Signal Fire

by Cait98

For those of you that have Read, 'Two Beds and a Coffee Machine's thank you so much! That went on longer than I imagined, but I am not done. Thank you everyone for reading! The rollercoaster goes on!

Signal Fire

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at /works/55490755.

Rating:

Mature

Archive Warning:

Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Category:

F/F

Fandoms:

Trigger Point (TV 2022), Stranger Things (TV 2016), Doctor Who

(2005), Wednesday (TV 2022), Waterloo Road (TV)

Characters:

Eleven Jane Hopper, Lana Washington, Kate Fleming (Line of Duty),

Ghostface (Scream)

Language:

English

Series:

Part 2 of The Universe Crashed and Then Burned Again

Stats:

Published: 2024-04-26 Words: 167,112 Chapters: 68/?

Signal Fire

by Super_Luthor

Summary

A continuation of Two Beds and A Coffee Machine

Notes

For those of you that have Read, 'Two Beds and a Coffee Machine's thank you so much! That

went on longer than I imagined, but I am not done. Thank you everyone for reading!

The rollercoaster goes on!

The Birth

Six Months had passed since Kate's sentencing. It was November 25th. El had been in

college since September. After mostly passing her GCSE exams, apart from mathematics

which she was now studying alongside her course. Of course, El also received additional

support where needed, but when she joined her course, it was a huge change. Attending

Salford College was a change, but luckily for her, both Enid and Wednesday followed. Before

she attended college, El was extremely indecisive about what she wanted to study, so instead,

she decided to study public services. This course offered a look into a variety of careers

within the public sector, allowing El to experiment and find out what she could and could not

do physically. Despite everything, she did find that she was enjoying the course.

Over the last six months, it was hard for everyone to get used to their new roles and their new

way of life, but it settled down after a few months. El had gotten her head down to do her

exams, Nikki had gotten back into teaching for a while and Jo was back in the force. Despite

their arguments, Nikki and Jo had started to see each other in private after three months, in

September, just after El had started college.

Nancy was now so close to popping her next child out, and Skye was loving life going to

play school and making friends. Once a month, Nancy, Nikki and El had made a point to go

and visit Steve's graveside, and privately, Nikki would go and visit her sister once everyone

else had gone. That wasn't to say that there weren't days when El was at college that Nikki

went to see and speak to Steve by herself.

Both El and Nikki had found their groove. Today, it was Saturday 25th of November. Both El

and Nikki were making cookies and doing various baking activities while Nancy was sitting

on the sofa reading a book about a soldier serving in the second world war. She had made a

mental note to ask Kate about some of the things she had read, though she knew it was

fictitious.

As she was sitting there, she suddenly felt some discomfort in her stomach, but they were not

reaching contractions yet. They were close though.

Nikki, who was busy chatting away to El, notices that Nancy looks in some pain. The

concern on her face grows and she asks, 'Hey Nancy, is everything okay?'

Nancy wasn't sure herself, but then she feels a contraction that makes her drop the book she

was reading. Sitting forward, Nancy almost cursed under her breath, 'Nikki.' She gasped,

'You might need to put on that midwife cap again.'

The colour drained from Nikki's face. Her heart was racing away now as she panicked.

Quickly, she grabbed her phone from beside the microwave, but she wasn't sure who she was

going to phone, but one thing was certain, 'Oh no…Not again…I don't have a Kate, or a

Steve, who else can I call?' She was very much panicking, 'What about your parents? Where

are they?'

El continued stirring her cookie mixture, just watching on as Nikki had her meltdown. It was

quite something to experience.

Nancy meanwhile, shook her head whilst gritting her teeth through the pain she was feeling,

'My parents are on holiday so there is no point in contacting them, it looks like it's going to

have to be Jo.'

El wandered over now, she was wondering what was going on, 'Nikki…What's going on with

Nancy?'

Nikki gave her a reassuring smile, 'She's okay poppet, just go and finish baking those

cookies, yeah?'

Without a further care, El shrugged and walked off, licking the spoon as she did so.

Meanwhile, Nikki was having a meltdown of her own. Running her hand shakily through her

hair, she put her phone against her ear. She was trying to get through to Jo. When Jo picked

up, Nikki explained what was going on and hissed quietly, 'Please, for the love of everything

that is holy, get your arse here now!'

Jo was horrified by the way Nikki was speaking to her. She narrowed her eyes as she listened

to Nikki talking to her, 'And hello to you too.'

'Come to the flat. Now.' Nikki was short and straight to the point.

'Every time we see each other, you say it's over. You're like a yo-yo.' Jo replied with great

sarcasm.

'Jo, Nancy has gone into labour and I really need an extra pair of hands. I don't have Kate,

and I don't have Steve! Nancy's parents are also on holiday, please hurry!' There was urgency

in her voice now, and she was panicking so much.

Jo couldn't help but smirk to herself, 'You are aware that I'm a police officer, right? I'm not a

paramedic, although, I could put a request for one.'

'Yes, please, and also Jo.' Nikki hissed, 'THIS IS AN EMERGENCY JO! GET YOUR

ARSE HERE, NOW!'

Jo sighed, 'Alright! Alright! Keep your knickers on, I'll be over shortly. I'll put in a request

for an ambulance too. Geez.'

'I swear.' Nikki uttered, 'Make it now, or I swear to God, Jasmine finds out!'

'Did you not hear what I said?!' Jo snapped back, 'There's no need for the blackmail!' She

then ended the call before putting in a request for the ambulance. Moments later, she fled to

the carpark.

Five minutes later, Jo had arrived. When she walked into the living room, she saw that Nancy

was sitting on the floor. Her legs were spread out and it was clear that she was in a great deal

of pain. Nikki was kneeling beside her, surrounded by towels, whilst El remained in the

kitchen baking cookies.

Jo walked over to Nancy, crouching beside her after she took off her coat and dropped her

bag on the sofa. Jo met her gaze and smiled nervously, 'Hey Nancy, how far apart are the

contractions, sweetie?'

Nancy felt like she was hanging onto life itself, she was in so much pain, 'They're a little far

apart for the minute, but they're getting stronger.' a moment later, a contraction hit her and

another hit in quick succession.

Both Nikki and Jo looked to see if Nancy was crowning at all. Jo comments that there is an

ambulance on the way, but it would be there in half an hour because it's a busy day for them.

El came to stand in the living room, being nosey, seeing how everything was playing out.

While both women were still checking for crowning, Nancy's waters suddenly broke,

splashing them in the face.

Jo pulled away immediately while water dripped down her face. Looking back at Nikki, she

was glaring at her, 'Did you ask Nancy if her waters broke?!'

Nikki was trying not to gag as she replied, 'No…' She was trying her hardest not to gag, 'No

Jo, I did not, but we have the answer now '

Nancy had gone bright red in the face, deeply embarrassed about what had happened, but she

couldn't help but laugh at the looks on their faces, 'I am so sorry!' Momentarily, she forgot

about the deep pain she was in, but then El ran over with her phone and she snapped a picture

of Nikki and Jo. She wanted to brag about this moment, and she also found it hilarious,

'Mom is going to love this!'

Jo grabbed a towel and wiped her face. She then addressed Nancy, with a small smile, 'At

least we know things are moving, but remember your breathing. When you feel the urge to

push, you go girl, alright?'

Jo now moved up, so that she was facing Nancy.

'I wish Steve was here.' Nancy laughed sadly, 'He'd have told me to crush his hand if I was

in pain.' She was breathless now, but the. Jo offered her own hand to her.

'Now, I'm no Steve, but you can have my hand.'

They both exchanged a smile and Nancy took Jo's hand into her own. It was then that the pair

timed the contractions together. After half an hour, the contractions became more regular and

stronger. Despite the vice-like grip Nancy had on her hand, Jo didn't let any pain show,

despite being in agony.

Nikki, meanwhile, was keeping an eye on the business end. Eventually, she began to see the

top of the baby's head. The moment she did, her heart raced even more, this was the moment,

this was it, the baby was very nearly here. Gleefully, despite feeling terrified, Nikki alerted

them to what she was seeing, 'Here we go, I can see the top of the head!' She smiled, looking

back at her.

Jo locked eyes with Nancy now. There was all the reassurance in the world written all over

Jo's face, 'Here we are, the final few pushes, you can do it, next contractions, keep pushing!'

Nancy nodded, despite the sweat covering her face and hair she then squeezed Jo's hand

tightly and began pushing. As she did so, she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Both Nikki and Jo were cheering Nancy on, praising her, giving her the motivation she

needed to carry on.

'Head is nearly out!' Nikki shouted, already having a blanket ready to catch the infant once

they became free of their mother's body, 'Another couple of pushes and we'll be done!' She

beamed.

Jo, motivated, reminded Nancy to push when she felt ready to. Nancy pushed, screaming as

she did so. The two older women were praising Nancy, motivating her to keep going.

"Head is nearly out!" Nikki shouted, having a blanket ready underneath, to catch the infant.

"I would say another couple pushes and we'll be done!"

After a further three impressive pushes, the infant was out. Breathlessly, she fell back against

the front of the sofa. Jo stroked her forehead and smiled at her, 'You did it! You did such a

great job!'

'Well done.' Nikki congratulated Nancy as she cleaned off the infant before wrapping them

up. The baby began to cry moments later and both women were so overjoyed. Nikki then

handed the infant to Nancy in a little bundle, 'You have a beautiful baby boy.'

All three women were almost overcome with emotion. Now knowing that Nancy had a boy, it

felt to them all that Steve really was there in spirit with them.

As Jo looked down, she smiled, 'He's gorgeous.' She swallowed the lump in her throat as she

looked at the infant.

'He's got Steve's nose.' Nancy laughed as she gently stroked her son's tiny nose. She then

smiled sadly and spoke softly, 'He's beautiful.'

Jo looked between Nikki and Nancy. Her eyes landed back on Nancy, 'He's probably looking

down on you right now, and I tell you something…He would be so proud of you. Both of

you.'

Nikki then laughed, 'And he'd be complaining about his hand.'

All three women then laughed. They had fond memories of the last time they were here.

It was then that El walked over and took a picture of mother and son. She then looked back at

it and smiled, 'That's a wonderful picture.' She then showed it to Nancy. Immediately,

Nancy's eyes began to water, seeing the photo. It felt wrong. Steve was missing from this

picture and it was felt among all of them.

'I'll send the photo to you.' El commented. She then showed it to Nikki and then Jo. The pair

also agreed. After El had sent it, she commented, 'You can also send it to your parents

nancy.'

It was ten seconds until Nancy's phone buzzed as the photo that El had just sent came

through.

After Nikki had cut the umbilical cord, it was another five minutes until the ambulance

arrived to take both Nancy and the new infant to the hospital. Jo had been first to volunteer

taking the ambulance with Nancy, and both El and Nikki would follow behind in the car.

Visit Day

Later in the evening, Nancy was in a hospital bed. She was staying overnight just for

observations and so that the midwives could check over the newborn infant to make sure that

he was healthy. After the trauma of giving birth again, Nancy was incredibly tired, though

she did have the image in her head of Jo and Nikki getting hit in the face with her natural

waters. That memory made her smile whenever she thought about it. it was coming up to

8pm, Jo had gone home to Jasmine to have dinner, and it was getting close to the time for El

and Nikki to leave.

Nikki had grabbed another cup of coffee from a machine and she passed a cup of hot

chocolate for El. They both sat either side of Nancy's bed while she slept. Fondly, Nikki

recalled the last time she was a midwife to Skye. The fact she had done this twice had her

hoping she wouldn't have to do it a third, 'You've got a nephew now too.' She smiled.

El nodded sleepily. She had become exhausted too, but she was also hungry. Gently, she

replied to Nikki, 'Steve's final baby.'

'Sweetheart.' Nikki sighed gently, 'It's okay…And Steve would have found what happened

earlier hilarious.' She smiled.

This coaxed a small laugh from El, 'He would.'

'Do you want to head home now? It has been a long day for you.' Nikki commented.

Slowly, El got to her feet and agreed, 'My bed sounds nice.'

'Alright then squishy…Come on.' Nikki then got to her feet and kissed Nancy's forehead,

quietly wishing her a goodnight, before then heading off with El.

It was a long day, but Nikki was sure a quick trip to MacDonald's on the way home would

perk her up a bit.

…

When Saturday came around, El and Nikki went on their twice-monthly visit to see Kate, and

boy did El have some stories to tell her mum.

Nikki had agreed with Kate that El should see her twice a month. They would have decided

on every week, but the distance to travel was a lot of money for them, so twice a month was a

happy compromise.

El had also brought some photos of the new baby, who Nancy, still had yet to name.

As usual, Nikki and El sat in the visiting room waiting for Kate to arrive, to come and see

them. Nikki had excused herself so that she could grab Kate a cup of tea before she came to

sit down. Of course, she had asked if El wanted any snacks, to which, El always said yes.

Minutes later, Kate had arrived, walking from the back of the room. Her face, as usual, lit up

when she set her eyes on her daughter and her lover. As she made her way over, she weaved

in-between tables and once she'd reached the pair, she gave them a big hug. El had clung on

longer, until she let go and sat down.

After Kate had sat down, she quickly began speaking, addressing Nikki, 'Sorry, I was meant

to call, but they've been messing about with the lines. So…' She'd picked up the styrofoam

cup and took a sip, looking between them both now, 'What have you terrors been up to?' She

smiled then, as she set her eyes on El, 'Have you got your exam results yet?'

El's jaw dropped, 'I knew you were old…but…'

Kate raised her brows then, 'I'm joking with ya'. How's college?'

'Well.' El began with much excitement, 'I still don't know what I wanna do with my life,

and…I know, I know that I have forever to think about it…But I'm still looking at my

options.'

'Whatever you do, you still have us lot backing you.' Kate smiled, 'Have you heard anything

from Robbie?'

'Robbie Schmobbie.' El scoffed, 'He will come crawling back to me, and I'm far from just

taking him back!' She then laughed, 'I've been so happy the last few months. I hope he's

happy too, I just wish that he'd call or whatever.' There was a tinge of sadness, but Nikki

nudged her.

'Who needs men, eh?' She smiled, 'Women are better.'

Kate could tell that she was despairing and missing Robbie. She was also glad that El had

Nikki as support. Gently, she smiled, 'Speaking of women, what has been going on in the

household since we last saw each other?'

It was then that El had a cheeky grin. She looked back at Nikki, and Nikki went red in the

face.

'Don't you dare!' Nikki hissed playfully.

'Fine! I won't, I won't.' El laughed, 'Yet.'

Kate was so confused, 'Am I missing something?'

'First of all, you are Nana again, this time to a beautiful baby boy.' Nikki smiled, 'He hasn't

got a name yet, but he is three days old and he has Steve's nose.'

Kate was taken back by the news of her new grandson. She didn't think Nancy was due yet. If

anything, it filled her with immense pride and joy. Hearing about Steve after such a long

time, though it still put a lump in her throat, this was a happy occasion, but like Jo didn't want

to see Skye as a baby in prison, she didn't want the same for her and Nancy's new one, but a

part of her did want to see the infant while they were still tiny.

El must have been reading Kate's thoughts, because she leaned across the table and slid a

photo to her that she had printed, 'This is him.' She smiled, 'He cries a lot when he is

hungry.'

Kate picked up the photo and took a good look at it, smiling as she took in the features on his

face. She laughed as she looked at his nose, 'He's beautiful…And he does have Steve's nose.'

She smiled, 'As for the hunger, like father like son, eh? Your brother had always been a right

ganet.'

'But it gets better.' El laughed, 'Because Nikki had to be a midwife again.'

Kate's gaze immediately moved to Nikki, and she could tell how red she was, 'Unlucky.' She

teased, 'How did that go?'

Nikki took a drink of her tea and had no idea how to explain, 'She was reading a book about

the second world war…Nancy, I mean…She wants to ask you questions about that actually-'

'Stay on topic.' El cut in.

'Anyway.' Nikki cleared her throat, 'Nancy had started to have contractions. After giving Jo

a good talking to on the phone, she came over…Because, you know, I didn't want to be a

midwife again…'

'And?' Kate asked, having a feeling there was a punchline coming.

'Jo and I…We hadn't asked Nancy if her waters had actually broken…So…Jo and I…after

asking Nancy if we could check for any crowning or anything…it um…' Nikki rubbed her

neck nervously, 'Like…Like I said, we hadn't asked her if the waters had gone…'

Kate sat up ever so slightly and her face paled, 'Oh…No…Tell me they didn't…'

'And…The…Her waters broke..And…'

'They went all over mom and Nikki's faces!' El laughed, 'It was hilarious!' She then slid

another photo over to Kate, 'I took this seconds later.'

Kate took a good look at the photo. She laughed at both the situation and by how hilarious

the scenario was, 'You are both absolute idiots!'

Nikki was so embarrassed, 'Let's hope I don't end up in that situation again…' She then

looked at El, 'If you ever want babies, make sure that I am not in the room when you go into

labour.'

'Third time's a charm.' Kate commented, earning a scowl from Nikki. She looked back at the

photo and laughed again, 'You're right, Steve A. Should be a midwife next. I'd pay good

money to see that.'

'Thank you.' Nikki breathed, 'Anyway, other than my mishaps, how have you been doing?'

'I'm okay.' Kate nodded, 'Still pissed off that Carmichael walked away with her pension and

everything.'

Nikki tutted, 'You should let that go.'

'How can I? There could still be one suspect out there-'

'There have been no other murders Kate…The case is closed.' Nikki sighed.

'Until it isn't.' Kate uttered, 'This case is far from over.'

'Mom.' El sighed, 'Nothing has happened since…Just let it go…Please. Everything has been

better in the last six months and now you have a grandbaby, so that's something else to look

forward to when you get out.'

Kate sighed softly, 'Sorry baby…' She then looked back at Nikki, 'Sorry.'

Slowly, Nikki nodded, 'It's okay. Nancy wants to see you soon, so if you want to send a

visiting order her way, I'm sure she would love that.'

'I'll send a card too.' Kate commented. She then looked at El with a gentle gaze, 'I'm proud

of you, but I always am.'

Something went unspoken between Nikki and Kate. They both wanted to talk about Max, but

in this context, with the news of the baby, she didn't deserve the time to be brought up in this

context.

Instead, they spent the rest of the time discussing El's studies, what Kate might do upon her

release surrounding a career, which was still far away at this point. They also spoke about

how Jo had gotten her life back on track with Jasmine, of course, Nikki left out the details

about her hot nights with the Scot, but El had something more to say.

'They have sleepovers, we watch a movie, have snacks and mom and Nikki have wine.' El

commented.

This piqued Kate's interest, 'Oh? Movie nights sound fun.' She then looked over at Nikki, 'If

Jo drinks, where does she stay for the night?'

'The sofa.' Nikki commented, 'Seriously, by the end of the night we have probably had two

bottles, and it's more for El…You know?' She laughed sheepishly, 'It's that structure that we

had discussed.'

Kate hadn't thought anything of it, in fact, she thought it was wholesome and she felt like she

was missing out on something, 'No, no…It sounds great actually.' She smiled. It was sad,

because she wished she could be there too, but she didn't let on, 'I imagine Nancy comes over

sometimes?'

'Yeah!' El beamed enthusiastically, 'But her mom picks her up by ten. We do it twice a week

though so it's not too bad.'

'I'm so glad that you're all getting on so well.' Kate smiled, just as a guard called time,

'Unfortunately I have to be going back to my cell, but I've enjoyed seeing you both.'

Kate then got to her feet and hugged the two women in-turn. She held onto El just that little

bit tighter, 'I'll see you in a couple of weeks alright? I love you both.' She kissed El's cheek

and then she gave Nikki a kiss on the lips. She didn't care who saw, some of her inmates

knew she was gay, and if they had a problem, she would deal with it.

'Love you mama.' El smiled sadly.

'I love you too.' Kate smiled, kissing her forehead. She then gave Nikki a hug, 'Love you.'

'I love you too.' Nikki smiled, giving her a squeeze. She then put her arm around El and she

left with her.

Kate kept a hold of the photo of her new grandson, this was something that was extra special

to her and she would cherish it while she was here.

As Nikki was walking away, she was riddled with guilt that she was sleeping with Jo while

Kate was here. She just hoped that Kate bought the sleepover part of her story.

Mis-Step

Walking back to her cell, Kate ran a hand through her hair. She was frustrated that she

couldn't be near her new grandson, but she was going to make amends around that once

Nancy had gotten in touch. She was even more intrigued by the fact that Nancy had questions

about the war. These questions she was also happy to answer for her. Before she got too

distracted by her own thoughts, she overheard a voice that sounded familiar as she walked

through the centre of the prison. Her interest was piqued, whoever it was, it sounded like they

weren't too happy, so naturally, she went to investigate. As she rounded the corner, she saw a

woman being held up against a wall, looking pretty terrified, this was strange, many of the

women in here were pretty hard-faced and guarded, but that's when Kate saw who was

holding the woman against the wall.

Instantly, Kate's blood began to boil. The anger that raged through her was familiar when it

came to the individual in question. Instead of shouting, Kate made her way over to the pair,

and without a second thought, she threw the individual against the wall, keeping her forearm

across her chest with some force, holding her there, 'Bullying people now are ya?! I don't

expect anything less of ya!' She hissed.

The individual Kate had in her grasp now was firstly offended that she had interrupted their

argument, but when she realised who it was that was holding her against the wall now, the

colour from her face dropped. Her mouth went dry as she realised that it was Kate who had a

hold of her. Her voice trembled as she spoke now, 'Mom?'

'That's right.' Kate hissed, 'I didn't think I'd come across you here. Of course, I knew we

were in the same prison, but I knew that if I came looking for you, I'd rip the head from your

shoulders, so I left it.' She was almost breathless now, 'But now look where we are?' She

smiled then, 'I didn't need to come looking for you. What am I going to do with you eh?'

There was a slight laugh then. This side of Kate, Max had never seen before, and it chilled

her to the core. Still Kate continued, 'Prison isn't doing anything for you, and I still need to

know who the last killer is.'

'There might be more now, just biding their time mother.' Max hissed, 'Once I'm out of here,

I might just do it again for the fun of it.'

Kate was baffled by that. When she arrested her, she was remorseful. Kate now wondered

about her meds, had the prison been providing them when Max needed to take them or was

she really a heartless monster?

'You're winding me up, right? You…When I arrested you, you had remorse..What..' Kate

was utterly confused, 'What the hell happened between then and now?'

'I don't know.' Max shrugged, 'Maybe it's the fact that I wasn't allowed to see my brother

get buried, I might be a bit bitter about that. You know how it is in here mom, I've got to

protect myself somehow.'

'Let's just say then, that when you do come out of prison, Nikki will tear the living shit out of

you.' Kate hissed, 'You know why your request was denied, you fucking killed him! You got

a front row seat to see his death, why come to the funeral when you were there?'

There was a look that crossed Max's face then. Kate wasn't quite sure, but if she had to

guess, it was guilt. Max hadn't lost all of her humanity because she felt guilty about what she

did to Steve, but that then prompted her, 'You...You still think about it, don't ya? Everytime

you close your eyes, that's what you see isn't it? Steve?'

Max then shrugged, her front faltered, and her voice failed her when she spoke, 'I have had

therapy to deal with what I did…' She struggled to meet Kate's gaze now, but when she did,

it was evident that the guilt still ate away at her, 'Out of all the people I killed, Steve is the

one that I regret…He wouldn't be dead if Barry didn't lie to me.' Her voice then broke,

'Steve didn't deserve to die.'

Kate swallowed the lump in her throat now, but she tried her hardest to keep a front, 'Steve

didn't deserve to die, but the others did?!'

'I had a franchise to complete.' Max shrugged, 'I guess the twist was the killer murdering

their own brother…I should have seen that one coming.'

'The franchise?! What-' Kate was utterly horrified, 'I thought you started this because you

were mentally ill? It then moved to being controlled…What the hell do you mean, you had a

franchise to complete?! '

'There will be others. This isn't going to end.' She laughed, but it was full of sadness rather

than mirth, 'You think that it ended with me? Now this has started, it won't stop.'

'It will if you tell me who was controlling you, because I guarantee you, whoever is doing

this, as soon as we get them, it stops.' Kate hissed.

Max's gaze darkened for a second, and it made Kate feel incredibly uncomfortable, 'I hear

you have a new grandson.'

Kate's blood ran cold, she knew what was going on here, 'You've been spying on us..'

'Can't I look in on my family?'

'We are not your family.' Kate sneered, 'We stopped being your family the day you murdered

your brother!' She snapped, 'If you ever come anywhere near my granddaughter or my

grandson, your existence won't be worth living.'

'They are my niece and nephew.' Max sneered.

Kate then turned around and punched Max in the face. After walking away for a moment, she

came back and kicked her a few times in the ribs, before grabbing Max by the jumper as she

lay on the floor. Pulling her to her face, Kate sneered, 'That was just a taster, you come near

my family ever again?! I'll make sure you know what suffering feels like.' She then threw her

back onto the floor.

Despite the other inmates gathering around them, it was clear who was in charge here now. If

Kate could beat the serial killer to a pulp and not give a crap about the consequences, she

ruled the place.

What Kate didn't know was that Max was far from done. Just as she began to walk away,

Max got to her feet and walked after her. Angrily, she shouted after her, 'KATE!'

When Kate turned around, she didn't have a moment to think about what was going on

because everything happened so fast. She felt something sharp enter into her abdomen, but

Max wasn't done. She continued to stab Kate multiple times. Eventually, she sat on top of her

mother, despite the blood pouring from her already existing cuts soaking into her own

clothes. She placed the shank that she had created with the intention of using it on someone

else, onto Kate's neck, 'Why don't I finish what I started?! Show everyone here exactly what

you are?'

Kate was already in agony from the existing stab wounds inflicted on her, so when Max

grabbed a hold of her face, she could tell her hands were soaked with blood. As Kate looked

into Max's eyes, she could see the monster that had hid themselves beneath a mask numerous

times before, but she didn't have the energy to stop her. Kate tried to reach up, but it felt like

a magnet was holding her down. Blood had started to drip down Max's nose, and it became

clear that with all this time in prison, she had been using her time wisely to hone in on her

powers.

'Max…' Kate tried pleading with her, 'Do you want another death on your conscience?

Could you?! Could you really do this?!' She hissed through tears, 'Leave El without her

mum?!'

'She's doing fine as it is.' Max shrugged. She then caught sight of the photo of her nephew in

Kate's bloodstained hand, 'It's a shame you're not going to watch him grow up, because he's

a spitting image of Steve.'

The sinking feeling in Kate's gut was unlike anything she'd ever felt before, and right before

she could fight back when Max did release her grip on her arms, she'd quickly cut straight

into her neck, leaving Kate no chance to fight back. Max wasn't stupid though, she hadn't cut

into any major arteries, she just wanted Kate to suffer. She grasped Kate's chin again and

hissed at her, 'I'd say we're even now.' It was then that she got to her feet, dropping the

shank and holding her arms up as officers surrounded her to handcuff her.

Medics rushed to Kate's aid after the alarm was raised by another inmate, and as far as Kate

was concerned, she felt like she was dying. Max put her in an impossible position, because

she knew she could heal herself using what regeneration energy she had, but she couldn't in

front of humans, so there was every chance that she could die. Kate really hoped she wasn't

going to die, but to be at the mercy of someone she knew was Ghostface, it terrified her. All

she could think about was El and Nikki whilst she was choking on her own blood as it poured

from her body, all the while, Max was smiling as she looked down at her mother on the verge

of death.

The photo that had been in Kate's hand was now soaked in blood. As she looked at it, tears

streamed down her face. It was only now that she saw Steve's true likeness in the infant.

Moments later, she lost consciousness.

While all of this was going on, as they were driving home, both El and Nikki felt something

in their gut. There was something going on. El could feel it so strongly that she felt incredibly

ill, 'Nikki, pull over…Please…'

Quickly, Nikki pulled up to the side of the road. El quickly got out of the car and went to

throw up in some bushes. It wasn't motion sickness, she knew there was something worse

going on here. When she came back to the car, she saw that Nikki had gotten out, when she

looked back at her, El said to her with a very pale face, 'There's something wrong with

mama…I don't know…But I think something terrible has happened.'

Nikki swallowed, it haunted her how they both picked up on this intuition, and for El to feel

it as strongly as she did, it only served to fill her with dread. Nikki had a choice, continue the

two hour drive home or stay where they were?

After Kate was rushed to hospital, she was rushed into surgery. Max had finally got what she

wanted, control, but at what cost?

Aftermath

Nikki had taken the decision to return with El to the prison. Of course, they couldn't yet

inform her what had gone on. After returning to the car, Nikki slumped back in the driver's

seat. Looking back at El, she couldn't help but wonder if her intuition was wrong, perhaps she

had just been feeling sick? That didn't explain why Nikki also had the same gut dropping

feeling as El. Something was wrong, neither of them could figure it out. Nikki considered

asking El if she could use her telepathy to check on her mum, but that might open a can of

worms that didn't want nor did it need to be opened.

After sitting there for about twenty minutes Jo called Nikki. Immediately, Nikki answered the

call. Leaning against the car door, she sighed, 'Hey Jo, what's up?'

Jo sounded in disbelief, 'So you haven't heard them?'

Nikki looked over at El, her concern spiking, 'Heard what?'

Jo sighed, 'I just got a call from the hospital…Kate's been taken in after being attacked in

prison…'

The fact that Jo was still down as Kate's next of kin would be an argument for a different day,

now hers and El's gut feeling has been confirmed and it was an awful feeling, 'Attacked…

what do you mean, attacked?'

'I…I don't know…I haven't been told anything…' There was confusion in her voice then,

'Aren't you and El visiting her today?'

'The visit ended about half an hour ago…El…She came over all ill and said that something

bad had happened…' It then occurred to her, 'We keep forgetting something…Max is also at

this prison…You don't think?'

'Jesus, I hope not, or I'll kill her myself.' Jo commented, 'But …Going on El's intuition…It

was right…Kate has been rushed into surgery, they said that she had lost a lot of blood-'

Overhearing this, El immediately got out of the car. Now she was out for blood. Quickly,

Nikki had to excuse herself from the call to chase after El, who was heading back towards the

prison.

'El!' She called after her. Once she had caught up with her, she pulled her arm, 'El…' She

turned the teen to face her, 'You can't go in there all guns blazing, you'll get arrested!'

El scowled at her, 'I have powers, anyone who tries to stop me will end up seriously harmed!

I'm not letting Max get away with this!'

'We don't know if it was her-'

El tilted her head, she had all the attitude in the world. She didn't care about the

consequences, if there were any, 'Mama ends up in hospital with severe blood loss, and Max

is in the same prison? It doesn't take a genius to figure out what has happened here.'

Nikki was at a loss here, she didn't know what to do, 'Look, if you went after Max, you'd be

as bad as her, you wouldn't want that, would you? You would lose everything and to be

honest, I think that's what Max wants you to do.'

Reluctantly, El gave in, 'Fine, but it mama dies-'

'It won't come to that, and if it did…' Nikki sighed, 'I think the Doctor would have

something to say about it…Let's just go to the hospital and check on your mum, yeah?'

El slowly nodded and walked along with her back to the car. Now someone had to tell the

Doctor. Nikki had no doubt the Doctor probably already knew, but the chances also were that

she also didn't know. Nikki would let her know as soon as she got to the hospital and found

out more for herself.

After getting a call from a very panicked Nikki, the Doctor soon came to the hospital, landing

the TARDIS in a store cupboard of the hospital. She was in a panic, for once, she didn't know

anything about her daughter's welfare. She'd been busy space hopping on some planet with

almost zero gravity and now she came back down to earth with a huge bump. Before she left

the TARDIS, she had changed into a white shirt with a blue blazer, jeans and some red

converse trainers.

She had arrived just as El and Nikki did. None of them knew what was going on. Nikki just

knew that El's intuition was strong as was Nikki's own, and the Doctor had a call while she

was in space.

Quickly, she had ran to the entrance to meet El and Nikki. She was so afraid of what might

have happened, 'Do either of you know what's going on?'

Nikki looked at the Doctor as though she wasn't even there, but then it hit her, 'You genuinely

don't know what's going on either?'

With a feeling of annoyance mixing with her panic, the Doctor ran over to the reception desk

and addressed the receptionist, 'Hey, sorry, my daughter got brought in…I've only just gotten

the call…Um…Kate Fleming…'

The receptionist checked Kate's name and then asked the Doctor for ID, which the Doctor

happily showed in the form of her psychic paper. The receptionist continued, 'I'm afraid, at

present, I do not have all the details but you can wait upstairs on the ICU ward…That's floor

three…'

The Doctor then looked over at Nikki and El, 'Come on.' She quickly addressed the

receptionist again, 'This is my granddaughter and her…Mum…Her second-' She scolded

herself, 'Look, she is her mum, I'm sorry…I have to check my daughter is okay.'

'Miss Smith-' The receptionist tried to get the Doctor's attention, but she was too busy,

rushing off to go and find Kate.

When the three of them were standing in the lift, the Doctor was bouncing on her toes

nervously, 'I leave you all alone for five minutes-'

Nikki quickly argued back, 'She's in prison, remember? We don't have control over that.'

The Doctor went quiet and rushed out of the doors of the lift as soon as they arrived in the

floor they needed to be on. She then pulled the sonic from her jacket and scanned around for

Kate, 'She's in theatre two-'

Nikki had to rush in then, 'Doctor- look…' She grabbed her arm and met her with a gentle

gaze, 'If Kate is in surgery…We are best leaving it to the experts, yeah?'

The Doctor despaired. Her usual happy demeanor dropped and she looked incredibly sad,

'What do you know? What happened to her?'

El looked between the two, and even she looked incredibly sad, 'When..when we were

driving back…' The attention of Nikki and the Doctor was caught and now they were both

paying full attention to her. El seemed frightened of what she knew, 'I…I saw flashes in my

head…I think Mama was trying to reach through to me…'

The Doctor looked pale as a ghost, but was desperate to know what El saw, 'What do you

mean, El?'

El's voice caught in her throat, 'I saw…Her eyes…Max's.' She wept, 'She is Ghostface

without the mask now…Whatever she felt or…or felt when she was killing people…I saw it

in her eyes…Mom communicated with me, I saw through her eyes what was happening

above her…I don't know what happened but…I could feel how scared she was…'

Tears streamed down her face now, 'Everything went dark for a moment or two and then…I

saw blood, lots and lots of blood.'

The Doctor and Nikki both felt like a weight of dread had just dropped to the bottom of their

stomach's.

'And that's when I felt sick…Normally, when someone like mama tries to get through to me,

it's gentle, but this was so sudden…It's…' She swallowed and then met both of their gazes,

'It's as if she knew she was dying and she wanted me to know what happened…'

Nikki's heart shattered into a million pieces then, but the Doctor felt a mixture of anger and

hurt. They couldn't let those feelings overcome them though, as seconds after El had

informed the Doctor and Nikki of what she knew, a gentleman in scrubs approached them. He

was grey but had a kind face, the sort the Doctor and Nikki needed to see right now.

The gentleman addressed them and was kind, incredibly so, 'You must be Katherine's

family?'

The Doctor jumped in before Nikki, 'I'm her mum.' She then gestured behind her, 'This is

her daughter and her partner…Guessing here, but we are in the ICU, why?'

The gentleman sighed, 'Katherine-'

'Kate.' The Doctor jumped in, 'Her name is Kate.'

' Kate .' The gentleman corrected himself, 'She came to us with extensive life threatening

injuries and she had lost a lot of blood…'

'She can have transfusions.' The Doctor jumped in, 'She might not be like every other

human, but she can absorb some blood types without it affecting her-'

Nikki quickly jumped in, saving the Doctor from rambling, 'Doctor, let the man speak.'

Quickly, the Doctor put her hands on her hips and then her pockets, 'How is she?'

El then shrugged as the gentleman, presumably one of the surgeons, looked over at her, 'I've

heard it all…I have a strong stomach.'

The man then sighed, 'Kate had a laceration across her neck. Of course, I cannot speculate,

but-'

'I'm a police officer.' Nikki now intervened, 'If there is anything that looks suspicious-'

El now glared at her, 'Let the man speak! Seriously, you two need to chill your beans!' She

then faced the surgeon once again, 'I'm sorry-'

The man laughed ever so slightly, finding their exchange a little amusing, but then he

returned to the matter at hand, 'From what we've been able to observe…The cut across the

neck was a clean vertical cut, however, I'm not quite clear if there was intention to kill.' He

cleared his throat, 'This could not have been carried out by Kate herself. By some miracle,

this person knew what they were doing when they cut into her neck. I say this because any

vital arteries were not cut. Of course, there was extensive bleeding because of where the cut

was made, but we have been able to stem a lot of the bleeding…For the safety of the patient,

she will have to be put into a coma I'm afraid, to protect her from accidentally opening the

wound.'

All three women's blood was boiling. They all knew how this happened, but El was still

traumatized by the fact that she could feel how terrified her mum was the entire time that

Max was above her. That's something the Doctor was starting to pick up on as she was

standing there. Gently, she responded to the surgeon with a nod, 'Thank you…'

The Doctor then turned around to El and addressed her, 'I can feel exactly what you feel. Yes,

your mum was scared, but I promise you, she will be okay.'

'How do you know? Everyone tells me all the time that everything will be okay and it never

is!' El snapped, 'Mom was right, you coming back ruined everything! She won't be okay!' El

was losing her temper, 'She won't ever be okay! You think she will just walk out of this and

be completely fine?! Mentally, she won't be! She tells us about how she has lived for a few

hundred years and seen too much, but all of this?! I…I don't know if she will come back from

this even if she does live!'

El then walked away. The Doctor was going to follow but Nikki stopped her, 'Let her walk it

off. She knows where we are…We aren't exactly going anywhere anytime soon, are we?'

The Doctor sighed, 'I should be taking better care of her, Kate, I mean. She's been doing so

well with the chemo recently, I'm so close to curing it completely, but she just gets more and

more setbacks! What if El is right? What if Kate can't come back from this?'

'Then we will be here to catch her. We might be small in numbers as a family, but we are

stronger for it.' Nikki assured her, 'Sit down…I'll get you a cup of tea from a vending

machine, alright?'

The Doctor nodded slowly and went to sit down. After she did, she pulled out the sonic

screwdriver from her blazer and used it to check on Kate. The outlook was grim, but she

hoped that Kate could hold on. She needed Kate to hold on.

The Truth Will Out

It was three or four hours into the surgery that El had wandered off to get some fresh air. The

stuffy halls of the hospital were making El feel claustrophobic, so she had to get out of there.

Nikki and the Doctor had stayed sitting beside each other. This had been the longest that

Nikki had ever spent with the Doctor in her company. Before El had left about two hours

before, Nikki couldn't help but notice the tattooed numbers on her wrist like she had done

many times previously. This now became Nikki's talking point, because the hours were

simply dragging far too long.

'I know I've asked before…But the numbers on El's wrist, remind me why she has them?'

The Doctor then turned and looked at her with confusion on her face, 'I thought Kate had

already told you?'

'Humour me.' Nikki responded simply with a shrug, 'We aren't going anywhere anytime

soon…May as well tell me to pass the time.'

The Doctor then sighed gently and faced her properly, 'When El was an infant, her

grandfather, The Master decided to kidnap her for some sort of grandiose experiment..' The

Doctor took a breath, it was clear that something was bothering her.

Nikki frowned, she was confused, 'Why not try it on his own child?'

The Doctor then looked at her with the straightest face on the planet, and an extremely firm

tone, 'Because I didn't know. I didn't know about what he was doing until recently.'

Nikki was incredibly confused, 'Hang on…The Master, Kate's father, he experimented on El

but you didn't know?'

The Doctor closed her eyes and put her head in her hands. She ran her hands down her face

and looked back at Nikki, 'I had been pregnant when Kate was seventeen years ago. The

Master he…He wanted to know why both he and I don't have powers but Kate does. The

Master was worried that Kate's last child would actually be her final one, so…While he

experimented on her…There was a swap.'

It was like a weight dropped in Nikki's gut, 'Wait…He swapped the babies? So, so you and

Kate were pregnant at the same time and the Master swapped the children over?'

The Doctor nodded. It was clear how heavily this weighed on her, 'And they were never

swapped back.'

'Meaning what?' Nikki couldn't believe what she was hearing, but she hoped what she was

thinking was wrong.

' Meaning that El isn't Kate's! El is mine!' The Doctor snapped, 'But I didn't know because

the Master erased my memory, and if I could change it, believe me, I would! El is the one

with the powers and my own child doesn't and she…she's out there somewhere.'

This bombshell gave Nikki some thought. She didn't quite know how to process this

information, 'So…Kate has a child out there somewhere…But El is yours and always has

been?'

The Doctor nodded slowly, 'The Master couldn't figure out why he and I don't have the same

powers as Kate, Max or El…It drove him mad, but he left Kate's child to a family that

ultimately adopted her…He never thought to correct the swap…'

Tears streamed down her face now. She quickly wiped them away, 'I only found out recently

when I bumped into this young girl on the street. I was just minding my own business, out

and about in London. She dropped her shopping, I went to help…But when I looked in her

eyes I could see that there was something about her that wasn't quite… human.'

'Kate needs to know.' Nikki admitted immediately.

'No, no. She doesn't, not yet.' The Doctor jumped in quickly, 'Imagine what that would do to

El, learning that her parents aren't who she thought they were, that would destroy her.'

'Yeah, but Kate needs to know that she's been raising her sister this entire time! Your cock up

needs fixing! This doesn't just affect you, it affects Jo, Kate and El! As far as they are

concerned they are her parents!'

'I know!'

Nikki sighed, 'Tell me more about what you know…This kid…Kate's kid…What is she like?

How did you even know?'

The Doctor knew this would be a long story, but it felt better that she was off-loading.

Ruby Road: 2 weeks earlier

The Doctor was hanging out in the TARDIS, just doing some maintenance work. The

TARDIS had warned her of a presence but the Doctor couldn't see anything, so he proceeded

to tell the TARDIS off for being dramatic. As far as she was aware, everything was fine at

home and everyone was safe, so staying out of the way was her best bet. What she didn't

realize was that she had parked the TARDIS for a good few days. Usually, it never got

noticed by anyone, but this time it did.

There was a curious young lady who lived in a flat just across the way. She had noticed the

blue box and asked her elderly neighbor, Mrs Flood about it. To which Mrs Flood told her

that she hadn't seen a box like it since the 1960s when they were on street corners all the

time.

This one day, the same young lady was walking back from the shops and the Doctor had just

come back from an ice-cream van after picking up an actual 99 Mr Whippy, which actually

cost 99p without inflation. The cone was covered in blue sauce and sprinkles. As she was

walking back up the street with her treat, she noticed the other blonde young woman, who

had not noticed her yet.

Just then, the young woman who was bringing back groceries had an unfortunate accident.

The bag she was carrying split and her grocery items spilled all over the pavement. Quickly,

the Doctor rushed over to help, still with her ice cream in hand.

'Oh my goodness! I understand saving the turtles but this is ridiculous!' The young blonde

lady exclaimed in frustration. She then noticed the Doctor helping her.

The Doctor greeted the woman with a smile, 'It's not the turtles to blame. A stronger paper

might help for things that have a little more weight.' She then reached into her jacket and

pulled out a bag from her inner pocket, 'Here you go!'

The young woman smiled back, 'Thank you! So much, really.' She then looked confused,

'I'm so sorry, I've been seeing you around, I just haven't managed to catch your name.'

The Doctor had already taken a mouthful of ice-creams, and she laughed sheepishly, 'Sorry-

one second…'

The young woman laughed, but noticed the rainbows on the Doctor's T-shirt, 'Forgive me if

I'm prying…Are you…Gay too?'

'Well…I have a wife…' The Doctor smiled. She then held out her hand, 'I'm the Doctor.'

Something caught the Doctor's eye then. When she stared back at the other woman, she saw

something in her eyes, it was like a faint glow, a glow she was all too familiar with.

'Well…' The other woman smiled, 'I'm Ruby, Ruby Sunday.'

The Doctor seemed too far away with the fairies but her head quickly caught up with the

conversation, 'Ruby Sunday?'

Ruby nodded. She then looked over at the TARDIS, 'Is that shed yours? I see you come out

of it sometimes…Mrs Flood, my neighbor, she said that it is a box from the 1960s and that

they used to be commonplace…'

The Doctor quickly looked over at the TARDIS. It surprised her that someone actually

noticed it, 'The…The blue box?'

Ruby nodded. She continued to stare at it, and the more she did so, it began to feel all the

more familiar. It was like she had seen it before but couldn't place where or when she had

seen it before, 'It seems familiar actually. What do you do in there?'

'It's more of a shed.' The Doctor laughed, 'I'm sorry, I've got to be getting on-' . With haste,

she walked back to the TARDIS, and she instantly began to run a scan on Ruby. Something

felt incredibly wrong about the woman she had just met, and she didn't like it. The Doctor

leaned over the console and she ended up in deep thought.

Ruby was left incredibly confused by the interaction. Curiosity was starting to get the better

of her, so she started walking towards the box. As she did, she felt the locket on her chest

becoming hotter. Quickly, she yanked it off and held it in her hand. A locket which she

believed contained pictures of her mother and father inside glowed ever so could

hear voices coming from it, and it deeply confused her.

Meanwhile, the scan for Ruby came back human just as the Doctor expected, so she cleared

off to a different room. While she was there, she started to feel a headache coming on. All the

Doctor could hear now was the TARDIS beeping around her, each sound becoming louder

and louder as the sound in her hand felt like it was going to crack her skull in two.

When Ruby came closer to the TARDIS, the locket in her hand continued to glow with artron

energy. Gently, she opened the TARDIS door and made entry. At first, she didn't know what

to make of the place. It was so large, it was difficult for her human brain to comprehend how

so much space can be put into such a small box. As she walked up the platform towards the

console, she couldn't help but gasp at how ridiculous her situation was.

Eventually, she reached the centre console and walked around it. Her hand gently stroked the

side as she walked around. Looking at the crystals, she couldn't believe this. Initially, she

thought the Doctor was perhaps a structural engineer, but it eventually occurred to her that no

human could design something so incredible. Before she got too lost in her thoughts, she

opened her palm and saw the locket glowing like crazy. In her head, she could now vividly

see memories of her childhood and things that didn't seem right such as metal men marching

through London when she was merely two years of age. She saw the Daleks and then

something that terrified her to the core…

Nothing.

Being lonely, not knowing who she was, ate away at her every single day. Now she didn't

know why, but she opened the locket. Immediately, the room glowed bright yellow and

streams of artron energy flowed into Ruby's eyes. Once the locket was snapped shut, the

young woman stumbled ever so slightly, but the TARDIS was beeping loudly, alerting the

Doctor of Ruby's rather alien presence.

Eventually, the Doctor stumbled in. The room was glowing red. When she looked over at

Ruby, she could tell that something was wrong. Immediately, she checked the scanner and

looked back at her.

The Doctor's hearts plummeted in her chest, and the DNA test came back.

Ruby Sunday was the baby that the Master swapped out with El. Ruby is Kate's biological

child, and that meant that El was hers.

'He used a chameleon arch! The Master used a chameleon arch to hide you from both me and

your mother!' The Doctor seemed overjoyed by this revelation, 'Oh Ruby Sunday! He

abandoned you at that church, but he knew you would be safe . The foundling has come

home.'

Ruby looked extremely confused. She scoffed, 'Excuse me? Chameleon arch?'

'Oh yeah…You don't know…You were far too young…Basically…You're someone else's

daughter.'

Ruby frowned, 'Do you know who she is?'

The Doctor nodded, 'She's my daughter…Your uncle is very wayward…if you remember

anything awful from the earlier stages of your life…'

Ruby looked down at her wrist and noticed the three numbers on her wrist, 014, 'I always

thought these were like a birthmark…are you telling me I was an experiment?'

'Sort of…I will explain it to you…But your mum…She can't know about you….Not yet.'

'But if my mum, my biological mum is out there-' Ruby gasped.

'Not yet! She would kill me if she found out about you! Stay here with Carla, believe me

kiddo, staying here would be your safest option…'

Present day

The Doctor had told Nikki what she had said to keep Ruby where she was, but it was clear

that morally, Nikki was struggling with this. She couldn't keep this from Kate, but at the same

time, she couldn't betray El like that.

It was so hard, and definitely not something they needed right now.

Instead, Nikki got to her feet and left the hospital corridor in silence. She wouldn't tell El, but

she had to seriously consider whether her relationship with Kate would survive something

like this.

Too Many Broken Hearts

While the Doctor had been opening up to Nikki inside the hospital, El decided to take a long

walk and a cigarette break. When she came back through the entrance to the hospital, she

bumped into Nikki, the pair of them collided and Nikki quickly apologized. When her eyes

had finally focused on who it was, she frowned at her, noticing the smell of cigarettes on her,

'You haven't been smoking have ya?'

El merely shrugged. Her newly developed bad habit was the least of her problems. In fact,

given she was old enough now, she hated that everyone continued to pry and wanted to know

about every single aspect of her life. This life had been enough for her as it stood, and all of

this, everything was getting tiring for her.

Being in and out of hospitals, her family on the edge of life or death, deaths happening,

something to throw spanners into the works, she was tired of all of it. As she was standing

opposite Nikki, she shrugged, 'Is it a crime that I smoke now?'

Nikki was confused with the attitude, but she could most definitely understand it, 'No…

No…' She frowned, 'It's your choice…Look…I was going to head home…Maybe pop in and

see Nancy, Thomas and Skye…Do you fancy coming with?'

El shook her head, 'As much as I hate being here, I've got to stay for mama…' She then

frowned, 'Is the Doctor still up there?'

Nikki nodded, 'She is…She doesn't want to leave your mum's side…' It felt weird for her

referring to Kate as El's mother given what she knew now. It was hard to look El in the face

when she knew such an awful secret. She couldn't imagine what it was doing to the Doctor

having to keep this quiet knowing that El was in fact her child and not Kate's. Quickly, Nikki

pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and shook her head, 'Do you still have any

cigs? I could take one for the drive back.'

El then laughed, 'Bad habits?'

Nikki smiled sheepishly, 'I'm stressed…So is Jo…Actually, could you give her a ring when

you get a minute?'

El passed a cigarette over from a packet and assured her that she would get in touch with Jo.

No matter how much El's head was swimming all over the place, she knew one thing for

certain, Max was dead the next time she saw her.

After Nikki had left, El played around with an object in her pocket. She had a fidget spinner

for her anxiety, but now she was just angry at everything. Robbie hadn't been in touch, so she

was almost over him. El was going to take initiative if no one else in this family was going

to.

72 hours later, Kate had woken up. She couldn't speak, but when she did open her eyes, El

was there holding her hand. Everyone else had things to do, not least the Doctor and Nikki,

hiding secrets of their own.

Immediately, in her conscious state, Kate reached to her neck. She was frightened, but

quickly stopped her mother from putting her hand anywhere near her neck. Physically, she

grabbed her wrist and though she still felt resistance from Kate, she wasn't going to let her

hurt herself more. Gently, she spoke to her, 'Mama! Mama, you're safe, you're in hospital.

You've had surgeries to fix the damage…Things are a little swollen still which is why you

can't really talk, but you're going to be okay.'

Kate was terrified. Though she was in safe company with El, she was terrified that Max

would come for her again. There were many disadvantages and advantages of having a child

who is psychic, or rather, a teenager…El had been gently placing herself inside of Kate's

mind to see what had happened to her and what was scaring her mother the most, that way,

she could help Kate the best way she knew. El put a hand on her mother's cheek and gently

rubbed it with her thumb, 'I've had a very firm word with Yaz and the governor of the jail…

You're not going back there…Not after this…'

Though Kate appreciated the sentiment behind it, she was far from done with Max. How she

could express this without words, she didn't know. Instead, she gestured to both their

foreheads. It immediately became clear to El what it was that Kate wanted- to talk inside their

shared mind space. The moment El got the hint, she got sat beside Kate on the bed, in a more

comfortable position, almost sitting cross-legged beside her.

Gently, Kate placed her hand on El's arm and they both closed their eyes.

The walls around them became black and it was as though they were standing in water. They

were now in each other's minds. Being in each other's mind space meant that everything they

saw was real to them and as Kate walked over to El, she saw that her daughter had frozen on

the spot.

The scar from the slash caused by Max was visible. In this space, bandages were no longer

visible. Instead, a long light pink scar covered Kate's neck, traveling in a diagonal motion,

stopping right before the most important vein in her neck.

Of course, Kate couldn't see the scar, but El could and she felt so incredibly self conscious

that she rubbed a hand over her neck. By doing this, she could feel the scar as it was slightly

elevated while it was healing. When she looked back at El, she was like a deer, 'Is it that bad?

The scar? Is it that terrible? I…I can heal it…'

It was then that El quickly rushed over to her and grabbed Kate's hand so she stopped feeling

for the scar. El didn't want Kate to think herself being ugly, or self conscious, so she grabbed

her hand and held it in her own, 'Mama…Listen to me…You know you can't use anymore

Artron energy because you haven't got enough left to heal wounds with the snap of your

fingers…' She was panicking now, 'And when you were sleeping after the surgery, your body

put you naturally into a coma…You can't take much more of this…So please…Don't risk it.'

Kate swallowed. She had to be strong for her baby, 'You know…I wanted kids…More of

them…When I was sleeping…I dreamt…' Tears came to her eyes, 'I dreamt that everything

was fine and that you…You and your brother…You both graduated from university…he got a

degree and he was able to raise his family away from everything…' She cleared her throat, 'I

dreamt that I could be happy…'

As much as El was her baby, Kate also knew she was an adult in her own right. She knew

that protecting her from everything wasn't going to work, and it hadn't for a while. Since

Ghostface came into their lives, El had to grow up very quickly and despite all of her

setbacks, she was an adult and Kate wanted to be honest with her.

Still, she soldiered on. El looked to her like she was trying to process the information given

to her, but she was getting quicker at that.

Kate was a broken woman. She stared El in the face now, 'I haven't been happy in a very

long time…I think about him, you know? Steve, your brother. I think about him a lot…It

keeps me awake at night sometimes…I wonder…If I didn't ignore the signs, would he still be

alive? If I listened to you and Steve when he was still alive…would he still be?'

El could see that Kate was tormenting herself, she just didn't know how to stop her from

doing it. Instead, tears rolled down El's cheeks as she listened to her mother go on and on

about her failings and it hurt.

'When do I get peace? When do I get my happily ever after?!' Kate snapped now, 'Or is this

it?!' She flailed her arms and they dropped helplessly to her side, 'I stay in prison for the rest

of my sentence and then what? I've lost my job in the force…I have no fucking clue!'

'What else did you dream about?' El asked her, wanting to interrupt or stop her spiraling.

With that question, Kate looked at her with confusion, 'You, what?'

'I'm serious…Your dreams…They sound wonderful.' El tried giving a small glance of

optimism, 'Tell me more about them.'

Kate sighed. She laughed sadly, and then stared back at her, 'I dreamt that I…Married

Nikki…Again…Like we renewed our vows…I dreamt that we had a child together…Our

own little baby to add to our wonderful family…You, Steve, and Billy too actually.' She

laughed, 'In my head, he and Steve got on..

They fought sometimes but they got on…And you and your sister…Max…It was normal…

That dream was…'

'It sounds wonderful.' El smiled, 'Maybe…Maybe you should talk to Billy…Find him and

try to make things right with him…'

'The thing about that dream El…' Kate laughed sadly once more, 'It became my nightmare…

Because Ghostface came back and I thought I was dying…In my head, I was stabbed so

many times, I thought I was going to die!'

'But dreams-' El tried.

'Look around us El!' Kate snapped, walking around with her arms wide open, 'We are in a

mind palace! This place doesn't exist! We shouldn't exist!'

El then snapped at her, having had enough of going around in circles, 'DREAMS HAPPEN

FOR A REASON MAMA! SURE, THEY ARE WISHFUL THINKING SOMETIMES BUT

THAT DREAM, FOR A MOMENT GAVE YOU PEACE!' She then lowered her voice,

'Sure, Steve will never be back, and Max will rot in hell for eternity, but that dream showed

you that things do get better, and time…It heals wounds…Eventually.'

'Until something comes along and destroys it!' Kate snapped back, 'Because something

always does. Go home El. Go back to your mum because I need time alone!'

It was a moment later that Kate had vanished out of the space and El brought herself back

too, to now find Kate laying on her side, with her back to her.

As El was sitting there, she got the message loud and clear. Slowly, she clambered off the bed

and grabbed her belongings. When she reached the door, she looked back and saw that Kate

wasn't even bothering to look at her. It hurt, but she knew that Kate needed time, so she

would give her that. Gently, before she left, she said to her, 'I never said that time heals all

wounds…I can't imagine what it must be like to be you…y-you live for hundreds of years but

all…all you get is pain…Have that child with Nikki…Marry her…Do..Do what makes you

happy because…Unlike me…You deserve it.'

With that, El left, closing the door behind her. As soon as she knew she was alone, she broke

down in tears. Her cries going unheard from anyone near.

As El walked down the corridor, she was holding back tears. To her, it felt like she was

bearing the weight of the world, and it was such a hard burden for her, but again, she stopped

paying attention to her surroundings and she collided with another individual. This time,

when she got her bearings once more, she could see as clear as day, it was Robbie and he was

with someone, who had their arm in his. El didn't notice the second party, she was too busy

steaming with anger at him.

'For months I have needed you by my side! Where the hell were you when I needed you?!'

El snapped at him, 'I have tried calling! I have tried texting and I haven't heard a word!'

Robbie was absolutely horrified, and a little shocked, he hadn't seen El this angry before and

it took him aback, 'EL CALM DOWN, ALRIGHT?!'

'I haven't gotten started!' El snapped at him, 'Nikki finds you shooting up drugs and then you

vanish?! How was rehab? You never said a word!'

Robbie was getting frustrated now and so he snapped, 'Because I changed my number!

Alright?! I got the messages loud and clear El! I had enough of everything so I changed my

number and I distanced myself on purpose!'

The person beside Robbie decided to butt into the conversation, 'Robbie, who is this?'

This was the first time El had noticed this person. She glared at them, and raised her brows at

the woman, 'Go and get a coffee or something dumb ass, we're having a conversation!'

Robbie then snapped back at El, 'Don't talk to her like that!'

The penny was slowly dropping for El now. She looked confused, 'Who is she?' Her voice

then wobbled when she looked back at Robbie when he didn't reply, 'ROBBIE!'

'I was wondering the same thing about you, you yank!' The woman beside Robbie snapped

back at El.

El was now glaring at Robbie, but fearing the worst.

Robbie looked apologetic back to El, but then he introduced the woman beside him, 'Sam,

this is El…She's…She's my ex…El…This is Sam…My fiancee.'

El scoffed then. Tears came to her eyes as the worst was confirmed right in front of her. It felt

like a weight had dropped in her gut and she felt bereaved, devastated even.

Robbie quickly turned to Sam, 'Would you mind signing us in? I'll be with you in a minute.'

Sam gave Robbie a kiss before leaving them both alone.

Now they were alone, it was like something bad was about to go down, and Robbie could

feel it.

El was beside herself. She leaned back against the wall and pulled the sleeves of her hoodie

up, quickly wiping her tears as she did so. Quickly, she addressed him, 'You're not here for

me, or for mama?'

Robbie shook his head, 'Sam is having her first round of IVF…We are trying for a baby…'

El nodded slowly, 'Right…' She felt like her world was being torn apart, 'I always imagined

it would be us…You and me coming to the hospital one day and trying for our own baby…'

Robbie sighed, 'I couldn't do it anymore El…All of this…with Your family…I just…I guess

I wasn't strong enough…'

El scoffed, 'I guess so…'

Robbie licked his lips, 'I um…I had to make a decision for me…I felt terrible for what

happened to your brother and given that Barry had a part to play…I couldn't…I couldn't live

with myself…So I turned to drugs because I didn't know what else to do.'

El finally looked up and met his gaze, 'How did you meet her? Sam?'

'We met in a bar actually.' He laughed sheepishly, 'I was afternoon drinking, just for fun

really…I wasn't getting drunk or anything like that…She approached me and we…We hit it

off…One thing led to another and…I love her El.'

El could feel herself getting choked up now. She bit her lip and looked down, 'Like you loved

me?'

Robbie was stuck for words. He hesitated, 'I…I did love you…But in Sam, I found

something more that I didn't have with you-'

'You didn't have a serial killer in the family that killed your girlfriend's brother?' El hissed.

'Things in common!' Robbie snapped, 'The only thing I had in common with you is that my

brother was in part responsible for your brother's death and I can't have something like that

hanging over me! It ate away at me every single day, I didn't know what to do! That's why I

turned to the drugs El! And after rehab…I decided to call it quits…I needed to move on.'

'But I can't! I can't!' El snapped at him, 'I can never move on!'

Robbie went quiet for a moment. He then considered what he was going to say, but El got

there first.

'You're getting married and having a baby? You've only known minutes and you've known

me for years! My family were the ones who helped you to become who you are! They helped

you with finding who you are as a person!'

'And I will forever be grateful for that! I will always be so grateful for that!' Robbie hissed,

'But we are over El…I'm sorry…But you need to move on.'

El was in tears now, not knowing what to say or do, 'Tell me the truth…It's not just the killer

in the family, is it?'

Robbie swallowed the lump in his throat, 'I don't know what more you want me to say to

you…I almost lost my family because of you! Yes, I have Dynasty and my mum, but where's

Barry?!' He then walked over to El, 'Max started all of this! She is the reason that he is in

prison!'

'He hated you for being trans!'

'He would have come around eventually.' Robbie retorted, 'I don't have a brother!'

'NEITHER DO I! BUT AT LEAST YOURS IS ALIVE! MINE IS SIX FEET UNDER!' El

snapped in tears, 'Your brother is alive and in a prison cell where he belongs!'

Robbie then spoke back to her with tears in his eyes, 'You can live forever El, I can't…I want

a normal life with a human woman so we can die together…So we can grow old together…

I've spent a long time thinking about what I want…And I found it in Sam…' His voice broke

and he pulled himself away from her, 'I'm sorry El, but it's over.'

Without a moment's hesitation, Robbie walked away from El. It pained him to continue

walking as he heard her cries, but he straightened his posture and shook his head. His mind

was set on his family now, and to him, it felt like he had a weight lifted from his shoulder,

despite the guilt and the desire to be with El that he had deep down in his gut.

Can't Believe It

After Robbie had walked away, El marched to the nearest toilets. She made sure that they

were empty before she let rip her anger and hurt. She had kicked and kicked the board of the

faucets and broke down on the floor. All this time, she had hoped that Robbie could try to put

things right with her, but to learn what she had broke her apart. Not only was her mum not

listening to her anymore, she seemed to have lost Robbie for good. The one man who she

loved and trusted whole heartedly had gone and found someone else, and that tore her apart.

After a few minutes of sobbing, she bumped into Jo on her way out. Her mum had literally

just arrived after a long drive. When she saw the utter devastation on El's face, her heart

plummeted. She wondered if Kate's condition had worsened before she got there, and that

would have destroyed her.

Quickly, Jo stammered, but she pulled El into her arms and hugged her tightly, 'Is it your

mum? What-what's happened sweetheart?'

'It's Robbie mom.' El sobbed, 'He left me…He found someone else, he wants to marry her

and have her child, and I'm just left! Why do people always leave me?!'

'Oh sweetheart!' Jo's heart broke for her. Gently, she cradled the back of El's head in her

shoulder and kissed her cheek, 'Robbie is being silly, he knows that you're the only one for

him…'

El found she was too choked up to speak, but she held tightly onto her mother in the doorway

of the toilets, despite the couple of women that were disgruntled as they queued outside.

Jo gently pulled away from El and put her hands on her cheeks, trying to gently soothe her,

'Why don't we nip out and get some lunch? A crappy Maccies?' She smiled sheepishly, 'I'm

starved and I fancy a McChicken anyway.'

'Could I have a large Big Mac meal?'

'Of course you can sweetheart…Come on.' Jo put her arm around El's shoulders as they left

the doorway together, forgetting about her need to wee. Though she did glare at the other

women outside the door as she left.

Once Jo and El had ordered their food, a short while later, Jo was watching her daughter. She

couldn't help but notice how downtrodden El looked and she wanted nothing more than to

help her. Gently, Jo took a deep breath. Wanting so desperately to try and help her, Jo wanted

to ask her what was troubling her, what Robbie had actually said before breaking up with her.

Kate being in hospital severely ill and everything else that has happened most certainly

wouldn't have helped El in the slightest.

El pulled up the sleeve on her right arm and then her left. It was getting a bit warm in the

restaurant. The noises of people, screaming kids and the constant beeping of machines wasn't

helping her mood.

'We could go outside or to the car…If you wanted…' Jo offered, noticing that El was hardly

touching any of her fries, or any of her food for that matter.

'It's okay.' El smiled sadly, 'It would stink up the car and you know how clumsy I am, I'll just

drop something and then the car would have to go to a valet which costs money-'

'I don't mind.' Jo laughed sheepishly.

El cut her off sharply, 'I said it's fine mom!' She met Jo's gaze but then looked down at the

table again. She then looked out of the window into the car park. There were tears in her eyes

and it was evident that she was trying to hide how she was feeling, but then she looked back

at Jo, it was clear that she was heartbroken, 'A normal life is all I've ever wanted…I wanted

my brother to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day, I wanted my mom's to live

together forever…' Her voice caught in her throat, 'I…I wanted my sister…'

The conversation seemed to drop there. Jo was stuck, she didn't know what to say. Of course,

she felt responsible for how El was feeling, but she knew that both she and Kate also had

their parts to play in this too. Gently, she approached the topic, 'Your mum and I-'

'It's not you.' El sniffed, 'I'm not talking about the serial killer stuff alone. I'm talking about

the affairs, the arguments, everything that still happens. You know, I've been to space? I've

seen…B…Beauty, the, the splendor…The pure majesty of what the universe has to offer

outside of this one.'

Jo was infuriated that she had ever gone to space with the Doctor, but she knew that wasn't

the point of this conversation. El was putting her feelings on the line and she was there to

listen.

El met her mother's gaze, her hands were shaking, but she was keeping herself together, 'But

I have to know…Why does the universe hate me? Why am I the only one left standing? The

silence that meets me whenever I get home from my stupid nine to five or whatever…' She

then laughed, 'I never even told you I got fired…'

'Why were you fired sweetheart?' Jo asked her quietly.

El didn't know how to answer, but she thought to answer her honestly, 'You remember that

weekend I went away to…Skegness, I think it was?'

Jo nodded, 'Yes, I remember, you were doing a bit of sales repping at the time…Trainee or

some sort of work experience…'

'Yeah, well.' She laughed sadly, 'I was at a bar one night and I…I bought coke from

someone…Of course, I used it…I got a good high out of it…'

'El…' Jo sighed, 'You know what happened last time you touched stuff like that.' She wasn't

going to shout, she knew that would embarrass her and make her shut down which was the

last thing she wanted, when El was opening up to her right now.

'Sniffing it in the club wasn't the worst part.' El sighed, 'I bought maybe two or three more

wraps and I was stopped in the street by the cops. It was way outside of your jurisdiction so

of course…You wouldn't know…I was arrested and charged with possession of a class A

substance…You…You and mom never knew because after I was charged, I was just given a

fine…Which I paid.'

Jo sat back. She was in pure disbelief but she knew El had her reasons. Gently, she

approached the topic, 'Sweetheart, when was the last time you used?'

El shrugged, 'About a month ago, maybe two…It was weed though, not coke. Coke is far

worse.'

'You're telling me…' Jo sighed. She then leaned forward on the table and gently tried to talk,

'Why…Why did you go for the harder stuff?'

'I…I…I was in a dark place…Again…You and mom had argued again over Steve…You're

always blaming each other over that and you need to stop.' Tears streamed down El's face

now, 'Because it doesn't give him peace, it doesn't give either of you peace and it doesn't give

me peace.'

'I'm sorry sweetheart…I really am…' Jo sighed, 'Listen, we could always take this

conversation and our food back to the car if you want to talk in private…'

Quickly, El wiped her eyes, shaking her head, 'And then today Robbie left me after months

with zero contact. I should have expected it really…I'm not exactly girlfriend material, am I?

I'm the serial killers sister.' She then laughed, 'Funny to think I was stupid enough to imagine

being the mother of his children one day…I don't…'

Jo reached across the table and took El's hand, squeezing it gently, 'What did he say to you

sweetheart?'

'He's got a fiancee and they are going to try for a baby, he…He either feels guilty about what

happened to Steve or he feels that extra baggage is too much…Either way mom…I have lost

the man I imagined spending a chunk of my life with.' She sobbed, 'I don't blame him

either…'

While El was explaining what Robbie had said to her, Jo's entire mood changed. She was

angry, not at El, but at Robbie for leaving her. After not hearing from him for months to him

then having a fiancee, none of it sat right with her. Quickly despite the storm brewing inside

of her, she jumped to protecting El, 'Listen to me sweetheart, you deserve so much better

than that and he doesn't deserve you.'

El scoffed, 'I have too much baggage, and now mama is in hospital after Max tried to kill

her.' She looked down then, 'I went into our mind palace and I saw the size of the cut…Max

knew what she was doing and the day she comes out of prison, I will reign hell down on her.'

'I know sweetheart…I know.' Jo sighed. She then saw El stand up and she was confused,

'Hey, where are you going? I've got you lunch.'

El grabbed the burger that was still in it's box and the fries. She looked down at Jo and

sighed, 'Being in here it's a bit over stimulating and I didn't bring my headphones…I need a

minute…Please mama…'

With that, Jo nodded slowly, 'You know where I am if you want me.'

El gave her a small smile before leaving the restaurant and Jo by herself. Just as El was about

to leave through the automatic sliding door, she bumped into someone. When she looked at

them, for a split second, she thought she was looking directly at her brother, but then her

mind snapped back into the present. After she walked outside, she deposited her food into a

bin outside. Her appetite had vanished, and then she just ran.

El ran as fast as she could. To get away from the noise, to get away from the traffic, to get

away from everything.

As Jo was sitting there, she became fixated on what she would do to Robbie the next time she

saw him. El's hearts were truly crushed and she couldn't stand that. Robbie had just messed

with the wrong girl's hearts and he was soon going to know about it.

After about half an hour of running non-stop, El came to a field where a bunch of teenagers

were playing football. Further down that field, she saw the TARDIS standing on the green. El

approached the blue box, determined to find her inner peace with the help of the blue box, but

then, because of her determination to reach the TARDIS, she bumped into another teenager.

El was determined to ignore the person she had just bumped into, but the stranger had other

ideas, 'Hey! Hey! Sorry…I'm…I hope I'm not interrupting anything.' The stranger laughed.

El rolled her eyes and her shoulders slumped, 'What do you want?! I'm busy! I have things to

be getting on with and stupid humans keep getting in my god damn way!'

The blonde stranger was taken aback, 'Alright! Sorry…I didn't, I didn't mean to offend you,

or bump into you for that matter.' She frowned, but thought to introduce herself, 'I'm, I'm

Ruby, Ruby Sunday.'

'And it's Thursday the last I checked. What do you want? If it's drugs, find someone else.' El

snapped back.

'No…Actually…I saw you walking with determination to the blue box…Do you know where

the Doctor is?' Ruby was asking an innocent enough question.

El wasn't stupid, she knew that Ruby could be an imposter for all she knew, 'Doctor who?'

She then shrugged, 'I was heading to the local store to grab some cigarettes because I'm

having a challenging day and I don't need people pestering me.' She then forced her way past

Ruby, bumping into her on purpose.

Watching her walk away, Ruby couldn't help but watch her. She wondered what her problem

was. She also knew if there was a blue box around, so would the Doctor be too.

Somewhere…

Surprise

Later that evening after returning home and after El was in bed, Jo stayed downstairs with

Nikki and Nancy for a bit. Nancy had come over to check on everyone but had left Thomas

and Skye with her mum because she needed some alone time with the others.

Of course, she was horrified to have heard about what happened to Kate. She questioned how

Max had even been able to get a hold of a bladed weapon inside prison, to which, Nikki

promptly answered, saying that though it should be really hard for criminals to make shanks,

they found ways.

There was one thing that Jo had been pondering all day. She wondered if Max had had her

medication at all that morning, if she had, it was clear that this was revenge and she had

gotten it.

'No matter what happens now.' Nikki managed to cut through Jo's thoughts, 'If anyone wants

to visit her, there will be a dividing screen so she can't hurt anyone else.'

Nancy sighed gently, 'Will her sentence be extended? Will she be punished for what she did?'

Jo uncrossed her legs and sighed, 'She will be segregated from other inmates for a bit, and if

Kate chooses to press charges, she can. That should add another six months to her sentence.'

Nancy then grabbed her phone as a news notification appeared at the top. Audibly, she

sighed, 'The press have found out about what happened today.' She then placed her phone

back on the coffee table, 'Maybe it would be best if we didn't tell El that the public are aware

of what has happened.'

Nikki shook her head, 'She has the BBC News app on her phone. She will find out, and

what's the good in keeping secrets from her? We need to be honest with her, it's better than

the alternative.'

'Yeah.' Jo sighed. As she got to her feet, she grabbed the empty mugs from the coffee table,

'Anyone want another brew?'

Nancy gave her a small smile and shook her head, 'No thanks, I've got to get going soon. The

kids need to be put in bed and I can't keep leaving them with Mom and dad, it's unfair..' She

then considered something, 'El has been acting strange…I don't think it's just her mom that's

on her mind…What if all of this has triggered a trauma response? Maybe it reminded her of

Steve?'

'It could have.' Nikki sighed, 'That kid has been through enough, I caught her smoking

outside the hospital today, but she is her own woman, I can't stop her from doing that.'

'It's arguably better than these vape things…Or equally as bad.' Jo commented. She then

placed the empty cups back on the coffee table and sat on the arm of the chair, 'Robbie…He

dumped her today…He came to the hospital, not to seek El out, but because he and his new

partner were there, he bumped into her…She said that he is going to marry this woman and

that they were there for some IVF thing.'

'You what?' Nikki asked. She was horrified, 'Hang on.' She sat forward now, 'Did he know

why El was there, did he ask?'

'No…He just told her how things were and off he went with his new Mrs…' Jo sighed, 'And

I've been puzzling myself all day. How do I even go about this? He broke my daughter's

heart, and he knows everything she has been through.'

Nancy, also horrified, gasped, 'That's cold. If anyone did that to my children, I don't care

about any history that they might have had with us, I would make sure that they knew that

they had messed with the wrong girl or boy, or however they wish to be seen when they are

older…' She shook her head, truly in disbelief, feeling merely angered now, 'If anyone broke

my children's hearts, I wouldn't just be giving them strong words, call it a temper or

whatever, but I want to go and give Robbie a piece of my mind.'

Nikki was leaning on her arm, resting her cheek on her knuckle, 'If Steve was still here.'

There was a shallow laugh, 'I know what he would do. He'd find where Robbie is, he

wouldn't let this go. He would find Robbie and when he finally did, I think there would be

some yelling and maybe, maybe he might resort to violence, but I don't think it would be

directly aimed at Robbie and if it was, a swift punch in the face. That was Steve, always

protective of his sisters. Always protective of El.'

As Jo was listening, she was considering what she should do to Robbie. Going all police

officer might be too much, but full on Mama Bear suited her just fine.

Talking about Steve made her all emotional again, but she quickly changed the subject, 'I

know it's very early to be talking about this…But Kate missed Remembrance Sunday just

recently…There is the D-Day stuff coming up soon…I want her to be able to do something…

Even after all this shit.'

Nikki sighed, 'Not to be that person, but Kate is still alive. After what Max did, she shouldn't

be. Factually, and biologically, she should be dead…Sorry if I'm being insensitive, but I can't

get my head around it.'

'She isn't human.' Nancy commented, 'If anyone can survive the impossible, it's her.' She

then got to her feet, 'Nikki, would you mind running me home? I've really got to get going.'

'Yeah, course.' Nikki commented. She then got to her feet and addressed Jo, 'I don't know if

you'll be here by the time I get back, but just drop the key back through the letter box, I'll

check on El before I go to bed.'

Jo gave Nikki a small smile, before then approaching Nancy and giving her a hug. Gently,

she gave her a squeeze and smiled, 'Give the wee ones a hug from their Gran, I'll see you

tomorrow?'

'I'll be around.' Nancy laughed, 'Goodnight Jo.'

'Night Nancy.' Jo smiled. She then walked over and gave Nikki a hug, only clinging on

tighter to her because Nikki was her rock at the moment, and Jo was slowly spiraling. Jo

knew she needed to go home tonight, and as much as she didn't want to, she let go of Nikki,

releasing her from her grip.

With a charming, and yet sorrowful smile, Nikki looked back at Jo and gave her wishes of

goodnight and then left with Nancy to take her home.

While driving back home herself through the dark, behind the wheel, Jo and her mind started

to go to some dark places. After everything, she made her mind up that Robbie was not

getting away with what he did to El. He had broken her daughter's heart in the most cowardly

way, and if there's one thing she didn't like, she didn't like cowards

While driving Jo decided to call Robbie. She asked him to meet her in a local park. The sun

had gone down, which was something that Jo knew she could use to her advantage.

After pulling up in a local pub car park, Jo had locked the car with the key and headed across

the road to the park where Robbie was waiting. Jo's blood was boiling, but she was so

determined to give Robbie what for. There was a bit of a chill in the air, but with someone as

angry as Jo was, she wasn't feeling it.

Robbie on the other hand was terrified. He hoped that he could win Jo over if he explained

everything to her, but then he remembered who Jo was and that made him want to back out.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, he started to walk away, heading off towards the woods

at the back of the park. Unlucky for him, Jo was fast on his tail.

'Robbie!' She called after him as she walked closer to him, 'You and I need to have a chat.' It

was now that she was a few metres from him and she wasn't in the mood for chasing after

cowards, 'Don't you think?'

Robbie's shoulders slumped. Any hope of getting away drained from him. Slowly, he turned

around and faced the Scot. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she was furious with him.

With a stutter, Robbie quickly jumped in, 'Jo…Look, I'm sorry, alright?'

Jo walked closer to him now, all cocky in her demeanor. Her hands were in her pockets and

she bit her lip as she looked back at him with a glare, 'Sorry for what?'

There was silence. Robbie wasn't giving in so easily, and that wound Jo up.

Still, she walked closer to him until there were mere inches between them. Robbie was

terrified, and Jo repeated herself, ' You're sorry for what?'

Robbie was defeated, and defensive, 'You know what.'

'I just…' Jo remained cocky as ever, 'I just want to be clear so our lines don't become

crossed and I accidentally accuse you of something you didn't do. What are you sorry for?'

Robbie felt like he was backed into a corner now, and so he snapped back at her, 'I'm sorry

for hurting El and breaking her heart! Believe me Jo, it was not easy doing that to her!'

Jo let out a small chuckle. She then smirked at him, 'And?'

Robbie frowned, 'And what?! What more do you want me to say?!'

Jo shrugged, 'Correct me if I'm wrong, please do…But…Wasn't it you who supplied El with

the drugs which she later used on herself and accidentally overdosed? Was it you that has

been supplying her with cocaine? Don't lie to me Robbie because I'm not in the mood!'

'I asked her to look after those drugs and she did! It was her that decided to take them so

don't accuse me of anything with that! As for the coke?! She must have a dealer, because I

don't do coke.' He hissed.

'No, just heroin.' Jo retorted sarcastically, 'And I'm not done because you didn't contact her

for weeks. For months, even and the next time you see her, that's when you tell her that it's

over.' She smirked again, 'Then, you tell her that you're engaged to someone else…That

wasn't the only reason that you left her…' She then snarled with great anger, ' Was it? What

did you say to her, Robbie? Why did you leave her?'

'BECAUSE I WANTED A NORMAL LIFE!' Robbie shouted at her through tears, 'I wanted

to tell her for so long, I just didn't know how.' He then stuttered, 'I, I realized that I couldn't

be with her anymore…I couldn't give her the life she wanted, and it was you and your stupid

family that tore mine apart!'

Jo raised her brows then. It was all coming out now. She wasn't biting to this- yet.

'Barry is in prison because of Max, if you lot had been normal and noticed your kids and

when they were crying out for attention, maybe then Max wouldn't have turned into a serial

killer!' Robbie snapped, 'I wanted a life with a woman I could grow old with and El…She's

sweet, she's awesome and she deserves so much more!'

'I'm getting whiplash here. Backhanded compliments.' Jo laughed, 'Let me remind you about

your precious brother and what he did to you…He bullied you and harassed you because of

how you identify. Now, we…El, Kate, Steve and me, we all opened our arms to you and gave

you safety…I lost my home because I was looking after you.'

Jo was glaring at him now, 'This is how you repay us?' She walked closer to him to close the

gap between them, 'You're right about one thing. El does deserve better than you! You're a

coward Robbie!' She then punched him in the gut, forcing him to double over, but she

grabbed him by his jacket and she hissed into his ear, 'El lost her brother and her sister

because of your brother, don't you dare defend that bastard! You broke my daughter's heart

because you were a coward! You think you're walking away just like that?'

It was then that Jo hit him again and backed him against a sign post. She hit him in the face

numerous times and once he was on the floor, she kicked him in the ribs a few times for good

measure, 'You don't get to break my daughters heart and walk away!"

When she was done, she crouched down to him and searched his pockets. When she found a

few small bags of cocaine, she tutted, 'Oh dear. Looks like you've been caught up in a deal

gone wrong. How else are you going to explain being in this predicament, eh?'

Robbie was in agony. He spat at her, swearing at her, 'You're a fucking bitch!'

Jo didn't take kindly to this. Instead, she grabbed some latex gloves from her blazer and put

them on, before then grabbing some handcuffs from the back of her trousers, 'Oh Robbie,

you could have just walked away…Shame that you pushed me too far.'

There was an immense joy that Jo took from this, 'Robbie Barry, I am arresting you for the

suspicion of possessing class A substances, and for intent to supply Class A substances. You

do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you do not mention when

questioned, something which you may later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be

used against you. I assume you understand.' Firmly, Jo clicked handcuffs into place and

called into the station for a car to come and pick Robbie up.

When a car did eventually turn up, Jo explained to the officers who she was and that she

believed that Robbie's condition was due to a deal gone wrong with a local gang and that she

had checked him over.

As Robbie was being escorted to the police car, Jo got a full look of the injuries she had

inflicted upon him, including a black eye, a bloody lip and nose. Bruises were starting to

form on his face and Jo took immense joy in it.

When Jo got back to Kate's ,the moment she entered the front door, she leaned her back

against it and sighed.

Upon hearing the door open, Nikki walked through. When she looked at Jo, she wondered if

she was okay, but then she saw her bloodied and grazed knuckles and her gut dropped, 'What

did you do?'

Jo looked back at her and answered her with honesty and certainty, 'I dealt with a problem

and he most certainly won't be bothering my daughter again.'

Nikki swallowed, but nodded in understanding, 'I messaged Jasmine. I said you had a work

call after putting El to bed. She's expecting you back soon.'

'She can wait…' Jo sighed.

'Jo.' Nikki said firmly, 'You need to go home for a few nights otherwise Jasmine will suspect

something. Go home to your wife for tonight. If we want to keep doing this, you need to stop

giving in to temptation.'

'How can I when you're so hot?' Jo giggled, 'You're the only woman I want in my bed.'

'And you're married.' Nikki emphasized, 'Go home Jo.'

With much reluctance, Jo nodded. She knew Nikki was right, 'I'll go home then...Nikki, I love

you.'

'I love both you and Kate...But at some point I'm going to have to choose...No matter what

Jo, I'm always going to choose Kate.' Nikki said to her, 'Go home.'

Nikki then headed up the stairs to check on El, leaving Jo with one heck of a choice to make,

and she hoped she could eventually win Nikki over.

Who Are You?

After El had gotten up and dressed the following morning, she walked into the kitchen to

make herself some breakfast. Before she poured cereal into her bowl, she pulled out a packet

of cigarettes from her back pocket, took one out and lit it. The last 24hrs had not treated her

well and this was the only thing that calmed her down. After lighting the cigarette, she

continued to get on with making her breakfast while leaving the lit cigarette between her lips.

It was not long after that Nikki headed down the stairs, fully dressed for another day at work.

When she walked through to the kitchen, she was frankly stunned to see El smoking in the

house. Swiftly, she approached her and told her how it was, 'Oi, outside. I've told you before

that we don't smoke inside. You can smoke all you want, you're grown up enough to do what

you want, but we don't smoke inside.'

El scowled at her and took the cigarette from her mouth, putting it between two of her

fingers. Exhaling the smoke, she merely glared at Nikki, cooking up an argument and Nikki

could see it coming.

'No.' Nikki said firmly, anticipating the argument, 'I've told you before, the rules haven't

changed.'

'It's raining outside!' El complained, 'And you're not my mom!'

'I'm as good as, and your name isn't on the mortgage. Outside or find a way to quit.' Nikki

said to her in a firm manner, 'I understand and I sympathize with you that you've had it really

hard, not just the last twenty four hours, but the last six or seven years, but you can't give in.

You're stronger and better than that.'

El merely shrugged and put the cigarette out, drenching it in water in the sink. She then put it

in the bin and turned to face Nikki once more.

'I'm sorry.' El said quietly, 'You don't…You haven't asked for any of this.'

'Neither have you.' Nikki replied softly, 'But I tell you something…You deserve so much

more than Robbie. You might be heartbroken now, but you will find someone who gives you

everything that you deserve. You will have the family that you've always wanted one day, and

I know it seems impossible now, but it will happen.'

El smiled sadly, 'All the family I've ever wanted is either dead, in prison or a complete

psychopath…' She then shrugged, 'Mama is in hospital having a crisis of her own because

she wishes that things were different…I don't get how we ever got here…'

Nikki walked over to El now and gave her a hug. As she held onto her, she gently rubbed her

back, 'It will get better…You just keep looking to the future because it is there…You will

have the family you've always wanted, even if it looks a bit different to what you imagined.'

El sighed into Nikki's shoulder, 'I will visit mama this morning…It's the only time I can

before she goes back to jail…We need each other, right?'

'You do sweetheart…Hey…When you get home, I'll make you some potato Smiley's for tea

with turkey dinosaurs?'

They both laughed at this.

'Not bad.' El laughed. She then pulled away from Nikki and headed back over to her

breakfast bowl, 'You get off to work…Oh wait!' She just remembered something. Heading

over to the fridge, she pulled out a lunch box and passed it to her, 'I was up at four…I made

you lunch.'

Nikki took the box from her, quite astonished, 'Thank you…You…You made me lunch?'

El nodded, 'Ham salad sandwich, two pepperarmi's, ready salted crisps and a cheese string.'

'Oh wow…That will keep me going.' Nikki laughed. She then put the box in her bag and

grabbed her blazer from the back of a kitchen chair, 'Right, I'm going to head off. Give your

mum my love, alright?'

'I will.' El nodded, 'Bye!'

Nikki headed off on her way, leaving El alone once more. After El knew that Nikki was gone,

she took out another cigarette and lit it.

The Doctor had stayed at the hospital overnight, playing games on her newly acquired

smartphone. She had smashed Candy Crush and was now busy playing Tetris when she was

approached.

'Hey!' A voice called over to her, 'Doctor!'

The Doctor's attention was turned from her phone and when she looked up, the colour

drained from her face. Immediately, she got to her feet and walked over to the person in

question. In a low voice, the Doctor hissed at her, 'What are you doing here?!'

Ruby looked incredibly confused, 'What am I doing here?! What are you doing here?! I

bumped into someone yesterday who clearly knew who you were, and what the TARDIS

was. Right little madam now that I think about it, so rude!'

The Doctor frowned, incredibly confused, 'What madam?!'

'I don't know! Brunette girl, looked about…I don't know.' Ruby huffed, 'About my age,

seventeen…And she was wearing a um…This blue shirt with a very 1980s pattern on it…

Blue suspenders…Similar to your yellow ones.'

'El.' The Doctor sighed, figuring out who it was immediately, 'Ruby, look, she had a very

hard day yesterday. She is not normally like that, ask her about the solar system and anything

arty and crafty, she will talk to you all day long.'

Ruby seemed a bit cocky. She crossed her arms and raised her brows, 'Who is she?'

'My granddaughter-' She corrected herself, only she sounded ashamed now when she said

this out loud, 'My daughter.'

'Oh.' Ruby laughed, 'So…My niece?'

'Yes.' The Doctor hissed through gritted teeth, 'Or at least, I think. This family tree is

confusing.'

'But you never said, why are you here?' Ruby asked her.

Unconsciously, the Doctor turned her head towards Kate's room, only Ruby's gaze also

followed. When Ruby saw Kate sleeping on the bed, it was like the penny dropped and her

entire approach to this conversation changed, 'Who is she?'

'That doesn't matter!' The Doctor snapped back, 'That really doesn't matter and you need to

go, now!'

'Oh no, no, no, no!' Ruby argued back, 'You don't get to do that! I've literally just found out

that I'm not exactly the same as everyone else and you're telling me to keep this massive

secret from a mess that you and the Master created! Why are you stopping me from finding

out anything?!'

That's when the penny dropped. Ruby became incredibly emotional. She swallowed the lump

in her throat and then looked back at the Doctor, 'Is that my mum? My real mum?'

The Doctor couldn't deny, nor could she confirm, 'Ruby, you need to go.'

'It is, isn't it?! I've been searching all my life for my biological mum and she's right there!

Why are you stopping me from having this?!' Ruby argued with her.

The Doctor then finally snapped, 'BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT YOU! If this ever

got out, it would destroy so many lives!'

'So I can't have that?' Ruby asked her, 'I suffer because of your mess?'

'Not just you.' The Doctor said firmly.

Just then, El came around the corner. She had a backpack on her shoulder filled with her

lunch and a cushion that made sitting on the chairs more comfortable. When she set her eyes

on the Doctor, she gave her a small smile.

'El, hey!' The Doctor greeted her, 'How are you?' She then noticed that she was wearing a

white hooded top, 'Is that a new top?'

'I've had it for a while.' El laughed. She hadn't noticed Ruby yet, but when she did, her

attention was taken, 'Wait…did I run into you yesterday?'

Ruby nodded, 'Yeah…' She breathed, 'On Coxall Hill.'

El nodded, 'I remember.'

'You seemed like you were upset…' Ruby said softly, 'I…I don't want to pry.'

Immediately, El felt terrible for the way she had spoken to her yesterday, 'Yeah…I'm really

sorry.' She was squirming, 'I am very protective of my family and I had an awful day

yesterday. I promise, I'm not like that all the time.'

Ruby smiled now, 'You're forgiven.'

El then looked between them and addressed the Doctor, 'Who is your friend?'

The entire time, the Doctor was pooping a brick or two, worried about what Ruby was going

to say to El, so she didn't respond immediately. Instead, Ruby took over for her.

'I'm Ruby, Ruby Sunday. The Doctor and I met in London a while back after a freak invasion

of Daleks.'

El frowned, looking back at the Doctor, 'Since when was there a Daleks invasion and we

didn't know?'

Now the Doctor was scrambling for an excuse, 'I was away for a while, remember? Ruby

likes to exaggerate. I wouldn't say it was an invasion as there was only one Daleks and I

solved it.'

El nodded, not quite convinced by their story, but she wasn't too bothered anyway, 'Cool…At

least the universe is still safe…I'm going to see Mama anyway.'

'She's still sleeping.' The Doctor said to her.

'That's okay.' El nodded. She then gave Ruby a small smile, 'It was lovely meeting you.'

'You too.' Ruby smiled.

Once El was out of sight, the Doctor hissed at Ruby, 'Outside, now.'

Mama

When lunch time finally came around at the school, Jasmine decided to go and speak to

Nikki about feelings that she's had for an unhealthy amount of time. Once her class had

finished, she packed everything away and left her classroom. Going at a fast-paced walk, she

hoped to bump into Nikki before she left her own class to get to the cafeteria. Much to

Jasmine's luck, Nikki was still sitting behind her desk, reaching into her bag for her packed

lunch by the time Jasmine reached the room.

Gently, Jasmine knocked on the door to gain Nikki's attention.

When Nikki turned and looked at her, she merely smiled, 'Jasmine! Hey! Lovely to see ya!'

Jasmine frowned as she crossed the threshold into the classroom, 'Are you not heading to the

cafeteria today?'

'No, El made me lunch today and I've just covered for Tom's PSHE class. As you can

imagine, rowdy year nine's for an hour is enough to leave you wanting silence for a week.'

She laughed, while she was absent mindedly taking the lid off of her lunchbox, 'Although I

could come to the cafeteria if you wanted-'

'No, no.' Jasmine said to her quickly, 'I just wanted to talk to you about something…' She

wasn't sure how to approach the topic, but she went straight in, 'It's about Jo…And you.'

Nikki rolled her eyes now, 'Oh, here we go.'

'I haven't said anything yet!' Jasmine protested.

'But you're about to! How many times Jasmine?! She comes around for El, and El is the one

who insists that Jo stays for film nights.'

'And what happens after you watch films?'

Nikki's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Though it was right, she

would protest to the ends of the earth, 'If you're accusing me of something, just say it

Jasmine because I'm not in the mood!'

Jasmine too was getting annoyed, 'She sometimes comes home and she doesn't. There is no

way in hell is she coming around that often just for El!'

'El is her daughter Jasmine! Believe it or not, Jo would drop everything for that girl if she

asked! Not everything is about you!' She then sat back and rubbed her forehead in

frustration, before opening her eyes again, 'Maybe, if you're that bothered about her dropping

everything for her daughter, you shouldn't have married someone who already has children!'

'It's not just that and you know it's not!' Jasmine snapped, 'You didn't answer my question.'

'What question?!'

'What happens after the films finish?' Jasmine was resting on the edge of a table. Fury was

running through her veins, 'Does she sleep downstairs or does she share the bed with you?'

Nikki then thought to answer in a slightly more sarcastic manner, but keeping the serious

tone, 'Of course she sleeps downstairs! And when El talks about the sleepovers that I know

you're going to start making accusations about, El sleeps on the floor with Jo on an airbed

and I go upstairs to bed!'

'Really?' Jasmine retorted.

'Yes, really! ' Nikki snapped, 'I know I'm not getting any action, but I'm fine with that, if

anything Jasmine, it's you who needs to talk to your wife!'

Jasmine went quiet for a moment and looked at the floor. She then looked back at Nikki, 'I

see the way you look at her sometimes…'

'With admiration because she and her family have been through hell and back, and somehow,

God knows how she does it…God knows how they all do it, but they keep going! I look at Jo,

Kate and El, and when I do, it's with pure admiration and respect! The only woman I love is

Kate!' Nikki argued back, 'Anything else is all in your head!'

'If you had the chance though…'

'Piss off Jasmine!' Nikki snapped, 'Go and talk to your wife.' She then paused and

considered her next sentence, 'I'm seeing Nancy and the kids tonight, Jo might come over

after work to see them too. Her world doesn't revolve just around you.'

Jasmine laughed, 'Stop trying to palm me off. I know you shag her any moment you get, I

just need to get proof.'

Nikki got up from her desk. She then walked over to Jasmine and got into her face, grabbing

a hold of her chin, meeting her gaze, 'If there was any woman that I was going to shag

Jasmine, it wouldn't be my partner's ex. I look after her daughter because her daughter

chooses to stay with me. If you carry on with this jealousy streak, or whatever it is, you won't

have anything!'

'You're shagging her aren't you? That's why she's never in the mood when I want to.'

'Not me. Maybe it's just you.' Nikki sneered, 'Maybe you look at her and because you want

to have sex so bad, you imagine that she's cheating with me when she is innocently spending

time with her daughter. You're paranoid and it needs to stop.'

Jasmine dragged her hand away and stood up, now confronting Nikki, 'Kate will find out!'

'Find out what? You're delusional and paranoid, now piss off and leave me to eat my lunch in

peace!'

'I'll find out the truth.' Jasmine hissed. She then looked back at the desk, 'Enjoy your lunch.'

Jasmine then walked off, slamming the door behind her.

Nikki however, just smirked to herself, but quickly went back to what she was doing.

After spending a few hours resting her head on the side of the bed next to her mum, El had

accidentally fallen asleep, only to be awoken by her mother gently stroking her hair. Slowly,

El opened her eyes and she could feel a pinch in her neck from how awkwardly she had been

laying. When she sat up, she rubbed her eyes and gave Kate a gentle, yet reassuring smile,

even if it was small.

