EastEnders 1. Chapter 1

Prologue:

Lily shivered, lying uncomfortably on the bus stop. She was too tired to be alert for the danger that was lurking around her, as she had been running all night and she had no idea where she was. She thought she was safe and finally allowed her exhausted eyes to close.

She was about to drift into sleep but her eyes instinctively flickered open as she heard the sound of rustling leaves in the bitter cold breeze. The feeling of relief swept away from her as shadowy figures crept up and emerged from the darkness. Lily was surrounded.

She trembled and quaked and her heart started pounding, she was overtaken with her own fear. "I'm sorry!" Lily cried, losing her mind in the chaos. The ghastly figures were still surrounding her, and she knew she shouldn't have gone against their wishes. "Please, I'll do whatever you ask, just don't hurt me! Wait... nooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

Chapter One: Harsh Cuts.

Kat stared. There was a girl that she'd never seen before sleeping on the sofa. _What is this girl doing here? _Kat thought in confusion. _How did she get here? Where did she come from? Did she break in? No, impossible, Alfie and I would've heard something._

Kat quickly looked around the room, just to be sure. Well, there didn't _seem _to be anything broken. And besides, Alfie was always a big softie; he must've let the girl stay there, exactly like the time he suggested Shenice to stay with them for a while.

Kat had no idea what was going on, so she thought she'd better ask him about it, just to be sure. "Alfie!" she yelled. "Get in here, you muppet!" Alfie ran into the living room, answering Kat's beckon call immediately, as if he had been waiting for it.

"Yes, love of my life?" Alfie said jokingly, grinning. Kat groaned. He always loved to say that when he knew Kat was irritated with him for some reason or another. He said it was to remind her how _special_ she was to him. Kat just thought it was to annoy her even more.

"Oh, shut up, Alfie!" Kat snapped. She stared at him and extended an arm, pointing to the sofa. "Why is there a little girl sleeping on there? This isn't a children's home!" Alfie sighed, thoughts scrabbling around in his mind which could be used as a possible answer to his wife's question.

Kat gave him an impatient look, still pushing for an explanation. They stared at each other in the awkward silence. Finally, Alfie shrugged his shoulders in defeat. Kat rolled her eyes. The girl couldn't have been more than thirteen years old, lying there tangled up in a blanket, as stiff as a board.

"Aww, come on Kat," Alfie frowned. "What else would you expect me to do? Leave the poor girl out in the cold, while it's raining and let her freeze? Don't be so selfish!" The girl shuffled slightly, mumbling in her sleep. Kat's face suddenly softened.

Gasping, Kat ran over to the girl, noticing something disturbing as the girl moved. "Alfie, come and look at this!" she exclaimed, rolling down the sleeves of the girl's pale green cardigan. Alfie came up behind her and the couple grimaced, staring in awe at the girl's arms.

They had been bleeding, and the blood had dried after it had dripped from her wrists and further down her arms. A mixture of deep and faint scars descended down both arms. Kat and Alfie had no idea what to think. They stared at each other thoughtfully for a while.

Why would such a young girl do this to herself? And with that question on their minds, it occurred to them that it might not have been her. But if not the girl, then who?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Snipe.

Lily groaned. It was bad enough she had a splitting headache, she just couldn't relax knowing that _they _were still onto her for what she'd done. She rested with her head on the kitchen table, sighing loudly. "You look comfortable," a sarcastic voice said behind her, making her jump.

"Oh," Lily blushed. "It's only you..." her voice trailed off as she realised she didn't know her name yet.

"Kat," Kat said slowly. "Were you expecting someone else? Lily?" Lily's eyes widened. "Relax, relax, I only read it from your necklace!" Kat laughed, noticing Lily's shocked expression. Lily sighed in relief. She spooned up her cereal, feeling awkward.

Her phone beeped and she picked it up immediately. A text from Unknown was what it said on the screen.

_Give me what you owe me, or you're dead._

Lily read the text and cringed, suddenly losing her appetite. She grabbed her cardigan, which hung loose on the back of the chair, and ran out the room. She walked down the stairs and looked around, realising she hadn't seen the rest of the building. _They live in a pub? Wow. That's different._

Later on that day, Lily went to the park, trying to free her mind of the stress that seemed to keep piling on. She saw a familiar face standing in front of her and hastily stood up. "Angel?" she said in confusion. "What the heck are you doing here?"

The girl with dark hair and blue eyes smiled. "You know why I'm here... Lillian," she teased. Her voice dropped to a whisper and she suddenly sounded deadly serious. "Snipe's gonna murder you, you know that? You really thought you could outrun him and his goons?"

Lily hesitated. Snipe (no one knows his real name) was (and still is) the leader of the gang that Lily was once involved in. She met Angel in some cold, dusty and strangely frightening abandoned building that Snipe called the gang's 'secret hideout' and they'd been friends ever since.

