Alice Bates - Exit Storyline

Exit Storyline

One day in September 1999, Kathy returned from collecting Alice from school and was shocked to find Elsa waiting for them. Elsa told Kathy that she was now married to an Australian man named Brett and he had a son, Shane. Now that Elsa had a stable family life, she wanted to get to know Alice. Alice was worried that Elsa would try and take her away again but Kathy assured her this wouldn't happen.

On their first visit, Alice was hostile to Elsa, asking Kathy if she could play in her room instead and Kathy became suspicious of Elsa's motives, especially when she asked if she could collect Alice from the school the next day. Alice began pestering Kathy for information about why her mother left and Kathy wondered how much to tell Alice, then aged only eight. Elsa took Alice for a pizza after school and the ice between them began to melt. When they arrived home, Kathy was upset when Alice asked to see her mother again the next day. Kathy agreed to meet Elsa to discuss Alice but things didn't go well when Elsa revealed the real reason she was back: she wanted custody. The next day, Kathy visited Nick and told him that Elsa had returned. Nick begged Kathy to keep Elsa away from Alice and told her he was depending on her. Elsa later made Kathy furious when she showed Alice impressive pictures of Australia and told her she had a step brother, Shane, out there. Alice was upset when she walked in on Kathy and Elsa having a blazing row and ran off, clearly upset by what she'd witnessed. Elsa later told Alan Turner that she was beginning to wonder whether fighting for custody was the right thing to do as Alice seemed perfectly happy with the situation as it was.

Meanwhile, Elsa was having problems in the village as it looked like everyone was against her and she was considering going home. However, a slip of the tongue from Betty about Kathy's recent troubles confirmed to Elsa that she was doing the right thing and she realized she could use this in her custody battle. Kathy's role as Alice's guardian was seriously under threat but a solicitor told her that getting Nick on side would improve her case and so Kathy went to visit him in prison. However, Kathy was devastated when Nick revealed that Elsa had already been to see him and had convinced him that Alice would be better off with her. Kathy tried to poison Alice's mind against Elsa, telling her that Elsa wanted to take her away. When Elsa visited the next day, she was dismayed to find that Alice didn't want to see her. A welfare officer came to speak to Kathy and Elsa about Alice's future and told them that if they could not reach a compromise, then a judge would decide Alice's future. A couple of days later, Kathy agreed to let Alice spend a couple of days on holiday in London with Elsa. When Alice returned a few days later, Kathy's temper got the better of her when Alice informed her of what a great time she'd had. Meanwhile, Elsa told Alan that she thought it was only a matter of time before Alice agreed to return to Australia with her. Alice became upset when she overheard Kathy talking about how much she hated Elsa was and turned to Alan, clearly finding recent events hard to deal with. Meanwhile, Elsa's husband and stepson arrived and Alice enjoyed getting to know them. Alice particularly enjoyed spending time with Shane, who was only a couple of years older than her. However, after a few weeks, they needed to return to Australia.

Alice was heartbroken to discover that Elsa and her family where returning to Australia. After seeing how upset her niece was, Kathy was forced to make one of the hardest decisions of her life as she agreed that Alice should go to Australia. The following day Kathy asked Alice if she would like to go and live in Australia with Elsa. When Alice asked her if she wanted her to go, Kathy was forced to fight against her feelings. Alice seemed enthusiastic about living with her mum but as the day progressed and the thought of leaving Kathy and Emmerdale behind hit Alice, she told Kathy that she didn't want to leave. That night Elsa and Brett arrived to collect Alice. Elsa thanked Kathy for everything she had done for Alice over the last few years and told her she was welcome to visit whenever she wanted. Before Alice left, she gave Kathy one of her teddies and told her to cuddle it when she felt sad. Kathy then said a tearful goodbye to Alice as she left with Elsa.