Liz dropped Katie home after her weekend at Deirdre's.

The three of them had had a really good time in town. It was rare the theee of them went shopping together now. They had used to do it all the time.

Going back to the house with Deirdre once they had dropped the little one back Liz sighed.

"You know I have missed the three of us doing that so much. I miss her so much," she told her.

"Well I know she loves it as well. The three of us always used to have the best times." she agreed as she opened a bottle of wine for the two of them to have a gossip over.

"Don't I know it? You know I have made a few new friends in Milton Keynes but it just isn't the same, even after a year I can't make it like home. No kids. No Jim…" she sighed feeling exhausted from the emotions she felt in her heart.

"Do - do you still have feelings for him." she asked carefully not wanting to upset her but wanting to know..

"I think I do. I mean when I was at the house dropping her off and when he picked her up the other week - I just felt my heart go." she admitted to her friend. She was probably the only one she could talk too freely to with out fear of it becoming public knowledge.

"To tell the truth I never thought you wanted to go in the first place." she said,

"No. I don't think I have ever loved Michael. Not like I loved Jim. Or living at home. I don't like not having kids to look after or a husband." she said to her best friend. "And I don't mean having any husband, I want mine back. I have never regretted sleeping with some one so much as I did Michael. I want Jim and Katie back. Do you think he would still have Me." she asked knowing he was probably closer to her friend than he was to Liz her self now.

"I don't think so." she shook her head and watched her friend's eyes lose hope. Deirdre didn't want to hurt her friend, but neither would she give her false hope. "The thing is when he was dropping off Katie the other week he came to me and we talked. I think he has met some one." she had to tell her. She couldn't let her get her heart built up just to be hurt, or make a fool out of herself.

"Some one else?" said Liz. "Well who?"

Deirdre debated whether to tell her or not. After all she was her best friend but Gwen seemed so nice. Jim needed to move on. And she didn't think she could go back to seeing her god daughter in the middle of a war zone.

"There is a new machinist at the factory." she told her deciding she had a right to know.

"And she is - nice?" she asked,

"I don't really know. I haven't spoken to her yet but he seems taken by her but he is worried about letting her met Katie!"

"If he is even thinking about letting them met then he is going toy be serious about her," said Liz to her. "Well that's it isn't it. I think I have really blown it this time." she shrugged.

"Darling I am so sorry. I know what you feel for him."

"No you don't. I don't think any one does. Not really."

-

"I have missed it here so much." Judy said as she got in to the house. It was so good to be back and out the hospital.

She was home. She was well and she was safe. She had no intentions of going any where for a very long time.

Going in to the living room she smiled.

The three kids were there with Jim ready to greet her. Gary had come to pick her up on his own, as it was easier than bringing the twins with him.

Going over to the crib she kissed her son and then her daughter in tern. It was so good to be back with hem she thought to herself as she turned to her niece.

"How you feeling?" she asked her,

"Good." she nodded.

"I am so glad," Judy told Katie as they hugged. "Right, is one of you lot going to make a brew or what." she asked the two guys. "Me and this one here." she said motioning to Katherine. "Have a lot to catch up on."

The two girls went in to the living room to talk and Jim told Gary about what was going on.

He had always been a good friend to him and would give good advice. He didn't know what to do.

"If you want my advice I think you should go for it. I mean from what you said you really like this Gwen and you know Katie I don't think I have ever seen her not like any one."

"She didn't like Fiona much."

"Well, you and Steve wouldn't be sharing Gwen." he laughed. "She's a good women." he told him.

"I know. But it is so sudden. I mean I have only just met her."

"Why have you got ants on your pants over it? It is not like you are marrying her. You are just going to start dating or what ever again."

"I haven't dated as you put it though since I was a teenager." he sighed. "What if I mess I up?"

"If you don't give it a try mate then you are ever going to know. What if you keep this idea in your head for ever. One day you are going to get up and find that Katie is grown and she has moved out."

"Go wash yer mouth out with soap and water." he joked.

"Nah seriously mate. She has grown up fast. Last time I looked she was three years old and a bonnie little thing. Now she is a young girl, still bonnie but a lot bigger." he told him.

"I know. And I am not going to have her for ever, I am fully aware of that. But at least for the next ten years I have. But you're right. I mean even when she was just with her mother I was stuck for what to do. When you have a kid round the place there is no time to stop and think you just do it. But with out her…"

"You need a women's love in your life, and I don't just mean hers. Give your self a chance to be loved again mate. God knows you deserve it." he told him.

"Yeah. Maybe."

"No doubt in it. She is a nice women Gwen. And don't you think it would be good to have a permanent women round the place, and not just for you."

"Maybe. Maybe. She does need a woman in her life but she has always got by on your Judy and Deirdre so far. Between them they baby her more than Liz ever did some times. Not that she wasn't a good mother. For most of them time, she was."

"Don't tell me you are still missing her."

"Some days I do, some I don't. Its hard some times. Not all the time any more."

"And maybe this Gwen will make it go to all the time."

"Yeah, but I can't build a future for me and my daughter on 'maybes'. We both need some thing a bit more for sure in our lives."

"But you are never going to get that till you go and get it."

-----------

"Katie can you come here wee lass? Daddy needs to talk to you." Jim called up the stairs.

She came down with her usual bounce in her step.

