Sorry this chapter is a bit late. I hope you enjoy it. Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter Four Hundred and Sixteen

It was late in the morning on Saturday Joey was reluctantly at work while Charlie was off on a shopping trip with Ruby over in Yabbie Creek. Marilyn had popped in to visit Alf and the three of them were in the middle of discussion Nicole's situation with Penn when the teenager herself wandered in, looking stressed.

"The silence tells me you were talking about me," she said, pulling up a bar stool.

"Sorry," Marilyn said awkwardly.

"We're just worried about you," Joey admitted.

"About me falling for a complete dick, for the fact that the dick got me stuck with a needle or that one of my guardians doesn't even believe me?" Nicole asked, frowning.

"Don't even get me started on Miles," Alf grumbled.

He couldn't even believe that his housemate, a man he liked and respected was wavering on this issue. It just didn't make sense to him.

"I don't know what Penn said to him but it obviously worked," Nicole sighed.

She was utterly depressed. Her friends were desperately worried.


Out in the sunshine, Charlie and Ruby were enjoying their shopping trip. It felt nice to have time together that didn't involve monitoring. It was all about fun and enjoying themselves. It felt like the old days, before Ruby had got herself all mixed up and into trouble.

"So, is school feeling a little easier now?" Charlie asked.

She wanted to keep things light hearted but she was also keen to keep a check on her daughter.

"A little bit," Ruby said.

She wanted to stay honest and open with her mother, not cover anything up or hide anything she was feeling.

"I've started to spend a bit of time with Dex," she ventured. "He's a bit of an outcast like me."

She laughed self-deprecatingly. Charlie didn't looked quite as amused.

"I mean, Indi still doesn't really like me so Romeo's friendship is kind of out of bounds," Ruby explained. "Things will probably always be a bit weird with Xavier and therefore April. But I never realised until now that Dex is kind of cool… in a completely un-cool way. We had lunch together the other day and it was nice."

Charlie smiled.

"I'm glad you've got someone your own age to spend time with," she said. "And Dex might be quite a laugh once you get to know him. He's always struck me a quite amusing in an odd kind of way!"


Miles passed Nicole on his way into the restaurant and was met with a rather frosty reception from his friends.

"Look, what have I done wrong?" he begged.

"Is that a serious question?" Alf demanded gruffly.

"All I asked was whether she really understood what he said to her?" Miles insisted, rather flabbergasted at what was going on.

"We just think that maybe that wasn't the most appropriate response," Marilyn said more delicately. "Nicole has been traumatised by what happened to her on the beach and Penn did claim responsibility. I don't know how she could have misunderstood that."

"She was really upset the other night," Joey put in. "We all saw her and Penn here."

Miles sighed.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked.

"Pledge your support to her," Joey told him. "Make sure she knows you believe her and that you care."


Outside, Nicole was distraught to have passed Miles and then immediately run into Penn. He was quick approach.

"I saw Miles just then," he said. "He really isn't sure about you, is he? Looks like he values my opinion a lot though. How does it feel not to be believed by people you share a house with?"

"Just go away and leave me alone," Nicole requested, nudging out of his way.

He blocked her path.

"You haven't exactly been saying that since I arrived in town, Nicole," he said.

She looked at him, suddenly wondering what she ever saw in this man in the first place.

"You've been all over me like the STI you could have caught from that needle I planted," he sneered. "I haven't been able to get rid of you."

"What kind of game are you playing, Penn?" she demanded.

He smirked at her.

"You'll all find out," he promised.


Charlie brought Ruby back to Bucktons' for lunch after their shopping trip, before she was on shift herself that afternoon and evening.

"I thought I'd take my own break with you and have some lunch," Joey said, seating herself at the table with her family. "Providing neither of you mind."

"As if!" Ruby said.

Charlie leant over and kissed her cheek.

"How was your shopping trip?" Joey asked.

"I got some cool new outfits on Charlie Credit," Ruby grinned.

Joey chuckled. Neither one of them could help spoiling her on occasion, especially as she had worked so hard to build herself back up lately.

"How's your day been?" Charlie asked.

"A little bit stressful," Joey admitted. "Nicole came in and she was really upset over the Penn thing. Well, mainly that Miles has questioned whether she 'understood' what he said to her."

