Update 2/4!

This is the chapter I struggled with the most! i had to set something up that would lead to a dramatic change in S & L's relationship so hopefully that comes across in this! xxx

"And you're sure this is going to work?"

"Darling, as you well know, nothing in this life is definite."

"That's really helpful."

"As Dante Alighieri said, 'the secret of getting things done is to act!'"

I rolled my eyes. "You're remarkably knowledgeable for somebody who once tried to get a piggy back ride from a Newfoundland."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Uh huh." I mumbled, my scepticism apparent.

"Anyway, in you go!" He changed the subject quickly. "Remember, big, bright smile!"

"Oh, because that's what this situation needs. Smiling."

"Smile and the whole world smiles with you."

I pulled the phone away from my ear and glanced down at it. "New York has made you weird."

"I think what you mean to say is, 'Thank you for spending your entire Christmas Eve looking through Scottish legislation so that the man I have a crush on won't hate me for ruining his parent's life.'"

"I am not thirteen years old. I do not have a crush on Soap. I like him as a person."

It was his turn to sound sceptical. "Uh huh."

"I'll, hopefully, give you a ring in the next half an hour or so."

"Can't wait!" He trilled loudly before hanging up.

I paused, thrusting the phone back into my pocket before turning to face the house that lay in front of me.

I hadn't really known what to expect from the MacQueen abode. Extensive googling at 4am had told me that the family had lived in the village for centuries and had always inhabited the same house. I had trawled through picture after picture of MacQueen ancestors before I had stumbled upon a picture of Donal MacQueen, Mrs MacQueen and their son – a boy named Fraser – stood outside the very same house that lay before me.

It had been modernised over the past few years but still had the old world vibe like the rest of the homes in the village. It was located at the most South Westerly point of the village overlooking a lake and was really quite beautiful.

It seemed a terrible shame that the Satan's Spawn, Fraser MacQueen lived in such a gorgeous place.

Uncle Peter and I had spent all night going through the file that Blair had dedicated to the home and whilst he had found that everything in the contract was completely fair, he had encouraged me to go and speak with Donal MacQueen regarding the letters that he had been sending out to advise on the increase in rental amount.

So here I was.

At 7am on Christmas morning, trudging towards the door and praying to whichever God would have me, that I wasn't about to make everything a hundred times worse.

I stopped at the front door and rapped loudly with the cast iron knocker. I could hear the clip clopping of shoes from behind the door and within moments it was pulled open to reveal an old man who most certainly wasn't Donal MacQueen.

I smiled brightly.

"Good morning. I'm wondering if it's possible to speak with Mr MacQueen?"

The old man looked me up and down. Could he hear the way that my heart was thudding wildly against my ribcage?

"Young lady..." He looked at me in bewilderment. "It is 7am on Christmas Day."

I smacked my hand against my head. "How rude of me. I swear that I normally have better manners than this!" I smiled again. "Merry Christmas! May I please speak with Mr MacQueen?"

He looked perplexed. "No, my dear, I'm afraid that you misunderstood. What I meant was-"

"-Who is it Hobbs?"

Another man appeared at the end of the foyer. Donal MacQueen in the flesh.

"I'm not entirely sure Sir. A young lady asking to speak with you."

"Well invite her in then! It's bloody freezing outside!"

"But Sir, we-"

"Bring her into the lounge and get her a cup of tea." He looked at me. "How do you take it?"

I looked from him to the newly identified Hobbs. "A tiny bit of milk and one sugar please."

He side-eyed me as I stepped into the foyer.

"How about a biscuit? We have a lovely shortbread." Donal MacQueen had disappeared into one of the rooms but was still speaking to me. "Hobbs, bring her the shortbread. It's Christmas. We're allowed to eat biscuits for breakfast on the birthday of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."

I looked at Hobbs and shrugged. He rolled his eyes and closed the door behind me. "First door on the left." He grimaced.

"Thanks." I smiled at him.

I could hear him grumbling to himself as he headed in the direction of the kitchen.

