Jump to content
Episode Downloads / Asking For Episodes / Viewing Episodes Online

Fatal Attraction

Guest lollypop

By Guest lollypop
in The Vault

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 193
  • Created
  • Last Reply
lollypop Member

lollypop

Posted
Posted

Chapter 7

Knocking on Irene's back door, Charlie waited for a reply before entering the house. Bounding down the stairs, Bianca smiled at her friend and invited her in, but frowned when she sensed the tense nature of Charlie's visit. "Hey what's up? You look like you've had a rough night", she said gesturing for Charlie to join her on the couch. Sitting down, Charlie turned to Bianca with tears in her eyes. "Bianca, I've messed everything up", she said, finally allowing her tears to fall. Bianca wrapped her arm around Charlie's shoulders and stroked her arm in a comforting manner. "Hey, talk to me. It can't be that bad". Charlie tossed her head back and wiped away her tears, then taking a deep breath she turned her gaze back to her friend.

"I've been seeing Brax. Secretly. For the last couple of months", Charlie said and then bowed her head and stared down at her hands. Bianca sat silently, trying to digest what Charlie had just said. "Oh. Well that was the last thing I expect to come out of your mouth", she replied. Charlie laughed to herself thinking of the reactions she'd received from Morag and Leah. "Yeah, well that seems to be the thought process everyone has. Typical Charlie. Warn people off the bad guy then end up in bed with him", she said her tears beginning to fall again. She hated to think of Brax as a bad guy, because the time they had spent together, he was nothing but sweet and kind and caring. But that as it turned out, was all based on a lie.

"No Charlie, I'm not judging you", Bianca said, realising that Charlie had taken what she'd said the wrong way. "Look we've all fallen for or had a fling with a bad boy and had it blow up in our faces. I mean just look at me and Heath", she said with a slight laugh. Thinging about how stupid she had been sleeping with the middle Braxton. Charlie sighed a little and what Bianca had said and then turned the conversation back to the more serious side of things. "I sense a 'but' coming", she said. Bianca's facial expression softened at how hard Charlie was being on herself and decided to thread the topic with caution.

"There is no 'but'. However, I am a little confused. I mean you did spend ages cracking down on Brax and the Riverboys and warning people to stay away. I guess I just don't understand how you got from point A to point B so fast", she said as she stood up and headed to the kitchen to put on a pot of fresh coffee. From the lounge Charlie thought about what Bianca said and realised that things between her and Brax had moved quite fast. Faster than her relationship with Angelo had ever gone. "I dunno. I guess the more time I spent with him, and saw how he was with Casey and his mum, it just, it made me see a different side to him. A side I didn't think existed until that point", she said lowering her head and staring down at her fidgeting hands.

Bianca returned to the lounge and with two mugs of coffee and sat down on the couch. Taking a sip she thought for a second about what Charlie had said about Brax and couldn't help wonder how exactly Charlie had 'messed things up'. It didn't sound like she or Brax had done anything wrong. "So what's the problem then? I mean I know Brax has a reputation of being a little shady but there's been no proof, and it's not like your hurting anyone. Are you?", she asked when she noticed Charlies face drop at the mention of people being hurt. "Charlie, talk to me", Bianca said when the silence became unbearable. Charlie nervously reached up and grasped the pendent around her neck and rubbed it. Something she found herself doing a lot when she didn't feel like she had the courage to speak. Then looking her best friend in the eye she found her voice again. "There's something you should know, about Brax".

At Angelo's, Brax was having a tough time keeping things together. Both Casey and Xavier had quit their jobs as pizza delivery boys, and he was having a hard time trying to keep the rest of his staff on side, what with the police keeping a very close eye on the place. It was like everything that was left in his life was slowly falling apart. The truth was he didn't know what else could go wrong. That was until he saw Heath enter the premises. Looking up, Brax stood behind the bar, his arms crossed as he saw his brother, in his usual beach attire walking towards him, showing a lack of respect for one of the customers who brushed off him. "Oi, watch it", he said and then made his way to the bar.