'You've been down for the count for an hour or so.' Kate smiled, speaking in almost a

whisper, 'I know you're going to tell me off about talking, but it's okay.' Her eyes lit up with

her smile, but it quickly dropped when she remembered the events of the day before, 'I'm

sorry…For having a go yesterday.'

El shook her head and took her mum's hand, being careful of the cannula, 'Mama…' She said

quietly, 'What Max did to you…It was unspeakable and horrific . Nikki stopped me from

going back into the jail and sorting her out myself…'

'I'm made of tougher stuff than that.' Kate tried to laugh, only to be met with El tilting her

head and looking back at her with a firm gaze.

'Weakness isn't bad…And…Anyway…I think Nikki accidentally dropped the name of

Nancy's new baby to me yesterday.' She shrugged, 'We were talking and she said she had to

go and see them…In the process, she name dropped and now I know what my nephew is

called.'

'Thomas.' Kate uttered. When El looked back at her with surprise, she continued,

'Sometimes when I dream…It mostly happens when I'm stressed, but I…I can see and hear

what's happening…'

El nodded slowly, feeling a little disappointed that she didn't know about what Robbie had

done to her, but Kate did. She wasn't going to bring it up if El didn't want to talk about it, but

seeing the sadness on her face, Kate decided to let her know. Gently, she gave El's hand a

squeeze and looked back into her eyes, nodding slowly, 'You deserve better, so much better.

I'll have a word with him when I'm better, but you deserve more than that.'

Once again, El nodded slowly, giving Kate a small smile of reassurance. She then took a

breath and decided to change the subject, 'You're handcuffed to your bed…'

Kate frowned, but then looked at the chains on her wrists, 'It's only a safety precaution.'

El looked down for a moment. A lump swelled in her throat and she looked over at the

walking stick on the other side of the room, 'The guard outside said you need to use that

sometimes…Why?'

'No flies on you, eh?' Kate laughed nervously.

'Is the cancer still inside you?' El asked bluntly, 'I wasn't going to mention it…' There was a

little attitude in her tone now, 'But you do look a little skinnier than you should be.'

'Side effect of the drugs your Gran has given me.' Kate stated, 'Look, El, mum says I've got

about two or three rounds of treatment left. I'm not as weak as I look. I even pinned your

sister to a wall, and she is very strong.' She laughed gently, 'I am almost, very nearly all clear

of that dreadful disease, I can promise you that.'

El wasn't entirely convinced, but before she could ask more questions, two detectives walked

in. One of them very much reminded her of Carmichael, only the friend who stabbed her in

the back, and the one she really wanted to talk to right now wasn't here with her. But one

other person was.

Across the room in another chair, Kate could see as clear as day, Steve sitting there in the last

outfit he ever wore before he died. He looked at peace and that's all she ever wanted for him

in death.

Though Kate smiled at him gently and he returned the same gentle smile, he soon faded.

'Miss Fleming?' The female detective cut through her daze, 'Miss Fleming?'

Kate snapped back into the present, but El looked over where Kate's gaze had been and

frowned. Quickly, she realized, if Kate was seeing ghosts after an attack like this, something

was very wrong. Before the detectives could begin to ask questions, El shot up to her feet and

turned to face her, 'Mama…'

'Eleanor.' The female detective said her name firmly.

'Mama.' El was panicking, 'You're going to die.'

Kate's blood immediately ran cold upon hearing this and El could see it in her eyes, but she

grabbed a hold of her hand to reassure her, 'You're going to die, but I'm here, I've got you.'

Kate was incredibly confused, 'El, El, what are you talking about?'

'You looked into that corner…You saw someone didn't you? I…I don't know how to explain

it, but I don't think it was Steve.' El continued, 'You saw someone that you loved a very long

time ago and I could feel it.'

'El, you're scaring me now.' Kate panicked. Never had she seen El react in this way before,

and it scared her because she had never actually felt death before until now and it was

terrifying. Still, El kept a hold of her hand and reassured her that everything was going to be

okay. Though she had no idea what she was doing, she knew one thing for certain- she wasn't

going to let her die.

Soon enough, Kate's vitals dropped immediately, much to the confusion of the detectives. El

used her mind to unlock the handcuffs on her mother's wrists and she tilted the back of the

bed down. She was not a doctor, but she had telepathic abilities which were good enough for

her.

Eventually, machines started bleeping and everything dropped including Kate's blood oxygen

and her heart rate plummeted. Immediately, El climbed on the bed and started chest

compressions. This was terrifying, but she felt it coming. While she was performing the

compressions, she used her mind to alert other doctors on the ward. While she waited, she

screamed for the Doctor to come and help her. It was gut wrenching enough to grab the

attention of both Ruby and the Doctor who had been sitting outside.

The Doctor got to her feet and ran into the room. Immediately, she scanned Kate and her

hearts dropped in her chest. After she ran over, she started chest compressions on the

opposite side of Kate's chest. While El was working fast to get her mother's heart to beat

again, about a minute or so later, Kate flatlined.

The world suddenly stopped. The Doctor knew that she was too far gone, but she didn't know

how to tell El that.

El quickly took her hoodie off and tried mouth to mouth resuscitation a few times and it

didn't work. She was trying and trying. Nothing was working.

'El…El you need to stop.' The Doctor said to her calmly. That didn't work. Instead, she

walked over to her and came to stand at the side of her, 'She's gone El…She had internal

bleeding from the other stab wounds…You have to let her go.'

El merely laughed at the suggestion. She clambered from the bed and looked the Doctor

directly in the face, 'All my life, I've been pushed to the side, ignored. She was always there

for me when I needed her the most. I need to return the favour. She's my mom, I couldn't save

Steve…But I can save her.'

The Doctor's world froze then. Upon hearing El refer to Kate as her mum knowing what she

did was horrible, but she wasn't going to shatter what she believed right now.

'What are you going to do?' The Doctor asked her.

'I need you to guard the door, because I'm going to save her.' El explained, 'She's saved me

time and again, I'll repay the favour.'

With that, the Doctor nodded, knowing what she was going to do. El was so grown up, but

she knew , Max wasn't going to win this.

Once the door and blinds were closed, El climbed onto the bed and rested her forehead

against her mother's. Using the sound of the flatlining monitor, El was able to transport

herself into Kate's mind. Though it was dark for the moment, El could still see her in her

mind palace on the floor, lifeless.

In the real world and in the mind palace, El's hands began to glow. A bright, brilliant light of

artron energy filled the space both inside and outside of the mind palace. Kate's veins brightly

lit up as El's own artron energy coursed through her, healing as much as she could in her

path.

'You're not going anywhere.' El uttered, 'I'm here for you Mama, I'm always here for you.'

Eventually, Kate awoke in the mind palace with a start, gasping for breath. When she awoke

and looked up into El's eyes, though she was still incredibly weak, she knew what El was

doing.

Eventually, Kate lost consciousness, as did El. When she did lose consciousness in the real

world, Ruby ran in and caught her before she fell from the bed. As she held onto her, she

could see the trail of blood from her nose in her chin and neck, but the machines were

working, Kate was alive and El had done what modern medicine could never do instantly.

El had gotten rid of the cancer and healed all the stab wounds enough to leave bright pink

scars. While Ruby was outside figuring all this out, the Doctor was outside explaining to the

other staff that El had called, that it was an accident and now everything was fine.

To the Doctor though, everything was not fine. Max had effectively killed Kate to the point

where El stepped in to save her. That was unforgivable.

The rest of that afternoon, El had slept with her arm wrapped around her mum. At some

point, Kate had woken up. When she did, she looked over at El with a small smile and uttered

to her, 'Thank you.' Before kissing her head and falling asleep once more, with her daughter

in her arms.

Better

When El woke up on Kate's chest, a short while later, she had a yawn and gently rubbed her

eyes. The moment she looked up at her mum, she gave her a small smile, and Kate returned it

with her own. Gently, Kate rubbed her arm and asked her in a soft voice, 'How did you

know? How did you know that I was about to go into cardiac arrest?'

At first, El didn't respond. She considered her answer and when she replied, it was gentle,

'You stared into the corner at the chair…I don't know who you saw, but it must have been

someone you loved.'

Kate pondered. She didn't remember anything before she went into the arrest. All she

remembered was waking up and finding that her bandage and stitching had gone, so she was

able to talk properly. Though this was suspicious to the nurses and other physicians, the

Doctor explained it away to them what had happened. The only explanation she had was that

she was a sort of witch doctor that had remedies from nature that quickened the healing

process…Whether they bought it or not, she honestly didn't know.

Still, Kate kept a hold of El and looked over in the corner. She tried to remember who she

saw, but nothing came to mind, 'I don't remember anything.'

'All that matters is that you're alive.' El smiled, 'And Nikki is making turkey dinosaurs for

dinner, so I've got to get home.'

'It's okay. She text me and she's coming to pick you up.' Kate explained, 'And I hear you've

been smoking, that's a bad habit you know?'

'So is ending up in hospital as often as you have.' El giggled.

'I try not to make a habit of it.' Kate laughed. Moments later both of their smiles dropped and

Kate continued on, 'It's not up to any of us to stop you from smoking. That's your choice, we

adults can only be a guide for you.'

El nodded, 'I'm going to quit. It's a bad habit.' She then got off of the bed and gave Kate a

kiss on the cheek as she did, 'There are a couple of detectives that have been wanting to talk

to you. I don't know who they are, but are you okay to talk to them?'

Slowly, Kate nodded and gave her a reassuring smile, 'Yeah, I am, don't worry.' There was a

pause. She stared out of the window and saw another woman sitting beside the Doctor,

talking to her, 'Do you know who that is? Next to mum?'

El looked up and out of the window in the same direction, 'Oh, that's Ruby. Her name is

Ruby Sunday, Gran says that she met her in London.'

'What is she doing here?'

El shrugged, 'So many questions. Look, mama, I'm going to get a hot chocolate, do you want

anything?'

Kate shook her head, 'Tell you what, and I know what you're going to say. You're going to

say that I'm trying to hide things from you, but honestly, I want to tell the detectives what

happened…It's just very gruesome and I don't want you to be worried or any more

distressed…You can listen in if you want…But I don't want to put you in a position where the

information you hear is too much to handle.'

'It's clear what happened to you.' El stated, 'But I understand…Thank you…For taking my

thoughts and feelings into consideration…' She smiled gently.

There was a moment between them where there was nothing but silence, but El quickly broke

it, 'I'm going to get a hot chocolate, and you can talk to the detectives. I'll keep an eye out for

Nikki…' She slowly walked forward, leaned down and gave Kate a gentle kiss on the cheek,

'I love you mama.'

'I love you too, poppet, always.' Kate smiled, 'Go on.'

After El had left the room and invited the detectives in, Kate exhaled a breath. She was

riddled with anxiety and she wondered how she could have even allowed Max to get as close

as she did to her. Kate would talk to the Doctor about her, because she knew how strong

Max's powers had become. That scared her.

When El arrived home with Nikki, the moment she walked through the front door, she turned

a corner in the hallway to enter the living room and when she did, she caught sight of Nancy

and the two little ones. The one person that El wanted though, was the first person she went

to.

Jo had been standing by the fireplace with her hands in her pockets. She gave El a small

smile when she set her eyes on her, 'I heard what happened…You did your mum proud.'

El swallowed the lump in her throat, but didn't say anything. Instead, she continued walking

and when she got to Jo, she gave her a hug. Her grip was a little tight, but Jo knew that when

El gave hugs like this, she really needed it. In response, Jo wrapped her arms around her and

gave her a gentle squeeze, 'You're okay sweetheart. Your mum will be fine…You did us all

proud.'

There was silence in the room, but both Nikki and Nancy caught sight of Jo's grazed

knuckles, which were still bloodstained. Both women looked back at each other, and when Jo

realized what they were looking at, something unspoken went between them. Nancy and

Nikki knew why Jo's knuckles were that way, but they wouldn't say anything with El around.

After Jo had released El from her grip, she put her hands back into her pockets and looked

back over at Nikki and Nancy, changing the subject immediately, 'You look a bit

knackered…Why don't you get a nap before dinner?'

'That sounds like a great idea.' Nikki echoed, 'I know how exhausting cardiac arrest and

chest compressions can make you.'

'It's not just that.' El laughed, the tiredness was catching up to her, 'I used up the equivalent

of about two regeneration cycles to heal Mama's cancer, her hearts and to heal the wounds

that Max created…I need a long sleep.'

Without further questions, El headed towards the stairs and sluggishly made her way up

them. As soon as she got up the stairs, she closed her door and slumped onto her bed. The

moment her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.

Downstairs, Nikki and Nancy were so incredibly suspicious of Jo and her injuries. Nikki

crossed her arms and got her back up, 'How did your knuckles end up like that?'

Jo sighed, 'I used my initiative.' Her gaze darkened, 'I wasn't going to allow someone to

break my daughter's heart.' Her gaze shifted briefly to Nancy, 'I decided to use your

suggestion…Things got heated between Robbie and I…'

'How?' Nikki snarled.

'I got into a scrap with him, I found cocaine on his person and I arrested him for possession

and intent to supply.' Jo said firmly, standing her ground, 'He's going to be placed on a tag,

on a curfew and he knows not to come near my daughter again.'

'Wow.' Nancy uttered, 'When…When I said that I would make someone suffer for hurting

my kids…That is not what I…It's badass, but it's also not what I meant!' She then hissed,

lowering her voice, 'Is he okay?'

'Nevermind that.' Nikki argued back, glaring at Jo, 'You're a police officer! You attacked him

and searched him without a warrant or permission to do so! You'd better hope this doesn't

come back to bite you in the arse.'

'If he knows what's good for him, he will leave well alone.' Jo responded, 'The matter has

been dealt with and that's the end of it.'

'If only you had that same attitude when Steve was killed, you could have done some serious

damage to Max.' Nikki responded.

'Believe me, it's brewing.' Jo sneered, 'I'm not done with Max yet, by a long shot.'

It was about two hours after Jo had and Nancy had left that Nikki was left alone. Once she

had closed and locked the front door a final time, she leaned with her back flat against it.

Putting her hands to her face, Nikki pulled them down and dropped them to her side with a

sigh of frustration and exhaustion. As she started heading back into the living room, her

phone began to ring on the coffee table. Swiftly, she picked it up and saw that a withheld

number was calling. Assuming Kate was calling, she answered it immediately and put it to

her ear, 'Please tell me this is my most beautiful partner in the world whose voice I need to

hear right now.'

There was a laugh on the other end of the phone that was unmistakably Kate's, 'Good

evening to you too. Sounds like you've had a stressful day.'

'Shut up!' Nikki laughed, 'You got the worse end of the straw.' There was further laughter

until Nikki's smile dropped and her thoughts turned to more serious matters, 'No, but how are

you now?'

'I'm alive.' Kate replied, 'El poured a lot of energy into keeping me alive and I don't know

how I will ever be able to repay her for that.'

'Don't be daft. You've saved her life enough times, you have been her life since the start of

her own.' Nikki itched her ear, 'She said that she gave you the equivalent of two of her own

regeneration cycles just to keep you alive.'

Nikki had now turned and started to head up the stairs as she held the phone to her ear.

'She did, yeah.' Kate laughed, 'Like I say, I owe her big time.'

Nikki gently opened the door to El's bedroom and saw her laying on her bed fast asleep. Her

mouth was open ever so slightly and her arms were askew. One was above her head and the

other at the side of her.

'How is she?' Kate asked Nikki.

'She is out like a light. She hasn't had dinner yet though. I'm in two minds as to whether I

should wake her or not.'

'I would leave her, otherwise she will be grumpy when she wakes up. You can make her

pancakes and give her lots of sugar in the morning.' Kate smiled, 'But at some point in the

next two days, I'm being sent back to prison…If you want to take tomorrow off, you could

ask mum to bring you to see me…'

'No tah, I'll take driving my car over flying with the Doctor any day.' Nikki laughed.

'So I'm seeing you tomorrow then?'

'I'll bring El with me.' Nikki commented, 'Alright?'

'I look forward to it. Goodnight Nikki…I love you.'

'I love you too.' Nikki replied softly, 'Goodnight Kate.'

'Night.'

Once the call had ended. Nikki put her phone in her pocket and went to gently take El's shoes

off while she slept. When she went into the room, the moment she reached El, she noticed

that she was glowing ever so slightly just beneath the skin. Though it was strange, she

thought of it as being the same thing as when humans regenerate to heal wounds-only human

regeneration isn't as visible as the alien kind.

After she had finished this, she tucked El in and headed downstairs to turn the alarm system

on for the night.

The day had left Nikki with many thoughts, but she fell to sleep soon after from exhaustion.

Text

In the early hours at around 2am, El got out of bed and walked out of her room onto the

landing. Sleepily, she rubbed her eyes, but when she looked down at her hands, she could see

that they still were glowing ever so slightly. Heading into the bathroom which was lit up by

the moonlight, El stood by the sink and looked at her own reflection, staring into her eyes

which sparkled like a galaxy she had seen a long time ago. As she was standing there looking

back at herself, her brain decided to show her a few things, albeit with a mighty thump.

El was thrown into her mind palace and while she was there, she walked around and found

herself at Kate's bedside. It confused her, she didn't know why she was here, but then, after

looking over her mother, making sure that she was safe and peacefully sleeping, she saw

something else.

In the corner of the room just ahead of her a shadow formed, a black shadow. The shadow

grew, and El watched the shadow grow up the wall until she came face to face with what she

would quickly come to define as evil itself, Max. When El looked at her, she was deeply

confused. Perhaps it was because she hadn't seen her sister in such a long time, but something

didn't seem right about this version of her sister.

Perhaps it was the personified evil that stemmed off of her. When El looked into her eyes,

they appeared brighter, and yet darker at the same time. It was as though a shadow had

covered Max's soul completely like a curse. Her smile, though evil, was crooked.

Quickly, El brushed it off and considered this apparition rationally as her innermost fears, and

her anxiety. After turning her attention back to her mum, she was so glad that she was

sleeping peacefully, even if she had one wrist handcuffed to the bed.

Once El knew that Kate was safe and well, she returned from her mind palace and opened her

eyes back in the real world. In the darkness she turned on the tap at the sink and splashed

water over her face. After taking a towel from the hanger, she dried her face and looked down

at her still glowing skin. In the back of her mind, she knew she needed to go back to bed, but

she was up now so she decided to do something with that time.

After she had left the bathroom, she made her way down the stairs and headed straight for the

kitchen. There, she looked through the cupboards and found some snacks and made herself

some juice. Mindlessly, she walked around the living room, looking at all the family photos.

As she looked at each photo, it reminded her of how happy they all once were.

Of course, it saddened El that things were so completely different now, but she was slowly

coming to accept that things would never go back to the way they were.

While she was chewing on a pepperami stick, she decided to head outside. From behind the

back door, she grabbed her red hoodie and put it on. Making sure to deactivate the security

system, El grabbed a deck chair from under the stairs and she sat out in the back garden.

Looking up, the sky was a deep, dark shade of blue, but the stars seemed so bright and

beautiful. The air was a little cooler, but the fizzing yellow light beneath her skin kept her

warm. El's eyes continued to sparkle with a yellow glint, but it was in twilight moments like

this, that El was able to think and gather her thoughts. The silence was incredibly calming

and it allowed her to gain perspective of her entire situation, and her life respectively.

'Seventeen years.' El uttered to herself, 'I've been here that long…I've been through so

much…' She took a breath and looked over at Orion's belt in the sky, and a meteor flashes by

moments later. That made her smile, 'It'll get better…I have to believe it will…I'll have a

family…I'll have everything I've ever wanted…Even if it doesn't look how I imagined.'

A gentle breeze swept by and El closed her eyes, exhaling a gentle breath. She considered

going for a walk, but in the back of her mind, the fear of Ghostface hiding in the shadows

still lingered. Staying home was her best option. Just as the thought of Ghostface crossed her

mind, a lump formed in her throat. Emotions that she hadn't thought about in a long time

regarding Ghostface crept back up to her. Looking down, El slowly lifted her hoodie and the

shirt she had slept in, beneath it, she saw a scar from where she had been stabbed before.

That wound was not inflicted by Max because Max witnessed that attack. It might have been

Barry, but then she considered Billy… No…He's my brother…He wouldn't. El thought, but

then she realized that she didn't know him so she had no idea what he was capable of. Slowly,

she covered the scar back up and she ran her hands down her face.

Moments later, she retrieved her phone from her back pocket. When she unlocked it, she saw

an image of her and Steve after a day of larking about together. A reminder of better times

and what she had lost. As she stated at the image, she uttered quietly, 'I miss you…'

In her head, she heard Steve responding to her, telling her that he missed her too, but she

brushed it off as he mind playing tricks on her.

Looking at her phone, she opened her text messages and she saw the last text she had sent to

Kate before she got sent to prison. It was short and sweet, 'I'll be home soon. Love you.'

El considered sending a text in response, even if it wouldn't be replied to for a couple of

years. Instead, she began to type, all the things she wanted to say but she didn't know how,

"Mama…I know you won't see this for a while…I'm out in the garden, it's about 2:30am

and…I'm looking at the stars while my body is still recovering from giving you two of my

regeneration cycles. You're welcome, I would do it again in a heartbeat. I just…I know these

last few years have been horrible and I know I could have written this in a letter to you, but I

want something you can open one day when you come out of prison…Something that will

make you smile. No matter what happens mama, I will be here…I love you."

Momentarily, El paused as she considered what she truly wanted to say. Her thumbs hovered

over the keyboard and she looked at the sky above her for inspiration. When she started

typing again, it was full of heart and it was something that came from deep within her.

Pressing the 'enter' button, El started a new paragraph,

"You've been in and out of my life, that's okay. I can't blame you for that. You did, what you

did, you defended Max because you thought it was the best thing to do for your kid. I get that

now, and I think you understand what you did…I don't blame you for what happened to

Steve…"

El swallowed once again as tears filled her eyes as she continued typing.

"I just wish you would have listened to me and him earlier. We knew that she was wrong, that

she was doing something bad. I just wished you would have listened because then, Steve

would still be here and we would all be happier. I'm not guilt tripping here, I just…I just wish

that a lot of the situations we have been in…I wish they were handled differently…Much like

with me and Robbie…If we would have talked more then maybe we wouldn't be in this

position…"

"What I'm trying to say is, I forgive you, I forgive mama…I forgive…'

There was a sigh from El now and she deleted the sentence before and shortened it to, "I

forgive you"

Then she sent the message to Kate's phone and locked her own and put it in her lap. She

sighed once more and looked back up at the sky.

El spent another couple of hours outside and went back inside at half past four in the morning

just as the sun was starting to come up. Instead of going back to bed, El grabbed a blanket

from under the stairs and made herself comfy. Not too long after she got settled, she was fast

asleep once more and there was a surge of artron energy through her system that lit up the

room for the next ten minutes.

At 6am Nikki made her way down the stairs. As she reached the bottom, her gaze landed on

El as she slept soundly on the sofa. Nikki wondered how long she had been down here, but

then she caught sight of the deck chair in the corner. Nikki smiled to herself and then decided

to go and wake her up, be it, gently.

After making her way over to the sofa, Nikki gently nudged El awake and spoke gently to

her, 'El…wake up…Squishy…'

Slowly, El opened her eyes and stretched with a groan, 'What time is it?'

'Just gone six…I wouldn't have woken you, but I need a coffee to start my day, and I didn't

want you to be rudely awakened by the sound of the kettle.' She smiled, 'I'm seeing Kate

today, if you want to come with me.'

Once again, El yawned, but then she sat up and nodded, 'I'll come with you…Can we grab a

MacDonald's on the way?'

Nikki tilted her head to the side, 'You had MacDonald's the other day…Tell you what? Why

don't you go and get a shower? I'll make you some breakfast while you get freshened up, and

I'll consider a Maccies.'

'Fair.' El uttered. She then sat on the side of the sofa, putting her head in her hands, and

sighing, 'I'll get a shower…'

'Good shout.' Nikki smiled, 'Go on Squishy.'

El got to her feet and looked back at Nikki with really tired eyes. A nap would certainly be

had on the way to the hospital, that much Nikki could see.

Just as they set off to the hospital a short while later, El had fallen asleep once more. Nikki

drove in relative quiet with only the sound of the tyres as they rolled on the pavement and the

sound of passing cars to keep her company. It was only when they were halfway there did El

stir from her slumber. She stretched and contemplated her life choices before looking back at

Nikki.

Nikki sensed her movement and looked over at her, smiling now, 'Hey sleepy head. We are

almost there now. You can sleep more if you want.'

El sat up straight and shook her head, 'I've slept enough, but thank you…' She grabbed her

phone from her lap and took a look at it, 'Nothing from Wednesday, Enid or Robbie.'

'They're probably busy with college. They'll drop you a message soon.' Nikki explained,

'Hey, it's my birthday soon…If you want something else to focus on.'

'How old will you be?' El yawned.

'Bit of an intrusive question.' Nikki laughed, 'I'll be 49. Ancient, I know.'

'Mama is like 348…You wanna talk about ancient?' El teased with a smile, 'Or she is 350,

but I don't know. Imagine if I reach that age.'

'A few hundred years isn't that long, is it?'

'Ask mom. She lived through it.' El shrugged, 'Can we get Maccies now, please?'

Nikki sighed with a huff, 'Look out for a service station, but don't tell your mum, alright?'

El beamed with happiness, and she kept her eyes on the road eagerly looking for the service

station exit.

Turn

Pulling into the service station about ten minutes later, El was extremely excited by the

prospect of getting her MacDonald's fix. After Nikki had pulled up into a space, El grabbed

her red hoodie and put it over the top of her white T-shirt. Before darting straight to the

MacDonald's, El had a walk around to stretch her legs, as did Nikki.

'I've been thinking.' El commented out loud, turning around to face Nikki.

'You be careful.' Nikki laughed, 'You know what happens when you think too hard.'

El sarcastically smirked, 'Ha- ha . Anyway, I've been thinking about your birthday. 49,

right?' She then changed the topic slightly and went on a small tangent, 'Your life-span is so

funny and so short.'

'Thanks?' Nikki laughed, 'Remind me that I'm getting older, why don't ya?'

Turning around, El looked at all the other cars and people going about their business, 'I don't

like this…It's too noisy.'

'Oh.' Nikki immediately thought, 'You brought your noise canceling headphones, didn't

you?'

Reaching into her back pocket, El pulled out a small box, and took an ear bud out and put it

in her ear, 'They do smaller ones now.'

Nikki waited until she put both of them in, 'Are you ready now, or are you still thinking

about my birthday?'

'Oh!' El beamed, 'I'm thinking more about next year, I don't really have anything for your

49th…It's…. it's not that significant is it? Your 50th is a milestone though, according to

human traditions.'

'Yeah…But I was talking about this year.' Nikki laughed, 'Do you have any ideas?'

'Pinata.' El said plainly as if it explained everything that was going on in her head in one

sentence.

'I'm going to make you a Pinata if you're not careful. What about it?'

El all but scowled momentarily, 'We could do party games. We could invite Nancy, Skye,

Thomas and mama, and Jasmine if she wants to come over…That woman is very…

Private…' She pondered, 'Look, I know you're not five years old, but we like nostalgia,

happier times…Childhood…'

Nikki looked down. She knew El meant well, but knowing that she didn't actually know what

a real childhood felt like, she couldn't begin to imagine what a real one looked like, or how it

was supposed to go. Gently, she shook her head, 'How about you continue to workshop those

ideas?'

El could feel that something wasn't right, 'Did I offend you?'

'No sweetheart, no. Come on, let's go and get your Maccies.' Nikki smiled, walking over to

her now and putting the car keys in her pocket. They both headed towards the small shopping

centre and made their way inside. El had stayed close to Nikki. A part of her mind had

decided to be intrusive and made her think that Ghostface could be hiding around the corner

at any time, waiting to strike.

Even Nikki could feel that El's grip on her arm had become somewhat tighter, but she let her

know that she was there.

When they reached the screens where they placed their orders, Nikki was going to ask El

what she wanted, but she noticed how far away El's attention really was. She was looking

around, being extremely aware of her surroundings. El might have been more grown up, but

she was still allowed to be scared of the things that frightened her the most.

Though it felt weird, Nikki got into her knees and grabbed a hold of El's hands, providing her

with some grounding while she helped her come back to her senses, 'Hey…Hey, El, look at

me sweetheart…El…'

El still wasn't listening. While Nikki was crouching there, she noticed how much El had

begun to start sweating, and she could feel that her hands were clammy, 'El!' Nikki snapped,

trying to get through to her. Realizing that nothing was working, Nikki did something that

she really didn't want to do. She shouted the name that El had hated for years, 'ELEVEN!'

Suddenly, El looked down at Nikki. She had been snapped out of whatever it was that she

was entranced in. Her breathing became faster and when she looked down at Nikki, she

yanked her hands away from her and backed into the screen behind her, 'He's here…'

Nikki was confused. She looked around and only noticed that El's behavior had garnered

some attention from other bystanders, 'Who sweetheart?'

'Ghostface…' Her voice was shaking, 'Mama…She…She said he wouldn't come back…But

he's here.'

Every possible thought ran through Nikki's mind now, 'Okay…Okay…How about…How

about we go to the car and-'

'That's where he would want us to go!' El snapped, 'Don't you understand?! We aren't safe

here. Steve said one day…He said to me, if Ghostface came back…Call him…' She began to

break down in tears now, 'He said he would always be here and he isn't! Nikki, he's gone! He

can't keep me safe and he promised, he…he promised!'

Though Nikki was heartbroken, she had to be calm for El's sake. Rationally, she thought of

something, 'Where is your phone sweetheart?'

El took her phone from her pocket and gave it to Nikki. As soon as she got the phone in her

hands, Nikki unlocked it and went into El's phone gallery and found the same picture that

was the background on her phone and showed it to her, 'He is here El…He is here. He hasn't

left you.' She smiled nervously, 'He never would.'

El looked at the photo and managed to take some solace in it. Seeing Steve's face calmed her

somewhat. The people who had stopped and stared quickly moved on with their day. People

had other things to do, and other things to be getting on with.

Just as El was beginning to calm down, a message came through on her phone.

A message from Steve.

Or so, that's what the contact information said.

Nikki immediately noticed El start to crumble once more. Just as El had started to calm

down, something else had unsettled her. Gently, Nikki approached her, 'El, sweetheart, what

is it?'

El shook her head, uttering "no" quietly beneath her breath repeatedly. Then she looked

directly at Nikki, 'I got a text…A text from Steve.'

Nikki's entire world seemed to stop just then. For that moment, she had a glimmer of hope,

but she knew for a fact that Steve wasn't alive, so who was playing games?

Sitting alone in his high castle, full of nothing but pride and self-righteousness, Billy had

been hiding away in the shadows while things settled down. He wasn't going to put his neck

on the line by going out killing again. He had been watching everything play out from afar.

Every now and then, he visited Steve's grave. Whenever he was there, he would stare at the

headstone and feel some sort of remorse deep down for what he did, because he also knew he

had a part to play in how he died.

Sitting alone in a hideout, one of his many burner phones began to ring. A withheld number

appeared on the screen and he knew exactly who it was. When he spoke, he was cocky, and

wouldn't give Barry the space to talk, 'What do you want Barry?'

Barry was standing by the phone in prison, using his free call to get in touch with Billy, 'I

need a favour.' He sneered, 'That copper, Jo Davidson beat my sister up-'

'Your…Brother.' Billy corrected him.

'Casey!'

'Robbie.' Billy took a puff of his cigarette and exhaled, 'His name is Robbie, and he is a man

.'

'What the hell is wrong with you?!' Barry hissed.

'I might have done some evil things in my time, but I still hold decency and respect for

others. What do you want from me Barry?' Billy sounded as though he was getting bored. As

he was listening, he held in his hand a Ghostface mask. Looking into it's gaunt eyes, he was

considering who his next victim would be. At that moment, he had made his mind up.

Barry snarled down the phone, 'My sister is on an electronic tag after being done for

possession and intent to supply, but Jo Davidson beat her up, I want you to sort the problem

out, because there is no way that bent copper is getting away with this!'

'Jo isn't anything to do with me.' Billy laughed, 'And it happened to your brother. I

understand why you're asking, but no can do.'

'You owe me!' Barry snarled.

'Watch your tone!' Billy snarled angrily, 'Let me tell you how this goes Barry…I don't do

you any favors. My brother ended up dead because of a lie that you told.'

Barry was lost for words, 'But…But you said to Max that if the truth about us ever got found

out that someone would die!'

'Us? What "us"?' Billy asked, 'I don't know what you're talking about. You were the one

who told Max that her brother knew and that you had told him. Steve didn't need to die, and it

never would have gotten that far if you didn't open your mouth .' He snarled, 'I won't help

your brother…If he did anything to my sister, he had it coming the very same way that you

do.'

Billy ended the call there. Leaving it cryptic left Barry panicking and wondering what the

hell Billy meant. Barry slammed the phone back onto it's holder and walked back to his cell.

As Billy headed back across the room, his grip tightened around the Ghostface mask and his

desire to kill grew stronger beneath the surface, but he would continue to bide his time.

Code

After being at the hospital for about an hour, Nikki had told Kate about everything that had

happened before they arrived, including every part of El's meltdown. It didn't surprise Kate in

the slightest that El would have a breakdown, she had been through a lot the last couple of

days. Now she was listening to Nikki telling her about the message that came through to El's

phone from Steve's.

'Who sent it?'

'If I could tell you that, I wouldn't be asking.' Nikki sighed, 'You don't think Billy would do

this so you?'

'I don't know…' Kate sighed, 'Someone is playing a twisted game…I mean, it's easy to hack

someone's phone.'

'It is?'

Kate nodded, 'Mum taught me how to code technology when I was a kid at fifty years old,

advanced technology. Your technology is more primitive than what we had on Gallifrey.'

'Right.' Nikki responded in something of a sarcastic tone, 'I turn 50 next year and you're

telling me that you were a child at 50 years old?'

Kate didn't know whether to be bemused or offended, 'You've known that I'm three hundred

odd years old for how long?'

'I just struggle to imagine a child at 50 years of age…How old is that in human years?' Nikki

was bemused and confused, as well as being intrigued.

'About eight or nine…I think.' Kate thought, 'Even so, I can hack your phone from mine if I

had it. It's easy enough to do so, if you know how…If you understand the intricacy of

numbers and letters, it's a language of it's own.'

Nikki was becoming more confused as time went on, 'Can we get back to the point? How do

we trace this?'

'You can't.' Kate said bluntly.

This was a rollercoaster conversation, Nikki thought, 'So…So how do we know who hacked

Steve's phone?'

'Easy…It could have been anyone…Anyone with an understanding of code…It could have

been Max..I just..Billy is cold…But I don't think he's that bad.' Kate responded as if it was

the most obvious thing in the world, 'Listen, I may not know Billy the way I should as his

mum, but dad wouldn't do this and neither would mum.''

'It's a sick joke!' Nikki protested, 'And how are you so calm about this?! Your dead son's

phone is being used to message your daughter, giving her a mental breakdown and you're just

fine?'

'I'm furious , don't mistake my calmness for not caring at all. Just because outwardly, I'm not

showing my anger, it doesn't mean that I'm not.' Kate responded firmly, 'There is no point in

me getting angry if I can't do anything about it, is there? I'm still puzzling myself as to how

El knew I was about to have a heart attack yesterday. She and Max are more in tune with their

own abilities than they let us believe.'

'Is that a problem?' Nikki asked her.

'You saw what Max did to me.' Kate replied bluntly, 'If she wanted, she could walk out of

that prison, killing everyone in her way, but she hasn't…'

Nikki scoffed, 'You say that as if it's a bad thing.'

'What's bad…' Kate considered her response, 'Is that, I have hundreds of years on them

both…Hundreds of years to hone in on my own abilities, but Max overpowered me.'

'Maybe she caught you off guard.' Nikki tried explaining, 'You were still having treatment

for the cancer at the time…That can make you weaker.'

Kate shook her head, 'My own adrenaline kicked in too, that combined should have helped,

but you didn't feel what I did…It was like a truck was pinning me down and no matter how

much I tried, I couldn't move her…' The fear she felt when she thought she was going to die

came back to Kate the more she thought about it. She remembered Max climbing on top of

her, she was so confident she would be able to overpower her, but then she remembered

feeling like a heavy weight had been dropped on top of her.

Meeting Nikki's gaze, Kate came to a conclusion in her thoughts, 'She's so dangerous…I

don't even think the surface has been scratched with her. She is locked up twenty three of the

twenty four hours in a day…Books aren't her thing, but literally being stuck in her own

head…If Steve is haunting her, and I have a strong hunch that he is…Her own company is all

she has…And she has more time to…I don't know…Experiment and make things better…'

Nikki had no idea what to say. She was stuck for words, 'How worried should we be?'

'If she knows what's good for her, she will behave and keep her head down. I don't think she

would expose herself like that…She knows if she did, she would drag us all down with her. If

Max knows what's good for her, she wouldn't dare, because if she did, I would tear her head

from her fucking shoulders.'

Nikki went quiet now. She looked at the floor, considering Kate's warning, but they were both

distracted when El walked back in with her newly acquired hot chocolate.

The moment El entered the room, Nikki and Kate looked away from each other. Though El

knew what was going on, she didn't want to talk about it. Instead, she plastered on a smile, 'I

bumped into Ruby again. She seems nice…I regret being horrible to her now…'

'Ruby?' Nikki asked.

'Mum's new mate.' Kate told her, 'Mum does this. Finds companions…Male or female…

Human and sometimes not and she takes them to see the universe.'

'Are they always 17 year old teenagers?' Nikki asked.

El grimaced, 'Don't say it like that.'

'Yeah.' Kate echoed, 'Please don't say it like that. No, she doesn't always take teens travelling

with her. Look at Yaz for instance-'

El frowned, 'Yaz was 19 when they met.'

'How old is she now?' Nikki asked.

'Twenty nine…I think.' El replied, 'And they're happily married.' She then sat on the bed

beside Kate, 'Anyway Nikki, you can't comment on the age difference when there is what?

Almost three hundred years difference between you?'

Kate raised her brows and gave Nikki a "I told you so" look.

Nikki tutted, 'Touché.'

'Anyway…' El was keen to change the subject, 'When are you both renewing your vows?'

Once again, Nikki and Kate looked between each other, almost speechless.

'Come on! You love the socks off of each other. You may as well commit to it!' El laughed,

'Well…' She looked back at Kate, ' Obviously after mama comes out of jail.'

There was still silence from the two older women, but El wasn't giving up, 'Ladies…Get it

together. You have something special that I could only dream of. A love like yours doesn't

come around often and it is something I wish I could have.'

'Since when were you such a romance nerd?' Nikki smiled at El now, 'And you…You will

find that someone.'

Kate gently rubbed El's arm now and gave her a gentle smile, 'Nikki is right…Someone new

will come along and be the right person for you, man or woman…Heck, you could be in love

with another alien!' She laughed, 'The universe is so big, and so vast…As Shania Twain once

said and I quote-'

El then laughed, 'Oh no, here we go! I thought you let it go! Ohh wait, that was Elsa-'

'As I was saying…' Kate continued, 'As Shania Twain once said, ' don't give up, you're

gonna get your share, the thing about love is that it's everywhere.' She laughed, 'I could keep

going.'

'Please don't.' El giggled.

'Never had your mum down for being a Shania fan.' Nikki laughed, and then looked at El,

'What do you think about your mum singing Shania at ya?'

El raised her brows, trying to hold back a giggle as Kate had her arm wrapped around her

chest from her shoulder, 'That don't impress me much.'

Kate smiled and kissed El's temple, 'I could keep going with these Shania puns all day.'

'Please don't.' El laughed. She then put her hot chocolate on the bedside table and leaned

back onto Kate's chest, keeping a hold of her hand as she did so, 'Mama…It's not the

message that bothered me…' She was going back to what she and Nikki were talking about

when she left the room, 'It was the fact that my brain…It made me believe that Ghostface

was in the crowd somewhere…'

'I know baby.' Kate responded gently to her, 'If you…Wanted help…Mentally…Talking

therapies is good and…I think…' She glanced at Nikki when she said this, as if she was

dropping strong suggestions her way, 'We all might benefit from that.'

Though Kate wasn't in charge of the family dynamic, she knew what they all needed, 'I

think…Talking to a specialist might help you with understanding the trauma that you've been

through and how to move forward.'

El nodded slowly. She pulled her phone from her pocket and looked up Talking Therapies .

Kate was watching what she was looking up and she guided her through it.

'Once you fill this out…You'll have an assessment, then you will be assigned the right

therapist for you…The assessment will be over the phone, and you explain everything to

them.' Kate explained gently to her.

'Everything?'

Kate nodded, 'The things you see, how you feel, your good days and your bad days…By

doing that, they'll be able to find the right therapist for you.' By explaining the process out

loud, she hoped that Nikki might be brave enough to want to ask for help in her own time

too. Kate knew they all needed the help, and she happily admitted, 'I'm going to get some

help too…I think…If we all do it together, even if I'm in prison, we can all start to get past all

of this…Find ways to cope or whatever in our own ways in our own time…The thing I want

for everyone is to make sure that you are all happy, healthy and safe. '

El went quiet for a few minutes while she filled out the online forms. After she was done

about ten minutes later, she showed Kate and Nikki her phone screen, 'All filled out and

submitted…We'll do this together, right?'

Nikki looked back at Kate. She wasn't sure that she wanted to face her mental demons yet,

but she reasoned that, if El was brave enough to go first, she would follow. She swallowed

slowly, 'I'll um…I'll sort it when I get home.'

El had a steel look on her face. She crossed her arms and gave Nikki a firm stare, 'Promise?'

Nikki looked back at Kate. She wasn't certain, she really wasn't, but to appease El, she

nodded, 'I promise.'

'I'll ask you about it tomorrow.' El said to her, 'I'll ask every day until you have proof.'

'Hey!' Kate laughed, 'This is something Nikki needs to figure out in her own time. You can't

pressure anyone to do this sweetheart. I'm so glad that you are ready to start looking for

answers, and Nikki and I are here to support you every step of the way…But Nikki and I will

both know in our own time when we are ready to start this process of healing…Because that's

what it is…Healing.'

'Everything we have all been through the last few years…' Nikki said gently to El, 'It's been

a heck of a lot to go through and yeah…' She smiled gently, 'I…I will do this with you.'

'Thank you.' El smiled gently, 'And…And we can all be here for each other.'

'Exactly.' Kate commented.

At work, Jo was busy working away at her desk minding her own business. There were

plenty of times that she contemplated dropping Nikki a text to see how she was, but after

hearing about the heated confrontation at school the day before between her and Jasmine, Jo

decided against it. Instead, she continued working away behind her desk. She didn't want to

pay Kate a visit in case she got accused of cheating with her too. Jo figured that Jasmine

might be so paranoid as to go to Kate and she didn't want to add fuel to that fire.

Just as she got onto her second workload of the day, Yaz appeared at the door of her office,

'Jo, could I have a word please?'

Jo looked over. She wondered what this could possibly be about, but then she thought about

Robbie and she didn't think that Robbie would ever open his mouth and if he did, he would

be in more trouble with her than what he already was. Getting up from her chair, she

followed Yaz into her office and closed the door behind her.

Yaz remained standing behind her desk after Jo had entered. If there was one thing that Jo

took from her expression, it's that she wasn't very happy. Yaz raised a brow, and crossed her

arms, 'The conduct of your family and your family members has been brought up time and

again. I've rebuilt the reputation of this force from the ground up.'

Jo was expecting an ear full, 'Look, whatever he said to you, it was all a lie to get back at El

because he broke up with her. If he has a problem, he can come to me!'

That was when Yaz looked confused, 'What are you talking about? I was about to ask if you

would be my right hand woman…'

Quickly, Jo backtracked, 'I'm sorry?'

It then dawned on Yaz, 'Wait…Two days ago…Robbie was beaten up after a drug deal gone

wrong…' She noticed how Jo looked away, 'That wasn't what happened, was it?' She then

scoffed, 'You lot never change! I thought after all this time, things had gotten better, that the

corruption had stopped!'

Jo argued back, 'He broke El's heart! I wasn't even on duty, so you can't do anything that

damages my career!'

'Except you arrested him for possession and intent to supply!'

'I did find drugs on him, that wasn't a lie.' Jo responded in a very matter-of-fact way.

'You conducted a frisk search without another officer present! A male officer should have

been present to conduct that search! All you had to do was arrest him and wait for backup!'

Yaz then sighed, dropping her head and leaning against the back of her chair, 'I've worked

too hard to rebuild the reputation of this force and of course…' She laughed, 'You go and do

something very illegal.' Yaz then met her gaze again, 'Robbie and Barry made a formal

complaint against you and I have to investigate it-'

'Yaz-' Jo gasped in disbelief, 'He had it coming!'

'And you are a police officer! Carmichael may have let everyone get away with things, but

I'm not her! You know there should have been a male officer present when you searched him

and you are a grown woman! Robbie and El would have sorted it out eventually!' Yaz

snapped at her. It was then that she met Jo's gaze head on, 'You're suspended from all duties

until I have completed my own investigation into what happened here. Robbie should not

have had those drugs on him, and that is being dealt with, but now…' Yaz sighed, 'I'm not

Carmichael. I'm not letting this go. Grab your things and leave before I have you escorted

from the premises by force.'

Jo scoffed, 'You can't be serious.'

'Do you want to have a job at the end of this or not?' Yaz snapped, 'Put your badge on my

desk and get gone.'

Reluctantly, Jo grabbed her badge from her pocket and put it on Yaz's desk, 'For what it's

worth ma'am, I would do it again in a heartbeat. No one breaks the heart of my children and

gets away with it, I hope one day you'll be able to understand that.'

'Conduct and rules exist for a reason Jo. No matter how personal…Police brutality is not an

excuse no matter who you are…' A small smile appeared at the corner of her lips, 'That

being said…After what I heard about what he did…Not as a police officer, but as me good on

you.'

Jo smiled at this, 'Thank you ma'am.'

'Now get gone.' Yaz replied in a firmer tone.

With that, Jo left the office. Though she was in trouble, she was glad to have Yaz's personal

support for what happened to Robbie.

After grabbing her belongings, Jo headed home to start making dinner. Any excuses to

Jasmine, she already had at the ready.

Play Time

That following weekend, Nancy had an idea for El, Nikki and the kids. Seems as they had an

awful week, and given that Kate was back in prison, Nancy wanted a way to cheer them all

up. Skye was big enough to go to a play area, and even though El was a little older, she knew

that she would enjoy the day out. It was Saturday morning, Nikki had paid for everyone's

admission and the moment that El and Skye had gotten through the gate, El grabbed her hand

and they both ran towards the climbing apparatus, leaving Nikki behind and Nancy with the

pram, with little Thomas sleeping away inside.

As Nikki and Nancy walked over to the coffee tables, they both watched El and Skye quickly

discard their shoes before running off, laughing together.

Nikki smiled as she watched them both go on their merrily way to play together, despite the

frowns of some of the staff and other parents. They'd grown used to this, but other people

didn't know them.

'People are staring again…' Nancy uttered quietly, becoming self-conscious of the stares

coming from others.

'Ignore them.' Nikki replied gently, 'They can judge all they want, but at least our kids are

having fun together and they don't have their eyes glued to tablets or iPads, or phones even!'

She looked around and counted at least five kids with Tablets in their hands watching Peppa

Pig or Coco Melon.

Nancy nodded in agreement and took a chair at the table, while Nikki took the chair opposite.

Nikki smiled gently at Nancy, 'I have to say though, this was a nice idea. El has been broody

since her mum went back to prison…I suppose we're both a little worried about how she will

be in there.'

Nancy frowned, 'She was sent back to the same one, was she?'

Nikki shook her head, 'I haven't heard anything yet, but if she is moved, she will be further

afield which means instead of traveling for about two hours, it will be about four, depending

on how far they move her and even then…It might have to be once a month that we see her.'

Nancy sighed gently, 'I'm sorry…'

'It could be worse.' Nikki nodded, 'It could be a lot worse.' She then straightened her back,

keen to change the subject, 'Do you want a drink? Coffee? Tea?'

'A tea would be lovely. Thank you.' Nancy smiled.

'I'll be back in a minute.' Nikki returned the smile and headed off to get them both a drink,

but quickly looked back to see if she could find El or Skye within the play area. That was

until El appeared at the very top with Skye. They were both on their knees next to each other,

Skye shouting for Nancy and El was shouting for Nikki.

This brought a smile to both Nancy and Nikki's faces.

Before she headed off to get the drinks, while looking up at the two girls, Nikki uttered under

her breath, 'You little monkeys.' She then waved up at the two girls before heading off.

It was nice to see them having fun together. Seeing El happy and smiling made everything

better for Nikki. It was incredibly wholesome.

While Nikki had gone for the drinks a staff member approached Nancy. They looked to be in

their late thirties, but he had thin grey hair. Nancy knew these types before they even spoke.

Immediately she got her back up, 'Can I help you?'

'You were with the lady who came in with a much older young woman?' The man asked,

'I'm sorry miss, but this play area is for children ages five to twelve years of age…'

'I don't see what the problem is here? She is playing with her niece, keeping her safe from

harm while she is having fun.' Nancy got to her feet now and glared at the gentleman, 'I have

seen adult parents on these things with their own children before-'

'That may have been in another establishment, but we have policies in place to protect other

children from inappropriate behavior.'

Nancy scoffed and now began to glare at him. She looked at his badge for his name, 'Neil, let

me tell you something. While I understand your policies are there to protect other children,

let me make one thing clear to you…' She then looked up at where El was, 'You see that

young girl? The one with the smaller one? That is my sister in law, who has just been through

hell and back. She is also autistic, and if this place brings her joy, then who the hell are you to

make any kind of a judgment about her?'

'I…I apologize…You continue with your day..' The man laughed sheepishly before leaving

her alone again.

Minutes later, Nikki arrived with their drinks, but kept her eye on the man who had been

speaking to Nancy, 'What did he want?'

'He accused El of being something she is not.' Nancy replied, 'I put him in his place…I did

consider shouting you over to make an official statement about him, but there was no need

to.'

Nikki smiled now, 'You little Karen you…'

'Well, you know what they say.' Nancy smirked, 'My mother is called Karen…'

Nikki smirked as she held the cup of tea in her hands, 'I see why Steve liked you…And why

he was a little afraid of you.'

'I could have my wicked way with him sometimes.' Nancy had a devilish grin on her face,

'You of all people should know about that…'

'Nancy.' Nikki teased, 'I'll tell you more when we get home…But…Without Steve…'

'Hey…If I could see that man one more time…I wish I could tell him about his little boy and

how fast Skye has grown…And how much I love him.' Tears filled her eyes now, 'But I see

him everyday in the face of his children….'

'It never leaves you…My baby sister…When she died, I never thought I would get over it…

But…Then I found a daughter in El…' She smiled. There was a look of melancholy in her

eyes, 'I thought I did in Max too, but look how she turned out.'

Nancy reached across the table and grabbed her hand, 'Hey, hey. You couldn't have known

about Max, but you're right, you have found a daughter in El and I'm very sure that she and

Kate would be honored to hear that.' She then shrugged, 'Kate is engaging in the help that

she needs, El has too and I think it would do us all a world of good.'

'I hope so.' Nikki sighed. She then looked up and noticed that Skye and El had moved to the

ball pool at the bottom of the climbing apparatus. Both were laughing at each other, and El

was so spritely and excited.

'She's so happy…It's wonderful to see…' Nikki uttered.

'Does El not have her nose canceling headphones in?' Nancy asked.

Nikki nodded, 'She has ear buds. That's why she's able to cope with all the white noise.'

Nancy nodded, 'I see…' She then waved with a smile at Skye as she was giggling along with

El.

It wasn't long until El ran over, her limp becoming extremely prominent. Nikki wondered if it

was because she had done too much at once, but she seemed happy enough, holding her

niece's hand, 'Nikki…' El was breathless.

'Yes, sweetheart?' Nikki smiled, leaning on her hand.

El tried to get her breath back. She had clearly been sweating it out while playing, 'Please…

Please can I have a slushie?'

Nikki looked over at Nancy, 'What do you think? Do the kids need anymore E numbers?'

Nancy smirked, 'I'm sure a few won't hurt, especially as they are burning the energy.'

El grinned, 'I..I'll come with you Nikki, if that's okay?'

'Course it is.' Nikki smiled. She looked back at Nancy as she lifted Skye onto her knee,

'Want another coffee?'

'I think I'll have a slushie.' Nancy smiled, 'I haven't had one in years.'

'Both blue and red?' Nikki asked her.

'Please.' Nancy smiled.

'Slushies all round then.' Nikki grinned, delighted with how the day was going. She put her

arm around El's back briefly, 'Come on you.'

El smiled and more or less limped, rather than walked beside her. Nikki noticed this and she

slowed down her walk so that El could keep up, 'Have you overdone it?'

El shook her head, 'I'm just a bit tired…'

'Sure?'

El nodded and joined the queue with her. Nikki noticed once El was standing still, how she

leaned more onto her left leg while the right foot was elevated slightly in the air. She wasn't

going to ask because she knew El wouldn't want that, instead, she continued to wait in line

with her.

While Nikki and El went to get their slushies, Nancy had a matter with Skye about how much

fun she was having with her niece. As it turned out, though Skye's speech development was a

little behind, she was able to express herself and the way she was feeling very clearly. She

was all smiles, 'I love..Playing..With El…She's funny.'

'Yeah?' Nancy smiled, excitedly, 'Well, it's good to know…I'm glad you're both having fun!'

It was then that Thomas had decided to wake up. He was very grumpy, so when he stirred, he

began to cry. Nancy removed him from the pram, grabbing one of the bottles of milk she had

made for him before they left the house. Gently, Nancy placed Thomas onto her knee, into a

more comfortable position in her arms and she began feeding him. The moment she did so,

when she looked across from her in Nikki's chair, she could see Steve clear as day. He looked

alive and well, wearing a mustard coloured jumper with jeans. His hair was slicked back with

his usual quiff that he always adored.

He looked charming and happy to be there.

'Nance…Hey…' He smiled.

Nancy and her heart sank, 'You're not here…You can't be…This is a joke…A sick joke.'

Steve frowned at her, 'What do you mean?' He laughed, 'I'm here. I'm sitting in front of you,

I'm all flesh and blood.'

Nancy wanted to shout for Nikki, but she knew there was every possibility that only she

could see this, and she didn't want to make a fool of herself. Skye had already wandered off

back to the climbing apparatus, though Nancy wasn't sure how long this had been happening

for when Skye had turned away.

Steve looked down at Thomas and smiled, 'Is that my boy? He's grown.'

As El continued to stand in line with Nikki, she suddenly got an extremely sharp headache, to

the point where she doubled over for a moment. Given the suddenness of El's pain, Nikki

became incredibly concerned and when El did stand straight again, Nikki could see blood

dripping from her nose, and some of the veins in her forehead had become prominent.

'El…Are you alright sweetheart?' Nikki asked her.

El shook her head and pulled her to the side. She had suddenly come over all week and

struggled to stand by herself, 'Someone…Or something…I don't know…There is a strong

telepathic signal being used to the point where they need my power to…'

Nikki became extremely concerned, 'What…what would they do that for? Why?'

El turned and looked over at where Nancy was sitting. Though her vision was blurry now, she

knew who was sitting opposite her. With a shaking hand, she pointed over at the thing that

was causing her problem.

The moment Nikki's eyes landed on the culprit in question, a sense of dread washed over her,

'We all know that Steve is dead, we are all in agreement…So..What the hell is that?'

El began walking. Without a second thought, she clambered her way over, bumping into

some objects on the way because of the searing pain in her head, but when she eventually

made it to the table, she was struggling to stand upright. Nikki was by her side the entire

time, but Nancy felt a little safer having them there.

'That's…You're not Steve.' El gasped, 'You're a projection, a subconscious image taken from

someone's mind…Was it you who sent the text to my phone?'

Nancy had now come to stand next to Nikki now. Holding onto Thomas protectively, she

knew this was too good to be true, but he looked so real.

El wasn't giving up though, 'You are not here! The Steve I know died! He is six feet

underground, but for you to project an image as almost as accurately as this, you must have

known him well…I guess spending all that time in a prison cell is giving you the time to

practice…'

The look on "Steve's" face darkened then. Any happiness, or anything that would resemble

Steve's character and charm vanished. In a strange turn of events, and quite frankly,

disturbing for them, his eyes turned blue. The same shade of blue that Max's eyes were.

There it was, the uncanny valley. It terrified people because it was similar to the humanoid

form they knew but it wasn't the same.

'And harnessing my powers…How are you doing that?' El asked, 'It was you that sent the

text wasn't it Max? What are you doing? Taunting? What is your point?!'

"Steve" shrugged. He got up from the chair and towered over El, 'I Try to do something nice

for you, and you throw it back in my face.'

'Using a dead man's face really isn't it.' El snarled, 'And I know you've been keeping an eye

on mama…We are fine without you.' She got in his face then, not being threatened by him

one bit, 'At least you've got the guts to look at me with your own eyes and not his!'

Nikki and Nancy had no idea what to do with this situation. It wasn't their usual day to day

but El seemed to have it in hand. That was until El was thrown across the room, hitting her

back on one of the poles on the climbing frame, falling about five feet.

Before anyone could do anything, the projection of Steve that Max had put across vanished

into thin air, and was no longer there.

Other adults witnessed it, but believe it was a magic trick gone wrong. Though El was

weakened, she wasn't going to let this ruin her day. Not by a long shot.

Though Nikki and Nancy had rushed over to see how she was, El had sat up and was leaning

her back on the netting, 'I'm fine…It's gone…Max…She's not in my head anymore.' She

gasped breathlessly.

'Do you want to go home sweetheart or?'

El shook her head, 'I'm not giving in to what Max wants. I'll tell gran and she will know what

to do…For now though…I really want that slushie.' She laughed, 'And some ice for my

spine.'

Nikki and Nancy looked back at each other, both a little spooked, especially at the transition

of eye colour change in the projection's eyes. It freaked them out a little.

Nikki had gone back into the queue to grab some slushies with the help of Nancy whilst El

guarded Thomas. As soon as El had a slushie in her hands, she was so incredibly grateful and

happy. She needed the sugar. Nikki took a quick look at the bruising on El's back, and it was

incredibly sore.

They all began to sit down and talk. Somehow Nikki had managed to change the topic to

funny memories of Steve to gloss over what they witnessed. Nikki had reached over and

absent mindedly placed her hand on Nancy's without realizing when an elderly woman

walked over, and voiced her obvious disgust.

'This isn't appropriate for children.' The woman murmured.

Nancy scoffed, 'Excuse me?'

The woman gestured with her walking stick, Nikki's hand on Nancy's, 'All this girly touchy

feely…It is hardly appropriate for the children. They are impressionable…And two women

shouldn't be bringing children into the world without their father.'

Nikki laughed. She was going to milk this for all it was worth. Before El stepped in, Nikki

leaned forward whilst gently playing with her own ear lobe, 'I'm sorry…Beryl…'

'How do you know my name?!'

'Lucky guess.' Nikki shrugged, 'Beside the point, my wife and I brought our children for a

nice day out together-'

Nancy gave Nikki a side eye, and Nikki winked at her to go along with her. Gladly, Nancy

followed her example.

Beryl continued, 'Where is that young man that was here a few seconds ago that threw this

young woman across the room?'

El frowned, 'I'm sorry? What young man? I didn't get thrown across the room by anyone…'

Nikki was loving this, 'That's my eldest daughter by the way. Know how she was created? I

hate to break it to you, but she was created by a woman.'

'And a man.' Beryl continued.

'No, the man only put in a slim effort, the mother was the one who actually created the baby.'

Nikki replied.

Beryl scoffed, 'How old are you both?!' she gestured at Nikki, 'You look about fifty and

she-' Nancy, 'She looks about thirty.'

'I'm actually twenty three.' Nancy retorted.

'And I'm thirty four.' Nikki added. A lie, but she knew any higher and it would sound too

weird.

'That is inappropriate!' Beryl hissed.

'How old were you when you and your husband got married and how old was he?' El asked.

Beryl scoffed, 'I was fourteen and he was twenty five.'

Nikki scoffed with genuine disgust, 'Are you serious?'

Beryl glared at her, 'This sinful behavior! You will burn in hell!'

El then uttered beneath her breath, 'You'll be there long before us.'

'Excuse me young lady?!' Beryl hissed. She then dared to raise her hand to her, which was

quickly and swiftly stopped by Jo. She had come in the nick of time. She grabbed the

woman's wrist and held it there. Jo wasn't happy as it was, and having just come to see how

everything was going after having left work to see this, it made her anger almost worth it.

'Do it, I dare you.' Jo hissed, 'Because let me tell you, the last person who messed with my

daughter, let's just say it didn't end well for them!'

Beryl was shocked with the ferocity of Jo's attitude, but then she was confused, 'But…These

two ladies said that she was their daughter?'

Jo frowned at Nikki and Nancy, but let it slide for the moment, 'Oh, and if I hear you using

hate speech anywhere near my family again, I will arrest you regardless of your age. Being

old doesn't grant you a free pass to be rude and expect everything handed to you on a platter,

now piss off. '

Just then another older woman walked over, seeming a little lost, 'Mum!' She gasped in

relief, walking over to Beryl, 'Thought I'd lost you.'

Jo sneered in response, 'Put it on a leash next time.'

'Or better yet, teach it some manners.' El sneered. She then stood despite her very obvious

back pain, 'My mom is older than you Beryl, you think you're old and the universe owes you

something? She is three hundred years older than you, and she is far more respectful and

tolerant. Do better.'

Beryl murmered something and walked away, but once El sat down, she hissed in utter

agony.

Now the questions from Jo would start coming.

Fun and Games

'What happened here?' Jo was suspicious. She looked down at El and became suspicious of

the amount of pain she was in, 'Did you fall on the steps in there?' referring to the massive

climbing apparatus. Of course, naturally, she laughed, but she noticed how quiet Nikki and

Nancy had gone. Jo crossed her arms, 'Alright.'

Jo pulled up a chair and sat at the table, 'My detective senses are tingling. What happened

and why is no one talking to me?'

'Max…' Nikki began. She was still apprehensive about what she saw minutes prior,

'Somehow, she has been able to…I don't know…' The confusion in her voice was evident, 'I

guess she piggybacked El's own telepathic ability…And she created a very real projection of

Steve and when I say very real, I mean…He looked alive.'

'Even if something about him was extremely off.' Nancy added, 'But then El very quickly

figured out what was going on and…The way…' She shivered at the vision, 'His eyes…They

were brown, the way his eyes always looked, but as soon as El confronted him…They

changed…They became blue like Max's eyes.'

El jumped in, 'They were Max's eyes. There is a reason why it creeped you both out. Ever

heard of the uncanny valley? When you know that a humanoid should look a certain way, and

something becomes different, especially the eyes…It's like your brain is wired to short circuit

and that's why it scares you.'

Jo frowned. Though she was interested, she was also incredibly disturbed by what she was

hearing, 'Surely…Once Max figured out that you knew what was happening…It didn't end

there…Surely?'

El shook her head, 'I was thrown about five metres up and my back hit one of the poles…The

centre of my spine specifically.' She then groaned in pain, 'It's bruising, but I'm not using any

more of my Artron energy…I was tired as it was yesterday.'

'But…If Max is able to do that… How?'

Nancy intervened then, 'She has the time. Why not harness and better what she can do from

inside of her jail cell?'

El added, 'The Doctor is going to find out. She can't keep doing this. She…she isn't stronger

than me power-wise. She is the same as she has always been…' She thought about it, 'Think

about it.' She glanced at Jo and then looked between the three of them, 'I am the one who is

most in tune with what I can do…She had to use me in order to be able to create that

projection.'

'Yeah but…' Nancy was confused, 'How was she able to get into your mind that easily?'

'That…I don't know yet.' El replied, 'I suppose it's a bit like a Bluetooth connection. You can

add as many devices as you want and access them at any point, the same way that mama can

look in on us through using her powers.' She was struggling here, 'When I go into my mind

palace, I can see and interact with the world around me…But I can't talk to people…'

'Can you talk to me from your mind palace thing?' Nikki asked.

'I can talk to you, but you wouldn't know I was there.' El explained, 'It's different with me,

mama and Max. When we are inside our mind palaces…If we are with each other, we can be

aware that each of us are inside that place…Other times…It's like when mama checks on

us…She can see if I'm there and I would sense if she was behind me for example. I…I could

choose to join her, but I don't have to.'

Jo was confused, 'So, just for examples sake. You and Kate, if Kate is checking on you, you

can sense it…And you can choose to join her if you want to?'

El nodded, 'But somehow Max has tapped into my own mind palace without me noticing…

And she has utilized it…' She wasn't too sure how it worked, 'Point is, she needed me to be

able to project that image of Steve. She isn't anymore powerful, she's just…Adapted.'

'Could she do the same to us?' Nancy asked, 'If I was home alone and she wanted to do that

again, could she?'

'She could…But I would know because she would need me as a booster…' El explained, 'I

would know.'

Jo ran a hand through her hair, 'As if I wasn't already stressed.'

'She can't harm you. She is in a jail cell…Max wouldn't dare to harm any of you.' El

laughed, 'You're all safe, the only person she would target is me, but without me, she can't do

anything, so she also wouldn't want to do that again.'

Nikki wanted a beer right now.

'Are we in danger?' Nancy asked, 'Do we have anything to worry about?'

'No.' El said firmly, 'It felt to me like she didn't have any sinister intent…It was weird…It's

like she wanted to try and make things right in a weird, twisted way, and the only…The only

reason she freaked out was because I knew it was her. You're all safe, no harm is going to

come to anyone.'

'That's good.' Nikki replied, 'Anyway…We just dealt with Beryl.'

'Oh yes.' Jo smirked, 'Beryl. That woman needs a collar put in her.'

Nikki then uttered, 'She's not the only one.' Referring to Max.

'Don't worry…' El assured her, 'The Doctor will put the metaphorical leash and collar on her.

All of you need to chill.' She then laughed, 'Honestly, after the last few years, you'd think

that we would all be desensitized to all of this.'

'I'm glad someone still sees the funny side.' Jo smiled, 'You're right. We can't let this ruin

today.'

Nikki and Nancy shared a look between them. That would be easier said than done.

Much later in the evening, Nikki and Jo were sitting together having a glass of wine in the

living room on the sofa while watching TV. Jo was more of a white wine woman, while Nikki

was more of a red. They both were snuggled together. Jo rested her legs over the top of

Nikki's thighs, while Nikki rubbed Jo's gently, adding a little pressure every now and then. Jo

knew what she was doing, so she was biding her time.

'After all of this, it makes me wonder if Max has been watching everything…' Nikki uttered.

'Don't say that.' Jo grimaced, 'Anyway, El said that the Doctor is dealing with it now…' She

glanced over at the TV and saw that Family Guy had just started, 'This family is just as

dysfunctional as our own.'

'Minus the alien-ness.' Nikki laughed, ' That is American Dad . No one can be as

dysfunctional as we are.' She then met Jo's gaze, 'Like..We shouldn't be doing this…At all.'

'I don't see you saying no.'

'No but Jasmine is already suspicious and we keep adding fuel to the fire. You need to spend

less time with me.' Nikki said to her.

'I'm here for my daughter.' Jo protested, 'If she can't see that, she is the one with the

problem!'

Nikki raised her brows at her, 'Come on Jo…We all know that El has become far more

independent and adult the last few months…Who are you here for really?'

'The both of you!' Jo protested, 'Nothing matters to me more than you and El. You two are

my world…Anyone who has a problem with that can stuff themselves.' She reached up to

Nikki's chin and gently stroked it with her thumb, 'You and El are all that matters to me.'

'I can't come first.' Nikki protested quietly, 'You are married…' She looked down. Then she

put her glass of wine to the side, 'I…I want to renew my vows with Kate.'

Jo couldn't believe what she was hearing, 'You…What?'

'I've told you before Jo.' Nikki said firmly to her, 'I will always choose Kate over you. She is

the love of my life and she is who I want to spend my life with. This…' She gestured at their

situation, 'It's only ever been a bit of fun because we can, and because we have gotten away

with it…I'm sorry that you're not happy in your marriage, but that's who you chose to be

with.'

Jo got angry now. She sat up and then forward on the sofa, 'Be honest with me Nikki…

Really, be honest . When did this stop being about "just a bit of fun" for you? Don't start to

kid yourself either. As soon as the L-word is mentioned, you and I both know that is when it

stops being a bit of fun, and it becomes a bit more than that.'

Nikki had gone quiet now. She knew that Jo was right, and a part of her felt like it was at war

with itself. Quietly, she replied to Jo, 'This…This situationship, if you can't accept that it's

not about love , we should stop.'

'But you don't want to.' Jo replied quietly, looking back at her. She then turned to face her

properly, 'Look me in the eye and tell me you want to stop this.'

Nikki laughed sheepishly, more in disbelief, 'Don't do this to me…Don't you dare.'

'I'm giving you the choice. If you want me to go, I'll leave and we call it quits..All of this..It

ends if you say so…' Jo wasn't playing games, she just wanted to know.

The idea of Jo leaving her gave Nikki an internal crisis, 'I…Jo…' She laughed sheepishly.

'I'll go, just say the word.' Jo went to stand up and Nikki grabbed her hand. As Jo looked

down into Nikki's eyes, she could see that Nikki was terrified of the idea of being without

her.

'This doesn't have to end here…I know…I know… That I've said that I would choose Kate

and I always will..But while we have this…This time between us while she isn't here…Can't

we just make the most of it?' Nikki asked her.

'But where does that leave me in the end? In the end you'll have a choice.'

'I know…' Nikki accepted this, 'But as it stands right now, I have you and I want us to

treasure that time…' She observed Jo, watching her as she turned around. Her heart began to

race faster and faster when Jo sat on her lap. Her mouth went dry and somehow, she managed

to form a sentence, 'I…I want you…'

Jo raised her brows. She leaned down and kissed her. Nikki returned the kiss, and became

well aware that Jo was unbuttoning her shirt. It wasn't long until Nikki was naked up top. The

sensation of Jo running her hands all over her bare skin became euphoric.

Jo kissed Nikki's neck and eventually, she began unbuttoning her jeans. That's when Nikki

lay down on the sofa with her head resting on the arm. Nikki watched Jo remove her own

clothing, and she became speechless as she looked up at her. She was too busy staring up at

Jo, that she didn't notice until the last minute, where Jo's hand had vanished to.

The next hour was full of lust and desire. Deep down, they both knew what this feeling was

that they shared between them. They weren't sure, but they had a feeling, it was lust. The fact

that they could get away with it made it even better.

While upstairs, El was listening to her music and reading a book. Though her back was still

giving her a lot of pain, she was able to put up with it. Unbeknownst to her, Nikki and Jo

were quite literally going down on each other and she had no idea about it.

Sinful Deeds

Jo remained on top of Nikki, she grabbed her leg and slid her hand under her thigh while she

roughly kissed her. There were no complaints from Nikki, just gorans and heaving breaths.

Before Jo got too ahead of herself, she pulled her hand from where it had been and kissed

Nikki once more. Slowly, she pulled away and whispered to her, 'You forget, El is

upstairs…' She could smell weed. It was an unmistakable smell.

Nikki hadn't noticed yet, she was still intoxicated from the live making that she and Jo had

just been up to. She laughed, 'Yeah, and? She's listening to music and reading that new book

that Kate frowns about.'

'What book?' Jo asked, 'Not Fifty Shades of Grey?'

'Worse.' Nikki explained, 'Colleen Hoover.'

Jo grimaced, 'I suppose she is an adult…If she wants to read sexual stuff, I don't think we

should stop her..But that's not what I'm hinting at.'

Nikki frowned, but then she got a whiff of the strong drug. Any sexual appetite had gone.

Hurriedly, she pulled her trousers up and buttoned up her shirt, 'That girl! I told her that she

can't smoke inside, and she's smoking weed? That's pushing it!'

'Come on! She's been through a lot, maybe she just wants something to help mellow her

out…And given that she was thrown five feet into the air and slammed against a pole, I

wouldn't blame her.' Jo sympathized. She watched Nikki get to her feet and she now started

to get dressed.

'There are pain killers!' Nikki protested, 'Where would she get weed from anyway, and why

are you, a police officer, defending that?'

'I was a teenager once. I was part of a drug trafficking ring by force for quite a while, and

some horrific things happened, and sometimes, I smoked weed.' Jo explained to her,

'Granted, no one knew, but we have all been teenagers.'

'And there are rules in this house that she must abide by.' Nikki said firmly, 'Yes, we were

both teenagers once, but we did as we were told as well.'

'It's just some weed!' Jo protested. She realized there was no point in this argument. Nikki

had already vanished up the stairs, leaving Jo to get dressed by herself.

Marching up the landing, Nikki stepped into El's room. She saw that El was hanging out the

window, clearly trying to hide the smell. Nikki crossed her arms as she stood in the doorway,

'What have I said about smoking under my roof?'

El played stupid, 'I…I don't know what you're talking about.'

'The weed, El!' Nikki snapped, 'Don't play stupid with me because I can smell it from

downstairs! I can see it in your eyes, you're as high as a flaming kite! Imagine what Kate

would say!'

Jo now appeared in the doorway. She wasn't angry like Nikki was, but she understood where

she was coming from, 'Come on El, you've got to respect Nikki's rules while living under her

roof.' She said softly to her. It was then that she entered the room, 'Hand over the rest

please.'

El scoffed. She looked down at Jo's hand and continued to play stupid, 'Hand over what?'

'Your eyes are red as anything, and your pupils are dilated. Your room stinks of the stuff,

please El, don't play dumb. Just hand over the weed please.'

Reluctantly, El retrieved a foil boil that held the contents of cannabis and handed it to Jo,

'There.'

'Is that all of it?' Jo asked her.

El nodded, 'It is.'

Jo's gaze softened, 'How's your back feeling?'

'Better…I…I just have munchies now…Never had those before.' She laughed sheepishly.

Her gaze moved over to Nikki, 'I'm sorry that I broke the rules again.'

Though Nikki wasn't happy about it, she nodded slowly, 'Come downstairs, I'll grab you

some snacks…I can't leave you to suffer with the munchies without munchies.' A small smile

crossed her face, 'We have all been teenagers before…' She gently put her arm around El's

back as she left her bedroom, 'But no more weed, alright?'

El nodded slowly in agreement and let her go down the stairs.

Nikki looked back at Jo as she too left El's room. With her hands in her pockets, Jo huffed, 'I

guess I've got to head off, keep the wife happy…You'll be okay with her won't you?'

Nikki nodded, 'She's harmless…I'm sure she will be out like a light after a snack.'

Jo nodded, 'Well…If you need anything…Drop me a text…Yeah?'

Though they awkwardly hovered in the doorway, Nikki nodded. As much as she wanted to

kiss her, she knew that she couldn't and she wouldn't, 'I'll see you around…'

Jo nodded, 'You too…'

After a moment of them staring at each other, Jo headed down the stairs and called back to

El, 'I'm heading home now, you stay away from those nasty drugs before someone ends up

arresting you alright?!'

El had two boxes of cereal in her arms as Jo walked into the living room. It was clear how

red El's eyes were from being high, 'I'm not enjoying being high…This is my first time on

weed..Never again.'

Jo gave her a small smile. She walked over to her and kissed her forehead, 'You know you

can come round to my place whenever you want?'

El nodded. She rested her head on Jo's shoulder, dropping one of the boxes of cereal. Though

she was mellow, she very much wanted to sleep. Jo could feel it in the way El leaned on her

with all her body weight.

'I love you mama.' El said quietly.

'And I love you too baby.' Jo replied softly, kissing the top of her head as she did so, 'Have

your snacks, go to bed and stop giving Nikki a hard time, yeah?'

El nodded. She pulled away from Jo and headed back into the kitchen. Jo now headed to the

front door where Nikki was waiting.

'She'll be alright.' Nikki assured Jo, 'A few snacks followed by sleep will do her some

good.'

'She has college tomorrow…She can't neglect her education…' Jo told her.

'She will be going, don't worry.' Nikki said firmly, 'Now you get off home.' She gave Jo a

hug and they held onto each other longer than they should have. The pair of them had a

sparkle in their eyes, but they had to stop themselves. Nikki cleared her throat, 'Goodnight

Jo.'

Jo nodded with a small smile, 'Goodnight Nikki…'

Moments later Jo left, leaving Nikki to take care of El. This would be fun.

A while later El was flat out asleep on the sofa, already drooling. Nikki grimaced, but she

picked her up and took her to bed. After she knew El was safe, she did as she always did

before she went to bed. She set the alarm system, turned off downstairs and headed to bed.

When Jo arrived home, the moment she walked in, she locked the house up and put her keys

on the side. She was startled when Jasmine walked in with her arms crossed, not looking best

pleased with Jo in the slightest.

'You're home late. Again.' Jasmine stated, 'This is becoming an everyday thing. You going

round to Kate's place, and always, Nikki is there.'

Jo rolled her eyes, 'Yeah, Nikki has told me about your accusations. It's not a good look for

you Jasmine.' She finished taking off her shoes and walked past her to go to the kitchen

where she grabbed a bottle of wine.

Jasmine wasn't far behind her. Chasing after Jo, she stood in the kitchen doorway and

snapped at her, 'Every single night, you come home late! Every night you are at hers!'

Jo poured herself a glass of wine and drank it in one go, slamming the glass down on the

side. Suddenly, she turned around and glared at her, 'I go to see my daughter! My daughter

who has been through an awful lot these last few years!'

'SHE DOESN'T NEED YOU THAT BADLY!' Jasmine shouted at her, 'SHE HAS

SUPPORT, SHE HAS A NETWORK OF PEOPLE! SHE DOESN'T NEED TO SEE YOU

EVERY SINGLE DAY!'

Jo glared at her. She then walked slowly over to her. When she stopped right in front of her,

she stared at her for a few seconds, thinking about what she was going to say, 'You think I'm

fucking Nikki? You think that I'm using my daughter's own suffering, her own need for

support to find a way to shag my ex's partner?'

Jasmine was speechless. Hearing Jo put it like that made her feel like a fool. She backtracked,

'I…I…I just feel that you hardly spend enough time with me…You come home from work,

you go to bed, you never want to have sex and then…when you aren't at work, you're with El

and Nikki…When you come home, you never show interest…'

Jasmine swallowed the lump in her throat. She then took Jo's hands and gently ran her thumb

over the tops of her knuckles, 'It's not just about the sex…I just…I never see you and…I miss

you…' Jasmine placed a gentle hand on Jo's cheek, 'I miss you…I…I married you, and

you're never here.'

Jo shrugged, 'I…I have places to be…I can't ignore El…I have to be there for her.'

'And what about me? Surely…Surely you could split your time?'

Despite Jo claiming not to love Jasmine in the slightest, it didn't make her completely cold.

As Jasmine was pleading to her, Jo was feeling incredibly guilty about it. Eventually, she

nodded and rested her forehead against Jasmine's own, 'I'm sorry…'

Jasmine sighed gently, 'I just…I miss you…'

In the heat of the moment, Jo dared to kiss her. She leaned forward and kissed her. It had

been a long time since Jasmine had properly been in such a position with Jo, and she wanted

her so badly. Returning the kiss, Jasmine grabbed a hold of Jo's jaw giving it a gentle squeeze

as she did so. Kissing her felt brand new and she relished it.

Jo felt Jasmine's thigh coming between her legs to split them apart, and Jo was filled with

ecstacy all over again. Her hands roamed Jasmine's body, her hand snaking under her shirt,

seeking out her chest.

Wanting more of Jo's touch, Jasmine pushed herself closer to her. She wanted so much, and

Jo could feel it.

Momentarily, they pulled a part and Jasmine grabbed Jo's hand. Breathlessly, she looked at

her and uttered, 'Not in here.'

It was then that both women ran up the stairs. The bedroom door slammed shut with Jo

pinning Jasmine to it. Her hand went into Jasmine's trousers and beyond. Jasmine pushed

herself into Jo's touch while Jo gave her what she so wanted.

Though Jo already had sex tonight, somehow, having it with Jasmine too made it so much

better, but therein lay a problem. She could quite easily go to both women if she wanted, but

the entire time she was touching Jasmine, and Jasmine touched her, every time Jo closed her

eyes, she imagined that same hand to be Nikki's. Jo imagined that she was with Nikki, all she

wanted was Nikki.

As the sex went on, Jo got too lost in her own ecstasy that thoughts of Nikki faded away.

When Jasmine came to be on top of her, when they both shared skin, it felt better because

there was no risk of being found out. She could take however long she wanted, and she did.

About half an hour passed by and when both women were laying together, both breathless,

Jasmine found herself no longer wondering about any possible cheating. Jo had convinced

her that it was all in her head, for now.

Jasmine broke through Jo's thoughts with a laugh, 'That toy was new.'

Jo looked at her, her fingers were interlocked with Jasmine's own. She smiled at her, and

rested on her side, 'I can only give my wife the very best…and…' Her smile faded, 'I'm

sorry…about the last two months…I shouldn't have led you to believe anything…I should

have talked to you about what was happening rather than leaving you out in the cold,

guessing.'

Jasmine shook her head, 'It's okay…You're forgiven.' She lifted her arm where both their

hands were interlocked and she kissed the back of Jo's, 'It's okay…You're forgiven…Now…

We really should get a shower after that.'

'I'll go first.' Jo volunteered herself. She then leaned forward and gave Jasmine another kiss,

before heading off to the bathroom.

As Jo headed to the bathroom, she began to think about Nikki again. The one woman her

heart desires because of how risky their affair was. Her list ran so deep because of the risk

and when she was in the shower, sinful thoughts and deeds took place while Jasmine

remained blissfully unaware that her wife was thinking about someone else.

The Warning

When Nikki walked in from work the following day, she was surprised to see El chilling on

the sofa reading a book. She fully expected her to be smoking and doing things she shouldn't

be doing. As she walked by her, heading to the kitchen, Nikki looked over her shoulder, 'I've

heard those books glorify domestic abuse…'

El shrugged and replied sarcastically, 'I've also read that these books give good ideas for the

bedroom.' She then looked back at her with a mischievous smile, 'You should also read

these, might give you some ideas for when mom comes home.'

'Girl!' Nikki gasped, 'Are you sure that it's not you who needs the shower more than I do this

evening? Please don't say things like that to me again about your mum, it's weird.'

El turned back around and placed a bookmark on her page. She then placed it down on the

coffee table and walked to where Nikki was in the kitchen, 'How was work?'

'As good as work can be, how was college?'

'Tomato, tomato .' El uttered, 'I made plans to go to the pictures with Enid and Wednesday

this weekend so that was nice. Oh!' She gasped, 'And mama called, Kate I mean. She's given

me an address so I can start writing her letters and she said that she's feeling a lot better in

herself.'

Nikki smiled then, 'That's good. Are you going to write to her then?'

El nodded, 'I'm going to make her something as well…' She went quiet for a moment, 'Are

you and mama going to renew your vows? I know, I know I keep mentioning it, but…I just…

I want normality, and a family…I'm not trying to force you or anything…'

Nikki was walking around, putting some groceries in the respective cupboards, listening to El

as she did so.

'You don't have to renew your vows if you're not ready-'

Nikki stopped what she was doing. She walked over to the work top and leaned over the side.

She looked at El and gave her a small smile, 'I will ask your mum when the time is right. We

are still in the very early days of her sentence…I love your mum and I always will, but let's

let things settle and I can…I can ask your mum in a better setting once she gets out, alright?

I'm not giving up on her, if that's what you're worried about.'

There was a twinkle in El's eye. She returned Nikki's warm smile and nodded, 'I can't wait.'

'Neither can I.' Nikki laughed. She then checked her shopping again, and looked in the

fridge. She sighed in frustration, 'El, sweetheart, I forgot the milk, would you mind popping

to the corner shop to grab some for me?'

'Course not!' El called back. She was already putting her hoodie on, 'I've got money on my

card so don't worry…' She popped her head back in the door, 'I'll be back in a few minutes.'

'Alright sweetheart, thank you.' Nikki smiled.

Moments later, El was on her way. While she was walking down the street, she was thinking

about what she could buy Nikki as a thank you present and for putting up with her awful

ways.

The teen got so lost in her thoughts, that she accidentally bumped into someone. When she

looked back up, she was apologizing profusely, but then she realized she had bumped into

Robbie.

When she looked at his face, she could see bruising and healing wounds on his face. Part of

her wondered what the hell happened to him, but then she remembered the news the other

day, 'Those bad guys got you good…' She commented.

Robbie held his hands in his pockets. When he spoke, it was full of bitterness and anger, 'You

could say that, yeah.'

El was confused, 'Why are you having a go at me? It..It should be me having a go at you for

leaving me and breaking my heart the way you did! How is that wife to be of yours

anyway?!'

Robbie shoved El back and then once more into a wall that belonged to a local garage, 'Shut

your mouth about Sam! She never did anything to you! You don't even get to mention her

name!'

In retaliation, El punched Robbie in the face, and dragged him closer to her by his jacket,

'Stop acting like the victim! You're the one who hurt me!'

Robbie was still glaring at her. His blood was boiling, 'Do you want any drugs or anything

like that?! I'm not here to argue with you, if you want some drugs I've got them!'

El frowned, 'Robbie…I knew you did drugs but…Selling them…That's not you…' She felt

sorry for him, 'That's how you ended up all busted in the face.'

'You're a joke El! You know that?! You think that Barry is going to let this go?!'

El was lost, 'But I didn't do anything!'

'Wait and see what's coming, yeah?!' He looked down at his ankle, 'This tag? This monitor

that I'm on, that's because of you, because you couldn't keep your mouth shut! The pigs knew

I had drugs on me and you had to let them know didn't ya?!'

'I didn't tell anyone anything!' El snapped, 'If you threaten me again though-'

'You'll do what?!' Robbie laughed, 'You're a sad pathetic loser without a mummy or a

daddy….' He then quipped, 'Oh wait, you've got mummy's, but where is daddy, eh?' He

laughed more but then he glared at her, 'Back off and leave my family alone!'

Once he'd walked off, El took a moment to recover from what she had just heard. Something

wasn't adding up for her. She wasn't sure what it was, but something bothered her.

El came back about twenty minutes later with the milk and a bouquet of roses. When she

walked in, Nikki was busy making dinner. As soon as Nikki heard the door go, her face lit up,

'I was wondering what took you so long! I've put your dinner on. Tonight, we are having

burritos, and not just any burritos.'

El had quickly put her jacket on the hanger and walked into the kitchen. She apologized for

being late back, but then she tapped her on the shoulder. As soon as Nikki turned around, her

face lit up even more.

'Who's the lucky lady?'

There was a small giggle from El.

' Or lucky gentleman, or alien or…' Nikki ranted.

'It's you.' El smiled. She lowered her head slightly, 'I've been a handful and frankly, the way

I have been to a lot of people has been awful…' Gently, she handed Nikki the bouquet, 'This

is my way of saying sorry.'

'Aww sweetheart.' Nikki was at a loss for words, 'You didn't need to do this.' But she was

delighted regardless, 'Do you have any idea how long it has been since anyone bought me

flowers?'

El laughed, 'You're welcome.'

'Come here.' Nikki pulled El into a hug, 'You don't need to apologize…You've had it rough

and I get it…I really do.'

Resting her head on Nikki's shoulder, El spoke quietly, 'I know it's not Jo or Mom's fault or

anything but…You're the only one who has been more of a mother figure to me in the last

couple of months…You…' El pulled away slightly and met Nikki's gaze, 'You're a

remarkable human, and should you have a baby of your own one day, they would be proud to

call you mom…Because…' She got choked up, and laughed through her own tears, 'Because

I know I am.'

'Ohh you silly sausage!' Nikki pulled El into a hug once more and became emotional herself.

The last time she had ever been referred to as a parent was through Max, and that turned out

awfully. With El, she hoped that would never happen, 'It's what I'm here for! You don't need

to thank me, it's my job to look after you!'

El held onto Nikki for a few more moments and then pulled away, laughing, 'Alright, that's

enough of the soppyness.'

'Alright then Squishy…' Nikki agreed, 'You get settled and I'll let you know when dinner is

ready.'

'Okay.' El nodded, before prancing off to the sofa. As she did so, Nikki found a vase and

placed the roses that El had bought for her into it with some water.

Walking the landing in prison, Kate was constantly looking over her shoulder. After what

happened to her, she was terrified that the same thing could happen to her again. Just as she

turned to return to her cell, she was pinned to the wall with a mighty thump. It took Kate a

moment to realize what was going on, but then she saw who she was looking at.

'They couldn't send you to another prison because all the others are too full.' Max was all

bark and bite. She got a kick out of being able to take full advantage of Kate. She then

grabbed a hold of Kate's chin and looked at the scar on her neck. Max hummed in

satisfaction, 'They patched that up pretty well…I told you, I wasn't trying to kill you…I was

just putting you in your place.'

Kate shoved her back into the opposite wall. Despite onlookers, the two were kept to their

own devices because none of them wanted to get involved with the serial killer.

'I'm your mother!' Kate snarled.

'Yeah, and if you know what's good for you, you'll do as you're told.' Max sneered, 'Because

next time, I won't be as nice.'

Kate was utterly horrified by what she was witnessing, 'The…The projection of Steve…How

were you able to do that?'

'It's something that even you should know about…' Max sounded a little confused, 'You

were raised on Gallifrey, how can you not know about perception filters? I can make people

see things that aren't there.' She shrugged, 'Granted, it's harder from a distance, but it's still

doable.'

'How have you managed to hone in on all this being stuck behind bars?!' Kate sneered,

pinning Max further to the wall, putting more pressure on her chest.

Max rolled her eyes, 'You answered your own question.' Momentarily, she let her guard

down, 'Look, I never meant to kill Steve, I stand by that, but in here, I have to protect myself.

I have a reputation in here and if I want to keep it, I have to be this way.'

'Doesn't explain why you're taunting Nancy, Jo, Nikki and El…' Kate sneered.

'I thought that I was doing something good for them…I…I wanted to give them a chance to

see him again…I get it now that it may have come off as being extremely insensitive…But I

want to show that I'm sorry for what I did to him.'

Kate then laughed, 'Slashing my throat is a great way of showing how fucking sorry you are!'

'I didn't kill you! That was never my intention! I just…'

'You just what?!' Kate sneered.

'Like I said…I have a reputation…And…I'm sorry.' Max replied, 'I know you won't believe

me, but I am, I'm really sorry.'

Kate was seething, 'I don't believe you, I will never believe you. You are no daughter of

mine! You want to make my life hell, I can make yours just as bad!'

A dark look then crossed Max's eyes. The monster beneath is never far from the surface and

Kate saw that.

Getting into her face, Kate sneered, 'You think you scare me?'

'I do actually.' Max said factually, 'I terrify you and being stuck in here with me scares the

living crap out of you. Save the crap about Chernobyl and the war, because you've never

killed in cold blood the same way that I have! You think that you can relate to me? Kill

someone with your bare hands and then come back to me!'

As much as Kate wanted to throttle her, she would never stop to Max's level. Instead, she

punched her in the face and stepped away from her, 'I will never be like you.'

'You will.' Max laughed, 'You just don't know it yet.'

Kate looked at her with both confusion and horror. Without a second thought, she walked

away.

Max laughed and shouted after her, 'RUN KATE! IT'S WHAT YOU'RE GOOD AT!'

As Kate walked back to her cell, she spent her time wondering when her hell was going to

end. It was torture for her, being trapped in the same place with her murdering daughter.

Little did Kate know, the Doctor was on her way to come and solve Kate's little problem.

The Doctor was not happy about Max using her dead grandson to get at the others. The

Doctor had a warning for Max, it was her choice if she wanted to listen.

Truth Out

itting on the sofa watching a movie together, El and Nikki got cuddles up after having dinner.

El lay on Nikki's chest, and the pair of them shared some popcorn together. As much as El

wanted to watch a horror film, Nikki insisted that she wanted to sleep tonight.

They ended up watching Inside Out . Even Nikki found herself almost sobbing at points. El

found that funny, but she comforted her at the same time by resting her head on her arm.

Remarkably, both of them fell asleep together on the sofa. Nikki had a protective arm around

El, whilst El put a protective arm around her.

All may not have been right in the world, but they had each other.

As Kate was laying in her bed in prison, she jumped at every sound, terrified that Max would

come back for her. She found herself, thinking to herself that she was weak and pathetic. If

she couldn't overpower Max, how pathetic was she really?

At the same time, she knew she couldn't use her powers in front of everyone. Max knew how

to do it discreetly, that's something Kate hadn't mastered yet.

Finding it hard to sleep, Kate turned over and faced the room. Being on the top bunk, Kate

found it a little sanctuary, but not entirely so. All she could think was how she needed to find

a way to put Max in her place, but she didn't know how.

The Doctor and Ruby were sitting in the TARDIS together. The Doctor was sitting across

from the console with the sonic and a tiny device in her hand. To Ruby, it looked like she was

on a mission. Part of her didn't want to interrupt, but she was so interested.

Slowly, she swaggered over and looked over her shoulder, 'What are you doing?'

'That nose of yours is going to get you in trouble one day Ruby.' The Doctor commented.

'Well, it's always good to ask questions, that's what my mum taught me.' She smiled, but then

the smile fell ever so slightly, 'How do I tell her?'

'Tell who?'

'My mum…Carla…How…How do I tell her that I've found my real mum?'

'You don't, not just yet anyway.' The Doctor warned her, 'Because Kate doesn't need

something else on her plate at the moment.'

'I get that, but Kate always has something on her plate-'

'No Ruby.' The Doctor said firmly to her. She then looked directly at her, 'Let me get Max

sorted out first and give El a chance to sort her life out.'

Ruby rolled her eyes, 'Anyway, so how are you going to deal with Max?'

'I'm going to pose as her psychiatrist…I'm going to get Max in a room, one on one and then

I'm going to give her a choice, a choice with three options. She either stops or I put who she

is in a fob watch for eternity or…I restrict her powers almost indefinitely with this.' She

gestured towards the device in her hand, 'I've got some of her DNA…What it will do is…

Once in contact with the skin, it will be absorbed. Messages in her brain that have anything to

do with her telekinesis…It won't stop it, but it will severely weaken it.'

'So Kate will be safe from her?'

'That's what I'm hoping.' The Doctor sighed, 'Because as much as we hate each other

sometimes, Kate is still my daughter and I would go to the ends of this universe to protect

her.'

'Apart from on the occasions you didn't…' She then held her hands up, 'I'm not trying to

start an argument.' She dropped her hands, 'But don't you think the truth about El will be

enough to never trust you again?'

This weighed heavily on the Doctor and she could see it. The Doctor looked back at Ruby

with a saddened and guilt ridden look, 'She won't ever trust me again once the truth comes

out.'

'And that's why you're holding off? To protect her?'

'Yes.' The Doctor said quietly, 'This might be the last time I'm able to protect her in this

capacity.'

Ruby went quiet. She could see how much this was troubling the Doctor and she started to

feel bad for her. Gently, she nodded, 'Well then…Max gets sorted and then everything else

comes later, right?'

The Doctor nodded. Tomorrow would be a day for her, and Max would finally be put in her

place, for good.

After a night of not sleeping properly, Kate was a little agitated. Though she, El, Max and the

Doctor could go days without sleep, having adapted to human sleep cycles it doesn't stop

them from feeling annoyed and a little exhausted. When the door of her cell opened, Kate

sighed with utter annoyance.

Eventually, she got out of bed and got dressed, only to meet Max standing outside of her cell.

The utter hatred Kate felt for her took over everything else.

'Morning mother.' Max smirked, 'Look, I just came here to escort you to the mess hall…Or

the cafeteria…I'm not British, so cut me some slack on my American-isms.'

'I don't want anything from you.' Kate uttered, 'And I'm pressing charges against you for

what you did to me! You belong in Belmarsh or some other institution like that because you

are an utter psychopath.'

'Yet I've been cleared by my psychiatrist.'

'Right, you're just a total nutter then.' Kate replied, 'Just stay out of my way.'

Max rolled her eyes, 'Fine, defend yourself then, but don't say I didn't give you an out.' She

then walked away and headed about her day.

Kate also headed about her own day. She'd been a prisoner of war before, this was nothing in

comparison, but it didn't explain in her own mind why she was afraid of Max when she had

confronted the actual Nazis a hundred years ago.

The sooner she was out of this hellscape the better.

