A/N: I just want to take this opportunity the reiterate that I am certainly no expert on the foster care/adoption system. With that said, I would just like to remind everyone that this purely just a work of fiction and a creative outlet for myself. Therefore, I have taken the liberty of changing things around to fit he narrative of this fanfiction. I hope the people who read this enjoy it and like always, please leave a constructive review or feel free to PM with your thoughts. x

She was having a wonderful dream when she was abruptly awoken. She was just about to step through the doors of 'The Great Hall' at 'Hogwarts' when she felt her shoulder being incessantly shaken back in the real world.

Rachel's eyes flew open and she withheld gasp when her eyes locked with Frank's. She whined and went to bury her face into one of the plush pillows on her parents bed. She clamped her eyes shut but it was no use, she couldn't fall back to sleep and the little girl knew that she would never get to see the outcome of her magical dream.

Frank tutted at her attempt to fall back into a slumber and peeled the covers off of her, being careful not to disturb his fiance who continued to sleep. "Come on, blondie. It's time to get up." He whispered.

The child let out another unhappy whine. "No. There's no school today." She protested.

The woman beside her breathed out and stirred briefly before settling down once more, much to Frank's relief. He leaned over his daughter and whispered into her ear. "I need your help with a surprise for Mummy."

That got Rachel's attention and Frank found himself having to move quickly to avoid a headbutt to the nose when the girl sat up swiftly. He chuckled in amusement when Rachel gave him a wide eyed look, her hair a crazy mess from sleep. "A surprise? What is it?" She asked him. Like any child, Rachel loved surprises – even if they weren't particularly intended for her.

Frank winked and gestured for her to follow him. "You'll have to get out of bed to find out. Come on." He announced and turned his back to leave the room.

"No. Stop. I've got it."

Carla was halfway between being asleep and awake when she heard her daughter's voice. She cracked her eyes open only to close them quickly when she heard the doorknob turn. She could tell by the way Rachel was trying to whisper that whatever she was doing, she was trying not to wake her. Carla decided to fake being asleep still to avoid her child being disappointed.

"I just don't want you to drop anything." That was Frank's voice.

Two pairs of footsteps padded towards Carla's side of the bed and the woman continued to play along until the time was right for her to suddenly 'wake up'.

"Mummy." Rachel whispered. "Wake up, Mummy."

Carla sighed and stretched, a soft smile on her lips as her eyes fluttered open. She was mid yawn when she saw that her daughter was carrying a tray of breakfast and Frank holding a rather large bouquet of flowers. Her stomach rumbled as she looked at the breakfast items on the tray and a waft of coffee drifted up her nose.

"Surprise!" Rachel and Frank exclaimed at the same time.

"Oh wow." Carla breathed out softly as she got herself into a seated position and accepted the tray that was offered to her by her daughter. "This looks great."

Rachel climbed over her mother's legs, being reminded by Frank to be careful not to spill anything. "I buttered the toast and told Frank to make a smiley face out of the bacon and eggs. I wanted to make the coffee but Frank said it was too dangerous." She explained and her nose scrunched up in annoyance, obviously disgruntled about the coffee thing.

Carla offered her daughter a comforting smile and patted her cheek lovingly. "I'm sure it's all going to taste wonderful. I like the smiley face idea." She appeased the girl who beamed in pride and threw herself back into the abundance of pillows piled on the bed.

Frank sat himself down at the end of the bed and held the flowers out towards Carla who accepted them politely. "When did you find time to get these?" She wondered out loud.

Her fiance grinned and shrugged. "I woke up early and the idea came to me. I felt like I was driving for hours until I came across a twenty four hour florist – I didn't even know those existed." He informed her.

It was at that moment that Carla realised that Frank was dressed in some of his more casual clothes – a pair of jeans and a jumper. "I thought we were going to spend the whole weekend at home." She reminded him.

Frank smirked and shot a wink in Rachel's direction. The child sat up and began to bounce gently in anticipation, she clearly knew something she couldn't wait to reveal. "Change of plans."

