Chapter 25
"Charlie?" Joey asked softly as she tenderly brushed a strand of hair from the other girls face.
"Mmmhm?"
"Are you awake?"
"No" Charlie giggled. She opened her eyes to look up at Joey who was leaning on her elbow to look down at her "What is it?"
"Nothing" Joey shrugged "I was just wondering if you were awake"
"Oh" Charlie smiled "Well in that case...No I'm not awake" she shifted further into Joey's embrace and sighed in contentment.
"It's good to see you happier than you were before" Joey commented sincerely.
"Uh-huh" Charlie responded quietly "But I'll be a hell of a lot happier when I've gotten this talk with Ruby out of the way"
"Nervous?" Joey questioned softly. She took Charlie's hand in her own and squeezed it reassuringly.
"Hell Yes" Charlie sighed forlornly "I hated it when she wasn't talking to me but I don't actually know what to say to her"
"Tell her the truth"
"What?" Charlie asked "What am I supposed to tell her? That I couldn't see an easier way out so I just gave her up?"
"You're too hard on yourself" Joey placed a tender kiss on Charlie's head "You were only fourteen Charlie. What were you supposed to do? You know you couldn't have handled a baby at that age"
"I could have tried" Charlie argued guiltily "I could have...I don't know. I could have ignored my parents. I could have put Ruby first for once instead of my life. Instead of my job"
"Are you kidding me?" Joey actually laughed at Charlie's statement causing the older girl to tense in her arms "Sorry...I just mean that...When have you not put Ruby first Charlie? You do everything for her. She's lucky to have you"
"I lied to her"
"Because you thought that was what was best for her" Joey countered "You really need to stop beating yourself up about this Babe...You did the best thing for Ruby in the situation and she'll realise that when you've explained it to her"
"I don't know" Charlie looked up at Joey and offered her a weak smile "I think I just need to think about all of this..."
"You Buckton's and your 'thinking things over'" Joey grinned "It's like a family trait...You over analyse"
Charlie shrugged sheepishly before her expression turned slightly more serious. She pulled away from Joey's embrace and sat up in the bed "Joey?"
"What?" Joey too pushed herself into a sitting position as worry washed over her "What's wrong?"
"I know you said you were okay with it..." Charlie started nervously "But are you really okay with the fact that I have a daughter?" Joey was about to interrupt but Charlie continued "I mean doesn't it bother you in the slightest that I'm a mother?"
"No" Joey responded sincerely "It doesn't matter to me at all. And I'm definitely not going to leave. In case you haven't noticed I'm kind of attached to you two. Despite your drunken tendencies"
"Good" Charlie sighed in relief "that's good" her eyes widened in surprise when she registered Joey's final word "Wait! What drunken tendencies?!"
Joey grinned smugly "Nothing important..."
"I didn't do anything embarrassing did I?!"
The younger girl shrugged.
"C'mon Joey tell me!" when Joey merely grinned at her Charlie pouted "Please Jo?"
"That's cheating" Joey narrowed her eyes at Charlie "You know I can't resist that look"
"Sorry...So what did I do?"
"Fine. I'll tell you" Joey said seriously. She paused for a moment and Charlie gazed at her apprehensively "Well first of all you confessed your undying love to a potted plant...this was before you decided to strip in the middle of the bar while singing 'Don't Cha" by the PCD but on the bright side I don't think anyone was complaining..." Joey tried to keep a straight face but at the look of unadulterated horror on Charlie's face she burst into uncontrollable giggles.
"Joey!" Charlie slapped her lightly on her arm "That was mean! You were kidding...Right?!"
"Yeah" Joey laughed "I was kidding..." at Charlie's sigh of relief she continued "About the plant"
"What?!" Charlie exclaimed.
"Sorry" Joey gasped through her laughter " I'm joking...You're just so damn easy..." she managed to sober up after a moment "But you did sing a really bad rendition of 'you were always on my mind' by Elvis Presley "
"Oh My God" Charlie cringed blushing profusely "Were we in public?"
"No" Joey grinned cheekily "We were walking down the beach which was empty"
"Phew" Charlie said in relief.
"Y'know...You're incredibly cute when you're all flustered and embarrassed"
"Yeah?" Charlie smiled.
"Yeah" Joey breathed before she moved forward and captured Charlie's lips with her own in a fervent but impossibly soft kiss. She threaded a hand through the other girls' hair and pulled her close. Though slightly surprised at the suddenness of the action Charlie responded after a matter of seconds.
"Wow" Charlie gasped when they finally pulled away for air "That was...unexpected" she tugged Joey back into the kiss.
