Kings Bailed, Rosemary Gloats

[hillvk]

Hey! Just bite sized slice of the Tom King murder storyline. Feedback would be apreciated!


Matthew walked in to the living room to get himself a drink. He and his brothers had just been released on police bail. His heart was pounding in his chest as he realised exactly how close he had come to being kept behind bars for the next couple of months. It wasn’t really just that the thought of going to prison scared him - as though it certainly wasn’t appealing, his arrogance told him would cope better than Carl and Jimmy – it was the fact that they had come so close to being trapped inside whilst Rosemary was in control of everything outside. She had come within a whisper of having Home Farm in her control and it was this that really panicked him. He poured a large whisky, feeling his hand shake.


‘Oh dear, Matthew, nothing the matter is it? You look worried.’ Matthew spun round to see Rosemary behind him. She had a glass of champagne in her hand.

‘I think the celebrations are a bit premature,’ he spat. ‘Me, Jimmy and Carl all got bail.’

‘Oh, au contraire, it’s just a matter of time. I was quite prepared for seeing your anxious faces around Home Farm for another couple of months – but no longer. You see, it seems like you’re going to be the one spending your life behind bars, and not I, as you said the other day. Tell me, Matthew, can you get double malt in prison?’ Matthew felt his face flush slightly. Rosemary saw his discomfort and smiled. ‘At least you’ll have your brothers for company though. I think you’ll have your work cut out for you looking after Carl. He’s a bit – delicate – for prison life don’t you think? And Jimmy? - Well he’ll fall quite to pieces in the first few months.’

‘None of us are going to prison, because none of us killed our Dad.’

‘Come now, let us not dance around each other – one of you must have done it otherwise they wouldn’t have put you all under arrest for conspiracy; or perhaps even all of you were involved. It only begs the rather interesting question of which becomes the sacrificial lamb – who’s your least favourite brother, Matthew? I believe Jimmy has the larger share in the business …’

‘What are you talking to her for?’ Jimmy said, stalking into the room, closely followed by Carl.

‘Oh, good-afternoon boys,’ Rosemary said brightly. ‘I was just discussing with Matthew how you are all going to cope inside.’ She smiled at Carl. He had his arms folded over his chest defensively and looked uneasy. ‘Oh dear, Carl, my sentiments exactly. How will you cope if they split you all up? I rather think that the chaps inside aren’t keen on spoilt little rich boys with pretty faces – you might have a particularly tough time.’

Jimmy put his hand on Carl’s arm. ‘Don’t listen to her,’ he said. He sensed that Carl was rattled, and he also acknowledged the truth of her words and wanted to reassure him. ‘You won’t be going anywhere, not if I can help it.’

‘Is that an admission of guilt?’ Rosemary smiled. ‘Of course you are the one who felt the need to get your girlfriend to lie to the police for you. Rather suspicious isn’t it?’

‘Just shut your mouth.’

Rosemary ignored him. ‘Don’t you think Matthew?’ she goaded. ‘I would have thought you will try anything you could to save your own back, and Jimmy has rather put himself to the top of the list.’ She turned to Carl and Jimmy. ‘In fact, I’m sure that he wouldn’t mind getting either of you out the way – with one of you out of the picture he would own the majority shares of your father’s company.’ She raised her eyebrow and sipped from her champagne.

Oh I know you’ve been keeping up the façade of a united front,’ she continued. ‘But underneath it’s as fragile as this crystal flute – it would shatter under the slightest pressure. And I hope you Carl, and you Jimmy, aren’t under any illusions that your brother wouldn’t sell you down the river the first opportunity he had. Matthew does tend to be rather ruthless.’

‘Do yourself a favour, Rosemary,’ Matthew said, ‘stop spouting rubbish! The only thing it’s doing is making you look guiltier than you already do. If any one of us killed me Dad it was you – because I know it wasn’t me and I know it wasn’t either of them two. You’ve noticed that we haven’t been charged with murder, did you?’

‘As good as,’ Rosemary drawled. ‘All it means is that the police haven’t decided exactly which one of you is the guilty party – and even if they don’t, Grayson informs me that the sentence is a minimum of seven years, and could be as many as fourteen.’

She could see the news startled Carl and she focused her attention on him. ‘Your children will be quite grown up by then,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘They’ll be teenagers or adults with hardly any memory of their father – unless of course you expect them to visit you in prison.’

‘You vindictive little witch!’ Jimmy said as Carl fled the room.

‘I’m merely trying to make him face up to what he’s done – or what one of you has done. You all seem to be getting carried away with the notion that you’ll get off scot free - when in actual fact you are more likely to spend the next ten years locked away. Now if you’ll excuse me.’ Rosemary strode confidently from the room.

‘He’s close to breaking point already,’ Jimmy said to Matthew when Rosemary had left. ‘He doesn’t need her goading him.’

‘Come on,’ Matthew said, his face like thunder, ‘let’s go and find him shall we?’

They caught up with Carl in the study. He had a large bottle of whisky on the table in front of him and drained his glass as they entered the room.

‘That’s not going to solve anything,’ Jimmy said.

‘No,’ Carl said, refilling his glass. ‘I don’t think anything’s going to solve anything, Jimmy, is it? This is just a way to forget that I’m going to be spending most of my life behind bars - and for something I didn’t do; something that for all I know one of you two did. My kids are going to grow up not even knowing who I am.’

‘Oh I’ve had enough of this,’ Matthew said with irritation. He stepped forward and pulled Carl up from his chair. He knocked the glass away with the back of his hand so that is shattered on the floor and then punched Carl squarely in the mouth. Carl fell to the floor and then, seeing Matthew’s smirk, got up and went for him. After a brief struggle Matthew pinned him to the wall.

‘Matthew!’ Jimmy said, ‘Just leave him alone will you?’

‘No, I won’t,’ Matthew replied. He crushed Carl’s face into the wall, holding his arm in an awkward angle so that he couldn’t free himself without breaking it.

‘Get off me!’ Carl said. Jimmy stepped forward ti intervene.

‘Just stay where you are,’ Matthew said, ‘I’m not going to hurt him.’ He leant forward so that his face was close to Carl’s. ‘Now listen to me, little brother, I don’t want you ever to say that one of us killed Dad again. In fact, from now on none of us are going to accuse the other. We have all been pointing the finger but it isn’t getting us anywhere. If we don’t pull together, and if particularly you don’t pull yourself together, then at least two of us are going to go away for life for something we didn’t do – and in my opinion three of us. We need to show everyone – especially the police – that we are all confident that the others didn’t kill Dad. We have a couple of months till the trial and we’re going to spend them trying to find out who the real killer is.’ Satisfied that he’d had his say he stepped back and let go of Carl slowly. Carl spun round and glared at him, rubbing his bleeding lip.

‘Couldn’t you have said all that without punching me?’

Matthew smiled. ‘I thought you needed a wake-up call. You let Rosemary get under your skin today – you can’t show weakness to her, she’s irritating enough as it is without her thinking that she’s got one over on us.’

‘But she was right – what about Tom and Anya? I haven’t even been thinking about them.’

‘Tom and Anya are going to be fine. You aren’t going away for this – I promise you. All we have to do is stick together.’

‘I wouldn’t last five minutes in prison, nor would Jimmy.’

‘Oi!’ Jimmy said. He knew it was true.

‘And if you’re honest Matt, nor would you.’

‘Did you hear what I just said?’ Matthew raged. He thought for a moment about knocking some more sense into his younger brother. It kept falling to him to keep them together and it was getting on his wick – this was the time to be strong. He didn’t know why, if they were so innocent, both Jimmy and Carl seemed so convinced that they were going to go down for the murder. Seeing Carl’s anxious expression, however, he had a change of heart. ‘If it comes to it, then we’ll all be fine,’ he said. ‘And who knows, they might even give us adjoining cells.’

‘Do you really think this is funny?’ Jimmy said.

‘No, Jimmy, surprisingly I don’t – but unlike you two I don’t intend to fall apart. We have to start thinking about our plan of action. Top of the list is securing our assets just in case.’

