Here's the next chapter guys! Thanks again to all of you who are sticking with this fic and still reviewing. I know it may be getting a bit tedious (And feel free to tell me it sucks if it does) but your reviews really inspire me to continue writing CJ. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 71
"So what's going on with you and Summer?" Joey asked as she watched Ruby closely from across the table "This is the longest I've seen either of you go without talking to each other"
"I'm pissed off at her" Ruby said with a glare at nothing in particular "I hate that she's just giving up on us without a fight"
"She's really upset you know" Joey said quietly as she met Ruby's gaze "With the situation...and the fact that your mad at her is making it even worse for her because she can't talk to you"
Ruby shrugged "Why should I care? It's obvious she doesn't..."
"Haven't you thought...?" Joey started insightfully "That it might not be that she doesn't care? It might be that she cares too much to put you through an attempt to fight what's happening?"
Ruby hesitated for a moment before speaking disdainfully "That doesn't even make sense...If she cares so much about me than why is it that she's suddenly running back to England?"
"You make it seem like she has a choice" Joey observed as she leaned back slightly in her chair "It seems to me that she doesn't want to leave at all. But she has to do this...For Cameron"
"You think I'm being selfish?" Ruby asked as she lowered her gaze to the table. When Joey didn't respond she gave a small shrug "Maybe I am"
"You should talk to her" Joey advised softly as she reached across the table and squeezed Ruby's hand "It'll be good for both of you"
"I don't want to talk to her" Ruby grumbled "If I talk to her I'm only going to feel worse about the fact that she's leaving because..."
"Being mad at her hurts less?" Joey offered knowingly as she tilted her head in an attempt to meet the teenager's pained eyes "You don't have to concentrate on the fact that she's leaving?"
"I guess that's it" Ruby nodded fighting back tears "I don't even know why I care so much about the fact that she's leaving. I mean..." she looked up at Joey for confirmation "should I care this much? Should it really hurt this much to think of her not being here?"
Joey hesitated for a moment before answering "I don't know what you're asking me Rubz..."
"Neither do I" Ruby released a bitter laugh and closed her eyes temporarily before she looked back at Joey. The older girl noticed however that Ruby didn't seem to be looking at her, but more like through her as if she was deep in thought "I shouldn't care this much about her. I'm so confused...It's like everything we say, everything we do has a deeper meaning...Like it's loaded with subtext I just can't figure out"
"Subtext?" Joey was getting even more confused by the minute and Ruby seemed to be talking out loud to herself "I have no idea what you're going on about..."
Ruby started as if surprised to hear Joey speak and shook her head in an attempt to clear it "That makes two of us than..."
"Ruby" Joey sighed and leaned forward slightly to look at the younger girl in pure concern "You know you can talk to me about anything, right? Or anyone? I'm not going to judge you"
"Yeah...I know" Ruby managed a small smile "thanks Joey"
Joey shrugged and was about to say something else when Charlie walked into the room wearing a disgruntled expression.
"What's wrong?" Joey asked in concern as she sat up slightly in her seat.
"Nothing" Charlie sighed. She leaned down and kissed Joey quickly before heading over to the coffee maker "Just Summer and Cameron arguing...Again"
Joey cast a look at Ruby's whose expression had darkened even more.
Charlie turned around just in time to see the exchange and frowned in confusion "Wait...Are you still not talking to her Rubz?"
Ruby shook her head "No, I'm not. And I don't plan on it either"
"Talking about me?" Summer asked miserably as she walked into the room her shoulders slumped in defeat. She glanced at Ruby though she didn't meet her eyes "Don't worry, I don't expect you to answer me"
Charlie and Joey exchanged awkward looks.
"What were you arguing with Cameron about this time?" Charlie asked in an attempt to distract Summer from Ruby's silent anger.
"Same as usual" Summer sighed disdainfully "She wants to leave. I don't really want to..." she risked another glance at Ruby "Though even I'm not sure why anymore"
Ruby looked up sharply anger burning brightly in her eyes "What is that supposed to mean?!"
"She speaks" Summer muttered dryly. When Ruby remained silent and merely glared at her she continued "All I mean is that if you're never going to talk to me again there's no point in me hanging around...Is there?"
"Fine!" Ruby seethed furiously as she stood up from her chair "LEAVE! See if I care...I'm going out!" with a glance at a stunned Charlie she turned on her heel and rushed out of the room. They stood in silence for a moment before Charlie seemed to realise what her daughter was doing and she snapped out of her daze, rushing out of the kitchen after her.
