As Long As I Have You

[callyha]

So.......over a month delay in posting. I am really really sorry!

Chapter 52

Bianca sat patiently on the couch, looking to the closed curtains as Irene, Leah, April and Charlie all got fitted into their dresses. Biting her lip in anticipation, Bianca hoped that they all liked the dresses and all looked good in them; she never realised how stressed she would get with the dresses, she wanted them to look perfect for her wedding day.

"How are we doing?" she asked, finally rising to her feet and pacing, biting her finger nail as she waited for one of the curtains to twitch

"Nearly ready" April excitedly said, bursting out of the cubical as soon as the zip reached the top of the dress "I love it!" she beamed, looking to Bianca whose eyes filled with tears "you don't?" April asked

"No, I do. It looks perfect" Bianca smiled as she looked to her young sister. The pink detailing on the back of the dress would go perfectly with the flowers, Bianca thought to herself "you look beautiful"

"Really?" April asked, holding onto the sides of her dress and twirling around

"Let me look" Leah said as she opened the curtain and walked out into the room "oh! April" Leah gushed "you look so grown up" Leah raised her hands to her face; the thirteen year old suddenly looked like a young lady

"Thank you Leah" April smiled

"Leah, you look stunning" Bianca looked to Leah. Her dress had the pink detail on, but was more adult than April's was. Both dresses complimented each others, and Bianca could see her wedding fall into place

"I think I'm happy with this one girlies" Irene said as she threw open the curtains and walked out, proudly holding her head up high as she mimicked walking along a catwalk "its colourful and I wont look like Colleen"

"Irene" April wrapped her arms around her "you look beautiful"

"Thank you. So do you" Irene smiled

Bianca looked to the three women. Leah and April looked stunning in what would now be their bridesmaid's dresses and Irene looked fabulous in her pale blue blouse-skirt combo. "Irene" Bianca took a step forward "I have something to ask you"

"Oh, what is it?" Irene asked

"Would you give me away?" Bianca looked to Irene, whose eyes filled with tears. April bit her lip, waiting for the answer; Bianca had come to her a few weeks ago and had asked if it was ok to ask Irene to give her away, April was fine with this as Irene was more of a mother to her and Bianca than their own mother. April was happy enough to be a bridesmaid, she'd always wanted to be one.

"I- er, I, I thought April was going to give you away?" Irene spluttered her words out

"She was, but I thought I would ask the one person who has been there for me no matter what; I wanted my mother to give me away" Irene clutched her chest; those words meant more to her than anything in the whole world

"I'd love to" Irene cried "thank you" Irene wrapped her arms around Bianca and held her tight. Leah and April walked forward and joined the cuddle and , for a moment, forgot about Charlie.

"It won't fit" Charlie said to Gwen, the woman who was trying to help her get into the dress "I'm sorry" Charlie sobbed as she sat on the chair in the cubical

"Don't be sorry" Gwen said sympathetically "we have lots more dresses to choose from" Gwen turned to the table and grabbed a tissue from the box and handed it to Charlie "besides, been pregnant means clothes shopping is going to be a little bit more tricky"

"Did Bianca show you the picture of the dress?" Charlie asked, looking to Gwen

"Yea" Gwen replied "that was the first dress we tried"

"And it didn't fit?" Gwen shook her head "have you got it in any other size?" Charlie asked

"We have it in three sizes up from you. But I think that would be too big" Gwen replied

Charlie rested her hand on her stomach "I don't think it will be"

"Oh, yea" Gwen laughed "so when are you due?"

