Old Friends, Reunited.
This Story was prompted by fangirlinthefrock and the prompt wasFreddie accompanies a female friend to a gig and something goes wrong.
Again, this is another chapter with a warning. Although not graphic, this story does deal with rape, though it doesn't actually happen. Please don't read, if you feel you'll be triggered, though it doesn't take up a lot of the story and there no detail of any sort. I'm mainly focusing on the outcome and how it affects people.
Hope you all enjoy.
The train pulled into the station shortly after three, one sunny Saturday afternoon and as the large crowd filtered through the doors, Freddie Roscoe craned his neck, looking for two specific people. His searching was cut short when he was practically launched on by a petite brunette, stepping back to keep his footing.
"Freddie!" the girl cried, laughing as said man spun her round, before dropping her back to her feet, though she didn't relinquish her grip.
"Alright Steph, let him breathe," a male voice broke through to the pair and they reluctantly split apart to face the second newcomer. Although Freddie towered over him, he was still pretty tall compared to others and an easy grin was painted over his face as he dragged not only a bright pink suitcase, but a large guitar case with him.
"I'm sorry Scott, I'd say I'd carry the case for you," Steph said apologetically, moving to take the neon case from her fiancée.
"Don't worry about it babes, I know how you get when you're excited." Scott laughed, passing over the case.
"And you're still marrying her?" Freddie mocked, dodging a playful slap from the brunette. "You're a bigger man than most."
"Well she makes it up to me in more than one way," Scott smirked lazily, the young couple leaning in for a kiss.
"Keep the pda to a minimum guys, I kinda want to keep my lunch," Freddie groaned, smiling as his friends shot him a glare, before doing the opposite to what he wanted, both laughing once they separated.
Freddie couldn't keep a straight face around his two friends and soon also started laughing with the couple. He had missed both of them, more than he thought possible, and after only spending two minutes with them both, he already felt happier than he had in months, previous worries fading away until they were practically insignificant.
Steph was an old friend from high school, and the two had been inseparable after being paired for a science project back in year nine. Where one went, the other was usually close behind and everyone knew them as FreddieandSteph.
Freddie was man enough, to admit that when he learnt the whole family were moving up to Chester, both he and Steph had cried buckets at the prospect of hundreds of miles away from one another.
It had been difficult being so far away from his oldest friend, but regular skype dates had lessened the pain slightly and when Scott (Steph's long term boyfriend, recently turned fiancée) had revealed his band had a gig just a few miles away from Hollyoaks village, Freddie had jumped at the chance to go down and see it, after all, it was a fantastic chance to catch up with the couple.
This led to where they were now, and after a short half hour of catching up in the local Costa, Scott departed, having to meet his other bandmates to rehearse for that night.
"Now keep your hands to yourself Roscoe," he teased, arching a brow before he went to move away.
"She's all yours mate, believe me, I ain't that stupid to let her ensnare me."
Steph choked on her latte, snorting inelegantly as she tried to keep control of her laughter. "I prefer the term 'charm'. And I've done it before, why wouldn't I be able to now?"
"Well, we all do things we regret don't we?" Freddie said, laughing when Steph's jaw dropped, as he referenced their brief but volatile relationship during year eleven. She slapped him lightly across the chest and Scott couldn't contain his laughter at seeing the two best friend's bickering like they did when they were still in school.
"Just stay in one piece. Both of you."
"Yes mum," they drawled as one, snickering when Scott rolled his eyes.
"See you later babes," he said, pecking Steph on the cheek, knowing it was just easier to leave the pair as they were, instead of getting himself involved. He'd had too many headaches by trying to intervene in the past, and had long since learned his lesson.
Once Scott had ducked out of the shop, guitar in hand, both Freddie and Steph's laughter died down.
"You look happy," he commented, taking a leisurely sip from his drink.
"I am. I've never been so happy with someone and it just gets better every single day," Steph sighed, smiling as she played with the small ring on her finger. "The wedding can't come soon enough."
"You say that now, but you should of seen Lindsey the week before her and Joe's wedding. I swear she almost killed us all at least once."
"Good thing I don't get stressed then," Steph replied, her tone serious and it took all of Freddie's self-restraint to not start laughing then and there, memories of Steph when she joined the prom committee in year 11 flashing through his mind. The feisty girl had made at least three other members cry before she was kicked off the group, due to her constant stressing of every minute detail.
