"Katy! Katy that's her!" Her little sister jabbed her finger in the direction of a tall brunette who was talking to a girl who looked around Amy's age. "That's Melissa Cooper and her mum."

"Right…" She glanced around, catching sight of Ricky and Ruby playing with some of their friends at the other end of the playground. "Oi! You two! Get over here, now!"

They came running at her shout, accepting their bags and coats without question. Nodding her head in the direction of the woman she wanted to speak to, Katy lead the way across the concrete. She could hear the whispered comments and feel the pointed gazes on her but, unless any of them actually vocalised their views about her in any of the children's hearing she wasn't too bothered about what they thought.

"I hear you've got a problem with my family?" She came to an abrupt halt in front of Melissa and her mother, staring them down unblinkingly.

"I'm sure I don't know–"

Katy laughed mirthlessly. "Don't even try that one. Amy told me what your kid said to her. That you don't want her mixing with our sort?"

"Amy must have got the wrong–"

"No, no." She shook her head, taking another step towards the woman. "Amy didn't get the wrong end of the stick at all. But I'm a little bit confused as to what you think 'our sort' are? Do you have a problem with loving, loyal families? Or is it women owning and running their own businesses that you have an issue with?" She took another step forward. "Or could it possibly be that you've heard totally fictitious rumours about my family and now you're punishing my ten-year-old sister for it?"

"No, of course not!" The woman shook her head vehemently.

"Because if that's the case I'm going to be really fucking angry."

"No, I'm sure this is just–"

"What's your name?"

The woman blinked, clearly confused by the question. "Sh-Shelly."

"Do you know the one thing that really pisses me off, Shelly?" When she simply shook her head, Katy smiled coldly. "The one thing that really pisses me off is when someone upsets my family; especially the kids. And what do you think happens when I'm really pissed off?"

"I… don't know."

"If I were you I'd keep it that way." Katy suggested calmly. Then she turned her gaze on the woman's daughter, smiling again. "I'm sorry, Melissa, I'm gonna have to take back your invitation to Amy's sleepover… I'm a bit picky about who my sister spends time with." Her eyes flicked back to the woman. "I'm sure your mum knows what I mean. So… do we understand each other, Shelly?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Good… Well, I'm sure I'll see you soon." Katy smiled brightly and then turned abruptly, winking at the three children behind her. "Come on, kids. Tea with Aunty Whit at the Vic?"

Amy slipped her hand into her sister's as they walked away, watching Ricky and Ruby racing each other to the gate. "Thanks, Katy. That was so cool."

"Mmm… she shouldn't have upset you." Katy sighed. "And I shouldn't have said what I said to Melissa."

"She's a bitch and she deserved it."

"Amy!"

"What?" The ten-year-old rolled her eyes. "She is."

"Well don't repeat that." Katy warned her, a smirk twisting her lips as they caught up with the other two. "And it's probably best if you don't mention that conversation to Dad or Gran. You know what they're like."

"Are we really going to the Vic for tea?" Ricky asked, clearly already having forgotten the conversation she was referring to. "Excellent!"

Running a hand through her hair, Katy nodded and smiled at him. As the children chattered happily, Katy followed them back to the Square. Despite promising them they could go to the pub, she was suddenly exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go home and close the door on the rest of the world. She refused, however, to let the kids down, so she painted a smile on her face and ushered them through the doors into the Vic.

As soon as they were settled in a booth, Whitney wandered over and perched on the end of the bench next to Amy, grinning at them all. They chattered for a while before she went to take their orders to Shirley in the kitchen and the children occupied themselves. Katy rested her chin on her palm, staring into space and thinking about various things until their food appeared.

"Can I have a quick work, Katy?"

Glancing up at the young woman who'd spoken, she nodded quickly and told them to behave. Ruby led the way over to the bar and perched on a stool, before launching into an explanation of an issue that had come up with the planning for the opening night. Katy sighed and ran both hands through her hair agitatedly.

