#you can see him turn in on himself slightly especially if he’s arguing with arlo

[gingerwerk]

I know I’ve said it before but one of my favorite things Timothy does is how instantly he makes raylan act irritated/upset when he’s around arlo, regardless of the context of their conversation

[alienduckpond]

Getting Home - pt 4 - Ginger

Part 1 Arlo / Part 3 Oaks / 

-~-

Ginger leaned back against Sarah as she shifted slightly, trailing off into sleepy mumbles while pulling Ginger tighter against her chest. Ginger laughed softly when a soft puff of air tickled her neck as Sarah breathed out, her nose having pushed past the scarf she was wearing to settle against her skin. She moved her hand inside the sleeve of Sarah's coat to gently stroke her wrist, and looked out over the water towards the harbour, humming quietly as she enjoyed the quiet tranquillity of the snowy evening.

Spending time with Sarah was nice. She had a way with words which made everything she said seem so vibrant. Every story she told sounding so exciting and incredible. With all of her adventures here in Portia with giant talking rats, collapsed tunnels, or dangerous AI’s in ruins, and then her tales from her time in Barnarock, she included details most others didn’t think worth mentioning. Details which added layers to every scene she described and made Ginger feel like she had actually been there with her.

Like today’s story, from her childhood in Barnarock. Despite the chill in the air, the overcast sky, and piles of snow around them, Ginger had closed her eyes and fallen into the world Sarah painted. A world of hot sands, and constantly shifting dunes surrounding the small town she’d lived in. Of dry heat and shimmering mirages under the sweltering midday sun. Of the oasis she used to visit with her friends. Of the colours and sounds and scents and the people she’d left behind. Of the spicy foods native to the country, that Ginger now wanted to try despite disliking them in general.

A world Ginger would never be able to visit for many reasons, but now felt the slightest part closer to.

She turned her head to rub her cheek against her sleeping friends, keeping her eyes on the lighthouse, enjoying the way the rotating light illuminated the falling snow. The muffled sounds of the people there still working so late in the day rolled across the open water between them, mingling with the sounds of Gust moving around and muttering as he worked next to them under the large tree.

She glanced over at Gust, grumbling quietly as he tried to shift the lamp so he could see his sketch-book but not blind her. Her brother was so kind to her, indulging her whims to spend time outside in the fresh air when she could.

He seemed to feel her watching him, and looked across at her, and groaned as his eyes settled on Sarah draped over her back. But she simply smiled a little as she raised her finger to her lips. His face took on a fondly irritated expression as he looked between them, before turning away and reaching for his bag.

“I’ve told you before about letting her sleep out here when it’s snowing,” he grumbled, quietly enough to not wake her before he started to put his sketch-book away. “It’s one thing in the other seasons, but you’ll both get sick if you aren’t careful.”

“You don't need to worry so much, we’re keeping each other warm,” she answered quietly, letting go of Sarah’s wrist to pull her hand out and reach back and tug the blanket wrapped around them more firmly in place. “And you don’t need to stop, I’m happy to sit here a while longer.”

“Well I’m not. I’m cold and tired, and since you aren’t going to let me wake her up,” he paused, turning again to raise his brows as she giggled softly and shook her head. “I’m the one who has to carry her home.”

Ginger let her smile grow as Gust put away the rest of his things, starting to unwrap Sarah from around her. It wasn’t easy, since Sarah was a very huggy person when like this, and she didn’t make much progress until Gust started helping her, holding Sarah’s wrists and then wrapping them tightly against her with the blanket. Ginger sighed softly when she saw Gust was wearing his bag already, leaving her only the lamp to carry.

She pulled her gloves on while he finished cocooning Sarah in the blanket and picked her up, carrying her in his arms and letting her head rest on his shoulder. For all his complaints and grumblings about looking after Sarah, he really was terribly kind to her too. He always let her sleep, instead of waking her up like he used to threaten when it first started happening over the Summer. He never complained when she talked to him, actually seeming interested in what she had to say. And recently he’d been bringing three cups with her thermos of hot chocolate, instead of only the two like he’d done all last Autumn and Winter.

She lifted the lamp to light the path as they started walking along the road next to the water. The thin layer of snow that had settled crunched under their boots, seeming overly loud when compared to how muted everything else was. She watched carefully as small flurries danced across the road, covering the bumps and dips in an almost flat layer of white. While she knew where most of the uneven parts were from her nightly walks, the long haul buses that drove along this stretch of road sometimes altered things, and she didn’t want Gust to trip and hurt himself, or drop Sarah.

She stopped as they approached the path that lead up to Portia’s gates, a faint sound she couldn’t quite identify making her lift the lamp higher and stare at the shadows moving over the edge of the small rise of the corner. While Portia was mostly safe, monsters did occasionally approach town. She glanced up at Gust, who had stopped next to her and was frowning, before he rolled his eyes and started walking again.

“It’s a horse, so one of the Corps,” he muttered only just loud enough for her to hear, resettling Sarah in his arms so she was more firmly against his chest. “I hope it’s not Arlo, I’m in no mood to deal with his posturing tonight.”

Ginger covered her mouth as she giggled, stepping quickly to catch up and walk by his side again. The sounds grew louder as whoever it was drew closer, the quiet clop of hooves and snorts of breath becoming clearer until they reached the junction at the same time as the rider.

It was Arlo, whose horse Spacer snorted and flicked his ears when he was pulled to a stop, before reaching his head forward to snuffle at Sarah.

“Has she fallen asleep out here again?” Arlo asked, sounding fondly frustrated as he gazed at her curled up in Gust’s arms, and Ginger had to bite her lip and duck her head. It was very unlike Arlo to skip pleasantries like that, especially with her brother. “She really needs to get Xu to find out what’s wrong. Thank you for getting her this far, you can pass her up here, and I'll get her hom-”

“That won’t be necessary thank you Captain,” Gust clipped out, and Ginger looked back up just in time to see Arlo sit up straight in his saddle and smooth the surprise from his face. “I am perfectly capable of carrying her the rest of the way to her home, since we are already heading that way, and you were clearly on your way somewhere else.”

She watched as Arlo spluttered, obviously taken aback by her brother’s bluntness.

“Don’t worry Arlo,” she said quietly, trying not to let her amusement show. “I have a key to her house, so we’ll be able to get her inside safely.”

His eyes finally flickered towards her, and she smiled up at him as his cheeks darkened from cold tinged pink, to bright blushing red.

“Ah, hello Ginger, I didn’t see you there.”

She gave a small wave to him as Gust scoffed loudly, rolling not only his eyes but his whole head. Arlo was shifting uncomfortably, looking between her and Sarah in Gust’s arms. He threw a brief glare at Gust, before his head dropped forward with a sigh, obviously unable to argue against the logic of what they’d said.

“I, I suppose I’d best be on my way then,” he said, resigned. He met her eye and spoke kindly to her, and she got the impression he was pretending Gust wasn’t there anymore. “Be careful on the path, there are patches of ice under some of the snow that are slippery.”

“Yes, thank you Captain, because we’ve never walked along this stretch in the snow before,” Gust drawled sarcastically. “Come along Ginger, I’d like to get Sarah tucked in her bed before she starts to freeze.”

Ginger bit the inside of her cheek as Gust strode off ahead, head held high and either not noticing or not caring how Arlo’s head whipped round to follow him, or the way his jaw dropped open in shock. She reached out to pat the top of Spacer’s nose a few times, before she followed her brother, nodding up at Arlo as she passed.

“Good evening Arlo, I hope your patrol is uneventful,” she told him mildly, and tried her best to ignore his splutters as she carefully stepped in Gust’s shoeprints in the snow. She waited until the sound of Spacer’s muffled hooves started to echo through the still air again before bringing her hand up to cover her mouth, letting her giggles escape into the fabric of her glove.

Gust had stopped a little ways ahead, waiting for her with a half scowl, half smug look on his face. He lifted a brow at her, and she shook her head and tutted to playfully admonish him.

He rolled his eyes again, a slight blush on his cheeks as he turned and continued up the path, rubbing his cheek against the top of Sarah’s head in an unconscious gesture of affection. He knew just as well as she did about Arlo’s feelings towards Sarah, and to deliberately wind the Captain up with his choice of words had been mean. Especially when Arlo hadn't realised yet that Gust saw her more as another younger sister to dote on, rather than someone to romance. And protect from the idiots who clearly weren’t good enough for her if they couldn’t even ask her on a date properly she’d heard him mutter more than once. 

She found the whole affair rather amusing to watch really. Sarah was so loved by everyone in town, and yet she seemed oblivious to it all. The way the older people fussed and doted on her, slipping her extra goods and commission fees, sending her gifts in the mail, making sure she was eating enough. And then the way some of the young people pined after her, with longing glances and flustered smiles, becoming tongue tied when she so much as smiled at them.

Arlo was better at hiding it when she was awake, acting the part of polite Captain, but anyone who saw him asking or chasing after Sarah, or bringing her home late at night, could see how truly smitten he was. But that might end up working against him she mused as they approached the edge of Sarah's fence.

Especially when compared to Oaks, who had taken to giving her bundles of flowers and carved charms, not caring who was around to see. Mint was constantly finding ways to spend time with her, despite the lack of new projects. Sarah had mentioned that Xu was calling her to the clinic more often lately, only for them to end up eating a meal together instead of running tests to discover the cause of her sleepiness. And Ginger had noticed Mei becoming less subtle and more outrageous with her flirts, and Alice asking her for help with her story more often, and for more intimate scenes.

