LissaBelle24

Loved all the comments. I am really enjoying writing the VJ and Billie stuff and by the looks of the comments you are all enjoying reading it. Chapter Nine "Nanna!" "Harley Braxton, what have I told you about opening the front door?" Phoebe spun around from her place in the kitchen to see Harley had opened the door to Cheryl. Harley blushed sheepishly. "Sorry Auntie Phoebe" Phoebe sighed at the look in his eyes, she found it hard to be strict with any of the children. "Hey Chezza!" Cheryl rolled her eyes at the nickname, glancing down at her grandson. "Hey kid, you ready?" Harley grinned, clapping his hands together. "Yes!" "Rocco, your Nan is here. Come on" Phoebe shouted up stairs hearing the thundering sound of footsteps as the nine year old came running into the room. "Hi Nan" Cheryl smiled and gave the boy a quick hug. "Are you sure you don't want me to take Raffy?" "I'm sure, I think it is time for some girly time" In truth Phoebe just needed a few hours to speak to Raffy about Brody without the two little boys interrupting them. She was thankful that moving to Summerbay allowed them to be closer to Cheryl. Despite not having seen a lot of her in the years whenever they did she made an effort, taking the boys for a night here or there and even included Raffy. "You two have fun. Be good for your Nanna" "We will Aunt Phoebe" Rocco hugged her good-bye. Harley wrapped his arms around her, squeezing as tightly as a five year old could. "I love you" Phoebe smiled. "I love you too, little H" She kissed the top of his head. "Bye Raffy" Harley waved at the teenager who was standing at the bottom of the stairs. "See ya, Harley" Cheryl opened her arms. "Come give your Nanna a hug" Phoebe watched Raffy hug Cheryl, it was quiet a sight. Heath and Justin had been good friends since Raffy was two, Cheryl had taken on the only grandparent role in Raffy's eyes even if she wasn't the perfect grandmother. "Alright, you boys have a good time" She watched them leave before turning to Raffy. "Just you and me, Miss" Raffy raised her eyebrow. "Am I in trouble?" "What? No" "Then why do we need to talk?" She rolled her eyes at Phoebe's look. "I heard you tell Rocco that was why he was going with Nan" "We do need to talk but not because you are in trouble. Come on, I made us a smoothie" She popped into the kitchen and grabbed the cups before returning to the living room where Raffy was now sitting on the couch. "You remember the other night when we got that visitor?" "The one you were weird about?" "Yeah" Phoebe passed her drink over. "Well it turns out it was Brody, your dads brother...well your brother, you know what I mean" It was complicated, Raffy classified Justin as her father. Raffy swirled the straw around in her cup, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. "What did he want?" "To see you" Phoebe answered honestly. "I needed to speak with your father first so I sent him away" "What did dad say?" Phoebe noticed the change in Raffy's words immediately, despite classifying Justin as her father she rarely called him dad unless she felt vulnerable and was asserting her position in the family. "Let me tell you this first" Phoebe took the teenagers hands in hers. "You don't have to meet him if you don't want to but the opportunity is here. Justin and I, we think that it should be your decision. If you want to meet Brody then I'll set something up" "Phoebe?" "Yeah honey?" "Why hasn't he ever contacted me before?" Phoebe sighed. "I don't know. We could ask him if you like" Raffy nodded. "I think I would like that but you will stay with me the entire time, right?" "Absolutely" Justin might have thought Brody could be trust but that didn't mean that she wasn't concerned. He had popped out of the blue and wanted to meet her, to Phoebe that screamed dodgy. "This might be a good thing for you, opening up new doors to other family" "I don't need them" Raffy told Phoebe immediately. "I have my family. I have dad and you. I have Uncle Heath, Rocco, Harley and Nan. That is all the family I need but I would like to meet Brody even if its just once" Phoebe smiled. "And that is completely understandable. I love you, Raff" Raffy reached over and hugged Phoebe, the only mother she had ever known and the woman who had always been their for her. "I love you too" ~!~!~ "Hey babe" Ash wrapped his arms around Kat giving her a quick hug before they took their seats across from each other. One part of Kat loved visiting Ash as she got to spend at least a little time with him, the other part of her truly hated it, seeing him locked up behind bars broke her heart. "How are you?" His well being was one of her main concerns, she had seen what being in prison could do to a guy. Ash gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. How's Billie doing?" "Good, still hanging around with VJ a lot. Her last few months of school are coming up" Kat reached across the table to take his hand in hers. "She would be a lot happier if you would let her come and see you" "No" "Ash, this is hurting her. She misses you" Ash shook his head. "I don't want her to see me in here" "Billie knows you're innocent" "It doesn't mean a thing. She doesn't need to visit me in a place like this" He sighed, taking a chance to steer the topic away. "Have things gotten any better with Charlie?" Kat glanced down at the table. "No. I cannot talk to her..." Ash squeezed her hand, he hated to see her so miserable. Before all this happened Charlie had been one of her closest friends. "I told you last visit, this wasn't Charlie's fault, she was doing her job" "She could have listened, dug into it harder. She shouldn't have been blinded by the evidence" "Hey, don't stress yourself out. It wasn't Charlie's fault, you know it Kat. All the evidence was there, she had a solid case. It was just her job" Kat stared into his eyes. "The job cost me everything. It's been two years Ash...I..." "Hey" He reached across the table to move her hair out of her eyes. "I love you" "I love you too" His heart broke at the sight of tears in her eyes, she looked broken and he was disgusted that he was the reason why. A part of him wanted her to move on and have the life she deserved but he was selfish in a sense and couldn't bear to let her go. ~!~!~ Charlie tapped her pen against her desk, her eyes scanning over the computer screen. Kat's words had motivated her to go back and look over the case. Everyone thought Ash was innocent and while she wanted to believe it the evidence had been overwhelming. Perhaps it had been to easy to piece the case together. The witness list was short, a woman who couldn't be used due to circumstances that would place her at risk and one other. Charlie scrolled down, a picture of the now twelve year old popping up onto her screen. For reasons unknown Ash's lawyer had never used the girl in the defense, she briefly wondered if it was because the girls guardian had paid the lawyer off. "Name. Name" Charlie mumbled to herself, the details had never been made public, only she and McCarthy knew about the witness. "Darcy Callahan-Bennett" She proceed to scroll until the name of her guardian was made clear. "Kyle Bennett" Hearing footsteps sounding in the direction of her office she quickly exited the files and shut her computer screen off. If she was ever going to get Kat back as a friend then this was where she needed to start. Finding out if Ash was indeed innocent was her new priority. ~!~!~ "Come on Billie, open up" VJ knocked on the front door of the farm house. After the words had left his mouth, Billie had ran out of the room without giving him a chance to defend himself. It had been a moment of impulse and as soon as the words came out he knew he shouldn't have said them. After giving her the night to cool off her found himself needing to speak to her. "Billie..." "GO AWAY VJ!" VJ sighed, turning around to lean his back against the door. