Only You

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CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE

Martha groaned lightly when she heard a small whimper coming from Laila’s bassinet. She rolled over and looked at the bed side clock; it was 2 o’clock in the morning. This was the one part that Martha didn’t like much; having to get up numerous amounts of time during the night to feed her daughter.

It was at times like this that she actually wished she hadn’t decided to breast feed. If she had chosen to feed Laila formula milk, Jack could have got up during the night and feed her. But Martha really wanted to do things the right way; so she went with breast feeding.

Martha had been home for a week now, and most nights had been the same; only a few hours sleep.

Martha lay in silence; waiting and hoping that Laila’s whimpers didn’t turn into loud cries. After a few minutes Laila was silent again. Martha sighed happily and rolled over; closing her eyes. But she had acted way too soon. Laila’s high pitched wail echoed through the room.

Martha groaned and jumped out of bed quickly. She reached into the bassinet and scooped Laila into her arms. “Shh, don’t be too loud. You’ll wake daddy,” she cooed. Oh, who was she kidding? Jack was a heavy sleeper; a train could go through the room and he’d still sleep.

Martha snickered to herself before snatching up an extra baby blanket. She quietly opened the door, and walked out; closing it behind her. She made her way to the lounge room and flicked on the small lamp beside the couch.

She made herself comfortable on the couch; before latching Laila onto her breast for a feed. Laila’s cries stopped almost immediately. “That’s better, isn’t baby? You were just hungry,” Martha said softly.

Martha closed her eyes and rested her head back against the couch. She could feel Laila’s tiny little fingers skimming across her bare skin. Martha had to admit that she quite liked breast feeding. For some reason it made her feel even closer to Laila; she felt that it gave them a stronger bond.

Martha heard a creak in the floor board behind her. She swung her head around and found Jack making his way across the room towards her. “Hey,” he yawned as he sat down next to her.

Martha didn’t talk; she just smiled at him. Jack reached a hand out; running one of his fingers across Laila’s soft cheek. “How long have you been out here?” Jack asked Martha.

“Only about five minutes,” Martha answered quietly.

Jack nodded and then rested his head on a cushion. “You can go back to bed,” Martha told him.

Jack shook his head. “No, it’s okay. I’ll wait for you,” he yawned again.

“Okay,” Martha smiled at him.

How did she get so lucky? She had everything she ever needed.

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Jack was sitting out the front of diner at a table with Tony, Lucas and Robbie. He’d organized to meet Martha there for lunch. The boys were there aswell, so they offered to sit with him until Martha arrived.

“So, have you organized anything for the wedding yet?” Robbie asked Jack, as he sipped on a milkshake.

“We’ve looked at a few things. We’re going to go over some other stuff during lunch today actually,” Jack answered.

“Where is Martha by the way?” Lucas then asked.

“She’s gone to Sally’s to look at some bridal magazines,” Jack told them.

Tony went to say something but stopped when Colleen came rushing over to them. “Are you boys ready to order yet?” she asked.

“I’ll wait until Martha gets here,” Jack said.

“The rest of us will have a burger and chips with the lot. Thanks Colleen,” Tony told her.

Colleen scribbled the order down and then looked back at Jack. “Is Martha bringing little Laila with her?” she asked.

“Yep,” Jack replied.

Colleen smiled. “She’s such a precious little thing,” she cooed before walking off.

“Oh, there’s Martha,” Lucas said. Jack looked up and spotted Martha walking towards them; gently pushing the pram along.

“There she is with a bridal magazine the size of a freakin phone book,” Robbie exclaimed with a laugh. Robbie was right; Jack could see the magazine tucked under Martha’s arm.

“Hey,” Martha smiled when she reached them; leaning down and giving Jack a quick kiss. “Do you mind if we go and sit inside? The suns pretty warm out here today, and I don’t want Laila getting too hot,” she asked.

“Yeah, of course,” Jack nodded and stood up. “You three coming?” he asked the boys.

“Yep,” they all said at the same time.

They all started walking into the diner. “Oh, before I forget, Colleen’s in one of her baby moods. She’ll probably be all over Laila like a rash,” Lucas laughed.

“She can’t be any worse than Tony,” Martha teased.

“Hey,” Tony tried to sound offended; but then started to laugh.

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“So, I think I’ve found the perfect dress,” Martha exclaimed as she sat across from Tasha. She’d popped into Tasha’s to say a quick hello, and to have a coffee.

“That’s great,” Tasha smiled.

“Do you want to come to the shops with me tomorrow? I really want to get another person’s opinion on it before I order it,” Martha said.

“Yeah, of course,” Tasha nodded. “Hey, have you decided on how many bridesmaids you’re going to have?” she then asked.

“We actually haven’t decided on how many to have in the bridal party yet. We might just go with one bridesmaid and the best man,” Martha answered. “You’re definitely my bridesmaid, and Jack will probably ask Luc to be his best man. But who knows, we may decide to go all out, and I might have to ask Mattie and Cassie aswell,” she laughed.

Tasha was nursing Laila; and she was starting to squirm in Tasha’s arms. “I think she wants her mum,” Tasha said, before passing her over to Martha.

“Actually, I should probably head off,” Martha said. “She needs to be put down for a proper sleep and she’ll probably want a feed soon. Not to mention Jack will be wondering where I am. I swear to you; he gets really anxious when we go away for too long. He’s always worrying about Laila,” she added.

“First time dad; of course he’s going to be,” Tasha pointed out.

Martha laughed as she strapped Laila into the baby capsule. “You ready to go home and see daddy. I’m sure he’s hanging to see you,” she smiled down at her daughter.

“I’ll walk you to your car,” Tasha offered.

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Sorry that chapter was pretty boring, but some more interesting stuff will be happening again soon.

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Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO

THREE WEEKS LATER

The next three weeks seemed to fly by rather quickly. Jack and Martha had settled into life with a new baby really well. Laila was an absolute joy to have around; they adored her and couldn’t imagine their lives without her.

And to make things even better, Jack and Martha’s wedding was now only a month away. Martha was starting to get really excited; she’d been dreaming about her wedding since she was ten years old. Martha didn’t think she’d ever been this happy in her whole life.

Martha was in the process of giving Laila a bath. She was trying to be quite quick; Jack had popped out for a little while and would be home soon, and then they were heading over to her grandad’s house. He was making them lunch.

“Oh, look at you,” Martha cooed, as she splashed water over Laila’s belly. “You’re such a little cutie, aren’t you?” she laughed.

Martha pulled Laila out of the bath and wrapped her up tightly in a warm towel. “Come on, let’s get you dressed,” she started. “Daddy will be home soon and then we can go and see grandad,” she said as she placed Laila down on the bed.

Martha dried Laila off and put her into some clean clothes; a pink jumpsuit and a little pink beanie. She then picked her and hugged her to her chest.

“I’m home,” Jack’s voice called from the lounge room.

“In here,” Martha yelled out to him.

A few moments later Jack appeared in the door way with a big smile on his face.

“Why are you so happy?” Martha asked.

“I’ve got great news,” Jack answered as he kissed her quickly.

“And what would that great news be?” Martha wanted to know.

“I’ve just been speaking to McGrath and he’s given me a month off work; starting two days before we get married,” Jack explained.

“Oh my god,” Martha practically squealed, as she placed Laila in her bassinet and then threw herself into Jack’s arms. “I can’t believe he’s given you a whole month off,” she said as she hugged him tight.

“I know. I was so surprised when he told me,” Jack said.

“This is so exciting,” Martha smiled. “This means we get you to ourselves for an entire month,” she said in between quick kisses to Jack’s lips.

