Say We'll Make It

[Inactive User]

Great chapter

Oh dear! Can't believe Ricky slept with Roman

Liked the chat between Kat and Bianca

Looking forwards to the next chapter Xxx

[LissaBelle24]

Thanks for the comments guys, I forgot about UK but I have updated the spoilers section! Thankyou for reminding me. I do hope I haven't ruined it for anyone. 

Chapter Three: 

"Peanut butter" 

"Nutella" 

"Who has the cheese?" 

"Pass the ham" 

"Hey, who stole the knife for the jam?" 

Leah stood in the kitchen doorway watching the teenagers preparing their lunch for school, she couldn't help but feel blessed to have them all in her life regardless of the knowledge that only one was biologically hers. Her heart should have been content with what she had but the feeling of wishing for more was always there. It wasn't fading and the heartbreak she felt at times was becoming crushing. 

"Can you sigh this, Leah?" 

She blinked looking at the bunch of papers that were suddenly shoved into her hands, Hunter standing before her. "What is..."

"They are permission forms for VJ and me, for the trip to Yabbie Creek" 

"Oh" She grabbed the pen from his hand and quickly signed the papers for the two fifteen year olds. If she hadn't met Zac nine years ago then mornings would not be like this, she wouldn't have five teenagers standing in the kitchen making her morning a little brighter after her inner thoughts made her world seem dull. "Anyone else have anything?" 

"Nope" Oscar grabbed his bag off the counter shoving his lunch into it. "I'm going to meet up with Maddy, meet you at school. Bye Leah" He gave Leah a kiss on the cheek before heading out the door. 

"I'm off as well, Billie and I are meeting at the diner. Hunter, you coming?" 

Hunter grabbed his bag. "Yeah, I'll walk with you" 

Leah smiled softly as both boys kissed her on the cheek. "Let me guess, you two are off as well?" She looked at Evie and Matt who were grabbing there books off the bench. "I thought so" 

"We'll see you after school" Evie gave her a smile giving her a kiss on the cheek waiting as Matt did he same before they left. 

"Bye Leah" They called over their shoulders. 

Leah sighed, staring at the mess on the bench. Open containers, meat, dirty knifes, crusts from Evie's sandwich. "Oh kids" She mumbled, moving forward to pick up the ham. 

"They're messy huh?" Zac wrapped his arms around Leah's waist. "How about dinner tonight, just you and I, they can fend for themselves for a few hours" 

Leah smiled at the thought, it had been to long since she had spent time alone with Zac without one of the kids interrupting. "That would be nice" She could feel the thought in the back of her mind, the one urging her to talk to him about the past few months. He was her husband, she wanted to tell him in hopes that he could help her deal with it all but she couldn't help the nagging suspicion that he would be disappointed or crushed by the information. 
This was something they wanted so badly and it was her body that was preventing it from happening. 

"Good, I'll make reservations. I love you" 

"I love you too" Leah mumbled as he kissed her lips lightly and left the house, perhaps telling him would be like a weight lifting from her shoulders or so she hoped. 

~*~*~*~

Justin held Phoebe's hand tightly in his watching Ava and Raffy picking up shells along the beach, they had given Raffy the day off school since he wouldn't be home for long. He couldn't wrap his head around the idea that his daughter would now be a permanent part of his life, that she was right in front of him. It was a big adjustment, he wasn't sure how to react especially since the nine year old had not spoken a word to him. 

"Justin, babe, it will get easier" 

He let go of Phoebe's hand and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "She will barely look at me, I can't fault her, she doesn't know me" 

"That is not your fault Justin, Nina forbid any contact" Phoebe looked down at the beach, seeing Ava smiling at Raffy. "She just needs to adjust, already she is getting used to Raffy. Give it time"

"Time Phoebe is something I don't have. I leave tomorrow and I have no idea when I'll be able to get back here"

Phoebe felt like her stomach dropped, time had passed so quickly. "Once the case is over you'll be home more" She told herself that but in truth she knew that he would receive another case just like this one. Phoebe was proud of how much his bosses respected him and how they promoted him so quickly because of his ability but she missed seeing her husband, yet she knew deep down that this was their life and she had accepted it long ago. "Justin..." Just as she went to speak the words the girls came running towards them. 

"Can we get milkshakes before we go to Yabbie Creek?" Raffy asked Justin, giving him a pleading smile. 

