Sorry about the late update... Again. I have been so busy, with school work and everything else, but the next chapter is finally here!

Thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting and following.:)

Chapter Ten.

Brendan's POV.

I was deliberately not looking at the signs, I wanted to be lost so I couldn't get back to Hollyoaks, I wanted to loose myself in this world away from Stephen, somewhere I won't be able to hurt him. My phone is vibrating again, I had put it on silent the ringtone was distracting me, it's like it was reminding me what I was missing, I knew it was Stephen he had his own personal ringtone, Sexy and I Know It. We had been sitting in his front room watching a film, I could feel the sofa shaking slightly so I looked over to see Stephen silently laughing, he refused to tell me instead he rang my phone to show me, I had acted like it annoyed me but I kept it.
I stopped at the closest hotel, it looked cheap and tacky, not my usual style but right now I really couldn't give a shit, I just wanted to be locked up in a room away from the world, I wanted something with no reminders, unlike the car. I paid for the room, just one night I would move on tomorrow, I climbed the stairs to level three I didn't fancy risking the rickety elevator knowing my luck I would be trapped in there, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea.
I unlocked the door and strolled into the room, it was musky and smelt damp, the brown wallpaper was slightly peeling from the top of the walls, the bed was placed against the back wall and in front of it on a small cabinet was a cable TV with the basic one, two, three and four on. The bathroom was worse, it had no bath, just a shower just big enough to fit myself in, the toilet had stains down it, I made a mental note to never stop of anywhere like this again. I sat down on the lumpy bed and removed my coat and taking my phone from my pocket, I was debating on whether to look at it or not in the end I decided a quick glance wouldn't hurt.
46 missed calls from Stephen, 37 missed calls from Chez and 3 from Ann.
There was also, 22 text messages from Chez, 16 from Ann and 33 from Stephen, all of which were begging me to come home and things could be sorted out. Then I spotted the most recent text message, it was from Stephen and it was different to the rest, instead of begging me to come home it read

Bren, I understand why u felt like u had to go but u didn't, u thought u was protecting me and the kids but your not, you have made things worse, when u was here I had someone to help me, someone who stood by me and stopped me doing twatty things, but now your gone who knows what I could do, aye?

Was that a threat? Blackmail? Was that his way of saying he would do something twatty if I didn't come home? I couldn't stop myself from punching in the numbers and pressing the dial button, I had to find out what that meant.
The phone rang about ten seconds and then I heard his voice down the phone.

"Bren-"

"Stephen, what did that last text mean exactly?"

"Pretty obvious ent it? When you was here you could have stopped me If I attempted anything stupid with your dad, you would have stopped me, I wouldn't have wanted to stop but I would have for you, but now you have gone and left me, who is there to stop me? If I do something about him then you can come back."

I could feel my throat swelling, I was struggling to breath, and this is just at the thought of Stephen doing something stupid, imagine if he actually did it?

"Stephen, ye don't know what he is like, ye don't know what he is capable off."

"But that's the thing Bren, I do cause you told me exactly what he is capable of and he is sick!"

"Please Stephen listen to me, don't do anything stupid, please I am begging ye."

"What like I am begging ya to come home?"

"The day I told ye what he did to me, ye promised me ye wouldn't do anything stupid Stephen please keep it."

"Promises mean nothing Bren, you proved that, you promised you wouldn't leave me unless its what I wanted, and you have left me, and that is not what I wanted."

"That's different, this is for your safety"

"Well personally I think I am safer with you around, haven't we proved that before?"

"Don't do this Stephen, please."

"Do what? Remind ya about everything that has happened over the past two and half years? Remind ya what we have done for each other? You know I am better off with you Bren, and if the only way I am going to prove that to you is by trying to get rid of that sick man then I will."

"Stephen-"

"I love you Brendan."

"I love-"

He had gone, he hung up on me.

