Second Love

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for all your comments, glad we're back on the same page and hope you enjoy this.

CHAPTER 11

Rachel had knocked once on the front door, just to make sure, before letting herself in.She headed upstairs and made for Nicole’s room first, making sure she’d adopted her sympathetic face before easing the door open.The sight that she encountered surprised her.The room was empty, the bed covers cast aside as though someone had made an exit in a hurry.

Pulling the door to with some puzzlement, she headed across the landing to open the door opposite.“Aden, do you know where..?Oh god.”She hastily shut the door again.“Sorry!”she called out as she stood there on the landing, wincing,“I didn’t realise this was a unisex ward.”

“Yeah, um, we thought it’d save you time if you could see us together!”Nicole called back as she and Aden desperately scrambled to recover their clothes.She glanced across at Aden once they both had enough back in place to appear decent and he gave a nod of assent.“Er, ready!”

Rachel opened the door again with a lot more caution, peering round it to take in the sight of them sitting up in bed, trying to act as though nothing had happened.“Well, um, I see you’ve both got the colour back in your cheeks,”she commented.

“Yeah, we…we had a good night,”Aden confirmed.

Rachel gave them the quickest examination of her career, checking their temperatures and their pulse rates.Whatever they’d been doing since she last saw them, and that was one question she was not going to be asking, it hadn’t put back their recovery.“I think you’re both over the worst of it,”she told them,“But it might be best if you stay in bed for the moment.”

“Not a problem,”Aden agreed, a trace of a smirk on his face.

“Plenty of rest,”she stressed.

“But there’s nothing wrong with a bit of light exercise, is there?”Nicole asked, with the same mixture of amusement and embarrassment as Aden.

“No, just…nothing too strenuous.”Rachel gestured to the clock by Aden’s bed pointedly.“I’ll be round to check up on you nine o’clock tomorrow so…make sure you’re ready.”

“Will do, doc,”Aden agreed.He waited until Rachel had closed the door firmly behind her before falling flat on his back with a sigh.“Okay, that was not the wake up call I was expecting.”

“Me neither,”Nicole echoed as she snuggled down next to him,“But you meant what you said, right? About it being a good night?”

Aden kissed her lightly on the top of the head.“Yeah.Assuming I’m remembering it correctly and not getting mixed up with fevered hallucinations.You?”

“Well…if I’d had to picture us taking that step, it wouldn’t have involved us being half out of it with flu at the time.And it definitely wouldn’t have involved you sneezing on me halfway through.”

Aden looked at her in a way that bordered on apologetic but looked more as if he was trying not to laugh. “Well…I did try and hold it in.”

“But despite all that…it felt kinda special.”

He nodded.“Yeah.And…I was really glad that you came over here.”

“That’s good,”she replied, smiling,“Because I really don’t think I’m going to be able to make it back…”

He smiled and kissed her as they disappeared under the covers.

“Well, I’m glad to see you two looking well again,”Irene commented when they came into the Diner a few days later.

“Yeah, it’s been a pretty trippy time,”Aden confirmed with a grin.

“And we’re just dying for some strong coffees now we can actually taste them,”Nicole added.

“Coming right up,”Irene agreed.

Before she could make a move though, Olivia came shooting out of the kitchen, having evidently overheard the conversation.“Aden!”She ran over to him and flung her arms round him, an image made all the more ridiculous by the fact her head barely came above his waist.“I’m so glad you’re better!School hasn’t been the same without you and the team’s doing rubbish, Tracey keeps losing the ball in our half, Emma wants me to take her place in defence…”

“Er, Livvy love, maybe you could do me a favour and get Mr.Jefferies and his girlfriend their coffees,” Irene suggested.

“Right!Doing it now!Talk to you later, Aden!”She disappeared back into the kitchen.

Irene looked at Aden in amusement.“I think someone’s got a crush.”

Nicole took hold of Aden’s arm possessively.“First Annie, now Livvy.I really am gonna have to fight to keep them away from you, aren’t I?”

Olivia stuck her head through the partition again.“Oh, Irene, this postcard’s still here.Do you want me to put it on the notice board?”

“Um, in a minute, love,”Irene told her, suddenly awkward,“Just get those coffees done first.”

Aden caught the reaction.“Belle again?”Irene nodded.“Dubai?”

“Tokyo.”Irene waved them towards a table.“Look, why don’t you two sit down?I’ll get Livvy to bring your coffees over.”

Nicole had felt the mood change with Aden’s reaction.She didn’t want to but she couldn’t help feeling a pang of jealousy.“You having ‘What if?’ thoughts again?”she asked quietly.

“Kind of,”Aden admitted,“But…I just realised, that’s the first time I’ve thought about Belle in a month.”

She hadn’t expected him to say that and found herself glad that he had.“Is that unusual?”

“For me?Practically a record.”She felt his hand wrap around hers under the table.“Nic…I’m not very good at saying this stuff but these last few weeks, the way I’ve been feeling, and I don’t just mean the flu…it’s something I haven’t felt in a long time.”

She squeezed his hand tightly.“Me too.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Managed to hammer one out quickly, hope you like.

CHAPTER 12

“Nic!You’re back!”

Nicole had once more managed to find a table by herself at recess and once more Annie had tracked her down with the unerring skill of a homing pigeon.It wasn’t that she minded exactly, she quite liked Annie, but their conversations tended to be a bit on the strange side.“Yes, I am,”she said in confirmation.

