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Post by Katrina on Jul 2, 2006 21:54:00 GMT 1
exams are finally over ;D so hopefully i'll have more time to devote to my fics which i've been neglecting lately. I'm sorry if this part doesn't flow as well as other parts but I wrote it during a thunder storm this morning and so didn't use the computer, not that that should make much of a difference.
Part 7
Greg sat on the wall outside of his cottage, watching the road intensely waiting for the sounds that announced that Stephie was on her way. He’d practically begged her to allow him to drive or at least take his car but she’d insisted that she would try – her reasoning being that this was going to be an emotional trip for Greg and that it would be safer for her to drive. At the thought he rolled his eyes slightly for currently he didn’t really know what to expect of the trip. The roar of the engine suddenly filled the air and for any stranger to the area it would have made them jump in to the air in a spectacular fashion but Greg was far to used to it. The banana yellow car came in to view and couple of seconds later. As the car stopped just in front of him the hyper active calls of the children in the back seat filled the air – the loudest being Aliya who got excited at the very thought of seeing her beloved uncle Greg.
“Put your bag in the boot” Stephie shouted out of the car window, trying to make her voice heard over her children’s’. She flicked the button on the floor by her door and Greg walked round the back and lifted the boot throwing his bag in, barely noticing the mountain that was there already. He made his way around to the passenger side and climbed in, smiling at the kids as he did so.
“So Sheri, how’d you do in that exam?” he asked once he was seated comfortably. Twisting round in his seat. The girl smiled at him, Sheridan, better known as Sheri, was the eldest of the trio at ten.
“I think it was ok” she answered slowly, trying to remember all the warnings her mum had given her earlier in preparation for the trip.
“Greg – I drew you a picture in school. It’s of Coffee and Toffee” Aliya said in her sweet lispy voice, annoyed that everyone’s attention was not on her. Jamie, the only boy of the three, burst out laughing when he remembered the picture but everyone in the car, bar Aliya, knew that Greg would take it and smile and act as if I was a Picasso.
Finally the car was on the motorway speeding towards Leatherbridge, the sat nav chiming in occasionally to give directions which Greg could have given himself without having to look at any signs. So many times he’d nearly driven back, but every time something had stopped him – the most memorable being Aliya’s birth. In the back, Sheri was leading a round robin of Kookaburra which ultimately ended with them ending at the same time and a lot of laughter. As the journey wore on, Aliya started in her whining and asking of ‘are we there yet?’ every five minutes and Greg felt more and more nervous. And then the turn off was in sight, part of him willed Stephie to drive straight on past it but the sat nav voice perked up and instantly he wanted to throw it out the window but he couldn’t he sat frozen. Stephie looked at him for a second, managing to do so without taking her eyes of the road. Her face twisted in to a look of worry but she knew she had to continue because he wouldn’t forgive himself if he missed this and she knew that he carried far to much guilt around already. She drove slowly through the streets of Leatherbridge and Greg stared out of the windows, taking in every sight and trying to block out the painful memories and just see the good. He closed his eyes for a second and he was back 20 years but when he opened them, Stephie had stopped the car in front of a hotel. Two young women were sat on the low wall outside, Greg stared at one of them dumbstruck she was a dead ringer for, he shook his head slightly and then came to his senses. Slowly he got out the car and walked towards them. They loved at him and smiled
“Mr Gregory Robinson” the elder said with a smile, extending her hand “I’m Alex” she said quickly and then smiled with embarresment “I mean Alexia-Belle Woodson” she rarely used her full name. Greg smiled at her
“no need to be so formal. You look so like you mum” he turned to Bracken “and you take after your dad, Bracken isn’t it?. Talking of George and Ronnie are they here yet?” the sisters looked at each other, they frowned slightly, obviously there mum hadn’t contacted anyone. Greg looked at them confused
“dad died” Bracken said softly, her voice almost breaking as she said the words. Greg looked as if he were about to cry and something told him this trip would be filled with a lot more surprises. But before he had time to dwell on that, as Aliya was bounding towards him and with a swift motion he had her in his arms.
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Post by Katrina on Jul 26, 2006 21:25:27 GMT 1
Part 8
Greg felt like a zombie as he walked around the hotel, he’d been in Leatherbridge little over an hour and already he was restless. Part of him was desperate to explore, to find out what had changed and what remained of the past he both treasured and hated but the other part, the part that was currently winning in the mental battle, was terrified to step out on the confines of the hotel, terrified about what demons he’d have to face. The hotel was new territory for him, it had never been there during his time and from the way the interior looked it was very new or the owners kept it really up to date. As he walked he heard to sounds of footsteps behind him, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. Slowly he turned around,
”sorry if I scared you” Alexia said with a nervous smile, her brown eyes twinkled in that same way George’s did.
