'Are you alright?' Roxy asked, passing Christian a mug of tea. He was sat on the sofa feeling numb. Syed was at his side, an arm around his shoulders, rubbing his arms comfortingly but it all felt a little far off and distant, not quite real.

'Christian,' Syed said. 'Is it true? I mean … could it be true?'

'Twenty years ago,' Christian whispered. 'Bea Gourley.' He stared at his tea. 'Yeah,' he breathed. 'It could be true.'

He heard Syed take a deep breath and sigh heavily but he didn't really know how to react. The room was just plunged into an awkward silence, that not even Roxy knew how to break. They all just drank tea systematically and ignored the fact that there was a young woman in the spare room, who may or may not be Christian's daughter.

'What if she is mine?' Christian asked eventually. 'Nearly twenty years old and I've never even met her until now.'

'That's not your fault,' Syed said quickly. 'It's hard to be dad to someone you don't know exists.'

'I should have known. Bea should have got in touch. She should have told me … or someone should have.'

'How?' Roxy asked. 'Did you give her a number for you? An address? She probably did look for you. You're not particularly easy to find Christian Clarke.'

'Kelly found me.'

'Hmm,' Roxy hummed sceptically.

'What?' Christian demanded.

'I didn't say anything.'

'Yeah, what was that 'hmm' for?'

'Just,' Roxy sighed heavily. 'Don't get your hopes up alright. This could be a scam, someone playing on your weaknesses so she can have a roof over her head and food on the table.'

'I would never do that,' the Irish accent came from the doorway.

'Of course not,' Syed agreed quickly, getting up and walking to the kettle, offering her a cup of tea as he went.

'No … ta.'

'Look, darling,' Christian said, heavily. 'It's not that I don't believe you. It's just, this all seems so … unbelievable. Have you got a number for Bea, or something that I could use to contact her?'

'No,' Kelly shook her head quickly. 'I'm sorry. I don't have a number.'

Roxy raised an eyebrow and looked at Christian. He knew what that expression meant. She didn't believe this Irish brunette for a second.

'You must be able to remember your own phone number,' Roxy pointed out sharply.

'My number yeah,' Kelly said, her voice a little flat. 'But not my Ma's. She changed it.'

Christian frowned, searching for the remnants of truth in Kelly's words.

'Sketchy, Christian,' Roxy muttered in his ear. 'Very sketchy.'

'It's none of your business,' Kelly snapped at Roxy. 'Even if you're his wife, you're not my Ma!'

'Woah, woah, woah,' Christian said, looking at Kelly and urging her to calm down. 'I know this is a weird situation for all of us but it's not going to help if we start shouting.'

'Christian's right,' Syed nodded. 'We need to talk this through sensibly. Sit down, Kelly,' he pointed to the free armchair. 'Please.'

Reluctantly, the girl stepped across the sitting room and sat in the available armchair. Roxy and Christian sat back down on the sofa, and Syed was left to sit on one of the dining chair. That was probably for the best though, Christian decided. It seemed Syed would be acting as referee in this situation, it was probably good that he was able to leap to his feet the quickest.

'Right,' Syed said, he was trying to look at all the them equally but he couldn't help his gaze from continually falling to Christian. His boyfriend looked so terrified and anxious, he just wanted to comfort him. 'Er, Kelly,' he turned to girl. 'Why are you here?'

'To visit my dad,' she answered, in a tone that could have easily merited a 'durrr'.

'But why now?' he asked. 'Why not before?'

'I've never wanted to know before,' Kelly shrugged.

'You haven't missed me?' Christian asked and Syed could hear from the crack in his words that he was close to tears.

'I guess,' Kelly said, twirling her hair around her finger. 'I just didn't know you. It's hard to miss something you've never had. You know, if I woke up tomorrow and couldn't use my legs; I'd miss them. If I'd never had legs … I wouldn't even notice.'

Roxy just scowled. There was something not right about this situation. Call it a "Mitchell hunch" or something. She had a good eye for a scam and this felt like one.

'How do you know Christian's your dad?' she demanded.

'Mummy used to tell me these stories about him. She said he was handsome, and tall, how he lived in Walford. She made it sound like a fairytale but really, I think she wanted me to know you on some level.'

