Chapter Seven

"Charlie!"

Joey's heart leapt into her throat as she saw the love of her life sitting with the barrel of the gun in her mouth, ready to pull the trigger. She raced forward so clumsily that she crashed onto her knees in front of her. She dropped the phone and pushed the gun as far away from Charlie as she could. Reaching out to hold her hands, tears spilled down her cheeks.

"You said you'd wait for me," she said, revealing her hurt and her fear at nearly losing Charlie at the last hurdle.

Charlie looked up at her, equally tearful.

"Did you bring him here?" she asked fearfully.

"Who?" Joey asked, genuinely confused. "Who would I bring? Charlie, it's just me and you here."

"I heard you!" Charlie accused, her words getting caught in her throat.

Joey stared back, bewildered. She held Charlie's hands tighter, watching her sob.

"Charlie... it's just me," she said gently.

"I heard you talking to him," Charlie said more softly.

Suddenly Joey realised what she was talking about.

"Oh! Your boyfriend! Charlie, I just bumped into him," she explained. "Literally. But I came straight here. And I didn't tell him anything. I wouldn't."

Charlie gazed at her for a few moments. She wanted to ask how Joey knew Angelo had been her boyfriend but she didn't have the strength to open her mouth. Tears continued to roll down her cheeks. She exhaled, feeling like all the life was draining out of her. Joey reached out to hold her as she slumped a little. Moving to sit beside her, Joey pulled Charlie gently into her arms. She held her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

"Everything's going to be okay now," she promised. "I'm here. I'll look after you. Everything's going to be okay."

Several hours later, dawn had passed and they were firmly living in the daytime. They'd seen a few people wander past in the distance but nobody had come near them and for that they were grateful. Neither Charlie nor Joey had really spoken. They'd simply held each other and stared ahead of them. Charlie was resting against Joey, relying on her fully to keep her up. Sitting behind her, Joey rested her chin on Charlie's shoulder, unable to keep from breathing in her scent and relish being able to hold her again. But her heart continued to break as she jumped to her own conclusions over what was wrong.

"How are you feeling?" she finally asked.

Charlie didn't respond. She had no idea how she was feeling now. She was just glad that Joey was there with her.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Joey asked carefully.

Charlie closed her eyes and shook her head. She couldn't say the words.

"Is it about that guy?" Joey asked.

Slowly, Charlie nodded. She turned her face so that she could just make Joey out from the corner of her eye. Their cheeks pressed together. Joey couldn't help but note that Charlie's were still wet.

"How did you know he was my boyfriend?" she asked.

Joey pondered her answer. She knew because she'd seen them together the day she'd come back to see if she and Charlie still had a chance for a relationship. But now was not the right time to open old wounds. Now she just needed to give Charlie space and time to talk and heal from whatever had broken her.

"I just jumped to conclusions," she lied. "I guess it was the right one."

"We started... dating when I realised you weren't coming home," Charlie said.

A lump was aching in her throat both at the thought that she had once cared so much about Angelo and thought he was an amazing guy, and the memory of losing Joey, the only person she had ever loved. Joey held her breath. Was that how it had been? Had Charlie waited and then given up hope? If Joey had shown her face that day and let Charlie know she was back, might they have got back together? And if they had got back together, would she have been able to save Charlie from the trauma she was now going through.

"It's been an on and off kind of thing. We kept failing to stay together for this reason or that. And this time around we split up because I couldn't make the kind of commitment he wanted from me," Charlie explained.

She put her hand atop Joey's, which was resting on her thigh. They entwined their fingers and held each other a little closer.

"I should have known what he was really like the day I found him falling out of a tree because he'd been following me," she said.

"Following you?" Joey asked.

"He thought I was seeing someone else so he started sneaking around, watching me, befriending my counsellor, stuff like that. But everyone kept telling me it was because he loved me so much..."

More tears overcame her. She used her free hand to wipe them away as Ruby's most recent words invaded her brain. Closing her eyes tightly, she caught her breath and steeled herself to continue. But she couldn't find the words. Joey waited for a few moments before speaking.

"Did he hurt you, Charlie?" she asked quietly.

Charlie chewed her lip and nodded.

"What did he do?"

"He... We went out on a date and he... I said no."

She wiped more tears away. Joey wrapped her arms protectively around her. She buried her face in Charlie's shoulder as she struggled with the idea of Charlie suffering the way she had suffered just over a year ago.

"Charlie..." she said softly.

"You do believe me, don't you?" Charlie asked worriedly.

"Of course I believe you," Joey said quickly. "Of course I do."

