New Year's Eve with him, she accepted immediately.

"So, one more drink down at the pub before I walk you home?" he asked her.

"I suppose one drink, but I'm not going to sleep with you," she warned him and stood up. He grinned and put money down to pay the bill and helped her on with her coat before walking her out.

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

Alex made use of Sam's late afternoon nap to make a start on dinner. She wondered when Gene would finally come home. She missed him. She felt as though she had hardly seen him. Except when he was asleep, or feigning sleep to get out of sorting Sam.

She wished he would come home. She was anxious. She didn't know what his thoughts on the baby were, but didn't expect anything excessively positive after last night. But she needed him. They needed him. Her, Molly and Sam. They were a family. Her family. She needed to know what was in his head, to have him reassure her.

She pushed it out of her head and focused on something else. The house needed cleaning.

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

Peter ran out of the café when he saw Molly and Whitney walking past.

He opened the gate for them and then the door and held up a keyring to show Whitney before putting it on the kitchen counter.

"Jane went and made you a set of keys," he told her. "I'd help, but I have to get back to the café."

He gave Molly a swift kiss before running out. Whitney laughed and put down one of the suitcases and led the way upstairs to what would be her room. She looked around her new home as she put her suitcase down next to the bed.

"So glad I'll have my own bathroom. The idea of sharing with two boys would just be, ugh," she remarked.

Molly grimaced and shuddered.

"God! Can you imagine! I mean, I don't share with Mum or Gene, but when I lived with Dad the state of the bathroom was atrocious! I don't think he ever gave it a proper clean," she shuddered again and cringed as she put the box on the floor.

"I don't want to imagine, yeah," Whitney remarked, her eyes wide, then burst into laughter. She went downstairs and got her other suitcase and brought it up and began to unpack.

Whitney finished hanging up her clothes and then dumped her other things in the dresser drawers and looked at Molly.

"Should we go next door and get something to eat?"

Molly stood up off the bed and nodded.

"I'm starving" she agreed with a grin

Whitney bounded down the stairs and grabbed up her keys from the counter and raced Molly to the cafe.

"I'll have a lasagne please, Jane," Whitney ordered. "I don't suppose I get a discount for being a roommate?" she asked and winked at Jane.

Jane shook her head. "No, but what I will do is this will all be on the house," she gestured at Whitney and Molly both. "And I want you to promise to keep an eye on him, especially when he's with that Fatboy. I know, Fatboy is basically a good kid, but chaos seems to follow him around."

"I think so, sometimes," Whitney agreed. "Yeah, I'll make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble."

"Thank you," Jane said and then turned to Molly. "Now, what can I get you?"

Molly deliberated and then smiled up at Jane.

"Can I have a cheeseburger please?" she asked as she looked at the blackboard with today's specials written on.

Jane nodded and got Molly and Whitney their food. Peter left the cafe to go and do the paperwork at the chippy.

Whitney talked about what she was looking forward to back at school and pulled out her sketchpad and began to rough out a design for an outfit she'd been thinking of.

Molly ate her way through her burger and nodded at Whitney's design and what she was saying as she studied it and tried not to stain the page with food. She grinned as Whitney finished her rough design. "I like it," she grinned as she cleaned the sauce off her fingers.

Whitney grinned. "Thanks. You can be my model when I make it," she giggled and closed the book.

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

She glanced up when Jane came over and told them she was getting ready to close up. Whitney hadn't realized it was quite so late.

Molly nodded and stood up as she glanced at her phone. She bit her lip. She really should go home, it was getting quite late.

"I'll see you later Whit. Text me any New Year's plans, okay," she said as she hugged her friend and began the walk home. She sent off a text to Alex as she walked saying she was on her way home.

Whitney clapped her hands.

"Yes, we should have a party," she said to Molly as she followed her out of the cafe. "I'll talk to Peter about it."

She stood at the gate and waved goodbye to Molly before going inside. She looked around the house a bit and went upstairs to her new room. She changed into her pajamas and jumped onto the bed with a grin before burrowing under the covers and going to sleep.

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

Gene finished another game and drained his pint. It was getting late, he really should go home. He waved off the offers of another game and reluctantly left the pub and headed home.

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

As Davina walked along with Max, she saw the woman she'd spoken to earlier at the salon. The man with her turned his head to say something to her and Davina gasped. She'd know that profile anywhere. What was Jack Rimmer doing here? She heard him laugh, that wonderful, warm, familiar laugh. She felt her heart constrict and didn't hear the small noise that slipped from her lips.

Max noticed Davina's odd behavior and looked at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his tone concerned.

"Oh, yes, fine," she lied quickly and smiled at him. She allowed him a quick kiss when they got to the B&B but told him goodbye firmly before he tried to press her farther. One thing she was certain of, she couldn't wait to come back for New Year's.

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

Janine smirked as she watched Bradley and Ffion dance. It hadn't taken much to get Ffion extremely drunk so that she would be amenable to any suggestions and it didn't take much persuading to convince Bradley to make those suggestions.

She watched as Bradley led Ffion to the bathroom and followed them. She hid in the stall next to them and a nasty smirk twisted her face as she carefully recorded Bradley shagging Ffion.

She waited after they'd finished and gone before emerging from the bathroom and going home.

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

Alex looked up as she heard the familiar sound of the Quattro. She allowed herself to smile. He was home. She stayed where she was at the oven and listened as he came in. She smiled as the door shut softly and she turned to watch him as made his way into the flat.

"Don't worry," she assured him. "Sam's asleep."

Gene nodded and gave Alex a quick kiss before looking around for food.

"Won two pints off Minty and Ricky at the pub, Minty was well off his game, some leggy blond in the pub he couldn't take his eyes off of," he told her as he grabbed a beer out of the fridge. "Not that I'm complaining, he'd been doing better than usual up until then."

He grinned at her. "So, what do you fancy to eat?"

Alex smiled at him as she went back to the oven and peered inside

"I'm doing Gammon steaks, peas are on the hob and there are baked potatoes, too," she said as she shut the oven door and smiled at him. "And if you're lucky I might do some parsley sauce."

She moved over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She hugged him tightly for a moment the let go.

"Then I hope I'm lucky," he replied when she let him go and leaned against the counter.

"How's everything at work?" she asked curiously as she went back over to put the peas on, and check on the baked potatoes.

"Work is boring, you aren't missing much. Though I think Ray nearly shagged Ronnie in the office today. I'm glad I had the blinds drawn and luckily I saw what was going on and didn't walk out and interrupt," he shook his head then paused. "Though, it would have been fun to embarrass the pair of them," he chuckled.

Alex laughed at that and turned back to look at him.

"Where's Molly?"

"Molly is helping Whitney move her things into Peter's house. She's moving in there while she does her Uni Course because it's quieter than her house," she told him as she got herself a glass of wine and sipped it slowly.

"Ahhh," he said and took another drink of his beer. He watched Alex cook for a few minutes and then an idea occurred to him.

"If she thinks she's sleeping over with Whitney, I'd say she best think again."

