Mealtimes in the Branning household was chaos more often than not. Lauren didn't usually mind the chaos but this morning she had a meeting with the Dean of the college to go through applications for the "Branning Artistic Scholarship" and she wanted to drop off some suits for Joey to be dry cleaned on the way there so she couldn't be late. And then after that she had to meet with her accountant to go through the books for the Gallery and her Graphic Design company.

She glanced at the clock again as she sipped her coffee at the breakfast bar. It had been fifteen minutes since she had yelled up the stairs that breakfast was ready and not one of her children had made an appearance. Joey had already left, he had an early morning meeting with some drinks reps who were new to the area and were looking to scout and catch some big client. Joey thought that if he could get the drinks cheaper he could use the spare money for something else.

Lauren slid of her stool, leaving her coffee cup on the bar and she walked through the house to the bottom of the stairs,

'Breakfast is ready!' she called out 'Hope, make sure that Sophie is up! James, Connor you both need your games kits today' she waited and no one replied. With a sigh she returned to the kitchen, surprised to find Connor sitting there eating some cereal. 'Where did you spring from?' she asked him

'Just back from a run' he told her with a smile. Connor was so much more like his father than James was, he had the same boyish good looks, the same dimples in his cheeks when he smiled, the exact same colour of eyes as Joey. He was just as much into fitness and running as Joey was. The two of them went running together every Saturday and Sunday morning.

'Do you want some toast?' Lauren asked him as she pushed his lunch bag towards him

'No thanks I'm good, I had some before I went out' he said 'Now I'm just topping up my energy' he grinned at her and Lauren nodded

'No one else up yet?' he glanced towards the door that led to the stairs

'Nope, Just you' she told him with a smile

Connor asked about his mother's plans for the day as he ate his breakfast, he was such a sweet boy, so much like his father. After he had eaten he clean up after himself, picked up his lunch bag. 'I'll just have a quick shower, I'll give the others a reminder about breakfast' he told her.

'Thanks Connor' Lauren smiled gratefully at her son.

Fifteen minutes later and none of her other children had appeared. Connor came back downstairs with his school bags and he kissed his mother on the cheek

I told them breakfast was ready. James was moving. Have a good day mum'

'Thank you. You too' she said

She gave the kids another 20 minutes and then she cleaned away the breakfast things. She got her car keys, bags and dry cleaning and she put them by the front door.

She heard the thundering steps of her children as they fought their way down the stairs.

'I thought you said breakfast was ready?' Hope said looking at the empty breakfast bar with a frown.

'It was an hour ago. Now breakfast is done' Lauren told them 'Connor's been up, had a run, had his breakfast and a shower and left for school 20 minutes ago which is where you three should be heading'

'I'm hungry' Hope said as Lauren gave Sophie and James their lunch bags.

'Take an apple you can eat it on the way to school' Lauren said.

'I don't want an apple, I want cereal and toast' Hope frowned at her mother as the twins picked up an apple with a smile. 'I'll fix it myself'

'No you won't. You are already cutting it fine to be at school on time' Lauren frowned at her

'I'll drive' Hope shrugged as she opened the cupboard and reached for the cereal.

'I'm taking the car today' Lauren reminded her

Hope sighed and slammed the cupboard door shut. 'What? Seriously?! You knew that I wanted the car today. I'm driving my friends to the West End after school'

'I told you three nights ago that I needed the car today when you asked me if you could borrow it. I told you that you and your friends would have to make alternate arrangements today'

'For fucks sake! Why are you always such a fucking selfish bitch' she turned on her mother with an angry glare.

Hope had inherited more than her fair share of the Branning Temper, more than Lauren and Joey had between them combined. Usually Lauren would let Hope's early morning bitchiness go but this morning she wasn't feeling too well and she had had enough.

'Do not talk to me like that Hope! I am your mother and you will treat me respect. You do not use that language in this house' Lauren snapped at her 'Keep pushing my buttons young lady and you won't have the car for a month' she frowned 'Now get to school! All of you'

Hope flicked her long dark brown hair over her shoulder 'Whatever' she dismissed Lauren casually 'Come on Sophie let's get out of this shithole' she draped her arm around her younger siblings shoulder as they walked towards the door. Lauren closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, she had a headache since she got up this morning and Hope had just made it twice as bad. She didn't see Hope swipe the car keys as she walked through the front door.

Lauren went upstairs and took some painkillers from the bathroom cabinet, she checked her hair and makeup in the mirror and then made her way downstairs. She picked up her bags and the dry cleaning and frowned when she couldn't find the car keys, after a quick search of the house, she opened the front door to find her car gone. She knew Hope had taken it.

Lauren was fuming. She called the Dean to let her know that she wouldn't be able to make today and rescheduled for Monday. She called for a taxi and paced the lounge floor as she waited for it to arrive. Joey's dry cleaning was left behind as Lauren instructed the taxi driver to go to the school. She asked the driver to park behind her car which she found in the car park and to wait for her and not move the taxi should any one ask him too.

Lauren walked through the corridors of the school and into the history class that she knew Hope would be in. The teacher stopped mid flow, the pupils in the class looked up to see why he had stopped and their eyes settled on a very pissed off Lauren.

'I'm sorry for interrupting I just need a quick word with Hope' Lauren said sweetly

'Of course' he nodded gesturing to the back for the room. Hope had sunk lower in her seat at the humiliation of her mother coming into school, into her class room.

