Thanks to all your reviews on the last chapter :) Made me very happy :) This is the last chapter of this story. Thankyou to everyone whose reviewed, favourited this :0 It truly means a lot to me :)
Enjoy Xx
Three Months Later
It was October 2013 and the day Lauren would get out of the treatment facility for good. After been admitted to one all the way in Sheffield, Lauren had had time to think about her life. Even during her couselling sesisons, she found herself zonnig out, imagining her life elsewhere. Which is why, right now, Max was stunned at his daughters suggestion as he watche dher pack.
'You want to what?' he asked, unable to believe what he had just heard. Lauren zipped up her bag and turned to face him.
'I want to go and stay with Mum in Greece for a bit' Lauren repeated. Tanya and Max's relationship had broken down after Lauren's readmission, which Tanya throwing herself into work and Max almost having starting an affair. They had finally acepted that their relationship had reached the end of its course and mutal decided to separate. That had been tough for Lauren, as she blame dherself, but Max reassured her it was a long time coming. After the divorce and everything had gone through, Tanya had gotten back in contact which an old school friend called Melissa, who had opened up a beauty salon in Athens. She offered Tanya a job over there and a place to stay and Tanya accepted. Lauren found it hard without her Mum at first, but Tnaya wrote to her every week and called her every other day, so Lauren didn't mind too much.
'But... But what about college?' Max spluttered. He had gone through the trouble of enrolling Lauren back at college in Walford, because that had been the orginal plan. Talk about 360 degrees turn.
'Mum's enrolling me in one out there. She says it's got a fab Art deparment and that it's close enough for me to walk on mornings...' answered Lauren. Max recoiled at this.
'Whoa! What do you mean enrolled you in college out there? You said you were only going for a month!'
'I changed my mind. I did a lot of thinking while I was in here. A lot of thinking, and I decided that I need a fresh start. A clean slate... So, thats what I'm going to do. I'm going to go and live with Mum for a few months and see how it goes. If I don't like, I'll come back... But if I do, I'll stay out there...' said Lauren. Max blinked, unable to take all of this in. He collected his thoughts and put them to one side for the moment, deciding to talk more about this when they were back in Walford. He sighed and picked up Lauren's bag.
'Come on, let's go home' he said, sighing. Laurne smiled and nodded, before following him out of the door...
They arrived back in Walford a few hours later and Lauren climbed out of the car, looking round.
'See not much has changed then?' she questioned. Max smiled
'Nope nothing really' he smiled and headed to the boot to grab her bag. he heaved it out of the boot, before she heard someone call her name.
'LAUREN?' Joey called across the Square. Lauren twirled round and saw Joey walking towards her. Throughout her stay in Sheffield, he had been texting her everyday, letting her know he was waiting for her, telling her that he loved her. She was grateful for that, regardless of what he did. She smiled and hugged him, surprising him slightly.
'Hey, Joey' she whsipered in his ear. Joey wrapped his arms round her waist and pulled her closer to him. He had truly missed her. He had tried to visit her once, but she had put a ban on people who didn't want to see... Turned out he wa sone fo them. While he had been banne dfrom seeing Lauren, he had been trying to find out who had sent the message. He had narrowed it down to three suspects: Lucy, Tanya or Whitney, all of them having motivitves for different reasons.
'I missed you' he whispered in her ear. He felt Lauren smile slightly against his neck and then she pulled away, as she heard a door shut. She turned and saw Max had left them to have a little privacy.
'How are you doing?' Joey asked, his voice soft. Lauren nodded.
'Yeah, I'm doing good thanks. Yourself?' she asked. Joey nodded.
'I'm good now, now that you're back' he said honestly., his eyes never leaving Laurens. She blinked a few times, as she felt the magnetic pull what exsited between her and Joey.
'I'd better go inside. Unpack and everything' she said. Joey nodded, watching as Lauren turned around to head into the house,w hen a thought struck him.
'Lauren?' he watched as she turned round to face him ' You haven't heard from Tanya recently have you?' he asked. Lauren frowned.
'Yeah, every other day. Why?' Lauren asked
'Just wondering. Haven't seen her for ages' he said simply. Lauren smiled.
