I'm going to go back to updating this the same amount as the other stories instead of every day as I've got less and less time to write fanfiction these days so I don't have quite the same backlog of chapters for this as I did before. Which was the intention when I started updating every day so... yay! I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx
Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty Two
"Charlie?" Ruby said in a tone that provoked much caution in her mother. "Joey?"
"What have you done?" Charlie asked humorously.
"Hey!" her daughter protested.
"What do you want?" Joey chipped in.
"Nothing!" Ruby squeaked. "Well... advice."
Charlie tried not to panic. The last few times she had sought advice from either of them it had been about sex. Ruby had already slept with Xavier and then Geoff and she suspected she and Xavier would soon be taking things further again. Charlie couldn't help but worry that she had given her a bad example in her pre-Joey days.
"You know you guys were in Romeo and Juliet?"
"I have a vague recollection," Joey smirked.
She and Charlie had been mortified when they'd been given the leads for that particular play. And they'd had a big row before the first performance. But they'd definitely enjoyed it once they'd finally got on stage.
"Well, they're doing the same play at school," Ruby explained. "And I was thinking of auditioning."
"Go for it," Charlie said immediately.
"You think so?"
"You'd be amazing, Ruby," Charlie enthused. "You should absolutely audition."
"Are you going to be Juliet?" Joey asked eagerly.
Ruby shook her head.
"I think Annie's going for it."
"Annie?" Charlie asked in surprise.
Ruby's friend was hardly the most outgoing girl in the world, although it was obvious that her time away had changed her somewhat.
"Yes," Ruby said. "And I think she's trying to convince Romeo to be... well, Romeo."
She grinned. Joey chuckled.
"But I thought maybe the nurse or someone like that," Ruby added. "What do you think?"
"You'd be incredible," Joey encouraged. "I definitely think you should do it."
"Me too," Charlie put in.
"Okay," Ruby agreed, grateful for the support. "I will. Thanks!"
Smiling happily at them, she thanked them both.
"Let us know how it goes, okay?" Charlie asked when Xavier arrived, knocking for his girlfriend in order to walk to school for her.
"We will!" Ruby called back.
"We what?" Xavier asked worriedly as they headed out of the house.
After work, Charlie and Joey headed to the Diner, partly to grab dinner Joey didn't have time to cook before college and partly to check on Leah. She hadn't seemed any happier that morning before they'd both left for work but they hoped a reconciliation with Miles might possibly be on the cards.
"I'm still not talking to him," Leah said firmly before they'd even managed to ask the question.
"Leah..." Charlie sighed. "Can't you just...?"
"No," Leah snapped, uncharacteristically moody. "He humiliated me. I've literally just got myself back on my feet after panic attacks and hiding in store cupboards. And Elijah was a bit part of it. But rather than letting me get on with it at my own pace, he wrecked my friendship with Elijah instead. And it's not fair. I don't forgive him."
"But he was trying to help..." Joey ventured.
"And he failed," Leah said curtly. "Now, what can I get you?"
While Charlie and Joey were waiting for their food and discussing their separate evening plans – Joey had college and Charlie had decided to go and visit Miles and see how he was coping with Leah's anger – a rabble of school kids walked in, led by Ruby. Spotting her parents, she hurried up to them and announced that she'd got the role of Mercutio.
"I thought you auditioned for the nurse!" Charlie said after congratulating her.
"They've messed with the gender roles," Romeo grumped, slinging himself into a chair.
Xavier looked equally unimpressed but Ruby and Annie both looked amused.
"I'm Romeo," Annie explained.
"Interesting," Joey commented before turning with some amusement to the boys and asking who they were playing.
"I'm the nurse," Xavier admitted.
"And I'm bloody Juliet!"
Joey snorted and patted him gently on the shoulder.
"It's about time schools caught up with playing with gender roles," she said. "Rejecting the binary and..."
"Lesbian!" Ruby remarked with a giggle.
"So sue me!" Joey laughed.
"I'll sue the school," Romeo frowned. "I don't want to wear a dress."
"You'd rock a dress," Charlie teased. "You have great legs!"
Romeo glared at her.
"You do know that you don't have to accept the role, right?" Joey asked. "It's not a law."
Romeo glanced at Annie, unable to bear letting her down. Also, if he wasn't Juliet then another boy would be and he could bear the thought of her kissing someone else, even if it was only make believe.
"I'll do it," he decided.
After they had eaten, Charlie and Joey left the kids to it and headed back to the car. Charlie's intention was to drop Joey at college, visit Miles and then pick her up again. They were just about to climb into the car when they heard a loud motor.
"What is that?" Joey wondered, turning to look, just as a motorbike zoomed into the car park.
The rider and his passenger got off and removed their helmets. It was Liam and Martha.
"Wow!" Joey commented, approaching them. "Nice ride!"
"You like it?" Liam asked.
"I thought you guys were going car shopping today!" Charlie joked.
"We were," Martha said. "But someone got distracted."
With her mouth hanging open slightly, Joey checked out the Harley Davidson. Charlie was surprised by her level of awe.
"This is amazing!" the bait shop employee said, walking round the bike, clearly impressed.
