Chapter Fifty-Four
Ruby walked along the beach hand in hand with Xavier. She smiled to herself.
"What?" Xavier asked.
"I was just thinking," she mused. "There seems to be so much love in the air right now. Charlie and Joey, Aden and Belle... me and you."
Xavier smiled too and squeezed her hand a little tighter. He was definitely in love. Ruby was the most amazing girl he had ever known. He adored her.
"Xave... I was thinking," Ruby ventured.
She stopped walking and turned to face her boyfriend, taking his other hand in hers. Looking deeply into his eyes and swallowed.
"Do you um... I think I'm ready to take things to the next level," she said. "If you are."
"I am!" Xavier said quickly, delighted. "I mean um, yeah, that would be... that would be wonderful. When?"
"Well, we could... we could ditch school this afternoon," Ruby grinned, pleased that Xavier was so excited about it.
She hoped it was about her and not sex in general. And she hoped it would be as special to him as it was to her, even though it wasn't his first time.
***
Charlie was high on adrenaline as she and her team approached the warehouse. There had been a spate of armed robberies in the area and she was determined to catch whoever it was in the act this time. Gun in hand, Charlie crept up to the door, checking behind her to make sure that everyone else was in position. Angelo stood on the other side of the entrance. History aside, at work they made a good team and they knew they would always have each other's back. Charlie nodded. Angelo stepped forward and kicked the door in. Charlie and her team charged forward.
***
Roman heard the door snap. He turned towards the noise full of anxiety and elation. If the police were here, it meant it was all over at last. The events of the last few years rushed through his brain. Killing Mark out of necessity had been the single worst thing he'd even done, matched only by covering it up. He'd left the SAS to free himself of the burden of guilt but it seemed like he would never be relieved of it unless he told the truth. He'd found his daughter and tried to build a life with her, be a good father but Mark's brother had nearly cost them both their lives in revenge. He'd attempted relationships that had failed because he was too guarded and couldn't get close enough to let people in. Then he'd had the accident that had left him blind. He'd been so certain it was a physical injury but the doctors had insisted it was psychosomatic. He'd called his old SAS friend Gardy to try and work out his issues but it had only made things worse. He'd got his sight back but he'd also hurt his daughter and got himself tangled up in a life of crime and misdemeanours. Now he was here. He looked at Gardy who was running, desperately seeking an escape. He turned back to face the armed police officer in front of it. He recognised Charlie, one of his failed relationships. Sinking to his knees, Roman looked directly into her confused eyes.
"I'll tell you everything," he said.
***
Ruby was curled up in Xavier's arms. She felt happy and content, safe and loved. Xavier held her close and continually kissed the top of her head, whispering softly that he loved her. Looking up at him, she kissed his mouth.
"I love you too," she said.
They had sneaked off to the farm to be alone together. And it had been perfect. If she didn't think Charlie would be furious, Ruby would love to go home and tell her sister all about it.
***
Charlie sighed heavily as she watched Nicole hug Roman. Officers nudged father away from daughter. It was up to the army to deal with his crimes during his time at the SAS. Charlie felt sad for him. He'd described everything in such detail to her and it sounded like he'd had very little choice. It was the lying that was really the problem. She looked at Nicole, who had been through hell since Gardy had arrived and now she was to be wrenched permanently away from the father she had only just begun to get to know. Nicole kept her head down as she followed Miles out of the station. Roman had requested that Miles take her in. Nicole had become another waif and stray that needed taking care of. Angelo stepped up beside Charlie.
"Bad day, hey?" he commented.
"Bad day," she confirmed.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Charlie said. "I just want to get home. What are you up to tonight?"
"I've got a date actually," Angelo said, smiling.
He studied Charlie's face, searching and hoping for some kind of reaction, a hint of jealousy.
"Oh really?" Charlie said. "That's great, Angelo. Who's the lucky lady?"
Angelo tried not to be disappointed at his ex-girlfriend's enthusiasm.
"Her name's May. She's new in town. Doesn't know about my past and therefore cannot judge me for it," Angelo said.
Charlie smiled and patted his arm. She had been worried about him since the incident on the cliff and had made sure she checked in with him often. She couldn't bear for him to feel so lonely and sad that he wanted to hurt himself like that. And now that she and Joey were communicating better, it didn't seem to matter that she cared for Angelo as a friend anymore.
"I'm pleased for you. You deserve some happiness for a change, Angelo," she said.
She moved to her desk, ready to pack up and go home. She had the following day off and because it was a Saturday, Joey did too so they were going to spend the day together.
"Thanks, Charlie," he said.
