Well, this is IJKS's final portion of this story and DnW will finish up in chapter fourteen. We hope you've been enjoying it - if that's the right word. Love, IJKW xx

Chapter Thirteen

Joey had only been home for twenty minutes when there was knock on the door. She felt terrible that she had kissed Charlie. It had been as amazing as it had always been but she was sure she shouldn't have done it. Charlie was too vulnerable, too broken and too lost right now. There needed to be time before she was able to kiss someone again. If it was meant to happen, Joey felt she should have let Charlie be the one to make the first move. What if Charlie felt violated all over again? What if she had hurt her somehow? Charlie had come to rely on her. They were best friends and spent all their time together, but that didn't mean Charlie wanted anything romantic. Opening the door, Joey was surprised to find Charlie standing there.

"Hi," Joey squeaked.

Without speaking, Charlie leant in and kissed her.

Angelo remained in his cell. He was struggling to say the least and was deeply wondering if he deserved to be there. He had been given a false crime to tell other inmates that he was in for. Being labelled a rapist would only be asking for trouble. And they'd kept his job a secret. According to staff and prisoners, Angelo Rosetta was a banker accused of fraud. He just hoped that he would be found not guilty. Perhaps then, he could start his life over. He dreaded to think what Summer Bay thought of him now. Nobody had been in touch and it made him feel sad to think that in one moment, the life he had built for himself had been ruined. When all of this was over, would he be able to go back home? Would he and Charlie be able to rebuild something from the ashes of their relationship? Had he really overstepped the line? And one more thing that was bothering him, was the identity of that girl Charlie had been spending time with. He'd never seen her before and they just looked so close. A year ago, he wouldn't have even questioned it but since Charlie had admitted to him that she thought she was bisexual, jealousy reined and he wondered now if something was going on. But if there was, surely that made him innocent? If Charlie could get with someone so quickly after what had happened, perhaps it hadn't happened at all. Feeling like he had struck gold, he headed out of his cell to use the phone to call his lawyer.

Drawing gently away from each other, both Charlie and Joey were blushing. Charlie looked down shyly while Joey gazed at her in wonder. Looking back up, Charlie asked if she could come in.

"Oh!" Joey said. "Yes. Yes, sure. Of course."

She led the way into the lounge and the two of them sat on the sofa together.

"I thought I'd upset you," Joey admitted. "You know... before. I was worried I'd overstepped the line and..."

"You didn't," Charlie assured her. "I loved kissing you. It's been so long and... Joey, I love you just as much as I always did. And I hope that... well, if we were able to work something out now, we'd get it right. I wouldn't stuff it up again."

Joey couldn't take the smile off her face. She reached out and held Charlie's hands.

"Except... well, after everything... I don't know if I could... yet."

She shook her head and pulled a face, knowing she wasn't making much sense. Thankfully, Joey understood her.

"I want to be with you," she admitted. "I'm in love with you and I always have been. And the reason I freaked out back at yours because I was worried I'd overstepped the line. After everything you've been through... dating someone new, it's... well, I know how scary it is."

Charlie looked down, feeling guilty for how hurt Joey had been when she'd finally given her heart over. They'd both been terrified when they'd made love for the first time. Charlie had felt shy and inexperienced and Joey had been anxious about being with someone after what had happened to her. Now, Charlie felt evermore terrible to know how she had eventually let her down. And now she had been reminded, all too painfully, of exactly what Joey had been going through.

"I'd never rush you," Joey said. "We can take this whole thing as slowly as you want... as you need."

Charlie looked back up and gazed into Joey's eyes. All she could find her in her expression was love. It was comforting and reassuring. She squeezed Joey's hands.

"What do you think?" Joey asked. "I mean, it's not just what happened to you that's a problem, is it? Are all the old issues there from before?"

"Cheating on you?" Charlie asked worriedly. "I swear I'd never do that again. If you can forgive me..."

"Being out," Joey interrupted. "Are you okay with people knowing we're together? Being labelled gay? Can you cope?"

