Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to review! Yet again this took a lot longer than expected and was beginning to worry I'd be having a long writers block...but I had a lovely time at Kieron's party/met a lot of you wonderful people and was hit with inspiration on the way home. It was such a pleasure to talk/be passionate about Stendan with people in the flesh :) I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Leah turned over in her bed as she heard the door to her room creak open. She instinctively reached out into the space next to her, that only an hour before had contained another warm body. The space was now cold, but the quiet footsteps on her bedroom floor suggested that it wouldn't be for long. Someone slid into the bed next to her, hugging her from behind. Leah was about to go back to sleep, when she realised the person behind her was shaking.

'What's wrong?' she whispered into the darkness.

'I went to get a glass of water.' answered Paddy. He had asked to stay last night and Leah had let him. Paddy had a way of calming her and she'd fallen asleep instantly next to him.

'Is that all?' asked Leah. She shifted a little and closed her eyes.

'That was an hour ago.' said Paddy.

Leah's eyes flew open and she suddenly felt very awake. 'You and Lucas didn't have another fight, did you?'

'No.' answered Paddy. 'My Dad...my Dad was awake too. Apparently he couldn't sleep either and went to the kitchen for the same reason.'

Leah turned over, trying desperately to see Paddy's eyes in the darkness. 'What happened?'

'He told me what that monster did.' said Paddy, his voice was distant and faraway.

'Oh.' was all Leah could think to say.

Paddy took a deep breath. 'Did you know?'

'Not until recently.' answered Leah truthfully. 'I think a part of me always suspected. It makes sense if you really think about it.'

'He didn't want to tell me.' said Paddy, his voice full of pain. 'I sat there and made him do it. I made my own Father sit there and go over what that monster did to him, what kind of son does that make me?'

'You didn't know.' said Leah gently.

'I should have though.' Paddy turned away from her. 'He was always so distant and careful with me and Declan whenever he was around. Like he didn't dare get close to us, like we were breakable. I thought there was something wrong with us, I never...I never thought something like that had happened to him.'

Leah reached out and touch Paddy's face, which was already wet with tears. 'Brendan...your Dad is a very damaged man. What he did to you, Declan, my Dad...none of it was any of your faults. The person who's fault it is, is dead and now we have to do our best to pick up the pieces. If you turn your back on your Dad then Seamus has won. I know he doesn't deserve it, but he needs to be given another chance. Maybe this time now that everything is out in the open, he'll get it right.'

Paddy pulled her close to him, resting his head on the place where he could hear her heart beating. 'I just need time to think about it and decide whether I want a relationship with him.'

Leah let out a sigh. 'You've done more than think about it. You wouldn't still be here if you didn't want to give him another chance.'

'Do you think I should?' asked Paddy.

'You know the answer to that.' said Leah.

'I just always had this image on who my father was and why he did what he did. I feel like my head is going to explode Leah, like I don't know what's real any more.' said Paddy quietly.

Leah gently stroked his hair. 'Then don't think about it. Go to sleep and see how you feel in the morning. Maybe things will look different or you will view everything that has happened as a chance at a new beginning.'

'I hope so.' said Paddy faintly, his voice was now rough with sleep.

'I know so.' answered Leah.

'I just hate him...I hate what he did...' he trailed off and then there was silence.

Leah lay there for a while wondering who exactly 'he' was. She hoped it was Seamus and not Brendan. They all needed a fresh start, there was too much pain and history floating around at the moment for any of them to be happy. She wiggled out of Paddy's grasp and made the decision to go and talk to Brendan. Leah had a feeling after his honest conversation with his son, that he would not be sleeping. She couldn't help but feel relief that Brendan had finally shared his dark secret with Paddy, it would only have been a matter of time until the press had gotten a hold of it any way.

She slipped out of her bed quietly, careful not to wake Paddy. He had a lot to think about tomorrow and she really didn't want to disturb his sleep. Leah quietly opened the door and crept to the kitchen, she was about to walk straight in when she realised Brendan wasn't alone in there any more.

