Carla returned home less than two hours later to find her fiance and daughter involved in a deeply competitive game of 'Operation' as they sat on the living room floor. On the sidelines and sat on the couch was Anne and Sam who both watched their son and new granddaughter tease each other. A loud buzz came from the game laid out on the coffee table and Frank let out a groan whilst Rachel giggled. Carla couldn't help but sigh in relief at how content her daughter was. She thought that she would have arrived back from her last minute trip into town to find her daughter a nervous wreck.

"Who's winning?" She announced her arrival to the group as she walked over to the living area.

Rachel beamed in her direction and jumped up from her cross legged position on the floor with ease. "Me of course! Frank is useless!" She quipped as she made her way over to her mother. It was then that she noticed that Carla was holding onto a garment bag that was too small to contain an outfit intended for any reasonably sized adult. "Is that for me?" Excitement evident in her tone and eyes as she bounced on the balls of her feet.

Carla nodded and gently extracted the item of clothing from its protective packaging. The attire in question was a navy blue dress. It had glistening sequins strategically placed on the ruffled short sleeves and the tutu styled skirt which gradually got lighter towards the hem.

Anne gasped and a hand pressed to her chest in awe. "Oh, Carla. It's beautiful. Is that for tonight?" She questioned.

The dark haired woman bit into her bottom lip nervously as she studied her daughter's reaction to the news. Rachel, although not pleased, chose not to comment as she continued to study the dress. Carla looked at Frank who nodded in approval and then turned to Anne to verbally respond to her question. "I've had my eye on this for a while now. I just never had an excuse to get it." She admitted. It was true, she had stopped to look at the little number on her numerous trips into town. She just knew it would be perfect for her little girl as it would compliment her light coloured hair and piercing blue eyes.

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest and glared slightly, "But-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Frank addressed his parents. "Mum, Dad, why don't you use our room to get ready for tonight? There's an en suite in there so you will have all the privacy you need. Carla can show you where everything is and how the shower works, can't you love?" He announced and gave Carla a pointed look.

His fiance tilted her head questioningly before she responded. "Yeah, of course." She agreed. Before leading her in laws to hers and Frank's room, she laid out the dress on the back of the couch and made sure it wouldn't get creased. She gestured for Anne and Sam to follow her and, after they had collected their luggage, they followed her leaving Frank and Rachel alone in the open plan area.

Rachel went to touch the offending item of clothing, her top lip turned up in disgust but was quickly stopped from doing so when Frank grabbed onto her wrist and pulled it back a bit too sharply.

"Don't touch it. Your hands are all sticky from all those sweets your grandparents gave you." He told her in a warning tone of voice.

The little girl wrenched her limb out of his hold and stepped back out of his reach. "I'm not wearing that!" She spat out rather loudly.

Frank looked over his shoulder and towards the door his parents and Carla had just gone through and was glad to see that it was closed. He then whipped back around and stooped down to Rachel's level. "Keep your voice down." He whispered out harshly through gritted teeth. Then he reached out unexpectedly and gripped on tightly to her upper arms in order to yank her closer towards him, hoping his next words would sink in more effectively. "You will wear that dress if you know what's good for you."

Rachel glared and struggled against him. "Let me go. You're hurting me." She whined and made sure to keep the volume of her voice to a low one. Frank released his hold and the eight year old took the opportunity to increase the distance between them once more. She took on her usual defensive stance as she continued to glare. "Why is it so important for me to wear a stupid dress anyways? It's just the boring bistro. We go there all the time."

Frank sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The last thing he needed was to be in yet another battle of wills with the stubborn headed child. He really did wish Carla would have just agreed to let him take the child in hand the way he wanted to. That would surely put an end to the tantrums.

"It will make your grandmother happy. It's as simple as that. I'm not going to argue with you any more about it. You're wearing the bloody dress and that's final." He ordered.

"Why do I have to make her happy? She's not my grandmother because you aint my dad!"

Frank was a millisecond away from physically lashing out at the girl but thankfully, the sound of the bedroom door opening stopped him from acting on his urges. Carla looked between her partner and their child and sensed that something had clearly happened to cause them to be at odds yet again. Rachel looked upset and agitated whilst Frank looked like he was about to explode at any moment.

