Hi, everyone. I hope you are all keeping safe and well from this awful virus. This is the penultimate chapter of this story. I do have another Charlie/Joey/Willow/Alex one in the process of being written though. Sorry for the delay in updating and thank you for the reviews. I really appreciate them. Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter Twenty Eight

"I just got stuck in the supply cupboard!" Jasmine complained.

"Haven't they sent someone to fix that yet?" Alex asked.

It was a busy Saturday night at the hospital. Alex had been working for too many hours. She was exhausted and she just wanted to go home and sleep.

"No," Jasmine said. "I've called them three times."

"I've called them twice," Alex told her. "This is getting ridiculous."

"I've wedged it open now," Jasmine said. "Hopefully it won't happen again."

A new casualty was brought in by the paramedics. Both of them rushed to their side.

Willow was at home with Bianca and Irene. She could hardly believe that in a couple of days, she was moving in with Alex for real. Alex had secured her new position at work and bought a gorgeous house just down the road, by the beach. It had seemed a little too bold just yet to buy a property together when they hadn't actually lived together. But they had openly discussed the idea of Willow buying into the mortgage at some point. The idea both frightened and excited her; that she could love someone so much that she truly wanted to commit to them.

"I can't believe you're moving out," Bianca said. "You're kind of rushing me, you know."

Willow laughed. Bianca and Liam had been together for ages but they had been so up and down and so on and off that who knew when they might move in together for real?

"Well, you did already live together," she pointed out.

"Yeah and then I moved out," Bianca reminded her.

"Well, you were living in a tent so…"

Bianca half laughed.

"Not like you," she said. "That house is beautiful."

"Well, she's a rich, hot Doctor, that's for sure!" Willow smirked. "I definitely did well!"

Bianca and Irene both laughed.

"When she makes you smile like that, I think you definitely did well," Irene said.

Willow couldn't stop smiling. Every time she thought about Alex, all she could do was smile. Nobody had ever made her this happy before.

Charlie and Joey went for a stroll along the seafront. Charlie had grown a lot stronger thanks to physiotherapy and was mostly able to wheel herself around now, even distances, although she was starting to accept when she was tired and allowed Joey to push her.

"It's a lovely night, isn't it?" Joey said.

"Yeah, it really is," Charlie agreed.

The air was warm and the sky was clear. They had just been for dinner at the Diner. Angelo's was out of the question now, both because Brax ran it and because it wasn't accessible. But the Diner was plenty good enough.

"Fancy the beach?" Joey asked. "We could go and watch the waves?"

John had laid out wooden paths onto the sand to make the beach accessible for Charlie. She hadn't been able to express how touched she was by the gesture. One of the things that had made her the saddest was the idea that she would never experience the sand again.

"Sounds great," Charlie agreed.

They turned and headed for the beach together.

"Jamie!" Alex said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sick," Jamie said.

"Oh," Alex said worriedly. "What's wrong? Let me find someone to see you…"

"Can you see me?" Jamie asked. "I think I have a broken heart."

Alex paused. Jamie was amused that she was not amused.

"Go away," the Doctor told her firmly. "I'm really busy. I've got patients here with real problems."

She walked away, ready to move on. She glanced at her watch, a gift from Willow for their once month anniversary. She had one hour and then she could go home. At least, one hour left officially. She couldn't remember the last time she actually stuck to her hours at work. She suspected that was one of the reasons for the watch!

"Alex, please can we talk?" Jamie asked. "Five minutes? That's all I'm asking for."

"I said all I needed to say and heard all I needed to hear the other night," Alex insisted.

She walked down the corridor towards cubicle three. She had a broken leg waiting for her, apparently, a drunken fall off a wall.

"Alex, please!"

Jamie pulled her by the hand. Before Alex could yell for her to stop, the pair of them were in the supply cupboard and Jamie had kicked Jasmine's wedge away.

"Ugh!" Alex cried, trying the door.

"What? What did I do?" Jamie asked, stepping up behind her.

"The door is broken," Alex hissed at her. "We're locked in."

"Well, can't you call someone to let us out?" Jamie asked.

"My phone is in my locker where it's supposed to be," Alex informed her.

Jamie held out her phone.

"Oh great, do you have any of my colleagues' numbers stored?" Alex asked sarcastically, banging on the door.

She banged on the door until her fist hurt. Jamie pulled her gently away.

"Calm down," she said, holding her by the shoulders.

She should have known better. She knew Alex wasn't good in confined spaces.

