Home & Away 1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This is a Home and Away fanfiction. I have written a few before, but I think this is something different. I hope you will like it! You will soon find out who the main characters are. Here we go! Enjoy!**

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><p>Brax and Charlie were laying in bed together. They had been dating for a couple of months now and felt like they were stronger than ever. A couple of weeks ago Brax took his chance and asked Charlie if she would move in with him. Charlie had her reservations at first, not because she didn't want to live with Brax, but because she was thinking about the practical side. Questions like 'where are we going to live?' and 'what about Ruby' ran through her mind. Thankfully Brax knew his girlfriend well enough to realize Charlie was going to come up with these things. So he proposed that both Charlie and Ruby could move into the house where he now was living with Heath. There were four rooms in the main house and one room in the outhouse. So there was plenty of room for all of them. Even though Charlie didn't say yes immediately, Brax didn't need to try hard to persuade her. Once they started talking about it and picturing their life together, Charlie was sold on the idea.<p>

The first couple of days were awkward. Heath and Charlie aren't exactly best friends and both of them had to adjust to the idea of seeing each other every day. Heath was trying though, Charlie knew that, so she gave it her best shot as well to make it work. When Brax told Heath he wanted Charlie to move in Heath wasn't shocked. He knew his brother and the copper were getting serious. He gave up trying to break them up a long time ago. He didn't want to steal his brother's happiness away from him. And Charlie made Brax happy, so he tried to get along with her for Brax' sake. The fact that if he was going to give Charlie a horrible time, Brax was going to kick him out probably also had something to do with it.

The Braxton house became a pleasant, but crowded place. Casey had joined the army and was now on a mission to Somalia. When he was going to return the place would probably be even more hectic than it is now. Ruby started uni but still wanted to live at home. The last couple of years had been hard on Ruby. When she was younger, she had a real family, but lately it had only been her and Charlie. That was great, but Ruby wanted a family again and for the first time in years she felt like she belonged somewhere. Darcy stayed with Heath every other week. The little girl certainly found her spot into the household. When Darcy was there, she was the centre of the attention. Not only did she have her father wrapped around her finger in no time, every time she said 'auntie Charlie' Charlie's heart melted and the two girls bonded even more. Charlie has always been very protective over Ruby, even when they were still 'sisters'. But now Ruby is all grown up and she doesn't need Charlie's protection as much as she used to. So instead of looking out for Ruby, Charlie looked out for Darcy, who loved all the extra attention. Heath was happy with the extra help and Charlie felt useful again.

Charlie knew moving in with Brax was probably one of the best decisions she ever made. Even though Charlie learned his imperfections as well, her feelings for him had deepened the last couple weeks. When she was still with Angelo, she was so restraint to take things further. Now all she can think about is how good it feels to build a life together with the guy you love. She knows that he is the right man for her. She sees it in so many things. When she has the night shift, he always stays up until she is back. He cares for Ruby almost as much as she does. Ruby had a father, until he became her grandfather and ever since then Ruby has been a bit lost without a father figure. Brax is no father to Ruby, or at least he is saying he is not. Brax and Ruby had some sort of connection, you can't really put a nametag on it , but both are at ease with it.

Charlie was woken out of her thoughts when she heard a knock on the door. Heath yelled he would open the door so the happy couple wouldn't have to get out of bed yet. 'Hi' Heath said when he opened it, shocked by who was at the door. 'What are you doing here?' he asked the unexpected visitor. 'I thought I would give the people a visit who are now living my old house' he answered. 'Oh okay, you have seen me, you can leave now' Heath told him. 'Are you living here by yourself Heath?' the man asked, ignoring Heath's comment about leaving. 'No, I am not, don't you know what already?' Heath asked annoyed. 'No, I have been a little out of touch lately with the people of Summer Bay and I guess now I am back I just want to catch up with everything that is going on, that is all Heath' the guy explained.

'Oh my god Angelo' Ruby managed when she came back with breakfast from the diner 'What are you doing here?'. 'That seems to be a popular question today' Angelo laughed 'I guess I am back and I wanted to see who lived here now'. 'Well, we do' Ruby said with a huge smile on her face 'Come in, please'. Heath let Ruby and Angelo in but not before he gave Angelo a stern look. 'I am not following here' Angelo said confused 'Who is living here?'. 'Me and Heath' Ruby started. 'And them' Ruby continued whilst pointing at Charlie and Brax who just came out of their bedroom. They both had the biggest smile on their faces, you could tell they were in some kind of honeymoon stage where everything was fun and great. When Heath made his remark last night about 'if you two are going to be any louder tonight, I will have to buy some earplugs', they didn't even try to hide their amusement. They felt comfortable in this relationship and they allowed everyone to see it. No more secrecy, no more hiding. Brax was fully dressed and Charlie had put on her blue bathrobe, he grabbed her by her waist when they entered the living room.

When he saw who was standing there, Brax let go of her waist. 'Angelo, what are you doing here?' Charlie asked clearly surprised to see him. Angelo couldn't believe his eyes, he remained silent for a while and then managed 'Just visiting, that is all'. Charlie nodded, every person in the room could sense the tension. Angelo hated Brax, he took his restaurant and now his house and his girlfriend… ex-girlfriend but Angelo didn't care about the difference. 'Okay, I would love to stay and chat' Heath said after a few seconds 'Trust me, I would, but I need to go, I have job interview'. 'Whish me luck and give Darcy a big kiss from me' he said when he walked through the door.

'What is with all the noise?' Darcy said when she walked out of her room whilst still rubbing her eyes out of fatigue. 'Hey gorgeous' Charlie said 'Did you sleep well?'. Darcy nodded and came to Charlie for a hug. 'Lets have breakfast' Ruby said, thinking someone had to take the initiative to make this situation a bit less awkward. They all took a seat at the table, Charlie invited Angelo to join them out of courtesy. The atmosphere hadn't changed during breakfast. Thank god for Darcy who didn't seem to notice how uncomfortable everyone else was. She went on and on about school, her friends and surfing. 'Hey sweetie, it is time to put your clothes on, you wouldn't want to be late for school' Charlie interrupted her. Luckily the almost nine-year-old was in a good mood, so she rushed to the bathroom. Whilst she was there, the grownups started talking. Angelo said that he and Nicole had broken up and that he was sorry he had been so out of touch lately.

'All done!' Darcy yelled whilst running out of the bathroom. 'Could you braid my hair?' Darcy asked Charlie. 'Sure sweetie, come here, sit on the couch' Charlie answered. 'You know grandma will come to pick you up after school yeah?' Charlie told her. Darcy nodded 'Who will pick me up from grandma's?'. 'Darcy sweetie' Brax said 'You know you will have to stay there next week, no?'. 'No, I want to stay here, please, I don't want to go to grandma, I like it here' Darcy said with tears dwelling up in her eyes. Brax and Charlie looked at each other. They hated to break Darcy's heart, but she had to go to Tegan's mum next week, Heath arranged it that way. 'Lets make a deal' Brax tried 'if you are a good girl at grandma's then me and your dad will take you surfing again next week'.

Angelo wasn't following anymore. 'Hang on a sec' did he say 'Who is her dad?'. 'Heath is' Brax said. 'Oh, I thought…' Angelo started 'Never mind'. 'Waw poor kid, Heath as a dad and the mother clearly isn't mother of the year as well' Angelo said, hoping he didn't say that out loud. Unfortunately, Darcy had heard every single word Angelo said. She ran off into her room when the tears started strolling down her little face. 'Darcy… Darcy!' Charlie yelled whilst she ran after her. Brax attempted to go after his niece as well, but Charlie assured him she would cheer Darcy up. Brax sighed, how could Angelo be so insensitive. Ruby clearly thought the same thing and told him 'Good one Angelo, Darcy's mother is dead'. With that, Ruby got up from her seat and ran out of the door. 'Sorry, I didn't know' Angelo tried to excuse himself to Brax. 'Yeah fine, you didn't know' Brax assured him 'I only hope this won't cause a setback, she has made so much progress in counseling recently, I wouldn't want that to go to waste'.

**_Thank you so much for reading. I would really appreciate it if you reviewed as well (if you can find some time of course). Because then I know what you think about it and whether or not I should continue it. If you have any ideas, just let me know! I have an idea for the next chapter, but all help is very welcome!_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, I really appreciate the effort. I would like to tell Teamcharliealways that I have no intention of making this a sad fanfiction. I hope I can make it fun and happy Charlie and Brax! This is a longer chapter, the two next ones will be shorter, but that is better for the story. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review if you can find some time…**

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><p>Charlie had managed to calm Darcy down. Charlie agreed she would talk to Heath about making other living arrangements for Darcy, since the little girl wants to spend more time with her father and uncle. While Brax was waiting he made her a lunch box. Angelo was still there and that annoyed Brax, he didn't know what Angelo was doing there, but he probably had a reason for it. Brax took Darcy to school after he gave Charlie a hasty kiss on the lips. Charlie was alone with Angelo now and it kind of crept her out. 'I can't believe you are still seeing him' Angelo said once Brax had left. 'Excuse me' Charlie said sounding offended 'That is none of your business'. Angelo smirked and told her 'Yeah, it is not, but I will not stand by and watch him ruin your life'. 'Hey, that is enough!' Charlie shouted. Before Charlie could say anything more Angelo went on and on about how bad Brax was for Charlie. Finally, after Angelo's monologue, Charlie said calmly 'I love him and I want you to leave, now'. Angelo knew he missed his goal there and left feeling gutted.<p>

Charlie had the nightshift and she agreed with Bianca to go shopping with her. Charlie wouldn't let Angelo's words get to her, she knew better than that. The two girls chatted all the way to the mall. Charlie bought herself a few dresses and a top, Bianca treated herself to a new handbag and a pair of shoes. Charlie had also bought a dress for Darcy, she knew that if she wouldn't get it for her, the little girl would have to wear boyish clothes. The two women went for lunch in a new restaurant in Yabbie Creek. Charlie was wondering if she made the right choice… shouldn't she have bought the dress in blue instead of in red. Suddenly Bianca made a confession. 'Liam proposed to me last night' she said. 'Oh my god, are you serious? Congratulations!' Charlie yelled out 'I am so happy for you!'. Bianca looked down to her plate. 'Wait a minute' Charlie started 'Did you say no?'. 'I told him I had to think about it' Bianca confessed. 'Why?' Charlie asked confused 'I thought you loved him'. 'I do' Bianca replied 'It is just that…'. Bianca didn't know how to express her feelings. 'How do you know when someone is right for you Charlie?' Bianca asked her best friend. 'I don't know… I guess you feel it' Charlie answered honestly. 'You know Charlie, I am happy with Liam and I do love him' Bianca told her 'But, deep down I am wondering if he is "the one" for me, if someone other guy isn't going to walk into my life and sweep me off my feet'. Bianca hoped Charlie would understand how she felt. 'On one side, you are thankful for what you have, so you want to say yes because you don't want to lose him' Charlie started 'But on the other side, you can't keep wondering if this is as good as life gets, if there isn't a better life waiting for you'. 'Jeez Charlie' Bianca said 'You do know what I mean, what do I have to do?'.

'Look' Charlie continued 'I kind of felt the same way with Angelo, if he ever would have proposed to me, I think I would have said no'. Bianca widened her eyes. 'And you found a better life, a happier life, right?' Bianca asked. 'I did sweetie' Charlie said honestly 'But not everyone is as lucky, and also, I think in the end I was with him because people expected me to be with him, not because I wanted to'. 'You, on the other hand, you still love Liam, I can see that in the way you are talking about him' Charlie continued 'It is a tough decision to make, but just know that I will be here for you, no matter what, okay?'. Bianca smiled, she felt lucky with a friend like Charlie, but a little jealous as well… Charlie found her prince on the white horse and knew it almost immediately, whilst Bianca was still trying to figure out if Liam even had a change to become her prince.

The day flew by really quickly, they had a great time together and Charlie managed to let Bianca forget about the proposal for a few hours. But by the end of they, reality hit her. Bianca had to go home and face Liam. After she encouraged her friend to talk to Liam about her insincerity's, Charlie went home. Brax had to work late, Heath was out (god knows where) and Ruby went to a concert with April. Charlie took a nice hot bath to continue her day of pure relaxation. She was watching some telly when Brax returned from the restaurant. 'Hi gorgeous' Brax greeted her 'You smell delicious'. 'It is vanilla' Charlie smiled seductively. 'Are you hungry?' Charlie asked him 'I can make you something'. 'No, no, I am fine' Brax replied when he came to sit next to his girlfriend on the couch 'There is something I to talk to you about though'.

'Okay' Charlie said curiously 'What's wrong Brax?'. 'You know the contract we have with Roo for renting the house has almost reach his end date' Brax started 'So I went to her today to renew the rent'. Charlie nodded, she knew she wasn't going to like what came next. 'Well, Roo said that she wants to sell the house' Brax continued 'And that someone offered her a large amount of money'. 'Who?' Charlie asked 'What are we going to do Brax? I love this place, it is perfect for us'. Charlie started to panic a little. 'Angelo wants to buy the house Charlie, apparently he wants to move back in here' Brax told his girlfriend. 'What? No, he can't do that' Charlie yelled out 'Can't we go and talk to him?'. 'Yeah, I suppose' Brax answered 'Don't know if he will listen though'. 'Isn't there any other way we could keep this place?' Charlie asked 'I don't want to leave'. 'Maybe there is' Brax said. Charlie looked at him with hope in her eyes. 'We could buy the house together' Brax proposed 'I am sure we could make a really great counteroffer'. Charlie started smiling, 'Are you serious?' she asked Brax. 'Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I think it is a great idea' Brax replied 'But you need to be sure though, it is a big commitment, I will warn you: you will be stuck with me then!'. The smile on Charlie's face became bigger and she said 'I hope I will be stuck with you for a very, very long time… lets do this!'. She kissed him passionately and both were glad to feel so at ease with this decision.

The next morning Charlie and Brax invited Roo for coffee at the Diner. They wanted to inform her they were willing to buy the house as well. Roo was excited when she heard that, she even wanted to sell it for the same price as Angelo offered to pay for it. Roo had started to like the couple and was glad true love still existed, because after her own debacles with Sid and Harvey, she had started to doubt that. Angelo walked in and he noticed that something was going on, he invited himself at the table where Charlie, Brax and Roo were sitting. Roo informed him about her decision to sell the house to Charlie and Brax. Angelo couldn't believe what he had heard but he didn't want to make a scene, if he was going to return to Summer Bay, he better be on good terms with the locals.

Suddenly something Colleen said caught their attention. 'Nicole! You are back! It is so good to see you! How is little Georgie?' she said in surprise. All four of them looked at Nicole who had just entered the diner. As she took her coat off, they spotted a subtle baby bum. Roo went over to talk to Nicole, the two of them always felt a really strong connection. Brax and Charlie looked at each other and started to smile. 'I guess congratulations are in order mate' Brax said genuinely. 'Yeah, you must be thrilled' Charlie continued. Angelo smirked, he wasn't thrilled, that is the least you could say.

When Charlie and Brax returned to home, they were still discussing the recent events. They wondered if the baby was actually Angelo's, since he didn't seem to look happy when they had congratulated him. Maybe she cheated on him and that is why they had broken up. But they didn't know and quite frankly, they didn't really care either. It was Nicole and Angelo's life, not theirs. Angelo's life might suck right now, but Charlie and Brax' was better than ever. However, they could use a night out together. It had been ages since they went on a date together. They decided to go to a nice and cozy restaurant in town. Charlie persuaded Brax to go to the sauna afterwards. That wasn't really Brax' cup of tea, but if it was going to make his dream girl happy, he was more than willing to join her.

But first they both had to go to work. Brax had already left and Charlie had changed into her police uniform, when Heath walked through the door. 'Aye Charlie, have you got a minute?' Heath asked her. Surprised, she said 'Sure, what's up Heath?'. 'Nothing, I would just like to thank you for all your help with Darcy' Heath started 'It really means a lot, I think she needed that'. 'Really, it is fine Heath' Charlie replied 'I am happy to do it, you've got one amazing little girl'. Heath smiled, he was so proud of his daughter, he couldn't picture his life without her anymore. 'I know, I don't know what I did to deserve such a sweet daughter' Heath continued. 'You are a good dad, Heath' Charlie assured him 'She would do a lot worse if you weren't around'. Heath nodded and felt complimented. Charlie got up from her chair and attempted to go to work. 'One more thing though' Heath said 'I kind of have a date tonight, I really really like this girl and I have euhm…'. 'What do you want Heath' Charlie interrupted a blushing Heath, she knew Heath wanted something and she wanted to know what. 'I kind of invited her here' he said 'Darcy is at her grandmother's, Ruby is out for the night and euhm…'. 'You want us out as well?' Charlie asked. 'Well yeah, but I promise I will clean the house or do your ironing, or cook dinner… whatever you want!' Heath said, not knowing Charlie and Brax already had plans for the night. 'Well, I suppose we could go out for dinner or so' Charlie started 'But it will cost you'. 'Whatever you say Buckton' Heath replied. 'How about me and Brax stay out until, lets say, one o'clock and you cook dinner for a week and clean the house from top to toe' Charlie offered. 'That is a fair deal Buckton' Heath said and walked off. Charlie couldn't hold back her laugh once Heath had left, she had turned this situation into her advantage beautifully.

