Authors Note: I do NOT own Home and Away! All credit to the writers.

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Co-written with PsychGirl25. Let us know what you think. Drop a review.

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Enjoy.

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Chapter Seven:

"Thanks for coming over," Nicole said as she leaned against the doorframe of the front door. "I know I live in a madhouse."

"Nic, I'm not going to lie and say that you don't live in a madhouse," Mitch told her as he reached out to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. "Your family are really nice."

Nicole laughed. "You should see them all in the morning fighting over the last piece of bacon."

"I'll probably fight for the last piece of bacon too," Mitch said. "I really should go, Mum wants me to start cooking dinner before her and Dad get home from work."

"Okay," Nicole said softly. "See you tomorrow?" She asked.

Mitch smiled, leaning down he kissed her on the lips. "You bet. Bye babe."

"See ya." Nicole said, closing the door behind him.

"Nic, can I talk to you?" Nicole had just closed the door behind Mitch when she heard Brax's voice.

She sighed. "What do you want to talk about, Brax?"

Brax looked at her, running a hand through his hair as he exhaled. "We need to talk about what you called me before."

Nicole sighed again as she sat down on the coffee table. "I don't know what to say, Brax. It just slipped out."

"It meant a lot to me, you calling me Dad." Brax told her as he sat down in the armchair opposite her.

"I guess I do see you as my dad," Nicole said honestly. "But I do have another Dad as well."

"I understand that, Nic."

"I just feel like I'm betraying my dad in some way." Nicole said softly, looking up at him.

"Nic, you're allowed to feel that way, but your Dad would want you to be happy."

"I'm scared, Brax, it feels like I'm still betraying my Dad in some way."

"You're allowed to feel that way. But listen, my kids call Charlie mum, and Tegan doesn't seem to mind, she's happy about it. Your dad probably feels the same way," Brax told her. "I see you as a daughter Nic, you know that. I love you and the rest of you brats."

"Hey!" Nicole protested.

Brax grinned. "Do you know how much hassle it is putting up with you lot?"

Nicole grinned in spite of herself. "We're not brats."

"Yeah? Who put hair dye in my shampoo?" Brax asked.

Nicole smirked. "Got ya. That was Kyle and Case"

Brax shook his head. "Those two are basically my kids" Brax said and Nicole smiled softly. "You know if it helps then perhaps you can talk to Tegan"

Nicole shrugged. "I don't think I need to, is it okay to call you dad? I might not do it all the time but when it feels right?"

Brax nodded. "Yeah, of course. Maybe one day that's all I'll hear out of your mouth"

Nicole giggled. "Maybe…Father"

Brax sighed, shaking his head in disgust. "I hate that name. Bianca is gonna pay for bringing that up in front of you kids"

Nicole laughed as she stood up. "Auntie Bi's cool, I bet she could pull some pranks"

Brax jumped up. "Don't even ask her! She's like a…a…she's a master at pulling pranks"

Nicole rolled her eyes. "You're exaggerating"

Brax looked mortified. "Are you kidding? With the help of Heath she once put plastic wrap on the outside of my bedroom door, I couldn't get out. I was stuck; I had to run through it, it wasn't easy"

Nicole burst out laughing. "Come on!"

Brax shook his head. "She put toothpaste in a can of whipped cream; I put it on my waffles!"

Case laughed as he walked into the room. "What about the time she got you drunk and then hid a rubber snake in your bed, you ran out of the house in your boxers screaming 'Snake Attack'" Casey couldn't contain the laugher at that one and neither could Darcy who leaned against the door.

"What about the time she put itchy power in your brush, you couldn't work out why you had itchy hair for three weeks straight. She convinced you that you had nits in your hair."

Bianca giggled as she came into the house, Charlie by her side. "The best prank I ever pulled I had to recruit all the kids for. It started out as a small joke, I was going to fill the house with balloons and but then I got this idea. I put confetti in the balloons, water, jelly, glue and hot pink feathers in separate buckets in the doorways four bedrooms. I hid in the back one with the kids" Bianca laughed. "Brax came home and was so pissed off, he started popping balloons and confetti was going everywhere. He got even angrier; we were killing ourselves laughing cause he was cursing the day I was born as all these buckets fell on him. He eventually found us in the back room. He was covered in hot pink feathers, jelly and confetti. It was hilarious"

Charlie burst out laughing at the sight of Brax red face glaring at Bianca. "It took four showers! And a week to clean the house" Brax turned to Charlie. "Why are you laughing? Don't think she's your friend, she'll turn on you and one day you'll wake up cuffed to the bed in purple fluffy handcuff, with your face drawn on so you're a clown"

"Bianca" Charlie exclaimed.

Bianca shrugged. "All my pranks were for the sake of making Brax miserable"

Brax wiggled his eyes. "Purple handcuffs, Charlie"

"Eww dad, too much information." Darcy cringed.

"Yeah, we don't need to hear about yours and mums sex life." Jack grimaced.

"What sex life?" Charlie asked, glaring at Brax.

"You're the one that moans about being fat." Jack pointed out. Charlie's lip started to quiver.

"I'm fat because I've got these massive fat twins growing inside me!" Charlie howled. "Brax, I want pickles and ice cream!"

"I got a better idea," Brax said, walking into the kitchen. He grinned as he located a bucket and filled it with water. Walking back into the lounge, he snuck up behind Charlie and…..

"What the fuck!" Charlie screamed as she felt water tip all over her head. "Brax!"

Brax grinned.

"I'm gonna kill you!" Charlie screamed.

"She probably would." Ruby murmured to Casey, seeing how mad Charlie was, no one would want to mess with her.

"Let's call this a little bit of payback." Brax told Charlie, cocking his head to the side.

"Arghhhhh!" Charlie screamed. That's it Darryl Braxton, you're dead!" Charlie shouted as she moved towards him.

Brax laughed as he ducked out into the backyard. "Are you gonna catch me are you?" Brax taunted as Charlie advanced on him, he ran backwards so he could look into her eyes, clearly taunting her. "Come on baby, bit slow there"

Charlie tried to keep the smile out of her eyes as she attempted to run a little faster causing him to quicken up his pace and topple back into the pool.

"Holy fuck!" Brax shouted.

The kids couldn't contain their giggles as Brax frantically came back up to the surface.

"Nice swim dad?" Joey teased.

"Is that how you pull a prank, dad?" Ruby asked.

"That backfired! Are you feeling refreshed, daddy?" Cassie asked.

"That's the best thing I've ever seen!" Lucas laughed as he fell onto his butt. "Dad you suck!"

"Here, honey," Charlie said, handing Brax a towel with a massive grin on her face. "Never mess with the Queen of Pranks!"

"We'll see, I'll get you eventually." Brax told her as he pulled of his shirt to dry himself off.

"I don't think so, Brax," Charlie said. "Anyway, I gotta go, I have my doctors' appointment," Charlie said as she leant up to kiss Brax on the lips. Brax wrapped his arms around her, getting water on her.

"Brax!" Charlie squealed.

"Am I coming to this appointment?" Brax asked.

"We need someone to look after the kids." Charlie told him.

"We can do it Mum, let Brax go with you." Nicole said, indicating to her, Ruby and Casey.

"The house still better be in one piece when we come back," Charlie warned. "Extra points if you make lasagne and garlic bread."

"I'm sure we can make something." Ruby said.

"Now go!" Nicole exclaimed, seeing Ruby mouth 'Angelo's' to her she grinned. "We'll sort out dinner."

^..^

Authors Note: Please Review. Let us know what you think.