Guys I am SO SORRY it has taken this long. I never thought that I'd be so bogged down with work and, as well as that, I've had rehersals for a production that I'm sound designing for at least twice a week. Anyway, you probably don't want excuses.

So to make up for it I've combined two chapters into one so it will be longer for you. It's been sitting there waiting to be edited and posted up so you'll have to ignore what has been going on in the show. I have another chapter to post tomorrow and I'll hopefully be more on track.

I don't own any of the characters except Jenna.

Dinner was awkward, occasionally Jenna or Cooper tried to make conversation but it was so strained it normally just settled into silence. Jenna learnt quickly that she could prevent the silences. She got up late, after they'd left she would grab some fruit for breakfast and either hang out with friends or would wander around, trying to get to know the place. When she bought lunch she always got two sandwiches, two pieces of fruit and two cereal bars, eating half for her lunch. In the evenings she'd go to the practice and chat to Violet until Cooper came to find her to take them all home. When Charlotte was with them for dinner, Jenna would smile and say that she was really tired and that she wasn't hungry; she'd go to her room and eat the second lunch for her supper and chat to friends online before going to bed. But on the rare night Charlotte was out (it had happened once in the four days Jenna had been there, and Cooper had spent the whole time texting or calling her like a worried father), they could sit and eat together and watch TV- it was manageable.

Jenna knew something wasn't right, she knew the strained conversations weren't only because of her and she knew that Cooper was lying to her. On her first night she'd been woken by crying and whimpers. Slowly she had got up and crept out of her room, down the corridor… a floorboard creaked and it stopped and in fear she raced back to her room. She wondered about saying anything and when she finally got up the courage to ask Cooper he'd replied that he hadn't heard anything and that it must have come from somewhere outside. His eyes had widened slightly as she'd asked the question though, his eyebrows had gone up and Jenna knew then he was lying to her. That was his 'I'm truthful you have to believe me' face, and it was manufactured, she'd known him long enough to realize that.

"I think I might go home early" she sighed, sitting on Violet's couch "I've seen what I want to in LA and I'm not spending any time talking with Cooper"

"Well that's because you go to your room every evening" Violet replied "You can't expect him to come and get you, why don't you eat with them?"

It all came spilling out in the end, she couldn't keep it in anymore and to be honest, she wanted someone to tell her it was alright to go home- she trusted Violet. "I just don't see the point in me being here anymore Vi, Cooper obviously has some big issue going on and he doesn't want me or any of the family to know about it…"

"Jenna?" Cooper stuck his head round the door "We're going home if you're ready?" Jenna nodded stiffly, terrified he'd heard her. She hated confrontation at the best of times, and this definitely wasn't the best of times. She almost ran from the office leaving Cooper standing there bemused "What's got into her?"

Violet got to her feet "She wants to go home Coop"

He looked shocked "Why? Why the hell would she want to go home?"

"Well, she knows you're lying to her" there was a silence "Coop you're a terrible liar and the fact she can't bear to eat dinner with you guys doesn't help either"

"She can't…"

"She thinks that Charlotte hates her and that there's a problem between the two of you and she's just in the middle. She's right of course, apart from Charlotte hating her, I hope. Please Coop, she's miserable"

Cooper looked mystified "Woah, okay, I did not see that one coming" Violet only sighed and went back to her desk and papers. He stood there for a moment before spotting Charlotte walking through the reception he hurried toward her and gently touched her arm "We need to talk"

She looked at him sharply "About what?"

"Jenna's realised something's up"

She turned to face him now, her eyes glinting dangerously "But you're not going to tell her?"

"I have half a mind to…"

"Cooper!" her words were hushed and angry "Don't you dare Cooper Freedman or I'll…"

"What? You'll do what?"

Her voice was desperate now "Cooper please don't. I just couldn't…."

He pulled her into a tight hug "I won't" he sighed, stroking her hair "You know I won't if you don't want me to." He felt her nod against him "But Char we need to do something, she thinks you hate her"

"I don't" her voice was muffled "I'm just worried she'll find out"

"If she does we'll deal with it" he murmured soothingly to her "But I don't think she'd tell the family if we didn't want her to. Also I want you to take her out to lunch or something"

She wriggled away and looked at him, half bemused and half horrified "Why in God's name would I do that?"