"Whatever it is Heath, I don't wanna hear it", he said leaning his hands on the counter top. Heath laughed in his brothers face. After everything that had happened, Heath couldn't believe Brax was trying to play the tough guy act with him. "That's rich comin' from a guy who has no chick, no family, no mates and is barely holdin' on to his business", he said with a smug grin. Brax could feel himself getting angry. He didn't like being reminded of how much he'd screwed up. "Just thought I'd let you know I've had a visit from Tegan. Apparently she's been in contact with Brodes and the boys", he said before being cut off by a less than impressed Brax. Usually when Tegan was involved it spelled trouble for Brax. "So", he replied simply.

"Hey mate you might wanna take a look around at what you've got left to be so high and mighty about before you talk to me like the dirt on the bottom of you shoe. I just thought I'd be the good brother and let you know that Brodes and the boys, they're planning somethin'. Somethin big", Heath said before walking behind the bar and helping himself to a beer. Brax looked at Heath and waited for him to elaborate, but as usual, Heath was a little slow on the uptake. "What, plannin what Heath?", he asked suddenly fearful of who this could hurt. Especially if it involved Charlie or Casey. "I dunno. But I do know, they want you out of the picture for good", with that, Heath turned on his heel and headed for the stairs. Raising the beer bottle over his head he shouted back, "Thanks for the beer Brax", and left.

Watching as Heath left, Brax lowered his head. Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse he was pulled from his thoughts by the arrival of Leah, who looked like less of a customer and more like a woman with a bone to pick. "Brax we need to talk", she said placing her handbag down beside her on one of the bar stools. Brax rubbed his forehead in frustration and looked at her. "Look Leah I'm busy can we do this another time", he asked. Looking at him, Leah's face hardened somewhat, She looked was clearly hear to make a point and she wasn't going to leave until she made. "I know about you and Charlie. I know what happened that night, and about what really happened to Ruby and Casey", she said.

Brax stood there open mouthed. There was no way he could talk his way out of this. Leah had called his bluff and he had no choice but to hear her out. "I don't know if you were just using Charlie or if your intentions toward her would good. But I do know that guys like you, can never leave your old life behind. It will follow you wherever you go". Standing up, Leah picked up her handbag and prepared to leave. "Brax, if you care about Charlie, truly care about her, then you'll do what's best for her and walk away. Before you cause her or Ruby anymore heartache", she said. With that she turned away from Brax and left. Leaving him with even more to think about.

Downstairs in the Surf Club, Ruby was trying her best to enjoy the company of April, Dex and Indi, but was finding it more and more difficult. Being blind, Ruby felt like she constantly had to be on alert to what was going on around her, Taking in every sound, every smell. It was like she was restless all the time. Which made hanging around her friends hard to enjoy when they didn't have the same complication to overcome. She just felt like she was a loner, even though she was surrounded by people. She was broken from her thoughts by April who had been glaring at Heath and his friends over at the pool table.

"Look at them. They walk around like they own the place. I wish somebody would put them and the rest of the Riverboys in their place", she said brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Ruby flinched "Can we talk about something else please", she said as she unfolded her cane and stood up. I'm going to get another juice anyone want anything?", she asked. The rest of the group declind her offer and watched as she slowly made her way across the room to the counter. "Me and my big mouth", April said as she put her head in her hand. "Hey its not your fault. I think she's going to be pretty touchy about pretty much everything Riverboy related for a while", Indi reassured her.

CRASH...came a noise from upstairs. Everyone in the Surf Club looked around trying to firgure out what had just happened. Then the noise of the fire alarm going off sent everyone into a frenzy. Before Ruby had time to react, everyone from Angelo's came rushing down the stairs telling everyone to run for the exit. Dex, Indi and April tried to get across the room to Ruby, but found themselves being forced out of the building by the waves of people crashing into them. "Somebody call the police and the fire department", Brax shouted as he came running down the stairs. When he bumped into Heath he explained about the petrol bombs that had been thrown through the upstairs windows.

