The Boy With The Thorn In His Side

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 41 Hey sorry about the poor quality of this chapter. It just wouldn't come out right. Tuesdays are always a long work day so I think my tiredness has reflected in the writing. However, to compensate, Aden is in it today.

“So… you’re not my long lost brother, you’re not Morag’s toy boy, you’re not my dad’s bit of rough, and you’re not a lodger….?” She asked him, numbering the options with her fingers as she semi-skipped along the path beside him, swerving away and towards him as she went. “So what’s the deal?” she asked gazing up at him.

He walked beside her, hands in his pockets, and smiled at the ground in front of him, as he pictured the scenarios she had conjured up. “I just needed a place to crash for the night” he told her plainly.

“Why? What’s wrong with where you live?” She asked, smiling brightly at him, hungry for information.

“Nothing to worry your pretty little bottle blonde head about” He replied, his voice laced in patronising tones.

His words had no effect on her, not like they would have if he had uttered them to any other girl in Summer Bay anyway. “Oooh that means it was something really bad!” She added excitedly. “What did you do?”

He rolled his eyes at her, so she was, as he had suspected, a complete gossip.

“Does Roman even know you’re here?” he muttered at her, partly out of curiosity, but mostly to turn the conversation away from himself.

“No, not yet” she told him casually as they stopped outside the diner. She gazed up at the building “This is it?” She asked disappointedly.

“The Diner? Yeah” He responded, confused by her tone.

“THIS is his business empire? THE opportunity of a lifetime that HE couldn’t possibly turn down?” She asked a little too hysterically, raising her arms up at the building, questioning it.

He gave her a sideways smirk “What were you expecting? The Hilton?” he asked sarcastically, revelling in her distress.

Her forehead was furrowed with confusion and upset, her lips pouted out “well yeah, the way he kept banging on about it you would think he was a monopoly tycoon!” She wailed, frustrated “I can not believe he made all that fuss about a… a…”

“Diner?” Aden suggested helpfully

“A GREASE PIT!” She snapped at him melodramatically, raising a hand to her head. “This is so embarrassing!”

Aden was rubbing his chin with his hand, smiling to himself, ready to pounce “You know this isn’t just HIS grease pit right?”

She screwed up her face in annoyance “What are you talking about?” She snapped confusedly.

He started walking towards the diner, laughing to himself, she ran behind him to catch up, intrigued “What?” she repeated

As he reached the door he turned and bent his face towards hers “It’s a joint ownership” he told her calmly, before pulling the door open wide for her.

She stared at him to study any signs of a joke materialising. When none emerged she dropped her mouth wide open, mortified, as she surveyed the run down interior of the building.

“Ladies first” Aden gestured wickedly, grinning from ear to ear.

She trod slowly through the entrance, as if she were in shock, and looked in disgust at her surroundings. Aden walked behind her slowly, enjoying every moment. As they reached the midway point between the entrance and the counter Roman appeared from round the back and stopped dead still in his tracks at the sight before him.

“Nicole?” He questioned, placing the full plates in his hand on the counter and striding towards her.

At hearing him speak her name she immediately became stern, glaring at him as she crossed her arms “So you remember my name then?” She snapped seriously.

Roman smiled at her, ignoring her hostility “Of course not!” He said, engulfing her in a hug.

A smile threatened her face but she forced it away, pushing him off of her “Ew, gross! You’re all covered in grease!” She squealed, backing away from him.

His face showed subtle signs of hurt but he pushed them away, beaming at her “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing!” She replied dramatically, turning her attention back to her surroundings “Some business empire!” She huffed, folding her arms again.

Roman brushed that dig aside too, his joy at seeing her in the flesh surpassing the snide remarks she threw at him. He looked at her, letting out a deep breath. He was always amazed when he saw Nicole in person. He hardly knew her and yet, every time he saw her he felt this gooey pride and love overwhelm him. As he gazed at her he caught Aden in his peripheral vision

“Ah I see you’ve met Aden” He told her, his eyes pointing towards him. Aden stood behind her, his arms folded, watching the whole scene cautiously. He felt awkward, he hadn’t even known Roman had a child until about half an hour ago, a very attractive child at that, and now he was caught in the middle of some tense reunion.

She turned back to face Aden, licking her lips and eyeing him “You could call it that” She told him suggestively, her actions deliberate.

Aden felt Roman eyeing them and began fidgeting nervously. “Yeah look, I just came to show Nicole where you work so…. I should be off now. Thanks for letting me crash and everything Roman” He said, turning to leave.

Nicole smiled, enjoying his discomfort of the situation.

Roman glared at his daughter, latching onto her game. It wasn’t just that though, he had been making progress with Aden since last night, and now her presence had set it back again.

“Aden wait a minute mate, you don’t have to leave you know” he called after him hurriedly, a little too much eagerness showing in his voice.

“Yeah, Aden, don’t you want to stay and hang out with me some more?” She asked him, her tone was innocent but it was a mock-innocence, her body language revealed her true meaning.

Aden was unnerved by Nicole’s response. He knew Roman wanted to help him, but he was also aware that now Nicole was around, he probably didn’t want a young teenage boy drooling around his house after her. “No, it’s cool. Thank you” He replied, waving a hand at him in gesture, before walking out the door.

Roman sighed after him, annoyed. He was back to the beginning. He stared down at Nicole, ready to say something, but looking at her he remembered the whole reason he’d wanted to help Aden in the first place.

“So what are you doing here?” He asked her brightly.

Nicole turned to smile at him brightly; amused by the effect she could create in Roman’s life like she had just done, just by being there. “Oh, just thought my dad was long overdue a visit” She told him innocently, looking up at him.

“And you haven’t ever heard of a phone?” he asked, still grinning at her

She pouted at him, tiptoeing “Phones are over rated. Besides, I wanted to surprise you!” She told him.

He laughed at her, not falling for the act for a moment “Well, I’m just glad you’re here” he answered honestly, putting his arm around her and drawing her into a hug. This time she didn’t pull away.

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 42 I'm sorry there is no Aden again! AND just so hardcore H&A fans don't get confused. I do know that Kirsty's history in the programme is different to in this fic. Just go with it please!

“So wait….” Miles started, deep in thought. “So were both twins?” He asked, pointing to himself and then Kirsty in turn. They sat cross-legged on the sand, with Ollie in between them, encircling an intricate looking sandcastle.

She continued to help Ollie as he placed seashells on the sides of the castle, and Miles watched the light reflect off of her brown hair, which fell freely about her bare shoulders, and was amazed at how effortlessly beautiful she was. It was as if she didn’t even notice it.

“Well” She dithered, the question difficult for her to answer truthfully.

Miles noticed her face fall and stepped in “Well ok, so you weren’t really twins” he admitted grudgingly “but you were raised as if you were” he added brightly.

She looked up and smiled faintly at him, “And you are a twin but weren’t raised as one” she mused. They both looked at each other and pulled a face.

“What a crazy world this is” He added, before looking down at the sand about his feet. They had been talking all morning about their backgrounds. They had already known a few things about each other due to the gossip mill of Summer Bay known as Colleen. So he had already heard Kirsty’s strange upbringing; just as she had heard about Sally and him. However, there was still a lot he didn’t know.

“Do you still see her?” he asked carefully, showing a genuine interest by meeting her gaze.