Yes, she thought, as she opened the gate for Gust. It was all rather amusing indeed.

And she was truly looking forward to seeing what all of Sarah’s suitors would do next.

Part 5 - Remington

[legxllyblxndc]

hayes family dinner ( @foreverwednesday​ )

EH GCH WH BC AM MS AG: "Mum! Noah's in my seat!" Nancy whined into the kitchen, attempting to shove her brother out of the chair she usually sat in at dinnertime for the third time. "Mum!" She shouted through, wanting her mum to come in and tell him to move - it had always been this way at dinnertimes, although as the two of them got older it was becoming less frequent to have everybody around this table. They'd tried to make the effort since Elias had died, though. "Would you please just move? You know I like sitting here!" She told him, sighing dramatically. She always liked sitting next to her grandma Grace at these dinners and she knew her brother knew that.

EH GCH WH BC AM MS AG: Freddie groaned as Noah and Nancy continued to bicker, taking a gulp of his water and shaking his head. "Will you two stop pratting around?" He snapped, looking at them with an annoyed expression. "Just sit somewhere else." He wasn't usually quite this irritable, but he'd not had a lot to drink today, knowing he had this dinner to come to - and he and Dawn had argued right before he'd come to the dinner. "And don't ask me to take my hat off, before you start." He told Grace with narrowed eyebrows. "I'm cold. It's staying on." He'd only served to get more grumpy as he got older. He did enjoy these dinners with his family, he liked getting to see them all together... Sometimes it was just hidden by the moodiness.

EH GCH WH BC AM MS AG: "Noah, just move!" Ava called from the kitchen with a groan, trying to dish everything up as quickly as she could because she knew people would be getting impatient. "Dinner will be ten minutes, maximum!" She called through, stopping to take a sip of her wine and wipe her forehead with the back of her hand. She loved these dinners, she loved getting to see her kids properly and speak to her nephew too - but it was always a little stressful when they started bickering. Especially since she knew Freddie would be grumpy about it. Things had been even more stressful lately, because Noah had been so adamant about her giving him his birth certificate - they had managed to avoid this so many times in the past and she was sure they'd be able to find a way around it this time, too... But it didn't mean it wasn't stressful for her. "Does anybody need a new drink?" She called, raising an eyebrow.

FH AH AG NH AG: Arlo kept his eyes on the table in front of him, his foot tapping the floor moodily as he listened to everything going on around him. He was keeping his word, he hadn't spoken to or even looked at Iris properly, but it was hard. He wanted to. At stuff like this, the two of them would usually be non-stop chattering and he felt like everything was totally different now because of it. He sighed and looked to his mum, before he looked back at the table. He didn't really want to be there anymore and he really hoped it didn't last as long as these dinners usually did. He just wanted to be at home, where he didn't have to be reminded of how badly he'd messed up constantly.

FH AH AG NH AG: Aaron looked sadly at his son; he knew how downhearted he felt about everything, how much he regretted what he'd done to Iris... And although he didn't blame her, he did wish that she would be able to find forgiveness for him. He loved him so much, he just wanted the best for him. He didn't want things to be awkward though, so he was attempting to keep things bright. "So, Bri - how's Johnny doing?" He smiled across the table, raising an eyebrow. He'd always gotten along with Johnny and he thought he was really good for both Bridie and Iris.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: "No! Tell her to get her own seat! I was here first!" Noah snapped. He was in a bad mood. Partly because Nancy was being annoying and his mum was taking her side, partly because he hadn't been able to get out of the family dinner but mostly because his mum was being so annoying and wouldn't give him his birth certificate. He had lost his job. He needed his certificate to be able to try and get another one. He didn't understand why she was being so stubborn about it. "I'm not fucking moving!" Noah snapped, shaking his head. "Go and sit next to Iris, maybe she'll stop looking so miserable."

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Grace took a big gulp off her wine as she had to sit and listen to Noah and Nancy bickering. She loved them. She loved being a grandma but they were annoying her today. "Noah, will you please move." Grace tried, for the third time. She was getting really sick of his attitude and if she was honest, being so close to Noah hurt. He reminded her so much of Elias. "I wasn't going to say anything, Freddie." Grace muttered, shaking her head as she looked away from him. They were much closer now than they used to be but she didn't think that he could get away talking to her like that.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Although Jude enjoyed spending time with his family, it was nights like this which wound him up a little bit. "Noah!" Jude snapped, getting really frustrated that he wasn't listening to anyone. "Don't talk to your mother like that. Get up. Sit over there!" Once he had moved - huffing and puffing as he went - he stood up then and moved to the kitchen to grab himself a drink. He smiled at Ava a little, "Are you okay?" He asked her. He knew that she was a little stressed out today and he wanted to be able to help her.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: "You're cold?" Alba asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked to her dad. "Can I put the heating up a little, Ava?" She still did whatever she could to make sure that her dad was okay. She was pretty sure that he was going downhill slowly and she wasn't completely sure how to fix it. Alba had made sure to sit next to her son at the dinner table, wanting to make sure that he knew she was there if he needed someone. She didn't like how Iris was treating him. He had made a mistake, she didn't think it was fair to make him suffer. "Do you want another drink, Arlo?" She asked her son, smiling slightly.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Iris rolled her eyes as she heard Noah, "Shut up." She growled at him. This was why she didn't want to be here. She knew that she wouldn't enjoy herself and she would just bring the mood down. If she hadn't promised Arlo that she would be there, she wouldn't have gone at all. She just wanted to stay at home, order takeaway and eat her body weight in ice cream. "Could I have more wine, please, Ava?" She asked, calling over to the older woman. She knew that she couldn't get drunk - not at something like this - but she wanted to, at least, dull her feelings a little.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Bridie scowled at Noah as he spoke about Iris. Her thinking was similar to Aarons. Arlo had done something bad but he was owning up to that. He was clearly beating himself up about it. But Bridie also thought that her daughter was overreacting a little. It wasn't like they were properly together. It was why she was trying to help Arlo as much as she could. She smiled, as she looked too Aaron and nodded, "Yeah, he's doing good. He's with Caleb tonight, I think." She chuckled. Sometimes, Bridie felt a little bad about her relationship with Johnny. She loved him but she didn't ever think that she would be in love with him. She knew that, that would only ever be Elias.

FH AH AG NH AG: "I sit here every week!" Nancy snapped back; she didn't see why it was such a big deal, why he couldn't just move when he knew that was where she liked to sit. "Shut up, Noah. You're one to talk about looking miserable." She rolled her eyes. Her brother had been nothing but miserable recently and she was getting sick of it, especially when he'd made his own bed. She smiled as her grandma and dad told him to move and he eventually did, sliding into the seat with a satisfied smile. "Thanks, dad!" She beamed, sliding Noah's drink over to him and pouring herself one. "Do you want me to put the heating up, granddad?" She asked, looking over to Freddie as he said he was cold.

FH AH AG NH AG: "I'm fine. Stop fussing. It's why I put my hat on." Freddie said bluntly, scowling around the table at the people who were starting to fuss over him. He didn't need the heating on, he had just been making a point that he wasn't taking off his hat. "Why isn't he talking everybody's ear off like usual?" He narrowed his eyes, nodding over at Arlo. "And you -" He pointed at Noah. "What happened to your job?" As he got older, Freddie had even less tact - he didn't really care what he said anymore, he was as blunt as could be and right now, he wanted answers. He forgot a lot of stuff nowadays, so he didn't really know if he'd already been told or not, but he wanted to know again.

FH AH AG NH AG: Ava rolled her eyes from in the kitchen. "And you know that's Nancy's seat, so just move!" She called back, shaking her head. She was used to her kids bickering by now, but it didn't mean it wasn't annoying. She smiled as she heard her husband coming into the kitchen, turning around with a nod. "Yeah, fine. Everything's nearly sorted." She smiled. "Is he still talking about his birth certificate?" She raised an eyebrow, lowering her voice to a whisper. He had already asked a couple of times tonight and she was finding it harder than usual to lie. As he was getting older, she knew she couldn't just continue to do everything for him - but she couldn't think of a way around it all just yet.

FH AH AG NH AG: Arlo sighed as Noah spoke about Iris; he didn't see why he had to make a comment, not when they were all sat around like this. "Yeah, please. Can I have a coke?" He asked his mum, raising an eyebrow. He wished they'd just stayed at home tonight instead, but he knew that wasn't going to happen - not when the whole rest of the family was there. He raised an eyebrow, looking up at his granddad. "I'm fine, granddad. Just tired." He muttered, shrugging his shoulders. He was usually the one being told to shut up and eat at this kind of thing, but he couldn't even think of anything to say tonight.