'There she is!' Nikki was smiling at Skye as she walked over to her. Nancy had explained

that she had started walking independently the night before.

'Mom said it could be arrested development.' Nancy explained. Karen was over her shoulder

to give any clarifications.

'There is a delay sweetie.' Karen commented, 'But it's okay because she's a fast learner.' She

smiled. A thought then crossed her mind, 'When I was putting her to bed last night, I couldn't

help but notice that the left side of her chest was moving up and down…In beat with her

heart.'

'She has two mom.' Nancy laughed, 'So does Thomas.'

'And El, actually.' Nikki added.

Karen looked horrified, 'Is that something I should be worried about- we, I mean, is it

something we should be worried about?'

'Absolutely not.' Nikki assured her, 'You saw on the news a long time ago…Steve had two

hearts…Everyone calls it a defect, but it is literally just a part of who they are.'

'So…' Karen sounded confused, 'Sorry.' She laughed nervously, 'So…One of their mom's

has two hearts?'

Nancy laughed, 'That would be Kate…She has two hearts.'

Karen then laughed, 'All these people having two hearts, you'd think they weren't human.'

Nikki and Nancy shared a look between them. In this instance, Nikki was glad that El was at

college. Both of them went quiet for a moment too long and Nancy hesitated in response,

'Well, mom, it's uh…It's not that simple.'

Nikki saw the way that Karen's face dropped. She paled in an instant. She, Nancy and

Jasmine handled the alien thing well, but Nancy's mother on the other hand was very new to

the idea.

Karen felt like someone was having a joke with her. At first she laughed, but then she noticed

how Nikki and Nancy weren't laughing with her which she thought odd, 'So…So…This is a

joke, right? I mean…' She laughed, 'Aliens don't exist…'

'That depends on your definition Mrs Wheeler.' Nikki interrupted. She was gentle with her

approach, 'People who come to America or any other country are considered other or alien

…But then…You have the definite article…' She then got to her feet and slowly walked over

to her. Nikki was confident, but not in a way that seemed cocky. She was sincere and kind

because she knew this would be hard to get Karen's head around, 'I can assure you Mrs

Wheeler…Your beautiful grandchildren came from a very loving, very beautiful man, who

has a grandmother and a mother with intergalactic heritage…They never came to invade.

They never want to take over your world…They just want to live in peace…'

Nancy jumped in, 'And the Doctor…She has saved our world a million times over-'

Karen was in shock, 'The Doctor?! Like…That one in the TV show?! I thought she was a

woman who was a little too obsessed and believed she was that character…Now you're

telling me that Doctor Who is autobiographical?! The Doctor is real?!'

Nancy was stunned, 'I didn't know you watched Doctor Who , I just thought that was dad and

Mike!'

Nikki quickly jumped in, 'Beside the point Nancy-'

'It's more biography than auto… ' Nancy added.

'But where the Doctor is, it always means trouble!' Karen panicked.

'When was the last time aliens invaded this planet? And did you know about it? No, because

the Doctor is always busy still protecting us from them!' Nikki argued back, ' Trust me ,

alright? It was a lot for me to get my head around too, but Nancy and your grandchildren

were never in danger-'

'Except for that serial killer. They still think there was multiple.' Karen snapped back, 'And

Kate is in jail too! She is there for protecting that murdering bitch! It's always the same with

these aliens, looking out for themselves!'

Nancy rolled her eyes. Karen had a long rant about how she had a lucky escape from Steve,

at which point, Nancy knew that her mum was being irrational because of fear. It wasn't long

until she left.

After she did so, Nikki joined Nancy on the sofa and sat beside her, 'Are you okay?' She

asked her softly.

Nancy nodded, 'That reaction is expected.'

'It's sort of similar to how I reacted…It's just irrational fear. She will be okay eventually.'

Nikki replied gently, 'I'm sure you understand where she is coming from.'

'I do but…I don't remember freaking out when Steve told me…I just thought it was strange,

but I adapted…'

'And so will your mum.' Nikki replied gently, 'Trust me…'

When El got home from college, she entered the door with a cigarette still burning away

resting on her lip. El made sure to announce that she was back, calling out to Nikki to say

that she was home.

Nikki was doing some marking while Nancy sat beside her with the two little ones fast

asleep, napping. When she saw the cigarette in El's mouth she was furious, 'Right, what have

I told you?! There are rules in this house El and when it comes to smoking, you do it outside!

The kids are here for god sake!'

El held her hands up in defense and quickly left the room again to go outside.

Nancy frowned, 'How is she buying those? She's 17, isn't she?'

'She's 18 in a few months. Right madam she is.' Nikki stated.

'Right, I get that, but someone must be buying them for her..'

'I wouldn't put it past Gomez or Morticia, Wednesday's mum and dad.' Nikki stated, 'Two

people I've never actually met, but they are a world unto their own.'

Nancy raised her brows with a smirk, 'Pot calling the kettle over here. The Addams may be

different, but they are not our different.'

'Fair.' Nikki shrugged, 'That is a valid point…Oh that's a thing…I have not heard from Joyce

Buyers in such a long time…Last time she was here, we had a bit of drama…'

'And everything else….' Nancy commented.

'Yeah…Jonathan, her lad, professional photographer now. He came in to do some of the

yearly school photos today. I should drop Joyce a line, I need a few mates…I mean, Tom,

Kim and everyone, they're mates don't get me wrong but…I see them every day at work.' She

sighed.

'I get you.' Nancy smiled, 'I really do…' She briefly looked at the floor, 'I really shouldn't

wake these two but I've got to head home. Mum said she will pick me up in about ten minutes

or so.'

'So she's still talking to you then?' Nikki laughed, 'No really, it's been great seeing you again

Nancy.'

'And you.' Nancy smiled. She then walked over to Nikki and gave her a hug, 'If things get

too much with El, just give me a call and I can come to help. It's not a problem.'

'Yeah…Thanks Nancy.' Nikki really didn't know what she was going to do with El. As much

as El did respect her, she had already been told the rules which she continued to ignore, 'I

might have to get Jo in…'

'If it helps, it's not a bad thing to reach out to Jo…' Nancy said to her, 'If El is ignoring that

one rule because she feels she can get away with it…Maybe asking Jo for a little help

wouldn't be a bad thing.'

'She told me she stopped smoking though, and she still is…'

'It's an addiction…Talking to Jo, her mom…Let's put it this way, I wouldn't want to be on

Jo's bad side…Tough loving isn't always a bad thing.' Nancy rubbed Nikki's arm gently,

'Give her a call, she will be more than happy to help.'

Nikki appreciated the help, she felt inadequate as a parent because El wasn't listening to her

The Warning

Jo popped round to Steve Arnott's place for a couple of drinks after he had come back from

work. It had been a while since anyone had seen him…Or so she thought. She had found out

that El had visited him a few times over the last few months. Steve joked that he had been

neglected by the others, but followed it up with remarks about how everyone had things

going on. He was also honest about where he stood in the family dynamic. Things had gotten

so bad, he told Jo that he had decided to stay away because they didn't need to worry about

anything else.

Jo was two beers down when Steve admitted this and she felt terrible about it, 'Steve, you're

always welcome, you know that.'

'I do, but without Steve there…I just feel like my place has gotten lost in the family

dynamic…I do go and see him Jo…Most days actually.' He admitted as he toyed with the

bottle of beer in his hand, 'I go and talk to him and I tell him about the football and how he

would have been so happy to see them win at the weekend.'

Steve gave a sad smile at the prospect of this reality that never happened, 'I wish I could have

taken him to more games, had more time to talk to him about his kids and what he wants for

them growing up…Though we all know exactly what he would have wanted.'

'Yeah.' Jo laughed, 'For his boy to find the woman of his dreams and be happy…Or a man,

or whatever.'

'He would want them both to be happy…And Nancy too.' Steve smiled, 'I don't know…I

heard about what Max did to Kate…The judicial system has done them no favours by

keeping them both in the same place.'

'I've had a word with Carmichael. We can appeal to have Kate or Max transported elsewhere,

but the prisons are all full apparently.'

'Max needs a mental institution, not a bloody rub of the mill prison.' Steve argued. He then

quickly held his hands up, 'I'm sorry…It's not…It's not your fault…I'm just angry at the

situation.'

'I know…' Jo agreed, 'Belmarsh is one place Kate mentioned.'

Steve laughed, 'Belmarsh is too good for Max.' He then frowned, 'That's a men's prison.'

'Well, if she is manly enough to go around murdering people the way that she does…She can

go to one of them. Strangeways then, does that sound better?'

'No, still a men's prison.' Steve laughed, 'You're not very good at this.'

'Broadmoor!' Jo exclaimed, 'Now that! That is where she should be!'

'I cannot fault you there.' Steve laughed, before taking a drink of beer, 'If she could get taken

to Broadmoor, everyone would be safer, not just Kate.'

'Yeah…I hate to break it to you…But prison…I don't think it has taught Max anything…If

anything, it has given her time to learn things about herself and her own abilities…If she can

project an image of her brother that looks and sounds exactly like him, as Nikki and Nancy

have said…What else can she do?'

'Are we safe?' Steve asked.

'El says we are…But I'm not sure how much she believes it herself…'

When Nikki came home from work later in the day, she found El working on some

coursework as usual. Nikki put her coat on the hanger and made her presence known, 'I'm

home sweetheart! Sorry I'm late back, we had a staff meeting.' She walked in the room and

kissed El on the top of her head, 'How was college?'

'It was alright…' El replied, 'Hey, Nikki, can you check the bruise on my back please?'

Nikki frowned. She was concerned, so she came to check El's back for her after she stood up.

Gently, she lifted El's shirt and saw that the bruising had spread, 'Sweetheart, you should get

this looked at. Being thrown five feet in the air and straight into a pole…It could be broken.'

El shrugged, 'I can use artron energy to heal it, it's okay.' Returning to her seat, El picked up

the laptop and brought it over to Nikki in the kitchen, 'I'm on the policing unit of my course

and I wanted to ask something.'

Nikki pulled up a stool and sat at the worktop with her, 'Benefits of having parents who

either worked in the force or are working on the force…' She then frowned, 'Or have you

gotten into some trouble I don't know about?' A smile then crossed her face, 'I'm teasing

you…What's the question?'

'It's about processing people in custody after arrest…It's about what happens and what the

defendant's rights are once in custody.'

Though Nikki knew that some of the kids had already been arrested before, she wasn't going

to wind El up. Nikki had knowledge of other suspects that she could use as examples and so

she did, explaining the ins and outs whilst El typed away.

The Doctor had found a way into the prison, branding herself as a psychiatrist to get herself

through the doors and near Max. She may have a smile plastered on for everyone on the

outside but she was quietly fuming on the inside. The Doctor was properly angry which

definitely would not bode well for Max in the slightest.

Dressed in a blue suit with a lanyard around her neck and a notepad to boot, she was rocking

the psychiatrist look.

As she and the prison officer reached the landing where the cells were, the Doctor caught

sight of Max carrying a kettle of boiling hot water anywhere but in a kitchen where it should

be, 'Maxine Davidson.' She snarled, stopping Max in her tracks, 'Where do you think you

are going with that?'

Max instantly went pale. She had no backup story in place, 'I was…Taking it to my cell to

make…Tea.'

The prison officer walked over to her and took it from her, 'Maxine, this is Joanna Smith,

she's your psychiatrist. Come along with me so I can take you both to a private room.'

Max was still staring at the Doctor. The Doctor was glaring at her, and it terrified Max to the

bone, but she had little choice but to do as she was told. Max followed along with the prison

officer and walked into a room with her.

The Doctor, keeping up her facade, offered Max a seat, to which Max did take, but she was

highly suspicious of what the Doctor was doing here.

It wouldn't be long until she found out.

Once the two women were left alone, the Doctor turned around, looking out of the window,

contemplating what she was going to do. The sky was blue outside and the sun reflected back

in her eyes. It was surreal that she was about to do the unthinkable. When she turned back

around to look at Max. Her demeanor was cold, as was her gaze. When she spoke, her voice

was like steel and the anger beneath it all was clear as day.

Max was sitting there, feeling incredibly uneasy about being alone with the Doctor, but she

was depending on her telepathy to keep her safe from her, 'What are you doing her-'

'I think you and I both know why I'm here.' The Doctor hissed, 'What was in that kettle?'

Max scoffed, 'What does a kettle normally have? Water. And yes, the water was hot because

I was making a cup of tea.'

The Doctor laughed, but then she glared at her, 'Don't play games with me, you and I both

know that it wasn't just hot water in that kettle. That's bad enough as it is. The hot water and

the sugar trick has been pulled on Kate before and the fact that you would dare to do that

again. It's like you're asking to have your sentence extended.'

'I really don't know what you're talking about.' Max laughed, 'And you have no proof.'

'I think murdering your brother and slitting your mother's throat is all the proof I need.' The

Doctor hissed, 'I wouldn't put it past you. She didn't do anything to you, but because she is

the only one you can get at, you're going to target her.'

Max glared at her now, 'Why are you here Doctor? Apart from lecturing me, why are you

here?'

The Doctor smirked, but it quickly dropped. She didn't say anything for a moment. She raised

her chin, looking down on her, 'Why do you think I'm here? I'm here to give you a choice.'

'Oh, here we go.' Max laughed. She then stood up and walked around the spot, 'The Doctor

being all self-righteous and making out that she is better than everyone else!'

With a glare in her eye, Max came to stand directly in front of the Doctor. She met her gaze,

unnerved and undeterred, 'The great Doctor, the one who can annihilate species and planets

without a second thought and yet, I'm your latest obsession.'

'It was never about being mentally unstable for you was it? You're just inherently evil .'

'Like mother, like daughter. If mom was able to drop an atomic bomb without remorse, why

would you expect me to be the same? I used to have mercy, but in here, I have to make

people afraid of me in order to survive…' Max frowned, 'Aren't you the same? I mean, I've

seen the TV show…Beings around the universe are afraid of you. The Oncoming Storm, the

Vanquisher, blah, blah, blah. Difference is, I'm not afraid of you because you wouldn't dare .

You're too soft.'

The Doctor smirked, 'You underestimate me. You underestimate your mum. You like to think

that you're this big bad serial killer, but without the mask, without the costume…You're just a

scared little girl.' She saw the bravado drop from Max's face, 'Which is why I'm here to give

you a chance.'

Max swallowed the lump in her throat now. The Doctor had gotten to her, which is what she

intended, 'What could you possibly offer me?'

'Stop using your powers to harm people, and to get at people. Throwing El five feet in the air

has damaged her back a bit. There's a bit of inflammation and bruising but she will be fine.'

'She shouldn't have interfered.' Max sneered.

'Using El as a signal booster, how have you done that?'

'Wouldn't you like to know?'

'I would.' The Doctor replied firmly.

'It's easy once you figure it out, and in the meantime I'm able to destroy her own mind.' She

smirked, 'Because every time I do it, the pain that I inflict, it's real and it might eventually

kill her.'

The Doctor looked horrified, 'Your brother wasn't enough?!'

'I can piggyback from everyone. El thinks that everyone is safe, but I can tap into her mind at

any time, and you can't stop me.' Max smirked. She was then going to raise her hand to harm

the Doctor, but she saw it coming. Quickly, she tackled her to the wall, and grabbed the

device that she had been making with Ruby present from her jacket pocket. She pushed it

against Max's temple and saw it light up.

For a moment, Max was still able to try and use her powers. The Doctor, through her anger,

decided to push it. She grabbed a hold of Max's throat and she began to strangle her. Getting

into Max's face, she sneered, 'If you ever lay a single finger on my daughter or any member

of my family again, I will kill you.'

Max tried grabbing the Doctor's hands, but she was too strong. Even the Doctor saw the

moment that Max realized her powers weren't working and she laughed, still maintaining the

same grip while Max was scratching and clawing at the Doctor's hands to get her to let go.

'Not nice, is it? Being powerless? I gave you a chance, but next time, it won't just be your

powers I take away…I will remove your entire identity by putting you in a pocket watch,

much like this one.' She pulled a fob watch from her pocket and showed it to her, 'So, Max.'

The Doctor laughed, her hands still tightly wrapped around her throat, 'Are you going to

leave my daughter alone?'

Desperately, Max nodded. She wasn't sure how much longer she could have the Doctor

strangling her, but when she did pull away, the Doctor pushed her back.

The Doctor walked across the room, taking a moment to get her thoughts back in order. Then

she looked back at her, 'That device sunk into your skin, you can't get it off. It attacks

neurons and shuts down the parts of the brain that activate telekinesis.'

Walking back over to her, the Doctor got into Max's face and snarled, 'You've been warned.

You can have your powers back when I think you deserve them.'

The Doctor then left the room, slamming the door behind her.

Max, however, was still trying to get her breathing back in order. She almost broke down in

tears and without her powers, she felt extremely vulnerable and indeed, she was. Now, she

was terrified for her life.

The Doctor had no mercy, and she would never spare Max such mercy even if she asked, or

begged.

Eleanor

After Max was put back in her cell, she stay there. After sitting on her bed for five minutes,

she tried to use her powers, but nothing was working. It was as though she was as human as

everyone else in this prison and it scared her because her powers kept her safe. Now nothing

could apart from Kate, but she knew she had burned those bridges.

With it being daytime hours, inmates were allowed to walk around and that included Kate.

Thinking of her, Kate appeared in the doorway, knocking gently on the door as she did. When

Max looked at her, Kate crossed her arms, 'You're not being cocky today? That's a change.'

Noticing how red Max's neck was, she wondered what had happened here, 'Has someone

strangled you?'

'You'd celebrate if I did.' Max retorted.

'You're right, I would.' Kate stated, 'Because whatever you have coming to you, you deserve

every bit of suffering that is coming your way.'

Max scoffed, 'No matter what, I'm your daughter, you wouldn't let harm come to me.'

Kate felt her blood boiling beneath her skin, and her gaze darkened, 'You are my daughter…'

She walked over to her and crouched down to her. Grabbing a hold of her jumper, Kate

dragged her forward and sneered in a low voice drenched with hatred, 'But the laws of

motherhood when it came to you ceased the day that you murdered your brother in cold

blood! Not only that, because since then you've slit my throat without remorse for me.' She

then growled, 'You can try and use your powers all you like on me, because from now on

Max, this face you're looking at? Consider me your worst nightmare for the next two years.'

There was something that Kate found odd. Max wasn't fighting back. She just seemed to

accept her fate for what it was.

'Fine.' Max nodded, 'Fine, I have it coming to me, but you have to believe me when I tell

you that Steve was never meant to die! He was never on my hit list! Mom, you have to

believe me!'

Kate smirked, 'I could throttle you right now.'

'You wouldn't be the first to do that today, in fact, it seems to be a thing with you and Gran.

You like strangling people, don't you?'

Any bravado Kate had fell away, 'What do you mean? Me and mum?'

Max lifted her head to show her neck, 'This! This wasn't just any inmate! Gran strangled me!

I tried to fight back but she put some device on my head, and now I don't have my powers!'

Though Kate was shocked, she was still amused, 'She should have done it sooner. I should

have throttled you, but she told me.' She then laughed, 'She told me that she would find a

way to stop you and now that's why you're groveling! Without your powers Max, you are

nothing .' Kate bit her lip, enjoying every bit of this, 'How does it feel? To be scared? To be

vulnerable around truly evil people? There is no one to protect you here, and your powers

won't even help you.'

'I have you-'

Kate stood up and laughed loudly and then looked down at her, 'No Max, you dug yourself

this hole. Get yourself out of it.'

She then walked away, feeling rather chuffed with herself. Kate had hated her mum for such a

long time, but now she found a new admiration for her.

Max stayed in her cell, isolated from everyone else. Before, she could scare people with the

advantage of her powers and now she had nothing.

Later in the evening after El had gotten into bed, she lay there smoking a cigarette, unaware

that Nikki had called on Jo to have a word with her tomorrow about her habits.

Billy was sitting in a fast food restaurant by himself, eating a burger. As much as he

eventually wanted to have dinners with his own family, he knew that he had to face up to his

own cruel deeds. Somehow he had to eventually explain to Kate that he never gave the order

to kill Steve and he never would have done it either. Never would Billy admit out loud, but

he was lonely. Like Max, without the killing, he was nothing, and he knew he had a choice to

make.

Kill or come clean about the bad things he had done and start to make things right.

The next morning El woke up, coughing like she smoke twenty a day. Of course, Nikki heard

her coughing from downstairs where she was already making breakfast. When El did

eventually come down the stairs fully dressed and ready for the day, 'Hey, you know how to

get rid of that cough?'

El was busy grabbing some slices of toast from a plate on the table. She then rushed through

to the hallway to grab her bag, 'I'm already late for the bus to college.'

Nikki looked at the time and saw that El was far from late. In fact, she was very early, 'No

you're not. Sit down.' She tried the gentle approach but El wasn't listening, 'Eleanor, sit down

now please!'

With much reluctance, El gave in and listened to her. She came to sit at the table and Nikki

sat next to her, 'That cough, all that rubbish that you're getting off of your chest in a morning,

you know why that is, don't you?'

'I'm not a child, I know why.' El said firmly, 'And unlike humans, I can heal my problems.'

Nikki rolled her eyes, 'El, just because you can, doesn't mean you should. That philosophy

can apply to a lot of things in life and with this, especially with this, that philosophy is true.

Yes, you can smoke as many as you want in a day and damage your lungs, weaken yourself,

fine, but you need to be aware of the consequences. Eventually, you won't have enough artron

energy or healthy enough cells to keep this body going. You know about lung cancer, throat

cancer and other cancers caused by smoking, don't you?'

El nodded, 'They're all over the packets, so I'm well aware of the consequences. I know what

I'm doing Nikki.' She then grabbed the packet of cigarettes from her pocket and put one in

her mouth, 'Can I go now?'

'Yeah…You can go.' Nikki wasn't in the mood to argue with her anymore. She would get Jo

to deal with her when she got home.

When El was at college later in the day, she was having a smoke in the playground, using

some of the weed that Robbie had supplied to her. Enid had mentioned about it's horrible

smell, while Wednesday liked this new look on El, even if it wasn't appealing.

'I don't know how you can smoke that stuff.' Enid coughed, 'It stinks.'

'It's for my back pain. You try being thrown five feet in the air and slammed into a pole.' El

snapped back, 'And it helps me to concentrate.'

'While being high!' Enid snapped, 'Do your mom's know about this?'

'Nikki does, but she can't stop me, she's not my mom and…It's not that I disrespect her I

just…I need a smoke from time to time and she gets on my back about it.' El explained.

'For good reason.' Wednesday added, 'Those things can kill you. Your family has had

enough death to last a lifetime.'

El laughed as she exhaled some smoke, 'What's one more?'

Enid and Wednesday didn't find this funny.

Instead, El rolled her eyes, 'Well, that's my day done.'

'What do you mean? We have three more classes and then we have extra sessions after

college-'

'I mean, fuck this.' El plainly stated, 'I have an eternity of life and I'm not going to waste my

time doing two years of college that won't matter eventually.'

Now Wednesday and Enid were extremely concerned.

Wednesday stepped forward, 'El, normally I would support this, but you know how important

this course is to you getting a job in the force?'

Enid then caught sight of their tutor, 'Michael at two 'o clock.'

Their tutor, Michael, called over to them, and El stick her middle finger up at him, 'Screw

you Michael, I'm going home! Those extra classes?! Don't bother!'

'Eleanor!' Her tutor gasped, 'You cannot speak to a member of staff like that! I expect better

from you.'

El ignored him and walked away. She didn't have time for people. In her mind, she wanted to

start living her life now and not wait for what she saw as stupid things like college.

When El got home, she would be in for a big shock from Nikki, Jo and Carmichael as her

tutor called ahead and informed them of her behavior.

In Your Place

Kate was laying in bed later in the evening, reading a book. Many thoughts were racing

through her mind, including the contemplation of moving with El and Nikki, back to

California where Kate knew El already had citizenship. England for her was full of too many

bad memories, and she wanted to move on and start again. It was still early days in her

sentence, but it didn't stop her from considering the future and what might be best for her, and

her family.

Just as she was about to settle in for the night, one other inmate walked into her cell. A young

woman, looked to be in her late twenties was standing by the door, 'Sorry…Kate, isn't it?'

Kate slowly put the book down and sat up, 'Yeah…I'm kate.'

'Now that I think about it…I recognize your face…' She thought about it, 'Oh my god,

you're that…' She lowered her voice, 'You're the copper.'

'I am. Feel free to kick my backside if it makes you feel better about it.' Kate was blunt and

to the point.

'God no.' The woman laughed, 'The only person whose arse is getting beaten is that serial

killer.'

Kate's face drained of colour immediately, 'Max?'

'Yeah, the Ghostface one.'

Kate jumped off of her bed and was in a hurry, 'Tell me where she is!'

'Out in the yard-' It then occurred to her, 'Oh my God, you're her mum aren't you?'

Without giving her time to respond, Kate headed out to the yard. Down through the landings

and outside. It was clear the guards didn't want to do anything because when she got outside,

a huge crowd was gathered around Max, while two others held her back by her arms. Her

face was already covered in blood, and she looked terrified. As much as Kate hated her, she

was still her child.

Pushing her way through the crowd, Kate managed to get her way to the middle of the brawl,

'Right, all of you, pack it in!' She shouted.

None of them were listening, there was shouting galore, and the prison officers refused to

intervene. Kate was at a loss as to what she should do. Risking exposing herself and who she

really was, using her mind, the crowd took a few steps back without knowing how or why.

Kate raised her voice, 'ALL OF YA'! THIS DOESN'T MAKE YOU BETTER THAN HER!

YEAH, SHE SLIT MY THROAT BUT I'M DEALING WITH IT!' She looked back at Max

and saw she was close to losing consciousness. As much as Kate wanted to see her suffer, she

didn't want to see her die.

She then addressed the women who were restraining Max, 'Let her go.' When they didn't

budge, she raised her voice, 'Let her go, NOW!'

As soon as Max fell to the floor, Kate addressed them all, 'I appreciate what you are doing

and I get it, believe me I do.' Her voice then broke as she continued to address the crowd,

'She murdered my own son in cold blood! I watched it happen through CCTV! Don't forget

that she slit my throat! I despise her as much as anyone, but death?' She shook her head,

'Death is too good for the likes of her. The torment that she will have to live with for the rest

of her life is what she deserves!'

Kate swallowed, 'It's over, whatever this was out here, it's over. Let her suffer.' She then

turned around and looked at Max as she lay on the floor, almost motionless, but still

conscious. With a sneer, she finished her point as she looked into her eyes, 'Because that's

what she deserves .'

After everyone had left, Kate gave the prison guards an earful and demanded that Max be

placed out of the harm of other inmates, because she knew that if Max was left alone again,

she would end up dead.

That would be the last favor she ever did for her.

'So I've been thinking.' Nikki was walking beside Jo in a park a few days later. The weekend

had come around and El was sticking to her promise of trying to come off her cigarette

addiction. Of course, it was incredibly painful to kick the habit, but she had been using the

Niquitin patches and a Nicorette inhalator that Jo had bought for her.

Jo felt like she had to be round daily to check that everything was okay, and that El was

coping with kicking the habit. It was still early days, and a recent conversation came to light

with how much El did actually smile during a day which came to about twenty- Jo and Nikki

felt like there might be more but they didn't push it.

Bringing El to the park was part of a distraction technique. She had an inhalator in between

her lips as she walked and though parents of younger people seemed to have a problem with

it, Jo and Nikki ignored it.

Slowly, the El they knew was coming back. It wasn't going to be smooth though.

Nikki was holding a football beneath her arm while El walked ahead of them.

Jo laughed at the idea of Nikki having an idea, 'These ideas of yours are getting out of hand.'

'No, no, this is a good one. Say, if El can stay off the ciggies for…' She thought about it,

'The next four months…That would take us to what? March, June?'

'You can't count.' Jo laughed, 'There are three months already between March and June…

Nikki, we are in March sweetie, another month would take us to june.'

Nikki went quiet for a moment. The slip of the to give didn't go missed, but instead of

making it more awkward, she found it funny, 'Pet name stage already? I must be doing

something good.'

'Nikki just…Forget I said that, it was a slip and like you said, eventually, you'll go back to

Kate and I'll…I'll be with Jasmine.' Jo still found that idea to stomach and she quickly

wanted to move on with the conversation at hand, 'What idea did you have in mind for El?'

Nikki still was amused, but she took the hint, 'She's collecting Hot Wheels cars…El wouldn't

collect cars for no reason. Now I'm not suggesting Formula One but…We could take her to

maybe like a rally or something? We never actually ask her about what she likes and I feel

like there is a disconnect.'

'I hear F2 is more affordable…'

'Pfft, I doubt it.' Nikki scoffed, ' That can be a treat after a full year without smoking. I know

I'm not a fan of the Doctor, but I'm sure if we asked nicely, she might be able to secure some

tickets. Hey, even if El isn't into racing, at least it would be a treat and it would give her a

new interest.'

'Her interest was always football.' Jo replied, eyeing the football in Nikki's arm, 'And I took

that away from her.'

Nikki rolled her eyes, 'Look, she can still kick a ball about, she just can't do it in bigger

leagues because it's too exhausting. Her passion is still there.'

Jo stopped walking and faced her properly, 'We both know that isn't the same thing. All of

this? The smoking? The attitude? I think it's built up frustration from everything.'

'Of course it is, and now she is speaking to a therapist who can help her to understand and

deal with those emotions.' She pointed at herself, 'I'm yet to do it, but you Jo? If you're still

blaming yourself for what happened to El, after she has forgiven you time and time again?

Perhaps it's you who needs the therapy more than I do.'

Nikki then walked on ahead, jogging after El to catch up with her, 'Right, fancy a kick

about?'

When El looked at her, she frowned, 'We need to do warm ups first, can't be pulling muscles,

can we?'

'Cheeky.' Nikki teased, 'Are you saying I'm old?'

El shook her head, 'I'm stating. I'm stating that you're old. Forty nine, that's very old in

human terms.' She laughed.

'Rude.'

Laughing, El looked back at Jo, 'Mom is forty eight, so you're both ancient.'

Jo caught up with them and as she did, she caught the back end of El's comment and scoffed,

'Young lady, I'm still chasing criminals down the street when they run away from me.'

'Bet they only stop because they feel bad.' El laughed, 'And I'm joking mama.'

'I know, and you're a wee devil.' Jo laughed, picking up the football and kicking it to her,

'Who is in goal?'

Putting her inhalator into her pocket, El and Nikki shared a look. They both then put a finger

on their noses, volunteering Jo.

Jo cursed herself, 'The oldest trick in the book!' She then made her way to the goal posts,

'Alright then, let's be having you!'

The game went on for a while. El eventually took off her jumper because she was working up

a sweat. Of course, her alieness was able to keep her skin extra warm against the snow that

had begun to fall.

Nikki kicked the ball too far away at one point. She shouted after El a quick, 'Sorry!' As El

jogged to go and get it. When she did, a guy in a grey suit, a black trench coat and short hair

walked over to her. Without a care in the world, Billy made himself visible to El. If he

wanted to start making amends, this would be it.

Just as the ball came his way, he caught it. He was a fair distance for Nikki and Jo to make

out, but they did find it odd that a guy would just be hanging around watching them play a

game.

Billy picked up the ball from the saturated muddy grass, and he offered it to El, 'Careful next

time, anyone could pick it up.' He smiled.

At first, El didn't catch on. She just took the ball and thanked him for it, giving him a kind

smile. As she began walking away, she was thinking to herself how the face was familiar, she

just couldn't place it. Just as she made it back to Jo and Nikki, she figured it out, 'Billy?' By

the time she had figured it out and turned around, like a phantom, he was gone.

To El it seemed like he had vanished in the snow, but Nikki and Jo saw him walk away. It

was only when they started questioning her about who it was that they looked back and saw

that he was truly gone.

'I think it was Billy…' El puzzled herself.

Nikki and Jo looked at each other, they didn't know whether they should be worried or not.

The questions raced through their minds, and their biggest concern was ulterior motives.

'No…' El uttered, reading their minds, 'I think he's come back to say sorry.'

Naturally, Nikki and Jo didn't believe it and the pair were now on their guard.

Billy

Once she'd gotten home, El went to her room. It was cold enough outside and she wanted to

warm up. Not only that, she was dying for a cigarette. Then, she realized that she would have

to make up an excuse to go and have one in secret. Just as she sat on the end of her bed, she

put her head in her hands, realizing how much she has complained about the cold on her way

back from the park with Jo and Nikki. She knew that going out again so soon would look

strange.

Bouncing her knee, El got very antsy. She had already forgotten about Billy. Her urge for a

cigarette just took over any thoughts. Getting to her feet, El began pacing her room, she was

so fidgety, and she really wanted a smoke.

After pacing for a few minutes, she ran down the stairs like a bolt of lightning had struck her.

When she walked into the kitchen, she saw a sight before her that shocked her to her core. El

went incredibly pale and her eyes widened in shock and horror.

After bringing El home Nikki and Jo had waited until she had gone upstairs before they said

or did anything more. A silence came between them. They had enjoyed their time with El,

giving her a distraction that was very much needed. Once they'd walked in, Nikki approached

the kettle and turned it on. She had asked Jo if she wanted a cup of tea, but Jo didn't say

anything. Instead, she looked longingly at her. When Jo looked into Nikki's eyes, all she saw

was a woman that she truly loved.

Despite knowing that they would never be together forever, Jo just wanted to live in the here

and now, and take in every moment she could.

When the silence went on too long, Nikki laughed nervously, 'Was it something I said?'

Jo shook her head and gently replied, 'No…' She took a breath and walked closer to her.

When she stopped right in front of Nikki, she bit her lip and gently placed a hand on her

neck, 'But it's definitely the way you look…'

Nikki laughed, 'Oh yeah?' She admired her, she admired Jo so much. Slowly, and gently,

they both leaned in to each other. The gap was soon closed when they met each other's lips.

Jo had pushed Nikki back against a wall and put her hands under her shirt. Immediately,

Nikki had loosened her belt and the button on her jeans.

The room suddenly seemed to get a lot warmer between the pair of them. Jo had started

undoing the zip on Nikki's jacket and Nikki had pulled Jo's jumper off, over her head. Jo was

left standing in her bra and trousers and Nikki wanted so much more of her

By the time that El came down the stairs, she found both women shirtless and all over each

other. Of course, they were too focused on each other to even notice El standing there

witnessing all of this.

El was too stunned to speak, and she turned away moments later when she noticed where Jo's

hand was. The teen had no idea what to do. All she knew was that Nikki was betraying her

mum, and Jo was so far in the wrong, she didn't know where to begin.

Without saying a word, El grabbed her coat once more and headed out. After slamming the

door behind her, she grabbed the box of cigarettes from her left breast pocket. Taking one

out, she grabbed her orange lighter and lit the cigarette. Now El didn't know what she was

feeling. Her feelings were all over the place, and after seeing Billy, her head was all over the

place.

As soon as the door slammed shut, both Nikki and Jo were disturbed from what they were

doing. They looked back at each other wondering if El had just seen something she shouldn't

have but then Nikki shrugged, 'She would have said something…She can't know.'

Jo wasn't so sure, but there was no way of knowing so she shrugged it off, 'You're probably

right…'

What they didn't know was that El would be logging this in her memory, the date, what she

was doing that day and who they had seen that day…She was going to use this as leverage

one day, she just didn't know how yet.

At prison, Kate had a visit. She hadn't sent out any visit papers or requests, so she remained

confused as to who it could be. Naturally, as she walked down a corridor heading towards the

visiting hall, she wondered if it could be Carmichael, Steve or even other officers wanting to

ask questions about what happened to her. Her mind was occupied with many of those

thoughts, wondering who on Earth could be visiting her today.

Entering the hall, wearing a red vest, Kate looked around the room looking for a face, for

who could be visiting her today. Then her eyes landed on him.

Anger surged through her veins now. As she walked over, she had many words that she

wanted to say, none of them nice. Upon reaching her table, Kate was seething with anger,

'You actually have a bloody nerve! What the hell are you doing here?!'

Billy had decided to take his chances. He was serious about making things right with Kate

and the family. Unlike Max, he hadn't in cold blood murdered anyone related to them and he

swore that he never would. When he looked up at Kate, he seemed to her, strangely a little

withdrawn instead of his cocky, arrogant self, 'Mom…Sit down…We can talk.'

Kate scoffed, 'What the hell could I have to possibly say to you?!'

Billy looked back at the restless prison officers who were preparing themselves for the

possibility of Kate hitting out, 'Sit down.' His tone was a little firmer, 'And we will talk.'

Of course, Kate looked at him with utter confusion. The audacity he had to turn up was what

bothered her the most. Eventually, she came to sit opposite him, though she wasn't happy

about doing so.

'Why are you here?' Kate sneered, glaring at him

'To ask for a second chance.' Billy answered simply.

Kate scoffed with a laugh. She then looked back at him, full of furious anger, ' You are the

reason my son is dead.'

'I'm not.' Billy replied, 'As much as I know you wouldn't believe me, no one in the family

was ever meant to end up dead.'

'Look at where we are now! Max is terrified of you!'

'She's not my problem.'

'How can you say that?!'

'Because I never gave her the order to kill Steve and I never would have. I also know you're

going to ask about you, El and the others that were attacked a very long time ago when you

were all terrorized by Ghostface.' Billy was being honest now, 'Granted, I was responsible

for some of the terrorizing but my blade never came anywhere near any of you. That was

Barry.'

'And I'm supposed to be grateful, am I?!' Kate hissed, 'My family was torn in two because of

all this Ghostface shit!' She sat back, 'Go on then, seems as you're so clever and smart , who

gave Barry the order to kill Steve?'

'Why Don't we start from when Max got mixed into all of this? Now, I will freely admit that I

threatened her that if the cops found out about me or Barry, a member of her family would

end up dead…It was never meant to happen.' Billy met her gaze the entire time because he

wanted for her to see that he was telling the truth.

Kate was already sick of listening to him, 'Someone did end up dead. A father of two! Your

brother for Christ's sake! You didn't think that one through did ya?!'

'It was Barry who lied , and I don't know why he did that. Steve would still be alive if Barry

didn't open his mouth.'

'But you still made Max's life hell! You turned her into a monster!' She then gestured at her

neck, 'She slit my fucking throat Billy! You turned my daughter into an absolute monster and

El?! She had to learn how to walk and talk again after her mum had a fucking mental

breakdown, two of them! If you even think you're going to work your way back into my life

or my good books, you're so far wrong!'

'And I regret that! Mom, listen to me, this, all of it! It was a massive mistake-'

'How many people did you kill?' Kate hissed under her breath, 'Do you know how many

Max killed?'

'Max killed about twenty five, I've killed about fifteen.' Billy was being extremely honest

and it bothered Kate as to why he was doing it.

'Are you trying to clear your guilty conscience?' Kate asked him, 'Listen, I know what it's

like to have so many deaths on your conscience and every day is the same. The three of you

killed in cold blood and it seems that it went too far with Steve because ever since then, it's

been awfully quiet.'

Billy swallowed, 'I stopped.'

'Somehow I don't believe that.' Kate sneered, 'You are no son of mine either.' Getting to her

feet, Kate was done with looking at him and listening to him, 'You want to get on my good

books? Hand yourself in, tell the police everything you've just told me and maybe then I'll

consider the prospect of you coming back into my life.'

'You wouldn't though.' Billy said quietly, 'Because I've messed up too badly to even be

considered for a place at your table.'

They both then met each other's gazes and Kate nodded, 'You're right about that, and I even

know that all the Ghostface shit, it won't end with you. It will continue because crazy fuckers

exist…I know Dot started this, but you, Max and Barry…The three of you carried it on…I'll

never forgive her…You? I don't know. I really don't know.'

Billy accepted defeat on this one, but the one thing he didn't understand is why Kate wasn't

going to the police herself, but then he remembered that she left him at an orphanage…

Perhaps this was her getting even.

Moving On

Sometime later, both women ended up huddled together on the sofa. Nikki had gotten a text

from El telling her that she was going to the park for a bit to get some time to herself, to

which Nikki simply replied to let her know when she was on her way back so she could put

dinner in the oven.

As Jo was laying on Nikki's stomach, a thought occurred to her, 'I haven't visited Max since

she got sent down.'

'Why would any of us visit her? We've got no reason to go and see that monster, and after

what she did to Kate, I would much rather the key get thrown away.' Nikki replied,

'Unfortunately she is going to be on license when she is released.'

'Yes, but, that means if she does commit another crime, chances are, she won't ever get out of

prison again.' Jo replied, 'With her lifespan, she wouldn't dare.' She then sat up and looked

back at Nikki, 'You don't suppose El saw anything, do you?'

Nikki shook her head, 'She likes climbing out of her window some days to get out and

about-'

'You say that as if it's the most normal thing.' Jo laughed.

'It's because it is.' Nikki laughed, 'If I tell her she can't go out, she has her ways. She also

likes the thrill of climbing out of a window.'

Both women looked up as the front door opened. Nikki called over to El as she walked in, 'I

told you to text me when you were on your way back.'

El shrugged. Taking off her jacket, she pulled out a cigarette from her shirt pocket and put it

on her mouth, lighting it moments later much to the absolute horror of Jo and Nikki.

'Uh, excuse me.' Nikki was shocked that El had been so brazen to break the rules she had

been working so hard to enforce, 'What have I told you?'

El shrugged, 'You told me that I shouldn't smoke under your roof…But it's Mama's roof too

and she isn't here.'

Jo jumped in then, scoffing, 'Young lady-'

'What?' El snapped, 'Do you want one? I've got more.' She was being so sarcastic, leaving

both women utterly confused and shocked.

'Eleanor Davidson!' Jo snapped.

'I just went to Steve's grave, and you know what I figured?' El didn't care for any of their

rules now, not after what she had witnessed, 'I realized…I realized that…He would want me

to do what I want with my life because his got cut so freaking short, and do you know what

I'm going to do to Max when she gets out of jail?' Her sarcasm turned to anger, 'I'm going to

make her suffer , and I don't just mean ignoring her, I mean physically she is going to wish

she was dead.'

Nikki and Jo looked between each other now. Both of them were left wondering what

brought this on. Never did it cross their minds that El caught them, instead, they put it down

to El missing Steve.

'I wish he was here…' El continued with tears in her eyes, 'Because he gave me direction

and he kept me and my mind…On a good path…Now I don't know what I'm doing. I'm just

so lost…' She sounded defeated now, 'If I could bring him back…I would…We would all be

happier than what we are now…And he…He would be a dad to his kids.' She smiled sadly,

'But that's not going to happen…'

Taking a drag of her cigarette, she looked between the two of them, ' Nothing in my life is

right…I wish he was here to help me…Because no one else is…They're all too interested in

each other and me? I feel like I'm so alone . I always had been alone but now, somehow…It's

so much worse.'

El then headed up the stairs, leaving both Nikki and Jo in shock.

Jo looked back at Nikki, 'I should go and talk to her…'

'Just leave her…' Nikki said quietly, 'She's attention seeking.'

Jo scoffed then, 'Isn't that the point? She's attention seeking with good reason. This isn't just

about Steve, she misses her mum too, and we both know how close she is to Kate.'

Nikki tutted, 'She is playing you like a flaming fiddle! She keeps breaking the rules because

you don't bother to put your foot down with her!'

Jo then marched over to her, full of anger, 'How dare you. I might be her mum, but you are

her guardian, are you not? If I give you my permission to put your foot down, and Kate gives

you that permission to, we expect that you put your foot down. Yes, she's had it rough,

haven't we all? She is no longer a little girl and it is up to us to show her that, but at the same

time, when there's a cry for help, sure, we can be skeptical, but at the same time, we listen.'

Nikki frowned, 'Since when were you so…I don't know…Mothering?'

She didn't know, but Jo had been a parent for so long, and they had been through so much

over the last few years that she only really had one answer, 'Because now I only have one last

chance to get it right. My son is dead, my other daughter is in prison…It's about time that we

taught her that even though life is tough, we all have to grow up eventually.' Without a

second thought, Jo raced up the stairs and went to El's room to talk to her.

Upon reaching El's room, Jo gently knocked on the door and let herself in. Upon opening the

door, she saw El sitting on her bed by the open window, allowing cigarette smoke to leave the

room. The moment El set her gaze upon her mum, she rolled her eyes, 'What do you want?'

Jo slowly made her way over and perched herself on the side of the bed. To begin with, there

was no conversation, Jo simply looked around the room, immediately noticing that she had

moved the room around. Her desk was moved to the far end of the room, the lava lamp was

tucked away at the top of her wardrobe…And her books were dotted about the place. There

were two photo frames in her desk, one with a photo of Steve and one of them both together.

'I see you've moved things around.' Jo commented. When she didn't get a response, she took

a breath, 'El…I know it's been hard for you…It's been hard for all of us, but all of this?

You're smoking? The drugs? I have to draw a line in it and end it now.' There was hesitation

when Jo looked back at El, 'I know we haven't had the best relationship-'

'You're right about that.' El scoffed while exhaling smoke, 'I don't…I don't even know where

I stand anymore. I thought I'd forgiven you for what you did…' She shook her head, 'I had…

I did…I- If there was a way to bring him back…'

'Your mum and I should have done more sooner-'

'IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT YOU OR HER, OR ANYONE! IT STOPPED BEING ABOUT

YOU A LONG TIME AGO! IT'S ALL KATE, MOM, THE ONE I TRUSTED THE MOST!

She betrayed me, you and Steve and for what?!' El looked down, she went quiet for a

moment, 'I'm getting therapy, I promise I'm just…I guess I'm just venting…'

Jo nodded slowly. Though she was hurt by the outburst, she had to hear El out before making

it about her, 'It's okay to vent sweetheart.' She said quietly, 'I'm here whatever you need and

whenever you need me…I'm here almost every day, and if you want to chat like this, just me

and you…questions wouldn't be asked, that much I can promise you.'

Although El knew about what she and Nikki had been doing together, it made her feel as

though she couldn't go to them, not after what she had seen. It almost made her laugh, but

then she remembered that she was going to reveal everything to Kate in the most humiliating

way possible, so she had to play by Nikki and Jo's rules until the time was right. That still

didn't sit right with her, none of this sat right with her.

Instead, she climbed off of her bed and grabbed her jacket, 'I'm going to see Steve, I'll walk.'

Jo was lost for words. She tried following her, but El stopped her while in the middle of the

landing, and got into her face, 'I said, I'll walk. '

Although Jo was trying her hardest, she decided that now giving tough love was her only

option. Her eyes fixed on El and she glared at her with full daggers, 'Do not talk to me in that

way.' She hissed, 'Now I have tried being nice with you, I have tried speaking to you and

giving you options, but now you're going to listen to me, do you understand me Eleanor? You

want to be treated like an adult? To be an adult you have to listen and abide by rules.'

El scoffed. She smiled now, 'What? What are you actually going to do?'

Though Jo was unsure herself, she wasn't going to show El that. Slowly, she stepped forward

and squared up to her. When she spoke, her voice remained low, but was filled with anger,

'Sweetheart, do not cross that line with me. I am your mother and you will abide by my

rules.'

Still, El wasn't having any of it, 'Still, what are you going to do ma? You think you're so

tough because you're this…' She imitated her accent, almost mocking it, ' Big bad Scottish

woman. ' Her accent reverted back to her own, 'You are nothing.'

Jo smirked now, 'Keep going young lady, keep going and see where it gets you. I have many

more years on you, and so much more experience.'

'Oh now you're just deflecting.' El said sarcastically, 'Big bad Jo over here.'

Jo leaned against the bannister now, 'Get it all off your chest, everything you've been wanting

to say to me since that day…The day I took everything from you, get it all out.' As much as it

hurt, she could see where all the attitude was coming from, and she felt as though she

deserved every inch of it, 'Come on El, tell me, tell me exactly what's going on.'

Now El was confused, but she could feel the anger already burning inside of her. The fact Jo

was giving her permission felt so wrong, but still, once she started, she couldn't stop, 'I

remember what happened, I remember that I came to check on you and you bludgeoned me!

You came at me and I had no way to defend myself!'

While Jo stood and listened, every word would go on to feel like a stab through her own

heart. Just as she believed she had been forgiven, the frustrations of absolutely everything ate

away at El and if she could get El to say everything she was feeling, maybe it'd make her feel

better, even if it meant Jo feeling worse.

El paced for a moment, 'I felt trapped in my own body for so long that…I don't know… I

hated you …'

'You still do.' Jo said quietly, 'Maybe not as a person, but for what I did…'

Upon hearing this, El merely scoffed. She found she couldn't do this. Instead she walked off,

walking out the front door and slamming it behind her.

Jo was left in silence. What she didn't know was that El left because she didn't want to say

something she would regret.

El practically marched to Steve's grave side. Now she wasn't sure who she could trust, he was

the only one that she knew she could truly trust. Just as she entered the grave yard, she could

see the moon already shining down over other tombstones. The closer that she got to Steve's

grave, she frowned when she saw someone sitting on a bench directly opposite his

tombstone. Of course, she was a little confused, but when she came around she saw that it

was her grandfather sitting there. Naturally, El wondered what he wanted because whenever

he showed, it always meant trouble.

Coming to sit beside him, El uttered, 'I didn't come here for trouble.'

'Neither did I.' The Master replied honestly. He then turned his head to face her, 'What

happened?'

El frowned, 'What do you mean?'

The Master shrugged, 'I can sense that you're upset…You and I both know I'm not very

touchy feely with anyone ever , but I care about you…If you want to talk…I can listen.'

El laughed, 'Why are you here?'

'Considering how to act out on my revenge on UNIT, Kate Stewart and her toy soldiers after

giving my daughter a deadly cancer…And Max…I wouldn't ever kill her, Lord knows I

should.'

Shaking her head El finished his thoughts for him, 'Death is too good for someone like her,

making her suffer for eternity sounds better…After the way she left me…I'll be suffering for

an eternity without my brother.'

'You really miss him…'

'So much.' El laughed sadly, 'Ever since he died, nothing has gone right…You have no idea

how lost I am without him.'

'I can try to imagine.' The Master added, 'My life without the Doctor. We hate each other,

we've killed each other a few times, but I couldn't be without her.'

'Difference is, you and Gran both regenerated, Steve never had the chance.'

'I suppose not.' The Master contemplated his next line of thought. He rested his elbow on the

arm of the bench and stared straight ahead at the tombstone, 'I could make Max suffer for an

eternity…If you wanted.'

El shook her head, 'She will be a lonely woman with no one. She will come out of prison

looking for us all and we won't be there. Believe me Grandpa…' She got to her feet and

turned to face him. There was a look of defeat in her eyes, 'This family is not going to land

much longer…I think I'm going to get away too. I don't know where but…I need time to

think about what I'm doing and where my life is headed…'

Though the Master didn't respond, he understood what she meant. He watched her walk

away, and his own mind was left whirring and whizzing with his own ideas. He knew that El

was his, just as much as the Doctor did and even though the Master loved chaos, this secret

wasn't worth destroying his "family" over.

When El came back home a couple of hours later, she spotted Nikki sitting on the sofa by

herself with a glass of wine in front of the TV. Rolling her eyes, El put her jacket on the coat

hanger and walked through to the living room. Her intention was to head to her room, but

then Nikki called her name.

'Your tea is in the microwave.' Nikki stated. She then turned to face her, 'I need to have a

word with you about your attitude.'

El rolled her eyes, 'Shouldn't I get my dinner first?'

Nikki sat forward and placed her wine on the coffee table. Her gaze settled on her, 'Where

has this attitude come from? It stinks, not only that, the way you have been speaking to your

mother and I has been out of order. The only thing we have asked is that you either stop

smoking altogether or you smoke outside…I don't understand what's so hard about that…

What's going on?'

'Nothing is going on! Nothing!' El snapped, 'I just want to grab my dinner and go to bed if

that's alright with you?'

'You can have your dinner, but I want to talk to you about changing your attitude. I'll go and

have a bath, you have your tea, and we will both talk about what is going on.' Nikki stood up,

quickly grabbing her glass of wine to drink the remainder in one gulp. She then turned to face

El, 'We aren't having a go, me or your mum…We just want to help you.'

'The way you can help me.' El seethed, getting increasingly angry, 'Is to leave me alone!'

Nikki shook her head, 'You can't hide away all your life, that doesn't fix things.'

'That's what the Doctor did.' El shrugged.

'Yeah, and look where she is.' Nikki replied firmly. Without a further word, she headed up

the stairs to go and have a bath, leaving El alone.

El was troubled, but it wouldn't be long until she let it go. Never would she let it go

completely, but over time, she would live with that fact. Over many months she spotted Nikki

and Jo going at it, with their hands all over each other…The days when Jo and Nikki were in

Kate's bed together, she documented all of it.

Their affair from what she knew continued for a year. El had decided at that time to stop

smoking for her own sake, and she got her head down in her college work and planned her

own career from the point of leaving college.

Every time she visited Kate, she would tell her how college was going, and in two months,

she would be finished at college. El wanted to tell Kate all about passing her math exam.

Kate was always El's entire world and given what Nikki and Jo had been up to, that only

served to strengthen that bond.

Little did El know that in just under a year, she would ruin both Jo and Nikki's life, as well as

Kate's own. El couldn't morally allow Nikki and Jo's affair to continue. Though one night

when El was lying in bed, she felt as though she was enabling this affair by allowing it to

continue, she knew that she would expose them for what they were one day.

A year and six more months passed. El had since finished college and was now struggling

between her choice of an apprenticeship or going to university. There was one thing that she

hoped for, and that was for Kate's help and guidance through what she could do next.

Since she had left college two months ago, she had done nothing but struggle, sleeping in was

something that El found herself doing often, even when Nancy had brought her niece and

nephew over for visits. Knowing what El knew and for Nikki and Jo to continue doing it,

only served to destroy her more. Her mum, and someone who she once looked up to as a

mother had destroyed her own trust in them and the more that Nikki and Jo met for what they

thought were secret rendezvous, the more that love and trust eroded away.

This morning, El woke up almost sweating because of the early summer morning heat. When

she opened her eyes and her sleepy clouded thoughts became coherent, she instantly sat up.

Kate was being released today and she had been counting down the days. These last two

years had been utterly painful for her to get through, but today, her mum would be home.

Nancy was already around, sorting a small buffet with Nikki's help. Kate would be getting a

welcome home despite the reason she went to prison to begin with. Both Steve Arnott and

Carmichael had been invited.

What everyone else didn't know was that the Doctor and Carmichael had been having an

affair of their own for the last two years, behind Yaz's back. The affair continued, but the

Doctor disguised her absences as planets that sent out distress calls that she had to answer.

The following day Carmichael and the Doctor had their own secret rendezvous planned, so

being in the same room as each other today would further fuel their lust for each other.

After El came downstairs, she walked by Nancy with a happier face than usual. Nancy was in

the kitchen already making sandwiches with Nikki for later. Bemused, Nancy finished filling

a tray and turned her attention to El, 'You seem a little excited, any particular reason?' She

teased.

'Mama is coming home.' El grinned, 'She will be home, I have so much to tell her, we can

watch movies and be happy again.'

Nikki smiled to herself, 'I take it you're coming for the journey then?'

El nodded, 'Of course!' She went to the cupboard and grabbed some crumpets, before

placing them in the toaster, ' My face has got to be the first that she will see when she walks

out of those gates.'

'You do know that she might look a little different? Last I knew, she had much longer hair

now.' Nikki replied, 'And…I know it's been difficult…Getting to see her but all these strikes

with the prison officers haven't helped much.'

'She's still my mama.'

'I never said she wasn't, I'm just…I'm preparing you sweetheart, that's all.' Nikki replied

softly, 'I know that change…It can be difficult for you.'

Nancy intervened, 'Like she says Nikki…' She didn't want to cause an argument. Nancy

recognized when El was nervous, and she knew that Nikki probing wouldn't help, 'She

knows what her mom looks like.'

Moments later, El grabbed the crumpets from the toaster and put jam on them. Just as she

went to take a bite into one, she frowned at herself, and then she looked at Nikki, 'Now that

mama will be home again…Will we be having any sleepovers with Mom anymore?'

Nikki's head and hopes dropped almost immediately. This affair had gone on for so long, she

dare say it was love that she now felt for Jo. Not having their secret sessions as often as they

had been happening was a terrible thought for the pair of them, but not having them at all

scared them the most. Quickly, she shoved down those feelings to the deepest depths of her

gut. Turning to face El, she gave her a gentle smile, 'Your mum is going to be home now…I

don't see a point in the sleepovers with Jo anymore…'

El was already chewing on a mouthful when she continued, 'With mama being home, it

shouldn't make a difference, should it? If mama slept on the sofa every time before, it's not

much different…There will just be four of us instead of three.'

Nancy liked the sound of this, 'She has a point Nikki, just because Kate is home, it doesn't

mean that movie nights can't happen.'

Eagerly, El watched for Nikki's responses. Straight away, she could tell that she was

flustered, that Nikki's gut was already twisting and turning. Of course El knew exactly why

the movie nights would stop, and it filled her almost with joy watching Nikki squirm.

Nervously Nikki laughed, 'I'm sure me and your mum would much rather have evenings with

just us, as a family…Jo had responsibilities of her own to be getting back to-'

'Mom is family.' El frowned.

'Another time, yeah, El?' Nikki seemed keen to drop the topic, which Nancy found strange,

but she didn't question it. Instead, she finished what she was doing and she headed over to

Thomas to give him a feed.

Any appetite that Nikki had, faded almost immediately.

In the prison, as Kate was packing her belongings, she had just finished putting her clothes

into a bag when some prison officers came to collect her. Just as they turned up at her door,

she gave them a look, it was pitted with a tinge of sadness. Walking over to the guard, she

stopped in front of them and asked them, 'Can I just go and talk to Max? It's going to be

years until I see her again, just five minutes, please?'

The guard was hesitant given what happened the last time the two got together, but she also

knew that Max had been behaved for a very long time. Not a word, a scrap or a fight had

been caused by her in a while. Benefit of the doubt was given. Reluctantly, the guard nodded,

'Alright, five minutes…Come on.'

'Thank you.' Kate said quietly to her. Quickly, she grabbed her bag of belongings and walked

behind the prison officer. Why she wanted to see Max, Kate wasn't quite sure of herself, she

supposed it was closure. Kate wanted closure, and the only way she could was by talking to

Max properly, because if there was one thing she hadn't done for the last year and a half, it

was that she hadn't talked to Max when she probably should have.

Soon enough, the guard reached Max's cell, and allowed her in. Gently, Kate knocked on the

door, but didn't cross the threshold into the room.

Max had been laying on her bed reading a book when she looked up and saw Kate standing

there. Noticing how much lighter Kate looked emotionally, Max knew that meant one thing.

Immediately, she sat up on her bed and got to her feet.

As Kate looked at her, she could see how much Max had grown in the last year or so. It's

amazing what time does when you're not looking. It also saddened her that this is where they

were. If there was one thing Kate believed, it was that if she did more, neither of them would

be in this position.

'You're almost twenty…' Kate commented. There was a sadness there, a sad smile, 'You've

still got thirteen years of your sentence to go.'

There was an almost defeated shrug that was full of shame too. Kate felt like she had failed as

a parent with her, but at the same time, deep down, Kate also knew what she was like herself.

When she was set on something a long time ago, she saw it through, not caring about the

consequences…But what Kate also knew was that consequences catch up with you

eventually.

For the first time in a very long time, Max felt remorse for what she did…But her remorse

was displaced as wanting her mother's love rather than regretting the many lives she had

taken. Much like anyone, Max was so afraid of being alone and without Kate in the same

place as her, she knew she truly had no one.

The fear welled up in Max's throat. She looked at her mum standing there. In her eyes, Max

could see the pain she had inflicted as well as the extremely visible scar that she had left Kate

not so long ago. With much trepidation, Max tried stepping forward to make physical contact

with her mum, 'Mom…' Her voice was shaking, almost tear filled.

Kate stepped back and stared directly at her, 'Max…I stopped being your mum the day…'

Her own voice shook, reality hit her all over again, 'The day you killed my son…And the day

you slit my throat made it incredibly clear to me…'

Max looked confused, but the rejection hurt her more than anything.

Though Kate was still afraid of Max, she tried not to show it, but her body betrayed her. Still,

Kate shook with nerves being in Max's presence, but she continued on, 'That day made it

incredibly clear to me that you will never change. At heart, you will always be a cold hearted

murderer…You will live out every day of your sentence…You will be about 34 when you get

out…I just hope by then…That we are very far away from each other so you can't take

anyone else's life from them.'

Max was heartbroken, 'But I wouldn't! I was controlled by Billy and by Barry!' Tears

streamed down her face, 'I never wanted to kill Steve, when will you listen to me?!'

Kate wasn't going to start an argument, 'You have a good life…Whatever happens after

this…' She swallowed the lump in her throat, 'Take up witness protection, start again…I'm

in no doubt that we'll meet each other again…I just hope it's not in this life…Because I never

…' She got choked up now. Locking Max out of her life was still shunning her daughter, and

it hurt , 'I never want to see you again, so have a good life, yeah?'

Max was sobbing now. She tried to latch onto Kate, but Kate backed out of the cell and

walked away. This was the end of a chapter in her life.

If there was one thing Kate wanted to focus on now, it was being there for El, the person who

needed her the most, and she wanted to marry Nikki once more. Kate wanted a new slate.

New slates never come cheap.

Freedom At Last

It was only a short time later that Kate found herself heading towards the exit of the prison.

Two years of hell were about to be over. If there was anything that Kate was looking forward

to, it was spending time with her girls who she missed so much. There was something that

had crossed Kate's mind in the few days before her release, and she would bring it up to

Nikki as an idea. Presently, it was only an idea as she wanted to get back to her life on the

outside. Normality was something she was very much looking forward to.

Not long now, and she would have the freedom she was looking for, the freedom she had

waited for so eagerly.

Waiting outside, El was standing on the step of the doorway on the car. It was very warm out,

and she wanted to be the first to give her mum a hug. Her hatred for Nikki stung deep and

there was no way in hell was she giving Nikki the opportunity to get to her mum first.

The resentment was real, but she didn't let it show.

Nikki leaned on the side of the car bonnet, nervously awaiting seeing her partner exit these

miserable walls. Nothing bothered her more than the fact her rendezvous with Jo would not

continue. Perhaps, she thought, sex tonight might take her mind off of her.

El grimaced for a moment when she looked over at Nikki. Unintentionally, she had heard

what she was thinking, and when Nikki asked her what was up, she brushed it off with, 'The

car fumes…Being by a main road…Pollution Central.'

Nikki nodded, but as she turned to face the gates, a door opened and out walked Kate. With

little time to react, Nikki's heart skipped a beat, but El took a moment to process that the

woman in front of her was her mum.

When Kate came in here, El remembered her with short hair, and so seeing her in a ponytail

still took her breath away because it was so different. All her life, she'd only known her with

short hair, and now it was long and in a ponytail, her brain needed a minute to process it.

Seconds later, El ran over to her and wrapped her arms around her. For a couple of years they

hadn't been able to hug properly, so being able to hug her for as long as she wanted, that was

everything to El.

Kate laughed as she held onto her, 'Hey poppet.' She smiled, clinging onto her with almost as

much urgency, 'I'm free now…I'm coming home.'

Now El was almost in tears. Tears of happiness, 'I missed you mama, so much.'

Kate's thoughts were racing all over the place, but she had her child in her arms, and at that

point, nothing could have been better. Until, that is, she caught sight of Nikki who had just

walked over to her.

'Thought I'd let this one get first dibs.' Nikki laughed, gesturing towards El who was still

clinging to her mum. Seconds later, she released her grip on Kate and with much reluctance,

she let Nikki in.

Kate was so happy to see everyone that she launched forward and hugged Nikki. She wasn't

sure if she should kiss her or not, so she opted for the hug. Nikki initiated a kiss though. She

rested her forehead on Kate's and they both gazed into each other's eyes, to test the waters. It

was Nikki who leaned forward, and Kate met her lips.

Of course, this made El's blood boil, so she made her exit sharpish, returning to the car and

buckling herself in. Her mood was soured already and Kate picked up on it immediately.

After sharing a passionate kiss, Kate noticed how El was now sitting in the back of the car,

looking down at her phone. Something was wrong, she just didn't know what, 'Is everything

alright with her?'

Nikki looked back at El and shrugged, 'I doubt she slept last night, looking forward to seeing

you…She could just be tired.'

'Could be…' But Kate wasn't convinced. This wasn't the welcome back she was expecting,

but rather than thinking that Nikki and El had a falling out, she couldn't help but feel that she

had done something and for this being her first day out of prison, it felt horrible to think that

El still had something against her still after serving time.

On the ride home, El was remarkably quiet which didn't help Kate's gut feeling that it was

she who had done something wrong. After about an hour of complete silence, Kate turned to

face El in the back seat and asked her straight up, 'Have I done something wrong? I just…

You've been quiet ever since I left prison…I've done my time…What more do you want me

to do?'

El now felt incredibly guilty. She didn't know how to make this right or anything, because it

wasn't her she had the problem with. She shrugged nervously, 'I…I don't have a problem

with you.'

'Well then, what is it? I feel like I'm walking on eggshells already, and if it's not me you have

the problem with, what's going on?'

'It's just my hormones!' El snapped, feeling backed into a corner, ' Believe me if I had a

problem with you, you'd know about it.'

'Is it like that is it?!' Kate snapped, 'You're hormonal and that's an excuse to treat people like

crap is it?'

El looked out of the window now, having no idea what to say. She then looked Kate up and

down, 'Since you left, nothing has been right…I know I wanted you to face the music, but

my life for the last few years has been crap! No you, no Steve, no normality!'

'Your mum and I are never getting back together if that's what you're sulking about…'

'Oh yeah.' El replied sarcastically, 'Because everything is about you and mom! You're so

dense, seriously .'

Kate scoffed, 'Wow…Alright young lady-'

'Stop it with that, seriously, I'm an adult now. Not that you've been there through my teens,

you've been absent for most of them, because apparently being obsessed with my serial killer

sister was better!' Instantly, El wanted to take that back, because she could see the hurt on

Kate's face, but it was too late.

Slowly, Kate nodded. Though she was hurt, she understood where El was coming from,

'Despite all that therapy…You haven't moved on from that? I regret it El, believe me , I wish

I could change it…But…Thank you for reminding me how much of a shit mother I am.' She

stared at El for a moment longer before facing forward again.

Looking out of her own window, El was close to tears. She didn't want this to go like this, but

her grudge against Nikki got the better of her. She didn't hold anything against Kate anymore,

she really didn't, but she had to lie about something to get her off her back.

Kate just found herself wondering when she would be forgiven. A part of her thought that El

still hated her, and her being free brought all of that back. Never had Kate felt so worthless.

Nikki just drove in silence, feeling the atmosphere thickening. Even she wondered what El's

problem was. This could only get worse, especially if El and Kate were clashing as they

were.

Though the ride home was in a very awkward silence with Kate wondering what she had

done, and El questioning the way she had reacted, when Kate walked through the door, she

was met with a very cheery Nancy. Nancy appeared delighted that Kate was back home, so

much so that she gave her a hug the moment she walked in.

'Hey! God, we are so glad that you're back!' Nancy beamed as she held onto Kate, 'How was

the ride back?'

'Cheers Nancy.' Kate smiled, genuinely appreciating the warm reception from her. To save

the occasion, Kate decided to deal with El later, 'The drive back was alright, I couldn't get

these two to shut up.' She laughed.

'Well, we put together a little party to celebrate your return. I think we have decided

collectively that the past is in the past, so from now we can move forward with our lives. No

more Ghostface, no more fighting, just…We get on with our lives.' Nancy breathed, she was

so keen to get on with her life, moving forward sounded like a good idea. In fact, it sounded

like a good idea for everyone, and El would move forward if she didn't know what she knew.

Still, Kate nodded, 'Of course, moving forward sounds like a great idea.' Quickly enough,

Thomas crawling on the floor caught Kate's attention, 'Is that my grandson?'

'He is.' Nancy smiled, 'Hey, I'm sorry I didn't bring the kids to see you.'

'I wouldn't expect you to bring kids to places like that. They don't need to see or know about

that at such a young age.' Kate explained. She then looked over her shoulder at her, 'There is

nothing to be forgiven because you haven't done anything wrong. You stuck by my family,

and were there for them when I couldn't be.' She gave her a small smile which Nancy

returned.

Quickly, Kate approached Thomas and she could see Steve's face in his, 'It's like he never

left.' Kate then crouched down and got onto the floor with him, 'Hello Thomas. I'm your

grandma.' She beamed, 'You are beautiful!'

El merely rolled her eyes as she stood in the doorway, 'I'll be in my room.'

Nikki and Nancy both shared a look, both wondering what was going on. Quickly, Nancy

made her excuses, 'I'll go and talk to her, see if I can get out of her what's going on.'

Of course, Kate didn't mind, she was too focused on her grandkids. Nikki on the other hand

was exhausted with the attitude and she was so glad that Kate was back to deal with it.

After she reached El's room, Nancy walked in and closed the door behind her. While she

rested her back against the door, she looked over at El, who was already putting headphones

in to listen to music.

'What's going on?' Nancy asked her gently, 'You've been like this for months…I thought it

was because you were missing Kate…But she's home now, aren't you excited?'

El merely looked at Nancy with a glare, 'Unless you have something I can use to get high

right now, don't talk to me.'

Nancy was having none of it, 'Hey! Hey, you don't talk to me like that, nor do you shut me

out. I'm on your side, and I have been since day one. What's going on?'

After some consideration, El took her headphones out and she sat on the side of her bed,

deliberating if she should reveal all or not…But she needed someone on her side because

right now she was in a lonely place.

'I don't have a problem with you, I don't have a problem with mom…In fact…' She smiled

slightly, 'I'm so happy she is home…'

Nancy crossed her arms, 'So what's going on with you?'

'For months I've been hiding a secret that has eaten me up on the inside, and so has Nikki…'

Nancy was confused, 'Nikki? What secret could Nikki have?'

'Something incredibly big that I think would destroy mama if she ever found out…Which is

why I can't say or do anything because all she deserves from now on is happiness. I can't be

the one to destroy her happiness Nancy…Not after the last seven or eight years.' El was

incredibly torn about it, and Nancy could see the conflict in her face.

Nancy walked over to El's bed and sat beside her, 'This family and its secrets…You know

that whatever this is, it will come out one day one way or the other…All your mom wanted

before she went to jail was that no secrets are kept under her roof and whatever it is that

you're hiding…If you hide it for long enough and it comes out….She won't be forgiving if

she finds out through someone else. Honesty El, it really is the best policy.'

'What if the secret is that Jo and Nikki have been having an affair for the last two years while

mama has been in jail?'

Nancy was taken aback, 'I beg your pardon?'

'Because that's what's been going on, I have evidence and I don't think I could do that to

her…You now know so imagine how much worse this is going to be when mama finds out

that you knew too?'

Nancy didn't know how to process this information, 'Okay…You can't tell her today…'

'I can't ever tell her, especially because I've known for so long and I haven't said a word.' El

worried herself, 'You have to keep this quiet, please Nancy.'

Nancy was speechless, 'But she can't not know .'

'Nancy!'

'Fine, I won't tell her, but you have to at some point. This is too big of a secret to keep and I

think you already know that. If I find a partner and they cheat on me, I would expect that if

anyone knew, they had the decency to tell me rather than keeping it secret.' Nancy was so

lost, 'You have to tell her soon El, please for the love of everything holy.'

El nodded, 'You go downstairs…I'll be there soon.'

Nancy nodded and eventually left the room to go downstairs. This was a load of information

she really didn't want, and now Everytime she looked at Kate or Nikki, that would niggle

away in her mind.

When Nancy got downstairs, she came down to the sight of Kate playing with both Skye and

Thomas on the living room floor, while Nikki was standing behind the kitchen counter,

leaning against it with a smile on her face as she watched Kate playing with the kids.

'Doesn't matter how old she is, she will always be young at heart.' Nikki beamed.

Now with the revelation from El playing on her mind, Nancy wasn't able to look at Nikki the

same. Instead, she put on a front, giving her a small smile, 'Yeah…' She looked over at the

kids, 'And even though Thomas has never met her, he seems to like her.'

'She has that sort of personality.' Nikki commented. It was then that she looked over at

Nancy, 'Is El okay? That attitude of hers is doing my heading.'

'She…' Nancy laughed sheepishly, 'She's a little overwhelmed with everything…' Quickly,

she changed the subject, 'When are we expecting guests? I would have thought Steve would

be here. Kate is his best friend after all.'

'Ah, he's at work with Jo…' Nikki replied, 'And your mum…She still hasn't gotten over

the-'.

'The alien stuff, I know.' Nancy replied, 'Hey…Don't tell El, but I heard through a grapevine

that Robbie got married a couple of weeks ago…Also, Barry apparently got day release to

attend.'

Nikki was confused, 'But I thought that Carol hated homosexuals and transgender people?'

'Apparently, there are exceptions now.' Nancy shrugged, 'They like Sam, again, apparently .

Look, I support my kids whoever they want to become…I would never be as evil and as two-

faced as them. Unlike the Barry's, I love my kids no matter who they become.'

'And that's a good way to be.' Nikki agreed, 'Especially with the disgusting rhetoric that's

going around at the moment making it even more dangerous for homosexuals and

transgender people alike.'

'Anyway…Not to disregard your points, they're very good points, but I want nothing but

good things today, and Kate is home.' She smiled, 'We should celebrate that.'

'And we will.' Nikki agreed, 'We have loads of food, Yaz is also coming over after work. I

gave Carmichael a message, whether she comes or not, I don't know.'

'We'll see.' Nancy nodded. She then walked over to Skye, who was trying to show Kate

some pictures that she painted. Kneeling on the floor, she now gave Skye a real smile, so

happy to see her, 'Hey baby, are you happy that Granny is home?'

Kate now scowled at her, 'Make me sound ancient, why don't you?'

'You are.' Nancy and Nikki replied in unison.

'Rude.' Kate commented as she looked up at Thomas, 'Aren't they being rude?'

Thomas nodded, full of smiles, 'Grandma…'

'That's me.' Kate smiled, 'I am your grandma, and I am so happy to meet you.'

Drinks On Us

As the evening wore on, drinks were poured and the buffet was open. Though Kate's release

from prison wasn't much to celebrate, it meant so much to those that had missed her for the

last two years. Skye was older and her brother was also two years old. Even to Kate, that's

too much time.

Since guests had arrived, Kate had a good catch up with her best mate, who was now entirely

grey. There was not a single grey hair left on his beard or head, something which quickly

became a joke to the two of them. Of course, the scar on Kate's neck had been noticed, but

there were those who were not going to discuss Kate's own trauma.

The Doctor and Carmichael appeared far too comfortable with each other for Yaz's liking.

Another individual that had the odd grey hair here and there. As for Carmichael and Jo, Kate

was convinced that the pair of them had just been dyeing their hair to beat the grays.

Yaz was in the living room drinking a glass of wine while observing her wife's behavior

around Carmichael and she didn't like it. Instead of continuing to watch, Yaz walked over and

pushed her way into the crowd, making herself acquainted with the two, 'Carmichael.'

A casual, yet professional greeting from Yaz turned the attention of the Doctor and

Carmichael to her.

Patricia wasn't stupid, she had noticed Yaz looking over at the pair of them, 'DCI Khan, how

have you found being in my former position?'

With a straight face, Yaz replied bluntly, 'It has it's challenges, but I hold my officers to

account the moment I learn of anything that could be considered as either suspicious or

downright off the cuff.'

'Interesting choice of words.' Carmichael remarked, 'The Doctor and I were just discussing

your work. I have been watching from afar and I do like what I see.'

Yaz raised her brows, 'Thank you Patricia, I appreciate your kind words, but coming from

you, who allowed corruption after corruption to take place, I do not need advice from you.'

The Doctor was go smacked, 'Yaz! She was just-'

Yaz then glared at her, 'Why are you talking to her Doctor? You weren't just talking, you

were laughing like there's some sort of inside joke that I should be in on.'

For a moment, the Doctor was lost with how she should respond, but Carmichael jumped in.

'Space police Rhino's. That's what she was talking about.' Carmichael commented, 'I thought

that it was an outrageous concept, but then the Doctor told some stories of encounters with

them and we found them funny.'

Though Yaz was still suspicious, that rang true to her, so she nodded, 'The Judoon are a

funny lot…'

'You've met them then?' Carmichael asked.

'Once…A long time ago.' Yaz commented. Her attention turned to the Doctor, 'Actually, that

reminds me, I've been meaning to ask…I know this was a long time ago…But if any of your

offspring commit crimes on Earth like the Judoon thought you did, why haven't they come

after them?'

The Doctor's interest was piqued, 'Because…Because the crimes that my lot did happened

on Earth outside of their jurisdiction….Sort of…'

'But if you committed a crime on Earth, why did the Judoon come to Earth to find you?'

'Because there was a bounty on my head and a contract needed to be fulfilled. It's like if you

commit a crime in America but flee to here, for example, they will come looking for you, the

same way that the Judoon came looking for me…Except…' She shrugged, begrudgingly, 'A

few died when the Judoon came last time because they cornered off a section of Gloucester to

corner me.'

'I remember now…' Yaz nodded, 'That was mental.'

'You're telling me.' The Doctor grinned, 'And that's what I was telling Patricia all about.'

'Patricia?' Yaz gasped, looking between them again, 'Are you both on first name terms

now?'

'The Doctor can have friends, Yaz.' Carmichael commented.

'I know but…No offense…You don't seem like the sort of people who would get on.' Yaz

replied, 'That's all.'

As Kate walked into the kitchen to grab some more nibbles, she approached Nikki with a

handful of food, 'Hey, have you seen El? Has she made an appearance at all?'

Nikki shook her head, 'Last time I saw her was when you came back and she hasn't been

down here since.'

This was worrying for Kate, 'I suppose I should go and make peace with her…All of this

might be a bit overwhelming for her…' Quickly, she grabbed a paper plate from the side, 'I'll

take her something.'

'I thought you said you don't like food upstairs?'

Kate rolled her eyes, 'This one occasion won't hurt.' Then, she began filling a couple plates

with some nibbles that she knew El would like. Once she had piled the plates with a mixture

of sweet and savory snacks, she headed up the stairs to El's bedroom.

Upon reaching El's room, Kate gently tapped on the door and allowed herself in. When she

walked in, because of the head of El's bed now being near the door, when Kate walked in,

she could see that El was busy playing a game and going by the remote, it was the

PlayStation.

'I brought you some food.' Kate gave a small smile. She came in peace and El knew that, but

she wanted to be left alone so she could be left to her thoughts. Still, Kate approached, 'I

have a mixture of stuff you'd like.'

El shrugged, 'Thanks.' She was too engrossed in her game, 'Just leave them beside me, I'll

eat them in a bit.'

Kate was ever so lost, almost guilty even, 'Baby…'

'I'm an adult now, not that you'd know that.' She uttered, 'Being in prison for allowing my

sister to kill my brother would do that.'

Instead of arguing back, Kate walked by the TV screen and left the plates of food on her

work station. Never before had she felt so much like an outsider. If there was one thing, it

was absolutely crushing for her.

'You wanted me to face up to what I did, to serve my time…I don't know what more you

want from me.'

'Getting out of my life would be a good place to start. We don't need you…' The lump was

building in El's throat the longer she talked. Pushing Kate away seemed like the best option,

'I never have.'

'What is this about El?' Kate sighed, ' Really , what is it about because I'm really lost! What

am I meant to say or do to make you look at me?'

Thoughts went around in El's brain, over and over. Eventually, she paused her game and met

Kate's gaze directly, only to be outright cold, 'This is about what you allowed to happen to

my brother, we tried telling you, he even knew who it was but you were stupid enough to

believe her God damn lies.' She sneered, 'And you expect me to welcome you back with

open arms?'

Kate could feel the tears coming. The only child she considered still hers was slowly

rejecting her, and she couldn't figure out what to do about it.

'This…Getting used to me being home…It will take time, but normality…a new normal…It

will happen, and you have no idea how long I spend thinking about what I could have done

differently. The thought of what I did tortures me every single day…So please don't lecture

me…I know what I did…' Kate cleared her throat, 'And I will live with that…Just like us

getting used to being in each other's presence again…'

Not wanting an argument, Kate took her leave, 'I'll leave you to your games…I hope you

enjoy the food.'

El didn't respond. She waited until Kate had left to resume her game. Only, she was now

angrier with herself for what she was doing to Kate, and she knew that her mum didn't

deserve any of it.

After coming down the stairs, Kate went back into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of beer from

the fridge as she did so. In her heart of hearts, she honestly believed that once she was home

again, she could start moving on with her life. It seemed to her that El didn't want that.

After witnessing her chugging half a bottle down in a few seconds, Nikki walked over. She

had become worried about her. Usually when she chugged beer like that, it meant that

something hadn't gone well. Gently, she wrapped her arm around her from behind and kissed

her neck, only glancing over to Jo as she did so.

The jealousy that sparked in Jo's gut was something else, and she quickly looked away,

taking a large gulp of wine as she did so.

'Everything is fine. El hates me, but apart from that, everything is great!' Kate snapped. It

was full of sarcasm, but Nikki sensed that.

'She's just got to get used to a new normal, that's all.' Nikki uttered, gently kissing Kate's

neck now. Kate didn't mind, but El's mood bothered her greatly.

Still, Nikki caressed Kate, resting her chin on her shoulder, 'It's going to be okay.'

'I hope so.' Kate huffed, 'Because it needs to be.'

'Hey…I know this is probably the wrong time to do this but…New normal, starting again, it

starts here, today.' Nikki commented.

Kate turned to face her properly now, only to have confusion on her face, 'What are you on

about?'

The longer El sat in silence, the more she realized that she couldn't keep this secret anymore.

Quickly, she got up from her bed and marched out of her room and headed down the stairs.

Nikki got down onto one knee. This instantly gained the attention of everyone in the room.

'Here we go.' Steve commented, further gaining everyone else's attention.

When Nancy turned around, seeing Nikki on one knee, her blood boiled. As much as she

wanted to tell Kate what Nikki had been up to, she had promised El that she wouldn't, so she

stood there feeling useless as she witnessed this unfolding.

Nikki had nerves thundering away in the pit of her stomach as she looked up at Kate. What

she and Jo had was some fun, but it was fun that went on too long. Jo had gotten feelings for

Nikki, so witnessing this broke her heart into pieces.

Kate was in shock, she hadn't even been out of prison a full 24hrs and now the love of her life

was proposing to her. It was a whirlwind.

'We've had our ups and downs…These last two years have been extremely difficult without

you by my side.' Nikki laughed nervously, 'I know the first time didn't go so well, but I know

that this time we can make it…So…'

Though Kate couldn't believe what was happening, she couldn't help but smile. There were

tears in her eyes because she truly loved Nikki so much and for her to hear that Nikki still

wanted her the same way…It made her world, her universe even, 'Whatever you're about to

say…You know what I'm going to say-'

Just at this point, El had reached the bottom of the stairs. Seeing Nikki on one knee and the

happiness in her mother's face was more than enough to put her off. Her hearts were shattered

as she stood there watching this unfold.

'Let me ask then, silly sausage.' Nikki laughed, 'Will you do me the honour of being my wife

again?'

'Yes!' Kate laughed, 'A million times yes.'

Nikki stood up again and they both embraced in a passionate kiss, which earned cheers from

those that didn't know what Nikki and Jo had been up to, but those that did…Nancy slowly

clapped and she met El's gaze.

It was too late and they both knew it. El had never felt so useless. Her hateful tirade against

her mother that she started, she now didn't know how to end it.

When Kate caught sight of her, she was beaming with happiness, 'El! Nikki and I are

engaged!'

She was so happy, this was horrible for El. Instead of saying something supportive, she

simply looked over at Jo and commented, 'You're marrying the wrong one, and you know it .'

And then she retreated up the stairs now in tears. When she got onto her bed, she broke down

into tears.

Kate was about to come and have a go at El, but Nancy got in there first, 'I'll see her, you

both enjoy this moment.'

Nancy then ran up the stairs. How they were going to solve this one, they had no idea. Nancy

knew that she couldn't let them tie the knot with something that was based on a lie, but Nancy

couldn't be the person to do it, this all fell to El, as much as she hated the idea. El knew first

and she knew more about it.

Whether Kate believed her would be another thing.

Chapter 27

Kate's return party continued through the night, longer than anyone had anticipated it would

be. Drinks were flowing and after getting engaged, Kate had kept her arm around Nikki's

waist, keeping her close, only showing just how much she loved her. The entire time

however, both Nikki and Jo exchanged looks between one another, looks of longing, and, in

Jo's part, jealousy.

Unable to keep watching, Jo decided to make her leave, reluctantly taking Jasmine with her,

though she was not the woman she wanted to take home and have in bed tonight.

Once the Doctor and Yaz had left, it wasn't much longer until Steve followed. Carmichael

stayed behind, of course. Having not seen Kate in such a long time, she wanted to know how

she was since she was sent to prison. Of course, she had noted the scar across her throat, but

everyone knew how that was caused, so it didn't need to be brought up into conversation.

When Kate was grabbing some more nibbles and time alone, Carmichael made her way over

to her in the kitchen and leaned back against the worktop with a glass of wine in hand, and a

serious look on her face, 'I hope I didn't become your enemy over the last couple of years.'

Kate had a mini sausage roll in hand which she dropped onto her plate. Not bothering to turn

to look at Carmichael, 'You walked away with your pension and left me to rot.' She shrugged

and then looked at her sideways on, 'Of course we're not enemies.' There was the smallest of

smiles, 'You have to do so much worse to make me your enemy ma'am.'

It was then that Carmichael smiled, 'We're glad to have you back kate.'

'Honestly, I'm glad to be home…I just wish El felt the same.' Kate sighed.

'Is that why you've been quieter this evening?'

Kate sighed and came to lean back on the worktop, 'I just wish I knew what I did wrong to

bother her so much. Earlier after Nikki and I got engaged…There was the implication that

she wanted me to be with Jo…' She shook her head and looked at Carmichael properly, 'I

can't help but feel as though something has happened between her and Nikki…I just…I can't

put my finger on it.'

'Or it could just be El finding it hard to adjust again…Give it time Kate. She will come

around.'

'I hoped that El would be down here celebrating with us all, but she has been in her room

since I came home.' Kate swallowed the lump in her throat, 'She still blames me for what

happened to him, doesn't she?'

'Kate…' Carmichael said gently. She didn't want Kate blaming herself, but it was hard. One

thing Carmichael knew was that Kate was supposed to be over the moon with being home

and having been engaged, but the thoughts of blame that El had on her, only served to plague

any happiness she might have had.

Still, Kate shrugged, 'She might hold this against me for an eternity, and I really wouldn't

blame her. I let her down, and I'm going to live with that…'

Patricia placed her glass of wine on the side and opened up her arms, 'Come on…'

Kate frowned, but still laughed, 'What is this?'

'Me giving you a rarity, now come here.'

Still laughing, Kate walked over and accepted the hug from Carmichael. This was extremely

rare, but it was needed. Eventually, Kate pulled away and let Patricia know her gratitude to

the action itself, as well as the sentiment.

'I work in Leeds now…I'm the head of a force there…' Carmichael explained, getting the

hint that Kate wanted to change the topic, 'It's nice, but it's not like AC-12. Yaz is running a

tight ship though, holding officers to account.'

'You should have been harsher on me.' Kate laughed.

'Don't I know it…But you, more than most, should know that time can't be turned back.'

'Well, actually.' Kate laughed, 'It can, just…I can't cross back over my own timeline.'

'You know what I mean.' Carmichael replied in a firmer tone.

'Nevermind me though…What about you and my mum? You were having a long chat with

her before Yaz joined in, what were you talking about?'

'Space police Rhino's.' Carmichael laughed, 'You know how it is with your mum, and she…

She helped me through some dark times in the early days…You know, after Max got arrested

and the fallout.'

Kate nodded, 'She's good like that, is my mum…I spent years without her, but I cannot

imagine a life without her now. I love her to pieces, but don't let her know I said that.'

'Your secret is safe with me.' Carmichael smiled, 'Anyway Kate, I'm going to head home,

but it has been wonderful seeing you again.'

'You too ma'am…Take care.' Kate smiled, giving her a quick hug, then she watched her

leave.

After heading up to bed with Nikki a couple of hours later, it was about one in the morning.

Kate had sat on the side of the bed with only a pyjama top on, with her jeans still on from

earlier. Thinking about El and her feelings was driving her up the wall. All she wanted was

for El to love her, and it felt to her like El would never love her again.

After Nikki came back into the room, ready for bed with a dressing gown draped around her,

she couldn't help but smile to herself as she looked down at her partner. Gently, she

commented, 'How did I ever end up with someone as beautiful as you?'

'Did you and El argue before you picked me up earlier? When you came to collect me from

prison, did you argue?' Kate asked, looking up at her now.

Nikki sighed. She walked over and sat beside her on the edge of the bed and took her hand, 'I

wasn't going to tell you because I didn't want to ruin anything for you, but…' Gently, she

squeezed Kate's hand, 'She sparked up a joint on the way…'

Kate frowned, 'A joint? As in..' She put the dots together, 'I thought she'd stopped doing shit

like that?'

It was now that Nikki decided to come clean, 'Kate…It was about a week ago that I went to

check on her because she was being suspiciously quiet and…I found El snorting coke…I

don't know where she is getting it from or how. To start with, Robbie was her supplier…

Since then Robbie has moved with his new partner, for the moment, back to Liverpool.'

The fury that bubbled in Kate's gut was second to none. She ran a hand down her face.

Quickly, she took off her pyjama top and put on a t-shirt, 'I'm sorting this. It's not on you or

Jo but she-' Her body was rattling with anger, 'She's taken too many liberties-'

'Kate, it's one in the morning and she's asleep, you could deal with it in the morning-'

'Was she snorting anything this morning? I did notice her eyes were a bit red, but I put that

down to the lack of sleep because she might have been excited to see me.'

There was hesitation, 'Kate, she…She's had it difficult more than most-'

'That is not an excuse to be smoking pot and sniffing crack, you know it's not!' Kate fumed,

now pacing the room with anger.

'And whatever you're thinking of doing- you'll traumatize her and make her hate you even

more-' Nikki tried to reason with her, but Kate bolted out of the door, running downstairs to

the kitchen. Nikki followed after, and got in front of her.

'I'm all for punishing her for doing those sorts of drugs, but at this time in the morning, it's

downright cruel when all she has done is stay out of your way all night.' Nikki tried

reasoning with her, 'KATE, please for crying out loud! You chuck water on her, you'll soak

her bed, traumatize the poor girl and she will have to sleep downstairs! Think about it!'

Already, Kate had a hug of cold water in her hand, ready to take aim, but the real problem

was just beneath the surface, 'Does she not love me anymore? Is that why she is doing all of

this?!' There was hurt in her voice, and it became evident to Nikki why Kate was acting this

way.

Nikki's gaze softened and she put a hand on Kate's cheek, 'No…No, she doesn't hate you.

She hates the situation that she's in, much like you do right now…But you going in all guns

blazing at one in the morning won't help anything.'

'I've only ever tried to do right by her, by all of them…I fuck up all the time…I don't know

how much more I can take Nikki.' She almost sobbed, while gently placing the jug of water

on the side, 'If I could bring him back…' Kate was on the verge of breaking down now, 'If I

could bring him back to make her happy, to make me, you and Jo happy, I bloody would .'

'Oh sweetheart.' Nikki sighed, pulling Kate into her arms, giving her a moment to break

down and let all her feelings out. She just wished that she knew what El's problem was. It

hadn't gone unnoticed, her hate campaign, it just confused her as to why.

The following morning, Kate sat at the breakfast table, already tucking into her porridge oats

with extra honey. Of course, Nikki was incredibly confused when she sat opposite her with

four buttered slices of toast, cut into triangles. Once seated, she was quick to comment, 'I

would have thought you got sick of porridge oats in prison?'

Kate shrugged, 'It's not just porridge oats that they serve for breakfast you know? They do

full English breakfasts now and have done for years.'

'Yeah?' Nikki smirked, 'How long have you known that for? Have you done a stretch before

I came into your life?'

Kate scoffed, 'A long time ago.' She then ate a spoonful of porridge, but then spoke once

she'd gotten through most of her chewing, 'Even then, I had a different alias…I might have

had a different face as well.'

'I can't imagine you with a different face.' Nikki said modestly, 'I quite like this one.'

'I'm trying my best to keep it.' Kate grinned. Her smile slowly faded, 'Nancy upstairs or did

her mum take her home?'

'Karen took her home…You should have seen her when she learned about you and your kids

being alien.'

'She knows?' Kate sounded stunned, 'Did you tell me this? Again…Prison life dulls the

brain.'

'Honestly, I can't remember if I did.' Nikki then took a sip of her tea. Her attention was then

caught as El walked into the room. It looked like she was ready to go out, wanting to avoid

Kate at all costs. Already, she had a black T-shirt, hoodie and jeans on.

'Morning El.' Nikki called over to her. That's when Kate looked over her shoulder and saw El

standing there.

'Morning sweetheart.' Kate greeted her with a gentle approach, despite what she had learned

the night before, 'How about, before you go anywhere, you grab some breakfast? We could

have a catch up.'

El adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder, 'I've got a game to get to.'

Kate could see that the gentle approach wouldn't work. Her voice grew slightly more firm,

'Even more reason for you to have breakfast then. Come on, we have toast, cereal,

porridge…You can have whatever you want, come on.'

El dug her heels in, 'I said I've got a game.'

'The game can wait.' Kate matched her energy now, 'It's good that you're playing football

again…It's great even…But you of all people know how important breakfast is when playing

sports like that.' She got to her feet and walked over to her, 'Come on El, for me?'

The look in El's eyes changed completely now that Kate was standing in front of her. There

was an angrier undertone, but Kate wasn't intimidated. Instead, she lowered her voice and

gave El the same uptight energy, but without raising her voice, 'You might be able to

intimidate your mother and Nikki with your anger, but you do not frighten me, do you

understand? I've been in darker more hellish landscapes, an eighteen year old doesn't frighten

me. Are you going to tell me what this is all about or am I going to have to drag it out of

you?'

It was like Kate was examining her now. Using the same strategic thinking as her mum, she

was able to pick apart what she could see. Then, a frown formed on her face, 'With your eyes

glazed like that…Anyone would think you're as high as a kite…My guess is that you are…So

what is it then? Weed? Crack? Heroin?'

'Why do you want to know?' El sneered.

'Now you're getting defensive.' Kate reached into her pocket, 'With your mum and Nikki

still being in the police, they can supply me with certain tools that I might need.' She

eventually grabbed what she needed from her pocket, and took it out of its packet, and

showed it to El, 'Know what this is?'

El shook her head, 'I've a feeling you're about to tell me.'

'You're right, clever clogs, I am.' Kate smirked, 'This, this is a drug wipe. The way it's used

is by getting a sample from your tongue, scraping it a few times, just to get a sample. We then

wait for twenty minutes to see if that sample comes back positive and what it is positive

for…Thing is, I don't think that it's worth going through all that hassle, do you?'

'All that time in prison taught you nothing .' El hissed, 'Because Max and Steve aren't here,

you turn against me.'

'That's not what is happening. You might be high as a kite right now, so let me explain what

this is…It's called parenting, making sure that you are safe and not doing things you shouldn't

be doing.' Kate stated.

El scoffed, 'Oh, so you did learn then? Too bad it came too late for Steve and Max.'

The silence in the room was palpable, but Kate wasn't having it.

'Like I said, we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way.'

'Ooh, scary!' El laughed, 'You remember that I have the same powers as you, right?'

Kate didn't even need to try. She grabbed a hold of El's face and looked up her nostrils where

she saw a white powdery substance, 'So it's coke then?' She released her grip, 'You've got

that shit all up your nose, and it doesn't take much to see it in your face.'

Nervously, El rubbed her nose with her forearm, 'How would you even know?!'

'This ends today.' Kate sneered, 'Turn out your pockets before I have you arrested.'

While Nikki was watching all of this unfold, she wasn't sure if El would obey and listen to

her, but then again, Kate had powers, and she would use them if she had to.

'If you don't turn out your pockets or tell me where your stash is, I am going to call the

police, not your mum, not Nikki, or Steve, I am going to call the police and have you taken to

a station where nobody knows you. Now El!' Kate wasn't being taken for an idiot now. She

had learned from her mistakes, and she wasn't going to allow the same to be repeated twice.

