OverCome

[Ludub]

Oooh fascinating chapters. I'm wondering what it is that Zac has done to upset Hunter and Evie so much. It definitely doesn't sound good!  Poor Billie being pregnant too. She must be so scared. I loved that tender little scene between VJ and Billie, and the conversation between VJ and Leah in the previous chapter. VJ is such a lovely caring boy. I love how you're building the mystery around Brody and Justin and what happened with their family too. Very well written. Looking forward to the next chapter x

[LissaBelle24]

Chapter Six
June - Part 2, Night Time

 

"I think you need to leave" Phoebe didn't know how to react, it wasn't that she was fearful, it was simply that she didn't realize Brody knew where they lived or who she was. "Now isn't the right time" 

Brody raised his eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. "You cannot deny my right to see her. She is my sister" 

"Who you've never met" Phoebe sighed. "I don't know how you found us..."

"You moved to my town, a small town, I was bound to find out. Let me see her" 

Phoebe silently wished Justin was around, he would be able to deal with his brother. All that she knew was it wasn't safe for Raffy when she was younger so Justin had taken her away for protection, Phoebe didn't know who Raffy was in danger from so she was always cautious about who she let into Raffy's life encase that sense of danger had not gone away. "I understand she is your sister but until I speak with Justin you need to leave" 

"Who do you think you are?" Brody questioned her. "One of Justin's hookups that is left to raise a thirteen year old. That kid deserves to be with actual family" 

Phoebe raised her eyebrow clearly offended by what Brody has said. "Who do you think YOU are?" Phoebe glared at him. "I am more then just a hook up, I'm his wife. We've been married for seven years, you should know that since you were sent an invite to the wedding! A wedding you never came to so I never met you. I don't know what kind of person you are so I'll ask you once more. Leave. I'll contact you once I've spoken to Justin" Phoebe shut the door in his face and took a deep breath. 

Though she had never said it to Justin this was something she feared, if his siblings turned up what was she supposed to say to them. She didn't know if she had just done the right thing. Phoebe wished that Justin was here so that he could tell her what to do. 

~!~!~

"I called mum, told her I was staying the night since Kat's at work" VJ told Billie as he walked towards the couch where she was curled up. He was lucky that his mum understood that he was just friends with Billie, best-friends and she trusted him enough to stay at home with her. 

"You don't need to stay" 

VJ sat down. "I do, Bil, you haven't stopped crying" 

Billie shifted to face him, wrapping her arms around her legs. "VJ, you don't need to stay. I'll be fine. I'm okay" 

"How about we talk?" He knew it was going to be hard but he wanted to know what had happened. "Who is the father?" 

Billie turned her head to look out the window, for the last few weeks she had been dealing with this herself but last week it seemed to really hit home when she found out about the pregnancy. She didn't know who to talk to but today it seemed to all come crashing down. "I don't know" 

VJ raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean you don't know?" 

"I don't know. I didn't see who..." Her voice trailed off not wishing to confide the knowledge to VJ. 

Shock came over VJ's features as the words registered in his mind. "Bil..." He didn't know what to say. "I...have you told Kat?" 

"No!" Billie exclaimed, shaking her head. "No. I don't want to tell her. She has enough to deal with and this...I don't want anyone to know. I want to move on and forget about it" 

"Billie, you cannot just ignore this. You need to contact the police..."

"No!" Billie threw the blanket off her legs and stood up. "I don't want anyone to know. They'll see me as weak..."

VJ could see that she was getting worked up and he stood, gently taking her by the arm to spin her back towards him. "Hey, you're not weak, no one would see you like that" He pulled her into a hug when he noticed the tears starting to fall. "I'm right here" 

"I don't want anyone to know VJ" 

"Shh" He soothed her, his heart breaking as he listened to her sobs. "We'll figure it out. I promise you" He held her tight, at eighteen he wasn't exactly sure how to deal with it, he wanted to tell an adult, Kat especially but he would respect Billie's wishes for now. He'd help her as much as he could. "I got you"

 "Don't leave me, VJ"

~!~!~

April stood in the doorway of Bianca's room, looking at the woman she thought to be a mother, she was sitting in bed with her laptop. "Bianca" She called out her name, wanting to attract her attention. Heath had told her that the best thing to do would be to speak to Bianca about Liam, she wanted to take his advice. 

