Hey readers, sorry this took so long. I have been so busy with uni lately and it has been full on. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please review :)


"Thanks for picking me up," Ruby said as she slid into Bianca's car. "I didn't have any money for the bus and my car is still at the garage."

Bianca smiled. "It's no problem Rubes, you know that none of us mind picking you up from uni."

Ruby sighed as she put her seatbelt on, hearing the click. "Bi, I want to talk to you about something."

"Let me guess, Charlie?" Bianca asked, tightening her grip on the steering wheel.

"Yeah. Do you think we're being a little bit harsh on her?" Ruby asked.

Now it was Bianca's turn to sigh. "Honestly, I don't know. This is a pretty big thing she kept from us."

"Do you think the reason is justified? ... She's my mum, Bi."

"Listen, Rubes. It's not up to me or anyone else whether you let your mum back into your life or not. This is up to you."

"I don't know what to do." Ruby told Bianca as she took a few sips from the water bottle she kept in her backpack. "I just can't stop thinking about what she put us through, what she put us through. She's my mum, and I thought I lost her forever, and now she's back. It's so messed up."

"I know," Bianca sighed. "Do you want go to the beach?" Bianca suggested. "We can grab a milkshake and go for a walk. Maybe it'll help clear your head a bit."

Ruby nodded. "Okay."

^..^

Ruby looked out at the ocean, she was sitting on the sand with her head rested on Bianca's shoulder.

"I always thought she'd be there for me. But she left me. I love her but I don't know if I can forgive her for leaving me. I'm her daughter, she should have chosen to be with me. Instead she abandoned me."

"I never abandoned you."

Ruby looked up to see Charlie, who had a sad and hurt look on her face.

"This was never easy for me, Ruby. I didn't want things to turn out this way, okay? You think I had a choice?"

"You should've tried harder! You should've tried harder to contact me!"

"You think I didn't try?" Charlie asked. "Ruby, you have no idea."

"Yeah? Why don't you tell me then?"

"I'm sick of this, you're my daughter Ruby and I need you to understand that I love you and that I need you back in my life, I need your fucking support!"

"Okay, both of you, stop!" Bianca exclaimed, holding a hand up.

Charlie looked at Bianca. "I missed you so much Bi."

The expression on Bianca's face softened. "I missed you too."

"I never wanted to abandon any of you guys." Charlie said, her voice choking up. "Why won't you understand that?"

"Because we thought you died," Ruby said, tears beginning to gather at the corners of her eyes. "I thought that I had lost you for good, Charlie. It was so hard. I was finally getting my life back together and then you showed up and it changed everything."

"Why did it take so long for you to come back?" Bianca added. "Pirovic was sentenced not long after he shot you, you could've come back then."

"It wasn't that simple," Charlie said, sinking down onto the sand, her head in her hands. "Jake still had allies out there, allies that could have finished me off if they found out. That's why it took so long. They didn't want me coming back here at all, but I couldn't live in Witness Protection much longer, not without you two and everyone else here," She sighed, looking out of the ocean. She sighed and pushed herself off the ground. "You know what? I'm done. I can explain and explain over and over again, but you will keep saying that I had a choice in this, which I didn't. I'm sick of fighting."

"Charlie…"

"I'm done." Charlie choked out.

Ruby looked at her mum, who had tears running down her face. She could feel her own tears beginning to cascade down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Mum, I just need time to wrap my head around this."

Charlie looked up at Ruby in shock. "What?"

"You're my mum," Ruby let out. "And I thought you died. I might sound like a broken record, but do you know how hard this is?"

"Of course I do baby, it was hard for me too. All I want is my daughter back and for you to understand what I went through," Charlie cried. "It wasn't easy at all. I had no-one in Witness Protection and it was horrible until Anna came along."

Ruby let out a strangled cry before flying into her mother's arms. Charlie held her daughter tightly, crying into her shoulder.

"You're crushing my ribs." Ruby finally said, pulling apart from Charlie and wiping her eyes.

Charlie couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry."

"Rubes, you had every right to be mad at me."

"I know, but I was a bit harsh."

"Ruby's right," Bianca chipped in. "We were way too harsh. Charls, I'm sorry."

Charlie sniffed. "I'm sorry too."

"Do you want to come back to the house?" Bianca offered.

"We can grab a pizza and talk about things." Ruby offered.

Charlie nodded, wiping an eye with the back of her hand. "Okay."