"Danni, you could have told me you were with the Mallrats!" Amber had stormed off inside after a few moments of stunned silence and slammed the door.
"You didn't ask!" Danni snapped back at her. It was now that their differences were starting to show. "So, you're their precious Amber, the one who died." Amber looked at the floor uneasily.
"You don't know a thing!" Amber shouted back. "Why did you have to lead them here? I thought you were on your own. You told me you were."
"I was. It's just that...we were getting the food from the farms, and I told them I wanted to come and visit you. I wanted to come and see Beth. Where is she?" Danni couldn't see the baby.
"She's sleeping, in another room." Amber said. "You didn't answer my question!"
"Bray asked me where exactly I was going I told him. They had to turn back...there were some Demon Dogs...I waited and came here afterwards. They came to find me. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told Bray where I was going." She looked at Amber, who sighed.
"Just...I...oh, can you just tell Dal I want to speak to him, please? He was my best friend." She asked Danni. "And if you tell him about Beth I swear I'll..."
"Sure. I'll see you later." Danni walked out the door. 'When you've cooled off a bit...' She added under her breath. A few moments later Dal walked in.
"Am...Amber?" He stuttered. "It's really you! W...what happened...why did you leave?" Amber looked away.

"...So anyway, I made a new life for myself here, with some friends...Abbi, Kat and Alex, and a few others. I met the three of them when I was...when I was looking...looking for...Bray, after Ebony kidnapped him..." Amber was stuttering.
There was a knock on the door, and a girl poked her head round the door.
"Hey Abbi." Amber smiled at the girl.
"I think Beth wants you." She said.
"You haven't told anyone have you?" Amber stood up.
"No, I promise."
"Okay...Dal, I've got to go do something...I'll be back in a minute " Amber headed for the door.
"Ummm...Amber, who's Beth?" Dal looked confused. Amber stopped in her tracks. She wanted to tell him, but couldn't bring herself to. Dal would ask if it was Bray's, and Amber would get herself all upset. Again.
"Come with me, I'll show you." She finally said and walked outside, crossing into another building. She felt the others looking at her, but stopped herself looking back.

"Is she..." Dal trailed off.
"My daughter, yes." Amber swallowed hard. "She's partly the reason I didn't come back; when I realised what Ebony told me was a lie, I wanted to come back, even just to check I was right. But I couldn't come back, not when I was pregnant...and then when she was born, I didn't want to risk trying to get back with her. It's dangerous out there on your own."
"I know...but I still can't believe it! You, a mother...I thought you hated babies?!" Dal was smiling. He was really happy for her.
"I did, but then she came along and changed my mind." Amber grinned back at him.

"Amber, you have to tell him!" Dal said. He and Amber were still with Beth, and Amber had just sworn Dal to secrecy.
"I can't." She whispered.
"Why not? As far as I can see, nothing's changed." He was trying not to upset her more.
"Time's moved on, Dal, and Danni loves..."
"But Bray still loves you! Can't you see it?" Dal cut in.
"But...but I don't want to hurt Danni's feelings." Amber replied.
"But you still love him."
"Yes." She said weakly. "But I don't think I can face him, not yet. I doubted him, have you any idea how much that will hurt him?" Amber was crying now.
"He'll forgive you, I'm sure of it!" Dal put an arm round Amber's shoulder. "You'll have to tell him sooner or later, Amber. And it's probably best if it's sooner." He finished, and with that he got up and left, Amber still crying.
"What am I going to do, Beth? What am I going to do." She looked at the tiny girl.

It was beginning to get dark, and Amber had been told to tell the group of Mallrats they could stay the night.
"Go on!" Abbi pushed her towards them.
"Do I have to? I mean...can't you do it, please?" Amber didn't know how to face them after what she had done. Especially Bray.

"...So...the...the others...decided...you...you should stay. It's...it's too late to...be heading back...now..." Amber was sitting next to Bray, trying to tell the others they were welcome to stay. The fact she was sitting next to Bray may have been why she was stuttering so much.
"Okay, thanks." Dal broke the awkward silence that had arisen. Amber looked up, Abbi had come over and she sighed, relieved.
"I'll show you where you're sleeping." Abbi said, and the others got up to follow her. Amber didn't move, she just sat there, deep in thought. Bray sat back down opposite her.
"Amber, what happened? Why did you leave?" Amber bit her lip. This was the hard part.
"Eb...Ebony told me a lie, about you and her..."
"What, Amber, what are you saying?" He cut in.
"...I believed her, up there on Eagle Mountain, she dug a grave for me and everyone thought I was...that I was dead..." Amber swallowed hard and looked away. "When I realised that it was a lie, it was too late to come back...I couldn't." She looked back at Bray, who was confused. "I...I..." She started, "Sorry, I've got to go." She got up and ran to her room, and started sobbing into her pillow. Why hadn't she just told him, why? There was a knock on the door. It was Bray. Oh well, he was about to find out for himself. Amber sat up and wiped her eyes as he walked in.
"I'm sorry I upset you Amber, I didn't..." Amber took a deep breath and looked towards her daughter, who was sleeping.
"No, it's my fault. I couldn't bring myself to tell you. Her name's Beth."
"She's yours?" Bray's mouth dropped open. Amber nodded.
"Your daughter." She added, and Bray picked the tiny child up, smiling. Amber walked over to the two of them.
"She's beautiful..." Bray looked from Amber to Beth and back again. He put Beth back down. And they sat down.
"She's the reason I couldn't some back. I realised that Ebony had lied, and decided I wanted to come home. But it was too dangerous for me to come home, on my own, not while I was pregnant. I was going to try and come back soon, in fact I was on my way to see if you lot were still at the Mall, and I bumped into Danni. She's my cousin, and although we didn't used to get on all that well, she's family. I had no time to make it to the Mall, not when I'd left Beth with the others. I didn't realise Danni was one of you now...and then when you turned up out of the blue I was just...shocked. I knew I'd hurt all of you, and I didn't think you'd forgive me, any of you."

