Thanks for the reviews. Please tell me what you think of this chapter. Any ideas are also welcomed in terms of direction of future story lines. I'm focussing on getting Charlie and Joey to open up to each other initially, to learn to trust each other again. Please R&R.
The next morning Charlie woke up happy, Joey was still sleeping, her body wrapped around Charlies. The memories of the night before came flooding back. Finally things were back to the way they should have been all this time, Joey back in her arms. Just the way Charlie always wanted, the way she imagined it so many times when Joey was away.
As she leant in to kiss Joey, she didn't mean to wake her up, but those beautiful brown eyes were gazing up at her with a smile. "Hi" Joey chuckled.
"What so funny, Beautiful?" Charlie asked.
"Nothing's funny. I'm happy, I'm just delighted to be by your side this morning this way. So many times when I was out on the boat, I imagined waking up with you by my side. I just could'nt keep you out of my head, despite everything that happened with us. I wanted to be angry at you, I wanted to get you out of my thoughts, but those blue eyes of yours were what I saw every night before I went to sleep and the first thing I saw when I woke up. I suppose that's why I wanted to make this right upon coming back here. Everything in my head was telling me not to but my heart was telling me different. I couldn't deny this love any longer. Now, look, I haven't been back a week yet and we have overcome so much and last night was a sealing of a commitment to you. I'm not turning back now."
Charlie looked deep into Joey's eyes. Joey hadn't really discussed how she felt while she was away. Now Charlie understood why she was given a second chance. She and Joey had both felt the same way, in their hearts. They wanted to find each other to overcome the pain of the last 12 months, she realised Joey had gone through the exact same thing as her. Their hearts remained loyal to each other despite their heads struggling with the separation and reality of their circumstances.
"I'm so sorry Joey, I never meant to hurt you. Your love is all i want and need in my life, you and Ruby by my side. I pledge my love for you right now and if there was a way to do a commitment speech to you with all the trimmings I'd do it here and now", Charlie replied seriously.
"You mean that? Right now?" Joey questioned.
"Yeah, of course. I want you to stay in Summer Bay, I want you to be happy, to find a job which you enjoy, to live together and share a life with Ruby and me. It's what I desire most."
"Actually Charlie, that's something I need to talk to you about. The getting a job bit.... I spoke to Alf and Leah when I was at the Diner the other day with Ruby. There could be some work going at the Bait Shop and Noah's. Alf said with Hugo gone he's got a lot more on his plate and someone with boating knowledge like me would help him out heaps. Leah said I might be able to help at the Diner to fill in a couple of weeks until things take off with Alf."
"Why that's great Jo. As much I'd love to fill my days with you here all the time, I will have to return to work at some point. I put in for some leave just before you came back so you'll have me hanging out with you until the holidays are up."
"Perfect, we better take advantage of this time off then huh? No certainties as to when you'll a holiday next."
"Actually, there was a reason behind me taking the leave. It wasn't really holiday leave."
"It wasn't?" Joey asked, feeling confused.
"At the time I broke it off with Angelo, things were really bad at home and at work. Between the problems with Angelo and Ruby, I tried to escape them by going to work, so I took on more shifts to avoid dealing with Ruby and I tried to work back to back shifts when Angelo wasn't on duty. I was pretty much a machine. I couldn't eat. I wasn't sleeping. I was a wreck. When I was off duty I would just head back into work to do paperwork if Angelo wasn't there. I crashed out a couple of times when I was on duty and the Boss said I need to take stress leave otherwise he would suspend me from the Force. Stress leave kicked in a fortnight ago. I still have 6 weeks to go, in which I have to go to see a counseller and do a variety of medical tests before I go back. "
"Charlie..." Joey gasped in disbelief "I don't understand.. you're the most composed, strong willed woman I know, how did you become so lifeless that there was no balance anymore?"
"Joey, I was so lost, you have to believe me when I say this. I wanted to believe in myself, to be a better Mum to Ruby, a more compassionate and strong willed woman, but when the whole people smuggling case was solved... Hugo was involved. He left me out there to die... I wanted to just see Ruby one more time so I could say sorry. I survived and made it back to dry land, but when I was out there all I could think of was you, and how much I hurt you and that I could never tell you I'm sorry. Each day that passed since I returned to work, it just got worse. My relationship with Angelo, it continued but cracks were forming. There came a point where I didn't want to talk to him anymore. I couldn't be with him anymore. You were the only person on my mind. Then I was ordered to take stress leave, I wasn't talking to anyone any more, I just did my job and came home to sleep. I didn't even eat. Life became so monotonous. Yet each night and each morning, your beautiful eyes were what I saw, then one day it was like a voice went off in my head, like a dream it said 'I'm coming home to you, to my heart I must be true;"....
Joey had begun to cry as she heard the words 'I'm coming home to you, to my heart I must be true;....
"Charlie, I'm so sorry, I am so so sorry"
"Hey, what do you have to be sorry for?"Charlie asked as she wiped away Joey's tears.
Joey reached for Charlie's hands, grasping them and lifting them to hold up against her heart, she stunned Charlie "Honey, I said those words about 6 weeks before I came back to Summer Bay. I never intended toget off the boat, but when I saw you on the beach distraught, I said those words again. I suppose my heart knew all along, We were meant to be."
"Oh Joey!!" Charlie wrapped her arms around Joey in an instance. "I love you so much"
"Charlie, are you ok now? I mean you're talking and eating, and Ruby's talking to you, but...??"
"I know, I know... I've been going to counselling, the most important thing is honesty, first and foremost. I've learnt to admit to my feelings no matter how bad they are, or if they hurt someone I love. I can't mend my relationships with the people I love if I'm not honest and tell them how I feel, can I?"
"No you can not, Charlie Buckton. As of this day we're starting to do things differently, a healthy run each morning, followed by breakfast and lots of loving during the day, and the nights... well they can speak for themselves I think. But I want you to promise me one thing Senior Constable" Joey demanded, looking deep into Charlies eyes.
"What's that? Handcuffs at night?" came a cheeky reply.
"No!!! Well???" pondered Joey for a second then "No!! Seriously, I want you to promise me no matter how hard things get for you, I want you to talk to me. I'm not running. I'm here for the long haul Charlie. I want you to remember that. We're in this together now. Forever"
Joey held onto Charlie's hands, intertwining their fingers, kissing each one by one, followed by a long passionate deep kiss that Charlie returned,in between whispering "Promise".