She was just about to pull away, but Jack pulled her in for a hot, long kiss. Martha moaned against his lips; and kissed him harder as they fell on to the bed. Martha was really starting to get into it and she really would have loved to have kept going. She and Jack hadn’t been intimate in that way since before Laila’s birth. They had both talked about it, and had decided that there was to be no sex until Martha was healed.

Martha knew that it had been hard on Jack; but god, it had been hard on her too. Martha was just about to pull Jack’s shirt over his head, when she heard a small cry come from Laila. Whoops, Martha thought. She’d forgotten about their daughter.

Martha quickly rolled out from underneath Jack and stood up; straightening her clothes. “So close,” she heard Jack mutter as he slumped down on the bed.

Martha laughed. “We have to be at grandads in twenty minutes anyway,” she told him. “And, I don’t know about you, but I’d really like a little more than twenty minutes,” she teased.

Jack sat up quickly and pulled Martha back towards him. “Twenty minutes is plenty of time. We could so do it in twenty minutes,” he said seriously.

Martha laughed at him again as she pushed him away. “We can’t; Laila’s awake,” she grinned.

“Fine,” Jack sulked; sounding defeated.

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Martha and Jack were sitting at the dining table; Alf was sitting opposite them; cradling Laila in his arms.

“Thanks for lunch grandad,” Martha smiled across at Alf.

“Yeah, it was great,” Jack added.

“No problem,” Alf said to them. “It’s also nice to spend some time with Laila,” he smiled as he stood up and moved over towards the couch. He wanted to sit somewhere a little more comfortable.

Martha was just about to stand up when she felt Jack’s hand on her leg. He started tracing tiny circles on her thigh.

“Jack,” Martha scolded in a whispered voice.

“What?” he looked at her innocently.

“Incase you hadn’t noticed, my grandfather is in the room. Stop it,” Martha laughed.

Jack smirked. “Maybe we could ask Alf to watch Laila for an hour or so,” he suggested knowingly.

“No way Jack,” Martha grinned. “I’m not asking grandad to watch our daughter just so we can go off and have sex,” she hissed. She gave him a quick pat on the shoulder and got up; making her way over to the couch. She was just about to sit down when there was a knock on the door. “I’ll get it,” she told Alf.

She quickly made her way to the door and swung it open. She grinned when she saw who it was.

“Macca,” she screeched and lunged at him; pulling him into a hug.

“I’m guessing that you missed me then bug,” Macca exclaimed.

“Of course,” Martha laughed as she pulled him into the apartment.

Jack walked over and said hello; shaking hands with Macca.

“Alright, where’s this kid,” Macca smiled. “I need to see her,” he said.

“Nice to see you too,” Martha muttered with a laugh.

Macca gave her another quick hug before heading over to where Alf was now standing with Laila. Alf gently placed Laila into Macca’s arms.

“Look at her; she’s gorgeous” he exclaimed. Macca looked over at Martha. “She looks just like you,” he smiled.

“I try,” Martha joked.

“Dad and mum would have loved her bug,” Macca added.

Martha nodded. She knew.

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They hung around at Alf’s for another half an hour; before heading home. Macca would be staying at Alf’s but he decided to head off to Martha and Jack’s for a while. Kim and Robbie were there when they got home.

The boys all sat down and had a beer; while Martha tried to put Laila asleep. But she wouldn’t go to sleep; she was crying hard and Martha was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. “Come on, go to sleep,” Martha cooed, as she rested Laila on her shoulder and rubbed her back.

A moment later Martha felt a warm liquid dripping down her neck and into her top. “Gross,” she cried out. She rushed over to Jack and handed Laila to him. “Can you hold her for second? I need to get changed; she just puked down my top,” she exclaimed before rushing off.

Jack, Macca, Kim and Robbie all laughed at her as she walked off. “You feel better now?” Jack smiled down at his daughter. “You just needed to chuck, didn’t you?” he laughed.

“She’s great, isn’t she?” Macca smiled as he looked at Laila.

“Yeah, she is,” Jack agreed.

“There is one bad thing about having a baby around though,” Robbie started. “All the girls are going ga ga over her. Next thing we know; they’ll all be wanting a baby aswell,” he said.

“Well, you know what that means?” Jack said. “No sex,” he exclaimed.

“What?” the three guys looked at him in horror.

“You do know where babies come from, right?” Jack laughed.

Kim scoffed. “Of course we know where babies come from,” he said. “But unlike you; we also know how and when to use protection,” Kim teased.

“Hey, it isn’t my fault that my girlfriend is so hot, and I couldn’t wait until I got home,” Jack pointed out.

“Hey,” Macca yelled as he screwed up his face in disgust. “I don’t need to know about the dirty things you do with my sister,” he cried out.

“Yeah, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk about ‘dirty’ things in front of my daughter,” Martha added with a laugh as she walked over and took Laila away from Jack.

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[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE

THE NEXT MORNING

Martha stretched out her arms; also letting out a loud yawn. She rolled her head to the side and smiled when she saw a sleeping Jack. She thought he looked so cute when he slept. She also smiled when she thought back to what she and Jack had just done a couple of hours beforehand.

They’d finally gotten the chance to be intimate again; and it had been amazing. The night had started off pretty rough; Martha had trouble getting Laila to sleep. And she kept crying. Finally at three am, she had drifted off. But by then, Martha found that she couldn’t sleep, so she had woken up Jack for a bit of fun. He was pretty thankful for it too. Martha giggled when she remembered back to the look of excitement that he’d had on his face when she had told him what she wanted to do.

Martha jumped up out of bed and quickly put on her pajama shorts and singlet. She then took a quick peek into Laila’s crib; she was still sleeping peacefully.

Martha heard a groan coming from the bed; Jack was waking up. Martha scooted back over and jumped on him; straddling his waist. She leant down and kissed him softly. As she pulled away, Jack’s eyes flickered open.

“Morning,” Martha smiled as she leant down and kissed him again.

“Hmm, I wouldn’t mind waking up to this every morning,” Jack exclaimed.

“It could be arranged,” Martha flirted.

Jack smiled up at her. “Thanks for this morning. It was great,” he told her as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “It was totally worth the wait,” he grinned.

“Definitely,” Martha exclaimed. She then kissed him one more time before jumping up. “I’m going to go and grab a quick shower before Laila wakes up,” she told Jack and practically skipped off towards the bathroom.

Jack sat up and reached down onto the floor for his boxer shorts. No sooner had he pulled them on, he heard a cry coming from the crib. “You deliberately waited until your mother left, didn’t you?” he laughed as he pulled Laila out from her bed.

He rocked her in his arms until her cries stopped. He then moved back to the bed; lying down and placing Laila on his chest. He rubbed her back, and a few minutes later she drifted off to sleep again.

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Jack had to go to work later on that morning, so Martha invited Macca around for lunch and to keep her company. Not that he was paying much attention to her anyway; he was too busy cooing over Laila.

“You have got to be the prettiest girl I have ever seen,” he smiled down at his niece as he held her in his arms. “I think we’re definitely going to be beating the boys off with a stick,” he said.

Martha laughed. “Hey, she has a cop for a father; we have a baton. I’m sure that will be enough to keep them away,” she said.

“So, it’s only a month to the big day,” Macca started. “Getting cold feet?” he asked.

“No way,” Martha shook her head. “This is what I’ve wanted my whole life. There’s no way I’d get cold feet. Plus, I’ve got the greatest guy in the world, so I’m all good,” she exclaimed.

“Well, if you’re happy, I’m happy,” Macca told her.

