So, this was Anna's life now. She was still pretty well known, and she hated the people who stared at her as she walked by, pushing her little Julia in a pram. But she was glad she made the change. She didn't want her daughter to grow up in the same narrow-minded, arrogant way that she had. It had taken her fifteen years to look outside of her self-contained little world and see what was really there. It had taken her fifteen years to break free.

But now she was out on her own, or, at least, a little more independent than she was. She loved her daughter so much she thought she might burst. She wondered if all mothers went through the same feelings. She didn't know what she'd do without her little Julia.

This was obviously not the way she had expected everything to happen. It had all come to pass so fast; she still couldn't quite believe this was happening to her. Everybody saw it as such a bad thing, but, in her eyes, it was one of the best the things that ever happened to her. Julia was perfect. She loved every inch of her daughter, and although she knew that Julia could never replace her Chris, she'd never want her to.

Aimee was still cold towards her, but she loved Julia. It was hard not to. Even though she thought that Anna was the biggest stuck up cow and Chris was the biggest idiot for getting mixed up with her, she thought Julia was beautiful. And she could stand Anna, at least until they got on their feet.

The slums of Timber were far from an ideal place to raise a child, but it wasn't like they had a choice. Anna still couldn't quite get over how they lived on the other side of the train tracks. She was used to luxury; everything she could ever want at her beck and call. This was a crash-landing down to reality for her.

"No, no, no! You're doing it all wrong! Honestly, have you ever done a hard day's work in your life?" Anna lowered her eyes to the floor.

"Listen, princess, you can't just feebly dab at them! How do you think we're going to get all that muck off? You have to put some effort into it!"

"I'm sorry Aimee. I've never done this before…"

"Well, I'm sorry I can't employ servants to wash up for us, but that's just the way it is. I can barely afford to feed three mouths…you need to get a job, or some source of income." Anna thought guiltily of the cheques from her father that she had torn up and thrown away. It was a matter of dignity. Aimee would understand, right?

"I know Julia isn't old enough to be left alone, and we can't afford a nursery, but there must be something you could do! Come on, Anna! Think! Can you do anything?"

"I…I had piano lessons…"

"No Anna, I mean something useful. Look, just don't talk to me right now…you're doing my head in…" Aimee stormed out of the room.

Anna slumped down on a chair and started to cry. It was hard enough for her without Aimee making it a thousand times worse. Maybe she should accept those cheques…no, she didn't want to be a charity case. But then again, she supposed she already was. She practically had to beg Aimee to take her in off the streets.

There had to be something…what could she do? She racked her brain long and hard, and then decided that she would go job hunting.

"Now what are you doing? Anna, you have to pull your weight around here!" Aimee stormed back in.

"Aimee, I know this afternoon is your morning off. I was wondering if maybe you could look after Julia for a while."

"Why?" Aimee asked suspiciously.

"I…I'm going to get a job…" Aimee looked stunned. Then she burst into peals of malicious laughter.

"What? What's so funny?" Anna asked, confused.

"You think people are actually going to hire you? You have no training, no skills, and no experience!"

"Well then I'll start from the bottom…"

"Fine. But don't expect to be successful." Anna turned towards the window, seething with rage. She wanted to slap Aimee's smug face, wipe that horrible smile away. Why couldn't Aimee at least try to be nice to her? Well, Anna was going to show her.

She trailed desperately around the town centre, but to no avail. Everywhere she went she was either laughed at or patronised. Aimee was right. She was a useless, good-for-nothing spoilt little bitch.

She came to a halt in Immortal Street, the main shopping street. There…just over there was where she last saw Chris. She closed her eyes and tried to conjure his face up, but he was lost in the crowds of Saturday Shoppers. She sat on the bench where she had waited for him, on That Day.

Chris knew she was pregnant, and he would have married her. She wanted that more than anything else in the world. But her father messed things up completely for her.

"No child of mine is marrying into that filthy scum family! I want you to have an abortion, then we can forget this whole thing ever happened."

'Great Dad," she thought, 'Real supportive.'

