Despite being convinced that they would walk into the room after the wedding had already started, Katy was surprised that they were, if anything, early. She had been given a quick recap of the conversation that had taken place at the flat when Glenda brought the children over to the R&R in search of her and had been absolutely horrified to hear what Ruby had said. They'd been even later leaving for the registry office because she'd sat her eldest daughter down and assured her that she wasn't going to get ill just because Ronnie had come back.
Ruby hadn't looked entirely convinced, but after Katy had promised that her last hospital visit had confirmed that her cancer wasn't back, she seemed to cheer up a little. She was, however, clinging to her mother and refusing to let go. When they took their seats in the row behind Jack and Denise, the eight-year-old had climbed onto her mother's lap and refused to move.
"What's the hold up?" Katy asked, leaning forward and tapping Jack on the shoulder.
"Oh, you're talking to me today, are you?"
"Dad." She shot him an irritated look. "You wouldn't believe me. I was angry, OK?"
"I still can't believe…"
"Not here, yeah." Katy muttered, shaking her head. "Later."
He watched her for a moment, before nodding sharply. "Bianca and Kat got themselves banged up last night."
"B's back?" The young woman beamed, the thought of seeing her cousin cheering her up immensely. "Trust her to get nicked the night before Whit's wedding."
"She never changes…" Jack agreed. "Why were you so late, anyway?"
"I'll explain later."
"Grandma Ronnie came back to life." Ruby told him.
Jack and Katy both shifted in their seats, glancing round to make sure no one else had heard. As the blonde quickly shushed her daughter, Jack stared at them inquiringly. Katy sighed at his expression, shaking her head.
"I'll explain later." She repeated.
He was evidently about to say something when they were interrupted by the music playing and Whitney appearing in the doorway at the back of the room. Katy smiled softly at the sight of her friend. Whitney looked beautiful in a dress that was completely her (although Katy would never have been seen dead in something like it). Her expression faltered slightly as the smile seemed to drop from her friend's face and she hesitated before walking towards Callum and the registrar.
Bianca slipped into the room, almost unnoticed before Whitney reached the front. The expression on her face was even more bewildering to the blonde, as she seemed less than happy to watch her daughter get married. Katy had expected Bianca to be the life and soul of the party, as she usually was, particularly seeing as she and Kat had spent the previous night in a cell.
They sat and listened to the registrar talk, until it was time for the couple to say their vows. Katy only half listened as Callum spoke, her mind wandering off to other things. It wasn't that she disliked the young man, or wanted anything less than the best for her friend, but she also couldn't find it in herself to give the wedding any more than a small percentage of her attention.
She only really tuned in as Whitney broke off in the middle of her vows, apologising and making a hasty retreat from the room. Everyone turned to watch her leave before Callum, then Mick and Bianca, followed her path. Katy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, exchanging a look with Sonia who was frowning after her sister.
"So… is the wedding off?" Katy asked her grandmother, who simply shrugged. Glenda looked mildly amused by the events and the younger woman rolled her eyes fondly.
They joined the others milling around in the foyer, unsure as to what was happening. With four children to keep occupied, Katy decided that they should head back to the Square as soon as someone mentioned the reception, knowing that a plate of food was probably the best way to achieve some peace and quiet. She and Glenda herded Matthew and the girls into a taxi and sat back, discussing the situation quietly as they headed towards home.
There was already a crowd gathering in the Vic, although there was no sign of Whitney or Callum anywhere. Katy ushered the kids in the direction of a booth, before catching sight of her cousin talking to Jack and Sonia at the bar.
"B!" Katy squealed with excitement, rushing forward and hugging her tightly. "I'm so happy to see you."
"You, too, kiddo." The redhead replied, returning the hug with just as much affection. Then she pulled back and looked at the gaggle of children trailing in the younger woman's wake. "No way! Ruby?"
Katy laughed, shaking her head and pushing her eldest daughter forward. "Nah, that's Sophie. This is Ruby. You remember your Aunty Bianca, right?"