"Everything ok out here?" She questioned wearily and wrapped her arm around Rachel's shoulder when she stopped by the girl's side. Her eyes remained on Frank who grumbled under his breath and shook his head before going over to the kitchen area. Carla looked down at her daughter who was looking up at her. "Sweetheart, why don't you go up and read for a bit? I'm just going to have a quick chat with Frank and then I will be up to help you decide how we should do your hair tonight."

Rachel nodded and gave Carla a brief hug around the waist before reluctantly pulling away and going up to her room. Carla watched the child go and once she was out of sight, she went over to Frank who was leaning against one of the kitchen counters with his head bowed.

"It's a bit early for that, isn't it?" His fiance asked rhetorically and nodded towards the large whiskey he had sitting in front of him.

Frank raised the glass to his lips and didn't even look at her as he replied with a grumble of, "it's a bank holiday."

Carla sighed in expected disappointment and stepped closer towards him. This time it was her turn to wrap her arms around him from behind as she placed a kiss to his shoulder blade through his cotton t-shirt. "What happened?" She whispered as she laid her head on his back.

The man turned around in Carla's loose hold and pointed in the general direction of the staircase. "That girl and her defiance happened." He ground out in frustration.

The female co-owner of Underworld groaned in despair and pouted. "I take it she doesn't want to wear the dress." She stated more than asked.

Frank scoffed and shook his head. "What do you think?" He spat out in a snarl.

Carla froze and pulled away from him. "Hey, you just remember who ran out and got the damned dress when you practically clicked your fingers. That tone suggests that you believe this situation is my fault." She sharply retorted, clearly unimpressed with his tone towards her. "If you want Rachel to have less of an attitude, maybe you need to fix your own."

Her words seemed to get through to the tightly wound man who visibly slumped in defeat. "I know. I'm sorry it just seems like one step forward and two steps back with her. You know I really thought I made some progress with her this weekend. I was even able to make her laugh a few times! And when she let me hold her last night...I thought that was her way of showing me she accepts my role in her life. Apparently I was wrong because she just reminded me, yet again, that I'm not her dad." His tone was genuinely sad and Carla truly felt for him.

Carla rubbed his arm in sympathy. "I'm sorry. I'm sure she didn't mean it. She's probably just overwhelmed what with just meeting the people who are technically her grandparents. You better than anyone know what she's like with new people and let's be honest...your mother is a bit much – in the nicest possible way, of course." She smiled sadly when Frank didn't look all to convinced by her assurances. "Look, let me go and talk to her. I'm sure my powers of persuasion will work their magic."

Frank grumbled once more and let out a hum. "I wish I had those powers."

His fiance smiled at him in empathy and leaned up to peck him on the lips before looking back at the whiskey glass that had been abandoned on the counter top. "Make sure that's your last one. You'll be driving later." She reminded him seriously before leaving him so she could deal with her strong headed daughter.

Carla paused briefly by the back of the couch to collect the dress that had caused so much drama. She took a moment to come up with a plan of action for her next task and took in a deep breath before making her way up to Rachel's room.

"Knock knock." She called out as she wrapped a knuckle on the wall by the doorway.

Rachel, who had spent the last five minutes brooding instead of reading like her mother had suggested, turned briefly to acknowledge Carla's presence. She huffed and went back to staring out of the window from her position on her bed. "I'm not wearing that thing." She mumbled bitterly as she watched the woman hang the dress up on the wardrobe door out of the corner of her eye.

"You know, Frank is pretty upset down there. You've really hurt his feelings." Carla stated in an attempt to change the subject of her new purchase for the girl.

The eight year old stole a glance at Carla who sat down beside her and then shrugged as she quickly averted her gaze once more. "So what. He doesn't care what I think or feel so why should I care about his feelings?"

Carla sighed and ran her fingers through the girl's hair hoping to calm down the agitation she could feel radiating off of her tiny body. "Now that's not quite the truth is it? I think this weekend has proven that he does care." She pointed out matter of factly.

Rachel shrugged Carla's hand away and turned to face her. Her nose was wrinkled up in confusion as she spoke her next words. "What do you mean?" She enquired.

Carla smiled knowingly and stroked the child's cheek. "You know we went away this weekend because of what you told me a couple of weeks ago? You know, the night we ended up falling asleep in the living room? I spoke to him the next morning and he was so desperate to make you feel better that he immediately agreed when I suggested we go away." Rachel didn't offer a reply back and looked down in guilt at her lap. Carla hooked a finger under the girl's chin and lifted her head slightly. "You had a good time at the cottage, didn't you?"

