A/N: So I hope everyone is having a great Christmas. Mine's good but I'm desperate to watch this weeks episodes of EastEnders. It's like torture knowing I haven't seen them yet. Will try to see them today as most of the family are leaving but I can't guarantee it.

Anyway... on with the story. So at the beginning of this chapter there's a little time jump. We're, essentially, on the final section of this tale now so I needed to move the story forward a little. Also, in earlier chapters I said I wasn't a medical expert and therefore couldn't guarantee the accuracy of what I'd written. Well, I'm not a legal expert either (although I like my legal dramas as much as the medical shows...) so I've done the best I can but there are probably glaring errors so I'm sorry about that. Anyway enough of this huge author's note... Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 18.

It had been ten weeks since Derek Branning was arrested. Today was the start of the trial in court. There had already been a bail hearing, where bail was denied but Joey hadn't had to go to that. Today would be the first time Joey faced his father since that afternoon in the hospital. He was understandably nervous and while Lauren was trying to keep him calm, it was only working so much, not helped by the addition of her own nerves.

"When do we need to leave?" Joey asked Max, not for the first time.

"In about ten minutes." Max said gently. He could see how nervous his nephew was and he was concerned about how he was going to handle the next few days.

"I won't have to speak to him, will I?"

"No, Joey." Max said. This wasn't the first time he'd had to answer this question either but Max could understand his nerves.

"Is Alice coming?" He asked hesitantly. Alice was a sore subject in the house and had been for pretty much the whole of the last two weeks. Joey had seen very little of her since he'd come home from the hospital. She still hadn't accepted his relationship with Lauren, in fact she was barely talking to Lauren at all. Joey knew her attitude was hurting Lauren and it had made her doubt telling anyone outside of the family about the fact they were together. As a result of this, both of them had rarely left the house since he'd got home from the hospital but he couldn't complain because this meant they'd spent a lot of time together and their relationship was getting stronger as the days went by.

"Tanya told her she could come with us or Jack offered to take her." Max said, not quite sure how Joey would take this news. He stared at his nephew again and saw the moment the resignation hit him. Max just wished there was something he could say to make him feel better.

"She's going with Jack isn't she?" he said, his hands clenching into fists as he got up from the couch and stared out of the front window, seeing the normal day to day life unfolding outside and wishing he could be a part of it.

"Yeah... Sorry Joey." Max said.

Lauren entered the room at that moment and she quickly moved to stand in front of Joey. "Hey babe?" she said, standing on her tiptoes and kissing him eagerly. "You okay? You seem tense."

It was true, he was tense but as her hand clasped his clenched fist he visibly relaxed. "Alice is going with Jack to court." He whispered.

"Oh." Lauren actually thought this was a good thing because there was already enough tension surrounding them both without needing any more piling on top but she didn't tell her boyfriend that.

"She'll come round eventually, Joey." Max said, "Maybe once things are sorted with Derek and she's got used to that, she'll be more ready to accept the two of you being together." He really hoped his words were slightly true. He looked at his watch, "We need to get cracking. I'll go and get the car and wait for your mum outside. See you in a minute."

"You look very sexy in that suit, babe." Lauren said. She straightened the tie he was wearing and gave him a quick but passionate kiss.

He smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He gripped her hands in his, "You'll stay with me, won't you? Regardless of anything he says in court?"

"Nowhere else I'd rather be." She told him gently. A car horn honked from outside, "We'd better go before dad comes in here and drags us out."

They walked out of the house, Lauren locking the door behind them. As they walked towards the car, Joey took her hand in his, squeezing it slightly. Lauren looked up and saw her friends, Whitney and Lucy standing near the Butcher house. Her step faltered for a fraction of a second but it was enough for Joey to notice. "You okay?" He asked, concerned.

"Yeah, come on, let's go." They got into her dad's car and were soon leaving the square. Lauren could see the girls watching their progress and she began to wonder what they were thinking. Over the last few weeks, she'd become pretty cut off from all her friends. Mainly because she was supporting Joey through this and they'd been getting to know each other better. That was only part of it though. Her main reason was much more to do with not knowing how they would react to her and Joey being together. There was a part of her that was scared of what they would say. So after several weeks of this building up she was now petrified. Neither of their sister's reactions had been as they'd hoped, although Abi was now coming round to the idea having seen the two of them together since Joey had come to stay with them. It had, however, knocked Lauren's confidence and she was dreading her friends discovering the truth. What if they'd guessed what was going on? She realised they were going to have to find it out at some stage; they would be unable to hide this forever and if it was a choice between being with Joey and not being with him, she already knew what she would choose. She knew he was the most important thing in her life and he would always be so hopefully.