“I’m so glad, I was getting fed up carrying these around on the off chance.”Annie delved into her bag and brought out a pile of papers about a centimetre thick.

Nicole looked at them in confusion.“What..?”

“Aden asked me to take notes for you.”

Nicole leafed through the pages, surprised at how detailed and helpful they were.“Since when did you attend fashion lectures?Especially ones for third years?”

Annie shrugged.“Aden didn’t seem to have thought of that and I didn’t want to let anyone down.”

Nicole felt a bit guilty for her earlier thoughts.They might not have much in common but she’d forgotten Annie was well-meaning at heart.She kissed the younger girl on the side of the head.“Thanks, Ann.You’re a pal.”

Annie smiled, obviously pleased that she’d done the right thing.“So, how are you?Anything happen while you were off?”

Nicole wasn’t sure how Annie would take the news.Her views on some subjects still struck her as somewhat outdated at times.All the same, after the help she’d given her, she felt she needed to be honest. “Aden and I, we…well, we’ve started sleeping together.”The faint look of disapproval in Annie’s features was obvious.“I know, I know, you think we should have waited.”

She could see the conflict in Annie, the attempt to reconcile her upbringing with the desire to be a good friend.“Well, I waited two years with Jai, until it felt right but…I guess you’re used to that sort of relationship so…Did it feel right?”

Nicole smiled.“Yeah, it did.”

“And it makes you happy?”

“Yeah…”And it did.Happier than she’d felt in a long time.But she couldn’t help the hint of uncertainity creeping into her voice.

Annie picked up on it, of course.“Is there something wrong?”

Nicole tried to work out the best way to phrase it.She didn’t want to give the wrong impression.“You know how at the start of a relationship, everything’s new and exciting?”She could tell from Annie’s grin that she did.“Well, it’s like that, except…we’re living together.”

“And you don’t want to?”

“It’s not that exactly, it’s just…It should be a big step.A really big step, a decision that we make together. A commitment.Instead, it’s something that’s happened because we were living together already.”

“Well, you weren’t living together living together,”Annie pointed out,“I mean, you were in the same house but you weren’t exactly together.Isn’t that new and exciting?”

As Nicole thought about what Annie had said, something clicked into place.There was a difference.And it was so obvious, she was astonished it hadn’t occurred to her before.“Ann, I think I’ve just had a really crazy idea…”

Nicole had only just finished when she heard the door go.She bounded down the stairs to find Aden standing just inside the house, looking bemused at her enthusiasm.“Something up?”he asked.

“I want to ask you something.”

He still looked utterly confused but made an inviting gesture anyway.“Go on.”

“No, um…I need to show you first.”She took hold of his hand and dragged him upstairs, leading him past their rooms and into the one further down.

Aden looked around the room she’d led him to, still not understanding what she was up to.“Your dad’s old room.”The room had been empty the last three years.Neither of them had gone in there much and it had fallen into disuse.Nicole had wanted everything ready before he came home.She’d made up the bed, had a good dust round, even put some flowers on the window sill.He looked at her in confusion.“Are we expecting guests?”

“No…”Nicole tried her best to explain.“Did you ever wonder why we stayed in our own rooms?I mean, this is the best room in the house but we’ve never used it.”

Aden shrugged.“I dunno.I guess we just thought of it as his room.”

“Or maybe it felt like claiming ownership of the house?”Nicole suggested,“Saying the other one was just a guest?”Aden shrugged again and she took his hand.“But…this is our house now so I was wondering… maybe we should share it?”

“Nic, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying, in this crazy, backwards mixed up relationship of ours…will you move in with me?”

He stood there for a moment, his expression unreadable.Her stomach churned as she worried he was going to say no, that it was a ridiculous idea.“I don’t know,”he said at last,“I mean, the bed.”

It was Nicole’s turn to be confused.“The bed?”

“It’s just…it looks okay, just looking at it.But we can’t be sure, can we?So maybe we should, you know, try before we buy?”

It took her a moment to realise what he was saying…and then the only sound she had the chance to make was a yelp of delight as he pulled her onto the bed.

[Red Ranger 1]

I know a lot of people don't like Annie, but I do.

Don't worry, Laura, I love her as well.

This chapter's a bit cobbled together but I thought the characters needed a bit of breathing space.Hope you all still enjoy it.

CHAPTER 13

Nicole had pulled on a gown over her underwear before heading downstairs.Aden seemed to be just finishing off the washing up whilst hastily munching on a piece of toast.“Morning,”he greeted her, the fact he was still halfway through breakfast making the word somewhat indistinct.

Nicole struck a dramatic pose in the doorway.“Okay, I’m not sure if you understand the etiquette but this is our first morning officially living together as a couple.I was kinda expecting you to actually be there when I woke up.”

Aden shrugged.“Well…I didn’t wanna wake you.”

“Maybe I wanted to be woken up.”

“What would you want that for?”

“Well…”-Nicole took a few steps closer until she was right up next to him-“…maybe I wanted to say goodbye.”

She kissed him, passionately, invitingly.He lifted her up onto the table, lowering both their bodies down onto it.She grinned and pulled off his top as he began to slip the gown from her shoulders…and then he noticed his watch.

He sighed.“Hate to say this but…I’ve really got to go.”He straightened up and retrieved his top before helping her to her feet.

“You really need to get yourself a better job,”Nicole commented,“One that doesn’t start until about three in the afternoon.”

He kissed her again, only ending it with visible effort.“See you tonight, princess.”