‘Oh yeah, that’s right, Matt,’ Carl said sarcastically. ‘Dad’s murdered, we’re up for killing him, and top of the list is securing our assets!’

‘No he’s right,’ Jimmy said. ‘If we do all go down then Rosemary has a good shot at getting the lot. Let’s face it; we couldn’t do to stop her.’

‘Alright, how do we do that then?’ Carl said.

Matthew smiled before he began.

[tomsgirl]

This is great hillvk I can imagine this script in Emmerdale you have got the characters of to a t.
Well done

[sharonh]

Very well done, I really enjoyed that hillvk, really interesting, good description and also nice quips thrown in for good measure. As a writer of FF (And other things) for over 20 years, I was impressed.

It is good that you keep the reader interested and also 'involved' in the story, which I found myself - wanting to knock the smirk off Rosemary's face!

I also liked the way you finished the story this time, making the reader wonder 'What was Matthew going to say'? and wanting more to come.

I look forward to more.

[carlsbabe]

please write some more,im hooked!

[sharonh]

So am I!!

[hillvk]

Hey! Another bite-sized piece of the Kings. Not much action but a bit of reminiscing. Hope you enjoy anyway …


Matthew walked into Pear Tree cottage to be greeted, as he now was every morning, by the miserable faces of Jimmy and Carl. Since Hari and Louise had made statements against them they seemed to be taking it as a foregone conclusion that they were going to be put away for life. Matthew himself was starting to get nervous – inwardly at least. Even his own lawyer was pessimistic, telling him that he should consider “telling the police everything he knew”. The problem was he already had.

‘Alright girls,’ Matthew said, to sarcastic smiles from Jimmy and Carl. ‘What’s on the agenda today?’

‘Not much,’ Carl said, passing him the empty diary. ‘I think people are starting to back off.’

Jimmy sighed. ‘Well I suppose you wouldn’t have to be the sharpest knife in the draw to realise that it’s stupid doing business with a company where three of its directors are doomed.’

‘The sharpest what in the draw…? What is he on about?’ Matthew said with irritation.

Carl grinned in spite of himself. ‘Well it’s not something we could ever accuse you of being, is it, Jim?’ he said. Jimmy glowered.

‘If we haven’t got any business does anyone fancy heading to the golf course?’ Matthew suggested.

‘That’s your answer to everything, isn’t it?’ Jimmy said. ‘Our whole world's been turned upside down, but never mind, lets just go and play a round of golf!’ He stormed through to his office, flinging himself down in the leather chair.

‘Who’s rattled his cage?’ Matthew said to Carl.

‘I think he’s missing Kelly. She’s celebrating getting her passport back. Her and Donna have gone over to Paris for the night - and he’s paying.’

‘Mug!’ Matthew said.

‘Well “you can’t put a price on true love”, apparently,’ Carl said, mocking the phrase Kelly had used that morning at breakfast, fluttering his eyelashes at the same time.

‘You might as well get off,’ Matthew said after a moments pause. ‘Go and see your girlfriend. You and Jimmy don’t seem to think you’ll have many more opportunities.’

Carl ignored his brother’s dig. ‘I don’t need your permission,’ he said. ‘Anyway I’m still getting earache from Chas about Carrie. I’d rather be in work.’

At that Jimmy stalked back through to the main office - his sulk apparently over.

‘We could go to see the old neighbourhood,’ he said. He had been thinking about it for a while - the threat of prison hanging over them had made him brood on the past. ‘Take Scarlet and show her where we grew up.’

‘Well that was a quick turnaround,’ Matthew said. ‘I thought you could have made that pet lip of yours hold out for at least ten minutes.’

‘Do you want to go or not?’ Jimmy demanded. Carl looked at Matthew. He recognised that the sarcasm had been used to hide something else. Carl had felt it himself – both of them were strangely taken with the idea of revisiting the place they had grown up.

‘Yeah,’ Carl said, because he knew Matthew never would. ‘Sounds good.’


‘Are we nearly there yet?’ Scarlet asked eagerly, earning a glare from Matthew which she saw through the rear-view mirror. She was sitting in the back of Carl’s car with Jimmy; Matthew and Carl in the front. Her brothers had picked her up from school at lunchtime after a brief text message. They were taking her out for the day - though they hadn’t told her where she was going. She was excited. It was the first time that she’d spent anytime with all three of them together and she felt like a real part of the family. Even Matthew had agreed to have her there and she felt like that was a breakthrough in itself.

‘Not yet,’ Carl said. ‘There’s a good way to go yet.’

Scarlet sat back in her seat and sighed. ‘I hate car long car journeys, I always get car sick.’

‘Now you tell us,’ Carl said, glancing at her in the mirror. ‘Well if you throw up make sure you do it out of the window. The upholstery in this car probably cost more than your entire wardrobe.’

‘I don’t know about that,’ Jimmy said smiling.

‘Oh I won’t be sick,’ Scarlet said. ‘I just feel like it.’

‘Thanks for clearing that little puzzler up for us,’ Matthew muttered under his breath.

‘Oi!’ Carl chided quietly. ‘I thought you were going to behave yourself.’ It had taken him and Jimmy the best part of twenty minutes to persuade Matt that they should take their half-sister with them.

Scarlet sat forward. ‘Can we have some music on at least?’ she said.

‘No!’ Matthew said automatically.

‘Yeah, alright,’ Carl said, switching the radio on. Bruce Springsteen was playing and Matthew relaxed slightly.

‘Oh, not this rubbish!’ Scarlet said rolling her eyes. She reached between the two front seats and fiddled with the dial. ‘That’s better,’ she said as The Streets latest release blasted out. She sat back contented, tapping her fingers on her knee, and Carl laughed at the look of outrage on Matthew’s face.

‘Only fifty miles to go,’ he said brightly.


‘Is this it?’ Scarlet said disappointed as they got out of the car. She turned to her brothers and was surprised to see them all staring solemnly out over the muddy green, arms folded in front of them.

Carl had pulled up in a slightly run down village. There was a square green in the middle with children playing on it. The terraced houses with their identical fading bricks and bay windows stood along three of the edges and there was a pub a little way along called the Holly Bush. Scarlet glanced over to it. It had scantily-clad patrons sitting on picnic benches, sunning themselves and drinking pints of lager or white wine spritzers; their faces red and their chatter loud. She grimaced. It looked like suspiciously like the Woolpack on a sunny day.

‘It still looks the same,’ Jimmy said.

‘Yeah,’ Carl and Matthew said together.

‘It still sounds the same,’ Carl added, nodding his head towards a slanging-match that had broken out on the green between two boys over a missed goal.

‘What is this place?’ Scarlet said. Jimmy smiled at her.

‘It’s where we grew up,’ he said. ‘Me, Matt, Carl, Max, Dad and Mum lived in that house over there.’ He pointed to a house with a wishing well in the front garden. The doors and window frames were still the same red that Jimmy remembered but the paint was chipped and flaked. His own mother had kept it perfect.

‘It’s very small,’ Scarlet said.

Carl laughed. ‘Yeah it was. Too small sometimes.’

‘It had two-and-a-half bedrooms,’ Jimmy added with a grin.

‘Two and a half?’ Scarlet repeated, confused.

‘There was Dad, Mum and Max in one, me and Matt in the other; then our Carl slept downstairs on a foldaway bed until he out-grew it and Dad shoved us all in together.’

‘Bit of a squeeze then,’ Scarlet said.

‘You don’t know the half of it,’ Carl said. ‘Dad got us two big beds in the end and I was supposed to share with Matt, but he used to make me sleep on the floor.’

Scarlet turned to Matt. ‘You made him sleep on the floor?’

‘Well I wasn’t going to have his lanky feet kicking me in the head all night was I? Anyway,’ he said grinning, ‘I paid him. Two-pence a week if I remember rightly.’

‘That’s right, you did,’ Jimmy said. He stood for a moment smiling and breathed in the smells – a mixture of smog from the nearby factory, dinners cooking and ale from the pub. It brought memories of his childhood rushing back to him and he felt better than he had in weeks. ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘I don’t know about you but I’m starving. Let’s see if the Holly Bush still does a good toad-in-the-hole. Dad always used to love their Yorkshire Puddings – Better than his own mother’s he used to say.’