'Thank you' Lauren turned to peruse the room, finding Hope she walked over to her and she held out her hand 'My car keys please' she said to her, 'Now' Hope sighed and rummaged in her bag until she found them, but instead of dropping them in her mother's open hand she dropped them on the floor. 'Pick them up' Lauren told her firmly

'Mum just go will you' Hope whispered at her

'I said Pick. Them. Up' Lauren told her again. Hope shifted in her seat, her face turning slightly pink and she picked up the keys and dropped them into Lauren's hand.

'Thank you' Lauren said 'Mobile phone please'

'Mum!' her daughter exclaimed.

'Now Hope!' Hope frowned but gave her mother her mobile phone

'You are grounded for 1 month with no pocket money, no mobile phone and most certainly no car privileges. You will come straight home after school and I will expect you to walk through the door at 3:30pm on the dot or so help me Hope I will come and find you and I will drag you back to the house and you will be grounded for four months' She told her daughter angrily 'Am I making myself clear?'

'Yes' Hope nodded her face now a bright shade of red.

'Good!' Lauren walked to the door of the classroom and she turned to look at her daughter who was squirming with humiliation in her chair '3:30pm Hope. I mean it!' she turned and marched out of the classroom.

On her way home she thought she saw Joey's car turning off a couple of streets before their house. They had made plans to have lunch together before they both had to rush off back to their jobs. He sighed and shook her head, there were plenty of cars that looked just like Joey's, maybe she was just eager to see him as he had left quite early this morning and got home very late last night She drove the short distance towards their house and parked the car in the drive.

Once she got inside she washed her hands and started to prepare lunch. Her mobile rang and she smiled when she it was Joey calling

'Hello you' she smiled

'Hi Babe, Listen I'm really sorry but I can't make lunch. Some things come up at the club, some paperwork has gone missing and I need it to try and claim back compensation from the company who fitted those near stools by the bar. I'm really sorry, I had hoped that I would have found it by now but I've turned the office upside down and it's nowhere to be found'

'It's okay. Do you want me to look here?'

'Would you? Babe that would be great' she heard some relief in his voice. 'I knew there was a reason that I loved you'

'Only one?' she asked him

'One of many' he replied 'Look I better go. I hope you haven't gone to too much trouble for lunch?'

'I had literally just started to throw a salad together' she told him

'Can we have tonight, eat after the kids have?' he asked her 'It'll just be the two of us. They've all got plans tonight'

'Yeah of course' Lauren said deciding against telling Joey about Hope. 'What time will you be home?'

'Around 8:00pm' he told her 'I love you'

'I love you too' she smiled and she hung up the phone.

She ate the tomato that she had chopped and then put everything back in the fridge. She had a couple of hours to kill before she needed to be at the gallery, so she started to look for Joey's papers, she found a recent receipt for a sapphire and diamond tennis bracelet and she smiled to herself at how romantic her husband was, her birthday was still a few months away but if she saw something that he knew she would like he would get it for her and hide it until the big reveal. After she couldn't find them she sent a quick text to Joey to tell him that she had been unsuccessful and then headed to the gallery.

Despite her busy afternoon she made sure that she was back in the house at 3:15pm to wait for Hope.

Lauren watched the clock as the minutes ticked passed.

3:25pm

3:26pm

3:27pm

3:28pm

3:29pm

3:30pm came and went. Lauren could feel her temper bubbling beneath the surface.

3:35pm

3:40pm

3:45pm

Lauren prayed to god that Hope would walk through that door before she decided to get up off the sofa to look for her because when she found her she wasn't sure she could be held accountable for her actions. She decided she would give her errant daughter another 5 minutes.

She looked at the clock 3:50pm

Lauren got up and grabbed her car keys and she opened the front door just as Hope walked into the drive. Hope said nothing as she edged passed her mother to get into the house. Lauren shut the door calmly and put her car keys in her pocket.

'What time do you call this?' she asked her daughter 'I told you to be here at 3:30pm exactly'

'I went for a coffee with some of my friends after last period' she replied 'I lost track of time' with a shrug

'Upstairs, in your room, do your homework, No TV, no music, no WIFI' Lauren told her 'and you can add another month onto your existing month that you are already grounded'

'Mum!' Hope exclaimed 'That is so not fair. All I did was take the car when it was my turn to take to fucking car!' she shouted at her mother 'Fuck! You are just the bitch from hell'

'Three months' Lauren said

'What the fuck?!'

'Do want four months Hope? Because I am more than happy to ground you for four months. I've told you to do something, now go and do it please' Lauren said

Hope glared at her mother 'I'm not a fucking child you know. Why do you always insist on treating me like one!'

'Because you are acting like one and that four months now Hope. Four months you will not leave this house unless it's to go to school. Four months that you will be without your mobile phone and without out WIFI. And since you appear to have difficulty finding your way home from school your father or I will drive you to school every day and pick you up every night for the next four months'

Hope opened her mouth to say something and thought better of it, she snatched her school bag off the kitchen table and stomped up the stairs. Lauren felt the house shake as Hope's bedroom door slammed shut.

Lauren's headache throbbed in her temples.

AN: Just want to say a big thank you for the reviews to the last three of my stories.

So this is my new story. I hope you like it!

R&R as always