Hi again :)
Your reviews are amazing. I am so happy you are enjoying this story. Makes me want to write more CHAX stories (interested?)
Thank-you again for your support.
I hope you enjoy Chapter 5
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Brax had pulled over after he heard her say his name the second time.
He'd heard his name come from her lips on numerous occasions, whether she was questioning him, arguing with him or moaning underneath him... but he had never heard her so scared.
It was her; there was absolutely no doubt in his mind. He forced his eyes closed, trying to calm himself down. His heart hammered in his chest.
"Brax?" Her voice was desperate now.
"Charlie?" he asked.
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Charlie began to chuckle slightly yet the situation was anything but funny. She was relieved, just hearing his voice was enough to make her heart soar. For the first time in four months, she felt complete and she hadn't even seen him yet!
"Yeah," she said down the phone.
Brax inhaled deeply as he tried to calm himself. He ran a hand roughly through his hair.
"Come home, Brax?" Charlie asked softly.
He began to nod his head in reply but realised that she couldn't see him. "Yeah," he agreed.
Home!
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Heath couldn't push his foot into the accelerator any more, it was at the limit and the roar coming from the engine proved that. He urged his car to go faster, to get to Brax before Brax got to Jake.
This is all Buckton's fault, he thought to himself. Why couldn't she just go to Brax first, instead of him?
He could finally see Brax's car up ahead, but he was shocked to see it getting closer to him rather than further away. Brax was travelling back home.
Brax passed his brother on the road and Heath didn't think Brax even saw him.
Heath quickly turned his car around to follow his brother; he didn't care if he got a ticket for a misdemeanour.
There was only one thing that would have made Brax turn around.
He knew!
Shit was about to hit the fan, for Heath at least.
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Brax had just gotten out of his car when Heath pulled in behind him.
Heath couldn't read his brother; Brax always knew how to guard his feelings. But now, he looked happy, relieved, angry and suspicious all at the same time. Heath could see he was losing it.
"Where were you off to?" Brax barked at Heath, all of his strength focused on questioning his brother instead of running into the house.
"Gone to get your stupid ass." Heath said back, slamming his door.
"Did you know?" Brax asked calmly, pointing to the house referring to only one thing.
"Yeah but-"
"You fucking knew and you didn't think to tell me about it? Didn't think that I would like to know," he roared.
"It wasn't like that Brax. Keep your damn voice down. Come inside."
Brax followed his brother inside without further argument.
He had heard Charlie on the phone, heard her voice. But that still wasn't enough to prepare him for seeing her standing in his living room, alive.
She was gorgeous.
Brax stopped in the doorway, not daring himself to get any closer for fear that she would disappear.
He just looked at her.
And with tears in her eyes, Charlie looked straight back.
He was here.
There was no way in hell Brax was going to fall apart in front of Heath and Casey and he knew it. More importantly, Charlie knew it too, it just showed how deep their relationship was.
"Someone tell me what the fuck is going on now?" Brax asked roughly "How'd you get involved in all this?" He directed the second question to Heath.
"You wanna know how many fucking times I've asked myself the same fucking question." Heath started. He gave Brax a rundown from start to finish. He included that it was Charlie who left Brax the warning at Angelo's, and that Charlie was nearly found by Jake at the motel.
Casey watched his eldest brother while Heath spoke. Brax had always been able to keep calm and collected. But today was different. Today concerned Charlie! And things concerning Charlie were always different.
Casey noticed how tense he was and when Heath mentioned Charlie at the same motel as Jake, Brax tensed even more. All throughout though, Brax had eyes solely focussed on Charlie, nothing could tear his eyes away.
She was here.
Alive.
She was his again.
Heath finished explaining and no one spoke.
"Can you guys just go?" Charlie asked breaking the silence, speaking to Casey and Heath.
Brax had still yet to speak.
"Charlie do you really think that's a good idea?" Casey asked when he saw how very tense Brax still was.
"He's not gonna hurt her, idiot," Heath cried at his brother. "Since when did I become the Braxton with the brains?"
Charlie rolled her eyes at the comment.
"Seriously, just go." She said, unable to tear her eyes away from the eldest Braxton standing in the doorway.
She didn't want them to witness this.
A very small part of her was terrified that he was mad at her or worse that maybe in the past four months she realised that he didn't love her as much as he once thought he did.
"Pack a bag Casey, we ain't coming back tonight?" Heath said to his younger brother and both disappeared into their respective rooms. Only seconds later they reappeared only to retreat out the door without a word.
They were alone.
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Brax didn't want to move until he heard Heath's car leave the driveway but even then he found that he couldn't.
"Brax?" Charlie said softly and then waited a few moments.
"What's wrong?" She tried again gently.
The past few days Charlie kept asking herself what she would do if the roles were reversed and she was annoyed to never find an answer that she liked. She didn't know what he was thinking or even what he wanted. It was possible that her coming back was a mistake and that thought broke her heart.
"Honestly, Charlie, I'm too damn scared to touch you," he said with brutal sincerity before clenching his teeth in an act of restraint.
She realised then what was holding him back, how much pain had he been in?
"Don't be." She breathed, desperate to make the first move.
