Only You

[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter. I don't care much for this chapter. Actually, i dislike it quite a bit.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

“I can’t believe that you would actually think that I would hurt you like that,” Jack said.

Martha looked at Jack, and she could see the hurt in his eyes. She was ashamed of herself. She couldn’t believe that she had let Megan get the better of her.

“When your dad was here, I made a promise to him that I would take care of you, and that I would love you. There is no way that I would break that promise to him,” Jack told her.

Martha sighed. “When Megan first told me that you had spent the night with her, I didn’t believe her,” she started. “But then she just kept saying all this stuff, and the more she said, the more I believed it. I couldn’t help it. These last couple of weeks has been really hard, and when she told me that, I just couldn’t take it anymore. I believed everything she said. I was stupid. I know that,” she explained.

“Why do you keep doing this?” Jack asked.

Martha was confused. “What do you mean?” she wanted to know.

“You keep pushing me away, and I don’t know why. It started when your dad died. I’ve been here trying my hardest, but you keep pushing me away,” Jack sighed. “It’s gotten to the point where I can’t help but think that you’re doing it on purpose. It’s like you’re trying to find an excuse for us to not be together,” he said.

“That’s not true,” Martha cried.

Jack ignored her and kept on talking. “I’ve told you so many times that I love you; yet, you keep thinking that I don’t. Sometimes I think it’s the other way around. Maybe you’re the one who doesn’t love me,” he frowned.

“You know that that’s not true,” Martha said to him. “You know that I love you. Do you really think I’d be this upset if I didn’t?”

“Then why do you keep pushing me away?” Jack asked her again.

“I don’t know,” Martha gasped.

“Come on Martha. Talk to me,” Jack pleaded. “Tell me what’s going on inside your head,” he urged.

“This is stupid,” Martha yelled as she tried to stand up.

“No, it’s not stupid. Sit back down,” Jack ordered as he pulled her back down next to him. “Tell me”.

“I’ve already lost my mum, and now I’ve lost my dad. Who’s going to be next? You?” Martha sobbed. “I can’t lose anybody else Jack. It hurts too much. So I’ve come to the conclusion that if I stay away and don’t get close to anyone; then it won’t hurt as much when they do eventually leave me. Because let’s face it; everyone leaves me eventually,” she exclaimed.

Okay, so Jack wasn’t expecting it to be this bad. He just thought that she was in a bad mood, or that she was still grieving over her dad. But it was so much more than that.

“You think that everybody is going to leave you? Why is that?” Jack asked her.

“My own mother, my real mother, she didn’t even want me. So she just gave me away. And then the mother who actually wanted me, went and died on me,” Martha started to cry hard. “My real father is a bastard who could care less about me, and the father who did care also just went and died on me. And now I’m having a baby, whose going to have a mother who’s screwed up in the head. Who wants a mother whose nuts? So you see, eventually everybody just leaves,” she finished softly.

Jack wondered how long Martha had been keeping this all bottled up inside of her. It seemed like something that had been lingering for quite awhile. Probably ever since her adopted mother had died and she had found out that she was adopted. Jack would never have guessed that Martha had abandonment issues.

“How long have you been feeling like this?” he asked her.

“I don’t know. A while,” Martha shook her head.

“Maybe you should talk to somebody about it,” Jack suggested. “Maybe Racheal, or you could even just talk to Alf,” he told her.

“I don’t need to talk to anybody. It’s stupid,” Martha exclaimed.

“This is serious Martha. You shouldn’t be feeling like this,” Jack tried to talk sense to her.

“See, I’m nuts. And who wants to be with a crazy person?” she laughed.

“I want to be with a crazy person,” Jack smiled. “Listen, I’m never going to abandon you. And I’m pretty sure Alf, Ric and Macca wouldn’t either. And not to mention all of our friends,” he told her.

Martha smiled at him and nodded. But then she started frowning again. “What about Megan? I can’t handle her anymore. If she doesn’t get out of my face; I’ll probably hurt her,” she said.

“Don’t worry about Megan; I’ll handle her,” Jack promised.

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“Come on Jack, I was just teasing her,” Megan laughed. “It was just a bit of fun”.

Jack glared at her. His temper was going into overdrive. “No, you weren’t having just a bit of fun. You were trying to cause trouble,” he roared at her.

Megan started to walk towards Jack. “What’s the real problem here? Because the way I see it; Martha has no right to get upset. The two of you aren’t even together, so you should be able to do whatever you want,” she smiled flirtatiously up at him.

“No, we aren’t together, but I have every intention of getting back with her. So there is no way that I would ever do anything to jeopardize that,” Jack snapped.

“Not even just a little roll?” she giggled as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Don’t touch me,” Jack spat out and pushed her away. “Right now the sight of you is making me sick,” he said.

“Geez Jack, no need to get nasty,” she snapped back at him.

“I want you to listen to me; stay away from Martha. Don’t talk to her, don’t even look at her,” Jack warned. “Because the next time you cause trouble; I’ll be packing your bags and ordering you out of Summer Bay. Got it,” he threatened.

“I think you’re forgetting that we have a daughter together,” Megan smirked at him.

“Don’t even bother using her as a means to get what you want. It won’t work,” Jack shot out. “Now, tomorrow morning I’ll be here at nine o’clock to pick Grace up. I’m taking her to the hospital so we can get a paternity test done. If you’re not here, then I’ll know for sure that she isn’t mine,” he told her.

And with that Jack walked out; not even bothering to look back.

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[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter. It's only a short one, and not much happening. It's a quiet one.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Jack walked into the diner; where he was meeting Tony and Lucas for lunch. He spotted them sitting at a booth and made his way over to them.

“Hey mate,” Tony said. “How did it go at the hospital with Grace?” he asked.

Jack had taken Grace to the hospital that morning, and they had gotten a paternity test done.

“It was alright. I’ll get the results back in about a week,” Jack replied.

“You’re doing the right thing,” Tony started. “This should have been done when Megan first arrived with Grace,” he said.

Jack sighed. “I guess. I know that Megan’s been causing a lot of trouble around here, but I honestly don’t think she would lie about Grace being mine,” he began. “And if the test proves that she is mine, then I’m going to look like a complete idiot because I doubted it,” he finished.

“And if she isn’t yours, then we’ll never have to put up with Megan’s crap again,” Lucas exclaimed.

“Lucas, stop it,” Tony scolded.

“Why? I’m only saying the truth,” Lucas protested. “With Megan gone; Jack will be free to be happy with Martha. Just the way it should be. So I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I want Grace to be Jack’s kid; because I don’t want her to be. And if you all started being honest with yourselves, then you’ll admit that you feel the same,” Lucas completed his rant.

“He’s right. Deep down I’m wishing that she isn’t mine,” Jack said truthfully. “At least then I’d be able to focus all of my attention onto Martha and the baby. But with Megan and Grace around; Martha and I will never truly be happy. Martha’s already dealing with some serious issues, and with Megan around; it’ll probably make it worse,” he explained.

“Especially when she has Megan in her ear spreading lies,” Tony added.

“I still can’t believe that Megan stooped so low yesterday. It made me so angry when I had found out what she had done. I’m still angry,” Jack exclaimed.

“She's evil,” Lucas pointed out.

Tony laughed. “Now, I don’t know about the two of you, but I’m starving. Let’s order,” he suggested.

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Martha had just finished a shift at Noah’s. It was only for a few hours; but even then she had to beg her grandad to let her do it. He didn’t think she was ready to go back to work. He didn’t want her over doing it. He thought that she should have been at home resting.

But Martha felt fine. She wasn’t having any trouble with the baby anymore; so she was adamant that she was ready to go back. Besides, Macca was there a lot. He was even doing a few shifts at Noah’s; so that he could pick up a bit of extra cash while he was in town.

Martha was thankful that he was still in the Bay. Even though she kept telling everyone she was fine, she still had moments where she would think about her dad and feel sad. And it was at those moments that she really needed Macca. So having him around was great. He was also really enjoying Summer Bay, so she didn’t think that he was ready to go back to the farm anyway.

