"It's Christmas!"
Katy jolted awake far earlier than she was happy about. The beaming smiles on her daughters and brother's faces were enough to chase away her immediate bad mood at the rude awakening. The four of them were only just patient enough to wait until Glenda and Roxy came up from the bottom flat to join them, before ripping into their stockings with delight.
Ronnie handed Katy a mug of tea, before folding her legs underneath her on the sofa. Her daughter immediately leant into her side, resting her head on the older woman's shoulder as they watched the children chattering and laughing happily in front of them. Katy laughed as Roxy slid onto the rug to help Sophie open one of her presents, her laughter increasing as her daughter pushed her unicorn sunglasses onto her great-aunt's face.
"They suit you." Glenda teased her younger daughter. "Santa should have brought you some, too."
"Did Santa bring you any presents, Aunty Rox?" Sophie asked, looking at her curiously.
"No, because she's a bad girl." Ronnie replied at once, before her sister could even open her mouth. "He brought something for your mummy, though."
Katy turned her head quickly, frowning at her mother. "Did he?"
"Of course he did, sweetie. There was no way he'd forget about you."
Ronnie reached down the back of the sofa and brought out a stocking. Katy gaped, realising that it was the one they'd bought for her when she'd first arrived in Walford. Ronnie smiled warmly, nudging her with her shoulder and encouraging her to start opening her presents.
"Thanks, Mum." Katy whispered when she'd reached the bottom of the stocking, setting a pair of silver hoops on her present pile.
"Don't be silly. I owe you so much… one Christmas stocking isn't nearly enough to make up for what you went through."
Noticing Ruby watching them, Ronnie cleared her throat and suggested that they all went to get dressed before they headed over to the R&R for more presents and lunch. The children rushed away happily, leaving the adults to clear up the sea of wrapping paper before going to get dressed themselves.
"Best Christmas ever!" Jessica shouted, running into the bar and spotting all the presents under one of the trees in the corner of the room.
Laughing, Roxy headed over with the children and started sorting the presents into piles while Ronnie and Glenda disappeared into the kitchen. Katy pulled a bottle of Prosecco and four bottles of coke out of one of the 'fridges, taking them over to the tables the women had pushed together specially.
"That's mine!" Roxy shouted, snatching a present away from her great-niece, before turning to Katy imploringly. "Tell Jess not to open my presents."
Katy snorted with amusement. "She's five. How old are you?"
"41 and that's not the point."
"Is Roxy whining again?" Ronnie asked, appearing from the kitchen and wrapping an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "It's OK, Rox, I've made sure that you've got as many presents as last year so you don't need to worry."
"She's genuinely worse than the kids." Katy said, shaking her head and handing her mother one of the glasses. "Gran OK in there?"
"Yeah… Jack must have prepped all the veg yesterday, so we just need to wait until it's time to put it on."
"As long as we make it to the Vic for the traditional Christmas drink."
"I thought Phil and Ben would be the last people you'd want to see today?"
"I figure that after my conversation with Callum, me and Ben are about equal and Phil… that's down to Dad to deal with, init? I can't be fighting his battles all the time."
Ronnie arched an eyebrow at her. "That's a new one."
"Very funny." Her daughter said sarcastically. "Ain't that what you're always telling me? Let other people sort their own problems?"
"I just didn't expect to hear you saying something that I've told you so many times."
Katy nudged her gently. "Let's go and open some presents, shall we? I can't wait to see Gran's reaction to the Women's Weekly subscription I got her."
Ronnie grinned. "You didn't?"
"No, I didn't, but it would have been hilarious if I had."
Lunch passed with no hiccups. Jack, Amy and Ricky had joined them at the R&R once they'd finished eating and they'd opened the rest of their presents together. For once, there were no cross words, no arguments and no sly digs at each other about things that had happened in the past. They simply enjoyed spending the afternoon together in each other's company.
When everything was cleared away, the family made their way across the Square together. Briefly, they ducked into Dot's to wish her a Merry Christmas and give her their presents, before Jack, Amy and Ricky went to meet Denise at home and the others headed into the Vic for a drink with the rest of the Mitchells.
"Kids, go and play with your cousins in the grotto, OK?" Katy ordered as soon as they entered the pub. "We'll be round there, right?"