**_Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Please post your thoughts and opinions so I can take that into account when I write the next few chapters! Thanks so much!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for the lovely reviews, I really appreciate it! This is a short chapter, but it is better that way for storyline-reasons. I hope you can still enjoy it! I have noticed lots of people want to know what happened between Angelo and Nicole, that is coming… just not yet. It will be explained later! Enjoy!**

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><p>Brax and Charlie had the best time at the restaurant. Charlie looked absolutely stunning, Brax couldn't be more proud of his girl. Charlie made heads turn, but Brax had passed the faze where he was insecure about that. She would talk to him the entire night, laugh at his jokes and leave with him. Charlie didn't notice all the attention from the strange men, she only had eyes for Brax. That smile of his made her heart melt every single time. They chatted the whole evening and they really enjoyed themselves. Brax didn't look forward to the sauna, but he did it for Charlie. However, he actually had a great time there as well. They went from the sauna to the Jacuzzi and the pool and back to the sauna. Brax felt hot, but he didn't know whether it was because of the heath or because of that sexy little bikini Charlie was wearing. She never wore that bikini on the beach, it was way too small for that. It was made for Brax' eyes only and he sure liked the idea of that.<p>

It was passed midnight when they drove back home. They were totally relaxed even though Brax hoped the night hadn't ended yet. Brax exceeded the speed limit. Charlie didn't complain about that, so that must mean she had the same thing in mind as he had. When they finally arrived home, Brax was a complete gentleman and opened Charlie's door. As he helped her out of the car he pushed her against the door of the car and kissed her passionately. 'Lets get inside' Charlie mumbled between kisses. They were a little earlier than they had promised Heath they would be back, but thankfully Heath's private party had already ended… or at least it had moved to somewhere else. Brax pushed Charlie into their bedroom, he lifted her feet of the ground and laid her softly on the bed. Their night hadn't ended yet… it was only getting started.

The next morning Charlie woke up really early, she didn't sleep well. Something had kept her busy for a few days, maybe even weeks now, but she didn't know how to tell Brax. She put on the light in the bedroom and started reading a book since it was way too early to get out of bed. Half an hour later Brax woke as well. 'Hi gorgeous' he said 'You couldn't sleep anymore?'. 'No' Charlie replied 'Sorry if I woke you'. 'It is fine' Brax said 'Is something wrong?'. Charlie sat up in bed, she really had no idea how to bring this subject up. She didn't know if now was the right time, but it had been bothering her for a while now, so she decided to go for it.

'Brax' Charlie started. Brax looked at her in a confused way. He wanted to know what was wrong with Charlie, but he didn't want to push her since she clearly had trouble finding the right words. 'I have been thinking lately' she continued 'And I love living here with you and Ruby, and Heath and Darcy, it is like we are one big family'. 'I know' Brax replied 'It is awesome, it is even better than I ever thought it could be'. 'Yeah' Charlie continued as she looked Brax in the eyes 'But I…'. She was scared to tell him, what if he ran out of the room in shock? 'I want to have a baby' Charlie told him, finally finding the courage to do so. 'I know it is soon and it doesn't need to be right know, I mean we have time, but I am so ready to have a baby with you' Charlie continued as if she was now on a roll. 'I have thought about it so much recently, I don't know why Brax, I now I have Ruby to look after' Charlie rambled 'But as you know, I never got to take care of her like a mother when she was little and I regret that, however, this has nothing to do with me wanting another baby'. 'I guess people are right when they say that a woman knows when she is ready to have a baby' Charlie explained. 'Brax, please say something' Charlie asked him, she panicked a little because he still hadn't said a word.

A huge smile appeared on Brax' face. 'Ssssttt Charlie' Brax said whilst placing a finger on her lips 'I get what you mean'. 'I think I know you well enough by now to have noticed that you are thinking about us having a baby together' Brax explained. 'And Charlie, I love you' he told her, he took her face into his hands and looked her straight into the eyes 'And I would love to have a baby with you'. 'I can't wait to have our baby' Brax assured her. 'Really?' Charlie squealed out of excitement. 'Really!' Brax nodded as he pulled her closer to him for a kiss. 'Why don't we work on that right away aye?' Brax proposed seductively. Charlie moaned and pulled his hot body onto hers.

_**T****_h_anks for reading! Please review… And requests are still very welcome! Thanks a lot!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everyone! Thanks again so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. I personally really like this chapter, Erika helped me again with writing it and I am really proud of what we managed to write together. I hope you will like it as much as I do. Hope you enjoy it!**

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><p>Weeks had past and Charlie still wasn't pregnant. They hadn't informed anyone that they were starting a family, that would have added extra pressure to an already stressful situation. At first they didn't worry, lots of couples didn't conceive from their first try, and with their irregular lives it was no surprise they hadn't succeeded from the word 'go.' However, Charlie was starting to panic, she had searched for some information on the internet and she found some unsavoury facts. The possibility of them not being able to conceive, Brax being impotent all ran through her mind restlessly. Brax did his best to assure her that nothing was wrong, and that things would go as planned very soon. Even with his best tries to reassure Charlie, she had insisted that they seek medical assistance and undergo necessary tests at the hospital. She had hoped that the doctor would be someone other than Sid. Having Sid as their doctor, regardless of the doctor patient confidentiality, would mean that someone in their wide circle of friends would know of their plans. Luckily for them, Dr Walker wasn't on the roster today.<p>

They both didn't want to admit, but they were both afraid that they wouldn't be able to have a baby. Charlie and Brax wanted a family, it was the same goal that they both agreed upon. They were fortunate enough until this point, and both were aware that their happiness had to be broken at some point. They both walked into the office, hand in hand, ready for the doctor's assessment, regardless of what it might be. Unfortunately, the pair had been left waiting for a couple of days for their results, the doctor was unable to give them information immediately. Charlie and Brax's housemates were too busy with their own lives to notice their anxiety and worried glances that they shared.

Casey was going to be back in a few weeks, Ruby was ecstatic and was preparing herself for his return; she had missed him so much. Charlie couldn't believe that her daughter had waited three months for Casey to return, she was slowly beginning to believe that the two had something special. Therefore, she decided that she was going to support the couple as much as possible.

The day that the results had arrived, Brax had encouraged Charlie to call the hospital, it took him a while to convince her. She was afraid of the feedback, she didn't want the bad news. Before the call was made, they arranged the house to be empty and that no one would come home for hours, so they had time to process the news they were about to receive. Both were relieved when the doctor told them that there was no medical explanation as to why Charlie wasn't pregnant already, he thought that the main reason was the stress and advised the couple that it was the best to put the pressure of conceiving aside and concentrate on their day to day activities. Which of course, required Charlie to throw away all the books she brought on pregnancy and the truth behind conception, it was finally confirmed that if they let the natural course take its place; Charlie would be pregnant in no time.

Charlie had promised Brax that she would forget about getting pregnant and that she would relax and enjoy the little things life had to offer. They saw their problems as a sign to finally slow down. Brax had opened another restaurant in the city, which added the extra burden of stress. Charlie's dream finally came true, and she graduated from sergeant to detective, which caused her to work much more than she was used to. Their busy schedules was a wake up call, they knew that it was necessary to take time out for themselves, each other and their family to be. Brax took Charlie away for the weekend, to leave Summer Bay and their normal lives for a few days. He decided to take her to the hotel where they first went together. It was a magical time for both of them and it reminded them of what they used to have. They knew that whatever happened, they were going to deal with it together. It was rare to find, they were best friends, lover and soul mates; it was the best feeling in the world to find a person that was going to tick all the boxes. They had spent that weekend together, buried their worries in love and enjoyed the time that they had managed to spend together.

Soon life returned to normal, and all the attention was diverted to Casey's return. This helped Charlie take her mind off her worries and concentrate on her daughter, who began counting down days until Casey's return. When she thought about it she was sure that Ruby was actually counting down hours. Ruby had insisted that they arrange a welcome home party for him, and Charlie was only too eager to help. Brax knew that Casey had to leave again, he was keen to spend as much time as possible with his little brother. But of course, he would have to compromise, Ruby came first. Brax and Charlie had a long discussion on where Casey was going to stay when he returned. They agreed to let him stay in Ruby's room, it was only fair as both were adults and they had shown that they were serious about their relationship.

Charlie had s shift a day before Casey's return, she thought that it was going to be the same as any other day, but it wasn't. Charlie was called out to calm down some troublemakers creating chaos on the beach. In the attempt of stopping the fight she was accidentally hit on the head with a bottle. She seemed fine, and insisted that it was nothing but her colleague was persistent in taking her to the hospital just in case anything serious had developed. The doctor had informed her that it would be necessary for her to take some tests, such as blood tests and test her blood pressure. Charlie had agreed, but instructed the doctor not to call family or friends; she didn't want them to worry for no particular reason. Charlie sat patiently in the waiting room until the doctor came back with the results. He sat down on a chair opposite to Charlie and informed her that everything looked fine, she had a mild concussion and gave her the news that she had been waiting for quite a while. Once she had taken in the great news, she rushed out of the hospital, making her way to Angelo's as fast as humanly possible. She knew Brax would be finishing his shift, she stormed into the restaurant, running over to the love of her life, wrapping her hands around his neck she yelled "Brax, I am pregnant."

**_I hope you liked this chapter. In the next one you will find out more about Angelo and Nicole. But no chapter without Charlie and Brax of course! Please review. If you have any ideas, just let me know!_**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi everyone! I must admit, I was having butterflies while I wrote this chapter. I didn't want to disappoint you readers. I know some of you might wanted more of this chapter, but it is the way I wanted it to play out. I hope you will still enjoy it!**

**This chapter includes the truth about Nicole and Angelo…**

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><p>'Are you serious?' Brax asked his girlfriend in a high pitched voice. Brax was shocked, they weren't even trying to get pregnant anymore. They would let nature take its course. 'Uhu!' Charlie managed, tears had started to dwell up in her eyes. 'I was at the hospital and the doctor said it, he was 100% sure!' Charlie said. 'You were at the hospital, sweetie, is there something wrong?' Brax asked all worried 'Oh my god, what is that on your head? Are you okay?'. 'Brax, I am fine' she reassured him, whilst placing her hands on his arms as if she wanted to make something clear to him 'But you are missing the point here, I am pregnant!'. The worried look disappeared from Brax' face, instead a huge smile appeared. He pulled Charlie in for a hug whilst he tried to convince himself this wasn't a dream.<p>

He pulled her away from him so he could look into her eyes, he grabbed her hands and told her 'You have made me the happiest man on the planet right now, we are having a baby!'. As he pulled her closer to him for a passionate kiss and another hug, the happy couple realized they weren't alone in the restaurant. The customers knew something big was going on around the bar because of all the kissing and hugging. As they started clapping, Charlie and Brax turned around to face them. 'We are having a baby!' Brax shouted out ecstatically. The customers, who now found out what was going on, cheered even louder. Still in shock, but utterly happy, the pair looked at each other with tears in their eyes. 'Free drinks on the house' Brax said, not hiding his excitement at all.

Brax' night shift had soon finished after that, the other waiters were happy to step in for him. He took Charlie home, luckily for them all their housemates were out. They wanted to be alone for a while, they didn't want to share this feeling just yet. They wanted a baby for so long now, they still couldn't believe that their little bundle of joy was about to arrive in only a few months time. Starting a family just got an entire new meaning for them. Charlie filled Brax in on what the doctor had said. She was 4 weeks pregnant already. Charlie admitted that in total excitement she forgot to make an appointment for an ultrasound. She promised Brax she would do that first thing in the morning, they both were looking forward to seeing their baby for the first time. As they lay on their bed, curled up in each other's arms, they agreed not to tell anyone about the baby yet. Casey was coming home tomorrow and they didn't want to steal his thunder. He had been the one who was away from home for 3 months, he had done a great job for the Australian army and Brax couldn't be more proud of his little brother.

The next day Brax, Heath and Ruby went to pick up Casey from the airport in the afternoon. They were way too early, probably because Ruby couldn't wait any longer to see him. Meanwhile at the restaurant, Charlie was making the last few preparations for Casey's party. She got help from her friends so she didn't have to do that much, Brax ordered her to rest and let the others do the work. Brax was being very protective over his pregnant girlfriend, she hoped that he wouldn't be like that for the next 8 months. But she also loved it. If he was this protective over her, he was definitely going to be even more protective over that little creature growing inside of her.

When Casey arrived on his party at Angelo's Charlie could see that both Ruby and Brax missed him like crazy. She even had to admit she missed him herself. He was such a sweet guy and so in love with her little girl. Heath was acting all tough, but since they lived under the same roof, Charlie got to know a totally different side of him. She is now able to see through the bad-boy image. Charlie noticed something was bothering Heath. She didn't know what it was, but she was keen on finding out soon.

Brax stood behind the bar and had a view on the entire restaurant. He sure liked what he saw. His little brother was finally home. When he saw how Ruby and Casey looked at each other, he knew it was real love. They reminded him so much of him and Charlie, but without all the difficulties they had faced in the beginning of their relationship. That was in the past now and when he looked at the future he liked what he saw. Charlie noticed her boyfriend smiling at her from behind the bar and she went up to him. 'Hi there, what are you thinking about?' she asked him. As she stood next to him, he grabbed her waist and rubbed her stomach. She turned her head towards him and they gazed into each other's eyes. This was indeed the best feeling in the world.

A little while later, an unexpected visitor showed up. Angelo was not invited on Casey's party, but he looked so depressed that Brax couldn't kick him out. Angelo took a seat on stool next to the bar and ordered himself a bourbon. Brax and Charlie, who were caught up in fantasizing about the family they would have in a few months, wanted to know what was bothering him. 'Angelo, you have been here in the Bay for weeks now, but no one really knows what is going on' Charlie started. 'What is wrong with you?' she continued. Angelo smirked 'What is not wrong with me?'. 'Don't be so bitter man, I reckon Nicole might have something to do with that' Brax guessed. 'Why should I tell you?' Angelo replied as he emptied his drink. 'Because we want to help you' Charlie assured him.

Angelo had to think for a while, but decided he would go for it. He hid the truth for so long now, he had to talk to someone about it. 'Look, Nicole and I were doing just fine a few months back, I wanted us to start a little hotel… together' Angelo started 'She was so in on the idea at first, but then she backed off'. Charlie and Brax didn't know where Angelo was taking this story, but were intrigued by it. 'I thought she would change her mind once the plans got concrete' he continued 'So I negotiated with the bank, found the perfect place… I was so thrilled'. 'But then she got herself pregnant, on purpose' Angelo said bitter. Brax thought he was missing something here. 'With who's baby?' he asked. Angelo gave him a disapproving look. 'Mine! You idiot! Who else's?' he yelled.

Charlie looked at Brax. She thought she was also missing the plot here. 'So why aren't you happy? Angelo, you always wanted to have kids' Charlie told him. Brax had to swallow, it just occurred to him that Charlie could easily have had this baby with Angelo, the wonderful and amazing life he is having right now, could have been Angelo's. 'I am not ready, okay' Angelo answered to his ex. 'You are not ready? You are over 30, how much more ready are you going to get Angelo?' she asked him. 'I guess the same goes for you Charlie' Angelo said, trying to take the attention of him. 'Some people have a baby without planning to have one, others plan one, but don't have one' Charlie said cryptically as she tried to add some sadness in her voice. She knew his question was a sneer at her for not wanting to commit to him, Angelo wanted kids so badly when they were still together and he couldn't understand she just wasn't ready. Hearing him say all of this, she sure is glad she wasn't ready then.

Angelo was shaken up by Charlie's confession. From the moment he saw them walking out of Brax' room a few weeks ago when he first came back, he was jealous of them. They had it all, they had the perfect life together. But now it seemed their life wasn't as perfect as Angelo initially thought it was. Was Charlie talking about herself? Couldn't Charlie and Brax have children? Did they even want to? 'Angelo, I really can't see your problem here' Brax said as he brought Angelo back to reality. 'She got pregnant, on purpose Brax, how could she have done that to me, it is like I don't get a say in all of this' Angelo explained. 'Okay, Nicole maybe could have handled this better, but the fact remains that in a few months time you two will have a baby' Charlie said 'Start thinking about that'. 'I don't want to, I do not want to get involved in its life, because then I will only be reminded of what his mother has done' Angelo said angrily. 'Listen, mate' Brax started 'I grew up without a father, so did Heath and Casey and it was so damn hard'. 'And Darcy, look at Darcy, she has to go through life with only one parent as well' he continued 'Who would deliberately do that to his own child?'. Angelo felt offended and wanted to put Brax into place 'Oh so now you are lecturing me on how to handle my own life, you of all people?'.

'Aye, aye, stop it' Charlie stepped in, she knew trying to convince Angelo was a waste of time, he was being a total douchebag and if he was going to act like this, that baby could be better off without him. 'Don't you love her?' Brax asked Angelo, who had to think about that question but couldn't decide. 'How can you not love her?' Brax asked him honestly. 'She is carrying your child for god's sake! You should be over the moon right now! It doesn't care how she got pregnant, the important is that she is! You are going to be a dad and that is the most amazing feeling in the world!' Brax yelled out. 'And how would you know?' Angelo replied heavily 'You don't know how it feels to be betrayed like that by someone who claims to love you! Oh and trust me, having a baby is not that great!'. 'How can you possibly say this?' a startled Brax asked him 'I may not know how your relationship with Nicole works, but I do know how it feels like to find out that in a few months time there will be a baby who needs you, I may have only found out yesterday that I will be a father, but I already love my family more than you could ever imagine'. And with that, he pulled Charlie closer to him and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. As Brax said those words, Charlie couldn't believe how lucky she was to have this amazing man as her boyfriend… and as the father of her unborn baby.

