Hi everyone. Apologies for the delay in updating. I can't even begin to explain. My plan is to update my other two stories and then I am away on holiday until 23rd February so I will get back to updating after I get home. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter Four Hundred and Forty Eight

"I'm nervous," Ruby admitted, as Charlie pulled up outside the school gates in order to drop her off for her first day back at Summer Bay High.

"You'll be great," Charlie assured her.

"Everyone will be talking about me," the teenager fretted. "They all know what happened, where I've been and why."

"Hey, if anyone gives you hassle, they'll have me to deal with," Charlie said. "Plus, you have friends at school, Ruby. They'll help you."

"Not really," Ruby sighed. "Everyone's pretty much moved on now. Nicole's doing her own thing. Indi doesn't like me. Romeo goes where Indi does. Xavier and I are exes. April goes where Xavier does."

"Well, there's this guy called Dex who has asked after you almost every day," Charlie reminded her, having spent weeks passing on his well wishes while she was in the clinic.

Ruby smiled. She knew she could always count on Dex.

"He'll look out for you," Charlie said.

He had promised her as much when she'd told him Ruby was coming home. Ruby smiled hopefully.

"Well, I guess I'd better face the day," she said.

Charlie hugged her.

"I'll come and pick you up, okay?" she promised.

"Thanks, Charlie," she said, climbing out of the car.

Charlie watched her walk into the school. She was almost as nervous as her daughter.


Angelo and Paulie were in the car, driving out to the city, heading back to the Rosetta home in order to face their parents. Things were a little uneasy in the car, with Paulie still upset that his brother had gone behind his back and told their Mum and Dad everything about his debts. However, he was relieved more than anything that things were at least sorted out and nobody was after him anymore. At least his family had been good for something.


Leah had been busy all morning already and the day had barely started. Everything was gathering momentum now and the date was getting closer to hers and VJ's departure for Africa, where she was going to come face to face with Elijah again. She was nervous, bordering on scared.

Walking past the Surf Club, she found herself walking through the doors instead of walking past. She heading on up the stairs and into the restaurant, where she was glad to see Joey sorting out bottles behind the bar before they properly opened.

"Hey, Jo," she greeted.

"Oh, hey, Leah," her former housemate replied, smiling warmly. "Bit early to be boozing it up, isn't it?"

She grinned wickedly. Leah laughed, pulling herself onto a bar stool.

"You caught me," she said. "I just can't help myself."

Joey laughed.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Nothing," Leah said vaguely. "Just gearing up for my trip."

"Not long to go now, hey?"

"Nope."

"How are you feeling about it?" Joey asked, sensing she needed to talk.

"Nervous," Leah said. "Anxious. Scared. Terrified."

Joey leant forward on the bar.

"You'll be fine. Whatever is going to happen will happen. And whatever that is, you'll deal with it and you'll be okay. You've been through much worse than this and you've survived. Remember that."


Marilyn and Mitzy sat on the beach together. Marilyn had been concerned about her friend since last night. There was just something off about her and she was determined to find out what it was.

"Please," she said. "Whatever it is. Just tell me. I can take it."

"I'm sick," Mitzy confessed.

Marilyn stiffened.

"You're sick?" she asked.

"Yes."

"How… how sick?"

"Terminal."

Marilyn swallowed, hardly daring to look at her friend.

"What… what have you got?"

"Lung cancer."


Dex was thrilled that Ruby was back in school and had silently made it his mission to support her in the face of anything anyone might say to her. She needed friendship, not judgement right now and he would do anything it took to give her that.

"You can copy any of my notes," he offered, as they sat down beside each other in class.

"Thanks, Dex," Ruby said, grateful for his kindness.

"That's what's friends are for," he replied.


"I'm sure she's doing just fine," Leah tried to reassure Joey.

Having talked out the Africa trip, the topic had turned to Ruby's return to school. Joey was doing her best not to fret about her daughter but it was proving difficult.

"I know," Joey said. "She's strong and she's capable and if anyone can get through it, she can. But I worry about her all the same."

Leah squeezed her hand.

"I'm sure she'll keep in touch with you."

Joey nodded.

"I hope so."


Over at the police station, Charlie was just as fretful about her daughter.

"She'll be fine," Watson said, appearing beside her colleague. "She's a Buckton, isn't she? You girls are made of wrought iron."

