As Long As I Have You

[soph1303]

Such a good update !!

Loved the whole talk between Charlie and Brax !! I think he gave her some good advice about the whole Ruby/new baby situation!!

I thought that Bianca was really awesome, and I think that her idea about Liam visiting Angelo's grave to get closure, was a good one !!

More soon please

[Danni02]

Great update. Charlie and Brax Loved them. Bless Brax not caring if he is the father or not, saying he's still going to be the father and of course he'll love the baby. But I hope it is his I cant seem to get myself to like Issy or any more of Ruby's adopted family. I know that was probably meant to be a nice sisterly moment, but Ruby not being with Charlie feels so weird to read! Although, at the same time, an awesome chance. Just me who cant seem to get used to it

Update soon

[RoRo90]

yay an update

feel bad for ruby knowing how she was convinced

hope her and charlie strt having a proper mother daughter relationship soon or at least something close to it

love Charlie and Brax really hope the baby is Brax's and not Angelo's

update soon

[callyha]

Thank you Carina, Charlie&Brax_Lover, Sarah, Danni, soph1303 and RoR90 for the lovely comments Hope this one is ok!

Chapter 37

His grave read Angelo Rosetta. Beloved Son. Missed Deeply. March 23rd 1979 - July 8th 2006 It was bare, overgrown and obvious to the eye that no one had visited the site since the day he was burried. Liam felt dishearted at this fact; Angelo was alot of things in life, but he should still have his resting place looking presentable.

Getting down on one knee, Liam pulled away at the grass that covered the base of the tombstone. A tear rolled odwn his face as he made a neat pile of grass beside the riased mound. Bianca stood back to allow Liam to feel what he needed to feel, her heart broke for Liam: no one even asked how he was in the aftermath of the funeral, everyone was tryiong to get their lives back on track after the fight.

"He'll be smiling at you" Bianca took a step closer and placed her hand on Liam's shoulder "Grateful for a visitor"

"The only visitor" Liam added sadly "I get he wasn't a good bloke to most people, but he's dead. Can't anyone actualy come and stand here for a few minutes, bow their heads and put something in the pot?" Liam looked at the slightly tidier site. He compared it to the one next to Angelo's: it was decorated with all types of flowers and ornaments and had a couple of cards placed near the pot in which flowers could go in. Liam read the tombstone, the man was the same age as Angelo "He's the same age.

How come he has a bloody florist shop on his?"

"Look at the epitaph" Bianca pointed to the writing "There when no one else was" she read as Liam looked "he could have been anything that crossed paths with many people"

"Angelo crossed paths with people" Liam stared at the tombstone "And he was more than a beloved son"

"Liam-" Bianca could see Liam's mood changing

"Just don't!" Liam shrugged his shoulders away from Bianca's arm. She soon placed it by her side as Liam turned to face her "You can't tell me one minute that you hated how he treated Charlie and then say that you really miss him and he was an opkay bloke the next. I know you hated him, I know everyone in that damn town did. I can still see the things we got up to as teens in my head" Liam pointed to the town and his head as he spoke, he never noticed the look of terror in Bianca's eyes as he got closer to her "I'm off for a beer. I'll see you later" Liam shook his head as he walked off. A low hanging branch bore the brunt of Liam's frustration; leaves and flower petals spread over the graveyard as the branch hit the path. Bianca didn't know how to help Liam.

~*~

Walking hand in hand and been happier than they had been in a very long time, Charlie and Brax turned the last corner before the house. Brax had plans for the garden already; he wanted it all grassy so he and the baby -which he was certain was a boy- could play football and have the male bonding sports outside. The garden shed was to be his 'man shed' where Charlie wasn't allowed in, and neither was the baby if it was a girl.

Brax leaned in toward Charlie and placed a kiss on her cheek before whispering something, causing her to laugh. The laugh vanished and so did the smile when she saw who was sat outside the front door, with a suitcase beside her.

Pulling her hand away from Brax, Charlie instantly ran her hands through her hair, pushing it back and trying to tidy it up from the wind which had blown it all over the place. She then adjusted the top she was wearing so it didn't cling to her stomach. "Carla?" Charlie hesisantly said as she slowed her pace down. Brax stood far behind Charlie, he didn't know who the woman was but knew Charlie was weary of her "what are -how are you?" Charlie asked

"My son is dead, my husband wont talk to me, Paulie is in over his head with his restaurant. Things are fantastic" Carla replied sarcastically "I had to get away from it all, I had to come and see my son's resting place and see his Charlie" Carla rose to her feet and placed her arms around Charlie. All the phone calls she had had with Angelo she would always hear something wonderful about Charlie; most was of what Angelo wanted Charlie to be, none was of what Charile truely was "He told me so many wonderful things about you and I have always wanted to meet you. Shame Angelo isn't here to see it, but I suppose he's looking down on us, smiling" Carla took Charlie's hands in hers "So" Carla sighed, hoping Charlie would invite her in or something

"Carla, not that its not nice to see you, its just, now isn't the best time for-" Charlie began, she knew Brax was stood waiting and would want an explanation

