This is my first ever fanfiction, so please don't hate me if it's awful. Kind of my own version of how Lauren and Joey met, okay here it goes...

Lauren and Alice were heading over to the vic for a quiet drink with Lucy and Whitney. She'd really enjoyed having her cousin round these past few weeks, even if she was the spawn of Derek Branning. She was nothing like him anyway, she was sweet and caring and a little bit naïve, if only she could see Derek's true colours, but that's Alice for you, always seeing the best in people.

"You orite Alice?" Lauren asked, as they took a seat, joining the two other girls.

"Yeah fine, it's just me and dad had a bit of an argument, it's nothing" she almost whispered, smiling weakly at Lauren.

"What was he saying this time?" Lauren sighed, trying to figure out what had gotten her cousin so down, but before she could answer, Derek came barging through the doors, grabbing Alice's arm and pulling her up from her seat.

"Get off her!" Lauren screamed, jumping up from her seat.

"Dad please, we were only having a quiet drink!" Alice cried, trying to pull her arm away from him.

"Look Alice, you know I don't like you hanging around with this lot, you're a good girl." Derek sighed, giving Lauren a disapproving look.

"And what's that suppose to mean?" He may have been her uncle, but Lauren never saw Derek as part of the family, always treating them like second class citizens.

"You stay out of this Lauren!" Derek shouted, as Lauren came towards him, trying to pry Alice away from his clutches. He pushed her out of the way, when suddenly Derek hit the floor, a red mark forming on his face.

"Dad!" Alice let out a worried cry. Derek scrambled to his feet, blood gushing from his nose, ready to attack the man who had just knocked him to the floor, before stopping.

"Joey?" Derek let out a long sigh.

"That's right, dad." He smirked, patting Derek on the shoulder and laughing to himself.

Lauren gawped, Alice had never mentioned a brother?

surprisingly, Alice soon took control of the situation and took both her brother and her dad outside. As he was being dragged out of the vic by his younger sister, Joey threw Lauren a cheeky grin, who stood with a blank look of confusion on her face as he left.

Sorry this was so short, but i'm hoping to update again tonight, hope you liked it.