Suburbia - Part IV - A Hidden Agenda

Hello and welcome to Part IV of Suburbia - A Hidden Agenda.

In the previous part Andrew didn't come home till late at night because he went out with Clara, Juliet and Alexis had a few words as Juliet tried to bond with the child. Juliet had a flashback of her life as an erotic dancer and decided to change her life.

Mark was already up and painting when Tom walked in the room, he looked up in startled surprise as the door opened and squeaked as if in protest like it knew that it's owner wanted to be left in peace. Tom was dressed only in his pyjama bottoms revealing his muscular torso. Mark saw the look on Tom's face and immediately knew that something was wrong, he looked back at his painting sorrowfully as he washed the paint off of his brush and put the cup of murky paint water down.

"What are you painting?" Tom still carried the same melancholy sound he had when he sang his new song, Mark wondered what could have happened for Tom to be acting in this strange manner. His eyes quickly shifted back at his painting which was barely started and he shook his head roughly as his blond curls fidgeted about his head.

"Oh, it's nothing. What's up? You don't sound right."

Mark watched Tom from where he stood as he made his way across the bedroom and sat down on the bed with such sadness that he couldn't help feeling a little sad too, as his mattress sunk underneath Tom's weight, which was mostly muscle.

Mark's hand moved towards his paintbrush again as Tom sat on the bed sighing heavily, Mark knew that Tom wanted to tell him what was wrong, but he also knew that he was too frightened to. 'It had better not be about girls' Mark grumbled to himself, Tom was person who always had the least trouble getting girls. A few moments later and Mark ripped his canvas from the easel and screwed it up into a little ball before throwing it into the recycling bin. The water turned a horrid murky, brown colour as he washed his paintbrush once more and put the cup of water to the side; before facing Tom with his hands on his hips.

"Right. Out with it. I'm already sick of your moping!" He joked, hoping to get a smile out of him, but there wasn't even a flicker.

Tom took a deep breath, he didn't look or sound anywhere near close to tears, but there was a certain distress there. He wiped a sweaty brow and looked at Mark.

"It's my father... he's dead." The distress had gone to be replaced by an indifference. Mark rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he raised his eyebrows in concern and his stomach plummeted. What was he supposed to say? He moved some bits and pieces from the bedside table and sat down, leaning back against the wall.

"Well... how do you feel? How... how did he die?" Tom scratched his stomach nervously.

"Cancer." He stated simply, Mark looked at him, he didn't appear to want to say anything else so Mark looked away and stared at the wall. "I didn't even know he was suffering from it... I disowned my family... I didn't pay attention to what happened to them after I left. If I had stayed... I could've done something." Mark could hear Tom's throat clogging, his breathing becoming more erratic, more abrupt. He dared not look, he could not bear to see Tom cry.

"Tom, there was nothing you could do... even if you had been with him, he still would have got the cancer and died, you can't blame yourself..." The words came pouring out of him but didn't even know where they were coming from, they just felt right. However, it seemed they were not the right words as Tom screwed his face up and got off the bed with a terrifying force and began to pace the room.

"I know I couldn't save him! But at least I would have been there! I could have... I would have..." His voice trailed off into nothingness.

"What would you have done, Tom?" Mark asked exasperatedly looking into his chocolate eyes.

"I would have made his final hours more peaceful... I would have let him know that I forgive him." Mark pulled Tom into a hug, quickly so that he could not be pushed away.

"He'll know." Mark said simply. "He's watching you, he knows... When did you find out?" he asked compassionately. Tom pulled away and headed to the bedroom door, not letting Mark see the tears on his face as he hurriedly wiped them away.

"Yesterday. My mother wants to get in touch with me again... it was where I got the inspiration for the song from - I can't believe how selfish I was!"

"You weren't being selfish, Tom. It was the only way you knew how to express your feelings." Tom could not hold it back any longer, the floodgates opened and he just let the hot, salty drops fall down his face. He tried to turn away by hunching his shoulders and curling up, but Mark wrapped a reassuring arm over his shoulders - Tom could not face this alone.

"Your mother. Do you want to see her?" Mark asked gently as he rested his forehead against the side of Tom's head in a comforting gesture, his hand squeezing the muscular shoulders as he tried to get his friend to talk to him. Tom breathed in deeply, catching quick short breaths as the tears continued to run down his face and his throat remained clogged.

"I don't know, Mark. I feel that I should, but would it be worth it? My sister won't forgive me as my mother seems to have done." In response, Mark shook his head dejectedly and inhaled deeply - he had no idea.

"I don't know your mother, Tom..." he began slowly "but if you want, I'll come with you... I don't want you to face this alone." They looked into each others eyes and Tom buried himself into Mark's shoulder as he continued to cry.

"No, Tom, I think Mark is right. it should just be you and him, that way your mother will be more comfortable.... I mean, it is the first time you will have seen each other in a while." Mark nodded, almost eagerly as Dana refused Tom's invitation to go and visit his mother. But even though Tom had invited her, he had done so absent-mindedly, he wasn't aware of half the stuff he was doing at the moment - he couldn't even remember getting dressed, 'perhaps Mark dressed me' he said to himself as his mind continued to wander. he was staring at the wall with a blank look on his face.

"Tom are you even sure whether you want me to come with you? I could just stay here, I don't think I would feel like I was supposed to be there anyway..." Tom snapped back into reality as he heard his friends word as if from extremely far away, the fog of uncertainty that clouded his judgement now cleared and her held up his hand to silence Mark.

"You are supposed to be there, Dad was my family too, and you are my friend who is aiding me through the grieving process."

Mark smiled gleefully as he made to stand up. Tom went back to staring at the wall, still strangely unsure, even with the clarity in his mind - something wasn't how it should be.

"Tom?" Mark's voice drifted in and the cloud of doubt filled his mind again and the rest of Mark's sentence floated away... should he be going to see his mother after all this time?

"Tom. If you don't get up now to leave for your mother's then I am going to get your mother round here!" Without waiting for Tom to register his voice this time, he wrapped his hand around Tom's wrist and hauled him out of his seat, onto his feet. Once again Tom's cloud floated away and he looked up into his friend's smiling face. His friend who would always be there for him, no matter what. His friend who was helping him to do the right thing. Tom grinned back, brushed some stray hairs from his black trousers and mimicked Mark's movements toward the front door with Dana wishing them 'good luck.'

"You didn't think you were going to visit your mother without me, did you Tom?" Clarissa giggled as she stepped out from the stairway. She had changed dramatically since last night, and not just in appearance, her hair was all straightened out and she had a dress on. But she had lost her edginess, she was calm and seemed to ooze with confidence as she continued to walk forwards.

"Er, sorry Clarissa, it was just going to be me and Tom. We figured it would be easier for his mother to handle..." Clarissa giggled again, she seemed completely out of character, before she adopted the motherly look she always had when she looked at Mark.

"I thought that I would be quite valuable to the cause, your mother would be more impressed, would she not, if you walked in with a girlfriend?" Tom was suddenly lost deep in thought and Mark caught the glazed look in his eyes.

"Actually, Clarissa, I think it would probably depress her more." Clarissa just gave Mark a sceptical look before appealing to Tom with her fluttering eyelashes.

When Tom continued to stare off into space, Clarissa turned away, a pout evident on her lips. Mark watched her, the confusion apparent through the horrified look in his eyes, did she suddenly have a thing for Tom?