Rachel shrugged and slowly nodded her head, albeit reluctantly. "I guess so." She agreed begrudgingly.

Her mother chuckled and tapped her on the nose teasingly. "You and I both know I speak the truth. I couldn't have wiped that smile off your face even if I wanted to." Carla then thought over her next words carefully, "Remember when you asked if you could bury me in that deep hole you dug in the sand at the beach?

Rachel nodded and rolled her eyes, "you said no because 'you had just washed your hair'." She responded in her best impersonation of her mother.

Carla let out a laugh and tapped the girl's upper arm playfully. "Oi, cheeky! I do not sound like that!" She scolded without any heat in her tone. Then she became serious as she asked her next question, "so if you remember me saying no, you must remember who offered themselves up for the cruel and unusual game instead?"

Rachel's mischievous smile slipped from her face as she refused to respond. She knew exactly who had taken her mother's place in the fun activity, the little girl was just too stubborn to admit it.

The raven haired woman dipped her head to meet her daughter's eyes as she took our her phone from her pocket. She opened it up and went through her photo gallery until she came across the picture she was looking for. She couldn't help but smile comically at the captured memory of Frank buried up to the neck in sand with just his head above the surface. The man was grinning from ear to ear with an uncharacteristically goofy smile whilst Rachel knelt beside him, clearly doubled over in a fit of giggles with her eyes scrunched up in her amusement.

Carla thrust the device towards the child sat beside her on the bed as she commented, "look at you pair of goofballs. I'm gonna treasure this photo – I might even put it on display on my desk at the factory because you both look so happy. But do you know why Frank was so happy?" Rachel shook her head as she regarded the image in front of her. "He was happy because you were happy. That's all he's ever wanted for you – for us. Don't you think maybe you should return the favour and do something that will make him happy?"

Rachel sighed as she handed the phone back to Carla. "You're talking about the dress again." It wasn't a question but Carla nodded in confirmation to the statement anyway. The eight year old looked over at the dress and tilted her head to the side as if deep in thought. "I guess it's not that bad and it isn't pink so...I guess I will wear it."

Her mother sighed in relief and hugged her daughter tightly. "Thank you, baby. I'm sure Frank will appreciate it and don't worry, I'll make sure Anne doesn't take too many pictures."

Rachel melted into Carla's hold as she kept her eyes glued to her new outfit. She chose not to mention the way Frank had reacted when she refused to wear the dress. She had been a little mean towards the man and it's not like she had never lashed out when people had been mean to her, right? She supposed she would let the incident go but she swore that if he ever did it again, she would tell her mother straight away.


A couple of hours later, Carla came down the stair case dressed in her own dinner attire only to come face to face with an excited Anne who stood between her more relaxed husband and son. Carla looked up at the stairs to where her daughter was stood just a couple of steps above her.

"Come on, darlin'. You look fine." She encouraged when she took note of the uncertainty in Rachel's eyes. The eight year old took in a deep breath and continued the descent, taking a hold of her mother's hand when it was offered.

The mother-daughter duo looked up at the same time when they reached the bottom step. Carla smiled at her fiance who had a familiar glint in his eye and when he peeked around her, she followed his line of sight to see their child trying to hide behind her. She gently pulled Rachel so she was standing in front of her and looked back at Frank who gave a nod of approval as he smiled tenderly at the little girl.

Carla felt Rachel's shoulders, upon which her own hands rested in assurance, stiffen when Anne began gushing enthusiatically over the both of them. "Oh girls, you both look absolutely beautiful. Don't they look beautiful, Sam?"

Sam shifted from foot to foot, slightly uncomfortable at being put on the spot. Nevertheless, he smiled and nodded his head in agreement. "They are indeed. You're a very lucky man, Frank."

Frank smiled proudly and walked over to Carla's side. He wrapped one arm around her waist whilst his other hand went up to encase one of hers which was still resting on their daughter's shoulder. "I don't know what I've done to deserve such luck." He responded and Carla smiled up at him. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips, a kiss she happily responded to.

Rachel rolled her eyes and gagged playfully - to which all four adults laughed light-heartedly - at the open display of affection. "So gross." She complained.

Carla rolled her eyes in return as she responded. "You wait...in a few years, you won't think kissing is gross." She told the girl who scrunched up her nose and shook her head in denial.

