I know I mentioned a new story a while ago. I had planned to upload it a while back but being the genius that I am all the chapters I had where all hand written and my note pad magically disappeared so I had to start fro m scratch but all the same here is the first installment it is quite different from my other story I just hope you guys like it. I don't think this fic will be as long as my other one probably round about 20 to 25 chapters. But I will see as the story progress that's of course if you guys like it :)
Repeating after Elijah, his gaze locked against hers as he spoke
I take you, Charlotte Louise Buckton to be my lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish form this day forward till death do us part
Two and a half years before
Charlie's POV
Sat in the back of the taxi, I watched and took in the view I had anticipated seeing again for so long. It felt like a life time ago since I had been here, since I had seen this road. I smiled lightly as we passed the welcome to Summer Bay sign. I could have sworn this place had gotten even more mesmerizing than it had been since I last laid my eyes on it. I felt my smile capture my face as the taxi turned into the street and stopped in front of the house.
"Got family waiting for you?" I remvoed my gaze from the house as the taxi driver addressed me through his rear view mirror
"Yh... yh I have" I smiled back
"Have a good day; I'm sure they'll be happy to see you"
"I hope so"
Opening the door I swung my rucksack onto my back as I passed him the cab fare. I watched as he shook his head denying my money
"No sweetie... the rides on the house" he smiled driving away before I could protest against his generosity. It wasn't one that I was unfamiliar with. People see you with this uniform and respected you off the bat; they looked at you as a hero someone to aspire to be like or admire. Knowing for me that was now all over and this would probably be the last few moments I would be suited in this attire, I felt a ting of sadness wash over me. But peering up at the house before me, the sadness I felt was overweighed with the joy I felt at seeing their faces again. Underestimating my own eagerness I found my feet pacing quickly towards the front door. I stopped momentarily in front of it wanting to savour every moment. Finally bringing my hand up I gave a gentle knock before quickly composing myself
The door swung open and her eyes instantly widened in surprise as she peered at me
"Oh my..."
My eyes blurred with tears as she brought her hand up to her mouth her eyes becoming cloudy
"Mum" she spoke again.
I smiled as she flung herself at me holding onto me for dear life.
"Hy baby... I missed you" I wrapped my arms around her as tightly as possible wondering how I had managed to leave her behind time and time again. As she always does she takes my rucksack from my shoulder and eagerly leads me into the house
Ruby's POV
I sat watching her every move, not believing how much I had missed her every time she went away and how many nights I found myself praying she was ok. But this time it was different, I would never have to go to sleep wondering if she was still alive
"I've missed you so much" I chuckled still in shock that she was actually here
She kept her eyes on me smiling
"You have no idea how much I have missed you too Rubes" She pulls me back into the embrace we had only just parted from since I sat her down on the couch
"I thought you still had two months left?" I asked as I backed away from her embrace slightly, looking over at her
"Why, you not happy to see me?" I laughed at the mocking look on her face
"You know I am but I had it all planned... Everyone wanted to be here when you got back"
She shook her head as she chuckled "Yh I figured as much so I told a little lie" She looked down at me sheepishly referring to the letter in which she had told me when she would be home "I just wanted it to me you, me and..." She stopped and took a look around
I instantly realised who she was searching for "He's at work... seeing as you didn't tell him you would be back today" She nudged me lightly as she looked down at me
"Well I guess you'll just have to do" She smiled
"I guess so" I replied. This was it; she was finally back. After having to watch her leave over and over again year after year she was finally back for good. Never would I have to hold back my tears as she departed from me again
Charlie's POV
I peered on with intensity as she smiled and laughed, I had missed every little thing about her even to the way she crinkled her nose when she laughed. It shocked me how much she seemed to have grown in the eight months that I had been away. She seemed so different but yet still the same
"What?" she asked as she caught me gazing down at her
I shook my head "Nothing... it's just you've grown so much" I held on tightly to the tears that threatened my eyes, knowing that if I let them fall there was no turning back. I refused to let my predicament take from this perfect moment. She smiled up at me as she pulled away from my embrace and stood to her feet
"I feel a bit selfish keeping you to myself, I know someone else who has been waiting anxiously for you to return"
I knew who she was referring to, along with Ruby he was the one constant thing in my life and I would forever be grateful for the way he has cared for her all the times I had been away
"How about I go get changed and we go and pay him a visit" I stood to my feet excited at the thought of seeing him after so long. Picking up my rucksack I made the all too familiar trip towards our room
...
