Chapter Five Hundred and Eighty Seven

"How long am I going to be here?" Casey asked, his anxiety growing.

"I don't know," Brax said, his irritation growing.

"You need to go to the house," Casey said worriedly.

Brax eyed his brother quizzically. He asked why.

"Ruby left her bag," Casey said. "If the police find it, she's going to be in so much trouble. Please, Brax? Please help."

Brax nodded thoughtfully, calculating his next move.


Charlie remained in her office. She could hardly bring herself to face the din of people out there that needed processing, especially the Braxton brothers. She couldn't stand this any longer. All she wanted to do was go home and be with her daughter. Her only comfort was that her fiancée was there looking after her. Bracing herself, she stood up, took a deep breath and exited her office.


At home, Joey waited for Ruby to finish in the bathroom. She felt like she hadn't even taken a breath the whole time she had been in there. First she had spoken to Claire, then she had spoken to Charlie, then she had been anxiously waiting for Ruby to be back safe with her again.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

Ruby nodded weakly. She hardly knew what to say.


"How are you doing?" Watson asked quietly.

Most of the revellers had been let go, pending further enquiries. Heath had been charged with assaulting a police officer after his punch at Blake. Although Charlie would never want her friend harmed, she was secretly pleased to be able to charge Heath with something, even if it wasn't likely he would suffer anything more than a fine.

"What about him?" Brax asked impatiently.

He was eager to get to the house and retrieve Ruby's bag.

"What are you doing with him?"

"I'm sorry," Charlie said sincerely. "Please know that this isn't personal, Casey. I like you very much. However, the owner of the house has identified you and is eager to press charges against you for breaking and entering. Other people who attended the party have also identified you as the host of the event. There really isn't anything I can do."

"Bullshit!" Brax snapped.

"Your opinion is irrelevant," Charlie snapped back.

She apologised again to Casey who nodded unhappily. She then charged him, letting him go home until his court appearance.

"Great," Brax said. "Thanks for nothing."

He took Casey by the shoulder and nudged him out of the police station; Heath followed behind them. Charlie watched them go, sinking against the counter.

"I really hated that," she admitted to Watson, who nodded. "Of all of them, he's actually a nice kid. I have no idea how but he is. Ruby's going to go spare when she finds out I've charged him."

"We didn't have a choice, Charlie," Watson said.

"We know that," Charlie sadly. "Joey will know that. Most rational people will know that. But Ruby doesn't sound like she's very rational right now. And if this drives an extra wedge between us and the Braxton's then I don't know if she'll forgive me. I mean, we're meant to be going to a bloody barbeque or garden party or whatever it's meant to be tomorrow. I've just arrested two members of the family and I felt like killing the third! It's not a great start!"


It was late when Charlie returned home; she was utterly exhausted and all she really wanted to do was go to sleep. However, she knew she had a teenager to deal with. What she didn't know was how to actually deal with her. She spotted her daughter curled up in the big armchair, covered up with a blanket, more for comfort than warmth. Joey jumped up to greet her.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Pretty tired," Charlie admitted honestly. "How are you? How's she?"

"We're okay, I think," Joey said.

It hadn't been the easiest evening of her life. Ruby was sat up in the chair, her eyes fixed on Charlie. She had been worrying all evening about being in trouble. She was also desperately worried about Casey.

"Charlie, I'm sorry," she said honestly.

She meant it. Charlie carefully took her belt off and locked her gun away. Then she came to sit on the sofa.

"What were you thinking?" she asked, not unkindly.

"I just wanted us to have some fun," Ruby said sadly. "I mean… fail… but…"

She sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"I just… I don't get it," Charlie said, determined not to lose her temper but also not willing to let Ruby off the hook. "In what world did you ever think it would be okay to let yourself into some guy's house and throw a party?"

"It wasn't meant to be a party," Ruby attempted to explain. "It was just meant to be a handful of us…"
"It doesn't really matter how many people were meant to be there," Charlie said. "A party is a party."

"I have explained that," Joey assured her.

Ruby sighed again.

"I know and I'm sorry," the teenager said. "I didn't think it through and I'm so sorry. It was dumb and wrong and it should never have happened. We just through we could let ourselves in while the guy was away, hang out for a bit and be gone without him even knowing we'd ever been there."

