lollypop

But that is exactly the point. Charlie has no idea how to react to these feelings she has. She doesn't know that she's in love with him, she can't face up to it. Her going to counselling was a major step in the right direction for her. Surely if she does like you say, and freak out again, then the recent break up, followed by the counselling, will have served no purpose. This show has always been about healing and reconciliation. That is the example they are setting for people in Charlie's position - people who struggle with human relations can get help and learn to have more fulfilling relationships. It's a very positive message, one which I doubt the show would throw away by having her revert to type having come so far. But again, I have to disagree. It's not that Charlie doesn't know how to react to her feelings, she's just afraid of the commitment part of being in a relationship. I mean when she was with Roman she knew how she felt. When she was with Joey she knew her true feelings, but she couldn't deal with the stigma in society that comes with being gay. She's not scared of how she feels, she knows how she feels, she's scared that her issues will ruin any chance she has of being happy in any relationship. If Charlie really truly loves Angelo, it wouldn't be this difficult for her to figure out her feelings. But she's hesitated so much lately, and she's spent so much time pondering it that it does make you wonder, if she really is being honest with herself. It's easy to get with a man who makes you happy, I mean any man can make you happy and you can have a good time. But to be with a man that makes you happy when you don't really know if you actually are in love with him and have had issues with trust in the past is stupid. The counselling session Charlie had, it was ridiculous. It wasn't helping Charlie make a realisation, it was giving her two options to pick from, be alone or be with Angelo. And for a lot of women in Charlie's position who are in fact afraid of being alone because of their inability to commit fully to a relationship, the decision was easy. Pick being with the man. And that's exacctly what Charlie did. Because I can bet she wondered if I ditch Angelo will I ever find a man who will put up with my issues. So in that sense it was probably safer to stay with him instead of never being able to find another suitable partner. And with regard your last point, I don't think Home and Away will hold onto this storyline, more than likely it will be foregotten about and Charlie's issues will magically disappeared. They already done a terrible job of resolving storylines. I mean Aden just up and left, as did Geoff. They still haven't really come full circle with the Charlie and Ruby storyline. Ruby's diabetes seems to have disappeard as well and Tony and Rachel just seem to futtering around. We're only seeing them now because of the the Hugo storyline.

The thing is...I don't think Charlie does 'love' Angelo. I think she cares for him and loves him like she loves her coffee first thing in the morning. But whenver I look at her with Angelo when he's being all soppy and professing his "undying love" for her, all I see from Charlie is a question mark where her ture feelings should be. And all this second guessing and hesitation on her part, it makes me wonder, is she just pushing herself to be with him because she knows he won't leave her because he loves her and she's afraid of ending up alone. Because lets face it, she didn't seem too broken up when they were apart. Compared to Angelo, who was so jealous of the idea she was seeing another man, he climbed a tree to spy on her. If I'm being completely honest, yeah I see this relationship carrying on for another few months, maybe more if they remain the way the are as in just work collegues. But I can't see them living together, or settling down and having the big white Summer Bay wedding. They don't possess that quality that Jack and Martha, Haley and Noah or even Alf and Ailsa, that they were meant to be together. I have a feeling that somewhere down the line something else is going to freak Charlie out, like a proposal or the idea having more kids, and Angelo is going to be the one who ends up hurt and moping around feeling sorry for himself like he did last time. I'm sorry but I do feel that this is a very one sided relationship.............and it's all coming from Angelo.

The thing is, is that Charlie and Angelo are OVEREXPOSED!! and it's really off putting that every scene they have is almost always gauranteed to either be with each other, or focused on them in a discussion with other people. It's like they don't have their own individual identities. I'll put my hands up and admit I don't like Angelo, but I never have. Even before the whole Jack incident I couldn't stand his character from the very moment he stepped foot in Summer Bay, so obviously I'm not going to like him being with a character that I do like. Especially since their, at best, turbulant relationship, seems to bring out the worst in both of them. Whenever I know there's going to be an episode with Charlie AND Angelo I don't bother watching it or I skip past their scenes because when their in it, it feels like one of those American sitcoms that only have two central characters like Will and Grace or Dharma and Greg, only difference is, these couplings actually had chemistry and a sense of humour. It's like nobody else in Summer Bay exists in their world when they're together. Which is why Charlie and Ruby fans get annoyed. I mean look at it from this angle. Miles is father figure to Nicole and Romeo even though their not his own blood relatives. Irene is a mother figure to Ruby and pretty much everyone else even though she has no obligation to do so. Even Martha has an older sister type relationship with Xavier. But Charlie on the other hand only ever really seems to pay any notice to Ruby when she needs someone to vent to about Angelo or her issues etc. She doesn't treat her like her daughter, she treats her like she treats Leah or Rachel, more as a friend than anything else. We've seen her maternal side come out, like when Ruby was rushed to hospital wih her diabetes, the way she acted after the hypo incident, the way she literally put her own career and freedom at risk to protect Ruby from her rapist father. We know it's there, but it feels like the only time we get to see it is in times of crisis. I mean does Ruby have to almost die whenever we want to see that side of Charlie?? It should be used more often. They've missed so many oportunities already to do this. When Ruby was caught in the diner fire, instead of checking on Ruby, Charlie jumped into bed with Angelo. When Geoff left town, Ruby was comforted by Irene and when Charlie did finally sit down with her, all they did was talk about her issues with Angelo. So yeah I can see why people would be annoyed. I know I am at this stage, months into the new season. The writers need to find a far better balance than the servere lack of one they have now.

