In the Adult World

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for the comments, here's a short update for you.

CHAPTER 11

Matilda came out of the bedroom to see Ric feeding Elizabeth at the table.He had his back to her, as he often seemed to do these days.“I’m on my way to work,”she called,“Are you all right taking Elizabeth to the child minder?”

Ric didn’t look round.“Daddy’s going to take you to the childminder,”he told Elizabeth,“But don’t worry, you won’t have to go there much longer.Once Mummy’s finished putting Daddy out of business, he can stay at home with you all day.”

“That’s not fair,”Matilda complained,“This is my job and if I wasn’t running the case Linda would have just found another solicitor.”

Ric didn’t answer.

Matilda sighed and left.

Gina looked across at where Xavier was sat alone on the couch, staring into space.“Are you planning on going out today, dear?”she asked.

Xavier folded his arms.“Nowhere to go.John’s given me time off from the surf club so…”

“Look, don’t you think you’d be better off talking to Indi rather than just sitting here?You two have to find a way to deal with this.”

“She knows where I am if she wants me.”

Gina gave up.She headed towards the door…and nearby bumped into Mink.“Hey there, Mrs.Austin Slash Palmer.”

“Mink!”Gina greeted her with a smile,“What are you doing here?”

“Thought I might give Xavier a visit, see if I can cheer him up.”

“Well, I was just heading out so good luck.”

As Gina left, Mink plonked herself into a chair near Xavier.“Heard about what happened to your kid.Harsh.”

Xavier sighed.“Yeah.”

“So are you and that Indi chick still together or not?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“Well, maybe I can help you decide.”She held out her hand, inviting him to go with her.

“What did you have in mind?”

“You.Me.Beach.Lots of sand and sea and ogling at hot girls/guys in bikinis/speedos.Or would you rather just sit here looking like this?”She screwed her face up into a fair approximation of Xavier’s own sullen expression.

Xavier couldn’t help but smile.“Okay, give me a minute to get my towel and I’m all yours.”

Romeo went into the kitchen when he heard the knock at the door and was surprised to see Sasha standing there looking tearful.“I’m sorry,”she said quietly,“I didn’t know who else to talk to.”

“It’s fine,”he assured her.He put an arm around her shoulder and led her into the front room, sitting her down next to him.“Has something happened?”

Sasha shook her head.“It’s just everything.You know Xavier’s moved out?”

Romeo nodded.“Yeah, I’d heard.”

“Since he’s gone it’s even worse.I think having him around cheered Indi up a bit, now she’s even more unhappy.”

“Hey, they’ll work it out.”Romeo stroked her cheek gently in a gesture of comfort.“Xavier and Indi go through these patches but they always come out the other side.You’ll see.”

Sasha smiled.“You’re so nice to me.”And then she kissed him.

Romeo was so taken aback that he didn’t pull away.Sasha began kissing him more and more passionately, clambering up into his lap.

“What the..?”

Romeo pushed Sasha off and turned at the voice and saw Ruby standing behind them, her mouth open in shock and horror.He tried to stammer an explanation but before he could manage a word she’d run out of the house, tears in her eyes.

[Red Ranger 1]

Many thanks for your comments, hope you like this update.

CHAPTER 12

Romeo drew up outside the Walker farm in silence.Sasha shot a sidelong glance at him from the passenger seat.“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”Part of Romeo wanted to be furious with Sasha but he understood that she was upset. Shouting at her wouldn’t help.

“I’ll talk to Ruby, I’ll explain that it was all my fault…”

“Just let me handle Ruby, okay?You’ve got enough problems of your own to deal with.”Sasha went to kiss him on the cheek but he pulled away.“I think we should probably keep away from each other for a while, okay?Until things have settled down.”

Sasha looked at him unhappily and he couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.“Okay.”She got out of the car.“I’ll see you later.”

Romeo was still trying to work out what he’d say when he got home.But when he entered the living room it wasn’t Ruby waiting for him but Charlie.And from the look on her face, he was about to face an even more difficult conversation.“What the hell have you done?”she demanded.

It was a question Romeo was reluctant to answer.“Where’s Ruby?”

“Gone,”Charlie replied angrily,“I got here and found her packing her bags, saying she couldn’t face you.She just charged out of here, took Julia with her, wouldn’t tell me where she was going.Well?”

Romeo sighed.“Sasha was here,”he admitted and he saw from Charlie’s face that she was already drawing conclusions,“She was upset about what was going on at home and I was comforting her and she kissed me.It took me by surprise so I didn’t push her away and then Ruby came in.”

Charlie glared at him.“Well, that’s just great, Romeo.So Ruby’s off out there somewhere.”

“I’ll talk to her,”Romeo insisted.

“How are you going to do that, Romeo?Neither of us knows where she is.”

Ruby clambered up the stairs with her bag in one hand and Julia’s travel seat in the other until she came to the top flat and then knocked on the door.For a few moments, she thought no-one was home, then the door was flung open and Nicole grinned at the sight of her.“Ruby!What are you doing here?”