"Okay" Joey said breathlessly when she pulled away "We have to stop before I'm not able to" she clutched Charlie's hand which had trailed underneath her t-shirt in order to still it.
"Why do we have to stop?" Charlie pouted.
"Because you have to talk to Ruby" Joey replied "Now go jump in the shower" she kissed the older girl chastely "And I'll make you some Coffee" she jumped clambered over Charlie and out of the bed.
"You're too sensible" Charlie smiled.
"Maybe" Joey called behind her as she walked towards the door "But one of us has to be"
Charlie slumped down against the pillows and sighed happily "What did I do to deserve her?"
---
"Hey!" Joey chirped happily as she walked into the kitchen to see Ruby sitting at the table.
"Hi..." Ruby muttered in response.
"What's wrong?" Joey questioned in concern "You don't sound very happy"
"Charlie and I are going to talk" Ruby explained softly "And I don't really know what to expect from it. I don't know what she's going to say"
Joey sat down at the table next to the teenager and gazed at her closely "It scares me how similar you two are. She was freaking out too"
"She was?" Ruby questioned finally looking up at Joey "About talking to me?"
"Yeah" Joey nodded "She was freaking out about what to say to you"
"Oh" Ruby chewed thoughtfully on her lip "Is she still freaking out?"
"Probably" Joey smiled "You know what Charlie's like...and that's the point"
"What is?"
"That you know her" Joey stated firmly "You know Charlie. Charlie knows you. Neither of you are different people than you were before so there's no reason to feel uncomfortable around each other"
"You make it sound so simple" Ruby sighed "Like our relationship hasn't completely changed"
"It hasn't" Joey shrugged "Not really. You could still have the same relationship as before if neither of you let it change"
"I want to..." Ruby said quietly "I just...I don't know how to act around her."
"Then talk to her" Joey reached out and placed her hand comfortingly atop Ruby's.
"Thanks Jo" the younger girl smiled weakly.
"No problem" Joey shrugged.
"I'm sorry about putting you in the middle all of the time...It must get really annoying"
"I don't mind. Really" Joey responded "I'm glad that you feel that you can talk to me about this stuff"
Ruby offered her a small smile and they descended into silence.
"Okay..." Joey said as she stood up "I need to make Coffee because Charlie will be finished in the shower soon and you know how cranky she can be in the morning"
"She's got you wrapped around her little finger" Ruby observed with a warm smile.
"Funny" Joey smirked "I told the same thing about you"
"Yeah well..." Ruby said quietly "She loves us both a lot. We're really lucky to have her..."
"That we are" Joey smiled.
"Well...I should go before Charlie gets out of the shower..." when Joey glanced at her in disappointment Ruby continued "I'm not avoiding her...I just have to clear my head before I talk to her" with that the younger girl turned and left the room.
"Of course" Joey rolled her eyes.
---
"So..." Ruby started nervously as she watched Joey leave the room. She turned her attention back to Charlie who was standing unsurely next to her, her eyes on the doorway.
"Uh..."
"God we're ridiculous" Ruby laughed "We can't even talk without Joey in the room"
"Yeah" Charlie laughed along with the younger girl feeling some of the tension fade from the room "She has become a bit of a mediator between us"
"So...We should sit" Ruby motioned towards the couch. She moved over to it and sat down gesturing for Charlie to do the same.
Charlie sat down and took a deep breath "Okay...Here goes"
Ruby nodded silently indicating that she should continue "Okay..."
"Joey told you that I was um...Raped when I was fourteen right?" Charlie questioned watching Ruby's expression closely.
"Yeah" Ruby winced "She did tell me that"
"I kept it a secret from everybody for a while..." Charlie spoke softly "The guy who did it...A friend of Dad's said that if I told anyone he would kill me so...I stayed silent. But I started to get morning sickness and I eventually had to tell Mum and Dad about it..." she paused for a moment to see how Ruby was taking the information but found she couldn't read her expression "Dad was angry at me. He thought that I had been sleeping around or something. But when he found out he didn't even doubt me. He said..." Charlie trailed off as she choked slightly on her words.
Ruby hesitated for a moment before she reached out and grasped the older girls' hand in her own.
Charlie offered her a weak smile before she continued quietly "He said that I wasn't old enough to cope with a baby and that rather than giving her...you up to complete strangers that they should take you instead. I...I was fourteen and I thought that they know what was best for me. I know that that doesn't excuse that I lied to you for your whole life and I don't expect you to just..."
"I understand"
"Forgive me and..." Charlie continued "Wait...You what?"
