Shyrie, Charlie is 31 (16 when she had Ruby who is now 15) and Joey 26

Arriving home, Charlie finds it empty except for Ruby who was in her room staring at the clothes on her bed.

"Ruby, what are you doing?"

"What's it look like mum."

"Ruby, please, don't put yourself through this."

"No mum, if he wants to ignore me, then he can do it with me sitting there at the same table."

Charlie hugs her daughter, "I love you so much Ruby and I hate seeing you hurt, please, stay at home."

"Mum, you've finally been cleared and I want to be there for you tonight."

Admiring her daughter's determination, Charlie kisses her forehead, "Thank you Ruby."

"Is it alright if I stay with Nicole while he's here though, I mean, I can handle one night, but anymore than that and..." Ruby shrugs her shoulders.

"You can stay only if it's ok with Miles and Sally."

"I called them earlier."

Charlie hugs her again, "It's only going to be for a few days, Ruby, then he'll be gone."

"You know what mum, I don't care what he says, I'm proud of you, especially for making it as a cop, despite all the puts down."

"Thanks kiddo." Charlie sighs, as she sits on Ruby's bed. "I suppose it's a lot easier to do things when dad's not around and I can actually feel like an adult."

"Mum, why don't you just tell him to lay off."

"It's not that easy Ruby, he's very...he makes me," Charlie shakes her head. "He's just a very hard man to stand up to."

Ruby sits by her mother, staring mournfully at her feet. "It's my fault he treats you like this."

"No Ruby, don't you ever say or think that," Charlie tells her forcefully.

"It's true."

"No it's not." Charlie kneels in front of her. "You have never done anything wrong Ruby."

"If I hadn't been born."

"Even before you were born, my father and I weren't that close. And as for you, your father and I were young, but we don't regret having you Ruby and we both love you."

"Why won't granddad?" she asks tearfully.

"I don't know Ruby," wiping the tears from her daughter's face, wondering if her father would have neglected his grandchild if it had been a boy. "If it gets too hard tonight, let me know and we'll leave."

"You mean that?"

"Whether he approves or not," she assures her, earning herself a smile from Ruby.

"Charlie, you here?"

"You'd better go and see what Angelo wants mum."

"He can wait until we decide what you're going to wear tonight."

A half hour later, with Ruby finally settled on what she was wearing that night, Charlie walks out into the lounge room.

"So you are here."

"I was talking to Ruby and helping her decide what she's wearing tonight."

"Why, she's not coming, is she?"

"Of course she is."

"You know how your father feels about her."

"Angelo, you told me tonight was about celebrating me being cleared."

"It is," he hurriedly assures her, thinking it best not to mention anything about his promotion.

"Then I want my daughter there and if dad doesn't like it, he can leave."

"He's not going to like it Charlie." Holding up his hands when Charlie glares at him, "Hey, it's your funeral if he blows a stack."

"Angelo, why did you ask dad to stay here when you know how difficult it is for Ruby when he's around?"

"Sorry Charlie, I didn't think. We were just chatting and when he said he was coming, I just offered."

"You could have at least told me."

"Look, what's the problem Charlie, in a few days, he'll be heading back home."

"Well next time just think for a change Angelo, Ruby shouldn't have to feel like she has to stay with friends because dad's too cheap to stay in a hotel."

"Your father came to help us, the least we can do is offer him a bed."

"We don't need his help."

"Speak for yourself Charlie, you may be off the hook but that bitch is still after me."

Charlie bites off her reply, nearly mentioning the detective's suspicion about O'Malley. "Angelo, it'll be over soon."

"I want it over now," his voice growing whiny.

"So where are dad and Morag?"

"Visiting Martha and Alf." Angelo sidles over to her, putting his hands on her hips, "which means we have the place to ourselves."

Charlie steps away from him, "I have to get ready Angelo and we're not alone, my daughter is home."

Angelo watches her walk away, fuming at the rebuff and wishing like hell Charlie had done what her father had wanted and gotten rid of the brat.

"Joey, it's rather disturbing the way you are studying them," Watson comments as her sister continues to stare at the table across the room. "They're not some social experiment."

"Oh, I don't know Georgie, I think they make a fascinating study," Joey says. "The overbearing alpha male, the favoured son who's not a son, the friend who doesn't seem that friendly, the wife who's embarrassed by her husband's behaviour, the unappreciated daughter and the invisible kid. That poor kid looks absolutely miserable."