Eventually, El pulled a small bag from her pocket and handed it over to Kate, 'That's all I

have, I swear to you. That's the last of what I had.'

Kate watched her closely to see if she was lying. Going by the horror on El's face, she was

telling the truth.

'Right.' Kate said firmly, 'You're grounded. I don't care if you are eighteen years old…

Though you should be 19 now…Oh wait…A couple of weeks away isn't it? Nevermind. My

point still stands, you are grounded until I say you aren't. Cancel your game, tell your mates

that you aren't going anywhere today. You're going to spend the day downstairs where I can

keep my eye on you. You'll also give me the name of your dealer too.'

'Why?'

It shocked Kate that finding the dealer's name was all that El cared about, but that made it

easier for her, 'Robbie Barry by any chance?'

There was hesitation from El, but all it did was serve to make Kate angrier, 'Right, sit your

arse down and come down from that high. I don't care if Robbie is back in Liverpool, I have

connections and he will be arrested today.'

El sat down on the sofa and crossed her arms in anger, uttering, 'Stupid bitch.' Under her

breath.

Kate would have argued back, but she was already dialing a number for a contact that she

knew. Mama was home, but she was more protective than ever, even if El didn't see it now,

Kate was protecting her from herself.

It was around an hour later that Kate came to sit beside El on the sofa. Crossing her arms,

Kate was thinking about what her next line of conversation would be. Again, she refused to

shout, she just wanted to talk. Gently, she took a breath and addressed her, 'I know that these

last couple of years have been hard for you-'

'You have no idea.' El uttered.

'But now we can start putting everything behind us. I will help you through rehab for your

addiction…I'll come to every session that it takes…It's nothing to be ashamed of…We all

have tricky moments in our lives.' Kate spoke in a gentle tone, as to not unsettle her. That

was the last thing she wanted, 'It's okay to admit when you have a problem…And…When

Nikki told me last night, I will admit that I was ready to fly off the handle…But that's not

how I want to start again.'

El laughed and shook her head, 'That woman doesn't know how to keep her legs shut, but I

didn't know she was as bad with her mouth…' She then uttered under her breath, 'Actually,

she might be just as bad.'

'Excuse me?' Kate asked her, 'What does that mean?'

'It doesn't mean anything, I'm talking about your previous sex life with her, that's all. I mean,

neither of you kept it quiet.'

Kate was unsure how to feel about the comments, but she was a little shocked to say the least,

'Never and I mean never talk like that ever again, it's disgusting. I thought you were so much

better than this! Jesus Christ!'

Never had Kate been at such a loss. Instead, for the moment, she admitted defeat. She openly

admitted it, 'You know what El? You're old enough to do whatever you want, but remember

young lady that you live under my roof . If I catch you taking any sort of drugs again, you're

going to live with your mum.'

A thought then crossed Kate's mind, 'What if Thomas or Skye found that coke? They'd think

it was sweets, and Nancy could very well have her kids taken from her, or god forbid, worse!

Start taking responsibility, because I'm not ruining your life for you. If you don't want to go

to rehab, or if you don't want to stop using, I can't stop you, but I can give you the choice.'

Kate was putting her foot down and El didn't like it.

Kate continued, 'You know the rules. You take any drugs or bring them back to my home?

You're out. If your mum doesn't want you, you'll have to go and see the council or a hostel.

Those are your choices.'

El was almost speechless, 'You act like you're so perfect! You're a genocidal murderer!'

Now that Kate was past caring, mindless insults didn't bother her. Instead, she leaned back

and closed her eyes while abuse was hurled at her. Honestly, she was just tired. By not biting

back, she knew El would back down eventually. Replying to her first comment, Kate

shrugged, 'And I fought in two wars, escaped a concentration camp and gave you the

freedom you have today. You're welcome El.'

Now El got to her feet and stood in front of her, 'Why aren't you fighting back?'

'Because I know that you're high as a kite. You want to hurt me, but you're telling me

everything I've heard before.' Kate replied, 'But if there's one thing I don't understand ..' She

opened her eyes now as she genuinely considered it, 'You healed my cancer completely, you

healed the wound on my neck…you of all people couldn't wait for me to be released…You

last saw me a month ago…What has changed in that time?'

Now El was lost for what to say.

Kate sat forward, 'You didn't despise me a month ago…Was it Billy? Your sister? Don't tell

me you fell down an Internet rabbit hole, because they are the worst.'

'Can I not just hate you?!'

'No, no you can't!' Kate argued back, 'I could understand if I had done something, but I can't

remember doing something to offend you…If I did…I'm sorry…I'm sorry I let you down…I

will keep apologizing to you about Steve if that's what it takes…But I thought I'd come home

and spend an evening with you or something…But you were absent.'

El felt like she was in hot water, but talking about Steve brought all that hurt and pain back

to her. Looking at Kate now, she can remember that hurt, that same betrayal she felt while the

trial was ongoing.

Kate could see the inner turmoil on El's face and it became so obvious to her what was up,

'You never hated your mum…You wanted someone to project your anger at, and that one

person wasn't here…I'm right in front of you now…Get it off your chest…' Slowly, she got

to her feet, 'I promise, I won't hold it against you.'

El shook her head, 'No…' Her bottom lip trembled, 'No…I can't…' She looked away for a

moment, and then back at her, 'Gran has a time machine, can't we go…go back?'

'That would be crossing our own timelines…No…We can't.' Kate explained to her.

'It was you that killed him…Max might have been holding the knife, but it was you who was

complicit!' Now came the flood of emotions that she had been hiding with drugs, 'This

whole thing would have been solved if you listened! Steve and I warned you! Why the hell

did you have to be so selfish as to put us all through this?! You and mama would still be

together and everything would be right!' El sobbed.

It was then that El stepped closer and got into Kate's face, 'I hate you! I hate you so much!

But I would never wish harm on you because I love you so much mama!'

Kate nodded in understanding. Yes, she felt hurt, but she knew she needed to let El vent, 'I

know…'

'Do you?! Did Steve ever come back to haunt you?!'

'He did. Often, in my dreams, he would laugh at me and tell me how much of a selfish, self-

centered woman I had been…Every night…I would wake up and he would be there, even if it

was for a millisecond…El…He's never truly been gone…He never truly will be….So long as

he is talked about and remembered, he will be alive…' Kate swallowed the lump in her

throat, and tried to stop the tears from coming.

'Say it.' El said firmly through tears, 'Say it…'

Kate was stumped for a moment, but then it hit her, 'I'm sorry El…I am so, so sorry for

everything, for not listening to you or your brother…I am so sorry that I've ever put you

through this.'

It was then that El walked over and wrapped her arms around her mum. It's all she had

wanted to do, but she hadn't known how to say what she wanted. Now it was just her and her

mum, Kate held onto her and told her that everything would one day be okay again.

How wrong Kate would be.

Chapter 28

Much of that day Kate and El watched movies together. Both of them were keen to start

moving on with their lives, but with her own dark secret, El would struggle with that. For the

moment while Nikki was at work, it was just them and El needed that more than anything.

They were halfway through watching "Strays" when El sat up and looked at Kate. All she

wanted was to apologize to her for the way she had been, and to put things right between

them.

'Mama…I know I'm probably still high as a kite right now…'

Kate smirked, 'Going by the red rings around your eyes, I can tell you that you are definitely

high as a kite.'

'Point is…I'm sorry for how I've treated you since you came back…I never meant to, and..I

love you.'

Kate's gaze softened, 'Sweetheart…You've had it tough, and I'm not going to generalize and

make this about everyone because you…' She gently placed a hand on her cheek, 'You really

have had it tough…These last couple of years have been the hardest for you. I'm here now so

I can help you through it…I'll take you to rehab, I'll come with you…Just…tell me how long

you've been on that stuff, I won't be mad.'

El contemplated it. She didn't want to be honest in fear of Kate getting mad, but she relented,

'I have pot… Weed …That's just so I can chill…Get mellow…You know?'

Kate nodded, 'I do…But what about the cocaine? You and I both know that is a much harder

drug.'

'I…' El got clammy and got embarrassed, 'Must we?'

Kate was leaning back on her arms which were against a cushion, 'We must.' She pushed.

Then, she thought of a way to make it easier, 'You sniff it, right?'

Slowly, yet sheepishly, El nodded, 'I do…'

'How often? Once a day? Twice? A few days a week?' Kate was being gentle with her, so as

to get her to open up.

'Twice, maybe three times a week…Just…When I have more difficult days…And…Most of

the time it's because I've been thinking about Steve…You…and…' She spoke quieter now,

looking down, 'When I have nightmares…The same one…When Ghostface confronted me

outside of Mama's old place while it burned…And…I remember his face…Those eyes…'

Kate felt incredibly uncomfortable, recalling that night. She remembered it like it was

yesterday. She still had the scars on half her body as a reminder. As she listened, she

swallowed, only giving El a small smile, more as an armor to protect her from how she was

really feeling on the inside upon hearing what El dreamt about.

'Those black eyes…' El continued. She then shook her head, 'I remember being held at knife

point and…In my dreams, I hear you shouting my name, and just as the wall caves in, that's

when I wake up.'

Gently, Kate sighed, 'You could talk to Nikki about it…'

'She wouldn't get it.' El sighed.

Kate opened up her arms, 'Come here.'

El laughed, 'What?"

'Come here.' Kate tried again.

Realizing what her mum wanted, El wrapped her arms around her and rested her head on her

mum's chest, listening to her heartbeat as she did. The longer she lay there, El's whole body

relaxed. For the first time in a long time, she felt at peace, though for Kate, hearing about El's

dreams, only served to alarm her.

'Hey sweetheart?' Kate asked her gently, 'These dreams? About the fire and Ghostface? How

long have they been going on for?'

Now she had her eyes closed, El replied honestly, but was much calmer, 'Since Steve died,

since then…'

'Alright.' Kate replied, 'Thank you for telling me.' She was a little troubled by this

revelation, but she wasn't going to be alarmist about it. Instead, she kissed the top of her head

and told her, 'I love you…'

'I love you too.' El replied quietly, now closing her eyes as she lay on her chest.

Eventually, the pair of them fell asleep. Kate kept her arms wrapped around El, and El

remained where she was, listening to her mother's heartbeat, to lull her into sleep. This was

the first time in a long time that she had fallen asleep without extra assistance of drugs to do

so.

Meanwhile, at work, Nikki was on her lunch break. She had driven just out of town to a

wooded area. When she walked through the woods, she walked through a small path where

she found Jo waiting for her. When the two set their eyes on each other, they both smiled.

Nikki put her hands in her pockets and appeared smug as ever as she swaggered over to her,

'You know, you never lost your romantic touch, did ya?' She laughed as she stopped opposite

Jo.

Jo wrapped her arms around Nikki's neck at smiled at her, 'Unfortunately we can have secret

rendezvous the way we used to…So, coming out to the woods is the next best thing.'

'Actually, I have a conference in Grantham next week…It's a policing recruitment drive

thing…How about…' Nikki smiled, 'You make an excuse and we can have a few days away,

and you give me a few tips.'

'I can give you more than that.' Jo smirked as she came to rest her forehead on Nikki's.

Nikki bit her lip while smirking, 'I'm sure you can.' She then sealed the deal by locking lips

with her, but Jo pushed her back against a tree, all smirks and smugness.

'Jo.' Nikki gasped, her eyes lighting up, 'We can't have sex out here.'

'Our natives did.' Jo replied, getting breathless now as her hands started roaming, 'I'm not

barking up the wrong tree am I?'

Nikki laughed into Jo's neck as she kissed it gently, 'You're definitely not. Since Kate came

home, she hasn't looked at me once, but you? God, you're everything.'

'I try my best.' Jo smiled, now putting her hand into Nikki's trousers, 'This alright?'

Words failed Nikki now. There were a few pants for breath, but she most certainly approved,

'Just you

wait until we get to Grantham. You're in trouble.'

Jo leaned over to Nikki's earlobe where she gently whispered, 'Am I?' Her teeth then grazed

her earlobe, causing Nikki to moan. Jo covered her mouth and gazed into her eyes, 'Careful

babe, we don't want to scare off the wildlife now, do we? People will start asking questions.'

The thoughts Nikki was having were ungodly and Jo knew it. This only served to spur her on

even more. This felt so wrong, but Nikki was not complaining. When she got back to the

station, she'd have to explain why she was walking funny, but she was sure she could cover

that.

What neither of them knew was that Nancy was on her lunch break, which she usually used

for a walk in the woods before she visited Steve's grave. As she followed the path, she

couldn't believe what she saw ahead of her. Though she was at least 73 Yards away, she could

see what was going on and it sickened her. Nancy was naive enough to believe that Nikki

would become and remain loyal to Kate once she had been released, but she couldn't stay

away.

Sure, Kate had made mistakes, but what Nikki and Jo were doing was downright wrong.

She had to tell her. Nancy had to tell Kate. Just as she found the determination to tell her, it

would be when Nancy walked into Kate's place to find both women asleep that she would

bottle out. The sight before her, she knew she couldn't ruin. Instead, she backed out, and

swore at herself internally.

The truth would come out…Neither El or Nancy knew when.

The Deep

Kate woke up a few hours later with El still wrapped around her chest, seemingly not

wanting to let go. As much as Kate understood this, and as much as it was adorable, she also

needed to breathe. Gently, Kate unwrapped El from around herself, picking her up and then

gently lowering her onto the sofa, all the while, El remained in a deep sleep.

Though she knew she shouldn't, Kate went up the stairs and into El's room. She couldn't help

but feel that El's drug usage wasn't a one-off sort of thing. Kate recognized an addiction when

she saw one and the fact that Jo hadn't scared it out of her, actually bothered her a lot.

Without making much noise, Kate searched El's room, including the top of her wardrobe and

under her mattress. Upon lifting the mattress, Kate noticed a loose floorboard. Keeping the

mattress against the wall, Kate reached down and picked the floorboard up, reaching down to

grab a metal box…It was an old biscuit tin. When Kate looked in it, she was horrified to see

that El had all sorts of paraphernalia for the drugs she was using, which, Kate theorized,

meant that El might have a bong somewhere.

'So much for the sewing kit.' Kate mumbled. This was dangerous, and Kate couldn't help but

wonder how long this had been going on. Before doing anything , Kate took the stash and hid

it in her room before calling up the station.

If there was something that Kate knew, it was that she had made far too many mistakes in the

past by not reporting something like this. All Kate wanted was a fresh slate for her and

everyone, and she knew that started with honesty. Putting her phone to her ear, Kate chose to

speak quietly when Yaz answered, 'Hey…Yaz?'

Yaz was sitting by her desk, starting to wonder where both Jo and Nikki were. They'd been

gone for some time now and their lunch break was over. Even so, she picked up her office

phone, unaware as to who was calling, but upon hearing Kate's voice, she began to worry,

'Hey Kate, what's up?'

Nervously, Kate rubbed the back of her neck, while holding the tin full of drugs in her hand,

'I've found a tin in El's room…It's full of all sorts of drugs, coke, weed, heroin…I…I didn't

want to grass on her, but I wanted to do the right thing.'

Upon hearing this, Yaz was shocked, 'It's okay…You're doing the right thing by telling me…

Do you think she could be dealing?'

'No…No.' Kate sighed, 'Jo and Nikki told me that she's had an addiction going on for a

while, but I honestly don't think they know how bad it is…Problem is…She's been done for

criminal offenses before and I know how this ends for her…But I just…I wanted to work

towards a conditional sentence that sees her being put in rehab rather than prison.'

'If…' Yaz sighed, 'If we can prove this is an addiction rather than supplying to others…I will

see that she gets the appropriate sentence…I will come over with some officers…El will be

arrested for the possession of Class A substances…But she will get the help she needs.'

Kate nodded slowly, 'Thank you Yaz….Um….She's sleeping downstairs at the minute…'

'We won't break in…But I will need to ask you a few questions…You know? Standard

procedure?'

'I'll see you soon.' She looked up as the door opened, 'I think Nikki is back for lunch…I'll

explain what's going on to her.'

'Okay…Hang tight.' Yaz replied softly, 'And Kate?'

'Yeah?'

'Thank you for being honest with me.'

She would have responded, but she didn't know what to say. Instead, she ended the call and

hid the tin in her hands on top of her wardrobe inside her suitcase. Kate wasn't stupid, this

wasn't an immediate issue for the police so she knew she would be seeing them a little later in

the day. All she had to do now was deal with El wanting a fix.

When Kate came down the stairs, she saw that Nikki was in the kitchen, putting some things

in the fridge. When she approached, she noticed that El was stirring from her slumber on the

sofa, 'About time she woke up.' She uttered quietly. It was then that she addressed El,

'Morning sweetheart.'

El clambered from the sofa and groaned, 'I'm getting a shower.' Moments later, she vanished

up the stairs to the bathroom to go and get a shower.

Once she did, Kate addressed Nikki, 'How long has this drug problem been going on, and

how in the hell has it been going on without you knowing the scale of it?'

Nikki was shocked, 'It sounds like you're accusing me of something. Jo and I have done all

we can, we have told her, we have told her until we are blue in the face that she is killing

herself, but she was not listening to us!' That was when something clicked, 'Why? What's

going on?'

Kate leaned back against the worktop and sighed, 'I found her stash and her paraphernalia…

She is on some hard drugs. She is a full blown addict, and she is using these things to

function daily .'

Nikki couldn't believe what she was hearing, 'I know she smokes weed and had the odd bit of

sniff but…' Her face paled, 'How have I missed this?'

'Because she can be reclusive and secret.' Kate took a breath, 'She has coke, heroin and

weed. El is using these things to function!' Now she was getting frustrated with herself. A

thought then occurred to her, 'You remember those weeks when she would visit me and she'd

be shaking like a leaf and we'd put it down to nerves? What if in those weeks, she forced

herself to go cold turkey for about a week or so, so that the sniffer dogs wouldn't pick it up

when you were being searched before entering the visiting room?'

'I just-I always thought that was nerves.' Nikki sighed, 'I never , never thought she was

dependent on them to function.'

'When did she start to become high more frequently? Was there something that triggered it?'

Kate was confused, rather than angry. She knew that Jo and Nikki had tried to help in the

past, but what she didn't know was that the pair of them were far too absorbed in each other

to even notice El's spiral into drug dependency.

'Maybe..Maybe after that day Max threw her into that pole in the play area? She said she was

smoking weed to help the pain…That's the only time that she started to use all the time.'

Nikki admitted, 'I didn't know that she was on harder stuff until I caught her sniffing coke

about a year ago. Believe me , I collared her about it, she said she'd stop.'

'And she didn't.' Kate sighed.

'Kate…I am so sorry.' Nikki sounded so genuine, but was more guilty that she was too

wrapped up in Jo to even notice.

'It's not your fault.' Kate smiled sadly, 'I've called Yaz. I'm going to do the right thing. She

has possession of some very potent drugs and god forbid one of the kids ever got a hold of

them. I'm nipping it in the bud now. I messed up with Steve, I'm not making the same

mistake.'

Nikki was shocked more than anything. She just hoped she wouldn't be interrogated to death

by Yaz, 'Good…I think you've made a good choice.'

'I just wish you did too.' Kate sighed, before heading off to the living room.

When El got out of the shower and dressed around half an hour later, she'd just put her hoodie

on and tied her hair back when she went to dig out her emergency stash because she had

already used her usual stash of drugs. When she went to find them, she quickly learned that

they weren't in their usual place and began to panic. Quickly, El began pacing her room,

searching drawers, her wardrobe and underneath a floorboard to try and find her stash.

'No, no, no, no, NO!' El panicked. She was shaking now, realizing that someone had found

the tin of drugs that she had kept in case of emergencies. What El also knew was that if her

mum had found her stash, then she had most certainly gone to Yaz about it.

Having committed offenses in the past, El was well aware that this carried a potential prison

sentence just because of the sheer quantity that she had.

Very quickly, her frustration turned to anger. Quickly, she put on her shoes and dug through

her belongings to find a pistol that she had bought a long time ago. There was no intention to

use it, but she was desperate for a fix, and would do anything to get her drugs back. Hiding

the gun beneath her hoodie and in her jeans, El ran down the stairs, now fueled by anger.

As she ran down the stairs, El angrily called out to anyone who was there to listen, 'WHERE

ARE THEY?!'

Kate rolled her eyes and got to her feet now. Even she knew it would be a matter of time until

El realized that her drugs weren't where they were. Turning to face her, Kate sighed, 'Where

are what, El?'

'You know exactly what I'm talking about!' She stormed over to Kate and got into her face,

'Why are you even looking through my stuff behind my back?!'

'You really are dependent, aren't you?' It both horrified and confused Kate, 'I've told you, I

will help you get off of this stuff, I will attend meetings with you, I will be there for you, but

first, you have to face the music.'

El turned around and saw both Nikki and Jo standing in the kitchen. That made her laugh,

'Of course, of course these two are here.' Her gaze immediately turned back to Kate, 'Wait…

What do you mean? I have to face the music?'

'I called the police.' Kate replied honestly, 'You will be arrested, but Yaz and I will work to

get you a sentence that means you spend it in a rehab facility rather than prison.'

'YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! YOU CAN'T! I'M NOT "ADDICTED", I USE IT TO

MANAGE MY PAIN!'

'Heroin, the first time you used it, it almost killed you because you overdosed. Coke, goes

without saying. You have in your possession, three types of class A substances.' Kate was

remaining calm, so as not to further stoke the fire, 'I'm not doing this to work against you or

to spite you El. I'm doing this because I love and care about you.'

'Care?' El laughed, 'If you cared, you would give me what I need!' She looked down, 'Give

them to me mom.'

'No.' Kate replied plainly. When she looked up, Yaz had walked through the door with both

Lomax and Steve. All of them were in official police uniform, but Yaz chose familiar faces so

that it wouldn't make things worse.

'El.' Yaz addressed her, gaining her attention, 'I gather you already know why we are here?'

'IT'S BULLSHIT!' El shouted, 'It's utter crap.' She began to break down, 'I JUST NEED

SOME DRUGS!'

What they weren't expecting was for El to punch Kate around the face with the fullest force

of her fist. Of course, it knocked Kate back a bit and Yaz was about to pounce, but Kate held

up her arm whilst she regained her balance, 'Hold on! Hold on!'

Kate met El's gaze, 'You are going to go with Yaz and Steve to the station. You're going to

spend the night in the cells and treatment for your addiction will be sought. Let me make this

clear, we are not abandoning you. This is tough love before you end up going so far from the

brink, you can't come back.'

El laughed, 'You would know all about that?'

Kate's gaze turned colder now, 'Yeah, I would. I've been there, and look at where I am now.

So much of a life lived, but filled with guilt and regrets. I would never want the same for you,

which is why I'm trying to help you.' She then gestured around the room at every person

present, 'We are all trying to help you because we want what's best for you.'

It seemed that El had conceded and accepted defeat. Slowly, she nodded and shrugged, 'I

guess…I could…Get help…But what about if I want some stuff to keep me going?'

Yaz stepped in, 'There are treatments available that will help you while you go through

withdrawal…But right now, because of the sheer amount of drugs that you have, we have to

arrest you for the possession of them, okay?'

Kate was surprised with how easily El appeared to accept defeat. However, just as Yaz was

about to put El in handcuffs, she pulled the gun from the back of her trousers and aimed it in

between everyone.

'If you think I'm going with you? Think again!' She snapped, 'Just give me the drugs and we

can all move on with our lives!'

Now everyone was on high alert. If Kate had to, she'd step in, but no one else was going to

die or get hurt, she was going to make sure of that.

'You know we can't do that El.' Yaz was panicking now, but she was sure that she could talk

El round, 'By threatening all of us, you've just gone and made this worse. Where did you get

the gun from?'

Quickly, El loaded the gun and pointed it directly at Yaz, 'That's the least of your problems.'

She glanced over at Kate, 'Mom, give me the drugs.'

'No.' Kate replied firmly. Slowly, she walked over to where Yaz was and she put herself in

the firing line, 'If you put the gun down, we will overlook this, act like it never happened…

But if you do fire it? If you do harm any one of us? You'll be where your sister is, and you

will face years behind bars…Is it worth it just for a high? Is it?'

If there was one thing that El found strange, it was how Kate wasn't shouting at her. Kate was

tired of being angry, and she knew that the hard angry approach would just rile her up more.

El's hands were shaking as she looked back at her mum. There was a lump in her throat, and

it was clear that she didn't want to hurt anyone.

Tentatively, Kate took a step towards her, 'It's time to stop this tirade of violence, don't you

think? Too many people have been hurt or…Killed…Steve wouldn't want you to do this,

would he?'

'Steve's dead.' El replied to her, 'What he would think doesn't matter and it never will,

because he's dead. Everything that I'm doing is because I feel empty .' Tears now began to

stream down her face, 'Ever since Steve died, ever since everything, I have felt nothing .

Sometimes I wonder if it was me…Maybe it's just me…Maybe I'm the curse? Robbie didn't

want me, he…He went off and had a child with someone else…I always imagined he would

be my husband with my babies.' She sobbed while still holding the gun squarely at Kate.

'I know sweetheart.' Kate replied to her gently, 'You've had it so difficult, so hard…But

you're still here.'

El scoffed. It was hollow. When she replied, it was cold and empty, 'Maybe I don't want to

be.'

This admission turned Kate's blood cold. Quickly, she scrambled to talk her round. This

wasn't about saving her own skin anymore, and she knew it . Everything became desperate

now, and given that El was talking only to her, she knew what she had to do, 'You're in a dark

place right now. You feel like you're living each day, but it's going nowhere, right?'

El didn't reply. All she was doing was contemplating what she was to do with the gun in her

hand.

'El, talk to me! Come on baby, we can get somewhere if you talk to me.' Kate was becoming

more desperate.

'You couldn't understand! You would never understand! Having a masked killer going

around, harming and killing members of my family! Being alone for the last two years, my

partner leaving me for someone else when I hadn't done anything wrong, you would never

understand!' El snapped at her.

'At first, I took the drugs to ease my back pain, but then I realized they gave me an escape, an

escape from my reality.' El smiled sadly as tears streamed down her face, 'What's the point in

living in a world where my brother isn't?'

'It hurts, doesn't it?' Kate asked her, 'It feels like it will never get better…That hollowness

you're feeling? I know that feeling all too well. I'm not making this about me, but I do

understand. I have lost people and I know how much that hurts…When Steve died…' As

much as she didn't want to talk about this, she knew she had to.

'Actually, let's talk about that. That's something we both experienced. Let's talk about it.'

Steve and Yaz exchanged glances between each other, both confused as to where this was

going.

'What is there to talk about?!' El snapped, 'He's dead!'

'I know, which is why we need to talk about it.' Kate stated, 'Let's talk about it…For me,

when I went to see him at the morgue….That made it real for me…Sure, watching him get

killed was awful, but nothing can ever prepare you for seeing your child lying dead on a slab

in a morgue…'

Kate was so torn talking about this, and it showed, 'A part of you…A large part of who you

are dies with them, right? You feel that too?'

El nodded, 'I do…'

'And that's the hollow feeling that never leaves you. For you, having someone you love die, it

feels hopeless, like life isn't worth it anymore…But let me tell you, I've seen so many of my

friends die, and I get that same feeling, but I learn to live with it.'

'How?'

'By living with the memory of what you had instead of what you've lost. If you hold the

memories of that person so close to your heart and you think of them all the time, they're

never really gone. You fill that hollow space with memories…By doing that, it feels less

heavy…It feels lighter because the space isn't entirely empty…'

'Memories are not the same as him being here.' El protested, 'He should be here!'

'I know, but he isn't and we have to make the best of that.' Kate replied, 'Come on

sweetheart…Open up to me.'

El shook her head, 'No.'

It was like a pin could drop in the room now. Everyone was wondering what El meant by

that. Even Kate frowned in utter confusion, 'What do you mean, no?'

El put the gun to her head now. The cold barrel rested against her temple, and everyone felt

like their souls had left their bodies. The gun rattled as El held it where she did, and she

sobbed, 'I said no. I can't keep doing this, feeling like this.'

Kate shook her head and nervously licked her lips, 'You don't have to feel like this! That's

why we are talking right now!' There was sheer desperation now, 'Tell me El, tell me what I

can do to help you.'

'Take the pain away mama.' El sobbed, 'Because I can't…I can't…'

Slowly, Kate walked towards her. She had to change her tactics. Though it was dangerous,

she knew El, and she knew how to talk her round, 'You remember when you were five? You

probably don't…But, I remember this one day when we were all together, it was a day out at

the beach….Your brother was there…Both of you were building sandcastles…It was such a

hot day, but I remember something that he said to you when you were with each other, as you

were building those castles.'

'What did he say?'

'He was talking to you about how knights would defend the castle from bad guys…And I

remember clear as day…He turned and he looked you straight in the eyes and he said that he

would always protect you from the monsters…' Kate was heartbroken that it had come to

this, but she needed to talk El around, 'Maybe that's what he did…He died so that he could

protect you from the monster.'

'But he died!'

'So that you could live!' Kate protested, 'He wouldn't want you to do this, he would want

you to get help…'

'I want him mama.' El sobbed. The gun in her hand was slowly being brought away from her

head and Kate intercepted it.

'I know baby…I know…' She held out her hand, 'I can help you…Let me…Please.'

Eventually, El put the gun in her mum's palm. Everyone in the room was getting dejavu, but

Kate emptied the gun's magazine on the floor so as not to make the same mistake again. She

then pulled El into a hug and allowed her to break down, 'I've got you…I've got you.'

Kate looked over at Yaz, and Steve. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Nikki, who had been

watching in the background, simply looked down at the floor. She remembered being in this

position with Max, and she couldn't believe they were here again.

'I'm sorry mama…I'm so sorry.' El sobbed.

Kate held onto her and kissed the top of her head, giving her reassurances, 'You're going to

get help…You're not alone…I would never abandon you…I'll be here for you every step of

the way in your recovery, alright?'

After a few minutes, Kate gave Yaz the nod so that she could do her job.

Yaz walked over and took out her handcuffs, 'Okay El…I'm going to put handcuffs on you

now and I'm going to caution you, alright?'

Though El was reluctant to let go of Kate, she trusted what her mum said to her, and so she

allowed Yaz to do her job.

Gently, Yaz pulled El's hands behind her back and placed handcuffs on, 'I'm arresting you for

the possession of Class A substances, and I'm further arresting you for possessing a firearm-'

Kate was utterly confused, 'You what?! That wasn't the deal-'

Still, Yaz continued, 'You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defense when

questioned something which you may later rely on in court, anything you do say, may be

given as evidence, do you understand?'

Keeping her head low, El quietly agreed.

Kate was horrified, but she knew that Yaz had a job to do.

Yaz addressed Steve, 'DI Arnott, bag the gun up for evidence and the drugs too.'

Steve nodded, 'Yes ma'am.' He then looked over at Kate, but she was too busy watching El

being escorted away to even notice.

Blame Game

After El had been escorted away, Kate came and sat on the sofa where she had been sleeping

with her daughter a couple of hours prior. She put her head in her hands and shouted in

frustration at herself. The shout was muffled by her hands being in front of her face. When

she looked up again, she turned to see Nikki still standing in the kitchen.

'History is repeating itself.' Kate more or less stated, 'Max had a gun in school that one time,

she was suicidal and now my other daughter is hooked on class A's and somehow she

managed to find a gun. At this point, I wouldn't blame you if you left…Actually…I'm

surprised you didn't leave a long time ago.'

Nikki didn't reply to that. Instead, she met Kate's gaze and approached her, 'You handled that

well…I mean that…She could have turned against you.'

'She was going to. I saw it in her eyes, but at the same time, she trusts me implicitly…I don't

know if it's our bond…I don't know…But something made her listen to me.' A moment of

silence passed between them.

Kate got to her feet and approached Nikki. She looked her up and down. Kate seriously

contemplated the idea of sex, but she knew that wouldn't solve her immediate problem, 'I…I

want to…I do…I know we haven't since I was released and I'm really sorry…'

'You have nothing to be sorry for. El needs you more than I do right now. Go and help her.'

Nikki encouraged her, but Kate wasn't so certain.

'I'll follow Yaz to the station, find out what's going on…'

'You go and do what you need. I'll still be here.' Nikki gave Kate a small smile, but Kate

wasn't convinced that she was okay.

'Hey…' Kate placed a gentle hand on her cheek, 'You can come with me…If you wanted…'

Her thumb gently rubbed her cheek and she gently pulled away, 'I know…I know how hard

this all is…This will get better…'

'She's been getting therapy, she's…'

'Did you take her to therapy? Did Jo?'

'No…She always insisted on going by herself.' Quickly Nikki realized, 'She didn't go did

she?'

'I don't think she did…' Kate replied softly, 'I'll go to custody and see what's happening,

alright? I love you.'

'I love you too.' Nikki replied quietly. Moments later, she watched as Kate left the house.

Guilt quickly took the place of worry.

Much later Kate had already spent a couple of hours sitting in Yaz's office awaiting news

about El. It was weird for Kate to be back here after a couple of years away in prison, but it

also felt like she had never left. While she was sitting there, Kate spent a lot of time in her

head. A lot of the time, she was seriously considering a move back to California. Yes, it was

away from Steve, but right now, getting away sounded like the best idea that she could have.

There were pros and cons. Jo wouldn't be able to see El as often as she would like, they

would have to uproot their life, El's therapy would cost a lot of money, including the

rehabilitation. The perks of living a few hundred years meant that Kate had a lot of savings.

Sitting back, Kate sighed audibly and rested her head in her palm as she rested her elbow on

the arm of the chair.

Ten minutes later, Yaz re-entered the room and came to sit at the desk in front of Kate.

Another thing that felt off was Yaz sitting at a desk where both Carmichael and Ted Hastings

once sat.

'You've taken on one hell of a mantle to be sitting there…There was a man I once knew, a

great man…' Kate smiled at the fond memories, but there was a tinge of sadness. She

wondered what he would think of her now.

Yaz offered her a warm, yet sympathetic smile, 'Ted Hastings. I met him a few times when I

was a younger PC. He seemed like a great guy.'

'He was…Although…I think he'd see me as a disgrace now…' Kate cleared her throat,

'Anyway…El…What's happening with her? Please tell me you're dismissing the gun.'

Yaz frowned. She almost seemed offended at the suggestion, 'I can't forget about the gun.

This isn't you or Carmichael in charge, this is me and I won't cut corners!' Briefly, Yaz

looked down at her desk and then back at her, 'El is going to be transported to a hospital, just

for her own safety and the safety of others.'

Kate was confused, 'Why?! She's hardly Max!'

'No, she isn't Max, but she is a young woman in desperate need of help from a physician who

is qualified to deal with drug addictions, and to start her on other medications that can help

with easing the pain of coming off of whatever has been in her system the last few months.'

Yaz was firm and straight to the point, 'I'm going to speak to the CPS and recommend that El

be sentenced to time in a rehab facility. I think we can both agree that prison really is not an

option in this case.'

Kate nodded, 'Yeah…I…I agree.'

'Good.' Yaz replied. Moments later, she got on the phone to the CPS, and once the call had

ended, she met Kate's gaze directly, 'The CPS has agreed that a sentence served in a

rehabilitation facility would be the best option. Tonight, El will spend the night in hospital

and she will have court in the morning.'

'Thank you.' Kate replied quietly.

'I'm doing this more for El than your own benefit…For what it's worth, I know she needs

help…I'm not just going to throw the key away.' Yaz replied, 'If you want to go and see her

downstairs, give me a few minutes and we will both go down there.'

A few minutes later, both Kate and Yaz made their way to the custody suite where El was

being held. Once more, everything around Kate was extremely familiar, but alien at the same

time because she was not here in the same capacity as she might have previously been when

she was serving on the force.

Kate walked behind Yaz as she led the way. Quietly, Kate decided to try and persuade Yaz to

consider giving her a job, 'Yaz…Is there any chance that-'

Yaz was expecting this. Immediately, she stopped walking and turned to face her, 'No.' She

said firmly, 'You are blacklisted from the force and with very good reason. There is no way in

hell that I would break my own principles for you now.'

'But you're bending the rules with El, I don't -'

'El is going through a severe mental illness fueled by drugs. I'm not letting the firearms

charge slip either, before you ask. I'm not you and I'm not Carmichael. El is going to be

sentenced tomorrow and that sentence will be served in a rehabilitation facility.' Yaz lowered

her voice, 'I see a young woman who has gone through actual hell these last few years, a

young woman who doesn't know if she is coming or going, a young woman who turned to

drugs because she got tired of screaming into the abyss waiting and hoping that someone

would listen.'

Kate swallowed. She had always thought Yaz was a massive softie. It quickly became clear

that work Yaz and home Yaz were two different people. She had to force herself not to snap

back.

'I know what you're going to say, "it wasn't my fault that I was in prison for two years" it was

exactly your fault. You deserved every minute of that sentence, the person that didn't was El.

Let me make this clear to you. El isn't getting away with anything that she has done, but at

the same time, I seriously don't blame her for going down this path, but it is our job, both as

law enforcer and for you as a parent, that we get her the help that she needs to get her back on

her feet.'

'But I didn't give her the drugs!' Kate snapped.

'Robbie Barry has not been her sole supplier, don't be stupid. He's been in Liverpool for the

last year and a half. She has told you that Robbie is supplying her, but it's clear she's got them

from other sources, and we will find out who .' Yaz took a breath, 'You will see her and

explain to El what is happening, that way, it will make this entire process easier for all of us,

understood?'

With little room for argument, Kate nodded, 'Yes ma'am.'

'Good.' Yaz simply nodded. They then continued through to the custody suite and Kate

entered the cell where El was being held.

With the bright white lights, it became extremely evident how badly El had been affected by

what she had been taking. Her eyes were puffy and bright red. Her hands were shaking and

she appeared extremely paranoid with the way her bloodshot eyes darted around the place.

It was clear that she needed a next fix that wasn't going to come.

It hurt Kate to see El this way, after everything she had been through, it became clear that

after the last two years, she hadn't been coping at all, despite what El had led them to believe.

Slowly, Kate approached her and crouched before her. Gently, Kate took her shaking hands

into her own and she gazed into El's own eyes. A gentle, warm smile tinged with sadness

adorned Kate's face and she spoke in a gentle tone, 'Hey sweetheart…It's okay…It's okay…'

Her thumb strokes the back of El's hands and tears sprang to her eyes, but she kept them at

bay the best she could.

'Yaz has told me that they're going to take good care of you…'

'Can…Can I come home?' El asked her quietly, 'I just…I want to come home…I never…I

never meant for any of this.' Her voice broke and tears now cascaded down her cheeks, 'I'm

not Max…I'm not anything like her mama, I swear!'

'I know sweetheart, I know.' Kate replied, squeezing El's hands gently, 'You never could

be…You've just got into a bit of trouble, but you're not going to prison…You're going to get

help for your addiction…For however long it takes…I promised that I would be by your side

and I'm not going to break that promise.'

Kate then reached forward and placed both her hands on El's cheeks, 'I am going to be with

you every step. I let you down, it was me who got you in this place and I'm going to help you

out, alright? You're not alone…'

'I'm sorry mama…I'm so sorry.' El sobbed, breaking down.

Kate pulled her forward into her chest and allowed her to break down. This was going to take

time, but Kate was not going to break her promise.

…

After El had been escorted securely to the hospital, Kate followed after, meeting Jo and Nikki

there. Yaz had given them a run down of what was going on and what was going to happen.

'I spoke to the CPS again…Given El's condition, she does not have to be present for

sentencing…Soon after the sentence is passed, El will then be transported to the facility at

some point in the early afternoon…' Yaz sighed, 'I understand this must be difficult for each

of you, but I can't do anything more…I've bent some rules for her, but as for her sentence

length…As well you know, that is not up to me.'

Nikki nodded, 'It's a miracle you've persuaded the CPS to do this. I know how hard it is to

sway them on many things…But this is huge.'

'It will come as no surprise that the CPS are familiar with the family that El comes from, so

they can, to an extent , afford the sympathy, but at the same time, they know that some sort of

sentence must be served for her actions.' Yaz replied, 'Although…This does affect her

chances of getting anywhere near the force as a career.'

Jo shrugged, 'She will find something else to do…Hey..' She chuckled, trying to find

something positive in this, 'I suppose it's something…Being on the force given the last few

years, it would cast a light on her that I'm not sure she would want.'

'Fuck the limelight, she would have been great on the force. She doesn't care what people

think of her.' Kate protested.

'Yeah? Look where that's gotten her?' Jo snapped back, 'This is on you, Kate!'

Kate stormed over to her and got into her face, 'Don't put all of this on me! You are her mum

too! You had every bit of responsibility as I did to get her off that shit! Instead, you gave up,

you didn't put your foot down hard enough!'

Nikki came to stand between them, 'Does it matter who is to blame?! Really?! This is where

we are, and we have to deal with it! Arguing won't help El now, will it?!'

After a few seconds, Kate backed down and walked back to where she had been standing.

She sulked, something that Jo hadn't seen her do in a long time.

'Sulking looks good on you.' Jo commented sarcastically, 'Keep doing it and see how it helps

you.'

Kate then looked up and glared at her.

Yaz looked between them and gave them one last word, 'I would give up arguing and come

together for El's sake. None of this will help her. You all have a role to play in this, take

responsibility and grow up!' She then walked away, leaving the women alone.

…

Questions

Eventually, all three women sat together outside of El's hospital room while security guards

stood outside the door. Kate was in the middle, while Jo and Nikki sat at either end. Since

their little spat, all three of them went quiet and decided that not speaking was the best

option.

Kate sighed and put her head in her hands. She then dropped her hands on her legs, 'We all

played a part in this, and yes, before anyone comes at me with daggers, I know that I was the

main reason.'

'It doesn't matter.' Nikki commented, firstly staring ahead of herself and then at Kate, 'We're

here now, and we have to deal with the consequences.'

'I just…' Kate was stuck for words, 'I don't understand how it got this far…' She managed to

find humor in it though, 'This won't be the last time I'm in front of the barrel of a gun.'

Jo looked over at her, scowling, 'That's not funny.'

Kate looked back at her, and decided to be slightly sarcastic, 'Ooh Jo, do I sense a bit of

concern?' She laughed and then dropped the topic for a moment. Taking a breath, she

continued, 'I've bore the brunt of our kids' fists, the end of a knife and I've been in front of a

gun, twice. I have to find the light in it.'

Nikki commented in horror, 'Do you not hear how awful that sounds? Seriously , do you hear

yourself, or are you that desensitized?'

'Of course I hear myself! I am the catalyst to everything that has happened. Steve punched

me in the face a few times, publicly humiliating me in school after he found out that I was

responsible for the atomic bombings, Max having a mental breakdown, somehow she

managed to get a gun and pointed at me. She didn't shoot me that time, I accidentally shot

myself…She slit my throat because I survived her spree.'

Somehow she managed to find humor in this, 'Now I have El pointing a gun at me because

she's so hooked on coke that she would do anything to get her next fix. I get it, I'm very much

like my mum. I get it.'

'And you're okay with it?' Nikki asked.

'Of course I'm not okay with it.' Kate grew angry at herself now. She stood up and started

pacing, 'I get it! I'm not cut out to be a parent!' Her gaze moved to Jo, 'I'm a pathetic loser

aren't I?'

'You're a pathetic something. Loser is too low of a bar for you.' Jo retorted.

'Oh thanks!' Kate responded with sarcasm.

'I don't understand what you want me to say Kate! You're right, all of this?! It is your fault!'

'Hey, I saved you from your drug king father-'

'And I've never stopped being grateful for that, but you need to seriously look at yourself!

Nikki and I did what we could while you were locked away, and I put my marriage on the

line for you! Hell, even Jasmine was accusing me of doing something that I wasn't because

my sole focus was looking after our daughter!' Jo was just as argumentative now.

'You didn't do a good enough job!' Kate snapped, 'You're Scottish! I know you when you're

angry, you can scare the living crap out of her, so what the hell have you been doing this

entire time?!'

Nikki couldn't stand for this now, 'Kate, you're getting out of hand now. We both tried to get

through to her, but she didn't care . What will scaring her do?! That only goes so far if she

actually listens!'

Kate ground her jaw and glared back at Jo, 'I hate you.'

'The feeling is mutual, believe me .' Jo hissed, 'You are the reason our son has been dead for

the last two years. Make no mistake Kate, I get on with you, I'm civil with you for the sake of

our daughter, but I hate every fiber of your being.'

Nikki couldn't believe how caught up she was in this. For Kate, this reminded her of when

they had a custody battle for their kids a very long time ago, and this situation felt very

similar, so similar to the point where she found something else to argue about.

'You took my kids away from me, remember that?' Kate sneered, 'Our kids are fucked up

because we are!'

Jo rolled her eyes and sighed, 'This? Seriously?! That was so long ago! This is your problem,

being who you are, you live for so long that you can't let the past go!'

'Why aren't you letting my faults as a police officer go? That happened in the past-'

'BECAUSE YOUR ACTIONS KILLED MY SON!' Jo snapped. Jo then walked over and got

into her face, 'Don't think for one second that I'm ever going to let that go! I blame you every

single day! Sure, Max was the one with the knife, but you enabled it!'

Nikki quickly grew tired of them going round in circles, 'BOTH OF YOU, STOP IT!' She

got to her feet and looked between them both, 'Have you heard yourselves? Steve is dead, he

has been for the last two years! He wouldn't want you doing this to yourselves, but at the

same time, your focus needs to shift to the here and now! What happened two years ago was

so devastatingly tragic and we all wish it was different, but now El needs us! She is all that

matters now.'

Nikki was angry with the pair of them for acting like they'd only recently been divorced, but

it clearly showed that they hadn't moved on, 'El matters now! I hate to say this, but Steve no

longer matters! He's dead, he is literally no concern of ours, we can grieve and miss him, but

he doesn't matter! Max may as well be dead too! Get over your petty disputes and get your

priorities sorted!'

She then stormed off, leaving both women alone. Jo was ready for another argument, but

instead, she backed down and sat back down.

Kate grabbed her phone and checked the time, 'I'm…I'm going to see my mum.'

'Good for those who have one, I suppose.' Jo commented, still full of bitterness.

Kate was going to comment, but instead, she walked away.

Nancy had spent time with her mum after learning about El. All her mum had been doing

since El's arrest, is rambling on about how this continued to prove that she was right about

Steve being bad to be with and that she had "dodged a bullet." Though it was poorly phrased,

Nancy just put up with her for now. She had enough going through her mind, worrying about

what would have happened if any of the kids had found El's drugs. All the worst case

scenarios ran through her mind.

They were now sitting at the dinner table, Karen continued on about the same thing, now in

front of Mike and Ted.

'People make mistakes mom, El is no different.' Nancy said to her in a lower voice, 'She has

had it difficult over the last couple of years-'

'Are you forgetting that they have coerced you into believing that they are extraterrestrials?!'

Karen hissed, 'It's ridiculous! My grandchildren should not be around that, but you insist they

should be!'

Nancy slammed her hand on the table now, 'MOM! SHUT UP!'

Karen was shocked, 'I beg your pardon, young lady?!'

IT'S ALRIGHT FOR YOU! YOU GOT THE LIFE YOU WANTED! THE MAN YOU

FELL IN LOVE WITH AND HIS CHILDREN!' Nancy's voice broke now, 'But I don't have

Steve! I don't care if you don't believe that Kate, El, Max or Steve are aliens, I don't care!

They are family whether you like it or not!'

Nancy got to her feet, 'You look after Thomas and Skye for me.'

'Where are you going?!' Karen snapped.

'To see a Doctor.' She hissed, before then heading on her way out.

Karen looked over at Ted, who was stuffing his face, 'Are you kidding me?!'

'That was not my argument to be a part of.' Ted commented, 'The family might be a bit

weird, but she loves them, why should it matter to us?'

'Would you be saying that if any of our grandchildren had gotten a hold of El's drugs?'

'I would be mad, of course I would honey, but that didn't happen. Go easier on her, please.'

Ted pleaded with her.

'Well…' Mike interrupted, 'I think having extraterrestrials as relatives is fun.'

'They are not extraterrestrials Michael! Do not go down the same path as your sister! It's all

magic tricks and bravado! Aliens don't exist!' Karen snapped, quickly getting to her feet and

heading out of the room.

Nancy had stormed off. She was sick of everything being miserable, she missed Steve so

much that her heart ached for him. Often, she'd look up at the stars and she took comfort in

believing he was looking down on her. If there was one thing, it saddened her how much his

death had torn the family apart and it continued to do so. She would do anything to have him

back, to see his face again knowing that it was actually him.

A few days before his death, he had asked Nancy to be his wife and it had broken her ever

since that she had never been able to fulfill that wish. After everything they had been

through, the fact that El had crumbled so much was devastating even for her.

Raising two kids hadn't really given Nancy a minute to grieve properly for him. She was a

single mum in her early twenties, and she could never imagine anyone else raising her own

children beside her.

After walking for about twenty minutes in the dark, Nancy set her sights on the TARDIS.

There was an aura-like glow around the box, the lamp at the top glowed away, as did the

windows.

Never had Nancy actually paid attention to the TARDIS until now. She needed help, and like

a beacon of hope, the TARDIS showed herself to her. It occured to Nancy as she was staring

at the magical box, that she had never actually been inside of it.

If there was one thing, Nancy was in awe of it, it seemed so beautiful to her. Slowly, she

approached the box. As she came to stand right in front of the box, she placed her hand on

the door where she felt a gentle vibration beneath her fingertips. The door then popped open

an inch, inviting the young human in.

Of course, Nancy was hesitant, but she accepted the invitation. As she walked through the

door, her breath was instantly taken. The sheer size and beauty of what she set her gaze on

was enough to more than impress her. First, she looked at the ceiling, around the walls and

then the centre console.

Slowly, she headed towards the console, marveling at the crystals that surrounded the centre,

and the crystal in the middle of the console. Never had she seen anything like this.

Just as she was returning from elsewhere in the TARDIS, the Doctor caught sight of Nancy as

she walked down the steps that led to the console room. A small smile lit up her face as she

watched Nancy take in her surroundings.

'She's beautiful, isn't she?' The Doctor commented, starting Nancy out of her wondering

stupur.

Nancy looked directly at the Doctor now. It felt like she had done something wrong. Quickly,

she stuttered, 'I'm…The door opened, I…I hope you don't mind me coming in.'

'The door opened. The TARDIS invited you in, it's your home too, as much as it is El, Kate's,

Jo, Nikki…It's anyone's home.' The Doctor resigned. She reached the bottom step and came

to stand opposite Nancy, 'I can't help but sense that you're in a little distress.'

'I'm always….' Nancy bit her lip and nervously looked away, 'I…'

The Doctor knew what was coming, but she listened, instead of interrupting her.

'I miss him.' Nancy finally admitted.

'I know.' The Doctor smiled sadly, 'We all do.'

'This…This place, I…I don't know how true it is…It's a time machine, right?' Nancy was so

nervous. She had never actually been alone with the Doctor before and knowing what she did

about her, she couldn't help but feel a little intimidated in her presence.

'Yes…It is.' The Doctor replied softly.

'So can we-'

'No.'

The small spark of hope fell from Nancy's face, 'Why not?'

The Doctor leaned back and rested on the side of the console. She crossed her arms and

looked back at her, 'I saw him die way before he actually did…It was an accident, the

TARDIS dragged me there and I saw it happen…I was also there when he did die…I wasn't

supposed to be. I have crossed my timeline one too many times…Even if I went back a third

time, it would be catastrophic, paradoxes everywhere…'

'Yeah but…We don't even have to go to the day he died, we could go to days before-' Nancy

sounded desperate. Though the Doctor understood this desperation, she had to stand her

ground.

'No…' The Doctor replied gently, 'It's too dangerous…I'm really sorry Nancy, but there is

no way that you can ever see him again.'

'But…But you've done it before! You've gone back in time to do other things, Roman

empire, the Victorian era, other places, why can't you go back so that I can see him one more

time?!'

'Because there's every chance that you would forewarn him about what will happen.' The

Doctor was slightly firmer now.

'I wouldn't.' Nancy replied, shaking her head. She sounded certain in her words, but the

Doctor knew better.

'You want the father of your children back…I wouldn't blame you…You can tell me until

you are blue in the face that you wouldn't, but you and I both know that given the chance…

You absolutely would.' The Doctor replied, speaking to her gently.

'Is that such a bad thing?' Nancy sounded on the verge of tears now.

The Doctor sighed, 'What happened to Steve is a fixed point in time. If I could have saved

him, I would. He was my grandson, Kate's child…If I could…I would, but I can't…I'm

sorry.' She then stood up and headed to the other end of the console.

Nancy scoffed, 'You have a time machine, you just choose not to.'

'If only it were that easy.' The Doctor uttered, 'Because it never is. Do you think that it never

occured to me that I could have saved Kate from that burning house? I could have saved her

from herself almost one hundred years ago when she dropped an atom bomb? I can't go back

and change the past, Kate understands that more than anyone, and she also has to live with

that fact.' The Doctor met her gaze, 'I'm sorry Nancy, but Steve is never coming back.'

This was a hard pill for Nancy to swallow. Eventually, she relented and came to sit on the

steps in the console room.

'I don't know how I'm supposed to keep going. Everyone else is broken, El is hooked on

drugs…Jo had a mental breakdown…No one has been happy for a long time.'

'But it will get better.' The Doctor sounded more positive now, 'El will become drug free in a

few months, seven, to be exact, because she is going to fight this. One day, she will have a

family too, even if she doesn't see it now. Kate and Nikki are going to get their vows renewed

and you? You're a great mum, if Steve could see you now, he would be so proud. '

'Did you pop to the future to know all of this?'

'I only went to the future to check on El…The Nikki and Kate stuff, I already knew.' The

Doctor admitted, 'Brighter days are ahead Nancy, especially for you.'

'I hope so…Because I don't feel it right now.' Nancy sighed. She hesitated for a moment,

'This is a space machine too, right?'

The Doctor looked up and met her gaze from across the console. There was a gentle nod,

'Where do you want to go?'

'Earth…But on the outside…Please?'

'The outside of Earth? That's easy!' The Doctor grinned, racing around the side of the

console with a grin on her face, 'Nancy Wheeler, you want to see your planet from the

outside? Happily! One of the most beautiful planets in the cosmos. You could have gone

anywhere, but you chose earth.' She stopped pacing for a moment and looked directly at her

with a soft gaze, ' Home , because where else would you want to go?'

'Anywhere I'm close to him…I don't think I would ever leave this planet, even if you offered

me the chance to live on Mars, I wouldn't want to.'

'Mars is rubbish anyway.' The Doctor laughed. She held out her hand for Nancy to take,

'Come on.'

Eventually, Nancy took her hand and followed her to the doors. What she wasn't prepared for

was the world that awaited her.

A Whole New World

'Here you go…' The Doctor came back from the kitchen after leaving Nancy alone for a

moment to take in her surroundings and marvel at the beauty of Earth. In her hand, the

Doctor had an ice-cream that she passed down to her, 'Two scoops of vanilla topped with

sprinkles and strawberry sauce.'

Nancy frowned as she looked up at her, 'That was my favorite as a kid…How…How did you

know?'

The Doctor sat beside her after Nancy took the ice-cream, 'I knew because…' She got

comfortable and met her gaze properly, 'I'm a mad woman with a magic box that can travel

anywhere and anywhen in time and space…I also saw you and Steve out on a date once, not

in a weird way, I just…I check in on my family to make sure that you're all okay.'

'Technically, I'm not family…I have Steve's children, but I never married him.' Nancy looked

down, 'I wish I did…And…It's just that knowing what could have been that destroys me.'

'You know…I've been married a couple of times…It's not all it is cracked up to be…

Marriage might complete you spiritually but…' The Doctor considered her comment, 'I'm

sorry…I take that back…Because it is, it's something that's beautiful and you had it taken

from you. Of course it means something spiritually and I am so sorry for trying to suggest

otherwise and for downplaying your feelings.'

'Doctor, it's okay.' Nancy tried to ease her worries, 'I also know that you're not the best

socially either. I get it.' A moment of silence passed and Nancy commented on the ice cream,

'Thank you for this.' She then looked ahead of her at Earth, 'And this…It's beautiful.'

The Doctor looked back at the blue sphere and smiled sadly, 'Your planet…So noisy…It is so

loud that other planets want to get involved in the action.' She laughed.

Nancy began eating away at her ice cream but eventually, she replied, 'I've always been

taught since school that we are alone in the universe…There is a multiverse theory, but the

vastness of our own galaxy suggests that we might never make it to such a universe.'

'You know better now.' The Doctor replied, 'There are multiverses but not in the way

humans such as yourself think, respectfully. There are parallel universes that exist, they are

universes where everything is the same but differences can be noticed.'

'As in, there is a universe where Max was found to be Ghostface earlier so Steve and I were

able to live out our lives together?'

'I suppose.' The Doctor replied, 'Yeah. I suppose there might be.'

'Can we go? Please Doctor, I promise I won't change anything.' She was so desperate to see

Steve alive one last time, that the possibilities that the Doctor was suggesting, became

enticing.

'Nancy-' The Doctor sighed, 'Sometimes going to these places, there are certain things that

will also let you down. Steve, in another universe, he might not be Max's brother, he could be

your sibling. The point is, the multiverse theory also suggests thousands upon thousands of

alternate possibilities.'

Something in the Doctor's gut didn't feel right about any of this. Such as being the sap that

the Doctor was, she couldn't stand seeing Nancy as unhappy as she was, 'I'm not supposed

to…I shouldn't be able to break into parallel universes because they are and they abide by

their own laws of cause and effect and the TARDIS doesn't like them.'

'But?'

The Doctor shook her head with frustration. For a moment she considered breaking her own

rules and giving Nancy what she so desperately sought, but she knew that could be an awful

idea, 'But nothing. We can't go to those places for a reason. Firstly, it should almost be

impossible and secondly, doing it could have catastrophic consequences.' The Doctor met her

gaze one more time, 'I'm sorry, but your Steve is gone and you need to accept that.'

Nancy was starting to get frustrated. She was desperate to see Steve again, but instead, she

changed her way of thinking, 'What about my children?'

The Doctor frowned, 'What about them?'

'Well…Kate is like three hundred and fifty years old…Steve came from her and…What if

they have the same lifespan as her? What if…' It hit her, 'What if they have eternity? Is there

a way to find that out?'

The Doctor shrugged, 'I suppose, if and when they get to what is considered in human years

to be old age and they still look about twenty or thirty years old like Kate does-'

'She looks like she is in her forties.' Nancy laughed.

'Alright, I was trying to give the benefit of the doubt.' The Doctor laughed. There was a

pause, 'Honestly Nancy, they'll be okay. Skye and Thomas will be okay. Eternity isn't as bad

as it seems.'

Nancy raised her brows, 'I beg to differ. You and Kate have been through a lot of trauma in

your lives and the scars of that are visible.'

'Really?'

She nodded. Taking a breath, Nancy simply looked forward and gazed at the planet ahead of

her, 'This is my home?'

The Doctor was now in her mind, thinking about how visible the trauma she and Kate had

endured over their lives had become. It became distracting. In response to Nancy, she looked

back at Earth and smiled sheepishly, 'Yeah…Yeah it is, and it's beautiful…I cannot think of

anywhere else I would have rather put Kate than Earth. It's my second home as much as it is

hers.'

Nancy went quiet and leaned on the Doctor's shoulder. Finally, she seemed to have found

some inner peace. Being with the Doctor, she didn't see her life as insignificant anymore, she

saw the significance and how important she was and how fortunate she was to have the

family she had, despite the couple of bad apples that were a part of her life.

9 months later

Life had gotten pretty much on track for everyone. Of course, having El absent from the

household of Nikki and Kate had been difficult, but for Kate watching El's recovery from her

addiction, though at times it was extremely difficult for her, she was there like she had

promised El. Kate visited her twice a week and sought clearance to attend her therapy

sessions. Slowly, she had watched El struggle and recover, and at other times, both.

Today marked two months since she had been off of any kind of drug. Her reliance upon

them had faded. Now she was in the middle of her second month without any sort of drug at

all.

Both her counselor and her probationer sought to sign her off and this grant her release after

giving the CPS positive news of her recovery. As such, any other convictions had been

dropped completely and El was given the greenlight to come home.

This was where the hard work would begin. Being in the facility gave her other things to

focus on, but being back at home would be the real test. With her now being an adult, she

chose not to inform anyone that she had been released. What El didn't want was the fuss and

the fanfare, she just wanted to go home and get back to a new normal.

In her belongings that she had gotten back, she had her phone and her bank card. As soon as

she had been released, she grabbed a hoodie from her bag and put it on, before heading to a

cash machine to withdraw what she needed for a bus fare.

After she had gotten on the bus, El put her headphones on and wandered into her own world.

She knew there were support groups outside of prison, and she was going to utilize them

when she needed a meeting. As much as she knew that she had a support network in her

family, external support was sometimes a better option. Sitting on the seat on the bus, El

looked down at the coin in her hand.

Two months sobriety, two months off of the things that could have very well killed her. Being

free of drugs allowed her to regain control of her mind, but with her family, she knew she

could slip back into old habits if she wasn't careful. This year also marked three years since

Steve died, and she still missed her brother dearly. Every anniversary of his death would

always be hard for everyone, but for El, it was even more so. Each anniversary would test her

like nothing else, and she was so scared that she would slip back into old habits.

At the same time, El had told Kate over and over again that she would come to her if she ever

had the need or felt herself slipping back into those old habits.

Right now, El just wanted to get home, and jump straight into her own bed.

After clambering off of the bus, El put her headphones away and walked down the path. She

noticed Jo's car in the driveway, and that's when she remembered about the affair between her

and Nikki. The affair which she still had photos of on her phone. It was now that she

remembered that her breakdown wasn't solely because of Steve, it was because of them , the

lie that she had to live and would continue to live because El wasn't sure she could ever break

her mother's heart like that. Now she wondered if the affair was still ongoing.

El guessed she would find out in time.

Slowly, El walked up the driveway and took a breath as she reached the front door, preparing

herself for the onslaught of, " Why didn't you call one of us? We would have picked you up!

You're home, let's get you something to eat!"

El didn't want fuss, but she knew she would put up with it, just for this. Eventually, she pulled

the handle down and walked into the hallway. She dropped her bag on the bottom step and

walked through to the living room where Kate, Nikki and Jo were all sitting around just

watching the TV together.

El found this situation strange. Both her parents sitting in the same room, with Nikki there

too? She couldn't help but comment, 'This looks cozy.'

It took them all a fraction of a second, but when they caught sight of El, all of them got to

their feet.

'El?!' All three gasped in unison.

'You should have told us you were getting out, one of us would have come to get you.' Came

from Jo. She was more fussy compared to the other two, 'Let me fix you something to eat

yeah?'

Kate was far more chill which El appreciated. She turned to Jo and spoke gently, 'Honestly

Jo, I think she just wants to chill for a bit, yeah?'

'You've seen her every week, don't tell me what to do Kate-'

El shook her head, 'I just want my bed, and a shower…I'll come down and see you all later,

okay?'

Kate gave her a small nod, 'Go on then sweetheart.'

El looked back at Kate and then at Jo. She appreciated Kate stepping in where Jo was being

like a petulant child, but now El had a lot to think about; college and getting her life back on

track. First of all though, she needed a nap.

As soon as El got into bed, she instantly relaxed into her blankets and her mattress. It was

almost as though she had never been away, but she had and she had missed quite a lot,

something else that Kate promised she would help her with.

It didn't take long for El to fall asleep once hitting the pillow, she was exhausted and this was

all she had been thinking about on the way home.

Kate would order in pizza later, but first, she had to tell Jo how things were going to go now

El was home. As far as Kate was concerned, El was and always would be top priority in these

next few months.

El came back downstairs around four hours later. By this time, Jo had gone home, so it left

only Kate and Nikki in the house. Even though El felt extremely happy to be home, she

couldn't help but feel as though she had brought shame upon herself and the family, so

actually facing them after all these months seemed quite intimidating.

When she walked into the living room, Kate was already in the kitchen trying to find a menu

for the takeaway so they could order in. She also wanted to do the right thing. Upon noticing

El, she took the opportunity to speak to her, 'Hey sweet heart. Nikki has gone out

somewhere, she said it was work, so it's just you and me at the minute…I've just found a

menu for the takeaway so you can have whatever you want.'

Slowly, El approached the kitchen area. When she got there, she leaned on the side and

looked back at Kate. She had a few things she wanted to get off of her chest, 'Mama? You

know…I just…' She sighed, 'I wanted to know if you are…' Avoiding eye contact seemed

like a good idea, 'Are you ashamed of me?'

'No sweetheart, you know why?' Kate leaned on the kitchen side, becoming eye level with

her now. Her gaze and voice softened, 'Because I don't blame you. After everything that you

have been through, no one could have blamed you for wanting to find a way to make the pain

lesser on yourself. Yes, it may have gone too far, but I don't-'

'The gun…' El stammered, 'I pointed a gun at you-'

Briefly, Kate looked down, but she was quick to meet her gaze again, 'You did. You were

desperate and scared…I have been there. Listen to me El, all of that stuff from nine months

ago? It's over. You are still recovering and I've kept to my promise. I'm not going to break it

either. You and me?' She smiled then, 'We are a team, and nothing can take that away from

us.'

There was a pang of guilt. El's thoughts were still troubled by Jo and Nikki's affair, 'And if it

did?'

Kate frowned, 'You would never be able to find a way to do that, so don't worry about it,

okay?' She was keen to move forward, 'Burgers or pizza?' She held up the takeaway menu in

her hand, 'Nikki could be gone for hours so it's just us.'

'I think a burger sounds good, a proper burger.' El smiled sheepishly.

Kate nodded with a smile, 'I think so too. I'll get a pizza too, I know what our appetites are

like. You go and sit down while I order in, okay?'

'Okay mama.' El nodded. She went over to the sofa, walking slowly as she did. El was in no

rush for anything. Just for tonight, she could spend the evening with her mum and not have to

worry about questions being thrown at her from all corners.

Starting Over Again

After chomping down on a half-pounder burger filled with garlic sauce and many jalapenos

with a side of chips, El was now sitting beside Kate watching back to back episodes of

Family Guy. Her day may have started out rough, but the way El saw it was that she was back

home with her mum and so things could start to get better again. Little did Kate and El know

that Nikki had gone round to Jo's, taking advantage of the business trip that Jasmine had to

go on. While Kate and El were enjoying some mother-daughter time, Jo and Nikki were

enjoying each other's company in other ways.

After some of her food had gone down, and Kate knew that her stomach wasn't going to ache

from indigestion, Kate opened her arms up for El to come and rest her head there if she

wanted to. If there was anything that Kate wanted her to know, it was that she was safe and

she wouldn't hold anything against her. It had been a rough road for everyone, but now all

Kate prayed was that everything was behind each of them now and that they could start

moving on.

Max hadn't been heard from since Kate left prison, so she assumed that she was keeping her

head down. As much as Kate knew she hated Max, she was also well aware of the fact that

Max was still her daughter- a button that Kate wished she could turn off. It would be easier

for her if she had not gone and committed atrocities herself, but she did and both she and her

children were paying for that to this day.

Somewhere into the fourth episode of Family Guy, El pulled a coin from her pocket and

showed it to Kate, 'I got given this today.'

When Kate looked at the round shaped object, she frowned, 'What is it?'

'It's a sobriety chip. It is gold because I've almost been completely free of drugs for two

months now.' El explained quietly, still feeling a little embarrassed that she had merely coins

to show her achievements. Kate sensed this embarrassment and knew exactly what to say.

Holding her hand out, Kate asked gently, 'Can I have a look?'

El passed the coin to her, 'It's not much. I've been locked up for nine months, but only sober

for two of them. All I have to show for any of my accomplishments is a stupid coin.'

Kate tutted quietly, 'You finished secondary school with most of your GCSE's, barring

maths, but you achieved that in college-'

'And college? I went into a course that might have lead me to be a cop, but that's not

happening now-'

'You don't have a criminal conviction.' Kate tried to reassure her, 'In the judicial system,

being sent to a facility to help you kick a habit that you couldn't have helped, it is not a

crime.'

'And having the gun?'

'That charge was dropped.'

'It was?' El sounded genuinely surprised.

Kate was confused by the surprise in El's voice, 'Yeah, the judge dismissed it…I take it, you

zoned out at the hearing?'

El shrugged, 'Even so, all I've got to show for my accomplishments is a sobriety chip-'

'That means that you do have something to show. It means, El, that you have fought your

innermost demons and you continue to do so. You have something to show for your

achievements, and even if- not saying it will happen, but even if you don't get a spot on the

force, I remember how much of a brilliant baker you are.' She smiled ever so slightly,

encouraging El to do the same.

Still, Kate continued on, 'You fought your demons and you came out stronger. We will both

fight this, however long it takes, alright?'

Slowly, but silently, El nodded.

'Come here you.' Kate opened her arms for El to give her a hug and El gratefully accepted

the gesture, wrapping her arms around her mum and burying her head in her shoulder as she

did so, uttering, 'I love you mama.'

Kate was so proud of her, she honestly wondered how she had made it to this point in her life,

but she had never been more proud of her, 'I love you too Squishy.'

El laughed into her mum's shoulder and soon enough, both of them ended up watching TV

together for the rest of the evening. A semblance of normal could begin again.

The following morning, Kate took El out for breakfast at their local greasy spoon cafe. They

both sat opposite each other, both with their plates absolutely loaded with toast, beans, eggs,

mushrooms, tinned tomatoes and more. Kate was sure that she was side-eyed by the waiter

that served them. What the waiter didn't know was that they both had something akin to

super powers, so the energy was well needed. As Kate was sitting there, she couldn't help but

wonder if El had used her powers whilst she was away, but that is also something that she

didn't want to ask. If El was keen to move on, Kate accepted that and did so herself.

El had just gotten down another couple slices of toast when she addressed Kate, 'Have you

heard from Nikki this morning?'

'No baby, no I haven't. Things have been busy at the station recently though, I know what it's

like to be that busy at work. Nikki will contact me when she can.' There was nagging doubt

in Kate's mind, but she didn't let on.

'Do they not tell you what's going on in the force anymore? Insider details?'

'No sweetheart. Technically, I'm not a police officer anymore, so any information that is

NDA, or on a need to know basis, I get told nothing.' Still, Kate was disappointed by this

herself.

'Have you heard from Carmichael recently?'

'You're full of questions this morning.' Kate frowned at her, 'Are you being nosy madam?'

'You know me mom.' El laughed, 'I've got to know everything.'

'Honestly, I used to think teenagers loved gossiping.'

'I am a teenager!' El protested, 'I might not have long left as one, but I still am.'

'Fair enough.' Kate couldn't argue with that, 'But yes, I have heard from Carmichael. She's

on pastures new and your uncle has become Yaz's right hand man.'

'Meaning?'

'Yaz has been promoted to DCS, while Steve has been promoted to DCI.'

'That's amazing!' El grinned, 'What about mom? Is she still a DI?'

'Yaz isn't budging on her position, nor is Steve. They both like being on top of an ivory

tower and your mum? Well, she can only deal with it.' How Kate wished she was still on the

force. She still hoped that one day, Yaz might let her back in. Even Kate didn't know what

she was doing with her life yet. Three hundred years of savings was serving her well in this

situation, but she would much rather not be in a position where she is unemployed like she

was presently.

'You could change careers? Family solicitor? Spy?'

Kate laughed, 'Both of those involve telling the truth, and we both know that I can't do that.'

'Maybe not.' El mused, 'You will think of something mama. We both will. We're both in

similar situations and I'm sure we can help each other out.'

'I'm sure we can poppet.' Kate smiled, 'Finish up your breakfast while I think about what

else we can get up to today.'

It was sometime in the middle of the day that El requested that she be taken to Waterloo

Road. Kate was extremely confused as to why she would want to return to the place given

everything that had happened. She wasn't even sure their presence would be welcomed. Still,

she drove to the school and parked outside.

After they parked, Kate switched off the engine. They both sat in silence for a moment. Kate

could only think to ask El if she really wanted to do this, 'And…If you want me to be with

you-'

El shook her head, 'No, that would just give them reason to cause trouble and I don't want

that.' She shrugged quickly, 'No offence.'

'None taken.' Kate replied, 'I'll be right out here if you need me. Do you remember where

everything is?'

'I've walked those halls many times…I just wish I could do it again, and do it right.' El

sighed to herself but then promptly got out of the car and headed towards the school.

As Kate watched her daughter limp away, she couldn't help but be reminded of her own

recent injury. Her hand darted to her neck, the scar given to her by Max would always be

visible and now that she thought about it, maybe that's what the waiter was looking at earlier,

not just the ferocious appetite the pair had.

Slowly, El walked through the corridors of her former school. Not much had changed in the

slightest, so it was easy for her to recognize where she was. The main corridor was empty

which El took to mean that everyone must be in lesson.

Eventually, she reached the reception area where Janeece was typing away at her computer,

not minding any business to anything around her. When she set her eyes up on El, however,

her attitude changed.

'EL!' Janeece was surprised to see her, 'It feels like years since I saw you last, how have you

been?!'

El shrugged, being nonchalant about her recent struggles, 'Well, I was arrested for possession

of Class A substances and sent to rehab for a crippling drug addiction for the last nine months

that I'm still recovering from.'

Janeece had no idea how to reply. She stammered for a moment, 'Ah well, given what

happened in your life, it's not a surprise really, is it? I mean, at least you're doing well though!

You look great!'

El almost laughed, 'Thanks. Is Miss Mason around?'

'Yeah, she is! Just go right in.' Janeece gestured towards the office door.

El moved forward and gently knocked on Rachel's door. When she entered the room, Rachel

looked like she had seen a ghost.

'El?' She gasped. It was clear that Janeece had forgotten about the meeting currently going

on, as there was another gentleman in the room with her. A tall gentleman with jet black hair.

The gentleman spoke, 'Ah, is this another one of your delinquent pupils Rachel?'

'No, actually um…El is a former student of Waterloo Road.' Rachel tried explaining. She

gave El a small smile, 'How can I help you El, why are you here?'

El brushed her way past the gentleman and made it to Rachel's desk, 'I would like to have a

job…Here.'

'Right.' Rachel laughed sheepishly, 'I'm sure I can find you something here, do you have a

CV, anything like that? Of course, you would need to have a criminal record check before I

let you near any of our pupils here. It's a DBS…Also uhm…' She didn't know how to break

this to her, 'El…It wouldn't be me dealing with your application.'

El frowned, 'But you said I could come to you for anything.'

'Yes, I did, and I would happily look over any CV or job application for you outside of

school but…' Rachel sighed, looking back at the gentleman she had been talking to, 'Max

here is going to be taking my position as head teacher at this school.'

El looked over her shoulder at the man and then laughed, 'Okay…I get a bad feeling about

this guy. Miss Mason, please trust me when I say, the name Max is never good on anyone,

trust me, I should know.'

'That would be Mr Tyler to you young lady, learn some respect.' Mr Tyler replied to her.

Rachel laughed sheepishly, 'Come on now Max, she was just having a joke.'

Mr Tyler then caught on, 'Wait, your name is El? Your sister is Max? The one who was

Ghostface for a bit?'

Now El rolled her eyes, 'Yes, that one, and I'm keen to move on with my life-'

'She killed pupils at this school-'

'Including my brother, let it go.' El protested, 'And don't bother comparing me to my sister-'

Max then got into El's face, 'You may have left school Miss Davidson, but the way you are

talking to me suggests that you are not quite ready for real world antics yet.'

'I'm a nineteen year old who was severely held back at school because my mother made me

disabled after attacking me almost to death. I had to stay in school until I was seventeen years

of age, which was two years ago.' She didn't mention the drug addiction, 'I may have been

slow in development, but I sure as hell make up for that deficit with my intelligence, do not

insult me.' El argued back, 'You're just a man who thinks he can bully his way around a

woman. I have no gender because-'

'Oh, so you're one of those are you? You don't know what gender you are because you're

confused?' Max argued back.

'That's transphobic!' El hissed.

Rachel intervened, 'Yes, it was and I will not tolerate it!'

El looked back at Rachel, 'Give the job to Kim or Tom, not this pathetic excuse for a man.'

Kate had come to check on El, considering how long she was taking. When she walked into

Rachel's office, she did not expect the shouting match she walked in on. El was fighting her

own corner while this man who was a few feet taller than all of the women in the room was

trying and failing to tell El what to do.

Mr Tyler put his hands in his pockets and smiled at El, trying to intimidate her, 'You're just a

scared little girl who never truly got away from the demons, and she never will.' He glanced

down at El's arm and saw scars where needles had been, 'You want to get a job here in my

school? Prove to me that you're clean.'

Immediately, Kate charged at him and threw him against the wall of Rachel's office, 'I beg

your fucking pardon?! How dare you!'

'Oh.' Mr Tyler laughed, 'And here is the infamous liar of a mother, Katherine Fleming. You

really should have got sent down with that cold blooded killer of a daughter that you have.'

'I did, believe it or not, or do you only listen to what you want to hear?' Kate hissed.

'KATE!' Rachel shouted at her, 'He is riling you up because he knows he can.'

El put a hand on her mum's shoulder and tried to reassure her, 'Mama, it's okay. Leave him

be. I'm thicker skinned than he will ever be, I've got this.'

With much reluctance, Kate released her grip from him and went to wait outside to cool off.

Max brushed down his suit and shook his head, 'Your association alone to the killer and that

lying mother of yours would bring negative attention to this school that we don't want or

need. You better be thankful that I'm not calling the police.'

'My mom's are the police, dumbass.' El argued back.

' One of them, lesbians don't exist El. It's like everything in your head when you are up to

your eyes in heroin, it's fantasy.'

El shrugged, 'They seem real to me, they must merely be fantasies to you, which is sickening

and you should be nowhere near a school where young people could be in danger because of

your disgusting rhetoric.'

'You want to go there do you?'

'I can change my gender any time I want Max . Ideology is only wrong when it encourages

hateful rhetoric.' She then looked at Rachel, 'Are you still considering hiring this tosser?'

'No.' Rachel said firmly, looking at Max, 'El is right. Ideology that enforces hateful rhetoric

is not welcome in these walls. We are a community and we are here to teach these children

valuable life lessons. I want you off of my premises now before I call the police, now.'

Max merely glared at El, before leaving, slamming the door behind him. When he passed

Kate in the reception area, he dared to confront her, 'What sort of a mother allows her child

to get away with murder?'

'I've heard it all before.' Kate merely commented, 'Just walk away.'

'You know, that daughter of yours, Eleanor? She's on all sorts of wrong paths. Drugs? LGBT

nonsense? What are you teaching her? If your children weren't too old for it, I would have

called children's services ages ago.' He then had an idea, 'But you have grandchildren, don't

you?'

Max smiled at her, 'Of course you do. I remember now, Nancy Wheeler had children with

Steve didn't she?'

'You're crossing a line, and believe me, I'm being kind, giving you the opportunity to walk

away.'

'Or what Katherine? What will you do?'

Kate punched him in the face a couple of times, knocking him down a peg or two. Max

merely laughed back at her, 'Pathetic excuse for a woman, is that all you've got?'

El stepped outside of the office door and threw Max against the back wall with force using

her powers. She made sure that she scared the hell out of him, forcing his useless body up the

wall so he was literally hovering above them. Slowly, El walked closer to him as an invisible

force began to choke him, 'Threaten my family one more time? If you'd even dare to, I will

snap your neck here and now.'

Both Janeece and Rachel were frozen in both shock and horror. After about a minute or so, El

dropped him, causing a loud thump as he hit the floor. As Max was sputtering and gasping to

get his breath back, as he sat on the floor, he looked up at El with absolute horror, 'You're not

human, are you?'

El crouched down to him. When she looked in his eyes, it was nothing but a blank stare, 'No,

I'm not. If you ever try anything again, I can find you so easily and make your life a living

hell.'

'Why don't you do that to your sister?'

She smirked now, 'Because I know that she is living her own personal hell right now. No one

to talk to her, no letters, calls, visits, nightmares about the victims she has killed? On top of

that, she's human. I don't need to punish her any more, but you? Don't tempt me.'

Max scurried to his feet and left the room, running away as fast as he could.

Rachel had seen enough for one day, 'This is like before. None of you have changed. The

first fights? The brawls?'

Kate shrugged, 'He did have it coming though-'

Rachel looked straight at El, 'I agreed with what Max said about if I were to consider

employing you here…Your name and just by association, it would be bad for the school, but

after seeing…Whatever that was…I cannot ever in my right mind look past that.' She was in

shock, 'Both of you get out now.'

'I just saved your school!' El protested, 'He was an ass and he won't come back.'

'And if he does? With riot vans and the army because you're both…' She looked between

them, 'Extraterrestrials?'

Kate scoffed, 'Who would believe an idiot like him?'

Janeece snuck in, 'Um…I loved all of that. Watching Max getting his arse kicked, amazing.

One problem though…He recorded everything on his phone. He had it in his hand the entire

time.'

Now Kate huffed, 'I know I've dealt with worse…Ill catch up to him.'

'And when you do, don't kill him.' Rachel warned.

'What do you take me for? I won't kill him, I'll just break his arm while I'm getting his phone.

Come on El.' Kate replied, 'It's been nice seeing you both.'

Both Kate and El left, both surprisingly in high spirits despite how this ended. This bonding

was going great, and one hoped it could only get better.

Mom and Daughter

After getting back to the car, Kate closed the door and put the keys in the engine. She then

looked at El, concerned that her rejection of employment and Mr Tyler's attack of insults

would pull her down, 'Are you alright? He was evil-'

El burst out laughing, wiping the blood from her nose with her sleeve, 'Honestly? That was

the best fun I've had in ages. I've heard it all before mama, and Max Tyler had a massive chip

on his shoulder.'

All that Kate now felt was relief, 'You sure?'

'Yeah, absolutely!' El beamed, 'So, where to next? The arcade?'

This was wonderful and refreshing to hear, 'Yeah.' She smiled, now turning on the engine,

'Let's have an afternoon at the arcade. It's about time we had some bonding time.'

The pair put on their seatbelts, both excited to have a wicked afternoon together.

All the while, Max Tyler stood by his car in the carpark watching them closely. His blood

was boiling. With this, he uttered to himself, 'This is far from over.'

Quickly, he pulled his phone from his pocket and made a few calls. His plot for revenge

started now. He had a plan, even if it was not fully formed yet.

On the way to the arcade, El plugged Kate's phone into the stereo and the pair of them spent

the time having a good song and dance on the way there. For once, nothing mattered in the

world and it felt good.

About an hour later, Kate arrived at an arcade after going through lines of traffic and

roadworks. When Kate got out of the car, she had to walk around for a few moments to

stretch her legs.

El stood watching her on the opposite side of the car, 'Feeling old mama?' Her face then lit

up with a cheeky grin.

'You try getting to my age Mrs, believe me , I hear of twenty year olds complaining of back

pain, try being my age.' She laughed. A moment later, she opened the driver side door and

grabbed her black hoodie. After locking the car, she joined El, 'Right, air hockey or ten pin?'

'Which one can I beat your ass at?' El laughed, 'Old lady.'

Kate put her arm around El's shoulder and pulled her close, 'You absolute minx. Right, come

on then.'

The pair headed into the arcade, and as they both walked in, Kate waited for El to choose

what she wanted to do first. Before they did anything, El stopped to put her noise canceling

earbuds in and then she continued on, 'Mama?'

'Yes, sweetheart?'

'I really don't know what to play first…' El looked around at all the flashing equipment. The

place was clustered with various machines, it seemed a bit overwhelming.

Kate too looked around and her gaze landed on a claw machine, 'We could do a claw

machine?'

El shrugged. Not that fun.

'Okay um…' Kate considered it for a moment, 'Air hockey? I mentioned it outside but…'

'You really want to do a round of air hockey, don't you?' El giggled, 'Child.' She then walked

in the direction of the air hockey table.

Kate was flabbergasted, 'Excuse me?' But El had already vanished. Eventually, Kate caught

up to her, 'Madam, I will have you know-'

El had already put coins in the machine, 'I'm red, you're blue.'

'But-' Kate was taken back, El was so quick witted, she wondered where it had come from.

Still, Kate accepted her marching orders and went to her end of the table.

'And no using your powers, okay? You cheat.' El laughed.

'I beg your pardon-'

El was quick on the mark, already scoring a goal with the puck whilst her mother was

distracted. She actually found it hilarious that her mum was struggling to keep up.

'Alright madam, you've asked for this.' Kate grabbed the puck and put it on the table. The

pair of them were back and forth, stuck in concentration as they tried to win this game. The

puck slid back and forth across the table with some speed and Kate was having to work

double time to keep El away from scoring a goal.

Eventually, Kate got one, and El was quick off the mark. Never had the two of them been so

competitive. It was another five minutes that passed by and Kate eventually scored a second

goal, leaving El behind by one point.

'Yes! For once I have beaten you at this game!' Kate laughed. She was breathless. The pair of

them were, that game had been a tough one.

'Alright smart ass, that was just lucky.' El laughed, 'Okay mama so next…Where are we

going?'

'You let me know.' Kate smiled. El walked, or rather, she limped ahead. Some scars would

never truly fade from the past. Of course, Kate knew that people stared at the burns on her

face and now the scar on her neck, but she wore the scars with pride. They showed what she

had overcome, and if El had this much strength to continue to beat her drug addiction and to

come back from what Jo did to her, Kate knew she could do the same.

El had wandered over to a slot machine full of two pence pieces, and though she knew the

likelihood of winning anything was extremely low, she still wanted to play on it. Looking

down into the glass case, watching a slider go back and forth, she found it a bit mesmerizing.

Turning around to Kate, she asked her, 'Do you have a two pound coin?'

Kate searched her pockets and instead of a two pound coin, she found two one pounds, 'Here

you go. I don't have a single two quid, but these should do.'

'Thanks.' El replied. She then headed off to a coin converter so she could get the same

amount in two pence pieces that she had in the two coins she already had.

While she did this, Kate looked around and went to a claw machine. In the machine were

some plushies. She may have been a few centuries old, but she was a sucker for little teddies,

and she wanted to bring something back for Nikki. That reminded her, she hadn't brought up

to El that she and Nikki were getting their vows renewed in two months time.

Standing opposite the glass and using the joystick, Kate tried to use the claw to grab the little

dog with a pink heart stitched to the centre of its chest.

Meanwhile, El had grabbed a tub for her two pounds in two pence coins and placed it at the

bottom where the coins would come out. After she had gathered her coins, she wandered over

to where her mum was. She wasn't even halfway there when Kate gave in and used her

powers to force the claw to grab the toy she wanted.

El knew instantly what her mum had done when she saw the toy drop into the collection box.

She wandered over and uttered, 'You cheat.'

Quickly, Kate wiped her nose and shrugged, all the while, trying not to smirk, 'I don't know

what you mean. I won that fair and square.' She crouched down and grabbed the stuffed toy,

'I got this for Nikki.'

'Uh-huh, and you won that fairly, did you? Then why did you wipe your nose?' El grinned,

'Cheat.'

'It's not like you haven't in the past-'

'Mom, I'm discreet, unlike you.' El laughed, 'There are other claw machines around if you

want to continue being an absolute child.'

'Girl- Let's go and do some child equivalent of gambling on slot machines, yeah? Child. '

Kate smiled at her then, 'Go on.'

El walked over to the slot machine and spent her coins, all the while Kate was watching,

catching any coins that came out of the machine.

After a fun afternoon at the arcade, Kate took El to a restaurant. She did consider taking her

home, but she wanted to cherish these moments, and to tell her about the wedding that was

coming soon. She and Nikki had waited long enough, they wanted to make it official, or

rather, Kate wanted to make it official whilst Nikki was still having an affair with Jo behind

her back.

Kate couldn't wait to get married and she hoped that El would be okay with it.

After ordering their dinner, Kate dropped Nikki a message letting her know that she had

taken El out.

Once the food had arrived, Kate watched as El's eyes lit up. In front of her was a nice steak

while Kate had opted for the more traditional fish and chips with a glass of coke for a soft

drink, El too had the same.

They were most of the way through eating when Kate brought the subject up, 'What do you

think about me and Nikki getting married again? I know we got engaged but-'

Everything came back to El. The fact that she knew about the affair that was still going on.

Still, as much as she wanted to tell her, she still couldn't find it in herself to do so. Her

chewing slowed and El considered her answer, 'You still love her?'

'Yes, very much so.' Kate replied, 'And…You know, I will always be your mum, so will Jo.

None of that changes.'

'I know how marriage works mom…' El replied, 'If you love her, do it.'

She hoped that if Nikki married Kate, maybe her affair with Jo would end, but then, that also

could never be guaranteed, 'Mama…I don't know anything about love or marriage or

anything like that but…I did love Robbie…He destroyed me, but he showed me that what he

did to me? That wasn't love.' She then added something which she found hard to say, 'You

and Nikki are perfect for each other. Just do it.'

'Thing is…The wedding is booked for two months' time.' Kate added.

El almost choked on her cola, 'Two months? Since when?'

'Since we planned it six months ago…' Kate frowned, 'Are you sure you're okay with this?'

'Mom.' El said softly, 'Marry the woman. You love her, stop seeking approval from me. If

you love her, follow your heart.'

Kate smiled nervously, 'Thank you poppet.'

'Can we have dessert too?'

Now Kate laughed, 'You, always thinking about your stomach.'

In all truth, El was keen to move on from the subject of a wedding. Nancy had told her all

those months ago to tell her mum about the affair and she still couldn't bring herself to do it.

Nancy would be so pissed if the wedding came and nothing got said, but El didn't want to be

the one to break her mother's heart. Little did she know, that she had very little choice, she

was going to have to break her heart regardless.

Hey

Once they had returned home, Kate followed El through the door. When El walked through

to the living room, she was surprised to see Skye sitting on the sofa just colouring away in

her colouring book while Nancy was changing Thomas on the sofa.

El froze in place, it had been such a long time since she saw Nancy last, and with the affair

being the ever present thought in her mind and the fact she hadn't told anyone, it became

daunting.

'Alright Nancy?' Kate greeted her, 'How are my beautiful grandbabies doing?'

Nancy smiled as Kate came to sit opposite Skye on the floor, 'They have been rascals all day.

Nursery was good for Skye though, she had a good day with all of her friends.'

Kate beamed with happiness, 'That's great!'

El was still standing by the door, having no idea what to say, 'Hey Nancy.'

'Hey El.' Nancy merely greeted her. The reception was a little cold. This was something Kate

and Nancy had spoken about. Yes, Nancy fully understood El's struggle with drugs, but she

couldn't get past the possibility of her children ever having gotten a hold of them. Still, Nancy

pushed on, giving El a small smile, 'Welcome home.'

Kate watched the pair interact while she remained crossed legged on the floor beside Skye.

She watched as Nancy got to her feet after changing Thomas and then she looked back at

Kate, 'You don't mind watching the kids for a minute, do you Kate?'

'Course not, they're safe with me.'

Nancy gave her a smile and then turned to El, 'I want to talk with you in private, please.'

There was no argument. El slowly nodded and headed up the stairs to her room. When Nancy

got there too, she closed the door behind her.

Now they were face to face, Nancy crossed her arms, 'I'm glad that you're back and that you

are healthy, that's the main priority.' She said softly, 'And I'm so glad you have made it two

months sober, you've got to keep going soldier.'

El nodded slowly and stared down at the floor, 'Thanks.'

Nancy took a breath and sighed, 'After you were taken…We found a stash of LSD in the

cupboard downstairs.'

El's eyes widened, ' Shit, Nancy, I am so so sorry.'

'I don't want you to be sorry El. Before all this, you promised me that you would never touch

drugs again, especially because of the kids, and I believed you.' Nancy was struggling with

this, 'There is every chance that you could fall off the wagon and have this happen again…

So…From now on, I have asked that your mom's check up on you to make sure that you don't

have anything on you that could harm the kids.'

Nancy stepped further into El's space and she made sure that El knew where she stood,

putting her foot down, 'If my children ever get harmed or taken from me because of your

own stupidity? I would make sure that you never get to see them again, do you understand

me Eleanor?'

El's gaze snapped up at her then, 'You don't get to call me that-'

'Do you have any drugs on you now?'

El scoffed, 'Two months sober and just released from rehab, do you really think-'

'Show me your bag then. My kids are downstairs and I need to know that they are safe.'

Nancy warned her.

Taking her bag from her shoulder, El gave it over to Nancy. After watching Nancy search

after a minute or so, El was eventually given her bag back, 'You can't blame me for being

cautious.'

'Bag searches undermine my own trust in you and anyone else who tries-'

'Talking of trust, Kate still doesn't know about Jo and Nikki yet, does she? There's two

months until the wedding-'

'And I'll tell her when it's right.' El sneered. She then ran down the stairs and came back into

the living room, aiming her frustrations at Kate, 'Bag searches really?!'

'Eh, that's not my rules!' Kate snapped back. She then got to her feet and addressed her

properly, 'But…' She sighed, 'After you have been anywhere, I will have to do a drugs wipe

on you.'

Now El laughed, 'No one trusts me!'

Kate walked over to her and placed her hands on her shoulders, 'No, no, it's not trust, it's

about keeping you off of them…It is about keeping you safe from yourself, and for me to

know that if and when you have had drugs, I will be able to know and we can talk about why

you took them…This isn't about control El, it is about everyone's safety.'

Though El wasn't too keen on the idea, she could see where Kate was coming from, 'It's to

keep everyone safe?'

'Yes sweetheart.' Kate commented. She thought of a compromise, 'How about, let's make

this fairer, if I have any reason to suspect that you've had drugs, then I can test you?'

Nancy scoffed, 'Why are you compromising?'

'Because I, like you, know what's best for my kids.' Kate replied, 'Trust the process.'

'One son dead and the other in jail is all I'm saying.' Nancy uttered.

Kate rolled her eyes. Instead of replying, she pulled El into her arms and gave her a hug, 'I

don't want to do things that will push you away sweetheart. I'd never want that.' Her gaze

then landed on Nancy once more, 'Please trust me on this.'

Though Nancy wasn't sure about any of this, she dropped her tough act and gave in, 'Fine…I

suppose I can try and trust the process.'

'Thank you.' Kate replied quietly. She then took a breath and pulled away from El, 'I would

get dinner on for me and El, but we ate while we were out…I could put some fish fingers in

for Skye and you if you wanted Nance?'

'No, thank you. I told Mom I would meet her with Mike in town with the kids, thank you

though.' Nancy appeared a little too keen to get out of there but Kate wasn't going to stop her.

After she had left, Kate looked over at El, 'So…We need to go to Jasmine's-'

El groaned, 'Must we? I've had such a good day with you, do we have to go?'

Kate raised her brows, 'Yes, your mother needs to see you and I don't want to get it in the

neck that you haven't seen her yet.'

'When are we going?'

'Now, if you want?'

El grabbed her phone from the charger and walked straight past Kate, 'Come on mama.'

Breathing a small sigh, Kate followed after her. She knew that El seeing her mum again

might get eventful, and she also had a jealous Jasmine to still deal with.

It seemed that no matter what Kate said to Jasmine, she couldn't help but feel jealous

whenever either she or Nikki were near. Kate understood that she was protective, but she

seemed far too protective for her liking.

At times Kate found herself wondering about the day that Jo said that she didn't love Jasmine,

and she wondered how they were still together if that were the case? Her reasoning as to why

they didn't was because they sorted it out, and she was glad that they did sort it.

The jealous streak that Jasmine often showed wasn't very becoming of her though.

It was a roundabout dinner time when El and Kate arrived at Jo and Jasmine's place for

dinner. Of course upon leaving the car, El had become apprehensive about seeing her mum

after such a long time. Though when she walked through the front door, she was greeted by

the smell of a dinner that Jasmine had been making. It all seemed very homely, the smell of

home-cooked food made El feel at ease.

Kate was a little apprehensive herself, But not for the same reasons as her daughter. Instead,

coming face to face with Jo was fine, Kate, just didn't fancy the earful off Jasmine and her

jealous streak that seemed to Kate To be for no reason at all, that's what had baffled her for

such a long time when she hadn't done anything wrong herself, Jasmine knew that she and

Nikki were getting married which is why she didn't understand the constant jealousy, when

there's nothing to be jealous of.

El walked steadily through to the front room where Jo was standing in front of the fireplace.

It was clear she didn't want El to feel uncomfortable, but El didn't know if coming into a

room where everyone was sitting would make her feel more comfortable. Though she had a

massive grudge against her mother, she couldn't help but miss her. Nine months without Jo

was horrible. Having Kate by her side made it bearable, but she chose on purpose not to see

Jo, just because of the affair.

