As Long As I Have You

[Danni02]

Great couple of updates. I love how Brax said he loves the baby already as its Charlie's And he'll be there father or not. But I hope it is his! April and Charlie bit as cute.

Update soon

[HighwayUnicorn]

Deleted.

[homeandaway13]

Love this fanfic and i can't wait to see what happens next so update soon

[callyha]

Do I still have any readers??? surprised if I do after a looooooooooooooooooooooooong wait! I am sorry for the huge delay, and I hope this one is okay after 2 weeks of waiting..... Sarah, soph1303, cb2180, Charlie&Brax_lover, Danni, Carina and homeandaway13 thank you for the comments

Chapter 35

Ruby had awoke early the next morning, glued to her phone. She'd had the worst night sleep because she could think of nothing but the phone message she had left Charlie and what Charlie's reaction would be. She had barely spoken to Dan and Issy -mainly because they were studying for their exams and distraction was the last thing they needed- and it was difficult for Ruby. She had spent near enough, her entire life talking to them about everything. The three Young siblings used to be so close, and Ruby was now becoming paraniod that she had ruined all of that, just because she had found Charlie.

She paced the room as she added things to her bag; Casey texted her earlier and invited her to the beach to teach her surfing, Ruby was glad of the distraction and the excuse to leave the quiet house. A knock on her bedroom door brought her out of her thoughts "Come in" Ruby hid her phone under her pillow "Dad, hey. what's up?" Ruby rose to her feet after she had sat quickly

"Casey is downstairs. He says you and him were going surfing" Paul replied, scratching his head "I thought you couldn't surf"

"I can't. But Casey said he'll teach me if I help him with his homework and stuff" Ruby answered as she grabbed her bag that she had just finished packing

"You're not going to do his work for him are you?" Paul asked, remembering back to when he baught a tutor and had her do everything for him

"No. Casey actually wants to do really well at school and I want to help him, he's helped me with all the Charlie stuff and-"

"Okay" Paul held his hands up "Off you go" he smiled

"Thanks dad" Ruby smiled walked over to him and hugged him tight "I'll see you later" Ruby added as she left her room, her phone still under her pillow with no one knowing it was there.

~*~

Charlie flushed the toilet and walked over to the sink. She splashed water over her face and swilled her mouth out before drying her face and looking to herself in the mirror. She'd spent the last hour or so in and out of the bathroom as her feeling nauseous had got the better of her, hoping Irene and April were still in a deep sleep and unable to hear the toilet flushing every so often. Sighing loudly, Charlie walked out of the bathroom and headed for the kitchen. She put the kettle on and put a couple of slices of bread in the toaster before she grabbed herself a cup from the side and placed a teabag and one scoop of sugar in the bottom the cup.

"Morning" Bianca yawned as she scratched her head. Her hair was messy and her eyes barely open, but she still had a smile on her face "How do you feel this morning?"

Bianca asked as she sat on one of the stools at the bench and looked to Charlie, who prepared a coffee for her

"I was alright until an hour ago" Charlie replied "I've been in and out of the bathroom" Charlie replied, pouring the water into both cups and stiring the mixture

"Oh my god" Bianca replied "are you okay? I thought you just had the feeling, not the actual physical part" Bianca took her cup from Charlie

"So did I" Charlie replied "I was hoping to keep this to myself for a little longer; at least until my twelve week scan, that way I don't have to explain the complexity" Charlie rubbed her forehead, things were becoming more and more complicated once more for her; and she hated it

"Don't stress about it. Eat your toast, drink your tea and then go for a long walk on the beach. Just you; clear your head, get rid of the sickly feeling and by the time you get back, we can talk some more"

"Thanks" Charlie smiled "But I don't think talking is gonna help. Not with anything"

"Charlie, I thought you happier now that Brax is awake and told you that he-"

"Its not just that Bee" Charlie shook her head

"What is it then?" Bianca asked, worring slightly as Charlie seemed to be slipping back into the state of mind she was in before

