Notes: Sorry it's been months! I've been really busy and stuff. I'll try and get the next chapter up asap. Also, please remember this is set November/December time so things in Hollyoaks have changed now. Sorry, this is such a badly written chapter but I wanted to get it up so that I can finally draw it to it's conclusion in a few chapters.

Chapter Ten

Rhys didn't have to wait long before Josh caught up with him outside the Osbornes.

"So what's changed?" Josh asked, just before shutting the door.

"What d'ya mean, bro?"

"Don't play stupid, Rhys. Something changed in there...You changed."

"Yeah well, it brought back a ton of memories, dint it. Ya know, bein' in that 'ouse again 'n' that," Rhys replied, in as little detail as possible.

"Yeah…s'pose it did," Josh agreed, putting his hand on his older brother's shoulder. It seemed Rhys going along hadn't been as disastrous as he'd imagined it would be. The two of them began to walk home together, acting more like brothers than they had done ever since Josh had returned. On their way back they decided to stop by 'the dog' to grab a couple of drinks. Rhys went up to the bar and ordered a couple of beers whilst Josh grabbed a table. His eyes wandered as he looked around the place. Out of the corner of them, he noticed a women sat on one of the bar stools staring over at Rhys-she was probably a similar age to him-maybe a little older. She had long perfectly curled light-ish coloured hair and seemed an average height. Rhys didn't even notice her which shocked Josh. Even when he was in a relationship, he always used to eye-up any remotely attractive girl in sight.

"See that girl over there?" Josh began, gesturing his head in her direction once Rhys had come and sat down at the table. Rhys gazed over and nodded at Josh, wondering what he was getting at. "Do you know her or something?" Josh asked.

"Dunnah, don't think so. Why?"

"She just keeps staring at you, that's all," Josh replied, trying not to make it obvious that they were staring back at her.

"Do sorta recognise her actually. Probs just some random I pulled-" Josh gave him a stare, forcing Rhys to add to his sentence. "Before Jacqui, of course." Lynsey and Doug came walking into the pub together, Doug looking miserable as always and Lynsey not looking a whole lot happier herself.

"What's Lynsey's story then? Why'd she hate Gilly?" Josh asked as he watched her walk through the pub.

"Who said she 'ated 'im, ay?"

"Well, it's pretty obvious," Josh stated. Rhys sighed at his brother before shortly replying.

"He was dating her. She ran out on 'im 'cos he weren't over Steph. He raped Jacq. Lynsey wanted nothing more to do with him. Now, can you stop with the questionin', Josh?" Rhys replied as fast as possible, bored of this topic.

"Alright," Josh replied dreamily as his eyes continued to follow Lynsey. He snapped out of it and his eyes were soon back on Rhys again. "One last question, yeah? Do you never wish you'd just come and lived with us, before all this happened?" Rhys suspired, he'd not thought about it, not for a while anyway.

"I dunno. Dint wanna leave this place, did I. When mum came back last Feb, I thought about it yeah, but I couldn't. But if I had done-I mean shortly after you guys left-then Jacqui wouldn't have been raped and Gilly wouldn't have been killed."

"Look, Rhys, I know what I said before, but I didn't mean it. It isn't your fault. You're my brother, I shouldn't have said that stuff. You didn't know things would turn out like this," Josh apologised, with a smile. At that exact moment, Frankie Osborne appeared in the doorway to the pub. She walked quickly over to Rhys and Josh.

"Rhys, can I have a word please?" Frankie asked, politely.

"How'd ya know we were 'ere?" Rhys asked. Was this women a stalker, or what?

"Josh told me you may've been coming here," she replied as she glanced briefly at Josh. Rhys got up and walked closer to her as Frankie pulled him further away from Josh so that he couldn't hear them speaking. She didn't want Josh to hear yet because she knew he'd object to her words. "Look, Rhys, I'm not really sure how to say this but..we don't think you should come to the funeral," Frankie said, a little sharply, sounding as if she knew exactly how to say it. Rhys' face dropped.

"Ya wha?" He spat out, shocked by her words.

"It's not hat we don't want you there. We just think it's what's best for everyone, you know?"