"What-?"

Before Carla could finish her question, Rachel's excitement got the best of her as she suddenly exclaimed; "We're going to 'Alton Towers'!"

Carla looked to Frank for confirmation and the man nodded before looking down at his watch. He then turned to Rachel who continued to fidget. "Why don't you start getting ready whilst Mummy eats her breakfast? I want to try and get there just before eleven." He suggested.

Rachel nodded enthusiastically and climbed off the bed only to scamper out of the room to get dressed for the adventure filled day ahead of her.

The two adults were left alone in the room and silence filled the space as Carla played with the food on the plate in front of her. Frank sighed when he took note of the fact that his fiance didn't seem too happy with the prospect of their unplanned family day out.

"Hey," He called out to her gently and she looked up at him through her long lashes, "the best plans are the unexpected ones. You should have seen Rachel's face when I told her where we were going. She almost hugged me!"

Carla released a breath of air and closed her eyes briefly. "It's great what you're doing but...I just don't want people to think we're going around without a care in the world. It would be pretty insensitive of us to go swanning off on a fun day out whilst Stella is still laid up in hospital." She voiced her concerns.

Frank patted her legs through the duvet reassuringly. "You're overthinking things, love. We don't even have to go to the street so they will be none the wiser. The only people who will see us are total strangers who will just see two loving parents treating their little girl to a day out." His words seemed to half convince her that the trip would be ok and his next words achieved the goal of getting her fully on board with the idea. "Besides, Rachel knows about it now. She will be crushed if we told her we weren't going after all."

The woman groaned when she heard the truth come from his lips. "You're right. We can't disappoint her like that. Not after the tough week she's had." She agreed. "I just wished you had spoken to me before making all these plans."

"I know but I just wanted to surprise you both. I'm sorry." Frank told her sincerely and Carla smiled to show she forgave him. "Now eat your breakfast. I let Rachel crack the eggs so I hope you don't find any shell."

Carla made quick work of her lovingly prepared breakfast and in less than an hour, the family of three had set off for their day out to the most popular theme park in the north.

Shrieks of laughter and screams of joyful terror filled the air as Carla and her family strolled around 'Alton Towers' later that day. So far the day had been near enough perfect apart from the moment when Rachel had learned that she was too short to go on any of the big roller coasters. She had almost kicked up a fuss but Frank soon distracted her with a classic game of 'Hook A Duck' and the promise that she would be big enough in the near future to go on any ride she desired.

Unfortunately, the girl had been unable to win a prize from the game and had visibly deflated when she realised she had run out of tokens to have another go. Frank, not wanting to risk another hissy fit, slipped the theme park employee a twenty pound note and gestured towards the defeated looking girl.

"Do me a favour? She's been through a rough time lately and she had her heart set on one of those large stuffed meerkats you've got hanging up." Frank whispered to the man. The exchange between her fiance and the man was not missed by Carla who looked on curiously.

The woman rolled her eyes when she realised what Frank was hinting at. 'Typical Frank.' She thought to herself. 'He thinks he can fix anything by throwing money at it.' Though she was slightly irritated by his egotistical nature, she couldn't help but soften when she pictured how happy her daughter would be when she got what she wanted. Maybe Frank was starting to become soft and just wanted to make Rachel happy?

A few feet away from Carla, the middle aged man in charge of the game took pity on the concerned father Frank was portraying himself as, along with the little girl who looked like she was about to hurl the stick she was holding. "Hey, little one. You will never guess what?" The man, whose name tag read 'Jeff', called over to Rachel who looked over at him with her arms crossed and a grumpy frown.

"I don't know if you heard but today we have a promotion on this game. Our hundredth customer gets a free prize of their choice no matter if they win or lose." Jeff came up with an excuse for the gesture he was about to make.

Rachel scowled and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "So?" She asked.

