Hi everyone! Well, this fic has been on a bit of a break. I don't even know if anyone is still reading it but in case anyone still is, I will continue to write it until its conclusion. I do hate to leave anything unfinished! I feel a bit like it has become a little general recently, as I have tried a bit too hard to follow the actual story, so from here, it is going to become much more CJ focussed again – and their closest people like Ruby & Watson. I will still follow the storyline but other people's stories will only be in relation to Charlie and Joey. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter Six Hundred and Five

"Hey," Kerri said softly, approaching her girlfriend with a cup of coffee.

Watson yawned, feeling unreasonably guilty, as if she had been caught out somehow. She apologised. Kerri smile affectionately at her.

"What time did you get up?" she asked. "I didn't even hear you."

"Around four," Watson admitted. "I couldn't sleep. I'm just so nervous about this interview. And I feel like I'm running out of time to revise."

She sipped the coffee gratefully, aware that she had a very busy day ahead of her.

"You're going to be great," Kerri assured her. "Charlie would never have put you forward if she didn't believe in you."

"I just don't want to embarrass myself," Watson admitted.

"I couldn't imagine it," Kerri said sincerely. "You are an amazing person and an incredible police officer. I for one, would trust you with my life."


"It's going to be very weird going down to the beach to cheer Mangrove River this afternoon," Charlie teased. "I hope you know how much we love you."

Ruby smiled gratefully. She was fully aware of how much her parents loved her.

"Thank you," she said. "And thank you for coming when you're both working."

"We'll be there," Joey promised.

"Good morning," Sandy said cheerfully, sauntering into the restaurant. "Are you participating in the Carnival?"

"Do I look like I'm participating in the Carnival?"

"I think you'd look nice in a wetsuit," Sandy smirked.

Joey blushed and shook her head, confirming that no, she would be staying on the shore where she belonged.

"But you're competing, are you?"

"Yeah, at eleven," Sandy said. "Will you cheer me on?"

"Of course," Joey said. "My daughter's in the next race. I can't believe I'm cheering for Mangrove River all day!"

"Hey, I'm competing for Summer Bay!"

"You are?"

"I live here now," Sandy told her. "Mangrove River is my past. I don't want to go back there. It's not where I belong."

Joey smiled sadly at her.

"Hang on, did you say your daughter's competing for Mangrove River?"


The beach was already very busy. Charlie, Watson, Blake and their colleagues were all out on patrol. Normally, events like these didn't require quite so much police presence but with the competition with Mangrove River, tensions were higher than they would normally be. Roo and John had gone all out on the preparations including music. There was a mix of celebration and competition in the air, as the crowds began to fill. There were stalls of food and drink, provided by the Diner, Buckton's and the Pizza Oven.

"You okay?" Charlie asked. "You seem a little on edge?"

"I'm fine," Watson assured her.

She was still thinking about her interview in a couple of days.


"Hi," Miles said shyly, approaching Leah behind her stall.

"Hi," Leah replied just as shyly.

Looking around to make sure nobody was looking; they stole a quick kiss.


"Are you entering anything, Sergeant?" Brax asked when Charlie passed his stall.

She paused and shook her head.

"I don't surf," she replied. "What about you? You're meant to be the surfing champion around here."

"Nah," he said. "I don't compete."

"Your sister's participating," she told him. "You might want to cheer her on."

"Is she?" he said, suddenly serious.

"Around eleven, I think," she told him.

He looked at his watch, noting the time. Thanking her, he left a member of staff in charge of the stall and headed down the beach. She watched him, still not quite able to work him out.


"Romeo Smith?"

Romeo turned around from where he had set up, promoting both his businesses – the surf school and the charter business.

"I'm Charlene Hills," the young woman said, shaking his hand. "I was directed to you by a local restaurant owner… um… Joey Collins?"

Romeo smiled.