The wind couldn't have felt better on my skin; it blew through my hair softly as I steadied my pace in no rush to leave the cool breeze
"I'm so glad you're back for good" Ruby clung onto my left arm as she spoke. My breath caught in my throat and once again I felt my tears brimming but I quickly sent them retracting as I gave her hand a light squeeze hoping that response would suffice
Angelo's POV
I sighed heavily as I made my way behind the bar. The lunch time rush had just died down and I was glad to get a little rest. These past few months have been such a blur, my mind was forever spinning with thoughts. I groaned as I heard the nearing footsteps, but as my head lay in my hands I had no energy to look up
"We're closed at the moment" I groaned
"Even for me"
My head shot up at the sound of her voice "Charlie" I looked on at her in shock
"I hope that look of surprise on your face is a good one"
She sent me that familiar grin "Of course it is" I rushed from behind the bar making my way over to her. Quickly wrapping my arms around her I lifted her off the floor holding her tightly before placing her back down. "You're back" the surprise in my voice sharp enough to be noticed by the both of them
She nodded her head "Yea... I wanted to surprise the both of you" she took a quick glance at Ruby before looking back up at me
I stared down at her, observing the sight of her widened smile as she looked at me
"Angelo how about..."
I turned my head at the other presence that had now entered the restaurant. I watched her as she stopped dead in her tracks the smile on her face fading as she glared at Charlie. I sighed as she quickly picked her smile back up
"Hy Charlie... you're back"
"Hy Nicole" Charlie smiled at the girl she knew as her daughters friend.
I stood nervously hoping Nicole could keep her cool
"It's really good to see you, I know these two have missed you like crazy"
I shut my eyes briefly in relief as she gave nothing away
"Yh I can tell" Charlie's hands still lay on my waist
"I err... I was just wondering if I could take off early, something's come up"
She looked up at me, and although she was trying to hide it I could see the hurt and guilt in her eyes. I nodded, glad that she wouldn't have to see me and Charlie together
"Yh sure" I gave her a small apologetic smile as she dropped her apron and made way for the stairs
"Nicole is everything ok?" asked Ruby causing Nicole to turn around.
I glared at her with nervous eyes hoping she would lie and say everything was just fine
"Yea" she took a quick glance at me before looking back at Ruby "Everything is fine"
She glanced at Charlie "I'm glad you're back" and with that she turned around
I knew there was a form of lie in her words, Charlie's unexpected return now made an already complicated situation even more complicated. Watching as Nicole walked down the stairs I pried my eyes away from the entrance and looked back down at Charlie; her smile still firmly placed towards me
"I've missed you" I wasn't lying I had missed her but still, so much had changed since the last time she had been in the bay
"I've missed you too" she flashd that smile I used to love so much before leaning onto her toes and placing her lips against mine
"Errr... daughter present"
Charlie pulled away as we both laughed at Ruby's words. I glanced at the both of them, the smiles on the faces lighting up the room. This was it, this was my family. Whatever had happened over the last six months had to be forgotten
Brax's POV
I've lost count of the amount of times I had sat in this very position with this same thought. The last three months had been the worst of my life and it was far from over. People say there is always light at the end of the tunnel but I had been walking this dark path all my life and yet still no light. Fate fooled me once; it gave me a glimpse of life in the light but took it away before I could even blink. I had finally got all three of us placed firmly on our feet, it felt good to be living the life I had always wanted but like always, fate seemed to have other plans for us. Every obstacle that had been thrown my way I had always faced it head on till I had defeated it. But not this time... this was too big for me to handle, this was out of my hands.
Picturing him sat there, his now pale skin, my eyes begin to burn but I refuse to let them fall, I refuse to let this defeat us. He was going to be ok, he had to be... there was no other acceptable option. I was snapped out of my thought as Heath's head poked through my room door
"We're set" he retracted as I lifted my head up off the bed. Standing to my feet I took another deep breath ready to face those four walls again.