“I am,” Martha nodded. “So, how long are you staying this time?” she asked.

“A month and a half,” Macca answered. “I think that takes me to about two weeks after the wedding,” he told her.

“And what about Greg and Davie; when are they getting here?” Martha wanted to know.

“They won’t be arriving until about two days before the wedding,” Macca replied.

“Good,” Martha exclaimed. “I’m really looking forward to seeing them. And I can’t wait until they meet Jack and Laila,” she continued.

“They are going to love Laila,” Macca said. “But I’m not too sure about Jack,” he teased.

“Shut up,” Martha poked her tongue out.

“I’m just kidding,” Macca laughed. “Jack’s a top bloke. You’ve done well,” he told Martha.

Martha sat down next to Macca on the couch. “Oh, you put her to sleep,” she smiled, when she noticed that Laila was now dozing. “Thanks. I think she really likes you,” she said.

“She more than likes me,” Macca smirked. “She loves me. All the girls do,” he said in a matter of fact tone.

“You’re such a loser,” Martha exclaimed with a laugh.

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A WEEK LATER

It was early afternoon and Martha was at home by herself; folding up some laundry. Jack had just left for a walk; he’d taken Laila to the beach.

Martha heard a car pull up in her driveway. It sounded like her grandfathers Ute. Her suspicions were confirmed when Alf appeared at the door about a minute later.

“Hi grandad,” Martha smiled.

“Hey love,” he said as he walked in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “How are you?” he asked.

“I’m good,” Martha answered. “Actually, I’m great. Everything is just perfect,” she told Alf.

Alf grinned. “Well, how about I make things even better,” he said.

Martha looked at him suspiciously. “What have you got planned old man?” she said cheekily.

“I’ve brought a visitor with me,” Alf stated.

“Really?” Martha was confused. “Well, where is this visitor?” she wanted to know.

“Right behind you,” a cheerful voice said from behind her.

Martha smiled. She knew that voice. She spun around quickly.

“Mum,” she squealed excitedly as she moved towards her.

“Hey sweetie,” Roo smiled as she pulled her daughter in for a warm embrace.

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NEXT CHAPTER: Another reappearance. Who will it be?

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[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR

Martha couldn’t believe that her mother was in the bay already. She was so happy to see her. She hadn’t seen her since before she moved to the bay with her grandad.

“I didn’t think you were coming until a few days before the wedding,” she said as she sat down next to Roo. Alf had stayed for a few minutes, but then left; wanting to give the mother and daughter some time alone.

“Well, I wasn’t,” Roo told Martha. “But then I thought, why not come earlier. That way I’d get to spend even more time with you, Laila and your grandfather,” she explained.

“I’m glad you decided to come earlier. I’ve really missed you,” Martha said as she hugged her mother again. “I can’t wait until you meet Jack and Laila,” she smiled.

“Where are they anyway?” Roo asked.

“Oh, Jack took Laila for a walk. They should be back any minute now,” Martha answered.

Roo sighed and then smiled. “Look at you; you’ve changed so much since I last seen you. You’ve grown into a beautiful young woman. And I can’t believe that you now have your own family to look after,” she said. “I really wish that I could have been around for you during your pregnancy,” Roo added.

“I was fine,” Martha assured her. “I had plenty of people helping me out. Grandad and Sal were great. And Beth, she lives next door with Jack’s dad, she was really good aswell. They made sure I had everything I needed,” she explained.

“Dad told me that you had trouble coping after Ray, your adopted father, died. He said that you had trouble accepting it,” Roo then said.

Martha nodded. “Ah yeah. It was really hard for a while. But I had Macca; he looked after me,” she told Roo.

“Yes, Macca,” Roo laughed. “Your grandfather introduced me to him just before we came over here actually. He seems like a great young man. He thinks very highly of you,” she said.

“Macca’s a tool,” Martha grinned. “No, I’m kidding. He’s amazing. He’s really good to me. My other brothers will be arriving just before the wedding, so you’ll get to meet them aswell,” she said.

“Great,” Roo exclaimed. “I’m looking forward to it. I really want to thank them for taking care of you over the years,” she smiled.

Martha was just about to talk again when she heard a noise coming from the front patio. “That’s Jack,” she jumped up and ran to the door. Jack walked in with the pram just as she reached it. “Guess what? My mum’s here. She came early,” she said excitedly to Jack.

“That’s great,” Jack smiled as he walked further into the house.

“Mum, this is Jack,” Martha started to introduce. “And Jack, this is my mum, Roo,” she grinned.

Jack and Roo smiled at each other and said hi; shaking hands. “It’s great to finally meet you,” Jack said.

“Likewise,” Roo nodded. “Now, I don’t mean to be rude, but I really need to see my granddaughter. I feel like I’m about to burst,” she laughed.

Martha took Laila out of the pram and walked towards Roo. “Oh my goodness,” Roo gasped. “She’s stunning,” she exclaimed as she took the baby from Martha’s arms.

Martha noticed tears forming in her mothers eyes, and she couldn’t help but cry a little herself. “You okay?” Jack whispered to Martha.

Martha nodded. “Yeah. This is all just a bit overwhelming,” she answered. “I’m just really glad that she’s here,” she said, as a tear slid down her cheek.

Jack gave Martha a quick hug and a kiss. “I’ll get us some coffee,” he announced.

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Martha walked along the beach with her mother; watching the waves crash. Roo was cradling Laila in her arms. She couldn’t seem to get enough of her granddaughter.

“I’d forgotten how beautiful this place is,” Roo sighed. “Being here brings back so many memories; some good, some bad. It reminds me of how carefree life can be,” she said.

Martha nodded in agreement. “I know what you mean,” she said. “I love this place. It’s my home now and I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon. The Bay is going to be a great place to raise Laila. And Jack really loves it here too,” she told Roo.

Roo smiled. “You have done really well for yourself here. And I can see how much Jack loves you. I can tell by the way he looks at you when he thinks no one is watching,” she said.

“Mum,” Martha blushed.

Roo laughed. “I’m serious sweetheart. The two of you look so in love. I am so happy for you,” she began. “Jack is a great guy. Don’t ever let him go. His family is great too. I can see that they adore you. And of course, little Laila, she’s the best thing to come from this. I’m really proud of what you’ve gotten for yourself,” Roo finished.

“Thank you,” Martha smiled.

“You deserve it,” Roo exclaimed.

“Alright, enough of this mushy stuff,” Martha laughed. “I’m going to end up crying. Let’s head over to Sal’s and talk weddings,” she suggested.

“Sounds good,” Roo nodded.

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ONE WEEK LATER

Jack placed a sleeping Laila into her crib. He picked up her white blanket and gently tucked it around her. Jack heard a tiny sigh escape her precious lips; he smiled and stroked her cheek.

Jack walked out into the lounge room and looked around for something to do. The house was so quiet; it was just himself and Laila at the moment. Martha had gone down to the diner to get them some lunch, so she’d be back soon. He was actually quite hungry now that he thought about it.

Jack sat down on the couch and switched on the TV. He flicked through the channels, but groaned when he couldn’t find anything decent to watch. He stood up and walked into the kitchen. He got himself a glass of water and sat down at the kitchen bench.

“Where are you Martha?” he asked out loud. “I’m bored,” he said.

Maybe I could go and wake up Laila, Jack thought to himself. Surely she would do something that entertained him. He jumped up and walked to the bedroom. He was just about to push open the door when he stopped.

He couldn’t go in and wake the poor thing up; at least not for his amusement. That was just wrong. Jack scolded himself for even thinking of waking his daughter.

