A/N: Consider this an A/U of sorts. The events here take place in a land I like to call Off-Screenville, where even though we didn't see it, well that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Sophie lounged on the couch at her dad's. She wore her sweats and hoodie, hair up in a pony tail. It was all she could manage these days. Every piece of clothing she had, felt connected to a life that was gone. She hadn't even cleared out Maddie's side of the closet. At night she wrapped herself in her girlfriend's old night shirt. It still smelled of her, and Sophie needed that aural simulation at night. It barely allowed her to deal with the emptiness of their bed.

Brushing the thought away, Sophie turned toward the garbage that was on television. It was easy to get lost in the soap opera lives of others because if she thought about it for too long, then a memory would creep in. Staying detached meant that she'd be able to keep it together.

And she had to keep it together. For Mads.

The brunette didn't react when she heard the door unlatch and open. She knew that it was her. And Jenny Bradley could vanish into thin air for all she cared.

"There's something here for you, Sophie" the redhead said as strolled in. She placed it on the table in front of Sophie then went and put the kettle on. Sophie lifted the vanilla colored envelope and turned it in her hands. Jenny started to drone on about tea as Sophie rubbed her hands across her name written on the front. She recognized the handwriting but scarcely believe it.

"Soph" it said.

"So your dad said…" Jenny continued on.

Sophie zoned her out as she gently opened the card that had been inside. It was a sympathy card. She'd received a dozen of these over the last few days. Some heartbreakingly informal, such as from Luke. Others horribly formal, such as the one from the owner of Victoria Court. Nothing was particularly unusual about what was said inside, except that a small scrap of paper with a phone number and short message written on it fell out.

"Sophie! Sophie!" Jenny shrilled from the kitchen.

The young woman whipped her head toward Jenny.

"WHUT?" Sophie glared back. For a moment, a thick tension hung in the air between the two women. Neither seemed willing to relent, until Jenny's face changed to that of a woman more aged. Her shoulders slumped and Sophie lowered her gaze to her shoes.

"I was just wondering if you were going to join us today for tea" Jenny said wounded.

"Sorry" Sophie sighed while shaking her head. She hated how the woman could wind her up. Maddie hadn't liked the mardy version of Sophie that this woman could bring out so easily. It wasn't the kind of person that Sophie wanted to be.

"Yeah, I'll be there" she said softly.

Turning back to the card, she read it over again for the third time in the space of two minutes. The message inside was simple, the script though was full of hesitancy. Sophie could see the measured pen strokes as if every word was considered. However the scrap of paper that tumbled out was clearly a hasty after thought. Seemingly scribbled quickly and thrown in at the last minute.

"So who's it from?" Jenny asked curious.

"Oh, it's just another sympathy card" Sophie replied. Jenny nodded going back to her work in the kitchen. "Was it just sitting in the mailbox? There's no postal code or stamp" Sophie asked as she looked up.

"Uh, Yeah. I guess they just dropped it off rather than give it over by hand. Seems a bit cowardly if you asked me" Jenny finished shaking her head.

"No. It's just what she would do" Sophie replied. "Sian was never one for confrontation. It looks like she's not changed" the brunette sighed.

"Whose Sian?" Jenny asked.

"An ex-girlfriend, must have read about it in the paper of summat" Sophie replied.

She looked down at the card, now closed and sitting on her lap. Leaning over she grabbed the phone number and turned it in her hands.

"Well, that's kind of her Sophie" she finished turning back to the refrigerator.

"Do you think Jack can handle sprouts?" she asked seemingly to herself.

Looking back toward the living room Jenny saw that it had emptied, as Sophie left out the door.

A/N: I know it's short, but the next chapter will be quite long. Reviews are the best motivator for me to deliver up the next chapter.