Rayanne had been surrounded by guests for most of the day so it wasn't until the evening that Angela was finally able to speak to her. She approached the table where Rayanne was sitting with her new husband.

"Hey,"

"Angelica," Rayanne indicated that Angela should sit down next to them, "have you met my husband?" she giggled.

Scott smiled "I've heard a lot about you,"

Angela smiled uneasily.

"I'm going to check on my brother, I think he's trying to chat up that strange cousin of yours,"

"Oh God not again,"

Scott excused himself, leaving Rayanne and Angela alone.

Rayanne watched him go and then turned to Angela "about before, you won't say anything will you?"

"Of course not,"

"I don't want you to think that I've rushed into anything. It's not that I didn't want to marry him, it was just a bit intense, you know"

Angela nodded.

"I wasn't surprised when Rickie told me you were bringing Jordan. I always knew you two would get back together - not that you ever really broke up in my opinion,"

"You don't think me running away to New York like an idiot constitutes a break up?"

"Nope,"

Angela smiled, she looked around the room and let out a sigh before turning back to her old friend "I'm sorry Rayanne,"

"For what?"

"For everything. For letting this silence between us go on too long,"

"Takes two to tango,"

Angela wasn't sure if Rayanne was being completely honest or just putting on a brave face. Thinking back, Angela couldn't help but feel disappointed in herself for allowing them to grow apart.

"So how did you two meet?"

"Your mom didn't tell you?"

Angela shook her head.

Rayanne took hold of Angela's hands "Oh my God it was so perfect. I was drunk and-," Rayanne paused to giggle at Angela's "what's new" face, "I know, I know. And this guy just comes out of nowhere, grabs my purse and pushes me against a wall, and I'm all like blacking out. And then, like Superman, Scott races after the guy and comes back with my purse and sits with me until the ambulance came. I mean it's like a movie right? After that we were pretty much inseparable,"

"Wow,"

It may have been a few years but Rayanne could still read Angela's face like a book.

"You know you shouldn't dwell on things all the time Angelica. So we haven't spoken in a few years, so what? Doesn't mean we're banned now from being friends. You shouldn't blame yourself, I could have called you. Maybe we just needed some time to grow up by ourselves,"

Angela felt comforted by Rayanne's logic but still felt a need to make amends, "maybe when you and Scott get back from your honeymoon you could come and stay with us in New York,"

"Us? So he's moved in then?"

"No, I'm going to ask him,"

"Well my husband and I would love to come stay with you,"

Rickie and Nicholas sat in awkward silence, both unknowingly staring at Jordan across the table. Danielle had arrived and had been recounting a story about a cheerleading accident for the last twenty minutes.

Jordan hated feeling as though he was under observation. He knew Rickie and Nicholas were watching him. Worse still, he suspected he knew why.

Angela returned to the table having spoken to Rayanne. She and Rickie exchanged knowing smiles, "Rayanne and Scott are leaving soon,"

"Oh, I should go and say good luck," Patty stood.

"I'll come with you mom," Danielle jumped up, knowing Patty had indulged in a little too much champagne.

Angela sensed an uneasy silence between the three people left with her at the table, she laughed "what?" She laughed again, "what?!" There was a hint of uneasiness in her voice, she saw in Rickie's face the look he always got when he was battling with a moral dilemma. Just at the moment her smile slipped Sharon arrived.

"Well I've had too much champagne," she concluded, as she plopped down in the chair next to Angela. Sean rested against the seatback behind her, "great day though right?"

They all nodded - unconvincingly.

Sharon noted the tension, "okaaaay, we're about to head off. Do you want us to take Danielle and your mom? I don't think she should really be driving?"

"Thanks," Angela nodded.

Sharon smiled and pulled Sean by the hand toward the marquee entrance.

Angela turned to Jordan, "Jordan do you think you could drive us home?"

The drive home was mostly silent. Angela tried to make conversation but the more she tried, the worse she felt when the talk failed to catch on.

When they arrived back at the Chase's they found Sharon and Sean talking to Danielle in the living room. Angela sank down into an armchair.

