"Where have you been?" Jess demanded answers from Don as soon as he walked in at one in the morning. He moved past her, into the kitchen and dumped his keys onto the worktop before looking at her.

"I went for a drive…" he shrugged "is Hannah still awake?"

"No idea" Jess drawled "I went up to talk to her earlier. To assure her that her father doesn't hate her and won't abandon her…she's a mess Don"

"And that's my fault?" he asked and Jess folded her arms over her chest;

"Yes" she snapped back at him "I think it is partly your fault…when you tell your only daughter she isn't your little girl anymore and then throw her boyfriend out even though he said he would stick by her can make a girl think that maybe her father may disown her"

"I know" Don raised his hands into the air "I…may…have lashed out at her and Mark"

"The word 'may' does not need to be used" Jess informed him "she knows what she did was stupid and she doesn't need you to punish her anymore. Understand me?" Jess put her foot down

"I know" Don said quickly "I was just so angry…she could have had anything…"

"She still can" Jess reminded him "college may be difficult now but she is still young and has a future…remember when you had Hannah?"

"I know" he ran a hand through his hair "but me and Emily had jobs…we could settle down…Hannah's isn't in the same place…she's a career girl"

"And at the moment she is a young girl in need of her father to assure her that he still loves her and will help her through this" Jess nudged him "now get up those stairs and tell her that"

…..

"Mark!" Geoff yelled at his son as he moved up the stairs to his room "what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm getting out of here before you truly manage to poison my mind" he spat back to his father, moving into his room and pulling at a bag as his mother and father stood in his doorway, watching him.

"Don't speak to me like that!" his father demanded from him and Mark rolled his eyes as his mother sobbed lightly, her hand over her mouth "that girl has ruined your life…and now…now you're going to throw everything away for her"

"Did no one teach you the making of a baby when you were younger?" Mark asked, running a hand through his blonde hair and shaking his head "I helped too!"

"But you don't need to be involved in this! You don't need to go through with this" he told his son who narrowed his eyes at his father as he continued packing his bags;

"You think I would let Hannah go through this alone?" venom was clear in his voice "you think I would abandon my girlfriend and child?"

"I think if you're girlfriend cared about your future then she would have thought about terminating this child for the best. You two can't handle it" his father stomped a foot

"Geoff…" Mrs Clarke pleaded her husband to stop but he shook her off

"We can't get rid of our baby! Would you just listen? We're not doing that" Mark said defiantly

"You tell that slut of a girlfriend that if she cared for you then she would consider it…if money is an issue then we would help" he stood proud and Mark stood tall on the other side of his room, pointing his finger at his father, his face red;

"If you dare even speak about Hannah like that again then I swear…." Mark left the threat empty and his father rolled his eyes.

"So where do you plan to go? You can't go crawling back to her…you don't have a lot of money…you're being stupid" his father said as Mark zipped up his bag and flung it onto his shoulder;

"Anywhere is better than here" he said and brushed past his parents, feeling his mother grip onto his arm;

"Mark…don't go…don't…we'll work something out…we will" his mother pleaded and Mark looked down onto her kind face and he kissed her briefly on the top of the head.

"No we can't" he told her and moved for the stairs

"She's trouble Mark" his father warned him, stood in the hallway, as Mark took a deep breath and stood on the top step "if she won't do this for you then she can't truly love you. She'll be the end of you…surely you can see what a cheap whore she has been? Sleeping with the first boy who told her he loved her…" his father advanced onto Mark who was stood still and shaking "you don't need her son" he rested a hand onto his son's shoulder "she's proved she'll drop her pants for the first boy who offers her it…"

And then Mark lashed out. He shook his father's hand from his shoulder and he whirled around, his fist balled as it made contact with the elder man's jaw. Geoff stumbled back and fell to the floor. Mark looked down upon him and shook his head;

"Hannah is ten times the person you'll ever be. I never want to see you again…and if you even try and get involved in Hannah's life then I swear I will kill you" and with that, Mark ran down the stairs, slamming the door as he went. He dumped his bag into the back seat of his car and turned on the ignition, driving off anywhere apart far from his home.

…

"Hannah" Don whispered when he saw his daughter. She was sat up on her bed, her legs crossed and looking down onto a photo album. Don advanced into the room, avoiding eye contact with her as he sat on the edge of her bed, looking down onto the photos of his first wife.

"You would have been the same age as me dad" Hannah stated "when you had me…but why do you look so happy?"

"Because we had what we wanted Hannah…you don't yet" he said and looked down onto the photo of Emily, smiling as she stood in her wedding dress.

"What do I do dad?" Hannah looked into his eyes "I don't know what to do"

"I don't know Hannah…I respect you decision that you don't want to get rid of the baby…but…whatever you do…you know I love you" he said and shut the photo album so he had her full attention. He moved closer to her, finally cradling her head in the crook of his neck, stroking her long brown hair.

"I'm sorry dad" Hannah began to cry and Don felt himself well up;

"I know Hannah…I know…and I'm sorry…I said things which I can't take back but I wish I could…I was stupid…and Mark…he didn't deserve that" Don said and Hannah pushed herself up for a moment, looking at her father simply;

"No he didn't" she said

"And I will apologise to him…when I next see him…but…I won't abandon you Hannah" he stroked her cheek;

"I'm still furious with you" he said "but I'm here"

…..

So….Mr Clarke is a bit annoying, right? Thank you to SM-FA-RaiNtrain and Runner043 for reviewing. Chapter 75 was a bit difficult to write because I did think it was a little sensitive but I think it was one of my best chapters yet. Anyway, please review!