Chapter Four Hundred and Twelve

"I thought you'd like having a sleepover with Nicole," Charlie said, as she sat in front of her mirror, applying makeup for her girls' night out with Joey, Leah, Bianca, Watson and Kerri.

Ruby slouched against the doorframe to her mother's bedroom, arms folded and grumpy.

"When it's voluntary," Ruby said. "Not when my friend is being made to babysit me."

Joey brushed past her, also getting ready.

"She's not babysitting you," she said. "She's offering company while we're out – and a break from our delightful company all the time. You've been on lockdown, Ruby. Enjoy being away from us!"

She grinned, succeeding in making Ruby laugh just a little.

"I am perfectly capable of staying here by myself though," the teenager pointed out.

Charlie merely raised her eyebrows and then resumed her grooming.

"I am!" Ruby protested. "We've put all that stuff behind us, haven't we?"

"It's a process, sweetheart," Joey reminded her. "But we're getting there."


Over at Summer Bay House, Nicole was rather pleased to have been considered so responsible that Charlie and Joey had asked her to both look out for Ruby, and to have her stay the night so they could go out.

She thought back to when she had first arrived in the Bay. Back then, she had just been Roman's wayward daughter and it had taken a long time for her and Charlie to see eye to eye. Fortunately, she had bonded quickly with Joey, having had their friend and Nicole's ex, Aden, in common. And that had brought her closer to Charlie too. She was rather proud to be considered the mature one of their friends for a change.


"Ready to go, sweetheart?" Charlie asked.

"Nearly," Joey replied, pulling her boots on, ready for a night of dancing and drinking with their friends.

Satisfied, she stood up and slapped her toned thighs.

"All set," she decided, clad in black jeans and a blue shirt, all of which accentuated her figure.

Charlie smiled lovingly at her.

"You look beautiful," she said.

Joey blushed rather shyly, allowing herself to be swept into her arms. They kissed.

"When you're done making out, my babysitter will be waiting for me," Ruby interrupted.


VJ and Leah were already with Miles when Charlie, Joey, Ruby, Kerri and Danny arrived at the house. Miles had agreed to babysit both VJ and Danny for the night while Ruby stayed over with Nicole so that Leah, Charlie, Joey and Kerri could all go out without worrying about their kids.

"So, how much do I get paid for this?" he joked.

"We can pay you in hugs," Leah offered with a grin.

He considered it and then decided it would do. Leah, then Joey and then Charlie all piled on, sending him tumbling onto the sofa. VJ and Danny both laughed while Kerri hung back, not knowing the curly haired man all that well. Ruby said goodbye to her parents and headed upstairs to see Nicole.


"Just trust me, okay?" Xavier said confidently.

He and April were having dinner together at the Diner, discussing her water bottle ban plan.

"I still don't understand how you're going to 'handle it'," April said uncertainly. "Do you have secret control over the Council that I don't know about?"

"No but I do have some control over John," Xavier said, sounding rather pleased with himself.

April looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

"He owes me a favour and I'm about to call it in," Xavier explained.

He was surprised by the look of horror on his girlfriend's face.


The taxi had collected Watson and Bianca along the way and then dropped them, Charlie, Joey, Kerri and Leah at a busy, buzzing bar in Yabbie Creek. They settled at a table with drinks, all eager to let their hair down and have a good time.

"We really need to do this more often," Charlie said immediately.

"Yep," Joey agreed. "Why don't we?"

"Because we're all too busy and tired all the time," Leah complained. "But no more! We are girls that just wanna have fun!"

Joey, Charlie and Bianca couldn't stop themselves from launching into song. Kerri giggled, amused at her new found friends. Watson smiled as she watched Kerri enjoy herself. She wondered if she would ever be able to pluck up the courage to ask her out. She doubted it.


Alf had enticed Danny outside to help him light the barbeque. With so many guests for the night, he and Miles had decided to do something fun.

Back inside the house, VJ had turned to Miles, feeling fretful about his mother.

"Do you think she'll be okay tonight?"

Miles put his arm around the young lad.

"She'll be just fine," he promised. "Charlie and Joey will always look after her. You know that. And a night out, having fun is probably just what she needs."

"I just feel so worried about her all the time," the little boy sighed. "I want Elijah to come home."

Miles nodded. He wanted the same thing.

"Has there been another letter?" VJ asked hopefully.

"Yes," Miles confirmed.

He stood to retrieve the latest communication from Elijah. Through him, he and VJ had been writing to each other for weeks now.


"I don't know!" Bianca said dramatically. "One minute we're getting along and the next minute we're fighting. I can't even keep up as to where we are with each other anymore."

The girls had latched onto the subject of her complicated relationship with Liam and wanted the details.

"Passionate and fiery," Joey teased. "Sounds like the makings of a good romance to me."

"Says the girl who managed sweet and soppy," Leah teased back.

Joey blushed. Charlie put her arm around her and kissed her cheek.

"There's nothing wrong with sweet and soppy," Kerri grinned.

Watson silently took notes. She had been playing coy when it came to Charlie and Joey's obvious desperation for her and Kerri to get together, but the truth was, she really liked her. And she was unsettled by the fact that Darryl Braxton very obviously liked her too.


"Look, I'm sorry I tried to force your hand," Xavier said to John when his mother was out of the room.

The men were preparing the table for dinner, to which April had been invited and Xavier's girlfriend's words were ringing in his ears. She had firmly objected to him forcing John to back her campaign so he knew he had to change his tactics.

"But you're not going to retract it," John said sourly.

"I am," Xavier said.

John stopped short and stared at his step-son.

"Really?"

"Yes," Xavier said. "But I am going to beg you to help anyway, to still back the campaign."

