George had his eyes plastered on the road ahead, daring to push the limit of the speed signs on the odd occasion, he made good time getting back to London. 

Evie was beginning to stir but Louise hadn't woken since she fell asleep a half hour after their conversations and her having punched him repeatedly in the way lay area, George absentmindedly rubbed his shoulder. Probably a good thing too. George took a drag on his smoke and kept driving, closing in on John and the girls' home.

Gathering up Evie, George carried his niece toward the front door, she was half awake nattering happily to her dolly and grinned at her uncle George as he planted a kiss on her cheek. Leaving Lou in the car he wanted to warn John, punch him, then wake Lou and bring her inside, possibly not in that order though.

"George!! Wasn't expecting the Harrison clan back til at least dinner time. Evie, my precious little butterfly come give dad da a kissy" John swept Evie up and held her high dropping her down to his face, she giggled and slapped his cheeks, like only a little one can. Cute and soft John dropped no less than a dozen kisses all over her face then blew a raspberry or two on her tummy for good measure.

"John put Eve in the play pen thingy. We need to have a word" George turned on his heel and wandered down the hall to Lou and Johns room, the bed was made neatly but George made short work of that, sweeping the sheet and blanket back so Louie could crawl in when she got inside.

"Hey George I just made that fucker" John grumbled as he went to pull the sheets up again "Lou likes it made, neater that way. I don't particularly see the need, seeing as we mess it up every night anyway"

"Leave it, Lou will want to get in as soon as she comes in, I imagine" George pulled the sheets down again and stood looking about the room, George hadn't been in here for a while twas only Johns before when Lou was back in Liverpool, now touches of Louise were everywhere. The trinket box, some lotions and perfume and a small photograph of Evie centre stage on the dresser.

"What's she doing, not like her to be dallying back in from the motor" John looked out the window and saw Lou leaning on the window "Is she ill?"

"No.... Just. Can you just sit. I need to show you something" George spoke sternly nothing like his easy going attitude, John clucked and flopped on the bed.

"What's up your nose then?" John leered.

"This" George handed John the letter then flattened the photo Lou had scrunched up and pulled out a newspaper clipping that had also been in the envelope. John quickly looked over the chicken scrawled writing and nodded at the face in the photograph.

John was silent as he digested it all, he just thought it was all behind them now. He and Lou and Evie were a family and settled into the perfect little life. John felt like burning the letter, ignoring it, closing his eyes to the devastation that it could bring.

John raised his head slowly, eyeing George "So you know, who else- your parents, the city.. the whole city of Liverpool? Shit fucking shit. No wonder you want her in the bed she's snapped and now sleeping it off isn't she" John pushed George aside and scrambled out to the car, carefully opening the door, Lou fell into Johns arms and he carried her inside as she began to sob again. "Lou its ok, lay down, I'll sort George then we can talk yeah?" Lou reluctantly let John go and turned in the bed curling up in a ball.

John closed the door softly and pushed George up to the living room, Evie was having fun reuniting with all her toys.

"I only showed Lou the picture, not the letter. I ought to punch the lights out of you, you should have told me John, I'm her brother!" George sat on the sofa and stared at Evie, John sat right by his side gazing at the folded letter. The newspaper clipping was a picture of John, Lou and Evie outside the doctor's surgery, Lou's beautiful face staring from the page as plain as day.

John folded it back up then glanced at the photograph again then tossed it on the table then finally reread the letter. Totally fucked this was, he rubbed his hand through his hair.

"I have an idea"

"Yeah!?" John watched George, he was somehow a different George, older wiser maybe. George was not the same lad that left days ago, he was steeled sure and certain right now.

"I think Brian could get paperwork done, you know. Evie, your blood and Lou's if it doesn't match, make it match on the papers. Brian would know how to sort it don't you reckon?" George stared at John as he tapped the paper on the table thinking. "Doctors can't tell anybody anything anyway can they. Does that Nate boob ogler know too! NO don't tell me I'm already angry I was left in the dark by you lot"

"George, we couldn't, I couldn't, it was Lou's secret not mine. The more people that knew, the more it would spread we thought. I only brought Paul on board when I needed his help getting papers for the wedding" John patted George on the shoulder "For what it's worth I'm sorry. You're perfectly within your right to belt the crap out of me, what with how I was in the beginning" John stood and paced.

