Hi everyone! Sorry I disappeared for a while. I was really poorly and then I had my 30th birthday and celebrated a bit too hard so I was really poorly again. Then I planned on updating over the weekend but I spent it at the vets, as my guinea pig has been diagnosed with arthritis so she needs a lot of care to get better. But today is my day of a fresh start so hopefully you'll get regular updates from now on. So if you haven't forgotten all about the stories, I hope you'll read and enjoy. Love, IJKS xxx
Chapter Four Hundred and Thirty Five
Charlie and Joey had breakfast with Ross and Morag the next morning and continued to do their best to put their minds at rest. They'd had to go over various things that they had already talked about the night before but that Ross had forgotten. They were kind and patient and understanding, even when he was frustrated with himself, assuring him that it was good for all of them to discuss everything in as much detail as possible.
Back in Summer Bay, Sid blocked Dex's exit from the farm kitchen, determined, once and for all to deal with the Marilyn situation. It had been going on for far too long and he wanted everything sorted out today, if it was the last thing he did.
"Dad…" his son protested.
"No," Sid said. "You need to forget all about this crush you have on my girlfriend and you need to apologise to her. I mean it, Dex. This whole thing has got out of control."
Charlie and Joey had said their goodbyes to Ross and Morag and headed back over to the clinic to visit Ruby on their way back to Summer Bay. They had arranged to spend an hour with her and Claire, the girl their daughter seemed so eager for them to meet.
"Charlie, Joey, this is my roommate, Claire," Ruby introduced. "Claire, this is my Mum, Charlie, and her partner, Joey."
Charlie and Joey shook her hand, one at a time and the four of them settled into chairs.
"It's really good to meet you, Claire," Charlie said.
"Ruby speaks really highly of you," Joey added with a smile.
Claire, a pretty blonde, smiled bashfully.
"I feel lucky to have Ruby as my roommate," she said. "She's really cool."
Ruby grinned at her.
"We're really glad that you've got each other," Charlie said. "It's comforting to know you can look out for each other."
"Claire's been really helpful to me," Ruby said. "Plus she's made sure I do my studying like you wanted me to."
"Good girl!" Charlie enthused.
Dex had convinced Sid to let him go and apologise to Marilyn alone and on his own terms. The last thing he wanted was to be frogmarched round to her house by his father. That would be the most embarrassing thing on earth. Also, he had a whole plan of his own that his father did not need to be a part of.
"Did you find it hard to accept your sexuality?" Claire asked.
She twisted her hands together in her lap, feeling nervous about interrogating her friend's parents. But Ruby had assured her, in fact, she had encouraged her to ask questions, feeling sure that it would help.
"Really hard," Joey admitted. "I kept it quiet for a long time and it was really only through meeting Charlie that I learnt to really accept myself properly."
"And I only even knew I could be attracted to girls when I met Joey," Charlie explained. "So I kind of went into shock."
"So did I!" Ruby remarked.
"How did people react when you got together?" Claire asked. "Were people supportive or…?"
"Mostly," Joey said. "I um… I temporarily lost my brother but he's back in my life now, which is really wonderful. But everyone else, even people that were surprised, were supportive. We were very lucky."
"I think… people that don't want to be in your life because you're gay or bisexual or whatever, shouldn't be lucky enough to be there," Charlie ventured. "You should surround yourself with people that love you for exactly who you are."
Ruby nodded enthusiastically.
"I guess I just need to find someone that might then," Claire said doubtfully.
"I love you for who you are," Ruby told her firmly.
Claire smiled but sadly pointed out that all of this was temporary.
"We're going to move on with our lives at some point," she said. "You live in Summer Bay and I live in the city. Once we leave here, I'm going to be alone again."
"Well, why don't you move to Summer Bay then?" Ruby suggested.
Marilyn was nervous when Dex arrived at Summer Bay House. Sid had phoned her to let her know that his son was coming to apologise but she was still anxious about what was about to transpire.
"Hi, Marilyn," the young man said. "I've come to apologise for everything. I um… I handled everything wrong. But um… I have to be honest. I do have feelings for you and I… I intend to act on them."
She was immediately taken aback.
Charlie and Joey reluctantly left Ruby with Claire at the clinic and drove back to Summer Bay.
"Do you think Claire will move to the Bay?" Joey wondered.
"I don't know," Charlie said. "It sounds like Ruby really wants her to though."
"I think she'll be good for her," Joey said, gazing out of the front of the car. "They'll both have an understanding of what the other has been through in a way that none of Ruby's other friends will. And Ruby's main problem at home has been loneliness. Apart from Dex, she hasn't really had anybody close to her."
Charlie nodded thoughtfully.
"You don't agree?" Joey asked, turning to face her girlfriend.
"No, I do," Charlie said. "For the most part. But I worry as well. They're both vulnerable. What if they end up being bad for each other?"
"We won't let that happen," Joey said, reaching out and resting her hand gently on her leg. "We'll take good care of our girl. And we'll take good care of Claire if she needs us to."
"I failed Ruby last time," Charlie said unhappily.
She sighed heavily.
"You didn't fail her," Joey said. "We did the best we could."
Charlie nodded but knew she would always feel guilty that things got as far as they did.
"And besides, we know exactly what we're dealing with this time."
"So, if Ruby wants Claire to come and live in the Bay?" Charlie asked.