Bianca looked over at the doorway, surprised to see April standing there, she was supposed to be in bed. "Hey, everything okay?" 

"I want to talk" 

Bianca closed the lid of her laptop over, patting the bed beside her. "Come here" 

April crossed the floor and crawled up on the bed beside Bianca. "I am doing the student/army pen pal program through school" 

Bianca nodded, moving her laptop to the bedside table. "I remember" 

"Heath...that's my penpal. I talk to him about everything, well most stuff and he told me that I should talk to you about what is bothering me" April played with the edge of the blanket. "Liam was the first man I really depended on, the one I thought was going to stick around. He married you, had kids with you. I thought that he would be like a father" 

"Oh April" Bianca brushed April's dark hair away from her eyes. "I know this has hurt you, just like it has the kids but I...I never meant for this is happen" 

April sighed. "The worst part is I thought he was a good guy, he was going to love you and treat you right because you deserve that Bianca. You've given up so much to raise me, and you work so hard to provide everything especially since you are a single parent. I thought Liam was a good guy" 

"He's not a bad guy April, he just has no sense of responsibility" Bianca never wished to bad mouth Liam to April or the kids but she also didn't want them to go around worshiping him. "I have known something was bothering you, why has it taken Heath to convince you that you should?"

April shrugged. "I don't know" April moved so that Bianca could wrap her arms around her. "I'm sorry I've been a bitch" 

"Language" Bianca warned, running her hand through April's hair. "Good thing you came to me tonight, one more time of you yelling at the kids would have landed you grounded" Bianca teased her a little. "I know this is hard April, but you have me and you always will"

April hugged her. "I know. I love you Bianca" 

"I love you too, honey, more then you will ever know" 

~!~!~

Hunter woke up to the sound of his door shutting softly. "Evie?" He yawned, leaning up on his elbow to switch the lamp on beside his bed. He squinted at the sudden brightness, making out her figure, she was standing beside the door with her arms hugging her body. "What happened?" He flung the blankets back when he noticed her tears. 

Evie pressed herself into the wall. "He's drunk" 

Hunter walked towards her, he saw the redness on her cheek. "Where is he...I'll..."

"He passed out on the couch" She brushed her hands over her cheek. "He called me Leah" 

Hunter sighed, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. I think it's time to tell someone, I think we should tell Leah" 

Evie let the tears escape her eyes, clinging tightly to Hunter. Since Leah had kicked him out Zac had started drinking again, this time more the he had previously. He was becoming aggressive, at first it was verbal now it was physical. "I'm scared" For the first time she admitted to Hunter that she was terrified of what was going to happen next. 

Hunter rubbed her back, they were close, like brother and sister but since Leah and Zac had split they had forged a bond that made them feel closer. "Let's watch a movie, in the morning we'll go see Leah" 

Evie pulled back to look him in the eyes. "Can I sleep in here?" 

Hunter nodded. "Yeah, I'll take the floor. You want me to get you some ice?" 

Evie shook her head fiercely. "DON'T go out there" 

Hunter heard his hands up in surrender. "Woah, okay, I won't. Come on, let's get you settled" Up until the split, he had idolized his father. The man had everything he wanted for his future, now he just hated him. He hated him for everything he was doing to Evie, how he had kept them away from Leah and Matt and VJ. He just hated him. 

 

Edited April 20, 2017 by LissaBelle24

[Inactive User]

Great chapter

Loved the scene between VJ and Billie

Liked how Hunter was there for Evelyn. Sounds like Zac has been abusive towards her

Update soon please xx

[Guest]

Great chapter

liked VJ comforting Billie.

Poor Evelyn the brother/sister bond between Evelyn and Hunter was sweet.