"She told me all about your two businesses, that you're just starting out and a real up and coming businessman," Charlene said. "I'd love to hear all about it if you had the time?"

"I've definitely got the time," Romeo beamed at her.


Joey found herself standing next rather uncomfortably to Brax but at least alongside Scott, Blake, Hannah and Claire, as they cheered Sandy on in her race. She glanced at Brax who whole heartedly cheered his sister on. She didn't like the guy but it was nice to see him supporting his sister and she would have to report back. It would mean a lot to her to know that he really did care deep down.

"And the winner is, Sandy Braxton of Summer Bay!" John called out.

Cheers rang out. By the time Sandy came out of the water, Brax had vanished and Charlie had appeared.

"Well done!" Joey said, as did Charlie.

Scott threw his arms around her, despite how wet she was.

"I've still got it!" Sandy said proudly.

"You did really well," Claire said.

Hannah reiterated the sentiment.


Xavier, Miranda, Ruby and Casey were at the top of the beach with the rest of their teams, getting ready for their paddleboarding competitions. Ruby was nervous. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. She had been practicing with Casey's support but now, with the teams all being so competitive and feeling the need to keep up, especially with the extra pressure of being on a rival team, she was feeling extremely anxious. She didn't want to make a fool of herself or let anyone down.


Heading back off the beach, Joey caught hold of Charlie's hand.

"Brax came to watch her," Joey said. "When I get a minute, I'll tell her. It'll mean so much."

"I told him she was competing and he rushed down the beach," Charlie explained.

"You told him?" Joey said.

Charlie nodded. Joey stopped and turned to face her.

"That's so sweet of you," she said. "It really will mean so much to her."

They kissed.


"Where did you disappear to?" Heath asked.

He and a large group of River Boys, the ones who weren't bothered enough to compete but were intent on a drunken day at the beach, were lounging around by the Pizza Oven stall.

"Just watching some of the competitions," Brax said.

"Any good?" Heath asked.

"Nothing special," Brax lied.


Charlie left some teenagers to it, having had words with them about being rowdy, encouraging them to have a chilled day and not cause any issues for themselves or anyone else. Noting the time, she headed over to Joey's stall and together, they walked down to see Ruby and give her a hug and wish her luck for the competition. They headed down to the water's edge with Casey to watch Ruby compete and cheer her on with Claire and Hannah, Beside them, Xavier was cheering Miranda on instead.

"She's doing well, look!" Joey said, as Ruby looked to be out in front.

"Ha, Miranda's caught right up with her!" Xavier said cockily.

He frowned when he realised exactly who he was jeering at.


Out on the water, Ruby was paddling with all her might. Miranda had caught up and was just about keeping pace with her. She focused everything she had on the finish line, desperate to make her parents and Casey proud of her. Then she felt something hit her. Then she landed in the water.


"Hey!" Charlie cried out. "Gary!"

"Hey!" Gary, the manager of Mangrove River Surf Club agreed. "Your competitor just knocked mine into water!"

"It was clearly an accident!" John insisted.

"Is she okay?" Joey fretted, holding Charlie's hand tightly, as they searched for a view of their daughter.

The competition was irrelevant. Ruby was a strong swimmer but anything could happen to her out there.


Ruby bobbed to the surface, sputtering and coughing, finding her board and dragging herself onto it, heavy and soaking wet. She righted herself and grabbed her paddle, forcing herself to continue the race without even giving herself time to catch her breath. There was little point now; Miranda was too far away. But she could at least finish with some dignity.


Charlie and Joey breathed a heavy sigh of relief that Ruby was okay but they were desperately disappointed for her.

"That was a foul!" Charlie insisted to John.

"It was absolutely a foul," Gary agreed. "I'll get this sorted. Don't you worry."

The two women left John and Gary arguing, as they rushed towards Ruby, who was dragged herself out of the water, still gasping for breath. Casey grabbed her board, slinging it onto the sand. Everyone was desperate to know if she was okay.

