Chapter 27

"Ruby...Shut up" Charlie stated firmly though her gaze was flitting nervously between the sides of the boat.

"What?" Ruby asked innocently "I just thought you should know to stay away from the side, that's all!"

"There are no sharks" Charlie responded firmly "You were imagining things" she gazed closely at her sister and could just make out a hint of amusement under her innocent facade.

"I wasn't" the teenager shook her head "There was a shark. I saw its fin!"

"Really Rubz" Charlie laughed nervously "I know you're making it up"

"Then why did you move away from the side?" Ruby challenged.

"Ruby!" Joey warned as she appeared from below deck and walked over to Charlie "Stop torturing Charlie" she glanced at Charlie and smiled reassuringly "There are no Sharks"

"You're no fun" Ruby grumbled. She flashed a smile at Charlie "Sorry Charlz...I was just messing"

Charlie shrugged and glanced at Joey "Jo..."

Joey sighed and tugged Charlie towards the control room, closing the door behind them.

"Charlie Honey" Joey pulled the older girl close to her "There's nothing at all to worry about, okay? We're perfectly safe on the boat. We're not going to sink, we're not going to get eaten by sharks and we're not going to do anything else that you're worrying about"

"I know" Charlie sighed quietly "I'm sorry Joey. I just can't relax. It's like I'm waiting for a brick to come flying at me and me hit my head"

"Well..." Joey smiled "I don't think it's likely that you'll be hit by bricks here" she tightened her embrace slightly "Just relax Charlie. Nothing is going to happen to us out here, you trust me right?"

"Of course I do" Charlie replied instantly.

"Then just have a little faith" Joey grinned "And take it easy"

"Okay" Charlie exhaled deeply "I can try to do that"

"Good" Joey pressed a short kiss to Charlie's lips "Just ignore Ruby, you know what she's like"

"Yeah" Charlie murmured thoughtfully "I do..."

"Hey!" Joey exclaimed suddenly "I know how you can get over your fear!"

"How?"

"Drive the boat!"

"What?!" Charlie's eyes widened in shock "Me? No...I can't do that. I'll crash or something!"

"Crash into what?" Joey gestured around them "There's nothing here"

"I'll find something" Charlie answered "Plus it's against the law. I don't have a licence to drive a boat"

"But" Joey argued brightly "If I'm there with you and I have my hands on the wheel, you're not breaking the law"

"I don't know..." Charlie bit her lip in concern "You won't let me crash or anything?"

"I'll be right behind you" Joey responded reassuringly. She moved over to the wheel pulling a slightly reluctant Charlie with "It'll be fine Charlie. I promise"

"Okay" Charlie nodded slowly.

"It would probably help if you had your hands on the wheel" Joey moved close to Charlie's back.

"Y'know..." Charlie said as she placed her hands on the wheel "It's kind of hard to concentrate while you're pressed up against me"

"Sorry" Joey giggled as she turned the ignition key and placed her hands atop the older girl's on the wheel.

"Shit, we're moving..." Charlie muttered softly.

"Its okay" Joey soothed quietly "Just steer...its easy"

"Yeah for you maybe..."

"You weren't this nervous the first time you were on the boat with me" Joey said in an attempt to relax her girlfriend.

"I wish I could remember fully" Charlie sighed sadly "Then maybe I wouldn't be so nervous now..."

Joey loosened her grip on one of Charlie's hands causing her to tense almost immediately.

"Where are you going?!"

"Nowhere" Joey pulled one hand off the wheel "I just don't need both hands on the wheel..." she wrapped an arm lightly around Charlie's waist and pressed a soft kiss to her neck "I'd much rather have them on you"

"Distracting!" Charlie squeaked under Joey's attentions.

"Sorry..."

They fell into silence for a few minutes in which time Joey noticed Charlie loosen up considerably.

"Do you think Ruby's still a little bit mad at me?" Charlie asked softly.

"No" Joey replied, slightly surprised at the question "Why? Did she say something?"

"No..." Charlie shook her head "It's just a feeling I have. I'm probably being paranoid"

"You?!" Joey gasped in mock disbelief "Never!"

"Hey!" Charlie nudged her girlfriend gently.

"Sorry" Joey said again. She tightened her embrace slightly and they fell into a comfortable silence, savouring the embrace.

"Charlie?" Joey frowned having noticed that Charlie's grip on the wheel had relaxed slightly "Are you okay?" she grabbed the wheel quickly with one hand and managed to stop the boat and turn off the engine.

"I'm fine" Charlie finally answered slowly "I just had a flashback that's all...It's never happened before when I'm awake though..."

"Come on" Joey guided her onto the deck and sat her down gently "You need air..."

"What's wrong with Charlie?" Ruby asked when she looked up at them. She jumped to her feet and moved to sit at Charlie's side.

"It was just a flashback... I'm fine Rubz" Charlie took a deep breath and smiled up at Joey who was hovering above her uncertainly "You didn't tell me we had done that before"

"You remember?" Joey questioned hopefully.

Charlie nodded and Joey hugged her tightly "That's great!" she pulled back and kissed her softly "Really great!"

"Yeah. I guess that means my memory's coming back."

"It's about time" Ruby smiled from next to them.

---

Joey gazed contemplatively into the dark night sky at the stars twinkling above them. She tightened her embrace around her girlfriend when she felt her shiver slightly "Cold?"