Alex chuckled as she worked and shut her eyes as she shook her head. She agreed with him. Molly wasn't sleeping in the same place as her boyfriend, and as much as Alex tolerated Fatboy she wasn't sure that she wanted her daughter staying the night near him either.

"Agreed," she nodded and looked back at him briefly before getting and opening the packet and adding boiling water to make the parsley sauce. "No sleepovers at the Beale's house. Maybe if there's an adult present, but not with just two teenage boys and Whitney," she confirmed as she stirred rhythmically.

Gene heard Sam wake up and glanced at Alex out of the corner of his eye.

"Make a bottle," he told her and went to get the baby. He didn't want to listen to the screaming any longer than he had to. He got Sam out of the cot and carried him into the front room and sat down on the couch with the baby.

He craned to look in the kitchen to see what Alex was doing.

Alex did as she was told without batting an eyelid. She smiled. He was helping with the baby, he wanted to help. She sighed in relief, maybe this wouldn't push them apart. Maybe it would hold them together. She hurriedly fixed the lid onto the bottle and took it back over to him. She handed it to him and kissed his forehead before returning to the stove and plating up the food. She turned the temperature on the oven down and pushed the plates filled with their dinner into it. They would keep until Gene was finished with Sam.

Gene hurriedly stuck the bottle in Sam's mouth and sighed. Blessed silence. He leaned his head back on the back of the couch and closed his eyes.

"At least he's sometimes easier to shut up than Sam Tyler ever was," Gene remarked in a wry tone.

He lifted his head and grabbed up the remote and turned on the tele. He glanced over at Alex.

"You can eat you know, bring the plates in here, you eat, and when he's done, I will. Good grief, woman, everything doesn't have to come to a stop just because he's hungry," he snorted and began flipping channels.

Alex rolled her eyes at him and pulled a face as she grabbed the plates of food from the oven. She grabbed some cutlery and some trays and arranged the food. She carried the trays over and placed his in front of him before returning to get hers and sat next to him. She set it on her knees and looked over at him and Sam. The sight made her feel warm and fuzzy. She smiled to herself and dug into the food.

Gene looked over at her as she began eating and then turned his attention to the television again. When Sam was finally done eating, he put the bottle aside and waited for Alex to finish her food before handing the baby to her.

He picked up his plate and set to his food with relish. He hadn't wanted to wait to eat, but it seemed only fair that Alex got a break on occasion. She had been the one getting up with him. But she didn't have to work. He worked his way through his food while she tended the baby and then looked at the clock.

It was getting late. "What time is Molly going to be home?"

Alex drew her feet up onto the sofa and cradled Sam as she leant back against the sofa peacefully. She was happy. She looked at Gene as his question and shifted Sam slightly so that she could dig in her pocket for her phone. Nothing from Molly so far. She checked the time. Molly had better be home soon.

"I'm not sure," she replied and wrinkled her nose as a nasty smell reached her. She looked down at Sam and grimaced.

"If I don't hear from her once I've sorted Mr Stinky out then I'll give her a ring" she said as she stood and took Sam into his room to change him.

Alex looked down at Sam and her hand flew to her phone as the vibrating started. She got it quickly before it made any noise and woke up Sam. He had finally gone to sleep after she had changed him, after some protests that thankfully hadn't been that loud. She send back a quick 'ok' and went back into the living room after shutting Sam's door and grabbing the handset. She put the two empty plates into the sink and curled into Gene on the the sofa next to him.

"Sam's asleep and Molls is on her way home," she sighed as she hugged him loosely around his middle.

Gene wrapped his arms around her and then stood up and carried her into the bedroom and pulled the covers back and put her in the bed. He pulled the covers over her and kissed her forehead.

"I'll go wait for Molly, get some sleep," he said and went back out into the front room.

Once Molly got home, he got up and changed for bed before climbing in next to Alex.

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

All is Quiet on New Years' Day...

Gerald pulled the small body towards him and buried his face into her hair. She had been amazing, she had last time too; he had been waiting for a repeat performance for a while and had finally found his chance last night when Alyssa and Jack had gone out partying for New Year, he had celebrated in his own way. He ran a hand over her sleeping form and looked around the room. He hadn't been stupid enough to stay at home. Alyssa had been angry last time; Alyssa with a hangover was a death sentence if he got caught. The B&B had been immensely useful and he had enjoyed it. She was asleep and he had no desire to move, at all. Just holding someone to him was enough, Caroline hadn't wanted him in that way for a while, years. It felt good to have someone that actually wanted him, and as long as Caroline didn't find out, and if he was careful around Alyssa then he could enjoy this for as long as it lasted.

Ffion opened her eyes and sighed and shifted. She smiled at Gerald and rubbed her eyes.

"Morning."

She could hardly believe it when Gerald had called her. She was going to go out with Janine and party, but his call had put a stop to that. She was not going to turn Gerald down. She'd been a bit surprised at first when he'd taken her to the B&B, but then again, he probably didn't want Alyssa to catch them together again.

She put her head back down on his chest and felt content.

Gerald smiled down at her and stroked her hair. It felt good, he wasn't going to deny it. It felt good to wanted.

"Good morning," he replied calmly and slipped his arm tighter around her and held her to him. He was planning his excuse to Alyssa if she asked any questions, hopefully he could slip back into the house while she was sleeping off her hangover. It didn't matter if he ran into Jack, he had seemed to understand last time, why should this time be any different? Ffion had spoken to him about her brother briefly and why she had moved out of the house that day. Over-protective brother, it looked like they were both in for it if either Rhys or Alyssa found out.

"What time will you be expected back?" he asked as he shifted his weight slightly

Ffion shrugged at his question.

"They went to Essex to visit Shazza's family; I don't know when they'll be back if I'm being honest. Ginger and Simon won't be looking for me, they think I went out with Janine," she grinned up at him.

"Why, what did you have in mind?" she asked him and raised an eyebrow as her hand moved down his chest, then lower.

Gerald grinned at her as he felt the movement of her hand. She really was incredible. He instantly rolled her onto her back and took her mouth in a searing kiss as he proceeded to what he wished to her. It wasn't like he had anywhere else to be, and she didn't either.

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

Ray's arms felt empty without her. He rolled onto his back in minor frustration and stared at the ceiling. He knew this pregnancy thing was going to be hard, but he didn't think it would involve him having to be without her, even for a few nights. He had been having trouble sleeping while she wasn't there, yes she was only in the next room but even so, not nearly close enough. He sighed as he shifted restlessly and finally got up and grabbed his dressing gown, he forcefully put it on, taking his frustration out on his clothes. He knew that this wouldn't be for long, she had explained that to him, but he missed her. One of his favorite parts of the day was waking up in the mornings with Ronnie in his arms. Now he was in a bit of a bad mood because she hadn't been there.

Ray left their room and looked at the closed door of the spare room, Ronnie was in there. He suddenly had a urge to crawl into the smaller bed next to her and hug her to him as she slept, but discarded the notion. If she didn't want to sleep in the same bed as him at night then she wouldn't want to wake up in his arms. His gazed drifted to the calendar. January 1st. Happy New Year! He scowled and filled the kettle then set it back on the stand so that it could boil. He needed a nice strong mug of tea, it was too early for booze.