“Hey Martha,” a voice interrupted her from her thoughts.

Martha stopped and turned to see who was calling out to her. She smiled when she noticed Sally approaching with Pippa on her hip.

“Hey Sal,” she smiled. “Hey little Pip,” she cooed at the little girl.

“How are you feeling?” Sally asked her.

“I’m okay. I feel really good actually. The baby isn’t giving me any grief at the moment, so that’s good,” Martha replied.

“That’s great. Mr. Stewart told me that you went back to work today,” Sally said.

“Ah yeah. He would only let me work for a few hours though,” Martha groaned.

“He’s just looking out for you. He doesn’t want you to over do it,” Sally pointed out.

“Yeah, there’s that. But there’s also the fact that grandad is totally old fashioned, and he thinks that I should be at home being a good little pregnant girl,” Martha laughed.

“That too,” Sally laughed with her. “Listen, I was just heading to the diner for a drink. Do you want to come,” she asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Martha accepted.

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When Martha walked into the diner, she noticed that Jack was there with Tony and Lucas. She didn’t know why, but she felt weird. After the breakdown that she’d had in front of Jack the day before; she felt like an idiot. Embarrassed even. She felt so vulnerable; and she hated it.

“Martha, are you okay?” Sally’s voice brought her out from her thoughts.

She snapped her gaze onto Sally. “Huh. Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” Martha assured her and then moved towards a table. She looked over towards the boys and gave them a small smile and a wave. They quickly returned the gesture, although Martha knew that Jack’s gaze lingered on her a little longer. Martha snatched up the menu and skimmed over it; debating on what to have to eat.

“I don’t mean to pry or anything, but I heard that Jack had decided to get a paternity test to make sure that Grace was his,” Sally said in a quiet voice.

Martha nodded. “Yeah, he actually took her in this morning. The results probably won’t be back for a week,” she told Sally.

“I’m surprised that Jack didn’t have it done sooner,” Sally said.

“I guess he just took her word for it,” Martha shrugged. “But he also seems to think that she wouldn’t lie about something like that,” she sighed.

“Well, you’ll know the truth soon enough. For your sake, I hope things turn out the way you want,” Sally smiled lightly.

“Me too,” Martha sighed.

“Sorry about the wait girlies,” Irene rushed up to them with her order pad. “What can I get ya’s?” she asked them.

“I’ve already had lunch, so I’ll just get a coffee. And Pippa will have an apple juice thanks,” Sally told Irene.

“And what about you love?” Irene then asked Martha.

“Um, I’ll have a chicken and salad sandwich, and a banana milkshake,” Martha replied. “Actually, make that a thick shake with extra ice cream, please,” she said.

“No worries, it shouldn’t be long,” Irene told them and started to walk off.

“Oh, can you add a raspberry muffin to that,” Martha called out.

Irene and turned around and smiled. “It’s good to see that you have a good appetite. That bub must be a hungry one,” she laughed.

“It’s a Holden, and Holden’s love food,” Tony called out.

“He’s telling the truth,” Martha laughed. “If you ever want to know what it looks like when a pig eats; just go to their place for dinner,” she teased.

“Piggies,” Pippa giggled as she pointed at them.

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[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

A FEW DAYS LATER

Martha was sitting on the couch eating a bowl of ice cream while watching a game of footy. She was soon interrupted by a knock at the door. She sat up quickly and walked to the door. She was quite shocked when she opened the door and found Megan standing there with a stupid smile on her face.

“What do you want?” Martha asked her.

“I was just passing by and thought that I might pop in and say hi,” Megan pushed past Martha and walked into the apartment. “Okay, so that’s a lie,” she then laughed.

“What do you want?” Martha asked again; starting to get impatient.

“I know that you convinced Jack to get that stupid paternity test done. And I just wanted to let you know that it was all for nothing,” Megan started. “Jack is Grace’s father; so I’m not worried. When that test comes back, it’s going to state that Jack is her father. And you’re just going to have to deal with it,” she smirked.

Martha rolled her eyes. “Is that all? Because if you’re done; then you can go,” she pointed to the door.

“No, that’s not all,” Megan laughed. “You need to know that I’m not going to give up on Jack. I’m going to make sure that the two of you never get back together. Jack belongs with me, and one day he is going to realise that. He’s going to realise that you’re not so great after all, and I’m going to be waiting with open arms,” she continued.

“You are seriously deluded,” Martha glared at her. “You come into my home and start ranting about crap. Because that’s just what it is; it’s crap. You’d have to be nuts if you think that Jack will be with you one day. He never will,” she exclaimed.

“I’ll make your life hell. I’m going to be there everyday ruining every happy moment that you and Jack have together, and every happy moment you have with your child. And I will keep going until I have what I want; and don’t worry that day will come,” Megan told Martha.

“Get out,” Martha demanded. She wanted Megan out of her face right now. The girl was making her sick to the stomach.

“What’s going on here?” a voice asked form the door. Martha looked up and saw Macca standing in the doorway.

“Bug, is everything okay?” he asked as he walked towards Martha.

“Yeah, Megan and I were just talking,” Martha told him.

“Right,” Macca said, and quickly averted his gaze to Megan. “I think you should go now,” he ordered. He didn’t like that girl one bit. She was bad news.

“Don’t worry, I was just leaving,” Megan put on a sickly sweet smile. “Remember what I just said Martha,” she added as she walked out.

Once she was gone Macca turned his attention make onto Martha. “What was that about? Are you okay?” he wanted to know.

Martha sighed. “Yes Macca, I’m fine. She was just being her usual self,” she replied. She then walked back over to the couch and continued eating her ice cream.

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Jack made his way up the steps to Martha’s apartment. When he got to the top, he noticed that the door was open. When he reached it he was horrified to see Martha standing up on a kitchen chair; wiping the top shelf of the kitchen cupboard.

“Hey,” she said when she saw him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Jack yelled at her. “Get down right now,” he demanded as he strode over to her. He reached a hand up and grabbed onto hers; helping her back down onto the floor.

“What’s wrong?” she snapped at him.

“Are you stupid?” he snapped back at her. “What if you had fallen off? You could have hurt the baby, or yourself,” Jack continued.

“I wasn’t going to fall. I was fine,” Martha told him.

“Don’t ever do it again,” Jack ordered. “Geez Martha, you need to think before you go and do something like that. You need to think about the baby’s safety,” he said seriously.

“Stop yelling at me,” Martha glared at him.

Jack sighed. “I’m just telling you to use a little common sense,” he said.

“If you’re here to yell and ridicule me, then you can take a hike,” Martha snapped. “Besides, it’s my friggin baby; so I’ll do what I want,” she continued.

“It’s my baby too,” Jack pointed out. “Now I’m here to talk about Megan,” he told Martha.

“Yippee, my favorite subject,” Martha said sarcastically.

“I just saw Macca downstairs, and he told me that Megan was here earlier, and that the two of you were fighting. What was going on?” Jack asked.

“It was just Megan being her typical self, that’s it. It was nothing important,” Martha answered as she sat down at the dining table.

Jack sat down opposite her. “If she said anything to upset you; I want to know,” he said.

“I can handle it Jack, so stop worrying about it,” Martha insisted.

“Fine,” Jack was defeated. She wasn’t going to tell him. “Actually, there is something else,” he added.

“What is it?” Martha asked.

“I got a call from the hospital. The test results will be in tomorrow. I’m going in mid morning to get them,” Jack replied.

“Okay,” Martha said softly. She then jumped up quickly. “Are you hungry? Coz I’m starving. Do you want something?” she asked him; attempting to change the subject. She didn’t want to talk about paternity tests.

Jack stood up quickly and walked towards her. He grabbed her hand. “Hey, it’s okay to be worried about what the results tell us. I am,” he said truthfully. “I just want it to be you, me and our baby. I don’t want anybody else in our life,” he told her.

