Wow! We are at chapter one hundred! I'm not entirely sure how I will continue writing this when I catch up with myself, being that I don't watch the show anymore. So I guess I will have to rely on recaps and such things. I can't be doing with all this Angelo junk. Anyway, thank you to each and every person who reads this story (even those who don't review but especially those who do). It would take forever to mention you all by name and I'd be sure to miss someone wonderful out. But thank you so much. It means the world to me that you enjoy my writing and I hope one day (soon!) to be able to announce on here that my novel will soon be in a bookshop near you. Let's keep hoping! Thanks again for everything. You guys all mean so much to me. So, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter One Hundred

Joey woke up alone. A little confused, she slipped out of bed and pulled her dressing gown on in order to seek Charlie out. She found her in the lounge, on the phone.

"Okay, that's great," the police officer said. "Thank you. I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

She hung up and turned to Joey, surprised but pleased to find her there.

"Who was that?" Joey asked curiously.

"That was Michael," Charlie said. "My new counsellor."

Joey's eyes lit up. She had half worried that Charlie wouldn't go through with seeing someone once her unhappiness and anxiety over her nightmares had subsided. She smiled and moved closer to give her a hug from where she sat on the edge of the couch. She kissed the top of Charlie's head and told her she was proud of her. Charlie beamed at her in response.

"We'd better get moving, I guess," she said brightly. "We've got a long day ahead of us!"

Joey nodded and they headed out of the room in order to shower, dress and pack.


Ruby was just getting ready to leave for school when there was a knock on the door. Putting her bag back down, she opened up and was surprised to find Charlie and Joey standing there.

"Hi!" she said.

"Morning," Charlie said. "I just wanted to let you know that Joey and I are heading into the city for a few days."

"Oh," Ruby replied. "Okay. Have fun."

"Do you and Annie want a lift to school as we're passing?"

The hope in Charlie's voice was impossible to hide. She was desperate to spend any time with Ruby that she could. Knowing this, Ruby agreed. She hurried off to get her bag, calling for Annie and then headed the foursome headed to the car. As Charlie started the engine, Ruby asked what they were going into the city for.

"Just a break," Charlie said.

"Are you going to see Ross?"

Charlie nodded. She and Joey had arranged to see him on the way back. It seemed a shame to go out there and not catch up with Charlie's father.

"Send him my love," Ruby requested.

She still felt awkward around him, Morag, Charlie and Joey but she still loved the man she'd believed was her father, very much.


"Well, that went okay," Charlie said when they'd dropped the girls off.

It came out as more of a question than a statement and Joey was quick to agree. She felt constantly sad that the siblings who had been so close were now a mother and child who were almost estranged. She reached over and gently squeezed Charlie's thigh. Then she began to fiddle with the radio and was pleased when their song, Love Only Hurts came on. They both sang along, smiling stupidly as they headed out of Summer Bay.


After another argument with his wife, Grant stormed back to Summer Bay. He'd told her about the threat Charlie had made against him and rather than being sympathetic, all she had said was that he shouldn't have been hanging around her in the first place. She was certain that he was only making things worse for himself and didn't seem to understand his need to clear his name. So now he was returning to try and talk his daughter round to his side and against her mother.


Charlie and Joey checked into their hotel and then headed out to the cafe that they had arranged to meet Grant's victims in. They were two young, pretty women named Claire and Claudia. Both looked anxious as they approached Charlie and Joey's table and immediately wanted to know who Joey was, as they had only been expecting to speak to Charlie.

"This is Joey," Charlie explained. "She's my partner and she wanted to come and support me."

The women nodded a little uncertainly but accepted her.

"What's this about anyway?" Claudia asked.

"It's about Grant Bledcoe and what he might have done to you."

Both women blanched.

"I can't talk about this," Claire said quickly.

She moved to hurry away but Charlie begged her to wait.

"He paid you off, didn't he?" she said. "He bought your silence. But something must have happened... he must have done something to warrant that."

"I'm not talking to cops about anything," Claire said, not sitting down.

"I'm not here as a cop," Charlie said desperately. "I mean, I am but I'm not. I'm... Grant attacked me too. When we were teenagers, he raped me and made me pregnant. And now he's trying to worm his way into my daughter's life. He's trying to turn her against me and convince her that we had consensual sex. We didn't. He raped me."

Claire hesitated, exchanged glances with Claudia and reluctantly sat down.


Ruby headed off the school grounds with Xavier and Annie. They went to the Diner for their usual lunch. Things felt a little better with Xavier now and Ruby was ensuring she made the effort. She hoped that all relationships went through bumps in the road where the couple didn't communicate so well and one or both of them might be a little attracted to someone else. But she was determined to work through it and forget all about Geoff. He was there for her at a difficult time in her life and she was sure it was no more than that. How could it be?

"Ruby?"

She turned to see Grant standing behind her.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you," she said.

She didn't want to betray Charlie and she was beginning to regret ever making contact. Life had been horrific when she'd believed that her father was a rapist and her mother was a liar. But now she was so confused and hardly knew where she stood or where she had come from.