When Jo set her gaze upon her daughter, it was very clear to her how much she had grown in

that space of time. The way she held herself was different, and she seemed a little more

introverted than usual. Giving her a small smile, Jo greeted her, 'Hey Eleanor…You look

great sweetheart.'

El was extremely nervous. She gave her mum a nervous smile and replied to her, 'You look

great too…' She decided to lighten the mood, 'You're a bit more gray compared to the last

time we saw each other.' A smile followed.

Jo picked up immediately that El was making fun of her, but made light of it anyway, 'I will

have you know that I am forty five years young, young lady.'

Kate acted like she was clearing her throat but corrected her, 'Forty eight.'

Jo's gaze flickered straight back to Kate, 'Alright grandma, says you!'

'I don't have any gray hairs Jo, I am eternally young.' Kate had the most angelic innocent

look on her face that El could be fooled into believing that her parents were still happily

married together. This illusion was shattered, however, when Jasmine walked through the

door. Instantly, El saw the playful, innocent nature of their conversation drop instantly.

'Hey El!' Jasmine greeted her, 'How are you? It's been a while, I don't think you've ever

actually visited mine and Jo's home in all the time you've known me.'

'I've been a little occupied.' El shrugged. She forced herself to remember that it wasn't

Jasmine that she had a problem with, it was Jo, 'But, whatever you're having for dinner

smells great.'

Quickly, El joined Kate on the sofa, sitting right beside her. The sofa was two seated, while

Jo sat in another two seater just next to her on the left.

Jasmine was glad to hear this, 'Well, if you're hungry, there is plenty left-' Quickly, Jasmine

got two different comments, first came El saying that she would love to, whilst Kate was

making excuses that they had to be home for Nikki coming home.

Jo raised her brows. She sensed a tension between them but couldn't figure out for the life of

her what it was, 'Are you okay Kate?'

Kate nodded, 'Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Anyway.' She tried to sound a little more chirpy, 'I'm

sure El would love to spend more time with you, and I would love to see more of you round

our place -' Quickly, she realized that she had put her foot in it from Jasmine's perspective,

and she tried to recover it, 'Nancy hasn't seen you for a few weeks since you and Karen got

into a spat-'

'A spat?' Jasmine asked, 'Is that what you are calling it now? It's clear you both still fancy

the knickers off of each other, don't let me stop you.'

'See, this is why I don't like talking to you, you're constantly threatened by me when I haven't

touched her in years- no pun intended.' Kate quickly argued back.

But El did know who Jo was touching. El took control of the argument, and looked squarely

at Jasmine, 'You've had this jealousy thing going on for how long now?'

Kate uttered, 'Years.'

Jasmine hesitated, 'I don't -'

El raised her brows, 'You and mom have been married for what? Four, five years?'

'Yes.'

'Right, have you ever actually caught Mom doing anything? Or are you looking for someone

to put your attention into? First, you were accusing her and Nikki sleeping together which

never happened.' Now she knew she was lying, but she wanted the arguing to stop, 'I know

because I was always there. Movie nights? Mama and I slept on the floor in sleeping bags on

an air mattress while Nikki went to bed up stairs every time . There were no private meetups

because all of this? It is in your head!'

El got to her feet and walked over to her, 'Mom wouldn't cheat on you, and she never has.

She never slept with mama either! They both had wobbles before you and Jo married, but

since then, they have been faithful on both sides . The only person I would question is you.'

Kate and Jo looked between each other, both wondering what the hell was going on here. It

made Jo question if Jasmine was having an affair when it had been her having an affair the

entire time when Jasmine had done nothing but be faithful.

That made Jo feel guilty.

Jasmine was speechless, 'But…I've never cheated, I've never broken any vow because they

are sacred.'

'And neither have they. Jo loves you utterly and completely. Doesn't all that suspicion just

drain you? All that paranoia?' El shrugged, and spoke to her softly, 'Let it go Jasmine

because I can promise you, nothing has ever happened between her and Nikki.'

El then turned to Jo, 'This isn't about causing another argument over trust either. I don't

blame her considering you and mama have cheated on each other before, but this is different.'

Jo was going to speak, but she was put in her place.

'Now, we will always be open with each other, because I can't be doing with anymore of this

jealous stuff.' El then took Jo's hand and looked her in the eye, 'You've always been faithful,

haven't you?'

Kate knew that a long time ago that Jo was having doubts about her love of Jasmine, but with

a jealousy streak going on this long, it didn't surprise her in the slightest.

El guided Jasmine's hand to Jo's. Jo took Jasmine's hand and looked up into her eyes and she

promised her that there never had been anyone else.

A lie that would come back to haunt every single one of them.

The Clear Out

That following Saturday, Kate got bored of sitting around, once again. Both she and El had

gotten bored of watching films and mind-numbing television. Kate had seen the birth of

television, yet she was amazed by how there wasn't anything to watch. Tossing the remote to

the side and exhaling loudly, El looked over at her mum and then she looked at some of the

heirlooms on the fireplace.

'What time did you say mom was coming over?' El asked innocently.

Kate looked at her watch, 'Nikki and your mum should be home in the next five to ten

minutes, why?'

'Have you ever actually had a clear out? Three hundred years…You must have a lot of stuff

up there, in the attic, I mean?'

Kate frowned, 'You're after something, aren't you?'

'No, I'm just bored and I want to do something.' El shrugged, 'And while we are looking

around at all your junk, maybe we could do a car boot sale?'

Kate laughed, 'El, believe me , even I don't want to go up there.'

'And that gives you even more reason to.' El replied in a tone that sounded like it should be

the most obvious thing in the world, 'And when mom gets here, we could all go up into the

attic and have a clear out, so that we can go to the car boot sale tomorrow.'

'And why would I want a car boot sale when I have enough in savings?'

El raised her brows, 'Alright, old lady, now you're just showing off. We do it because it's fun,

and it allows some bonding time between all of us, plus, Nancy is coming too.'

This was a shock that had Kate sit up immediately, 'Nancy?! How did you manage to get into

her good books?'

'I didn't, she just wants some company because her own mom is driving her insane.'

'Points for honesty, I suppose.' Kate uttered under her breath, 'But what about your mum? Is

Jasmine okay with her coming over, or is she coming to watch and make sure that no

shenanigans goes on?'

El rolled her eyes, 'Now you're being an ass. Come on mom!'

Reluctantly, Kate got to her feet, 'Alright, I'm coming!'

It was then that El had a smile on her face, 'Do we need a ladder to get up there?'

'No, this place came with a ladder installed…I don't have as much junk as you think, you

know? Most of it went up in flames when your mother's place was burned to the ground.'

'Well, that was silly.'

'Little Miss Sarcastic over here.' Kate laughed, 'Come on then, you're so keen to get this

place sorted, get your arse up the stairs and I'll join you. I just need to message Nikki first.

Go on, shift.'

El continued on her way up the stairs, tripping up the fourth one as she went. Though she

cursed at herself, she continued up. When she reached the doorway to the attic, standing

beneath it, she used her powers to open it up. It was safe to say that she was up there way

before Kate was. Upon entering the place, she turned on the light with a string that was

dangling just to the left of her. When she looked ahead of her, she saw various Christmas

decorations scattered around the place, and there were boxes dotted around the place.

This was going to be fun.

Kate joined El a few minutes later. When she finally got up there, she saw that four boxes had

already been opened, and El was sitting on the floor, playing with an old Nintendo-64. It very

much reminded her of when she would force the kids to throw some of their things out

because they had too much. When they found something interesting to play with, it would be

game over. Getting them to clear the room out would become another challenge. It was upon

seeing this that Kate realised that she should take a leaf out of her own book.

'You found my old Nintendo then?'

'Even better, it works.' El replied, 'God, these video games are awful compared to what we

have now.'

Kate raised her brows, 'And yet, there you are, sucked into the game. What is it that you are

playing?'

'Um..I wasn't paying attention when I turned it on.' El replied.

Kate then became even more confused with something, 'How were you able to plug it in and

turn it on?'

'There is a plug socket in the wall, and I found the bulky TV hiding under some very dusty

sheets .'

Fair. Kate thought, 'I'm surprised any of them work.' She walked over and crouched beside

the console so as not to obscure El's view of the television, 'The way to find out what the

game is, is by taking the cartridge out and checking.'

'Cartridge? It is not a printer.' El scoffed.

Kate couldn't help but stifle a laugh, 'Remember when you had those Nintendo DSI's?'

'I do.' El paused the game, 'I loved the blue one you got for me.'

'Well, you remember that you slotted the game in the back?'

El nodded, 'Yeah.'

'That was a cartridge.' Kate explained, 'At the time, you still had discs for your Playstation,

I'm not sure about now though.'

El stifled her own laughter, 'You make me sound ancient.'

'Girl.' Kate laughed, 'You haven't seen anything yet.'

Just then they were both interrupted by Jo shouting up to them, 'Are you both up here?!'

Kate looked over her shoulder and called back, 'Yes we are! Is Nikki with you?'

Jo started climbing up the ladder and replied, 'She's right behind me.'

A couple of seconds later, both Jo and Nikki emerged into the attic. Both of them seemed

pretty surprised.

'I don't think I've been up here before.' Jo commented, looking around. Her eyes landed on

the television that El was using to play the Nintendo 64 through, 'God, I haven't seen one of

them since the eighties.'

'And you were, how old in the eighties?' El asked.

'I was a wee one in the eighties, I'll have you know.'

Nikki took advantage of this, 'She means that she was probably five…Or seven.'

'And you Nikki?' El asked, 'I refuse to believe that I am surrounded by ancient idiots. The

eighties were…Fifty years ago, right?' There was a cheeky grin forming on her face now.

'Katherine, our child is comparing us to the Egyptians.' Jo played along, finding this

incredibly funny.

'Close.' El retorted, 'You only just missed out on the Roman Empire by a few years, mom on

the otherhand-'

Kate crossed her arms, 'Yes?'

El shrugged, 'You may as well have been there at the dawn of human civilisation, fossil.'

Nikki couldn't help but laugh, ' The Ageism is strong in here.'

'And that's why we are up here.' El continued, 'Mom needs help clearing out some of her

ancient junk so we can take it to a car boot sale tomorrow.'

'That is actually fair.' Nikki replied, 'I'm surprised the ceiling hasn't fallen through with the

amount of stuff in here.'

'Hey!' Kate groaned, ' I am a very sentimental person.'

'And a hoarder.' Jo replied, 'Imagine how much of a fortune you have in here. That telly

must be worth what?'

El interjected, 'Ten pence. It's worth that. The Nintendo? Thirty quid at most.'

Jo grabbed her phone and quickly checked on Ebay, 'The telly is actually worth about fifty to

seventy quid. The Nintendo…Roundabout forty to fifty.'

'Gold mine.' Nikki replied, 'This place is just full of awesome stuff I'd imagine.'

El got to her feet and took charge, 'Mom's, Nikki…I think it's time we got to work.'

Kate wasn't ready for this. The amount of stuff that she had was unbelievable. The amount of

dust that would be kicked up from taking sheets off of things would be even worse, but either

way, all of the women got to work. The first time that they had ever worked together without

arguing. El found that to be a blessing.

Throughout, Nikki found Walkman's, a 1950s jukebox and Kate's on ugly mug collection

that was hidden away in a box. Even Jo found herself commenting that it was definitely

something the Doctor would collect too.

They were doing this for about an hour and a half until Nancy arrived. When Nancy arrived,

Kate dropped everything and called this a tea break. Jo commented, 'Yeah, I'm parched, all

this dust has gotten into my throat.'

El merely grumbled, 'Really?'

'You can't avoid Nancy forever Eleanor, come on.' Kate said to her, 'She still loves you, even

if right now she's still a bit angry with you.' This was going to take some coaxing, 'How

about I make you waffles after you have your dinner?'

'Eggos?' El asked.

Nikki and Jo stared back at Kate, as if they were seeing how long it would take for her to

give in. Eventually, Kate caved, 'Yes, I'll get you Eggos. Let's all go and see Nancy, and our

wonderful grandkids.'

Just then, El had a thought. She grabbed Kate's arm, 'Mama…I know we haven't because of

obvious reasons but…Seems as everyone is here…Why don't we go into Steve's room? None

of us have been in there since..' She looked down, 'Well, since he died..All of this clearing

out? That sometimes means a fresh slate..I'm not saying that we clear his room, not in the

slightest..' She looked up at her mum again, and saw that Kate had tears in her eyes at the

thought. Still, El looked between Kate, Jo and Nikki, 'We need to do it at some point…We

are all together today, why don't we?'

Kate shook her head, 'I don't think I'm ready to do that yet.'

'And you might never be ready.' El replied, 'But…We have to let him go at some point,

right? Not his memory, but the strong feeling of regret of the things that we should have

done. That can't be changed now. We all…We need to start moving forward, not on because

that suggests forgetting. We can move forward with Steve in our lives, letting go of what has

been weighing everyone down the last few years.'

Though she could see the uncertainty in everyone's eyes, she could see that they were

listening, 'Mama…You are never going to forget him, opening his door…It will be very

emotional because of obvious reasons…But we are all together…We should do it together, as

a family.'

Kate gave her a small smile. She of all people knew that El meant well. Eventually, she gave

her a small nod and swallowed the lump in her throat, 'Let's all have a break, and we can talk

about it together, yeah?'

El nodded, 'Yeah. Let's do that.'

When Kate turned to look at Nikki and Jo, she could also see the hurt and uncertainty in their

eyes. There was a small shrug, 'El is right..We have to let all of this weight go…And, we are

together, all of us…'

Jo nodded with a small smile, meeting Kate's gaze. She felt the spark between them. It wasn't

love or lust, it was of mutual respect and bond between them as parents to Steve. The time

would never be right, but El was right. If they were to start a new slate, why not do it while

everyone was together?

Nikki, however, couldn't find it in herself to do it. Nikki understood that Jo and Kate were his

parents so she didn't have a say, but as Steve's best friend, she couldn't find it within her at

this moment to do that, 'I uh…I get where the three of you are coming from..Jo..Kate, he was

your son, you should both do this together, but…I was one of Steve's best friends, and he was

mine…' She took a breath, 'Respectfully, I will not join you in this, but the four of you.

Nancy, El, Kate and you Jo, you were all his family. I do not feel right being there…'

'And that's okay.' Kate replied, with the smallest of reassuring smiles, 'You don't have to be

if you don't want to, but I think…If Jo and El are ready…We should run it past Nancy and

we will do it together alright?'

Jo replied softly, 'That's alright with me.'

Kate took a breath, and brought them back into the present, 'What were you saying about a

cuppa, Jo?'

Jo laughed then, 'I'll get the kettle on.' She then headed to the ladders and headed down

along with Nikki.

Before she left, Kate gave El a hug, holding her tightly, 'I love you El, you know that?'

'I think I could hear it a bit more.' El smirked. She then looked up into her mother's eyes, 'I

love you too.'

The pair stayed like this for a few more moments before the pair of them headed down to see

Nancy.

Letting Go

After having made three cups of tea, Kate handed Jo hers, and then she handed one to Nancy.

The last cup was for herself, while Nikki excused herself from the situation. Nancy had

wondered what was up, but Kate found herself being the one nominated to let Nancy know

what the plan was. As Kate leaned back against the kitchen counter, she couldn't help but

wonder where the children were, 'Is your mum looking after Thomas and Skye?'

Nancy nodded, 'We might have fallen out again , but she still has every right to see her

grandchildren.'

'I never disputed it.' Kate commented. She took a sip from her cup of tea and then put it

beside her. She sensed that Nancy knew something was up, so she put her out of her misery,

'Listen Nancy, um…We…' She gestured between herself, Jo and El, 'We have decided that

now would be the right time to go into Steve's room…'

Nancy's heart sank immediately. The same trepidation that Jo and Kate had minutes prior

when El brought the subject up, she was now feeling. It was a large step given that it had only

been two years since he passed. She really didn't know how to feel about it, 'Isn't it…A little

early? I mean, no offense to anyone, but we only buried him a couple of years ago…I don't

think I am ready for that.'

'Will you ever be?' Kate asked her gently, 'I don't think any of us here will ever be ready to

enter his room…We know Nancy…We know the weight of this, but El made a good point.

Since he died, all of us have been carrying this weight around with us, and it has burdened us

for long enough.'

Nancy had many thoughts going through her mind right now. Many what if's were whirring

about in her brain, it was visible.

Jo was sitting on the arm of the sofa in the living room. Though Jo was not vocal as many

things these days, she knew when to speak up, and this was one of those moments, 'Just

because we open that door, it doesn't mean that we forget and move on..It just means that we

have let him go, properly .'

Nancy knew they meant well, but it was a struggle even for her, 'I don't…I don't think I

could.'

El had an idea. She moved from the counter she was sitting at, and she came to sit beside

Nancy, 'How do you feel when you think of him?' Then, she looked around at everyone, 'All

of us, we will take it in turns. Right now, with his door being closed, what is it that we feel?'

Gesturing towards herself, then looking at the floor, El explained how she felt, 'I feel that he

is still with us…He always will be..But right now, there is this…This kind of elephant in the

room like…He is waiting for us to get over our grievances…I feel that he wants us to let him

go, but he can't because he knows that we all still share a pain that is still very much an open

wound.'

Kate and Jo looked between each other. They both knew exactly what she meant, but it was

hard to digest it. They both knew that if they were to move past it, they'd need to talk about

it.

Still, El continued on, 'He knows now that we are safe…But there is something we all share

that is keeping him here…I'm not like…A spiritualist or anything like that..But look at what

has happened these last two years, and still…Everyone blames each other, and it has gone on

far too long. We all know who killed him, and the person that did it is behind bars…We need

to stop blaming each other now…' El swallowed the lump in her throat now, 'We need to let

it go and give him the peace he deserves.'

Nancy took El's hand. Throughout listening to her, she understood where she was coming

from, even if it was hard to listen to, 'How about you, with your drug addiction, sorry to ask,

if it's still sore to talk about.'

El squeezed Nancy's hand gently to assure her that she hadn't said anything wrong, 'I look

back at that now and…Again, it was just pain that had festered inside of me..I had therapy

after going away and lots of it.' She laughed sheepishly, 'I blamed myself for not doing more,

and I think that if we go around each other, we will find exactly that. We blame each other for

him dying because we all feel we could have done something.'

Kate couldn't help but scoff to herself as she looked down at her mug of tea. This gained

everyone's attention. El wasn't going to brush it off, 'Go on mama, you next. What do you

feel about Steve?'

Kate shrugged. Her eyes were red, the guilt was evident on her face, 'If this is about blame…

We all know who is to blame really and I served time for it too.'

Immediately, El could see where this was going, 'Mama, think about it before you go off-'

'No, I served time for what happened, I am to blame for what happened to him-'

'You're not.' El stated, 'You served time in jail because you broke the law in hiding and

fabricating evidence in the case. Were you charged and sent to jail for murder?'

'No.' Kate replied flatly.

'Were you the one yielding the knife that killed him? Did you put the blade through him?'

'No.'

'So you didn't kill him.' El laughed, 'None of us in this room killed my brother, we were not

directly responsible for his death. Sure, we can blame each other all we want like we have

been doing for the rest of our lives, but that isn't going to help anyone.'

'I still blame myself though…If I hadn't-'

El slowly approached Kate now. When she did finally reach her, she took both of her hands

into her own and met her sorrowful gaze with a small smile, 'You made some very stupid

mistakes that you can't change now. Let it go mom, trust me , you will start to feel better.

You, you, you served your time for what you did, you have been punished enough. You and I

both know that Steve would argue the heck with you and tell you to drop it.' She laughed,

'Wouldn't he? He would tell you to stop being silly and move on with your life.'

'He would yeah.' Kate managed to laugh now. It felt a lot better being able to let it go, never

had she been able to let go of something like this, but she was because she knew that El was

talking all sorts of sense right now, 'Since when did you become the voice of common sense

and reason?'

'Since I realised that all of the guilt and hurt…It doesn't serve us any good…It only causes us

to fight and even then, that isn't good for anyone is it? If we are to go into his room, we do it

with happy thoughts, no negativity.' El turned to Jo, 'I know you blame yourself because you

were in charge of the case to begin with…It was out of your control, and you need to let it

go.'

'It's not just Steve sweetheart. I blame myself for what I did to you too.' Jo smiled sadly,

'You've told me so many times that you're okay and that you're fine with it, but I can't find it

in me to forgive myself.'

Now El walked over to her and took her hands into her own, 'Mama…How many times do I

have to tell you? I've regained most of my normal speech, my memory is a little off some

days and I have a permanent limp, but I am alive, and I am happy…' She then hugged her,

'Please, for the love of everything that is holy, let it go mama.'

Jo enjoyed having El in her arms, it had been such a long time since she had hugged her, and

it felt so nice to have her daughter in her arms again. So much so that she gave her an extra

squeeze as she held onto her.

As Kate and Nancy watched on, the pair of them were feeling a lot better about the situation,

but even Nancy knew that El hadn't gotten to her yet. This was therapy in action, and she was

very good at it.

Before El pulled away from Jo, she gave her a kiss on the cheek and met her gaze, 'Let it go

because I'm fine and I'm happy, that is what is important. I love you mama.'

'And I love you too.' Jo smiled back at her. The pride that went between her and Kate right

now was unlike anything they'd ever felt before, but it was so wholesome and lovely to see

after everything.

Finally, El came to sit back next to Nancy, 'I gave you some extra time to think about it.

What are your thoughts about Steve? Your regrets? Guilt? Spill.'

Nancy scoffed, 'Well…I…I wish that he was here to see his kids grow up…That's never

going to happen…'

'But.' El added, 'You're allowed to mourn that.'

Kate and Jo looked between each other with shock then. They were not expecting that

response. It became clear to them the career path she could take, unfortunately, unbeknownst

to them, the near future would shatter that idea.

Nancy felt comfortable enough now to just spill, 'Do I let that one thing weigh me down?'

El shook her head, 'When I say mourn, I mean, it can't weigh you down, think of it the

opposite way. Celebrate what you had with him, the kids are part of his legacy, he is with you

every day. I'm not saying that you can't miss him god no . You can miss him to your heart's

content, but add in the memories you had with him. For example, there isn't a day that goes

by where I don't miss him, but I think about the fun times we had together, because it makes

the weight lighter.'

Nancy gave her a small smile then, 'But..I let him leave the house that day…He was going to

meet Jo, shouldn't I feel bad about that?'

El now looked between both her and Jo, 'Did either of you know that Max was going to

strike that day?'

Both Nancy and Jo replied in unison, 'No.'

'Then let it go. It was out of your control, you weren't to know, so let it go.' Her gaze fixed

on Jo, and her voice softened, 'You didn't know, so you've got to let it go. We remember

Steve for the wonderful guy he was, brother, dad and all the bits in between.'

A lump formed in El's throat then and she looked down, 'I just hope that if he were here now,

he would be telling me that I was doing the right thing.' There was sorrow in her own voice

now, but Jo, Kate and Nancy all joined her. The three of them came to give El a hug and they

embraced each other around her.

As Kate embraced her, she imagined Steve in the doorway, leaning on the frame with his

arms crossed, with a smile on his face telling her, 'You've made me proud Squishy.'

'You made him proud.' Kate assured El. All the while there was not a dry eye in the room.

All had been forgiven between them, and all of this with El's help, 'I promise you that.' She

kissed the top of her head. They all stayed like this for a few moments longer.

If there was one thing that was certain, it was that Steve definitely was with them in spirit,

now smiling down on them. That heavy weight they had all carried was lifted, and everyone

felt better for it.

Opening The Door

Sometime after having another cup of tea between them, Kate reached to the top of one of the

cupboards in the kitchen where she found a key to unlock Steve's bedroom door. After taking

the key down, it was evident how long that key hadn't been touched as it was caked in dust.

The atmosphere changed, the apprehension was palpable, but all of them knew that they

wanted to do this.

After Kate turned around, she took an anxious breath and exhaled slowly, 'We've gotten this

far, if anyone wants to back out-'

Nancy jumped in, 'Like El said, we are all here. We might never be ready to do this, but it

feels like the right time.'

Kate glanced over at Jo, 'Jo?'

Jo merely shrugged while giving the smallest smile, 'We all have to do scary things, right?'

Kate nodded slowly and gripped the key in her hand, 'I'll unlock it…The rest will follow.'

One by one, each of them headed up the stairs. It was daunting, but they were all together,

and doing this as a team, as Steve would want them to do.

After Kate unlocked the door, though she didn't want to, she was the one to also open the

door. It was an eerie feeling for all of them. The door opened, but everything was left as

though Steve had just popped to the shops and would be back in a few minutes.

This was extremely emotional for all of them. Each of them had a lump in their throat. It was

eerie, and gave a false glimmer of hope that he would be back. Over on his drawers were his

Baxter of California hair products, the ones that Kate had told Steve that he had to start

buying his own because of how expensive they were.

The biggest thing for them was that his scent was still there. After all this time, it hadn't gone

anywhere.

Nancy couldn't help but blurt out what everyone was thinking, even with a shaky voice, 'It's

like he never left…The day he went, he literally said that he was going to come back from the

shops, and maybe…For a moment, I could believe that…'

Kate swallowed the lump in her throat, now crossing the threshold into his room, looking

around at his shelves full of various records and CD's. Even though she knew that she had to

move on, she opened his wardrobe door, seeing that everything was as he left it. Something

caught her eye on the top shelf though. Frowning, Kate commented, 'He has VHS tapes…'

She pulled one out and looked at what was written on it, " End of Beginning demo one."

Jo walked over and made a joke, 'Hey, you might have a player for that in the attic.'

Kate smiled ever so slightly, 'I think I do…' She showed Jo the tape, 'This is a demo…Demo

of what?'

El sat on her brother's bed and looked between them both, 'He never told you?' Something

then came to her. She got onto her hands and knees and pulled an amplifier with headphones

and an electric guitar from beneath his bed, 'He was trying to make records, and he recorded

himself doing them when you guys weren't home.'

Kate and Jo shared a look. They never even knew that he had such an instrument. Jo asked

Kate, 'How did you not know that he had an electric guitar?'

Nancy laughed while looking at photos of her, Steve and Skye when she was still tiny. She

responded to Jo's question immediately, 'Only El and I knew because he wanted to make a

complete record before he showed you. He got the guitar as a gift from my dad.'

'He was going to make an album, actually.' El added.

'And what was he going to call it?' Jo asked her.

'He toyed with "Twenty Twenty" and " Decide" ironically, he never actually got to naming

the album because he couldn't decide.' Nancy laughed, 'Steve did make a few demos

though.'

Jo reached into the wardrobe and pulled out a box that was full of VHS tapes. Each of the

tapes were labeled with track titles. In the bottom of the box were pieces of paper with drafts

of lyrics for the songs. One by one, Jo listed the titles of the videos, ' Chateau, Fool-'

Nancy went bright red then, 'That's a personal favorite of mine.'

Kate smirked back at her when she found the lyrics for that song, 'I can see why.'

El was mortified, 'How bad is it? Is it like that S one by Rihanna?'

Jo glanced up at El, 'You shouldn't even know that one-'

El rolled her eyes, 'I've been laid before mom!'

Both Kate and Jo grimaced.

'Not something I want implanted into my brain thank you Eleanor.' Kate replied, 'But no ,

"Fool" is not as bad as "S ".'

'It's the clean version of "S ".' Nancy added.

Jo jumped in, 'Did he ever complete any of these records?'

Nancy nodded, 'We hired out a studio about three and a half years ago for two days, and he

got a few tracks completed. Did you know how much of a good singer Steve was?'

Jo put the box down after finding a final cut of "End of Beginning" in there, 'I heard his

renditions of Johnny Cash, and Bob Seger when he was showering. Old Time Rock and Roll

was always one of his favorites."

Kate scoffed with a smile, 'Not Old Time Rock & Roll.'

'Hey, it was you who showed him that one, not me.' Jo laughed, 'Now I really can accuse

you of being ancient, 'That came out when? 1978?'

It was El's turn to mock them both, '1978?! Mama, you were born in 1978.'

'Close sweetheart.' Jo replied, 'I was born in 1976.'

It was then that Nancy exchanged a look between them. Without saying a word, they both

thought the same thing, old.

Noticing the shared look between them, Jo jumped in, 'Alright you two! Don't think I didn't

see that. Why don't the pair of you come back to me in forty eight years and tell me that I'm

ancient!'

'Yeah.' El laughed, 'But in forty eight years you'll be even older that you are now. You'll be

as old as a fossil! Nancy will be in her sixties though.'

Nancy frowned, 'Thanks? I think?' She laughed it off.'

'Which means that mama-'

Kate jumped in, 'Be careful which of us you're talking about young lady.' She raised her

brows, 'You're never too old for a clip around the ear hole.' Of course, she meant it in jest.

There would be no clipping of ear holes, but everyone saw the humor in it.

'I think it'd be best if you stopped calling your phenomenally old parents fossils , they might

get offended.' Nancy whispered to El, 'Even though Kate might as well be older than a

fossil.'

They both laughed at this while Kate scoffed in mock offense, 'Ladies!'

'I think we'd best go and find that VHS player, don't you Kate?' Jo asked her, 'Even better,

we could plug it into your old TV and watch it together up there.'

Kate grumbled, 'But it's dusty up there Jo, and that cup of tea did wonders for my throat-'

She could feel a sarcastic comment coming from one of the other two women, so she got

there first, 'Any more comments about me being old, you will be permanently banned from

the wedding in a couple of months time.'

That was enough to make El and Nancy go quiet.

Jo jumped straight back in, 'No, we will all go up there and watch a couple of these videos

the way it was intended. Through an old TV that by some miracle still works.' That was part

of the reason, but Jo also wanted to watch something from her own childhood nostalgia point

of view.

Old indeed.

There was no further argument. After they all left Steve's room, Kate closed the door behind

them, and followed them all straight up to the attic. What they hadn't noticed were the video

tapes at the back of the wardrobe which had messages for each of them, in the event that he

died. Those would be found later.

After clambering into the attic once again, Kate found the VHS player and she hooked it up

to the television, unplugging the Nintendo 64 from the back. Once everything was set up, El

and Nancy sat together on the floor in front of the screen, while Kate and Jo remained

standing next to each other behind them. It was Nancy who pushed the tape into the player.

Momentarily, there was static on the screen and then an image jumped on the screen.

It was Steve in the studio getting ready to record one of the songs. He seemed extremely

happy. It was evident that this was something that he had wanted to do for a very long time. It

surprised Kate how short his hair was here, though there was a time that he got rid of his

mullet to try something new with his style. The same electric guitar that El had pulled out

from under the bed was in this video and Steve was holding it.

It really did look like it was shot during the 80s, but that made it bittersweet. A piece of the

past had been preserved and it was being played through technology from a time that was

long ago from Jo's own perspective.

'Is it on?' Steve asked Nancy on the screen.

'Yes it's on.' Nancy on the TV laughed. The dorky smile Steve was giving them all, made

them all feel both happy and sad.

'I think mom's would kill me if they ever found out about this guitar.' Steve added, looking

down at the guitar on his lap, 'But they'd thank me one day because I'm hoping this guitar

could make us some money. Imagine…' He explained, 'An album selling worldwide!' He

laughed, 'I still can't decide what to call it though…What do you think?'

As Nancy was behind the camera, she shrugged, 'Maybe Decide seems as you can't actually

decide what you'd call it.'

Steve laughed and strummed the guitar, and started playing along with a demo that he had

also brought to the studio, and he sang ever so slightly, though out of tune, 'Just one more

tear to cry, one tear drop from my eye…' He grooved to the tempo that went on in the

background, 'And when I'm back in Chicago I feel it, another version of me…I was in it…'

Steve looked back up at Nancy, 'I think I'm ready to record it now. Hey, do you think mom's

would like it? I know I'm actually from California, but it doesn't have the same ring to it.'

'Steve, it's fine!' Nancy on screen replied to him, 'Do you want to say something to your

mom's before you go in there and record it?'

Steve went bright red then, 'Um…' He then looked directly down the lens, 'First of all,

surprise! I am going to knock your socks off with this!' He then laughed, 'No but really…'

Kate and Jo were both finding this both hard to watch and heartwarming at the same time.

Here he seemed so happy and carefree. He had no idea what was coming and at this point,

that was for the best. Both parents had tears in their eyes, and absent-mindedly reached for

each other's hands, which they both took.

Steve had no idea what to say. He strummed the guitar as he formed his thoughts, 'I know

that you are both struggling right now, and that things are up in the air, but it will get better.

Everything will work out in the end because…' He shrugged, 'Life finds a way..' In the

video, he was talking about their relationship which was at that time, up in the air, but it was

still relevant now, even if it took on a different meaning.

Steve continued, 'Whatever happens mom's, I hope I never let you down and..Uh..Oh! El! I

almost forgot about El and Max. '

'You can't forget about them!' Nancy laughed, ' Steven Davidson , you can't forget your

sisters.'

'Especially if one day I become a rock star!' Steve was being sarcastic, but funny at the same

time, 'Okay…' He cleared his throat and looked down the lens again, 'El, my sweet, adorable

little sister, you're what? Fifteen now? Sixteen? I am so sorry if I got that wrong, and I'm

meant to know everything!'

El laughed, wiping her eyes. Nancy put her arm around her and gave her a gentle squeeze.

Steve continued, 'One day, I promise you El, I will write a song about you, and you will love

it…I don't have ideas yet, but I will think about it!' He thought about what he was going to

say, 'You make me proud every day. Never ever stop being awesome!'

His eyes widened, 'What about Skye?! She's only tiny now, but someday she might watch

this! Oh my god!'

Everyone found it funny how Steve panicked, there was a chuckle that went around the room.

'Skye!' Steve jumped in, 'This is me, daddy. Right now you're very small, but one day

you're going to be a big girl and I want to let you know that when you do watch this, and

when you are old enough to understand, your daddy loves you always.' He blew a kiss to the

screen and looked down the lens, 'I know you won't like this Nancy…'

Though he was referring to Nancy in the video as she was standing there recording the video,

he wanted to make this special for her, 'I know you're standing right there now, but when you

watch this in the future, I want to remind you how proud I am of you. I hope that one day we

might get married and have four or five kids-'

'That's a lot.' Jo laughed.

'A lot of kids.' Kate replied while also laughing.

Nancy replied to them too, 'Six mini Steve's? That is a few too many.' She laughed.

Steve looked a little saddened, 'What's wrong with six of me? Mini me's.' He then smiled

again, 'We will get there one day.' His gaze returned to the camera, 'Even so, the future

Nancy watching this, I'm so proud of you and I'm happy to be your boyfriend. In fact, I am

so, so in love with you that there would never be anyone else. I love you and I know you're

an awesome mom already! Keep going!'

Behind the camera, Nancy lifted it so that she could get a clear view of the pair of them. She

walked over and gave him a kiss, which Steve happily returned. When he pulled away, he

remembered the camera right in front of his face, 'Nancy! My moms and sisters could be

watching, even worse, our kids!'

'They'll get over it!' Nancy laughed and kissed him again, 'I love you.'

'I love you too.' Steve smiled up at her.

As Nancy was watching her past self, she couldn't help but put her head in her hands. This

was embarrassing, but Jo, Kate and El all found it adorable.

On screen, Nancy now sat in the chair behind the desk that controlled the music, 'Get your

ass in that studio, the producer will be here soon.'

The camera then followed Steve as he entered the sound booth. It cut there, but then began a

moment later when Nancy was filming Steve singing and recording the song.

From what Jo and Kate could hear, his voice sounded incredible, even more so after he had

been in a recording studio. There were several minutes of Steve singing different drafts, but

after about ten minutes, the camera cut to Steve when he came out of the recording booth and

he was standing there listening to the final take.

He seemed incredibly proud of it. He even smiled straight at the camera, 'My first record! I

did it!'

The video then cut to a little music video Steve had made which he interlaced with the

footage on the tape. As they all listened along, Kate and Jo were genuinely surprised by how

good it sounded.

When the chorus hit, it had both Kate and Jo feeling in different ways. For Jo, it was

bittersweet. For her it had the meaning of letting go of what was and becoming someone new,

without forgetting where you came from and what she had been through to get to where she

was now.

' And when I'm back in Chicago I feel it, another version of me, I was in it, I wave goodbye

to the end of beginning.'

For Kate, the chorus reminded her so much of who she was and how she could literally

become another version of herself. The end, from her perspective, was always the start of

something new, even if it was scary, and at times, daunting.

One verse in particular caught all of their attention, even Nancy, who had heard this before,

Enter Caroline, just trust me, you'll be fine. A reminder that everything, everything would

eventually turn out alright in the end.

Steve had zero idea how relevant this song would be to everyone one day and now, it was so

loud. Even if he didn't know his time was coming to an end, it certainly sounded like some

sort of goodbye, especially with the reverbs of Goodbye at the end of the track.

After the song, and subsequently, the video tape had ended, there was silence in the room.

The television screen went static, and everyone was gathering their emotions.

'Wow.' Jo laughed through tears, 'That was something special.'

'You're telling me.' Kate also laughed while wiping her eyes, 'And that song? Damn, he was

so talented.'

Nancy turned her attention to El. She too had tears streaming down her cheeks, 'I miss him

so much!' Nancy pulled El into her and comforted her, 'We all do sweetheart…We all do, but

like you said, he will never leave us. The fact that we have his tapes, it means that we can

preserve his memories in more ways than just our memories.'

'And.' Kate jumped in, 'Mum can convert this tape into a DVD without taking the tape apart.

We can have all the formats we want, and mum can sort that for us.' She came and crouched

next to El, 'How about we have some ice-cream, yeah?'

It seemed that Kate had forgotten that she had been holding Jo's hand. She hadn't, she just

didn't want to draw attention to it. Kate watched Nancy and El as they left the attic together.

Jo approached Kate after they'd left, 'Steve said in that video he would leave a message for

Max but he didn't…Isn't that strange?'

'He might have forgotten Jo, I wouldn't read into it, and I don't want to. Please, don't say

anything to tarnish this moment. We are going forwards now, not back. I agree with El…We

should forgive ourselves as well as each other, and move on.' Kate then followed Nancy and

El out of the attic.

The trouble was, Jo couldn't move on because she was too busy tupping Kate's soon to be

wife. Moving forward for her and Nikki wouldn't be the same as it was for everyone else,

and that was a bitter pill to swallow.

Tell The Truth

Ruby had spent a lot of time with the Doctor, only knowing who her biological mother was

and not being able to do anything about it was becoming a source of annoyance for her. The

way the Doctor was able to live with herself also knowing that what Kate knew was a lie was

also getting on her nerves. Ruby couldn't understand how the Doctor was able to live with

herself, knowing the truth.

Ruby strode down the steps into the console room where she saw the Doctor working away at

the console. Ruby came to lean on the side of the console, beside the Doctor and got straight

to the point, 'You've known that I am Kate's child for so long…How are you able to look El

in the face and lie to her? Even worse, how are you able to lie to your own daughter like

that?'

The Doctor didn't even meet her gaze. Instead, she walked around to the opposite side of the

console to keep her distance from her, 'It's not easy, believe me, but what choice do I have?

I'm on my last straw with Kate as it is, imagine if this all came out?'

'She would despise the hell out of you, but it's better than living with a lie this big.' Ruby

explained to her, 'And maybe I could actually get to know my mum rather than having to

avoid her like the plague because I'm worried I might say something I shouldn't.'

'Carla is your mum, why can't you go back to her?'

'Not biologically.' Ruby scoffed, 'You don't get it, do you? I've wanted to know who my

biological mum is for actual years and now I know who she is, I can't go anywhere near

because of your dirty secret! Oh yeah.' She laughed, 'And on top of that, learning that I'm

not actually human!'

The Doctor rolled her eyes, 'Why don't you go back home and stop hanging around with me,

if you're that frustrated.'

Ruby didn't answer for a moment, but then something hit her, 'Mum is getting married in a

couple of months.'

Finally, the Doctor met her gaze. Flat out, she replied, 'No. Weddings, no. You stay away

from that.'

'You really are so paranoid that I'll say something!' Ruby laughed, 'Like I've said, Kate

won't find out through me. I don't want to bear the brunt of that.' Her gaze cast downward,

'And what about El in all of this? Eventually, she is going to learn that Kate and Jo were

never her biological parents at all. She has lost so much, imagine what that would do to her.'

'Among many of the reasons that this can never come out!' The Doctor snapped at her,

'Ruby, get the idea of Kate ever being your mum out of your head because so long as I am

living and breathing, she will never have the chance to be your mum!'

'And now you're threatening me.' Ruby was a little disappointed, 'Technically, you're my

grandmother, you do know that? Right now you're doing a very crap job of acting like one.'

She then headed to exit the TARDIS.

'Where are you going?' The Doctor asked her.

'I'm going for a walk, don't worry, your secret is safe. Like I said, I don't want to be the one

to break anyone's heart, not after everything they've all been through.' Ruby sneered, 'You're

an awful being, you do realise that?'

'I've been called worse.' The Doctor replied flatly, returning to the task that she was doing.

After Ruby left, she kicked the side of the console and ended up snapping the spanner she

was using because of how angry she was with herself. As much as she didn't know about the

swap for so many years, she knew how much worse it was now that she insisted on keeping it

secret.

After exiting the TARDIS, Ruby walked through a park. She recognized it as the one that El,

Steve and Max used to go to regularly. Of course, Ruby wondered why the Doctor stayed

close to places that had associations with the family. Perhaps it was because the Doctor knew

that once the truth came out, she might not have a family at all.

As Ruby walked down the road, she saw Jo's old place was still boarded up after the arson

that happened about five years ago. It was easy to see where the roof caved in, as the timber

that was in the roof was visible. Windows had been smashed through and black soot was

visible outside of the windows.

Curiosity got the better of Ruby. She decided to head towards the home. Soon enough, she

came to stand opposite the property on the same side of the street. As she looked up at it, she

could feel the emotions that had filled the property. The night it burned down, those emotions

and feelings were so much stronger. It had never occurred to Ruby that she might be a little

telepathic, because what she was feeling right now was unlike anything she had felt before.

Again, she wondered why the Doctor would stay so close to here instead of nearer to Kate's

own place. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Ruby walked into the now overgrown garden

and got closer to the house.

In the back of her mind, she could hear memories of the past that had stuck to those walls.

The panic, the fear, Jo shouting at Steve to get out of the house when they realised what was

happening, and Steve matching that. Ruby walked around the back where the kitchen

window was.

Where El had come face to face with Ghostface. Ruby saw that in her mind too. The flames

had been roaring away in that very room and Kate had run back in to find El.

Then came the roar of part of the roof caving in on top of Kate.

Never had Ruby felt anything like this, it was strange that she could feel echoes of the past.

Of course, coming to the terms of understanding that she wasn't human was always difficult,

but now she could actually feel her alien identity piercing through.

Ruby had become so absorbed in her feelings, and those memories that she hadn't heard

anyone approach. Eventually, she turned to her head to the right, where she saw the Doctor

standing there in the now long grass. Tears had filled Ruby's eyes, and she hadn't even

realized, 'I can feel that night. I wasn't there, but I can feel the fear, I can hear the

screams...Why?'

The Doctor looked sympathetic, 'You're not as telepathic as the others. More, empathetic.

This place..It's full of terrors and the walls…It's full of memories, memories of possibly the

worst night of their lives. The fact that you can feel that…It's extraordinary.'

'Why?' Ruby asked.

'Because it means that in some way-'

'No, no, I mean, why do you stick around here? If it's full of all of that, why would you

stay?' Ruby asked her, 'Kate, El and Jo, they all now live about ten miles from here, why

would you stay?'

The Doctor looked at the house and then back at Ruby. She shrugged, 'It's where my

grandchildren grew up…It's where they were happiest-'

'Those memories were tarnished on the night this place went up. There were explosions, and

Kate had the roof fall on top of her! Half of her body was severely burned, and she has lived

with that trauma since! All of them did, why on Earth would you stay?!' Ruby couldn't

understand it, 'If Kate found out you stayed here-'

'I have unfinished business with this place.' The Doctor replied firmly.

'You're hanging onto something that is now destroyed, or is that a metaphor for the future?!

Because you will, won't you? You'll cling onto it, you'll hope and you'll pray that someone

forgives you, but the reality is that it wouldn't happen. How could you ever expect Kate to

forgive you for that?'

The Doctor didn't reply, instead, she looked down and put her hands in her pockets. The

painful part was that she knew Ruby was right. The Doctor knew she had to tell Kate, and she

swore to herself then and there that she would tell her, 'I'll do it Ruby.'

The Doctor met her gaze, 'I'll tell her, about you, the truth .'

'When?'

'After she has gotten married, I'll tell her then.' The Doctor said to her, 'It will be

devastating, but you're right..I'm putting off the inevitable..But..Give her the wedding,

because I know that it might be the last time that she is ever happy.' This was a crushing

realization for her, but she knew it was the right thing to do.

Ruby nodded slowly. She understood how hard this must have been, but she knew it was the

right thing to do, 'Thank you.'

The Doctor nodded slowly, and then retreated. Walking away, she felt the biggest weight on

her shoulders, and she didn't know what to do, but she knew that the truth needed to be told

sooner rather than later.

White Wedding?

It was the eve of their wedding, but Nikki still could not help herself. The day before her

wedding, she was still having it off with Jo, and El was having jitters of her own. She didn't

know if she could let her mum go through with marrying Nikki because of what she had been

doing behind her mother's back. Nerves were in the air for many different reasons, but Kate

was so excited about the wedding. Yes, it was going to be a small affair, but she was going to

be Mrs Boston once things had been finalized and she was so excited for the path ahead of

her. It felt like everything was getting better and it is what Kate had waited for, for so long.

Kate had been getting ready in her bedroom. After all, this was going to be held in a registry

office, so there was no need for all the fuss. Weeks earlier, Kate had paid for a stylist to come

over and do her hair, while Nikki was over at Jo's getting her hair done. It was funny how

fate turned out for them, because Nikki was in Jo's home on her wedding day, only the night

before they were having sex with each other.

El had been particularly quiet all morning. It was a relief when Nancy came over to fill the

house with some conversation. As it stood, she was sitting on Kate's own bed watching as the

stylist worked away on her hair.

It hadn't gone unnoticed on Kate how quiet her daughter had been, but she just assumed it

was nerves because of her being the ring bearer. Kate remembered how nervous El was at

Jo's own wedding to Jasmine, so it was to be expected, but she was too quiet and she couldn't

help but express this to Nancy. While looking into the mirror with rollers in her hair, 'Is El

alright? She's barely said a word all morning.'

'Yeah, she's probably just nervous..' Nancy replied, 'You remember that this is the first

wedding without Steve by her side? She's probably feeling a little daunted by the whole

thing.'

Kate had put some lip balm on and nodded. That hadn't crossed her mind, 'She'll be alright,

they'll be a party later with cakes and all sorts, we all know how much she loves them.' She

wasn't sure who she was trying to convince here.

The stylist thought this a thoughtful thing, 'Your daughter, is she a young'n then?'

'No, she's uh..She's twenty...Nineteen, she's nineteen, twenty next year.' Kate replied, 'She

had slow development growing up, as well as autism and other things, you might have heard

of Ghostface a couple of years ago?'

The stylist replied, 'It was all over, we couldn't escape it.'

'Yeah well, um..Ghostface killed my son, two years ago actually…' Kate replied quietly.

'That's dreadful, I'm so sorry.' The stylist responded. She really was sympathetic, 'Let's just

all be glad that the girl who did it is beyond bars for the rest of her pitiful life, eh?'

Both Kate and Nancy knew it wouldn't be right to admit that Ghostface was Max, someone

they knew extremely well. They didn't want to scare her off. Instead, Nancy took it upon

herself to change the subject, 'But we don't worry about that do we? Today you are marrying

the woman you love-'

'Again.' Kate laughed, 'But this time we'll do it right.'

'We will finally be happy together, and I'm looking forward to that.' Kate appeared so happy,

Nancy couldn't find it in her to tell Kate the truth about Nikki. Instead, she excused herself

and went to find El.

When Nancy did enter El's room, she found her already dressed and ready for the occasion,

but she was focussing on anything but the wedding. Her thoughts rolled like thunder in her

head. The truth had to come out today, but she wanted to wait until after the wedding, by

which time it would be too late. El really didn't want to break her mother's heart, but what

choice did she have? Allow her mum to marry someone who would always be unfaithful to

her, or break her heart and trust because she had known about this for months?

Hearing Nancy enter her room, El put her Nintendo DS to the side. Looking at Nancy, she

swallowed the lump in her throat and spoke quietly, 'She's getting married today, and Nikki

is unfaithful. Last night, she and Jo were still having sex with each other..How do I tell mom

what I've known for months? I can't do it to her Nancy…'

Nancy came to sit beside her on the bed. Of course, she sympathized with her, and that's why

she didn't become angry with her, 'Kate would be mad at you for a short while, she would

hate Nikki for eternity. Either way El, it's up to us to tell the truth, I just think hearing it from

you, as bad as it sounds, it's far better coming from you.'

El sighed quietly and leaned on Nancy's shoulder, 'Why are people like this? Horrible?'

'Because even us humans have a tendency to make the same mistakes over and over again. It

doesn't make it right, but it's true.' Nancy sighed. She then looked down at El, 'You should

go and see your mum because she's worried that you haven't said much today.'

'What do I say? I'm hiding this truth, what can I say?'

'That you're proud of her, and you love her. The rest will come later.' Nancy replied softly, 'I

promise. Now go on, speak to your mum because she is absolutely terrified of today as it is.

Go and make her feel more confident about herself.'

Reluctantly, El got to her feet. She didn't want to do this, but what choice did she have?

After coming into her mother's room, El grabbed another chair from beside the dresser and

sat beside her mum. Of course, Kate was extremely happy to see her daughter, but she

couldn't help but sense that something was wrong, 'Are you alright baby? You've been hiding

in your room all morning.'

El nodded and reached for her mum's hand. The lump in her throat now was tenfold, 'Mama,

don't marry Nikki.'

Kate felt her hearts drop in her chest. Briefly, her blood ran cold, 'Wh…Why? Where has this

come from?'

Nervously, El shrugged, and took Kate's hand. Kate could feel how much El was sweating.

She was clammy, and it certainly gained her fullest attention. It took a moment, but El

eventually responded, after debating if she should tell the truth, 'It's just…How can you

marry her when Steve isn't here?'

Gently, Kate sighed, 'Oh El…This is life…I thought you knew that sweetheart? We all have

to move on and live our lives eventually.'

Once again, El shook her head, 'This isn't right…'

Kate frowned, 'Is there something I'm missing here? Is this just about Steve?'

'Who else would it be about?!' El snapped, getting to her feet now. Looking down at her, she

couldn't help but lose her temper, 'Mama was so much better for you than Nikki will ever

be!'

It was Kate's turn to get angry now, 'I don't love your mum, this is the whole point of

marrying another woman, deal with that fact of life and fast young lady!'

Without a second thought, El marched away, slamming the door. The doubt that El had just

put in Kate's head didn't help her in the slightest.

Once her hair was done some ten minutes later, Kate came down the stairs and confronted El

in the kitchen where she was sulking at the kitchen table, 'I am marrying Nikki today! I'm not

living in the past anymore, and if you can't get your head around that Eleanor, you may as

well go and live with your mother because I'm not having it! Not today!'

Nancy was sitting across the room, and she could feel the tension much the same way as the

stylist could.

In an act of both defiance and anger, El threw her jacket off and onto the floor. She then

reached into her pocket and grabbed the rings which she slammed on the kitchen table, 'I

couldn't give a shit about today! I hope it ends well!'

Never had Kate felt so embarrassed, 'Eleanor. Eleanor!'

El left out the back door, slamming it behind her. Nancy got up again, uttering something

about going to talk her round, but Kate stopped her as she was passing, 'There is more to this

than just Steve, get it out of her.'

Nancy nodded slowly and headed out of the back door where she met El in the garden after

sparking a cigarette. Her hand was shaking so much, she couldn't do this, not today.

'What the hell is going on with you?! You may as well tell your mom what is really going on

now! Why are you making her feel like shit when she hasn't done anything?! Your anger is

directed at the wrong person!' Nancy was furious at El doing this to Kate of all people.

When El looked back at her, Nancy could see her anger clear as day, ' Believe me , I'm not

done. I am far from done!'

'So what?' Nancy hissed, 'Are you going to keep on punishing your mom?!'

'You'll see.' El uttered before stomping out her cigarette and heading back inside.

Over at Jo's, Jasmine had finished doing Nikki's hair. The entire time while Jasmine had been

doing her hair, Nikki couldn't help but sneak glanced back at Jo.

They couldn't say no to each other, even now.

Jo had to excuse herself, making her excuses that she had to get ready too, but she really just

wanted to get away from Nikki. The lust between them was still incredibly strong, and it was

killing them both.

The journey to the ceremony was quiet from Kate's perspective. El had apologized for her

earlier actions, but it hadn't made Kate feel any better. Of course, Kate would hold this

against her for the rest of her days, but she would soon learn that it was the least of her

problems.

The car they were in had seats facing each other on both sides in the back. Nancy and El both

sat across from Kate at the furthest part of the car.

Nevertheless, Kate had a white suit with her longer hair draping beautifully on her shoulders.

Her makeup was subtle but in Nancy's eyes, it made her look angelic. Even in the journey

there, she couldn't help but compliment her, 'You look beautiful Kate.'

Kate returned a small smile, 'Thank you Nancy…' She noticed the dress that Nancy was

wearing. It was dark blue and strapless. Definitely something Kate imagined herself wearing

when she looked like a teenager, 'You look amazing too.'

El hadn't said a word. She was leaning on the door, looking out the car window, very much

sulking.

Kate looked at her briefly, and swallowed, 'Do you still have the rings El?'

In response, El shrugged, 'I might do.'

Nancy elbowed El in the side, 'What have I told you? Not today!'

Kate couldn't hold back, 'It's alright Nancy, she has this massive chip on her shoulder and I

will find out what it is, and when I do, believe me , she is going to be grounded.'

'You can't ground me-'

'You wanna bet? I'm not having this El! You hear me? Not having it!' Kate hissed, 'You're

determined to ruin this day for me and I've no fucking idea why! Just you wait until you get

married one day-'

'I don't care mom! I really don't care!' El snapped, 'You'll be married and you'll be happy, so

I don't care!'

Nancy could see the hurt in Kate's face. Most of the time, Kate was good at hiding her own

pain, but Nancy saw it in the way she dropped her head, and the slight wobble of her lip. It

was clear to see that Kate was rethinking all of this and it was all because of El's own spite.

Even though Nancy knew where it was coming from, it was hard to see how it was

destroying Kate with the way El was treating her.

Kate smiled sadly, mostly to herself, 'I thought I had at least one good kid left…I may as well

not have any at all. If you don't want to be at this wedding at all El, just say and you can fuck

off when we arrive, yeah?'

'That's fine by me. She wouldn't be the first mistake you've made!' El snapped at her. It was

then that she couldn't help herself and she went on a rant, 'Have you ever been so bad at

choosing your partners?! Seriously?! You had it good with mom, why the hell did you cheat

on her?! With Nikki of all people?!'

Nancy finally turned on El, 'WILL YOU CUT IT OUT?! FOR CHRIST SAKE! LET IT GO!

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!'

The car stopped and Kate sniffed quietly, 'We're here.' Her gaze turned to El and she glared

at her, 'Don't you bother coming in. You're a spiteful little bitch and I don't want you

anywhere near!'

Kate finally left the car and plastered on a front for the guests, smiling away, despite the

crippling hurt she was feeling inside. She was the first to enter the registry office building,

awaiting Nikki's arrival.

After watching her go, Nancy turned on El, 'How did any of that help?! I know what you're

going to do in there, so is all of this to make yourself feel better about what you're going to

do?'

El nodded, 'I'm protecting myself and my own feelings.'

'And what about Kate's?! She hasn't done anything and look at what you're doing to her! This

is cold El! I'm close to saying it's pathetic!'

'If it gets the job done, I don't care right now!' El snapped back at her.

Nancy glared at her, 'Get your ass in there and don't say anything more until it is your turn! If

you do say anything before then, I'll kill you.'

Moments later, she left the car and put on a front much like Kate and she walked into the

registry office putting on a front. It was not the day they imagined, and Nancy knew how

devastated Kate was. This day was going to be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

On their journey to the registry office, Nikki had to sit in the back of a car that Jasmine had

rented for the occasion. Of course, Jo and Nikki couldn't keep their eyes away from each

other, both catching a glance of each other when they could. Jasmine hadn't noticed, but that

didn't matter. Everything was going to be exposed very soon.

Though the Doctor had told Ruby to stay away, she invited herself anyway and invited

herself as the Doctor's plus one.

Guests included Tom Clarkson, Rachel, Kim, Carmichael, Steve Arnott, Yaz, Chris Lomax,

and Robin.

Nancy's mum stayed home to watch the children.

The event was small, and Kate was thankful that it was. She was even more thankful that her

father wasn't there because she didn't think she could take more drama today. When El finally

made her way into the room, Kate rolled her eyes. She hoped she would behave, because if

she didn't, Kate would be stringing her up later.

After the room had filled with people, Kate stood at the front of the room with the lady

registrar, who would be conducting the ceremony, anxiously waiting for Nikki to arrive. All

Kate wanted was for the perfect day. In her mind, she was trying to forget the argument that

both she and El had on the way there, but with El technically being the only child she had

left, her words hurt Kate more than they usually would.

The Doctor was sitting at least five rows back from the front with Ruby right beside her. Both

women couldn't help but think to themselves how beautiful Kate was in the white suit she

was wearing. Her hair was beautifully shiny, draping just over the top of her shoulders,

slightly curled.

Ruby had only really seen Kate in a hospital bed, so to see her like this, it meant the world to

her. She couldn't help that it also choked her up. Her mum, who had no idea who she was,

was right there in front of her, and she was about to watch her get married. It was bittersweet

because she knew that she couldn't say anything until after the wedding.

'She's beautiful.' Ruby uttered quietly, not taking her gaze away from Kate.

The Doctor replied softly, with eyes full of pride, 'She does.'

Nancy had sat beside El. Though she wasn't happy with what El was going to do, it was only

really the last chance she had to do it.

Kate was nervously playing with her fingers, trying to shut out the fact that she had an

audience with eyes on her.

It wasn't long until she was distracted by the doors opening. In walked Nikki with Rachel

being out in charge of walking her down the aisle.

Though she broke the rules, Kate couldn't help but set her gaze on the woman that she so

deeply loved, and would do anything for.

Quietly, both Jo and Jasmine took their seats two rows from the front.

As Nikki walked down the aisle, a song began to play, Daniel Bedingfield, If You're Not The

One. Their first dance song would keep up the cheesy theme, with their first dance being "

From This Moment" by Shania Twain.

Kate couldn't help the smile on her face. She was so so happy. Despite the argument with El

that was quickly forgotten about, Nikki was her main priority at this moment in time. The

closer she got, the more the butterflies in her stomach went awry.

For Nikki, this was possibly the happiest day of her life. Despite the sex she had with Jo the

night before, she maintained that Kate was the woman for her. A bitter pill for Jo to swallow.

Nikki had to kid herself that marrying Kate was what she wanted.

She too wore a white suit, but instead of wearing a white shirt like Kate, she had a dark blue

one under her jacket.

The moment they reached each other, they took each other's hands and giggled like school

girls.

'You look beautiful.' Kate beamed, 'God, I want to kiss you right now.'

'Well, you're going to have to wait a short while longer whilst we get through the official bit.'

Nikki laughed, biting her lip ever so slightly.

As Jo watched on, she couldn't help but look down. In the silence she only just realized how

badly she had messed up. Once upon a time, she loved Kate, and now she loved Nikki. Her

love for Jasmine? It was extremely short lived, and she was trapped in a marriage she didn't

want to be in.

Now it was the turn of the registrar, 'Good afternoon and welcome to the wedding of Kate

and Nikki.' She then looked between both women, 'Are you ready to get started?'

Both women nodded. Both were eager to get this done so that they could start their new lives

together.

'My name is Charlene and I will be conducting today's ceremony. I will also be in charge of

completing this in the legal record of marriage.' Charlene then looked between both Nikki

and Kate, 'This ceremony will be in accordance with the civil law of this country. This

requires the couple to declare their freedom to marry one another. They will then go on to

make their marriage vows in which they promise to take each other as partners for life. These

vows are a formal and public pledge of their love and a promise of a lifelong commitment to

each other.'

El couldn't help but get out her phone. She was grabbing all the evidence she had been

building over the last year. She was so angry, it wasn't leaving her. Keeping her phone low

and in her lap, she ensured to make it discreet from the people behind her.

Charlene then continued on, despite being slightly distracted by El's rude behavior, 'This

place in which we are now met, has been duly sanctioned, according to law, for the

celebration of marriages, and we are here today to witness the joining in matrimony of this

couple and to share in their happiness.'

Both Nikki and Kate had never been happier. Their love for each other was palpable and

could be felt by almost everyone. Kate squeezed Nikki's hands gently, and she never wanted

to let go.

It was Charlene who kept to the script and said exactly as what was written, 'If there is any

person here present who knows of any lawful impediment to this marriage, then they should

declare it now.'

Almost immediately, El pounced, getting to her feet, 'I do.'

Kate turned around and rolled her eyes, 'I have had enough of this. Not today El, alright?!

And it's me who says that line, not you. '

El swallowed the lump in her throat, 'Honesty, right? That's all you ever ask of anyone

including those that live under your roof? I know I can lie sometimes, but I would never ruin

your day for no good reason.'

'So you embarrass me instead?!' Kate snapped, 'If there was a problem before, why not tell

me?! This is you all over isn't it? At the moment you have a real problem with me!'

El smiled sadly, 'I had no idea how to tell you…I still don't, but you can't marry her.' Stray

tears fell down her cheeks, 'Mama, you cannot marry her because she isn't what she makes

out to be.'

Kate scoffed, looking out to the congregation, 'I'm really sorry about this.' She then looked

back at El, 'What the fuck are you talking about?!'

El swallowed, but took a deep breath. She would push through this. Quickly, she strode over

to the projector cable and plugged her phone into it. Immediately, images of Jo and Nikki

being intimate appeared on the screen above the registrar.

There was an audible gasp from the congregation, but Kate couldn't believe what she was

looking at. Even El saw the absolute horror in her face.

Kate shook her head and glared at El, 'No, you made this up! I know what you can do with

AI these days!'

El slowly came back over to her, 'THEY HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR MONTHS!

THEY HAVE BEEN CHEATING PROBABLY SINCE BEFORE STEVE DIED! SOME OF

THESE PICTURES I TOOK WHILE YOU WERE IN HOSPITAL, SOME WHEN YOU

WERE IN JAIL- Those sleepovers? They were screwing each other the entire time!'

Kate laughed. She couldn't help it. This was so embarrassing, painful and heartbreaking all in

one. The laugh quickly faded when she saw the image of the pair of them in her bed , the pair

of them bare naked.

'That one? That was a short while ago, the night before you came out of jail.' El explained.

'Why now El? Did you deliberately want to humiliate me?!'

El squinted, 'What? This wasn't about humiliating you.'

'After everything I've done for you! I've been there for you through your darkest days and

you do this?'

El could now see how this looked. Her argument with her mum before getting here, it was

easy to see why Kate would see it this way. Now she was scrambling to fix it, 'Mama, I

would never do this to hurt you, this is them!'

Kate got into her face now, dragging her forward, 'You could have told me sooner, but you let

it carry on! You made me a laughing stock, well done.'

She then turned her attention to Nikki, who was so quiet now. Quickly she marched over to

her and punched her in the face, 'HOW FUCKING DARE YOU!'

Nikki quickly tried to explain, 'She's lying! Yes, we slept together, but only once!'

Kate looked straight at Jo, 'After everything I did for you an' all! This is how you fucking

repay me?!'

'Kate-' Nikki tried, 'Listen to me, El is lying!'

Since her outburst, El had unplugged her phone from the projector, her work had been done.

Ruby couldn't help herself now. The longer she stared at the images, the more her blood

boiled. Quickly, she got to her feet. The Doctor tried to stop her, but the teen was quick on

her feet. Already stomping down the aisle, she saw red. Angrily, she shouted, 'YOU

CHEATED ON MY MUM!' She then laughed, 'No one does that and gets away with it!'

Kate looked back at Ruby, ever so confused, 'Who the fuck are you? Are you hers?'

Ruby scoffed, ' God no …' It quickly caught up to her what she had done. Her anger got the

better of her, but she couldn't back out of it now. Her hearts raced away in her chest and she

was terrified, 'I…I'm yours…It…It's a long story but…I'm sorry you had to find out like this,

but…I'm your daughter.'

The entire congregation was having a show and a half. One minute Jasmine was satisfied that

her suspicions had been proved, but then this? It was a lot of information for everyone.

'Kid.' Kate scoffed, 'I don't remember having an extra kid. You must be delusional.' She then

caught sight of the Doctor looking extra worried and guilty as sin.

'Kate…Can we talk in private please?' The Doctor was so scared right now.

'No! If you've got something to say, you may as well tell everyone else here seems as the

laundry is being aired!' Kate snapped, 'Who the hell is she?!'

'She is yours.' The Doctor told her, 'She isn't lying.'

Kate looked back at Ruby, and though she could now see the likeness, she didn't want to

admit it, 'I'm going to need more than that mum, and you know it!'

Nikki realised what was happening here, and she couldn't have felt more claustrophobic if

she tried, being caught in between the Doctor, Ruby, and Kate.

The Doctor was nervous, 'See…The Master he…' She wasn't sure how to explain, 'You…

You have powers…He and I don't…He experimented on El as a baby, you know that…But

you see…He experimented on her to find out why you had powers and we didn't…But what

you don't know is that…We…We were both pregnant at the same time…'

'And?' Kate scoffed, 'So, she is yours then? I don't get it.'

'It's because she's not mine.' The Doctor was adamant, 'My memory was erased, your dad

told me exactly what happened years later, so I swear to you I didn't know for the longest

time.' She took a breath,'For the last 19 years, Ruby has been raised by a foster family-'

It was taking so long for Kate to catch on, she was so confused, 'Explain clearly mother!'

'EL AND RUBY WERE SWAPPED AS BABIES! YOU GAVE BIRTH TO RUBY, AND I

GAVE BIRTH TO EL!' The Doctor lowered her voice, 'I'm so sorry Kate…But for the last

19 years, you've been raising your sister.'

The silence that filled the room was like a pin could be heard dropping. An atmosphere filled

the room unlike any other.

'You're lying.' Kate hissed through gritted teeth and tears that filled her eyes now. She had

her world crumble before, but this was unlike anything she had ever felt before.

The Doctor grabbed the sonic screwdriver from her jacket and put it in Kate's hand, 'I'm

really sorry…You won't believe me until you have proof…Scan her…'

Feeling the sonic in her hand, Kate didn't want to do this, not today, not ever.

The Doctor stepped out of the way, and El was standing there in the middle of the floor by

herself. She could see the look on Kate's face and she hated it. If this was true, she knew

exactly what it meant for her. It meant her life was a lie, and she didn't want that.

Kate raised the sonic with a shaking hand and scanned El. The buzzing of the sonic resonated

around the room, in the very loud silence. The crystal at the end of the device slowly rotated

as it scanned. Once a result came in, Kate didn't want to read it.

She lowered it and kept it at her side, and despite how much she despised Jo right now, she

knew what this would mean for her too, it would mean that only one of their kids was

actually hers and that would be soul crushing.

Eventually, Kate took a deep breath and looked at the results that the sonic gave her. After

reading it, she had no idea what to do with herself. She just stared back at El, having zero

idea what to do. In an instant her view of her had shifted completely.

El couldn't bear the silence, 'Mama? What does it say?'

Nothing.

'MAMA!' El shouted at her.

'I'm…' Kate was broken, 'I'm not El…' She crumbled completely. Nevermind the affair, this

was so much worse. Her voice broke and tears streamed down her face, 'I'm not your mum, I

never have been.'

El was utterly devastated. This was such a lonely position to be in, and it felt like she had

been rejected and cut out completely.

'I'm your sister…' Kate gasped, 'I'm your fucking sister.' Her gaze shifted to Jo who was as

white as a ghost, 'I'm so so sorry. I didn't know.'

Jo nodded slowly, but didn't say a word.

Never had El felt so lonely, 'Mama-'

This was so heartbreaking for everyone to watch and listen to, but they could hardly leave.

'I'm not your mum sweetheart.' Kate sobbed. She then gestured at the Doctor, 'She is.'

Quickly, Kate left the room. Her guts were all over the place. El tried to follow, but Kate

pushed her away. Nancy was immediately at El's side, taking her into her arms and holding

onto her, 'It's okay…It's going to be okay.'

'It's not!' El cried, 'IT'S NEVER GOING TO BE OKAY! STEVE WAS NEVER MY

BROTHER AND MAX WAS NEVER MY SISTER!'

Jo walked around to get to El. When she got to both Nancy and El, El pushed her away too.

Steve Arnott followed Kate into the ladies, waiting outside her stall. This was a huge mess.

How anyone would come back from this, it would be impossible.

If one thing was certain, Kate would take her anger out on both Jo and Nikki when she had a

moment to do so, first she needed to process what she had been told.

Aftermath

Sometimes later, Kate found herself in the bar that they had booked for the reception. She had

already had a few shots of whiskey. Many of the guests had left, but Jo still stuck around to

support Kate for whatever it was worth.

Nikki had a shiner of a bruise on her face and Ruby eventually found her way to Kate's side.

Slowly, she approached and sat on a stool beside her, 'That wasn't meant to come out that

way….I thought the Doctor would tell you.'

Kate merely glanced at her and shrugged, 'Welcome to the family. It's full of secrets…' She

caught sight of Nikki as she walked in, 'And fucking liars.'

Ruby looked over to where she was looking and almost audibly sighed, but Kate had already

gotten to her feet and approached Nikki, 'You came back for more?'

Nikki hesitated, 'No…I…I came to talk.'

Kate scoffed, 'What more is there to talk about?! I was looking forward so much to marrying

you, to having you as my wife again, but no, you went and slept with my former wife instead.

How long was it going on for?'

Nikki swallowed, 'Kate-'

'How. Long?' Kate sneered, 'Six Months? Nine? A year?'

Nikki couldn't believe she was saying this, but she said it quietly, 'Since before Steve was

killed.'

Once more, Kate felt repulsed , 'So while I was grieving, you were shagging my ex?'

Jo walked in seconds later and walked over to her. Of course, she was extremely brave, but

she knew how to handle Kate, 'Kate, we can do this at home!'

Kate laughed, 'You and her were shagging each other before our son was murdered!'

Jo looked down, 'At that point it wasn't love-'

Kate raised her brows, 'Right. So you were just prostituting each other then? I know you both

had a thing for each other-' A thought came to her, 'Did Steve know about it?'

'He…' Nikki swallowed, 'He knew that we had a thing for each other and…he caught us

once.'

'I'm the last to know, like always.' Kate sounded so broken, 'Bet I'm a right laughing stock.'

Jo stepped in, 'No, of course you're not.'

'YOU SLEPT TOGETHER THROUGH THE TRIAL, THROUGH THE WORST

MOMENTS OF MY LIFE, AND EVEN WORSE, MY DAUGHTER-' Her voice lodged in

her throat. Her voice lowered again, 'When was the last time you both fucked each other?'

'Last night.' Jo admitted.

Kate laughed to herself and then she punched Jo in the face, this time, there was no one to

hold her back, 'AFTER EVERYTHING THAT I EVER DID FOR YOU, THIS IS HOW

YOU REPAY ME?!' She managed to get a few punches in, before she was dragged off by

both Rachel and the Doctor, who had snuck in around the side.

'THAT'S ENOUGH!' The Doctor shouted at her, while Rachel helped Jo to her feet. The

Doctor then got into Kate's face, 'You need to calm down!'

'Here she is, mum of the year.' Kate hissed. She glanced back at Ruby, and then back at the

Doctor, 'Can't you just go back in time and change what happened?'

'No.' The Doctor replied firmly, 'Because that's not how it works, and you know that.'

'You lied to me. I've been hurt by you before but this? I will never forgive you.'

'I wouldn't expect you to.' The Doctor admitted, 'But please bear in mind that I didn't know

until maybe a couple of years ago. I just- I didn't know. Your dad has done this entire time,

but I didn't.'

'It still doesn't make it right that you kept it from me.' Kate sneered. Her voice then cracked,

'Were you ever going to tell me?'

Never had the Doctor felt so ashamed, 'I…I wanted to keep you safe.'

'So that's a no? You know, I don't know this young lass, but she deserved to know who her

mum is. The fact that you kept that from her…You let her know who I was, and you left her

to watch me go about my life without allowing her the right to tell me that I was in fact her

mum. Yeah, it would have been devastating to learn the truth no matter what, but the way in

which I found out hurts more. I was humiliated today in more ways than one, and, and El had

to learn like that? You're out of order.'

'What did you expect me to do?!'

'TELL ME THE TRUTH AS SOON AS YOU KNEW!'

Nikki then jumped in, 'Doctor, I did tell you to tell her-'

'Oh, so you knew?!' Kate snapped, 'When did you find out?!'

The Doctor fought her corner, 'This isn't her battle, it's between me and you.'

Kate grabbed a hold of the Doctor and threw her up against the bar. Though the Doctor's back

slammed painfully against it, she would rather have Kate's anger directed at her, rather than

someone else.

'Let it out of your system Kate!' The Doctor sneered at her, 'Yeah, Nikki and Jo deserve it,

but I deserve it more!'

Kate was in tears now, 'I COULD KILL YOU! I HAVE NEVER HATED YOU MORE!

YOU'RE NO MOTHER OF MINE! IF YOU LOVED ME, YOU WOULDN'T DO THIS TO

ME!'

Accepting her fate now, the Doctor nodded, smiling sadly, 'I know, and I will spend eternity

making that up to you.'

'I really don't think you could.' Kate replied sadly. She released her jacket and dropped her

hands, 'You can go now. Too much damage has been done, you can go Doctor.'

That stung the Doctor deeply, 'Kate-'

'Go back to the TARDIS. Float around in space and time. Save the universe like you

normally do. Forget about me because I have never needed you.' Kate sniffed, but looked at

the Doctor with a cold stare, 'Go and find someone who needs you because I don't.' She

laughed with cynicism and sadness, 'We finally found something we have in common…We

really are alone in the universe.'

The Doctor was heartbroken, but she accepted Kate's wishes. Without saying another word,

she headed out. Before she left the venue, she looked back at Kate one final time, and then

walked away.

Eventually, Kate found her way home. She had walked for a couple of hours to get back.

Ruby did want to go with her, but she understood that right now, it was perhaps too soon to

do so.

When Kate walked in, she noticed that the door had been unlocked. After walking in, she

headed up the stairs and went into El's room to find that her drawers were mostly empty and

that many of her belongings had gone too, however, picture frames had been thrown on the

floor and there were a couple that had been taken from the frame and torn up.

Kate walked over broken glass and picked up one picture in a frame from the floor. When she

turned it over, she saw that El had gone over the picture in permanent marker, scribbling her

own face out of the picture. This photo in particular was on El's tenth birthday. There was a

cake in the foreground with both Kate and El behind the cake. In the picture El was kissing

Kate's cheek. El had now scribbled out her own face from the picture, leaving only Kate in

the photo with the cake.

Kate picked up a photo that hadn't been in a frame. It had been torn to pieces, but it was easy

enough to reassemble. It was a family holiday picture that was taken when they were even

younger. El had also scribbled herself out of that.

Kate then panicked about the pictures in the living room. Quickly, she bolted down the stairs

to find the mirror in the living room had been shattered. The pictures that were on the

fireplace had been thrown about the room and there was glass almost everywhere, but in

amongst it, Kate found a note on the coffee table.

She picked it up and read it, " For what it was worth, I loved being your daughter…I'm sorry

it ended the way it did…I'm not sure what I'm going to do now…I've taken my passport and

I'm heading to the airport…There is nothing for me here now. I've got some savings, I'm

going to find somewhere to stay…It's best if we all move on now. Thank you for everything,

Ma - Kate.'

Kate dropped the note back on the table and broke down once again. Without El here, she

literally had nothing. Quickly, she grabbed her phone from her pocket and tried to call El.

The phone rang, and continued to ring.

After El had been told the devastating truth, after Kate had left, she asked Nancy to bring her

home. Of course, once Nancy had dropped her off, she made sure to ask if she would be okay

by herself, to which El assured her she would be and that she should go and see the kids.

Though Nancy didn't want to leave her, she knew she had to go and take care of the kids, so

she left El alone.

When El walked through the door, she was met with complete silence. She walked through to

the living room and stared at the pictures of the mantle. Each of them she looked at was now

tainted. No longer did she feel like she fit nor did she belong there. She picked up a photo

with her and Steve together in Scotland some time ago. Smiling sadly at it, she wished that he

was still here, but that wouldn't make a difference. He wasn't her brother, and he never had

been.

In a fit of anger, she threw the picture at the mirror, shattering it, and then she went into a fit

of rage, knowing that she ruined today. If she hadn't exposed the affair, in her mind, none of

this would have happened. Sweeping her arm down the mantle, each of the photos fell off,

into the floor. She stomped on some of them, hearing the glass crack beneath her feet. She

then stormed up the stairs and grabbed the photo from her dresser of her birthday. Angrily,

she opened the frame, took out the photo and grabbed a marker, she scribbled out her face

and then put it back in the frame.

Her attention then turned to a family photo that she had tacked to her mirror. She grabbed it

and scribbled out her face, using a heavy hand to ensure the ink would stay. Then she ripped

it up and threw it on the floor, before going around the room, yanking open her drawers and

grabbing clothes which she stuffed into a suitcase unceremoniously. There was one picture of

Steve that she kept, but she grabbed her suitcase and headed down the stairs.

After going through the drawers downstairs, she found her passport which was in date,

luckily. She was just going to leave, but she didn't want unwanted attention, so she grabbed a

notepad and wrote out a quick note for Kate. Once she had written it, she stared down at it,

seething. Still, she tore it out and left it for Kate to find.

She then left the house, neglecting to lock up. El traveled by foot for about half an hour to

burn off some anger before then booking an Uber to take her to the airport.

About twenty minutes later, she was going through security with her belongings when her

phone rang. Mama 1 appeared on the screen as it came out of the scanner.

Once she had grabbed her belongings, El headed down toward the terminal. She had no idea

what she was doing, she just knew that she didn't want to stay here.

It wasn't long until she was on a plane, heading to Greece. It was a place she had always

wanted to go, and now she had a reason.

10pm

Kate was sitting alone in an extremely quiet home. It had been about six hours since she had

cleared up all of the glass from El's outburst. Now she was on the sofa with a bottle of wine,

in her pyjamas. Of course, Kate had checked for El's passport, but it wasn't there.

As soon as Kate had realised El wasn't coming back, she was so defeated. Nancy had tried to

call her, but Kate just left her a text saying, 'El has gone, taken her passport and isn't

answering my calls. I'll let you know if I need anything x'

Now Kate didn't know what she wanted. She thought she had everything she had ever

wanted, but now even that was gone.

Stumbling to her feet, though Kate wasn't drunk, she was very well aware of her situation.

Slowly, she walked up the stairs and went to Steve's room. Standing in the doorway, she

leaned on the frame and closed her eyes, trying to remember the last time all of them were

truly happy. The only thing she could think of was when he was about fourteen and the girls

were a little younger. They would laugh and play, and the girls would be jumping around on

his bed, wanting to be lifted in the air but him because he was so tall. There was a time when

everything was perfect and when Kate opened her eyes, she saw the darkness in the room

with the only light being cast by the light on the landing.

Under her breath, Kate uttered, 'I'm sorry I let you all down.'

At this moment, as hard as it was, Kate decided to put the place on the market. It was just

bricks and mortar, and it was too big for her, and she didn't know if El would ever come back.

Slowly, Kate closed the door to the room and went back to El's room. It was messy and

almost bare, with mess still on the floor from earlier. She also decided to visit Max's old

room. It was as she left it on the day that she was arrested.

Every room was just cold and empty now, there was no life there, it had no meaning for her

now. Like El, she had no reason to stay.

She was half tempted to light the place up, but she would get no money if she did that, and

she would end up homeless. While she was thinking about all of this, she heard a knock on

the door.

When she got downstairs, she opened the door and was surprised to see Nikki standing there

in her casual outfit of a t- shirt, jeans and trench coat, 'How can I help you?'

Nikki swallowed the lump in her throat, 'I just came to get my things…I assume you want

them gone?'

Kate moved out of the way of the doorway, heading back through to the living room so that

she could walk in.

When Nikki walked into the living room, she saw the state of the mirror and mantle, 'What

happened?'

'El happened.'

'Is she alright?' Nikki asked her, 'I know what you think of me, and that's fine, you know? I

don't blame you, but I still care about you and El-'

'Aww, that's kind.' Kate replied with sarcasm, 'Well, El is gone. I don't know where she's

taken her passport, and she won't answer her phone, but she left a note telling me that there is

nothing left for her here so she's gone to start again.'

Nikki had no idea what to say, 'Kate….'

'I'm selling up.' Kate said bluntly, 'This place is too big for me and…It's not as though my

kids are here is it? One of them is dead, the other is dead to me, and the other was never my

daughter to begin with.' She sounded so bitter, but she also sounded done with everything.

Nikki was confused, 'What about Steve's room? What about him?'

'Ghosts Nikki, they're all ghosts now.' Kate shrugged, 'You clearly moved on, El has gone to

start again, and so do I. You and Jo can have each other.' Numb, that's how Kate was feeling,

numb to everything, 'I'll give you your half of the mortgage so you can start again, but there

is no fixing this.'

Nikki swallowed and held back tears, 'She was the biggest mistake of my life.'

'Didn't stop you shagging her for years though, did it? You know that the last conversation

before she exposed you, my last conversation with El was an argument? Now I don't know if

she is ever coming back.'

Nikki had no idea what to say, 'Have you spoken to Nancy about selling the place?'

'It's none of her business.'

'Steve was her fiancee Kate-'

'He was my son.' Kate replied, 'Oh, and I'm going to change my name by deed poll. After

this place has sold, I'm not telling anyone where I'm going, I'm going to start afresh. I knew

that at some point in my life I would have to start again, I just never expected it so soon…I

thought I had at least a few hundred years, but I was wrong again.' She was so cold about all

of this, 'Steve won't know where I've gone. I'm cutting off everyone because I can't do this

without cutting ties with everyone properly.'

'But you have grandkids and Nancy needs you-'

'She has you and Jo. You're going to have a great life together. You should get married

instead.' Kate smiled sadly, 'You've got my permission now. Go and live a happy human life

together. I know that it can be hard to tell me that spending a life with me is daunting and

that's okay…I'm just not going to fall in love again…I've figured it out now. After all these

years, I'm not meant to fall in love or have a family, because I can't. I'm so much more like

my mum than I thought. I was naive enough to think, to believe that I could be different.'

Nikki had no idea what to say, 'I'm sorry Kate.'

'Not as sorry as I am.' Kate replied softly, 'You know, immortality sucks because I have to go

through this over and over again. I found my one true love two hundred years ago. I lost her

because at that time it was a sin to be gay.'

Tears came to Kate's eyes again, 'I remember so clearly telling her to run with me, but she

stayed behind. Not even twenty four hours later, I was standing in a crowd at the gallows. She

met my gaze and I watched her getting hung. I saw the love of my life die because I couldn't

keep my desires hidden.'

A tear fell from Nikki's cheek.

Kate continued, 'Truly, I don't think I've ever loved anyone like her since. She was the first

woman I ever fell in love with…Of course, I loved Jo, I loved you, but I don't understand

how I went wrong with either of you…Fine, with Jo, I cheated on her with you, but for the

longest time I still loved her while I was cheating with you. I was found out, but the

consequences were not as bad as this. This time I didn't do anything wrong. I was faithful

throughout our relationship.'

Nikki shook her head, 'I will get my things and I will go…Jo and I are…We are going away

together-'

'Of course. I hope you have a great life together…I mean that.' Kate replied, 'Because I

wouldn't want to be with me either. You get a happy ending…Something I can only ever

dream of.'

Nikki nodded slowly and went upstairs to pack a few things.

After Nikki came back down with her own suitcase full of belongings, she came face to face

with Kate once again, 'I'm so sorry for what I did-'

'No.' Kate said quietly, 'You and Jo are both sorry you got caught.' She looked Nikki in the

eye directly, 'Did you ever love me?'

Nikki nodded, 'When we met…The months and years that we did have together…It was only

about three years ago that I think things changed…I did still love you, and I did still want to

marry you…Even then…It might have been much like Jo's marriage to Jasmine…If it didn't

end today…If I'm being honest Kate…I don't think it would have lasted.'

A fresh wave of grief washed over Kate. She truly loved Nikki, and shutting off those

feelings was so hard for her to do. Slowly, she nodded, accepting what was happening, 'I

thought we had at least seventy years…I was a fool for believing that.'

'But what we did have…When we met? Some of the time after that? It was amazing, I loved

being a parent to your kids…I loved Steve so much…I just…I don't think I ever loved you as

much as I should have.' Nikki admitted, 'Out of the seven years that we were together? If you

want the truth…Four of them were everything I could have ever dreamt of.'

'And the last three?'

Nikki shrugged, 'My heart belonged to someone else….I was seeing Jo right before she got

married-'

'Jo said to me that she was interested in someone else and I told her to go for it, but to let

Jasmine know-' Kate was realizing, 'The entire time, I was unknowingly supporting your

affair…' She glared at her now, 'I can't get over that you pretended to be by my side

throughout the worst year of my life when Steve died, and the entire time you were fucking

her?! Get out Nikki! I'll send you the paperwork so that you get your half of the mortgage.'

Without a further word, Nikki picked up her bag and left the house, dropping her keys back

through the letterbox.

After she had left, Kate broke down in tears once more. This was undoubtedly one of the

worst days of her life. She had no choice but to start again, and she would.

How Can I Be Strong?

The following morning, Kate woke up on the sofa, extremely hungover. When she turned

over, she had forgotten about the events of the previous day if only momentarily. Turning on

her back, she had the crushing realization that she was alone. Swallowing the lump in her

throat, Kate forced herself to get up.

Once she had gotten to her feet, she stumbled over to the kettle and switched it on. Before she

could get too lost in her thoughts, Jo walked in through the back door.

The moment Jo entered the kitchen, coming face to face with a very hungover Kate, she

knew she was in so much trouble, 'Morning.' She stated.

Kate was leaning against the worktop now, her reaction was blasse, 'It's not a good one.'

'Where is El?' Jo asked, not wanting to get stuck in a repetitive blame filled conversation.

'I don't know Jo, I really don't. She packed a suitcase, grabbed her passport and left. I sent her

some money to help her out. I'm not going to leave her because I'm her sister…If anything, I

feel even more responsible for her wellbeing now.'

Jo hesitated, 'The Doctor could have been lying about this whole situation…'

'The Doctor doesn't make something like that up.' Jo retorted, 'She was telling the truth.'

Jo was still trying to come to terms with what she had been told yesterday. It was far too

much for her to take in, 'But…But why? How? Why are you not raising hell with

everything? Normally, you'd reign down the pits of hell-'

'Don't mistake my calmness as something it's not because believe me, I want to kill you, and

Nikki. The pair of you, I want to string you up.' She sneered, 'You both had an affair behind

my back for years . Worst of all, I endorsed it without even knowing!'

Jo looked over at the mirror in the living room and saw that it was knackered. But once the

kettle had boiled, she noticed how quiet it was. Quickly, Jo wanted to distract herself, 'Kate,

what Nikki and I did…It wasn't done out of love…We did it because we knew we could!'

'Right.' Kate laughed, 'I knew that you and her fancied the knickers off of each other. I

haven't forgotten those offers of a threesome by the way. I should have seen it coming, but I

fooled myself into believing that I could have a happily ever after!'

'You still can-'

Kate finally lost her temper, 'LOOK AROUND ME JO! MAX IS IN PRISON, OUR SON IS

DEAD AND EL WAS NEVER EVEN OUR DAUGHTER! SHE HAS LEFT ME AND

NIKKI CHOSE YOU!' Tears streamed now, 'Is this penance for what I did?! I haven't done

anything wrong in years and yet, I still end up fucking alone! You got what you wanted Jo,

you can leave.'

Jo hesitated, 'You need to hear me out-'

'I'm selling this place. I told Nikki, I can't stay. I don't know if El is coming back…And…I

did contemplate a while ago moving back to California…I guess I have nothing stopping me

now.' Kate sniffed, 'I'm going to start again Jo…I don't know where yet, but I'll figure it out.'

'But…Steve's room…We only got the courage to open it not so long ago…' Jo gasped, 'I'm

not ready to let him go yet.'

Kate nodded, 'Make yourself ready…I want to get rid of this place in the next few months-'

'I'll buy it from you.' Jo quickly said, 'I don't have the funds to buy yet…But I suppose you

could put it to rent…I mean, if you go…How is El supposed to know where any of us are?

This is still her home regardless.'

'Fine, whatever. I'll let you rent, but if you fault on payments, I won't hesitate to evict you

and sell the place on.' Kate then sneered, 'I should not be giving you anything, but this isn't

for you, it's for El.'

'Thank you.' Jo said quietly, 'I know I don't deserve anything from you…But this? It means

everything.'

'Now you can get out.' Kate sneered, 'I've got a lot to do and having you here isn't helping

anything.'

Jo looked extremely resigned, 'Kate…El is still ours regardless of this situation…'

'She's not Jo.' Kate said quietly, 'She's not your daughter and you can't be her step parent or

whatever because it is now weird…I hate you for sleeping with Nikki, but when it comes to

El, I'm sorry too.'

Though Jo looked heartbroken, she understood where Kate was coming from. Moments later

she decided to take the hint and leave.

…

Once El had arrived in Greece the night before, she got checked in at the hotel and went to sit

out on the balcony that overlooked the ocean. It was dark and the streets were incredibly

silent, with only the sound of waves crashing in the distance filling the void. Sitting at the

table, she unlocked her phone and saw the wallpaper of her and Steve. Her brother from

another mother now. That was painful for her, as well as all the other revelations from today.

El no longer understood where she fit in the universe. Her parents weren't who she had

believed for the entirety of her life, her siblings were the same. Her only sibling was Kate…

Sliding down the top of the screen, El saw the many missed calls from Kate and swiped them

off of the screen. What El needed was time to figure out what she was going to do. Turning

back to drugs was not an option, she had to figure out how to make it work over here. There

was no intention for her to return to the UK for some time, so she knew she had to apply for

different visas and such, but that would be a problem for the next day.

For now, El sat and closed her eyes, taking a deep inhale of breath. This was a form of

meditation for her that she needed. The stars above her sparkled away while she tried to find

her own inner peace. For the moment, inner peace was all she wanted. If there was one thing

El hoped for, it was that she could find and make a new family of her own in time.

Of course, she had sobbed on the plane, and now as she began to meditate, thinking about the

life she'd had, tears sprang to her eyes as she remembered the argument she had with Kate

before the truth of her biology came out. If there was one thing she regretted, it was having

an argument with Kate for the last time as her mum rather than it being something happy.

There was healing to do, and lots of it.

The moment Jo had gotten home the night before, she had found her bags packed and

Jasmine waiting in the living room for her to come back.

Standing there with a glass of red wine in hand, Jasmine seemed both incredibly angry and

bemused, 'I wondered when you'd be getting back.' She sneered, 'Don't worry, I packed your

bags for you, there's no reason for you to stay now.'

Jo had never felt so small, 'Jasmine…What happened between Nikki and I…It was a

mistake, I don't love her, I love you.'

Jasmine scoffed, 'You got caught, of course you love her enough to have an affair like that.'

She walked over and got into Jo's face, placing the glass of wine on the coffee table as she

approached. Once Jasmine had arrived opposite Jo, she pushed her up against the staircase,

'For years you've lied to me, to my face! YOU'VE BEEN SHAGGING HER OF ALL

PEOPLE AND MADE ME FEEL LIKE AN IDIOT! I KNEW, I KNEW YOU WERE

HAVING IT OFF WITH HER!'

'BUT IT DIDN'T MEAN ANYTHING!' Jo shouted back, 'She was a cheap shag, she is a

slapper-'

'And what does that make you? If she's a slapper? Did you pay her?'

Jo looked confused, 'No! I'm not like that either!'

Jasmine grabbed a hold of Jo's jaw, 'Now you will tell me the truth Jo.' Her grip was vice-

like, ' How long has this been going on? One year? Two?'

It then hit Jasmine, 'Before we got married?'

The way that Jo did everything to not look at her told Jasmine all she needed to know.

Though she was satisfied she had found out the truth, it broke her heart knowing how long

this had really been going on. Her voice broke when she asked, 'Did you ever love me at all?'

Her grip on Jo's jaw loosened and she dropped it altogether, 'Is your head really turned that

easily?'

There were tears falling down Jo's face now, 'Jasmine…She really meant nothing to me…

But…I…I couldn't love you because there was a time when I fell out of love with you…And

I don't…I don't love you.'

Jasmine nodded slowly, 'Did you ever love me Jo?'

'For a short while I thought I did…' Jo said quietly, 'But…' Her chin trembled, 'Me and

love…It…It's complicated.'

'Nothing about this is complicated!' Jasmine hissed, 'You slept with another woman

throughout our relationship and after all of that?' Quickly, she removed the wedding ring

from her finger, 'It's over Jo! For me, anyway, it never really existed for you, did it?'

Jo's chin trembled, and her heart shattered. Like Kate, she felt like she didn't have anyone,

and it was such a lonely place to be. Unlike Kate, she brought this on all by herself, and this

was the consequences from literal years of cheating.

'I'm sorry.' Was all Jo had.

Jasmine walked away from her and hissed back at her, 'Get your shit and go!'

Knowing that there was nothing more to say or do, Jo grabbed her belongings and headed

out, taking them to her car, having no idea where she was going to go, or what she was going

to do.

That night, she slept in her car, in the police station car park. She was practically homeless

and she needed a solution, desperately.

Nikki, on the other hand, traveled to a pub to drown her sorrows. She would go back for her

things another time. It was now that she was regretting even getting involved with the family

at all. There was one other woman that she knew might understand her back down in London.

Perhaps that's where Nikki would head next, but she really had no idea.

The Doctor headed back to the TARDIS, full of sadness and regret that she couldn't do

anything more to help Kate through any of this. She had an affair of her own going on, but

she would never let that slip. What happened between her and Carmichael, stayed between

them.

Starting Over

he next morning Nancy decided to pay Kate a visit. When she walked through into the living

room, she was surprised by the broken mirror above the fireplace and she looked around for

El, but set her eyes on Kate standing in the kitchen holding a cup of tea. Nancy offered her a

small smile, 'I'm sorry I couldn't come last night. I would have been over sooner but the kids

they…'

Kate gave her a small smile, 'It's alright, your kids should always come first, and I'm not just

talking as a parent who doesn't have anymore kids, I'm saying that in your eyes, your kids

should always take priority.'

Nancy nodded slowly and crossed her arms, 'Where is El? Is she still sleeping or-'

'She left Nancy.' Kate replied in a blunt manner, 'I came home last night, her drawers were

empty and she took her passport. I don't know where she is.'

Nancy felt terrible, 'I'm really sorry…I could try getting in touch with her for you, if after

yesterday, that's why she's not picking up?' She changed tact, 'And I'm sorry about what you

learned yesterday…I told El to tell you sooner-'

Kate's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat, 'You knew? You knew about Nikki and Jo

and you didn't say anything?'

'It wasn't for me to tell, and I didn't want to be that person.' Nancy argued back, 'El knew

before me, I only got told a couple of months ago because I pressured her about her attitude

and the way she was talking to you.'

'But you still knew.' Kate stated. She then rolled her eyes, 'No one in this family can tell the

truth!' She put her cup of tea down, 'The affair doesn't bother me nearly as it should, I have

bigger things to worry about than that.'

Nancy winced, 'Again, I'm sorry.'

'Did you know about the paternity thing?' Kate asked her.

'No, no , I swear to you, I didn't know about that. By the sounds of things, El didn't know

either.' Nancy sighed, 'Your mom messed up, huh?'

Slowly, Kate nodded, finding herself holding back tears now, 'All her life, she has been my

daughter, and to find out that she's my sister?' She laughed sadly. It was as if what this meant

was finally hitting her.

