Sorry this took so long! Hope you's enjoy, I'm very grateful to everyone that's R&R. There will be one, maybe two more chapters then that'll be this fic done:( X

Chapter 9

Brendan's pov

"I want to keep my hands clean and I'm guessing you want to keep yours the same." Trevor says, looking at me across the table. Spreading his palms out on the table as if to prove a point.

"And how do we do that?" I smirk at him, if it was easy someone would have done it by now.

"This is how." He says and holds up a small, black, leather book. "It's got all his dealings, every dodgy thing that he's done in the past year is in this."

I extend my arm out, "Let me see then."

He flings it towards me, "There's deliveries, shipments, robberies. The lot."

I flick through the first few pages none of it making sense, Trevor must see it on my face, "You might not understand it but they will. Only thing that hasn't been put in that book is his murders. The guns he's used are written down in there though."

"So it'll come back to him?" I ask, he nods. "I'll take it down."

"No." He growls, "This could fall into the wrong hands and I think you know what I mean by that."

I know exactly what he means, There's plenty of bent coppers and Fraser would pay gladly to keep himself out of this. "Give it to Sam, she'll make sure he pays for what he's done."

"Sam's suspended. We'll give it too Sonny." He tells me, "But Grace can't find out anything about this."

"We can pretend it never happened." I agree.

"You can make sure Sonny gets it."

"Fine." I grunt, "One thing though."

"What?" He sighs as if he's been waiting for the catch.

"I want half of this place. I don't care if Grace throws a bitch fit. This place is mine."

"Deal." He says without a seconds thought.

"Deal?" I frown, surely I've misheard him, I thought there was going to be a lot more haggling with it.

"Yeah, not as if I want to spend everyday in here is it?"

"Suppose." I say while lifting the notebook and putting it in the inside pocket of my jacket, "Better get this to Sonny then."

"Let me know how it goes Brady." I hear him say as I rush down the stairs, just want to get this over and done with, then Fraser will be gone.

Normally I would go against going through the law to take someone down, can remember the beatings that got dished out in prison when someone 'grassed'. This is different though, I can't risk killing Fraser because I've got Steven. Trevor can't do it because he's got Grace, he'll be reminded everyday of what he's done. At least this way Frasers still alive. There's a slim risk that this will come back to haunt us but there's not much of a chance that would happen.

I go to the McQueens thinking that Sonny would be there but instead I'm greeted by Mercedes sour face,

"He ain't here." She says, quickly about to shut the door in my face.

"Is he at the station or what?"

"I dunno. Go look for yourself love." And with that the doors shut in my face. I open my mouth as though to say something but close it immediately.

My phone starts ringing,

Steven calling...

I've got to admit, I do think about ignoring it but I get that idea out my head and answer it.

"Hello?" I say, the word coming out in a rasp.

"Hey." He says, "Where were you this morning? I got up at seven for work and ya were already gone." He's speaking softly, as if scared to offend me, incase I take it the wrong way.

I let out a sigh, "Went a jog, I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep."

"Oh right." He mutters, "Are ya in the flat the now?"

"No Steven. I'm actually in the middle of something the now, can this wait?"

"Okay then." He says quietly and I think he's already hung up until he breaks his short silence, "Brendan?"

And I know straight away that he needs reassurance, needs to know this is still what I want, "I love ye Steven. Okay? I gotta go."

"I love you too." And with that the phone goes dead and I let out a sigh of somewhat relief.

I need to get my head together and get to the station as soon as possible.

Ste's pov

I'm standing outside the restaurant just looking around the village when I see Grace. Marching into the village, with a bit of a limp, looking as if she's about to come straight for me but changes her mind halfway across, sneers "You've got a delivery due at half two today."

"I ain't doing it anymore." I snap, there's no way I'm dealing with anymore of that crap.

"We'll see." She smirks before stropping away.

I feel like I should probably be really grateful but dread fills me as I know she will eventually call in a favour or want revenge for what happened. Dealing with her deliveries is the littlest of my worries. Plus there's also Fraser and Trevor and I don't fancy my chances against either of them.

