Amy collapsed on to the sofa which occupied a good third of her living room. She had just spent the best part of two hours trying to get the youngest residents of the household to "Please please stop crying," Lucas had only started because of Leah and Leah was the only one of the two who understand what had happened, even though it was only a fraction. Ste had been gone weeks and it was getting harder to deal with everyday.
Amy was feeling more and more isolated from everyone and everything as each day dawned – Micheala, her dad and even Lee had tried and tried to get through to her but she continued to push them further and further away. She didn't want them to say it would be okay, she didn't want them to tell her he'd come back alive 'cause she knew they didn't even believe that. She had tried to hide it from the kids but Leah had heard Amy and Ethan talking and had cottoned on. She's learnt that from him Amy thought, because although biologically Leah wasn't Ste's, he had been the best father to her as well as her brother, Leah had picked up so many traits from Ste – she reminded Amy so much of her best friend.
Which again brought her back to the, dull ache of, questions that she feared would never be answered, Where? What? When? And the most frustrating question Why? Why did he have to go, why now why ever! Amy covered her face with her hands suppressing a sob, her body shaking with the force of holding back her grief. She hugged her knees close to her, trying to gain some support, some comfort from somewhere. Through her inner turmoil she didn't hear the footsteps approaching her. No one but the kids were in the flat so she wouldn't have known who had entered the room.
Amy didn't notice anything until the shadow cast over her, amplified by the small standing lamp illuminating the room. Opening her eyes she gasped as she registered the darkness on her.
"Ste," She breathed looking at her knees, not daring to look to the intruder, not daring to break to the illusion that he could have made it home. She heard a strangled cry sort of a noise which made her look up only to be confronted with "Brendan!"
She couldn't believe her eyes, looking beaten and exhausted, a shadow of the former man the man had been, here stood the one who had been jailed for Rae's murder. She couldn't help but think, as she had been thinking for weeks now, that this man was some how responsible for Ste's disappearance too.
"What are you doing here?" She exclaimed, standing up, being careful not to raise her voice above a whisper in fear of waking up Leah and Lucas.
Brendan didn't reply, he only stared back, sympathy evident in his eyes which only angered Amy. "Tell me where he is!" she shout-whispered flinging herself at the Irishman. After she had managed a few hits at his chest, he grabbed her wrists, struggling to get her to calm down "Amy please!" He whispered "I don't know where he is, I don't know,"
"Stop lying," She cried out, disregarding her earlier need to be quiet "You're the only one who would know, the only one," her movements slowed as her anger deflated because although she had her suspicions, she knew deep down that next to her Brendan was the least likely to do this.
Brendan held her close willing her to feel some comfort. He knew his feelings about all this had to be similar to what she was feeling, and he just wanted some comfort "I'm going to fix this Amy, I swear,"
"How?" Amy sobbed, her face buried in Brendan's shoulder.
Brendan placed his hands on the young women's shoulders and pushed her gently away so she was facing him "Tell me everything you know,"