"No!" Alex snapped. "I will not calm down! What the hell are you doing, Jamie? Barging into my life? Locking me in a cupboard? Preventing me from doing my job? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I just wanted to talk to you," Jamie said,

"Well I don't want to talk to you!" Alex said. "We're done. We're over. Get it in your head, okay? This isn't some scene in a love story where you win back the girl. That's not how it goes."

"It could be," Jamie tried.

"No," Alex said sadly.

She gazed into Jamie's eyes.

"You left me, Jamie," she said. "We built a whole life together and then you left me without so much as looking back. You broke my heart and you didn't care."

"I'm sorry," Jamie said. "All I can say is that I think I was going through some kind of mental crisis. I…"

"No," Alex interrupted. "You don't get to do that. I work with people every day who are genuinely in crisis. That wasn't you. You were just doing what you always do. If you're a victim of anything it's your own selfishness."

Joey had helped Charlie out of her chair and onto the sand. Together, they watched the surf crash onto the shore. Charlie took a deep breath of sea air. She felt Joey slip her arm around her and rest her head on her shoulder.

"There was a time when I never thought I'd sit here like this again," Charlie said. "Even when I knew I'd survive, I thought my life was going to be so small, so confined that even the simplest things were going to be out of reach for me."

"Nothing ever needs to be out of reach for you, Charlie," Joey said confidently. "You impress me every day with your strength and your courage. You're my hero."

Charlie was glad it was dark. She didn't think her blushes were very becoming of a hero. She snuggled in a little closer, stroking Joey's thigh, clad in denim cut-offs.

"You have lovely legs, you know," she remarked.

Joey half laughed. She too was blushing. Her whole body tingled when Charlie's hand slipped a little higher, the tips of her fingers disappearing inside her shorts.

"Charlie Buckton!" she exclaimed.

Charlie grinned, stealing a kiss.

"There's no-one around…" she purred quietly.

Joey kissed her softly in the moonlight, running her hands through her hair. Their kisses became more passionate. Charlie's hand got higher. Joey moaned.

"That's not fair!" Jamie protested.

"Be honest with yourself, Jay," Alex said. "When we were together, everything was on your terms. We bought the house you wanted. Everything we did was what you wanted. You made all the decisions in our relationship and I just loved you so damn much that I gave you everything you wanted. Until you didn't want it anymore. Until you didn't want me anymore."

They both sighed heavily.

"If you loved me so much then…" Jamie tried.

"It's in the past," Alex said. "Because you threw me away, Jamie. You walked out and left me to deal with all the mess you left behind. I spent two years healing my heart. And typical you, you walked back into my life just as I finally met someone, just as I finally fell in love again."

"But you've only just met her," Jamie argued. "How can you compare a few weeks to ten years?"

"Because she's amazing," Alex said honestly. "She's generous with her time, with her heart, with her kindness. She makes me feel so special. She shares her life with me and wants me to share my life with her, rather than just making me fit in. We're equal to each other."

"And you don't think we had that?"

Alex shook her head sadly.

"But we could have that," Jamie said. "I could change."

"You'll never change," Alex said. "I mean, if you were willing to change, you wouldn't have locked me in a cupboard and asked me to leave my girlfriend for you, would you?"

"Well, technically, I didn't mean to lock us in," Jamie pointed out.

Alex accepted it.

"But I just… I don't understand how you can just throw us away like that," Jamie persisted.

"Why not?" Alex asked. "You did."

"I told you!" Jamie said. "I was having a crisis. I didn't know what I was doing."

"She should be finishing her shift soon," Willow said, noting the time. "I don't know if she's going to come over or just head home and crash. She's done a full on twelve hour shift today. I honestly don't know how she does what she does."

"She does work hard," Irene said. "I don't think any of us will forget what she did for Charlie."

Bianca nodded quietly. She and Charlie were on good terms now but it had taken a while to get things back on track and she still felt guilty for not rushing to her best friend's side as soon as she was shot.

"She's a hero," Willow agreed. "I'm very lucky to have her."

She smiled happily to herself just thinking about the exciting future they were going to have together.

"What about Piper?" Alex suddenly asked.

Jamie looked startled.

"Um… what… what?"

Alex half laughed.

"Piper? Your guru? The woman you spent each and every day with? Doing all your eco-shit and yoga classes? The one I got sick to death of hearing about right before you ran off and left the country?" Alex asked.

"What about her?" Jamie asked tightly.

She shifted uncomfortably.

"Do you think I didn't do the broken hearted ex-girlfriend thing when you left?" Alex asked. "Do you think I didn't see your million selfies with #pipes? Come on, tell me there wasn't something going on…"

Jamie swallowed.

"We did get together," she admitted.

"And there wasn't an overlap?"

"We never slept together while you and I were together!" Jamie insisted.