"A little bit" Charlie snuggled further into Joey's arms and sighed in contentment "Much better"

"Joey?" Ruby questioned quietly, her eyes focused on where Joey and Charlie sat close together.

"Hmmn?" Joey hummed quietly, glancing up at her.

"You know when I said there's a chance I'll get really desperate and jump?"

"Yeah" Joey frowned "What about it?"

"I think I'm getting there" Ruby explained jokingly "You guys are killing my with your cutsie-ness"

Both girls shrugged sheepishly.

"But seriously" the teenager continued in a more serious tone of voice "It's nice to see both of you happier than you were before and I'm really sorry about making this so hard for the both of you...With my issues"

"Its okay" Charlie replied quietly "We're totally fine"

"That's good" Ruby nodded to herself "Because I don't know what the hell we would do if you guys broke up"

"What do you mean?"

"Our arguments would never be sorted out if Joey wasn't around"

"You're probably right" Joey laughed "You're both way too stubborn for your own good..."

"Charlie's fault" Ruby stated.

"What?" Charlie exclaimed "How is that my fault?"

"Well I had to get it from somewhere, right?" Ruby asked "and since you're the most hard headed person I know..."

"I am not!"

"You are"

"Am not!"

"Here we go again..." Joey muttered, though she couldn't help the content smile that tugged at her lips.

"Ruby?" she questioned suddenly noticing the teen was practically hanging over the side of the boat "Could you do me a favour?"

"What?" Ruby grinned cheekily "Want me to disappear so you can seduce Charlie?"

"Not yet..." Joey smiled "But could you lean forward? I keep thinking you're going to you know..."

"I'm fine..." Ruby leaned back slightly further on the railing "See? Fi..." she trailed off as she toppled overboard and landed with a splash in the water.

Charlie and Joey gazed at where the younger girl had been only a moment before in shock.

"Ruby?!" Charlie yelled, jumping to her feet and rushing to the edge of the boat "Ruby, are you okay?" there was no sign of Ruby resurfacing and Charlie looked up at Joey "Jo, she's not coming back up..."

"I'm sure she's..."

"RUBY?!" Charlie called out again. When there was no answer she glanced at Joey quickly before vaulting over the railing

"CHARLIE!" Joey exclaimed in shock. She bit her lip nervously as she waited for her to resurface and resisted the urge to jump in after them. After a moment she saw Charlie and Ruby resurface in the water and breathed a sigh of relief. She moved over to the back of the boat and offered them both a hand, helping them back on board. They stood soaked and shivering in front of her. Joey burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?!" Charlie stuttered "That water is freeeeezing!"

"Sorry" Joey gasped for air through her giggles "It's just you two look really comical right now" she glanced at Ruby "I told you that you were going to fall!"

"Whatever" Ruby rolled her eyes at her.

"Are either of you hurt?" Joey asked seriously "Because I have like five first aid kits..."

"Why have you got so many?" Charlie asked in confusion "Did you expect something to happen"

"I figured something would...Ruby's on board"

"Oh" Charlie nodded.

"I'm not that accident prone!" Ruby pouted.

"Yes you are" Joey and Charlie said in unison.

"You should go get changed before you catch a cold" Joey informed Ruby quietly "You've only just gotten over the hypothermia!"

"Yeah, Yeah I'm going" Ruby turned her gaze to Charlie "Thanks for jumping in after me..."

"Anytime" Charlie shrugged.

"Goodnight then..."

"'Night" Joey and Charlie echoed in unison. They watched her walk slowly away.

"Sooo..." Joey said as she turned to Charlie "Are you coming to bed?"

"Uh-huh" Charlie shivered slightly as she took Joey's outstretched hand.

---

"I was kind of surprised when you jumped in the water" Joey admitted quietly "I thought the boat freaked you out but you just jumped right in"

"I thought Ruby was drowning....Jumping in was instinctual" Charlie murmured quietly as she traced the scar on Joey's stomach with gentle fingertips.

"Yeah well..." Joey smiled dropping a small kiss on her girlfriends' head "I still think it was incredibly brave of you to overcome your fear like that..."

"It was nothing..." both girls fell silent focusing only on the soft melody that came from the CD player in the small room.

Charlie noticed Joey tense slightly under her hand and she stilled it immediately "Sorry...Does that hurt?"

"No" Joey responded softly "It just tingles a little bit...its fine"

"Hey" Charlie said suddenly "It's our song"

"Our song?" Joey focused intently on the music.

...I held on anyway

But I didn't do it,

I couldn't do it

Love only hurts just a little...

"You remember?" she smiled softly.

"I remember" Charlie nodded "On the boat. I remember everything about being on the boat with you. I'm sorry I freaked out..." she leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Joey's lips "If I had known then how much I would feel for you..."

"Its fine" Joey said reassuringly "Let's just focus on the present okay?"

"Okay" Charlie nodded "I love you Jo"

"I love you too" Joey whispered. She pulled Charlie close to her and kissed her passionately allowing her hand to thread through the other girls' dark hair. She pulled back slightly breathless "God I'm glad we have a separate room from Ruby"

"Thin walls though" Charlie smiled "We'll have to be quiet"

"I can do that" Joey pulled Charlie into another heated kiss.

TBC