Apologies for the delay! I'm hoping to get the next bit up over the next few days which should put us more or less back on track. Anyone else checking to see when WR starts? They're very late in giving us a date this year. I've seen some mention of Sept 10, but that's a Wednesday and the 8pm slot clashes with GBBO so… who knows!

Reviews…

Molly: More Suffering Sue next time, but for the moment she's been packed off!

Fee: Thanks! I hummed and hahhed about reusing the show plot line, but there's always elements I like to put a twist on and that's one!

Lori: That chapter or the story? Yeah, in a longer piece where setup's necessary there's always a danger it can get boring… glad you thought it redeemed itself as it went on.

keepingitsweet: Here you go! Enjoy!

Sophie: Don't panic, Christine's story lines—all of them—are about to kick off. I know she's had a bit of a back seat so far but she's still very central to this story as a whole.

LittleBooLost: *g* Louisa's fun to write. Some changes coming up there soon, though…

Paisley: Read on! :)

Christine-fans should be happy to know that from here on in she'll have a larger role to play than heretofore. Oh, and this bit is … different. Largely Christine-centric, but different.

Head's Office, 12.10pm

Tom twitched the blinds in Simon's office for the fifth time in as many minutes as he watched the paramedics lift Kevin into the ambulance. Audrey was talking in the background, something about having suspected that Kevin was ill that morning, but he tuned her out. He was too busy worrying about Kevin, about Connor, Dynasty and Imogen … and Christine most of all. What if he do if they got ill as well? His mouth went bone-dry at the thought.

Thank God she's not pregnant, he told himself as he straightened the blind once more as the ambulance pulled out. 'Flu can be dangerous for pregnant women…

'Tom!' Audrey said, and he jerked towards her. Her gaze was knowing. 'They'll be fine. Kevin too.'

'You don't know that,' he croaked. 'That kid from Havelock's desperately ill. If he dies—'

'Even if he does, it doesn't mean Kevin will,' Audrey said gently. 'For all you know there's underlying conditions. Kevin's as hardy as a mountain pony. He'll come through.'

'You better pray he does,' Tom snapped, fear momentarily running away with him. ''Cos if he doesn't and you suspected—' He made himself stop as she aged ten years before his very eyes. 'God, Audrey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that.'

'It's all right.' She came to lay a kind hand on his arm. 'Come on, let's ask Sonya for a cuppa while we wait for news. Does Simon know? When's he coming back?'

'I sent him a text, didn't want to disturb him if Sue was still out of it,' Tom said, twitching away from her and starting to pace. If he was on the move he could control the maelstrom of emotion more readily. He wheeled to face her. 'Should give Daniel a call, shouldn't I? He needs to know. And the other kids' parents, the ones going back to Rochdale… Shit.' He ran a trembling hand through his hair. 'We shouldn't let them go, should we?'

'That's Simon's decision to make,' Audrey reminded him. 'Not yours. You phone Daniel, that's all anyone can expect of you until—oh, here he is now.'

'Did you get my text about Kevin?' Tom barked at the Head as the younger man came through, grey-faced. 'Why didn't you answer?'

'Because I was talking to Yvonne Hegarty.' Simon stopped and Tom found his pulse was thumping hard in his ears as he waited for him to continue. 'That first kid, he died an hour ago. They're—they're not even sure if the other one's gonna pull through.' Simon paused, swallowing hard. 'Havelock wasn't supposed to be breaking up until next week, but they're closing now. She said we should do the same, this flu isn't to be messed with.'

'We're breaking up anyway,' Tom said numbly as he collapsed onto the leather sofa. 'Or are we? We're part boarding, Simon, what the hell do we do with the kids at Grantly House?'

Simon was stalking the room in much the same way Tom had done earlier, a deep line creasing his brows and making him look older than his thirty years. 'We give the kids two weeks instead of one,' he decided. 'That means we can keep the Grantly House kids a few days first, check no-one's ill before sending them off. We'll take an extra week next term to catch up. Sonya!'

