Bound By Blood

[elikell]

Story Title: Bound by blood

Type of story: Short/Medium fic

Main characters: Brax, Casey, Annie, Ruby, Charlie and others

BTTB rating: G

Genre: General

Does story include spoilers: No

Any warnings: Will warn before chapter when necessary (SC, V/D, DR, A)

Summary: Two people are bound by a connection they never know they had, until it all comes out in the open.

NB. Brax isn’t a criminal in this fic. He’s just another member of the Summer Bay community.

Brax watched her walk along the beach. The moment he saw her, he knew she was his sister. She looked just like his mother did in her teenage years. Unlike Heath and Casey, Brax remembered an event that had happened 14 years ago. His mother had given birth to twins, a boy and a girl. His father had only wanted boys so the girl was tossed aside.

Flashback…

Brax held her in his arms and she fell asleep instantly. He smiled at her and took in her new baby smell.

He saw his father turn and look at him.

‘Darryl, put her down,’ his father said.

‘But why should Casey get all the attention?’ Brax asked. He didn’t understand why his parents were ignoring her.

‘Because he has something she doesn’t Darryl.’

Brax held her tighter, sensing that if he let her go, he’d never see her again.

Casey gurgled in his mothers arms and his father turned away from Brax to take in his new-born son.

‘It’ll be alright,’ Brax whispered to the girl in his arms. ‘I’ll always love you.’ He kissed the girls forehead gently.

‘It’s time to go Darryl. Your mother needs rest.’ Brax looked up at his father.

‘What about her?’ he asked. He pointed to the baby fast asleep in his arms.

‘We’re only taking Casey home,’ his father said.

Brax looked at his mother. A tear slid down her cheek and she wiped it away quickly.

‘I’ll look after her,’ Brax defended. He couldn’t understand why his father was being so mean.

‘Darryl, 12 year olds don’t look after babies. Now don’t be stupid, put her in her crib and lets go,’ his father said. He turned his attention back to Cheryl. He placed a rough kiss on her forehead, picked up Casey and placed him gently in his crib.

‘Come on Darryl, we’re leaving,’ his father said.

Brax looked down at his baby sister and took in all her features. He knew deep down that this would be the last time he would see her. A tear fell from his eye silently. He kissed her forehead again and got up. He put her into the crib and said a final goodbye to her.

As he left the room, he saw the tears falling down his mothers face freely.

‘It’s for the best,’ he heard his father whisper to his mother.

Brax stood in the doorway, his eyes on the baby girl asleep in her crib. He wondered how her life would turn out. His father walked past him and headed outside.

Brax saw and heard his mothers heart-breaking cries. He turned and followed his father out of the hospital. He was determined to never forget that day and the sister he had.

End of flashback.

Brax followed the girls footsteps across the beach with his eyes, until she stopped and sat herself down on the sand.

He didn’t know whether to talk to her or not, but before he knew what he was doing, his feet had already began to walk him to her. As he got closer he noticed that she was crying and he remembered his mother crying that day in the hospital.

He sat down beside her on the sand. ‘Hey, what’s wrong?’ Brax asked.

The girl looked up at him and wiped her tears away. ‘Who are you?’ she asked.

‘Brax.’ He held out a hand. She took it in her own briefly. He was now certain that this girl was his sister.

‘So what’s wrong?’ Brax asked again when she got his hand back. ‘Only if you want to tell me,’ he added hastily.

The girl looked at him. ‘My parents died a month ago and we moved here to live with my grandparents. Only, I found out they weren’t my parents. As soon as I got here, I had to get out, so I came here.’ She looked at him again. Brax didn’t know what to say. Her mobile phone rang, breaking the silence.

She answered it. ‘Hello? I’m down at the beach. Okay, I’ll be there soon.’ She hung up and looked over the ocean.

‘It sure is nice here,’ she said. She smiled. ‘If it weren’t for the circumstances.’

Brax smiled. ‘I like it,’ he said simply.

‘I should go. My brother wants to see me at the Diner,’ she said. She added hastily, ‘well, I font even know that he is my brother now.’

‘With or without blood, there’s still a bond between you,’ Brax said. ‘I can tell.’ He looked at her and smiled.

‘Yeah, you’re right,’ she agreed. ‘So I’ll see you around?’

