Hi everyone! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated for a while. I didn't die, was not seriously maimed and I swear I haven't abandoned you. I still love you all just as much as I always did. I just got a little carried away with real life stuff... world turning upside down and all that magnificent malarkey! It's possible that I may update "Third Time's a Charm" tonight also but I'm not completely sure. If not, there will be proper and regular updates again starting on Monday and for now, we meet Charlie and Joey again in this story the morning after the night before...

Thank you all so much for the reviews and the pleading for updates. It makes me feel ever so special and I hope the next few updates over the coming days (starting Monday – it's Pride this weekend so I will mostly be too inebriated to write fanfic!) will be worth the wait... Enjoy! IJKS xxx

***

Chapter Thirty-Five

Joey woke up feeling happier than she ever had in her life. Slowly opening her eyes she took in her surroundings. Completely undressed, she and Charlie were tangled up in each other in a heap in the centre of the bed. She gazed at Charlie's sleeping form and messy hair thinking that she really was the most beautiful woman in the world. As if knowing she was being watched, Charlie began to stir. A small smile played on her lips. Joey lent across and kissed her. They wrapped their arms around each other, losing themselves in their love yet again.

***

Three hours later, Charlie and Joey were rushing around the hotel room making sure they were packed and ready to check out. Their wake up had kept them in bed for quite some time and their individual showers had become one joint one and subsequently taken quite a while. Now they were running late and the fact that they couldn't stop kissing every time they happened to go near each other wasn't speeding them up.

"All packed?" Charlie asked.

Joey answered her with a kiss and a cheeky grin. They held hands and headed out of the room, down the corridor and towards reception.

***

Both women took a deep breath when Charlie pulled up outside Ross and Morag's house. Neither was sure who was more nervous.

"Are you... are you sure you want me to um... to come in?" Joey asked.

Charlie gazed into her girlfriend's face.

"Of course I do. I mean, I'm not ready to say, 'hey Dad, guess what we did last night' but I'd like him to know that you exist and that you're important enough to me to be introduced to him," she replied.

Joey blushed and held Charlie's hand. Casting a brief glance at her father's house, Charlie leant forward and kissed Joey's lips quickly. Joey blushed even more and smiled lovingly at Charlie before they both climbed out of the car. Clutching Charlie's hand, Joey followed her to the door, promptly letting go of her the moment they heard someone coming to open up once Charlie had knocked. Charlie smiled when she saw her Dad standing in front of her. He looked a little frail but happy to see her and immediately gave her a hug. She let herself fall into his arms for several moments before pulling back and introducing him to Joey. Even though Ross had no idea of their relationship, it secretly felt to Charlie like a defining moment in her life. She watched as Joey nervously shook hands with Ross.

"Pleasure to meet you, Joey," Ross said. "Charlie's told me a lot about you."

Joey looked quizzically at Charlie who blushed. Ross led them into the house.

"Yeah, she couldn't stop talking about you on the phone. I don't remember much these days but that one stayed with me!"

Charlie cringed with embarrassment, not helped by the smirk on Joey's face. Ross, oblivious, led them into the kitchen where Morag was waiting for them.

***

Half an hour later, Ross, Morag, Charlie and Joey were sitting down to lunch in the garden.

"So, Joey, what do you do?" Morag asked politely.

"Me? I'm um... well, I'm uh..."

Sitting round a table with a police officer, a detective and a judge suddenly made her feel ashamed of her trade. Charlie was quick to step in.

"Joey works with boats," she said. "She knows every single thing there is to know about them. She's amazing!"

Joey blushed and looked down at her plate before quickly looking back up again.

"I'm just a deck hand really," she said bashfully. "I work on a fishing trawler."

"You like to fish?" Ross asked.

Joey nodded.

"I love to fish!" Charlie's Dad enthused.

Joey was pleased to have found some common ground with him.

"Maybe another time if you come up here or next time I come and see the girls we could go out for an afternoon – if my keepers let me," Ross said.

