Hi! This chapter was origanally supposted to be without big drama inside and rather making one person a bad guy, but I had mercy on You and myself. I guess I did enough to get on your nerves;-) Already🙈

But I wouldn't be inspired to write this chapter through all the obstacles it had in store for me, if it wasn't for @FreeThoughts271. It is dedicated for you, so I hope you'll at least will be satisfied with the end;-) Thank you so much for all your support and ideas☺️

"So much had changed" Penny sighed as she stood right before the mirror brushing her hair. 

Indeed. All of the years she was living in Pontypandy, she didn't have to pay much attention to what she said or how she reacted. After some time had passed the memory of a person she used to be faded in her mind, but now, when she looked closely at her reflection in the mirror, it returned. 

But when she was faced with the past and had to prepare herself somehow for a meeting with Ryan, what was buried came back to live. At that time she wore her hair long and always put it in the braid, as it was practical in work and Ryan always complimented her. She also used to wear some make up, but she didn't decide to do it today. She knew now that Ryan's compliments were fake and only shallow. 

"But if it wouldn't have been for him, I wouldn't be here today" she sighed again, taking one last look in the mirror as she reached for her jacket.

She heard a doorbell to her door, but to her surprise when she opened it she didn't met Ryan's dark eyes, but the ones blue as the sea. 

"Hi, Penny!" He welcomed her awkwardly. 

"Hi, Sam!" She returned his smile. "What are you doing here?" 

"Can we talk?" He asked her hesitantly. 

"Actually..." Penny hesitated, taking a glance at her watch to see it was slowly reaching five p.m. "I'm a little busy, Sam, maybe next time" she tried to smile but his facial expression hurt her, but she didn't know why. 

"You, busy?" He tried to joke, but it was rather dryly said statement. 

"What do you mean?" Penny teased him in return as she smiled anxiously. 

"I was wondering if you would fancy a pizza from Bella's. She has a special sales today" he explained shyly, while Penny's eyes were getting wider and wider. She shook her head quickly not to show her stunned expression to Sam. Why had he decided for it today, from all days? 

"Are you asking me out?" She tried to joke, but her voice shook. She had been waiting for this moment so long, but it was out of her character to set Ryan up. No matter how much she would prefer to spend the evening with Sam, she couldn't do that today. 

"Kind of" he replied nervously, but he didn't rise his gaze. 

"Sam, it is so nice, but..." she was fighting against herself to say it. "But I can't today" she finally spoke sadly as she put his proposition down. 

"As you want" he replied grumpily, before he said brief goodbye. 

"Sam! Wait!" Penny tried to shout after him, but a sound of a parking car interrupted her. 

She watched as he was slowly walking away, with his hands buried deep in his pockets and his head lowered. She sighed as she reluctantly got in Ryan's car and forced a smile when their gazes met. 

She buckled up and Ryan started the engine in silence. It didn't help Penny to get her thoughts away of Sam, as she absent-mindly took out her mobile phone and wrote his a short message with brief apology. 

"So where do you want to go?" Ryan broke the silence when they passed the road sign informing they left Pontypandy.

"You can choose" Penny answered indifferently.

"Our old place then?" He invented. 

Penny just replied with a sigh. She remembered that old restaurant all too well, because she was the one to show it to Ryan when they were a couple. Firstly her father showed it to her when she was just a girl, they always visited it few times a year. How much she wished she could show it to Sam one day? She glanced at her phone briefly, when Ryan parked the car on the opposite side of the street, but Sam hadn't answered her yet. 

She got out of car and thanked Ryan with a nod of her head when he opened the door of the restaurant for her, letting her choose a deserted table in the corner of two big windows.  In case she wouldn't like the topic she could at least avoid his gaze looking through the window. 

"So... it's been a while?" Ryan tried to start a conversation, after they returned the menu to the waiter. 

"Yes..." Penny answered briefly wondering what Ryan was getting at. "After what was between us, I didn't want to keep any contact with you."

"But still you saved me when I came back" Ryan spoked calmy. 

"Firstly, you saved me from that falling stage roof, which I'm grateful for" Penny replied politely. 

"But you saved my leg" he pointed to his healed leg. "The doctor said it was a pretty bad fracture. I could always count on you, Penny, no matter what" he added, hoping to get her attention back. 

"But you showed me I couldn't get the same in return, didn't you?" Penny snapped back. 

"I know I made a mistake. Clara was just a player and you were always in my heart" he spoke so charmingly that anyone who didn't know him could easily believe him. 

"Don't start, alright?" She tried to joke, but the tenderness in Ryan's eyes remained. "You hurt me back then and then still had enough boldness to humiliated me at work".

"I was mad, okay? I didn't know why you broke up with me. We were so happy by those years" he tried to convinced her. 

"Obviously you didn't" Penny teased. 

"Come on, you're still mad at me?" He asked offendly. 

"I'm not mad" Penny sighed. "I'm just not interested in this anymore. 

"You've changed" he accused. "Penny I used to know wouldn't stand up like that".

"Maybe that's why she was so gulliable to believe in every word you fed her with" Penny replied in a warning voice. 

It was so strange for her to speak about HERSELF in the third preson, but she couldn't deny Ryan was right. Her old self was reserved and shy, also not ready to fight for what she want. She easily fall in love with Ryan, because he assured her she was safe with him and he would always had her back. But when he betrayed her, she became reserved even more and became more careful about people after he humiliated her. But she disappeared long ago. Meanwhile her first year in Pontypandy, she had to learn living with a broken heart, but it was easy when she found so amazing friends. Only thanks to their trust put in her and unconditional acceptance, she opened up and boost her confidence enough to be who she was now. 

"Listen, either you say why you were so despered to meet with me, or I'm going back to Pontypandy" Penny underlined. 

"On your own?" Ryan asked puzzled. 

"I'll take a bus" Penny shrugged her shoulders. 

"It's cold and dark outside" Ryan objected. 

"I think I'll manage it" Penny replied confidently as she reached for her jacket, but Ryan stopped her. 

 "Wait! I didn't intend to start so uncomfortably" Ryan apologised. "I might have asked you out to win your heart again, I admit" he confessed while Penny looked at him stunned and speechless from a shock of him confession. "But I have a more important case". 

"What is that?" Penny asked anxiously. 

"Sit, then I'll explain" he pressured and when Penny did, he continued. "You interrupted the exchange, therefore, in the light of the rules, you can not participate in the competition for chief fire officer rank. The other possible candidate also resigned, so for this moment I'm the only totally prepared for a test".

"Congratulations" Penny interrupted dryly. "But what does that have to do with me?"

"But even though, I'm still the only one who passed every test that is needed to candidate, the jury decided they are going to give you a chance" he ended his explanation.

"What?" Penny replied speechless from shock. 

"You heard" Ryan sighed. "They're willing to give you a chance. But, let's be honest, without an exchange you don't stand a chance against me" he told a little cheeky. "Even as a daughter of former chief fire officer". 

"There's still a few steps in which I can beat you up" Penny teased as cheeky as Ryan sounded.  

"That's why I thought you should step down, you know, not to humiliate yourself again" he tried to convince her. 

"With all due respect, Ryan, but now you've gone too far. I should be somewhere else right now" Penny started. "There are people counting on me and in difference to you I won't fight for the glory, but for fulfilling my father's legacy" her voice broke, when tears tried to fight their way to her eyes, but she swallowed them. "I will not give up, not now" she ended her long speech and turned away.