Lauren tightened her grip on Joey's hand as the drive continued. The closer they got to the court, the more she began to worry about how Alice and Joey would react to seeing their father and each other. The car began to slow and she knew it was nearly time to do that. She looked at Joey, he was so gorgeous, he took her breath away and she was still coming to terms with him feeling about her that way. Most of her previous relationships have essentially been drunken fumbles and she'd never really be made to feel special. Even with Peter, they had been so young and when their relationship turned more serious, Peter had managed to cheapen it which led to its ultimate demise. With Joey now, it was more intense than any of her previous relationships but everything he did made her feel so special and loved. He glanced at her, seeming to know what she was thinking, "I love you," he mouthed at her.

Lauren bit her lip to stop the emotions she was feeling from overwhelming her. She couldn't remember ever having cried as much as she had since this all began. Her car door opened and as she climbed out of it she smiled slightly at her father, a man she'd had a strained relationship with for a majority of her life but who was now the person she could rely on to be there when she needed him. If there was anything she was grateful for about this whole situation, apart from Joey, it was the new relationship she had with her father. Lauren finally understood him a little better than she ever had before and she hoped this was mutual. She also wasn't sure she would've got through this without his support. There had been several times over the last ten weeks where she'd turned to him, upset and confused at the odd times that Joey pushed her away when he needed his own space to deal with what he was going through, needing her dad's help when she wanted to slip back into her old habits and also those few times when she'd just needed her dad to hold her in his arms and tell her everything was going to be okay.

The four Branning's walked into the court, seeing Alice, Jack and Sharon already present. They went over to them and Lauren couldn't help the piercing pain that hit her when Alice looked straight through her. She'd always thought the two of them had been close before this happened but now she acted as if her brother and cousin didn't even exist. Despite many requests Joey hadn't had a chance to tell her what he'd gone through in detail and Lauren knew today was going to be especially difficult for Joey and his sister.

There were footsteps behind her and Lauren turned, seeing her Aunt Carol walking towards them. She hadn't realised she'd be here, knowing she was staying in Suffolk to be close to Bianca. "Max... Jack..."

"Carol, we weren't expecting you." Max said.

"Tanya called me and told me what had happened." She turned and stared at Joey and Lauren.

Lauren was unable to read anything from her expression. She could however feel the tension building in Joey. She turned her attention back to him, stepping closer to him. "You okay?" She looked at his face, he was pale and she could see stress in his whole frame. She reached a hand up to his face, her fingers drawing his focus back to her. "You know you just need to tell them everything, right. Just tell them the truth." He nodded sharply and she smiled at him, "We're all here for you, Joe. You know that." He hugged her tightly to him, burying his head in her neck as he tried to take some strength from her. For a few minutes it was as if there was just the two of them there but Lauren eventually became aware of the soft murmur of their family surrounding them. Joey seemed calmer once he pulled away from her but he still gripped her hand tighter than he ever had before, as if he was scared he would lose her.

The tension built again as they were called into the courtroom and when they walked through the doors she was very aware of the moment Joey saw his father sitting in the dock. She could see a heated debate happening between him and his barrister. Suddenly Derek looked in their direction and it was as if the temperature in the room reduced by about twenty degrees. Max and Tanya sat either side of the couple, knowing they needed their support through this. The rest of their family were sitting in the seats behind them and when Joey turned to look at her and kissed her on her temple Lauren was more than aware of the tut of disapproval from Alice. Her father's arm was around her shoulder and she was also holding his hand. Lauren was more nervous today than she'd ever been. She knew it wouldn't be long until she was questioned.

Everyone stood as the judge entered the room. Lauren was in a daze as the initial stages of the trial began. She heard Derek plead innocence when asked and she wondered how he could do such a thing with so many witnesses to the last attack on his son. Both of the security guards from the hospital were questioned first and gave their evidence, stating how Derek had been threatening his son. After they'd finished her name was called and she felt her stomach drop. Max hugged her briefly before she stood and walked slowly up to the front of the room.

She swore to tell the truth and then sat in the witness box. As she was a prosecution witness their barrister began with her questioning. She answered each question easily but that wasn't a surprise. She'd run through the questions with them before, in preparation for today. She knew the real problems would start when the defence began and while she'd been prepared for this too, it was definitely the much scarier part of her role in this. As the barrister took a seat Lauren took a sip of the glass of water on the stand. She shot a quick look at Joey and her dad and they both smiled at her. Alice was scowling at her and it threw her slightly off balance.

Derek's barrister got to her feet and she looked at Lauren, "Derek Branning is your uncle, isn't that correct?"

"Yes."