Frank chose that moment to pipe up. "No, Carla. Rachel is right. Kissing is gross." He said rather pointedly as a wave of protectiveness overcame him. He then looked down at Rachel. "No kissing boys until you're at least thirty, you hear?" A scoff came from Carla's lips, even if she did find his insistence rather endearing.

A sudden flash in their direction caught their attention and that was when they remembered the other two people in the room. All three gave Anne a questioning look and the woman gave them a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help it. You just make such a handsome family. Allow me to take a better one?" She said as she held up the digital camera she was holding.

Before they knew it, the family of five found themselves in an impromptu photo shoot. Funny faces and soft smiles were directed at the camera and many laughs were shared amongst them. So engrossed were they in the fun, they almost lost track of time until Sam noticed the hour on his expensive watch.

"We best be going or we'll lose the reservation." He announced.

Anne packed away her camera and insisted on bringing it with them so she could snap even more photos at dinner. Carla made sure she had all that she needed for the evening whilst Frank double checked he had his wallet and car keys. Once they were all sure they were good to go, the five of them left the flat and headed off to the bistro.

Not one of them had any idea how the night would end.


"To Mr and Mrs Foster to be." Nick Tilsley announced as he poured the four adults at the table a glass of the bistro's finest champagne. "Congratulations."

He was about to walk away from the party of five when Rachel called out to him. "Hey! I'm thirsty too!" She told him and lifted up a spare champagne flute in his direction, a serious and rather demanding look on her face.

Nick chuckled and looked between Frank and Carla questioningly and upon receiving two identical subtle shakes of the head, he turned back to the child who was staring at him in determination. "One fizzy orange juice coming right up." He quipped and laughed once again when Rachel huffed in annoyance and slumped in her chair.

Carla smiled nervously at her future in laws and then turned her attention to her daughter. "Sit up please, Rachel." She instructed softly.

The girl sighed in defeat and sat up in her chair. She looked around the restaurant and her eyes lit up when they landed on the familiar couple who had just stepped through the door.

"Hey, look! It's Simon's mummy and daddy!" She excitedly pointed out and waved at the couple. Maybe Simon was with them and then she wouldn't be stuck with boring old adults all night! Peter Barlow grinned and waved back in exaggerated movements in order to match the girl's enthusiasm. His other half beside him also smiled and waved awkwardly.

Rachel looked over towards her new grandparents and bounced in her seat. "Simon is one of my best friends. His daddy is so cool! He was in the Navy and has loads of tattoos." She rambled. She then addressed Frank when a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Why don't you have any tattoos, Frank?"

Frank laughed at the question as he responded. "Erm, I'm not much of a fan, blondie." He informed her. He then called out to the couple who were still stood by the door, much to Carla's dismay. The last thing she needed was Leanne Battersby getting involved in this already slightly stressful situation.

"Peter, Leanne, come and join us. Come on." Frank ignored Carla's whispers of 'no' and 'don't' as he beckoned the other couple over to their table. Once Peter and Leanne came to a stop, Frank made the introductions. "Guys, these are my mum and dad." He said and gestured to his parents.

Carla smiled awkwardly as Sam and Anne greeted the new arrivals. A brief look was exchanged between herself and Peter and thankfully, his next words put her mind at rest just slightly although her heart continued to pound the way it always did whenever he was close by.

"Yeah, look...I'm really sorry, Frank, but we can't stay."

Leanne nodded in agreement beside him. "We just came so I could give Cheryl a message. We-"

"Oh, one drink." Sam insisted before she could carry on with her excuse as to why they couldn't stay.

Anne chose that moment to also chime in. "It's bad luck not to join in with the toast."

Sam handed Leanne a a glass of champagne which she politely accepted. Before they could make the toast however, Carla had downed her first serving and was quick to hold out her glass towards Sam who was topping up everyone's glasses.

"To Frank and Carla!" Sam raised his glass and everyone joined him in the sentiment. Rachel even chimed in with a loud 'to Frank and CC', not wanting to be left out.

The little girl looked over to her mother who was seemingly more focused on the man standing at the table rather than what was actually going on around her. Her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion when she realised that Peter was also giving her mother subtle looks out of the corner of his eye. She didn't have time to contemplate the secret looks shared though as Leanne and Peter were quick to excuse themselves after the toast.

Not long after that, Cheryl came over to take their orders. Rachel ordered her favourite – spaghetti bolognese – and then began to tap at the table in anticipation of her impending meal.