‘In a small town like this? Probably,’ he joked. ‘I own the restaurant so I might see you there one day.’

The girl nodded and stood up from the sand.

‘Well Brax, it was nice meeting you,’ she said nicely. She had obviously been brought-up well.

He stood up too. ‘Just one question,’ he said.

The girl looked at him. ‘What’s that?’ she asked.

‘What’s your name?’ Brax asked. He had to know.

‘Annie,’ she said. ‘Annie Campbell.’ She walked back across the sand, the same direction she had come from.

‘Annie,’ he whispered. He watched her make her way towards the shops at the other end of the beach. She was nothing more than a small dot in his eyesight. He blinked and she was gone.

Yes he thought to himself. She’s definitely my sister.

[elikell]

Firstly I would like to thank all the readers so far of this fic. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

So thank you to Danni02, lozlovesh&a, Red Ranger 1, Chickiboomxx, ~JarlieFanEver~, Zetti, LauraPhilly!!, soph1303, pembie, Angel90, -Carina- and ldscott.

Secondly, I forgot to mention at the start of this fic a dedication.

I want to dedicate this fic to Aaron; who has been missing for just over two weeks now. We will not stop searching until you are found. No matter what happens, you will always be loved by your family and friends. May God hold you safely in His arms. You will never be forgotten. xx

Brax walked into his restaurant later that afternoon and saw her again. She was talking to an older man and woman, and a 16 year old boy.

Annie saw him enter and smiled. Brax walked over to their table to say hello to them all.

‘These are my grandparents and my brother Geoff,’ Annie introduced. ‘This is Brax, he owns the restaurant.’

‘It’s nice to meet you,’ Brax said genuinely. He shook their hands. Then he spotted something. There were a few stray hairs on Annie’s top. She wouldn’t notice if they went missing…

He plucked them off discretely before excusing himself. He needed to know. He already knew, but he wanted proof. Scientific proof. He went into his office and ordered a DNA test kit online. One way or another, he was going to find out the truth.

Brax went to his childhood home that night, determined to get answers out of his mother before he went home. He found her on the couch watching infomercials on the tv.

‘Mum, can we talk?’ Brax asked.

His mother nodded at him.

He decided to jump right in. ‘Why didn’t you want your daughter?’ he asked.

She looked at him, shocked. ‘That was your father’s decision, not mine,’ she said.

Brax looked at her. ‘Dad left when Casey was two. Didn’t you ever want to find her?’ he asked.

‘No Darryl, it’s better this way,’ she said. ‘She’s better off without us.’

‘Without you, you mean?’ Brax asked.

Cheryl nodded. ‘Probably. What’s it to you anyway?’ she asked defensively.

‘I was 12 mum. I didn’t understand it then, I thought you might be able to put an adult perspective on it now. Casey was just a baby, and Heath doesn’t remember a thing about it, because he was only four. But I remember mum. I remember.’

Brax looked down at her. She looked at him, a tear in her eye.

‘Can you find her?’ she asked him.

Brax nodded. ‘I can try.’ He walked out of the house, more determined than ever, to get to the bottom of this once and for all.

[elikell]

Thanks to all for your comments about my fic, and about Aaron.

I feel like I owe you an explanation on some level about his disappearance. So here goes...

Three weeks ago (to the day) Aaron went out kayaking on our local lake on his own to train for a charity event he was going to do later in the year. And he never came home. It was really windy, and the people seem to think that due to adverse weather he may have lost all energy to go on, or was thrown out of his kayak and drowned.

The only problem now is that they can't find him. After a massive air, water and land search, there's been no sign of him at all. They found his kayak, the kayak skirt, a thong (shoe) and his car, but not him. It's just hard to know that he's probably caught under the water on a submerged tree and they can't find him. The lake is huge and noone's found anything yet. The Police scaled down the search about two weeks ago, and they now are just relying on locals to search.

So I dedicated this fic to him for his tireless work in our very small community. He was/is a great bloke, and I hope that one day they can find him in some capacity so that there is closure on some level.

Your prayers are most grateful. Any help at the moment is immense, and the power of prayer is always great. So thank you for all your wishes. I hope that one day he can be found and brought home to rest in peace.

On another note, here's another update for you. I like how some of you have taken a liking to Ma Braxton, so it'll be interesting to see what you think of her after this chapter...I hope you aren't too disappointed in what I've done to her. Hopefully.

