Thank you guys for the reviews. I know the last chapter wasn't as long as usual but I do hope this makes up for it :). This chapter is focused on Chax. Enjoy :)


Brax chuckled lightly as, Charlie, curled into him the instant he got into bed

"Miss me already"

"Not you" spoke, Charlie, her eyes closed "Just your chest" she snuggled deeper into him and Brax grinned "Ok maybe you just a little" Charlie added sleepily as Brax lay one hand on her hip before they both fell asleep

Three months later

"Hope Elise, get back here now" Charlie called after Hope, who was running down the hall, in her panties "Hope, I won't ask you again"

Hope shook her head "I no want to" she shouted and Charlie exhaled, getting tired of Hope's recent behaviour

"Fine"said Charlie, and walked into the living room, looking at Hope who was standing at the other end of the couch, ready to run if Charlie tried to come after her "I'll just go speak to your Nana Elise, in heaven and tell her to tell Santa not to bring you anything for Christmas this year because you have been a very naughty girl"

"Nana cant dont that. She no friends with Santa"

"No, everyone in heaven is friends with Santa. And that includes Nana Elise and grand dad Ross"

Hope's, eyes widened and she shook her head "No, don't. I no being a naughty girl"

"Yes you are and Santa is going to hear all about this" Charlie went to turn and Hope, balled her fists up, her eyes filling with tears

"It no fair" her bottom lip wobbled and Charlie turned back to face her "I want my pwesents"

Charlie sighed "Naughty girls don't get presents and right now you are being naughty"

"But I no want to bath"

"You have to" Charlie glanced back at the bathroom knowing, Caleb, was in there alone "So are you coming with mummy or am I going to go have to let Nana Elise know she needs to talk to Santa about you"

Hope shook her head and wiped her arm over her wet eyes "I coming"

Charlie smiled lightly as Hope moved away from the back of the couch before walking down the hall. Charlie looked up as the front door opened and Ruby and Brax walked in

"Hey" Brax and Ruby, spoke simultaneously and ,Charlie, grumbled a reply before turning and walking back down the hall and into the bathroom

Ruby and Brax glanced at one another

"How much you willing to bet, her mode as something to do with Hope?" said, Ruby, as she walked into the kitchen, pulling a bottle water from the fridge

Brax, exhaled and rubbed his hand against the back of his neck "I don't doubt it for a second"

"Well, thank you for today" said Ruby. She and Brax, had had another day out and had opted to go back to the beach that was soon becoming their favourite spot "But I'm gonna leave you guys to it. No doubt, Hope, is going to protest to another baby sister before the night is over"

Brax sighed "I best go check to make sure she doesn't have Charlie crying in a corner of the bathroom"

Ruby, chuckled before walking down the hall and into her room. Her phone in her hand as she called, Casey, to let him know she and Brax, were back home

...

"Hey" Brax leaned against the bathroom door, smiling at Hope and Caleb, before he looked over at Charlie "How was your day?" walking to Charlie, he placed a kiss on her temple and Charlie looked up at him

"Sorry about before" she said and smiled as he placed a proper kiss on her lips and like always, Hope and Caleb, covered their eyes till Brax told them they could once again look

"Daddy I no be naughty today" Caleb said "But Hope did. She run away from mummy"

Hope shook her head, splashing water at Caleb "No, I no be naughty"

Brax cocked an eyebrow "Why don't I believe that" he walked over to the tub and crouched down in front of the twins "Why don't you go get some rest and I'll get these two cleaned and ready for bed

"Ok" Charlie nodded, to tired to protest, before stepping out of the bathroom

"Good night guys" Brax placed a kiss on Hope's, temple and then on Caleb's "And you guys stay in bed tonight ok" he looked at, Hope "Especially you missus"

Hope gave a sweet smile "Pwomise"

Brax shook his head with a little smile "Ok". He stood and turned the light off, stepping out of the room before going back into the living room, where Charlie was curled up, asleep

"Hey" Brax slipped in next to her, his arms rubbing the soles of her feet as she woke slowly "Long day?" he asked and Charlie sighed

"Something like that" she groaned in appreciation as Brax applied a bit more pressure to the soles of her feet "How was your day?"