"That's because the Inspector acts as if Ruby doesn't exist. The bastard must have ice in his veins to ignore Ruby, she's a great kid."

"She certainly isn't afraid to stand up for her mother, that's for sure," Joey muses, remembering her own encounter with Ruby.

"What about the woman?" Graves asks, equally fascinated by the scene before them.

"That's Martha, Charlie's step-sister."

"They don't seem that close."

"Childhood rivalry apparently. Charlie told me that they were close once, but when Martha's mother abandoned her when she was 14, she changed."

"I thought you said they were step-sisters."

"Bellingham adopted Martha when Roo took off and when she married Charlie's father, the two became step-sisters. Charlie's still tries to work things out with her, but with Martha, it depends on what mood she's in on whether she's nice or bitchy."

"How long has she been fucking Rosetta?" Joey asks, having noticed the smug glances between Rosetta and Martha.

"As long as I've been here."

Graves looks over at the table again, then back at Watson. "Why don't you tell the Sergeant what's going on."

"Because I've never actually seen them at it, I mean I've heard them, but that's hardly proof, especially as far as Charlie would be concerned but the biggest problem is that Charlie doesn't want to see what is there in front of her."

"Why?"

"I'm not really sure. She's convinced herself Angelo's a wonderful guy and in all fairness, the majority of people in this town see him the same way. I also think it's got something to do with her father. Angelo is the son he never had and ever since Charlie introduced him to Angelo, he's been at her to marry him. I'm actually surprised Charlie's resisted this long, because I'm pretty sure the Inspector wanted them to marry only months after getting together and so did Angelo."

"Why would she be so resistant to marriage, I thought she loved him?"

"Maybe because deep down, she knows exactly what Rosetta is," Joey suggests, "but she's too scared to admit it because it would mean disappointing her father and admitting to herself that she's made a fool of herself."

"Joey, just because you and Graves got married young, it doesn't mean that everyone feels the same way about marriage. Marriage is a big commitment and from what Charlie's told me, she always wanted to be absolutely sure she's making the right decision; marriage would tie her to him and she does have Ruby to consider when making such a decision."

"Nah, I like my theory better."

Watson tosses a peanut at her, "I bet you do you little trouble maker."

"Hey, what did I do!" Joey cries out indignantly while she tries to locate the peanut which had landed down her top.

"Constantly needling Charlie and making her doubt not only Angelo but herself."

"Come off it Georgie, if she didn't have doubts to start with, then nothing I could have said would have made a difference. If she's having doubts, it's because they've always been there and she's just chosen to deny them in the past."

"Ok, maybe you're right, now could you please stop flashing your tits to the bloody room."

"I wasn't flashing."

"Pulling the front of your top down usually counts as flashing."

"It wasn't down that far." Joey flicks the recently located peanut back at her. "And no one was watching."

"God, I can't take you out anywhere," plucking the peanut out of her drink.

"That's a good one coming from you, considering the state you used to come home in after going out. I mean, what sort of an example was that to set your little sister, falling asleep on the loo after a night out on the town."

"You little bitch, you swore you wouldn't tell."

"I had my fingers crossed," Joey grins cheekily at her, her grin getting wider, "And let's not forget the time when I found you curled up drunk in the dog's basket the next morning." Both of them turn their attention to Graves who had burst out laughing.

"Joey, shut up right now or I'll start telling some of your stories," Watson threatens her.

"I have never been drunk in my life."

"No, but there was that time you had too much raspberry cordial and got all hyper."

Joey narrows her eyes at her, "You wouldn't dare."

Watson leans on the table, "Try me."

"Truce?" Joey offers.

"Truce." Watson accepts.

"Thank god I don't have sisters," Graves mutters, earning a glare from the sisters. "How about another drink, on me?" Graves heads to the bar as quickly as she could.

Watching the sisters from across the room, Charlie feels a little jealousy at how close they seemed, despite their disagreements. Charlie is amazed at the transformation in the detective; so used to seeing her so serious and stern, she had started to wonder if she was even capable of laughter unless it was at her expense and there she was looking very relaxed and clearly having a good time. Realising she was staring at the detective as she lowered the front of her top, offering a brief glimpse as she reached in to pull something out, Charlie looks away, flushed. Remembering the tingling sensations when Joey had put her hand on her shoulder earlier, Charlie excuses herself and heads to the bathroom.

Splashing water on her face, Charlie stares in the mirror. "What the hell is going on?" she asks her reflection, her emotions a swirl of confusion. Closing her eyes, Charlie splashes more water on her face. Drying her face, Charlie turns and bumps into something.

