Watched...For Nineteen Years

[dolly-999]

Story Title: Watched...for Nineteen Years

Type of story: long fic

Main Characters: Multiple characters

BTTB rating: G

Genre: Mixture

Does story include spoilers: No

Any warnings: V/D SC L

Summary: Every week night at seven the average person sits down in front of the television to watch one of Australia's favorite soap operas, Home and Away. Set in the fictional town of Summer bay, but what they don't know is that Summer bay is not at all fiction.

Watched.......... For nineteen years.

What you don't know about Summer bay

Introduction

Every week night at seven the average person sits down in front of the television to watch one of Australia's favorite soap operas, Home and Away. Set in the fictional town of Summer bay, but what they don't know is that Summer bay is not at all fiction.

Welcome to Summer bay the town where every where you go your guaranteed to know someone and television is so rare that it's almost a crime to own one. But something they don't know is that for the last nineteen years Summer bay has been watched, cameras located in almost every home, office, building, fence post and even telegraph poles record hours and hours of footage of the communities every move, and the video footage is then sent to channel sevens studio located in the city of Sydney, but somewhere along the communication from the cameras to the studio, information has been changed, shuffled, deleted and added so much so that the number of times channel seven has got the lives of the community of Summer bay wrong are uncountable, and it would probably easier for me to just tell you what they did get right.

So if they've got it wrong then what really happened.............

Mistake 1, part a.

Roo (Ruth) Stewart, or should I say Roo Macklin sat in the living room of her home which she shared with her husband Brett Macklin and six year old daughter Martha. Ever since she had met Brett her life had become complicated, sighing she got up and went to the kitchen to start making dinner, when Brett got home from work, dinner would be expected to be waiting on the table for him, six thirty sharp, no later, no earlier, just like everything else with him it had to be what he said when he wanted it. Come to think of it he was still the same as when she met him, and to be honest the only reason she even spoke to him was to make herself out to be something, something she felt she wasn't. Maybe she should of specified what that something she wanted was, cause she had gotten something not what she wanted, but it was something, something destructive, something that got so out of hand that she was pregnant before she even knew the truth about him and after Martha was born she had no choice but to insure her child's future and marry him, he didn't love her, he just love the fact that he had a way of twisting her arm just the amount needed to make her do anything, and that anything didn't just stop with his demands for dinner on time or for the house to be spotless when he arrived, it had gotten so out of hand that Martha, his own daughter was to be out of his sight until after dinner and then she was to be put to bed only seeing him long enough to say got night. He was self centered, coming and going as he pleased, sometimes for weeks just because he didn't feel like putting up with her, or because the girl from work that Roo knew nothing about was more as he liked to call it, classy.

'How did I get myself into this mess' Roo thought to herself, well that was actually a stupid question though, she knew exactly how she go into this, she'd just been focusing on one thing instead of the consequences. If only she'd just tried her best to get along with her new step mother Alicia, then maybe it wouldn't have gotten so far out of hand that her own father had to turn his back on her and send her far away to boarding school.

She didn't know what had happened to her life, it was just like yesterday she had been a fourteen year old girl with a father she could tell anything to, and then that, that, that........ arrrrr, why did he even have to fall in love with her in the first place, she was his daughter and he choose Alicia over her! 'As soon as she came along my life got complicated' she told herself, she was right too, she was pregnant at fifteen, married soon after to someone that deep down she would of hated if her circumstances had been different, and now at twenty one her life had still gone nowhere, well that was probably exaggerated slightly, she loved her daughter Martha, right from the bottom of her heart, that was the reason why she married Brett in the first place and kept holding herself together and dealt with him as best she could, making sure that Martha knew as little as possible about what her father was really like.

“I'm home” Brett's voice called from the front door.

“It's only six though” Roo replied, her heart skipped a beat in fear, she hated it when he came home early.

“Yeah I called you and left a message. Didn't you get it?”

'Oh, no' Roo thought to herself, this was most likely going to turn into a screaming match. “No, I didn't get any messages today”.

“Oh, ok” Brett said putting his keys down on the edge of the bench and then looked at the table. “Where's dinner?”

“It's coming”.

“Well I'm home so it should already be here” he told her raising his voice.

