Chapter One Hundred and Six
Joey sat on Aden's sofa feeling miserable and seriously regretting walking out on Charlie. It wasn't that she hated her. It wasn't even that she didn't want to be with her. It was just that she couldn't get the images of what Charlie had done to Grant, out of her head. It made it feel like she was a different person. It had never occurred to her that Charlie could hurt anybody, even someone like him. Aden came to sit beside her and offered her a beer. She sipped it and sighed.
"Maybe I should have just talked to her," Joey said.
She hadn't told her friend what had happened. Charlie could be in terrible trouble if anyone found out what had happened. And Joey definitely didn't want that for her.
"Why didn't you?" Aden asked.
"Because I didn't know what to say," she said. "Everything I was saying just made it worse. I couldn't articulate myself."
She sank back against the couch and gulped a little more of her drink down.
Charlie sat home alone. She couldn't believe that Joey had just disappeared on her like that. It wasn't like her. Charlie felt abandoned and if she was being honest, a little angry. She'd always thought that if anyone was ever going to understand her, it was Joey. So why is she walking away from me now?
"What's up with you?" Geoff asked.
The question wasn't intrusive. He was genuinely curious and caring. And worried. Ruby looked up, breaking out of her daydream. She just couldn't believe everything that had happened tonight.
"Geoff, if I tell you something, will you promise to keep it a secret?" she asked.
Charlie bolted up off the couch when there was a knock at the door. She flung it open, calling Joey's name. She paused when she realised it was Angelo standing there instead. Disappointment flooded her.
"Are you okay?" Angelo asked.
"Yeah," Charlie said sadly. "I was just hoping..."
"That it was Joey," he concluded. "Why would she knock? She lives here."
Charlie shrugged.
"She might have forgotten her keys," she said.
He really was the last person she wanted to see.
"Have you had a fight?" he asked, trying not to look or sound too hopeful.
Charlie tried to deny it but suddenly found she didn't have the energy for it.
"Something like that," she sighed.
"Does it have something to do with you stealing my tazer gun?"
Charlie froze.
Joey paced Aden's living room until she'd made him dizzy and he pulled her back down to sit.
"Look, what happened?" he asked, a little frustrated and definitely worried.
"We just... she did something and it's made me change how I see her."
"What did she do?"
"I can't..."
She sighed heavily. She wanted to tell him but she knew it would destroy everything. She could never betray Charlie like that.
Charlie handed the tazer over. She felt like a child having been caught doing something naughty. Except that the thing she had done was more than naughty. It was illegal. It was violent. And it could have cost her Joey.
"Do you want to tell me what you needed it for?" Angelo asked, putting it away.
"No," she replied.
"Charlie, I'm going to have to report this," he said.
She looked horrified and immediately begged him not to. That would just make her life ten times worse. He looked back at her, taking in her features. As usual, she couldn't see her as anything but breathtaking. He moved across the room and sat down. Charlie sat at the other end of the couch, keeping her distance. Joey didn't like him and she would never want to upset her by seeing him, even if she was bargaining for him to keep a secret.
Geoff just stared at Ruby. He could hardly believe what he'd been told. Ruby and Joey had caught Charlie mid abduction and torture of Grant. He ran his hands through his hair.
"She seriously did that?" he asked. "I mean, Charlie? She's always been such a stickler for the rules. She's a cop for goodness sake."
Ruby shrugged.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," she said.
He nodded, supposing she was right. But he still couldn't believe it.
"I just used it to warn Grant off," Charlie admitted.
"You tazered Grant?" Angelo almost shrieked.
"No!" she lied. "I just... threatened to. We don't need to tell anyone. He's gone back to the city and he's not coming back. He's out of my life. I got the job done."
Angelo sighed and rubbed his face with his hands.
"It's done now," Charlie continued. "Can't you just leave it alone?"
He leant a little towards her, looking into her eyes.
"He must have really messed with you to make you do something like this," he said.
"He raped me," Charlie pointed out.
She couldn't say the words without bitterness and hurt. She was due to start seeing her counsellor the following week. She was nervous, especially now that she wasn't sure that Joey would help her through it.
"And Joey knows what happened?" Angelo asked. "She took off?"
"She said she needed some space to think," Charlie admitted.
She twisted her hands together and sighed. She wondered where Joey was and if she was okay.
"That was pretty out of order of her," he dared.
Charlie looked up sharply.
"What?"
"Abandoning you when you need her."
"I frightened her, I guess," Charlie said sadly. "She'll be back."
Angelo looked at her seriously.
"I would never abandon you, Charlie," he said. "Not for anything."
