Author's obligatory rant: Hey kids! insert Krusty-esque laugh here So basically as I'm bound for the Maldives on Wednesday I've assessed that between packing and handing work in, this is the last opportunity I've got to post this chapter. I know its not been long since the last update but that's not a bad thing, is it?!

As for the chapter itself: its like a good wine: it gets better with age. So basically if the start doesn't have you excited, trust me on this one and keep reading as the ending gets pretty good. Cheers for all the brilliant reviews of the last one, I see Natalie is causing something of a love/hate divide which I love! :D :D So how about a little insight into the girl behind the mouth?

Lara frowned in her sleep as the bed dipped next to her, causing her to wake up squinting into the darkness and shifting to the other side of her bed out of habit to that Harry could squeeze in.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she rolled her eyes and groaned, rolling away from him and burying her head in the pillow.

"Ugh, Harry, not tonight baby," she yawned. "Poppy's only just gone to sleep and I don't want Allie trying to imbed a rattle in my head when my screaming wakes her up."

"Ok, first off: Eeeeew, that's nasty," Allie's voice cracked through the darkness and woke the redhead up fully. "Second off, how is it your bed is bigger than mine?"

"Allie?" Lara frowned, sitting up and reaching over to switch on her bedside lamp, illuminating the blonde as she sat cross legged next to her clad in one of Pete's hoodies and a pair of fluffy socks, biting her nails as she always did when she was stressed.

"Sorry, I know it's late," Allie squinted at the clock and winced. "Or really, really early but I just…I needed to talk to someone,"

"Is it to do with the mini Vicky Pollard we currently have sleeping down the hall?" Lara raised an eyebrow, switching off the lamp again and allowing the frosted moonlight to light up the room.

"How'd you guess?" she snorted.

"Come on," Lara sighed, lifting the covers and gesturing for Allie to slide in next to her which she did, both of them lying there for a moment letting the warmth seep back in before Allie spoke.

"Is it really bad that even though she's technically my family, I don't trust her?" she whispered.

"What exactly don't you trust?" Lara whispered back.

"Gee, I don't know, the whole drug addiction thing was something of a warning sign," she snorted. "But then I'm just picky,"

"What happened last time she left?" Lara asked her.

"I don't know," Allie sighed, snuggling deeper into Pete's sweater and inhaling his scent. "I'd only been dating Pete for like two weeks so I never really found out what happened. I know she was pretty heavily involved in drugs,"

"Oh yeah because we never-…"

"If you're seriously going to compare this to the like, two times we got stoned at Uni then I might have to slap you." Allie laughed. "This girl wasn't just selling weed to school kids, Lara."

"So what are we talking about here?" she shrugged.

"Coke," Allie breathed. "Heroine, I think it got to the stage where if something was classified as a drug, she'd take it."

"Fuck," Lara shook her head. "And she was 18?"

"17 when it all kicked off but 18 when she left, yeah," the blonde sighed, picking at the feathered cushion under her neck. "I just…I know it sounds bad and I feel like shit for not giving her the benefit of the doubt but…" she turned onto her side and stared at her friend. "How can someone that messed up to a complete 180 in three years?"

"Maybe she really has sorted herself out though," Lara smiled encouragingly. "I mean like you said, she is part of your family and that's what family do: we forgive each other even when we fuck up."

"But things are different now," Allie shook her head. "I'm not just Pete's girlfriend, I'm his wife. We have a daughter." She bit her lip. "I'm can't afford to have anyone just stroll in and mess things up."

"Have you talked to Pete about this?" Lara asked her, reaching up and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Oh yeah, that'd go down real well," Allie put on a sweet voice and twirled her hair around her finger. "Hey Pete, so y'know you're cousin who you've always looked on as a little sister? Well I don't like or trust her so do you think we could maybe ship her out of here ASAP?"

"Ok, so maybe butter him up with a blow job first," Lara laughed when her friend gasped in shock and smacked her forehead. "Ouch, jeez, it was a joke…kind of,"

"Ugh," Allie sighed, flopping back into the pillows and laying her head next to Lara's, the girl who had practically been her sister throughout most of her life. Thinking about how much it would hurt if Pete ever asked her to leave, Allie realised that maybe she was being a little harsh on Natalie.

Sure, they were far from being best friends but that didn't mean that they couldn't at least try and get on for Pete's sake at least.

"What am I going to do?" she whispered.

