Chapter 4

When Alex came home next day, he'd expected everything but finding Charlotte sleeping on the couch. Tears had left their tracks on her face, and Peter's face when he had picked her up last night appeared on his mind. He didn't know what he'd do if Peter had done anything to hurt her, but he did know he wouldn't let that happen to her again. He sat down at her feet and watched her sleeping for a while, and he realised thinking of Claire looking at her daughter didn't hurt him any longer. Still a little confused he thought back of what she had told him last night, if he hadn't been hallucinating, of course. But something in him told him he hadn't been hallucinating, that Claire had really been with him for a while, that she really knew he loved her now, and that she had really meant what she'd said. "Take her away, Alex". Looking at her face he realised Charlotte had been suffering for so long now, that Peter wasn't the one he was meant to be. And he made a promise, to Charlotte, to himself. But to Claire in the first place. Charlotte would not spend one more second in Peter Johnson's house. Never again.

'Alex, are you alright?' He turned around a little confused but then remembered Stevie had been standing in the hall all the time. Feeling a little guilty he realised he'd forgotten all about her.

'Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't understand what Charlotte's doing here.'

He watched Stevie as she came closer and kneeled at the couch to wake Charlotte very gently, and once again he felt very sorry for her she'd had to lose Rosie. She'd have been a wonderful mother.

'Well, Charlotte,' Stevie spoke softly. 'I think someone likes to know why you're not at home.'

Charlotte looked around a little confused, but then seemed to remember she was in Alex' house. She put her arms around her knees, something she usually did to protect herself to words she didn't want to get hurt by, though there was no one in here wanting to hurt her.

'I'm not going back,' she threw out angry.

Alex sighed and sat down next to her. 'I don't want you to go back. But I think we're having a little problem.'

'Peter,' Stevie stated. 'We've gone through this before. He won't give up without a fight.'

Charlotte was silent. He wouldn't and she knew it. But every part of her refused to go back, and she knew she was strong enough to hold on. A strength which she knew it was a part of her mother she had gotten when she was born.

'Neither will I,' she answered.

When Peter came home without Charlotte and saw Julia's face, he knew he was in big trouble.

'You let her go?'

'She did it to herself.'

'And have you got any ideas where she went?' Julia had known it from the moment Charlotte came living with them. Some day things won't work out the way Peter wants it anymore. And she felt this day was that day. She couldn't remember herself ever being so angry with Peter, except from the time she had found out about Claire and Charlotte. And she realised things couldn't go on like this.

Peter was just standing there, staring out the window.

'She'll have gone to Alex again. Where are you going?' he added when he saw his wife leaving the kitchen.

'I'm going to pack Charlotte's things.'

Peter stood up and followed her. 'But she doesn't deserve to…'

Julia turned around. The look in her eyes told him it'd be better if he hadn't said that.

'No, Peter Johnson. I'm very sorry I have to do this, cause I love Charlotte, but we can't go on like this. She deserves to be treated right. And you…' she paused, to make him feel uncomfortable. '… you don't deserve her.'

Charlotte didn't know exactly what she'd expected, but whatever it was, it was NOT Julia. An awful silence had fallen between the three of them after Charlotte had said she wouldn't go back. No one had known exactly what to say, so they were silent until they were interrupted by someone knocking on the door. Charlotte couldn't help but smile amusedly when she watched Alex limping to the door with his crutches. He opened the door and was surprised to find it was Julia. She was carrying several bags which seemed to be stuffed until they almost burst. She didn't seem to feel very comfortable.

'I err… I was here to… I thought Charlotte needed some clothes and that kind of stuff.' She looked at Alex and shook her head.

'And what have you done to yourself, you poor idiot…' she mumbled, and Alex realised Julia wasn't the problem. She was having a very friendly face and she was taking care of Charlotte even now she had ran away.

He smiled. 'Well, I… I've had a little accident.'

Julia smiled back and looked at Charlotte appearing next to Alex. She stretched out her arms and hugged her. Alex could see she was fighting her tears.

'Take good care of her,' she said sadly after letting Charlotte go. Alex looked at her, suddenly feeling a little guilty.

'I promise,' he said reassuring. And Julia turned and left.
In the weeks that passed Charlotte used to hide away in the room Alex had been dragging trunk out of all day last week, trying to get her thoughts sorted out. Stevie hung around 'to help', but in fact she didn't do much more than having conversations with Alex. Sometimes Charlotte sat down on her bed and listened, not interested in the words they were speaking but in Stevie's voice. It sounded soft and patient and sometimes she left with pain on her face.

About two weeks after Julia's visit Peter came over. Charlotte hid away; she didn't feel any need to talk to him. From her room she listened to his and Alex' voice, and about two hours later he left. A few minutes later Alex came to her and told her 'things were sorted out'. She knew what that meant.