The following morning Carla woke naturally, she stretched out her limbs across her king sized bed and yawned. Whilst rubbing her eyes, she noticed how the sunlight was shining through the gap where the curtains were supposed to join and appreciated that it looked like a nice day ahead.

After briefly looking at her phone to check the time, she got up and went to the bathroom. Putting on her black silk dressing gown and soft slider type slippers, she checked herself in the mirror, brushing her hair to calm the bed head she had somehow managed to give herself and prepared to go downstairs.

On her way, she saw the spare bedroom door still closed and heard light snores coming from the other side of it, announcing that Simon was still asleep. It was only 8:30am so she wasn't surprised he was still in dreamland.

Downstairs was quiet. Whilst walking past the lounge Carla saw Peter lying across the sofa, eyes closed and wrapped up in the duvet like a caterpillar in a cocoon. After stopping and watching him for a few seconds, she went through to the kitchen to make her first and most important coffee of the day, trying to be as quiet as possible. Once it was made, she sat down at the breakfast bar and checked her emails whilst simultaneously sipping on her brew just like any other morning.

Around 10 minutes later, Carla heard movement coming from the lounge and within seconds Peter appeared in the kitchen. "Morning." He said, his voice deep and gravelly, still laced with sleep.

"Morning?! Peter put some clothes on!" She exclaimed.

"What? You're in your pyjamas!" He defended himself but couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips.

"As someone who has worked in the underwear industry for over a decade I can confirm those aren't pyjamas Peter, they're underwear." She tried and failed to remain serious.

He looked at her with a cheeky grin. "Car, we were married its nothing you haven't seen before." He said as he eyed her up, one leg was completely bare where she had them crossed and the silk dressing gown had slipped.

Feeling his eyes on her, she discreetly moved the dressing gown back over her leg. "Yeah and now you're practically married to someone else, do you not think this is inappropriate?" She asked, gesturing to him and his attire of just boxer shorts.

"Practically married, she wishes." He muttered quietly under his breath, Carla caught it though. "Okay, here's the deal. I'll put some clothes on if you make me one of your coffees."

"Fine, deal. If you want to use the shower you're more than welcome."

"Are you saying I smell?"

"Yeah, because I can really smell you from all the way over here can't I?!" She replied sarcastically.

"If you want me to come closer all you have to do is ask." He teased.

Ignoring his teasing she reverted the subject back to him showering. "Upstairs, third door on the right is my room and ensuite, Si must still be asleep so unless you want to wake him up you can't use the one in there. I'm pretty sure there's already fresh towels on the rail."

"You're letting me in your bedroom and bathroom?"

"It's not like I'm giving you a kidney is it? Go on, get gone."

"Why? Can't handle me in my boxers? Wanna jump my bones?"

"Peter."

He laughed and turned around, ready to leave. "Ay, don't forget about my coffee." He added cheekily before heading upstairs. Carla shook her head, not quite believing how he was behaving. He hadn't changed much in the few years they hadn't seen each other and she couldn't figure out if it was a good or bad thing.

Once Peter briefly snooped Carla's bedroom and bathroom, he got in the shower. He saw that she still used the same jojoba oil shower gel, one of his favourite scents that he had to stop using because it reminded him of her too much and it hurt but now he used it with a smile on his face.

By the time Peter came back downstairs, freshly showered and fully clothed, Carla had made him a coffee and placed it on the breakfast bar next to where she was sitting, along with two slices of toast covered in butter, just the way he liked it. He silently sat down next to her and admired what he saw.

"I could get used to this you know." He spoke, gesturing to the mug and plate in front of him.

"Yeah? Well don't. I'm just being a good host." She shot back.

"Good? You're amazing, sweetheart." He said, biting into his toast and chewing happily.

"Don't push it."

"Sorry." He smirked back, showing he was anything but. "In all seriousness, thank you for this." He said gratefully.

"I would say anytime, but I was taught not to lie." She smiled and fluttered her eyelashes innocently.

Peter laughed softly. "Guessing Si hasn't surfaced yet then?"

"Nope. Poor kid is probably exhausted after yesterday."

"Ah well, means we get to spend more time together."

"Yippee, what wonderful news." She deadpanned.

"I've missed your sarcasm."

"It hasn't missed you." She quipped.

"Ouch." He clutched his heart, pretending to be in pain. "Can we go for a walk or something?"

"A walk?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, you know one foot in front of the other-"

"I know what walking is thank you." She interrupted his sarcastic explanation. "Just thought you'd want to get out of here and go back to happy little Weatherfield."

He sighed and looked directly in her eyes. "That's the last place I want to be right now to be honest." Carla always had a way of making him want to reveal his soul without even needing to ask, it was like a magical power.

"Oh, are you okay? You're not struggling living in the pub because of the drink are ya?" She asked concerned.

"I'll be fine. I don't want to dump all my problems on you, it's not fair." He sipped on his coffee, already knowing Carla wasn't going to drop it.

"Right, I'm going to get ready. We can go for a walk along the beach and you can spill the beans, yeah?" She said as she got up from the stool she was sitting on.

