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Chapter 15
Rowan gave Ray a quick smile before going back into the house to take off the robe. Louisa walked over and took Ray's robe and then she gave him a hug.
"Welcome to the family, blessed be," she said and kissed his cheek, then walked over to Maggie and did the same to her.
Maggie smiled at Gem, she wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, but she accepted it nonetheless, clearly it was a tradition of sorts for where Rowan was from.
She looked up as the doorbell went again and squeezed Rowan's hand once before hurrying to get it.
Jack helped Gem put things back and glanced at Alyssa when he heard the doorbell.
"Better get that, love," he said to her as he carried the small table back to where it belonged.
Rowan finished checking her hair over in the bathroom and walked out and smiled at Alyssa.
"I'm not nervous anymore," she said and clasped her hands together.
Alyssa beamed at Rowan. "I'm glad," she grinned.
Chris patted Ray on the arm. "Well, that's done, mate. Pretty different," he commented. He grinned when he heard the doorbell.
"Nervous?" he chuckled.
Ray frowned at Chris. "Think nervous is a bit of an understatement at the moment," he half-smiled. "I'm bricking it," he added.
"You'll be fine," Chris said and patted his arm. He craned his neck back to see inside. "Looks like the Guv and Alex are here," he noted.
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Gene pulled up in front of Jack's house and saw the registrar just ringing the bell.
"At least we're not that late," he said to Alex with a sigh and hurriedly got out of the car and opened the back door and ushered Sammy out. He picked the boy up and strode to the door.
"Don't know why you women can't get ready faster," he muttered as he reached the door. He gave the registrar a friendly nod and looked back at Alex.
Alex frowned at him as she followed. "Well I apologise for my hair not behaving," she said sarcastically. "I couldn't turn up to a wedding looking like I'd just got out of bed, could I?"
"But you look good when you just get out of bed," Gene murmured and grinned at her. He followed Alex and the registrar inside and glanced around.
Alyssa opened the door and smiled as she stood back to let the Registrar inside then beamed at Alex and Gene and Sammy.
"Hey," she smiled at them as they passed her and she shut the door behind them.
"Outside, right?" Gene asked no one in particular and went out to the garden.
He clapped Ray on the shoulder. "Raymondo, thought you were getting married, there's no bride in there," he said then winked to show he was kidding when he saw the panic on Ray's face.
"She's in there, and she looks pretty fantastic, I have to say. Not sure how you managed that," he added.
He walked over to Maggie and smiled at her as he patted her hand. "Nice day for it," he remarked and glanced at Gem before blinking at the way she was scrutinizing him.
"DSI Gene Hunt, Ray's boss," he introduced himself.
Gem nodded. "I know," she said simply and Gene nearly gaped. "And you are?"
"Gem," she said again in the same tone. Gene grunted. He'd heard that name before. He nodded slightly.
"Nice to meet you," he said.
"Likewise," Gem returned and smiled. "And you," she said, leaning forward and addressing Alex.
Gene distracted himself with watching the registrar come up and shake Ray's hand then take his place.
The man cleared his throat. "If we're ready to begin?" he asked and looked at Ray.
Rowan waved and gave Alex a nervous smile before her fingers strayed back to her mother's bracelet. She blinked quickly. It wouldn't do to cry right now and ruin all of Tanya's hard work.
She watched the others go outside and swallowed hard as she heard the registrar's voice asking if they were ready to begin.
"Let's get started," she said, her voice barely a whisper as she gestured Alyssa to precede her and then followed her outside.
Alyssa smiled and squeezed Rowan's hand once before turning around and heading outside.
Ray exhaled in relief. He hadn't thought that Rowan would run off, especially now that they'd just done the handfasting, but he was still a little tense.
Alex patted Ray's shoulder lightly. "You look nice," she commented as she looked him up and down. "Rowan looks beautiful by the way, radiant," she told him and he nodded silently. Alex sighed.
"Hey, calm down Ray. She's not going to run off or suddenly have a change of mind okay," she insisted.
"Okay," he muttered quietly.
Alex looked up at Gem and smiled cautiously.
"Thank you," she smiled. "Nice to meet you, too," she said then looked around for Sammy so that she could get him to sit still for the ceremony.
Ray nodded at the registrar as he looked around to make sure that people were sorting themselves out. He reached out and grabbed Denis and pulled him along to stand next to him. He crouched down to look at his son and smiled broadly at him.
"You're gonna be good right, Denis?" he asked as he straightened his son's suit.
Denis frowned and brushed at his father's hands. "I fine, leaveusalone," he complained and frowned then caught sight of Alyssa and then Rowan walking behind her and he pointed.
"Mummy," he said softly.
Claire jumped up from her chair near the door and grabbed Alyssa's hand to walk with her, glancing back at Rowan.
"Mummy so pretty," she exclaimed and looked up at Alyssa. "You is too," she added quickly.
Rowan smiled and swallowed hard. It was almost over. She looked at Ray and felt her heart skip a beat. She caught sight of Gem smiling at her and her own smile widened slightly. She was so glad Gem had made the journey here.