Carla and Frank shared a knowing smile as Jeff smirked at the girl who was unaware of his and her father's cunning plan. "So..." he began as he crouched down in front of her, "you just happen to be my hundredth player! Congratulations!"

The little girl's eyes widened into two reasonably sized saucers. "I am?!" She asked in response to his announcement. Her arms fell to her sides and she began to bounce excitedly on the balls of her feet.

Jeff nodded and hummed in confirmation. "You are. Now pick a prize, any prize!" He told her and gestured to the prizes hung up around the stand as he stood up from his crouched position.

Rachel looked over at Carla who nodded just as Frank wrapped an arm around his fiance's waist. The little girl wasted no time and promptly pointed to the large meerkat she had been determined to win in the first place. "That one!" She near demanded and Frank cleared his throat as a subtle reminder about manners. Rachel blushed and gave Jeff a sheepish smile. "I mean...can I have the big meerkat please?"

A chuckle escaped Jeff's lips and he got to work unhooking the toy in order to hand it over to it's new owner. "There you go. You take care of him now. He's my best one." He ordered as Rachel clutched the stuffed animal tightly to her chest. Carla resisted a snicker at the sight of her daughter holding the thing. Her new friend was almost the same size as her little frame.

'Either me or Frank will end up carrying it around for the rest of the day, no doubt.' Carla thought to herself and if she was right, she would make sure Frank was the one to lug the newly acquired companion around. After all, it was down to him that the toy belonged to their daughter.

Rachel skipped over to her parents and showed them what she had just 'won'. "I'm going to sleep with JJ every night." She informed them.

Carla couldn't help but be positively affected by her daughter's infectious happiness. "JJ? What does that stand for?" She enquired.

The eight year old looked back at the vendor of the game and smiled. "I called him Jeff Junior after Mr Jeff – I saw his name tag – but I'm going to call him JJ because it's easier." Her smile fell slightly and a look of uncertainty flashed in her blue orbs when Jeff – the human – looked a little embarrassed. "I hope that's ok? You said he was you favourite so I thought it would be nice if he had your name."

Jeff relaxed and gave the little girl a friendly wink. "I'm flattered, little one."

With 'thank yous' and 'have a nice days' exchanged, the small family left and went for a light lunch consisting of hot dogs and chips which was washed down with cold cola. Carla had smirked at Frank who waved her off when he had given in and allowed Rachel's request of the fizzy beverage. After lunch, they had let their stomachs settle and had watched one of the live shows the park put on. However after sitting for a significant amount of time, Rachel had become restless and was eager to explore the rides she was allowed on.

They had just gotten off a kiddie coaster which was designed to look like a train – something Rachel had pointed out that her 'Pops' AKA Roy Cropper would like – when they came across an ice cream van.

"Ohhh, can we get ice cream?" Rachel asked and tugged on Carla's hand in an attempt to pull her towards the stationary vehicle.

Carla looked to her partner unsure and he shrugged as if to say 'it's your call'. She sighed when it looked like today their roles were being reversed. Frank had been giving in to the child's every whim the whole day and although she loved to see her daughter happy, Carla couldn't help but think that Frank had ulterior motives.

Another pull on her arm alerted her to the fact that Rachel was still waiting for her to come up with a decision over her desire for the cold treat. Carla sighed as she addressed her hyperactive child. "I'm sorry, darlin' but I think you've had enough treats for one day. You had a big bag of candy floss and you've got that candy dummy thing as well. You've also had three cola's. Don't you think that's enough sugar? We don't want your teeth to fall out, do we?" As much as she loved spoiling her daughter, even she knew there should be limits.

Rachel pouted and continued to beg but no matter how much she said please and fluttered her eyelashes, her mother remained steadfast.

Eventually, Rachel turned to more extreme tactics. She pulled her hand out of her mother's and stomped her foot. "It's not fair!" She exclaimed the old adage so loud that people close by glanced over in their direction.