"Okay."

Promising not to be too long Carla went upstairs to get ready whilst Peter went back into the lounge. He cleared up his temporary bed, folding up the duvet and placing the pillow on top. He then started watching a typical weekend cooking show whilst waiting for Carla to reappear, not quite believing that she wouldn't take ages to get ready.

Carla hopped in the shower, choosing not to wash her hair as she only washed it the day before. Once out, she ran her straightener through it expertly, not missing a strand. She used a minimal amount of makeup and got changed into a black blouse and skinny jeans, wanting to look stylish but be comfortable at the same time. Happy with her appearance, she did a final check in the mirror and left her bedroom.

"Do you reckon we should wake Si up?" Carla asked as she came through into the lounge after picking her handbag up from the side in the kitchen.

"Nah, he'll probably sleep through until around midday. Best to leave him." He replied, subtly admiring his ex wife's appearance.

"Okay, maybe leave him a note letting him know what we're doing? Or text him so he sees it when he wakes up."

"Good idea, I'll text him. If I left him a note he'd probably tell me I'm from the Stone Age or something." He said as he took his phone out of his pocket and started typing.

"Are you not?!" Carla replied sassily.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, Connor."

Carla chuckled and left the room again. She went to the shoe rack placed in the hallway and scanned all of her shoes, she had more in her walk-in wardrobe but these were this seasons most popular choices and it meant she didn't have to keep going upstairs. After a minute or so she decided on a pair of black boots with a slight heel as they were comfortable and matched her outfit perfectly.

Peter joined her after turning the TV off. He sat on the stairs to put his shoes on, followed by his trademark black leather jacket. He could see Carla trying to decide on which coat to wear, she was standing with her finger on her chin and a pout on her lips. She had five different coats on an old fashioned looking coat stand: two black, one blue, one red and a leopard print one he hadn't seen before.

"I always liked the red one on you." He broke the silence, watching her from the stairs. "And the blue one. Actually I like anything on you to be honest."

"Yeah, not exactly fussy are ya?" She picked the red coat off the hook and put it on. She hadn't worn it in a while but thought why not wear his favourite just to remind him what he had lost. "Right let's go then." She said, pulling her hair out from underneath her coat and opening the front door.

Peter got up from the stairs and followed Carla out the door. He closed it behind him and chuckled when she went to double check it was definitely shut in typical Carla fashion.

They strolled down the street in the sunshine, comfortable in each others presence. Peter took in everything around him, now understanding why Carla seemed a lot more calm and relaxed than she did back home.

"The beach is literally just down there." Carla said softly whilst pointing her finger in the direction of the beach, breaking Peter from his daydream.

"Wow, you weren't joking when you said you lived close to it."

"Nope, I'm a lucky girl. Although it's not quite the same as the exciting, city life."

"I was just thinking how you seem a lot more calm and relaxed... Do you miss Weatherfield?"

She sighed and thought about her answer. "Yes and no. I miss Michelle, Roy and my new found family of course. I don't miss the constant drama though."

"Yeah, I heard you gained a dad, brother and sister."

"Mmm, I didn't take it too well at first as you probably know. Nick was useless, I hit self-destruct. The usual."

"Si did fill me on most of it." He chuckled. "Nick flaming Tilsley though… Really Car? What were you thinking?" He asked with a look of disgust on his face.

"Oh shut it. You're with another Battersby for Christ sake, if anyone needs help it's you!" She giggled and then noticed his face drop. "Which is what we're meant to be talking about actually. So come on, spill."

They approached an empty bench, placed by the seawall they were walking alongside. Carla sat down first and patted the space beside her for Peter to sit down, which he did. The sun was shining on them, their skin golden and eyes sparkling. To everyone else they probably looked like a normal couple out for a morning walk.

"Well you know from what Si was saying yesterday, Toyah wants a baby." Peter winced, looking anywhere other than Carla's face.

"Yeah."

"Well I…" He paused.

"Don't want one?" She finished for him.

"I don't think so."

"Peter, yes or no." She said bluntly.

"Fine, no. I just don't know how to tell her, I keep putting off the conversation. I've used Si's recent behaviour as an excuse, my drinking as an excuse, basically anything I can."

"Right." She sighed. "I can't help but feel like we've been here before." She joked as she referred to the similar conversation they had about him and Leanne all those years ago.

"You're right." He agreed. "I didn't want a baby with Leanne. I didn't want to settle for the sake of it when the woman I actually wanted to be with is right here." He gestured to her. "It's the same with Toyah."

"Peter-"

"I'm sorry but I'll never feel the way I feel about you with any other woman no matter how hard I try Carla, that's the truth. I'm sick of pretending." He said honestly.

She hadn't expected that. "But before yesterday we hadn't seen each other in years, we've both been getting on with our lives."

"Carla, I don't need to see you to know how I feel." He stood up, walked towards the seawall and leant on it. "I know you'll never take me back and I don't blame you. It's just, I try and find what we had and I can't." He sighed, looking down at his feet.