Ray's head shot up and he gently patted Denis on the head as he rose and looked past Alyssa and Claire so that he could see Rowan. He felt his breath leave him as he watched her, whatever they'd done to her at that Salon she looked stunning. He smiled broadly at her.
Alyssa smiled down at Claire and nodded. "Your Mummy looks beautiful," she agreed as she lead Claire down the aisle.
Rowan stopped next to Ray and smiled up at him. "You approve?" she asked him softly.
Claire stood next to Alyssa and clamped her lips shut. She would behave. She would.
Ray smiled at her and carefully slid his hand into hers. "How could I not?" he replied gently.
Alyssa looked down at Claire and squeezed her hand gently with a smile. She was amazed that Claire was standing so still and being so quiet!
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Jane sat down and smiled as she looked around the club.
"I think we did a great job," she remarked with a sigh.
"Well, I have to go and fetch my date and make sure he's all hotted up for the party," Syed said. "See you in a while."
Jane waved at him and then looked over at Peter and Molly.
"I guess we should all get ready," she said. "They'll be here before we know it."
Peter slung his arm around Molly's shoulders.
"Yeah, let's go get ourselves looking gorgeous," he agreed and led her from the club.
Jane finished getting ready for the party and then waiting by the building door for Peter and Molly.
Peter straightened his tie and checked his watch. "Ready, Molls?"
Molly twirled and then nodded as she took his hand. "Ready," she smiled at him.
"Oh, you look fantastic," Peter said and gave her a quick kiss. "Tempting to give the party a miss, but I think you'd kill me," he joked and took her arm to lead her downstairs. He gave Jane a wave.
"Bout time you two," Jane said and started off to the club at a brisk walk.
Molly gave Jane a small smile as she followed Peter down the stairs and then out of the door. She couldn't wait to see what Rowan looked like!
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Bradley cleared his throat and walked over to Annie where she sat sunning herself on a bench in the Square. She shaded her eyes and looked up at him curiously.
"Can I help you?"
Bradley smiled. "I was just wondering if you might like to have lunch with me?"
Annie straightened up and looked at him. "Really?" she asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.
Bradley nodded. "Why not?"
Annie considered it for a moment and then shrugged. "Why not?" she echoed and smiled as she stood. "Lead on."
Charlie walked towards the cafe and saw some man with longish red hair talking to Annie. He frowned as he felt a flash of jealousy. He watched them walk to the cafe and decided he wasn't in the mood for the cafe. He turned and headed into the pub and wondered if Lauren was free. Maybe he should call her. Maybe he should call Annie and interrupt her.
He put his face in his hands with a sigh. He wished he could figure out what he was doing.
Bradley led Annie to the Arghee Bhajee and to his favorite table.
Charlie followed them and watched them go inside. He wondered if Lauren was free and quickly sent off a text.
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Lauren put down the fish finger she'd been about to eat and picked up her phone.
"Oh, Charlie wants me to have lunch with him, laters," she said and nearly knocked over her chair in her haste to get out.
Whitney looked at Bolton and began to laugh before picking up Lauren's plate and exchanging it for her empty one that she hadn't filled yet.
"So, she's got a nice boyfriend then?" Paul asked. He had sort of liked Lauren once, after all.
Whitney tilted her head. "Well, they're just mates still, but Lauren wants it to be more."
"Ahhh," Paul said and ate some more.
Bolton grinned at Whitney; Paul was in for a rough time if it was Jodie and Poppy. He honestly didn't know how Darren coped.
Bolton chuckled as he watched Lauren run off and looked at Whit once he heard the door slam.
"I hope he's not messing her around," he commented.
Whitney sighed. "Me too. Hopefully him asking her to lunch is a good sign," she said and held up her hand and crossed her fingers.
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Lauren ran up to Charlie and smiled quickly as she stopped to catch her breath.
"You didn't have to run, it wasn't urgent, just lunch," he teased.
She gave him a light punch in the arm. "I know, but this way I've worked up an appetite," she quipped and took his arm.
Charlie chose a table where he could see Annie and Bradley and made sure Lauren didn't see them as he held a chair for her.
Annie saw Charlie come in with Lauren and her happy expression faltered a bit. Bradley wondered at her change and glanced around. He saw Charlie sitting with...was that Lauren?...and reading a menu.
"Are you okay?" he asked her.
"Yeah, just my ex," she sighed and toyed with her fork.
"We can go somewhere else," Bradley offered.
"No, I have to get used to it if he decides not to leave," she said with a shake of her head.
Tamwar walked over. "Hey, Lauren, you know Bradley is sitting over there," he told her. Charlie forced his face expressionless.
"Really?" she said and craned to look and saw he was sitting with Annie. She looked at Charlie.
"My brother is with your ex," she gasped.
"I was trying to ignore it," Charlie told her.
Lauren nodded. "We'll just leave them where they are," she said to Tamwar.
"Understood," he said.