**_I hope you liked this chapter. I know some of you thought there was another reason behind the Angelo and Nicole break up, but this was what I had in mind from the beginning and I decided to stick to it. If you have some ideas, please share them. That way I know where you want me to go with this story. I have a few things in mind that I want to happen, but I am still open for advice and ideas! I hope I haven't disappointed you too much, I hope you still enjoyed this chapter! Love!_**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone! Thank you so much for those lovely comments, I really appreciated them again! This chapter involves a mix of people, enjoy!**

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><p>Angelo was shocked. Are they having a baby together? He couldn't believe how much Charlie has changed. When she was still with him, she always completely freaked out when he mentioned kids. Now she is having one, with Brax. Angelo thought Brax didn't deserve that. If anyone deserved to be happy, it had to be himself. But he wasn't, so he didn't want other people to be happy as well. Charlie saw the confused look on Angelo's face. 'Yes, Angelo, I am pregnant' she explained 'You might not be happy with yours, but Brax and I are absolutely thrilled about our baby'. Angelo shook his head slightly, he could not believe what he had just heard. 'Life is so unfair' he thought. 'You must care about your baby in some way, so if I were you, I would try to work it out with Nicole' Brax advised him. 'Me too' Charlie agreed 'Do it for your baby'.<p>

'Hey guys, you are not going to stand here just like that the entire night, are you?' Ruby asked as she came up to where the tree of them were standing. 'This is a party, so lets dance' she shouted out as she took Charlie's hand and lead her onto the dance floor. Angelo and Brax were now standing alone and both were looking at each other. Brax didn't care about Angelo, Nicole or their baby, but he knew Charlie did so he advised him one last time to talk things out with Nicole. Angelo had enough of the unneeded advise for one night and left the restaurant. Brax was happy he had left, he really couldn't stand that man.

Charlie had danced for about ten minutes when Bianca asked her if they could have a chat. Charlie knew what this was about. Bianca still hadn't answered Liam's proposal and the two of them were acting like it never happened. But they knew it was a burden on their relationship and Bianca didn't know how to handle the situation anymore. 'You can't continue to play with his feelings Bianca' Charlie answered when Bianca asked her what she had to do. 'Tell him what is bothering you, try to work it out' Charlie said 'You both are miserable'. 'I know' Bianca admitted. 'But something inside me is saying that this is right, that I have made the right choice not to marry him'. 'Look Bianca, I am just going to ask you: do you think you will ever be ready to marry him?' Charlie asked her friend. Bianca didn't know the answer, he had thought about it a lot the last couple of weeks, but she honestly didn't know. 'Then what is the point in continuing to live this lie where he thinks you can still sort it out and you can have a bright future together?' Charlie explained. 'Just be honest with yourself and with him' she continued 'Do what you know deep down in your heart you want to do'. 'What do I want to do Charlie?' Bianca asked her 'Because, I am really confused at the moment'. Tears started dwelling up in Bianca's eyes, she knew what Charlie meant, but she didn't want to acknowledge it. Charlie forced a smile on her face and gave Bianca a hug. 'I know it is hard, sweetie, just do what your hearts tells you to' Charlie whispered into Bianca's ears.

Bianca left the restaurant to have a good night sleep, she hoped she would feel better in the morning. However, she knew that wasn't going to be the case… not until she had that conversation with Liam she avoided for so long. Charlie saw Heath sitting at a table by himself. This was a party with lots of beer, good looking girls and great music… something was definitely wrong with Heath. 'Do you mind if I join you?' Charlie asked politely before she took a seat next to him. 'What is wrong Heath?' Charlie tried 'It is probably none of my business, but I have nothing better to do than listening to you at the moment, so I think you should go for it'. Heath laughed and shook his head. 'You sure you want to know, Buckton?' he asked her. Charlie nodded sincerely. 'It is about Darcy' he admitted. 'I have tried to be a mother and a father to her for almost a year now' he started 'And it is so damn hard'. 'I know I get help from everyone else, that is great, but she still misses Tegan' Heath continued 'What kind of a father am I if I can't make my own daughter happy?'. 'It is absolutely normal she misses her mum' Charlie answered 'And you are doing the best you can to help her get through it'. 'It is not enough Charlie' he admitted. 'There is nothing more you can do' Charlie said.

'You know, sometimes I think that I should find a woman who is willing to take care of her, like a mother' he explained 'Who can be what Darcy needs her to be'. 'Where are you going to find someone like that?' Charlie asked him. Heath smiled as he said 'Yeah, I know, the girls I brought home lately aren't exactly suited for that'. 'So you want to find a girl who loves you, who loves Darcy and who wants to be a family with the two of you' Charlie asked her boyfriend's brother. 'I think so, yeah, it would be better for Darcy' Heath replied. 'But what do you want Heath? Don't think about Darcy for a sec here, do you want to settle down?' Charlie asked him honestly. Heath had to think about that, but then decided 'No, I don't, but it would be better for Darcy and she is my number one priority now'. 'She is, but she is nothing with a father who is miserable, you need to feel good about yourself Heath, if you are not, then you are no help to Darcy' Charlie told him. 'Don't rush into anything, your daughter is wonderful girl and she is happy, or as happy as she can be giving the circumstances' Charlie tried to convince him. Heath had to admit Charlie was making a point here, but he still didn't know how to make life better for Darcy.

The party lasted until the early hours. Heath got up early the morning after to pick up Darcy, it had been a week since he had seen her and he missed her like crazy. He also had to go to work today so he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. At 7 AM someone knocked on the door of the Braxton house. Brax went to open the door, everyone else seemed to be still asleep. 'Mum, what are you doing here?' a surprised Brax said as he saw his mother standing there. 'Aren't you happy to see me?' Cheryl said as she let herself in. 'Where is Casey? And Heath?' Cheryl asked her oldest son. 'Heath went to pick up Darcy, you know, your granddaughter who you seem to be not interested in' Brax replied. 'I just need to get used to it, that is all Darryl, how about Casey? I heard he came back yesterday' Cheryl told him. 'Still in bed, you know we threw him a welcome home party yesterday, didn't care to show your face there, mum?' Brax said rather bitter. 'A party? No, not my cup of tea, anyway, I am here now aren't I?' Cheryl said 'So I guess I am just going to wait here until he wakes up'.

Cheryl had laid herself on the couch and started to watch some telly. Charlie was woken up by the noise and she came to see what was going on in the living room. 'Cheryl, hi' Charlie said politely as she walked towards the kitchen in her blue bathrobe. 'What are you doing here?' Cheryl yelled 'Don't you think it is time you found yourself another girlfriend of the month Darryl, I am a bit bored by this one'. Charlie and Brax had to laugh at that comment, you could say a lot about Cheryl, but not that she wasn't original in her comments. 'I live here' Charlie answered honestly 'Do you want some tea Cheryl?'. 'What? Since when? Why didn't I know that? And no, I don't want your stupid tea!' Cheryl said as she freaked out. 'I have told you mum, I guess you just don't listen aye, we bought the house together' Brax explained to his mother. 'Are you kidding me? Am I seriously going to be stuck with her?' Cheryl asked him. Brax nodded firmly. 'I guess we better start to get along then' Charlie said cheekily as she took a seat on the couch next to Cheryl.

'Morning!' Ruby and Casey said as they walked through the door. 'It is so good to be back' Casey admitted as he grabbed Ruby's waist. 'Yeah, why?' Brax said with a huge grin on his face, he knew what Casey meant but he missed teasing his little brother. 'Shut up, spare me the details!' Charlie shouted out as she threw a magazine she found on the coffee-table in Brax' direction. 'Mum, what are you doing here?' Casey asked when he saw her. 'I am here to visit my youngest son who has left me for 4 months' Cheryl said as she stood up and hugged Casey. 'Actually, it was only 3 months mum' Casey explained. 'That doesn't matter, if felt like 4' Cheryl yelled. 'So, what are we all doing today?' Cheryl asked whilst she put one arm around Casey's shoulder and one around Brax'. Both of them knew that when Cheryl was acting like this, it could only mean there was trouble ahead…

_**Thanks so much for reading (and reviewing)! This was more of a normal chapter… no big revelations or surprises! But there are more exciting things to come, so stay tuned!**_

_**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Love!**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I loved all your comments! This chapter involves a bit more Ruby, as some of you requested. I hope you enjoy it! One-upon-a-mind, you could be right, you could be wrong... I can't tell! But the next couple of chapters will give you more information about Heath!  
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><p>'What are we doing today mum?' Brax asked his mother 'Why do you want to know?'. 'Because I want to spend some time with my tree boys' Cheryl answered. 'Well that is not going to happen, because I am working and so is Heath' Brax replied. 'Are you serious? You can't even take one day off for your old mother? I bet you can take of time for her' Cheryl yelled, pointing at Charlie. 'Mum, some other time aye?' Brax said as he tried to calm her down. 'How about you Casey?' Cheryl asked. 'I euh…' Casey started. 'Quick come up with something' Ruby whispered to him. 'I euh…' Casey started again 'I need to catch up with some friends'. Charlie had to laugh, Casey could at least have come up with something better. 'Wasn't your party yesterday? Didn't you see them there?' Cheryl asked Casey. 'Yeah, but' Casey tried to explain 'I have missed so much, I want to catch up on what happened to them, I didn't get the chance yesterday'. Cheryl sighed. 'Alright, if no one wants to spend time with me… then fine! Don't worry about me, I'll just die alone and miserable…' Cheryl told them in a fake sad voice. 'Mum, cut the crap okay, you see us plenty of times' Brax said, he didn't buy his mother's charade.<p>

'Okay, okay, I get it' Cheryl said 'But at least let me have dinner with you tonight'. 'Dinner?' Casey asked in surprise. 'Yeah, here, you boys and me, tonight' Cheryl replied. 'I don't think we are invited Ruby' Charlie added. Ruby couldn't hold back her laugh. 'Well, of course you are invited, you are cooking!' Cheryl told Charlie. 'I am what?' Charlie answered, she didn't know whether to laugh or to be offended. 'You want to survive dinner Cheryl?' Ruby said, totally enjoying this conversation. 'I euh…' Charlie started 'Lets say I am not a great cook'. She looked at Brax for help. 'Okay, here is the deal mum, I will bring pizza's tonight' Brax compromised 'For all of us, including Ruby, Charlie and Darcy'. 'Sounds fair to me' Cheryl agreed. 'See you tonight' she said as she made her way out, leaving the other ones confused about her appearance.

Ruby and Casey went to the beach to catch up with April and Xavier. Dex was going to join them later on. Xavier and Casey went for a surf, Casey had missed surfing a lot during his time in Somalia. Ruby and April were watching them from a distance. Ruby had a huge smile on her face, everyone could notice that. 'You must be so happy Casey is finally back?' April asked her best friend. 'I am' Ruby exclaimed 'I love him so much, I don't know how I managed to get through these last 3 months'. 'That separation must have had some good side effects as well, no?' April asked as she cheekily hit Ruby with her elbow. 'Yeah, it did' Ruby laughed 'I must say, last night was… pretty great!'. April smiled, but Ruby noticed something was wrong with her. 'You can tell me April, what's wrong?' Ruby tried. 'Well, Dex and I… we… we… I… haven't really, I mean' April admitted. 'Oh my gosh! Are you serious?' Ruby said in shock. April nodded shyly. 'Sorry April, I guess I am just a bit surprised, that is all, you have been together for a while now' Ruby explained her sudden lashing out. 'I know' April said 'And I know Dex wants to, but…'. 'But what' Ruby asked. 'I am scared, I want to live up to his expectations' April admitted honestly. 'Oh April' Ruby replied 'You could never disappoint him, he loves you'. 'Don't let that thought scare you away' Ruby continued 'I must admit, first time is a bit awkward, but it gets better after that… Trust me, a lot better!'. 'Thanks Rubes' April said 'I guess I knew all of that, I just wanted to know what my best friend would say'. Ruby put her arm around April and said 'Anytime April… But euh… I want details afterwards'. Both girls burst out laughing.

Heath had picked up his daughter from her grandmother's. She was going to spend the entire week with him and that was a great feeling. He did however had to go to work, so he needed to find someone to look after Darcy for a while. When he came back to the Braxton house, he found Charlie cleaning the house. 'Hi, we are here' Heath said when he came through the door together with an excited Darcy. 'Hey Darcy!' Charlie said enthusiastically 'How are you? We have missed you around here!'. 'I missed you too auntie Charlie' Darcy told her honestly whilst giving Charlie a hug. 'Are you working today?' Heath asked her. 'No, not today, why?' Charlie replied. 'Yesterday my boss asked me to come to work, but I had already arranged with Tegan's mum to pick up Darcy early this morning' he explained. 'So you need a babysitter?' Charlie stepped in. Heath nodded. 'I am sorry, I don't want to take advantage, but…' he said. 'Don't worry about it, I am happy to help, besides we enjoy spending time together, don't we Darc?' Charlie assured him. 'Thanks, I guess I owe you, again… tell me when I need to return the favour!' Heath said whilst making his way out of the house. Charlie smiled as he left and then turned to Darcy.

'So Darcy, what do you want to do today?' Charlie asked. 'Don't know, do you have any ideas?' Darcy replied. 'Well, I have seen you are starting to grow out of your clothes, we could go shopping' Charlie proposed. 'Really? I haven't done that in a such a long time! I would love to do that! Are we taking Ruby with us?' Darcy said whilst a huge smile had appeared on her face. 'No, just me and you gorgeous, what do you say?' Charlie told her. 'Deal!' the little girl agreed 'Lets go'.

During the shopping, Charlie put all her attention on Darcy. Charlie could see she was enjoying it. Even though you wouldn't tell if you saw Darcy on a surf board, she was definitely a very girly girl. She loved dresses, leggings, cute tops and most of all, she loved everything in pink! Darcy told Charlie that she had some ballet lessons at school and that she had really enjoyed it. She wanted to ask Heath to let her take some ballet courses, but she was scared her dad would think it was too girly. Heath had always said ballet was for softies. Charlie promised Darcy she would talk to Heath about it, she was sure that if he knew Darcy wanted to do this, he was going to put her name up for a ballet course as soon as possible, he would do anything for his little girl.

They were having an ice cream when Darcy suddenly asked 'Auntie Charlie, is daddy going to have a girlfriend?'. Charlie was surprised by that question. 'Why are you asking hunny?' she replied. 'Well, because uncle Brax has you as his girlfriend and Casey has Ruby, but dad has no one' Darcy explained. 'Do you want him to have a girlfriend?' Charlie asked. 'If he wants one' Darcy answered. Darcy stayed quiet for a little while, until she said 'Can I tell you something? But you have to promise me you won't tell anyone'. 'Sure sweetie' Charlie said 'My lips are sealed'. 'Sometimes I think about mum and dad and me… you know as a family' she admitted. 'Oh sweetie' Charlie said as she had to swallow, she laid her arm around Darcy. 'I know that mum is dead now and that we can't be a family, but that doesn't mean I have to stop thinking about her, right?' Darcy asked. 'No, you can think about her as much as you want' Charlie assured her 'But you need to try to have some fun as well, I think your mum would have wanted that'. 'I know' Darcy admitted 'I am having fun… like now'. Charlie smiled at Darcy and a smile appeared on Darcy's face as well. 'Promise me you won't say anything to daddy or anyone else' Darcy pleaded. 'I promise' Charlie said 'Do you want to know my little secret? But you also have to promise you won't tell anyone'. Darcy nodded in excitement. 'Well, me and uncle Brax are having a baby' Charlie told her. 'Really?' Darcy yelled out enthusiastically. 'Yeah, you can't see the baby yet, because it is still in my stomach, but you will see my tummy getting bigger and bigger' Charlie explained. 'That is so awesome! So the baby will be my…' Darcy replied. 'Your cousin!' Charlie pointed out. 'Do you know if it is a boy or a girl?' Darcy asked. 'No, not yet sweetie, it is too soon' Charlie said 'But when we do find out, I will tell you, I promise!'. 'Thank you, thank you, thank you!' Darcy yelled out as she hugged Charlie. 'But euh…' Charlie started. 'I won't tell anyone' Darcy interrupted 'Our little secret!'. 'Our little secret' Charlie replied as she winked at Darcy.

**_Thank you so much for the lovely reviews! I hope you have liked this chapter as well! Love!_**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, alerting, favouriting... It means a lot to me! I hope you like this chapter as well. What happens here might be a surprise for most of you... Enjoy!**

While Darcy and Charlie were having a blast during shopping, Heath was at work. He was a taxi driver and started to enjoy his job lately. He had a few regular customers and he often got a tip. Today, he had to drive a new client. 'Heath, hi' she said as she saw him opening the door for her and her son. 'Nicole, George, what a surprise' Heath said as he took a seat behind the wheel 'Where can I take you?'. 'To the hospital in the city please' Nicole asked. 'Is something wrong?' Heath replies sincerely. 'No, it is only a check up, I am having an ultrasound today to see if everything is still okay with the little one' she answered. 'That is great, you must be so excited' Heath said 'I take it that Angelo is not joining you'. Nicole shook her head, she still found it hard to live without him. 'I am sorry' Heath said as he saw he had just upset Nicole. She smiles in return, she had to learn how to live with it. 'Oh no' Nicole said as she opened the text she just got on her phone. 'What is wrong?' Heath asked. 'Marilyn is stuck in traffic and she can't make it to the hospital, she was supposed to come with me and take care of George while I did the tests, he doesn't like hospitals and I really need someone to calm him down' Nicole admitted. 'I can stay with him while you are in' Heath proposed 'I know I am not your favourite person, but I have to wait in the car to drive you back, so I could just as well look after him'. Nicole sighed, she was reluctant to go in on Heath's offer, but she had no other offer. 'You sure you don't mind?' she told him. Heath nodded and said 'Don't worry, we are going to have good time, aren't we George?'. The little boy let out a big squeal. He was starting to say a few words, but most of the time it was still gibberish.