"How is Lindsey then?" She asked, her tone innocent, not that it stopped Freddie stiffening at the mention of the newest Roscoe.
"She's fine, why wouldn't she be?"
"You know what I mean Freds," Steph sighed, her question already answered by Freddie's not so tactile avoiding of the question. She had been the first person that Freddie had confided with. The first one to be told about his feelings for his brother's wife.
It pained her to see her best friend so upset by something he had no control over, and it had been that way for almost nine years now. Both friends knew the situation would never change, but Steph never stopped wishing that Freddie would move on, allow his heart to heal and begin falling for someone else. Someone else who would love him with all their heart.
As of yet that hadn't changed, but maybe, one day, Freddie would find someone who he could let his guard down around and finally be himself.
"She's still hopelessly in love with Joe if that's what you're asking," Freddie said sharply, trying his best not to snap. "I heard them talking about trying for another baby last week."
"Oh Freddie, I'm sorry," Steph soothed, taking the larger hand in her own and squeezing tightly, only wishing she could do more to help her heartbroken friend. Neither said anything for a moment, though the silence was broken when Freddie took back his hand, sniffing loudly as if to stop the tears.
"Enough of this depressive shit, you're only here till tomorrow and we're certainly not spending our precious time moping about. The gig starts in three hours, so how about we go back to mine and put a crappy movie on whilst you get ready?"
"Sounds like a brilliant plan," Steph smiled, knowing better than to push the matter. She grabbed her small case, wheeling it out of the small coffee shop and followed Freddie to his house, anticipation running through her veins for that evening.
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"Hello Steph, love," Sandy greeted with a huge smile when the two friends arrived at the large Roscoe household.
"Hi Sandy," Steph smiled, heart warming as she saw the woman who was practically her second mother, moving to hug her tightly. "This place is so cool!"
"Well I do try," Sandy laughed, moving back so could properly look over Steph, as she did everytime Steph came over, no matter if it was mere minutes after her last visit. "Are you two staying for tea? There's plenty to go round, so it's no hassle."
"Don't worry bout it mum, we're meeting up with Scott and his band before the gig starts, so we'll grab something then" Freddie said hastily, ignoring Steph's snort of laughter.
As practically an honorary Roscoe, Steph had more than once been subjected to Sandy's cooking, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for all of the boy's tastebuds, having grown up with it.
"Thank you for the offer though," she smiled, before being whisked up the stairs by Freddie, only stopping when they ended up in a spacy room, two twin beds lying side by side.
"Why are we in the twin's room?" she asked, looking around as if she expected one of the two lads to pop out of nowhere. When Freddie said nothing, she turned to look at him, almost laughing once more at the expression on his face. "You share a room. Who with?"
"Who do you think Einstein?"
"Ziggy? I'm surprised you get any sleep in here then, he was always with a girl whenever I saw him."
"Not a lot's changed unfortunately for my back. It's been slowly getting introduced to the sofa bed." Steph giggled at that, the image of her lanky friend trying to fit onto the tiny sofa too humorous for her. "It's not that funny."
"Kind of is though Freds. Your little brother kicking you out of your room every night, must get irritating."
Instead of bothering with a reply, Freddie rolled his eyes, before turning to the TV and switching it on. "The Incredibles okay for you?"
"Of course. It's like you don't even know me sometimes Freddie," Steph laughed, opening the hand luggage and plucking out her make-up bag.
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The music was thumping loudly, and the club that was holding the gig was already full of dancing, writhing bodies. "When you on mate?" Freddie shouted over the music as Steph and Scott separated for air.
"Bout ten minutes," he yelled back, dancing sensually with his fiancée, both completely out of time with the music. As one song ended, Scott regrettably moved away, giving Steph a parting kiss before making his way backstage with the rest of his band.
"You're sickening," Freddie drawled, as he moved to where Scott had been just moments before.
"Oh I know," Steph giggled, face lighting up as she thought about her partner once more. "He's just so perfect you know."
"I do. Only because you tell me every chance you get."
"Got to let the whole world know I got the best man!" Steph yelled, the effects of alcohol slowly setting in as she began to stumble over a few of her words.
