Thanks to Emma and as1999 for their support on the last chapter. Keep up the reviewing guys, I like knowing what you think of it :D xxxpip
"Annie…sweetheart." Will said softly as he crouched down next to Phil's desk chair where his daughter was sleeping peacefully. "Annie it's time to get up." He continued, wondering slightly how many times he'd have said that and what a chore it would be now, if he'd been involved in Annie's life from the start. Millions of questions were playing on his mind as he watched her wake up slowly. What kind of girl was she? Was she sporty, arty, just plain girly? Did she have a temper, was she a troublemaker, how did she get on at school? His train of thought was broken only by the fact that Annie sat upright and rubbed her eyes, knocking him off balance slightly.
"D…Dad?" She asked softly and Will beamed. "You arsehole!" She screamed, reaching out and slapping him hard across the face. "Do you have any idea how much you've put Mum through, not wanting to be involved and everyfink?" She continued yelling but couldn't get any closer to Will again as Phil was restraining her.
"But…but Annie I only just found out you existed like ten minutes ago. Sweetheart I would never have left Emma to deal with a baby on her own, all I knew was the girl that I loved ran off and I haven't seen or heard from her since." Will cried out, shocked that Emma could have fed her daughter such lies.
"But…but Mum said you didn't want anything to do with us, that you chose not to see me. She said the only thing we've ever had in common is our last name…Marks." Annie said softly, the realisation that maybe her Mum wasn't quite telling her the whole truth dawning on her.
"Annie, my last name is Fletcher. Your Mum must have made up your last name so you'd have less chance of finding me." Will said, shuffling a bit closer to her as he did so. Annie looked shamefacedly up at him and ran her hand down his cheek.
"Sorry 'bout hitting you an' that." She murmured before she collapsed back into the chair. "So…erm…what do we do now?" She added, thinking that although Phil's chair was comfortable, it probably wouldn't be if she had to wake up in it again.
Will scratched his head and looked to Sam and Phil. "Well if it's okay with you then you can come back to mine, stay there until they find Emma. I don't think I'll need to have Social Services involved if we're sure that you're actually my daughter I mean, we're flesh and blood after all." He said and Annie's face lit up.
"Really! I can go home with you, I don't have to sleep at the Station. Thank god, I though they were going to put me in a cell because it's the only bloody place here with a bed!" Annie said leaping to her feet and hugging Will around the middle happily. Will looked down at the top of her head and patted it awkwardly.
"Yeah, let's go kiddo." He said as he herded her from CID, giving a brief wave over his shoulder to Sam and Phil who were still standing by his desk, looking highly amused. "You'll want to pick up a few things won't you?" Will said as he drove through the almost empty streets on Canley. "Where is it that you and Em stay anyway?" He added, looking sideways at Annie who was still nodding to his initial question.
"Huh? Oh right, it's Parker House on the Jasmine Allen." Annie replied quickly as she realised he was waiting for an answer. Ten minutes later, Will gripped his steering wheel tightly as he wound his way through the groups of kids loitering about on the estate. Annie hopped from the car and motioned across for Will to follow her into one of the more menacing looking blocks of flats.
"Oi Annie, wait up sexy." A boy called out as he reached for her arm, pulling her into a long lingering kiss before she pushed him aside blushing.
"Not in front of my Dad Nathan." She said as she saw Will clench his fists next to her. "I'll call you…coming?" She said, turning first to Nathan and then to Will as she began once again to climb the flight of stairs.
"Do you really think he's suitable Annie?" Will asked once they were left alone.
Whipping round, she fixed him with a stare so hard he actually got shivers. "Look Dad, I'm glad that you're here an' all but let's get one thing straight. You've known me for less than an hour; do you really think you have the right to pass judgement on my taste in boys?" She said crisply before she continued up the steps.
"I'm not judging Annie…I just…I know what the kids from here are like. I don't want you mixing with those kinds of people, that's all." Will soothed gently.
This however only angered Annie further. "What kinds of people? I've lived on estates like this all my life, as far as most are concerned I'm one of them. Don't you get all high and mighty on me either, so I've been in a cell a few times, what kid hasn't? Mum likes Nathan, she doesn't care that he's black or that he sometimes does things most people aren't down with. If he makes me happy then it's my choice." She said huffily as she stormed through the now open door of the flat.
"Annie…oh Annie I didn't mean nothin' by it, don't let us fall out over somethin' so daft. I'm sorry Annie. I'm sorry." Will called through the flat and he heard a brief pause in the crashing that was coming from her room as she thought about what he'd said. Wandering from room to room Will took in the state that his child had been living in.
When she'd left, Emma had waved goodbye to a life of luxury as well. Opening the cupboards in the kitchen as he searched for a clean glass he saw the mounds of pills and pulled a packet forwards for a closer look. Anti-depressants. Well that was a far cry from the Emma he'd known. Will replaced the packet on the shelf and turned his attention to the fridge where a solitary photo of Annie and Emma was stuck. They had their arms around each other and smiles plastered across their faces. Will ran his thumb across the photo of his two girls until he felt fingers closer around his own.