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm sorry alright, I didn't mean to..." He almost fell back into the house as the door suddenly opened behind him. "Whhhhaaaa...." "You're sorry?!" Billie stared at him, she had obviously been crying. "You're an idiot, VJ Patterson, an idiot" She turned around and stormed back into the house. "You don't just randomly blurt something like that out. You can't..." "I'm sorry" He repeated the words again, following her into the house. "I didn't mean to say it, it just slipped out" Billie stared at him stunned, despite being best-friends she would never truly understand VJ. He was sweet, kind and above all he put her first. But this, this was insane. "You cannot just say this is our baby. That is crazy, a few days ago you didn't even know I was pregnant. We aren't together, we're both in school and like hell I will screw up your future. It was a moment of insanity and you are never going to bring it up again" VJ rubbed a hand over his head. "Bil, can I speak?" "No...alright, fine, what?" "I love you...don't hit me" He held his hands up in a surrendering gesture when he saw her expression. "Bad timing, I get it" "VJ, you don't love me" "I do" He took a step towards her. "I think things changed when we were fourteen and you had your first crush and I realised I never wanted to be replaced by another guy, that my feelings for you were different" Billie shook her head, turning away from him. Those words were words she had been desperately wanted to hear from him since they were sixteen but hearing them now, part of her was screaming not to believe it. "You don't love me, you want to help me, there is a difference" "No Bil. I love you" He walked around her so that he could attempt to look her in the eyes. "What I said at the hospital, I shouldn't have, I wasn't thinking" "Damn right you weren't!" "But I am serious about one thing, I love you and I haven't said anything because I didn't want to ruin our friendship" He brushed the hair out of her eyes, frowning when she shifted back slightly. "Please don't tell me I ruined everything?" "No" Billie sighed. "Of course not, you are my best-friend" She glanced up to look at him. "This is a mess" "Yeah" VJ agreed. "Can we forget I ever said anything?" "We can definitely forget the baby thing but I don't think I can forget the I love you thing" She gave him a reassuring smile when he looked devastated. "I'm a mess. I don't know how I am going to tell Kat about the baby, I have school, I have nightmares, I cry a lot, I have absolutely no idea how to deal with this baby and one thing I know is I need you" She placed her hand on his arm. "I am not ready for a relationship VJ, I think I would screw it up and I don't want that to happen to us" "What are you saying?" Billie smiled. "You're my best-friend, and one day I hope you'll be more but I can't right now" VJ nodded, his eyes held a little sadness but he pushed it away because he didn't want to upset her. "Maybe I could win you over?" "You can try" Billie sighed with relief when he wrapped his arms around her. "I don't want to lose you" "You won't. I'll be here for you and this baby, I'm going to be totally awesome Uncle VJ and who knows what'll happen in the next seven months" "Exactly. Who knows"

Thanks for the comments guys, they are all lovely. I really enjoy writing the VJ and Billie scenes. I am absolutely gutted that VJ lost Luc to Ash and Kat in the show I have gone back and fixed up the chapters, nothing to noticeable but I wanted to let you know. This chapter is short but I hope you enjoy it. Chapter Eight June 15th - Part Two "This Miss Ashford is your baby" Billie kept her eyes closed, her head angled away from the screen. She couldn't bring herself to look at the baby growing inside of her, the fear was that if she did it would bring back at the memories of that night, the night that had lead to this. VJ squeezed Billie's hand gently in his, his eyes glued to the screen. "How far along is she?" This was the first time he had seen an ultrasound performed and it was stunning. "According to these measurements I would say eight weeks, giving you an estimated due date of 31st January" "Wow" VJ looked down at Billie, seeing the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Hey, it's okay" "it is normal for mothers to get emotional during the first scan" The nurse smiled at VJ. "Over the next few months it will all settle in" She held some sonogram pictures for VJ to take. "I'm sure I will see you two again sometime soon. Congratulations again on the little one" VJ waited until she had left before engulfing Billie in a hug. "I got you" "I want to go home" VJ helped her to sit up properly. "I want to show you something first..." "I don't want to see them" He brushed the hair back out of Billie's eyes. "Remember when we went cliff diving last year, I refused to do it but you took my hand and be jumped together. It's like this Bil, you aren't alone so take my hand and we'll look together" He grabbed her hand in his again. "This baby is innocent. It is apart of you, pure and good, you have no reason to fear it" He held the sonogram out in front of them and waited until Billie opened her eyes, it was slow but she did it. "That's my baby?" VJ nodded. "Yeah Bil, that is your baby" Billie grabbed the picture and stared at it, whatever she had been fearful of seeing didn't appear. "VJ, that's my baby" He wrapped his arms around her shoulder and let her stare, the words that fell from his mouth were the most shocking of all. "That's our baby Billie" ~!~!~ "Zac!" "Leah?" Leah slapped him before he had a chance to fully recognise her presence. "Don't you ever lay a hand on our daughter!" She shoved her hands into his chest. "You broke our vows Zac, I need time to deal with it but under no circumstances are you allowed to take it out on our children. You screwed up not them!" "Leah..." Zac was pale, fear clouding his eyes as she shouted at him. Leah grabbed the bottle of the sink. "You are drinking!" She held the beer up. "Alcohol doesn't agree with you. Get help, go to rehab. Our kids are staying with me" "No" Zac shook his head, denial written all over his features. "No! You cannot take Hunter and Evie, they're mine!" Leah shook her head. "They are not a possession Zac, they are our children and you hurt Evie. You hit her Zac" Leah glared at him, eyes ablazing with anger. "You are not to contact them until you sort yourself out, especially Evie, you leave her alone" "I love you. I don't want to loose you" "You should have thought about that before you slept with Sam, before you started drinking and before you abused our daughter. Get yourself some help Zac" "And if I do can I come home?" Leah stared at him. "I don't know. I don't know if I can forgive you for this"

Chapter Seven June - Part 1 Leah shoved her purse and phone into her handbag, glancing at the time briefly. Admittedly she was a little unsure about allowing VJ to stay at Billie's last night but she was able to trust him enough to know that he wouldn't have lied to her about what they were doing. "Matt?" She called out his name in question but when no response came she determined he already left probably to meet up with Evie. Going from four kids to two in the house made for quiet living, especially since they were two eighteen year olds who spent most of their time out of the house. Picking her handbag up off the table she got ready to head out to work, the brief knock on the door catching her attention and she turned around surprised to see Hunter and Evie standing in the doorway. "Hey" Evie's bottom lip trembled at the sight of Leah, she broke away from Hunter and immediately wrapped her arms around Leah. "I want to come home" Leah hugged Evie tightly. "What happened, honey?" Hunter leaned against the door frame. "We have something to tell you" Leah felt Evie's body stiffen. "Come on, let's sit down" She guided Evie towards the table, Hunter following them. "Does Zac know you are here?" "No" Hunter shook his head. "We didn't tell him" As they sat down at the table Leah got a good look at Evie's face. "Evie, what happened to your face?" She gently placed her hand under the chin on the teenager and lifted her head to get a better look at it. "Who did this to you?" The tears ran down Evie's cheeks. "Uncle Z...Zac" Leah felt the shock run through her body at the words, the ac she knew didn't seem capable of committing such an offence but the look in Evie's and Hunter eyes told her that it was indeed true. Anger immediately replaced the shock. "This is the first time this has happened?" "No...I wanted to come to you sooner but we didn't want to cause anymore trouble. He's been drinking" Hunter admitted. Of course, Leah couldn't help but feel a tad guilty, the split was hard on them both but she had known about addiction to the drink, she should have kept the kids with her. Made him see reason. "Oh guys, you should have come. I'll talk to Zac and you are both going to stay here" Leah made the decision, wrapping Evie back in a hug as the teenager cried. "You are both apart of this family, don't you ever feel like you need to keep something from me. I love you, the two of you like you are my own" "I'm sorry, I didn't want Zac to come to you and..." "Oh sweetie, what happens between Zac and I is not for you to worry about" Leah rubbed her back. "How about I make you both a good breakfast, then you can go upstairs to your rooms and rest. Neither of you look like you have slept" "I didn't, not after Evie came into my room last night" Leah exhaled, the first thing she was going to do after she got the children comfortable would confront him. They weren't going back to him until he got help, not even then if he wasn't committed to giving them a better life, the life they were promised when they moved in with them. "It's going to be okay. He won't hurt you again, Evie, I promise" ~!