Return to the Bay

[I love music]

Great dialogue, I can totally imagine the characters talking like this, and I loved Kirsty's there’s a little bubble of happiness inside me just waiting to explode

[ldscott]

fantastic!

please post again soon!

[AngelRose]

Great Stuff! How on EARTH are you coping keeping so threads going? When do Angel, Stephen & Selina arrive back? Will it be Stephen be the one to bring Sally around?

[Skykat]

Great Stuff! How on EARTH are you coping keeping so threads going? When do Angel, Stephen & Selina arrive back? Will it be Stephen be the one to bring Sally around?

I started this with storylines in mind for Angel, Selina and Stephen but I wanted to set the scene in Summer Bay first and all the other storylines just came to me while I was setting the scene. They're still coming back though, I have storylines already typed for them I'm just keeping it to timescale and setting the background first as for whether Stephen gets through to Sally, you'll just have to wait and see...

[AngelRose]

Oh, I'll be waiting, don't you worry about that! ;)

[Skykat]

A bit of a lightweight chapter in my opinion but I'm trying hard not to lose track of any characters and keep the story to a reasonable timescale. Anyway here goes.

CHAPTER TEN

“Any news?” Dan Baker asked of his brother as he entered the Surf Club and put his gear down.

“No nothing, Alf’s relocated the search though since this morning but between you and me it doesn’t look good,” Peter admitted.

“Poor Alf, he must be going through hell. Anyway we’ve got a half an hour break so I’m going to get some lunch, can I get you anything?” Dan asked.

“No thanks, Colleen and Leah have provided sandwiches for all the search teams though.” Peter indicated to where the two women were stood handing out sandwiches.

“Leah? Have you managed to talk to her yet?” Dan asked.

“What about?” Peter was momentarily on his guard.

“About me and her, about her forgiving me,” Dan replied, “you haven’t have you?” he asked, defeated.

“Sorry mate, I haven’t had time,” Peter lied. How could he possibly explain that Leah was ignoring him too but for a very different reason.

“I guess you’ve been busy,” Dan conceded. As if to emphasise the point, Peter’s mobile began to ring.

“Sure have, listen I have to take this,” Peter explained and Dan nodded as his brother moved outside to take the call. Dan wandered over to the counter of Noah’s where Leah and Colleen were stood.

“Ah young Daniel I guess you’ve come for some of our wonderful sandwiches, my Lancie used to rave about my sandwiches you know…”

“Look Colleen can you go hand out the sandwiches to Kim and the others, who’ve just come in,” Leah cut Colleen off mid-flow and gave her a pointed look.

“Oh.” A knowing look came across Colleen’s face and she smiled, “I see well who am I to stand in the way of true love? Yoo hoo Kim…” Colleen was off leaving an embarrassed Leah and hopeful Dan in her wake.

“So erm, would you like some sandwiches?” Leah asked to cover the awkward silence.

“Sure, listen Leah,” Dan began.

“No Dan let me speak,” Leah cut him off, Dan fell silent. “This whole thing, with Ric I mean, has just made me realise how important families are and no matter what you’ve done you’re still my husband. I was confused before but I’m not now, I do still love you Dan but you hurt me,” Leah told him.

“I know and I’m sorry, Leah if there was anything I could do…”

“You lied and you broke my trust and a big part of me says I can never forgive you but another part of me still loves you and wants us to work,” Leah explained.

“That’s what I want too,” Dan replied.

“Shall we give it a go then? One step at a time, be a family again; you, me, VJ, Ryan and our little one,” Leah suggested.

“Oh Leah you don’t know how much I want that, hang on a minute, our little one? Do you mean?” Dan was unable to say it.

“I’m pregnant,” Leah confirmed. Dan’s face broke into a huge grin and he whooped out loud and picking her up spun her round.

“Oh my god that’s fantastic news!” Leah could not help but laugh at the excited expression on his face. “That settles it, we’re going to make this work now, I promise I won’t ever give you reason to doubt me again.”

“You’d better not.” Leah allowed him to kiss her and both of them were so caught up in their happiness that they were oblivious to the crowd of smiling onlookers and one devastated Detective.

Irene entered the hospital room and stood for a moment to watch the sleeping girl in the bed. Something about this girl was troubling Irene, her conversation with Pippa yesterday had made her think that maybe she hadn’t done quite enough to help and now young Kane was sympathising with her too. She was just a kid, a frightened, mixed up kid with nobody to turn to, Irene sighed and Belle stirred. She turned over and her eyes focused on Irene, her expression was a mixture of shock and fear.

“It’s okay girlie I’m not gonna hurt yer, my name’s Irene Roberts.”

“Irene?” Belle was tired and confused and not knowing what this woman wanted made her feel defensive. “What do you want?”

“To talk. You’ve caused a fair bit of mischief round here darl,” Irene remarked.

“So what?” the attitude was back and Irene hardened slightly.