"You do that Steph. I'm going to get us another drink kay? God knows I'll regret it tomorrow, but you're a funny drunk."
Steph waved to Freddie as he pushed his way through the crowd, quickly getting lost in the music once more. She loudly cheered as Scott made his way up onto the stage with his band, blowing her soon to be husband a kiss and beginning to dance once more.
She was surrounded by people, by complete strangers, but the young woman was in her element. She soon found herself in the arms of another guy, who at first she thought was Freddie, though his grip on her was too forceful and she was well aware it wasn't her friend as her chin was pushed harshly upwards, and the stranger tried to force his tongue down her throat.
"What the hell?" she yelled, pushing the brute away. "I'm engaged you dick."
"Shouldn't show yourself off like that then. You're just asking for it, you whore," the clearly drunk guy said sharply, stepping forward to make another move on Steph, though he was harshly pulled back.
"She said no," Freddie growled, doing his best to not punch the absolute scum who stood in front of him.
The older guy didn't say anything, though he was clearly put off by Freddie's threatening demeanour. Luckily for everyone around, the blonde man obviously decided it wasn't worth the fight, so shrugged off Freddie's grip and pushed his way through the crowd.
"You okay?" Freddie asked, incredibly concerned for his shaken friend.
"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," Steph replied, shooting him an unconvincing smile. "I'm going to go to the loo, be back in a bit."
Although it looked like he wanted to say something, Freddie mercifully kept his mouth shut and let Steph make her way to the toilets. She was grateful to him and knew why he was her best friend. Freddie seemed to be the only one who could tell when she actually wanted company and when she needed a minute for herself.
"Stop being so pathetic Steph," the brunette muttered to herself, splashing herself with cold, refreshing water, and hoping it would dispel the fear that had settled into the pit of her stomach. "He didn't do anything, he was just a drunken freak. You're fine, you're completely grand."
"A freak am I?" A cold voice broke through the Steph's mumbles, startling her completely. She spun around, eyes widening as she saw the guy from before, completely blocking the bathroom door and looking furious. "You need teaching a lesson about respect. But don't worry, I'm a good teacher."
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Freddie took another glance around the floor, desperately trying to find his friend with no luck. Scott's set was almost coming to an end and he knew that Steph had wanted at least one dance right by the stage before the night was over.
She had said it would make her feel like she was dating a proper rock star. But she wasn't by the stage and she didn't seem to be anywhere else. The only place she could be was the toilet (unless she had gone backstage to surprise Scott like she had done after his graduation, Freddie still had the mental scars of walking in on them shagging on the table).
Freddie decided the toilets was probably his best bet, though he stopped short when he saw the guy from before enter the room, a furious expression painted on his twisted face. Fear rose up and Freddie began pushing through the crowds with little regards to the people he passed by, only one destination in mind. He needed to reach Steph, now.
It felt like it took years, like he was swimming through custard, but eventually he reached the toilets, desperately hoping that it wouldn't be too late for his friend. When Freddie pushed the door open, he was met with the most horrific sight.
Steph was crowded in the corner, crying brokenly as the taller guy tangled his hand in her hair and roughly kissed her. His other hand was lying on her hip, though it was moving up, dragging the skirt of Steph's dress with him.
"Hey!" Freddie shouted, catching the pair's attention and the guy instinctively froze. With a guttural growl, Freddie moved forward, pulling the guy away from Steph and punching him with such force he fell to the ground, already unconscious.
"Are you okay?" he asked gently, making sure not to crowd Steph as she struggled to control her breathing. Surprisingly, Steph ran forward, tightly hugging Freddie as she brokenly sobbed into his shoulder. "He didn't-"
Freddie was unable to finish the question, the thought of that happening to his best friend was simply unthinkable and he didn't know he would be able to cope if that happened.
"No," Steph said, her voice catching slightly. "He just... er he just kissed me... and eh tou- wandering hands."
"Oh God, Steph, I'm so sorry." Freddie sighed, the hatred for the monster lying on the floor behind him, growing every second, for making his friend as upset as she was. Steph wasn't easily shaken and to see her like this... well it was unnerving.
"Hey, hey it's okay," Freddie soothed, trying to calm Steph's nerves as best as he could. "It's over, I'm here now, and I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."