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

Whitney woke up and grimaced and grabbed her head. She gingerly sat up and then climbed out of bed and went downstairs to get some tea and something for her head. She couldn't believe the hangover she had!

She stopped short when she saw Peter in the kitchen. She gnawed her lip and looked at him as he turned towards her.

"I'm so sorry..." Whitney began.

"I can't believe I..." Peter said at the same time and they both stopped. They stared at each other and then Peter looked away to fix his tea.

"Tea?" he asked her and put a mug on the counter for her and dropped a tea bag in.

"Thanks," Whitney said quietly. She stood silently and picked at her fingernail before looking up at Peter again.

"We were both drunk and it was just a weird mistake. I won't say anything to Molly, it didn't mean anything. I don't fancy you," she told him.

Peter looked at her. "I won't say anything either. I don't know how it happened but," he sighed and shook his head. "It was just a kiss and I don't fancy you either, so don't worry."

Whitney nodded and stepped aside so Peter could walk past her and go upstairs.

"At least no one saw anything," she whispered as he went by then went to make her tea.

Peter nodded and went back upstairs. He couldn't believe he'd been so drunk and kissed Whitney. He knew he started it. Yes, she'd kissed him back but then they'd both stopped it. No one had seen them, there was that, at least.

JT sat up on the couch and stood up and stretched. He walked past the bedroom and looked in. Roxy was still draped across the bed. He couldn't believe her last night. He knew she liked a few drinks and that was all he'd ever seen her have, a few. But last night, she and Christian had gotten unbelievably drunk. He really couldn't comprehend it. He'd been completely disgusted by her behavior, not just the drinking, but the way she'd acted.

He was horrified. He went into the kitchen and started making breakfast. He was going to have to go, at least for a while. He wasn't sure he could be with Roxy after seeing her like that. Clearly it was something she did on a regular basis from the conversation he'd overhead between her and Christian. About the only thing that had been decent was he'd got to know Syed a lot better. It would make working with him a lot easier. He would be going back to work at the restaurant tomorrow. He would move back. He knew his room was still his. He nodded to himself and set to cooking with a vengeance.

Jack sat up and groaned. His back was killing him and the headache wasn't helping. He sat up and put his head in his hands. Last night had been a nightmare. He hadn't minded so much when Davina and Max had shown up at the party. He'd ended up having to introduce her to Alyssa and it had been frosty at best. Fortunately they'd managed to avoid each other for most of the time. Until Davina had caught him near the loos and tried to kiss him.

He'd been drunk and started to respond before pushing her away. He'd then turned to see Alyssa standing there. She'd not even given him a chance to explain, she'd simply gone for Davina.

He did have to admit though, she was something in a fight. Of course, all the drunken men in the pub had loved seeing the two women fighting with each other before Masood and a few others, including himself and Max, managed to tear them away from each other. He'd got Alyssa home, but she'd turned on him when they got there.

He just wished the couch was more comfortable. He was going to be groveling today, he was sure of it. He stumbled into the kitchen and started making the coffee before swallowing a couple of paracetamol to get rid of his headache.

Chris couldn't believe it when he finally got a minute. The whole night had been one thing after another and he'd barely had a chance to use the bogs, much less get some clothes. One of the PCs ran up to him and Chris nodded.

"Look, one quick call and then I'll be there," Chris held up a hand. The PC nodded and waited. Chris dialed Ray's number, the easiest option. He could go and pick up the clothes and bring them with him when he came to work later.

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

Fatboy rubbed his head as he thought. Last night was hazy. He had a niggling feeling though. Something had happened, but he didn't think that it happened to him, to someone else. Something bad? He wasn't sure. His memory was disjointed and he was confused. He lay back against his bed and tried to reach what he knew was lurking in his mind. He sighed, every time he was in touching distance it danced a little further away from him again. He gave up and went to get a shower, he could hear voices downstairs in the kitchen. Peter and Whitney were up then.

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

Alyssa threw her head deeper into her pillow as noise from downstairs echoed around the house. She vaguely remembered last night, she remembered Jack and her. Alyssa felt the anger well up again and shut her eyes as she tried to calm herself, she took a deep breath and scowled. His pillow. She threw it to the floor and grabbed her own instead. At least it didn't smell of him. She was so angry! She couldn't seem to calm down, he had only kissed her, he had been drunk. She swallowed a sob before it could surface and rolled onto her back. She winced, her fight with Davina had left her bruised and the part of her head where Davina had tried to pull her hair out ached almost as much as her hangover. She pulled the duvet tighter around her and burrowed beneath it as she shut her eyes tightly and tried to go back to sleep.

Alyssa scowled. She couldn't sleep, it just wouldn't come. She sat up and looked around the room groggily. First things first, this hangover needed to be sorted. She managed to heave herself out of bed and went to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom; she filled a spare glass with water and swallowed down two paracetamols. She closed her eyes for a moment and then looked into the mirror, she frowned as she inspected her face, she had a small cut on her forehead where Davina's nails had scratched her and some light bruises, and she looked rough. She shook her head and grabbed her fluffy dressing gown from the door and threw it on. She took a deep breath and tried to stay calm as she made her way downstairs and into the kitchen.

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

Ray grabbed his phone off the counter and raised his eyebrows at the caller ID, he knew Chris was working on nights, surely he should be home about now? Why was he calling him?

"Alright, mate?"

Ray yawned and tried to stifle it as he listened to Chris.

"Sure Chris, I'll see you later, mate" he answered and put the phone down once Chris had hung up.

He made himself a cup of tea and one for Ronnie, too, he didn't know whether she would want it or not, but it was there and ready if she did. He tapped on the door to the spare room and then let himself in. He sighed as he looked at her and once again he felt that dull ache, he wanted to hold her. He settled for perching on the end of her bed and setting her mug on her table as he waited patiently for her to wake.

Ronnie felt the shift of the bed and uncurled herself to turn and look at Ray. She rubbed at her eyes and groaned.

"What is it?"

She saw the tea and sat up. She yawned hugely and reached a hand up her pajama top sleeve to scratch her arm.

"Thanks," she said and picked up the tea and took a drink. "So, what is it?"

Ray sighed as he looked at her. He wasn't going to tell her that he missed her because it wasn't as though he had lost her. He just wasn't able to have her in his arms as he slept. And that sounded stupid. So he wouldn't say it. He contented himself with just looking at her.

"Good Morning to you, too," he snorted, then smiled down at her. "I'm working today. Chris just rang and he needs me to pick up some clothes for him. Something chaotic has gone on," he sighed.

"Sorry, good morning, I'm just so tired," she griped. She sipped her tea as she listened to him.

Ronnie could see that sleeping by himself was upsetting him, it upset her a bit too, but she just couldn't take it. He held her too close and she was just getting too warm and uncomfortable, and for some reason, she just didn't want him touching her. She'd been reading a book and so she knew this happened to some women. She began to wonder if she was going to get all the wonderful mental problems.

Her temper and crying was out of control, she couldn't stand the man she loved to touch her, not that she would tell him that part of it. And to make it worse, only a couple of days ago she couldn't keep her hands off him. She hoped this would pass as quickly.