"How well do you know your uncle?"

"Not well." Lauren admitted.

"Isn't it true that until recently you had only met your uncle a handful of times?"

"Yes."

"And when was the first time you met your his children, your cousins?"

"I met Alice first. That was back in May. Joey didn't arrive in the square until June."

"So you've known them for less than six months?"

"Yes." She was beginning to wonder where this questioning was going.

"It's my understanding that you've had a troubled few years yourself." Lauren waited, not knowing what she was supposed to say. Was that even a question? "Your family have had their fair share of run-ins with the law. Isn't that correct?"

"I guess."

"Including you?"

Lauren felt faint at this attack. "Yes." She whispered, darting her eyes towards her father. She could see her Uncle Jack's hand resting on her father's shoulder. The anger on her dad's expression was barely contained. She daren't even look at Joey, scared of what she'd see.

"Can you tell me what it was you were charged with, Miss Branning?"

"GBH with intent."

"And what did you do to get that charge?"

"Umm." Again she looked to her father, tears welling in her eyes at the bad memories she was being forced to relive.

"An answer please, Miss Branning." The barrister said, her attitude very smug when she could see Lauren struggling.

"I ran my dad over." She said softly.

"So your relationship with your own father isn't the best?"

"It wasn't then. It's different now..." Lauren didn't miss the small smile on her dad's face as she said those last words.

"I see." The barrister looks at some sheets of paper on the table in front of her. "Can you tell me how old you are, Miss Branning?"

"I'm eighteen."

"And you already have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, isn't that correct?"

"In the past, yes."

"Isn't it true that you're renowned in your community for getting extremely drunk and you'd normally end up going home with a complete stranger?"

"Yes." Lauren whispered.

"Speak up, please, Miss Branning." The barrister said sharply.

"Yes." Lauren said, a little louder this time.

"How many times would you say this has happened?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe you could give the court an estimate?"

"I don't know."

"Come, come, Miss Branning... maybe I can help. Would you say it was just once or more?"

"More."

"So maybe twice?"

"No."

"Five times... that's a nice round figure. Would you say that was correct?"

"No." Lauren admitted. Now she couldn't bring herself to look at her parents or Joey, not wanting to see the shame on their faces.

"So it's more than that?"

"Yes."

"Your honour, my learned colleague is badgering the witness." The prosecution barrister said as he got to his feet.

"Sustained. Please endeavour to get to the point soon, Miss Scott."

"Yes, your honour." She turned once more to look at Lauren. "So, Miss Branning, in your own words, you freely admit that in recent months you've got drunk on more than five occasions and slept with strangers."

Lauren felt hot as a wave of embarrassment washed over her. "Yes." She answered softly.

"How would you characterise your relationship with Alice Branning?"

"I think we get on well, she's a little older than me, but I'd say I was more mature than her in some ways." She replied honestly because as far as she could see Alice had had a pretty sheltered life. Certainly nothing like her brother's.

"Did your Uncle Derek approve of your relationship?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"He thought I would be a bad influence on her."

"I see." She looked at more papers in front of her, "And how would you characterise your relationship with Joseph Branning?"

"We're close."

"Isn't it true that you're involved in a romantic relationship?"

"Yes." There was a general murmur in the court at her response. She looked at Joey quickly and he flashed a soft smile in her direction.

"How long would you say this relationship has been going on?"

"Since Joey was in hospital."

"You found Joseph Branning in the square on the morning of July 24th. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"It was early in the morning, isn't that right?"

"Yes, about 6am."

"That's very early, Miss Branning. Why were you out at that time in the morning?"

"I was going home." Lauren admitted softly.

"So you'd been drinking the night before?"

"Yes."

"So you were hungover?"

"No. I hadn't had that much to drink. I stopped drinking quite early in the evening."

"Why was that?"

"Joey and I had had an argument. I felt guilty about some of the things I'd said to him."

"You argued with Joseph Branning? Did this argument get physical?"

"No."

"Well, we only have your word on that..."

"Your Honour...?" the prosecution barrister protested.

"Sustained. Please refrain from rhetoric in my court."

"Yes your Honour. Miss Branning, did your Uncle Derek approve of the relationship you had with his son?"

"No."

"What did he say about it?"

"He said it was disgusting."

"Because you're cousins?"

"Yes." Lauren looked at her Uncle as he sat in the dock and she saw the smirk on his face. A shiver ran down her back at the look of pure evil on his face.

"Have you been intimate with your cousin, Joseph?"

Lauren felt like she'd just been slapped. Why did it seem this was becoming a character assassination of her? She looked at her family as they sat near the back of the court. Joey was almost quivering with rage and she could see her father was faring little better. "Yes." She finally answered.

