Shattered Glass

[Louise_2983]

I'm glad everyone liked how Belle explained it because that did come from my own head, I didn't research PND at all! Glad it seemed to make sense!

[Louise_2983]

Well I never intended for this fic to be so long, it's almost twice as long as Stockholm Syndrome now, it just got a little out of control lol.

But without further ado, this chapter is definitely the beginning of the end...

Chapter 58

“Home sweet home” Aden smiled as he pulled up outside the Beach House and turned the key in the ignition causing the engine to splutter to a halt.

Smiling as she did so Belle unclipped her seatbelt before leaning across and smacking an enthusiastic kiss against his cheek.

“What was that for?”

“Just because” she grinned happily at him.

“As good as our holiday was there is no where I would rather be than back in Summer Bay with you”

“Well they do say home is where the heart is babe” he grinned leaning over to press a gentle, tender kiss against her soft pink lips as his fingertips ran through the stray tendrils of hair framing her face.

“Right” he announced as they broke apart and glanced back at the three children sleeping soundly in the back.

“Let’s get our two into the house and then I’ll drive Sophie straight home, I’m sure Nic’s dying to see her”

“It almost seems a shame to move them” Belle sighed deeply as she gazed at them in awe, Jamie with his Mickey Mouse ears still permanently attached to his head and Sophie cuddling a Daisy Duck

teddy bear under one arm as Alyssia stirred in her baby seat between them.

“They do look adorable” Aden whispered cautiously so as not to wake them.

“But Jamie will be a total grump if he wakes up with a creak in his neck from sleeping like that”

“True, let’s get him to bed” she smiled as she climbed out of the car and carefully removed Alyssia’s car seat whilst Aden carried Jamie into the house and tucked him up in his own bed.

“Don’t be too long” she whispered, kissing him softly, as he headed back out to the car to deliver Sophie to her mother.

“We just spent every minute of the past three weeks together, aren’t you tired of me yet?” his lips kicked up into a tiny smirk.

“Well yeah of course” she nodded cheekily.

“But someone’s got to unpack haven’t they?”

“Right” he let out a low chuckle before disappearing out of the door.

“I might be a while then”

Smiling contently to herself she shut the front door quietly behind her departing husband and tip toed into her son’s bedroom, pressing a tender kiss to his temple as he stirred slightly.

“Mummy?” he mumbled softly without opening his eyes.

“Yes baby it’s me” she murmured, ruffling his hair soothingly.

“You go back to sleep”

“Are we back in our house now?” he questioned, his eyes still tightly shut.

“We sure are”

“I had lots and lots of fun in Disney World Mummy!” he told her, his little lips curving into a satisfied grin.

“You’re the bestest!”

“You’re not so bad yourself” she giggled quietly, brushing her lips over his temple just as the sharp creak of floorboards moving above them caused him to sit up abruptly, his features lined with shock.

“Mummy?!” he exclaimed almost in a whimper.

“Is Burglar Bill upstairs?” he asked referring to a character from one of his books as thumping footsteps rattled the ceiling above them and worry surged through Belle. There was clearly an intruder

upstairs and with Aden out she was left to protect Jamie and Alyssia alone.

“I’m sure it’s just Annie sweetheart” she lied knowing Annie had taken all her things on her last trip back to collect them.

“You stay here and Mummy will go and check”

“No!” he whispered in horror.

“You can’t go Mummy! You’re a girl, what if it’s a big, bad burglar man?”

“I’ll be ok baby” she comforted him despite the anxiety cursing through her.

“You just stay down here and look after your sister ok?”

“Ok” he nodded proud that he had been entrusted with the responsibility of protecting his sister, even if he was scared of what would happen if Belle went upstairs to check.

“But be careful Mummy!”

“I will be sweetheart, don’t worry” she whispered before grabbing the lamp from his bedside table and creeping slowly up the stairs with it clutched between her palms.

She negotiated each step cautiously so as to make as little sound as possible, she didn’t want whoever was upstairs to be prepared for her appearance.