"Okay, well, be careful. You know what drunken maniacs can be like. I wouldn't like you to be injured when this passes and I'm on to some other glorious hormonal part of the rollercoaster," she told him, her tone going slightly bitter at the end. "This must be to make up for the fact that I didn't get morning sickness. I think I'd rather have had the morning sickness. This sort of ride can go on for weeks," she looked at him and took another sip of her tea.

"Unsurprising really. It is New Year. But I've got to leave earlier to get down to his to grab some stuff and then get to work on time," he explained.

"I'll see you later then. I'll be over at the club. Sarah texted me and apparently the place is a disaster."

She leaned over and gave him a swift kiss, before pulling back. "Better hurry then," she grinned at him. "Oh, and I'm going in to see Dr. Bond today, check on my ankle," she grinned. "It hardly hurts at all anymore. I have to make sure I don't miss it because I had to practically beg. He only relented because he'd been away and I think I sounded quite pathetic."

"Be careful yourself. I don't want you hurt either" he told her sincerely.

Ray nodded and kissed the top of her head gently before taking his own mug and leaving the spare room. He missed her. She didn't even cuddle up to him outside the bedroom anymore and it was getting him down. He liked their intimacy, this new behaviour was weird and he didn't like it.

Ronnie snorted at his comment.

"I'm just going to have a disgustingly dirty club to face, you are going to have drunken lunatics, although to be fair, I will tread carefully. I don't want to hurt my ankle by slipping on some mystery substance best left a mystery and hurting my ankle again," she joked.

Ronnie watched him go and then looked at the clock as she yawned again. She drained her tea and flopped back down against the pillow with a tired sigh. She set the alarm so she would wake up in plenty of time for her appointment and drifted off to sleep again.

He sighed after draining his tea and went to get a shower. He had work in an hour, but had to make a detour anyway. He would walk unless he ran late, in that case he would take the bike.

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

Whitney fixed her tea and as an afterthought, made one for Fatboy as well. She couldn't believe she'd snogged Peter, her best friend's boyfriend! She was just glad that was all it had been and that they'd both had the sense to stop it.

She grabbed up her cup and the one for Fatboy and headed back upstairs. She tapped on Fatboy's door.

"Hey, Fats, cup of tea out here for you," she told him and went to her room. She sipped at her tea as she flipped on her laptop and looked over her letter again. Her financial assistance had been approved, the letter had come yesterday. She couldn't be more excited. Tomorrow she'd go and get finished with getting all the paperwork finished before she started school.

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

Peter laid on his back on his bed and berated himself. He was not ever going to get that drunk again. He was just glad everyone had gone home. He got up and looked at the window. They had managed to take the rubbish out. He'd go around the house later and clean up properly.

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

Fatboy heard Whitney outside his room. He was sure that she was involved, he just wasn't sure what she was involved in. He knew that he knew something. Just not what he knew. He was confusing himself. He grabbed his towel from his door and nearly knocked the mug over as he left his room. He righted the mug and placed it out of harms way, then went to the bathroom, hoping a shower would help clear his head

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

Peter heard Fatboy get into the shower and sighed. He was going to have to get ready to go to the chippy this morning. He hoped Fatboy didn't take too long. He went back downstairs, glad that Whitney was gone and made some toast.

Whitney pulled out her phone and sent off a text to Molly.

"How u feelin? Am HURTIN. Nvr gona drink EVAH!"

She locked her bedroom door and stripped down and got in the shower. She was not going to enjoy today.

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

Davina climbed out of Max's bed and stumbled to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She grimaced at the memory of last night. First, trying to kiss Jack in a pathetic attempt to get him back and then the humiliating beating by his current girlfriend. She looked at her black eye in the mirror and then bent over the toilet to be sick.

The jeering calls of the people in the pub cheering the fight on was still echoing in her head. She stretched and rinsed her mouth out and sighed. She desperately needed something to drink, tea or coffee she didn't care. She went back into the bedroom and tapped Max on the shoulder.

"Got any coffee?" she asked him, her voice still husky from the screaming she'd done during the fight.

Max got up and nodded at Davina.

"You look rough," he told her. She half-growled at him. He chuckled and got out of bed. "Yes, I'll get the coffee going. Grab a shower if you like," he told her.

"I think I will. I don't know what I'm going to do about this eye. I won't be able to go back to work until it's taken care of. What am I gonna do?"

"What did you go snogging Alyssa's fella for anyway?"

"He was mine once, we were engaged years ago. It doesn't matter now. He doesn't want me back and she made it clear for me to stay away, therefore I will."

"I see," Max said and went downstairs to make the coffee.

Max fixed coffee and toast for himself and Davina and sat down at the table across from her.

"So, last night was certainly a lot of fun," Max remarked in a dry tone as he looked at Davina. He took a sip of his coffee and then put the cup down. "I suppose you'll be getting back with him then," he snorted a laugh. "You'll be the second woman I lost to that man."

Davina looked up at him. "I'm hardly your woman, Max. It was one night, last night," she corrected. "So, you were in a relationship with that...that..." Davina broke off, her head to sore to think up a suitably foul term for Alyssa.

"It was more on my end really. I was just a bit of fun for her, then she met Jack. She quit working for me and went to work at the salon and that was it."

"She worked for you?"

"Yeah, at the car lot."

"It's a mistake to get involved with people you work with. I was Jack's secretary," she told Max. "But it was a bit more serious for us, we did end up engaged."

"That's a real shame. But to answer your question, I think Jack made his feelings for me perfectly clear before that cow had a go at me."

Max nodded and bit back a chuckle. That fight had been something to see. He quietly sipped his coffee and ate his toast while she stewed.

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

Molly crawled out of bed, another exhausting night of waiting for her brother to shut up and let the rest of them get some sleep. She went to get a shower, Sam was screaming anyway and Alex was doing whatever she was doing, at least if she got one now then she wouldn't be in danger of waking him.

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

Jack heard Alyssa coming downstairs and fixed her cup of coffee and put it on the table before turning back to the bacon he was frying. He didn't want to catch her eye, in case she decided to dish some of what she'd done to Davina out on him.

He still couldn't believe she still blamed him. She knew he'd rejected Davina and he was sure she'd heard him call Davina a cow, or something rude at any rate, for trying to kiss him.

He kept his attention focused on the bacon and did not turn around.

Alyssa ignored him completely. As far as she was concerned he wasn't there. She got herself a glass of orange juice and put bread in the toaster. She ignored him and the mug of coffee he had made her. She didn't want it.

The toast popped up and she grabbed it. She would eat it dry. She picked up a plate and her half empty glass and made her way back upstairs with her sparse breakfast without a word to him

Jack turned and saw she'd left the coffee on the table and sighed. He frowned and took the bacon off the pan and put it on a plate and then moved to the table and grabbed the coffee. He stalked up to the bedroom and opened the door and put the coffee on the table and then folded his arms and looked at Alyssa as she sat there sulking.