"Actually, Mark, I think she's probably right. You can still come too, of course, but I think Clarissa pretending to be my girlfriend could really help my cause." Mark opened and closed his mouth, like a goldfish trapped in a glass bowl, speechless for a few moments as he stumbled over words for something to say. Clarissa twisted her body round slightly as she continued to pout at Mark; wanting his vote.

"But she's acting insane! Look at her! Clarissa what has gotten into you? How much blood did you lose yesterday?" Clarissa's brow furrowed as she strode forward and wrenched the door open, letting it bang on the wall behind it as an icy wind flew in.

"Well, I'm going, you coming boys?" Clarissa carried on and out of sight, Tom raised his eyebrows and followed with Mark grumbling behind him.

"I've been in touch with your brother, Lisa." Edith closed her eyes waiting for the explosion, but none came. "Lisa?"

"I knew you would." A deep sigh, "I just don't understand why... he left us, it's not as if we have anything to be sorry for. I supported him - I took his place in father's heart and business so that he would not have to give up his dream! I rescued him - and he just... he left." An arm snaked its way around Lisa's shoulders and she swooned in its comfort as she turned her head to look up at Ruben and grinned as their eyes locked; gold against chocolate.

"Lisa you need to understand. We as a family didn't support his dream, you were the only one who understood his desire for music, I still don't think I approve of it... but that's not the point; we are going to welcome him home." There was a finality in her tone which told Lisa that there was no point in arguing further.

"Well as long as it's the first and last time I ever see him again." She muttered under her breath so only Ruben could hear her.

Some quiet giggles were heard from the floor as Hannah played about on her little blanket and Samuel toddled into view a wooden beater in between his newly forming teeth. His dark hair fell in front of his eyes as he fell onto his bottom, Hannah looked up from her blanket and watched him curiously as if she were waiting for something. Samuel just sat there staring oddly and blinking a few times before suddenly bursting into tears. Lisa chuckled at her son's unfortunate accident and pushed herself off of the couch before going to pick him up - as soon as he saw his mother's face he stopped crying and crawled towards Hannah who had gone back to playing in her own imaginary world.

"Right, I'll go make us some coffee." Edith stated as she, too, stood up. "Bring the children into the kitchen, we don't want to leave them unsupervised do we?" She smiled inwardly while looking at her grandchildren fondly.

Lisa rolled her eyes at Ruben as her mother walked out of the room and into the kitchen - the sound of chinking mugs, drawers opening and the clattering of spoons could be heard as Edith bustled about the kitchen getting the coffee's ready. Ruben rested a reassuring hand on Lisa's shoulder; squeezing it gently.

"Don't worry about it, Lisa. Your mother is in a difficult place right now... besides, I only think it right that Tom should be invited; he is your father's son after all..." Lisa sighed in frustration and defeat.

"We are all in a difficult place, Ruben." Lisa roughly picked Hannah up from the floor and headed toward the kitchen, but Hannah wasn't leaving without her favourite toy. Lisa looked back at the small teddy lying on the blanket. As Lisa stooped to pick it up and give it to Hannah, Ruben picked up Samuel and walked into the kitchen. Lisa followed closely behind.

As the three adults sipped on their piping hot coffee's Samuel and Hannah sat in their highchairs; Hannah playing with her small teddy while Samuel watched her enviously - he hadn't got a toy. He began to try and snatch it off of her, but she just stuck her tongue out at him and held it out of his reach.

Lisa giggled, as she always did, at her children's antics. She sipped her coffee as her mother and Ruben were talking - she wasn't listening to them; her thoughts were far away with her brother. With Tom.

"So Ruben, should I be expecting any more grandchildren?" Ruben glanced at Lisa quickly as a grin slowly made its way onto his face.

"Funny you should say that, Edith. Lisa is pregnant again as we speak." Edith clapped her hands together in glee.

"That is wonderful! Lisa, aren't you pleased?" Lisa's eyelids fluttered as she quickly awoke from her thoughts, her eyes slowly focusing on her mother's gleeful face.

"Of course I am pleased! I just..." The doorbell rang, echoing around the kitchen and exciting Samuel in his highchair. Edith put her coffee on the table before getting out of her chair to answer the door.

Tom stood outside in the cold; the winter was fast approaching, bringing with it a chilly wind that threatened to bite every bit of bare skin that it had the fortune to meet. The trees and bushes in his mother's elaborate front garden rustled as the wind whistled through the leaves and branches. He tapped his feet on the ground and slapped his thighs in musical rhythm as he stood nervously; waiting for somebody to come and answer the door.

He looked behind him - there was Mark and Clarissa; his friends who had offered to come on this visit and provide some moral support and of whom Clarissa was acting extremely stangely and rather on edge herself. He cleared his throat and his mind filled with that blinding fog. What was he doing? Was this a bad idea? The fog cleared once again as he caught sight of Mark shaking his head. He hadn't just read his mind... had he?

He looked back to the house and there was his mother - her jaw hanging open in shock; why was she so shocked? She had invited him here. Edith's jaw slowly closed, but she didn't move - she was frozen to the spot. Her face slowly crumpled and the tears began to roll down her cheeks, but she still didn't move.

Tom looked back again at his friends faces; it was obvious that they had no idea what to do. "Some help." He said to himself sarcastically as he stepped forward and reached for the door handle. Edith suddenly jumped forward and slid the door open, she grabbed hold of Tom's shoulders holding him at arms length as she looked him up and down; pulling him in from the cold. The tears had stained her face with red and the wrinkles in her face became more defined.

The warmth that Tom felt when his mother pulled him close exceeded any other warmth that he had ever felt. His face flushed a deep crimson as he fought to hold back his tears.

"I'm so glad that you've come home... my baby." Tears dripped onto Tom's shirt and he could feel the wetness seeping through onto his skin, but he didn't care; as his mother whispered those in his ear he was on top of the world. It wasn't so long ago now that he wasn't welcome in the family. He was so different then. But now, as he rested his chin on his mother's shoulder, he felt like he was welcome. Like he belonged.

George Davis of the Davis and Davis Law firm sat on his expensively upholstered couch and looked up into his wife, Edith's, face. His right leg crossed over his left, he took a deep breath and held it in as if trying to think of something to say - He rarely called a family meeting, so when he did he never knew how to start.

"I think it is time that Tom started working at the Law firm so that he has the knowledge expected when he takes over management." He placed his hand on his right shin still looking at his wife, who stopped fiddling with the strap on her sandal and looked at him uneasily with an eyebrow slightly raised. George could read that face; but he was sick of waiting. His son was going to take over the company, he had no choice; there was no-one else.

Edith opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it again; not wanting to say anything that could anger her husband. She scratched the back of her neck and adjusted her position on the couch.

"George, don't you think that Tom hasn't paid too much attention to how the business is doing? He has never really shown any interest in it, are you sure that it is wise to force this on him... I mean, he might sink the company." Edith knew this was highly unlikely, and she did want Tom to take over the business, but she knew that he didn't want to. She knew that he had other dreams that he wanted to pursue.

"I think that it is high time we raised a slipper to his behind!" George growled. "I am sick of this namby pamby music stuff! He is learning how the business works and that is final! Lisa, go get your brother down here." Edith closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. Lisa didn't move.

"But he doesn't want to George."

"He will take over the company and I won't hear another word against it! LISA, Go and get Tom."