"I don't know, kiddo," Lara sighed, resting her head against Allie's. "I'm still gonna push my blow job idea forward,"

Allie giggled in the darkness along with her, the bed shaking slightly as they tried to keep their voices down so as not to wake anyone else.

"I just feel like such a bitch for thinking this," Allie told her guiltily. "I mean, she's 21 and she's got her whole life ahead of her; she doesn't need people like me watching her like a hawk and waiting for her to fuck up."

"So, that being said," Lara nudged her with her foot. "To quote Dr Pepper: what's the worst that could happen?"

"Well, lets see…Natalie could go back to selling and taking drugs eventually landing herself in a rehab centre which we'd have to pay for, I'd get angry and say 'I told you so', Pete would hit the roof and demand a divorce but as all our money is tied up in putting Little Miss Scratch and Sniff through rehab, I'd end up handing over Poppy's University fund in the divorce settlement and condemn her to Roehampton community college where she'd inevitably meet the son of the guy who was selling drugs to Natalie way back when and end up a crack whore while I'm reduced to living in the attic of yours and Harry's house relying on you to feed and clothe me not to mention wipe my arse while I rock back and forth all day holding a photo of me and Pete and wondering just how much would have been different if I'd pulled my finger out of my arse and said something at the time."

Lara stared at her open mouthed for a moment, trying to get her head around the sudden outburst before breaking down into a fit of hysterical laughter, too caught up in the sensation to even bother holding a pillow over her mouth to keep quiet.

"Allie," she shook her head, wiping tears out of her eyes. "I swear to almighty God, no one and I mean no one freaks out quite like you."

"Laugh it up, red," she shrugged. "I'll remind you of this when you're wiping my arse in 18 years time,"

"Alyssa," Lara sat up and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her lightly. "Stop being a paranoid psychopath for ten seconds and listen to me," she looked her in the eye. "Nothing is going to happen, ok? Natalie is a bitch I grant you but I seriously doubt she's about to go all Winehouse on us, for one thing she cares way too much about what Pete thinks to disappoint him,"

Allie nodded and bit her lip; it made sense. Since they had first began chatting, Natalie had followed Pete everywhere like some lost puppy dog.

"And who knows?" Lara smiled. "You might even get to be friends,"

"I can tell you right here right now, that's not happening," Allie shook her head. "We don't exactly…gel together,"

"Why not?" she shrugged.

"Um, mostly because I embody everything she hates and vice versa," Allie cocked her head and winced when her neck cracked. "But I'll give it a shot, I mean, you're right…a lot can change in three years. Jesus Christ, I got married and had a baby so…"

"There you go…" Lara clapped. "See, we're making progress already,"

"Yeah, easy there Freud," Allie laughed, climbing off of the bed and pulling Pete's sweater down so it covered her legs more. "I better get back to bed before he wakes up and thinks I'm having an affair with you,"

"Oh as if that would bother him," Lara snorted, recalling their conversation in the foyer earlier with a smirk. "I think all he'd care about is whether or not we'd taped it in HD or not,"

Rolling her eyes, Allie planted a quick kiss on her friends forehead and waved her goodnight before slipping out into the hallway as quietly as she could, taking a second to peek inside Poppy's room, smiling when she saw her daughter flat out in her bassinette.

Leaving the door half open, she padded back down towards hers and Pete's bedroom, making sure to avoid the floorboards which creaked notoriously. Slipping inside the room, she smiled seeing Pete half sprawled across the bed, his arm shifting over to her side as though searching for her. Crawling back under the covers, Allie bit her lip at how cute he looked when he was asleep, the half smirk on his lips present even when unconscious.

Pressing herself against him, she placed a kiss against the back of his shoulder, sighing happily when he mumbled something to her in his sleep, rolling over and pulling her on top of him, the fatigue sweeping down her body and lulling her back to sleep.

Lara was right, she had nothing to worry about with Natalie; in fact if anything, she needed to back off a little bit and give the girl a chance…like Lara said, they might even turn out to be friends.

Natalie watched as Allie closed hers and Pete's bedroom door behind her, the moonlit hallway once again descending into an eerie silence, broken only through the ticking of the grandfather clock in the hall rippling through the November night.

Her mouth hung open in shock as she tried to recover from what she had heard; so Allie was just expecting her to fuck up? Not worried about it, not even suspicious of it but just flat out expecting it.