Happy reading.

Brax’s phone vibrated on his bedside table. He woke up with a start and looked at the clock. 4am.

‘Hello?’ he answered groggily.

‘Brax, it’s mum. She’s dead,’ Casey said.

‘What?’ Brax said. He jolted awake.

‘I don’t know what to do,’ Casey said scared.

‘I’ll be there in a minute.’ He hung up, jumped out of bed, grabbed his keys, phone and wallet and left his house quickly.

He drove through the quiet streets quickly and pulled up in front of his mother’s house a few minutes later. He ran into the house and found Casey pacing the hallway frantically.

‘Case, where is she?’ Brax asked.

Casey pointed to their mothers bedroom and Brax rushed in. Their mother lay on her bed, vomit around her body. Her lips were blue, her body white.

‘Oh my God.’ Brax quickly stepped to her bedside and touched her body. She was cold like ice. ‘Case, call the cops. Or someone.’

Casey left the doorway and picked up the phone.

Brax looked around the room and found a note on the bedside table. He picked it up and heard Casey talking on the phone just outside the room.

Brax opened the note and began to read.

My beautiful boys,

I love you all so much. I’ve done everything I’ve ever done for you three. I always wanted the best for you.

Darryl, find her. Welcome her into the family.

Darryl, Heath and Casey, you need to stick together.

I’m sorry for this. I love you all so much. Please forgive me.

Love,

Mum.

Brax folded the letter and put it in his pocket. He looked at his mothers face and sighed. She looked like she was sleeping. He wiped the vomit off her face with a tissue.

‘Brax, they said they’ll be here soon,’ Casey said from behind him.

Brax turned around and nodded at Casey.

‘What about Heath?’ Casey asked. ‘We should tell him.’

‘I’ll call the prison in the morning,’ Brax said.

‘What are we meant to do now?’ Casey asked.

‘I don’t know,’ Brax admitted.

[elikell]

Thank you to all my readers. You're all stars

Sorry its taken me so long to get the next update up. I hope to update for frequently in the future.

Brax, Heath and Casey stood together at the cemetery and said their silent goodbyes to their mother.

Brax looked around the crowd. He spotted Casey’s girlfriend Ruby. He saw Annie standing next to her and took a sharp breath in. He watched her closely and saw her look up at him. He nodded at her. He continued to shift his gaze around the crowd of people and saw many old and new friends together.

He looked down at the coffin in front of him and felt a tear slide down his cheek. He heard Heath’s handcuffs rattle as he wiped a tear from his eye. Brax was glad that Heath was here, even if he was in handcuffs and guarded by police.

Brax felt a hand on his arm and looked across at Casey. Tears streaked his face. Brax reached across and clutched Casey’s hand tightly. He didn’t take in the minister’s words as the coffin was lowered into the ground. He stood stock-still as people filed past to give their last respects and barely heard the condolences from all the people.

As the last two people filed past, Heath and Casey moved toward the coffin. Brax stood behind for a moment, giving his brothers some privacy. They moved away. Casey walked up to Ruby and she wrapped her arms around him.

Brax stood at the side of the grave and looked down on the coffin that held his mother. He remembered some of the happier times they’d shared together.

Reading books together on the couch.

Flying kites on the beach.

Birthday parties with his friends.

Cooking together in the kitchen.

He shook his head and brought himself back to the present.

‘It should be any day now,’ Brax told her. ‘The DNA test should be back soon. I’ll find her mum. I promise.’

He looked down and blew a kiss toward the grave. He dropped a rose on the coffin. ‘I love you.’

Brax turned around and walked over to his brother in hand-cuffs. Brax hugged him tightly. ‘I’m glad you could come,’ Brax admitted.

‘Me too,’ Heath said.

‘How long until you need to go back?’ Brax asked. Heath looked over at one of the police officers, Brax followed his gaze.

‘About now. I should say goodbye to Case,’ Heath said. He walked toward Casey, who broke away from his group of friends and walked over to him.

Brax looked at the crowd of people and saw Ruby’s mum walk towards him.

‘I’m sorry about your mother,’ Charlie said. She stopped in front of him.

‘Thank you,’ Brax said.

‘How are you doing?’ Charlie asked.

