Chapter Four Hundred and Sixty Eight

Penn knelt at his parents' grave, deep in conversation with them. He felt like he could hear them speaking back to him, urging him on in his mission to get revenge on Alf Stewart and his precious Summer Bay. And he would do it in their name.


"Hi guys," Leah greeted warmly, when Charlie opened the door to welcome her friend into her new home. "I just wanted to pop in and welcome you to your new place. How's it going?"

Charlie let her in and Joey appeared from the bedroom, very happy to see her.

"And I know you can whip up an amazing meal in about five seconds flat but I figured you'd probably be a little busy doing other stuff so I brought some home cooked meals round," Leah said, offering out a bag of casserole dishes.

"You are an angel," Joey said, accepting the bag and taking it into the kitchen. "Thank you."

"Thank you," Charlie said.

She gestured for her friend to sit down.

"So, how are you doing? Are you all packed up for your trip?"

"Not quite," Leah said hesitantly, as Joey came back to join them. "I'm just so nervous about it all now. It seemed like such a good idea at the time."

"Well, regardless of what happens in the future, it'll be nice to see Elijah, won't it?" Joey said.

"Oh yes! It'll be so good to see him," Leah agreed. "I just don't know where we'll go from there."

"But at least after this, whichever way it goes, it'll stop hanging over you," Charlie said, trying to sound positive. "That's got to be a good thing, right?"

"Yes," Leah said. "You're right. I just need to take a deep breath and face my fears."

"And before you go, we're having a housewarming party," Joey informed her.

"Really?" Leah said. "So soon?"

"Don't even get me started," Charlie said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, you'd miss it otherwise," Joey said. "We've set ourselves an unpacking challenge!"

"She has set us an unpacking challenge," Charlie corrected. "I think it's madness."

Joey just continued to grin.


Ruby had gone out to the Diner to have breakfast with Claire and Dex. Having spent one whole night in separate buildings, the friends had missed each other and were eager to see each other. Then Dex had sent them both miserable texts about failing yet again with the girl in the pet shop so they had invited him along too.

"You really just don't know what you're doing, do you?" Ruby said bluntly, when Dex had explained what had happened the previous day. "I mean, I thought my love life was shitty but…"

"Thanks," Dex said sarcastically. "Your empathy abounds."

"Sorry," Ruby chuckled.

"Maybe Adrian just doesn't like you," Claire said.

They both looked sharply at her.

"Sorry, that sounded better in my head than it did out loud," she added hurriedly. "I just mean, maybe how you are would work with the right girl. Maybe the right girl would have found yesterday charming. But this Adrian didn't because she's just not that into you? So, it's not your fault. It's just one of those things."

Dex considered the idea thoughtfully.

"Maybe," he said. "I mean, I kind of like that. It definitely makes me less of a dick."

Ruby snorted.


Across the room, Colleen was immediately on edge when she saw Penn walking towards her. With no niceties, he ordered a takeaway coffee.

"At least it's takeaway, I suppose," she grumbled. "We don't want you in here."

"I haven't even got started yet," Penn replied evenly.

Colleen clenched her jaw and made his drink in silence. She handed it over in exchange for cash. He gripped her hand in the process.

"And just so you know, everything you've heard about me is true."


At the home he had so happily shared with Gina and Xavier, John was sadly packing his things. He had tried and failed repeatedly to get things back on track with the woman he loved but nothing seemed to be enough. He had to accept it was over.


Charlie and Joey headed to the Diner on their unpacking break, secretly hoping to bump into Ruby and nag her back to the house to help. She had been all for the party at the end of the week and she needed to play her part!

"Before you say anything," Ruby said, as they spotted her. "I am just finishing up and then I will be home and an unpacking slave all day. I promise."

"Good, good," Charlie said. "Do you want us to pick you up a coffee or anything?"

"No, I'm okay thanks," Ruby smiled at them.

They headed over to the counter where Colleen did not look very happy.

"I'm very pleased to see you, Sergeant Buckton," she said immediately.

Charlie's heart sank. She was off work for the week but she knew Colleen wanted something official.

"What's up, Colleen?" she asked with false cheer.

"What are you going to do about that nasty Penn Graham?"

"Me personally or…?"

"The police!" Colleen squawked.

"We're keeping an eye on him," Charlie said, giving the same reassurance that she had to give to lots of people, including Colleen on several occasions. "Until he actually makes a move, for now we've got nothing to charge him with."

"That's not good enough!" Colleen protested. "He threatened me this morning. Bold as day!"

"Right, what happened?" Charlie asked.

Colleen repeated their altercation this morning.

"Okay, I'm really sorry that happened. It's not alright," Charlie said. "I'm off duty but if you want to talk to an on duty officer about it and log it as a complaint, I'll happily ring while you make our coffees and I'll get someone down here to talk to you."

"Yes," Colleen decided. "Yes, please. That man is a monster!"


"Please don't go," Xavier begged.

He had been following John around the house for the past five minutes.

"I have to," the older man replied. "I wish there was something to stay for but there isn't."

"Mum still loves you," Xavier insisted. "I know she does."

"Well, she has a funny way of showing it."


"I just worry about what he's going to do next," Joey said, as she and Charlie headed home together.