They joined the others at a large table in the corner, smiling around and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Ronnie and Glenda immediately started up a conversation with Honey, while Roxy and Katy started joining in with Lola teasing Jay.
It was only when they heard a familiar voice that they realised that their relaxed, drama-free Christmas was about to take a turn. Katy watched Sharon carefully, tilting her head as she tried to work out what had happened.
"Denny…"
"Ah, Sharon. You feeling better then?" Lola asked innocently.
"You might wanna go." Phil told his wife bluntly.
"You don't own this pub any more." She replied.
"Sharon…"
Phil stared at her expressionlessly. "Unless you want everyone knowing your secret…"
"Come on, Denny, get your coat." Sharon ordered.
Jay glanced around in confusion, his expression mirrored by almost everyone else around the table. "Has something happened?"
"D'you want a seat, Sharon?" Honey asked kindly.
Ben shook his head. "She ain't staying."
"They're gonna find out soon enough Phil." Sharon said after a moment or two. She stared at her husband determinedly, before raising her voice so that everyone could hear. "I cheated on him."
"Sharon… this isn't the place."
"I'm having Keanu Taylor's baby."
Katy felt a sense of misplaced triumph at the statement and glanced at her mother. Ronnie raised her eyebrows and shrugged almost imperceptibly, acknowledging that Katy's hunch had been right after all. Her daughter wished she'd put money on the outcome.
"Why's she saying this?" Dennis was asking Phil, turning to look at him in complete bewilderment.
"Because it's true, Denny. I'm not proud of it, but it's true."
"Have you finished?"
"So I made a mistake." Sharon turned, almost beseechingly to the rest of the pub. "You telling me no one else has? Am I the only one who's ever cheated? Well, come on! Someone must want to throw the first stone."
As everyone in the Vic went silent, Katy followed their collective gaze until it settled on Louise. She was standing, Peggy strapped to her chest, with tears in her eyes as she regarded her stepmother. Sharon took a couple of shaky steps towards her, almost breathing her name pleadingly.
"I know." The teenager told her, voice trembling with emotion. "He told me… everything."
Then Louise walked past her to join the rest of her family around the table. Katy's eyes followed her cousin's progress towards them, almost missing Billy's whispered question about Keanu's whereabouts and his ex-wife's reply. She reached out and squeezed Louise's hand tightly as the younger woman dropped carefully onto the chair beside her.
"That it?" Phil demanded irritably. "You finished? It's Christmas. I'm in my local having a drink with my family. You," he chuckled, "you should go."
"I ain't going 'til I get what I came for." Sharon snapped back. "Come on, Denny, we're leaving."
The boy glanced sideways at his stepfather. "I ain't going nowhere."
"Denny…"
"You're a liar and a cheat." He told his mother angrily. "I'm staying with Phil."
"You can't do this."
Ben smirked. "He just did."
"Stay out of it!"
"Ain't you got a stable to find?" Phil asked.
Every single one of the Mitchells gathered around the table stared at Sharon until she turned on her heels and stormed out of the Vic. Once she'd gone, a slightly uncomfortable silence fell over them, until Jay broke it by clearing his throat and asking whether everyone wanted another drink.
As he headed away to buy the round, Katy squeezed the teenager's hand again. "Lou… anything you need, anything at all… you can ask me, OK?"
"Thanks, Katy, but–"
"Lou." The older woman shook her head. "I mean it. Anything. We're family, ain't we? Mitchells stick together."
"You and Ben got over your little argument, then?"
They glanced at each other for a moment, before Ben smiled. "Yeah, we're good."
"He's right." Katy agreed, almost reluctantly. "We're good."
"I think we make a better team than we do enemies."
"I wouldn't go that far." The blonde told him, smirking and arching an eyebrow. "But we're good."
He laughed and excused himself, heading away quickly. Katy watched him thoughtfully for a moment, before letting herself be drawn back into conversation with Honey and Louise about motherhood. She joined in until Ben returned, motioning that he would get the next round in and heading straight for the bar.
"Right," Phil held up his fresh drink, signalling that he was making a toast, "well, she ain't gonna spoil our Christmas. We're all still here, no casualties… to the Mitchells."
"The Mitchells." They chorused, clinking their glasses together in the centre of the table.