Leah sat at the kitchen table, pondering what to do. She hadn't heard a peep out of Charlie all day and it was now just past lunch time. They had been friends for a while now and Leah felt extremely protective of her housemate. Charlie had always been such a strong person, so capable and in control. Seeing her so broken was an image she didn't think she would ever get out of her mind. Sighing, she got up and put the kettle on, deciding to try and coax Charlie out of her room, at least for a little while. When the coffee was made, she headed over and knocked on the bedroom door.

"Charlie?" she called when there was no answer.

She knocked again but still nobody answered. Hoping she wasn't being intrusive, she opened the door and was surprised to find it empty and extremely tidy. Charlie hadn't left the house for days and her last venture into the real world had been nothing short of a disaster. Worried, Leah closed the door again, dumped the coffee in the sink and phoned her.

Charlie physically jumped when her phone rang.

"You're a popular girl today," Joey said.

"It's Leah," Charlie said, picking her mobile up but not answering it.

She watched it ring and then set it down on the sand.

"Why don't you talk to her?" Joey asked.

"I can't," Charlie replied. "I can only cope with you. I can't..."

She broke into tears again and wondered if she would ever stop crying. Joey hugged her again and asserted that everything would be okay.

"She's been really good about everything," Charlie admitted. "She was the one who... found me. She got me to the hospital and she took care of me. She and Watson are the only people who..."

"What about Ruby?" Joey asked.

When she'd left at least, the sisters had been so close. She knew for a fact that Charlie would die for the teenager. She'd do anything for her. It didn't make sense for them not to be united over this. Charlie laughed bitterly and wiped her eyes.

"Ruby and I aren't exactly the same people we were when you left," she said.

Leah phoned Watson when she couldn't get through to Charlie. She was worried and she had no qualms in admitting that. Watson had been sufficiently worried too, enough that she'd decided to go out and look for her. Leaving her desk, she was stopped by Angelo.

"What's going on?" he asked.

He'd listened in on Watson's end of the conversation and could only conclude it was about Charlie.

"None of your business," Watson snapped.

"If something's happened to Charlie..."

"Yes, something's happened to Charlie!" Watson yelled. "You happened to Charlie."

"Now, you listen to me..."

"No, I'm not listening to you," Watson said.

"I'm a Sergeant in this station..."

"You're a rapist and a murderer," Watson told him.

Both were aware that everyone else was listening to them. Watson didn't care. Angelo did.

"You deserve to be rotting in jail for what you've done," she continued. "And I'm damned if I'm not going to do everything I can to make sure you get there."

With that, she stormed out of the station and into her car, hoping that Charlie was safe.

Joey's mind was reeling as Charlie explained everything that had happened to her in the past and how the whole truth had come spilling out several months previously.

"So, I guess people wouldn't really believe me that it's happened twice," Charlie said sadly. "I mean... how can it? I must be doing something wrong. It must be my fault if..."

"No," Joey said firmly. "Don't you dare say it's your fault. These men... they're the evil ones. They're the ones who hurt you. It's not your fault. Don't ever say it is."

Charlie felt comforted but she couldn't quite agree with what she was saying. How could the same thing have happened twice? And if everyone believed in Angelo, if the whole town and even her beloved daughter thought it was her fault, how could it not have been? Maybe it was only rape because she had done the wrong thing by saying no and not wanting to be with him. Maybe she hadn't said loud enough. Maybe she'd given him the wrong signals. Maybe...

"Charlie, no," Joey said gently but firmly, reading her mind.

She moved so that she was sitting in front of her and took her hands.

"None of this is your fault, okay?" Joey said. "Remember everything you said to me after what happened with Robbo. Remember it and believe it. Please?"

Charlie nodded but Joey didn't look convinced. She reached out and stroked Charlie's hair in the same affectionate way she always had done.

"It's not your fault," she said. "And I am so, so sorry for everything you've been through. I'm sorry I wasn't there, that I didn't help you. But I'm here now, Charlie and I'm not going anywhere. I'll take care of you."

Charlie gazed into her eyes and realised just how much she meant it. She put her own hands on Joey's and thanked her. Then the phone rang again.

Frustrated at not being able to contact Charlie, Watson continued to drive around and hope she'd jump into her line of vision somehow. Driving along the beach front she paused, remembering a conversation they'd once had. It was a while ago, back before Angelo had remerged into their lives. In a rare moment of closeness, Charlie had actually answered when Watson had asked her if she was okay. Everybody knew about Charlie and Joey by that point and everybody also knew how they had broken up. Watson had felt sad about it. While she was the first to admit that Charlie being attracted to women was a shock, it hadn't taken long for her to notice the change in her colleague. In all the time they had worked together, Watson had never known her so carefree and happy as she learned to accept her sexuality and settled into her relationship with Joey. Once Joey had left, however, it had all changed. Charlie was sad and lonely and seemed so lost. Watson had tried to cheer her up and always kept an eye out for her to make sure she was okay. One evening, she'd found her crying at her desk. Feeling brave, Watson had asked her if she was okay. Rather than shutting her down, as was her usual response, Charlie had wept harder and confessed how much she missed Joey and wished she could go back in time. They'd talked a little. Watson had hugged her. Then Charlie had excused herself and explained that when she got like this, she headed down to the dunes and gazed at the sea. Watson killed the engine and climbed out of the car. She headed over to the dunes, hoping that was where Charlie had gone.

