Another academic year had come to an end, another farewell assembly had taken place to bid farewell to pupils leaving school to begin their university courses and now it was time for the obligatory staff drinks in the pub. Christine had already told herself she would stay for a couple and then head home; Audrey was out for the night on a date so it meant she would have the house to herself and chances like that didn't come up often. Christine loved her friend and colleague dearly and would be eternally grateful to her for taking her in and not giving up on her after all she had been through but sometimes she felt as though she was being suffocated and relished the prospect of having complete control over the tv remote and could eat whatever she wanted without being given a lecture on the consequences of such a poor diet. Christine's first year at Waterloo Road always played heavily on her mind; the way she treated her colleagues, the failings she had as a teacher and she couldn't even begin to think about how she had let her son down, but now, sat around a pub table, orange juice in hand, she looked round thoughtfully at her colleagues and couldn't believe the person she had become; friendly, approachable, funny, kind, all qualities she couldn't associate with herself before and it was largely down to the people she was currently in the presence of. Sonya: she had let Christine down in so many ways, she had had more second chances than anyone she had ever met but Waterloo Road 's ethos of never giving up on anyone applied to the staff as much as it did pupils, but really she had a heart of gold. Marco; the memory of their night together never failing to bring a smile to Christine's face. He presented such a hard exterior, guarded and supercilious but she had seen first-hand that that was all an act to protect himself from getting hurt. Lorna: the most stuck up woman she had worked with, too young and inexperienced to be a deputy in Christine's opinion but she knew Lorna was a good teacher who genuinely cared about the kids and of late they had managed to forge a much closer working relationship. Guy: a trendy, energetic teacher, slightly chaotic and did make Christine feel her age on many occasions but the kids did love and respect him. Finally there was George: friends of many years and been through so much together. Christine loved George dearly, and as more than just a friend but with her track record, and his, relationships were more than a cause for concern and she knew it was better to bury those feelings and forget about the 'what if's' because their friendship was too important to her.

Lost in her thoughts she was startled by the feeling of a hand on her arm "Christine" It was George "Are you alright? You're awfully quiet"

"I'm fine" she smiled "Just thinking"

"You do know that's dangerous" he replied with which she laughed "But seriously, you know you can talk to me about anything"

"I know" she rested her hand on top of his in appreciation. Their eyes met for a second and they held each other's gaze. They could feel the tension building and just as she thought 'this is the right time' her phone vibrated in her pocket.

"Sorry" she apologised, letting go of George's hand as to get her phone out of her pocket. The screen read '1 New Message from Audrey'. Bloody Audrey, always ruining the moment, she thought. Christine opened the message and stared at the screen for a moment, her mind beginning to run wild.

"Christine, is everything alright?"

She read the text one more time. 'Come home now'. Christine couldn't help but ask herself what had she done this time, it was like living with her mother, she was always being told off for something. Her worry turned to sheer panic as she remembered Audrey was meant to be on a date and anything could have happened to her. "I've got to go, sorry, see you all next term" Christine stood and left the pub, George was sat a bit bewildered, also wondering what might of happened and what was wrong with his dear friend.

Christine drove home quickly; the only upside of being a recovering alcoholic was always being able to drive! She arrived home and rushed inside, not knowing what she was about to find. As she opened the front door Audrey was stood in the living room doorway, the most serious face on her, glasses in one hand and her hand resting on her chin. This was serious. "Audrey, what's happened? What's wrong?"

Audrey didn't answer, just stepped aside and gestured towards the living room. Christine crept forward, not knowing what she was going to find inside, not wanting to find out what or who was inside.

"Imogen?" Christine was confused and taken aback at the state of the girl. Imogen wore a hoodie and leggings and trainers; an outfit that Christine would never have associated with her, she wore no makeup; another rarity and her hair was scraped back into a ponytail. The girl looked like she needed a good wash and a good feed.

"I'm sorry Mrs Mulgrew, I didn't know where else to go"

"Tell me what's happened"

"I need your help. You have to take her, I can't look after her" Imogen began to cry.

"Look after who?" Christine asked her daughter-in-law. Imogen didn't reply, she simply stepped aside. Christine gasped before rushing to the sofa.

"She's your granddaughter Mrs Mulgrew and I need you to take her. I'm sorry, I just can't"

"Imogen, I don't understand. Where's Connor? Where's my son?" anxiety was overwhelming Christine.

It was as if her voice had been stolen, Imogen opened her mouth but no words came out.

"I'm sorry, I can't" and with that the girl pushed past Christine and ran out of the house. Christine was left holding the baby…literally.

"Imogen….."