I shrugged my coat off and walked into the room that he had pointed out. Inside, Donal MacQueen was hunched over the fire cursing loudly.

"He's a good man but he doesn't know how to light a bloody fire." he said to me as I sat down. "If I didn't know better I'd say he's hoping that I freeze to death."

Within seconds the fire was roaring and Donal MacQueen was straightening up with a satisfied smile. "Now that's more like it!" He smiled at me and moved to the sofa opposite.

It was the first chance that I was able to look at him. He was definitely the same man from the photo and the numerous others that I had found on my google stalking session but he looked much older and world weary. The photo I had seen, taken ten years previously, showed a tall, strong man with a thick head of chestnut brown hair. He had a wry grin and his eyes shone brightly as if he was in on some private joke that nobody else was privy to.

But the man sat in front of me?

He was wiry and lean, and although his was smiling at me, it never quite reached his eyes. I had the distinct feeling that I was the first person to have paid him a visit in a very long time. The house, whilst completely beautiful, wasn't full of life. It sounds strange but the whole place just seemed so... sad.

I was grateful that the room had started to warm up. Unlike the MacTavish household which seemed to radiate warmth from every single nook and cranny, the MacQueen residence was draughty and there was an incredible chill in the air. The room, itself, was gorgeous and resembled the type of sitting room that you would see in some grand stately home on a BBC period drama.

"Now, shall we get introductions out of the way?"

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry!" I shook my head at my own poor manners. "My name is-"

"Tea, Sir"

"Ah, Hobbs! Just in time! Leave them on the table!"

The old man shuffled towards us with a tray. He gave me a look before departing the room in a flurry of mumbling.

"He used to be so cheerful." Donal mused picking up a biscuit and biting into it with a grin. "So, you were just about to tell me who you are!"

"My name is Lola." I smiled at him. "Lola Jacobs."

"Well Lola Jacobs, I'm Donal MacQueen." He paused. "But you know that, of course! You asked for me, and here I am."

I laughed, nervously. "I'm so sorry to interrupt you on Christmas Day."

"Not to worry! I don't have a busy day planned. Church at 9.30 and then Christmas dinner with my son at 1."

I shuffled uncomfortably at the mere mention of Fraser.

He gave me a wry smile and chuckled softly. "Ah, I see you've already met my boy. Tell me, did you think him as delightful as I do?"

He was being sarcastic and I was glad for it. "Fraser is the reason that I came to speak to you."

"You're not pregnant are you?"

"Fortunately not." I laughed. "I had the pleasure of meeting your son last night whilst I was at The Hungry Highlander with Edan and John MacTavish."

His face lit up. "Edan! How is he? Such a good man. And that boy of his. He's turned out well. The whole village loves him." He looked at me. "I'm not surprised that he's settled down with a nice girl."

I held my hands up. "Oh! I'm not his girlfriend."

He gave me a look as if he didn't believe me and I felt my cheeks turning pink.

"So you met my son last night and now you're here talking to me?"

I nodded. "There was a slight altercation."

There was a long pause as he stared at me wordlessly.

"I-"

"-Give me a second, Miss Jacobs." He stood up and strode towards the door, leaving me alone in the room.

There was banging as he made his way upstairs and the echo of voices arguing.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and drafted a text to Uncle Peter.

Smiling seems to be working so far! I've been offered tea and shortbread so it's not all bad.

There was a bang behind me and Donal re-emerged with a very bleary looking Fraser trailing in his wake. He stopped in his tracks when he noticed me.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, rubbing his eyes as if he hoped that I would disappear.

I wanted to jump up and punch him in the throat. He deserved to be beaten senseless for the undue stress that he had caused Edan and Blair.

But I didn't.

In this situation I was going to kill him with kindness. That was Uncle Peter's advice and I had to hand to him, he always seemed to know what he was talking about.

"I wanted to come and apologise to you for last night." I said.

He narrowed his eyes. "You do?"

"Yes."

He shuffled into the room and sat down on the sofa opposite me, next to Donal who glared at him as if he wished that he didn't exist.

