I'm feeling generous today so I thought I would update all the stories so after this there will be another chapter of Forbidden. This chapter is very short as we learn Angelo's fate and how it affects Charlie and Joey... Thanks, as ever, for your support and enthusiasm. You're the ones that keep me writing! IJKS xxx

Chapter Fifty-One

Tony held on tighter. Charlie reached out for Angelo's other hand.

"Please, Angelo," she begged. "Don't let go. Please?"

Angelo stared into his ex-girlfriend's eyes.

"You've got past this before," she said. "You're stronger than that. I know you are."

Martha, Hugo and Joey watched the scene with their hearts in their throats. Martha and Hugo watched the man they hated prepare to lose his life willingly, as some kind of penance for stealing Jack's life away. Joey watched, desperately hoping that Angelo would save himself. Finally, he accepted Charlie's hand and helped her and Tony pull him back up. He fell heavily on the ground, breathing hard, his heart racing. Tony flung himself to his knees. Joey and Hugo stood side by side, looking on helplessly as Martha rushed to Tony's side and Charlie put her arms around Angelo.

"Don't you dare do that to me again," Charlie warned.

"I just..." Angelo started.

He couldn't complete his sentence. Joey watched, trying not to feel concerned by the level of love that seemed to be flowing from Charlie. She watched Tony attempt to explain that he hadn't meant for it to go that far.

"Tony, Rachel's in labour," Martha told him. "We need to go to the hospital. Unless..."

She turned to look at Charlie who was renowned to be a stickler for the rules. By rights she should be arresting him. Charlie felt awkward. It was a remarkably unique situation. She looked at Angelo who was still shaking in her arms. He shook his head.

"Go," Charlie said.

Hugo and Martha helped Tony to his feet and took him to the car.

"You need to go to the hospital too," Charlie said to Angelo.

He shook his head.

"I'll be fine," he said. "It's just a few cuts."

Charlie gestured for Joey to help her get him to his feet. She obeyed and they helped him into the back of the car.

***

Joey was quiet for the whole journey back. They dropped Angelo at home and helped him inside and then headed back to their own house. Her mind was full of images of her girlfriend holding her ex-boyfriend, nearly crying over him, shaking with panic at the thought of losing him. It had been a scary situation. Joey had been trembling with fear too. But Charlie was distraught. Their beautiful weekend faded away as Joey's mind went into overdrive, becoming convinced that Charlie still had feelings for Angelo. She was past the point of telling herself that she was being silly and that Charlie had just been responding to the awful situation. Amber's words rang in her mind as she pictured the way that Charlie held him.

"Are you alright?" Charlie asked, worried that Joey had been affected by the violent scene.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Joey lied.

"Are you sure?"

Charlie parked in the drive and reached out to hold Joey's hand. She was met with acceptance but not enthusiasm.

"Joey?"

Joey cast her eyes down.

"We just came back to earth with a bump, that's all," she said. "I'm processing."

"Okay," Charlie said gently.

The two of them got out of the car, grabbing their bags from the boot and heading inside the house. As soon as they arrived in the kitchen, Joey busied herself with making coffee. Charlie hovered behind her.

"Joey, please talk to me," she said.

She felt confused and her heart was breaking. Angelo had nearly died right in front of her. He'd nearly committed suicide. She worried that he would never recover from what had happened with Jack. And she could only imagine how she would feel if she ever lost Joey. She'd want to throw herself off that cliff too. Joey turned and faked a smile. She opened her arms and Charlie moved into them. They held each other tightly. Joey buried her face in Charlie's neck, clinging on and letting her tears fall.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Charlie said. "Everything's okay now."

Joey remained unconvinced. She knew she was losing Charlie. She could picture the moment now when Charlie tearfully sat her down and told her that she cared a lot about her but it wasn't working and her heart truly belonged to Angelo. She cried harder and held on tightly to Charlie, who didn't understand her girlfriend's sorrow. But it made her cry too. She cried for Angelo, for Joey and for herself. Holding each other tight, they stood in the kitchen for several minutes, coffee long forgotten.