"Good" Brax nodded "I swear, Rubes is getting better at surfing than I am"

Charlie gave a small smile "I'm thinking me and you need to start having a, Charlie and Brax, day once a month as well, or maybe one a week"

Brax smiled "That would be nice" his hand moved up her feet, gently caressing her calf's and making their way up "So you gonna tell me what had you cranky earlier?"

Charlie rolled her eyes "Take a guess" she spoke and sighed "She really isn't taking well to this baby, Brax. Everyday her behaviour keeps getting worse and don't even get me started on when anyone mentions or speaks about the baby"

Brax sighed "She'll get used to the idea. She's just scared things are gonna change"

Charlie shook her head "You keep saying she'll get used to the idea but I really don't see that happening anytime soon" Charlie rubbed her now fairly big bump, being at seven months "The baby is due in two months Brax" she exhaled "I don't want her trying to flush this baby down the toilet"

Brax, laughed even as Charlie glared at him "Hope, isn't going to try and flush the baby down the toilet" Brax placed one hand on Charlie's bump and smiled as the baby kicked "See pip agrees with me. Look ,Hope's, scared but once the baby comes and she see we still love her the same, she'll be back to her old self. Plus pip might might be a boy"

Charlie grumbled under her breath "I hope you are right about her going back to her old self, especially if we do have a girl. I just want her to be excited like, Caleb"

"And she will be… in time" Brax added as ,Charlie, cocked a disbelieving eyebrow

"I still don't like that you're still working, Charlie" Brax spoke as he buttoned up his shirt

Charlie rolled her eyes. They had been having this same conversation since the pregnancy hit six months "And I have told you I am more than capable of doing my job. I'm not the first pregnant woman to ever work"

Brax sighed "And I know that, but not all those women are police officers"

"But some are" replied Charlie

"Yea and they usually tend to stick to desk work when they are this far along, Charlie" Brax walked over to her as she buttoned her own shirt "Being out there is too risky for you. It would honestly put my mind at ease if I didn't have to think of you answering call outs to deal with dodgy people"

"Brax, I'm not going to be taking part in any take down missions. I'll be with Jack at all times and we will only be answering local call outs. And we might not get any call outs"

"Even still…I don't like it"

"We won't be answering any life threatening call outs, Brax" Charlie, leaned up and kissed him "I promise"

"Charlie I told you to stay in the car" hissed Jack

"And I told you, just because I'm pregnant don't mean I can't do my job anymore" Charlie stood beside him, staring the group down

Jack, groaned and muttered under his breath before turning back to the mangrove river boys that were staring at him with disinterest

"I've told you guys once, clear away from here ok. If not you'll be spending the night behind bars"

All the four guys burst out laughing, and one cocked his head slightly as he looked at Charlie

"You're a pretty thing" he grinned "How about a quickie?" he winked at her "I'm sure we can work around the bump"

All his mates burst out laughing and, Charlie, went to step forward but ,Jack, quickly blocked her path

"One last warning guys" Jack glared at them, and stepped forward. He had already called in two more officer's knowing that this particular set of guys weren't easily rattled by the police

"Or what?" one stepped to him, his face only inches from Jack. Somehow, Jack, knew this wasn't going to end well, turning to Charlie to tell her to step back, he felt himself stagger back as a punch landed on his jaw. Before he could regain a steady stance the guys ran in different directions and, Jack's, head snapped back as he heard Charlie scream

"Charlie" he crouched down to her side as she held to her stomach "Charlie?" looking at her he could see her clenching her jaw and her eyes glazed over

"I landed on my stomach, Jack" her voice shook and a tear dropped "He pushed me and…" she stopped talking and clenched her stomach

"Charlie Braxton" Brax all but shouted at the woman behind the hospital desk "Where is she?"