He turned around and walked back into the lounge area, but paused when he found someone standing at the front door.

“Hi Jack,” she smiled at him.

“Megan,” Jack spat out. He was shocked. “What are you doing here?”

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[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE

Jack was in shock. He couldn’t believe that Megan was standing in front of him. After everything that she had done; she actually had the nerve to come back.

“I just asked you a question,” Jack said to her. “So, once again, what are you doing here?” he asked.

“I just wanted to come and say hi,” Megan answered as she walked towards him. She went to hug him, but Jack stepped away.

“Don’t,” Jack warned.

“You don’t look very happy to see me Jack,” Megan smiled.

“Of course I’m not,” Jack scoffed. “Why on earth would I be happy to see you?” he snapped.

“No need to get nasty,” Megan exclaimed.

“I told you that I never wanted to see you again. I wasn’t joking; I meant what I said,” Jack told Megan.

“You don’t mean that,” Megan said seriously.

Jack shook his head in disbelief. “You nearly ruined my life; of course I mean it,” he started. “You tried to pass off another mans child as mine. You tried your hardest to make sure that Martha and I stayed apart. You even guilt tripped her into breaking up with me. Why on earth would I want anything to do with you now?” Jack continued.

Megan sighed. “I’m sorry for everything that I done. But I’ve changed. I’m not that person anymore,” she told Jack.

“I don’t care,” Jack shook his head. He went to speak again but was cut off by Laila’s loud cries.

Megan’s head jerked up as soon as she heard the crying. “Oh, is that the baby?” she asked.

Jack glared at her and turned around and walked off towards his room. He pulled Laila out of her crib and hugged her to his chest. “Ssshh, it’s okay,” he said softly as Laila’s cries subsided. He walked back out into the lounge room; disappointed to see Megan still there. He had hoped that she would have taken the hint and left.

Megan walked towards Jack when she noticed that he had the baby in his arms. “It’s wearing pink, so I’m guessing it’s a girl,” she stated. “What’s her name?” she asked.

“Laila,” Jack answered.

“Cute,” Megan smiled. “Can I hold her?” she then asked.

Jack laughed sarcastically. “I don’t think so,” he exclaimed.

“Why not?” Megan pouted.

Jack groaned. “Because I don’t like you and I want you to go,” he told her. “And Martha will be here soon, and you’ll just upset her. So, if you don’t mind; the doors that way,” he said.

“Oh, so you and Martha are back together then?” Megan asked.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes we are,” a voice snapped from the doorway.

Jack looked up; it was Martha. She strode into the house; slamming their lunch down on the table.

“Hello Martha,” Megan smiled.

Martha just glared at her. She had honestly felt sick when she had walked into her home and found Megan standing in her lounge room. Martha thought that she would never have to see her face again. Obviously she was wrong.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Martha snarled.

Megan kept smiling. “I just wanted to come and say hello to Jack,” she said as walked over to where Martha and Jack were now standing. “Congratulations on the birth of your daughter. She’s sweet,” she said as she reached a hand out to touch the baby.

“Don’t you dare touch her,” Martha yelled.

Martha’s raised voice caused Laila to start crying again. “I’m sorry baby,” Martha cooed as she took Laila from Jack’s arms.

It was at that moment that Megan noticed the engagement ring on Martha’s finger. “You’re engaged?” she asked.

“Yes, we are,” Martha answered. “In fact, we’re getting married in two weeks,” she said.

“Oh, joy,” Megan exclaimed sarcastically.

Martha then looked up and glared at Megan again. “Get out of my house,” she said.

“Excuse me,” Megan exclaimed.

“I said get out of my house,” Martha snapped.

Megan sniggered. “The last time I checked; this was Jack’s house,” she said smartly.

Martha laughed a little. “I swear to god, if you don’t get out of my house right now; I will hit you,” she warned.

“Violence is not the way Martha,” Megan shook her head and finger at Martha.

“Just get out,” Jack finally came back into the conversation. “We don’t want you here. If you don’t leave now, I’ll have you arrested,” he added.

“Alright, I’ll go,” Megan held her hands up in defense.

Jack walked over to the door and held it open. Megan stopped when she reached him. “I honestly don’t know how you put up with all of her yelling,” she smiled at Jack. “Just know this; my door will always be open to you. One day you’ll see sense and you’ll come to me,” she smirked as she ran a finger down his chest.

Jack flinched away. “Get out,” he growled. Megan gave him one last smile before walking out. Jack slammed the door behind her.

He then looked over at Martha. She turned away and rushed off to their room. Jack followed her and watched as she lay Laila down on the bed. “What was she doing here?” Martha asked.

“She just turned up all of a sudden,” Jack started to explain. “I was waiting for you to get back with lunch. I came in here and then by the time I walked back out; she was just standing there. I kept telling her to leave, but she wouldn’t listen,” he told her.

“I hate her Jack,” Martha started to cry. “She tried to take you away from me, and it still upsets me when I think about it,” she said.

Jack pulled her into a hug. “Well, she’s gone now. If she comes back again; I’ll have her arrested,” he promised. He pulled away and smiled at Martha. “I love you,” he said as he kissed her softly. He ran his hand across her cheek; wiping the stray tear away.

“Now, why don’t we go and have lunch. I can smell it from here, and it smells great,” Jack said. “And I’m starving,” he laughed.

Martha nodded. “I’ll just put Laila back in her crib. I’ll be out in a minute,” she told Jack. He kissed her cheek and walked back out.

Martha picked up Laila again; and hugged her tightly. She kissed her daughters head softly. “I’m sorry for yelling before baby, but that lady is a meanie. Mummy doesn’t like her,” she whispered. She then gently placed Laila back into the crib.

She walked out and sat down with Jack; trying her hardest to get Megan off her mind.

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NOTE: I got an email asking how to pronounce Megan’s name. So, for all those who want to know; it’s Me-gan.

[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX

THE NEXT DAY

Martha decided to meet Roo for breakfast at the diner the next morning. They sat at a table outside; the sun was shining and there was a nice breeze. Martha was still angry about Megan turning up the day before; so she really needed somebody to vent to, and her mother was the perfect choice.

“So after everything that she done, she still had the nerve to show up at your place?” Roo said.

“Yeah,” Martha nodded. “I was so angry when I got home and found her there. I just wanted to hit her, but I managed to control myself,” she explained.

“I wouldn’t blame you if you did hit her,” Roo exclaimed. “From what I’ve heard, she caused a lot of trouble”.

“She even had the cheek to tell Jack that she had changed and that she was sorry for everything that she had done. Please, as if,” Martha scoffed. “And then, right in front of me, she offers herself to Jack; telling him that he’ll come to his senses one day and he’ll leave me, and that her door will always be open to him. God, she makes me sick,” she continued.

“Sounds like a nasty piece of work,” Roo pointed out.

“She is,” Martha agreed. She let out a loud sigh; she was happy that she had gotten all that off of her chest.

Martha heard a small cry coming from Laila’s pram. She stood up and pulled her daughter out. “I should probably get you home. You’re probably starting to get hungry, aren’t you?” she smiled down at her.

“I might come with you,” Roo said. “I’ll push the pram and you can carry Laila,” she suggested as they got up from the table.

“Hey,” a voice called from behind them. Martha looked up; it was Jack.

“Hi,” she gave him a quick kiss when he reached them. “We were just about to head home. You coming with?” she asked.

“Yep,” Jack answered.

They set off through the park; walking back to Martha and Jack’s place. Up ahead, Martha spotted Megan coming towards them.