Brax looked at her. ‘I don’t know,’ he admitted.

‘If there’s anything I can do, let me know,’ Charlie offered.

‘Thank you. I appreciate that,’ Brax said. He felt his throat catch.

Charlie looked at him and gave a small smile. She put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

[elikell]

Here's another chapter for you all. Sorry its so short.

Welcome JosieTash. I hope you're enjoying it so far

And Angel90, you will find the answer to your question shortly.

Thank you to all who take the time to read and comment on my fic. I feel very honoured that you are enjoying this.

Happy reading

Brax pulled up his car in his driveway and saw the mail poking out of the letterbox. He got out of his car and walked over to it. He pulled it out and flicked through it quickly. He saw the letter he had been waiting for. The letter that could possibly change the Braxton’s lives forever.

Brax walked into his house and put his keys on the table, along with the rest of the mail. He sat down on the couch and held the envelope in his hand tightly.

He put the envelope on the seat beside him and got up and took a beer out of the fridge. He opened the bottle, took a swig from it and sat back down on the couch. He looked down at the envelope and took a long drink from the bottle. He sighed deeply, put down his beer and picked up the envelope.

Brax took a deep breath and opened the envelope hastily. His hands shook as he took the piece of paper from the envelope. He read it through slowly, not wanting to misunderstand a single word that was written on it.

He got to the final sentence and sighed. Annie was his sister. They had the same DNA. It was a match.

Brax picked up his beer and skulled the rest of the bottle. He was unsure what he was meant to do now.

He heard a knock on his front door. Brax got up, went to the fridge and grabbed himself another beer before he walked to his front door. He opened the door and saw Casey standing in the doorway. Brax opened his bottle of beer and took a deep drink. He stood aside and let Casey into his house.

‘I can’t go home,’ Casey said simply. ‘Can I stay here?’

Brax closed the door behind him. ‘Course you can Case,’ Brax said. He walked into the lounge room and picked up all the papers from the couch and stuffed them into the envelope quickly.

[elikell]

Here's another update for you all. I do hope that you're enjoying this fic, as its a little different to a lot of other fics on here...

‘Is it okay if Ruby and Annie come over?’ Casey asked.

Brax looked over at him. ‘Annie?’ he asked.

‘Yeah, she just moved here. She’s nice,’ Casey explained.

‘Sure thing. Just behave yourselves.’ Brax smiled. ‘I’ll be back later. I’ve gotta go into the restaurant for a while.’ He picked up his things and left the house. He heard Casey talking on the phone, asking the person to come around.

I have to tell him soon, Brax thought to himself. But how?

Brax walked into his house three hours later, hoping that the girls would be gone and he could talk to Casey in private. He’d thought long and hard while he had been in at work, and decided that the truth was what was best. If Casey had questions, he would answer them the best that he could.

Brax walked into the lounge room and saw something he didn’t know to process. Casey and Annie were kissing passionately on the couch. Casey had his hand up Annie’s shirt.

‘Casey!’ Brax shouted.

Casey pulled himself away from Annie and looked over at Brax.

Brax didn’t know whether to shout or cry.

‘I’m gonna go,’ Annie said quietly. She moved to get up.

‘What about Ruby?’ Brax asked. He tried to calm himself down.

‘She was busy so she couldn’t make it,’ Casey explained.

‘So you thought you’d cheat on her?’ Brax asked.

‘It’s not like that,’ Annie said.

Brax looked at her. ‘Then what is it like?’

‘It was a mistake. I was upset about mum and Annie was upset about her whole life and the adoption thing. It was wrong. I need to tell Ruby,’ Casey said.

‘I never meant for it to happen,’ Annie said.

‘You should go,’ Brax said. ‘And don’t tell Ruby what happened here. That’s up to Case to tell her.’

Annie nodded and got up from the couch. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said to Casey.

‘Me too,’ Casey said. ‘I’ll call you later.’

Annie rushed past Brax and ran out of the door.

‘Casey, there’s something we need to talk about,’ Brax started. He sat next to Casey on the couch.

‘I know I shouldn’t have kissed her,’ Casey said.

‘No, you shouldn’t have. But that’s not it,’ Brax said. He took a deep breath and ran through what he’d decided to say at work.