Tony comes into the restaurant, I'm surprised to see him but he looks better, he's got a bit of his colour back on his face.

"Alright Tony?"

"Yeah it's just I wanted to thank you for running this place the past few days." He gives me a smile, "and as a thank you I decided you can have the rest of today and tomorrow off."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Course, I had a bug Ste, I'm fine now." He laughs, shaking his head and patting me on the shoulder.

"If ya need me to come in, phone me." I tell him,

"Just go and relax Ste honestly." He says nearly pushing me out of the kitchen.

I don't waste any time on getting out of there but I do ask him, "Are ya sure you're feeling up to it?"

He gives me one of they 'if looks could kill' looks, "Go." He says, leaving no room for discussion.

So I leave and literally bang into Fraser, roll my eyes. Brilliant.

"If it isn't my favourite scally." He sneers, while grabbing tightly onto my shoulder.

I try to pull away from him but instead he drags me around into the alleyway, pushing me against the wall, boxing me in.

"I didn't expect to see you around here so soon." He says to me and I let out a tut at him.

"The thing is, now I've got the police sniffing around me and if you don't want yourself or that boyfriend of yours brought into it then I'm going to need something to keep my mouth shut" fear fills me when the thought of Brendan getting taken away hits me, "Your going to get me twenty thousand or else."

"I don't have that sort of money." I whisper weakly.

"Well you've got until eight o'clock to get it." He says with a wink and a smug smile before he makes his exit.

So I've got six and a bit hours to get the money, I'm so fucked.

Frasers pov

Ste hasn't gotten my money and I don't have the time to try and get it out of him so I transfer all the money from the clubs account into my own account and I pack a small bag into my Mercedes before I speed away, I go down the back country roads, knowing it might take me a bit longer but that way I'll definitely manage to get away because the police won't think of this. Marlow told me so anyway, plus they'll be too busy thinking he is me.

I don't think about how Grace or Sandy could feel, know that it could break my resolve. There's a speedboat waiting for me at the docks so I head there, I'll set the car alight and I'll be gone before the cops even know what hit them.

I would have done that if they weren't already waiting for me when I got to the port. It was a set up.

"Fraser black." Sonny says as he takes a few slow steps towards me, like you would a startled animal. He edges further before he brings his gun out, the tough exterior comes onto his face, "Put your hands where I can see them."

There's no use fighting this now, I'm trapped, and I need one hell of a good lawyer. Two policemen grab me and the handcuffs are put on, I think Sonny looks a little guilty but I doubt it.

"You are under arrest, you do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court." I blank out before he even finishes what he's saying, I already know what's coming and before I know it I'm sitting in the back seat and the door is slammed hard.

I take a look out towards the sea, to where I was supposed to be heading and realise there's no boat there waiting on me.

Brendan's pov

"It's over." Trevor says as soon as I answer the phone.

"He's gone?" I ask, not sure I've heard him properly.

"Yep." I can almost hear the relief in his voice. "Come to the club after you've spoke to Ste, remember we don't have anything to do with this."

"And what if they need a witness in court?" I grunt, only thinking of it now.

"That won't happen." He tells me, sounding sure of himself.

"Well I better go then." I say before hanging up and making my way to the flat, I hope Stevens home but as I check the rooms I realise he's obviously not in.

I jump in for a shower before I rummage through the kitchen looking for something that I can make us for dinner. I feel the need to give Steven a special night.

I set the table up before I start on making the dinner, Spaghetti Bolognese. It's one of the only things that I can cook considering its fool proof.

I light a candle and put it on the table trying to ignore the word romantic that comes to mind.

When Steven comes in he's like a whirlwind, taking off his coat and kicking his shoes off before he realises I'm in. He takes me in, standing by the stove with an apron on. The candlelit table and I see a small smile cover his face.

"What's this then?" He asks looking around,

"Thought I'd make ye dinner." I shrug as if its no big deal. He knows I'm trying to play it casual as he stands on his toes and plants a soft kiss on my lips.

