All That You Can't Leave Behind

[vale4eva]

Thankgod you didnt mean for that to come out wrong Adia, because quite frankly, that ....

Ash flashed her a dirty look and a surge of delight ran through Martha’s body.

scared the bejezus out of me lol

Great two chapters, finally Martha was able to tell Jack and he was over the moon which is even more perfect

More please

[Roccoluver]

Why didn't Chopper kill Karl Oh no poor Johnny and where does Nina come into this??? so many questions, you need to update coughRoccocough and coughJakecough. Awesome update

[I love music]

I've been catching up on the update at work but not had time to review till now. Still going great, Adia. Fantastic writing. OMG, Karl is waaay scarey - poor Johnny!

[Zetti]

Jack finally knows

[Adia]

Thanks for the comments guys! Apologies in advance... you'll know what I'm talking about when you get to the end... The plot thickens...

ChapterOneHundredEighteen:

Nina dropped the grocery bags outside the kitchen and carefully shut the front door. As she walked past the bathroom, she saw her brother’s silver case sitting on the side of the bathtub. She shook her head and cursed to herself before heading to the living room.

“Hey kiddo,” Jake said cheerfully as she entered. “We were wondering what happened to you…”

“Sorry I’m late,” Nina said flopping down next to him on the couch. “I had to stay after school… I hope you’ve been on your best behaviour…”

“Never,” he laughed putting her in a playful headlock. “We had a great chat actually, right Matilda…?”

She smiled and nodded politely before turning her attention to Nina. “So what did Sally want to talk to you about?” she asked.

“Oh, it was nothing…” Nina said casually. “Just something about my assignment that’s all…”

Jake’s phone rang and he quickly picked it up off the table and answered it. Matilda kept her gaze on him, interested in the way that he interacted with his sister, and the way that he seemed to ooze so much charm and charisma with just a plain old smile.

“Hey babe,” he flirted down the phone. “ Ha ha ha… No, you tell me what you’re wearing first…” He paused, still smiling down the phone, listening to the caller on the other end. “Okay babe, I’ll see ya soon…”

“Hot date?” Nina asked.

“Oh maybe…” he grinned playfully. “But you know I’d never kiss and tell…” He stood up and gently ran his hand over her hair before kissing the top of her head. “I’ve gotta go kiddo, I’ll catch you two later okay. Don’t wait up…”

“Your brother seems really nice,” Matilda said quietly as Jake skipped out.

“Yeah,” Nina sighed wearily. “He’s great…” She reached over and picked up a magazine from off the table and slowly flicked through it.

“Thanks for letting me stay…”

“It’s cool,” she said smiling reassuringly. “I know things have been rough for you lately. I’m always here if you need anything.”

Matilda sat on the edge of her seat, the space between them suddenly casting Nina away to a remote and far away place.

“Nina…?”

The girl looked up briefly from the magazine. Her dark eyes filtering out small pieces of her broken soul.

“You’ve been really great… helping out me and Rocco… But I’d hate it if you were going through something on your own. If you want to talk about it…”

“Everything’s fine,” she said brushing it off. “Perfectly fine.”

“Perfect?”

Nina stayed focused on the magazine, but at the same time hoping that she wasn’t offending Matilda by doing so. “Yep… Perfect…”

“I’m jealous you know,” she said timidly. “The fact that you seem so flawless.”

“Ha! Looks are most definitely deceiving…” Nina laughed. “Underneath it all, I’m the most flawed person in the world…”

“Are you kidding? Have you ever looked in a mirror? You’re like some kind of Amazon or something. You’re beautiful and smart, and brave. Things that I’ll never be…”

Finally, she put down the magazine, her mind sifting through her dark and painful memories. “In that case…” she muttered. “Perfection has its price. And it’s not something that I would wish on anybody…”

“So how are things with you and Maddie?”

Rocco put his book on the bedside table and looked over at Ric.

“Huh?” he asked dazed.

Ric raised his eyebrow at him before pulling the covers off his bed and lying down. “Matilda? he continued. “Are things okay with you guys?”

“Yeah, things are great.”

“Good…”

“Yup…”

“So it’s getting serious then?” Ric asked.

Rocco stared up at the ceiling and sighed deeply. “I’m not sure that I can make her happy Ric… I mean things are great, but… Matilda deserves so much better than a guy like me…”

Ric couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy. As much as he wanted him out of the picture, there was a time in his life where he’d felt exactly like Rocco. He remembered the pain and anguish that he always used to feel. Life could be cruel.

