Chapter One Hundred and Ninety Six
It was very early on Christmas morning and Joey was wide awake, as excited as a child. Having already got up, brushed her teeth, resisted poking her nose into any of the gifts under the tree, made herself and Charlie a coffee, Joey was now lying beside her partner, studying her beautiful, sleeping face. Charlie woke suddenly, almost leaping off the pillow, having had the feeling she was being watched. Regaining her sensibilities, she managed a laugh when she looked at Joey's eager smile.
"Merry Christmas!" Joey chirped.
Charlie chuckled again, sitting up and stretching before snuggling back down, lying almost nose to nose with her girlfriend.
"Merry Christmas," she said, offering her a gentle kiss.
Noticing the clock behind her, Charlie suddenly exclaimed that it was six o'clock.
"I know!" Joey grinned.
"What happened to 'forgive me, Charlie but you'll have to haul me out of bed pretty late on Christmas morning'?" the police officer asked.
"I got excited," Joey admitted a little shyly. "I haven't had a good Christmas in a long time. And this year... well, I have a good feeling. And it kept me up!"
Giggling, Charlie pulled Joey into her arms, holding her tight and breathing her in.
"Well then we should definitely make the most of it," she said. "Starting with... a special present."
In one swift motion, Charlie leapt out of bed and rummaged in her bag. Creeping back to bed, she snuggled back under the blankets and presented Joey with a small jewellery box.
"For me?" Joey asked.
"Of course for you," Charlie replied. "There are more presents under the tree but I wanted to give this to you in private."
Joey accepted the box and opened it, immediately bursting into tears.
"You bought it," she managed.
Charlie smiled, hoping they were tears of joy. When she and Joey had been out shopping a few weeks ago, Joey had stopped, enthralled at a broach in the window of a jewellers. The piece was exactly the same as a broach Joey's grandmother had worn almost every day of her life. She'd left it to Joey in her will but it had been taken during a burglary a few years ago, leaving Joey heartbroken. And now, here was one exactly the same, right in her hands.
"Do you like it?" Charlie asked when Joey hadn't said anything more.
"I love it, Charlie," Joey almost whispered.
She wiped her eyes and smiled lovingly at the woman who meant so much to her.
"I love you," she added.
Leaning in, she kissed her.
"Thank you for being so thoughtful."
"Well, I saw how you reacted to it when we saw it in the store window so..."
She shrugged a little shyly. Joey kissed her again.
"This is already the best Christmas I've ever had," she said sincerely.
Smiling happily, she studied the broach. It was a small pin badge in the shape of an angel, delicate and beautiful. Putting it carefully to one side, she cuddled up closer to Charlie, wrapping her arms around her and kissing her possessively on the mouth. When they finally drew away, both women were a little breathless.
"I have a gift for you too," Joey said. "Although, it's not as good as yours. And I have more for you under the tree as well but... well, I guess we had the same kind of idea."
She stretched out over the edge of the bed and rummaged in her bedside drawer. A little anxiously, she pulled out a box. Inside it were some neatly wrapped parcels – a CD of love songs, a Jeanette Winterson book that Joey was horrified Charlie hadn't read before and a homemade photo frame within which Charlie and Joey's faces smiled out. At the bottom was a paper token, promising Charlie that she could cash it in for any kind of treat she desired. On the back were suggestions of breakfast in bed, a boat trip, a surprise romantic gesture or 'any single thing you would enjoy'.
"It's a bit crappy considering what you got me but..."
"I love it," Charlie said sincerely. "Every single thing. And I will definitely start thinking about what to cash my token in for!"
She grinned mischievously and pulled Joey in for yet another kiss.
"Have I told you lately how much of a sweetheart you are?" she asked.
"I could stand for you to tell me again," Joey replied.
Charlie kissed her.
"And again, and again, and again..."
At nine o'clock, Charlie and Joey began to hear movement in the house, indicating that Ruby was awake and pottering. The couple had remained in bed since six, getting a little carried away in their Christmas morning wishes and Joey was even more convinced that this year, December 25th would be fun.
"We should get up," Charlie said. "Ruby has a tradition of making breakfast on Christmas morning and it's usually a disaster!"
She chuckled as they got up, wrapped their robes around them and headed towards the kitchen where Ruby was indeed making a mess.
"Happy Christmas!" the teenager bellowed, pulling both Charlie and Joey into a hug.
