Man On a Wire

"So I here you're the Platt's angel then," Aidan said as he walked into the office a coffee in his hand.

"Where's mine?" Carla asked, eyebrows raised.

"Oh in the kettle," Aidan said with the smile, the smile that would get him out of any trouble, "so come on then what's going on with you and the Platt's?"

"Bit nosey for a cabbage aren't ya," Carla joked carrying on with her paperwork, avoiding the conversation.

"I want to know the gossip; seems to be no lack of it when you're concerned."

"I'm helping them in their court case to keep Max," Carla snapped receiving a shocked look off Aidan, "you happy now?"

"Isn't your halo a little rusty?" Aidan said trying not to laugh; "besides you don't seem convinced."

Carla chose to ignore his comments and carried on signing pieces of paper and replying to e-mails. Her mind was completely fixed on the court case and what she was going to say and how she was going to look. She thought about Callum's threats and how he didn't want to see her in court. Carla thought about what Callum would do to her but then she knew she had to do this. For Kylie and David; for them to keep their little boy. For Nick.

"Carla, what time is Mr Jones in?" Sally said peering around the office door. She received no response, Carla was still lost in her thoughts, "Carla," Sally said again but a little louder.

"Oh um sorry," Carla said looking up from her screen to see Sally in the door way, "Where's Aidan?"

"Cake run, he said he wanted some air or something," Sally said. She remained standing there both the women in silence.

"Why are you still in here?" Carla asked after a few moments.

"Mr Jones?" Sally said trying to prompt Carla back to their previous conversation.

"Ah right, he's in at four," Carla said. Sally went to speak again probably to ask if Carla was ok but they were interrupted by Nick walking through the door.

"Sally grab us another coffee," Carla said in order to make Sally leave, "hey," Carla said softly as Nick sat in Aidan's empty seat.

"I'm not stopping," Nick began making Carla laugh se as he'd already sat down, "I just came to tell you that we're having lunch in the Bistro at one to discuss court plans and stuff."

"What's that got to do with me? It' a family thing really," Carla said not wanting to have to spend hours talking about the court date.

"I was asked to invite you," Nick said standing up and walking to be in front of Carla, "You're a big part of what's going on."

Carla looked down and took a deep breath, neither of these two things going unnoticed by Nick.

"You do still want to do it don't you?" Nick panicked.

"Yeah, um I'll be there but I have a meeting at four so I'll need to leave a bit early to prepare," Carla said even though she really didn't want to go.

"Thank you, I love you," Nick said smiling.

"I love you too," Carla said quietly before Nick kissed her and left the office.

Callum hung up the phone deeply annoyed by the conversation he'd just had with his mum; she wasn't seeing how bad it was for Callum that Carla was going to be involved in the court case.

"Oi Callum!" Carla shouted as she stepped out the factory, "I want a word with you."

"Oh so you want to talk to me now, you not going to run off to brain damage," Callum sneered.

"Don't talk about him like that," Carla said sternly, "I just wanted to let you know that nothing you say or do will stop b me supporting David and Kylie."

"You sure about that?" Callum said, he was slightly freaking Carla out but she did well to hide it.

"I swear to god Callum, you need to leave that family alone," Carla said looking him up and down, "You're nothing and the courts will realise that there's no chance in hell you're capable of looking after Max."

"You need to watch your mouth," Callum spat, he kept his cool even though he ad never expected Carla to stand up to him in this way.

"Just you wait till the courts hear how you've been threatening me for months, not really father material is it?" Carla immediately regretted her words and a knot in her stomach began to form.

"You're gonna regret saying that," Callum said in Carla's face before walking off his phone immediately went to his ear.

"Listen, we need to get rid of Carla…yeah the one who owns the factory…I know you tried before…she'd going to ruin my chances of getting Max…I don't care…Just sort it," Callum said all of his conversation in a hushed tone before finishing the call and walking off towards the red rec.

"You did tell her one didn't you?" Gail asked Nick fro about the fifth time, she was flustered by the fact Carla wasn't at the Bistro.

"Yes Mum, she said she'd be here," Nick said as calmly as h could; he was frustrated that Carla hadn't get arrived and hadn't bothered to let him know where she was.

"It's half past now, she's probably not coming," Gail stressed.

