Not Going Out Anna - an alternative ending

Ifrost asked if I could write a story from Series 7 Episode 4, Anna. So here goes. I hope you enjoy it xx.

Also, I haven't forgotten about my M-rated story 'What next' - there will be another chapter at some point but it seems to be taking a long time to get this on paper so please bear with me. I'm also writing another story where Lee and Lucy get stuck in the lift of the apartment block which should hopefully be on here in the next few weeks. For those who asked about an M-rated sequel to the alternative ending to Donor, I will try and write that at some point too.

Lucy wished she could go and crawl under a rock somewhere. The glamorous and exciting night out she envisaged this charity dinner would be had ended up as one long string of embarrassments, and now, to top it all, Anna, the woman whose lifestyle she had envied and whose friendship she had sought had properly insulted her. Feeling humiliated and angry, Lucy couldn't help but bite back at Anna, and was in the middle of a rant when they were interrupted by a loud crash coming from the stage.

Lucy turned around and rolled her eyes when she realised Lee had fallen off the back of the stage. I hope he's not hurt himself she thought, though she was not sure why, after all it would be his own fault if he had. She had told him not to drink too much and he had completely ignored her. Similarly, a few minutes ago, she was surprised how offended she had been when Anna insulted Lee, and had found herself defending him despite the fact that she was still mad at him for embarrassing her. She wouldn't let Lee know this though. Oh no, she was still going to give him hell.

"_Actually, I think I'm going to fetch my pet monkey and get a kebab_", Lucy said to Anna pointedly, before heading towards the stage to see if Lee was ok.

Lucy reached Lee just as he was dusting himself down, he looked a little sheepish but was trying to act nonchalantly, in the hope that no-one had noticed what had just happened. He grimaced as he rubbed his bruised back but quickly tried to climb back on to the stage. Lucy seized his arm,

"_Oh no you don't. You've made enough of a show of yourself tonight. I'm taking you home_".

"_Ooh, Lucy. First Toby then you. Do you want to shag me as well? Two offers in one night. Is it the suit? Or is it my working class Northern charm?_". Lee slurred his words, and tapped her arm as he spoke.

"_Lee, I'll let that go but I'd shut up now if you know what's good for you_".

He grinned mischievously, and whispered, leaning closer to her. "_I love it when you're feisty. It's really sexy you know_".

Lucy fought back a smile, almost seeing the funny side of Lee's behaviour and secretly chuffed that he found her sexy. Then she remembered she was supposed to be upset with him and unable to think of a comeback just cast him a hard stare. Lee wisely decided this was a good time to stop talking and reluctantly followed Lucy away from the stage and out of the hotel.

The icy night air hit Lee when he stepped out onto the pavement, and his head started to spin. He was really regretting all that champagne now. Noticing Lee was unsteady on his feet Lucy held onto Lee's arm while she hailed a taxi with her free hand.

The taxi driver looked at Lee as took his seat in the back, then watched as he fumbled unsuccessfully with the seatbelt until Lucy took over, fastening it for him. The driver sighed, he hated the drunken passengers. Gesturing to Lee, he said "_he'd better not be sick in my cab, there's a fine you know_".

"_He won't be sick_". She glared at Lee "_will you_", her words more of a command than a question.

Lee shook his head. "_No_".

For the first few minutes of the journey neither Lee nor Lucy spoke. The driver kept the window open and the cold breeze on Lee's face brought him round a bit, giving him the chance to reflect on how he had behaved this evening. The longer the silence continued the more annoyed with himself he became. This evening had been his chance to impress Lucy, to prove to her he was good enough for her and he had gone and blown it, big time. He had humiliated her, acted like a complete idiot, let her down as usual. Why did he have to have so little self-control? He really hadn't meant to upset her and now she wasn't even speaking to him. He decided he would rather Lucy was shouting at him than saying nothing at all. So, he decided to break the silence,

"_Lucy_…"

She looked at him expectantly, wondering what he might have to say for himself.

"_I just wondered why you aren't yelling at me, I deserve it…oh god, you've got that I'm not angry I'm just disappointed face_".

"_Oh, I'm angry… and disappointed_".

"_So go on, have a go at me. Do your worst_".

"_Lee, we're not alone". _Lucy nodded her head towards the taxi driver_. "You might like to make a public spectacle of yourself but I don't_".

"_Lucy, I'm sorry._

_"__I should think so. Keep talking". _

_"__I didn't mean to embarrass you". _

_"__Believe it or not, that, the drunken behaviour, isn't even the worst part. I'm used to that. It's more the lying, again. We've had this conversation so many times before but you don't seem to be able to stop yourself from telling lies. I mean, pretending that you knew the CEO of Lloyds bank and that he gave you the tickets. Haven't you learned by now that lying only lands you in trouble?"._

"_I know. It was just that Anna and Toby are so, you know, well connected and posh. You made it quite clear when you invited Anna round for tea that I wouldn't fit in with them and I suppose I was worried that you wouldn't want to spend time with me anymore if you became friends with the likes of them. I thought if I could convince them… and you, that I could be part of that world then I wouldn't lose you_".

"_Part of that world! Now who sounds like the little mermaid?",_ said Lucy, her expression softening. She should be used to way Lee's mind worked by now.

"_Lucy_, _you know what I mean_".

"_Yes,_ _I suppose I do". _Lucy sighed,_"and at least you didn't tell me I should get my hair done and that I needed a makeover_".

"_Who told you that? Obviously someone blind", _asked Lee, incredulous_._

"_Anna_".

"_Cow!_", was Lee's only response.