"I had a voicemail on my phone" Charlie began "It was from Ruby"

"And?" Bianca asked

"I just thought she would never ring me. And after the last time we saw each other, I had just told you that I was pregnant" Charlie ran her hands through her hair "Ruby wants to see what sort of relationship we can get out of this because of how far we have come" Charlie sighed "I'd only just got used to the idea of having Ruby in my life, to the idea that I was having a baby with either a man I loved or a man I hate. I told Ruby I had no other kids" Charlie shook her head "Why do things have to be so complicated?"

"To test us. if things in our lives didn't get complicated, life would be boring" Bianca replied, hoping her words would have some comfort to her friend

"Yea" Charlie replied sadly. "I'm going to go for that walk. I'll see you later" Charlie grabbed her bag form the counter and walked out. Bianca rose to her feet and watched as Charlie left the porch, concerned once more for her friend, and unsure of how to help her.

~*~

Casey took a step back, looking down to the sand and laughing uncontrolably "You look like a turtle" Casey fell to the sand

"Shut up!" Ruby shouted as she pushed herself up from the surf board. She wiped the sand from her hands and knees and walked over to where Casey was now sat, still laughing "I'm new at this Case"

"I know. But it still looks funny" Casey replied with a smile, but the smile soon left his face when he saw Ruby's facial expression "Its not going well is it?" Ruby looked round to Casey "the lesson I mean"

"The lesson is fine Case" Ruby shook her head "I-" Ruby looked out to the water and saw the others surfers rding the waves "I did something stupid, and-" Ruby ran her hands through her hair before looking back down to the sand. She drew lines in the sand with her fingers, trying to find the words she needed to tell Casey "I rang Charlie.

I left her a message and" Ruby wiped the tear that fell from her eye "I'm scared I've stuffed everything up"

Casey shuffled sideways in the sand and placed his arm around Ruby, gently stroking her arm "Why do you think you've stuffed everything up?" Casey asked

Ruby sniffed "Last time I saw her, she was talking to her friend, and it seemed to be something really important" Ruby looked to Casey "and I've left her a message, practically forcing Charlie to remember that we've met" Ruby shook her head "I'm been selfish in all of this. I'm not thinking about what this is doing to my family or even

Charlie. All I'm thinking about is me, and how I'm affected and how different my life is going to be"

"No" Casey placed his hands on Ruby's cheeks "You are not selfish. You just want to get to know the woman who put you up for adoption. You've always thought about how your mum, dad, brother and sister have been affected"

"But not Charlie" Ruby added "Charlie was my age near enough when she got pregnant with me. I can't imagine what that feels like. I'm trying to learn how to surf and do well in school, Charlie on the other hand, was pregnant, trying to get through school and probably trying to be a normal teenager" Ruby pulled away from Casey "I'm not thinking about Charlie's feelings in much of this"

Casey didn't know what to say or do. When he tried to comfort ruby, she pulled away. And Casey couldn't find the right words to comfort her either; he was in way over his head. The biggest family struggle he had had was trying to get his mother to leave the house. "Rubes. I don't have any idea how I can help or- but, maybe you should forget the lesson, and go clear you're head. Go for a walk and try and sort things out in your head"

"Casey, you have helped. More than you know" Ruby smiled and leant in to kiss Casey on the cheek. She then rose to her feet and grabbed her bag before walking off along the sand, taking Casey's advice and clearing her head.

~*~

Charlie walked out of the diner carrying a cup of juice in hand. The slight wind blew her hair across her face and relieved her sickly feeling. She knew keeping her pregnancy hidden was something that was going to be difficult; especially with the morning sickness and the 'glow' that some women get whilst pregnant, but she had hoped to keep it to herslef for a little longer than nine weeks. The two most important people in her life knew about the baby, and at the moment, that was how she wanted to keep it.