"Oh," Charlie said, relieved that her previous error didn't seem to matter. "No, that's fine. I just want to be with you. I don't care what people say. After this last year... being labelled a lesbian is going to pale into comparison to the things that have been said about me... the things people have thought."

Joey licked her lips and gazed back at her.

"So, this is it?" she asked. "We can... see how things go?"

"If you're happy to take it slowly," Charlie said.

"I am," Joey confirmed.

They smiled at each other and shared another kiss.

Ruby and Xavier arrived back at the house and found Leah and Elijah watching television in the lounge.

"Hey, guys," Ruby said. "Have you seen Charlie?"

Leah looked immediately uncomfortable. Ruby panicked.

"Is she okay?" she asked quickly. "Has something happened?"

"She's fine," Leah assured her. "I think. Joey ran out of here about an hour ago and Charlie ran off not long after. I don't really know what's happened."

Puzzled, Ruby sank into a chair. Xavier sat beside her. She'd thought that Charlie and Joey were on the verge of getting back together. Running off separately and, by the sounds of it, unhappily, didn't quite fit in with her plan.

"I hope they're okay," she said sadly.

Charlie lay happily in Joey's arms. It was a pose they had got used to by now. They held each other a lot these days. But this time, this glorious day, they had been kissing too and it felt wonderful. Charlie was elated to be back together with her and it was special to be with someone without any pressure. She knew she could just kiss Joey for as long as she wanted to without any suggestion of it being more. Joey was happy to take it at Charlie's pace. It felt comfortable. It felt good. It felt right. She smiled as Joey played with her hair and held her lovingly. Lifting her head, Charlie pressed her lips against Joey's.

"Have I mentioned that I love you?" she asked.

Joey beamed at her, returning her kiss.

"Maybe a couple of time," she said. "Although, I don't think I'll get tired of hearing it."

Charlie smiled and kissed her again.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too, Charlie," Joey replied. "With my whole heart. With everything I am."

A couple of weeks later, Charlie felt like she had settled into a routine that she was happy with. The world felt that little bit clearer. She'd returned to work and Watson had been such a support. Charlie had spoken to her boss and confirmed that it would be okay to promote her to Senior Constable. She had worked so tirelessly on Charlie's case and she knew she would be forever grateful. And she deserved a promotion. She deserved to step up some rungs on the career ladder and the pair of them had even socialised a little bit. Charlie and Ruby had also been spending a lot of time together and that meant the world. It hurt to think that her beloved daughter had believed Angelo over her but she didn't want to dwell on it. Ruby seemed to be making an effort to make things up to her and Charlie enjoyed feeling closer to her than she had in a while. And as for Joey, things were going perfectly. Charlie was shocked at how happy she could feel after all that had happened. They were taking things slowly and gone on all the dates they had missed out on the first time around. People gossiped. Colleen turned pink every time they walked into the Diner but mostly, people just seemed to feel guilty over doubting her and believing Angelo. Alf had given Charlie lifelong free drinks at the Surf Club and apologised sincerely for trusting Angelo's word. She'd assured him that it didn't matter and she just wanted to get her life back together but he had insisted.

In prison, on remand, Angelo had been focussing hard on his case. He and his lawyer had begun to build a case of consensual sex and it was a hope that he was clinging to. He had also set his lawyer on the case of finding out if Charlie was dating anyone new. The idea was that if she was in a relationship then she couldn't have been even nearly as traumatised as she was making out. There were six weeks left until his trial and if he had his way, he would make Charlie look like a liar on the stand.

That evening, having been out at the Surf Club for a drink, Charlie and Joey walked back to Charlie's house hand in hand. At the door, Joey kissed Charlie goodnight.

"Do you want to come in?" Charlie offered. "It's still early. We could watch a movie or something."