Heath thought George had to be one of the greatest kids to look after. He was playing with his toys, there was no loud crying and he seemed to listen to Heath. Time passed by and Nicole was back before the boys knew it. 'Hi' Heath greeted her again 'How did it go?'. 'Good' Nicole said with a smile on her face 'I know the sex of the baby'. 'Really?' Heath asked sincerely. 'Yeah, they could tell for a few months, but I didn't want to know then, but today I though… what the hell!' Nicole explained. 'And?' Heath asked whilst a big smile appeared on his face 'Are you going to tell me?'. 'I should keep it to myself, but I am too excited' Nicole exclaimed 'It is a boy!'. 'That is great Nicole, congratulations' Heath yelled out. Nicole thanked him but then the sadness returned to her face. 'What is wrong?' Heath noticed. 'Nothing, it is just that it is going to be so hard raising two kids on my own' Nicole admitted. 'Yeah, I know, I have to raise one and she is really a handful' Heath told her. 'What do you mean?' Nicole asked as she didn't know about Darcy's existence. 'Lets go for a walk aye?' Heath proposed.

As George walked between them, both holding one of the little boy's hands. Heath explained his situation with Darcy, Nicole was shocked. She felt sorry for him since he missed 8 years of his daughter's life and his life all of sudden changed from being a carefree single to being a single parent. 'You know, Darcy is almost 9 now, of course she needs her father, but she can look after herself for lots of things as well' Heath said 'But for you, it is not going to be easy, one two-year-old and a newborn, I don't know how you do it on your own'. 'To be honest Heath' Nicole admitted 'I don't know how I will cope either, Angelo wants nothing to do with this one and Georgie's father is dead'. 'I am sure you get help from some people?' Heath said as he tried to cheer Nicole up. 'Yeah, I do, from Marilyn' Nicole said 'I live in the Summer Bay house now that Miles has left, with Marilyn, and Elijah is around as well'. 'At least that is something' Heath told her. Nicole smiled, Heath somehow managed to put a smile on her face. 'And if you need a babysitter…' Heath proposed. 'Yeah, thanks Heath' Nicole answered sincerely. 'My housemates are great at that!' Heath joked. The smile on Nicole's face widened. She couldn't believe that Heath of all people managed to cheer her up, 'people must change' she thought to herself.

Heath had taken Nicole and George home. By the time he got back in Summer Bay his shift had finished and he went home as quick as possible. He got home to find an exhausted Darcy on the couch, watching a movie. Brax was in the kitchen reading the news paper. 'Hi' Heath said as he kissed Darcy on the head. 'Did you have a good time Darc?' he asked his daughter. 'Daddy!' she said enthusiastically 'I had the best time, auntie Charlie and I went shopping and I got some new dresses, pants and shoes, you want to see them?'. 'I will have look later hunny, why don't you continue to watch the movie first aye?' Heath proposed. Darcy nodded and stayed on the couch. Heath took a beer out of the fridge and went to sit next to Brax. 'You look like you need a talk' Brax noticed. 'No, I don't, just exhausted' Heath lied, he didn't want to talk about his day at work 'I had a tough day at work bro'. 'I guess you won't like mum coming over tonight for dinner then?' Brax asked his brother. 'No, really? What does she want?' Heath replied. 'Don't know mate, just make sure you are here for dinner tonight, see wants to see all three of her sons'. 'How about she showed some interest in her granddaughter?' Heath answered 'Darcy is still scared of her'. 'I can't believe mum doesn't want anything to do with Darcy just because she didn't like Tegan when she died' Heath continued. 'Do you think that is why mum claims she doesn't care about Darcy? Because she hated Tegan?' Brax asked sincerely. Heath nodded. 'Yeah, what other explanation is there?' he asked his brother as he got up to get another beer.

'Waw, she sure as hell isn't going to like my kid then' Brax said to himself. Heath looked at him in a funny way, he hadn't really understood what Brax had said. 'You know, if Charlie and I ever have kids, mum is not going to like them' Brax explained. Heath laughed and said 'But that shouldn't stop you from having one bro'. Brax looked at his younger brother. 'Heath doesn't know Charlie is pregnant, right? Brax thought to himself. Brax decided to believe Heath didn't know yet, but they couldn't keep it a secret for too long either. Heath went to sit next to Darcy and watched the end of the movie with his daughter. Brax looked at them and had to think about his own child, he couldn't wait until he could do things like that with him… or her. He thought about Charlie, who was called into work for a few hours. Brax picked up his phone and sent her a message _'__Hey __gorgeous,__just __thinking__ about__ my__ amazing __girlfriend __and__ mother__ of__ m y__child,__ love__ you!__ How__ are __you__ both?__'_.Charlie was on paper work duty so she got time to reply immediately '_We __are__ hoping __daddy __finished __the__ dishes __when__ we __get __back__… __Love __you __too!__'_. A big smile appeared on Brax' face when he read that message. He got up from his chair and as a good boyfriend and lover would do… he started doing what he was told to do by his girlfriend and baby.

_**Thank you for reading (and reviewing)! The next chapter has Cheryl again! Stay tuned!**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you all again for reading, reviewing, alerting, favouring this story. It is so appreciated! I can't wait to know what you think of this chapter! I hope you enjoy it!**

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><p>'Cheryl, hi, come in' Charlie said as she opened the door. Cheryl smiled, although she would have liked to see someone else open the door. However, Brax went to the restaurant to make sure everything was okay there and he would bring the pizza's as well. Heath had left to get some air, but he would be back soon. Casey was in the shower and Ruby and Darcy were playing a videogame. Darcy looked at Cheryl when she came in and the smile on her face disappeared. 'Come to grandma' Cheryl said. Darcy looked at Ruby, who nodded that it was okay to go to Cheryl. 'What are you playing?' Cheryl asked, no one knew whether she was being sincere or not. 'A videogame' Ruby said because she saw Darcy was reluctant to answer 'Darcy is actually very good at it'. Darcy smiled and said 'Yeah, Ruby is too, auntie Charlie sucks though'. 'Hey watch your language!' Charlie stepped 'And you don't have to rub it in, I know I am bad at those games… but at least you win then aye smarty-pants?'. 'I win from dad and uncle Brax as well' Darcy defended herself. 'Yeah, because they let you win' Ruby told her. 'They do not' Darcy disagreed. 'They do too' Ruby said as they all knew where this conversation was headed. 'They do not' Darcy shouted. 'Oi, girls, stop it will you?' Charlie interrupted 'Darcy, why don't you show to your grandmother how the game works?'. Darcy nodded and seemed to be more at ease with Cheryl now.<p>

'Now that was one long shower' Ruby said as Casey returned from the bathroom. 'I know' he admitted 'I was waiting for you to join me'. Casey grabbed Ruby by her waist and placed some kisses on the side of her head. 'You two can't leave each other alone for one second, can you?' Charlie said from the kitchen 'You are all over each other'. 'All the time' Darcy added. 'Oh, I am sorry Darcy, maybe I should spend more time with you' Casey said as he started to tickle his niece. 'Stop it, stop it' Darcy cried out in pleasure. 'Oh I am sure she is used to seeing stuff like that, you know, with Tegan being her mum' Cheryl pointed out. No one knew how Darcy was going to react to Cheryl's comment. Charlie was about to change the subject when Darcy said 'Yeah, mum had a lot of boyfriends'. They all sighed in relief, this could have turned out worse.

'My mum did too' Ruby confessed, trying to steer Charlie up. 'Hey, I heard that' Charlie said in a fake offended voice. 'What? It is true, you want me to make a quick list to prove my point?' Ruby continued. 'Yes please!' Casey said firmly. 'No, that won't be necessary' Charlie replied 'You made your point Ruby, now stop it, or do you want me to…?'. 'Do what?' Ruby interrupted as she tried to challenge her mum. 'I might feel the need to move Casey's stuff to another bedroom' Charlie said as she teased Ruby. All of them knew Charlie wasn't going to do that, not for something like this anyway. 'Talking about that' Casey butted in 'Thank you Charlie, it means a lot, especially since we have another spare bedroom and you easily could have said I had to move in there'. 'Yeah' Ruby said 'Why didn't you want him to move in there? Not that I am complaining or anything'. 'Well, Brax and I decided that we had to show you we trusted you and that we think you are mature adults' Charlie admitted. Ruby nodded gratefully. 'Thanks Charlie, but are you sure there is no other reason?' Casey said with a huge grin on his face.

Charlie was taken by surprise here, what did Casey mean by this? Of course, with a baby on the way, a spare bedroom comes in really handy, but surely Casey has no knowledge of her ulterior motive? Charlie had to swallow before she could say anything, she didn't want to lie to him, but she did want Brax to be here when they told the family about the pregnancy. Luckily for Charlie, Heath's timing was perfect for a change and he yelled 'I see you got yourself comfortable mum' when he came through the door. 'I did' Cheryl answered him 'I am bonding with my granddaughter over here'. 'Trying to impress me now, mum?' Heath asked her as he questioned her sincerity. Cheryl gave her son an unimpressed look. 'I ran into Bianca this arvo' Heath shared 'She did not look good, do you know what is the deal with that?'. 'Yeah I do' Charlie sighed. 'Problems with Liam' Charlie admitted trying to go into detail. 'He is so wrong for her, everyone can see that' Heath replied. 'Don't tell me you are after that one again Heath?' Cheryl asked him 'She is no good for you, I told you the first time she had you wrapped around her finger'. 'Mum, who I do or don't go after is my business, so stay out of it okay?' Heath answered. 'So you are running after her again like a little puppy?' Casey said to tease his brother. 'Also, none of your business' Heath pointed out. 'I like Bianca' Darcy stepped in. 'But I thought her and dad were no longer seeing each other' she said confused. 'They aren't sweetie, uncle Casey is only joking' Charlie explained as she gave Casey a disapproving look.

They were all waiting until Brax came back. Brax called to inform them that he had to stay at the restaurant a little longer. Something was wrong with one of the ovens and he had to stay there until a technician arrived. The Braxton household didn't mind, they were enjoying themselves. It had been a while since they were all home, and it even had been longer since Cheryl was there. 'Auntie Charlie and I went shopping today' Darcy said as the conversation had died. 'Really?' Ruby asked her 'Without me? That is so not cool'. 'Didn't you have other things to do Rubes?' Charlie asked her daughter cheekily. Ruby smiled at her and then faced Darcy again. 'So what did you get? Show me!' Ruby said enthusiastically. Darcy looked at Charlie to see if it was okay to show… and to find out where the bags were. 'Your new clothes are in your room sweetheart, why don't you go get them?' Charlie replied as she knew what the little girl tried to tell when she looked at her.

'Here we go' Darcy said as she laid her new things on the coach. 'Waw, this is amazing, what a cute dress' Ruby started. 'Did you buy the whole shop?' Casey teased his niece 'This is more than my entire wardrobe!'. Darcy smiled 'I didn't have much clothes here, I always had to bring everything from grandma's, but I sometimes I forgot things'. 'So now, she can leave these clothes here and that way, she always has something to wear' Charlie explained to Casey. 'Thanks Charlie' Heath said 'I will pay you back later'. 'No, don't worry about it' Charlie told him 'It is a present from me and Brax for being so supportive of me and Ruby moving in here'. 'Yeah you sometimes get on my nerves' Heath teased her 'But you do come in handy when I need a babysitter or someone to clean the house'. Charlie pinched his arm when Darcy was not looking. 'Aw' Heath said, however she had not hurt him. 'Wait until I need a babysitter, you will be really hurting then' Charlie told him. A grin appeared on Heath's face as he said 'I will babysit Ruby anytime'. 'Oi!' Casey shouted out 'That is my job!'.

**_I hope you liked this chapter! If you have some ideas or requests, please let me know! However, I do have some things in mind myself! Thank you so much for reading!_**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you so much for the lovely reviews, again I really appreciated them! I hope you will enjoy this chapter… Have fun reading! Although, this might be more of a sweet rather than a funny chapter…**

**I also have decided not to write about the dinner that night (well at least not a lot), sorry if you were expecting that. But I think it is better for the story if I write it like this.**

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><p>Brax had come home with the pizza's soon and the Braxton-household had a great time. Even Cheryl did, even though she wasn't keen on the girls being there at first. A couple of weeks had passed and Charlie and Brax managed to keep their pregnancy under wraps, they wanted to wait until Charlie was 8 weeks along to announce the happy news to the world. Today was the day they would get to see their baby for the first time. They wanted to go for a ultrasound sooner but there was no spot available. Charlie did go for a check-up a few weeks ago and everything seemed fine, but today was the day of the first ultrasound. Charlie nor Brax had slept well that night. They were both too excited about the day that was coming up. They were both awake but pretending to sleep in order not to wake the other one when Charlie said 'Brax, I am nervous'. Brax opened his eyes and leaned over his girlfriend. 'What is wrong?' Brax answered worried about her. 'What if something is wrong with our baby?' she said 'I have started to love the idea of having a baby again and I don't want to lose this incredible feeling'. 'Charlie' Brax said to reassure her 'I am sure everything is okay, we will see our healthy little baby today, no negative thinking, alright?'. Charlie nodded and smiled at Brax. 'You always know how to cheer me up, you know that?' she told him 'This is one lucky baby with a daddy like you'. Brax blushed and kissed his girl. He was the lucky one, with a girlfriend like her and a baby on the way.<p>

'Maybe, after we went to the hospital, we could start telling people' Brax proposed. They have wanted to tell their family for quite some time now, but the timing was never right. 'I would like that' Charlie answered 'But I would want us to tell Ruby, Casey and Heath together, I want to see their faces and I am sure you want that too'. Brax nodded and told her 'Yeah, I do, this is all so amazing Charlie'. He rubbed her stomach as he leaned in to kiss her again. Charlie felt so safe and so happy, she finally found her happiness. 'I must admit one thing though' Charlie confessed. 'What is it hun?' Brax whispered, still holding his hand on her tummy. 'I told Darcy a few weeks ago' Charlie admitted 'I am sorry, I know we agreed not to tell anyone, but I just had to and she was so excited when I told her'. Brax smiled and said 'I can't believe she didn't blab, she can't keep secrets'. 'I guess she can keep this one, she promised me she wouldn't tell and she didn't… You know, when no one saw it, she made a drawing for the baby' Charlie said. Brax smiled as Charlie took it out of her night table. 'She is really something, isn't she?' Brax said as he looked at the drawing. Charlie nodded as she went to lay in Brax' arms. 'Our baby will be great too' Charlie reassured her boyfriend 'Little baby Braxton'.

When Charlie and Brax walked into the kitchen they saw Heath eating a bowl of cereals. 'Morning' he greeted the couple. 'Waw, you look happy this morning' Brax noticed. 'As a matter of fact I am' Heath answered. 'Not that is any of your business but I have a day off today' he shared with them. 'Oh great, got any plans?' Charlie asked him. 'I'll pick up Darcy after school and before that I am babysitting George' Heath answered. 'Babysitting who?' Brax said as he wasn't following. 'George' Heath explained 'You know, Nicole's baby'. 'You are babysitting Nicole's baby?' Charlie asked to make sure there was no misunderstanding. 'Didn't I just tell you that?' Heath said with some cereal in his mouth. 'Does Angelo know that?' Brax asked out of curiosity. 'Don't think so mate, don't think they are talking anymore' Heath answered 'What is with all the questions anyway?'. 'I didn't know you and Nicole got along, that is all' Charlie defended herself. 'Well we do, she is a single mum with a baby on the way, she can use all the help she can get' Heath explained. He placed the empty bowl in the sink, took his keys and left… leaving Charlie and Brax confused about what just happened.

'You sure you are okay Nicole?' Heath asked worriedly. 'I am fine, you just stay here with George and I will be back before you know it' Nicole assured him. 'Thanks for giving me a ride, you didn't have to, I could have called a taxi' Nicole told him. 'Ah, no worries, I am happy to help, besides me and George will keep ourselves busy, you just make sure aren't late for your ultrasound' Heath said, whilst pointing at the time. 'Oh god, I need to get inside, be a good boy Georgie' she answered, giving George a kiss on the cheek. Heath offered his cheek as well, but all he got was smile. He watched her go inside and agreed with George to go for a walk.

As the boys were walking out of the parking lot, Heath saw his brother and Charlie making their way towards the entrance of the hospital, walking hand in hand. Heath was surprised to see them there, he didn't know something was wrong with either of them. He noticed they were smiling so it couldn't have been too bad. Heath found it strange to see them there, he planned on interrogated them about it when he got back home.

A few minutes later Charlie was ready to have her ultrasound. The gynecologist put some gel on her stomach and she grabbed Brax' hand. 'Are you ready' he asked them. They nodded firmly and looked anxiously to the screen. The doctor turned on the volume button to hear the heartbeat. As soon as Brax and Charlie heard the noise their worries disappeared, they had a healthy little baby. 'Everything looks perfectly normal, I hear a very strong heartbeat' the doctor said. The couple sighed in relief, this was definitely a very magical moment. 'Charlie, you are 10 weeks along' the doctor continued. '10?' Charlie asked 'Last time you told me I was…'. 'I know' the doctor replied 'But the calculations in the beginning can be wrong sometimes, you are definitely 10 weeks pregnant'. Charlie smiled and said 'Waw, this is so great, I guess I just got 2 weeks closer to the birth'. 'That is true' the gynecologist answered 'You will start showing soon, from then on it gets anxiously real'. Charlie looked at Brax and he leaned in to kiss her. 'That is our baby Charlie' Brax said 'Thank you so much!'. Both of them stared to the screen for a couple of moments whilst Brax placed a gentle kisses on her hair.