"March" Charlie replied

"So you'll be just about ready to pop when its the wedding" Gwen asked

"Yep" Charlie nodded

"Do you know what you are having?" Gwen asked, talking about babies made her feel all maternal and goo goo

"No and I don't want to know. My partner wants to know, he's one of them that wants to get the room painted blue or pink and have all the clothes in the drawers. where as me, I want to find out when I'm handed the baby, getting told you have a son or you have a daughter is the best feeling in the world" Charlie remember back to when Ruby was born

"So this is your second baby" Gwen asked as she unzipped the clothes form the bag

"Yea" Charlie replied, not phased by been asked

"A son or daughter?" Gwen asked, hanging the dresses up on the rail

"A daughter" Charlie smiled

"So maybe this one is a boy. The you and your partner will have one of each" Gwen smiled

'Yea, maybe' Charlie thought to herself as she rubbed her stomach "so, these the bigger sizes?" Charlie asked struggling to her feet

"Yes. Shall we try this one on?" Gwen asked as she passed one of the three to Charlie

~*~

Brax made his way to the surf club. A business still suffering after the fight at Angelo's. Police tape could still be seen along the brick work -one of the main reasons visitors avoided the club- graffiti covered Angelo's bins and the back and side doors leading to the club. It looked a mess.

"Hey John" Brax placed his hand on John's shoulder as he stood beside him "how's things?" Brax knew there would be some tension, so he braced himself for a possible argument

"How's things?!" John raised his voice "business is crap, people aren't wanting to come to the place where a fight cost a man his life and two teens nearly died. People have a way of making things seem a whole lot worse than they actually are" John slammed paper work down on the unit and walked behind the counter "I have to find and pay someone to clean up the mess outside; the police have only just finished their investigation!"

"Yea I know. Charlie got some of the paperwork thrown her way" Brax said, sitting down on one of the stools

John sighed "Sorry mate, I keep forgetting that Charlie gets this in the neck more than us" John poured himself and Brax a drink "what has the paperwork said?" he asked, handing Brax one of the drinks

"She has the the club" Brax said "everything; the liqour licence, the partenerships with the suppliers, even the debt that Angelo got himself into" Brax drank most of the drink in one mouthful

"Angelo was a lot of things, but the one thing eveyone thought he was was good to Charlie. Why has he left her to pay all his debts? How much is it?"

"Angelo wasn't as good as people say; he was worse" Brax spoke with anger in his voice "its nearly $70,000"

"How?" John was dumbfounded "that place was always packed?"

"The fight lost him the money" Brax replied "Angelo told me I had to let Frankie beat me so Angelo could get his hands on the last business on the map. I didn't want too as Frankie had nearly killed the last bloke he fought, and I didn't want to be the next one. So I decided I would fight until the end. Charlie asked me to hold back, and I didn't; she didn't know about what Angelo had told me and I didn't want him hurting her. When Frankie and I both fell and couldn't get up again and the fight broke out into the crowd, I knew then Angelo had lost the deal and all the money"

"What a bastard" John said, Brax nodded his head in agreement "So is Charlie keeping the club?"

"I dunno. She hasn't said a word about it" Brax replied "to be honest, she wants as little to do with the past as she can get away with" Brax couldn't help but feel like laughing at his last comment; the irony it was laced with

~*~

The women sat at the table dead centre of the room. Bianca was first to land on her seat; followed by April, then Leah and then Irene. Charlie took a little longer as she had to neogatiate how she would sit with a stomach that touched the table

"Here" Leah pulled the table away from Charlie, who found it easier to sit with the extra room she had

"Thanks" Charlie smiled thankfully as she sat and felt her entire body relax

"I'm sorry we couldn't get you a dress" Bianca said as she placed her hand on Charlie's "I really thought it would fit"

"Its fine, don't worry" Charlie replied, hiding her true feelings: she was upset with herself for not been able to find a dress to wear at her best friends wedding. A wedding she was chief bridemaid at. "I'm sure something will pop up when I'm not looking for anything in particular" Charlie added optomistically as she drew lines on her stomach with her finger "it's what usually happens"

"At least you have three out of four sorted" Leah smiled

"I haven't found my dress yet Leah" Bianca replied

"I thought you had" April asked

"I found one in the bridal magazine, but I haven't found one that fits me yet" Bianca answered, thinking that her and Charlie would be able to go shopping a little closer to the wedding to find their dresses together, and spend some time together, as Bianca felt as though she was missing so much of what was going on in Charlie's life; something she hated "So it looks like you and I are going to have to come back at a later date and continue looking" Bianca placed her arm around Charlie and smiled "only if you're up for it though" she added, knowing that Charlie had already had a rocky start to her pregnancy, and knowing anything else going 'wrong' was a possibility