Joey sighed and closed her eyes. She'd had three beers and felt a little dizzy.
"Maybe I should just go home," she said. "Talk it through with her."
"What will you say?" Aden asked.
"Just that... it's okay... that everything's okay."
"And is it?"
Joey sighed again and shrugged.
"I don't know," she admitted.
Charlie knew Angelo was going to try and kiss her. She could see the look in his eyes. It made her uncomfortable. She backed away and stood up before he got the chance to go anywhere near her. He stood up too and stepped closer.
"Charlie," he said.
"If you're trying to seduce me," she snapped. "It's not going to work."
"But Joey's left you," he said.
"Temporarily!" she argued. "We haven't broken up. We'll never break up."
"If she can walk out on you for threatening the man that raped you..."
"It wasn't like that!" Charlie insisted. "She got scared. She can't cope with... things like that."
Still she didn't want to go into detail over what happened. Angelo stepped a little closer. He put his hands on Charlie's waist.
"Why don't I put this a different way?" he said. "I want you. You and Joey are over."
"We're not over!"
"Even temporarily. And you... you don't want me to tell anyone what happened tonight."
She caught his meaning and pushed him away.
"I'd rather go to jail than cheat on Joey," she said. "Get out of my house!"
That night, Joey lay in the spare room. Aden lived alone in the house now that Belle was gone and Roman was in jail. Nicole was living with Miles and his family. Lying in bed, Joey struggled to drop off. She gazed up at the ceiling, tossing and turning and struggling to get comfortable. It didn't feel right to lie in bed without Charlie. She didn't even like it when she was on a night shift. She could never sleep without her. Not for as long as they had known each other.
Charlie lay alone in hers and Joey's bed. Leah was away for the night and she'd taken VJ with her. Ruby still lived at Irene's and now Joey was gone. The incident with Angelo played on her mind but mostly she just missed Joey. She didn't think she'd felt so lonely before. She bolted upright when she heard a noise coming from the kitchen. Sliding her legs out of bed she was ready to move if she heard anything else but nothing came. Suddenly, the door opened. Charlie jumped to her feet, ready to attack. She paused when she saw Joey standing there with her backpack.
"Joey!" Charlie said.
"I missed you," her girlfriend replied. "I'm sorry, Charlie. I shouldn't have left, even for a minute. Please, forgive me?"
Charlie tumbled into her arms. Relief almost made her collapse.
"There's nothing to forgive," she said into Joey's neck. "I'm the one who's sorry."
"No, I am," Joey insisted. "That was completely unfair of me."
They came to sit on the bed together, holding hands.
"You just scared me," Joey said. "But I should have stayed and worked through it."
"I wish you had," Charlie admitted. "I'm a mess without you."
Joey smiled affectionately at her. She stroked Charlie's hair and leant in to kiss her.
"I didn't tell Aden anything, by the way," Joey said to reassure her.
"Doesn't matter," Charlie sighed.
She flopped backwards on the bed and rubbed her temples. Joey moved to lie beside her, leaning on her elbow and resting her other hand on Charlie's toned tummy.
"What do you mean?"
"Angelo came round," Charlie said. "He knew that I'd stolen his tazer and he said..."
She pulled a face.
"He said what?" Joey asked worriedly.
"Basically, if I didn't sleep with him... I presume... Maybe he would have settled for kissing or something but anyway, he said if I didn't, he'd tell."
Joey froze and swallowed. Charlie caught her expression.
"I don't need to tell you that I didn't agree, do I?" she asked, hurt that Joey might suspect her.
"Of course not," Joey squeaked.
Charlie reached up and pulled Joey into her arms. She kissed her passionately.
"No matter how much trouble I get into," she said. "Losing you would be worse than anything. There is no way I'm idiot enough to cheat on you. That'd be insane. And also... yuck!"
Joey grinned and kissed her.
"You did date him once," she pointed out.
"Yeah, back when I had no idea what love and sex really were," Charlie said.
She smiled and guided Joey onto her back so she could straddle her. She leant down so that their breath mingled.
"No," she said. "I'm afraid you've ruined me for anyone else."
Joey giggled and kissed her. Charlie squirmed against her in just the right place. Joey closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensations rushing through her body. She wrapped her arms around Charlie's neck and kissed her.
"So, we're okay?" Joey asked, just wanting to check and make sure.
"If you forgive me, we're fine," Charlie said.
"Do you forgive me?"
"Of course!"
"Then we're fine," Joey said, kissing her again and smiling as Charlie's hands snaked up to caress her body.
