Moving On, The Past Is In The Past

[dolly-999]

Thanks here's the next chapter, sorry not much happening at the moment.

Chapter number 6.

Next day, Tuesday, 16th of June 2005

Noah woke the next day to find himself in civilization just like he had been the night before, it felt good, definitely good, but this time it felt more real and less like a dream, he was really here in Sydney.

Taking a minute to take his surroundings in he smiled, through the covers of the bed and hurried to the door and down the hall way to the sound of a sizzling fry pan and the smell of cooking food.

“Morning” Dani smiled looking over her shoulder as Noah entered before looking back to the fry pan and turning an egg over inside the hot pan.

“Morning” Noah grinned back.

“Bacon and eggs?”

“Yes please” he answered pulling a seat out from the other side of the bench and sitting down.

“So did you sleep well?” Dani asked.

Noah thought for a moment, his answer was no, but he couldn't tell her he was having nightmares, no he just couldn't he was going to have to just take it like a man.

He didn't want to worry her, if she knew what he'd gone through she wouldn't cope with just the thought of it, let alone actually being there and witnessing it, or even worse; having it happen to her. So he simply smiled and only told half the truth, “yeah, it's good to be back in a normal bed again”.

“Well I wish I could of said the same, I got in late and couldn't get to sleep until two. I hope I didn't wake you when I was coming in” she told him, sounding slightly apologetic, she knew he needed as much sleep as he could get after being god only knows where, assumed dead for the last nine months.

“Nah don't worry you didn't” Noah assured her making her feel a little better. ”So I forgot to ask who's this mystery fiancée of yours?” he asked pointing to Dani's left hand that had a diamond rock that looked like it could weigh at least ten tones.

“Oh” Dani, started, looking down at her wedding finger where the white gold banded diamond ring now sat, “No one you know” she told him before changing the subject, “you want toast too?”

“No thanks” he replied as he watched Dani walk to the other side of the kitchen and pull out a plate before beginning to used the egg lifter to pile the bacon and eggs on it. “So you don't sound too happy about being engaged, is everything ok?” He knew the answer was no, but she was going to have too tell him if he was going to find out what was wrong. Dani Sutherland was a woman who tended to bottle things up, even if hurt still showed on the outside, but then again he could see why she did it now, now that he knew what if felt like to knot want to get the people around you mixed up in your own problems, usually he would of talked to someone about his problems, but for once in his life he felt just like her, he couldn't tell anyone, he'd bottle it up, spare the people around him the pain of trying to understand what he'd been though.

“Yeah of course” she lied, faking a smile before handing him the plate and a knife and fork.

“Come on I know you better than that, has the stresses of planning a wedding got to you already?”

“Yeah something like that” she brushed off the question.

“Yeah you could have had me fooled” Noah laughed sarcastically, “come on what's really going on?”

“Look it's complicated. Now hurry up and eat before it goes cold” she brushed him off quickly.

“Alright, I'll keep out of it” Noah raised his hands in defense. “So how's your parents going?” Noah asked as Dani grabbed a plate, put a fried egg on it and began to walk around to the other side of the bench where Noah was sitting.

“Well there not really going at all” Dani sighed as she sat down, she was going to have to explain, she just knew she would. She closed her eyes for a second and waited for the question, and just as expected, it came.

“What do you mean?” Noah answered, slightly confused.

“Well to cut a long story short” Dani started, sounding stressed, already Noah could tell it wasn't something she really wanted to be going in to detail of. “Basically Mum's dead and Dad's behind bars for killing her” she shot out.

Noah sat in shock for a moment, this was the same Rhys that everyone loved and now he was hearing that he'd killed his own wife? That wasn't right at all, “I'm really sorry Dani” was all he could get out, he still couldn't believe it, it just didn't sound right, but then again, a lot of things didn't sound right.

“Look it's ok, the only person who should be sorry is my dad” she smiled sadly before taking a mouth full of her food. “Oh before I forget, we're going to need to let the police know your still alive-”

“No” Noah shot out quickly, making Dani almost jump out of her seat. Dani was beside herself, she hadn't imagined him reacting so suddenly, but then again he probably went through hell out there, even so she just wished he'd talk to her if he wasn't coping with things the way he wanted to. She'd tried to imagine what someone had wanted with keeping Noah away and making them all think he was dead, but she still only managed to get her brain in hundreds of knots that lead no where.

“Look I'm sorry” Noah apologized, realizing how that had just come out, he'd thought he'd managed to control how hard things were for him, but obviously it wasn't working, he was going to have to open up sooner or later, but for now as far as he was concerned, it could be later, not sooner, “I just don't think I'm up to it right now”.

“Ok” Dani said, taking in a deep breath, “but were going to need to do that sooner or later”.

