A Mother's Treasure Is Her Daughter

[lollypop]

Hey thanks for all your comments I really appreciate them.

I'm starting the next chapter tonight so if anybody has any suggestions or or opinions as to what they want to happen feel free to add your ideas here. It might help me make the chapter more enjoyable for you.

Thanks again and I'll be posting soon so stay tuned.

[Inactive User]

Great chapter.

This is really good.

Loved the mother/daughter stuff at the beginning

Charlie's dream...so scary! Hope it won't come true.

Hope nothing happens bad to Charlie and Ruby

More soon pleaseeee ;)

[lollypop]

Chapter 30

Placing her shaking hand on the door, Charlie twisted the door knob and as quietly as she could, she opened the door slowly. Holding her gun with a firm grip, she stepped out into the corridor, the cold floor on her bare feet sending a shiver down her spine. Just as she was about to move towards the kitchen she heard a noise coming from the living room. Feeling the tension rise, Charlie hesitated for a moment and then she began to make her way into the living room.

Moving stealthly into the room she glanced around at the darkness. She edged towards the wall and removing one hand from the grip of her gun, she flicked on the living room light quickly and then reinforced her firm grip aound her pistol. Looking down she noticed the glisten of a thousand shattered pieces of glass sprayed across a portion of the floor. It was from there she looked up and noticed the window that once housed a pane of glass was now nothing more than a whole in the wall.

It was then that Charlie felt panic set in. Looking around she couldn't find the ability to think clearly as she was overwhelmed by the sheer danger that surrounded her. Looking back at the window she tried to focus her train of thought and narrow in on what she had to do. Just then her mind zeroed in on one thing...Ruby. With her brain no focused Charlie was just about to make her to her daughter when suddenly from behind her, she felt the tip of a gun nudge into her back.

"Drop your weapon and don't move", the voice from behind said in a quiet whisper that, even though it was silent, evoked anger.

Without thinking, for fear that trying to fight would possibly endanger both herself and Ruby, she dropped the gun on the floor and kicked it away. Slowly, she turned to face her intruder. And just as she suspected for weeks, John Doe had finally arrived to exact his revenge. Stepping back, he hovered his gun in the air, pointing it straight at Charlie. She stood there breathing intensly as she manovered round the far side of the coffee table putting some distance between them.

"Look, just put the gun down, we can talk about this. This doesn't have to end like this", Charlie tried to reason with him.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a shadow appear on the corridor floor and then the figure moved into the light. Ruby stared at Charlie and the fear paralysed her, literally, in the spot she was in. Looking down at her daughter, Charlie could see Rubys hands shaking as they rested on the wheels of her chair. Noticing that his target was distracted, John Doe turned his head following Charlie's gaze.

Seeing Ruby, John turned his gun on her and cocked the gun. With a look of anger he prepared to pull the trigger. Charlie, without so much as a thought, leaped over the coffee table and flung herself against John Doe, his gun firing off as they both crashed to the ground. Ruby screamed as the bullet whizzed past her and lodged itself in the wall, inches away from where she was rooted.

After wrestling with John for what seemed like a never eneding struggle, Charlie finally freed herself from his grasp and picked herself off the floor. She raced towards Ruby and crashed to her knees in front of her and cupped her face in her hands as she tried to help Ruby breath through one of her panic attacks. Wiping the tears from her daughters eyes she whispered words of comfort and hope. As Charlie spoke, Ruby reached behind her and revealed Charlie's police issued pistol she had picked up off the floor when she came out of the room.

Noticing the gun in Ruby's hands, Charlie gave her daughter a small smile at her quick thinking. Charlie pulled her daughter into a hug as a cover to shield the transaction between mother and daughter. Whilst in the embrace Charlie grabbed the gun from Ruby and took a firm grip of it, cocking it and preparing to face their attacker again. Standing up she turned around, keeping a strong stance in front of Ruby to distance her from John Doe.

Charlie looked down at the floor and found a groggy John Doe picking himself off the ground nursing a head wound from the fall. She walked over to where he was kneeling and hovered above him, pointing her gun directly at him.

"Get up, put your hands up where I can see them and sit on the couch", Charlie said to him with a stern tone. "NOW!" she ordered as he took his time getting off the floor.