FH AH AG NH AG: Aaron patted his sons shoulder gently, looking over to Freddie with a smile. "He's been busy with football training, Fred. Tires him out." He nodded his head, as though that explained it. "That would make sense." He chuckled, nodding his head. He thought it was lovely that Caleb and Johnny were still such good friends after all this time. He looked around, realising that Ava hadn't heard Iris's request. "Here you go, Iris." He smiled, picking up the bottle of wine and reaching over to pour some into her glass.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Noah rolled his eye as Nancy spoke to him again. He was annoyed with her. He was annoyed at pretty much all of them right now, if he was honest. He sat down next to Bridie with a sigh. Once his granddad started speaking to him, he rolled his eyes. "Because I did, granddad. It happens." He shrugged. He didn't care what everyone else said. He wasn't going to admit what had happened. He had failed the drug test. Noah wasn't really surprised. He hadn't really been sober very much recently. When he was, he was normally in this mood. He rolled his eyes, "Tell mum I've gone to look for my birth certificate." He muttered to Ava before he headed upstairs. He knew where she put all the documents and stuff.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: "You could take the hat off if you let them put the heating on." Grace muttered, shaking her head a little bit. She thought that she knew why he was being like this, he hadn't been drinking. But she knew that it was none of her business. It hadn't really been any of her business for a long time. She turned to Nancy as Noah spoke to his granddad, "What happened?" She asked her, trying to keep her voice down - though everyone at the table could probably hear her. If he was anything like the others in the family, she knew what had happened but she wanted to know if what she was thinking was true or not.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Alba sighed as she saw the look on her dads face. She didn't like it when he was in this mood. There was only one person, in the world, that Alba would stand up for over her father and that was her son. So when he spoke to him like he did, she shook her head a little bit. "Lay off him, okay dad?" She raised an eyebrow. She didn't think it was fair to kick him when he was down. "Yeah, of course." Alba smiled as Arlo asked for a coke and she got up. She moved quickly to the kitchen, not really paying attention to what Ava and Jude were saying, and handed the can back to her son.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: "Okay, well, then i'll stay in here till you're done." He shrugged. Jude didn't want to deal with the rest of his family until his wife was by his side. "Of course he is." Jude muttered, nodding his head. They hadn't thought about that when they had said that they would adopt him. He didn't know how they were going to be able to explain this away, how they were going to get Noah what he needed. "Maybe we just have to tell him the truth, Ava." He sighed. He didn't know what else they were going to do.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Iris chuckled a little as Freddie spoke to Arlo - mostly because of how harsh he was. She had always enjoyed that about him. She sighed as everyone instantly came to Arlos defence. "We've had a fall out, Freddie. Arlo is sulking." She shrugged her shoulders. She figured that there wasn't any point in lying about it. She didn't care if anyone got annoyed at her. She was hurting and she wasn't going to pretend like she wasn't just to make everyone else feel better. "Oh. Thank you." Iris muttered as Aaron poured her a little bit of wine.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Bridie laughed, nodding her head, "Yeah, I'd say so too." After Elias, Bridie hadn't known if she had wanted to be around all of the Hayes as much. She had spiralled -massively - and she was just beginning to get back on her feet. She had a glass of wine with her dinner but she didn't think that, that was anything to worry about - she knew that it probably wasn't great, though. "Iris." Bridie muttered, shaking her head. She thought that the Hayes were well in their rights to not invite her tonight. She didn't want to cause issues before dinner had even started.

FH AH AG NH AG: Nancy raised an eyebrow as Noah spoke. "But mum said she --" But before she could get out the rest of her sentence, her brother had gotten up and gone. She didn't think it was a big deal, she didn't see why her mum had been so insistent on sorting it herself anyway. She thought it was just Ava trying to stay in control. She sighed as she looked to her grandma, wondering whether she should say or not. She was worried about her brother, she knew his job had meant a lot to him. "I - he said they had to do some kind of drug test..." She admitted with a sigh, keeping her voice to the quietest of whispers.

FH AH AG NH AG: "I don't want to take it off. I'm fine." Freddie grumbled, reaching for the bottle of wine and pouring some into his glass. He didn't care what anybody said, everybody else there had a glass and he was in a bad mood, now. "Not without a reason it doesn't." He muttered over to Noah, but he didn't push any harder than that. He might be a little out of his sometimes, but he knew Noah was similar to Elias - if he didn't want to tell you something, then he wouldn't. He looked over to Iris for a second, but ignored what she'd said and looked over to his daughter, narrowing his eyes. "Why can't he get his own coke?" He asked, taking a big gulp of his wine.

FH AH AG NH AG: "Okay. You wanna start putting the vegetables into bowls, then?" Ava asked with a smile, leaning down to take the lasagne out of the oven. It needed time to cool before she plated it all up, but it wasn't all that late - she thought people could wait a little bit longer. "God, I don't know why he's being so stubborn about it..." She sighed, shaking her head. She wished Noah would just let her handle it, would let her get his paperwork across to anybody who needed it. She stood up straight as Jude spoke, looking him in the eye. "He will never forgive us, Jude. Do you understand that? If we tell him the truth, we'll never see him again." She truly believed that - and that was why all of this was scaring her so much.

FH AH AG NH AG: Arlo knew his mum was always going to stand up for him and he loved that so much, but he also knew his granddad wasn't likely to back down when he was in this kind of a mood. "Thanks, mum." He said quietly, taking the can and opening it quickly, pouring it into his glass. He ignored what his granddad was saying - Freddie was always saying he was spoiled and he hated it. He knew he was, but he didn't think he was the only one - Nancy was pretty spoiled, too. He rolled his eyes as Iris spoke. He'd wanted her to be there, but he didn't think she was being fair right now.

FH AH AG NH AG: Aaron sighed as Iris spoke, raising an eyebrow as he looked over to the girl. "Can we maybe not do that?" He asked firmly. He understood the girl was hurting and he thought she had more than enough reason to be; he felt awful for her, but he also didn't think it was fair of her to come here and start talking about Arlo like that. Not when he was already obviously feeling terrible. "Al, could you pass me the water jug, please?" He smiled over at his wife. He was driving tonight, so he wasn't having anything to drink. It didn't really bother him, though.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Noah heard what his sister said as he was leaving the room but he didn't really care. He had been asking his mum for his birth certificate for a couple days now and he couldn't understand why it was such a difficult request for her. He couldn't have his mother emailing his potential jobs his birth certificates every single time. He didn't see why he couldn't just get it and keep it in his new place. He reached for the little box that his mum kept all the documents in, shifting through them, looking for what he needed. When he found it, though, he was really confused.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Grace rolled her eyes as she listened too Freddie. She wasn't going to fight with him on it though. She didn't see the point, she knew that he wouldn't listen to her. Though she did sigh loudly as she saw him reach for the wine. She didn't understand why he had to do that. Why he couldn't just give it a rest. Graces eyes went wide as she listened to her granddaughter, though. "That stupid boy." She hissed. Grace had never been particularly fond over drugs but she had become even worse about it since Elias. "I'll be back in a second." She gave Nancy a tight smile before she marched - as much as she could - into the kitchen. "You allow him to do drugs?" She hissed, looking from her son to her daughter-in-law.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: "Alright. Yeah." Noah nodded his head before he started to sort out the vegetables. He figured that it was better to keep himself busy than dwell on what would happen if Noah ever found out. "What choice do we have, Ava? You know that he won't stop. He'll keep pushing. We're going to have to tell him." He didn't know, though. He had no idea if Ava was right. If Noah wouldn't talk to them again. As he heard his mothers voice, he turned to face her. Noah hadn't told him why he had gotten fired but he looked to Ava, wondering if she knew that, that was why.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: "No problem," Alba nodded her head, shooting him a small smile. She hated how cut up he felt about everything that had happened and she would do whatever she could to make him feel better. Even if it was just grabbing him a coke. "Because I don't mind getting it, Dad. It's no big deal. Like Aaron said. He's been busy with training." She shrugged her shoulders. She wouldn't fight him but she didn't like how he constantly had double standards when it came to Arlo and Nancy. They were both spoilt. At least Alba held her hands up to it. "Of course." Alba smiled at her husband and passed him the water jug.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Iris rolled her eyes as she listened to Aaron, "Freddie asked a question, I was just answering it." She didn't think that she was out of line. She didn't like that people refused to hold Arlo accountable. Iris knew that literally everything she did, she was scrutinised by her mum - by everyone. She didn't understand why Arlo got to get away with everything. Especially something like this. He was hurting but so was she.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: "Iris. Stop it." Bridie muttered, shaking her head. She thought that they were lucky to get an invite to this with the way that Arlo and Iris were. She loved the Hayes. She had been around them for most of her life but she understood that blood came first. They would always stick up for one another. She shook her head as she looked at Aaron, "i'm sorry. She's been in a right mood recently."

FH AH AG NH AG: Nancy didn't fully understand what was going on with her brother; he was successful, he liked his job, he was doing well for himself... So why would he risk it, how could he let himself fail the drug test? She felt really worried about him. She sighed as Grace got up from the table, but she knew she couldn't do anything about it now. She took a sip of her drink, hoping her mum and dad came back in soon - tonight seemed like a bit of a bust, there was so much tension between all of them.

FH AH AG NH AG: Ava shook her head as Jude spoke. She didn't think she could have this conversation, not right now - the thought of her son not speaking to her again was too much, the idea of what he'd think if he found out they weren't his biological parents. She couldn't even think about it. She looked up as Grace came into the kitchen, sighing. "We don't allow him to do anything, Grace - he's nineteen, he lives alone. He makes his own decisions." She thought she, more than anybody, should understand that.

FH AH AG NH AG: Arlo looked up as his grandma got up and went into the kitchen, looking over at Nancy almost as if to question what she'd told her - he didn't think tonight was going to improve, if he was honest. Nobody seemed to be feeling like they wanted to be there, least of all him. "I'm starving." He muttered, looking around to the kitchen. "How long do you think it's going to be?" He asked his mum, raising an eyebrow. They usually ate around now and since he'd been at training, his stomach was grumbling loudly.

