Return to the Bay

[Sunny Girl]

Jess was right - very strong characterisation, a really character driven chapter! Well worth the wait Kat. And happy birthday for Monday!!

[AngelRose]

Just reread the whole thing; it's taken 4 evenings to get through - not that I'm complaining; it's absolutely wonderful! Didn't read the spoilers -so can't wait to find out what happens!

Love the combination of old and new charcters; Angel was always a favourite, which leaves me wanting to strangle Leah (in this story at least!)

More soon PLEASE! I'll happily take the chapter in place of my returned birthday hug!

More people should put the effort in to reading this, it's well worth it and might help some of the Aussie members here with 'End of Season Withdrawl Symptons'!

Fantastic, Fantastic job Kat!

[ldscott]

Fantastic chapter, i'm on the edge of my seat waiting for the next update!

[I love music]

Great script, Kat! Okay, we're going on air at...

I particularly liked the Kirsty/Tasha/Irene scene and the Dan/Sutty/Rachel scene. Very strong characterization.

Let's hope it's good news from inside the bank!

I@m afraid I can'y promise that ILM!

Dammit, neither can my own bank!

[Skykat]

Can I just appologise for my appalling grammar in my last post, I really need to get out of the habit of coming on here when I'm drunk!

The next update is on it's way but I've been distracted with my birthday and alcohol, it should be up by the end of the week.

[vikkysmile]

When are steven and selina coming back into the story line, its as they have been forgotten about.

[Skykat]

Nobody has been forgotten about its just that Stephen and Selina don't feature majorly in the current storyline. You'll see glimpses of them, Stephen helping the rescue and Selina helping Irene but they'll mainly be background characters to this storyline as it doesn't really have anything to do with them. They'll be back soon enough though.

When I'll update next is a harder question to answer though...

[AngelRose]

Glad it's still alive though

[Skykat]

Its still alive, I have loads of ideas I just don't feel much like writing at the moment and I can't really say when that'll change except that I'll update the minute it does.

[Skykat]

Wow I know I've not updated in ages but I couldn't even find this...I had to search for it! Anyway you'll be glad to know that I'm back from my holiday feeling exhausted but refreshed and with lots and lots of writing ideas AND the inclination to write. I'd worked on a lot of this before I went away and I've just filled in the gaps last night. I hope I haven't lost too many readers with the long break in updates and I can promise that if enough people are still interested and review there will definitely be another update very, very soon. I also hope people don't think I'm drawing things out too much. I hate it when storylines get rushed without seeing how characters react to things and whilst there are definitely some new developments and drama there's also an awful lot of character driven stuff and this pattern will continue for several chapters yet. I hope everyone still remains interested and that it isn't being drawn out too much. Please as always let me know what you think, I need to know if I'm losing it, if this is still any good, if it's becoming too long, to drawn out, please let me have your honest opinion.

Thanks as ever to Jess for her help, input and honest advice on this. You always manage to boost my confidence. Thanks chick.xx

SIXTY SIX

“Well? What is it?”

“Dan stand back mate,” Alf cautioned, putting a hand on the younger man’s shoulder only to have it quickly pushed aside.

“Is it Pete? Pete!” Dan called desperately, completely ignoring Alf’s warning. The Chief Fire Officer stepped backwards from where he had been examining the site and came to stand beside Alf.

“It’s definitely a person, at least I’m pretty sure it is. There’s an awful lot of rubble in the way and only a small gap. We’ve been calling out but there’s no answer. I’m Mike Johnson, Yabbie Creek Fire Department, I’m not sure we’ve met.”

“Alf Stewart head of Search and Rescue, nice to meet yer. Shame it couldn’t be under better circumstances.” The two men shook hands.

“So we have no idea what sort of condition he’s in?” Mike Johnson looked at Rachel disapprovingly but she offered her hand. “Doctor Rachel Armstrong from Northern Districts.”

“Oh right, in that case nice to meet you. There’s no real way of telling what sort of state he’s in unless we could get someone down there.”

“And could we?” Rachel asked.

“I doubt it, that gaps pretty small, you certainly wouldn’t get a man down there, a child maybe but we couldn’t send a child down. We’ll just have to proceed the way we were. We have to tread really carefully though. We’ll need all this rubble clearing but it’ll have to be done slowly so that we don’t disturb anything.”

“Right oh then. You fellers who’ve been in there take a break, the fellers who were just taking a breather get your gear back on.” No sooner had Alf given the instructions then Dan was racing back towards the cordoned area.

“What’s happening?” Many frantic faces were waiting eagerly for an answer to the same question.

“They think they’ve found a person but it’s hard to tell, there’s no sound and only a small gap to work through.”

“So you don’t know who it is?”

“Beth we don’t even know if it is a person, the gap’s too small. Alf said you could probably get a child through but certainly none of us would fit,” Sutty explained.

