The next morning, Joey walks into the kitchen, "A little early for that, isn't it?" she says with a smirk when Dex and Graves jump apart.

"It's never too early, Joey," says a smiling Dex.

"So Joey, how long have you known about the baby?"

"She told me the day after my little bush encounter with Robbo that she may have been pregnant and she found out for sure a week later."

"She is happy about it, isn't she?"

"Of course she is Graves. Georgie's always wanted kids, but this pregnancy wasn't exactly planned and she just doesn't want anyone to know yet." Graves nods in agreement. Joey grins suddenly at them, "Any plans for a little Dex or Penelope?"

"God no," Graves shudders while Dex chuckles at her reaction.

"At least not for a few years Joey."

"Try 10 years," Graves tells her husband.

Dex frowns, "I thought we settled on 5 years?"

"That was before I saw that medical show which showed a birth in all its gory detail." She shudders again, "It's going to take me at least 10 years to get over that."

"Yet she can watch an autopsy," Joey says, laughing at her discomfort.

"That's different. The only way I'm ever going to personally experience an autopsy is when I'm dead, unlike giving birth where I'm going to be alive and conscious the entire time I'm trying to squeeze the kid out."

"Looks like you're going to have to do a bit of renegotiating Dex."

"That shouldn't be too hard, Penny always does what I want her to."

"I do not!" Graves slumps in her chair, scowling at them. "I do not," she grumbles again.

Dex leans over, brushing his lips over hers. "You do, at least some of the time," he concedes. "Better?"

"Better," Graves kisses him back.

"Why don't we all go out tonight?" he suggests. "Everyone could do with a night out and you could ask Charlie to come with us, Joey."

"That's not a good idea," Graves says with a grin.

"Why not?"

She smirks at him, "You'll know as soon as you see them together."

"We're not that bad."

"Oh please Joey, anyone with eyes could see that you're totally into each other."

"You're forgetting this is Summer Bay and while they know I'm gay, I doubt they could ever imagine Charlie being gay."

"I think the roaming hands and lip locking may be a clue."

"We don't do that in public."

"Yet. Admit it Joey, every time you're with Charlie, you want to touch her and kiss her."

"Of course I do but as long as she's in the closet, so are our feelings, at least in public."

"And you're ok with that?" Dex asks.

Joey sighs, "If I want to be with Charlie, then this is the way it has to be." She shrugs, "I doubt it's going to be for much longer."

"That's because they can't keep their hands and lips to themselves," Graves teases.

"Says the woman who was going at it at the kitchen table."

"We were not!"

"Only because I walked in when I did."

"Dex, tell her we weren't."

Dex looks at his wife, then Joey, shrugging. "We weren't."

"I believe you Dex, her I'm not so sure about, but you I do."

"Thanks a lot Joey," Graves mutters.

"Then it's settled," Dex says, "We're going out tonight and Charlie's coming with us."

"I didn't agree to that."

"Joey, Charlie's friends with all of you and she's been spending a lot of time with you, so it'd look a little weird if we go out and she's not invited."

"Fine, I'll ask her," Joey gives in, knowing she'd be going around in circles for the rest of the morning with him otherwise. "What?" she asks when she notices them staring at her.

"Why don't you go and ask her now?"

"Dex, it's 8 am on a Saturday, I think I should at least wait until they've had their breakfast."

"Why?"

"Dex, if you want some privacy, just say so."

"I want some privacy with my wife."

Joey looks at him for a few moments, before shrugging. "Good luck with finding any privacy here," Joey smirks as she starts in on her cereal.

Dex glances at his wife who looks a little guilty. "Ok, so I may have interrupted Joey and Charlie on the odd occasion."

"You really do have the worse timing Penny," Dex says affectionately.

"That's what I keep saying," Joey says between mouthfuls of fruit loops.

"Hey, she's the one who interrupted us on the night of our engagement," she reminds her husband.

"Graves, that was for work," Joey says, "You on the other hand, do it for fun."

Dex sighs, "If you're staying Joey, you may as well pass the fruit loops then."

"Dex, you are not eating fruit loops," Graves tells him.

"Nothing wrong with fruit loops," Dex takes the box from Joey's hand.

"They're sweet and sickly."

"Much like you and Dex together," Joey says with a grin.

"We are not fruit loops," she mutters as she watches her husband and friend eat their cereal. "Dex, when we do have kids, fruit loops will never be on the shopping list."

"Maybe you should make that part of your renegotiation Dex."

"Look, I hate the smell of them ok, it makes me feel sick."

Dex pushes his bowl to the other side of the table. "Wuss," Joey sniggers.

Standing up, he holds his hand out for his wife. "Why don't we leave Joey to her cereal and we'll go to the diner for a real breakfast?"

"Good idea and while we're there, maybe we should ask Leah and Roman to join us tonight, that way it'll look even weirder if Charlie isn't with us."

Joey glares at her in annoyance, "I already said I'd ask her."

"Just making sure Joey," Graves says with a satisfied grin as she allows her husband to lead her out. "Enjoy your fruit loops," she calls out over her shoulder.

"She really has been around us too long," she mutters to herself.

