A/N: The second part of the reveal, it's different, that's all I can say.
As soon as Ronnie was sure Danielle was out of earshot, she turned to her father. "Dad, she's Amy…She's … She's everything." Ronnie's voice was weak. Tears fell from her cheeks. She was heavily drunk and she could feel everything was numb. The need to fell this moment was so fierce, but her stupidity along with her earlier consumption of alcohol was preventing it. The vulnerable face urgently composed itself as the tears fell. She couldn't help it, it was a natural reaction. No one should ever see Veronica Mitchell cry. Her army were recovering; they were rising to the challenge once again. Ronnie knew Archie would try his best to manipulate things, to make her see the situation in a different light; in his way. But the question was, would Ronnie fall defeated?
"Listen to me V, that girl's crazy. She has no idea what's happening around her. I tried to explain to her, this idea she has in her head, it's not healthy." Archie paused to let his lies worm there way into Ronnie's head. He didn't want to seem too pushy although he knew he had to barge his way through Ronnie's cold exterior. It was going to be long night.
Archie was attempting to compose yet more stories, his voice hid his desperation ever so well, but it was there. Archie trying to cover his tracks could mean only one thing.
"I was hoping she wouldn't cause you this pain, I wanted to stop her from reminding you of what you relinquished." Archie was pushing the right buttons, yet her confidence was growing. This wasn't right. She should be shouting, screaming, throwing everything at him. Only then could he find her weak spots: his targets.
"You impelled me, remember? Did I not make it clear how I felt about it?" Ronnie pointed at the karaoke machine which was still projecting the final lines of Abba's track. Her voice was cool, calm, but so very cold. "Explain the locket dad; tell me how she would have come by that?"
Archie thought about it. He sighed and placed a hand on top of his daughters. She instinctively withdrew her hand from the bar-top. This was going to be a very long night.
"It's like you said V, she must have stole it. She could have got that from anywhere, anyone. Maybe Amy's adoptive parents wanted a fresh start for their daughter so they got rid of it." He shrugged his shoulders as his lies poured out: Anything to protect his V from the evil which now sat in his living room. "All I know is the girl needs help. She keeps insisting I'm her Granddad; I was just trying to protect you Ronnie, 'cos I'm your father".
Ronnie wanted it all to stop, but Danielle's words kept playing on her mind. Danielle had insisted that Archie was lying, she had been under his influence, and he claimed it was to protect his daughter, his little V. This was too much, and she was way too drunk. Ronnie made sure her voice was calm. She needed her father to listen, to understand. She couldn't do this without her fathers help. She would need Archie's cooperation and trust him to do the right thing. "Look dad, I've been there for her, I helped her through some tough times. I'll have to explain it very clearly to her, she needs to see a doctor" Ronnie's heart was pounding. She was hoping Danielle wasn't listening. She knew that if Danielle heard this, there was no chance of speaking to her, and that was the last thing she was trying to achieve. She needed Danielle's trust so that she could explain the situation clearly, so that she could help Danielle along with making her understand. It all depended on Danielle's trust: something Ronnie needed now, but had never earned.
Archie smiled slightly. He had got Veronica around. His way made so much more sense. "Right, so lets go get her out of here okay? She won't hurt you anymore; we're all here for you V". His voice was ever so soothing, it took everything Ronnie had to maintain calm.
"Wait." Ronnie's gaze remained fixed on the bar stool. "What else did you tell her? I need to know what you've said so I can explain things easily to her. She's a fragile girl; I need to know the situation so I can attempt to understand how she feels before I try to talk to her. I need to get inside her mind." Ronnie's insides were burning. Being with Jack – an ex police officer- had made her wonder how she would handle situations like these. The key elements were understanding and trust. She needed the whole story.
Archie looked up just as he grabbed the bar for support before he stood. "I told her everything about you having a baby, how you felt when she was taken from you…"
"That was your crime!" She interrupted him as she lifted his face to meet his eyes, her thoughts once again dragged into the past. Shit! She was ruining it. She composed her face to the cold, heartless one she wore seconds ago and dropped her gaze back to the bar stool. This was going to take everything she had, all her strength to commit this one act. She drew in a deep breath. "I'm sorry dad; go on, I didn't mean to interrupt"
Archie stared amazed at his daughter's apology. Wow, this might just all have blown over by the morning, and his daughter was going to need him more than ever before. Yes, she still blamed him for his actions nineteen years ago, but she had warmed towards him over the past few months. He thought their relationship was finally on the mend, well apart from her little sing-song earlier, but she was drunk. Lately, she seemed to communicate more with him, plus she defiantly seemed to be on his side with this situation. That's how he wanted his little Veronica: To think about things before pointing the finger at him, to see the situation from his point of view. He smiled before answering her question. "That's all I mentioned, I wanted to get threw to her: you are not her mother, we have nothing to do with her." Archie remained cool as he recalled the words Ronnie had spoken only minutes before. His grin widened but he quickly cloaked it. He spoke softly. "She mentioned how she leaned on you for support, how much you needed each other, how well you comforted her." Archie paused again knowing he was pushing the boundaries
Ronnie looked up to her father. "Right, well it's obvious she hates your guts" her heart jumped, herself and Danielle were possibly the only people in this building that did. "I think it would be best if you left for tonight. It's going to take time for me to calm her, to explain to her that she needs to see some one. I feel like I'm responsible for what she thinks since I befriended her, I led her on." Ronnie hoped Archie would trust her. "She seems to think she owes me an explanation, and by hearing her out, it's going to calm her, let her think I'm on her side. She might listen to me then wont she?"
Archie smiled up to his daughter. "V, you did the right thing in helping her, but she's taking advantage. You're not her mother, and she must accept the facts. She'll try to hurt you again, and I won't stand for anyone hurting my family. Her deluded mind tells her I'm the root of all pain, that I've lied to her, but she can't get it in her head, you're my family, not hers."
Ronnie looked up to Archie. She had hated this man for so long. The root of all pain: so what was different now? "I'll be fine Dad, there all lies, and they can't hurt me yeah? Just please, I want this to be as easy as possible, so just go for now; I'll call you in the morning. We'll take care of Aunty Pegg" Peggy was more than capable of taking care of herself, but Archie held control over her, he 'wanted' to care for her.
Archie understood he had to let Ronnie handle this. He trusted his daughter. He felt proud of himself, convincing Ronnie so easily was defiantly an achievement. Although there was this constant nagging in his head to try and reassure her once further, but he feared he would damage the trust her had built up between them. For now, he needed a place to crash. He silently left the pub, with nothing anything but his car keys.
Ronnie needed a drink. That was the most nerve racking thing she had done in a while. She grabbed a glass from behind the bar, and poured herself some water. Alcohol had already made matters worse. She needed to sober up if she was going to do this right. She had to explain to Danielle what was happening, but how could she talk to such a fragile little girl? The sensitive approach was something she hadn't used since Roxy was a teenager. Ronnie bolted the door Archie had left through and headed upstairs. She tried to think how she would explain, but her mind was all over the place. Archie was right…
This was going to be a very long night.
A/N: So guys what do you think?? How will Ronnie explain all this to Danielle. Will Danielle get the 'help' she needs?
I need some feedback now 'coz the last two chapters took so long to write, but any feedback is welcome please!!!!!! I wana know which bits were good, which bits were bad, and how likely it is that this would have really happened.