Charlie chuckled and nodded.

"I know she will," she sighed. "I just…"

"Worry," Watson said. "I know. It's to be expected. But she'll be fine. You know she will."


"I guess one good thing has come out of all of this," Paulie mused, turning from the window and to his brother as they continued to make their journey from Summer Bay to their parents' home.

Angelo glanced at him, never quite sure what his tiresome sibling would come out with next.

"What's that?" he asked.

"At least the family are back together."

Angelo nodded wistfully. It almost seemed like a dream that he could actually be on his way to his Mum and Dad's house. He had been on the periphery of his family for so long, with them having believed he had caused that fire in the restaurant when he was younger. And then of course, they had pretty much disowned him after Jack's death. Nobody had visited him in prison. He had been the black sheep in the family forever now. But suddenly he was being welcomed back with open arms. It was like he was finally being given a clean slate to start again and it meant the world.

"Yeah," he said. "That really is one good thing."


"So, back to Elijah," Joey said to Leah. "I think all you can do it communicate properly with him. Tell him exactly what you're thinking about how things might play out, what you want from your relationship if you do get back together. Don't get shy. I mean, this is complicated and you need to know exactly what you're dealing with in terms of things like distance and everything. You both need to know where you stand. Communication is the key from the start. I think it'll stop you getting all torn up inside and anxious."

Leah nodded.

"You're right," she said. "I'm overthinking everything and panicking before I even get there."

"No kidding," Joey teased.

"I mean, I don't even know if we're going to get back together."

"Do you want to get back together?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. Maybe?"

"That was very clear!"

They both laughed. Leah shook her head in frustration.

"I just haven't seen him in so long," Leah said. "I miss him so much. But at the same time, he's so far away. How am I going to conduct a relationship like that? It's hard enough to be in a relationship with someone when you're in the same place, seeing them every day."

"If it's right, it'll work," Joey said. "If it's not, it won't. That's all I can say."


Mid-morning, Marilyn had left Mitzy and was in a world of her own. She just couldn't believe that her friend had been harbouring such a horrible secret for so long. She was dying and she had been so alone with such pain. Marilyn had wanted to stay with her but Mitzy had been tired and wanted to return to her caravan to rest. So Marilyn had gone for a walk to be with her thoughts. She didn't quite know what to do with herself.


"Welcome back, Ruby," Xavier greeted, leaning back in his seat to greet his friend.

The teenager was genuinely startled but broke out into a smile. She had been pleased but just about expected Dex to make a beeline for her when she had arrived at school. She'd received his messages through her parents while she had been at the clinic and they had formed a bond just before she had left. But she had feared that nobody else had really noticed or cared all that much for her while she had been away.

"We've missed you," Xavier added.

"Thank you," she replied. "I've missed being here."

"I hope you're feeling better," he said. "Do you want to have lunch with April and I today? If you don't have plans?"

She smiled.

"That'd be nice," she accepted gratefully. "Thanks."


Claire was nervous venturing out of the apartment on her own for the first time but she knew she would have to do it at some point. She had made a promise to herself that she wouldn't be dependent on Ruby and that she would carve out a life here for herself, by herself. Now was her time to leave the past behind and stand on her own two feet.


That evening, Marilyn went back round to visit Mitzy. She had spent all day worrying about her friend, heartbroken about her diagnosis and upset that she hadn't told her sooner.

"I just didn't want you to think that that was the only reason I came to see you," her friend explained, as they sat in her caravan together.

Marilyn reached out and held her hand.

"Mitzy, I would never think that," she assured her. "I would never think that of you."


Charlie and Joey made a point of being home when Ruby returned from school. Charlie had offered to collect her daughter from the gates but she had declined. She wanted to get back to normal as soon as possible and that meant doing things for herself.

"Hey, sweetheart," Charlie greeted, when she walked through the door. "How was your first day?"

"It was… it was pretty good, actually," the teenager said, coming to sit between her parents.

"Dex was great to me all day and Xavier and April really made an effort too," she said. "They invited me to have lunch with them."

"Oh, that's really nice," Joey enthused.

"Yeah," Ruby said. "We stayed on school grounds today but I told them all about Claire and they wanted us all to meet up tonight so they could get to know her."

Charlie looked a little anxious. Ruby touched her hand.