Lisa smiled sweetly, the smile she always used when she tried to persuade her father to get her something. Her dark hair glistened in the sunlight as it fell messily over her shoulders in two rushed braids.

"Father, we all know that all Tom cares about is his music..." The muffled sound of pounding beats could be heard through the ceiling. "Can I just please take his place in the business, you know I can do it father; I have always wanted to." The sun had disappeared behind a dark cloud now and Lisa's hair was no longer glistening. She looked into her father's stern eyes and her 'daddy's' smile faltered.

George continued to look sternly into his daughter's face; he knew she had tried her hardest to get into the law firm, he knew how desperate she was to be a part of it. But he couldn't let her do it. It was Tom's job.

"Lisa, I'm sorry. You know I can't let you do it." Lisa's face fell, and even though the sun had come back from behind the cloud, her hair failed to glisten. "The firm is no place for a woman. It is Tom who must be the manager." Lisa rolled her eyes but said nothing; her father was too stubborn and would always remain adamant that he was right. "I'm sorry Lisa."

"No you're not!" Lisa would never usually have said anything like this to her father, but it frustrated her; she knew that she had skills which would benefit the firm and her father wasn't even giving her a chance.

"Excuse me?" His voice was rough and angry.

"You know that I will be better than Tom! This is sex discrimination!" George rose out of his chair, his head seemed to touch the ceiling.

"I will not hear this sort of thing from my own daughter! I choose not to employ you because I am protecting you!" Lisa's arms flew into the air - it was like she had no control anymore.

"From what? What are you protecting me from?"

"Go and get your brother Lisa. I am not having this discussion!" George walked away from her and slumped onto the couch his forehead resting in the palm of his right hand.

Upstairs Tom was laying on his bed, listening to his own recorded music play back from the CD player. His room provided a balance; a calming sensation like Yin and Yang with the opposites black and white. Clothes littered the floor at the foot of his bed, he didn't clean; the mess provided him with artistic inspiration. He lay back on his pillow staring at the ceiling which almost scraped his head as he quickly sat up and scribbled a bunch of music notes into his scrapbook. Tom always did this. He would lie on his bed, letting the music come to him; he never had to chase it. The music would flow from his ears to his fingertips as he itched to try them out; but he couldn't break the cycle. If he did, the inspiration would be lost and the song he had spent so hard from would leave him never to be found again. At times when this happened Tom always told himself: "If I can't keep hold of a song then it's a song not worth keeping hold of." It was the same with girls. And he was exactly right.

The ceiling stretched out like a blank page in front of him ready to be filled with music, that was when Tom realised; he needed a new page, he needed to start again. He had to start out on his own. He glanced down at the floor as the door was pushed open, Lisa strode in furiously, her face screwed up tightly into a scowl. She began to speak, but Tom could not hear her over his pounding music, he turned it off with a flick of the remote and listened to her as she began to shout up at him.

"Father wants you downstairs." She turned to leave the room but Tom jumped down the ladder quickly, stopping her in her tracks.

"What for this time? Is it about the firm? he knows I have no interest in it." Lisa's scowl became more prominant and Tom could see she wanted to throw a few things about the room.

Lisa's scowl faded quickly to replaced by something else... her eyebrows were raised and her eyes brimmed with tears.

"Why can't he just understand..." Her voice caught in her throat as it became clogged by her emotions. "neither us want the life that he has picked out for us! I want to be a part of this company; I don't want to be the little rich girl who gets whatever she wants without having to do anything. Tom, please, just tell him all you want is your music. Leave him with no alternative but me." Lisa bit her bottom lip, but it made no difference the tears continued to build up until they began to fall from her eyes in pearl shaped drops, smattering the floor with their salty wetness.

Tom leaned in close and rested his hand upon her shoulder as if to reassure her. He grinned and the flow of tears stopped, Lisa wiped her face dry with her sleeve.

"You know what you have to do Tom. The rest of our lives are going to depend on what you say to him." Tom nodded and smiled, he squeezed her shoulder tightly and his palms got sweaty; he was nervous. For the first time in his life he was actually nervous. "I know that we have never really been close Tom, we each have our own group of friends, but I do love you." Tom loosened his grip on her shoulder.

"I know Lisa. And I know what I have to do... but you might not see me around here for a while." Her smile faltered.

"What? What do you mean?" His grin broadened and he headed out into the hallway to go down the stairs.

"You'll see."

Tom strode into the warm, bold reds of the living room and right up to his dad. Ignorance and defiance were in his mind and they were also showing on his face. His father looked up at him uncrossing his legs as he did so.

"So Tom, are you ready to start working at the firm?" George didn't know why he had asked; he could tell that Tom had not come down the stairs to agree with him. He was surprised, however unpleasantly, by Tom pointing his finger at him.

"No, father, I am not working at the firm. You know about my passion for my music, and you know that I want to pursue it as a career. I'm good at music; I understand it. Law just isn't for me. I'm telling you now, as your son, to stop pushing me into this job because you are pushing me further and further away. But Lisa wants to take over the firm, why not let her do it?"

George rose slowly and purposefully out of his seat, his face screwed up in anger, his hands balled into fists. Tom's eyes flashed; he was ready for a fight. Hadn't Lisa told him to do whatever it takes? George's head no longer almost touched the ceiling; he was even angrier this time, but Tom was not afraid.

"Tom, you know why I will not allow Lisa control of the company." George sounded calm, but Tom could tell that he was fighting the urge to scream and shout; he could see it in his face.

"I do? I wasn't aware of this! Why don't you indulge us all father? Why can't Lisa take over?" Tom raised his eyebrows and placed both hands on his hips.

"It's the name Tom! When she gets married, the name of the company will have to change." Tom could feel Lisa stand up angrily; ready to storm from the room, but Tom spoke once more.

"That's it?" Tom's face screwed up, now he was angry. "Father don't be ridiculous! You had your chance to tell me the reason; but you had to tell me that lie? I know why." Tom let out a laugh surprising every family member in the room who were watching the spectacle worriedly. "You don't have a reason apart from you don't want me to pursue my music career! Lisa is far more qualified than I. And she is having the job, I won't take it." The only light in the room came from a candle on a table at the far wall, night had fallen and darkness surrounded Tom and George.

"Oh really?" George had raised an eyebrow and tried to make himself look taller by straightening his back and puffing out his chest.

"Yes, really, father. I am leaving." Lisa and Edith gasped in the background and George's power seemed to deflate like a balloon. "I am going to stay with Mark, and nothing you do or say is going to stop me. Like I said; you have pushed me too far and I am not going to put up with it." And with that Tom stormed from the house into the darkness.

The next morning Tom entered the Roolsten family home - he had gone home the previous night and packed some clothes before leaving early in the morning to enter the house as the family finished breakfast. As soon as he arrived Mark pulled him into a hug congratulating him on standing up to his father at last. Tom had phoned him the previous filling him in on all of the juicy details and informing him that he was going to be moving in.

"Hello Tom." A warm and smiling face in the shape of Mark's mother entered the hallway as the two pulled away from each other. "You are welcome to stay as long as you want, as long as your parents know that you are here." Tom grinned from ear to ear; Mark's mother, Tina was more of a mother to him than his own.

"Yes, Mrs. Roolsten, they know I am here. I made sure that they were aware of my whereabouts." Mark grinned as they shared the private joke before hauling Tom's things up the stairs.

