The two police officers escorted Ruby to the check in desk and then through security staying with her until she boarded the aircraft. Neither of the Japanese Police officers spoke English. She flipped them a Peace sign as she boarded the jet to fly back to Australia. She was under orders never to land on Japanese soil again all because she protested against Whale hunting. There was a warrant out for her arrest should she defy that order. She hoped there would be a welcome back in Summer Bay she was homesick.
She sat in economy and clicked the seatbelt shut. So Nicole was getting married and to Geoff of all people. She hadn't know he'd got it in him to Tame Nicole Franklin. She wondered if the Diner were still the same, and whether Colleen was still in town. She knew that there was a lot of unfinished business for her back in the Bay but she maybe needed a reason to go back.
She wondered if Charlie and Joey were ok, she hadn't heard from them for a while. They had adopted a little girl not so long ago and so far she had only seen pictures of her niece.
Ruby collected a set of headphones from the friendly stewardess and settled back in the seat to listen to non-stop music while the Jet took her home.
"El," Roman called softly waking her up. She was sleeping like the dead he thought then grimaced at the analogy.
"Hey!" she said quietly. She eased up off the pillows and moaned as the room spun. Roman reacted instinctively and pressed her back.
"Ok, I think it is a trip to the hospital for you." He stated.
She nodded weakly and could only watch while he disappeared to fetch a glass of water for her. She sipped at the cool liquid for a moment before her stomach turned on her and she had to race for the bathroom.
Roman followed her.
"Go away!" She told him, bending over the toilet.
"El!" he said softly.
"Please Roman." She begged huskily holding her hand up.
"Fine, but I'll be waiting out here." He said eventually.
He heard the shower go on and she came out 10 minutes later looking slightly better.
"Hey!" he called.
"Hey yourself." She replied heading into the bedroom. He followed behind and sat down on the still rumpled bed as she started to get dressed.
"You know some men are actually turned on by women taking their clothes off." She muttered brittle sounding.
"Why don't you try it one night and I'll let you know!" he said and then caught hold of her hand.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Nothing!" she said quickly.
"Don't lie." He warned her.
"Roman. Leave my head alone. I don't have to tell you my every thought." She muttered and tugged her hand free. She looked at him and sighed.
"Sorry, I'm just worried and I need to focus on the baby at the moment." She reached out to him.
He caught hold of her hand and pulled her towards him. She resisted only slightly as he lifted her to sit in his lap.
"I'm worried too." He told her pressing a kiss to her mouth.
She responded putting her arms around him and holding him close before resting her head on his. His arms snaked around her and they sat like that for a long time,
Geoff and Nicole travelled back to the bay in silence. He had to admit that he was worried about Annie. She didn't seem like his sister and if Nicole was planning on some kind of confrontation then he didn't want to see Annie hurt anymore.
She placed her hand on his knee.
"I won't do anything if you don't want me too, you know. I know Annie was able to talk to Ella about some stuff I just think it would be good for her and Ruby to talk. They used to be best friends." She said softly.
"Nic." He started to say something then glanced over at her profile. "Just be careful ok." He eventually warned.
"I know. " she said with a sigh.
She reached into her bag and pulled out her wedding planner.
"Now we have your suits sorted, Just got to get my dad and Aden to get fitted, then we have to select a caterer." She glanced back over at him. "Which would you like a formal sit down thing or a buffet?"
He laughed.
"I get a choice?" he asked.
"Of course you do. I'll ignore it if it isn't the same as mine though!" she giggled.
"Buffet" he replied.
"Correct answer!" she giggled again.
"We need to sit down and go through the invites tonight." She told him.
Geoff groaned.
"I have a meeting tonight I can't do it." he said and looked over at her.
"Have you finished your list then?" she asked.
"Yes I have its on the table." He muttered and focused on the road, as he had to overtake a slow moving vehicle in front.
"Well how about Annie and I work on them tonight? We can get them posted over the next few days." She suggested.
"Posted?" Geoff asked. Indicating and moving across to the correct lane.
"Yeah, I know most everyone is in the Bay but it would be a nice touch to go through the mail. Like we have made and effort." She grinned, "I might wait a couple of days before I send Colleens though!"
"Nic!" he warned, trying not to smile.
He pulled off the main road and headed into the Bay.
"What about the cake?" he asked.
"I've had an idea about that." She began and told him her thoughts.
"Sounds good but why keep the top part?" he asked.
She laughed and blushed.
"Tradition. Its supposed to be used at the Baby's christening." She said trying not to giggle with embarrassment.
"We haven't talked about kids!" he turned round and told her, his expression serious. He pulled up outside the Diner and stopped the engine.
She climbed out of the car and watched as he did likewise. Tugging off her shoes she started heading towards the beach.
"You do want them don't you?" she asked softly once she reached the seas edge.
"Yes I do." He reached out and caught hold of her hand.
"I look at my dad and Ella and they are so happy and with the baby, obviously things aren't going well but they were over the moon." She told him.
"We are not Roman and Ella, Nic." He warned. "You don't have a job and I don't earn a lot. I've been asked about going back to college to do courses in psychology." He began.
"You have?" she asked. "That's wonderful" and threw her arms around him.
"Ok Nic!" he said, and looked at her. "Perhaps you want to try that without the high heels in your hand." He said.
"Whoops!" she said and dropped them to the sand.
"Back to the subject – Babies!" she said.
"Yes Nicole Franklin. I would like nothing better than to give you lots of Babies." He grinned.
"But you think we should wait?" she asked.
"Just for a while." He told her.
She sat down on the sand and he sat next to her his arm around her. She leaned into him.
"I am disappointed but I understand." She told him.
He put a finger under her chin and turned her face toward him. He saw a glint of tears in her eyes.
"Oh Nic!" he said.
She lifted up her hand and wiped at the overflowing tears.
"Really Geoff it's ok. I mean we don't even have a house and neither of us can cook and this way I'll get to practice on my new brother or Sister and hey, if they survive then we can talk bout it again." She told him bravely.
He moved so that he was sitting behind her and pulled her back against his chest. His arms tight around her,
"I didn't know what it was like to have a family. My mother presented me with a series of stepfathers and up until Ella I never really felt part of a family, maybe that's what I wanted." She told him.
"I'm sorry Nic, I should have thought about it more." He told her.
"No Geoff, you are right. We aren't in a position to cope with a baby just yet." She said.
"It might take ages to get pregnant." He told her.
"Thanks, is that supposed to cheer me up?" she grouched.
"No I was just thinking. If we did start right away it could still take ages." He said.
"Again, thanks for that, any second now and I'll start to feel reproductively challenged!" she muttered.
"Nicole. Think about it. If we start right away it still might take a while to get pregnant so we would have a chance to get a place, learn to cook, find a job." Geoff told her.
"Wait a minute, are you saying what I think you are saying?" she asked, a puzzled expression on her face.
"As long as you don't go all broody on me Nic, we just take it as it comes," he said with a smile.
"And you get yourself a job. I know you Nic, you'll be ok and then if it didn't happen for a while you'll start to panic over it." he said.
"Do I have to promise?" she said quickly.
He laughed.
"Uh huh!" he said.
She laughed and then turned around and kissed him, pressing kisses all over his face. He fell back on the sand laughing.
"Nic, we aren't starting now you know!" he told her.
She looked down at him and smiled.