Hi

Welcome to my fic.

I do not own or claim to own Home and Away. I'm writing for fun. Enjoy.

.

.

.

You would think that after a certain amount of time, the pain would start to numb.

It didn't.

You would think that after a certain amount of time, four months to be exact, she wouldn't consume his thoughts as much as she had when she was still alive.

She did.

Heath and Casey had yet to give up on trying to get him out of this rut as Heath called it.

A rut!

A rut was something you fall into when you lose your job or you're going through a rough patch.

This was more than a rut.

Losing someone in death was more than a rut. Losing Charlie... that was something completely in a league of its' own.

And like a true punishment, a punishment for everything he had ever done wrong in his life, Charlie was still the first thing he thought of every morning and the last thought that passed through his mind before he fell asleep each night

Four months later, four months after she'd been taken from him too soon, taken from him before their lives together had a chance to start properly, four months later he was still in as much pain has he had been the second his eyes fell on her blood stained body.

It was that exact second that he realised just how truly important Charlie Buckton was.

.

.

.

Brax had returned to work a few weeks after Charlie's death. It was hard but he kept to himself, hiring new wait staff so that all he had to worry about was paying invoices and orders.

Most of the people in Summer Bay were used to this new Brax, or was it the old Brax back? It didn't matter, there were no more pleasantries, it was as if no one cared about him.

They probably didn't.

This was the one and only time he had made the mistake of letting someone in too close. From the moment her heart stopped beating, he swore to himself he wouldn't make that mistake ever again.

When the one thing, the one single thing that mattered to him, was taken from him, things changed.

.

.

.

It's strange how you can operate on auto pilot, not really registering what you're going or how you got somewhere.

That was what how Brax's life was now, he would wake up and the next thing he knew he was unlocking the door to Angelo's, the drive there didn't register.

He couldn't tell you if he stopped at a crossing or if he saw Alf walking along the beach. He couldn't tell you what song he heard on the radio or if the radio was on at all.

This morning was no different until he pulled in the car park.

A lime green lowered commodore, caught his attention instantly. Not many people drove cars like that in Summer Bay.

Brax hadn't heard anything about Perovic's boys for a while, since Hammer was killed and Perovic arrested for Charlie's murder, they went really quiet, really quick.

But this car made him think of them instantly.

He unlocked the main door to Angelo's and saw a single white chair lying across the floor. The rest of the chairs were still on the tops of the tables so the floors could be cleaned.

A chair on the ground seemed innocent enough, but not for someone who knew better.

He entered main area slowly as if waiting for someone to appear. He walked in to the bar area and checked to see if anything was gone, everything seemed normal.

"Hey man, what's the plan for today?"

Heath walked in, board shorts still damn from a early morning surf. He picked up the chair on his way towards the bar that Brax now leaned against.

"You see the car outside?" He asked gruffly, looking straight ahead at the upright chair.

"What car?"

"The damn green one, out in the carpark." Brax practically yelled.

"What's up with you? There's no car in the carpark. Why you yellin' for?"

Brax had already started walking outside.

The car had gone.

Heath was behind him and together they returned to the restaurant.

"What's going on, man?"

Brax explained about the car and the chair.

"What are you thinking?" He asked Heath.

"It's probably nothing, I mean the cleaners probably knocked it off the table when they left..."

"They haven't come in yet, and I sense a but?"

"But didn't Hammer's buddy own a commodore, a green one, Tommy or something?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Brax agreed stonily.

"Mate, they wouldn't be stupid enough to start us again. Not after-" Heath finished by clearing his throat.

"Go on, finish it! Not after we killed Hammer and... then Charlie."

"Hey, we didn't pull the trigger on Hammer." Old habits were hard to break when it came to Heath accepting Charlie as part of Brax's life.

"No you're right mate, we didn't, she did. To protect me!" Brax boomed. "You think I wouldn't have done the same if it were reversed."

"I didn't mean it like that Brax, don't get all- just relax and we'll work on what' goin' on. You seriously think something is happenin?"