Steph didn't say anything, choking on her tears as she desperately tried to keep control of herself. "Come on, we need to find the manager," Freddie said, throwing another glance at the still unconscious guy to see if he was close to coming round. Fortunately he wasn't.
"What?" Steph breathed, eyes widening in fear. "No, no I can't tell anyone, I just... I just can't."
"Steph we need to tell someone" Freddie said, trying to keep his tone calm. He wanted nothing more than to beat the guy in front of him to a pulp, but that wouldn't fix anything, just make matters worse. "That scum may try that on another girl, and they might not have someone to stop him. You were lucky, others might not be."
Steph took a deep breath, obviously trying to calm herself, before nodding, squeezing Freddie's hand tightly. "Okay, can we go now though? I don't think I'll be able to do it, if we wait any longer."
"Course we can," Freddie sighed in relief, guiding his friend out of the dank bathrooms. As the pair made their way to the bar, Scott's band finished their set, the whole crowd erupting into cheers and appreciative yells.
"Scott's going to kill me for missing his band," Steph groaned, though Freddie still heard her quiet utterance over the noise.
"Don't be daft," Freddie said, trying to keep a sense of normality to his tone as they reached the bar. "Can we talk to the manager please?" The barmaid nodded, leaving the bar and trotted up a set of stairs that presumably led to the manager's office.
"Hey babes, I didn't see you by the sta- hey what's wrong?" Scott asked, fear filling his tone as he saw the distressed state of Steph. Steph didn't say anything, instead launching herself at her fiancée and busting into tears once more.
"Guy tried it on with her in the bathrooms. It could have got quite nasty." Freddie supplied, unable to stop feeling nervous as Scott's eyes darkened, as he presumably filled in the blanks.
"Where is he? I'll kill the bastard." Before Freddie could try and calm the older man down, the bar maid came back, shooting a curious look towards Steph.
"He's fine to see you now, I'll take you guys up." The trio followed the young woman up to the office, all grateful as she didn't question them to why they needed to see her boss. She scuttled away when they had been allowed into the office, all sat on the old leather couch that took up one corner of the surprisingly large room.
"How can I help you guys?" The manager asked, his naturally warm eyes full of concern for a still crying Steph.
"My friend was, she was almost raped in one of your toilets," Freddie said, the word feeling wrong and dirty in his mouth. At the shocked look of the older man, he opened his mouth again, already telling him everything he could. Once he was finished, Steph had seemingly calmed, though tears were still trickling down her face, her previous intricate make-up smeared horrendously.
Scott looked absolutely furious and the only thing that was probably stopping him from marching down to where the guy was being held (the manager had sent down a bouncer to collect him and take him to one of the back rooms, as soon as the first words were out of Freddie's mouth), was Steph's iron grip on his hand.
The manager was looking faintly ill at what had almost happened in his club, unable to say anything for a moment, though he quickly composed himself. "There's nothing I can say to convey how sorry I am, about what happened to you tonight," he begun solemnly. "But I can promise you that I'll do everything I can do to help you and to prevent anything like this happening again."
"Too little too late," Scott muttered under his breath, not shrinking away under the dual gazes from Steph and the burly manager. "Steph could have been seriously injured, hell what she went through was too much as it was and-"
"Scott," Steph interrupted him, her tone steely.
"No he's right," Freddie said, mind still flashing back to the scene that had played out on front of him, everytime, new and worse alternatives flooding his head. "That shouldn't have happened to anyone, least of all you."
"But it did... It did happen to me. I can't pretend that it didn't and I won't have you two acting like complete neanderthals to bring justice or whatever you want to call it." At this, both men shied away from her hard tone.
"Like I said before, I'm so sorry about what happened to you, but I'll sure as hell, do whatever I can to help make the process of convicting that man as painless as possible for you. The police have already been called and the CCTV not only from the dancefloor, but in the toilets will more than back up your case. I promise you miss Durrington, I won't rest until he's put away."
"Thank you sir," Steph said sincerely. It was incomprehensible that a complete stranger would do so much for her, but she was eternally grateful to him. Before anymore could be said between the four, a knock on the office door broke through the silence and was quickly opened to reveal two sombre police officers.