Martha snatched her hand away. “I’m not worried. And stop talking as though we’re together; because we’re not,” she snapped.

Jack groaned. And so the wall returns, he thought to himself.

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Martha was at Noah’s working a night shift. It was the first night shift that she had done since she returned to work a few days ago. And Alf had only agreed to it because Macca was also working the night shift. Tasha and Robbie had even come in for a few drinks.

“How far exactly are you into the pregnancy?” Robbie asked as Martha poured him another beer.

“Twenty-three weeks. Which is five months and three weeks,” Martha replied.

“Wow, it’s going so fast,” Robbie exclaimed.

“The quicker this kid comes out the better,” Martha laughed. “Sleeping with this stomach is really starting to get uncomfortable. I either have to sleep on my back, or on my side. And not to mention the fact that my bed is horrible. I really should look into getting something more comfortable,” she told them.

“Well, I remember that you always used to say how comfortable Jack’s bed was. So maybe you should just go and sleep in his bed,” Tasha teased.

“Ha ha, very funny,” Martha said sarcastically.

“Okay, I don’t need to hear about my sisters sleeping arrangements. Especially when it involves a guy,” Macca whined. “That’s my queue to go and clean some tables,” he laughed as he walked off. Tasha and Robbie laughed at him as he walked off shaking his head.

Martha was just about to wipe down the counter when a woman approached the bar. “Can I just get a glass of white wine please?” the women asked nicely.

As Martha poured the drink, she looked at the women intently. Martha swore that she had seen her somewhere before. She seemed very familiar. And then suddenly it clicked.

“You’re Megan’s mum, aren’t you?” Martha asked.

The women looked at her and smiled. “Yes, I’m Leanne. I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’ve met before,” she said to Martha.

Martha shook her head. “No, we haven’t met. I saw you on the beach a couple months back when Megan and Grace first arrived,” she told Leanne.

“You know, now that you mention it, I do recall seeing a girl who looked like you talking to Megan on the beach one day. What is your name?” Leanne then asked.

Martha laughed. “Oh, sorry, I’m Martha. I’m sure that Megan has mentioned me a few times,” she said.

Leanne shook her head. “No, I don’t think Megan has ever mentioned a Martha to me before,” she insisted.

Martha was surprised. Surely Megan would have told her own Mother about her.

“That’s weird,” Martha said. “I thought for sure that she would have mentioned me”.

“Why do you say that?” Leanne was confused.

Martha smiled lightly. She didn’t want to go bagging out Megan to her mother. “It’s just Megan and I don’t get on very well. But I’m guessing that it’s because of Jack,” Martha told her.

“Jack Holden? How do you know Jack?” Leanne asked.

Martha laughed. Was this woman serious? How could she be that much in the dark? “Well as you can see I’m pregnant. And Jack is the father,” she said.

Leanne couldn’t help but look horrified. “Are you Jack’s girlfriend?” she asked.

“Um, not at the moment. We were together when Megan first arrived, but we aren’t at the moment. But we’re thinking about getting back together soon,” Martha explained.

“And you’re having a baby?” Leanne gasped.

“Yeah, that’s what I just said,” Martha exclaimed. Okay, this was weird, she thought. She looked at Robbie and Tasha and she knew that they were thinking the same.

Leanne suddenly shot up from her seat really quick. “I’m sorry, but I have to go,” she blurted out. And before Martha could stop her; she was gone.

“That was weird,” Martha, Robbie and Tasha all said at the same time.

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Leanne ran from the bar, and out into the cool night air. She was in shock. Why didn’t Megan tell her that Jack was having a baby with another woman?

Leanne pulled her mobile phone from her bag, and quickly dialed the number that she never thought she’d ring. She had to do this. It had to end.

“Hello,” and angry voice answered the other end.

“Bryan, it’s Leanne,” she said.

“Where the hell are you? And where is Megan?” he demanded.

“We are in a little town called Summer Bay. It a few hours drive from the city,” Leanne started. “Be here in the morning. When you arrive, call me and we will meet up somewhere,” she told him.

“Why are you doing this now? Why are you turning against your own daughter?” Bryan asked her.

“Because a new piece of information has come up, and all this needs to come to an end before somebody’s life is ruined,” Leanne sighed. She then hung up the phone and raced off towards her car.

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[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Jack sat in the small white room, with Megan sitting in the chair beside him; holding Grace in her lap. This was it; the moment that he would find out for sure if Grace was his daughter or not. And there was only one outcome that he wanted to hear; that Grace wasn’t his. He knew that it sounded mean, but he didn’t care anymore. He didn’t want Grace to be his daughter, and he wanted Megan to leave Summer Bay. He wanted to be happy; happy with Martha.

Jack looked at Megan and noticed that she had a smile on her face. She seemed so sure of herself, and she kept saying over and over that this was a waste of time, because she knew without a doubt that he was Grace’s father.

“You seem nervous,” Megan exclaimed.

“That’s because I am,” Jack told her.

“Are you worried that she’s not yours? Because don’t worry; she is,” Megan smiled at him.

Jack couldn’t help but laugh sarcastically. “Actually I’m worried that she is mine,” he stated. There was no point in lying.

Megan had a hurt look on her face, but Jack didn’t care. She’d pissed him off one too many times, and he’d had enough of her tricks and lies. He just wanted her out of his life.

“Well, I’m sorry that you feel that way Jack. But Grace is yours, so you’re going to have to get used to it,” Megan said.

Jack went to retort, but stopped when the Doctor walked in.

“Sorry about the wait guys. I know you must be a little nervous, so let’s get this over with, shall we?” the Doctor sat down and smiled at them.

Jack just nodded. The Doctor picked up the yellow folder and opened it. She pulled out a piece of white paper, and skimmed her eyes across it.

“Okay, so according to the results, Jack, you are definitely Grace’s father,” she told them.

Jack was rooted to the spot. He had been expecting this; but it still sucked to hear it confirmed. All he could think about now was Martha, and how he was going to break the news to her. She had told him that she didn’t care, but Jack knew she did.

“See, I told you I wasn’t lying,” Megan exclaimed.

Jack didn’t look up at her; he couldn’t. He couldn’t even say anything.

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Martha was sitting at the diner with Alf and Macca. She kept checking her watch; she knew that by now Jack would have received the paternity results. She was scared. Not that she would ever admit that.

Martha stood up; taking one last sip of her juice. “I’m just going to go for a walk,” she told her grandad and Macca.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Macca asked.

Martha shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I’d like to be by myself,” she answered.

She smiled at them and walked out. Martha started walking towards the beach, when from the corner of her eye, she spotted Leanne. She was standing with a younger man and they seemed to be in a deep conversation. Martha was still intrigued about the way Leanne had acted the night before at Noah’s. She had been thinking about it quite a lot. She decided that maybe she should just ask her about it, so she turned around and walked towards her.

“Leanne,” she called as she approached them.

“Martha,” Leanne looked up. But then she smiled and started walking towards Martha with the guy following close behind. “I was just about to go looking for you,” Leanne said.

“Really?” Martha was surprised.

“Yes,” Leanne insisted. “I need to speak to you about something very important,” she said.

“Has this got anything to do with the way you acted last night?” Martha asked her.

“Yes, it has,” Leanne nodded. “Look, Megan never told me that Jack had another women in his life; least of all a women who was pregnant with his child. When you told me that, I was shocked. Listen, do you mind if we go somewhere a little more private? I don’t want Megan to see us,” she continued.

“Um, sure,” Martha agreed. She then turned her gaze to the guy standing next to Leanne.

“Oh, I’m sorry. This is Bryan,” Leanne introduced her.

Martha smiled lightly and shook his hand. “Why don’t we go to my place? I live in the apartment above the diner, so we can go there and talk,” Martha offered.

Martha started to lead the way. She was wondering about what she was about to hear. Would it be good? Or bad? And who was it about? And most important; who was Bryan?