“Yeah I know, just not right now, ok?”

“Ok” she agreed, finishing the last of what was on her plate and putting her dishes beside the sink, leaning forward on the side of the bench so she was facing him, “Noah are you sure your oping ok?”

Noah didn't answer, instead he just looked at her and bit his bottom lip, the look on his face giving it all away.

“Noah-”

“Look Dani, I just went through a lot out there, I'll tell you everything sometime, but just not now” he promised, and he wasn't lying ether.

“Alright, but if it gets to much for you, you know I'll be more than happy to listen”.

“Yeah I know” he replied softly and greatfully.

“Anyway, I have to go”

“I thought you said you don't have to work on Tuesdays?”

“I don't, but I do have to find a wedding dress before my mother-in-law picks it for me” Dani laughed. “I love the girl and everything, but she's way to excited about her little boy getting married” she sighed, grabbing her coat and bag before heading for the door, “Anyway I'll probably be a while”.

“Ok have fun then” Noah called.

“Yeap, bye”.

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Three hours later

“Ok what about this one?” Staford's little sister Stacie asked holding out another gown, she'd offered to help her out today since Dani's other friends were all at work seeing as she was the only one that only had to work four days a week.

Not that it mattered who came with her, a wedding dress was a wedding dress it wasn't going to make the engagement to Staford any easier even if it was the most beautiful and expensive dress in the whole entire world, and whether she liked it or not, until she got the guts to tell Staford the wedding was off she was going to have to act like it was what she wanted...

unless of course she made him want to break it off with her..

which surprisingly she had been starting to seriously consider as an option. That way he'd have to let her down gently like he would of course considering he was Staford. Maybe they might even be able to go back to being friends again if she was lucky, well that really depended whether he still liked her at all after she had made him break things off with her.

Or maybe she could just escape the country and never be seen again, then she wouldn't have to deal with it at all, now that would be nice she thought, but then again there was the fact that she couldn't live without Staford in her life, he kept her sane, he was the one that got her though things, and he was the one that seemed to be able to make her see sense in any situation, he knew everything about her and knew exactly how to get though to her.

All that made things harder to decide, he was good for her, she just wished she could love him.

“Earth to Dani” Stacie said slowly waving her hands in front of her face, “were you even listening to me?”

“Sorry” Dani apologized.

“That's ok, what about this one” she repeated holding the dress up again.

“I don't know” Dani sighed looking down at the floor for a second before looking back up again at the dress, “Why is there too many to chose from? It doesn't make things any easier for people” she winged.

“Ok you look like you've had enough” Stacie declared, handing the dress to the sails assistant and helping Dani up leaning down to grab Dani's bag and put it in her hand. “You need Coffee, and you need it now”.

“No I think I need a shop assistant who actually knows the difference between silk and organza” she grumbled as they were out the door and out of the hearing range of the shop assistant who was now hanging up the dress and moving on to 'try' and help the next frustrated bride to be who was already ripping her hair out as it was even without another push.

At all five different shops they'd been to so far they'd ended up walking out, none of the people that were supposed to be helping them were actually helping, if anything they were making things more frustrating than it already was.

“Yeah that would probably help too... Oh my gosh” Stacie stopped in her tracks as they reached the next shop window in the shopping center.

“What?” Dani asked clueless like she'd just woken up.

“That one” Stacie told her pointing to the only white dress in the window.

Dani turned around and looked where she was pointing, “Ok now your talking” she smiled, definitely more on track now. “Ok what are we waiting for, that dress is mine” she declared grabbing Stacie's hand and dragging her into the shop.

Please review

[dolly-999]

Is anyone reading this?

[shawtyy]

I didn't notice that there was an update. Great chapter, I wonder how Noah will react when he finds out Scott and Hayley are together now. I just have this feeling that Noah and Dani are going to get together.

[tamminmad]

I just have this feeling that Noah and Dani are going to get together.

OOOOHHHHH, I hope so I've always wanted them to be a couple.

Great chapter by the way. Keep the good stuff coming.

[Guest [x]whacko[x]jen[x]]

Yes I like it too

[dolly-999]

Thanks guys, it's good to know someone's reading this.

Chapter number 7. Going crazy

Dani scuffled her ways through the door with two shopping bags in one hand and her hand bag and keys in the other. After finding her dress, Stacie had insisted that they found shoes as well, “you can't walk away and not have your dress with you to match the shoes too” she had insisted, but at least that ment one more thing for this unwanted wedding was out of the way.

Sighing she kicked her shoes off beside the door, put her hand bag on a hook and chucked her keys in it before making her way through to the kitchen where she carelessly chucked her two shopping bags down on the bench.

“Rough day huh?” Noah's voice came from where he was sitting on the lounge chair.