He couldn't help but feel a little deflated. There once would have been a time when the thought of him having a date with another woman would have made Charlie very jealous. She might have even decided to fight for him. But a lot had changed since he had accidentally killed Jack Holden. He'd changed and clearly so had Charlie. She had moved on and was in love with someone else. It hurt. He didn't think that she'd ever really been in love with him when they were together and he couldn't help but wonder what was so special about Joey. Why did Charlie feel able to open up to her and not him? Why did Charlie feel able to say the three little words to her that he had longed to hear? Why did it have to be Joey? Why couldn't he have been her choice?
***
"And this is the bedroom!" Martha announced.
Ruby and Xavier leapt up, clutching the bed sheets to their bodies in fright as Martha, Hugo and Morag entered the room.
"Um..." Martha faltered.
Ruby tried and failed to speak.
"Ruby!" Morag shrieked.
"Xavier!" Hugo snapped.
He and Martha had been preparing to tell Morag and Ross about their very new relationship that evening. It had only begun a week before and they were still very nervous about it but they wanted to come out and start telling people the truth. Xavier having sex with Ross's youngest daughter was not the way to make a good impression.
"Sorry!" Ruby said. "We..."
"I suggest you get dressed before your father..."
"What's going on here?" Ross asked, wandering into the bedroom.
He saw his daughter in bed with a boy. His mind broke. Before anyone could stop him, he launched himself at the boy, screaming.
"Get the hell away from my daughter! You'll go to jail for this!"
Xavier leapt out of the way, terrified while Ruby pleaded with her father to calm down. Never in her life had she seen him so angry. Hugo reached out to hold onto Ross's shoulder, holding the furious man back, feeling protective of his brother. Sneaking off to the farm to have sex wasn't the best thing they could ever have done but both of them were of legal age. Jail should surely never come into it.
"I won't let you get away with this again!" Ross yelled, not calming down in the slightest. "You leave my daughter alone."
Apologies fell out of Xavier's mouth. Ruby continued to beg her Dad to calm down. Morag stepped in and guided her husband out of the room. Without the vision of his daughter in bed with a boy to disturb him, Ross's senses calmed. He was immediately embarrassed. He stepped back into real time.
"Get dressed," Hugo instructed the teenagers, clearly unimpressed.
***
Charlie arrived home and immediately sank into Joey's waiting arms. Burying her face into Joey's neck, she inhaled deeply and brushed her lips against her skin. Joey ran her fingertips up and down Charlie's spine, nuzzling against her. Charlie lifted her head and captured Joey's lips with her own. The kiss developed quickly and Charlie relished the feel of Joey's tongue touching her own. Joey felt the urgency of Charlie's kiss and wondered what kind of day she'd had. She kissed her back just as urgently, wrapping her arms tightly around her. They broke apart when they heard shouting. Seconds later, Ruby, Morag and Ross came charging through the living room arguing. Keeping one arm wrapped around each other, Charlie and Joey eyed the new arrivals curiously.
"What's going on?" Charlie asked.
"Ruby and Xavier were caught having sex at Martha's farm," Morag revealed.
"What?" Charlie exploded, letting go of Joey, who cowered.
She had never seen her partner so furious before. Charlie charged across the room and towered over the younger girl.
"Charlie..."
"You had sex with Xavier?" Charlie yelled.
"Yes, I did! Not that it's any business of yours!" Ruby said defensively.
She hated that her family were ruining the experience of losing her virginity, which had been lovely.
"How could you? You're too young!"
"I'm sixteen!"
"It's still too young!"
"I'm sixteen and in a loving, long-term relationship, Charlie!" Ruby argued. "I haven't done anything wrong!"
"You..." Charlie faltered.
She chewed her lip and wanted to cry. Ruby shouldn't be having sex. She couldn't bear to see her growing up so fast. It was heartbreaking.
"You... you're too little," she said tearfully.
Ruby stared at her sister, noting her emotion. Morag and Ross exchanged glances. Joey couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene. Ruby reached for her sisters hands.
"Charlie, I know you're protective of me. And I love that about you. You're the best big sister in the whole world. But I'm not a kid anymore. And I love Xavier. I don't regret what happened today, except for being caught. I'm growing up and I need you to accept that."
Charlie nodded. She felt numb.
"I just had a bad day," she managed. "Roman's in jail."
"What?" Morag said worriedly.
"He um... he confessed to a crime he committed while he was in the SAS," Charlie explained, grateful to be changing the subject.
She held onto Ruby's hands.
"I need to go round and see Nicole," Morag said quickly.
"She's with Miles!" Charlie called as Morag hurried through the door.
"If you're done with me, I'm going to get showered," Ruby said.
Charlie nodded.
"Dad, I need to get some air," she said. "If Joey comes with me, will you be okay?"
"Yes, yes of course I will."
Father and daughter exchanged an intense stare before Charlie took Joey's hand and headed out of the house.
***
The couple walked hand in hand down towards the beach in silence.
"Are you alright, Charlie?" Joey eventually asked.
She kept her voice gentle and light. Charlie nodded.