"Please?" Grant asked. "Please hear me out?"

Ruby shook her head but her own need to find answers overrode her loyalty to Charlie. She excused herself from Annie and Xavier and walked out into the sunshine with her biological father.


"He was so charming at first," Claudia ventured. "I was his secretary and he was always so nice to me. He's a handsome guy. He knows what he wants and how to get it. He flattered me and gave me a lot of special treatment."

She shuddered as Charlie, Joey and Claire hung onto her every word. She felt like a fool for being taken in by such a bad man.

"But when he asked me out, I said no because he was my boss and I think lines need to be drawn when it comes to personal relationships and your working life."

She swallowed and sipped some of her diet coke.

"So he... well, he wanted me and... and when I said no, he took what he wanted anyway."

Charlie closed her eyes, her heart breaking for the woman who described a scene that all four of them knew so well.

"I was such a mess," Claudia said. "I quit my job and threatened to go to the police and to tell his wife. That's when he handed the cash over, to keep me quiet. I'd never intended on pressing charges anyway. I was bluffing, trying to scare him, trying to show him that he hadn't broken me, although he had. So I took the money and ran."

"Were you two friends?" Charlie asked, nodding between the two women.

They nodded.

"I was on the admin team too," Claire explained. "And I did go on a date with him. I was infatuated. Most of the women in the office were, to be honest. But I don't believe in sex before marriage. Now I don't believe in sex at all. But back then, I was waiting for love. So I didn't want to sleep with him, especially not on the first date. That's not who I am, you know?"

Charlie nodded.

Between the four of them, two men had stolen the virginities of three women. It was disgusting. It was horrifying. It was heartbreaking.

"He drove me home but he stopped on the way and made his move, even though I'd made it clear that I wasn't interested earlier on. He... he raped me in the back of his car."

Claire wiped her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Then he dropped me home and went back to his wife. I told Claudia what had happened to me and she confessed what she'd been through. We thought about going to the police together but..."

She sighed.

"I was frightened of getting into trouble for accepting the pay out," Claudia admitted.

She hung her head in shame, still obviously feeling guilty about it.

"No police officer would have judged you for that," Charlie said gently.

She held Joey's hand under the table. Hearing the details of a rape case wasn't easy for either of them. Charlie opted not to bring up how the court would have treated her.

"So, I went to Grant and told him that I knew about Claudia and I wanted the same from him. He paid me to shut up and we haven't seen him or any of our former colleagues since," Claire finished.

Charlie nodded.

"What happened to you, Charlie?" Claudia asked.


Grant and Ruby sat on a bench outside the Diner, facing the sea.

"Ruby, if you want to know exactly what happened between me and your Mum, I'll tell you," Grant offered.

Ruby shifted uncomfortably.

"She said you're lying," she pointed out.

"And I say she's lying. And I know you know her better but from what I've managed to gather, this is a woman who's been lying to you your whole life so why wouldn't she lie about this now?" Grant asked.

Ruby looked startled.

"How did you know that?" she asked.

"I did some digging," Grant admitted.

He turned to face her.

"Charlie is trying to ruin my life," he said. "I needed to know what I was dealing with."

Ruby nodded and chewed her lip.

"We were really into each other," Grant told her. "We'd been dating a few months and I was crazy about her. I thought Charlie was the most beautiful, wonderful girl in the world. All the boys wanted her. And a few of them had her."

"Charlie was a virgin before she met you!" Ruby snapped, feeling protective.

Grant shook his head.

"She pretended she was for the sake of Daddy," he said. "She didn't want to get into trouble. But I wasn't her first and she wasn't mine. We grew up pretty fast, I guess. Both of us. It wasn't... it wasn't hard to take her to bed. She was completely up for it. She was experienced. She wanted it, Ruby. But then I guess she realised she was pregnant and panicked. Your grandfather was a pretty strict guy. I guess it was easier to cry rape than admit that she was easy."

"Charlie wouldn't lie like that," Ruby insisted.

"Like she wouldn't lie to you about who your parents were?" Grant challenged.


Claudia and Claire immediately backtracked when Charlie suggested that the three of them team up and press charges against Grant.

"Nobody's going to listen to us," Claire said. "Or worse, they will. You know what that man is capable of, Charlie. You know what he'll do to us if we speak up."

"I also know what he'll do to me and my daughter if we don't," Charlie said. "Grant Bledcoe deserves to be in jail. And we deserve to be the people to put him there."

"It's our word against his," Claudia pointed out. "When does that ever get to court?"

Charlie glanced at Joey, encouraging her to speak up.

"I was raped a few months ago," she said timidly. "And it was my word against his. But now he's confessed and he's pleading guilty. He'll be in court in a couple of weeks and I don't even have to testify."

The women stared at her. They couldn't help feel a small fire of hope burning inside them.

"How did you...?" Claire began.

"How on earth were you strong enough to press charges?" Claudia said, finishing the thought.

