Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking

[Oxidizer]

Loves! I'm so glad Charlie's back! *abducts Stalker!Dude and huGs him dearly*

ETA: So when's the full version? Tonight or tomorrow?

[luckyrabbit]

It's now

PART 18

Tracey sighed deeply, she wished that there was more that she could do to help. "Why don't we concentrate on the attacks on Lucas and Cassie? We might be able to find something there." she suggested, taking a seat on the edge of Eve's desk.

"Yeah, okay." Eve agreed wearily. "So we know what they have in common; they're both teenagers, both go to the same school, hang out with the same group of friends."

"Matilda and Ric. Do you think that whoever's behind this might be after the group? Picking them off one by one?"

Eve raised an eyebrow. "Like an I Know What You Did Last Summer kind of deal? God, I hope not, that is so overplayed."

"It still might be worth checking out, the four of them were pretty tight, they might know something."

"Five."

Tracey looked at Eve questioningly.

"Matilda's twin brother, Henry, is back in town. I overheard Jack telling Rice. He was originally part of the group, back in the day, Lucas was kind of his replacement."

Tracey nodded. "You think we should talk to them?"

"Get Jack to do it." Eve said, tapping her pen against the desk, she looked up and noticed Tracey's incredulous look. "He's closer to them than we are, we don't want to cause any unnecessary concerns. They've been through enough."

"Now there's that caring, sensitive side I was talking about." Tracey grinned, ruffling Eve's hair.

"Shut up." Eve laughed, batting Tracey's hand away with one of her own. "Besides if they did happen to do something to bring this on themselves, they'd be more likely to talk to Jack about it."

"Talk to me about what?" Jack asked, pausing in the doorway, a piece of paper clutched in his hands.

"What do you want?" Eve snapped, she was still annoyed with him for screwing up.

"Uh, we may have a problem."

"You mean, other than the fact that you're still working here?"

Tracey briefly covered Eve's hand with her own and stood up, getting in between the two. She had no great love for Jack but for the sake of everyone's sanity, somebody had to play referee. "What is it?"

"I just got a fax, Charlie McKinnon has been released from Paulson Psychiatric Hospital."

Eve looked at him blankly. "And this has to do with us how?"

"He's a psycho, he was stalking Kim Hyde."

"What is it with that boy and stalkers?" Eve remarked to herself. "They his psych notes?" she asked, holding out a hand for the papers Jack was clutching.

"Yeah." He handed the papers over. "Do you think that I should pay him a visit, warn him about making any trouble."

Eve briefly looked over the report. "No. You're going to stay away from him. According to this, Charlie has responded well to his treatments, he's taking anti-depressants and is required to attend counseling sessions twice a week. You start harassing him, you could undo all of that progress, send him off his meds and into a downward spiral. We have enough on our plate without you creating a problem where there isn't one."

"But he's dangerous-"

"He was dangerous." Eve corrected. "But with continued rehabilitation there is no reason why he can't become a useful member of society."

"And you're qualified to make that judgment, are you?"

"More than you are."

"She has a degree in psychology," Tracey elaborated further. "She knows what she's talking about."

"And unless Charlie actually does something illegal, you’re going to leave him alone. Got it?"

Jack nodded reluctantly. "But the second he steps out of line-"

He was cut off by a knock on the door. "Sorry to interrupt," Lara said, not looking very sorry at all. "But we just got a call from Colleen Smart, she's reported hearing noises outside her mobile home and she's to scared to leave to go to work, she thinks it's the Stalker." she finished, rolling her eyes.

"Jack, since you're so eager to get out there, you can go and check it out."

Kim groaned at the strain in his muscles when he lifted his arms, tugging his sweaty uniform shirt over his head, carelessly tossing it onto the counter and pulling a fresh one on. It had been a long morning that had culminated with Colleen almost putting her back out when she picked up a weight that was at least three times to heavy for her but he wouldn't trade it for almost anything in the world. He loved it in Summer Bay, that was something he never thought he'd say when he'd first arrived, when he was just the principal's son with a huge chip on his shoulder. What surprised Kim the most, as he drove past the 'You Are Now Leaving Summer Bay' sign with Kit in the passenger seat, her stomach just barely starting to bulge with his child, and Robbie and Tasha following in the car behind, was that he was going to miss the supposedly quiet town, not just the people who lived there.

"Kim." He whirled around to see Rachel standing in the doorway. "Can I?"

"Yeah, sure."

"I just wanted to talk, about this morning." Rachel paused waiting for Kim to speak and decided to push on when he didn't. "Things aren't usually that awkward between us and I don't know if it was because Eve was there or-"

"That might've had something to do with it." Kim sighed off-handedly.

