AN: Cheers for all the reviews, who else was pissed when Jack kissed Roxy the other day on Eastenders? It's obvious he's only using her to get closer to Amy but it's still unfair on Ronnie. I hope those two get back together pretty sharpish or I'll be even more pissed! Anyway keep reading and review if possible :)

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Ronnie arrived at the R&R around fourty minutes after Jack had called her at the flat. Her hair was still damp and she hadn't bothered with make-up but she thought she looked fairly presentable. Jack didn't look up when she walked into the office.

"You're late," he observed dryly, still pouring over the papers scattered allover the desk.

"Whatever," Ronnie muttered, "What is it? Do you need me to come back to work?"

"No," Jack said flatly, "You need some time off to deal with things. But..."

He suddenly looked awkward, maybe even embarrassed. Ronnie was shocked to see him like this. She'd never seen Jack get embarrassed about anything before. He stood up and cleared his throat, clasping his hands together. "Listen, Ronnie. I know this might not be a brilliant time for you, but it's about Amy."

Amy.. Ronnie's mind suddenly flashed to her baby niece, who would be at the Vic right now with Roxy. She relaxed, having wondered if he had been about to ask her out or something. Even though she was glad that he hadn't, though, she was slightly disappointed. Ronnie tried to forget this and focused.

"What about Amy?" she asked with a slight frown. What could be so important that he'd had to drag her out of bed for?

"Ronnie..." Jack sighed, "I'm Amy's Dad, and I've been thinking about this for a while now. I haven't told Roxy about it yet, I thought I'd better get your opinion first. And also..." he looked at her seriously, "Your permission."

"Permission?" Ronnie repeated, dumbfounded.

"I want joint custody of Amy," Jack said calmly, "I'm her father, and this is something I really want. I know I'm allowed to see her and all that but it's not enough. I want access to certain records, I mean I'm sure you understand."

Ronnie struggled to find the right words to reply to this.

"Why did you want my permission?" she asked quietly.

Jack smiled, "Because I knew you'd go mad if I went to Roxy first." He lifted a hand before Ronnie could argue. "I know you, Ronnie Mitchell, so don't even try to deny that you wouldn't lose it completely. Also, I wanted you to hear it from me first, and not Roxy."

Ronnie felt weak. Well, why should she really mind if Jack wanted custody of Amy? He was Amy's father afterall. Still, something annoyed Ronnie about it. She supposed it was because she was still very much in love with Jack (she wasn't about to deny that fact) and didn't want to see him getting any closer to Roxy. And she was positive that this would bring them closer than ever before.

What if they became a real family? What if Jack and Roxy got together? Ronnie shouldn't have minded much; she and Jack were never going to beable to get past their issues and be a real couple. He'd told her he still loved her but that wasn't going to be enough and they both knew it very well. At the end of the day, Jack was much better suited to Roxy then he was to her. And then there was Danielle. Ronnie now had her own daughter to take care of, she couldn't get mixed up in Roxy and Jack's business.

Jack took a step towards her. "I know you think it's weird that I told you first, Ron. I just wanted to know what you thought."

Ronnie backed off from him, "What I think.. is that you should sort it out with Roxy, not me."

"I suppose I should," Jack replied with his famous cocky smile, "Sorry, Ronnie. I just.. I dunno. Forget it."

He turned his back on her then. Ronnie was at a loss for words.

"If," she began in a strained voice, once she had recovered, "If you really feel like it's something you want to do, then I.. give you my permission to discuss it with Roxy, I suppose."

She felt weird saying that, as if she were Roxy's mother and not her older sister. Jack looked pleased at her response.

Ronnie smiled, then faltered. She was still worried about how Roxy would react to this. She knew her sister had feelings for Jack, it was completely obvious. But what were Jack's feelings towards Roxy? Were they stronger than his feelings for her?

"I know what you're thinking," Jack said lowly, interrupting her thoughts, "You think me and Roxy will become.. an item or something, right?"

