Hi everyone! Thanks again for all the lovely reviews, and sorry again for the delay. I've edited this to within an inch of its life and I just can't fiddle with it anymore, so it's going out into the world. I hope you enjoy, and thank you for bearing with me

It was just after three pm when Peter's mobile rang. He and Carla were sat in the factory office, tying up a few loose ends before the weekend, and their date date was planned for that evening. After painstakingly researching almost every restaurant in Manchester, Peter had finally found one that seemed perfect, and he was feeling confident it would be a night to remember. Unfortunately, it seemed the universe had other plans.

"Flooded?" Peter exclaimed into the phone. "When did that happen?"

Carla raised an eyebrow at him, and he held up his hand to reassure her.

"And there's nothing you can do?" He asked. "Right ok, thanks for letting me know." He said before hanging up the phone dejectedly.

"Everything ok?" Carla asked.

Peter scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, he could just tell her, he knew she would understand.

"Oh, erm, just a mate of mines had a flood at his house." He went with a lie.

"Oh dear." She replied.

"Yeah, the damage isn't too bad luckily."

Peter knew he should just come clean, but after putting so much effort into this date, he didn't want to fall at the final hurdle. He was all too aware of the fact that he hadn't won Carla back just yet, and he was determined to put in the graft. Now that their reservations had been cancelled, he would just have to think of something else.

The flood wasn't the only issue that had arisen in the run up to the big night. Simon had arrived back from Cornwall the day before, and along with his return had come the reminder of the trouble he'd gotten himself into. Peter was pleased to have him back and determined to help him through this whole situation with Tyler and the upcoming trial. However, it turned out Tyler had been sending Simon threatening messages for weeks, and now that he was back on the street, those messages turned into a visit, which culminated in Tyler and his mates jumping Simon in the street the day before.

The police had been useless and with Tyler assuring Simon this wasn't the last he'd see of him, Peter was anxious about leaving Simon alone. But he really didn't want to cancel on Carla and so he'd told his son he had a business dinner he couldn't get out of, and he was on strict instructions not to leave the house. Considering he spent almost every waking moment on his games console, Peter didn't think that would be a particularly difficult task, but he still felt uneasy. The timing was terrible, and Peter knew Carla would understand if he'd had to rearrange, but he wasn't prepared to risk this chance she'd given him, he needed to strike while the iron was hot.

"You alright over there?" Carla said suddenly, pulling Peter from his thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry, I was miles away." He said, shaking his head with a slight laugh.

"I'm just going to head off and start getting ready, if that's ok?"

"Of course." He smiled at her.

"And we're meeting here at seven?"

"Yes." Peter said firmly, with more confidence than he felt.

"Okie doke, see you later." She swept out of the office and Peter immediately sprung into action. There was no way he'd be able to get a reservation at a decent restaurant this late on a Friday. He racked his brain until suddenly it hit him. Their picnic had been interrupted the other night, but that didn't mean he couldn't give it another try. And this time he would ensure the location was a bit more romantic than the factory.

After seeing off the girls at 5pm, Peter quickly raced to the supermarket to stock up on everything he needed, before rushing back home to get changed. By this point it was already six pm, so he didn't have much time. Fortunately, he wasn't particularly high maintenance, all he needed was a change of clothes and quick spritz of aftershave, and he'd be good to go.

"Right Si, what have I told you about tonight?" He asked Simon as he was heading out. Ken was at his book club, Peter had insisted he go, reminding him that Leanne was only around the corner if Simon needed her.

"Stay here." Simon said.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Stay here." He repeated. "I'm not stupid Dad, I'm not going to go looking for trouble."

"Ok, good. How do I look?" He asked, adjusting his collar.

Simon pulled a face, "I thought it was just a business meeting."

"That doesn't mean I can't look presentable does it?"

"I suppose not. You look fine."

"Fine? Well thanks for that glowing feedback son. Now stay out of trouble please."

"I will, I promise."

He ruffled his son's hair before heading back over to the factory, he had parked his car outside, the boot containing what he hoped was a romantic picnic for two. Carla was stood on the steps outside, waiting for him. It was only as he got closer and took in her appearance that it occurred to Peter that he probably should've told her where they were going, she wasn't exactly dressed for a picnic in the park.