Update again soon

 

[Ludub]

Again, just love this  Billie and VJ in particular. Love the bond that they have and how kind and sensitive VJ is. Feel very sorry for Billie in all of this. Evie and Hunter are lovely together too. It's really nice to get to see Hunter's kind and caring side which they usually only show when he's with Olivia. Can't say I blame Hunter for hating Zac. He's torn the family apart and now he's hurting Evie!  I know he's ill and he obviously needs help but the kids need to get out of there asap, before things get any worse! Seems like Phoebe has been fed a lot of half truths and kept pretty much in the dark about Justin's family. I don't blame her for shutting the door in Brody's face when he was behaving like that, but I can also understand him getting really worked up about it. It's a very hard situation! Really enjoying this x

[LissaBelle24]

Chapter Seven
June - Part 1

 

Leah shoved her purse and phone into her handbag, glancing at the time briefly. Admittedly she was a little unsure about allowing VJ to stay at Billie's last night but she was able to trust him enough to know that he wouldn't have lied to her about what they were doing. "Matt?" She called out his name in question but when no response came she determined he already left probably to meet up with Evie. Going from four kids to two in the house made for quiet living, especially since they were two eighteen year olds who spent most of their time out of the house. Picking her handbag up off the table she got ready to head out to work, the brief knock on the door catching her attention and she turned around surprised to see Hunter and Evie standing in the doorway. "Hey" 

Evie's bottom lip trembled at the sight of Leah, she broke away from Hunter and immediately wrapped her arms around Leah. "I want to come home" 

Leah hugged Evie tightly. "What happened, honey?" 

Hunter leaned against the door frame. "We have something to tell you" 

Leah felt Evie's body stiffen. "Come on, let's sit down" She guided Evie towards the table, Hunter following them. "Does Zac know you are here?" 

"No" Hunter shook his head. "We didn't tell him" 

As they sat down at the table Leah got a good look at Evie's face. "Evie, what happened to your face?" She gently placed her hand under the chin on the teenager and lifted her head to get a better look at it. "Who did this to you?" 

The tears ran down Evie's cheeks. "Uncle Z...Zac" 

Leah felt the shock run through her body at the words, the ac she knew didn't seem capable of committing such an offence but the look in Evie's and Hunter eyes told her that it was indeed true. Anger immediately replaced the shock. "This is the first time this has happened?" 

"No...I wanted to come to you sooner but we didn't want to cause anymore trouble. He's been drinking" Hunter admitted. 

Of course, Leah couldn't help but feel a tad guilty, the split was hard on them both but she had known about addiction to the drink, she should have kept the kids with her. Made him see reason. "Oh guys, you should have come. I'll talk to Zac and you are both going to stay here" Leah made the decision, wrapping Evie back in a hug as the teenager cried. "You are both apart of this family, don't you ever feel like you need to keep something from me. I love you, the two of you like you are my own" 

"I'm sorry, I didn't want Zac to come to you and..."

"Oh sweetie, what happens between Zac and I is not for you to worry about" Leah rubbed her back. "How about I make you both a good breakfast, then you can go upstairs to your rooms and rest. Neither of you look like you have slept" 

"I didn't, not after Evie came into my room last night" 

Leah exhaled, the first thing she was going to do after she got the children comfortable would confront him. They weren't going back to him until he got help, not even then if he wasn't committed to giving them a better life, the life they were promised when they moved in with them. "It's going to be okay. He won't hurt you again, Evie, I promise" 

~!~!~

"Come on, let's go" 

Billie turned away from the orange juice she was pouring to look at VJ. "Kat got in late so we'll have to take the bus into town" 

"Okay" VJ grabbed his jumper from the couch. "I'm taking you to the doctors" 

Billie's eyes widened. "No. I don't need to..." 

"You need to be seen by a doctor, you need to find out how far along you are" He remembered certain things from the last time his mum had been pregnant before she miscarried.

"Keep your voice down, Kat's in bed" Billie hissed at him. "I don't need to find out, I don't want too" 

VJ looked at her sympathetically. "I am going to be there the entire time, I'll even hold your hand but you got to get checked out Bil. Tests need to be run" He didn't want to upset her but she needed to make sure the guy hadn't given her any kind of diseases. 