"What I did was wrong." I said. "I have a quick temper and you just happened to catch the tail end of it last night."

He still looked wary but I could see him visibly relax. "Well, that's very big of you to say."

"And I was hoping that you would reconsider what you said to Edan last night?"

He went white and, in that moment, I knew that I had him.

"I don't know what you mean." He stammered. "And, actually, you should be leaving. My father and I have to go to church soon."

Donal turned to look at him. "It's 7.15. We don't have to leave for another two hours." He looked back at me, the picture of concern. "What did he say to Edan?"

Fraser jumped up. "No, really, you need to leave. I'm having flashbacks from last night and I'm feeling very stressed."

"Sit down, boy." Donal barked.

Fraser looked at me and then back to his father before sinking back into the sofa. Donal turned to me. "What did he say to Edan?"

I took a deep breath. "Fraser told Edan that he would be upping their rent by £500 per month." I paused and looked back at the boy. "Didn't you?"

Fraser turned to his dad. "She's lying. Why would I do something like that?"

"Oh, I'm lying am I?" I asked. "So I'm also lying when I say that you have increased their rent twelve times in the past five years?"

"Yes." He turned to Donal. "She's mad. Don't listen to her dad. She's full of shit. She's just bitter that I turned her down last night, that's all this is. I can't believe the audacity that you have! Charging in here on Christmas Day! You should be ashamed."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you done?"

He was out of breath. Besides that fifteen second walk across the pub last night, his rant was probably the most exercise that he had ever done. He glared at me. It would be easier to take him seriously if he wasn't wearing Jurassic Park pyjamas that were about sixteen sizes too small for him.

"I had a feeling that you would claim that I was mad." I looked at him, disparagingly. "Which is why I've brought some things with me..." I reached down into my bag. "Letters from each of the increases, change in contracts..."

Donal held his hand out to me wordlessly and I passed the letters over to him.

"You stupid bitch." Fraser growled. "You stupid, fucking bitch."

"That's your opinion." I shrugged.

"You don't know anything about this village. You don't know how things work around here!"

"Okay."

"You fucking-"

" ." Donal bellowed. He was glaring at me.

I turned to look at him. "I'm really sorry, I know that this is-"

"-Not you." He turned to Fraser. "You. Get out. I don't care where you go but I don't want to see you."

"Dad-"

"- I didn't send these letters Fraser!" Donal shouted.

I was surprised at the change in the man in front of me. The lovely, hospitable character was gone and had been replaced by somebody completely different.

Fraser looked at me before turning back to Donal. "Fine. If that's what you want."

Donal didn't acknowledge him and Fraser left the room as quickly as he had arrived. Opposite me, the older man was flicking through the stack of letters that I had brought with me.

"You don't have much faith in your son." I broke the silence.

"Every parent has the inane gift of knowing exactly when their child is lying to them. You'll fid out one day and, honestly, it will break your heart." He murmured before handing the letters back to me. "All of those letters have my signature on them but I've never seen them before." He sighed deeply and leant back against the chair. "You'll have to give me a couple of seconds to process this. My mind isn't what it used to be."

"Whatever you need."

I leant back against the couch and picked up the cup of tea that had been set out for me by Hobbs. It was still warm and perfectly sweet. I reached forward and picked up a biscuit and bit into it slowly. Breakfast was normally jam packed with protein so this made a nice change. We sat like this for a few minutes – me eating biscuits and drinking tea, and him pawing through the bundle of documents that I had brought with me.

"Can you fill in some blanks?" He said, finally.

I nodded and sat up, placing my empty cup back on the table.

"How did you know?"

"How did I know what?" I asked.

"How did you know that he was doing this?"

"My Godfather is a lawyer. I rang him last night after everything happened and asked him to go through all of the different letters and contracts in case there was something in there that meant I could get Edan and Blair out of this." I paused. "But the contracts are pretty iron clad."

"That's good news at least." He gave a small laugh.

"But he did notice that the signature was slightly different on each letter and thought that there was something there."

