Chapter number 25. Moving on

"Maddie" Tony called out from the front door as he sorted through the mail.

"Yeah?" Maddie's sad voice called back from the upstairs lounge room. Tony started making his way up the stairs.

"The bridal magazine came in for you" he explained to her, putting the large package envelop down on the table in front of her.

Maddie just staired at it, she hadn't thought about her wedding much lately, "she was supposed to help me choose my dress" she finally spoke, tears coming back to her eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey" Tony comforted her, sitting next to her and giving her a big hug.

"She was so happy about the whole thing. I think she was more excited than I was when she first heard" she continued.

"And I'm sure that right now she's sitting up in heaven waiting to watch you and Luc get married".

"Yeah I guess so, I never thought of it that way" she sobbed.

"Look I know things suck right now, but there will be happy times to come, and lots of things to look forward too" Tony encouraged her. "Like your wedding".

Maddie nodded, smiling for a second, and then reaching for the unopened envelope. "This is the start of a new beginning".

"Yeah of course it is. In six months, you'll legally be a Holden".

"Yeap" she replied reaching to the shelf under the coffee table and pulling out the bridal magazine that had come in about three weeks ago.

"Wow your finally looking at it" Tony teased. Since it came in she hadn't touched it once.

"Yeah the thing I don't get it why it's already been opened, I mean who else would have been going through it?"

"I don't know" Tony answered as she began flicking through the pages with tears still running down her face. "Look Maddie are you sure your in any state to be thinking about dresses at the moment?" he asked, seeing how cut up she was, and now she was using work as a way to take her mind off things.

Maddie paused for a moment and a smile came to her face, "she did help he pick my dress" she whispered.

"What? Come on Maddie lets just put the magazine down-"

"No, no, no" Maddie managed to get out, "If you think I'm trying to burden myself with work, I'm not".

"You sure?"

"Yes, I know things suck, but you were right, we have to think about things to look forward too, and this is something that Serena was really looking forward too, you remember how excited she was?"

"Yeah".

"And this just shows it" Maddie told him holding up the bridal magazine with a dress that had been circled, "she must of opened it while she was here for a day and a half before she was taken back to the hospital, it's perfect".

Tony smiled, "I guess so. And it looks like something she'd pick too".

"Exactly" Maddie added, before turning the page, "that must have been the brides maid dress she wanted" Maddie commented, her voice starting to sound sad again. Tony, not knowing what else to do, put his arm around her, "I wish she could still be here".

"Yeah we all do" he whispered, "we all do".

------------------------------------------------

"How are you feeling today?" Martha asked as she entered the room Jack was in.

"Honestly not to good" he replied in a gloomy voice.

"Yeah, there's a lot of that going around at the moment" she told him, pulling up a chair and sitting down in front of him.

"So how's Dylan going?"

"Not too good, he missed his Aunty Renie".

"Yeah, poor little guy, it must be hard for him".

"Yeah, just like it must be hard for you too" Martha added, "Jack there's no point in avoiding it, I know you loved her a lot".

Jack just nodded seeming uncomfortable.

"Look Jack, please don't".

"Don't what?" he asked.

"Please don't feel bad, it's ok to be upset".

"Yeah, I know, but I just feel bad about-" Jack started, but stopped when he realized what he was about to say.

"About what?"

"Look, it doesn't matter" Jack shot out.

"Yes it does, what do you feel bad about?"

Jack let out a deep breath, "about loving two different girls" he admitted.

"Is this why you've hardly mentioned her to me, because you thought it was wrong?"

"Yeah".

"Jack, it's ok. Well unless this other girl is someone other than Serena that is?"

"No of course not".

"Well it's ok then, you were married to her for like what, three, almost four years, I know there will always be a part of her with you".

Jack reached out for Martha's hand, gently lifting it and planting a soft kiss on the back of her palm, "Thank you" he whispered.

"For what?"

"For understanding. You know you'll always be my favorite traffic offender".

Martha laughed at those words, "I can't remember the last time you called me a traffic offender, it was a long time ago".

"Yeah it was" Jack smiled, "before everything got complicated" he sighed.

------------------------------------------------

"Hey do you think you could send some of the other's down to the shed in Greensville for me?" Peter asked Lara as he stepped behind the front desk at the Yabbie creek police station.

"Yeah sure".

"Thanks I'm just heading off, we've had a call for a noise complaint" Peter told her.

"Well good luck with that then" Lara said before he walked out the door.

"Lara?" one of the other female officers called.

"Yeah Jackie?"

"This needs to go to HQ" she said handing her a yellow paper folder.

"Yeap sure".

"So, what's going on between you and the boss then?"

"What?"

"Oh come on Lara, you and Peter, there's something going on, it's dead obvious" Jackie continued, she always had to know all the gossip that went on in the office, Lara wouldn't be surprised if she started her own gossip collum.

"Why do you say that?" Lara asked, seeming amused by her comment as she turned around to put the file in one of the filling cabinets.

"Everything, the way you two have been acting around each other, the way he looks at you when your not looking-".

"Wow, hang on a second, he looks at me like that?"

"Yeah. You sound like you've got the hots for him too".

"Well..."

"I thought so, so why don't you too just hook up then?" Jackie asked, almost like she was making things sound easy.

"It's complicated, it just-"

"Glen?"

"Yeah".

"Well he would of wanted you too be happy".

"I know".

"Then what the hell are you waiting for girl?"

Lara paused for a second, and a puzzled look came across her face, "You know what, I don't have a clue".

------------------------------------------------

"So did you see Tash today?" Tony asked Beth as he watched her make lunch at the kitchen bench.

"Yeah, she's still blaming herself" Beth explained as she spread butter on the bread.

"Poor girl" Tony sighed, "it's not even her fault, she didn't know she was sick until she left".

"Yeah, she'll realize that eventually, she was like this after Sarah killed Noah too, she kept thinking it was her fault that Sarah was able to get her hands on a gun" she continued, "anyway how's Maddie been this morning, I didn't get a chance to see her before I left".

"Actually she's pretty good, she's found a way to come to terms with things".

"Really, how might that be?"

"It's a long story involving a bridal magazine and a few things Serena circled while she was here for a couple of days".

"Interesting" Beth answered sounding a little confused, "oh well I guess everyone's got a different way of coping don't they".

"Yeah, how about you, how are you coping?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah, honestly".

"Well, I keep trying to convince myself that she's in a better place now, and that she won't have to deal with being in hospital or having needles and blood tests all the time, but i can't help but wish she was still with us".

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Thing's will get better".

"I know, but it's just going to take time".

------------------------------------------------

"Peter" Greg, called out as soon as he and one of the other's entered the station.

"Yeah, you found anything?"

"Yeah I guess you could say that".

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, all of a sudden sounding more interested.

"You remember how we completely cleared one of the tables in there?"

"Yeah".

"Well we found this on it" he explained handing a piece of paper to Peter.

"Ok, well someone's obviously been in there" Peter started, looking at the piece of paper Greg had handed him, it was a map, with and X marks the spot, and down the bottom was a sentence that confused Peter, 'This is were Loyd's quest really begins'.

"Yeah but who?"

"I don't know, who ever they are they don't like coming here and telling everything to us face to face".

"What are you saying?"

"He, or she ether has something to hide, or there being blackmailed by someone who has something to do with Loyd" Peter explained.

"If they were being blackmailed then why would they say anything at all?"

"Well they might be trying to turn them in without them knowing. Look, I'll get Lara and go and check out where this goes too before we decide on what were dealing with ok".

"Yes boss".

Please review. I'll continue after I get 2 reviews.