I feel my eyes burn into him as I walked into the living room. Sometimes I almost couldn't recognise him, his newly found pale skin and his hairless head made it difficult to identify him as the cheeky teenage boy I knew three months ago.
"Case you ready?" he glanced up at me with the same smile he had been using for the last two of these three months
"Yea... I'm ready" his walk steadied as he made his way out the door. Out of instinct me and Heath were soon at his side but neither of us making contact with him knowing he would only insist he was fine to make the short journey to the car on his own"
...
Charlie's POV
I sat beside Angelo in a booth, not being able to phantom the last time I had been this happy. I watched the interaction between him and Ruby and couldn't help but smile. Gazing down my eye caught the ring that he had placed on my finger nine months ago. My simper enlargened as I recalled that day. The way he stammered as he tried to string his words together, the way he peered up at me as he lowered himself onto one knee, the way the ring felt as he slid it up to rest on my finger. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I hadn't realised Ruby had been calling my name
"Mum"
My head darted up as I gave her voice some recognition "Yea" I looked up at her as she shook her head and chuckled before looking down to where my eyes were previously fixated
"I can't wait for you guys to get married?" the smile on her face beaming loudly
"We have all the time in the world to plan for that"
Angelo smiled over at me, but his words only brought me pain. A month ago I would have agreed but now knowing what I knew, time was something I most likely didn't have much of . I smiled up at the two of them wanting to change the subject before I buckled under my own pressure. I wanted to enjoy this time, knowing that what I would soon have to tell them would change our world.
I peered up as Angelo stood from his seat and made his way to the entrance
"Where are you going?" I asked
"Closing up for the day, then we can all spend some time together" he turned back and continued on his way to the entrance
"Angelo you don't have to do that" I called after him
"I know" he gave me a smile as he continued down the stairs
...
It felt so unreal being in their presence, having Angelo beside me, getting to hear my daughter's laughter
"Remember new year's day" Ruby and Angelo both burst out laughing
"How could I forget" spoke Angelo "I have never seen Charlie so embarrassed"
I glared at the both of them "Yea ok, laugh at my expense... how was I supposed to know he wasn't the only one in the restaurant" Charlie felt herself blush as she thought back to that night
"I honestly wish I had been there to see your face...but only your face" Ruby spoke having finally settled her laughter
"Oh trust me you don't" Angelo smirked at me as I gave him a nudge
"Anyway off the embarrassing topic. How have you guys been?" I looked at the both of them as they simply shrugged "What nothing new... at all?"
Angelo's POV
"What nothing new... at all?"
Once again I shrugged at her words "No nothing... everything is pretty much the way you left it" I cringed at how easy it was for me to lie to her. In actual fact more than a lot had changed, I had changed, something in me had changed but voicing that wasn't an option. I was trying my best ot shake it but something in me knew I would find it hard to hide it
"You Rubes?" I snapped out of my thoughts as Charlie addressed Ruby
"No nothing new unfortunately... school, study and more school" Ruby rolled her eyes
"Good" Charlie replied her with a grin
I looked down at my phone as it vibrated against the table. Before they could both see the caller ID I had picked it up. Looking at the name on the phone I looked up at Ruby and Charlie
"Suppliers... I'll be right back" and there it was, another lie. I closed the office door behind me before picking up the call
"Nicole I can't talk right now?" I sighed into the phone
"What are we going to do?"