Reaching the top she tip toed to the door of the room which was positioned directly above her son’s and, lifting the lamp high above her head with one hand as she prepared to swing it if necessary, she

reached out to open the door with the other.

Just as she began to twist the brass handle, it turned faster from the inside and fell open. She began to lower the lamp but before she could make contact with the intruder their piercing scream ripped

through the house.

“MUMMY?!!” Jamie shouted in alarm from the bottom of the stairs as she lowered the lamp and stared in disappointment at the scantily clad female before her, as he hovered in the background behind

her.

“It’s ok sweetie” she called back reassuring.

“It’s just Nicole”

“Aunt Nicole!” he cried happily as the blonde’s breathing began to return to normal after her near miss with the lamp.

“I missed you most!”

“I missed you too Jamie” she smiled sheepishly, peeking down at him from the top of the stairs, her semi dressed body hidden from his view.

“Did you have a good holiday?”

“The best!” he grinned sweetly as he unsuccessfully tried to stifle a yawn.

“Go back to bed now sweetie” Belle ordered him softly and, clearly exhausted, he obeyed.

“Downstairs, 2 minutes” the brunette demanded as she turned back to face both of them and stomped down the stairs.

Knowing she had every right to be angry with them their clothes were back on and they trailed down the stairs like naughty school children with at least thirty seconds of their allotted two minutes to

spare.

“I gave you the spare key so you could water the plants, check we hadn’t been robbed that sort of thing” she hissed at Nicole as they sat down on the sofa and she paced angrily in front of them.

“Not so you could have sex upstairs!”

“Well we couldn’t exactly do it at my house with my Dad around” Nicole shrugged her shoulders sheepishly.

“And it’s not like it was in your bed or anything, you don’t even use that room anymore. Not since Annie moved out”

“What are you two doing anyway?” she half laughed as her eyes scanned first him, then her and then him again.

“I thought you hated each other?”

“We don’t hate each other” he told her quietly, speaking for the first time since she had found them.

“We’ve talked a lot since you’ve been away actually” Nicole whispered.

“So you’re what...a couple now?” Belle laughed incredulously at their quick work.

“No” Nicole shook her head slowly.

“We were just testing”

“Testing? Testing what? My bed springs?”

“We have a daughter together Belle” Nicole mumbled realising how stupid what she was about to say sounded.

“We both just want to do what’s best for her and we thought that if we were together, if we could feel something for each other and be a couple and give her a proper family, then that would be best”

“You two never fail to amaze me” Belle laughed more to herself than at them.

“Either individually or together. But I guess I understand wanting what’s best for your children, I’m a parent too. But seriously, not in my house ok? If Aden had been here, Drew you’d be hung, drawn

and quartered by now!”

“We weren’t expecting you back until later” Nicole mumbled.

“I must have read your flight details wrong...we just wanted to try before Sophie came back and Roman’ s been home all weekend”

“So?” Belle arched her eyebrows at them expectantly.

“So what?”

“So what are the results of your little sordid experiment?” she grinned suggestively.

“Feel anything?”

Tensely Nicole and Drew looked at each other before lowering their gaze to their laps, neither wanting to be first to speak.

“Nicole?” Belle prodded.

“Nothing” she mumbled quietly, shaking her head slowly as Drew let out a visible sigh of relief.

“Zilch” he confirmed he felt the same.

“Not that it wasn’t good”

“Well no” Nicole hurried to clarify her statement.

“It was good it just wasn’t...I don’t know, it wasn’t...he isn’t...”

“I’m not what?!” Drew asked suddenly defensive as she struggled to find the words to critique his performance.

“Geoff” she whispered softly.

“You’re not Geoff. The earth could of moved in there and you still wouldn’t be Geoff”

“Geoff?” Drew laughed uncertainly.

“Geoff was that good huh?”

“I don’t mean like that, Geoff and I never...well once we did but that was a long time ago. I meant that no matter how good that might of been I don’t love you and being with you just for Sophie’s sake

wouldn’t be the best thing for any of us. This whole idea was stupid”

“Yeah, you’re right” Drew sighed regretfully before looking at them both for reassurance.