"Charlie, I have to start getting out and about sometime," she said. "I promise I'll be safe and I won't drink and I'll keep communicating with you. Nothing bad like before is going to happen, I swear."

Joey silently communicated encouragement to her partner who nodded reluctantly.

"Okay," Charlie said. "But… but you need to be back by nine, okay? And you have to do your homework first. Promise?"

"I promise."


Leaving the caravan, Marilyn went to visit Sid. She needed comfort and hoped her partner would provide. On her way in, Dex and Indi were just leaving. She said goodbye to the kids and headed on inside to see Sid.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said. "Is everything okay? You sounded stressed on the phone."

"Mitzy's dying," she burst out, falling into his arms.


"Are you sure they're going to like me?" Claire fretted, as she and Ruby walked to the Surf Club together in order to spend the evening with Dex, Indi, Romeo, Xavier and April.

"They'll love you," Ruby told her confidently. "How could they not?"

"I've just been in a clinic for depression," Claire pointed out. "I could come up with a lot of reasons."

Ruby put her arm around her friend.

"Well, I think you're wonderful," she said. "And I know they're going to adore you."

Claire smiled, feeling genuinely comforted.


Joey reached her arms out from where she was curled up on the sofa and demanded that Charlie come in for a cuddle.

"She's going to be fine," she insisted. "Stop fretting and enjoy the evening with me, okay?"

Charlie sighed heavily and cuddled up to her. They kissed softly.

"I just worry about her," she said.

"I know you do," Joey said. "I do too. But she's a happy teenage girl, out with her friends for the night. Relax."

Charlie nodded.

"You're not relaxing," Joey said.

"I am."

"Relaxed people kiss me…."

Charlie grinned and kissed her again.

"That's more like it…"


Marilyn left Sid's unhappily. She had turned to her partner, hoping for comfort but all she had received was scepticism and suppositions about Mitzy instead. He had jumped to the conclusion that all this 'nonsense' about Marilyn's 'supposed' end date was actually all about Mitzy. Upset about not receiving the comfort she had needed about her friend, Marilyn had left to go home. She just hoped that someone from her family would be there and that they would have the words she needed.


Claire and Ruby were both nervous in their own way but Dex, Xavier, April, Romeo and even Indi were all making an effort to welcome Claire to the Bay and Ruby back home. They were all polite about where they had been and enthusiastic about them starting again back here.

"Well, I'm proud of you," Xavier said earnestly. "You've been through a lot, Ruby and it takes courage to pick yourself up and start again. And Claire, we don't know what you've been through but it can't have been easy. So I'm proud of you too."

"Thank you," Claire said quietly.

"Thank you," Ruby said, offering him a smile.

April squeezed his hand. Things might have been rather tense between them lately because of everything that had happened over the bus saga and then with John having his heart attack but this is why she adored him so much – his compassion.

"Here's to Ruby and Claire," Romeo said, raising his glass of Diet Coke.

The girls were shy but joined in with everyone as they toasted their welcome to the Bay.


Marilyn was barely through the door when she received a phone call from Sid. She listened blankly to his apology for saying all the wrong things over Mitzy. Not responding, she hung up.

"What's wrong, Marilyn?" Miles asked worriedly, noting the expression on her face.

Deciding she was too exhausted to even explain, she opted to go upstairs to bed. She cried herself to sleep.


"See, this is why coming to Summer Bay was such a good idea," Ruby told Claire when they stepped out of the lift in their apartment block.

Claire smiled and nodded.

"Your friends are really lovely," she admitted. "Very welcoming. As are your parents. And Kerri and Danny are great too. So is Watson."

Ruby smiled broadly.

"I really hope you're going to be happy here," she said.

"I think I will be," Claire said. "Thank you for inviting me into your life."

"I can't imagine you not being in it," Ruby told her.

They hugged and parted ways, each going into their separate flats.


As expected, Charlie and Joey were waiting up for their daughter.

"I had a lovely time. So did Claire. Everyone was fantastic. And I'm home with three minutes to spare," Ruby grinned.

Charlie and Joey both looked a little chastised at their own anxiousness. Ruby hugged them.

"I love you," she said. "And I feel happy and safe to be home."


Next time… Claire gets a job, Penn makes more threats and Dex's love life hits a new low…