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“How are you feeling?” Tony asked Jack.

“I don’t know,” Jack shrugged. “I’m not happy or excited that’s for sure,” he said.

After they left the hospital Jack had decided to go straight home and tell his dad the news. Megan had decided to tag along aswell. She wanted to be there when Jack told his family. He called Tony, and he had come over straight away with Beth, Matilda and Lucas. He looked into the lounge room where Beth and Matilda were now talking with Megan. Grace was asleep in Jack’s room.

“This really sucks,” Lucas hissed.

“I know,” Jack agreed. “God, I sound like such a jerk. That poor kid in there hasn’t even done anything wrong, and here I am wishing that she wasn’t mine,” he added.

“You can’t help the way you feel mate,” Tony started. “I know that you’re worried about Martha and the baby, but just because you have Grace doesn’t mean that they are going to suffer. Martha is a caring person, and she’ll understand. And from what I’ve seen she’s been great with Grace,” he finished.

“Does Martha know yet?” Lucas asked.

Jack shook his head. “I was going to call her before, but I think I’ll wait until I can be alone with her,” he answered.

Once he’d finished Megan came walking up to them. “Look, I know things haven’t gotten off to a great start, and I know that it’s because of the tension between Martha and myself. But I’d really like to put it all behind us, you know? I just want Grace to be happy,” she said to them.

“We’ll do everything to make sure that Grace feels welcome. She’s our family now, and once Martha has her baby, we’ll all be one big happy family,” Tony exclaimed.

Family; maybe. But happy; no way, Jack thought himself.

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Martha was quiet. Actually she had been pretty quiet through the whole explanation. She was shocked, disgusted, and angry. She didn’t think she’d ever felt so angry in her life.

She then looked up at Leanne. “I can’t believe that you went along with this for so long. But I’m glad that you’re finally putting an end to it,” Martha said.

“I know, and I’m sorry,” Leanne apologised.

Martha then turned her attention towards Bryan. He too had been a victim in all this. “I feel really sorry for you. She must have put you through so much. But it can all end now,” Martha said to Bryan as she stood up.

“What do we do now?” Bryan asked.

Martha smiled. “It’s time to go and get what’s rightfully yours,” she told him.

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NEXT CHAPTER: Truths and lies are finally revealed as everything comes crashing down.

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[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Jack stood in the doorway of his bedroom; looking at Grace who was still asleep on his bed. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see who it was. It was Megan. He moved quickly away from her touch.

“What?” Jack asked her.

“Please don’t be like this Jack. I know that if we just try, we could be happy together,” Megan answered.

“Why can’t you just understand that I don’t want to be with you? I mean, why would I want to be with you? You’ve ruined everything that I had with Martha,” Jack sighed.

“One day you will realise that Martha isn’t the one for you, and you will thank me for it. You and I should be together, and right now I’m just trying to help you understand that,” Megan explained.

Jack looked at her in disbelief, and he shook his head and walked back out into the lounge room where everybody was still standing.

Jack was just about to speak to his dad when he saw Martha standing at the front door. And Jack couldn’t help but notice that she had a strange look on her face. The front door was already open, so she walked straight in.

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“Martha, hey,” Jack said to her. But Martha ignored him and walked straight up to Megan.

“You actually thought you were going to get away with it, didn’t you?” Martha spat out.

“Excuse me,” Megan exclaimed.

Martha felt something overcome her, and before she even knew what she was doing, her hand was swinging threw the air; her palm connecting with Megan’s cheek. Megan flinched back in shock, and moved her own hand up to rub her cheek.

“Nice work,” Lucas couldn’t help but put his two cents worth in.

Martha looked around the room; Beth, Matilda and Tony were looking at her in shock. Lucas was giving her thumbs up.

Martha,” Jack scolded. “What the hell did you do that for?” he snapped at her. He couldn’t believe that Martha had just slapped Megan, and for no apparent reason. He was shocked.

“Believe me,” Martha said to Jack. “Once you hear what I have to say; you’ll be the one wanting to hit her,” she shot out.

“You’re nuts. What is it that I’ve supposed to have done?” Megan cried.

Martha laughed in her face. “I had the most amazing conversation with your mother this morning, and guess what she told me?” she started. “You know what? Why don’t we invite her in; she’s standing out on the front porch right now,” Martha smirked.

Martha turned her face towards the door, and smiled when Leanne walked in. Martha noticed the look on Megan’s face. She went as white as a ghost.

“Mum. What have you done?” Megan cried.

“I’m sorry sweetheart, but I can’t do this anymore,” Leanne said to Megan.

“What’s going on?” both Jack and Tony asked at the same time.

Leanne smiled lightly and walked up to Jack. “I’m so sorry,” she said to him. “If I had of known that you were in love with another girl, and that you were having a baby with her, then I would never have agreed to go along with this,” Leanne added.

Jack was confused. “What are you talking about?” he asked.

“Mum, stop this right now,” Megan ordered.

“No, its over,” Leanne exclaimed.

Martha was just about to walk to the door to grab Bryan, when she noticed Grace walk into the room; wiping her eyes sleepily. Martha walked over to her, and bent down so that she could look at her.

“Guess what sweetie? You’re daddy is here to see you,” Martha said softly.

“Get away from my daughter,” Megan screeched at Martha.

Just at that moment Bryan came striding into the house. “Gracie,” he called. Grace turned to look at the man, and she started jumping up in excitement. “Daddy,” she squealed over and over. Bryan waltzed across the room and scooped the small child into his arms. “Hey baby, daddy has missed you,” he said softly.

“Will somebody please explain what the hell is going on?” Jack roared. “And Bryan, what are you doing here?”

Martha groaned in frustration. “I thought it had been made pretty obvious; Grace isn’t yours Jack. Megan lied to you. Bryan is her father,” she told him.

“What?” Jack was even more confused. “But what about the test? It said that I was her father,” he pointed out.

“Megan made a special friend at the lab, if you know what I mean?” Martha spat out.

Jack turned his gaze onto Megan. “You got the test results changed? Why? How could you do that?” he glared.

“It was the only way that I would ever get a chance with you,” Megan cried. “Does it really matter if she isn’t yours? We can still be together,” she smiled at him hopefully and reached out to touch him.

“Don’t touch me. Get away from me,” Jack shot out.

“Megan, stop this right now. Jack does not love you, he loves somebody else. And they are having a baby, so you need to leave them alone,” Leanne spoke up again.

“Will you shut up,” Megan snapped at her. “This is your entire fault. You had to go and open your great trap to Martha. I’m your daughter; doesn’t that mean anything to you? You are supposed to help me, not her. God, when is everyone going to realise that Martha isn’t meant to be with Jack,” she yelled out.

Martha moved towards Megan, and smiled. “And when are you going to realise that you’re nuts? You need some serious professional help,” she said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a job that I have to get to. Have a nice life,” Martha finished and turned to walk away.

“Um, Lucas and Matilda, why don’t we go home aswell,” Beth suggested and quickly ushered them out of the house. Tony decided that he was going to stay.

Martha stopped and smiled at Bryan. “It was very nice to meet you. And I’m so glad that you got Grace back,” she said.

Martha then turned and looked at Jack. Even though this was all over now; they still had a lot to work through. “See you all later,” she called and walked out.

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Jack stood on the spot speechless; watching as Martha left the house. Right now the only thing going through his head was that Grace wasn’t his, and that Megan had lied.

“So, who wants to start explaining?” Tony asked as he looked around the room.

Megan slumped down onto the couch sobbing, but Jack felt absolutely no remorse for her. She deserved everything she got. She’d just about ruined his life, and he was never going to forgive her for that.

“What I want to know is how this all began. Why did Megan come here trying to pass Grace off as mine?” Jack asked. He looked at Bryan; hoping to get some answers from him. He couldn’t believe that Bryan was Grace’s father. Bryan had actually been one of Jack’s best friends at school.

