The tension that surrounded Danielle could have been cut with a knife. She looked at Ronnie, confused, then back to the mystery woman. Ronnie threw a protective arm around Danielle and whispered, "Go upstairs and check on Amy, sweetheart. I'll be up in a minute, yeah?"
"What's going on?" Danielle asked. She looked to Roxy for answers, but her Aunt's face was completely blank.
Ronnie was smiling, but she had that look she'd had earlier on in the flat after the phone call from Roxy. She almost looked ready to burst into tears. "Nothing, babe. Please, just do what I say, all right?"
Still very unsure about whether she wanted to leave, Danielle nevertheless obeyed and started walking to the bar. Roxy started to follow her.
"Well, who's this?"
Danielle knew very well that the woman was talking about her. She stopped and turned to Ronnie, feeling helpless. Ronnie shot a venemous look at the woman, "That's none of your business. What the hell do you think you're doing here? You've got some nerve, showing up here like this."
The woman started to smile. "Ronnie, this isn't..?"
She looked at Danielle and must have realised in that instant because she started quickly towards Danielle. Tears were brimming in her eyes. "You're her, aren't you? You're Amy, Ronnie's Amy. I.. I can't believe this. When did this happen?"
Ronnie was at Danielle's side in a matter of seconds. "Don't you dare come near her," she hissed, and Danielle watched the other woman recoil, looking surprised at Ronnie's outburst. As Danielle looked at the woman, she started to wonder. Could this really be..?
"Danielle," Roxy piped up loudly, "Let's go upstairs, yeah? We'll check on Amy and.. and I'll try to explain."
"No!" Ronnie objected harshly, "She's my daughter, I'll explain it to her."
"Ronnie.." Roxy bit her lip and looked around. Everyone was staring at them.
"Can't believe this," the woman said, beaming at them, "My granddaughter.."
She grabbed both Danielle's hands and squeezed them.
This was the last straw for Ronnie, who yanked Danielle back so hard that she would have fallen to the floor, if Ronnie hadn't been there to stop her. She placed both hands on Danielle's shoulders. "Get away from her. She's not your granddaughter. You mean nothing to us."
The woman, who was obviously Ronnie and Roxy's mother, looked shocked. "Veronica.. I know I've hurt you, hurt both of you.. but I'm here to make things right, now can't you atleast sit down and hear me out? I just travelled half way across the country to talk to you both."
She smiled warmly at Danielle, who couldn't help but smile back, though she was still nervous.
Roxy sighed resignedly, "Look, let's all just go upstairs, we're already causing a scene."
Ronnie didn't look like she wanted to go anywhere with this woman, but she still silently agreed and took Danielle's hand, leading her into the back and up the stairs. Roxy and the woman followed.
Once they were all inside the living room, Ronnie told Danielle to sit down. Then she walked to the far side of the room and folded her arms. "Okay, here we are. Say what you want to say and get out."
"Shut it, Ronnie," Roxy muttered, looking at her sister in disgust.
"Don't tell me you're going to listen to this dosy old cow!" Ronnie cried, barking out a laugh as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "After everything she put us through! And now she wants to come back and hurt us all over again! Not only that but she's going to end up hurting Danielle aswell! And you want to hear her out? Well then, let's hear her out. Then she's gone."
"I'm still your mother, Ronnie," the woman spoke quietly. She looked at Danielle. "I'm sorry dear, I didn't introduce myself before. I'm Glenda, I'm.. Ronnie and Roxy's mother."
Danielle had already guessed this. Now she just stared at Glenda, blinking rapidly.
Ronnie looked disgusted. Roxy just looked tired of the whole situation. Shaking her head, she got up and left, presumably to check on Amy. Nobody even noticed that she'd left. Ronnie was still staring at Glenda, and vice versa. Danielle looked helplessly from one to the other, wishing she didn't have to be caught in the middle of this.
"I've been living in England for the last couple of months. Alone, of course, Syd and I were divorced a few months ago. I.. I know how you must feel, Ronnie. The way I treated you when you turned up in Australia was unforgiveable, but I've come to make amens. I even brought the children. Your brother and sister."
"So basically you just moved onto the next sucker, had a couple of brats and then he decided you were trash and left you? You're probably engaged already, and pregnant.."
Glenda flared up, "Don't talk to me like that. You know it wasn't like that. I left because I couldn't deal with your father. I know it's not much of an excuse, but it was twenty years ago. I would of hoped you would be ready to forgive me for that."
Ronnie blinked. "You left me with him, the man who made me give up my child, who almost caused me to reject her again when she had the courage to come looking for me here. And you want me to forgive you? Well, I suppose I am sorry you turned out to be such a lousy mother. Is that apology enough for you?"
"Your father.." Glenda looked like she was going to be sick, "He's been here?"
"He's been here, all right," Ronnie exclaimed, "He only tried to ruin Aunt Peggy's life and mine, and Danielle's of course! He lied to me about everything. He told me my baby had died thirteen years ago. It almost threw me over the edge, you know. Until I found out she was here all along, right under my nose. Only I was too blinded by all his lies to see it."