"I'm gonna go get a shower before dinner." He says while walking towards the hall.

I get the plates and cutlery sorted before I turn the hob off and divide it between the two plates. There's still enough left for seconds, I'll probably have another but I doubt Steven will.

He comes back into the living room, hair still slightly damp, wearing a loose T-shirt and a pair of his old tattered jogging bottoms.

He gives me a soft smile before sitting at the table and taking a whiff of his dinner. "Smells good." He compliments and I give him a wink before we both dig in.

"Bren?" He says after five minutes of silence.

I make a grunt of acknowledgement around my mouth full of food.

"I weren't gonna tell ya but I think I should." He says, "Fraser threatened me, said he needs money. A lot of money but I can't get ahold of it. He said he was gonna tell the police about us dealing for him."

I sit in silence, not knowing what to say, "I wouldn't worry about him Steven."

"How can ya be so calm about this?!" He exclaims, "Fraser isn't the type to be messed with Bren."

"He's gone. Got arrested earlier today." I admit.

"But.." He says trailing off, "Wait, how do you know that?"

"Just.. Trust me yeah? He's not gonna bother again."

"I'm not even gonna ask." He murmurs,

I wish I could tell him but I don't know how he would feel about me teaming up with Trevor, even if it was to get rid of Fraser. "He won't be bothering us again Steven."

"Bren, I know your behind this. I don't know why or how but I ain't that stupid." He's looking at me in the face, nervously biting at his lip.

I hold his face in my hands and state him straight in the eye, "Hey. I don't think ye are stupid. Your just best getting kept out of it."

He pulls away shaking his head at me as if giving up on me, "Stop wrapping me in cotton wool, how would you feel if I was keeping something like this from you?"

I don't want to think about how I would feel if it was the other way around so instead of answering him I look back at my plate. He lets out a frustrated sigh before leaving the table and starting the dishes, all of a sudden I've went off my dinner.

I watch him as he washes the dishes, he doesn't once look back at me and I can see his shoulders are hunched as if he's tense.

"I had to keep ye safe." I tell him, he turns round and leans against the sink.

"Your always trying to keep people safe, look how that turned out for you last time." He grunts,

I know he still holds a slight grudge for me going down for Cheryl but I thought we had got by this already.

"Are we talking about this again? Really?" I can't help but snap at him.

He seems to sag before his face bursts with anger, "Yeah we are I guess. You never stop and think about how the things you do affect the people you care about!"

"I killed Danny for you, I killed walker for you! And I got Fraser put behind bars for you!" I shout, my own frustration getting the better of me.

He looks as if he's about to burst out in tears or flames, I'm not sure which, "Did I ask ya to do any of that? No I didn't. It ain't my fault you can't just be normal.." He snaps his mouth shut, "Shit.. Bren I didn't mean..."

But it's too late now, he's said exactly what he thinks, that I'm a freak.

"Know what? Save it Steven! No matter what I do it's never going to be enough for ye is it?" I say, I'm not just talking about Fraser or Danny or Walker now, I'm talking about everything. I know if I was in a better state of mind I would be looking at this differently but I'm at the end of my tether.

I reach for my leather jacket and head for the door.

"Can you blame me?! We're never ever going to be equals, your always going to keep things from me. Like exactly what's happening now, you run away, anythings better than facing the truth yeah?" I know he's angry and he probably doesn't mean it but I need to get away, have some thinking space to clear my mind. I shrug the jacket on and just when I reach for the handle I hear his voice, a lot quieter but still with anger evident.

"If ya walk out that door, then don't come back through it." I don't know if he means it but if I stay we'll only go around in circles. So I leave, not just for myself but to give us both the space we need.

Ste's pov

The slam of the front door makes me jump, I didn't expect him to leave. He always has been unpredictable so you would think that I would've learned that by now. I don't know what else to do so I cry, let out tears that I feel like have been on the verge of spilling for weeks.

I knew things with me and Brendan were ever going to be plane sailing but I thought that now after everything we would at least be on the same page.

