Here is what would have been Sunday's update. We're at the penultimate chapter now so I hope you enjoy it. When this fic is done, I will be posting a new story called 'Can't Stop Myself (From Loving You)' which is set after Charlie and Joey's first kiss. For now, I hope you like the rest of this one. Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter Twenty Nine

The tension that evening was obvious. Ruby had a horrible feeling she knew what had happened but she opted not to voice her concerns. She had been worried about Charlie and Joey's situation getting too complicated and now it seemed it had. That night in bed, neither Joey nor Charlie was able to sleep and in the morning, Joey escaped the house before Charlie could even say so much as good morning to her. Suddenly, the police officer knew how Joey must have felt the first time around when Charlie had been avoiding her. Guilt doubled as Charlie wondered how on earth she was going to fix things.


The evening after their surprise encounter, Joey was late home from work. With Ruby spending the evening with Nicole, Charlie was left home alone to fret. She bolted out of her seat when Joey finally showed up. It was nine o'clock.

"Hey," Charlie said desperately.

"Hi," Joey said, looking as awkward as she had ever since last night.

"How are you?"

Charlie clasped her hands together anxiously.

"I'm good," Joey replied. "And you?"

Charlie merely nodded.

"Well, I'm going to get an early night," Joey said. "I'm pretty tired."

Charlie watched helplessly as Joey moved towards her room.

"Please don't leave me!" Charlie burst out.

Joey spun back around and stared as Charlie looked close to tears.

"Please don't leave me," Charlie said more calmly this time. "Please? I know I did wrong yesterday but can't we just forget about it and move on? I'm sorry."

"I thought we had forgotten it," Joey said, shoving her hands into her pockets.

"Then why have you been avoiding me ever since?" Charlie wanted to know.

Joey looked guilty.

"Please forgive me for what happened and then we can just go back to how we were," the police officer said. "I don't want to lose you."

"You're not going to lose me," Joey said.

She sighed heavily and moved to sit on the sofa. Charlie perched nervously beside her.

"Why do you keep apologising?" Joey wondered.

"Well, because of..."

"I was right there with you, Charlie," Joey pointed out. "If anything, I was the one who started it. I kissed you first. I..."

"But I knew you'd regret it," Charlie said. "I knew you would and I... I went for it anyway. That was selfish. It was wrong of me. I took advantage of you."

Joey stared at the earnest expression on her ex-girlfriend's face, searching her eyes and struggling with the pain she saw there.

"But I'm sorry," Charlie continued. "If you can just forgive me then I can... I can make it right. I swear I'll make it right. Joey, I'll do anything... absolutely anything you want. You just name it and I'll..."

"Charlie..." Joey said gently, touching her hand.

Charlie looked down, encouraged by the physical contact.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Joey said.

"I did. I..."

"It was my choice to sleep with you last night," Joey said. "And you're right. I do regret it."

Charlie tried not to look as heartbroken as she felt. She looked down, studying their hands and swallowing the lump in her throat.

"I made this whole big deal out of not sleeping with anyone," Joey explained. "And then... I just lost control. I was so overwhelmed with lust and all these complicated emotions between us that we both try to pretend aren't there. And I shouldn't have done that. If we were ever going to be together again, then it should at least be for the right reasons – not just because I think I could meet every woman in the whole world and none of them would be as hot as you are!"

She grinned. Charlie managed a laugh and retained hold of Joey's hand.

"So, will you be my friend again?" she asked hopefully.

"I never stopped being your friend," Joey said.

Charlie promptly burst into tears and hugged her. Joey clutched her close and stroked her hair, kissing the top of her head.

"It wasn't meant to be that traumatic," she joked.

Charlie pulled away and wiped her eyes.

"I'm just happy," she said. "I thought you hated me. I thought... I thought I was going to lose you all over again and I... I couldn't live through it again. I just couldn't. You mean everything to me and I..."

She struggled to regulate her breathing again. Joey reached out for her hand once more, squeezing it gently and letting her know that she cared. She gazed into Charlie's face, reading her feelings and suddenly feeling overwhelmed with her own guilt.

"I've been so unfair to you," she said.

Charlie looked startled.

"What do you mean?"

"All this time I've hated Angelo for treating you like shit and I don't think I've actually done any better," Joey said. "I'm so sorry."

"You've treated me perfectly," Charlie insisted.

Joey shook her head.

"I haven't," she said. "Ever since we moved in together, you've done so much for me."

"Because I've wanted to..."

"Because you wanted approval," Joey said boldly.

Charlie looked abashed and apologised again.

"You don't need to keep apologising," Joey said gently.

"Sorry," Charlie said quietly.

Joey pulled her into a hug. She held her tightly before parting enough to be able to look into Charlie's eyes.

"Listen to me," she said. "Things are going to change from here on out."

"But..."

"I didn't realise until now that I was letting you do too much for me. I didn't realise how you were feeling."

"You're not..."

"It needs to be more a partnership," Joey interrupted gently.

Charlie nodded in resignation.

"Whatever you want," she said. "Whatever will make you happy. Like I said, I'll do anything..."

"Charlie," Joey said softly, tears beginning to sting her own eyes. "You're not getting this, are you?"

Charlie just continued to look lost. Joey held her a little closer.

"Me being happy isn't the be all and end all," Joey said. "It's about you too."

Charlie shook her head and began to protest.

"Charlie," Joey continued in the same soft tone. "You are a beautiful person. You're amazing. And you deserve to be happy as much as anybody does."

"I just want you to be..."

"I know," Joey said. "I know. And I love you for that. But you have to be selfish too. You have to tell me what you want from me. You have to relax and find your own sense of self worth. You have to stop taking responsibility for things you're not to blame for. You have to learn to love yourself again... or maybe for the first time."

Charlie chewed her lip and nodded.

"I just want everything to be okay between us," she said.

Joey stroked her face.

"It is," she promised. "And I'm sorry for freaking out on you. It was selfish of me."

"It's fine," Charlie said honestly. "We're fine?"

"Absolutely," Joey assured her.

They hugged again, clinging on tightly to each other.