Carla, in her annoyance, went to snap back but Frank acted quickly and pulled out some money from his wallet. The last thing he wanted was for him and his family to become a spectacle in a heavily populated location. He was determined that they weren't going to that type of family. He preferred they saved the dramatics for when there were no witnesses.

"Come here, blondie." Frank beckoned the girl over and she reluctantly stepped closer to him – not without giving her mother daggers out of the corner of her eye. She looked down at the ground when she thought that Frank was probably going to tell her off. The exact opposite happened however, as Frank lifted her chin and looked her in the eyes. "If you apologise to your mother for yelling at her you can get an ice cream but this will be the last sweet you will be getting for the rest of the day, do I make myself clear?"

Rachel nodded quickly to show she understood and turned to her mother. She drew in a deep breath as she hugged Carla around the waist. She hated when she upset her mother and she knew that her actions just a few moments beforehand had, in fact, upset Carla. "I'm sorry for shouting, Mummy." Rachel mumbled out and relaxed when she felt Carla wrap her arms around her and kiss the top of her head in response.

Carla pushed her daughter back gently and held her face in her hands. "I forgive you, baby. Just try not to behave like that again. I know you were angry but that doesn't mean you have the right to be disrespectful. You know how sad it makes me when you don't listen and you didn't listen very well just then, did you?" She lectured softly. Carla inwardly rolled her eyes at herself. Did it really take one little eight year old girl to turn her so soft?

Rachel looked away from her mother's green eyes briefly before nodding her head. "I know. I'm sorry again." She lamented.

The mother and daughter shared another hug and then Rachel stepped back of her own accord to show Carla the money Frank had given to her. "Frank gave me money to get ice cream but...I won't get it if you say 'no'." She told the older female innocently but of course, Carla could never deny her daughter's puppy dog eyes.

Carla sighed and rolled her eyes at her own weak resolve. "Ok. Go get your ice cream." She told the girl who whooped for joy.

Rachel hugged her mother and then – surprisingly - Frank before stepping back. "Thank you! Can I get two scoops? I want chocolate and bubblegum."

Frank and Carla shared a look, both thinking the pairing of flavours was slightly odd, before Frank responded. "You can but only if you get myself and your mummy a cone each as well. I fancy vanilla and Mummy will have mint choc chip, right?" He looked back at Carla and linked arms with her just as she smirked and nodded in confirmation to his assumption

The little girl nodded and hurried over to claim a spot in the line for the ice cream van. Carla and Frank made sure to keep a careful eye on her as they followed her tracks at a much slower pace of their own. They came to a stop just beside the line and Carla sighed and rested her head on her fiance's shoulder.

"I haven't seen her smile like that in a few days. I've missed it." Carla spoke her thoughts out loud.

Frank hummed and turned to face her. He wrapped his arms securely around her waist and she placed both of her hands on either of his shoulders in response. "I will do virtually anything to make sure that smile stays there. That's what today has been all about. I know I've indulged her a bit too much today but seeing her cheesy little grin is worth the sugar rush." Frank told her in a near whisper before he became slightly more serious. "I love our little family, Carla and no one is ever going take your or my daughter away from me. No one."

Carla heard the dark edge in his voice but chose to put it down to protectiveness as opposed to possessiveness. Caught up in the moment of bliss, she soon found herself responding to the kiss Frank pressed to her lips. They only drew apart when wolf whistles could be heard from a rowdy group of teenagers somewhere off in the distance. The couple pulled apart but remained in each other's arms and decided it would be best to check on their daughter.

Rachel was looking over in their direction and the little girl rolled her eyes at them when their gazes settled on her. She gave a small wave in response to Carla's own before looking away.

"Are those your parents? They were just kissing. That is so embarrassing." A voice asked from behind her.

The eight year old turned only to come face to face with a boy who appeared to be a year or two older than her. "Yeah. So gross." She agreed. "She's my mum but he isn't my dad. He's just the guy my mum is going to marry. They adopted me a few months ago."