“But it was good right? I mean neither of you ever had any complaints right?”

“DREW!” Belle exclaimed with a chuckle.

“Don’t expect me to boost your ego for you, it’s big enough all ready. Now Aden’s taken Sophie home it might be an idea for you two to go and see her, you know being her parents and everything”

“I’ve missed her so much” Nicole told her, jumping up and already heading out of the door.

“Seriously I knew I loved her but I didn’t realise how much until she was on the other side of the world and I couldn’t see her everyday”

“Go on then!” Belle smiled, pushing the blonde out of the door as she laughed at the irony that she hadn’t realised how much she’d loved Jamie until she was back in the same little town, with him only 5

minutes away.

“You too Romeo” she winked at Drew.

“Sorry” he mumbled once more as he headed for the door, twisting to face her as he reached it, his words sending a surge of nausea flowing through her.

“I know it’s over and I’ve more than accepted that but for the record Taylor, you’re my Geoff. You always have been”

***

“Don’t go back to work” she pleaded, wrapping her arms around him from behind as he buckled up his leather belt.

“Wouldn’t you rather stay at home with me?” she murmured, pressing soft kisses against his back as her hand greedily caressed his pert behind.

“And then we could all go to the beach together like we did yesterday?” she suggested when he didn’t respond to her advances hoping that the lovely time the little family unit had enjoyed at the beach

the day before would be enough to persuade him not to go to work.

“Babe” he chuckled softly as he turned to face her and drew her body close to his chest before kissing her passionately.

“But...” she whimpered knowing whatever she said she couldn’t win.

“I’ll get lonely and you don’t have to go to work, I have lots of money, you can be a kept man if you want!”

“As tempting as that is, you’d get tired of me after a while”

“Not possible” she objected, shaking her head against his broad chest.

“You say that now but we would drive each other insane I know it. Even the closest of couples need time apart babe and I actually enjoy going to work”

She pouted slightly, her lower lip aquiver.

“And going to work makes coming home to you all the more enjoyable” he grinned, capturing her lips with his own as he felt them curve into a grin.

“Ok, you win” she mumbled softly against his shirt.

“But you have to miss me every second, understand?”

“Loud and clear” he grinned stealing another quick kiss before grabbing his jacket and heading to the moses basket their daughter was snuggled in.

“Now are you going to be a good girl for Mummy?” he cooed as he lifted her from the basket and snuggled her close to his chest, breathing in her sweet scent and brushing his lips over her head.

“Of course you are, you’re always a good girl aren’t you Liss?”

“Always” Belle whispered as she rested her head on Aden’s shoulder and rubbed her fingertips in soothing circles over her daughter’s back.

“Ok now I don’t want to go to work” he smiled as he cradled his baby girl close.

“Then stay?!” Belle suggested hopefully.

“Nah, gotta go” he laughed softly.

“I will see you later beautiful, I love you lots, don’t get into too much trouble whilst I’m gone will you?” he grinned peppering his daughter with tiny butterfly kisses.

“Daddy! We’re going to be late!” Jamie bellowed from the kitchen as Aden lowered his baby girl back into the moses basket.

“I have sing a long songs first and I don’t want to miss it!”

“I’m coming!” he called as he headed for the door with a quick glance back at Belle.

“See ya gorgeous” he grinned and then he was gone.

Sighing to herself she wandered around the room aimlessly, not sure what to do without her boys for the first time in weeks. She was just about to hit the shower when he stormed back into the

bedroom, out of breath a little having run back from the car at great speed.

“Did you forget something?” she asked as his lips kicked up into a suggestive smile.

“Yeah” he murmured softly as he cupped her face tenderly between his palms.

“This” he smirked, pressing his lips to hers and drawing her into a passionate kiss.

“Well boy am I glad you remembered that!” she grinned, licking her red lips lustfully as they broke apart.

“Me too” he smirked, pressing another soft kiss to her lips.

“You should go” she told him reluctantly as she spied the time on the clock behind her.

“I know” he nodded, making no move to leave and instead kissing her once more.

“Stay instead” she laughed, pressing a quick series of kisses against his full lips.