"Please don't do that, blondie." Frank warned.

"But I'm bored." Rachel whined.

Frank and Carla were both about to lightly scold the child but were stopped from doing so by Sam who addressed her instead. "Rachel, do you want to see some magic?" Sam asked the girl who eagerly nodded her head. Her new grandfather waved her over and, after receiving a nod of permission from Carla, Rachel made her way around the table and came to a stop in front of Sam.

The older gentleman rested his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Look into my eyes and don't look away. If you do, the magic won't work." Rachel's eyes widened and she nodded to show she understood the rules. She refused to even blink just in case her doing so ruined the 'magic'.

Frank and Carla shared amused smirks at their daughter's fascination. They then watched expectantly as Sam waved his hand by the girls ear.

"Hmmm. Did you wash behind your ears this morning?" He questioned the eight year old who nodded in insistence, still refusing to look away from the man. "Then what's this?" Sam suddenly gasped as he seemingly pulled something out from behind his granddaughter's ear. In his hand was a folded up five pound note.

If it was possible, Rachel's eyes widened even further and her mouth fell open in wonder. "Woah!" She whispered out in awe of the discovery.

Sam looked over at Carla and Frank and winked. He then turned back to the child and held out the money in her direction.

Rachel tentatively took the piece of paper into her much smaller hands. "For me?" She asked unsure.

The grey haired man nodded in assurance. "Of course. It was hiding behind your ear, after all."

The girl grinned and hurried back to her seat. She waved the note towards Carla. "Look! I can buy so many sweets at The Kabin with this!" She told her mother who nodded in agreement. Then she went back to studying the money clutched tightly between her fingers, giving Carla the opportunity to look at her father in law in order to mouth a silent 'thank you'.

Sam waved off her sentiment and continued to show Rachel more 'magic'. Thankfully, he had enough literal tricks up his sleeve to distract her until their starters arrived.

Over their meal, the adults discussed wedding plans while Rachel interjected with her thoughts every so often. Wine was flowing and it was safe to say that Carla had her fair share to the point where she was past the point of tipsy.

At one point, Anne realised she had left her coat in Frank's car. Carla used the opportunity to get some desperately needed fresh air and offered to retrieve the item of clothing for the the older woman.

Unbeknown to the four left at the table, Carla was drawn into a conversation with Peter who had followed her outside after seeing her leave the table. The man teased her about what her future would look with the likes of Frank and his parents. He dropped in sly remarks about things like cream teas in country houses and granny flats. She did a good job of hiding her unnerved demeanour when she returned back to the table but Rachel, even at her tender age, noticed the shift in her mother's behaviour.

Carla made it a point to not drink excessively around her daughter. She tended to only have a glass or two of wine a couple of nights a week at tea time but that was about it. However, after returning from the car and her conversation with Peter, she unconsciously began guzzling the wine in her glass like it was water and had topped herself up at least twice before she had finished her first course.

Nick came over shortly after they had finished their starters. "Can I take your plates?" He asked.

"Thank you." Frank answered for everyone.

"That was wonderful." Anne complimented as she used her napkin to wipe any food debris from her lips.

"Ready for your mains?" Nick then went on to enquire.

They all nodded but then Anne quickly grabbed his attention as if she had just remembered something extremely important. "Oh! When I said rare-"

Sam rolled his eyes and said rather exasperated; "She means practically mooing." Rachel giggled and couldn't help but imagine a tiny living cow arriving at the table in the form of Anne's main course.

Carla topped her glass up once more and by that point, Frank had also realised how much alcohol his fiance had consumed. He leaned over and kept the volume of his voice low, hoping his parents didn't hear his next words. "Just because I'm driving, doesn't mean you have to drink for two." The last thing he wanted was for his mother and father to get the impression that his wife to be had a drink problem.

Carla rolled her eyes at him and leaned away slightly. "Oh, killjoy." She teased and, upon realising the bottle in her hand was empty, called over to Nick who was clearing the plates, "Nick, another bottle of Shiraz please whilst you're on your feet."

The child at the table glanced between Frank and his mother. They clearly disapproved about how much wine Carla was drinking but Rachel didn't really see the problem. Her mother seemed to be having fun and had relaxed a lot compared to how she had been when they had began their starters. She also kept saying funny things that made Rachel laugh.