"She hit me!" Ruby said, short of breath. "She knocked me off my board!"

"We saw!"

"You're just a bad loser!" Xavier snapped, eager to celebrate Miranda's win with her.

"It was an accident," Miranda insisted calmly. "I'm sorry."

"You did it on purpose," Ruby accused. "Was it that important to win?"

"Well, you're not going to win," Casey said. "You deserve to be disqualified and Ruby still came second!"

"Just accept that she won, would you?" Xavier argued.

"Boys!" Charlie said sternly when they looked like they were about to square up to each other. "You need to separate and stay separated. The judged will decide what happened. Okay?"

Xavier glared at them all and took Miranda away from them.

"How can you stay so neutral when your own daughter got hurt?" Casey wondered.

"Because I have to," Charlie told him. "It's my job."

She crouched down to where Joey was checking on Ruby who was shaken but seemed to be okay.

"She did cheat, Charlie," Ruby said unhappily.

"I know she did, darling," her mother replied. "We'll get it sorted. Let's go and get you somewhere comfy to recover, okay?"

"Okay, you need to calm things down now," Watson said firmly, stepping between John and Gary. "You're meant to be in charge of this event, not leading it into chaos. Set an example, will you?"

"I'm not the problem here, Constable Watson," John snapped.

"It's Senior Constable Watson," she corrected.

"Soon to be Sergeant," Charlie added, approaching her and nudging her with her shoulder with a grin. "And she's right. You're meant to be leading by example. How is anyone meant to be expected to behave if you two are at each other's throats? John, your girl quite clearly fouled Gary's. But neither of you are impartial and to be honest, neither am I so you need to take it to the judges and quickly because they're both desperate to find out who won."

The two men looked at each other.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Watson said. "Go!"

"Joey!" Romeo called, catching up with her at her stall. "That reporter came and interviewed me. Thank you so much."

Joey beamed at him, glad that he'd had a positive experience.

"I'm really pleased."

Romeo spotted Ruby sat in a chair, not looking at that well. Casey was crouched beside her.

"Is uh… is Ruby okay?" he asked, not sure if it was okay to ask after her.

"She got hurt out on the water but she's okay," Joey said.

Romeo nodded and headed back to his own stall, passing Sandy on his way.

"I heard about all the commotion," she said. "Is your girl okay?"

"A little fragile," Joey said. "We're waiting to find out if the other girl's disqualified or not. She should be."

"Sounds rough," Sandy said.

She patted Joey on the arm and was about to leave her to it when Joey called her back.

"Hey, uh, Charlie told Brax that you were competing and her hurried down to the shore line to watch you," she ventured. "He was stood right next to me and he was cheering so hard for you."

"He was?"

Joey nodded.

"I just thought you should know."

"After reviewing the circumstances of the last race, we have decided that Miranda Jacobs is now disqualified, due to an impact with Ruby Buckton, putting Ruby Buckton in first place and the winner of the race," the judge announced on the loudspeaker.

Gary was smug. John was livid.

"Did you hear that, Ruby?" Joey said. "You won!"

She hugged her daughter. So did Casey and Claire.

"I won," Ruby said, relieved and proud but still utterly exhausted.

Charlie rushed back to her fiancée and daughter.

"Well done, Ruby," she said pulling her into a hug. "I'm so proud of you."

"How did that happen?" Ruby asked.

"Watson sent Gary and John over to the judges to ask them to decide," Charlie said. "They obviously thought what Miranda did was wrong – which it was. And even with getting knocked off your board you were miles ahead of everyone else."

"You did so well, Ruby," Claire put in.

Ruby thanked them all. Charlie apologised for having to get on. Tensions were continuing to rise on the beach. She kissed Joey goodbye and went on her way.


Sandy approached Brax at his stall.

"Thanks for cheering me on," she said, getting right to the point.

"How did you…? Joey. Right," he concluded. "No worries. Well done."