"I had a lot of support," Joey said. "Charlie helped me through it all. And we already have a wonderful officer in mind who will help you both and Charlie through everything."

They'd decided to approach Watson with their case if it was to go ahead. She was a good cop, a diligent worker and Charlie was extremely fond of her.

"I don't know..." Claire said. "It's just..."

"I'm scared," Claudia admitted.

"I know," Charlie said. "So am I."

"If you're so intent on bringing him to justice, how come you didn't press charges at the time?" Claire asked.

"I was barely a teenager," Charlie said. "My Dad encouraged me not to. He thought it would be too much for me. But it's not now. Now I'm much stronger and I swear to God, I will do anything to protect my daughter."

"What does she think about all this?" Claire asked.

"She's very confused, very lost. She's struggling a lot and I really need to protect her."

Claire and Claudia exchanged glances. Claire took a deep breath.

"We'll press charges with you," she agreed.

Claudia nodded. Charlie could barely contain her relief.


Ruby walked home from school with Xavier. Annie had decided to stay on in the computer room to get some homework done.

"What happened with your Dad?" he asked.

"He's not my Dad," Ruby said quickly.

Her boyfriend rushed to apologise and so did she.

"It's just... difficult."

He nodded and waited for her to elaborate.

"He's telling me one thing and Charlie's telling me another. I have no idea what to believe."

"What are they both saying?" Xavier asked, pleased that she seemed to be turning to him for a change.

"Grant said that Charlie was... easy."

She sighed, hating the thought. That definitely wasn't the Charlie she knew. She might have had a few misdemeanours before. She'd rushed into things with Roman and her fling with Angelo had been mostly sex-based. But the person Grant had described hadn't been the person that she knew and loved. But then, she hardly knew Charlie anymore at all, although she did still love her.

"But Charlie says that Grant raped her. She swears she was a virgin and he swears she wasn't. And I don't want Charlie to be a liar. As far as I'm concerned, women who cry rape are almost as bad as rapists themselves. I mean, they make it so much harder for real victims, victims like Joey, to press charges. They make it harder for women to be believed and to get convictions. But then, I don't want to be the product of a rape either."

She sighed heavily and stopped walking.

"I wish there was some kind of mistake," she said. "Some way for things to have been consensual but without Charlie being evil."

Xavier moved to hug her. She remained in his grasp for a few moments before gathering herself together and breaking away. It was all too much for her.

"I have to go," she said. "I want to lie down."

"Should I come with you?" he offered.

She shook her head and hurried away, wanting to be alone.


Charlie and Joey stayed at the cafe after Claire and Claudia had left, and ate some lunch. Both were pleased by the way it had gone and Charlie was eager to get back to Summer Bay and start legal proceedings against Grant. But they had already booked and paid for the hotel and she wanted to show Joey a nice time. After everything they had been going through lately, she was sure her partner deserved it. She'd been so loving and so patient with her. She'd taken such good care of her and Charlie very much wanted to remind her just how loved she was.


Grant finished his dinner in the Diner and tried to psyche himself up to go home and try to make thing right with his wife. He looked up when he saw a policeman enter the room. Standing up, he approached him.

"I want to make a complaint," he said.

Angelo turned to look at him, recognising him and trying not to look utterly disgusted at having to breathe the same air.

"Well, I'm off duty so..."

"You're in uniform," Grant pointed out. "Granted, not the usual one but still..."

Angelo was in no doubt that Grant's complaint had something to do with Charlie and he really didn't want to deal with it.

"Well, you really need to go down to the station if..."

"One of your colleagues is making my life hell," Grant said firmly. "She's wrecking my marriage, my family and my life and I want something done about it."

Angelo sighed. He just wanted to eat and go home.

"Okay, what's the problem?" he asked.

"Senior Constable Charlie Buckton is being slanderous. And she shouldn't be allowed to get away with it," Grant said.

"Well, by all accounts, you did rape and impregnate her as a child," Angelo replied.

Grant glared at him.

"See?" he yelled. "She's telling lies about me."

"If you're really that fussed about it, go down to the station and make a formal complaint. But don't expect me or any of my colleagues to listen to you," Angelo said. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

He nudged past Grant and approached Leah to order his food.


Ruby hurried straight past Geoff and into her bedroom. She closed the door behind her and threw herself onto her bed, burying her head into her pillow and crying. She ignored the gentle knock on her door but Geoff came in anyway. Without speaking, he pulled her into his arms and held her until she fell asleep.

Charlie and Joey spent the day doing a little sightseeing before having dinner and then heading back to the hotel for the night. Despite the circumstances, it had been a happy day and it felt like they were reconnecting.

"Thank you so much for coming with me today," Charlie said sincerely.

She had expected to do it on her own. She still expected to do everything on her own. But it felt so good to let Joey in, let her be part of her world and her soul. She didn't think she had ever trusted someone so completely.

"Thanks for letting me," Joey replied.

They closed the gap between them and kissed tenderly. Joey wrapped her arms around Charlie's waist, wanting to hold onto this perfect moment forever.