Hi, so here is another chapter and It comes just before Christmas!

I am going to keep this note short and sweet so I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer-Nothing here is mine just the character of Isla Boswell.

Please Read and Review and let me know what you think.

Glory Days

Chapter 2-Let Loose The Dogs

Martina meets Isla Boswell and learns a bit more about Joey Boswell's past in the process. Billy meanwhile has some news. Some events/episodes changed around.

Some time had passed this that memorable day her Granddad Freddie had come home.

Home was not really the word for it however. As Isla soon learned home for her grandfather meant coming in on some days for dinner and other days. She'd yet to met the infamous 'tart' as her grandma would call her but Isla couldn't say her name out loud. The second Nellie Boswell got a sense that that word was being said in her vicinity she let out a scream that had once made Isla clap her hands over her ears and wish she was at the bottom of the table.

But they made it work. One day her Dad came back with money in the pot or for Uncle Adrian who was sad he'd been made redundant. Sometimes Isla got her white chocolate from Uncle Jack who always managed to have a smile on his face for her and even Granddad when she went round with the tray was less rude than usual though she did get a long talk one morning about how three pieces of toast was not enough for a man of his age to survive on his own.

"I can survive on three pieces of toast for breakfast" Isla said scuffing her school shoes against the edge of the pavement.

"Yes well…your growing, I've stopped growing haven't I? And stop scuffing those shoes you, your old man needs another year out of those shoes the way prices are going up"

And with that he shut the door in her face and Isla sighed. This was not what she needed today of all days.

For today Isla was going to do something that could be seen as very stupid or very dangerous depending on weather or not you were going to ask one of her Uncles or weather or not you asked her Dad.

Today she was going to the DHSS.

The reason she was making this impromptu visit was because as Grandma had said they had to take care of their own problems themselves and this was a problem.

Isla was going on a school trip.

Well she was if the DHSS would pay for it and though it was a school day her Dad had been out all night and therefore Uncle Jack was supposed to drop her off which was almost laughable because Uncle Jack dumped her on the side of the road and never stayed to check.

Honestly it was easy for her to take the chain and get the bus ticket down to the Social Security take a ticket and wait in the que next to a woman who was moaning about how everything had been stolen off her washing line…again.

"Next!"

Isla stood up.

Martina had been shifting papers when she looked up.

It was a child.

Well…that was…unusual.

It was not unheard of, sometimes when a person got desperate or when they got sick or whenever they wanted to get something they might send their child or their grandchild thinking it might tug at Martina's heartstrings. Stupid mistake really. After all as the woman she'd seen this morning said for all of the world to see, it was common knowledge that she didn't have a heart in the first place.

"Morning" the girl said with a grin. Martina would put her at around six with a shocking mess of blonde hair that looked as someone had tried to tame it but had given up. Either that or the girl hadn't bothered with a hairbrush for that special downtrodden effect. Her blue eyes seemed to twinkle in a way that sent alarm bells in Martina's brain. There was something about that twinkle and that hair and that self-assured confidence that was…but no…it couldn't be…could it?

"Hello Love. No parents with you?"

"Nah. Though you do know me Dad. He's err…how do you say? A regular patron of this establishment"

That sealed the deal.

"Your name is Isla. Isla Boswell" she deadpanned.

The girl beamed and nodded. Martina groaned and put her head down on her papers. Honestly even for Joey Boswell this was just too much.

"Alright" Martina said bringing her head back up. "Where's the ringleader?"

"If you mean Dad he doesn't know I'm here. And if it's all the same I don't want him to know"

Martina blinked. "Why?"

"Cause I took two buses, bunked off school and told a string of lies about where I was going and there's a small chance I'm gonna pull this off and it would help if you didn't tell him"

Martina snorted. Christ this child was so Joey Boswell's.

"Alright. Shall we go into song number two? What do you want love?"

It took Isla a second and then she was passing Martina a rather battered letter. Martina took it and read it and felt her disbelief rising along with (dare she even think it) her amusement.

"This is a letter about a school trip to a zoo"

"Please note the amount" the girl said studying her nails in a way that Martina knew she had picked up and copied from her father.

"£15 pounds."

Isla stared at her and then rolled her eyes. "Well obviously I can't pay it can I? And considering you sighed off on my last request I'd figured you sign off on this one. Cause saving the animals is important work and for all I know I might become inspired to save more animals if the working and living condition of these animals is lacking"

"Where'd you get that one from?"

"Uncle Adrian. He used to work in real estate, now he's redundant."

Martina had an image of Number 42 in her mind and nodded.

"Well I suppose the gift of the gab does run in the family through generations after all" she said folding the paper back up.

"Tell me Miss Boswell, say I pay you, how do you intend to get the money past that family of yours?"

"I was thinking you just add it to Dad's lot when he comes in tomorrow. I mean you can say you just got a letter from me. Usually that's what I'd do but I think he's checking the mail now after that pen thing. Thanks for that by the way, they really are pretty"

Martina bit her lip hard. Honestly.

"Well you've thought this through haven't you?"

"Well I didn't want to come here without a plan. Dad never does. He says you appreciate that."

Martina actually did laugh at that one her face creasing with giggles. Several of her co-workers looked at her in amazement and Mrs McGinty who came in to complain about her husband once a week actually clutched her crucifix staring at Martina as if it was the end times.