An awkward silence formed very quickly between them.

"Are you competing?" she asked.

"I don't think so," he said.

"You used to love surf competitions," she said. "They're still filling slots for the final races later."

"Nah," he declined. "But thanks. Maybe… maybe we could hang out sometime?"

Sandy thought about it and then nodded.

"Maybe… yeah."


"Well, I want to thank everyone for coming today," John said, stepping up to the microphone. "I'm pleased to say that overall, it's been a good day. Minus the other team faking some injuries and doing everything they can to cheat and get every points."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Gary demanded, jumping onto the makeshift stage.

Before Charlie, Watson, Blake or any other officer could do anything, the men were fighting.

"Fight!" one of the River Boys yelled, encouraging them.

And they did.


"Oh no! Look!" Ruby said.

She and Casey were heading for their friends' car, having decided to cut short the day now they had both completed and won their competitions – beating both Miranda and Xavier – and with Ruby still not feeling all that well.

"All the more reason to get out of here!" Casey said, putting his arm around her and leading her away.


"Miranda?" Xavier said, ducking past some flying debris. "Miranda?"

He was worried about her falling into danger. This was his moment to be her hero. He paused when her found her behind one of the tents, completely oblivious to the war breaking out around her. She was utterly wrapped up in Romeo.


Joey sat behind the counter at her stall. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. She was relieved she'd sent Ruby away but she was scared for Charlie out on the beach, unable to walk away from the chaos. She was too scared; too scared to go and find her. She was frozen.

"Joey?" said a voice. "Joey?"

She couldn't even turn her head to look. Her breath was solid in her lungs, choking her.

"Joey?" Sandy said softly, crouching down in front of her.

She reached out and held both her hands.

"Hey," she said. "Hey, you're okay. Everything's okay."


For every officer it seemed like every person for themselves, attempting to calm down as many people as possible and arrest any if necessary.

"Why is it always you lot?" Charlie asked in frustration, approaching a couple of River Boys who were about to set fire to one of the stalls.

They paused, looking genuinely panicked at being caught out. They both held their hands up.

"Look, just stop, okay?" she said. "Stop, calm down and I won't arrest you. Make better choices."

They nodded, deliberately putting their lighters in their pockets and even apologised. She watched them walk away. Two seconds later, almost out of nowhere, a beer bottle hit Charlie hard on the head, knocking her to the floor.


"Just breathe," Sandy said gently. "Breathe."

"I'm sorry…" Joey said, tears of frustration slipping from her eyes. "I get… I get…"

"Panic attacks," Sandy understood. "It's okay."

"No, it's stupid," Joey criticised.

"No," Sandy shook her head. "It's okay. Hey, you can't be perfect all the time."

She grinned, making Joey laugh. Sandy gazed at her for a moment.

"You're fine," Sandy assured her. "You're okay."


"Hey," Brax said. "Are you okay? I think you blacked out for a minute."

Charlie found she had been moved to a quieter part of the beach. Her head hurt. A lot.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said, although she suspected it was a lie. "Thanks."

She attempted to stand up. When she wobbled, he took hold of her, steadying her and trying to keep her safe. The beach was still mayhem.

"Look, I don't think you should carry on when you're injured…"

"I've got a job to do," Charlie snapped.

"You've got a head injury," he said. "You need to see a Doctor."

"And how did I get the head injury? Your pyromaniac mates, I assume!"
He looked confused.

"Some of your River Boys," she explained.

"Well, you can't just assume it was my boys," he argued. "That's not really fair."

"Nobody in Summer Bay would do this," she said coldly.

"They're all out there scrapping," Brax said. "Even the civilised among you."

"Well, all the more reason for me to go out there and put a stop to things," Charlie said, even though she felt like she was going to throw up.

He pulled on her arm to stop her.

"Let me help you," he requested.


Next time… Charlie struggles with jealousy, Angelo gets a job offer and Xavier fights with Romeo…