When Tom dumped his bags on the floor he looked around the room; it was rather messy with balls of screwed up paper lying around the room in random corners of rich blue carpet. Mark hurriedly ran over to the canvas and ripped whatever he was working on off and screwed it up into a ball before throwing it into a corner. Tom gave him a questionable look.

"It wasn't finished, didn't want you to see it." Mark explained, he seemed quite breathless. "besides it was a bit rubbish." He laughed the awkwardness off and scratched the back of his neck. "Well that's your bed there." He said pointing to the bed nearest the door. "It's a bit awful but, you know, I wasn't really expecting you... besides I can't afford to get you a decent bed. Do you want me to leave you to get unpacked?" Tom shook his head.

"Only if you want to." He replied, Mark was acting rather oddly. What had come over him?

Tom was quickly ushered into the kitchen; Clarissa and Mark were left unattended in the lounge and were chatting idly about the curtain patterns ans the impact they had on the entire room. Tom could not believe his eyes as he met his nephew and niece for the first time; that was one thing he had definitely not expected as well as his siter keeping a husband in tow. Ruben put his mug down on the table leaving a faint coffee ring and stood up politely ready to meet his brother-in-law, but Lisa folded her arms and pursed her lips; clearly not impressed with her brother's surprise arrival. Edith's tears had subsided now and she was smiling - a new grandchild and her son back all in one day, could things get any better?

The house was filled with incessant chatter and noise as the reuinted family shared stories of recent events; but always being careful to avoid the subjects of George Davis, Cancer and the day Tom walked out. The mugs had been washed and put back in the crockery cupoboard by a still grim-faced Lisa who was not joining in with the celebrations.

"So Tom, aren't you going to introduce us to your friends? This of course is Mark?" Edith eyed Mark with a sour expression on her face; she clearly hadn't forgiven him for taking her son away. Mark nodded his head, but Edith wasn't paying attention to him anymore; she only had eyes for Clarissa. "And who is this gorgeous young lady?" A redness built up in Clarissa's cheeks as she blushed a bright crimson before gigglong slightly - a nervous giggle.

"Mother, this is my girlfriend, Clarissa." The look on his mother's face as he told her this would stay in his memories forever; it was the epitome of happiness.

"Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?"

'No point in answering' Tom told himself, he knew she wouldn't be listening to a single word he said. As soon as this thought ended his mother began to bombard Clarissa with questions such as:

"Do you like my new curtains? Goodness you are a delightfully pretty sight! You make sure you take good care of my boy." and questions regarding anything at all. Tom caught sight of Mark sitting on the couch just watching Clarissa squirm as she tried to answer questions, and fighting back the laughter that just needed to find an escape.

A hand made its way around Tom's wrist and gripped quickly and tightly, pulling him back into the kitchen where Samuel and Hannah were now sat on the floor, playing. He looked up and came face to face with LIsa's flaring nostrils, her eyes like slits, leering at him.

"What did you come here for? Why now? Clarissa isn't your girlfriend is she? You just wanted to find a way into mother's good books. Why did you not come to my wedding? I did send you an invite... You didn't reply." Tom stared at his sister; the sun illuminated the dark blue kitchen, reflecting from the small beads of tears that now glistened on the tips of Lisa's eyelashes. She blinked them away furiously, her eyebrows furrowed and her voice harsh and raspy as her breathing became erratic due to the intensity of her emotions. "Well?"

"Lisa, you know the answer to all of those questions." Tom stated simply, he grinned at her as she continued to glare at him furiously; she could feel her blood pulsing around her body at break-neck speed, her face flushing in anger, her fists clenching causing her nails to dig in and pierce the top layer of flesh, and her vein throbbing in her temple.

"Father." Tom waited for a reaction, and seeing that he wasn't going to get one he turned, ruffled Samuel's hair and left the kitchen to rescue Clarissa from his mother.

Edith and Clarissa were now sat on the couch completely engrossed in conversation, though Tom could tell that Clarissa was suffering under pressure. Mark was chatting with Ruben in the far corner of the room, about what though, Tom couldn't even hazard a guess. He had no idea what a huge, burly man could possibly have in common with Mark... not that it really mattered.

"I love your dress honey, do you think they do it in my size?" Edith laughed out loud, Clarissa smiled but squirmed uneasily in her seat.

"Mother, that's enough of the interrogations. Let Clarissa breathe and come and give your favourite son a hug." Edith obliged and hugged her son while Clarissa mouthed a silent 'thankyou' before heading into the kitchen.

Lisa turned around and smiled sweetly as she heard Clarissa enter the kitchen, the sound of her shoes echoing off of the blue walls as they clattered along the brown tiles.

"You're not my brother's girlfriend are you?" Clarissa could see the smile on Lisa's face, but she could feel the sharp, coldness of her words. Clarissa shook her head in reply.

"It was the only way they would let me come..." A curious look now. Clarissa watched Samuel and Hannah quite comfortable on the tiled floor.

"And why was it so important that you did come?" Clarissa leaned in close.

"Who deals with the law around here?" Lisa's teeth sparkles as they glinted in the sunlight.

"I do. Would you like to step into my office?" Lisa cupped her hands to her mouth. "RUBEN. COME AND WATCH THE KIDS, I HAVE SOME BUSINESS TO ATTEND TO." Ruben entered the kitchen as Clarissa followed Lisa into her office.

The office was plain and dark; industrial is probably the easiest way to describe it; the paper was piled neatly, the drapes hung tidily on the rail, the pens were all lined up neatly - not even one out of place.

"So for what do you require my services, Miss..." Clarissa inhaled deeply, clearly worried about giving her last name to a stranger, especially in these circumstances, but so be it.

"Walters. Clarissa Walters." Lisa was already scribbling things down. Incredibly neatly and industrial-like. "I received an e-mail last night. An e-mail from someone I knew to have died just a few nights ago; she was murdered actually..." Lisa cleared her throat importantly.

"And what did this e-mail say?" Clarissa shuffled about with her dress for a few moments.

"Hold on a second, I have a copy of it with me." She continued to ruffle about her dress eventually pulling a folded up piece of paper from her bra and handing it over.

"No pockets." She giggled.

Lisa's eyes eagerly rolled over the words on the page, her brain already working out the problem and the solution simultaneously as her brain ticked like clockwork. She kept glancing up into Clarissa's worried face as she pondered the girls' situation - what had happened to make her panic like this?

"Well, thankyou for the interesting read Clarissa." Lisa was smirking now and Clarissa felt somewhat bewildered. "But I am afraid I cannot help you..." Clarissa's face fell and Lisa pulled an expression of great revelation. "Unless... you tell me everything you know about Tom and what he has been up to lately to make him want to return home." Clarissa suddenly felt at ease and she, too, smirked.

"He's you brother, don't you think you should get the information from him yourself? And I hope you realise that you aren't my last reasort - I can always ask your husband for hid er, help..." Clarissa's lip curled satisfactorily. "I thought so. So what do you say Lisa?"

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.

Any theories yet people?

What did you think?

Thanks again for reading and come back for Part V.

Suburbia - Part III - Desire

Welcome to Part III of Suburbia.

In the previous part Tom wrote a song which Mark said would be a huge hit on the radio, Clarissa cut herself and had a flashback giving us some insight into her days at school.

The ringing phone shrilled loudly through the silence.