Nicole left the hospital with hope, everything was going well with the baby. She knew she had a long way to go, but delivering a healthy baby on her own would already be an accomplishment for her. The fact that Angelo wasn't there to support her didn't make her angry anymore, just sad that he missed out on all these wonderful moments with his son. She placed her hand on her stomach as she walked up to Heath and George. 'Hey' Heath said 'You two okay?'. 'Yep, we are fabulous' Nicole said in excitement 'The baby is getting bigger, I am getting bigger, not long to go now'. 'Only 3 months, right?' Heath replied. 'Waw, you remembered, thank you' Nicole said surprised with the middle Braxton brother.

'Listen' Heath said 'I saw Brax and Charlie walking in earlier' Heath started. 'So' Nicole asked them. 'I had no idea they would come to the hospital today' he continued. 'Are you worried?' Nicole asked him sincerely. 'Well, yeah, I mean…' Heath explained 'But they looked happy, so I really don't get it'. 'I am sure it is fine' Nicole tried to assure him 'Oh look, there they are'. 'Hey Charlie, Brax' Nicole yelled to get their attention. Brax and Charlie were taken by surprise here, they didn't know what to say when Nicole asked them what they were doing at the hospital. They both had that huge smile on their faces, the one they had inside when they saw their baby, so they couldn't really hide the truth from Nicole and Heath. Heath seemed to be clueless until Nicole said 'Congratulations, come here' as she hugged Charlie and smiled at Brax. Heath looked at them in confusion, he had no idea what was going on. 'I can notice a pregnant woman from a million miles away, you totally have that pregnant glow over you' Nicole said, to complement Charlie but to make sure Heath was filled in about what was going on as well. 'Thanks' Charlie said 'Same goes for you, haven't had the chance to congratulate you yet'. Nicole smiled and turned to Heath. 'Waw!' Heath said as he finally got it 'I am going to be an uncle'. 'Come here bro' he shouted out as he gave Brax a manly hug. 'Congratulations Charlie' he said whilst giving her a hug as well. 'I thought if my little brother can manage to be a dad, I might give it a shot as well' Brax said still smiling. 'You will do great Brax' Heath said honestly 'And so will you Charlie'.

_**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing, those reviews really keep me going. Thanks again and I hope you are looking forward to the next chapter!**_

_**The next chapter has Angelo again...  
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	11. Chapter 11

**Hi all! Thanks again for all the lovely reviews. I hope you like this chapter. It is mainly about Charlie and Brax, so I don't think you will mind! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, it makes my day!**

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><p>After Brax and Charlie told Heath about the baby they didn't want to hide it any longer to the rest of the world as well. Charlie had an original idea on how to tell Casey and Ruby. They knew the two teenagers would be thrilled as well. Ruby and Casey had grown to love Charlie and Brax as a couple even though things weren't always so great at first. They went home to fill Ruby and Casey in on what Heath already knew. That was another reason why they wanted to tell them: there was no way Heath would keep this news to himself. On the way home the happy couple had picked up two presents, one for Casey and one for Ruby… and they sure would love it.<p>

'Hi, we are here' Charlie yelled whilst walking through the door, the door that Brax had opened for her. 'Hi mum' Ruby answered 'Where have you been?'. Charlie smiled at Brax, but Ruby didn't notice that. 'What? Is something wrong, you can tell me, what is it?' Ruby asked her mother all worried. 'No, everything is fine Rubes' Charlie assured her 'Why would you think something is wrong?'. 'I don't know' Ruby said 'Just because everything is going so well at the moment, that has to end sometime'. 'Oi!' Brax said 'What is with the negative thinking? You are definitely the daughter of your mother!'. Charlie had to think about the conversation she had in bed with Brax this morning, he had managed to erase all the negative thoughts from her mind, now he was doing that for her daughter as well. 'Just be happy Ruby' Brax told her. 'I am' she answered whilst laying her arm around Casey 'I don't think I could get any happier'.

This was Charlie's queue to step in. 'No' she said to her daughter 'Well I guess you won't be interested in this then?'. Charlie got the two boxes out her purse. They were beautifully wrapped and had a ribbon on it. She gave one to Ruby and one to Casey. 'What is this?' Casey asked. 'It is a present' Charlie replied. 'You shouldn't have done that' Casey admitted 'You two let us stay here, that is the biggest present we can get'. 'Casey' Brax started 'We love having you and Ruby here, the fact that you are out of school does not mean I can't still look after you, does it?'. Casey smiled and started to undo the wrapping paper. Ruby followed quickly. Casey was the first one to notice what was in it. 'You bought me a coffee cup?' Casey said 'Euh, thanks, I reckon'. 'Idiot' Brax said as he playfully hit Casey on the head 'You might want to read what is on it'.

'Oh… my… god!' Ruby said as she read the lines on the cup. She got up from her chair and ran to Charlie to give her a hug. 'You are pregnant!' Ruby said ecstatically 'I am going to be a sister'. 'Best sister in the world, like the coffee cup says' Brax corrected her. 'Brax' Casey started whilst giving Brax a manly hug 'Congratulations, I am going to be the best uncle in the world to the greatest kid in the world'. 'So how far are you?' Ruby said as she still couldn't believe the big news. '10 Weeks' Charlie told her. 'Oh! That is so great! I can't wait till the baby gets here' Ruby said. 'Neither can we!' Brax told her. Ruby touched Charlie's stomach as if she wanted some proof, this was all very still very surreal to her. 'Oh my god' Ruby said 'You are showing Charlie'. 'No, I am not' Charlie denied. 'You are' Ruby replied 'I can feel a tiny baby bump'.

Charlie was speechless. She saw that as well, but she thought she just wanted to see it so badly. Charlie gazed into Brax' eyes and they smiled at each other for a few seconds. 'Well, I guess our baby is getting bigger then, just like the doctor told us' Brax managed to say. 'The doctor?' Casey interrupted 'Is everything okay?'. 'Oh god' Charlie said 'You two never give up do you? We told you everything is fine, stop worrying'. Charlie place her arm around Casey's shoulder. 'Just prepare yourself for some late night crying' she said 'Because you won't get much sleep once the little one gets here'. 'I will be happy to help you two out, you have done so much for me, it is time to return the favour' Casey admitted. 'And if there is anything I can do in the meantime, just let me know aye?' Casey proposed. Charlie nodded and told him 'There is'. 'What is that?' Ruby stepped in. 'Get out of here, both of you, I would like some time alone with the father of my baby' Charlie explained as she grabbed Brax's waist, which caused him to put his arm around her to pull her closer. They kissed passionately for a second before Ruby said 'Alright, I get it, we are going… but, no need for that! There is already a baby on the way!'. 'Bye guys' Brax yelled with a big grin on his face 'Take your time'. With that, he could focus all his attention on his beautiful girlfriend again.

Brax and Charlie were snuggled up on the coach. Charlie was laying on Brax' hard chest whilst reading a book. Brax had his hand on her pregnant belly when he suddenly said 'How about mum?'. 'What about her?' Charlie said, not moving an inch from her comfortable position. 'Do you want to tell her?' Brax asked her. 'Yeah, she is your mother and the baby's grandmother' Charlie started 'She is really trying with Darcy, I could notice that on that dinner a few weeks ago'. 'Besides, she will be involved in its life from the beginning, I am sure she will be happy about this' Charlie continued 'She might not like me, but she will love our baby Brax, I am sure of it'. Brax smiled, caressed Charlie's hair and said 'You are so amazing, do you know that?'. 'You are actually defending my mother after everything she has done' Brax told her 'I love how you try to see the good in people'. Charlie lifted herself up and pressed her lips against his. 'I am so glad I tried to see the good in you' she whispered 'And so glad you opened up to me'. Brax pulled her in for a hug and didn't intend to let her go soon.

Suddenly Charlie got an idea. 'I want to tell Cheryl together, you and me' she proposed. 'Are you sure?' Brax asked 'Because honestly, I don't have clue on how she will react'. 'I think she will be shocked at first, but she will come around and I want to show her that I am willing to make an effort and that I have no intention on keeping her from seeing her grandchild' Charlie explained. 'Besides, she is the only grandparent this baby will have' she continued 'I wouldn't want to deny that to our child'. 'Okay then' Brax agreed 'Lets tell grandma Cheryl, hope she doesn't start throwing things at us'. 'Brax!' Charlie shouted out as she hit his chest. 'No, just kidding, I am curious about her reaction though' Brax admitted. 'Lets find out then' Charlie told him 'When I am ready to leave this coach'. Brax smiled and stroked her hair as she let her head rest on his chest. 'Okay, I am cool with that' Brax said 'Mummy'.

Meanwhile Nicole and Heath were strolling down the beach with George walking a few meters ahead of them. Heath felt so comfortable in Nicole's presence, but he didn't want to tell her. He liked it the way it was. That was part of the reason why he had a big smile on his face. Nicole guessed the other part: 'Excited about becoming an uncle, aren't you?'. Heath nodded. 'Yeah, I am so happy to have Darcy, but I guess I always felt a bit guilty' he admitted. 'Why is that?' Nicole asked. 'Well' he started 'Tegan, Darcy's mum, and Brax… they kind of had an on/off relationship for years, Darcy easily could have been his'. 'The thing Tegan and I had was pretty platonic, just sex whenever we wanted it, no strings attached' he continued 'Brax is a born father Nicole, there is no doubt in my mind he will do great'. 'But that doesn't mean you are not a good father Heath' Nicole assured him 'I think all parents need to learn at first, even Brax'. 'Yeah, I guess' Heath told her 'Besides, it is good the way it is, I love my little girl to death and I think Brax is glad now that Darcy isn't his'. 'Why?' Nicole asked. 'Because he is now having his baby with the only woman he wants to have a baby with, he deserves that Nicole, he really does' Heath replied honestly. 'That is a really nice thing to say' Nicole confessed 'But you deserve to be happy as well Heath'. He smiled and said reassuringly 'I am happy Nicole, don't you worry about me'. 'Okay, I won't then' Nicole agreed 'But I do want to meet Darcy soon, I heard to talk about her so much… She must be really special'. Heath nodded 'She is, but what did you expect? She is my kid'. Nicole burst out into laughing, Heath may have shown her his sensitive side, but now he was back to being cocky. 'George' Heath yelled out. He ran to the little boy and picked him up 'I think you just made your mum very happy by rolling into the mud'. 'Oh George' Nicole said 'We will have to get you cleaned up, come on lets go'. 'Just going to the dinner to clean him up, we will be back soon' she apologized to Heath. 'Take your time, I won't go anywhere' he assured her.

As Nicole and George made their way towards the diner, Angelo walked out with a coffee in his hand. The two couldn't avoid each other anymore and they were forced to say hi. Angelo had to swallow when he saw her, he noticed her very pregnant belly right away. That was his baby, but also a baby he didn't want anything to do with. George didn't seem too keen on Angelo, after all, it had been a while since the boy had seen him. Nicole and Angelo just stood there. They didn't what to say, but both of them knew they had to have the dreaded conversation at some point.

Heath had no idea Nicole had ran into Angelo and he grew a little impatient at the beach, he didn't know what took her so long. As he went to sit in the sand he heard a familiar voice. 'Do you mind if I join you?' the voice said. 'No go ahead' he smiled. 'How are you?' the person asked. They both knew this would be an awkward conversation. 'I am fine' Heath answered 'No, in fact I am great thanks, how about you?'. 'Fine' Heath's company answered. 'Heard about the break-up, sorry about that' he said. 'Are you really Heath? If I remember correctly, last time I broke up with him, you were thrilled…' Bianca said whilst letting her eyes meet his.

_**Thank you for reading this chapter, I hope you liked it! Reviews, ideas are still very welcome. I think most of you already figured out that nothing bad will happen to Charlie and Brax in this story. So the 'cliffhangers' are for other characters. Please tell me your favourite pairings and who knows, you might be happy in the end! Thanks again for reading (and reviewing).**_

_**It could be a while until I manage to get the next chapter up. It is not finished now and I have a couple of busy days coming up. Sorry about that, I hope you guys can understand! Love!**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi everyone! I know I said I wouldn't be able to update soon, but I guess I was wrong. I found some time! Here is the next chapter! I hope you will enjoy it!**

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><p>Heath looked at Bianca, he still was extremely attracted to her. She was the first, and up until now the only, woman who he wanted more with than just sex. It had always been fooling around, nothing serious, but Bianca changed that. At first he only liker because of her good looks and because she was Liam Murphy's ex, but then he had grown to care for her deeply. Too deeply because when she pushed him away to get back together with Liam, Heath was gutted. He didn't want to feel that way and he promised himself he would never let a women make him feel that way again. But now Bianca was looking at him, her eyes were hungry, she wanted something. He knew exactly what it was. He couldn't restrain himself and kissed her passionately on the lips. However, he pulled back, kissing her felt different than before. Bianca grabbed his face with both her hands and kissed him, she swung her body over him so he laying in the sand, strangled between her legs. Heath totally got into it and started to fumble on her clothes. 'Not here' she managed between kissed. 'We can't go to my place, Brax and Charlie are home' Heath replied. 'Well April is home as well' Bianca admitted. 'I know where we can go, lets go' Heath said as he got up from between her legs, took her hand and led her towards his car.<p>

Meanwhile, Angelo, Nicole and George went inside the Diner. They took a seat at a free table. Both didn't know how to start, but they both had some things they wanted to say. 'I went for an ultrasound today' Nicole started. Angelo nodded and looked down. 'Everything is fine yes, thank you for asking' Nicole continued. 'Good' Angelo said 'So how far along are you?'. 'You don't know?' Nicole asked, clearly upset 'You seriously don't know?'. 'Well, I do remember when you told me you were pregnant, but I don't remember you saying when you were due, I am sorry' Angelo apologized 'I guess I was just in shock'. 'And all this time, Angelo, we have been living in the same town and not even once did you ask about that baby, not even once' Nicole yelled, tears filling up in her eyes. 'I know, I am sorry, I just can't get past…' Angelo said. 'Can't get past what?' Nicole interrupted 'It takes to make a baby, it shouldn't matter than this was not planned, you should love him unconditionally, regardless of how you feel about me'.

'Him?' Angelo asked as he looked at Nicole for the first time during this conversation. 'Yeah, it is a boy' Nicole answered 'It is up to you if you want to be a part of his life or not'. 'I don't know' Angelo said honestly 'I really don't know'. 'That is pathetic Angelo' Nicole yelled 'Other guys would be thrilled to be a part of their child's life'. Angelo didn't say a thing, he didn't know what to say, he didn't feel a connection with this baby and he actually didn't want that as well. 'I can't believe this' Nicole said 'I thought that in time you would get excited, but seeing you like this…'. Nicole shook her head in disbelief as she could no longer hold back the tears. 'God Angelo, even Heath is more excited than you are' she shouted out as she took George and rushed out of the Diner. She was looking for Heath, but he was nowhere to be seen.

'So, what are you two doing here?' Cheryl asked as she saw Brax and Charlie walking through the door. 'I wanted to visit my mother' Brax said 'That is okay mum, isn't it?'. 'Sure' Cheryl said whilst taking another beer out of the fridge. 'How have you been?' Cheryl asked genuinely trying to be friendly. 'We are great thanks Cheryl' Charlie replied. All of a sudden they heard people coming through the back door, laughing and stumbling upon the mess in the living room. The two people were Heath and Bianca, who were clearly not expecting to see Cheryl, Brax and Charlie. 'Mum' Heath said in shock 'You are home, I thought you would have been at work'. 'Yeah I can see you thought that' Cheryl joked. Charlie and Brax had trouble not to burst into laughing. 'What are you doing here Heath?' Brax asked, clearly amused by the situation. 'I think it is pretty clear what they are doing here' Cheryl stepped in 'He got here to get layed!'. 'What a shame' Charlie picked in 'No one is home at our place now'. Brax started to laugh and advised his brother 'You should get yourself a motel room, unless you like situations like this bro'. 'Is that why you and her always met up at one?' Heath jokes referring to Brax and Charlie's sneaking around at first. 'Stop it' Charlie stepped in 'Both of you'. 'Heath' Charlie asked 'If you are here, who is picking up Darcy from school then?'. 'Shit' Heath said as he hit himself on the head. 'You forgot?' Brax asked 'It is on the calendar in the kitchen in big letters with a red circle around it'. 'Shit, shit, shit' Heath yelled 'Okay, if I leave now, I might be able to make it on time'. 'Hey, don't leave me here!' Bianca shouted out as Heath rushed out of the house. 'Nah, don't worry' Cheryl answered 'I would love to sit and chat with the tramp who was just about to shag my boy'. Bianca was so embarrassed by the situation that she didn't even notice Cheryl's insult. There was a big silence, no one really knew what to say or do to cut this tension. 'Got anything for an awkward silence?' Bianca asked.

