A/N Not sure that this chapter is as fluent as it could or should be, I may go back and heavily edit it, but I'm away in a few days, and I need to finish this story before I go. So sorry if it seems rushed. xx

Chapter Fifty Five

Did life get any better? Oscar mused that as he lay in bed, Lizzie fast asleep wrapped around him, her Wonder Woman pyjamas on the floor somewhere. He kissed the top of her head, musing at the woman in his arms. Who the hell was she, and what the hell had she done to the shy, insecure Lizzie Breen? He grinned as he closed his eyes; this was everything he'd wanted. As confident and secure as she should be.

It didn't take long for the apartment to be raided of all that he wanted, then he paid a company to come in and empty out everything else. It was rented, so the tie ended there and then. Coop and Freya were flying to the UK in less than ten days, so they spent the evenings looking at suitable places to rent initially. Lizzie knew the area well, and was able to advise them, but Freya also confessed that she'd like to be fairly close to her and Oscar, as she knew no one else, and whilst Coop would be involved in helping to progress the team, she'd be quite isolated with the kids.

They were sad to leave the family, when they had to, but three days after the confrontation with Krystal, they were back in Manchester. Back to a life which had changed dramatically for them all.

Nate settled back into life as he always did, he was so adaptable, which was miraculous considering all that had happened to him, but when Oscar started to talk about a holiday, a proper planned one, not a trip for necessity, but one to relax, and enjoy time away from home. He felt it was what they needed, especially as they were struggling to fit into a new routine.

Oscar was on his garden leave, and whilst he spent a lot of time networking, building up his contacts, he was largely quiet...and bored. That was fuelling his desire to do more. Lizzie had applied for the Masters program, and had started on the pre course reading. So she had a few days at the university library researching. But it was a false situation for them both, without structure and reason, they had both been used to working more hours than they were paid to do, and their lives had been dominated by their work.

But Lizzie protested. She was really concerned that since Janis had died, she'd taken Nate out of school quite a bit. Oscar tried to constantly reassure her that it was the right thing to do, that meeting his new family was more important to a little boy who'd had his world turned upside down. But Lizzie kept coming back to the fact that a stable routine was the best basis for a child.

They'd been home a week when Oscar broached the topic of a holiday again. Two weeks in the sun with Nate, and of course Lizzie, relaxed, her preferably mostly in a bikini, sounded like heaven to him, but she was as usual, resistant.

As they sat across the table from each other one evening, the same argument sat between them. Oscar leaned across the table and took her hands in his.

"So you REALLY think that routine, school, regiment makes for a well rounded kid?" When she didn't answer he groaned, "like you. Cos that's all you know?"

She blushed and dropped her eyes, "I don't know what you mean."

He sighed, "stop beating yourself up. You are a great parent to Nate. Better than I imagine Janis was. But you only know what you describe. Nate is having everything you didn't, love, devotion, he's spoilt on times, of course, but all kids should be. This is what life should be about. It should've been about for you."

He leaned back in his seat, "my fondest memory from being a kid is before Freya was a genius..." He laughed, "she was always a genius, but before she started the path that took her away from the family. She'd have been about six; I would have been nine, ten maybe. My Dad inherited some money...an elderly aunt passed away. We hadn't had a holiday in a few years. I got home from school one day and my parents had packed bags and we went on holiday - no notice, no planning. A week in a Spanish villa, days at the beach, hours in the pool climbing on my Dad's shoulders, me and Freya tumbling under the surf as he chased us. My mother making us meals then cuddling up each night on the deck and watching the stars...it was amazing, makes me smile, even now. You can't buy memories like that. My childhood was full of memories like that, until Freya went to University. It broke my parents, I'd never tell her that, but they missed her every day, we all did."

He sighed, "I'm not sure I'm explaining myself well here."