‘Great!’ Scarlet said eagerly, skipping up alongside Jimmy. She was flattered that her new-found brothers had taken it upon themselves to show her where they used to live, but if she was being honest it wasn’t really the most interesting day out she could have imagined. A pub lunch sounded like just the thing. Slowly Carl and Matthew followed suit, unusually silent. Both lost in their own thoughts.

Matthew raised his eyebrow to Jimmy as he held the door open for him. ‘Not a bad idea this,’ he said.

Jimmy nodded back. It was the nearest thing to praise that he would ever get from Matthew.


Well? Do you like their little trip down memory lane? Do you want to see more? Let me know, feedback appreciated!!!

[hillvk]

Thought I'd do a double dose as I got addicted to writing it! Hope you enjoy!



‘Well,’ Jimmy said, putting down his knife and fork, slightly disappointed, ‘not quite the best Yorkshire puddings in Yorkshire.’

‘Not the best?’ Carl said, picking a piece up and peering at it. ‘I’ve seen treacle tarts that have risen better.’

‘They look as soggy as Aunt Phyllis’s ,’ Matthew said, peering at the thick, flat pudding. ‘I don’t know why you don’t send them back.’ He had chosen the T-bone steak, and though it was slightly over-cooked, it was, at least, edible.

‘Well,’ Jimmy said, ‘I didn’t want to make a fuss.’

‘Mine was fine,’ Scarlet said.

‘I think even this place would struggle to get a burger and chips wrong,’ Matthew said, eyeing Scarlet’s leftovers with disdain. He looked around at the faded wallpaper and the dusty shelves. ‘Did it always used to be so dingy?’

‘Don’t ask me,’ Carl said. ‘I never saw the inside of the place. I was always banished to the green with Max.’

‘It used to be a nice little local,’ Jimmy said. ‘Mum and Dad used to come here every Saturday and leave me in charge of you lot.’

‘In charge?’ Matthew said. ‘Don’t make me laugh. We used to run rings round you.’ He turned to Scarlet. ‘He used to bring these spotty teenage girls back when he thought we were in bed, trying to cop a feel, and me an’ Carl used to play tricks on them.’

‘You did you mean!’ Jimmy said. ‘Max was always good, and Carl, well, he did what he was told most of the time.’

Carl’s eyes lit up mischievously. ‘Once Matt put a frog he found in the garden in one of Jtheir pockets. She thought it was him – he got a right slap.’

Scarlet giggled.

‘Yeah,’ Jimmy said, annoyed, and then Matt got a right slap from me.’

‘Give me a break,’ Matthew said. ‘You weren’t exactly Mike Tyson. There were lads your age with legs bigger than you!’

‘How much difference was there between you and Max?’ Scarlet said to Jimmy, trying to change the subject. ‘In age I mean.’

Jimmy thought for a moment. ‘Mum was pregnant with Max when we moved here. It was the year before I left school, so I must have been about thirteen, so let me think …’

‘Fourteen years,’ Carl interrupted. He glanced at Scarlet apologetically. ‘It probably would have taken him all day to figure that out.’

‘You left school when you were fourteen?’ Scarlet said incredulously.

Jimmy nodded and said wistfully, ‘I went to work for Dad. Nearly thirty years we worked side-by-side.’

‘He had to,’ Matthew said. ‘Thick as two short planks our Jimmy. He couldn’t even spell the eleven-plus never mind take it. His school couldn’t get him out the door quick enough.’

‘Oh not like you, I suppose,’ Jimmy said sarcastically. ‘You were your school’s star pupil, you! That’s why Mum was never away from the place.’

‘At least I got some O-levels,’ Matthew said. He beamed. ‘Ten in fact – and all grade one and twos.’ Carl turned his eyes skywards.

‘I bet you were a right little know-it-all, weren’t you?’ Scarlet said. ‘Not in a bad way,’ she added quickly.

Jimmy laughed. ‘He was. Dad could see right through him though. He used to take him down a peg or two when he got ahead of himself.’

Matthew bristled. ‘Yeah, alright Jimmy.’

Carl took a swig of his orange juice and peered out of the open window over the green. The broken-down house on the corner triggered a memory. ‘Do you remember that day when me and Matt stole the neighbour’s cat?’ he asked suddenly.

‘You did what?’ Scarlet said.

Jimmy smiled. ‘Oh yeah!’

‘You stole your neighbours cat?’

Scarlet was wide-eyed and Carl grinned. He nodded his head towards Matthew. ‘It was his idea. I just got dragged along with it as usual. I think I was, what? – seven or eight at the time?’

‘Eight,’ Matthew confirmed.

‘And he must have been twelve or thirteen. The old hag who lived on the corner had been giving Dad grief about him playing football on the green.’

‘That’s right,’ Jimmy said. ‘I knew there was a reason.’

‘Yes there was!’ Matthew said indignantly. ‘I didn’t half catch it off Dad for it as well. She reckoned that I’d broken one of her plant pots or something – it wasn’t me though.’

‘Oh it never was,’ Jimmy said folding his arms.

‘Anyway,’ Carl said, ‘we kidnapped it and hid it in the wishing well. We lowered it down in the bucket and then pulled the rope up so it couldn’t get back out. Then Matt made me push a ransom note through the door. We asked her for two-pounds I think.’

‘Two-pounds-fifty,’ Matthew said proudly. He shrugged at Carl’s curious expression. ‘I wanted to see Leeds away and sit in the enclosure for once.’

‘It figures,’ Jimmy said. ‘Matt’s always been partial to the finer things in life.’

‘So what happened?’ Scarlet said, picking a cold chip off her plate and eating it with a grimace. Matthew’s face fell slightly.

‘The old witch showed the note to Mum and she recognised Matthew’s handwriting straight away,’ Carl said. ‘Dad did his nut when he got in and she told him about it. Mum found it funny I think.’

‘There were tears before bedtime that night, weren’t there Matt?’ Jimmy teased. ‘Dad really let him have it. Strange thing was I think he admired that initiative of it. The cat was fine anyway. I think it enjoyed getting out of the way for a bit.’

‘You never told on me, though,’ Carl said thoughtfully. ‘Even though Dad must have known that I was involved - Matt was never one for doing his own dirty work.’

‘Why have a dog and bark yourself?’ Matthew said shrugging.

‘He wasn’t all bad,’ Jimmy agreed. ‘He did used to stick up for you and Max at least –when the fancy took him.’

‘Stop talking about me like I’m not here,’ Matthew said irritably, but Scarlet thought he looked pleased with that assessment of his character.

‘So what’s the plan next?’ Scarlet demanded, impatient again. She glanced at Matt. ‘You’re not taking me to a Leeds match are you? I hate football.’

Matthew rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, ‘Big surprise. I suppose you’d rather get your nails done or go shopping for shoes.’

‘Of course I would,’ Scarlet said unashamedly.

‘Well we’re not doing either I’m afraid,’ Carl said. ‘I thought we’d go over to Scarborough and have a walk on the beach. It’s where we used to go for a day out when we were young.’

‘It’s a right trip down memory lane this, isn’t it?’ Scarlet said.

‘You didn’t have to come with us,’ Matthew said.

‘I’m not complaining. It’s nice, you know - to see where you lot and my Dad came from.’ There was a brief silence before she added mischievously, ‘Can we have an ice-cream?’

‘Course we can,’ Jimmy said smiling.

‘Bit far isn’t it, though?’ Matthew said, draining his pint.

‘It’ll only take us an hour. Anyway I haven’t been for years. I wouldn’t mind going again before …’ Carl paused.

‘Before the tourists take over?’ Jimmy said, coming to the rescue.

Carl smiled. ‘Yeah – that’s it.’

‘Come on then,’ Jimmy said. ‘Scarborough it is.’




Jimmy, Carl and Matthew stood watching Scarlet as she struggled with their ninety-nines on the other side of the promenade – two in her hand as she waited for the rest. Ice-cream dribbled down her wrist.