~!~ "Come on, let's go" Billie turned away from the orange juice she was pouring to look at VJ. "Kat got in late so we'll have to take the bus into town" "Okay" VJ grabbed his jumper from the couch. "I'm taking you to the doctors" Billie's eyes widened. "No. I don't need to..." "You need to be seen by a doctor, you need to find out how far along you are" He remembered certain things from the last time his mum had been pregnant before she miscarried. "Keep your voice down, Kat's in bed" Billie hissed at him. "I don't need to find out, I don't want too" VJ looked at her sympathetically. "I am going to be there the entire time, I'll even hold your hand but you got to get checked out Bil. Tests need to be run" He didn't want to upset her but she needed to make sure the guy hadn't given her any kind of diseases. "Veeeeej" "I'll be right beside you. I promise. Trust me, you need to do this" Billie looked nervous, her hands were trembling slightly. Telling VJ had lifted a weight off of her shoulders but all she could think of now was the future, she knew that VJ would push for her to speak to Kat or to anyone that could help but that was the last thing she wanted to do. "Seeing a doctor...it will make it real" Billie whispered. "Hey" VJ walked over to her, taking the bottle of orange juice from her hand to sit it on the counter. "This is already real but I'm here, I'm going to hold your hand the entire time. Whatever you decide I'll be there" Billie looked up at him. "I'm not ready for this. I didn't ask for this" "I know" He grabbed her hands in his. "I understand Billie. I do. How about we just go, we'll go to the hospital and if we get there and you want to leave then we'll just book an appointment for a week from now" Billie breathed deeply. "And you'll be there?" He nodded, squeezing her hands in his. "Of course I will" ~!~!~ Bianca cringed when she read the message from Charlie, her eyes darted around the halls finally landing on Phoebe who was walking towards her. Truth be told she wished she hadn't told Charlie about Raffy being in town, she should have stayed out of it and allowed Brody to figure it all out on his own. "Phoebe, can I speak to you for a moment?" Lucky for them they were both at the school on a Saturday morning, it was quiet and would give them a moment to talk. "Of course, Mrs Scott" "Just Miss" Bianca corrected, motioning for her to come into the office. "I want to talk to you on a personal level" Phoebe frowned taking a seat across from the desk. "Is this about Raffy?" "No, well, yes" Bianca breathed deeply. "I have a daughter Gracelynn, her father is Brody Morgan..." Phoebe's eyes widened a little. "Okay, this town is very close" She mumbled. "Look, Miss Scott, I do not think..." "Please Phoebe just allow me to finish" Bianca needed her to listen, she wanted to explain her situation. "Yesterday Brody's partner and I had a little chat, I told her about Raffy being in town, she sent me a message today letting me know that Brody turned up on your doorstep. I am sorry" Bianca told her. Phoebe didn't know what to say, here she was finding out that Brody had a daughter, a partner and the woman in front of her was the mother of his child. This was a man that twenty four hours ago was nothing other then a name spoken a handful of times. "I understand that Brody wants to see Raffy but I need to speak with Justin first. If you'll excuse me..." Phoebe went to stand. "I completely respect that" Bianca spoke. "And I am not advocating on Brody's behalf but if you don't mind me asking, why are you against him meeting Raffy?" "I'm not against it, I would just like the time to speak to my husband first. Who I let into Raffy's life doesn't just effect her, I am raising my nephews as well. I need to make sure Brody is stable enough to be apart of that and last night..." "He wants to see his sister, normally he is a very gentle person. He is wonderful with kids, with our daughter and my other children" Phoebe looked down at her hands when her phone lit up. "I have to take this" She swiped the call and stepped out into the hall shutting the door behind her. "Justin?" "Hey baby, I got word you needed to talk. I only have a few moments" "It's so good to hear your voice" She missed him immensely, whenever he deployed she was constantly left waiting for a phone call just to reassure herself that he was safe. "Brody came to visit" Justin breathed deeply. "What did he want?" "He wants to see Raffy. Justin, you need to talk to me. Why is Brody showing up now, why have you kept him out of our lives?" "I didn't keep him from our lives. I have sent emails over the years, invited him to our wedding. He never showed" "Do I let him see Raffy? Is it safe for her?" "Brodes would never harm Raff, Phoebs. I wish I was around to witness them meeting each other" That was the essential green light she needed, Justin's approval for Raffy and Brody to meet but what she didn't understand is if Justin had tried to make contact with his brother in the past why Brody hadn't reciprocated. "You are going to have to explain all of this" "When I get home I will tell you all that I can, baby, I promise you. I have to go, give my love to Raffy, and Heath's love to the boys. I'll speak to you soon" "I love you" "I love you too, baby" Phoebe hung up from the call, holding the phone in her hand. She missed him, just seeing his face in the morning, being able to kiss him. Just his presence. They were supposed to start a life properly together, have children of their own, he was supposed to be around. His commitments to the army came first though, and her commitment to the three children in her care came first to her. She just wished that he was here to help especially now. ~!~!~ "Hey Kat" Kat looked away from her meal to see Charlie entering the diner, her former partner, the one who had helped in sending Ash to jail. A glance was enough, she turned away, it was hard to believe that before everything had gone down they had been best-friends. Charlie breathed deeply. "Can we talk?" "There is nothing to speak about Charlie" "It's been two years, we live in a small town and every time you see me you bolt the other way. When we work the same shifts you take every small call just so we aren't in the station at the same time. Kat, just talk to me" Kat look up. "Can't you see I don't want to talk to you. You put Ash in jail, arrested him for a crime he didn't commit" "The evidence..." "I don't care about evidence. You knew me, you knew Ash. He wouldn't do something like that especially since it would mean leaving Billie and I" Kat stood up. "You ruined our family, Charlie, when you arrested him. I was pregnant with his kid! He was going to be a father, I didn't even get a chance to tell him!" Charlie paled slightly at the admission. "Kat, I didn't..." "I lost that baby because I was so stressed and now the one person I want to start a family with is locked up behind bars" Kat grabbed her purse and phone. "So can you please just leave me alone" "I'm sorry" Charlie watched Kat leave the diner, her heart sinking. When it had all gone down she was convince Ash had done it, they had thrown the book at him, setting out to make an example out of the ex-con. Despite having known Ash, and been friends with Kat she still did her job not bothering to listen. "Charlie, what can I get ya darl?" Charlie looked behind the counter at Irene. "Do you think Ash is innocent?" Irene smiled sympathetically. "I think you know the answer to that already, darl" ~!~!~ "I can't do this VJ" Billie started to back away from the door, the doctor before her raised a questioning eyebrow. "Could you give us a moment?" VJ asked the doctor whom nodded and stepped into her office. "Billie, I am right here, we are doing this together" Billie looked up at him, tears prickling in her eyes. "They will ask questions, like who the father is and I can't..." VJ wrapped his arms around her drawing her into a hug. "Listen, it will be okay, we'll just answer what we do know. Come on, I am right here" He reminded her, gently taking her hand in his he guided her towards the door. Billie walked slightly behind him, squeezing his hand as he led her into the room. She wasn't sure about this at all, being here was making it all seem to real, she was carrying a human like in her body. ~!~!~ Just wanted to do a recap on the families for you guys, don't want you to get lost. Bianca: April 16, Gracelynn 8, Ethan and Elijah 4, Theo 2. Phoebe: Raffy 13 - Nephews Rocco 9 and Harley 5. Charlie & Brody: Ruby 16, Gracelynn 8. Leah & Zac: Matt 18 and VJ 18, Evie 17, Hunter 16. Kat: Billie 18.