The boy smiled at her and she was surprised when he didn't tease her for being adopted. That was the usual reaction she faced when she told the other kids at school the truth. Hence why her only friends were Faye and Simon who both had experiences with being raised by non-biological parents.

"Adopted? That's so cool." The boy claimed.

Rachel's nose scrunched up. "Really? People usually make fun of me when I tell them I'm adopted." She admitted.

The older child waved off her concerns. "Nah. I think it's pretty neat because it means your mum and dad thought you were special enough to be their kid."

The little girl thought over his words and nodded. "I guess you're right but I think my mum is more special than me. I was lucky to find her." She told him honestly.

"So if they both adopted you, how comes he isn't your dad?" The boy asked curiously.

Rachel sighed and shrugged. "Sometimes he's mean and sometimes I think that he only adopted me so my mum wouldn't dump him. He only does nice things like taking us out and buying us expensive stuff when he's messed up and wants my mum to forgive him." She explained sadly.

Her companion for the wait in line shrugged. "That sounds like a pretty good deal – apart from when he's mean, obviously."

Rachel rolled her eyes at him in response. "It's not because I don't think my mum actually loves him."

The boy hummed and nodded. "Well, I guess that isn't good. You're supposed to love the person you marry. Maybe your mum doesn't realise what's going on? You should show her what Frank is really like."

It was then that an idea occurred to Rachel who mindlessly shuffled forward in the line. "I think you're right." She said almost to herself as she thought of a plan to get rid of Frank once and for all.

It turned out that Frank had actually booked them into one of the themed hotel rooms at the theme park they had visited. At first Carla protested and pointed out that they didn't have any spare clothes or nightwear but she soon caved when Frank told her that he had taken the liberty of packing them all some belongings for the mini adventure. Although she was momentarily appeased, she couldn't help but feel slightly put out when she came to the realisation that he had failed to discuss the matter with her until it was too late. She was reminded of the occasion when he had gone behind her back and started applying for their daughter's passport. Surely she should be consulted on things like important documents and hotel stays? They were supposed to be equals, after all.

By the next morning, Carla had pushed these thoughts out of her mind as they arrived home. She chalked up his choices as those coming from a man who just wanted to surprise his family and decided she would talk to him and request that he talk to he about big decisions in the future.

Once they got up to their flat, Rachel went straight up to her room to do god only knew what which left Carla and Frank alone downstairs. They had just settled themselves on the couch with a coffee when Carla drew in a deep breath.

"Something on your mind?" Frank asked as he wrapped an arm around Carla and drew her into his side.

Carla looked down at the mug she was grasping as she responded. "I'm sorry for what I said the other day – about you controlling me." She told him.

Frank released his own breath and squeezed her shoulder. "I've told you. That's all in the past. There's something else on your mind, I can tell."

His fiance sat up and placed her mug on the coffee table. "About this weekend...I know you wanted to surprise us and I know Rachel really enjoyed herself." She began.

The man pinched the bridge of his nose before throwing his head back in exasperation. "Why do I sense a 'but' coming?" He asked knowingly.

"I just..." Carla hesitated as she thought over how to word her next statement without causing him any offence, "I just wished you had consulted me that's all. Sometimes I just feel like you're making all of the decisions."

Frank sat up and clasped her hands tightly in his own. "Carla...it was a trip to a theme park. It was hardly life changing." He told her.

Carla closed her eyes to hide her annoyance. He obviously wasn't looking at it from her point of view. "I know and I really appreciate the thought behind it but well..." She paused and then decided to bite the bullet and continued, "it's like the whole passport thing."

Her fiance frowned and shook his head. "The passport thing? What are you referring to?" He asked.

A moisturised hand cupped his cheek as Carla attempted to soften the blow she felt like she was about to spring on him. "Well...I thought that we should have had a discussion before we applied for our child's passport together. We hadn't even spoken about going anywhere until just before you waved the half filled out form at me." She reminded him as gently as possible.