“I’ll go!” Matilda immediately offered.

“No way. I’m sorry Matilda but there’s no way I’m letting you do that it’s far too dangerous!” Beth’s reply was instant and Matilda did not protest but her offer had got another person thinking.

“What about me? I’m only small and I’m an adult.” Dan and Sutty both turned to look at Leah.

“It’ll be too dangerous,” Sutty spoke up.

“You don’t know that though. Alf said none of us would fit through he never said anything about someone her size,” Dan turned to Sutty eagerly. Leah felt her heart lurch at his seeming unconcern for her safety; it seemed he really did hate her. Not that she blamed him, she just could not help feeling extremely saddened by the fact.

“Alf will never agree. It’s too risky,” Sutty protested.

“But you heard that Fire guy, we need to know what condition he’s in down there,” Dan argued, “We could at least ask Alf.” Leah nodded and Sutty noted the determined looks on both their faces. Sutty shrugged, it was not his decision to make but judging from the set lines on Leah and Dan’s faces, Sutty was really glad the decision was not down to him.

Selina reversed the car into an available space and struggled her way out. She had sat at home all morning, Steven’s warnings of ‘You need to rest’ and ‘Don’t exert yourself’ ringing in her ears until she had become annoyed with them. Annoyed with him. She was pregnant, not an invalid and as much as she wanted this baby she also wanted to be involved. She hated that something so major was going on and she was sat at home, bored. Delicately, politely, she pushed her way through the crowd until she caught sight of Irene and the others in the cordoned area. Her eyes briefly rested on the Bank and she gasped, clamping her hand over her mouth at the devastation facing her. It was awful, far worse than she had imagined and Selina felt sick to the stomach. The Police Officer recognised her from the recent kidnapping incident and waved her through so she made her way towards the others. The tension lay heavy in the air, the atmosphere was so think Selina felt it would take a pretty big knife to cut through it. It was broken by short bouts of small talk, soothing words of comfort and the dull sound of the rescuers working. It was suffocating. Familiar faces managed weak smiles at her. Sally managed a small wave. The Hunter/Holden families were all sitting together but aside from a few looks and a brief smile from Beth they ignored her appearance, so caught up in their private thoughts.

“Selina darl, what are you doing here?” Irene was sat on a rug, her arm round Tasha who looked up sadly through tearful eyes but did not speak.

“I was bored Irene, I’m not sick and I hate not knowing what’s going on,” Selina confided, “I promise I’ll take things easy,” She added in an attempt to alleviate Irene’s sharp glare.

“Well you just make sure you do alright?” Selina nodded, “Good because I can’t be doing with worrying about you an’ all.” Selina smiled what she hoped was a comforting smile, Irene’s threat barely disguised the fear which was evident in her eyes. Slowly, Selina eased her heavy body onto the grass.

“Any news?”

“They think they found someone a half hour or so ago but they’re pretty deeply trapped and they’re in some sort of debate over what to do next,” Irene replied.

“Do they know who it is?”

“Not for certain but most probably its Peter. He had only just run into the Bank when the bomb went off,” Irene explained.

“Well fingers crossed he’s okay,” Selina replied, her thoughts full of Angel and the day befores revelation. “Is Angel here?”

“She was but she had a bit of a to do with Leah and left. Listen darl now you’re here do us a favour and sit with Tash while I go look for Kirsty? Lord knows where she’s got to and I’m worried about her.” Irene’s worried eyes were passing silent messages to Selina as she looked from Selina to Tasha and back again. Selina nodded and Irene headed off.

“Hey Tash, how are you?” Selina received no response and turned to look at the younger girl. Tasha’s eyes held a haunted, hollow, lost look. She seemed so vulnerable, completely bewildered by events, like a child. “I think it might actually be harder to be the one waiting around and worrying you know. When you’re missing like we were, like Robbie is, your instinct takes over and you fight to survive, you don’t really have time to worry. Guess they’re all just paying us back for making them worry about us hey?” To Selina’s horror tears welled up in Tasha’s eyes and she began to sob. “Hey…” Selina pulled Tasha into her arm, wrapping her arms around her as Tasha cried loudly, body shaking tears onto Selina’s shoulder. “Talk to me Tash, you and I have been through so much together, tell me what’s running through that head of yours?” Selina urged.

“I’m sorry,” Tasha whispered.

“None of that. Robbie’s going to be okay you know, don’t lose hope. He never gave up on you did he?”

“That’s what makes it so bad though. I treated him so badly, I put him through hell going off with the Believers, I broke his heart. I deserve this, this is my punishment.” Tasha’s sobs increased. Selina noticed Beth watching them out of the corner of her eye and smiled to let her know it was under control.