"We can't change the date." She reminded the older woman, shaking her head. "It's got to be the 27th. Find a different DJ if you have to."

"We were getting a really good deal. If we try and book someone else now it's gonna be really expensive. It's only two days away."

Katy shrugged. "It's fine. Just find someone good, Ruby, right? Oh… do me a favour and give Jay a chance. He's a really good guy and he's not sure what he's done wrong."

"He hasn't done anything wrong."

"Just give him a break then, yeah?" She sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry… I hate people getting involved in my relationships. I just… I hate seeing Jay moping around."

Looking a little unconvinced, the brunette nodded and moved away to sit with Stacey. Katy watched her for a moment, before rejoining the children. Amy looked at her seriously, but her older sister simply smiled and pushed a chip in her mouth to prevent her asking any questions.

"Do we get to miss school on Wednesday?" Ricky asked, mumbling around a mouthful of food.

"Finish chewing before you talk." His older sister ordered, rolling her eyes at him. "But no, you don't."

"Why? We could help."

Katy laughed at the suggestion. "You'd get under our feet. There's nothing you could do, so you might as well go to school and then Gran and Dad will bring you over when it's time."

"But I wanna–"

"Amy, no."

"Katy!"

"Look, if you're gonna whine about it you won't be coming, alright?" The older blonde snapped, catching sight of her grandmother entering the pub. "Hang on… Gran?"

"Ah, there you are!" Glenda smiled around. "Hello, my darlings."

"You had a good day?" Katy asked as her grandmother slid onto the bench beside Amy and put an arm around her.

"Yes, thank you. Got a new outfit for opening night. Have you got yours sorted yet?"

Snorting with amusement, her eldest granddaughter shook her head. "Not a chance. I've got too much to worry about to think about outfits."

"We could go shopping together?"

"I really haven't got time, Gran. Sorry."

"Jack's asked if you'll have the kids again."

Katy almost slammed her glass down on the table at the statement. "You what? Again? Where is he?"

"I don't know, darling, sorry." Glenda held a folded scrap of paper in her granddaughter's direction. "I found this stuck on the front door."

As the younger blonde read the note, which told her nothing more than her grandmother had, the three eldest children looked at her curiously. When Amy opened her mouth to speak, Glenda shook her head and smiled weakly, squeezing the ten-year-old's shoulder.

"This is getting ridiculous." Katy muttered.

"Don't you want us?"

Exhaling sharply, Katy reached across the table and squeezed Ricky's hand. "Of course I do, sweetie. It's not that at all. It's just…"

"Dad's selfish and thoughtless." Amy finished for her with a knowing nod.

Exchanging a look, the two women snorted in amusement. "Well, yes," Katy agreed, "but it's more that he keeps going AWOL, I have no idea where he is and I have things I need to do."

"There's a problem with the R&R." Her younger sister told their grandmother conspiratorially. "Ruby came to tell her something and she didn't look happy."

"It's just a booking thing. It's fine." Katy dismissed it quickly before Glenda could ask any questions. "But I have other things I need to be doing. I've got the lighting guys coming to do the final bits at six and the DJ was supposed to be coming to do a sound check at eight, but now that's fallen through I'm gonna need to sort someone to come and do that tomorrow instead. I've got three separate deliveries tomorrow as well and the builders still haven't signed off on the final checks. I haven't even finished going through all the council paperwork about the kitchen, yet! The opening is the day after tomorrow."

"You go now." Glenda said firmly. "I'm here and I'll sort things. Take as long as you need, darling. We'll be fine, won't we?"

Sending her a grateful smile, Katy gathered her things and warned the children to behave, before hurrying from the Vic.

"Katy…?"

"What is it, Ames?" She sighed tiredly, moving her head slightly so that she could look at her sister.

"Will you come to Mummy's grave with me?"

Katy froze. "What?"

"I made her a birthday card and I wanna give it to her."

"Can't you ask Dad or Gran to…?"

Amy shook her head. "I want you."

"Ames… I don't think I can." Katy admitted quietly. "It's… it's too… it hurts too much."