The secretary appeared so quickly that Tom suspected she'd been up to her old eavesdropping tricks, but for once he was glad of it. He jumped in with a brief explanation, trusting Sonya's curiosity to stop him if he omitted anything of importance. As expected, she was on the ball and she jotted a few notes for the letters she'd have to draft for the parents before glancing up at him, her gaze shrewd.

'Who's gonna tell Christine?'

'I will,' Tom said. 'Audrey, d'you wanna go and find Maggie and get her up to speed? Then you'll have the task of telling the kids, I don't envy you that.'

Sonya sighed. 'I'll give you a hand with that an' all. Get started on the blower too, eh?'

They left together and Tom prepared to do likewise when Simon stopped him.

'I'm coming with you. I want to hear what happened for myself.'

Tom nodded but didn't wait. He wouldn't have cared just then if the entire school wanted to accompany him, quarantine be damned, his first priority was getting to Christine and their kids. It took supreme effort to walk calmly down the corridor instead of sprinting as he longed to do; it was lunch hour and the kids were already buzzing from the news of Kevin's collapse. If they saw their Deputy Head racing around the place the buzz would turn into outright panic…

He did run the last few steps, bursting through the double doors of hall. As soon as he entered Christine and the kids surged towards him and they met halfway, the five of them clinging together until Simon cleared his throat behind them.

The kids drew back but Tom kept his arm firmly around Christine, unwilling to let her go just yet.

'Er… are you all OK?' Simon asked awkwardly.

The kids glared their opinion of this and it was left to Christine to say quietly, 'We're fine. These three are all OK so far—'

'What about you?' Simon interjected and Tom saw her eyes momentarily widen.

'I'm… I'm fine. Or I will be, when we know how Kevin is.' She attempted a smile. 'We've got to wait twenty-four hours apparently, but hopefully we'll hear something before them.' A pause. 'I gave them my number.'

Tom tensed, unsure of how Simon would take this usurpation of his authority, but the other man nodded.

'Good idea, Kevin's closer to you anyway and this lot…' He tailed off, looking as if he didn't know what to do with himself. 'Well. Since you seem to have everything in hand I think we should send everyone back to their form rooms once the bell goes—'

'What about the bake-off?' Dynasty interrupted. 'We never finished.'

'It's OK, Dyn, it'll be ruined anyway,' Connor told her.

Her chin lifted. 'Bollocks. Still dessert round to go, innit? I'm not havin' you lose this chance, Kevin wouldn't want it either.'

'Are you sure?' Christine asked.

Dynasty crossed her arms. 'Dead sure. Kev'd be livid if he thought we gave up just 'cos of him. He was proper keen, 'specially for Connor.'

'Fine,' Simon agreed. 'If that's how you feel about it… Can you prefects get the hall set up again and we'll let Maggie know? Assembly first, but we'll hold it in the gym for once.'

He left after that and pride coursed through Tom as Dynasty took charge, setting Connor to work in hall and sending Imogen to round up the troops.

'Never gives up, does she?' he murmured into Christine's ear, but he wasn't really thinking of Dynasty.

'H'mmm.' Christine looked up at him. 'What is it, love? There's something you haven't said—' She broke off, colour touching her cheeks. 'Unless it's school business and you can't tell, that is.'

'That's rubbish, that is,' Tom declared, pulling her closer. 'School business is the last thing I'd keep from you… God, Chris.' He buried his nose in her hair and went on in a voice that had turned suddenly hoarse. 'Simon said… he said that the first Havelock kid's died.' She stiffened. 'Kev could be in real danger, I didn't want to tell the kids … and all I could think was, thank God you're not pregnant. It'd be so dangerous if you were, I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you—'

''Shhh, I'm fine,' Christine murmured, her arms winding around him. 'I'm right here and we're fine. We're all fine.'

Hall, 2.45pm

'D'you want one, sir?' Dynasty asked Simon, indicating a plate of flapjacks. They were golden brown and gave off an appetising scent of honey and cinnamon and other more-ish things, and the Head nodded. If she was prepared to throw herself into this given Kevin's illness, the least he could do was meet her halfway.

'Love one… Mmmm, this is good!'

The Head Girl sniffed. 'See, not just a bimbo, me, no matter what anyone says. I'm no Connor but what I do, I do good.'