“Jamie’s in the car” he groaned into her kiss as if that was all that was preventing him from staying.

“You better go then” she sighed breaking her lips away from his, his hands still framing her face.

“Yeah” he nodded, still not moving and instead kissing her again.

“I. Love. You” he murmured softly, kissing her tenderly between each word of his declaration.

“Love you too” she grinned kissing him back passionately, her hands pulling him closer to her as they grasped the stiff collar of his shirt.

His hands reluctantly slid from her pretty face and grasped her fists between his, pulling them off his shirt and creating much needed distance if he was ever going to leave.

“See you in 8 hours” he smiled, kissing her quickly and softly.

“I’ll be counting the minutes” she grinned as he reached the door, still clutching her hands.

“Don’t you mean the seconds?” he teased with a grin, pulling her towards him for another kiss.

“Go!” she finally gave in to the inevitable pushing him out of the door.

“Ok, love you” he grinned leaving the room.

“Love you too” she called after him as he reappeared in the doorway, groaned loudly, pressed another kiss to her soft lips and finally left, blowing a final kiss her way, this time without returning.

“Looks like it’s just you and me baby” she whispered to her daughter softly when it became apparent that he had definitely left this time and she wouldn’t be getting anymore kisses until at least that evening.

“We can manage without them can’t we?”

***

“Hey Belle, what can we get you?” Leah smiled as Belle perched on a stool at the counter and Leah had a quick, adoring peek at Alyssia snuggled up in her pram.

“Erm” Belle sighed sadly.

“How about one Aden with a side order of Jamie?”

Leah let out a giggle as she thrust a laminated sheet into her friend’s hands.

“How about something actually on the menu?”

“Oh, you meant food! Silly me!”

“Missing them already huh?” Leah asked knowingly.

“More than you would believe” she sighed flipping the menu over and over in her hands.

“I’ll just have an OJ thanks, oh and some of that chocolate cake, I need something sweet”

“I’m sure they’re missing you just as much as you’re missing them you know”

“Oh I doubt it” she shook her head sadly.

“Jamie’s doing show and tell about Disney World today so he’ll be loving every minute and Ad-“

She stopped talking as the shrill beep of her mobile alerted her to an incoming text and she whipped her phone from her pocket only to find a text from the man in question.

“Speak of the devil” she grinned, pleased that he hadn’t forgotten her.

She knew it was stupid to feel so lost without him but they’d been together pretty much constantly for so much time since they’d got back together and she wasn’t really sure what to do without him

anymore, or whether she actually wanted to do anything without him.

She chuckled softly to herself as she wondered for a brief moment whether there were any vacancies at the school before she pushed the button to open the text.

“Hey Liss, hope my gorgeous girl is having a good day even if Daddy isn’t there to enjoy it with you. I will make up for it with plenty of kisses and cuddles tonight I promise. Hope you’re looking after

your Mummy, she says that she attracts trouble but I don’t think that’s the nicest nickname she could pick for me! Be good for her, we’ll never find another like her. Love you lots precious, Daddy

xxx”

“Forget the cake” Belle told Leah, looking up at her with a grin.

“Who needs chocolate when you’re married to the sweetest man in the universe?”

***

“Well here we are sweetheart” she smiled down at her sleeping daughter as they arrived home.

“And it’s not long until our boys will be back too and then you better wake up so we can have lots of fun together because I know you’ve missed them as much as I have. Aren’t we just the luckiest girls

in the world hey?” she grinned to herself as she noticed the red light flashing on the answer phone and pushed the button to instruct the machine to play the message.

“Hey gorgeous” his low husky voice filled the room and her heart began to beat just that little bit faster.

“And hi to you Belle too” he laughed at his own joke as she screwed her face up slightly in annoyance.

“Only joking babe, you know I think you’re beautiful” he redeemed himself as she sat on the sofa and listened eagerly to the voice she loved more than any other.