"How childish are you?" he chided her. "It's not fair to keep blaming me. I didn't ask her to kiss me. In fact, if you remember I offered we could go elsewhere, the club maybe, when she and Max showed up. But no, you wanted to stay and I might have been imagining things ,but I think you wanted to rub our being together in her face. So, I went along with it and I stayed. I didn't expect her to ambush me and I know you saw me push her away and I know I said something rude to her but I don't quite remember what I said, not that it matters."

He sat down on the bed and looked at her sternly. "I'm not having this anymore. You knock off this behavior or I'll begin to think you want me to go to Davina, and I'd rather go with Bianca than go with Davina. You should at least sort yourself out and act normal when we go to Rowan's later this afternoon. She's gone to a lot of trouble with this late luncheon, early dinner thing of hers. It's why she left early remember? All sorts to get ready. And she's doing Mexican, which I know is your favorite so you're not going to beg off and miss it."

He stood up and huffed a breath. "There's bacon downstairs, and I'll be downstairs as well, if you want either of us."

He turned and stalked back downstairs, glad he'd finally said his piece. He was willing to take Alyssa's bullying only so far, it was high time he quit clowning and told her he'd had enough. He'd probably made her angrier.

Oh, well. He slathered mayo on some bread and threw together a bacon sandwich and sat down at the table to eat and wondered what time they might expect Gerald home. He only hoped Alyssa wasn't still in a snit when he got here.

Alyssa sat passively through his little speech and stared at the wall blankly. She only moved once she heard his foot hit the bottom step and the creak as it did so. She fell backwards onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

She wasn't planning on missing Rowan's Mexican thing today. She loved Rowan and her food too much to miss something like that. He had left the bedroom door open. She could smell the bacon and it was making her retch. She got off the bed and shut the door, then leant against it. She vaguely remembered Jack pushing Davina away and saying something. But in truth, her memories after she had watched Davina and Jack kissing were misted and blurry. She couldn't get a solid grasp on them to think about what happened.

Her gut twisted, he would go to Davina? No. She didn't want that. Surely that had been clear when she had started having a go at Davina, though in all fairness, Davina had started the fight: Alyssa had been perfectly happy using words before Davina had slapped her. She knew that much. She remembered nothing after that.

'There's bacon downstairs, and I'll be downstairs as well, if you want either of us'

She did want him. She didn't want to lose him. But she couldn't shake this. Not yet. She wouldn't go downstairs. Not with bacon cooking. She didn't fancy being sick.

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

Gene came back inside from smoking and fixed his cup of tea and Alex her coffee. He took the coffee in to her before draining his tea.

"I have to get to the station; they've had some crazy night apparently. I'll talk to you later," he said and went to pull on his coat.

Alex nodded. Something always went off on New Year's. Massive and explosive parties, drugs, alcohol etcetera. It didn't matter. She was focused on Sam. She didn't envy the team the clear up they had to do, London was a terrible place the morning after. She also was glad of no paperwork. There were some advantages to maternity leave.

Gene got to the station and tried to help Ginger and Chris and the other officers restore order, it wasn't easy. Everyone was short-tempered and hungry and exhausted. He slammed another unruly thug against a wall and shoved them into a cell as Ginger and a couple of PCs tried to get the paperwork started.

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

Fatboy washed as quick as he could as he tried to think. He still couldn't grasp whatever it was that was evading him. He put it out of his mind as he dried himself and put his clothes back on to walk across the landing. There was a girl living here now.

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

Molly groaned as her phone went off. She didn't need any more noise.

"Baby scream no help! AM DYING!"

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

Whitney felt marginally better after her shower. She got dressed and brushed out her hair. She tilted her head and looked at her hair in the mirror. She wondered if she shouldn't do something different. She was going to be going to school for fashion, after all. She would talk to Molly and see what she thought.

She took her empty mug downstairs and made another cup of tea and some toast. She leaned against the counter and read Molly's text. She smiled.

"Come here 4 quiet when u can"

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

Peter heard the shower go off and then a bit later, Fatboy go back to his room. Peter jumped up and took his clean clothes with him so he could get ready for work. He wondered if it would even be worth it, going back to school, now that he had to run the chippy. He took his shower quickly, aware that the hot water was probably nearly gone and got dressed.

"I'm off to the chippy, laters," he rapped on Fatboy's door as he passed and bounded downstairs.

He gave Whitney a brief wave and she nodded before turning back to her toast and buttering it.

Simon went home and cooked breakfast for his house guests. He'd been thrilled when Cherry and Jimmi had shown up to celebrate the New Year with him and Simon. Fortunately, Rhys and Shaz hadn't minded letting Ginger and Simon stay at their flat with Ffion so Cherry, Jimmi and Jimmi's mate Daniel could use Simon's flat. Simon's flat was just too small for everyone and Ginger wasn't sure about Rhys having complete strangers in his flat. Although Simon had told him that Jimmi was a fellow Welshman and probably as big a neat freak as Rhys to boot.

"Now, look. I only have a couple of appointments later today and then we can go do whatever you like."

"We could go for a picnic," Cherry suggested as she leaned against the counter and sipped her tea. Daniel groaned and Jimmi grinned.

"Will you need help with any of the appointments today do you reckon?" Jimmi asked.

"No, simple stuff really. A check up on a twisted ankle and wellness check on a baby. Nothing massive. Though I imagine the hospital couldn't say the same."

"What are you going to do Daniel?" Jimmi asked.

"No idea, but I'm not going on a picnic," he snorted. "I'll just laze around here for a bit and then go and walk around. But if we stay again tonight, I'm going to the B&B, that couch was not my idea of comfortable."

"Rhys and Shaz are back tonight anyway, so I hate to say it, but Cherry, you and Jimmi will have to go there as well if you're going to stay tonight."

"I don't mind," Cherry said and beamed at Jimmi. "I think it will be very romantic."

She took another sip of her tea as she gazed lovingly at Jimmi and then took the plates of food Simon handed her and put one in front of Jimmi before sitting down with her own. Simon turned and handed Daniel a plate and put his own down. He refilled his tea and sat down to eat.

Cherry looked at Jimmi when Daniel got up to take a shower.

"Tell me again why he had to come along?"

"He needed to get away as much as we did."

"I know, I know," she sighed.

"What happened?" Simon asked.

"Well, you know a few months ago when his daughter Izzie got kidnapped?"

Simon nodded. "Yeah, Cherry called and told me."

"Well, after they got her back, he went back to Lisa," Jimmi continued.

"Izzie's mum..." Simon interrupted and Jimmi nodded.

"But a few weeks ago they had a big fight and they broke up again."

"Ahh."

"Yeah, and you know he wants to get back with Zara, but after he dumped her for Lisa, she's barely spoken to him. I don't think she'll ever trust him again," Cherry added.

"How do you know he wants to get back with Zara?" Simon asked. Cherry gave him a look.

"Oh, come on, of course he does. Personally, I think the fact he wasn't getting over leaving Zara is why he and Lisa broke up again," she said smugly.

"Actually, I think Cherry's right," Jimmi agreed. "After he'd been with Lisa couple weeks, he started following Zara around with his eyes. He won't admit it though."

"I don't think Daniel would ever admit to having proper feelings," Simon commented.

They all stopped talking when they heard the shower turn off. Cherry took a breath and looked at Simon.