"Because it would show you don't hate her and want to try and be nice?" his voice had a wheedling quality "Please Char, I'm out tomorrow for a meeting so you can do lunch and then have a girls night in or something?" his face was so pathetic she couldn't help but laugh.

"Fine" she conceded "I'll do it, but I draw the line on facials" and she walked smartly toward elevator, turning once to look at him and gave him a small, genuine smile "You coming?"

That was why Charlotte and Jenna were in a car together, driving to a restaurant for lunch. Jenna was obviously nervous, she kept her gaze strictly towards the floor and she clasped her hands tightly in her lap. Glancing at her, Charlotte couldn't help but feel guilty- it must be hard for her in a new place and the one person she knows being stolen away by this bitchy stranger. She sighed. "Sorry I've been such a bitch lately" out of the corner of her eye she was Jenna's head shoot up "I've just had a lot on" yeah, a lot on… waking up in the middle of the night trying to get the feeling of him off of you, burying yourself in work to avoid talking about anything, getting through it, getting through it the best you can.

"It's okay" her voice was hesitant "I get that you're busy, you're a doctor like Cooper"

Charlotte smiled "Yeah but we're not the same type of doctor" Jenna went scarlet with embarrassment and Charlotte couldn't help but laugh, again, two days in a row "Bless your heart"

"I'm sorry I know it's a real kind of doctor…"

She smiled "It's okay, it's a bit strange I know" she saw Jenna visibly relax "Relax okay? I'm not the blonde bitch… most of the time" This time Jenna laughed, she was getting through to her, she was just shy "So what are you looking to study?"

"English"

"You don't sound that enthusiastic" it was true, when Charlotte was looking for places to study medicine Big Daddy could barely reign her in as she checked places out, it had been the only thing she could talk about. "Why UCLA?" Jenna shrugged in reply

"I don't know really, now I think about it, it's so far away from my family apart from Cooper"

"It's a learning curve" Charlotte replied "You're not going to be around them your whole life so your becoming independent- you won't miss them as much as you think you will and if you do you can always drop by me and Coop"

Jenna smiled, obviously comforted, there was a short silence before "Is it bad I miss my dog more than my mother?" Again Charlotte couldn't hold back the laughter; she almost missed what the girl followed it up with "I know that it's silly but it kind of sucks"

Charlotte grinned "I had a spaniel at my parent's house when I was younger, back in Alabama. He was supposed to be a working dog but I smuggled him in at night or when Big Daddy was away working." She sighed "I loved that dog."

Jenna finally looked enthusiastic, "Really?" her tone was interested "what was her name, what did she look like?"

Charlotte smiled "I'll remember to stick to dogs and not studying in conversation. Her name was Reba and she was small and almost red in colour, I thought she was beautiful. She died about a year after I went to medical school" she sighed "maybe one day I'll get another"

Jenna smiled "Does Cooper know about Reba?"

There was a moments silence as Charlotte mused "No, he doesn't. We'll have to tell him tomorrow evening."

"Won't he be home tonight?"

Charlotte tried to hide the cold chill running through her body "No, he won't. He has a meeting or something and he won't be back until tomorrow" he tried to get out of it, or to get her to come but she'd insisted that he go on his own- she couldn't cling to him forever; but she couldn't help but feel terrified about the prospect of being alone, well, nearly alone. She took a sharp inhale, trying to shake off the feeling and continued "So we'll just have to watch crappy TV and do nothing after I finish work" she tried to smile "We're going to one of my favourite places in LA- they do good food" she pulled up outside the restaurant and nodded toward it "I think you'll like it"

They got out the car and headed for it; they chatted happily, waiting to get seated and Charlotte finally felt relaxed and in control- she liked Jenna and got on well with her, this stay wasn't going to be as bad as she thought. She respected her for not saying anything about what she had heard over the past few nights. "Doctor King your table is ready" she turned to the waiter, but instead of looking at him her eyes went straight to the man on the other side of the restaurant. His head had been bowed as he was eating but she'd recognize him anywhere. A cold sweat broke out over her body and her fists clenched as she began to shake. He lifted his head and his eyes met hers, she was looking straight at Lee McHenry.

So there you go! I hope it was worth the wait...