“Yeah just a bit” Dani answered running her fingers through her hair at the top of her head before taking a seat next to him. “you ok?” she asked when she realized how stressed he was looking.

“Um yeah” he started... “Kinda.... ok no” he finally admitted, in some ways he looked guilty of something, but at the same time he looked scared.

“Spill” Dani ordered.

“I've been doing some thinking about what you said about going to the police...” he began before trailing off slightly.

“And?” Dani encouraged him, waiting for what he was about to say.

“And... even though I don't want to I think it would be a good idea to go as soon as possible” he spat out in one go before he backed out of the idea, “but on one condition, wait no two”.

“Which is?”

“I don't want to face anyone in Summer bay just yet, I don't think I could handle it right now”.

“I can understand that” Dani told him giving him a supportive smile, “and the other condition?”

“Well” he said taking in a deep breath, “I haven't been completely honest with you Dani”.

“What do you mean?” Dani asked feeling confused.

“You know how I said I'm fine?”

“Yeah”.

“Well I'm not” he told her, telling the truth about his ordeal for the first time, “but you probably already figured that” he added chuckling slightly from the nerves. “That's where my other condition comes in, I don't know whether I'll be able to face the cops by myself, so I was wondering if you'd be there two?”

“Of course” she promised, “of course I will”.

“Thank you”.

“For what?”

“For everything, Dani you've been so good to me, I don't know what I would of done if-”

“And you don't need to even think about what you would of done” Dani cut him off, “your safe now and that's the important thing, ok?”

“Yeah I guess your right” Noah agreed, “but you've still been great though, thank you”.

“Your welcome” Dani smiled.

“So how about I give Peter a call, he works in the city now so you wouldn't have to go back to the bay where everyone else is” Dani suggested.

“Yeah sounds good” Noah answered, “but first how did your shopping trip go?”

“Pretty good actually, I've got a dress and shoes so that's the majority of it out of the way” Dani explained.

“Well give us a look at the dress then” he encouraged her.

“Oh alright” Dani gave in getting up and walking over to the bench where the shopping bags were. She pulled out the wedding dress, it had been the last one left in her size so it had to be lucky.

“Looks beautiful” Noah grinned as she held it up against her and turned it round on the hanger to show him the back, she'd definitely look gorgeous in it, she always did in a white dress. But then again Dani Sutherland looked gorgeous in anything, well at least he'd always thought so. “He's definitely a very lucky guy whether he knows it or not”.

“Thank you” she smiled before draping the dress across the back of one of the bench stools, “Anyway I better give Peter a call”.

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Later that night Dani closed her book and placed it on the coffee table before hopping up and turning the light out, she'd lost track of time after getting off the phone to Staford, he'd wanted to catch up with her since he hadn't seen her since the night before, but she'd made an excuse saying that she'd been too tired from shopping with his sister, which he had believed, he knew how tiring Stacie could be sometimes.

She made her way down the hallway past Noah's room and towards the door of her own room, but then she stopped when she heard Noah speak. She knew he wasn't talking to her, but there wasn't anyone else to talk to in here, well she didn't think there was.

“Noah?” she asked opening the door to find the lamp on and him asleep. 'That's weird' Dani thought to herself, 'I'm sure I heard him talk'.

Thinking nothing of it she stepped into the room reaching out to turn the lamp off, why he'd left it on she didn't know, it wasn't like him to leave things on around the place. “Good night Noah” she whispered before walking back to the door.

“Tell me what you did to them!” Noah gasped, turning over onto his other side.

“You ok?” Dani asked shocked, turning back around to find him once again peacefully asleep, accept this time he was lying on the other side of the bed, well at least she thought he was in a different position to what he had been before she turned around, but then again he probably wasn't.

“God you've really gone crazy now girl” she muttered to herself, Staford had always warned her that one day she's turn herself crazy from staying up to early hours of the morning reading, looks like he had been right. Shaking her head she left the room, closing the door behind her and going straight to bed.

Please review, it would be much appreciated if you took a minute or two to do so.

[shawtyy]

Great chapter, Ilike the way you have written Noah's and Dani's freindship. Wonder if Noah is having nightmares or Dani is just going crazy. Can't wait for more.

[tamminmad]

Nice chapter, I think he's talking in his sleep that is kind of weird, my sister sleep talks it's funny.

[Sarah_Lewis]

Awesome fan fic !! =]] update soon

[dolly-999]

Thanks for the reviews guys, it's much apreciated.

Just a word of warning, I've just changed the rating of this fic to T. I've PM'd one of the Librarians so I'm hoping the g rating in the title won't be there for much longer.

anyway, I've started the next chapter, and I might not get a chance to finish it until the weekend, but if I get time before then I'll update.