It was true. Uncle Peter's eye was trained to pick up on the smallest of details and the change in signature was one of the first things that he had noticed.

"And he was right." Donal mused thumbing through the letters.

I paused. "You really had no idea?"

He shook his head. "Not a clue." He placed the letters on the table and put his head in his hands. "This is my fault."

"It's not." I told him, firmly.

"No, it is." He sighed. "After my wife died I just... couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't go down to the village. I couldn't cope with the pity. I became a recluse and, gradually, people stopped coming to see me." He straightened up. "It makes sense that they wouldn't come and talk to me about the fact that my son was increasing their rent so often." He scoffed and looked up at me. "Especially if they thought that I was the one signing off on it."

"How did it come to be? Him controlling the money?"

"I promised his mum that I would look after him." He shrugged. "She wanted him to take over business, convinced me to let him run finances. She had a few months after the diagnosis so we spoke about it at great length. She told me that it was the only thing she wanted and after she went, I just handed it over to him and never really looked back. The money was always her. She was the brains. I figured that she could see something in him that I didn't. I trusted that she knew what was best." He sighed. "Believe it or not, he's quite a smart lad."

I scoffed. "Oh, I do believe it. He's managed to defraud an entire village for the best part of six years."

Donal groaned. "I didn't even think that about it like that." He looked up at me. "Has he done this to everybody?"

"I mean…" I tailed off. "I can't say for sure but from the way people act around him and the things that Edan and John have both said, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a widespread thing."

"Oh God." He wailed. "What a mess."

"You can fix this." I told him. "It'll take work but you can do it."

"How?" He asked. "How can I possibly fix this? My son has been stealing money from them for years! They're never going to trust me again!"

"Be honest with them." I said. "Tell them that you've recently been made aware of the things that Fraser has done and you're working to change them. Work out how much people have paid against the value of their home. For those who have paid over, you sign over the house. For those who haven't, you consult with them and you ask them how much rent they can manage. Fraser's been pocketing the extra income for the past six years so he needs to repay the same amount into each households rent account to even things up."

He nodded. "That seems fair." He looked at me. "And him? What do I do with him?"

"He can't be associated with running of the village but I think you know that already." I told him. "My advice? You give him some money and ask him to move away. Tell him that he needs to find his own way and that it won't be at the expense of the village. If people see that you've tackled the problem, they'll be much more receptive to anything that you do in the future to try and make amends."

He nodded but didn't say anything else. I sensed that he had thousands of questions that he wanted to ask me but he refrained.

"What else?" He asked.

"I want to discuss Blair and Edan's account." I told him. "I've worked out how much they've paid vs how much the house was valued at during its last evaluation."

"And?"

"And they're still under." I told him.

"Let me see." He motioned for me to pass the papers over to him.

I pushed them across the table.

"I'll work out the total and then we'll compare it against the amount that you have. We can go from there."

I nodded. "Seems like a fair deal."

"Could you go and find Hobbs? I'll need another cup of tea, or gin, whichever is closest."

I smiled. "Of course. I need to give my Uncle a ring anyway."

I stood up and walked from the room. Hobbs was lurking outside.

"Master MacQueen has left." He told me. "He seemed very upset."

I shrugged. "Mr MacQueen has asked if you can bring him some more tea."

"Of course. I live to serve." He drawled sarcastically before moving towards the kitchen.

I waited until he was gone before I pulled my phone from my pocket.

14 New Messages.

One from Price.

Thnx 4 whiskey and cigs. Ur pres is a yr without ne foreign jobs! P

I laughed as I typed out my reply.

We need to discuss your awful text language! The best present in the world would be for you to never misspell the word 'any' as 'ne' ever again. Have a great Christmas boss! xx

There were a couple from various lads in the squad. Wallcroft had sent me a picture of himself in the Batman pyjamas that I'd given him. One from Uncle Peter replying to the text I had sent him earlier. One each from Steve and Charlotte and 6 from Soap.