Frank reached up and held her hand in his own before lowering it so he could sandwich the smaller appendage in his larger ones. "I did that to surprise you. I'm sorry if that seemed like I was controlling things." He hesitated before saying what he knew she wanted him to say, "look, if it makes you feel better, I'll make it a point to consult you more often...unless it's for your birthday or Christmas or Valentine's Day. On those occassions I'm going to have to reserve the right to keep my cards close to my chest, I'm afraid." He finished off light heartedly.

Carla let out a soft laugh and smiled. "That's fair enough." She compromised. "Other than that...no more secrets."

"No more secrets." Frank agreed.

Halfway through the following week, Stella came round from the coma much to the relief of everyone on the street. This helped Carla to relax a bit more which was helped by the fact that her own injuries had near enough healed. However on the Wednesday, Carla had received a rather off putting phone call from Jackie – Rachel's old social worker.

"It's just, I thought we wouldn't be getting any more visits. The adoption went through months ago." Carla paced the office of Underworld as she fretted over the fact that Jackie had requested a meeting with them the next day.

Frank sighed and put down the pen he was holding as he watched her walk up and down restlessly. "Carla, relax it's probably just protocol. Jackie knows Rachel is well taken care of by us. I'm sure she's just following the rules. We should be thankful that our daughter has someone like that in her corner." He assured her.

His fiance finally stopped her fidgeting and sat down in the chair facing his. "I know. You're right." Carla sighed. "But someone must have told social services about the crash." She added as an afterthought.

The following afternoon, the family arrived home just after four. Frank and Carla had closed the factory early so they could collect their daughter together. They had broken the news about Jackie's pending visit to the girl the night before after they had their tea and they decided that maybe it would help settle Rachel's nerves if they were both there to greet her after school.

"Go change out of your uniform and start on your homework. I'll be up in a bit with your after school snack. What do you fancy today?" Carla spoke as they entered the flat that Thursday afternoon.

Rachel looked up thoughtfully and tapped her chin as she hummed in contemplation. "Apple slices? And blackcurrant squash please."

Her mother smiled and nodded. "Sounds good. Now go on. Up you go."

The little girl headed up to her room and the two adults went over to the kitchen area. Carla got to work preparing the requested snack and Frank watched her fluid movements intently.

"Want me to rustle you up something?" He asked her softly.

Carla shook her head as she chopped the 'Granny Smith' into bite sized slices – just the way Rachel liked them. "I feel too sick to eat." She told him offhandedly.

Frank sighed and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "You skipped lunch earlier and you barely touched your breakfast this morning. The nausea is probably down to the fact that there's barely anything in your system right now." He pointed out.

His fiance huffed as she placed the apple pieces onto a small side plate and shrugged out of his hold so she could pour a glass of squash from the pitcher in the fridge. "No I just know if I eat anything, I will throw up." She told him offhandedly.

A thought suddenly occurred to Frank and he turned her around to face him. "You're not...you know..." He trailed off and glanced down at her stomach pointedly before looking back up into her eyes with hope swimming in his brown orbs.

Carla scoffed and shook her head. "Not this again." She muttered as she briskly picked up the glass and plate and headed towards the stairs.

She had just reached the bottom step when Frank called out to her. "Well is there any chance you-"

"No, Frank! I am not pregnant!" Carla ground out hoping her daughter didn't hear. "Why is it that whenever a woman feels sick for seemingly no reason, everyone assumes that they're up the flamin' duff?" She asked more to herself.

Frank held his hands up defensively. "I'm sorry it's just...it's not been just the sickness you've been experiencing. You've been snapping a lot more than usual and-"

Carla rolled her eyes in frustration and let out a hot breath. "Read my lips." She told him. "I. Am. Not. Pregnant." The words were said slowly and with so much certainty, Frank knew she was telling him the truth. "I'm nervous, Frank. The social worker we thought we got shot of months ago is going to be here in under an hour so I do apologise if I've been stressed." She spat sarcastically.

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped the gun." Frank relented and left her to carry on up the stairs to deliver the snack to their daughter.