‘Do you think we should help her?’ Carl said.

‘Nah,’ Matthew said. ‘She’s a big girl, I’m sure she can manage.’ As if to prove the point she gave them a little wave. Matthew waved sardonically back. ‘Come on,’ he said, ‘let’s get out of here while we still have the chance.’

‘Oi you!’ Jimmy said. ‘That’s our little sister you’re talking about leaving.’

Matthew shook his head. ‘How did this happen, eh? It was bad enough trying to keep Carl straight when he was a teenager – we didn’t really need another idiotic sibling in the family to run round after!’

‘Oi!’ Carl said.

‘Scarlet’s not idiotic,’ Jimmy said. ‘She’s lovely.’ Neither he nor Carl commented upon the fact that Matthew seemed to have accepted that Scarlet was at least part of their family.

Matthew leaned over the railings of the promenade and Jimmy and Carl followed suit. They watched the children riding the donkeys and those splashing about in the sea or playing ball games with their brothers and sisters.

‘Mum used to love it here,’ Matthew said wistfully. ‘Do you remember? Dad had made some big sale one year and he gave her the choice of here or Bournemouth. She chose here, even though we came every year.’

‘Yeah, well Mum wasn’t like us. She liked simpler things. She was happy no matter how much money Dad made,’ Jimmy said.

‘Brings it all back this, doesn’t it?’ Carl said. ‘I mean I know I was only young, but I can remember Mum and Dad here as clear as anything; Dad playing cricket and football with you two and me; Mum sitting on the deck chair and watching - with Max at her feet under that ridiculous sun hat that she put on him every year because he …’

‘Had sensitive skin!’ They all spoke in unison, laughing afterwards.

‘Now there’s only us left,’ Carl said after a few moments silence. Jimmy glanced at him and could see the tears in his eyes.

‘Hey,’ he said, putting his arm on his shoulder, ‘none of that today, eh? Let’s just remember the happy times.’

‘Do you lot need a minute or something?’ Scarlet said from behind them. ‘Only half your ice-cream’s down my arm already!’

‘Give us them here,’ Matthew said through gritted teeth. He took three expertly from Scarlet and passed them out.

Carl rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand then smiled. ‘Remember the time when Max fell asleep on the beach and Matt buried him, arms by his side and everything, in the sand? He was only two or three at the time.’

‘The look on his face!’ Jimmy said grinning. ‘He didn’t know what had happened to him. He thought something had swallowed him I think. None of us could dig him out because we were laughing too much.’

‘I thought Mum and Dad were going to go mad when they got back,’ Carl said. ‘But even Mum couldn’t stop laughing at his little head poking out.’

‘Matt got his comeuppance though,’ Jimmy said. ‘Me and Dad dragged him into the sea and dunked him under. You never did like the sea, did you Matt?’ he said, turning to him. ‘You didn’t like the fish.’

‘Didn’t like the fish?’ Scarlet said. ‘Why?’

‘It’s a phobia isn’t it?’ Carl said with a sly look at his brother.

‘Alright, alright,’ Matthew said. ‘I don’t know why all these little tales you’re both coming out with today revolve around what I got up to.’ He jerked his head towards Carl. ‘He was far worse.’

‘Yeah but you were so cocky, Matt; it was so much funnier when something you did backfired on you,’ Jimmy said.

‘Well I think it would have been great to have brothers or sisters when I was a little kid,’ Scarlet said. ‘It was just me and my Mum, and she never really did anything funny.’

‘I think you had a lucky escape,’ Matthew said, looking dubiously at Carl whose mouth was covered in ice-cream.

Jimmy put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. ‘You’ve got brothers now at least,’ he said.

She smiled at him. ‘Shall we walk on the beach then,’ she said, ‘by the water? I promise I won’t let the fish jump out at you!’ she added, glancing at Matthew. Carl laughed.

‘Oh ha ha,’ Matthew said.

‘Come on then,’ Scarlet said. ‘I’ll race you.’ Jimmy took off after her, whilst Matthew and Carl hung back.

‘What?’ Carl said as Matt eyed him disdainfully. He was still blissfully unaware of the ice-cream round his mouth.

‘Look in a mirror, Carl,’ Matthew said, before he stalked off to catch up Jimmy and Scarlet.


Hope you enjoyed it … Did the characters read how you wanted them to? Feedback really appreciated …

[sharonh]

Before I read this, have a look at your PM's will you please?

[hillvk]

sharonh said:

Before I read this, have a look at your PM's will you please?

Just did it, never thought to check before!!! PM'd you back!!!

[chasdinglefan]

Update this story soon please!!

[hillvk]

Another little bite from the Kings.

Carl and Chas were sitting in the kitchen of Home Farm having breakfast with Jimmy and Kelly.

‘Here, listen to this,’ Chas said, ruffling the pages of the tabloid paper, that Kelly had delivered everyday with the broadsheets. ‘Some good-looking bird married a rich man thirty years older than her and then laced the gravy with poison until he popped his clogs and she inherited the lot. How stupid is that? Didn’t he wonder why she never ate it herself?’

‘I can’t stand gravy,’ Kelly said, blowing on her nails as she finished off the top coat. ‘So I wouldn’t have noticed a thing.’

‘Better watch out then, Jimmy,’ Chas said smiling.

‘Oh yeah,’ Carl said, taking a swig of his coffee as he scanned his own paper, ‘because Kelly’s always cooking for Jimmy, isn’t she?’

‘Oi!’ Kelly said looking up. ‘I cook.’

‘I don’t think beans on toast qualifies as a meal,’ Carl said.

‘Leave her alone, you,’ Jimmy said, putting her arm around Kelly. ‘She’s a great chef, aren’t you?’ Kelly beamed. ‘She just gets a bit muddled up sometimes, that’s all!’

‘Oi!’ Kelly said, pushing him away as they all laughed at her. Several nights before she had tried to set the oven timer for a casserole - and then forgotten about it. By the time they had all gotten home from work the whole kitchen had been filled with thick black smoke and the casserole had been reduced to a sooty lump.

‘This is cosey,’ Matthew said, surveying the foursome as he stalked into the kitchen with a belligerent look on his face.

‘It was,’ Chas snapped. She was sick of Matthew’s attitude lately. He looked straight through her whenever she spoke to him, and when she and Carl entered a room he would leave without a word. She had tried her best to get to the bottom of it but Carl clammed up every time she mentioned him. She figured that they had had some kind of argument – maybe about the Haulage Company that Matthew had been pushing to sell. It annoyed her though, because Carl seemed to really be letting it get to him. Whenever Matthew entered a room she could almost feel the tension in his body.

‘Well don’t let me stop you,’ Matthew said. ‘Just carry on like I’m not here. You usually do.’ He grabbed one of the smaller coffee percolators from the breakfast bar and a mug then crossed to the table. Carl was trying to concentrate on the paper in his hand and avoid looking at his brother. ‘You finished with that?’ Matthew said, ‘Good.’ He grabbed it from his hand before Carl had time to answer.

‘Oi!’ Chas said. ‘No he wasn’t!’ Matthew raised his eyebrow.

‘Leave it, Chas,’ Carl said.

‘Cheers,’ Matthew said, before tucking it under his arms and leaving the room.

Jimmy pursed his lips as he saw Carl’s head drop. It was always the same lately when Matthew was around. The two of them had barely spoken more than civilities since Carl had admitted to causing their father’s death. Jimmy had been trying as hard as he could to mend the rift between them – suggesting lunches and pints down the pub, but Matthew refused to be drawn into it.

‘What is his problem?’ Chas demanded. ‘He’s been like a bear with a sore head for weeks now. I know he wasn’t very pleasant before, but at least you used to get a bit of banter out of him and maybe a few witty one-liners. Now all he does is bark at you.’

‘Oh ignore him,’ Kelly said. ‘He’s just jealous because his brothers are getting some and he isn’t. I mean when’s the last time we saw him with a woman?’

‘I don’t think it’s that,’ Jimmy said evenly. Carl remained silent.

‘What else is it then?’ Chas said, ‘male menopause? Because if you ask me he’s well past his prime.’