"I'm sorry Dad, but that won't be happening any time soon. I love Chris, and he loves me. Why can't you accept it?" After that, her father had stormed out.

She knew her father was in cahoots with the Galbadian soldiers. In her opinion, her family had acted like rats; once they saw Timber was all but lost to Galbadia, they fled the sunking ship and signed up on the other side.

She put her head in her hands and rocked back and forth, trying not to cry. Why was she so pathetic? All the flashbacks flooded in, overwhelming her, overtaking her completely.

Chris was waving at her, she got up smiling, ready to greet him. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, he was surrounded by Galbadian soldiers.

"Christopher Heartilly?" One asked. Chris's eyes darted around the street, assessing the situation.

"Hey, punk! Did you hear us?" another shoved him, hard. He stumbled backwards and fell to the cold, hard cobbles. Blood was streaming from his nose.

At this point, Anna was running towards them. "Chris! Chris!" she yelled. Big mistake.

"So it is Chris, is it?" Then the leader drew his gun. Chris struggled to his feet, determined to survive.

"Think you're getting away so easily, boy?" He pulled the trigger. Anna still heard the deafening bang as it echoed throughout the streets. She still heard the bullet tear through flesh and muscle; she heard Chris's last groan of pain as he slumped to the ground. She still saw his smouldering body in a heap. But most of all, she saw the blood. There was just too much blood everywhere.

"Hey beautiful, you okay?" a plump middle-aged woman bent over Anna as the tears streamed down her face.

"I…I'm f…fine…" she sniffed, trying to wipe all her hurt and pain away.

"I don't think so. Look, my house is just over there…why don't you come in for a cup of coffee and a cookie. I make the best cookies in all of Timber, you know. They'll make you feel better, I promise."

"I…I…"

"Chris used to adore them." Anna looked up at this. The woman's eyes were sparkling, hinting at the secrets to be discovered over cookies and coffee…

"So, Anna, how's little Julia? I saw your announcement in the paper. I can't imagine that went down well with your old man."

"Would you mind telling me who you are, first?"

"Of course. How stupid of me. I'm Catherine Walsh. Chris's Aunty on his mother's side, rest her soul."

"Oh…" she allowed herself to smile, "Chris always used to say how great his Aunty Cath was. But he never mentioned any cookies."

"Well, they are damn good, if I say so myself. Now, I hear you've been living with our Aimee. I've already told her not to be too hard on you, but she'll find it as tough as you do to adjust. Her father was very tough on those kids. Here you go," she set down a cup of coffee and a huge chocolate chip cookie for Anna.

"Thanks."

"So, Anna, what's been eating at you?" Anna stared down into her coffee. She wanted to tell someone, but was Cath really the right person?

"I…I went job hunting but I didn't get anything…" she said. Okay, it wasn't everything, but it was a start. And beside, what was she supposed to say, "I can't stop seeing your dead nephew everywhere"? Yep, that was a real conversation opener.

"Oh honey, I have just the thing!" Cath clapped her hands together in delight, "It's not much, but my friend Garth needs another waitress for his restaurant, ever since the last one left. It's a great way to earn experience. What do you think?"

"I think I love you," Anna flung her arms around Cath.

"Great, I'll set up an interview then!"

When Cath returned, Anna had finished her cookie and coffee.

"It's all set up, Anna. Can you do tomorrow? I'll look after Julia if you need me to. I've still not met my great niece."

"Thank you so much. Cath…can I ask you something about Chris?"

"Ask away honey."

"I…do you know why those soldiers shot him?"

"I can't say I do, sweetheart. Maybe it was just one of those things."

"But they knew his name! They had come looking for him!" she exclaimed.

"Well, I honestly don't know. I guess it's just a mystery."

"I guess." Anna got up, trying to force a smile. "I'll have to come round again for cookies. See you later Cath."

"Bye now honey. Don't let Aimee get you down." She called as Anna retreated down the street.

Everything that Cath had just said confirmed her suspicions. Now she needed to ask her father.