"But you know that was still wrong?" Joey checked.

"I do," Ruby confirmed.

Silence fell between them for a moment before Ruby dared to ask what had happened to Casey.

"I've had no choice but to charge him with breaking and entering."

"What?" Ruby demanded, shrieking and jumping to her feet, startling them both.

"I had no choice, Ruby!" Charlie insisted.

"Oh, like hell you didn't," Ruby snapped back. "Be honest, Charlie, you've been waiting for this from the second we got together."

"That's not true, Ruby," Charlie denied. "I even apologised to him when I did it. I like the kid."

Ruby snorted her disdain.

"We both like Casey," Joey said calmly.

She really did not want to live through another Buckton fight.

"And we both think he's a good person," she said. "Charlie would absolutely not have wanted to charge him."

"The owner of the house identified him as having delivered food to him earlier in the day and everyone who attended the party named him as the person in charge of the event," Charlie explained a lot more reasonably than she felt. "My hands were tied."

"Well then I want you to take me to the station so I can formally confess that it wasn't Casey in charge, it was me. It was my idea, not his. It was me who organised everything. I was hosting it all. Casey didn't even want to do it in the first place. So, if you're going to pin it on anyone, you should pin it on me. So come on, arrest me for it, not him."

"I can't do that without evidence," Charlie said, her heart pounding with the conflict of interest surging inside her.

"You have my confession!" Ruby insisted.

"It's not that simple, Ruby," Charlie replied.

"No, what's not simple is that you can happy arrest a Braxton but not your daughter," Ruby said.

Charlie swallowed, not happy to accept that she was right. She had always prided herself on being fair and never putting anything or anyone above the law. However, it would destroy her to have to arrest her child.

"Well, at some point, someone's going to find my bag at that house, proving that I was there so I don't know how you're going to get me out of it then," Ruby told her sullenly.

"Guys, I really don't think this is getting us anywhere," Joey tried.

She was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Who the hell is knocking this late?" Joey grumbled, looking at her watch and heading for the door.

Her mood did not improve when she found Brax standing there.

"Can we help you?" she asked.

"Just bringing Ruby's bag back from the party," he said.

Charlie stood up. All three women stared at him.

"What's your game?" Charlie asked, as Joey snatched the bag from him.

"I'm just pointing out that I could have taken this straight to the cop shop," he said. "But I didn't. I brought it here. To you."

"Are you trying to blackmail me or something?" Charlie asked him.

"No!" he mock gasped. "I would never! I'm just saying that it would be pretty hypocritical of you to charge my brother with something that your lovely daughter was equally if not more guilty of. So maybe you should think on that and go to work tomorrow and rectify your mistakes. See you at the party tomorrow. I can't promise the warmest of receptions from Heath."


The next morning after a night that both seemed too long and too short, Charlie woke needing a shower and coffee in equal measure. While she dressed, Joey went ahead of her and made breakfast for them both and for Ruby who appeared at the smell of cooking.

"Morning," the teenager said.

The three of them hadn't exactly gone to bed on an argument but things hadn't felt terribly peaceful either. Charlie and Joey had stayed up late in bed talking things over and trying to decide what to do for the best.

"Ruby, sit down," Charlie requested, pulling out a chair at the kitchen table.

Ruby nodded and sat in between her parents.

"So, are we going to the police or are you letting Casey off or what?"

"We don't want you to throw your life away for a silly mistake," Charlie said.

"But you don't care about Casey's life?" Ruby accused.

Charlie bit back a retort about Casey ending up in trouble over something at some point anyway. That would most definitely be counterproductive.

"Of course we care," Joey said a lot more helpfully.

"So, I am going to contact the owner of the house and see if he would consider not pressing charges," Charlie said.

Ruby relaxed back in her chair, relieved that this whole thing could potentially now be over.

"However," Charlie added.

Ruby tensed again. She should have known it wouldn't be that simple.

"We don't want this to happen again," her mother said.

"It won't!" Ruby promised.

"Ruby, it's not that simple," Joey pointed out. "You were so distressed yesterday that you nearly drank alcohol."

"I wouldn't have drunk it," Ruby lied.

She had been very close and was exceptionally relieved that Joey had arrived when she had.

