Author's Note: This is going to be another two chapters of flashbacks. This is to explain the Maya, Leanna and Liam timeline from 2016. I thought it be easier so you know the link with Damian and with Alex for upcoming chapters. Does include mentions of child abuse.

Chapter Seventy-Six

3rd February 2016

The Cavanagh household was awake on this cold morning. Thirteen year old Leanna sat in the living room with a bowl of cereal. Her father Liam in the kitchen with his wife Maya (as they were back then). Maya was getting ready to go into work, she was known as 'Mrs Cavanagh' back then. She was taking Leanna into school as she always did however the girl was being rather difficult. Leanna took to calling her 'Lady Tremaine' and would purposefully call her 'Mrs Tremaine' in school hours to the amusement of her friends. Liam tried to tell her off multiple times to no avail. They lived in Harrogate during this time and would carry on doing so until 2018.

"Maya is going to give you a lift today" Liam told his daughter. Getting no reply back, the girl just turned up the television louder.

Making the doctor give a sigh, she hasn't been very receptive towards Maya since the two married. She found it very difficult to adjust and her grieving process was cut short by Liam's very quick remarriage after her mother Lara's death. Then Alex came along in early 2014 and he was taken away too, he had been looked after since 2014 in care. Leanna found it all happened too quickly. The child blamed Maya since she was there and her mother wasn't, she felt like she was trying to take her place.

"I will just drive you to the school gates" Maya suggested; only to be ignored too.

"Leanna!" Liam called as he stormed over and turned the television off.

Though this just got an scowl from Leanna. She didn't want to talk to him or her and she made this clear by just storming past him. Taking her schoolbag and making her way out the house, she would rather make her own way there then get a lift from her step-mother (who was also her history teacher). Liam just let her go with another sigh, she hasn't been the same with him since Lara died. Why couldn't you make mum better like your patients? That's what she asked on the day her mother died back in 2012.

"I'm sorry" Liam spoke to Maya.

"It's fine...I've been a teenage girl before, I know how it is" Maya replied.

"Will you make sure she's okay in school today? You might not get an answer but just keep an eye on her for me"

"I always do" Maya assured him; giving him a small kiss on his lips.

Walking towards the kitchen again as she picked up her briefcase and folders. She still kept up a very good image by this point. She managed to control herself these last few decades in the hope that Ethan will change his mind and take her back. Up to this point, she only looked and thought of these disgusting things but she never acted on them. Liam picking up his briefcase too, watching Maya get ready to go before saying...

"Stop!"

"What?" Maya asked in confusion.

"Make sure you got the right briefcase this time"

"Oh...Yeah" Maya replied with a small laugh.

They did do that not long ago, she was very confused when she got to school with doctor's letters and patients information. She opened it up to check and it was right this time, Liam giving a small thumbs up. Saying..."Go on then" to her, she gave him a small smile before doing just that.

...

School had started off normal that day for everyone. Maya was teaching her Year 10 students. Damian Clark had came in rather late to class like he always did, he got oohed from his classmates as he walked in wearing his usual leather jacket. He just gave a quick "Sorry, I'm late" to Mrs Cavanagh, as she was known to her students before sitting down at the back and ignoring the rest of the teenagers. Getting out his chewed pen and slamming it down on his desk, getting giggles from some of the girls near him.

"What's so funny?" Damian sneered to them; making them quickly look away. The fourteen year old boy was clearly not having a good morning.

Maya giving a slight look from her desk as she got up. Walking over towards him with his history book and putting it on his desk. Damian was always late she noticed, he was always rather scruffy too. Maybe she did just feel sorry for him at first but her intentions had turned sinister rather quickly. She had managed to control her sick urges around him for weeks, she always kept him back after class with the pretence of asking him if things are okay at home. Though in reality, she was just laying out the groundwork and just wanted an excuse to talk to him.

"I would like to talk to you after class again" Maya told him firmly; she always kept a professional tone when he wasn't alone.

"Okay" Damian replied with a sigh.

