Hey guys, first off, I want to apologise for the late update. I started work out in Manchester on Monday and its a very long day, I'm up at 6.30 and don't get home until at least 7.30 at night so I've not been in the mood to write. BUT, good news I am now, and will definitely find the time to update sooner. As an apology this chapter is extra long, i hope you don't mind :) once again thanks for your reviews they always make me smile, I'm so glad you are enjoying it. I hope you enjoy this chapter :) x

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The party was in full swing, it was packed with people, and people were still trying to get in too. Ronnie was rushed of her feet, having to help behind the bar because of how many people were there.

She had seen Stacey; she had sold her a drink. She was dressed as usual in a skimpy, very revealing outfit, and small eye mask. She was on her own, but no doubt for long, finding some poor bloke to cop off with for the night.

She enjoyed working as it took her mind of her problems, because working behind the bar was none stop, you had no time to daydream, for that, she was grateful.

Stacey Slater. The town bike, she had been called many a time. Now, if someone called it her, she wouldn't disagree, since Danielle's death she had sought comfort in the arms of men. Any one man, just for one night the pain of her friend's death would fade for a few hours.

Even now, the pain was still there. Being out clubbing just wasn't the same without Danielle. Tonight she just really wasn't in the mood. The quality of men out to night might have had a little to do with it. It was hard when most of the guys had masks on, you weren't sure who you were kissing, could end up being some 40 year old guy, or some hormonal pimpled teen. For those reasons alone, she wasn't too keen to go kissing just anyone.

Stacey finished her drink and walked off to the toilets. Back at the bar, Ronnie had just finished serving someone, when she turned around the next customer was someone in a fully fledge batman costume. Some people just took masked parties too literally; many who wore outfits like this were closet geeks. She held back a giggle, but couldn't help the smile that formed its way onto her face.

She couldn't hold back her laughter further once she heard the person ask for a beer. She looked at the person curiously. Then let out a small giggle.

"Ian Beale, is that you. I know you like role-play Ian, but I think its best you keep it in the bedroom." Her laughter intensified as the person shook there head.

"I don't know what you're on about. Can you just give me the beer please?" The person stuttered.

Ronnie let the smile on her face grow as she thought of a way to further, embarrass Ian. She wouldn't let him get off lightly; this was opportunity not to miss.

"You'll have to take your mask off. I need to see your face… Standard practice you see, wearing an outfit like that I can't take my chances your some underage teen."

Ronnie let out another laugh as the person huffed.

"Look I just came in for a beer it's not a crime is it."

"No it's not, and if you just take your mask off so I can judge how old you are we wont have a problem." She smirked.

Another huff was heard and the person started moaning as they began to lift there arms hesitantly. Soon the mask was off, and Ronnie let out a long laugh. Ian Beale stood before her red faced.

Ronnie handed Ian his beer. He took it giving her the money. He gave her an irritable look. As she handed Ian his beer, she took this opportunity to further his embarrassment.

"Our very own caped crusader. I know you're a busy body Ian, but I didn't think you were that keen on keeping this place safe." She laughed.

Ian gave her an irked look.

"You Mitchells never change. You knew it was me, did you really have to go through all that…"

Ronnie could see Jane approaching, in a flamboyant outfit. She was laughing, with Tanya who was close behind her.

"Come on Ian, what's taking you so long. You're not trying to haggle the prices lower are you?" Laughed Tanya, Jane laughed along. Ian huffed again.

"You know I knew coming out with you two would be a mistake. You've not stopped laughing at me all night; I come here and get hassle of Mitchell over there… You know what…" Jane raises her hand Ian stops ranting.

"Give it a rest Ian. We're only having a joke. Lighten up." The alcohol in Jane's system, making her, speak her mind.

Tanya lets out a loud laugh. Ian pulls a face.

"Yeah Ian, keep this up, Jane won't let you keep that outfit on in the bedroom." Both Ian and Jane turned red. Tanya started laughing, Jane shot her a look, but she just shook her head and continued laughing.

Ian turned to face Ronnie, his annoyance growing, feeling humiliated he was enraged.

"You know what, I thought after everything that's happened you might've change. But, no, you Mitchell's are all the same. You make everyone else's life a misery… That girl of ours had a lucky escape." He ranted.

He regretted saying what he did as he heard it leave his lips. Knowing he had pushed it too far. Ronnie's face, blank, unpredictable, he wasn't sure how she was going to react to him. Yet Jane, he knew. Her face, livid, she shook her head distastefully, and grabbed his arm. He looked at Jane guiltily. Tanya watched on unsure what to do, feeling uncomfortable, and sorry for Ronnie. Ian never did think after he spat his dummy out of his pram.