Bryan moved towards a chair, and sat down; still holding Grace tightly in his arms. “First off I just want to say that it really sucks that you and I had to meet up again like this,” Bryan exclaimed.

Jack nodded. “Yeah, I know”.

“Okay, so you remember that massive party we had just before you left?” Bryan asked.

“Yeah, that was the night that I spent with Megan,” Jack said.

“Actually, you never slept with her. You may have woken up in the same bed as her, but you never touched her. She just said that you did. And you had been so drunk that you couldn’t even remember anything. Megan used that to her advantage and made you think you slept with her. I was actually the one who slept with her that night,” Bryan explained.

Jack shook his head in shock. But he was so glad now that he knew he had never spent the night with Megan.

“Anyway, Megan and I were together for a while after Grace was born, but then she started to get really clingy and was whinging all the time, so I broke up with her,” Bryan continued.

“You’re an arrogant jerk,” Megan finally spoke up.

Bryan just ignored her and continued with his explanation. “Six months ago I started dating another girl named Lisa. She’s great, but Megan completely flipped when she found out I was seeing somebody else already. And then I asked Lisa to marry me, and that just sent Megan over the edge,” he kept on; ignoring the dirty looks that Megan was sending in his direction. “So, she decided to punish me. She took Grace away from me, and today is the first time I have seen her in three months. I only just found out last night that Megan was here with her, and that she was trying pass Grace off as yours,” Bryan finished.

Jack turned his attention onto Megan. “How could you? You tried to ruin my life. You kept me away from Martha, and not to mention you took an innocent child away from its father,” he said to her. “I want you to get out of my house right now. I want you to pack your bags, and get out of Summer Bay. I never want to see you again. Do you hear me?” Jack told.

Megan looked at him with hurt in her eyes. “You don’t mean that Jack. I know you have feelings for me,” she cried.

“No, I don’t. Get it through your thick head,” Jack snapped at her.

“Come on Megan,” Leanne pulled her up. “I think it’s time to go now. We have a lot of packing to do,” she added.

“Fine,” Megan shot out. She then walked over to Bryan and held out her arms; she wanted Grace.

“Grace is staying with me,” Bryan told her. “I suggest that when you get back to the city you get a good Lawyer. Because there is no way that I am handing Grace over without a fight,” he exclaimed.

“Come on. Let Grace stay with Bryan for now,” Leanne started walking Megan towards the door. When she reached it Megan turned around and looked at Jack one last time.

Jack just glared at her. “Go,” he demanded.

Megan glared back at all of them. “I’m never going to forgive any of you for this. Just remember that,” she spat out. She then turned and walked away.

“So, boys, how about a coffee?” Tony sat up. He had been quiet throughout the entire conversation. “You two haven’t seen each other in a couple years, so I think it’s time for a catch up,” he smiled.

“Sounds good,” Bryan exclaimed.

Jack felt different. He was calm and happy, for the first time in a good while. Finally it was time for everything to go back to normal. Just the way it was supposed to be.

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[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

The next couple of chapters are going to be pretty quiet. There won’t be much going on. But it will pick up again soon.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

THE NEXT DAY

“I can not believe that we missed out on all the good stuff,” Kim exclaimed.

Jack had just finished explaining to Kim and Kit, the events of the day before. They had been away camping and had only just got home, so they didn’t have a clue about what had been going on.

“Good stuff,” Jack laughed. “How is it good stuff?” he asked.

“Hello, we missed out on seeing Martha bitch slap that cow,” Kit smiled. “I would have paid money to see that, and that’s why it’s good stuff,” she added.

Jack just shook his head at them and laughed. “If you say so,” he exclaimed.

“So, I bet you’re glad that it’s all over now. You and Martha can finally move on with your lives,” Kim said.

Jack sighed. “Things are still a little frosty between me and Martha. Something tells me that life will not be going back to normal just yet. We still have a lot of stuff to work through,” he explained.

“Now that Megan’s gone, it might be a bit easier. You can’t blame Martha for being skeptical about things, especially when she had a whack job in her ear making up lies every five minutes,” Kit started. “Adding that to all the other bad stuff that’s happened in Martha’s life these last few weeks; it’s gotta take it’s toll on her. No one should expect her to just get over it and be fine. These things take time,” she continued.

“Yeah I know,” Jack exclaimed.

“Good. Just don’t push her okay? Take it slow. She’s in a delicate position, and she doesn’t need somebody harassing her about being in a relationship. She’ll come back to you when she’s ready,” Kit pointed out.

Jack just nodded. He knew Kit was right.

“Since when do you know everything about Martha?” Kim laughed. “You seem to know an awful lot”.

“I take the time to listen to what she’s actually saying. Everybody else just seems to pick at her and her faults,” Kit began. “Whereas, I listen and don’t judge her. Do you really think she wants to talk to someone who’s going to judge her all the time? No, she doesn’t,” she finished.

“Well excuse the rest of us for speaking, Dr Phil,” Kim exclaimed. “Not everyone can be as sensitive as you,” he said.

“Sensitive? Never,” Kit laughed. “Kimmy, you of all people should know that I am not a sensitive person”.

“Oh, how could I forget? You dumped me for Paris, now I remember,” Kim huffed.

“I’m gonna go for a surf. I’ll seeya later,” Jack laughed as he stood up and headed for the door. He wasn’t particularly interested in watching those two flirt.

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“Have you spoken to Jack since yesterday?” Tasha asked. Martha had decided to meet up with Robbie and Tasha for lunch at the diner.

Martha sipped at her juice and shook her head. “Nope. I thought I should probably just give him some space. You know, so he can get his head around things,” she answered.

“I think Jack will be fine,” Robbie exclaimed. “I think it was pretty obvious from the start that Jack was having trouble accepting Grace. I don’t think he would have had trouble letting her go,” he added.

Martha shrugged. “I guess,” she said.

“So, you slapped her huh?” Robbie grinned.

“Yeah, and it felt amazing,” Martha stated. “Lucas was giving me thumbs up after I did it. But Jack; he actually snapped at me,” she told them.

“Really? He actually stuck up for her?” Tasha was surprised.

“Yeah,” Martha nodded. “I was quite surprised that he did. Of course at that point he still didn’t know about Megan’s lies. But I seriously didn’t think he’d have a go at me. After everything she’s done; she deserved it,” she exclaimed.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about her anymore, because she’s gone. And you can finally move on,” Robbie pointed out.

“I don’t know about that,” Martha muttered.

“Things are still a bit weird between you and Jack, hey?” Tasha guessed.

“I don’t know what’s going on anymore. Every time he’s around me, I find myself getting angry at him. More than half of the time he hasn’t even done anything wrong. I know I shouldn’t have done it, but every time Megan pissed me off, I think I’d take it out on Jack instead,” Martha explained.

“Megan’s not here anymore, so I’m sure everything will be fine now,” Tasha assured Martha.

“So how much longer are you actually going to make the poor bloke wait?” Robbie teased.

“Huh?” Martha looked at him.

“Jack? When are you going to get back together with him? It looks to me that you’re the one who’s halting the inevitable,” Robbie said.

“I don’t know Rob,” Martha started to get frustrated. “I don’t think I’m ready yet,” she said softly.

Robbie and Tasha just looked at each other and shrugged. A few moments later Martha spotted Jack walking towards them.

“Hey,” he smiled when he reached them. “Um, do you want to go for a walk?” he then asked Martha.

“Sure,” Martha nodded.

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Martha and Jack walked in silence for a while; neither of them really knew what to say. Martha was the one who eventually broke the uncomfortable silence.

“So, how did it go after I left yesterday?” she asked.

“Bryan basically just told me the story right from the beginning. Megan cried a bit, and then I told her to leave,” Jack answered.

“She’s definitely gone then?” Martha wanted to know.

“Yep, thank god,” Jack exclaimed.

‘My words exactly,” Martha muttered. “You know, when Leanne and Bryan told me everything, I was so shocked. It disgusted me. It really sucks; what she did,” she said to Jack.