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Rowan looked up at Ray and kissed him. They were married now, and handfasted, she could scarcely believe it. She leaned over slightly and held her arms out to Claire, who quickly let go of Alyssa's hand and bolted over. Rowan picked her up.
"Mummy, you so pretty today," Claire told her.
"You are too, sweetheart," Rowan said and looked down at Denis. "And look how handsome Denis is," she remarked. Denis smiled and tugged on his father's jacket to be picked up.
Ray stooped down and picked his son up off the floor and held him proudly in his arms. He followed Rowan to sign the certificate then looked at Denis.
"Right then, I promise that after the party you won't have to wear a suit any time soon," he said with a small smile. "Does look good on you though, Denis," he smiled at his son.
Maggie moved over to Ray and placed a hand on his arm. Ray looked down at her and rolled his eyes
"Whatcha crying for Mam! It's supposed to be a happy day!" he snorted.
Maggie smacked his arm and frowned at him. "They're happy tears," she told her and smiled at Denis. "Looking very smart young man," she smiled at him and she gently adjusted his little tie slightly.
Denis frowned and swiped at her hand.
"Hate suit," Denis grouched.
Maggie laughed at him.
"Nice one, mate," Chris congratulated Ray and then kissed Rowan's cheek.
"I'm glad to see you two finally do this," he told her. He leaned a bit closer. "I don't think we would have worked," he whispered and she giggled and smacked his arm. Chris grinned and moved aside.
Ray grinned at Chris and looked proudly at his son then at his wife and daughter. He smiled as he gave Denis a hug. His own little family. He couldn't be happier. And now all he had to do was whisk Rowan away to Greece for a week and leave the twins in the care of Grandma Maggie.
Rowan followed the registrar to sign the certificate and then stood next to Alyssa.
"I'm glad that's over," she said softly.
Gene walked over and kissed Rowan's cheek. "Never thought I'd see the day," he told her and she blushed. He patted her cheek. "Good girl, now I think it's time to party."
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"You look gorgeous," Jack told Rowan and kissed her cheek.
"Yeah, well I'm married to a big mean policeman now, so hands off," she teased and Jack chuckled. He saw Claire's expression and immediately kissed her cheek, too.
"You look very pretty, Claire," he told her and she smiled.
He turned to Alyssa and pulled her into his arms. "I'd really like to tear that dress off you," he whispered in her ear.
"Mummy, we gonna go to the party now? Hungry," Claire whined.
"We'll go in a minute," Rowan said and hushed her daughter.
She smiled and squeezed Alyssa's hand before walking over to where Ray and his mother stood.
Alyssa smiled at Rowan and watched her walk away then looked back at Jack. "C'mon, I'm starving!" she insisted as she slid her hand into his and tugged gently.
"Well, let's go, food and drink await," Jack said and gestured. "I suggest we walk. I'm fine to walk home drunk, but not drive," he said and grinned with mischievous glee.
Alyssa smiled and nodded. "It's not like it's far," she agreed. She glanced around at everyone and sighed.
"We should probably leave last though, it is our house after all," she sighed as she watched their friends gradually begin to file out.
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Peter walked over to where Jane and Molly were.
"I just got a text from Jack. It's just finished over there so they'll probably all be over here soon," he told them.
Molly nodded at him. "Good, I can't wait to see her dress!" she gushed to Jane.
Molly glanced at the time then went around making last minute checks on all of the food and decorations.
"I know," Jane said with a sigh. "I'm sure she looked lovely."
Molly smiled and nodded. "I still can't wait to see it!" she said.
She cocked an eyebrow at Molly. "When can we expect to see you in one?" she asked curiously.
Molly blushed at Jane then mumbled something, gestured vaguely and hurried off.
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Lauren happily ate her lunch, not really noticing that Charlie was distracted by Annie's presence.
"Do you want to go to Rowan's party and eat there instead?" he asked her.
Lauren raised her eyebrows but nodded. "Sure," she said excitedly and stood up with him.
"Sorry, Tam," she said and waved as they left.
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Whitney toyed with a fish finger and looked at Paul and Bolton.
"You know, Molly said we'd be welcome to go to that party of Rowan's. Why don't we?" she suggested.
Paul nodded hopefully and looked at Bolton.
Bolton looked curiously at Whitney.
"Will we have to dress up smart?" he asked her.
Whitney shook her head. "I doubt it. They're pretty sure the whole Square is probably going to show up, which is why Rowan didn't do an open bar," she said and chuckled.
"Wise of her," Bolton smiled. He pushed his plate away and looked from Paul to Whitney.
"What're we waiting for?" he asked as he stood up then pointed at Paul. "Don't go getting drunk, you've still got your date!" he reminded him.
"I won't," Paul said in an affronted tone and followed Whitney and Bolton out.
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Ray beamed broadly at Rowan as she came over to him and he wrapped his free arm around her waist.
"So, being anxious all morning has made me incredibly hungry," he smiled at her. "How about we go over to the club?" he suggested hopefully.