"Veeeeej" 

"I'll be right beside you. I promise. Trust me, you need to do this" 

Billie looked nervous, her hands were trembling slightly. Telling VJ had lifted a weight off of her shoulders but all she could think of now was the future, she knew that VJ would push for her to speak to Kat or to anyone that could help but that was the last thing she wanted to do. "Seeing a doctor...it will make it real" Billie whispered. 

"Hey" VJ walked over to her, taking the bottle of orange juice from her hand to sit it on the counter. "This is already real but I'm here, I'm going to hold your hand the entire time. Whatever you decide I'll be there" 

Billie looked up at him. "I'm not ready for this. I didn't ask for this" 

"I know" He grabbed her hands in his. "I understand Billie. I do. How about we just go, we'll go to the hospital and if we get there and you want to leave then we'll just book an appointment for a week from now" 

Billie breathed deeply. "And you'll be there?" 

He nodded, squeezing her hands in his. "Of course I will" 

~!~!~

Bianca cringed when she read the message from Charlie, her eyes darted around the halls finally landing on Phoebe who was walking towards her. Truth be told she wished she hadn't told Charlie about Raffy being in town, she should have stayed out of it and allowed Brody to figure it all out on his own. "Phoebe, can I speak to you for a moment?" Lucky for them they were both at the school on a Saturday morning, it was quiet and would give them a moment to talk.

"Of course, Mrs Scott" 

"Just Miss" Bianca corrected, motioning for her to come into the office. "I want to talk to you on a personal level"

Phoebe frowned taking a seat across from the desk. "Is this about Raffy?" 

"No, well, yes" Bianca breathed deeply. "I have a daughter Gracelynn, her father is Brody Morgan..."

Phoebe's eyes widened a little. "Okay, this town is very close" She mumbled. "Look, Miss Scott, I do not think..."

"Please Phoebe just allow me to finish" Bianca needed her to listen, she wanted to explain her situation. "Yesterday Brody's partner and I had a little chat, I told her about Raffy being in town, she sent me a message today letting me know that Brody turned up on your doorstep. I am sorry" Bianca told her. 

Phoebe didn't know what to say, here she was finding out that Brody had a daughter, a partner and the woman in front of her was the mother of his child. This was a man that twenty four hours ago was nothing other then a name spoken a handful of times. "I understand that Brody wants to see Raffy but I need to speak with Justin first. If you'll excuse me..." Phoebe went to stand. 

"I completely respect that" Bianca spoke. "And I am not advocating on Brody's behalf but if you don't mind me asking, why are you against him meeting Raffy?" 

"I'm not against it, I would just like the time to speak to my husband first. Who I let into Raffy's life doesn't just effect her, I am raising my nephews as well. I need to make sure Brody is stable enough to be apart of that and last night..."

"He wants to see his sister, normally he is a very gentle person. He is wonderful with kids, with our daughter and my other children" 

Phoebe looked down at her hands when her phone lit up. "I have to take this" She swiped the call and stepped out into the hall shutting the door behind her. "Justin?" 

"Hey baby, I got word you needed to talk. I only have a few moments" 

"It's so good to hear your voice" She missed him immensely, whenever he deployed she was constantly left waiting for a phone call just to reassure herself that he was safe. "Brody came to visit" 

Justin breathed deeply. "What did he want?" 

"He wants to see Raffy. Justin, you need to talk to me. Why is Brody showing up now, why have you kept him out of our lives?" 

"I didn't keep him from our lives. I have sent emails over the years, invited him to our wedding. He never showed"

"Do I let him see Raffy? Is it safe for her?"

"Brodes would never harm Raff, Phoebs. I wish I was around to witness them meeting each other"

That was the essential green light she needed, Justin's approval for Raffy and Brody to meet but what she didn't understand is if Justin had tried to make contact with his brother in the past why Brody hadn't reciprocated. "You are going to have to explain all of this"

"When I get home I will tell you all that I can, baby, I promise you. I have to go, give my love to Raffy, and Heath's love to the boys. I'll speak to you soon"

"I love you"

"I love you too, baby"  

Phoebe hung up from the call, holding the phone in her hand. She missed him, just seeing his face in the morning, being able to kiss him. Just his presence. They were supposed to start a life properly together, have children of their own, he was supposed to be around. His commitments to the army came first though, and her commitment to the three children in her care came first to her. 
She just wished that he was here to help especially now. 