The topic of conversation soon turned towards Sam and Anne's second home. "It's not a huge house but there's enough room for guests." Anne told Carla who feigned interest. "We've even started planning how to decorate Rachel's rooms at both houses haven't we, Sam?" She added on and Sam nodded along somewhat absent-mindedly. He himself had also had his fair share amount of wine but decades upon decades of practice meant that he had been able to seem indifferent to the whole scene. Somewhere deep inside, he felt a bit unsettled about their whole set up. Although he was happy for his son, something inside of him was screaming that this so called paradise would not last.

Rachel's ears perked up at this, "does that mean I'll have three bedrooms?!" She asked in astonishment.

Carla smiled softly at her daughter as she ran her fingers through the little girl's hair. "I guess so, sweetheart." She then gave a look to Frank as if to say 'why didn't you tell me any of this?!'.

Frank shrugged somewhat apologetically as Anne spoke her next words; "The walks are stunning – all year round." She boasted.

"Oh well, I walk so long as there's a country pub at the end of it, aye?" Carla joked and gave an unamused Frank a cheeky wink.

Frank held back a scoff as he responded with a humourless; "that's the next twenty years holidays sorted our, right?" to which Carla smiled back with a look of uncertainty in her eyes.

Rachel perked up slightly at his comment and decided she was brave enough to voice her own opinion. "I thought we were going to go to Orlando so we could go to Disney World?!" She reminded her mother.

Carla was quick to give the child a reassuring glance, despite her now somewhat intoxicated state. She was aware that to outsiders like Sam and Anne, the child's comment may have come across as a little spoiled, but she had promised the child a two week stay at the famous resort a week ago after said child had seen an advertisement on TV. "Oh don't worry, baby. We have plenty of time to fit that in." She told the girl who sighed in disappointment when she thought that maybe her CC might have just told her a lie for the first time. After all, adults always broke their promises and the way things had been going lately, she wouldn't be surprised if Carla also fit into that category. The eight year old couldn't help but feel like Carla might just end up being like said adults.

Anne seemed to have missed the interaction between the trio as she continued to describe her second home in the lake district. "Of course, there's also plenty of space for a travel cot."

Carla shifted uncomfortably in her seat and looked to Frank as if begging for help. Sam rolled his eyes and heaved a deep sigh. "Oh here she goes." The old man muttered under his breath in exasperation at his wife getting carried away.

The dark haired woman took a big sip of wine, an action that was matched by Frank. The younger couple at the table shared a look before Frank decided to get his own back on Carla, for 'showing him up', in a uniquely twisted way. "Be careful what you wish for."

Anne gasped at her son's 'admission', not noticing the real nature of his words. "Oh Frank!" She exclaimed in delight as she suddenly clasped at her son's hand. Rachel flinched a little at the loud exclamation that had almost come out of nowhere. "I just knew it was all moving quickly."

Frank was quick to backtrack. "Calm down, Mum." He looked to Carla who suddenly became agitated at the mention of a fictitious pregnancy. "There's no announcement...yet but we aren't ruling it out." He added on and wrapped an arm around a very stiff Carla.

"Oh Frank! It's all so wonderful!" Anne exclaimed once more in delight. She turned to the little girl when she remembered her presence. "I bet you're excited to have a little brother or sister, sweetheart? You would make a wonderful older sibling!"

Rachel frowned and patted Carla on the forearm to get her attention. "CC, is there a baby in your tummy?" The eight year old suddenly became worried. If her CC was having a baby, surely she wouldn't need her any more?!

Carla glared at Frank before reassuring her daughter. "No, darlin'. There's no baby." She told the girl truthfully and sighed when she saw Anne visibly deflate in defeat. It was obvious that she was expecting Carla to become a baby making factory as soon as possible – something Carla herself wasn't down for at all. Loud laughter from a table behind theirs suddenly caught her attention and she quickly came up with a plan to get Rachel away from the ridiculous chatter. "Why don't you go and say 'hi' to Uncle Sean and Auntie Izzy? I bet they would love to see your dress."

Rachel looked into her mother's glassy green orbs and, upon recognising the pleading behind the wine haze, decided to comply with Carla's request. "Ok." She agreed with a put upon sigh, hoping to make it clear that she wasn't best pleased at being practically being forced away from the table.

Carla relaxed a little at the child's compliance and waited until Rachel was safely tucked away in the corner of the bistro before she poured herself another glass of wine. Thankfully, during this time Sam had slyly moved himself onto a bar stool and his wife had followed after him. Even she realised that Frank and Carla needed a moment alone.

