Of all the people that Sophie expected to run into on her way into the Rover's she wasn't expecting to be stopped by Michelle Connor. Yet, as she and Christy started heading into the pub they were pushed back out onto the street.
"Oi! What is it Michelle?" Sophie asked as she shook the older woman off her.
Christy stood awkwardly beside them. Michelle leaned over to her.
"Hey dearie, Ryan is in there with his mates at the bar" motioning towards the bustling Rover's. "You go on, I've got to talk to Sophie here" she squared her eyes right on the brunette.
Christy shrugged and went in muttering that she'd see Sophie inside.
Abandoned, Sophie straightened herself up as much as she could. Michelle Connor had a formidable temper, but so did Sophie. The Webster-part of her genes never shirked from a fight. Whatever the woman wanted, Sophie was sure it was wrapped up in Sian's mardiness about whatever her deal was.
"What is it Michelle? Has Sian told you something that she hasn't told me? Or are you just sticking your nose in where it don't belong?" Sophie said in her own high pitch snarl.
"Hey now, ease off Webster!" Michelle sighed and Sophie backed down. "I don't know what's going on between you two, but all night my most popular barmaid has had a face on her...well if it's your intention to go in there all guns blazing then I'm going to politely ask you to do one" Michelle finished up.
Her arms were crossed and Sophie could tell that she meant every word. She didn't ever like hearing that her girl was upset enough that she couldn't push past it at least professionally. Sophie had noticed that Sian had gotten good at hiding what she felt that she needed to do so. If she wasn't able to tonight, then things must be worse than she had thought.
Eyes focused on her feet, her chest clenched at the thought of it. The strength she had mustered just a few moments ago drained out of her. She visibly shrunk as she transformed into the little girl that cried in alleyways over a girl who wouldn't answer her phone. Looking back up at Michele, her defensive stance had dissipated.
"What should I do?" she asked the older woman.
"Talk to her. Listen for god's sake. And find out why she still harbors such anger against my son otherwise…" Michelle pleaded.
"Well how?!" Sophie asked.
"She's no good to me in a mood like this" Michelle explained.
She led Sophie down the side alley to the back door.
"You guys can use the back room" she said pointing down the hallway.
"But what about the bar? What if she won't come?" Sophie asked as Michelle shoved her into the backroom of the Rovers. Sophie could faintly hear the crowd thru the walls.
"Steve and Liz are here. Between the three of us we can hold it down" Michelle explained.
She saw the worried look on the young lass's face. It had to be love, because not much else caused such grief to a girl's face. She leaned over placing a hand on Sophie's shoulder.
"It's going to be all right, have faith Sophie" she tried to reassure her.
Sophie nodded as Michele left her alone to sit and stir.
She had tried her best to stay away from him. Even offering to change the kegs even though that was usually Steve's department. Sian had seen Ryan come in with his mates about half an hour ago. As he headed her way she had shot him a look that could scorch the earth. At the sight of her he clearly changed his course and headed right over to Steve at the other end of the bar. He had kept his distance ever since.
About 5 minutes ago she had seen an unfamiliar blonde head into the Rover's and latch herself onto him. Tan, skinny, and blonde, Sian knew at once that she must be his fiance. Sophie had not described her to Sian but she knew the type from being in America. Despite her seeming deluded and harmless, Sian already hated her. Well, maybe hate was a strong word, but she wanted to know where Sophie could be. Now.
Still she couldn't make herself talk to the blonde without having to be in Ryan's vicinity. Or without shooting daggers from her eyes. Sian wouldn't blame Sophie if she had just decided to go home instead. She hadn't texted her all day, refusing to relent in some immature war of will power between them. Preoccupied with her thoughts, she hadn't noticed that Michele had left and returned. Now back beside her behind the bar her boss pointed to the back room.
"Hey, why don't you take a break?" Michele asked as she expertly pulled a pint for a punter.
"But it's really busy…" Sian hesitated.
"Between me, Steve, and Liz, I think we can hold down the fort. Go on. Even make yourself a brew back there" she insisted. "Don't worry. We'll holler if we need you" she said over her shoulder as Sian headed to the back.
Rubbing her sore shoulders, she gave a small gasp as she pushed open the back room door. She hadn't expected to see her girlfriend sitting there waiting for her.
"Sophie! What you doing here?" she said exasperated.
"Can we talk please?" Sophie said softly. Sian looked at Sophie sitting alone shrunken on the old tattered couch. Her girlfriend looked like she would fold in on herself if she could. All the stubborn surliness of this morning, had been replaced with a look of utter repentance.
"Why you back here? What's happened?" Sian asked genuinely concerned. Something was always happening to the Websters, perhaps something had gone down that Sophie hadn't wanted to text her.
"Is something wrong with your mum? Or Kevin? Or Jack?" Sian asked. Working herself into a state as she sat down beside the brunette.
"No, No, No. Nothing has happened. They are all fine" she said reassuringly.
Sian breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she looked into Sophie's soft eyes. Something was still bothering her girlfriend. If it wasn't her family then what was it? she asked herself.