Having abandoned her eggs in a frying pan, it didn't take long for the smoke alarm to start.
"Oops!" she frowned, taking the pan off the heat while Charlie opened the door and windows and Joey fanned the alarm until it stopped.
A few moments later, Ross and Morag padded down the stairs, wondering if the house was burning now.
"I was making eggs," Ruby said unhappily, showing them the rather unappetising looking eggs.
"We can just start again," Joey said brightly, opening up the fridge and deciding to assist the teenager in her cooking adventure.
After a more successful breakfast than anyone had originally expected, Ross, Morag, Charlie, Joey, Ruby and a newly arrived Aden sat down to open gifts together. Charlie and Joey had pooled their funds and treated Ruby to a Wii with a few games. They'd bought Ross a series of classical music CD's that they'd seen his eyes light up over when an advert came on the TV when they had last visited. Classical music was a source of relaxation for him and the key to his life at the moment was being able to stay calm and peaceful. For Morag, they had bought an expensive day for two at a spa. She spend so much time caring for Ross and rushing in to look after everyone who needed her, that the girls had decided she needed to take some time out for herself and receive some pampering. And they'd bought Aden two tickets to see his favourite band. Joey suspected he would take Nicole, if Liam allowed him to.
Charlie and Joey had been as thrilled with the gifts they had received as the others had been with the ones they had given. Ross and Morag had booked them a week away in the last week of January in a very nice and rather expensive looking hotel. Aden had bought Charlie the next in a series of crime novels Joey had said she was enjoying and Joey model of a boat for her to build and play with – which everyone was sure she would. Ruby had given Charlie an engraved pen set to use at work and bought Joey chef whites and useful tools that she would need for her catering course.
"And I got you a card," Ruby said a little shyly, offering Charlie an envelope.
A little unnerved, Charlie opened it up and pulled the card out. She stared when she saw that it was a personalised card made on an Internet site. It read: 'Merry Christmas to my two Mums'.
"I was just trying it out," Ruby said meekly.
Handing Joey the card, Charlie pulled her daughter into a tight hug.
By midday, Joey was up to her neck in cooking and was more than a little nervous about her brother's impending arrival. She just hoped it would go well and if not, at least she knew she was protected by her new family. Reaching for her wine glass, she frowned to find it empty but beamed when Charlie appeared behind her and filled up.
"You're an angel," Joey said, taking a grateful sip.
"Says the person cooking for everyone," Charlie said, stepping up behind her and wrapping her arms around her waist.
"Well if I'm going to run this restaurant you're all so very keen on then I'd better get the practice in!" Joey giggled.
Charlie kissed her cheek.
"You know you don't have to open a restaurant," she said a little nervously. "It was just an idea."
"I'm definitely not ruling it out," Joey assured her. "Although it is very scary."
"Well, I'll help you as much as I can," Charlie promised. "I mean, culinary skills don't exactly run in my family but I'm very good at organising things!"
"Don't I know it!" Joey laughed.
Charlie kissed her cheek again. Joey temporarily abandoned her vegetables to turn around and kiss her properly. They wrapped their arms around each other, pressing their bodies so close that there was no air between them. A knock on the door interrupted them. Charlie broke away in order to answer it. Brett stood in the doorway looking anxious but optimistic.
At three o'clock, everyone crowded round the table together. Charlie was very much enjoying playing hostess and thought she and chef Joey made quite the team.
"Crackers first!" Ruby decided.
Everyone obeyed and before long each of them was wearing a silly hat and reading out even sillier jokes.
"So, Brett, what do you do for a living?" Ross asked, hoping it wasn't a discussion they'd already had and he'd just forgotten.
"I'm a mechanic," Brett said. "It's a new thing really. I've always done bits and pieces but this is something I've really taken to so I feel a lot more settled now."
He still looked anxious but everyone had been more than welcoming.
"I'm really pleased you've found something you enjoy," Joey said honestly.
"It took a while!" Brett said with a self conscious laugh. "What are your plans for the future, Jo? Are you going back to the trawler business or...?"
"She's going to be a chef!" Ruby said proudly, beaming at Joey who grinned back.
"I'm going back to college to finish studying catering," Joey said. "I only had a few months to go when I left so they said I could come back and complete."
"That's fantastic," Brett enthused. "It's the only other thing you ever wanted to do."
Joey nodded and sipped more wine. It was already going to her head a little.