John Doe walked slowly around the couch, Charlie keeping her gun on him at all times, and sat down. As he sat on the couch, he looked at up at Ruby and let out a quiet laugh.

"I can't believe the reason I'm in this whole mess is because of a cripple like you", he said.

Standing over him, Charlie felt her anger boil over to the surface. Unable to take his sniggering, she raised her gun and struck him across the face with blunt force. John Doe rubbed the side of his cheek and noticed the blood.

"Don't you ever talk to my daughter like that", Charlie said as she began to well up with tears.

"Oh yeah, well at least you have a family. Your copper mates took away the only family I had", John stated coldly.

Both Buckton women seemed stunned by the statement. However their thoughts on the matter seemed to go off in two completely different directions.

"We took him away. He almost killed my daughter. TWICE. He deserved what was coming to him" Charlie screamed at him.

John Doe looked down at the ground and then looked back up at Charlie.

"Oh yeah, will did I deserve to lose my brother. He did what he did cause he was scared if he went down, I'd go down with him", John stated matter of factly. "I didn't want him to do what he did, but he did it. Doesn't mean I don't hate you or friends in blue for ending his life. I have nothing now".

Ruby looked at John Doe as he rubbed his temple out of anger and frustration. Taking in his words, she felt a sense of remoarse for the young man sitting before her. She was snapped out of her thoughts by a frantic Charlie as she continued to grill him.

"If you're so sorry for what your brother did, why did you come here tonight and shoot off at her?".

"I didn't come here to kill her. I came here to scare you into getting the charges dropped", John said. "I didn't mean to shoot at her but when you jumped me the trigger slipped and I couldn't stop it".

Charlie looked at him. Failing to be convinced by his story.

"Look, my brother looked out for me my whole life. His way of doing things, it's the only way I know. Yeah he did some stupid stuff and he messed up her life pretty good. But he only did it so he could stay out of jail and look out for me", John continued this time with tears in his eyes.

Charlie was about to continue her angry tyrant at him when she was halted by the squeeze of her hand from her daughter. Looking down she saw Ruby glance into her eyes, with a look that pleaded for her to stop. Not wanting to further upset her daughter, Charlie stepped back. Moving her chair foward, Ruby stopped right in front of John Doe and placed her hand on top of his. He looked up at her, confusion deep within his eyes as he looked at the hand she had place on his.

Ruby looked down and thought for a second about what she was going to say. Although she struggled, she finally found the strength to say the words she never thought she would.

"I forgive him", she said. Short and brief, Ruby summed up her entire feelings in those three words. "I....forgive him".

John Doe looked her in the eye and saw the sincerity in her in her gaze. At the moment he felt all anger leave him and he finally broke down. Placing his hands and head down in Ruby's lap as she stroked his hair trying to comfort him. Charlie stood rooted to the same spot, a free flow of tears running down her cheeks as she took in the moving scene before her. To her it felt like her daughter had finally moved on.

To Ruby, it felt like she had finally found inner peace, and that now she could finally put the bad memories and feelings to rest.

Within moments of Charlie calling the police, they arrived at the scene and arrested John Doe. The charge, breaking and enetering. Both Ruby and Charlie watched as he was driven away in the squad car and disappeared out of their lives for good.

Back inside the house Ruby sat in silence in the living room. Staring at the spot John Doe had been sitting in prior to being arrested. Charlie walked in and looked at her daughter. Suddenly her dream made sense. Ruby's grave wasn't a sign of death. It was a sign of peace. A sign that her daughter would finally be at peace with everything that had happened to her and that life would go on after the past had been buried.

Walking over to the coffee table she sat down and spun her daughter's chair around so that she was facing her.

"Rubes, are ok?", she asked concerened for her daughter's wellbeing after the night's events.

"It's over", she said. "It's really over".

Ruby began to she tears of joy as she felt the weight being lifted off of her shoulders. Registering what Ruby had just said, Charlie realised she was right and pulled her daughter into her embrace, stroking her hair and feeling a sense of relief.

"Yeah, it's over", Charlie said as she comforted her daughter.

With a small smile Charlie planted a kiss atop of her daughters head and then allowed herself to fall into the brace completely. Free of any feelings of fear or anxiety. Her guard finally down, she hugged her daughter in what seemes like just a regular show of affection and comfort.

[Inactive User]

Great chapter.