Here's hoping we get a lot more Ruby/Charlie scenes. Especially now since the only relationship between Angelo and Charlie is a working relationship. Which I'm hoping it will stay that way. Either that or they completely get rid of Angelo, because I find it very sad that Charlie has more of a relationship with a cop killer than her own daughter, who for a while she desperatly wanted to have a strong relationship with. What happened to that??

Yeah she did. It was in the second part of their conversation when they were in the dinner. Charlie said "You know, you're pretty smart for the daughter of a basket case" and then starts squeezing her cheek like your older relative would messing around and Ruby starts laughing hysterially and says mum in a joking, playful manner. It was sweet, bit disappointed there wasn't much of a reaction out of Charlie, as far as we know this is the first time Ruby was used the 'M' word.

Thanks for that... I think that aspect was kind of a given considering that it's a new developement. But how it affects others that could be interesting... I've been asked whether or not Joey will make an appearance but to be honest I'm apprehensive about that subject because there are already so many CJ fics...what do you the readers think??

I'm having trouble writing the next chapter in my fan fic A Mother's Treasure!! Could anybody help me with ideas or make suggestions?? I'd be really grateful!!

I hate them as a couple. They can do a whole lot more with the Charlie character if they put more effort into writing good storylines for her rather than giving her the cliche romance of two cops who fall in love...even though in my opinion it's more superficial on Charlie's part. I also don't like how the Angelo character has takin a complete U-Turn in the eyes of the Summer Bay residents. Fair enough they had to make him liked in order for him to stay on the show...but like one of the above members said...it should have been a slow burner. It kind of makes a point that if you kill a man...son't worry too much about it cause you'll get a big promotion (which was laughable) and forgiveness within a year. If these two are going to be a couple fine. I just hope if the Charlie character does end up married...it's to somebody completely different...actually as long as it's not Angelo I'm good.

I think we should mail that plot to the writers coz more than likely they're gonna fill in the year with crap storylines....and I'm not being big headed but that's a storyline I would watch!! lol :-D

Ok, how about, Charlie passes her detective exam...then some pissed off convict she arrested years ago comes back on the scene, kidnaps Ruby...holds her hostage for a few days and Charlie has to deal with where her true loyalties lie, cop or mother. Then there could be some sort of conflict between her and Angelo, where he's trying to be all professional and she starts to think he doesn't care for Ruby and she can't be with him if he can't accept her. Then she could find Ruby using her new detective skills or training, and Ruby's on deaths door because of her diabetes or whatevere, she 's all "in critical condidtion"....Charlie worries about her...then Ruby comes around and because of her near death experience realises how much she needs Charlie in her life and calls her mum for the first time and they move back in together. Sound good?? Oh and for all the Changelo fans who will have a hissy fit over them breaking up (which personally I would like to see on a permanent basis) they could get back together for another little while. Until some other drama comes along and rips them apart :-D

Hmm, I see what you mean. But considering that they already made Charlie a young mum, I can't seem them taking the risk and doing it to Ruby as well. Plus, as immature and childish as Ruby can be sometimes, she does semm to have been brought up with a strong head on her shoulders and for that reason I don't think Ruby herself would allow herself to go down that path. Personally, I can see their relationship being tested, not like last year where it was being tested by how Ruby would react, but now as their relationship has begun to find solid ground I think Charlie's role as a mother will be put through the ringer. For example, if Ruby were to be abducted or something we could see the how conflicted she is over her duty as a cop but more importantly her duty as a mother and how it would affect her personally. I would like to see something like this because we haven't really seen any indication of the affect this new relationship dynamic has taken. Until then, I'd say that their relationship now is still the same as it was when they were sisters, only now they are referring to themselves as mother and daughter, however I have yet to see Ruby acknowledge this to Charlie directly.

