Is my irritation with Ruby obvious in this story? I will redeem her of course because she's... well, she's Ruby. But I didn't like her treatment of Charlie r Xavier during this time on the show. At some point soon, I will be posting a new very Ruby-based, CJ fic, which I hope you will like. And I promise that you will love her in that. For now, I hope you like this one. Chapter ninety-three... gosh! Love, IJKS xx

Chapter Ninety-Three

Joey ran to catch up with Charlie and was almost out of breath by the time she reached her further up the road. Her girlfriend was in tears and storming back to the house, wanting to hide away as soon as possible. Joey caught hold of her hand and spun her round.

"Leave me alone!" Charlie begged.

"No," Joey replied.

Charlie stared at her, trying to override her instinct to push everyone away, even the woman who had supported her through everything since they'd met. Joey kept hold of Charlie's hand and stepped closer.

"I'm never going to leave you alone," she said.

Charlie exhaled loudly and crumbled against Joey's shoulder as she wept, clinging on for all that she was worth.


Ruby remained on the bench by the beach, replaying everything in her mind. She hadn't meant to hurt Charlie. You shouldn't have accused her of crying rape then, she pointed out to herself. It wasn't what she'd meant to say. She hadn't intended on accusing Charlie of lying. But the teenager's desperate hope of not having come from evil, had taken control of her mouth. And Grant didn't look like a rapist. Not that she really knew what a rapist looked like. She supposed that was the point really. If people capable of such things didn't look like every day kind of people, they wouldn't have half the chance to hurt those around them. Ruby was fortunate to have never laid eyes on Robbo and she never wanted to. Sinking back in her seat, she faced the sun and closed her eyes. Memories of Joey's description of what had been done to her stormed through her mind. Then she pictured Charlie in Joey's place and it hurt all the more. Charlie had been three years younger than Ruby was now. Consensual sex with Xavier had been a huge step for her and she couldn't bear to think how she would feel if she'd ever been forced. But then she thought about Grant, about his wife and kids and all she could hope was that he was telling the truth.


Charlie and Joey walked slowly back to the house hand in hand. Charlie couldn't stop crying as she recalled Ruby accusing her of lying about the rape. She turned it over and over in her mind and the more she did, the more distressed she became. Stopping suddenly, she turned to face Joey, her eyes wide and searching.

"You don't believe him, do you?" she asked.

"Don't be ridiculous," Joey said without hesitation. "Of course I don't think you're lying."

"Are you sure?" Charlie asked worriedly. "You trust me? You know I wouldn't..."

"I know you wouldn't lie about something like that," Joey confirmed.

She stepped forward and stroked Charlie's face. She gazed into her eyes and kissed her lips.

"Charlie, you're not facing this on your own, okay?" she said. "I love you and I'm going to be here with you every step of the way. I swear."

Charlie managed a smile and kissed her gently before they continued walking.

"Thank you," she managed.

Joey squeezed her hand and they continued home together.


Grant took a deep breath as he headed back home to face the music. He was pleased with the way Ruby had so easily wavered and questioned Charlie. And he'd been glad to see his ex's distress. Now all he needed to do was make everything up to his wife and convince her that Charlie was just a woman with a grudge. He doubted it would be too difficult. He'd got out of this kind of trouble plenty of times before. He was practically a professional.


Ruby trudged home feeling terrible. Several times she had considered calling Charlie but then she'd pictured the look of hurt on her face and the fury on Joey's and she backed out of making contact. Sighing heavily, she curled up on her bed and cried.


At home, Charlie dived straight into bed. She wanted to curl up and hide away forever. Of all the outcomes she'd feared Grant's reappearance might have, the last thing she'd expected was for Ruby to doubt her. She knew the teenager was angry with her right now but she'd never even considered that she might take the side of a rapist. Am I that terrible a person? she wondered sadly. Joey entered the room and lay on top of the blankets. She cuddled up to Charlie and stroked her hair.

"Maybe I should call her," Charlie said. "Try and explain?"

"I think she needs to call you," Joey said. "And fucking apologise."

The bitterness in Joey's voice surprised them both. She hadn't meant to sound or even feel so venomous. But the thought of Ruby not believing Charlie, the thought of Charlie going through a trauma she was all too familiar with, and then being called a liar was too much. Charlie had carried this burden with her for so long. She'd broken her heart over it a million times. Joey felt utterly helpless to protect her.

"How could she think I'd lie about something like this?" Charlie wondered. "Especially after..."

She gazed at Joey with sadness. Both of their minds flashed to Robbo. Joey held her a little closer.

"I have no idea," she said gently.

"What did you say to her before you came after me?" Charlie asked.

"Not much," Joey said. "But I think she got the picture."

Charlie nodded and moved to rest her head against Joey's chest. She made her feel safe in a world that now frightened her way too much.


Geoff arrived home from work after a somewhat strange day. Joey had run off at lunch time and left him and Aden to it without so much as a word. Aden had firmly told him not to mention anything to Irene and Geoff had promised he wouldn't but he was keen to get some kind of explanation from his colleague. He presumed it would be something to do with Charlie and if it was to do with Charlie, then the likelihood was that it would concern Ruby somehow too. Knocking on her door, he waited to be permitted entry. When it was granted, he came in and found his friend on the bed in tears. Hurrying up to her, he reached out to hold her as she explained the whole sorry mess from the start.


That night, Charlie and Joey held each other until they fell asleep. Deep in dreams, images from Charlie's past haunted her. She pictured herself in Grant's room. They'd been kissing and she knew she shouldn't have gone up there with him. Her father would have a fit. That's when she'd broken away and begun to make her excuses to leave, promising that they could hang out tomorrow. But he hadn't been happy with that. He'd gripped arms tightly. She'd had bruises there for days. In fright, Charlie pushed away from him. In real life, she tossed and turned before crying out and pushing against the air that suffocated her. Joey woke up quickly and stroked her face, gently saying her name over and over again, telling her that she was there and that she loved her. With her heart racing, Charlie woke up and struggled to regulate her breathing. Joey kissed her cheek and held her close, telling her she loved her over and over again. With the tables completely turned from when they had first met, Charlie held on tight, as Joey convinced her that everything was okay and that she could safely go back to sleep. No matter what, Joey promised to protect her.