Annie smiled as she tucked the photo into her jacket pocket, leaving Will to pick up her bag from the floor. "You got everything?" He asked as Annie raked through the kitchen cupboards. She drew out a chocolate bar and added that to her pocket before nodding. Printed neatly on the underside of the bar was the word 'Emergencies' in Emma's writing.
When the car pulled up outside Will's, Annie's eyes widened. All her life she'd been content with her and Emma's 'just getting by' lifestyle. They had everything they needed, a flat to live in, food to eat, each other to love. The Jasmine Allen was just another estate Annie had lived on and frankly, after fourteen years she'd come to appreciate the 'concrete jungle' and the many characters you'd find living there but Will's place…that was like the places she and Emma had dreamed of living in.
Will pushed her gently through the door so they were both standing in the warmth of the hallway. "You'll probably want to get unpacked won't you?" Will asked awkwardly as Annie looked around, her eyes like saucers. "Follow me, you can have one of the spare rooms…first floor or attic?" He asked when they stopped at the top of the stairs. Annie shrugged shyly and let Will choose for her. He pressed a switch on the wall next to him and the trapdoor slid out of place, the large wooden ladder creeping down slowly, the light from the attic creating the clichéd heaven staircase effect.
"I just finished it…there should be everything you need. Give us a shout if you want anything though." Will said as he turned and made his way back down to the kitchen.
Annie slowly ascended the stairs, pausing at the top to see the gorgeous room for the first time. The deep red walls gave it warmth while the sanded floorboards, skylight windows and furniture made it look like it was straight out of a home improvements magazine. Annie hauled her bag up through the trapdoor with her and wandered about, taking in the unfamiliar sights and smells.
Annie placed her bag down gently on the bed and continued to look around her in awe. Her little bedroom at home was nice but it was nothing compared to this. Reaching into her bag, Annie began to unpack the items she'd taken with her. After she'd folded her clothes up and stashed the in the wardrobe, Annie began to rearrange her alarm clock, photo frame and notebook on the nightstand. Shoving her blanket and pyjamas under the pillow, Annie put her hand back into the bag and pulled out something she hadn't put there, one of Emma's old jumpers fell out and Annie buried her face into the material.
Will's voice floated up the stairs as Annie was tugging the jumper down over her ears. "Annie, there's food downstairs if you want it." He called as Annie was already climbing backwards down the ladder. She padded into the living room and sank down next to Will, pulling the plate of lasagne towards her.
"That was great…I never imagined you could cook." Annie remarked as she lay back on the sofa feeling warm and sleepy.
Will chuckled softly. "Well you have me Mam to thank for your tea, I can cook some stuff but she still likes to leave things in my freezer!" He said and Annie cracked up laughing. "I guess you'll want to meet her, she is your Nan after all." He continued, smiling as he recalled how often his Mum had moaned that she'd never get grandchildren outta him!
"Yeah…so…so you really never knew I existed." Annie asked realising that after fourteen years of pestering; she might actually get the full story of her existence.
"Mmmm yeah. It was quite a shock, I thought I was just gonna get a bollocking from the DI and all of a sudden I'm being told that I have a teenage daughter and she's waiting for me!" Will replied, shaking his head in disbelief.
"So you don't know why Mum left the first time. Sam told me she ran away before I was born and nobody has seen her since." Annie said and Will sighed thoughtfully.
"Yeah that's true. I don't know exactly why she ran away but now I know about you I can hazard a pretty good guess. See Annie, Emma was with a guy called Matt when she first arrived at Sun Hill which was a bit of a bummer for me 'cause your mother was gorgeous. We were friends for over six months before we kissed but your Mum wasn't happy about cheating on Matt so that was the last of it for a while. Then one night she came round to mine, she'd fallen out with Matt so we…err…well apparently that was the night we made you." Will said blushing towards the end, making Annie giggle.
"So what was the problem…you loved Mum and she was pregnant with me…why didn't you stay together?" Annie asked naively.
Will shifted on the sofa so had Annie wrapped in a one-armed hug. "Well kiddo, by the time she must have found out she was pregnant with you, she was already engaged to Matt. I guess she knew it was mine and couldn't see any way out except to run away. As upset as I was when she left, I'm so glad I've got a chance to be part of your life now Annie." Will said sincerely, something that didn't often happen.
"Me too…I love you…Dad." Annie whispered into his chest as her eyes fluttered closed. The guilt, the worry, everything was just slipping away now she was in Will's arms. At that point in time, she had more in common with Emma than she could ever realise.
You should never fight your feelings,
When your very bones believe them,
You should never fight your feelings,
You have to follow nature's law.