‘As you know, when I was 12, you were born. I watched you grow up and took care of you when dad left. But there’s something mum never told you.’ Brax stopped again.

‘What?’ Casey asked worriedly.

‘You were a twin Case. You have a twin sister.’

Casey took in a sharp breath. ‘What happened to her?’ he asked.

‘She was adopted out. Dad didn’t want girls. I only saw her once and held her in my arms for a short time. I never saw her again. Until a week ago.’ Brax didn’t want to say it out loud, but he knew he had to make sure Casey really understood.

‘Annie. She’s your twin sister,’ Brax said. He breathed deeply and watched Casey’s face.

‘What?’ Casey asked confused. ‘How do you know?’

‘I saw her walking on the beach when she first arrived and she was the spitting image of mum. I heard her story about being adopted and began to piece it together. When I saw her in the restaurant later that day, I took a strand of her hair from her top and sent it away for DNA, which was compared to mine. I got the results back yesterday. She’s your sister Case.’ Brax opened the drawer below the coffee table and pulled out the test results. He handed them to Casey.

Casey read through them quickly and looked up at Brax shocked. ‘Why didn’t mum tell me?’ Casey asked.

‘She thought you were better off not knowing,’ Brax tried to explain.

‘So why didn’t you tell me?’ Casey asked.

‘It wasn’t my place to say anything. Besides, I was 12. Dad kept telling me that she’d died until I believed it. I’m so sorry Casey.’ Brax looked at him, tears in his eyes.

Casey stood up in frustration. He ran a hand through his hair. ‘I cheated on Ruby with my sister?!’ Casey said angrily. ‘MY SISTER!?’ he yelled. He lashed out and punched his fist through the plasterboard wall.

‘Hey, Case,’ Brax said. He put his hands on Casey’s shoulders to steady him. Casey fell against him and began to cry. Brax held him tightly.

‘Shh, it’s okay,’ Brax said. He patted Casey’s back gently.

‘What am I meant to do now?’ Casey asked helplessly several minutes later. He clung to Brax’s shirt tightly.

‘I don’t know,’ Brax admitted. ‘What do you want to do?’

‘I have to tell Ruby the truth about the kiss,’ Casey said. He looked at Brax intensely. ‘I don’t know what else I’ll say.’

‘Casey, just be honest with her, no matter what you tell her, or don’t tell her, just be honest,’ Brax said. The brother’s hugged tightly.

[elikell]

Thanks to you all for your comments. I really do appreciate them all.

Here's another update for you.

I hope you enjoy it.

There was a knock at the door ten minutes later and Brax left the room. He stood in the closed doorway, wanting to be by Casey’s side. He heard Casey speak.

‘Rubes, I really like you so I’m just going to tell you the truth.’ Brax heard them both sit down on the couch.

‘The truth about what?’ Ruby asked.

‘I kissed Annie earlier. It didn’t mean anything. I was upset about mum. I’m so sorry Ruby. It’ll never happen again,’ Casey said desperately.

‘Did you like it?’ Ruby asked.

‘No,’ Casey said simply.

‘Do you like her?’ Ruby asked.

‘Only as a friend. Nothing more,’ Casey said. ‘You’re the only one I love.’

There was a sharp intake of breath. ‘Love?’ Ruby asked.

Brax heard them kissing and walked down the hallway to his bedroom. He wasn’t sure if Casey would ever be ready to tell anyone, but he was determined to stick by his brother if and when he needed him.

Brax heard the front door close a few minutes later and went to check on Casey.

‘How is she?’ Brax asked.

‘She’s good. We’re good.’ Casey smiled. He looked up at Brax. ‘I didn’t tell her about…’

‘It’s okay Case. There’s plenty more time for that stuff,’ Brax said. ‘But we should talk about some other stuff.’

‘Like what?’ Casey asked.

Brax cleared his throat nervously. ‘Sex,’ Brax said simply.

Casey smiled. ‘I know about sex.’

‘It’s just that there’s more to it than the act alone. There are feelings involved. And other aspects,’ Brax said. Man this is hard, Brax thought to himself.

‘Like what?’ Casey asked.

‘Contraception. You need to be safe every time. And just because you’re ready doesn’t mean she will be,’ Brax explained. ‘You need to be sure and wait for the right time for both of you.’

Casey looked at Brax, unsure what to say next. ‘We’ve talked about it in school,’ Casey started, ‘so I know most things.’