“It’s ok. When’s your mum getting here?” he asked softly, like his feelings on going out he was also having a mental argument over his feelings on meeting up with his old colleagues – he knew there’d be a lot of shocks, like Ronnie’s death, but he also knew there’d be a lot of things the same, like smiles and laughs. He was feeling really mixed up, he honestly hadn’t felt this way in years
“In a few days” and with a cheeky grin that he remembered so clearly in another face, added “when I decide to go get her” Greg laughed but despite Alexia making him feel slightly more at ease he still felt out of place.
“I’d better be getting down to the dinner room, I agreed to meet Steph there” he forced a smile, but it soon changed to a frown when he realized that he had absolutely no idea of where the dinner room actually was, noticing his confusion Alexia smiled at him.
“How about I walk with you, I’m meant to be meeting Bracken there anyway” Greg nodded and the two began to walk together, Alexia leading slightly.
“Do you remember about it?” Greg asked suddenly, immediately regretting his words afterwards, his face flushed slightly.
“No. but I remember hearing mum and dad talking about it years after. Especially just after Bracken’s accident” as Alexia said the words, the two arrived in the room. Bracken was began frantically waving at her sister, causing Alexia to blush an alarming shade of red. She smiled at Greg
“I guess I’ll see you around” after she’d walked a couple of feet away from him she stopped “I’m really glad you came, and if it’s not to painful for you, I’d like to hear a little about the accident. what I’ve overheard is only two tenths of the entire picture” with that she walked over to Bracken but Greg stood frozen to the spot. The memories he’d fought to keep hidden flooded back – and he was powerless to stop them
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Post by Katrina on Aug 27, 2006 21:30:15 GMT 1
for some reason this fic always seems to be written when i've had some exam stuff anyway i got my exam results and so it seemed right to add a bit, that and the fact i've been neglecting my writing a bit recentlyPart 9“It’s really strange out there” Greg Robinson said as he walked in to the reception area of the surgery. He couldn’t help allowing his gaze to drift to the window to look out at the strange mist which seemed to have completely enveloped the town. His colleagues agreed with him and he turned to look at them all in turn. He was surprised to see that so many of them had actually made it in, he himself had considered phoning in saying he didn’t really feel safe driving in but something had stopped him. He sat down in one of the empty seats and smiled as he noticed Alexia in her carrycot staring up at him. he hadn’t expected George to be in that morning as it was her day off to care for the baby and yet here she was. Noticing Greg’s odd expression, George smiled at him “it’s odd, but I didn’t really want to be alone in this weather” hearing the words spoken out loud she thought to herself her ridiculous the notion was but she really hadn’t felt comfortable that morning when Ronnie had started to make his way out to work. Greg just smiled. There was something odd about the feeling that morning – he couldn’t put his finger on it but as each patient came and went the strange tingly chilly feeling got stronger and stronger. By the time lunch time came Greg was starting to consider asking Mac to take a look at him but he knew that the chances of there actually being something wrong were slim. He made his way in to the staff room, only Amanda was there. She was sat only, staring at the reception desk, and Sarah, twisting her hands over each other. A blank expression on her face. Greg could tell her mind was on other things but just what he couldn’t work out all he knew was that he didn’t want to be around her – there was something about her that was really giving him the creeps. He slipped away from the room, and went back to his office. He didn’t realize it but he slipped off to sleep. The next thing he knew was the sound of screaming and the feeling of absolute dread and terror that washed over him.
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Post by Katrina on Dec 10, 2006 19:58:56 GMT 1
Part 10
“You ready?” Jimmi called from his place at the bottom of the stairs, out of boredom he started drumming his fingers on the banister. He was getting somewhat impatient, he knew that unless they left in the next half an hour there was absolutely no way they’d get to Leatherbridge before nightfall and he didn’t particularly want to have to shell out for a night in a hotel but he knew that Sarah wouldn’t want to be on the road at night. After a few minutes he called up again and a few seconds later, Sarah was stood at the top of the stairs. For the first time in months she was wearing make-up and had her hair done perfectly, but the look on her face was of pure terror. Jimmi smiled at her, she looked absolutely beautiful and in that instant he knew exactly why he’d married her.