Chapter Six June - Part 2, Night Time "I think you need to leave" Phoebe didn't know how to react, it wasn't that she was fearful, it was simply that she didn't realize Brody knew where they lived or who she was. "Now isn't the right time" Brody raised his eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. "You cannot deny my right to see her. She is my sister" "Who you've never met" Phoebe sighed. "I don't know how you found us..." "You moved to my town, a small town, I was bound to find out. Let me see her" Phoebe silently wished Justin was around, he would be able to deal with his brother. All that she knew was it wasn't safe for Raffy when she was younger so Justin had taken her away for protection, Phoebe didn't know who Raffy was in danger from so she was always cautious about who she let into Raffy's life encase that sense of danger had not gone away. "I understand she is your sister but until I speak with Justin you need to leave" "Who do you think you are?" Brody questioned her. "One of Justin's hookups that is left to raise a thirteen year old. That kid deserves to be with actual family" Phoebe raised her eyebrow clearly offended by what Brody has said. "Who do you think YOU are?" Phoebe glared at him. "I am more then just a hook up, I'm his wife. We've been married for seven years, you should know that since you were sent an invite to the wedding! A wedding you never came to so I never met you. I don't know what kind of person you are so I'll ask you once more. Leave. I'll contact you once I've spoken to Justin" Phoebe shut the door in his face and took a deep breath. Though she had never said it to Justin this was something she feared, if his siblings turned up what was she supposed to say to them. She didn't know if she had just done the right thing. Phoebe wished that Justin was here so that he could tell her what to do. ~!~!~ "I called mum, told her I was staying the night since Kat's at work" VJ told Billie as he walked towards the couch where she was curled up. He was lucky that his mum understood that he was just friends with Billie, best-friends and she trusted him enough to stay at home with her. "You don't need to stay" VJ sat down. "I do, Bil, you haven't stopped crying" Billie shifted to face him, wrapping her arms around her legs. "VJ, you don't need to stay. I'll be fine. I'm okay" "How about we talk?" He knew it was going to be hard but he wanted to know what had happened. "Who is the father?" Billie turned her head to look out the window, for the last few weeks she had been dealing with this herself but last week it seemed to really hit home when she found out about the pregnancy. She didn't know who to talk to but today it seemed to all come crashing down. "I don't know" VJ raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean you don't know?" "I don't know. I didn't see who..." Her voice trailed off not wishing to confide the knowledge to VJ. Shock came over VJ's features as the words registered in his mind. "Bil..." He didn't know what to say. "I...have you told Kat?" "No!" Billie exclaimed, shaking her head. "No. I don't want to tell her. She has enough to deal with and this...I don't want anyone to know. I want to move on and forget about it" "Billie, you cannot just ignore this. You need to contact the police..." "No!" Billie threw the blanket off her legs and stood up. "I don't want anyone to know. They'll see me as weak..." VJ could see that she was getting worked up and he stood, gently taking her by the arm to spin her back towards him. "Hey, you're not weak, no one would see you like that" He pulled her into a hug when he noticed the tears starting to fall. "I'm right here" "I don't want anyone to know VJ" "Shh" He soothed her, his heart breaking as he listened to her sobs. "We'll figure it out. I promise you" He held her tight, at eighteen he wasn't exactly sure how to deal with it, he wanted to tell an adult, Kat especially but he would respect Billie's wishes for now. He'd help her as much as he could. "I got you" "Don't leave me, VJ" ~!~!~ April stood in the doorway of Bianca's room, looking at the woman she thought to be a mother, she was sitting in bed with her laptop. "Bianca" She called out her name, wanting to attract her attention. Heath had told her that the best thing to do would be to speak to Bianca about Liam, she wanted to take his advice. Bianca looked over at the doorway, surprised to see April standing there, she was supposed to be in bed. "Hey, everything okay?" "I want to talk" Bianca closed the lid of her laptop over, patting the bed beside her. "Come here" April crossed the floor and crawled up on the bed beside Bianca. "I am doing the student/army pen pal program through school" Bianca nodded, moving her laptop to the bedside table. "I remember" "Heath...that's my penpal. I talk to him about everything, well most stuff and he told me that I should talk to you about what is bothering me" April played with the edge of the blanket. "Liam was the first man I really depended on, the one I thought was going to stick around. He married you, had kids with you. I thought that he would be like a father" "Oh April" Bianca brushed April's dark hair away from her eyes. "I know this has hurt you, just like it has the kids but I...I never meant for this is happen" April sighed. "The worst part is I thought he was a good guy, he was going to love you and treat you right because you deserve that Bianca. You've given up so much to raise me, and you work so hard to provide everything especially since you are a single parent. I thought Liam was a good guy" "He's not a bad guy April, he just has no sense of responsibility" Bianca never wished to bad mouth Liam to April or the kids but she also didn't want them to go around worshiping him. "I have known something was bothering you, why has it taken Heath to convince you that you should?" April shrugged. "I don't know" April moved so that Bianca could wrap her arms around her. "I'm sorry I've been a bitch" "Language" Bianca warned, running her hand through April's hair. "Good thing you came to me tonight, one more time of you yelling at the kids would have landed you grounded" Bianca teased her a little. "I know this is hard April, but you have me and you always will" April hugged her. "I know. I love you Bianca" "I love you too, honey, more then you will ever know" ~!~!~ Hunter woke up to the sound of his door shutting softly. "Evie?" He yawned, leaning up on his elbow to switch the lamp on beside his bed. He squinted at the sudden brightness, making out her figure, she was standing beside the door with her arms hugging her body. "What happened?" He flung the blankets back when he noticed her tears. Evie pressed herself into the wall. "He's drunk" Hunter walked towards her, he saw the redness on her cheek. "Where is he...I'll..." "He passed out on the couch" She brushed her hands over her cheek. "He called me Leah" Hunter sighed, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. I think it's time to tell someone, I think we should tell Leah" Evie let the tears escape her eyes, clinging tightly to Hunter. Since Leah had kicked him out Zac had started drinking again, this time more the he had previously. He was becoming aggressive, at first it was verbal now it was physical. "I'm scared" For the first time she admitted to Hunter that she was terrified of what was going to happen next. Hunter rubbed her back, they were close, like brother and sister but since Leah and Zac had split they had forged a bond that made them feel closer. "Let's watch a movie, in the morning we'll go see Leah" Evie pulled back to look him in the eyes. "Can I sleep in here?" Hunter nodded. "Yeah, I'll take the floor. You want me to get you some ice?" Evie shook her head fiercely. "DON'T go out there" Hunter heard his hands up in surrender. "Woah, okay, I won't. Come on, let's get you settled" Up until the split, he had idolized his father. The man had everything he wanted for his future, now he just hated him. He hated him for everything he was doing to Evie, how he had kept them away from Leah and Matt and VJ. He just hated him.

Chapter Five June - Part 1, Day Time Charlie watch Brody as he wiped the glasses behind the bar at Salt, she had called in sick at work so that she could speak to him about Justin and Raffy. It was a conversation that couldn't be avoided no matter how much she wanted to. "Are you just going to stare at me all afternoon?" Brody teased. "I thought you had a shift" "I did" Charlie cleared her throat, walking up to the bar. "Could you use a break?" Brody raised his eyebrow at the voice she used. "Yeah, lets go out onto the balcony. Is everything alright? That tone usually means I have done something wrong" "I went to visit Bianca yesterday" "Is something wrong with Gracelynn?" Brody jumped to the conclusion. Charlie shook her head, she loved how devoted Brody was to his daughter, it was just one of the things that attracted her to him. "No. I went over to ask her what she knew of your family" The look in Brody's eyes changed. "I wanted to hear it from Bianca but she enlightened me about something, had she not been distracted with the twins she would have told you" Charlie took a deep breath. "Raffy is in Summerbay with Justin's wife" "What?!" "Brody, we need to speak about this, calmly and rationally. I need to tell you how I feel..." Brody placed his hands on the railing, looking out at the ocean. "If she is here then it should be easy to..." "Stop, listen to me" Charlie walked over to stand by him. "I can't raise another child, Brody. I have Ruby who is a teenager now and I adore Gracie, I love her but I am not ready not in the slightest to be responsible for another child. You are so eager to destroy Justin's happiness that you didn't bother to ask how I felt..." "Charlie, this is my sister. I need to do what is best for her" "You aren't doing this for the right reasons Brody. You want to take Raffy from Justin to hurt him, this isn't about what is best for your sister. Maybe if it was I would feel different" The whole idea seemed out of place, she understood that he would be angry at Justin for their past but it didn't give him the right to want to rip a thirteen year old from her home. He was her partner, and while she would always be supportive of him this was something he needed to consider. "You need to realise this doesn't just effect you or Justin. How about you start with visiting Raffy, discovering what her life is like" Brody breathed deeply, he didn't see how Raffy could be living a good life if Justin was away all the time, he didn't see how his brother had the right to look after their sister. "I just..." "You want justice for him leaving you" Charlie gently ran her hand over his arm. "But perhaps you need to speak with Justin, allow him to share his side of the story before you do something you can't take back. Just think about it" He turned to look at her. "This thing, kids...do you ever think about having more or are you telling me that you never see yourself being a mother again?" Charlie blinked, in the years that they had been together this was the first time he was looking at her with the seriousness regarding the conversation. They had joked about more kids but never discussed it. "I don't know, Brody" Brody shook his head, moving towards the restaurant. "You might want to figure that out" He through over his shoulder at her. ~!