"I understand" Ruby repeated slowly "Why you had to give me up. I can't even imagine having a baby at that age. I don't really understand why you lied to me about it but I am sorry that I was so bitchy about it before. I was just so confused and I never should have treated you like that..."
"You had every reason to be mad at me" Charlie argued quietly.
"But I had no right to treat you like I did because no matter what you're Charlie and you're always there for me when I need you" Ruby smiled tearfully "I just don't want to lose you and Joey kind of helped me to realise that"
"I don't want to lose you either" Charlie smiled equally as tearfully "I was just...I was so scared to tell you before..."
They remained silent for a moment as they gazed at each other tearfully before Ruby shifted slightly closer "I still get hugs, right?"
"Of course you do" Charlie smiled opening her arms to the younger girl "C'mere"
Ruby moved quickly into Charlie's offered embrace and found herself immediately enveloped in a tight hug. She pulled back after a couple of minutes to look at Charlie "I don't want this to change anything between us...I mean we're still going to be just as close as before, right? You're not mad at me for what I did?"
"Yeah, Of course we are!" Charlie answered quickly "And I don't think there's anything to forgive. I mean if anything I should be asking you for forgiveness but yes I forgive you Rubz"
"I forgive you too" Ruby smiled warmly "I just want everything to get back to normal...y'know?"
"I know" Charlie nodded slowly "But it might take a while you know that, right?"
"I know" Ruby said quietly as she shifted slightly away from Charlie "But we can do it"
"Yeah, we can..."
A comfortable silence very unlike the tense ones of the past few weeks filled the room before Joey interrupted them.
"Hey" she smiled warily from the doorway "Is it safe to enter"
"Yes" Ruby answered with a smile "I think we're okay for now...Right?" she looked to Charlie for confirmation.
"Yeah" Charlie nodded.
"Good" Joey grinned as she walked into the living room and slumped onto the couch between them, wrapping an arm around both girls' shoulders "Because being a mediator between you two is exhausting!"
"Yeah..." Charlie bit her lip guiltily "Sorry about that Jo..."
Joey shrugged "Don't worry about it...As I said to Ruby when she tried to apologise, It means a lot that you both trust me with this stuff. Anyway what would you two do without my guidance?"
"I'd still be sulking in my room" Ruby replied "Or I'd still be treating Charlie like crap if you hadn't yelled at me"
"And I would probably be drunk or something" Charlie shrugged "Confessing my undying love to potted plants"
"What?" Ruby questioned in confusion "You told a plant that you loved it?"
"No" Charlie laughed "But Joey told me that I did"
"I also told you that you stripped in the bar while singing 'Don't Cha'" Joey grinned cheekily.
"But you didn't, right?" the youngest Buckton asked wide eyed.
"No!"
"Good" Ruby sighed in relief "That's...good"
"So" Joey said suddenly turning her attention to Charlie "How much longer have you got of work?"
"About 3 month" Charlie replied gloomily.
"You know most people would be happy that they had time off work" Ruby shook her head in amusement "But not Charlie the workaholic"
"Am not" Charlie protested amiably.
"Are too"
"Am Not"
"Are too!"
"Am..."
"Hey!" Joey interrupted them "I'm kind of trying to tell you two something here"
"Sorry..." Charlie smiled at Joey "What is it Jo?"
"Well since you have a while off work..." Joey explained excitedly "And Ruby has some time off school..."
"Uh oh..." Charlie muttered.
"I was thinking we could all go out on the boat for a while!" Joey grinned happily "I kind of told Ruby that I would take you both." She glanced over at Ruby "I don't know if you remember...You were kind of delirious with Fever. I was trying to keep you awake"
"I remember" Ruby nodded "In that room"
"Uh-huh" Joey confirmed "That's it"
"I'll go" Ruby smiled.
"I get seasick" Charlie pouted.
"Come on Charlie!" Joey pleaded "It'll be fun and you two can figure stuff out while we're out there...It's kind of hard to run away in the middle of the ocean..."
"I don't know" Charlie bit her lip nervously "I kind of prefer to stay on dry land...What if we sink?!"
"We won't sink" Joey replied "And I'll check the weather for any storms coming in...I promise"
"We should totally go" Ruby contributed. She gazed at the older girl with the infamous Buckton puppy dog look "Please?"
"Okay" Charlie conceded hesitantly "We can go"
"Yes!" Joey and Ruby whooped in unison and high fived each other.
Charlie rolled her eyes in amusement but couldn't help the bright smile that tugged at her lips at the thought of a secret free future with the two most important people in her life.
TBC