Looking up after been deep in thought, Charlie saw the young girl walk over to where she was standing, her head looking toward the sand, looking as deep in a thought as Charlie had been not three seconds ago. Worried about been knocked into, Charlie took a step to the side, trying to avoid a collision between herself and the young girl.

Stopping just before she reached Charlie, the young girl slowly looked up. "Charlie" Ruby gasped

"Ruby" Charlie replied in the same tone, completely taken aback by presence of Ruby "erm, you on your own?" Charlie asked, half expecting Sally or Paul to arrive on the scene

"Yea I am" Ruby replied as she looked behind her quickly "I was having a surfing lesson but I couldn't concerntrate" Ruby surprised herself with how honest she was been with Charlie

"Surfing is quite hard to do" Charlie replied

"You've tried?" Ruby asked

"No. Its never really been an interest of mine" Charlie said before the two fell into silence. They looked at each other, than looked at their surroundings before finding the eyes of each other. For more than five minutes they continued to look at one another and at their surroundings, both trying to avoid been the first to talk about the elephant that had now appeared.

Charlie brought her juice to her mouth as a wave of nausea washed over her "Are you okay Charlie? you don't look so good" Ruby siad what she saw "No offence"

Charlie smiled after swallowing the juice "None taken"

"Charlie-" Ruby began as she looked down to her hands and fiddled with her cuticles "That message I left you- I know I shouldn't have left it, and I know I had no right to get your number from my mum- Its just, I really really want us to see where we can take this" Ruby looked back up to Charlie "I don't know what we will end up becoming, I think too many years have passed for us to become anything more that really good friends, but saying that, you hear stories of a mother and their child been reunited after more than twenty years and they are able to have a closer relationship than friend" Ruby began to ramble, one of her worst faults when she was nervous "maybe I'm trying to do too much too soon; I mean, Dan and Issy are barely talking to me, but they are studying for their exams so I can't really balme them in that respect. But, I did say to them that I wanted them to meet you" Ruby looked to Charlie once more "Becasue, they are my family, and you are. I know that they don't have to meet you or even talk to you but-"

"Ruby" Charlie held her hand up to stop the teen from carrying on "I think we are still a good distance away from having your entire family meet me"

"Why?" Ruby asked

"Well, what do you know about me?" Charlie asked

"You were fourteen when you had me, your mum and dad are both dead, you never wanted to put me up for adoption" Ruby listed the things she knew on her fingers, but soon ran out

"Exactly. You don't know me well enough for your family to meet me" Charlie looked to Ruby, who was now looked sad

"I know one more thing" Ruby smiled

"What?" Charlie asked

"Talking to you is one of the easier things ever. Its comfortable"

"I know" Charlie smiled "I don't have a job"

"What?" Ruby asked, looking to Charlie in dismay

"I got your message, and I must have listened to it a million times. The last thirteen years have been torture; I've been completely alone, never been able to tell anyone about the daughter I had and how I never wanted to let her go. I was alone, I never told Angelo and I was with him for a long time"

"He's not my-" Ruby asked

"No" Charlie shook her head "I wish he was though"

"I thought you hated him?" Ruby asked

"I did. But for a different reason" Charlie replied

"A different reason? So, you hated my biological father?" Ruby figured out

"More like loathed" Charlie replied

"Why?" Ruby asked

"I think its too early for you to find out Ruby" Charlie replied, trying to tell Ruby is the nicest way possible to not continue pushing for the answer

"I have a right to know Charlie" Ruby said forcefully "This man you loath is the other piece of me. You might hate him, but I might like him, I might want to get to know him"

"I really don't think you would" Charlie felt sick to her stomach; the very thought of Ruby 'liking' Grant Bledcoe made her feel worse that the morning sickenss did

"How do you know?" Ruby asked. Charlie looked away "You never even told him about me did you? You never told him you were pregnant! How dare you keep that from him?!"