Charlie didn't even have time to blink before she found herself being lifted off the ground and pushed up against the wall behind her. It was an instantaneous reaction for her to wrap both legs around him and grip his waist, pulling him closer to her. Brax had the same idea when he grabbed her thighs forcing her closer to him.
Brax couldn't resist taking a moment to look into her eyes but he lost all sense of control when he felt her body move slightly, her soft breath against his lips and her head angle slightly reaching up to him, from then nothing could hold him back. His lips moved against her furiously and she still couldn't pull him close to her body quick enough. Both were getting lost in the kiss.
His large, warm hands held her up and her heart pounded in her chest when his hands finally reached underneath her shirt grabbing on to skin which burned so familiar at his touch.
Charlie couldn't feel enough of him ; she pulled on his shirt in an effort to feel his skin underneath her fingertips, wanting him to have the same reaction she was as his hands moved over her body, both moaning at the contact. It had been too long.
The kiss had moved further still, Brax was slowly making his way down her neck which resulted in her arching into him, against him, a move that was so familiar despite how long it had been.
But it still wasn't enough for either of them.
Charlie gently pulled his face back up to hers.
"Charlie I can't lose you again." He said as he rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily.
"Not an option." She whispered back at him.
"Got that right."
"Brax, please. I need you." She moaned to him and there was only one thing he could do to ease her need.
At that moment, her pleading voice was music to his ears. He didn't give a fuck what happened, how it happened or what was going to happen from that point. All that mattered was the woman in front of him, his woman. She felt so right in this position, she fit him perfectly.
She needed him.
He needed her!
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Brax woke up for the first time in four months with a smile on his face, and it wasn't from a dream.
He could feel Charlie's breath softly brushing across his bare chest. Her head fit perfectly in the crook of his shoulder and he revelled feeling her lay almost completely on top of him, her hand lay across his heart. He was stuck in this position, unable to move as their legs were still intertwined but, he wouldn't have it any other way.
Charlie stirred softly and looked up.
"Hey," she said softly turning over a little more, arching her back as she stretched.
"Hey yourself."
Charlie sighed with a smile at the sound of his voice. She had longed to wake up to him for such a long time, it was nice for it to finally be real.
"I had such a good night sleep." She told him as she leaned into him again.
"Yeah, sleep," he joked, "the sleep was very good."
"Some things don't change." Charlie laughed gently.
"Some things shouldn't," Brax added huskily, moving them so she was now underneath him, before kissing her.
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Heath returned to the house at lunchtime to find Brax on the couch and he could hear the shower running in the bedroom.
"Thank God, I thought about to walking in with a blindfold, didn't know what I could have walked in on," Heath teased before heading into the kitchen.
"You kept her safe?" Brax asked his brother.
"Yeah," Heath paused, "you sound surprised."
"I am." Brax admitted honestly.
"Well, it looks like I'm full of surprises then doesn't it? Don't get too used to it though."
"Why?" Brax needed to know. If it were Casey helping Charlie, he could understand but Heath... that was different.
"Why'd I help or why you shouldn't get use-"
"Why'd you help, I thought you hated her
"I do, did. I thought you two were just fucking around nothing serious, she kept fucking up our business."
"But?"
"When she came here asking me for help, I knew she wasn't lying. I mean she couldn't have been if she was asking me for help. She must have been desperate to come to me. I guess I realised you two weren't just fucking around. She loves you and with how fucking mopey as shit you'd been, thought it was worth it."
"Who's going soft now?" Brax asked, sounding serious but his eyes gave it away.
Brax and Heath were not the kind of brothers who had heart to hearts; it wasn't the River Boy style. But at the end of the day, they were brothers regardless of all the petty drama that went on, blood meant something.
"Fuck off."
"Thanks, Heath." Brax said seriously.
"Yeah whatever. What's the plan?" Heath asked, pointing to the bedroom, wanting a change in topic.
Brax shrugged his shoulders; he and Charlie didn't exactly spend the whole night talking.
"You don't know? Are you serious, what the hell have you been- Don't answer that."
"He's still gonna pay Heath."
"Yeah I know that, wouldn't have it any other way, but how you and I want him to pay is a hell of a lot different than hers."
"Not anymore." Charlie said walking out from the bedroom.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Heath asked.
"We've tried it my way, it didn't work. We're going to do it your way." She said looking at Brax.
"You're kidding?" Heath asked, looking like a child on Christmas morning.
"No, I'm not. As long as Casey and Ruby are kept out of this. I'll do whatever you tell me too."
"Are you sure?" Brax asked hesitantly, not liking the feeling for forcing Charlie to do this.
"Positive."
"Charlie-"
"It's ok." Charlie reassured him. "Brax after everything that has happened-"
"That's exactly my point, Charlie. You don't have to-
"I would risk everything for you."
He tried his hardest not to smile which caused a half smile out of the corner of his mouth, a look she had seen many times but still made her weak at the knees.
"You know that." She finished.
Brax nodded.
And he did know that. Almost losing her had nearly torn him apart but he noticed last night that it had affected her too.
She wasn't going to put all of the petty things in front of them anymore.
That realisation along with the fact that she had just given him permission to take care of Perovic his way, was enough to make him want to fight harder for the life they would have together.
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Hope you liked it
Lots of Brax on Home & Away this week
Please review and let me know what you're thinking.