Jane began apologising to a still blank Ronnie, as she began to drag Ian away, who started trying to defend himself as best as he could. Even he knew he had gone too far, and would no doubt have to apologise to Ronnie sometime soon.

Tanya watched Jane drag Ian away; she knew when Ian decided to come that it wouldn't be as good a night as it would've been. The killjoy that Ian is, she was proved right now, as she turned to face Ronnie. She felt she should apologise too, but as she looked at Ronnie, she felt her words would be of no comfort to her. She probably wouldn't even acknowledge her if she did speak, she appeared to be in some trancelike state. Her eyes clearly ready to spill with tears.

"Hey, can I have two Carlsberg, two vodkas and a blue wkd please." Tanya turned to see a guy shouting to Ronnie.

Ronnie shook her head. Snapping herself out of it. She began to compose herself. She turned to the man, apologised and asked again for his order. He rolled his eyes but relented and told Ronnie who turned and began getting his order. Tanya took this opportunity to leave, she'd call Jane on the way, see if she wanted to come over to hers and have some wine. As she was leaving, some person knocked her shoulder, making her tumble slightly. She looked up to see the back of a figure running away fleeing the club.

She didn't allow herself to think much of it until she saw Stacey running across the floor. She stopped near the stairs, and she turned to Tanya, who could see Stacey had a bloody lip, and her eyes were wild.

"Have you seen someone run past here?" Stacey spoke quickly.

Tanya nodded. She wasn't sure what had gone on, but clearly, Stacey and that person had had some kind of disagreement.

"Yeah, someone just pushed past me now, ran up the stairs."

Stacey turned quickly and ran up the stairs. She didn't have time to thank Tanya. She was still trying to comprehend what she saw, what she had walked out on. Everything that happened, it had happened so quickly, she didn't have time to think now though, as she raced up the stairs. She had to catch her.

Her heart pounded in her chest, as she raced up the stairs. She couldn't be that far. She had to catch her. She ran past the security guards on the door, and began looking left and right. She could only see people who were queuing up trying to get in the club. She couldn't see her. She grunt and kicked the floor in frustration. She had, got away.

She ran to the security guard, asking him did he see which way a girl had just ran. That she had left just a minute before her.

He shrugged his shoulders telling her he was too busy doing his job watching the people outside trying to get in, he couldn't care about the ones coming out.

Stacey let out another groan, she was so close, she was about to give up looking, it was no use; she had lost her, when a voice in the line called out to her.

"Hey, I saw a girl run out there just now. Saw where she went too."

Stacey faced the lad who must have been in his early 20s around her age. She began to walk towards him eagerly.

"Where. Which way did she go?"

The lad smirked.

"You get me in there and I'll tell ya."

Stacey rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. She grabbed the guy by the collar of his shirt.

"Look. You're gonna get in that club sometime tonight anyway. I need to find that girl now, so what harm is waiting an extra 5 minutes to get in gonna do." Stacey gritted her teeth. She didn't have time for some stupid boy's game.

The lad smirked again.

"True. I can wait. But, I don't think you can." He says cockily.

Stacey pushes against the lad's chest. She releases him with a groan.

"Just tell me now, where she went or you'll never step foot in that club again. I know the owner, and what I'm doing is helping her, and if I don't find that girl, well, like I said, you'll never step foot in that club again."

Stacey hoped that it would work, that the guy would tell her. She had nothing else left now. If he didn't tell her she was running out of time, and if she ran one way, she might have ran the other.

The guy let out a sigh, and ran a hand over his face. He pointed forward behind Stacey.

"She went that way. I'd hurry if I was you, the speed she was running, never seen a girl run that fast, especially in heals."

Stacey turned sharply and ran as fast as she could in the direction he had said. She was breathing heavily; her feet were pounding, as well as her heart in her ears.

She rounded the corner, and saw a figure in the distance walking. She picked up her speed, and as she got closer to the person, she grabbed them from behind spinning them round to face them. Never letting go off them.

She was met with a scared looking girl. However, it wasn't the one she wanted. She immediately let go of her. The girl not relaxing. Stacey sighed.

"I'm sorry; I thought you were someone else." Stacey turned around having gave the girl an apologetic smile.

She looked around and let out a deep breath. Her breathing evening out as she rested. She dropped her head, looking at the floor; she couldn't believe she had lost her. Telling Ronnie now just didn't seem fair, she had nothing more to tell her than she didn't know already. She began to walk back to the club displeased with herself.

How could she tell Ronnie that she was stood in front of her? She lost her. How did she loose her? If only she was quicker.

***…Flashback…***

She had just gone into the toilet. She heard the door go and someone come in. Probably touching up their make up she thought, as they didn't enter either cubicle beside her.

She was standing struggling with her zip slightly but she finally managed to zip it up. She opened the door and walked out with her head down as she straightened her dress.

