A/N: Hey readers, this is NZGirl25 on a new account. You'll be able to read why I've got a new account on my old profile, which I won't be deleting for personal reasons. I hope you enjoy this story and I will try to finish it this time.

Thanks MelBelle94 for your help and support :)

Enjoy!

Walking away from her family was the hardest thing Charlie Buckton had ever done. Four years later, she found herself back in Summer Bay, the place she used to call home. Everyone thought she had died, her colleagues had planned it so well.

Charlie was supposed to have died the day that Jake Pirovic had come to her home that she shared with Leah Patterson-Baker, her son, VJ, and Ruby, Charlie's daughter. He had shot her three times in the abdomen, and left her to die. It was a cruel, calculated act, one that Charlie would never forgive. She wouldn't be alive if it weren't for the bulletproof vest that saved her life. The only reason she was wearing it was because Inspector Joyce, Charlie's boss, warned her about Jake being released from jail.

Charlie's life wasn't the only life that the bulletproof vest had saved. Charlie gave birth to Annaliese Maria Buckton Braxton, or "Annalise Carter", five months after being put into the programme. Charlie looked over at her four year old daughter, the one constant reminder she had of him. Brax. Charlie felt pangs of regret every time she looked at her daughter and saw Brax in her. She regretted the fact that Brax didn't see his daughter grow up, he would never see her first steps, her first words, the first time that Annaliese slept in a proper "big girl" bed. Charlie would hold those regrets for the rest of her life.

Hearing Annaliese stir in her bed, Charlie took a deep breath. As soon as the four year old woke up, they were going out and seeing the people of Summer Bay. Charlie could feel the nervousness but she tried to push it down. She prayed that they wouldn't hate her after she faked her own death. It wasn't like she chose to. She didn't have a choice, she never thought in a million years that she would be shot and torn away from her family in an instant. Torn away from Brax. Torn away from Ruby. Annalise and the distant dream that she could see her family again one day was the only thing that kept her going.

She fought to come back to the bay. Joyce didn't think it was safe since Jake's gang buddies were still out there and could finish the job off if they wanted to since their beloved leader wasn't around to.

"Mummy?" Annaliese asked as she sat up in bed and rubbed at her eyes, the exact same way that Brax would when he would wake up in the morning.

Charlie smiled and stood up from where she was sitting in the rocking chair in the corner of Anna's room. "Good morning honey," Charlie greeted as she made her way over to her daughter's bed and gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead. "Did you have a good sleep?"

Annaliese nodded. "Can we go out today Mummy?"

"Yeah sweetie, anything you want." Charlie said gently. She knew that she would have to face everyone eventually and it was no use prolonging it.

"Can we go now?" Annaliese asked hopefully.

Charlie tried to keep back a laugh. "No Anna, you have to get ready and have some breakfast."

"Peanut butter on toast?" Annaliese questioned.

"Sure baby."

"Who are we going to meet today Mummy?" Annaliese asked as she climbed out of bed. Charlie held out her arms and Anna climbed into them for a hug.

"Some very special people that mummy used to know, okay?" Charlie answered. It was hard to keep up with Annaliese sometimes, it seemed like she was full of questions.

^..^

When Annalise finished her breakfast she was just about bursting with excitement.

"Can we go? Can we mummy, can we?"

Charlie couldn't help but smile at her daughter's excitement. "Okay. Go put your shoes on."

"Yay!" Annaliese exclaimed happily as she ran off to put her shoes on.

^..^

As Charlie and Annaliese walked into the diner, Charlie was hit with a wave of nostalgia. She brushed it away as she approached the counter, Annaliese's tiny hand clutched in her own.

"Heya, what can I get you-" A look of realisation dawned on Irene's face as she carefully studied Charlie's face. "Charlie? Charlie Buckton? Is that you? How? What?" Charlie could see the clear look of shock on Irene's face.

"Oh my god." Charlie whirled around and her heart broke into a million tiny pieces as she stared at her daughter, her first child.

"Rubes-" Charlie tried to say but it was too late, Ruby had fled the diner.

"Darl, how are you here? We all thought you died." Irene said as Charlie sank into a chair, Annaliese climbing into the chair next to her.

"I know. I was put in Witness Protection for four years after what happened. My superiors thought that it would be too dangerous if I came back after what happened."

"Darl, I'm sorry. That must've been so hard." Irene said sympathetically.

Charlie gave Irene a small smile. "Thanks Irene."

"Mummy, who was that girl?"

Charlie glanced at Irene, who had another look of shock on her face. Muttering something about coffee and milkshakes, she headed into the kitchen.

"Honey, that girl that came in, she's your sister."

"I have a sister?" Annaliese asked.

"Yeah, sweetie, you do. Her name is Ruby."

"She's pretty."

"Like you."

"Why did she run away?" Annaliese asked just as Irene returned with a tray with a coffee, a chocolate milkshake and a piece of chocolate and two spoons.

"Thanks Irene," Charlie smiled, reaching in her bag for her wallet. "How much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about it darl, it's on me."

"Are you sure?" Charlie asked. "I can pay."

"No arguments girlie. So, who's this little sweetheart?" Irene asked.

Charlie smiled. "This is my daughter Annaliese. Annaliese, this is Irene."

"Annaliese is such a pretty name," Irene told the little girl who gave her a grin, a grin Irene recognised. After all, it ran in a family, a family she saw every day. It wasn't hard to see the resemblance. "Is she his daughter?" Irene asked, avoiding Brax's name but Charlie knew who she was talking about.

"Yeah. She is." Charlie answered as she looked at her little girl who was happily slurping away at her milkshake and digging into her half of her chocolate cake, some of which was already on her clothes.

"Charlie, I've got to ask, how did you surivive?" Irene asked as she sat down in an empty chair.

"Let's just say that it was a good thing that my boss insisted on me wearing a bulletproof vest for days." Charlie answered.

"So, if you were okay, why did you leave?" Irene asked in shock.

"It wasn't as simple as that. My superiors thought that it would be too dangerous if Jake found out that I was still alive. He would've kept targeting me and I couldn't put my loved ones in danger." Charlie answered.

"So you thought it would be better to lie to them instead?" Irene asked. "Lie to everyone that cares about you?"

"It wasn't easy for me, Irene. I argued with Inspector Joyce for days once I woke up." Charlie tried to defend herself.

"Okay, darl. I'll try to understand."

Charlie smiled at Irene gratefully. "Thank you."

"So, have you seen a certain someone yet?" Irene asked.

"Brax?" Charlie asked. She shook her head. "No, I haven't."

"Mummy, who's Brax?"

"Remember all the talks we had about Daddy?" Charlie asked her daughter.

"I'm gonna get to meet my daddy?" Annaliese asked.

"She's never met Brax?" Irene asked. "Does he even know you were pregnant?"

"No. They found out after I was shot and in witness protection. By then, it was too late to tell him."

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