"RU..." she was cut off by the slamming of the front door and she sighed heavily "Great...That's just great"
"I'm sorry..."
Charlie jumped slightly as Summer popped up at her side "It's Okay...It wasn't your fault. Not really"
"I didn't meant to piss her off" Summer said regretfully "It's just...I hate that she's not talking to me. That she actually blames me for all of this"
"She doesn't blame you" Charlie said comfortingly "It's just...She's hurting right now and all she can think about is that you're leaving her. She just needs time"
"I agree" Joey said as she walked over to them "She's just confused about you right now Sum. Everything's unsure with you and her...She needs time to figure things out"
"So basically everything's a mess" Summer sighed to herself as she glanced back at the closed door "Do you think she'll be okay out there? Maybe I should go after..." she trailed off as she realised the flaws of her plan "Never mind...probably not a very good idea considering how furious she is at me"
"She'll be okay" Charlie said unsurely "She won't go far"
Joey nodded in agreement and reached out to take Charlie's hand as they stared at the door, wishing Ruby would walk back through it.
---
Ruby angrily dashed away tears from her cheeks as she walked down the road but found they kept on coming no matter how much she tried to stop them. She stopped suddenly and took a deep breath in an attempt to clear her head "Stupid confusing feelings..."
"Confusing feelings?" a voice behind her caused her to whirl around and come face to face with the one person she never wanted to see again "What a..."
"What do you want?!" Ruby interrupted as she began to slowly back away "I thought Charlie told you to stay away from me already..."
"That was before" Grant smirked "Before I took you and before your stupid friend hit me on the head" he raised a hand and subconsciously rubbed the top of his head.
Noticing he was somewhat distracted Ruby didn't hesitate to take her chance and spun around, quickly sprinting away.
"OI!" Grant called after her though Ruby didn't stop and merely continued running. She heard loud footfalls behind her and after a couple of minutes felt arms wrap around her waist holding her in place.
"GET OFF ME!" she yelled as she struggled to break free "CHARLIE! JOE..."
"Shhh!" Grant hushed her as he pressed a hand to her mouth effectively shutting her up "I just want to talk to you for a minute"
Ruby continued to struggle helplessly for a moment before she realised she wasn't getting anywhere and reluctantly relaxed.
Grant smirked at her as she did so and lowered his hand slowly "So what are you doing outside the house at this time of night? It's dark out...I'm sure Charlie wasn't happy about this" she remained silently glaring at him and he rolled his eyes "Fine. Be like that"
"Let go of me" Ruby demanded in a low voice "Right now"
"Where would be the fun in that?" Grant chuckled at her statement "I thought we could talk for a while" his grin faded slightly when Ruby remained still and didn't react in the slightest. He quickly decided to change tactic "So how is Summer these days?"
Ruby released a low growl and began to struggle furiously against him. Grant, surprised by her reaction struggled to maintain a grip on her "Whoa...Okay, calm down! Geeze..."
"You're sick!" Ruby muttered furiously as she stopped her struggling breathing heavily "You're a sick, pathetic pervert now LET ME GO!"
"Stop yelling!" Grant commanded glancing around quickly to make sure nobody had heard "Or somebody's going to overhear us"
"And?!" Ruby questioned sharply "I don't care. Just get off me right now or I'm going to scream"
"No you're not"
"How do you know?!"
"You're not going to scream because if you scream" Grant trailed a finger down Ruby's cheek and smirked when she flinched away from his touch "I'll kill you"
Ruby swallowed fearfully "Let me go"
"No"
"CHAR...!"
Grant raised his hand and backhanded the younger girl across the face effectively cutting off her speech "I thought I told you to be quiet"
Though stunned and in pain from the hit which had caused her lip to bleed and her cheek to ache Ruby looked up again and met his dark gaze "Let go of me"
"I can't" Grant said quietly as he pulled a knife out from his belt and held it up threatingly so it glinted in the moonlight "Because if I do you're going to go home and tell Charlie about this...Am I right?"
Ruby didn't answer as he pressed the knife against her throat, pushing against it slightly. She winced as se felt it cut into her and instinct kicked in as she raised her knee and slammed it painfully into his groin. When Grant yelped and doubled over in pain Ruby took the chance to push him off her and turning she rushed quickly away, hoping he didn't follow her.