Even though she probably should, Lucy just couldn't stay mad at Lee, and when he smiled at her now she couldn't help but smile back. Their conversation ended there, and they remained silent for the rest of the journey home. Despite this, it dawned on Lucy that this was the first time this evening that she had really felt comfortable. Not because Lee had stopped talking and because he was no longer showing her up. The truth was that she always felt like this when it was just the two of them together. Not comfortable in a boring way, it was just that she could relax and be herself when she was with Lee. As she had said to Anna earlier in defense of Lee, he had his good points. She couldn't deny that she enjoyed spending time with him and that he made her laugh. In all honesty she liked him, a lot. Despite his faults, she hoped that they would one day be more than just friends, and she knew that was why she was always so quick to forgive him when he messed up.

When they got back to the flat Lucy made Lee a cup of coffee, and joined him on the sofa.

Lee spoke, "_thanks for getting me home_".

"_That's OK, I wasn't enjoying the evening much anyway. Anna said I have common touches"_.

"_You don't have any common touches_".

"_Thank you_", Lucy replied, her voice quiet.

"_Do you want some?"_

Lucy rolled her eyes. Typical flirtatious Lee, he just couldn't help himself, always making a cheeky remark.

"_She's got a nerve, telling you to get your hair done. I think it looks lovely_".

Lucy smiled shyly, feeling her cheeks redden.

"_I don't know why you'd want to be friends with someone like her anyway_".

"_I don't. Not now I know what she's really like. I suppose I just thought moving in those kinds of circles, I could you know, improve myself_".

Lee turned to look at Lucy again, his expression one of disbelief,

"_Improve yourself! You don't need to improve yourself. Anna's just jealous because you're more attractive than her. You look stunning tonight". _Seeing Lucy's reaction, he dared to continue, "_actually, not just tonight. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met. You've got class but unlike her you're not boring or a snob. You're kind and lovely and perfect as you are_".

Lucy blushed again. She knew she should probably find Lee's words cheesy and that it was probably just the drink talking but she didn't care. People could say what they liked about Lee but he always knew how to make her feel good about herself. And unlike Anna and most of the people she had met this evening he knew how to have fun.

"_Lee, you're only saying those things because you're drunk…but thanks for saying them anyway_".

"_Lucy…I may be drunk, but what I just said, I meant every word. I just wouldn't be brave enough to say it when I was sober_".

Lucy was a little taken aback by this, but turned to look at Lee again. Without thinking, she lightly placed her hand on Lee's thigh. He looked down to where her hand rested, before moving his eyes back to her face, gulping when he noticed her eyes were trained on his.

She spoke, "_to be honest, tonight's made me realise just how much I enjoy a night in on the sofa with…a packet of crisps."_

Lee grinned, realising what Lucy meant, but his expression quickly became more serious,

"_I am sorry though, that I spoilt your evening and embarrassed you in front of everyone. I don't feel comfortable at posh dos and the drinking was to relax me_".

"_Well, it certainly worked. I still can't believe you got up on stage and sang in front of all those people...actually, maybe I can but it wasn't exactly the drunken pub crowd you're used to_".

"_Sorry_".

_"__You can stop apologising Lee. I might have been embarrassed at the time but you weren't the main reason I didn't enjoy this evening. Those things, 'posh dos' as you call them. They aren't really my thing either"_.

"_And what about the people?"_

"_Nor the people. They were all quite boring weren't they? Humourless and uptight. And the way they look down on everyone else… _".

"_Yep...to be fair though, I quite like Toby, it's just a shame about his wife. I feel sorry for him having to live with her_".

"_Me too. Toby actually enjoyed your little performance you know. He said tonight was more entertaining than most of his wife's dos"._

Lee smiled and nodded his head slightly. He wasn't sure whether to feel proud or embarrassed about that. Lucy glanced at Lee's sticking up and dishevelled hair, and chuckled.

"_What are you laughing at Lucy?"_

"_Your hair, it's a mess_".

Lee looked at her, doing his best to look offended.

"_Come here_". With that Lucy edged closer to Lee on the sofa, then removing her hand from Lee's thigh reached up to flatten his hair down, catching him by surprise. They were really close now, and Lee felt his heart beat increasing.

"_Lucy what are you_…_?_"

"_You know, Anna was going to try and set me up with someone at the party. She said there were lots of eligible bachelors there_". Lucy continued to play with Lee's hair with her fingers. Lee held his breath. It no longer felt like she was just trying to tidy him up. It felt like…something else. He cleared his throat,

"_So, did any of them catch your eye then_?", his voice was softer and quieter now.

Lucy moved her hands from Lee's hair to his arms, and she returned her gaze back to his eyes, which were flitting nervously around her face. She whispered "_only one". _Lee looked confused so she continued, "_and I don't think Anna would have approved of him…"_

"_Oh…". _Lee not knowing how to respond. The way she was looking at him, he thought they were definitely on the brink of something. He desperately wanted to kiss her, but was worried he was misreading her signals. The last thing he wanted to do was to ruin things between them. There was too much at stake.

Lucy, sensing that Lee was hesitant and was unlikely to make the first move, leaned in and closing her eyes, surprised him with a kiss. Lee's eyes closed and he responded, bringing his hand up to cradle her cheek. Then, after a few seconds, he pulled away in a moment of doubt. Lucy huffed, frustrated and confused.

"_Lee, what's wrong. Don't you want this? I thought…"_

_"__Lucy, I want this. I just wanted to be absolutely clear…this eligible bachelor that caught your eye. You are talking about me?"_

Lucy smiled, and let out a sigh of relief. "_Of course I am you idiot_", she whispered.

"_Good. I just wanted to make sure_", Lee breathed, his voice faltering. He studied Lucy's face intently, and ran the back of two fingers gently down her cheek. As Lucy's eyelids fluttered closed again he brushed his thumb along her lips, focusing his gaze there before capturing her lips with his...


End file.

Not Going Out, Romance