"Of course." The eight-year-old replied, rolling her eyes at her mother.
"And this is Sophie and Jessica… and Matthew."
Bianca looked between them in surprise, before squealing and pulling them all into a hug at the same time. "You've all got so big!"
Nodding as they asked if they could get some food, Katy laughed as they sped away, dodging between people to find something to eat. Before she could turn back to engage the redhead in conversation, Bianca had gone and Katy sighed, moving over to the buffet table to keep an eye on her children.
"I'll take the kids home and you can stay here and enjoy yourself." Glenda offered a while later, wrapping an arm around her granddaughter's waist and smiling gently at her. "It'll do you good to relax for a while."
"Only if you're sure." Katy agreed, looking as though she couldn't quite believe the older woman had made the offer.
"Of course."
Saying goodnight to the children, Katy leant in the Vic doorway and waved as they wandered across the gardens with Glenda. She turned and went back into the party, grinning at her father as he offered to get a round in.
Thankfully Jack didn't seem keen to start a conversation about Ronnie, much to Katy's relief. She joined him at the bar, chatting with Max, Robbie, Bianca and Sonia, listening to the older woman talking about her life back in Milton Keynes. Katy thought that, perhaps, there was something Bianca was holding back but, considering everything she was hiding at the moment, she didn't press her for more information.
"I'm just gonna ring Denise." Jack said, leaning in to speak into Katy's ear. "She was just popping back to change her shoes… she shoulda been here by now."
"You don't think she's bumped into Ronnie, do you?" His daughter asked, frowning at the idea.
"I hope not."
Smiling, she watched him leave the pub, before turning back to her conversation with Bianca and Sonia. After a couple of minutes, Mel appeared and they heard her asking their uncle where Jack was. Immediately on her guard, Katy tuned into the conversation, wondering what the other blonde wanted with her father.
"He popped out to make a call I think." Max told her with a shrug.
"Popped out where?"
"I dunno… You want me to pass a message on, or…"
She turned and walked off without answering, causing Bianca to lean in and ask what was going on between her and Jack. Katy shook her head and rolled her eyes, leaving Sonia to try and explain the situation as best she knew, which wasn't very much at all. When they both turned to Katy, asking her what she knew, she simply shrugged and said she refused to have anything to do with whatever had gone on between them seeing as she didn't trust Mel at all.
That clearly piqued the sisters' interest, but Katy simply shrugged and told them that she couldn't give them any specific reason; it was just a feeling. The conversation turned round to their kids, with Sonia bemoaning Bex's apparent disinterest in actually going to University. Katy tried to remind her that it wasn't for everyone, but her cousin barely stopped talking long enough to listen to her.
They only stopped talking as they overheard someone speculating on why the wedding hadn't gone ahead. Bianca scowled at the back of the woman's head as she passed, causing the other two to lay their hands on her arms, in a mixture of attempting to soothe and restrain her. Katy shook her head and tried to remind Bianca that no one who knew Whitney would ever think badly of her.
"I've had enough of this…" The redhead ground out, pushing through the guests and making her way up to the microphone. "Hello? Hello everyone." Her family immediately looked away with expressions of acute embarrassment on their faces as they wondered what was coming. "Right, for those of you calling my Whit a slapper, I just wanna remind you I've got a mean right hook!" She laughed. At the table, Katy sensed everyone letting out a sigh of relief that she hadn't said anything worse. "So, errr… Whit had her reasons for not going through with the wedding today and, well, because I respect her, I ain't gonna say nothing…"
"Is this what they call personal growth?" Katy muttered to her uncle and cousins.
"Other than… she ain't the one with something to hide."
Katy covered her face as Robbie, Max and Sonia all turned to glare at her. "Spoke too soon."
"Never thought he had it in him." Mo chipped in.
There was a slightly awkward silence as all eyes turned to look at the woman, who shrugged and frowned back. Katy took a long gulp of her drink to stop herself snorting with amusement at the situation and earning herself similar glares.