Phew glad John Doe didn't hurt Charlie neither Liked the 'i forgive him' and comforting scene.

Looks like things are going to be okay for Charlie and Ruby now because everything is over as John Doe is going to jail.

More soon please.

[Danni02]

Good chapter. I liked the interaction/comforting between Charlie and Ruby and I'm glad neither of them got hurt.

[lollypop]

Chapter 31

Pushing herself along the route to the Surf Club, Ruby smiled when she saw Nicole walking towards her from the beach. She stopped outside the lifeguard boad shed and waited for her friend to reach her, shielding her eyes from the bright sun with her hand. Nicole bounded up to where Ruby was waiting, flinging her towel over shoulder and smiling back at her best friend.

"Hey, what are you doing out and about? I thought you had a date with Aden today?" Ruby asked when Nicole fnally made it over to her.

"Well, I did. But Alf had to head to the city to pick up some supplies for the bait shop so Aden had to work instead", Nicole replied sounding disappointed.

"Oh, well I'm sure he'll make it up to you. You know what he's like. He'll be planning a surprise for you as we speak", Ruby said reassuringly.

Nicole nodded at Ruby. She knew she was right. Aden always did pull off a show stopper of a make up when he had to bail on a date. It was one of the reasons she loved him so much.

"As for being out and about, where are you going?", Nicole asked realising it was the first time in a couple of days she had seen Ruby outside of school and her house.

"I'm meeting mum for a juice at Noah's. She just sat her detective's exam and she wanted to tell me the whether or not she passed, Ruby said with an excited to tone to her voice. "Plus, Leah just dropped me off from my rehab session and mum wants to know how I went".

"Well I won't keep you. Hey do you want to come over later and watch some DVD's or something?" Nicole asked, hoping for a girlie night in.

""Yeah sure.. I could use a good gossip", Ruby said.

With that both girls exchanged brief hugs and went their seperate ways. Ruby made her way around to the entrance of the Surf Club. Entering into the main hall she smiled at Martha as she passed her by, wheeling around the pool table and making her way to the juice bar. As she wheeled in she looked around for her mother. Smiling when she found her sitting in her uniform on the couch across the room with two juices on the table before her.

Moving around the juice bar she crossed the room and stopped at the side of the couch next to her mother. Charlie smiled at her and stood up to embrace her daughter. Sitting back down she handed Ruby her juice and then turned towards her ready to have a chat. Placing her elbowon top of the back fo the couch she leaned her head on her hand and smiled as Ruby took a quick sip of her juice.

"So how'd did the exam go?" Ruby asked excitedly, hoping for the best.

Charlie smiled at her daughter and then leaned forward placingher juice on the table before her. Turning back around she looked up at Ruby and smiled.

"Well, you are now looking at Senior Detective Charlie Buckton" Charlie said with a huge grin on her face.

"Oh my God. Are you serious?" Ruby squealed as her excitement began to spill over.

Charlie nodded her head to acknowledge Ruby's reply and and she could fell her melt as her daughter began to tear up. Ruby lunged her upper body forward and engulfed her mother in a hug, kissing the side of her cheek. Charlie fell into the embrace and felt the pressures of the day fade away at that moment.

"So when does it become official?", Ruby asked leaning back into her chair and taking her juice back up from the table.

"Well, I have to take a couple more exams based on general theory and then I have to take an asessment....." Charlie found herself cut off by an overly impatient Ruby.

"....Okay mum, when is the big celebrations?" asked the teen with wide eyes.

Charlie could do nothing but laugh There was nothing her daughter loved more than a reason to go out and celebrate.

"Okay, okay. It will be two months from tomorrow to the very day", Charlie finally answered her. "I'll officially be given the title".

Ruby started addin that up in her head. She had this strange feeling something was on the same day as Charlie's detective officiation. It then finally clicked. It was the same day as Charlie's birthday. Suddenly Ruby's brain went into overdrive and she started making all sorts of plans.

"Mum that's the same day as your birthday", Ruby stated with a big grin on her face. "We need o have a big celebration.

"Rubes, I'm turning 31 not 21, I don't think a party is necessary", Charlie said with a laugh.

"So? Mum we've been through a lot this year and you've supported me through some of the toughest times. You deserve to showered aith adoration. Come on, you need a good party", Ruby finished with a pleading look.

"Ok, fine will throw a party", Charlie gave in.