“Tash you need to understand something. Cults like the Believers, they’re experts at manipulating people. They pick their victims carefully, they know just what to say to draw you in, get you under their spell. Its called brainwashing for a reason Tash and from the minute they set their sights on you, you had no chance. You have to understand that Tash because this is not your fault.”

“Other people didn’t believe them though, other people weren’t so stupid,” Tasha protested.

“Other people aren’t you. They haven’t had your past, your upbringing. You’re forgetting Tash that I once believed these kind of people too, they used my dead baby to get me. These people are vultures Tash, they’re evil but they’re also clever, so so clever and they know what they’re doing. You cannot blame yourself for what happened. If anyone's to blame it should be me, they only targeted you to get to me.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Tasha protested.

“Why not?”

“You weren’t to know what they were planning, you couldn’t have stopped it.”

“And nor could you Tash. You have to stop blaming yourself.”

“I miss Robbie so much. He’d only just took me back and now I might lose him. We wasted so much time…”

“But think of all the time you have had together and there’ll be plenty more to come. Robbie loves you Tash, he’ll be fighting like crazy to get back to you, just as you where to get to him.”

“I really hope so,” Tasha whispered as Selina pulled her closer and she cried some more.

“Are you off your rocker?!” Alf looked at Dan and Leah in complete and utter astonishment.

“Come on Alf, you heard that guy we need to know what sort of state he’s in,” Dan protested desperately.

“She probably wouldn’t fit through, the gaps really small.” Sutty re-voiced his concerns earning a sharp glare from Dan.

“At least try though, he said none of us would fit. He didn't say anything about someone her size. This is my brother we’re talking about, come on Alf!”

“I’m sorry Dan but its far too risky, we can’t put Leah in that sort of danger.”

“I want to do it Alf,” Leah replied, looking him square in the eyes, her resolution clear.

“Leah love you have no idea what you’re putting yourself in for.”

“Let me at least try. Surely if you kit me up properly with a hard hat and stuff it’ll be safe enough for me?”

“You heard her Alf, she wants to go. At least ask the Chief guy,” Dan argued.

“Ask me what?” Mike Johnson only caught the back end of the argument.

“They want Leah to go down through the gap and see what sort of state Peter’s in. I said no, it’s flaming` dangerous down there and there’s no saying she’ll even fit through the bloomin` gap.” Mike Johnson said nothing but he assessed Leah up and down, weighing her up, staring so intently Leah felt as if she were stood naked in front of him.

“She might just,” he remarked thoughtfully.

“Please let her try.” Dan could not hide his desperation.

“No, Alf’s right, it’s far too dangerous I can’t risk another life.” Mike decided.

“But I want to do it, surely if you kit me up right….”

“There’s no guarantee that’ll secure your safety. No I’m sorry, that’s my final decision.” Dan opened his mouth to protest again but was interrupted by shouts from the rescuers working on the Bank.

“What is it?” Mike raced over to them.

“We were calling out to him and there was lots of bashing about down there. We think he might be having a panic attack or something,” the rescuer nearest, explained.

“Jeez that’s all we need, if he keeps doing that he’ll bring the lot down!”

“That’s more reason for me to go down to him, I can keep him calm,” Leah spoke up immediately.

“She’s right, he knows her.” Dan only just stopped himself from adding the ‘intimately’ thought that sprang into his brain. It wasn’t exactly the time or the place and right now, with Peter’s life at risk, he needed Leah on side.

“Alright but you’re to get full gear on, hard hat, rope harness, a full brief, the works. We’re taking no chances and I’m still not happy with this.” Dan looked so happy Mike was concerned he might hug him, Alf still looked unconvinced and Sutty turned away in disgust.

“Thank you Sir, you won’t regret it.” Leah told him quietly. Mike looked at her; her face was white but her eyes met his and he saw a fierce determination in them.

“Lets just hope I don’t,” Mike replied, turning abruptly away.

Irene had been searching for Kirsty for a good ten minutes before she found her, sat on a Park Bench, just out of sight of the Bank and its surroundings.

“Hey kiddo, what’cha doing out here?” Kirsty looked up, momentarily surprised.

“Oh, hey Irene.” Her head went back down, her eyes focused back on the ground.

“How are you holding up?”

“I’m okay.” Kirsty pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, resting her chin on her knees. Irene watched her sadly. It was as if an invisible wall had built itself up around her and Kirsty was unreachable behind it. Her eyes were emotionless, her face devoid of tears, her mind clearly elsewhere.

“Penny for them?”

“Not sure they’re worth a penny,” She replied quietly.

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that hey? Why don’t you tell me what’s clogging up that head of yours girlie?” Irene suggested.

“What’s the point, its not going to bring Kane back, is it?”

“You don’t know he’s gone anywhere yet darl.”