"Well, I'm being encouraged," she said. "I'm not sure I would have had the courage to go back on my own."
"Says one of the most courageous people on the planet," Ruby remarked. "After every horrible situation you've dealt with in your life, going back to study will be easy. I'm sure of it."
Joey blushed and thanked her, touched that she seemed to be going to so much effort in order to make her look good in front of her brother.
With Joey having done all the cooking, Charlie insisted that she be the one to clear everything away, even if she was planning on doing the dishes in her own sweet time.
"I'll help you clear the table," Brett offering, gathering plates and following Charlie into the kitchen.
"Let's play on the Wii!" Ruby suggested brightly.
"Rubes, if I move I will die," Aden protested. "I ate too much."
"Well, you didn't have to finish quite that much off, you know," Ruby scolded playfully.
"It was tasty!" Aden protested.
He just about managed to stand up and almost fell onto the sofa. Joey wasn't feeling that much better and nor were Ross and Morag. It seemed to only be Ruby that was full of bounce.
In the kitchen, Charlie was stacking plates up by the sink, ready to wash them when the festivities were over. She was putting various pans in soak when Brett stepped up behind her.
"Charlie, I just wanted to apologise... for everything," Brett said.
She turned to face him and smiled brightly.
"It's fine," she said. "I know you were only trying to protect Joey and as long as you know I'm not the kind of person she needs protecting from then everything's okay."
"I know that now," he said. "Honestly. And I'm also sorry for hitting you with my car. It was an accident but I know I didn't even think of apologising at the time."
"Everything's forgiven," Charlie promised. "I bear no grudges. And I know that you being here today means more to Joey than she's willing to let on."
Brett chuckled and nodded.
"It means everything to me to have her back," he admitted. "I know I haven't shown it much this year but she means more to me than anything else in the world."
"Well you can start showing her that from now on," Charlie grinned.
The evening rolled around and with it came lots of silly games including a session on the Wii, a very entertaining game of Cranium, which had been a gift from Joey to Charlie, and less conventional games including one where people had to sit around with post-it notes on their heads while they asked yes or no questions to figure out the name of the celebrity they were meant to be. At seven o'clock, Morag and Ross left to go and spend the evening with Alf at Martha and Hugo's farm. Just as they were leaving, Geoff arrived, sweeping Ruby into a happy hug.
"What's with all the post-it notes?" he wondered.
"Oh! We can show you if we play..."
"No!" Charlie and Joey said in unison.
"We've had three rounds. I think it's time to stop now," Aden agreed.
Ruby frowned before perking up and deciding to show Geoff everything she had received for Christmas. Leaving the couple to it, Charlie, Joey, Aden and Brett took a new bottle of wine outside to enjoy the slowly cooling down night air. Brett observed the way Charlie and Joey held hands. His sister leaned happily into her girlfriend and tenderly kissed her lips. Aden studied Brett's expression. He felt protective of Joey and was concerned that her brother might be disingenuous.
"They're sweet, aren't they?" he said.
"Very," Brett admitted.
Overhearing them, Charlie and Joey blushed but were pleased at Brett's words.
"Brett, can I ask why the sudden turnaround?" Joey asked quietly.
"I missed you," Brett said. "And I was... enlightened."
"Enlightened?" Joey asked curiously.
"I've been dating a pretty wonderful girl for the last few months," Brett explained. "She's bisexual and... well, it turns out that it's not so scary after all."
He managed a laugh. Joey smiled back at him.
"She thinks she knows you, actually," Brett added.
"Really?" Joey asked.
"Her name's Amber. She said you met at some drama club she goes to."
Charlie's eyebrows nearly shot off her face in surprise and mild amusement that the girl who was now dating Brett had, not so long ago, had feelings for his sister. She chose not to bring it up.
"Amber!" Joey said. "We remember her, don't we, Charlie?"
"Definitely remember her," Charlie said, trying not to smirk.
Aden noticed and made a mental note to ask why Charlie was finding the conversation so funny.
"Maybe we could all go for dinner sometime?" Brett suggested. "I know she'd like to see you both again and I'd like... well, if you didn't mind... I'd like to spend more time with you."
"That sounds really nice," Joey said honestly. "I'd love to. Charlie?"
The police officer smiled.
"Sounds good to me," she said.
Next time... Charlie and Joey spend a family day on the Blaxland and Hugo breaks up with Martha...
