A/N ok heres another chapter for my loyal fans, mine and Jarlies, hope you enjoy! Like always read and review, makes me type faster lol.
ENJOY!
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Charlie stood in the bathroom, small beads of water rolling down her tanned silken skin. The shower had relaxed her a little but now she was out she just stood staring at herself in the mirror, The realisation had hit her, sure she had cried, she had felt the pain but now it really hit her.
She heard the door creak behind her and watched in the mirror as Joey carefully walked towards her and wrapped her arms around her stomach, she laid her head on Charlie's back and held her, eventually the sobs started and Joey held her tighter.
"Its ok baby, I'm here I promise I wont let you" Joey repeated her words softly into Charlie's back, after a few moments the sobs weakened until eventually they stopped.
"I'm sorry I just…"
"There is no need to apologise, come on lets get you dressed and we can grab some breakfast?" Joey watched as Charlie turned in her arms, she bent down slightly and allowed her lips to meet with Joey's.
"What would I do without you wifey?" She asked sadly.
"Well my love, I'm afraid I'm here to stay, your not getting rid of me that easily so you will just have to get used to having me around" Joey smiled lovingly.
"I don't want you to go anywhere, I want to spend every moment of the rest of my life, right by your side" Charlie allowed her fingers to interlock with Joey's as her other hand grabbed her towel and wrapped it around herself.
Ten minutes later saw Charlie sat at the table in the dining room wearing just a pair of shorts and a simple vest. Joey stood over the stove humming softly as she waited patiently for the kettle to boil.
Ruby and Aden entered quietly and smiled when they realised they wernt alone.
"You're here early Aid" Joey smiled as she pointed at the cups and he shook his head informing her he wasn't joining them for coffee's.
"I'm just heading home now for a shower and to get changed then I will be back" He smiled warmly at his best friend as he laid his hand softly on Charlie's shoulder to allow her knowledge of his support.
"Right beautiful, I had better go and get sorted" he tried to hide his grin as he turned to Ruby.
"Ok, I had better do the same" She smiled sadly. Aden pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. He allowed his face to drop to the side of her head, his lips almost on top of her ears. " I will be an hour at the most" Ruby nodded into his embrace, pulling back slightly she allowed her lips to brush lightly against his. He loosened his grip and made for the door, both feeling instantly weaker and colder as their contact was broken.
"See you guys soon, is there anything you need?" He asked as he held back leaving, he really didn't want to but he could hardly go to his girlfriends fathers funeral in long grey shorts and a black t-shirt. He watched as the girls shook their heads and left them to it. He hated seeing them all so upset, he vowed to make sure that they were cheered up soon. He had spent time talking to Ross on the wedding night and he knew Ross would not want them all upset, he wanted his life celebrated, so he vowed he would do Ross's work and cheer his girls up.
An hour later Aden knocked on the door softly. Joey turned and smiled as he entered, her smiled warmed when Morag followed him in. He looked half apologetically at Joey, hoping he had done the right thing by asking Morag to come with him.
Joey nodded slightly and offered Morag a coffee, she couldn't help but feel bad for Morag, she looked a wreck, only half the woman she had been when she had broken the news to the girls. They had seen her once or twice since then but today she looked purely dreadful.
Ruby entered the room and her sullen face broke when she saw Aden, she walked confidently over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Carefully whispering how much she had missed him.
She pulled away and handed him the necklace he had bought her, she turned around as Aden locked the clasp, placing a simple kiss on top of Ruby's head, he grabbed a coffee from Joey and sat it next to Morag, returning to grab his and Ruby's they joined Morag at the table attempting to make small talk.
Eventually Charlie joined the four, as she walked into the room Joey felt her heart jump into her mouth, she swore for a moment she stopped breathing as she allowed her eyes to flow over Charlie's form.