"Mum just chill out, she'll be here, she wouldn't let me down," Nick said keeping his faith in his girlfriend.

"Well I wouldn't be too sure," Gail scoffed but she stopped ranting when Carla walked through the door.

"I'm so sorry, I got held up," Carla said as she walked over to the table, she kissed Nick on the cheek before taking her seat at the table.

"Where were you?" Nick asked her as calmly as he could even though Carla could sense his annoyance at her.

"I just got held up by someone, I'm sorry okay," Carla said not wanting to tell Nick about her conversation with Callum.

"If you two have finished your domestic," David said trying to stop their conversation before it turned into an argument.

"Yeah, sorry," Nick said with a smile.

"So basically we just wanted to decide who was going to talk and who was going to sit in the viewing bit," David explained, "Um so obviously me and Kylie will be in the court and Carla. So then will Nick and Mum sit in the gallery?"

"Well Callum has his mum there so why shouldn't you?" Gail protested.

"Because Gail, Callum's Mum is speaking to back him up; we're having Carla do ours," Kylie tried to calmly explain.

"Right ok, I see where I stand," Gail said frustrating Carla.

"Look you can do it Gail if you want!" Carla snapped, "Like you're his family after all, go for it knock yourself out."

"No Carla, we want you to do it," Kylie said in a rush, "I mean not that Gail wouldn't be good I just really want Carla. I feel like she could be our best chance," Kylie finished not wanting to sound rude.

"I don't want to invade in anyway, I'm fine with speaking in court and I'm fine with not doing so. How about I just leave you all to it?" Carla said going to stand up from the table but Nick's hand stopping her.

"No Carla, this is about you too," Nick warned making Carla st back at the table as the discussion regarding the court date continued.

"Large red please Michelle," Carla said dumping her bag on the bar.

"Tough day," Michelle said whilst pouring Carla her drink.

"Don't get involved with the Platt family," Carla sighed taking a large drink from her glass.

"That bad?" Michelle asked intrigued to what Carla was talking about.

"This whole court thing, I sent two hours discussing it with them today and Gail was getting all stress," Carla said, "Gail wanted to be more involved, I said I'd step back but Nick wasn't having any of it."

"So Kylie and David want Gail?"

"No they want me but I was fine with whoever but Nick's so mad at me because I was late then apparently I don't even care," Carla sighed, hurt by her argument with Nick.

"Sounds to me like you need to sit down with Nick and tell him how you feel," Michelle advised. Carla groaned knowing her friend was right.

"I want to help them but I don't exactly have the best experience with court. I do want to help because Callum is vile but I can't be there 'guardian angel' all the time," Carla said before finishing her drink.

"Darling you need to talk to Nick; he won't be mad if you explain it to him. Just because you're unsure doesn't mean you don't want to help," Michelle comforted.

"Yeah, yeah you're right. I want to talk in court and tell everyone what a piece of scum Callum is but at the same time Nick's family need to be sure it's what they want."

"Go on, go and see Nick," Michelle said with a smile which Carla returned before leaving the pub.

"Watch it," Carla said as she walked into a dark figure on the cobbles.

"We need to stop meeting like this," the man said, the same man that had busted Carla's lip weeks previous.

"Do I know you?" Carla said.

"Your lip looks better than the last time I saw you," The man commented placing his finger beneath her chin.

"Get out my way, Callum obviously can't do his own dirty work anymore," Carla said going to walk off.

"You make some stupid decisions; if I were you I wouldn't out Callum in court."

"He doesn't deserve Max, he doesn't deserve the chance to be a Dad," Carla said her arms crossed across her chest.

"Don't cross Callum, it's a bad move."

"I'm quaking in my boots; you don't scare me, you're just his wing man. He's using you basically."

"Be careful, Carla be careful," He warned before walking off leaving Carla confused and slightly unsettled.

1) I hope the person who didn't like last week's chapter enjoyed this week's.

2)Thank You for reading; I'm really struggling with this story so please review and let me know what you think and what you'd like to happen. I might take a few weeks break because I'm not getting as many reviews and I think that's purely because I've lost my way with this story a little bit.

3) Twitter AliKing_ Ask; Jaz_x

Please review to let me know what you think.