I won't be updating for the next week so I hope you enjoy this chapter. Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter Twenty Two

"You were quiet at lunch," Joey remarked when she and Charlie were getting into bed that night. "You were quiet for a lot of the day, actually."

Charlie was sat on the edge of her side of the bed, the side nearest the door. Her wheelchair was parked just beside the bed so that she could easily reach it in the night, should she need to get up, although Joey had made her promise that she would always wake her if she needed anything, especially in the early days.

"I'm okay," she assured her. "Just getting used to things."

She had successfully managed to get completely changed for bed herself for the first time since the shooting. She smiled at Joey rather proudly. Joey came to stand in front of her, wrapping her arms around her. They kissed for a long time.

"Please talk to me," Joey said when they finally parted. "I don't want you to bottle up how you feel. This is the rest of our lives we're talking about."

"Joey, I'm sick of talking," Charlie told her. "We've got our whole lives to talk. I'm upset. I'm upset about everything. About getting shot. About being stuck in that chair. About Ruby wasting her life on me. About her pushing Casey away. I can't even list all the millions of things I'm upset about. But I'm happy too. I'm happy that you and I are finally together."

She ran her hands through Joey's hair and cupped her face.

"This is the first night where we can actually be together," she said. "So can we forget about being upset and just be happy? Together?"

Joey offered the half smile that Charlie loved. She guided her back onto the bed, carefully covering her body with her own.

"Why didn't you just ask?" she whispered, kissing her.

"So, do you think I got the Colby stamp of approval?" Alex asked, as she and Willow walked back to Willow's house, holding hands.

"What?" Willow asked. "I think Colby needs your approval, not the other way around. He walked out of my life years ago. He can't just march back in and make demands."

"Well, I like him," Alex said. "It sounds like he did what he did for a reason."

Willow sighed and admitted that her girlfriend was right. Colby had run off and abandoned their gang to search for his missing sister, Bella, who he had not yet found. He had become a police officer all in the hope that he could right the wrongs of his family. And as it turned out, he was still the kind, funny guy Willow had always known and loved.

"He's still pretty cool," Willow conceded. "And he did tell me how much he liked you."

"Did he?" Alex asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Willow laughed. "When you went to the bathroom he told me how awesome you were. He also asked how I managed to end up with someone so hot!"

Alex burst out laughing.

"I told him I ask myself that same question every single day!" Willow added.

Alex stopped walking, pausing at the edge of the beach under the moonlight. She pulled Willow into her arms.

"I think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever met in my life," she said seriously. "Inside and out."

Willow looked down, feeling shy. Alex insisted that she look at her, making her even shyer. She wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

"It was the best day of my life, the day that you told me you wanted to be with me," she said honestly.

"Really?" Willow asked.

Alex nodded.

"Mine too," Willow replied. "Alex, I've… I've been trying to work out how to say this for a while but I…"

She felt Alex tense, unsure of what was coming.

"I'm in love with you."

It all came out in a rush. Willow closed her eyes, worried about rejection. Her eyes opened when she felt Alex's lips on hers, arms wrapped tightly around her. They gazed at each other for several moments.

"I'm in love with you too," Alex replied.

Charlie felt like she could hardly breathe. But in a good way. Fireworks exploded behind her eyes as she tried not to cry out too loudly. She gripped the sheets beneath her as she tried to control all the feelings dancing around her body. She could feel Joey's mouth on the most sensitive parts of her - surrounded by parts of her that she no longer had access to. But what she could feel was amazing. She closed her eyes and decided that trying to control anything was stupid. For the first time since the hospital, she decided to let go.

Willow and Alex arrived home to Liam and Bianca watching TV. The atmosphere was a little tense as they said hello. It burst their romantic bubble a little.

"Would you please tell Bianca to just go and see Charlie?" Liam said directly.

Alex and Willow exchanged awkward glances as they joined them in the living area.

"Well, I know that Charlie would really like to see you," Willow ventured.

"I just don't think she would," Bianca said. "You don't know how we left things…"

"Bianca, a lot has changed now," Willow said.

"I know that!" Bianca snapped but her voice sounded desperate.

Liam put his arm around her. He could barely cope with how distraught she was over Charlie. He was on the verge of visiting Charlie himself.

"Bianca, I don't know what happened between you," Alex ventured. "But I do know that Charlie's whole life has changed over these past few weeks. She's been absolutely broken and she's had to rebuild everything completely from scratch. I know that she misses you because she's told me. So if you do want to go and see her and be her friend, be part of her rebuilding her life then I am absolutely positive that she would love to see you."