“Now you listen to me girlie, when people are trying to help you it’s good manners to be polite, do you hear?” Irene demanded.

“Why would you want to help me?” Belle asked, her tone still hostile.

“Because I’ve got mug written all over me forehead. Look darl, you’re on your own, you’re living rough, getting into trouble, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that something’s the matter and I’m a sucker for a sob story,” Irene replied.

“People shouldn’t be nice to me, not after what I’ve done. That other boy was nice to me too,” Belle explained.

“Do you mean Kane? Well he understands you see because when he first came here he did some bad stuff and nobody would give him a fair go but he proved them all wrong, he turned his life around and now he has a lovely wife and a baby boy. You can turn things around too you know, if you really wanted to,” Irene explained.

“But I bet he was never responsible for killing someone, Ric’s dead and it’s all my fault,” Belle replied, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. Irene softened, Kane was right, Belle really was just a vulnerable child underneath the bravado.

“Ric’s not dead girlie, they’ll find him. You did something stupid but we’ve all done that, you can’t beat yourself up over it, Ric’ll be okay,” Irene reassured her.

“You don’t know that though,” Belle insisted.

“Nor do you but you can hope, never give up hope,” Irene told her, Belle nodded.

“Am I going to be arrested, for stealing the boat?” Belle asked.

“That’ll depend on Mr Stewart the boat’s owner, Ric’s granddad but if he does you just have to stand up and take your punishment. You can’t be forgiven until you’ve been punished, I know that for certain girlie,” Irene told her.

“Will you stay with me?” Belle asked and as Irene looked at her she knew she couldn’t refuse.

“Course I will darl.” Smiling Irene settled herself on a chair beside Belle’s bed.

“Babe what is it?” Kirsty Philips was becoming increasingly concerned about the horror struck expression on her husband’s face since he had opened the card that had come with the flowers. “Kane will you say something!?” she demanded.

“They’re from my Dad,” Kane replied softly, he passed her the card.

“From Gus?” Kirsty felt like she had been hit in the stomach with a sled, she was so surprised.

“Read it out loud,” Kane urged.

“To Kane and his beautiful wife Kirsty, congratulations on the birth of your first child. I just want to say how very, very sorry I am for running away and leaving you to take the blame for the robbery like I did. It was awful of me and I expect you’ll never forgive me but if you can find it in you to visit me you may hear something to your advantage, love your father Gus,” Kirsty read.

“Something to my advantage? The only thing that would cover that would be news that he’d died,” Kane remarked bitterly.

“Never say that babe, never wish anyone dead,” Kirsty reprimanded, “anyway at least he called me beautiful.” Kirsty was teasing but Kane took no notice of her.

“Why on Earth could he want to see me?” Kane demanded.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Kirsty replied.

“No way, he’s caused enough trouble without me looking for more, no way am I going to see him,” Kane told her stubbornly.

“Even though you’re dying to know?” Kirsty asked softly.

“How can I trust him Kirst, after everything he’s done. It’s probably just another one of his tricks,” Kane told her.

“Maybe but what harm can it actually do?” Kirsty, the voice of reason, insisted.

“I don’t know I just don’t trust him,” Kane replied.

“Nor do I babe, he let us down pretty badly but I think you owe it to yourself to at least hear what he has to say. In a closed visit in prison he can hardly harm you, can he? If he tries to wind you up or cause trouble you can just leave,” Kirsty insisted.

“I guess, I don’t know Kirst, I need to think this through,” he told her.

“Sure babe, take all the time you need,” Kirsty told him.

“Why now?” Kane demanded, “why can’t he just leave us alone?” Kirsty shrugged. “I mean if neither of us had had families we’d not have had half the problems we have.”

“Well I’m your family now, me and Matthew and neither of our families can hurt us, we’re too strong for that, we love each other too much,” Kirsty told him, Kane’s smile softened as he looked at her.

“Yeah we do don’t we?” he smiled and leaned in for a kiss but was interrupted by baby Matthew’s angry yell. “Do you have to interrupt at all the wrong moments little bub?” Kane demanded, he scooped Matthew from his cot and sat himself on the edge of Kirsty’s bed.

“Guess our family’s not so perfect huh?” Kirsty teased.

“Nah we’re perfect alright babe, he just wanted a cuddle, look how contented he is now?” Kane smiled at his baby and moved in again to kiss his wife and this time there were no interruptions.

“Perfect,” Kirsty agreed, kissing him back.

[WYN100]

WOW Skycat, just awesome ! This is JUST the sort of thing that makes this forum such quality !! Looking forward to more !

[I love music]

Really interesting, with fantastic dialogue. You've got Irene to a T. Reading this is like watching an actual episode and I totally lose myself in the story. If only H&A could be as good as this (like it used to be) I'd start watching it again!

[jack&martha]

great

[AngelRose]

Great stuff, especially Irene; more soon please!