Can you let me know that you're okay? I'm sorry about last night. Can we talk when you get back? x

Lola. Let me know that you're safe. Thanks

Where are you?

?

THIS ISN'T FUNNY. MY MAM AND DAD ARE WORRIED ABOUT YOU.

I'm going to ring Price.

I rolled my eyes. Soap would never ring Price.

I closed the messages and went to my phonebook. I found Uncle Peters number and pressed the call button. He answered in one ring.

"All good my little Christmas Fairy?"

"I think so." I told him with a laugh. "You were right about the letters. Forged signatures. He threw Fraser out."

"Well that's good news. And you've told him to consult with each household?"

"I certainly have."

"So all's well that ends well then!"

"Kindddd of." I drawled.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're going to ask me to do something odd?"

"Because you know me." I grinned.

He sighed deeply. "Right then… what's the plan?"

"You didn't need to give me a lift back. It was a lovely walk. It's nice to see actual real snow!"

Donal looked at me with a tired smile. "I'd like to talk to Edan and Blair myself. It seems right. I'd like to explain a few things to them."

I nodded. "I think they'll appreciate that."

He looked worried. "Are you sure? They've got every right to kick me out on my ear."

"They won't." I smiled at him. "Besides, you're going to be the bearer of good news."

He looked down at the envelope in his hands.

"You should tell them what you've done." He said.

"Maybe one day." I looked out of the window. "But it's not important."

Sensing my tone, he nodded and leant back into the seat. "You know you never really told me how you and John know each other." He paused. "You're not his girlfriend but you've just given his parents-"

"-We work together." I cut him off before he could finish the sentence.

He gave me a puzzled look. "Ah, I'd heard that he was working for the Special Forces now." He reached forward and touched Hobbs on the shoulder. "You get all the gossip when you nip to the shops, don't you? Mary in the post office told you that John had passed into the SAS."

I smiled and turned away to look out of the window again. It seemed that the SAS's needed for discretion had been forgotten by Edan. I could imagine him now, stood in the Hungry Highlander telling everybody about his boy.

I sensed Donal's eyes on the back of my head. "Mary is a very reliable source." He told me as I span around to look at him.

I smirked. "I'll bet."

The car turned towards the MacTavish's drive.

"So that would mean that you..." He trailed off.

I remained silent as the car came to a stop outside the house. I reached for the handle before turning to him. "I think that we both know that appearances can be very deceptive Mr MacQueen."

He nodded. "Quite."

I climbed from the car, turning around just in time to see Soap appear at the front door.

"WHERE-"

"-Ah, John!" Donal stepped towards him with an extended hand. "It's been a while!" The bright and sunny Donal had returned. I was glad for the change.

Soap's anger turned to confusion in a matter of seconds. "Hello Mr MacQueen." He shook the older man's hand. "This is a surprise."

"You're a fine one to talk! Look at the size of you! What are they feeding you down there?! Children? Horses? Baby elephants?!"

"Donal?" Edan appeared at the door. His expression matched Soap's.

"Just the man I was looking for!" Donal stepped forward and took Edan's hand in his. "Is your lovely wife home?"

"Yes but-"

"-Well in we go then! I have to be at the Church in ten minutes so we've no time to waste!"

I watched as he led Edan into the house and heard the terrified shriek from Blair that was closely followed by laughter.

Soap was still stood at the door, staring at me with a mixture of anger, bemusement and complete confusion.

"Merry Christmas." I said, stepping towards the door.

He blinked at me before suddenly remembering himself. "That's all you have to say? You've been MIA for the past two hours and now you turn up with Donal MacQueen?"

I stared up at him. "And a Happy New Year?" I offered.

He groaned. "Not really what I had in mind Lo."

I shrugged and stepped past him into the house. It was just as I'd left it - warm and inviting. I shrugged off my coat and boots and made my way into the kitchen with Soap at my heel.

"Why is Donal MacQueen here?" He hissed in my ear. "I told you to leave it alone!"

"And you, knowing me as you do, should have known that there is no way that I was ever going to do that."