"Whoa, steady there." Finding herself in the arms of the detective, Charlie feels her touch as if it was burning her as she held her steady.

"Sorry, I wasn't watching were I was going."

"Are you ok, you're looking a little flushed?"

"It's just tonight."

"Your father?"

"Yeah," Charlie lies. Staring into the warm brown eyes in front of her, Charlie suddenly remembers that the detective still held her. "Ah, thanks for saving my dignity and not letting me fall," she says as she steps back and out of her arms.

Joey grins at her, "If you walked out limping I'd have everyone pointing the finger at me."

"Now I'm wishing you had let me fall, then I might have finally gotten rid of you," her words coming out harsher than she had intended. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

"Does that mean that you don't want to get rid of me?"

Charlie stares at her, wondering herself what she had meant. Shaking her head, Charlie allows herself to smile at her. "I should be heading back out."

Charlie has just taken her seat when she notices Joey walking toward their table. With a brief, mischievous smile for Charlie and a wink at a confused Ruby, Joey stops at the Inspector's side, offering her hand. "Inspector, I just wanted to say it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Ross stands up, holding her hand longer than was necessary as his eyes drift lower, his height offering a nice view down her loose top, especially since Joey had taken the opportunity to undo the top few buttons on the short walk over. With his attention elsewhere, Ross doesn't realise who is talking to, despite Morag's attempts to get his attention, "Well hello, it's always a pleasure to meet such a charming young woman."

"You must be very proud of your daughter Inspector, a Sergeant and in command of her own station at her age."

Surrounded by people, Ross is forced to praise his daughter. "Ah yes, I'm extremely proud of Charlie's achievements though I'm sure Angelo will be in charg...ah, will no doubt have his own station soon."

"Really," Joey says in surprise. "Considering his record and the fact he's been stuck as a Constable for so long, I'd be very surprised if he's ever entrusted with that sort of responsibility."

Her words having different reactions on those there; gasps of fury from both Angelo and Ross, Ruby struggling to hide her grin as Morag watches on with grudging admiration for the young woman standing up to her husband; something few people ever do and shocked, confused silence from Charlie.

"Now you listen here," Ross says angrily as he finally finds his voice.

"I'm sorry Inspector, but his record speaks for itself and if he is ever given command, I'd have to wonder at how that came about, especially as he'll be lucky to be promoted in the next few years," warning him she knew what he was up to.

"Who the fuck are you?" His voice turning every head in their direction.

"Maybe if you had stopped staring at my tits long enough, you may have realised who I was. I'm Det. Sgt. Collins, the woman who's investigating your future son-in-law for murder." She steps closer, lowering her voice so only he could here, "I'm also the woman who is very familiar with the way you work sir, so I'm giving you this warning only once; fuck with me, and you'll be out of the force with your head buried in shame."

"Don't threaten me bitch!" Ross warns her through clenched teeth.

"Does the name Kylie Raine mean anything?" The colour drains from his face. "Yeah, I really don't think the Deputy Commissioner would take too kindly to finding out that you're having an affair with his wife," glancing briefly at Morag, "and I somehow doubt that the Judge would appreciate it either." Cursing this woman, wondering how the hell she found that out, Ross nods his head. "If I so much as even suspect you've tried to put a stop to this investigation or had any hand in getting Rosetta a promotion we both know he doesn't deserve, then everyone will know about your little affair and we both know what that will mean to your precious career and Rosetta's. Oh, and why don't you leave your daughter alone and fuck off home." Smiling, Joey offers her hand which he takes automatically, still in shock. Joey waves to the others as she leaves them.

"Ross, what's wrong," Morag asks in concern.

"Nothing." He shakes his head, "Nothing honey," he assures her as he sits down.

Martha watches her walk away, admiring what she saw. "I had no idea she looked like that," murmuring to herself.

"Joey, what did you just do?" Watson demands when Joey finally returns to their table.

"I just threw a pebble into the pond to watch the ripples."

"A pebble, more like a damn boulder," she mutters.

"I just happened to mention something about a little affair he's having."

"Do I even want to know how you know that?"

"Asks Graves, she's the one who told me about it."

Both Watson and Joey turn their attention on her. Shrugging, "Dex goes to uni with the Deputy Commissioner's daughter who happened to mention in passing that she caught her step-mum doing the nasty with the Inspector in the bathroom at a party."