Ruby had promised she would be right behind them.

"That something… big is coming," she said.

"I know," Charlie said.

She had the same feeling.

"And I worry so much for Alf," Joey added. "I mean, it's obvious that Penn is gunning for him. I just wish we knew why. I mean, who could have anything against Alf? He's the nicest man on the planet."

Charlie reached out and held her girlfriend's hand.

"We'll look after him," she said. "Whatever it takes."


Xavier went to find his mother, who had been hiding in the study while John had been packing up.

"You're insane," the teenager announced.

She looked up sharply at her son.

"Excuse me?"

"You're insane," he repeated. "I couldn't stand John when you first got together with him but you persuaded me to give him a chance. And now he's the Dad I never had. I like him. And he likes me. And he loves you. He's good for you Mum. You're an idiot to let him go just because you've misunderstood his intentions when he proposed. I mean, who dumps someone for proposing, for goodness sake?"

"I haven't misunderstood!"

"He loves you!" Xavier argued. "He wants to be with you. Stop arguing with him and give him the chance to prove how he feels."

Gina shook her head.

"You're too young to under…"

"Oh, don't give me that," Xavier snapped.

He stormed out of the house in frustration.


Adrian's heart sank when Dex turned up at the pet shop yet again. She thought she had finally got rid of him once and for all. How many times was he going to keep trying?

"You don't actually like me, do you?" he demanded.

She froze, not quite sure what to say.

"It's fine," he said. "I just want to know. Is it me that keeps stuffing up or is there just nothing there?"

"You do keep stuffing up," she said adamantly. "I think you're an idiot."

He frowned.

"But a nice idiot. And probably if there was really something there, we'd get past the idiocy. But I think I just wanted to like you. I'm sorry."

"I think I just wanted to like you too," he admitted. "I wanted you to like me."

They finally agreed on something.


John was livid by the time he checked into his hotel room. He'd passed Penn in the lobby and the guy just hadn't been able to make a comment about Gina being difficult and easy at the same time. He'd nearly punched him in fury. But he'd managed to talk himself down. Now, he was miserably unpacking what was left of his life in temporary accommodation while he tried to figure out what to do with his future. He wondered how things had gone so wrong.


Back at home, Charlie and Joey had received a predictable text from Ruby to say she would be late, as she and Claire had decided to hang out for a little longer.

"That girl is going to reap all the benefits of this place and we're going to do all the hard work," Joey complained.

"Well," Charlie said, coming to wrap her arm around her waist. "We could always take a little break ourselves."

"Mmm…?" Joey said, tempted.

"Because we are obliged to christen the house after all," Charlie said.

Joey turned around and kissed her.

"Oh, absolutely obliged," she said, returning her kiss.


John was out for a walk when he bumped into Xavier. Neither of them were in a good mood. John felt like he had lost everything. And now he was stuck staying in the same hotel as the vile Penn Graham. And Xavier was just missing his temporary father figure. He couldn't stop himself from begging him to come home.


It was late when Miles returned home. He had a strange feeling of unease as he walked through the door and he froze the moment he entered his home. It was completely trashed.


It was late when Ruby came home. She was surprised to find that no progress had been made in the house and wondered if her parents were trying to teach her a lesson for shirking her duties. Then she spotted the trail of clothes leading to their bedroom door. She shuddered and headed to her own room, hoping they wouldn't be too loud!


Marilyn arrived home to find Alf and Miles stood anxiously in a very messy house.

"What is going on?" she asked worriedly.

"We've had a break in," Miles informed her.

"What? Has anything been taken? Is everyone okay? The kids weren't here, were they?"

"No, the kids are fine and nothing seems to be missing," Alf assured her.

"Have you called the police?" Marilyn asked.

"No," Alf replied.

"Why ever not?" she asked, startled.

"Penn," Miles said grimly.

Marilyn swallowed and nodded. She should have known he had been quiet for too long.


Over at the Diner, Irene was just closing up and doing one last sweep of the kitchen when she heard a creak by the front door. Alert, she hurried out in the main café area.

"Hello?" she called anxiously. "Who's there?"

"Hi, Irene."

She was stunned to find Will Smith, one of the many, many kids she had looked after over the years standing in the doorway, his sleepy young daughter on his hip.

"Will!" she gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story," he told her.


Charlie wrapped her robe around her and slipped out of hers and Joey's room. On her way to get two glasses of water, she tapped on Ruby's door.

"Are you home?" she asked.

"I'm home and I don't want to hear anything that you're doing!" the teenager replied.

Charlie chuckled and headed on through to the kitchen, where she and her girlfriend had had a lovely time that afternoon. As they had in the lounge. And the bathroom. And the bedroom.


In his hotel room, Penn was pleased with his work. He could picture Alf and his little gang freaking out at his intrusion into their home.

"I'm going to do it, Dad," he said. "For you. I'm going to hurt them all."


That night, Marilyn tossed and turned, trapped in a violent dream that ended with Alf killing Penn with one single punch as he attempted to save her from him. She woke up dripping with sweat and panic. She just knew something bad was afoot.


Next time… Penn threatens Miles and Sid, Angelo and Ruby have an accident and Shandi hooks up with the new guy in town…