"We all know that's not true, Ruby," Joey said bluntly. "You were as scared yesterday as I was. And we need a plan going forward to make sure that that doesn't happen again."

"Are you saying I have to go back to that place?" Ruby asked worriedly.

She didn't think she would cope without Claire. She didn't think she coped with much outside of there without her either. That was part of the reason she had had the party. She had wanted to prove that while Claire was having her new lovely life with Hannah, she was perfectly happy with Casey and everything was wonderful. She couldn't believe how wrong she had got it all.

"No," Joey assured her. "We just need to make sure you don't end up in those kinds of situations again."

"And the first thing we need to do is end things between you and Casey," Charlie said, opting to be the bad cop.

Ruby was immediately livid. She shook her head, objecting.

"No way!" she said. "No. You can't do that to me. Casey is the only good thing I have in my life. You can't do that to me!"

"Casey gets you into trouble," Charlie said.

"You said yesterday that you like him! I knew you were lying!"

"I wasn't lying," Charlie said. "We do both like him. But you've got into more scrapes since you've been together than you have…"

"It's me though, Charlie," Ruby insisted. "It's me leading him astray, not the other way around."

"Why?" Joey asked.

Ruby stared at her for a moment, the question catching her off guard.

"Why are you getting yourself into so much trouble all the time?"

"I don't know," she replied lamely.

"That's not really an acceptable answer," Joey said flatly.

Ruby shrugged.

"I just… I'm not happy, I guess."

Charlie leaned in, wanting to know what she wasn't happy about. Ruby insisted she didn't know.

"Is it us?" Charlie asked. "Have we done something? Have we not done something?"

"Of course it's not you," Ruby said dismissively. "I love you."

"Well, you did just say that Casey was the only good thing in your life, so…"

Ruby apologised.

"I just… I miss Dad," she said. "Ever since he died… there's been this weight on me, pressing down. No… before that. Since I found out he wasn't really my Dad. And I couldn't even be angry with him because it was too late by then. He was already not himself. He'd taken you from me as my mother and there was nobody to blame – not you because you were a teenage rape victim, not Mum because she was dead and not Dad because he had dementia. It was just this awful grief that that I had no idea how to process. And then he just started to disintegrate in front of my eyes. And then he was gone. And there was nothing left to say. And yet there was so much left to say."

She let out a long breath. Charlie and Joey waited.

"And you two have each other," Ruby continued. "You're sickeningly in love and truly, I'm happy for you. You're getting married and if I don't have a pivotal role in the wedding I am going to be seriously pissed off, by the way."

"Noted," Joey grinned a tinge of sadness behind her eyes at all Ruby had shared.

"But you're you and I'm just me," Ruby said sadly. "There was Romeo and I thought he was 'the one', like I think every guy is 'the one'. But obviously he wasn't. But with Casey, it's been so different. He's so kind and so caring and I know he's got my best interests at heart. Please, both of you, don't take him away from me."

Charlie sighed awkwardly.

"I'm so sorry for how sad you've been feeling, Ruby," she said. "I wish you'd have talked to us about it."

"It's hard, Charlie, when all of that directly affects the both of you."

Charlie nodded in understanding.

"But I do talk to Casey about it all," Ruby added. "He really listens."

Charlie glanced at Joey, who frowned.

"We get it, okay?" Joey said. "We understand how much he means to you and we do genuinely think he is so lovely. But at least for now, we need you to put a stopper in things, even just temporarily. Please?"

"No!" Ruby snapped. "Why aren't you listening to me?"

She stopped up, throwing her chair back.

"I've just told you what Casey means to me and what an important person he is to my life," she said coldly. "You're so closed minded about everything. But I'm seventeen. I'm taking charge of my own life now. So, go to work, do whatever you have to do. But don't come to Casey's today. You're not welcome."

She stormed into her room. Charlie leant forward and rested her face on the table. She felt Joey run her hands through her long, dark hair.

"She's a teenager," Joey reminded her. "She's meant to be overdramatic."

Charlie looked up, gazing into Joey's eyes.

"Why is it always one step forward and two steps back?" she asked.

Joey held her hands across the table.

"It isn't," she said. "It just feels like that when we take the odd step back. And that's normal. Of course it feels like that."

Charlie nodded but she struggled to feel encouraged.