Shaking her head in disgust, Natalie moved back into her own room which she could tell from the dark blue paint on the walls along with the ancient record player in the corner used to belong to a guy.

Flopping down onto the bed and curling her fingers around the blanket as pure anger filtered through her veins.

So by the sounds of it, the Sloaner was up for a bit of a fight, she thought with a dark grin.

Well good, because like it not, the bitch was about to get one.

Pete winced as the unmistakeable sound of his alarm cut through his slumber, forcing his eyes to open and take in the dimly lit room.

6.45a.m

"Fuck it," he grumbled, reaching out and slamming his hand against the button, sighing with relief when the sound ceased and the large open room once again descended into silence.

Looking down, he frowned realising that pretty much the entire duvet was piled on top of him; glancing to the side, he chuckled quietly to himself seeing Allie lying there, obviously having kicked the covers off in her sleep. His eyes darkened as he looked her up and down as she lay in his over sized hoodie which had ridden up to expose the light pink panties she wore underneath along with a small glimpse of her flat stomach.

Ok, so maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that he'd set his alarm an hour early, he thought with a grin. Leaning across her, he nuzzled her neck, placing soft kisses on the skin hidden beneath her hair while his hands lightly skimmed her bare legs. He smiled to himself when he felt one of her hands press against his back, dipping under his t-shirt and running along the skin.

"Mmmmm," she sighed happily as he rolled himself on top of her, his kisses getting that little bit more urgent. "What time is it?"

"Still early," he mumbled back, kissing up to her cheek, over her closed eyelids and then down to her mouth, liking the way she still tasted faintly of toothpaste.

Turning her head to the side as Pete proceeded to kiss his way down her body, Allie squinted at the clock and frowned.

"Pete," she sighed as his mouth went to work on her stomach. "Baby, we should probably stop, y'know, I need a shower and I have to get to work early for this meeting with…oh fuck!"

She almost shrieked, clapping her hand over her mouth as his kisses moved that little bit lower. She felt him smirk smugly against the inside of her thigh, his fingers toying with the elastic of her underwear as she fought to keep her voice down, biting down on one of her fingers lightly.

Grabbing her hips, Pete pulled her so that she was sitting up in his lap and brushed his lips over hers, laughing when she shoved him back impatiently and practically tore his t-shirt off.

"So I take it we're not stopping then?" he raised an eyebrow, grunting appreciatively as her tongue ran down his throat.

"You're such a bastard in the mornings," she giggled against his lips, feeling his smile against her own and yelping when he kissed her hard, pushing her back down onto the bed and falling down on top of her.

Her legs wrapped around him instantly and he hissed at the contact, groaning her name quietly as he tugged the hoodie of his that she was wearing up over her head, his eyes darkening when he saw she wore nothing underneath.

Silently thanking God for whoever invented the alarm clock, Pete licked his lips and prepared to lower himself back down onto her when the all too familiar sound ripped through the room and stalled their movements.

Allie stared at the sound bar on the baby monitor, watching as the lights shot up and down with the shrillness of Poppy's cries.

"As if there was any ever fucking doubt she's your daughter," Pete snorted. "'Er timing is amazing,"

Giggling and pushing herself up onto her elbows to kiss him softly, Allie ran a hand down his face and smiled.

"I'll go," she told him. "You can jump in the shower," she glanced down and grinned. "I'd say don't use all the hot water but something tells me you won't be needing it,"

More than aware of his current physical state, Pete simply laughed and nodded in agreement, rolling off of her and watching as she pulled on a pair of shorts and one of his shirts buttoning it up in a hurry as she left the room.

He lay back against the mused up sheets and pillows, sighing heavily. Whoever said babies were stupid had a lot to answer for, because Poppy Dunham was fast becoming the master of sabotage.

Hearing Allie's voice come through the baby monitor as she sang to her, Pete smiled hearing his daughter stop crying almost instantly, instead murmuring to her mother quietly.

Shoving himself out of bed, Pete padded through to the bathroom and switched on the shower, stepping under the current and tilting his face up to the spray, fighting the urge to swear as the freezing cold water poured over his body, making him shiver as he reached for the shower gel.

Ten minutes later and he was stood in front of his wardrobe debating what to wear to work as he fought to keep his eyes open. Funnily enough the cold shower had done nothing but tire him out, the iciness of the water making his limbs ache and his stomach grumble as it demanded food.

