It was Sunday morning when Jack appeared to collect Ricky and Amy. Katy leant in the living room doorway watching her father hugging her brother and sister tightly, smiling weakly when Amy glanced in her direction. Jack laughed when his younger daughter asked if he'd brought them presents, reminding her that there weren't any gift shops at a police training centre.

As the two children rushed upstairs to gather their things, Katy fixed her father with a serious look. He huffed, frowning at her as he realised that she was about to start asking questions that he probably wouldn't be thrilled about. Before she could even open her mouth, Jack held up his hands and glanced towards the door, signalling for her to push it shut.

"So… something you need to tell me about, Dad?"

"Like what?"

"Where you actually were this week?" She retorted. "I'm not an idiot, Dad. I don't buy that you and Mum were coincidentally away the same week… I'm not Aunty Roxy or Gran. I know that you went away together."

"Katy, you can't go round shooting your mouth off about things you don't understand!" He hissed at her irritably, lowering his voice so that they wouldn't be overheard. "I'm in a relationship, remember? With Denise. You can't just–"

Katy rolled her eyes. "Leave it out. You know I like Denise and this ain't fair on her. It ain't fair on anyone… think about the kids!"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Jack turned to her and shook his head. "I don't know what you want me to do."

"Are you serious?" His daughter stared at him, wide-eyed. "I want you to grow up and make a decision. Mum's no innocent, far from it, but it's you who's messing the pair of them around. You've got the control here, Dad. You need to decide which of them you actually wanna be with you end things with the other one."

"Simple as that, yeah?"

"Yeah, actually, it is." Katy snapped. "God, why are men such cowards. Just make a damn decision and stick with it."

"What if I make the wrong decision?"

Exhaling sharply, Katy rubbed her forehead tiredly. "I honestly don't know. Look… I'm not saying you have to make a decision right this second and tell them straight away," she admitted with a small shrug, "but you need to deal with this before everything blows up in your face. This can't go on forever, can it? At some point everyone is going to find out."

"Right, fine… point taken." Jack muttered grumpily. "Just… don't say anything, yeah?"

"Like I would."

"Thanks." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking awkward. "So… how've things been? It was your last session with the mediator this week, weren't it?"

"Mmm…"

"How'd it go?"

"I've handed it over to Ritchie. She's dealing with it now."

"You couldn't sort things between you?" Jack asked, frowning at her. "How have things got so bad between you?"

"You never liked Tyler." Katy reminded him with a shrug. "You always thought something like this was going to happen."

Her father snorted. "I thought he didn't have the brains he was born with. He was never good enough for you."

"Don't Dad." She shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself and turning away. "I did love him."

"I know you did, sweetheart. Are you sure there's no chance…?"

"Dad." Katy scowled at him. "It's over. There's no going back from this."

"Would you want to if you could?"

"No. I really wouldn't. We're done. I've moved on."

"Talking of moving on… you and Isaac, eh?"

"What the fuck?" Katy threw up her hands in exasperation. "Is this Amy?"

Jack grinned, revelling in his daughter's discomfort after the conversation they'd just had. "She said he's got a photo of you as his lock screen?"

"Oh my god!"

"So… you're not gonna be inviting us round for dinner to meet him anytime soon?"

"No!" Katy scowled at him. "No, I'm bloody not." Hearing thumping footsteps coming down the stairs, she turned and smiled at Ricky and Amy as they crashed into the living room. "Oh, Dad… any chance you can have the girls on Tuesday night? There's an event I need to go to and Tina's covering me at R&R."

"Sure." He shrugged, shouldering the children's bags. "Need me to get them to school?"

"Yeah, please… I'm not sure what time I'll get back, so I'd appreciate a lie in!"

"Is Mr Baptiste going with you?" Amy asked, smirking.

Katy narrowed her eyes at her. "No, of course not. Why would he be?"

"Whatever you say, Katy…"

Exchanging a look with her father, the young woman walked them to the door, leaning against the doorframe as she watched them walk around the pillar and then up the steps to the house next door. She grinned, reaching out to high-five Ricky as he leant towards her and shaking her head in amusement as they disappeared inside.

She was about to head back inside herself, when her eyes caught movement through the gardens and she realised her mother was heading towards her. Arching an eyebrow, Katy remained leaning in the doorway as Ronnie approached nonchalantly, doing her very best to keep an innocent expression on her face. Leading the way inside, Katy asked whether her mother wanted a cup of tea, before going to put the kettle on.

"How's Amanda?" Katy asked as soon as they were settled at the breakfast bar with their mugs of tea.