Nancy slowly walked over to Kate and stood opposite her, 'I can't begin to imagine what

you're feeling right now…'

Kate sounded broken. She had always trusted Nancy, and despite learning what Nancy knew

about the affair, that was not her biggest concern right now. Looking down and shaking her

head, Kate laughed, but the smile vanished as soon as she looked back at Nancy, 'It's not just

me Nance. It's not just how I feel in all this. El upped and left because she couldn't handle

this…She and I argued before the wedding and we haven't spoken since. What if she doesn't

come back? What if all of this was her last straw and she doesn't come back?'

Nancy pulled Kate into a hug and wrapped her arms around her, 'El will come back. You

were her mom for the last nineteen years and she still loves you deeply. Just like you, she's

probably finding it a lot to get her head around. Wherever El is…' Nancy rubbed her back

gently, 'She will come home, and when she does, you can both figure out where you go from

there.'

When they both pulled away from each other, Nancy gave her a gentle smile, 'She is

probably figuring out where she belongs now, her situation and everything, and you need to

figure out what is right for you…Once El comes back, and she will , you can figure out your

own relationship together.'

Kate smiled sadly, 'Yeah…Cheers Nancy…Then I have the matter of Ruby…'

'Small steps.' Nancy reassured her, 'For now, have that cup of tea and do one thing at a time.

As Steve would do with me, he'd want me to have my coffee, and do one thing after another,

and if my head is full of things, I would talk to him…And you can talk to me…' She looked

apologetic, 'I really am sorry that I didn't tell you about Nikki and Jo.'

'Like I said.' Kate took a deep breath, 'That is the least of my concerns. El is my main

priority, not them.'

Nancy nodded, 'Okay then, one thing at a time.'

'I'm going to rent this place out to Jo…I can't stay, not after everything. I want to start again

somewhere else. I'm also going to change my name.' Kate explained, 'It sounds like a lot, but

I can't do this anymore…Right now, I can't be Kate. I really do Nancy, I need to start again.'

'And I support you in that.' Nancy assured her, 'You need to go and do what is right for you,

and whatever happens, I want to be there to support you. You'd do the same for me and I will

do the same for you.'

Kate was about to respond when the doorbell rang. Nancy looked over, 'I'll get that.' She

then walked over and opened the front door to see Ruby standing there. Instantly, Nancy

glared at her, 'It hasn't even been twenty four hours.'

Ruby panicked, 'If it helps, I didn't know until recently. The Doctor told me to stay quiet and

yesterday it just came out-'

Kate then came to the door and Ruby was almost stunned into silence. Still, Ruby stammered,

'I promise you Kate, I didn't know. I've literally known for the last year or so and the Doctor

swore me to secrecy. She never wanted you to find out, and I didn't want to be the one to tell

you! God this is all coming out so wrong!'

Crossing her arms, Kate merely frowned at her. Of course, she was bitter about the entire

situation. She had lost everything, but the only person that she had left was a young woman

who was supposedly her daughter that she had never known. To Kate, El was her daughter

and always had been. Though Kate was wanting to give benefit of the doubt, it was a bit hard

considering how raw everything still was, 'Ruby.. I don't think you being here is a good idea

right now..I don't know you and El fled last night, I really can't be doing with this.'

Though Ruby was devastated, she knew where Kate was coming from. She nodded and

backed off, 'I'm sorry…For whatever it's worth..I'm sorry.'

'Yeah, so am I.' Kate sighed, quickly retreating back to the living room, leaving Nancy at the

door.

Nancy looked deeply apologetic as she looked back at Ruby, uttering a quiet, 'I'm sorry.' She

then closed the door and went after Kate.

Ruby was left almost devastated, but she understood why Kate felt the way she did. That

didn't stop her feeling deeply hurt by Kate's rejection of her. Moments later, she walked away

from the door and headed off, having no idea where she was headed.

Several weeks passed where nothing really happened. Nancy and Kate both worked together

to find her somewhere else to live, they hadn't heard a word from El, Kate hadn't seen Nikki

at all, and the Doctor had stayed away.

No one had visited Max either, she seemed to be almost forgotten about. Though this

bothered Max, she understood why she had been left to rot. It didn't mean she didn't like it

though.

Kate had also started the process of changing her name, and she would soon be applying for

bomb expo. Though this career almost destroyed her before, she knew it was something that

challenged her, so by the time she would have changed her name, she knew that she had a

place in that career, just under a different alias and in a different city.

Manchester wasn't for her anymore, so she moved further north and went to London, at least,

that's where she had her sights set on one property. She was in a limbo whilst her name was

getting changed because she knew that she couldn't really do anything until then.

Kate was also in the process of signing over her own home and the mortgage to Jo. She knew

she shouldn't after everything Jo had done to her, but a part of her couldn't let go of Steve, so

handing it to Jo was the second best option. What Kate didn't realize was that the property

she was in the process of purchasing was a few streets away from where Ruby lived.

Back in Greece, El seemed to be living her best life, learning about the culture and getting

intimate with some of the locals. Her former parents would be astonished and go red in the

face if they knew of the saucy nights that El had been having under the stars. Kate would

only go red because she was El's sister and she did not need to know that information.

This morning, El was romancing yet another woman. El only met her the night before, but

the pair were going at it beneath the sheets until the early hours and once more before

breakfast. Laying on a king-size bed, El had a young woman laying on top of her. The pair of

them continued to kiss, arms were wrapped around each other, and El was opting for methods

of which only Nikki could dream of. Experimentation was where it was at for her. The

woman in her arms was not complaining.

Loud moans of pleasure echoed through the room, and El found herself on top of this young

woman whom she'd grown fond of in her time here. Both were runaway's. This young

woman, Maria, came from America, but had come from Indiana, Gary Indiana to be specific.

She had told El how life there was boring and that there was nothing in the way of a future

there for her. The steel mills had run dry and the population had shrunk over time, meaning

that there was no business and no real reason to stay there. Maria ran because there was

nothing there for her and that she wanted to start a new life.

El on the other hand, had very different reasons to run away. Even though she was romancing

women by night, the reality was that she was running from her own reality and not wanting to

face the truth. To her, her life had been a lie and she couldn't face going back, not yet. Of

course, El was aware that Kate sent her money and texts every now and then to make sure she

was okay. El had felt guilty that she hadn't responded to Kate's messages and to tell her that

she was thankful for the help with money.

After getting up and making breakfast, El has sat across from Maria at the table on the

balcony which overlooked the ocean. This morning, she was particularly quiet. Something

was bothering her and Maria noticed.

'The sex was good.' Maria laughed, 'I've known you a short while now…Perhaps a little

more than I should and I don't mean in your ways about the bedroom.'

El looked back at her with a frown on her face, 'What do you mean?'

Maria leaned forward and stroked the top of El's hand gently, 'You're quiet. Something is

bothering you, right?'

'It might be…I just…Before I left Kate…The last thing we did as mother and daughter was

fight and argue because I was too angry about the affair between Jo and Nikki.' El then

sighed, 'I want to put it right, but I don't think I can face Kate, not yet.'

Maria shrugged and spoke to her gently, 'Why don't you drop her a message? You could go

back to England and meet for a coffee or whatever the British do, and you can talk it over?'

'My brother died that way. He was meant to meet his mom for coffee to start building bridges

and then my sister killed him.' El sighed, 'I don't know…I just…' She shrugged, 'I miss

home, I miss my mom, who is not my mom. I just…When I see her, what do I say?'

Maria started drawing circles with her finger on the back of El's hand, 'You just talk to her. It

won't come easy to either of you, but the fact that you both want to put in the effort…From

Kate's point of view, I think it would mean everything to her.'

El looked out onto the ocean and sighed gently, 'I know…Maybe…Maybe I should go

home.'

'I could come with you if you wanted-'

'No offense Maria…We have only just met…We can stay in touch though, if you wanted.' El

said quickly.

Maria smiled. She understood El could be nervous, but she also understood how important

family was, and how important it was to El, 'I would love to. Remember El, whatever

happens, the ball is in your court.'

'And I want to put things right.' El nodded, 'I'll drop Kate a message and we could…Go

from there?'

'Exactly. Take it one step at a time.'

Though it took a couple of months to sort things out, Kate was now happily working back in

bomb disposal. Her new alias worked well, what with the Doctor helping behind the scenes

without her knowing. Lana Washington was Kate's new alias and she loved it. Though she

decided to move back to Manchester because London was a little too far from Steve Arnott

and her son. The force didn't mind transferring her back, but only Nancy knew where Kate

lived.

Kate had already been on a few jobs where she was needed. The thrill of it gave her a

newfound sense of purpose. She was living in a smaller flat and she was settling in well.

It was her day off and she found herself fixated on housework. Something else had begun to

bother her recently too. The last few days, she had struggled to switch off mentally. Sure,

Kate could go a couple of days without sleeping, but today would be her third day without

any sleep. Another reason why she was fixated on doing anything that would use all her

energy. She had even asked Nancy if she could look after the grandkids, to which Nancy

would never refuse.

Whilst waiting for Nancy to arrive, Kate got on with some housework whilst the radio played

away in the background.

In the back of her mind, she was thinking about what El might be up to. She hoped that El

was okay and that things were somewhat better for her.

Kate became distracted from her thoughts when she heard some mail drop through the door.

Getting up from the floor after being on her knees from cleaning the oven, Kate removed her

rubber gloves and went to the door to see what mail had come through.

After grabbing the mail, she looked through it to find a small envelope with the name of the

prison which Max was locked up in. Firstly, Kate wondered how Max had gotten her new

address and secondly, she wondered why Max would bother writing to her when there was

nothing left to say.

Still, Kate tossed that letter to the side and dealt with the other letters, such as the bills and

other boring things. After searching for the mail, there was a knock on the door. Happily,

Kate walked back over to the door. She opened it with a big smile on her face, only to be

greeted by her boss. Her smile dropped immediately, 'Oh, hi boss, I wasn't expecting you

here…'

He looked around with a small smile on his face. Kate hated this guy. She thought he was a

posh twat who needed his nose punching back into his face. His approach to work was

disagreeable most of the time. Still, his posh London accent was another thing that annoyed

her, 'You were expecting someone else, Washington?'

Kate was still getting used to this. She was confused at first, but it quickly hit her, this was

her name now, 'Yeah, actually sir, I'm expecting my daughter-in-law and my grandchildren.'

'Lovely.' He smiled, 'I promise, this won't take a minute.'

Kate almost rolled her eyes, but moved out of the way so that he could come through, 'Could

I get you anything? Tea? Coffee?'

'Actually Lana, I wanted to ask you about that case the force terribly mishandled a couple of

years ago.' Her boss replied.

Kate had a feeling she knew where this was going. Still, she took a breath, 'Yes air, my twin,

Kate, she was involved in it so I am familiar.'

John, her boss, nodded, 'I just wanted to ask if Kate was you or if you had a twin. I couldn't

help but notice the two of you look almost exactly the same.'

'The only thing that sets us apart sir is a noticeable birthmark. I haven't seen or spoken to her

in years. I think the last I heard, she had moved back to america.' Kate explained, 'Why sir,

has she done anything else she shouldn't have?'

'No, no, I just…' He sighed, 'I've heard reports from AC-12 that in the last week, there have

been two Ghostface sightings. No one has died, thankfully, but there are still crazy fanatics

out there.'

Kate's hearts skipped a beat. She thought Billy had stopped being an idiot. Little did she

know that it wasn't Billy this time. Of course, Carmichael wouldn't know anything, but Jo

would. Then again, she, Jo and Nikki had not been talking. Steve Arnott on the other hand…

'Anyway, I just wanted to warn you because the public might see you and believe you to be

your sister. What I'm saying is, be vigilant.'

Kate nodded slowly, 'Thank you sir.'

Great, just what she needed.

After seeing her boss out, Kate came back to the kitchen and looked out onto the living area

where photos of her and Steve, as well as pictures of her and El were on the walls.

This couldn't be happening, not again.

…

I'm Coming Home

At work, Kate arrived in time for the early afternoon meeting. The office room she was in

was larger than any office she had worked in previously and though she wasn't a fan of her

boss, it was quite nice not having people accusing her of things and looking down on her for

her mistakes. Before the meeting began, Kate grabbed herself a cup of tea and a large

cinnamon swirl that she didn't make light work of. After finishing her snack, she walked over

to the table and got seated.

Most of the meeting was spent listening to Francis making points about a recent spate of

suspected terrorist attacks that hadn't thankfully transpired. Once the meeting was over, Kate

got to her feet and put her hands in her pockets. She walked over to Thom, her new colleague

and she had to ask him, 'Tell me you think he's a toffee nosed twat?' She used her head to

gesture to John Francis.

Thom was making a cup of tea, pouring sachets of sugar into his mug when he looked back at

her and then Francis, 'He's alright. Not as common as the rest of us, but you'll get used to

him.' He then frowned, 'You remind me of someone Lana.'

Kate raised her brows. She was preparing herself for what was coming, 'If you say Kate

Fleming, that police officer involved in corruption because of the Ghostface killings, that's

because she's my twin sister.'

Thom nodded, 'I was going to say that…Yeah.' He laughed, 'I take it that you and your sister

don't talk anymore?'

'It's complicated.' Kate replied simply. She had no idea how she was going to keep this lie

going, but it was working so far. Her phone then bleeped in her pocket.

When Kate took it out, she saw a message from El, "I'm coming home x"

Kate had no idea how to feel about this. It wasn't meant in a bad way either. Kate had wanted

to see her for months and put things right. Now she was coming back, she wasn't sure how to

feel about it. There was a mixture of nerves and relief, but she quickly excused herself and

exited the building.

El was coming home, and there had been a Ghostface sighting. Business as usual then Kate

thought in a cynical way.

Though Kate had no idea how to respond to the message, she still did: I could pick you up,

but if you didn't want that…Here's my address.

Kate sent the message and though she didn't get a reply, it was okay.

Before she headed back into work, she gave Nancy a quick call. Nancy answered on the

second ring, 'This is becoming common. Anyone would think you don't have any friends.'

She laughed, 'Speaking of, Steve Arnott popped round and asked to meet you at some point

because he feels a bit neglected.'

Kate laughed, 'I'll give him a ring later. How's work going?'

'It's a slow business day. Honestly, I haven't seen anyone in the last two hours. I saw Robin

Buckley earlier though, Robin and her wife Vicki.'

'Oh wow.' Kate gasped, 'Are you okay with that?'

'Okay with it? I know I admitted that crush once but you know where my eyes were. They'd

still be there if he was here.' Nancy replied, 'And I mean his face before you come at me.

Protective mama bear.'

Though Kate saw the funny side, she knew that Nancy and Steve would have been married

by now if Max hadn't killed him, 'You and Steve Nancy-'

'I miss him every day, but one day I'm gonna have to move forward right? You know that

more than anyone.'

'I do yeah.' Kate nodded, 'Anyway, that's not why I called.' She pondered for a moment, 'El

text, she said she's coming home.'

'That's great isn't it?!'

'I'm terrified. What if she hates me?'

'She didn't leave because of you. She left because everything was overwhelming. She doesn't

blame you. I'm sure she's just as nervous about seeing you.' Nancy said softly, 'One step at a

time.'

Kate nodded, 'Anyway, I've got to get back to work. Have a good day Nancy.'

'You too Kate.' Nancy replied softly. She then ended the call, leaving Kate alone once more.

Before returning into the building, Kate had a cigarette and spent the duration of the cigarette

thinking about what she was going to say to her sister and how it would all come about. Not

to mention the insomnia she had been suffering from.

One thing at a time.

After returning to work, Kate buried her head in paperwork, putting headphones in and

listening to music to help her focus.

Half an hour later, John Francis entered Kate's office space after knocking on the door. Kate

almost rolled her eyes, but greeted him with a smile, 'How can I help you sir?'

John closed the door and took a seat opposite her, 'Lana…It…Even at your interview for this

position, it never occured to me to ask about the scars on your arms and your face…'

'Why would it?' Kate asked him, 'If it doesn't affect my ability to carry out my duty, I

personally don't see why it would become a problem.'

John cleared his throat and crossed his legs, 'How did you obtain your injuries?'

Kate couldn't believe this, 'Sir, forgive me for asking, but why ask me these questions now

when you could have when we first met?'

'Your CV explained that you had been a member of the bomb squad before, is that how you

sustained these injuries? Did you get caught in a blast yourself?'

'Are you discriminating against me sir? I'm sorry, but if you really ought to know, I've been

cleared by psych professionals and I went through rigorous testing before I even secured the

interview.'

'Or is it the birthmark that you and your sister share? Kate had the exact markings that you

do.' John asked her.

'It's the birthmark.' Kate said bluntly, 'You were the one who assumed it was a burn injury.'

John nodded slowly, 'I know you think I'm a tosser, but believe me, I think far worse of you

Kate.'

Kate swallowed now, 'Why haven't you sacked me then?'

'You're an expert in your field. Literally, your record goes back almost a hundred years. I

found your name in a record. Between you and I, a very long time ago, I was involved in the

secret service, UNIT and the like. I know that extraterrestrials exist, and I know what they did

to you.' He looked sincere, 'And I am sorry for what they did to you.'

Though Kate wanted to lamp him then and there, she held off. Instead, she got her back up,

'You know all this, so you're going to use it against me…I may as well walk now.'

'But I'm not everyone else.' He said firmly, 'Because we all deserve second chances. You

have eternity, and you want to start again. I'm not taking that from you.'

'I feel a but coming sir.' Kate almost sneered.

'There is no but. I actually found out that you served with my great grandfather and you

stayed with him on the battlefield back in the first world war. He died in your arms, and you

stayed with him until his very final moments.'

Kate had to think far back, but then it hit her. A lump formed in her throat and she sounded

on the verge of tears, 'Rupert Francis?'

John nodded, 'His friend, Larry…You might have known him. He wrote diaries of life in the

trenches and on the front line. Your name came up multiple times actually. They referred to

you always as their guardian angel.' He had a small smile, 'I'm not your enemy Kate. I may

not like you for everything with what happened in the force, but you always try and make

things better…That's why you're here, to try again. I respect that and…I have to say…It's an

honour to have you here.'

Kate nodded slowly, 'Thank you sir.'

'Your secret will always be safe with me Washington. You were there with my great

grandfather and he would think it prudent if I exposed you, and I wouldn't forgive myself

either.' He then got to his feet, 'You're both a hero and a villain. With a life as long as yours,

of course you would love to see both sides of yourself, but you always choose the good, that

is honorable.'

Francis then held out his hand, 'Thank you.'

Kate shook his hand in return, 'You're very welcome.'

After shaking each other's hands, Francis left the room, leaving Kate to get back on with her

work. Instead, she ended up thinking about Rupert. He was a dear friend to her, and meeting

one of his ancestors so far in the future just seemed inevitable now that she thought about it.

Truly, she believed that her secret was safe with Francis, and it was.

The airport was busy, considering it was nearer the end of August, that didn't surprise El in

the slightest. Everyone was arriving back from their own summer holidays in order to get the

kids back to school for the new term. The screaming of babies would have driven El into a

meltdown had she not had her ear buds.

She was back on British soil and was now waiting for her suitcase to arrive in the baggage

area. Looking around, she could tell how many parents were exhausted from their holidays

and she wondered how they could be so miserable after having a wonderful time, but then

she remembered her own predicament. Despite everything she had a wonderful life and then

bad things happened for her to be miserable. For the parents, the bad thing was coming back

to Britain and their normal lives. El didn't know if she had anything to feel miserable about,

she was just nervous.

After collecting her bag, El headed out of the airport and called an Uber. It cost her about

forty quid, but she didn't mind.

On the journey, El found herself looking out of the window, seeing a wonderful blue sky

above her. It made her incredibly happy to be home, despite everywhere being a concrete

jungle. Before heading to Kate's place, El had another place to be.

It took about forty minutes to arrive, but when she did, El grabbed her suitcase from the boot

of the cab and headed to the first person she wanted to visit; Her former brother.

As she wandered over to her brother, she could see that flowers had been left for him

recently. It was nice to see that he hadn't been forgotten about. Despite how much time

passes, El didn't think it was possible for people to forget who he was, and she would make

sure of that.

'I'm not sure if they've told you…' El said quietly as she looked down at Steve's headstone,

'Why would they? We weren't told when you were alive…' She sighed, and held back tears,

'You weren't my brother, not biologically anyway.'

There was a small laugh from her, 'I know you wouldn't let it make a difference because you

were wonderful like that, and I'll never stop loving you.'

El cleared her throat, 'I have so much to tell you about my break.' It was then and there she

decided to set down her suitcase flat on the floor so she could sit on it. Once she got

comfortable, she started telling Steve about how she had been the last couple of months, the

things she had done and the people she had met.

Whilst Kate was at work, Jo called her with some random complaints. When Kate picked up,

she sounded annoyed, 'I thought we weren't talking?'

Jo scoffed, 'This house of yours, where is the electric box? The circuit breaker thing?'

Kate rolled her eyes, 'Are you serious?'

'I can't cook without electricity Kate.' Jo said bluntly.

Kate then uttered sarcastically, 'You should have seen what I did for food in my ear days.'

She then sighed, 'It was oddly placed, it's in the attic. Don't ask, I didn't build the place. Do

you know how and which switches to use?'

'Are you still being sarcastic?' Jo asked her, sounding annoyed.

'No, I'm being genuine.' Kate still sounded sarcastic, but then she adjusted her tone to

something that was more sincere, 'Do you want help?'

'Please.' Jo replied.

'Okay.' Kate replied gently, 'What electric is down? Is it the whole house?'

'It's just the kitchen.' Jo replied, 'I was making lunch and the kitchen cut out.' She was

clambering up the stairs, and once she got up there, she pulled the cord to pull down the

ladders on the inner attic door, 'One second.' There was huffing and puffing on the other end

of the line.

Kate waited, but her mood was becoming increasingly sarcastic, 'Joanne, you've got to stop

making those sounds, people might get the wrong idea.'

Jo chuckled, putting her tongue in her cheek, 'Well, Katherine, I hate to break this to you but

we are both extremely single and only have each other to listen to, as much as we despise

each other.'

'Fair.' Kate replied bluntly, 'You're right though, I hate you for what you did with Nikki-'

'You can talk for yourself, you did it first!' Jo argued back, 'You cheated on me with her so

don't go there!'

Kate rolled her eyes, 'Have you found the box yet?'

Jo wandered to the other end of the attic and found the circuit breaker, 'Yeah. I have now.'

'Okay, so the switch that is down is the one that needs to be flicked up like all the others.'

Kate replied.

Jo flicked the switch up and clambered down from the attic and headed down the stairs,

'What are you up to these days Katherine anyway?'

'I'm getting on with my life like everyone else should do. I haven't heard from Nikki, but El

is coming home today. She sent me a message that she was coming home and that was at

about six this morning.'

Jo frowned, 'Which home is she coming to?'

'Really?'

'Well, you don't live here anymore, so she would more than likely come here.' Jo replied.

'I sent her my address Jo, I'm not stupid.' Her attention was caught when her pager went off,

'Shit. I'm sorry Jo, I've got to go.'

'Have you got a pager-' Jo was cut off by Kate ending the call and putting her phone in her

pocket. Something was happening, and it required Kate's attention.

While El was sitting talking to Steve, she was so glued in her conversation and imagining

what his reactions would have been that she didn't hear anything else behind her. She began

to tell him about Kate's wedding and how much of a disaster it was when an arm was put

around her throat and locked tightly in place. Immediately, El began struggling and almost

choking as the grip was incredibly tight.

Then, she felt something sharp entering the side of her neck. While she fought, she looked up

and the terror that she was feeling increased tenfold. There, above her was Ghostface. The

giant eyes and the white face that had terrorized her for so many years, and she was about to

become one of his victims, or, so she thought.

Here she was talking to her brother who was also killed by the same face, and she wondered

whether she was going to go the same way.

The figure pulled the needle from her neck and showed it to her. It was actually larger than a

standard needle. Her feet scraped against the grass. She clawed and tried her best to get away

from him, but then everything went dark as she fell unconscious.

Discarding the needle to the side, Ghostface dragged her to the car which was hidden in some

woods. Before he did anything more, he tied her hands with handcuffs and gagged her using

some duct tape. He then shoved her in the boot and after getting in the driver's seat, he pulled

off the mask.

What he had planned, he had taken inspiration from his predecessors to do, and it was awful.

A Thorne

While driving to the secret hideout, El regained consciousness while in the boot of the car.

Waking up in almost complete darkness, El was a bit dazed and confused by what was going

on. It took her a few moments to realize where she was. She tried moving her wrists but to no

avail. Shifting her weight, she quickly realized that she was in the back of someone's car.

The journey went on for what felt like eternity, but then when the engine cut out, El listened

extremely carefully for the culprit. First, she heard the door open and then she heard

footsteps.

Quickly, El's fight or flight kicked in when she heard a key being slotted into the boot lid. By

that judgment, El knew this car was at least twenty years old, maybe more.

As much as El was thinking and analyzing everything, moments later, she was blinded by the

daylight that streamed down on her the moment the lid opened, only to be met by Ghostface

looking down at her. Once more, El began thrashing around and a harsh hand became

wrapped tightly around her throat. Then came the voice that she had not heard in many years.

The voice she once tried to use herself when contemplating becoming this very monster

herself.

'I wouldn't do that.' The masked figure sneered in his unmistakable voice, 'When you wake

up, you might not want to move at all because it could kill you! '

El froze. She wondered what he meant. Her eyes widened significantly, but she once again

didn't have a moment to consider it because a needle was shoved into her neck and she was

unconscious seconds later.

From there, the figure carried El inside this long since abandoned house in the middle of

nowhere. The place has been boarded up for a couple of years but it wasn't quite in a state of

disrepair yet. Still, it didn't prevent El from trying to communicate telepathically to anyone

that she knew.

When El woke up again, she noticed it was completely dark. She tried to keep herself calm,

doing breathing exercises, meanwhile, the man who kidnapped her was not far away.

'I wouldn't move too much.'

El heard a masculine voice across the room, only, it didn't sound like Ghostface. In fact, it

sounded familiar.

Still, he continued speaking, 'I covered your eyes so you can't see who I am. Those telepathic

powers of yours…I don't know how they work but I wouldn't want any unwanted attention.'

He then got up and walked over to her. Slowly, he crouched in front of her and tore the duct

tape from her mouth, 'You can talk…I wouldn't deprive you of that.'

Though El was terrified, she remembered that she had learned a thing or two from her big

sister, 'You might have hidden my sight…But I still have my hearing…My mom's also told

me that I have a great imagination too…' She then laughed, 'Actually, that was my brother.'

'Your dead brother, right?'

'Max Tyler. I might have only met you once, but that smartass voice…The arrogance, the

cockiness?' El smiled to herself, 'I know it's you.'

Angrily, Max tore off the blindfold and he glared at her, 'Your parents wouldn't even know

where to find you! The blindfold wasn't doing anything!' He then grabbed her by the jaw,

'You think you're so clever…That clever spark will soon disappear when you realize what I

have planned for you.'

El didn't like where this was going. Any fight she had in her instantly vanished. When Mr

Tyler released his grip on her jaw. She began to feel frightened of him, and whatever was

coming next.

Max smiled at her now, 'I took inspiration from previous Ghostface's. That sister if yours is

rotting away in prison, but Billy…He gave me the inspiration that I needed to get my revenge

on you.'

A stray tear fell down her face, and her fear began to increase tenfold, 'For…For what? For

losing your job?'

Max backhanded her, slapping her across the face. He then got to his feet and walked back

across the room, 'That wasn't just any job, it was to be the head of Waterloo Road and you

took that from me.' He then walked back over to her and looked down, merely smiling,

'Which is why, you're going to pay for what you've done to me.'

Still, El was confused, 'What…what are you going to do?'

There were a few seconds of silence where he seemed to enjoy what was coming, and what

he was about to say, 'Around your neck, the collar you're wearing? It is attached to an

explosive that is activated by light which is why your hair is covering it. Any false moves and

you're dead.'

Instantly, El's blood ran cold. Instinctively, she wanted to touch her neck, but she didn't want

to move at the same time. Never had she felt more terrified than what she was now.

El stammered now as tears streamed down her face, 'You're joking, right? You…You

haven't…You…You wouldn't know how to do that.'

'The internet can be an incredible place Eleanor. Especially the dark web.' He smirked, 'So,

you stay still, and you do everything I tell you. Oh, and this device is plugged into the front

door so, make sure no one walks in that way, or the back for that matter. Get into

communication with Kate if you want, but she should know how risky it is.' He then picked

up some keys and tossed them around in his hands, 'Goodbye Eleven.'

'No…' El gasped, 'No…Max, NO!'

'Remember what I said Eleven? Stay still. I might just give your mum a call tomorrow…It

could be in a few days time, who knows?' He smirked. Max then walked away, shutting off

the lights completely, leaving El in complete darkness.

Silently, El began to sob, but she began to be careful of each and every movement, and now

she was terrified to fall asleep. She needed to reach out, but she didn't know where she was.

She had been in life or death situations before, but now she truly feared that she was going to

die.

It was the middle of the night when Kate was struggling to sleep once more that she got up

and ventured to the kitchen where her phone was charging on the side. She checked for any

messages from El but she hadn't heard anything. In the pit of her gut she could feel that there

was something wrong. Of course, she wouldn't put it past El to go out somewhere before

facing her properly for the first time in ages, but something didn't feel right about this at all…

Or maybe that could be her insomnia talking as she hadn't slept well for a while.

Even so, Kate tried calling El's number for it to go straight to voicemail. Odd . She thought.

But then she got a striking headache that left her leaning on the side. She could see images in

her head, and she could feel that it was El.

Getting the message loud and extremely clear, Kate sat down in the living room and put on

some rain sounds as white noise and she used a tea towel for a blindfold. Taking a deep

breath, Kate exhaled slowly and got focused on the images coming through to her.

Soon enough, she appeared in El's mind space, appearing as herself in a baggy hoodie and

black leggings without any socks.

Slowly, Kate looked around the space and saw nothing for a moment, but then El appeared to

her, only, she was in the last outfit Kate saw her in which was at her wedding. That was

bittersweet. Kate gave her a small smile, feeling hopeful, 'El…'

El looked close to tears, and she didn't know how to express herself, 'I can't…I can't move…

Physically in the real world.'

Kate's blood ran cold, 'What do you mean? Are you safe? Are you okay?'

'I don't know where I am.' El sobbed, 'I…I was at Steve's grave and someone came up

behind me…I remember trying to fight them off but I couldn't.'

As Kate listened, she drew her own conclusions that it was Billy doing this, that Billy had

betrayed her, but that was so far from the truth. Kate hesitated, 'Did you…Did you see the

person that hurt you?'

El nodded, 'But he isn't important right now-'

'Believe me El, he is very important and I'm going to-'

'I'VE GOT A BOMB AROUND MY NECK!' El shouted at her.

The colour drained from Kate's face. A million thoughts were racing through her brain right

now, 'A…Bomb?'

Slowly, El nodded, 'You can't come through the doors and…And…And it's activated by

light.'

Kate ran a hand down her face. She was terrified right now. She had seen something like this

before in her line of work, and last time it didn't end well. There was a moment where she

paced, 'Okay…Okay… Shit! '

Now El felt helpless, 'You can't save me can you?'

In the middle of rubbing her neck, Kate looked back at El, absolutely horrified and terrified.

Every emotion was written all over her face. Quickly, she walked back over to El and

answered her promptly, 'No, no, no, I can…I can save you…It will take some figuring out,

but I can do it. I will save you sweetheart, alright?'

Kate could see that El was hopeless and she didn't need this. She needed El to be strong and

she needed her to believe that they could get out of this, 'EL LOOK AT ME!'

Reluctantly, El met her gaze.

'Now, I have let you down many times before, but never on this. I will come and I will save

your life. We have so much to do, you and me alright?' Now Kate sounded desperate, 'Don't

you dare give up on me because you're all I've got El…You are my little sister, and just

because we know the truth of that, it doesn't mean I love you any less than before, alright?

Keep the faith because I am coming, and whoever did this, they are going to wish they had

never met me.'

El nodded, 'Okay.'

'Okay?' Kate smiled sheepishly, 'Good, good…Do you remember anything? What the place

looked like? A number plate?'

El frowned, 'Well, I was in the trunk for half an hour.'

Kate nodded, 'Do you know what time you were with your brother?'

El tried to think about it, 'The last time I checked was something like 2:15…But…He wore a

Ghostface costume…'

Great . Kate thought.

'It was Max Tyler.' El said with certainty, 'The car needed a key to access the trunk…Like,

he needed to insert the key into the lock.' She tried to think, 'Rover…The car, it was a

Rover.'

'Are you sure?'

'I…I saw um…In the car there was a small emblem…It said Rover on it…The year…I don't

know…99, maybe?' El wasn't sure of the details.

'That's okay…That's okay…I have your mother- Jo…Jo can authorize searches like this, and

I have means of doing things…I just need you to hang in there for me…' Kate felt hopeful,

but she knew there was every chance that Max Tyler could come back and finish the job he

started, 'Listen El, we will find you. You are not going to die. You'll be in the system as

kidnapped and you'll be our main priority.'

Kate then stopped and looked back at her with a sad smile, 'I love you kiddo.'

El looked back at her with the same sorrow, and responded, 'I love you too.'

Without a second thought, Kate brought herself back to the real world. Quickly, she wiped

her nose of blood and called Jo.

It was about two in the morning, so Jo knew that getting a call from Kate at this time meant

trouble. Though she was groggy, she picked up the phone anyway, 'Kate?'

'El has been kidnapped. I need to get to my work and set things in motion, and you need to

put in a report. She is our main priority today.' Kate was already dressing herself whilst the

phone was on loudspeaker.

Jo quickly sat up, 'What do you mean, El was kidnapped? What the hell are you gonna do?

You haven't told me where you are or what it is you do for a job now!'

'Jo!' Kate snapped, 'She was kidnapped by someone wearing a Ghostface costume at about

2:15 yesterday afternoon while at her brother's graveside. That someone was Max Tyler, and

he was driving a 1999 Rover Sterling. We don't see many of those on the roads these days!'

This was so much for Jo to process so early in the morning, 'Okay, alright, I'll get to the

office, make some calls and get Yaz in. What about your mum, can she help with this?'

'Even if I was dying Jo, I wouldn't want my mum anywhere near.' Kate replied, ' We can do

this.'

'And what is it you're gonna do?! What do you do for a living?!'

'Jo, this is time critical-'

Jo froze, 'Time critical? Katherine Fleming you'd better start talking before I do call your

mother!'

'I WORK IN BOMB DISPOSAL UNDER A DIFFERENT NAME!' Kate shouted.

Jo was trying to put the dots together. She was sitting there in pure confusion for a moment

before it hit her, 'Kate, is she in danger?'

Kate was holding the phone to her ear now, 'Yes…yes she is.'

'How much?'

Kate didn't want to reply to that. Briefly, she looked down, 'I've got this Jo.'

Jo was both angry and upset, 'Katherine-'

Kate sighed, 'She has a device around her neck that could be triggered by certain doors being

opened or…If the device comes into contact with light.'

Jo instantly remembered a case like that where it all went south. Now she felt sick, 'You

couldn't save that woman…What makes you think you can save El?'

'I don't know if I can…But this time I know what to expect…I need to help her…I can't not

do anything.' Kate said softly, ' We need to help her. Please.'

Though Jo didn't like it, she knew what they had to do. It was going to be a difficult day, but

they had no choice. El's life was on the line.

Jo sighed, 'Let me know who we need to contact, we will liaise for as long as we need to. A

young girls life is on the line and we have a job to do.'

Indeed they did, and it would take however long was needed to find her.

The Enemy

Sitting alone in the darkness in complete silence began to get too much for El, even after an

hour. The fact that she had an explosive device attached to her neck made it terrifying for El

to even move an inch. Though she hadn't realised, after a while, El had regained

consciousness after falling asleep, if she could call it that.

All around her, El could hear creaking from floorboards, owls going about their business and

the sound of bats. Trying to move her wrists once more, El quickly realized that there were

endless loops of chains tied around them. Mr Tyler had come prepared, but then so would

Kate and Jo when they figured out where she was.

Kate was having trouble at her work because even though she was telling them about the very

real threat, along with Yaz in their ear, Francis wasn't moving until he knew where Kate had

gotten her Intel from and why no one else knew about it.

They were all at loggerheads and for all they knew, they could be running out of time.

Quietly, El sang to herself a Gallifreyan lullaby that Kate sang to her when she was little.

Something was needed to keep her sane, and if singing to herself helped, she would do it.

What El wasn't expecting was for Mr Tyler to return.

Time had no concept when being in complete darkness. El just heard a thump upstairs and

then listened to the heavy footsteps. As they drew closer, El grew more and more anxious,

until Max made his face known.

Poking his head around the door, he smiled at her, 'She's awake!' He then entered, with

swagger in his every step. On his arm there was a bag. In it, he pulled out a tripod and placed

a camera on the top, pointing it towards El.

'Kids these days. Everything is online. I know you had bullies, bullies who thought you were.

Freak , we all know you are.'

Quietly, El spoke, 'What are you going to do to me?'

Tyler turned to face her. He cracked his neck and then looked down at her, 'Make you wish

you were never born really. You think Kate or Jo care about you? In the slightest?'

'They'll find me!' El protested through tears, 'And when they do, you'll be sorry!'

'SORRY?!' He shouted at her, 'No, no, no, no. You will be begging for me to kill you El. See,

right now, that bomb hasn't been activated, of course, I left you believing it was.' He laughed,

'Because tormenting you is wonderful, but I will activate it soon, you can be sure of that.'

El watched as he walked back to the phone, activating the recording. He then put his

Ghostface mask on and activated the voice changer. Looking straight back at her, he asked in

Ghostface's voice, 'Ever heard of TikTok?'

Now terrified for her life, knowing she couldn't risk using her powers, could only beg for him

not to do anything. Even though Max wasn't streaming anything, El believed he was and that

meant that she didn't want to expose herself to the rest of the human race.

Whilst he was putting on his gloves, El began to beg for her life, screaming and shouting at

him, 'MAX PLEASE! DON'T!' She was sobbing and sobbing to the point where Max

decided that he would actually begin streaming, sending it to the attention of all the right

people.

Soon enough he began beating El, punching her hard in the ribs, knocking the wind right out

of her. He was relentless, over and over again, he kept going.

Still, El continued to beg him to stop through tears and blood streaming from her mouth. He

left her for about ten minutes to get her breath back, but soon, he came back and delivered

another onslaught, this time to her face.

Whilst this was being live streamed, it was also being recorded so Mr could broadcast it over

and over again just so that he could taunt both Kate and Jo. The thing about modern

streaming methods was that it soon reached people all around the UK., and it was

everywhere.

At around 9am both the police and the bomb squad received images that had gone viral and

were on the news.

The first to get it were the police. Everyone in the briefing room was utterly horrified by what

they were witnessing. As Jo stood watching it with the remote control for the projector in her

hand, her blood began to boil. Steve Arnott walked over to her and addressed her gently,

'Ma'am, all due respect, but I don't think you should be working on this case.'

Yaz, who was standing beside Jo, considered what Steve was saying, but she knew that there

was no way any of them could avoid this. This was all around the UK, everyone had seen it.

Yaz addressed the team quickly, keeping Francis, Kate and the team on the phone too, 'This

is awful, alright? This is nothing short of barbaric and it is our job to stop this.'

Kate's own eyes were still glued to the projector, 'Yaz, what do we have so far? We have his

car, we have a name, why are there no trackers? No cameras to check that his car is the one

we are looking for?'

Yaz sighed gently, 'Lana…We ran the number plate through the ANPR. It was cloned from

another vehicle.'

That was still a difficult one to get used to. Kate's voice but with a different name.

Kate closed her eyes, sighing to herself, 'But that same number plate would have been

flagged on cameras in the motorway yesterday! Think about it, if he went back to her today-'

Jo turned around, 'He wouldn't be as stupid as to use the same car this morning, right?'

Steve butted in, 'He streamed this. We could track his location using his DNS data, his IP

address, right?'

Kate looked down at her phone. Her blood ran cold when she saw the notification, 'Yaz, he's

gone live again.'

Yaz looked between Jo and Steve. Quickly, she rushed over to the computer and went to the

stream that was coming through.

Everyone was watching this. Their own daughter, Max, had been allowed a few luxuries in

her cell and was able to get YouTube on her gaming console. Since she had found out about

this through the news, she was keeping tabs, as was Billy. Both of them were so angry, both

of them wanted him dead.

Meanwhile, all Nancy could do was watch from home on her own phone.

Faced with Ghostface, there was a laugh to begin with, dark and hollow, 'Now I've gotten

your attention. I never expected this to go viral…I'm on Discord, Reddit, YouTube, all of the

video streaming platforms you can think of.'

Steve was working with the tech team to try and track where this signal was coming from. If

it was Max Tyler, he can't be that clever with tech, could he? That's what everyone thought.

Behind the mask, he continued to rant, 'Billy Hargrove, Barry Barry, Maxine Davidson, Dot

Cotton, all of them wanted fame , but they never dreamed of the possibilities using modern

technology. Granted, I've not killed anyone yet , today will be my first.'

Everyone watched as he walked over to El. She wasn't in focus on the camera, but he

crouched down to her, 'Is there anything you wanted to say before you die, Eleven?'

El was exhausted and in so much pain. She wanted to use her artron energy to heal some of

her wounds to take the pain away, but she couldn't. One thing she did manage waa to break

free of her chains. As he said, the device hadn't been activated yet, so she could move.

The moment Ghostface did move, and turn away from her, El slowly grabbed the chains from

behind her and slowly got to her feet.

As everyone was watching, there was a spark of hope from Jo, Kate, Billy and Max. She was

able to get herself to her feet. The state she was in was awful, but she was getting to her feet.

Under her breath, with Francis standing beside her, Kate uttered desperately, 'Come on

baby…' Old habits of thinking that she was her mother came into play here. Kate hadn't told

Francis who El was to her, so hearing this made him curious, but he didn't say anything for

the moment.

All anyone could do was watch on, and it was horrible to watch.

For El, the moment she managed to get close enough, she pulled the chains around his neck

and started to choke him, pulling him down to the floor.

Once they were out of sight of the camera, all people could hear was a scuffle and El trying

through agony to keep him down.

Ghostface struggled for a bit but then he smacked El's head down into the porcelain floor

causing her to lose grip on him.

Now El's head was pounding, but she was fighting for her life. After a few seconds she tried

to get back to her feet and she charged straight at him. Now he was facing the camera and

everyone saw the huge knife he had in his hand and they were all powerless to do anything.

Sitting in her cell, Max would have helped but she had no powers to do so.

Without thinking, El ran straight into the knife, and it was only when she felt it go through

her did she realised what the hell was going on.

Deadly silence fell on every end. Surprisingly, Max removed the Ghostface mask and looked

El directly in the eyes, 'You see? Mess with death? Let's see how close you get to it.' He then

pushed El to the floor and grabbed the same chains that had just been around his neck and he

put them around El's hands once more, only tighter.

Now El was bleeding out, this became extremely time critical now, and everyone was super

on edge.

After tying her hands, Mr Tyler walked over to the tripod and lowered it to El's height. He

then crouched in front of it, and was now talking to not just Kate and Jo, but the nation, 'You

see, my dear viewers? This woman is not who you believe.' He then dragged up El's tattooed

wrist and showed it to the camera, 'She has two hearts. She has an ability to change her face

and heal her wounds with super fast speed. You are all looking at a humanoid alien.'

One of Kate's colleagues scoffed, 'He's a nutter! Like the rest of them! If she is an alien-'

One of her other colleagues butted in, 'It would explain why her mum survived half a house

collapsing on her.'

Kate spun around, pissed off, 'SHUT UP AND LISTEN, YEAH?!'

Max Tyler wasn't done. He turned to El, looking back at her, 'Want to say anything to your

parents? You could be dying unless you help yourself, or is it involuntary?'

El glared at him. She wasn't going to answer that.

He then laughed, 'Wait…What if I pushed you right to the brink of death? You're not near

yet, but I could push it…What about your heart?'

'That would kill anyone!' El protested.

'It didn't kill your brother's not instantly.' He sneered. Grabbing the blade, he went to strike

her again but El shouted at him, 'IF YOU DO THAT, I WILL KILL YOU MYSELF!'

'How?' He loved tormenting her, 'How would you? You have the entire UK population

watching you…You wouldn't use your powers and expose yourself like that, would you?'

El then looked directly into the lens. She was looking right at Kate and Jo.

Kate shook her head, uttering out loud, 'No…Don't.'

John Francis couldn't help himself now, 'Who is she? Lana, who is she to you?'

Everyone looked at Kate now.

'You just said don't. ' He said firmly, ' Who and what is she?'

Both Kate and Jo now knew they were in deep trouble. Yaz and Jo looked between each

other. This is what his aim was, they realised. To expose them for who they really are.

Kate swallowed the lump in her throat and hee mouth went dry, 'Sir…What is happening in

front of us right now is far more important than who she is.'

'This is a national security issue. You seem familiar with her. Who is she?'

El was in so much agony right now. She could be dying and she was so hopeless. With Mr

Tyler sitting next to her, and her bleeding out too, it was dire.

'Just tell them what you are El. Tell the viewers, or show them.' He said to her.

Seething, El hissed at him, 'I'm human and you've condemned me to death!'

Tyler shrugged, 'You're not condemned yet.' He then got up and picked up the device that he

had put around her neck the night before, 'If I have to force it out of you. Kate won't find you

in time and neither will Jo.'

Still, El wasn't giving up her fight. She struggled for breath and tears rolled down her face,

'I'm human…'

'With this around your neck, you're going to feel human.' He sneered.

'Even if I was an alien, the public would see that I'm not a threat. I never have been! You, you

are a depraved lunatic and I've just been living my life. Mr Tyler, please . I'm begging you…

Let me go.'

Tyler was about to connect the device when El caves completely, terrified for her life, 'Fine!

Fine!' She sobbed, looking straight into the camera, 'I'm so sorry mama…'

Never had Kate felt more in danger in her life. She understood why El was doing this and she

didn't blame her, she never could, but she knew what was coming.

El tried to adjust the way she was sitting because of the pain she was in, but she couldn't. She

was losing too much blood and she knew that she could die before they even made it to her.

El tried to discreetly heal some of her wounds, but there was zero chance she could heal the

stab wound secretly, nor could she heal her ribs as such.

When she looked into the camera, she addressed everyone, every viewer, everyone who

would listen, 'I…I am not human…' She sobbed, 'All I have ever wanted is to fit in. Idiots

like this joker have wanted me to suffer all my life…My family…We are not the threat and

we never have been…' The pain was becoming too much for her, 'I was born…Maybe on a

different world but I was raised on Earth…I'm not the threat…Please…Don't hate us, don't

be scared…Please…'

El struggled to keep it together. The pain that pulsates through her was becoming too much.

Before she pushed to a full regeneration, she gave one burst of energy to fix the stab wound.

This was clear for everyone to see. The bright yellow light that appeared around the wound

was clear to see, but El realised something.

She couldn't hurt Max to get away. He had still won because if she showed resistance, she

knew how that would look to others. There was no other option, she had to wait for someone

to come and save her, if it ever would.

Threat Neutralized

As everyone stood by watching this all unfold, Francis now became incredibly suspicious of

Kate, 'You willed for her to be safe, you said come on baby as though you knew her. Now, I

know Kate Fleming, but she's human, isn't she?'

Everyone in the room was becoming uneasy now. Humans jump to terrible conclusions about

alien life, and now El had exposed them, it put her in an impossible situation, 'Sir…I willed

her on because wouldn't anyone? Seeing a child in that position?'

'But right before she outed the aliens, you also said no, don't. Answer my question Lana, if

that is who you are, which I know it is not after our conversation yesterday-'

Kate was so confused. He already knew she wasn't human, but then she realized that he was

protecting himself from any backlash should anyone find out that he knew.

'WHO IS SHE?!' Francis shouted at her.

'SHE IS MY SISTER!' Kate shouted at him out of frustration, 'SHE IS MY SISTER!'

'And you…' He said quietly, 'Are you alien?'

'Christ.' Kate gasped, almost defeated, terrified for what was going to happen, 'He is still

going to put that bomb around her neck! I'm not the problem here! He is!'

One of her colleagues pulled out a gun and pointed it at her, 'Lana, answer his question, are

you an alien?'

Everyone in the police station went incredibly quiet. It's not only El's safety they had to

worry about now. Kate was in great danger too.

Jo and Yaz looked between each other, both terrified. They couldn't bring the Doctor into this

now. This was far too dangerous. The Master was an option, but they wouldn't risk it.

It was far too quiet in the office now. UNIT could usually keep things quiet but this was wide

knowledge now, there was literally nothing that even UNIT could do.

Kate shrugged, trying to stop herself from shaking, 'Listen to me, a young girl is in danger

and you're arguing over me?! She has never been a threat to you, nor would she ever be!'

The member of the team with the gun directed at her walked closer to her, keeping his gun

raised, 'This could be a distraction from something bigger.'

'Like what?!' Kate gasped.

'An invasion.' He sneered.

'Have you not heard a word?! There is no threat here other than that lunatic!' Kate sneered.

Francis couldn't live with himself if El did die in this, so he came up with a compromise,

'You can save your sister Lana…Once you've done that…You will be in our custody…We

will assess your threat level in accordance with His Majesty's Government and MI6. Any

relatives that you have will also be assessed. Right now you have one job. Save her.'

Francis then addressed the police, 'AC-12, I trust you've found the suspect?'

'We have.' Steve clarified, 'Sending the location over now.' He then looked at Yaz and Jo,

'We are going to need armed teams in standby.'

Yaz shrugged, 'Go on then. All of you that are firearms trained, get going, now!'

On the journey to the location, Kate had a gun directed at her the entire way by a member of

the team. She wasn't a target, but El had made them one.

Upon arrival, there were swarms of police, a helicopter and more hanging about outside the

location.

Francis addressed Kate while she was getting kitted up, 'You go in there. I'm not risking

members of my team who are human on this job for another alien.'

Kate wanted to cry. Never had she been singled out this way and it was impossible to not feel

hurt by it. Slowly, she nodded, 'Yes sir.'

After she had been left alone, she headed towards the property. All the while, everyone was

still watching the live stream. Tyler had long since vanished, but Yaz had people out in the

woods looking for him.

It didn't take long to find him. Sometimes after Kate had climbed into the property, it came

through the radio that he had been caught.

Slowly, Kate made her way down the stairs and came to the hallway. Standing outside the

door she set her eyes on El. Her face was still extremely black and blue, but she was terrified.

'Mama…I'm so sorry…' El gasped, 'I didn't know what else to do.'

Kate removed her helmet and set it to the side, 'Hey..Hey…It's okay.' She smiled sadly, 'And

don't you move too much, alright? I'll get you out and we will be safe, okay?' Kate looked

back at the camera that was still recording, 'We have never been a danger to society, we never

have been. People will see that. They will.'

Looking around her, Kate was careful of any cables that she might trip over, 'Okay…'

Slowly, she came to crouch in front of her, 'Do you know which side is light activated?'

El shook her head.

'Hey, it's okay.' Kate said softly to her, 'Because you're not going to die. You know? I wanted

to keep my mum out of this because she had wrecked our lives enough…I wish I hadn't sent

her away now because she would know exactly what to do.'

Kate grabbed a pair of pliers and followed one of the cables, 'I'm going to cut the first wire,

okay?'

'Is it the right one?'

Kate gave her assurance, 'It's the correct one…I promise you.' Gently, she took El's hand

with her left and met her gaze gently, 'I'm not leaving you alone ever again, alright?'

El squeezed Kate's hand, and after the first cable had been cut, thankfully, nothing happened.

'You know…I don't think my mum is my mum anymore.' Kate commented, 'She probably

regenerated again…I can feel it . Something has happened to her and I never got to say

goodbye…Neither did Yaz…But whoever they are now…I can feel it…They know what is

happening right now.'

'That gut of yours again?' El laughed. Her smile then faded, 'The Doctor doesn't save

everyone.'

'I would hope that the Doctor would save you.' Kate replied honestly, 'I have had my life

now El…' She got up and turned off the live stream, before returning back to her, 'Almost

four hundred years…I've lived long enough.'

El's eyes seemed to light up with hope just then, 'But…But we can live more…You're my

sister now…It's weird to get my head around after thinking that you're my mom for so long,

but imagine the new memories we could make together? If your mom didn't know until after

all of this happened years later…It's not really her we should be blaming.'

So many thoughts were racing through Kate's head now. She still hadn't disarmed the bomb,

and here El was talking about a brand new future.

'El…I know you're trying to keep me positive right now, but there is a live weapon around

your neck, we aren't even out of it yet.' Kate laughed sheepishly.

'Well then, you'd better get cutting then.' El smiled sadly.

Though Kate knew things would be extremely different from now on unless their mum came

back with something to make everyone forget what they learned, it would be hard to start a

new life away from prying eyes and ears. People were already afraid of her, she wouldn't

want that for her sister too.

….

Outside, Jo and Yaz stood anxiously side by side, wondering what the hell was going on, but

about ten minutes later Kate emerged with El. El had her arm around Kate's shoulders for

support, while everyone on the bomb squad raised their guns at them.

Yaz and Jo looked at each other, this whole situation was ridiculous. Jo walked over to

Francis and was incredibly angry, 'You know who Kate is, and you know for a fact that she is

not a threat! But no, this is how the human race also treats immigrants when they should be

looking at those with more power. Just like those children and parents who come here in

boats from war and persecution, Kate did the same, bringing her family here! She is no

threat, but you've made her one!'

Francis glared at Jo, 'Did you know she was an alien?'

'It doesn't matter what I know and what I don't! As long as she lives her life in peace, pays

taxes and her fair share, she is not a threat! She never has been! The human race, you make

me sick. ' Jo was so angry, she couldn't put it into words. But then she saw Both Kate and El

being handcuffed and treated like animals.

Jo might now have liked the Doctor, but they needed her now more than ever. This was a

crisis.

What Was All This For?

Sometime later that day, Jo brought her daughter to a private interview room. With Max Tyler

sat on the opposite side, looking all smug with himself, 'I exposed the alien threat and you

being another alien to me?'

Now it was the real killer's turn. Max's temper flared instantly. Slowly, she took a seat

opposite Mr Tyler and drummed her fingers on the table to the same rhythm of her heartbeat,

'I've been in jail for a few years now. I'm not afraid of anything. I killed because I felt like I

had no other choice. I was threatened.' She then growled almost, 'You have no excuse!'

Tyler laughed at her, 'What are you going to do? You're barely an adult yourself!' He then

lowered his voice into a sneer.

Yaz, Jo and Steve Arnott were all in the same room together, observing the pair.

Tyler had a look in his eye that Max knew all too well, and whatever he was about to say, he

took pleasure in, 'Ohh the things I would have done to hurt you.'

Max sat back in the chair and crossed her arms, 'Is that all you've got?'

'You haven't heard the best part yet. That sister if yours is too easy. Easy to take advantage

of, and I did!'

Jo had to force herself not to react to any of this. She had to trust that her daughter had the

situation in hand.

Max glared at him now, 'Go on then, tell me. Tell me what you did to her off camera. You

seem to want to show the world how evil you are, but the most despicable things, you didn't

record, did you?' She took a breath, 'Did you assault her sexually?'

Tyler looked up at Jo. He could see that this was tormenting her, and that's what he wanted.

He then looked back at Max, 'I did what you, Billy and Barry could never do. I wanted the

whole world to see that aliens are real, killing was not the name of the game. Why should it

matter if I touched her or not? She's an alien , that means that she is nothing but property.'

Max nodded, 'I'll take that as a yes.'

'Why are you being so calm?' Tyler asked her, 'I just told you that I assaulted your sister, you

should be kicking me, beating me to a pulp.'

'Tell me.' Max leaned across the table now, 'Why do all of this? This trickery…The lights

and things when El was still bleeding out? We know that green screens can be used to create

these effects.'

'It was real! You know this Maxine! I stabbed her on purpose because I needed a way to

expose the alien threat-'

'Aliens don't exist. You've been watching far too much television. Doctor Who has a real

high budget now, they can do better special effects than that!'

'Ah, the Doctor…She's real, isn't she?'

Max scoffed, 'No, she's not. How people would believe you is beyond even my

comprehension. You, like every other human on this planet like myself, you become

paranoid.' She narrowed her gaze at him, 'Now, I started killing because I suffered with a

personality disorder and my brother had schizophrenia…It is possible that you're suffering

with delusions too.'

Tyler then smacked his hand on the table. He got to his feet and looked down at Max, 'Wait

until I get my hands on you!'

Max wasn't worried, 'What will you do? You never did say what you did to El.'

'I shoved her against a wall and she had no other option! What is it you want to hear Max?!'

'The truth.' Max was cavalier about this, looking at her nails, 'So…Just to be clear, you

already had her hands restrained, you'd beaten her so much that she couldn't fight back and

then you…raped her? Is that what I'm hearing?'

'Yes!' Tyler shouted back at her.

'And when you were beating her up, what were you visualizing? When you hit her over and

over with your fists? You must have been fantasizing about something.'

Tyler paced for a moment, 'I imagined she was my ex wife, and believe me, she deserves

everything she got.'

'Did you see your wife when you were hitting her?'

'YES! WHY THE HELL DOES IT MATTER?!'

'Because.' Max smirked, 'Mr Tyler, before I was diagnosed with my personality disorder and

I attacked my sister, I visualized someone I hated. At that point in time, I hated my mom.'

She then removed the wire that she had been wearing and handed it to Jo, 'I think we have

gotten all we need.'

Mr Tyler looked incredibly confused, 'Why were you recording that?!'

'Because.' Max got to her feet now, 'You wouldn't have told me willingly. Now you can be

assessed by a psych team, and if they think you're mentally unstable, my mom and my sister

will be released from the grips of the government.'

Tyler frowned at her, 'But you're a psycho killer!'

' Was a psycho killer.' Max smirked, 'Now I'm all about Strawberry Laces and Dan Brown

books. My medication is a lot better and I have a sentence to serve. My family may never

forgive me for what I did, but I hope you suffer .' She smiled with a glare, 'Because as soon

as Kate is released, you'd better pray that you're in Belmarsh before she gets to you.'

Max got to her feet and walked over to Steve, 'I'd like to go back to my cell now…Hitting

him would only fuel the fire. Unless the Doctor turns up, there is nothing more we can do.'

Yaz then stepped forward, 'Max Tyler, you are further charged with sexual assault and false

imprisonment…'

This seemed like it was going to be a long road, but the Doctor had caught wind of the

situation and they were coming back.

Doctor's Back

That afternoon was hectic for Jo. She had a recorded conversation, but not much more than

that to go on. Hearing and seeing what happened to El was enough to make her want to break

down in tears, but she had a job to do. Although she sent clips through to Francis to listen to,

she knew she wouldn't get anywhere, so she bit the bullet and forwarded it to Kate Stewart at

UNIT, hoping that she had some influence over getting Kate out.

Pretty soon the night drew in, others had left the office, but Yaz, Jo, Steve and Lomax all

stayed. Damage limitation was no longer an option. It was hard to think about what to do.

They were all well aware of the TV show and regeneration as a concept. They knew that

many believed it was a mindless prank, but there were other members of society, including

the government who believed that what they saw was real.

Yaz walked over to Jo's desk at about 8pm. When she got there, she crossed her arms and

sighed, 'We have done all we can. Max got her strawberry laces and she is happy for the

minute…'

Jo was leaning on her elbows on the desk, 'He assaulted El off camera…I know she isn't my

daughter but she had been for the last twenty years…She got beaten and stabbed- tortured,

and we couldn't do anything.'

Yaz was extremely sympathetic. Grabbing another desk chair, she came to sit beside her,

'Listen, I have mates who work undercover at the facility where Kate and El are being held.

So far, both of them are being treated well…My mate…I told them that El had been assaulted

and that we needed a sample to prove what Tyler had done to her…'

Jo frowned, 'Your mate? Who are they?'

Yaz hesitated, 'Um…UNIT doesn't like them…Or the organization…The government doesn't

like them either.'

'That's not what I asked.'

'One of the last members of the team. Her name is Gwen Cooper…The organization she

works for is outside the government and beyond us. They…They nurture aliens, protect them

even. Torchwood can help. They are literally one of our last lines of defence and I can talk to

Jack and Gwen…They…They might be trying to get El and Kate out already.' Yaz sounded

hopeful.

Jo was so tired, she didn't know what to think anymore, but then they heard the most absurd

sound echoing up the corridor…

'Oh, I'm a gummy bear

Yes, I'm a gummy bear

Oh, I'm a yummy, tummy, funny, lucky gummy bear

I'm a jelly bear, 'cause I'm a gummy bear

Oh, I'm a movin', groovin', jammin', singin' gummy bear, oh yeah.'

The call was quickly answered with a voice they didn't recognize, 'Yes, Ruby! I saw

everything, one thing at a time please! I'm on my way there now.'

Quickly appearing from around the corner and jumping over the security barrier with a

leather coat, blue trousers, trainers and a striped T-shirt was a man none of them had seen

before.

Yaz marched over to the same man, and was very cross with him, 'Sir, you cannot be here!

This is prohibited to the public!'

The man smirked to himself, 'Oh honey, I'm here to help you. You have a mighty crisis on

your hands and I am going to fix it.'

Jo got up from her seat and walked over to them. She looked him up and down and then

remarked, 'There is only one person I know with that stupid ringtone.'

The man nodded, 'Yes, there is. I am not stupid either.' He then tsked, and then looked back

at Yaz, 'This place is on fire, but don't worry babes, I've come back to help.'

'I beg your pardon!' Yaz hissed.

The man then wandered past her, uttering to himself, 'You married me sweetie.'

Yaz was horrified, 'I don't even know you!'

The same man spun around again, 'I'm the Doctor! I may not look like it, but you can blame

my ex for that! Now, I need to save my children, is that okay with you?'

Yaz was mortified, 'You…You regenerated?'

'I did, yes. Don't worry, your wife is still fine. Currently basking in the warm sun of Tenerife

while I clear up the mess.' The Doctor explained, 'Your wife isn't dead. There are just more

than one of me now.'

This was a lot to get her head around. Yaz followed the Doctor through to the briefing room,

'But you…You regenerated though.'

The Doctor was already watching clips from the stream on the whiteboard. He then used his

sonic to close it, 'Okay. The government don't know that I'm an alien…This is a basic fix.

Humanity is great at one thing.'

'What's that?' Jo asked him.

'Forgetting.' The Doctor shrugged, 'Men in Black, Neuralizer. I can create that on a bigger

scale and be incredibly selective about it.'

'It's that simple?' Jo asked him, 'You can make everyone forget what happened today?'

'I have access to every single DNA file on this planet. I can make everyone forget. Max Tyler

will seem like a maniac, but that's the point. He's not getting away with what he did. The

charges he's facing and then my daughter? I wouldn't want to be in his shoes. El and Kate

will both be free, but El would need the memories of today…I can't just take away all of her

memories of today. It will be a long process, but she will get better.'

The Doctor then walked over to Jo, 'Listen to me, Kate and El are being taken care of like

Yaz said, and they will be home tonight.'

Even though Jo had always despised the Doctor, this face she liked. She felt incredibly

vulnerable And she didn't understand why he was being so kind.

Off like Tazmania, the Doctor plugged the sonic into one of the computers and ran back to

the TARDIS.

Seconds later, there was a huge flash, like a camera flash. Momentarily, it blinded everyone,

but as soon as the Doctor came back, he apologized, 'I forgot to warn you about the flash. It

really was that easy. All of you here know what happened. Max Tyler knows what happened,

Billy, Max, they both know. All the people that don't need to know will just feel like they've

missed a chunk of the day.'

Jo rubbed her eyes, and looked back at the Doctor, 'Will Gwen get them out now?'

'Yes, and Jack…They have instructions from me, and the government has a letter from the

"King" that I made up because they were wrongfully imprisoned.' The Doctor explained. His

gaze then darkened, 'Now show me to Max Tyler.'

The Anger Of A Good Man

The Doctor was still very new to his new face, and he hadn't had any time to process how

new everything was. All he knew was that Kate had tried to reach out to him. If there was one

thing humans couldn't stop, it was her telekinesis. A cry for help that The Doctor would not

ignore. He had seen what had gone out on social media and he knew how bad it was, so he

came back to save his daughter's and to confront the very man responsible for their

incarceration.

Walking alongside Yaz through into the custody suite, Yaz granted him special permissions to

come through. Though the Doctor was born out of optimism, he was also angry.

Entering Max Tyler's cell, he felt anger coursing through his veins that this new self was not

quite familiar with. Still, he remained cordial. A custody officer stood outside the cell at Yaz's

request and the pair entered his cell.

Yaz was still a little unsure and weirded out by the concept of this person being the Doctor,

but she had to adjust.

Max Tyler on the other hand was less welcoming, 'Who is he? My solicitor?'

The Doctor merely smirked, keeping his lips pursed. He then replied, refraining from an

angry outburst, 'No, no Mr Tyler, I am not your solicitor. I would never represent the likes of

you even if I was a solicitor.'

'Says the black guy.' Tyler uttered, 'Don't you have a circus to attend? I hear minstrel's are in

demand in the deepest depths of somewhere you belong.'

Yaz looked back at the Doctor, wondering how he would react.

Instead of an angry outburst, the Doctor laughed loudly and then smirked at Tyler, 'Yes, a

racist joke. You know, I would expect that from someone like yourself…' He then waved his

finger and looked confused, 'Remind me, you exposed a tiny minority to the world as a threat

when they've never really bothered you, why?'

Tyler was deeply angry, the Doctor could see it burning beneath the surface. Max growled,

'Aliens do not belong in a human society where they could have ulterior motives.'

The Doctor acted surprised, 'Oh! Oh! So…Just because you lost your temper at a young girl

for your inappropriate behavior and her fighting back…Aliens are the problem?'

'No. Aliens belong where they came from, and women belong in their place.' Max sneered,

'Exposing them for what they were and are was the right thing to do.'

The Doctor's face was deadpan now, 'Sexual assault…Where…Where does that fit?'

'Discipline. Plain and simple. That girl needed to learn manners and her place and I don't

regret it. I'd do it again if I had the chance.' He then smirked at the Doctor, 'What about you

sir? You're clearly not from these shores.' He glanced at Yaz, 'And neither is she.'

The Doctor chuckled to himself at the absurdity, 'My granddaughter was like you at one

point. Racist, Britain First and all that when she is both alien and an American immigrant.'

The Doctor could see the colour drain from Tyler's face and he took joy in it, 'I am an

immigrant, Yaz's grandparents were immigrants, Kate is an immigrant…If you go back far

enough in your own ancestry, we are all relations of immigrants at some point of another.

Where you are from, skin colour, all of it….In the end, we all are one.'

Max Tyler now felt extremely threatened, 'You never told me your name.'

The Doctor wasn't done yet, 'I fled a war, I saved my daughter from that same war…Yaz's

grandparents fled, granted her grandpa didn't survive it, but her Nani came to this country

because it was safe.' He slowly approached Max who had now gotten to his feet, 'I have

made mistakes Mr Tyler, I have committed genocide, I have done some unforgivable things

in my very long life , but even I draw lines.'

The Doctor's tone changed. Anger was on the surface now, ' Threatening the life of my child?

That's not the worst part…You assaulted her in the worst way imaginable and then she was

arrested by the army because of a lie! '

'It wasn't a lie though, was it?'

'It doesn't matter now. El and Kate, my children are being released because they've been

falsely imprisoned and the system doesn't even know why they are there.' The Doctor saw

the confusion on his face and smiled, 'A super sized memory wipe, I can do that. Big

nerualizer, only selected people know what happened. You, Mr Tyler can scream into that

echo chamber all you want.'

Max was panicking now, and Yaz could see it. She took great satisfaction in seeing him

squirm.

The Doctor continued on, being a little more sarcastic now, 'Sexual assault, domestic

terrorism and attempted murder…You also have delusions about extraterrestrials? Sir, it

seems that you are going to prison for a very long time.'

Max seethed, 'Who the hell are you?!'

A seriousness returned to the Doctor's demeanor, 'I'm the man you never cross, you harm the

people I love? You take advantage of my disabled child and put her through hell? You think

after I leave here that it's over for you? Honey, I am nowhere near done with you.'

'WHO ARE YOU?!'

Proudly, the Doctor straightened his posture and smirked at him, 'I'm the Doctor!'

Max had never felt more defeated. He paced the cell and then looked back at the Doctor,

'You have no right-'

'You violated those of both my children who have been poked and prodded this afternoon, I

have every right . Was the fame worth it? Not that it counts for anything, but was it worth it?'

Tyler didn't know how to respond, but the Doctor had the last word.

'Enjoy rotting here and whatever psych ward you end up in for the rest of your life…I hear

Belmarsh has space for people like you. Enjoy your pathetic existence.'

The Doctor had nothing more to say, so he left the cell. Yaz followed right behind him and

followed him back up to the office, 'Doctor- Kate and El…Will they be okay?'

The Doctor turned around quickly, 'Of course they will be-'

'No…' Yaz was apprehensive, 'This will go to trial…Will El be able to take to the stand?

Will their relationship last through this?'

The Doctor saw where she was coming from, 'A bond with a sister is unlike any other…They

will be okay.'

'And Ruby? Where does she fit into this?'

'Yaz, honey, I don't have all the answers. Live in the moment, stop relying on me for the

future. Your future is sunning it up miles away and will be home soon, focus on that.' The

Doctor wanted to be as gentle as possible, 'I say this.' He frowned, 'Jo bargained with her

daughter didn't she? The other Max.'

'Yes, but that was only to get that scumbag to talk.' Yaz explained.

'Kate never heard about that. She can't because…It would be awful and I don't need another

headache.' He was honest and started walking away once more.

His next destination was getting to his children. The pair of them he wanted to squeeze

tightly. Family was very much at the centre of his life now. He had missed so much and he

was determined to be there for them now.

Instead, when he got back to the office, he called over to Jo and asked her for a private word.

When the pair were together, the Doctor asked for Jo to follow him.

When Jo realised they were headed towards the TARDIS, she became standoffish, 'Doctor…

Please just talk to me out here.'

The Doctor ignored her and continued on, 'Joanne Davidson, I've known you for longer than

my daughter has, and it's about time we put some things right!' He called back to her,

entering the TARDIS and leaving the door open for her to follow.

Jo felt incredibly anxious and she really didn't want to follow him. She had never liked the

Doctor, but she had only ever known the Doctor as a woman, he seemed completely different.

Warm, and charming.

Reluctantly, she eventually followed and walked straight into the TARDIS. What she was not

expecting was the brand new interior. Her jaw dropped the moment she entered. Looking

around, it was hard to take everything in, 'Oh…Wow…' She laughed and looked back at the

Doctor who was now leaning back against the console, facing her with his arms crossed.

'She is impressive isn't she?' The Doctor tried making conversation, 'Beautiful.' He then

pulled a lever, starting the engine with a bit of a jolt.

Jo then cursed him, 'Doctor! I didn't agree to this!'

'Sorry! My hand slipped! This new body, I never knew I had butter fingers!' He was lying, of

course. When he turned around again, the lights dimmed and he opened the doors of the

TARDIS. Outside was a cluster of beautiful galaxies with clouds of deep purple, pinks, bright

orange and the odd rock floating by.

Jo kept her distance. She was incredibly uncertain by this situation. She had never trusted the

Doctor and she remained weary of him now.

Of course, the Doctor knew this, so he walked past her and sat down in the doorway, 'There's

a spare seat here! I could grab us some tea but…' He then put on a stronger Scottish accent,

'It's not Scottish enough! These Brits think they made tea fashionable, and it's not even

British!' He looked back at Jo, smiling. He dropped the stronger accent and then addressed

her, 'You're okay here, you're safe.'

Though she was apprehensive, Jo slowly approached and sat beside him, gripping onto his

shoulder, worried about falling out of the doors.

The Doctor chuckled, 'You're safe. I've got you.'

Jo sat silently for a few minutes, taking in what was going on around her. There was so much

going on. The lights from stars were bright, but the effervescent colours from the gasses

burning away in a multitude of colours kept her attention.

'You know…' The Doctor said softly, 'I understand why you hate me…I left my daughter…

She had to navigate the world by herself for a couple hundred years and it almost destroyed

her…I get it…If I could change that, I would…I was an incredibly selfish man at that time.

Parading around on earth for a couple hundred years with other humans when she was there

the entire time…' He looked down, and sighed, 'I'm ashamed.'

Jo looked at him, and she could see the regret in his face and how much it weighed on him.

She felt terrible for him.

The Doctor looked ahead and continued, 'She served in a few wars…She begged for me to

help her and I hung my head and drowned her out because I thought…If I could pretend that

she didn't exist, it would make it easier on me. How she hasn't tried to kill me is beyond

me…She turned into a monster because of what I did to her.'

Gently, Jo took his hand, and he looked back at her. A tear had fallen down his face and she

smiled sadly, 'You came back…You keep coming back to help her…As soon as you knew

about El though, you should have told her…She hates you for that because of how big of a lie

it was and the implications of it…And for me too…To find out she was never really my

daughter to begin with.'

The Doctor felt like such an idiot, 'Jo…I am so sorry.'

'Don't be…The Master did this, not you…And…I don't know.' She shrugged, 'Maybe if we

could be civil with each other and find a different way of functioning as a family…That

would be great…'

'You uh…You did cheat on Kate…With her ex…She is not going to forgive that.' The Doctor

laughed, 'One day she will be somewhat civil with you but it won't ever be the same again.'

'And I have to live with that.' Jo sighed, 'I wish I never called it off with Kate to begin with.'

'You can't go back to her Jo.' The Doctor said firmly, 'That ship sailed.'

'I know…I know…' Jo tried. She then frowned, 'Hang on a second…Is that a Scottish accent

I can hear?'

The Doctor laughed, 'I am Scottish, yes. Scotland is great though isn't it?'

Jo nodded with a smile now appearing on her face, 'I agree.'

Their attention was taken when a meteor flashed by. Jo was taken in by the pure beauty of

everything around her, 'How…How can you stay on Earth when you have this? Why would

you leave Kate on my silly planet when there are better ones out there?'

The Doctor frowned, but answered jovially, 'My daughter has a humanoid form, she fits right

in and Earth is like a second home to me. Earth is the safest place for her…I know I left her

on earth a few centuries too early, but she has grown into a wonderful woman. She has a life

that I envy.'

Jo scoffed, 'Her life has been disaster after disaster and you let her live through that.'

'I know!' The Doctor sighed, 'I know…But now, I only hope that things get better for her…'

He met Jo's gaze directly again, 'And for you…You might have done her wrong but I can see

that you love her still… perhaps not in the romantic sense, but you still care about her and

that's wonderful.'

'I broke her heart, twice.' Jo added, 'How can you sit here and talk to me as though I never

hurt your daughter?'

'Because I hurt her too.' The Doctor said honestly, 'Multiple times. I can't judge you for your

actions when what I did to her…Leaving her on Earth to fend for herself, hiding the secret

about El… Knowing that Steve was going to die…I can't judge you when I've done worse.'

Jo leaned on the Doctor's shoulder and looked ahead of her. Swallowing the lump in her

throat, the peace of space and the environment around her was bringing the truth home to her,

'I have no family now. We can't pretend that Kate won't hate me, because she will…Kate still

despises you, El despises me, and you…I have no one now…It's my own fault but…It

stings…'

'Your mum would be proud of you though.'

Jo laughed sadly, 'I doubt it. She would probably be harping on at me, how could you let

someone like Kate go?! How could you do that to someone like her?! ' She sighed, 'And I

did…Nikki…I don't know if I loved her or if it was lust…It was wrong…But it was fun…'

The Doctor nodded, 'I get it…You wouldn't believe me, but I have slept with many in my

time.'

'You minx!' Jo laughed,'A charming man like you? Never!'

The Doctor too laughed, 'My point is, life is too short for regrets. Find forgiveness, if not

with Kate or anyone else…Find it with yourself…'

A silent moment passed where they stared out into space. The Doctor kissed Jo on the side of

the head and moments later, he got to his feet, 'I've got to get back to my daughter's. They

could have been released by now.'

Jo groaned. She was enjoying the moment between them. Still, she followed him, 'Do I have

to be with you?'

'Kate hasn't seen this face yet, you are familiar. I think she might appreciate it.' The Doctor

called back.

'She won't like seeing me.' Jo laughed.

'Tough. You're going to have to face her at some point.' The Doctor yanked down a lever and

the TARDIS stopped abruptly. He looked at the scanner, '11:00pm. That's a bit late.'

'Custody processing and releasing can take ages sometimes.' Jo commented, watching as the

Doctor raced out of the doors of the TARDIS. She then followed the Doctor outside, mentally

preparing herself for seeing Kate and El in person for the first time in months.

Hello Again

Coming out of the TARDIS, the Doctor was a bit confused as to where he was. Quickly, he

figured out that he wasn't exact in his coordinates. Cursing himself under his breath, the

Doctor dragged Jo straight back into the TARDIS, 'We aren't there yet!'

Upon leaving the military base, Kate and El both left with their belongings including their

clothes in a plastic bag. It was dark and cold outside with the rain beating down on the pair of

them. All the military provided them with were standard issues prisoners wear. Black hoodie

and grey trackie bottoms.

Kate took them both to a park nearby and they both sat on a bench under a shelter. El had

tried to get comfortable on Kate's lap, but she was freezing cold.

Gently, Kate put her arm around her and she tried to reassure her that everything would be

okay. The truth was, Kate didn't even know where they were, and they couldn't simply walk

back home. They had no idea that people had forgotten. Of course, Kate wasn't worried about

her own safety, she was worried more about El's. Her face was badly bruised and blooded.

She could barely see out of her right eye, and her ribs were painfully sore.

'We'll get home…' Kate uttered. Still finding it weird to call El her sister, she didn't know

how to end the sentence, 'Today we saw the worst of humanity-'

El sobbed. The pain in her ribs was becoming a little too much for her, and Kate had no idea

what to do. Instead, she switched to more motherly instincts, 'I know it's hard sweetheart, but

you have to try and get some sleep.'

It was then that Kate had an idea. She dug into the bag of her belongings and gently helped El

to remove her wet hooded top. Gently, she put a dry undershirt on her, but not before noticing

the extent of the bruising that covered her. It angered her and made her feel incredibly sick.

'Kate.' El cut through her thoughts, 'I'm going to freeze here.'

Quickly, Kate apologized and pulled the top over her properly. She then dug into El's bag and

found her favorite red jacket which she draped over the top of her to try and get her to warm

up.

'Kate…' El had to raise her voice because the rain fell harder, 'Don't you need some dry

clothes?!'

Kate shook her head, 'I'll be alright sweetheart. You try and get your head down, I'll keep

guard.'

With Kate's recent insomnia, staying awake would not be a problem.

After El had fallen asleep, there were flashes of lightning and further heavy downpours. She

had only been asleep for an hour and a half. The entire time, Kate was thinking about how

she would get revenge on Max Tyler for doing what he did.

Before Kate could get too lost in her thoughts, just along the way, she thought she was being

delusional, but the TARDIS blinked into existence. It was hard to make out through all the

rain, but the TARDIS was most certainly there, she was sure of it.

A few minutes later, a man appeared. He too was soaked from the rain. When he set his eyes

on Kate, his smile widened, 'I've been looking for you!'

Kate was so confused, 'A random black guy walking about in the rain in the earliest hours of

the morning bothering a mother and her child?' She looked him up and down. Her face fell,

'What did you and dad fall out over this time?!' She smiled ever so slightly now.

'That's a long story!'

The rain was so loud now. The Doctor walked over to Kate now, 'I could take you back to the

TARDIS, both of you.' He glanced at El. Any smile he had faded when she looked at her and

Kate knew why.

'You know my relationship with the TARDIS.'

The Doctor's tone then became something a little more serious, 'She needs a bed Kate.' He

said, referring to El, 'And so do you.'

Kate shook her head, 'No, we're okay thank you. We both have to learn to navigate this

world as strangers now looking over our shoulders constantly-'

'They don't remember.' The Doctor said casually, 'Those that need to know do. I did a mass

memory wipe. You and El are safe and Max Tyler will be viewed as needing mental help.

You're both safe, now please Kate, for El, come to the TARDIS so you can both get warm.'

It was too much of a good offer to pass up. Gently, Kate nudged El to wake her up. When El

did wake up, she frowned at the Doctor and asked Kate innocently, 'Who is that?'

'Your- our dad.'

El frowned and looked between them both, 'How?'

'Mum got into a fight with Dad, and she regenerated into this person here.' Kate tried to

explain simply.

El was still so confused and in a sleepy daze, 'Hi Doctor.'

'Hey El.' The Doctor said gently to her, 'Kate, you and me…We are all going to go back to

the TARDIS to get warm, does that sound okay?'

El nodded slowly. She wanted nothing but a warm bed at this point. Slowly, she slumped off

of Kate, and Kate picked up their belongings. Weirdly, Kate had now started to feel

somewhat sleepy.

Kate followed the Doctor back to the TARDIS, getting soaked by the rain in the process. Her

phone was dead as a doornail, as was El's. She would never admit it, but she was happy that

the Doctor saved them from the ravages of the British weather.

Entering the TARDIS, both Kate and El were blinded by the bright lights, which the TARDIS

instantly recognised and grumbled as an apology. The lights then dimmed, and when Kate

looked over at Jo, she was not in the mood to talk with her. Instead, much like a teenager, she

addressed the Doctor, 'Dad, I'm just going to go and chill with El, is that alright?'

The Doctor nodded, 'Of course. Can you find your way around?'

'I'm sure the TARDIS will help us out with that.' Kate offered him a small smile, and took

El's hand, guiding her through the near impossible to navigate ship, uttering to El as she

walked along, 'Come on sweetheart.'

The pit in Jo's stomach deepened. Only looking to the floor feeling nothing but shame, she

wondered why she was even here. The Doctor noticed the doubt in her face and sighed

gently, 'She won't forgive you straight away, these things take time…You did sleep with her

partner…Of course forgiveness won't come easy.'

Jo thought quietly to herself about everything that had happened in the last couple of months.

Of course El and Kate's bond might be stronger than before, why she ever doubted that she

didn't know. Deep down, she just wanted Kate as her own again, but that was never going to

happen. Then something else bothered her, 'Just then…Kate referred to you as dad straight

away…Is there no adjustment period?'

The Doctor was already walking around the console pressing buttons and he paused to

answer Jo's question. Gently, he shook his head, 'She's known as a man before. At the end of

the day Jo, I may be the worst father in the universe, but I'm the only one that shows and is

there for her when she needs me. Just because I put the universe first, doesn't mean that I

don't also put my children joint first too.'

'Even though for most of the time you have been absent from Kate's life, that time has been

spent saving the universe?'

The Doctor felt a pang of guilt, he smiled, but it didn't meet his eyes, 'She understands the

job I have and the responsibility that comes with it. Someone has to take care of the universe,

and she gets that.'

'It doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt any less, for her, I mean.' Jo replied, 'Have you ever

asked yourself what she wants? Have you ever considered that she might have wanted you to

stay in all those years? The time she spent on the battlefield-'

'I heard her Jo.' The Doctor said firmly, being more authoritative, 'I heard her begging for

my help, but I was always…' The truth hit him and he became defeatist, 'I just…I never

listened.'

The pair of them went quiet now. Neither of them knew what to say to each other, so the

Doctor just landed outside of Jo's place. Before she left, he spoke up again, 'I have had a

child since El and since Kate…She died..I never mentioned it because..It hurts..And I never

want to lose them.'

'What was she called?' Jo asked him quietly.

'Jenny.' He smiled sadly, 'My children have all been wonderful women…They are the better

side of me and I love them dearly.'

'I wish I had children…I did once…' Jo smiled sadly, 'You took them away from me…If you

didn't come back…My life would be as it was and we wouldn't be here…'

'You would have found out about El one day Jo, we both can't run from that fact-'

'But Steve would still be here.' Jo sneered, ' I hate you for coming back into our lives.'

Nothing more was said between them. Jo left moments later, and the Doctor was left to his

own devices once more. Of course, he felt guilty about taking El from Jo, but she was never

really hers to begin with. The universe worked in funny ways, just never in the way that

anyone wanted.

After getting into some cozy, dry pyjamas, both Kate and El got into a king size bed together.

El was too exhausted to talk, but she pulled Kate closer. Despite her exhaustion, El struggled

to fall asleep. To make herself feel safer, despite being twenty years of age, she pulled Kate's

arm around her and Kate allowed her to. Gently, Kate kissed her cheek and spoke quietly to

her, 'I'm here…I'm here…That bad man will never lay a single finger on you again. I'm

sorry I couldn't protect you.'

Kate did feel responsible for that. Not keeping her children safe was always something that

haunted Kate, and the fact that this had now happened twice, Kate couldn't forgive herself for

it. Yes, Kate wasn't her mother, but she still felt a depth of responsibility for her that she had

to live up to. Though Kate had zero access to the police station, she would find a way into

custody and she would break every single one of his fingers, and she wouldn't stop there. The

torture she would enact upon him would be unspeakable. While thinking about this, Kate

realised that going to Max Tyler in prison would be the better option. The inmates wouldn't

say a word and she would do what she wanted from there. She would ensure that he would

never be safe behind bars.

Kate could be cruel, but only the Doctor had seen first hand how cruel she could be. For what

Tyler did to El, she wouldn't care what the Doctor said, she would make sure that he would

never go near another woman ever again. Just thinking about what she was going to do to

him made her smile ever so slightly to herself. There was only one problem, Kate wasn't

sleeping at the moment, and when she did, it was never the rest she needed.

There had been moments where Kate had woken from sleep to find herself in the middle of

her garden with a washing basket. Sleep walking was something that had never happened to

her before, and it had been more common since everything with the wedding and what she

had learned about El. Of course, Kate had cut out caffeine altogether and she had turned to

salads rather than meals with a higher sugar and calorie intake. Nothing had worked. Perhaps

now she had El back things might start to calm down?

As Kate closed her eyes, feeling sleepiness start to overtake her, she hoped that she would

sleep a full eight or more hours. Of course, she did fall asleep for an hour or two, but she had

a nightmare which woke her with a jolt. Her arm was still around El, and El was still sleeping

peacefully, thankfully. Gently, Kate took back her arm and made sure not to disturb El. After

she had untangled herself from El, she got to her feet and pulled the blanket back over El,

giving her a kiss on the temple before she left the room.

As Kate walked down the corridors, she felt incredibly groggy. The lack of proper sleep was

catching up with her, and it felt awful. Eventually, she found herself back in the main console

room where the lights remained a dim dark blue hue. When she entered, she saw the Doctor

reading a book that looked incredibly old.

Gently, she announced her presence, 'Dad…' She cleared her throat, 'Dad.'

The Doctor looked up and gave her a small smile, 'Kate…You should be sleeping…It's only

been two hours sweetheart, you should go back to bed.'

Kate shrugged, 'I just can't sleep and…' She hated to admit it, 'I had a nightmare.'

Giving her a sympathetic gaze, the Doctor approached her gently, 'That's okay…Not the

nightmare part, that's awful , but…You could hang with me?'

Looking up at the central column, Kate came to lean on the side of the console and she

looked at him, 'How are we going to fix the fact that humanity now knows who we are?'

'Already fixed.' The Doctor said quickly, 'Only those that need to know do. Nikki, of course,

everyone who had been family of course knows…The rest of humanity doesn't, which is why

you and El were released.'

Kate frowned, 'How?'

'It's a long story that involves a large memory wipe. Max Tyler knows, but that's the fun part.

Everyone else will think that he did what he did because of some grand delusion that " the

aliens made him do it" which, of course, no one will believe. You, me and the rest of your

family are safe .'

'I suppose I should thank you then?' Kate smirked.

'You really don't have to.' The Doctor laughed.

'No..But really…Thank you.' Kate was sincere, 'Thank you for your help.'

The Doctor nodded as a sign of acknowledgement.

Kate was swift to change the topic, 'You now look younger than me…among other things…

I'm not sure how the dad and daughter thing is gonna work with other people.'

'Well, I am determined to become your best mate.' The Doctor replied, 'Me being your dad

can be kept between those closest to us. If it slips, we can just quickly correct ourselves, it's

not that big of a deal.'

Kate nodded slowly. The question then came to her, 'So…You and dad then…what

happened?'

The Doctor laughed at the question but went on to explain how he ended up regenerating, and

how he sees the funny side. They both talked long into the night, both moving to somewhere

more comfortable in the TARDIS. The pair ended up on a couch together and they did

nothing but talk until Kate eventually fell asleep. The Doctor loved the conversation, he just

wished he could be more for them.

Things would soon change.

New Home

Surprisingly, Kate slept peacefully for the rest of the night. Sleeping by an open fireplace

seemed to remind her of when she had to live like that during the Victorian era. She was still

a child at that point, 45 years of age. Of course, she stood out to other kids around her

because of her intelligence, but she didn't let that bother her at that time.

When Kate did eventually wake up, the fire was still burning away. Through bleary eyes, she

could see a clock atop of the mantle. The time was 6am, and Kate decided to go back to

sleep. There was nothing of importance going on, so she simply dropped back off to sleep.

Being in a deep sleep, she didn't notice that El had come to find her, and she snuggled under

the blanket with her. Waking another couple of hours to find El beside her, it didn't bother

Kate in the slightest, if anything, she pulled her closer and El snuggled into her.

Noticing the gentle squeeze of her bigger sister's arm, El returned it by squeezing Kate's hand

with the same tenderness.

'Morning sweetheart.' Kate uttered softly.

El looked over at the fire that was burning less fierce now. She swallowed the lump in her

throat and said exactly what she was thinking, 'Nothing feels real…And I…I tried to fight

him off…I just…If I used my powers…I would have exposed myself as an alien, but

eventually did it anyway!' Tears streamed down her cheeks, 'I should have done something.'

It broke Kate's heart to hear this, 'Hey…Hey.' She said softly, 'Sweetheart…What he did to

you was despicable and believe me, he won't get away with this.'

El sniffed and shook her head, 'You've said stuff like this before…You promise that

everything will be okay and it never is…Please don't give me false promises..' Quickly, El

got up, wanting to distance herself from Kate, 'You weren't able to save me…You…You

always say that you're going to be there whenever we need you…' Her voice broke, 'But you

aren't…Neither is Jo, or anyone that I care about. You, the Doctor, anyone who promises that

things are going to be okay, it almost never is!'

Kate was so lost. She didn't know what to do with this. She couldn't tell her off and be a

parent, so she had to think differently. Sitting up and facing her properly, Kate looked up at

her and contemplated what she was going to say. A fierceness then found its way to the

surface, 'I have been thinking all night about how I'm going to torture that prick for what he

did to you.'

'IT NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED!' El screamed at the top of her lungs, 'Like

Steve, like whatever is going on with our relationship-'

El paced for a moment and then stopped, 'It took you far too long to figure out that

something was wrong-'

Kate shook her head, 'Don't pin this on me…I never know what your behavior traits are now

because everything's changed.'

'I KNOW!' El screamed, 'Everything has changed far too much and I can't…' She was

struggling to cope with all of the emotions she was feeling, and Kate could see that a

breakdown was coming. Slowly, she got to her feet and opened up her arms for El to hug her,

but she refused.

'No, no…I'm good.' El point blank refused. Looking at Kate, she struggled to see the person

that she knew before, 'Kate, I said no.'

'And I'm telling you.'

El then ranted, 'Why, why can't you fall in love with people who love you back eternally?'

'I did have someone who loved me like that…A very long time ago…' Kate said calmly,

'And she died because of me.'

'No, no, but why…Why can't Jo or Nikki love you?' El's brain was going into meltdown, she

wasn't sure of what she was thinking, 'I thought they did. We…we used to have a perfect

family…Why…Why is all of that gone? Did I do it? Was…Was I the reason? Because if it

was, it would explain why the bad things always happen to me…I make them happen to you.'

Kate could see the way she was thinking, and it hurt that El even thought like that. Quickly,

she walked over to her and gave her a hug, holding onto her tightly, ' You are not a problem

and you never have been. Things might be different now, but you were never a problem.' She

kissed her forehead and continued to hold on to her, 'You're my baby, and you always have

been. Just because I'm your sister, it…It- of course it makes things different, but it doesn't

mean that I'm going to stop being there for you.'

Kate slowly approached her with her arms wide open for a hug, 'Come here, silly sausage.'

El walked forward and accepted the hug, gripping onto her like her life depended on it.

Kate held onto her and reassured her that everything would be okay, 'I'm here poppet…I

always will be…Just because I'm your sister now, it doesn't mean that I love you any less…

You know, I missed you when you went away?'

'You did?'

'Very much.' Kate said softly, 'Come on…Let's get you back to mine, eh?'

The pair soon headed back to Kate's. The Doctor dropped them as near as he could, and didn't

further question why they wanted to go. Family time could wait.

After getting back home to her flat and spending some time with El watching some films,

they both chose not to talk about her ordeal. Kate knew she would talk about it eventually,

but at the same time, she also knew that Yaz and Jo needed a statement to back up their

evidence that they had on Max Tyler. They had the evidence that he live streamed his abuse

on El to the nation, but as for the assault, they needed El's version of events.

They'd get those later.

Kate had grabbed El's suitcase of belongings which the Doctor had picked up for her, and she

had placed both their phones on charge once they'd gotten back.

After spending a while with her, Kate noticed El's stomach grumbling and she couldn't help

but laugh, 'You're a bit hungry.'

El laughed sheepishly, 'I can't remember the last time I ate.'

'That's alright sweetheart. How about I make you my famous spag bol?' Kate merely smirked

as she looked down at her, 'Extra garlic bread and cheese too, as you like it.'

El thought she would push her luck, 'With tobasco sauce?'

Kate giggled, 'My palate cannot face that after last time.' She then got to her feet and looked

down at her, 'Are you good here or do you want to come with?'

'I'll come with you.' El said sheepishly. It took her a minute to get her brain to kick in, but

she eventually got to her feet and followed Kate to the kitchen.

As Kate was getting pans and various ingredients from the cupboards, El looked around at

everything, 'This place is smaller…'

'Well…' Kate breathed, 'There's only me here…The old house was too big for just me.'

'And filled with bad memories?' El asked quietly.

'That too…But here, you and me could start again if you wanted?'

'Mama-' El caught herself, ' Kate , I can't just live with you all my life.'

'Why not? I'm your sister now, it's less frowned upon and we could call it a house share.'

Kate seemed excited with this idea.

'I met someone out in Greece.' El admitted as she climbed onto a stool.

'Were they nice?'

El couldn't help the cheeky smile that graced her lips. Neither could she hide the fact that she

bit her lip thinking of that certain someone.

Kate caught it clear as day. Now she smirked, 'Oh, like that is it? As long as they make you

happy-'

'She did…Does…Whichever…' El shrugged, 'Her name is Maria and she is…'

'Just so you know, any bedroom antics, you really don't need to tell me.' Kate kept this light

and humorous while she stood seasoning the mince, and then moving to grate some cheese,

'It reminds me of how I'm tragically not getting any.'

El laughed, 'Well…Let's just say…She wasn't doing the teaching in the bedroom…

Actually…It wasn't just Maria, I had a few women…They were all good, but Maria she…'

Her eyes lit up when talking about this stranger, Kate saw that much. Still, El continued,

'Maria actually stayed…She convinced me to come home and fix things.'

'She sounds wonderful. Anyone is better than what Robbie did to you…I know we don't

bring up the bad things, but I'm happy that you've found someone.' Kate commented.

El nodded and went quiet. She contemplated her next topic of conversation, 'Hey…I heard

through the radio…Those guys, they called you a different name…Lana, what's that all

about?'

'I had to get back into that career somehow…Create a new identity…And hope it works.'

Kate shrugged, 'And it does to an extent.'

'You…You have distinguishable markers…Your face has been on the news before and people

know about the house falling on top of you…Maybe the Doctor could erase their memories

one more time…You get rid of your burn scars and…Perhaps then…You can say that Kate is

your twin?'

Kate was so confused, 'Wait…So you support the job?'

'No.' El laughed, 'Of course I don't. You had a bomb go off in your face once that caused a

stroke. You've done idiotic things in your time, but this? Icing on the cake.'

Kate was getting mixed signals, 'I'm just a bit confused-'

'I can't tell you how to live your life…Just…be careful.' El replied to her, 'And…Thank you

for yesterday…I thought I was dead.'