Something was going on at home but he never told her what it was. Maya returning to the front of the class again, as she began talking to the rest of the class again. They were learning about Nazi Germany in World War 2 for the upcoming mock exams. That's what they were writing about in the class. Damian was only half-listening to Mrs Cavanagh, he was too much focused about thinking about his life at home. That's what he did for the rest of the class. As the minutes passed and the bell finally rang for break time, making the class scuffle as they all clambered to get out the door first. Damian just sat the back expecting his usual pep talk from his history teacher. Maya waited for them all to leave before shutting the classroom door.

"I bet you're glad that's over" Maya started; her tone was different then usual he noticed. She wasn't talking how she would usually talk to him.

It was like her mask was slipping already, she couldn't keep up her professional image around him for much longer. She would always be proper around all her students, including him (despite her intentions being sinister).

"No, Mrs Cavanagh" Damian nervously replied; thinking this was some test.

"It's okay, I'm glad it's over too...Is everything okay at home? You didn't seem yourself today" Maya began.

Sitting down on his desk. Though he didn't understand, he always acted like this. He was late almost every day. Nothing has changed in his mind as the boy just gave a small shrug, he didn't know. Maya picked up his history book to see he had wrote the bare minimum, his writing was very scruffy too. He wrote things like 'Germany lost the war' and 'Money became useless'. No detail at all, he was hardly going to get a decent grade like that.

"I really tried but I was tired" Damian insisted; shaking for he thought he was getting into trouble.

"Has something happened at home? You can tell me, you know. You won't get in trouble" Maya tried to tell him.

She just wanted him to talk to her about personal things. Make him rely on her or at least feel the need to. Though he didn't want to tell anyone about what was going on at home, there wasn't much to tell in his eyes. They were having money problems and his mother was having problems with her boyfriend. He just got caught in the middle, it happened a lot. He didn't feel the need to get upset over it.

"Nothing important" Damian assured her.

"I was your age once...I know it feels like nothing you feel is important but it is. I just hate seeing a student with potential throw it away"

"You think I have potential?"

"Yes, don't tell anyone I said this but you are so much more sensible and polite then your classmates"

She always gave him small compliments, trying to get him to trust and like her more. After a few weeks of this, the lad seemed to finally notice. He was trusting her more and seemed to think she really did care about understanding him. Though this was just a ploy to get him where she wanted him.

"It's just that my mum is always arguing with her new boyfriend, I can hardly sleep because they always do it at night when he comes back from work" Damian confessed.

"Yeah, you do seem tired all the time...I'll tell you what, why don't you come to me during lunch time and I will do the lesson with you then. Because you're not getting anything from my class the way things are"

And that was it, she was giving him private lessons to get him on his own. She finally felt like she had an 'excuse' to do this without looking suspicious. The lad just giving a nod, thinking this was a normal thing for a teacher to offer. She was just helping he thought, he was always late after all and he never got the full lesson due to this.

"Thanks" Damian told her; she briefly brushed her own hand against his. Picking up his book quickly afterwards to make it look like it was a mistake.

...

1st March 2016

"Hiya swot" Leanna spoke up as she bumped into her friend Damian.

She knew her step-mother have been giving him extra tuition. The lad enjoyed it because he felt like an equal. Maya had made him feel like he was equal to her and would tell him about things at her home. Just small things about how her husband didn't listen to her like he does and he didn't think much was wrong with her telling him these things. Damian wasn't aware of what she was doing.

"At least I got my smarts unlike you" Damian teased back. Because he was still a child at the end of the day.

"Why do you like my evil step-mum anyway?" Leanna asked him.

"Maybe because she's the most relaxed teacher in the school"

Though this just made Leanna roll her eyes as she playfully nudged him. This short but friendly chat caught the attention of the woman herself. She felt jealously for he didn't act half as relaxed with her as he did with Leanna. It was obvious to everyone else why, Leanna was only a year younger. While Maya was older enough to be Damian's mother, of cause he acted more casually round other teenagers. Though she was sick in the head and didn't understand this concept.

"You two should be getting to class" Maya called over; making her step-daughter just cross her arms.

"See ya later" Leanna spoke to Damian; giving Maya a harsh glare on her way past.