I couldn't see her face but I knew Charlie's arrival had rattled her as much as it had me. I didn't know the answer to this question. I have been asking myself that for the past Six months
"I don't know Nicole" it was the only thing I could think to say. The phone went silent and for a moment I thought she was gone but then she spoke
"You're going to stay with her aren't you?" I could hear the tremble in her voice. I felt my chest tighten against my lung at how scared and vulnerable she sounded. The answer came before I had a chance to even register it
"No" I sat at the edge of my desk as my own words took me by surprise. But I couldn't deny that it was probably the first time I had been truly honest with myself since Charlie returned. I wanted to do what was best by her and Ruby I really did, but I couldn't do it. Stting in there with them it felt so different, I felt so out of place. I knew staying away from Nicole would be impossible
"What? Her tone full of surprise at what I had said
"I can't stay with her, but I can't do it right now Nicole; I need time"
"Ok" her reply came soft as if she herself knew the predicament we had now found ourselves in was not going to be an easy one to come out of
"I'll speak to you later" and with that I hung up. What have I gotten myself into? How was I possibly going to fix this without breaking the two people that had once been my whole world? Quickly discarding of my thoughts I composed myself as I made my way out of the office
"Is everything ok?" asked Charlie as I made my way over to them
"Yh... Suppliers just stuffed up again nothing major" I looked at her as she smiled over at me; my guilt suddenly increasing at the thought of what I was going to have to do sometime soon
Brax's POV
In the space of three months these walls had unfortunately become almost like a second home, we sat and watched one another, we made small conversations between one another and sometimes when we allowed ourselves to forget even if for a few seconds we laughed. But when that would come to an end I found myself feeling guilty. How could it possibly be ok to laugh to feel any sort of happiness when my younger brother had been wrongly burdened with such a disease?
I felt my feet glide along the ground slower than it had been doing as we slowly approached the front desk. Casey needn't voice why he was here, everyone already knew. The nurse passed us a smile as she immediately walked around the desk leading us into the all too familiar room.
I watched as they performed the same ritual they had been doing for the past three months. I glanced away as the needle pricked into him, my eyes not being able to take the sight. Looking back I peered on as she proceeded to make sure everything was running smoothly before she left the room, passing me and Heath a smile in the same manner everyone in the hospital did.
My gaze remained upon Casey, as I leaned up on my chair. I knew he hated that I watched him with such intensity but I couldn't help it. My thoughts ran through my mind constantly at the possible outcomes but I chose to do nothing less than believe, it was the only thing keeping me sane
...
Charlie's POV
I opened my eyes as a breeze hit my bare skin. Turning to my side my gaze lay on Angelo still asleep. I couldn't help but study him, everything was the same but things felt so different I just couldn't quite place what it was. I stared down at the space that lay between the two of us; it was something I wasn't familiar with. I had always woken up pressed against him with his hand around my waist or lay across my body but not this morning; this morning I woke up cold feeling almost alone. Something had changed but maybe it was just me. Sighing I looked over him at the clock '5:15'. I shook my head knowing trying to get any sleep wasn't going to get me anywhere.
Slowly and quietly creeping out of the bed, I pulled out a vest and my sweats from the drawer before walking over to our wardrobe and picking my jogging shoes. Now suited up I crept out of the house my feet instantly picking up pace as I jogged down the road. Maybe this was a bad idea; I couldn't stop thinking, I had no one to draw me out of my own discomforting thoughts. The word played back and forth in my mind and my feet kept picking up pace, till I was moving so fast that stopping seemed like an impossible task. How was I going to tell them? I was I supposed to look my daughter in the eye and watch her tears fall from her eyes because of me? How was I supposed to tell the man that had given me so much love and devotion that his investment in me was a waste of his time?
My pace refused to stop even as the harsh rain greeted me with its presence. The rain hit harshly against my face but yet it was nothing compared to the pain I already felt. I didn't know how or when I got here but I was now running along the beach, my thoughts invading every part of my being. I came to an unexpected stop as I stumbled back trying hard to hold myself up. Finally regaining balance I peered up as the figure I had bumped into turned around to face me
"I'm so sorry" I looked over at him unsure of how I could have missed him standing there
"It's ok" he replied with neither a smile nor a frown. Tucking his surf board under his arm he turned away from me and made his way up the beach
I had never seen such a blank expression displayed upon a person's face before. I think it was safe to say he looked the way I felt; overpowered. He seemed unfazed as the rain hit against his bare chest. Removing my gaze from him I once again picked up my pace but this time I was going home. Running had always helped me relax and think rationally but not this time. All it did was give me time alone to dwell on my predicament and that was the last thing I wanted to do
So how was it? Good... Bad? Let me know if you want me to continue :) If I do carry on with this story not sure if it will be in the first person or if I will change it to third person just wanted to try it out this way first... let me know what you guys think. Also really battling with a name for this fic (Not sure it fits) so if any of you can think of anything from that first chapter please pm me :)