"So, you still love it here then, no plans to move back to Letherbridge?"

"None whatsoever. I like having my own place like this. I do miss you, though."

"I miss you, too. You're my best mate," Cherry grinned. "We'll just have to try to visit lots more, yeah?"

She turned to Jimmi. "Now you, go and get a shower and then Simon and I can talk about you behind your back," she teased, her blue eyes twinkling. Jimmi rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Fine, fine, I'll go," he mumbled and went to grab clean clothes. He nodded at Daniel as Daniel came out of the bathroom and then went in himself to get ready.

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

Molly sat at the breakfast table with Sam next to her. He had calmed at least and was looking around with those big blue eyes. Well, as much as he could look with being just over a week old. She munched her cereal blandly and looked at her mum with raised eyebrows as Alex danced to the music on the radio. Not proper dancing, the occasional wiggle and twirl as she moved around the kitchen.

"Mum? We are going to Rowan's later right?"

Alex turned and nodded. "I should think so. I don't know what time Gene's finishing though. New Year is always hectic. It might end up just me, you and Sam," she shrugged.

Molly nodded and looked at her phone again.

"I intend 2. Expect me over there a lot LOL"

\/\/\\/\/\\

Whitney munched her toast and read Molly's text.

"Good. P and F no fun to talk to. *sigh*"

Molly chuckled.

\/\/\\/\/\\

"Good 2 feel luved :D"

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

Jack barely managed to choke down the sandwich.

Alyssa wasn't coming down. He sighed. Had he really thought she would come running down the stairs after him and throw herself into his arms? He was a fool.

Davina had done it again. His world was falling apart again, because of her.

He'd been alone over two years before he met Alyssa. He dropped the sandwich to the plate and scrubbed at his face with his hands. Rowan had a spare room, he imagined Alyssa would move in with her. He'd be stuck in this huge house alone. He wasn't sure if Gerald would understand or not. The man would probably hate him. He'd likely lose Rowan as a friend too, some obscure sisterhood thing. He would miss that, too. The tiny American treated him like the brother she'd never had and he enjoyed the idea of having a sort of family. All gone now.

He sniffed and scrubbed at his face and ran his fingers back through his hair before lashing out. His hand swatted at the plate and he watched it fly across the room and hit the wall with the satisfying sound of breaking crockery. He rummaged in the laundry basket and got a pair of jeans and a t-shirt out before going upstairs and using the bathroom in the hall to take a shower. He dressed, bundled into his coat and left the house, slamming the door behind him.

He walked to the park at the center of the Square, sat down and lit up a cigarette and smoked, his posture defeated, his expression desolate.

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

JT smiled at Peggy as she walked in and he fixed her a mug of tea.

"Oh, thanks darlin'," Peggy said.

"Sure," he replied and turned back to the stove. "Are you hungry?"

"The bacon smells good, that and some toast would be nice," she replied and opened the newspaper.

"Did you and Roxy have fun last night on the town?"

"That depends entirely on your definition of fun," he muttered, his tone laced with disgust. Peggy looked up.

"What do you mean?"

"She got so completely drunk, I've never seen the like before. It was horrifying to watch. I ceased to exist for her after awhile and the way she was dancing," he shook his head. "It was like she was someone I didn't know," he said helplessly and put a plate of food in front of Peggy before sitting down. He folded his arms on the table and leaned on them with a sigh.

"I'm not a prude, but she was..." he broke off and Peggy looked at him with sympathy.

"I don't think she meant it darlin'," Peggy said to him softly.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," he argued, his tone mirroring his disappointment. "I think I'm keeping her from who she wants to be. She was out of control last night, I've never, I don't know how to deal with something like that. So, we'll have breakfast and I'll clean up and then I'll pack my things and go back to the restaurant. Aunt Rowan'll let me have my room back."

"JT, no..." Peggy began and put a hand on his.

"I have to, I have to get some space. I'm gonna miss you and Punkin though, and Roxy."

Peggy took another bite of her food and chewed contemplatively as she watched JT. She felt bad for him but she didn't know how to fix it. Roxy could be wild, Peggy knew that. She'd thought, however, that the girl had grown up. She clearly hadn't.

JT sat and sipped his coffee, wishing last night had never happened.

JT slowly and quietly began gathering up his things and packing them in a carry-all bag. He'd made sure to put Amy in the kitchen with Peggy to have breakfast so she wouldn't cry or anything. He was going to miss her. He would miss Roxy, too. She was so unlike any other girl he'd ever met. But last night, he wasn't sure if he could handle being with someone who was so willing to do so much damage to themselves.

If she could have just seen herself. He finished stuffing his clothes and things in the bag and then went to the front room to get his fiddle. He kept it on a high shelf in there so Amy couldn't get hold of and damage the instrument. He could see it was quality and he was sure it had set Rowan back a pretty penny. He would not be so ungrateful to leave it where it would get easily broken.

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

Ray got dressed and called goodbye to Ronnie. He was running late. His keys were on the fridge, he got them quickly and grabbed his helmet as he left the flat. He got his bike out and climbed onto it, glad that they had an indoor area to keep it in: Otherwise it would be covered in frost. He revved it a few times then drove off in the direction of Rowan's restaurant. He hadn't really been in the same room as her since, well. He shook the thought from his head as he drove and concentrated on what he was doing.

Ray pulled up outside the restaurant and parked his bike next to the curb and took his helmet off too, he held it under his arm as he went to the door and rang the buzzer.

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

Rowan toweled herself dry and looked at her hair in the mirror. It was so different, but she liked it. She'd had it trimmed a bit but left it below her shoulders and Kim had added blond and coppery streaks to it that set her normal mousy color off and made it look good. She brushed her teeth and decided it was time to put on some coffee when she heard the buzzer.

She glanced at the kitchen clock. Too early for anybody. She grabbed up her phone-dead. She rolled her eyes and hurriedly put it on the charger before grabbing her dressing gown and wrapping it around herself and bounding downstairs.

Her eyebrows went up when she saw Ray standing there and hurriedly opened the door.

"Hi, come in, come in," she said and waved him in and closed the door quickly behind him and locked it, dropping the keys in her pocket. She wrapped her arms around herself against the chill that had followed him inside.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him.

Ray stepped inside and looked at her. Her hair was wet and looked different. Shorter. He hadn't been with them last night so hadn't seen anyone. He supposed she had taken advantage of the offer on at the Salon and got it done. He had seen enough flyers and leaflets around. A gobby woman had come along and insisted that Adam display a load on the counter at the station. Poor guy had been so intimidated that he had agreed. Ray smiled inwardly at the memory then turned his mind to the reason that he was here.

"Nothing's wrong, Chris just asked if I could pick up some clothes for him. And also to tell you that he doesn't know when he's going to get home. Sounded like chaos over the phone," he shrugged.

"Ah," Rowan smiled and nodded. "Come on up, then. I got smart and got out of the pub before all hell broke loose," she remarked with a chuckle as she led him up the stairs to the flat. "I don't even want to think about what the station might be like. Glad he didn't ask me to bring him clothes."