Ruby stared at her friend for a moment and then burst into tears.Nicole put her arms around her and let Ruby bury her face into her shoulder, holding her in bemused but genuine comfort.

“You cry,”George proclaimed sagely, staring hard at Ruby sat on the couch.

“Yes, I was crying,”Ruby confirmed,“But I’m happy again now.See?”She put on a broad smile that wouldn’t have fooled anyone over the age of five.

Fortunately, George wasn’t that old so he just smiled back at her.

“Go and play with your building blocks for a minute, George,”Nicole told him as she came out of one of the bedrooms,“Mummy needs to talk to Auntie Ruby for a bit.”

George looked slightly disgruntled at the news.“I promise I’ll come and play with you in a bit if you do,”Ruby told him.Slightly mollified, George toddled off into a corner and began playing with his toys, shooting them occasional looks to make sure he wasn’t being ignored completely.“I can’t believe how much he’s grown since I last saw him.”

“Same with Julia,”Nicole agreed.

“How is she?”

“I put her down in our room, she’ll be fine.”

Ruby looked around.“Is Aden about?”

“No, he’s got a charter, he’s away for the weekend.”

Ruby sighed.“So that’s married life, is it?”

“Hey, trust me, it’s actually pretty fun.I was kind of looking forward to you finding out for yourself.What happened?Romeo really kissed another girl?”

Ruby nodded.“Uh-huh.I’ve got the visuals to prove it.”

“Sure you couldn’t have been mistaken?”

“Well, his lips and hers were attached so…probably not, no.”She shrugged.“I guess it’s what I deserve.I mean, it’s not like either of us were single when we first hooked up, maybe it’s not a surprise he’s cheated on me.”

“Come on, Rube, Romeo’s crazy about you, he wouldn’t do that.What did he say?”

“I…haven’t actually spoken to him.I couldn’t face it.Still can’t.”She looked at Nicole hopefully.

Nicole sighed.“Well, listen, you and Julia are welcome to hide out here for a couple of days, George can sleep in with me and you two can have his room.But sooner or later you are gonna have to speak to him about this.”

Xavier and Mink collapsed back onto the sofa.“Did we really have to do fifty lengths?”Xavier complained.

“Hey, if you’re going to go for a swim, might as well do it properly,”Mink told him,“No point sticking to doggy paddle like you usually do.”

“I can always count on you to bring me back to earth.”

“At least it got your blood pumping.And put a bit of a smile back on your face.”

Xavier let out a sigh.“Yeah.”

“So let me see what I can do to keep it there.”Mink leaned over and kissed him.

For a moment, Xavier started to kiss her back but then he pulled away.“I’m with Indi now.”

Mink nodded, as though she’d been expecting the comment.“Yep.”

Xavier looked at her, puzzled.“What do you mean,‘Yep’?”

“I mean, you’re with Indi and from what Romeo tells me you were actually quite good together.So go be with her!”

Xavier stared hard at her.“So that kiss was..what?Your way of proving a point?”

Mink shrugged.“Got to grab it while you can.”

Dexter poked his head cautiously around the door to the farm and saw Sid in the hallway.“Psst,”he whispered,“What’s the state of play?”

Sid’s eyes flicked in both directions down the hall.“Well, Sasha’s in her room crying and refusing to come out and Indi’s in the front room being quiet.”

Dexter considered this for a few moments.“I’ll take the front room,”he decided at last.He slipped past his father and sat down opposite his sister.She continued staring into space as if he wasn’t there. “How’s things?”he asked conversationally.

Indi glanced briefly in his direction.“Fine.”

“Seen Xavier lately?”

Indi shrugged.“Not since he moved out.”

Dexter sighed.“Come on, Indi, do we have to go through all this again?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I seem to remember I had to push you and Xav back together last time you broke up.You’re over here looking miserable, he’s at his mum’s place being miserable, why don’t you be miserable together?”

Indi held his gaze a lot longer this time.“I’ll think about it,”she said at last.

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for all the comments!Hope you like this one.

CHAPTER 13

Romeo paused in the doorway of the garage.He’d been coming in every day for the last week even though there was no work, just to make sure there wasn’t anything he could do.The fact that Ric insisted on continuing to pay his wage, even though Romeo knew he was hard up himself, didn’t help with his guilt.Nor did the lack of work do much to stop him from brooding about Ruby and Julia’s absence.

Ric was sat at his desk, as he often was when Romeo called round.“Anything on?”Romeo asked.

Ric held up a sheaf of papers.“Paperwork.Can never get enough paperwork.Especially when no-one wants their car repaired by the guy that’s being sued for negligence.”

“Should I maybe tidy up around here?Make myself useful?”

“Knock yourself out.”Romeo turned away to get his overalls then heard Ric give a gasp and murmur,“Oh god.”

Romeo turned round and saw Ric rummaging in some of the boxes of parts.“What’s wrong?”

Ric found the box he was looking for and held up a part.“This!It’s the brake pad we fitted on Linda Conway’s car.Well, one of the same type anyway.”

