Thanks a million for all of the reviews guys. Your feedback really means a lot :)
Oh and thanks especially to pmcc, jsco81 and AuthorW for telling me about the chapter error. This site is getting kind of annoying. The errors are happening way too often but anyway...Thanks for telling me.
Jess: Hey, sorry I should probably have put a spoiler alert on that Chapter. I should have remembered that the UK is behind (since I'm from the UK myself lol) but yeah the whole Charlie is Ruby's Mum thing is a spoiler. Sorry if you didn't wanna know (Though you said in your review you already suspected it?).
Chapter 22
"Joey?" Charlie swallowed anxiously and squeezed the other girls hand lightly, feeling fresh tears welling up in her eyes. Joey hadn't made any move or said anything since Charlie had confessed "Jo, Please say something...Anything?"
"Yeah...Uh...Just give me a minute" Joey murmured quietly.
"Right" Charlie sniffled quietly "Of course you need a minute...What was I thinking? I'm such an..."
"R...Ruby's not your sister?" Joey stammered in shock.
"No" Charlie responded honestly.
"You two aren't sisters?" Joey repeated.
"No..."
"You're her...I mean she's your..." Joey trailed off and frowned in confusion.
"My daughter" Charlie filled in quietly. She released a small whimper when Joey pulled her hand away.
"I don't understand..."
"I was raped when I was fourteen" Charlie explained shakily for the second time "I...I fell pregnant and Mum and Dad didn't want anybody to know about it...They told me that it would be best for me to give her up after she was born...To them. I wasn't old enough to look after a baby and...They told me it was for the best. After Ruby was born they...They took her and told her that I was her sister. That was just how it was" Charlie raised a shaking hand to her cheek and wiped her rapidly flowing tears away.
"Ruby doesn't know?" Joey questioned softly "She...She thinks she's your sister?"
"Yeah" Charlie nodded tearfully "Joey..."
Joey turned her gaze to focus on Charlie "Yeah?"
"I...I don't know" Charlie said softly as her tears began to come thicker and faster "Are...Are you mad at me? Are you going to leave?"
The vulnerability and insecurity in Charlie's voice brought tears to Joey's eyes and she quickly pulled her into her arms "No. I'm not going to leave you. I promise"
"It's all such a mess Joey!" Charlie sobbed into Joey's shoulder "I've been lying for so long and I just...I don't know what to do!"
"It's okay" Joey tightened her embrace as Charlie's sobs increased "I'm not going anywhere..." she rocked them soothingly back and forth in hopes that it would calm Charlie down slightly as she attempted to wrap her mind around Charlie's secret.
"I don't know what to do" Charlie said again as she pulled away from Joey slightly "I don't know what to do and...I keep having these stupid nightmares about that night when I was..." she trailed off and Joey nodded understandingly prompting her to continue "I haven't had them for years Joey. I don't know why they would start again now..."
Joey nodded slowly "I understand" she raised her hand and tenderly wiped still falling tears from Charlie's cheeks.
"You're not mad at me?" Charlie asked quietly "You're not in the least bit angry that I didn't tell you this sooner?"
"I'm not mad at you" Joey said sadly "I'm a bit upset that you didn't trust me enough to tell you sooner but...No. I'm not mad. At all"
"Really?" Charlie whispered.
"Really" Joey confirmed quietly "But you know that I'm going to tell you that you should tell Ruby, don't you?"
"I can't!" Charlie stated firmly her eyes widening with fear "She'll hate me Joey! I've been lying to her, her whole life...What if she leaves me?!"
"Ruby could never hate you" Joey argued gently "She loves you, you know that!"
"But I've been keeping this from her for so l..."
"I know" Joey said quietly "But you have to tell her sometime, right?" she pulled Charlie closer and dropped a kiss onto her head.
"What am I supposed to say?" Charlie mumbled "Hey Ruby I know you think that you're my sister and have though that your whole life but you're actually my daughter!"
