Welcome to my new story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Home and Away or any established characters, only my own ideas and creations.
Chapter One
"Kyle, mate, I'm not having a go at you" said Brax in exasperation.
"Well it seems like you are!" yelled Kyle, smacking his fist on the table and standing up, the chair legs squeaking indignantly on the lino.
"Just shut your trap and listen to Brax" yelled Heath, throwing his half eaten bread roll back onto his plate.
"No, why don't you. I know you hate me, but can you at least not make it so obvious" shouted Kyle, his hands curling into fists, blood pounding in his veins.
Heath shot out of his chair and lunged across the table. Brax grabbed Heath's arm, pulling him away from his half-brother. The tension and animosity in the room was at an all time high. Brax had only wanted Kyle to talk to Casey. Things had been tough since Tamara regained all of her memories. She had gone back to Casey, horrified at how badly she had hurt him despite not realising it at the time.
"I think it's safe to say that most people hate you" said Heath flippantly, sneering unkindly at Kyle.
Kyle held his breath for half a second. He refused to show his brothers how much comments like that hurt him. He was tough, not some wimpy cry baby. But still, the words hit a nerve. Kyle would never be a part of this family. There were some things that just could not be undone no matter how much anyone wanted them to be.
"I'm outta here" hissed Kyle, slamming the door as he stormed from the house.
Things were ok with Brax and he could see things with Casey getting better, but Heath? Nah, Heath would never accept him into the family.
Kyle made his way to the beach, dropping down into the sand and cursing the day he was born a Braxton. If only he had been born into the Walker family or even the Scott's, then maybe he would have had a better chance at life.
"Kyle"
He looked up as he heard his name being called.
"Now's not a good time, Bianca" sighed Kyle, sand running through his fingers.
"What's happened?" asked Bianca, sitting next to Kyle and smiling at him in that way that made him feel like he wasn't a worthless failure.
"Doesn't matter" huffed Kyle, not wanting to put Bianca in an awkward position, what with being Heath's fiancée.
"Kyle, pretty soon you and me are going to be family so you better get used to this crazy Italian bugging the hell out of you" said Bianca with a light laugh.
Kyle pondered the predicament for a moment. If he told Bianca, maybe she would be able to make Heath see some sense and maybe get used to the fact that Kyle wasn't going to leave any time soon.
"It's nothing really, just silly stuff" said Kyle, thinking against telling her.
"Seriously, I know it's something that's obviously important to you. Just tell me" said Bianca kindly.
Kyle sighed.
"It's Heath. He says that most people hate me. I've tried everything to make up for what I did, and I mean everything, but Heath just won't let it go" he looked up at Bianca.
"Heath is just so overprotective of Casey. I mean, it was his little brother that nearly died, I think he struggles to remember that you were hurting too. Listen, I'll talk to him, see if I can convince him to like you a little bit" said Bianca with a small smile, "now come on, let's get back up to the house"
Kyle and Bianca walked in silence back to the house, both deep in thought. Bianca knew that Kyle had changed, most of the Bay could see that, but Heath loved Casey and to nearly lose him the way he did had torn him apart.
Heath was watching a footie game on the telly when Bianca walked in with Kyle. Brax looked worn out, leaned over the table. He did such a good job of keeping his family together and he couldn't let them fall apart.
"Don't tell me, Kylie here told you a sob story" said Heath, mocking his younger brother.
"Don't call me that" growled Kyle through gritted teeth.
"Heath" said Bianca warningly, "I need to talk to you"
Heath rolled his eyes and groaned.
"Fine, but don't expect any miracles" he sighed, moving his legs off the sofa to make space for Bianca.
"I'll be in my room" said Brax heading for the hallway, "I'll talk to Kyle in there"
Brax pushed Kyle in front of him and they left the lounge, leaving Heath and Bianca to talk.
Bianca sighed and rested her head on Heath's shoulder. Things always seemed so complicated when it came to the Braxtons but they really didn't need to be.
"What story did he come up with then?" asked Heath brusquely. Bianca sat up straight and looked at her fiancé.
"He didn't tell me a story, he didn't really tell me much apart from what I don't already know" said Bianca softly, "did you have to make out like everyone hates him?"
"Ok, so maybe I exaggerated a little bit. That doesn't mean he has to go crying about it" said Heath shrugging his shoulders. Bianca closed her eyes and sighed. Heath could be so stubborn.
"Heath" groaned Bianca, "you can see he's trying to make things better. Why don't you give him a little room to breathe?"
"I know he's trying, and that's what makes me so mad. Brax's forgiven him for everything and Casey is ok with him and I just can't get my head around it all" sighed Heath, running a hand through his hair.
"Can you at least try to get on with him? It would mean a lot to me if you could. I don't want to be constantly stepping on eggshells when I'm with your family" pleaded Bianca, taking Heath's hand in hers and placing a kiss on it. Heath sighed and groaned, his head dropping onto the back of the sofa.
"Geez Bianca" said Heath, his forehead creased, "fine, I'll try and be nicer to Kyle"
"Thankyou" said Bianca, beaming at her small victory. She leaned forward and kissed Heath.
Meanwhile, Brax and Kyle had talked a lot about the current situation. Kyle knew he still had a long way to go with some people but at least he had a few people who actually trusted him now.
"Brax, I just want to say thanks, for everything, I don't think I would be here without you" said Kyle .
"No, you wouldn't, but I can see you're a good kid. You just lost your way a bit, that's all" said Brax clapping Kyle on his shoulder, "why don't you grab a sandwich and take it into the garden, might be safer than the kitchen"
Kyle smiled and left Brax's room. If only he had had Brax around him when he was younger, then maybe he wouldn't have gone so badly off the rails. He sighed as he grabbed his sandwich from the fridge and made his way outside. Things would surely be better soon. He only had to work on his relationship with Heath before he felt like he truly belonged in the family.
Kyle pulled his phone out of his pocket as he heard it buzz. It was a message from Casey. 'Hey, want to talk later?' Kyle quickly typed out his response saying that he would meet Casey at the Diner in an hour. Hopefully this talk would bring the end to their feud.
Having popped back inside to grab a drink, Kyle stopped short at the sight in the garden. There was a little girl leaning against the table nibbling away at his sandwich. Kyle didn't know what to do. He thought about calling out to her but didn't want to startle her. She didn't look very healthy. Her long dark hair was knotted and dull and her clothes were really ratty. Kyle took a quiet step back into the house, wincing when his phone went off announcing a new message. The girl span round, her dark eyes wide, a startled expression on her face. Kyle stared back at her not knowing what to do. He took a tentative step forward, but that was all it took. The girl turned on her heel and ran, scrambling over the fence, jumping down into the path behind the house. Kyle raced forward as the child's panicked footsteps hurried further away.
"Dammit" cursed Kyle under his breath, running back into the house.
He nearly knocked over Brax on his way in.
"Slow down mate" laughed Brax, his expression faltering when he saw Kyle's face, "what's wrong?"
"A child, there was a little girl eating my sandwich" gasped Kyle.
Note: What do you think of this first chapter? I just wanted to put a bit of background into the current situation with the Braxton brothers before introducing more themes.
~Brani