"Please, Katy."

Katy closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. She didn't want to see the graves. She didn't want to read the words written on them. She didn't want to stand in front of them and be faced with undeniable evidence that they were really dead.

"Fine." She agreed at last. "Fine."

That was how the next day, the day before Roxy's birthday and the R&R's opening, Katy found herself standing in a graveyard and resolutely doing her best to avoid looking at the two headstones directly in front of her. Amy had placed an envelope on her mother's grave and patted her aunt's headstone fondly.

Behind her, Katy pushed her hands into her coat pockets firmly and scuffed the toe of her boot into the grass, wishing she was anywhere else. She didn't want the burning feeling behind her eyelids or the lump that was blocking her throat and she certainly didn't want her little sister to realise she was so affected by their location.

Amy slipped her hand into her sister's suddenly. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"You can always tell me anything."

"I don't think Mum's really dead."

Katy turned to look at her carefully, her eyebrows furrowing as she tried to work out if Amy was being serious. "Why?"

"I don't feel like she's gone. Or Aunty Ronnie. I think I'd feel it, in here." She put her free hand on her chest and shook her head. "I don't feel like they're dead."

"Amy, I… I don't feel like they are either." Katy admitted, earning herself a large, beaming smile from her sister. "Have you told anyone else you think that?"

"I told Dad, but… he got cross and told me not to be silly."

Katy nodded slowly. "He told me the same thing… and Gran did."

"That's why I wanted to bring the birthday card." Amy said, looking at the envelope propped against her mother's headstone. "I wanted to bring it so that if Mum comes here she'd see it and she'd know that I still love her."

"She knows that, Ames."

"Dad doesn't like talking about them. I do, but only talking about them being alive. I feel like if I talk about them being dead it'll make it true. That's why I didn't tell Dad you were ill when you told me to."

"Why?"

"I was scared that if I told him then you'd get worse and it would be my fault."

"Oh, Ames…" Sighing deeply, Katy pulled her sister into a tight, sideways hug and dropped a kiss onto the top of her head. "Whatever happens to me because of this stupid, horrible disease it will not be your fault. You need to believe that, OK?"

"You won't tell Dad that I still think Mum and Aunty Ronnie are alive, will you? He just gets sad and cross."

"I won't if you won't." Katy promised. "Mitchell sisters, together forever, right?"

"Mitchell sisters, together forever." Amy repeated.

Katy was almost relieved when she'd dropped Amy back with Jack. She took a deep breath as she crossed the Square and let herself into the house. She knew that Glenda would be upstairs with the children, so she didn't even bother to check her flat before climbing the stairs and going inside.

As she'd suspected, her grandmother was lounging on the sofa flicking through channels on the television. She smiled weakly as she hung her coat on the peg, before dropping down beside the older woman and resting her head on her shoulder.

Glenda patted her cheek fondly and leant her own head on top. "You alright, darling?"

"Fine."

"And how do you feel now?" Glenda asked gently, sitting up and brushing Katy's hair off her face. "Now that you've been to their graves, now that you've seen…?"

"Nothing." Katy told her calmly. "I felt nothing, Gran. I looked at those graves, I read the inscriptions, read Mum and Aunty Roxy's names… and I felt nothing."

"Darling–"

Katy shook her head. "I know you think I'm mad. I know you want me to accept what everyone is saying… what everyone thinks is the truth… but I can't. I can't believe that they're really gone. I thought… I thought that being there, seeing the graves, would make it feel real. I thought that I wouldn't be able to deny it anymore. But it didn't make me feel that at all. It made me more certain that they're still alive."

Glenda put her head in her hands, tears rolling down her cheeks and dropping onto the fabric of her trousers. "You can't keep saying this, Katy. You can't. It's destroying me."

"Gran, please just trust me. Do you honestly feel like they're gone? Do you feel like they're dead?"

"Yes, Katherine. Yes, I do!"

"Well I don't." She shook her head vehemently. "You can believe it if you want to, but I refuse to give in."