Juliet, being flustered and sweaty enough from slacing over the hot stove, banged pots and pans together as she turned the temperature gauges down. She brushed her hair hurriedly out of her sweaty face with her wrist to avoid her dirty hands as she rushed past the dining room and into the hallway where she could not avoid using her hands to answer the phone.

"Hello? Cooper residence. Juliet speaking." Juliet sighed happily as she thought of herself one day becoming Juliet Cooper.

"Yes. Hi, Juliet, it's me, Andrew. I won't be home till late. Me and Julian are going out for a bite to eat, I hope you don't mind looking after Alexis for a few more hours." Juliet's disappointment filled her gut as she thought of the wasted time she had spent on the surprise dinner for Andrew. She sighed again, still heavy, but with more emphasis.

"No, Andrew, I don't mind. See you later honey." Juliet put the receiver back on its hook without waiting for a reply, and leant her head against the wall, annoyed at the wasted meal and effort.

Juliet trod gravely up the stairs, almost fearful of telling Alexis that she was going to have to spend even more time in the house alone with her. She walked hesitantly up to Alexis' bedroom door and knocked sharply before speaking through the door.

"Alexis. Can we talk?" Juliet hoped that Alexis would get up and open the door so that they could speak without the irritating door blocking communications.

"Whatever you want to talk about you can say it there, there's no need for you to come in." Juliet leant back against the wall and refrained from banging her head against it, infuriated by Alexis' arrogance.

Alexis leant back contentedly on her pillows and fiddled with her pigtails all the while smirking at the continuous effort Juliet was going to when she received nothing in return. Juliet's voice made its muffled way through the door again and Alexis listened and brushed a stray wispy hair away from her face.

"It's your dad." Alexis' heart skipped a beat as she thought the worst. "He won't be home till late tonight, he went out with Julian. But the dinner I have worked extremely hard on is just about ready... do you want to eat?" Alexis listened to Juliet's uncertain and quivering tone and laughed to herself at the fear she heard.

"I'm not really hungry..."

"Come on Alexis, you have to eat, it's not healthy... your father won't be very happy with you if you don't eat." Alexis heard the slow turning of the doorknob and quickly rolled over and lay face down on her pillow.

The door opened gently and Juliet poked her head slowly round the door.

"Alexis?" Juliet caught sight of Alexis, her face buried in her pillow. "Are you crying? I know you wanted to spend as little time as possible with me today and your father is making it impossible for us to be apart from each other, but..." Alexis pushed herself away from the headboard roughly.

"I'm not crying, Juliet. I just want to be left alone." Juliet sighed once more and edged around to the other side of the bed and sat down.

"Alexis, trust me, you don't want to be alone."

"Why should I trust you? I barely know you!" Juliet could feel Alexis weakening to her, at least she was talking, and felt a small pang of relief; a heat around her face and a dampness in her eyes.

Alexis felt Juliet's light form weigh down the other side of the bed as she brought her legs up to rest. She turned away pointedly as she felt an emotional conversation coming on.

"Alexis, will you please listen to me? Even if it's just this one time... I won't ask again if you don't want me to..." Alexis felt Juliet's eyes on the back of her head and took a deep breath.

"Yes all right." She said with emphasis so that Juliet could tell she was annoyed.

"I know that your father didn't really give you any breathing space when he asked me to move in right after your mother walked out - that is why we have never really made friends, but I wasn't the reason..." Juliet felt the lump in the back of her throat and the stinging in the back of her eyes, but continued. "When I met your father I didn't know he was married." Juliet took a deep rasping breath as the tears overwhelmed her and came pouring down her cheeks. "When I found out I wanted to break it off... your father wouldn't let me, he told me that he loved me. He told me that it was almost over with his wife and that I had nothing to do with it." Alexis looked at the ceiling, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I'm sorry that you feel this way about me. I'm sorry... for everything: your mother walking out on you, your father not paying as much attention to you... I'm just sorry for everything." Juliet buried her face in her hands and began to sob. Alexis crawled off the bed and watched Juliet tentatively, she had never seen an adult burst into tears in front of her before. It wasn't what adults did, and it frightened her. Juliet dragged herself from the tangle of bedclothes and stumbled bleary-eyed towards Alexis.

"Alexis." Juliet held out her arms and leant in to Alexis for comfort and to comfort.

"No..." Alexis waved her hands in front of her face as she began to sob harder. "Juliet... I c-can't... I don't l-like you... I don't need you." Alexis covered her face with her hands and ran from the room, leaving Juliet to collapse on the bed.

Alexis ran to the bathroom, her vision blurred by the tears streaming down her hot face, and slammed the heavy door shut behind her before she swiftly turned the key in the lock and absorbed the bue coolness of the room which reflected her mood. The tiles were cold under Alexis' numb feet and she shifted her weight from one foot to the other to avoid the chills that kept shooting up the backs of her legs. She ran to the sink and turned the taps so that the water flowed thick and fast into the palms of her sweaty hands. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and caught sight of the raw redness of her face as she scrubbed the tears from her face furiously. She splashed the cold water against her hot face and almost saw the steam issuing from the contrast. It wasn't fair. She wanted to hate Juliet, blame Juliet. She wanted loads of horrible things to happen to Juliet for pushing her mother away. It wasn't fair that Juliet insisted on making it so hard to hate her. It wasn't fair.

Juliet stumbled bleary-eyed into hers and Andrews bedroom closing the door with a definitive 'click' and leaning against it before letting out a deep breath as her body trembled and shivered. She stepped towards the bed wiping the tears from her face with the soft cotton of her sleeve and picked up one of Andrews discarded shirts from somewhere she didn't even notice. Juliet peeled her clothes off, her delicate fingers fumbling with the edges of the fabric and felt the chillness of the air as the heat escaped her body. She wrapped the shirt tightly around her slim body, not even considering the bothersome buttons and clambered swiftly into the bed, almost collapsing into the soft, velvety bedsheets and slipping away into a dream.

As she slept, Juliet relived the minutes that she spent explaining things to Alexis and one thing sprang to her dreams over and over again. "Alexis, trust me, you don't want to be alone." As the words floated over and over again in her mind, her dreams strayed away from the argument and to her past when she was surrounded by people and still felt extremely alone.

It had been one of those long, hard days and Juliet chose as she did most nights to sit in a bar and unwind with her friend Sarah - Juliet wasn't exactly friends with Sarah, but she was with her most nights in which they hopped bars looking for guys to go home with. They stopped bar hopping when they found a homely place quite close to where the lived, it was quite popular and never failed in providing a guy to go home with. It was called The Grange and, due to its sophistication and expensive prices, Juliet could only afford to visit the bar because she got discounts from the barman for being a regular and because she had a relatively well paid job as an entertainer in another bar, quite a while away.

Juliet sat at the bar wondering why she did what she did. It wasn't as if she was sleazy, she would never let the men touch her and she was very adamant about keeping her clothes on. She wasn't desperate for money and could sustain a more socially accpetable job if she wanted, but she strangely enjoyed the sensation of everyone's eyes being on her, she liked to be thought of as beautiful, as someone to be admired.

Sarah's voice penetrated her thoughts and awoke her to her surroundings.

"Do you want another drink, you've finished your first?" Juliet nodded in reply and glanced quickly at the good looking barman as Sarah called him over to order the drinks. Juliet always took a strong drink, something that would losen her up quickly and make her more willing to leave with a random guy. She wasn't like that, she didn't like doing it; it was just habit.