Aden was just ushering the last of his form into the classroom when Miles came up.“Hey there, big fellow, glad to see you finally got out of bed.”

Aden took a quick glance at the pupils to confirm that most of them had indeed started smirking.“Was there something you wanted, Mr.Copeland?”

“Oh, Kirsty and I were talking and we were wondering if you and Nicole fancied coming round for dinner tonight.”

“Have to be another night, I’m afraid.We’re moving tonight.”

Miles looked confused.“You’re moving house?”

Aden grinned and gently eased the classroom door shut.This was one part of the conversation he definitely didn’t want a group of Year 10s hearing.“Actually, we’re moving room.”

“Ah.Say no more.I understand.”

“You do?I thought it was a pretty weird way of going about things.”

Miles shrugged.“Ah, what’s normal?So long as it works for you, that’s the main thing.”

“Thanks for the endorsement, mate.”Aden glanced round to where his form were doing their best to peer through the glass partition and stay seated at the same time, trying to make out what was going on.“You done embarrassing me in front of the class?”

“Yeah, I’ll let you know when I need to do it again.”

Nicole had been stood at the bar for the best part of five minutes before Alf Stewart finally got around to her.“Sorry, love,”he commented as he poured her drink,“We’re a bit short-staffed at the moment.”

Nicole did her best to hide her smile.She couldn’t remember a time when the bar wasn’t short staffed. “That’s all right, Mr.Stewart.”

“Don’t suppose I can interest you in a few shifts, can I?”

“Not with the amount of uni stuff I’ve got on at the moment.”

“Yeah, course.So, ah, how are things with you and young Aden?If you don’t mind an old barman asking.”

“Things are fine, Mr.Stewart.”

Alf was eyeing her carefully.“Hope you don’t mind me saying so, love, but you don’t sound too convinced.”

“No, I am, it’s just…whenever something good like this happens, there tends to be something bad not too far behind.”

Alf patted her hand.“Life’s like that, love.Best just to enjoy the good parts while they’re happening.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for your comments, hope you like this one.

CHAPTER 14

Aden couldn’t help giving a slight smile at the sight of the bright pink car parked at the end of the school drive.In all his life, he’d probably known only one person who could get away with driving a car like that. And sure enough, there she was, standing by the car, twirling her sunglasses in her hand.“Something I can do for you, Nic?”he asked.

“Just wondered if Summer Bay High’s hottest teacher wants to go out for dinner with me this evening.”

“And you thought you’d embarrass me first by collecting me in that?”

She pouted, running a loving hand across the car bonnet.“And what’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing a complete respray wouldn’t cure.”

She glared at him.“Don’t you dare.”

He grinned at her outrage.“Okay, fine.I know you’re just glad to finally have a car.”

“I’ve had a car for two years!”

“Doesn’t alter the fact you’re still the only person I know to have been banned from driving before she passed her test.”

Nicole shrugged.“Well, fine.If you feel gracing my vehicle with your presence is an insult to your masculinity, you can go ahead and walk.”

“Only joking, gorgeous.”He put his arms around her waist and kissed her lightly.“Now, what was that about dinner?”

Ruby hadn’t had the best day.She’d been called out to an accident on the road between Summer Bay and Yabbee Creek, where she’d found two drivers who seemed to be in more danger of damaging each other with their fists than they had done with their cars.It had taken the threat of them both spending time in a lock-up to calm them down.Then she’d been stuck at the scene directing traffic for nearly two hours before the cars could be towed away.Then there’d been an alert on a missing child who had turned out to be hiding in her best friend’s new treehouse that no-one had thought to tell them about.

So when she arrived back at the station, she’d been hoping to just finish up the paperwork and then clock off.But the look that her superior, Senior Constable Watson, gave her when she arrived told her there was more to come.

“Can I have a moment, Ruby?”she asked, standing over by one of the front desks shuffling papers.

“Yeah, sure, Georgie, what’s up?”Ruby answered, trying to sound upbeat.

Watson thrust one of the pieces of paper at her.“Alert from HQ.Recent releases.”

Ruby scanned the list of names, reading them through three times before she picked it up.About three quarters of the way down.It had seemed so innocuous that at first she hadn’t made the connection but now…“Do they think he’ll come back here?”

Watson shrugged.“Well, he does still have family in the area.”

“When you offered to buy me dinner, I wasn’t expecting a burger bar,”Aden complained as they made their way up the drive to the house.

Nicole pulled pointedly at the games teacher’s outfit he was still wearing.“What, you thought they’d let you into the Sands dressed like that?You wouldn’t even get past Irene’s door policy.”

“Yeah, okay,”he conceeded,“Just thought you might want to splash out.We didn’t even get dessert.”

She paused at the doorway, smiling.“You want dessert?”

He sighed.“Okay, I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”

“Hey, if you’re not interested…”

“Well, I didn’t say that.”He brushed the hair away from her face and kissed her, opening the door at the same time and ushering her inside.

Which was when they heard the male voice coming from their front room.“I hate to interrupt you but…”

Aden and Nicole sprang apart, suddenly aware of the third person in the room, illuminated by one of the table lamps.Nicole saw a man some years older than them, casually dressed, with a large amount of untamed facial hair.He was lying on the couch facing them, seeming completely at ease to be there. Although she was certain she’d never seen him before, he seemed oddly familiar.

She glanced at Aden who was looking at their visitor with familiarity but without any sign of being pleased to see him.“What are you doing here?”

“Thought it was about time we caught up.”

