This is a new story I just came up with recently, hope you enjoy it.
Sun, 1 Jan 2012
Charlie drove, barely seeing the scenery that flashed by. It was the start of a new year and hopefully, Charlie thought, a fresh start for her family. Things had been tough the past few months, she'd been working tirelessly on a big case while the marriage she had thought was rock solid had hit a major hurdle and she'd been forced to confront the harsh reality that her marriage wasn't the garden of roses it had once been. Looking back now, she could see that the problems had been simmering beneath the surface long before that fateful night three months ago when Joey had sat her down and told her that she'd kissed another woman, yet at the time, both women had lacked the skills to recognise the warning signs as they were drifting further and further apart.
Neither woman had much experience in relationships, she was Joey's first relationship while Charlie's had all been short-lived because she had always put her career first. That had all changed when she fell in love with Joey; she'd found a balance to her life and for the first time, she was happy to put the family she adored ahead of her career, yet after a while, she had allowed her career to once again take over. She had been involved in a major case that had slowly started to consume her life and once that was over, another replaced it and before long, she was working ridiculously long hours and had failed to notice that her wife had been become increasingly unhappy and lonely. She had actually thought that Joey was happy, she had returned to studying and was making new friends, yet it had only masked their problems and so Joey's confession had come as a devastating shock. It may have only been a kiss, but it hurt Charlie and she'd felt so betrayed by the woman she'd risked her career to be with, that she'd rushed out of the house and had spent the entire night walking the streets, wondering how it had all gone so wrong. She'd finally realised that she was as much to blame as Joey and so she'd headed home the next morning, more open to listening to Joey. It had been painful to hear the regret and also the extent of loneliness and unhappiness in Joey's voice as she had admitted that in a moment of weakness, she had turned to someone willing to give her the type of attention she'd been missing.
Charlie's hands tightened on the steering wheel as her thoughts drift to the woman Joey had kissed. Joey had taken full responsibility for the kiss, but Charlie held Belle just as accountable. The moment she had seen Belle and Joey together in one of their study groups, it was obvious even to her that Belle had a crush on Joey and she'd had no doubt that Belle had played the attentive friend who was always there for Joey to perfection. She got her back though, Charlie muses, remembering the look on Belle's face when Charlie had told her that she had forgiven Joey and they weren't splitting up and Belle had been pissed off even more when Joey had changed into another study group until she'd graduated.
Charlie had refused to let Joey take all the blame for their marriage problems and apologised for being such a neglectful wife. She had hated it when her own father was absent for most of her childhood because of his work, so as hurtful as it was, Charlie also understood why Joey had turned to someone else, she was just thankful that it had stopped at a kiss and Joey had come to her because she hated to think what would have happened if Joey hadn't had the courage to admit her mistake. "We would have drifted further apart and I'd be alone now," she thought. She glances across at her wife who was staring intently at the passing scenery, still amazed at the strength of love she felt for this woman. Throughout it all, their love for each other had never diminished, but their problems had made them realise that there was more to making a marriage work than just love and they had been working on their communication skills, hoping to avoid falling into the same trap of complacency and had even taken the time for couples counselling. They were well on the way to getting their marriage back on track and she was hoping this move would help but despite Joey's insistence that she accept the promotion, the move also had her worried. It was a smaller station in an area where crime was at a minimum, so it would mean more regular hours, but it also meant Joey would be returning to the scene of her greatest nightmare.
As they pass the Welcome to Summer Bay sign, Charlie glances at her wife again, "How does it feel to be back?"
"Strange, though Mangrove River was more my home than Summer Bay," Joey replies, suddenly filled with trepidation at her return.
Hearing the catch in Joey's voice, Charlie pulls the car over to the side of the road. "Hey," she reaches over, taking Joey's hand. "If this is too hard for you, we can turn around right now and I'll put in for another transfer."
"You've already sacrificed so much for me Charlie, I can't let you risk damaging your career any more for me by asking for another transfer so soon after accepting this one."
"You and Ruby are far more important to me than my job," Charlie says, meaning every word. "Nearly losing you made me realise that."