"Is mom upstairs?"

Sharon smiled, "yeah, she went to bed,"

Angela nodded.

"How about I make everyone some hot chocolate?" Sharon grinned.

"Yeah, I'll help," Angela followed her into the kitchen and closed the door.

"What is going on?" Sharon listened at the door for a few moments.

"I have no idea. They've been acting really strange - all of them," Angela shook her head, "I don't know,"

In the living room there was silence. Danielle, as ever, was the first to speak up.

"Okay, there is something going on here that I don't know about and seeing as we are in my house, I think I should know,"

Rickie took a deep breath, "Jordan could I speak to you outside for a minute?"

Danielle watched in semi-amazement as Jordan stood in silence and followed Rickie out on to the porch. She looked at Sean, "do you have any idea what's going on?"

Sean shrugged.

Rickie paced up and down the porch for at least a minute, but it was Jordan who spoke first.

"I know what you're going to say,"

Rickie looked up, "you do?"

Jordan nodded and bit his thumb nail.

Rickie took several deep, exasperated breaths.

"How did you know?" Jordan frowned.

"It was Nicholas, when he went up to get the gift before we left, he saw the scan in your bag,"

Jordan looked out from the porch at the street where he had met Angela so many times to drive her to school.

"So where does this leave Angela?"

"Nowhere," he shook his head quickly – that had come out wrong, "I mean it doesn't change anything. I love Angela, I always have. Veronica was just-,"

"Is that the mother?"

"She was just company for a while. I was lonely,"

Rickie thought for a moment he saw tears well in Jordan's eyes.

"Why did you bring the picture? Did you want her to find it?"

Jordan shook his head, "I don't know. I guess I-," he sighed, "Veronica means nothing to me. She was lost, I was lost - it made sense at the time. I love Angela and it kills me how I always manage to hurt her. But-," he searched frantically for the words, "I was never close to my dad. I always thought if I ever had a kid it'd be different. I'd be different. I'd be better. Veronica and me, we have no future but that doesn't mean I don't have a responsibility,"

Rickie's heart ached. It ached for Jordan and Angela, and how nothing was ever simple for them. It ached for memories of the past, when everything now seemed to have been so much easier.

"Jordan you have to tell her,"

"I will, just not-,"

"Tell her what?"

Angela's voice seemed to emanate from the farthest reaches of Jordan's mind, and for a moment he thought he might have imagined it. But he turned, and she was there.

"Tell me what?"

"Nothing," Denial seemed to always be Jordan's natural reaction, but he didn't want to have to tell her like this, this was completely wrong.

Nicholas and Sean stepped out on to the porch, closely followed by Sharon who was trying to prevent Danielle from following them.

"Jordan,"

He couldn't bare to look into her eyes, he wanted to scream, he wanted to run.

"Just tell her," Nicholas piped up.

"Be quiet," Rickie silenced him.

"Maybe we should leave Angela and Jordan alone," Sharon attempted to calm the situation.

Danielle shook her head and moved up to stand beside her sister, "I'm not going anywhere, I want to hear what he has to say,"

Nicholas moved toward Jordan and held out what looked like a square of white card. Rickie momentarily shut his eyes, knowing what it was and knowing what was about to happen.

Danielle frowned, "what's that? What did he just give him?"

Sharon caught sight of the item passed between them. "Right, that's it. Everyone inside - now!"

Angela was momentarily shaken out of her thoughts by Sharon's tone, surprised at her authority and even proud at her willingness to defend her oldest friend's dignity.

Sean and Nicholas did as they were told. Danielle took a little more persuasion and Rickie was the most unwilling to leave. He looked at Jordan, the pain in the other man's blue eyes nearly brought him to tears. Eventually he walked slowly back into the house.

Jordan looked down at the picture in his hand and then up at Angela.

"Just tell me,"

"I lied,"

"How?"

"Veronica,"

"What about her?"

Jordan searched for the words but, as ever, they eluded him. So he simply handed Angela the picture.

Hope everyone had a happy christmas! xx