~!~ VJ saw her sitting under the tree crying and immediately he started running. "Bil! Hey Billie, what happened?" He dropped his bag to the ground and knelt down only to have her practically throw herself at him sending him scooting back onto his bum. "Hey, I got you" He spoke the words reassuringly. "I...I...I hate this" She cried, struggling to get her words out. VJ knew something wasn't right with her, the last week she'd been acting off. "Billie, what happened?" "I feel gross. I can't stop crying...I hate myself" Billie clung to him tighter. "What am I going to do?!" "Whoa, hey, talk to me. Did something happen with Kat?" "No!" Billie hiccuped. "I'm pregnant, that sounds horrible, so bad. This can't be happening" VJ listened to her rambling, completely stunned by her words. "Did you say pregnant?" He winced when Billie's cries became louder. "Hey, it's okay. I got you" He had no idea what had happened, as far as he knew she hadn't been seeing anyone. They shared everything about their lives, Billie wouldn't keep something like this from him. Billie leaned heavily on him allowing the tears to flow, not hiding the sadness that had taken over her body. She hated herself, hated her life. The child she was carrying a reminder of the worst pieces of the world. She felt so alone, couldn't tell Kat, Marty was gone, alone. Billie clung to VJ, he had been her constant since they were twelve and every piece of her needed him now more then ever. "I'm alone" VJ rubbed her back. "No, god no Bil, you aren't alone. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere" He kissed the top of her head, they would talk about it later, right now all she needed was him. ~!~!~ Hunter grabbed Evie gently by the arm. "Come with me" He started to pull her towards the diner. Evie frowned. "What are you doing? We aren't allowed to go..." He stopped, turning his body to face her. "I know what he did" He watched Evie's face pale. "We have to tell Leah" "No" Evie shook her head. "We can't tell Leah and we can't go there" She pointed to the diner. "If we do it'll only make things worse" "How can it get any worse?" He pushed her hair over her shoulder. "He can't get away with that" He pointed. Evie smiled softly, placing her hand on Hunter's arm. The kid was more then a cousin to her, he was more a brother now. "I'm okay, I promise" She added when she saw his skeptical look. "If we tell Leah anything it will only make it worse. We live with him" "We shouldn't" Hunter mumbled, anger clouding his eyes. "I should have been there" Evie grabbed the straps on her backpack. "You can't be with me all the time. I'm fine" "I think we should..." "Evie!" Hunter snapped his mouth closed when he heard Matt's call. "We have to do something" Evie sent him a warning glare as Matt reached them. "Hey" She hugged him. "Did you bring..." "Muffins" He held up the bag. "Leah packed two extra, for school tomorrow" He glanced at Hunter. "Everything alright?" Since the split between Zac and Leah, things had been different, Evie had been acting different and Hunter seemed angrier. "It's fine!" Hunter snapped. "I'll see you later, Evie" Matt raised his eyebrow, looking at Evie with a slight frown. "What's up with him? Did you guys have another fight with Zac? I keep saying you should speak to Leah about it, if you asked to live with her she'd let you" "It's not that simple Matt" Evie grabbed his hand. "I really wish it was" All she wanted was to run to Leah and tell her everything, the woman had raised her for the past seven years, been every bit of the mother figure Evie wanted, but somethings were better off left alone. If she told the truth there was no telling what Zac would do. ~!~!~ "Rocco. Harley. I want you two to put your pyjamas on, then we can have a hot chocolate before bed" Phoebe called upstairs to the two boys who was supposedly playing a board game. Raffy looked up from her homework. "I was thinking I could write Justin a letter, could we post it on the way to the shops tomorrow?" Phoebe heard the doorbell and grabbed the handle of the front door, pulling it open as she spoke to Raffy. "I think your father would love it. Maybe you could help the boys with one for your Uncle" She glanced towards the man standing in front of her. "Can I help you?" "Are you Phoebe Morgan?" Phoebe raised her eyebrow. "That would be me. You are?" "Brody" "Raff, honey, go upstairs and help your cousins get ready for bed" Raffy stood up from the table casting Phoebe a weird look. She had the door closed over slightly, like she was concealing the person from her view. "Who is at the do..." "Go upstairs, Raffy" Raffy new that tone, it was Phoebe's do as your told, no questions asked tone. "Yes Ma'am" Phoebe waited until she heard the footsteps on the stairs before she cast a look to the man in front of her. "What can I do for you?" "You can let me meet my sister"

Chapter Four June Leah looked up from the sandwich she was making to watch her son who was sitting at the dining room table doing his homework. "VJ, is everything alright? You seem distracted" VJ shrugged. "Worried about Billie" Leah hated that she thought it yet sometimes her son seemed to worry to much about the girl. "She'll talk to you if she needs to and you forget sometimes that she has Kat" "Does she?" VJ glanced up. "Kat is consumed with Ash's case, she barely pays attention to Billie anymore" "That isn't true" "Isn't it? If Kat isn't at work then she has her head buried in the case, why do you think Bil has been spending the majority of her time at Bianca's with April" Leah raised her eyebrow, that was news to her and she would have been lying if she wasn't a little concerned by that. Kat had promised her that Billie wouldn't suffer, that the girl would always be her first priority. "I didn't know April and Billie were friends" "They weren't. I actually think April feels sorry for her. Ruby, she isn't..." He trailed off, the feud between Ruby and Billie came down to Charlie being the cop to arrested and help put Ash away. "Billie and Ruby still don't talk, I don't think Ruby even knows April and Billie hang out" He looked over at his mum. "Doesn't matter though, I just can't shake the feeling that Billie is keeping something from me. We tell each other everything but lately she's been acting different. Seems distracted, disengaged, doesn't look like she is sleeping" "If your worried then I will mention it to Kat, but your right VJ, she tells you everything so you need to have faith that she will come to you when she is ready. Finish your homework" Leah turned back to the sandwich she was making before she glanced back up. "Did you see Hunter today?" "Yeah, you need to talk to Zac mum. Hunter is paying the price for you guys splitting up" Leah sighed, staring down at the bread in front of her. Their split had to do with Zac's infidelity, he slept with Sam, broke their vow but somehow she was the one that was made to feel like the bad guy. The one that was left wondering if sending him away was the best outcome. Nine years of marriage just thrown away, he took with him Hunter and Evie. Now half their family was living on one side of town and half on the other. "Mum..." VJ called his mothers name as he opened the fridge. "You okay?" "Evie..." "She's been hanging around Matt. She's okay, missing home. Just talk to Zac" He grabbed his drink and headed back to the table. Leah didn't want to speak to Zac, didn't want to look at him but Hunter was only 16 and Evie 17. Hunter was six when she had met Zac, and Evie had come to live with them when she was ten. They were apart of her life and since splitting with Zac he had kept them away from her, not even allowing them to come into the diner when she was working. Making her feel as though she was being punished for needing time apart. ~!~!~ Bianca stared at Charlie, she could not believe the words that had left the woman's mouth. "Do you realise that this sounds a little insane?" Bianca placed the coffee cups down onto the table. "Yes" Charlie sat down. "I am not ready to raise another child" She placed her hands around her coffee cup. "You were with him for a while, what do you know of his childhood?" Bianca knew that Brody was a private person, despite having been with Charlie for a few years, she knew that Brody hadn't shared much about his family or his childhood with her . "Charlie, it isn't my place. You should ask Brody about this" "He's told me a few things. Where are Tori and Mason?" Bianca bit her bottom lip, looking down at her coffee. Despite separating from Brody they were still good friends, co-parents to a little girl, a team. "As far as I know they live in Perth. The family broke up after Justin left with Raffy..." Bianca paused, with everything on her mind she had forgotten to tell Brody. "Raffy is here" Charlie almost spat the coffee out of her mouth. "What do you mean here, as in here in Summerbay?" "Yes. I was meant to call last night but I got side tracked with the twins. I have a new music teacher, Phoebe Morgan, Raffy was with her so I am guessing she is Justin's wife" Charlie placed her hands over her mouth. "Right. Oh god, how are we going to tell Brody? He is going to want to see her. Bianca, what am I going to do if he want to fight for custody? I have Ruby and I absolutely love Gracie but I am not ready to raise another child" ~!~!