Yawning, he abandoned his closet for a moment, instead focusing on the coffee and toast he could smell coming from the kitchen; knowing that is must be Lara he who could always coax into making him breakfast, he jogged downstairs and pushed through the door into the kitchen which was just beginning to heat up as the early morning rays poured in through the blinds, fighting the November chill.

"Oi big red," he grinned, closing the door behind him. "What'd you say to making me some of that french toast shit?"

"I say go fuck yourself pretty boy, God gave you hands for a reason."

Pete let out a startled laugh as he saw Natalie sat at the breakfast bar, a plate of toast in front of her, chewing thoughtfully as she took in the large room.

"D'you 'ave any idea how long it took me just to find the fuckin' toaster?" she asked him. "This place is like Crystal Maze,"

Smiling at her, Pete poured himself a cup of coffee and walked around the large island to join her, sliding onto the adjacent stool and cheekily stealing a piece of toast.

"How come you're up early?" he asked her with his mouth full. "I thought you 'ad rules about getting up before 11?"

"I'm not really used to sleeping in the same house as a baby," Natalie told him with a shrug. "It's kinda hard to get your beauty sleep when you've got the Banshee of London opposite you."

"Oh come on," Pete winked at her. "Lara's not that bad,"

Natalie laughed and shook her head, reaching for another piece of toast and shoving it unceremoniously into her mouth.

"You didn't really get to see Poppy last night," he told her with a proud grin. "You'll love 'er. Not only do I 'ave my suspicions that the kid is a secret Hammers fan but she's funny as hell. In fact she's the first person I've met who can actually laugh to the point of pissing themselves over feeding ducks,"

"Are you counting Swill in that?" she asked him.

"Bollocks," Pete hissed. "I forgot about him,"

They laughed and fell into another comfortable silence until Pete cleared his throat and nudged her shoulder.

"So I don't suppose you feel like telling me what's going on, do ya?" he asked her.

"What?" Natalie frowned. "What're you on about?"

"I'm about you just turning up 'ere after three straight years of nothing," he snorted. "Don't get me wrong Nat; I love 'avin you back, I really do,"

She smiled at him, feeling her chest lighten; no one in the family had ever treated her like Pete did. He was the only one who ever seemed willing to give her chance and then even when she did fuck up, he was still there for her.

"But I know you," he carried on. "I know that you wouldn't come back 'ere unless something 'appened." He met her eyes head on and held her gaze, challenging her to look away. "So come on, out with it,"

"Its nothing," she shrugged. "I just…I knew I had to come back at some point, ok? So why not now?"

"Bollocks," Pete laughed. "Nah, sweetheart, I ain't buyin' that for a second, try again,"

"Well I ain't sellin' it Petey," she snapped. "So either take it or leave it but if you think I'm gonna sit 'ere and play Doctor Phil with you, you've got another thing coming,"

Pete was just about to open his mouth when the kitchen door swung open again and Lara stumbled through in her bright pink power puff girl pyjamas, obviously unaware that Pete and Natalie were watching her.

"Easy there, red," Pete grinned, making her jump. "You keep wearing outfits like that and I might not be able to hold back anymore,"

"Fuck you, Dunham," she smirked, pouring some orange juice. "It was cold last night and this was all I could find,"

Meeting Natalie's gaze she offered her a smile which went unreturned, allowing Lara to mutter 'bitch' under her breath as she reached for a cinnamon bagel and spread some jam on it.

Walking over to the breakfast bar, she handed half of it over to Pete who winked his thanks at her and bit into the sugar filled snack happily.

"Did you sleep ok?" Lara asked Natalie, wiping a smudge of jam off of her lip.

"Can't complain," the younger woman shrugged. "This house is alright, innit?"

"Uh, yeah," Lara frowned, slightly unsure of what the brunette had actually just said to her. "So there's loads of towels and stuff in the bathroom, just help yourself," she smiled. "And if you need clothes or anything just…"

"I got my own clothes," Natalie told her, her voice clipped. "I don't need charity,"

"Oh, no its not…" Lara was cut off when Natalie shot her a dirty look and slid off of her seat.

"I'm gonna go 'ave a shower," she told Pete, not bothering to bring her plate with her as she strode out of the kitchen, leaving Lara staring after her in disbelief. Ok, so when Allie had told her that the kid was rude, she had no idea it was quite that bad.