"Or maybe it's the distance but something has changed. Between us. I know that we agreed to be friends but…" Rachel shook her head, finding it too painful to finish the sentence.

"It's too hard." Kim said regretfully, pushing his hair back off his face. "Rach, I miss you."

Rachel grimaced, Kim was not making things easier, she come there to…she didn't really know why she'd come there. All she knew was that she wanted, no needed, to see Kim. "I miss you too," She whispered, looking away from his concerned eyes. "I still wake up in the middle of the night and I reach out expecting you to be there-"

"Rach-"

"I mean, I know that I shouldn't but I-" Rachel said, coming close to tears. Kim held out his arms in invitation. He knew that he shouldn't, it was dangerous territory for the both of them, but that didn't stop the sigh escaping from his lips as he folded Rachel in against his chest. It felt good, holding her again after all that time. It felt right. Rachel briefly nuzzled his strong chest before looking up at him, completely caught up in the moment. There was only one thing for them to do now, it was inevitable, they were going to kiss, there was no helping it.

Their lips were a hair's breadth away from meeting when a tentative knock at the door made them both spring away from each other, like guilty teenagers. Their heads turned simultaneously to see just who had interrupted their illicit little liaison.

"Charlie?"

"Charlie," Kim repeated with a less surprised, more threatening tone, making the blonde boy shuffle his feet nervously. "What the hell are you doing here?" He growled, moving protectively in front of Rachel.

Charlie held up both hands, and moved forward into the gym, trying to make himself look as pathetic as possible. "I'm not here to make trouble." He assured them nervously. "Please, I just want to talk, I have some things I need to say."

"Things you needed to say so bad you broke out of the psych hospital?"

"I didn't." Charlie squeaked. "They let me out, I'm better now. I promise, I know that what I did was wrong. That's why I'm here, to apologize."

Kim squinted at him skeptically. "You want to apologize? You think that saying sorry is going to fix things?"

"No, I just-" whined Charlie, he gave up on trying to convince Kim and turned to his attention to Rachel. "Dr. Armstrong, please, I want to explain."

Rachel put a hand on the tensed muscles of Kim's back, and stepped out from the shelter of his enormous body. "Go on."

Charlie couldn't help the relieved smile that spread across his face. "All my life, I never really had any friends, not my own age anyway, living so far out of town. When I met you, when I realized that you liked me, Kim I- I was so happy, all I wanted to do was be around you. I guess I got a little carried away but I didn't know how friends were supposed to act, all I had was the ideas I got from books. We didn't have tv, so I just had my books. I just wanted what they had-" Charlie desperately tried to explain, he started talking so fast his thoughts started to become jumbled and he tripped over his words. "And I know that what I did was wrong, Dr Armstrong, I am so sorry, you have to believe me. I know that we can never be mates again and that it's all my fault. I'm only going to be back in town for a while. I'm fixing the house up and then I'm going to sell it, move to the city, start over. But my doctor's said that I need to make my peace with you before I can move on, so that's why I'm here."

Kim frowned, trying to make sense of the confusing young man's ramble. "So you want us to forgive and forget, just like that?"

Charlie cringed at Kim's angry tone. "No, that's not what I meant. I'm sorry, I want you to know that I'm sorry."

For the first time since he found out the extent of Charlie's obsession with him, Kim saw Charlie as the confused, lonely kid he'd originally pegged him as. "I know," said Kim, feeling slightly guilty but having no idea why. "Charlie, I know that you're sorry-"

"Do you forgive me?" Charlie looked at him with hopeful, pleading eyes.

Kim gave him a sympathetic half smile and looked to Rachel. "But I'm not the one you should be asking for forgiveness."

Charlie nodded. "I know, you're right. Dr. Armstrong, Rachel, I know that there is no excusing what I did but I wasn't thinking clearly-"

"Charlie-" Rachel held up a hand and smiled. This was a very difficult situation, she knew that if he had officially been released from the hospital then he must be making progress with his treatment and she didn't want to jeopardize that by blowing up at him. And to be honest she'd gotten over it a long time ago, too much had happened since then. It all seemed so insignificant now. "I understand. I accept your apology."

Charlie sagged against the counter in relief. "Thank you. Really, you don't know how much that means to me." He grinned like she'd just presented him with the keys to the city.

"This doesn't mean that we can be friends again." Kim said cautiously.

Charlie's smile flickered. "I know," He said ruefully. "And I promise that after today I'll never bother you again. I just I need to let you know." In a bold move he held out a hand for Kim to shake. "Are we good?"

