The Truth Will Out

[chels24]

THE TRUTH WILL OUT
Type of Story - One Shot

Main Characters Brax, Charlie, Ruby, Casey, Kyle, Bianca and Phoebe.

Rating T/A possibly

Genre Angst

Spoilers No

Warnings Language, mentions of rape

Summary : what happens when Charlie tells Brax about her past

Ok so I know I am also writing the Fiction about Vinnie but this idea also just wouldn't leave me alone I wish they did some sort of scene like this.

CHAPTER 1
Charlie Braxton looked at the white stick in her hands, the two tell tale lines like shining beacons, she let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. She was pregnant the mixed feelings of pure joy, excitement and fear swirling like a tornado within her.
The joy and excitement at starting a family with her husband Darryl "Brax" Braxton, the bad boy surfy ex gang leader turned restauranteur that had captured her heart
she knew he would be a fantastic dad, his younger brother Casey testament to that as he was the young mans father figure, she also had overwhelming fear at her own abilities as a mother, the memories of the last time she was pregnant (with daughter Ruby nearly 22 years beforehand) plaguing her could she really do this?
she was pulled out of her thoughts as she heard the front door open and voices approaching, signalling the return of her brood as she liked to call them upon hearing her daughter chattering to Kyle and Phoebe, them being musical kindred spirits she gave a wry smile they were a misfit bunch but they where her misfits.

Sighing and heaving a herself up from the side of the bath she quickly put the pregnancy test in her bag and wandered down the hall and into the living room on her arrival she saw Heath and Casey sprawled out on the couch, Kyle on one of the chairs, Phoebe on his lap,the sound of her daughter and husband busying about in the kitchen and Bianca sat at the table typing furiously into her laptop.

upon seeing her arrive Heath greeted her with a big smile and a "hey Charl" (who'd of thought they would get along, but with everything they have went through Heath had grown and changed considerably and now him and Charlie had a wonderful brother/sister relationship) "hey Heath"

at this point Ruby and Brax came through with the pizza Ruby gave her mother a massive hug, Brax then gave his wife a gentle peck on the cheek. After settling down and eating there dinner, Charlie's thoughts returned to her pregnancy and the memories of a lifetime ago threatening to overwhelm her, sensing that his wife was only with them in body Brax gently whispered to her "hey babe, you ok" to which Charlie replied "umm not really I kind of need to show you something"
she then got up and moved to their bedroom her husband in short pursuit confusion and worry etched on his features.
Charlie dug in her bag retrieving the white stick and placing it in her husbands hands.
Brax on seeing what it was gave a massive grin and engulfed her in a massive hug and exclaimed "Charlie this is brilliant, I love you so much"
Charlie let out a shaky breath and said "is it though Brax, Really" on hearing this Brax's face contorted slightly "Yeah, why wouldn't it be" charlie paled slighly "I'm scared Brax, Really scared I don' t know if I can do this" Brax was getting angry now "BLOODY HELL CHARLIE, YOU DON'T THINK I AM ASWELL YOUVE ALREADY RAISED ONE CHILD SO WHY YOU SO BLOODY SCARED IS THE THOUGHT OF HAVING A KID WITH ME THAT BAD"
the rest of the family had rushed in upon hearing the shouting,Charlie was shaking and crying, Ruby rushed passed Brax engulfing her mum into a hug, Heath spoke "HEY'Brax what's your game, Charlie's really upset"
to this Brax scoffed "Oh she's upset, my wife has just told me she's having my kid yet the idea of that is so disgusting to her she doesn't know if she wants it" upon hearing this Ruby instantly knew why her mother was having a hard time being pregnant.
"Brax, you idiot, it's got nothing to do with that" Ruby spoke, everyone looked confused "then tell me what it's about then"
Charlie now lost in the memories of so long ago stuttered 'I, I c can't" at this Ruby gave her mum a reassuring smile "you can mum, I'm here, I think they need to know".
'Someone please tell us' interjected Casey.
Charlie sighed, sucked in a large breath and stared at Brax "babe I promise you it has nothing to do with you" she grabbed hold of his hand "you said I had already raised a child, well I didn't my parents raised Ruby, She thought I was her big sister until she was 16 I wouldn't have the first clue" Brax looked confused as did the rest of the family, Ruby gave her mum an encouraging back rub "why" Heath spoke sucking in a breath Charlie began "when I was in High School I had this boyfriend, Grant Bledcoe"
Charlie gave a low,sarcastic laugh
" he was 15 and I was 14; madly in love, he treat me like a princess and an added bonus; my parents actually liked him, we had been dating each other for about 5 months when he started dropping these hints about taking things to the next level I point blank refused I mean I just wasn't ready for any of that, I had grown up in quite a protective, insular environment and a cop for a dad, and at first he seemed to accept it but"

"No" Brax gasped "please tell me he didn't"
Charlie bit her lip nodding " yeah he raped me Brax, we were at my house one night dad was working and mum was at her friends, we were talking and watching a film he started rubbing his hand up my leg a and I tried pushing him off I did and shouting no but it was as if he had super strength and had become this other person I t tried s so hhard"

By now Ruby had snuggled into her mum, Bianca and Phoebe were crying. The brothers looked angry.