"Don't take it personally," Pete's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Natalie," he explained. "I know she's a bit…heavy going when you first meet 'er but that's just the way she is,"

"Oh, well," Lara raised her glass of orange juice and toasted it. "Lucky us,"

"Give it time," Pete laughed, ruffling her hair as he stood up and bringing both his and Natalie's plates with him. "If you managed to win Bov over, trust me when I say that Nat will be a walk in the park,"

"Part of the reason I won Bovver over was down to my chest," she raised an eyebrow, making him chuckle. "Something tells me that won't work on Little Miss Sunshine,"

"You never know," Pete teased her. "It's worth a shot, isn't it?"

Her laughter followed him as he walked back towards the stairs, taking them two at a time, walking down the long hallway past the main bathroom where he could hear the shower running and down towards the nursery.

Stepping inside he grinned as Poppy let out an excited screech when she saw him, abandoning the toys she had been shaking into an early grave and trying to crawl over her playmat towards him.

"There's my gorgeous girl," Pete laughed, picking her up and bouncing her in his arms, making Poppy giggle and kicked her legs happily.

"Oh yeah," Allie smiled, from where she was still lying on the floor where she had been playing with Poppy. "Typical Dunham…she's a grumpy git until she's had breakfast and then she's everyone's best mate."

"What time is Sinead getting here?" he asked, referring to the nanny who was starting today.

"She said she's be here about 7.45," Allie glanced at the Winnie the Pooh clock on Poppy's wall and sighed with relief seeing that it had only just gone 7.15.

"Can you do me a favour and look after Poppy while I jump in the shower?" she asked, standing up and flicking a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"Yeah, go for it," Pete smiled, leaning down to kiss her as she packed away Poppy's changing mat and walked over to them. "So uh," he cleared his throat after she pulled away. "I think I might give work a miss today,"

"Because of Natalie?" Allie raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I just feel bad leavin' 'er on 'er own on 'er first day back and besides, its not like-…" he frowned when Allie shook her head and kissed him quickly, shutting him up.

"I think it'll be good for her," she nodded. "And you, I mean she's practically your little sister and it's been three years so you've got a fair amount to catch up on, right?"

Pete beamed down at her, remembering not for the first time why he loved this girl so much.

"I was going to ask…" Allie shuffled from foot to foot, tucking some hair behind her ear. Pete smiled down at her; she was cute when she was nervous. "I mean, I don't know what she likes, but I was thinking I could cook dinner tonight, y'know, try and make her feel at home,"

"Babe, you don't 'ave to do that," he told her, rubbing her arm.

"No, it'll be fun," Allie smiled, wishing she felt as confident as she sounded. "I'm going shopping after work so if you just tell me what to get…"

"Lasagne," Pete told her with a wink. "I'm pretty sure that girl would sell 'er soul to the devil for a plate of the stuff."

"Ok, I can do that," Allie nodded, glad that she finally had a window to try and be nice to the girl. "Lasagne," she tapped a fingernail thoughtfully against her teeth.

"Its pasta, Allie," Pete narrowed his eyes.

"I know what it is," she laughed. "I'm just thinking about what to get," shaking her head, she breathed out a laugh and kissed the back of Poppy's head. "I'll be fine," she smiled. "But right now I need a shower,"

"Right," Pete looked down at Poppy as the bedroom door shut. "I've gotta call my work and tell 'em that you're not well so how'd you feel about coughing for the next couple of minutes?"

The infant looked up at him with her wide blue eyes and sneezed suddenly, making him laugh.

"Wey-hey! That'll do," he kissed her nose, reaching for his mobile and dialling the number for St. Marks. "Right, gorgeous," he winked at her. "It's show time,"

Natalie stared at the flat expanse of blackened ground before her, piles of bricks scattered about hinting at the first signs of work.

Though she would never admit it, her throat was so tight she felt like she couldn't breathe, her fists clenched so tightly at her sides that she half expected to see blood in her palms when she opened them. Despite Pete's warnings, she had insisted on coming here but now, standing in front of what used to be the Abbey, recalling all the nights she would follow Pete and Steve down her, begging them to sneak her in, she regretted it.

"I 'eard from Keith that they're turning it into flats," Pete told her, kicking a stray rock into the site and listening to it clatter against the fallen bricks. "Don't seem right, does it?"