FH AH AG NH AG: Freddie shrugged his shoulders. "You spoil him." He muttered, shaking his head. He loved his grandson, he loved all of his grandchildren - but he thought all three of them got away with a lot more than he'd let his own kids get away with. He picked up his glass of wine and downed what was left in the cup, pouring some more in and taking another big gulp. He already felt better, it was helping his mood. "Where did Noah go?" He asked, looking to Nancy and then to Alba.

FH AH AG NH AG: Aaron shook his head at Iris's eye roll. In his opinion, if this was the way she was feeling then he didn't think she'd needed to come - Arlo felt bad enough, he didn't want him feeling like he was being attacked at his own family dinner. "It's okay, really." He smiled at Bridie slightly. He didn't want her to feel bad about it, he just wished they could all try and get through this dinner without sniping at each other. He didn't think there was any need.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Jude sighed as Ava decided to ignore him. He didn't know what they could do but at least he was trying to give a solution to the problem. Ava was just trying to ignore it. He shook his head a little as he looked at his mum, though. "Please don't start. You know what he's like. He's not going to listen to us." It scared him. How much Noah was to his brother - it terrified him. But he didn't know what they could do about it. If Noah wanted to do drugs he was going to do them, no matter what they said. He was sure that his mum knew that.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Grace shook her head a little as she looked between the two of them. She was really trying to keep her emotions in check. She had already lost her son and she didn't want to lose her grandson as well. She was sure that they would know that. "He's too much like Elias for his own good." Grace whispered, shaking her head. When her children were Noahs age, she let them do what they wanted with that kind of thing. She thought that it was just a teenager thing. She thought that if she had done something about it now, worked harder to nip it in the bud, then Elias might still be alive.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: "It won't be long." Alba smiled slightly as she looked at Arlo. She hoped that it would. She wanted to get tonight over and done with. If they did, then maybe the next dinner things would be a little back to normal. "Do you have to drink, dad? You know that it puts you in a horrible mood." She snapped. She didn't like dealing with him when he was like this. "And so what if he is spoilt? He's going through some things right now. I think he deserves to be spoilt tonight." Although she knew that he was spoilt every day of his life. He was their miracle baby. Nothing that happened would change that. "I don't know where he went.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Iris was wishing more and more that she hadn't come. She wished that she had just ignored Arlo and stayed at home because this was worse than she had ever imagined. "You okay?" She whispered to her friend. She had no idea what was going on right now - with Noah - but she wanted to make sure that she was okay. She was the only one there that she really wanted to talk too right now.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Bridie shook her head slightly as Aaron said it was okay, "We should have stayed at home. I didn't realise she was going to be like this." She whispered to Aaron. He was one of her oldest friends at this point so she knew that he would tell her straight if he wasn't happy about something. "I just -" She shook her head. "She said that she wouldn't come and now she's there. I don't know." She wasn't really sure what more she could say about it, if she was honest. She hated the situation that Arlo and Iris had put them all in.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: 'Certificate of adoption.' The document read and Noah was so confused. If he was reading this thing correctly it meant that his mother wasn't his mother and his father? His father was Elias. Ever since he was young, Noah had felt more of a kinship with his uncle. He had always felt like the other man got him, better than anyone else. And now he was finding out that his uncle was actually his father. He didn't understand. Instead of thinking about it, Noah got up and charged downstairs. If this was true, he didn't understand why his 'parents' hadn't told him about it. He didn't understand why they would keep something like this from him. "What the hell is this?!" Noah shouted, storming past the rest of his family, to his parents in the kitchen.

FH AH AG NH AG: Of course, it terrified Ava that Noah seemed to be heading down a similar path to Elias - every day she felt like she saw a new similarity between them and that was so scary. But she didn't know what they were supposed to do about it - he was an adult, he didn't live with them anymore. They couldn't stop him from doing something he wanted to do. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Noah had stormed into the kitchen. Her blood ran cold as she realised what he was holding in his hands and she genuinely felt like she was going to throw up. "Noah..." She whispered, her eyes glistening with tears. This was her worst nightmare, her very biggest fear, manifesting itself before her eyes.

FH AH AG NH AG: Freddie rolled his eyes. "You don't know what you're talking about." He snapped back, shaking his head as he picked up his glass to drink some more. He thought that Arlo was too spoiled for his own good, that they were ruining him by running about after him like he was some kind of baby. His gaze snapped up as Noah stormed through the dining room and into the kitchen, raising an eyebrow as the boy started to shout. "What the hell is going on?" He asked, looking around them. By the sound of Noah's voice, it was quite clearly something serious.

FH AH AG NH AG: Arlo sighed as his mum started to snap at his granddad - he knew he was the only person she would do that for and it made him feel guilty, because he knew his granddad was probably right. He was spoiled. He didn't want that to change, though. "Woah, what the - what?" He asked as Noah stormed past them all. "What was that?" He asked, looking between his parents. He didn't think he'd seen Noah speak to his parents like that in a while and he had no idea what could've set him off.

FH AH AG NH AG: "Yeah, I'm okay. Are you?" Nancy asked Iris with a little smile, taking another sip of her drink. She knew tonight was going to be difficult for her best friend, but she was glad she'd come anyway - to her, Iris was a part of the family and she deserved to be here. She jumped slightly as Noah came storming in, instantly getting to her feet and following him into the kitchen. "What happened?" She asked him, instantly concerned - she knew he wouldn't be like this unless something was wrong.

FH AH AG NH AG: "No, I get it - it's a difficult situation, Bri. I just - you know, I don't want him to feel like he needs to feel this bad about it every second of the day." Aaron admitted with a sigh. He didn't know if that was the right thing to say, but it was the truth - Arlo had to be forgiven at some point, he couldn't be totally miserable every day. He raised an eyebrow as the commotion started, turning to Bridie. "Oh dear..." He sighed. He didn't know what was happening, but he knew it didn't sound good.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Judes eyes went wide as he saw his son, as he realised what it was that he was holding in his hands. He had worried that Noah would find out like this - that was what he was trying to say to his wife just before he came down. He looked from his son, to Ava and then to his mum. He didn't know what to do. "Noah, just calm down." He muttered. "Everythings fine." He called to the rest of his family. He really hoped that he would calm down, that he would understand that they would tell him once all of this was over.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Grace gasped as she saw what was in Noahs hands. She shook her head and turned away from it all. She didn't think that she had it in her to be able to deal with that today. Grace had been in full support when Ava and Jude had told her the plan. She thought that it was the only way that they could get any of this done. But now? Now she wasn't so sure. She didn't know what to do. So she turned around and sat back down in her seat. She shook her head a little as she listened to everyone, asking what it was that was going on.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: "Of course I don't dad. I forgot that you know my son better than I do." Alba rolled her eyes, unable to help herself. She understood that he was going through some things, that he was struggling with his addiction but she wished that he didn't take it out on the rest of them. She didn't think that it was very fair at all. She was about to say something else - when she heard the shouting from Noah. And since Ava and Jude didn't really response, she knew that something was really, really bad. "Mum, what's happening?" She asked. Even now, her relationship with her mother wasn't great but she thought that, by the look on her face, she knew what was happening.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Iris nodded as Nancy spoke to her but her attention was quickly taken by Noah shouting. She wasn't sure what had happened but it didn't sound good. "What the fuck..." She muttered, shaking her head a little. She had no idea what was happening but she knew that it wasn't good. She looked at Nancy, raising an eyebrow. She wondered if she had more of a clue but from the look on her face, she was as unsure as Iris was.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Bridie nodded as she listened to Aaron. She understood what he was saying and she thought that she might have been similar if the roles were reversed. If it was Iris who had cheated and not Arlo. She knew that she was in agreement with Aaron, though, Arlo didn't deserve to be treated like he had done this horrible thing. He clearly felt bad about it. Her attention was taken, though, as she looked over to Noah, "Ava, what's going on?" She called. She knew that she couldn't get involved in her friends business, not when it was with her son but she would always be there for her.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: As neither of his parents said anything, Noah knew that what he was holding was true. They could've said anything. It was a joke. It was a halloween costume from when he was little. Anything. And he thought that he might have been desperate enough to believe them. He wanted to believe them. He couldn't understand how this would be the truth. "Everything it not fine!" Noah shouted, shaking his head a little as he turned back around to face the others. He glanced to Nancy but shook his head a little. "They're not my parents." Noah growled. He handed his granddad the certificate he held.

FH AH AG NH AG: Since the day they'd found out about Noah, Ava had regarded him as their son - and for years, for so long, she had never even thought about the fact that he wasn't biologically theirs. From the minute she'd held him, she'd never loved anybody so much - he was her son, that was the end of it. But deep down, she'd always feared that if he were to find out Elias were his father - the man he had been so close to, who had been his best friend... She was scared that he would never want to see them again. And that was all she could think right now. "Yes, we are! Noah, of course we're your parents!" She cried, tears already streaming down her face. "Noah, whatever that - that piece of paper says. We are your parents. Me and your dad. We were the ones that held you as soon as you were born. We're the ones that raised you, we - please. Please let us explain." She cried.

FH AH AG NH AG: "What the hell are you talking about?" Nancy asked Noah as he spoke, a confused laugh falling from her mouth - she thought what he was saying was just ridiculous. Of course Ava and Jude were his parents - they had photos of him from when he was a newborn baby, Nancy had only been born one year later and Noah was in every single one of her childhood memories. She didn't see how it could be possible. But as she looked at her mother, as she heard what she was saying... She had to wonder if it was true. "Mum?" She asked, a nervous smile on her face. She was waiting for somebody to say this was all a big joke. "Dad?" She asked, looking over to Jude. Her hands were shaking now and she wasn't smiling anymore. She didn't understand what was going on.