Rowan looked at him. "You're always hungry, so don't know why you bother with an excuse," she told him.
"Yeah, Daddy, you always eating," Claire agreed smugly and attempted to toss her curls over her shoulder. Rowan walked over near the door and quickly stepped out of the very high heels she was wearing and slipped them into a lower heeled shoe.
"I'm ready," she said and headed out the door without another word. She gathered up her dress, glad it didn't have a ridiculous long train and began to walk briskly across the Square to the club. She waved at people who called to her as she went, Claire imitating every wave.
Ray frowned slightly at Rowan and Claire and looked at Denis.
"I'm not always eating am I?" he asked his son as he made to follow Rowan and Claire down the road to the Club.
Denis looked at his father and nodded.
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Rowan went inside R&R and looked around with a smile.
"It looks fantastic in here," she said to Jane.
"You look stunning," Jane told her and gave her a quick hug.
"Me too!" insisted Claire. "I'm a princess."
"Yes, you are," Jane said and tweaked one of Claire's blond curls.
"Gramma curdled it for me," Claire informed her and Jane nodded, keeping her expression serious. She knew better than to laugh out, though she was shaking with it inside.
"We've got loads of food," Jane told her.
"Thank you both so much for this," she said to Jane and Molly.
"You look beautiful, Rowan!" Molly gushed as she stared at the dress in admiration.
"Thank you," Rowan said to Molly and absentmindedly smoothed the dress.
Peter walked over. "I've got the champagne ready so every person who comes will get one free glass," he told Rowan.
"Thank you," she said to him.
Claire leaned over and frowned at him.
"Stop looking at Mummy's boobies," she scolded loudly and Peter blushed. Of course there had to be a lot of people walking in to hear it.
"I wasn't," he insisted and gaped helplessly at Jane and then Molly. Rowan laughed.
"Claire, please don't say that, okay?"
"Okay," Claire said, but kept watching Peter. Peter quickly turned and went back to the bar.
"The perils of a low cut dress," Jane said and grinned. Rowan returned it.
Denis looked at Ray as he heard his sister's voice ringing out. "Claire's gonna get in trouble," he said seriously and frowned.
Ray looked at Denis and shrugged. "Maybe," he agreed as he set his son back on the floor.
Molly looked up as she heard the doors opening and gasped as she saw Rowan coming downstairs into the club. She hurried over and beamed.
Molly held back her laughter at Claire and giggled quietly before waving once and following Peter back to the bar.
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Jack walked into the club and looked at Alyssa and laughed when he heard Claire's scold.
"Poor kid," he said.
"Somebody put some music on," he called out.
Alyssa shook her head and looked over at Claire with a small smile.
She rolled her eyes as she heard the music come on and took Jack's hand. "Right, dancing," she said as she pulled him onto the dance floor with her.
Jack pulled Alyssa close as she pulled him to the dance floor.
"Let's not get too into this," he said. "Aren't Ray and Rowan supposed to start the dancing?" he asked her curiously
Alyssa looked over at Rowan and Ray and nodded. "Yes, so we wait for them to start it and then join in," she told him and looked at him. "We haven't danced together in ages," she sighed.
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Jane winked at Rowan and went over and stood up on a small stage she'd set up.
"Okay, everyone," Jane called out, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. "One glass of champagne for everyone and Chris is going to get up here and give his best man speech," Jane said.
Chris looked at Shaz and swallowed hard. He didn't really want to give a speech.
"And after that, Ray and Rowan will start the dancing."
She got down and gestured at Chris to get up and start his speech. He stepped up and cleared his throat loudly before he began and felt complete relief when it was over and everyone clapped politely.
Rowan led the twins over to the buffet and got them both some food and sat them down so they would be quiet for Chris' speech.
"You be good and stay put while your Daddy and I dance, okay?" she said and they both nodded.
Louisa bounded over to the food and looked at the table.
"I am starving!" she exclaimed and picked up a plate and began to take some food.
"Did you find Rowan's recipes easy to follow?" she drawled.
"Yes, it wasn't too bad," Jane replied.
"And you're almost as good a cook as Rowan," Louisa joked, making sure to speak clearly. She knew her accent would make her hard to understand.
She took a bite of pastry and hummed over it.
"Almost?" Jane laughed. "Don't you go home soon?"
Louisa nodded, trying not to laugh which could make her choke. She swallowed the bite.
"Yeah, actually, we fly back tomorrow."
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Chris finished his speech and gestured for the music to start. Peter nodded and switched it on.
Rowan looked up at Ray and smiled.
"Guess we better start," she said. "They're playing our song."
She took his hand and led him out.
Ray chuckled as he followed Rowan onto the dance floor and looked at her.
"We have a song?" he asked curiously as he pulled her against him.
"Yes, we do, it's playing right now," Rowan replied tartly.
Ray chuckled. "I'll bear it in mind," he told her as he slid his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Have I told you already how beautiful you look?"