In the kitchen stood her Dad and Brendan, clinging to one another as if they were the only two people in the world. Brendan seemed to be shaking, crying quietly into her Dad's shoulder They clung to one another, swaying slightly as if they were part of their own sad dance. It was like they each other's anchor's in a stormy sea. There was so much love and understanding there that Leah felt her eyes fill with tears. They were s perfect together and yet so broken. Could two broken halves make a whole? She walked away, deciding not to interrupt their moment. She had a feeling it would be all different between the two of them again tomorrow.

Leah slipped back into bed and back into Paddy's arms. She lay there for a while listening to his breathing. As she closed her eyes she whispered a few simple words to him.

'I love you too.'

Water Proof Ink

Awkward. Awkward was the only word that could explain the breakfast between the weird family unit that they had become. Lucas was chewing loudly on his cereal, taking time between swallows to fix his hostile glare on Paddy. He looked as if he wanted to murder the other boy. Leah didn't like the way he kept stabbing the butter knife into the table either, as if imagining it was Paddy underneath it.

Her Dad and Brendan of course weren't talking, they were playing their now all too familiar game of pretending the other didn't exist. Even Paddy seemed distant and kept looking at his Dad as if he was about to disappear at any moment.

'So...' said Lucas drawing his eyes away from Paddy finally. 'That's one big love bite Dad.'

Leah spat out the cereal she was eating, that was the last thing she expected to come out her brother's mouth. 'Lucas!'

Lucas shrugged as if it was no big deal. 'There's obviously an elephant in the room, so I thought I might as well point it out.'

Leah gritted her teeth. 'You didn't just point it out Lucas, you pretty much put up neon signs and flashing lights.'

Lucas continued to ignore her. 'I hear you did it in an alley. Can't say I'm surprised, Dad's former boyfriend's haven't really been that good. Dad's obviously been in need of a good...'

'Lucas Hay!' shouted Leah.

'Just saying what you're thinking.' said Lucas.

'Actually I'm thinking you should shut up.' said Leah. 'I'm still angry about the whole thing with the tag.'

Lucas rolled his eyes. 'I don't know why you're so embarrassed about this subject, I hear you got a proper eye full last night.'

'Alright, enough, both of you.' said Ste, glaring at both his children. 'Last night was a mistake, I was drunk and it won't happen again.' he didn't look at Brendan as he said it.

Leah, Paddy and Lucas all snorted together at this statement.

'Even your own children don't believe that Steven.' said Brendan.

Ste slammed down his coffee cup. 'You think it's that simple, don't you?' he asked Brendan angrily, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. 'You left me Brendan! You left me with nothing and I had to pick up the pieces. You might...you might as well have been dead...that's what it felt like. All those letters I sent and you returned to me, all those times I needed you and you weren't there. It broke.' he pointed at his chest. 'It broke my heart and you're not one bit sorry.' tears were now freely falling from his eyes.

'I am sorry Steven.' said Brendan quietly.

'You're not though.' said Ste. 'I know for a fact that if the same thing happened again that you wouldn't change any of what you did. Because it seems Cheryl matters more to you than me and your own kids. You got the life sentence, but I had to live thirteen years of my life without you...that was my life sentence.'

'It was the right thing to do.' said Brendan firmly.

'The right thing to do?' Ste let out a bitter laugh. 'You didn't even ask me what I wanted. You just decide things for people and never let them choose for themselves. You seem to think everyone's better off without you: me, your kids, my kids...but we're not. All of us have made a mess of things without your help.'

Brendan fixed him with an unwavering stare. 'I couldn't let you go through that Steven. Visiting me week after to week in that prison, not being able to touch you or kiss you. It would have killed me and it would have destroyed you in the end too. I couldn't let that happen to you. You had to get on with your life, live and find someone whole.'