"I'll definately be up for it; I can't be a chief bridesmaid with no dress" Charlie replied with a faint smile on her face

"Anyway" Leah beamed "what about the flowers? what are they going to be?" she asked, changing the subject and seeing the thanks in Charlie's eyes

"That I haven't quite decided yet. I might ask Liam and see what his favourite flower is" Bianca replied, taking her arm from around Charlie and choosing to fiddle with the napkin on the table "I want him to be as involved in this wedding as possible"

"He will be" April said "he's the groom afterall"

"I don't mean in the ceremony April, I mean in the planning of it all. Liam never got the chance to be apart of things like planning; he was told what to do and, this is his day as well as mine" Bianca looked to Charlie, the only person in the Bay who knew exactly what she meant; Angelo's hold on them all for so many years still affected them even after his death

"He'd better have nice taste in flowers" April said as she rested back into her chair "all I'm saying"

~*~

Brax walked away from the Surf Club with his hands in his pockets. Every so often glancing over his shoulder and seeing the mess that had been there since the police had to break-up the fight.

He soon found himself standing on the beach, and looking to the rock where he first saw Charlie on the beach all those months ago. He remembered looking back to the club; all lit up and full to the max, he remembered talking to Charlie about how she hated her life with Angelo, but how she couldn't escape it. He remembered how he didn't believe that a person could be trapped like Charlie was. Now he realised how wrong he was.

"Brax!" a voice came from behind "mate" the voice called again. Brax slowly turned around, he didn't want to talk to anyone due to the mood he was in

"Liam" Brax simply said as he looked to Liam "alright?"

"Yea, fine. You?" Liam asked

"Good" Brax nodded

"Look, I know things are gonna be weird between us for a while-"

"Listen mate, Angelo's dead. He was the problem, everything is fine" Brax felt himself getting angry; Liam had always hit a nerve with him, and Brax had always put it down to him going to hit Charlie that time in the club

"You sure?" Liam asked "cos-"

"Listen, I said we're cool. So we're cool, right?" Brax said firmly before walking off, leaving Liam bewildered by what had just happened

[Inactive User]

Welcome back, Callyha Great chapter. More soon please xx

[JoJo1602]

Loved that chapter! Cant wait for more

[beebee]

was so excited to see an update!!!

Poor Charlie not being able to find a dress ...

Can't wait for the baby to come along .... still have a small amount of hope that the baby is going to look like Brax ... Miracles can happen LOL

Please upate soon x

[Spotd1]

Another great chapter, thanks for taking the time and effort to update for us..really appreciate it! I too am hoping it turns out to be Brax's baby lol and I hope we see Ruby again soon! Can't wait for more! Xx

[callyha]

So....I have a day off work and felt really bad that I keep the updates coming at well over a month after each other. So here you are, the next chapter up just HOURS after the other one!!! Wooohoooo go me! (I wouldn't get used to it though............) PS; You may not like this chapter......

Chapter 53

three months later

Bianca stood and stared at the calender on the wall. Already they were into January, and the wedding was now only 8 weeks away.

"Babe" Liam said as he wrapped his arms around Bianca and rested his head on her shoulder "what you looking at" he asked

"We have eight weeks until we get married and I don't have a dress, Charlie doesn't have a dress, you, Sid and Miles don't have suits and we don't have a venue for the reception" Bianca replied, pulling away from Liam and went to lean against the unit

"Me and the guys are going on Monday to look for suits, so don't worry about that. Charlie is pregnant so getting a dress for her eight weeks in advance is a long shot; maybe wait until the friday before" Liam suggested

"Yea, I'll do that, risk a shop being open, risk there being a dress that goes with the theme and risk making Charlie rush around when she will be ready to have the baby" Bianca replied sarcastically

"Look" Liam placed his hands on her shoulders "I will keep an eye out for a dress for Charile, you want it with pink detail in don't you?" Liam asked

"Like this" Bianca said as she handed a piece of pink material to Liam

"That's actually a nice pink" Liam said "Erm, I mean its nice" he said once more, in a more gruff voice

"Sure" Bianca smiled. "and what am I supposed to do about my dress?"