Justin nodded. "Sure, would you like a milkshake Ava?" He hoped that his daughter would respond to him but felt the pang of sorrow in his heart when she just nodded shyly taking Phoebe's hand in hers. 

Phoebe ran her right hand through Ava's hair. "Babe, time" She reminded him. "What flavor milkshake would you like, Ava?" 

"Strawberry please" The words came out no louder then a whisper. 

"I don't need any guesses to know which Raffy wants..." Justin teased. "Chocolate. So predictable" 

Raffy punched his arm lightly. "I am not predictable. I might have strawberry" 

Justin laughed. "Oh sure, I'll believe that when pigs can fly" 

Raffy pretended to lunge for him and Justin ran forward Raffy chasing after him giggling. 

Phoebe laughed, looking down at Ava who had a slight smile on her lips. "They are a little crazy, don't worry though, you'll get used to it" She gently squeezed Ava's hand. "You know, Ava, you dad loves you. I promise you that" She saw Ava's unsure expression, she knew that over time the little girl would come to realise that words were true until then they just had to be patient. "You'll always have a home here with us"

Ava's lips twitched slightly. "Muffin?"

Phoebe started to walk tugging Ava along with. "Of course, as if we would leave the diner without a muffin" She laughed at the sight of Raffy jumping onto Justin's back. Her family was a little crazy, and the little girl beside her had some challenges lying ahead but they would face them together.

~*~*~*~ 

"How long is he staying?" Bianca asked looking towards Heath for an answer. 

Heath shrugged. "I don't know, he didn't say. He just needs a place to crash Bianca, he's family"

"I don't expect you to throw him out" Bianca sighed, she could see the look in Heath's eyes, he knew that something wasn't right with her. "Where are Ricky and Nicole?" 

Heath wrapped his arm around Bianca when she came closer to him. "He hasn't mentioned their names" That in itself had told Heath that something wasn't right. 

Bianca leaned her head on his chest, no matter how she was feeling in the moment Heath's love for her couldn't be questioned. "Take him surfing, he can't just sit on the couch drinking" 

"You should get back to the school, don't you have a meeting?" 

Bianca nodded. "Yeah. Darcy is spending the night at Connie this weekend, April is staying at Ash and Kat's with Billie. I thought we could see if Irene could watch Harley and we can go out..."

"The two of us?" Heath raised his eyebrow. "Haven't done that in a while" He took a deep breath. "Bianca, do we need to talk about what is bothering you? I know I said I wanted more kids but..."

"It isn't about that, Heath" She pulled away from him. "We do need to talk about that though. April, Darcy and Harley, they are enough for me" She didn't mention Rocco and just for that she felt guilty but the truth was she couldn't face another pregnancy after losing her baby son. The thought of being around another newborn made her panicky, she had done it with Harley and only just manged to cope doing it again she was sure would push her over the edge. "Heath..."

"I know where you stand Bianca, but together we could have one more, another baby to complete our family"

"Mama Mama Mama" 

Bianca looked down as Harley toddled into the kitchen, hearing the name leave his lips made her smile. He was her son regardless of the biological connection, it was her he called mama. One day he would learn about Jess but today was not that day. She leaned down and picked him up cuddling him close. "This Heath, this right here, is enough for me. I'm mama, your dad, and that is plenty" 

Heath nodded slowly, he felt his heart drop a little. He knew where Bianca stood on the issue but he wanted another child. Before Darcy, Rocco, Harley even April he never thought that being a father was a priority to him but it was. He loved his children and he wanted more, more children with Bianca. A little girl, the image of his wife would suit the family perfectly but no matter what he wanted he knew he couldn't push her so instead of storming off he placed on a fake smile and took in the image in front of him. 

~*~*~*~

April stared at Dex with a distraught look, she felt like her heart was breaking in half at the news that he was going to live on the other side of the world with his family. "You can't leave" They were a couple, it was nearly their two year anniversary, they got together when they were fourteen and he promised, promised, her that he would never leave.  

Dex looked up from the bag he was packing seeming unphased by her words. "I have too. Dad, Indi and Sasha are going and I want to be with them. I have no where to stay here, April. I'm sorry" He could see the disappointment in her eyes as he shoved the last of the clothes into the duffle bag, he wasn't even sure if he was really sorry. He was tired, relationships were hard work, he wasn't ready for that commitment. He wanted to do things before he settled down and truth be told he had wanted to break up with April, this just seemed like the easier way to do it. "We wouldn't have worked anyway, you know that" 

April glared at him through the tears. "Yes we would have, how can you say that?" 