Ste clenched his fists. 'I didn't want someone whole, I had that when I was with Doug and I still choose to leave him for you. I wanted you. I would have visited you each week in prison and never complained once, because I loved you and anything would have been better than all these years without you in my life.'

'I'm here now.' said Brendan.

Ste shook his head, as if he couldn't quite believe what Brendan was saying. 'The problem is I'm still doing my life sentence. And this time it's my turn to shut you out.' he walked straight out of the kitchen and once again slammed the door to his bedroom when he reached it. Brendan followed him a few minutes later he hesitated at Ste's door, before seeming to change his mind and go into his own room instead.

'Well that could have gone worse.' said Lucas trying to lighten the mood.

'How?' asked Paddy.

'At least they didn't kill each other.' said Lucas, seeming to have forgotten the fact that Paddy was his mortal enemy for the time being.

'Oh yes.' said Leah sarcastically. 'Because that's the bright side to this situation.'

Water Proof Ink

Leah hesitated by Lucas's bedroom door, wondering whether to knock or not. She could hear Brendan moving around in there, but she wasn't sure if he'd want her company or not. She pushed it slowly, deciding to go for the element of surprise. It was Leah who got the surprise: Brendan was putting all of his stuff into a bag in the middle of his bed.

'What's going on?' asked Leah.

Brendan paused for a second, but then continued to pack his stuff into the bag sitting on the bed. 'I'm leaving.'

'Leaving?' asked Leah faintly. 'You can't.' she grappled in her head for reasons. 'You're in my care and you've got your trial coming up. What about Dad? What about Paddy?'

'You're all better off without me.' said Brendan, refusing to look her in the eyes. 'James can do the trial without me.'

'You know that's not true, you'll look proper guilty if you leave now.' said Leah.

'I can't stay here.' said Brendan, 'Steven doesn't want me here. I can't do this any more to him.'

'Running away again, are you?' asked an angry voice from the doorway.

Leah glanced back and noticed her Dad was standing in the doorway. He'd obviously heard the two of them had said from his own room. His face was twisted with anger and hurt.

'That's what you do innit? When the going gets tough you leave.' Ste marched into the room and stopped in front of the bag on the bed. 'Well not this time.' he picked up one of the shirts from inside the bag and threw it across the room.

'What are you doing?' asked Brendan.

'Showing you that you can't always have things your way.' replied Ste angrily.

Ste picked up another item out of the bag and threw it across the room, then he picked up another and did the same, then another and another. Soon the entire contents of Brendan's bag were flying wildly across the room, until the floor was a mess with Brendan's clothes. When the bag was empty Ste paused for a moment, breathing heavily and then he picked up the bag in a rage.

'Steven.' said Brendan in a warning voice. 'Put the bag down.'

'Make me.' said Ste defiantly.

Leah was aware of the sound of knocking and the noise of the press filtering through the house again. She ignored it, unable to draw her eyes away from the sight of the two men staring at each other. The way the two were looking at each other, made Leah wonder if they were going to kill each other or go round two of what had happened in the alley. Maybe she should escape before one of the two happened, she was already scarred for life from witnessing the encounter last night.

Brendan pounced, finally breaking their intense staring competition. The two men fell onto the bed, angrily rolling and thrashing around, trying to gain dominance. The bag was suddenly forgotten as Brendan pinned Ste to the bed, breathing heavily and looking down at the other man. Something shifted and one minute they were both angry, the next they were clinging to one another and kissing passionately.

Leah edged towards the door 'I'll just...'

The two ignored her, it seemed they were too busy with each other. They were now a savage mix of mouth, teeth and nails.

'Well.' said a voice loudly from the doorway that caused Brendan and Ste to separate. 'This is very cosy. If I knew you were putting on a show, I would have brought popcorn. It seems even after all these years the two of you have never learned to lock a door properly'

Leah's mouth fell open slightly as she noticed Mitzeee standing in the bedroom door, with a smile on her face that made it look as if Christmas had come early.