"Yes!" Rubh said pumping her fists in the air.

Both Charlie and Martha, who was standing at the counter laughed at Ruby's over enthusiastic expression of happiness. When she had finally settled down, Charlie placed a hand on her knee as she always did when she wanted to know something or get gossip out of her.

"So how did the rehabilitation session go today? Good? Did the docs say anything about how your recovery is going", she asked, hoping that the possibilty of Ruby ever walking again was going to be a reality or just an impossible dream.

Ruby sat there and thought about the her visit to the rehab centre earlier. As she sat there she began to have flashbacks.

"Ruby, did you hear what I just said?", the doctor asked as Ruby sat in her chair stunned into silence.

A tear slid down her cheek as she tried to process what he had just told her. Unable to control her emotions, she bowed her head and buried it in her hands. All she could think of was going home to her mother and telling her the news and being comforted.

"Ruby....Ruby...."

A voice snapped her back to reality and she looked up to see Charlie staring her in the eye with a worried expression on her face. Ruby stiffened and when she looked at her. Charlie was having a good day and with plans underway for a shindig underway, she didn't want to overshadow her good day with Ruby's news. Today was going to be all about Charlie.

"Rubes, what's wrong? Did somehting happen at your appointment? God I knew I should have went with you", Charlie said, a guilty tone in her voice.

"Mum you were sitting an exam, you couldn't have been there. It's nothing. I guess I'm just tired from the workout today", Ruby lied as she grabbed her Charlie's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Charlie nodded at her daughter's explanation for being so withdrawn. But looking into Ruby's eyes, she could tell she was hiding something from her. And she was going to find out one way or another.

"Um, I'm gonna go. Nic and I are going to watch some DVD's at her house, so I'll see you later", Ruby said as she retreated away from the couch and started to wheel away.

"Hey, call me later, I'll pick you you up", Charlie said as she watched Ruby take off out of the juice bar.

Watching from behind the bar, Martha walked over to the couch and sat down next to Charlie .

"Is Ruby alright? Martha asked as she looked at Charlie who was still staring after Ruby until she was out of sight.

"I don't know, and to be honest I'm a little worried she's hiding something from me.

Outside the surf club, Ruby stopped her chair at the edge of the pathway down to the beach and looked. She thought back to what the doctor and physio had told her. She knew she would have to tell Charlie the truth at some stage she just wasn't sure when.

[callyha]

Great update!

Snr Dect Charlie Buckton! yey!

What is wrong with Ruby

update soon! please

[Inactive User]

Great update

Glad Charlie passed her exam and is now Senior Detective Charlie Buckton!

Oh what is wrong with Ruby?? Hope she will tell her mother soon the truth.

More soon please

[lollypop]

Chapter 32

2 Months Later

"Alright Ruby, are you ready", the physio asked as he stood behind Ruby.

Ruby inhaled a large breath of air and then let it out slowly, the sweat dripping from her brow. When she had calmed herself she looked over her shoulder and nodded at him.

"Ok, 1,2,3...."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wow, Charlz you look amazing", Leah said as she saw Charlie walk into the room.

Charlie did a twirl in front of Leah, showing off her knee length, black flowing dress that seemed to line her body, perfectly displaying her model like figure, her lucious locks falling beautifully . She looked at the clock and noticed that it was 7:30. Turning to Leah she smiled.

"Hey, where's Ruby?", she asked, a little disappointed her daughter was not there waiting for her.

"Oh Aden picked her up about fifteen minutes ago, she said she wanted to prepare your surprise for tonight", Leah said smiling.

Charlie nodded at her and then turned around to pick up her matching black purse off of the coffee table. She knew if she was late Ruby would never let her hear the end of it. Much like everything else Charlie did that annoyed her. Including scaring off boys with her 'I'm her mother and a police officer statement she would make when they would hit on Ruby. After checking her phone for any missed calls she put it in her purse and turned back to Leah.

"Okay, I'm ready. Let's go", she said as they moved briskly over to the door and exited the house.

As they drove up towards the surf club, Charlie looked on in awe at the hundreds of sparkling fairylights that adorned the outside of the building. It was like looking at a magical kingdom. She had never seen the surf club look so pretty. Stepping out of the car she made her to the entrance with Leah in toe. She stopped for a moment, took a deep breath, exhaled and then proceeded to enter into her own party.