‘Not like my Jimmy,’ Kelly giggled, tickling Jimmy. ‘He’s like a wild animal when you get him in the sack.’

‘Do you have to?’ Carl groaned. Jimmy coloured.

‘Oh so it does speak,’ Chas said, turning to Carl. ‘Do you mind telling me exactly why you let your brother bully you into giving him the paper before you’d read the beauty section? I have to surgically remove it from your hand before I get a look-in.’

‘The beauty section?’ Kelly said sceptically.

‘He likes to keep his skin in good condition, does our Carl,’ Jimmy grinned.

Chas pinched his cheek. ‘Smooth as a baby’s bum, isn’t it sweetheart?’

‘Alright, alright,’ Carl said as Kelly giggled. He got to his feet. ‘I’m going to finish getting ready for work.’

‘Can you drop me off at the Woolpack on the way in?’ Chas said. ‘I promised Diane that I’d help Marlon with the food.’

‘I think we’ll be going into Hotten for lunch today, then,’ Jimmy grinned.

‘Ha ha! Well maybe you can get Matt to join you.’ Chas glanced at Carl. ‘I think you lot need to clear the air or something.’

‘Maybe,’ Jimmy said. He saw Carl pull back his shoulders as he left the room and sighed. ‘Maybe not.’



Later that afternoon in the office, after Carl had gone to meet with their financial adviser in Leeds, Jimmy tried his hardest to catch Matthew between calls. It was proving difficult though. Since the day of the pageant, and their day in court, Matthew had thrown himself systematically into his work. When he was in the office he was constantly on the telephone, and when he wasn’t he was out meeting with property developers. He often left before Carl and Jimmy in the morning and came home late at night after a round of golf with the bank manager or one of the many people he was trying to get interested in buying the haulage business. It had almost become and obsession and Jimmy had the feeling that it was all down to the fact that he and Carl had been so set against selling it.

‘What do you want, Jimmy?’ Matthew said irritably, covering the mouth-piece of the phone with his hand. His elder brother had been loitering at the door to his office for the past five minutes.

Jimmy came into the office. ‘A word.’

‘Well as you can see I’m a bit busy. One of us has to be.’

Jimmy, losing patience, stalked to the desk and grabbed the phone from Matthew’s hand. ‘He’ll call you back,’ he said into the receiver, before slamming it back into the cradle.

Matthew was incensed. ‘What the hell did you do that for?’ he said. ‘That was the director of Greenways Haulage Company. I was on the verge of closing the deal.’

‘Tough,’ Jimmy said. ‘This is important. Anyway, you can’t close the deal without our say-so.’

‘I was trying to set up a meeting.’

‘If he’s really interested he’ll call back.’

Matthew sat back and folded his arms in front of him. ‘What?’

Jimmy sighed. ‘This can’t go on, Matt.’

‘What can’t?’

‘You, me, Carl - at each others throats.’

‘No Jimmy, what can’t go on is you two prattling around, going for lunches and playing with your girlfriends while I try and run the business. Now if you don’t mind …’

‘I do mind,’ Jimmy said. ‘How long are you going to keep it up? It’s been weeks now and you’ve hardly said two words to him!’

‘To who?’

‘You know who!’

‘Well there are a lot of people I haven’t said two words to in the last few weeks.’ He checked them off on his fingers. ‘Grayson, Hari, Rosemary, Tony flaming Blair. That’s what you do when you don’t trust someone – you don’t talk to them.’

‘He’s your brother,’ Jimmy said.

‘Well that’s news to me! If I knew that I was related to the Prime Minister then I wouldn’t be living with you lot. I would be quick as a flash on the first flight down to Westminster – maybe then I’d get a bit of peace!’ He got up, picking up the folder in front of him and putting it into the open briefcase. ‘Now as I’ve said I haven’t got time for this.’ He stalked past Jimmy. Before he got to the door, Jimmy put his hand on his arm.

‘Dad wouldn’t have wanted this, Matt,’ he said. ‘Haven’t we all been through enough without you disowning Carl on top of it?’ Matthew paused at the door, his back still to his brother. Jimmy spoke quickly. ‘I’ve forgiven him, why can’t you? You know he’s devastated about what he did – and how you are with him.’

Matthew shrugged Jimmy’s arm off him then. ‘That’s his luck out,’ he said shortly, before striding out and slamming the door behind him.



Chas and Carl were sitting in the Woolpack having a drink. Carl had got back from his meeting in Leeds late and it was now nearly last orders. Chas could smell the whisky on his breath so she knew that he must have been drinking for most of time he had been away.

‘How did you get back?’ she asked carefully, as she sipped her cider through a pink straw. She took in the slight shake to his hand as he lifted his glass. He had a flush to his face from the alcohol, but, as had become usual, the skin underneath it was pale and his eyes were cast downwards.

Carl looked up from his brandy. ‘I got a cab.’

‘What about the car?’

Carl shrugged. ‘I left it at Mike’s office. He’s going to get it driven back to me in the morning.’

‘So you were at a business meeting then?’ she said. ‘Or is Mike a code name for cover-story-that-I-made-up-to-pacify-my-girlfriend?’

‘Think what you like!’ Carl snapped. He then sighed and looked away. ‘Look I’m sorry. Mike invited me for a drink and then before I knew where I was …’

‘You were half-cut?’

‘Something like that.’

Chas grabbed his hand from across the table. ‘It’s alright, you know, I wasn’t getting at you. It’s not for me to tell you that you can’t have a drink. I know that Matthew’s putting a lot of pressure on you at work at the moment.’

‘What?!’ Carl said sharply, dropping her hand. ‘It’s got nothing to do with him. Mike’s an old friend, we just fancied catching up. I didn’t know I was going to be interrogated about it when I got back.’

‘I’m not interrogating you. I’m just worried about you. You’ve been drinking a lot lately – I just thought that there might be something on your mind.’

Carl looked up at Chas, deep into her dark, enquiring eyes. As always he felt a jolt inside him. He looked away. ‘I’m fine. Can you just change the record?’

Chas was hurt at his tone. ‘Fine, I’ll just keep me trap shut shall I? I’ll just ignore the fact that you seem to be falling to pieces right in front of me!’

Carl bit his lip, hard, his eyes piercing the table as he avoided her gaze. Chas could tell that he was close to tears. The erratic switch of moods seemed to becoming second nature to him. Sometimes it was as if he couldn’t bear to look at her, and then sometimes he was so intense with her that she was completely taken over by just how much he wanted to be with her; hold her; be next to her. She made her tone gentler. ‘Come on Carl. Tell me. Maybe I can help you. Is it work? The kids? Your Dad? What?’

He straightened himself up and forced himself to look at her again. ‘It’s nothing,’ he said. ‘Let’s just change the subject, eh? I’ve just had too much whiskey. Jimmy’s always telling me that I get maudlin with spirits.’

Carl forced a weak smile on his face that seemed to satisfy Chas - for the time being anyway. He knew that he should really back off from her until her could get his head together – if he didn’t he was going to end up blurting out the truth. But he just didn’t seem to be able to keep away from her. He needed her, especially now. He could sense deeply how much she loved him, and when he woke up in the middle of the night and put his arms around her he could feel at peace – like they were the only two people in the world. He could forget for a moment what he had done.

‘Come on,’ said Chas, watching the different expressions that changed his face. ‘Let’s just go home and go to bed.’

Carl smiled properly then. He took her hand back and kissed the fingertips. ‘Sounds good to me.’



Back at Home Farm the house was dark. Carl guessed that Jimmy and Kelly had had another “early night”, and Rosemary was still away in Dubai.

‘I’ll go upstairs and get changed into something more comfortable,’ Chas said with a smile. ‘You get a bottle of wine. I could do with catching up a bit.’

As Chas left, Carl opened the door to the drawing room. He decided to get himself another brandy before he got Chas the wine from the kitchen. As he went to the cabinet, however, a voice stopped him.

‘Too late,’ Mathew slurred. ‘I’ve drunk it.’