~ "Harley, time for a bath" Phoebe shouted upstairs to the little boy who was supposed to be cleaning up his toys. "Raffy, Rocco, once that show is finished I want you to do the dishes" Raffy nudged Rocco when he moaned like any nine year old would. "Sure thing, Phoebe" "Can we skype daddy after bath time?" Harley came running down the stairs. Phoebe glanced at the time, they had missed their last call with Heath when they had been told his scheduled skype calls had been moved to Thursday instead. "Of course we can, let's get you in the bath first though" She lifted him up into her arms. "Rocco, make sure you help Raffy" She knew her nephew inside and out, he would try to squirm his way out of doing any chore. "I don't want to speak to dad" Rocco mumbled standing up from the couch. "I'm going upstairs" Phoebe frowned. "Rocco, your dad looks forward to this call every week" She wouldn't force him but lately she had started to recognize that Rocco's behavior about his father and the army was changing. She hated to admit that a part of her understood it, for him he was a nine year old boy growing up with only an Aunt as a parental figure in his day to day life, knowing that his dad was constantly away working and for the most part unreachable was hurting him. "Raff, can you go run a bath for Harley?" She placed the little one on the floor. "Go with your cousin honey" "I don't want to talk about it Aunt Phoebe" Phoebe placed her hands on Rocco's shoulders and directed him back towards the couch. "Kid, I know this is hard but you have to talk to me if something is bothering you. Communication is the key" They sat down. "Why are you angry?" "I am not angry" Phoebe raised her eyebrow. "You know that it is okay to be upset sometimes, this is hard for all of us. When I met Justin and Heath, Raffy was only four and you were still in your mothers stomach. They were home from a tour for five months, in that time you were born" Phoebe brushed the hair out of his eyes. "I was your Auntie from the moment you entered this world" She didn't go into the details of his mother, Rocco understood that that woman was not ready to be a mother and left him after they were released from hospital. "When your dad and Justin left again they entrusted me with you and Raffy" Rocco squirmed in his seat. "I know this Aunt Phoebe" "Rocco, I had only known them five months, I was amazed at how much they trusted me and I promised myself I would do absolutely everything in my power to keep you safe and happy" "You always have" She smiled at him, deep down he was a just a sweet boy who missed his father. "You're not happy right now though, are you?" Rocco shrugged. "I miss dad" Phoebe pulled him into a hug despite his weak protests. "I know you do and I bet Harley misses him too" She kissed the top of his head. "I love you kid and I want you to know that you can always talk to me about this stuff. Your dad is away working and he misses you too" Rocco blinked, finally wrapping his arms around Phoebe to return to the hug. "I want him to come home" "He will and when he does we'll have one of our favorite movie nights with pizza and ice-cream" "Aunt Phoebe?" "Yes?" Rocco squeezed her. "Thank-you for taking care of me and being my mum even if your not" Phoebe blinked back the tears that formed in her eyes. "It is my pleasure kid" ~!~!~ "1. 2. 3. Blast off" Billie swung Theo through the air. "Oh no, the aliens are on to us. Quick Theo laugh, laughing makes the rocket fly faster" She smiled when the little boy started giggling. "Space alien April, they are getting away" Ethan tugged on April's top. April handed him a nerf gun. "Time for action. Let's shoot him down" "Quick, Astronaut Billie they are going to get us" Gracelynn pointed to the chair. "Let's land on planet..." "Bogger!" Theo shouted. "Ew" Gracie wrinkled her nose. "Planet Bogger" Elijah stood on the couch hands on his hips. "Time for WAR!" Bianca placed the pizza down onto the table. "Who's hungry?" She laughed when they dropped their guns and came running into the kitchen. "Having fun?" She ran her hands over Theo's hair as Billie placed him in the high chair. "Yes!" Elijah grinned. "Billie is soooo much fun and she makes April play with us" April blushed, looking down at her plate at those words wondering if Billie wasn't here if she would actually be playing with them or in her room hiding away. "Let's eat" Bianca smiled at Billie. "You young lady are going to make an amazing mother one day" She turned away failing to notice the way Billie turned pale as if the words struck her.

Chapter Three June Billie took a deep breath outside of the house, trying to calm herself and keep a straight face before she went inside to see Kat, she knew that the cop would most likely be sitting looking over Marty's case again and it should have made her happy, happy that someone was fighting so hard to get her brother back but Billie just wanted it all over. She wanted to be able to come home and watch a movie with Kat and cuddle up to eat ice-cream like they used to do when Marty was sleeping. She wanted the woman back who had raised her through her teenage years. Sighing, she plastered on a fake smile to hold in all the inner turmoil and she opened the door. "Kat, I'm home" She shut the front door, placing her school bag down on the bench seat. "Hey Bil" Kat walked out of the bedroom, dressed in a pair of sweats and a white shirt, lounge clothes that actually made her looked relaxed. "How was school?" "Fine. You feeling alright?" Kat smiled weakly. "Been a long day. How about we order a pizza tonight?" "Suits me" Billie walked over to the fridge to pull out the orange juice. "I thought you were working?" "No" Kat sat down at the end of the table. "Thought it was time that you and I had a talk" Billie turned to look at her guardian. "If this is about Marty, I don't want to talk about it" "Billie" "No Kat! Two years, it's been two years. He refuses to let me visit him in jail, I get a letter a month..." Kat looked sympathetic. "I know it's hard" Billie shook her head. "He promised to be there for me when mum died, I was twelve years old and he promised he would be there, he made it four years Kat, four years and if you hadn't been there I would be in foster care!" Billie could feel the tears springing to her eyes. "How am I meant to do this without him?" Kat frowned at the words that slipped from Billie's mouth, knowing that there was more to the words. "Do what without him?" Billie clamped her mouth shut, her face paling slightly. "No...Nothing...just life" She stuttered. "I have homework" "Billie, hey honey, talk to me" "There is nothing to talk about Kat. Marty isn't getting out of jail" ~!~!~ Charlie stared at Brody as he paced back and forth across the floor with his arms crossed and anger clouding his face, he was rarely ever like this except when it came to speaking about Justin. "Brody..." They had yet to speak about the bombshell he had dropped on her two days earlier. "What I don't get is why he wanted Raffy to begin with. He enlisted in the army two years after he was given custody of her, why would he do that?" Charlie listened to him rant, truth be told despite being with Brody for three years she didn't know much about the Morgan family history just the simple things like Justin separating from his family and then taking on his half-sister that no one had known about. "Brody, like you are saying you don't know his reasons. We are not about to go in and take Raffy out of a home" Brody turned to her. "He should be with her" "This is clearly bothering you but why? In the three years we've been together you've never wanted to see Raffy and you have certainly never called Justin. What triggered this?" Charlie stood up, walking towards him she laid a hand on his arm. "Why are you so determined to hate your brother?" Brody sighed, it was impulsive to think that he could just walk in and pull a thirteen year old out of her home but Justin never should have been given custody. Decker thought it was for the best but how, how was Raffy any better off. "He walked away, seventeen years old, and he just walked out of the door one day. He came home a year later, accompanied by the police. They told us our mother died saving him, our mother! None of us had seen him in a year but she died to protect him" Brody breathed deeply shaking his head. "He was eighteen and legally the only person we had left since our fathers passing. Tori was sixteen, I was only fourteen. He hung it out for a year, then Decker showed up and pulled him aside. Justin took off with Raffy leaving us behind" "Brody..." "He left us, you know, he just walked away. Mason was three!" Charlie raised her eyebrow. "Decker never told you what he said to Justin?" "No. Clearly he gave Justin an out one kid instead of three and Justin took it" Charlie placed her hand on both his cheeks. "Alright, say that is the truth then what is triggering this now, why bring it up?" "A week from now is the day our mother died. I want Justin to hurt like he hurt us" ~!~!~ April, You're angry and sad. Your handwriting is displaying that, the ink soaked with tears which has made it run. Life is hard, trials are face and sometimes it takes one longer to heal from a wound then another. Your sister or mother, (I am a little confused by this, you will need to clarify which she is) clearly loves your brothers very much, it would be crushing her to know that she will need to tell them something that will break their hearts so go easy on her, she'll tell them soon. From what you have told me this man does not deserve to have those children in his life, nor does he deserve to have you. I know that I could never abandon my sons. Just know that you have a strong woman who you have endlessly described in letters who has done nothing but good by you, that woman is on your side. You need to be honest with her, tell her that this man, this Liam, has completely gutted your heart by making you think that you could depend on a man but know that it does not mean you will never find someone worthy enough to lean on, not all men are like that. Like I told you in my last letter to you, you don't need a father when you have a mother that would give the world for you. I would love to hear more about school, the last letter was brief...take time, this writing doesn't need to be weekly, I believe the program only aims for a letter a month. Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Heath. April twirled her pen in her hand, placing the letter down on the desk beside her notepad. Taking a moment to think about his words. When she signed up for the student/army pen pal program never did she think she'd be telling the person on the other end all of her problems. But his words, the way he spoke it her, it felt nice just to have someone to talk to and not be yelled at or judged. Whoever his sons were, they were lucky to have a father that was so incrediably understanding. Staring at the notepad she bit her bottom lip... Heath, A letter a month doesn't seem like enough...and one a week is just scraping by. Bianca is my sister, but legally she is my adoptive mother. I love her like a mother, she's been raising me basically since I was born but she didn't gain official custody till I was six. Long story, but basically my biological mother is a bitch and Bianca who was eighteen at the time could care for me better. I don't think I am hard on her, I just don't want my brothers to be lied too, to have hope in Liam. I had hope in him and now it's just anger, so much anger. I thought for once I would have a father, or a father figure at least, and he just left you know...your boys at pretty lucky to have you, someone who loves them. School is ordinary, nothing spectacular. We have a new student, younger and Bianca thought I was the perfect person to show her around. I can't remember her name...it's different though not one you hear everyday. "April, dinner is ready. Can you get Theo from the playroom?" "One minute" Sorry to cut this short. Bianca has cooked dinner, and no she is not a good cook, ten dollars says we buy a pizza. Tell me more about your family... Till next time. April. April ripped the page out of the book before folding it up and putting it in an envelope, stuffing it in the front of her bag to mail off tomorrow. "April!" "Coming!" April zipped her bag shut and stood up. "I hope you're right Heath and she does tell them soon" ~!~!~ Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

Chapter Two June "Ethan. Elijah. Come get your shoes on or you'll be late for kindergarten" Bianca shifted Theo on her hip leaning her head to the side to avoid being whacked by his toy truck. "I want daddy to take me" Elijah whined, coming into the living room carrying his spiderman backpack. Bianca cringed, every morning the same question followed by the same answer. "Eli, your daddy doesn't live here anymore, I take you to kinder. Come on, shoes on please" She awkwardly leant down to pass him his spiderman gumboots. "Why can't daddy..." "Your dad doesn't want to take you Eli but your mum is so just put your shoes on" April came into the room snapping at the four year old. "April!" Bianca scolded watching Eli's body tremble. "Oh buddy, daddy is just busy. April doesn't mean it" April rolled her eyes. "Yeah right" She mumbled sarcastically. Bianca shot her a warning look, ever since she had separated from Liam during her pregnancy with Theo, April had become a difficult teenager, resembling someone Bianca didn't recognize. "Watch it" Bianca warned, rubbing Elijah's shoulder. "How about I give your daddy a call later and see if we can arrange something" Elijah's face brightened a little. "Really?" "Really" Bianca smiled weakly. "Go get your brother" "He won't show up. Why don't you just explain that to them? It's been two years" April looked at Theo. "They love him April, he might not be the best father but they are four years old to them he is amazing" "Amazing at never being around" Bianca sighed, feeling Theo lean against her shoulder, she rubbed his back. Liam barely acknowledged Theo, he simple refused to believe that the littlest boy could be his but for the twins it was different. They knew he was their father and they loved him regardless of him not being around. April might have wanted her to explain but she couldn't bring herself to break her boy’s hearts again. "I can't break their hearts April" April scoffed, shaking her head. "Their hearts are already breaking, every time they see Brody coming to pick up Gracelynn. They see what Gracie has and they want it, but the reality is Bianca, they will never have it" "April!" Bianca could see that the teenager was clearly angry, anger sparked by a conversation regarding Liam. "You might upset them, break their hearts but it will only be once instead of the constant every time he doesn't show up...because he never will" ~!~!~ "Belinda" "Huh" The use of her full name seemed to bring her back to earth, a sheepish look crossed her face when she saw VJ staring at her, they were supposed to be studying for a history test but instead they had done nothing. Her fault. "Sorry" VJ raised his eyebrow; he couldn't help but be slightly concerned. They became best-friends when they were twelve years old and he had only seen her like this a few times. "Everything okay?" Billie grabbed her books off the table. "Everything is fine" Her words came out rushed. VJ watched as she silently stuffed her books into the bag concerned washing over him. "Everything okay at home with Kat?" He studied her face. Billie nodded. "Yeah, everything is fine" She brushed off his concern. "She has been working too hard on Marty's case. It's been two years. If she’s was going to find evidence to overturn his conviction she would have found it already" "Is that what has you so distracted?" The question caught Billie off guard but in truth over the last two years she had sort of become accustomed to this life, Kat was her solid at the moment. "Ummm" VJ reached across the table and squeezed her hand gently. In the years they had known each other his feelings for her had changed from love of friendship to something more. Though he had never acted on it. In fear that he could potentially lose their friendship. So he chose to be there for her instead hoping one day he'd see the signs in her. "Hey. I'm here. I'm here, Bil, when you are ready" Billie knew what he meant, he'd be there when she was ready to talk about whatever was bothering her but she wasn't sure she would ever be ready. The anxiety. The nightmares. The fear. Bill was terrified, seeing it, thinking about it was enough. She was absolutely certain she could never speak about it. "I know" She squeezed his hand trying to draw as much comfort from the simple gesture as she could VJ was her constant, the one person always there for her and while she wanted to confide in him she was terrified in losing him. ~!~!~ "Are you ready?" "Nope" "Raffy" Phoebe sighed; they were standing in front of Summerbay High both about to face their first day. This was their fourth move in three years, Phoebe hated it, having to uproot them but the job, she needed it, something more stable and long term. "I know this isn't where you want to be but please try to make this work" The words were pleading, Phoebe knew that Raffy was stubborn after all she had been raising the girl since she was just four years old. Raffy sighed. "I'll try it but only because I have no choice" Phoebe took Raffy's hand in hers. "How about a deal" "What kind of deal?" The teenager raised her eyebrow. Phoebe battled with her mind unsure if it was a wise idea but she had to take the lead of faith that Raffy would come to love Summerbay. "Give this place a chance until Justin and Heath get back from Afghanistan, if you still hate it then we will sit down with your dad and uncle and find the perfect place to live" Raffy frowned; both her dad and uncle were on a six month tour only having been deployed two months ago. "Four months" Phoebe nodded. "Yes but it has to be an honest effort. Your cousins need you to try, if you don't it will affect them too" Rocco and Harley weren't her biological cousins just as Justin was technically her half-brother and Rocco and Harley's father Heath was his best-friend. "I'll try" Phoebe smiled. "Thank-you. Besides you might like it here" "Doubtful. I loved the city" Phoebe knew how Raffy felt but rent was expensive in the city and she had been only able to find a casual bartending job add in a thirteen, nine and five year old, this had left her no choice then to find something more stable. Summerbay's housing market had allowed her to place a deposit on a house she liked with Justin and Heath contributing. "Are we actually going in, we'll be late otherwise?" Phoebe blinked. "Let's go, I have to meet the principle, Bianca Scott, I think her name is..." ~!~!~ Leah stood in the kitchen of the farm house watching Kat stare at a bunch of case notes, files were spread out in front of the cop, her laptop open. VJ had texted asking if she could check on Kat, she was glad she did. Kat didn't look as though she had slept or eaten in weeks. "Kat, I think you need some rest" Leah gently prided the notes from her hands, staring at her friend with sympathetic eyes. "When was the last time you slept? A proper night, not just a power nap" "I can't" Kat stood up from her chair. "Coffee?" Leah raised her eyebrow, taking a look at the sink, the empty coffee cups lying all over. "Kat, perhaps you should give the coffee a rest" Kat sighed flicking the kettle on, she turned to her friend. "Leah, if you are here to judge..." "No" Leah stepped around the table. "I'm not judging you. I am worried, you are working..." "I'm trying to find a way to clear Ash's name. He didn't do this Leah, he shouldn't be in prison" "Kat..." Leah could hear her friend’s voice breaking. "Two years, two years and I've gone down every rabbit hole; I don't know what to do. Maybe, I missed something...Leah, he is innocent" Leah pulled Kat into a hug, the woman's strong facade breaking. "We know he is innocent. The entire community is behind you, behind Billie. We are here for you to lean on" Kat sobbed. "How am I supposed to tell her, Leah? How am I supposed to tell Billie that I have no idea what to do?" Leah pulled away from her. "Did you find the woman, the witness Ash said was there?" "I think...the woman, the witness Ash said was there, and well the name on the original police report was fake. When I dug deeper I found...Leah what I found cannot be of use to me. I have to find another way" Leah saw the complete look of uncertainty in Kat's face. "And if there is no other way?" Kat's bottom lip quivered. "Then I risk losing the man I love to prison for the next twenty five years for a crime he did not commit" "Hey, you are doing your best, not only for Ash but for Billie" Kat shook her head. "My best isn't good enough anymore. My fiancé was framed for murder and I was left to raise his sixteen year old sister" ~!~!~ Thankyou for your comments. Just to clear something up, Brody and Bianca are Gracelynn's parents. Recapping: Kat 28 raising Billie 18. Leah 36 raising VJ 18. (We'll meet more of Leah's family in coming chapters. Hope you enjoyed it!