I agree with above that this has always been a part of their relationship. But I think the reason it's so annoying is because of the fact that there's so much Angelo being pushed on us at the moment that it's getting sickening. I mean if Charlie and Ruby were having the conversation at a time when Angelo hadn't been mentioned or seen in a while then it might have been different but the fact of the matter is it was Angelo, Angelo, Angelo, Ruby and Charlie talking about Angelo...so you can see why it's annoying that when fans of Charlie and Ruby finally saw them together, it was centred around Angelo. I mean it's not like they haven't been through stuff together and/or seperatly that they could have been talking about e.g. Geoff and Ruby breaking up, the after math of the diner fire and it's affect on Ruby, Charlie being abducted by Hugo, their relationship as mother and daughter. I just can't understand why the first conversation we see them having has to revolove around Angelo. OK, I know people are going to bat me down for being so critical of the chap but and it's quite clear I do not like him, but I have accepted the fact that he is not going anywhere and I'm just going to have to put up with. But that still doesn't change the fact that I believe he is taking up far too much of Charlie's time. I mean she doesn't seem to do anything now without Angelo being present or mentioned. It's very off putting of the Charlie character. She works with him, she dates him, she's constantly arguing or disagreeing with him, she never talks about anything but him, when she's not talking about him she's crying over him. It's too much!! It especially takes away from her scenes with Ruby. I mean back when she was with Roman she would consult with Ruby but at the same time she would talk to her about her personal trials and tribulations or just have a generalised girly chat. Now it's all Angelo and nothing else. I mean I know having seen the sneek peek for Mondays episode that Charlie does ask her about school...but we c an be guranteed that Angelo drama will interrupt this. It's getting to a point with the Charlie character where they either have to find a balance or make changes because it's like they've ruined her.

Great chapter...although have to admit I am disappointed Charlie is pregnant with Angelo's child!! But I would say that since I don't like him. Anyways great story keep up the good work

OMG!! That could be it...maybe after her difficult childbirth with Ruby she can't have kids anymore!! But wait...how would that explain the stomach pain?? Ughh...the suspense is killing me...!!! Please update soon!!

I'm wondering if Charlie is preggers...but that wouldn't explain her abdominal pain?? would it?? I hope she's not pregnant. At least not yet. It's too soon for her especially after everything she's been through. Great fic...can't wait to read more.

Well after the Charlie kidnapping Grant storyline and his subsquent confession that he did in fact rape Charlie, maybe Ruby decided she wanted nothing more to do with Grant or anything connected to him. Or maybe the writers are leaving it open for a possible family reunion in the future. The whole thing was left with too many unanswered questions in my opinion and remains, even up to now, completely unresloved. Charlie and Ruby went from barely speaking to Charlie acknowledging herself as her mother in the space of a few episodes. There was no big heart-to-heart conversation were they got everything out in the open and cleared the air. They just magically resolved their issues. Or maybe Ruby almost dying of a diabetic coma was the eye opener?? All I know is, this storyline will never be resolved. Charlie's too busy with the vile creature she calls a boyfriend and Ruby's too busy feeling sorry for herself and sneaking her way back into Xaviers bed. I for one can not see this ending in happily ever after. I mean seriously, can you honestly see Charlie and Angelo with all their arguments and disagreements settling down and Ruby moving back in to play happy families with her "mother" and potential "stepfather". I don't think so. Actually come to think of it. I don't see Charlie ever having any more kids.

Great update.....hey maybe Ruby could show up and take a bullet for them?? Then you'd still have your main characters and it would be a cool twist. Update soon please!!