"Yeah, I do. Someone was in here this morning, the chair was put there to make sure I knew it too. Something's going on."

"Well let's find out what."

.

.

.

Heath returned later with no news.

The lunch rush had died down and the brothers enjoyed an early afternoon beer.

Heath's phone began to ring, Brax ignored it and until Heath suddenly hit him across the arm as he sat up straighter.

"You're fucking kidding me! How?"

"Yeah... yeah... alright, thanks for the heads up man though man, I owe ya?"

"Who was that?" Brax asked just as Constable Watson and an unknown officer walked in.

Brax couldn't help his heart hitch slightly in treason as he imagined it was Charlie instead. The feeling was gone as fast as it came.

"There here to tell us Jake Perovic escaped during a transit to his sentencing."

"What? I'm sorry... What?" Brax tensed and the fierceness in his voice almost had Heath backtracking.

"Good afternoon, Mr Braxton, may we have a word?" Watson began.

"No need, we already know." Heath interrupted.

"Tell me he's lying?" Brax asked Georgina through forced calmness.

Although they weren't friends Georgina Watson was Charlie's partner for a long time, she didn't deserve to be the brunt of his anger.

"If you are talking about Perovic, I wish I was."

"What the fuck happened?"

"Brax, don't make me take you in. I'm on duty and there are people around."

"What happened?" Heath asked.

"As far as we know, it's under investigation."

"But he's out?"

"Yes," she said hesitantly.

"You should have let me handle him."

"Yes but he'd be dead –

"Ah I didn't think you had that much faith in me, Watson?"

"-and you'd be in jail," she continued ignoring Brax's comment.

"Not necessarily, I hear it's easy to get out of," Heath quipped.

"Look, we came here to let you know as a formality, letting you know to be careful, but Brax, please stay out of it. Don't get involved."

Georgina Watson was a short young woman, yet when Brax stood up it seemed like he towered above her.

"What would you like me to do then huh, sit back and watch the show?"

"Just let us handle it; we'll get him back without your help. Stay out of it. Charlie wouldn't want you to risk yourself."

"Charlie isn't here now is she," he was shaking with anger and on the verge of breaking.

"She would be but some little punk killed her, some little punk who was supposed to be in police custody awaiting trial. And just so you know, officer," he spat venomously, "I won't be helping you get him back. I'll be putting him in the ground. You just need to find him first."

.

.

.

As she made the turn off toward Summer Bay the feeling of returning home coursed through her veins. It didn't feel like it had been four months, it didn't feel like it had even been a week.

The anticipation pumped through her, she was coming home.

But this was more dangerous, no one could know she was still alive.

Jake was out!

She's heard the rumours, there were rumours before she was ki-... before she had left.

Corruption in its finest form.

She was just returning to make sure Ruby was safe, to make sure Brax was safe. Then she'd leave, maybe they were better off.

It would protect them this way.

That's what she kept telling herself.

But she'd need help first.

She knew who she needed to see.

.

.

.

As soon has Heath closed the door to the house, he sensed that he wasn't alone.

But, for some strange reason he didn't feel threatened, he waited.

It had been a long, strange day.

He waited.

Nothing.

"I know you're there, ya might as well come out and bring a beer with ya, yeah?"

Heath would have bet his life that it was one of the boys needing something; nothing in the world prepared him for the dark haired woman that appeared from the kitchen holding a beer.

"Oh fuck!" Heath exhaled closing his eyes and running a hand through his hair, almost praying that his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"Trust me, you are the last person I would like to be seeing right now," she answered.

"Feeling's mutual Buckton, you got some explaining to do? What the fuck is this?" Heath's voice rose in anger.

Personal feelings aside, this woman's death was tearing his brother apart.

"I need help Heath, and for some stupid reason, I think you're the only one who can help me."

.

.

.

If ever reviews are important it is right now.

Please I BEG YOU review the first chapter of this story and let me know what you think and tell me if you want it to continue.

Give me the encouragement I need to keep writing

CHAX FOREVER xo