"I can't believe it's completely gone," Natalie whispered, shaking her head lightly. "And this happened…"

"Over a year ago," Pete told her, shocking himself. "Shit, yeah, well over a year ago now,"

"I wish I'd known," she mumbled, brushing some hair out of her face.

"None of us had any way of getting in touch with you," he shrugged.

"I know that," she snapped. "I'm just saying I wish I'd been here,"

Pete nodded and began walking up the road to the new pub that Terry had bought, The Anchor. It wasn't the same as the Abbey but then nothing else ever would be. A few seconds later, he heard Natalie jogging after him, her Sketchers pounding softly against the pavement until she slowed down beside him, her breath coming out in pants.

"It must have been pretty scary," she sniffed, pulling her scarf up around her neck. "Y'know all of that,"

"You're asking the wrong bloke," Pete snorted. "I was unconscious for most of the aftermath,"

"I don't know if Auntie Moira ever told you that I called…"

"She told me," Pete smiled at her. "She said that you call 'er every now and then just so someone back 'ere knows you're alive and you 'appened to call that week."

"I wanted to come back," she shrugged. "Just to see you and Steve if nothing else but I dunno…this place," she looked around and shuddered. There were far too many memories. As though reminding her, the crook of her elbow started to itch, the faint needle scars prickling against her skin as though trying to break out through her jacket.

"So," she spoke loudly, trying to get her mind off of the sensations in her arms. "You and Allie…"

"Yeah?" Pete smirked at her. "What about it?"

"Nothin'," Natalie shrugged. "Just a bit shocked you married 'er,"

"Why?" he frowned.

"Well, she ain't exactly your type, is she, Pete?" she laughed. "What 'appened to the bird you was dating before 'er?"

"What, you mean Ella?" he laughed. "Jesus, Nat that was just…" he wrinkled his nose. "That wasn't anything…it was pure convenience,"

"At least she was normal," Natalie muttered.

"Look," Pete stopped and grabbed hold of her arm so she had to do the same. "I know that you don't like Allie, I don't know why but…" he sighed. "I love 'er, alright? She's the best thing that ever happened to me so just give her a break, will you?"

"Where?" Natalie quipped.

"I ain't jokin', Nat," Pete shook his head. "She's been through just as much as I 'ave the last year so the least you can do is smile at 'er once in a while,"

"Pete, I really don't think she cares," she snorted.

"Maybe not but I fuckin' do," he protested. "She's not just some bird, alright? She's my wife and I know that sounds fuckin' weird coming from me but just…please try a little bit harder, will ya?"

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes and carried on walking ahead, leaving Pete staring after her frustrated. "Come on, you tart," she called over her shoulder. "Are you buyin' me a beer or what?"

Allie struggled with the grocery bags in her arms, her tongue sticking out as she focused on her energy on getting her key into the lock without dropping anything.

She jumped when the door suddenly opened, revealing the petite Irish girl staring at her with a smile on her face.

"Sorry, I only just say you," Sinead told her, taking one of the bags out of her arms. "You haven't been out here too long, have you?"

"No, I'm fine," Allie smiled, blowing some hair out of her face. "You're an angel though, thank you so much,"

"Ah, think nothing of it," the redhead shrugged. "I feel like I'm stealing from you anyways so its my way of making sure you get your money's worth,"

Allie frowned at the comment as she dumped her bags onto the kitchen counter and regarded the older woman for a moment.

Sinead Monaghan looked much younger than her 28 years, in fact her infectious laugh and smooth freckled skin would have you believe she wasn't a day over 18.

"Alright, that may have come out a wee bit wrong," she laughed. "I just meant that you're paying me to look after your daughter and it's not a job. I've looked after some right little shits in my time, but your daughter is by far the best,"

"Really?" Allie laughed.

"Are you kidding?" Sinead smiled. "Not only has she got a laugh on her that's have you peeing your pants but she's a bright little scamp, interesting taste in music as well,"

"Oh, don't even get me started," Allie laughed. "What was her poison today?"

"We started off with some Rolling Stones," Sinead raised an eyebrow. "And somehow ended up listening to Timbaland,"

"That sounds about right," Allie giggled, pulling some fresh basil out of the bags and glancing at the clock. Pete had sent her a text saying that he and Natalie wouldn't be back until about 7.30 which gave her a good hour to cook.

"Right, well unless you need me, I better be off," Sinead smiled. "Poppy's asleep in there," she nodded through to the conservatory where sure enough Allie could see her daughter passed out in her walker.