'I am pregnant' Charlie proclaimed with a smile on her face. Cheryl's eyes widened as she was completely speechless. Bianca had to laugh. 'Yeah, that really loosens up the situation Charlie, thank you' Bianca told her. Charlie's face didn't move, she was still smiling. Bianca looked from Charlie to Brax and back to Charlie. 'Oh my god, you are serious!' Bianca shouted out 'This is huge! Congratulations!'. Bianca gave both Brax and Charlie a big hug, this had been one emotional day. Cheryl still hadn't said a word, so Brax decided to find out how his mother felt about becoming a grandmother again. 'You know mum, don't get too excited' he said. 'Euh' Cheryl started 'I can't believe this'. 'Was this baby planned?' Cheryl asked them. 'Mum!' Brax shouted out whilst giving his mother a less-than-impressed look. 'No, it is okay Brax' Charlie stepped in 'Yes Cheryl, we have been wanting to have a baby for quite some time now and we couldn't be any happier that it is finally happening'. As Charlie said those words she smiled at Brax, who smiled back at her and took her hand.

'I was not expecting this' Cheryl said still in shock. 'Yes clearly' Brax replied 'But mum, Charlie and I are very happy about this and we would like it if you could try to be happy for us as well, even if it was just a little bit'. Cheryl smiled and attempted to say something but couldn't find the words at first. 'Look' Cheryl started 'I didn't know you were considering having a baby'. 'I am happy for you' Cheryl confessed 'I really am, it is just that…'. 'Just what?' Charlie asked genuinely. 'I would like to get to know this baby, to spend some time with him after it is born' Cheryl admitted. 'Really?' Charlie said 'We would love that'. Cheryl looked at her in surprise. 'You are the baby's only grandparent, Cheryl' Charlie explained 'Brax and I would love it if you wanted to get to know your grandchild'. 'I do!' Cheryl shouted out 'I want to get to know Darcy as well, you know'.

'A few weeks ago, I ran into Tegan's mum and she told me she baked a pie with Darcy' Cheryl started 'I want to do that too!'. 'I want to bake a freaking apple pie with her!' Cheryl shouted out. 'Darcy doesn't eat apples' Brax stepped in. 'You see, I should know this stuff' Cheryl replied 'I am her fucking grandmother!'. 'Yeah' Charlie started 'But you have only known she is your granddaughter for a year, you shouldn't feel too bad about not knowing things like that'. 'And if you want to, you can be involved in our baby's life from the beginning, maybe a chance to do it right from the beginning?' Charlie continued. Cheryl nodded firmly and thanked Charlie and Brax. She managed to get herself together again and decided to make an effort to make this work. 'So, any morning sickness? Cravings?' Cheryl asked out of curiosity. 'No morning sickness' Charlie answered 'But maybe that will kick in later, and other than that… no, no negative side effects'.

But that wasn't the entire truth, Charlie was actually suffering from one side effect. However, she didn't feel like telling Cheryl. She couldn't honestly tell Brax' mother that she was in the mood to have sex all the time. The doctor had said that was completely normal and that she should enjoy the feeling while it lasted, because it was only a temporary side effect. It would go away once her baby –and her pregnant belly- got bigger. Brax was benefiting from all of this and hoped secretly that this side effect wouldn't disappear anytime soon. As Charlie told Cheryl she didn't have any negative side effects, Brax couldn't help but smile. 'She is so right' he thought to himself 'You can hardly call it negative…'.

**_Thank you so much for reading (and reviewing). I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and that you are looking forward to the next one! Next up: hormonal Charlie… I will leave the rest up to your imagination! Thank you for giving your opinion on the other characters… I have decided which way I want to go. But of course, I will not tell you yet! Take care! Tips and requests are stil very welcome!_**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi all! Sorry for the late update, but here it is… Just so you know, this chapters is set a few weeks after the previous one. I hope you enjoy it!**

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><p>It was Saturday morning at the Braxton-household, everyone slowly woke up. Ruby and Casey had been to a party the night before. They came in late and made lots of noise when they came back. Their housemates weren't too happy with that. To make things worse Cheryl showed up early at their doorstep as well, she claimed she wanted to spend time with Darcy. Heath had no problem with that, he was planning to go to the beach and catch up with some of his mates. It had been a while and he was looking forward to acting like a normal bachelor with no worries on his mind. But he did have a lot to worry about. When Angelo found out Heath and Nicole were spending time together, he lost it and attacked Heath. Of course, Heath didn't want to give in without a fight. The result was that Angelo ended up with a broken nose, Heath with bruises and a fractured rib. Nicole told him it would be better if they didn't hang out anymore, for everyone's sake. Heath had agreed, after all, Nicole was pregnant and she could miss all the extra stress. Heath had sorted things out with Bianca after that little incident at his mother's house. The attraction was clearly still there, but they didn't want to complicate things, at least not until they figured out what they wanted.<p>

'Morning' Brax said as he walked in the kitchen. Ruby and Casey were sitting at the breakfast table together with Heath, Darcy and Cheryl. Heath enjoyed waking Casey up when he had gone out the night before. He enjoyed seeing his brother suffer from a big hangover. Ruby seemed fine, she didn't mind Heath waking her up, at least now she can at least enjoy her day. 'Listen, Charlie did not sleep well last night' Brax started 'So I would appreciate it if you guys just go easy on her today'. 'Again?' Casey asked 'Brax, she has been moody for more than a week now'. 'Yeah, I know' Brax answered 'The doctor says that is normal at this stage of the pregnancy and that it is only a faze and it will pass, please, just be patient with her'. 'I will uncle Brax' Darcy said 'I will make her a drawing, that will cheer auntie Charlie up'. 'You do that Darc' Brax replied 'It might help'. 'Are you that desperate mate?' Heath asked teasing his brother. 'You have no idea bro' Brax joked, slapping his brother lightly on the head.

BAM. The bedroom door was closed. 'Charlie, sweetie' Brax asked gently 'What is wrong?'. 'What is wrong' Charlie replied gesticulating heavily 'What is not wrong Brax? Grrr!'. 'Mum' Ruby stepped in, trying to help Brax 'Everything okay?'. 'Don't you think missy that when you come back you could make a little less noise?' Charlie shouted out 'I was asleep, but then you two woke me up and…'. 'Okay mum, sorry' Ruby apologized 'I promise we will be more quiet next time, I am sorry'. 'Yeah sorry Charlie' Casey agreed with this girlfriend. 'It looks like someone is in a really bad mood today' Cheryl joked, she couldn't resist. 'Really, Cheryl' Charlie yelled 'Jeez, I hadn't noticed, what are you doing here anyway?'.

'Okay, okay' Brax interrupted before things got out of hand. Charlie was hormonal, she didn't mean what she was saying and this would pass. Or at least, that was what Brax kept telling himself. 'Are you hungry hun?' Brax asked gently, moving closer to Charlie. 'No' she replied pouting. 'Alright, OJ then? Or tea?' Brax continued, placing his hands around her waist to comfort her. 'No, get off me, this is how we got here in the first place!' Charlie snapped. Brax had to laugh, luckily he could still see the humour in this situation. Charlie went to sit on the coach, she felt bad for acting like that the last couple of days.

'I am sorry' Charlie said upset. 'Hey, it is okay' Brax comforted her 'We might be able to help if you would just let us'. He sat next to her and placed his arm around her, this time she didn't pull away. 'It is just that' she started. 'Just what?' Brax encouraged her. 'I feel like a whale! And I am only 6 months pregnant, what is it going to be 3 months from here Brax?' Charlie started. 'I am huge, my clothes don't fit anymore, I can't sleep because of this bump and I can't go for my runs anymore because my stomach is in the way!' she continued. Tears had started flooding down her cheek, she didn't know what was wrong with her, why she felt so bad. 'Look' Brax tried 'Maybe you should try another sport, like walking or swimming'. 'Or yoga!' Casey stepped in. All others gave him a confused look, so he decided to explain his suggestion. 'I have read it in one of those magazines on Ruby night table, they say it is good for mother and baby' Casey said. 'You read those magazines sweetheart' Heath joked. 'Well, it takes Ruby hours to get ready to go out, so I might as well read something sunshine' Casey defended himself.

'See yoga' Brax said 'That is not a bad idea, I bet they have classes for pregnant women only'. Charlie shook her head 'I am not going by myself'. 'Take Bianca' Ruby proposed 'She is not pregnant now, but I am sure Heath can fix that'. Heath gave her a disapproving look, Ruby's comment was totally inappropriate with Darcy sitting there as well. 'Why don't you ask Nicole?' Heath said 'She is having her baby in a couple of weeks, but until then she can come with you and after that, you will know some people there and you won't be by yourself'. 'Now that is a great idea Heath' Brax agreed. 'I never thought I would see the day' Casey said dryly. 'Who is Nicole?' Cheryl stepped in.

They all looked at each other. Who exactly is Nicole? Nicole is Angelo's ex, Angelo being Charlie's ex. Nicole is also Roman's daughter, Roman being Charlie's ex as well. Nicole was Ruby's best friend too, but they are out of contact now. Nicole spent time with Heath recently but then her ex Angelo punched him for that. Hmm… So many possibilities. 'A friend of ours' Heath replied, everyone seemed fine with that answer. 'Oh okay' Cheryl answered, she couldn't care less about that girl, but she was curious as always. 'As for your sleeping' Cheryl started 'I had that too when I was pregnant, and I bought some kind of pillow I had to lay against my body and I must say, it helped a lot'. 'You might want to get yourself one of those' Cheryl advised Charlie. Charlie nodded in response, she was happy with all the help she got.

'Mum' Ruby picked in 'Why don't we go shopping today and buy you some real maternity clothes, it will do you good'. 'Yes please' Casey replied 'That way you are off my back and I can go to the beach with Heath then!'. They all had to laugh, they had certainly missed Casey's remarks when he was in Somalia. 'Yeah' Brax said enthusiastically 'You already bought heaps of stuff for the baby, why don't you buy yourself something new now'. Charlie smiled at him, her boyfriend had to be the most thoughtful guy in the world. After all that snapping at him recently, he still was as sweet and sensitive as ever. 'I guess that is settled then' Brax concluded as she gave Charlie a kiss on the lips.

'Aye mum' Ruby tried 'Maybe we can buy something for the baby as well'. 'Yeah' Charlie answered 'If we find something, sure!'. 'I wouldn't want my little brother laying naked in his crib' Ruby continued. 'Brother?' Casey asked in confusion 'How do you know it is a boy? I thought they weren't going to tell anyone'. 'Nice try Rubes' Brax said calmly 'Do you really think we would fall into that trap, it is going to take you more than that to fool us!'. 'It was worth trying, it is not fair that you two know and we don't' Ruby said in a disappointed voice 'But I feel it is a boy, I am sure of it'. 'No' Heath replied shaking his head 'It is a girl, mark my words'. 'No Ruby is right' Casey butted in 'It is a boy!'.

As the discussion started, Charlie and Brax enjoyed themselves. They were the only ones who knew. It was a magical moment when the doctor told them, not that it would have mattered what the gender was: boy or girl, both would have been very welcome. But now they know the gender, it all got even more real for them, they could start buying more clothes and toys for their little baby, and they could start choosing a name… Although that last thing is easier said than done!

_**I hope you enjoyed reading it, please review! Requests are still very welcome! However, I made up my mind on the gender of the baby, so you won't be able to change my mind! Names are very welcome though... Thank you for reading (and hopefully reviewing)! Love!**_


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi everyone! This is another update… I hope you like it! Thank you for reading, reviewing, alerting, favouring… it really means a lot to me. Enjoy!**

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><p>'Dad' Darcy started 'I need a haircut, my hair is way too long'. 'You sure about that?' Heath replied 'Once it is shorter you can't go back'. 'Yeah, I am' Darcy said 'It just gets in the way'. 'Why don't you go to Marilyn?' Charlie proposed 'I am sure she can squeeze you in'. 'That is a good idea' Heath answered 'I will call her'. 'No' Charlie told him 'Just go to her, she is probably at home'. 'I can't just barge in like that' Heath told her. 'I am sure it is fine, just go' Charlie persuaded him. Charlie knew what she was doing. She had been going to yoga classes with Nicole recently and Nicole had told her she missed spending time with Heath. Of course, Heath had promised he would stay away from her considering Angelo was not too happy with the two of them hanging out. But it would do both Heath and Nicole good to see each other. So Charlie decided to give him a push in the right direction and send him to Marilyn's, where of course Nicole lives as well.<p>

'Hi, anyone in?' Heath yelled whist entering the house with Darcy behind him. 'Oh hi' Nicole answered 'Come in'. She sat on the coach watching telly, there was not a lot more she could do. She was practically waiting until the baby would come out. These last few days were killing her. 'Is Marilyn home?' Heath asked 'Darcy here would like a haircut'. 'No, sorry' Nicole replied 'She just left, she will be back shortly though'. 'I guess we can wait' Heath proposed 'So how are you?'. 'I want this baby out of me!' Nicole answered. Heath laughed 'Not long now, I am sure you can take the last couple of days'. 'Yeah, I guess' Nicole answered 'So you are Darcy?'. Darcy looked at her dad in a confused way, she was surprised that woman knew her. 'I heard a lot about you' Nicole said smilingly 'You have got your father's eyes'. 'I know' Darcy answered 'Everyone says that, but I really can't see it'. 'So are you having a baby?' Darcy asked curiously. Nicole nodded 'He could come anytime now'. 'That is so cool' Darcy stated 'A baby, just like auntie Charlie'. 'Yeah' Nicole said enthusiastically 'Are you looking forward to your cousin?'. 'Uhu!' Darcy shouted 'I can't wait to play with him… or her'. 'You know you won't be able to play with the baby until it is a couple of months old, right?' Heath explained 'At first, it will only sleep, eat and cry'. 'Yeah, I know' Darcy answered 'But I am still looking forward to when the baby gets here!'.

'You know Darc' Nicole said 'Apart from this baby, I have another son, he is 2 years old'. 'Really?' Darcy asked 'Is he here?'. 'Yeah' Nicole answered 'He is upstairs, I will go get him'. She attempted to get up from the coach but she found it hard, it felt like her whole body was protesting. Heath noticed and offered to get George himself. 'Hey Georgie' Heath said as he walked into George's room, where he was innocently playing with his toys. 'Do you want to come downstairs with me?' Heath suggested as he picked him up from his little chair. George made funny noises all the way towards the living room, it was his way of saying he had missed Heath. 'Look who is here?' Heath said as he walked through the door with George on his arm. 'This is George, Darcy' Heath told his daughter whilst putting George down on the ground 'George, this is Darcy, my beautiful daughter'. Darcy blushed as her father said that, she liked the attention he was giving her, she finally had a real dad. Darcy shook Georges hand and attempted to pick him up, but he was too heavy for her. Both adults laughed at the little girl's attempt.

'Are you thirsty Darcy?' Nicole asked 'Heath do you mind grabbing something out of the fridge?'. Heath opened the door and asked 'OJ hun?'. Darcy nodded in return, she took George's hand and led him to the corner of the room where all his toys were. Heath poured Darcy a glass of OJ and gave some juice to George as well, in a plastic cup of course. After he gave the kids their drinks he went to sit next to Nicole 'So is there anything I can do for you?'. 'No' Nicole stated 'Thanks for offering though'. 'You sure?' Heath asked 'I am here now, you might as well use my skills while I am here'. Nicole smiled and remembered that the lamp in George's bedroom needed to be replaced. She asked Heath if he could do that, because she was afraid she would fall off the ladder, otherwise she would have done it herself. 'Are you kidding me' Heath said shocked 'You are in no state to do things like that, let me handle it'. He got up and went upstairs to fix the lamp.

'Aaaww!' Heath heard whilst still attempting to replace the lamp, the chore was a little harder than he had expected. 'Nicole?' he asked 'Are you okay?'. 'Nooo!' She yelled 'I think my water just broke!'. Heath dropped everything and rushed downstairs. He tried to act cool, to calm Nicole down, but he was failing big time. 'Okay' he proposed 'I will get you to the hospital, it will be okay'. He rubbed her back slightly as her contraction became more painful. 'Darcy' he ordered 'Take George to the car, put a seatbelt around him as well'. He grabbed Nicole's hand as she stood up from the coach. 'Do you have a suitcase or so to take with you?' Heath asked, he had regained his calm. 'It is in the hall, hurry!' Nicole exclaimed.

They all got in the car and Heath raced to the hospital, Nicole was in a lot of pain and Heath wanted to make sure they got to the hospital in time. 'Where is Marilyn?' Nicole asked when they entered the hospital 'Call her, I need her'. Heath dialed the number but got no response, he couldn't reach her. He asked the nurses to look after Darcy and George when he went inside the room they brought Nicole to. 'I am sorry' Heath apologized 'I can't get hold of her'. 'She was supposed to be here' Nicole cried out in pain. 'I know, but I guess her phone went dead or so, just try to relax' Heath reassured her. 'Aaaww' Nicole yelled as she had another contraction, she grabbed Heath's hand and pinched it very hard. 'Here' he offered 'Squeeze my hand, as hard as you can and don't forget to breathe'. Heath didn't know how he knew all these stuff, he had never been in a position like this before but somehow he knew what to do. 'Stay here!' Nicole ordered when another contraction hit her. Heath didn't move from the spot.

'I can't do this, Heath' Nicole said breathing heavily. 'No, you can, you can, right doc?' Heath tried to reassure her. 'You are not far off Nicole, just relax and don't push until I say so' the doctor told her. Nicole was in a lot of pain during the next 15 minutes. Heath tried to be as supportive as he could, he had gained new respect for women, he could not even imagine how much pain Nicole was in. 'Now when you next contraction comes, Nicole, push as hard as you can' the doctor ordered. Nicole nodded and did exactly what he asked her to. 'Just a few more pushes Nicole, you are doing great' the doctor encouraged her. 'Come on Nicole, you can do this, come on' Heath tried to do the same.