Romeo still didn’t see the problem.“Yeah, that’s what we use.You bought them from that supplier about three months back.”

Ric held up one of the sheets of paper he’d been looking through.“And this is from that supplier.It says the brake pads are defective and shouldn’t be used.”

Romeo looked hopeful.“So it wasn’t our fault then?It was down to the manufacturer?”

Ric shook his head.“I got this letter two weeks before we fixed Linda’s car.”

“And you still used it?”

“We were busy!And you know how I am with paperwork.I never really looked at it.”

“So what does this mean?”

Ric had gone pale.“It means she’s right.I was negligent.We’re going to lose this case…and we’re probably going to lose this garage.”

“Do you mind explaining to me what we’re doing here?”Xavier asked as he and Mink walked along the beach.

“Getting some fresh air,”Mink told him,“Laughing at the people who think they can surf.Taking in the sights.What do you make of that sight?”

Xavier looked where she was pointing…and saw Indi standing further along the beach, Dexter at her side, looking at him.He looked back at Mink.“Did you set this up?”

“Don’t question it, kid.Just get going.”

Indi saw Xavier walking towards her.“I’m going to kill you for this,”she told Dexter quietly.

“You’ll thank me for it one day.”

Indi started walking as well until she and Xavier met up in the middle.“We seem to have a lot of interfering friends,”Xavier commented.

Indi nodded.“It’s irritating, isn’t it?”

“So, how’ve you been?”

Indi took a deep breath.“Pretty lousy,”she admitted,“And I kept looking around for you so we could talk and try to make it better, only you weren’t there.”

“I wish I had been,”he replied,“But me being there wasn’t helping either of us.”

“You did the right thing.I know.”

Xavier took her hand.“It’s only the two of us that understand what we went through.And I know we couldn’t help each other through this but…do you think we can meet up on the other side?”

“I think about Jane a lot.Whether she’s…I dunno, looking down on us from somewhere.And if she is, I think she’d probably want her parents to be happy.”

“I want us to be happy too.”

Indi leaned forward and kissed him.And they stood there, kissing softly, their lives suddenly a little bit brighter.

Mink and Dexter stood with Casey on the headland, watching the couple.“I love a happy ending,” Dexter sighed dreamily.

Mink scowled.“Kinda makes me want to puke.”

“You’re just jealous,”Casey suggested.

“No I’m not.”

“I am.”

“Me too,”Dexter agreed.

Mink looked at him.“She’s your sister.”

Dexter raised an eyebrow pointedly.

“Oh.Right.”

Aden came through the door to the flat and let out an exhausted sigh.He saw Nicole sat at the table in the lounge, doing her uni homework.“Give me a few minutes to grab a quick shower and I’ll help out with dinner,”he told her.

Nicole quickly interposed herself between him and the bathroom.“Might have to wait a bit.Ruby’s in the shower.”

“Again?”Aden sighed.“How long’s she staying?”

“Aden, she’s my friend!”

“Yeah and I like her too but seriously, it’s been two weeks.”He put his arms around her waist and kissed her lightly on the side of the head.“And I’m kinda missing all the marital displays of affection.”

Nicole pulled away with a grin.“Well, are you going to ask her what her plans are?”

“I might just do that.”

As if on cue, Ruby emerged from the bathroom, dressed and drying her wet hair.“Sorry I took so long, I just needed to relax a bit.”

“That’s okay,”Nicole replied,“Aden’s got something he wants to ask you.”

Aden hesitated.“Have you spoken to Romeo lately?”he asked.

Ruby scowled.“No and I’m not going to.”

Romeo stood on the beach, his surfboard tucked under his arm.It was odd how everything could change so quickly.Two weeks ago, he’d had a daughter, he’d been about to marry the girl he loved, he’d been making plans for the future.Now all that was gone and on top of it he seemed about to lose his job.All he needed now was to get kicked out of uni and his misery was complete.

He noticed Xavier and Indi further down the beach.They seemed to be getting on well.He felt happy for them up to a point but it was just another reminder of what he’d lost.

He ran into the water, jumping onto his board, waiting for the right wave to come.He caught it and for a moment he felt a rush of exhilaration as he surfed the wave.Then he lost his balance and toppled into the water.He splashed about, frustrated that he couldn’t even manage that.

Which was when a wave caught his board and slammed it into his head.

Consciousness leaving him, no longer aware of what was happening to him much less able to stop it, he sank like a stone, deeper and deeper beneath the waves.

[Red Ranger 1]

Finally got an update for you.Let me know what you think.

CHAPTER 14

“See you!”Ruby called as she headed towards the door pushing Julia in her chair.

“Hold up!”Nicole interrupted, hurrying out of the bedroom where she’d been keeping an eye on George,“We need to talk.”

“What about?”Ruby asked, even though she knew exactly what.

“Romeo?”

Ruby shook her head.“Not on my agenda.”