"Excuse me, Charlie?" Brax walked down the path "I'll talk to you tomorrow about that surfing lesson, I'd better get back home and see Heath and Casey" Brax played with his phone as he spoke, Charlie nodded, letting him know she had got that he wanted her to ring or text him later

"Okay. Thank you" Charlie smiled

Carla stood back and watched Brax walk away, she then turned to face Charlie "I didn't know you surfed. Angelo never mentioned that"

"He wouldn't. I've erm, I've only just begun" Charlie lied

"Oh, as a way of trying to cope I suppose. Its a good idea; riding the waves to cope" Carla smiled "a parent should never have to bury their child. Its one of the hardest things to go through" Carla had a tear roll down her face

"My parents don't have to worry about that" Charlie muttered under her breath as she ran her hand over her stomach subconciously

"That son of mine, may he rest in peace, never mentioned your parents been dead. Just what else has he neglected to tell me?" Carla asked as she linked arms with Charlie, grabbed her suitcase and marched toward the door.

A lot Charlie thought to herself as she found herself been pushed, once more, into something she didn't want to do.

~*~

Brax threw himself down on to the sofa. A bad move as he soon felt the grip of pain over his body. "Ahh" Brax adjusted himself on the sofa as he tried to get comfortable on the sofa which was far from comfy. He reached forward for the TV remote and switched the box on, he found a football game on and smiled perfusely as he watched his favourite team score yet another goal. He sat back and enjoyed the game, ignoring the fact that he was tired and could have done with a sleep.

Soon his eyes became heavier and were becoming increasingly difficult to keep open. The sound of the crowd screaming in delight as the player scored another goal sent Brax into his sleep.....

'Daddy!' the boy shouted as he stood near the ball, his eyes focused on the man in the goal, waiting for the ball to come his way 'I'm goings to win!' the boy smiled gleefully.

'Oh not you're not' Brax yelled back with a smile on his face as he ran toward the boy, his hands opened and his fingers wriggling

'No daddy' the boy giggled infectiously as Brax tickled him down to the ground. The sound of his laugh getting more infectious as Brax continued to tickle. 'daddy pwease' the boys voice masked by laughs

'Daddy can't stop. He's the tickle monster' Brax joined in with the boys laughter

'Mummy' The boy laughed as he saw Charlie walk out of the house 'daddy's a tickle onster'

'Oh no!' Charlie brought her hands to her face, smiling at her young son as Brax continued to tickle him 'naughty daddy' Charlie tickled Brax's under arm

'Naughty mummy is a tickle monster now!' Brax told the boy, as he wriggled out of Brax's reach. He crawled across the grass and hid behind the goal post 'oh no! where's my little man gone?' Brax bit his tongue, trying to stop laughing as the boy began to giggle once more.

'I'm here daddy!' he said as he jumped from behind the goal post, his hands to the side as he made himself ready to run towards Charlie and Brax 'Nawwwwwwwww' he happily screamed as he charged toward Brax, pretending he was an airplane 'you catched me daddy' he smiled as Brax pulled him close for a cuddle 'mummy cuggle' he said as he held his arm out so Charlie would move into the cuddle

Charlie obliged and took a step closer to her son and Brax. Placing one arm around Brax and resting her hand on his shoulder and the other on her sons back, gently stroking it as she as she gazed lovingly into Brax's eyes 'I love you' she mouthed. Brax smiled and simply leaned in and placed a kiss on her lips. He pulled back and smiled, keeping his eyes on hers as their foreheads rested against each others. Gasping suddenly, Charlie moved away from Brax. Her hands immediately been placed on her stomach 'the baby. It kicked' Charlie looked to Brax and smiled widely 'here, feel' Charlie took Brax's hand and placed it on her stomach where the baby was kicking. His eyes widened and a smile formed on his face as his unborn baby kicked away at his hand.

Waking up, Brax looked around. He wiped his mouth from the drool before he scratched his head. The TV was switched off and a good two hours had passed since he left Charlie with Carla. Unable to determine whether or not he had had a dream of what was going to happen, or what he wanted to happen, he rose to his feet and headed for the bathroom, ready for a shower to was away hospital smells and memories.

The water splashed on his face and ran down his back and legs and headed toward the plug. As he washed himself, he couldn't get his mind off what he had 'seen'. He saw a boy, but was unsure if the boy was his or Angelo's: the resemblance to Charlie was too similar. It seemed too perfect: Brax never thought he could have a son with

Charlie and have a second baby on the way; he knew Charlie wasn't the cheating kind, so the unborn baby was Brax's, but it was Charlie's son he was unsure of. In his heart of hearts he wished that he knew for certain that he was the biological father of the baby Charlie was pregnant with, but at the same time, he meant what he had said to Charlie about been the baby's dad, even if it was Angelo's. Sick of thinking, Brax poured some shampoo onto his head and rubbed it into his scalp.

