This was not how Robert had envisioned his celebratory party ending. It was coming to 02:00 now and he was nursing a glass of soda water after taking two paracetamols for his pounding head. Though whether it was from the booze or not, he couldn't tell. Now dressed in nothing but baggy boxer shorts, bright green in colour, Robert offered to help his wife as she took a set of pillows and a duvet upstairs to Anna. Everyone had left not too long after Anna had shot off in a state, Tom being the first of them to go, voicing his apologies as he went. Anna had not come down since she found out that Graeme had been unfaithful to her. She had not budged from the bathroom at the top of the stairs and she would happily have stayed there forever if it meant never seeing Graeme again. Or John, for that matter.

'Anna?' Cora knocked softly on the bathroom door. It wasn't locked so she slipped inside. 'Anna,' she continued, 'you can stay here tonight, if you'd like? Or for however long you want to,'

Anna had not even the energy to move her head to look up to her friend as she stood over her. Looking blankly ahead, Anna could only sob as she thought about what had transpired down stairs only hours ago. Her head was spinning and not due to the alcohol. Anna wondered if the Bates brothers were still in the house. She felt sick at the thought that they were.

Putting an encouraging arm around her friend, Cora pulled Anna to her senses only to guide her to the spare room. 'Come on,' Cora whispered and they left the bathroom; John's glasses case abandoned on the sink.


John and Graeme were sat on the wooden bench at the end of the garden in compatible silence. Neither of them had gone up to see Anna, preferring instead to leave her to herself for a moment. Though a moment had somehow turned in to a few hours. An appearance from either of them would have only have made things worse, they had agreed, so they wandered outside.

'You got what you wanted then, Johnno,' Graeme rasped, taking a long swig of beer and a drag of a cigarette when he spoke. John exhaled then, clearly exasperated at his younger brother. 'Admit it, mate,' Gray goaded, waiting for his brother to bite.

'Don't make this about me, Graeme. This,' John motioned up to the house then, 'this is your doing, not mine.'

'You wanted her to know and now she does. Thus, you've got what you wanted,'

'This isn't the time,' John shot back, not wanting to hear another word. John was already cursing himself as it was. I should have told her when I had the chance, he had chastised his actions and he was sure he'd being paying for that choice in the near future. The way in which Anna had been humiliated was partly down to John and he knew that. Graeme could just not let it go.

'Ah well, I am my father's boy, I suppose,' Gray said in an attempt to justify his actions. He was of course referring to his father who had long ago left his mother, not have even met the man who had made him. Graeme was certainly showing his quality, or lack of it, tonight.

'That may be so but you're also your mother's son. That should be worth more than anything,' John tried to reason with his brother even though he despised him at that very moment. 'What would she have said if she saw you like this, now, and what you have done to Anna?' John asked, looking to his brother for some sort of answer. Gray had nothing to say for a second as he considered the question.

'Yeah well she's not so…,' he trailed off with a hint of realisation as to what he had done though that didn't last for long. Graeme had angered in an instant at the mention of his mother and he spat his words at his brother when he said them. 'What do you care, anyway?' Graeme was stood now, pacing the garden as he did, puffing at a half smoked cigarette.

'I care because she's a nice woman and you've been nothing but a…,'

'A what?' Graeme was stood in front of his brother now wanting to push him to his limit.

'A bastard,' John gave Gray just what he had wanted, the green light to go for went to strike him then but John was well and truly ready for it. Graeme was tipsy at this point and his actions were slow and predictable. John knew his brother wanted a fight but he wouldn't play along with this particular game. Pushing his brother off, Graeme stumbled and threw his beer glass to the floor in a rage.

'What on Earth is going on?' Robert bellowed from the back door after hearing the commotion. It didn't take Rob long to notice Graeme's inebriated condition and he certainly didn't want things escalating even more. He continued,

'Maybe you should head home, Gray. I think you've done enough,'

John looked on without a word. Storming past his brother, Graeme chucked his cigarette butt to the floor and walked towards the door. Robert allowed him to pass and waited for Gray to collect his things, though this time, he would be leaving one thing behind.

'How is she?' John asked as Robert came up next to him, both gazing up to the starry night above.

'She's in pieces, John. Did you really know?' Robert asked unreservedly. John could have wept in to his hands at knowing the pain he had caused Anna. This was one mistake he felt he could never live with. Looking to Robert, John replied as mournful as ever.