"What did he say to her?" Ruby asked.

Charlie and Joey stared at her for a moment, surprised that she was in the dark. Deciding that as her friend, she should be filled in, they explained.


"Nicole, are you okay?" Sid asked.

He had just gone for a walk along the beach before his shift at the hospital was due to start, when he'd spotted the blonde, sad and alone on the beach.

"Not really," she mumbled, gazing out at the sea.

A little anxious because of their past dealings but urged on by his genuine concern for her, Sid came to sit beside her.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on?" he asked.

Nicole burst into tears.

"Penn's the one who planted the needle on the beach," she revealed.


Tucking into the lunches, Ruby could hardly believe all that had gone on over the last few days. No wonder Nicole hasn't been around, she mused. She felt terrible for what her friend must be going through and hoped to go and find her after lunch and try and support her somehow. She hated to think of her so alone.

"I'm really not comfortable with just sitting by and not making this a police matter," Charlie frowned, cutting into her jacket potato.

"You heard her the other night, Charlie," Joey said. "She doesn't want to press charges."

"But I know about it," Charlie complained. "As a police officer, I should…"

"Respect what she wants," Joey said. "For now, at least. You can't force this. But hopefully when she's ready…"

Charlie sighed and nodded.

"Hopefully," she said.


Indi was off to meet Romeo down on the beach. She walked along the seafront, enjoying the heat and looking forward to the future sight of her boyfriend half naked and dripping wet. It was a vision she could never get bored of.

She stopped short when she spotted her father and Nicole up ahead. Furrowing her brow, she saw them sitting close together, his arm around her as she rested her forehead on her palms, her elbows on her knees. She tried to read them but she couldn't get close enough without looking conspicuous. From what she could judge, Nicole was upset but Indi still felt uneasy. Sid and Nicole being close had never led anywhere good before.


"Are you sure I couldn't just… warn him or something?" Charlie asked.

Ruby had said goodbye to her parents and headed off for a walk, hoping to find Nicole in the process. She wanted to be a supportive friend and not let her down in her time of need.

"Charlie…" Joey said, her eyebrows raised.

"Just a teeny, tiny warning?" Charlie asked.

Joey took her hand and looked directly into her eyes.

"Charlie, I love and I am very glad you want to help," she said sincerely. "But if it comes down to it, don't you think Nicole will need you as a fully functioning police officer and not one that got into trouble for 'warning' someone too early?"

Charlie pouted.

"I'd be totally professional," she said.

Joey stole a kiss.

"I'm sure you would be," she said. "But let's not risk it, shall we?"

Charlie pouted again, mostly to earn herself another kiss. Joey grinned and granted it.

"Just be patient, okay?" she said. "Nobody needs to go in hard with this Penn guy. I get the feeling he's got a lot more up his sleeve than we realise."


Alf had been eager to take his lunch break. He had taken the situation with Nicole directly to heart and most of the time, he could think of little else. Ever since Roman had gone to jail, he had promised, along with Miles to look out for her and keep her safe. And now he felt like he had let her down. He'd felt from the start that there was something off about Penn and he hadn't liked the thought of Nicole getting close to him. But he hadn't wanted to interfere or be overprotective and now she had been hurt and got her heart broken.

He was angry with Miles too and believed that he had let Nicole down just as badly, if not worse. He hadn't believed in Nicole automatically. Alf didn't understand how that had even happened and although he felt that he and Joey and Marilyn had got through to him now, he was disappointed in him for needing persuading at all.

He drove through the town he loved, the town that had always meant so much to him. He drove past everything that was so familiar, everywhere that he had built so many memories, everything into which he had put so much faith. He braked abruptly when he saw Penn strolling by without a care in the world.


Ruby found Nicole on the beach and cautiously sat down beside her.

"Hey," she said, gently nudging her shoulder.

Nicole managed a smile.

"Hey," she replied, nudging her back.

"I heard you've been having a pretty crappy time lately," Ruby ventured.

"It's not been the easiest time in the world," Nicole admitted.

Ruby put her arm around her.

"Well, you're not dealing with any of it on your own," she said. "And any time you need a big, butch police officer on your side, Charlie's your girl. Although, if you ever tell her I referred to her as big or butch, I will deny all knowledge of this conversation."