"Lo-"

"-Ah! There they are! Such a good looking couple!" Donal nudged Blair with his elbow. "Think of the grandchildren!"

I rolled my eyes at him and he gave me a wink.

Blair was pink in the face. She looked as confused as Edan and Soap, but she was smiling. It was the kind of smile that was infectious. I found myself grinning back at her and instantaneously, I knew that I had done the right thing.

"Can I get you a drink Mr MacQueen?" Soap asked, stepping out from behind me and walking towards the kettle.

"Ah, maybe another time John. I really do have to get going in a few minutes! I just wanted to stop by and drop something off for your parents."

Soap stopped moving and turned to glare at me. I narrowed my eyes at him. Edan and Blair looked at one another and then down at the envelope in Donal's hand. I wanted to tell them not to look so scared. The contents of that envelope were nothing to be afraid of.

He handed it over to Edan.

"If this is about last night… I stand by what Lola did." Edan said. "I know he's your boy, but Fraser shouldn't have touched her. He's lucky that John didn't give him a kicking."

Donal gave him a knowing smile. "Having spent time with Lola this morning, I believe that she acted with all good intentions." He paused. "And that she would be perfectly capable of delivering a good kicking by herself."

Soap frowned and looked at me. I shrugged.

"Now please…" He gestured at the envelope.

Edan opened the letter and began to read the words on the page.

And I waited for the moment that I knew was coming.

When he reached it, I watched as his face dropped.

"Oh my god."

"What is it dad?" I could hear the anxiousness in his voice. I smiled to myself. Soap grabbed for the letter but Edan was already handing it over to Blair.

"Read it love." He said.

She took the letter cautiously, and began to read through it.

"Dad!" He snapped. "Can somebody please tell me what's going on?"

Edan ignored Soap and turned to wrap his arms around Donal. "Thank you. You've no idea-"

"-I'm sorry for everything." Donal replied. "I had no idea what was going on." He paused. "I really, truly didn't."

Blair clapped her hand over her mouth before jumping up to join in the hug. Soap, seizing his moment, reached forward and grabbed the letter from the table. He read through it faster than his parents had and within seconds he was looking up at me. It was a look unlike any that he had ever given me and I knew, instantly, that he had figured it out.

"Now!" Donal untangled himself from the arms around him. "Have a wonderful Christmas in your home. You all deserve it."

"Will you stay for dinner?" Blair asked, wiping her damp cheeks. "It's the least we can do."

Donal held up a hand. "Perhaps another time? I need to have a difficult conversation with my son."

"Our door is open to you any time you want." Edan said. "It always has been."

Donal held his hand across his chest. "Thank you, my friends."

He walked away from Edan and Blair, who wrapped each other up in the tightest of hugs. From the noises, I could tell that they were both crying.

"I'll walk you out." I said to him. "Make sure that Hobbs hasn't driven off and left you here to fend for yourself."

"Ah, he likes me really. He can pretend, but I can see through that heart of steel."

I smiled and held onto his arm as I we walked through the hallway together.

"That must have felt good." He told me. "Seeing them so happy."

I nodded. "There are far worse things in the world, that's for sure."

Soap appeared behind me.

"Mr MacQueen…" He stuck his hand out. "Thank you for this. It will change their lives. I hope you understand that."

Donal looked at me and then back to Soap. "Whatever you do in your life, you make sure that you take care of this one." He nodded his head in my direction. "It's not often that you'll find somebody who will do so much and expect so little in return."

"I know." Soap was looking at me with that burning gaze again. "She's…"

There was a pause and nobody knew what to say next. I looked from Soap to Donal and back again while Soap's unspoken words hung in the air like fog.

"Lola." Donal turned to me. "It has been an absolute pleasure. Don't be a stranger. My home is always open to you for tea and shortbread."

He swooped down and wrapped his arms around me, catching me completely off guard. I hugged him back until he broke away.

"I'm not sure what Hobbs will think if that." I grinned. "But thank you."

He smiled at me before turning to Soap. "Now, young John, walk with me will you?"

