Once Reece had explained the entire situation to Marjorie, she was completely livid. She told him that she and Autumn would be there shortly before slamming the phone down. When they did arrive Autumn entered the office first, as calm and stoic as ever. Shortly after this however, Marjorie came flying into the office like a bat out of hell. Throwing her arms around Siobhan she said "my love I'm so sorry." Holding the blond tightly in her arms she wondered for the millionth time why Siobhan couldn't catch a break, she'd been treated so appallingly.
As Reece watched Siobhan relax against Marjorie's body, the fear he'd seen in her eyes earlier flashed through his mind. He was trying not to dwell on it but as more time passed he felt more and more disgusted with himself. He desperately wanted to ask Marjorie if she saw anything within him that reminded her of Roger, but this wasn't the time.
Just before six thirty rolled around, Autumn disappeared for several minutes. When she returned she was holding a metal bat that she'd clearly retrieved from her car. Autumn would never be as close with Siobhan as Marjorie was, but she had come to care for her. The moment she'd understood how much damage her Father had done to the blond, Autumn had mentally assigned Siobhan as someone she needed to protect. She'd called Winter and he'd arrived shortly before showtime, beaming when he saw his love. Once Charlotte had finished cleaning the toddler room, she joined the group.
It was time. Mia strutted outside and smirked when she saw Steve driving into the car park, right on time. When he exited his car and saw the red head, his jaw dropped. Mia winked and smiled at him but truthfully the way he was looking at her was making her feel nauseous. "Hello sweetheart. I'm so glad you came. You're even more handsome in person." She could only hope she sounded convincing. "I wouldn't have passed on this opportunity for the world, you're gorgeous." Steve's eyes were wide with amazement, he felt like he'd hit the jackpot. Mia placed her hand on his arm and said "I love a man with muscles." He was so mesmerised by the red headed bombshell, he didn't even notice that she was tugging oh his arm gently, slowly turning his body so his back was facing the front door of the nursery. He was spellbound in that moment and if she'd told him to jump, he would have asked her how high.
It took every ounce of willpower within Mia's body to completely ignore Reece creeping up behind Steve as quietly as possible. She breathed a sigh of relief the moment Reece threw his arm around Steve's neck and dragged him backwards forcefully. He threw him down onto the ground just as Autumn approached. She immediately sat on top of the startled man and pushed her bat against his neck before leaning down and whispering into his ear "you don't get to be a creep without paying the price." When she looked into his eyes, she was satisfied that she saw nothing but fear - perhaps now he'd had a taste of the way he'd made Siobhan feel.
As soon as Autumn stood up Steve tried to scramble to his feet, clearly intending to run to his car. Reece had other ideas however, so he grabbed Steve's shirt before slamming him against the wall. He laughed when he heard Marjorie's voice, calling from the window upstairs. "YES, GET HIM" his girl was nothing if not supportive. Turning Steve around he immediately head butted him, causing his head to slam into the wall behind him.
Meanwhile, Autumn had decided to focus on Steve's luxury vehicle. As she smashed the windows, she thought of Siobhan and the ordeal he'd put her through. Roger's treatment of the blond flashed through her mind, fuelling her anger as she destroyed the bodywork further. She wasn't so sure this was just about Steve anymore.
Steve had fallen to the ground in a heap and as he looked up at Reece he pleaded "I don't know what this is about, but I have money if that's what you want." He was confused when the man towering over him laughed before saying "all the money in the world will never save you from what you really are." Reece knelt down and looked directly into Steve's beady little orbs before simply saying "Siobhan." Steve's eyes widened with realisation so Reece continued "if you ever contact her again, I will come after you. If you even think about touching or hurting her, I will kill you. Do you understand?" He was satisfied when Steve nodded frantically. "Where's her phone you little creep?" Steve held his hands up as if he were surrendering "it's still in my car."
Having heard this exchange, Autumn started to rummage through the crap in Steve's car immediately. She grabbed Siobhan's phone from the glovebox the moment she spotted it.
As Steve sat on the gravely ground, dazed, he wondered what would happen next. He was shocked when Reece held his hand out, offering to help him up. Steve assumed that his punishment was now complete, so he grabbed the taller man's hand and pulled himself up. Just at that moment, he saw Mia approaching. Standing in front of him, she smiled flirtatiously before placing her hands on his chest gently. She moved her head forwards slightly and for a second he genuinely thought she was going to kiss him. Instead, without warning she rammed her knee between his legs so hard his vision blacked out and as he hit the ground again, he groaned. Reece promptly grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him roughly over to his car, pulling him up and slamming him against it. He grabbed Steve's right hand and forced it backwards as far as it could go, causing his wrist to snap loudly. Steve screamed in pain but all Reece could think of was this man's disgusting hands grabbing at Siobhan's body. He deserved it.
As Marjorie and Siobhan watched Steve scrambling to get back into his car, the nursery manager turned to the blond and said "did that make you feel better?" Siobhan looked into her friend's eyes before truthfully answering "not really. I do appreciate everyone defending me like this though." Marjorie smiled and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind Siobhan's ear "it seems you defended yourself just fine my love. I'm so proud of you." Siobhan couldn't help but smile brightly when she heard those words, Marjorie feeling proud really meant everything to her. The nursery manager pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead, sighing as she felt Siobhan's warm body pressed against hers. Charlotte and Winter looked on as the two women embraced each other, both feeling slightly moved by the tenderness that radiated from the two former enemies.
When Siobhan placed her head on Marjorie's chest, she realised that she could feel her heart beating. She thought of the time she'd spent that very morning, listening to Sara's heart beat as she lay wrapped up in her arms. She wanted to tell people about Sara, she wanted so desperately to be brave. "Marjorie?" Her voice was barely audible, but Marjorie heard her "yes my love?"
"I need to tell you something."
YOU ARE READING
IN THE SHADOWS - (TNN - SIOBHAN/SARA/VARIOUS)
Fanfiction**COMPLETED** What's really hidden within Siobhan's heart? What's been lurking in the shadows this whole time? Can she open herself up and accept the love that she deserves? Can she learn to see the world differently?
