I had some time for a quick update before my appointment. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter Three Hundred and Three

It was late before Charlie and Joey got to bed that night. Charlie had been stressed about her encounter with Martha and her later argument with Angelo. Martha had come to the police station, shouting the odds and demanding answers. Taking her into her office, Charlie had sat Martha down with Angelo and tried to answer her questions. Martha had taken her anger out on Angelo, particularly in light of the night they had spent together when he knew Hugo was still alive. After she had stormed back out, Charlie had called Alf and begged him to find his granddaughter. Charlie and Angelo had then had an argument of their own. Angelo was furious that neither Charlie nor Alf had seen fit to inform him that Martha now knew the truth. But Charlie felt too bitter about the whole thing not to stand her ground.

She'd just about managed to calm down enough to drive to college and collect Joey who was exhausted from the sheer relief of completing her course. Now she just had to wait and see if she had passed. Until then, she was just pleased to have finished something she had once walked away from due to circumstances. It felt good to have completed what she had started years ago.

Now, tucked up in bed in the dark, despite the long day they had both had, neither woman could settle. They snuggled up in each other's arms.

"What time will you find out that you've passed?" Charlie asked.

Joey laughed, always awed by Charlie's faith in her.

"My tutor said she'd call me at midday."

"Ooh, just in time for my lunch break!" Charlie said. "Meet you at the Diner at five to?"

"Sounds perfect," Joey agreed instantly. "Thank you for believing in me."

"How could I not believe in you?" Charlie said earnestly. "You're amazing."

Joey found her girlfriend's lips and kissed her tenderly.

"Everything with Martha will be okay, you know," she said, changing the subject.

"I hope so," Charlie sighed. "She was so broken."

"Maybe we can go and visit her tomorrow evening," Joey suggested.

"We're meant to be celebrating you passing your exams," Charlie reminded her.

"If I pass, we can go out another time," Joey said. "Martha's well being is more important."

Charlie nodded, silently marvelling at how selfless her girlfriend was.

"I love you," she said, kissing her again.

Despite the aching in their limbs, they immediately got carried away.


At lunch time the next day, Charlie eagerly met Joey at the Diner. Leah approached immediately, eager to take her break.

"Have you heard from college yet?" she asked.

"Just waiting for the call," Joey informed her, nodding to her mobile phone, placed purposefully on the table top.

"Let me know!" Leah requested.

Joey grinned, touched that everyone seemed to care so much about her.

"I promise," she said. "Hey, I saw Elijah walking VJ to school this morning. The kid was like Tigger with the way he was bouncing along the street! Any particular reason?"

"Oh, we're going on a school trip tomorrow," Leah explained.

"We?"

"Elijah's leading it and I've wangled and invite too. VJ and some of his class are going caving with us."

"Ooh!" Joey said excitedly. "That sounds like lots of fun!"

"I'm a bit nervous to be honest," Leah admitted. "But I trust Elijah to keep us safe. Even if Miles keeps freaking me out about horses and cows."

"Have you not got to the bottom of that yet?" Charlie asked, bemused.

"I don't think even he knows," Leah sighed. "I'm really worried about him."

"He'll bounce back," Joey said certainly. "It might just take a bit of time."

She jumped when her phone burst to life.


Miles was stretched out on the sofa at home. Between his ankle and his mental health, he had nothing better to do. Gina had forced him to take time off and he was so busy trying to hide Rabbit from everyone, which was ironic in itself really, that he was exhausted and antisocial. Before his programme had even got started, he fell asleep. Immediately, he was embroiled in a nightmare about Elijah and Leah being in danger.


"Well?" Charlie squeaked when Joey finished her phone call.

Joey tried to look solemn and disappointed but she couldn't stop grinning.

"I passed!" she announced.

Charlie nearly sent her flying with such an enthusiastic hug. Leah decided that a free lunch was most definitely the order of the day. As news quickly circulated, various other customers and staff congratulated her, including Colleen, Irene, Rachel, Tony and Marilyn.

"I am so proud of you," Charlie said sincerely.

"Thanks," Joey replied. "And not wanting to sound big headed, I'm kind of proud of myself too. I hated leaving the course undone so it's been wonderful to go back to it and cross it off my 'to do' list."

She smiled.

"But I am very aware that I couldn't have done it without you, Charlie," she said. "So thank you. For everything."

Charlie leant in and kissed her gently.

"All I did was encourage you," she said bashfully.

"And it meant the world," Joey replied. "The way you believe in me is something I can't describe. And it helps me start to believe in myself."

"To be honest, I still don't understand how you're not the most arrogant person in the world," Charlie said. "You're incredible."

Joey blushed.

"Although, I'm glad you're not arrogant," Charlie added quickly. "It's a very unattractive quality."

"How do you manage to work with Arrogant Angelo every day?" Joey smirked.

"I have no idea!" Charlie laughed.


Martha sat alone at the farm, staring into space and feeling like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Hugo was alive. With Angelo's help, he had faked his own death, apparently to protect her but she didn't really understand how. Where was he now? What was he doing with his life? Did he think about her and the family he had left behind? Suddenly, he felt so close and yet so far.