"Want a ride?" Liam asked.
"Yes!" Joey said as the same time as Charlie yelped, "No!"
The couple glanced at each other.
"It's dangerous," Charlie said quietly.
"Not really," Liam dismissed. "She'll have a helmet and everything. And Martha can lend her jacket..."
"Please?" Joey asked hopefully.
"You don't need permission," Charlie said. "But... but it's dangerous. What if...?"
"We'll be quick," Joey said eagerly, aware that she had to get to college.
"That's not helping!" Charlie pointed out.
"I'm a very safe rider, I promise," Liam said. "Just a spin round the block? Look at her, she's desperate. How can you deny that face?"
Joey offered her most longing expression to Charlie who could help but laugh.
"Fine," she said. "But Liam, if you kill her, I will kill you."
"I have no doubt!" Liam laughed.
Martha handed over her jacket and helmet and Joey eagerly hopped on the bike behind Liam.
"Who was that?" Tony asked, approaching them just as Liam and Joey shot back out of the car park.
"Liam's taking Joey out on his new bike and Charlie's having heart failure," Martha informed him.
"I am not!" Charlie lied. "I just... don't want her to get hurt."
"We rode for an hour and didn't even nearly have an accident," Martha assured him. "He's perfectly safe."
Charlie sighed uncertainly but let it go.
"How was your second day at work?" she asked Tony.
"Better," he said brightly. "I took your advice and gave as good as I got and I really think they'll start respecting me any day now!"
He grinned proudly.
"Well done," Charlie said.
Joey held onto Liam's waist as they tore through their sleepy little town on the bike. It was exhilarating to say the least. Joey had always wanted to learn to ride a motorbike and she envisioned herself becoming much better friends with Liam now if she got the chance. She frowned when she realised they were heading back for the car park but then she supposed she had to get to college anyway and Charlie would be having kittens if they took too long.
Once Liam had pulled to a stop, Joey leapt off the bike a little giddily. Pulling her helmet off, she launched herself into Charlie's arms, eagerly rambling about how awesome the bike was.
"Charlie...?"
"No," Charlie said firmly.
"You don't know what I was going to say!" Joey pouted.
"You were going to ask if you could get a bike too."
Joey pouted even more.
"I could totally re-enact that Transformers 2 scene you like so much," Joey smirked.
Charlie both grinned and blushed at the image of Megan Fox draped over a motorbike. Joey would definitely look good in such a position.
"Anyway!" she said, realising that Liam, Martha and Tony were all looking amused. "We'd better get you to college."
Charlie picked a rather excitable Joey up from college. Not only had she had a good day at work and ridden on the back of a motorbike, but she had been given a commendation in class and told by her tutor that she would easily be passing every aspect of course in a few months time. Arriving home, they found Ruby and Xavier sitting on the sofa looking particularly grave.
"What's happened?" Charlie asked worriedly, trying to keep the torrent of horrific scenarios from flying through her brain, namely Ruby being pregnant.
"I just caught Mum and John," Xavier sighed.
"Doing what?" Joey asked.
Everyone stared at her until she blushed and caught on.
"You know, for someone who does it so much, you're pretty naive about sex, Joey!" Ruby remarked.
Joey blushed further and denied doing it 'so much'.
"I've heard you!" Ruby said, causing Charlie to colour also. "In fact, I was just telling Xavier that parents having sex is just one of those horrors you have to expect in life."
She pulled a face. Charlie and Joey sat down together, feeling suddenly shy.
"But it's different," Xavier insisted. "Mum and John are old! Charlie and Joey are hot lesbians and... and that didn't come out quite the way it sounded in my head."
"You'd better not have fantasies about my parents, Xave," Ruby warned.
"I don't!" the teenage boy said quickly. "But... well, they are hot lesbians."
He looked at them and apologised.
"I don't mind being referred to as a hot lesbian," Joey smirked.
"Yep," Charlie agreed, horrifying Ruby. "I can live with that."
Xavier laughed and then shook his head.
"Mum and John... it's gross. I shouldn't have to see it."
"Or hear it," Ruby remarked, looking pointedly at Charlie and Joey.
Charlie was about to launch into protest about being loud but decided not to rise to the bait.
"In fairness," she said more reasonably. "I can't imagine your Mum and John wanting to be caught at it. They're probably mortified."
"They didn't seem too mortified when I shouted at them," Xavier said.
"Well, if you're busy shouting at them then obviously Gina's going to get defensive," Joey said. "So, why don't you take a deep breath, hold your head high, stay calm and go and make up with her?"
Xavier chewed his lip uncertainly.
"I can't bear them being a couple," he admitted. "He's no good for her. He..."
"Look, I don't like John Palmer any more than you," Joey said. "But if you're Mum sees something good in him then you're just going to have to go with it, Xave. She's your Mum. As long as John's making her happy, that's the most important thing. Maybe just try and be supportive?"
Making eye contact with her, Xavier sighed, mumbling that he hated it when she was right.
"Annoying, isn't it?" Ruby teased. "But truth be told, she always is."
Joey beamed proudly.
Next time... Joey attends therapy with Charlie and the pair of them try to get Leah and Miles to make friends again...