Brax looked at him. ‘If you ever have any questions though, you can ask me,’ Brax said. He put his hand on Casey’s shoulder reassuringly.

‘I know,’ Casey said. ‘And I will.’ Casey got up off the couch and went to the room he was staying in.

Brax sighed deeply. Well that was awkward, he thought.

[elikell]

Thanks for all your feedback and comments. I really do appreaciate them all. I'm glad you're enjoying this.

I'm heading away for a couple of weeks and probably won't be able to update, so please be patient and don't think I've forgotten or anything. I'll certainly update when I can

But for now, enjoy. Let me know what you think.

Brax lay in his bed that night and stared at his bedroom ceiling, littered with moonlight as it shone through the window. He sighed deeply and wondered if he’d done the right thing in telling Casey the truth. He replayed the conversation over and over in his head. He sat up in his bed and put his head in his hands.

He sighed again and swung his legs over the side of his bed. He looked at the digital clock glowing the time. 1.32am. He shook his head. He decided to go for a run along the beach to tire himself out. He made his way out the door quietly and jogged toward the ocean.

He ran across the sand for more than a kilometre before he saw another person. He continued to jog until he caught up with the woman in front of him.

‘Odd time to be out for a run Brax,’ Charlie called out when he was within earshot.

Brax slowed down and stopped when he reached her. ‘Couldn’t sleep. What about you? How come you’re out so late Charlie?’ Brax asked. He tried to catch his breath.

Charlie smiled. ‘I couldn’t sleep. Ruby told me about Casey’s actions earlier,’ she said. She looked at him.

‘Don’t worry, I really don’t think he’ll do that again!’ Brax said strongly. ‘He loves Ruby.’

Charlie nodded. ‘She told me that too.’

‘He’s just a bit messed up about mum. He was there when she took all those pills. I think he feels guilty like he could’ve stopped her or something,’ Brax tried to explain. ‘He couldn’t have stopped her though.’ Brax sighed.

Charlie put her hand on Brax’s arm. ‘It’ll take time. How’re you coping?’ Charlie asked.

Brax looked deep into her eyes and felt tears streaming down his face. ‘I just never thought I’d have to deal with so much stuff,’ Brax said between his tears. Charlie wrapped her arms around his body tightly.

‘It’ll be okay,’ she said. She rubbed her hands on Brax’s back to soothe his tears.

‘Thanks Charlie,’ Brax said. He tried unsuccessfully to wipe away his tears.

‘Any time you want to talk,’ Charlie offered.

Brax pulled out of the hug and nodded. ‘I hope Ruby’s okay and can forgive Casey.’ He tucked a loose strand of Charlie’s hair behind her ear. She reached up and grabbed his hand away from her face.

‘Sorry,’ Brax apologised.

‘It’s okay,’ Charlie said. She let his hand go and stared deep into his eyes. ‘I better get going.’

Brax nodded. ‘Me too. I’ll see you around?’ he asked.

‘Of course. I hope you get some sleep,’ Charlie said.

‘You too. Good night.’ Brax turned around.

‘Good night,’ Charlie said.

Brax turned back to her and smiled at her. He turned back and began to jog down the beach back towards his house. He smiled to himself and picked up his running speed until he was sprinting, sand flicked up behind him. He felt his heart pumping rapidly against his chest. He didn’t know what he was feeling anymore.

[elikell]

Sorry it's taken me so long to update. But here it is. I hope you enjoy it.

Please read and leave a comment. I love reading all your thoughts and ideas about everything.

Happy reading

Brax rolled over in his bed the next morning and opened his eyes. He blinked against the bright light shining through the window. He opened his eyes wide when he noticed Casey sitting beside his bed.

‘Hey Case, how are you?’ Brax asked sleepily. She waited for his eyes to adjust to the light.

‘Brax, can we talk?’ Casey asked. He leant forward in his seat.

Brax nodded. ‘Of course. What did you want to talk about?’ Brax asked. He sat up in his bed and pulled on his t-shirt.

Casey handed over a glass of water to Brax, who took it. ‘Thanks,’ Brax said appreciatively. He took a mouthful and looked over at Casey. He noticed Casey wringing his hands tightly together.

‘What’s up?’ Brax asked.