She got up from the old wooden bench, walked towards him and stood by his side. "Well you shouldn't have messed it up then should ya." She hid behind a smile. They both knew she felt the same way, it didn't need to be said out loud. "Come on. Let's walk down a bit further, there's a little cafe that does all sorts of sweet treats and drinks, it's bound to put a smile on ya face. It worked with Si." She gave him a slight nudge and they began walking again.

They continued their walk, catching up on what they'd got up to since last seeing each other, conversation steering clear of anything too deep. After around 15 minutes they reached the cafe Carla had previously mentioned. She ordered for them both whilst Peter had a cigarette outside. She chose the takeaway option when asked, thinking Peter needed nothing more than to sit on the beach, breeze in his face and morning sun on his skin to help clear his head. It was something she loved to do when she was feeling lost.

She walked back outside, beverages in hand and straight to Peter who was just finishing his cigarette. "I thought we could go sit on the beach with these as it's a nice day?" She said after she noticed the curious look on Peter's face.

"Oh, yeah sure."

They made their way to Carla's favourite spot on the beach, she passed over the drinks and pastries to Peter, who looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She reached into her bag and pulled out a neatly folded picnic blanket.

"You didn't think I was going to sit on the sand in these jeans did you?!" She laughed as she skilfully placed the soft blanket onto the sand whilst Peter stared at her in awe.

Carla took her boots off, sat down gracefully and looked up at Peter. "Hurry up and sit down will you, I would like my drink some time today." She smirked, noticing the way he was looking at her.

He did as he was told, passing the drinks back to her and joining her on the blanket. They sat comfortably and contently, listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. He thought about what he was going to do when he went back home. Deciding that it was for the best to tell Toyah how he really felt about the baby situation before it was too late.

Peter leant back on his elbows and admired the scene in front of him. Carla was glowing in the morning sun, her skin golden and plump lips turned up into a slight smile as she was watching a family of four play catch nearby. She could feel Peter's eyes on her so she turned her head to look at him, about to say something but was then distracted by a ball lightly hitting her foot. She passed the ball back to the little girl standing a few feet away and smiled when she said thank you.

"Do you ever think about her?" Carla asked so quietly Peter thought he imagined it until she joined him in leaning back on her elbows, her eyes now on him.

He didn't need to ask who she was talking about. "All the time." He was being honest, there wasn't a day that went by where he didn't think about their little girl and what could have been.

"Me too." She sighed. "I always picture her having your eyes and cheeky smile."

"I imagine her as a mini you. Your nose, lips and those killer cheekbones." He smiled sadly, emphasising his point by running his finger over her cheek. "I'm so sorry Carla. You know I will never forgive myself for Tina don't you?"

"Yeah, I know." She gazed at him, knowing what he was saying was the truth. "Water under the bridge."

"I really don't deserve it but thank you." He said honestly, watching her nervously bite her bottom lip as a result of their intense eye contact.

"Er, you can leave Si here for a few days if you want to get back home. I'd planned to come up to Manchester on Wednesday for business so I can bring him back then." She said, needing to change the subject.

"You trying to get rid of me?" He joked. "It is a good idea, I just don't even want to go back myself. I'd quite happily stay here forever."

"Too bad Barlow, time to face the music and be honest for once in your life."

"Oi, I was honest with you earlier thank you very much." He grinned, not bothered by her teasing.

"I know, I just don't think the Battersby sisters are going to be very happy when they find out you've been with me. Although I would take great pleasure in seeing their faces when they find out."

"They'll probably have my head on a stick."

"What have you actually told them since you got here yesterday?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not much, just that I found Si at yours and then… went to stay in a hotel for the night." He winced.

"Of course you did." She tutted.

"Look, I meant everything I've said to you today and that's all that matters. Me and Toyah will probably be over soon anyway, I'm going to tell her I don't want a baby and that I'm not happy."

"Are you sure that's how you feel? Michelle may have told me you were an incredibly boring couple but she did say you seem happy and healthy." They both knew she meant off the booze when she said healthy and she couldn't help but drop the boring comment in to see how he would react.

"Talk about me do ya?" He smirked as she rolled her eyes. "I promise I've been thinking about it for a while, this isn't a spur of the moment thing. And incredibly boring? I'm offended."

"Yeah, I told Chelle you were many things but boring wasn't one of them but from what I've heard, Toyah seems about as fun as stepping on Lego."

Peter smirked, struggling to hold back his laughter. "Well, thanks for defending my case. Honestly, I need to do this. Like you said, it's time to face the music."

He laid down flat on his back, using his hands as a head rest. Carla turned to face him on her side, leaning on her elbow.

"Ay, maybe you're finally growing up. It's about time!" She said, poking his dimple as he grinned.

"Oh I'm not sure about that, there's a reason why I'm called Peter ya know."

"Hmm, really?" She asked and he nodded. "What's that reason then?"

"Peter Pan of course! I'll never grow up, baby." He winked and she couldn't help but throw her head back and let out a loud laugh.

a/n: sorry for the delay, hopefully a carter-centric chapter made up for it ;) thank you for all the reviews!