Roy's reaction to the news was surprisingly positive, yes he had concerns but he hadn't been able to hide the hint of a smile as Carla filled him in and reassured him that this was something that she really wanted. He knew more than most the devastation of her previous miscarriage; after all he had been the one she had confided in all those years ago. He hadn't known her very well back then; his show of support was initially to repay the kindness she had always shown Hayley. But watching her in that hospital bed, so broken and alone had proved to him that his late wife had been right, Carla was so much more complex than the façade she showed to the world suggested. He still remembered the pain in her eyes when she had talked about the love she had felt for her little girl, her anguish that she was gone. He had told her back then that she would have made an excellent mother, and the more he had learnt about her over the years, the more certain he was of this. He was not so naïve as to think that it would be easy, but at the same time he believed her past struggles didn't need to define her now, and from what he had seen of Peter over recent times he was sure that together they could make this work. As Carla pulled him in for a hug in the way only she could, his thoughts drifted to Hayley, wondering what she would make of it all, deciding she would be thrilled. However much he tried to downplay it, Carla was like a daughter to him, and he was deeply touched by the sentiment of her announcement; the thought of playing a part in her child's life filled him with joy. He just hoped that for once things would be straightforward for her, for all of their sakes.

After Roy had been sworn to secrecy and returned to his customers downstairs, Peter and Carla settled back on the sofa, Carla reaching for the notebook again and crossing through the first point on their list with a flourish. Peter tried and failed to stifle his laughter, enjoying seeing Carla more relaxed than she'd been in weeks.

"So do you want to move straight to the next item on the agenda then?" he questioned, casually stroking her back as he awaited her response.

"No, not yet. Can we skip to the following one? I think I'd rather get checked out, make sure everything is as it should be before broadcasting it to anyone else."

"Are you sure love? He is your father after all. Won't he be put out if Roy knows and he doesn't."

Carla paused, suddenly reflective.

"Maybe so, but it just doesn't feel right, not yet. Roy knowing already makes it more real, and I don't want Johnny worrying and giving me advice I haven't asked for, I'm sure I'll have enough of that with you and Roy already. Besides, do you really think Jenny will keep her gob shut? We can tell him soon I promise, just not today."

"OK, you're the boss."

"And don't you go forgetting it!" she pushed him playfully, before snuggling back into his arms as he leant over and kissed her hair.

"I guess that means we're on to sorting all the medical stuff then." Her mood changing as she struggled to hide her nerves.

"It'll be fine love. How about ringing the medical centre now, get the ball rolling, and we'll take it from there?"

She nodded and he watched as she walked over to the kitchen worktop where she had left her phone on charge and went about making the call, smiling to himself as he saw her hand absentmindedly move to her stomach whilst she waited for the receptionist to answer.

Later that afternoon the couple were in high spirits as they headed away from the surgery hand in hand; the appointment had been brief, consisting of a confirmation of the pregnancy and organising referrals to the relevant specialists, but the GP had seemed confident that with the right support there was no reason to assume the pregnancy wouldn't be straightforward. This was a reassurance that Carla had sorely needed and the new-found spring in her step didn't go unnoticed.

"You pair look as though you've won the lottery. Anything you want to share?"

As Johnny crossed the street towards them Peter clocked the warning glance from Carla and caught himself before he let the cat out of the bag.

"Oh nothing in particular, is it illegal to be in a good mood or summat?" Carla answered as she moved to give her father a brief hug, before re-taking Peter's hand and squeezing it gently, a subtle reminder for him to keep a check on his responses.

"Well it's nice to see whatever it is. How about a drink in the pub, I feel like I've hardly seen you these past couple of weeks."

Carla glanced across at Peter before nodding in agreement.

"Yes, lovely. You head on over, we'll join you in a minute."

As Johnny headed back towards the Rovers she felt Peter's grip tighten, and turned to face him, knowing what was coming.

"Are you sure you don't want to go home and rest love? Neither of us got much sleep last night, did we?"

"Peter I feel fine, great in fact, and the last think I need is you fussing over me for months, give me some credit that I know what's best for me. And before you say anything else, I still don't want him knowing." At that, she strutted off after Johnny, a bemused Peter left to follow in her wake.

Sitting across the table in one of the booths in the Rovers, watching Carla try to feign interest in one of Jenny's long and convoluted stories, Peter couldn't help but notice that his partner, although clearly tired, was glowing. He wondered if he was imagining it, after all weren't the first twelve weeks meant to be some of the hardest? After the drama of recent weeks it was a welcome relief to see her calm, and he could feel some of the tension he had been holding onto begin to subside, although he couldn't relax completely. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't notice Jenny getting up to attend to a customer at the bar, leaving them alone, Carla watching him curiously before leaning in towards him, her tone playful.

"Penny for them? You were miles away then." Her voice dropped to a whisper, "You know its much easier keeping this pregnancy secret when I'm already banned from the booze isn't it?!"

He leaned forward across the table, careful to keep his voice low.

"Shh, I thought you were keen to keep shtum, walls have ears you know! You ready to go home yet? I thought you were going to drop off when Jenny was harping on."

"Yes, in a minute, I wanted to talk to you first though."

His interest piqued, Peter leaned back into the booth.

"Go on then, what about?"

"OK, but you need to keep calm, I don't want a scene, but I also didn't want to discuss this at the flat where Roy might hear."

He had a feeling he wasn't going to like where this was heading.

"I have decided I want to go back to the squat tomorrow, and I need you to come with me."

He could feel himself getting angry, he should have known she'd do this, she could never just let things lie.

"Hang on, I said I would support you in this, but once we'd sorted everything else out. Now you're moving the goalposts. I didn't agree to this."

"Keep your voice down will you?" Carla was glancing around, nervous that someone would hear.

"I'm not stupid you know, the only reason you told me this now was because you knew how I'd react and that I couldn't get angry and cause a scene in public. Well have it your way, but don't expect me to play any part in your ridiculous plan. All I am doing is trying to protect you, but clearly you know best as usual. I'm going home to calm down, don't follow me. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

At that he downed the remainder of his orange juice and headed to the door, ignoring Carla's hushed pleas for him to stay. Yes he was being stubborn, but he was sure that this was a mistake. He'd go with her, of course he would - there was no way he would let her face her demons alone. But that didn't mean he had to like it.