I'm so so SO sorry that it is has taken me a ridiculously long time to update this! No excuses really, but here it is! So please make sure you review it, and I hope that you enjoy this long awaited chapter!
By the way, the next chapter will be the final one for this fic so watch out for it! This chapter is mainly based-around Carla & Peter.
A week or so later, and it was the morning after Hayley's death the previous evening. When Becky had arrived that morning, a completely and utterly distraught Roy was busy pottering around the cafe, quite obviously trying to distract himself, in a desperate and grief stricken attempt at not having to face-up to the truth that the love of his whole entire life had infact passed-away last-night.
"Roy what are ya doing?!" Becky asked-him softly.
"Opening the cafe, what does it look like I am doing?!" Roy asked as he approached the door and flicked the Closed sign over to the Open side, but Becky turned-it back around-to Closed again and then shut the door behind her.
"No you're not. I don't think so Roy." Becky told-him gently.
"But Becky, people will be expecting their breakfasts." Roy tried-to make-up some pathetic excuses.
"Roy, they can go somewhere else for their stupid breakfast's can't they?! Now listen to me, we have things to sort-out, so you're not opening today. Because I won't let-ya. Full-Stop. End-Of." Becky said as she took Roy's hands into her own-hands and then lead-him towards the flat-door.
Meanwhile, Carla was sat-on the bench outside Audrey's, still a little bit tearful upon hearing the news-of Hayley's passing. Peter approached-her as he was passing-by that morning.
"Hey." He said calmly. "Are you alright?!" He asked-her as he stopped-in his tracks and stood-infront of the bench where she was sat.
"Not Really No…" Carla replied-to him sadly, looking-down as she was unable to face looking-into those gorgeous-eyes of his.
"Because of me or…" Peter trailed-off a little-nervously.
"No, for once Peter, it's actually not you, believe-it or not." Carla told-him a little-harshly.
"Right, well…Dya wanna tell me what's-up or should I just keep walking?!" Peter asked-her softly.
Carla took a deep-breath-in and then finally looked-up, straight into Peter's deep-brown eyes as she spoke-up. "Hayley died last-night." She told-him as a couple-of tears escaped her eyes.
"Oh Carla I am so sorry to hear that. Gosh that's awful news." Peter frowned, he knew how close Carla & Hayley had grown-over the years. He paused in silence for a couple-of seconds before speaking-up once-again. "Dya mind if I sit-down?!" He asked-her gently.
"I guess-not no…" Carla replied, and Peter sat-himself down next-to Carla on the bench, however, he was wary of sitting too physically close to her as he knew that they were most-definitely not back-together yet, despite having given-up on all of the sniping and arguing just for the time-being. "I'm gonna miss her so much Peter." Carla broke-down-into tears after a short-silence.
"I know you will. But she wouldn't want you to cry. She'd want ya to be celebrating her life, not mourning her death. Now I know I didn't exactly know Hayley all that well, but I do know that she wasn't a woman who moped-around was she?!" Peter told Carla truthfully, and she knew that he was right.
"Ya know we were only talking about you the other-night….." Carla trailed-off as she sniffled-in some tears.
"Oh?!" Peter questioned.
"Yeah, Hayley was telling-me that life was too short to be without the ones you love….." Carla told-Peter a little-tearfully.
"And I'd agree with her." Peter said softy as he looked-over-at Carla and the pair-of them caught each-others eyes for a brief-second or two before they both looked-away nervously.
"Yeah, so would I…..But it's not always that simple is it Peter?!" Carla said, not allowing herself to break down those barriers with Peter that she so desperately wanted-too once-again, but she couldn't forgive-him, and she knew that she would never forgive-herself if she gave-into him once-again…..
"It was to me when my Mum died when I was just a kid…..And I bet it is to Roy this-morning….." Peter trailed-off, leaving Carla to think….."Listen Carla, I've gotta go, but if ya need-to talk…..I mean, I know we're not together anymore or anything like that, and that's entirely my own-fault, and I know that…..But that doesn't mean that I can't still be here for ya…..So, if ya ever wanted-to just have a chat to someone…..About absolute anything…..Then ya know where I am….." Peter kindly offered-to her, and she silently nodded-at-him as he stood-up and walked-off.