‘I feel…’ Casey started. He looked at Brax. ‘I love Ruby. But,’ he stopped.

‘But what?’ Brax asked confused.

‘I think I might be gay. I love Ruby so much, but then I talk to Dex and he’s just different,’ Casey tried to explain.

‘Oh mate, it’s okay,’ Brax said. He didn’t know what else to say.

‘I don’t know what to do,’ Casey said.

‘So you love Ruby?’ Brax asked.

‘More than anything else in the world,’ Casey said.

‘And yesterday with Annie?’ Brax asked.

‘I wanted to get Dex out of my head,’ Casey said. ‘He’s so open about his sexuality. I just don’t know how he does it.’

‘Everyone’s different Case. Have you ever thought of him like you have Ruby?’ Brax asked.

Casey’s head fell, giving Brax the answer without words.

‘Mate, it’s okay,’ Brax said.

Casey looked at him. ‘Really?’ he asked.

‘Really,’ Brax said. ‘Have you ever heard of a bisexual?’

Casey looked confused. He shook his head.

‘You can have feelings for both sexes,’ Brax tried to explain.

‘Really?’ Casey asked.

Brax nodded. ‘It’s just how you deal with your feelings that matters. Do you love Ruby?’ Brax asked.

‘Yes,’ Casey admitted.

‘And do you love Dexter?’ Brax asked.

‘No,’ Casey said simply.

‘Well there’s your answer then,’ Brax said.

‘It’s that simple?’ Casey asked.

‘It’s never that simple,’ Brax said. ‘But you need to stay true to yourself and your feelings. Ruby should come first after you.’

Casey nodded. ‘Thanks Brax.’

‘It’s okay kiddo,’ Brax said. He smiled. ‘Is there anything else?’

‘What’re we gonna do about Annie?’ Casey asked.

‘I don’t know. What do you want to do?’ Brax asked.

‘I think she should know, but not right now. I need time to organise myself first. Is that selfish?’ Casey asked.

Brax shook his head. ‘No it’s not,’ he said honestly. ‘Everyone needs time to process things their own way. You’ve gone through so much in the past week.’

Casey nodded again.

‘Hey, come here,’ Brax said. He sat on the edge of his bed and held his hand out to Casey.

Casey took it in his own.

‘You’ll be okay,’ Brax said. He smiled at his little brother.

‘We’ll be okay,’ Casey corrected. ‘Now let’s have breakfast.’ Casey smiled.

[elikell]

Thank you for all the wonderful comments. I'm glad that you're still enjoying this.

Here's another update for you. It's short, but I'm hoping you'll like it.

Happy reading

‘Hey Ruby, how are you?’ Brax asked after he opened his front door. He was surprised to see her there considering Casey was at footy training.

‘I’m good Brax. Can we talk for a minute?’ Ruby asked. She looked around nervously.

Brax stepped aside and let her into the house. He led her into the lounge room. They sat down on the couch.

‘What did you want to talk about?’ Brax asked.

‘Casey,’ Ruby said.

Brax nodded. ‘What about him?’ he asked.

‘Is there anything I can do to help him with your mum passing? I know he’s had a rough time of it,’ Ruby said.

‘I think the best thing you can do is just be there for him. He always keeps everything bottled up. Just be there,’ Brax said.

Ruby nodded and smiled at him. ‘Is he moving in here permanently?’ she asked.

‘I don’t know. Has he said anything to you about it? I don’t want to push him into anything,’ Brax said, concerned for his brother.

‘He doesn’t want to go back to where his mum…’ Ruby trailed off.

Brax noticed her expression. ‘Does he like living here?’ he asked.

Ruby nodded.

‘I’ll ask him when he gets home from training,’ Brax said.

Ruby smiled at him. ‘I think he’d like that.’

Brax smiled. ‘Would you like something to drink?’ he offered.

‘Nah, I better go before he gets here. I don’t want him thinking I’m prying or anything,’ Ruby said.

‘He wouldn’t think that. He knows you care about him,’ Brax said.

‘You care about him too, don’t you?’ Ruby asked.

‘Yes. He’s more like a son to me than a brother. I only want this best for him,’ Brax said.

‘He cares about you too. He doesn’t want to get in your way,’ Ruby said.

‘He’ll never be in my way,’ Brax said. He smiled.