“Yeah, it does,” Jack agreed.

“Listen, there is something else you should know,” Martha then said.

Jack stopped and turned to face her. “What is it?” he asked.

“Remember the day we first broke up?” Martha sighed.

“How could I forget? It was a horrible day,” Jack replied.

“Yeah, it was,” Martha agreed with him. “Well earlier that day, while you were at your meeting, I saw Megan down at the beach. She told me that she wanted to be with you, and that she wanted you to be a family with her and Grace. And she said that she knew that it would never happen if I kept hanging around,” Martha began.

“Why do I have a feeling that I’m not going to like this?” Jack asked.

“Because you probably won’t,” Martha exclaimed. “Anyway, she told me that if I didn’t break up with you; she would make you choose between me and Grace,” she told him.

“What?” Jack looked at her in disbelief. “And you did what she told you to do?”

Martha nodded. “I didn’t want to. But I wasn’t going to let her put you through something like that. I wasn’t going to let her make you choose which one of us you loved more,” she said.

“I would have picked you,” Jack told her honestly.

“I know. And that’s why I done what she told me to do. There was no way that I was going to let you pick me over your own daughter,” Martha explained.

“God, she isn’t even here anymore and she’s still making me angry,” Jack groaned.

“Yeah, well we don’t have to worry about it anymore because she’s gone and it’s all over,” Martha said.

“It doesn’t change things between us though, does it? Jack started. “I know that we still have things to get through. I just hope that with Megan now gone, we can get through them quicker,” he said.

“Me too,” Martha nodded.

“I really want us to be back together by the time the baby comes,” Jack said.

“So do I. But I just need some more time,” Martha told him.

“I know. And I’m not going to push you,” Jack assured her.

Martha smiled her thanks and then couldn’t help but let out a yawn.

“It’s the middle of the day, and you’re tired?” Jack laughed.

Martha nodded. “I didn’t get much sleep last night,” she admitted. “But there’s also the fact that I’m carrying another human being around inside me. I’d like to see you do it all day without getting tired,” she huffed.

“Alright, alright,” Jack smiled. “I’ll walk you home and you can get some rest. I actually have to go to work soon anyway,” he told Martha.

Martha smiled at him again, and then turned; leading the way back to the diner.

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[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

A FEW DAYS LATER

Jack let out a sigh of relief. He had just finished his last bit of paperwork, and now he could finally go home. He’d worked an all-nighter and he was worn out. All he wanted to do now was go home and get some sleep. He stood up and let out a loud yawn.

Lara, who was standing at the counter, laughed at him. “You think you’re tired now? Just wait until the baby comes,” she teased.

“Don’t remind me,” Jack groaned at her. “I probably won’t get any sleep at all”.

“How is Martha? How far along is she now?” Lara asked.

“She’s six months in,” Jack exclaimed. “She’s doing okay, but it’s really starting to get to her now. She told me that she’s been having trouble sleeping, and she’s been starting to get some really bad back aches,” he told Lara.

“Hmmm, well it all comes with the joys of pregnancy I guess,” Lara started. “But just think; it will be all worth it when the baby eventually arrives”.

“Yeah, I know,” Jack smiled. “Well, I’m off. I need some sleep,” he picked up his jacket.

“Ah, not so fast Holden,” McGrath walked from his office.

“What is it?” Jack groaned.

“I’ve just got off the phone with the head office in the city, and you, Rice, Manning and Smith all have to head up there this afternoon for a meeting,” McGrath explained.

“What? Why me?” Jack whined.

“Because you and the three other blokes are the only members who haven’t been yet,” McGrath started. “And it’s extremely important. It’s not a request, it’s an order. So you need to get home and back your bag; you need to be there by this afternoon,” he finished.

“Just great,” Jack said sarcastically. “How long does this stupid thing go for?” he wanted to know.

“A week,” McGrath replied.

Jack groaned again. “A week?” he wanted to make sure he heard correct.

“Yes Holden, a week,” McGrath sighed. “Like I said, this is an important meeting. It also includes tests, and they’ll probably get you to do a few shifts at the office in the city. You don’t have to worry about accommodation; it’s already been organized. Now, like I suggested before; get yourself home and pack your bag,” he continued before walking back into his office and closing the door.

“This sucks,” Jack sighed.

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Martha and Macca were both up early that morning. They had offered to open up Noah’s for the early morning rush.

"Mmmm, yummy,” Martha gulped down a freshly made smoothie.

“Hey, we’re supposed to be selling the products; not drinking them ourselves,” Macca laughed. “How can we make a profit when little Miss Piggy is gorging all the food and drink?” he teased.

“Shut up,” Martha laughed and pushed him. “I needed a little pick me up. I had a crappy night,” she told him.

“That makes two of us,” a voice moaned as they walked up to the counter. It was Jack.

“You do look like crap,” Macca pointed out.

“Yeah, I started at five pm last night, and I just finished like 20 minutes ago,” Jack exclaimed.

“What are you doing here then? Why don’t you go home and sleep,” Martha suggested.

“I wish I could,” Jack sighed. “But the boss has just informed me that I have to go to the city for some stupid week long meeting. I have to be there by this afternoon,” he explained.

“That sucks,” Macca pointed.

“Tell me about it,” Jack groaned again. He then looked at Martha. “Will you be okay while I’m gone? You’re not going to go into an early labor or anything are you?” he joked.

“No, I’ll be fine,” Martha smiled.

“If anything happens, make sure somebody calls me straight away,” Jack said seriously.

“Don’t worry, we will,” Macca promised. “Now, I’m going into the storeroom. I need to get some more strawberries because greedy guts just ate them all,” he smiled knowingly at Martha as he walked away.

“You know, I could totally give him the sack if I wanted to,” Martha laughed.

Jack smiled at her. “Are you sure that you’re not going to get yourself into any trouble while I’m away?” he asked again as he picked up her hand.

Martha sighed. “I told you that I’ll be fine,” she told him.

“Ok, well I guess I had better go then,” Jack exclaimed.

“I’ll see you when you get back,” Martha smiled.

“Yep,” Jack replied. Then he quickly leant down and gave Martha a soft kiss on the cheek before walking out.

Martha grinned. That felt nice, she thought to herself.

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“Are you still coming for dinner tonight?” Lucas asked Martha as he sat down at the kitchen table.

“Yeah, of course. Your dad’s cooking, and I’ll eat anything he makes,” Martha smiled.

“I told him to make extra, because I know that you’re eating like a horse at the moment,” Lucas joked.

“Hey,” Martha pretended to take offense. “Maybe if the kid wasn’t such as pig like its father, uncle and grandfather, I wouldn’t eat as much,” she laughed.

“You’re starting to get quite big now,” Lucas pointed out.

“Don’t I know it,” Martha huffed.

“Jack still thinks you’re sexy,” Lucas said.

“Really? And how do you know that?” Martha asked.

“Because I overheard him telling dad,” Lucas answered. “And he’s right; you look great,” he added.

“Thanks Luc,” Martha smiled at him. He really was a great kid. “But this gut is nowhere near finished growing yet. By the time it’s done, I’m going to look like a heffa,” she told him.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Lucas teased.

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[bay girl]

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CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

Now that Beth and Tony were living together, they had decided to start a new family tradition; a family dinner at least once every one or two weeks. They’d asked Martha to join them, Robbie and Tasha were also there, and Kit had brought Kim. Jack was also supposed to be there, but couldn’t because he had left for the city the day before.

“I like it when you feed me,” Kim said out loud; when Kit moved a spoonful of chocolate mud cake up to his lips.

Martha looked up and laughed at them; she thought that they were cute together.

“Maybe I should save some for later,” Kit smiled flirtatiously at Kim.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Matilda groaned. “I’m trying to eat here, and you two are turning me off my food,” she whined.

“Yeah, come on guys. Princess Matilda has given an order; you must obey,” Robbie laughed sarcastically as he lifted his plate to his mouth and licked the remaining chocolate icing from it.

