Guilty Grieving

This chapter has been prompted by buttercrisp and an anonymous prompter on tumblr with the joint request of Joe did actually die in the council flats when they were demolished. This is his funeral, will Freddie be able to hold in his guilt?

January 25th 2014

During the early hours of Saturday morning, Dee Valley police received an anonymous tip-off which led them to discovering a body in the Dee river just outside of Hollyoaks village. The body has been identified and is a male in his late twenties, his family have been notified and are currently in contact with a family liaison officer at this time. It is currently unknown how the victim died but an investigation is ongoing, the circumstances are believed to be suspicious.

January 28th 2014

Police have named the male found in the Dee river last Wednesday, as local Chester man Joe Roscoe. A mechanic from Hollyoaks Village, he was discovered in Dee river after the police received an anonymous tip-off. His body had been wrapped in a blue tarpaulin sheet and was badly injured. Coroners have reported that there were two gunshots in the victim's right thigh and a further 54 bone breakages throughout his body. It still hasn't been confirmed how Mr Roscoe died as there are a number of possible causes. An investigation is ongoing.

Memorial Service

Joseph Roscoe

17th March 1984 - 18th January 2014

Beloved fiancé of Lindsey

Son of Sandy

Brother of Frederick, David, Robert and Jason

Forever in our hearts

Please join us at 11am, Thursday 8th February

Hollyoaks Chapel

Banner Road

Hollyoaks Village

"We are gathered here to say farewell to Joseph Roscoe and to commit him into the hands of God," the priest began, his voice ringing through the packed chapel. Despite only living in the village for a little under a year, Joe had touched a lot of people's lives, leading to every possible seat being taken in the whole building. But Freddie found that he couldn't listen to the priest's words, couldn't comfort a sobbing Sandy as Joe would have done, and as he should be doing, because this was all his fault and it was all he could focus on, too wrapped up in his own guilt to be able to think about anything else.

They were at this chapel because of him. His whole family had been torn apart because of him. Joe Roscoe, his older brother and closest friend once upon a time, was dead because of him, because he hadn't been quick enough to save him from the collapsing building, because his stupidity had gotten the older man caught up in all of his dodgy dealings. Freddie was just as good as a murderer, he may as well have demolished the building himself.

The now eldest Roscoe brother had barely slept a wink in the week between Joe's untimely demise and the discovery of his body in the river. He was completely wrecked with guilt, he hadn't felt anything like this before, it was practically crippling. Eventually he could take no more, something had to be done, his family deserved to know what really happened to Joe.

Sandy had been the one to ultimately convince him to do something. She had been sick with worry when Joe hadn't returned home for five days and although Fraser was more than happy to keep up the cool and calm façade, Freddie didn't have the same self control. He had found himself camping out at Sinead's for days, having to witness Sandy's worry was practically killing him and he was ready to crack at any second.

Eventually he could take no more, and it was what found him at the other side of town at the dead of night, in a tiny payphone, telling the police everything he could about the 'weird object' in the Dee river until they promised to check it out.

If Freddie thought Sandy's constant re-checking of her phone and worried looks out of the front window every other minute was enough to cause him to break out in a nervous sweat, then the way that she collapsed to the floor as the police told her about Joe's body being found in the river, the way she hadn't stopped crying once since she'd heard about the fate of her eldest son almost broke him completely.

His whole family had been devastated, in just seconds they'd been blown apart and Freddie had no idea how he hadn't cracked already. He just wanted to tell someone the truth, the secret was tearing him apart but somehow, just somehow he was managing it, but with every lie, every passing second he hated himself more and more.

After all what sort of monster could do what he was doing? His brother was dead and no-one knew how it really happened bar him, Fraser and Grace.

Good God forgive him, he was going to burn.

Hope you all enjoyed!

And you're all going to hate me again, so I apologise. There will be no updates till the 30th of August at the latest as I'm away on holiday and will have no laptop or internet.

Next Chapter - Ziggy Roscoe has always been one for dramatics, and when he's ill it's no different. His gruelling demands rub everyone up the wrong way, though the Roscoe's are always good at revenge – prompted by Bella