“You look amazing” he said in breathless wonder. He’d forgotten just how good she could look. For the past eight months, he’d only seen her as a pregnant woman. A tiny hint of a smile crept on to her lips
“Thank you” she said softly “but I can’t go” Jimmi sighed; Sarah came down the stairs and stood in front of him. He had to admit she did look scared. Gently he kissed her forehead
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice filled with concern. The soft sound of his voice promptly made Sarah burst in to tears; Jimmi wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
“I can’t go back there” she said, it was nearly impossible to work out what she was saying. Jimmi kissed the top of her head
“we have to go sweetheart. For Faith. And we’ll see all of our old friends again, they’ll be lots of gossip for you” he tried to make his voice as jolly as possible but if the truth be told he was feeling just as worried as his wife. Sarah looked up at him, she knew that he felt the same, she took a deep breath
“let’s go” slowly the two of them walked out of the house and got in to their cars and started to drive towards Leatherbridge. With every mile that passed the more worried, they became but they also began to feel so excited. And then finally they pulled off the motorway.
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Post by Katrina on Dec 15, 2006 12:59:04 GMT 1
Part 11
As he drove through the streets of Leatherbridge, unconsciously Jimmi found he eased up on the accelerator, at the speed they were driving a turtle could have passed them without much trouble but they barely realized. Both Jimmi and Sarah wore dazed expression as they drank in the familiar sights, a strange feeling washed over them. For too quickly for them, they pulled in to the car park of the hotel and stopped the car, neither moved.
“It hasn’t changed has it” Sarah asked breathless. She hadn’t quite known what she would feel being back here but she hadn’t expected this. Slowly she got out of the car, and like a mirror image Jimmi did the same. Together they moved towards the entrance, hands clasped tight. Warm air hit them as they stepped through the doors in to the foyer; they both took a deep breath and walked towards the reception desk. A young blond woman, much like a younger Sarah, stood there examining her nails. She looked up at them and smiled
”can I help you” she asked, her Birmingham accent strong. Jimmi smiled at her
“I’m Jimmi Clay. I’ve booked a room for myself and my wife” he blinked; his voice didn’t sound at all like his. The receptionist nodded and typed something in to her computer before reaching under the desk and handing him a keycard.
“Have a nice stay” she said, pasting a phony smile on her face. Usually this would have made both Sarah and Jimmi laugh but today it had no effect. In a zombie like manner they started the walk up to their room, a few doors before there’s they ran in to Alexia who smiled at them
“Mr and Mrs Clay?” She asked, her eyes sparkling, she wasn’t quite sure why she was addressing them so formally.
”yes” Sarah answered softly. Alexia’s smile widened
“That’s great. I’m Alexia. You’re the second to arrive. Greg got here yesterday” Sarah gasped at the mention of Greg’s name, she hadn’t really expected him to come. It was one of her biggest regrets – the fact that she and Greg hadn’t stayed in contact after they left Leatherbridge. “I’m got to go meet Bracken but I’ll see you tonight at dinner?” Sarah and Jimmi nodded, and with a wave Alexia walked off down the corridor. They’d only taken anything few steps when one of the doors on the opposite corridor opened, a small girl bounded out closely followed by a tall, dark haired man, Sarah gave another gasp
“Greg?”
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Post by Katrina on Dec 21, 2006 19:01:34 GMT 1
Part 12
He raised his head slowly, shocked by the voice that he hadn’t heard in so many years. He’d missed her so much and yet now she was here to only thing he could think of doing was running. Part of him didn’t even want to look at her, he couldn’t bare the idea that she would have changed – to him Sarah was still that twenty-four year old Mill Health Centre receptionist and he wasn’t sure if he was truly ready to accept that that person had grown up. He took a long deep breath and then stood. She was looking at him quizzically, her eyes shining with what he presumed to be tears. As if in slow motion she started to move towards him. She extended one of her arms and allowed her hand to brief touch his arm, as if to check that he was really there and not some ghost. He felt as if he was stuck to the floor, all he could do was stare at her, he wasn’t sure whether his eyes were playing tricks on him because all he could see when he looked at her was the girl that he’d known 20 years ago and not the woman who was here now. Tears began to slip down her cheek, which was all that was needed, he felt his body unfreeze and slowly he raised his hand and gently wiped the tears from her face in the same way he’d done years ago. Gently he took her in his arms and held her close, over her shoulder he saw Jimmi stood there, looking complete uncomfortable and out of place and out of the corner of his eye he could see Aliya, stood by the door leading to the next part of the corridor, she was bouncing around impatiently but he didn’t want this moment to end. This moment had been part of his dreams for so long that he wanted it to stretch on for ever, he knew that once he let go they’d have to catch up on all of the years and part of him was scared that to much time had passed, that the friendship that had once appeared unbreakable was now in a state of disrepair. Slowly she gently began to pull away from him; he allowed his arms to slip away from her body. She stood back and looked at him, allowing her eyes to scan over him. Gently she placed a hand on her bump, he barely looked any different, and she could make out a few silver-grey hairs peaking through the black and sure there were a few extra lines on his face but he was still as handsome as ever.
”congratulations” he said softly, finding his voice for the first time since he’d seen her. She smiled at him, the smile he remembered so clearly.