Yeah but the reason Ruby probably acts so grown up is because she grew up in a family unit that is much older than her. The closer person in age to her is 14 years older than she is. Maybe if she'd had a sibling or some family memeber around her age group she might have turned out to be more like other teenagers who don't try to act grown up and don't apologise for their brash decisions or immature actions. I get that Ruby has a very naive view on the world. But she grew up being overprotected by her cop family. She's never really known how dangerous or repulsive reality can be. She may not always have the best ideas and a lot of the time she neglects to think about the consequences of her actions, but at the same time, her intentions are always good. They might not be the best laid out plans and yeah, sometimes they can come off as being selfish but when she's doing something she's doing it for the right reasons. When Ruby went to find Grant she wanted to find out who her biological father was. She wanted him to pay for what he did to Charlie. It was a bad idea but on the other side of it, she wasn't getting straight answers from Charlie or Ross. It was inevitable that a curious teenager was going to start seeking out answers from elsewhere. Or when she stole the drugs out of Xaviers locker and tried to wash them down the drain. Yes she should have gone to the principal or Charlie but again her intentions were good. She was only trying to keep Xavier out of trouble. Even after she told him that Freya was dangerous for him. And the whole race riot. OK, Ruby pushed John Plamer far too much and she was being very reckless going around calling him a racist. But as for raising money for the refugees, that's something you wouldn't find a lot of 16 year olds bothering to do outside of school. She genuinly wanted to help. The race riots were not Ruby's fault. She didn't provoke a bunch of drunken idiots to beat up Hazem or burn down the diner. They did that of their own racist accord. It was just an unfortunate coincidence that it happened when it did. As for Geoff being off with her. He needs to stop feeling sorry for himself. When Ruby started campaigning Geoff was more than happy to support the cause. I didn't see him turning around saying no to her. When the beam came down in the diner, he didn't have to jump in front of it, he chose to jump in front of it. If he has a nasty scar it's his own problem not everyone elses. If he has a problem with what happened that night, their his issues, not Ruby's. And the fact he said he's sick of Ruby calling him or texting all the time asking how his shoulder is...well that's really annoying considering he spent sooooooooooooooooooooooo much time nagging her about her diabetes. Ruby's not perfect, but that doesn't mean she's a bad person. She just needs to find her way back to the old Ruby we all loved.

I agree. It's been nearly two whole weeks and it seems like both Charlie and Ruby have interacted with everyone in Summer Bay except each other!! I mean seriously, the writers went to all the effort of writing the Charlie/Ruby, mother/daughter storyline, yet since Home and Away has come back it feels like they are complete strangers. When the fire broke out I thought Charlie would have been on duty at the scene worrying about her daughter. Nope. She was off at a spa resort with Angelo sipping on cocktails. I thought when she read about the riot she would have called Ruby up to ask if everything was ok. Nope. She just went straight back to Leah's with Angelo. I thought she would have went to see her daughter the next day to talk to her face to face. Nope. Instead all we got was a brief mention of Ruby telling Charlie off screen about Geoff getting injured and then she went straight back to arguing with Angelo. With the whole moving in drama going on it's unlikely we'll see them together in tomorrows episode either. It's ridiculous. I thought Charlie would want to spend more time with Ruby since they got back on good terms and I thought we get to see them bond as mother and daughter. But so far, it's felt more like Irene is Ruby's mother. She's the one always giving her advice, she's staying at her house, if you were new to the show and didn't know the characters you'd nearly assume that Irene was her mother. There's too much focus on Charlie being with Angelo. I mean fair enough they want to show them in a more couple like relationship instead of just working. But it seems like Charlie's focus has gone completelt away from Ruby. It's stupid. Ruby's her daughter. There should be more to their relationship than the odd conversation. How would it look if a social worker showed up to find that Charlie's 16 year old daughter was living in a diffierent home with someone who is not a family member, while Charlie gladly prances around Summer Bay with Angelo whenever she wants. It's not the signs of a good parent/guardian from an outsiders point of view. The writers need to remember that even though Ruby is very independent and fairly mature, although not always depending on her mood, she is only 16. She needs a strong parental figure in her life and with the way they are running Charlie and Rubys lives at the moment, keeping them apart, it feels like she doesn't have that. They need to get back to the Charlie and Ruby of old, while maintaining the new mother daughter dynamic. Charlie's missed out on being a mother to Ruby for 16 years. Now she has the opportunity to be there for her in that way in milestone moments in Ruby's life. She can ditch Angelo for a while. We all know that he'll still pine after her like a desperate love sick puppy, so she can afford to spend time with Ruby.

Ok, my theory about Scott and Ruby was completely wrong!! lol That was not what I was expecting!! Still, a very good chapter. I'd like to see how Scott would react if Charlie broke up with him. Would he take it out on her or Ruby??

Wow!! I'm really liking this fic...except for Angelo being Ruby's dad, that's nearly worse than Grant!! But seriously it is really good and I love that Charlie and Ruby seem to have a strong mother/daughter relationship. Even when they fight you can tell that Charlie cares. I'm really curious about the whole Scott and Ruby thing? Please don't leave me hanging for too long....I get so impatient I have a theory as to what it might be but I won't post it just incase it turns out I'm right and ruin the story!! I'd feel so bad. Anyways keep up the good work!! Can't wait for the next chapter!!