FH AH AG NH AG: Arlo genuinely had no clue what was going on - he could see the looks on his grandmas face, on his aunts and uncles and he still had no clue... But he knew it wasn't good. "Mum, what's happening?" He whispered, looking to her to explain everything to him. He didn't understand what the alternative was, if Ava and Jude weren't Noah's parents. He tried to peer over the table to see what it was his granddad was holding, what Noah had handed him. "Granddad?" He asked.

FH AH AG NH AG: "Will somebody tell me what the fuck is happening?!" Freddie demanded, slamming his hand down on the table as all the shouting started. He was never good in situations like this, but he had even less patience now he was older. "Now!" He demanded, picking up his wine and tipping it into his mouth. He took the piece of paper from Noah with a shaking hand, his eyes scanning over it. Signed by Elias Hayes. That was all he needed to see. He felt confusion bubbling up in his stomach, anger and sadness. This had all happened and he'd had no idea. Before he knew what he was doing, he'd squeezed the wine glass in his hand so hard that it had smashed and shattered onto the floor. It barely phased him, though. He looked up, into his sons eyes. "Is this fucking true?"

FH AH AG NH AG: "I think we all need to calm down a little bit." Aaron said gently as Freddie slammed his hand onto the table, sighing softly. He had seen arguments between the Hayes family before and they were never pretty, he didn't think one should happen when all of their children were sitting around the table. He didn't think he'd be able to do much good, though. He had no idea what was happening, even as Noah spoke - he didn't think what he could be saying was true. He jumped as the glass in Freddie's hand shattered. "Freddie, are you - are you bleeding?" He asked, but it didn't look like the older man was paying him attention. Slowly, Aaron turned his gaze to Jude - surely this wasn't true?

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Like Ava, Jude had never thought of Noah as his brothers son. He was his. He was Ava. They were his parents. It was the only thing that he could think. He and Ava had raised him. They had been there for his entire life. He didn't see why he needed to know this. He didn't understand why it all had to crash around them now. "Noah, stop shouting!" Jude snapped. But then he heard his daughters voice, his fathers voice and he turned to look at him. "It's true." He nodded. "We didn't have any other options, dad. But Noahs our son. It dioesn't matter what a piece of paper says! He's our son."

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Grace was silent as the rest of the family started shouting. She felt sick. She couldn't believe that all of this was happening, that this was coming out now. She didn't see what good this was going to do. Elias was dead. It didn't matter if Noah was biologically Elias', Jude and Ava were his parents. She took a gulp of her drink and jumped a little as she heard the glass smash. She knew that none of them would be very happy. She wished that they had all done this before, when Elias was here but it was done now. She didn't understand what good this would do now.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: "I don't know..." Alba muttered, shaking her head. She had no idea what was causing any of this but none of it sounded real. Noah wasn't Judes? "B - If he isn't yours, who - I don't understand." Alba sighed. She had no idea what was happening. She had no idea how this was happening. She looked to Aaron, hoping that he would have more answers for Arlo than she did because she didn't know. She had no idea. "Dad" Alba hissed as she heard the glass and saw the blood. "Fuck, dad, you're bleeding." She shook her head a little bit. She instantly just wanted to help him.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: As everything started, as everyone started to scream at one another, Bridie snatched the piece of paper that Noah had handed to his Granddad. She couldn't understand it at first. "Adoption?" She muttered, shaking her head. It was like her brain refused to take in what was right in front of her, that this was really true. Because if this was true then she was sure that Ava would have told her. Her eyes were drawn to the signature. To Elias's handwriting and she felt like she had been punched in the gut. "He's Elias's?" She asked, looking over to Ava, her eyes glistening with tears.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Iris felt like everything had gone from nought to one hundred so quickly and she had no idea what it was that was happening. She reached for Nancys hand, though, wanting to give her a little bit of comfort. She hated that this was happening right now, that this was how things were coming out but she knew that her job here was just to be there for her best friend. But as she heard her mums voice, her stomach dropped. If that was true, if Noah was Elias' son, then this was all so much worse than she thought that it would have been.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Noah glared at his mum and dad as as they tried to explain it away, tried to tell him that they were his parents, that it didn't change anything. He shook his head. "DON'T!" He shouted at her. He was most hurt by her. She had never told him. She had never even hinted. All of the times he had spent with his uncle, all of the fights with Jude. It all seemed to make sense now. "No wonder you've already treated her better than you have me." He scoffed. "She's your actual fucking daughter. It all makes sense now!"

FH AH AG NH AG: Ava couldn't even focus on anybody else - she could see her daughter looking at her, she could hear Bridie asking for answers... But all she could do was look at her son. "Please, Noah. You don't understand." She whispered, shaking her head. "He came to us, he begged us to help him. He never wanted a child, he never wanted to be a father. He wanted us to take you and he asked for us not to tell you. To tell anybody." She cried, tears streaming down her face. She didn't even try to stop them, she didn't care how she looked right now. She had never felt this desperate in her life. "Please Noah, you're my son. You've always been my son." She felt like she was going to break into pieces, her whole world was crumbling and she didn't know how to keep it all together.

FH AH AG NH AG: "Get the fuck off that! How dare you!" Freddie shouted as Bridie snatched the certificate away from him, snatching it back as she spoke. Losing his son was the worst pain he'd ever felt in his life, he still felt it every day now... The only thing that even slightly compared was the pain of knowing he'd failed him. He hadn't been there enough for him. And seeing his signature, seeing it there on paper - he had never given him enough support to believe he could be a good father himself. And that broke his heart. "Did you know about this?" He looked to Grace, with a face of stone. He didn't care that his hand was bleeding, he couldn't even feel it. But if he found out that Grace had known and had kept it from him... He didn't know if he'd be able to forgive her. "You kept this from me? You ALL kept this from me?!" He shouted, getting to his feet, the certificate clutched in his hand.

FH AH AG NH AG: Nancy's mouth fell open as Jude confirmed it was the truth. She didn't understand, she couldn't understand how it had happened... How Noah looked so much like their dad, like their uncle... Until Bridie spoke, until Ava spoke - and then she realised what was going on. "Oh my god..." She whispered, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. It felt as though she couldn't even breathe. Their parents had been lying to them all this time. For their entire lives. She looked to Noah, not even knowing what she could say. As Iris took her hand, she clung onto it for dear life - it felt like an anchor, a way to know all of this was real. Because it felt like she was in a parallel universe right now. "But he - Elias was Noah's best friend, I don't - I don't understand why he wouldn't ever say anything?"

FH AH AG NH AG: Arlo's eyes were as wide as saucers as he took in everything that was going on. Noah was Elias's son. Jude and Ava had adopted him when he was born and never told anybody. Even his mum. She was his first thought and he reached under the table to take her hand in both of his, squeezing gently. He knew how much his mum had loved Elias, how she would've done anything for him - and yet nobody had told her this. He couldn't believe it. He didn't know what to say, he didn't know how to get his head around it.

FH AH AG NH AG: "Oh jesus..." Aaron whispered under his breath as everything began to click into place. He remembered well how Jude and Ava had announced they were already five months pregnant, how they had asked for no visitors. How they had suddenly moved back to London with their newborn baby boy and started a life together. He remembered how Elias had lived at their house, how they had done anything for him. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and looked to his wife, squeezing her shoulder gently and getting up from his seat, going into the kitchen and looking into the cupboard for a First Aid kit. He thought he needed to be the calm one here. "Freddie, please just let me put something on your hand."

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Noah shook his head. He could barely hear what his mother was saying to him. He could barely even concentrate on her voice. He didn't think that the explanation even mattered. He didn't care. They hadn't told him what had happened. "Then why didn't you tell me after me died?" He growled. He thought that he might have been able to understand before. He thought that he might have been able to get that. But he didn't think that they had any excuse in it all anymore. He didn't know what to think. "I am not your son." Noah growled shaking his head. "I'm not! I'm his! And you lied to me for nineteen years! You took away the chance for me to know my father!" He shouted. He had known Elias as an Uncle. He thought that it was totally different if he had known him as his dad. "You should've told me."

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Grace flinched a little as Freddie started to shout at her. It was a habit that she had never managed to shake. She understood though. She knew that she should have told him but at that point, she barely saw her son. Elias was there but he wasn't. And she didn't want to do anything that was going to take that away from her. She loved Elias too much to risk her relationship with him. She sighed as she looked up at Freddie. "Elias made us keep it a secret. He didn't want us to tell you, Freddie. He didn't want anyone else to know." She had known when she had agreed to it that if Freddie found out, he would be so angry at her. "We had too!"