"Right, who fancies a bit of karaoke?" Bianca suggested. "Kat? Kat! Come on… you won't let us down, will ya?"
As she was beckoned onto the stage, encouraging calls and claps from around her, Kat shrugged and disentangled herself from Kush. "Yeah, alright."
Sinking back into the cushions, Katy shook her head as Robbie started teasing her about what song she'd perform when it was her turn. She had absolutely no intention of getting on the stage and singing anything. Her resolve deepened even further when Max reminded her of the times she'd got up and done karaoke with her mother and Roxy.
A dark look crossed her face and she stood abruptly, saying she was going to speak to Tiffany who had just walked into the pub. None of them attempted to stop her, although they did shoot curious looking in her direction, clearly wondering about the cause of her sudden bad mood.
"You alright, darlin'?" She asked, joining the teenager and her boyfriend.
"Yeah, fine, you?"
"Yeah… where's Whit? Is she OK?"
"I dunno." Tiffany shrugged. "I thought you might know what was going on."
Katy shook her head. "No idea, sorry… I haven't seen Whit since last night." She hesitated and then nodded her head in the direction that Bianca and Sonia had just disappeared. "What's gone on between you and B? You don't seem particularly happy to see her."
"She's just doing what she always does and ruining stuff and then making it about her." Tiffany snapped.
"Am I supposed to understand what you're talking about?" Katy asked, shrugging. "Look… I know she messes up… a lot. But she loves you, Tiff. She's your mum and she's doing her best. It's hard trying not to do stuff that'll make your kids hate you, trust me, I know."
"Don't even start, Katy." The redhead warned. "I ain't in the mood."
"Fine, fine! I won't. Just… don't push her away so far you can't get her back, alright?"
Tiffany looked at her for a moment, before giving a sharp nod. Katy smiled weakly, before turning and moving to lean against the bar. Shirley walked towards her, leaning against the bar and asking if she was OK. Katy rolled her eyes and told her not to fuss, earning herself a playful glare and an affectionate cuff under the chin.
"This is painful." The older woman said, motioning her head towards where Mo and Jean were singing a duet.
Katy chuckled, knowing that she didn't really mean it. "You're loving it, I can tell."
"Shut up." As Whitney stamped onto the stage and turned off the music abruptly, she raised her hands and grinned. "There is a god!"
"Hello everyone. Hope you're all enjoying yourselves." Katy listened to Whitney with an uncomfortable sensation in the pit of her stomach. It was obvious to the blonde that her friend had been crying and the fact that Callum and Ben had both followed her into the pub was setting off alarm bells in her head. "I'd like you all to make a toast… to my lovely… what are you, Callum?" Whitney's voice hardened, as did her expression. "You ain't my husband. You ain't my boyfriend. You certainly ain't my lover. What would you call him, Ben?"
"Not like this, Whitney." The Mitchell said, making Katy's heart sink.
"It's Hunter…" Mo said suddenly, her voice carrying in the quiet pub.
"He's got a gun!" Keegan shouted, causing panic to ripple through the room immediately.
There was shouting and screaming as people pushed and shoved each other to get away from the teenager. Hunter climbed onto the table that Katy and her family had been seated around not that long ago, waving his gun at the assembled wedding guests and shouting at them to shut up.
"Bolt that door now!" He ordered, motioning towards the nearest door.
"Lou!" Everyone turned as someone barrelled into the pub. Katy furrowed her eyebrows, vaguely recognising the woman from a photo at Phil's house.
"Lock the door!" Hunter screamed. "Do it!"
Mel looked stricken, moving forward marginally. "Hunter, please, think this through."
"Shut up!" He ordered again, still waving the gun around.
There was complete silence for a couple of seconds, before a commotion sent panic through the room. The screaming started up again as Jack, Mick, Kush and Keegan lurched forward and tackled the teenager, bringing him to the ground. Katy couldn't help herself pushing closer to the action, shouting her dad's name worriedly.
A bang filled the air as the gun went off.