“Jade?” She questioned, scowling “No” she shook her head sharply. She looked up at him and realised he was waiting for her to go on. She sighed “She’s got her own life now. I mean, she has her real twin now… it’s different” She added, reflecting back to when it hadn’t been different. Jade had been her best friend in the whole world, and finding out they weren’t really twins was probably the hardest thing she’d ever had to deal with, but to find out Jade was a twin to somebody else was too difficult to deal with.

Miles noticed the change in the atmosphere “Look I’m sorry”

“It’s ok” she smiled at him weakly

“It’s just, Sally and I never got to be twins when we were growing up, and I really wish we had. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I feel close to her, but… I always feel like we missed a part of each other…” He juggled his hands about in front of him, trying to convey what he meant.

She leant over and touched his arm “Miles its ok you don’t need to be sorry, it’s better this way. This way Jade has her real twin. Like you and Sally. I see how much you mean to each other, and I wouldn’t want Jade to miss out on that because of me” She confessed honestly, although the words brought tears to her eyes.

She looked past Miles and out towards the sea, trying to force them back down. As she did so she noticed two figures emerge, both of which looked very familiar.

“Hey Miles?”

“Hmmmm?” He asked her seriously. Kirsty’s story had made his own eyes well up too. He knew how relieved he was to have Sally in his life, and he couldn’t imagine her being pushed out of it again.

“Isn’t that Jai?” She asked, nodding behind him to where the two drenched figures had begun strolling towards the path, she noticed, holding hands.

Miles turned to look in the same direction as Kirsty. When he saw him he turned back and smiled, leaning towards Kirsty and whispering quietly “I KNEW he liked Annie! I just knew it!” His face was that of an excited child’s and she couldn’t help but laugh at him.

He laughed with her, relieved at her change in mood. They both turned to watch them again.

“Whoa, wait, who’s that?” Miles asked as he saw a robed figure march towards the pair from the path.

“Is that Geoff?” Kirsty spoke into the air, squinting behind him.

“Is he in a dressing gown?” Miles added, confused. They watched in awe as Geoff’s body strode towards Annie and Jai’s drenched figures, suddenly Geoff’s fist came up and punched Jai in the face, knocking him to the floor.

Kirsty raised a hand to her mouth in shock, using the other one to cover Ollie’s fascinated eyes. Miles muttered an obscenity into the ground as he scrabbled to his feet and ran over to the pair.

“Miles!” Kirsty called after him

“Just wait there!” He yelled back, waving a hand behind him. Kirsty watched him go, pulling Ollie off the sand and onto her lap for comfort.

“What the hell have you done to her?” Miles heard Geoff yell out as he approached the group.

“Whoa, whoa what the hell is going on?” Miles asked with an air of authority, stepping between Geoff and Jai, who had raised himself to his feet. Annie was looking at his cut cheek attentively.

“He’s a maniac!” Jai yelled at Miles.

Miles turned to Geoff, throwing a worried look his way “What did you punch him for?”

Geoff breathed heavy, angry breaths towards them, his fists still clenched.

“Geoff?” Miles demanded.

“He shouldn’t be near Annie! I saw him; he had her in the water! Why?” He demanded angrily.

“Geoff we were swimming!?” Annie yelled at him. She couldn’t understand where he had come from or why he was so angry.

“Yeah then why’s she not got a swimming costume on mate? Admit it you dragged her in there. You’re scum!” Geoff yelled at Jai, lunging for him again.

Jai took a step back and Miles used his body as a barrier, pushing Geoff backwards.

“Yeah like you’re one to talk, you’re in a dressing gown! Who do you think you are? Rocky or something?” Jai spat at him, infuriated at the misplaced aggression towards him.

“Geoff you need to calm down alright” Miles told him calmly, releasing his grip. He turned to Jai and Annie, observing their clothes “Jai can you please tell me why you guys went swimming with your clothes on?”

Jai and Annie both looked at each other, raising Miles’ and Geoff’s suspicions.

“We forgot to bring costumes” Annie stumbled quickly. Her doubtful eyes giving them away.

“Yeah alright, I wasn’t born yesterday, what really happened?” Miles folded his arms at Jai. He knew Jai had been up to something yesterday, but had left it, not wanting a confrontation so early on. But now he had involved Annie, and knowing about last night, he could see the cause for Geoff’s anger.

Jai’s faced remained stern, not giving in. However Annie, who had never seen her brother so distressed, crumbled “We didn’t plan to go swimming but then we sort of jumped in.”

“Annie what do you mean you jumped in? Jumped from where?” Geoff asked her, his face scrunching up

Jai gave her a warning look but she carried on “Off of jump rock” she admitted, looking down at the ground. She knew how crazy it sounded. She had thought it was crazy at first too.

“YOU DID WHAT?” Miles and Geoff both yelled in disbelief.

“Annie! We’re going home” Geoff stated, grabbing her arm and pulling her away. The announcement had been the final straw. He needed to get her home, where she was safe.

Miles continued to stare at Jai, astounded by the revelation.

Jai scowled at him, staring him out.

After a few moments of silence Miles rubbed his temple with his hand, trying to think of how best to handle the situation. He finally decided there was no best way. “Jai what on earth were you thinking?” He asked him, a genuine interest in his voice.

Jai just stood there “I haven’t done anything wrong” he stated

“You don’t think jumping from that height is wrong? Getting Annie to do it? You don’t think that’s wrong?!” He asked incredulously.

“I didn’t get Annie to do anything!” He spat at him, offended by the assumption.

Miles laughed, but it was a bitter one. “Oh, so its just a coincidence that you came home like this yesterday, and now, today, you AND Annie are both drenched?” he asked, although it was obvious a reply wasn’t necessary.

“Why are you even asking me? It’s clear you’ve already made up your mind!” He snapped at him, he stormed past him, colliding with Mile’s arm deliberately as he went.

“Jai!” Miles called after him hopelessly. He watched him walk off for a bit, before turning to face Kirsty, who was still watching the scene with Ollie from a distance. She flashed him a sympathetic smile. He smiled back lightly, before turning his attention to the ground beneath him. Infuriated by his lack of tact he kicked at the sand beneath him. Maybe there hadn’t been a ‘best way’ he mused, but he now knew there was definitely a ‘worst’ way to handle that situation.

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 43 xknomex and wrongturntaken - you can now relax, a small aden snippet to keep you going.

He saw them as he left the diner; he was dragging her along and she was stumbling behind him, crying.

“Geoff let go of me, you’re scaring me” She told him, using her free arm to try and release his grip. He was ignoring her, marching ahead, his grip only tightening, making his fingers dig into her skin.

Aden ran after them, catching them up and then rounding in front of them, blocking their path.

“Get out of the way Aden” Geoff warned him through clenched teeth. Aden considered it, looking from Geoff to Annie’s distressed face. She was still struggling away from him.

“Geoff, what are you doing?” He asked him calmly, drawing his attention to Annie’s distress with a nod of the head.

Geoff looked towards his sister’ teary face and then towards Aden “What you and Axel have done is what you should be asking! Now just get out the way” He demanded, trying to barge past him.

His pull made Annie cry out “Geoff stop it” she told him, his anger scaring her.

“I didn’t do anything to her. You’re the one that’s hurting her, just let her go” Aden told him calmly, raising his arm towards Geoff’s grip on Annie. His voice was calm though, he could sense the same fear and uncontrollable anger in Geoff that had overwhelmed him on the beach last night. He understood better than anyone how the panic swept through the body, blocking rational thoughts from the mind. He looked at Geoff again; he was clearly struggling with what had happened.