Joey takes a deep breath. "It's time Charlie, if I'm to truly get past this, then I need to face my past." It had been ten years since she had left as a shattered and frightened 15 year old to live with her older brother and his wife in the city, leaving behind the nightmare of her kidnapping and rape. She'd been the first victim but because she'd hadn't been able to identify either of her attackers, they'd been free to rape five more girls before one of her attackers had slipped up and she had finally learnt the horrifying truth; her own brother had held her captive, drugged and blindfolded while he and his best mate, had raped her over and over again.
"Joey?" Charlie asks in concern.
Joey wipes away the tears that had suddenly started to fall. "I knew this wasn't going to be easy, I just," she shakes her head.
Joey had always considered herself a coward for running away but Charlie had nothing but admiration for Joey's strength. For a young girl to not only have survived such a brutal attack, but to have had the courage to testify in court against her attackers, took a lot of guts, especially when she had been terrified the entire time that one of her attackers would learn the truth about her pregnancy. "Joey, you are the strongest and bravest person I've ever met, you can do this and I'll be right by your side."
Joey smiles at her wife. Ever since Charlie had found out about her past, she'd been telling her the same thing and she'd taken great strength in that and being this close to her past again, she was grateful for the reminder. "This isn't just about facing my past though," she looks over her shoulder at her daughter sleeping on the backseat. Ruby was her most precious gift, despite the way she had been conceived.
"It's going to be fine Joey," Charlie assures her. "Aden loves Ruby and he's more than happy to continue to play along."
Joey smiles fondly at the mention of Aden's name. He was two years older than her, but they'd been inseparable as kids and as teens, everyone had believed them to be a couple, so when Aden had stepped forward to say he had gotten Joey pregnant, no one was really surprised and Joey had been in no state to deny it. She had barely been 15 so she'd been horrified to find out she was pregnant to one of her rapists and was terrified of the stigma her daughter would face if it turned out that her own brother had fathered her baby, so she'd let everyone believe Aden was the father and for years, she had never known herself who the father was because she had been so scared of finding out it was Heath, she had avoided having a DNA test run on Ruby, until Charlie had finally convinced her to. It was like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders when it showed that Heath wasn't the father, but her rapists wouldn't be in jail forever, so she still couldn't run the risk of either of them thinking they could be Ruby's father which was why Aden continued to be Ruby's dad, a role he was only too happy to fulfil. He had never missed a birthday or Christmas present for Ruby and he visited whenever he was in the city and Ruby had accepted him as her father, even though she knew he wasn't; she was still too young to know the truth, but Joey had told her she'd been hurt by someone and that she would tell her one day, so Ruby was happy to keep the secret; she adored her daddy anyway, just as Aden adored her.
"No one else knows the truth Joey," Charlie's words breaking through Joey's memories. "Not even Darryl."
Joey felt guilty about lying to Darryl, especially when he'd packed up his wife and son to move with her to the city because she couldn't stay here after the trial, but he'd nearly killed Heath when he found out what he'd done to their sister and Joey had been scared Darryl would lose it again and her secret would be out. Darryl had been her guardian ever since their mother had died and their father had taken off and after her rape, he had been so supportive to her, even signing the papers so she could take their mother's maiden name, Collins because she couldn't bear the thought of sharing a name with Heath any longer. When Darryl's marriage broke up three years later, he moved to Summer Bay alone while Joey had remained in the city with Tegan and their son, Casey. And in all the time she'd been away, she'd never been back, not even to visit her big brother or Aden. She sighs heavily.
"Joey, I meant it before, if this ever becomes too hard for you, we're out of here."
"No," she sits up straighter, squaring her shoulders. "I can do this."
The familiar stance and stubbornness brings a smile to Charlie's face.
"What are you grinning at?" Joey asks.
"Just remembering the day we met."
Joey grins back at her, always amazed that after their first meeting that they had even become friends, let alone lovers.
Next chapter, Joey and Charlie meet for the first time.
Not sure if I can update on New Year's Eve so have a Happy New Year everyone.