I look at the table, guilt filling me of what should've been a nice meal that Brendan had planned. I didn't mean what I said but I had at least thought if I had given him the empty threat then he wouldn't have left.

I hate not knowing where I stand with Brendan never mind not knowing if he'll even come back home. So I phone Sinead to come over and keep me company so that I'm not myself. Not even ten minutes after I'm off the phone to her she's at my door, hair up in a bun with a fresh face and pyjamas on.

"Are you alright babe? What's happened?" She asks, I tell her part of the story, leaving out the part about Fraser being arrested. "Awk don't worry about him, he'll come back once he's calmed down."

That's when a new wave of tears come over me, Sinead rocks me in her arms while I sob, the last thing I remember is her promising me it'll be okay and that's when I fall asleep, all the drama of the day catching up with me.

I wake up surrounded in darkness, a blanket wrapped around me that I think Sinead put there. I don't know what made me wake up until I hear another unfamiliar nose coming from the bedroom, I slowly creep towards the door and see the bedside table on, I peer around to get a view of the full room and that's when I see what must have woken me.

Brendan's sitting at the end of the bed, his fists covered in blood and he's wiping it with what I'm guessing is an antiseptic wipe, hissing every now and then. He's obviously pissed, I can smell the booze from here. He looks up at me then as if he could sense someone was there.

He looks taken by surprise of seeing me. I roll my eyes, I should've known the way for him to solve his problems was to drink. We stare at each other in silence before I take the few steps to walk towards him.

I lift his hand to get a better look while I sit on the bed with my legs crossed, he pulls his hand away, "Bren. Give me it." I hiss and he does as I say and gives me the small first aid kit.

I use three wipes to clear up the blood before putting plasters and a bandage on it. He hisses and grunts but doesn't say a word to me but when I stand up to leave the room he grabs ahold of my t-shirt as if his life depended on it. Pulling me as close to him as he can before he buries his face into my t-shirt.

It's times like this that make me realise how vulnerable he truly is. I fight the urge to wrap my arms around him but my resolve quickly crumbles when I hear his soft whimpers. I trail my fingers back and forth along the back of his neck where his hairline is.

He pulls me onto the bed and wraps his arms around me, his eyes are closed and his breathing is soft and shallow. I think he's sleeping so when he starts to speak I almost jump out of his arms.

"Remember when ye said about our happy ever after?" He asks and when I hum in reply he opens his eyes and looks right at me, "This is my happy ever after, just lying here with ye. Being anywhere with ye is enough for me, just as long as we're together."

"Bren.." I start but he stops me in my tracks.

"Just.. Let me tell ye this okay? I know I frustrate ye and I make ye angry and upset when I shouldn't. But I just want what's best for ye, it's all I've ever wanted, maybe not at the start. Your the most important thing in my life and I still carry around the self hatred for everything I put ye thorough, but I am trying to change. I'd do anything for ye, ye know that, don't ye?"

I'm left speechless but I know he needs me to say something, I can see it in his eyes, the desperateness that I've only ever seen a few times.

I grab onto his face and kiss him, there's no sexual feeling in it, just reassurance. He seems resistant at first but then he groans and widens his mouth and that's when the heat gets turned up, our roles switch and he's straddling me. Quickly stripping me before getting rid of the rest of his clothes.

"I love you." I tell him shakily as he enters me, his eyes spring to my face in surprise before he thrusts right into me, making me kneel up towards him, letting out an almighty moan.

He licks into my mouth, I love sex with Brendan, especially like this. When it's needy and he takes full control. Making me feel like he's taking care of me. He caresses my neck and chest while we build up to our climax.

I clench around him while I come and that spurs him on to do the same, while moaning my name.

We're tangled around each other, sticky with sweat and come. I lean up to kiss him again and he switches the lamp off. He kisses along my jawline which gets him a giggle from me.

"I love ye." He says before kissing me again, "your everything to me okay?"

"I love you too, get some sleep. We'll speak in the morning." I tell him gently.

I'm not going to let it slide the fact that his hands were soaked in blood and I'm not one hundred percent sure who's blood it actually is.