“Please, just, let her go” He asked kindly, placing his hand on Geoff’s arm and slowly releasing his hold on Annie.

The anger that had overtaken Geoff’s face was washed away and replaced with that of a helpless confused boy’s. He looked at Annie and the fear in her eyes made tears spring up in his own. He went to hug her “Annie… Annie I’m sorry” He choked at her.

Annie flinched away from him, still scared by the state of her brother, the lack of control she had had with Axel on the beach had resurfaced as he continued to hold her, ignoring her cries, and an irrational panic had taken over her. She knew Geoff would never hurt her, but she didn’t trust him. She backed slowly away from him, coming to stand beside Aden.

“Annie?” Geoff pleaded with her. “Come on, lets go home, I promise I won’t do that again” he told her, the words smothered with his regret.

Annie shook her head at him, and Aden felt a hand slip into his. He stared down at it to find that Annie had laced her fingers through his, gripping him. “No, please Geoff, just leave me alone” she asked him kindly.

Geoff looked at her in disbelief. “But Annie...” He stepped towards her again. He just wanted to keep her safe. She needed her to understand that, he needed to make her understand that much.

Aden moved forward slightly, positioning himself between them “Geoff, just listen to her.” He told him. He studied Geoff’s face and, when he saw the message was getting through he persevered. “I’ll walk her back later ok? I promise she’ll be alright.” He told him sincerely. He could see the hurt in Geoff’s eyes and for the first time, respected him. Annie had someone who was willing to do anything to protect her.

“Please Geoff, I promise I’ll come back home soon” She told him honestly, her eyes pleading with his.

He looked at her, then at Aden, then at her again. This whole thing was so far out of his control, and every time he tried to tame it, to tame Annie, it just made things so much worse. Despite his original judgement about Aden, something in his tone now made him change his mind. Annie trusted him, more than she even trusted him right now. He nodded his head at her, with the slightest of movements, before staring at the ground. Fixing his eyes on one speck of pavement to try and stabilise himself.

Aden and Annie stared at him. He finally looked up, a sombre expression his face, “Just take care of her” He told Aden calmly, although there was a warning in his voice. He slowly walked away, in the direction of Irene’s house.

Aden let the comment go and he watched him walk away. He caught a glimpse at Annie out of the corner of his eye. She still had tears running down her face, she looked as though she wanted to explode into a fit of sobs again, like last night. Aden’s felt his insides sink as he watched her. Let me show you something” He told her. She didn’t look up at him, but as he moved slightly forward she willingly followed behind him, still gripping his hand.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“Geoff! Did you find her – Geoff?” Geoff pushed Belle to the side of the path as he stormed past her, the shock of which made her stop mid-sentence. She watched him marching back the way she had just come, unable to fathom what was wrong with him.

As she turned back to where he had come, looking for a cause to his bout of anger, she saw two figures, one small and dainty, the other broad and large, scrabble down to the beach, their hands linking them together. She walked forward cautiously, scared of being seen as she squinted into the distance. She couldn’t help but feel relief and draw a smile as she realised who the outlines were.

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 44 - This ones for all you flatterers out there (you know who you are) although i am wise to your game and you're not fooling anyone!

Annie followed obediently behind him as he weaved her through the mass of people who had gathered on the beach to enjoy their weekend. Again, they had remained in comfortable silence, letting the laughter and vibrant voices engulf them as they passed.

Annie let her mind wander. She felt so guilty for treating Geoff that way. She realised how crazy she had been, what Jai had done had scared her, and she still didn’t know why she’d decided to jump, but after she’d done it she had felt better. She had survived the jump and for some reason it made her feel she could survive what had happened. Still, Geoff had scared her, and it made her realise that it was a temporary feeling, that it would take more than one insane jump to make her feel the same as she had done.

She looked ahead, to try and make out where they were going. They had moved away from the crowd now, and were wondering past a few stragglers, a few underage drinkers and couples seeking out a private spot.

“Where are we going?” she asked him curiously.

He didn’t answer her. He couldn’t, if he tried to speak, he would end up lying and backing out of what he was really trying to do.

She let it go, knowing she would find out soon enough.

He led her round this small rocky corner. There were no people around now, even the waifs and strays didn’t bother venturing this far out. As they rounded the corner and came to a small alcove he turned to look at her.

“Why did you bring me here?” She asked him, looking into his face. He was watching her, studying her reaction. As she looked at him she realised what she thought was important to him.

“I think it’s what you need” He explained softly, before sitting down against the rock face, crossing his legs in front of him.

Annie watched him sitting there and he didn’t look like the Aden she knew, the one that made snide remarks at her in the hallway, or laughed when they finally discovered her brother in the boot of a car. “Why are you being so nice to me?” there was a nervousness in her voice, but she swallowed it down, treading lightly towards him, coming to sit beside him in the sand at the back of the alcove.

He didn’t look at her; instead he stared out into the ocean, avoiding her gaze, and her question. “I like to come here to escape from the world.” He admitted feebly, “When it gets too much, it’s easier to look out at the world when it can’t look back at you, somehow, it makes it easier to make sense of everything.”

“Thank you, for what you did yesterday, and just now. I don’t know what’s wrong with Geoff” She began, feeling the need to explain her brother’s actions.

“Nothing’s wrong with him” he snapped at her aggressively. He turned to look at her “He’s trying to protect you, can you not see that?” There was an urgency to his tone. He was angry with what she’d said, and she didn’t really know why.

“What I meant was, thanks, for being nice to him” She eventually replied, hoping to quell his anger. He didn’t respond to her, but his features softened. Annie watched his hands fidgeting with the bottom of his jeans as he spoke. She suddenly realised she had so many questions for him, that she had suppressed because she never thought she’d get the chance or the courage to ask him, but as the moment for them came upon her they slowly began to fill her mind.

“Why were you so nice to Geoff?” She asked him, thinking it made even less sense than why he had been nice to her.

He breathed out deeply “He cares about you” he began “probably more than anything else in the world” he admitted truthfully, his sincerity making the words heavy. He stopped for a moment, something caught inside his throat, he swallowed it down before he continued “You don’t realise how lucky you are to have that” A frustration overtook him and he grabbed a pebble and lobbed it into the ocean forcefully.

“Aden, are you ok?” she had been studying him as he spoke, and had thought back to what had happened between them. Everything about it had been strange. She realised looking back just how weirdly things had occurred, there was a hidden meaning behind it, something happening that she hadn’t acknowledged before.

The touch of her hand on his shoulder broke something in him, and a solitary tear rolled down his face, giving him away. He brushed it away with his hand quickly, trying to compose himself.

“Aden. Thank you. For helping me, I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been there.” It was as though apologising to him unlocked the vault to all these other things she wanted to say. “I should never have accused you of something like that. I had no idea what I was talking about. Now I do, I hate myself for what I did. So I guess I can’t understand why you don’t hate me too. I owe you so much” She admitted to him. The words spilled out of her, and she felt renewed. She knew herself again, this was who she wanted to be.

“I don’t hate you Annie” He whispered to her, still staring at the ground. “I would never wish that on you… on anyone.” His words were definite; there was edginess to his voice that struck a chord in her.