She moved past the kitchen towards the bedroom and remembered something. "Coffee," she blurted and whipped around to go back to the kitchen and turn on the coffee maker and ran right into Ray. She hadn't realized he was quite so close behind her. She put a hand on his chest and looked up apologetically.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't think you'd be that close behind me," she said and made a noise resembling a chuckle. A slight shiver went through her and she knew she should remove her hand, but memories of the night they'd been together were flooding her mind.

Ray found himself practically chest to face with Rowan. He closed his eyes, he was so close that he could smell her shampoo. His breathing was shaky as he blindly reached out and slid his arm around her waist, pulling her to him. She felt the same as she had that night. His eyes opened and traced down her face and before he could stop himself, his mouth was on hers. His other hand traced up her side and he cupped her face, making her tilt her head until he found the perfect angle. He hadn't kissed Ronnie like this since she had moved rooms, she didn't seem to want to be around him anymore, he knew that that was her hormones in turmoil, but one minute she was all over him and couldn't keep her hands to herself and the next she went all cold on him. He was confused.

Rowan melted against him. She knew she should stop him, but she wanted him so much. Her arms wrapped around his neck. She knew it meant her dressing gown had falling open, but she didn't care. She grabbed his coat and shoved it off his shoulders and broke off the kiss long enough to lean back and slip the dressing gown from her shoulders. She looked up at him, her breath coming fast and searched his gaze.

She wanted him to ravage her, command her, like he had before. She would willingly do anything he asked.

"Anything you want," she whispered, unaware she'd even spoken the words aloud.

Ray drew in a sharp breath as she dropped the material that covered her. He gazed at her, drawing his eyes all the way up to her face. He really shouldn't do this, not again, the first time he shouldn't have done it. But the first time Chris and Rowan were arguing and he had believed that Ronnie had thrown him out for good. This time they were both happy with their respective partners. So why did he want her so badly? Lust ignited his gaze and he drew her to him tightly as he lifted her and kissed her, he pushed one of her legs around his waist and groaned into her mouth at the friction that it had caused before making her other leg follow suit.

Rowan flung her arms tightly around his neck and pulled herself up and she locked her legs around him. She could feel him pressing against her naked flesh through his trousers and mewled with desire.

Ray pressed her against the nearest wall and attacked her neck with his lips. She made him hungry, but not for food. He growled against her skin and one hand left her body and flew to his trouser buckle and undid it as quickly as he could. His trousers dropped to his ankles and his mouth moved back to hers. He needed her, so badly.

Rowan closed her eyes and sighed at the feel of his lips on her neck. She kept one arm around his shoulders as her other hand slid into his hair. Her breath came faster as he moved to get his trousers off.

"Rowan, tell me to stop and I will," he breathed against her lips. He didn't want her to say no, but if she didn't want this then she had the choice.

She opened her eyes and met his gaze at his question. She almost screamed in frustration, but stopped herself. She barely shook her head. She forcibly evened out her ragged breathing and focused her gaze intently on his and she moved her hands to either side of his face, running her fingers up into his hair. If he could feel, he would know. She took a deep breath, leaned her head back, closed her eyes and let herself go, enfolding him in her aura and letting the want/need/lust she had for him infuse it.

She shivered and opened her eyes. She fixed her eyes on his again and brought her face close.

"I never... want.. you... to... stop," she whispered, enunciating clearly and precisely and kissed him.

Ray suddenly felt his every nerve alight with an unyielding need for the woman wrapped around him. His body ached for hers and he let out a loud, strangled groan. He pushed his body into hers as close as he could. It wasn't enough. He needed her. He needed her now! He pressed against her enough so that she wouldn't fall as he let go with his hands and pushed his boxers to join his trousers on the floor. The second they were down his hands went back to her body and held her up as he kissed her furiously. Not enough, nowhere near enough.

"Can't stop," he muttered. "Can't ever stop," he thrust wildly into her and fastened his lips to hers as he moved.

Rowan's eyes went wide at his reaction and his muttered words but his over-fueled lust washed over her and her mind went blank. She cried out as he thrust into her and held him tight, kissing him back desperately.

His forcefulness and near savagery brought new levels to the pleasure. She wanted to be taken, he took her. He commanded her and she surrendered completely. She was his and it was glorious.

The last time she'd been held against a wall had been horrifying, this was far from it.

She dug her fingers into his shoulders and wished she had nails to rake down his back. She couldn't get enough.

Ray moved at a frenzied pace, a mixture of strangled groans, growls and mutterings escaped him as he pounded into her relentlessly. She was soft and pliable in his arms, even pressed up against the hard wall she responded to his every move. Even the small, imperceptible ones. She was truly incredible and his mind was clouded with the burning need that fuelled him. His mouth finished its onslaught on hers and trailed long, lingering kisses along her jawline and neck as he moaned into her skin.

Rowan matched his pace. He knew what she wanted, what she needed and he gave it to her. He kissed her exactly how she wanted to be kissed, he touched her where and how she liked to be touched and the sounds he made...oh, she loved hearing them. They thrilled her.

She'd tried many times but never achieved this with Chris. She'd never been able to mesh with him like this. Not like this. Ever.

She gave back all she was given. She shifted with him, keeping the rhythm, her fingers unerringly finding all the sensitive spots on his shoulders, neck, his chest where he liked to be touched. She knew others, but their position meant she couldn't reach. She remembered something else and began to rhythmically clench him as he moved inside her. Her breathing went ragged as it also brought wonderful new levels to her pleasure.

As his lips moved to her neck she closed her eyes and leaned her head back and let out a long, low moan.

She began to kiss his neck and shoulder, grazing the flesh a bit with her teeth and then caressing with her tongue, finding the spots he liked and using teeth, tongue and lips where and how he liked.

Her body suddenly convulsed as she came and she cried out. It didn't stop. Again and again, she was overwhelmed. She was drowning.

"Yes!" she shrieked, and the shriek became his name.

Ray pressed her harder against the wall and bellowed her name. She was incredible. He had never met anyone like her. He loved Ronnie so much he felt he would burst with what he felt for her. But this lust, this need that he had for Rowan was crippling. She knew exactly what to do, how to do it, and where. She did what he wanted before he could voice it and sent him crazy.

His head slipped to rest on her shoulder as he held her up and he gasped for air as he planted small kisses on her neck as his breathing rate lessened and went back to normal.

"Rowan," he mumbled as he pulled his head off her and looked into her eyes. "We need to stop this," he told her, but his heart wasn't in his words. He knew that they had to stop, that it was wrong and that so many people would get hurt if anyone found out. Ronnie was pregnant with his kid! But this aching want for Rowan was overwhelming.

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

JT finally got all his things together and sat down in the kitchen to pull on his boots.

"I'll see you later, Peggy," he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek. He kissed Amy then.

"See you later, Punkin," he told her and left.

He walked slowly to the restaurant, sadness in every line of his body. He quietly unlocked the side door and went inside. He opened the door to the stairs leading up to the flat and froze. He stifled a laugh and shook his head. Rowan and Chris obviously taking advantage of free run of the flat. That would soon change.

He quietly went to the top of the stairs and peered through the half-open flat door.

