Hiya. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 11.
Three hours later Lauren was exhausted but there were now five images of the men who'd attacked her just two nights earlier. Looking at them upset her but she couldn't deny they were the right people. In some ways she wished she could forget what they looked like. The police were going to compare these photos against all of the mug shots held on record. So the two cousins were now on their way back to Albert Square, having done as much as Lauren could to help resolve the situation. Joey had his arm around her shoulder and Lauren was leaning against him. She was tired but she was exactly where she wanted to be. She shifted slightly, her ribs aching as she tried to get comfortable. Joey saw her move and could see she was in a lot of pain. "Come here," he whispered to her, lifting her legs and draping them over his lap. He brushed his fingers through her hair, knowing she seemed to like it when he did that. Her head rested on his shoulder and she moaned softly as she felt his lips on her forehead, "You okay, babe?" he asked her softly.
"Yeah, I just need to take a painkiller." She whispered.
"Don't you have them with you?" he said. She shook her head. "How much pain are you in?" She lifted her eyes to look at him and he saw the tears pooling in them. "Babe..." he said to her softly. "How can I help you?"
"You already are," she replied. "Just keep doing that."
"What? This?" he asked as he brushed his hands through her hair again.
"Mmm," she moaned softly.
He looked at her face, seeing her eyes closed, "Or this?" he said, pressing his lips against her forehead.
"Joe..." she gasped, her breath tickling the skin of his neck.
Her eyes were open when he pulled away from her and he couldn't help but stare into them. "We're nearly home," he told her eventually and she rested her head against his shoulder once more, sighing softly. His fingers still ran through her hair and she closed her eyes and let herself drift away.
*JL*JL*
Joey carried Lauren into his flat. She'd fallen asleep in the last few minutes of the drive home and he was loathed to wake her, knowing how little sleep she'd been getting the last few nights and that rest was the best way for her to recover physically from what she'd been through. He lowered her gently onto the couch and crouched beside her, staring at her sleeping form with love shining from his eyes. He wished he had the courage to tell her how he felt. The truth was he didn't want to risk her rejecting him and for him to then lose her completely. He'd come to the realisation that Lauren Branning was the most important person in his life and he wasn't sure he was prepared to risk losing her even if there was a chance she might want him too.
After a couple of minutes he got to his feet and walked into the kitchen. He found her painkillers on top of the fridge freezer and he got out the correct dosage and ran a glass of cold water for her. After leaving them on the table in the lounge he was back in the kitchen, wanting to cook them both something nice for dinner. He worked in relative peace for about half an hour.
"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" she said softly.
He turned his head towards her voice and found her leaning against the doorframe. "I've got a few days off." He said.
"You don't need to be here all the time, Joe."
"I want to be," he said, keeping his attention on the food he was preparing. She said nothing more and when he glanced in her direction she'd gone from the room. He sighed and finished cooking their dinner. He carried both plates into the lounge and passed one to Lauren. She took it silently and moved her feet so he could sit down. "I told Sharon." He said softly, not sure how she'd react to what he was saying. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her freeze. "She saw the police as they were leaving yesterday and she asked me what was going on."
"You told her it was me?"
"I had to. I made her promise to not tell anyone." Lauren didn't say anything but she started eating. "I trust her with this, babe." He added gently and he saw her nod. "There's something I didn't tell you from that night too." He said, hating that what he was about to say was going to hurt her but he knew she needed to know everything. "I called your dad on the way to the hospital." She looked at him and he could see she wondered where his story was going. "He was angry because it was early in the morning so I told him I was calling about you."
"What did he say?" she whispered and he could hear the heartbreak in her voice. She must already have an idea of what he was going to say because neither of her parents had been around since it happened. Joey hated that it was him telling her this but he knew he had to.
He sighed and put his plate down on the table. Then he took her plate off her and put it next to his. Slowly he moved so he was kneeling in front of her and he pushed her hair back behind her ear. His thumb traced over her cheek and he watched as she closed her eyes. "He said it could wait till the morning." He told her in a whisper, "He's never called me back babe and I haven't tried to contact him again because you told me you didn't want them to know."
"It could wait till morning?" she repeated softly.
"I'm so sorry, babe." He said earnestly.
She pulled away from him and moved back on the couch, pulling her legs up to her chest. She hugged her knees, her eyes blank as she stared into the distance. Joey sat in the same place, watching her and wishing there was something he could do to help her. "Why did you tell Sharon?" she asked him softly after about ten minutes.
"She wouldn't let me not tell her. I had to threaten to quit for her to agree to not tell anyone. I told her everything about your parents and that you were staying with me." He paused slightly and her eyes met his, he knew she was searching for something but he wasn't sure what. "I told her what they did, Lauren."
"Joe..."
"I'm sorry. It slipped out. I needed to talk to someone." He lifted his hand and showed her the back of it. It was the first time she'd even noticed his knuckles were red and slightly swollen, "I punched the wall in the office. I was so angry at what they did to you and I needed to vent. I couldn't do that here because I didn't want to scare you." He lowered his head, ashamed for admitting how he'd reacted. "Sharon told me to take some days off so I can look after you and help you deal with this."
"You've already done so much for me, Joe. You don't need to do this too."