"Hey." She said, as she headed down the steps towards him. "What's the plan?"

"I'm driving." He said. They quickly got into the car, not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves. Peter had been driving for several minutes before Carla finally asked where they were headed.

"It's a surprise." He replied. He tried to sound excited, but he was rapidly losing confidence in his plan. At least the weather had held, and the evening was warm, even for August. Carla was wearing a very fancy black dress, and whilst it looked amazing, it didn't seem like the sort of dress you sat on the floor in. Still, there was nothing he could do about it now. He pulled the car onto the patch of gravel that served as a carpark for their destination and awaited Carla's response.

"Peter, where are we?" She asked, confusion marring her perfectly made up face.

"This is where we're having dinner." He said simply.

She looked out of the window, "But there's nothing here."

"There's a park just over there." He pointed through her window and she squinted out.

"Are you joking?" She asked.

"No, I thought we could have a picnic. A successful one this time." He responded cheerfully, hoping if he appeared confident enough in his idea, Carla wouldn't cotton on to what a shambles the night had become.

"Peter, I've got heels on. Why didn't you tell me we were going to a park, I would've worn something else!" She stared at him incredulously and he sighed.

"Ok. That phone call I had earlier? It wasn't a mate of mines place that flooded, it was the restaurant I'd booked. Our reservation got cancelled and I didn't think I'd be able to find somewhere decent last minute on a Friday, so I had to think of something else..." He trailed off.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" She asked softly.

"Because I wanted tonight to be perfect, but everything keeps going wrong." He sighed deeply.

Carla placed her hand on his arm gently, "You just caught me off guard, a picnic sounds lovely." She smiled.

"What about your shoes?"

"Oh, don't worry about that, I came out of the womb wearing heels." She winked.

They climbed out of the car and Peter took the shopping bags out of the boot.

"Are you alright to carry the blanket?" He asked her.

They headed into the park, Peter praying it wasn't going to be full of teenagers drinking tinnies. The spot he had in mind was about a ten-minute walk away, at the top of a rather steep hill. Peter knew the view from the top was worth the climb, he just hoped Carla would agree.

"Hang on a minute." She said, eyeing the steep incline. "We're going up there?"

"There's a nice little spot at the top, I've been there before."

"Jesus Peter, I signed up for a romantic date, not a Bear Grylls style expedition."

"Don't be so dramatic." He tutted.

"Seriously Peter, I don't think I can do it in these shoes."

"I thought you 'came out of the womb wearing heels'" He raised an eyebrow at her.

Not one to back down from a challenge she immediately removed her shoes and began scaling the hill, she was so fast that Peter had to rush to catch up with her. Once they were both at the top they paused to take in the view.

"See?" He said turning to smile at her.

In the distance the city glistened, and when the time came, they'd be able to watch the sun set over the top of it. Suddenly feeling incredibly pleased with his plan Peter took the blanket from Carla and began to set up their picnic.

One of the benefits of organising a date with someone you've previously been married to, is already knowing all their favourite thing's, and for the second time that week Peter had stocked up on all the foods he knew Carla loved, even though it wasn't all to his taste. Smelly cheese, olives, couscous, and different breads, along with a bottle of her favourite wine. She raised an eyebrow as he pulled out the bottle.

"That better not be that non-alchie champagne." She joked.

"No, it is your favourite, extremely alchie, red wine."

"Peter—"

"No, I don't want to hear it, you're having one."

His and Carla's relationship with alcohol had always been turbulent, and Peter knew that Carla would be willing to forgo having a drink if it made him more comfortable. But Peter was in a good place as far as his addiction was concerned, he generally felt fine around other people drinking. He wanted Carla to have a relaxing evening, after a stressful couple of weeks back at the factory, and more importantly, he wanted her to enjoy herself.

"Fine." She said. "But I don't need to have a drink every time we go out."

"Noted." Peter replied.

After a bit of squirming from Carla to maintain her decency, they both relaxed onto the blanket, helping themselves to food and drink. Peter watched Carla as she ate, still in awe of the fact that after all these years, he had another chance to make right what he'd got so wrong in the past. He knew he didn't deserve it, and he understood why she was worried about the reactions of her friends and family. If they got to the point of telling them, and Peter so hoped they would, it would be just another hurdle for them to overcome. But Peter was prepared to face the ire because he knew that being with Carla was worth it.