With one final push Nicole delivered a healthy little baby boy. 'Well done' Heath said honestly, still shaken up by this whole event 'He is gorgeous!'. A nurse placed the baby into Nicole's arms. She started to sob a little, overwhelmed with emotion. Heath put his arm around her shoulder in reflex to comfort her. 'Do you have a name yet?' the nurse asked. Nicole smiled in delight as she looked at her baby. 'Samuel' she whispered. 'Hi Samuel' Heath greeted him 'Welcome to the world'. 'And last name?' the nurse asked politely. Nicole remained silent as she was sunken in thoughts. She had contemplated that question a lot during the last couple of months and up until now she didn't know the answer. But today, after seeing her little boy for the first time, she has finally made up her mind… 'Franklin' she sighed in relief.

**_T**his** was the birth of Samuel Franklin, I hope you liked it. There is more is coming! Keep the ideas and requests coming..._**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi everyone! Here is the next update, I hope you will enjoy reading it…**

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><p>Nicole was alone with Samuel in her hospital room when she suddenly heard a knock on the door. 'Hi, can we come in?' Heath said peeking through the door. Nicole smiled from her bed and Heath and George came in. Heath lifted George up to sit with his mum on the bed. 'Baby' the little boy said as he pointed at Samuel. 'Yeah, baby' Nicole replied 'Samuel, can you say that Georgie?'. George attempted to say something, but it wasn't quite what Nicole had in mind. 'Say Sammie, Georgie' Heath tried. 'Sammie' George said. 'Very good!' Heath yelled out 'High five!'. The little guy pressed his hand on Heath's and Nicole smiled at them. She attempted to get out of bed to get Samuel, but she was still in a lot of pain. 'Let me get him' Heath stepped in, ordering Nicole to stay in bed. As Heath picked the baby up and held him in his arms they heard another knock on the door.<p>

'What do you think you are doing?' Angelo shouted out 'That is my kid'. 'Really?' Heath answered, unimpressed with Angelo's sudden interest in Samuel 'Then where have you been the last couple of days?'. 'Heath, leave it' Nicole stepped in, she didn't want the guys to make a scene in the hospital. 'No' Heath told her 'The guy can't just show up after Samuel has been born for several days and claim him, you can't let him get away with that'. 'I needed time to adjust to the idea, okay' Angelo said, searching excuses 'But now I am here, so give him to me'. Heath shook his head and gave the boy to Nicole. 'Listen Angelo' Nicole said 'I have asked you several times if you wanted to be a part of his life, each and every time you said no, so if you have changed your mind now, you will have to proof it'. 'What is there to proof?' Angelo asked. 'That you care about him!' Nicole yelled out upset, causing Samuel to cry. 'He is my kid Nicole, you can't keep him from me' Angelo said. 'What is his name?' Heath asked Angelo. 'Euh… Samuel' Angelo answered, he even had to think about that question. 'Samuel Franklin' Heath stated 'So he is Nicole's son and if she doesn't want you around, there is nothing you can do about that'.

There was another knock on the door. 'Jeez Nic, you are popular today' Heath joked. Heath was always able to make funny remarks even though you could cut the tension in the room with Angelo being there. 'Hi' Charlie said as she entered the door 'Are we interrupting?'. 'No, not at all' Nicole said as she looked at Angelo 'Come in'. 'We just went for an ultrasound and we thought we'd check up on you two while we were here'. 'Everything okay?' Heath asked sincerely, he was looking to Charlie and Brax' baby as well. 'Yeah, everything is fine' Brax said with a smile on his face. 'So are you ready for when the baby comes?' Nicole asked them. 'Uhu' Charlie agreed 'I think we have almost everything covered. 'Except a name' Brax said whilst rolling his eyes. 'That is because you disagree with all my propositions' Charlie remarked. 'Euh yeah… Because they are not names' Brax replied. 'Hey, if you tell us the gender we might be able to give you some ideas' Heath picked in. 'Yeah, nice try bro' Brax replied.

'Oh come one' Heath continued 'I want to know'. 'Why do you want to know so badly?' Charlie asked. 'Because I want to know if I gain or lose 20 dollars' Heath blurted out. 'What?' Brax said in confusion. 'Well, we kind of made a bet on the sex of the baby' Heath explained. 'Who is we?' Charlie asked curiously. 'Me, Ruby, Casey and mum' Heath answered. 'I can't believe you are betting on our baby man' Brax said slightly offended. 'What? It is not like she knows?' Heath defended himself. 'She?' Brax questioned his brother. 'It has to be a girl, I will win the bet then' Heath said 'Me and mum think it is going to be a girl, Ruby and Casey are betting on a boy'. Charlie laughed and said 'Well, two of you are definitely right'. Heath rolled his eyes, 'come on guys' he pleaded. 'No, we are not telling' Brax said whilst shaking his head.

'I still can't believe you guys are betting on us' Brax stated. 'Yeah' Heath replied 'I already lost 20 dollars once'. 'Why?' Charlie asked quite amused with Heath's revelations. 'I thought you would wait to have a baby, you know, if you would have waited one more month to announce that you are having a baby, I would have won!' Heath yelled out. 'Poor guy' Brax said with fake compassion 'So who won?'. 'Ruby' Heath replied 'So, that is why it has to be a girl, I can't lose twice to her'. Charlie and Brax couldn't hold back their laughs, they had no idea their family was betting on their baby, but they didn't mind, it meant that they were looking forward to the little baby.

'Darcy' George yelled out to get some attention. 'No hunny, Darcy is not here' Nicole said as she handed Samuel to Heath to lay him back into his little bed, she still had to get used to dividing her attention over her two sons. 'I can bring her next time if you want too, I am sure she would want to play with you again' Heath offered. George's face let up, he was very fond of Darcy and Darcy got very attached to George as well. George squealed and jumped into Heath's arms. Nicole smiled as she saw how happy her little boy was, at least he had no idea about how difficult the whole situation was. She looked at Angelo, she hoped she would see some jealousy when he saw Heath playing with George. Angelo had been acting like a dad to George over the last year, that had to mean something to him. Unfortunately, Angelo's face gave nothing away.

'We need to go' Charlie said as she got off her chair 'Are you eating at home tonight, Heath?'. Brax, who stood behind his girlfriend, shook his head. He wanted some quality time with Charlie tonight, perhaps they could finally decide on a name if they didn't get interrupted. Heath got the message and joked 'You are cooking Buckton, so no thank you'. 'Alright then' Brax concluded as he placed his hand on Charlie's hip to lead towards the door. 'Bye' Nicole said 'Thanks for coming'. A bit of sadness hit Nicole as she saw them leaving. They were so happy, walking on clouds, especially now their little baby was on its way. She never had that, she never got to look forward to the birth with the father of her baby.

'Yo, Brax' Heath said, causing Charlie and Brax to look at him 'Can you wait till June next year to propose to her?'. Brax widened his eyes and looked at Charlie, what was his brother talking about here? 'Ruby owes me 50 dollars then' Heath explained 'But don't wait till November, because then Case wins and no one wants that!'. 'You guys are unbelievable' Brax said in shock 'I can't believe you are betting on all parts of our life!'. 'Not all parts' Heath defended himself 'We are not betting on when you two have sex par example'. 'Oh waw, thanks' Charlie said in a fake offended voice. 'We don't have to' Heath continued. 'You are not that quiet Buckton' he whispered.

'Oh god' Charlie said whilst rolling her eyes, Heath was trying to stir her up for fun, but she wouldn't let it get to her, she knew this was Heath's way of making jokes. 'Bye guys' Brax laughed as they left the hospital room. Nicole playfully hit Heath's arm, trying to defend Charlie, but the smile on her face gave away that she enjoyed his cheeky comments.

'What is up with Heath and Nicole?' Brax asked Charlie whilst they were walking through the hospital corridor. 'Why?' Charlie asked, she pretended she hadn't noticed herself. 'Did you see how he looked at her?' Brax asked. 'Yeah, and did you see how she looked at him?' Charlie replied. Brax nodded and placed his arm around Charlie. 'Do you think they realize it?' he asked her. She shook her head and replied 'They might need some help with that'. Brax gazed into Charlie's eyes and he realized his girlfriend was up to something.

_**Thank you for reading.**_

_**Thank you for all the lovely reviews as well, they really mean a lot to me… If you can find some time, please review again! I love you all! x**_


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi everyone! This is another update… Some of you will like it, some of you won't. Thank you for reading and reviewing, I think you guys are absolutely amazing.**

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><p>'No, no, no' Heath yelled 'Not that way Casey!'. 'Yes, I am sure of it, look at the plan' Casey argued. 'Casey is right Heath, but we are missing a pin here' Brax stepped in. 'No bro, look' Heath yelled. It has been like this for hours. The three men were busy putting the baby's bedroom together, after all, he or she would be here in only a few weeks. Charlie was starting to get nervous and Brax knew that she would sleep better if she knew the house was ready for when the baby arrived. Heath and Casey agreed to help Brax, they didn't think he would be able to manage by himself. Charlie just got home with Darcy from ballet class a few minutes ago, so she missed most of the arguments between the boys.<p>

They heard a knock on the door, Charlie went to open it, considering everyone else was busy. 'Hi Nicole, come in' Charlie said. Nicole went for a walk with her 2 sons and stopped at Charlie's for some tea. She might have wanted to see Heath as well, although she would not want to admit that. After George got some juice and was watching some telly in Ruby and Casey's room with Darcy, Nicole went to check on the guys in the nursery. 'Waw' she said as she entered 'Well done, it looks good'. 'Hi Nicole' Brax greeted her 'We did our best, it was harder than we thought though'. 'Speak for yourself Brax, if you guys would have listened to me, we would have been finished hours ago' Heath corrected him. Brax didn't want to argue with that, Heath wasn't going to give in.

Meanwhile, Charlie heard another knock on the door. When she went to open the door she saw Angelo standing there. 'Is Nicole here?' he said angrily 'What is she doing here?'. 'Yeah, she is here' Charlie replied 'Not that it is any of your business'. 'Let me in' Angelo ordered Charlie. Charlie had to think but then shook her head. 'Charlie, let me in, I don't want to hurt you' Angelo said more persuasively. 'No Angelo, it would only make things worse, talk to Nicole in private or so… just not here okay' she whispered, she didn't want the others to find out he was there, although no one could hear her. Angelo grabbed her arm to get her out of the doorway. Charlie didn't want to give in, this was her house and she didn't want him coming in. 'Let go of me' Charlie yelled. Angelo was too eager to get in to think about the fact that he was fighting with a pregnant woman here. 'Let go of me' she yelled again. Charlie stumbled over the doorstep and fell on the ground.

'Are you out of your mind? She is pregnant!' Cheryl said as she came running towards Charlie. 'Are you okay? Can you get up?' Cheryl asked her. Charlie nodded, she was fine, just a bit shaken up. 'Leave, now' Cheryl said in her famous scary voice 'Go on, she doesn't want you here… leave, you moron'. 'Sorry Charlie' Angelo pleaded 'I didn't want to hurt you, I am so sorry, I just wanted…'. 'Save your apologies, get out of here… now!' Cheryl yelled out. Angelo knew staying would do more bad than good, so he left. 'Thanks' Charlie said as Cheryl led her inside the house. 'Just sit here' Cheryl said worriedly 'Are you sure you are not in pain?'. 'Yeah, I am sure, but thank you for being worried about me and the baby' Charlie answered, rubbing her stomach. Cheryl smiled, she wouldn't let anyone hurt her family. Her 3 boys and those 2 grandkids meant the world to her, and she was even starting to warm up to Charlie.

'So who is he?' Cheryl asked once Charlie had recovered from the fall. 'Angelo, long history' Charlie started 'But mainly he wanted to talk to his ex, Nicole, she is at the nursery with the guys'. 'But she doesn't want him anywhere near her, nor their son' Charlie continued. 'She doesn't trust him with Samuel' Charlie said as she pointed to the pram in the corner of the living room. 'Nicole, right' Cheryl noticed. 'What?' Charlie asked. 'Nothing, just that…' Cheryl answered 'Doesn't she get along with Heath? I might have heard something like that'. Charlie nodded, Cheryl did know more about her boys then they gave her credit for. Charlie explained the whole story, she even told her she thinks Heath has feelings for Nicole. 'So you reckon they need a little push' Cheryl stated. 'I do' Charlie replied.

Just then they boys and Nicole arrived back in the living room. 'Mum, what a surprise, what brings you here?' Brax asked 'Nothing, just seeing if you boys are alright'. 'We are fine' Heath answered, hoping she would leave after his answer. Darcy and George came back into the room, the movie they were watching had finished. 'Hi, I am Cheryl' Cheryl introduced herself to Nicole. 'Nicole' she replied 'Nice to meet you Cheryl, this is my son George and my other son Samuel'. 'Hey Nicole' Darcy asked 'Can you and George and Samuel stay for dinner tonight, please… Daddy is cooking'. Cheryl looked at Charlie, they both thought the same thing. 'Euh sure' Nicole said 'If it is no problem'. 'No of course not' Heath reassured her 'We have got plenty of food'. 'Me and Brax won't be here though' Charlie stated 'We are going out for dinner'. 'We are?' Brax asked, he must have missed something here. 'We are, don't tell me you have forgotten Brax' Charlie said, pretending to get angry. 'No, no, of course not' Brax answered, he did not want to upset his hormonal pregnant girlfriend.

'Where are you going?' Cheryl asked her oldest son 'I am having dinner with Casey and Ruby tonight, we might run into you'. 'You what?' Casey asked, he wasn't really paying attention to the conversation until he heard his name. 'You and Ruby are having dinner with me tonight, don't worry, I will do the same with your brothers as well… just one son at a time' Cheryl answered, she sounded very convincing. 'But me and Ruby…' Casey started. 'Do not have plans' Cheryl picked in 'I am sure you can find some time for your poor old mum'. Casey knew arguing with Cheryl had no use, so he just rolled his eyes and sighed deeply. Charlie couldn't hold back her smile, this worked out perfectly. This was the perfect set up for Heath and Nicole to be alone (with their kids), the rest was up to them.

Heath had prepared dinner, Nicole had watched. The meal wasn't that great, but they enjoyed each other's company. Darcy loved playing with George and Nicole was happy he didn't run after her for a change, he is quite the mummy's boy. When Samuel was sleeping and Darcy to George to her room to play, Heath and Nicole took a seat on the couch. They started chatting about the kids, the weather and lots of other things. In a moment of silence Heath moved his head closer to hers and he could actually feel his heart beating faster. He leaned in and the next moment their lips touched. The kiss was gentle at first but soon became more passionate.

Nicole pulled back, leaving Heath confused. 'I can't do this' she said as she stood up from the couch. 'Nicole, stay' Heath pleaded 'Lets talk about this, just forget it, okay… I wouldn't want this to come between us'. 'I am sorry' she said as she took the pram and yelled for George to come out of Darcy's room. 'We are leaving hunny' she said as she took her his hand. 'No it is late' Nicole replied 'Say goodbye to Darcy'. George gave Darcy a hug and Nicole hastily led her sons out of there. 'Did I do something wrong dad?' Darcy asked Heath. 'No sweetheart' Heath answered whilst kneeling down 'They just had to leave, Sammy had to get to bed, okay'. Darcy nodded and gave Heath a hug, then went to her room again. Heath just sat there in the living room, contemplating what he had done… thinking about what went wrong.

Charlie and Brax came back half an hour after Nicole had left, they were laughing and giggling as they walked through the door. 'Nicole went home already?' Charlie asked curiously. Heath tried to hide his disappointment and just acted cool 'Yeah, Sammie was tired so she had to leave'. 'Okay' Charlie said 'Waw, you did the dishes… Thanks Heath'. 'You're welcome' Heath answered 'Listen, euhm… Would you guys mind watching Darcy for a while? I need to go somewhere'. 'Sure' Brax answered 'No problem'. Heath took his keys and phone and walked out of the room. 'Where do you think he went?' Brax asked Charlie as he put his arms around her waist. 'Don't know' Charlie answered, whilst putting her arms around his neck 'Maybe to Nicole's'. 'You think?' Brax asked. 'Don't know, it is possible… I hope so' Charlie replied. 'You are a real matchmaker aren't you?' Brax asked as he kissed his girlfriend passionately.

Heath knocked on her door. She was home, he was sure of it. 'Heath' she said as she opened the door 'What are you doing here?'. 'I wanted to talk to you' he said sincerely. 'You wanted to talk to me?' she questioned him as she let him inside. He kissed her fiercely which caused her knees to get weak. 'What are you doing?' she asked 'That is not talking'. 'You don't like it?' he asked as he lifted her up from the ground. 'Hell yes' she gave in. He started undoing the buttons of her blouse and both knew where this would end.

'What about Nicole?' Bianca managed to ask Heath 'I thought there was something between you two'. 'No, there is nothing' Heath mumbled 'It is just you babe, only you'. Heath took Bianca in his arms and climbed the stairs, to her bedroom.