Sarah tapped Juliet on the shoulder and looked at her intently, Juliet looked back and took in all of Sarah's features. Sarah had jet black short, choppy hair which was pulled back away from her face in a scruffy ponytail apart from a stray sweep of hair which covered her right eye, her facial features were unique and she had to be the most beautiful person Juliet had ever met in her life, but Sarah was eccentric and liked to over-indulge with make-up which only drew away from her attractiveness.

"So how was work tonight, busy?" Once again Sarah's voice penetrated the fog in Juliet's head and awoke her to her surroundings and the present conversation.

"I suppose, but business isn't as booming as usual, I think too many people are getting married, and the ones who aren't... just don't know about us." Sarah nodded interestedly, Sarah had a good job, she was a secretary in a prostigious law firm, Davis and Davis, but she had never been able to settle down, she was too restless, always wanting something else to do.

Juliet turned back to her drink, only just realising what the dwindling popularity of her bar meant - she could be out of a job soon. She began to think of possible career prospects, ones that would interest her, ones that would provide her with a satisfacory life, ones which would ground her and show her the proper place for her in this world.

"Well, I'm sure business will pick up soon." Sarah stated brightly. As if reading Juliet's mind she added: "They won't sack you, you're one of the main attractions." Juliet looked once again into Sarah's striking face, still thinking of her possible future; of marriage and children.

"The thing is," she stated quietly. "I kind of want to be sacked... I want to get a proper job, I want to be accepted in a community. I don't want to be ashamed of who I am." Sarah cleared her throat, not really knowing what to say, did Juliet need words of comfort or encouragement? Instead she looked behind her into the relaxation area and smirked.

"Yes, well, you have an admirer." Juliet glanced quickly at Sarah, who was still smirking, with a confused look on her face and her eyebrows raised.

"What? Who?"

Sarah nodded in the direction of the relaxation area, her smirk more evident as Juliet turned around to glance behind and blushed a deep crimson, as she too caught sight of the guy watching her.

"I don't know if he followed you from work, or if he noticed you the moment you walked in here, but he has had his eye on you the whole time. I've been watching him too." Sarah threw her head back with a peircing laughter and looked quickly back to the barman who was listening idly to their conversation as the guy headed over, his friend following closely behind him.

The barman grinned as Juliet turned around and came face to face with his naked chest which was right at her eye level. Juliet blushed again as she looked down at her empty glass.

"Er, the same again please." she stuttered shyly, as she thought of the relief it would provide when it came to talking to the fast approaching fellow. The barman put her glass down in front of her, still smiling.

"There you go, Juliet." Juliet looked up into his beaming face and smiled politely back. "If any of those guys give you any trouble, just call on me alright?" Juliet knew it wouldn't come to that but nodded in reply.

"Yeah, thanks Doug."

"It's no problem, here they come now." Doug whispered and quickly turned away from Juliet. 'They'? What did he mean by 'They'? She found out soon enough.

Sarah glanced back behind and quickly struck up a fake conversation with Juliet, so that things didn't feel too awkward. The conversation was actually going somewhere when they were interrupted by a rather posh, English accent.

"Hi, may I get you two ladies a drink?" Juliet could already see the tactics this man so eagerly played, ordering both her and her friend a drink so that it didn't look like he was just targeting her.

"Sorry, but we already have a drink each right here." Juliet replied smartly, holding up her half empty glass.

"Well, perhaps when you are finished, I might buy you another?" Juliet smiled, so this man was intelligent.

"Sure, I'm Juliet and this is Sarah."

"I'm Joey and this is my friend Luke."

Joey seemed harmless enough, Juliet thought, he was extremely charming and he was very likeable with his queen's English accent and his polite manner. He was well educated and an interesting conversationalist, he was different when compared to other guys Juliet normally hooked up with in this bar.

"So, do you want to start getting your things together, then we'll head back to my place?" Juliet frowned in confusion, she didn't understand what he wanted, she would have had it been a less polite man, but it didn't seem right coming from Joey.

"What for coffee?" Juliet asked hopefully.

"Yes. For coffee." Joey repeated as he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"I don't think that would be appropriate Joey, I think it might be better if we were just friends." She saw a flash of anger behind Joey's eyes and she felt suddenly fearful, she looked away as Sarah called her name, and when she glance back the anger was gone.

Sarah approached and stopped in front of them with a smile on her face, she stumbled slightly in her heels from the amount of alcohol she had consumed, but managed to remain in an upright position.

"So, me and Luke are heading out and back to his place." She smiled impressively. "Will you be alright making your own arrangements?" She asked with a wink. Juliet glanced back at Joey quickly and gave Sarah a worried look, before smiling.

"Yeah, I think me and Joey will be fine won't we?"

"Yes, we will be fine." The accent that once could have been used as a seduction technique, now repulsed Juliet. She watched as Luke picked up Sarah's coat and wrapped it over her shoulders, leaving his arm there as comfort on their way out of the door.

As soon as Srah left Joey swung round to face Juliet once more.

"So back to my place is it?" He snarled with a fury burning deep inside his pale blue eyes which now felt as cold as they looked. Juliet screwed her face up fearfully as Joey wrapped his hand tightly around her wrist and pushed himself onto her. Juliet pressed her palms up against his muscular chest defensively and tried to haul him off of her, but he was stronger and had had less to drink. He smothered her mouth with his own and knocked his teeth and gums against hers as he pushed his tongue into the warm haven, that was Juliet's mouth. Juliet fought and squealed as Joey pushed her up against the wall, hoping to get someone's attention.

"Oi! What do you think you are doing? Get off of her!" Joey pulled away quickly to acknowledge and confront the intruder.

The woman approached with a furious look on her face, but Joey did not seem ashamed at what he had done, in fact he seemed to welcome the confrontation, thinking that his accent and charm would let him get away with it.

"She did not want you to kiss her! She does not want to take this night any further with you! Leave her alone! BOYS like you should not be walking the streets!" The woman breathed heavily like a stampeding bull. Joey seemed relaxed, his shoulders were back, not raised in offense or defense, he grinned at her incoming attack and fought not to laugh.

"Juliet wanted me to kiss her. Didn't you Juliet? Tell this woman that everything is alright... go on." Joey continued to smile, but Juliet continued to look at him in fear, her heart was racing and she was confused, what did he expect her to say?

"Thank you, Joey will be leaving now. Won't you Joey." Juliet stated firmly with a quick glance at Doug who was fast approaching, Joey raised his eyebrows in surprise and slowly and quietly left the bar.

Juliet turned to face the woman, she seemed well off, her hair pulled away from her face revealing her high cheekbones and expensive make-up. Juliet looked at the expensive clothes that adorned the slight frame of this intimidating and powerful woman, who also shared the queen's English accent.

"Thanks again... but who are you?" The woman held out her perfectly manicured hand politely for Juliet to shake.

"I'm Tara, Tara Banks. Pleased to meet you, I'm glad I could help you, seriously, I am sick of men who think they can get away with doing what they like to a woman." Juliet let go of Tara's hand and smiled.

"Perhaps I might be able to return the favour sometime, do you come here often, maybe I can buy you a drink sometime?" The experience Juliet had just been through; having to be rescued by this woman, made her realise just how much her life needed sorting out, and vowed she would find a 'proper' job immediately. But she knew that she was going to be entirely alone.