"Wow" she finally muttered cursing herself for the thoughts running through her mind on the day of her father in laws funeral. Charlie grabbed a coffee and began to drink it quickly; she needed the caffeine to help her get through the rest of the day. She had chosen to wear a dress instead of trousers. It came to the bottom of her knees, black almost Lycra like material. The sleeves were three quarter length and the neck dipped and pooled from her long slender neck to the base of her cleavage. She wore a simple necklace that Joey had bought her on their holidays, it was silver with Topaz gems encrusted to it, it pulled out the colour in her eyes and matched her engagement ring.
Charlie smiled and greeted Morag as she sat next to Joey who instantly entwined their fingers, making sure she kept her promise from last night, not to let go of her hand.
Eventually the herse arrived and the five of them slowly made their way to the funeral car. Charlie looked into the back of the black herse and saw her fathers coffin, she wanted nothing more than to run to it, lift the lid and snuggle into his arms, tell him to wake up because it was a misunderstanding. She tore her eyes away and noticed the tears welling in Ruby's, she pulled her into her and held her tightly as the sobs started.
"He's really…. He's really gone isn't he?" Ruby sobbed into her sisters shoulder.
"Yeah he is, I'm sorry Rubes" Charlie soothed as she stroked her hand over Ruby's hair. Ruby pulled herself tighter into Charlie as her sobs engulfed her soul.
"He's gone" she repeated over and over again, asif trying to force the words to be real in her head. Charlie glanced at Joey with sorrowful eyes, she didn't know how to sooth her baby sister, when they had buried their mother they at least had their fathers support.
"Guys, why don't you go ahead, I think me and Rubes will walk there" Charlie pleaded with Joey not to argue, she knew she wouldn't like the idea of leaving her but she needed some time alone with her sister.
Joey nodded knowingly and laid her hand on Aden's arm when she heard him begin to protest. Joey, Aden and Morag watched on helplessly as the two Buckton girls walked away from them, Charlie reached down and held Ruby's hand, Ruby glanced up at her sister tearfully and smiled.
"Rubes, I know it hurts, but you know we will cope don't you?" Charlie asked sadly, they had walked in silence for a few minutes and she had decided it was time to break it.
"I know Charlz, with mum she was there one day and gone the next and I found that hard to understand, even though I was five at the time. I remember when I was a little older, about 8, I remember thinking if that happened to mum it could quite as easily happen to you or dad" Ruby wiped the tear that rolled across her cheek.
"I remember thinking if I was going to lose one of you, I wanted to know so I had time to say goodbye, so I could right all the wrongs and you know make peace with things but now I think it was worse. I have spent the last year and a half just waiting, waiting and waiting and now he is gone the whole time has felt like a blur" Charlie allowed her gaze to fall upon the sea as she listenened to her sisters words, she needed to allow her to vent.
"All I have been able to think about is when you go, your next… I don't know whether I can say goodbye to you. I'm not saying mum and dad were bad parents in any way but your more like my mother, you have given so much up for me and done everything you could to support me in everyway, you're my guardian angel, my best friend, my sister, I don't want to lose you too" Ruby allowed the sobs to take over her body again.
"Hey, Rubes I am not going anywhere for a very long time ok? I couldn't leave you and Jo, you're my family, my home, you two are where I belong, please don't dwell on what may happen in the future. Dad made me promise to live for the day so I want you to do the same, do what makes you feel happy today and deal with the consequences tomorrow. Rubes…. I'm not going to leave you" Charlie pulled her sister tightly and allowed her tears to fall.
"I promise I will always look after you" Charlie sobbed into Ruby. "I promise I will look after you too" Ruby sobbed and made Charlie giggle a little.
"Come on, lets go give the old man a proper send off, then what do you say after the coffee and cakes you and I get pissed?" Charlie grinned, she knew she wanted nothing more to down a cold drink, to feel the alcohol burn at her throat.
"Sounds like a plan" Ruby smiled as she took Charlie's hand again. "Come on Cha Cha, dad will be waiting"