~*~

"I just remember this been different" Carla noticed the painting hung up in the front room, the picture Angelo had in his family home "It didn't have that" Carla pointed to a piece that looked as though it had been added "It had a goblet overflowing with ivy leaves" Carla used her hands to to show the Ivy coming from the goblet

"That's how its always been" Charlie lied as she looked to the picture "well, as best as I can remember it. I never really paid it much attention" Charlie brought her cup of tea to her mouth and took a sip, hoping she was been convincing enough to avoid telling Carla the truth behind the painting

"I suppose no one would. It was rather ugly in our conservatory" Carla snidely replied, showing Charlie where Angelo got his snobish attitude from

Charlie nodded and fained a smile as she glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearing 3PM and she remembered that Ruby was going to be texting her at any moment about meeting up. Nothing would keep Charlie from meeting up with Ruby; infact, she had planned on Ruby coming round to the house. Carla never gave the impression that she was going to look for a hotel to stay in "I don't want this to sound rude or anything, but when how long were you thinking of staying?" Charlie asked as she got herself comfy on the sofa

"How long does a broken heart take to heal?" Carla replied, tears in her eyes which never fell "I don't want to out stay my welcome, but I also don't want to leave so soon. My son live here for his entire life, he was a sucessful business man here for near on fourteen years, he had a girlfriend he would have killed for beside him" Carla smiled as she thought of her son

Charlie felt sick when Carla said about her been his girlfriend; yea, he would have killed for her -he would have killed the man who she fell in love with, who showed her love and what it felt like to be loved "He's buried at the cemetary about ten kilometers from here" Charlie said, hoping Carla would take the hint and go

"I know" Carla nodded "A Mr. Liam Murphy contacted me and my family telling us the funeral arragnements. And we all thought it funny that it wasn't you, his girlfriend" Carla looked to Charlie

"Liam wanted to arrange it. He felt that it was the least he could do for Angelo after everything Angelo did for him" Charlie spoke the truth, well half of the truth; Charlie had no interest in the funeral and talked Liam into oing it, with the help of Bianca "and I'd been in an accident. I've only just got a splint taken from my wrist" Charlie held up her arm which had had the splint on; she used everything she could think of to throw Carla away from asking why Charlie had showed no interest "and I have a couple of ribs which I fractured, still hurts to breath deeply"

"Oh my dear" Carla placed her hand over her heart "what did you do?"

Charlie desperately wanted to tell her that Angelo had pushed her to the ground when she had tried to come between him and Brax on the night of the fight; that he grabbed her by the wrists wrong and ended up fracturing it "I fell down the stairs at my friends house" Charlie lied

"Bit clumsy of you" Carla laughed slightly "So, have you got any tea or coffee in the house?" she asked, looking to the kitchen

"No. I haven't had chance to do the shopping yet" Charlie replied, walking toward the kitchen to turn the light off

"Just what do you do then?" Carla folded her arms "Angelo never mentioned to me that you had a job. It was always him doing something to put food on the table"

Charlie bit her tongue. Carla had only been with her for less than half an hour and already she was getting ready to throttle her "Angelo didn't want me working" Charlie replied

"He never said that to me either?" Carla moved her hands to her hips

Charlie didn't like where Carla was going "And what exactly did your son tell you? things you wanted to hear? I bet he never told you the truth about anything. And I can see why" Charlie looked Carla up and down "you're rude, judgemental and snobbish" Charlie glared at Carla for what seemed hours. She broke her glare and grabbed her bag from the side and headed toward the door

"And just exactly do you think you are going?" Carla asked as she chased Charlie out of the door

"I'm going to the diner to get you your coffee. Wouldn't want you dehydrating would I" Charlie replied, not looking to Carla as she marched along the road

"Oh, one of Angelo's businesses. I must come and see what they are doing in honour of my son" Carla ran back into the house and grabbed her purse. she then closed the door and ran after Charlie, who had to slow her pace of walking down as she felt nauseous and didn't want Carla any reason to think she was unwell.

[totally]

Just now when things are finally starting to fall into place for Charlie, Carla comes in. Is it too much to ask for the baby to be Brax's? Because if it is not, Carla will claim him/her... then Charlie will have to put up with her. I loved Brax's dream, again, I hope the baby is his. I also noticed: Angelo died in 2006, so I am expecting some more happy times (okay, maybe some drama as well) until the story comes into the year 2011 (or 2012). I can't wait to read more Cally, I am loving it. Hope Charlie catches a break. Also, the ending scared me a bit... Charlie is feeling unwell? Doesn't sound too good. Thank you for this.

[mizziette]

Brax' little dream was beyond cute

Loving this story.

[Danni02]

Aww Brax's dream was soo cute! Really hoping the baby is his, but I know he'll love it regardless. Carla Go away already. I hope she gets to learn the truth about her 'wonderful' son. Although she may not believe it.

Great update, update again soon please!

[soph1303]

Great update,

Aww Brax's dream was so sweet !! Really hope that it's his baby!!

Oooh Carla really is a nasty piece of work isn't she ??

More soon please

[RoRo90]

enjoyed this update

cant believe Angelo's mum showing up now... seriously messing things up

i hope she doesnt find out about chrlie being pregnant got feeling she is just as bad as Angelo

loved Brax in this update

dreaming about him and Charlie sand their kid

[Inactive User]

Liked this chapter Update soon please xx