Sophie raised her hand and softly brushed a strand of hair out of Sian's face. Sian's breath hitched in her throat as Sophie softly kissed her cheek. She lingered there a moment then moved her mouth up to the blonde's ears. Sian could feel her hot breath against her sensitive ears. She could barely move as she seemed to focus solely on the sounds of Sophie's sweet dulcet tones.
"I'm sorry for making you upset. I was only thinking of my own and I shouldn't have made you worry" she said softly.
"I know. You just wanted to go out and have fun. It's all right" she said softly.
Pausing hesitantly, she geared herself up for what she had been thinking all night. She had to make herself clear and be honest. It was what they had promised each other after all.
"But it was more the company that you were with...I just can't stand you two as mates…" Sian said finally voicing her true feelings.
"Sian, he's my friend. Because of him, I have you. We both owe all this to him. Don't you see that?" Sophie said not understanding her girlfriend's reasons for keeping up this old animosity.
"Haven't you wondered how he knew my address in California?" Sian asked her in a prosecutorial tone.
Sophie nodded that she hadn't.
"He emailed me after I'd moved to America. Apologized saying that the drugs had been the reason for everything and that I was right to throw him out in Newcastle. We started sending messages back and forth again. He even sent me a holidays card. That's where he got my address from" she explained.
"But Sophie, he didn't say anything about your accident to me. I didn't know about it until you told me that night" she paused as her mind went back there. Even though she had seen Sophie's scars since then she still shuddered at the thought of it.
"However he did tell me that you had moved on. Insisted that you were with some older woman and didn't even seem to care anymore about what had happened" Sian went with a hint of anger creeping back into her voice. "He started begging me again to take him back. Saying that he would come to America. That we were meant to be together. Of course I turned him down and he stopped messaging me. Guess he found a new girl to try it on with…" Sian finished up looking at her hands.
Sophie tried to wrap herself around all the information that she'd just heard. Now a lot of pieces started to come together. No wonder he'd been so keen on her dating Jenna, even though it had been a mistake at the time. He had encouraged it so intently. And then he'd turned straight to poor Katey Armstrong so quickly...well it was all so long ago now. She sighed trying to gauge her girlfriend's true feelings.
"Sophie don't you see what he cost us? Time and Pain. If I'd known then I might not have wasted so much energy on anger. I didn't know that you still loved me. That we could still have this. I thought we were...I was so lost…I didn't know that I nearly lost you" Sian breathed heavily. It was as if her seeming buried resentment was stirred up all over again.
Sophie shook herself out of her own head. Her faith in their relationship gave her the strength to listen and carefully respond. She knew what they meant to each other now. The past could stay where it was. She took both of her girlfriend's cheeks in her hands.
"If you can forgive me, then you can forgive Ryan. I don't blame him for doing anything he could to win you back. I'd do the same so I understand it all" Sophie said earnestly. She leaned in as she had a million times. It took a moment for their lips to move together in sync, but once they started there was nothing else but them.
Sian was the first to break it off. Breathless she lowered her eyes.
"I don't know if I can do it Soph. I'm not like you" she said lowly.
Sophie reached with her index finger and her thumb raising up Sian's chin so that she faced her.
"Let's start small eh? How about we go out there?" Sophie pointed to the door that led out to the bar. "And then we'll go talk to Christy and Ryan and we'll leave the past where it belongs eh?" Sophie said hopefully.
"Our past we can't change…" Sian said as she stood up holding Sophie's hand as she pulled the other girl up.
"But the future isn't fixed. We can make it whatever we want" Sophie said hopefully.
They both went to the door together-hand in hand. However, before they got thru, Sian stopped abruptly. She turned toward her love.
"Everything's going to be all right? Isn't it?" Sian softly asked.
"Everything is going to be fine" Sophie confidently replied squeezing her hand.
It was a Saturday morning when the residents of Coronation Street witnessed an event that they never thought possible. Strangely, it was not the marriage of Ryan Connor, which despite a whole host of calamities, starting with a faulty campervan, managed to go off brilliantly. There were tears shed from more than one mother's eyes and a great many sighs of relief. The bride and groom were expectant with hope, as every married couple should be.
No, it was the last minute attendance of two ladies that were the talk of the reception. And despite some of the older residents speculation that their lateness meant that the young girls were clearly still not over there own failed ceremony in the same hall, the girls overcame the stares.
It was common opinion that the lesbian couple were the best dressed there.
As Bruno Mars came over the loudspeaker, the pair were inseparable and in a world of their own. But then again the two had always been that way.
"Do you think that we'll get married here again? For real?" Sophie asked her girlfriend as she kept her hands glued to her hips.
The blonde smiled as she looked around the reception hall.
"Well it's nice and all, but I think that we can do better" she said cheekily.
"Maybe Westminster Abbey will be available" Sophie laughed.
"Maybe…" Sian laughed as she snuggled their noses together as the song ended.
"We'll just have to see won't we Sophie Webster" she shrugged as the dance floor was cleared.
A/N: Not quite the end. Just one more chapter to go...