Carl froze as he looked round to see Matthew sitting in the low arm-chair by the glowing fire, nursing a, half-empty, square, crystal glass in his hand. He had dimmed the lamp next to him and was sitting in the near-dark. The bottle was empty on the coffee table in front of him.

‘There’s some of Rosemary’s gin left if you’re really desperate,’ Matthew said. ‘I noticed that you’d finished the bottles of brandy off. What’s the matter, little brother, your conscience troubling you?’

Carl closed his eyes briefly, as though in pain. When he looked at Matthew again his brother was smiling.

‘It’s funny, isn’t it?’ Matthew said, swirling his glass. ‘Out of the three of us I would never have had you down as a murderer. Me – well I was top of everyone’s list of prime suspects, wasn’t I? Jimmy? I wouldn’t have put it past him. But you? It’s certainly a turn up for the books.’

‘Don’t Matt,’ Carl pleaded.

‘What’s the matter?’ Matthew said getting to his feet unsteadily. ‘Are you scared that your little girlfriend might hear? I don’t know why you haven’t told her already. She’d probably think it was romantic; a real Romeo, ready to kill his own Dad to be with Juliet!’ He laughed nastily. ‘Though I think it might be stretching it a bit even in your book to compare Chas to a Shakespearean heroine. A femme fatale maybe, or, well what was it Dad said?’ He pretended to think. ‘Oh yeah: A two-bit stripper?’

Carl couldn’t bring himself to retaliate, and stood, instead, rooted to the spot. He didn’t even feel angry at his brother’s tirade. He realised that he had been waiting for it. Even Matthew’s anger was better than the cold, incessant silence that he had kept up since Carl had confessed to his part in their father’s death.

‘What?’ Matthew said, with mock surprise. ‘Did you hear what I said? Aren’t you going to clobber me round the head with something? There are plenty more statues of woodland creatures sitting on the mantle-piece – or does it have to be a horses head? You could push me out of the window aswell if you like – only it’s the ground floor so I don’t think that I’d fall very far. I could do the screaming bit though. Did Dad scream when he fell? I can’t remember.’

Looking into his brother’s hate-filled eyes, Carl was suddenly overcome by the tears that had been threatening all day. He put his hand up to his mouth and rubbed at his face, trying to keep them back, but they spilled over. Matthew took a step forward.

‘DON'T YOU DARE CRY,’ he yelled, grabbing Carl by his collars. ‘Do you hear me? I don’t want to see your tears!’ He slammed his little brother back into the wall. ‘It’s not that easy!’

Matthew held Carl heavily by the throat at arms length. His younger brother had now completely broken-down and was sobbing against the wall, unable to meet his gaze, not even struggling against him. ‘Look at me,’ Matthew said firmly. Carl tried to push him off. ‘I SAID LOOK AT ME!’

Carl eventually looked up to see Matthew draw back his fist. He caught his breath.

‘Go on then,’ Carl yelled. ‘Go on then if that’s what you want. Hit me! I don’t care. Nothing you could do to me would make me feel worse than I already feel. Don’t you get it, Matt? I hate myself as much as you hate me – more! Just hit me. I want you to. Get it out of your system, please – because this is killing me.’ His voice cracked on the last word and he dissolved once again into deep, heaving sobs.

Matthew hesitated for a few moments. He was breathing heavily and his heart was racing as the adrenaline pumped through his body. He was tensed and ready to strike – to beat his brother till he felt real pain.

Slowly, though, as Matthew watched Carl, and saw the tears fall down his face, he felt his rage leave him. He released him heavily. He stood silently as his brother slid down the wall till he was crouched in front of him, gasping for breath, his head in his hands. An image had flashed though Matthew’s mind. It was Carl as a young lad – at about ten or eleven. He had come home bloodied and battered from a run-in with some local lads. Matthew remembered how he had gone back out with him and given the ring-leader the hiding of his life. He stepped back.

‘THIS MEANS NOTHING!’ he yelled angrily, before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

His own tears spilled over just as he made it to his bedroom door.


What did you think? Please let me know - would much appreciate your opinion ...

[rtzen01]

That was amazing please write some more its great , love it with alot of carl and chas

[chasdinglefan]

Amazing, please write more, especially with lots of chas and carl being nice to each other and not arguing like they do in the soap.

[rtzen01]

Please post more with carl and chas although alot has not happened with them in the last few days; maybe with chas coming in to find carl in the study ;D ;D

[carlsbabe]

That was actually so amazing!You should be a script witer lol!I was nearly crying when Carl was....poor dote.....

[gudboy]

That was really good, i can't wait to read some more!!

[carlsbabe]

PLease post some more,im actually hooked......PLEASE!!!Oh God im so hooked sorry.I get a bit over excited sometimes.

[rtzen01]

Please post more soon i'm hooked......with lots of Carl and Chas if possible ;D

[chasdinglefan]

please post more with lots of Chas and Carl!!!

[rtzen01]

Please post more

[hillvk]

More titbits from the Kings


Matthew and Jimmy were working at Pear Tree Cottage. To Matthew’s annoyance Carrie was also there working. She was going through their accounts and had been since way before Jimmy and Matthew had returned from their meeting in Hotten. She was taking her new position as “full” co-director of the business very seriously. When Matt had agreed to it he had been backed into a corner. Even though he’d been impressed by Carrie’s cleverness in setting up both Rosemary and Carl, the novelty had worn off and he was beginning to wish that he’d gone with his first instinct to threaten her till she cracked and handed the recording over.

‘Does anyone want a tea?’ Carrie said getting up.

‘That’s be great,’ Jimmy said. Matthew merely nodded abruptly. Carrie made it and Matthew and Jimmy drifted into the main office for a short break.

‘Shouldn’t Carl be in?’ Carrie said.

‘Hasn’t he been in today at all?’ Jimmy said. Carrie shook her head. ‘I’ve been here since ten and I haven’t seen hide nor hair. Perhaps he’s got a meeting?’

Matthew snorted. ‘Him a meeting?’ he said with scorn. ‘I wouldn’t even trust him with the photocopying at the moment. He’s been AWOL on and off for days. Even when he’s here he’s like a pixie in a trance.’

‘That’s not fair,’ Jimmy said. ‘He’s got a lot on his mind.’

‘We all have,’ Matthew said. ‘There’s the haulage business that you two are refusing to sell to take care of, then the property development to get off the ground. Not to mention babysitting Rodney with Home Farm estates.’

‘Matthew’s right,’ Carrie said. ‘You shouldn’t be letting him get away with shirking his responsibilities; it’s not good for him. He needs a distraction from what’s happened, not more time to dwell on it.’

‘Well what can we do – rap him on the knuckles?’ Jimmy said. ‘He’s a big boy he can come and go as he pleases. He doesn’t need us on his back.’

‘It’s affecting the business,’ Matthew said. ‘He might not exactly be the apprentice, but at least when he’s here he sometimes does a good job.’

‘You just said you wouldn’t trust him with the photocopying!’ Jimmy said.

‘Well there’s contracts to staple and typing to do,’ Matthew said smiling sarcastically. He took a sip from his mug and grimaced. ‘And at least he makes a damn site better cuppa than this dishwater.’

‘So what do you want me to do about it?’ Jimmy said. ‘Drag him here by the ear? Put him in detention for skiving? What?’

‘Just talk to him,’ Carrie said patiently. ‘Tell him that you need him here. Persuade him that it’d be good for him to throw himself into working.’

‘If you can get any sense out of him that is,’ Matthew said. ‘He spends half his life down the Woolpack these days.’

‘And the other half raiding Dad’s old wine cellar,’ Jimmy conceded. ‘Honestly! I’ve been thinking about getting a lock on it – some of the stuff down there is really expensive.’

Carrie looked thoughtful. ‘He has been drinking a lot,’ she said. ‘How’s he been at home?’

‘He’s not eating much,’ Jimmy shrugged, ‘which isn’t like him. Hollow legs, Mum used to say.’

‘He’s not sleeping either,’ Mathew said. ‘He’s been driving me mad staying up watching that Play thing. You can hear him slurring out the answers. Probably the wrong ones as well if I know our Carl. He’s never exactly been brimming with general knowledge. He used to think that Indonesia was that little restaurant on the edge of Hotten.