Momentarily, Kate paused what she was doing. She put everything to the side and addressed

El properly, 'You needed me…Whenever you need me, I'm there, alright? Of course there are

some things that are out of my control but…I am there.'

El understood, of course she did, 'At least we might have gone out together…Probably in the

worst way possible but…We would have been together.'

'And…Max…What did he…I know you might not want to talk about it, but Yaz and Jo will

be round here asking questions soon enough-'

'Kate.' El sounded a little firmer, 'Let's enjoy tonight before everything goes to hell again,

please.'

With no option, Kate dropped the topic and went back to what she was doing. That was a

topic for another day, clearly, but she respected El's decision.

Two Women Walk Into a Bar

After Kate had made dinner, the pair of them, her and El both sat across from each other. El

had a cheeky grin on her face, and it made Kate laugh. She had no idea what El was up to,

but her smile was indicative of some sort of mischief, 'What?' She laughed.

El was twirling some pasta around her fork and shrugged, 'It's nothing.'

'Really?' Kate was still chewing what she had left in her mouth, 'Because I know you Mrs. I

know that cheeky smile, and I know it means that you're up to something.'

'No.' El was witty, 'Just because I've thought of something and I find it funny, doesn't mean

I'm up to anything.'

Kate raised her brows and stabbed at her pasta, 'Has it got anything to do with my 349th

birthday next week?'

'YOU'RE HOW OLD?!' El gasped, full of sarcasm, 'Are you sure you don't need a walking

stick yet? I can book you into a nursing home.'

"Cheeky git!' Kate laughed, 'It's Jo who is going to need the nursing home, not me.'

Their banter was interrupted when there was a knock at the door. Kate was confused, hardly

anyone knew her address, but then again, word always got around quick in this family. With a

groan, Kate got to her feet and walked over to the door and when she answered it, she was

surprised to see her boss standing on the other side, 'Sir- this is an unexpected surprise-'

'I thought I would come and check on you and your…Sister, was it?'

'Yes sir. She and I are absolutely fine…The police will be round in a short while to ask some

questions, and we were just having dinner-' She wasn't going to let him past, but he made his

way into her flat by pushing by her.

Instantly, El got her guard up. She had gotten up from the table and glared at him, 'Who are

you?'

John laughed, 'I'm Lana's boss. I wanted to come by and check on you both to check how

you are doing.'

Kate could feel something incredibly off about him, she just couldn't put her finger on it,

'With respect sir, I think you should leave '

John ignored her and kept his gaze firmly on El, 'I looked into your background and I've seen

that you have a history with drugs…And your sister isn't who she says she is.'

El looked back at Kate, but Kate took matters into her own hands. She walked over and

pinned Francis to a cupboard, being extremely firm. Getting into his face, she growled, 'Who

the fuck are you?!'

John laughed, 'Question is, who are you? Katherine Fleming…That name rings a bell.' He

then looked back at El. It quickly clicked and he laughed, 'You're the bent police officer

whose daughter is a serial killer and you did nothing about it.'

'And?'

'There's an irony here. You can catch and nearly convict Max Tyler for his crimes as

Ghostface, but your own daughter? It took far too long.' John laughed, 'Look, I really am

here to offer a helping hand. I'm not stupid, I know I need you on the team. Try not to punch

me in the face or I will report you.'

With much reluctance, Kate released her grip on him and stepped away, 'I think it's best that

you leave.'

John briefly looked back at El, and then at Kate, 'You raised one good child…Shame she's

your daughter though.' He then took himself out, closing the door behind him.

Kate wanted to hit him so badly, but knew she couldn't. After the door had closed, she turned

her gaze to El and tried to give her a reassuring smile, 'He's just a tosser.'

'A tosser that knows you.' El worried.

'Look, how about we go out? You and me? There's a bar across the road…'

El had another fork full of food, before getting up and grabbing her jacket, 'Let's go.'

Kate gave her a small smile, but swiftly followed on behind her.

After arriving at the bar, Kate ordered both of them a drink, and they settled into a nice

conversation about El's time away in Greece, and what she got up to, besides all the bedroom

antics.

They had been there for about twenty minutes when Jo walked in. Kate forgot that this was

the bar Jo came to after work some days.

Kate tried not to roll her eyes and Jo gave her a side glance, looking incredibly guilty. She

decided to comment to her, 'Kate…'

In her hand, close to her mouth, Kate held her glass of beer, 'Jo.' She commented before

taking a large gulp.

El couldn't help but frown as she looked between them. Gently, she nudged Kate with her

elbow. When Kate looked at her, El uttered quietly, 'Why don't you try and get along with

her? It isn't her fault that I'm not her daughter, nor is it yours but…'

'She slept with my ex, El-'

'And you did it first!' El hissed quietly.

Jo knew where she wasn't wanted, so she tried to quickly excuse herself, 'It's okay…I know

where I'm not wanted…'

El gave Kate straight up evils. It took Kate a moment, but she eventually gave in, 'Fine.' She

sighed. Looking back at Jo, Kate called her back, 'Jo! Stay…Please.'

Though Jo was incredibly nervous about staying, she took the stool beside Kate and ordered

herself a drink.

Kate could tell that she was incredibly nervous. She hadn't forgotten her nervous breakdown

years ago, she wouldn't be this worried about something like this. Reaching into her back

pocket, Kate grabbed some money.

Though Jo technically wasn't anyone to them anymore, she was clearly someone that El still

cared about. Deep down, Kate cared too, 'I'll get this for you. Despite the fact you slept with

my ex, it doesn't mean that I can't be civil.'

'I didn't think being civil was in your vocabulary.' Jo uttered.

'Yeah well, I'm full of surprises. El is right though, I did do it first, it doesn't make it right,

what you did, but…' She sighed, 'Look…Just have this on me.'

Jo gave Kate a small smile, 'Thank you.'

Watching the exchange, El slunk from her stool and walked over to the other side, to come

and sit next to her. Kate wondered what she was doing, but she also didn't question it.

El was nervous to talk to Jo, but she knew she had to eventually, 'Jo…You might not be my

mom…'

'El.' Jo huffed. She didn't want to do this. To face the reality that she had been running from.

The fact that El had never really been her daughter in the first place, 'I don't want to talk

about this, alright? I've had a tough day at work, and this is the last thing I want to be talking

about.' She then looked at her directly, 'Why haven't you got a job yet? You're what? Twenty

years old now? You should not be hanging by your mum's purse strings.'

El frowned, 'I'm not…I…' She looked over at Kate and had no idea what to say. Instead, she

shook her head and tried to continue with the same line of conversation as before, 'We need

to talk -'

Jo took a large gulp of her wine. She was getting extremely annoyed now. Kate could see it,

but it wasn't for her to get involved. Jo turned to El and addressed her head on, 'I said that I

don't want to talk about this. What more could there possibly be to say?!'

'That I love you still?!' El protested, 'That it doesn't matter about biology?! Kate might be

my sister, but for so many years, you were both still my parents! To me, you are still my mom

and you never will stop being my mom, no matter what happens! Yeah, you've made some

questionable choices with who you sleep with but-' She sighed, 'You're still my mom to

me…'

Feeling defeated, El dropped the conversation, 'I just…I want you to know that you can still

be my mom if you want to be.' She then dismounted her stool and headed off to the toilet.

Now Jo felt incredibly guilty for the way she had just spoken to El. She looked over at Kate,

who had just finished the last of her pint, 'I should apologise to her…She just wanted to do

the right thing.'

'We are going to be here for one more pint.' Kate faced her properly, 'You have until I've

finished my second pint to say what you need.'

Seconds later Nikki and Suki both entered the place arm in arm. Kate looked over her

shoulder and rolled her eyes, 'Oh here we go.'

Upon noticing that Kate was present, Nikki was keen to back out. She spoke quietly to Suki,

'Maybe we should go elsewhere…'

Suki wondered why, but then her gaze landed on both Kate and Jo. She smiled, 'Oh…Oh no,

I think here is perfect . I'll go get us a drink, you find somewhere to sit.'

Nikki looked over at Kate, but walked in the opposite direction. When Suki walked over to

the bar, she came and stood between Kate and Jo, 'This must be incredibly awkward.' Suki

commented.

Quietly, Kate was seething, 'Why? Why would it be awkward? We're having a drink after a

stressful day.'

'Oh yeah? You and your ex coming to a bar together?'

'We didn't come together-'

' And then, another one of your ex's turns up with another woman on her arm.' Suki uttered,

'Either this is your worst nightmare or your best wet dream.'

Jo looked over at Suki, swallowing, 'You know, you really should just mind your own

business.'

Suki looked at Jo now, 'You can talk!' She laughed, 'You ruined her wedding! Oh wait, it's

you with the wet dreams, not Kate-'

' Shut your mouth.' Jo hissed.

Suki laughed, 'Or what?! What are you going to do?'

Kate turned around now. She got to her feet and confronted her, 'We came here for a quiet

drink. In case you didn't notice with your head being so far up your arse, but we had an

extremely worrying 24 hours-'

'And she is safe!' Suki snapped, 'I'm not scared of you Kate.'

'She'll cheat on you as well, you know? If there's one thing I've learned about Nikki Boston

is that she is a scheming, vindictive womanizer! '

'That's what makes her attractive. Difference is, I can tame her.' Suki laughed.

' You are a pawn in her game. Jo was a pawn, as was I-'

'You thought you were her queen, right? Speaking in chess metaphors…You thought that she

was your queen, but…You were both played.'

Kate smirked, 'So are you. She is poison .'

'And that's why I love her. She's like a drug to me-' Suki replied.

Jo rolled her eyes, 'Can you both stop talking in shitty metaphors?!' She got to her feet and

came between them, firstly addressing Suki, 'You are being played-'

' You slept with her for a year or so. She slept with you behind Kate's back.' Suki turned to

Kate, 'That must have stung. Then you both found out that your daughter was never really

yours.' She laughed almost manically, 'THAT! That was hilarious!'

Without thinking, Kate grabbed her empty pint glass from the top of the bar and was about to

smash it around Suki's face when El ran over and stood in between them all, 'KATE DON'T!

You're giving her what she wants.'

Nikki walked over to see what the fuss was about, and now she saw three women that she

had slept with, all up in arms over her. She would have taken pleasure in it, but when she

looked at Kate, she could see how broken-hearted she was. It was written all over her face.

'Come on El.' Kate sneered, her voice wavering now, 'We're going home.'

El hesitated, 'Mom…Kate-' This was still taking some getting used to.

Kate got in Suki's face, 'You enjoy having her.'

'You still love her don't you?' Suki smirked, 'Aww bless, you, an immortal , you still love

Nikki. It must hurt, seeing her choose everyone but you. '

Without hesitation, Kate then punched Suki in the face, and then she stormed over to Nikki.

When she stopped in front of her, she spoke firmly, 'What you did to me…'

'It was unforgivable.' Nikki replied. Tears formed in her eyes, and it was evident they still

loved each other, 'But Kate…'

'You're welcome to the pair of them.' Kate hissed, 'But you know that I was far better than

the pair of them…' She looked back at Suki and laughed, 'All bark you are!'

'Kate!' El hissed at her, 'Stop it!'

'Tell me you wouldn't do the same to Robbie?!' Kate snapped at her.

'I'm the bigger person. You should be too.' El said firmly.

Suki laughed, 'She's a mug El. Always has been, always will be, no wonder why her first

partner was hung, Isabella, wasn't it?'

El narrowed her gaze at Suki then. She saw the flash of hurt that crossed over Kate's face.

She had decided that this was too far. She walked back over to her and punched her again, but

she didn't stop there. El pinned her to the bar and held her fist above her face, 'She loved

Isabella.'

'She loves a dead woman more than those that are living.' Suki hissed.

'Maybe because it was true love . None of you know what that is, but for someone like Kate?

She knows .' El hissed.

'Then why did she cheat on Jo then? If true love is so real? Why did she? If you hit me, I will

have you and Kate arrested, and I will take you both for everything you've got.'

Ignoring her, El hit her again and again, before walking away. She left the building with a

crowd observing them. A police car had arrived outside and Kate rolled her eyes.

A police officer walked over to them both, 'Both of you, stop right there.' He asked them. He

then addressed El, 'I just saw you hitting that woman. Hold out your hands so I can cuff you.'

El wasn't scared anymore. She stood by what she did. Though she hadn't killed anyone, she

was glad that she put Suki in her place. No one hurt Kate's feelings, not like that, and not in

front of her. Holding out her hands, she allowed the officer to place cuffs on her wrists.

Kate couldn't get involved because she knew she wouldn't have a job if she did. Instead, she

spoke quietly to her, 'I'll meet you at the station.'

'I'll just request to speak to Yaz.' El told her, 'No one talks to you like that.'

'Go on.' Kate sighed.

Tonight was going to be another long one and she could tell. Nikki on the other hand felt

something in her gut. After setting her eyes on Kate, she couldn't take them away. A feeling

set in her gut, regret. If there was one thing she realized it was that she was and never did

stop loving Kate.

…

After El had been processed in custody, Kate tried to make her way up to the main office. The

custody sergeant gave her a fair warning, but when she wasn't listening, he grabbed a hold of

her and pinned her into the wall, 'What the hell did I tell you?!'

'Get Yaz!' Kate snapped at him, 'DCI Khan! Jesus Christ, you grip onto me any tighter I'll

have you done for sexual misconduct pal!'

'I'll get DCI Khan once you've calmed down! Sit your arse in the waiting room, and wait

like everyone else!' He snapped at her, 'You shouldn't even be in this part of the building, so

do as you're told and wait around the front!' He quickly released his grip on Kate and showed

her the door.

Kate reluctantly made her way around the front, calling Yaz as she did, 'Hey Yaz. DI W

ankerton down in custody just got physical with me because I wanted to see you.'

Yaz was sitting at her desk when she got the call. Upon hearing her remarks, she rolled her

eyes, 'If you tried to go through custody, no wonder why Daz sent you packing. I heard that

El got picked up. Call the custody sergeant DI Wankerton or any other name like that again,

you won't be allowed up here, do I make myself clear?'

Kate too rolled her eyes and sighed, 'Yes…All received.'

'In future, you wait in reception like everyone else.' Yaz said firmly, 'Now make your way to

reception and I'll be there in a minute.'

Kate ended the call and waited in reception for a few minutes until Yaz showed. When she

entered the room, she greeted the officer behind the reception desk, 'Hi Wendy, could you

grab me a visitor's badge please? The visitor can be logged as Kate Fleming.'

'Of course ma'am.' Wendy replied. She found a visitors badge and handed it to Yaz, who

then handed it to Kate.

'Cheers.' Kate uttered quietly. She then followed Yaz to the main office. As they headed

there, Kate has many questions, 'Since when did we start logging visitors?'

' We?' Yaz scoffed, 'Need I remind you that you don't work here anymore? We log visitors

since everything with Ghostface. We need to know who is coming in and who is leaving the

premises?'

'Even for a cheeky cig?'

'Even for a cheeky cig.' Yaz replied, 'Anyway, what did El do?'

'She smacked Nikki's new bit on the side because she said some not nice things about

someone else I loved a long time ago. '

Yaz turned around with a smile on her face, 'Ah but who hit her first? Yes, El was arrested,

but from what I hear, you have a new job and you need to stay out of trouble. There isn't any

way that you refrained from hitting someone for insulting someone you loved a long time

ago.'

'You know me well.' Kate commented.

'Yes, don't I know it. I know you and your family very well by this point.' Yaz replied,

'While my wife is sunning it up in Tenerife, your dad, who was also your mum and my

wife…Where is he?'

'Oh…So you know about the regeneration then?'

'I heard it through a grapevine.' Yaz shrugged, 'Less about me though. I'll have El released

in a bit. Whoever Nikki's new partner is, I doubt they'll press charges.'

'It's Suki Panesar.' Kate replied.

'Oh.' Yaz laughed, 'You smacked her? Wow. '

'She asked for it!'

'Suki Panesar?!'

'Oh don't tell me, you and her are best buddies now?'

'No.' Yaz laughed, 'But that woman is powerful. She might want to press charges. I know

she won't but…' She paused, stopping right in front of Kate, causing Kate to suddenly stop

walking. Then Yaz looked her up and down, 'You still love Nikki, don't you?'

'Yes but-'

'I thought as much. Yes, she slept with Jo, but…'

Kate rolled her eyes, 'If my mum slept with someone else, if she I don't know, slept with

Carmichael for example-'

Yaz looked disgusted, 'Carmichael?! At least have some taste Kate. Your mum and

Carmichael? That's gross and absurd.'

'They have clashing personalities- Point being, would you go back to her if she was having

an affair?'

'Difference is, Jo was having an affair with someone you loved and still do love. ' Yaz argued

back, ' Nikki was -' Yaz tried to calm her temper, ' Talk to Nikki. Just…Talk to her.'

With nothing further to say, Yaz walked away, leaving Kate with something to think about.

What's Next?

Chapter Notes

Trigger warning for descriptions of sexual assault

After a long conversation with Yaz about Ghostface and her terrible love life, Yaz eventually

got word that El could be released. Kate had been sitting in Yaz's office playing with a ball

made of elastic bands. Constantly throwing that same ball up and down, Kate eventually

stopped when she thought of something, 'Before we collect my wayward sister…How did

you manage to get Tyler to talk? He doesn't strike me as the sort of bloke who would just

blab on himself-'

Yaz froze on this matter. She looked down at her phone, 'Oh…It's really late, how long have

we been talking?'

' Yaz? ' Kate was firmer now. When she didn't get a response, she leaned forward and rested

her arms on top of the desk, 'Yasmin, what happened?'

Again, Yaz couldn't find it in herself to look at Kate, 'It was Jo's idea, and, and the Doctor…

He had to make good on, on the other end of the bargain.'

'Who did they bargain with?'

'Max…' Yaz replied quietly.

Kate frowned, 'Max…As in my Max?'

Yaz nodded slowly.

Now Kate was extremely annoyed, 'And what did she get out of this?'

'Strawberry laces and her powers back.' Yaz said quickly, 'Look- Before you go in all guns

blazing, you really should be thanking her and us. Thanks to her, she was wearing a wire, and

she got to God's honest truth from him. We aren't done with questioning him but-'

'He's being held at the nearby prison, right?'

'Yes…why?'

'I'm paying that bastard a visit myself.'

'Kate!' Yaz snapped at her, 'You could be arrested-'

Kate got to her feet and argued back with her, 'YAZ! HE RAPED MY SISTER AND YOU

THINK I'M JUST GOING TO SIT HERE AND, AND WHAT?! DO NOTHING?!'

'YES ACTUALLY!' Yaz snapped, 'Whether you like it or not, we have him in our custody

now! After a bit more questioning, he will be sentenced. El will give her testimony and that

bastard will be locked away! As much as you hate the idea, Max has connections in prison.

She might be in an all female prison, but everyone knows someone. Max Tyler will not have

any sort of peace for the rest of his days.'

'Once he's been sentenced, take me to him.' Kate demanded, 'I want to look that prick in the

eye whilst I do the most unforgivable things to him. He thinks that Max having a go at him is

bad?' There was a cold look in Kate's eye that Yaz had never seen before, and it made her

back off ever so slightly, but Kate walked forward, 'I've met people who have done the

unspeakable, but you haven't met me.'

Yaz had never felt more terrified of Kate than what she did right now. She was keen to

change the subject, 'El is waiting for you downstairs. You will see Tyler, you can rip his

bollocks off, you can do whatever you want to him after he's been put in prison, but right

now, El, Nikki, your family? They come first.'

Satisfied with this answer, Kate said nothing further and left the office. Yaz needed a moment

to gather herself. She thought the Doctor could be intimidating, but Kate was right, Yaz really

hadn't met her before and it was terrifying.

After getting downstairs, Kate waited for El to be brought through to reception for her. The

entire time she was waiting, she bounced her knee anxiously.

El could feel her nervous energy, and she addressed her on it, 'What happened? You're not

angry…You're pissed off.'

Kate gave El a small smile and got to her feet, 'Let's get to the car…It's started to snow a

blizzard out there. I didn't know it was in the forecast.'

Without saying anything further, Kate took El to the car, but once they got there, they both sat

in silence and in the dark. Only orange street lights illuminated the place.

Perhaps it was the way the light was shining, but there was a look in her sister's eyes that El

didn't like. Nervously, she leaned forward and asked her again, 'What happened back there?'

'You know.' Kate finally spoke, 'I have done some awful things in my time. Awful things, we

know this…I shouldn't be the one to enact my own sort of justice when I have committed

some of the worst unjust things myself, so what right would I have?'

'You're scaring me.' El said quietly, 'What are you talking about?'

Suddenly, Kate then looked at her directly, 'Let's not beat around the bush here El. Let's call

it what it is, what he did to you. Max Tyler raped you. You did not give consent and he

probably enjoyed it. The sadistic prick!'

El was so confused and hurt at the same time, 'I've said that I don't want to talk about this…

Yaz will interview me about that tomorrow. What I did to Suki, she will view it as a trauma

response and we can all get on with our lives. Why do you want to talk about this?'

'Because I never have or would. Humans can be disgusting creatures and he is no exception!'

'Stop talking about yourself like you're something other. Kate, this isn't bothering me as

much as it is bothering you- it happened to me!'

'And it has happened to me, many times before!'

Now El understood where this was coming from. She sat back in the seat and looked out of

the window. There was a heavy sigh from El and she began to talk, 'It's barely been forty

eight hours…I'm still trying to understand and…And comprehend what happened to me. Not

just… that , but also the fact that I thought I was gonna die the same way that Steve did.'

Kate finally looked at her. Now she started to feel guilty, but El quickly stopped her train of

thought, 'You can talk about things that have happened to you, you can be angry that it

happened to me too, but…I haven't talked because I haven't processed it…I don't think I ever

want to…'

El sounded tearful now 'I have been loved by the most amazing woman that I have ever

met…The entire time…While he was…' She licked her lips as her voice got stuck in her

throat, 'At this point, I don't even think the bomb was armed…Because he grabbed me…He

was rough , it hurt . I begged him to stop…'

Tears cascaded down her cheeks now, 'And all I could think, to try and take the pain away…

All I could think of was Maria…I love her…And I thought maybe a stupid miracle would

happen and that she would save me…But she is in Greece, so how could she?'

El didn't want to look at Kate, she didn't want to see the anger on her face, she just wanted to

tell her all about it, 'He told me that no one would ever want me after he'd had me…Used and

damaged goods…That's what…That's what he said, and…And…' She sniffed, 'He had that

stupid knife to my throat the entire time…I couldn't snap his neck…I wanted to, but I

couldn't…After all of that though…I don't remember anything…I mean yeah…He demanded

that I do other stuff for his own gratification…I did..But…But after…I remember he pulled

out this needle and stabbed it into my neck and everything went black.'

The anger was radiating off of Kate now. Her fingers drummed on the steering wheel. She

never got her revenge on Kate Stewart for what she did to her. As a release though, she

seriously contemplated it.

Despite all her anger, Kate was still able to speak softly, 'I'm so sorry that happened to you

baby-'

'It…It's not you, I promise but please don't call me that…'

'He did?'

'I think he was having some sort of fantasy in his head playing out the entire time. I caught

glimpses, but I didn't go looking, I wouldn't want to.' El said quietly, 'I know, I know it is

what you call me, but please Kate…don't, not anymore.'

The message was received loud and clear. It hurts of course, but she understood El's wishes

and she respected them.

'Either way…I'm really sorry that this happened to you and I am so sorry that I couldn't be

there to help you…But I promise you, me, Yaz…all the team, from the moment I realized

that something was wrong, we got our arses into gear and didn't stop looking for you.'

El nodded, 'Thank you. It's not your fault that you couldn't find me.' She said quietly, 'I

just…can we go home now?'

Kate nodded, 'Of course.' Now she certainly knew what she was going to do to Max Tyler.

She would tell prison officers the truth, and she knew it would be frowned upon, so anything

that happened in prison stayed between those walls.

The day he got locked up couldn't come soon enough.

After getting home much later that evening, despite her age, Kate allowed El to sleep beside

her. Even Kate knew that El needed her while she got through this. Kate's main concern was

that El might relapse and turn to the drugs again. After being sober for so long, it would be

devastating for El to go back to where she started.

It was now 1:45am. Kate held onto El while she slept, but she couldn't sleep. The insomnia

was catching up to her. This was the third night in a row that she hadn't slept. Hundreds of

thoughts were racing through her mind to the point where sleep was literally the last thing on

her mind.

While El continued to sleep, Kate slowly peeled herself away from her and once she was

free, she got out of bed and headed to the front room. Slowly, Kate traipsed to the kitchen.

Kate headed to the coffee machine and turned it on. While she waited for that to warm up,

she leaned up against the work top and ended up lost in her own thoughts.

Mostly, her thoughts revolved around the most horrific scenarios that she could put Max

Tyler through. Her fingers anxiously drummed on the top, and she looked down at the burn

scars on the back of her hand. It had been a very long time since she thought about that night,

but with it being ever so quiet and the middle of the night, her thoughts were so incredibly

loud.

She wasn't going to kill Mr Tyler, she felt that would be too good for him. All of her violent

most alien parts of herself were just beneath the surface. Keeping them there would be the

challenge. There was something she couldn't leave alone though.

Walking over to the clothes horse, Kate grabbed a t-shirt and a black hooded top. She put

both of them on, and pulled on a pair of jeans, with a pair of running trainers. Disregarding

the coffee altogether now, Kate headed out of the door, leaving El by herself.

Kate was far too angry to stay still, she needed to do something.

After getting in her car, she reversed down the drive and headed off through the darkness.

Twenty minutes later, Kate arrived on the outskirts of Manchester. Without thinking much of

anything, she headed straight into the police station, but it wasn't where Yaz worked.

The automatic doors opened and she walked in. The anger she was feeling was coming to the

surface now, so a cocky custody sergeant would bear the brunt of what she was feeling.

Leaning on the reception desk, she spoke through the perspex window, 'I'm here to see

Carmichael, now.'

The bald man on the other side of the window did not like Kate's attitude, 'Manners wouldn't

go amiss madam-'

'I could not give a fuck about manners. Tell Carmichael that I want to see her now.'

Of course, the custody sergeant was not best pleased, 'If you do not calm down, I will have to

arrest you.'

'Get me Carmichael and tell her that Kate Fleming is here to see her. I know she works

extremely late, so get her now.' Kate seethed.

With no further option, the sergeant got onto the phone, dialling in Carmichael's office

number. He spoke for a couple of seconds, but then looked at Kate after he put the phone

down, 'She's on her way.'

Carmichael was working late into the evening, she had cases that she was working on, so

when a call came through to her office at 2am, she was surprised to say the least. After

answering the call and hearing Kate's name, she knew this matter took precedence over

everything else she had been doing, 'I'm coming down, don't get rid of her.'

While Kate waited, she paced the reception floor. It felt like she had been waiting forever, but

it had only been a couple of minutes.

After coming into the reception area, Carmichael could tell that something was very wrong,

'Kate…Follow me.'

Kate followed Carmichael, up the stairs and straight to the main office. When they reached

Carmichael's own office, she walked behind the desk and looked back at her. Of course, she

was assertive, but she knew Kate well enough to know that she wouldn't be here without

good reason, 'Two in the morning. You wouldn't be here at this time if it wasn't urgent.

What's happened?'

Visibly shaking with anger, Kate looked Carmichael straight in the eye and told her, 'I've

come close to killing people before, but now I think I actually might, and if I do…I just…I

wouldn't want you to think any different of me.'

This was not what Carmichael was expecting, but she was prepared to listen, 'You're

protective of your children, even after everything with El, you're still there, prepared-'

'How do you know it's about my kids?'

'Because you wouldn't be here if it wasn't about them.' Carmichael replied bluntly, 'And you

wouldn't be shaking with anger.' She took a breath and asked calmly, 'I'm going to ask you

again, what happened?'

Kate didn't know how to verbalise this, 'You know that live stream? The one with

Ghostface?'

'I heard about it. You know I'm not on social media so I can't say I saw anything. It wasn't

my force dealing with it. Though…I did hear that El had been taken, and you got her

back...But there's something you're not telling me. Something else happened, didn't it?'

Kate nodded slowly, 'Max Tyler, the man responsible..When the camera wasn't rolling…He

abused her…I don't think I need to say anything more, do I?'

Carmichael shook her head, 'No…' She understood perfectly, 'I'm terribly sorry that

happened to her…I'm here for you and El for support if you wish for that…I have to ask

Kate, what is it that you want? You want to kill him?'

'Of course I want to torture the bastard and make him suffer!' Kate snapped at her.

Carmichael knew Kate would react like this, so she stayed calm and merely frowned, 'If it

isn't him you want to kill, who is it that you do want to murder?'

Kate stared back at her, but didn't say anything because she knew that what she wanted to say

sounded extraordinarily absurd, 'I have a list-'

'Because the person you want to kill is your actual daughter?' When Kate bowed her head,

Patricia knew she was on the money, 'You know I can't let you do that. You have two

options, I either put you in a cell for the remainder of the evening to calm down…' She

walked over to her office drawer and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of whiskey, 'Or we

sit and we talk. I can understand your anger right now, but if you were to go and kill

anyone...You would eventually feel terrible afterwards, and I would have to arrest you and

send you to prison…That's not happening on my watch.'

Kate was so utterly confused, 'Why do you want to help me?'

'Because we have been here before. You might have shut it out of your memory, but we've

been here before, and as much as you don't like me most days…The feeling is mutual…

That's what makes our relationship work Kate. Our mutual hatred or dislike of each other…It

helps us.' She then gestured to the seat opposite her desk, 'Sit down.' She poured a drink and

placed it on Kate's side of the desk, 'We're going to talk, or you're going to talk and I'm

going to listen. After that we're going to think of our strategy of getting justice for El.'

She came and sat down at the desk and addressed Kate once again. Though Kate hadn't sat

yet. She looked up at her and commented, 'Killing people will only make a man like Max

think that he has won. Not only would El lose you, she would turn to drugs again because

you are her rock. Without you, she can't function properly. Yes, cases like this have a low

conviction rate, but he has the other offense of kidnap and having endangering lives…

Possibly attempted murder. The SA is what we also want him to be convicted of, but we have

to look at this realistically.'

'I'll kill him. I've done it to other people before.'

'That's not happening. Do I have to arrest you, or are you going to sit down and listen to

me?' Patricia was lenient when it came to Kate and the family, but she seriously needed Kate

to listen to her, 'Once Max has been convicted, you can get to him in prison, but I wouldn't

know anything about that.' She watched as Kate took a seat, 'Now we hit him where it hurts,

his pride.'

'Torchwood, they have samples from…El after the…' Kate replied nervously.

'And that would help considerably. We might actually have him convicted on that. Now, are

you ready to listen?'

Kate nodded slowly and gulped down the glass of whiskey. Here they would sit until the

early hours of the morning. The chat calmed Kate and helped her to start thinking much

clearer.

Carmichael was Kate's right hand woman, always there when she needed her without

judgment, but was always firm and fair when she needed to be.

'Did you sleep last night?' Was the first question that she asked Kate while she was sitting

eating her breakfast while Kate sat across from her drinking coffee.

'Why do you ask?'

El briefly looked her up and down, 'When I went to bed last night…You weren't wearing that

hoodie…I know you woke up in it but…You didn't go to bed in it.'

Kate sighed softly, 'I did struggle to sleep last night.. I just went for a quick walk around the

garden…'

El frowned, 'Enough to put your jeans on too?'

Gently, Kate sighed, 'Yaz is coming over today with your uncle to ask you some questions

about what happened…Do you want me to stay with you?'

Slowly, El nodded. She pulled her jacket around herself and went quiet. Any ounce of

conversation had gone, but something still bothered her, 'Hey Kate…Do you still love

Nikki?'

This question stumped Kate. The second person to ask her this, was it really that obvious?

Gently, Kate put her mug down and addressed her, 'Would it be so bad?'

'She hurt you…She broke your heart…Can't you just switch those feelings off?' It was an

innocent enough question, Kate just didn't know how to answer it.

'I just…I've never been able to switch it off…Even if I did entertain the idea…You wouldn't

be forgotten about-'

'You seem to have forgotten about your actual daughter though.' El replied, 'I'm not trying to

make you feel guilty or anything…It's just, Ruby is your daughter and she really does need

you.'

Kate swallowed her pride now, 'She isn't my responsibility-'

'She is. You might not have known that we were swapped at birth, that is not your fault…

But…But you have the chance to build a relationship with her, and she wants to build one

with you.' Though this was hard for El, she knew that she needed to see it from Ruby's point

of view, and having Ruby in their lives became just as important.

After pushing her breakfast bowl away, El addressed Kate with a firmer tone, 'You're my

sister, you'll always be the person I turn to, but Ruby needs her mom…I know what that's

like…Please Kate…Give her a call or something. Whatever is happening with me…Though

it is important, so is your relationship with Ruby.'

Kate was taken aback, but she understood where El was coming from. So much was going on

in her life right now, she wanted to sob, but she couldn't. Instead, like usual, she put her

feelings to the side and agreed with El, 'If…If I had a number, I could call her.'

'You have Mom's number…' El replied as she dismounted the stool, 'Or…' She frowned

with confusion, 'Dad's number. Call him.'

El then vanished into the living room where she turned on the TV and started watching it.

Minutes later, Kate received a call from work. Francis was in her back about something

again. Upon hearing his request to come into work immediately, Kate couldn't help but be

grumpy, 'Sir, it's my day off and my sister and what happened to her takes priority-'

'Your country takes priority Lana!' Francis snapped at her, 'I know you're still new to

working on my team, but you have a job to do for king and country.'

Kate ground her jaw, 'The king can fuck himself and the rest of the posh twats that make the

decisions. My sister takes priority over them!'

'Lana- Lana , it is your duty . Come into work or face disciplinary action.' The call then

ended.

Kate wanted to slam her phone down. Whatever it was that Francis wanted sounded urgent

though, and she couldn't ignore it.

Slowly, she walked over to El and sat on the edge of the sofa, 'Listen…I've got to go into

work-'

El's hearts plummeted, 'But…But Yaz is coming, and you said you'd be here…'

Kate sighed, 'I know…I know but I could have disciplinary action taken against me if I

don't…' She then thought of a compromise, 'How about I call Yaz? I could ask her to come

later so that I am here with you.'

This was something El could agree with, but with how work called her asking her to come in,

it sounded urgent, 'Is everything okay? At work I mean?'

'I don't know yet sweetheart.' Kate smiled softly, 'But you stay here and I'll be back soon.'

'Okay.' El nodded, 'Be back soon.'

'I will be.' As much as Kate didn't want to leave her, her job had to come first.

When Kate came home, it was already dark. She had been at work longer than intended. It

had also begun to snow again, and she noticed the police car parked outside the flat. Before

getting out of the car, Kate took a deep breath and sighed heavily. Her day had been stressful

enough, and now she had to deal with Yaz as well.

Eventually, Kate gathered up her things and left the car. Slowly, she walked up to the door

and made her way in. After hanging up her jacket, she walked through to the living room

where sure enough, Steve and Yaz were both sat waiting for her, with El sat just across from

them.

'You said you'd be back soon.' El stated, immediately gaining Kate's attention.

'I know..I know I did and work just…It took longer than I thought it would.' Kate explained

to her, 'Sorry.' She then came to sit beside her , setting her sights on Yaz and Steve.

Yaz was the first to break the ice, 'At least we are all here now, eh? And..And we can get this

done and over with.'

'Do we have to?' El asked them, 'I already explained all of what happened to Kate and I

don't want to go over it again..'

Steve sighed gently, passing a look to Kate, but he thought of a way to gently put this across

to her, 'Legally, we have to get a statement from you…El..I know this is hard, but in order to

get the person who did this locked away for a long time, is for you to tell us what happened.'

'But I told Kate!'

'We can't get Kate to tell us, it has to be you.'

Yaz could see how El was thinking and she immediately jumped in, 'And we have to do this

by the book. Your sister isn't a police officer anymore, it doesn't work that way. If she was

still in law enforcement, it would be okay-'

Kate then had an idea, 'But technically, I still am in law enforcement just…Under a different

name..Surely that would work?'

'The higher ups would question why a bomb disposal expert would be questioning a young

woman over something that is not connected to-'

'But it is.' Kate said firmly, 'I disarmed the explosive around her neck. It is connected. Sure,

I am still Kate Fleming, but at this moment in time, other people don't know that. I can take a

statement down, legally, I still can.'

Yaz sighed, and then snapped at her, 'You can't do everything Kate! Just because you have an

easy way out of everything-'

Steve jumped in quickly, 'Ladies-' He took a breath, 'Ma'am, with respect, maybe Kate is

right. She was there as an officer of the law, technically, she still can take statements from

victims whether that be in her family or not-'

Yaz glared at him now, 'I said no.'

El crossed her arms and glared at her, 'Kate knows what happened, and so does Lana.'

'And if your sister is asked to take the stand?!' Yaz snapped at her, 'Everyone knows who

Kate is, and no offense Kate, but you're very recognizable, and people will know you're

pulling a fast one. You might have been able to get away with this a hundred years ago, but

not today. Now either you let us do our job, or we don't at all-'

'That-' Steve stammered, 'Yaz, that is obstructing justice itself-'

'If the victim isn't willing to give a statement-'

'FINE!' El shouted at her, 'But you are so far out of order. Pressuring the victim, that's a

crime-'

Kate put a hand over her face and sighed, 'This is the problem with being related in some

way. We are all family, there is no way to do this by the books-'

'Carmichael.' El said abruptly, 'She's impartial-'

'That means handing this case to a different force.' Yaz said to her.

El looked Yaz up and down, 'As the victim in all of this, I have a right to choose what

happens, right? So…I'd like to request that Patricia Carmichael handle the case from now

on.'

Yaz was speechless, but she knew that El was well within her rights to ask for someone else

to deal with her case, though it did undermine her integrity as a police officer, or at least, she

felt that way.

'Fine.' Yaz conceded, 'I will forward this to Patricia, and you should expect either a visit or a

call over the next few days…Thank you for your time.' She got to her feet, now extremely

peeved off, 'DI Arnott and I will see ourselves out.'

Steve gave Kate a look. Kate had no idea what to say. She knew that El could be intimidated

by Carmichael at the best of times, but then again, El saw how messy everyone being related

in some way could be. At least Carmichael had started a fresh slate, and El wanted her to be

in charge of this, and Kate knew that Carmichael would do it right.

After Steve and Yaz left, Kate returned to El. She had so many questions, but she chose not to

ask them. Instead, she came to sit beside her and assured her, 'You have every right to control

how this goes…I don't know why Yaz was being so pushy and argumentative-'

'It's because the last time you were involved in an investigation, Kate , you tried to cover

your tracks, someone ended up dead and you went to jail…I can understand her caution…

That and…Lana and Kate look exactly the same…No one can get scars like yours exactly the

same…No offense, but if you did take to the stand, people would know it's you and not your

alias.' El was blunt, but it was true. The world really wasn't how it was a hundred years ago,

and it made it harder for her to hide.

Instead of replying, Kate merely nodded slowly, 'Yeah…' She then got to her feet and headed

to the kitchen where she leaned on the side, and looked at the scars on her hands. There were

times when she hated who she was and this was one of those times. Now she was seriously

considering a full regeneration, but she couldn't and didn't want to do that. Never had she

been more at war with herself than what she was now, and it was a horrible place to be in.

Getting Down To Business

Nikki had driven in the middle of the night after getting a text from Jo. To get away from

Suki, Nikki made up an excuse about some family emergency with her mum. Suki did

question this given that Nikki got on with her mum, and Nikki said that she was about

building bridges.

She was building bridges with the wrong woman.

After Jo had gotten into the car, there followed a silence. Jo was the first to speak after a

couple of minutes, 'Suki asked for those punches. Kate loved Isabella, and to insult her like

that-'

'The woman has been dead for hundreds of years!' Nikki argued.

'And Kate has never stopped loving her, the same way that she has never stopped loving

you.' Jo said bluntly, now staring at her.

Nikki looked away and down at the steering wheel, 'That ship sailed…'

'Has it?' Jo asked her, 'I was there Nikki, I saw the way you looked at each other…' There

was a moment of silence before Jo continued, 'You never did stop loving her did you? While

you were shagging me-'

Nikki quickly jumped in, 'No, no. I did love you, I do-'

'Which is it?' Jo was being extremely blunt, 'Because if you've met me here for a quick shag

and you still love her? It's not happening. You know, I fell in love with you. I did, but now…I

realize that it was just lust-'

Nikki laughed, 'You're lying to yourself. You love me. If Kate and I were ever to be married

again, could you just sit and watch? Could you let that happen?'

Jo looked down. She didn't know how to respond to that, 'Look, the fact that she loved and

still does love a woman that has been dead a hundred years or so…She looks at you in a way

that I haven't seen her look at me in years because of what I did to her. I never heard her out,

and then I did the stupid thing and went with you! She will never look at me the same way

that she looks at you ever again so if you love her Nikki just go for it!'

'Do you still love her?'

'Of course I do. She saved me from a life that would have otherwise killed me the same way

that it did my mum, I will forever be in her favor for that.' Jo admitted, 'But I have to let her

go.'

'But you can't let me go?'

Jo scoffed, 'Like I said, it was lust.'

'You keep telling yourself that-'

'Beside the point, El was attacked by a man masquerading as Ghostface. Our selfish needs

are not important. We have more dignity than to talk about ourselves when she is the one who

needs us-'

'You. Jo…She's your daughter. Maybe not by biology, but to her you always have been and

always will be her mum…Forget about me, right now, focus on rebuilding your relationship

with her. If you don't love me, put her first for god sake.'

Jo went quiet and considered her options. She knew that El tried reaching out to her and she

never actually gave her the answer she was owed and that bothered her. Slowly, she nodded,

'I need to put El first…We aren't teenagers anymore, right?'

'Exactly. We aren't teenagers…We have real responsibilities…El is yours.'

'Nikki…' Jo wanted to say those three words so badly, but she didn't, knowing that she still

loved Kate. Instead, she dropped the conversation and ended it with, 'Have a nice evening…'

'You too.' Nikki said quietly. Shit , she thought. Why was love this complicated? After the

door had slammed shut, Nikki hit her head in the steering wheel a couple of times before

gathering herself. This was a nightmare.

A couple of days passed since the attack on El. Still, she remained adamant that she wanted

Carmichael to deal with her case, so both she and Kate wound up in her office that following

Tuesday morning.

Patricia was running a little late, but with good reason. When she eventually entered the

office, she had grabbed some biscuits from the office kitchen, as well as a glass of orange

juice for El and a cup of tea for Kate. A little informal, but she wanted to make them both

comfortable.

'Forgive my being late.' Carmichael uttered as she entered the office, 'I just wanted to grab a

few supplies.' She put the tray of goodies on the desk, 'I got some orange juice and some

biscuits for you El, and Kate, I brought you a cup of tea.'

'Thanks ma'am.' Kate uttered as she took the cup of tea from her, 'It's much appreciated.'

El gave Carmichael a soft gaze, and agreed with Kate, 'Thank you.'

'You're both welcome.' Patricia replied as she took her seat on the opposite side of the desk,

'Of course I agreed to take on your case, but I must ask, why?'

'Because Yaz was making it personal. She said that even though Kate is still law enforcement

under a different name, it would still make it personal because of her connection to me…I

was done arguing and I wanted…To bring it to you, because I trust you to be impartial and

deal with this in the right way.'

Carmichael gave Kate a look and Kate shrugged, 'And I told her that she is well within her

rights to choose who she wants to deal with this.'

'That you are El…So…I have been sent over various files including evidence, but of course,

we don't have a statement from you yet. I can explain that to the court as you wanting to seek

out someone you thought would be best equipped in your mind to handle this case.'

'And that is true.' El nodded.

Gently, Carmichael leaned forward and interlocked her fingers in each hand. She then let out

a soft sigh, 'In an idealistic world, we would be doing this in a formal interview space, but I

didn't want to overstimulate you, nor did I want you to feel like a suspect…But I have to

warn you, I will be tough on the questions. It will not be a personal attack, I just need to hear

it from yourself every detail of what happened and…I'm sorry…But you're going to have to

go in depth about what Max Tyler did to you…This is because when you take to the stand,

his solicitor's will be just as tough on you, so you need to be prepared for that.'

Now El felt terrified, and Kate could see it in her face. Gently, she squeezed her knee, 'It's

going to be okay, and we can stop at any time, alright?'

'That, we can.' Carmichael replied, 'You're not a suspect, but I have to be tough on you,

alright? Any answers you give will be recorded in both audio form and will be written up.

You can change your statement at any time, but we cannot delete anything because that

would be a criminal offense to do so…Are you ready?'

Slowly, El nodded, 'I have to be ready…There is no other way around this.' She looked back

at Kate, 'We will bring him down, right?'

Kate nodded with a small smile, 'We will.'

El turned back to Carmichael with a look of determination on her face, 'Let's do this.'

Clicking the record button on the Dictaphone, Carmichael started the recording, 'This is DCS

Carmichael, in the room present are Eleanor Davidson and her sister, who is also Eleanor's

additional support is present. This interview regards Max Tyler, his kidnapping of Eleanor,

planting of a bomb on her person and his alleged sexual assault on the victim.' She hated

being so cold, but it was her job, 'The date is Tuesday the 17th of November 2024.'

The Tough Part Hasn't Begun

'Can you explain what happened that day, had you ever encountered Mr Tyler before that

day?' Carmichael had asked El.

El frowned. Nervously, she bounced her leg beneath the desk. She had to think back, but then

she remembered, 'Well…I…He blames me for making him lose out on a job that was very

important.'

'And what was that job? Why would he blame you?

'Well, I went into the school, Waterloo Road and I went to speak to the head, Rachel Mason

about if she had any small jobs going…It…It was then that I learned that she was stepping

down from the job and giving it to Max.' El knew how this would sound, 'And he and I got

into an argument…I didn't like him from the start, I thought there was something off about

him, so I argued with him, and he argued with me…'

'So…To be clear, you started an argument with him because you didn't like him?'

El hesitated, 'Well…It was more than that..I can't remember exactly…'

'Try and remember. Why did you go to Rachel specifically? Why not go elsewhere?'

'I…' El had to think about it, 'Um…' Then it hit her, 'I went to Rachel because I had

recently left rehab for a drug addiction. She knew my character before, so I went to her

because I thought I could trust her to give me a job…'

El was trying desperately to remember details and when she looked back at Carmichael, a

look crossed her face, a mixture of both certainty and uncertainty, 'I remember exactly what

happened. I mentioned that I'd just been released from rehab and he made remarks that…

That…I wasn't good for the kids, that I wasn't a good role model for them and that I should

never be allowed near the school. I think he said, Once a junkie, always a junkie or

something to that effect.'

'So it was Mr Tyler who instigated the argument?'

'Yes.' El sounded so certain, 'I just can't remember the things that happened in between them

and leaving the office…I know he got into a fight with me and Kate-'

Carmichael glanced over at Kate. She would be getting a statement from her next.

'His chances of…of being head teacher were taken because of his argument with me and

Kate…I…I think he.. He's been wanting revenge since.' El replied.

'So after that incident, both you and Kate left the school and nothing more was heard or

said?'

'C…correct.' El's stammer was starting to come out in full force. Of course Carmichael knew

why, but she knew that Max's solicitor would eat that up and weaponize it, so she made sure

to address it.

'El, do you normally stammer when you're nervous? At the start of this interview, you were

word perfect…I know previously an attack had left you severely disabled, not only leaving

you with mobility impairments, but it did also leave you with a major brain injury that can

affect your speech, didn't it?'

El was so confused, 'Yes…Yes it did…It…It…'

'It's okay.' Carmichael gave her a reassuring smile, 'I asked that more as to inform the

evidence given.'

Slowly El nodded, 'So…So after that…Stuff happened in my family, not related to any of

this…I went away for a short while and when I came back about a week ago…' She lowered

her head again, 'That's when all this happened.'

Carmichael turned the page of her file, 'When you returned from Greece?'

'Yes.' El replied, 'I hadn't spoken to Kate in a while because we fell out…Not because of

this, this argument was something that wasn't connected.'

'After you came back from your break, where did you go?'

'I went to my brother's grave.' El admitted, 'I just wanted to sit with him for a while before I

saw Kate again…'

Kate looked down at the floor now. Even she wasn't sure if she could listen to this.

Carmichael looked back at her, starting to feel concerned for her. Before continuing, she

paused the recording and addressed her, 'Kate, El, are you sure you both want to continue?'

When El looked back at Kate, she was extremely confused. By old habits, El called her by

how she used to refer to her, 'Mama?' Quickly, she scolded herself, 'Kate?'

'It's not me I'm worried about sweetheart.' Kate tried to assure her, 'Because this is about to

get very deep, and I'm concerned about you.'

'But I need to do this…To get justice.' El said to her, 'I…It's so hard, but I've got to do this.'

'I wish I had the same courage as you.' Kate smiled sadly, 'I couldn't.'

'This is just a brace face.' Kate laughed, 'But I'm here and if you want me to go…' It then hit

her, 'Shouldn't we have a solicitor?'

Carmichael sighed, 'We could get one now or later…But this is just a statement…It's not an

interview or anything like that..'

'Either way, I need to do this, now or I won't at all.' She then turned to Carmichael, 'Can we

continue please?'

'Of course.' Carmichael said to her, 'Remember, we can stop at any time.'

'I know.' El said quietly, 'Please…C…c…carry on.'

As the interview went on, El began to close in on herself the more difficult the questions got.

Both Kate and Carmichael could see how hard it was on herz and the pair of them were

horrified by how much more graphic her treatment had been by him. Kate's blood pressure

went sky high once more but she was able to keep her composure a lot easier than what she

did before.

It took another hour before they got to the end of the interview. After Carmichael had stopped

the recording, she gently thanked both El and Kate for coming to her with the case.

'I assure you, I will do my very best to ensure that a conviction is secured, but…' Carmichael

was still extremely gentle, 'There is still a slim chance that he won't get convicted, but I will

work as hard as I can for you.'

Her attention then turned to the pair of them, 'I can get you some counselling El, should you

so wish to do so.'

El shook her head, 'I don't want to…To talk about it anymore…Just…Thank you for doing

this…Now I just want to go home.'

'Of course, and I will let you go now. I will be in touch with you Kate, regarding your own

involvement on that day…Or should I say, Lana?'

Slowly, Kate nodded in acknowledgement, but her attention went straight back to El, 'Come

on you, let's get you home.'

…

After Kate and El left, Carmichael got straight to work, building this case. There was a part

of her that doubted a successful prosecution given the nature of what she was dealing with

and the lower conviction rates on this sort of crime. This wouldn't stop her though.

It wasn't only Carmichael or Kate out for blood. Billy, El's sister, Max, Jo and others that

loved El were all out of justice and blood.

It was safe to say, no matter how this went, Max Tyler would not make it out of this

unscathed.

I Just Want to Tell You, I Love You

After a couple of days passed, Kate and El got into their own rhythm, and they began to get

used to living with each other again, despite the investigation that was ongoing, the pair of

them tried to get along as normal. Since her attack though, El had been sleeping beside Kate,

but sometimes she would wake up and Kate wouldn't be there. Though she found this odd,

she put it down to her own stress, and didn't ask questions.

Kate on the other hand was struggling. Her insomnia had been getting worse to the point

where she would wake up after sleepwalking to the front room where she would find candles

lit on top of the fireplace. Each time, she could never remember why the candles were lit, or

how she got there.

One thing remained constant. The same recurring dream where she would at one moment be

in the trenches in the war, lighting candles so she could see in the dark, and then the next

moment, she would be lighting candles as a mark of memorial.

Each time she woke from her sleepwalking state, she would be horrified that she had

managed to light candles in her sleep, and the fact that she was handling actual fire shook her

to the core. She didn't dare think of what else she could be doing in her sleep.

Of course, she would return to El, but she would pretend that she had slept the remainder of

the night when that simply wasn't the case. This morning was no different. She had

eventually dropped off the night before, but her dreams were so extremely vivid. It was akin

to being in her own hell.

This morning was like every other. Kate stood at the kitchen counter buttering some toast for

her breakfast while El was getting ready for the day. As usual, Kate had to go to work which

meant leaving El home alone once again. As much as neither of them liked that idea, they

both knew that Max Tyler wouldn't be free any time soon.

Kate would only come home at about 8pm after a long day. When she walked through the

door, she could smell that El had in fact been cooking. Whatever it was, it smelled good.

'I'm home sweetheart!' Kate called, making her presence known. She then walked through to

the kitchen and saw the pots and pans drying on the rack. Looking over at El, she saw that El

was now snacking, 'Hey, what have you been cooking?'

El looked back at her. She frowned as she noticed a bruise on her cheek, 'What happened to

you?'

'Training.' Kate replied, 'Honestly, my day has been a tough one.' She leaned on the side in

both her arms, 'You didn't answer my question, what have you been cooking?'

'Jacket Potato. There are a couple potatoes left over in the oven, they just need to go in the

microwave. There are beans in the pan, I grated some cheese, and I made a pan of chili

because I wasn't sure what you'd be interested in.'

Kate gave her a small smile, 'Thank you. After a day like mine, a jacket tate sounds

amazing.' She then went into the oven and grabbed the now cold potatoes which she put on a

plate and straight into the microwave for a couple of minutes. While she waited, she called

back to El, 'What did you have on yours?'

El shrugged, 'Cheese, pepper and butter. Simple, but I liked it. Plus, the leftover beans and

chili can be frozen.'

Kate didn't reply, but she was so happy that El was able to still cook for herself despite

everything that had been going on. The fact that she was still eating was a huge relief.

After sorting out her potatoes and covering them in chili and a dash of tobasco sauce, she

walked over to the sofa with her piping hot dinner and sat just across from El where they

were both in front of the TV, 'What are you watching?'

El looked over at Kate's potatoes and frowned, 'Where's the cheese? The melted cheese that

you always brag about?'

Kate smirked to herself, 'Maybe I didn't want cheese. Again, you're getting good at avoiding

questions, what are you watching?'

Looking back at the TV, El merely shrugged, ' The Proper People on YouTube.'

'The Proper People?' Kate asked, 'What do they do?'

'Oh!' El caught on. She assumed Kate would know, 'They are urban explorers. They explore

abandoned places around the world, and they also give brief histories of the places they go to.

It…It's deeply fascinating…be…because…' Her stammer was back in force. She took a

quick breath in order to slow her fast thinking, so that she could speak with more clarity,

'Places that are left rotting and in decay, they have so much history and I find that

fascinating.'

Kate listened along while eating her dinner and the video that El was watching actually

gained her attention. After a few minutes she commented, 'This is weirdly interesting…

Where are they?'

'An old shopping mall from the 80s.' El responded, 'Look at all those empty food courts.

These places would have been so alive…It's so interesting and sad when you think about the

amount of people and children who walked in these places. The life that would have been

going on in those places…And now it's just silent, left to decay…'

Kate noticed how sad El looked about that, 'Why does that make you sad?'

'I'm not sad…I just…I…I don't…' She shrugged, 'Places like malls that were once full of

life…How can they be so empty…Left to time…I don't…I don't know how to articulate the

things that I feel when I see this…I mean, I'm not like this with every video. Most of them

I'm just intrigued by, but malls and, and theme parks…The joy that once existed in those

walls or in those places for them to be completely silent and void of life?'

'It can be difficult to get your head around.' Kate admitted, 'But think of it this way, and no,

I'm not about to brag.' She laughed, 'But these places, like everything, it falls victim to time

and the fact that people and civilization, I suppose, everything moves forward so fast that

many things are just left behind and become the victims of time.'

El laughed, 'You repeated yourself, but I get it, everything becomes a victim to time

eventually. I suppose everything is a product of its time too?'

'Nail on the head there.' Kate replied, 'But I'm glad you find these things interesting.'

The pair of them fell into a comfortable silence while Kate finished her dinner. El eventually

clicked onto another video and Kate came to sit beside her after washing the dishes.

'Where do you go at night? I wake up some nights and you're not in bed.' El said quietly,

'Are you okay?'

Kate looked over at her and responded to her question, 'I just have a lot on my mind at the

moment…Work is asking a lot of me and some nights I just can't sleep…I don't want to

bother you, so I get out of bed and just come in here and do some thinking.'

'Don't think too much, your head might explode.' El laughed. She then yawned, 'Speaking of

bed…I'm gonna head there now…Night Kate, I love you.'

Kate watched El as she sleepily clambered to her feet, 'I won't be far behind you. Goodnight

El, I love you too.' She gave her a gentle smile and watched her as she walked away, heading

to bed.

After El had gone, Kate continued watching the same YouTube channel that she had been

with El. All these abandoned buildings and their histories were fascinating. There were places

she recognized, like the shopping centre that El had shown her a couple videos ago. It was

the same shopping centre that she hung out at with some high school kids in the 80s. Given

that she too looked like a teen back then, it helped her to fit in well with them.

Many fond memories were made there and now it was left to time. It was sad, and Kate

understood where El was coming from, but El couldn't and wouldn't understand how truly

sad it was from Kate's point of view. Now she actually found herself wondering if some of

those teens she hung out with were still around. They'd all probably be in their fifties or

sixties now.

She would dwell on that later, as a knock on the door disturbed her downward nostalgic

spiral. When she got up from the sofa, she glanced at the clock. It was 10:30pm.

A bit late for a visit? Kate found herself wondering Still, she walked to the door and when

she opened it, her hearts jumped straight into her mouth. Never had she expected this.

Standing before her, leaning on the doorframe wearing a leather jacket and a black undershirt,

Nikki was right in front of her. Had this been any other situation, deep down, Kate knew that

she would be almost on her knees by now. The difference was, the woman before her was the

same one that cheated on her for months and was still doing so on the same day of her vow

renewal.

Nikki took a breath and gently spoke, 'I think it's about time that we had a talk, don't you?'

Kate swallowed. She looked down at her feet and then back at her, 'You're making it sound

like I owe you something. I don't owe you a single thing, why the hell would I allow you into

my home now?'

'Because I think that we have much more at stake than what we first thought. Back at the bar

the other day, the look we shared-'

'It was nothing-'

'Who are you kidding here?' She stopped Kate as she was about to close the door, 'One glass

of wine, that's all I ask…Please Kate.'

As much as Kate didn't want to, she moved away from the door and headed back inside and

headed towards the kitchen, 'El has just gone to bed, I'm not here for a shouting match.' She

grabbed two glasses and a bottle of wine, 'I don't even know why I'm doing this after what

you did to me.'

Nikki stood on the opposite side of the worktop and met Kate's gaze properly, 'Because

there's something worth fighting for here…And you know it.'

Kate scoffed, sliding Nikki her wine over, 'Like I said, one glass, and you better explain why

the hell you thought fucking Jo behind my back was in any way at all, a good idea.'

'That's easy.' Nikki explained, 'She was a quick shag. It was never meant to have strings

attached, but the longer it went on, the longer the strings became.'

Kate took a long gulp of wine and put it back down, 'Did you ever love her? While you

shagged me, did you ever think of her?'

'When I shagged you, I knew that you were and always would be my world. Yes, I loved Jo,

but she would never be you.' Nikki was being brutally honest, 'You want my honesty? I'm

giving it to you.'

Kate had no idea what to say or think. She hesitated, 'So, you loved her…But even though

you loved me more, you still went and shagged her?' The frown on her face was so

incredibly deep, 'You don't make any sense.'

'You are to me what Isabella was to you.' Nikki replied.

Kate glared at her now, 'Don't you dare. Isabella would never have gone behind my back! Do

not insult her for fuck sake!'

'Alright, alright…Again…I crossed a line, I'm sorry. I just…I will never stop loving you

Kate, and if I have to spend the rest of my life proving that to you, I will. Suki wasn't

important, and…' Nikki looked down, 'And I know I messed up extremely badly.' She

laughed to herself, 'I know I do not deserve anything from you, but I want us to try again…

Third time lucky…You don't need to give me an answer straight away.'

Kate drank wine from the bottle, necking down about half the bottle. She then put the bottle

on the counter and faced Nikki head on, 'How could I ever love someone like you?'

'I'm not asking you to, not straight away…We could learn to love each other again.' Nikki

said softly. There was a moment when they looked between each other. Nikki then slowly

made her way to where Kate was. It took seconds for them to be face to face, opposite from

each other.

Kate's hearts began racing extremely fast. Her mouth went dry, but she was sure that was the

wine. Still, Nikki walked closer to her, and it became clear that despite what she did to her,

Nikki was still her weakness.

Gently, Nikki put a finger beneath Kate's chin and tentatively leaned forward, 'No strings…I

promise.'

For a moment, the pair locked gazes, but as soon as Nikki's lips were on Kate's, it was like a

fire was lit inside of her. Kate reciprocated the kiss, and then Nikki dangerously slid her knee

between Kate's on legs, teasing her. They were at this for a couple of minutes until Kate

grabbed a hold of the lapels on Nikki's jacket, 'Sofa, now.' She said breathlessly.

Nikki smiled, 'You don't have to tell me twice.'

Both women made it to the sofa soon enough. Clothes were ripped off, and Nikki clambered

on top of Kate.

Every minute was full of love and lust. One thing became evident between them…Though

time would take a while to heal what happened, there was still a chance, and that's what they

both desperately wanted. El on the other hand would reprimand Kate and remind her of

exactly what happened between Nikki and Jo, as a reason for them not to go through with

this.

Love was a strong emotion, and maybe Nikki really was what Isabella once was to her- her

entire universe.

Down To Earth

After a hot make out session, Kate wound up laying on Nikki's naked chest. She too was

completely topless, now listening to Nikki's own heartbeat. It was always funny to her,

hearing only one heart beating. She had heard her own kids' heartbeats, but Everytime she

heard a human's singular beat, she found it almost fascinating.

Nikki reached over to the coffee table for a packet of cigarettes. Once she grabbed a hold of

them, just inside the box, there was also a lighter. Nikki took out one cigarette and offered

Kate one.

'I'm alright, cheers.' Kate politely declined. Gently, she sighed. There were so many thoughts

in her mind; the fact that she hadn't spoken to Ruby since the truth came out, her other son,

who she knew had been Ghostface, Billy, her own daughter, Max, Jo and where the hell she

was going to go with what happened to El. Yes, she was after blood, but she could lose

everything if she went after Max Tyler. Finally, her thoughts landed on the woman beneath

her.

Slowly Kate came to rest her chin on the back of her hand and she looked at Nikki, 'I'm

getting too old for this…This sleeping around shit.'

Nikki frowned and met her gaze, looking down at her, 'Who said that this was sleeping

around?'

'Well, what else would you call it?' Kate scoffed, 'I'm supposed to be pissed off to fuck with

you and…Well, we both know what happened there. I don't know why, but Jo keeps coming

into my mind, like…I worry about her.'

'You've known her for years, you're always going to worry about her.' Nikki commented.

There was a moment of silence, 'Worrying about her isn't enough though, is it?'

'I've messed her around before, and look at what we're doing now!' Kate protested, 'She

would never forgive me if I got back with you- Jo hasn't got anyone and that's why I worry

about her. El wants to build bridges with her, but for months, she has been on her own.'

Nikki was so confused, 'Do you love her?'

Kate gave her a sideways glance and scoffed, 'Don't start with that.' She then sat up and

began to get dressed. She pulled her T-shirt on first, and tied her hair back up, 'Jo and I have

history that stretches as far back as spending our earliest lives together in the US. Look, I'm

not going to repeat our long past…I just…' She sighed, 'I wish we would have lasted longer.'

'So you do love her?' Nikki was starting to feel like this was a waste of time. She too got up

and started dressing, but in a more frantic manner, 'I'm not sticking around for this-'

'Hang the fuck on! You're acting like I'm the bad bastard in all of this! Why are you acting

like such a cow when it was you having the affair?!' Kate got to her feet now. She walked

over to Nikki and got into her face, 'I'm sick and tired of being stuck in the same love triangle

like this is some fucking soap opera. I loved Jo a very long time ago, but do not mistake my

care for her as a romantic love. It is purely platonic and comes from a good place. Yes, we

had both fallen out and haven't really spoken much, but I still fucking care about her and I

always will!'

'Because she's the mother of one of your kids? Oh wait, no, no, if we are talking about

biology here, she no longer has any! Some parents you and her turned out to be!'

Kate then punched Nikki in the face and shoved her against a wall, 'You're going down a

dangerous road here-'

'So you're a woman beater now? It suits you, it really does.' Nikki heaved, 'You were going

to smack Suki one and now you're hitting me? Anger management might help you Kate. You

know what? I came back here to resolve things between us and to open a door to start again-'

'You think I'd go anywhere near you?'

Nikki responded snidely, 'We've already been there love, you know you would, you already

have!'

Kate wanted to hit her again, but something else took over and she kissed Nikki again. This

was much fiercer than before, and it was something that Nikki took pleasure in. Pretty soon,

both women were almost naked once again, but Kate was fishing out the commands. It was

like they fell into old habits, and all El could hear far into the night were these two women

going at it like rabbits. The moans and groans of satisfaction echoed through the small

apartment, and all El felt was anger because her former mother was making the same

mistakes once again.

It was about four in the morning when Nikki was awoken. Her natural instinct kicked in

when she could feel that something was wrong. When she opened her eyes and looked

around, she noticed that Kate was standing opposite the fireplace lighting the candles that

stood on top.

At first, Nikki was a little confused. She looked at her watch and saw that it was four in the

morning. Gently, she called over to her, 'Kate…'

She must have gotten cold in the night, because Kate had put her clothes back on, but that

wasn't what confused Nikki, 'Kate….' The fact she was still getting no response creeped her

out. Gently, she grabbed her clothes and pulled on the items she was wearing the night

before, other than the leather jacket.

Kate still hadn't moved, nor did she react to Nikki getting up and dressed. In all the time that

Nikki had known her, she had never known Kate to sleepwalk.

Slowly, Nikki approached Kate. Once she reached her, Nikki noticed that her eyes were open,

but was clear that she wasn't conscious. Gently, Nikki placed her hands on both of Kate's

upper arms and she spoke to her, 'Kate…Kate…Sweetheart…You need to wake up..'

As Nikki looked at the candles, it quickly hit her how deadly this could have been. Lighting

candles while asleep is never good. It took a few moments, but when Kate did come around,

initially, she was incredibly confused as to why she was looking at some candles, but then she

met Nikki's gaze. The colour drained from her face when she realized that it had happened

again, 'I need to stop doing this…'

Nikki was confused, 'This has happened before? How long have you been sleepwalking for?'

Kate was quick to change the subject. Quickly, she blew out the candles and paced the front

room, 'I might have slept walked on some occasions…'

'Some?' Nikki raised her brows, 'Kate…Lighting candles while in your sleep is not normal,

nor is it safe. You should speak to someone, an actual professional and not just the Doctor.'

'Except the Doctor would understand why I'm doing this because when I dream, it's the same

dream. Every time I wake up, I find these candles have been lit and each time, I dream about

the same thing. Some days I have nightmares about Ghostface…I dread to think what

happens when I dream about that-'

Kate was utterly horrified with herself. She had no idea what to say or do. It was so early in

the morning and she had literally just woken up, 'Nikki, you should go.'

Nikki was so confused and concerned for Kate now, 'I can stay-'

'I doubt I'll go to sleep now anyway, the sun is coming up.' Kate sounded angry, 'Nikki leave

please!' She was more horrified that someone had witnessed her sleepwalking than anything.

After Nikki had left though, Kate spent the next ten minutes worrying about what was

happening to her. Yes, she had become an insomniac, but she thought she had it under

control.

About half an hour later, she went to her own room and got into bed. She tried putting her

arm around El, but she moved away from her. That made one thing evidently clear- El knew

about what she and Nikki had been doing.

Great . Kate thought. Another thing to worry about.

The rest of the morning, Kate just got changed into new clothes and headed to the kitchen.

No more sleep would be hard so she made herself productive.

As usual, El made her presence known at about 9am. She appeared from the hall with a

rucksack on her back, wearing a green hoodie and jeans. Her hair was tied back and she

didn't look happy. Still, Kate tried to act like the night before didn't happen.

'Are you alright?' Kate asked El, 'I've made you some toast and a cuppa. I've got to be at

work for ten so-'

'I know what happened last night.' El growled, 'Nikki?! Really?! You can do better than her!

She cheated on you for years with Jo and you still want to be with her?!'

Kate could see this coming, so she grabbed her cup of coffee and took a sip, 'Who said I

wanted to be with her?'

'You had sex with her most of the night! I heard you both and considering you were once my

mom, somehow being your sister it's even worse! It was gross and you can do a lot better

than her.' El sneered, 'She will play you again and your heart will get broken again .'

'Hold on here!' Kate scoffed, 'I can shag whoever I want under my own roof thank you very

much.'

'Whoring yourself out to Nikki? Get some standards.' El retorted.

'What did you just say?!' Kate gasped, 'You may have once been my daughter, but you do

not get to disrespect me or anyone like that! I brought you up to have manners and respect!'

Now El got even more pissed off, 'I'll start having more respect for you when you start

respecting yourself. You even said once that you are not a ping pong ball, and you're not!

Break the goddamn cycle before it breaks you.' She then headed off towards the door.

Kate wasn't done arguing with her, 'And where are you going?'

'To see my niece!'

'Your niece-' It then hit Kate. She chased after her, 'How long have you been talking to

Ruby?'

'How long is a piece of string?'

'Eleanor-'

'I texted her last night and we are meeting up in town to talk and build our relationship from

there, maybe after you've got some self-respect we can start doing the same thing. Can I go

now?' El was not in the mood. She knew that Kate deserved a lot more, and she wished that

Kate could see it herself.

Now Kate felt defeated. Despite everything that had happened, El was still trying to go on

like normal. Somehow Kate couldn't do that for herself. She looked down and then replied to

El, 'Go on…I'll see you tonight.'

After El had left, Kate got onto her phone. She dropped an email to her boss, explaining that

she wouldn't be at work. Then she headed straight over to Jo's place, knowing that she wasn't

working today either.

She needed some clarity and someone to talk sense into her. What Kate didn't realize was

that she really needed a break away from everything. She was becoming even more self-

destructive and she didn't know how to stop it.

Advice From The Past

After El left the flat, Kate headed straight over to Jo's place. It was clear that she was not in

El's good books, and the fact Nikki had caught her lighting candles in her sleep, everything

was having a domino effect and Kate felt like she was spiraling. Perhaps going to Jo wasn't

the right idea, but Jo had always been her voice of reason since she had known her. Now she

needed that voice more than ever.

Once Kate had gotten out of the car, Kate walked up to the front door and rang the bell. It felt

strange not just walking straight in given this place used to be hers, but now it was Jo's and

Kate was respecting her boundaries.

There was a tense wait for a minute or so before the door opened. When it did, Jo was

standing there in nothing but cozy clothing. A woolie jumper and lounging trousers, it was

quite cute actually. Quickly, Kate snapped herself out of that way in thinking.

Jo was surprised to see Kate standing there. Snow had fallen everywhere and here she was

wearing a hooded top with a black t-shirt underneath and jeans. Then again, El was exactly

the same in cold weather. Even so, Jo stood there with a look of confusion on her face, 'Kate?

These days visitors don't arrive unannounced…'

Jo could see the troubled look on Kate's face and it made her worry, 'Forget that.' She said

softly, 'Come on in before I freeze on the doorstep.'

Jo walked ahead of Kate and Kate closed the door behind her.

As Jo headed through to the kitchen, she commented, 'And I'm trying to keep the energy bills

down. This winter is a cold one.'

'You should be used to that Jo.' Kate was making light hearted conversation before she

trauma dumped everything she wanted to say. She took a seat in the living room and

continued, 'Given that you're from Scotland and all that.'

Now Jo was in the kitchen. She had listened to her comments but wasn't responding, 'Fancy a

hot chocolate or something?'

'Hot chocolate?' Kate scoffed, 'I'm not ten Jo.'

'No.' Jo commented, turning around with two mugs in her hand. She met Kate's gaze from

across the room and replied, 'But you look like you have a lot on your mind, and I remember

when I was twenty five, remember that?'

Kate smirked, 'How could I forget? late nights drinking and having the best make out

sessions-'

Jo cut her off, 'Apart from that. I was talking about the nights where you would be worried

about things like the future and we would sit beneath the stars with a mug of hot chocolate

each and you would tell me what was troubling you. Even if it took a lot of coaxing it out of

you.'

The cheeky adolescent smile dropped from Kate's face. Of course, she had to remember why

she was here. Her head lowered and she quietly replied, 'Yeah…I remember that too.'

'So hot chocolate for us both then?' Jo wasn't asking for a response, she wasn't being

rhetorical. They were having the hot chocolate regardless of what Kate said.

Jo soon busied herself with making the two drinks, finishing them off with squirted cream

and marshmallows. Soon enough she returned to the living room and sat right beside Kate,

placing their drinks on the glass table in front of them, 'Just how we used to have them, see?

I don't forget these things.'

'No, no you don't.' Kate commented quietly, not at all meeting Jo's gaze, 'Thanks.'

'So…' Jo said to her, 'You wouldn't come here for no good reason after what I did to you. I

know what you're like, and understandably so, you will always hate me for what I did…

Going behind your back with Nikki-'

'Can we just talk about-' Kate was close to snapping, but Jo got the hint, commenting with a

more serious tone this time around.

'Why are you here Kate? What's bothering you?'

Kate didn't even know where to begin, and she knew that if she mentioned Nikki, Jo might

not take kindly to it, 'I…I don't know…I haven't been sleeping properly or at all even…I

think I might be an insomniac and…I've started walking in my sleep and when I do wake

up…I find candles have been lit on the fire place…Each time, I have had the same dream

before I woke up.'

Jo was a little confused, 'Kate…How long has this been going on for?'

'I don't really know…I just…I don't sleep for days at a time and when I do…I sleepwalk.'

Kate felt incredibly stressed right now, 'And to top it off, we have this with El. She seems

perfectly fine, but even she won't talk.'

Jo gave her a small smile, and she replied softly, 'I wonder where she gets that from?' She

then continued to speak just as softly, 'Just because El might look or sound fine, you and I

both know that she knows how to put on a front…She probably hasn't even processed what

has happened to her properly…It's either that or she is living in a world where denial is a

better option for her because that's how she protects herself from the trauma of what

happened.'

Without thinking, Jo reached forward and grabbed Kate's hand, squeezing it gently, 'Kate,

sooner or later, what happened to her, it will hit her and we need to be there for her. Both for

me as her mother and for you with the best responsibility of being her sister. Nothing can beat

that.'

Kate looked down at their intertwined hands, but didn't think much of it. More than anything,

she appreciated the comfort. She gave Jo a small smile and continued, 'It feels weird still…

Being called my first name by her after being her mum for the past twenty years…'

'Yeah, but you have something I never did, you have a sister. You had the pleasure of raising

her as your daughter, and it gets even better because you're her sister…It might not feel like

that to you and that's understandable because of how the truth came about…'

'I'd rather not remember that.' Kate replied. Gently, she took her hand out of Jo's and she

reached for the hot chocolate on the table. She then took a sip and delighted in it's warmth

and sugary taste, 'Oh my god…You never forgot how to make these so good!'

'I told you.' Jo smiled, 'I never forget…' She then took a breath, 'Kate…El was never my

daughter…That was hard for me to learn but since that night in the bar…Before you both

almost punched Suki's lights out…I remember El wanting to reach out to me…And it hit me

that despite biology not being a part of our relationship….Like you, I was her mum for

twenty years and I couldn't switch that off.'

'Are you going to talk to her? Are you going to invite her over to talk?' Kate asked.

'I want for her and I to have a relationship and I have already sent her a text asking her if she

wanted to come over. She hasn't responded yet, but she will…' It then hit Jo, 'You know…El

might have what happened to her on her mind, she just doesn't say anything.'

'That would explain why she fell out with me this morning. She just had a go at me, told me

she was going to meet Ruby and left.' Kate sighed in exasperation.

'Ruby? As in-'

'As in my actual daughter's yeah.'

Jo picked up her own cup of hot chocolate and shrugged as she took a sip. After taking a

drink she replied, 'At least El is talking to her, I mean…Have you spoken to her yet?'

Kate now looked at the floor, feeling a tinge of guilt, 'Not since I found out about her…No…

Not really.'

'You should.'

'But what would I say to her-'

'Imagine how she feels? One of you have to make the first step. I'm guessing you pushed the

door in her face when she came to see you?'

Kate nodded. She took a bigger gulp of her drink.

'That explains why she hasn't been in touch. Try and build bridges with her Kate.' Jo said

softly, placing a hand on her knee now. Though Jo meant it as a sign of assurance, Kate felt

her heart rate spike, and the colour from her cheeks drained.

Jo had another topic of conversation she wanted to talk about, 'I saw Nancy the other day

with Skye and Thomas. They're both much bigger now. Nancy said she hadn't heard from you

in a while and she hoped you could talk soon.'

'Shit.' Kate sighed, 'I've been so wrapped up in my own crap that-'

'She understands.' Jo assured her, 'Just drop her a message or something to let her know how

you are. She knows about El, like everyone else, but because of the hostilities from all sides,

she wasn't sure if she should get involved.'

'I'll call her in a bit. She should feel like she can come around whenever.' Kate sighed.

'Kate. A lot has been going on, she understands and she would come over in a heartbeat if

you asked, you know that.' Jo tried her best to reassure her, 'Maybe do a Sunday roast, I'm

sure the kids, Nancy and even you would enjoy that '

'It sounds like a great idea actually.' The fact that Jo planted the idea, gave her even more

ideas, 'I could do beef or pork…' Kate smiled, 'That's a great idea actually. Cheers Jo.'

'You're welcome.' Jo smiled, 'Look, I've got to have a shower before I head to work later,

you can stay if you want, this was your home once too, so feel free.' She then got up to clear

away their cups and Kate followed her.

'Cheers Jo…I…What do you think I should do about the insomnia? Lighting candles while

I'm asleep isn't exactly safe, is it?' Kate was a little embarrassed to bring it up again.

'I think…' Jo replied, turning around to face her onc more, 'I think that the insomnia is you

worrying too much. The stress is causing you to have nightmares, I'm guessing, so that means

you're not resting properly. Why do you think you are lighting candles?'

Now Kate felt even more embarrassed, 'Well…When I'm dreaming…I am on the front line…

In the trenches in the early 1900s…I think it was 1919…I would light candles as a mark of

memorial and respect for the mates that I had lost and that's the only thing that makes sense.'

There was a pause. Jo could see there was so much more about this that was bothering Kate

than she let on, 'But you're worried that you might harm El in your sleep, right? Whether that

be by an accidental fire or…' She didn't need to hear the rest, she could see it in Kate's face

Jo approached her and rubbed her arm gently, 'Kate…You need to talk to a professional

about this. Lighting candles is dangerous and risky enough, we both know this, but if you

really are worried about harming El then…' She looked deeply sympathetic, 'We both know

that you should make seeing someone, even the Doctor a priority. I might not be married to

you anymore, but I still worry about you.'

Kate scoffed, 'Would you find it a bit cringy if I said that I worry about you too?'

'We had a life together, it's not that hard to believe.' Jo gave her a small smile, 'Please see

someone about this Late, fix things with Ruby, get in touch with Nancy and…When El needs

us, whenever that may be, we will be there for her.'

With Jo rubbing her arms, being so honest and so kind to her, Kate could feel for a moment

that they had never even broken up. They'd been apart for a good few years now, but in

moments like this, Kate wished that they had never stopped and that she had fought harder to

keep her.

Without thinking, Kate leaned forward and kissed Jo. It took a moment for Jo to register what

was happening before she pushed Kate off of her, 'Kate! What are you doing?! I show the

slightest bit of kindness and you think that it's an invitation?'

Kate was utterly horrified, 'No, no, no, I…' She cursed herself, 'Shit! Jo, I am so sorry, I'm

an idiot and…And I'm really sorry.'

Jo was absolutely gobsmacked that Kate had even mistaken her kindness for anything more

than that. She leaned against the worktop trying to figure out what had happened there while

Kate was behind her, cursing herself for making such a stupid mistake.

After having another moment to think about it, Jo rushed over to her and kissed her, pushing

her against the wall. Now Kate was taken by surprise. They both met each other's gazes, but

it was clear that they both wanted the same thing.

The pair of them kissed passionately, Jo began peeling clothing from Kate, and Kate did the

same to her. Delicately placing her hands on the side of Jo's neck as she kissed her. She then

remembered the conversation they had been having, 'You said you needed a um…A shower

before work?'

Jo's eyes lit up then. Gently, she bit her lip and nodded, 'I did…Why, do you suddenly feel

dirty?'

Kate was so turned on right now. It has been such a long time since they had intimacy that

felt right, and this was something that they both knew they wanted. Pulling off her jumper

and T-shirt in one, Kate's bare chest was exposed, and when she looked back at Jo, she

responded to her question, 'With the way you're looking at me…Yeah…I feel very dirty.'

'Well then.' Jo replied, looking down Kate's chest and delicately slipping her hand into her

trousers, 'We can't be having that, can we? Miss Fleming, I think you and I both need a hot,

steamy-'

'Yes we do.' Kate felt exactly where Jo's hand was and she was completely at Jo's mercy. She

met Jo's gaze while beginning to feel breathless, 'You'd better not-'

Jo leaned into her and smiled devilishly, 'I'd better not do what?' She then removed her hand

from her trousers, 'Hm?'

Kate was absolutely on the verge. It was actually torture for her, 'Joanne-'

'Oh, now you're bringing the claws out?' She then leaned forward and whispered in Kate's

ear, 'Nice try sweetheart.' When Jo looked back at her, she merely smirked, 'I think we both

need that shower now, don't you?'

Kate didn't need to be told twice. She got up the stairs and finished getting out of her clothes,

using her powers to switch the shower on.

Meanwhile, Jo made sure to lock up the house before she joined Kate in the shower.

Needless to say, there were many echoes of groans and deep satisfaction. Jo had Kate

wrapped around her finger and the pair of them made love with each other for the first time in

such a long time. Even when Kate was giving Jo what she wanted, she was very gentle and

only rougher when Jo wanted her to be.

Jo had her back against the cold tiles and it was exhilarating to say the least. They both fell

back into place like a missing puzzle piece. Apart from the fact that their family was so

incredibly splintered, this was how they could have been.

Where they went after this, neither of them knew. After the shower, Jo took Kate into the

bedroom where they continued for an hour longer.

Once they were both lying naked together under the sheets, Jo rested on Kate's chest listening

to her heartbeat. Kate gently rubbed Jo's shoulder and she stared up at the ceiling,

contemplating what she was to do next.

'That was…Amazing.' Jo commented, cutting through Kate's thoughts, 'I never thought I

would say this, but I missed having sex with you.'

Kate frowned, 'Thanks, I think?' She then laughed, 'I enjoyed it too.' She then kissed the top

of Jo's forehead.

Now neither of them knew what to say or where to go with this, so they both went quiet. Jo

couldn't help it though. She was silent for a few more minutes before asking, 'Do you think

we could be "us" again? Do you think there is a chance for that?'

Kate swallowed, 'I don't know.'

'Do you love me?' Jo asked.

Now Kate sat up, 'I can't do this…'

'Can't do what?' Jo gasped, sitting up herself, 'You weren't exactly saying no.'

'And I wasn't saying yes either.' Kate started to get dressed again, 'I can't keep doing this.

Like El said, I can't keep being a ping pong ball going between you and Nikki-'

'Why did she say that?' Jo asked. It immediately hit her, like a lead weight.'You slept with

her last night, didn't you? That's why El had a go at you-'

'She said that I could do better than Nikki after what she did to me.' Kate replied while

pulling her T-shirt on, 'And here I am in bed with you when I should be with El and Ruby.'

Kate was frustrated with herself.

Watching Kate get to her feet, Jo asked her again, 'You never answered my question. Do you

love me?'

Never had Kate looked so torn, 'I…' She didn't know how to reply, 'I miss us. I miss what

we used to be. We aren't the same though, are we? A lot has happened since then-' A lump

was in her throat now and tears started for fall down her face, 'Our family is splintered, and

with El being my sister now, it changes everything. None of this changes the fact that you

slept with Nikki behind my back for months! How the fuck can you come back from that?!

My would have been wife!'

'I thought the sex it-'

'So did I, but I…I don't know if I can get past that's even if I did consider getting back with

you, how would I know that you wouldn't go back to Nikki, the same way that I've come to

you? I can't keep doing this Jo! I LOVE THE BONES OF YOU, BUT YOU ENDED IT!

YOU DECIDED WHERE OUR MARRIAGE ENDED!'

Kate looked down at the floor and shook her head, 'I need to distance myself from you and

Nikki…I've got to find someone else.' Quickly, Kate put on her shoes and grabbed her

phone, 'I'm sorry Jo…But you ended it.'

With nothing further, Kate left the house and headed back to her car, to head back home. She

wanted it, she really wanted a life with Jo, but after what she did with Nikki, she couldn't

move past it, but when it came to Nikki on the other hand? Despite her reservations, she still

loved Nikki dearly.

Ruby, Ruby, Ruby

Meeting Ruby put El's nerves incredibly on edge, but she knew that all she wanted was to

meet her now niece. She had come to terms with the fact that it wasn't Ruby's fault that

everything went wrong, and now she was ready to get to know her.

Cars raced by on the road as El walked up the street. She could feel her limp more today. She

supposed that given her angry outburst at Kate, it probably stressed her out, and therefore it

took a toll on her body. Even so, she was determined to see this through.

She came to a cafe where she saw Ruby nervously looking down at her phone, clearly

waiting for her.

Both of them were anxious.

El approached her and greeted her with a small, yet nervous smile, 'Ruby? Hey.'

When Ruby looked up, a smile lit up her face and she put her phone in her pocket, turning all

of her attention to El, 'Hey! My god! I'm sorry.' She laughed nervously, 'I am so nervous

right now.'

'That's okay. If it helps at all…I…I…Me…' El gestured to herself as she stammered, 'If you

can't guess, I'm also nervous…I just…I want to do this…Right.'

Ruby understood. Of course she did. They both wanted the same thing. They both wanted to

get along, and build a relationship, but neither of them wanted to get it wrong. Still, Ruby

smiled, 'Me too.' She then looked back towards the cafe, 'Shall we go in?'

El nodded eagerly, 'Sure…'

When they both entered, El was actually taken aback by her surroundings. All around her, the

decoration was fascinating. Above her were art pieces, the smell of coffee filled the air and

she saw the piano at the other end of the room, 'Wow.'

Ruby was standing where they needed to place their orders and she found El's wonder rather

beautiful in itself, 'This place is great, right?'

El looked back at Ruby and nodded with a smile on her face, 'I've never seen anything like

this.'

'Well, come over here and choose your drink and we can go and sit on one of the sofas

upstairs-' She quickly remembered El's disability, 'If you're okay with the stairs?'

El walked over and stood opposite the till, beside Ruby, 'I'm alright…Thank you Ruby.'

Ruby gave her a gentle smile, 'You're still my niece, I've got to look after you, we both know

how mental mum would be if I didn't.' She laughed.

Much to her relief, El laughed too. Quickly, El replied, 'Tell me about it! She is so

protective.'

Ruby didn't know how to reply. Given that the first and only time she saw Kate as her mum,

she practically got the door slammed in her face, 'Anyway.' She was quick to change the

subject, 'What drink do you fancy? Hot chocolate? Cream? Sprinkles and marshmallows?'

El nodded, 'That would be great, thanks Ruby.'

Gently, Ruby smiled at her, 'Like I said, I've got to look after my niece. Go on…' She took a

breath, 'Go and choose a sofa where we can sit and have our drinks, take your time too. Like

I said, I don't want mum on my back for not looking after you.'

After El headed on her way, Ruby placed an order for them and quickly followed her. Getting

to the top of the stairs, Ruby saw that El had found a sofa opposite a coffee table. On each

side of the table there were sofa chairs, and Ruby came to sit opposite El.

They sat in silence for a long minute. Nervous was an understatement. Still, Ruby started a

conversation, 'Drinks have been ordered…' She took a breath, 'How has your day been so

far?'

El scoffed, 'Where do I begin?'

'Does our family never not have some dramas going on-' Ruby stopped herself, remembering

what Max Tyler did to her, 'Oh El…I didn't mean to-'

El shook her head, 'It's okay…I mean…The…The situation isn't okay but…You're right

about our family.' She laughed, trying to keep it light hearted, 'There is never a day off for

any drama in our family.'

'I don't even know the first thing about it, our family, I mean. All I know is from the Doctor

and…Where our conversation goes today. That doesn't mean you have to spill everything. I'm

practically a stranger to you.'

El met Ruby's gaze and answered her sincerely, 'You would have to find out some way about

the very complex nature of what you're getting yourself into. Believe me.' She laughed, 'You

still have a chance to leave.'

'Oh I'm in.' She laughed, 'I am all in!'

A server walked over and handed them their drinks. After exchanging a few thank you's, El

sat back in the chair, being dramatic, 'This is a freaking rollercoaster.'

'You don't have to tell me everything either. I just…I like to over share, and I don't want you

to share something you're not ready to.' Ruby explained. Her voice then softened, 'I just want

you to be comfortable with what you tell me.'

Reality was starting to hit El at this moment. She hadn't properly digested what Tyler did to

her, and here Ruby was, someone who was incredibly kind. Though Ruby was a stranger, she

was still family, and at the same time, she was someone outside of the family circle so being

able to talk to her about all of the things she was worried about within the family felt so much

better.

El took a breath, 'Where to begin?' She laughed sheepishly.

Ruby could see almost immediately that there was a weight on El's shoulders, and if the only

thing that El could do was talk, she was here to listen.

'The last, what? Ten, seven? I don't even know how long it has been, but it has been hell on

earth. Until all the serial killing crap, things were great. Kate was married to Jo and they were

great parents, truly. They…They weren't ever perfect, but I loved them all the same.'

As Ruby listened, she nodded slowly, 'I was adopted by a woman, a lovely woman, Carla is

her name…I haven't yet told her about all of this, so I get you…On some level. Parents are

never perfect, but we love them all the same.'

El gave her a smile, 'We do.' She then took a breath, 'But then everything changed. At the

start of this case everyone turned on each other because of paranoia about who could be

Ghostface, yada, yada…Max was diagnosed with a personality disorder and Kate cheated on

Jo with Nikki because…I don't know why. Worst part is, as you know, Jo then cheated with

Nikki and now Kate slept with Nikki…Last night.'

Ruby sighed audibly, 'Oh my god. What is her problem?'

'She needs a detox from women.' She laughed, 'Like, Kate needs to touch some grass.'

Ruby laughed too, 'Maybe she's just hormonal-'

'Or perimenopausal.' El laughed, 'Do not tell her I told you that.'

'Your secret is safe with me.' Ruby giggled, 'Is there anything else I should know about?'

'Steve!' El said excitedly, 'My brother, not my adopted uncle, but my uncle is cool too…'

She had a realization, 'I should go and see him more actually…I think I've been neglecting

him…Oops.'

'You've had a lot going on.' Ruby joked light-heartedly, 'I'm sure he will forgive you.'

'But then we have Nancy, her two kids, I think at this point they would be your niece and

nephew too…This family tree is confusing…' El tried to think about it, 'Hang on…Kate is

my sister…She is your mother…It's all very complicated and I'm sure she could figure it out

for us.' She laughed, 'Oh, she does know that we are meeting. She couldn't say no, but I'm

hoping that by me taking the first step, she will follow.'

'We can only hope.' Ruby uttered. She then picked up her drink and took a sip, 'Oh my god.'

'That good?' El smiled, 'Hey um…' She looked down, 'Ruby…I…The trial of Max Tyler is

coming up and…I…I don't know…I'm worried that he will get away with it…I mean…I…I

was a victim, but…I'm worried that the lawyers and the jury will take his side.'

'How so?' Ruby asked her, 'I don't mean to pry.'

'No, no, it's okay.' El said to her, 'I'm…I need someone to talk to, and with Kate being an

idiot again, it's not that I don't trust her to listen, it's just…I want…' She sighed, 'I want

someone else to hear me.'

Ruby nodded gently, and spoke with an equal gentleness, 'It's okay…I'm here to listen…Like

I said, you don't have to tell me everything, just…Say what you feel comfortable with.'

Tears sprang to El's eyes, 'I'm worried that um…' She rubbed her hands nervously and her

voice shook, 'I'm worried that, that, that I won't be believed and that he will get away with

this. No one knows that he stabbed me because the Doctor had no choice but to erase that

from everyone who saw it because…I was left with no choice but to try and heal that wound

with artron energy. I have it…But I'm worried about running out or…Forcing a full

regeneration by accident if I use too much…'

Ruby sighed gently, 'And you don't want that?'

'Of course not. If the idea of regenerating scares the crap out of Kate, why would I want the

same thing? It's like death to us. We fear it because from what Kate has said, it isn't just about

getting a new face, we become someone else.'

All of this was new information to Ruby, 'Wow.'

'The point is.' El sighed, 'I'm scared that he will get away with what he did to me. He filmed

tormenting me, but anyone can claim it was a set-up. The assault is what scares me the most.

Technically, I brought this on myself because I was the one that cost him his job-'

'El.' Ruby sighed, 'If anything, the jury would see that as motive. That would be his motive

to target you, because it is revenge.' She wasn't sure if she was saying the right things, but

she wanted to try and put her mind at rest.

'But he is a guy with a reputation to keep, I'm just…I'm the girl with the serial killer ex-

sister.'

'But they shouldn't use that as a reason to discredit you or use it against you.'

'Please.' El scoffed, 'I was at Max's murder trial, and prosecution lawyers go over every

detail to discredit you. Max gives them every reason, they would probably think that I like Jo,

am suffering a mental breakdown.'

'Look. You just take this as it comes. You know what happened and all you can do is tell the

truth. I will be there every step of the way, if you want me to be.' Ruby was being incredibly

kind, even though she didn't know what to say or do in this position, she just wanted to be a

listening ear and some support.

Ruby thought about it for a moment, 'Have you provided an opening statement for the court?

A witness statement?'

'I've provided the police with a statement, I have asked Carmichael…Someone who Kate and

mom used to work with…I've asked her to deal with my case.'

'So what happens next?' Ruby asked.

'I…' El looked down, 'I…I've tried not to think about it…I think that Carmichael wants to

talk to me again about it…But mostly…I think that the trial is next.'

'How far away-'

'Does it matter?' El sighed. She then quickly apologized, 'I'm just…I want all of this to be

over and for our family to stop being full of so much crap!'

'That's understandable.' Ruby sighed, 'I'm sorry if I pushed you too far…I didn't want to

push too far, if at all.'

'It's not your fault.' El emphasized, 'I'm sorry for snapping. Everything is becoming too

much and…' Her stomach felt funny, 'Do you know where the bathroom is?'

'The…The toilets?'

El nodded.

'Oh, just through the doors.' Ruby pointed behind them, 'Are you alright?'

'I will be.' El said to her. She then quickly ran into the toilets where she instantly collapsed at

the toilet bowl and threw up. Though she didn't understand what was going on, she put the

sickness down to stress.

About ten minutes later, El returned to the table and sat back down.

Just by looking at her, Ruby could tell that there was something wrong. El's face looked pasty

and incredibly pale, 'El…' She didn't want to worry her, 'How long have you been feeling

like this?'

'It just came on. It's probably just all this stress.' El finally looked back at her and gave her a

smile, 'I'll be okay '

'Do you want me to drive you home?'

'Please.'

Ruby got to her feet, 'Come on then. You're gonna have to tell me your address though.' She

gave her a smile and grabbed her hand, 'Let's get you home.'

Hi Mum, It's Nice To Meet You

After a 30 minute drive, Ruby pulled up outside of Kate's place. Sitting in the driver's seat,

she looked out of the passenger side window and her hearts were in her mouth, 'This mum's

place?'

El nodded slowly and looked back at her, 'It is. She's not working today, you can come in if

you want?'

Ruby met her gaze and stammered, 'I…I…' She laughed nervously, 'Going on the last time I

met her, it didn't go very well.'

'The first time she was introduced to you was at a wedding that went wrong. Understandably,

she was mad, but she would be very happy to meet you properly.'

'Are you sure? Last time I met her, she didn't strike me as being the "cute and cuddly" type.'

She laughed nervously.

El then smiled, 'Kate gives the best hugs, that I can vouch for. Come on Ruby! She'll be

happy to see you.' Taking off her seatbelt, El went to exit the car.