When she was gone, Maya made her way over towards Damian. He just gave her a nervous smile. Though she didn't have her usual warm presence today, in other words; she was annoyed and he caught onto this. She made Jacob feel this way years later too however this was her first time doing this and it was obvious she was finding it difficult to control her emotions and urges these days.

"Just go to class" Maya finally spoke; he gave her a confused sad look. He seemed to know she was upset but he didn't understand why.

He was only fourteen, he didn't know she was a predator and was struggling to control her demons. Why would he? So the boy just made his way to class, wondering how he upset her or if it was even him who did so.

...

A few hours later and it was lunch time, so Damian made his way to the history classroom. He walked in to find a tearful Maya in the corner. She was crying because she understood exactly what she was doing and she knew it was wrong. Yet she couldn't stop herself, she managed it all these years and only now has she let her sick urges take over. Maya could sort of see herself at that age and how it messed her up beyond belief. Though she wasn't a good person and this wouldn't be enough to stop her.

"Mrs Cavanagh?" Damian nervously called over; making the woman quickly wipe away her tears.

"Damian...Just sit down and I will be over there in a moment" Maya replied.

"Have I done something wrong?"

"No, don't be silly"

The boy just sat down at his desk as asked now. Waiting for her to get her act together if nothing else. Maya gave a brief glance over at him, managing to make herself look slightly more professional. As she walked over and pulled up a chair besides him, giving him his history book. She was acting rather cold with him today, it was like something a teenage girl would do if she found her boyfriend talking to another girl in her class. Maya was acting immature in other words.

"Mrs Cavanagh?" Damian called again; he wasn't getting hardly any response.

"Sorry Damian, I saw you talking to Leanna before and it made me rather worried. I don't want you talking to her, she's not a very nice girl. I live with her so I ought to know these things"

"She seems nice to me"

"That's only because that's what she wants you to think...She...She always mocks you behind your back at home and I try to stick up for you but she's rather relentless" Maya lied.

This was the story she would peddle to him and he believed her. Why would a teacher lie? That's what he was thinking. Though this seemed to have upset him slightly, Leanna talking behind his back and whatnot. She didn't seem the type of girl, if she had something to say then she would say it to your face.

"What did she say?" Damian asked in a sad tone of voice.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to repeat it...Just how you look rather scruffy but I told her, it's not your fault"

"I can't believe it, I thought she was my friend"

"No, she's nobody's friend really. You should see how she is with me at home, treats me awfully and I can't say anything because she lost her mum and Liam will just put it down to grief"

This is why Damian would stop being her friend. Because Maya would keep making up stories about her and lie about what she said. This would go on for weeks too, it was a very slow progress but Maya was willing to do it for weeks. The grooming had already begun sadly and now she started, she can't stop.

...

18th March 2016

"What do you think? You be Cleopatra and I will be Mark Antony. I think that would work quite well" Liam remarked, putting his hands up in jest.

He was talking about his upcoming fancy dress charity ball they were doing at work. Though Maya wasn't listening, she was actually marking Damian's history book. She had marked him down on purpose so he would have to carry on having private classes with her. Liam putting his arms back down.

"Or I could always go on my own" Liam further spoke; this Maya did hear.

"Good idea" Maya muttered; biting the top of her pen lid.

She was no longer interested in her husband. The man seemed somewhat aware of this as he walked over closer. Peering over her shoulder to see her marking said book, this small act of interest from him annoyed her as she snapped...

"Let me do my makings in peace!"

"Fine...I'm sorry for trying to invite my wife to a party. How dare I do that! If your work is more important then trying to work things out with me then I understand" Liam managed to reply in his disbelief.

"Finally, he gets it!"

This snide reply just made him give a loud scoff. As he just walked away, he wasn't even going to go there. Liam just sat himself down on his stairs, the only thing keeping him with Maya was Alex at this point. The two of them had a son together and he didn't want to deprive another one of his children from their mother. Lara sadly died and that was a tragedy but he could still make things work with Maya, that's what he thought at this point. The man just got out a photograph of Alex and kept looking at it. Leanna sitting down besides him.