_**I am thinking some of you have liked this chapter, some of you haven't. Please tell me what you think, if you can find some time. Bianca or Nicole, who is better for Heath? And for those who are waiting for the birth of Charlie and Brax' baby (I won't say what the gender is, I want to keep you guessing ;))… hang in there, not long anymore! Thank you so much for all your support!**_


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi everyone, thank you all for the lovely comments. I hope you will like this chapter. I was 100% sure of which direction I would go (Bianca/Heath or Nicole/Heath), but after reading all your comments... I am not sure anymore. I guess I will have to make my mind up sometime. But first things first though... Enjoy!**

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><p>Heath and Bianca arrived in her bedroom. She took his shirt off and let it fall down on the floor. He pushed her on the bed with force, taking total control. Her hands were all over him as she unzipped his pants. But then suddenly he pulled away. He got up from the bed and took his clothes. 'I shouldn't have come here' Heath said to her, but maybe even more to himself. She ran after him but he was too quick. She ordered him to stay, to talk about things, but he didn't listen… he got into his car and left.<p>

After his little moment with Bianca, Heath went to the beach. But not before stopping for some beers. In result he passed out on the beach, where he woke up the next morning. He had a serious hangover and he didn't feel better when he thought about what had happened the night before. He decided to forget about it and go home, with a bit of luck no one was awake yet.

Unfortunately, when Heath tried to sneak inside the house, Brax and Charlie were sitting at the breakfast table. 'Where have you been?' Brax asked his brother. 'Stay out of it mate' Heath ordered him. 'I bet he was in a beautiful blonde's bed' Charlie added. Heath shook his head and went for a shower. 'I guess that didn't turn out so well' Charlie said. 'I know' Brax replied 'I thought you were pretty certain he went to Nicole's last night'. 'It is the pregnancy thing' Charlie quickly told him 'My radar is disoriented because of the little one'. 'I bet it is, you just don't like to admit you were wrong' Brax said cheekily whilst taking another bite of his sandwich. 'I am never wrong' Charlie joked. 'Oh really, okay then hmm, look at how many times you said we wouldn't work' Brax said 'I am pretty sure we are 'working' at the moment'. 'Yeah, but that was…' Charlie defended herself. 'That was what? You are searching for excuses here' Brax stepped in 'Just admit it, you have been wrong in the past and you were now, no big deal'. 'Didn't your mother taught you to never argue with a pregnant woman?' Charlie asked cheekily, she was not giving in. Brax just smiled at her, he knew Charlie wouldn't admit she was wrong… and that is why he fell for her: she is strong, stubborn and she stands by what she believes in'.

They heard a knock on the door and Brax went to open it. 'Waw, I guess you jinxed it Charlie' Brax said as he saw who was standing in front of him. 'Well hello to you to' Cheryl said as she let herself in. Charlie had only mentioned Brax' mum a few seconds ago and Cheryl was already on their doorstep. 'So how are you two?' Cheryl asked them 'No bruises from the fall you made yesterday?'. 'Fall?' Brax asked worriedly 'What fall?'. 'I guess you didn't tell him' Cheryl added. 'Brax, I am fine' Charlie reassured him 'I tripped yesterday and I fell, but only on my butt and I am fine, there is no need to worry and I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry'. 'Charlie!' Brax said 'I can't help but worrying, I want you two to be okay'. He rubbed her stomach and looked into her eyes, she knew he meant it with all his heart. 'We are okay' Charlie told him 'Actually we are more than just okay, we are great'. 'Now Cheryl' Charlie changed the subject 'Do you want some tea? Or some coffee?'. Cheryl shook her head. 'I wanted to know how it ended with Heath yesterday?' Cheryl asked curiously. 'Not too great' Charlie replied and she told Cheryl how Heath walked in earlier.

'Well at least we tried' Cheryl concluded 'There is nothing much we can do about it'. She was actually glad things didn't work out between Heath and Nicole. She already had to share Brax with Charlie and Casey with Ruby, she wasn't ready to share her third son with any other woman. Charlie agreed to let it rest for a while, they didn't want to pressure either of them. As Charlie went into the bedroom to get dressed, Cheryl told Brax about their little encounter with Angelo the day before. Charlie didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but Cheryl wanted that guy to get what he deserved. Brax completely freaked out after he heard Angelo practically pushed Charlie on the floor. Cheryl tried to calm him down, but part of her wanted Brax to storm out and punch Angelo. Brax was cooled off when Charlie returned, she saw he was a little edgy but didn't pay much attention to it.

Later that day, Brax bumped into Angelo. Brax couldn't help himself and he hit Angelo. 'What was that for?' Angelo asked in shock. 'You forgot what happened yesterday?' Brax said angrily 'She is pregnant you fool!'. Angelo sighed and rolled his eyes, he knew he shouldn't have done what he did, but all he wanted was to see his son. 'Yeah, I know and I am sorry, I swear' Angelo said as Brax came closer, pretending he was going to have another swing at him. 'If you ever and I mean ever lay even one finger on her or our baby… I swear to you…' Brax threatened. 'I know, I know, I won't, I promise' Angelo managed, still a bit in shock. 'Good!' Brax stated as he ran off, Angelo was not going to waste any more of his time.

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><p>A few weeks later things had all calmed down. Angelo tried to stay out of Brax' way and Heath was being friendly towards both Nicole and Bianca. But acted like nothing happened, to both of them. Charlie came towards the end of her pregnancy and it was starting to weigh on her. She didn't get much sleep anymore and she felt like a whale now more than ever. She couldn't look in the mirror anymore and she didn't understand how Brax could still find her attractive. Charlie was home from work until the birth, working would have been too hard on her in her position… she even found paper work exhausting. Brax tried to make sure she had as much company as possible. If he couldn't be at home, he would make sure someone else was… without exaggerating of course, he knew he still had to give her some space.<p>

At first Charlie thought she was just very popular to have all these visitors, but she started to get suspicious when Heath willingly spent the afternoon with her. 'Brax set you up for this, hasn't he?' Charlie asked him 'Come on, just tell me… how much is he paying you?'. 'Free drinks at the restaurant' Heath admitted. 'Too bad' Charlie replied 'I heard Casey is getting 15 dollars per hour'. Heath looked confused at first but then started to become angry. 'I am just kidding' Charlie reassured him 'Up until now, I had no idea you guys were ordered to spend time with me'. 'So' Charlie started 'Who is coming tonight? Brax is working, so I am sure he got me some company'. 'Leah' Heath admitted 'Ruby and Casey tomorrow and I am guessing you will see Bianca soon again as well'. Charlie shook her head, she found it sweet Brax did all of this, but she didn't find it necessary. 'You can leave' Charlie told Heath 'I am not sick, I will be fine'. 'No' Heath said 'I am staying, lets watch a movie or so'. 'You are not allowed to leave me by myself?' Charlie asked, trying to find out about what Brax had ordered them to do. 'Orders from the chef' Heath confessed 'He will kick me out if I leave you by yourself… So… How about Johnny English?'. Charlie smiled and watched the movie with Heath, like Brax would have wanted.

It was Saturday afternoon, a beautiful day in Summer Bay and Ruby and Casey decided to head for the beach. Darcy and Heath did the same thing. Brax was at home to stay with Charlie, who was resting on her bed, when suddenly his phone rang. The waiter who had to take on the afternoon shift at Angelo's called in sick. Brax had to help them out since the place was packed. He couldn't reach any of their housemates so he called his mother to come over. Cheryl and Charlie got along nicely the last couple of months, but now they were alone in one room. Thankfully, there were no awkward silences and both had a good time. Cheryl even tried to make an effort as she started baking a pie. An apple pie, Charlie loved those.

Charlie wanted to check up on Cheryl in the kitchen, but when she stood up she felt a pain in her stomach. She cried out because it hurt so much. Cheryl dropped everything in the kitchen and rushed to Charlie. 'Aaaawww' Charlie yelled in pain. 'Just breathe Charlie' Cheryl calmed her down, she went through this three times, she knew what was coming 'I think the baby is coming'. 'You think?' Charlie asked sarcastically 'I know for sure… Aaaaww' Charlie screamed again. 'Brax' she managed between contractions. 'I will call Brax' Cheryl said to reassure Charlie 'It will be okay'.

Cheryl picked up her phone and dialed Brax' number. 'Mum, is everything okay?' he asked on the other end of the line. 'Yeah' Cheryl said breathing heavily, she had gone through this three times, but that was a long time ago… besides this is her grandchild, of course she is nervous 'Charlie just went in labour, just come… quick!'. 'Cheryl, I think my water just broke!' Charlie yelled out in panic, loud enough for Brax to hear it. 'I am on my way' Brax said nervously as he already ran down the stairs of the restaurant.

**_Thank you all for reading. It is happening... the baby is almost here! I have made you wait long enough I think! Thank you so much and if you have any requests... please let me know... I would love some more feedback. What is there you would like me to write in this story? _**


	18. Chapter 18

**I wanted to do something special for you loyal readers, to let you know how much you mean to me. So here is the next chapter already! Thank you all so much, it is so exciting to know that so many people read and enjoy my stoy. Here come the birth of the baby! I am really happy with this chapter, I am proud of it and I hope you will like it as much as I do. Thanks again...**

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><p>'Mum' Brax said in panic as he rushed through the door 'Where is she?'. 'Brax!' Charlie yelled 'This hurts so much'. 'It alright, just breathe Charlie' Brax said to calm her down. 'I will take you to the hospital okay, you will be fine' he reassured her as she lend on him for support. 'Mum, you stay here' Brax ordered 'The others are at the beach, don't let them know we are at the hospital okay, they would just get worried'. 'Okay' Cheryl nodded, she was impressed with her eldest son's calmness… although she was sure he was flipping out inside. Brax helped Charlie in the car and drove off to the hospital.<p>

Ruby and Casey came in the house giggling a few hours later. Cheryl was really nervous, all she wanted was to go to the hospital to find out if her grandchild was born yet, but Brax asked her to stay at home, so she had to respect that. 'Hi' Ruby said as she found Cheryl on the couch. Cheryl had to regain her calmness, she didn't want Ruby and Casey to get suspicious. 'Where is Charlie?' Ruby asked. 'Oh, Charlie was going nuts inside so her and Brax went for a walk' Cheryl replied. 'Alright then' Casey picked in 'Lets hit the shower!'. 'I don't want to sound rude' Ruby said, ignoring Casey's offer 'But what are you doing here Cheryl?'. Cheryl was taken off guard here, she didn't expect that many questions.

'Look who is here' Heath yelled as he opened the front door for Darcy to walk in. 'Hey Darce' Casey said 'Didn't know you were going to be here today, that is a nice surprise'. 'I know' Darcy said 'Grandma had to be somewhere and I am staying here today, I do have to leave tonight though'. Ruby could see the sadness on the little girl's face, she really enjoyed being in the Braxton house. 'Come here sweetie' Cheryl said honestly 'How are you?'. Ruby and Casey had gone to their room and Heath went for a quick shower, so Darcy was alone in the living room with Cheryl. 'Dad and I went to the beach' Darcy admitted 'We wanted to go for a surf but then dad ran into his girlfriend and we didn't do much surfing after that'. 'Really?' Cheryl asked 'Who is your dad's girlfriend?' Cheryl asked cheekily. 'I can't tell' Darcy said in sad voice 'He wants to keep it quiet, I don't know why though'. 'Do you like her?' Cheryl asked, still trying to figure out who Heath's new girl is. 'Yeah, I think she is alright, she is really nice and she is pretty' Darcy confessed. 'Good!' Cheryl said enthusiastically 'And you really don't want to tell me who she is?'. 'I want to' Darcy confessed 'But I can't, dad said he would ground me if I told anyone… please don't tell him I told you he has a girlfriend, I probably shouldn't have said that as well'. 'I promise, my lips are sealed' Cheryl replied 'Now do you want some pie?'. Darcy nodded and had some pie and chocolate milk with her grandmother.

It was starting to get darker outside and Cheryl still hadn't heard anything from Brax. She was worried something had gone wrong, the suspense was killing her. Even more because she had to act normal, they others couldn't find out. Ruby had started to wonder where her mother and Brax were, but Casey reassured her when he said they probably stopped at the Diner for some cake. Heath had asked Darcy to pack her stuff several times, she had to get back to Tegan's mum, but the little girl didn't want to leave just yet. They were all in the living room when suddenly the house phone rang.

'Ruby' she said as she picked up the phone. 'Hey Rubes' Brax said, trying to sound as normal as possible. 'Hey Brax, what's up?' Ruby replied. Cheryl came to stand next to Ruby, Ruby found that a little strange but maybe Cheryl had to talk to Brax. 'Listen Rubes' Brax started 'Who else is home?'. 'Euh' Ruby answered as she turned around to check 'We all are: me, Case, Heath, Darcy and even Cheryl is here, why?'. 'Oh nothing' Brax said with a smile on his face and then turned his face Charlie who was also glowing. 'What are your plans for tonight?' Brax asked casually. 'No plans I think' Ruby replied 'What's with all the questions?'. Brax decided he had kept Ruby out of the blue long enough, he had to tell her now. 'Maybe you would like to come to the hospital' Brax suggested 'You know, maybe meet the baby?'.

'Oh my god!' Ruby screamed out 'The baby is born?'. Ruby's little outburst caught the other's attention and they all stood beside Ruby in no time. 'Yep' Brax confirmed. 'We will be there in a tic!' Ruby told him and hung up. 'The baby is born!' Ruby said with tears in her eyes. 'Yeah, we kind of figured' Casey said to his girlfriend 'What is it? Boy or Girl?'. 'Oh my god' Ruby said as she hit herself on the head 'I forgot to ask!'. Heath burst out into laughing and told her 'Lets go find out then!'. 'Come on!' Cheryl ordered them. 'You knew, didn't you?' Casey asked his mother. 'Naa, who do you think cleaned up after her water broke?' Cheryl asked her son 'Sorry Case, Brax asked me not to tell you guys'. Casey smiled, he did not care, the baby was born and that is the most important thing. 'So auntie Charlie had her baby?' Darcy asked her father. He nodded in return. 'That is so cool, can I please come to the hospital with you? I know you told grandma that you would take me back to her tonight, but I am sure she will understand if you tell her that auntie Charlie had her baby' Darcy begged her dad. Heath could not say no to those puppy eyes and he gave in. He called Tegan's mother on the way to the hospital.

Meanwhile at hospital

'I am so lucky' Brax stated admiring his newborn baby, who was safely laying in Charlie's arms, with Brax sitting on the bed beside them. 'I know' Charlie admitted, I still can't believe it. 'Thank you so much Charlie' he whispered whilst kissing her hair. 'You have made me the happiest man on the planet ever since the day I have met you' Brax said as he tried to express his feelings 'But today… I didn't think it was possible, but you made me even happier, I fell even more in love with you today'. 'You are the mother of my child now' Brax continued 'And I couldn't have wished for a better one… You and the little one over here mean the world to me… You know that, don't you?'. Charlie nodded as she couldn't bring out any words, her emotions took control over her and tears strolled down her face. 'What did I do to deserve this?' Charlie thought to herself. Brax laid his arm around her shoulder for comfort and with the other hand he touched his baby's hand gently.

'Hi, can we come in?' Ruby said as she opened the door of the hospital room. They found Charlie and Brax sitting on the bed, with Charlie holding her baby in her arms. They had huge smiles on their faces and Ruby just started to cry. 'Don't cry Ruby' Brax said, but he knew it was already too late. As he got himself together Brax stated 'Guys, I would like you to meet Anna Braxton, our little girl'. 'Anna, this is your family' he whispered to his daughter. 'It's a girl' Casey yelled out as he moved closer to Brax. 'Sorry you lost your bet mate' Brax said cheekily. 'It is okay, really, she is absolutely gorgeous' Casey replied giving Brax a hug. 'She is so tiny' Darcy stated. Which caused the other to laugh. 'She will get bigger Darc' Charlie assured her 'You were only this big as well when you were born'. 'Yeah, I know, I have seen pictures!' Darcy agreed 'She is so pretty'. Darcy moved closer towards the bed to see Anna better. 'I am so happy for you guys' Ruby cried out, still overwhelmed with emotion. Casey placed his arm around her for comfort as she came back from kissing her mother and caressing her baby sister.

'Well done bro' Heath said calmly 'Thankfully she looks nothing like you'. Brax laughed and shook Heath's hand, they both knew Heath was only joking... Anna was the perfection combination of both her parents. 'Aw, come here!' Cheryl ordered her eldest pulling him closer for a hug. 'I will do my best to be the greatest grandmother in the world to Anna' Cheryl told Brax and Charlie. 'I know you will' Charlie told Cheryl, thank you for helping me out this afternoon, I was really freaking out. 'I did what every grandmother would do hunny' Cheryl told Charlie, as you could hear some fragility in her voice. Charlie smiled as Cheryl moved closer towards her. She took one of Charlie's hands as she had a closer look at Anna. 'Do you want to hold her Cheryl?' Charlie offered. 'No, I… I mean yes, but…' Cheryl didn't really know what to say 'Shouldn't Ruby be the first one to hold her? She is her sister'. 'And you are her grandmother' Charlie answered 'You missed out on this with Darcy, I meant it when I told you I wanted you to be a part of Anna's life'. 'Okay' Cheryl nodded 'Thank you, I would love to hold her!'. Charlie gently handed Anna to Cheryl who sat on Charlie's bed next to Darcy. 'This is so freaking amazing, you know' Cheryl stated 'I have the two most beautiful granddaughters in the world'. Darcy had always been a little scared of Cheryl, but that had changed over the last couple of months. She was happy to have Cheryl as her grandmother now and Cheryl was happy to have Darcy… and Anna... as her granddaugthers.

_**Thank you for reading! This was the birth of Anna Braxton, I am sure she will bring happiness in the lifes of her family members... And I hope I was able to put a smile on your face when you read this chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please leave a comment for the newborn... And I hope you are curious about Heath's mystery woman!**_


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