“Well it’s time he was!Okay, he kissed another girl but you were meant to be marrying the guy.Has all that really disappeared?”Nicole stared hard at her friend but the effect was spoiled slightly when her phone started ringing.She grimaced.“Stay there,”she told her as she answered it,“Miles, hey! What’s going on?”

Ruby waited until Nicole was looking the other way and then began edging towards the door.

Nicole turned back, a look of horror on her face that stopped Ruby in her tracks.“Ruby, wait!”

Ruby slammed through the door into the hospital waiting room, Nicole just behind her.Xavier, Indigo, Sasha and Mink all stood up as they approached.“How is he?”Ruby asked.

“We don’t know yet,”Xavier answered,“Sid’s still in there with him.”

“What happened?”

“He hit his head when he was in the water,”Indi explained.

“Xav got him out,”Mink added, shooting her friend a grateful look.

“We managed to resuscitate him,”Xavier assured her,“He was definitely breathing when they brought him in.”

Ruby felt like she needed to sit down.She slid into a chair, the others following suit.“Where’s Julia?”Mink asked her,“You didn’t leave her on the bus or anything?”

Ruby shook her head.“I dropped her off with Charlie.”

“And I left George with Aden,”Nicole amended,“We both wanted to get down here as soon as possible.”

Sasha had been looking awkwardly at Ruby since her appearance.“He’s been a mess without you,” she said at last,“That kiss, that was all down to me, not him.It’s you that he wants.”

Ruby managed a grateful smile.She knew it must have been hard for Sasha to admit that.“Thanks.”

Sid emerged from the examination room and everyone stood up again.“He’s going to be fine,”he reassured them,“His lungs are clear and the bump on his head isn’t too serious.We’re just going to keep him in overnight for observation.”

“Can I see him?”Ruby asked.

Sid nodded.“I think that would do him the world of good.”

Romeo blinked in surprise when Ruby entered his room.“Am I hallucinating because of the pain medication or something?”he asked.Ruby ran over to him, kissing him hard on the lips for several seconds before hugging him.“If I am, I don’t want to stop,”he concluded.

Ruby released him.“I’m sorry,”she said quietly,“I’ve been such a cow, I should have got in touch with you sooner.”

“I’m sorry too,”Romeo echoed,“I should have pushed Sasha off straightaway.”

“Well, I should have given you a chance to explain.”Ruby gave a rueful smile.“We can be pretty rubbish sometimes, can’t we?”

Romeo held her hand gently.“So are we still getting married?”

Ruby nodded.“If you’ll still have me.”

He kissed her lightly on the lips.“Trust me, if it meant we could get married I’d get hit on the head a dozen or more times.”

Matilda noticed Ric in the kitchen when she came home.She considered trying to engage him in conversation but experience was teaching her not to bother.She was about to head on through to their room to get changed when Ric saw her.“Mattie!Can you…can you come and sit down?”

Although she was surprised, Matilda did as he asked.“What’s up?”

Ric placed the letter from the suppliers in front of her.“Read that.”

Matilda scanned the contents and then looked up at him in shock.“This..?”

“It’s what I fitted to Linda’s car, yeah.It just slipped my mind.”

“Ric!”Matilda looked at him, stricken.“I should give this to Martin, it’s evidence for our case.”

“I know.I’ve messed up and I don’t know what to do.Mattie…Mattie, can you help me?Please.”

Matilda looked at him long and hard.Finally, she nodded.“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks for coming, Linda,”Matilda greeted her client before leading her into the meeting room where Ric was waiting.

Linda looked at them both suspiciously.“What’s all this about?”

“You were right,”Ric told her,“I used faulty parts to repair your car.It was my fault.”

Linda looked at Matilda in confusion.“What does that mean?”

“Mr.Dalby is prepared to acknowledge blame and make an out of court settlement.”

“Five thousand dollars,”Ric interjected.

Linda was still uncertain.“Martin told me he’s your husband.If you’re just trying to get him out of trouble…”

“I admit that does play a part,”Matilda conceeded,“But you’re my client and what I’m telling you is the truth.Ric’s making you a firm offer, which you’ll get as soon as you sign the papers accepting the compensation.You could go to court anyway and you’d probably win.There’s a slim chance you could lose.There’s also a chance you could be offered more.Or you could be offered less and still have to pay the extra solicitor’s fees.I guess it’s up to you whether you think it’s worth it.”

Linda looked at Ric.“You admit it was your fault?”

“Absolutely.”

“Well, I guess that’s all I wanted.I’ll accept the deal.”

Matilda breathed a sigh of relief.“I’ll get the papers for you.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for the comments!Hope you like this one.

CHAPTER 15

“Knock knock!”Indi called as she and Sasha stuck their heads around the door of Romeo’s hospital room.Indi was carrying a bunch of flowers.“You up for visitors?”

Romeo grinned at them and gave a small wave from his hospital bed.“I think I’ll live.They say I can get out later today as well.”

“That’s great.”Indi went to sit on the bed.

Sasha hung back in the doorway.“How are you and Ruby?”