Rowan shook her head. "Not yet," she replied flippantly. "I asked if you approved and you basically said yes, but that's it," she grinned at him.
"So, I'm waiting."
Ray shook his head and chuckled. He lowered his lips to her ear.
"You look completely stunning Rowan, I almost lost my breath when I saw you walking down the aisle," he said to her softly.
Rowan shivered and turned her head slightly so her cheek pressed against Ray's and her grip tightened on him slightly.
"You look amazing, too," she whispered back. "I love you."
She moved a bit more and looked up at him before pressing her lips to his softly.
Ray smiled as he pulled her that little bit closer and broke the kiss.
"I love you, too," he told her. "And I'm so happy, Ro," he beamed down at her and squeezed her gently.
Rowan just gazed at him, willing herself not to cry. Instead, she leaned her head against his chest and just enjoyed being close to him. They were as bound as they could be and could barely contain her joy. She had expected to feel some fear or apprehension, but it was conspicuously absent. There was only her love for him and her happiness.
Ray wrapped his arms around her tightly and grinned. They'd finish here and then he'd take her home, help her pack, then they'd go off to Greece. He was sure the twins wouldn't mind staying with their Gran for a week while he and Rowan had their honeymoon. He sighed inwardly, there would probably some tantrums when he told the twins that he and their Mam were going on holiday without them, he did feel a little bit sorry for Maggie if that happened: she'd be the one that would have to pacify them.
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Gene slung an arm around Alex's shoulders. "Can't believe Ray is completely settled down now, never thought I'd see the day," he remarked.
Alex smiled at him. "I think the same could be said about you," she commented and poked him in the stomach gently.
She looked over at Ray and Rowan with a smile. "I'll admit when I first met him, and working with him ever since, that I didn't ever think he'd find anybody," she agreed. "I did hope for him though when he met Rowan."
Gene slapped at her hand and looked over where Sammy sat with the twins.
"Rowan was bound to whip him into shape," Gene said and chuckled. "And he didn't even realize she was doing it."
Alex giggled. "I know," she murmured back. "But they're good for each other I think," she added as she tilted her head and watched them.
He leaned over and put his lips to her ear. "Our song is next," he whispered.
Alex turned her head to look at Gene slowly and frowned. "Since when do we have a song?" she asked him.
"Yes," he said and hummed a few bars of "True" in Alex's ear.
Alex's gaze softened and she smiled up at him before resting her head against his arm happily.
Whitney walked over to where Charlie and Lauren were standing.
"Rowan looks amazing," she said and Lauren nodded.
"Glad to see you guys here, much better food."
Paul perked up at the mention of food and caught sight of the buffet. His expression changed to undisguised greed and he nudged Bolton before hurrying over and grabbing a plate.
Lauren suddenly elbowed Whitney.
"Jodie and Poppy are here," she hissed. Whitney looked over at Paul, wondering if she should tell him. No, let him find out on his own.
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Alyssa smiled as she saw Rowan and Ray start to dance and tugged on Jack's hand. "Now can we go and dance?" she asked him insistently.
"Your wish is my command," Jack said agreeably and swung Alyssa out on the floor.
Jack whirled Alyssa around on the floor.
"I really don't think you could ever look more beautiful," he told her as he drew her close.
"I should probably dance with the bride next song. You should dance with the groom," he suggested.
Alyssa smiled at him. "And although I see you in a suit almost every day, you do look good in it," she told him with a sly smile.
Alyssa glanced over at Rowan and Ray and then raised her eyebrows at Jack.
"You really want to disturb them?" she asked.
"Not now, obviously, next dance," Jack snorted. "I'm not ready to let go of you, yet," he added and tightened his grip on her.
Alyssa nodded and accommodated herself comfortably in his grasp. She smiled up at him then glanced over at Rowan and Ray. Her smile grew wider as she noticed the look of sheer happiness on Rowan's face and she carefully directed Jack's attention towards them.
"She looks so blissful," she remarked softly.
Jack nodded.
"Like how I feel when I look at you," he said and spun her around.
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Bolton chuckled and patted Whitney's shoulder as he followed Paul over to the table. He caught sight of Poppy and Jodie and then looked over his shoulder at Whitney. She and Lauren were looking at them too. He sighed and glanced at Paul. He supposed it was better for Paul to wait for the actual date.
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"Oh my god, Poppy, Rowan looks amazing," Jodie breathed. "They really do look sweet."
She sighed dreamily.
Poppy looked on at Rowan and Ray as they danced and sighed heavily. Even with this date tonight that she was nervous about, she still felt a little bit down.
"That's what I want Jodes, something like that," she said wistfully as she rested her chin in her hand and gazed at Rowan and Ray.
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"I almost wish I wasn't going home tomorrow," Gem said, her tone slightly wistful as she and Maggie wandered towards the buffet.
Maggie smiled at Gem.
"Then stay for a bit longer?" she suggested then glanced around and leaned in a little closer. "Ray's taking Rowan to Greece, so I'm looking after Claire and Denis, I'm sure they wouldn't mind you staying," she smiled.
