"You screwed that right up." Ben snapped as soon as the double doors stopped swinging behind Danny.

"What?"

"Help me? Help me? What am I?" He demanded furiously. "What am I? A project? Your kid? You have given them every reason to never work with the Mitchells again!" He lost his temper, swiping at the menu on the nearest table and sending it flying across the room. "I am running a business! This is a business!"

"If I hadn't showed up… you know I'm meant to be at my police assessment right now! Right now!" Callum reminded him. "It's not my fault. This is not my fault! I didn't cause the boat accident and you need to stop pretending like being deaf hasn't changed you–"

"I can't hear you!"

"Because it has!" Callum continued as though Ben hadn't interrupted. "Ben, it has. Look at you! Look at you."

"I can't hear ya!"

"You need to stop pretending like everything can be like it was, 'cos it can't. You need to stop making stupid mistakes, Ben, because you are going to end up in serious trouble."

"I can't hear ya!" He bellowed in his boyfriend's face, smacking the side of his head and storming out of the club.

Katy waited a couple of moments, listening to Callum sobbing softly. Then she stood up and made her way behind the bar. Pouring him a whisky, she placed it on the surface between them and motioned towards it. Callum shook his head, looking away.

With a sigh, Katy leant on the bar. "Callum, drink the whisky."

"I was just trying to help."

"I know." She agreed with a nod. "Ben knows too. But this ain't your world, Callum." As he finally took a sip of his drink, she shrugged. "What did you think would happen? Seriously, I'm interested to know. Did you honestly think that someone like Danny Hardcastle wouldn't find out that you're a cop?"

"I had to do something!"

"No, Callum, you didn't." Katy told him softly. "Why do you think I was sitting over there?" Bringing up the conversation thread, she held it out for him to read. "We had it covered. Ben got to save face and knew everything he needed to. He didn't need you steamrollering in and making him look like a child who needs their hand holding."

"But I…"

"Look, I mean this in the nicest possible way, but you ain't a Mitchell."

"That's–"

"You ain't a Mitchell," she continued, shaking her head as he tried to argue, "but surely you've spent enough time with Ben to realise that being a Mitchell is more than just the name. It's the reputation that's staked on the name. Being a Mitchell around here means something. Fuck knows I'm being hypocritical now – I've said I don't care about the name more times than I can count – but it's true." She shook her head. "Callum, I get discounts from the wholesaler when I make an order because I'm a Mitchell. Tina broke up a fight at the R&R last week by mentioning that the owner was a Mitchell."

"That's so messed up…"

"Maybe." She shrugged. "But that's how it is and I will never admit to saying this, but Ben's got it tougher than most. He's Phil Mitchell's son. Those are huge shoes to fill. If Danny goes round telling people that Ben brings coppers to his deals… he's fucked. Do you get that?"

"Yeah, but I weren't there as a copper."

"You're missing the point, Callum." Katy sighed. "You can't separate the two facts. You're a wannabe copper and you were at a dodgy business deal. Ben was right… you screwed it up."

"What can I do to fix it?" He asked, his eyes wide and hopeful as though he thought Katy held all the answers.

"You can't and you shouldn't even try." She told him firmly. "Let Ben get it out of his system and calm down and he'll see that you were only doing what you thought was best."

"What if he don't?"

"I don't know." Katy admitted honestly. "Look… I'm gonna tell you something that my Aunty Peg, Ben's Gran, told me when I was a kid. She said that whether I believed it or not, one day I'd realise that being a Mitchell was more important than anything or anyone else. She was right and I've realised it many, many times since then." Seeing that Callum was about to protest, she smiled weakly. "I know it's… it makes things hard. It makes having a relationship hard. If you think it's worth fighting for then you have to fight for it, Callum. I haven't found one that's really worth it, yet. But you and Ben? Who knows? Maybe you're it."

"Why did you come and help Ben? I know you don't like him."

"It's that Mitchell thing. He's my cousin. I knew he'd try and save face by not telling Danny he couldn't hear and I didn't want him to get in over his head. Whether I like him or not, he's still family."

There was a long silence as Callum tried to process things. He cradled the half-full glass of whisky in his hands until Katy took it away and downed the liquid herself. When he looked at her questioningly, she just shrugged.

"We'd better get going. I dunno how long it'll be before Ruby gets back."

Parting with him outside the club, Katy glanced at the time and decided to wander slowly towards Walford Primary to pick up the children. She was deep in thought, wondering whether she could find a way to repair the damage Callum had done that afternoon.