"I just want her to be happy," she said. "Happy and safe."

"I know," Joey said. "Me too. And she will be."

"Why couldn't she have talked to us about Dad and everything she was feeling?" Charlie wondered.

Joey shook her head, thinking for a moment.

"I suppose because she knew how much you were suffering too?" Joey suggested. "She probably didn't want to burden you with her feelings when you were grieving as well."

"I should have been there more for her," Charlie chastised herself.

"Hey!" Joey said firmly, cutting into her negative thoughts and holding her hands tightly. "You are doing a good job and don't you ever forget that."

"Really?" Charlie said sceptically. "Since I've been her Mum, she's run away from home, battled alcohol addiction, been admitted to a mental health facility, been caught with no less than two boys within a couple of weeks of each other, one of them having been in a committed, long term relationship with someone else and now she's responsible for breaking and entering into someone's property and holding an illegal party there. Am I really doing a good job?"

"Oh yeah, blame the parents… go on…" Joey tried to joke.

Charlie half laughed. Joey looked suddenly serious.

"Yes, all those things have happened," she said. "And you have loved her and supported her throughout all of those things, including all the lousy decisions she might have made. You have put her first, no matter what. And you have made sure that whatever the situation, there is nothing that she could do that would ever stop you loving her or protecting her. That's a good Mum right there, Charlie. You."

Charlie switched chairs, leaning in to hug her. Joey kissed the top of her head and whispered, 'I love you'.


"I'll see you later!" Ruby announced, breezing through the lounge and heading towards the front door.

Charlie jumped up off the sofa and blocked her path.

"No!" she said. "You're not going to this party, Ruby. You're grounded after yesterday. For two weeks."

Ruby, dressed up in jeans and a new top that Charlie had bought her on a recent shopping trip that she had been eager to show off, looked shocked.

"Grounded? What are you talking about?"

"I said you're grounded," Charlie said firmly. "You broke into someone's house yesterday and threw and illegal party. Regardless of what happens legally with you or with Casey and regardless of what happens between the pair of you going forward, for the next two weeks, you're grounded."

"You can't even do that, Charlie," Ruby said dismissively, trying to push past her. "I'm an adult."

Joey stepped up, willing to back her fiancée up.

"You're actually not," she said. "You're seventeen years old and you're in high school."

"You live under our roof," Charlie added. "We pay for your food, your utilities, pretty much everything."

"Charlie even bought the outfit you're wearing," Joey added.

Ruby frowned.

"Maybe I'll move out."

"Where are you going to go exactly?"

"Irene would have me," Ruby said sullenly.

"Where would you sleep? Outside?" Joey asked. "She has Bianca and April living there and April is very vulnerable at the moment. I don't think they need you and your attitude in the mix as well."

"Maybe I should move in with the Braxton's!" Ruby challenged, more for effect than anything else.

"Over my dead body," Charlie said.

"Well, un-ground me then!" Ruby demanded.

"No!" Charlie snapped. "You are our child and you will live by our rules. They're here for a reason."

Ruby folded her arms, angry.

"I'm sick of your rules," she informed them.

"Well, we're sick of your attitude but it seems to be sticking around," Joey retorted.

Charlie hid a smile. Ruby glared at them both.

"Why are you wading in anyway?" she snapped at Joey. "I'm not your kid."

She turned back to Charlie with cruel eyes.

"And I wish I wasn't yours!"

"Go to your room, please," Charlie said, pointing as if Ruby didn't know where it was.

Ruby glared at them both for a moment longer. When she made a move to return to her room, Charlie moved away from the door. When the way was clear, Ruby darted back and bolted out of the house.


Ruby spent most of the walk to Casey's house looking back over her shoulder, convinced that Charlie would appear any moment to drag her back home. But she never did. It was confusing. Arriving, a little out of breath and with her heart pounding, Ruby was relieved when it was Casey who answered the door. He greeted her with a big hug.

"I've been so worried about you!" he said.

"I did text to say I was okay," she said, when he eventually let her go.

"I know but it's not the same as actually seeing you," he said, welcoming her into the house. "Hey, where are you folks?"

Ruby awkwardly explained that they had decided not to attend.

"Oh," he said, disappointed. "Because of what happened? I'm sorry."

