Hi everyone! I've decided to do the unthinkable and follow the rest of the plots Home and Away has been giving us, i.e. the shark attack, Angelo's return and the whole Charlie/Ruby thing. As much as I haven't been a fan of some of them, I can't help sitting and watching and thinking how interesting they would be to watch if Joey had stayed or returned and was by Charlie's side as she dealt with them but that's what I'm going to do. So, here we go again... we're doing it a different way! Love IJKS xxx
***
Chapter Forty-Five
With the complaint dropped and Brett having left them alone at last, Charlie and Joey began to feel more normal again. Joey moved the rest of her belongings into the house so that she officially lived with Charlie and the others and since she'd got her job on the trawler, she'd been happily contributing towards rent and bills. The couple had settled into a routine of work and play, enjoying the play time a vast amount more than the work. They focussed in rehearsals and often found themselves quoting scenes over breakfast or lunch. Romeo and Juliet would be finally performed in two months time and while it felt a world away, Charlie and Joey both knew it would creep up before they knew what hit them. Joey still felt sick every time she pictured herself up on stage in costume delivering her lines, although getting to kiss Charlie with the support of an entire audience wouldn't be terrible.
***
Sitting in the Diner, the girls were enjoying a leisurely lunch when Charlie's phone rang. Grumbling, she apologised to Joey.
"Charlie Buckton," she answered.
Joey watched her furrow her brow, thinking that her concentration face was cute.
"What? Okay, I'll be there in a sec. Send some others. We're going to need to cordon off the area if a crowd gathers."
She hung up.
"I have to go," she said apologetically.
"What's up?" Joey asked worriedly.
"Hand in the sand," Charlie said quickly and quietly, leaning over to kiss her girlfriend goodbye.
"Hand in the... what?" Joey asked, alarmed.
"Keep it to yourself," Charlie said. "Please?"
"Okay," Joey said meekly. "Be safe."
"Always am!" Charlie called back.
Joey sat in her chair, never failing to admire Charlie's retreating backside, no matter what the situation.
***
Charlie felt like screaming the police station down. She hadn't been this rushed off her feet in a long time and it didn't look like things would calm down any time soon. VJ had been playing on the beach with Miles and stumbled across a severed hand hidden in the sand. Now rumours were flying all round town that there had been a shark attack and people were hanging around the beach expecting other body parts to wash up. She'd had to work the scene amid a huge crowd, got into an argument with a journalist and was now desperately trying to find the owner of the errant hand and hopefully prove that there was no shark attack, although judging by the way it had been removed, that last part was looking unlikely. As soon as she'd got back to the station, cursing herself for buying into hysteria, she'd called Joey to warn her just in case. Joey had promised to be safe and not spontaneously jump off the boat shrieking 'shark, shark, eat me, eat me!' It was the single thing that had made Charlie laugh since lunch time.
***
After her shift on the trawler, Joey headed to the Diner and collected a take away coffee and a pasta salad to bring to Charlie who had texted to say she'd be working late into the night doing overtime on the shark attack. Approaching the reception desk, Joey smiled shyly at Watson.
"Oh, hey Joey," Watson greeted. "Charlie's in her office. She's cranky, just to warn you."
"I can handle her," Joey laughed.
Entering the office, Joey stopped when she saw Charlie throw a pencil like a missile across the room, complete with a frustrated growl.
"Did the pencil chew the hand off?" Joey asked with mock horror and shock.
Charlie looked up and laughed. Joey was a good stress reliever.
"I come bearing gifts," Joey said, holding out the food and drink. "I figured you wouldn't make time to eat and I know you turn evil without caffeine."
"I do not," Charlie protested. "Well, maybe a little."
Joey put the items down on the cluttered desk and Charlie opened her arms to hug her.
"Thank you," Charlie said.
"No problem."
She surveyed the messy office. Charlie was up to her neck in this case.
"I guess I'd better leave you to it," she said unhappily.
"I'll be home as early as I can," Charlie said, "but it'll probably be after you're already in bed."
"Well, as long as you cuddle up," Joey said, kissing her.
Their kiss deepened for a moment before Joey reluctantly pulled away.
"I'll see you later, Charlie," she said. "Take care, okay?"
Charlie nodded and got back to work.
***
At a loose end, Joey headed round to see Aden. He was sitting in the living room drinking beer. Joey automatically felt guilty that since she'd got together with Charlie, she hadn't been around much for him. He looked terrible.
"What's up?" she asked.
"Belle and I split up," he told her glumly. "For good."
"Oh, Aden, I'm so sorry."
"She's dating Liam, the rock star she met in rehab."
He flopped back down on the sofa, opening a beer and offering it to Joey. She accepted it and sat beside him.
"She met a guy in there? But I thought... Oh, Aden, I'm so sorry."
***
It was one o'clock in the morning before Charlie dragged herself from her desk and headed home. Barely able to keep her eyes open, she entered the bedroom and stripped off.
"Charlie?" Joey squeaked in the darkness.
"Yeah, it's me. I'm sorry I'm so late."
"It's fine. I couldn't sleep anyway."
If she was being honest, Joey hated sleeping alone these days. She still hadn't quite recovered from the nightmares. Knowing that Charlie was still working well into the night made her unhappy. Charlie crept into bed and snuggled up immediately.
"Will you get a lie in tomorrow?" Joey asked.
"No, I need to be in at nine at the latest."
"That's ridiculous!"
"It's just while this case is going on. Then I'll book some time off, I swear. We'll do something nice."
Charlie kissed Joey's cheek and then promptly fell asleep.