A rush of fear ran through her again, if the yelling wasn't bad enough that business suit he was always in made it even harder to get through to him, unlike most business men, Brett didn't have a work mood and a home and family mood, it was always just the same old heartless, money making, self centered, vain, clod blooded man her was. 'Ok Ruth pull yourself together, you can handle him, just like you've handled him in the last six years'. “Look Brett, I do my best to get your dinner on the table when you want it, now you can't expect me to be a mind reader who knows ever day that your going to decide to show up here early” she yelled, relaxing her shoulders in satisfaction on how that all came out.

Brett just sighed impatiently and sat down with his back turned to her, “very well then”.

Roo just smiled, she'd gotten the better of him, which wasn't exactly an everyday event, the last time she could remember being the one with the last word was about a month ago. “I thought you said you canceled that meeting this afternoon” she started, trying to make some sort of conversation.

“Well some important issues came up that need to be addressed” Brett explained, not sounding to least bit concerned about what he had missed.

“You know Martha was devastated when you didn't show up to see her”.

“It was a ballet recital not the end of the world, I'm sure she'll live” looking up for a second from the newspaper he had started reading.

“You just don't give a damn do you Brett, she's your daughter, our daughter, doesn't that mean anything to you?” Roo exclaimed, getting more and more worked up, how could anyone be so heartless?

“Yes, I just had more important things to do”.

“No, Brett, you didn't, our little girl doesn't even know you cause you don't give a stuff about even asking how she is every once and a while, you spent every fathers day off on business trips, had extra work on her birthday and the least you could of done was taken five minutes to talk to her over the phone, but you didn't did you”.

“Look, Ruth, I put a roof over both of your heads, so don't you start with me about who does what”.

“I wasn't talking about money, I was talking about Martha, but she obviously isn't anything to you, all you care about is money” Roo screamed, no realizing that Martha was in the next room listening to the whole thing.

“I don't have to put up with this” Brett explained in a low harsh voice before storming out.

Roo, felling more stressed then she had in the last week, sighed and sat down at the table, berrying her face in her hands. “Mummy” Martha started as she came into the room with tears running down her face, “is daddy coming home this time?”

What do you think?

[-Jade-]

Very good! Have you read the 3rd part of my fic "Arranged"? And not to be pushy or anything but are you thinking of finishing "Some life for a princess.."? But anyway this fan fic is very original- what a great idea! You definitely have a talent for writing!

[Nicom]

Very good! Have you read the 3rd part of my fic "Arranged"? And not to be pushy or anything but are you thinking of finishing "Some life for a princess.."? But anyway this fan fic is very original- what a great idea! You definitely have a talent for writing!

Totally agree jackandmartha!!! You are very good at writing, and this is a great idea!

Oh, and also I'm curious about the "some life for a princess.." question I love that fan fic of yours too!

Anyway, looking forward to the next installment!

[dolly-999]

Don't worry I'm not forgetting about my other fic, I just started this one beacaue it was a story line thats been in my head for ages and then all of a sudden I came up with a way to write it so there was kindda no point in waiting until my other one was finished, I can manage 2 fics, I use to manage 3 at a time, lol that was certainly a chalenge which I will only ever do in holidays.

Any way I'm glad you liked it.

[-Tess-]

Whoa, that's Fantastic!

[dolly-999]

Thanks heres the next bit

part b.

The next day Martha sat at the desk in her kindergarten class room next to her best friend Tasha Osbourne. “Martha are you ok?” Tash asked.

“No, Mummy and Daddy had another fight last night” Martha started.

“Oh, I hate it when my Mummy and Daddy fight, they don't stop, and then some how my name always gets mentioned, and they don't even think I can hear them” Tash told her (Angie Russel and Ian Osbourne stayed together when they had Tash).

“Yeah they used my name a lot last night, Mum was going on about how he didn't show up at the recital yesterday”.

“Did you want him to come?”

“Yeah, he never comes to anything, he just sits at work, even your dad came yesterday”.

“Girls do you need any help?” their teacher Miss Brown asked as she walked past their desks.

“No thank you miss” Tasha answered.

