(Author's Note: Okay, I been trying to avoid writing Joel into it because I miss the old actor but here he is however I'm going to imagine him being played by Andrew Still :))

Chapter Thirty-Six

The last bus pulled into Hollyoaks at midnight, a twenty-one year old man got off with his suitcase. Declan had took the ferry without telling anyone back home, it wasn't exactly his first time doing this either. Though he had to come for he had to talk to Ste, he was unaware that he knew the truth. His phone went off, it was his mother Eileen again though he simply rejected it and turned his phone off.

...

The next day arrived and Joel was getting off his motorbike. He called Ste over when he noticed him walking near the 'Savage's Emporium'. Reluctantly Ste walked over towards him, wondering what he wanted. He was already in a foul mood and didn't exactly want to speak with him.

"I heard you were back with Brendan" Joel announced in his thick Scottish accent.

Nothing can ever be kept secret in Hollyoaks it seemed. Word has spread about Brendan so Joel naturally caught wind of it. That name still made him nervous, he will never forget his last encounter with Brendan. He felt so betrayed by the man he previously looked up to.

"Yeah I am" Ste told him with his arms crossed.

"Does he know I'm back?"

"Oh yeah...you're all we talk about... in fact, we are planning something for you...do you wanna get drowned in the ocean or the river? It's your choice" Ste sarcastically joked.

James was looking over from the side with a small smile. Listening in to the conversation for found it to be quite interesting.

"I'm not in the mood" Joel insisted with a sigh.

"Well neither am I...where were you when Brendan killed your step-dad?" Ste asked with his arms crossed.

This made Joel feel very sick as he remembered watching as he fell from the lighthouse. His face and body being all messed up as he landed right at the bottom.

"That was a long time ago!" Joel shouted in response.

"You didn't even bother to turn up for the trial, you knew it was an accident and you didn't even bother to show up!" Ste hissed.

He cleared his throat when he finally noticed James looking over. Maxine and Grace now stood besides James. They were all being quite nosy about the argument taking place.

"If you remember Ste, I left because Brendan was gonna kill me...why would I show up to a trial for that man? He betrayed my trust"

"Stop being a drama queen...he never would have killed you"

"Okay then, let me ask you a question...when you found out what his dad did to him, why did you leave him?" Joel asked.

His question made Ste look around slightly at the small crowd. This wasn't the time or place. Joel really doesn't care if he throws other people's emotional baggage around.

"I never left him" Ste tried to say.

"So you were there when he shot Seamus?"

Making Ste shake his head for enough is enough. That it not what happened. Joel was somehow making it sound even more twisted then what it was.

"That's private" Ste simply replied.

"Okay, it's private now...sure" Joel spoke, simply walking past him and the small crowd.

Ste turned around to watch him leave. He briefly caught the eye of Maxine, the only other one who truly remembers. She was caught in the crossfire with Walker and Kevin too. Maxine went to say something though what could she say?

"How could you have left him indeed Ste?" James asked; he almost looked smug.

Making Ste clench his fists. The only thing stopping him from hitting him was the fact he wasn't worth it. Maxine bit her top lip, she knew that wasn't how it was.

"You weren't there and I was so just shut up" Maxine piped up.

Ste mouthed her thank you. Before he could change his mind, he walked the opposite way to avoid him. Maxine shaking her head at James before she too made her exit.

...

"I hate them all...thinking they know me and my reasons" Ste complained to a confused Brendan.

He was pacing around the room like it was going out of fashion.

"Who are we talking about?" Brendan asked him.

"James and Joel"

"James and Joel...Scottish Foxy is back then?"

"Yeah, he's back"

"I told him to stay away with...Bartholomew" Brendan spoke, snapping his fingers when he said Bartholomew.

Ste was still pacing around the room however. He had so much on his mind and yet so little did he want to tell Brendan. Too many things were being kept from him, his entire life after Brendan went inside was yet to be revealed.

"Yeah I know...I really could have decked him and James you know" Ste told him.

"Anything else you need to tell me?"

"Not really...it's just that your bitch of a sister wanted me to be godfather" Ste admitted however he instantly regretted it.

He hasn't really slated Cheryl to Brendan before in his life. He had no reason to in all honestly. Though he was so angry at her, so angry to see her all happy and loved up with Nate. He could see that Brendan's face had dropped.

"What did you say?" Brendan asked him in a firm tone.

"Cheryl has a son"

"Yeah Steven...I gathered that at the 'bitch of a sister wanted me to be godfather' part" Brendan snarled.

"She put you in here"

"No...I put myself in here; don't slander my sister again, Steven" Brendan warned.

Cheryl was the last person on Earth he would blame. He loved her as much as any brother could love his sister. It was rather difficult to listen to Steven bad-mouth her, it wasn't like when Walker did it; he could just hit him and feel no guilt. Though hitting Steven was the last thing he wanted to do.

"I will slander your sister as much as I like...she ruined our lives when she pulled that trigger" Ste hissed.

"I ruined our lives...I did"

"Stop defending her! She didn't defend you when you needed her the most!" Ste shouted back.

He was feeling so much pain and he was taking it out on the wrong person. Seamus and Walker however were dead so he couldn't vent out anything on them. His craving for drugs was slowly returning the more he ranted.

"Steven! I love my sister very much and I will not have you of all people, slander her"

"You're dreaming if you think I'm ever gonna get along with her again"

"I'm not asking you to get along with her, I'm just asking you to keep your thoughts to yourself because Hell will freeze over before I choose between you two"

"I love you so much...more then she ever did" Ste insisted.

It was a childish comment but he had so much hatred built up inside him. He really did believe it right now. Seeing Brendan locked up while Cheryl is living her life has brought out unwanted feelings.

"She believed me when nobody else would, me and you never would have gotten that second chance if not for her" Brendan reminded him.

Though he wasn't having any of it today. Not when he had so many thoughts going around his mind.

"Only to take you away from me forever or at least that bitch would have been happy to" Ste mumbled.

He felt Brendan briefly grab onto his arm and give it a tight squeeze. Though he soon let go, disgusted at his own actions.

"I'm sorry" Brendan told him straight away without pausing for breath.

"No...hit me and show me how much you would pick her over me"

"Please"

"I have been struggling so much since that night and she didn't stick around to help me...nobody else does...you know what I said about going back to Amy's yesterday?" Ste asked.

"Yeah" Brendan replied with slight confusion.

"I lied...Amy's never coming back because she's dead" Ste admitted with fresh tears coming down.

"Amy is dead?"

"Yeah" Ste replied however he sounded very hurt.

He ended up getting quite teary eyed. Brendan placed his one remaining free arm out, his other hand still chained up to the bed. Gesturing for Ste to come to him and after a slight pause, Ste relented. Brendan wrapped his free arm around Ste, gently caressing his back.

"It's okay" Brendan softly spoke.

Making Ste pull apart from him before planting a kiss on his lips. Grabbing onto his thin hospital robe. He felt Brendan pull him closer towards him, rubbing his hands against the side of his thighs. Though Ste knew they had to stop...

"We can't...I haven't got anything" Ste told him.

"I don't care" Brendan replied; going in for another kiss.

"Well I do...I don't want you to catch it" Ste told him, referring to his HIV.

"What yours is mine" Brendan spoke softly; wrapping his one am around him.

"No, I love you too much to risk it" Ste admitted, pulling apart again.

...

TBC