When I started this story I did not think I would still be writing it in 2019. Thank you to all those who have read it and who have been kind to leave reviews. In this

final chapter I will solve the mystery as to where Brax disappeared the night of Heaths stag night. Enjoy.

Leah sat with Charlie until her lunch arrived. They continued to chat about her pregnancy but not Brax. After Charlie had eaten she paid her bill and left to drive back home. There was no one at home so she went and led down in her room so she could rest. It was a good hour later before she woke up. Her first thought was what to do about her and Brax. She couldn't get out of head how he had hurt her when he went to prison. He didn't give her chance to tell him she was pregnant and that he had made decisions for both of them and didn't include her. She got up and went into the bathroom to freshen up. Going into the living area she got herself a drink of orange and took it outside and sat in the shade in the back yard.

Charlie sat in the cool of the shade thinking. She kept thinking if it was possible to live without Brax being in her life as her partner. She knew she would not keep her child from him and that he would always be in their life. She was beginning to feel that she and Brax were going to have to talk before she made up her mind. She got up and went inside. Going into her room she found her bag and pulled her phone out. Scrolling through her numbers she found Brax's number and rang it.

It rang a few times before he answered it. "Charlie, what do you want? Do you want to talk?" She could hear the hope in his voice.

"Yes Brax I do. We need to talk about what will happen."

"I will be home in a few minutes. Bye Charlie." Her phone went silent as he hung up. It was a while before Brax arrived home. He had clearly had been at the restaurant as he was wearing the uniform that all the staff wore there. A black t-shirt. Charlie was sat at the table with a drink of juice at the side of her. Brax walked over to the fridge and took out a beer. He sat down at the table putting his opened bottle of beer down in front of him.

While Brax had been out he had also been doing some thinking, a lot of thinking. He knew one thing was that he had definitely made a mess of things. In trying to protect Charlie he had definitely messed up. He realised that the one thing he should have done was talk to her. Ask her how she felt about what he was going to do. Instead he behaved just how his dad used to treat Cheryl. Treat someone like they were dirt.

"Why did you treat me the way you did Brax? You treated me like I was your property instead of your partner. It was as though my opinion did not count or matter." Charlie finished and she stared at Brax waiting to see what he would say.

Brax stared at Charlie for several moments thinking about what she had said. He took a swig of his drink before he spoke. When he did he spoke with care and caution. "Charlie, I was trying to protect you from what I was going through. I wanted to hide you from it. But it didn't work did it. Instead I just messed up.

"I am sorry Charlie I treated you like my Dad used to treat Mum. I can't say sorry enough. I was in the wrong Charlie. What do we do now?"

"I don't know Brax. I honestly don't know." Charlie replied. "I think we should sleep on it and make a decision tomorrow."

The following morning Brax left the house early. Everyone was asleep. He took his surf board and loaded it onto the back of the general and headed out of the bay towards Mangrove River for a surf. It was mid-afternoon when Brax arrived back in the bay. He parked outside the house and went inside. Charlie was sat on the settee with her feet up. Brax sat down in the chair and smiled at her.

"Hi Charlie are you ok?" He asked.

"Yes I am Brax. I am just tired that's all. I didn't sleep that well last night. This little one kept me awake for a while moving and then I was also thinking about us." As Charlie spoke she smoothed her hand over her bump.

"What do you want to do Charlie?" He asked.

It was a while before she replied. "It's been a hard decision to make Brax. I have this little one to think of Brax. I have to what is right by the baby." Charlie paused while she thought for a moment. "What you did when you went to prison was hurtful Brax. It felt worse than when Tegan was hanging around you.

"Brax if we remain together then we have to be a partnership and a proper one at that. We are going to be parents Brax whatever happens and that includes if I have decided to go to the city and be near my Aunty." Charlie took a drink of her juice before she continued. "Things were good for us Brax before you went to jail. We were doing what we had planned to do. I need you to convince me that I will be doing the right thing by staying with you. I want our child to grow up with two parents."

Brax stared at Charlie while she spoke. His impression of her was she was one strong lady. It was though being pregnant had altered her, made her stronger and protective of her their child. He knew that the one thing was that he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. He let her sit for a minute waiting for him to speak. He did not want to mess things up. He had already done that by treating her the way he did when he was in jail.

"Charlie our child needs two parents. I know what is like to grow up with no dad and it is not a good thing. Dad was a dead beat and he was no good as a dad. You saw how quick he was to use violence to get his own way. I was wrong to do what I did. We should have talked about what we were going to do if I went to jail. I should have told you what I was going to do when I went to trail. I couldn't see an alternative than to go with the trail and hope for the best. I thought I had killed him Charlie, I didn't know Adam had paid him off to go and live elsewhere."