'Yes, I did. And I did nothing about it.'


Anna was indeed in pieces. She lay on the bed and cried in to the pillow. Cora had wanted to stay but Anna wanted nothing but solitude for the rest of the night. There was to be no comfort for her tonight. She hadn't registered the knock on the door until he stood in the room with her back towards him.

'Get out,' Anna whispered with no force at all when she heard his heavy foot falls. She couldn't even manage to fuel her words with any conviction. And she didn't even know if she meant what she said. Her thoughts were too blurry to think.

'Please, Anna,' John replied, slightly stung by her wanting him to leave her alone. I could have prevented this, he thought. John continued slowly, 'I want to apologise for not telling you. I'm not asking for forgiveness but I jus-,'

'You knew and you said nothing,' Anna said mustering up the energy to turn and face him with a sudden burst of spirit. She was red in the face and her eyes looked painfully sore. Her dress lay neglected on the floor beside her bed and she was now wearing a pyjama set that Cora had lent her. Anna's hair was tangled and knotted and her chest rose and fell with excruciating speed.

John wanted to look away but he couldn't. He owed her this, at least.

'It wasn't my secret to tell, Anna. I warned Gray that if he didn't tell you then I would and God knows, I would've,'

Anna was silent then unable to put up a fight for a moment. She perked up eventually and confronted the man stood in the room before her.

'You know, I half expected something like this from Gray but not from you. I think that's what hurts the most,' Anna lectured John with as much disappointment as he had ever heard anyone speak before. 'I think I knew that something like this would happen, between me and Gray. But to know you looked me in the eye and made the choice not to tell me, well…,'

John could only stand and stare at her, the weight of her words heavy on his chest. He had done an incredible wrong. So had his brother but he had allowed it to continue. John had flirted and teased Anna in full knowledge that his younger brother, her boyfriend, was sharing a bed with another person. Evil triumphs when good men do nothing, John thought and there was certainly truth in those words now.

Anna had turned her back to him now, instantly putting a stopper to their conversation. John was glad in a way. His heart broke at the sight before him but he knew he deserved nothing less. In a way, John had too been unfaithful to Anna. She trusted that he would have done the honourable thing and told her the truth as soon as he knew it. John had seen the evidence with his own eyes and chose not to act on it. And this was the result.

'Well,' John continued,' Graeme has gone home now so…,' he trailed off, noticing Anna stiffening at the mere mention of his name. 'I can always pick some stuff up for you if you need it or, I don't know, bring Figg here. I'm sure Rob and Cora wouldn't mind too much,' John chuckled though to no avail. Nothing about this situation was funny.

Anna said nothing. She lay perfectly still allowing her silent tears to roll down her cheeks. John took this as he cue to depart and he did so with a whispered 'I'm so sorry' as he went to leave the room.

'John…,' Anna said just as he got to the door with her back still to him.

'Yes?' he answered, happy for a moment that she had spoken to him at last.

'They're in the bathroom,'

'What are?' John asked though he got no reply. 'What are, Anna?' John tried to encourage her but still nothing. He pulled the door towards him after a moment and left without another word from either of them.

As John made his way in to the corridor, he took a detour in to the bathroom before settling himself for the night, though he doubted he would get much sleep at all. Pushing the door forward, John saw it then. On the basin was his glasses caseJohn knew damn well that he had not left them on the train but he had not the faintest clue that Anna had discovered them in the spare room. Anna had obviously brought it along to return it back to him but she had not had the chance. Unlike me, he sighed. John took it in to his hand and wiped a single tear from his cheek. Even though her heart was breaking, Anna still thought of him, and that was something he could not ignore.


Gray slumped on to the living room couch as soon as he got home. He had got a taxi from Robert's house and had returned to the house alone, much to his distaste. He wasn't one bit keen on that detail and did not want to make it a common occurrence. Pushing Figg away from him and on to the floor, Gray let out an exasperated sigh. Shaking his head, his took his phone from his pocket and checked to see if he had any notifications from Anna. He didn't. This will not do, Graeme thought as he scrolled through his contacts until he came across the one he wanted and dialled the number. It rang for just a moment until they answered,

'Hello?' they asked on the other end of the line, not sounding heavy with sleep despite it now being close to 03:00.

'Hey, it's me. Are you free?' and with that a slight smile grazed his face. He wouldn't be alone for long.