"Who said you had to wear a wedding dress?" Liam said "why not just have a white gown that is very, very dressy?" he suggested, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl that was behind Bianca, kissed her on the forehead and let her to her thoughts.

~*~

Ruby sat in the corner of the room staring intently at the screen of her laptop, hoping to see Casey come online so she could talk to him. Ever since she had that nightmare involving Charlie and Brax, she never went a day without checking the internet; she didn't want to miss out on anything to do with Charlie or the baby.

"Are you going to join us?" Sally asked as she placed the last plate of food on the table

"What are you going to do if I say no? drag me on a plane and take me to a new country?" Ruby asked as she logged off the laptop and placed it on the table "oh wait, you already did that" Ruby added, sitting down at the table, furthest chair away

"Ruby" Paul said sternly "there was no need to talk like that to your mother"

"Wasn't there? we've been here for three months and so far, Dan has spent more time roaming the streets for a job than actually attending school, Issy isn't enjoying Uni as much as she thought she would and you two barely talk to each other. Coming here was a mistake, New Zealand was a mistake" Ruby placed some food onto her plate

"Ruby-" Sally began

"No; don't ask me to give this a chance! I already have, but yet again, anything I say of feel is ignored" Ruby excused herself from the table, slamming around upstairs until she reached her room.

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea" Paul said as he placed his fork on his plate "Ruby is right; Dan is living like a bum nearly, Issy hasn't been the same since we got here"

"So you're taking Ruby's side?" Sally folded her arms

"I'm not taking sides Sally, I'm trying to be logical about this. All three of our kids are unhappy for very different reasons, and the reasons wouldn't exsist if we had stayed in Australia" Paul explained

"We are not going back to Australia Paul" Sally said firmly

"We might not be, but I am" Paul rose to his feet "and if the kids want to come, then they can do" Paul left the dining room, leaving Sally sat alone.

~

"You're serious about this?" Sally asked, as she leaned against the door frame and watched as Paul packed his suitcase

"I am" Paul flattened down the mound of clothes in the bag "Ruby's is packing as well, and so is Dan" Paul looked to Sally "Issy has decided to stay and stick out the course for another three months, that way she still has a qualification. I have left her $3000 to help"

"How can you do this Paul? We're a family. We're supposed to stick together" Sally walked forward

"What family drags two people who didn't want to or need to come here? Dan never really got much of a say and you decided Ruby's fate. You know how easy it is for her to legally emancipate herself from us" Paul shook his head "Do you really want that to happen?"

"No of course I don't" Sally snapped "you make this sound as though this is all my fault"

"Well isn't it? Ruby resents us for making her move here. She has just found her birth mother and had started to build a relationship with her; how often does something like that happen?" Paul asked "I'll tell you; never. That's why keeping them as close as possible will help Ruby realise where she belongs. If Ruby choses to live with and have more to do with Charlie than us, I'm for that because I'm her father and I know that she will always need me. If you love her, you would do the same Sal"

"I do love her Paul. But what you don't understand is, you are the only father she has known; she has that connection with you as the main man in her life. Me? I'll be replaced with Charlie"

"Ruby knows where she comes from and who brought her up. She will always know where we are and how much we love her, but she will never forgive us if we keep her away from Charlie any longer" Paul placed his hands on Sally's shoulders "did you see how upset she was after she had that dream about Charlie and the baby?"

"Yea" Sally nodded sadly "It broke my heart"

"Well, that is happening every single day to Ruby" Paul looked into Sally eyes, he could see she was upset, but he was sticking by what he had said

"You, Dan and Ruby do what you have to" Sally moved away from Paul "I'm staying here. I'm going to prove that moving her was the best thing to happen for this family. At least then Issy will have some family here" sally gave Paul one last look before she left the room. Paul stared at the door for a moment or two before returning to his packing

"Dad?" Ruby asked tentively "are you and mum ok?"