Ruby shook her head and reassured him it was her fault, not his.

"We had a big fight," she said. "I am not looking forward to going home!"

"Ruby…"

They were interrupted by Brax.

"Oh, hey, Ruby," he said. "Good to see you. Your Mum and Joey not here?"

"Oh, no, they couldn't make it. They send their apologies," she replied awkwardly.


Back at home, Charlie was pacing the room so quickly that it was making Joey dizzy. Eventually, Joey jumped up and almost threw her fiancée onto the sofa, begging her to calm down.

"You should have let me go after her," Charlie said, close to tears.

Joey shook her head, straddling her lap to keep her from moving. She ran her hands through her hair and cupped her face.

"Not like this," she said. "Not like this. All you will do is fight and say even more things you'll both regret. Let her go and we'll all talk when she gets home. Properly. And the grounded can just start on delay. And therefore, it will last longer. It's her loss."

Charlie nodded. Joey brushed away the tears forming in the corners of her fiancée's eyes. She kissed the tip of her nose. Then she kissed her lips. Charlie wrapped her arms around her, holding her close.

"I love you," she said. "Thank you for always looking after me. And for always putting up with these dramas."

"Hey, we're in this together, aren't we? We're a team. We don't pick and choose the bits we get involved in," Joey said.

They kissed again.

"Hey, um… Ruby's going to be out for a while…" Joey whispered.

Charlie grinned.

"I mean… I could do with a distraction…" she said.


It was the evening when Ruby arrived home. She had had a relatively nice time with the Braxton family. Heath had got drunk and was more obnoxious than usual. Cheryl hadn't been much better but at least she had started nice. Brax had been friendly enough and hadn't been drinking so had driven her home. She had loved spending the day with Casey and he seemed to appreciate the effort she had made with his family.

"Thanks for the lift," she said to Brax when he walked her to the front door.

Charlie and Joey at least seemed happier; they were watching TV, a takeaway discarded in front of them. Brax lingered in the doorway.

"Thanks for dropping her home," Charlie said, not getting up.

"You're welcome," he said. "I thought it was good manners. Do you know what good manners are?"

Charlie grimaced and forced herself to communicate with him.

"I'm sure you're going to tell me."

"To let people know that you're not going to attend a party when you're invited," he said. "My Mum catered for you and you didn't bother to turn up."

"I just thought it would be obvious that we weren't coming after I had to arrest both of your brothers yesterday," Charlie said. "Ruby wasn't even supposed to be coming. She's grounded. But she ignored us and went anyway."

"Well, I'm sure she would have let us know if she hadn't been able to make it," Brax replied.

"I'm sure," Charlie replied curtly. "Will that be all?"

"Have you had any thoughts about dropping the charges against Casey?" he asked.

"I've had plenty of thoughts," Charlie said. "Nothing but thoughts, in fact. I'll let you know when I settle on something."

He hesitated and then left. Ruby hovered, wondering whether to speak to her parents or attempt to slope off to bed.

"Sit," Charlie ordered, making her decision for her.

Unhappily, Ruby came to perch on the armchair.

"Nice time?" Charlie asked.

Ruby nodded.

"I wish you could have been there," she said quietly.

"I don't think you do," Charlie said.

"I just wish our families could get along," Ruby explained.

"Well, when Casey's family stop breaking the law on a daily basis, maybe we will," Charlie countered.

Ruby nodded. Then she asked how much trouble she was in. Her enthusiasm for rebellion had deflated somewhat.

"You're grounded, starting now," Charlie said. "And you will stick to it. You will go to school and you will come home. You will not hang out with your friends – including Casey. For two weeks. You will rein in this behaviour. Now. You will respect us and our rules. That is the deal. It is not a negotiation."

"What about the police? And Casey?"

"I will talk to the owner of the house," Charlie said. "I can't make promises but I will do my best."

"Thank you," Ruby said. "And I will stick to the rules. I'm sorry."

"What exactly are you sorry for?" Joey asked.

"I'm sorry for what I did," Ruby said.

Charlie and Joey both waited.

"And for the things I said," she added, realising how hurtful she had been.

"Things will change, I swear."


Next time… Ruby tries to make things right, Charlie goes into bat for Casey and Joey puts Romeo in his place…