"He's in one of the back rooms," the manager said, leading one of the officers to the would-be-attacker, whilst the other introduced herself to Steph, getting ready to take her first statement. As the young woman spoke, voice breaking over certain words as she re-lived the entire experience once more, Freddie's blood boiled.
It broke his heart to see his usually lively friend so broken by something that could have happened. He wished he could do something, anything to help her lessen her pain, but he knew that there was nothing. It seemed like Scott was having a similar dilemma and Freddie knew it must be a hundred times worse for him.
He loved Steph with all his heart, and to know that she was going through all that pain, well, Scott's heart must be breaking. Freddie couldn't imagine what he would do if it was Lindsey that had been attacked, and she wasn't even connected to him, not like that anyway.
Eventually the police woman took her leave, thanking Steph for her time and giving times for not only her to go down to the station the next day, but also for Freddie.
"Come on, you guys can stay at mine for the night," Freddie told the couple, standing to leave the club and wishing the night would just go and end already.
"And sleep where?" Steph asked, arching a brow. "Your place is already bursting at the seams."
"We're fine Freddie," Scott cut in before Steph could become too snappy with her remarks. "We booked a hotel room to stay in anyway, so it's not like we'll be sleeping on the streets."
"I known but I'd rather if you were with me for the night."
"Freddie we'll be fine," Steph said, and it was clear to both men that it was taking all of her self restraint to not snap there and then. "I just want to get out of here, have a shower and go to bed. I really don't need the extra hassle and I love Sandy, I really do, but she'll only fret and crowd me. I don't think I can cope with that, not tonight."
Freddie nodded, taking note of her words and knowing she was right. All he wanted to do right now was take Steph, and keep her some where safe, where no-one could ever hurt her again, but that wasn't possible.
So he had to settle for second best, which was letting her do as she wanted, and although he didn't like it, Freddie knew that Steph had do what she thought best for her.
"Okay," he nodded, aching for the triumphant gleam that would have been in his best friend's eye, if she had gotten one over him in any other situation, but was glaringly missing now. "But you call me if you need to, I don't care what time it is okay, just pick up that phone, and I'll be there in an instant. That goes for you too Scott kay?"
The couple nodded, all three making their way into the main body of the club so they could reach their taxis and therefore their beds.
"Thanks for tonight man," Scott said softly as Steph fiddled mindlessly with her clutch, looking up and down the street to spot her taxi. "If something happened to Steph, if that creep had managed to do something to her, then I don't know what I would have ever been able to do."
"I only did what anyone would have done," Freddie said just as softly, looking up to make sure Steph hadn't overheard their hushed conversation. "She's my best mate Scott, I love her and would honestly do anything I could to help her."
"I know... Just thank you," Scott said quickly as his and Steph's taxi drove down the road, stopping just where they were. "We'll see you tomorrow yeah?"
"Course," Freddie said, waving half-heartedly as the vehicle drove off. He wished nothing more than to be in the taxi with the others, to be there for Steph, to comfort her as best he could, though he understood completely why it was impossible.
Steph and Scott needed some time together, to wrap their heads around what had happened just a few hours previously. The couple needed some precious alone time, to try and begin the healing process and soothe one other. It sucked, but Freddie could more than understand the feeling.
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The next morning was a long one from start to finish. Freddie had to go down to the police station at nine to give his statement in for the previous night. Just stepping into the building covered him in a cold sweat, as he remembered past crimes that would have him locked away for years, if he was ever discovered.
But he wasn't here for any of those reasons, he was here to try and give a helping hand, in sending that scum down. It didn't take long before he was seated in an interview room, two kindly police officers sat across from him (though he doubted they would look so warm hearted and understanding if they knew exactly what he had gotten up to previously).
They asked him questions and he answered as clearly as possibly, trying to remember every detail that he could, to try and make the process easier for Steph when her time came in not court, though if the thug from earlier pleaded guilty, it may not come to that. At least, that was what the officers had told him.
"Thank you Mr Roscoe, that should be all for now, though we may need to call you back in at a later date. If you do remember anything else, no matter how insignificant, please inform us straight away. Although we do have Mr McDaid in custody and are all aware of what happened between him and Miss Durrington last night, every bit of evidence that we can scrape together now, instead of later will make all the difference when prosecuting."