Jimmy smiled in spite of himself.

‘It’s not funny,’ Carrie said. ‘He could be depressed. He’s showing all the signs of someone heading towards a breakdown.’

‘Nothing gets past you, does it?’ Matthew said with mock amazement. ‘You must have been top of the class at nursing school.’

‘Matt …’ Jimmy chided.

‘Well anyone can see that he’s losing the plot!’ Matthew said. ‘Lady flaming Macbeth showed less guilt than our Carl and look what happened to her! What’s less obvious is what we can do about it.’

Jimmy glared at Matthew. ‘Oh this is just one big joke to you, isn’t it?’

‘No Jimmy, surprisingly it isn’t.’ He sighed. ‘Well?’ he said to Carrie.

‘You’ve got to try and get him to stop drinking. It’s just making him worse. Would he go to see a doctor?’

‘You mean a shrink?’ Jimmy said.

‘No chance,’ Matthew said.

‘You could get someone private,’ Carrie said. ‘With your money it wouldn’t even go down in his notes.’

‘I’m not bothered about that,’ Matthew said. ‘You get him in a room with someone who’s a sympathetic listener and Carl will talk. He’ll blow the whole thing.’

At that, the door clattered and Carl walked in. Immediately Matthew, Carrie and Jimmy fell silent. Carl smiled.

‘Talking about me again, were you?’

‘Where’ve you been?’ Matthew demanded sharply, trying to disguise his guilty expression.

‘What do you care?’

‘We were worried about you,’ Jimmy said patiently.

‘Well I’m here now.’

‘Yeah,’ Matthew said, glancing at the clock and folding his arms, ‘and exactly two hours before we’re all finishing for the day.’

‘Who died and made you headmaster?’ Carl said. He had been drinking and he slurred his words slightly. ‘Oh that’s right, Dad.’

Matthew closed his eyes momentarily, getting a handle on his temper. ‘Have you been drinking?’

‘Yep,’ Carl said. ‘I suppose you’re not very impressed about that either. Fortunately, I couldn't give a stuff. You might think you’re the boss here, but you’re not the boss of me.’

‘Carl!’ Jimmy said sharply, ‘it’s half-past three in the afternoon. What are you thinking of?’

‘Don’t you start,’ Carl said. He looked at them with disgust. ‘I don’t now why I even bothered coming in the first place.’ He took his keys out of his pocket and held them up. ‘I’m getting out of here.’ He spun round to leave.

‘Matthew, Jimmy, stop him!’ Carrie said. ‘He can’t drive.’

Matthew strode forward and grabbed his brother just as he opened the door. Jimmy wasn’t too far behind him.

‘Get off me!’ Carl yelled. ‘Just leave me alone.’ In one of his recent lightening changes of mood he now sounded upset instead of angry.

‘Come on, our kid,’ Matthew said gently, ‘let me take you home so you can sleep it off, okay?’

‘I’m fine,’ Carl said, trying to shrug him off, but nearly unbalancing himself.

‘Course you are!’ Jimmy said rolling his eyes as Matthew steadied him.

‘I’m not letting you drive anywhere.’ Matthew’s tone was firmer. ‘You don’t want a drink driving charge in top of everything else do you?’

‘Why not?’ Carl said. ‘Might as well get hung for a lamb as a sheep.’ He then struggled again against Matthew, but his elder brother held him easily – the alcohol in his system making him clumsy.

‘Listen to your brother, for goodness sake,’ Carrie said. ‘Look at the state of you. I can’t bear to see you like this.’

Carl stared at her for a long few moments. Something seemed to pass between them. He pulled back his shoulders.

‘Fine. Come on then, Matt. It seems to be your shift for babysitting. Lets go.’

Matthew ushered him out of the door, then turned to back to Carrie and Jimmy. ‘Drop my briefcase home in a bit, will you? I don’t think I better leave him on his own.’

Jimmy nodded. ‘Take care of him, eh? Don’t give him a hard time.’

Matthew raised his eyebrow. ‘I wouldn’t dream of it,’ he muttered before stalking through the door.


What did you think. I know you really wanted a bit of Chas/Carl so will post some more soon.

[rtzen01]

Ye i was wnting some Carl and chas but o well maybe next time,that bit was good please post more soon

[porlock2000]

Great! Really enjoyed that! more please!!

[hillvk]

Another little slice


Carl was pushing Anya and Tom on the swings, smiling at their giggling.

‘Higher Daddy,’ Anya squealed.

‘I’m winning!’ Tom said as he watched his feet go up, leaning back to stretch as far as possible.

‘No me!’ Anya said.

It had been Jimmy’s idea that Carl had the kids. He had apparently phoned Coleen and persuaded her to let them come to Home Farm for the weekend. Carl didn’t know what he’d said to her, because usually it was easier getting an audience with the queen, but she’d given in and Carl had them till Sunday afternoon. He guessed that Jimmy thought it might get him under control – after all he couldn’t exactly get plastered when he had Tom and Anya to look after.

Carl flushed slightly as he thought back to the day before. He hadn’t realised exactly how hammered he was until Matthew had tried to get him back to the car. He had stumbled everywhere, and eventually vomited by the side of the road in full view of Edna and Betty before Matthew, who had been fairly patient at first, had dragged him to the car. His brother had given him a lecture of mammoth proportions on the journey home and Carl had felt too sick to talk back - and hadn’t wanted to make things worse by ruining the upholstery of the car. It had reminded Carl of when he was a teenager and his brother had caught him drunk up at the cricket pavilion and marched him home. Matt hadn’t told his father, but he had made sure that Carl knew he wouldn’t be doing it again in a hurry.

It frustrated Carl how his brothers always seemed to be stepping in to take control of his life. He couldn’t blame them in a way because even he would admit to himself that he’d been acting strangely lately, but it still rankled. He was a grown man with kids – he didn’t need them to be playing the heavies. He’d had enough of that from his father.

‘Daddy, I’m bored now,’ Anya said, slightly sulky because she hadn’t been able to get her swing as high as Tom’s. ‘Can we go and get an ice-cream?’

‘Go on then, trouble,' Carl said, grinning at the way she batted her eyelids at him. 'It’ll have to be at the café though – Jamie’s van’s out of operation.’ Carl made his voice light; in actual fact he felt anything but.

Anya skipped off towards the Café but Tom hung back.

‘Are you okay Dad?’ he said, eyeing Carl carefully. Carl forced a smile.

‘Course, why wouldn’t I be?’

Tom shrugged. ‘You don’t look very good.’

Carl punched his arm playfully. ‘Oi you!’

Tom walked on beside Carl silently for a few moments. ‘Why did Uncle Jimmy ring Mum and ask us to stay?’ he said. ‘How come it wasn’t you?’

Carl frowned. ‘Is that what your Mum said?’

Tom shrugged. ‘I heard her talking to him.’

‘Well Uncle Jimmy knew that I wanted to see you.’

‘Because you’re upset about Grandad?’ Tom said.

‘What makes you think that?’

‘Mum said.’

Carl stooped down and put his hands on Tom’s shoulders. ‘Look, I’m fine, okay? I mean, yes, I’m upset about Dad - I mean Grandad - but that’s not why I want to see you. You and Anya are the most important things in the world to me and I want to see you because I love you. If it’s okay by you of course?’ He braced himself for the reply.

Slowly Tom beamed. ‘Course it is.’ Carl ruffled his hair.

‘Chas, Chas!’

Carl spun round with a start at Anya’s voice. His daughter was skipping up to Chas who was just about to go into the Café.

‘Alright kid,’ Chas said, smiling as Anya reached up to hug her.

‘We’re going for ice-cream,’ Anya said beaming. She liked Chas – she was funny and made her Dad laugh.

‘Brilliant,’ Chas said. She nodded as Tom and Carl walked over. ‘Alright?’

‘Hi Chas,’ Tom said. Carl noted that he was slightly wary. He was a shrewd kid and seemed to have picked up on the tension between him and Chas even if his sister hadn’t.