"Why would you put me on the spot like that?" Carla hissed at Frank as she turned away from him in annoyance, effectively shrugging off his hand on her shoulder. His arm fell limply back but he laid it to rest on the back of her chair as if to trap her. "Rachel is no way near ready for even just the concept of a little brother or sister and quite frankly, neither am I." She spat at her fiance.

Frank sighed and attempted to wrap his arm around his partner once again – a gesture which was quickly rejected. "What is wrong with being excited about the future?" He questioned.

Carla scoffed and took a sip of her wine. "There's plenty wrong with it when the child we're currently raising is still grasping her own new reality." She responded back quickly as she glanced over to the said child who was being fawned over by Sean and his party of dinner companions. Not only was she aware of the fact that Rachel wasn't ready for a new sibling, she herself knew that she wasn't even remotely close to even contemplating bringing a brand new life into the scary world they found themselves living in.

Anne decided to intervene at that moment, despite her husbands protests. She had been watching her son and his fiance from her position at the bar and their body language told her that the tension between them was rapidly building up. "Come on, you two." She chided as if they were two children arguing in the school playground. "No lovers tiffs tonight." She added with a slight pout.

Carla groaned to show she wasn't impressed by her mother in laws interfering – something she had subtly been doing all afternoon and evening. "Please don't talk to us like we're toddlers." She tried to be as respectful as possible but it apparently didn't work as Anne looked offended by her accusation. The younger woman wasn't too bothered about that though as she sipped on her wine.

Anne looked to her son pleadingly. "Your father's picking up on the atmosphere." She told him.

Frank looked at his father who was propped on the bar talking to Becky and Carla peered around the man beside her to get a better look at Sam herself. "No...your father is picking up on the free booze and the fit bar staff." She quipped.

Her fiance closed his eyes in annoyance. He knew it was mostly the wine that was making her talk so disrespectfully towards his mother but that didn't stop him from becoming frustrated with her. "Carla." He warned.

Carla laughed mockingly. "Oh, I'm sorry." She said rather sarcastically. "Is Nana gonna put me on the naughty step? She's obviously an expert on child rearing which means she thinks she has the right to come barging into our lives with demands on how we raise our child with talk about private schools and such." She snipped.

"What gives you the right, aye?" She suddenly addressed Anne whose eyes widened in shock at the sudden one-eighty in Carla's attitude towards her. "How can you possibly think I would let you have any say when you barely know Rachel? Did you know that she hates wearing dresses? She's only wearing one tonight because golden boy here," a finger was pointed in Frank's direction, "knew you wouldn't 'approve' of her not wearing one. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life forcing my child to do or wear anything she's not comfortable with." She stopped her rant quickly when she realised that half the bistro was looking over in their direction, including her own daughter who was in the middle of telling Sean about their weekend away.

The girl had a worried look on her face when she turned her attention back to her present company. "I want to go back to CC now. I think Frank's mum is upsetting her." She told the adults.

Eileen Grimshaw glanced over at the table to see that Anne had her hands raised in a defensive manner. "I'm not sure you should go over there just yet, sweetheart." She advised the young girl. From what she could tell, it didn't look like the adults at the other table were having a pleasant discussion. As a mother herself, she was pretty certain that Carla wouldn't want he daughter to be a witness to anything toxic between herself and Frank. She didn't have much to do with the factory owner but after years of her being around, Eileen had seen and heard first hand how brutally honest Carla Connor could be – especially when she was angry.

Rachel took Eileen's advice and remained where she was but she continued to look over to where her parents were sat. That was until she saw something that made her hurry over there – ignoring Sean's protests. When she saw her mother stand abruptly, the little girl was hopeful that they were about to head home and get away from Anne. "CC!" She called out.

Frank also decided that was the right time to step in as he grabbed onto Carla's wrist roughly and began to practically march her away from his mother. Carla struggled against him out of instinct. "Hey! Hey...ow!" She yelped as she gave her fiance a death stare.

Seeing her mother being treated the way she was distressed Rachel. The girl ran over to Frank and started hitting him on the arm in attempt to get him to stop what he was doing to Carla. "Get off my CC! You're hurting her!" She yelled.