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Alba shook her head a little as she felt Arlos hand in hers. "Don't touch me." She snatched her hand away. As she listened to more of what they were saying - that Elias didn't want them to know, that he didn't trust them - she burst into tears. Her brother had been everything to her. She would have died for him and he had kept this from her. She couldn't understand why. She thought that it might be different if he was here. If Elias could explain everything but he wasn't and to Alba it just felt like he was keeping her at arms length, that he didn't trust her. Alba missed her brother every single day but she couldn't understand why he had done this.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: As everyone spoke over one another, as they continued to shout, Iris squeezed Nancys hand gently. She could only imagine what it was that her friend was thinking, what was going through her mind. She didn't know how to help. She looked over to her mum and her heart broke at the look on her face, seeing her chugging the wine. "Arlo..." Iris whispered. She wanted to be there for Nancy but someone needed to be there for her mum too and she thought that if it wasn't her, it should be him. She looked back to her best friend, then, "It doesn't matter, Nance. He's still your brother. He was still raised as your brother. He's still your brother." She repeated, nodding her head.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Jude sighed as he saw the look on his daughters face, as he saw how angry his dad was. "What did you want us to do?" He shouted at him. "The only way this was going to work is if we kept it quiet! We had no other options! But Noah is our son. No paper changes that." He would insist on that. He looked over to Nancy, then, "Your Uncle never wanted kids, Nancy. He didn't. He found out that he had gotten someone pregnant and he needed us to handle it. So we handled it. It was all we could do. We had to do it for him."

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Bridie shook her head at all the noise. It was overwhelming her. People were talking about Elias but he wasn't there. He couldn't tell them what had happened. For all she knew, they were lying. They hadn't done this for him, they had taken it from him. Bridie grabbed the bottle of wine and poured herself a bit glass. She downed it in two gulps. She had no idea what to say, what to think. She knew Elias. She knew that he didn't want kids. He had made that clear after she had, had Iris. He said that they would never happen again because of Iris. And he had, had a son all that time? She couldn't get her head wrapped around it.

FH AH AG NH AG: Noah saying he wasn't her son sent a knife right through Ava's heart - this was everything she had never wanted. Everything she'd feared since the day she'd sighed the adoption papers. "What difference would it have made, Noah?! He died! He was dead and he never - he NEVER wanted you to know!" She was practically screaming by this point because her emotions had totally taken over, she was facing losing her only son and it was breaking her heart into a million pieces. "He made that clear so many times, Noah. He never wanted to BE a father!" She sobbed, shaking her head. "Elias loved you so much, but he never wanted this, he never wanted that life." She wished that he was here, she wished he could explain it all - because ironically, she thought he was the only person Noah would even consider listening to right now.

FH AH AG NH AG: Freddie had never been good with emotion, it was trait he had passed onto both of his sons, his grandson - and right now, his heart was broken. He missed his son, he missed him more than he could ever put into words - and he'd failed him. This was just a confirmation of that. "You... you hateful woman." He hissed at Grace, his face screwed up with anger as he thought about the lies she'd told him for the past nineteen years. "I could have helped him! I could have - this could have all been FUCKING different!" He shouted, his voice booming across the room, the pain in it clear. He had never cried, not even at the funeral - but he felt close to it right now. "You let him grow up not knowing who his father is and LOOK at him! Just LOOK!" He shouted, pointing a finger at Noah. "He's his fathers fucking double and he's going the Exact. Same. Fucking. Way."

FH AH AG NH AG: Arlo moved his hand away at his mothers request, but it definitely hurt - she had never been like that with him before, he had always been able to comfort her. He felt almost shaken as she started to cry - he had no idea how to help her. "Dad..." He whispered, looking at him for guidance, for help. He looked up as he heard Iris though, realising what she was saying and nodding his head. He didn't know if Bridie would want his comfort or not, but he moved over to her anyway and slid his hand into hers, just wanting to give her something - someone, to hold onto. To take comfort in being there.

FH AH AG NH AG: Nancy nodded her head. "I know." She whispered, because she did - this changed nothing for her. Noah was still her brother; he was the one who had looked after her all these years, the one who she'd bickered with since she could talk, the one she looked up to. He was her brother and he always would be. She wasn't crying for herself - it was Noah she was crying for. Because he'd always felt like the odd one out in this family, the one who didn't belong. And all this time, there had been a reason - and their parents had hidden it from him. "That doesn't matter." She whispered to her dad, shaking her head. "You should have told him."

FH AH AG NH AG: Aaron knew instantly what Alba was feeling, what she was thinking and his heart broke for her - because he knew that there was nothing she wouldn't have done for Elias. If he asked, she would've taken Noah in herself - so why would he keep this from her? Why would she be one of the people he hid it from? He sighed and took a seat next to her, but he didn't touch her - he thought she would take physical comfort from him when she needed it and not before. He didn't say anything at all - he didn't have a place in this argument. He just wanted to be there for whatever anybody needed.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: "It would've made a difference to me!" Noah roared because he didn't understand why she couldn't seem to understand that. "It doesn't matter what he wanted!" Noah shouted. "What about what I wanted? What I needed?!" Because he didn't think that anyone had thought about that. He didn't think that they had thought about how he would feel, how this news would devastate him. It was taking every ounce off his willpower to not burst into tears as he looked at his mum. "I needed him! All my fucking life I've known something was off. The way he would look at me whenever I spoke to Elias. The way you were with her and not with me. I knew I didn't fit in here. I knew it! And you just fucking let that happen. You could've made it all better! You should - You could've fucking TOLD ME!" He had never spoke to her before like this but he couldn't help himself. He couldn't keep his temper in check, his whole body was shaking.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Tears were streaming down her face as Freddie spoke to her. She had known he would hate her for keeping this from him and she had made that choice. Because it was either she lost him or she lost Elias. As it turned out, she lost both of them anyway. "What was I supposed to do, Freddie?" She whispered, shaking her head a little bit. She had no idea what she could have done differently. She didn't think she would have done it differently, even now. "Jude is his father. Jude! Your son, Freddie. He raised him. He is his father!" Because she didn't think that it was fair for him to keep dismissing everything that Jude had done for Noah. "No. He isn't. We are not going to lose another one."

IS NG AH GH BS JH: "No." Jude shook his head, "No, Nancy, we shouldn't have. That wasn't our decision to make. You knew your Uncle. You saw the state that he could get himself in. Would you really have wanted Noah to have been brought up around that?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. And then he heard his dad and he saw red. "HE IS MY SON!" Jude shouted as he turned to face his father. "Elias didn't want him! If it hadn't been me and Ava that took his in, then he would have been with some strangers. We took him in so that he could be with his family. WE are his parents! Elias was stupid. He made a mistake and me and Ava fixed that. We took him in. I won't apologise for that."

IS NG AH GH BS JH: It was the lying that Bridie couldn't get her head wrapped around. She didn't understand why she, Ava and Freddie had been kept in the dark with all of this. Especially after Elias had died. They had all been broken. Knowing that there was a small part of Elias around, that there was a part of him that was still there - she was sure that it would've helped. She squeezed Arlos hand gently as he took it. Because, if she would admit it or not, she needed the comfort from someone. She finished her glass of wine and instantly moved to pour herself another. She needed it.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Iris nodded a little as Nancy said that she knew. She was glad of that at least. She wasn't sure how she could help but she would be there for her, no matter what, She would do anything for Nancy. She sighed as Jude spoke to her, though. She thought that they were all being really harsh. She didn't think that it would help Noah hearing that he wasn't wanted.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Alba hadn't cried like this since they had lost Elias. It had taken her so long to stop crying after that, to pull herself together and now it felt like a double whammy. It was another reminder that her brother was gone. It felt, to her, like her relationship with her brother had been a bit of a sham. Shed loved him, she adored him. Alba would have defended him till the end of the earth and he had kept something so huge from her. She didn't know how to process that. "I don't understand." Alba whined, as she looked up at her husband. "I miss my brother." She whispered, her bottom lip trembling.

FH AH AG NH AG: The worst thing was, Ava knew that her son was at least partially right - he had spent his whole life searching for a reason as to why he didn't feel as though he belonged in their family and she had spent his whole life trying to convince him that he did. She didn't even have anything to say, she couldn't defend herself anymore - because if she could go back and change things, she wouldn't. She knew that. She jumped as Noah shouted, but she couldn't blame him. She knew he had every right to be like this, to feel like this. "I'm sorry." She cried, her words coming out in huge, heaving sobs. "I'm so sorry." She shook her head. "I have loved you from the minute you were born, Noah. You have always been our son."

FH AH AG NH AG: "I will never forgive you for this." Freddie told Grace - and the tone of his voice made it plain as day that he meant every word of it. He spun around as he heard Jude shouting, seeing red immediately. "AND ELIAS WAS MINE!" He roared, losing all self control, his voice hurting his throat as it tore out of him. "You should have convinced him! Because maybe if he'd had something to fucking live for then he would be here now!" His voice broke on the last words and his body was wracked with a dry sob. He felt like he was going to fall apart, he didn't know how to keep himself together. He would've done anything to keep his son around, to have him here with them. He had never been a very loving person, he'd never shown much love - but god, he'd had so much of it for his children.

FH AH AG NH AG: "Stop it! Stop saying that he wasn't wanted, that Elias didn't want him! He loved him!" Nancy jumped to her feet as she shouted at her father. She would always defend her brother, especially now. Especially when both of his parents were stood here saying outright that his biological father didn't want him. "Granddad..." She whispered as she saw Freddie start to cry, wrapping her arms around her middle as though to keep herself together. It was so scary to see all of the adults like this - especially her mum and granddad, who she had never seen like this before.

FH AH AG NH AG: As terrible as it seemed, Aaron could almost understand why Ava and Jude hadn't said anything after Elias died - because as much as people wanted a piece of Elias to hold onto, Noah wasn't that. He was his own person, not their little piece of Elias. He was already compared enough, he didn't need to be all that people had left. But he was never going to say that, he knew that it probably wasn't a helpful opinion to have right now. "I know you do Al, I know..." He whispered. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and he was about to, when he saw her dad start to cry. He knew without a doubt that she would want to go to him, that she would need to be there for him. He had never seen Freddie like this before and even as a grown man, it shattered his heart.