Soap looked at me and I gave a small shrug and he began to follow Donal.

"There's a good lad. Close the door behind you to stop the chill from getting in."

He gave me one final look before he stepped out into the snow, pulling the door behind him.

I moved quickly, pressing myself up against the frame, my ear flat against the solid oak.

Nothing.

Donal had blindsided me.

There was only one reason that he had taken Soap out there and that was to tell him what I had done. I had asked him not to tell Edan and Blair but hadn't said anything about Soap. I cursed my own stupidity. He was already mad at me so I had the feeling that he was going to go berserk when he found out about the money.

I pushed myself away from the door and headed towards the kitchen. Edan was sat at the kitchen table, crying silently into his hands. The letter and the contract to the house lay flat on the table.

"I'm just going to go for a shower and then I'll be down to help with dinner."

"Oh, Lola!" Edan jumped up from his seat and rushed towards me. "Thank you. Thank you, thank you, you." He peppered my cheeks with kisses and I couldn't help but laugh at his fevered intensity.

"I didn't do anything." I shrugged. "Fraser hung himself with his own rope. I just made sure Donal was watching."

"Well whatever you did, I'm grateful."

"No problem, Mr Mac." I grinned. "Now, I really do need that shower. I've had a good run this morning."

He released me. "Of course, of course! You go. I'll open up the good scotch! We're celebrating today."

It was 9.15am.

I had a feeling that my liver wasn't going to be too happy tomorrow.

"Sounds great." I laughed, heading up the stairs and to the bathroom.

The rush of water from the shower drowned out the sound of Edan singing Our House by Madness.

"Great timing." I mumbled to myself.

I pulled off all of the layers cocooning my body and stood, for what seemed like an eternity, waiting for the water to warm up.

"Come onnnn…" I grumbled, dancing about on the spot with only my bra and knickers protecting me from the cold.

Beneath me, I heard the front door slam shut. Soap was obviously done chatting to Donal. I paused. Would he be mad at me? The thought had crossed my mind when I had instructed my Uncle Peter to transfer the money across from my account to that of the MacQueen Estate. I didn't want Edan and Blair to think that I viewed them as a charity case which is why I had come to the conclusion that they weren't to know exactly what I had done to get them the deeds. Besides, it was the money that I had earned during the 11 weeks in Azerbaijan. The foreign jobs were notoriously well paid and I had pocketed just short of £25,000. It was only going to sit in my bank account like the rest of it. Why not put it to good use? Why not change somebody else's life? I didn't need the money, I was fine.

I heard footsteps on the stairs. Probably Edan running to find the bottle of Scotch that he had hidden away somewhere. Placing my hand under the water, I found that it was nearly at the right temperature.

Without warning the door swung open and Soap entered the room. He slammed the door behind him.

"Christ!" I attempted to cover myself up with my hands. "Ever heard of knocking?"

His eyes were burning. "Why?"

I sighed. "Why what?"

"Why did you do that? Why did you give them the money? Why?"

"It's not a big-"

"- I swear to God Lola, if you say it isn't a big deal then I'm going to scream."

"But it isn't!" I shouted, suddenly grateful that the rushing water would be masking our shouting. "It isn't a big deal!"

"YES IT IS!" he erupted. "It is a big deal! It's a big fucking deal! It's huge! Meteoric! Colossal! £25,000!."

"You're very dramatic when you want to be." I sighed turning to face him, folding my arms across my chest. "Your talents are wasted in the SAS. You'd have won at least three Oscars by now."

"Why did you do it?" He ignored my jibe.

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously Soap, you can't storm in here and act like this." I exhaled, blowing a piece of hair away from my face. "It's rude and also kind of weird. I'm in my bra and knickers. I COULD have been in the shower. What would you have done then? Had this argument with me whilst I was naked and trying to get shampoo out of my eyes?"

He glared at me and I was suddenly overwhelmed with the intensity in his eyes.

"I think you've got a weird thing about bathrooms." I joked. "Pulling me in here yesterday, storming in on me today. We need to get you some help. Do you think there's such a thing as a bathroom fetish?"