Brax made his way outside to help Palmer calm the crowds down, not noticing Ruby who was stranded by the juice counter unable to move. Suddenly without warning, a surfer who was making a run for the exit, knocked into Ruby, sending her crashing to the floor. She let out a screech as she felt glass tear through her flesh. She could feel the blood trickling down her arm. Pulling her arm close to her she beagn to cry and shake in fear as the memories from the house fire came flooding back. How was she going to get out? She couldn't see the exit and she wasn't confident in her ability to make her way across the room with everybody gone. Feeling her way throught the gap in the counter she crawled behind it and leaned back against the wall. Crying when she realised she was trapped.

Outside, Indi and Dex searched through the crowd for Ruby but couldn't find her anywhere. They made their way back to April who was waiting for them by the lifeguard boat shed scowling when Heath and his friends stopped neary. "No luck?", she said. Indi and Dex shook their heads. "Well where could she be, everyone was rushed outside. Surely someone helped her out?", April said, hoping that Ruby had been helped to safety by someone kind. She sighed with relief when Heath and the boys walked off towards the rest of the mob. They scanned the crowd again but still couldn't find her. "Guys I'm gonna call Charlie she needs to know", Indi said pulling out her phone.

Back at Irene's house, Bianca's head was in a spin. How could she not have realised what was going on, with Charlie, with Brax? She felt like she had been living with her head up in the clouds. "So, what, what are you going to do?", she finally said after a long and tense silence. Charlie shrugged her shoulders and wiped away a tear that had fallen from her eye. "I don't know. I care about Brax so much. But I just, I can't trust him. He's hurt me too much", she said as the her tears escaped her again. Bianca leaned forward and placed her hand on top of Charlie's, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "What hurts the most, is not the pain he's cause me, but the pain he's caused Ruby by his lies. He knew that she is the most important thing in the world to me and now I have to watch her struggle everyday and it just, it hurts me to see her like that", Charlie said wiping away her tears.

Bianca nodded at her to acknowledge the fact that she understood how Charlie felt. "Charlie I can't tell you what to do, it's not my place. But just know that, whatever you decide, I'll support you one hundred percent", Bianca said pulling her friend into a comforting hug. Charlie relished the feeling of having that support. Especially after the lectures she had received from Morag and Leah. It made a nice change. Pulling apart, Charlie thanked Bianca for listening and then made the best effort she could to straighten herself up. Just then she heard her phone ring and she picked up her handbag and pulled it out. Looking at the caller ID she told Bianca she had to take it.

"Hey Indi, is everything okay?", she asked as she waited for a response from the other end. Bianca watched as Charlie's face became serious. "Wait Indi calm down, what's going on?", she said. "Oh my God. I'll be right there", Charlie said as she shoved the phone back in her bag. Bianca placed a hand on Charlie's arm. "Hey what's wrong, what's going on?", she asked concerned that Ruby or April may be in trouble. Charlie looked at her with fear in her eyes. "There's been a petrol bomb attack on Angelo's. Everyone's been evacuated from the restaurant and the Surf Club but they can't find Ruby", she said her voice breaking as she spoke. "Oh God. Give me your keys I'll drive. You're in no fit state for this", she said taking Charlie's keys from her hand. Picking up her handbag Bianca and Charlie bolted out the door and headed off to find their loved ones.

Huddled behind the counter, Ruby had taken up the fetal position. The only thing she could do was cry. Suddenly, she felt somebodys arms reach under her and scoop her up. She let out a small scream, fearing it was Brodie or one of his Riverboy thugs. "Hey it's okay, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt ye", came the voice of the person who was lifting her from the ground. "Heath?", Ruby said recognising the voice but wanting confirmation so she could be sure. "Yeah it's me. Hold on I'm gonna get ye out", he said and then he carried her from behind the counter and made a dash for the exit. Once outside, he mad his way for one of the empty ambulances and got the attention of a paramedic.

"Hey mate, I need some help. She's cut her arm on glass on somethin'. I think it needs stitches", he said placing Ruby down on the edge of the ambulance door. "Heath", Ruby said reaching out for his hand. Noticing what Ruby was trying to do Heath edged his hand forward for her to grab. She took a hold of it and squeezed it tight. "Thank you", she said. Heath looked at her then down at their joined hands. "Yeah no worries", he said and then parted from her grasp and made his way back towards the crowd to let Brax know where Ruby was.

