Carla went to the airport; she didn't even bother to pack her bags. Where she was going she didn't need anything from her life on Coronation Street. She was going home, back to her real home in Ireland. She booked the first flight out of Heathrow and collapsed into her window seat. She was cold and she hardly noticed her hands were shaking. She had run of tears and her body began to adopt other methods of displaying her grief. Carla was determined to never come back. She looked out her window into the dark sky, and felt nothing would ever reflect the darkness she had felt at that very moment. She listens to her own breathing, the sequences of which it accelerates and then falters and she thinks to herself,

What do you want?

Carla wants to be free

"Carla look at me."

Liam's image flashes in front of Carla's eyes. His deep blue eyes are as riveting as ever, his lips parting and pursuing her with such purpose, and she can't look away. He holds out his hand and Carla can tell he is anxious, that he wonders whether she will take it. But it is like a habit for her, she was so used to taking his and Michelle's hands as children. It was second nature.

"It's always been there, that weird thing that exists between us. You feel it to; I think you felt it before I did Carla. It's like you always knew, you always knew didn't you?"

Carla doesn't say anything, she is afraid that if she speaks, she will let herself be vulnerable she will pour out her soul.

"You watched me with all those other girls, and you were patient because knew eventually I'd fine my way over to you. So here I am."

"You're too late , this is all too late," Carla whispers.

"You don't believe that, you never have."

"Liam I love Paul. Paul is wonderful to me, he treats me well."

"Maybe there is a part of you that truly believes you could love Paul. Maybe there is a part of you that feels you can delude yourself into living a fantasy. It won't last."

Carla unable to stand any longer slumps onto a sitting chair, the one in which Liam had draped his coat and scarf. She loved the intimacy she felt being in the proximity of his things. She loved all the things he was saying, but in the back of her mind she felt unsure.

"I want to believe in everything you are saying to me Liam. I want to believe every single word. And I don't doubt for a second that right now in this very moment you probably believe every thing you are telling me. But what about tomorrow and the day after that, say that we actually went away together, then what?"

"Then we'd live, we'd figure things out. We'd take it one day at a time."

This was the answer Carla feared. It was a future open to possibility, an offering that didn't have much to offer in the way of certainty. Paul was offering her his absolute love, something that was tangible. She couldn't afford to take a chance at something outside her comfort.

Liam was bending at her knees, he clasped her hands in his and she felt the immediate surge of energy.

"I know you're afraid. I hurt you before I get that. But it won't be like that this time. I can't let you slip away Carla."

"Liam you need to stop this. This conversation never happened, this night never happened." Carla needed to get away from his grasp; she needed to be free of his spell.

He read her mind

"I know you felt it Carla, when we kissed, I know you feel it right now…"

Carla yanked her hand from his

"It doesn't change anything Liam! No matter how I feel or not we're not safe together."

"Carla your never going to be safe, safe isn't what we are isn't what we've ever been."

Carla tried to break free from under him, but he held her in the chair blocking her passage to freedom. All the thoughts that were going through her head, he knew her, knew what she was afraid of, he knew all the right things to say. She would always love him. His voice was now grave, and he as he spoke he said each word with such vulnerability Carla had never witnessed before.

"I did the most dangerous thing coming her tonight telling you that I loved you. But it had to be done Carla. If I could bring myself here tonight and get through my fear for you, you can get through your fear for me. We are never going to be safe, so are you brave enough or aren't you?"

He didn't wait for her answer, he leaned in to kiss her once more and Carla was powerless to stop it.

The plane landed and Carla went through the gates and went straight to hail a taxi.

"Where to miss?" The cab driver asked as Carla shuffled in. Carla got a glimpse of herself in his rearview mirror she looked an absolute mess. She probably should be going to book a hotel right now and getting a proper meal in her stomach. But there was something she needed to do.

"Take me to the closets floral shop around here. And then afterwards St. Christopher's Catholic Cemetery."

"Right away miss."

Carla was going to visit Paul.

It was Monday evening and Dr. Harrington had just sent her secretary home. She was going to be staying late at the office and didn't want to be disturbed. She hauled out her cassette player, which she used routinely in consultation with her patients and placed it on her desk. Then she opened her desk and pulled out the box that had been given to her by Frank Foster the previous evening. She opened it find various cassettes with different dates on them.

"I guess it makes sense to start with whatever is in the front," Dr. Harrington said aloud talking to herself. Slowly she removed the tape from its package and slipped it into her player, pressing the play button. She waited for a moment as she listened to the familiar static sound. Dr. Harrington examined the case, which was labeled May 2008. She waited and then she heard it, the sound of Carla Connor's voice.

"This is Carla Connor, the date is January 12, 2009. The time is 3:00 pm. I have to start taking note of the strange things Tony has been doing since we got back from our honeymoon. He has been acting distance, staying out late. I saw him get out of a car a couple nights ago in a dark ally way. He seemed distraught, I have been trying to talk to him about looking into Liam's death, he said we would hire a private investigator, but now he just gets angry every time I try to bring it up. But he won't let me look into things myself, I want to know why?"

Dr. Harrington sat in silence processing the information from the recording. Carla continued,

"The last few nights Tony has woken me up at 4 or 5 am in the morning and he has been giving me water and some kind of medication. I have not taken it; it makes no sense to me. I took the capsules to the local pharmacy and they told me it was sleeping pills. Why would someone wake me up at 5 o clock in the morning and give me sleeping pills when I am already sleeping?" I am starting to get paranoid, but I remember his first wife died, I wonder what he is playing at."

"Oh Carla," Dr. Harrington whispered, "You and I both ."