They were all sitting eating dinner, feeling somewhat awkward at first because they didn't know much about each other. Danni could sense something between Amber and Bray; the way Amber was smiling, especially at Bray. Danni was getting jealous - Bray was finally happy again, after all those months of moping and being depressed, and she knew it was Amber's influence. Beth started crying, and Amber quickly left the table. Soon the crying stopped, but Amber didn't come back.
"What's taking her so long?" Alex muttered.
"She's probably just settling Beth." Abbi heard him.
"Shouldn't someone go and see?" Danni said.
"You're right. I'll go." Bray said and Danni scowled.

Bray stood in the doorway, unnoticed by Amber. She was holding Beth, trying to get her to sleep.
"Shhh...come on, I want to get back...so, what did you think of your daddy then huh? You like him, don't you..." She was talking to Beth, using her voice to calm her. She looked up and saw Bray standing in the door. "She's almost asleep." She mouthed to him, smiling. Amber put Beth down, and stood watching her.
"She's so small, and peaceful." Bray said quietly, and stood next to Amber.
"Hmmm...Look, we better get back..." Amber turned to leave, but Bray but his hand on her arm. Amber went tense, and stared at his hand. Slowly she brought her eyes to his.
"Amber, I can't go on like this...it's like being tortured...and..."
"I know... I know..." Amber cut in. She reached out and ran her hands over his face and neck, and smiled broadly at him. They moved closer together and were just about to kiss when they saw movement in the doorway. They broke apart, and saw Danni standing there.
"Well...I'm...sorry for interrupting!" She said spitefully and turned on her heel.

Amber was sitting on her bed, and she held her head in her hands. She felt really guilty. Less than a few days after Danni had admitted her feelings for Bray, Amber had almost kissed him. She wasn't sure why she felt so bad, it was just...maybe it was because Danni was her cousin. But they didn't get on too well before, why should Amber sacrifice her own feelings for Danni now? It wasn't like Bray was with Danni or anything...and Amber had gone out with him before - for goodness' sake, she had had his baby!

She was just about to break the uneasy silence between her Bray, but heard footsteps by the door. Amber looked up, hoping that it wasn't Danni.
"Chloe..." She started.
"The others sent me to find you. I just saw Danni run off all upset, why was she upset Amber?" she asked, innocently.
"I...well...ummm..." Amber looked up at Bray. Inside she kicked herself. She should have known better than to look him in the eyes, especially as he was looking at her. If only Danni hadn't come in, then maybe things would be different now. She'd probably be in his arms right now; something she'd longed for in the time she had been away from the Mall. Chloe stood there looking at them. Neither had said a word for quite a while. Amber suddenly realised this. "Chloe, have you seen Patsy anywhere?" Amber said, not raking her eyes off Bray. Then she groaned inwardly. She'd said those words before to Chloe, so she could talk to Bray alone. She knew that Chloe would realise she wanted her to go, and when she looked to the doorway Chloe had gone. Amber walked over to the door and looked up at the sky. It was so clear tonight. She took one last breath of the cool, fresh air and shut the door, and turned to face Bray.

The next thing she knew was that she was hugging him; her eyes were all watery.
"I've missed you." She whispered into his ear.

The next morning, Amber rolled over in Bray's arms and groaned. Someone was knocking on the door.
"Wake up!" She whispered as she elbowed Bray.
"What?" Came the reply. Amber jerked her head in the direction of the door, but it opened anyway.
"Amber, can I talk to you?" It was Danni, and her voice wasn't too friendly.
"Sure, sure...just give me five seconds will you?" She said as Danni turned on her heel, slamming the door as she went. "I'll be back soon. I just need to see what's up with her." Amber kissed Bray and left to find Danni, knowing full well what was the matter with her.

"I can't believe you Amber, I tell you my feelings about Bray, and you go and jump into bed with him!" Danni shouted at Amber, whose eyes narrowed in reply.
"Look, I thought you would have realised..."
"Realised what, exactly?" Danni cut in.
"Danni, I love Bray!"
"But what about me? You only care about yourself!"
"Look, I know you like him, but you've got to think about Beth too."
"What about her?" Danni said spitefully.
"You mean you haven't realised? Danni, Bray's her father!" Amber replied, as Danni first went white, then red with envy.