"JUST TELL ME WHY!"

"BECAUSE I FUCKING WANTED TO!" I screamed. "Because your parents are good, honest people who don't deserve to be dicked over by a knobhead like Fraser MacQueen."

"And?" He asked.

"And what?!" I shrieked. "And they're amazing! They let me into their home without as much as a question! They treat me like they've known me for years! Because your mum…" I trailed off as a rush of angry tears spilled down my cheeks. "Because your mum hugged me."

His expression changed instantly. "What?"

"She hugged me, Soap! A proper hug! The kind of hug that only a mother can give. It reminded me of the type of hugs that my mum used to give me and I haven't been hugged like that in so long." I sat down on the edge of the bath. "And I don't care if you think that it's ridiculous that I paid that money. Honestly, I don't." I looked up at him. "Even if it means that you never speak to me again, I wouldn't care because it was the right thing to do."

"Stop." He growled, finally moving towards me. "Stop saying ridiculous things like that!"

"Why?" I jumped up and glared at him, "Why the fuck should I?"

"Because…"

He closed the gap between us and placed his hands on either side of my face and suddenly, without warning, the room fell away. And then, his lips are on mine and I was completely lost in him. My heart keeps missing beats and my hands cannot bring him close enough to me.

And I loved it.

I loved the way he kissed me.

As if he had to.

As if he would go crazy if he didn't.

As if he had nearly waited too long to do so.

He broke away from me. "You are maddening." He growled at me hoarsely, swooping down and kissing me again. "You are an infuriatingly self-righteous, wonderfully naïve human being and whatever happens between you and I, please know that as long as I am breathing, I will follow you anywhere and protect you from everything."

"I don't need-"

He cut me off by kissing me and it happened all over again, the room closed in on me and the only thing that I knew was the way that his lips felt against mine.

He kissed me as though he never wanted to stop and I could only hold on for dear life.

I'm not sure how long we stayed locked in our embrace – it could have been minutes, seconds, hours… but eventually, we broke apart.

"I need to leave." He said. "Before I do something that gets us both in trouble."

He brushed a fingertip across the hollow of my collarbone and I shivered but found myself nodding, nonetheless.

He did need to leave. I had to remember who this was and exactly why sleeping would him in his parent's bathroom would be such a bad idea.

But, oh GOD, did he have to be so handsome? I had noticed it before but he looked delicious. His trademark Mohawk was laying soft and wavy, mussed up by sleep, his eyes were hooded and dark. He was wearing a pair of grey sweatpants – aka the kryptonite of all females – slung low on his hips and a tight white t-shirt.

If fuckable was a verb, Soap would be the description.

I had, honestly, never been so attracted to somebody in my whole entire life.

And I had once seen David Beckham in a footlocker in the middle of London so… that's a big claim.

"In trouble with Price, or your mum?" I asked, attempting to steady my breathing and return my heartbeat back to an acceptable level.

He smirked and stepped away from me. "No contest. Mrs Mac makes Price look like a stroppy toddler."

"I'm sure he'd love to hear that." I looked up at him from beneath my eyelashes. "You can tell him when you ring him to inform him that I've shown up." I paused. "Assuming that the last text you sent me wasn't all words and no action."

He smirked and reached for the door.

"Bye Soap." I called.

He span around and fixed me with a gaze. "Merry Christmas, Lola." He disappeared for a few seconds before his face reappeared. "And thank you." He paused. "From the bottom of my heart."

"For what?"

The awesome kiss? It had to be the kiss, didn't it?

"For changing their lives."

I shrugged. "Somebody changed my life once. It's only right that I pass it along."

He gave me a look and then shut the door behind him.

I span around and looked in the mirror. My lips were bright red and tender from the rough way that he had kissed me. My hair was wild and unruly, and my limbs were slick with sweat from the heat of the bathroom.

Holy (sorry Jesus) Fuck, I felt good.

But Holy (double sorry Jesus) Fuck was I completely screwed.