A second later the door flung open and Ruby bound into the room. Charlie sat up quickly and gazed at her with a 'deer in the headlights' look.
"Hey guys!" Ruby smiled happily. Her smile faded however when she noticed Joey and Charlie's position "Oh...Sorry I didn't knock...I didn't know that you were busy..." she looked closely at Charlie in concern "Are you okay Charlz?"
"I'm fine" Charlie answered weakly.
"You're not fine" Ruby frowned as she moved closer to the bed "You've been crying..."
Charlie shrugged silently "I'll be okay"
Ruby sent a curious look at Joey who was looking between her and Charlie.
"Why were you crying?" she repeated. She knelt down in front of her sister in order to meet her downturned eyes.
"Don't worry about it" Charlie smiled weakly "I'll be fine soon. Honestly Ruby"
"Have you two been arguing?" the youngest Buckton shot Joey an accusing look "Did you say something to her?"
Charlie unwillingly released a small sob at Ruby's protectiveness.
"Charlie..." Ruby stood up from the ground and sat tentatively on the bed next to Charlie, taking her hand comfortingly.
"I'm okay Rubz" Charlie murmured "I'm just...I'm being overdramatic. That's all" she pulled her hand from Ruby's and shrugged "Really"
"Are you sure?" Ruby still looked worried "You can tell me y'know...If it's something bad..." she bit her bottom lip nervously "You two aren't breaking up again are you?"
"No" Joey answered instantly, giving Charlie's hand a reassuring squeeze "We're definitely not breaking up"
Ruby glanced at Joey "So what's wrong with her?"
"I'm still here you know" Charlie smiled weakly.
"But you're not answering my question" Ruby kept her gaze trained expectantly on Joey who appeared at a loss for what to say.
"Uh..."
"I'm fine" Charlie wiped quickly at her eyes "See? I just got a little bit overemotional. No big deal"
"Overemotional?" The youngest girl asked incredulously "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure" Charlie nodded "I'm fine now...Really"
"Uh-huh" Ruby nodded disbelievingly "I don't know if I believe you or not but I'll let it go for now"
"Thanks Rubz" Charlie said gratefully "You don't have to worry about it"
"So who feels like going out?!" Ruby jumped up from the bed and stood in front of Joey and Charlie.
"I don't know" Charlie sighed sadly "I don't really feel like going out tonight"
"See!" Ruby exclaimed "I knew there was something wrong!"
"Nothing's wrong" Charlie countered quietly "I'm just really not in the mood to go out tonight...It's been one of those days..."
"Why do I get the feeling that you're not telling me something?"
"I'm not...I mean I am"
"Riiiight" Ruby nodded disbelievingly "Plllleaase Charlie? Maybe it will make you feel better..."
"I don't think it will" Charlie disagreed "I think I just need to go to sleep..."
"Oh...Okay" Ruby's expression turned wounded and she began to walk away shoulders slumped dramatically "That's okay..."
"Ruby!" Charlie stopped the girl from leaving the room "We can go, Okay?"
"YES!" Ruby grinned triumphantly. She rushed over to Charlie and hugged her tightly "Thank you Thank you Thank you THANK YOU!"
"I think I got it Rubz" Charlie smiled when Ruby pulled away "Now go and get ready..."
Ruby didn't need telling twice and rushed from the room.
"She has you wrapped around her little finger" Joey observed quietly.
Charlie shrugged and leaned into Joey's embrace releasing a sad sigh "I figure that if I have to tell her I might as well make the most of her not hating me..."
"She won't hate you" Joey leaned her head against Charlie's.
"Oh Shit"
"What?!" Joey questioned in alarm at Charlie's sudden expletive "What's wrong?"
"I probably shouldn't have told you any of this..."
"Huh?" Joey said in confusion "Why not?"
"If Ruby's pissed at me when she finds out she's going to need you" Charlie explained "But if she knows that you already knew she might be mad at you too..."
"It'll be okay" Joey soothed gently "It'll work out...somehow..."