John smiled to sincerely.

"No way, mate," he said triumphantly.


"So, Kerri," Bianca said, turning her attention to the one woman in the group that she knew the least. "I don't know you very well. Tell us all about yourself!"

The newest addition to their group blushed a little shyly.

"What would you like to know?" she asked.

"How long have you lived in the Bay?" Bianca asked.

"Just a few weeks," Kerri told her. "My son and I moved into the apartment next to Charlie and Joey."

"We met while I was looking rather dashing in my pyjamas in the corridor," Joey recalled.

"Your hair was just delightful," Kerri teased.

Joey poked her tongue out but agreed, making the others laughed.

"Kerri's son is VJ's age," Leah told Bianca. "They'll probably be in your class at school next year."

"Oh, are you a teacher?" Kerri asked.

"For my sins," Bianca grinned.

The others chuckled.

"So, do you have a partner, Kerri?" Leah wondered. "I don't think I actually asked the other night."

In truth, she had been too stuck in her own loneliness to ask much. Ruby had been quite the companion during that meal.

"No, I'm single," Kerri said.

She tried and failed not to cast a glance at Watson. The police officer looked back and then away. Charlie and Joey looked at each other, hoping that one of the two women would ask the other out. They were very obviously made for each other.

"And excuse me for being blunt but do you like boys or girls?" Bianca asked.

Charlie and Joey snorted with laughter.

"What?" Bianca said innocently. "We have a mixed bag at the table. How am I to know?"

Kerri giggled and confirmed that she liked both.

"Greedy," Joey teased, tutting.

"Non-discriminatory," Charlie teased back.

Kerri didn't know who to laugh at first. She was very glad to have moved into the apartment she had and nights like this compounded that feeling.


"So, I hear you've got a new idea to help with pollution and maintaining the environment in the Bay, April," Gina said conversationally over dinner.

April's eyes lit up as she explained her water bottle ban idea. Xavier and John glared silently at each other before the teenager grinned. He had struck upon an idea.

"That sounds like a really great idea," Gina enthused.

"John's being really supportive too, aren't you, John?" Xavier piped up.

April looked confused. John looked startled. Gina smiled affectionately at her partner.

"Are you?"

"Yeah," Xavier stepped in. "He's even taking it to the Council for us."

"Oh wow!" Gina enthused, just as her son had hoped she would. "That's wonderful!"

She beamed at him, squeezing his hand and lavishing him in praise for helping. Just as Xavier had predicted, John couldn't back out now.


"Oh, I don't know," Leah sighed. "Part of me wants to rush out there and at least try and make it work with him and part of me wants to forget him completely. The only problem with the latter is that I appear completely incapable of forgetting him."

She hadn't wanted to talk about Elijah at all tonight, not wanting to bring the atmosphere down but she hadn't quite managed to get away from it. She was grateful when Charlie touched her hand.

"I don't know if you want my two cents worth…" Watson ventured somewhat bravely.

"Yes, please," Leah said eagerly, very aware of what Charlie's colleague had been through with Monica.

"If being apart is the way it's meant to be then you'll eventually start to deal with it," Watson said. "You'll heal and you won't wake up every morning like there's a piece of you missing. And if being together is the way you're meant to be then you'll find your way back to each other."

"Are you speaking from experience?" Kerri wondered.

Watson nodded.

"My girlfriend left me to literally live on the other side of the world," she explained. "And for a while, it felt like I couldn't breathe. And part of me still misses her. Part of me always will. But it's not gut wrenching anymore. And that makes me believe that there's life after that particular relationship, even though I would never have known it back then, when I was at the stage Leah is at now."

Kerri nodded thoughtfully.

"So, I just need to keep healing?" Leah asked.

"I think so," Watson said, hoping nobody would quote her on it later. "The answer will come to you."

"I wish it would come to me now!" Leah complained dramatically.


As the night progressed, everyone was having a good time. Bianca, Leah, Charlie and Joey were up on the dance floor, strutting their stuff while Watson and Kerri had remained at the table.

"Hey, do you think we might see a bit of a kiss tonight?" Joey asked, catching hold of her girlfriend's hand.

Charlie stepped in closer, nuzzling into her neck.

"I was hoping for a little more than that," she murmured.

Joey giggled, swatting her away.

"I meant Watson and Kerri!" she protested.

"You want to kiss Watson and Kerri?" Charlie asked in mock horror.

Joey pouted, complaining that Charlie know exactly what she meant.

"I know," Charlie said, swooping in to steal a kiss of her own. "And yes, I hope so."


Back at the table, Watson was starting to feel more relaxed in Kerri's company, although it was hard to stay calm in the presence of someone so beautiful. It helped that she was also warm, kind and funny and generally very pleasant to be around.

"So, does your healing mean that you'd be looking to meet someone new?" Kerri asked, deciding that if Watson wasn't going to bite the bullet then she would.

"Um… well, uh… maybe… if I… if I met the right person," Watson stumbled.

"And… can you see yourself meeting the right person?" Kerri asked.

Blind panic shot through the police officer. Kerri couldn't give her more of an opening if she tried and yet she still didn't know what to say. She flapped around like a fish out of water and mumbled that she didn't know.

Kerri looked down, disheartened. Maybe I read the signals wrong, she mused.


Back on the dance floor, Charlie and Joey were both disappointed to see the body language at the table change dramatically.

"Watson totally just said something wrong, didn't she?" Charlie realised.

"I think so," Joey sighed.

"Remind me to give her a talking to," Charlie requested.

"Remind me to ensure that Kerri knows she does like her really!"


Next time… Charlie and Joey enjoy their own private after party, Watson falters with Kerri and Bianca visits Liam…