"Thank you so much, Sinead," she gave her a quick peck on the cheek, waving her off as she disappeared into the foyer, a surprised squeal floating through into the kitchen along with her gentle Irish voice.

"Sorry, I wasn't expecting to see you there," she laughed.

Allie chuckled to herself, realising it must be Lara, but frowned hearing no reply just the door closing.

"Lara," she called with a laugh. "Get your arse in here! It's my turn to cook and I have no idea what I'm doing,"

Again there was no reply, only the sound of footsteps nearing the open door. Keeping the page of the recipe book open with her finger, Allie looked up, nervous butterflies making themselves known in her stomach when Natalie strolled into the kitchen, looking at her disdainfully.

"Hey," Allie smiled brightly. "Sorry for yelling at you, I thought you were Lara,"

"I gathered as much," the brunette leant against the doorframe and stared at her, almost daring her to speak.

"I thought you and Pete were down the pub," she carried on. "Seeing the boys and stuff,"

"Turns out Tuesday nights are pretty dead down the Anchor," Natalie shrugged. "Never thought I'd see the day when the boys of the GSE 'ad a bedtime,"

Allie laughed lightly, not sure if that was meant to be a joke or not; catching the sour look throw her way, she immediately realised that it wasn't.

"So wheres…"

"Pete got a call from his mate Ben at the school," Natalie interrupted her. "He missed some meeting this morning about a class trip or something and needed to get some forms."

"Oh, ok," Allie nodded, biting her lip when silence filled the room again.

"I'm going back out now anyway," Natalie informed her. "See if Bovver and his little yank mate want to grab a curry or somethin',"

"Oh well, actually I'm making dinner tonight," Allie told her with a genuine smile. "I can't cook for shit so it's a risk but I've got Jamie Oliver to guide me so it can't go too wrong, can it?"

Once again, Natalie did nothing except stare at her making more uncomfortable that she could ever remembering being in recent times.

"It's uh…Mediterranean lasagne," she told her. "I'm making it from scratch, I thought I'd be nice if we all had dinner,"

"All?" Natalie raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, well you, me, Pete, my friend Lara who you met and maybe my brother Harry?" she smirked. "He's…interesting to say the least but it might be nice. What'd you say?"

Natalie stared at her for a moment, taking pleasure in the tiny tremors she could see in Allie's hand as she rested it on the open cookbook. If nothing else, at least she still put the fear of God in the Sloaner.

"I'm clueless at cooking so I could really use some help," Allie tried again. "Not that peeling onions and garlic was how you pictured your first night back in London but…"

Natalie sighed, tired of hearing her speak if nothing else. Plus, she'd promised Pete that she'd try with her.

"Lasagne's my favourite," she muttered.

"Well then you can let me know where I'm going wrong, can't you?" Allie joked.

You went wrong four years ago when you fucked with Pete's head, her brain wanted to shout back at the blonde but instead, Natalie found herself stepping forward and picking up one of the onions, placing it on the chopping board and dicing it expertly.

"Thanks, Nat," she nodded.

"Whatever," the brunette shrugged, concentrating on the movement of the knife and trying to ignore the glances she kept getting from Allie out of her corner of her eye.

They stayed like that for a long time, the only noise in the house coming from the radio which was still playing faintly in the background for Poppy. Natalie glanced up at Allie, her eyes narrowing when she caught sight of the diamond ring on her finger.

"Does Lara know her bedroom door don't shut properly?"

Allie looked from reading the recipe, her hands poised over the pack of fresh mince from the butchers.

"What?" she frowned.

"Lara," Natalie repeated, her voice light and even as she continued to chop up the cherry tomatoes. "Her bedroom door don't shut properly when someone goes into it, it's an old door so it looks like you 'ave to really shove it."

"Oh, well um, I'll tell her, I guess," Allie laughed and then grimaced. "Oh God, her and my brother didn't like, wake you up or something did they?"

"No, it definitely wasn't a blokes voice I heard coming from her room at 2 o'clock this morning," Natalie told her, smiling smugly when her green eyes widened and she stopped what she was doing.

"What're you talking about?" she shook her head.

"Oh come on, Allie," Natalie frowned. "The dumb blonde, eye lash batting look my work on Pete but it don't do shit for me,"

Allie gulped and suddenly wished that Poppy would start howling just so she had some wait out of this situation but low and behold, her daughter stayed silent.