"Well, we can't say yes or no," Joey said. "We just have to be supportive. It's not like we can house her. We only have two bedrooms. But yeah, if Claire moves near us then it won't do us any harm to look after her a bit and cultivate their friendship. It's nice that Ruby has someone she feels so close to. Plus, Claire has nobody. We both know how it feels to be that lonely. If the three of us can save her from that then we should. We saved each other."
Charlie smiled, committing her agreement.
Marilyn was still spluttering over Dex's declaration when Sid walked through the door.
"Ah, I hope this scene is what I think it is," the Doctor said brightly. "Have you apologised like you said you would?"
"I have," Dex nodded, looking anxiously at Marilyn.
"Has he?" Sid checked with his girlfriend, who still looked rather startled.
"Yes," she faltered.
"Good then," he replied. "Because I'd really like to take you out to lunch."
Leah, Charlie and Joey were sat at a corner table of the restaurant for their lunch date.
"I guess I'm just scared of getting my heart broken all over again," she admitted.
"Well, if you want my opinion…" Joey said.
She looked at her friend.
"Do you want my opinion?"
"Yes, please!"
"You can't live in limbo for the rest of your life," Joey told her. "Even if it does mean getting your heart broken, you need to know once and for all whether you and Elijah are meant to be together or not so you can either be happy with him or move on without him. It might be hard and it might be painful but you need to know, Leah. You need to do this."
She looked at Charlie for confirmation. Her partner nodded her firm agreement.
"Totally right," she said. "I can't even imagine how scary it must be to be flying out there to see him again after everything that's happened but at least you'll know either way. Whatever happens, you'll get some kind of healing from this trip."
Leah nodded and thanked them.
"You're right," she said. "You're both right. Thank you."
Dex had been unhappily wandering around the caravan park, listless and not quite sure what to do with himself. He was upset by how things had gone with Marilyn, both that she hadn't responded positively to his declaration of love and that they had been interrupted.
"You look like a little boy lost," said a voice.
He looked up to see Mitzy, Marilyn's friend sitting outside her caravan.
"I'm not little," he said a little more bitterly than he meant to.
"Would you like to come in for a cup of tea and talk about it?"
With no better option available, he agreed.
"Do you think we helped Leah?" Charlie asked.
Their friend had left to return to work and Charlie had hung around at the restaurant for a bit longer.
"I think so," Joey said. "I mean, she arrived happier than when she left. And she seems more confident about the trip, which is what VJ wanted."
Charlie nodded. She reached across the bar and squeezed Joey's hand, smiling.
"I like this," she said. "This is what we seem to do best – help people."
Joey smiled too. She leaned over and stole a quick kiss.
"I like it too," she said. "Who would ever have thought that this would be our role here? I mean, I'd have thought it of you but not me. It makes me happy though."
"Me too," Charlie said.
"Dex, I'm going to be very frank with you right now," Mitzy decided.
The teenager look rather frightened, as he stared into her face.
"You have to stop pursuing Marilyn the way you are," she told him. "It isn't right and it isn't fair."
"But I'm in love with her," he protested.
She laughed but not unkindly. He frowned.
"She's too old for you," she said. "You're a boy. And the son her partner. The whole thing is ridiculous. You need to go and find someone your own age, Dexter."
"There isn't anyone my own age," he said. "I only want Marilyn."
"Well, you can't have her," Mitzy said flatly. "Get over it."
"I can't! I will never get over it! I'm going to keep on telling her how I feel until she understands. There is nothing I won't do to make her see…"
She interrupted him with a kiss.
That evening, Kerri and Watson arrived at the restaurant with Danny and VJ for an early dinner. Angelo seated them but VJ immediately escaped, as politely as he could and found Joey in her office
"Hey, Veej," she greeted. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm having dinner with Danny, Kerri and Watson," he explained. "They invited me."
Joey smiled. It was nice that he had found a best friend. He hadn't had a proper one in all the time she had known him.
"That's nice," she said.
"I just um… wondered how lunch went with Mum…"
Joey pulled up a chair and gestured for him to sit down.
"It went fine," she assured him, taking both his hands. "Your Mum's just a bit nervous about what to expect from your visit to Elijah. But I promise you, she's okay. She's looking forward to it and she's happy."
"You promise?" VJ asked, feeling hesitantly reassured.
"I promise," Joey said, squeezing his hands.
He smiled. They hugged.
Dex stayed in his room for the whole evening, confused by everything that had transpired that day. He was freaked out by the kiss that Mitzy had planted on him, even though it had barely lasted a second. He had then had to listen to her compare what she had just done to what he was constantly doing, forcing his unwanted feelings onto her. Now he was confused and guilty and a little bit angry. And he had no idea what to do or how to feel. And the one person he might have been able to confide in was in rehab so he couldn't even contact her.
"So, do you think you allayed VJ's anxieties?" Charlie asked on the drive home.
"I hope so," Joey said.
She smiled.
"It's sweet to see him growing up though," she added. "Trying to take care of his Mum like that. I'm proud of that little boy."
"You sound like you are his Mum!" Charlie chuckled.
Joey giggled.
"Well, I already have a teenager," she remarked. "Might as well have a ten year old too!"
Leah came to tuck her son into bed that night and switch his light off.
"Mum?" VJ said when she was almost out the door.
"Yes?" Leah said, turning back to her son.
"Don't be scared about visiting Elijah," he said sleepily. "Whatever happens, good or bad, we'll face it together. I promise. I love you."
Leah smiled softly.
"Thank you," she said. "I love you too."
Next time… Dex confides in Joey, Watson gets into a confrontation with Brax and April has another bright idea…