"Whoa. Jesus, if that got out, he'd be history."

"And Rosetta," Joey adds. "The Inspector's made it pretty obvious he favours Rosetta as his protégé which puts a nice, big target on his back."

"Why not just blab?"

"Because Georgie, I'm going to get Rosetta for murder."

"You're not blabbing because Charlie would become a target too."

Joey shrugs, neither confirming nor denying it.

"So Charlie, Angelo, can we expect the wedding invite in the mail soon?" Ross asks, trying to regain control of things.

"Dad."

"Charlie, you're already getting married, what's the problem with moving it forward?"

"Angelo's still being investigated."

"Charlie, Angelo is innocent and that will soon become obvious, even to this detective."

"Yeah Charlie," Angelo says, embolden by having Ross on his side, "Why don't we move the wedding forward?"

"I don't see what the rush is."

"Anyone would think you didn't want to marry the boy."

"It's not that dad."

"Then it's settled, the wedding will be moved forward. What do you think Angelo, 3 weeks enough to arrange it?"

Grinning at Ross, "Why wait that long, how about next week."

"Perfect, we can start arranging things immediately."

"No!" Charlie interrupts, stunning both Angelo and Ross and even herself with the ferocity of that single word. "We'll get married when we planned to, not before. Dad, I'm 31 years old, it's time you stopped trying to run my life."

"That's not what I'm doing Charlie," speaking to her as if she were a child.

Not knowing where this sudden courage has come from, Charlie's determined to make the most of it. "Yes it is. I earned my promotion on my own, I earned the right to command this station on my own and I will get married in my own damned time, not when you say."

Ross sits back shocked, never having seen his daughter stand up to him in such a way.

"Now listen here Charlie."

"Ross," Morag puts a hand on his arm. "Charlie's right. This is her wedding and her life."

"Charlie, what's going on?" Angelo asks, not liking the way Charlie was defying her father.

"What's going on is that I have had enough of my father treating me like I'm a child, always putting me down and ignoring my daughter. I'm sorry dad, but you can't stay with us."

"Charlie, be reasonable, I invited him."

"Angelo, I won't have my daughter be made to feel unwelcome in her own home. Dad, you either accept Ruby or you are no longer welcome in my house."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Ruby, come on, we're going home. Oh, dad; I have no intention of stepping aside."

Angelo looks confused as Charlie puts her arm across Ruby's shoulders and they walk out.

"Thanks mum."

"I only wish I had done that a long time ago Ruby."

Passing the other table, Ruby sends a shy smile at the detective who gives her the thumbs up.

"Seems the Sergeant has a bit of backbone after all."

"Jesus Joey, is that what you were after?"

"Hey, I had nothing to do with that."

"Can we please get out of here before the Inspector decides to come after us?"

"I don't think we have to worry about that, Rosetta's got him distracted with his endless sucking up."

Grabbing her sister's collar, Watson pulls her up. "Hey!"

"I'm doing this for your own good Joey," dragging her out of there with Graves chuckling behind them.

"Charlie, why did you leave?"

"Because I had had enough and so had Ruby."

"I know your father can be a bit harsh sometimes."

"Sometimes, it's all the fucking time Angelo and I've had it; I don't want him here."

Angelo puts his hands up, trying to calm her. "Fine, he can stay at a hotel. Charlie, why don't you want to move the wedding forward?"

"Angelo, we're already getting married and I just don't see the need to change the date."

"I guess I just want you as my wife so much."

"Stop obsessing Angelo, I don't appreciate the pressure you're constantly putting on me."

"I'm sorry ok."

"See, this is why I don't want my father here, all I feel is pressure and I really can't handle it from you too."

"I said I was sorry."

"You know, I've had enough of talking, let's just go to bed."

Desperate to forget the burning and tingling sensations of the detective's touch, the way she had grinned at her, the way those brown eyes had held her gaze and the way she had held her, Charlie throws herself into the sex. Urging Angelo on, she's amazed when she begins to feel something for the first time in a while, shocked when she climaxes hard without having to fake it and even more shocked when she realises she had been thinking of the detective the entire time.

Rolling onto her side, with her back to the snoring Angelo, a now familiar sleeping pose, Charlie lies in shocked silence, hoping that she was mistaken, hoping against hope that it wasn't thoughts of the detective's touch that had evoked those feelings. Squeezing her eyes shut, trying to block out the images and confusing emotions about a woman she had once despised...a woman who she was now thinking of more and more.