"Can you stop staring at me?" She asked suddenly, an amused look on her face.

"Sorry." He laughed.

"That's the second time I've caught you daydreaming today."

"Just thinking."

"Careful, you'll hurt yourself." She joked.

"Thank you for coming." He smiled at her, "I'm sorry it's not a fancy restaurant."

Carla shook her head, "Inappropriate outfit aside, it's perfect."

Peter leaned towards her, hoping for a kiss, when suddenly his phone began to buzz in his pocket. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he pulled away from her.

"Sorry." He said, fumbling for his phone.

"It's ok." She replied straightening back up.

He frowned at the name on the screen, "It's Leanne." He told her, before swiping to answer the call.

"Lea?" He said into the receiver, trying not to sound too agitated by the interruption.

"Where are you?" She asked, brash as always.

"At a business meeting, why?" His eyes fell to Carla who raised an eyebrow.

"Simon's hurt himself." A chill ran down Peter's spine as he sat up straight, images of Tyler attacking Simon flashing through his mind.

"Peter?" Carla asked, noting his sudden change in demeanour.

"What's happened? Was it Tyler?"

"No, no! Nothing like that. He's cut his hand cooking." Leanne said exasperated. "We're in the hospital now, he's just getting stitched up. He didn't want to interrupt your business meeting, but I thought you would want to know."

"I'll be right there." He said firmly.

"No, Peter, you don't need to come," Leanne insisted, "He'll be discharged as soon as they've finished, I'll bring him back to Kens."

Peter let out a breath, now feeling slightly more at ease, "Ok. I'll come straight back. Thanks Leanne."

He hung up the phone and turned to Carla, who was looking at him with concern.

"Is everything ok?" She asked.

"Simon's cut his hand, I don't know what he's done, but he's getting stiches." He held a hand to his forehead, trying to calm himself down. The initial fear that Tyler had done something to Simon had not yet fully faded.

Carla placed a hand on his arm, "It's ok." She said, "He's ok."

"I just thought…" He trailed off.

"Thought what?" She asked, clearly alarmed by his panicked reaction to the call.

Peter hadn't told Carla the latest about Tyler yet, worried it would lead to her insisting their date didn't go ahead.

"Simon was attacked yesterday."

"What?" Carla exclaimed, sounding horrified.

"That Tyler, he's been sending Simon threatening messages the whole time he's been in Cornwall, and as soon as he got back yesterday, Tyler turned up on the street with his cronies and attacked him. We told the Police, but they said there was nothing they could do." He rolled his eyes. "I told him to stay put tonight just in case Tyler came back. When Leanne said something had happened to him, I just assumed the worst."

"Peter why didn't you tell me any of this?"

"Because! I wanted this date to be perfect, and I knew you would tell me we could do it another time. I figured he'd be safe at my Dad's, I told him not to go anywhere."

Carla sighed. "Peter. The last thing I want is for you to be putting me before your family, especially Simon."

"I just really want this to work." He said simply.

Carla bit her lip, "Let's just go back and see Simon, and we can talk about all of this later?"

"Yeah." He replied, "Thanks."

"Of course." She said, as they began to pack away the picnic, Peter took one last look at the view, hoping he and Carla could watch the sunset another time.

They made it back to number one just minutes after Leanne and Simon arrived back from the hospital. Despite Leanne's assurances, Peter hadn't quite been able to shake his anxiety, and knew he wouldn't feel completely calm until Simon was standing in front of him. Carla had been calming and supportive the entire ride home, and Peter made a mental note to thank her as soon as he had a chance.

They burst into the living room to find Simon sat at the dining table, his bandaged hand gingerly placed on the table in front of him but seeming otherwise in good spirits.

"Dad I'm fine." He insisted before Peter could say anything.

"What happened?" Peter asked.

"He was chopping onions and the knife slipped, it was just an accident." Leanne told him.

"Hang on." Simon said suddenly, "How come you're holding hands?"

Leanne's head snapped towards them and Carla immediately let go of his hand. In their rush to get into the house Peter hadn't even realised she was holding it.

"Busted!" Simon said, with a grin.