mouse | eastenders

→ mason branning exposed pt 2

After the commotion that had happened with Sonia's rampage, Lee and Whitney continued to talk to Denise.

"You were about to say something before Sonia came in and caused a scene?" Whitney prompted, a gut feeling told her there was vital information she may miss.

"Oh, yeah, well, you said everyone else was upstairs but not quite," Denise replied, remembering who else has been on the lower deck of the bus.

"How'd you mean?" Lee asked, surely if there was someone else on the bus they would have seen his sister.

"Well Mason, Max's son, he was downstairs too, sat at the back like Lucy was, proper little hero, helped me off of the bus," Denise explained.

"Wait, what?" Whitney said out loud, realising the depth of what Denise had just revealed.

"Surely he would have seen Lucy on there?" Lee wondered, anger rising within him.

"Might be one for you to go and ask him," Denise shrugged her shoulders, nodding her head towards the corner in which the boy was sat. She felt bad that she couldn't offer up anymore information but she was too busy trying to get sense out of the bus driver at the time.

However she need not worry, the pieces in Lee's head were fitting together perfectly. He remembers Lucy saying things like someone hiding her, someone pushing her. Specifically a 'he'. And Mason, the only one who was also down there with them, who happens to be a boy, well, it said it all.

He looked over at the boy once again, seeing a smirk on his face, it infuriated him. Lee suddenly stood up, Whitney trying to get him to calm down but it didn't work as he stormed over to the boy.

"Lee don't do anything stupid!" Whitney said after him as he stormed across the pub.

"Alright mate?" Lee asks, a fake smile on his face.

Mason suddenly looked up feeling intimidated at the sight of Lucy's older brother.
"Yeah, um, not too bad," he said casually.

"Must be alright for some," Lee scoffed, leaning back into his chair as he rolled his eyes at the kid.

"Well what's that supposed to mean?" Mason asked, clueless.

"My sister has been locked up in her room for days, because of the crash," Lee sternly spoke.

"We all feel the same way about what happened, it's not just her who went through it," Mason attempts to defend himself but it was the wrong answer.

"Well you'd know all about how she feels wouldn't you? You're the one who left her on that bleedin' bus! She could have died!" Lee shouted, slamming his fist on the table as he stood up abruptly.

"Woah woah woah, Lee, son, what's going on?" Mick calmly walked over to the confrontation, trying to calm his son but also wanting an answer out of the Branning boy. He had heard the end of what Lee said and if it was true, he didn't know what he would do.

"He's the reason why it took so long for Lucy to be found! He was in there with her! He hid her on purpose!" Lee exposed the boy.

"You what?" Mick slowly said, rage filling him as he clenched his fists.

"Look, you've got it wrong," Mason was feeling a bit worried now at the outcome of the situation, holding his hands up to surrender.

By this point, the whole pub had eyes on the argument.

Nancy walked over to back up her family if needed, when she saw something on the seat next to Mason.

"Why have you got my sister's phone?" Nancy demanded an answer, seeing the familiar device that Lucy was practically addicted to, always doing something on it.

"You been sending texts from my daughter's phone?" Linda said in disbelief, almost without a questioning tone as she caught onto what he had done to her poor daughter.

"It was just a laugh," Mason tried to deflect the guilt.

"Just a laugh? My daughter nearly died for just a laugh?" Mick spat.
"She would keep saying a these things that someone hid her, and we could never get the answer out of her. Lord forgive me for the things I will do to you if you purposefully pushed her underneath them chairs on the bus!"

Mason remained silent.

"You little weasel," Mick loomed over the boy as he got in his face, hands ready to wrap around his throat but the other Brannings came in.

"Oi! Oi! What you playing at?" Max grabbed Mick by his shirt and yanked him away from his son.

Lauren sat next to her younger brother looking back and forth between him and Mick.

"What have you done?" she whispered.

"Nothing," he whispered back, not able to make eye contact with her.

"Your son, is the reason my daughter was left on that bus!" Mick shoved Max off of him, glaring at Mason.

"Surely there's an explanation for this," Max tried to find a silver lining, hope in his voice that his son had not done such a thing.

"You can't be saying it's her fault," Johnny spoke up, defending his sister.

"I'm not saying that but-"

"He's stolen her phone 'n' all, made me think she was safe that day. Only for me to find out she's bleeding out her head in the floor of a bus. Still think it's her fault?" Linda snapped, leaning forward from her position behind the bar.

"Mason, tell me this isn't true," Max turned to him.

"Dad, I was just having a laugh," Mason brought up his only response and felt the guilt return when his sister shook her head in disappointment.

"You stupid boy! What made you think pulling a stunt like that was alright?!" Max threw his hands in the air.

"Dad, stop," Mason said awkwardly, feeling judging eyes on him from all around.

"What? Shouting at you in front of everyone? That's what's just happened to my daughter because of you. And she hasn't even done anything wrong!" Mick said as he sneered at the boy.

"Out, out now!" Max forced his son out of his seat and pushed him towards the door, Lauren leading him on his way out.

"I can only apologise for what he's done," Max shook his head with regret, feeling sorry to the Carters.

"Just get him out of my sight!" Mick said, and off they went.

Nancy grabbed her sister's phone and put it on the bar where her mum was stood.

"I don't believe it, I knew she wouldn't have done those things, how can kids be so cruel?" Linda felt awful for her daughter.

"He's Max's son, that should say it all," Nancy said.

"Doesn't mean he should go to lengths like this," Lee muttered. During the argument he had been guided away by Johnny as his dad took over in confronting the boy.

"That poor girl, I'm going to go explain it all to her," Linda put some glasses down as she headed for the stairs.

"Don't bombard her, L."

"I won't, I just think it's better she knows now, she's been through a lot, some truth might help her," Linda reassured Mick, and went upstairs to inform Lucy of what had happened.

As if Lucy hadn't heard the whole thing, head in her hands as she sat at the top of the stairs with tears in her eyes.

Linda rounded the corner and saw her daughter.

"Oh, Luce!" she rushed up the stairs to bring her into a warm embrace.

"I just want it to go away, mum," Lucy cried against Linda.

"It will darling, I promise. It'll all go away now," Linda rocked Lucy gently.

Now her family knew what scum Mason was, they'd do anything to protect her against people like him. They would not get to her again.

No chance.