"Of course," Freddie nodded, taking his leave when motioned to do so and coming face to face with both Steph and Scott, the former looking incredibly pale.
"You just finished?" She asked and Freddie nodded, heart breaking at the state of both of his friends. Steph's normally bright, brown eyes were now dull, red raw as if she had been crying all night. She probably had.
Scott's light hair was sticking up, and Freddie had the mental image of him relentlessly running his hand through it as he watched Steph, unable to do anything to lessen the pain of his fiancée.
"We have too, though we're waiting round. If there's enough evidence and depending what the scum says, the officers say we can head back down to London later today, and then head up here if we need to go to court."
"Am I okay to stay?" Freddie asked. He didn't want to leave the pair, but was willing to do so if they needed more time together.
"Don't be a pillock Freds," Steph sighed, taking her friend's hand in her own and dragging him to a chair. "We want you to stay." The three sat huddled together, waiting for a word on what would happen next.
After five minutes of nothing but silence, Freddie felt like he was going to snap. "I'm sorry," he told the couple, who shared a confused look with one another. "This is all my fault."
"Don't say that Freddie, it's not."
"But if I hadn't been so pushy to get you up here, then Scott wouldn't have done the gig and that brute wouldn't have had chance to touch you."
"Well then it's surely my fault," Scott countered. "You know me and the band have been trying to broaden out recently, we probably would have done last night whether you were here or not."
"Both of you, shut up," Steph groaned, too exhausted to deal with the others blaming themselves. "This isn't anyone's fault except for him. We're going to do what we can to send him down and stop him doing what he did to me, to other girls."
Before anymore could be said on the matter, one of the police officers that had been present for Freddie's statement, made his way over to the three friends, gesturing for Steph come with him so he could give her more information.
"Whatever you say, you can say in front of these two," she told him, refusing to soften the iron grip she had on Scott's hand.
The officer stilled for a moment, obviously trying to weigh the decision up in his head, though he seemed to decide that arguing about it, would just be a waste of time for everyone involved.
"Mr McDaid has admitted to the charges and will be pleading guilty in court. This makes it a lot easier on you, as you will only be called up to court when a date has been decided on, though it should be held in the next few weeks. If you do wish to go back to London until then, we can collect any other details from you, at your local police station, to make this as easy as possible for you."
"So, we're okay to go home?" Steph asked, yearning for her bed and messy flat. A hotel was all good and well, but after the night she'd had, it had been practically impossible for her to relax and she'd spent the hours sobbing into Scott's arms, wishing the fear and pain would just leave her.
"I would say so, there doesn't seem to be any other details we need to get from you anyway."
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"You sure you'll be okay? Freddie asked Steph, hugging her tightly as the train pulled into the station. "After last night."
"I don't know whether I'll ever be okay again," She admitted truthfully, pulling away from the hug and latching herself onto Scott. "But I think I'll cope at least."
"Ring me if anything happens okay?" Freddie told the couple, giving them a small smile as Scott moved away to the carriage, giving the two friends a moment alone. "I'd hate to be away from you if you need me."
"This isn't your fault you know," Steph told Freddie, watching her fiancée wheel the case onto their carriage. "I know you Freddie, even though you've told me you know it isn't, I can see all over your face that you're blaming yourself for this."
"I just can't stop thinking what if."
"But you're going to have to. Freddie, you saved me. If you hadn't been there, I don't know what would have happened to me or what I would have done. I can't thank you enough, I really can't, but thank you Freddie."
"Hey, I promised I'd always protect you."
"Ever since that time I got into a fight with Jamie Walters right?" Steph said, laughing weakly.
"Exactly, and I don't break my promises ever."
"Well then you better stick to the one about coming down and visiting me. I miss you Freds."
"I miss you too," Freddie said softly, his voice watery as he gave Steph a final hug, before she jumped onto the train, waving furiously as it pulled out of the station not even a minute later.
He couldn't see Steph becoming her old bubbly self for a long time to come, but with Scott there, she'd hopefully recover from her ordeal sooner rather than later.
And if that didn't do it. Well then she still had skype dates with him every week. They'd sure as hell put a smile on her face.
I hope you all enjoyed this story, including the prompter :) Keep the prompts coming in guys, I'm on half term now, so I have more time to write (which I'm fully intending on using!)
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