"Are you sure you don't mind delaying our celebration?" Charlie asked as she and Joey walked back out of the Diner together, both ready to go to their separate places of work.

"I'm sure," Joey said. "Martha's in hell right now and she needs some looking after. I'm still going to have passed my course in a couple of days' time so we can celebrate then."

She smiled. Charlie leant in and kissed her softly on the mouth.

"After we've partied, don't forget that we have to sit down and plan the future," she said.

"Plan the future?" Joey asked, feigning ignorance.

"Well, someone can now call herself a qualified chef," Charlie said. "Therefore, we need to plan how to set up a restaurant."

Joey shook her head, feeling shy.

"I don't even know if I'm capable," she said. "I don't have any experience."

"We'll figure it all out," Charlie said confidently.

Kissing her goodbye, she headed for her car in order to face the rest of the afternoon at work.


Romeo bumped into Liam at school. The former rock star was still giving music lessons at the school and Romeo for one, really appreciated having his friend around, especially at the moment. He missed Annie with every waking moment, especially now that he knew she was keeping in touch with Irene and Ruby but not him. It seemed like she truly had left him behind and it hurt to think that she might have been stringing him along all this time.

"You look cheerful," Liam commented.

"Yeah," Romeo sighed. "I guess it's hard to lose your first love."

Liam nodded.

"It is," he said. "But you do get over it eventually. You do heal."

"How?"

"Honestly?" Liam said.

Romeo nodded eagerly. At this point in time, he was willing to try anything. The only thing he was excited about at the moment was Joey teaching him to sail. That would be fun, and not just because she was gorgeous and he would never get tired of looking at her.

"Writing," Liam told him.

Romeo looked sceptical.

"Every time I get my heart broken, I write love songs in a bid to get over it," Liam explained.

"I'm musically challenged," Romeo pointed out. "We're not all Liam Murphy's and Ruby Buckton's in this world."

Liam laughed.

"It doesn't have to be a song," he said. "It could be a poem or a story or anything you like."

Romeo looked sceptical but promised to at least think about it.


That evening, armed with takeaway from the Diner, Charlie and Joey knocked on the door to Martha's farmhouse. They knocked more than once before Martha eventually pulled open the door, looking tired and unhappy.

"We figured you're probably not looking after yourself all that much," Joey said.

Martha hesitated, torn between welcoming them in and shutting the door in their faces. Eventually, she opted for the former.

"We brought dinner," Charlie said. "And we can talk as much or as little about anything you like. We just wanted to let you know that we love you and we're here for you, whatever you need."

Martha managed a smile.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "I just feel so lost right now."


Several hours and a tasty meal later, Charlie, Joey and Martha were sat in the lounge feeling relaxed despite the seriousness of the situation.

"I still don't understand why all of this happened," Martha admitted. "Why did everyone have to think that Hugo had to die?"

"Because if people he's rolled over on knew he was alive then they'd stop at nothing to hunt him down," Charlie explained. "Including hurting you or Hugo's family."

Martha nodded and sighed unhappily.

"I just feel so confused," she said. "All this time I've been grieving for him and it's just been a lie."

"I know," Charlie said softly. "I wish there was something I could say to help."

Martha looked up sharply, studying her friend's face.

"Did you know?" she asked.

"I found out a couple of days before you did," Charlie explained. "I can't say I reacted very well."

Martha nodded thoughtfully.

"He put you through hell," she recalled.

Charlie nodded.

"Do you hate me for still loving him?" Martha asked.

"No," Charlie said softly. "I don't."

"The Hugo that you knew and the Hugo that nearly killed Charlie sound like they were very different people," Joey put in. "We can't sit here and lie to you and say that all's forgiven for what he did. But we're never going to judge you for loving him. He was a big part of your life, Martha."

The fragile woman nodded anxiously. Charlie reached out to gently squeeze Joey's hand. She always seemed to know the right thing to say.

"What am I meant to do now?" Martha asked.

"I don't know," Charlie admitted.

"How can I mourn a man who isn't actually dead? How can I not drive myself crazy thinking about where he is and what he's doing?"

"I gather that he's far away," Charlie said.

She didn't think it was necessary for the poor woman to know he was currently missing.

"And that he has a new life and identity," she added. "I guess that's why the police thought it was best for you and the world to think he was dead."

Martha nodded distractedly.

"And what am I meant to say to Gina and Xavier?" she asked. "And Tony and Rachel? I don't want to lie to them but would it even help if they knew the truth? I still don't know if I'm happier knowing or not."

She sighed heavily.

"As a police officer, I advise you to keep it to yourself," Charlie said. "But as a friend, I think you need to do what's right for you."

Martha nodded, grateful for the support, although she was still at a loss over what to do.

"And I still can't believe Angelo," she added. "I feel so ashamed of spending the night with him. But he... how could he have done that knowing that everything I was experiencing was based on a lie?"

She shook her head in disbelief.

"How could he have treated me like that?"

"Preaching to the choir here, sweetheart," Joey said softly. "He's a bastard. I just hope people start realising it soon."


Next time… Romeo struggles to get over Annie, Charlie and Joey go out with Aden and Justin and Miles tries to play hero…