She glanced sideways at Danielle and smiled. Danielle couldn't help but blush.
"And if you think I'm going to let you walk back into our lives and do the same thing you did to us to Danielle, you're insane."
It seemed as far as Ronnie was concerned, the discussion was over. She went to sit by Danielle. Glenda looked on helplessly.
It was then that Roxy returned, looking grave. "I see you all worked things out, then."
Glenda looked at Roxy, "Roxy, darling, I'm so happy to see you. Both of you."
She pulled Roxy into a hug, and to Ronnie's horror, Roxy hugged her back.
"So you're going to forgive her?!" Ronnie cried, standing up and pointing an accusing finger at Glenda, "This bitch hasn't done anything for us! She walked out on us when you were only eleven, for God's sake!"
"Yeah, I know!" Roxy shouted, "But unlike you, I'm not still holding a stupid grudge! She's our mother, Ronnie! I can't just sit here and let you talk to her like this. I mean, yeah, she hurt me too. But.." she looked at Glenda, "I can't be angry, not now. I can't help feeling happy to see her. So just drop it, yeah?"
Glenda looked positively relieved at this. She looked at Ronnie expectantly. "Veronica, please just let me try. I'm begging you."
The door opened then and Jack appeared in the doorway. Ronnie looked up and scowled at him.
"Jack, get out," she ordered viciously, glaring at him.
"Just checking to see if everything's all right," Jack said, glancing over at Glenda suspiciously, "Heard the shouting from downstairs. You lot had best keep your voices down."
"Thank you so much for your concern," Ronnie muttered sarcastically. Roxy however turned to give him a sympathetic look.
"Thanks Jack, but we can sort this out ourselves, yeah?"
Jack smiled and nodded, "Yeah, all right." He seemed to whisper something to Roxy, who nodded back. Then he quietly left the room.
"Who was that, darling?" Glenda questioned Roxy.
"Nobody," Roxy answered, looking exhausted.
Ronnie seemed to have been forgotten. Danielle whispered to her, "D'you want to go?"
"In a minute, I promise," Ronnie replied lowly, still glaring at her mother.
Glenda turned back to Ronnie and Danielle. "Look, we're staying at a B&B just near here. If you want, I can bring the kids down tomorrow morning. I told them several months ago that they had half sisters, and they've been really excited to meet you." She glowered when Ronnie rolled her eyes. "Hey, don't blame them for my mistakes. Yes, I was a bad mother. Yes, I made a lot of mistakes. But they've done nothing to either of you, so I hope you'll not treat them badly."
"So basically you're asking us to play happy families," Ronnie said, and it wasn't a question, "You want us to welcome them and you with open arms? Oh, won't that just be lovely."
"Ronnie," Roxy said warningly.
"Can I say something?"
Danielle almost regretted speaking the words when everyone in the room turned to stare at her in disbelief. Danielle swallowed, "Well, this is all new to me. I mean, I've only just been reunited with Ronnie, but.. if it's okay, I'd like to meet them. I mean, you're.. my grandmother, right?"
She looked at Glenda, who nodded solemnly. "Ronnie, you might hate me, but give this girl a chance to get to know me. I've changed a lot in the past twenty years, I assure you."
Danielle hoped that Ronnie wasn't angry with her. Ronnie sighed, looking defeated. "Fine, bring them down tomorrow morning if you want."
Glenda beamed at her, but then Ronnie stood up and walked right up to her mother.
"But if you think I'm going to forgive you for what you did to us, you're dead wrong."
Then she stormed out. Feeling sick, Danielle hurried after her. "Ronnie!" she called down to Ronnie, who was already bolting down the staircase. Ronnie turned back to her as Danielle caught up. "I'm.. sorry, I didn't mean to do that."
Ronnie smiled, "You've got nothing to be sorry for, love. If you want to meet your family, then who am I to stop you?"
"I do want to meet them," Danielle agreed, and she really did want to.
"Then it's settled," Ronnie said lightly, "We'll come down in the morning and see them."
They both began to descend the staircase again. Danielle still felt puzzled.
"Doesn't it bother you that.. well, you have a brother? And another sister?"
"It feels strange," Ronnie agreed tonelessly, "but I suppose I'll have to deal with it. Now come on, I'm tired of all this family drama. Let's go home and I'll make us some tea, all right?"
"I'd feel much better if we got a takeaway," Danielle replied, remembering Ronnie's less than satisfactory cooking.
"Oi, you," Ronnie said, flicking her head, "Just think, once you move out and move in with your future boyfriend you'll never have to be subjected to my cooking again."
"I hope that's not for a long time," Danielle said, then she felt embarrassed.
Ronnie ruffled her hair, "So do I," she agreed, and then she motioned for Danielle to link arms with her, "Shall we?" she said jokily.
"Yeah, let's," Danielle said with a laugh, linking arms with her mother as they left the Queen Vic.