She gazed at him, and this time he looked up to meet it. Suddenly the hidden weight unveiled itself. She read a meaning, a story in his eyes. One she didn’t need to know the full tale of to recognise. It was another connect the dots, more complex this time. Silent tears ran tracks down her face as she linked all the clues together in her mind. She could read him now for the same reasons he could read her. There wasn’t a complete story, but he gave away enough for her to understand him.

He scrabbled to his feet, the moment over, leaving an awkward sensation in its wake. “I’ll walk you back now” he told her, offering a hand once more. She accepted it, this time not for her own comfort, but for his.

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 45

Belle walked towards the diner to find Roman outside the entrance padlocking the door, as a young, unfamiliar blonde girl chatted idly at him.

“So anyway” the girl continued, ignoring Belle, who stood loitering behind them. “I think it’s important for people to express themselves, don’t you think?”

Roman drew a tight breath as he tried to think of a tactful answer to her question. He wasn’t sure he agreed with her reasoning for having been kicked out of her school for what she termed ‘expressionism’, otherwise known as publicly lewd acts of a sexual nature. If he was to admit it, the whole conversation was making him very uncomfortable; to even think of his daughter as in any way sexually active made his skin crawl. But, he had never played the father role in her life, they were barely even friends, and as they were getting along so well, he didn’t want to spoil it now. He turned to see Belle’s presence behind him and decided avoidance tactics were the best way to go.

“Sorry Belle, I’m closing early today” He grimaced apologetically.

Nicole followed the direction of his eyes and looked Belle up and down judgmentally, placing a hand on her hip and bringing her weight onto one foot.

“Oh it’s alright, I didn’t really want to eat anyway” Belle reassured him, her tone downbeat.

“I can believe that.” Nicole stated, continuing to stare at her.

“Excuse me?” Belle asked, confused.

“I saw some toilets back down that way” She said pointing “I’m sure they won’t mind if you throw up in them” She retorted bitchily, referring to Belle’s skinny frame. It had been a reflex, she felt threatened by how pretty she was.

“NICOLE!” Roman warned angrily, shocked by her words.

“What?” She asked incredulously, staring up at him “I’m just saying”

“Yeah well don’t” He told her sternly

“Oh please Roman, it’s a bit late to start playing dad, and anyway, it doesn’t suit you” She told him calmly, folding her arms in front of her defensively

“Dad?” Belle questioned, surprised. “But you’re so….” She stopped, realising how personal a comment it was

“Young?” Nicole butted in “Yeah he was an early starter” She stated to Belle as Roman blushed behind her. He couldn’t believe how blunt she was about everything.

“What were you here for anyway?” He asked Belle, changing the subject.

“I just wanted to see if you needed any help, I mean we did kind of leave you stranded today, and I just saw Aden on the beach with Annie so I knew you must have been alone” Belle told him. She left out that she needed a break from Irene and Geoff, who she knew would be annoyed when they found out Annie was with Aden. Well, Geoff, she knew already was, and Irene. Well, it had been difficult enough for her to accept Aden’s innocence; this new development might push her back the other way.

“Aden has a girlfriend? So the plot thickens” Nicole beamed in between them, sensing chaos ahead.

“I don’t think it’s like that Nicole” Roman informed her, worried by her misplaced joy. Surely if she was as interested in Aden as she had been making out, that news would upset her? He shuddered; he didn’t want his daughter interested in anybody.

“What’s it like then?” She asked, looking between Belle and Roman, who were having a different level of communication through their eyes.

“How is Annie?” Roman asked Belle, realising he hadn’t yet.

Belle smiled faintly “I think she’s going to be ok. It’s just knowing he’s still out there that’s so worrying” Belle told him, the thought having been stashed away inside her all day. No one had really discussed what happened on Monday if Axel turned up at school, although it hung around the air, like a thick fog.

“Mmmmm” Roman hummed, his face pensive.

“Did you speak to Aden yesterday; did he mention anything about what happened?” She asked, suddenly remembering that Roman had gone after him last night.

“Is this why he crashed at yours last night?” Nicole asked. She had been paying close attention to the whole conversation, and was eager to hear the whole tale.

Belle and Roman both shot her a look, having forgotten she was there. Belle then looked at Roman, quizzing him with her eyes. Roman sighed “No” Roman replied to both of them. Aden hadn’t said much about anything. So he was with Annie now? At least that meant he was ok. He just wished he could go after him again and drag him back to his house. Somehow he gathered that someone as closed off as Aden was wouldn’t be very willing to share a house with someone as blatantly intrusive as his daughter.

“No, that’s not the reason? Or no, he didn’t say anything?” Nicole asked patronisingly, realising her father was trying to shut her out of whatever was going on.

“No, no he didn’t mention anything” Roman answered, looking at Belle. He avoided the other part of the question completely.

“Look Belle can you tell Irene I’m sorry, but I thought it was best to just call it a day and close up shop?” He asked her kindly.

Belle nodded “Well, thanks Roman” She said distractedly, chewing over his words as she walked away

“Bye” Nicole called after her brightly, waving a hand at her. Belle turned to face the other way, not responding. So there was definitely more to it. Why would Aden crash at Roman’s if there wasn’t? Why would he hug Kirsty? Why would she defend him so much? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? The questions kept building up but the answers never came.

Nicole stopped waving and turned to confront her father “Small towns" she sighed heavily "they always have so many dirty secrets hidden in them” She said grinning. There was potential here, she mused. Real potential.

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 46 a small aden-centric chapter

“I’m getting some serious de ja vu” Aden admitted, laughing nervously as he and Annie approached Irene’s house.

“Don’t worry I won’t make you come in with me again” She told him, smiling “They’re already going to be angry enough at me as it is” she reflected, thinking Geoff had probably told Irene and Belle about her stunt on jump rock, not to mention the fact she had snuck out of the house in the first place, and then refused to go home with Geoff afterwards.

As she faced him, contemplating her fate, Irene’s head appeared from the kitchen window. “Annie! oh thank God!” She sighed, relieved at the sight of her. They way Geoff had come home she didn’t know what to think. He was still upstairs in his room, stewing over the days earlier events. Irene ran out and hugged Annie firecley. Annie’s arms hunched up at first with the shock of it, after a few moments her body relaxed and she hugged her back

”Irene, I’m sorry I went out without telling you” She apologised calmly and Irene relaxed. Last night Annie had apologised in a rush of tears and confusion. This time though, it was a genuine apology. Irene loosened her grip and they broke apart. “Oh love you scared me half to death! Do you think you could maybe tell me next time?” Irene quizzed, eyeballing her.

Annie nodded in response, like a child being dictated to. Irene’s eyes glanced up at the figure behind her.

“Aden” She said, unsurprised. “Well ain’t this familiar?” She commented, looking at Annie disapprovingly “I wondered why Geoff was so upset”

“Has he not, said anything to you?” Annie questioned, certain he had.

“No.. is there something he should have told me?” She asked suspicious.

“No, it’s just, I thought he would have told you where I was” She lied.

Irene folded her arms “Mmmhmmm. So where were you exactly?” She asked, eyeing the pair of them.

“On the beach” Annie replied. Aden remained silent behind her, staring at the ground. He hadn’t thought it necessary to swear her to secrecy on what had just happened, or where he had really taken her, but still, seeing that he was right brought a sigh of relief. Irene eyed Annie. She was talking to her, which was an improvement on last night or this morning, and she seemed to have settled into a state of calm. Looking at her, it didn’t matter so much where she’d been. She seemed better. She looked over to Aden, who was still peering at his feet.