“I do. I can feel it Irene, he’s left me, I just know it. He’s gone, even the Police Chief thinks so. I heard him, there’s little chance of survivors and at least one casualty because there’s no way the person who opened the box will have survived. Kane opened the box, we know that. It doesn’t take a genius to work things out.”

“You have to stay hopeful darl, don’t give up.”

“You don’t get it do you? Kane’s gone Irene, I have to accept it and move on. I have to learn to live with it, to live with myself.”

“Live with yourself? What in blue blazes is that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what I said, I have to live with myself, with what I’ve done.”

“And what exactly are yer meant to have done?”

“This, this whole thing, the bomb, those people, Kane, it’s all because of me.”

“Yer kidding me right?”

“No I’m serious. This is all my fault.” Kirsty paused, her eyes still avoiding Irene’s and for once Irene waited patiently, for Kirsty to explain herself. “When Gus first got in touch Kane wanted nothing to do with him, he didn’t want to know him. It was me who encouraged him to go see Gus. Me who made him go. He only went to please me, because I told him to,” Kirsty explained.

“Hold on a min…”

“No Irene, its true. Kane went to see him because of me and because of me Gus was able to put his twisted little plan into action. Because of me he was able to orchestrate this, because of me the bomb went off today. Its because of me that Kane’s dead. I have to learn to live with that.”

“Kirsty you listen to me girlie. This is not your fault. Gus Phillips is a flamin’ loonie and he had this plan in mind from day dot, if you hadn’t have made Kane go and see him, he’d have found some other way to do it. There’s only one person to blame for this mess darl and it ain’t you. It’s Gus flamin’ Phillips!”

“But if I…”

“Nope, I don’t wana hear it. You read my lips. This. Isn’t. Your. Fault. One more word that it is and I’ll string yer up myself, d’ya hear me?”

“What am I going to do without him Irene? How am I supposed to go on?” Kirsty finally met Irene’s eyes and Irene caught a glimpse of the scared child inside of her.

“For that beautiful baby of yours, that’s why you’ll get through this and I’ll be right here with yer, got it?” Kirsty nodded mutely, her eyes met Irene’s and she saw in them genuine warmth and Kirsty felt comforted by it

“I love you Irene,” she whispered.

“Oh girlie, I love you too.” Irene held her close, two women drawing comfort from one another, bonded by something far deeper than blood.

“Leah are you sure you want to do this?” Sally looked at her best friend, deeply concerned.

“Sal I have to do this. I’m the only one who can,” Leah insisted.

“Are you sure you’re not just doing this out of some stupid guilt complex?”

“Maybe. Fact is Sal, I’m in love with him, I’ll do anything for him,” Leah replied. Sally smiled sadly at her.

“I know you are but Dan will understand, you don’t have to do this,” Sally told her.

“Dan? No. I meant Peter. I’m in love with Pete.”

”Oh Leah…when did you realise this?” Sally suddenly felt increasing concern for the mess her friend seemed to be in.

”Today, when I heard he was trapped in there. I felt sick and I just knew. I’ve been fighting my feelings because I didn’t want to hurt Dan but I can’t do it anymore. If Peter gets through this I’m going to tell him how I feel about him. I think he feels it too. At least I hope he does. So you see, I have to do this.”

“Leah this is a huge risk to take though, I really don’t think you’ve thought it through,” Sally took her friend’s arm, holding it reassuringly.

“Sal don’t tell me you wouldn’t have moved heaven and earth if there was something you could have done to save Flynn,” Leah protested.

“Of course I would but that was different…”

“How? You loved Flynn, I love Peter, how is it different?”

“It just was.” Sally shrugged. She knew she had lost the argument, Leah was so determined on this but Sally was still not happy with her friend’s decision.

“No it isn’t. I have to do this. You’re not going to talk me out of this.” Leah’s chin was set firm.

“Leah are you ready to be kitted up?” Mike Johnson called from the other side of the cordoned off area.

“Just coming!” Leah called back.

“You be careful okay?” Sally felt her bottom lip start to go; she was so worried for Leah.

“I will.” Leah gave Sally a brief hug and moved off towards where Mike and Alf were waiting to get her kitted up and briefed.

“Not convinced?” Sally was so far in her own thoughts she hardly heard Sutty behind her and jumped on hearing his voice.

“She’s doing this for the wrong reasons. It’s dangerous, I’m just worried she hasn’t thought it through, that her hearts ruling her head.” Sally didn’t look at him as she spoke so missed seeing her fears echoed on his face. Sutty decided against voicing them though, instead he placed a reassuring hand on her arm.

“They wouldn’t let her go if it was too dangerous. She’ll be alright,” Sutty assured her.

“I really hope so.” Sally fought back the battle with her quivering bottom lip as she watched Leah in deep conversation with Alf and the Fire Chief.

***

So there you have it...as promised I have lots more material and there's potentially several more chapters ready to post if enough people are still interested. Please R and R.xxx