It sounded like lies. Roxy sat back on the sofa smugly. She had no doubt that Christian would see right through this. Then she heard him say:

'Of course she did.'

He sounded choked on emotion and she grabbed his collar.

'A word,' she hissed. 'Next door.'

Syed made to get up too but Roxy spat 'not you' in his direction. 'You have to watch she doesn't steal anything.'

The pair went to the bedroom next door and Kelly was left to stare at the younger man. She couldn't quite work out where he fitted in. Christian and Roxy and … the lodger? Oh well, he seemed to be smiling sympathetically at her. Maybe, he could get her onside.

'I won't nick a thing, I swear it,' she said.

'That's just Roxy,' Syed shrugged. 'She likes to judge everyone by her standards.'

Kelly nodded steadily, as though really taking that information in. She pulled at her long hair a bit more and twisted her fingers up in knots before the silence got too much for her and she said:

'They seem like an odd couple.'

'Them?' Syed laughed. 'They're not a….' He couldn't finish the sentence, he was so amused. 'They're just friends.'

'Oh. I just assumed…. So, is he married?'

'Not yet? He will be soon.'

'So where's his fiancé?'

Syed wondered how to break this news. He wasn't sure how some strange kid from Northern Ireland would take the news that her potential father was gay. Still, he was sure Christian wouldn't appreciate him trying to hide it. So he smiled weakly and said:

'Right here.'

'You?' Kelly's hair fell from between her fingers.

Syed just nodded.

'Well,' Kelly frowned. 'How modern.'

Syed chuckled a little, partially out of relief and partially because that was possibly the strangest reaction to him and Christian being a couple he'd ever heard. It was just on the brink of becoming awkward and all Syed's conversation starters were fleeing his head, when Kelly started again.

'Do you live here with him?

'Yes.'

'And her?'

'No,' Syed shook his head firmly. 'Definitely not.'

Kelly chuckled a little but she was looking quite seriously at Syed's face.

'What?' he asked nervously.

'You seem a little young for him,' she said eventually.

'Not really.'

'You are though, aren't you?' she smirked, an eyebrow raising in bemused delight. 'He's got himself a toy boy.'

'I'm not a toy boy,' Syed said firmly.

'Does he keep you well?' she continued, clearly enjoying this new game. 'Is he your Sugar Daddy?'

'No!' he cried indignantly.

Kelly's face turned a bit then and she muttered: 'Well, I'd say you were missing a trick. You could be a pampered Prince, if you played your cards right.'

'Do I honestly strike you as the kind of person who'd want to be pampered?'

Kelly seemed to honestly think about this question before coming to the conclusion: 'No. But that doesn't necessarily mean that you aren't.'

Syed chuckled a little. Touché, he thought, not that he'd outwardly let her know she'd won. This was his house and he refused to let some strange Irish girl get the upper hand.

It was then that Christian and Roxy reappeared from the bedroom. Roxy was holding her best friend's hand and he looked uncharacteristically anxious as they came back into the room.

'You okay?' Syed asked, his concern flooding his tone. Christian looked back at him and smiled weakly.

'Oh,' Kelly smirked, looking between the two men. 'I see it now.'

'See what?' Christian frowned.

'Yous,' she stalled for a moment before concluding, 'gayness. And you….' Her eyes lit up as she saw Roxy for what she really was. 'You're the fag-hag.'

Syed snorted with laughter. Christian did not. Not that Kelly would have noticed she was sharing the joke with Syed. Maybe it was jealousy that his might-be daughter seemed to be bonding better with Syed than him, maybe it was jealousy that Syed was being so nice to someone that wasn't him, maybe it was that she'd just insulted Roxy … maybe it was a combination of things. He'd meant to say in gently but what with one thing and another, it didn't come out like that.

'I want a paternity test.'

Kelly looked up at him. She didn't seem hurt or even surprised. It fact she looked as cool as an assassin and said:

'Me too.'


A/N: Thanks for reading - reviews are much appreciated. This is my first EastEnders fic, so all comments are welcome!

The story will be more Chryed centric once Kelly has fulfilled her purpose as catalyst.