“Look, Aden, I need to apologise to you… again. I went and put my great big foot in it didn’t I? I’m sorry, I was just so worried about Annie I thought you had every reason to want some sort of revenge….” She saw his body become agitated, he glared up at her angrily. She held her hands up at him, trying to ward off the bad feelings “Look, what I’m trying to say, is…” she struggled with the last word, her own pride still lurking in the background, “Thank you.” She breathed out, knowing it was long overdue. She held out a hand to him, a sign of peace.

He continued to glare at her, his eyebrows furrowed down and made a canopy over his eyes, to stop himself from having to really see the meaning behind her words. Slowly, and grudgingly, he brought out a hand to briefly make contact with hers. She gripped it tightly, relieved by his response, and shook it, grinning at him, and then at Annie. “Right, well, can I, er, can I invite you in?” She asked cheerily, there was a caution to her voice though. She knew it was a drastic leap from yesterday, and the sentiment felt misplaced.

He shook his head, placing his hands in his pockets “No, no I should go”

“You can’t go yet” a voice called out behind him. It startled the three of them to turn round and face it. Belle had materialised behind them, catching the final parts of their conversation, she had overheard the apology. She beamed at Irene, glad that she wasn’t biting off her own nose again. She saw Annie standing outside the house with them and swooped her into a hug “It’s good to see you out and about again” she told her honestly.

Annie hugged her back, not saying anything in response. They separated and turned to face the boy before them. “Aden you don’t have to if you don’t want to, I understand” Annie told him truthfully, aware how awkward this was for him.

“How can you say no to that face?” Belle asked playfully, smushing Annie’s face together with her hand.

Annie laughed but pushed Belle’s hand away, feeling stupid.

Aden couldn’t bring himself to smile at the scene, although he did find it sweet. It was all too much to deal with. He had only wanted to help Annie, again. Looking at their smiling faces, he considered it mission accomplished. “No, sorry, I’ve got to go” he told them, his voice gruff. He was still trying to distance himself from the scene. He gave them a slight nod of the head before turning to walk away.

“What’s up with him?” Irene asked, staring at Annie. Annie looked back at her, unable to explain.

An instinct overtook Belle. For the past few days she kept getting tangled up in this mysterious web that seemed to be wrapped around Aden Jeffries, She had tried ignoring it, and thinking on it, and observing it. Now was the time to act on it, she couldn’t take the not knowing any longer. “I’ll be back in a bit” She told Irene and Annie distantly, as she walked after his shadow.

I know you've all been dying for some Belle/Aden interaction, which is why i thought i'd be really evil and end it there. mwahahahaha!

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 47 - Sorry there was no update yesterday, I was going to do it when i got home but was far more drunk than i realised until i got home and tried to type. I saved a small paragraph that was mainly this: "hdhgtsdhjsdnfjn ghsfhgl love love aden xx Miles is my homeboy" ??? Don't ask me why! Anyway, to make up for it, here is a purely aden/belle chapter!! Enjoy!

Chapter 47

“Hey wait up!”

Aden turned his head round to see if the words were aimed at him, he stopped in the middle of the path, surprised to find they were, but even more so by the person who spoke them.

As she caught up with him she suddenly realised she had no idea what she was going to say. In fact, she had no idea why she’d even followed him in the first place, not really. Her mind raced through a load of suggestions. “Look about what you did for Annie…” She trailed, shifting her weight between her feet, she flicked her head back to move the loose strands of hair from her face as she raised her eyes to meet his “Thank you”.

He stared at her, her words sinking into him. He gave a her a small smile and swivelled his body back to walk away again, panicking, she grabbed his arm to pull him back. “Have you seen Axel?” she was, genuinely concerned that he had just disappeared and the police didn’t even know what had happened. For all they knew, Axel could be planning on returning to school tomorrow as if nothing happened, and he and Aden had been friends, so he might hold the answers.

He tried to concentrate on her words, but all he could sense was her hand that still lingered on his arm. She had pulled him back with a force he didn’t think her capable of, but now she had let go, and he could feel her hand resting against his skin. He was staring at the place their bodies met, her touch coursing through his entire body. He prized his eyes away “No, I haven’t” he told her honestly, watching her body sag down, he felt her touch slip away from him, and he breathed out, realising he hadn’t done so for a while. He suddenly felt really angry, as if he had expected something more from her “Look I’m not covering for him if that’s what you think” he said aggressively, although he didn’t turn to walk away. He didn’t want to.

She stood there, taken aback by the accusation. She hadn’t expected it, “No!” She stuttered, trying to make sense of it “That wasn’t it”

He laughed bitterly at her “Yeah right-o sweetheart” he muttered to her, folding his arms.

She was angry now. She hadn’t coped well at being wrongly accused at work, and she still couldn’t cope with it now “I was trying to apologise!” she yelled up at him

“No, you’re trying to catch me out!” He sniped back, frustrated. “Well you’re wasting your time darling because I didn’t have anything to do with it!” he couldn’t believe there was still some doubt. He thought her apologising had been too good to be true.

Belle looked about her bewildered “God what is it with you?” she asked in amazement “I thought you were up for helping Annie, but obviously not” she retorted, knowing it was a bit harsh.

He shook his head in disbelief “You know, you might be a looker Belle, but that’ll only get you so far. This might come as some sort of shock to you, but sometimes you actually have to do things for yourself.” He told her, his furrowed face bending down to meet hers.

“What is that supposed to mean?” She asked, an edge to her words. His last comment having struck a raw nerve with her. She was nothing like Amanda.

“It means Annie isn’t my problem ok? If you want to find out where Axel is, you’ll have to look for yourself” He told her, trying to move back to the subject in hand. He hadn’t meant what he’d just said, but he realised that, deep down, if she asked him to, something in him felt that it would do anything for her, and he didn’t really know why. Its not like he even really knew her, and knowing how he felt scared the life out of him.

Belle folded her arms, “If she’s not your problem, then why were you so keen to help her out today?” She asked him, knowing she had him cornered.

“What?” He asked her defensively. So he had been at the house, but surely that was all she knew.

Her anger subsided, something about how he was more eager to hide his good nature rather than flaunt it around, drew him to her, and she remembered all the questions she had been longing to ask him, the reason she’d really chased after him. She sighed “I saw you with Annie on the beach earlier, where did you take her?” She stared at him, trapping his eyes into contact with hers.

His face fell a little as he was forced to look at her. When they had met down by the alcove the other day, the incident had been swept into silence, and so he could pretend it had never happened. Now that she looked at him, with a face that already half knew the answer, the conversation felt far too personal. “What did you even ask me for if you already knew?” He asked defensively, this time feeling the need to turn and start walking away.

She reached out for him again, this time she didn’t pull at him, simply let her hand make contact with him, which was enough to stop him.

“Aden” She said softly “I really am thankful for what you did you know?” She said into his back, still touching his arm. She moved a step towards him and felt his body tense slightly, watching the slight movement it made as he breathed silently.

“Please stay for a bit?” She whispered at him.

He turned to face her “I can’t go in there right now” He told her truthfully.

She felt her heart sink. She didn’t understand why she was so upset by his response, but she went with her instincts anyway “Well, come for a walk with me then?” She asked quietly, her voice was bright but cautious, ready to be rejected.

He looked at her, checking for the truth in her words through the movement of her face. “Yeah, ok” He said softly to her, although he avoided her gaze.