As Carla had pointed out to him, Jackie arrived less than an hour after they arrived home from the school run. Carla and Frank, along with Rachel, greeted the woman by the door with nervous smiles plastered across their faces.

Jackie, sensing their nerves, let out a small chuckle and nodded in thanks to Frank who took her jacket in order to hang it up. "Relax, guys. I can feel the nerves seeping out of your pores. This is just a catch up." She assured and then gave Rachel a subtle once over, "wow, little miss! You've grown so much. Your CC and Frank haven't been pumping you up with steroids, have they?" Carla's face fell at the joke and went to protest before Jackie let out another amused chuckle, "relax, Carla. I was kidding."

Carla let out her own breathy laugh and smiled at Frank who had an arm wrapped around her waist and his other hand rested on Rachel's shoulder. "Would you like a brew?" The nervous woman asked and broke away from Frank when Jackie said she would love one. The dark haired woman went to the kitchen to make everyone drinks and watched out of the corner of her eye as Frank and the social worker settled down in the living room area.

Soon enough, three teas were made along with a a fresh glass of blackcurrant squash for Rachel. Carla balanced a tray with practised ease as she headed to the area where the rest of the flat's occupants were gathered. She had just placed the tray of drinks on the coffee table when she saw that Rachel was still standing.

Without thinking, Carla automatically spoke to her daughter; "sit next to Daddy."

Rachel frowned and scrunched up her nose at her mother referring to Frank as her 'daddy'. Thankfully the look was missed by Jackie who was busy stirring some sugar into her tea. Carla beckoned her daughter towards her and lowered them both onto the couch so that the little girl was sandwiched between herself and Frank.

Jackie took a sip of her beverage before placing the cup onto a coaster that was on the coffee table. "So...I'm not going to beat around the bush. The reason why I'm here is just to see how you're all managing after the accident last week." She stated.

Carla sat forwards slightly at this. "Yeah you said as much on the phone it's just...I'm confused as to how you found out about it?" She asked with a frown.

The other woman gave her a comforting smile. "Well...whilst the police were investigating they discovered that Rachel had recently been adopted by you guys and because it's been less than a year since the adoption was finalised, they were obligated to alert my department." She explained gently.

Frank and Carla shared a look and the dark haired woman sighed in relief as she turned back to focus on the social worker. She had first thought that someone they knew from the street had reported them but she thanked God that it wasn't the case. "People have car crashes all the time. You're telling me none of those people are parents?" She couldn't help the slightly agitated tone in her voice.

Jackie, as if expecting this question, was quick to assure the obviously on edge woman before her. "The only reason I'm here is because Rachel was reportedly at the scene so we just need to be aware of what actually happened."

Carla went to protest the invasion of their family's privacy but Frank chose that moment to make his presence known. "It's ok, love. It's like I told you earlier, Jackie is only just following the procedures that are put in place to protect children." He placated his fiance and Jackie nodded in agreement. "I hope you don't mind, Jackie but I'm going to have to fill you in on what happened. Carla blacked out and sustained a minor head injury during the crash so the details are rather fuzzy for her." Frank addressed the social worker.

"That's absolutely fine, Mr Foster. Go ahead." Jackie told him.

Frank went on to tell her the tale he had spun for the police and by the end, Jackie seemed completely understanding.

"And Rachel herself wasn't in the car?" Jackie double checked as she wrote down some notes.

Frank shook his head in the negative and wrapped an arm around the girl beside him. "No. She was back at the bistro with her grandparents, thank god. It's bad enough our friend and neighbour became unintentional collateral damage...I don't think I could have ever forgiven myself if my little blondie had been hurt too." He told the woman hoping he was coming across as the loving father he was attempting to portray.

"But she saw Carla unconscious in the car? And Miss Price laying in the road?" Jackie asked.