"Fuck" Grant gasped through the pain "Twice in three days...That's great!"
---
When Charlie opened the front door, she was horrified to see Ruby stumble through it bloody and shaking "Ruby! What the hell happened to you?" she reached out and caught her daughter just before she fell and began to lead her quickly to the living room, her own panic setting in.
"Grant...He..." Ruby stumbled over her words slightly as Charlie pushed her gently down on the couch "Followed me"
"And hit you?" Charlie asked attempting to suppress her anger as she looked over her daughter's injuries.
"Yeah" Ruby nodded slowly. She looked up as Summer and Joey entered the room, the latter carrying a first aid box in her hands "I was kind of yelling and he told me to be quiet. I wouldn't' so he punched me..."
Charlie frowned as she placed her hand under Ruby's chin and tilted her head up slightly noticing the inch long cut that adorned her daughter's neck "How did this happened?"
"A knife" Ruby answered shakily "He said that he was going to kill me and he pressed the knife against my throat. That was when I got away"
Charlie nodded slowly and looked up into Ruby's eyes "Are you okay Ruby?"
"Um...I guess so" Ruby looked confused but nodded anyway.
"I'm going out" Charlie announced as she stood up from where she had been kneeling in front of Ruby "You'll be okay without me for a while, right?" she looked between the other girls for an answer but they didn't offer one "Right. I might be away for a while so don't wait up" she dropped a kiss on Ruby's head and kissed Joey quickly "I'll be back in a minute" with that said she rushed out of the room. Joey, Ruby and Summer exchanged concerned looks and Charlie returned moments later with her jacket on and her keys in her hand.
"Maybe you shouldn't go out there Charlie..." Joey started reluctantly fully aware of the fact that Charlie wouldn't listen to her.
"I have to!" Charlie insisted and for the first time Joey noticed that her wife was practically shaking with fury "I have to do this" she glanced at Ruby quickly "Where did you leave him Ruby?"
"Um...Not far from here" Ruby answered "But..."
"I have to go" Charlie said already walking toward the door "I'll be fine!"
"But Charlie..." Ruby started to protest but stopped and sighed as the door slammed shut behind Charlie. She glanced up at Joey worriedly "What do you think she's going to do?"
"I don't know" Joey answered worriedly "Hopefully arrest him"
Ruby glanced at a still silent Summer and offered her a small smile which quickly grew tearful with worry. Summer hesitated for a moment before she sat down on the couch and took Ruby's hand comfortingly "I'm sure she'll be fine Rubz"
"I'm sorry I was so mad at you before" Ruby said quietly "It's just..."
"It's okay" Summer interrupted her quickly "Really. It's fine...I completely understand"
"Erm..." Joey cut in awkwardly and both girls looked at her "Do you need me to patch you up Rubz? That cut looks a little bit sore..."
Ruby shook her head and smiled lightly "I'm fine. Thanks Joey...I think I'm just going to head upstairs" she stood up and started to the door expecting Summer to follow her but stopped halfway and turned around to see Summer sitting on the couch looking torn as to what to do "Are you coming?"
Summer nodded unable to stop the smile that tugged at her lips as she stood up from the couch.
"Will you let me know if Charlie gets back?" Ruby asked Joey quietly. The older girl nodded sincerely and Ruby turned again to walk away.
---
"Ow!" Ruby winced slightly and jerked back as Summer dabbed at the cut on her neck gently.
"Sorry" Summer said guiltily "But this would be a hell of a lot easier if you would hold still you know...It might not hurt as much"
"It hurts!" Ruby pouted indignantly.
"Hmmmn..."
Ruby couldn't help but grin to herself as she noticed Summer's look of intense concentration "You know...You're cute when you concentrate"
Summer glanced up and shook her head as her cheeks flamed pink. She glanced back down as she dressed Ruby's wound with a bandage "There! All done..."
"I'm sorry" Ruby said for what felt like the fifth time since they had gotten upstairs "I didn't mean to be such a bitch to you..."
"It's okay" Summer reassured her quickly "I told you...I understand"
"I don't think you do" Ruby disagreed "To some extent I don't think I really understand either..."
"Am I supposed to know what you're talking about?" Summer asked.