Nicole looked from one to the other.“Aden, who is this?”

“Yeah, little brother,”the newcomer echoed,“You wanna tell the girl who I am?”

Aden gestured to him with reluctance.“Nic…meet my brother Sean.”

[Red Ranger 1]

CHAPTER 15

Nicole placed the plate of food in Sean’s lap before going to sit by Aden on the sofa.“Help yourself.”

Sean took his first mouthful of the meal and grinned broadly.“You make a mean beans on toast, Nicola.”

“Nicole.”

He shrugged.“Whatever.”

“When did you get out?”Aden asked.

“Yesterday.Spent the night in a hostel then thought I’d come down here.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious?Catch up with the family.I mean, Dad’s gone, goodness only knows where Justin is, we’ve pretty much just got each other.”

“Yeah, well, you can finish your meal and then get back to the hostel.”

Nicole looked at Aden with mixed feelings.She hadn’t exactly taken an immediate liking to Sean and would have been quite happy to see him gone.All the same…throwing him out on the streets didn’t seem right.

Sean seemed to think the same.“I was hoping you’d put me up.”

“Guess you thought wrong then.”

“Hey!”Sean gestured in Aden’s direction with his fork, suddenly angry.“You owe me, little brother. Remember?”

Aden was looking uncomfortable.“I tried to cover for you.”

“The only reason I went after that kid was because you told me he hurt you on purpose.”

“I didn’t mean for you to put him in hospital.”

“I was protecting you, Aden.Like a big brother should.And you just cast me out to dry.No letters, no phone calls, no visits.Seven years I was inside.”

“You’d have been out in three if you’d kept your nose clean.”

“Us Jefferies boys never shy away from a fight, Aden, you know that.”

Aden looked at him in disgust.“See this is exactly why I don’t want you near me.I’m through with all that, Sean.I’ve grown up, I’ve got a life here.”

“Good for you.So what, I don’t deserve a life?My place is in the gutter?”

Nicole placed a soothing hand on Aden’s thigh.“Maybe…maybe he could stay for a bit?”she suggested.

Aden looked at her.She could tell he’d been hoping she’d say something else, give him an out.“You don’t mind?”

Nicole shrugged.“If my brother turned up, I’d like to think we’d let him stay.”She noticed his startled look.“I don’t have a brother, Aden, it was just an analogy.”

Aden looked back at Sean.“Fine.You can stay in my old room.Just until you get yourself sorted.”

Sean held up his hands in a gesture of innocence.“All I’m asking.Your old room?Why don’t you need it now?”

Nicole sensed Aden’s embarrassment and touched his hand, clasping it in her own.“We’re, er, we’re sharing now.”

Sean grinned.“Cosey.”

Nicole felt suddenly uncomfortable under his gaze, turning her attention to Aden.“Maybe you should show your brother where he can put his luggage.”

Sean gestured around the room and Nicole noticed for the first time it was empty of anything that didn’t belong to them.“What luggage?”

“You really don’t mind him being here?”Aden asked as they clambered into bed,“’Cos I can still kick him out if you like.”

“Aden, chill,”she reassured him,“Anyone would think you don’t want him here.”

“Let’s just say that me living with any member of my family never seems to work out well.”He let out a deep sigh before letting a grin show across his face.“But we can worry about that in the morning.”

He rolled over slightly and started kissing her, his hands roaming across her body as he began to gently remove her clothes.She pushed him away slightly.“Hang on, you want to do this now?”

“You got a problem with that?”

“No, no problem.”She waited until he had just started to kiss her before pulling away again.“But seriously, you actually want us to have sex while your brother’s in the house?”

“We did it while your dad was in the house,”he reminded her.He noticed her look of distaste and realised he was feeling the same way.“Okay, let’s just agree never to mention that again.”

He started to kiss her again and again she pushed him away from her.“You realise he’s only down the hall. He’s gonna be able to hear everything.”

Aden sighed, propping himself up on his elbow.“Look, if you’re trying to kill the mood…”

“No, no.”She took a firm hold on his top and pulled him back towards her.“Just making sure.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for all your comments, hope you like this.

CHAPTER 16

“So what’s so bad about him?”Nicole asked as the pair of them stood in the kitchen the next morning.

Aden shot her a look.“Nic, he’s just come out of prison.”

“Yeah, okay, but still…why don’t you want him here?”

“Well, because…”Aden sighed.It was difficult to explain.“When Sean was around, I was a different person.And a lot’s changed since then and I really don’t want things to go back to how they were before.”

“So what, you think because’s he’s here you’re suddenly gonna have a personality transplant?”

“Let’s just say I’m worried he’s going to bring out the worst in me.”

“Lot of people do that.”

“No, trust me, you’ve never seen the worst in me.”

Nicole laid a consoling hard on his arm.“Look, Aden, you’ve changed a lot these past few years, even from when I first knew you.It’s going to take more than some long lost relative turning up to send you back down that road.”

He patted her hand gratefully.“Thanks.”

“How did you lose touch with him anyway?”

Aden shrugged.“I visited him a couple of times but I was back living with Dad by then, he thought he was a bad influence…Guess I was the only son he had left by that point and he wanted to hold onto me.Our family pretty much wrote the book on forgetting about awkward family history.”

“Well, if you haven’t seen him for that long…you’ve changed so maybe he has as well?”

“I really want to believe that but…”He stopped, hearing the footsteps on the stairs, and gestured for her to be quiet.

Sean appeared in the doorway, a broad grin on his face.“Morning, house mates.”