~!~!~

"Hey Kat" 

Kat looked away from her meal to see Charlie entering the diner, her former partner, the one who had helped in sending Ash to jail. A glance was enough, she turned away, it was hard to believe that before everything had gone down they had been best-friends. 

Charlie breathed deeply. "Can we talk?" 

"There is nothing to speak about Charlie" 

"It's been two years, we live in a small town and every time you see me you bolt the other way. When we work the same shifts you take every small call just so we aren't in the station at the same time. Kat, just talk to me" 

Kat look up. "Can't you see I don't want to talk to you. You put Ash in jail, arrested him for a crime he didn't commit" 

"The evidence..."

"I don't care about evidence. You knew me, you knew Ash. He wouldn't do something like that especially since it would mean leaving Billie and I" Kat stood up. "You ruined our family, Charlie, when you arrested him. I was pregnant with his kid! He was going to be a father, I didn't even get a chance to tell him!" 

Charlie paled slightly at the admission. "Kat, I didn't..."

"I lost that baby because I was so stressed and now the one person I want to start a family with is locked up behind bars" Kat grabbed her purse and phone. "So can you please just leave me alone" 

"I'm sorry" Charlie watched Kat leave the diner, her heart sinking. When it had all gone down she was convince Ash had done it, they had thrown the book at him, setting out to make an example out of the ex-con. Despite having known Ash, and been friends with Kat she still did her job not bothering to listen. 

"Charlie, what can I get ya darl?" 

Charlie looked behind the counter at Irene. "Do you think Ash is innocent?" 

Irene smiled sympathetically. "I think you know the answer to that already, darl"

~!~!~

"I can't do this VJ" Billie started to back away from the door, the doctor before her raised a questioning eyebrow. 

"Could you give us a moment?" VJ asked the doctor whom nodded and stepped into her office. "Billie, I am right here, we are doing this together"

Billie looked up at him, tears prickling in her eyes. "They will ask questions, like who the father is and I can't..."

VJ wrapped his arms around her drawing her into a hug. "Listen, it will be okay, we'll just answer what we do know. Come on, I am right here" He reminded her, gently taking her hand in his he guided her towards the door. 

Billie walked slightly behind him, squeezing his hand as he led her into the room. She wasn't sure about this at all, being here was making it all seem to real, she was carrying a human like in her body.

~!~!~

Just wanted to do a recap on the families for you guys, don't want you to get lost. 

Bianca: April 16, Gracelynn 8, Ethan and Elijah 4, Theo 2. 
Phoebe: Raffy 13 - Nephews Rocco 9 and Harley 5.
Charlie & Brody: Ruby 16, Gracelynn 8.
Leah & Zac: Matt 18 and VJ 18, Evie 17, Hunter 16.
Kat: Billie 18. 

 

Edited April 20, 2017 by LissaBelle24

[Guest]

Great chapter

Glad Evelyn and Hunter went to Leah.

Loving VJ supporting Billie.

Uh-oh seems like there is bad blood between Charlie and Kat.

I hope Phoebe lets Brody see Raffy.

Update again soon

 

Edited April 2, 2017 by Kristen

[Inactive User]

Great chapter 

Good thing that Hunter and Evelyn finally went to Leah

Liked how VJ is there for Billie

Update soon please xx

[Ludub]

I'm so glad that Hunter and Evie went to Leah in the end. That was the right decision. I'm sure it would be a shock for Leah to think that Zac was capable of that, but now maybe they can get him some help. I'm intrigued by the conflict between Charlie and Kat. You're developing this very well. Just giving enough information in each chapter to get the old cogs turning. Again, so proud of VJ. What a lovely boy! You're being very true to character here. Really looking forward to the next chapter x

[Red Ranger 1]

Finally got around to reading this story! It's good. I'm slightly disappointed that Zac is the villain and hoping there's some redemption in there somewhere but your story, it's up to you how you write the characters. There's a nice labyrinthine feel to it, with all the interconnected family groupings.I'm especially liking the way you're writing VJ and Billie. Looking forward to more!