Carla approached the cafe and was a little relieved, but also quite saddened-to see that it was closed. The cafe was never closed. She approached the cafe doors, and was about to knock-at them, when Michelle appeared.
"It's such sad-news isn't it?!" Michelle asked-her softly.
"I just can't believe that she's actually gone forever now 'Chelle….." Carla replied-to her best-friend with total-honestly.
"I know, tell-me about-it right…..Everyone on the Street is absolutely gutted." Michelle said.
"Yeah well she was a popular Lady was our Hayley….." Carla trailed-off as she ran-her fingers down the windows-of the Cafe-Door…..
"She most certainly was Babe. Anyway, how are you bearing-up?!" Michelle questioned Carla, worried for her extremely tired-looking best-friend.
"Over Hayley?! Or Over Peter?!"
"Both."
"Well, if it's Hayley, then I'm absolutely devastated Michelle…..I don't quite know how I am going-to cope without her…..She always talked so-much sense…..And as for Peter…..Well, who knows with him Michelle?!" Carla said, totally confused after her perfectly civil, and actually quite calming conversation with her Former-Lover earlier-on.
"And what's then supposed-to mean exactly Carla?!" Michelle asked her curiously.
"I saw him just-now. He was being so lovely and kind towards-me, and it reminded-me-of….." Carla just stopped-mid-sentence.
"Carry-On….." Michelle encouraged-her.
"Well it just reminded-me of the Old Days…..Of how we used-to be, before we got together….." Carla sighed. "It reminded-me of the Peter that I first fell-in love with….." Carla paused for a couple-fl seconds before she then spoke-up again. "I guess what I'm trying to say to ya Michelle…..Is that, I think I might be falling-in love with Peter all over again….." Carla revealed-to her shocked-best-friend 100% truthfully.
Michelle had honestly thought that-that was it for Carla & Peter now, after everything that had happened-over the whole affair with Tina, but obviously not…..
A couple-of hours later, and Peter was very-surprised-to see Roy out and about with Becky.
"Roy, what can I say to ya Pal?! Apart from, I'm SO sorry to hear about Hayley's passing-mate. I really am. She was a Wonderful-Woman." Peter told-him sadly, but kindly.
"Thank-You." Roy said a little-awkwardly as Becky shot Peter a soft-smile.
"Thanks Peter." Becky mouthed-to Peter in a whisper as she guided-Roy past-him.
"Sorry Becky. But I'm just not someone who is very good with sympathy." Roy told-her truthfully.
"Well no-one is expecting ya to be Roy. You just deal with things in your own Royston kind-of way, okay?! But only after we've been to the Funeral Directors…..Now come-on, deep-breaths." Becky softly tried-to re-assure the man who had been like a Father-Figure to her over the years, and Hayley had been her Mother Figure, and she was overly grateful to them both for their kindness, love and patience over the years, because Becky honestly didn't know just quite how they had put-up with her rather-erratic behaviour sometimes…..
Early that evening, and Carla had, completely by coincidence, bumped-into Peter once-again, which she was glad about, because her thoughts today had allowed-her to come-to some kind-of conclusion over what her feelings were exactly towards Peter at the moment, and what she wanted-to do about them.
"Hello Again…..Listen, I was just wondering-if I could take-ya up on that offer-of having a chat?!" Carla asked Peter rather-nervously.
"Yeah of-course ya can. Why don't ya come-on-up to the flat, it will be quieter up there, then we can talk properly?! What dya think?!" Peter sensibly suggested-to her, and she nodded-in agreement before following-Peter up to the flat.
Carla was sat-on the sofa whilst Peter made them both a coffee and he joined-her on the sofa.
"So what was it that ya wanted-to chat about then?!" Peter asked-her softly.
"Us. To put-it simply." Carla told Peter truthfully.
"Right…..Well what about us?!" Peter questioned-her, his voice full-of hope, but also with a touch-of sensitivity about-him aswell…..
