Chapter 29.

A few days later Joey and Alice met their Grandma Dot for the first time as she'd returned from staying with her sister Rose. The family had all descended on the Queen Vic for a meal and everything was fine until Max received a call on his mobile. He stepped away from the table after a few seconds and Joey was taken back to the last time he'd done that when there had been a gathering around a dinner table. He watched his uncle carefully, seeing the look of distress that fell over his features. Max looked at him and from the look on his face Joey knew in his heart that whatever the call was about, it wasn't good...

After five minutes Max came back over to the table, his hand resting on Tanya's back as he stood next to her, "We need to go babe... Joey..." he said quietly, glancing at them both, a guarded expression on his face.

"Go where?"

"I'll tell you on the way, babe," Max said to his wife.

"But..." Tanya protested.

"Babe... it's Lauren..." he said softly and several of the other family members heard, looking at them in concern. Joey instantly put down his cutlery and got up from his chair, scraping it across the floor and drawing everyone's attention. "Sorry guys... we need to go..." Max said to everyone who was now looking at them. "Jack, can you keep an eye on the girls and Oscar?" he asked his younger brother, "I don't know how long we'll be..." he added.

"Is everything okay?" Jack asked.

"No." Max said shortly, ushering Tanya and Joey away from the table and then out of the pub without another word.

"Where is Lauren anyway?" Dot asked, having only just realised her granddaughter was absent.

There's an awkward silence before Tiffany piped up, "She's in prison, Grandma Dot."

"Tiff..." Bianca said, "Eat your dinner..."

"Prison?" Dot said, aghast that things had changed so drastically while she was gone. "What for?" Over the next couple of minutes Carol and Jack explained what had happened in the last couple of months. "So why did Joey go with Max and Tanya?" Dot asked.

It's Oscar that answers, "Lolly and Joey are in love with each other, Grandma Dot." He says, smiling at his granny.

"In love with each other?" Dot gasped, "But they're cousins?" She picked up her glass of sherry (for medicinal purposes) relieved she'd had the foresight to get one and took a mouthful of it quickly. "Oh, I say..." she murmured as she put the glass back down. She looked at Carol, "And Max and Tanya are okay about this?" she asked them, a slightly hard edge to her voice.

"Yes, Dot..." Jack said. "Max and Tanya's main concern is that Lauren is happy... and she is, with Joey."

"So happy she got drunk and drove a car through a shop window?" Dot said pointedly.

"Come on, Oscar..." Abi said, "Let's go back to the house..." she said, wiping her brother's face and hands and helping him down from the chair.

"Why is Grandma Dot cross, Abs?" Oscar whispered loudly.

"I don't know Oscar..." she said, glancing at her grandma. She took Oscar's hand and they started to leave the pub, Alice trailing behind them both.

"I'll be across in a little while, Abs," Jack called after them. Abi turned back and nodded her head. Then the three of them were gone.

"How can they let this happen?" Dot said once they had left. "Don't they realise how wrong this is?"

"They're more than aware that not everyone is going to approve, Dot... but there isn't anything legally wrong with it," Carol explained. "I wasn't happy about it either at first... Derek told us all about Joey and his reputation... but he does seem to genuinely have feelings for Lauren..."

"Well it is wrong and I will never see the right in it," Dot declared, "Romans 2, verse 5 says 'but because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.' There will be repercussions to their decision to be together, mark my words… Now I seem to have lost my appetite, so if you'll excuse me…" Dot left the pub shortly after.

"Well, that went well…" Bianca said quietly.

"I'd better get over to Max's…" Jack said, finishing the rest of his beer.

"Do you have any idea what the issue is?" Carol asked him.

"Not a clue…"

"I'll come with you, Jack." Carol said.

A/N: I don't think Dot's impressed, is she? At least Carol seems to have jumped onto the Team Jouren bus... I wonder what Max's phone call was about… I hope it's nothing too serious. Send me a review and let me know what you think. Back later if I get enough reviews...