“Oh god,” Martha groaned. “I thought she would have left by now,” she said to Jack.

“Is that her?” Roo wanted to know.

“Unfortunately,” Jack exclaimed with a frown.

“Hey guys,” Megan smiled sweetly when she reached them.

“What do you want?” Jack asked her.

“Geez Jack, when did you get so rude?” Megan smirked.

“Since you tried to screw around with our lives,” Martha snapped at her.

Megan ignored Martha’s comment and looked over at Roo. “And you are?” she asked rudely.

“I’m Martha’s mother,” Roo answered.

Megan frowned a little. “I thought Martha’s mother was dead,” she said.

“Megan,” Jack scolded.

“What?” Megan scoffed. “I thought she was,” she added.

“She’s my biological mother, you moron,” Martha snapped at her. “My adopted mother was the one who died,” she explained.

“Oops, my mistake,” Megan laughed. She then looked back at Roo. “So, you’re the one who gave her away at birth then?” she said.

Roo gasped a little. “Pardon?” she exclaimed.

Martha could feel her temper flaring. “What the hell is your problem?” she yelled at Megan.

Jack turned to Martha and tried to calm her down. “Calm down, you’ll scare Laila,” he said softly. Jack then turned back to Megan. “I suggest you turn around and walk in the other direction. I already warned you last night. Stay away from us,” he ordered.

“Fine,” Megan stated. She smiled smartly and then walked off. “Toodles,” she called out.

“My goodness,” Roo started. “She’s worse than I expected”.

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LATER THAT EVENING

Martha and Jack were sitting on the couch with Laila; watching a movie. Kim and Kit were lying on the floor with some cushions.

Martha stood up and took Laila out of Jack’s arms. “I’m going to feed her and then put her to bed,” she told Jack. “I’ll be back soon,” she smiled before walking off to her room.

She placed Laila on the bed and pulled out a clean white jumpsuit to put her in. Martha quickly changed her and then made herself comfortable on the bed so that she could feed her. After about twenty minutes Laila drifted off to sleep. Martha gently wrapped her up in her crisp white blanket and placed her in the crib.

Martha then pulled out her own pajamas; a white singlet and a white pair of shorts, out from a draw and put them on. She then walked back over to the crib.

“Good night angel,” she said softly as she caressed Laila’s cheek.

She then walked out of the room; closing the door behind her.

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Megan quietly crept around the side of the house; trying her hardest not to knock anything over or make a noise. Luckily for her it was dark; so nobody would see her sneaking around.

She watched through the window as Martha changed and fed the baby. Martha then got changed herself, and then said goodnight to her daughter before walking out of the room and closing the door.

Megan waited about five minutes before trying the window. Thankfully, it was unlocked. She pushed it up and then pulled herself up and through the window. She moved quietly across the floor until she reached the baby crib. The little girl was fast asleep.

She placed her hands under the child and lifted her out. She then moved back towards the window. She sat on the ledge and swung her feet around. She then quickly, but gently, pushed herself away from the window. She landed safely on the ground. She looked down at the child; still asleep.

Megan let out a loud sigh and started to walk away. She walked through the front garden and continued on down the street until she reached her car. She strapped the baby into Grace’s old baby capsule. She then got into the car herself and started it up.

Megan smiled to herself as she drove away; on her way back to the city. She didn’t feel any guilt whatsoever. They’d treated her like she was worthless, and it was their fault that she no longer had her own daughter. Maybe now they’d know how it felt.

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HALF AN HOUR LATER

Martha was lying on the couch with her head resting on Jack’s lap. She was tired and she kept yawning. She slowly sat up and looked at Jack.

“I’m going to bed,” she told him.

“I’ll be in soon,” Jack said. “I just want to watch the rest of this movie,” he added.

“Okay,” Martha smiled. “Night guys,” she said to Kim and Kit as she walked off.

“Night,” they called back.

Martha opened the bedroom door and walked in. The first thing she noticed was that the window was open. She thought that it was closed before. Martha shrugged; thinking that she must have just been mistaken.

She then moved over towards Laila’s crib; that was when she got the biggest shock.

“Jack,” her scream echoed throughout the house.

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[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN

Jack came rushing into the room with Kim and Kit close behind him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Martha turned around to face him. She was white as a ghost; like all colour had drained from her face. “Laila’s gone,” she cried.

“What?” Jack was a bit confused. He then looked into Laila’s crib and realised she wasn’t there. They he noticed that the bedroom window was open. Jack felt sick to the stomach and he felt like he’d just been punched in the guts. “No,” he gasped.

“Oh my god,” Kit cried from the doorway.

“I’ll call the cops,” Kim said as he ran from the room.

“Where’s my baby?” Martha screamed. She was starting to become quite hysterical. “Where’s my baby?” she cried out again.

Jack was still standing on the same spot; looking into his daughters crib. He was in shock; still not quite believing what was going on. He felt a pain inside him; it overwhelmed his body. His most precious gift in life was gone and the pain he felt inside was almost unbearable.

“Jack,” Martha said from behind him.

He slowly turned to face her. She was shaking uncontrollably and Kit was holding onto her; trying to stop her from collapsing to the ground. She had tears streaming down her cheeks. It broke Jack’s heart to see her like that.

“Where is she Jack?” she sobbed.

Jack shook his head. He didn’t know.

Martha’s face crumbled and she completely broke down. Jack moved towards her and scooped her into his arms. “Everything is going to be fine,” he tried to calm her; while trying to stay calm himself. “We’re going to find her. We’re going to get her back,” Jack promised as he held her tight.

“I’ll go next door and get your dad,” Kit said before running from the house.

Martha looked up at Jack. Through her tears, she could see Jack’s eyes welling up with his own tears. He looked down at her and she could see the pain in his face. She knew that he was feeling it as much as she was. Martha started to cry harder. She wanted Laila back. Who would want to take her baby away from her?

“Megan,” she suddenly spat out.

“What?” Jack looked down at her.

“It was Megan,” Martha exclaimed.

“We don’t know that,” Jack shook his head.

“She turns up in town and then the next day our baby is gone. It’s not a coincidence,” Martha said. “She wants to ruin us Jack. This is a perfect opportunity for her to do so,” she sniffed.

“We’ll mention it to the boys when they get here,” Jack said.

The next few moments went passed with Jack comforting Martha; telling her that they’d get Laila back.

“Jack,” a voice called out. It was Tony.

Jack and Martha walked out of the room. In the distance they could hear the police sirens; they were getting closer and closer by the second.

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AN HOUR LATER

An hour had passed and nothing had changed. Laila was still gone.

The police were swarming the place; taking fingerprints from the window and door knocking the area in hopes that someone has seen something. Alf, Macca, Roo, Tony, Beth, Lucas, Matilda, Robbie and Tasha had all arrived at the house. Alf had called Sally and told her what was going on. Ric wanted to come over and be with Martha, but Alf told him to stay put.

Martha was sitting on the couch. She hadn’t moved or spoken since the police had arrived. She was still in shock. Roo and Tasha were sitting on either side of her; comforting her. Jack was standing with Tony and Beth; trying to stay calm and positive. The others were standing around the room; unsure of what to do or say.

“Martha,” Roo said. “Can I get you anything?” she asked.

Martha just shook her head. The only thing she wanted was her daughter; and that wasn’t about to happen.

“They’re going to find her Mac,” Tasha said from beside her. “I know they will,” she added.

Martha looked up and at the same moment Peter walked through the door. Martha jumped up and moved towards him. She felt Jack walk up behind her; he took her hand and held it tightly in his own.

“Anything?” Jack asked Peter.

