The Other Branning ~ Eastenders

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Lee paced up and down in the old cellar, where previously murderer Lucas had kept Denise hostage. "You know this is all your fault. If you hadn't been so, well, you, none of this would have happened. I thought I had the perfect life, beautiful wife and a baby girl on the way. But no, you ruined all of that and made Johnny the father of my baby girl." Lee menacingly stared at Grace, huddled in a cold, damp corner. "So here it is. You're gonna stay here until you go into labour with that little baby. Then I'm going to take her away and let you go. You'll forget about this baby and let me leave with her. Ok?" Lee warned her.

Grace had a cut on her head, her whole body was scratched from Lee bundling her down into the cellar, she had tried to get away, she had kicked and screamed but now all she could do was cry in the corner. She was racked with worry, Aria needed her. "Please, Lee, Aria needs me. Let me go." She begged him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You'll see her when you give me my baby." Lee kicked her leg. "I want my own baby. And you can give me that."

Grace screamed, "there are easier ways to get a baby! Try finding your own partner and having a baby! Most normal people can do it! You've always been vicious and manipulative. Probably why you can't find ANYONE to LOVE you!" She shouted at him. She'd always known he was troubled, but to do this to her? It was psychopathic.

"Fine, I'll just go and get Aria and bring her down here too." Lee shrugged.

"No! You can't keep a baby down here! It's too cold, and gross." Grace was exasperated, Lee wasn't understanding anything she was trying to say.

"Well, I have to go anyway. Mum will have dinner ready." Lee sauntered off up the stairs, leaving her alone, in the pitch black.

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"Where have you been?" Johnny was bouncing Aria around, trying to calm down her screams. "You go out all day and leave us all to deal with everything! Grace is missing, Dad, Joey, Jack, Mum, everyone is out looking for her! You're not helping at all! All day Aria is screaming and I CAN'T COPE! I don't know how Grace deals with her everyday!" Johnny was almost crying. "Aria doesn't want to eat, sleep, play or anything! She just wants her Mummy. The police have nothing useful anymore." Johnny sat down, letting Aria just scream in his ear.

Joey came bounding up the stairs. "Oh baby, we'll find Mummy soon." He took Aria from Johnny, "ssh, ssh, baby girl," he started to calm Aria. Her screams started to fade, as she fell asleep in his arms. "They've found a new lead, her jumper. She must be freezing. They're sending sniffer dogs out to see if they can find her. I really hope they do. If anything happens to her or our baby, I'll kill someone."

"She's probably just drunk in a corner somewhere. We all know what Grace is like." Lee rolled his eyes.

"Don't be so rude, you imbecile." Lauren hit Lee round the back of his head. "Whatever we all think of Grace, that little girl right there," she pointed at Aria, "she needs her. And she's pregnant. Wherever she is, she'll be feeling all alone and scared."

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Meanwhile, Grace really was scared sat down in the cellar. Her pants were wet, there was no toilet down there and she was pregnant, always needing a wee. She heard Denise or Patrick slam the door upstairs. "HELP!" She screamed. "HELP! HELP! HELP!" She shouted and shouted, praying one of them would hear her.

"Can you hear that?" Denise put her shopping bags down in the living room, muttering to Patrick.

"Lee, the Carter boy, asked if he could keep his dog down there. In the cellar. Apparently she's going to give birth to puppies in a few weeks. I said it was fine." Patrick shrugged his shoulders. "It's just a dog, Denise."

Denise wasn't convinced. "Have you actually been down there and checked it's a dog? Because I'm pretty sure Mick and Linda wouldn't just let Lady Di be kept in the cellar down there! Not in the cold and dark, besides, I swear Lady Di is either too old or can't have puppies." She speculated. "Plus, you know his ex-wife, Grace Branning? Had a baby with his gay brother? Now pregnant by her cousin? She's missing."

"Doesn't mean he's kidnapped her and keeping her in our cellar, Denise. He's not Lucas." Patrick tried to reassure her.

Denise wouldn't let it drop, "I'm just going to check anyway." She grabbed the keys off the hook, unlocking the cellar door and making her way down the stairs of the second entrance. Lee hadn't thought about Denise, only that Patrick wouldn't be able to make it down the stairs. Denise could her little sobs as she walked down, she switched on the light when she got to the bottom. "Oh my christ." She was gobsmacked, a bloody Grace was huddled crying in the corner still; her hair was matter and greasy, her clothes were torn. "Darling," Denise rushed over, hugging her, trying to comfort the hurt girl.

Grace shot up, her legs wobbling as she tried to escape. "Quick, or he'll come back! I've been away from my Ari for three days already!" Grace cried uncontrollably.

"Go on, up to mine and Patrick's. I'm going to ring the police, while you take a shower and I'll find you some clothes." Denise smiled sympathetically at her. She was only a young girl. She would probably be scarred for life, Denise knew about that all too well.

Tears still ran down Grace's face. "Thank you, Denise." She couldn't handle smiling back. She just wanted to see Joey and Aria.