“We’re fine,”Romeo assured her,“Don’t worry about what happened, okay?Neither of us blames you.”

Sasha nodded awkwardly, before taking the flowers from Indi.“I’ll go and get a vase for these.”

“She’s a bit embarrassed about it all,”Indi noted once she and Romeo were alone,“We haven’t really been looking out for her enough these past few weeks, we didn’t think about how it was all affecting her.”

“Well, you did kind of have other things on your mind.”

“True.”

“How are you and Xavier?I spotted you just before I went in the water and things seemed to be looking up.”

Indi gave a shy smile.“They were a bit, yeah.”

“Were?”Romeo repeated.

“Well, things kind of got derailed by your near death experience and since then we’ve been getting on fine but…let’s just say there hasn’t been any more lip action.”

Romeo gave her a sympathetic face.“Anything I can do to help?”

“Lock me in a room with him for a couple of hours?”She saw Romeo looking thoughtful.“That was a joke!”

“Yeah, I know, but…I’ve been planning a surprise for Ruby.”

Indi was confused by the sudden change of subject.“So?”

“So…maybe it can be a surprise for Xavier as well.”

Ric wheeled Elizabeth’s buggy along the beach to where Matilda was sitting, cup of coffee in hand. “Just wait here,”he told his daughter, bringing the buggy to a stop and sitting down with Matilda, “How are things with Martin?”

“Well, he’s still not entirely happy I got a client to settle without informing him but he accepts it was a fair deal and I kept the client well-informed.So he shouldn’t give me too bad a report to Morag when she comes back.What about you?”

Ric sighed.“Well, Grandad’s helped out with the compensation money, which means I’ve got to pay him back as well at some point.Not sure how I’m going to afford it.This isn’t going to do the garage’s reputation any good.”

“We’ll be all right,”Matilda told him.

“Yeah.”Ric didn’t sound entirely convinced.

Matilda linked her arm around his.“I’ve missed this,”she said quietly,“You’re not just my husband, you’re my oldest friend.Not being able to talk to you feels wrong.”

Ric kissed her on the side of the head.“Yeah.I’ve missed you too.”

“Let’s make sure next time we have a problem, we deal with it together.”

Xavier was feeling increasingly bemused as Romeo led him along a coastal walk.“You going to tell me where this magical mystery tour is going to end?”

Romeo gestured to a building nearby, consisting of two flats one on top of the other.“Right about here actually.”

“Oh, so who lives here then?”

Romeo held up a bunch of keys.

Xavier’s eyes slowly widened in understanding.“No way.”

Romeo led the way up the stairs to the top flat.“I figured Ruby and I needed somewhere to live once we get married so I’ve been in touch with an agent.Rent isn’t bad, my shifts at the garage and our student loans should just about cover it.”

“Does Ruby know?”

“Nope.I’m planning to surprise her.”Romeo pushed the door open and ushered Xavier in.

Indi was standing in the middle of the front room.“Surprise,”she told Xavier nervously.

“I’ll just go and get Ruby now.”Romeo glanced at Indi.“I’ll be about half an hour.”He closed the door, leaving the two of them alone.

Indi looked at Xavier awkwardly.“I think we kind of need to talk.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thank you for the comments, Carina, Jarliefan and pembie!Hope everyone likes this chapter.

CHAPTER 16

Xavier and Indi sat kissing on someone else’s couch, until the kiss broke and they rested their foreheads against each other.“We haven’t really done much talking,”Xavier commented.

“And Romeo’s probably going to want his flat back in a minute,”Indi remarked.

“Good point.”

Indi took a deep breath.“I’m sorry I pushed you away after Jane died.”

“Well, I’m sorry I let you.”

“So much changed in such a short space of time and we were both hurting badly.I thought it would make things easier if I didn’t have to deal with you.”

“Look, I was the one that moved out.I should have made more of an effort.”

Indi shook his head.“I wouldn’t have let you.I think I needed to lose you to realise that that’s not really what I want.And I really love you.”

“I really love you too.”Xavier paused.“Do we need to talk some more or do you want to get back to..?”

“Hell, yeah.”They began kissing even more enthusiastically and toppled off the couch.

Ruby felt metal steps beneath her feet but couldn’t see them as a result of Romeo clapping his hands over her eyes.“How much further?”she asked.

“We’re nearly there,”Romeo promised,“Just two more steps.”She heard him turn a key in a lock and push a door open.“Surprise!...Oh boy.”

Ruby got a brief glimpse of an open door and the tangle of discarded clothes and naked bodies beyond it as Romeo removed his hands from her eyes before he slammed the door shut again.“Was that the surprise?”she asked.

“Just think of it as a temporary delay.”Romeo banged on the door.“If you two could tell us when you’re done…”

“Yep, just give us a few seconds!”called back a voice that Ruby recognised as Xavier’s.

Romeo and Ruby stood fidgeting at the top of the stairs for another minute until Xavier and Indi emerged, still pulling on the last of their clothes, looking incredibly embarrassed and incredibly happy at the same time.“Hey, Rube,”Indi greeted her as they walked past.