"But?"

"I had feelings for her."

"And?"

"And we kissed," Jamie said. "We just kissed."

She cursed the way Alex knew her so well.

"Well, thanks for confirming," Alex said. "I'm not entirely sure I believe you but…"

She turned and hammered on the door again, hoping that someone might be passing by. She tried the door handle but nothing was budging.

"I'm still in love with you," Jamie said. "What am I supposed to do about that?"

Alex turned back to her.

"Get over it," Alex told her simply. "I had to. And now I'm happier for it. I'm sure you will be too."

Charlie and Joey couldn't stop giggling as they readjusted their clothes. They kissed.

"That was fun," Charlie grinned.

Joey kissed her again.

"It was!" she agreed.

She ran her hands through Charlie's hair, drawing her closer.

"But then it always is with you," she said. "Everything always is."

Charlie rested her forehead against Joey's and closed her eyes, wanting to breathe her in for just a moment.

"You make me so happy," she said.

"Aww, isn't this nice?"

The couple looked up to see Brax approaching them. Their mood changed immediately. Charlie squeezed Joey's hand tightly. Joey knew she felt vulnerable out of her chair. She knew she had to step up and protect her.

"Having a good time?" he asked.

His eyes were cold and bitter. Charlie had had multiple reports that despite entering a new relationship pretty quickly, his friends still didn't think he was coping well with their breakup.

"Yes, thank you," Joey replied.

Charlie remained quiet.

"Just watching the waves."

Brax studied Charlie. He still couldn't believe that she had left him. He couldn't believe that she was now in a relationship with this woman. How had everything gone so drastically wrong?

"Me too," he said. "Clearing my head between work and a date. I'm in a new relationship."

"I heard," Charlie said. "Congratulations."

"Her name's Ricky," he said. "She's amazing."

"I really hope it works out for you, Brax," Charlie said honestly. "I want you to be happy."

He nodded and left them. Charlie turned to Joey.

"Can we go home now, please?" she asked.

"Alex!" Willow said, surprised but happy to see her girlfriend arrived home with Jasmine, who slipped past her. "I wasn't sure if you were coming over. I know you had a long shift today."

She pulled her in for a kiss.

"I hope it's okay that I came," the Doctor said. "I really wanted to see you."

Irene and Bianca cooed from the lounge, embarrassing her. She rested her head on Willow's shoulder.

"Would you like a drink?" Willow offered.

"To be honest, I'd just like to lie down, if that's okay?" Alex said. "I'm exhausted."

Willow took her hand and led her to her bedroom, wishing the others goodnight. Inside Willow's room, which was mostly packed up with boxes, Alex sank onto the bed. Willow climbed on after her, asking her if she was okay.

"You looked exhausted," she said.

"I had a weird day," she said.

"What happened?" Willow asked, cuddling up to her.

"Okay, this is going to sound worse than it was but I got locked in a supply cupboard with Jamie," Alex told her.

Willow sat up straight.

"What…? Hang on, how does that even happen?" she asked.

Alex just about explained about the sticking door and how Jasmine had got stuck in the cupboard earlier in the day.

"But why was Jamie in the hospital?" Willow asked.

"She wanted to talk to me," Alex explained.

"She wanted to try and win you back, you mean," Willow accused, as if it was Alex's fault.

She immediately felt guilty at the hurt look on her girlfriend's face. She took Alex's hand and kissed it.

"What happened?" Willow asked more gently.

"We argued, mostly," Alex said. "She kept trying to excuse her behaviour and persuade me to give her another chance. I kept telling her that you make me happier than I've ever been in my whole life and I'd never be so stupid as to throw that away."

Willow's eyes lit up.

"You really feel like that?" she asked.

Alex leant closer.

"Of course I do," she said. "Willow, I'm in this for real. I wouldn't just up and move here for nothing. And I certainly wouldn't have asked you to move in with me if I didn't mean it."

"I've just been scared that she's going to win you round or something," Willow admitted.

"Not a chance," Alex promised, kissing her. "But I did get a little closure."

"What do you mean?"

"I always suspected that something was going on with this girl she went travelling with," Alex explained. "I never knew for sure but I was pretty convinced and she confirmed it today."

"I'm sorry, Alex," Willow said. "Honestly, she must be insane."

"Don't excuse her," Alex said with a small smile.

Willow kissed her. She ran her hands through Alex's hair.

"Well, whatever she did, although I'm sorry she hurt you, I'm glad that I get to be with you now," Willow said.

"I'm glad too," Alex agreed. "I mean it, Willow. This is the relationship I want. You're the person I want to be with. You're the love of my life."

Next time… the last chapter…