Nicole couldn't help but laugh.


Alf leapt out of his car and stormed over to Penn, who was hanging around the bait shop. The younger man didn't look remotely concerned.

"What the flamin' hell do you think you're playing at with Nicole?" Alf demanded. "You're a liar and a waste of oxygen! I don't know what you're even doing here!"

"Nice to see you too, Alf," Penn sneered.

He stood up straighter, looking the Summer Bay stalwart in the eye.

"I am warning you right now to stay the hell away from Nicole if you know what's good for you," Alf warned, getting close but not touching the man he had come to despise.

Penn stepped closer still.

"And I'm warning you that you and your precious little town aren't going to know what's hit you," he said. "That pathetic, little bimbo is just the start."


Miles found Nicole at home with Ruby, who immediately read the signals and vacated.

"Nic, I'm glad I caught up with you," the teacher said.

"Wanted to call me a liar again?" the school girl shot back.

Miles sighed and came to sit on the sofa with her.

"I'm sorry for not supporting you," he said. "I guess I just hoped it wasn't true and that you hadn't been targeted by that guy the way you obviously have. The whole thing was just a bit random but that doesn't excuse my lack of support and I sincerely apologise. I promise from here to forever that I will never ever be anything but supportive. I swear."

Nicole studied his sincere face and then hugged him. She could never be mad at him for long.


"Right, I guess I'd better drag myself to work," Charlie sighed reluctantly. "I really don't want to though."

She frowned dramatically. Joey reached out and hugged her, kissing her tenderly.

"At least it's not too long a shift," she said. "I'll be up and waiting for you when you get home."

Charlie smiled.

"Looking forward to it," she said.

They kissed again before Charlie headed out. She passed a strangely subdued Alf on the way.


It was forty five minutes later when a stranger brought Penn Graham to the hospital, badly beaten and barely conscious. Sid was on duty and immediately rushed to the trolley the patient had been put upon. He called for support nursing staff as Penn was rushed into a room to be treated.

"Penn, can you hear me?" he asked, trying to gauge how broken he was.

He didn't like the guy but he had a duty of care like he did with everyone who came through those doors. Personal feelings didn't come into it.

"Yeah…" Penn mumbled.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Sid asked.

"Alf… Alf Stewart attacked me," Penn told him.

Sid couldn't hide his shock.


"Hey, are you okay?" Joey asked Alf.

Her new Bar Manager had been distracted ever since he had returned from lunch. In all honesty, he had been distracted ever since the revelation that Penn had planted the needle that had pricked Nicole's hand. But it had been worse since lunch time. Before, he had been enraged and had at least shared it with her and with Charlie, Miles, Marilyn and Angelo. Now, he was quiet and introverted and she couldn't read him.

"Sorry?" he responded, after several moments, having been in a world of his own.

"Are you okay, Alf?" Joey repeated.

"Yeah, yeah, fine," he lied.

"What have you done to your hands?" she asked, noticing his scuffed knuckles.

He had been trying to hide them all afternoon.

"Oh, nothing," he lied again. "It doesn't matter."


Charlie and Watson were in turmoil. They had been called to the hospital, where Penn was being treated by Sid, for injuries from a very serious assault. They hadn't been able to interview him yet but according to his Doctor, he had named their friend, Alf, as his attacker.

"What are we meant to do?" Watson wondered.

"Well, you know the answer to that," Charlie frowned.

"Yeah," Watson sighed.

They needed to go and interview Alf.

"But I don't want to," she complained.

"I don't want to either," Charlie agreed.

"Maybe we can just hang on," Watson suggested. "We could wait and talk to Penn ourselves first."

"That sounds like a good idea," Charlie nodded.

They were interrupted by a flurry of nurses rushing into Penn's room.

"What's going on?" Charlie asked.

"He's crashed," one of them explained. "We need to rush him into surgery. It's touch and go."

"Well, there goes that plan," Watson sighed.


Ruby had returned to Summer Bay house in order to continue spending time with Nicole. Sitting outside, drinking fresh orange juice, she listened to her friend pour her heart out.