She felt her insides settle at his response. She didn’t understand why she was so pleased. All she knew that was that something inside of her was desperate for him to stay close by.

She led him along the path and he followed her quietly behind.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, letting the atmosphere that had hung over them clear away before settling into a conversation. As they approached the beach Belle considered it a good time to lighten the mood.

“I’ll race you to the beach” She told him brightly.

“You… want to race me?” he asked, shocked.

She frowned at him, confused “Yeah what’s wrong with that?” She asked seriously.

He laughed lightly, the feelings of before completely faded now “Honey, you don’t stand a chance” he scoffed

“Oh yeah?” She dared him, smiling.

“Er, yeah” He said mockingly. They looked at each other, willing each other on daringly.

“Ready?” She asked, positioning her body so one foot was in front of the other.

“Go!” He yelled out, running immediately, leaving Belle in her starting position behind him.

When she realised he had already set off she ran after him frantically “Oi, that’s cheating!” She called out in quick breaths.

He pelted ahead of her, as she managed to gain some ground and draw up to him, she pushed him in the stomach, jolting his run, so she could get ahead.

He stopped momentarily, falling back from Belle’s shove, shocked by her tactics, before running behind her with a wicked grin, ready to use some devious tactics of his own.

As he caught up with her he grabbed her wrist, pulling her behind him and using her weight to boost his body forward.

Belle staggered slightly from the disruption, watching him run ahead. She laughed before continuing to run after him. He reached the beach before her, running effortlessly ahead on the last stretch of grass. He turned round to watch her lagging behind. As she reached the beach he grinned and held his hands in the air triumphantly. “Winner!” He called out.

She glared at him, catching her breath “Cheater more like” She gasped at him, holding her stomach.

He smiled victoriously at her “All’s fair in love and war” he told her, bending down to meet her hunched posture “Got a stitch have we?” He asked her, revelling in his win.

She stared at him indignantly “You ran before me!”

He laughed at her “You pushed me!” He replied his voice high pitched.

“And you pulled me back!” She whined, determined to be proven right

“So we both cheated, which means I still win” He declared, grinning at her.

She mimicked him sorely and he laughed at the childishness of the situation.

Belle felt a phone vibrating in her pocket and reached inside to answer it “Hello?” her voice was still drawing sharp breaths from the run.

Aden watched her, the adrenaline of the run surfing through him, it wasn’t just that though. It was her. Her presence was making him feel this giddy high. He had never though Belle Taylor would even so much as speak to him unless it was to spit blood at him. Yet here she was, on a walk she had asked to go on with him. It didn’t feel real to him.

He watched her as she turned her back to him, an agitation rising in her voice “Ok, ok I’m coming back now” she said hurriedly. She flipped the mobile shut and stood with her back to him for a moment, deep in thought.

“Everything ok?” He asked, sensing it wasn’t.

“Yeah” She replied unconvincingly. She turned to face him. They had just had a great time, and now she was going to have to put a downer on them both “It’s just that Annie’s decided she wants to tell the police” She told him severely.

“Well that’s good right?” He asked, confused by her reaction.

“Yeah” She dithered, “But, they want you to make a statement” She told him cautiously. She had asked him one question about Axel and he had flown off of the handle. She couldn’t imagine how agitated he might become in a police interview. She stared at him, studying his reaction.

Aden felt his stomach sink. He didn’t know if he could do that. He wanted to help Annie, but the police? It was too much. He’d have to explain what he saw, and he had been trying to forget about that all day.

“Aden, please, they said you could do it at ours?” she suggested.

He looked at her, and that feeling that had frightened him before swept over him again. Now he realised why he had been so scared of it. Wanting to do anything for her meant having to do things like this. Intimate, personal things he was trying to hide from; it wasn’t just scary, it was terrifying. He looked up at her face. It was so… perfect. Her hair fell in curled locks around her huge eyes that stared up at him pleadingly, helplessly. This was all out of her control. He swallowed hard, fighting the fear he felt lurking within him, and nodded silently at her.

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 48

Kirsty heard the door slam as she sat on the floor in front of the sofa, helping Ollie to build a castle out of Lego. She turned to see Jai storm into the house and head for the stairs. She scrabbled to her feet “Jai” She called after him urgently.

“What?” He snapped at her

She sighed “Is Miles with you?” She asked him

“No” He replied shortly, before turning for the stairs again.

“Wait, Jai!” She called after him urgently.

He turned to face her reluctantly. “Yes?” He sighed at her

“Can we talk a moment?” She asked seriously “Please?” She added, gesturing to the sofa.

He stood there, thinking his options over, before grudgingly flopping into one of the sofa cushions.

Kirsty, taking that as an acceptance, perched herself on the cushion next to him. “Do want to talk to me about what happened today?” She asked kindly.

He frowned at her “Why would I?” He asked, guardedly.

“Jai, I know things aren’t going that great between you and Miles” She admitted gently

“What’s that got to do with you?” He snapped at her.

She sighed, changing tactics “Well, I live with you too, and I know it can’t be easy living with all these new people” When he didn’t respond she continued “But Miles, he loves you like you were his real son” She told him truthfully.

Jai was angered by her word, he didn’t believe her. “No he doesn’t. He’ll always love his real son more than me. I’m just a consolation, just like he is for me” he yelled at her, the hurt tinging his words.

“Jai it’s not a competition.” She said softly, wincing at his statement. She knew there was an element of truth to it. If there had been no tsunami, then both Jai and Miles would have their real families.

“No, it’s not.” He agreed bitterly. If it were a competition, he reflected, he could at least try to win. But he couldn’t win against flesh and blood.

Kirsty caught the meaning in his response. “Jai, Miles loves you, and I’m worried that if you push him out, you’ll look back one day and realise what you gave up” She warned, reflecting on her own situation.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about” He muttered at her under his breath, raising himself off the sofa.

She got up with him, blocking his path, frustrated at his refusal to listen to her “I know exactly what I’m talking about” she warned. He looked up into her angry eyes “I gave up an entire family because I thought I wasn’t really one of them. But I was, and now I’ve lost them” A lump rose in her throat at the last words.

The words knocked him back, he didn’t really know much about Kirsty. He had known she was raised in this same house, with a huge family, and had just made up the rest in his head.

“You were adopted?” He asked, intrigued. The anger that had been in his words was replaced by curiosity.

She looked down, gulping to try and get rid of the lump that clogged her airways. “No, not exactly” She looked up at him, realising the truth might be the only way to get through to him. She clenched her fists, trying to give herself some strength “There was a mix up” She said quietly.

He raised his eyebrows, urging her to explain further.

She sighed “At the hospital there was a mix up, I was swapped with another baby. The Sutherlands had twins, and one of them was swapped with me.” The weight of her words brought them both back onto the sofa. She continued “We never knew until the girl, Jade’s real twin, came looking for her family”

He looked up at the woman he had been living with, shocked at the revelation. He saw her eyes glaze over, watery from the memories the words brought forth. “So, why didn’t you go and look for your real family?” He asked curiously. He knew if his were still alive, he’d do anything to find them.

She cleared her throat, thinking back. “The girl, who came looking, she had been raised in a children’s home. She had been put up for adoption as a baby. She had warned me that the family she thought she was from, wanted nothing to do with her”

Jai was still in shock from everything else. The story didn’t seem real. Babies swapped at birth? It was the sort of thing that happened in films, not real life. But then again, he figured, so were tsunamis. He reached out an placed a hand on hers, squeezing it for support.