Story Title: OverComeType Of Story: Long FicMain Characters: Billie, VJ, Justin, Heath, Leah, Bianca - The list goes on, there will be a whole bunch of people in this. BTTB Rating: T/AGenre: Drama/Family/Romance/GeneralDoes story include spoilers: If from UK then yes.Any warnings: Violence: Mild if any at all. Sexual content: Mild to moderate.Summary: Summerbay seemed to be a place where people came to feel at home, the relationships between people were close, some of them closer then anyone expected. Can this close nit community over come all that they face with the help of family and friends? Chapter One June “Unbelievable” Bianca ranted, snapping her phone shut, chucking it on the couch beside her. “Unbelievable” Anger. She felt like she was surrounded by it ready to be swallowed whole. Nobody told her that being a parent meant going through things that tested every part of you as a human. Nobody had told her that she would essentially do it all on her own without the help of a man who was supposed to love his children. Bianca was gutted because this wasn’t what she had dreamt of since she was a teenager, her plan had been to have her first child at twenty eight, not be twenty eight with four children, five including the sister she raised. “Mummy!” “Mum!” Bianca squeezed the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath as she turned around to see the twins racing towards her. “What is the matter, guys?” “When is daddy coming?” It only made the anger she was feeling boil, the excitement on their faces at the anticipation of seeing their father. It amazed her how much they could idolize him when he was never around. “Well…” She knelt down to their height, brushing the blonde hair out of Ethan’s eyes. “I know you both want to see your daddy but he is very busy today and won’t be able to take you for a sleepover” Her heart broke when Ethan’s shoulders slumped, the man had one weekend a month visitation and he couldn’t even commit to spending that much time with his children. “Oh” Bianca immediately pulled the four year old into a hug. “I’m sorry” She whispered to him, taking a moment to look at Eli. “Elijah…” “I don’t ever want to see him” Eli shouted, turning around he ran out of the room, his feet stomping on the stairs. “Daddy never comes anymore” Ethan whined. “Gracie always sees her daddy” Bianca rubbed her sons back, that was something she struggled with daily. Different men, different fathers with different priorities. “I know buddy. Hey, how about we do something fun this weekend, maybe we could see a movie?” When he didn’t respond she tried to entice him. “We’ll do something exciting, I promise. You, me, Eli and Theo” “April!” Bianca smiled. “April as well if she doesn’t have plans with her friends” This was part of her life, making up for the time that Liam was missing with his children because he was out with some girl he found at a bar. It wasn’t where she expected to be at twenty eight. ~!~!~ “Why are we doing this?” Phoebe stared at the house before her. Four bedroom beach house with a beautiful yard, five minute walk to the beach. Everything about it was different to before; there was no hustle and bustle of the city, no sounds of sirens or the people in the apartment next door pumping music. A small town was the last place she expected to be but it had a close nit community and that was exactly what she was looking for. Raffy’s question had cut through the peacefulness and she found herself exhausted at the thought of having to explain it again. “I applied for a job here, Raffy, you know this” “I loved the city, my school, my friends” Phoebe glanced over at her. “You’ll make new friends, and eventually you will come to love it here. I know it isn’t the city but we need this” “Aunt Phoebe, can we go inside now?” Phoebe glanced down to look at Rocco who was standing to her right. “Of course. No one is sharing a room this time. There are three bedrooms upstairs, biggest room goes to the oldest, smallest to the youngest” She watched Raffy and Rocco walk off up the porch steps and she sighed, taking the brief moment to breathe in the fresh air. “I like it here Auntie Phoebe” Phoebe smiled down at the littlest of the group, five year old Harley. “I do too bud. Come on, let’s go find your room” She let Harley pull her towards the house, her thoughts drifting again. It had to work out here, she couldn’t keep moving them around and both Justin and Heath needed a place to call home when they returned. ~!~!~ “Charlie!” Charlie turned around just in time to catch the body running in her direction. “Hey Gracie girl, how are you?” She hugged the eight year old tightly. “I’m good. Dad picked me up from school and we got a milkshake. Is Ruby home?” Charlie chuckled at the young girl’s excitement. “Ruby is on her way home. Why don’t you put your bag in your room and then you can help me prepare dinner?” “Okay. I’ll be back” She turned around and rushed out of the room. “Hey babe” Charlie wrapped her arms around her fiancé. “Hey yourself. I feel like I haven’t seen you in days” “Says the woman who has been working double shifts at the station” He kissed her cheek before nuzzling his face into her neck. “You sure you’re alright to look after Gracelynn tonight? I’m short staffed at the restaurant” Charlie could tell her felt horrible about leaving her with Gracie while he went to work; usually he tried to shift the workload around so that he could be home for the time that he had Gracie, which was only every second weekend; however she didn’t mind looking after the young girl. “It is fine; we are having a girl’s night. Ruby said she would be here as well” Despite having being together for almost three years she knew that he felt as though he was using her as a babysitter. “You alright?” “I’m fine. Slightly bummed I won’t be home tonight” “Bianca will let you have Gracie another night, just ask” “It’s not that, I know Bianca will be fine with it. It’s just the restaurant is taking up a lot of time lately, time I would rather be spending with you and the girls” Charlie pulled back slightly. “We’ve got plenty of time to spend together; right now the business needs you” “Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?” “Um..." Charlie tilted her head to the side acting as though she had to think about it. “Nope, I don't think so” “Well then, I love you” He leaned down and captured her lips. “Oh geez. PDA Alert!!!!” Ruby smacked her hands over her eyes. “Guys!” Charlie pulled away and buried her head in his chest. “Ruby!” “What mum? You and Brody are the ones making out in the kitchen. Is Gracie here, geez, I am going to warn her not to come in here before you scare her for life” Brody rolled his eyes as Ruby walked out of the room. "She is dramatic" “Well she is my daughter, what do you expect?” Charlie teased. “Alright, get outta here. Go to work” Brody leaned down and kissed her lips quickly. “Tonight when I get home, I have to speak to you about something” Charlie raised her eyebrow, it sounded serious. “What are you talking about?” “I heard from a friend that Justin was deployed again. I've stood idly by for years but Raffy would be thirteen now, this would be interrupting what is about to be her most important years of education. I want to know who he is leaving her with, and if I am not satisfied then I want us to talk about taking her” ~!~!~ I have edited this and made a few slight changes, not sure if they will be noticeable. Hope you enjoy! In the first chapter you have met three families, recapping you have: Bianca 28 raising sister April 16, daughter Gracelynn 8 (With Brody), twin sons Ethan and Elijah 4 and son Theo 2 (With Liam) Phoebe 27 raising Raffy 13 and has nephews Rocco 9 and Harley 5 in her care. Charlie and Brody, Charlie has daughter Ruby 16 and Brody has daughter Gracelynn 8 (With Bianca) In the next chapter, you will meet 2 more families. Any guesses on who they will be? And we find out some more about these families as well. Hope you enjoyed it!