"I just really thought he was a nice guy, you know?" Nicole sighed. "I feel like an idiot now. And I still don't really understand what his motives were. I mean, was he just a psychopath or something? Did he just target me to hurt me? Was his whole reason for dating me to do that? What's the point? Why would someone do that?"

"I don't know," Ruby admitted. "It's weird. It's horrible."

"I feel like swearing off guys all together," Nicole said. "They're all horrible."

"There must be a nice one out there somewhere," Ruby said hopefully.

"Have you met one?" Nicole asked. "Because I haven't. Look at my dating history. There was my mother's boyfriend. I didn't even date him and he was vile and hit on me and nearly ruined my relationship with my Mum. Well, he kind of succeeded, actually. Then I went out with that psycho, Elliot. He nearly killed me! Trey… he nearly killed me too! Not to mention everybody else! Are you getting the theme here?"

She laughed bitterly. Ruby couldn't help but join her. It was quite the sorry tale.

"Liam was an absolute nightmare. The nicest guys I dated were Geoff and Aden," Nicole said. "Aden never loved me and Geoff was a hypocrite and the most high maintenance guy I've ever met. He was practically a girl."

"Yeah, he kind of was," Ruby admitted, having also dated him.

Nicole turned to her and grinned.

"Maybe your parents have the right idea!" she remarked.

"Maybe they do!" Ruby laughed.


Joey was pleased when she saw Charlie and Watson arrive at the restaurant.

"Hey, sweetheart," she greeted warmly. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

She frowned when she realised that it wasn't a social call.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"We need to speak to Alf," Charlie said.

She felt anxious and unhappy. She really didn't want to be doing this.

"Why?" Joey asked, feeling protective of her friend.

Alf stepped up and approached the police officers.

"Alf, we need to talk to you about an assault on Penn Graham earlier this afternoon," Charlie informed him.

Alf remained silent but nodded.

"Will you come down to the station with us, please?" Charlie asked.

"Charlie, is that really necessary?" Joey protested.

"I'm afraid so," Charlie told her.

She turned to Alf, who looked grim.

"Alf?" she nudged.

"Fine," he replied.

Joey looked horrified as Charlie and Watson led him away.


"He's back," Sid said, relief in his voice as Penn's heart monitor began to beep again.

He stepped away and surveyed his patient, checking that all was well. Penn was stable again.

"Are the police still here?" he asked one of the nurses. "One of us will need to speak to them and then Penn will when he wakes up."

"I think they left," the nurse replied. "Probably to go and talk to the suspect."

Sid sighed. He wished he hadn't had to mention Alf's name but like saving Penn's life, it had been his duty. He just hoped that assault charges wouldn't be upgraded to murder.


Charlie was frustrated. She and Watson had been interviewing Alf for an hour and a half and he hadn't said a word. She just needed some sort of communication from him, some sort of defence, some way to help them help him. But he had given them nothing and now she had no choice but to charge him. She turned off the tape.

"Alf, please," she begged. "Please, give me something. Tell me what happened."

He ignored her.

"Alf!" she begged again.

Even Watson was taken aback by her desperation.

"If you don't talk to me, I will have to charge you will assault," Charlie said. "Do you want that? I don't want that, Alf. Please, please talk to me."

He remained silent. She sighed heavily and turned the tape back on.

"Alf Stewart, I am charging you with the assault of Penn Graham."


Joey and Ruby had both been home for an hour by the time Charlie returned home. Ruby had been shocked to learn of Penn's assault and Alf's arrest and Joey was desperately unhappy. Sensing the tension, Ruby escaped to her room quickly.

"What happened?" Joey asked as soon as her partner walked through the door.

"He's been charged," Charlie said quietly.

"How could you do that, Charlie?" Joey demanded angrily.

Charlie was hurt.

"I had no choice, Joey," she replied.

"Of course you had a choice!" Joey snapped.

"I begged him to defend himself," Charlie insisted. "I even broke the rules and turned the tape off to do it. But he wouldn't talk to me, Joey. He never said a word. I couldn't work with him or help him if he wouldn't help himself. I tried my best."

Joey looked sadly at her.

"You obviously didn't try hard enough," she said.

Then she went to bed.


Next time… Joey struggles to get her head around Charlie's responsibilities, Penn makes a statement and Dex tries to help Ruby…