Every time you make a move

24, Pt VI

"We'll do something fun," Veronica told her, putting her hand in hers reassuringly. "If it helps them distract from things between mummy and daddy"

"Please, anything will occupy them... I'm sorry I dragged you out of church for this" Monica watched as Phoebe strapped her now dressed children into the Deacon's people carrier.

"Not to worry, John's got it" she pulled the young girl into a hug.

"Say sorry to your boys for me" Monica whispered.

"You have nothing to apologise for," Veronica pulled away. "Are you sure you don't want to stay with us as well?"

She wiped a stray tear and shook her head, "The sooner I clean up this mess at home the better"

She so desperately wanted to get out of there and be with her children, by she knew that she wasn't going to be satisfied if she never got an apology from Freddie, let alone an explanation.

"Well, we're only a telephone call away. Good luck" Veronica reassured her.

"Say goodbye to mummy" Phoebe instructed them.

Monica leaned in with open arms, "Give mummy a kiss" hugging them briefly.

"We will make sure they telephone you tonight if you like." Veronica shut the door once she crawled out.

"What if things don't work out between Freddie and I?" She whispered so that Johnny and Roshni couldn't hear from inside.

"Our door is always open" she pat her shoulder, and then climbed into the driver seat.

"Be good!" Monica called as Veronica started the engine.

She stood and waved as the car moved away, biting her lip furiously to hold back her terrified tears as she saw their small hands wave back at her through the back window before the car disappeared around the corner and onto Cromwell Crescent.

She felt Phoebe put a hand on her back, "Is your hand feeling alright?"

"Yeah," she looked down at her bandaged right palm, "Probably still a few shards of glass in there, but I'll know in due course"

"We should call Doctor Atkinson" Phoebe offered as he followed her back into the garden, shutting the front gate.

"Only if it gets worse" she said.

The moment she entered the house, Adagietto from Symphony no.5 by Gustav Mahler was swarming through the air from the speakers.

"What a stroppy diva, treating our current situation as if it's something out of a damn movie!" she thought, not daring to give Freddie the satisfaction of calling him a drama queen.

"I'll be downstairs if you need someone to back you up" Phoebe whispered, knowing how wrong Freddie's actions were.

"No, you've been a great help already. I can't let you get fired" she politely declined.

"Well, at least it would be from trying to do the right thing" he kissed her cheek, then made his way towards the kitchen.

What a good alliance Phoebe had been not only to Freddie, but her as well. Everyone was on her side, so what had she got left to lose?

She tried the lounge first. The record was spinning on the turntable, but Freddie was nowhere in sight.

Still, Monica knew he was stubborn enough to hide somewhere not far away where it wouldn't be hard to find him.

The minstrel gallery was where he went sometimes when he wanted to be alone.

And indeed, he was sitting on a mahogany chair by the bannister in his bed robe.