RedBelle94: Well done for figuring it out. That will soon come in time, and there will be lots of tension in this chapter. Loads more to come. Thank you for reviewing.

Guest: I'm really sorry to hear that but I understand where you're coming from. I did go back and edit the chapter so I hope that it's better. If you did want to send me a message at all, you're more than welcome to. I'm really sorry, but thank you for reviewing anyway.

Guest: Loads more to come. Apologies for the long wait in updating. I wasn't quite sure where to go next. Thank you for reviewing.

Guest: I hope the wait was worth it. Thank you for reviewing.

A/N: Just to say that this chapter mainly focuses around Lily, for those of you who prefer Alicia. Also the scene between Alicia and Connie in this chapter was recommended by Guest who wanted to see one, as we don't get many on the show.

Chapter Eighteen

Ever since she'd found out that it was the same guy, Lily had been avoiding Alicia like the plague.

She felt awful, she really did, but she couldn't even look her in the eye. She blamed herself for everything and if blanking her made her seem like a horrible person, then that was something that she needed to try and put up with.

Connie had been brilliant though. Of course she was the only one who knew about Lily's little secret, and in a way it helped. If Lily was struggling or if she felt anxious at any point, then she was there to help and Lily was able to trust her not to tell anyone, especially Alicia.

As Lily arrived for work one morning though, she was met by Alicia who just so happened to be showing up at the exact same time.

"Lily, please talk to me," she begged.

"Alicia, move aside," Lily hissed, not meaning to sound rude. "I'm late for my shift."

"Have I done something wrong though?" Alicia asked. "I'm sorry if I have. And if this is about me refusing to talk to someone, then I'll do it. I don't mind, okay? I'll do it for you."

"You haven't done anything wrong," Lily whispered.

"But you've hardly said a single word to me," Alicia said. "I understand that it's hard for you, and that it must bring back memories, but I'd like us to stay friends."

Lily just went silent and walked into the ED, just as Connie showed up.

"What's going on?" She asked Alicia.

"I'm not sure." Alicia shrugged her shoulders. "She won't talk to me and I don't know what I've done."

"Right," Connie sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "Cup of tea in my office?"

"Thank you, Mrs Beauchamp," Alicia whispered, and followed her inside.

Alicia sat on the sofa of Connie's office and waited patiently, as she made her a cup of tea. She even went as far of ripping open a packet of custard creams, which Alicia was extremely grateful for.

"Okay," Connie sighed and sat down beside her. "I won't go into full detail, but I will go as far as saying that Lily has an awful lot going on at the moment."

"But she won't talk to me," Alicia whispered. "She's avoiding me, Mrs Beauchamp."

"Like I just said," Connie said, lips pursed. "Lily has an awful lot going on at the moment."

Alicia frowned at her and took a bite out of her biscuit.

"You know something, don't you?" She said.

"I might do," Connie replied. "But if I promised not to say anything, then I would need to keep that promise. I can't betray Lily, alright? What I can say is that she will come round eventually. You have done nothing wrong though and it is not your fault, but she just needs some time to breathe. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Alicia whispered, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I just wish she'd talk to me. I miss her."

"She will, I'm sure," Connie said. "Just try not to worry so much. You have a lot on as well at the moment, with the court case coming up, so just try and focus on yourself. Lily will be fine, she has Iain and I've been talking to her as well. The important thing to tell yourself is that you've done nothing wrong. I promise you."

Lily sat on the back of an ambulance in the ambulance station, tears flowing freely down her face. She tried to wipe them away but they just kept rolling, as if she had no control of them. As she buried her face in her knees, she heard footsteps and suddenly someone was hugging her. Looking up, she saw that it was Iain.

"Well, I haven't seen you in a while," he said and kissed her forehead.

"Sorry," she sobbed out a small apology and shook her head at him. "I've been busy, looking after Alicia and everything."

"Right," he whispered and wiped one of her tears away with his thumb. "Why are you crying? Is this about that kiss?"

"No," Lily sniffed. "I'm totally over that. Honestly."

"Well you haven't spoken to me since," Iain chuckled. "Excuse me for worrying."