Gem shook her head. "I can't, there's too much to do back home, otherwise I wouldn't mind."
Maggie sighed and nodded. "We're all going to have to come over to visit," she smiled. "I'll admit I'm deeply curious about your home."
"You would be more than welcome," Gem told her. "I can always use another hand. I certainly put Ray and Rowan to work when they came over," she said and grinned.
Maggie laughed and nodded. "I can well imagine," she agreed with a chuckle.
The twins grinned matching grins and ran to their parents, Denis tugging on Rowan's dress, Claire at Ray's jacket. Rowan turned her head and looked down then looked back at Ray.
"I think they want to cut in," she said and gave a small chuckle. She picked up Denis and smiled at him. "I guess you want to dance with me?" she asked and he nodded.
She watched Ray pick up Claire and the little girl immediately planted a kiss on her father's cheek.
"I'm glad Charlie suggested we come here," Lauren told Whitney. "Annie was at the Arghee Bhaji with Bradley. It was a little awkward."
"I can imagine," she glanced over at Bolton and Paul and then back at Lauren.
"I think Paul is going to find out Poppy's here," she gestured with a chuckle as Paul hurried away from the buffet. Lauren watched as Paul rushed across the room and stumbled on Poppy's chair. She snorted a laugh.
"I think so, too," she remarked and Charlie looked down at her.
"What are you two going on about?" he wanted to know.
"Nothing," Lauren replied. "Let's dance."
Charlie nodded and led her out to join the other people.
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Paul barely kept his plate in hand as he bumped into a chair he hadn't noticed. He looked down in panic.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there," he quickly apologized. He looked at his plate and then at the girl. "I don't think I spilled any on you, though."
Jodie turned and put a hand on Poppy's arm and looked her friend over carefully.
"She seems okay, but you should watch where you're going," Jodie said, a small frown marring her features.
"Jodes, it's not like he knocked her down," Darren said and Jodie looked at him. "No, but that's a designer skirt, who knows what kind of stain she could have ended up with," she told him and turned back to Poppy.
Poppy gaped at Paul. She hardly noticed that he may have spilt anything on her and just gazed at his face.
She looked over at Jodie and smiled. "It's him, Jodes, I'm sure of it," she whispered.
Paul straightened and put his plate down as he realized who he'd bumped into.
"You're Poppy aren't you?" Paul asked and then smiled. "I'm Paul, I'm supposed to meet you later."
Jodie's eyes widened. "I suppose he is," she muttered back and then turned to Darren.
Poppy smiled nervously at him and looked to Jodie for support. She wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to do now.
"Yeah," she said and looked at Jodie and Darren again then back up at Paul.
"You want to sit with us now?" she asked as she gestured at the empty seat.
Paul glanced over at Bolton and then back down at Poppy and shrugged.
"Okay," he said and carefully put his food-laden plate on the table before dragging a chair to the table and sitting down. He gestured at his plate.
"Do you want something to eat?" he asked her and picked up one of the pastries he'd chosen and took a bite. "Oh, my god, this is good," he mumbled and quickly covered his mouth with his hand and gave Poppy an apologetic look.
Poppy looked at the plate longingly.
"But I'm on a diet!" she exclaimed sadly. "There isn't much here than I can eat," she said forlornly as she watched him. She licked her lips subconsciously as she avidly watched him eat the pasty.
Paul snorted at Poppy's comment.
"But you're so thin!" he said and gaped at her. He pushed one of the small pies over to her. "It's just chicken and stuff," he told her. "Have one, they're good."
He leaned over. "Maybe we can share a piece of cake later?"
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Once their hunger had been sated, the twins began to amuse themselves throwing things at each other. Gem glanced over, looked at Maggie and jerked her head in the twins' direction before walking over and putting a stop to it before they began throwing very messy food.
Maggie bit back her laughter and tried to keep her expression reasonably strict. She couldn't help but laugh at her grandchildren. She finished eating and moved towards Denis and Claire.
"How about you two go and dance?" she suggested. "I'm sure if you ask nicely then the DJ will play a song you like.
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Hale sighed as he watched Lucy Beale walking from the station. He quickly put his phone down and started the car. His wife always did have the worst timing. He'd get Lucy yet, though. She needed…taking care of.
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Bradley walked Annie to the pub for her shift and then stayed and had a pint. He noticed Max come in and nodded.
"Hi, Dad," he said as Max sat down.
"So, how are thing?" Max wanted to know, his glance in Annie's direction telling Bradley what, in particular, he meant.
Bradley nodded. "Fine, Dad. She's very nice and I like her. We had lunch today."
Max's eyebrows went up and he took a sip of his drink. "So, she's not going back with her ex?"
Bradley shrugged. "I don't know. We didn't really talk about it. He and Lauren came into the restaurant when we were there, but they left. He probably took her to Rowan's do over at the club."
"Oh, right, that's today. I better go get Tanya then, she's probably ready to go and annoyed with me."
Bradley smiled and waved goodbye. Annie walked over and sat down.