Deciding to walk to Charlie's, Joey notices something in the tree just down the road from Charlie's place. Pausing under it, she looks up, "Doing a bit of bird watching Rosey?"

Startled, Angelo loses his grip and falls out the tree, landing in an ungainly heap on the ground. Joey looks down in amusement, "Really Constable, with all your police training, I'd have thought you'd have known to hold on tight."

"Fuck off dyke."
"Wow, you really do have a limited vocabulary."

Joey glances in the direction Angelo was looking, getting a perfect view of Charlie in her bra as she was dressing. "I told her to close the blinds," she mutters to herself. She crosses her arms as she leans against the tree, staring. "Damn, that is one fine view," she teases him while thinking she could stare at Charlie's body all day.

"Don't you dare look at her you fucking perve," Angelo yells at her as he moves to block her view.

Joey peers over his shoulder. "Damn fine."

"That's my fiancée you're perving at you degenerate," Angelo gets out through clenched teeth.

"Ex- fiancée, Rosetta. She dumped your sorry arse, remember."

"Charlie is mine dyke."

"Rosey, you really should learn a new word and take note that we're not alone."

Angelo clenches his fist, before her words sink in and he looks around, noticing a few curious onlookers watching them.

"Climbing a tree and spying on your ex- fiancée while in police uniform." Joey clucks her tongue, "That's really not a good look."

"I wasn't spying, I was getting a kitten out of the tree."

"What kitten?"

"I thought there was a kitten."

"You keep this up Rosey and I'll have you for stalking."

"I'm not doing anything wrong."

"You're right, grown men climb trees all the time to look in a woman's bedroom window. Get to work Constable, before I have you up on report for dereliction of duty, stalking a superior officer and general incompetence."

"I'll get you one day," he threatens her in a whisper.

"Not before I get you."

Angelo glares at her for a few moments longer, before swivelling on his heels and storming away. "Fuck, that guy is nuts," she mutters and continues on towards Charlie's.

"He was WHAT!" Charlie reacts angrily when Joey tells her what Angelo was up to. "This is unbelievable."

"Calm down Charlie."

"Calm down!" She paces, "Every time I turn around, he's there."

"I would have reported him, but I think it would be better if it came from you."

Charlie sighs, "I want to leave that as a last resort."

"He's a grown man and a cop who climbed a tree to spy on his ex; that is wrong in so many ways, Charlie."

"I know that and I want him to stop, but if I make an official report about him, it's going to come back on me."

"Why?"

"Because I made such a big deal about making sure that my relationship with Angelo was approved before I accepted the promotion. They'll just say this is why the regs are there about fraternisation, to avoid situations like this."

"Is that the only reason?"

"No." Charlie stops pacing and faces Joey. "I still haven't heard from my father which means that Angelo still hasn't told him."

"And the moment you report Rosetta, he'll know."

"Exactly. Angelo's the son he never had, he'll take his side."

"You're going to have to deal with your father eventually."

"He's going to be so angry with me."

"When the time comes Charlie, we'll deal with your father together." She wraps her arms around Charlie, "And as for Rosetta, I suppose I could have shot him and then claimed I thought it was a rabid kitten up the tree."

Charlie chuckles, "He really said he was up there to rescue a kitten?"

"He's not the quickest thinker on his feet. Oh, and what have I said about closing your blinds?"

Charlie grins, linking her hands around her waist. "Lucky he wasn't here the other morning, or he would have copped an eyeful."

"Get a room guys," Ruby tells them as she passes.

Joey groans, resting her head on her shoulder, "Karma is a bitch."

"What?"

"I kind of interrupted Dex and Graves this morning."

"There's a lot of that going around."

"Unfortunately."

"Dex still seemed in a good mood when he called earlier."

Joey steps back from her, "He called?"

"Invited me out tonight."

"That little shit, I told him I was going to invite you."

"He said something about making sure." Joey shakes head in amusement. "You have a real soft spot for him, don't you?"

Joey nods, "He had a rough time in school and I guess we can kind of relate to each other."

"So how old is he, because I just realised, if Graves is 22 and Dex is a few years younger, then he's still a teenager."

"He'll be 20 in a month."

"Isn't that young to be married and to be finishing Uni?"

"I was only 21 when I married and let's just say that Dex rivals Graves in intelligence."

"Really?"

"I know that my sister and I have kind of rubbed off on Graves, but if I were you, I wouldn't go challenging her to anything academic."

"Thanks for the warning."

"Did you accept the invitation?"

"I wasn't going to because it's so hard to keep pretending we're only friends, but he talked me into it."

Joey pulls Charlie against her again, "I've got to go into work today, so I guess I'll see you tonight."

Charlie groans, "God, by tonight I definitely won't be able to keep my hands off you."

Joey chuckles, "We'll make Georgie sit between us."

"I'm sure she'd appreciate that."

Joey grins, before capturing her lips to prevent any more talk.

Spending the next few minutes kissing, Joey reluctantly pulls away. "I'll see you tonight."

Charlie slumps into the chair as soon as she was gone, wondering how they were going to make it through tonight when they could barely keep their hands off each other.