He looked pointedly at his wife and daughter who both feigned innocence, as if they didn't know what he meant.

"That'd be awesome," Joey agreed.

"So, have you always worked on trawlers?" Morag asked.

"I grew up with them really," Joey explained. "I was always helping my Dad and stuff. And then I've done various odd jobs here and there before I finally got a full time position this year."

"Joey actually used to work with Aden," Charlie explained.

Morag beamed and began to explain how fond she was of Joey's friend.

***

As the afternoon continued, Joey was having a lovely time. Morag was nice, a good cook and very witty. Ross seemed like a real sweetheart and there seemed to be an obvious difference between the relationship Charlie had with him now than the one she'd had with him when she was younger. It was nice to see Charlie in this kind of environment; relaxing with her family. Even though Charlie and Ruby got along so well, even then, Charlie still had to be the parent. Here, it was like she got to be a kid again. And she was obviously affected by the fact that Joey and Ross were hitting it off. And making Charlie happy always made Joey happy.

"So, any more news to share with me, Charlie?" Ross asked. "Boyfriends?"

Charlie tensed and shook her head.

"No," she said. "No boyfriends."

She dared to glance at Joey. Her father had given her an opening to tell the truth but she just wasn't ready. Joey's eyes told her that it was okay not to speak up.

"I'm happy exactly the way I am," Charlie concluded.

"Fair enough," Ross conceded. "You always were a career type!"

Morag observed the gentle interaction between Charlie and her friend. Ross may be unaware but it was quite blatantly clear that there was more than just friendship going on between the two of them. The energy between them was electric. Without even realising it, they had been speaking in unison and finishing each other's sentences since they arrived.

"How about you, Joey? Do you have a boyfriend?" Ross asked.

"No," Joey said, a little more high pitched than she intended. "I don't."

"Who wants dessert?" Morag suggested brightly.

"Actually, I think Joey better be going home now," Ross said, sounding stern.

Everyone looked confused.

"It's getting late and Charlie has school in the morning. I don't want her having a late night."

Charlie sighed heavily and looked helplessly at Morag who reached over to touch her husband's shoulder.

"Ross, Charlie's a big girl now, sweetheart. She doesn't have school in the morning."

Ross looked puzzled and looked from Morag to Charlie to Joey. He studied Charlie closely, as if trying to decipher who she was. Charlie reached for Joey's hand under the table.

"It's me, Dad," she said. "I'm grown up now."

Ross shook his head, trying to clear it. He closed his eyes tightly. When he opened them again, he looked embarrassed and began to apologise.

"It's okay, Dad," Charlie said.

"Of course it's okay," Morag said kindly.

"I'm sorry, Joey," Ross said sincerely. "I just get confused sometimes."

"It's fine," Joey said. "You don't need to apologise."

"Has Charlie explained?"

Joey nodded.

"Good."

"Shall I get that dessert?" Morag suggested.

***

Charlie and Joey stayed for another hour before heading home. Charlie pulled out of the drive in distracted silence and stopped the car again as soon as they were out of sight of the house. Tears overwhelmed her before she had even turned the engine off. After the first time, her father had drifted in and out of awareness and it had shaken her up. He seemed to be deteriorating so fast. Joey's arms were around Charlie in an instant, holding her tight and close. She was comforted by the feel of the person she loved and trusted so much being right there with her, taking care of her in her time of need. Together they sat amid Charlie's grief for thirty minutes. Finally, Charlie sat up and rubbed her eyes. She turned to face Joey and forced herself to smile. Joey leant across and kissed her lips tenderly. She stroked her damp cheek.

"Sorry," Charlie managed.

"Don't you dare be sorry," Joey said firmly.

"I'm just... he's my Dad and he's so frail, he..."

She fought a second wave of tears.

"I wish I could make it better."

"You do. Just by being here, you do."

"I love you, Charlie," Joey said softly.

Charlie leant closer and kissed her.

"I love you too, Joey. I love you so much."