"She's fine. The bar looks great!" Ronnie smiled at her, taking a sip of her drink.

"That's weird…"

Ronnie blinked at her. "What is?"

"You said you were going to see someone called Alison."

"Is that not what you said?"

"Nope." Katy arched an eyebrow at her. "Where did you and Dad go, anyway?"

"I wasn't–"

"Oh, come on, Mum. Dad's already let the cat out of the bag." Her daughter told her with a shrug. Katy dropped her gaze for a moment, before looking up seriously. "He's literally just left here with the kids."

"What… what did he say?" There was an intensely vulnerable look on the older blonde's face as she searched Katy's face for answers.

"I did most of the talking." She admitted. "I told him he needed to make a decision."

"Katy…"

"What?" Her daughter looked at her defiantly. "You don't like being messed around and kept as his little secret, do you?"

"Of course not, but–"

"Besides, you said you'd end things with him if I gave Isaac a proper chance."

"And you have?"

"Well… according to Amy he's got a photo of me and him as his lock screen on his phone, so…" Katy shrugged, wrapping her hands around her mug and looking down. "I guess I have."

"You don't sound too happy about it."

"I like him, Mum, I just… I don't know if I can do the whole relationship thing. I mean I've got three kids, a business, cancer…"

"Isaac knows all those things, right?" Ronnie asked gently, reaching out and covering Katy's hand with her own. She linked their fingers and squeezed gently. "If he knows all about your life and he still wants a relationship with you–"

"But he doesn't know all about my life, does he? He has no idea how many skeletons there are in my cupboards. He'd run a mile if he had any idea…"

"But that's all in the past; it's all done and dusted." The older blonde told her firmly, squeezing her hand again. "It's done, sweetie."

"Yeah…"

"It is done, isn't it? There's nothing I don't know, is there?"

"Course not, Mum."

"Katy?"

"Mum, seriously." Katy leant back in her seat, letting her hand drop out of her mother's. She couldn't help her mind flicking to the gun safely locked away in the safe in her office. "There's nothing you need to worry about, OK?"

"Strangely that doesn't set my mind at rest, Katherine."

"You sound like Gran."

Ronnie's face twitched, but she didn't comment. "What've you done?"

"I haven't done anything."

Letting out a long, exasperated sigh, Ronnie ran both hands through her hair before looking at her daughter. "What have you got yourself involved in? Is it anything to do with that Graham?"

"Of course not." Katy rolled her eyes. "I don't know why you're so intent on making him out to be some kind of monster."

"Because I know guys like him, sweetie. They put the money in, but at the end of the day you're the one that ends up paying."

"Mum, it ain't like that."

"It's always like that."

"If we can't have a sensible conversation–"

Ronnie held up a hand. "Alright, fine. I'll drop it." She reached out for Katy's hand again, smiling when her daughter relaxed. "Nice t-shirt, by the way."

Katy chuckled, looking down at her pyjama top. "It's one of the ones Whitney made for Pride at R&R last year. They're surprisingly comfortable."

"Thought maybe you'd stolen it off Tina."

"She's got a matching one." Her daughter replied with a shrug, grinning. "Got a couple more somewhere if you want one."

"You know I don't wear random t-shirts." Ronnie reminded her with a grin.

"Ah, yeah, I forgot it would need to have a label."

"Don't you cheek me, young lady."

Laughing, the younger blonde shook her head and stood up, holding out her hand for her mother's empty mug and placing them both in the sink. "Talking of Pride, are you and Rox still OK to help out at R&R this year? I wanna give Tina and the others the night off so they can enjoy it properly." She grinned cheekily. "It will mean wearing a non-label t-shirt though, I'm afraid."

"Oh, shhh, you!" Ronnie pouted at her in mock-offence. Then she sent her a warm smile. "Yeah, we're both looking forward to it. I think Rox is hoping Christian and Syed will come down for the weekend, too."

Katy grinned and turned her attention to washing up, listening as Ronnie launched into a one-sided conversation about what they needed to do between them with everything the children had coming up over the next couple of weeks before the summer holidays. When Ronnie asked whether they should split attending sports' day, the summer fayre, the summer play and the end of term assembly between them, Roxy, Jack and Glenda, Katy arched an eyebrow.

"Firstly, it's Amy last year in Primary and I think she'd throw the tantrum to end all tantrums if we weren't all there for every single thing she gets to show off in." She pointed out. "Secondly, it's Matthew and the twins first year and I'm not missing that. Thirdly, we're Mitchells… we go everywhere en masse given the opportunity."

"And you can find the time to follow through with that promise?"

Katy nodded at her sharply. "I'll make time."