Matilda looked at him in disgust. “What are you? A pig?” she glared at him.

“You know that I don’t like to waste food,” Robbie shrugged. “Now, come on. Chuck us your plate and I’ll do yours,” he joked.

“Robbie, leave your sister alone,” Beth laughed.

Matilda smiled and poked her tongue out at Robbie, before turning her attention back to Beth. “Now, can you please tell Kimberley and Katherine to stop swapping spit at the dinner table; I’m going to spew,” she whined a bit more.

“Save it for later guys,” Tony grinned at Kim and Kit. “You can do that in your own time”.

“You know,” Lucas piped up. “They’re just as bad as Jack and Martha. Can you imagine what it’s going to be like when they get back together?” he laughed, and smiled cheekily across at Martha.

“God, could my life get any worse,” Matilda groaned.

“Yes, it could. I could always tell you how and where Martha and Jack’s baby was conceived,” Tasha smiled at Matilda.

“Tasha,” Martha screeched. “Don’t you dare,” she warned.

“Don’t worry Mac, I was just kidding,” Tasha giggled. “I wouldn’t dare talk about it in front of the boys; it’s secret girls business,” she exclaimed.

“Good, so you can tell me later then,” Kit ordered with a smile on her face. “I love juicy goss”.

“Well, I for one don’t want to know how or where their baby was conceived. It would be almost as bad as that time I walked in on Tash and Robbie goi……,” Matilda started but was cut off by Beth.

“Okay, I think we’ve heard enough thank you,” Beth said.

“So, who wants to help me with the dishes?” Tony stood up.

“I will,” Martha offered, and followed Tony into the kitchen.

“Maybe you should just sit down and relax,” Tony suggested.

“God, not you too,” Martha groaned. “I already get enough of that from Jack. He seems to think that I’m helpless and can’t do anything for myself. When, in true fact, I could probably still do more than him,” she ranted.

“You know what? Why don’t you help me with the dishes,” Tony admitted defeat before Martha got the chance to start ranting again.

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A WEEK LATER

Martha was on a shift at Noah’s again. But this time she was actually by herself. She’d finally convinced everyone that she would be capable by herself. So Macca and her grandad had decided to go to the diner for lunch. ; leaving her alone.

It wasn’t very busy though. There were only three people in there at the moment; two women sitting in a corner chatting happily, and a young man was sitting by himself. So, at the moment she was just standing at the bar; humming softly to herself.

Martha looked at the clock; it was 1:30 pm. She’d be finishing in half an hour anyway. Jack had also gotten back today. But she hadn’t seen him yet. He’d sent her a text and told her that he had to go to work as soon as he got back. He told her that he’d pop in a bit later for a visit.

Martha was leaning up against the bar when she noticed the guy approaching. “Hey babe,” he said in a sleazy voice.

“Can I get you anything else?” Martha asked him.

“Yeah, I’d like a piece of you thanks,” he smiled suggestively at her.

Martha groaned to herself. She hated serving customers like him. “Sorry, but I’m not for sale,” she told him.

The guy laughed. “Who said anything about buying you? I could just have you for free,” he said.

“Sorry, but I’m not interested,” Martha exclaimed and turned away from him.

“Oh come on,” he insisted as he started to walk around the bar towards her. “It could be fun”.

“I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” Martha turned to face him.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” he smirked when he noticed her baby bump. “I’ve always found pregnant women to extremely attractive,” he said, as he reached out to touch her stomach.

Martha moved away quickly from his touch; she was suddenly feeling a little frightened. She didn’t like the way he was looking at her.

“Come on, I just want to touch it,” he laughed at her.

“Get away from me. Don’t touch me,” Martha snapped at him.

The guy ignored her and moved closer. “So, who’s the daddy?” he sneered as he reached out to touch her again.

“That would be me,” and angry voice snapped. When the guy spun around, Martha took the chance to move away from him. That’s when she noticed Jack. He looked like he was about to flip.

As soon as the guy realised that Jack was a cop; his face went pale. “Um, I was just joking around. I wasn’t going to hurt her; I swear,” he blurted out. “I should probably go,” he said as he tried to walk past Jack.

“I don’t think so,” Jack snapped at him and scruffed him by the shirt; pushing him up against the wall. “You’d better not have touched her. And, if I see you near her again; ill kill you. Got it? Now get out, and don’t come back,” he growled. Jack pulled him from the wall and shoved him away.

Jack spun around and quickly moved towards Martha. “Are you okay?” he cupped her face in his hands. “Did he touch you? Did he hurt you?” he asked.

Martha shook her head. “I’m fine. He just frightened me a bit, that’s all,” she told Jack. “He was trying to touch my stomach and it creeped me out”.

“If you ever see him hanging around again, or if he comes near you, call me straight away. Or call the station,” Jack said and pulled Martha into a hug. “Guys like him are bad news”.

Martha wrapped her arms around Jack’s waist and held him tight. She was so scared a few moments ago, but now, with Jack’s arms around her; she felt safe.

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“That’s it. You’re never going to be left here alone again,” Alf fumed.

“Thank god Jack showed up when he did. Who knows what the guy would have done,” Macca was also angry. “If I ever find out who he was; I’ll beat the crap out of him,” he promised.

“Don’t worry. I don’t think he’ll be coming back anytime soon,” Jack assured Alf and Macca. “He freaked out when he saw that I was a cop”.

Martha sighed. “Can we just stop talking about it? He’s gone, it’s over. End of story,” she exclaimed. They were getting so worked up over it, and it was starting to annoy her. They had flipped out when they got back and found out what had happened.

They’d never leave her alone there now. It would be like having second shadow. Martha sighed again and stood up. “I’m tired. I’m going to go home and have a nap,” she told them.

“I’ll walk you,” Jack offered.

Martha nodded her agreement and said goodbye to Alf and Macca before walking out.

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[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

A WEEK LATER

“Another beer?” Jack asked Tony as he jumped up from the couch and waltzed into the kitchen.

“Thanks mate,” Tony nodded.

It was a Friday night and Tony had come to Jack’s for a few beers and to watch the football. Kim had gone out for dinner with Kit; so it was just the two of them.

“So, you’ve got the whole weekend off work then?” Tony asked.

“Yes, thank god,” Jack let out a sigh of relief. “The last couple of weeks have been really hectic. I’ve had so much paper work, and of course that stupid meeting in the city last week. It’s great that I’ve finally got a few days off,” he said.

“Got anything planned?” Tony questioned.

“Nah,” Jack shook his head. “I think I’m just going to take it easy and relax,” he exclaimed.

“Maybe it would be a good opportunity to spend some time with Martha,” Tony pointed out.

“I don’t know dad,” Jack was reluctant. “I don’t want her to think that I’m suffocating her by hanging around all the time,” he added.

Tony sighed. “Don’t be stupid Jack. The two of you hardly spend time together,” he said. “You’ll never get back together if you keep avoiding each other. The baby will be here in just over three months, so you need to stop messing around and get your acts together,” Tony continued.

“Hey, I’m all for getting back together, but Martha’s not ready and I don’t want to push her,” Jack told his father. “If you have any suggestions; I’m all ears,” he exclaimed.

“Well, do something nice for her. Cheer her up a bit,” Tony started. “She’s been so quiet lately and she always seems sad. It’s obvious that she’s still having trouble coping after the loss of her dad. Why don’t you take her out; take her mind off things,” he suggested.

“Take her where?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know. What about a picnic? The two of you always used to do stuff like that, and I’m guessing you haven’t in a while. I think she’d like it,” Tony told Jack.

“I guess,” Jack sat pondering the idea.

“Go on,” Tony insisted. “She’s working at Noah’s with Beth and Macca tonight. Go and ask her now,” he added.

“I suppose we could go out tomorrow,” Jack stood up from the couch.

“Good idea. Now, get going,” Tony pushed Jack out the door.