Another murmur was heard in the court, this one louder than the previous one. She couldn't look at her family now, she wasn't sure if she'd just let her parents down again, having promised them she wouldn't rush into this relationship.

"I have no further questions for this witness, your Honour."

"Your Honour, permission to re-direct?" the prosecution barrister asked.

"Go ahead Mr Wright."

"Lauren..." the prosecution's barrister said, "How would you quantify your feelings for Joey?"

Lauren smiled slightly and looked down at her hands, feeling her cheeks heat, "I love him." She said softly.

"And it's a different kind of love than you have for... Alice, for example?" Lauren nodded. "For a record please, Lauren."

"Yes. I love him, more than I've ever loved anyone." She said softly.

"And what do your parents think about your relationship with Joey?"

"They're supporting us."

"They don't see your relationship as wrong?"

"No."

"Have they said why that is?"

"Yes. They want us both to be happy. We're happier together than we were apart."

"Just a few more questions, Lauren. When was the last time you had a drink?"

"July 23rd."

"The night before you found Joey?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell us why you used to drink?"

"I would turn to it as a form of comfort I guess."

"In fact your drinking began after your brother died, isn't that right?"

"Yes. I didn't know how to handle his death. My whole family struggled to cope with it. Drinking became my way of coping."

"And would you say your drinking has got worse gradually or was it as a result of specific circumstances?"

"It's a bit of both. It did gradually get worse..." Lauren's mouth ran dry and she picked up the glass of water again, trying to ignore the shaking of her hand as she took a sip.

"Did something happen that pushed your drinking to increase?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell the jury what that was?"

Tears ran down her face, "My mum was diagnosed with cancer." She said softly, lowering her head to look at her hands clasped on her lap.

"Didn't you have the support of your family to help you through this time? Your father? Your grandparents, aunts and uncles? Your sister?"

"No." She whispered. "I was the only one who knew. Mum didn't want anyone to know."

"That must have been very difficult for you?" he asked her gently.

"It wasn't easy. It was very tiring. I was helping my mum through her treatment. I helped look after my younger sister and baby brother. I helped my mum with the business she owns when she was sick after the treatments."

"And you dropped out of school, didn't you?"

"I couldn't do everything. Something had to give. That was the easiest thing to stop."

"You didn't think of telling someone and asking someone for help?"

"Not initially."

"Why not?"

"Part of me was glad mum trusted me enough to ask me to help her. I wanted to be there for her and help her through it."

"And your drinking became worse at this point?"

"Yes. I thought it was something I could control, one of the few things I had in my life that I could control. I just wanted to forget the horrible things in my life. Alcohol let me do that."

"Did this lead to anything else?"

"Yes. I had several one night stands, I guess."

"Do you know why you did this?"

"It was partly because of the drinking, I suppose. I thought I could control it but really it was controlling me. That wasn't the whole reason though."

"What was?"

Lauren took a deep breath. This was something they'd discussed when preparing for the trial as Mr. Wright had said they would likely use the relationship with Joey to tarnish them both and her reliance on alcohol was another weapon they'd use against them. Therefore Lauren had had a while to really think about this question and she knew what her answer was, "I wanted someone to look after me, I think. I was looking after everyone else, I was responsible for keeping the family going and I wanted someone to be there for me but I was looking in the wrong places. Firstly with the alcohol and then with the boys."

"Why did this situation come to a head?"

"I told someone."

"Why did this happen?"

"I found out a friend of mum's who also was also having treatment for cancer had died and that mum had stopped getting treatment when she found this out. I realised I needed help. I couldn't do it on my own anymore."

"So what did you do?"

Lauren began to cry, "My mum and dad had separated and dad had left the square. He came back to the square because Uncle Jack called him. My uncle had realised something was going on and told my dad he was needed back home. He was about to leave again after an argument with mum. I stopped him and told him she had cancer. I said we needed him. I said I needed him."

"Did your drinking improve after that?"

"No. It got worse."

"Why?"

"I didn't feel needed anymore, I suppose. And I couldn't handle everything I'd gone through. I just wanted to forget. When it had just been me and mum dealing with it, there wasn't as much time for me to drink because I was always busy running around trying to help with things. Once everyone else knew they all stepped in to help and I suddenly had a lot of free time to myself. It was all I could think about and I wanted to just make it all stop. I made some questionable decisions, pushing my parents to their limits and not realising how much I was hurting them."

"So you drank to forget and slept with guys to forget."

"Yes." She said, tears streaming down her face at the admission.

"It must have been difficult to suddenly stop drinking like you have done?"

"Not really."