"We are different people April! You're part of the Braxton family. It is just want it is. I'm leaving" He walked forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I am really sorry" 

"No you're not. Just leave Dex, go. I just...I hate you" She whispered grabbing her bag off the bed and running out the house. She hated him for what he had done to her, making her believe in their relationship enough to give away her innocence, they had just slept together yesterday, she had lied to Bianca and Heath so that she could sleep at his house tonight and now he was telling her that he was leaving for good, that their relationship was doomed. "I HATE YOU DEXTER WALKER!" Her words thundered around her, tears streaming down her cheeks. 16 years old, first relationship to end and she felt like her world was crashing, how could he turn away from her.
She fumbled around pulling her phone out of the pocket, dialing the numbers through her tears, the tone in her ear she wanted it to end for her call to be picked up. 

"April..."

"Come get me, please..." 

"April, did you and Billie have a fight? Is that why you are crying?"

"No. I lied, I'm sorry. I was going to sleep at Dex's..."

"What happened?" 

"Come get me Bianca, please..." She tried to wipe the tears away. "Please mum" 

"I'll be right there" 

April hung up the phone and covered her face with her hands not realising the word that had fallen from her lips, what she had called Bianca. Her only thoughts were of Dexter and the hurt that he had brought her. 

~*~*~*~

"Leah, you've barely touched your food" He had been watching her push her food around the plate aimlessly. 

"I'm not that hungry"

He frowned. "Do you want to tell me what is going on? You've been acting really strange the last few days" It was hard not to miss the change in Leah, she wasn't as talkative, not smiling as much, she just seemed down. 

"I took a pregnancy test..."

Zac's eyebrows shot up at the news. "Oh, um, what...I thought we..."

"We did stop trying, we'll you thought we did" Leah put down her fork. "You've wanted this for so long, so I just thought if I didn't start taking the pill again that it would eventually happen. It is the first time since then that I thought I really might be but it came back negative. I just..." 

"Wait, we've been trying this whole time?" 

"Yes" Leah felt the tears welling in her eyes. "It isn't happening Zac, I can't fall pregnant and I should be happy. We have some amazing kids but a baby..." 

Zac just stared at her, unable to react. This whole time he thought they had given up on trying, that they were content and she had just blown that theory out of the water. He didn't know what to say to her, not about this. 

[Guest]

Great chapter

Loved all the kids leaving a mess for Leah to clean up.

Felt sorry for April.

Update again soon

[Ludub]

Fantastic chapter! Loved all the couples and their woes. Heath wanting more kids is going to be a tough one if Bianca really doesn't want to. I hope he doesn't go and do something stupid like he usually does. April calling Bianca mum was interesting, and I did feel quite sorry for her. Dex was pretty cold. Justin and Phoebe are lovely! Really enjoyed their whole family dynamic. Very sweet. And I absolutely loved the scene at the house with Leah and her gaggle of noisy teenagers. Pity she's not content with what she has!  Looking forward to the next chapter x

[christine king]

Great chapter.

Heath may just have to accept Bianca's decision about no more kids even if hes not okay with it.

Zac is not going to take being lied to well.

[Inactive User]

Great chapter

Loved the part when the kids left a mess for Leah to clean up.

Looking forwards to the next chapter Xx

[LissaBelle24]

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Happy New Year!
Thank-you for all the comments on the last chapter. I have finally got a chance to sit down and write this out for you. I love Christmas but it is a busy season.
Enjoy!

Chapter Four

Zac thought he could push it all from his mind, that the anger that was there shouldn't actually be. This was his wife, she was hurting and he knew the logical thing would be to comfort her so when they went to bed he hugged her not speaking a word but he couldn't sleep. This was their life, she had lied to him about a part of their life. He wasn't sure f he could move past that without being a least a little angered.
A baby had been a part of their future plan for a long time, always a vision of the future. He wanted just one more child to complete the family he had built with Leah, and when they decided to stop trying he felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders. He couldn't handle the disappointment from each month that passed and the dream that he once had didn't seem so important because he fell into the fold of what they already had. Zac sipped his coffee, Leah had shattered all that he had thought he had known about the last year. 