"Ruby you don't understand-"

"I don't think I want to. You've played the victim for too long Charlie. Oh poor me I lost my mother, found out I was pregnant, gave her up when I didn't want to and then my father died" Charlie was hurt at the mocking nature coming from Ruby "He had a right to know about me, and I have a right to know about him"

Charlie looked to Ruby with glazed eyes. In just one moment, a pleasent conversation had turned sour after the mention of him. His name might not have been mentioned, but the same amount of damage was caused "He'll be twenty-eight now. Probably living in luxury. Maybe have a wife, a dog, maybe a kid or two. Not even thinking about me or what he did" Charlie began to talk, her usual soft tone had disapeared and was replaced with a disgusted tone "We were the golden couple in school; everyone wanted to be like us, everyone said we were perfect for each other" Charlie never made eye contact with Ruby

"So what happened? why did the golden couple turned to dirt? Why did you loath him?" Ruby asked, not buying Charlie's loathing of the name she could have been calling dad

"Don't sound like that Ruby; this is really hard for me" Charlie tried to reason with the teen

"I don't care. I've just found out that becasue you hated him, he doesn't even know that I exsist" Ruby replied "How do you think that feels? What if your mum kept you a secret from your dad? How would you feel?"

"My dad didn't rape my mum! Your dad raped me! Thats why I hate him, thats why I wish more than anything that Angelo was your dad, that's why I never told you about him. He turned on me at a party, jealous because all his mates had lost their virginity. He was the only one left; I was thirteen, I never wanted any of it" Charlie could no longer contain her emotions; in one swoop, she had got off her chest what she had kept from Ruby in order to protect her

"He what?" Ruby asked, her voice close to a whisper

Charlie took a breath in "Raped me" Ruby blinked as a tear fell from her eye "Now do you see? I never wanted you to find out-"

"Just-" Ruby held her hand up "I need a minute"

Charlie nodded as she looked to the teen. Both had tears in their eyes and falling down their face. Both trying to figure out what would happen from here on. Charlie wondered how the conversation had turned so sour so qucik; they had began with smiles and saying such nice things. But that was how Charlie's life seemed to go; start of with smiles and happiness and then turn sour...

[totally]

Of course I am still reading! I have been waiting patiently and now I have been rewarded with a wonderful chapter!

Aw, poor Charlie and Ruby. Glad Ruby knows now, I am sure she and Charlie will find a way to have some sort of relationship. Charlie should be a bit happier though, she found her daugther and she is pregnant, she should think about the positive things not the negative. Brax will be the baby's father, even if he is not the biological father. Charlie will have a family... at least that is something to smile about.

I hope you can update soon, because I am totally in love with your story!

[Danni02]

Awesome update! Liked Casey and Ruby's chat. Felt sorry for Charlie when Ruby was yelling about her dad to her! Sad Ruby found out in that way though, but now she knows hopefully they can start forming a relationship.

Update soon.

[cb2180]

Great update hope you update it again soon!

[Inactive User]

Great chapter

Liked Casey and Ruby's chat

Poor Charlie and Ruby

More soon please xx

EDIT: Wait a second. I thought Ruby knew about her real father and what he did to Charlie in Chapter 28? I am really confused...

[soph1303]

Um of course I'm still reading - love this fanfiction, and this update was well worth the wait !!

Poor Charlie isn't going to be able to hide her pregnancy for much longer if she's getting morning sickness !!

I liked Ruby and Casey's talk!

Aww the start of Ruby and Charlie's conversation started off so well, and then..... it kinda went downhill!! I felt so sorry for Charlie when Ruby was yelling at her !! It's sad that Ruby had to find out that way, but at least she knows the truth now I guess.

More soon please

[Charlie&Brax_lover]

Great update! With a story like this, of course we are all still reading!

Loved ruby and Casey

Ruby and Charlie seem to be progressing, I hope they work everything out.

Thanks for updating, please update again soon