Juliet opened her eyes as she heard Andrew close the door behind him and begin to take his clothes off hurriedly. The smell of alcohol wafted up her nose as he tore at his clothes drunkenly trying to keep upright, he eventually layed his clothes in an untidy tangle on the floor and slipped under the duvet. Juliet felt his warm body invade the cold sheets as he wrapped an arm around her waist and rested his chin against the back of her shoulder, snuggling his nose into the back of her neck. He sighed heavily with his mouth open as he found a comfortable spot for his body and closed his eyes. The smell of strong licquer wafted once again up Juliet's nose making her feel nauseous, she closed her eyes again, trying to ignore the stench on his breath. She opened her eyes almost at once as he began to snore, his mouth open, his breath constantly billowing against the side of her face. Then and there Juliet promised herself she would never let him go out with Julian again unless she was invited too.

Juliet closed her eyes once more, pushing Andrew away from her, so she could cover her head with her pillow to avoid the sound of his snoring and the stench of his breath. She thought once again of her past, how she used to get drunk like Andrew... but that was when she didn't have responsibilities... well, except for herself. Andrew had Alexis; He had HER. Surely he shouldn't be going out and drinking like this, especially since he only just went back to work. How was he supposed to get up in the morning? Juliet's face began to get hot with anger and with the added heat from being under a pillow she found she could no longer stand being in the same bed with someone as irresponsible as Andrew. She pulled herself off the bed, and quietly made her way out of the bedroom, snapping the door shut behind her.

Juliet tiptoed down the stairs, managing to avoid the one that creaks extremely loud, and made her way into the living room. 'If Andrew wanted to behave like this, he should never have had a child.' Juliet said to herself, her rage overcoming her, Juliet was usually a calm, shy person. She was not the type to get angry at anyone; but the situation of the household was a tender one, and Andrew should not be abondoning his family to go for drinks with his friends. Juliet shivered as the chill in the living room gave her goosebumps on her bare legs, she stumbled blindly in the darkness looking for the couch where she would rest her head for the rest of the night. When she found it, she slumped down into the soft cushions and closed her eyes, relieved for the silence and clean smelling atmosphere.

Upstairs, Andrew rolled over in his sleep and opened his eyes, staring at the tangled mess of his clothes on the bedroom floor. A guilt flooded his stomach as he realised he may have disrespected Juliet by staying away late, and now he had forced her out of her own bed. Andrew's head span and his vision blurred as he looked at the canopy above the four poster.

'I'll sort it out in the morning.' he told himself, before closing his eyes. But even after closing his eyes, Andrew wasn't peaceful, the guilt continued to overwhelm him and he began to sweat as he panicked. He had lied. Lied to the woman he most cared about in the whole world. He had lied to Juliet. As his eyes remained tightly closed he relived the night he had just had.

Andrew stepped lightly out of the frame of red which was his car and brushed a stray hair from his face as the wind blew roughly overhead. It was cold outside and Andrew pulled his suit jacket tighter around him to stop the invading chill that the wind caused.

Andrew thought of Juliet at home, eating dinner with Alexis, hopefully bonding with Alexis, he had to give them both this chance... otherwise it would be impossible to live with.

A pang interrupted Andrew's thoughts, a twist in his gut. Was he doing the right thing? He knew he wasn't and realised that the pang was of guilt, if what he was doing was right, he never would have lied to Juliet about who he was going to dinner with. 'Yes but I only lied because I didn't want Juliet to become needlessly suspicious - there is nothing going on, I am just getting to know my new business partner.' Andrew reassured himself before turning back and dipping his head through the door.

"Are you coming?"

Andrew and Clara stepped into the warm orange glow of The Grange and felt the chill leave him as the warmth of the room immediately soothed the cold spots.

Andrew looked to his right as he politely waved someone away who had just offered to take his coat. A married couple were sat in the corner, seemingly celebrating their anniversary, their hands were clasped and they were both enjoying one anothers company.

"After a year together, I'm still madly in love with you, Tina. I couldn't have imagined someone more perfect than you to walk into my life the moment you did." The woman, Tina, smiled, her glistening diamonds and rubies tinkling around her neck and ears as they looked into each others eyes lovingly.

"Me too, Matthew I couldn't possibly love anyone as much as I love you." Andrew felt another pang of guilt as he watched the happy couple, he was reminded of Juliet at home without him, he should be there for her but someting was stopping him. What was it?

In another part of the restaurant Andrew caught sight of a family, a happy family, they weren't well off but they were treating their little girl to a meal out, presumably for her birthday. They were sat comfortably, looking at each other, the conversation flowing freely between them.

"So, are you having a good time, Gemma? We know how you like to go out for dinner on your birthday." The large woman, apparently Gemma's mum asked with a slight strain in her voice and Andrew realised just how much this meal was costing them and was jealous that even though they could barely afford this meal, they were still extremely close.

'Just shows money doesn't buy happiness.' He told himself.

"Yes, mum. But you didn't need to, I would have been happy still if you had just cooked a nice meal at home..." The girl was smart and knew of her parents financial situation, she just didn't let on.

"Yes but you know how we like to treat you." Her father chuckled as he stroked the back of her head, feeling the softness of her hair.

As Andrew watched them he was reminded of his family, his family which was seperated in all areas, and it was his fault. He had not gone home at the normal time tonight, if he had things might be different. He might have been able to fix it. As the girl blew out the candles on her birthday cake, Andrew couldn't help but laugh and clap with the rest of the restaurant and a sudden revelation hit him and he smacked his forehead in horror. It was Alexis' birthday at the weekend, that meant that he had two days to get her a present and organise something.

Andrew and Clara were politely seated by the host, Andrew placed his hands on his lap as his eyes fuzzed over and he stared at the different patterns the flickering candles caused on the red tablecloth, as he thought about what they could do for Alexis' birthday, something that would bring the family closer together.

Clara saw the distant look in Andrew's eyes and was confused as she had just seen him clapping and cheering along with the rest of the restaurant.

"Andrew, are you Ok?" Clara watched Andrew as his eyes slid back into focus and looked up into her eyes. She adopted a concerned look and continued to watch him. "Do you want me to get you a glass of water?"

"No, thankyou." Andrew clicked his fingers as a waiter approached. "Can I get a whisky over here please. And whatever the lady wants." Andrew said acknowledging Clara with a wave of the hand. Clara was frightened, she had spent all day with Andrew as they worked on the case and he had seemed calm and nice, but now he was acting strange; rude and inconsiderate.

"Oh, I'll just have a glass of water please." The waiter turned away and Clara turned to Andrew again. "Do you think it wise to be drinking when you're driving and we have work tomorrow."

Andrew looked at Clara as if it was the first time he had ever seen her, she had seemed really shy earlier; reserved and slightly elegant. But now she was different, she was nervous and unattractive.

"Relax, Clara, it's just one drink." Clara raised her eyebrows questionably as she doubted very much that it would just be one drink, but she let the situation drop anyway and let Andrew have his way.

"So anyway, the case." Clara said as she tried to get Andrew's mind back on work and remind him of his responsibilities. "I've been thinking, could it possibly have been a racial attack?" Clara was blunt and always suspected the most obvious things, she rarely took in all of the details and was not very analytical about things. She watched Andrew as he downed his whiskey in one, clearly she needed to talk about something else to stop him drinking.