"Sir could you please calm down" the woman gave him a disapproving look but Brax, didn't seem to care

"I don't want to calm down. I need to see my wife, she…"

"Brax"

Brax, stopped talking and turned around as he heard ,Jack, call his name

"Where is she?" Brax ran to Jack, his eyes searching his surrounding as if hoping to find Charlie

"We only just got here Brax. She's in with one of the doctors"

"What the hell happened?" asked, Brax. He had bolted from the restaurant as Jack had called and said that they were taking Charlie to the hospital. Something about a fall "You said she fell?"

Jack nodded, lowering his head for a moment he exhaled before looking up to, Brax "We got a call out to Mangrove River. Those same guys I've told you about before were causing havoc again. I told Charlie to stay in the car but then I turn around and she's stood right beside me"

Brax's gaze looked thunderous "But how the hell did she fall?"

"One of the guys punched me and when they were trying to get away, one pushed Charlie" Jacks eyes softened "Brax, she says she landed on her stomach"

Brax inhaled sharply, and before Jack could say another word he was storming down the hallway

"What room is she in?" called Brax

"142" answered Jack. The doctor had told him, in case, Brax, turned up before they were through. Running his hand through his hair, Jack, slumped down onto a chair and cursed under his breath

"Just take deep breaths" said the doctor that had introduced herself to Charlie and Doctor Andrews

Charlie inhaled deeply and exhaled. Her head turned to the door as ,Brax, all but sprinted in. Her eyes met his and she knew she had seen a level of anger there before he took in her face and his gaze softened

Walking into the room, Brax stopped beside Charlie. Brushing the whispers of hair that had fallen from her bun back, he looked down at her

"How you feeling?" he asked. He bent slightly and placed a kiss on her forehead

Charlie pursed her lips and shrugged, not knowing what to say. They both turned to doctor Andrews, as she spoke

"You must be Mr Braxton" she asked with a small smile and Brax nodded

"How is she? And the baby?" he questioned

"We're just about to check on your baby now Mr Braxton"

Brax, watched impatiently as everything was set up, his hand in Charlie's as they both waited to hear the sound of their baby's heart beat

Charlie's grip on Brax's hand tightened, as the wait seemed to take forever. She felt herself tremble as the doctor moved the probe around her belly but no heartbeat was heard. Charlie hadn't felt the baby kick once since the fall which was unusual

"What's wrong?" asked Brax, it had never taken this long to hear the heart beat before

Doctor Andrews looked up "Baby might just be in an awkward position, just give it a few more seconds"

Those seconds seemed like hours but finally a strong heartbeat filled the room, and Charlie exhaled, her head dropping back to the pillow

"There it is" Doctor Andrews smiled "Strong steady heartbeat"

"So the baby is fine?" asked Brax

Doctor Andrews nodded "Yes. The baby is fine" she handed Charlie a dry towel to clean up her stomach before Charlie sat up pushing her shirt over her bump "Our main concern was to be sure that baby was still firmly attached to the placenta and seeing as that is the case there is no need to worry ourselves"

"But what about the cramps?" as Charlie said this, she avoided looking at Brax, but she could feel his gaze on her

"I think it's safe to say that those were contractions due to the fall. However it's nothing that won't subside with plenty rest and lots of fluid. So I will suggest you try and stay of your feet as much as possible and maybe think about keeping a bottle of water with you at all times"

"And that will stop her having any more contractions" Brax knew it was way too early to have this baby

Doctor Andrews nodded "I don't see any reason why not" she stood to her feet "I do want you to come straight back in if you do suffer any more sever or continuous cramps"

Charlie nodded "Ok"

Jack had returned to the station after waiting on Brax and Charlie, wanting to make sure everything was ok. Allowing Charlie go home with Brax, Jack reassured her, he would let Joyce know what was happening

