Ta to the two who reviewed, you know who you are and I love ya both :P Emzii :P for once you didn't give me a kick up the arse when I needed it so this fic began like at least six months ago and only ended like a few weeks ago! Hehe sorry that I dragged it out over all that time, musta been a lil frustrating but I got there in the end! Enjoy!
Annie smiled as she recalled the last few months since she and Will had saved Emma's life on top of the multi storey car park. After that things had improved greatly for everyone involved, especially Emma. She had been prescribed stronger anti-depressants and with the added bonus of having Will to help her out with Annie, she had more time to do things that they both enjoyed and that cheered them up. Although she still had to make regular trips to a psychiatrist, she was slowly coming off her medication and so far, it was all looking pretty good.
Everyone around Emma noticed the huge difference in her behaviour and Annie's as well. At school, Annie's grades had improved, as had her attendance. She was more contented and had pulled away from some of her old friends, sticking to the ones who wouldn't pressure her into drink and drugs and the other things that would no doubt send her back onto the downward spiral. She had both a loving Mum and Dad and although they weren't together, she saw enough of them both to be kept more than happy.
The friendship between Will and Emma continued to re-grow, much to Annie and Dan's delight. Many an evening was spent with the four of them just lying about watching TV and chatting companionably at Will's house. Dan continued to rent the spare room and Annie was beginning to see him as some sort of second Dad. It was funny to think that a few months previously she hadn't had one…and now it felt like she had two!
Sam and Phil's relationship was going from strength to strength and after Annie had 'accidentally' let it slip to Dan about their little secret, it had been spread about the station but embraced by the happy couple who couldn't really deny their romantic involvement any longer as they were also living together! Although at first it was frowned upon by their superiors, they were both focussed enough on their work for it not to cause any problems and in fact, Sam was proving to be a good influence as Phil regularly turned up for work on time now!
"Annie?" Will called up the stairs to her bedroom. "Annie teas ready come down before Dan eats all yours!" He added as a threat that never failed to draw her from her new room and down to the kitchen table where Dan in deed was always sitting eyeing the portion on Annie's plate with great interest.
"Coming Dad." She yelled as she pushed herself back from her desk where her scrapbook was lying open. "Tell Dan that if he doesn't keep his paws off my food then he'll have none left." Annie laughed as she backed down the ladder and out into the hallway.
Dan scowled as he retracted his hand which was sliding across the table towards her plate as she entered the room. "There's plenty for all of you." Emma scolded as she sat down next to Dan, slapping his outstretched hand which was now grappling for her own plate.
"Oh! Hi Mum…I didn't know you were here." Annie smiled as she sat down across from Emma at the table. Blushing slightly Emma ducked the question by turning to grab another of the dishes that was piled high with food and passing it across the table to Will. Shrugging Annie sighed and grabbed the last piece of bread from the basket before Dan could get there.
After dinner Annie kissed Emma on the forehead in goodbye as she was supposed to be staying over at Will's that night before she disappeared back upstairs to her bedroom. "Why does she spent so much time holed up in there just now?" Emma asked inquisitively as she heard the trapdoor of her daughter's room slam shut.
"Boyfriend?" Dan offered with his mouth half full.
"Na…some sort of project for school I think. She's got to do some book about her family. It's way overdue though but she didn't really feel she could do it before I mean she barely even knew anything about your side of the family anyway…let alone my side. I gave her some of my stuff…and yours that I had from ages ago." Will smiled as he collected the dishes up and put them away neatly in the dishwasher as Emma sat back and watched him potter about like an old woman.
Sighing as she pressed her cheek against the rough paper Annie sighed. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy finding out about her family that she'd previously known so little about, it was the fact that there was just so much that she didn't know. So much that she'd missed out on. Raising her head slightly Annie noticed a large envelope that was lying on her bed which hadn't been there last time she'd checked. Scooting her chair across the floor to the bed Annie pounced on it, upending the contents over her bedspread and turning them over one by one to get a better look. On the back of each photo in her father's handwriting she read the little inscriptions, pointless details that he'd taken the time to write down presumably as a reminder of better times. There were work nights out, ones taken at Dan's old flat, a few mismatched ones and then a smaller stack which were bound together with an elastic band. A small yellow post-it note was attached to the front with someone else's untidy scrawl across it. 'Emma childhood photos?' She read, peeling it off slowly before she began flicking through the photos. Staring up at the camera were shots of a girl who looked so uncannily like Annie when she'd been that young it was almost frightening. There were some of Emma with her Mum and Dad, one with what could only be her sister and then another, one that remained a puzzle to Emma. There was a small scan photograph. Setting it aside Annie frowned…why would Emma have her own scan photo? So she picked it up.
'Emma Keane 11/09/1991' Picking at her thumbnail Annie tossed this information over and over in her mind. 1991…that was only about sixteen years ago which meant that this was Annie's scan! Smiling down at her little embryo self Annie brushed her fingers across the photographs, one of the few solid connections she had with her family roots.
As her eyes started to grow heavy Annie climbed down the ladder again and padded across the hallway towards the living room. Standing in the doorway she yawned, stopping half way as she clapped eyes on the sight in front of her. Dan was nowhere to be seen but instead on the two-seater sofa Will and Emma were lying in each others arms kissing passionately. "Mum? Dad?" Annie asked incredulously and the pair tore themselves away from each other, leaving Annie with the puzzle as to who was more embarrassed…her or them? "Something you care to share?"
"Um yeah…Annie your Dad and I…well we're back together." Emma smiled up at her daughter, holding her arms out for a cuddle.
"Oh Mum why didn't you say before?" Annie gushed as she curled up beside them on the sofa, her head resting on Emma's normally flat stomach. "Wait…" She paused, lifting her head and pressing her hand to Emma's stomach where she felt a faint jab at her hand.
Will cleared his throat putting a hand on Emma's shoulder. "Yeah…we were going to tell you that too. Annie…you're going to have a little brother or sister in about six months time." He laughed as Annie's mouth flew open in shock.
"Oh…my…god!" Annie shrieked as she flew forwards at Will, rugby tackling him as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. "Thank you thank you thank you." She grinned twirling round and round in his arms.
"Hey squirt we didn't organise this just for you yano." Will laughed putting Annie down and moving sideways to wrap his arms around Emma's waist, rubbing her belly gently to soothe the baby's kicks.
"I know…I just…I can't believe that we're gonna be a proper family again." Annie sighed happily as she wrapped her arms around all three of them. "What about Dan though?"
"Oh I'm sure there's room for the five of us here." Will smiled kissing the top of Emma's head as he saw Dan standing in the door. "He's always welcome."
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
Thanks to everyone who reviewed this fic at some point, it means a lot to me that you kept reading even if you didn't keep commenting. I hope you liked the ending, I was in the mood for some fluff so that's how it all turned out...it was touch and go for a while when Emma was on top of the building, thank god I was in a good mood the day I wrote that chapter otherwise we might have had a funeral scene!!! Emz will testify that I have been known to mood swing my fics and make them pretty bloody and horrible when I'm having a bad day :P sorry for that babes :P But yeah in debt to all who gave their views thanks for making this better than I thought it would turn out. Love yas xx