As she made her way into the main area of the surf club, all her guest broke into a round of applause. She looked around at everyone. Alf, Morag, Ross, Martha, Liam, Miles, Irene, Annie, Xavier, Gina, Tony, Rachel, Romeo, Nicole, Colleen and all her fellow collegues, filled the room and welcomed the guest of honor. A huge banner hung from the rafters that read 'Happy Birthday Detective'.

Charlie smiled at everyone and thanked them for coming. Then Alf spoke up.

"Alright, alright. Enough of the flemmin' clappin' somebody get this woman a drink before she dehydrates", he said chuckling at everyone elses amusement.

Everybody made their way into the bar area and Martha helped the bar staff hand out glasess of champagne. Charlie stood listening to Leah and Rachel as the babbled on about gossip they had heard at work. As they continued Charlie scanned the room for some sign of her daughter, but couldn't spot her anywhere. She turned back around to find Leah and Rachel looking at her as well as Martha who had just joined her.

"Is everything alright?", Rachel asked her taking a sip of champagne.

"Um, no. Has anybody seen Ruby? Charlie asked anxiously as she tried to discover the whereabouts of her daughter.

"She said she would be here by the time you arrived. I'm sure she's fine. She's with Aden he would have called if anything was wrong", Leah reassured her.

A few minutes later Charlie was sitting on the couch with her her three girl friends sifting through presents. The other women peered at her gifts, gobsmacked by the beautiful diamante bracelet Ross and Morag had given to her. But Charlie seemed uninteressted in it all. Just then Aden walked into the room and was greeted by Nicole who kissed him. Charlie looked up at him and smiled.

"Hey, I thought Ruby was with you?", she asked when she noticed he came in alone.

"She did, she'll be in in a sec. She wanted me to give you this", Aden said smiling at Charlie and handing her a card.

She took the card from him and looked at the front which had 'mum' written across the front. Flipping it over she opend it up and removed the card. She looked at the front which read "To a wonderful mother on her birthday'. Opening it up she began to read the message inside.

Mum,

Congratulations and Happy Birthday. I'm so proud of you and I'm truly blessed to have you in my life. It's an honour to be able to call some with your strength, courage and grace, my mother. I love you I can't wait to see what the next chapter in our lives brings.

Love, Ruby

x x

P.S. I hope you like the suprise. It's been two months in the making.

Charlie felt warm tears beginning to well up in her eyes as she closed over the card and hugged it close to her chest. Just as she was about to walk back over to the couch and sit down she got distracted by the stunned looks on peoples faces as she glanced around at them. She looked at everyone. Nicole, Annie, Irene, Leah, Rachel, Martha and Colleen had all begun to cry. Charlie looked at Leah.

"Charlie, turn around", she said as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

Doing as she was told she turned around. And at the sight before her she felt her heart soar and the tears in her eyes fall without any chance of stopping. Her pulse started racing. Finally she said what she was trying so hard to say through her tears.

"Rubes....", she managed before trailing off.

Before her in a green knee length ruffled dress was her daughter. Ruby was standing, with the support of underarm crutches, at the opposite side of the room to where Charlie was rooted. Just as her mother was about to walk over to her Ruby spoke.

"No, don't", said and watched as her mother stepped back in her original postion.

Ruby steadied herself on her crutches and then moved one forward. Then with all the strength she had, she moved one foot forward, and then shakily, took the same movement again, and again, and again. One foot then the other until finally she was standing right in front of her mother. Ruby felt her legs getting weak and with all the energy she had running out, she fell into her mothers arms as her knees buckled from under her.

Charlie grabbed a hold of her daughter and kept a firm grip around her waist and back, using her strength to hold her off the floor. Aden came bounding over pushing Ruby's wheelchair infront of him and stopped it right behind where Charlie was holding her and help her place the younger Buckton back in her chair. When Ruby was settled Aden picked the crutches off the ground and leaned them against the wall. Charlie kneeled down before her daughter and cupped her face in her hands.

"So, did you like your surprise?", Ruby asked out of breath.

"Are you kidding me? Rubes, that....that's the best present anyone has ever given me", Charlie replied through her tears. And with that she kissed Ruby on the cheek and pulled her into a hug.

[callyha]

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW she walked!!!!!

Nice quick update!

More soon please