Now sat besides Brax, Charlie glanced at him as he drove in silence. Although he had been attentive while they were at the hospital, he hadn't said one word since they left. She knew he was angry with her, especially since he had voiced his concerns about her working that very morning. She wanted to say something, get him to talk to her but she knew it was best to let him work through his anger before trying to speak to him. The last thing she wanted was to argue with him

Stepping into the house, Charlie turned to ,Brax, but he simply walked past her and into the kitchen. Her gaze followed him and she sighed. She had wanted to leave him be for a while but she couldn't. Following him into the kitchen, she watched as he opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water

"Brax" she called but received no reply "I'm sorry I got out of the car, ok"

Brax turned to her and placed the bottle of water down in front of her "Keep this with you. You heard the doctor, you need plenty fluids. If you don't want water there is some juice in the fridge" he walked past her and out of the kitchen "I've got to get back to work" Charlie jumped slightly and winced as the front door slammed shut.

Looking down at the bottle of water, she picked it up and walked into their room, where she changed into one of Brax's shirts that now stretched over her bump and some cotton shorts, before she slipped into bed. She had a feeling ,Brax, was going to be mad at her for a while

Placing her hand on her bump, she sighed "I'm sorry I didn't listen to daddy and uncle Jack. I didn't mean to put you in danger and I promise not to do it again" she smiled lightly as she felt the baby kick for the first time since the fall

"Charlie" Bianca called as she walked into the house "You in" she looked around the living room and frowned. Brax, had said he had left Charlie at home

"Charlie?" she called again

"In here"

Bianca followed Charlie's voice to her and Brax's bedroom. Pushing the door open slightly, Bianca smiled as she looked at the empty ice cream container on the bed side table and the newly opened container on Charlie's lap with a jar of pickles. Bianca's eyes flickered to the TV on the other side of the room and she chuckled as she realised ,Charlie, was watching the proposal

"Hey" Bianca dropped her bag at the end of the bed and walked to the other side "Brax gave me his keys. He though you might be sleeping but wanted me to check on you"

"Probably just wanted to make sure I hadn't sneaked back to work" answered Charlie and ,Bianca, kicked of her sandals and swung both her legs up onto the bed

"Yeah" Bianca sighed "Jack told Martha, what happened and she told me. She would have been here with me but she can't get away from the surf club right now. How you feeling?"

"Ok I guess" Charlie answered with a shrug

"And baby?" asked Bianca

"Baby is fine. Thank God" Charlie dug a chunk from her tub of ben n jerry's and shoved it into her mouth "How was Brax when you saw him?"

Bianca winced slightly

"That bad?" questioned Charlie

"Let's just say in the five minutes I was at the restaurant he had managed to put the fear of God in a few of the staff and the customers weren't getting a five star service… at least not from, Brax"

"So, on a scale of one to ten, how angry would you say he looked?" asked Charlie

Bianca chuckled "Honestly… a good 20"

Charlie swung her head back "Great. He barely said two words to me when he dropped me off home. Apart from telling me to stay hydrated" She picked up the bottle of water that was now almost empty and gave it a good shake before placing it back down on the bed "He was attentive at the hospital, asking if I was ok but as soon as we were out of there… nothing" she pouted. Another spoon of ice cream making its way into her mouth

"Well, I'm guessing he didn't want you freaking out at the hospital especially when you both weren't sure what was going on. But now… well" Bianca sighed "You really should have listen to Jack and stayed in the car, Charlie"

"Oh great, now you're on their side"

"No" Bianca shook her head "I'm on your side, and baby's side" she placed her hand on Charlie's bump "You and baby could have been really injured, Charlie. And I'm pretty sure that is what Brax is angry about. He loves you and you put yourself at risk even though he asked you not to"

Charlie narrowed her eyes "How do you know he asked me not to?"