The dark haired man sighed and pressed a kiss to Rachel's temple. "Unfortunately...yes. She had been told to stay with my parents just before we left the bistro but...you know what kids are like. Rachel heard the crash and managed to get away whilst my Mum and Dad's backs were turned for a split second. I tried to protect her from seeing anything too graphic and my parents were quick to arrive on the scene themselves so they were keeping an eye on her during the chaos that followed." He drew in a deep breath, "It's as I said, I deeply regret everything that happened that night and I'm just thankful I haven't been charged with anything that will end up with me getting a custodial sentence. I would have been crushed if I was torn away from my family just as it was starting out."

"Well, I'm glad we've got this all cleared up. I do have some questions for Miss Rachel though, if you don't mind?" Jackie stated more than asked as she looked between Carla and Frank.

Frank cleared his throat and nodded. "Of course. Do Carla and I need to leave the room?" He asked.

"That's up to the little one." She told him and then looked at Rachel who had remained silent throughout the whole meeting. "Do you want your mummy and daddy to leave or would you prefer them to stay?"

Rachel clung onto her mother's arm at the question put to her. "Stay." She mumbled out as she curled up into Carla's side. She didn't particularly care if Frank stayed just so long as Carla did. The little girl closed her eyes when she felt Carla's fingers running through one of her pigtails.

Jackie smiled reassuringly and nodded in acceptance. "Ok, well...my first question is; how is the new school?" She asked, deciding it was best to start off with the easy stuff and then slowly work her way up to the slightly more hard hitting questions.

The little girl smiled at the thought of Bessie Street which was way better than her old school. "It's good. My teacher is really nice and most of the kids are ok. I've made two best friends Faye – she's adopted too – and...Simon." She trailed off a little sadly at the thought of the boy whom she hadn't spoken to in days.

The social worker continued to ask about what the girl had been up to since their last meeting and Rachel told her almost everything but made sure to focus on just the good stuff. Before long however, Jackie eventually got onto the subject of more recent events.

"How are you getting on after the crash? I know this is a tough one so take your time." Jackie spoke gently.

Rachel fidgeted and when she couldn't get comfortable, she practically forced herself into Carla's lap. "I was scared at first because Mummy got hurt but now she's better so I don't feel so scared any more." She looked up at Carla who remained silent but still managed a smile and kissed her on the forehead. The little girl then peaked over at Jackie. "Sometimes I still get nightmares but then Mummy gives me cuddles and I fall back to sleep without any more nightmares. They've gotten better now that I've got JJ as well."

Jackie looked at the two parents who let out their own respective snorts of laughter. "I'm sorry, who's JJ?" She asked.

Frank shook his head as he scooted closer to Carla. "He's Rachel's new favourite stuffed animal – a meerkat of all things. He's almost the size of her and takes up half the space on her bed but she loves him. She won it on a game of 'Hook A Duck' at 'Alton Towers'." He explained.

"I named him after the man in charge of the game. His name was Jeff but my Jeff is just a baby so he's Jeff Junior but I call him JJ for short." Rachel put in her two pennies which put Jackie's focus back on her.

"He sounds wonderful." The woman told the girl who nodded in agreement. "Well..." Jackie spoke as she stood up from the armchair she had been sat in, "you all seem to be doing just fine considering everything that's happened which I will happily report back to my superiors."

Carla and Frank sighed in relief as they too stood up. Rachel remained in her mother's arms despite Carla trying to put her down. The mother felt a pang in her chest when her little girl whined in indignation at her attempt to lower her to the floor and rubbed Rachel's back comfortingly as herself and Frank saw the social worker to the door. Carla had a feeling that Rachel would once again be sleeping in with them that night and inwardly cursed. It had only been a couple of nights ago that Rachel had started to sleep in her own bed again since the crash. She just knew that Jackie's sudden reappearance would unintentionally cause a set back in her baby's sleep routine.

Jackie, not knowing the damage her presence could have potentially caused, wished them luck on their rapidly approaching wedding day and said her goodbyes before leaving the family to enjoy the rest of their evening.