Lizzie smiled at him, "my lasting memory of my childhood would be Christmas, we stayed with my grandparents. I was about nine, and I wanted a bike. More than anything. Janis had gotten one two years earlier and wouldn't let me touch it. Christmas came; I had some games, a few toys...but no bike. Janis had make-up, she loved that. I never felt so disappointed. "

Tipping her head back for a moment, she looked at the ceiling, "after lunch my grandfather came out of the shed with a second hand, well loved bike. It had been a cousin's, but they didn't use it, they were a lot older than me. My heart sang. I spent the rest of the time that we stayed at my grandparents bombing around the place on that bike."

She reached for her mug of coffee and took a long slurp, "but my parents wouldn't let me take it home with us. It broke my heart. My grandfather died a year later, and my grandmother moved to a sheltered home. I never saw the bike again."

He shook his head, "they are complete bastards. And this is why we are going to spend our lives making Nate's life happy, and positive, and filled with memories that will make him smile. That might mean that we get out wrists slapped by the school for the amount of time we've been travelling. But that was due to exceptional circumstances. Now, I've divorced myself from the States, we have nothing to worry about but bringing up the boy together."

There were tears in her eyes, "you always say the right thing."

He shook his head, "if I did, we'd have sorted all this out months ago, and I'd have told your parents to stop being bastards. I didn't I schmoozed them."

She chuckled, "it was their daughter's funeral."

"I did it for you, not them. You need to remember that."

As they made their way to bed later, she wondered what he meant by that comment.

Oscar couldn't tell Lizzie that he was going to visit her parents. He knew that she'd be upset, maybe crazy angry. But he had an alibi of sorts, he was killing two birds with one stone and he could only hope that it wouldn't backfire on him.

The Breen family lived in a small country village that was a few hours away from where they lived. It was a pleasant drive, but he was full of anxiety, so he couldn't take in the beautiful, postcard perfect scenery.

The house was a black and white Tudor house, that sat in what the tourist industry would call an English Country Garden. The epitome of middle class Britain, a long way from the childhood and life that Lizzie described. Everything about the Breen family seemed to be a contradiction, nothing made sense, they lorded over the errant and absent Janis, she'd not cared about anything or anyone, and they snubbed Lizzie, who was one of the most genuine and caring people that he'd ever met. She spent her life doing right by everyone, all she wanted was the love of her parents...and she never got it. That was sacrilege.

He'd taken a risk in just driving to the house; he had no idea if her parents would be in. He'd made a lot of time for Diane and Trevor at the funeral, but they'd had no time for either Lizzie, or Nate. That's what confused him. If they had a long time disappointment in their youngest daughter, why take that out on the child of their favourite daughter? He was a link to Janis, and neither seemed to want to take advantage of that. He thought of his parents, they worshipped Elena and Riley, and they'd immediately taken Nate into that same level of devotion, no questions asked.

How could these two sleep at night?

He walked up the gravel drive, then knocked on the door.

When it opened he had to fight hard to control his surprise, Diane Breen was dressed head to foot in black, like a woman mourning. It was months since the funeral, and she hadn't looked so formal then.

She looked at him quizzically, she could tell that he recognised him, so he plastered on his most charming smile, "Mrs Breen, it's good to see you again. I am a friend of Janis and Lizzie...we met at the funeral, Oscar Wicker."

The recognition was there, the flicker of a smile, but then her face sank into sadness, "I'm sorry..."

"Who is it, Diane?"

A woman appeared behind her, followed by a priest, complete with full length cassock. Oscar's mind flitted back to the funeral. Lizzie's parents wanted a full Catholic mass for the funeral, even though Janis was a self professed atheist. Here Mrs. Breen was up to something, and he wasn't sure what.

So he stepped past her, towards the other woman, "hi. I'm Oscar Wicker...I am a friend of Lizzie, and was a friend of Janis too."

The woman gasped in an anxious manner as her eyes flew to Diane Breen.

"Are you ok, Diane? This must be so..." she turned to Oscar. "Maybe you should leave...Diane isn't really u to talking about Janis, are you?"