"He was saying something about it to Heath, before I left the restaurant. Well actually it was more like he was growling"

"It's my job. I can't stop working every time I'm knocked up"

"Did he ask you to stop working or did he just ask you to stop doing field work?"

Charlie, bit into her bottom lip, a guilty look on her face "I can't be stuck behind a desk for months Bianca, it will drive me crazy"

"Yea well, at least it will ensure no harm comes to you and baby. And I think that's the most important thing, don't you? Plus you're already seven months along. At best you would only have to do desk work for five weeks before your maternity leave started"

Charlie exhaled. Bianca was right and she should have listened to ,Brax, but somehow she let her stubbornness get the better of her. Nothing new there

"I've got a feeling I'm gonna be doing a lot of grovelling tonight" muttered Charlie

Charlie's eyes fluttered open; she hadn't even known when she had fallen asleep. The last thing she remembered was Bianca leaving because she had an afternoon period. Shifting slightly, she stilled as she bumped into something. Turning around she smiled lightly as she saw ,Hope, curled up next to her, her hands holding onto the back of Brax's shirt that Charlie had on. She hadn't even heard or felt ,Hope, come into the room.

Leaning forward, Charlie lightly pushed ,Hope's, curls from her face; her face looked so tiny as she slept. Just as ,Charlie, went to pull her hand away from Hope's cheek, Hope's eyes opened and closed for a few seconds before they finally opened fully

"Hey sweetie" Charlie leaned in and placed a kiss on ,Hope's temple. She smiled as, Hope's arms wound around her bump. It had been a while since Hope had given her a hug. Up until now she had wanted to stay as far away from Charlie's bump as possible. Wrapping ,Hope. tightly in her arm, Charlie buried her head in ,Hope's hair for a moment before pulling away

"You miss me, today?" she asked and Hope looked up at her and nodded. She noticed, Hope's eyes travel down to her bump a few times but Hope said nothing on the topic

Charlie looked up as the door opened and, Brax, came into view "You're awake" he said and glanced down at Hope "Both of you"

Charlie, sighed as ,Hope, pulled away and shuffled to the end of the bed before she proceeded to climb down, feet first

"Why don't you go play with Caleb" said Brax "Foods nearly done"

Hope, nodded and quietly left the room.

Charlie cocked an eyebrow, never had her daughter made a quiet exit… ever

"Is she ok?" Charlie sat up on the bed, reaching for the bottle of water that Bianca had brought in for her before leaving

Brax nodded "Yea" he rubbed the back of his neck, but didn't move from the foot of the door "Ruby said, Hope, ran in here after she brought her and Caleb home and because of the position you were sleeping in, she saw the cuts and grazes on your arm"

Charlie frowned. What cuts and grazes was he talking about? She looked down to her left arm and then to her right before she saw that she did indeed have a few small barely noticeable cuts and light grazes that were now red on her arm. She hadn't noticed before but then again she had been too concentrated on the baby being ok, to really think about herself

"I hadn't realised" said Charlie and Brax nodded

"Yea well, Caleb was pacified when Ruby explained that you just had a tiny fall and that you were perfectly fine but, Hope, refused to leave and said she wanted to wait till you woke up. Ruby cleaned the cut up but apparently you were out of it and didn't even stir"

"I am sorry about this, Brax" said Charlie. He didn't seem as angry as he had been earlier in the day but she knew it hadn't dissolved completely

"It's fine. I've made lasagna, it's almost ready and you need to eat"

Charlie nodded and pushed the quilt from her body and stretched

"I'll just go set the table" said Brax before turning around and walking away

Charlie shook her head. So maybe he was still angry with her, but she had said sorry, what more could she do?

Ruby and Casey glanced at one another, the tension in the room not having gone un noticed for most of the night. It had been awkward that afternoon but not too awkward with the twins there to keep everyone entertained.