“Well I guess you’re off out having fun without me, which makes me kind of sad to be honest, maybe I should have chosen the kissing over the working this morning hey? Oh well, I’m here now and it’s

been a good day so far, apart from missing my girls. Hope your day has been good too and that you’re not missing me too much. I know it’s hard but remember I’m amazing, you’re lucky to have me at

all” he joked and she grinned at his playful banter.

“Miss you both, just wanted to say hello and hear your voice. But I better get back to work, got an appointment in 5. Love you” he signed off, air kissing loudly down the phone before the message

ended with a beep.

Grinning to herself she rose from the sofa just as Roman and Nicole filed into the kitchen.

“Hey guys! To what do I owe this pleasure?” she greeted them with an enthusiastic smile before Nicole’s tear stained face filled her with dread.

“Nicole?” she questioned, her tone brimming with concern as the blonde tried unsuccessfully to reign back the tears streaming down her face.

She felt physically sick, her stomach lurching as she diverted her gaze to Roman and instantly recognised the stern expression on his face, overflowing with a sadness he was desperately trying to

conceal, as the one which she had last seen on his face a few days after her return to the Bay.

“Belle” he began quietly as Nicole sniffled.

“There’s been an incident at the school...a shooting”

Instantly she knew what was coming, she didn’t need him to deliver the news.

“No” she shook her head defiantly, gasping for breath although the tears that should have flowed refused to come.

“NO” she repeated again when he didn’t correct her obvious assumption.

“NO!” she whispered forcefully as her knees gave way and she sank to the floor like she herself had been shot.

“I’m so sorry” Roman whispered.

“But Aden’s dead”

“Momma said

It's just make believe

You can't believe everything you see

So baby close your eyes to the lullabies

On the news tonight"

Jack Johnson – The News

[LAURZY!]

WTF?! Dead?? Where the heck did that come from?!

Jamie's gonna be heartbroken!

The rest of the chapter was brill, the bit with Drew and Nicole was priceless lol

But the ending... OMG so sad!! How's she gonna tell him?......!!!!!

[MrsL]

WHAT!!!!!

I was grinning like a cheshire cat all through that, Aden not wanting to go back to work. Loved it so much and now I feel sick. I cannot believe that you have done this. Not happy at all

How could you kill him off,I am ..... beyond words and in a state of shock

[xknomex]

why!? i mean..... its Aden. what about Jamie?!?!??!?! he's like.. i just. woah i'm in shock!!!!

i'm prob making noooooo sense right now

but

[bradyell]

just

i had a feeling something bad was gonna happen!

i can't really say any more than that

[Red Ranger 1]

A...a...a...okay, I think you are officially the first writer on here to have literally left me speechless.My god!I was not expecting that at all, phenomenal twist and really well done.Also remembering how I thought many chapters back that you were about to kill Aden off and how I wondered how Belle and Jamie(and now Lissa!)would cope.Looking forward to seeing where you take this now.Loved the little bit between Drew and Nicole and the way Drew told Belle that even though it was over she'd always be his Geoff, that was sweet.

Trying really hard to think of something to sum up just how shocked I am but words just don't do it justice.Really good.

[Louise_2983]

A...a...a...okay, I think you are officially the first writer on here to have literally left me speechless.My god!

Well I'll take that as a compliment lol. To be honest I have had this planned for a long, long time now so when you were thinking I was going to kill off Aden way back I already knew that I was going to later on in the fic. I even changed my mind at one point and decided not to do it but when I tried to think of another ending nothing would tie together properly unless I did it and I figured it would give me an opportunity to write some really emotional scenes.

[littlemiss]

Oh No! :-(

Sort of wish i hadn't read that now could ahve waited till tomorrow.

Anyway. I only started readin this and Stockholm Syndrome (apologies for spelling) this week, i read the first one in 2 days (the first half or so I stayed up till 2am reading when i had initially thought i'd just read a couple of chapters as I just couldn't stop, would ahve kept going at that pace but was too busy with other things). You are a really good writer and I have really enjoyed reading these two fics :-)

[KaiyaBlake]

My stomach just jumped out of my body Adennn.

I must say though, it was a really good twist! Very unpredictable.

I'm confused though, was that the last chapter ?