FH AH AG NH AG: Arlo felt relieved as Bridie squeezed his hand; just knowing he could be there for her made him feel like he was at least doing something to help. Because really, this didn't change a lot of stuff for him - Noah was still his cousin, he was still his best friend. But he knew it changed everything for his mum, for his granddad. For Noah himself. And that was the scary part, that was the part he was finding the hardest.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Even as he looked at his mothers face, as he saw her crying, he felt nothing but rage. He couldn't understand why they hadn't just told him. Even if Elias hadn't wanted him, he didn't understand why he wasn't allowed to know. He was never going to react well to something like this but he thought he might have reacted better if they had told him. "But I'm not." Noah growled at her. He knew that he was being harsh. Ava had been there for him his entire life. She had loved him for forever. Noah didn't know what to do as he looked around him, "I deserved to know. He was my best friend." He sat down again then, beside where his sister had been sat.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: As his dad roared at him, Jude found it difficult to keep his emotions in check, tears welling. He had tried his hardest not to cry in front of his children after Elias. The only person - after the initial shock of finding him - had seen Jude cry over his brother, was Ava. "It wouldn't have, dad." Jude whispered, his voice cracking. He didn't dare speak louder than that. "It wouldn't have. He was in his life. Elias had that relationship with him. He knew he was his son and it didn't - It didn't save him. Nothing would have." He shook his head and turned away from the rest of his family. He walked into the kitchen, needing a moment to be able to collect himself. He didn't want to break down in front of them. Not with his kids there.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: "I know." Grace nodded as she heard Freddie. Because she did. She had known that when Elias had asked her to not tell his dad but she had done what she thought was right. Grace stifled a sob as she heard Freddie, as she saw him starting to cry. She wished that Gabe was there. She thought that he was the one that could make things better. She thought that, that was what he did best. "Freddie..." Grace whispered. She wanted to reach for him, to comfort him. But she knew that, that wasn't going to help anything. She knew that he didn't want her help. She looked around, helplessly. She had no idea what to do.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Iris sighed as Nancy started to shout at her dad but she knew that she couldn't blame her. She was almost glad that it was just her mum and her at home. She didn't have to deal with all of this. She texted Johnny, quickly, though. She quickly explained what had happened. She knew that her mum would need someone when they got home and she thought that he was better than she would be. She was really worried about her mum. She had thought that things were getting better with her - she hadn't had a blow out for over a month now - but Iris knew they would be back at square one, now. "Nance.." Iris whispered, looking back up at her friend.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: After Elias, Alba felt like she had lost herself. She was looking after everyone - her dad, her mum, Arlo. That was all she could bring herself to do and for a least a year after, she had lost herself completely. It just felt like she was getting herself back up on her feet and she was knocked back by this. Alba missed her brother every single day of her life but none more in that moment. Her eyes went wide as she heard her dad, as she saw him cry and she quickly got up. She scrambled over to him so that she could wrap her arms around him. She didn't know what to say to him but she wanted to be there. Her dad, Arlo and Aaron were her entire world. They were everything to her and she hated seeing him like this now.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Bridie looked up as she heard what Noah said to his mum. Although she wished that she knew, she would never let her best friend be on her own and her heart completely broke for her. She knew how much her kids meant to her. "Ava..." Bridie called over to her. She had no idea what she was going to do but she wanted her to know that she would be there for her.

FH AH AG NH AG: Ava's heart was completely broken, especially when he told her now that he wasn't her son. Her kids were her everything, they always had been - everything she had done from the minute they'd been born was for them. But she didn't think there was any way to make Noah see that, to get him to see past the lie they'd told to give him a better life. She didn't know what she was supposed to do anymore. She just stood and cried silently, tears rolling down her face - if Noah didn't want to be her son anymore, she didn't know how she would cope.

FH AH AG NH AG: Since Elias's death, Aaron had done his best to try and be there for the Hayes family - because he had seen it all. He had been around when Elias was good and when he was bad, he knew how much his death would rock the family and he'd tried to do everything he could for them. As Jude turned and walked into the kitchen, he looked to Alba - knowing she had her dad right now, he felt confident in not being there for a couple of seconds. He followed Jude into the kitchen quietly, putting a gentle hand on the other males shoulder. "For what it's worth, Jude. I think you did the right thing." He said softly.

FH AH AG NH AG: Freddie didn't know how he was ever going to forgive any of them for this. How he was going to look at them and not think about the fact that they had kept this from him, from Noah, for nineteen years. He hadn't cried for years, it wasn't something he did... But he couldn't hold it in now. He missed him so much. He regretted every single day of his life that he hadn't tried harder to keep him around. Freddie wrapped his arms around his daughter as she came to him, trying to stifle his sobs - even now, he didn't want to be crying. He didn't want them all to see him like this.

FH AH AG NH AG: Selfishly, part of Nancy wished this had just come out when it had been the four of them - their little family. Because she thought things might be easier that way, they might actually be able to process what had happened that way. But this... She didn't see how this was ever going to get better. She looked over to Noah as he said he wasn't their son, her bottom lip trembling slightly. Because if he didn't think he was their son, did he still think he was her brother? She watched for a second as he sat down, going to sit back down next to him. She just wanted to be there for him, whether he wanted her to be or not.

FH AH AG NH AG: Arlo really had no idea what to do - every adult he'd ever looked up to, everybody he'd seen as the strongest people around him were currently breaking down and he felt totally helpless. "What do we do?" He whispered to Iris, shaking his head. Part of him thought the best thing to do might be to try and get their parents out of there, to try and get them home where they could cope and grieve properly. But he didn't know if they would even listen to them, if they would want to leave right now. He had no clue how they were supposed to act, but he hoped Iris knew better than he did.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Noah had no idea how he would have reacted if this was with if it had just been the four of them. He didn't think that it would've mattered. As Nancy sat down next to him, he sighed a little. A part of him wondered if she knew. If Nancy knew about what had happened, what his parents had done. But it took one look at her face for him to know that, that wasn't the case. Noah placed his hand on his sisters knee. "I'm gonna go out, Nance." He sighed. "I just - I need to clear my head." He got up then. He didn't say a word to anything as he left the house.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Jude didn't know how to get his head wrapped around anything that was going on. He didn't know how to deal with it all. It was all such a mess and he really wished that things could be better. He didn't know what to do. As he realised that someone was behind him, Jude quickly wiped at the tears on his face. He had come into the kitchen because he didn't want anyone to know that he was crying. He didn't want anyone to see that. Jude shook his head, "I don't need your pity, Aaron." He knew that it was probably unfair of him but he didn't think that anyone needed to offer an opinion right now. "I know we did."

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Alba was relieved as Freddie wrapped his arms around her. She didn't know if he would. Alba adored her father. She had since the day that she was born. Her dad, Elias, Arlo. The love that she had for those three didn't compare. And she felt like she was losing the first of those three loves, after already having lost the second. "It's okay." Alba whispered. She didn't want him to feel like he had to keep it in. She thought that it wasn't healthy for him to let it all out now. She tightened her arms around him, wanting to keep him close to her.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Grace wanted to go home. She didn't want to be around this anymore. She had done the right thing. She wouldn't switch from that. But she didn't think that it was fair that it had all come out like this. She wanted to go home but she didn't think that her being the first to leave was the right thing. "Noah.." Grace called after him, as he walked out the door. She didn't know if him going was going to do any good. Because all Grace could think about was Elias, was how much something like this would've broken him. All she could think about was her son. Grace missed him so much and she tried to bury it most days. It was impossible today.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: This all felt too much, too overwhelming. She wasn't sure what to do but she knew that she had to do something. Bridie let go of Arlos hand then and moved over to her best friend. She wrapped an arm around her. "Ava, sit down. I'll get you some water." She was upset too but she didn't think that it was fair to cause her friend more heartache. She wanted to be there for her now. "Come on." Ava had helped Bridie through her worst states and she was going to do the same for her best friend. She had no idea where she could start but she wanted to try.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Iris shrugged her shoulders a little as she looked over to Arlo. She didn't feel like she had a place in all of this. Everyone was losing their minds but she didn't think that she would be able to make this better. Not right now. "Do you wanna go for a walk?" She asked him. She thought that they might be able to come up with a bit of a plan if they weren't in the room with everyone else. She didn't think that she could concentrate otherwise. She just hoped that the two of them would be able to help. She wanted to get her mum home but she didn't think that she would go.

FH AH AG NH AG: Nancy looked up as she felt her brothers hand on her leg, nodding her head - she didn't want him to go, she wanted him to stay so they could all work this out, but she knew he wasn't going to listen to anything right now. She didn't know where he could go though, where he would end up and that scared her so much. She reached out and took her grandmas hand as she called after him. "He needs to go, grandma.." She sighed, shaking her head.

FH AH AG NH AG: Aaron had never wanted to make Jude feel like he was pitying him, but he could see now how it had come across. "Of course." He said quietly, nodding his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't intend to - I just wanted you to know." He sighed quietly, standing for another moment before he turned and walked back into the dining room. "Grace, would you like me to drive you home?" He asked softly. He didn't think the other would want to be there anymore and he wanted to be able to give her an out, if she wanted one.