“Have you found my granddaughter?” Tony demanded as he rushed up to them.

“No, I’m sorry,” Peter shook his head. “But it seems that your suspicions about Megan may have been correct,” he said.

“What have you found out?” Jack wanted to know.

“Mrs. Watson, the little old lady down the road, said that she was looking out her window earlier and she saw a blonde women walking towards a car with a baby in her arms,” Peter started to explain. “The description she gave of the women matches Megan. She couldn’t really see what the car looked like, so we couldn’t get a description of that,” he finished.

Just as Peter finished speaking Sgt McGrath walked through the door. “I’ve just been on the phone to Megan’s mother, Leanne, and she told me that she hasn’t seen Megan for a couple days. Apparently she got up the other morning and Megan was gone; she didn’t leave a note or anything,” McGrath told them. “She also told me that just last week, Megan lost custody of her own daughter. The courts decided that the child would be better of with its father, and so they gave him full custody,” he continued.

Martha was fuming. “So, she took our daughter as a replacement,” she snapped. That was the first time she’d spoken in the last hour.

“We still don’t know for sure that she took your daughter,” McGrath pointed out.

“Of course it was her,” Martha yelled. “Are you people stupid? The girl is crazy, and now she’s taken my baby. I’m going to kill her. She’s going to pay for this,” she cried.

“Calm down sweetheart. Come and sit back down,” Roo soothed as she led Martha back over to the couch.

“I should be out there looking for my baby,” Martha sobbed. “I feel so useless sitting here and doing nothing,” she said.

“The best thing you can do is just stay here,” Peter said. “We’ve got our best officers out there looking for Laila. We will get her back, and that’s a promise,” he exclaimed.

Martha just nodded and sat back down next to her mum. She rested her head on Roo’s shoulder and started to cry again.

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3 AM

Martha was sitting in on her bed. Macca was sitting in with her; holding her as she cried. Hours had passed and the police weren’t any closer to finding Laila.

“She’s going to be fine bug,” Macca tried to reassure his sister. “She’ll be back before you know it,” he said.

“Why does this keep happening to me Macca?” Martha spoke up. “Why do people keep getting taken away from me? Mum, dad and now my baby; they’re gone,” she wept.

“You’re going to get her back. The police are going to find her and they’re going to bring her back to you,” Macca soothed.

Martha gave her brother a quick hug. When she pulled away she spotted Jack standing in the doorway. “I’ll leave you two alone,” Macca said as he got up and then walked from the room.

Jack closed the door and went and sat next to Martha. “Hey,” he said softly.

“She’s not coming back, is she?” Martha cried.

“Of course she’s coming back. We will get her back Martha,” Jack hugged her. They rested in each others arms for a few minutes until Martha started to speak again.

“I dreamt that she was going to get taken away,” she exclaimed.

“What?” Jack was confused.

“Remember that dream I had when I was still pregnant? I dreamt that you and everyone else took Laila away from me, except in real life Megan’s the one who took her,” Martha started to explain. “In my dream I was wearing white; look at what I’m wearing Jack. All white. And the baby was wearing white and was wrapped up in a white blanket aswell. I put Laila in a white jumpsuit and wrapped her up in a white blanket, just like my dream,” she whimpered.

“That dream didn’t mean anything Martha,” Jack said softly. “It was just a dream,” he added.

“But Laila’s gone Jack. My dream did come true,” Martha pointed. “This is my fault. I could have prevented it from happening,” she said.

Jack cupped Martha’s face in his hands. “This is not your fault. There was nothing you could have done to stop this. Please don’t blame yourself,” he pleaded.

Martha looked down at the items sitting in front of her; a little teddy that Lucas gave Laila, and a pink blanket. Martha picked up the blanket and raised it to her face. She inhaled its scent. It smelt like her baby girl.

“She’s probably scared Jack. She’s probably wondering where I am. She’d be hungry by now,” Martha started to sob. “She needs me. I’m her mother, and she needs me. She needs us,” she broke down in Jack’s arms.

Martha could feel Jack shaking. She knew he was crying too.

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8:00 AM

Megan pulled the car into the drive way. She got out of the car and walked around to the other side. She opened the door and unstrapped the baby from the capsule. She pulled her out and slammed the door.

She looked at the house. She hoped that it was the right place. She’d looked for his name in the phone book and this was the address that was listed. She also hoped that he was home alone. She knew it was early, but hopefully his wife had already left for work or something.

She walked up the path until she reached the door. She knocked hard on the door. She looked down at the baby while she waited for someone to answer. She still didn’t feel any remorse for what she was doing. Grace had been taken away from her, so she wanted Jack and Martha to feel the same pain as she did.

Megan looked up when she heard the door open. A man opened the door and she smiled at him.

“Harry Chambers?” she asked.

“Yes, that’s me,” the man nodded.

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[bay girl]

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CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT

Megan sat at the table opposite Harry; with Laila still in her arms. She’d just finished explaining to him the reason why she wanted revenge on Jack.

“So that baby is Jack Holden’s daughter?” Harry asked as he looked at the baby in Megan’s arms.

“Yes,” Megan nodded.

“Let me get this straight; you snuck in through his window last night and took the child. Then you brought her here. Why exactly?” Harry questioned.

“Jack killed your daughter; he ruined your life. You never got the revenge that you wanted. But now, here’s your chance. We’ve got his daughter and we have the power to make him suffer,” Megan explained.

Harry laughed a little. “Be honest,” he started. “For you; this isn’t about Jack. It’s about his girlfriend, isn’t it? She’s got everything you want and you want to destroy that,” Harry continued.

Megan shrugged. “If that’s the way you want to put it, then you can. But I want Jack to suffer too. My little girl was taken away from me and I blame them for that,” she snarled.

“If you say so,” Harry muttered.

“Look, are you in, or are you out?” Megan snapped.

“Oh, I’m in alright,” Harry laughed.

Megan grinned. “So, any idea’s on how to do this?” she asked.

“First things first; we go back to Summer Bay A.S.A.P,” Harry began to explain. “We need to be closer to them. And we’ll take my car instead of yours. If the cops have already figured out that you took the baby, they’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for your car,” he smirked.

“This is going to be fun. I think I’m going to absolutely love working with you,” Megan smiled up at Harry.

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The house was quiet, but everybody was still gathered at Martha and Jack’s. They were all just sitting around sipping on cups of tea and coffee; hoping and praying that they’d soon hear some news.

A few other people, such as Irene, Dan and Leah, had dropped by to see if they could do anything, but Martha would just shake her head and walk off. Of course there wasn’t anything they could do.

Martha looked at her watch; it read ten am. Laila had been gone for over twelve hours now and Martha couldn’t help but start to lose hope. Megan was probably long gone with her baby.

Martha got up from the couch and walked out onto the front patio; where Jack was sitting by himself on the bench seat. She sat down next to him and curled herself up against his side. She rested her face into the curve of his neck and shoulder. Jack wrapped his arms around Martha’s waist and held her tight.

“How much longer Jack?” she asked.

Jack shook his head. “Honestly. I don’t know,” he answered.

Martha sighed. “I don’t think I can handle this for much longer. It hurts too much,” she cried. “I want her back. I want her to bring our baby back,” Martha continued.

“I know,” Jack nodded. “So do I,” he exclaimed.

Martha pulled away from Jack and looked up at him. “Why can’t we go out and look around? I should be out there looking for her,” she said to him.

“Peter and McGrath think that we should just stay here. And I think they’re right. There’s nothing we can really do Martha,” Jack explained. “We need to be here incase somebody brings her back, or incase somebody calls with some information,” he said.