"Zac, Matt and I are going to the movies this afternoon can you give us a lift?" Evie frowned, seeing the far away look on her Uncle's face. "Is everything alright?"

Zac shook his head, Evie looked rather concerned and while he desperately wanted someone to speak to he knew that person couldn't be her. She was just a teenager, practically a daughter to him and Leah, this couldn't be dumped upon her shoulders. "Everything is fine. I'll give you a ride" 

"Are you sure? I haven't seen Leah this morning, is she feeling alright?"

"She is fine. Just tired" He lied, he knew that Leah was probably in their room hiding out until the kids went to school and he left, it would be here trying to make it less awkward. "You need to get going, don't want to be late for school" 

Evie sighed. "I guess. Are you sure everything is alright?" 

"It's fine" Zac stepped forehead and kissed her on the forehead gently. "Go on, get to school, I'll see you there" With that he walked past her towards the downstairs bathroom. He had absolutely no idea how he was gong to work through the deception that had come to light. 

~*~*~*~

"Talk to me. What happened bro?" Heath looked over at Brax, they were sitting on there boards out in the middle of the ocean, the water lapping around them. 

Brax huffed, closing his eyes. He had been trying to wipe the thought completely from his mind, trying to move past it. "Ricky slept with Roman. Cheated on me with my best-friend, the father of her child" 

Heath grabbed his board to steady himself, of all the things he thought to be troubling his brother that he not been one of the things. "Uh" He coughed, clearing his throat. "That um..."

"I thought we were heading in a good direction. We were considering moving, building a house. I was going to stop working so much, I could tell it was upsetting her but this...she slept with Roman..." 

"You slept with Charlie" The words tumbled from Heath's mouth before he could stop them. "Look, Brax, I understand that you're hurt, I do. But..." He paused unsure whether he should continue, but he had to think that the words needed to be spoken. "Brax, you slept with Charlie, she forgave you. You promised to put more effort into the relationship and instead you buried yourself in work" 

"Charlie has nothing..."

"Charlie has a lot to do with this. I am not saying to wrongs make a right but..."

Brax snorted. "It's exactly what you are saying..." 

"No" Heath disagreed. "You and Ricky are a great couple Brax, you'll figure this out. You hurt her, she hurt you. Try to make the next step more positive because that woman and her daughter is the best thing that ever happened to you" 

Brax watched as his brother started to paddle getting ready to take the wave and he breathed deeply. He wasn't sure he could forgive Ricky for sleeping with Roman but Heath's words had hit him hard. How had she forgiven him for sleeping with Charlie, especially when that had been more then a one night stand, it had been a three month long affair, not that anyone knew that apart from Ricky, everyone else thought it had been a brief lapse in judgment.
He sighed, looking behind him to see the wave forming, perhaps the surf would help to clear his head. 

~*~*~*~

Phoebe stood on the doorstep watching as Justin loaded his bag into the car, it was time for him to leave and she couldn't help but feel like her heart was deflating again. It was hard not knowing when she would see him again and it scared her even more to know what each time he left he was going back to a potentially life threatening situation and she had absolutely no idea if this would be the last good-bye that she would get. 

"Phoebe" 

Phoebe blinked, realising that he was now standing in front of her again. "It's time" 

He smiled regrettably. "Yeah, babe, it is" He pulled her into a hug. "Are you sure you are going to be alright with both girls?" 

"I'll be fine. I'll call you if I start to struggle" She held onto him tight. "Don't worry about us, you just take good care of yourself and come home in one piece" 

"I will" He kissed the top of her head. "I love you" 

"I love you" Phoebe leaned up and kissed his lips lightly, as the front door opened and she pulled back. 

Justin smiled as Raffy ran into his arms, her arms wrapping around his waist. "Hey there, kid" 

"I am going to miss you. Don't stay away for too long, promise you won't!" 

Phoebe placed her hands on Ava's shoulders gently as the nine year old stood in front of her. "Raffy, you know your father can't promise you that" The words were said gently but with a slight warning to them, she hated the feeling of Justin feeling pressured, knowing that he would take it to heart as if he was letting them down. 

Justin tilted Raffy's chin with his finger, not flinching at the term at that Phoebe had used. Raffy was his half-sister, she knew that, he knew that. The whole of Summerbay knew it. But inside there hearts it was different. He had raised her from a little one, to him she would be his daughter even if it wasn't biological. "I'll be home when I can. I will promise you that" He kissed her forehead. "Be good for Phoebe" 

Raffy rolled her eyes. "Justin, I'm always an angel" 

He snorted, hugging her tightly once more. "I love you Raff" 

"I love you too" Raffy pulled away to give him a moment with Ava, who Phoebe nudged gently forward. 