Charlie stayed quiet for a moment thinking what Brax had said to her. She knew that he was used to a different way of living. His mum had been expected to obey his dad with no question asked. She knew Brax had tried had to change his ways. Since they got together he had tried to discuss things with her especially when it came to Ruby and Casey. She was quiet for quite a while when she spoke. "Brax, I hope I don't regret this but I think we ought to get back together. Our baby needs two parents not two separated ones."

Brax stared at her for a moment. Because she had been so quiet he had honestly thought she was going to say they should split up not stay together. He stood up and went and stood in front of her. He put his hands out to her and helped her up. "Shall we go and celebrate getting back together?" He asked looking at her face. Brax smiled at her before he spoke. "How about we go and get a gelato from the surf club?"

Charlie smiled at Brax. She had wondered what he was going to suggest celebrating getting back together. "Gelato is good Brax. We can go and sit outside in the shade."

Brax picked up the keys for the ute and led Charlie outside. Opening the door he helped her inside and closed the door. Getting in the driver's seat Brax drove off towards the surf club. Once there they headed into the surf club and Brax bought them a gelato each and then they headed outside to find a shady spot to eat. Charlie had finished first. As she did so she leant over and dug her spoon into Brax's gelato to taste the flavour he had chosen. He laughed as she did so.

They continued to sit there for a while holding hands and just enjoying each other's company. They had been sat there some time when Kyle walked towards them and spoke to Brax. "Do you want me to work the late shift tonight Brax?"

"If you don't mind and you want to Kyle. I guess you need the money for you and Tamara?" Brax replied.

Kyle nodded his reply and waved at the couple and left them to continue enjoying just being together. They sat there just watching the world walk past them. The only people who stopped and chatted were Marilyn and Irene. Both stopped to find out how Charlie was and they were both pleased to hear that they were both back together.

Heath and Bianca were next on the list to hear the news when they got back from work. On their way back from the surf club Charlie and Brax had picked up take out from the diner so the four of them could celebrate. Once they had told them Heath was the one to make a comment. Heath told his elder brother that he should not mess things up with Charlie this time. Casey was told when he got back from college.

Four Months Later.

Brax had been home and settled for four months when Charlie went into labour. It was the last thing that Sid did before leaving for the Flying Doctors Service was deliver baby Braxton into the world by C-Section. Charlie delivered a healthy baby boy who they later named Luke Ross Daryl Braxton. He weighed a healthy 7lbs 6ounces. Luke was not the only arrival in the bay. Ash who had been in prison with Brax arrived in the bay for a fresh start. He started by working in the restaurant before setting up as a mechanic.

Charlie had to stay in hospital for a few days before she was allowed home. It was a dead heat between Cheryl and Michelle as to who arrived first. Both Charlie and Brax held their breath as the two women met for the first time. Michelle acted the same way she had when she had met Brax. She was friendly and non-judgemental. It worked. Soon she and Cheryl were getting on like a house on fire.

Kyle and Tamara ran Angelo's for several weeks after the baby was born. Since both of them had come to the bay Brax kept giving them more and more responsibility. After Tamara had finished school Brax encouraged her to go to college to do a course in running a catering business. Brax kept to working the early shifts so he could be home mid-afternoon to spend time with Charlie and Luke.

Luke was three months old when there was a naming ceremony held on the beach for him. Family and friends gathered on the beach to see a celebrant perform the ceremony. Morag attended and much to Cheryl and Heath's amusement behaved in a chilly manner to Michelle. Morag stood out like a sore thumb dressed in a semi-formal manner. Everyone else was dressed in a casual manner including Casey who had a replica of his dad's favourite shirt on.

At the party afterwards Brax announced that he and Charlie where leaving the bay to go and set up a restaurant in Melbourne. He told everyone he had found it the night of Health's stag night and how Adam had helped him buy the place. Adam looked pleased at Brax's announcement. He was at the party along with his sister Ricky. She was taking the ceremony photos. She told them it was a honour taking Lukes pictures and that he would be a heart breaker when he grew up.

Three months later Brax and Charlie with Luke in the back of her car left Summer Bay for a future that at one time they would not have envisaged. Twelve weeks after they arrived Brax opened his restaurant. It was called Charlie's.

I hope you enjoyed reading Hidden. I do have another Charlie and Brax story swirling around but

I want to write more of it so I don't keep people waiting between chapters. Especially when life gets in the way. Nor did I think it would continue to over 60 chapters.