Back at the Macklin's house Roo was sitting at the table next to the kitchen frustratingly tapping her long polished nails against the surface of the circular table, she'd been sitting there all night, dozing off for most of it waiting for Brett to come home, she had it all sorted, it wasn't going to be like this anymore and she honestly didn't know why she'd put up for him all these years, the only time she'd gotten up was to get Martha ready for school that morning. But then she could hear the door open and the sound of Brett's business shoes against the tiles. “Well that was record timing, usually your not back for days at the least” Roo commented in a straight voice, not even turning to face him. Brett didn't say anything he just walked into the kitchen and started making a coffee. “Brett About last night” Roo started again.

“What about it?” he asked harshly.

Roo, holding herself together strongly stood up before answering. “I've had enough” she told him, in the same tone he had said the same words in last night.

Brett looked up, shocked, in all the six years of their marriage he'd never hear her say that, or anything of the sort, “what do you mean?”

“I mean, I've had enough of you Brett. The last six years have only ever been about you and what you want, never a slight consideration for me or Martha” she started. Brett went to open his mouth but Roo go a word in before him “and don't you even start about money”. There was a moment of silence, Brett didn't know what to say, she'd stumped him, just like she had last night. “Look Brett, ether you start acting like a part of this family and stick around or leave, and don't come back, what your doing to this family is disgraceful and it has to stop, and it will stop, starting from right now”.

[-Tess-]

Whoa, Go Roo!

This is great, please more soon!

[Nicom]

You go girl! lol

Great fan fic! Looking forward to next chapter

[dolly-999]

Part c.

Brett still couldn't say anything, his coffee had already gone cold without him even taking a sip, he poured it down the sink. taking in what his wife had just said and then walked over to the table and sat down next to her, she'd never handed it to him like that, and he never thought she'd have the guts to. “Do you really want me gone?” he said fairly softly.

“Well that really depends” she started.

“Depends on what?”

“Depends on weather your going to start acting like a normal husband and father would” she explained. “Brett?”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Why did you marry me?” she asked, she'd never actually asked this question, she just presumed the answer. Brett didn't answer and Roo looked at her hands where they were rested on the table, one over the other. “It's cause of Martha wasn't it”.

“Yeah” he replied softly, his eyes were watery, the last six years of his life had taken him nowhere, and at the end of the day, he had no real family to show for all his hard work, well he had a family, but he didn't even know them, the way he was surprised at how his wife could handle things just five minutes ago had just shown him that. “How did we get here?”

“Your asking me? Brett I was a small town girl rebelling from her father, you were rich business student” she explained, her eyes also watery, “we were kidding our selves really, but before we realized it I was pregnant”.

“And you weren't willing to take the easy way out” Brett added.

“Brett I couldn't, I couldn't get an abortion, you know that, I couldn't live with myself”.

“Yeah I know” he replied, it was one of the few things he knew about her.

“Why did you come back?” Roo asked after a few moments of silence between the tow of them.

“What do you mean?”

“Back before Martha was born, way did you come back?”

Brett sighed. “Honestly?”

“Yeah honestly”.

“Look Ruth, as much as we didn't get along after you refused to get an abortion, I couldn't live not knowing if you and little Martha were going to be ok fending for your selves”.

Roo was shocked, he'd never acted like that, he'd acted more like, like......... I don't know but he defiantly didn't act like he'd chosen to stay with her. “Really?”

“Yes, really, I promise”.

“What are we going to do now” Roo asked .

“I don't know, but we can only fix things if we both want to”.

“Or if it's actually fixable” Roo added. “Look Brett I said it before, and I'll say it again, we were kidding ourselves. And were still kidding ourselves now, do you honestly think it's going to work?” Brett was speechless, she was absolutely right, he couldn't get any words out, he just shook his head, but it was enough to say it all. “So that's it?” she asked softly, keeping her head slightly down.

“I guess so” he said before getting up, but before he walked away he lent down and kissed her on the head lightly. “I'll pack, but don't think this means I'm not going to make sure you and Martha get everything you need, that was my intentions in the first place, and I'm not leaving that idea behind”.

Roo just nodded, this really was the end this time, she was releaved in some ways but even though her burden had been lifted, she couldn't help but feel hurt.

Ok that's the end of mistake one, I'll start mistake two next month after I get back from my holiday in Queensland.

Please review.

[Gypsy & Will Fan]

Thats really good! Your really talented!