"Dead in here," she remarked.
"Rowan's wedding thing is over at the club," Bradley told her.
"Oh, that's right. I guess we'll see them when all the free food is gone," she joked.
Bradley toyed with his glass a moment.
"Are you going to get back with your ex?" he asked her finally.
She shrugged. "I'm not sure. I love Charlie, a lot, but he chose to end it and I'm not sure he would take me back."
"Ah," Bradley said. "What if he wanted you back?"
Annie met Bradley's gaze. "Then I would go back, yes," she said gently and covered Bradley's hand with her own.
He gave her a small smile. "I'll entertain you until then."
"You're sweet, Bradley, I don't want to hurt you."
"Oh, don't worry about it. We'll be mates until we get the chance to be something else."
"Thank you. I don't have many friends here," she said sadly.
"You did pick the wrong woman's husband," he told her with a chuckle.
Annie rolled her eyes. "Didn't I just, though it wasn't planned."
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Lauren pressed close to Charlie as they danced. She was really falling for him and wished she knew where they stood. He was being civil and talking to Annie on occasion. Did that mean they were going to get back together? She didn't know. She hated to ask. She didn't want to seem too desperate. She smiled at him to cover her feelings and felt her heart leap when he smiled back.
She slid her arm tighter around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. She felt a wave of elation when he kissed her back. She broke off the kiss and met his gaze.
"You know, Whitney is distracted here, we could go to mine," she suggested. She kept her tone light, non-committal. If he said no, she would not let him see it bother her. She watched as instead, he nodded.
"Let's go," he said and kept an arm around her waist as they left the club. Lauren glanced over at Whitney and shot her a cheesy smile. Whitney raised her eyebrows and gave Lauren a thumbs up. About time.
She walked over to Bolton. "Well, I think Lauren may have successfully snared Charlie," she told him. "They've just left and the smile Lauren gave me leaves no doubt what they are going to be doing."
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Lauren led Charlie back to her room when they got to the flat and giggled as she tackled him onto the bed and began to kiss him again. Charlie smiled as he kissed her back, but his mind began to wander to Annie. He missed her. He broke off the kiss as Lauren began to unbutton his shirt.
"I'm sorry, I just can't," he said to her sadly. Lauren looked at him in surprise, but tried desperately to hide her disappointment as he stood up and buttoned his shirt. "I have to go."
Lauren nodded and tried for what she hoped was a supportive look and tried to ignore the pain in her chest and the lump in her throat. She waited until he left before dropping back to the bed in tears.
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Charlie ran all the way to the pub. He rushed inside and looked around frantically for Annie and hurried over when he saw her, she'd clearly been to change a barrel. He reached out and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his tall frame.
"I want you back," he told her as he held her. "We belong together."
He looked down at her and gently wiped her tears away with the ball of his thumb. She reached into her pocket and pulled out his set of flat keys and held them up.
"I hoped you would say that," she whispered. He wrapped his hand around the keys and then bent and kissed her.
"Any chance you can duck out now?" he asked her quietly. She turned to look at Peggy who had been watching them. Peggy rolled her eyes and made a shooing gesture. Annie smiled and blew a kiss at Peggy and then smiled up at Charlie before turning to leave, her hand tight in his.
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Chris noticed Olivia getting fretful. She was warm, too, he noticed when he picked her up to quiet her fussing.
"Shaz, I don't think Olivia's feeling well. I'm going to take her home. You stay and enjoy the party, we'll be fine," he told her and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll make sure you have a ride home," he added and spoke to Charlie as he was leaving, who readily agreed to drive Shaz when she was ready.
Chris drove himself and Olivia home and gave her some baby medicine. He held for awhile until her fussing stopped and then carried her up to her room and put her to bed. He turned as the sound of a knock on the door and went downstairs.
"Lucy," he said in surprise. She smiled. "Hi, I saw you drive past the station and hoped you were coming home."
She pushed past him and came into the flat.
"Olivia's upstairs, she got sick," he told her as he turned, closing the door behind her.
"I'll be quiet, I promise," she said and plastered her lips to his. Chris broke off the kiss at the sound of a knock on the door. He looked at Lucy. "Hide, if it was Shaz she wouldn't knock."
Lucy nodded and hurried to the kitchen and closed the door. She left it open just a crack so she could hear. Chris opened the door and was knocked backwards. He stumbled against the couch and shook his head to clear it. He heard the door close and looked up to see Hale standing there.
"Where is she?" Hale growled. He focused on Chris and pointed at him. "I saw her come in, so don't lie to me."
Lucy heard Hale and stormed out of the kitchen.
"I assume it's me you're looking for?" she demanded. "Well, here I am, what do you want?"
Hale's lips curved in a menacing smile and he darted forward and grabbed hold of Lucy.
"Time for you to pay," he hissed and backhanded her.