"Why do you ask?" Paul asked, sniffing back tears

"I heard everything" Ruby bit her lip to stop her from crying "I don't-"

"Hey" Paul could see where Ruby was going "this isn't your fault ok?" Ruby nodded as Paul wrapped his arms around Ruby and hugged her tight "your mum just, she doesn't want to give up on staying here"

"But, none of us are happy" Ruby said, her voice crackling

"I know that. But your mum thinks its because we wont let go of things from back home" Paul answered

"You don't resent me do you?" Ruby asked as she looked up to Paul throught tear-stained eyes

"I could never resent you Rubes, you're my baby girl" Paul replied, kissing the top of Ruby's head "Come on, we'll say bye to your mother and Issy then get going"

"Okay" Ruby smiled as she wiped her face "I'm right behind you"

~*~

Her heels clicked against the ground as she headed for the house her son once graced. Lights were on in the house, letting her know that someone was in. She paused at the top of the garden path and took a deep breath in. The gate squeaked as she pushed it open and walked through. She made her way down the path toward the door and outstretched her hand and rung the bell. Inside she could hear the noise of someone turning the TV off and rising to their feet. She heard the footsteps of them approaching the door, she head the sound of the chain been moved.

"Charlie" Carla smiled as she door opened slightly

Charlie's eyes widened at the sight. She had thought that part of her life was all over; how wrong she was. Thinking quickly, Charlie used the door to hide her stocmah from view and called for Brax "Come in Carla" Charlie opened the door further, allowing Carla to enter

"I see you've kept up with the house work" Carla commented as she peered round the room, removing her gloves one at a time "and I see you haven't changed one bit" Charlie just managed to get behind the couch before Carla saw her stomach "still as plain as ever"

"You know Carla, you really have no business here anymore. Why have you come back?" Charlie asked, wanting to know why -after weeks of peace- that she came back

"Well, Angelo's old suppliers told me that they haven't had any orders come from the club. And that got me to thinking. I then did a little research into who would recieve the business in the event of his death" Carla smiled widely "turns out, its me"

"And this has what to do with me?" Charlie asked, glancing to the stiars and hoping Brax was making his way down

"I need a place to stay whilst I get things in order. So that is where you come in" Carla sat on the couch and began to make herself at home "The guest bedroom is ready for me isn't it"

"Erm, no" Charlie replied, folding her arms over her stomach "You aren't welcome here Carla" Charlie said sternly

"Well, this house is my son's house and as you and him never married, I am entitled to the house so therefore, you are my unwelcome guest"

"I think you'll find that the house is mine, I paid for it, all Angelo did was spend his time at that stupid club, which by the way, is mine I have the paperwork to prove it, you have no right to come in her and tell me that I'm the one who has to bow down to you" Charlie paused for a moment as she felt herself go dizzy "why did you come back? you have nothing here"

Carla rose to her feet. Charlie let her arms fall to her sides and tried to mask her stomach "I think you'll find you are carrying the one thing I do have to keep me in the Bay" Carla walked behind the couch "My grandchild"

[Spotd1]

Great chapter once again callyha! Thanks so much for updating again so quick!! Poor Charlie..this woman just won't go away! I guess she was going to find out about the baby sooner or later but still! I am really looking forward to seeing Charlie and Ruby reunited again...so glad Paul, Dan and Ruby are coming home! Please update soon! Xx

[Danni02]

Just caught up on the last few chapters. Great work Cally, glad you are back to posting and please stay this time Poor Charlie not finding a dress, hopefully she got/gets one soon. I still hate Sally with a passion and I am glad that Paul, Dan and Ruby are coming back to Australia. Oh dear not Carla! I feel she isnt going to make things easy for Charlie.

Update soon

[beebee]

So glad Dan finally stood up to Sally. I was loving the attitude Ruby was giving her lol

Brax where are you? lol he so won't be impressed with how Carla is treating Charlie!

I can't believe she thinks she owns everything ... Hope this doesn't stress Charlie & the baby out to much! I hope now more then I ever have that a miracle happens & the baby is Brax's

Awesome update, please update again soon xx

[Inactive User]

Great chapter

Glad Paul stood up to Sally She deserves it for taking Ruby away from Charlie! And yay Ruby is coming home to Australia-so can't wait to see her and Charlie reunited at last!

Wonder how Carla is gonna react when she learns the truth about Ruby...

More soon please xx