"We're just gonna head in for the night" said Ruby standing to her feet and pulling Casey along with her. Ruby giving, Charlie, a small smile

"Night" said Casey, to which, Charlie replied before both Ruby and Casey disappeared into their room

Charlie sat biting into her bottom lip as she heard, Brax, moving around in the kitchen. It was only 9.47, too early for bed so, Charlie, knew Ruby and Casey probably just wanted to get away from the tension radiating off Brax

Walking out of the kitchen, Brax, frowned "Ruby and Casey gone to bed?"

Charlie nodded "Yep"

"I might call it a night too. You coming?" asked Brax. Charlie, looked up to see him already walking down the hall. Exhaling out of frustration she stood to her feet turned off the TV and the living room light before walking into their bedroom.

Blowing out a breath, Charlie, walked to the bathroom and stopped at the door as she saw Brax brushing his teeth. She stood and watched him, knowing he had seen her but yet he said nothing till he rinsed out his mouth. He looked up into the mirror at her and cocked a questioning eyebrow

"I've said I'm sorry. It's not like I was aiming to fall, Brax. I should have listened to ,Jack, when he asked me to stay in the car, ok. I'm sorry but you can't give me the silent treatment forever. I already feel bad about today I don't need you to make me feel worse" Charlie crossed her arms over her bump but refrained at the last minute from stomping her feet

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad" was the only reply Brax gave before walking out of the bathroom

Charlie, gaped at him "Really, well you're doing a very bad job of it"

Brax pulled his shirt over his head and, unzipped his jeans letting them drop to the floor, before placing it near the end of the bed. Running his hands over his face he sighed

"Charlie, I'm not looking to fight ok. I just want to get some sleep"

Charlie scoffed "You're not looking to fight but its ok for you to make me feel like crap even after I've apologised about not listening to, Jack"

Brax clenched his jaw "I don't want you to listen to, Jack, I want you to listen to me" he tried to keep his voice down not wanting to wake the twins or have Ruby and Casey hearing them argue. He stomped over to his wardrobe and pulled out one of his sweats before pulling them on

"What does that mean?"

Brax, spun around to face, Charlie "It means just that, Charlie. I want you to listen to me when I tell you something rather than brushing it aside because it's not what you want"

Charlie stood, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape "That's not fair" she pursed her lips

"Isn't it?" questioned Brax "Because it seems to me whenever we have a discussion about most things the only time you listen to me is when you don't care either way. I tell you something and you just push it aside and give me a reason as to why I shouldn't worry. But I do worry Charlie, because you're my wife"

"All this because I won't stop working" said Charlie, her eyebrows pinched together

Brax shook his head "No, all this because you didn't even consider that my asking you to not go out on the field was for your own safety and the safety of our child. And I never asked you to stop working"

"But you know I don't want to spend weeks on end doing desk work" said Charlie, her voice rising slightly. Her eyes had now glazed over, and she had lowered herself to the edge of the bed

"And I don't feel it necessary to have one of the staff stay behind with me when we close late at night, but I do and why?" Brax, questioned "Because you said you didn't like that I was there so late at night by myself. You asked if I could have at least someone help and I obliged not because I felt it was necessary but because it meant you didn't worry so much. You didn't like when I had to meet suppliers late in the day, in the city, because it meant having to drive back by myself late at night and you didn't think that was always a good idea. So what do I do? I make sure to schedule them all for early in the morning regardless of the fact that I then have to get up at the crack of dawn just so I can get back home on time, again I do this just so you don't worry" he exhaled, shook his head and moved to his side of the bed before getting in.

Charlie sat still for a while. Thinking over what Brax had said, only made her feel even guiltier, because he was right. If something made her feel uncomfortably, Brax went out of his way to correct it but she simply just shrugged him off and ignored all his concerns. Slowly slipping into bed, she sighed as, Brax, turned off the bed side lamp on his side, his back to her


Ok, I just couldn't help myself. I dont think I have had Chax argue very often so I just couldn't resist getting that in there but dont worry, I hate Chax fight just as much as you guys. all shall be well soon... I think ;)