She had had a good week end by all accounts. She had seen her mum, her aunty was home and she was feeling fine.

Nodding she smiled. "What ever it was, Steve did it." she said to him.

Jim couldn't resist laughing at that comment. There was no doubting that she was the twin's kid sister at times.

"No one has done any thing wrong Katie now come here and sit down." he said pulling out the chair next to his so they could talk.

Doing as she was looked at him interested. It was rare he really had to talk to her seriously.

"Dad was just wondering what you would think if he - started seeing some one.,"

"What do you mean?"

Jim bit his tongue. He didn't even really know. All he knew was he was beginning to want some sort of love life back. That was never going to come before her, but he needed a life out side of number eleven.

"You know how mummy sees Uncle Michael, and Andy saw Anne and Steve saw Fiona."

"What like boyfriend and girlfriend." she asked.

"Yeah. Well daddy doesn't love any one life that yet but he was just wondering what you would think of him -you know."

"Having a girl friend?"

"Yeah. Yeah I guess she would be my girl friend, so she would." he nodded. He hadn't thought of it like that. It sounded as if he were a teenager. But he wasn't. He was a fully grown man.

"Dunno." he shrugged. "It'd be weird."

"I know it would be. I don't even know if it was is want yet. But I just wanted to know you were ok with it. I don't have too if you don't want me too… not yet."

"No dad its cool." she said to him.

"Definitely." he checked. She nodded. "Good girl. Now come here and give your old man a hug." he said and she did as she was told. "You know even if I do get a girl friend I am not saying for sure I will never put her before you, so I wont." he said and she nodded.

"Good."

-

"Rosie what's its like, I mean your dad having a girl friend?"

Katie was down at number thirteen with the Websters. She and the two others girls, one elder, one younger had always been close friends and she was at ease asking them.

"Its ok I guess. Auntie Alison's cool." she nodded.

"But what if your dad got a girl friend who wasn't ok?" she asked.

"Well why would he. Dad loves Alison. I don't think he would ever have another girl friend." she said to her friend.

Katie nodded, understandingly, but nervously. The more she thought on it the more she was unsure she was happy with the idea of another women in the house. What if her dad got a girl friend and then she hurt them the way her mother had. She remembered how it felt to see her father in tears. She hated it and she didn't want to have to see him like it again.

She suddenly didn't know what to think.

"I didn't like my mums last boy friend though. Uncle Greg was scary." said Rosie as she shuddered and Sophie agreed with a nod.

"But what of when my dad gets a girl friend she like your uncle Greg, not your auntie Alison."

Rosie shrugged.

"I don't think I want dad to have a girl friend after all." she said to her two best friends.

"But you said you were happy with it."

"I know. But I don't know if I am any more," she admitted.

"So why don't you just go to your dad and say that?"

"Because he seemed really happy when I said I was ok with It." she told her.

"Then wait to see what she is like before you get upset Katie." said Rosie to her.

"Yeah maybe. Beside her dad had said it might not even happen." Chipped in little Sophie.

Katie hoped this was the case. She remembered when her mother left her and her daddy he had said it was going to be just her and him. She liked it that way and now she was thinking on the matter she didn't want it to change.

-

Gwen knocked on the door of number eleven. She was nervous.

She knew that at her age meeting some ones kids was the same as meeting there parents when you were a teenager and that was what Jim had asked her to do.

So far he seemed like a lovely man.

When he had come over to her at the end of the factory day and he had said he wanted them to go further and actually start seeing each other she had been rather happy.

She was relived to see it was Jim who opened the door. He had a shirt and smart jeans on and he had clearly made an effort.

"You scrub up well." she said to him as they went in to the hall way.

"You don look so bad yours self." he grinned.

"Ready to go?" she asked and he nodded.

"Nearly, come through to the living room." he said and she gave him nervous smile knowing his children were in there.

Going through, she saw a little blonde girl on the sofa laughing, with her elder brother's arm, round her. He was saying some thing to her, and the girl dissolved in to laughter till she saw Gwen when she looked a bit more nervous and worried than any thing.

"Kids this is Gwen," said Jim to the two of them.

"You alright?" asked Steve with normal interest. If his dad got a girl friend he didn't see how it affected him in a big way.

"Yeah, I'm well, Are you?" she replied.

"Yup" he nodded.

"Hello, I'm Katie!" the blonde said to her.

"I know you are. Your daddy has told me lots about you," she said to her.

"Daddy hasn't told me any thing about you," she replied making Gwen laugh.

"That's because me and your dad's don't even know lots about each other yet." she said to her. "But soon hopefully we well ail know each other a lot better..."

Jim smiled. He had to say he hoped that was the vase too.

"Right both of you know the rules so you do." he said to the kids as he smiled at Gwen before turning to his daughter. "Don't give your brother any trouble when you go to bed tonight you." he said as he gave her a kiss and hug. "You are going to be asleep by the time daddy's get in so have a good sleep and I am going to see you in the morning. God bless." he said.

"Good night dad."

"Good night wee lass."

She watched as the two of them went out of the door for there meal, before settling back in to the sofa.

She didn't know what to make of Gwen so far. She hadn't really even seen a lot of her.

One thing was for sure: the jury was still out on Gwen Davies as far as Katherine McDonald was concerned.