"A afterwards I was crying and he had this big fat grin on his face and simply said this isn't the first time iv'e made a girl cry, like a sooky little kid and he just got up and walked away"
Charlie wiped a tear away
"I was so scared and didn't tell anyone at first, but after 3 months I found out I was pregnant" looking down at Ruby and stroking her daughter's soft curls causing even more tears from the girls and feelings of anger from the boys

"I decided to tell my dad and see if I could get him convicted, he just said it was to late and he wanted to spare me from being hurt further, being pulled apart by the prosecution"
"So he what?, just got away with it" Brax spat.
"Not exactly" Ruby whispered, her throat dry.
"We moved away and for the next 6 months I kind of just went through the motions, to be honest I don't really remember it"

Phoebe shifted slightly
"But when I had Ruby, it was a long and difficult labour, I ended up having a c/section"
Brax looked at Charlie "your scar" Charlie nodded
"I just couldn't cope I mean I was traumatised, still just a kid myself so when R ruby was a few months old I decided I couldn't hack it, I went to stay with my aunt up the coast, leaving Ruby with my parents, at first I hit self destruct, I felt ugly and rotten, I found an old photo album of me and cut out tge face" Charlie sniffed
"Oh Charlie" murmured Bianca "why didn't you tell me especially after Dean"
Charlie looked at her best friend and sister in law smiled and said "because that wasn't about me and I got my justice, even if it was 17 years to late"

"So what happened next then?" Heath gently questioned her, now knowing what she had gone through so young heloing him see his usually tough sister in law in a different light"its just that there seems to be more to this"

Charlie gave him a small smile "I stayed with my aunt for a whole year, finally I felt ready to go home and be the mum Ruby needed me to be, b but when I got back I quickly realised that couldn't be the case, she had bonded with Mum and Dad, I was a stranger as far as she was concerned, so between us we decided that my parents raise Rubes and I was the big sister, giving us both a future I guess Ruby got the chance to be raised properly, me to get my HSC and join the force, and that's how it stayed for 15 years"
"Whoa" gasped Kyle
"So I am guessing the truth came out?"

Charlie gave him a little smile "erm yeah, 5 years ago now I got hit by a car and ended up needing surgery, only the DR happened to mention it could be difficult because of my scar, well of course dad knew about this but Ruby and Morag had no idea"
Ruby started crying 'we told the DR it couldn't possibly be; dad just shrugged it off"
Charlie started again "he came back to the hospital that night and told me maybe we should tell them as he couldn't promise he could keep it a secret much longer because of the Alzheimer's but I begged him not to I just wanted to keep the past in the past you know"

Everyone nodded lightly
"Morag and I just wouldn't let it go though" Ruby started, " we kept asking Charlie about it and she eventually told us that she had a baby but it had died, only Morag didn't believe her and I wanted to see the grave so Morag did some digging abd found out she was lying , dad was being cagey about it so we confronted her again and she told us she had a baby boy 2 years after I was born, and he was adopted"
Ruby let out a huge sigh "me being me wanted to meet him, Charlie told Angelo and eventually told me"
Grabbing hold of his girlfriends hand Casey kissed her cheek and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear
"Oh I was angry, so angry I mean I was sad Charlie had been hurt like that but I selfishly couldn't see beyond the fact I was lied to for 16 years" Ruby sniffed "I moved out to Irene's and I made a huge huge mistake"
"What did you do Rubes" her stepdad gently questioned,
"I tracked him down, he had a wife and 2 kids and I posed as a potential babysitter using a false name Charlie clicked what I was doing and got me out of there,but he followed us back and got in my head convincing me he hadn't raped Charlie I told him my proper name and got to know him"
"I was livid and terrified dads alzheimers was worse aswell he was in hospital" Charlie started "I felt like I was loosing her to him and I couldn't let it happen, we kept arguing so one day I told him we woul all sit down together and sort it out he agreed, got in the car and I tasered him took him to an abandoned shack and tortured him"

Brax smiled at his wife,she was a firecracker
"Ruby came to stop me, she talked me down but later he confessed to everything and Ruby slapped him"
Heath smiled " Way to go Rubes, so this slimebags in jail, I mean he confessed"

" errrm no you see I couldn't take the confession to the police it was obtained through coercion, Ruby and I argued over that and she told Morag, Angelo warned him out of town and it worked for a few weeks, then he came back on business"

Ruby let out a huge breath " after a few days his body was found on the beach by Mr Stewart, this hot shot city detective investigated Charlie and Angelo me and Xavier gave her a false alibi"

"Oh my god" Bianca whispered
"Just as I was about to be charged and Ruby as an accessory my dad came in and confessed he got off on diminished responsibility"
"Baby, I'm so glad you told me and you know if your dad hadn't got there first I'd of killed the bastard myself" Brax said, his brothers nodding, no one hurt one of their own and got away with it.

"Thanks babe I just got scared I mean I messed up so much the first time around"

Ruby stated "your a brill mum Charlie"

Brax nodded "you are Charlie and this time around you have me we can do this"

Charlie nodded he was right; they could do it her life was finally settled and happy and it only looked brighter.