“Maybe you should think of yourself as a lodger,”Aden suggested,“Or better still, a temporary house guest.”

Sean’s grin didn’t falter.“Yeah, fine.I’m just glad you put me up, whatever you want to call me.”

Nicole gestured to the rack of toast she’d just made.“You want anything?”

“Yeah, thanks, princess,”he responded casually as he sat down at the table.

Nicole froze slightly, looking uncomfortably at Aden for a second before putting the toast down in front of Sean.“Can you just…not call me that?”

“Yeah, no problem, hun.”

Aden took the seat next to his brother, looking at him seriously.“Look, Sean, if you stay here…it’s got to all be above board, yeah?No stealing, no cheating, no getting into fights.”

“Hey, look, Aden.Prison wasn’t exactly a barrel of laughs, you know?I’m not going to get myself sent back there.”

“Good.Well…maybe you need to just knuckle down, find yourself a job or something.”

Sean laughed.“That’s a good one.What do you expect me to do, tottle off down the job centre and ask them if they’ve got anything going for an ex-crim with no qualifications?”

“What else are you gonna do, sit around the house all day?Ask around, see if there’s anything out there.”

“Um..?”Nicole raised a hand tentatively.“I might have an idea there.”

Alf looked Aden straight in the eye across the bar.“You have got to be kidding me.”

Aden sighed.He’d known as soon as Nicole suggested it that this wasn’t going to be easy.“Come on, Alf, you’re short staffed, he needs a job.”

Alf was obviously far from convinced.“I don’t know if you’ve forgotten this, Aden, but the reason your brother was in prison was he put my grandson in hospital.”

“Yeah.”Aden hadn’t forgotten that, it had in fact been uppermost in his mind when he’d agreed to talk to Alf.“But that was partly my fault as well, for causing trouble for Ric.”

“Hmph.”Alf’s response suggested that he hadn’t forgotten that either.“Has he had any experience of bar work, your brother?”

“A bit…”Sean had spent most of his pre-prison life drifting from job to job and Aden was sure there’d been some bar work among it.His temper had caused him to lose most of them pretty quickly anyway.

“Has he got experience of any sort of work, other than stitching mail bags?”

“Look, Alf, he’s served his sentence.He deserves a second chance, doesn’t he?”

“Course he does.I just don’t see why I have to be the one to give it to him.”

“What about a month’s trial?What harm can that do?”

“Plenty.”Alf rolled his eyes.“Fine.A month’s trial.First sign of trouble and he’s out of here.”

Aden was surprised to find himself smiling.He’d almost forgotten that he didn’t really want Sean around either.But if he was going to be around, it was better that he been in work rather than getting up to trouble somewhere.“You won’t regret this, Mr.Stewart.”

“I’m already regretting it, young fella.Go on, clear off out of here before I come to my senses.You’ve probably got some 15-year-olds to torment.”

As Aden headed off to work, he tried to ignore the part of him that warned him that there was a fair chance they’d both end up regretting it.

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for all your replies, hope you like this.

CHAPTER 17

Alf continued to look at his new employee with a suspicious eye, not certain what moment of madness it was that had led to him working there.“You know how to pull a pint?”

Sean gave him a shifty grin.“I know how to drink one.”

“Well, while you’re working here, that’s not exactly a lot of good.”

“Just thought I should let you know what my skills are, old man.”

Alf could feel the temper flaring up inside him.“Now you listen to me, boy.The only reason I’m letting you through that door, let alone behind this bar, is as a favour to young Aden.If you don’t want this job, then that’s pretty damn fine as far as I’m concerned.But if you do, then you have to stick to the rules.And rule number one is you respect me.Rule number two is that you respect the customers.Rule number three is that the money goes into the till rather than into your pocket.And rule number four is that you work hard. Do you think you can manage to do all that?”

“I can give it a try, sir.”

Alf wasn’t sure if he was having the mickey taken out of him or not.He decided just this once to give Sean the benefit of the doubt.“If you call me Mr.Stewart, that’s just fine.So come round here and show me what you can do.”

Sean took hold of the pump and used it to pour a quantity of the house lager into a glass.The result, Alf was forced to admit, wasn’t actually half bad.He put the glass down on the bar.“What do you think of that, Mr.Stewart?”

“Not bad for a first attempt,”Alf replied grudgingly.He noticed Tony standing in the doorway of the gym and motioned for him to stay where he was.An excuse to get out of Sean’s way for a bit was extremely welcome.“Keep practising.I’ll be back in a moment.”

“So how’s the new staffmember going?”Tony asked.

“Well, his work’s not too bad, going by the five minutes he’s been here,”Alf admitted,“But oh, his attitude.Half the time I just want to wring his neck.”

“Afraid we need the staff too much for that, mate.”

“Shame.”Alf glanced back at Sean, who was lining up pints of varying quality along the bar as he poured them.“Oh, I guess I can put up with him.He’d better not make any slip ups, mind you, or his feet won’t touch the ground.”

Tony smiled and patted him on the shoulder.“That’s the spirit, mate.”

Nicole had once again found herself back in the Bay and back in the Diner come lunch time.The college canteen was fine for what it was but if she had enough time she liked to be back among familiar surroundings.It also meant she could see familiar faces, as the latest arrival proved.“Hey, Rube!”she called out.

Ruby hurried over to her table.“Nicole, I’ve been looking for you all day.Listen, we got a report through at the station yesterday.It’s Aden’s brother.He’s been released from prison.”