Kirsty looked up and smiled at him, glad to see the words had gotten through.

“My other family, the Sutherlands, they did love me. And I rejected that. It was the worst decision of my life Jai, please don’t make the same mistake. Miles, he’s a good guy.” She warned him, squeezing his hand back, as if she thought she could transfer the message to him through touch.

“I’ll try” He told her truthfully. Her words had affected him, the regret he heard in her voice was so painful, so knowing, he couldn’t avoid it. He leant in and gave her a quick hug. Stooping back up, he felt awkward and quickly rushed out the room and upstairs before he could see the look on her face.

She sat and absorbed the comfort Jai had given her. Telling him had helped him,, but she also felt a release. This house held so many memories for her, of times she had tried so hard to forget. Being back here made her feel close to her family, but she knew after what she’d done, she couldn’t face them again. A pain ate away at her insides every time she thought back to what had happened in this house. She wiped the tear away hurriedly as she heard the door open behind her.

“I still haven’t found him” Miles gasped as he marched into the room, flustered “I don’t know what to do, maybe I sho…”

“he’s here” She told him calmly, interrupting his tirade.

He stared down at her from her position on the sofa, he stood beside her, having marched into the middle of the room. “Where?”

“Upstairs, I think you should give him some time” She told him wisely. He looked at her, then at the stairs, torn between instincts. He looked at her again, this time noticing the expression on her face. “Hey, are you ok?” He asked, concerned.

She smiled weakly at him, his concern pulling her out of her mood “Yeah, I’m alright”

He sighed “look, I’m sorry I just left you on the beach. I just got so worried” He explained apologetically.

“Miles, seriously, don’t worry about it. I would have done the exact same thing” She told him sincerely. She smiled harder, not wanting him to think her mood was his fault.

He looked at her a moment longer, unconvinced. “Well, can I do anything to make it up to you?” He asked brightly.

She laughed “Mmmmm, what did you have in mind?”

He scrunched his face up “Well….” He dragged out, before finally admitting “Nothing as such”

She nodded, laughing. Every time she was around Miles she noticed, she started giggling like she was a school kid.

He looked about, his eyes settling on the stereo. “Aha!” He cried, an idea forming in his mind. He walked over to switch it on, fiddling about until the stereo settled on a song. “Here we go” he said to himself. Kirsty sat on the sofa, observing him. He walked back, holding out a hand to her. “Fancy a dance me’lady?” he asked, bowing to meet her. She smiled, impressed, accepting his hand “Why of course sir” She replied, playing along. He drew her towards him, placing a hand around her waist. She rested he chin on his shoulder. They held each other, letting themselves feel the weight of the day. Their faces were hidden from each other, but they could each feel the others mood through the touch of their bodies. Letting the music speak for them, they sank into each other.

#Sitting in today, watching traffic buzzing by, and faces nosing in

A victim of regret, it glitters and it fades away, like silver turning grey

Washed it all away, waiting for this dream to end, before it sucks me in

I'm climbing high, up above the streets and rows of neon lights

I'm holding out my hand but I'm alone

Wish I could show you

Wish you could see through my eyes

Tomorrow shines through

But I'm missing yesterday

Crashing on the ground, the silence seems to suffocate, and bury me again

Waiting for a taste, of happiness to lift me free, and carry me away

I'm climbing high, up above the streets and rows of neon lights

I know it's just a dream but I'm alive

Wish I could show you

Wish you could see through my eyes

Tomorrow shines through

But I'm missing yesterday

I'm still missing yesterday

I'll wait, I'll wait for you tonight.#

Feeling his arms wrapped around her, she felt like just being held by him like this made all the troubles of the past disappear. As they circled slowly about the living room, with Ollie gazing up at them mesmerised by the softness of their movements, she wished she could just stay like this forever.

Song Lyrics by Feeder

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 49 - You're in luck MissOlivia22 a small boost of Nicole and Roman to keep everyone up to speed.

Chapter 49

“Er Nicole?” Roman asked worriedly, staring at the luggage that was piled up in the back seat of the bright yellow car.

“Mmm?” She replied innocently as she grabbed her tiny handbag from the front seat, choosing to leave the heavy lifting to her father.

He turned to her, “What is all this?” he asked accusingly, beginning to suspect there was more to this impromptu visit.

She rolled her eyes at him “Uh, luggage.” She replied, as though it were the most stupid question in the world.

”I know that Nicole. Why have you got so much of it?”

“Well, Roman, there’s these things called clothes and I like to wear them” she patronised to him.

He sighed, unimpressed, chucking the keys at her “Well could you at least open the door?” He asked as he lifted the suitcases from the backseat.

Nicole grabbed the keys and skipped towards the door, opening it, she strolled in and flopped herself onto the sofa. Roman dragged the suitcases inside, glaring at her,s till suspicious.

He left them by the stairs “So…” He said, rounding the sofa to face her “How long were you planning on staying exactly?” He asked, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand, nervous of her reply.

Nicole darted her eyes about nervously, rising off the sofa and standing next to him. “Well, umm, that was actually something I wanted to talk to you about” she said, stalling for time. She looked up at him with pleading, innocent eyes, “I thought I could sort of, come and live with you for a while” she suggested, her voice sickly sweet.

Roman’s face fell and Nicole noticed immediately, flying into a rage “Fine! I just thought it would be nice for us to get to know each other but if that’s how you feel then just forget it!” She yelled at him, pushing him out of her way so she could storm towards the door.

Roman, trying to disguise his initial response called after her “Whoa, wait, Nicole I never said that!”

She turned to him as she opened the door “You didn’t have to” she replied, glaring at him

Roman’s face twisted into a protest, but looking at the expression on her face he could see how useless that would be. “Alright” he admitted “So it’s a shock.” He walked slowly towards her, his hands palms up in retreat “I want you here. I just…”

Nicole folded her arms “Just what?”

“I just don’t know if I’m ready” he replied honestly

“I’m 17! That’s 17 years you’ve had to get ready.” She snapped at him

He gave her a disbelieving laugh “That’s not fair, I’ve been offering for you to stay with me for years! And you stayed with your mum. What’s with the sudden turnaround?” He asked, sensing there was more to it.

She paused momentarily, realising he had a point, before snapping her head back up “So your saying what? That the offer’s expired? I’m past my sell by date? Is that it?” She retorted angrily.

He continued to laugh, amazed by her opinion “No”

“This isn’t funny Roman” She told him, cutting him down.

The smile dropped from his face immediately. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings. “I know it isn’t. Look, of course you can stay here” he told her seriously.

She beamed at him “Thanks dad!” She squealed, running over and hugging his waist. He froze, unable to keep up with Nicole’s rapid mood swings, before letting his arms encircle her. He stroked her hair lightly, sensing there was more to this than she was letting on.

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 50 - DUN DUN DUN! 50 chapters! and i'm nowhere near as far in as i thought i would be! I never thought i'd write 50! anyway, this is a special 50th chapter special for all you very patient and dedicated readers out there!

Chapter 50!

“So what happened after Aden pulled Axel off of you?” Charlie prompted, a pen poised over the half written police report, ready to take details.

Annie glanced nervously towards Geoff, who sat holding her hand supportively. After she had come back from the beach she had gone to his room to make amends for how she had been with him. He was clearly still hurt, but seemed to accept that it was beyond her control. She knew there was only one thing she could do to truly make him realise she still loved him, and so she’d told him she’d report it to the police. In return he now sat holding her supportive as the police probed her. It was the hardest thing he’d had to do, listen in on his little sister as she described some guy touching her, intimately, but he forced himself through it. If Annie was willing to relive it all for him, then the least he could do was be by her side whilst she did it.