"Oi!" Chris snapped and grabbed at Hale, but the larger man swung his arm and knocked Chris aside, his meaty fist catching the side of Chris' head. Chris fell to the floor, dazed from the blow. Hale dragged Lucy to the kitchen and he grabbed a kitchen chair and carried it back to the front room, squeezing her when she tried to struggle too much. He pushed her into the chair and then pulled a hank of cord from his jacket pocket and tied her to it. Lucy's eyes widened.
"What are you doing?" she gasped. Hale went over and quickly looped cord around Chris' wrists and ankles and tied it to keep him from interfering. He walked back to Lucy and looked her up and down, his face twisted in a sneer.
"Do you know what they used to do to women like you?" he asked her. She opened her mouth to answer, but he had turned away and went to the door. He opened it, picked something up that had been outside the door and brought it in. He walked over to Lucy and held it up in front of her as he twisted off the cap.
"They burned women like you once up on a time," he informed her, his tone low and dark. Chris quickly shifted around, managing to get to his knees.
"Hale, no, don't do this," he said as he struggled against his bonds. Hale lifted a booted foot, planted it in Chris' chest and shoved him away. Hale turned and poured the gasoline over Lucy, causing her to gasp and let out a low cry. His grin was maniacal as he waved the can around, carelessly splashing petrol around.
"Hale, stop, I never did anything to you, why are you doing this to me?"
"Because you deserve it," he said simply as he tossed the can aside and pulled a box of matches from his pocket and lit one. Lucy's eyes widened. "No!" she screamed shrilly and upstairs in her room, Olivia let out a wail as Lucy's scream woke her up. Hale's head jerked up in surprise, he hadn't known the kid was home! He didn't realize his fingers had opened and the match had dropped to the carpet. Lucy screamed again as the flames shot up her leg and she managed to jerk her body hard enough that the chair fell over. The fire burned the cord on her leg enough she got it free and she managed to ignore the pain in her leg enough to slam it against her other leg and the floor to try and put the fire out.
Chris managed to roll onto his back and he thrust his legs out and knocked Hale over. He shifted around, gritted his teeth and shoved his hands away from his back as far as he could before edging towards the fire on the carpet. He hissed as he felt the flames lick his hands, but jerked his arm until the fire had burned the cord enough to break. He quickly rolled away from the flames and yanked the cord from his ankles before hurrying to help Lucy. He grabbed hold of the chair leg and dragged Lucy and the chair away from the flames before pulling off his jacket to make sure the fire on her leg was out. He quickly untied her and helped her stand.
He left her standing there and then ran to the kitchen for the fire extinguisher, but the flames, feeding off the fuel that had spattered everywhere from Hale's hasty splashing was quickly turning the front room into an inferno. Chris dropped the extinguisher and ran upstairs. He grabbed Shaz' jewelry box and shoved it in Olivia's diaper bag. He grabbed some clothes out of Olivia's drawers, her favorite toy and shoved them in the bag before grabbing his crying daughter out of her crib and dashing downstairs. He went into the kitchen again; noticing as he ran past that Lucy had her phone to her ear and was trying without much success to put the fire out with the extinguisher.
Hale was still lying on the floor, he looked unconscious. He head must have hit the floor hard. Chris grabbed down the tin they kept the house money in and shoved it in the bag. He went into the front room and grabbed the photo album, shoving it into the bag aswell then he put a hand on Lucy's arm to get her attention.
She gazed at him stupidly a moment and then the extinguisher dropped from her nerveless hands.
"Take her and get out, I'll get Hale out," he said and noticed the flames following the trails of petrol to the walls. He thrust Olivia and the bag at Lucy and she grabbed then reflexively.
"Get out before we can't. He got that stuff everywhere," he bellowed at her. She nodded and hurried for the door. She could already hear the sirens.
Chris leaned down and grabbed hold of Hale's arms and pulled, trying to drag the man across the floor. The fire was getting worse and it was getting hard to breathe. Chris strained. Damn, why did Hale have to be so big! He wasn't much taller than Chris or even Ray, but the man was a dense mass of muscle and he was becoming very difficult to shift. Chris grunted and strained some more. He wished the man would come to, the fire was getting to close and it had already made its way up the wall and was crossing the ceiling, eagerly chasing the drops of petrol that Hale had managed in his carelessness to splash up there. He got a tighter grip on Hale's arms and pulled again and didn't notice the flames were reaching the empty gas can behind him. The leftover petrol inside and the fumes exploded and he was hit in the back of the head and knocked to the floor by a twisted piece of metal that had been part of the gas can moments before he and Hale were engulfed in flames.
Lucy looked around startled as the fire trucks pulled up. She'd known they were coming, but was hypnotized by the flames. A fireman jerked her back as the flames inside the house blossomed, the windows of the flat blowing out in a shatter of glass.
"CHRIS!" she shrieked and felt tears trace hot tracks down her cheeks. The fireman gentled his grip on her and tugged gently to lead her away so she could be checked by the paramedics that had arrived. She went with him blindly, the sound Olivia's crying a low din in one ear, the roar of the flames in her other.
*Doof Doof *
To be continued...?