Nicole sighed.“I know.”

“Who told you?”

“He did.Last night.In person.”

Ruby’s expression was immediately one of concern.“He turned up here?What for?”

“He needed somewhere to crash.”

“Nic…you didn’t let him stay, did you?”

Nicole shrugged.“He is Aden’s brother.”

“Yeah, he’s also a violent criminal.He put Mr.Stewart’s grandson in hospital.”

“He’s served his time.Aren’t people like that meant to get on with their lives?”

“They’re meant to, yeah.But in my experience, most of the time they reoffend and end up straight back inside.”

Nicole couldn’t help laughing.“In your experience?Come on, exactly how many months have you been a police officer, Probationary Constable?”

“Yeah, okay,”Ruby admitted,“My experience isn’t that big.But they always told us, keep an eye on anyone who’s just come out of jail, they might have trouble adjusting.”

“Well, you can come round for dinner tonight if you want to keep an eye on him then.”

“Er, I think I’ll pass, thanks.Just…watch yourself, Nic, okay?”

Nicole was going to announce herself when she got home that evening until she heard Aden and Sean talking in the kitchen.Instead she decided to make her way over there to greet them, listening in to their conversation as she did so.

“So you didn’t get fired?”Aden was saying.

“No, Aden, I didn’t get fired,”Sean responded,“So do I get your approval?”

“Yeah, Sean, you did well.”There was a slight reluctance to Aden’s reply but he sounded slightly pleased as well.

“Looks like the Jefferies boys are back together again, hey?Now all we need to do is get rid of Nicole.”

Nicole stopped dead, in the middle of the lounge, listening in.What exactly was Sean suggesting?

She was relieved to hear the same disbelief in Aden’s voice.“What?”

“You know, thank her and ask her to move on.Then it’ll be just the two of us.”

There was a coldness to Aden’s reply now.“Sean, it is not going to be just the two of us.”

“Oh come on, little brother.I mean, sure she’s hot and everything but since when did we need girls hanging around?”

“She’s my girlfriend, you moron, she’s not some used towel you can throw out.”

“Yeah, sure, I get it.”Sean’s tone suggested that he didn’t get it, that he was still expecting Aden to agree with him.“But it’s not like she’s family, not like she’s someone you need around.”

“I love her, okay?”

Nicole felt her heart skip a beat.Aden loved her?She’d hoped he did, even suspected he did, but to actually hear him say it…She found herself smiling suddenly, the rest of the conversation rendered meaningless by those three words, and wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop.She noticed the front door still open behind her and decided now would be a good time for that announcement.

“What do you mean, you love her?”she heard Sean demand.

“Exactly that,”Aden replied,“So if you want me to choose between you then you might find…”

Nicole slammed the front door shut as loudly as she could, bringing their conversation to an immediate halt, before bounding into the kitchen.“Hi, guys,”she greeted them,“What are you talking about?”

“Er, Sean’s new job,”Aden replied slightly flustered.

“Oh, right.”Nicole glanced at Sean breezily.“How’s that going?”

“Yeah, good,”replied an equally flustered Sean.

Nicole nodded, pretending to be interested before planting a kiss on Aden’s lips, one that went on perhaps a little bit too long considering his brother was in the room.The grin he gave her suggested he didn’t mind. “What was that for?”

She smiled.“I’ve just had a really good day.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for the comments, hope you like this one.

CHAPTER 18

“I heard you last night,”Nicole revealed the following morning, once Sean had left the house.

Aden looked at her in confusion.“Heard what?”

“What you said to Sean.When you were in the kitchen, just before I came in?”

Aden seemed to be running over the conversation in his head, trying to work out what she’d heard.“You heard him ask me to kick you out?”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard all that,”Nicole confirmed dismissively,“What was all that about, by the way?”

Aden shrugged.“I don’t know.I mean, before he went to jail it was just the two of us.And he still had a bit of a temper, I mean he still went to jail but…he was better.Than he had been when we were at home.I was too, I guess.Maybe he just wants to get back to that.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

“You heard me say no, right?”

“Yes, Aden, I heard you say no.And I heard something else as well.”She took a deep breath before hitting him with it.“I heard you tell him you love me.”

Aden smiled, a smile that seemed to be covering up embarrassment.“Oh yeah, I did, didn’t I?”

She didn’t know what she’d been expecting.An outpouring of emotion, a fanfare, a flock of cartoon birds to come flying in through the windows and nestle on them like they were in some sort of Disney movie. More than that simple acknowledgement anyway.“Did you mean it?”

She could see him torn, uncertain what to say, afraid of exposing himself.She was worried that she’d pushed him too hard, wondered if she could take the question back.Eventually he said,“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it.”

She smiled and placed her arms round his neck, kissing him lightly.“Me neither.”

She was halfway towards the door before he realised.“You haven’t said it.”

She turned to him and smiled.“Well, I’ve got to keep you interested somehow, haven’t I?”

This wasn’t him.Sean had been thinking that all day.It wasn’t meant to be like this.It was meant to be him and Aden, the Jefferies boys, back together.No girlfriends.No jobs, at least not ones that meant smiling at every useless lump that came in or taking orders from some old bloke.

He stood at the bar, no-one to serve for the moment.He could make it work.It was what Aden wanted.He could do it for now, until Aden saw sense, let him take the lead once more.