Clara was about to open her mouth to say something else, when Andrew screwed up his eyes in deep concentration. He could already feel the alcohol beginning to have an effect on him - he wasn't a very heavy drinker, actually he rarely drank at all after Alexis was born.

"I think that it could quite possibly been a racial attack, Clara." Andrew said as he opened his eyes again. "But I have a reason to believe that it wasn't a racial attack..." Andrew appeared to be keeping that piece of information to himself, Clara thought, and so she pressed on.

"What, er, reason do you have for believing that?" Clara tried her best to be polite, but found it difficult on account of Andrew's arrogance and the distant look in his eyes.

"Well. Tracey was strangled." Andrew stated this simply and matter-of-factly as if it answered Clara's question, but she looked at him confusedly.

"And why does that mean it wasn't a racial attack?"

Andrew rolled his eyes at Clara's simplicity, and took a deep breath before leaning forward creating a dramatic effect and making Clara hold her breath in anticipation.

"Because, Clara, a racial attack is normally planned, so the death tends to be more gruesome. But strangulation..." He stated waving his fork about. "Strangulation is usually taken as a last resort, strangulation is usually an emotion filled murder. That is why I do not suspect that this was a racial attack." Clara raised her eyebrows in revelation and opened her eyes wide as she realised what Andrew was saying was true. "So shall we go home now? I'll give you a lift." Clara nodded and began to pick up her things ready to leave. "Wait." Clara looked up into Andrew's face still fiddling with her handbag clasp. "One for the road?" Andrew called the waiter over again and ordered a refill which he downed as soon as it reached his hands, spilling a lot down the front of his shirt and suit jacket.

Andrew paid the bill and they walked out of the warm restaurant and back into the chilly wind. As they headed out to the car, the air began to get crispy as the biting wind blew against them, causing them both to pull their jackets tighter around them. Clara knew that a storm was getting closer, the clouds filled the night sky covering the light of the moon, snow was coming even though it was only autumn.

Clara worried as she watched Andrew, although he had only had two drinks, he wasn't as steady on his feet as he should be and she wondered if he would be Ok to drive her home. But Andrew wasn't waiting for her to figure it out; he pulled open the door of the car against the fierce, biting wind and forced himself into the driver's seat and preceded to start the engine with Clara still standing outside in the cold.

Clara quickly followed suit and only just managed to secure herself in the car with a seatbelt before Andrew pulled away.

Andrew pulled into the driveway of his home, he had dropped Clara off at her home ten minutes ago. She had practically launched herself out of the door as soon as Andrew was slowing to a stop, fearful of his reckless driving, when Andrew did eventually stop he rolled down the passenger window and called out to her as she hunched her shoulders against the cold and falling snow and bent over to peer into the darkness of the car.

"See you at work tomorrow, perhaps we should do this again sometime." Clara's face went a stoney white and she nodded her head reluctantly as Andrew rolled the window back up, waved and pulled away again, leaving her standing there momentarily stunned before she quickly turned and made her way through the delicate snowflakes, being forced into a blizzard by the cruel wind, and into her warm and cosy house.

After Andrew had parked his car, he stepped out into the snow which was falling harder and harder with every step that he took. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets as they turned a pale blue colour and he lost all feeling in them. His cheeks and nose turned a rosy red as the cold wind bit at his bare skin, the snow landed in his hair and quickly melted from the heat sending droplets of freezing water down the back of his neck and chills down his spine.

As he stepped into the flooding light of the house, he could smell burning, not the burning that comes from a house fire, but the smell of burning food. The alcohol that had reached his bloodstream could have impaired his judgement and he could have ignored the smell and gone straight to bed.

But he didn't. He sniffed at the pungent, smokey air and over-enthusiastically followed the burning smell into the kitchen. Once there, he found the remains of Jluiet's painstaking effort at creating a nice meal for the family to share and hopefully bond with one another; understand each others situations. The knot in his stomach, which had been tightening all evening as he was reminded of his family, gave an almighty twinge as he once again found that all of his decisions he had made today were the wrong ones and he should have stayed home to supervise and encourage a good relationship between Alexis and Juliet. He knew what he had to do now. He knew what was right. He had to stay at home as much as possible, and what better day to do it than on Alexis' birthday. Andrew had a brainwave as he scraped the black, smouldering mess from the pan into the bin... the boat! He would take Alexis and Juliet to the boat for a birthday celebration!

Andrew stepped over to the sink and stuck his greasy hands under the cold, refreshing water that streamed out into his awaiting palms and quickly down the swirling plughole. He quickly dried his hands on a nearby towel leaving his hands still damp from the wash, left the towel on the counter by the sink and left the kitchen, staggering from the tiredness that alcohol comes with. He stumbled slowly up the stairs chuckling to himself at his clumsiness. He made his way into the bedroom, trying diligently not to make any noise but failing as it often does when you try your hardest not to, he closed the door behind him but he pushed too hard and it clicked into place with a loud echo across the bedroom.

He tiptoed, in his shoes, over to his side of the bed and began to fight with his clothes as he tried to take them off as quick as he could, the smell of the spilt whiskey lingered on his clothes and made him feel rather nauseous. He yanked at his tie, loosening it from its strong tether and ripped his shirt off taking the tie off with it. He undid his belt and let his loose trousers fall to the floor and he tripped up on a leg as he tried to reach the bed, he chuckled nervously to himself, fearful of waking up Juliet and lifted the covers before clambering underneath them.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he could still smell the lingering whiskey but managed to ignore it as he moved closer to Juliet and wrapped an arm around her waist cuddling her into him tightly. He rested his chin on her shoulder and snuggled his nose into the back of her neck, showering her with his affections. He sighed deeply as he got comfortable, still persisting with the cuddles.

A short while later and he was at that point where you aren't conscious of what you are doing, but still slightly awake, when his sinus problems kicked in causing him to start snoring.

Andrew woke up suddenly groggily and confusedly as he felt Juliet's palm on his naked chest as it forced him back onto his side of the bed. He lay there with his eyes open, just watching Juliet as she lifted her head gently, her hair cascading over the pillow, and lifted the pillow up and bringing it forcefully back down over her head. Andrew frowned in confusion and waited a while, before realising that his breath stank and the whole room smelt of whiskey. He shrugged his shoulders slightly, hindered by the fact that he was laying in bed, and decided he could do nothing about it at the moment, turned over and layed on his back. He was just about to fall asleep again when he was jerked awake by Juliet who suddenly threw her pillow from her face and sat up straight in bed.

Andrew lay there, awaiting her next move, but she just lingered on the edge of the bed for a while, presumably to wake herself up, then, as quickly as she had thrown the pillow from her face she was outside the door snapping it shut and on her way down the stairs.

Andrew rolled over and opened his eyes staring at the tangled mess of his clothes on the bedroom floor. A guilt flooded his stomach as he realised he may have disrespected Juliet by staying away late, and now he had forced her out of her own bed. Andrew's head span and his vision blurred as he looked at the canopy above the four poster.

'I'll sort it out in the morning.' he told himself before closing his eyes. But even after closing his eyes, Andrew was not peaceful, the guilt continued to overwhelm him and he began to perspirate as he panicked. He had lied. Lied to the woman he most cared about in the whole world. He had lied to Juliet.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.

The next part will contain another flashback on another characters past, I'm just deciding which one. I'd like to hear any theories you might have, who the murderer is, what you think might happen in future parts, just anything really.

Thanks again for reading and please come back for Part IV