"Like I said, I've been busy," Lily said.

"Okay," Iain sighed and decided to take a seat next to her. "Come here," he soothed and pulled her in for a comforting hug. "I hate seeing you like this, Lils. I wish that I knew what was wrong, so I can try and find a way to help you."

"Even if you did know what was wrong," Lily said. "I doubt you can help me."

"Is this to do with Alicia at all?" Iain asked. "Or about what happened to you as a teenager."

Iain couldn't even say the word raped. He found it way too difficult, but Lily knew exactly what he was referring to.

"Sort of," she said. "I'm sorry Iain, but I'd rather not talk about it."

Iain gave her a very understanding nod and kissed her cheek.

"Okay," he said with a small sigh. "I love you though, yeah? You do know that, don't you?"

Forcing a smile, Lily nodded and allowed him to kiss her again. Connie walked in then. They heard her before they saw her, the sound of her heels hitting the floor as if she was punishing it. She walked right into the ambulance station and smiled when she saw that Lily was in there.

"I've been looking for you," she said. "Are you okay?"

Lily nodded, but it was pretty clear that she wasn't.

"I've just spoken to Alicia," Connie said and crouched down in front of Lily and Iain. "She's upset as well, thinks she's done something wrong. You can't avoid her for forever, Lily."

"You didn't tell her, did you?" Lily cried.

"Hey. I promised you that I wouldn't, didn't I?" Connie said, tapping her on the nose as if she was a child.

"What's going on?" Iain asked, confused, as he glanced between the two women.

No one spoke.

"Is anyone going to fill me in?" Iain asked and gestured to Lily. "Because my girlfriend is in tears right now, and I am worried about her."

Lily sniffed and nodded at Connie, allowing her to fill Iain in on the details.

"Lily went to the police station with Alicia the other day," Connie told him. "She was asked to go and identify the man who hurt her."

"That's a bit selfish, isn't it?" Iain sighed. "She knows what Lily has been through and yet..."

"Shut up, Iain," Lily hissed, rubbing at her forehead.

"As I was saying," Connie sighed, as she went to continue. "Alicia recognised the man straight away and she told the police. She did really well, but it ended up being the same man that had hurt Lily."

"How did you even remember him?" Iain asked. "It was years ago."

"He has a very distinctive tattoo on his arm," Lily said. "He's hardly changed much. It was definitely him, alright?"

"She's just been finding things extremely hard," Connie said. "And she's been struggling to talk to Alicia." She turned her attention back to Lily and said, "I told her that you'd come round, that you were going through stuff and that you just needed some time."

"I feel awful," Lily whispered.

"I know you do," Connie said. "But you don't need to. This isn't on you."

"Connie's right," Iain said and gave his girlfriend's shoulder a comforting rub. "I don't want you blaming yourself here, Lily."

"I should have reported him though," Iain said. "None of this would have happened to Alicia if I had just reported him."

"Not necessarily," Iain said. "Even if you had done, he might not have been sent to prison. Or he might have been released early. Even if you had reported him, he could have still hurt Alicia. You shouldn't think like that, you shouldn't think that this is all on you."

Lily nodded against him and sobbed out, "I just don't know what to do. Do I tell her?"

"That's your choice," Connie said. "We won't force you to do anything that you don't want to do."

Lily went silent, but kept her head rested against Iain's shoulder. He moved his hand to her back and gently rubbed soothing circles up and down to try and calm her. It seemed to work.

"What are you thinking?" Connie questioned.

"I'm thinking that I might need to talk to her," Lily said. "I can't avoid her forever. I'm not sure when but I will talk to her."

"Would you like me to come with you?" Iain offered.

"No, thank you," Lily said bravely. "This is something that I need to do on my own."

"I think that is very good of you," Connie said. "But we are here, if you ever need anything."

"I know," Lily said, feeling grateful for the amount of love and support that she had. "Thank you."

Not the best ending to be honest but I was completely stuck, lol. I hope you still enjoyed it though. If you do have any ideas at all for the story or if there is anything that you would like to see, then let me know x