“He erm…” She stammered, wincing at the memory.

“Go on Annie, its ok” Geoff whispered to her softly. Annie looked over to Irene, who was in the armchair, who smiled back at her encouragingly.

She smiled, feeling a renewal in her. “He started hitting him”

”Sorry who was hitting who?” Charlie quizzed, scribbling away

“Aden, he got really mad, and started beating Axel” She said, trying to peer over onto the police report.

Charlie looked up “Don’t worry, you’ll get to read it over afterwards and check it’s all kosher” she said, trying to be as kind as possible.

Annie smiled back at her, and then glanced to the side as she heard footsteps enter the house.

The four people in the living room looked up as Belle entered the living room, followed swiftly by Aden.

Charlie was the first to speak “Aden, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait in a different room whilst I interview Annie, because I’ll need to get a separate statement from you”

Aden nodded. “I’ll take him into my room for a bit” Belle offered, leading the way. Aden glanced at Annie and she smiled up at him, before he followed Belle into the bedroom.

As he entered the room he felt like a whole new side of Belle was revealed to him. As if her possessions added a piece to her, that otherwise remained unseen. As she slumped onto the bed that took over the centre of the room, Aden wandered round the sides examining the objects scattered around him. The dresser was lined with sea shells, painted in what he assumed to different colours of nail varnish. The nail varnish was heaped in a basket on one side of the dresser. There was a mirror, decorated with a margin of photos, ones of Belle and Irene, Annie and Geoff, Belle and Mattie, Belle and her first newspaper article, none of Drew or Amanda, he noted mentally.

“Finished snooping?” She asked, trying to lighten the mood. She had no idea what they were to talk about until he got called in for the interview.

He looked up at her, as if she had snapped him out of his own little world. “I didn’t mean it you know?” he told her honestly, picking up one of the shells and rubbing it between his fingers.

She looked at him quizzically. He sighed and sat down on the end of the bed, “What I said, about you… using people, it’s not true” He sighed.

She continued to stare at him, surprised by his confession. They hadn’t even been talking about it, she thought they had already forgiven each other. She watched him rub at the seashell “You can have that one if you want” She told him brightly.

He held it up at her, smiling “What even is it supposed to be?” He asked her, taking the offer as a sign of peace.

She shrugged “It’s…. art” she suggested. She didn’t really know why she’d done it, other than to pass the time.

“Hmmm… yeah, course it is” he agreed sarcastically.

“Well if you don’t want it fine” She joked, reaching out to snatch it off of him.

He resisted her pull, still holding onto it “Hey, hey, hey! Did your mother never teach you it’s rude to snatch?” He asked her, raising his hand into the air, out of her reach.

She gave up trying to grab it from him, and repositioned herself so she was sitting with her legs crossed in front of her “No, actually, my mother was quite a fan of snatching things” she reflected, she stared down at the duvet covers, feeling she had revealed too much, and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

He dropped the smile, staring at her as she recoiled into herself. He felt a stab of guilt knife him through the stomach. Why had he even said those things earlier? “Belle” he said softly, lowering his arm and leaning towards her “I really didn’t mean what I said earlier, you know that right?” He asked, placing the shell in front of her carefully.

She looked up at him, forcing herself to smile “What, so I’m not a ‘looker’?” She asked jokingly, raising her hands up to make inverted commas with her fingers.

He gave a small laugh and she joined him. Their faces were a few inches apart, and they gazed at each other for a while. She could feel his breath on hers, and, as she looked at him, she felt this longing that she hadn’t felt in a long time. The last time she had felt it had been with Drew, and she remembered how much happiness that had cost her. She drew her head away from his slightly, clearing her throat.

He noticed the hint and backed away, feeling foolish. He had lost himself in those eyes for a moment, and allowed a feeling in him to take over. He stared away, to the ground, feeling an idiot for even considering the possibility.

“Are you nervous?” She asked him, changing the subject.

He let his feelings settle down inside of himself, driving it to the back of his mind. “What do you think?” He muttered bitterly. He hadn’t meant to, but it was all he could do to stop himself reaching out to kiss her.

He didn’t look up to see the hurt that bruised her features, but the feeling of it spread over him, and he couldn’t leave it there “Yeah, I am” he admitted, his tone softening.

“Well, you don’t have to be, all you did was help Annie” she reassured him calmly, letting the bitterness slip away.

“It’s not that” he admitted, struggling to figure out exactly what he was nervous about. He knew what scared him; it scared him how he had felt that night. That night when he’d revealed all those skeletons to Kirsty. He was terrified that feeling would come back to claim him, that he’d say things that he never wanted to.

She studied his features as they morphed into the person she’d seen down by the alcove. It was like there were three Aden’s she knew. The one she had known for a long time, that bullied people, then there was the one she discovered down in the alcove who was a frightened child, and then there was the one she laughed and joked with, the one she was falling for.

She reached over and squeezed his hand “What is it?”

The feel of her touching him jolted him back into the room, and he felt this longing for her. The feelings he had pushed to the inside sprang forth with a vengeance, warming him. “It’s nothing” he told her, brushing the fear to the side to make room for her touch. “Can I really have this?” He asked her, reaching with his other hand to grab the seashell again.

She released her hand from his, and reached out for the seashell, having caught him off guard, she managed to grab it this time “Why? I thought you said it was crap?” She asked jokingly, frowning at him.

He smiled at her, grabbing her wrist. They took a moment to let the feeling of each others skin settle. “I never said that” He corrected in a whisper as he leant towards her, his eyes darting around until they caught hers

This time she leant towards him too, so their faces were an inch apart. He released his grip on her and she allowed the hand that he had grasped to fall onto his shoulder.

His breath quickened as he felt her hand trail slightly down onto his chest and across his collarbone. Their eyes locked together, and he knew that she could see the longing in them. He tried to see what was in her eyes but he couldn’t tell if it was his own longing looking back at him.

He sat frozen and tense as her fingers traced their way back across his shoulder and down his back with a feather light touch. Suddenly he felt her arm push him forwards with a force, and he gave a slight gasp, before it was stifled as his lips touched hers. He froze at the soft impact, before allowing himself to let go and really feel her. He felt a longing in her lips and knew it wasn’t just him this time. He brought his arm up around her as he felt her lips move in time with his.

Her hand slide up his back and run across his neck urgently. As though she needed to reassure herself he was really there, kissing her back. She could feel his soft lips against hers, gently getting used to them. She felt his hand rise up into her hair, stroking the back of her head.

Suddenly he felt an urgency; an electricity run through him and into her. His tongue slipped into her mouth and gently danced with hers as they caressed each other.

“Belle, Aden, Annie’s finished now” the voice brought them both slamming back down to reality and they snapped apart from each other, fixing their eyes at the ground, confused about what had just happened, and both terrified to face the other.

Irene gaped at them as she opened the door, stunned from the shock. The silence that engulfed the trio for several beats too long finally jolted Aden back into the situation, and he scrambled away from Belle and out the door, avoiding all eye contact with Irene. Irene continued to stare wide eyed at Belle. Belle, still feeling him on her lips, refused to meet Irene’s eyes, although she could feel them bore into her.