"I love you Peter, and I think ya know that already…..But at the same-time I hate-ya, I absolutely despise ya for what ya did-to me…..For what ya did to us! As a couple! So I need-to know a few-things…..So first things first, when did it all start?! The affair this is….." Carla asked Peter rather-bluntly, she needed-to get to the point.
"Well I guess we'd been flirting dangerously since just before my Stag-Do, but…..Our first kiss was on….." Peter paused, he was so ashamed-to have to say this next-bit. "It was on our Wedding Night." Peter sighed sadly, but he was actually surprised when Carla didn't kick-off, she just sat there-in silence, so Peter decided-to continue. "I knew that it shouldn't have happened the second it happened, and I broke things off with her there & then but…..After our honeymoon I was a bit of an idiot…..And I'd rather not explain what happened from there-onwards….." Peter trailed-off, embarrassed and ashamed-of himself and the actions that he had chosen-to take in recent-months.
Carla was now in tears. "Why did ya have to do it Peter?! Just why?!" She cried-to him, obviously absolutely devastated, she was completely torn over what to do next, and she was hoping that he would say something stupid that would help her to make her mind-up straight-away, but it never happened, she was madly in love with him still. Whether she still wanted-to be or not was another-matter for another-time…..
"I don't know Carla…..I guess happiness is just a hard-thing for me…..And this in no-way excuses what I did, but you asked-why…..So here's my answer…..Every time in my life that I've dared to just relax and be happy with how things are…..Everything just comes crashing-down around-me…..Even from when I was a little-kid…..We had the perfect family set-up, Mum, Dad, and Me & Susan. But no, not even that couldn't last, 'cos our Mum went and died on us didn't she?! Which couldn't be helped but…..But it still hurt….." Peter told Carla truthfully as he wiped-away a stray-tear before continuing.
"Then it all went downhill from there I guess…..Susan died…..Marriage after Marriage broke-down…..Most of which were my fault to be fair, but that's not all, oh no…..Then there's my Dad & Deirdre, they've broken-up and gotten back together goodness knows how many times over the years…..Oh and then there's Tracy…..Well that's enough said about her…..And lastly, there's the fact that I'm a flippin' alcoholic who seems to make a mess of his life with every opportunity that he's given-too…..I sometimes wonder if I'd have done things differently as a kid, if my life would be such a mess nowadays?!" A now crying Peter said as he opened-up his heart to Carla.
"Peter stop. You can't blame yourself for what happened-in your childhood." Carla told-him softly, but firmly all the same…..No-matter how messed-up their marriage was right-now, she couldn't let Peter believe that his Mother's and Twin-Sister's deaths had been in anyway his fault, because they hadn't been his faults in anyway whatsoever.
"But I can blame myself for this stupid affair though can't I?!" Peter paused before sighing deeply. "I'm sorry Carla, I didn't invite you up here so I could wallow-in my own puddle-of self-pity did I?!"
"Well, no ya didn't Peter. But I'm glad that this conversation happened tonight." Carla said as she cautiously placed her own shaking-hand onto Peter's warm Hand, which was now resting-on his knee.
Peter was surprised that Carla had been the one to make the first-move towards initiating physical-contact, he had expected to have had to have done all of the pushing-himself…..
"I Love You Carla." Peter whispered-to her, now in tears. "I'm so sorry for what I did to you with this affair, for what I did to us…..I'm so so so unbelievably sorry Car…..I really I am." He cried-to her.
"I know you are…..Baby…..And for the record, I love you too." Carla replied, offering him a small but soft smile.
"So what does this mean for us then?!" Peter asked-her curiously.
"Let's just take things one step at a time, hey?! It's gonna take time for me to fully trust-you again Peter. But as-long as you stay-faithful to me this time, and I mean, 100% faithful, and be patient with me, and don't try to push-me any further then I'm willing to go, then we will have a very happy and stable future together as a Husband and Wife." Carla told-Peter happily.
"Thank-You So Much Carla." Peter cried-as Carla leaned-into softly kiss him on the lips.
Please-Review!
Coming-Up in the FINAL Chapter-of this Fic…..
The day-of Hayley's Funeral Arrives…..How will Roy cope?!
Carla & Peter make their re-conciliation public…..How will their Local Friends & Family react to this fresh and un-suspecting news…..