Sympathetically, she reached out and placed her arm around Diane's shoulders.

Oscar was taking this in; Diane Breen was grieving more here, in front of her friends than she had at the funeral. What was that all about?

He nodded, "I can imagine that it's all still very difficult, talking and thinking about Janis...but I'm here to talk about Lizzie...and Nathan."

Diane blushed to the roots of her hair, then mumbled, "Daphne, maybe I should just have a little time to hear out Oscar."

Daphne, who he now knew was the other woman looked from him to Diane, a little confused, "Lizzie? I thought she was overseas, you haven't seen her in years." Her head snapped to Oscar, "is she ok?"

Diane cut him off before he could respond, "it's a long story Daphne," she half smiled at the priest, "Father. Can we meet tomorrow?"

They both nodded and made for the door, but the awkwardness, you could cut the atmosphere with a knife...and Oscar wasn't about to make that any easier.

Diane Breen saw the two out, and he stayed where he was in the centre of the hallway, ignoring the stairs from the two as they departed.

"What are you doing here, Mr Wicker?"

There was ice in her voice, she didn't enjoy him being there but that wasn't about to change.

"I thought you'd appreciate news of your daughter and grandson, after all it's almost three months since the funeral..."

She glared at him, "no one can put a time limit on grief!"

He nodded, "wasn't suggesting that you could, after all, I've seen firsthand how Lizzie and Nate are dealing with losing Janis."

She had the audacity to puff out, indignant.

He cocked his head to one side, "so what? You have the monopoly on grief, is that what you're saying?" When she didn't answer, he shook his head, "I help put to bed, every night, a little boy who sobs for his mother. And his grandparents haven't as much as called to see how he is."

She gave a snort, "I'm not answering to the man shacking up with Lizzie."

Oscar, brought up in a loving family couldn't understand the animosity in this woman. "You were quite friendly at the funeral." He ran a hand through his hair, "I thought that Lizzie was over reacting, that she was a little sensitive. But I don't see any concern here."

"Lizzie has always been trouble, from the moment she was born; I cannot be blamed for everything."

"And Nate? He's your grandson."

She laughed, "he's a bastard. I can't acknowledge that. What would people say?"

Oscar saw red, "don't you dare, ever refer to my son in that way!"

Diane's jaw dropped open in shock at the very moment the front door opened and Trevor Breen walked in. He looked genuinely tired, and it took him a few moments to take in all that was occurring in his home.

"You're Lizzie's friend?"

Oscar nodded, extending a hand, "Oscar Wicker."

As their hands connected, Diane gasped, "and he says he's the father...of the boy!"

Trevor frowned, "really?"

"I met Janis several years ago, but didn't find out about Nathan until much later."

Diane dragged Trevor beside her, "he's accusing me of not caring..."

Oscar laughed, "I think you'll find that you told me you didn't care. Your friends don't know about my son, and think that your daughter is living overseas. Forgive me if I'm a little confused."

"Trevor!"

Lizzie's father grimaced, "look. Lizzie...she has caused chaos, and we're not in a position where we want to acknowledge an illegitimate grandson."

"Like it's your choice! You will never see him again, that's for sure. Does Lizzie even know what she's supposed to have done that is so terrible?" Neither answered. He ran a hand through his hair again; this was the most ridiculous situation he'd ever known. "Well that's fine, because I don't want you in my son's life. He's too good for you, and Lizzie? Wow. You are missing out on the most generous and beautiful people I've ever met. You can stay here, grieving a daughter who didn't contact you for years. Remember the dead and forget the living, hey?"

He stepped past both of them, towards the door, "I came here in part to ask you if you objected to me marrying your daughter. Not yet, but soon...what you think, say or wish has nothing to do with my family. Because I am her family now, don't think about coming to see her, you won't be welcome."

As he climbed back into his car, he felt tears well in his eyes, tears for Lizzie, who for some reason was never good enough for the only people you should never have to prove yourself to.