“I just feel so useless,” Martha told him.

“You shouldn’t,” Jack exclaimed. “We’re going through a really tough time at the moment and we’re better of being here surrounded by our friends and family. They’re staying strong for us, and we really need that support. We wouldn’t be able to do this without them,” he said to Martha.

Martha nodded and started to cry. “It’s not just us who have lost her; they’ve lost her too,” she whimpered as she fell back into Jack’s arms.

Why was life being so cruel to them? Martha thought to herself. When was this hell going to end?

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On their way back to Summer Bay, Megan explained things in greater detail to Harry. She told him about Martha lying to Jack about the pregnancy and all the stuff that came after that.

“Jack and I would have been together if Martha hadn’t of got pregnant,” she told Harry.

Harry glanced over at her while he drove. “How can you be sure of that? Jack still would have found out eventually that your daughter wasn’t his. Do you honestly think that he would have gotten together with you?” he asked her.

“Yes,” Megan spat out. “Martha kept sticking her nose in, and if she hadn’t of guilt tripped my mother then my mother would have never told Jack the truth,” she said.

“But you just told me before that you guilt tripped this Martha girl into breaking up with Jack. You can’t really accuse someone of doing something, especially after you done the exact same thing,” Harry said to her.

“Whatever,” Megan fobbed him off.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a photo of herself with Grace. God, she missed her. Bryan had taken her to court and he had somehow managed to gain full custody of Grace. He had gone in there and told the courts about all the stuff she had done. The courts agreed with him when he said that she was a bad mother and that Grace would have a better life with somebody who wasn’t a liar, and somebody who wasn’t deceitful. She blamed Jack and Martha for it all.

Megan smiled to herself as they passed the sign that welcomed them to Yabbie Creek. Not far now. Soon they’d be in Summer Bay and she could make Jack and Martha’s life a nightmare.

“So, where exactly are we going?” Megan smiled over at Harry.

“It’s a surprise,” Harry smirked.

They drove in silence for a few more moments until they reached the road which would take them to Summer Bay, but for some reason Harry drove straight passed it and continued on further into Yabbie Creek.

“Um, you just missed the road. You were supposed to go the other way,” Megan pointed out to Harry.

“Yeah, I know,” Harry smiled.

“Well maybe you could tell me where we are going then,” Megan laughed lightly.

“No need, we’re here already,” Harry exclaimed.

Megan’s face went pale as Harry drove into a driveway. He pulled up out the front of a building. “No, what are you doing?” she yelled at Harry.

“You actually thought I was going to go along with your stupid plan?” Harry laughed.

“You bastard,” Megan exclaimed as she tried to get out of the car.

“Not so fast girlie,” Harry grabbed hold of her arm and held her tight. She struggled to get away from his grip, but he wouldn’t budge.

He watched as a man walked from the building. Harry quickly opened his door.

“Excuse me officer,” he called out. “I’ve got someone here who you might be interested in”.

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CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE

Martha was lying in on her bed; her mother was lying down beside her with an arm resting around her waist. They weren’t asleep though; they were just laying there staring at each other.

“It’s alright if you want to close your eyes sweetheart,” Roo said softly. “If you want to go to sleep; you can. You haven’t slept a wink,” she said.

Martha shook her head. She couldn’t possibly go to sleep while her baby was missing. “I can’t. I need to be awake in case somebody calls,” she told her mother.

“I can wake you up as soon as somebody calls. You’re exhausted Martha. You really need sleep,” Roo tried to convince her daughter.

Martha shook her head again. “I’d prefer to stay awake. But thanks for worrying about me,” she said.

Roo reached out and brushed Martha’s hair away from her face. “It’s my job to worry about you; you’re my baby girl,” she smiled softly at Martha.

“I’m glad that we found each other. I’m glad that we got another chance,” Martha started. “When my mum, my other mum, died, I thought that was it. I’d lost my mother. But then I found you, and I got another chance. I’m just really happy that you wanted me in your life,” she finished.

Roo nodded. “Giving you up when you were born was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. But I knew that you’d have a better life being raised by somebody else,” she began. “And you did have a better life. The MacKenzie’s done an amazing job raising you, and I’ll never be able to thank them enough. I know that it’s hard for you, having lost both of them. I’m sorry that you had to go through that pain. But I am also glad that you and I got another chance to know each other,” Roo continued.

Martha felt a tear slide down her cheek. She raised a hand up to wipe it away, but her mother beat her to it. Roo brushed her thumb across Martha’s cheek; wiping the tears away. “You just need to stay positive and you need to be strong. We will get Laila back,” Roo reassured Martha.

They lay in silence for a few more minutes, but were startled when the loud ring of Jack’s phone echoed throughout the silent house. Martha jumped up and ran out to the lounge room where all the others were sitting. She watched as Jack answered the phone.

“Pete,” he said into the phone. A few seconds passed before Jack exclaimed out loud. “Are you serious?” he cried.

“What is it?” Martha demanded to know. She knew Jack was still in the middle of the call but she didn’t care. She wanted to know what was going on right at that instant.

“We’ll be there soon,” Jack said down the phone and then quickly hung up.

“Jack,” Martha said impatiently.

Jack grinned and moved towards her. He threw his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace. “They’ve found her. She’s down at the station,” he explained.

The whole room erupted into cries of happiness. They all started hugging each other and some even had tears appearing in there eyes.

Martha felt like a heavy weight had been lifted away. Her insides felt like they were all coming back to life again. She started to cry. She pulled away from Jack and he cupped her face. “Let’s go get our baby,” he smiled down at her.

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Jack and Martha stormed into the police station; Alf, Tony, Macca and Roo, hot on their tails. All the others had decided to stay back at the house.

Martha spotted Peter immediately. He was standing at the front counter rocking Liala in his arms. Peter looked up and smiled at them when he saw them enter. Martha started crying again as she took Laila from Peter and held her to her chest tightly.

She started pressing tiny kisses all over Laila’s face. “It’s alright baby, mummy’s here now,” she cried. Jack moved in closer to her and wrapped his arms around Martha and his daughter. The others stood back and watched the happy couple being reunited with their daughter.

Jack glanced over at Peter. “Thanks mate. You have no idea how much this means to us. We’ll never forget it,” he said.

“You shouldn’t be thanking me,” Peter exclaimed.

“How did you get her back? Where did you find her? Was it Megan?” Martha started firing off questions.

Peter nodded. “Yes, it was Megan. She’s in with McGrath now; being interviewed. Somebody actually brought her and Liala in,” he told them.

“Who?” Jack wanted to know.

“You’re lucky that the hate he has for you has started to subside,” Peter exclaimed.

Everybody was starting to look confused. They had no idea what Peter was talking about. “I don’t understand,” Jack said.

“Hello Jack,” a deep voice from behind them caught their attention. They all spun around quickly and were surprised by who they saw. Martha gasped. “Oh my god,” she stunned.

Roo and Macca had no idea who he was. But Alf and Tony both knew. They were both standing on the spot; their mouths agape. Jack was stunned, and he had yet to say anything.

“Harry,” he finally managed to speak. “What? What the hell is going on?” he was confused and started shaking his head in disbelief. He never thought that he’d see this man again. Jack was so sure that that part of his life was over and that he’d never have to worry about it again. But now; Harry Chambers was standing right in front of him.

Harry moved towards them. “Just so you know; I had absolutely nothing to do with the kidnapping of your child,” he pointed out.

“What are you doing here then?” Tony spat out. “You better not be here to cause more trouble for this family. We’ve already been through enough,” he was starting to get angry.