"Why was that. Lou hasn't said anything. Why all the shitful things and now it's Mister and Missus Perfect?" George shook his head, he hadn't a clue to this and it rattled him.

"In a condensed version ........" John sighed "Lou and I made a deal. I made the deal to her- marry for a couple of years, save Lou being frowned upon, save Evie from being fostered out, no love no sex no us" John sat back down, rubbing his forehead at the memories "Then we missed each other, I guess. I fell in love with her, I love her, she loves me, I hope. We got back together for real in Liverpool. That last night at the Grapes when she said she would come home, back to me ....." John closed his eyes and smiled, remembering how happy her declaration made him. "Best evening ever"

"I know you love Evie, you have been a great dad" George whispered, he wasn't used to all this lovey dovey stuff, heart to hearts with John. "And she's definitely not your blood, is she?"

George watched John shake his head slowly and look at the floor then his eyes pulled up and watched Evie.

"I wish she was, you know. She's the best bloody thing in my life" John smiled as Evie tried to stand solo "No blood, but love Georgie. That's all I need is love"

"So you and Lou never ...." George toyed with the idea that John and Lou had had a bit of a thing going in the early days, they always were quite close and seemed to be in each other pockets from the get go.

'No! No, Lou and I were no more than friends though she was always my best girl for advice and such we never went no further than the odd hug" John stood again and put a stray teacup in the sink.

What does the letter mean, that line about four loves?" George had read and read but couldn't make out what it meant. The bloke was an imbecile, a dangerous imbecile.

"You don't want to know really George" John groaned as George crossed his arms in defiance.

"I'm her brother, I know now don't I, it's all just back story" George retorted tired, he was still being blocked.

"You really want to know? Even if it makes you feel like a knife is twisting in your gut? Because that's just how it hit me and Lou didn't mean anything to me, other than being a mate, at the time" John questioned.

George nodded slowly, John hopefully was being melodramatic, he moved forward to the edge of his seat. "Don't say I didn't warn you and don't utter a word to Louise, she'll kill me"

"I wouldn't do that, I know she thinks badly of herself, I just want to understand, is all" George waited as John gathered his courage to say what had happened. John could see it all in his mind now. Louise's bedroom the lace top and her skirt, muddied and ruined, her body black and blue, the horrid burns and scratches, the blood... George watched on as John's emotions danced across his face.

John battled to get the words to his lips, sitting down he steeled himself and looked at Lou's brother eye to eye, he forced the words.

"It wasn't four loves Georgie boy, there were four rap-" John scrunched his face up sadly, it was too much for him to even say and poor Louise had been the one to go through it all, survived it all. John couldn't make himself utter the word, he wouldn't "..... look, there were four men there, George not one" John pulled himself away from Georges stunned face and picked Evie up, she needed dinner and a bath and her bottom changed. John took off out to nursery to start to gather her things.

George was silent as he let the words sink in. He had been so mad at her, and John, because they let him be pleasantly ignorant of the whole episode. They protected at each turn and all he did was grumble he was being left out. Like a grumbling nine-year-old George had only though of this from his point of view with selfishness.

And all this time she bore this weight of horror and pain on her slim shoulders, carried a baby that she knew each and every day was a child of one of the attackers, survived the night only to have all the days that followed to bear a constant reminder.

George cursed himself and how he had scared and brought all this up so callously with her this very morning. Even just one bloke was too many and she had somehow survived four. She was truly a fighter, she was so much stronger than he ever imagined and knowing Louise as he did, her tears she shed in the car were probably more for Eve and John than herself, such was her character.

George walked into the bathroom as John rubbed soap over Evie. "I'll go see Brian with this, I'll come by later"

"Just call us George, Louise won't be up to all the fall out. I want her well rested to get through the lot of it" John never looked up as he bathed Evie just smiled sadly as the little one made a splash.

George had taken the paper and photograph off the table, pulled his coat on and opened the door to leave then about faced and walked back again to John, choking back his feelings as he murmurred "You look after my sister ..... Hold her close John" John nodded and keep washing his darling daughter.