“Thanks for letting us use your flat,”Xavier added.

Ruby stared after them openmouthed for a few seconds before turning back to Romeo.“Did he say…our flat?”

Romeo gestured through the doorway as impressively as he could manage.“Surprise.”

“Well, that has to be one of the most embarrassing experiences of my life,”Indi commented as she and Xavier walked away from the building.

Xavier caught her arm and stopped her.“Indi, I think we need to do that talking bit again.”

“About what?”

“About the fact that…we just had sex and…we weren’t even careful.And given what you said last time we tried that…”

Indi held his hands tightly but let their arms swing loose.“I don’t think either of us is going to forget Jane,”she said at last,“But I want to have another baby one day and I want you to be the father.”

Xavier grinned.“That’s kind of what I want too.But, er, now?”

“Well, if I did just get pregnant, would that really be the worst thing that could happen?”

He smiled gently at her.“I guess not.”

Ruby was running around the flat like a kid in a sweet shop, looking in every cupboard and corner. “Is this really ours?”

“You like it then?”

“I really like it,”Ruby agreed,“It reminds me of when we had our own place in Perth.Except we didn’t have Julia then.”

Romeo gestured to one of the doors.“Baby’s bedroom is just through there.”

“Can we afford this?”

“Yeah, I think so.So long as you cut down on the nail treatments.”

Ruby hit him on the arm.“I do not go overboard on nail treatments.”She hugged him.“I love it and I love you.”She gave him a lingering kiss on the lips.

“And you’re not too bothered about the fact that Xavier and Indi just, well, christened it?”

Ruby kissed him again, even more intensely this time.“I guess we’ll just have to do a lot of christening ourselves,”she replied as she led him towards the bedroom.

[Red Ranger 1]

Thank you for all your comments, hope you like this one.

CHAPTER 17

“Xavier, get up.”

Xavier shifted slightly as the voice broke through his sleep.“In a minute,”he muttered.

“You don’t really have a minute.”

Xavier thought hard.“Is something important happening today?”

“Only that I’m getting married and you’re supposed to be best man.”

Xavier struggled into a sitting position and stared hard at Romeo, standing in front of him with a mug of coffee in his hand and a long-suffering expression on his face.“Oh.Yeah.That.”Xavier took the coffee from him.“How are you feeling about that?”

“Surprisingly good, actually.I thought I’d be all nervous and wracked with doubts and having nightmares about still being with her when we’re old and wrinkly and got seventeen grandchildren running around the place but…actually I really want to be married to her.”

Xavier grinned.“Must be love, mate.”

Charlie had been putting on her bridesmaid dress in her room.When she came out, she was confronted by the sight of Ruby in her wedding dress.Ruby spread her arms nervously.“How do I look?”

Charlie felt a prickling sensation behind her eyes.“All grown up,”she commented before grabbing her daughter in an impromptu hug.

“Mum, you’re creasing the dress!”Ruby protested.

“Sorry.”Charlie released her.“Just…promise me you’ll be happy, Ruby, okay?”

Ruby nodded.“I promise.”

“Hey there!”Nicole called as she came through from the kitchen, already in her dress.Miles was with her.She kissed Ruby on the cheek.“Wow, you look amazing.”

“No need to sound so surprised,”Ruby replied in mock admonishment.

Nicole patted Miles’ arm.“Found someone wandering around outside.”

“I was trying not to intrude!”Miles protested.He turned back to Ruby.“Are you sure you want me to give you away?”

“Miles…do you remember when Romeo and I first got together?When Mum was giving us the third degree and Nicole was slapping us both round the face?”

“Could have done without being reminded of that today,”Nicole sighed.

“And even though you told us we’d done the wrong thing, you let us sit at the table and eat breakfast like a proper couple.That meant a lot.”

“Bet you never knew you were that great, Miles,”Charlie commented.

Miles looked at Ruby and gave her a slight smile.“Then it will be an honour to walk you down the aisle.”

“Are you nervous?”Elijah asked.

“No, no,”Romeo insisted with a slight stammer,“Well…maybe a little.”He glanced at Xavier.“How late is she?”

Xavier checked his watch.“Three minutes.”

Romeo looked back at Elijah.“Is that usual?”

Elijah gave an indulgent smile.“It’s not unheard of.”He glanced at the back of the church.“In fact…”

Romeo was about to ask what he meant when the wedding march started playing.He looked round and saw Ruby coming up the aisle, holding onto Miles’ arm.Nicole and Charlie walked behind them, Nicole carrying Julia.

She drew level with him, turned and smiled and he felt his heart melt.

“We are gathered here today to celebrate the wedding of Romeo and Ruby,”Elijah began.

The next few minutes were a blur, even though every detail remained etched on their minds.There were vows and rings, tears and smiles.All of it leading up to nine words that would change their lives.

“I now pronounce that you are husband and wife.”