“Dad, calm down,” Jack told Tony. He then looked over at Harry. “Please continue,” he said.

“The girl just turned up on my door step this morning; she had the baby with her. I’d never seen her before in my life. Then she started ranting and raving about you and your girlfriend and how she wanted revenge and that she blamed the two of you for her daughter being taken away from her,” Harry started to explain. “I was about to tell her to get lost, but then she blurts out that the baby she was holding was yours and that she had taken it. I couldn’t let her steal an innocent child, so I pretended to go along with her plan. I convinced her to come back to Summer Bay, and then I brought her straight here, he finished.

“Thank you, so much,” Martha cried. “You have no idea how grateful we are,” she said as she hugged Laila tighter.

“Yeah, thank you,” Jack nodded at him. “It means a lot to me,” he added.

“I didn’t do it for you,” Harry exclaimed. “I did it for the baby and its mother,” he said as he looked over at Martha. “I know how it feels to lose a child and I saw the pain my wife went through. I could only imagine that your girlfriend was going through the same pain. I knew that the best thing to do was bring the child to safety,” he continued.

“Thank you for bringing her back,” Jack nodded.

“Yeah, well I couldn’t leave her with that Megan. The girl is clearly nuts. Some of the stuff she was saying sounded as though it was coming from a delusional mind,” Harry told them.

“Don’t we know it,” Jack muttered.

Peter moved forward and started to speak. “Sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Chambers, I need to ask you some questions, so could you please step into my office?” he asked.

Harry nodded and started to push his way through the group. Martha stopped him as he walked passed her. She laid a hand on his arm. “Thank you,” she said once again.

“No problem,” he smiled lightly down at her. He went to move away but then stopped. He looked down at Martha again. “I’m surprised you know,” he said to her.

“What do you mean?” Martha asked him.

“I remember you,” he answered. “You were at that bar the day I was there talking about Jack. I remember you, because you were one of the first people to get stuck into him. If I recall, what you said was pretty cruel. But now look where you are; you’re marrying the guy and you’ve got a child with him,” he laughed a little.

“Well, I guess I just opened my eyes a bit more and saw the things in him that you couldn’t see,” Martha exclaimed.

“You have to say that because he’s the father of your child,” Harry pointed out.

Martha shook her head. “No, I say it because it’s the truth,” she said.

Harry shrugged. “If you say so,” he muttered before walking off and closing the door.

Martha turned back to Jack. “What did he say to you?” he wanted to know.

“Nothing important,” Martha smiled up at Jack.

They then looked down at Laila. She was watching them with her beady little eyes. “I’ve never been so relieved in my whole life,” Martha said.

“Me neither,” Jack exclaimed as he leant down and kissed Laila’s cheek.

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They decided to hang around at the police station for a bit longer. They wanted the chance to see Megan.

After about half and hour, Megan finally emerged from the interview room in hand cuffs; being led out by McGrath and Lara.

“Jack,” Megan cried when she spotted them. “Please don’t let them do this to me. You know I’m not a bad person. I know there’s a part of you that cares about me. So please, help me,” she begged.

Jack, who was holding Laila, passed her over to Tony. Jack and Martha then moved closer to Megan. “You’ve got to be seriously deluded if you actually think that I would help you. You kidnapped my daughter,” Jack snarled at her. “I’m not going to let you get away with that. You deserve to go to jail Megan. You done the wrong thing,” he exclaimed.

“Is that you speaking or Martha?” Megan scoffed.

“You bitch,” Martha lunged at Megan, but Jack managed to pull her back. “You stole our baby. You’re insane,” Martha screamed at her.

Jack looked over at Lara and nodded. “Get her out of my sight. She makes me sick,” he told Lara. He then looked down at Martha. “Come on. Come away from her,” he said.

“Jack,” Megan yelled as Lara started to lead her away. “Jack, please. Do the right thing,” she begged again.

Jack just ignored her and walked with Martha to the other side of the room. Megan’s screams could still be heard from down in the lock up cells. But after a while they subsided. She was gone from their lives; and for good this time.

Jack smiled. “You ready to go home?” he asked Martha.

Martha nodded. “Let’s take our baby home,” she sighed happily.

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[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

Okay, so this fic is only going to have a few more chapters. I had intended to make it longer and I was going to chuck in an accident for one of the characters (not telling who). But I’ve decided against it. Martha and Jack have already been through enough in this fic so I won’t put them through anymore pain. They deserve some happiness. Also, I am starting to get sick of writing this fic. And I really want to start posting my next one soon. It’s another J/M fic of course.

CHAPTER EIGHTY

When Martha and Jack arrived home with Laila, the others; the ones who stayed behind, practically swamped them. They were all full with kisses and cuddles, and nobody wanted to let Laila out of their sight.

Beth, Kit and Tasha had organized a late lunch and everybody sat down and they celebrated the return of the youngest family member. It was late afternoon by the time everybody went home and both Jack and Martha were exhausted. Neither of them had slept since Laila first went missing. But even with Laila now back they were both a bit nervous about going to sleep.

Martha and Jack were in their room lying down with Laila lying on the bed between them. They were playing with her tiny feet and hands, caressing her soft cheek. They couldn’t seem to stop touching her. Martha was afraid that if she let Laila go; she’d disappear.

“I honestly thought we’d never get her back,” Martha said to Jack.

“Well it doesn’t matter anymore, because we did get her back,” Jack started. “Everything is fine now. As long as the three of us are together; we’ll be fine,” he smiled across at Martha.

Martha nodded with a smile, but then started to frown. “Is she gone for good? Megan, I mean,” she asked Jack.

“I don’t think we have to worry about her anymore. She’s going to be facing kidnapping charges and there’s no way she’ll be getting let off. I won’t let that happen. She put us through hell and I won’t let her get away with that,” Jack began. “I’m not really sure what will happen to her; she could serve time in prison or maybe they’ll put her somewhere where she can get help for her problems. I think it’s safe to say that she has some sort of psychiatric problem,” he explained.

“So she won’t be hassling us again?” Martha wanted to know.

Jack shook his head. “I won’t let her hurt us again. I promise,” he answered.

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Martha sat at the edge of the bed. It was about one am in the morning and she still hadn’t gone to sleep. She was looking over into her daughters crib; watching her sleep.

Martha was paranoid. She was so scared that somebody would come and take her away from them again while they slept. She’d checked the doors and the windows numerous amounts of times; making sure they were locked. She had even made Jack check them a couple of times, and Martha had even noticed Kit and Kim checking just before they went to bed.

“Martha,” a voice whispered from beside her. She turned around to face Jack; he was now awake and sitting up. “What are you doing?” he asked her.

“I can’t sleep Jack,” Martha sighed. “I’m scared. I just can’t sleep. I need to watch her at all times. Somebody could come along and take her. What if…..,” she trailed off.

Jack wrapped an arm around Martha and pulled her towards him. “No one is going to take her. She’s safe now,” Jack reassured her.

“I can’t help it,” Martha exclaimed.

“I understand how you’re feeling,” Jack started. “But we have nothing to worry about. I told you earlier that I won’t let anything hurt us ever again. And I intend to stick by that promise,” he told Martha.

Martha nodded. She knew he was right. “Come on, lay down with me and go to sleep. I’ll be right here next to you, and Laila will be fine,” Jack said.

Martha smiled and lay back. Jack fell back down beside her and they pulled each other into a warm embrace. Jack gently brushed his lips across Martha’s before she snuggled into his chest.

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Sorry it wasn’t a very long one. Next one should be longer.

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