The Other Branning ~ Eastenders

Grace Arrives

Grace Branning, the eighteen year old daughter of Jack Branning, stepped off the train, arriving in Walford. She struggled pulling her suitcase off the train, chipping a nail in the process. "Oh for god sake!" She sighed, trailing her suitcase along behind her. Jack, had returned to Walford a week before, and left Grace behind in France, with her little sister Penny.

She made her way off the tube and towards the market. Walking down the market, she's saw so many faces, few of who she recognised. She saw Stacey, her dead cousins widow and went to say hi. "Stace!" Grace called over, waving her hand.

"Grace? What you doing here?" Stacey replied, taking a sip of her tea. She was with a woman in a leopard print dress, red leather coat and red heels.

"Looking for my Dad. Came back from Italy and he'd disappeared." Grace explained. "How's Lil? And I heard you had a new baby?" Grace asked, she didn't see them often but Jack usually filled her in on the family gossip.

"Lil's good, yeah, and I did, Arthur." Stacey smiled at her. "Oh, your Dad's just walked past, that way." Stacey pointed to where she saw Jack wandering off.

"Talk to you later." Grace rushed off, pulling her suitcase behind her, making a racket as she went. "Dad!" She called after Jack.

"Gracie?" Jack turned around, he was with Amy, Grace's little sister.

"Ames!" Grace dropped her suitcase as her six year old sister, Amy, jumped up into her arms. "You haven't been over in ages little one! Daddy needs to make sure you come over more often, eh?"

"What are you doing here?" Jack grinned, hugging his daughters.

"Jack, Amy, you ready to go?" A voice called out, trying to sound sweet but sounding like a child whining instead.

"Who is this?" Grace looked at her Dad.

"This is Ronnie. She's my Mum's sister. And Dad's girlfriend." Amy explained to her older sister.

"We've got an extra one joining us. My daughter Grace. We're going for dinner at Beale's, the restaurant across the road, welcome to come Gracie." Jack told his eldest child.

"Course." She smiled sweetly at her Dad. "Put this inside the house, Hun." Grace shoved her suitcase in Ronnie's arms and she tumbled backwards.

"Come on girls." Jack put his arm around each one of them. "Meet us there, Ron." He walked off with his daughters. Ronnie stared after them, almost I disbelief. As soon as this Grace turned up he just pushes her to one side?

"Right, Matthew. We'll just have to follow them won't we?" Ronnie chucked Grace's suitcase into their hallway and made her way to the restaurant. She saw Grace waiting outside. "Grace? What are you doing out here, sweetie?" She smiled at her.

"Don't patronise me." Grace snarled. "And stay away from my Dad." She stalked off back inside. Ronnie heard her speaking to Jack and Amy. "She said she wasn't feeling well, and she was going home."

"Oh that's a shame." Jack shrugged it off. "Still, I've got my two beautiful daughters. Right, you two want a drink?"

"Diet Coke." Grace finished a text to her Mum, putting her phone away and looking up at her Dad.

"Me too!" Amy giggled.

"Two diet cokes and a pint, please, thanks Ian." Jack ordered.

"Who's this then?" Ian asked.

"This is my daughter, Grace." Jack grinned whilst introducing her. "She's my eldest. Never been here before, have you, Gray?" Grace shook her head in response.

"And can I take your meal orders?" Ian asked.

"We're having cheeseburgers!" Amy said excitedly, hi-fiving her big sister.

"What they're having, and yeah I'll have the same." Jack ordered. "They're double the trouble when they're together, these two." Jack chuckled. He loved having his daughters together.

"Mummy!" Amy saw Roxy walk into the restaurant, she had managed to get away from Dean for one evening.

"Amy, Grace! I didn't know you were coming over?" Roxy grinned, giving Amy a kiss.

"Neither did i." Jack chuckled. "Join us if you like, Ronnie went home ill." He offered. Roxy mulled it over and finally agreed, taking the seat next to Jack, as Grace and Amy had the seats opposite them. They sat there for hours, until it was getting late. "Hey, do you remember that day we went to the zoo in France like a year ago, and Grace and Amy both did the same stupid thing and ft mud all over themselves and then you did the same thing." Jack pointed at Roxy, all four of them in hysterics.

"Well this is cosy." Ronnie stood over them. Grace shot her the evils.

"Oh Ron, we've had the funniest time reminiscing about old times in France. Can't believe when I met Gray she was only eleven!" Roxy laughed.

"Well Jack, when you figure out who your real family is, come and find us." She turned away.

"They're my daughters..?" Jack said, slightly confused.

"Roxy's not. What about me and Matthew hmm?" She spat back at him. Grace couldn't stand her. She was too rude and too selfish.

"Well Matthews not Dad's kid. And you don't really matter do you? Plenty of women who would love to be with my Dad and not treat him like a piece of fucking trash." Grace snarled at Ronnie, shooting her an evil look.

"You really want to make your Dad choose, Grace?!" Ronnie stepped closer, so her face was facing Grace's.

"Hardly going to be a hard competition to win." Grace laughed at Ronnie's naivety. "You really think he's going to choose some dumb ass slapper over his two daughters? In your dreams mate." Ronnie slapped Grace across faced, sending out and ringing sound across the restaurant.

"Ronnie!" Roxy gasped.

"You can't bloody do that to my daughter! She's just a kid! What is wrong with you!?" Jack rushed over to see if Grace was ok.

"Right you'll have to come back to mine tonight. You can't go back home after this!" Roxy shook her head at Ronnie. "Come on kids."