Are you surprised that Heath has gone to Melbourne? It seems a little short but it seemed right to end it where I did.

Heath and Brax had watched Charlie walk to the front door in stony silence. Heath had not agreed that it was better if Charlie went to the front door. Brax had tried to explain it would be less suspicious if Charlie had gone. From where they were parked they could also see the back entrance of the house so if Kyle did a runner they could go after him. No one came running out. It was nearly ten minutes later when Charlie came walking back to the car. She could imagine the conversation that had gone on while she was at the house. She got back into the car and turned to speak to Brax.

"He was not there. The girl at the house said she would ring him and see if he will meet us this afternoon. I told her all you want to do is talk to him and then you will leave it up to him as to what he wants to do." Charlie took a drink of water while what she had told Brax sunk in.

"What do you think he will do Charlie?" Brax asked her.

"I don't know. I tried to get her to understand that all you want to do is talk." As Charlie told Brax this Heath huffed in the back seat. Charlie ignored him before she spoke to Brax again. "If Kyle wants to meet you the girl will ring me this afternoon."

Brax nodded to Charlie before he drove off to find somewhere to park. They found somewhere to eat at lunchtime and waited for Charlies phone to ring. It was sometime after they had eaten when her phone started to ring. Charlie picked it up off the bench and answered it. She spoke for a few minutes before she put the phone down and spoke to Brax and Heath.

"He wants to meet down on the front. There is a fairground nearby. Kyle said he will be there in half an hour."

As Charlie finished speaking, Heath interrupted "I wonder if he will turn up with some mates."

Brax shook his head at his brother. "Perhaps Charlie and me should go and lock you in the car," Brax replied. Brax then started the car and following Charlie's instruction she had been given drove and to the fairground. Brax found somewhere to park and they waited until the time to meet was approaching. They got out of the car and walked to where Kyle said he would meet them. Heath walked in front of Charlie and Brax. As they walked towards the fairground Charlie leant towards Brax.

Speaking quietly she said, "Brax do you think we are walking into a trap? Could Kyle have some mates with him?"

Brax grinned at his girlfriend. "Ever the cop aren't you Charlie." Brax paused and then put his arm round her shoulders. "What makes you think that will happen?"

"You know what they say once a cop always a cop." Charlie replied. "I think I will wait a little way away just to see what happens. Then if Kyle does pull a stunt I can go after him and leave you and Heath to deal with the heavies."

All three of them walked towards the meeting point. Charlie kissed Brax and then left them to walk away towards the boardwalk that ran round from the funfair towards the harbour. As Charlie suspected Kyle turned with three friends. If you wanted friends like these. As the chaos ensued Kyle made his escape towards where Charlie was stood. He raced past her without realising that she was there. Charlie turned to see that Heath and Brax were sorting out the three men that had turned up with Kyle so she went after Kyle. He had a head start but that didn't stop her chasing after him.

Kyle had reached the harbour by the time Charlie caught up with him. He was lent against the barrier overlooking the water using his phone when Charlie walked quietly up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned round with a start. Charlie grabbed him quickly to try and prevent him from running.

He stared at Charlie in horror. "Why did you run from your brothers?" Charlie asked him.

"They are not my family." Kyle answered.

"Danny was your Dad." Charlie laughed as she said that. "Brax will think of you as family despite what Danny did."

Kyle shook his head in response. "Danny was ….."He struggled to get out.

Charlie shook her head. "Do you call a man who beats his children to toughen them up and make them, do jobs for him a good dad? That is not the sort of dad I had."

"Your dad was a pig." Kyle got out quietly.

Charlie gripped him tighter. "That is not a very nice thing to say. How would you like it if I was rude about Danny?"

Kyle shook his head. As he did so Brax and Heath caught up with them. Heath laughed when he saw how Charlie had hold of him. Brax waved a hand at him to silence him. Being held by Charlie would be bad enough without Heath humiliating him by laughing at him.

"Why did you send the heavy squad after us Kyle?" Brax asked him. Kyle stared down at his feet and did not answer the question. Brax pulled him away from Charlie. "Why won't you answer me?" Kyle continued to stare at his feet.

"Hit him Brax," Heath suggested. Both Charlie and Brax glared at him. Brax shook his head before he turned back to Kyle. The standoff continued for quite a while before Kyle spoke quietly.

"I thought after what I did to Casey you would want to beat me up. That's what I would do." He stopped talking and lowered his head down so he could go back to staring at his feet.

Brax stared at the young man in front of him. He was a victim of Danny as they all were. Danny had beaten them up as children and brainwashed Kyle to kidnap Casey. "If I let you go you won't run will you? I think we all need to talk don't you?"

Kyle nodded and Brax let him go. Kyle stood there as though he was a rabbit caught in headlights waiting for something to happen.

"Is there somewhere we can go for a drink and sit and talk Kyle?" Brax asked him.

Kyle stared at Brax a little shocked at what he had asked him. He stayed quiet for a moment before he spoke. "There is a café over there by the harbour. Will that do?" He replied. Brax nodded and the four of them walked over to the café. Kyle walked between Charlie and Brax as they went to the café. Leaving the three men outside Charlie went inside and bought coffees. Taking them back outside she was glad to see that he three of them had not started a fight. Charlie had suspicions that the only reason that Heath had come with them was to beat Kyle up. He might argue and bicker like older brothers do with younger brothers but he was fiercely protective of his younger brother.

Charlie put the mugs down on the table and sat down next to Brax. Brax was questioning Kyle about his schooling. Kyle was telling Brax that his foster parents had made him go to school and get his HSE. Heath grunted as Kyle said this. "Me and you Brax are the odd ones out."

"Someone had to go to work and pay the bills and put food on the table. I had no choice."

Kyle listened as Brax and Heath bantered between each other over not finishing school and who paid the bills and bought food. It seemed that Heath preferred to go surfing rather than attend school. He thought about how his dad had treated him and wondered if he had treated his brothers the same. Made them do "jobs" for him. He decided to ask.

"Brax, how did Danny treat you when you were kids?"

"He didn't. He beat us to toughen us up and we had to do jobs for him. Taking packages to his friends and doing errands. I was glad that he went to jail as hen the beatings stopped as well."

As Kyle listened he stared at the table to hide how he felt. He suddenly didn't feel the anger and hatred that he had held for his three brothers. Suddenly he felt kinship with them. Though he realised that Casey would not feel the same way after what he had done. Kyle thought if the same thing had happened to him it would be a long time before he forgave them. All four of them spent the afternoon together Kyle learnt a lot about his brothers and they learnt more about Kyle. Kyle admitted to himself he was quite shocked when Danny had told him that Brax had let the side down by getting involved with a copper. But now he could see why. Apart from his foster parents he had never seen a couple so in tune with each other as Brax and Charlie where.

It was early evening when the four of them decided to go their separate ways. Kyle had left a message for Phoebe to say he would be late back in case Brax had decided Kyle would be with them for the rest of the evening. As they left Brax told them the address he could find them in Summer Bay and where he could find Angelo's. Brax and Kyle shook and hands and they all went their separate ways. As they left Heath told Brax he was not playing gooseberry again and left them to go and find the sports bar he had spotted near the hotel to go and have a drink.

Charlie and Brax watched as Heath left them to go the sports bar. Charlie smiled at Brax before she spoke. "Don't you want to join Heath?"

Brax grinned at Charlie before he kissed her. "I would rather spend some time with you. Don't we have an engagement party to plan."

I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Which couple is going to have the engagement party or maybe it will be a double one. Will Kyle turn up in the bay and what will Casey's reaction be.