Lily and Angel were like Snipe's personal slaves. He forced them to steal things for him. None of the gang members dared to stand up to him, considering he was seventeen and some of them were about eight. Lily and Angel finally refused to be treated like dirt and soon enough, the whole gang revolted and split apart. "I really don't know what Snipe's problem is," Lily said, completely indifferent. "If _he_ wants it, _he _should grow some balls and get it himself!" Angel giggled to herself.

"Well," Angel said, disguising her smirk. "All jokes aside, he's still gunning for you. How's it going with your uncle then?"

"Not good, I don't think he's even told his wife who I am yet. I don't blame him though; I bet it's a bit of a surprise seeing me here since he hasn't seen me since my parents died. I really wish it was him who found me and not Snipe. The only thing good about that stupid gang was meeting you."

That night, Lily couldn't sleep at all. _What if Snipe does find me? Angel's right, he'll kick my ass! _She stares at Alfie, who stands next to her bed, leaning over to kiss her good night. "You haven't even told _anyone _about me, have you Uncle Alfie?" she asked.

"No. But not because I don't want to, it's just going to be really hard to explain, especially when it comes to Kat. She wants to wring my neck right now. Good night, Lillian. And no phoning friends in the middle of the night!" Lily grinned and watched her uncle leave, feeling much calmer.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: A Dangerous Game.

The wind whipped Lily's cheeks as she dragged herself down the dusky alleyway. Bad memories swept over her and she shuddered. She hadn't been down this way since the gang split up, and the closer she got towards the Secret Hideout, the more her stomach twisted. She knew going to find Snipe was a bad idea but he would track her down anyway.

Snipe wanted to see Lily, _alone,_ with no-one else around. Angel tried to urge her out of it, but she failed. Snipe let all of the gang members free but there was a catch. There always had to be a catch... The cost for freeing them was that Lily had to give him £100. That was definitely more than what Lily could afford to give.

Her only option was stealing. She refused to pay up, which was why Snipe sent his goons after her. All the goons could do to Lily was hurt her, physically, until she gave in. No-one knows how children her age got away with carrying knifes around. Snipe threatened Lily that if she told anyone about what he was up to, that he would kill her.

She was forced to say that she'd been self-harming, so that no-one would get their suspicions. She'd always been too afraid to tell the truth, she just had to deal with people's looks of pity and disgust. _Snipe will get found out and he'll be arrested someday... _Lily often thought, _he can't get away with this forever, he just can't._

"Ah," said a frightening voice that chilled Lily to her bones. "We meet again, Fowler." It was Snipe, sitting on a cardboard box with a smug look on his face. That was Lily's last name – Fowler. She had a mum called Vicky, she never knew her father. The only thing she knew was that his name was Spencer (Alfie's brother), she didn't know anything else.

"Why'd you ask me to come here?" Lily snapped, her voice wavering. "You know I haven't got your damn money!" Snipe laughed, pushing her against the brick wall. Lily could hardly breathe, but she kept on resisting, trying to free herself from his tight grip on her wrists. It was no use; Snipe was far too strong for her.

That's why he chose younger and weaker gang members, he had authority and power. He leaned in close to Lily's face, his arm pressing against her neck. "You're playing a dangerous game, _Fowler..." _Snipe said harshly. He moved his arm away and Lily coughed, trying to revive herself from choking. "If I can't get it from you, I'll get it from your family!"

Lily's mind was in a whirl as soon as Snipe set her free so she could return home. What if he did find her, what would she do then? She didn't want to drag Kat and Alfie into it; she'd have to run away again, just so they didn't get hassled. Lily thought that her uncle would hate her and disown her for what she'd done, how could she let it go on for so long?

Not to mention Kat still thought she was just some random kid off of the street. And they had a baby. Gangsters and babies don't mix; she couldn't let Snipe near Tommy. _I have no choice,_ Lily thought, I_ have to tell Kat who I am._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Fowler? Branning? No, Slater.

"Hi, Kat, how's it going?" Lily said happily, skipping into the living room. Kat stared at her and cocked her head to the side in confusion. The more she saw Lily, the more familiar she looked. _I've definitely seen this girl before, _Kat thought, _but where? Even her voice sounds familiar, kind of like a high-pitched version of mine. Almost like... No, she couldn't be..._

Lily waved her hand in front of Kat's face. "Hello? Kat?" she said slowly. "Are you okay?" Kat nodded slightly, not really listening. Lily's clicked her fingers in front of Kat's face, snapping her back into reality. She jumped and instead of being annoyed like Lily thought she would be, she smiled, standing up from the sofa as Alfie entered.

"You just look a bit familiar," Kat said apologetically. "I feel like I know you from somewhere. I know it's a little bit weird..." Lily and Alfie exchange looks and he comes into the room with a now ten year old Tommy. He was staying with his aunt Mo for a few days while it was still the holidays and there was no school for a week.