Ruby spent a minute or so contemplating meeting Kate again. It was terrifying thinking about

seeing Kate again, but she trusted El's word, 'El, hold on a sec. I'll park in the driveway.'

El felt gleeful. Ruby was willing to give meeting Kate another try. Despite everything that

was going on, family still mattered to her.

After Ruby had pulled in the driveway, El got out and walked her way to the front door. El

grabbed her key from her back pocket and unlocked the door. Feeling Ruby's anxiety, El

looked back at her, offering her a reassuring smile, 'She will love you, I promise.'

'Kate!' El shouted as she walked through the door, 'I brought home a friend of that's okay?'

Kate was standing, doing some ironing. Too busy focusing on the task, she replied to El,

'Hey Squishy! Of course you can bring friends home! You're big enough now-' She paused.

It hit her that the only friends she knew of were Enid and Wednesday. She laughed

sheepishly, 'Which friend?'

El and Ruby entered the living room together. Kate glanced up and had to do a double take

when she saw Ruby standing there.

'Ruby?'

Ruby was terrified, but keen to make an effort. She looked small and incredibly nervous,

'Hi…I uh, I brought El home and she invited me in, but if you want me to leave, I can.'

'No, no.' Kate said quietly. She put the iron on it's holder and walked to the front of it. Now it

was Kate's turn to be nervous, 'I'm….I'm happy to see you. Can I make you a drink? Tea?

Coffee? El has some um…what do you call it?'

El jumped in, 'It's called Cream Soda.'

'Yeah.' Kate laughed nervously, 'She has some of that.'

'Tea would be great, thank you.' Ruby replied.

Kate smiled nervously and headed over to the kitchen, 'You'll have to forgive the mess. I

decided on a very rare occasion to do some ironing.'

'I was gonna say.' El replied while looking at the ironing board, 'I've never seen that before.'

'You shush!' Kate quipped back.

Ruby only laughed, 'It's alright. Between you and I, I think ironing is a massive waste of time

when I could be doing other things.'

'What, what do you do? Your hobbies? It's…It's been twenty years or so…We need a catch

up.'

El found this adorable. She had never seen Kate so nervous.

'Well…' Ruby replied, 'I play piano in a band on Saturday nights at a club in London.'

'Piano? You'll have to show me. I mean-' She shrugged nervously, 'We don't have a piano,

but I'm sure my mum or dad have one somewhere.'

'The Doctor?' Ruby laughed, 'I tell you what. When our species bi-regenerate or whatever it

is, are they still the same person, or are they two separate people?'

'Well, it's never happened before, as far as I'm aware.' Kate replied, 'But if I were to split

mid regeneration, and I hope I never do…From my perspective….Would I still be the same

person?'

'When you do regenerate, you become another person with an entirely new personality. I

suppose it's individual. You'd be two separate individuals.' El replied from across the room,

'It's a bit of an oxymoron, you'd be the same person, but you'd be two separate individuals.

From your perspective with The Doctor, though they are both the Doctor, they are two

separate people. Technically, they are your mom and dad.'

Kate and Ruby laughed.

Kate then replied, 'That explains it then. I would be me, and though the other one would also

be me, we'd be different from each other.'

The kettle finished boiling and Kate started to prepare the cups, 'Do you take sugar Ruby? Or

milk?'

'Two sugars and milk please.' Ruby answered her question. She looked at what El was doing,

and she frowned at her, 'What are you doing?'

El looked back at her innocently, 'Nothing.'

'She's pottering, aren't you El?' Kate called over to her. She then handed Ruby her cup of tea

and sat opposite her, 'She's being nosy to make sure we get along.' Kate then looked over at

El, 'You can go to your room if you really want.'

El finally looked over at Kate, 'Are you sure?'

'Ruby and I aren't going to fight. Go.' Kate laughed.

Without another word, El went to her room, leaving the two women alone to talk.

Once alone, Kate, though terrified, knew she had to take the first step, 'Listen Ruby…About

the wedding day…I'm sorry I shut you out like that…It was callous and wrong of me.'

'You'd just had the shocks of your life, it's understandable.'

'It doesn't make it right though, does it?' Kate was remorseful. She still felt guilty about what

she did, 'Since then, more shit has happened and…' Kate looked away and then took a deep

breath, 'There is always some shit happening in this family.'

Ruby sighed gently, 'El told me about Max Tyler…I…I don't know how she can still keep

smiling after everything.'

'She's like me. She keeps a lot of it buried…Even though she isn't mine by biology….I raised

her, and she has many of my traits…Apart from sleeping with several people and not

accepting the consequences for it.'

Ruby frowned, 'Not to pry…But it sounds like you did that recently…' When Kate didn't

reply, Ruby became even more intrigued, 'How recent?'

'This afternoon.' Kate admitted.

'Kate!' Ruby gasped, 'Do you just pull in women? Is it alien pheromones?'

'It's called stupidity.' Kate laughed, 'Our lives are a mess.'

'And you need a detox from women. El said that, not me.'

'That cheeky-'

'She's not wrong though, is she?' Ruby raised her brows. There was a moment of silence,

'She's told me that I had a brother and that I have a sister.'

'Yeah, your brother and also, El's brother, though not biologically…Your sister, also called

Max…She killed him.' Kate said to her, 'I haven't seen Max since she was sent to prison.

Actually, I lie. I had a stint in there and the last time I did see her, I told her that I never want

to see her again.'

Kate looked saddened and the weight of the last few years could be seen in her face.

'But you have me and you have El…That's if you want me in your life.'

'Of course I do. I want you in my life as much as I want El in my life.' Kate got up from

where she was and walked over to Ruby. She opened up her arms for a hug, 'Come here.'

This was something Ruby had waited for. Though she was a little unsure at first, she got up

and accepted the hug, holding on to her mother for the first time. She didn't want to let her

go.

'I am so sorry that I pushed you away. You deserve so much better, and I am so proud of you.

I'm always proud of my kids, but you and El? You're my girls.'

Ruby suddenly became incredibly emotional, tears streamed down her face and she clung

onto Kate. There was no other way to describe it. She would always love her mum. Even

though they knew nothing about each other, their bond already was incredibly strong, 'I love

you mum.' She wept.

Upon hearing this, Kate became emotional herself. It was in this moment she decided that she

needed to clean her own act up if she wanted to keep this family that she had. Ruby needed

her as much as El did, and she took this very seriously.

Kate kissed Ruby on the side of her head and held onto her, giving her a reassuring squeeze,

'I love you too Ruby.'

Eventually, they pulled away from each other and Kate laughed, 'You have no idea what kind

of a family you are a part of…You can still leave if you want to.'

'No.' Ruby laughed, 'Mental and all over the place? A family wouldn't be a family without

that. I'm staying. I've spent so long trying to find you, I'm not going to leave.'

'Welcome to the family.' Kate laughed.

'To the madness.' Ruby chuckled.

Much later in the evening, El, Ruby and Kate all huddled together watching films on the sofa.

It was the calmest anything had felt in a while, and Kate enjoyed every second.

Ruby and El were sharing a bowl of popcorn, while Kate had her own snacks on the side.

Somewhere during the film, El got up from her sitting position and walked over to Kate's

side. Gently, she placed a hand on her sister's arm and met her gaze. When Kate looked at

her, she could see that she was verging on being incredibly tired.

'What's up sweetheart?'

El gave her a small smile, 'I'm your sister remember?'

'Old habits.' Kate replied softly, 'What's going on?'

'I'm just going to nap for a while. I've had an eventful morning and I'm feeling sleepy.'

Ruby looked up from where she was laying, 'Want me to help you? Get changed and into

your pyjamas I mean?'

El shook her head gently, 'No, no. Thanks for the offer though.'

Kate looked back up at her, 'I'll come and get you at dinner time, yeah?'

Slowly, El nodded and looked at Ruby, 'Will you still be here?'

'I can be, if you want me to?' Ruby replied softly.

'I'd like that.' El smiled.

'Alright then.' Kate commented, 'See you later then.'

A moment passed and El walked up the stairs, tripping up one of them on her way up. But

then she tripped on another.

Both Ruby and Kate looked behind them up on hearing the lapse in judgment walking up the

stairs. Both of them asked if she was okay, to which she called back that she was. But then

she tripped up another step. Both Kate and Ruby looked at each other- both concerned.

From El's point of view, her vision had started to become blurry. Her balance started to

become off and she started to feel extremely ill.

Hearing the voices of concern from Ruby and Kate, she called back that she was okay, but

she was everything but.

There came a moment where El stopped responding to Kate and Ruby's calls of concern.

From their point of view, she was still trying to get up the stairs, but wasn't getting anywhere.

The pair exchanged a look, feeling that something was incredibly off and both pounced to

their feet.

Kate walked up the stairs and carefully stood behind El. Slowly, she came to sit on the step

beside her as she still continued to try getting up the stairs.

When looking at her, Kate could see that something was wrong, but she wasn't going to

panic. Instead, she maintained a gentle tone, 'El, it's okay sweetheart…You don't need to get

up the stairs, me and Ruby can help you.' This was when she noticed how pale she looked,

'El, what are you feeling right now?'

El stared back at Kate. The nausea she felt increased. She reached out a hand for her. Never

had El lost her motor functions like this before. She was aware of her surroundings, but she

couldn't understand why she was here. She recognized Kate, but she couldn't place where she

had seen her before.

Now she tried to form a sentence, she struggled, 'M…mama…I…I…Don't….'

Immediately, Kate recognized what was going on. She took a deep breath and addressed her

calmly, and Ruby at the same time, 'El, I think you're about to have a seizure…I'm going to

move you to the landing, but I'll be by your side, okay?'

Ruby knew to grab some cushions from the sofa. Immediately, she ran back down the stairs

and grabbed some while Kate helped El reach the landing before she properly started seizing.

Initially, Kate lay El on her back for comfort. When Ruby brought some cushions, Kate

placed them under El's head and then she turned her onto her size just as she started to have a

fit.

Kate kept a hold of El's hand and looked up at Ruby. She was calm throughout. Having

witnessed Max having fits before, she knew what to do.

'Ruby, call for an ambulance.' Kate said firmly, but not too firm as to panic her.

Immediately, Ruby dialed for the emergency services. When the call got picked up, she

requested for an ambulance.

'Hello? Yeah, um the patient is breathing. They um…They're twenty years old and she's

having a seizure.'

The call handler on the other end asked questions that were needed, but Ruby didn't have all

the answers.

'I-I…'

Kate looked up at Ruby and saw how distressed she was, 'Ruby, put the phone on

loudspeaker please.'

Ruby did as she was told and placed the phone beside Kate so she could answer the questions

that were needed.

'Hi, I'm the patients' sister. This is the first time she has ever had a fit. Her other brother and

sister have histories of personality disorders and epilepsy. The patient has a history of drug

abuse. She has been sober for months after attending rehab. Previously, she has sustained

brain injury due to an attack. Her speech was slightly impaired by this, she had to learn to

talk, walk and use her arms again.'

Kate looked down at El and noticed that her eyes had rolled back. She uttered under her

breath, 'This is going on far too long.'

The call handler confirmed that an ambulance was on the way, but Kate was starting to

become anxious.

'Max had seizures, but they never lasted this long.' Kate uttered to Ruby. They met each

other's gazes, but then something occurred to Kate, 'She…The patient was sexually assaulted

a short while ago…I'd say about a month or so ago.' Though she didn't think the two were

connected, it was worth mentioning.

Ruby saw that there was blood mixing with the foam that was coming from El's mouth, but at

the same time, the fitting had stopped. Still, Ruby pointed it out, 'Mum, there is blood…'

Kate looked down. Gently, she replied to her, 'She probably bit the inside of her mouth or her

tongue. It's okay Ruby, she's going to go to hospital and we will find out what's happening.'

Remembering the call handler on the end of the phone, Kate provided the address and a

contact number. The call then ended, but as El was coming around, she was incredibly

confused and exhausted.

Kate rubbed El's arm gently and spoke in the same tone she had been using throughout,

'You're back with us sweetheart…You just had a seizure, but you're okay.'

Ruby stuttered, 'I…She..She text me for a couple of nights at about two in the morning

saying that she couldn't sleep, I just put it down to anxiety or something before meeting me.'

Kate gave her a small smile, 'It's okay Ruby. Her struggling to sleep could have been that, or

the fact a seizure was coming or a mix. It's okay. She had it while she was here and she's

safe.'

'Do you think it is epilepsy or anything like that?'

'I wouldn't be surprised if it was…But given the drug usage and everything else, it could be

stress. It might have been a one off. We'll get her to the hospital, get the scans that we need

and go from there.' Kate gave her a small smile and then looked down at El.

The doorbell rang and Ruby went to answer the door. The paramedics had arrived and it

wouldn't be long until they were on the way to the hospital.

Changes in Biology

After being in the hospital for a few hours, Kate followed a nurse back into El's room. The

anxiety was dropping from her. Ruby was already sitting beside El's hospital bed. Still

feeling drowsy, El wanted nothing more than to go home, but the doctor's wanted to keep her

in for observation.

The nurse addressed all three of them. Kate remained standing, nervously hovering.

'After looking at the CT, we have noticed some changes to the structure of the brain.' She

looked at Kate, 'You informed us that personality disorders and schizophrenia run through

the family.'

Kate nodded, 'My son and daughter both suffered from both.' She hesitated, 'But Eleanor is

my daughter. Can it still happen that way?'

The nurse nodded slowly, 'As with your son, symptoms presented themselves later in his life.

How old was he when he was diagnosed?'

'He was about seventeen, eighteen.' Kate explained. She looked briefly back at El, 'El is

nineteen.'

'Given recent stress, that appears to have triggered it. That isn't to say it wasn't always there.

What we have found is that the structure in El's brain has been changed for some time. On

top of her autism, upon closer examination, we can see the extent of these changes.'

Kate ran a hand down her face. She looked back at El, and tried to give her a look of

reassurance, 'We can manage this. Like your brother and sister, you'll be put on medication to

help it, yeah?' She looked back at the nurse, 'What about other personality disorders? Is she

at risk of that?'

'Given the family history, there certainly could be a factor, but there is nothing to say for

certain that your sister has traits of a personality disorder, but these can be evaluated by a

psychiatrist should you wish for an evaluation to take place?'

Ruby stepped in. She stood up and walked over to Kate, seeing that she was stressed,

'Mum…You're not alone in all of this, remember? Like the lady said, there are options.'

Kate nodded, 'I know.'

El sat up in bed and looked between the three of them, 'I just want to go home. If this can be

managed with medication, can we just go home?'

Understanding where El was coming from, Kate asked the nurse if it was okay for El to go

home.

The nurse addressed El, 'It would be against medical advice, but you can go home should

you wish…We can get some medication sorted for you, but you'd need to take a prescription

to the chemist to get more medication.'

Kate agreed, 'That's okay…I've dealt with this before.' She gave the nurse a small smile, 'I

know where we're going from here, thank you.'

The nurse looked briefly back at El and then Kate, 'I can go and get that sorted for you.'

A moment later, she left the room.

El suddenly came over all quesy, 'Kate….'

Ruby and Kate immediately noticed how pale El looked.

Kate walked over to her, 'What is it sweetheart?'

'I feel sick.' El commented.

Immediately, Kate grabbed a bowl for El to throw up in, and she did so. While she was

throwing up the contents of her stomach, Ruby and Kate exchanged a glance. They knew

exactly what this could be and it was worrying. Still, Kate continued to assure her, 'It's okay

baby, you'll be okay.'

'I don't feel like it.' El laughed quietly.

Kate moved the bowl to the side and looked back at Ruby. As if she didn't have enough to

worry about, now there was something else to add to her ever growing list.

On the way home, Kate stopped at the chemist to pick up El's prescription that had been

issued by the chemist. Leaving Ruby and El in the car, when Kate walked around, she looked

at the shelves and eventually picked up a few pregnancy tests. As much as doing this usually

meant it being a happy occasion, this was anything but.

Eventually, she got back into the car and took the two girls home.

After getting inside, Kate walked into the kitchen and got El's medication from the paper

bag. Glancing at the pregnancy tests, it was as though a weight was hanging heavily over her.

She looked over into the living room from where she was standing in the kitchen, 'El.' She

called over to her.

Ruby could see how tense Kate looked. Giving her small smile of assurance, she ushered El

along to the kitchen.

When El walked over, Kate took a breath. As El came to stand in front of her, she assumed

straight away that she was being called over to take her medication but then Kate asked her to

take a seat at the worktop beside her.

Now El felt nervous, 'What's going on?' She looked between Kate and Ruby, 'The doctors

said I'm not dying…Why do I feel like you're about to tell me that you're dying?'

Kate laughed sheepishly, 'I'm not dying, don't worry.' Then she bit her lip nervously, and

took a breath, 'When you threw up earlier…I can't help but think that it might not be down to

your brain doing funny things.'

El frowned in confusion, 'What do you think it is?'

Kate had no idea how to say this, 'I could be wrong, and for once, I really hope I am…But

given that you threw up yesterday morning as well…I think…'

Her stomach was turning awfully. Never did she imagine being in this position, 'El, I think

you could be pregnant.'

Immediately, El looked horrified, 'Pregnant? I…I can't be pregnant…' She shook her head,

'I'm not ready for having children yet.'

Kate could already tell that she was spiraling, so she grabbed a hold of her hands, 'Listen to

me El, listen.' She urged, 'I got a couple of pregnancy tests…I just…I want you to take them,

just to make sure.'

'But I'm not pregnant…'

'There is every chance that after what that prick did to you, you could be.' Kate said softly,

'I'm sorry baby, but we need to know.'

The term of endearment was still force of habit.

'And if I am?' El nervously licked her lips, 'If I'm pregnant, what then?'

Kate took a breath, 'If you are, we take it from there and figure it out together. Me, you and

Ruby, and your mum if you want her to know.'

'And if I want to keep it?'

Kate wasn't expecting that proposition, 'Again…We will figure it all out, alright?'

El nodded, but her feelings remained incredibly conflicted.

A short while later, El, Ruby and Kate all sat in the living room, waiting for a timer to run out

so that they could check the pregnancy tests. The three of them were nervous as anything.

The moment the timer went off, all three of them jumped out of their skin.

Kate picked the first one up and offered it to El, 'You can look if you want?'

El took the teak from her and looked down at it, 'It…It has two lines…'

Kate felt instant dread, but El quickly picked up the second one and read it, 'Again, two

lines….' She felt helpless, 'This means I'm pregnant, right?'

Sadly, Kate nodded, 'Yeah baby..' She cleared her throat, 'It does…Normally I'd be happy

for you…In this situation….I can't be.'

El was on the verge of tears, 'I don't have to have it, do I? I don't want his baby…No…I can't

Kate, I can't do that.'

'And you don't have to.' Kate replied softly, taking her hands now, 'El, there is nothing to say

that you must have this baby. If you want to abort the pregnancy, you can. We can get you

booked into a clinic and we can go from there, if that's what you want. You're not condemned

to this.'

El came to lean on Kate's shoulder and she broke down in tears. All of this served to make

Kate's hatred and anger towards Max Tyler even worse. By the time she was done with him,

he would have wished he never existed.

After The Fact

A couple of weeks later, Kate was sitting with El in an abortion clinic, waiting for her name

to be called. Nervously, El sat bouncing her knee up and down. In order to distract herself,

she decided to talk to Kate, 'When are you back at work this week?'

Kate looked back at her. She frowned, 'I'm back at work on Thursday. Thanks to dad, no one

knows about us, so my leave ends on Thursday. Why?'

'I'm just making conversation.' El replied, 'Hey Kate…You know I gave my statement to the

lawyer a couple of days ago? Do you think we will get justice?'

Kate frowned and sat back. Gently, she replied, 'What makes you think that we won't get

justice?'

'Well…' El said quietly, lowering her voice even more so others couldn't hear, 'When…

When it comes to what he did to me…The reason why we are here…The conviction rate is

low. I've been doing research.'

'El.' Kate sighed.

'I'm being a realist…If he gets away with this, if he walks free-'

'If there is one thing El, he will never be free. Even if he walks free from prison, you forget

that I would kill him myself.' Kate replied quietly, 'He won't ever be free El, never will know

what peace is ever again.'

'You can't be the one to carry out justice. He would expect that. You can't go to prison.'

'I can't go to prison for what? Killing someone that never existed to begin with?' Kate's tone

was colder and it sent a chill down El's spine.

'No. Kate, no you can't do that.' El was terrified, 'You can't be the one to do that.'

'He isn't getting away with what he did to you El.'

'And you won't be the one to carry out justice!'

Just as Kate was about to reply, El's name was called. Both El and Kate looked between each

other and then back at the nurse who was calling them.

Reluctantly, El and Kate got up and followed the nurse into the room. Now El was troubled

about what Kate would do next.

The look in her eyes would stick with El for as long as she lived. Never had she seen such

evil behind her eyes. Now El only had more questions for Kate, but she wasn't sure if she

wanted the answers.

A week later the trial began. Max had pleaded "Not Guilty" to the charges that were against

him, meaning they all had to go through the horror of a trial.

The morning of the first day of the trial, everything seemed incredibly tense. El was quiet all

morning and she was very aware that it was her who would be taking the stand first this

morning.

After getting dressed, El wandered down the small set of stairs in Kate's flat where she saw

both Ruby and Kate waiting.

Kate was in a more official policing uniform. Though any evidence she would give would be

as "Lana Washington" she still felt strange being in the formal full dress attire including her

ranking in the form of shiny enamel pins.

Looking over at El while drinking her orange juice Kate gave her a small smile and

commented, 'You look smart.'

Ruby saw the tie that hung loosely around El's neck and sighed, 'Do you want any help with

that?' She offered softly.

'I would much rather go back to bed.' El retorted, 'I don't want to do this. He has pleaded

"not guilty", what makes you think that he will get convicted?'

'Because.' Kate replied softly, 'You tell the jury what they need to know and you answer the

questions honestly.'

'This isn't the first time that I was put under cross-examination and the last time they turned it

on me!' El snapped, 'I'm a girl that has now since been diagnosed with schizophrenia, what's

to say that the court won't twist that and say that I was perhaps "Imagining" what happened

to me?'

Kate walked over to her and placed her hands on both of her arms. She met her gaze and

spoke gently to her, 'He still has the charge from the false imprisonment and the possession

of explosive devices.'

'And you really think that's the charge I'm bothered about? I don't care about that. That didn't

bother me! WHAT HE DID TO ME BOTHERS ME!' El was so angry, hurt and upset with

the situation, 'I was pregnant Kate! I was pregnant with his child! Him wanting to kill me

doesn't bother me, but everything else?' She lowered her voice and held back tears, 'What he

did…Touching me the way he did, hurting me like that, that is what I'm bothered about.'

Kate knew exactly where she was coming from and it hurt her to see it, 'We will get

justice…I promise you.'

'Don't make promises you can't keep.' El said quietly. She then walked over to the kitchen

and grabbed her packed lunch from the fridge, put it in her bag and then headed straight out

of the door.

Ruby and Kate exchanged looks.

Ruby looked quite upset on El's behalf, 'What has he done to her? She is right though mum,

what if he gets away with the rape charge?'

'If he does, his life won't be worth living.' She then grabbed her phone from the worktop,

'Come on, let's get today out of the way.'

Arriving at court, El was greeted by her solicitor and Carmichael. Kate stood by El's side,

staying with her like she promised.

'Unfortunately, despite the evidence stacked against him, Max is refusing to plead guilty to

the sexual assault charge.' El's solicitor said to both her and Kate, 'But the other charges still

stand unless some miracle happens.'

Carmichael wanted to roll her eyes, so she addressed both Kate and El, 'Today will be

difficult El, but you have to tell the jury everything. As you know, the defense will fight back,

but as we know you have nothing to hide. Tell them everything.'

'He didn't film the assault, it's hard to prove.' El responded in a glum tone, 'He knew what he

was doing with that.'

'But Kate, Jo, Francis, Rachel Mason and a few others are giving evidence. All know you

well.'

El paced the corridor for a moment, 'Rachel knows that he and I had beef on the first day that

we met! Who called her as a witness?'

Kate walked over to her and addressed her quietly, 'Just because you and him had a problem

with each other, it doesn't give him the excuse-'

El merely glared at her. She was getting angrier by the second, 'Can you stop telling me what

I already know?!'

A moment later, El stormed off.

Kate stood still for a moment and sighed to herself. Putting her head in her hand, she

contemplated why she even got out of bed this morning. She then followed after El. As she

was heading out, Carmichael grabbed a hold of her arm and looked up at her, 'Kate…Maybe

just leave her to cool off a bit, yeah?'

Kate protested almost immediately, 'Don't tell me how to handle her Patricia, I get where she

is coming from and she needs me! She is doing this today whether she likes it or not.'

Overhearing the commotion, Jo walked over and gently spoke to Kate, 'Hey.'

Kate turned around, and her anger only increased, 'Not you. I'm not fucking dealing with

you!' She then walked away and met El on the lawn outside the building.

El was pacing up and down, but then she set her eyes on Max as he headed towards the court

with his own solicitor. The moment she set her eyes on him, she went for him and ran straight

at him, shouting furiously, 'I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!'

The moment Kate realized what she was doing, she ran over to her, shouting at her. Luckily,

she caught her before she reached him.

'LET ME GO!' El screamed, 'KATE LET ME GO NOW!'

Kate struggled to keep a hold of her as she kicked and trashed about, but she just about

managed.

Max merely laughed, 'Threatening an innocent man? That's really going to work out well for

you isn't it? Stop making a fool out of yourself El, you'll only get yourself arrested.'

Kate could feel her grip loosening on El, and she tried her hardest to keep a hold of her, but at

this point, she was struggling.

After he walked off with his solicitor, on her way back to the court building, Kate lost her

own temper, 'What the fuck was that El?! Do you want to lose this case?! We put in all this

work only for you to throw it back in our faces! What the hell is wrong with you?!'

'Did it never occur to you that I don't want to be here?! I don't want this!'

'IF YOU DON'T, HE WILL WALK FREE! YOU DON'T WANT THAT EITHER, DO YA?!

GET YOUR ARSE IN THAT COURT AND DO AS YOU ARE TOLD!'

'No.' El shook her head, 'I'm not doing this. I'm not doing it for you, you are making it sound

like this all happened to you, but it happened to me! At least I know where you stand in this.

Typical sister, make it all about you.' She then walked over to her, 'Don't bother coming into

court, I don't want to see you there.'

'Unfortunately, I have a legal obligation to attend.' Kate said firmly, 'If I could respect your

wishes, I would.'

El turned around and punched Kate in the face, knocking her back a few steps. Kate grabbed

a hold of her and pushed her back, 'What the fuck is your problem?!'

'YOU! YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE! I'VE TOLD YOU I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE,

BUT YOU WON'T LISTEN!'

El stormed off, leaving Kate behind.

Eventually when the time came to walk into the courtroom, El spent time sitting quietly by

herself whilst Kate, Jo, Ruby and Carmichael all stood waiting for their time to enter court.

Kate was sick of being at the brunt of everyone's fists and she would talk with El about it

when they got home later.

Before El was called to the stand, everyone entered the courtroom and heard the opening

statements from the prosecution and the defense.

Now it has begun.

Reasonable Doubt

After El was called to the stand sometime later, she firstly swore the oath and confirmed her

name and birth date for the court.

The defense jumped straight in, 'Eleanor, recently you've been diagnosed with schizophrenia,

have you not?'

'That's a crappy way to start an argument-'

The judge jumped in immediately, 'Answer the question Miss Davidson.'

It was clear that El didn't want to be there. There was a cockiness to her tone that was loud

and clear. Though it was her defense mechanism, everyone was worried that it wouldn't work

in her favor. Still, El answered, 'Yes, I was.'

Max's defense lawyer was straight on it, 'You've accused my client of sexual assault, which

he disputes happened. He has claimed that you have a vendetta against him because he

refused you a job at Waterloo Road school. He said that you attacked him on the same day

that he was about to take the job because you didn't like the way he spoke to you and because

he rejected you from getting the job, is that correct? Do you have a vendetta because he

refused you employment?'

'I don't have a vendetta against him.' El replied firmly. She couldn't talk about the stabbing,

but she back tracked, 'He assaulted me and took me hostage, god forbid I have a vendetta

against him because he violated my body.'

'So you do have a vendetta against my client?'

El glared at him, 'I didn't have a vendetta against him to begin with when I met him at the

school. He talked down to me like I was stupid. Of course, I thought that he was a real

douche, but I didn't have a vendetta against him.'

'Well then, why did you attack him? Miss Rachel Mason and Janeece Bryant have both given

witness statements saying that you threw my client against a wall in a rage. Do you just have

violent tendencies and problems with authority and someone telling you no?'

El hesitated, 'That's leading the witness, you can't do that-'

The judge jumped in, 'Miss Davidson, it is a perfectly valid question and I'll allow it.'

El scoffed and looked back at Max's solicitor, 'I do not have a problem with authority, nor do

I have violent tendencies.'

'Are you sure about that?'

El nodded, 'Yes, I'm sure.'

The solicitor smiled almost, 'Before you entered this courtroom, you violently attacked your

sister to get to my client. From what I witnessed with my own eyes, you hit your sister with

some force that she doubled over.'

El put her tongue in her cheek, 'And that's hearsay because it hasn't been submitted into

evidence-'

The judge got angry now, 'Miss Davidson, if you keep doing everyone's jobs here, I will have

no option but to hold you in contempt.'

Kate and Jo were incredibly close to putting their heads in their hands. This was a complete

disaster. They understood this was highly stressful, but it seemed that she was deliberately

sabotaging any chance of justice.

It was clear that El's own anxiety was coming through though because of the way her fingers

were nervously drumming while she was at the stand.

For El, this was incredibly suffocating. Never had she felt so awful. The person who attacked

her had a smirk on his face the entire time.

'I never wanted to be here anyway. I can't do it. I know that he!' She pointed at Max, 'I know

that he is going to get away with what he did to me! I don't even know why the fuck I'm

here!' She looked at Max and shouted at him, 'Enjoy your freedom!' El stormed out, and

everyone was stunned.

They knew this wouldn't be plain sailing, but this was terrible.

Quickly, El's solicitor clambered to his feet, making excuses for El's behavior. The judge

granted recess for them, and this is when, as soon as they were outside the courtroom, Kate

immediately went after El.

'What the hell are you playing at?! Not today El, seriously, not today!'

Carmichael approached, and she wasn't very happy either. Noticing that El and Kate were

going to end up in a full blown argument, she jumped in, 'I think that it's best if we all went

to talk in private, don't you?'

El scowled at Carmichael, 'I told you that I don't want to be here, do you listen? No.'

Patricia now put on a firm tone, 'You are a key witness in this investigation. Without you El,

there is no trial and Max gets to walk free while you end up in a prison cell for contempt of

court, do you really want that to happen?'

Kate crossed her arms and looked back at El with a scowl. They both waited on an answer,

and when it did come, they were both incredibly shocked.

El merely shrugged and replied, 'I've been in a jail cell before, you think that frightens me?'

Kate was tempted to slap her, but knew that wouldn't make the slightest bit of a difference.

Instead, she dragged El to a private room and shoved her inside, while Carmichael followed

on behind. Kate was seething, 'SIT YOUR ARSE DOWN, NOW!'

Reluctantly, El sat down at the table in the room. Her solicitor soon entered and made his

presence known, 'Eleanor, you are compromising our case here!'

'She knows.' Kate sneered, all the while staring at El. She then addressed her properly, 'Tell

me what it is that's bothering you and we can find a way around it.'

El crossed her arms and looked at the floor. It was evident that she was hiding something,

Kate just couldn't figure out what it was.

Carmichael brushed past Kate, taking a seat at the same table, opposite El. Instead of using

Kate's tough approach, she was a little more gentle, 'I do not need to tell you how serious this

is, I think you already know. If there is something we should know El, you need to tell us.'

Momentarily it looked like El was going to give them a response, but she hesitated.

'Come on El, you have to tell us, so we can help.' Carmichael pushed but continued to be

gentle. Behind her, she could feel Kate's anger. She would talk to her about that later.

Carmichael put her hand up to signal to Kate that she needed to back off.

Gently, Carmichael leaned forward, 'Is it him? Do you not want to be in the same room as

him, is that what this is about?'

Still, El didn't respond, but everyone noticed the change in her mood and attitude.

'If the problem is that you don't want to be in the same room as him, we can change that for

tomorrow, but for today you have to because this needs to go ahead before you get in trouble

instead.'

'I can't.' El said quietly, 'I can't face him. I thought I could, but I can't.'

'Okay…' Carmichael sighed, 'I'm sorry, but today there isn't any other option for you.'

Quietly, El had a thought, 'Can I have support while I'm on the stand, just someone there in

the background?'

Kate jumped in, 'Do you think the court will allow that?'

'On this occasion, no. '

El could be seen visibly shaking now. Her rebellious streak returned in that instance, 'I'm not

doing it then.'

Kate stepped in now. She walked over to the table and leaned down in front of her, lowering

her voice significantly, 'He will end up walking free if you do not buck your ideas up and get

on that stand. We have all tried helping you the best we can, but now it is your turn. I'm sorry

El, but this has to end with you. We have the evidence, we have what we need to lock him

away, but none of that works without you. Please, please, if not for any of us, do it for you,

and if not for you, for any other innocent soul that could end up in his clutches and be in this

position.'

El appears resigned for a moment. Though she doesn't want to face Tyler, she knew deep

down that she had no other option. Briefly, she looked back at Carmichael, 'And then

tomorrow and every day after, I don't have to be in the same room as him?'

Carmichael gave her a gentle nod, 'We can arrange that for you. You'd be behind a screen

where he cannot see you and you will not be in the same room as him. That's a guarantee.'

Though she was reluctant, she could live with that sort of a deal, 'Okay…I'll deal with

today…I'll answer the questions properly.'

There was a collective internal sigh of relief, but El's solicitor wasn't happy.

Upon leaving the room, after Kate and El had gone, Carmichael addressed El's solicitor,

'You'd better make it so. Do not argue with me, you were the one that stuffed this up by not

allowing her the option. Kate is paying you good money, do your job or we get someone

else!'

After El got back onto the stand, every word that Kate and Carmichael said to her was

starting to sink in. If she really had walked out, he would have ended up free and she wasn't

going to allow him to win.

Soon, every question was being answered with relative ease. Even though Max's solicitor

was playing hard ball, El was answering every question the very best that she could. The

question once again arose about her recent diagnosis and she straightened her back

significantly and she answered the best way she could, 'I haven't had this thing long, not as

far as I've been aware, but I know what happened to me. It wasn't some illusion if I felt and

heard everything. That's not what this thing is.'

'And how would you know if, as you say, you haven't had it long?'

El then answered him with a straight face, 'Because my brother and sister suffered with it.

Why would I make this up?'

'Exactly, why would you? The girl who cried wolf springs to mind. I put it to you that you

despised Max Tyler to the point where you would do anything to have him put behind bars

for something he didn't do.'

'I didn't ask him to commit domestic terrorism though, did I, Jerry?'

This comment would have otherwise been funny if it wasn't for the situation.

'Yes, your sister, Lana…She was there wasn't she? Kate Fleming's twin sister. She'll be

giving evidence later in this trial. She is a bomb disposal expert isn't she?'

'Yes.'

'Perhaps you could have learned a thing or two from her yourself and orchestrated the entire

thing. You are top of your class in science classes, or you were. You know how to mix

chemicals to the right amounts to build your own explosive, correct?'

El's solicitor jumped in, 'Objection your honor. He is merely suggesting that my client

orchestrated the entire operation. Why would she do this?'

'Your honor, I'm merely demonstrating that Eleanor has this mental illness where voices

inside her head can tell or persuade her to do things she would not otherwise think to do

when she is of sound mind.'

El jumped in, 'But I don't hear voices, and I never have. Not every case of schizophrenia is

the same. Just because my sister heard voices, doesn't mean I do. I don't. Yes, I get over

stimulated which is what brings on the seizures but that's it. Your client believes that me and

my family are aliens. Nevermind me, you should be more worried about him!'

The judge merely nodded and addressed Max's solicitor, 'Objection accepted. Mr Jefferson,

please stick to the facts here.'

Jerry dropped his line of questioning. He continued going backwards and forwards with her

until he came across another question that rubbed El up the wrong way, 'You did drugs didn't

you? Heavy drugs? You were arrested but never charged, correct?'

'Yes.' El replied. Now she was unsure of where this was going.

'And during the discovery of those drugs, you also had possession of a firearm, didn't you?'

Nervously, El licked her lips and nodded, 'Yes.'

'You're a dangerous woman aren't you? If you can't get your own way, much like your sister,

you hit out.'

'No. No.' El shook her head, 'I was forced to give up what I had. I was in the middle of a

very heavy addiction. I've been to rehab and off of drugs since then. What are you

suggesting?'

'I ask the questions here, Miss Davidson.'

Max merely smirked, meeting El's gaze.

El sat uncomfortably.

There was a moment of silence before the solicitor continued, 'After you'd been rescued, you

had blood taken, yes?'

She looked at Kate, Nancy and Jo briefly and shifted in her seat uncomfortably. Eventually

she replied, 'Yes.'

He looked down at his paperwork and read, 'It was found that you had methadone in your

system. Given your history of drugs, would it be something you'd try?'

El shook her head, 'No, no, not meth. I would never touch something like that.'

'Then why was it found in your blood?!'

El now looked over at Max and snapped at him, 'Because he put it there! He sedated me

using a needle! How was I to know what was in it?!'

'You must have known. If my client had injected you with the drug, surely, as an ex drug

addict, you'd relapse and go back to taking drugs?'

Never had El panicked as much as she was doing now.

'I put it to you that it was you that put the drugs into your own system because it was you

who relapsed and you are finding any other excuse to blame him for your own demons!'

'NO!' El was in tears now, 'I spent months trying to get myself clean. I was doing so well,

and he must have known that!'

'Have you taken any drugs today? Have you taken any drugs since my client has been in

custody?'

Now El went incredibly quiet.

'If we were to test your blood now, would we find anything?'

'Yes.' El replied quietly.

'Speak up Miss Davidson.'

'Yes! You would, aside from the medication that I'm already on, you would find something.'

'What?' Jerry smirked now, 'What substance are you on?'

El's solicitor immediately got to his feet, 'Your honor, he is badgering the witness.'

The judge replied, 'Mr Jefferson-'

'Your honor, if Miss Davidson is currently intoxicated, I'm merely trying to establish that she

would be making herself an unreliable witness.'

'HOW CAN I BE WHEN I WAS THERE?!' El snapped, 'You all saw what happened

because it was streamed everywhere!'

Mr Jefferson continued, 'But if you were intoxicated, you could have imagined that my client

raped you.'

'I know what happened.'

'Do you?'

The judge intervened, 'I've heard enough Miss Davidson. For the moment, I will request that

you take a drug test before we move further with your testimony.' He then addressed the

court, 'We will move to recess before we bring Mr Tyler to the stand.' He banged his gavel

and now the mood had changed.

Playing Dirty

Once again, El was taken to a private room. Her solicitor, Carmichael, Jo and Kate quickly

followed. Upon entering, El immediately walked over to the window and paced. She had no

idea where this was going to go next.

Kate was not very happy at all. She stormed into the room, 'Are you on drugs right now?

Are you?!'

Deep down, El was trying her hardest not to hit out and use her powers. It was ever so

tempting. She turned to face Kate and snapped at her, 'YES! HOW THE HELL DO YOU

THINK I'M TRYING TO GET THROUGH TODAY?! I DON'T NEED YOU ON MY

BACK AS WELL!'

Carmichael stepped in, 'Alright, if we all just calm down.'

'Calm down?! She is going out of her way to compromise this trial!' Kate snapped.

'Get out.' Carmichael sneered at her, 'I have had enough of you, and you're going to end up

saying something you regret, get out!'

Reluctantly Kate left the room, slamming the door behind her.

Jo sighed quietly, 'El ignore Kate, she's just a little far too concerned.'

'She's making this about her. I get that she wants justice for me, but how can she expect me

to get through this when she is making it about her?!'

Jo walked over to her and took her hands, 'I will talk to her and make her see sense. Don't

worry about her, she is not our main concern. If anything I think she needs a little anger

management.' She laughed.

El smiled ever so slightly. Her smile then dropped, 'I want to get justice for myself, but I…I

can't get through this without a little help, you know?'

Jo nodded, 'I do…I do.' She took a breath, 'Like I said, ignore Kate. This is about you, not

her. She has to understand how hard this is for you. What…What drugs have you taken?'

'I um…I…I just took some heroin…That's all.'

Jo nodded, 'Okay, thank you for your honesty.' She then looked back at Carmichael, 'So

what do we do now?'

Carmichael, though dismayed, remained standing with her arms crossed, 'Seems as El has

been able to coherently answer questions, though I can see the problem in the eyes of the law,

I can't see any problems. The next thing to do is declare any drugs that you may have taken

and how long it has been since you administered them to yourself.'

'I…I took it at four this morning.'

'So it's mostly gone through your system…Okay….' She took a breath, 'We discuss this with

a medical professional and get you cleared. If we can prove that you weren't intoxicated

heavily, your testimony will still stand.' Carmichael narrowed her gaze at El's solicitor, 'And

I shouldn't be doing your job for you.'

Jo turned to the solicitor, 'What are you actually doing?'

The solicitor rushed for a reply, but Jo got in there first, 'You're sacked. I don't care if Kate is

paying for you, you're sacked.' She then turned around and faced Carmichael, 'Do you think

you could do a better job than this plumb?'

Carmichael looked over at El, 'It depends on what El's wishes are. I would be more than

happy to take over, but on the terms that I know everything I need to before stepping back

into that court room. I want justice as much as anyone here, but to do that El, I need full

transparency.'

Nervously, El swallowed the lump in her throat, 'Would it be possible for you to be my

defense?'

'It would be possible to be your own defense, though I do not recommend that.'

'Then yes.' El nodded, 'I want you to defend my case.'

'I'll go and talk to the CPS and the judge. The case should be adjourned until tomorrow.

However, I need a favor from you.' Nervously, Carmichael looked down and then back at El,

'I need you to be in the courtroom tomorrow, just tomorrow.'

Jo could see that El was deeply conflicted on the matter. She watched as El paced, 'I can't see

him, I can't.'

'He is on the stand first thing in the morning, you do not have to be present for that, but I'd

suggest you have your answers ready.' Carmichael warned her, 'Because he will play dirty,

and you need to be prepared. To win this, I need you off drugs and I need you to work with

me.'

Reluctantly, El nodded. Slowly she walked forward and offered her hand for Carmichael to

shake, 'We will make this a deal.'

Deep down, Carmichael was pleased, but she knew this was only the start. She shook El's

hand in agreement, and she offered her a seat, 'You take a seat. I'll go and talk to who I need.

I'll get your former solicitor to send all relevant evidence and information to me.' She looked

at Jo, 'And you can stay and provide support should you wish to do so.'

Jo nodded, 'That would be appreciated ma'am.'

Carmichael nodded, 'Please, take a seat. I'll be back in a few minutes.'

Upon leaving the room, Carmichael bumped into Kate. She was not very happy to see her,

'Go home Kate. The trial will be adjourned today, Jo, El and I will discuss the next moves.'

Kate frowned, 'Jo? Why does Jo have to be there and why not me?'

'Because I'm getting tired of your self righteous attitude and angry outbursts. You're making

this about you and it isn't, it's about your sister who needs support. You're bad mouthing

instead of listening!' Carmichael sneered, 'Your anger is not helping and you need to talk to

someone about it.' She lowered her voice now, 'I've taken over her case, at El's own

request.'

Kate scoffed, 'More like, you talked her into it. I'm not paying you as well.'

'I'm not asking you to. Get your head out of your backside and do well to remember that this

is not about you.' Patricia sneered, 'Yes, she has admitted to taking drugs, but the time in

between each dose might be enough to be ignored because she is coherent. Go home, Jo and

El will be home later.'

Kate was peeved off and Carmichael could see it.

'You need to get your anger in check.' Carmichael sneered quietly, 'Decide who's side you

are on. Your own, or that of your sister?'

Without a further word, Carmichael walked off and went to talk with the relevant individuals.

….

The following day in court, El did as Carmichael requested and sat with everyone else, while

Carmichael took over the case and acted in El's very own defense.

The night before, Kate and El had a falling out. Kate wasn't very happy about the revelation

that she had been taking drugs before the trial. Ruby had to come between them to break

them up.

…

The night before…

'You two need to pack it in, how is this helping anyone?!' Ruby looked between El and Kate.

Kate was still absolutely furious.

'My grandchildren come here! That's why I have a problem with what's going on here!' Kate

glared at El, 'When will you ever learn?!'

Ruby scoffed and came to stand in front of Kate, 'You're supposed to be supporting her!

What is wrong with you?! The last few months your personality has been flipping all over the

place! Are you sure that it isn't you that Steve and Max got the personality disorder gene

from?!'

Kate glared back at her, 'Really? Are you doing this?'

'Yes! You need to back off and stop acting like this is all about you!' Ruby snapped,

'Newsflash mum, it's not!'

'It's about my grandkids though!' She looked at El, 'The truth, now. Were you taking meth

before all of this?'

'No!' El protested, 'I've never touched meth!'

'I don't believe you!'

Immediately El fell silent. Tears streamed down her cheeks, 'You…You think I would just

start using again?'

'I don't know El! I really don't know!' Kate snapped at her, 'Maybe you should go and live

with your mum for a bit while this is ongoing.'

El was gobsmacked, 'But…Why are you acting like I'm the one in the wrong?! I took

something this morning yesterday but-'

'You compromised your case today! You almost fucked it up for yourself!'

Ruby pushed Kate back, 'Don't you think she knows this?! What the hell is wrong with

you?!'

Impulsively, Kate went to hit Ruby, but El stopped her. Using her powers, she stopped Kate's

arm mid air and broke it. She then walked over to her and got into her face, shoving her into

the wall using her powers, 'I don't know what the hell your problem is, but I took drugs to

make me feel at ease today. I know that I compromised my case, but I've asked for mom and

Carmichael's help. I don't need you breathing down my neck. I know what I did, but I'm in

control of this like Carmichael said.'

Kate hissed in pain, trying to soothe her arm that she currently couldn't reach.

'If you ever raise your hand like that to either of us again, it won't just be your arm I break.

You might be my sister, but after today, you need to realize how much of a jerk you've been.

Like Carmichael said, you need to see someone about that anger before I do end up killing

you.' She sneered. A moment later, El released her grip on Kate, who collapsed to the floor in

agony.

'ELEANOR! GET YOUR ARSE BACK HERE, NOW!' Kate shouted at her, 'If you want

me to give testimony in court-'

Ruby snapped at her then, 'Don't. Don't you dare. She's right. Get yourself sorted out mum!'

Both Ruby and El headed off to Jo's for the evening. On the way there, they both wondered

what the hell was going on in her head.

Today…

Kate was sitting in the crowd nursing a broken arm in a sling. El wanted to talk to her before

they went into the court room, but it was evident that Kate didn't want to know.

Neither of them realized that by El breaking Kate's arm, it reinforced the narrative that by

nature, El was violent.

Luckily, it wasn't El on the stand today.

Max was in the stand looking rather smug with himself. He also noticed Kate's arm in a sling

and it gave him ammunition. After reading out the oath, proceedings began.

Carmichael was prepared for this, she couldn't wait for Max's backside to be handed to him

on a plate. She walked to the centre of the room and addressed him, 'Mr Tyler, how many

schools have you worked in over the last twenty four years?'

'I have worked at six schools during that time.'

'And the second school you worked at, you were dismissed under grounds of inappropriate

behavior. Do you care to expand on that?'

Max shrugged, 'There was a gang of promiscuous teenagers. They all conspired against me

and created completely false rumors that the head teacher favored. He believed that the

reputation of the school could be placed on the line, so he dismissed me. I was able to keep

my pension and my reputation.'

'And the school before you was almost hired to Waterloo Road…Did you leave or was there

another dismissal?'

'Pastures new, ma'am. I saw an opportunity to fill as head teacher at Waterloo Road and I

believed that I was qualified to take the position. In fact, I almost did before I met your

client.' Max commented.

'What exactly happened when you and my client met for the first time?' Carmichael crossed

her arms now.

'She entered the office without knocking. I believed that this was rude and so I called her out

on it.' He addressed the room, 'She did not like that. It seems that your client has an issue

with authority.' He then looked at Kate, 'For example, Miss Washington did not have a sling

on her arm yesterday. I'm willing to believe that your client attacked her.'

'We are looking at the facts here Mr Tyler.' Carmichael said firmly, 'So what happened when

you came face to face. You argued?'

'We merely had a heated discussion. I raised the point to her that it does not take much to

have manners when entering the head teacher's office without knocking. It was then that your

client began to become verbally abusive.'

'And why was it that my client was there?'

'She came to the office to ask for a job at the school. I tried explaining to her in a calm

manner that she simply cannot barge into an office unannounced and interrupt what was a

very important meeting. It was rude and improper. It was then that Eleanor started abusing

me verbally. She was sexist towards me.'

'So, if she was being sexist to you, wouldn't that upset you?'

'Well, if I was being misogynistic towards her, the blade would be turned. As an incoming

head teacher to the school, I denied her the chance of employment given the awful first

impression that she made on me. After I said no to her, she grabbed hold of me and assaulted

me physically.'

Carmichael frowned, 'You are six feet, 2 inches tall…My client is significantly shorter than

you. Surely you could overpower her?'

Max frowned, 'If I laid a single finger on her, I know how that would have looked. I, as a

man, could not defend myself from her fists.'

'So…You were assaulted by a young woman, but you never went to the police, why?'

'I was sure that it was a one off, so I let a sleeping dog lie.' He shrugged, 'But then she began

pursuing me. As submitted into the evidence, she obtained my mobile number and she

pursued me.'

Briefly, Carmichael looked back at El. El shook her head.

'Those messages…I haven't seen them.' She addressed the judge, 'Your honor, if I haven't

seen these messages, surely they're inadmissible?'

The judge addressed her, 'I was informed that all sides have seen such evidence. Continue.'

Now Carmichael felt like she had been thrown under a bus. Quickly, she turned and faced

Max again, 'We cannot discuss the messages at this point, but what happened after the events

of the day at the school?'

Max looked directly at El, 'She lured me in.' He hissed, 'Told me to meet her at her dead

brother's grave so we could brush things over. So that she could apologise for the way she

treated me. Things got heated and she kissed me.'

Never had El felt so humiliated in her life.

'She came home from Greece. She met me, and we went to a secret location away from

prying eyes. The streaming thing was some fun.' Max looked directly at El, 'Eleanor is a

promiscuous woman. It was her idea to stream a little foreplay. She got a kick out of every

minute. In fact.' He laughed, 'She was gagging for it. She told me that herself. Her sex life

involved women and a trans-woman. I don't blame a woman for experimenting, but dragging

me through this farce and making up this lie that I am some sort of sex pest is heinous.'

Carmichael paced for a moment and considered her next line of questioning, 'That's all well

and good, but hard to believe when you put an explosive device around her neck and

threatened to deploy it. The bomb disposal team had to come out and discharge the

weapon…How do you explain that?'

'Bondage.' Max replied simply, 'There was no live explosive. There never was. It was a ruse

that El made up. She hates me so much that she made all this up.'

'And the drugs, how did they end up in her system?'

'Simple. After some sex, we both took some drugs. I didn't know that she was an ex addict,

so she took them of her own will.'

'The bruises, the black eye, the broken ribs, how do you explain that?'

'Things went a little too far.'

'A little? From what is being said here, you're claiming that my client, an ex-drug addict,

made up a scenario in which bomb disposal has to be called and she dragged you and the rest

of us through this trial? For what? Fun?'

'Yes.' Max nodded.

'Eleanor might be many things Mr Tyler, but having witnessed her mother suffer a bomb

explosion to the face, I find it hard to believe that she would put her sister through that too?

My client spent so long trying to get clean from drugs, I think anyone would find it hard to

believe that she orchestrated this entire scenario.'

'That's what happened.' Max sneered.

'Or perhaps this all comes from the mind of a sick and sadistic man who has a history of

domestic abuse? You were arrested for beating your former wife in 2017, but no charges were

brought.' Carmichael explained, 'And again in 2006…Charges were subsequently dropped…

Why?'

'Because they wanted money! This was never about money, it was a hook up and I was

stabbed in the back!'

Carmichael merely smirked just then, 'Or rather, it was you that stabbed her.' She addressed

the judge, 'All parties and all of the UK witnessed this. I have a video recording of the

moment my client tried to break free of your clutches, and it ended in you stabbing her

brutally.'

Jo and Kate looked at each other. They had no idea that this footage was able to be salvaged.

What they forgot was that El's father was an incredible man with some incredible skills.

Carmichael addressed the courtroom, 'The footage you are all about to witness is extremely

distressing.' She glanced at El, but El nodded at her.

It was then that the moment El tried to get free up to the moment that she was stabbed was

played out in court. El kept her head down the entire time. It was hard for her to listen to this

again.

Once the video has ended, Carmichael was silent for a moment.

Max was furious. His knuckles were white and he was trying to calm his temper.

'Was that foreplay, Mr Tyler?' Carmichael asked quietly in the tense silence, 'Was any of that

footage foreplay? Or are you just a violent man?'

Tyler laughed, 'It went too far. Things got heated, that's all. She wanted me. That's why she

didn't want me to record, because she wanted that to be kept between us! I never raped her!'

'I don't know about you Mr Tyler, but in that video, my client looked fragile, beaten and

desperate to get out of your imprisonment.' She then walked over to the stand and kept a

metre or so away, 'You chained her to a radiator. Those same chains, she was almost free of.

You smacked her head on the tiles and you tied her back up. None of that appeared

consensual to me. What do you get out of this? A power trip? A kick out of frightening a

vulnerable young woman?'

'I maintain my stance and truth.' Max sneered, 'She and I had consensual sex. Yes, it

involved bondage and some experimentation and I was happy to provide that to her. She is

crying wolf the same way that her sister did many years previously!'

Kate wanted to kill him. She met his gaze and he smirked at her. He was prodding a beast,

but he didn't realize that she was not one to be prodded.

'It burns doesn't it eh Lana? Or is it Kate these days? You wouldn't know the truth, the same

way that el wouldn't. That's why you're so angry at the moment isn't it?!'

The judge grew angry, 'You will calm yourself or be removed from my court!'

Max smiled, 'Taking your crap out on El because you're an abuser. Deep down, you and I are

exactly the same! That's why El broke your arm isn't it? You wanted to hit her and she

defended herself! Like mother like daughter!'

Kate was even more pissed off than before.

Moments later Max was removed from the court. The judge called it a day from there. As far

as Carmichael was concerned with Max, she had done her job for today.

The Nightmare isn't Over

After the second day of court, Ruby and El headed back to Jo's place. El was not ready to

face Kate yet, so they both headed to Jo's for the evening for some rest bite. Jo was more than

happy to have them both around.

After the hurried introductions yesterday, Jo was looking forward to getting to know Ruby

properly.

After dinner, Ruby, El and Jo all sat in the living room eating a bowl of vanilla ice cream

each. Ruby was sitting beside Jo on the double seated sofa. The atmosphere was very relaxed

which is something they all needed.

'You know, last night I realized that technically, I have three daughters. Well, there's El, Max

and…' She smiled gently at Ruby, 'And there's you.'

Ruby laughed nervously, 'I'm not sure that's how it works.'

'Of course it does. You'd be my step-daughter, and El is my adopted daughter. My other

daughter Max, though she came from Kate, she would very much be like you. I don't really

like the "Step" nonsense. In my eyes, if you're my child, you're my child…' She hesitated,

'That's if you want to be, of course. There is no pressure. You've just had all of this dropped

on you, I wouldn't blame you if you wanted time to think about it.'

Ruby laughed sheepishly, 'Jo, please, don't worry about it. In fact…' She considered her

offer, 'I still have Carla, she raised me…She will always be my first mum.'

'Of course, we wouldn't expect you to forget about her in the slightest.' Jo reassured her,

'Having three mother's is quite incredible. Not many people can say that.' Jo laughed, 'You

don't have to agree, but maybe, in time, you might want to be my daughter too.'

Ruby took her hand, and gently stroked the back of her hand with her thumb. At the same

time when she did this, she witnessed Jo's mum being killed many years ago. She saw who

did it, and she could feel the fear that Jo had, witnessing her mother being killed.

When Ruby came back to, she looked at Jo blankly. She then laughed sheepishly, 'I think I

should have an early night…The trial is back on tomorrow and we all need to be at our best.'

Jo felt slightly hurt, but she thought it was because of the proposition she'd put to her. After

Ruby had gone up to bed, El and Jo looked between each other. They both saw what

happened.

'She saw something.' El said to Jo, 'What she saw, I don't know. She could also be tired.' She

shrugged. El then looked at the clock, 'It is getting late though mom…' She stood up and

walked over to her, 'Goodnight mom.' Gently, she kissed Jo's forehead, 'I love you mom.'

Jo gave her a small smile, 'I love you too sweetheart.'

Carmichael paced the court floor a few weeks later. The trial was coming to a close and

despite how awful she had been, Kate had come to realised the error of her ways. Having had

some therapy throughout that time, she was still trying to get Ruby's forgiveness and

Halloween was about a week away.

The sooner this was over and done with, the sooner everyone could move on with their lives.

The verdict was about to be revealed. The anxiety was getting to everyone. It was tense and

quiet. El decided to be in court this day, she wanted to see her enemy get sent down for

everything he did to her. She wanted justice.

After walking back into the court, everyone sat down and awaited the final verdict.

The judge got seated and he addressed the jury, 'On the count of domestic terrorism, how do

you find the defendant?'

A member of the jury stood and answered, 'We find the defendant, not guilty.'

There was a sigh of frustration from everyone there, and Kate was ready to hit out.

'On the count of grievous bodily harm, how do you find the defendant?'

'Guilty.'

'On the count of sexual assault, how do you find the defendant?'

This was a tense wait. This was the charge that El desperately wanted Max to be sentenced

for. Everyone's stomach's were doing backflips, but none more than El's.

'We find the defendant not guilty.'

Never had El felt so ill. She knew what happened. She was the victim. Despite everything

that they had tried, Max still won.

Kate was furious, and she was not going to let Max Tyler walk free unscathed. This wasn't

over for him.

Despite his smiles, his hell was only just beginning. Max got handed a twelve month

suspended sentence whilst El was left feeling like a complete fool.

After exiting the court room, El came to lean against a wall in the corridor. She needed a

moment to collect herself. The world around her seemed to be caving in and the numbness

she felt kept getting worse. She slid down the wall with her back and sat in complete silence.

Kate, Nancy, Jo, Carmichael, Steve, Ruby and Rachel all caught sight of El as they left the

room.

Ruby and Jo ran over to her. They tried talking to her but were quick to realize that they

weren't getting through to her. Instead, they sat beside her.

Gently, Ruby said to her, 'I'm sorry El…We are here for you.'

Stray tears fell down El's face. Instead of looking at Jo and Ruby, her gaze came to land on

Kate. Everything else around her became zoned out, but there was a look in El's eyes that no

one had seen before. Her chin trembled as she tried to formulate words, 'You…You…You

were with me when…When I tested pregnant…How, how did that not prove anything in the

court? How did the samples not work? Why, why did they favor him over me?'

Kate felt incredibly guilty for the way she had treated El at the start of this. She had

eventually sorted her attitude and apologized, but it didn't stop her from feeling guilty for

being a selfish idiot to begin with. Gently, she walked forward and crouched in front of her,

lowering her voice, speaking softly to her, 'I don't know sweetheart. I don't know.'

Tears streamed down El's face, 'He raped me and no one in that room, other than you, my

family, Carmichael and Rachel…You all believed me but the jury didn't. Is it because I took

drugs? Is it because of how the case started? Was it because of me that this didn't work?'

Kate shook her head, 'We had a strong case. Carmichael did her job excellently, and in the

beginning, it was a bit stop and start…But the jury took into consideration your state of mind.

That didn't work against you today or throughout.'

'THEN WHY DID I LOSE?!' El despaired.

Immediately, Kate took her hands, and squeezed them gently, 'Because, cases such as rape…

They are notoriously hard to prove….' She seemed to choke on her words, 'It…I know…

Because it happened to me too…That's…That's…I'm ashamed of the way I treated you at the

start of this…I was deflecting because like you…I never got justice either.' She smiled sadly,

'And even though that isn't an excuse for the way I treated you…I…I wanted justice for you

so much….That my own trauma clouded your own experience and your own suffering…And

I…I am so sorry.'

Tears dropped down Kate's cheeks now, 'I'm sorry for the way I treated you and I am so sorry

that you didn't get justice.'

El slowly got to her feet and Kate followed. The pair ended up locked in a hug. El wept on

her sister's shoulder and Kate kept a hold of her, uttering how sorry she was and that she was

believed and loved.

Ruby and Jo both got emotional themselves. There was nothing to celebrate here.

Their hug was interrupted by a smug Max. Standing at the end of the corridor, Max fixed his

cuffs and smiled, 'Proven innocent. I told you, I never did anything. She was infatuated with

me.'

Kate released her grip on El and she marched over to Tyler. Quickly, Carmichael and Jo ran

after her.

'Lana!' Carmichael called after her.

Kate got into Max's face, her eyes full of fury, 'You know what you were doing! We all saw it

with our own eyes! How you got away with this, I will never understand, but if you think for

one minute that this is over for you? My son is still out there and he may be a monster, but he

is still protective of his sisters.'

'Oh.' Max laughed, 'So you're threatening me with a serial killer?'

Kate smiled, whilst holding back tears, 'I don't make threats Mr Tyler. I make promises.

You'd better up your security and hope that he doesn't find you. El's sister-'

'Oh!' He laughed, 'Your serial killer daughter? I'm starting to think that everyone in your

family are just cold blooded killers!'

'My kids are. I'm at fault for that, I'll admit. Maybe, for once in their lives, they'll kill for a

good reason.' She sneered, 'I am a being from another world Mr Tyler and I have butchered

millions. Who do you think dropped the atom bomb? I have been on your world for longer

than your pathetic existence. I also served humanity in both wars. Take this as a warning Mr

Tyler.' She smiled, and it quickly dropped, 'I'm not to be fucked with.'

Kate then walked away from him, much to Jo and Carmichael's relief. Carmichael glared at

him, 'Now leave before I arrest you for harassment.'

Deep down, Tyler was terrified, but he nodded and walked off. Never had he felt more

intimidated in his life.

Much later in the evening, Jo decided to stay at Kate's flat after El had requested her to stay.

As far as she was concerned, she needed people around her.

El was nursing a cup of hot chocolate, sitting quietly. She was withdrawn and trying to

understand what went wrong here.

'I…I gave…I gave all of myself to this trial…I might have screwed up at the start but…The

rest of the time, I answered the questions, I complied. There was footage of when he stabbed

me and all he gets is a suspended sentence? Didn't they believe me?' She looked at Kate,

'Did they think I was crazy?'

Kate smiled sadly, 'No one thinks you're crazy. He just…He was able to win over the jury

because he's a sick and twisted man.'

El looked back at Jo, 'Did I let you down?' She looked around all three of them, 'Did I let

you all down?'

All three women gasped and uttered "No" in unison.

'You didn't let anyone down.' Ruby replied softly, 'You did all you could. If anything, you

made us proud. You stood up to that monster and you looked him in the eye.'

'Somehow, that doesn't reassure me.' El said quietly, 'I…I should get in touch with

Maria….Tell her what happened.' Leaning forward, El placed her hot chocolate down on the

table. Looking up at the clock, she saw that the clock struck midnight, 'Halloween is

tomorrow….This all feels like a cruel trick.'

El headed up the stairs and went straight to her room, shutting the door behind her.

Jo and Kate both sighed at the same time.

Kate sat back in the sofa and looked between Ruby and Jo, 'I'll make us a dinner

tomorrow…I think El will want some time to herself, so I'll let her go and get the

ingredients…I don't think she wants us crowding her.'

Jo nervously drummed on her mug, 'What do we do now?'

Kate looked back at her with a straight face, 'I castrate the bastard, rip off his bollocks. If

Billy or Max don't get to him first, that is.'

'Max?' Ruby asked.

Kate pointed at her forehead, 'Telekinesis. She can find him if she really wants to. I don't

really know how powerful Max is…But we all know that she knows what she's doing.'

'I'm surprised you're giving her the time of day.' Jo uttered.

'I'm not, and I never would.' Kate uttered, 'If I could strangle her, I would.'

Ruby huffed, 'Do we only ever solve problems with violence in this house?'

Kate stared at her blankly, 'How do you supposed I deal with a rapist?'

Ruby was speechless, 'I…I think what you're saying is right…It's just…every problem seems

to have a violent solution.' She quickly explained, 'In this instance, it's warranted.'

Kate rubbed her eyes sleepily, 'I'll go and talk to El….' She looked at Jo, 'Blankets are kept

in the airing cupboard-'

'You still have those?' Jo gasped.

'Yes, we still have airing cupboards.' Kate uttered tiredly, getting to her feet, 'Ruby, are you

going to stay down here?'

Ruby nodded, 'Yeah…I'm not too tired yet.'

'Alright then. I'll see you in the morning sweetheart, yeah?'

'Night mum, love you.' Ruby smiled.

'And I love you too.' Kate returned the smile and headed up the stairs, calling back to Jo,

'Night Jo!'

'Night Kate.' Jo called back to her.

Now Ruby and Jo were left alone, they both settled into each other. Ruby settled on Jo's chest

and Jo sat with her, gently stroking her hair.

As she went up the stairs, Kate stopped and looked back at both Ruby and Jo. A pang of guilt

hit her gut. Never had Kate wanted her family back as it was so much. The more she thought

about it, she already did have a family, it just looked a little different to how it did.

The Night She Cracked

After getting into her pyjamas, Kate went to El's room. El had her back to her when she

entered, so she came to sit on the side of her bed. Looking down in her hands, Kate toyed

with the drawstrings on her pyjama bottoms, 'I thought we had this…I wanted justice for

you…We all did…I made it insufferable for you in the beginning…I'll always regret that…

But, you put up a good fight.'

El had been sobbing to herself before Kate entered the room. She was cuddling a teddy bear

and holding onto it for dear life. Quietly, she responded to her, They used my diagnosis

against me…They treated me like I was the criminal and he…He got away with it.' El

sobbed, 'In the eyes of the law, he got away with it!'

Kate sighed gently, 'I know…I'm sorry.'

'Can't he be tried again?'

Kate shook her head, 'Not on the same case.'

'What about double jeopardy?'

Kate sighed gently, 'That applies in American law, and it means exactly the same. Max Tyler

cannot be tried twice for the same crime…I'm sorry.'

Silently, El began to sob once more. She shook as she started crying. Kate put her arm around

her and asked her gently, 'Do you want me to stay with you the night?'

El nodded gently.

'Okay.' Kate sighed softly. Slowly, she got underneath the duvet with her. She put her arms

around her and rested her head on El's shoulder, 'You let me know if I make you feel

uncomfortable okay? I don't ever want to make you feel any pain or make a move that

reminds you of what that monster did to you, okay?'

El nodded and pulled Kate's hand over her shoulder. She wanted comfort and assurance.

After they had fallen into a comfortable silence, El asked Kate quietly, 'What will you do to

him? To him?' She hesitated, 'I know you can be cruel and heartless when needed. I know

how callous you can be. What will you do?'

Kate honestly didn't know how to reply, 'I…I wouldn't kill him…We both know death would

be too good for someone like that. I would make his life hell. Everyone outside of our world

think hell is death but to me, hell is everything but death…I wouldn't give him that mercy.'

El nodded. That's all she needed to know, 'I love you Kate…Even if you are a pain in the

backside sometimes.'

Kate laughed, 'I love you too sis…And if you need anything, you just let me know. I will

always be there for you, no matter what.'

The following morning, El came down the stairs to see Kate still getting ready for work. She

was still walking around wearing a vest, and the tattoo on her back was visible.

Yawning, El walked over to the kitchen area and saw opposite Kate whilst she busied herself

with the laundry.

'Morning.' El uttered.

Kate turned around and smiled, 'Morning poppet. Sleep well?'

'As well as I could.' El shrugged. She looked around, 'When did mom leave?'

'About an hour ago sweetheart. She's got to go to work, and Carmichael wanted to have a

word.'

El nodded. Sleepily, she leaned on her arm, 'I think Ruby and I are going to go out today.'

Kate was more than happy that Ruby wanted to help El get through this by providing a

distraction where she couldn't, 'Really? What are you doing?'

'Ruby wanted to do some crazy golf or something like that.' El sounded glum and

disinterested.

'You don't sound too enthusiastic about it.' Kate commented.

'It's golf.' El shrugged, 'Golf isn't exciting.'

Kate pulled off her vest and grabbed a t-shirt from the dryer. After pulling on her top, she

came to sit opposite El. Gently she sighed, 'Golf can be exciting. Crazy Golf is nothing like

your average golf.'

'I guess…' El sighed. She swallowed the lump in her throat and Kate heard it.

'Hey.' She said softly, 'Things will get better.'

'That should be a mantra.' El commented, 'Because they never do.'

Kate considered her next line of conversation. She could see that El's mental health has

plummeted since the trial, and she could see it clear as day now, 'You fell off the wagon…

You lost control and no one can blame you for that.'

'You did.'

'I was a stupid old woman who made things about herself when I should have seen that you

were struggling too. I will apologize until the end of time to you, if it helps you to get

through this. Things seem dark and hopeless now, but something will come along, be that

someone or time healing…This will get better.' Kate tried to assure her, 'How do you think I

lasted three centuries, eh?' She laughed. Her smile faded and she gently squeezed El's hand,

'All of us are here for you. Go and have a fun day with Ruby. I promise you, you'll have a

great time.'

El's eyes regained a little sparkle, 'Why can't you come?'

'I've got to go to work, unfortunately. You will both make memories together and that's

what's important.' Kate smiled softly. She then looked up and saw Ruby awake and dressed

for the day, 'Speaking of.'

Ruby approached them, 'My ears were burning.'

'We were talking about the fun day you've got ahead.' Kate commented, 'To be honest, I'm a

bit jealous.'

'Next time you have a day off, we should all make a day of it.' Ruby commented, 'We could

bring Jo along too.'

'Sounds fun.' Kate smiled, 'Right…I've got to finish getting dressed…And then I've got to

go to work. You both have a good day though.'

It was around lunch time when Jo felt her stomach going, telling her that she was hungry. She

looked over at Steve Arnott and saw that he had a bowl of sweets at his desk.

With humor, she commented, 'Are you not saving those for the trick or treaters later?'

Steve shrugged, 'I don't do Halloween.'

'Try saying that about your front door. I drove by this morning and saw a pumpkin outside.'

Steve shrugged, 'It's just a pumpkin.'

Jo stood up, 'Kids see the pumpkin and assume that you have sweets to give out. It's basically

an invitation.' She grabbed her bag and her car keys, 'Right, I'm going home for lunch, I'll be

back in about an hour.'

'Alright Jo, see you later.' Steve commented.

Outside, it was a mild, breezy day. Brown leaves blew across the car park and at the bottom

of the tree trunk where Steve died, something happened.

Coming from blackness, a Halloween trick happened. Steve woke up at the sight of where he

died. Slowly coming to, he woke with a gasp. Searching his body, he saw the scars from the

entrance wounds caused by the blade that savagely killed him.

Slowly, he got to his feet. Completely invisible to everyone else, but to himself, he was as he

were when he was alive. A solid being. He didn't know that he had died.

Looking down at his hands and then around himself, Steve could tell that something was off.

He saw a bench that wasn't there before he died. Slowly, he walked around to the front of the

bench and saw a silver engraved plaque. On the plaque was his date of birth and the day he

died, followed with, "He always filled the room with light. His kindness and love with never

be forgotten."

It was then that it hit Steve, 'I'm dead.'

He tried breathing onto his hand, nothing. He felt for a pulse. There was nothing. He then

saw Jo heading to her car.

He tried running over to her, but he hadn't mastered the physics of being solid, so he floated

rather quickly over to her, while shouting her name. Jo could not see or hear him. This felt

horrible. He didn't understand why he was here, but he did know to go home.

Being a ghost, he was faster than Jo. He got home ten minutes before she did. When he

walked in, he could see things were different to when he was last here and he didn't know

how to feel about it.

Still, he floated around the place looking at everything.

He turned around when he heard Jo walk in. He merely watched as she went over to the

kitchen, to grab her lunch from the fridge.

When she turned around, she saw Steve standing there. He was extremely see through, but he

was there. Upon seeing him there, she screamed and then he screamed.

'WAIT! YOU CAN SEE ME?!' Steve shouted.

'YES I CAN SEE YOU!' Jo shouted, 'WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!'

'I DON'T KNOW! I'M WONDERING THE SAME! I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS DEAD

UNTIL I SAW THE BENCH!' He lowered his voice, 'I don't know what's going on.'

Jo walked around, trying not to freak out, 'This is just madness! Maybe I'm going insane.

Finally, I've cracked!' She then had a thought, 'This could be carbon monoxide poisoning.'

Steve crossed his ghost-like arms, 'It could be, but it's not.'

Jo walked over and checked the carbon monoxide detector. She clicked the button and found

out very quickly that she wasn't going insane. After putting the detector back on top of the

fridge, she picked up her phone, 'I'm calling your mother.'

'Don't let me stop you.'

Jo was utterly flabbergasted. He really did look like the Halloween movie definition of a

ghost. He was see through and not a solid structure, not just yet.

Steve found the entire situation barmy too. Never had he seen Jo freak out like this. To him,

his existence felt very real. It was like he never left.

Kate meanwhile was at work, going through some of her own tasks for the day when she saw

that Jo was phoning her. Picking up her phone, she put it to her ear, 'Hello? Don't tell me, the

electric has tripped and you can't find the fuse?'

Jo snapped, 'No! It's um…It's Steve.'

Kate frowned, 'Arnott? What has he done now? I told him to share his sweets with you, if he

isn't then punch him.'

'It's not Steve Arnott. It's our Steve. The dead one.'

'Bit insensitive given it's Halloween an' all-'

'He's here.'

Kate's hearts skipped a beat, 'What do you mean, "He's here"?'

'He's a ghost and he's standing right in front of me.'

Kate leaned back in her chair and sighed dramatically, 'Oh my god, you've finally cracked.'

She leaned forward at her desk, 'Have you checked the carbon monoxide detector?'

'That was the first thing I checked and it works fine! Just get your arse here!'

The call abruptly ended and Kate stared at her phone, frowning. This was not how she

expected her day to go.

At least Ruby and El were having a nice day, blissfully unaware of the drama that was

unfolding.

When Kate arrived at Jo's, walking into the living room, she sighed loudly, 'I was in the

middle of something. Seriously, if you're wasting my time-' When she looked over, she saw

Steve hovering there. Her hearts dropped in her chest., 'Are you sure you checked the carbon

monoxide detector?'

Jo grumbled, 'You are the more intelligent one out of the both of us. You know that carbon

monoxide poisoning takes longer than you stepping through the door to start suffering from

hallucinations.'

Steve protested, 'I'm not a hallucination! I'm literally right here in front of you. I don't know

if I should be offended.'

Jo walked over to Kate, 'There's another thing.'

Kate was mortified, 'There's more?'

'The longer he is here, he is becoming less see-through and more solid.'

Kate nodded slowly and wandered over to him. As she stopped in front of Steve, she looked

into his eyes. She swallowed the lump in her throat, 'This isn't a trick?'

Steve shook his head and answered honestly, 'No ma' I'm here. Going by what mom said, I

died that day. I don't…I remember that I saw Max…And I saw Nikki….In what I thought

were my last moments, I…I…I don't know…I tried to regenerate, to change and I couldn't.'

Kate nodded. When she spoke, her voice cracked, 'I know you did…'

'In my last moments, I thought about each and every one of you.' He looked between Jo and

Kate, 'Skye and Nancy…El…I thought about all of you.' He then hesitated, 'What of Max?

How, how long is she in jail for?'

'She's got about 13, maybe fifteen years left…It's…It's been a few years since you passed

away…' Kate replied, 'But I ended up in prison as well because of how much I protected

her…I failed in my duty as a mother and as a police officer.'

'But you've learned from that.' Steve replied, 'If it helps, I'm dead. It doesn't matter now.

There's no point in dwelling on it.'

'But the question is why? Why are you here?'

Jo walked over to them and frowned, 'Could this be the Doctor's doing?'

Kate shrugged, 'I think the rift is open, and that's not a good thing.'

Steve itched his nose nervously, 'The…The rift? What's that?'

'A doorway to the universe, space and time. Basically, if it is open, it means all sorts of

nasties can come through. Things that shouldn't be in this reality, and the longer it is open, the

more you're able to take a physical form.'

Jo was horrified, 'But if it is closed-'

'If the rift closes, Steve goes back to where he came from…Wherever it is that he did come

from.' Kate explained.

Steve tried to laugh it off, 'At least I'll be able to say goodbye properly. If I get to see Nancy

and Skye one last time that would be great.'

'I don't know if she's working today.' Jo commented, 'I could give her a call and see if she

can bring the kids round.'

It took a moment, but the moment Steve realized what she said, his eyes widened, 'Kids?

Kids as in plural?!'

'About that.' Kate replied, 'The day that you died…Nancy found out she was pregnant.'

'Oh boy.' Steve gasped, running his hands down his face.

'Funny you should say that.' Jo commented, 'She did have a boy, he's called Thomas. He is

very much like you. Your double.'

Steve doubled over, 'I think I need a sit down.'

'Well, can you?' Kate asked.

'The longer I stay here, I might be able to eventually.' Steve replied sarcastically, 'Any other

bombshells while I'm here?' He looked around and noticed a lack of pictures on the wall,

'Actually, where are Nikki and Jasmine?'

Kate and Jo exchanged glances. Kate then responded, 'You're going to need to sit down.'

Jo had made both her and Kate a cup of tea. She brought them over and placed them on top

of the coffee table. During the last ten minutes, Steve's form had become more solid. Kate

was leaning forward on the sofa when she addressed Steve again, 'Maybe you could try

sitting down now?'

Nervously, Steve walked over to one of the sofas and sat down. Somehow he managed to not

fall through it. He laughed nervously, 'I was half expecting to fall through this.'

'Yeah…The more time passes, the more solid you become. Like I said, the rift is open, and

the difference between reality and not reality is bleeding through.'

'Are you saying I'm not real?'

'I'm not saying that you're not real. I'm seeing reality.' Kate was firm, 'The reality is, you

being here is bad news. If you were real I'd be happier, but you can forgive me for being

suspicious.'

Jo gave Kate. Side-eye, 'Could you calm down for a moment? Our son is back from the dead.

Even after the life you've led, could you not be suspicious for five minutes?'

'I have to be suspicious!' Kate snapped. She then searched her jacket and pulled out the sonic

screwdriver that had belonged to her mother.

Jo hissed at her, 'Seriously?!'

Steve jumped in, 'Mom let her scan away, if it helps her to feel better and safe, then let her.'

As Kate clicked the button of the sonic, the emitter and chamber lit up purple.

Steve joked, 'That was yellow before.'

Kate pulled the screwdriver back and read it with confusion on her face, 'I personalized it…

And these readings…They say there is something and nothing at the same time. By definition

Steve, you do not exist.'

'And the something?'

'I don't know.' Kate commented. She put the screwdriver away, 'Anyway, your children.'

'I…I have two?'

Jo jumped in, 'You do. Nancy has been a wonderful mother to them both.'

'I would expect nothing less.' Steve smiled, 'Do you have any photos?'

Jo pulled out her phone from her pocket and showed him a photo of her and the two children.

She could see immediately, the pride in Steve's face, 'They are your babies.' He looked at

Skye, 'She is beautiful…She's in year one now right?'

Jo nodded, 'She is. Nancy is coming round with them soon, so you can meet your little boy.'

In the corner of his eye, Steve could see that Kate was looking at him with immense

suspicion. He couldn't help but snap at her, 'I have no idea why I'm here! I thought you of all

people would be happy that I'm back!'

'You're dead Steve! As far as I'm aware, the dead don't come back! The rift is open and if it is

open, we are all in trouble! Reality itself could be at stake!' Kate got to her feet, 'I'm sorry, I

can't play happy families with my dead son! I spent the last couple of years grieving you! I'm

not doing it again!'

Kate stormed out of the room, bumping into Nancy and the kids on the way out. Upon seeing

the children, she smiled at them, 'Hey kiddos! Your Gran has a surprise for you.'

Nancy could tell that something was wrong, 'Kate…What's going on?'

'Just prepare yourself, yeah? This won't end well, so don't get your hopes up.'

Nancy's gut dropped, 'What won't end well?'

Kate put her hand on Nancy's cheek and rubbed it gently, giving her a small smile, 'This

Halloween miracle isn't all it seems. Just…' She took a breath, 'Say your goodbyes,

properly.' Without a further word, Kate left the house.

Nancy walked on through with the kids. When she walked into the living room, her gut

dropped once more. Steve was sitting there, looking very real. There was a sheen of what

seemed like cloud. He seemed almost misty.

When Steve looked up, there was a sparkle in his eye almost immediately. When he got to his

now solidly formed feet, he couldn't help but smile at her, 'Nancy.'

Reunited in Death

Nancy was completely speechless. She thought someone was playing a cruel trick on her.

Immediately, she looked over to Jo, heavily suspicious, 'What is this? A Halloween trick?

This is cruel Kate and you know it!'

Jo struggled for an answer, 'No, this, this isn't a trick. Kate gave it an explanation. She said

something about a rift being open. A rift in time and space which is allowing for this to

happen. Steve is here, you're looking at him.'

Nancy looked over at Steve. She was in awe and shock. Tears formed in her eyes, but she

struggled to get her head around it, 'How can you be here?'

Steve shrugged, 'I don't know…'

'Can I…Touch you?'

'Not yet. Like mom said, the longer the rift is open, the more solid of a form I become…But

it isn't permanent.' Steve explained, 'I suppose I got given the chance to say goodbye on my

own terms.'

'You can't go…You…You have children. I wasn't ready to let you go the first time, what

makes you think I'll be able to let go now?'

Steve looked over her shoulder at Skye and Thomas. He then looked back at her, 'You've

done an incredible job. I always knew you were an incredible mom and you've proved me

right. I am so proud of you.'

'There is so much I've wanted to talk to you about-'

'And I've been keeping my eye on you.' He said softly, 'You think I could ever leave you all

behind even in death?' He glanced back at Jo, 'The way I see it, I've been given another

chance to give you all peace. What Max did…Is simply unforgivable…She took my life and

if I could get my revenge, I would…But I would make myself as bad as her. All of you, I bet,

all of you have spent pointless time arguing about who is to blame for what happened to me.'

Steve laughed, but it was empty, 'I can see it in your faces. All of you argued over who is to

blame for what happened to me. It wasn't mom, it…' He looked over at Jo and walked over

to her, 'I know you blame yourself because I was meant to meet you for coffee to make

things right…But you're not to blame. How were you to know that Max was going to be

lurking in the shadows ready to kill me?'

Jo swallowed the lump in her throat, 'If I hadn't-'

'Don't.' Steve said firmly. His voice then softened, 'You didn't know. You didn't know. Please

stop blaming yourself. I don't ever want any of you blaming each other for what happened to

me. The only person to blame is the one that shoved the knife in my chest and killed me.

Max. Max did this, no-one else. Forgive yourself mom, please.'

Jo held back tears as she looked into Steve's eyes. She needed to hear this.

'If I could hug you right now, I swear, I won't let you go.' Jo laughed sadly.

Steve chuckled, 'Once I've got a solid form, there will be hugs all round.' He gave Jo a small

wink, 'I love you mom.'

'And I love you.' Jo laughed sadly.

Steve turned around to Nancy and then he looked at the kids. Crouching down to them, he

smiled, 'Hello. I'm your daddy. You can't hug me yet, but that's okay.' He looked at Skye,

'Look at you!' He beamed, 'You've grown so much!'

Skye smiled, 'Daddy!'

'That's me! I am your daddy and I've missed you so much!' He smiled. He then looked at

Thomas, 'I'm your daddy. We haven't met each other yet because I had to go away. I might

have to go away again, but it is very nice to meet you. What is your name?'

Thomas nervously shuffled to Nancy and stood behind her leg.

Nancy crouched to him, 'It's okay, he's your daddy.'

Thomas was incredibly shy. He could tell that there was something off about Steve, he just

couldn't place it, 'Are you…Are you dead?'

That was such an unexpected response. Still, Steve nodded, 'Yes…I am…A Halloween

miracle has happened…It means that I was able to come and see you. Is that okay?'

Thomas nodded, 'Yes…'

Steve smiled, 'That's good. Is your little sister looking after you?'

Again Thomas nodded.

Nancy interrupted Thomas, 'Why don't you go and play with your toys while me, daddy and

Grandma talk?'

Steve watched the kids as they went off to play. He stood straighter and put his hands on his

hips, 'Anyway, Jasmine and Nikki, what happened to them?'

Jo suddenly felt really nervous, 'Why don't we wait until your mum comes back?'

'Why?'

Nancy answered, 'It's a long story.'

Jo nervously rubbed her hands together. She honestly thought that the dirty laundry had

finally been aired. It turns out that it needed to go through the wash again and be hung out to

dry. She smiled sheepishly, 'I'll make a fresh pot of tea…El should be home soon after a day

out with her sister.'

Steve's face lit up, 'You or mom both had another kid?'

Nancy interrupted, 'Again, we'll wait until Jo has made a fresh pot of tea. Why don't you

watch the kids play and talk to them for a bit?'

Steve was confused, but he went along with it, nodding slowly, 'Okay.'

A short while later, Kate returned. When she walked in, she saw Steve playing with the

grandkids, playing with some small cars. In the time she was gone, he'd gained a full,

physical form. Seeing him there made it feel like he had never left. It was surreal and it broke

her at the same time. She saw Nancy sitting on the sofa beside Jo while the kids played with

their dad. It warmed her to see the kids so happy, especially Skye.

'Ruby and El are going to be home soon.' Kate announced as she walked in. Steve looked up

at her. Giving her a small smile, he told the kids to play nicely for a minute while he went to

speak to their grandma. He then got up and walked over to her. Naturally, he was full of

concern and spoke to her quietly when he reached her.

'Mom, are you alright? You left earlier and I was a bit worried.'

Kate gave him a small smile, 'I got a bit overwhelmed, that's all son. I'm sure you can

understand that?'

Steve nodded, 'Of course, of course.' Instinctively, he placed his arms gently on Kate's upper

arms. It hadn't registered to him that he'd been able to touch things without his hands going

through them, up until this point, 'Hey mom..'

Kate frowned, 'What?'

'I can touch. Look! I'm touching you with my hands, without them going through you!' He

was so excited about this. Never had he been more excited to feel real up until now.

Kate pulled him into a hug and held tightly onto him, 'You're back! Oh my-' She felt so

relieved. Kate had wanted to hold Steve again for such a long time and now he was holding

her, it felt incredible. Taking in every moment, Kate breathed him in, taking in his scent. His

aftershave somehow managed to make the return journey to the land of the living as well.

She wasn't sure how that worked, but she wasn't going to question it.

Eventually, Steve released his grip on Kate and went straight over to Jo. He promised them

hugs and now he was giving them all round. For Jo, the feeling of holding Steve was pretty

much the same as it was for Kate. A relief, and it was needed.

'I love you mom.' Steve uttered quietly as he held onto her.

Jo couldn't help but feel her emotions overwhelm her as she kept a tight grip on him. The

guilt she still has from the day he died was slowly but surely melting away, just by having

him here. Teary eyed, Jo simply replied, 'I love you too son, never forget that.'

Steve gave Jo a quick kiss on the cheek. He held her for a moment longer and then he turned

his attention to Nancy. When he came to stand in front of her, his no longer beating hearts

melted at the sight of her, 'I would love to kiss you right now.' He laughed.

'I'm not sure how kissing a dead guy in front of his mom's would go, or what it would be

like.' Nancy teased.

'There is only one way to find out.' Steve smirked. Gently, he put his hand on her neck and

pulled her in for a kiss. It was gentle and sensitive. It was clear how much they missed each

other because despite Kate and Jo being present, everything around Steve and Nancy seemed

to face into the distance. It was as if it was only them in the room.

While watching though, Kate's guy twisted and turned. She knew this was wrong. Steve

being here was all types of wrong and it left her with a bad taste in her mouth.

After they kissed, Steve gave Nancy a long hug and they both laughed together. It was like

they hadn't been parted at all, and that was the tragic thing for Kate to witness.

Moments later, the living room door opened and El announced that she was back. Kate had

messaged her to head straight to Jo's so they did. After putting their coats on the rack, El

headed into the living room, but froze to the spot when she spotted Steve. She couldn't be

sure if it was her schizophrenia acting up.

Kate saw it in her face immediately. Steve was confused as to why El would freeze, but he

was also so happy to see her.

Walking over to El, Kate stood in front of her and smiled gently, 'It's okay El, you're not

hallucinating this time. You're not going to have a fit, okay? Your brother…He's here, but it's

only temporary…A rift has opened in the space, time Continuum which is allowing for your

brother to be here. Half an hour ago, he literally looked like a ghost. The longer the rift stays

open, the more of a physical form he takes…But it's not permanent.'

El nodded in understanding, but her brain was imploding with trying to comprehend what

was happening.

Steve decided to break the ice. Slowly, he approached her but stopped a few meters away.

Gently he spoke to her, giving her a small smile, 'Hey Squishy. It's me…I'm really here.'

The pair of them got choked up now. It was hitting El that this was real and she began to

break down. Steve got emotional too. Eventually, El ran over to him and hugged him tightly.

Though the force of her hitting him knocked him to his knees, he held onto her as she sobbed

over his shoulder, 'I'm here. I've missed you.'

El sobbed hard, 'I missed you so much! You weren't here when I needed you the most. I

know it wasn't your fault, but I really needed you.'

'I know.' Steve sighed. Somehow a tear found its way running down his cheek, 'But I'm here

now. I'm here.' He kissed her cheek, 'We need to have a catch up. You need to tell me

everything that's been going on so I can help you, alright?'

Jo and Kate looked at each other. They knew it wouldn't bode well if Steve learned

everything that had happened with El.

After releasing his grip on El, Steve looked over at Ruby and frowned in confusion. He

looked between Jo and Kate, 'So, where's the baby?'

Kate was incredibly confused, 'The baby?'

Steve nodded, putting his hands on his hips, 'Yeah, you said something about El hanging out

with her sister today, she'd be what? Two? Three? I must admit, I do find it odd that you

would both have another kid…I'm surprised you sorted the crap out between each other and

that you got back together.' He then shrugged and then he looked and spoke to Kate,

'Although, this young lady looks more like you mom, than what El does.' He looked at El,

'Sorry El.'

Jo looked mortified, as did Kate.

'You would be forgiven for believing that your mother and I had another child.' Kate tried to

explain, 'Well, we sort of did, but not…Not in the way that you think.'

'What…What do you mean?' Steve laughed nervously.

Kate walked over to Ruby. She had no idea how to say this, 'On one of the worst days of my

life…Not only did I learn that Jo had been having an affair with Nikki since before your

death.' She breathed, 'I learned that I had a daughter that I never knew existed. The comment

you said about this young lady looking more like me than El does? That's because…These

two were swapped at birth.'

Kate could see the cogs turning in Steve's head. She continued on, 'Steve, El is your auntie.'

Steve's eyes widened. He looked at El and then back at Kate, 'So…So…What?' Now he

frowned, 'You're El's sister and not her mom?'

Kate nodded, 'Exactly that.'

'But who is El's mom?'

Kate sounded so disappointed, 'My mum…Your grandma…And Grandpa now…It's

confusing.'

'You're telling me.' He chuckled. He then looked at Ruby, 'Well, I'm glad that we clarified

who you were because…Well.'

Jo glared at him, 'You're asking for a slap.'

'I'm just saying-'

Kate glared at him now, 'Well stop saying. Ruby is your sister.'

'And I'm glad I know that now! You could have told me this information before.' Steve

protested.

Ruby stepped forward and laughed sheepishly, 'It's okay. Your parents, our parents are never

really good at sharing information when needed.' She then frowned, 'I thought you were

dead?'

'I am. Mom explained it as a rift in space and time has opened which means that I've been

able to come through that bleed.' He explained, 'It's just as weird for me as it is for you.' He

smiled. Steve then walked forward and gave her a hug, 'Welcome to the family.'

Ruby chuckled as she held onto him, 'It's not every day you meet your dead brother.'

'Absolutely not.' Steve smiled. When he stepped away, he stared at Jo, 'Hang on. You…You

had a very long affair with Nikki?! Do you never learn? I mean, I can imagine what it must

have been like in that room that day.'

'Yes, it was humiliating and I'd much rather forget about it.' Jo said firmly, 'I really would.'

'But you cheated, again.' Steve protested, 'When did that affair start?'

'Does it matter?' Jo protested.

'Yes, it does.'

'I've been through this with your mother, I'm not doing it again!' Jo snapped at him, 'It

happened, that's all there is to know.'

'You cheated! Again! Damn! You just can't keep your hands to yourself!'

Jo walked over to him and got into his face, 'AND NEITHER COULD YOUR MOTHER!

YOU THINK IT ENDED WITH ME AND NIKKI BEDDING EACH OTHER?!'

Steve was angry, but even he was taken aback by Jo losing her temper. It really was like he

never left.

'KATE AND I HAVE HAD SEX SINCE! SO DON'T YOU DARE JUDGE ME! YOU'VE

BEEN DEAD THE LAST FEW YEARS, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!'

Steve replied calmly, 'You were having an affair with Nikki before I died…You waited up

until mom was going to get married for the truth to come out.'

'I hate to break it to you sunshine, but it wasn't me that told the congregation.' Jo seethed,

'That was your auntie El. She was the one who showed everyone pictures of me and Nikki

having sex together. She was the one who took photos of private moments. I'm not saying

that makes it right what I did, but for her to do that, to me?'

'She outed your affair, I don't see a problem with that.' Steve shrugged, 'Maybe the way she

did it wasn't very well timed, but maybe she felt like she couldn't tell mom because she didn't

want to ruin her big day. If being dead has taught me one thing, it's that those who do the

deed are the ones responsible. El didn't make you have that affair with Nikki, you did. You

and Nikki alone.'

Steve paced for a moment. He then smiled, 'This is supposed to be a happy occasion. I'm

back from the dead…For however long…I'm not going to dwell on your crappy actions.

Instead, I'm going to talk to all of you. I'm just going to forget this conversation ever

happened.' He then looked at Kate, 'Could you make another pot of tea please? We can start

this conversation again.' He looked over at Ruby, 'And I want to get to know my sister.'

El stepped in. Despite hating the arguments, and because everyone was airing their laundry,

she decided that Steve needed to know what was and what had happened to her, 'Steve,

there's something else.'

The panic in Kate and Jo's eyes was unmeasured. Kate jumped in, 'Maybe your brother is

right El, yeah? We don't need anymore arguments.'

'Oh, so it's okay for you and Jo to air your laundry, but I can't tell Steve about my struggle

with a crippling drug addiction? The fact that, that very same drug addiction was used against

me in court after I was sexually assaulted?! I needed him more than ever at that point in my

life, but no, you two are still so selfish!'

Steve felt like he had whiplash. He looked between Jo and Kate, 'She what?'

Nancy came to stand in the doorway. The silence was deafening and she could see the fury in

Steve's eyes.

Kate tried to step in, 'Steve-'

'No.' Steve sneered, 'Were neither of you going to mention this?! It's something I need to

know! I don't care if I'm dead! Now someone else is going to end up like me as well!'

'No, they're not!' Kate snapped at him, 'Like you said, you're dead! Imagine how bad it

would be if the perpetrator saw you?!'

Steve laughed, 'And you! The woman who committed a mass genocide, you're telling me not

to go and kill the guy that did THAT?! I knew you'd gone soft Kate but-'

Kate raised her voice now, 'Don't you dare, don't you dare! I am biding my time. You think

I'm not extremely pissed off about what he did?! OF COURSE I AM! DEATH IS TOO

GOOD FOR SOMEONE LIKE THAT! I'm going to tear his bollocks off, but I have to give

it time before I do anything!'

El stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her. Becoming emotionally

overwhelmed, she couldn't stay and listen to this any longer.

Please drop by the Archive and comment to let the creator know if you enjoyed their work!