"That's just it, Lauren. I want to. I want to be the one you turn to when you need someone. I want to keep you safe and protect you from the bad things in life, whatever they may be."
Lauren stared at him. So many of the things he'd said echoed her own thoughts and she wished she knew what it was he was thinking. "I want you to as well." She murmured back to him.
"I'm going to go and nuke the plates so we can eat them while they're hot." Joey said after a minute, breaking the growing tension between them both. He returned a couple of minutes later and they ate their dinner in relative peace.
*JL*JL*
Lauren shifted in her seat and Joey noticed, "Why don't you go to bed?" he suggested.
"I will in a minute."
"Well I think I'm going to. It's been a tough couple of days." He got to his feet and tidied away their plates. When he came back to the room Lauren was standing waiting for him. He smiled at her and as he walked to his room he was aware of Lauren trailing behind him. He paused by the spare room and saw her look at the door.
"Joey, can I..." Her mouth ran dry and she didn't know what to say. She sighed and took a deep breath, "Can I stay with you?" she asked him softly, her eyes fixed on the carpet at her feet.
Joey lifted her chin so he could stare into her eyes, "Are you sure that's what you want?" he asked her.
"It's the only thing I know for certain." She told him, "You make me feel safe."
Joey smiled at her words and nodded his head in answer to her question. He saw the relief on her face and he kissed her forehead tenderly. "I'll see you in there in a minute." He whispered against her skin.
*JL*JL*
Joey walked into his room several minutes later, finding Lauren already tucked up in his bed. It was almost a repeat of the night before. There were only a couple of differences. One of them was this time the bedside lamp was on, offering some dim light in the room. The other difference was Joey was wearing slightly more clothing.
Joey climbed into the bed next to her and she immediately moved, rolling over to face him and leaning against his chest, much as she'd done for the previous two nights. "Joe..." she whispered.
"Yeah." He breathed.
"Should this feel strange?" she asked him.
"What do you mean?"
"We're cousins and it shouldn't feel like this to be lying here with you, should it?"
"Like what?" he asked hopefully.
"It doesn't feel like you're my cousin. When I think of you I think of my protector and someone I can trust. I don't think of you as a relative. I think of you as my best friend." She closed her eyes briefly before telling him softly, "I think of you as someone I love." She hoped he wouldn't reject her but she had to say it. She couldn't hide her feelings any longer.
Joey stared at her face and fell in love with her all over again. "I feel the same way." He told her gently. "I have for a while but I didn't know how to tell you." He admitted. She pulled away from him slightly so she could see his face better. She lifted her hand and brushed it down the side of his face and he smiled at her tenderly. "I won't rush you into anything, Lauren. I'm more than happy to take things slow. What you want and need are the only things important to me now." She moved closer to him again, resting her head on his chest.
"The family aren't going to like this are they? I don't want them to tear us apart." She said, her face turning into his chest slightly.
"I don't care about the family. The only thing I care about is you and making you happy. It's clear the family isn't that bothered about either of us. We need to be there for each other and forget everyone else. Sharon said..."
"You really were in a chatty mood with your boss." She teased him gently.
"She told me about her husband, Dennis." He told her, "They were in a relationship that people frowned upon as well."
"Why was it frowned upon?" she asked.
"Her adopted dad was Dennis's father."
"I never knew."
"They didn't have it easy. She said everyone had it in for them. Their dad did everything he could to split them up and it worked for a while but they were both really miserable so they started seeing each other in secret. They put their relationship first though and ended up getting married and Sharon got pregnant with Denny."
"Why did she tell you this?"
Joey knew he was blushing when he said his next words. "She realised I was in love with you when I got so upset about what had happened to you."
Lauren smiled at him, pleased to hear him say that about her, "So she thinks we should be together?"
"She said we should do what makes us happy, not what we think will be best for the family. I think she'd support us if we were to do this..."
"If?" She asked.
He smiled at her, "When..." he amended.
"So what now?" Lauren whispered.
"Would it be okay if I kissed you?" Joey watched her face, "If it's too soon after... well, we don't need to rush..."
Lauren placed her hand over his mouth, cutting off his words. "Stop over thinking it, Joe."
He kissed the palm of her hand and she giggled and pulled her hand away. "I just don't want you to be scared of me," he whispered to her.
"I don't think that's possible. I told you, you make me feel safe."
He smiled at her then moved slowly closer to her, his eyes staring into hers, checking for any signs that she wanted him to stop. He never saw any and then his mouth was on hers. It was a soft kiss, one filled with love and a promise of a future together. He pulled his lips from hers, his breath laboured as he stared at her. His hands came up and cupped her cheeks and she smiled at him. Finally he was doing that again and Lauren could feel her heart begin to race. He kissed her again, this time deeper and more passionate. This kiss was less innocent, somewhat dirtier in fact but just as enjoyable from where Lauren was lying. Lauren pulled away from him this time and she kissed his lips quickly before pressing herself against his body and burying her face into his neck. Joey smiled and wrapped his arms around her. He could get very used to this, he decided.
TBC
A/N: So what did you think? Hope you don't think I rushed them getting together... although they've only kissed. Don't worry there's still quite a few hurdles for them to get past. See you tomorrow.