“What about you?” Ric mumbled. “You deserve some happiness too…”

“Do I?” Rocco sighed again. “Let’s face it Ric, I’m a total loser, and you along with everyone else thinks that Matilda is crazy to even be involved with me. I’ve already ruined her relationship with her family… I’m destructive. Everything I touch gets shattered.”

“It’s not like that Rocco…” Ric said trying to understand. “You’re a good guy and you’re trying to make a positive change in your life. We’re all here to support you.”

Rocco didn’t answer, and Ric knew better than to push the subject. It was that unrelenting anger and violence that was buried so deeply in the both of them that oddly connected them. It was strange that in silence, they understood each other better than anyone would ever know. It wasn’t long before that silence had cast them both into darkness and into painful memories.

Ash yawned and stretched out in his chair. He picked off the lint that was on one of the buttons of his uniform before inspecting his nails for the hundreth time.

“You look bored Ash,” Lara said putting the phone down. “I take it Yabbie Creek is not as exciting as the city?”

“I don’t know how you guys cope?” he said amazed. “I can literally feel my brains rotting away from boredom. Who was on the phone?”

“Anonymous,” she told him. “Apparently there’s some drag racing going on down Johns Road, just off the entrance to the highway. I might go and check it out, see what’s going on out there…”

“Well I can go…” Ash said perking up. “Give me something to do anyway…”

Lara laughed and handed him a set of car keys. “Okay, if you need back up just give us a bell alright…”

Ash steered the patrol car steadily down the highway, keeping his eyes peeled straight ahead. As a cluster of sports cars sped past him on the other side of the road, he didn’t even bother taking a second look. Finally, he came up behind a silver Subaru. He flashed his lights and both cars pulled over onto the shoulder of the road.

“Everything alright tonight Mr Cooper?” he said shining the flash light in Johnny’s face.

“Yep,” he replied smiling arrogantly. “Just out for a quiet drive…”

“Residents have reported some drag racing going on out here? You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that now would you?”

“Nah, sorry constable…”

Ash nodded before walking around to the other side of the car. He looked around cautiously before opening the door and sitting down in the passenger seat.

“I’ve only got a few minutes…” he said anxiously.

“I heard things didn’t go to well in the City,” Johnny said coolly.

“Yeah, well… I didn’t expect Kelly to take Jack back to the hotel,” Ash said frustrated. “If she hadn’t got to him first, everything would have gone to plan. Martha would have been alone at the hotel… Besides those drugs you gave me were meant to work straight away.”

Johnny shook his head and rolled his eyes. “You must've put the wrong dosage or something. Boss is not happy Nader. He paid you to do the job…”

“I know, but there was nothing that I could do…”

Johnny looked out of the window into the dark and sinister night that surrounded them.

“I hope you’re not going to stuff it up this time?” he said warningly. “I’m getting sick of telling him that you’ve screwed up…”

“No, look, I’ve got it all sorted,” Ash told him. “I just need a bit of time to get him out of the way, then whatever it is that the Boss wants with Martha… Jack won’t be able to do a thing to stop it…”

[beckyboo]

. “I’m getting sick of telling him that you’ve screwed up…”

“No, look, I’ve got it all sorted,” Ash told him. “I just need a bit of time to get him out of the way, then whatever it is that the Boss wants with Martha… Jack won’t be able to do a thing to stop it…”

OMG

Ash is going to take Martha

Jack will save her

Update now!!!!!

[beckyboo]

*double post*

[Roccoluver]

“Do I?” Rocco sighed again. “Let’s face it Ric, I’m a total loser, and you along with everyone else thinks that Matilda is crazy to even be involved with me. I’ve already ruined her relationship with her family… I’m destructive. Everything I touch gets shattered.”

It hurt to read that, poor Rocco. Yay for Ric though. Jake might but he better not try any moves on Matilda, shes Rocco's.

Oh yeah, Evil Ash.

Awesome update, more soon

[Tasha]

I cry now -cries- If that scum-bag touched my Martha, i will kill him, somehow. SuperJack to the rescue

More please

[bay girl]

Wait, so the whole thing is about Martha? Jack was drugged because someone wants to get their hands on Martha. Nice twist. LOL. But who wants her. Corey. Brett. Crap, it could be anyone.

This is getting way interesting. Can't wait for more.