A few minutes after being called, Charlie and Bianca arrived at the scene of the incident. Jumping out of the car they made a run towards the Surf Club. They were stopped when Dex waved them down to the boat shed where he, April and Indi were still standing. Bianca sighed with relief when she saw that her baby sister was unharmed. "Have you found Ruby? Charlie asked, the concern etched across her face for her daughters safety. Sensing the urgency in her voice April answered her. "No. We've looked everywhere we can't find her. We're so sorry Charlie. We got seperated in the crowd during the evacuation". Charlie was about to break down into tears when she saw Brax running towards her.

"Charlie. Ruby's fine. She's over with the paramedics getting checked out", he said reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. She smiled at him and then thanked him before taking off to where the ambulances had parked. Charlie walked briskly through the crowd and sighed with relief when she spotted her daughter sitting with a paramedic. "Oh Rubes, thank God your okay", she said as she gave her daughter a long lingering kiss on the forehead. When she looked down she saw the paramedic administering stitiches to the cut on Ruby's arm. "Oh my God, what happened?", she asked as she surveyed the damage. "It's okay, I got knocked over in the commotion and cut my arm on some broken glass. I'm fine", Ruby said. Trying to hold back her tears.

"Really, cause you don't sound fine", Charlie replied stroking Ruby's hair. "I just, I felt so helpless you know? I mean, if Heath hadn't come back for me...", Ruby was cut off by Charlie who sounded confused. "Wait, Heath? Heath Braxton was the one who found you?", she asked. Ruby nodded her head. "If it wasn't for him who knows what could have happened", she said. Charlie turned her head around and gazed at Brax who was watching her from a distance. When he told her Ruby had been found, she had just assumed he was the one who had found her. Then turning around she spotted Heath talking with some of the boys he was with and with a second glance she noticed the blood on his tank top. Turning her gaze back to Ruby she checked out her daughters arm and realised that Ruby was telling the truth.

"That's it", the paramdic said as he finished bandaging Ruby's arm. "Just keep the wound clean and change the bandage in a couple of days and it should be fine. Your local doctor can take the stitches out in about a week. Is everything else okay? Your leg isn't hurt or anything?", he asked. Ruby shook her head no, and once he was satisfied, he told Charlie that Ruby could go home. Helping her daughter up, Charlie guided Ruby through the crowds and back to Bianca and the gang. Then, they all headed for home.

A couple of hours later, Charlie was locking up the house and heading to bed when she decided to check on Ruby. Knocking on the door, she opened it to find her daughter sitting upright with her legs pulled up close to her chest. Charlie noticed the tears running down Ruby's face and she walked over to the bed and sat down. "Hey, Rubes what's wrong?", she asked stroking her daughters hair. Sniffling, Ruby choked back her tears so she could speak. "I can't do this anymore Charlie", Ruby said, removing the dark glasses she used to cover her scarred eyes which were still healing from the house fire. "I can't live like this", she said pointing to her eyes to emphasis the fact that being blind was tearing her apart. "I just, I can't do it anymore. I can't", she said and with those final words she broke down.

Bursting into tears at what Ruby had said, Charlie crawled into the bed beside her and engulfed her daughter in her arms. Holding her so close she felt she would never let go. Both Bucktons cried their hearts out. Ruby over the loss of a normal life and Charlie over the pain her daughter had to live with every day. But Charlie also cried out of fear. Never had she seen Ruby breakdown like this. It was like she had lost the will to carry on living and it scared Charlie. What if Ruby did something stupid? What if she took her own life because she felt living in a world of darkness wasn't living at all. How could she cope without her daughter in her life? She couldn't. Ruby was Charlie's heart and soul. Which was why Charlie was determind to make Ruby see the light at the end of a dark tunnel.

********************************************

Next Time:

*Xavier learns that Casey has skipped town. Will he return? Who's going to break the news to Ruby?

*Brax finds out who threw the petrol bombs and receives more threats. Tegan arrives to make him an offer he may be unable to refuse

*Ruby stops Heath from getting involved in a beachside brawl and they share an intimate conversation. Has this bad boy discovered his soft spot?

*Charlie and Bianca spot Heath and Ruby at the beach and Charlie worries that he's going to take advantage of her daughter in her vulnerable state

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.