Smiling, Joey nodded and followed her into the house. Choosing a sappy romance on DVD, the pair curled up to watch the film together. Joey kept her arms around Charlie, gently playing with her hair as they watched. Charlie studied her out of the corner of her eye. She sighed softly, thinking how beautiful she was, and how patient. Turning back to the screen, she saw the lead characters getting intimate. Shifting a little uncomfortably, Charlie looked down at her hands. Joey had been so good to her but she wondered if she was starting to lose patience. She had never been with anyone who hadn't been eager for sex. It had always been an integral, if not always enjoyable, part of her relationships. For the brief time that she and Joey had been together before, their sex life had been full, exciting and loving. She snuggled a little closer to Joey and concentrated on the film, which was getting raunchier by the second. Looking up, she studied Joey's face, trying to read her expression. She was concentrating on the movie and absently chewing her lip. Realising she was being watched, Joey looked down.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Charlie nodded and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. Joey smiled and kissed Charlie's lips. Charlie closed her eyes and melted into the kiss. To be back in Joey's arms, to be held by her, to kiss her, felt so right. She wondered why she was still so scared of everything. And she wondered when Joey would run out of patience. Keeping her eyes closed, Charlie let their kiss continue.

"I love you," Charlie whispered.

"I love you too," Joey said.

Taking a deep breath and trying not to reveal how scared she was, Charlie held Joey's hands and pulled her up off the sofa. Silently, she led her into the bedroom. Inside the room, they continued kissing. Charlie pulled Joey on top of her on the bed. Pulling up momentarily for air, Joey gazed into Charlie's eyes.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked.

It was looking to be the most physical they'd got since they'd decided to make a go of things and Joey was worried about rushing her. Not entirely sure she was telling the truth, Charlie nodded and pulled Joey in closer. They continued to kiss, only breaking apart when the removal of t-shirts got in the way. Trailing kisses down Charlie's neck, Joey reached behind her and unhooked her bra. Charlie closed her eyes, trying to lose herself in the moment and forget her fears that she wasn't ready. Releasing Charlie from the confines of her bra, Joey took a moment to marvel at just how beautiful she was. She lowered her mouth and kissed her chest. Resting her hands on Charlie's tummy, she paused when she felt her trembling. Stopping, she moved to look at Charlie who promptly opened her eyes.

"Charlie, we don't have to do this if you don't want to," she said gently.

"I do!" Charlie protested. "I want to. I love you."

"And I love you but if you're not ready..."

"I am. I..."

"Charlie, you're shaking," Joey pointed out.

Charlie closed her eyes. Joey watched tears creep out from beneath the lids.

"I want to be ready," Charlie said. "I adore you. I'm so happy with you, Joey and I should be ready."

Joey sat up and scooted over to rest against the pillows, pulling Charlie with her. She kept her arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Charlie, there isn't any 'should' here," she said. "If kissing is all you're okay with, then that's all we'll do."

"I don't want to lose you," Charlie said quietly.

"Charlie, do you honestly think I'd leave you just because we're not sleeping together? Surely you know I love you more than that?" Joey asked incredulously.

"I know you love me," Charlie told her. "You love me more than I deserve but... how long are you going to wait for me to get over my issues and move on?"

"As long as it takes," Joey said certainly. "Charlie, I am in this for the long haul, okay? It's me and you against the world."

Charlie smiled, feeling reassured.

"Have I been putting pressure on you or something?" Joey worried. "I haven't meant to."

"You haven't," Charlie assured her. "You've been perfect. I just... I put pressure on myself. I want to be perfect for you, Joey."

"You are perfect for me," Joey said. "But when we sleep together... it has to be right, okay? It can't be because you feel you should. I mean, I'd feel terrible if we made love and you didn't enjoy it or you weren't comfortable. I'd feel like I'd done something terrible to you."

Charlie chewed her lip. She never wanted Joey to feel that way. Joey reached up and stroked her face.

"When we make love, it's got to be because we both want to, we're both happy and it feels like the right thing to happen. And until then, well, I don't know about you but... I'm happy going exactly as we are."

"I'm happy," Charlie said. "I'm sorry."

Joey leant in and kissed her.

"You have nothing to be sorry about."

They kissed again before putting their clothes back on. Charlie sat back on the bed and held her arms out. Joey snuggled into her embrace.