'Very good,' Simon agreed, licking the sticky sweetness from his fingers. 'Cheap to make, too. Give that recipe to Mrs Budgen, I like yours better than hers—but don't tell her I said so!'

Dynasty smiled. It was a smile that wavered at the edges, but it was still a smile. 'Aw, thanks, sir. D'you mean it? You're not just sayin' so?'

He swiped another flapjack and bit into it. 'Not a chance. These are excellent.' He sent her a wink. 'Good luck.'

Mika joined him as he moved away, a smirk hovering. 'You've, uh…' She indicated the corner of her mouth. 'Crumbs.'

'What?' He swiped furtively at his mouth with his jacket sleeve, hoping no-one'd notice his un-headteacherly behaviour. 'All gone?'

She dimpled and nodded. 'How's Sue?'

Simon's sugar-induced good mood evaporated. 'She's… in a state. Finally got her to take her meds and go to bed. Hopefully she'll be more herself tonight.'

'Yeah…' He was aware of her assessing glance. 'Will she come back after the break?'

'Probably. Her dad's head of the education department, remember.' He couldn't quite eliminate a bitter edge. 'She can do no wrong in his eyes. Besides, for once it wasn't her fault.'

'What do you mean?'

Simon looked down into the curious blue eyes facing his and all at once the desire to talk of Sue left him. 'Never mind.' He drifted towards the closest table, staffed by Lula Tsibi and Kacey Barry, and eyed their wares.

They could not have been more different. Lula's plates consisted of glacéed fruit, a variety of baklava, and a dessert that reminded him unpleasantly of the semolina he'd been forced to eat during his own school days. And Kacey… He peered into a bowl of something cold.

She tilted her head. 'D'you want to try?'

'What is it?' Mika asked.

'Banana ice-cream,' Kacey told them, her thin face lighting up. 'You've gotta have some, it's amazin'. Just bananas, nothin' added to make it unhealthy or fattenin', like, just… pure fruit.' Her tone was almost reverent.

Simon took a cautious spoonful and found it unexpectedly pleasant. 'Just bananas, you say? No cream, no sugar?'

She gave an eager nod. 'Ace, innit. Better than all that bad stuff,' she added with a dismissive wave.

'Not everyone likes bananas,' Mika pointed out as she sampled a spoonful. 'Haven't you got anything else for us? Custard? Tray bakes? Anything apart from banana … gloop?'

Simon thought he could almost see the walls go up around Kacey as she answered each question in the negative, and he hastened to reassure her. 'Never mind, it's still original and cheap. Good work!' He took Mika's elbow and guided her away from the stalls, towards the centre of the hall. 'What was that about?'

The student teacher was frowning. 'Last week, that episode with Sue?'

'What about it?'

Mika turned to face him. 'I didn't say anything at the time, but I think she—Kacey—made herself pass out deliberately. Sue was unlucky, I think Kacey just wanted to avoid a shopping trip with her sister.'

Simon threw a bewildered glance at the Year 11 girl who was seemingly chatting happily with Lula. 'Why would she want that?'

Mika heaved a sigh that was almost exasperated. 'Look at her, Simon! She's just skin and bones. Did you hear what she said about that banana stuff? Nothing added, nothing "bad". And she dresses like crap, all oversized jeans and sloppy tops. No wonder Dynasty wanted to take her shopping.'

Now it was Simon's turn to frown. 'Sorry, not getting you.'

Mika looked uncertain. 'I might be wrong, but… I think there's some body image, self-esteem issues there. We had a special lecturer in college, see, to talk about eating disorders in schools. I'm not saying that's what going on here, but—'

'We'll do something about it,' Simon interrupted. 'I promise. It'll be top priority when we get back. Nothing much we can do now, is there?'

The young woman was chewing her lip. 'Shouldn't we say something to her mum? Or even Dynasty?'

Simon's attention was drifting, aware that time was marching on and that any moment he'd have to go into a huddle with Maggie, Tom, and Sonya to judge the bake-off. And there were still a handful of parents to chase regarding the changed half-term arrangements … He gave her shoulder a quick squeeze.