His eyes went wide and he ducked back behind the door. He shook his head. That had to be wrong. He peered back around the door. No, that was Rowan and that was Ray! Not Chris…Ray! He felt like the rug had just been pulled out from under him and he reeled and leaned back against the wall.

What had been going on around here while he'd been at the pub? He thought Chris and Rowan's problems had been fixed. Somewhere, something had gone wrong.

He scrubbed his face with his hands. He could feel the intensity of it even here and moved back down the stairs. He put his bag down and sat on the bench by the bathrooms and waited. He was NOT going to walk into the middle of that, no way, no how.

He heard Rowan begin to scream and covered his ears and got up and quietly closed the door at the bottom of the stairs to muffle it.

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

Rowan gasped for air and held him tight, her eyes squeezed shut. She loved Chris, but she wanted Ray so desperately. She could feel his lust for her and it made her shake. He fulfilled wants and needs she couldn't even admit to and it left her wanting more. And she had meshed with him and it had been beautiful and more than she'd ever imagined.

She met his gaze. He was right, she knew he was.

"I know," she said, her voice barely a whisper. She closed her eyes and bowed her head. "I want you so much," she admitted, her voice still barely audible. She lifted her head and met his eyes again and kissed him softly.

"Need to sit," she added and gestured towards the bedroom. When he lowered her to the floor, she picked up her discarded dressing gown and carried it with her as she went into the bedroom. She waited for him to pull up his trousers and follow her and closed the door behind him. She knew in the bright sunlight that the fine traceries of scars were visible, but for some reason, she didn't mind. She reached into the wardrobe and grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt out for Chris and tossed them on the bed. She sighed and turned to face Ray.

Ray watched her closely as she dug around for clothes for Chris. If it was anyone but Chris' wife. No, he still wouldn't cheat on Ronnie. But he had. He was so confused. He was all over the place and couldn't shake the desire he felt when he looked at her. He swallowed and fixed his gaze at the close on the bed rather than her. He cleared his throat and looked up at her.

"Have you got a bag or something?" he asked her.

Rowan nodded. She stood and pulled her dressing gown around herself tight and then pulled a canvas bag out from under the bed. She folded the clothes and put them in the bag.

"I know you have to go, but…" Rowan trailed off. She met his gaze. "I want to see you again. I know we shouldn't but Ray, I….I can't help it. I hear your body and I feel you and what you want and you hear me and I can share with you and we mesh and it's so beautiful I can't…." she began, her tone half desperate in her need to make him understand. "I love Chris, I do, but I don't have this with him. I've tried. He's afraid he'll scare me or hurt me or something, I don't know for sure, but it doesn't work. But you, you take so I give, you….you…command, you dominate and I surrender and….." she continued, her tone one of awe before she broke off.

She looked at her hands in her lap a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. She made sure she was closed off tightly; she didn't want to influence him at all and he had turned out to be very sensitive, so she blocked herself from him completely. She stood up and faced him. She stepped between his legs and put her hands on his face and kissed him, slow and gentle.

"One more night, us, together, please. I'll show you everything and it will be wonderful," she begged. She gazed into his eyes and felt regret wash over her. She wished she'd met him first, or that she'd known what was possible when she'd first shaken his hand. She could have loved him and he could have loved her and it would have been amazing. She swallowed hard and pushed her regret and guilt aside and waited for his answer.

Ray was working out how to tell her no when her mouth was on his. It was gentle, he felt himself relax, but didn't dare let himself touch her. They shouldn't have even started this. He shouldn't have started this. Both times it had been him that kissed her first. His fault.

His hands came around and held her arms gently and made her take a step back. He shut his eyes and tried to think, his hands making her keep her distance from him just for the moment.

He let out a shaky sigh as he felt his resolve dripping steadily away. He brought his gaze to hers and looked at her. "Ronnie's pregnant, Ro. I shouldn't have kissed you that first time. I..." he shook his head. "I couldn't help it. We can't let this spiral out of control. It's not fair on Ronnie, or Chris," he shut his eyes tightly for a moment then looked back at her. "You're married to my best mate, Rowan! I can't..." he stopped once more and looked at the wall. "I ache, Ro, physically ache for you," he confessed, his voice shaky and quiet. "But we can't do this, if someone found out," he let go of her arms and pulled her against his chest. "I love Ronnie so much, Rowan. I've never felt for anyone the way I feel for her. I didn't think I could. I never understood how people could find themselves so absorbed in another person until I met her. But then you... You ignite something in me, something I can't control, Ro," he buried his nose in her hair on the top of her head and breathed her in. "I'm so confused," he admitted softly.

"I know," she said. "I know she's pregnant and I know what you mean. I was alone for so long after Brian, I couldn't...I couldn't feel for anyone. You've seen my body now; it's not easy to let people look. You are the fifth man I have ever been with," she confessed. "And I honestly never thought I could want anyone besides Chris. But I was so wrong. You're in my head and I can't get you out."

She leaned against him and sniffed, willing the tears not to come. "I'm confused, too," she breathed. "You should go; you're going to be late enough as it is. I have three more nights alone; I want to spend one of them with you. I want to teach you and then you can have this with Ronnie and I'll have a wonderful memory. No matter what, though, I love you as a friend and you will always be special to me."

Ray squeezed her with a sigh and then let her go and opened his eyes. "I should really say no. I know that we shouldn't, that it's wrong, that..." he broke off and sighed. "But I know I will end up saying yes. That I'll want you," he admitted. "So yes, for now," he said softly then cupped her cheek. "I'm not going to lie to you, Rowan, I'm holding out a hope that I'll change my mind, that I'll find something to keep me away," he stroked her cheek gently. "But at the back of my mind I know that it won't happen," he leant down and pressed a final kiss to her lips then took a big step back and let her go.

"I don't know what I'm hoping for. One second I hope you say no and the next, I can't wait to see you again," she admitted softly.

"I'm late," he said quietly.

She led him downstairs and handed him the canvas bag of clothes and unlocked the door for him.

"Text me and let me know," she barely whispered and watched him go. She turned from the door after she locked it and let the tears fall. She didn't know what to do, but she knew she had to see him, be with him, one last time. Everything in her cried out for it. She walked back to the stairs and opened the men's room door.

"You can come out now, JT."

She let the door close and walked back upstairs. JT grabbed his things and followed her.

"What are you doing with him?"

"It just happened. I can't control it. When Chris didn't want me, something broke inside me. I want him, JT and I need him, so keep your nose out of it. We're going to stop and no one need be any the wiser. You will make yourself scarce when that happens, you hear?"

JT nodded. He'd intended to berate her for her behavior, but the force behind her conviction and the look on her face stopped her and he followed meekly behind her. His lips effectively sealed.

Ray slung the bag over his shoulder and left the restaurant. He didn't look back as he shoved his helmet onto his head and the bike roared into action. He pushed all thoughts of Rowan and Ronnie from his head as he drove, intent on focusing on work.

He drew up outside the station and took his helmet off his head and freed the bag from the bike. He carried the helmet under one arm and the bag in the other. He dropped the bag in front of Chris with a grin and a nod then went to his desk and sat down to get started.