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Martha was bored as hell. For a Friday night; it was sure quiet at Noah’s. There were a few older men standing at the bar; drinking some beers, and a group of young men and women standing at the pool table. And Leah and Dan were sitting on the couch talking quietly. Martha leant against the counter next to Macca and let out a loud huff.

“This is crap, I’m bored,” she said out loud.

Beth laughed. “You can go home if you want,” she offered. “Macca and I will be fine here by ourselves,” she said.

“Nah, I’d better not. As soon as I leave, it’ll get busy,” Martha sighed. “I’m going to go and wipe down some tables,” she picked up a cloth and walked away.

She wiped down the tables and picked up some empty glasses, and made her way back to the counter. On her way, she spotted Jack walking in. “Hey,” she smiled at him.

“Hey,” he smiled back.

“What’s up?” Martha asked.

“Nothing. Just thought I’d stop in and say hi,” Jack replied. He paused for a bit, and then started talking again. “Actually, I want to ask you something,” he said.

“Okay, what is it?” Martha wanted to know.

Jack was feeling a bit nervous. Knowing his luck, Martha would get angry and yell at him for even suggesting it. But he was here now, so he may aswell just ask.

“Um, well, I’m not working this weekend,” he started. “And I was wondering if you maybe wanted to do something tomorrow. I know that I said I wouldn’t push you into getting back together or whatever, but I just thought maybe we could do something together. Just the two of us,” he finished.

Martha smiled. He was so cute when he was nervous. “Sure, I’d like that,” she agreed. “What did you have in mind?” she asked him.

“Maybe just a picnic or something,” Jack replied. He was surprised that she said yes. He was positive that she was going to say no.

“Okay, um, what time do you want to go?” Martha questioned. She was suddenly feeling a bit shy.

“I’ll pick you up at about eleven,” Jack answered.

“Alright,” Martha nodded.

“Look, I’d better go. I left dad back at my place; and he’ll probably drink all my beers while I’m gone, so I’d better get back before he does,” Jack told her.

“Okay, we’ll I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Martha waved goodbye. She waited until Jack was gone, and then turned around and walked back to the counter with a big smile on her face.

“What was that about?” Macca asked her.

“Oh, Jack just asked me if I wanted to do something tomorrow,” Martha explained.

“Really? And what are you going to do?” Macca wanted to know.

“If you must know, we’re going on a picnic,” Martha answered.

“Awwww, how romantic,” Macca teased.

“Shut up,” Martha laughed.

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NEXT CHAPTER: How will the picnic go?

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[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

NOTE: Martha is six and a half months pregnant. So that's 26 weeks.

CHAPTER FIFTY

Martha had woken up the next morning quite excited. She was really looking forward to spending the day with Jack. She had sent Tasha a text message, and had told her that she was going on a picnic with Jack, and Tasha had come over straight away so that they could talk about it.

“So, would you call this a date?” Tasha asked her.

Martha thought about it for a moment and shrugged. “I don’t know. It could be, I guess,” she said. “I’m thinking that it’s probably more about me and Jack spending some time together, you know. If we’re going to get back together, then we should at least spend some time together,” Martha explained.

“Are you ready to get back together?” Tasha asked. “It’s obvious that Jack wants to. The only one stopping it now is you. Will today be the day you get your acts together?” she smiled.

“I don’t know,” Martha shrugged again. “We’ll just have to see how the day goes,” she grinned.

Soon after, Tasha left; leaving Martha to finish getting ready. She was just about to sit down and wait for Jack to pick her up, when she heard a knock at the door. That must be him now, she thought. She stood up quickly; grabbing her bag and jacket. “Coming,” she called out.

“Hey,” she smiled, when she opened the door and found Jack waiting.

“Hi,” he smiled back at her. “So, you’re ready to go,” Jack asked.

“Yep,” Martha nodded.

Martha couldn’t help but smile as she followed Jack to the car. She hoped that today went really well; and hopefully it would end even better.

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Jack took them to a nice quiet spot; where they sat by the river. It was a beautiful day; the grass was green and the water was a sparkling from the sunshine.

Jack had brought so much food. All of it food that she liked; Raspberry Choc-Chip muffins, cheese and crackers, strawberries, mangoes and pineapple, an array of sandwiches, and her absolute favorite; raspberry mousse.

Martha ate up the last spoonful of mousse before letting out a happy sigh. “I am completely stuffed,” she gasped as she fell back onto the big soft pillow that Jack had brought along for her. “That was amazing. Thank you,” she smiled at Jack.

“I’m glad you liked it,” Jack smiled back at her.

“It was the best,” Martha exclaimed.

Jack looked across at Martha, and couldn’t help but think how beautiful she looked. She had this cute little smile on her face, and she seemed to be glowing. She had her hair out; and it fell down around her face as it blew around gently in the breeze. For the first time in ages, she looked genuinely happy. He was just about to speak to her when she let out a soft gasp.

“Oh my god,” she breathed out, as she quickly pushed herself up. Her hand flew down to her stomach as she let out another gasp. “It kicked. The baby just kicked,” she exclaimed.

“What?” Jack practically leapt across the left over food, so that he could sit next to Martha. “Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m sure. Here. Feel it,” Martha grabbed a hold of Jack’s hand and placed it over her stomach. “Right there, can you feel it?” she placed her hand over his.

Jack smiled. “Oh my god, that is amazing,” he said softly, as the baby continued to kick away at the spot where his and Martha’s hands rested. “Our first kick,” he exclaimed.

“Yep,” Martha nodded. “And we got to share it together,” she smiled softly at Jack.

Martha kept staring into Jack’s face, and she could feel herself getting lost in his eyes. She reached a hand out and cupped his face; brushing her thumb across his cheek.

“Kiss me,” she ordered with a smile.

Jack was all too happy to comply. He smiled at her and gently lowered his face until his lips were touching hers. He brushed across her lips lightly, before pulling away. He smiled at her again; before pulling her back in.

Martha deepened the kiss immediately; and softly ran her tongue across his. She let out a soft moan, as she threw her arms around his neck; pulling him in closer.

It felt so good to be kissing Jack again; and she tried to think of why she had ever given him up in the first place. But right now she couldn’t even think straight. Her mind was like goo, and all she wanted to do was keep kissing Jack.

Jack gently lowered her back onto the pillow; his lips still attached to hers. He fell down next to her; determined to make up for all the kisses they had lost over the last few months.

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After about an hour of kisses and cuddles, Jack and Martha were now sitting quietly; just enjoying each others company. Jack was now leaning against the pillow, and Martha was sitting in between his legs; resting her back against his chest.

Martha had one of Jack’s hands clasped in hers, which was sitting gently on her stomach. While Jack used his other hand to run through Martha’s hair; occasionally twirling it around his fingers.

“So, does this mean we’re back together?” Jack asked.

“I guess,” Martha nodded. “If that’s what you want, of course,” she added.

Jack laughed. “Of course it’s what I want. I wouldn’t be here, if I didn’t,” he exclaimed.

“Good, because it’s what I want aswell,” Martha told Jack. “But for a while, I think we should just take it slow, you know. I don’t want rush back into things,” she said.

“Whatever you want,” Jack said to her. “I’m just glad that we’re here and that we’re together”.

“Me too,” Martha agreed.

“I love you,” Jack said as he softly kissed her on the neck.

“I love you,” Martha said back to him.

Martha then looked at her watch and realised that it was approaching late afternoon. “Oh crap. I hate to ruin the moment, but we have to go,” she moved to sit up. “I have a shift at Noah’s tonight, and I need to get back and get ready,” Martha explained.

“This sucks,” Jack exclaimed. “Whenever you work, I don’t. And when I work, you don’t have to,” he whined.

Martha laughed. “Don’t worry; I don’t think grandad will let me work for much longer. He already thinks that I should be at home resting twenty-four seven,” she told Jack.

Jack finished packing up the left over food, and then helped Martha up onto her feet. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before the two of them walked hand in hand off towards the car.

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