Stephen's POV

I have no clue how I am going to do it, but I need to, I need to get rid of him. I closed my eyes and tried to clear my brain, after that, instead of trying to think straight I thought back to what the old me would have done, what chavy Ste would have done, well that was simple, I would have gone barging round there thrown a couple of punches before being dragged off him, but that wasn't going to happen this time, I couldn't just walk round to Cheryl's banging on the door demanding to see him and then giving him a couple of smacks, that wouldn't work. I tried to think sensible, maybe negotiate with him, I laughed at myself for even thinking of that one. There were two options, call the police but then Brendan would have to tell everyone about what happened also he would have to testify in the court room, and that just wasn't ever going to happen, otherwise I could threaten him with the police tell him if he don't leave Hollyoaks I will call the police and tell them everything maybe he would panic and run? But then there was also the chance he thought I was bluffing, or he could kill me, that's when I had a thought, I would have maybe done it years ago back when I was a little shit, back when I was the biggest knob going, but since Amy had Lucas I would have never of considered it, but sitting here now in this empty house thinking about Brendan being on his own somewhere, probably reminiscing about his childhood, it made me think that that sick man that Brendan is supposed to be called Dad deserves, he deserves to be dead and gone, that way Brendan would never have to worry about his Dad showing up, he would never be looking over his shoulder because he would be gone. I thought about it a bit more, wondering to myself how I would do it. What would I use? A gun? Knife? Fire? There were so many options, so much to think about, what would be the most discreet? How would I get him alone in the first place? What about the kids if I was to get caught? Would Amy understand if she ever found out? Then it got me thinking, maybe I could pay someone else to do it, but somehow that thought didn't seem as appealing, the thought of watching the life leave Seamus's body because of him gets him sort of giddy. I decided to go bed, think about it there and see how the idea seems in the morning.

I woke the next day to Leah and Lucas jumping on me, I pulled them both into an embrace as all three of us lie on the bed, we was all cosy and warm cuddling and giggling when I suddenly remembered they started back at school today, shit, they had exactly an hour to get ready and be at the school. No chance.

"Quick Leah, Lucas get these on and I will make you some breakfast yeah? I forgot you had school today"!"

They both ran into their bedroom to get changed, when they came out the breakfast was ready on the table, they both wolfed it down. It was only as we went to walk out the door I realised Lucas had his top on back to front, so I bent down to sort it out, Leah was laughing at him calling him silly to which Lucas reacted by calling her stupid. I pulled on my coat and we braced ourselves for the cold weather as we walked to school and nursery.

After the school run I headed straight for the Deli, I thought I best open up today everyone is back at work so today was going to be pretty busy during lunch hours. I wiped down all the sides, turned the oven on and got started on a couple of bits, including a bacon roll for myself as I skipped breakfast this morning. All in all the morning ran pretty smooth, had a quite a few customers but not so many that I was rushed off my feet, but it was hard work, I was so used to having lay ins cuddled up to Brendan in the mornings, then just playing with the kids and whatever the past two weeks and now I was up early and rushing around a Deli on my own. Then it reached lunch hour, and god was it busy, it was so hard to take orders, cook the food and serve it all at the same time but I managed it, I didn't complain cause it sort of helped, it distracted me, stopped me thinking about Brendan for a bit cause I was so busy. After the customer walked out the door at half two I made myself a coffee and sat down on the chair and closed my eyes allowing myself to get lost into thought about what I was thinking last night. I heard the doorbell go and I jumped, I must of started to doze I looked over at the clock it was three ten, I had twenty minutes before Leah and Lucas came out of school, I was bought back to earth by a small cough, I remembered I had a customer I rose from my chair and looked over to see the customer standing next to the counter, he had a small evil smile on his face and just the look of him made my skin crawl, it was Seamus. I took a deep breath and thought to myself, just treat him as a customer.

"What can I get ya?"

"I will have a coffee, white with three sugars and a BLT sandwich please, Stephen."

I closed my eyes for a millisecond before giving him the fakest smile I had ever performed and worked on the food. I didn't even attempt to make any small talk like I would with the other customers, the only reason I was actually serving him was the thought of that little extra profit at the end of the day. I passed over the coffee and sandwich as he passed over the money. I knew that wouldn't be it, he couldn't just walk in here order food and go again, he came in here for an argument I could sense it, but I wasn't going to give him one.

"Where's Brenda? Gone? Left ye alone?"

"Don't call him that."

"Why? That's what he is a little girl, he is a little puff just like yeself."

"Ya can say what ya like about me, I am proud of who I am!"

"Really? If I was you I would be ashamed, I would be sickened by myself."

"Me? Sickened because Im gay? What about you have done huh? I would be sickened by that!"

I told myself I wasn't going to argue with him, but I couldn't stop myself from retaliating when he said things to me. I looked over at the clock it was twenty past, I had to leave now to pick up the kids. I grabbed my coat and pulled it on.

"Going somewhere?"

"Yeah, to pick me kids up."

"Ah well I must let ye get on Stephen, don't want them being left alone at the school do we."

I ignored him and pulled open the door, and gestured him to leave, he walked to the door, but stopped in front of me, I could feel the heat of his breath on my face it smelt of whisky and fags.

"Goodbye Stephen."

Sorry about the crap ending to this chapter, just the next bit i wanted as a separate chapter:)x