"What was it that made you stop? For what you've told us, it sounds like your drinking was a daily event. And you haven't drunk for more than ten weeks."

"To start with it was because I was at the hospital with Joey. I was so worried about him, I was focused on his recovery and I didn't need the drink."

"What about after that?"

"When he was released from hospital Joey told me and my dad about what had happened. It hurt to hear the things he told us and I was tempted to get drunk that first night. I even poured myself a glass of vodka but I couldn't drink it."

"Why not?"

"I didn't want it. I only poured it out of habit." Lauren looked at her father and she could see the pride in his eyes. "I talked to my dad and he helped me handle the pain I was feeling after hearing about what Joey had gone through. He told me that was how him and my mum felt about my drinking. I realised how much I'd been hurting them as well as myself and I knew it was time to stop."

"Did anything else affect this decision?"

"I didn't need the comfort I got from drinking anymore because I've got Joey now. He helps me and I help him. We're there for each other and support each other."

"Thank you Lauren. I have no further questions, your Honour."

*JL*JL*

Lauren made her way shakily back to her family. The judge adjourned the court and it was only then that she realised how long she'd been on the witness stand. She suddenly felt very tired. There were many calls of her name as she collapsed against her father.

*JL*JL*

"Lauren?"

"Lauren, darling?"

It was her parent's voices she heard first as she came to. She stirred slightly and felt her father's arms around her. "Dad?" She opened her eyes, looking around and not recognising where she was. She looked at the room a second time. "Where's Joey? Where are we?"

"We're in a side room. We brought you here when you blacked out." Her mum said.

"Joey's outside. The barrister wanted to talk to him about something. He's going to be taking the stand after lunch." Max noticed his daughter's expression fall at what he'd said, "He wanted to be here, Lauren. He had to go with them but he'll be here soon."

"I'm sorry dad, mum." She said brokenly, "I'm sorry I've been such a disappointment to you both. I should've been helping you not creating more problems."

They both hugged her tightly, trying to comfort her. "Lauren, I'm sorry too." Tanya said to her daughter. "I'm sorry I heaped so much pressure on you. I couldn't see past my own agony to realise how much I was hurting you. I'm so sorry, sweetheart."

"I didn't mind, mum." She said softly. "There was a part of me that liked you relying on me. I liked being the one you turned to. It was my head that was struggling with everything. I just couldn't forget it; my mind wouldn't switch off so I drank to try and do so." Lauren kissed her mum on the cheek, "My drinking was never your fault, mum. I'm sorry if what I said made you think I blamed you. I don't, truly."

"You should've been able to turn to me if you needed someone." Tanya said softly.

"You already had so much to deal with. I couldn't dump my drama on you too."

"You should've been able to turn to me." Max said, his voice one of despair.

"Dad, it's not your fault either. I told you to leave. I said I didn't want to see you again." Lauren hated her memories of that night, hated remembering seeing the hurt on her dad's face when she'd told him to go.

"I should've tried harder."

"Could've, should've, would've. We can't change what's done. We need to live for the future." Lauren said quietly.

"When did you become so grown up?" Tanya asked her daughter with a smile.

"I don't know, mum." The door opened and Lauren knew it could only be one person. "Joey?" She ran for him and he caught her easily.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered in her ear.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about either." She told him.

"The questions she asked you..."

"We knew they were going to go that route."

"I'm sorry anyway."

"Are you ready for this afternoon?" she asked him worriedly. He nodded. "You just need to tell the truth, Joe. Everything will be fine."

"I love you." He whispered to her.

"I love you too. It's on the record... for the whole world to see." She said, a large smile on her face.

"I remember." He said, his own smile not quite as large but it made Lauren love him just a little bit more all the same.

"We should go and have some lunch, you two."

"The others are waiting outside," Joey said.

"Let's go then." Max said, shepherding all of them out of the room.

Jack stepped up to Lauren, brushing her hair back from her face. "You okay, Lauren?"

Joey's hand tightened on hers, "Yeah, I'm fine, Uncle Jack."

Carol stepped forward, "I'm sorry we weren't there for you, Lauren, when you needed us."

"Look, we can all stop with the blame game. It's not going to change anything. What happened, happened. There's nothing we can do to change that." Lauren said, determinedly.

TBC

A/N2: While I realise a lot of this chapter isn't new material (which would be difficult with the court case as it's all about rehashing what's already happened...) so I hope it wasn't too laborious. I tried to focus on the emotional side of how Lauren (and the rest of the family) felt about what was happening. Let me know what you think in a review. Next chapter is all Joey... with an added twist of Lauren thrown in for good measure. This will be tomorrow probably.