Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Two

Still smiling, Joey moved closer and brushed her lips against Charlie's. Closing her eyes, Charlie moaned and wrapped her arms around Joey's neck.

"You look gorgeous, by the way," Joey purred when they parted.

Charlie blushed, still wondering what all of this was in aid of.

"Well, you've been pretty stressed lately," Joey ventured. "And you've been working seriously hard so I thought I'd try and treat you a little bit."

Taking Charlie's hand again, Joey led her round to the back of the boat where a beautiful table had been laid out.

"Joey, this is lovely," the police officer gushed.

Joey turned to gaze at her before explaining that she had hired the boat until the following morning.

"I thought we could sail out for the night," Joey ventured. "Spend some real time together without any distractions. What do you think?"

"I think I have the most perfect girlfriend in the world," Charlie replied.

"Well, in that case," Joey said. "I reckon we're going to have a wonderful time."


An hour later, Joey had anchored the boat in the middle of the open water. She'd had a lot of fun trying to steer amid Charlie's delightful distractions. Now, taking Charlie's hand, Joey led her towards the end of the boat. She pulled out a chair and gestured for her girlfriend to sit down. A few moments later, she presented her with a bottle of white wine from a cool bag. Charlie beamed at her, as she poured the liquid into the two wine glasses on the table. Joey then returned to the bag and brought out two plates, removing cling film from the top of them.

"Starter for my lady," Joey said politely.

"Oh, this is lovely!" Charlie said.

"It's only a Caesar salad," Joey said humbly.

She turned and fiddled with the stereo she'd bought and put some romantic music on. Then she came to sit opposite Charlie, lighting the two tall candles in the middle of the table.

"You really did think of everything!" Charlie giggled.

She gazed lovingly at her girlfriend and thanked her.

"There's a lot more to come," Joey assured her.

Charlie began to tuck into her food. It was strange really. With previous partners, her automatic assumption for the reasoning behind an out of the blue romantic gesture would be guilt. But she had no such anxiety about this, about Joey. She wondered what on earth she had ever done to deserve someone as special as Joey.

"So, are we sleeping out here?" Charlie wondered.

"Well, I hope so because I brought three bottles of wine and I don't think I should drive back!" Joey grinned.

Charlie chuckled. Spending the night out on the ocean sounded like a lovely idea and she told her so.

"Although... is it safe?" she wondered.

"Safe?"

"Like... I don't know. Safe!"

Joey giggled.

"What are you expecting out here? Pirates?"

"Maybe!" Charlie said, laughing self consciously. "I mean, look what happened to Irene."

"I promise we're not far out enough to run into any real trouble," Joey said. "And besides, we've got to be a dynamite team anyway."

Charlie offered her a baffled look.

"Well, I'm more comfortable on a boat than I am on land and you're a cop," Joey reminded her. "How can we go wrong?"

Charlie smiled, feeling reassured.

"What about sharks?" she suddenly asked.

Joey burst out laughing and suggested that they opt out of going swimming.


Charlie and Joey were working their way through their main course. Joey had been relieved at succeeding in keeping the dish warm and apologised for it only being jacket potatoes with tuna and cheese.

"It's perfect," Charlie said when Joey apologised again. "This whole evening has been perfect, Joey. It's so sweet of you. Thank you."

"You can thank me later," Joey smirked.

Charlie snorted and poured out more wine for both of them.

"I intend to!" she said.


The moon was high in the sky and the air was blissfully warm was Joey and Charlie took cushions and blankets up to the front of the boat so that they could snuggle up in the open air and enjoy the rest of the evening.

"I am so stuffed," Charlie groaned.

The couple had taken a break from eating between their main course and dessert. She flopped down on the soft bed they had made. Joey came to lie beside her, lifting her top a little and gently rubbing her tummy. Charlie smiled and closed her eyes, drawing her girlfriend closer. She kissed the top of Joey's head, thanking her yet again for such a wonderful evening.

"I just wanted to do something nice for you," Joey said. "You deserve some TLC."

"Well, even if I don't, I love it!" Charlie grinned. "I feel like a Princess!"

"You're my Princess," Joey said sweetly.

They kissed tenderly, letting it linger for a long time.

"Charlie, you really are my world," Joey ventured when they parted.

She sat up a little hesitantly, feeling her heart race a little and her hands go clammy. She took a deep breath and tried to remember what she had rehearsed. Charlie studied her with curiosity.

"When I... well, when I was growing up, we didn't really have anything. All my clothes were second hand, even my school uniform. We were constantly struggling to pay our bills and... um... Where was I going with this?"

Charlie was startled to realise how stressed Joey suddenly looked. She reached for her hand, whispering for her to relax.

"I just feel like an idiot," Joey admitted. "What... what I'm trying to say is that um..."

She reached into her bag and pulled out a jewellery box.

"The one thing that my Mum had that was expensive," she said. "Well, I don't know if it was that expensive but it was worth more than anything else we had. Anyway, it was this."

She opened the box to show Charlie a simple, delicate diamond necklace.

"And she... she was so proud of it," Joey explained. "She only ever wore it on special occasions and it really meant the world to her. She loved it and she left it to me when she died. Everything else pretty much went to Brett but she specifically left this to me. And I... I wanted to give it to you."

Joey offered it out to Charlie who sat up, a little startled.

"Oh, Joey, it's a lovely gesture but I can't take this from you," Charlie said. "It obviously means a lot to you."

"You mean a lot to me," Joey insisted. "I love you, Charlie. And I'd like to you have it."

Charlie gazed into her eyes, touched but still a little unsure.

"It's not like I'm really giving it away," Joey added. "Because... well, because I want to be with you for the rest of my life. So, I'd still get to see it. I'd still get to keep it close to me."

She smiled a little uncertainly.

"Are you really sure?" Charlie asked.

Joey nodded, offering the box out to her. Charlie picked up the necklace, admiring it and telling her that it was beautiful. They gazed lovingly at each other before Joey offered to put it on for her. Still smiling, Charlie lifted up her hair so Joey could put the delicate chain around her neck.

"It looks beautiful on you," Joey said sweetly, glad that she had gone ahead and made the gesture.

"I'll only wear it on special occasions," Charlie decided. "Like your Mum did."

Joey beamed at her.

"Then I'll get to see it every time I get to spend a special occasion with you," she said.

"There is no such thing as a special occasion without you," Charlie informed her.

Joey blushed, putting the box away and leaning in for a kiss. Immediately letting it develop, Joey guided Charlie back against the cushions, covering her body with her own. Charlie ran her hands through Joey's hair, feeling even closer to her than she had before. The necklace pressed against her skin as a token of how deeply Joey really felt about her and intended permanence of their relationship.


It was hours later before either Charlie or Joey were spent and even then, it was likely to be temporary. Lying in Charlie's embrace, Joey ran her fingertips up and down her arm. Charlie smiled up at the sky as her skin tingled from Joey's touch.

"Every time I think I can't love you more than I already do... I do," Charlie admitted.

Joey snuggled up closer, placing kisses on Charlie's collarbone, still admiring how lovely she looked in the necklace that held so much significance. Sitting up, she gazed at Charlie, lying in nothing but the necklace. She smiled, tracing her hands up and down Charlie's body. Charlie closed her eyes, relishing her touch. Joey stroked her tummy and her breasts, then her thighs and her face before leaning over her, straddling her hips and kissing her lips.

"I fall more in love with you every single moment that we're together," Joey whispered.


Next time... Charlie and Joey have an altercation with John and Derrick tries to seal Bambang...