"Why do you always have to argue?" Leanna asked her father.

"We weren't"

"Yes you were, I just heard you...I'm not a baby anymore, so stop treating me like one. You and Maya argue almost every night and I can't take it anymore"

"I'm sorry"

"Not good enough is it? My mum's already dead, what more could be done to me?" Leanna asked rhetorically.

This made Liam go to say something but he didn't know what. Leanna just let tears fall down her cheeks before rushing back upstairs. Liam heard her bedroom opening and shutting again, the girl was sobbing into her pillow. Thinking about her mother and hating being in the house; all she heard was arguments between her father and step-mother. She couldn't cope with the negative energy.

...

11th April 2016

Maya found herself distracted these days, she kept looking at Damian from her desk during the normal lessons. Looking in a way she shouldn't be, she was no longer interested Liam at all and focused too much on this boy. She kept putting little compliments in his history book and had began getting him small gifts. He's recently got the 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' DVD from her and she gave him other things like chocolates and cola cans. Little things so people barely notice. Which did make him like her, the boy was gaining a schoolboy crush on her. Which would be nothing in itself but the fact she reciprocated is what is made it very wrong. The lad no longer felt it was a burden to have these extra classes with her. So on one of these private lessons, the lad was with her usual. The rest of the school on their lunch break, the woman no longer felt like a teacher to him; she felt like a friend. Especially when she came over with a small burger and chips.

"Don't tell anyone I gave you these" Maya nervously spoke; the privileges she gave him were getting more obvious.

"I won't" Damian replied; picking up the burger with a big smile.

He didn't get much food at home and Maya guessed this. The way he always ate as if he was starving. So she would give him food and drinks as well, the odd Subway or the odd Burger King. It really cheered him up for he didn't get this sort of food at home. He would just get 'Asda price' item, which was fine once in a while but he got the very cheap food everyday. So when he got anything else, he deemed it a treat. Maya was sitting on the seat besides him by this point.

"Poor you...Did your mum not give you anything last night?" Maya asked him.

"No, I just had a slice of bread last night. Mum was out again, so I just took some bread"

A normal teacher would likely send somebody round at this point, tell the headteacher for example and get child services round to check no neglect was going on. Though Maya didn't have a normal reaction and she was glad to hear about his troubles because it meant he would rely on her more.

"I wish I could do more to help, well I do have an idea but you might think it's stupid" Maya then began.

She had a very bad idea, one which would put him further in danger with him.

"What idea?" Damian asked.

"Well I don't do much on the weekends and I could take you to the local cafe for some food. You know what I mean?"

"Really? Are you allowed to meet me after school hours?"

Of cause the lad wouldn't mind doing this. His childish mind only thought about the food and getting to spend more time with his 'crush'. Maya however had bad intentions and she knew it, hence why she quickly backtracked herself.

"No, that's a good point...Forget I mentioned it, I just don't like the sound of you going without food" Maya quickly recanted, for even she could see where that could lead.

"Aww, please! I would love to meet you for food"

"I would but it's not allowed, I'm sorry Damian"

"It's okay" Damian replied with a sigh.

Eating the rest of his burger and chips. A dark cloud seemed to be hovering over this small scene. After the boy finished his lunch, he went back to his work. Writing down more facts and whatnot. For a spit second, Maya could see him for the child he was and this freaked her out a bit.

"Go on your break, Damian. We can finish for today" Maya finally spoke.

"What?"

"Go on your break"

"Do I have to? I kinda like it here with you, it's peaceful. Mrs Cavanagh, can I tell you something?"

"What?"

"I like you, I know it's stupid but I like you. You're not like the other teachers or even the girls in my class. You're different" Damian admitted.

Once again, the normal reaction would be to dismiss him and go straight to the headteacher. Her reaction however was that she felt flattered. Sadly, the poor boy had all these feelings and he didn't know what to do with them. He was a child growing up and sadly Maya took advantage of this. She was silent for a few moments, trying to figure out what to say to him. She knew this wasn't right.