She didn't particularly want to get involved with Ben's dodgy business deals, but telling his boyfriend what Peggy had told her had set something off in Katy's mind. She felt as though she owed it to her aunt to at least try to help Ben. Katy wasn't sure whether he'd even accept any attempt she might make, but she needed to at least give it a go.

"Oh, sorry…"

Katy glanced up at the person she'd bumped into and smiled. "My fault. How're you feeling?"

Linda returned her smile weakly. "Oh, you know… I'm doing much better. I really am sorry for–"

"It's fine." The younger woman assured her quickly. "I really have had worse." She glanced at the crutches. "You walking to the school?"

"Yeah… first day of picking Ollie up on my own. I'm not going to let these stop me."

"Mind if I walk with you?"

"No… I mean, of course not."

They continued in silence for a couple of moments, neither really sure what to say to each other. Katy guessed that Linda was nervous about entering the playground and facing the gossip. There was no doubt there would be gossip; Katy had heard it for herself. She was slightly impressed by the way Linda was holding her head up and facing everything head on.

"It'll be OK." Katy said softly, nudging Linda gently with her shoulder as she hesitated by the gates. "If you want I'll stay with you."

"You will?"

"Of course." She chuckled. "I've dealt with my fair share of gossiping parents."

"Oh, thank god they're not out yet!" Chantelle gasped, skidding to a halt beside them. "It was only when I got to the salon I realised I'd forgotten the kids."

"Too much work, not enough hours." Linda said with a weak smile as Katy laughed.

"I, umm, haven't seen you here for a while."

"No, I'm… I'm about to start building bridges." The older woman nodded her head towards a huddle of mums. "Watch my back in case she gets the knife out."

Katy exchanged a look with Chantelle and hung back a little as Linda approached the group. She watched as Linda attempted to apologise for her behaviour, feeling uncomfortable as everyone eavesdropped on the conversation. As the older woman turned and started to make her way back towards them, Katy rearranged her expression into a reassuring smile. It quickly dropped as Shelley started to speak.

"You can't see how she's gonna fix this?" Katy snorted, moving to stand beside Linda and hearing the end of the conversation. "What, exactly, are you expecting her to fix? She's apologised and the gracious thing to do would be to accept that apology."

"What would you know about being gracious?" Shelley asked, looking Katy up and down. "You're a Mitchell."

"Katy…"

The woman's last sentence touched a nerve. Katy snorted derisively, her temper reaching boiling point in a split second. "You know what, you ain't even worth getting bothered over. I'd have told Linda not keep her apology because you don't really deserve one, do you?"

"Uhh? What's this got to do with you, anyway?"

"Linda's my mate. Mates stick up for each other." Katy glanced at the women on either side of her with a sarcastic smirk. "You know, real mates? Not just people who hang on your every word and nod along because they know that you'll turn on them at the first opportunity. But then, I don't suppose you've actually got any real mates, do you, Shelley?"

"Linda?" Everyone turned at the interruption. Isaac pointedly avoided making eye contact with everyone except the woman he had addressed. "Glad I caught you. Just been talking to Class R and your name came up. Wondered if you were free to come in and hear reading on Wednesdays?"

"I'd love to." She smiled, relief visible on her face at the offer. "Thank you."

As Isaac turned and walked away with her, Katy chuckled. "You ever been asked to listen to readers, Shelley? No? Maybe they don't want to risk offending you by assuming you can read. See ya!"

Laughing to herself at the stunned, furious expression on the other woman's face, Katy turned and headed off to join Chantelle once more. The other woman shot her a questioning look, so the blonde filled her in on everything she'd been unable to hear.

"You didn't say that?"

"Course I did." Katy laughed, still amused by the look on Shelley's face at her words. "I ain't scared of her. She needs taking down a peg or two… strutting round thinking she's better than everyone else."

"You're not worried she's gonna make things tricky for you or the kids?" Holding up her hands, she shrugged. "Whether we like it or not, she does actually hold some influence around here."

"Pfft… Chantelle, have you ever seen me remotely interested in whatever shit the PTA are doing? Besides, the kids can handle themselves and, if they can't, they'll come to me and I'll sort it."

"I wish I was as sure about things as you are."

Katy laughed. "I'm not sure about most things, apart from my kids, and I'm sure they're chips off the old block which is how I know they'll be fine."