For the last 3 days, Derek noticed Joey wasn't as happy as he had been Saturday night, he had tried to get him to talk about it but he used the fact that they were busy at work as an excuse.

'Okay that's it we are closing early and you are going to tell me what's got you in such a foul mood' Derek said as his son was rude to the fifth customer of the day.

Joey sighed and he ran his hands over his face. 'I screwed up dad' he told him 'I totally screwed up with Lauren'

Derek frowned 'You seemed to be getting on fine at the stag do Saturday night' he replied as he put the ansaphone on and reached into his drawer for the bottle of scotch and two glasses.

'We were. Until I put my foot in it'

'What did you do?' Derek asked him

'I told her. I told how I felt' he said to him 'I told her that I loved her and that I wanted to be with her'

'And how did she react?' Derek asked him 'What did she say?'

Joey looked up at his father 'She told me that I was drunk and it was just nerves' Joey said 'I had to convince her that it wasn't' he said as he took a glass of scotch

'And did you? Convince her?'

'I thought so… I did' he said and he frowned 'I know I did'

'So then what happened?'

'I put my feet in mouth big time over breakfast'

'Breakfast?' Derek frowned, Joey looked up at his father over the top of the glass as he raised it to his mouth 'Did you have sleep with Lauren on your stag night?' he asked his son

'Yes' he said before drinking the contents of the glass in one 'A few times'

'Joey!' Derek frowned at him 'You're engaged to someone else!'

'I know I didn't plan to have sex with Lauren. I never plan to have sex with Lauren it just happens!' Joey told him as he reached for the scotch, Derek watched as he half-filled his glass and then drank half of it down.

'You've had sex with Lauren before?' Derek asked Joey. Joey frowned, realising that he'd left this part of the story out of the conversations that he had had with his father.

'Er yeah once or twice' Joey said and he felt his face go red

'When was the first time?'

'It doesn't matter, I've screwed everything up anyway' he told

'I'm sure you haven't' Derek said

'It's over' Joey said 'I saw her in the square yesterday and she crossed over the road so she wouldn't have to talk to me. She came in to the Vic last night, saw me and left'

'Well what did you do?' he asked him

'I gave her an ultimatum' Joey said 'I told her that unless she gave me a reason not to marry Lucy that the wedding would go ahead'

'And Lauren said what?'

'She slapped me across the face, called me a cheating scumbag and told me not to hold my breath'

'It sounded as though she was angry with you'

'She was'

'Why?'

'Because I told her that Lucy had put me on a six week sex ban before the wedding and she thought that I just told her that I loved to get her into bed'

'Did you?'

'No! Of course not!' Joey frowned at him 'Every time Lauren and I have had sex it was consensual. We both wanted it'

'I swear to God you have no sense Joey. I seriously can't believe that you gave Lauren an ultimatum' Derek told him 'It's fairly clear that you don't love Lucy. Isn't that reason enough not to marry her? You slept with Lauren a week before the wedding for Christ's sake'

'If I've ruined things with Lauren, maybe the best thing to do would be to go ahead with the wedding and move to Spain' Joey said 'That way we wouldn't have to see each other again'

'So you plan to ruin another young girl's life?'

'I'm thinking about Lauren here'

'Are you?' Derek asked him 'Because it seems to me that you're only thinking about yourself' he told him and he took the scotch and put it back in his drawer. 'How long have been sleeping with Lauren?'

'Since I was 16' he told Derek 'I mean that was the first time. She was my first time. I was hers' he sighed 'And a few times since then, the latest being last time'

Derek stood up 'Come on I think I should drive you home' he told him 'and then I suggest that you think long and hard about telling Lucy that the wedding is off'

Joey sighed and he emptied his glass and stood up, following his dad out.

Derek decided that he would talk to Lauren when they got back see what she was thinking.

AN: Derek thinks that Joey needs to call off the wedding and he understand why Lauren was cross with him. Is Joey going to call off the wedding? What is going to happen when Derek talks to Lauren? Is he going to help or will he make things worse?

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R&R as always.