Justin knelt down to Ava's height. "Hey, I know this is going to be a big adjustment for you. I should be here but I have to work. Phoebe will take good care of you and when I come home I'd like for us to spend some time together. How does that sound?" He tried not to feel to disheartened when she nodded but didn't speak. "I love you Ava, very much. I am glad you're home with us" He gently leaned forward and gave her a light hug, kissing the top of her head before pulling away. "Be good for Phoeb's" He told both girls. "I love you" 

Phoebe wrapped her arm around Ava and grabbed Raffy's hand. "We'll be fine, Justin. We are Morgan's, completely able to fend for ourselves. Now go, work and come home when you can. Just remember to call this time" She teased trying to act convincing, watching him as he walked to his car. Sometimes it seemed like it was easier to say good-bye but most times it was more difficult. She watched the car pull out of the driveway and once it was out of sight she felt it. Raffy let go of her hand and sprinted for the front door, slamming it shut behind her. Phoebe bit her bottom lip and gently hugged Ava closer to her body. "We are going to be fine" She repeated, speaking not only to Ava  but also to herself. 

~*~*~*~

"April, talk to me, you haven't stopped crying since I picked you up. What happened with Dex?" 

April sobbed into her pillow, the once white pillow case now soaked in mascara. "Dex! He...He..."

Bianca felt like her heart was breaking, this teenager girl was not just her sister, she was also her daughter. It sounded a little weird to say it but it was the truth, she had raised April like her own child and seeing your child in pain was not something any mother could bare. "What did Dex do? Come on, sit up" She gently curled her arms around April and helped her to sit up, wiping the tears away on April's face with her thumb. "Take a deep breath and tell me exactly what happened" 

April furiously wiped her eyes. "Don't be angry. Don't tell Heath" She knew that Bianca wouldn't like what she was about to hear, and if Heath found out he would hunt Dex down and probably kill him then bury his body out at sea. 

"I am not angry with you but I can't promise I won't tell Heath. He loves you as much as I do" Bianca brushed the dark hair out of April's eyes. "Talk to me" 

"I slept with Dex" April blurted out. "And he broke up with me and he's leaving and I..." April started to cry again, hiccuping. "I love him, Bianca, I love him and I hate him sooooo much" 

Bianca wrapped her arms around April pulling the girl into a hug. "Oh honey" She was completely shocked by what April had told her but a part of her knew this day would be coming. "I am so sorry" 

"I am stupid for thinking he loved me" 

"Don't call yourself stupid. He is the stupid one" Bianca mumbled placing a kiss on the top of April's head. "Everything is going to be alright" 

"it hurts" 

Bianca sighed sympathetically, this was April's first real broken heart, it would hurt for a lot longer before it got any better. "I know it does but you are going to be okay, I promise. You are strong and brave, and you'll find someone eventually who deserves your love and everything you have to offer" 

April leaned heavily on her older sister. "I love you Bianca" 

"I love you too April, very much" 

 

[Ludub]

Loved this chapter!  I can understand Zac's reaction to Leah's deception, but he's going to have to get over it if they're going to make things work. Really interesting conversation between Heath and Brax (especially with the return of Roman  ...and Charlie) and Heath makes some very good points. The thing is though, if both Brax and Ricky felt the need to stray in the first place, do they really have this 'amazing' relationship that's worth fighting for? Something is obviously fundamentally wrong . Loved seeing the two Braxton boys together again though  Miss them. Continue to love Justin and Phoebe in this story. It would be very hard to let him go like that, not knowing if he's going to be safe, or if you'll ever see him again. Also loved the mention of him as Raffy's 'father'. That was very sweet. Finally, the scene with Bianca and April was very touching too. Really enjoying this story so far. Looking forward to the next chapter x 

[Guest]

Great chapter 

Loved the chat between the Braxton brother's.

Liked Justin being like a Father to Raffy.

The scene with April and Bianca was very sweet and touching.

Update again soon

[Inactive User]

Great chapter

Loved the chat between the Braxton brothers

Liked the scene between Bianca and April-so touching

Update soon please xx