Charlie was back in Joey's arms. The deckhand had tried to coerce her into going for a walk or something but Charlie had declined. She felt safe here, especially in Joey's arms. She never thought she'd ever have the chance to be close to her again and it meant the world that she had come running as soon as she knew she was in trouble.

"Charlie," said a voice.

Both girls looked up to find Watson standing over them. She smiled and said a shy hello to Joey.

"Hi," Joey replied.

"Can I sit?" Watson asked politely.

Charlie nodded without enthusiasm.

"Leah's been worried about you," she said. "She called me and asked me to go looking."

"How did you know I was here?" Charlie asked.

"I remembered you saying you like to come here when you're hurting," Watson explained.

Joey studied Charlie's face. They'd been on a date here once, after Charlie had slept with Hugo but before Joey had found out. It had been an amazing day and they'd felt like they were in their own private world. The cop who was so panicked about what people thought, relaxed enough in Joey's company that they'd ended up making love on the sand. It had been wonderful. And to think that Charlie returned to the place that meant so much to them, meant a lot.

"I'd ask how you're feeling but..."

Watson sighed.

"I was feeling... bad," Charlie admitted. "But Joey came to help me and I... well, I still feel bad but... better."

Joey reached out and held her hand gently. Watson was glad that Charlie felt she had someone to turn to. While she, Leah and Rachel all believed her allegation, none of them would ever mean anything even nearly resembling what Joey did. She glanced a little nervously at the discarded gun. She swallowed and turned back to Charlie.

"I know things are awful right now," she ventured. "I mean, I have no real idea what it's like to go through what you've been through but... I want to help."

"Arrest him then," Joey said.

"Believe me, I've tried. Work isn't exactly keen to press charges on a newly appointed Sergeant. And now that the evidence has gone missing..."

"Have you tried to find it?" Joey asked, desperate for some hope. "Can you collect it again? I mean, you must be able to do something. What about the Doctor who examined Charlie after... after?"

Watson sighed.

"We've got Rachel's medical report," she said. "And we've got Leah's statement that Charlie wasn't enjoying her date with Angelo and then seeing scratches on his face. I saw them too. But aside from that, there's little evidence to go on. It's pretty much a case of Charlie's word against Angelo's."

She turned to Charlie whose head was bowed, unable to quite cope with the conversation.

"I can try and press on with it," Watson told her. "If you want me to. If you're up to..."

"I don't have the energy," Charlie said tearfully. "I can't..."

Joey squeezed her hand.

"Charlie, there was nothing more than my word against Robbo's," she said. "And you encouraged me to press charges. You got me through it and now he's going to spend the next fifteen years in jail. Charlie, if I can do it..."

"I'm not strong like you," Charlie said.

"Charlie Buckton, you are the strongest person I have ever known," Joey said firmly.

"And me," Watson added. "Charlie, if anyone can get through this, you can. And we'll be with you. We'll help you. Me, Joey, Leah, Rachel..."

"Ruby?" Charlie challenged.

Watson fell silent.

"Even my own daughter doesn't believe me," Charlie said. "How the hell would I ever convince a court that my ex-boyfriend raped me? Just like another one did sixteen years ago?"

Joey put an arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Let me look into it again," Watson said. "Quietly. If there's anything... anything that can prove what happened, I swear I will do my best to find it."

Charlie nodded and swallowed. She didn't have the energy to really agree or disagree. All she wanted was to curl up and go to sleep. She didn't want to participate.

"For now... can I... can I take your gun to the station with me?" Watson asked.

Charlie looked up sharply.

"I presume you're not going to be coming back to work for a little bit so there's no need to have it at home. I'll look after it."

Charlie studied her, trying to work out if she knew what had nearly happened that morning.

"I think it's a good idea," Joey said softly.

Sighing, Charlie nodded her agreement. Watson reached out to put the weapon away. Feeling the way she did, Watson didn't think Charlie ought to be around a weapon such as that, even if she did have Joey looking after her. She stood up.

"I'll be in touch, okay?" she said. "I really do want to help you."

"Thank you," Charlie said weakly.

Watson nodded and walked back to her car.