'When we get back, yeah? Send us an email over the break with some ideas from that lecture of yours and we'll hatch a plan.'

'But—'

Maggie was waving and Simon raised his hand to indicate he was coming. 'Not now, Mika, OK? Next half-term, I promise.'

By the time he reached Maggie he'd already more than half-forgotten the conversation.

Mulgrew Household, 4.45pm

Christine halted Connor as the subdued teenagers trooped past her on their way into the house.

'Well done, son. Winning the bake-off, that was… I'm proud of you.'

He shrugged. 'Doesn't seem to matter much right now, does it.'

'Oh, come on. Kevin'll be fine, you've got to think positively!' She reached out to touch his shoulder. 'The hospital have got my number, remember. Once we hear anything—anything at all—you'll be the first to know.'

'Even if they phone in the middle of the night 'cos he's worse?' Connor demanded. 'I'm serious, Mum. Don't try to protect us from this. If it looks bad for Kev you've gotta tell us, no matter what.'

'It won't come to that,' she said quickly.

Her son gave her a hard look. 'Yeah? So it's not true that one of the Havelock kids died?'

Christine grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the living room, leaning on the door to shut it while she hissed, 'Where'd you hear that? And for God's sake, keep your voice down. If Dynasty and Kacey hear—'

He disengaged himself from her hold with a swift twist. The movement was effortless, reminding her that he was no longer a child.

'There you go again. We're not little kids, any of us. Even Kace is sixteen… We're not stupid, Mum. We understand this 'flu is bad.' He paused before adding, 'Unlike you, throwing yourself over Kevin like that. That was stupid. Really stupid, considering.'

Christine was left staring after him as he slipped out of the living room without another word, and moved to sink limply onto her sofa, grabbing the soft woollen throw for comfort. No-one knew her better than Connor, even Tom could not read her with her son's unerring accuracy. She knew what he was hinting at; it was something she'd strived to avoid since Sonya's announcement that morning.

If Kevin had 'flu, she had to know whether she was pregnant or not. As Tom had said, 'flu could be dangerous for pregnant women. The swine flu epidemic had shown that… She pulled her throw closer. Clearly it hadn't occurred to Tom that she could be pregnant, regardless of what they'd agreed the week before. Could he really be so naïve? And what would happen between them if her suspicions were correct?

She was shivering, and not just because the heating in the front room was poor. She'd already been abandoned once in pregnancy; she couldn't go through it again.

'When were you plannin' on tellin' us?' Joe Mulgrew asked as she entered their bedroom after a shower, still wringing the water out of her hair.

She looked at him, her hands dropping to tighten her dressing gown cord. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

Her husband snorted. 'D'you think I'm stupid, Chrissie?' He crossed to her, roughly pulling the knot undone so that the dressing gown fell open, revealing her naked form. 'I've seen pregnant women before. Whose is it? Were you just plannin' on presentin' me with the kid when it comes?'

Christine was breathing in frightened gasps, but she managed to get out an almost-steady 'I'm not pregnant.' She gave a half-laugh as her mind shied away from the truth that lay in memory. 'How could I get pregnant, you've been so busy on the farm we've hardly seen each other—'

'I know you've been creepin' out, I know you're bored,' Joe accused, thrusting his face into hers. 'Were you meetin' some fella, is that it?'

'I'm not pregnant,' she insisted, her voice beginning to tremble.

Joe laughed. 'Aye, and you've just suddenly jumped a cup size, eh?' He prodded at her, smirking when she flinched. 'Sensitive too, I see. When was your last period?'

Christine staggered back, realisation slamming into her with the force of a blow. He was right, oh God, he was right. She'd refused to acknowledge the symptoms, telling herself that she was just stressed, what with starting her teacher training and all. There was even a precedent; she'd stopped menstruating for a time after her sister's death some years before… but she couldn't bury her head in the sand any longer. She had to find a way to make sense of this for both of them, he couldn't know the truth.

She lifted her chin and looked Joe straight in the eye.