---
Ruby gazed curiously at Joey and Charlie who were huddled closely together on the couch at Noah's their hands tightly entwined.
"Are you two okay?" she asked in concern "You're being really...Weird"
"We're fine" Joey reassured her quickly.
"I'm just feeling kind of off today" Charlie contributed "I don't know...I'll be fine soon though"
"Oh...Okay"
"So what's with the shirt?" Joey smiled attempting to change the subject. Charlie glanced at her in surprise before she turned her gaze to Ruby's shirt.
"This?" Ruby grinned pointing towards the CJ emblazoned on her otherwise plain white shirt. She continued at Joey's nod "I decided that since I wasn't all that supporting before, I should make up for it. Hence my CJ shirt"
"Cute" Charlie commented quietly, squeezing Joey's hand subconsciously "Where did you get it?"
"Internet" Ruby answered grinning cheekily "You may not have heard of it...It's this new invention..."
"Shut up" Charlie laughed "I'm not that old!"
"Are too" Ruby stuck her tongue out at the older girl who rolled her eyes in amusement.
"Whatever"
"You're comebacks always are the best" Ruby teased "So are you two alcoholics not drinking tonight? That's surprising"
"We're not alcoholics" Joey smiled.
"And you're usually all over each other too" Ruby observed closely "You're both being really weird tonight...Are you sure you haven't been arguing?"
"Does it look like it?" Charlie questioned referring to their close embrace.
"No" Ruby conceded defeat "I still think you're being weird"
Charlie glanced up at her girlfriend who offered her a reassuring smile and pressed a tentative kiss to her forehead.
---
"So I'm going to bed" Ruby motioned towards her bedroom "I'll leave you guys to be weird by yourselves..."
"We're not being weird" Charlie countered softly though she was visibly fidgeting.
"Riiight" Ruby drawled disbelievingly. She moved forward and hugged her sister lightly. She was about to pull away when Charlie tightened the embrace slightly.
"Ruby?"
"Uh-huh?" Ruby questioned slightly confused.
"I love you" the youngest Buckton instantly recognised tears in Charlie's voice and pulled back slightly to look at her.
"I love you too" she glanced at Joey who shook her head. Ruby squeezed Charlie's hand before pulling away fully "Night Charlie" she hugged Joey quickly before stepping back "Night Jo"
"G'Night" the older two girls echoes in unison. Ruby walked away from them but when she reached the doorway she turned around and settled her gaze on Charlie "Charlie?"
"Yeah?"
"If you want to talk to me about...Whatever's wrong I'm just in my room, okay?"
"I know" Charlie pushed back her tears and smiled weakly at Ruby "Thanks Rubz"
Ruby nodded before she walked out of the room. As soon as Ruby left the room Joey pulled Charlie close and allowed the other girl to cry almost silently into her shoulder.
Charlie pulled away after a moment and grabbed Joey's hand pulling her into the bedroom. They got changed and into bed in silence. Joey shuffled close to Charlie and held her gently.
"Jo?"
"Charlie?" Joey responded.
"Are you sure you don't want to leave?" Charlie questioned anxiously "I mean I know that this is a hell of a lot more than you bargained for...I mean I have a daughter. Are you sure that this isn't too hard because I would completely understand if yo..."
Joey silenced her with a short kiss "I can't leave you Charlie. Not again. No matter how hard it gets I'll be right by your side ever step of the way, okay?"
"Okay" Charlie said softly. She snuggled closer into Joey's embrace "I think I'm going to tell her tomorrow...Get it over with"
"I'll be right there with you" Joey reassured her softly "It'll be okay"
"I hope so..." all fell silent for a moment before Charlie spoke up again "Joey?"
"Yeah, Babe?"
"I love you" Charlie said sincerely. She leaned up slightly and pressed a loving kiss to Joey's lips "I love you so much"
"I love you too" Joey smiled, returning the kiss just as softly. She tightened her embrace and thy both eventually fell asleep dreading the next morning, though they were content just to be together for now...
TBC