That was when he noticed the guy in the main part of the surf club.There was something familiar about him, not the way he looked but the way he acted.Sean had a feeling of being on familiar territory.This was something he knew, something he could handle.And he felt pleased for the first time since he’d been there. “Mr.Stewart?”

Alf had been standing at the other end of the bar, checking things off on a clipboard.He looked round at the call.“Hmm?What is it?”

“Do you know that guy?”

Alf followed his gaze.“Not really.He’s been in a few times, just hanging around.Don’t really know who he is.”

“Just…looks as though he’s up to something, that’s all.Trouble.”

Alf looked at him for a moment, as though trying to decide if this was some sort of game.“Well, just keep an eye on him.”

Sean did as he was told, watching the man as he continued wandering furtively about the surf club.That was when he saw the second man approach him, saw the money and the pills, and knew he’d been right.

“Hey!”he called out loudly, rushing across from the bar.The second man fled at the shout but the first man wasn’t so quick.Sean had grabbed hold of him, pinning him against the wall.

“What’s your problem, man?”he demanded.

Sean reached into the man’s pockets and took out the packet of pills, the ones he’d been about to sell. “These are my problem, man.”

The man shrugged.“Found them.Just going to hand them in.”

Sean looked at Alf, who’d been following the incident with interest, for a moment before turning back to the hapless dealer.“Well, maybe we could do that for you.Let the cops know where to find you.”He saw the brief flash of fear in the dealer’s eyes before releasing him.“Beat it.”

“And don’t even think about showing your face in here!”Alf shouted after him as he retreated.He looked at Sean and gave a nod of approval.

Sean felt the grin spreading across his face.That had definitely been a rush…

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for the comments.

CHAPTER 19

When Nicole had offered Aden and Sean a lift to work on her way in to college, both of them had gladly accepted.Unfortunately, it seemed that Sean hadn’t realised that the brightly coloured car at the end of the drive was Nicole’s.He’d still been happy to take the lift but that hadn’t stopped him grumbling all the way there.

“Seriously, man, how can you live with a car like this?”

Aden rolled his eyes at the voice from the back seat.“It’s Nicole’s car.”

“Can’t you get her to get another one?”

“Er, hello!”Nicole called,“Sitting right here.And no, I can’t.If you don’t like it, you’ve still got time to walk.”

Sean subsided, arms folded.“Okay.Fine.”

Since Aden’s work day started first, Nicole had headed for the school.There were pupils beginning to file in the gates as she pulled up outside, some of them glancing in their direction as they walked past.As Aden clambered out of the car, a group of boys stopped nearby.

“Nice wheels, sir.”The speaker was Tim Lyons, now in Year 12 and proving to be as big a nuisance as his older brother Matthew had been.

“Thanks, Tim.”

“What do you do at the weekends?Take it out and go cruising round looking for guys?”

Aden gave him a glare, while thinking up an appropriate retort for Tim’s cheek.But before he could do so, Sean was out of the car and barrelling past him.He grabbed hold of Tim by the collar, slamming him against the fence.“You show my brother some respect, okay, runt?”

Aden took the long strides needed to get alongside them, giving his brother a look that he hoped was both soothing and forceful.“Sean, that’s enough.”Sean ignored him, continuing to glower at Tim, who was looking less and less cocky by the second.“Sean, let him go!”

To Aden’s relief, Sean released his grip.It probably couldn’t have come any sooner because it was then that Miles came out of the gate, quickly taking in the sight before him:Aden looking concerned, Sean looking aggressive, Tim sullen and resentful, his friends worried.“Everything all right here, Mr.Jefferies?”

Aden nodded, trying to give the air of being in control.“Yeah, fine, Mr.Copeland.My brother here was just dropping me off.”

“Okay.”Miles looked at the boys.“Hadn’t you better be getting off to class, Tim?”The boys filed past him, heads down, a muttering of “Yes, sir”s their only response.Miles continued to look at Aden and Sean, his manner casual but with an undercurrent of concern.“Well, I guess I’ll leave you two to say your goodbyes.”

Aden waited until Miles was out of sight before turning on his brother angrily.“What the hell were you doing, Sean?”

Sean gestured after Tim, not seeming to comprehend Aden’s anger.“You heard what he was saying about you.”

“Yeah and I can handle it.You could have cost me my job, you idiot, don’t you get that?”He noticed the continued look of incomprehension on Sean’s face and shook his head in disgust.“Just get back in the car.”

Nicole had also got out of the car during the altercation and was standing beside it now, watching as Sean walked past her and took his place in the passenger seat.She went over to Aden, placing a consoling hand on his arm.“I’ll get him to work safely, okay?”

Aden nodded.“Yeah, thanks, Nic.”He gently pecked her on the lips.“See you tonight.”

Sean had stayed outside the surf club after Nicole had dropped him off, his shift not due to start for several minutes.This wasn’t how it was meant to be.This wasn’t how he’d imagined it.He’d been dreaming of this for so long, of being released, of being back with Aden, his little brother, looking up to him again.Probably the only person that ever had looked up to him.There wasn’t meant to be girlfriends who Aden would seemingly rather be with him than him.There wasn’t meant to be loudmouths having a go at them while Aden let them get away with it.There wasn’t meant to be dreary jobs that Aden seemed so keen for him to take.

His eyes alighted on someone who seemed to be loitering about almost as much as he did and he suddenly realised that he knew him.It was the drug dealer that he’d thrown out of the club a few days before.He stormed over to him.“Hey, you!”

The dealer seemed to register who he was, then Sean had shoved him against the wall, pinning him there with his arm.“Oh, come on, man.What’s the problem?”