Their first kiss as a married couple felt like their best yet.

A large crowd gathered outside the reception to see them off.Charlie had taken over holding Julia as Ruby said a worried goodbye.“Remember, if she so much as sniffles wrong, I want to be told.”

“I promise I’ll keep a chart,”Charlie told her.

“And don’t forget to enjoy the reception, everyone,”she added.

“Plenty of food left,”Romeo reminded Miles.

“Actually, I was hoping to get a dance with the mother of the bride here.”

Charlie noticed Ruby’s suggestive look.“We’re just friends,”she promised.

“When’s she going to throw the bouquet?”Colleen grumbled.

“Here, Colleen, catch!”Ruby responded, tossing the flowers in the air.

They sailed over Colleen’s head and landed in Indigo’s arms.

Romeo grinned at Xavier.“Result, mate.”

Xavier looked at Indi, locking eyes with her smiling face for a moment, and he smiled too.“I guess so.”He banged his fist against Romeo’s.“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Lots of scope then,”Ruby retorted, before pushing Romeo into the car,“Come on or it’ll be time to come back.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thank you, Danni, Jarliefan and pembie!This one turned out a bit short, hope you like.

CHAPTER 18

Romeo rolled over in bed and caught sight of Ruby staring out the window, still wearing the clothes they’d slept in.“Something on your mind, Mrs.Smith?”he asked.

Ruby shot him a bemused backward look.“Well, for a start, you could have given me a more interesting surname.How about you change your name to Buckton?Romeo Buckton, that’s got a nice ring to it.”

Romeo got out of bed and came up behind her, putting his arms round her waist and gently kissing her neck.“Ruby Smith?I guess we’ll get used to it.”

“Yeah, it’s an odd one.Exotic sounding first name, ordinary sounding last name, how did you cope?”

“So we’re on our honeymoon and the best thing you can think about is name formation?”

Ruby turned to face him and put her arms round his neck.“Actually, I was mostly looking out that window and thinking about how there doesn’t seem to be anyone around for miles.”

“Except for the guest house owner and the other guests.”

“They don’t count, they know a honeymoon suite is code for Do Not Disturb.”

“Suite might be pushing it, just because we’ve got our own bathroom…”

“Don’t spoil the moment.I was basically just thinking we could get up to whatever we want and no-one would notice.”

Romeo grinned and kissed her, lifting her up, twirling her round and dropping them both onto the bed, his kisses deepening.“Sounds good to me.”

“I wonder if anyone would get worried if we don’t leave this room for the rest of the week,”Ruby mused.

“Do you want to?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Coffee, please,”Xavier requested as he arrived at the counter at the Diner.He glanced at Ric, who was waiting for his order.“How’s business?”

Ric gave a shrug.“Not too bad.Haven’t gone under yet.Have you heard anything from Romeo and Ruby?”

“They’re on their honeymoon.Do you really think they’d call me?”

“Guess not.”Ric accepted his coffee from the server.“Do you want to chat?”

Xavier glanced round and saw Indi had just entered.“Actually…I’m waiting for someone.”

Ric patted him on the shoulder.“Say no more.”

Xavier went over to his girlfriend, giving her a quick kiss before they sat down.“So, what do you want to talk about?”

“Do you want to move in with me?”Indi grimaced slightly as she realised what she’d just said.“I was planning to lead up to that.What I mean to say is, we were living together before…well, before everything and I was wondering if you wanted to move back in.”

Xavier considered this.“The two of us living with your dad and your sister?”

“Could be worse, Dexter could still be around.I know it’s not ideal but what else can we do?”

“We could get our own place.”

Indi looked surprised.“You really think we could do that?”

“Why not?You’ve only got a year left at uni and I’ve been working for a while.Okay, it doesn’t pay that well but it’s still work.We can look into it, can’t we?”

Indi was silent for a moment then she smiled.“Well, I guess we’re looking for a place to live then.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thank you, everyone, for your comments!Hope you like this update.

CHAPTER 19

Romeo waved awkwardly at his laptop monitor.“Hey there.”

On the screen, Mink waved back at him.“Hey.So, tell me, are you ready to run away yet?Because I can get you a plane ticket out here easily.”

“I’ll stay where I am, thanks.Sorry we didn’t get a chance to catch up at the wedding.”

Mink shrugged.“Hey, I understand.You and your new wife needed to run off and do married things. Where is my new sister-in-law, by the way?”

Romeo glanced over his shoulder.“In the bathroom.”

“Great!Then we’ve got about half an hour to talk then.”

They were interrupted by a squeal from the bathroom.“Hang on a second,”Romeo told his sister.He went over to the door and knocked on it.“Ruby?You all right in there?”

There was a pause and then the door was unlocked and Ruby appeared, looking like she was about to burst.“Okay.I thought I might be but I wasn’t sure so I didn’t want to say anything so I took the test and…”She held up a pregnancy test, a huge smile on her face.

Romeo stared hard at it.“Wait a minute, are you saying that you’re..?”

Ruby nodded, a grin on her face.“Again.”