"I don't want you to go" Ruby said bluntly as she looked up and met Summer's eyes "I really don't want you to"
"I don't want to either" Summer smiled sadly "But I have to"
"After my Dad died..." Ruby said painfully as her gaze lowered to their lightly linked hands "And maybe even before...I've kind of had issues with people abandoning me. I guess that's why I got so mad at you. Because you're leaving me"
"I'm not abandoning you" Summer said quickly "I'm not just going to forget about you or anything. I mean..." she winced slightly "That kind of makes it sound like I'm never going to come back, doesn't it?"
Ruby nodded slowly "Are you ever going to come back?"
"I don't know" Summer said honestly "I wish I could say that I was but...I just don't know Rubz"
"I'll miss you like crazy" Ruby murmured as she lowered her tearful eyes again "When you leave I mean...I don't know what I'll do without you here"
"I'll miss you too" Summer said just as tearfully as she squeezed Ruby's hand slightly "But you'll be fine Ruby...I promise"
"I wish you didn't have to go" Ruby said softly as she pulled away and lay down on the bed tiredly.
"So do I" Summer responded in agreement as she too flopped down on her side next to Ruby "And if it was up to me I wouldn't leave...but it's not my decision"
"How...How long have we got?" Ruby answered worriedly not sure if she wanted to know the answer at all.
"A week and a half" Summer answered truthfully "Maybe even less"
Ruby shifted slightly closer to Summer "You...You know that I...I mean I...."
"I know" Summer smiled lightly at Ruby's attempt to express her feelings "You don't have to say it Rubz"
"I wish I could..."
"I know that too" Summer said softly "So do I"
"I'm so confused" Ruby whispered as she daringly lifted a hand to Summer's cheek and trailed a finger lightly down it . She paused as the older girl trembled slightly under her faint touch "I wish we had more time"
Summer nodded in response "But there could never be enough"
Ruby smiled lightly at Summers statement "When did you become such a romantic?" when she realised what she had said she quickly backtracked "I mean..."
"I know" Summer interrupted her, her tone slightly sad "I know what you mean" she paused for a moment before speaking "I don't know how I'm going to be able to leave you...Cameron will probably end up dragging me onto the plane kicking and screaming"
Ruby laughed softly at the mental image "Maybe" she paused for a moment undecidedly before she began to lean forward slowly. Summer's eyes flickered shut as her heart thundered loudly in her chest. At the last possible second Ruby lifted her head slightly and dropped a soft kiss on Summer's nose before pulling back, defeated.
Summer opened her eyes and attempted to smile reassuringly when she noticed Ruby's beaten expression "We'll be fine...Don't worry"
"I've never had a friend like you" Ruby said suddenly as she finally gathered the courage to look up into Summer's eyes again "It's never been this...Strong, y'know? It hurts like a bitch to think of you so far away from me..."
"We'll be okay" Summer said again in an attempt to convince herself as much as Ruby.
---
"Fuckin' Stupid teenagers..." Grant mumbled to himself as he hobbled along the road towards his parked car, having given up on his stalking for the night. He frowned as he noticed a familiar car behind his own but thought nothing more of it until he heard footsteps behind him. He was about to turn around when something hard and metal pressed against the back of his head.
"Stop right there"
Grant froze in place but revolved slightly to face a furious Charlie "Charlie...I wasn't expecting to see you so soon"
"Shut it" Charlie pressed the barrel of the gun against his forehead barely able to contain her anger "And turn around"
"Fine" Grant turned around and seconds later felt handcuffs being clamped onto his wrist "OW! Those are tight!"
"And?"
"So you're arresting me?" Grant asked as he glanced back at Charlie "It took you long enough..."
"I'm not arresting you" Charlie grabbed the back of his shirt with one hand and began to push him along towards the car.
"Well what are you doing?" Grant asked in confusion.
"Do you seriously think I was going to let you do what you did to Ruby and get away with it?!" Charlie seethes furiously "Seriously? You threatened to kill her!"
"So...We're going to the station?" Grant asked nervously as Charlie opened the back door of her car "And you're going to arrest me there?"
"We're not going to the station" Charlie said "And I'm not arresting you...Now get in"
Grant swallowed apprehensively but did as he was told. Charlie slammed the car door shut behind him before she got into the front and started the engine. Grant felt fear twist in his gut when he noticed that she was visibly trembled with anger and she had a white knuckled grip on the steering wheel "So where are we going?" he asked hopefully "To a different station?"
"I told you" Charlie met Grant's gaze and his fear intensified at the pure fury of her blue eyes "We're not going to the station" with that she slammed the car into gear and they drove off quickly.
TBC
