Abi put down the phone the same time Jay popped his head around the kitchen door.
"So?" he asked. "What did they say?"
"There's going to be a trial next week."
"What? They're not even letting your dad out straight away?"
Abi shook her head slowly. "I guess not."
Jay moved towards his girlfriend quickly. "Well, he'll get off. Of course, he will. You done it babe!"
Abi smiled and Jay's heart melted at the sight of her. He leaned into kiss her.
"I'm proud of you," he whispered in between kisses.
"I've hardly done anything," Abi giggled.
"You've given our baby a granddad, that's enough." Jay leaned further into Abi, deepening their kiss.
"Hold up," Abi said placing two hands on Jay's chest. "No sex until the baby gets here."
Jay sighed. "You made me wait over a year and now I have to wait another month?"
"You'll manage," Abi smirked. "I mean, you've gone this long without anything."
"Oi! You cheeky mere!" Jay said as the there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it."
Jay opened the door, a huge smile on his face but it quickly faded when he saw who it was.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, quickly closing the door behind him so Abi wouldn't hear. "I thought I told you-"
"I have some work going if you want it," Liam told him.
"No, I don't want it. I told you that was the last time. Is it you that's been blowing up my phone?"
"I thought you needed the money."
"I did, but now I have it. I'm sorted. So leave me alone."
Jay began to turn and return to Abi but Liam put a hand on his shoulder.
"Hold on, I'm not finished talking to you."
"I've given you my answer, so back off."
"You know how this works, Jay. You got yourself involved. You don't get out until I say so."
"I'm not scared of you, Liam." Jay took a step towards him. "I have bigger problems right now. I have a girlfriend that I love and a baby on the way. So you can go back to where you came from. I want nothing more to do with you, with any of it."
Liam smirked. "You're going to regret that, Brown." He turned and took the steps two at a time. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Abi looked around nervously at her surroundings as she took to the stand. When she'd entered she'd made the mistake of looking at Bobby and couldn't bear to again. He'd looked so small, so defensive and she felt beyond guilty for doing this to him. Her eyes found Jay's and he gave her an encouraging smile.
"Miss Branning," the judge spoke. "You got the recording of Mrs Beale's confession, correct?"
Abi nodded. "Yes."
"How did you come to the conclusion that Bobby Beale was the culprit?"
"I worked it out after I realised my dad was innocent."
"That is Mr Branning? What made you so sure he was innocent?"
Abi cocked her head to the side, feeling no sense of guilt for dropping Phil in it. "Phil Mitchell told me he paid of the jury." Whispers filled the room. "I thought he would have only done that if he was trying to protect somebody."
"Why did you think he would want to protect the Beales?"
"Well, I knew it wasn't a Mitchell so the only other plausible explanation was if it were a Beale?"
"And what made you so sure he wasn't covering for a Mitchell?"
"I had...close relations with them at the time."
"You were with Mr Ben Mitchell at the time, and now you're in a relationship with Jay Brown, a man who was adopted by the Mitchells."
"Yes," Abi spoke confidently.
Others may have thought she was a slag for sleeping with two people from the same family but Abi didn't care. She loved Jay and that was all that mattered.
"And after I knew about Phil's part in it all I realised how fake Jane's alibi for dad had been. I didn't believe that she had ever slept with my dad."
"Why not?"
"Her and my mum are good friends. She knows better than anybody what a sleaze my dad is," Abi said, receiving a few snickers from the Albert Square residents that were present."
"Why would Mr Mitchell want to cover for the Beales?"
"His ex-wife is Ian's mum. I thought he might feel like he had some kind of tie to her." Abi tried to speak neutrally. She didn't want any more people than necessary to be arrested for their part in Lucy's murder.
"So you narrowed down the culprits, why Bobby Beale?"
"Of course Phil would want to cover for a young boy. Anybody would."
"And how did Mrs Jane Beale come into this?"
"I didn't think Bobby would have been able to keep something like that a secret, and somebody must have helped him to get her body to the common. It made sense that he would call his mum."
The judge nodded and the sound of Jane's voice filled the room and Abi was stabbed with guilt. After all, Jane was Tanya's best friend and she had always been good to both Abi and Lauren when Max and Tanya had their problems.
"Can you confirm that this is the confession Jane Beale made to you?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you come to the police straight away? Why did you feel the need to get a confession first?"
"I knew you wouldn't believe me." Abi cocked her head to the side and glared at DS Cameron Bryant. "Some of your staff seem to have it in for my dad."
"Thank you, Miss Branning," the judge concluded. "That'll be all."
Abi leaned against a wall outside, her eyes closed, and let out a sigh of relief. It was over.
"You were amazing, Abs."
She opened her eyes and found her boyfriend standing in front of her.
"I just hope it's enough."
"Of course it is. They have a confession. What else do they need?"
"I guess." Abi bit her lip. "But it doesn't stop me from feeling terrible."
Jay pushed Abi's fringe out of her face so he could look directly into her eyes. "You have nothing to feel guilty for, Abs. It was him or Max."
Abi nodded. "I know."
"Come on," Ben called from behind Jay. "They're about to give the verdict."
The couple followed Ben back inside, hand in hand, and took they're seats just in time.
"Do you find the defendant, Bobby Beale, guilty or not guilty of the murder of Lucy Beale?"
"Guilty."
"What the hell is that?"
Abi stared back at her father astonished at his choice of words after almost a year of speaking to each other.
"What?" she asked defensively.
"Abi, you're pregnant."
"Oh, right," she said taking a seat opposite Max and eyeing up the prison guard beside her. "I forgot you didn't know."
"Please tell me that Ben isn't-"
"No. Don't worry. The baby belongs to Jay."
Max cracked a smile for the first time since she had arrived.
"Jesus, Abi! My baby's having a baby."
"Dad! Seriously."
"Congratulations. I'm pleased for you."
"Really?" Abi raised an eyebrow.
"Of course. You've done me proud, Abi. Everything you've been doing for the past few months."
Abi shrugged. "I only done what was right."
"But you're the only person that did. I knew I'd always be able to rely on you. I can't believe I'm going to be getting out of here after all this time."
"Me neither. When are they releasing you?"
"Tomorrow morning, half ten."
"Me and Jay will pick you up."
"I have so much to sort out. I don't even know where I'll be staying."
"With me and Jay of course."
"At the Mitchell's? I don't think so."
"No," Abi said smiling. "We have our own place."
"Where?" Max asked confused.
"Number five."
"How did you manage to-"
"Jay sorted it out."
"I'm coming home, Abs," Max said smiling. "I'm actually coming home."