Kim started at the offered hand for a long moment, biting the inside of his cheek. "We're good." He confirmed, giving Charlie's hand a quick, firm shake, making sure that the contact didn't linger any longer than necessary, wary of giving Charlie the wrong idea.

Charlie pulled his hand back and pulled his open flannel shirt close around his body in an apprehensive gesture . "Dr. Armstrong?"

Rachel smiled and nodded. "We're good, Charlie."

Charlie grinned brightly. "Well, I suppose I should go, let you get back to it." He paused, waiting for either of them to stop him. When they didn't, his smile turned to a disappointed frown and he beat a hasty retreat, leaving Kim and Rachel exchange confused looks.

That was even better than I'd imagined Charlie thought to himself as he stepped out the doors of the Surf Club. It had worked out just like He had said it would. He was right, Rachel and Kim had fallen for Charlie's little act; hook, line and sinker. Charlie pulled the dirty shirt, he had swiped from the counter of the Gym and hidden under clothes, and brought it too his nose. "It won't be long now." He muttered into the fabric as he inhaled the musky smell of Kim's sweat. "We'll be together again, you'll see."

"What the hell happened to you?" Lara asked, looking up from her paperwork when Jack came back into the station, holding a white and red checkered tea-towel filled with ice to his head.

"Colleen thought that I was a prowler and smashed a vase over my head." He groaned, tossing the ice filled towel down onto his desk. "Do you think it's going to bruise?"

Lara leaned over the counter to get a better look. "Don't think so, you have a pretty hard head, it'd take a bloody pick axe to damage your thick skull."

"Oh, ha-ha." Jack said sarcastically, putting the towel back to his aching head. "Thanks for the sympathy, Fitzy."

"Are you expecting a fax?" Lara asked as the fax machine beeped.

"No."

"That'd be mine." Tracey said with a satisfied smirk as she came out of the office. "What happened to him?"

"Colleen clocked him with a vase." Lara explained before Jack could get a word in. "Thought he was a prowler."

"I don't know how she could've made that mistake, it's broad daylight!" Jack whined.

"Good old Colleen." Tracey laughed, collecting the completed print out and leaving them to their conversation.

"She's in a good mood." Jack observed as Tracey retreated back into the office.

"She's been locked in that office with Eve for half an hour, of course she's in a good mood."

Jack's face screwed up in confusion. "Why would that put her in a good mood?"

Lara rolled her eyes and sighed. "Never mind."

"I have something that might cheer you up." Tracey announced as she re-entered the office.

"I'm not asleep!" Eve exclaimed sleepily, her head jerking up off the desk.

"Good to know." Tracey grinned. "That phone call I got before was from Forensics, they got a fresh print off the passenger side door of Stuart Wilkins' van."

"No wonder you were so happy."

"Mmm, anyway they ran the print through the system and look what they came up with." She handed the sheet off to Eve.

"Jason Maddox." Eve read the name from under the mug shot in the center of the page. She smirked, "And we're back in the game."

Next time on Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking: The mystery surrounding Charlie's return deepens and two ex-lovers have a long overdue confrontation.

[Oxidizer]

I seriously loved that! And it probably helped listening to Time Warp play in the background on YouTube too.

Charlie's so sweet and adorable! I can't wait to see what he's up to next! I want to be his 'friend'

Jason Maddox? Sounds like Eve and Tracey know him from before, so excited and intrigued!! Awesome stuffy Bunny!

[~Rosey~]

V.good.

Just wonfdering how long does it take you to write a full chapter

[luckyrabbit]

Nice to know you guys like it.

Just wonfdering how long does it take you to write a full chapter

It depends on what else I'm working on at the time. Right now, I've got another fic called Blank that I'm working on which will be updated before I update this one again. But sometimes it only takes me a day to finish a chapter.

[Oxidizer]

*bounces* I still can't believe Charlie's back! That's made my day! Teehee!

[Cerise]

I love youre new Chap!

Cant wait for the next one, hope it dosnt take ya as long as last time It was worth the wait

[Sarah_Lewis]

That was awesome !! cant wait to read the next update !!

[swfc]

*Gives Colleen Smart a big hug* I think she's in my good books now after what she did to Jack.

The scary thing was, Andy was listening to Time Warp and I was listening to PCD-Don't Cha whilst reading the fic. And the line, "Don't cha wish your girlfried was a freak like me." just gave me mental images.

Okay, I am rambling...

Fantastic update, Rabs! There's something about Jack and Colleen Smart. He's always going over to be her "knight in shining armour."

[Oxidizer]

The scary thing was, Andy was listening to Time Warp and I was listening to PCD-Don't Cha whilst reading the fic. And the line, "Don't cha wish your girlfried was a freak like me." just gave me mental images.

LMAO!