"Thanks" she said once she'd managed to get herself under control. "I needed that"

Isla Boswell said nothing instead she looked confused. Martina didn't blame her but despite everything, every instinct in her that was telling her that this was a bad idea she couldn't help but ask the burning questions that had been plaguing her for so long. Here was the best insight into a man who had both annoyed her and intrigued her for so long and the more she looked at Isla Boswell the more she wanted answers.

"Tell me something Miss Boswell, before I considering giving away the government's cash so you can save the dolphins…do you live with your father and the rest of the family?"

Isla nodded.

"And do you have a mother?"

"No" Isla said with such finality it was surprising. "She walked out on me and Dad when I was a baby and she's not come back"

Martina blinked. Perhaps it was because she had been dealing with him for too long or perhaps it was just because he didn't seem the type but she could never envision Joey Boswell in love with anyone but himself. Certainly she could not imagine him as vulnerable as this picture his daughter painted of him. She thought she could see it though, him with this little girl in his arms doing it all alone and the thought made something in her warm a little.

Damn him.

But she looked at Isla Boswell and thought that she didn't understand how her mother could…well…it was not for her to judge. There might have been serious reasons and Martina was not a mother and therefore couldn't really understand (that had been her Mam's favourite line whenever they'd had a row) but the way Isla Boswell spoke with such finality, as if she knew there was no chance of her Mum coming back…it was staggeringly open.

"So it's just you and J—your Dad?"

"No. I have the family don't I?"

"Ah yes the family" Martina rolled her eyes as she often did whenever that line was trotted out and in doing so she was relieved to realise that she had gotten rid of anything inside of her that might have wanted to give this child a hug.

(What good would that do?)

"Alright Miss Boswell you win"

Isla Boswell beamed that bright smile again and Martina as she slid the form into the pile that she no doubt would be giving to Joey Boswell (not that he would put two and two together) found that she was genuinely smiling back.

"You won't let on to him right?"

"No. I know ways of getting around your Dad. Now get home before it get's dark"

"Thanks" Isla said hoping off her chair. "You know I reckon Uncle Jack's wrong about you. He's says you're a vampire sucking the souls of the desperate and des…des…"

"Destitute?" Martina finished making a mental note to find a way to cut Jack Boswell's benefits in half

"Yeah I think that was it." she took two steps down the corridor and then came running back her hair a mass of gold over her shoulders leaving Martina wondering just how someone related to Joey Boswell (who was usually so prim and proper in his appearance) could leave the house with hair that messy and then handed out a folded piece of paper.

"Here. Dad said you wanted a picture"

Martina opened it. It was clearly cut out from a child's colouring book and it was a dolphin. A gold dolphin to boot but there was something about it that made her feel oddly like she was going to cry.

"Thank you Miss Boswell"

Isla Boswell gave her another one of those smiles and then she was gone and Martina had to go and fix herself a strong cup of tea before she could bellow out her next, Next!

If when she went home that night the picture was in her bag…well…there was nobody around to see her.

Isla slipped through the front door just before tea was about to be set.

"And were have you been?"

She met her Dad's gaze with both fingers crossed behind her back he was sat in the living room with Uncle Jack and Uncle Adrian both of whom looked very hangdog. Her Grandma was in the kitchen with her Uncle Billy and by the amount of banging of the dinner plates Isla suspected her Granddad Freddie was coming round tonight as well.

"I went round to Charlotte Lacey's. She's got a new set of crayons she wanted to show off. Sorry Dad"

"I don't mind you playing with your friends Isla but I expect you to be back before it get's dark and to tell me where your going. You know how these streets can be"

Isla thought it was a very good idea she had not mentioned about the bus ride.

"Can you sign this? It's for a school trip to the zoo"

"When I get to the table. Your grandma's in there yelling at your Uncle Billy"

"Why?"

"Eh…turns Julie is going to have a baby. Your going to have a cousin"

A baby.

Wow.

"Why would grandma be upset with that?"

"Because that's two in a row" Uncle Jack muttered. "And she was really hoping you wouldn't be the start of a pattern rugrat."

Isla stuck her tongue out at him.

"It's just because your Gran thought that Uncle Billy might be…er…married."

"Billy married? God it's like the lunatics taking over the asylum" Uncle Adrian said from his end of the sofa.

"But why? You and—you weren't married when I was born"

Her Dad said nothing to that. He just got the look on his face that Isla had known for a few months now came whenever he was thinking about her Mum. Isla tried never to think about her. It hurt both her head and her heart too much. But she hated the idea that thinking about something might cause her Dad pain. He was her most favourite person in the world.

"And that doesn't matter" Uncle Jack said into the silence that followed. "Just remember Isla. It takes love to have a baby doesn't take a marriage"

"Jack!"

"It's ok Dad" Isla said wrinkling her nose. "I don't want babies anyway"

That set them all laughing and talking and she felt her Dad kiss her on the head as she went to take her shoes off and it was only as she was in the hallway away from them all staring at the shoe rack that Isla realised she was upset for reasons she didn't know why. It wasn't that she was jealous there was going to be a new baby or anything like that. But it was…it was…it was…

It was the simple thought that this baby was going to have two parents.

A father and a mother. Like all the books said was normal.

"Isla dinner!"

"Coming Dad"

She kicked both her shoes to the side with more aggression than that was necessary and then she opened the door back to the noise and the light and the warmth and thought that it was best she left the dark thoughts to the dark places and concentrated on all the family that she had.

And there you go, I hope you enjoy this chapter and if I don't get another one published before hand I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Next Chapter-Billy's baby is born, Isla gains a new family member, Martina get's a new headache and Aveline runs away from home.