Bianca looked hopeful.

"Even though I've left it so long?" she asked.

"Even though," Alex confirmed.

Bianca sighed heavily and sank into her boyfriend's arms.

"Maybe I'll go and see her tomorrow then," she said thoughtfully. "Maybe tomorrow."

It was the middle of the night and Charlie was sleeping fitfully, full of anxious dreams but comforted by being curled up in Joey's arms. The intimacy between them had created a level of security that she hadn't felt for a very long time. Drifting into wakefulness, she lay, listening to Joey's gentle breaths. Then she froze. She could hear loud banging at the front door.

At the second bang, Joey jolted awake. The couple found each other's eyes in the dark. Joey reached out and clicked the lamp on. The banging became louder. Someone was definitely trying to get in. Joey slid out of bed, grateful that she and Charlie had put their nightclothes back on before sleep. She helped Charlie transfer into her chair, not wanting to boss her about or hold her back, although her instinct was to tell her to stay behind.

Charlie and Joey emerged from their room just behind Aden and just ahead of Ruby. Jasper barrelled down the corridor, having been sleeping with Aden for the night, barking his head off as the banging at the door became more thunderous.

Aden took the lead and warned the girls to stay back, holding onto Jasper's collar as he opened the door. Brax stood there, looking half cut and angry. He barely acknowledged Aden or Jasper as he barged past them, Charlie in his sights. Joey stood close to her girlfriend.

"Brax, what the hell are you doing here?" Charlie demanded.

She held tight to Joey's hand, feeling vulnerable and frightened. Ruby slipped out of sight and called the police. She didn't care if it was an overreaction and she didn't care if the consequences meant that Brax ended up in trouble. She needed to protect her mother.

"What are you doing here?" Brax demanded, leaning over Charlie, using her wheelchair to prop himself up. "Shacked up with her?"

He nodded angrily towards Joey who stood her ground.

"I think you ought to be leaving, mate," Aden said, stepping forward to pull him away.

Brax pushed him away. Jasper barked noisily, uncomfortable with this man in his house.

"Why are you doing this, Charlie?" Brax demanded. "I don't know why you're doing this! Are you trying to hurt me? I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry you got shot. But I didn't know, okay? I didn't know you were in danger. Don't you think I would have killed the bloke if I'd have known you were in danger?"

"Yes, I do," Charlie said. "That's the problem."

He looked at her in confusion.

"I need you to leave," she said.

"You and I are meant to be together," he said. "We break up and then we get back together. Why aren't you following the script?"

"The script has changed," she replied.

"And now it's saying get out," Aden told him, pulling him by the shoulder.

"Who the hell are you?" Brax demanded.

They were interrupted by blue lights arriving outside the house. Aden answered the door to Watson and Colby.

"We heard there'd been some kind of disturbance?" Watson said. "Is Charlie okay?"

"Her ex," Aden said, letting them in.

Watson walked in and looked unhappily at Brax, wanting to know what he was doing at the house.

"I just wanted to talk," he snapped. "There's no law against that, is there?"

"There's a law against harassment," Colby told him. "If Charlie doesn't want you here, you shouldn't be here."

"How do you even know where we live?" Joey wanted to know.

They had all been very specific about keeping their address from him.

"Casey," Ruby concluded, arriving back in the room.

Brax nodded stiffly. Charlie sighed. Yet another wedge had been driven between the teenagers that she felt responsible for.

"Well, I think it's time you left," Colby said to Brax.

"How did you even make it into the force?" he spat. "Don't they know you're one of us? Or at least you were? What the hell happened to you?"

"I don't think you're really in a position to judge betraying Mangrove River, are you, Brax? Look at the state of you," Colby remarked.

The two men glared at each other.

"So, are you ready to leave these people in peace?" Watson asked.

Brax looked at Charlie. He realised how frightened she looked. He felt terrible. He hadn't wanted to scare her. He had just wanted to talk to her. He just couldn't accept that she was so willing to walk away from him, from them, from their love. Forever.

"Fine," he said.

He allowed Colby to escort him out of the house. Watson hung back for a moment.

"Charlie, are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Charlie lied.

"I'm off duty tomorrow. I'll pop by and see you if that's okay?"

Charlie smiled genuinely at her.

"I'd really like that," she said.

Next time… Charlie is inundated with visitors and Ruby arranges a housewarming…