Romeo gave a whoop of delight and lifted her up into the air.

“Er, hello!”Mink called from the screen,“Still here.”

Romeo hurried over.“Call you back later,”he told her and closed the laptop up.

“I can’t believe this!”Ruby exclaimed excitedly,“Mum is so going to freak.”

“How did this happen?”Romeo wondered,“We’ve only been married a couple of weeks.”

“Well, we were doing plenty of the baby-making stuff on honeymoon.Guess we’re just a fertile combination.God, I need to ring Nicole, she’s going to go crazy over this and we need to tell all our friends, Mattie and Ric and…”

“And Xavier and Indi,”Romeo concluded.

Ruby froze, a cold feeling taking away some of her excitement.“Oh no.Oh, this is going to be really hard on them, isn’t it?”

Romeo put his arms around her.“It’s going to be tough.But…I guess we’re just going to have to bite the bullet.”

“So, um, what’s this about?”Xavier asked when he and Indi met up with Romeo and Ruby at Angelo’s restaurant a few hours later.

“Nothing’s up,”Romeo replied,“Just thought we should, you know, catch up with our best man and his best woman.”

“Well, I’m pleased we’re top of your list,”Xavier noted,“But I’d have thought you’d still be on the honeymoon period by now.”

“Why’s Ruby drinking orange juice?”Indigo asked.

Xavier looked at the drink, looked up at the pair and fell silent.

Ruby grasped Romeo’s hand, drawing strength from him.“We’re having a baby,”she said quietly.

“You’re pregnant,”Indi concluded,“Again.”

“That’s some feat,”Xavier noted.Both of them looked slightly uncomfortable.

“Look, we’re sorry that things haven’t worked out the way you were expecting,”Romeo attempted.

“And we know it’s not fair,”Ruby added.

Indigo shook her head.“It’s fine.So, you’re going to have two babies.”

“I’m sure your time’ll come,”Ruby assured her.

Indigo didn’t look so sure.“Yeah, maybe.”

Xavier cleared his throat and raised his glass.“So…to the new Baby Smith?”

Romeo clinked glasses with him.“Thanks, mate.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thank you, Jarliefan, pembie and Beezzz and to everyone else who's supported this story.Last chapter and it's a bit of a short one to finish it off.Hope you like!

CHAPTER 20

It felt like a lifetime since the six of them had last sat at Angelo’s.So much had gone on in the last few months.In some ways they’d moved forward with their lives but in others things hadn’t worked out as well as they’d hoped.Indigo raised her glass.“So, here’s to the most successful babymaking machines.”

Ruby flushed slightly.“Thanks, Indi.”

“I don’t know how you’re going to cope,”Matilda commented,“Elizabeth’s enough of a handful, not sure I can manage another one running around.”She noticed Ric’s look.“No, really, I mean it.”

Ric smiled.“Yeah, I’m not sure I could cope either, we’ve only just got her settled back into creche. And I really need to keep working at the moment.”

“Does that mean you’re still going to need me?”Romeo asked,“Because frankly I could do with as many shifts as you can give me.”

“So long as your uni work doesn’t suffer,”Ruby told him.

Romeo gave Ric a long-suffering look.“You should really have told me that once you get married they start nagging you.”

“You think they wait until then?”Xavier asked with a grin.He noticed Indi’s indignant look.“Hey, I wasn’t implying anything.”

“That’s odd because it sounded to me like you were definitely implying something.”

“So, how are things at work now Morag’s back in charge?”Ruby asked quickly.

“Well, Martin didn’t give me an entirely glowing reference,”Matilda noted,“But they both agreed that, while I didn’t exactly follow procedure, I did do the right thing by the client.”

“The client and the respondent?”Ric asked.

“Pure coincidence.”

“How’s the new flat?”Indigo asked Ruby.

Ruby raised an eyebrow.“Like you don’t know.”

Indigo blushed.“Well, yes, I know we had a look around.”

“It wasn’t the flat you were exploring!”Ruby grinned.“No, it’s good.”

“How are the neighbours?”Xavier asked.

“Actually, the flat beneath us is empty at the moment,”Romeo noted.

“Someone had better snap it up soon,”Ruby observed,“Charlie’s threatening to move in to keep an eye on us.”

Romeo nudged Xavier.“Come on, let’s get another round in.”They headed up to the bar and ordered the drinks, after which Romeo shot his friend a cautious look.“You okay?”

“Yeah, I was just thinking.I mean, last time we were here, it was me and Indi that were expecting the baby.”

Romeo lowered his head slightly.“I’m sorry, man.”

“It’s okay.I mean, we’re never going to forget her but…you’ve got to move on.”

“Maybe you could be the two getting married this time?”

“Yeah, not for a few years.We’re still trying to get our own place.Know of anything going spare?”

“What apart from that one next to us?”Romeo laughed.Xavier laughed too.Then they stopped laughing and looked at each other thoughtfully.

Xavier shrugged.“We’ve had worse ideas.”

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