As she looked up, she saw some woman with her back to her. She quickly turned as she heard Stacey exit. She probably thought no one was in, or exiting any time soon, as Stacey had already flushed her toilet before this person came in. She'd been struggling with her dress for about 4 minutes.

Stacey took in the person. Her lips stood out; there was something familiar about them. She shook her head and ridiculed herself silently. As she looked past the person, as she tried to make her way to the sink, she noticed the mirror.

It had large read writing on it. From lipstick. She looked to the woman facing her, who held a lipstick. She was just frozen, staring at her. Stacey looked again to the writing.

"Missed me? l"… or was that a beginning of an r. Either way, this was meant for Ronnie. She was the only person who had been getting weird stuff sent her these past weeks.

Stacey now looked at this person accusingly. Her anger rising. This was the person pretending to be Danielle.

"Who the hell are you?" Stacey points her finger at the woman, her temper and voice rising.

The woman doesn't move, nor speak. Stacey lets out a small sarcastic laugh.

"What, cat got your tongue? Not got the bottle when you're actually facing someone, you send letters, and leave messages. Pretending to be a dead girl. My best mate!" Stacey seethes.

Stacey could see the woman's chest rising. Obviously panicking, having been caught. Stacey snorted.

"Come on tell me, who the hell are you, why are you doing this. You got 1 minute before I drag you out there, and you can face Ronnie. Tell her your little message face to face."

The woman shakes her head quickly and drops the lipstick. Before Stacey can react, she feels a fist make contact with her jaw her lip presses against her teeth, and she can feel it cut. She falls backwards, onto the floor. She puts her hands out to soften the impact, but it doesn't help much, as she wasn't quick enough. She makes impact with the floor. She rests her forehead against the floor, as she catches her breath.

She soon stands. Her anger rising, as she remembers exactly who this person was. Also, she was Stacey Slater. She didn't let anyone hit her and get away with it. She ran out the toilets, chasing after the woman.

*…End of flashback…*

Stacey reached the club and made her way back in, and towards the bar. She found Ronnie, who was currently serving someone. Once Ronnie finished serving the person, she saw Stacey and made her way over to her.

"What can I get you Stacey?" Ronnie inquires.

Stacey shakes her head, Ronnie eyebrows curve slightly, curiously.

"We need to talk." Stacey states rather bluntly.

Ronnie shrugs her shoulders.

"Well I'm rather busy at the moment…" Stacey cuts her off.

"She was here."

Ronnie arches her eyebrow.

"Who was here?" She questions.

"The woman sending you those stuff. Danielle's stuff."

Stacey raises her voice, she knew she shouldn't have, she was still annoyed with herself at having lost the woman, and was taking her frustration out on Ronnie. Who wasn't making it nay easier for her by not agreeing straight away?

Ronnie's face falls, but then her back straightens, her shoulders go back, and she looks out into the club searchingly.

"It's no use she aint here."

Ronnie's eyes dart back to Stacey as she looks at her disbelievingly.

"What? You just let her go?"

Stacey licks her lips and lets out a huff. Typical.

"Yeah. I just let her go. I even corrected her spellin' on the message she left you in the mirror…" Stacey replied sarcastically but was cut off by Ronnie.

"What message?" Ronnie's heart started to pump faster. She was in here. She was back. What had she wrote this time? Why was she doing this?

"I told you we needed to talk." Ronnie nods. She gulps as she looks at the bar staff, and into the bar, and the amount of people. They weren't as important as this though. She needed this more. She nodded again, as if confirming with herself that she was doing the right thing.

She made her way out from behind the bar. Stacey following her. Ronnie began to make her way to her office but Stacey shouted her, and gestured to the toilets.

"You may want to see the message first."

Ronnie again nods and follows Stacey into the toilets. She could feel her palms beginning to sweat; nervously she began to fiddle with her locket around her neck. The anticipation for what she was about to see, she didn't even know what it was, but it was growing by the second, as the seconds went by as she neared the door. She hesitated as Stacey held the door open for her. She gulped. If she turned away, she could pretend she never knew about it, she had never been here. But, she didn't want that, she would always want to know what she wanted to say to her. What, she was trying to tell her. She'd never stop wanting to know who this person was, until she knew. She had that right.

If only Stacey had carried on moments before, past that woman, the one she had grabbed, but then turned around heading back, she would have found the one she had wanted. Ronnie would have been able to get her answers and a lot more. As the person was sat only meters away, around the next corner, on a bench tears falling gently from their face, their mask fallen, in their hands. She was exposed, for the entire world to see, but nobody was there, nobody was looking. Nobody knew.

:) So was it any good? Who is this person ;p What are all these messages? What is this person trying to say? If anyone has any ideas what the numbers, and the messages mean, I'd love to read your theories, and thoughts on this fic :) Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it x