"You tell me 'ow it's best for me, ey?"

"Rhys, we want it all to run smoothly and-"

"And what? With me there it won't? 'Couse we're gonna be at each other's throats the whole time. Is that it? Or do you just think I'm just gonna randomally start announcing that he's a rapist during the ceremony?" Rhys replied, raising his voice as he began to get worked up.

"Well yeah, it is actually. Both, I guess," Frankie replied, bluntly. Rhys angrily stormed back to the table Josh was still sat on. "Guessin' you were in on this too, eh?"

"In on what?" Josh asked, not having a clue what was going on. Rhys sighed loudly and grabbed his coat, rushing out of the put as quickly as he could. In his rush to get out of the place, he flew right into Cheryl who was walking towards the pub.

"God Cheryl, why d'ya always have to do that!" Rhys shouted, letting his anger out on her, something that seemed to've been a common theme in the last year.

"Ur, excuse me?" Cheryl replied, widening her eyes. "You bashed into me." Rhys stared at her hopelessly, his bottom lip wobbling and his eyes teary. Cheryl shook her head as she noticed the sadness in his eyes. "What's happened, love? Not Jacqui again, is it?" Rhys shook his head and satdown on the step, Cheryl followed him, sitting down next to him.

"It's not Jacqui," he breathed out. He was too emotionally exhausted to bother yelling at Cheryl for suggesting it might be. Cheryl looked upward and Rhys followed her gaze.

"Oh hey Frankie," she said with a smile, looking up at her as she left the pub.

"Hiya, Cheryl," she accnoledged, before tilting her head to gain eye-contact with Rhys. "I'm sorry, Rhys. It is for the best." As soon as she'd said it, she continued to walk off.

"How are you Cheryl? Oh I'm fine thanks Frankie, nice of you to ask, how are you?" Cheryl mumbled to herself, unimpressed by Frankie's lack of conversation. Rhys shook his head in frustration and Cheryl looked back at him. "Hang on, why was she apologising to you, Rhys? What's she got to be sorry for?"

"She's decided I can't go to Gilly's funeral, ent she."

"Woah…ok…?" Cheryl breathed out, in shock. "Well, do you want me to have a word with her or-"

"Nah. She's made 'er mind up, she 'as," Rhys said angrily. Cheryl put her hand comfortingly on his leg and kissed his cheek, with no clue of who was creeping up behind them.

"What d'ya think you're doin' with'er?" Jacqui asked loudly as she came up behind the two of them. Rhys sighed loudly at the awful timing.

"Not now, Jacq," Rhys breathed out. Things were about to get that little bit worse and he knew it.

"Not now? Not now? When ya wanna do this then? Ne-next time she's got 'er dirty 'ands all-all ova ya?" Jacqui squealed. Rhys buried his face in his hands, facing away from his wife. How could so much crap happen in a single day? Living in Hollyoaks was exhausting.

"Who do you think you are Jacqui McQueen?" Cheryl asked, getting up to her feet. "Poor wee Rhys has just been told he isn't allowed to go to his best friend's funeral and you're talking like this?" As soon as Cheryl had mentioned the funeral, Rhys wearily raised his head upwards again, looking petrified. Jacqui shook her head backwards and forwards, disgusted with him as she began to walk away. Rhys quickly jumped up and grabbed her hand before she could get very far. She pulled her hand fiercely away but stood still. "When were ya gonna tell me you were gonna attend that-that RAPIST'S funeral?"

"Jacq, I only found out today yeah and it felt like sumit I needed to do 'n' that dint it." Jacqui shook her head once again at him before walking quickly off. Rhys slid back down, sitting next to Cheryl again-who'd sat back there once Rhys ran after Jacqui.

"Feels like everythin's goin'round in a circle or sumit."

"How about you and I do our own wee memorial for Gilly? To say goodbye? We could do it just by the lake over there, where he and Steph got married."

"Nah. Chez, if ya wanna go to 'is actual funeral, you go. Ya were one of the onleh one's'o stuck bu 'im, you should go."

"That doesn't mean we can't do something here as well though, does it?" Rhys nodded in reply and gave his best attempt of a smile.