Okay so this a new story I'm working. I'm at a loss at the moment with my other fan fic 'A Mother's Treasure' so I'm leaving it to one side for the time being. But I will be going back to it as soon as I come up some new ideas. Okay so this is an idea I've been tossing about for a while and finally found the time to get started. So I hope you like it and please, rate and review.

"I'm very sorry Ruby", the doctor siad after breaking the devastating news to the teen sitting in front of him.

With that, he excused himself from the room. Leaving Ruby to digest what she had just been told. She sat in silence, stunned. Gripping her mothers hand she turned and looked at Charlie, and when she saw the tears that lined her cheeks, she knew that this nightmare was actually reality. The sting of hot tears flushed her eyes and she couldn't hold them back as she replayed in her mind the doctor's words.

Leukemia. She was slowly dying and she didn't even know it. How could she not have known? Charlie looked at her daughter, her face completely drained of any colour and a fear in her eyes she had never seen before. It made her heart ache, an ache that was so unbearable she could feel it shatter into a million pieces for her precious little girl. Her Ruby, her friend, her daughter, the love of her life, was being killed by a disease that was seeping through her body. Feeling the tight grip on her hand become tighter, Charlie began to understand just how scared Ruby was. Releasing her hand from the death grip it was now in, she put her arm around her daughters shoulder and pulled her into her embrace,

Ruby's head fell against Charlie's chest as she lay in her arms. She felt her mother's sothing hand stroke her hair and the rhythmic beating of her heartbeat become rapid as it beat out of her chest in worry for her daughter. Ruby was terrified. Every bone in her body was screaming out that this was it, her life would soon be over. But as she rested her head agianst her mother's chest and felt the loving arms around her tighten their grip, Ruby started to feel safe. Like nothing could harm her.

Feeling her daughter cling to her, just like a newborn clings to their mother, it finally hit Charlie that her daughter would need her to be strong now more than ever. And at that moment, as she looked down at her weeping daughter, she made a vow that no matter how tough this journey they were about to take would get, she would always be there for Ruby and nothing was going to stop her from doing whatever she could to save her life.

"I love you so much Rubes", Charlie said as she felt a tear trickle down her face. "We're going to get through this okay? I promise I will do whatever it takes to make you better....I promise", and with that the two Buckton women held each other and thought about the long road ahead......

6 Months Later

"Ah come on VJ you know I can't do that", Ruby said with a laugh as she tried to repeat the soccer trick he had just shown her.

"Can we play a game of soccer now?", he asked her with pleading looks.

Ruby smiled at the pleading looks he was giving her. They always worked on her, she could never say no when he pulled his puupy dog face,

"Alright, bring it on", she said trying to sound like a confident soccer pro.

Leah watched from the window as Ruby and VJ messed about in the back garden, both trying to out do the other with their soccer skills. She looked at young Ruby. It tugged on her heart strings to think that such a happy-go-lucky teenager who always looked after her health, was now slowly deteriorating before their very eyes. She thought about the nights she sat up with Charlie and watched as her friend sobbed for hours for her daughter. Leah loved Ruby like her own and to see her being put through the ringer was upsetting. Especially when chemo took it's toll.

Runing after VJ, Ruby suddenly stopped, her head began to feel dizzy and started feeling light on her feet. A nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach started to take hold. As she watched VJ run on, suddenly she lost her balance and fell to the ground, clinging to th grass. VJ cheered as he scored another goal, but when he turned around he was panic stricken by what he saw. Peering through the window to check how things were going, Leah's face dropped when she saw Ruby lying on the grass.

Bursting out of the back door, she ran towards the teenager and knelt down beside her stroking her back.

"Ruby, Ruby it's Leah", she said trying not to startle the younger Buckton. "Come sweetheart we're going to get inside the house okay", she said as she gently tried to ease the unsteady teen onto her feet.

Walking into the house, everything around Ruby felt strange, a weird sensation ran throughout her body. Suddenly it felt like all the energy in her body just suddenly disappeared. Reaching her room, Leah helped her climb into her bed. Laying there with her head propped against the extra fluffy pillows, she found herself drifting in and out of consiousness. Leah stood up and walked over to the door, taking one last glance at Ruby, and then exiting, closing the door over behind as she left.

That evening Charlie arrived home feeling pretty hard done by that she had to remain in work when there was nothing there to do except complain. Walking through the back door, she was greeted by Leah who was preparing dinner. She gave a small wave as she dumped her handbag on the ground under the small lamp stand out of the way. Looking around she noticed that the house was quiet, which was unusal as for the last few days it had been chaotic with Ruby and VJ running about. It made Charlie happy to see Ruby having good days like that. Seeing her ill and barely able to do anything upset her deeply.

"Hey, where is everyone?", she asked her housemate as she peered through the living room,

Leah put the knife she was using and stopped what she was doing. Rubbung her hands in her apron she turned to Charlie.

"Eh, Charlie, we had a bit of a problem today", she said trying to ease into the converstation. "Ruby and VJ were playing soccer early and I think it took it out of her a little bit...she collapsed", she finished.

"What?", Charlie said as she took of her coat and fllung it onto the couch as she made her way towards Ruby's room.

Walking up to the door, she stopped and knocked. From the other side she heard a very faint reply and entered the room to complete darkness. Charlie knew this was a sign that all was not well. Ruby only slept in the dark when she had really bad migrane headaches and that was usually accompanied by a full on nose bleed. Flicking on the small bedside lamp so she could see, Charlie say her daughter lying on her side on the bed.

Sitting down beside her, Charlie placed a hand in Ruby's side, encouraging her to roll over, and with that gesture she did. Charlie's face fell as she saw the blood that was pouring out of Ruby's nose. Putting an arm under her daughter, she gently lifted her to help her into a slightly more upright position. Leaning over to the box of tissues on the bedside locker she pulled out a small handful and placing one hand behind Ruby's head, she gently held the tissues against the younger Bucktons nose

"Is that better?", she asked her daughter as she looked her up and down to make sure everything else seemed okay.

The younger girl just simply nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"I'm sorry Charlie", she said as she placed her hand onto of the one her mother was holding against her nose.

"Hey you have nothing to be sorry for, you hear me?", she stated as she inched closer to her daughter.

"I know but, you shouldn't be obligated to look after me like this, it's not fair", Ruby said sadly as she thought of all the time Charlie had given up to be with her, either in a medical matter or just to be there to comfort Ruby and hold her when she was having one of her bad days. Her mother had practically given up her own life to take care of her. Even puutting her relationship with Angelo in serious conflict.

"Now listent to me. Rubes I don't do this out of some stupid obligation. I do it because I love you more than anyone or anything in this world and because I want to", she said firmly, her love and affection for her daughter evident across her face.

"Okay", Ruby nodded.

With that she leaned into her mother's embrace Charlie's embrace tightening on her as she did so. Rocking her back and forth, she gently kissed the top of her daughter's bald head.

"I love you", Charlie said resting her head on top of Ruby's head as she thought about Ruby's chemo appointment the following day. A sadness washed over her and she clung to her daughter to find the strength to get through another day. Just as Ruby clung to her mother to find the fight to keep on living. Neither willing to let this cancer ravage her.

"I love you too".