“I thought I told you to stay away from here.”

“I’m out of the club, aren’t I?Come on, I’ve got to make a living!”

Sean grinned at him.“Don’t worry, I’m not here to take your gear.”He reached into his pocket with his free hand and held up a wad of notes.“I’m here to buy it.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for the comments, hope you like this.

CHAPTER 20

It was just as Aden was ushering the track team back into the school before recess that he saw Miles standing in the corridor.From the way he was standing, it was obvious that he’d been waiting for him.He waited until the last of the pupils was in the school and jogging towards the changing rooms before asking, “Mr.Jefferies, can I have a word?”

Aden gave a nod of acknowledgement before calling after his class,“Get dressed and then you can head for lunch.”

Miles led the way to one of the empty classrooms, moving aside to let Aden into the room then shutting the door firmly.Aden found himself compelled to sit on one of the pupils’ desks while Miles took the teacher’s.The way he was feeling at that moment, it was as if the clock had been turned back, they were no longer colleagues but student and teacher again.

“You gonna tell me what I nearly walked in on this morning?”Miles asked.

Aden considered lying, taking the easy way out.But Miles deserved the truth.“Tim said something and Sean kind of lost his temper with him.”

Miles sighed.“Look, Aden, you realise that if it had been Martin and not me that came along you’d probably be in the middle of an investigation right now?”

“Yeah and I appreciate that…”

“I mean goodness only knows, I’ve felt like slamming Tim Lyons against a fence once or twice.But an adult family member of a teacher assaulting a pupil in front of the gate?That’s not gonna make anyone look good.”

“He…”Aden stopped, realising he was doing it again, defending Sean.Old habits died hard.“I guess he just wanted to look out for me.”

“Okay.Just…do us all a favour and keep him away from the school in future, right?”

Aden nodded.“Right.”He felt nervous for a second.“You reckon Tim’s gonna make a complaint?”

“Him?Nah.It’d make him look like too much of a wuss.”He clapped Aden on the shoulder.“You just make sure Sean doesn’t do anything else silly, okay?”

Nicole looked in frustration at the thin wisp of smoke emerging from her car bonnet as she listened to the ringing tone on her mobile.At least it had had the decency to conk out while she was still in the uni car park rather than on her way home.Finally, after what seemed like an age, she heard the call connect at the other end and a voice ask,“Hello?”

“Aden?”she asked hopefully.

“Ah, no, it’s Sean.”

Nicole felt her heart sink, beginning to wish that no-one had answered after all.“Is Aden there?”

“No, he’s not back yet.”

“Okay, well, I’m sure he’ll be in from work soon, I’ll call back.”

She was about to hang up when she heard Sean asked,“Sure I can’t help?”

She hesitated, unsure whether to say.“My car’s broken down.I rang the garage but they can’t pick it up till the morning.I need a lift home.”

“Well, Aden’s car’s on the drive, I could come for you.”

Even though Sean couldn’t see her, Nicole gave her sweetest smile, hoping some of it made it into her voice.“That’s great, Sean!I’ll see you soon.”

As she ended the call, she couldn’t help but worry.She made the effort with Sean, for Aden’s sake, even though she suspected that a lot of the time it was as big an effort for Aden as it was for her.But the guy made her…uncomfortable.Another car journey alone with him was not something she was looking forward to.

Half an hour later, she remembered why.“You in a hurry or something?”she asked as Sean sped along the road from the city.

Sean gave a wide grin.“Don’t worry, babe, you’re in safe hands.”

“Yeah, okay.”She wasn’t sure if it was the grin or the driving than made her more nervous but either way she didn’t feel particularly safe.“Just thought it would be better to get us there in one piece rather than… not.”

Sean patted her knee, perhaps leaving his hand there a fraction of a second longer than he had to.“Relax, honey.I’ll look after you.”

“Right.”

“I mean, I’m not gonna hurt Aden and it seems he wants you around.Our own little cuckoo in the next.”

Nicole looked at him, affronted.“Excuse me, I was here first.”

Sean looked at her with sudden aggression.“I’m his brother, you stupid cow.You think you could ever know him as well as I do?There’s only one reason he wants you around.”

“That’s not true,”Nicole protested.

His manner seemed to change again and not exactly for the better.His hand was on her knee again.“Course I can see why.So if you ever feel like being nice to me…”

Then it hit her.The mood changes, the erratic driving, that slightly glazed look in his eyes…“Sean, are you on something?”

He shrugged and, to her relief, turned his attention back to the road.“What of it?”

“Maybe…maybe you should let me drive.I mean, if we get pulled over and they test you…”

“Not gonna pull us over!”He laughed at the idea, seeming like a child having fun now.“My driving’s fine!”

If anything they were going faster now and the road was getting more and more bendy.Sean swung the car around each corner, not bothering to slow down, not bothering about anything coming the other way.“Slow down, Sean!”Nicole screamed,“For god’s sake, slow down!”

He just laughed at her.And then it happened.He took one bend too many at too fast a speed, unable to correct the turn.The car skidded, spinning round and round like a spinning top, careering around the road. There was a look of alarm on Sean’s face now, his foot jammed down hard on the brake pedal, the wheels screeching as they tried to find purchase on the road.

Nicole screaming in terror, a long drawn out scream, then her head connected with the door frame and the scream stopped.

Finally, the car came to a halt, in the middle of the road, straddling both lanes, at right angles to the traffic. Nobody moved.