FH AH AG NH AG: Freddie shook his head as Alba said it was okay - to him, it wasn't. He still didn't want to be crying, to be this weak in front of everybody... Regardless of what was happening. He didn't take his arms from around his daughter though, he felt as though she might need the comfort as much as he did right now and he wasn't going to deny her that.

FH AH AG NH AG: Ava let out a shaky sob as she felt Bridie's arm around her, almost falling into her a little bit - and as she watched her son get up and leave, she felt as though she was going to crumble to the ground. "I'm sorry..." She whispered to Bridie through the crying, shaking her head. Bridie was right though, she needed to sit down and she reached shakily for the chair closest to her, pulling it out and taking a seat.

FH AH AG NH AG: Arlo raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Iris to want to go anywhere with him, even after all of this - but he was never going to turn that down, especially right now when he really did feel like they probably both needed to clear their heads. He didn't know if it was selfish or not, leaving their mothers - but he didn't think they were going to be able to help here at all. "I'm going for a walk, dad..." He muttered to his father, looking back to Iris once the older man had nodded. "Ready?"

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Noah didn't know where he was going. He was just walking. He needed to have a little bit of fresh air, away from his family. Away from all of it. He couldn't be around it for any longer. He didn't know where he was going until he was there. He climbed the steps up to Mias place, knocking on the door loudly. "Mia!" Noah called. He really hoped that she wasn't with her boyfriend. He didn't know what he would do if she was with her boyfriend. He felt like he needed to see her now. He was desperate to see her. He didn't want anyone else to see him like this - he never had.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: "He shouldn't be on his own." Grace muttered as she looked over to Nancy. She was so scared. What Freddie had said, about Noah being his father, had really gotten to her. She didn't know how their family would cope if she lost Noah as well. She really wanted to do something. As Aaron spoke to her, she sighed but nodded her head. "Yes, please." She looked to her granddaughter, "Do you want to stay here tonight? Or you can come and stay with us?" She asked her. She didn't want to pressure her. Grace knew that she would have liked that but she wanted her to know that she could if she wanted as well.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Jude knew that Aaron was just trying to be there and really - deep down - he appreciated it. He just wasn't sure how to express that. He couldn't get his head wrapped around everything, how this had all happened. For a long time, Jude had worried about this coming out. Every time that Noah got a new job or needed ID, he worried that someone was going to tell him that they weren't his biological parents and the thought of it crushed him. It was nothing compared to how he felt now, though. It was like he couldn't breathe. Especially because he had no idea if his dad would forgive him after this. He had no idea how things were going to be.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Alba pulled away from her dad after a few more minutes like that and she looked up at him. Tears were still streaming down her face, "I love you." She whispered to him. "I love you and Elias loved you and you -" She shook her head, "You are everything we could've ever wanted." She needed him to know that. 'He could have had something to live for'. The words from her father kept going around and around in her head. She didn't understand why her brother had felt so lost but she knew that her parents had done their best.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Bridie shook her head a little as Ava apologised. "It's okay." She sighed. She wanted her to know that. She needed her to know that. She thought that they could maybe talk about it a little while later, when it was just the two of them. She didn't see the point in piling on the pain for her best friend right now. It was clear that she was hurting enough. She helped Ava into the closest seat and kissed her forehead. She grabbed one of the glasses and quickly poured her a glass of water. "He'll come around. It's just the shock, Ava. You know how much he adores you."

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Iris hadn't expected her to ask him to go somewhere with her until the words were out of her mouth. She needed to clear her head though and, if she was honest, she only wanted to be with Arlo. "I'm just going to get some air, alright?" She called over to Nancy, a small smile on her face. She wanted her to know that she wasn't just abandoning her. "Call me if you need me." She sighed. Because to give her friend that option. She knew that her mum didn't need to be told. "Yeah, lets go." She nodded as she looked back to Arlo.

FH AH AG NH AG: Mia hadn't expected any company whatsoever tonight - she'd just been planning on studying. There were books laid out across her bed, her laptop balancing precariously on a pile of them and a cup of coffee on the bedside table. But for the last ten minutes, she'd been on the phone with Sebastian trying to get him to understand why she didn't want him to come over - although the studying wasn't the real reason. It had become more and more obvious recently that he was just a rebound from Noah and she felt awful about it, but he just wasn't seeming to see it. "Look, I really do have a lot to do and --" She paused as she heard somebody shouting her name. "I have to go, Penny's shouting me." She lied. She knew that voice anywhere, but she had no clue what he would want. She left her room and walked to the door, opening it with a confused expression. "What do you want?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

FH AH AG NH AG: "I don't think he will be." Nancy sighed, although that actually worried her a little bit more - she didn't know where Noah was going, but she didn't think he'd end up alone. She looked up at her grandmas offer. If she was honest, all she really wanted to do was go home to her student house, to cope with all of this on her own - but she didn't know if she'd get there and just feel immensely lonely. And then she looked at her mother. She looked to the kitchen, where her father was. She didn't want them to feel like both of their children had left them tonight. "I should stay here. Thank you, though." She gave her a sad smile.

FH AH AG NH AG: Aaron had really liked Elias - he'd thought he was funny, he'd seen how he cared about his family. When he was sober, he was a good person to have around. But he had also seen him in the bad times - he'd been there when he would go missing for weeks, when he would returned high out of his mind and not know where he'd been. He could never have been a father. He knew that. He nodded as Grace said she wanted to go home, reaching into his pocket to take out his car keys. "Al, I'm going to take your mum home. I'll come back and get you." He told her softly.

FH AH AG NH AG: Freddie nodded as his daughter spoke, although he didn't really believe her. In his heart, he knew he could've done more - he should have been stronger, he should have fought his own addiction so that he could help his son fight his. But he never had done, even now. "I love you too, Al." He told her quietly, kissing the top of his daughters head. Even though she was grown up now, with a family of her own - she would always be his youngest child, the one he looked out for the most.

FH AH AG NH AG: Ava shook her head. She wanted to be able to explain, she wanted to tell Bridie why she hadn't told her - why she'd kept this from her. Why they had never asked her to be Noah's godmother, because she knew that despite her not knowing he was Elias's son, she couldn't do that to her. "You know him as well as I do, Bridie." She whispered, shaking her head. "There's a chance he's never going to forgive us for this."

FH AH AG NH AG: Arlo grabbed his jacket and pulled it on quickly, not wanting to waste any time - he didn't want to give Iris a chance to second guess herself, to change her mind and tell him she actually didn't want to go anywhere with him. "Love you, everyone." He said quietly as he looked from his parents, to his grandparents, to his aunt, uncle and cousin. He headed out of the door then, waiting for Iris before he closed it behind them. "You wanna head to the park?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. It was where they would usually walk, he always found it a nice and calm place to be, especially at this time.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Noah knew that when Mia saw him, she wouldn't be happy. It probably wouldn't make sense to her. And as he looked up at her, he had no idea what to do, how to tell her what had happened. He stared at her for a minute, trying to figure out how he could put together everything that he had in his mind. And when he finally went to talk, his voice crack. The tears that he had been keeping in while he was around the others, finally came. Mia was one of the only people that he had ever let himself get this close too, who he would ever let see him cry.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Grace really wan't sure that what Nancy was telling her was the truth. She didn't know how they could help Noah. She didn't know how to help anyone. Grace knew that she hadn't ever been the best mother. She had, had a lot of faults but she was always there for her children when they really needed her. "Okay. Call if you change your mind." She moved over to her granddaughter and kissed her forehead. She went to say something to Alba, when she saw the glare her daughter was giving her so she decided otherwise. "Thank you, Aaron."

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Jude didn't know what to do. He couldn't get a hold on himself. His brother was dead, his son didn't want him around anymore. He had no idea what he could do. Elias had been his best friend. He had done everything for him .He had tried to help him as much as he could and it still wasn't good enough. Jude had never stopped feeling guilty because of that. And almost every time he closed his eyes, he saw his brother in his bed, already cold. He didn't know how to get that out of his brain. He had done everything he could and it was never enough. Not for Elias. Not for Noah. He felt lost.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: "Okay. I love you." Alba nodded as she glanced at her husband. She felt so lucky to have someone like him. She glared at her mum for a second - she didn't want to talk to her - before she looked back up at her dad. "Do you want to stay with Aaron and I tonight?" She asked him. "I don't think -" But she stopped her herself. She knew her dad. She knew that he wouldn't admit defeat, that he needed something. So she rephrased what she was going to stay. "I think I'd really need you there tonight." If it was something for her, then she thought he might actually do it.

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Bridie didn't know what she would have done with the information if Elias was still there. She thought that she probably would have confronted him, tried to make him see that having Noah could help. Because Bridie thought the same as Freddie. If he had something to live for, maybe he wouldn't have died. Bridie sometimes - fleetingly - regretted having Iris. If she hadn't had Iris, then she could have been that for him. She had that thought in her head now. "He will forgive you, Ava." She nodded, "He loves you. He worships the ground you walk on. You just have to give him time."

IS NG AH GH BS JH: Iris grabbed her jacket but didn't put it on. She was hot and she needed a little bit of cold to cool her down a little. As she fell into step beside Arlo, she took a hold of his hand. Things might not be all that different for him but she thought that it was probably still a massive shock for him. She just wanted him to know that she was there as well. "Yeah, sounds good." She nodded. Tonight, it was like they could press pause. Just for a little bit. Whatever was going on, they could pretend like it wasn't and just be them.