Frank, rather annoyed at the child for drawing even more attention to them, let go of Carla and gripped Rachel by the shoulders and tried to push her towards his mother. "Go to your grandmother. Carla and I need to have an adult conversation."

Rachel managed to remain where she was by clutching onto Carla's hand. "No. I want to stay with CC. Why are you being mean to her?" She demanded.

Frank looked over to his mother for assistance. "Mum." He called out to her and gestured to the stubborn child.

Anne cautiously made made her way over to the small family and wrapped an arm around Rachel's shoulders. "Come on, darling. Let's give your mummy and daddy some privacy. We'll go to the bar and get you another orange juice." She tried to coax the little girl away from the warring couple.

Rachel's face scrunched up in annoyance and moved out of Anne's light hold. "CC?" She looked up at her mother who seemed to be in some sort of silent battle of wills with Frank.

Carla tore her gaze away from her fiance and gave her daughter an encouraging nod and smile. "It's ok, baby. Go with Anne." She told the girl.

Rachel gave Carla a quick hug and almost closed her eyes in satisfaction when she felt her mother's familiar comforting hand rub her back. After a few seconds, she felt another hand pull her away which she reluctantly allowed as Anne walked her over to the bar.

Frank waited for his mother and daughter to be out of ear shot before speaking. "You're drunk!" He spat at Carla who laughed sarcastically.

"Yeah, I am." She agreed. "But in the morning, I'll be sober and your mother will still be a nosey old bag."

Frank studied her for a few beats as he thought over his next words. "I can see why Peter chose Leanne. He's seen you like this, hasn't he?" He retorted and was satisfied when the smirk left Carla's face and her eyes glistened with hurt. "What kind of example are you setting for our daughter? Maybe you are in desperate need of parenting advice."

Carla's lip curled up in anger as she chose not to verbally respond to his goading. Instead, she went to storm out of the bistro in order to get away from her lover's scathing words and glares.

However, she had only taken a couple of steps when Frank grabbed her once again – this time his target was her upper arms. He shook her slightly as he reminded her unnecessarily; "Hey...we have guests."

"I am going to get some air. Is that 'allowed'?" She asked bitterly, not that she needed his permission either way. Carla then tore herself away from him and continued her journey.

Frank sighed in defeat and decided it was more important at that moment to do some damage control with his parents. He was aware that they were not impressed by the show they had just witnessed and could see the expressions of disappointment on their faces. Upon arriving at the bar, he sent Rachel to sit down back at their table before he began to make excuses for Carla's behaviour – not without making slight digs at the woman whilst doing so.

Rachel soon got bored of sitting on her own and eventually went back over to Frank to enquire about her mother's whereabouts. "Where's CC? I want to go home."

Frank drew in a deep breath at the mention of the woman and looked down at the girl. "She's gone for some air. We can't go just yet...I need to pay the bill and cancel our order." He told her matter of factly.

Anne looked at her watch. "It is getting late, Frank. Maybe you should go check on her." She told her son.

"Don't worry about the bill, son. Like I said, this was supposed to be our treat for you and your family." Sam reminded Frank who smiled in thanks and went to find Carla.

Rachel was about to follow but Frank gave her a warning look. "Stay inside." He ordered none too softly.

"But I want CC!" The child protested.

Frank looked at his parents. "Make sure she stays with you. I don't know what state I'm going to find Carla in. I don't want Rachel seeing anything she shouldn't." He told them. Then he turned on his heel and went to locate Carla.

Rachel didn't think twice about her next move and before either Anne or Sam could stop her, she had ran off in the same direction as Frank.

She had just reached the steps of the bistro outside just in time to see Carla climb into the drivers seat of Frank's car as the man yelled out to the intoxicated woman. Even at eight years old, Rachel knew it was dangerous for people to drive when they had been drinking alcohol. Tears suddenly filled her eyes as she feared for her mother's safety.

"CC?! What are you doing?!" She yelled and went to walk towards the car.

Frank's head whipped up at the sound of the child's voice and he was quick to shout out to her. "Stay right there! Do not move!" He then climbed into the car and tried but failed to stop Carla from starting the engine and tearing down the street, heading in the direction of the bookies.

Rachel was left frozen in place until she heard the sound of tyres squealing which was soon followed by an almighty crash.

"No! CC!" The frightened child screamed and despite Anne and Sam – who had came out just as the commotion happened – trying to stop her, Rachel had taken off running down the street as she sobbed her heart out in worry.