Ronnie folded her arms. "The thought had crossed my mind a few times, yeah."

"Nothing to worry about there," Jack continued lightly, "Because I love you."

Ronnie froze on the stop and averted her eyes. So he did love her afterall, he hadn't been lying at the wedding.

"What? Does that shock you?"

Ronnie looked up at him and gave him a sour look. Jack just smirked.

"Ronnie Mitchell, you're the only woman for me. You think I would start something up with your sister? Sorry, but that'll never happen."

How cheesy, Ronnie thought, rolling her eyes at the cheesy line he'd just delivered.

Jack barked out a laugh, "It's true, I swear. Every word."

He moved closer to her. Ronnie tried to push him back but he wouldn't budge. She suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia as his strong, toned chest pressed up against hers. All those old feelings came back in a rush and suddenly Ronnie was powerless. Her eyes closed as Jack edged forwards, his lips inches from hers...

"Jack, I just had to chec-- Oh.."

The door had burst open, causing Jack to immidiately break away from Ronnie. Slightly annoyed at the sudden interruption, Ronnie turned her head. Dawn Swann was standing in the doorway, looking deeply embarrassed.

"I didn't mean to.." she started, blushing.

"Doesn't matter," Jack said, though he too seemed irritated by Dawn's presence, "Ronnie, could I come up to your flat later on? I need to talk more with you."

Ronnie bit her lip. She wasn't sure if she was ready to embark on a relationship, especially with Jack. What would Danielle say? Was she really ready to start bringing a man home to her flat when she had just been reunited with her daughter for the first time in twenty years?

"No," Ronnie spoke up sharply, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Okay.." Jack muttered, "Then what about drinks at the Vic? Say sevenish?"

Ronnie shrugged, "It depends on how Danielle's feeling."

"Danielle, right.." Jack muttered, not looking remotely interested, "Right, give me a call if you can make it, alright?"

Nodding slightly, Ronnie turned to face Dawn and walked straight past, trying not to look at the other woman. It was so embarrassing; she had been seen getting that close to Jack! What must Dawn think of her right now?

Feeling flustered, Ronnie quickly left the club and returned to the flat where she found Danielle sitting in the living room, in a fresh pair of her pajamas. Ronnie sighed, "I'm sorry, love. I should have stopped on the way back to get some of your things."

"It's okay," Danielle chirped, "You've got some pretty funky pajamas, anyway."

Ronnie grinned and suddenly she forgot all about Jack. She took off her jacket and boots and joined Danielle on the sofa. "You think you'll beable to make it over to the Vic later on?" she asked, playing with her daughter's hair.

"I think so," Danielle replied, sounding quite certain, "I'll need some clothes though," she added with a chuckle.

Ronnie laughed, "Don't worry, I'll get all your stuff for you this afternoon. You're staying at the B&B right now?"

"Yeah," Danielle replied, "You're sure? I can get it myself.."

"Nope," Ronnie said flatly, "I'll get it all for you, and then I'll tell them that you're no longer going to be living there."

Danielle's face lit up, "You mean..?"

Ronnie nodded solemnly, and laughed, "You're my daughter, silly. As if I'd force you out on the street."

"I know, I just wondered if this was going to be a permanent thing, I guess I wasn't sure."

"Well, you know now," Ronnie said, ruffling her daughter's hair, "You're here for good, babe. I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

Danielle rolled her eyes, "Always so overprotective, aren't you?" she grinned at Ronnie's expression, "Not that I'm complaining."

Ronnie kissed the top of her daughter's head and held her for a moment. Then she looked at her again.

"So, are you up for a visit to the Vic? You can see Peggy, and Roxy, and Amy of course."

Danielle beamed, and that answered Ronnie's question automatically. "Yes, definitely yes."

"Then it's settled. I'll pop out in a bit and get your stuff, and then--"

The phone rang suddenly. Ronnie left Danielle's side to pick it up.

"Hello?"