"Don't be silly, Damian" Maya spoke in a shaky tone of voice.

"I'm not being silly, I really do it mean...Maya. Is it okay for me to call you Maya? I can see your name on your name tag"

"I'm far too old and ugly for you to think that"

"You're none of those things, Maya. I know it's silly but I like to think of you as a friend, I hear you talking about your husband sometimes and it makes me angry cause I would never treat you like that"

Her grooming sadly worked and now the boy convinced himself he liked her. Well, he liked the false persona she had around him. Maya just looked back at him, she was terrified of getting caught. This was the closest she has ever been of giving into her sick urges. Liam was a rebound in one way and a cover-up in another way, Ethan was the one she still wanted (even at the age of thirty-seven, as she was back then) but she still thought about younger lads. Maybe it was some sort of delayed reaction in her brain because she never experienced a normal relationship at that age but regardless, it was sick and twisted.

"I like you too but it can never happen" Maya answered in a very quiet tone.

"Why not?"

"I'm married"

"I don't care and anyways, you deserve better. I think about you all the time, Maya"

"I feel like this is some sort of joke, Damian. Like you're getting ready to tell all your friends about what a stupid woman I am for thinking a nice lad like yourself could want me as a friend"

"I'm not...I would never do that. Besides, I don't have many friends"

Looking around slightly, Maya placed her hand over his. The dark cloud has thus fully resided and it would never leave again. The poor lad didn't know what he was letting himself in for, he was a victim of a very manipulating disturbed woman.

...

17th April 2016

It's been a few days since Maya had finally caved in and became what she tried to avoid being, an abuser. The woman has clearly changed from a week ago. She was acting rather strangely and no longer snapped at Liam. She was still distant with him but she no longer shouted at him. Henrietta was invited round on this particular evening for dinner and she noticed her daughter has changed again. Maya was a sad soul up until yesterday, now she seemed different. A mother always knows when their child has done something it seemed, so the woman was a bit concerned as she greeted her daughter.

"Maya...How are things?" Henrietta asked her with concern.

"Fine" Maya insisted; giving a small nervous laugh; she never usually laughed in front of her mother.

"You and Liam still happy?"

"Mostly, like all married couples...Why do you ask? Are you erm...Training for marriage counselling?" Maya joked.

That was even more odd because she never joked about that kind of thing before. It was perhaps difficult to describe but say if you picture a rather nasty soul carrying around a heavy burden and it then passes that burden to a weaker soul, the nasty soul may suddenly feel like a weight has been lifted and wouldn't care much for the weaker soul. As long as the burden wasn't exposed to the rest of the souls. That's kind of what happened here, it's been over twenty years since Henrietta last saw her daughter be this carefree.

"Are you okay? Need your head testing?" Henrietta joked back; testing the waters.

"And this is why I don't usually be nice to you, mother. You always have to ruin it, don't you?"

"I was just wondering if you were okay"

"Well I'm fine"

"Good"

This slightly strange chat was interrupted by Liam. He greeted his mother-in-law with a quick kiss on her cheek. Saying how lovely it was to see her again, Henrietta adored him really. She was grateful her daughter found such a nice man. Their wedding day filled her heart with joy for she felt Maya was finally normal. By this point, that perception has not changed. If she knew about the secret grandson, Alex; maybe she would change her mind but she didn't and perhaps she never will. Depends on how Liam feels in the future, doesn't it?

"Where's Leanna then?" Henrietta questioned.

"She's upstairs in her room, she will come down once dinner's ready" Liam answered.

"Alright"

He gave her a small smile before retreating back to the kitchen. Leaving mother and daughter alone in the hall again. Henrietta didn't know why but she gave her daughter a quick hug and it somehow felt cold. The older woman knew not what to make of this, she just felt Maya was not the same anymore. She missed the change in 1992 but this time, she didn't miss it.

"What happened?" Henrietta asked her; pulling apart.

"Nothing...Sorry if I'm a bit off, me and Liam have been having some problems but we are dealing with them" Maya quickly replied.

"Right, okay"

And she almost accepted that answer but she couldn't shake off the feeling still.

...

TBC