Carl nodded back. ‘Alright.’

‘Do you want to have ice-cream with us?’ Anya said.

‘Oh – I don’t know …’

‘But you are going in the Café aren’t you?’ Anya said.

‘Er -Yeah, but I was just going to grab a cuppa.’

‘Well have it with us.’ Anya took Chas’ hand firmly. Chas looked to Carl for support. Faced with his daughter’s beaming face, however, Carl didn’t have the heart to make an excuse.

‘Join us if you want,’ he said.

‘Are you buying then?’

‘I suppose.’

‘Yey!’ Anya said. She practically dragged Chas into the café.

While Tom and Anya found a seat, Carl managed to draw Chas to one side. ‘You don’t have to,’ he said.

‘No it’s alright. It’s only an ice-cream. I’ll have a triple scoop with chocolate sauce and a large coffee. I take it you haven’t told them about us?’ Carl shook his head guiltily. ‘Well I suppose you haven’t had much chance. This doesn’t mean I want to be friends though – I’m just doing it to keep her happy,’ she nodded to Anya. ‘Despite what you think I’m not completely heartless where kids are concerned.’

Carl felt suddenly depressed by her cold tone. ‘Thanks.’

Chas shrugged and then went to sit with the kids while Carl ordered. She was surprised at how at ease she felt with him. She had thought that she would never be able to be civil again after the cruel things he’d said to her, but, then again, old habits were hard to break.


Carl couldn’t help but smile as he watched Chas teach Anya and Tom how to stick their spoons to their noses. She was brilliant with them and they seemed to have really taken to her. He wasn’t looking forward to having to tell them that they had split up. He had a feeling Tom had guessed, but Anya would be heartbroken. He sighed as he sipped his coffee. When he was this close to Chas and her infectious grin and twinkling eyes he could almost forget that they weren’t a couple. It was the same when he was in the Woolpack and she was working. More and more he found himself fantasising that they hadn’t broke up and he was just waiting for her to finish her shift before they headed back to Home Farm together and the safety of each others arms.

The things that Carl had said to Chas haunted him almost as much as his father’s last moments. He had wanted to push her away so finally that they could never find a way back; as though he needed to convince himself that it really was the end. Now though he could happily take it all back. At moments like this he felt the loss of her like a physical weight pressing down on him, suffocating him with its strength. What made it worse was that he hadn’t broken up with her because his feelings towards her had changed, or because hers had towards him. She was yet another victim of the moment of madness on Christmas night that he would never be able to take back.

He could feel his remorse about his Dad overshadowing every move he made. He couldn’t even look into his own children’s eyes without feeling waves of icy guilt; their pureness made it seem even more exaggerated. Though he couldn’t stop seeing Tom and Anya, he knew that he had to end it with Chas because he couldn’t stand to be around knowing what he did. It felt wrong – like he was living a lie; fooling her into believing he was something that he wasn’t - good, naïve, the grieving son, when really he had murdered his own father and covered his tracks like, as Matt said, he’d been doing it all his life. The only way he felt he could cope was to shut himself off. On one level he knew he was doing it to punish himself, but on another he didn’t care – it was the only way he knew to deal with what he’d done. Besides which, he'd argued with his Dad over Chas. It felt wrong to keep seeing her.

‘Are you coming back to Home Farm with us?’ Anya said, waking Carl from his thoughts. ‘Daddy and Uncle Matt are going to take us riding. Uncle Jimmy’s scared of horses though.’

Chas smiled down at Anya. ‘Sorry kid,’ she said, ‘I’ve got to go to work in a bit.’

‘Come before then,’ Anya said, ‘Please.’

‘Stop pestering her,’ Carl snapped. ‘She told you she can’t.’

Anya looked hurt and Carl immediately felt guilty. The truth was if Chas showed any sign of wanting to come he felt like he wouldn’t be able to say no. He already had had to physically stop himself from grabbing for her hand.

‘Some other time, maybe,’ Chas said.

At that Scarlet and Carrie came into the Café. Carrie did a double take as she saw Carl with Chas, but she forced a neutral look onto her face.

‘Hi Carl,’ she said. ‘Chas.’ Chas nodded hello. ‘Hi kids.’

‘I didn’t know you lot were coming today,’ Scarlet said.

‘Surprise visit,’ Carl said with a grin, pleased to have a distraction. ‘Do you want to join us?’

‘We don’t want to intrude,’ Carrie said.

‘Oh you’re not.’ Chas got to her feet. ‘I’ve got to go and get ready for work.’ She smiled at Tom and Anya. ‘See you later. Have fun riding.’

Anya hugged Chas before she left. Chas kept the smile plastered to her face, but inside she felt hurt. Being with Anya and Tom just reminded her how Carl had insulted her; scornfully telling her that he didn’t want to have kids with her. She knew that she hadn’t really been there for Aaron, but she had been young when she had him and she felt that he was better off with his father. It didn’t mean that she didn’t miss or love him. She thought about him almost every day. She had already vowed that she would never make the same mistakes again, but Carl didn’t even seem willing to give her the chance.

‘Bye,’ Carl said.

Chas looked at him for a few long moments. He seemed so lost. His pale blue eyes were full of hurt. Her heart gave a twinge and for a second she felt like throwing herself into his arms and begging him to have her back. But her Dingle pride would never let her behave like that.

‘Bye Carl,’ she said coldly, before turning on her heel and stalking from the Café – the tears coming only after she was safely outside.


‘Is it back on with you two then?’ Carrie said. Scarlet had taken Anya and Tom outside to play. Carrie had ordered her and Carl another coffee so they could talk. Carl wished that they had gone to the pub. He felt like a stiff drink would have done him more good.

‘What do you think?’ he sighed. ‘It was just a show for the kids. I haven’t had chance to tell them yet.’

‘Oh well, at least you’re talking again.’

‘Yeah, great,’ Carl said sarcastically.

‘I don’t understand you,’ Carrie said. ‘I mean you were the one that broke it off, but all it seems to be doing is making you miserable. Why don’t you talk to her …?’

‘What about?’ Carl said in a loud whisper. ‘Murdering my Dad?’

‘Keep your voice down!’ Carrie said. She looked around, but the Café was nearly empty and thankfully no-one was looking their way.

Carl decided to change the subject. ‘Look I’m sorry about yesterday,’ he said.

‘Why? You don’t have to apologise to me Carl. I know that you’re hurting.’ She took a sip of her coffee and watched him as he fiddled with an empty sugar packet. ‘You really think drink’s the answer though?’

He sighed deeply. ‘I don’t know what the answer is. In fact I don’t think there is one.’

Carrie reached out and put her hand over his. ‘You know you can talk to me, Carl, don’t you? I know Matthew and Jimmy are all for sweeping it under the carpet and getting you to move on, but if you’re not ready to do that …’

Carl looked up into the eyes that he remembered so well from years before. They were kind and understanding. He didn’t know why – it wasn’t what he deserved. Slowly and reluctantly he moved his hand away.

‘I’m fine. Are you coming back to Home Farm? We’re all having dinner together later.’

Carrie realised she was fighting a losing battle trying to get Carl to open up and decided to drop it – for the moment. ‘I don’t want to intrude … I’m not sure how happy Matt is with how much time me and Scarlet have been spending there lately.’

‘Forget Matt,’ Carl said. ‘Anyway you’re not intruding – I’m inviting you.’

‘Alright then,’ Carrie said. As Carl got up to pay the bill she couldn’t help but wonder at the way her heart had quickened as she’d touched him and how pleased she’d felt when he’d invited her to dinner.

Being sensible, however, she forced it to the back of her mind.

[rtzen01]

aww that was so sad, please post more soon

luv
chas dingle xx

[porlock2000]

Brilliant!!

[chasdinglefan]

please post more soon and please get Chas and Carl back together!!!

[rtzen01]

yes although ur sort of following the show , please put chas and carl back together, it would be nice to have a story wif a happy ending

[carlsbabe]

PLease post more....please!!!!!!!!!! ;D ;D lol!

[rtzen01]

Please post more i am hooked