'Thats because she moved away. To Greece, she says it's because she 's got a new job, but I reckon there is someone else...' said Lauren. She turned to go, but Joey grabbed her arm.
'Anything she said?' he questioned. Lauren shook her head, and then shrugged.
'Guess I'll find out sooner than later' she said, without thinking. Joey frowned.
'What's that mean?' he asked, slightly fearful of the answer. Laurne looked at him and sighed
'I'm going out there to stay with her for a few months. Collect my thoughts and stuff...' lied Lauren. Joey blinked and let Lauren's arm go, watching as she headed inside. He tuned to go back into his house, when a convosation flashed through his mind.
'Can't believe this is happening again' Joey said to Tanya, as they sat down in the caf, two cups of coffee between them.
'Me neither... Listen, Joey... I haven't told Abi or Oscar yet because I'm waiting til ltonight... But when Lauren comes home for good, promise you'll look after her...' said Tanya. Joey frowned.
'Why? Where are you going?' he asked
'I'm going away for a few weeks. Meeting up with a friend of mine from high school' lied Tanya. Joey cocked his head and narrowe dhis eyes.
'When did you decide this? Yesterday, when you came to see me with Lucy and Whitney, you were fine...' said Joey
'Plans can crop up at anytime, Joey. Just things can change within a blink of an eye whether its a phonecall or a text' said Tanya, taking a sip of her coffee. Joey thought for a second before agreeing with her, leaving the information fly over his head...
Joey stopped dead in the middle of the road. Life can change within a blink of eye, whether its a phonecall or a text... A text... The text what he supposedly sent to Lauren.
'Oh good god...' Joey said to himself. He turned back to the Branning house and saw Lauren smiling at him from her bedroom window, before waving to him and disappearing from view. He saw a light switch turn off and decided to confront Lauren tomorrow...
Joey was woken the next mornign, byt Alice shaking him violently.
'Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I'm awake! What's wrong with you?' Joey questioned, staring at his sister, wondering slightly if she had gone crazy.
'Lauren's leaving! Better hurry if you want to say goodbye' said Alice. She had never seen Joey move so fast in her life. H ethrew a t shirt over his head and some jogging bottoms over his boxers and bolted downstairs. He opened the door, just as Laurne was about to climb into the taxi.
'LAUREN!' his voice shot through the air like a shotgun been fired. Laurne jumped and turned, smiling when she saw him.
'Didn't think you were going to turn-' Joey crushed their lips together, cutting off her sentence. Lauren gripped his arms, keeping herself steady, as she responded. Joey pulled away when the need for air became to great.
'Don't go! You can't!' said Joey. Lauren sighed
'I have to, Joey. I'll be back before you know it...' she lied. Joey saw straight through her.
'You're lying, Lauren. i can read you like a book. Your not coming back. Lauren, please... You can't go! You can't!' JOey pleaded. Lauren sighed.
'Give me one good reason why I should stay' said Lauren
'Becuase I love you! Thats why you should stay. Remember the text what ''I'' sent you?' he questione dher, putting qoutation marks round the word ''I''. Lauren's eyes darkened and she nodded stiffly.
'Well, it was Tanya! She didn't want you going on holiday, did she? She disappeared the night you tried to take your life.. It was her, Lauren! Tanya did it!' said Joey. Lauren scoffed and looked away from him, shaking her head.
'Oh please. Why would my Mum do that to me? She loves me, Joey! Now if this is an attempt to make me stay... It's not working' said Lauren, opening the door to the taxi and climbing in, almost traping Joey's hand in the door.
'Lauren! I mean it! It was her! LAUREN!' shouted Joey, as the taxi pulled away from the Square, leaving Joey standing in the road, heartbreaken and angry. He felt Max appear at his side.
'Is it true? Was it Tanya?' he questioned, not wanting to believe that his ex wife would do souch a thing. Joey looked at him and nodded.
'It was Tanya, Max. Now, she's got Lauren.. God knows what could happen!' exclaimed Joey, furious with himself for not realising it sooner. Now, he had lost the love of his life... And it was all thanks to her Mum.
R&R :D Xx