'If I'm pregnant it's yours, course it is. You can't seriously think I'd go with someone else?' He was silent and she panicked. She could not consider the alternative, would not consider it. 'Come on, Joe, say something! Just think, if it's a boy …' She slid her hands up his arms to rest on his shoulders. 'A son. You wanted a son for the farm, didn't you? To inherit all this… It's just come sooner than we thought, that's all.' She hoped her hands were not as clammily cold as she thought they were, hoped that they would not betray her through the cotton of his shirt.

Vain hope.

He threw her off, his gaze colder than it had ever been. 'I'm not buyin' it, Chrissie. I can't remember the last time we were together, it was that long ago.' He finished dressing, grabbing his jacket and preparing to leave the room. 'Get packin'. We're going back to Glasgow—tonight.'

She climbed the stairs to the bathroom, her hands gripping the rails for support, and locked herself in, staring at her reflection in the mirror. The overhead light was cruel, highlighting every line that creased about her eyes and near her mouth. Her mouth quivered as she opened the cupboard and took out the pregnancy test, placing it on the ledge behind the taps.

Michael Byrne's features flashed into her mind, the look of horror on his face as he said 'I thought we were careful!' It had been of undiluted honesty, if nothing else. She should have taken note and refused ever to trust him again—but like a fool, she had.

And Joe…

Her lips compressed and she threw her head back, remembering. They'd returned to the small flat they shared in Glasgow, exchanging barely a word throughout the long drive. He'd wasted no time in gathering his things and walking out; he hadn't even left her with enough money to buy bread and milk. She had no choice but to return to her parents and they'd greeted her with an indifference that turned into contempt once they heard Joe's version of events. She'd moved on as soon as she could, choosing to endure the last difficult months of pregnancy alone.

This is different. Tom loves me, she told herself, reaching for the test. I love him. If I'm pregnant we'll get through it. It was his idea to have a baby in the first place—

She jumped when Connor hammered on the door, yelling, 'Mum, it's the hospital!' and paused only long enough to ram the test back into the cupboard while she leaned over to turn the key.

Four anxious teenagers tumbled in: Connor, phone in hand followed by Imogen, whiter than ever. Dynasty and Kacey clinging together, the blue of their eyes darkened almost to black.

Christine pressed the phone to her ear and concentrated on what the hospital was telling her. She had ask them to repeat it twice, turning away from the young people so she could focus on the soft voice at the other end of the line.

Finally, she hit the end call button and turned, trying to find the words as head and heart collided.

'Christine?' Dynasty prompted as the silence lengthened, her hands clasping and unclasping. 'Please?'

She blew out a breath. 'They don't think it's 'flu.' The kids gave muted squeals of delight and she lifted a finger. 'Don't get too excited… I'm sorry, but they think—they think it's meningitis.'

'What?' Dynasty sank onto the edge of the bath. 'That's worse!'

'He's very ill,' Christine told her softly, digging deep for the strength she knew the girl needed. 'We'll just have to… wait and see.'

'Could he—' Connor tried.

Christine looked at him and knew what he wanted to ask. 'He's stable for now. That's all they're prepared to say for the moment.'

Dynasty gave a muffled sob and Imogen went to put an arm around her. 'Come on, let's you downstairs. You're staying here tonight, aren't you? In case there's more news?'

'I'm not,' Kacey said quickly. When Christine turned to her she gave that characteristic half-shrug. 'Can't leave me mum all alone, can I.'

'I'll bring you home,' Connor offered, glancing at his mother. 'That's OK, isn't it?' He'd got his license a short time before.

Christine nodded, remaining behind as the four moved on. Once again her gaze returned to the cabinet.

She should take that test. She really should.

Her mouth twitched as she reached to switch off the light. Kevin didn't have 'flu; meningitis wasn't as much of a threat, she knew that much. It allowed her to defer the moment of confirmation further and she was glad to do it. Being pregnant was too difficult, it posed too many problems and resurrected too many memories.

A voice that sounded like her mother's whispered in her mind: it's the sin you cannae hide. It'll show itself soon enough.

She closed the door with a satisfying bang, shutting out painful past and confusing present alike.

TBC

No prizes for guessing what the big plotline for the next episode is! So, verdict? Does the flashback work? Would you like to see more of it, or keep the story focused in the present?