“Thank you” she said, her usual loud bubbly voice just as soft as his own.
“It’s good to see you” Jimmi added, groaning slightly under the weight of the suitcases he was carrying, Greg smiled at him, feeling more normal.
“need a hand?” he asked, Jimmi smiled back and nodded. Greg took one of the suitcases and Jimmi led the way to the room and opened the door, Sarah tagged along close behind and with great annoyance Aliya dashed after them. She stood in the doorway of the room, hands on her hips. Sarah saw her first, she couldn’t help but feel shocked, Greg smiled when he saw her.
“this is Aliya” he said gently. Sarah and Jimmi both had looks of surprise, Greg grinned, trying to work out just what was going through their minds
”she’s my goddaughter” he added. Sarah sighed, she knew that this trip was going to be full of surprises some like this would be good but others, well she didn’t really want to think about that.
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Post by Katrina on Jan 1, 2007 14:09:47 GMT 1
Part 13
“Alexia” Bracken shouted when she saw her sister walk in to the lounge room. The two had agreed to meet having to discuss when to pick up their mum and other details about the trip that had to be ironed out. Something that was currently worrying Alexia was how advanced Sarah’s pregnancy appeared to be. But obviously something else was on Bracken’s mind. her dark eyes was sparkling, the way they had done during their childhood just before Bracken would reveal her plan for something which usually ended up with both girls in deep trouble. Bracken sighed; mentally she began to count,
“I think we should enter this” Bracken said pointing to a sign behind Alexia. Alexia turned and read the sign; she had to try extremely hard to hold in her laughter but failed. She turned back to be greeted by a rather annoyed looking Bracken “why are you laughing?”
“Because you have the hand eye coordination of a knat” Alexia exclaimed. The sign was advertising a darts competition that was going to take place in the hotel. Bracken swatted at her sister
“I do not. I’m a great darts player – dad always said so” Bracken argued. It was true Ronnie had always said his daughter was a good player but that was only because he couldn’t bear to see her sulk. Alexia rolled her eyes.
“He said I was a princess. It doesn’t make it true” she retaliated. Even though they were both adults now, they still bickered like children.
“Stop it girls” Both Bracken and Alexia whirled around at the voice stood nearby was George. She was stood with her hands on her hips looking a lot she’d done when both girls were small.
“Sorry” they both said looking guilty
“Lexie, said I can’t play darts in the competition” Bracken moaned. George frowned. She wasn’t quite sure how to proceed, she didn’t want to hurt her daughters feelings but she also didn’t want to see Bracken completely embarrass herself in front of people, and as well as that with her aim Bracken was a danger to everyone else in the room. Luckily Alexia changed the subject
“how did you get here mum?” she asked. George smiled
“I got bored at home, and although you two may think it, I’m not completely useless. So I got on a train and came. I was a little nervous but well I just couldn’t wait any longer” George said. She smiled at her daughters “so who else is here? And can we go to my room I need to put my bags somewhere”
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Post by Katrina on Jan 11, 2007 16:25:25 GMT 1
Part 14
“So who else is here?” George asked, looking around the hotel room. Both Alexia and Bracken were collapsed on the bed, gasping. They’d both lugged George’s bags up to the room without realizing just how heavy they were. Alexia gave a small smile
“Greg Robinson and his four guests, and Jimmi and Sarah Clay” Alexia said softly. George turned around clapping her hands in the manner of a delighted child, her dark eyes shone.
“So Sarah and Jimmi got married?! I always knew they were destined to be together. So how are Greg’s guests” she asked, she couldn’t help but feel extremely curious. Alexia sat up and smiled at her mum
“A young woman, Stephie I think. And three children – two girls and a boy” Alexia reeled off. George’s eyes were wide. She tried to think just who they could be but she drew blanks.
“Their just across the corridor – room 103” Bracken added. She was still lying on her back with her eyes closed. Relaxing was one of her favourite pastimes.
“Maybe I should go see them, just to say hello” she tilted her head slightly and gave Alexia a small smile. Alexia gave a small laugh. She knew full well what her mother’s hello was; she wanted gossip plain and simple.
“You go, we’ll be fine” Bracken said. She hadn’t quite read between the lines but she still had something she wanted to finish. The conversation of the darts tournament was still open in his mind. George gave Alexia a smile before leaving the room.
The walk across the hall seemed to take forever, but finally she was stood in front of the door. she gave it a firm knock. Within a few seconds the door opened, and in front of her stood a beautiful woman. George gave her a smile
“Is Greg here?” she said, trying to keep her nervousness from slipping in to her tone. The woman smiled and shouted inside. Greg appeared behind her. George gave him a friendly smile.
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