"So tell me something," she smiled, leaning on the counter and tossing a baby carrot into her mouth, crunching down on it noisily. "How does the world look from up there on your horse?"

"Natalie…" Allie shook her head.

"No, seriously I'm interested." She laughed. "I mean, look at you. You're perfect aren't you?"

"No," Allie frowned. "Of course I'm not,"

"Wow, well you could've fooled me!" she snapped sarcastically. "And Pete and the boys…as far as they're concerned you can do no wrong. But then it's understandable isn't it?" she wrinkled her nose. "Pretty little thing like you, you're the Barbie doll I never had. And my, my don't you just come with every accessory there is?" she smiled brightly. "The job in fashion, the Porsche, the nice house, solid upbringing and now for only £4.99 extra your own personal former football firm!"

She clapped sarcastically.

"Phew," she rolled her eyes. "Your halo must take quite a beating hanging out with the likes of me; I mean I bet you had to shine it twice as hard this morning,"

"I get that you're pissed off at me," Allie held up her hand. "Ok and I admit I said some things that weren't fair but if you'd listened to me…"

"What?" Natalie pouted, pretending to cry. "When you made the ultimate sacrifice and conceded to give me a chance? A chance at what though, Allie? A chance at fucking up your precious little family? A chance at reminding Pete what he gave up to play house with you?"

"I never made him choose," she snapped. "And what the fuck is your problem anyway? Jealous are we?"

"Of you?" Natalie snorted. "Sweetheart, I'd rather cut my wrists open again than end up like you,"

"Oh well, its shame that didn't work for you the first time then, isn't it?"

The second Allie spoke the words, she wished with everything in her soul that she could take them back; the look of hatred in Natalie's eyes was replaced by shock and agony, her grip on the counter loosening as she shoved herself back, staring at the blonde with tears in her eyes.

"Natalie," she shook her head. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it, I swear, I was just angry,"

Her breath started coming out in fast pants, her palms sweating as she stared at the floor determined not to cry in front of Allie.

Something that felt like anger seemed to finally snap inside of her and she found herself swiping everything on the counter onto the floor, the food flying out everywhere, the glass bowls smashing noisily against the floor and mixing with the spilt bottle of wine and tomato juice.

Allie gasped in shock, unable to do anything but take a step back and watch as the dark red wine swept over to where she was standing and pooled around her bare feet. It was only when something tugged on her collar that she realised Natalie was stood in front of her, staring at her menacingly, her dark green eyes not holding even the slightest hint of coherency as she stared her down.

"Fuck you," she whispered. "You know nothing about me or what I've been through and you can try and take it back as much as you want but we both know you meant that. Think about how much easier it would be for you right now if I'd died back then? You wouldn't have me here right now, you could carry on playing happy families and pretend that fucked up little Nattie never even existed,"

she saw the fear in the blonde's eyes and liked it, tugging on her shirt harder. "But I am here and whether you like it or not Pete is my family, long before you came along so you can keep playing your little angel role, you've got it down to a T so it would be a shame to waste it. But just remember that I don't buy into it and I never will,"

Stepping back, she stared down at the mess then glanced back up to see Allie's teary eyes darting between her and the conservatory where Poppy was crying, obviously having been woken by the noise.

"Y'know thanks for the dinner offer," she shrugged, sending her a small smile. "But I'm in a curry mood after all,"

Stepping over the broken glass and ruined food, Natalie trotted upstairs trying to ignore the fact that her hands were shaking as she ran them along the grand staircase rail, reaching her room and quickly pulling on her jacket and scarf before running back down and bursting through the front door without so much as a glance at the woman she had left there.

Walking along the avenue, she ignored the looks she was getting from the posh looking people walking their dogs, wrapped up in expensive looking scarves and hats.

She didn't care what they thought; she didn't care what anyone thought of her.

Natalie Dunham didn't need anyone else, she's was perfectly fine on her own.

She repeated this to herself as she walked towards the tube station, trying to tell herself that her eyes were stinging from the cold.

"I'm fine on my own, I'm fine on my own," she whispered as the first of what she knew to be a tear slipped down her cheek. "I'm fine on my own."

It was a lie and she what was worse was she knew it.

So that's your dose for the next week and a bit...as a goodbye present please leave me a nice review to read in the morning as the madness that is packing my suitcase begins... :)