Tommy grinned; kicking a football around that Alfie had gotten for him when he was a baby. "Thomas!" Kat exclaimed. "What have I told you a million times? No football in the house, we've been over this! Alfie, tell him will you, please?" She looked at Alfie expectantly, but he just shrugged and smiled.

"Wait, this is Tommy?" Lily said in confusion, interrupting Tommy's apology. "I thought you said he was a baby." Tommy and Lily stared at each other. Lily knew that Tommy was wondering who the heck she was. Kat didn't even know, and that made Lily want to tell them even more. She kept wondering when the right time would be.

Obviously she would have to wait for Alfie to say she could. "Yes, he is a baby," Kat smiled. "He's _our_ baby." Tommy groaned and Kat smiled shyly as she introduced the children to each other quickly. "Anyway, Lily, this is Tommy, Tommy, this is Lily." _Poor Kat_, Lily thought, _she just called him her baby, it's what mums do!_

Later on that day, Kat dragged Lily into the kitchen. There was a newspaper on the table and then Lily knew exactly what was going on. Alfie was going to show Kat the news article that was all over the internet, the one that explained exactly who she was. Lily and Alfie had been hiding the paper from Kat all day, and they knew there was no point in hiding it anymore.

"Right," Alfie sighed. "Kat, I know you're wondering what's going on and well, this might explain it." Clearing his throat, Alfie held the newspaper up to his face and started reading. "In 2007, actress Zoe Slater gave birth to a healthy baby girl at the age of 23. Her daughter, who she named Kathleen Slater (nicknamed Kat), after her own mother, was given to the unknown father as she felt like she couldn't take care of the baby and some say the now 13 year old girl could be present in Walford but none are sure of her whereabouts."

The whole room fell silent and Kat had no idea what to say. "You're telling me... that my baby girl gave birth to a baby girl, named her after me, and no-one told me ANYTHING?" Kat sobs. "That's why I felt so close to you... You look just like my Zoe. You've got the long brown hair, the huge blue eyes and the beautiful smile..." She pulled Lily in for hug. "I can't believe I'm a grandmother..."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: New Family, New Name.

"Right," Kat said happily to Lily as she walked into the living room the next morning. "Since that stupid father of yours dumped you on the Fowler's front door, he's no longer part of your life. You have me, Alfie and Tommy now. You are officially a Slater. And since you and Tommy are close in age, you two are going to be cousins."

Kat and Alfie had decided amongst themselves that they should get Lily into secondary school. They were just figuring out what relation she should have to them, considering that she was Kat's granddaughter, and she was three years older than her son. "Okay," Lily nodded, absorbing this information. "Can I change my first name back to Kathleen?"

"Oh, honey," Kat laughed. "You don't really want that _horrible_ name, do you?" Lily nodded. "Well, okay," Kat continues with a sigh. "There's only room for _one _Kat around here so, I'll find another nickname for you." Lily smiled, pulling on her cardigan. She couldn't wait to find Angel and tell her the good news; she finally had a real family!

Lily rushed over to Angel's house that she just moved into with her older brother, grinning. She knocked on the door hastily and waited impatiently until she saw Angel's hair bobbing up and down as she jumped up to open the door. "Hey!" Angel said happily. "I was hoping you'd turn up soon! So, how'd it go with Kat?"

"I told Kat that my real name is Kat and I was given the name Lily by the Fowlers ... I have a mother called Zoe who is Kat's daughter and Kat's my grandmother," Lily replied slowly. She grinned. "I'd definitely like to be called Kat instead of Lily." Angel tried to hide the fact that she was laughing at Lily's answer. "What? What's so funny?"

Angel hugged her friend closely and invited her into the house. "Oh my dear best friend,"" Angel smirked as they sat down on the brown leather sofa. "You can't change your name to Kat; you wouldn't live up to the name! Lily suits you more and you're um... Oh, how do I put this _nicely_? You're a total wimp."

"I am _not _a wimp," Lily frowned, hurt by Angel's words. "Kat's strong and assertive – I can be strong and assertive too." Angel just laughed, which irritated Lily. "It's not funny! I'm being serious here and you're taking it as one big joke! I'll show you how strong I can be and I'll rub it in your face when you see I _can_ live up to my name!"

Lily stormed out of the room and Angel followed closely behind her. "Lily, wait!" Angel called out, trying not to slip as she chased after Lily. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you!" Lily ignored her and ran on towards her home, steaming with rage. _How could she say that about me?_ Lily thought, I_ can live up to my name and I __**WILL!**_

"Hey," Alfie said as soon as Lily came through the door. "Is something wrong?" Lily shook her head and forced a smile. "Hmm... OK. Well, Kat and I have been thinking about it and we decided that we want you to be called Kitti Slater." Lily (now called Kitti) grinned and hugged Alfie tightly. _Kitti Slater? _She thought_, I can definitely get used to that name!_


End file.

EastEnders, Drama, Family