"It was just a bit of a shock, that's all. I was hoping Ruby would talk to me about something like that before she did it," she said.
"And what would you have said if she had?"
"Suggested she join a nunnery," Charlie smirked.
"I think it's sweet how you're so protective of her," Joey said.
They reached the sand and kept walking towards the water's edge. Looking ahead, the smiled at the view, enjoying the way the moonlight bounced off the waves.
"She means everything to me," Charlie said. "She's my... We've always been so close."
Reaching the water, they sat down and took off their shoes and socks, dumping them to go and dip their toes in. Both giggled at the cold hitting their skin but they continued, getting used to it quickly enough. Charlie paused and leant in to kiss Joey. Joey let go of Charlie's hand and slipped her arm around her waist.
***
Brett sat on the beach in the dark by himself. He'd seen Charlie and Joey leave the house and followed them down to the beach. Watching them be so intimate, flaunting their sexuality made him sick. Originally, he had visited because he hoped that maybe he and Joey could rebuild a relationship but seeing them together turned his stomach and made him angry all over again. Snarling, he stood and turned away, determined to make the dyke cop sorry that she stole his sister away.
***
Charlie and Joey kissed again and then emerged from the shallow water, sitting on the sand by their shoes. Charlie's heart was pounding as she gazed into Joey's eyes. She knew the time had come to tell her the truth. She just hoped she would be able to find the words and that Joey wouldn't hate her, that she would understand. She didn't know what she would do if she lost her now but she couldn't bear to keep lying. And something was telling her that everything would be alright if she was honest with Joey. She felt like nothing could ever break them or tear them apart. She opened her mouth to speak.
"I've got a surprise for you tomorrow," Joey said.
She'd started before Charlie could, catching her off guard.
"Oh? What is it?" Charlie asked.
"A surprise, silly," Joey teased.
She kissed Charlie's mouth affectionately. Charlie smiled and put her arm around Joey's shoulders pulling her in close. She firmly decided to tell her after the surprise. If Joey had gone to a lot of effort for her then she didn't want to ruin it.
***
The following morning, Charlie woke up to find Joey gone. A note was in her place. It was a simple message telling her to meet her at the Diner. Feeling suddenly lively, Charlie jumped out of bed to get ready.
***
Ruby was watching television when she saw Charlie emerge from her room.
"Hi," she said a little shyly.
The day before had confused her a little.
"Hey, Rubes," Charlie said.
She still felt a little strange and had decided to ignore the fact that Ruby was no longer a virgin. It was too much for her head and heart to take.
"You look perky."
"Joey's got some kind of surprise for me. I'm meeting her at the Diner."
"Have fun!"
"I will!"
Charlie headed to the door. Ruby jumped up and followed her.
"Hey, Charlie?" she said.
"Yes?"
Charlie turned back around to face her.
"Are we okay?"
"We're great," Charlie promised.
"I didn't mean to upset you. It just... okay, aside from breaking into the farm, it felt like the right thing to do. We really do love each other."
"I know."
"It's no different really than what you and Joey have, is it?"
Charlie chewed her lip.
"No, I guess it isn't," Charlie said. "I overreacted. I'm sorry. I just feel protective of you."
"I know. It's sweet."
Charlie blushed and continued her chewing.
"I um... I'd love to talk to you about it some time," Ruby said. "You know, have a girlie chat? Would you be willing to do that?"
"Sure," Charlie said, her voice tight.
She wasn't quite sure she could handle that but she didn't want to disappoint.
"I'd better go," she said.
"I hope you have fun."
***
Charlie and Joey drove down Joey's old street towards the docks. Joey had hired a boat, reminiscent of the day they had first kissed. She'd ordered a picnic and brought her iPod and some speakers and was planning a delightful day of seduction. Charlie was delighted. She pulled the car into a parking space and hoped that Brett wouldn't recognise it as it wasn't too far from his house. Climbing out, they opened up the boot and pulled their belongings out. Charlie grabbed the picnic hamper and walked along the outside of the car in the road. Joey was on the other side.
"This is going to be such an amazing day," Charlie said. "Thanks so much for planning this. It's exactly what I needed."
She had privately decided that even though it could potentially put a dampener on the day, she was going to tell Joey everything about her past while they were out on the water, completely alone with no interruptions. It was the right thing to do.
"Well, I don't have the most honourable intentions," Joey admitted with a wink.
Charlie giggled.
"Charlie!" Joey suddenly said urgently. "Look out!"
***
Brett was heading home when he spotted an all too familiar car parked near his house. Walking away from it, giggling and happy, he spotted his sister and her lover walking towards the docks. The cop was walking in the road. Without thinking, Brett sped up.
***
Joey screamed and lurched forward just as the car hit Charlie. The hamper flew everywhere. The car veered off to the side. Charlie lay deathly still. Skidding onto her knees in fright, Joey screamed her girlfriend's name.
