When Love Breaks Down - Chapter 29 - by Maro Z

Thank you all yet again for reading, but also taking the time out to comment, means SO much!!

This story is finally coming to an end, and even this chapter is a little modified from it's preivous format, hope I've finally got it right!! We're almost at the point where you all want to be!!

From chapter 27 - Liz SO glad that you're still with this, and you're right I suppose, my story, my pace!! :)

From last chapter:

Swtfrnd - thanks so much, really glad you're enjoying the story...end in sight!!

Zee - your comments make me happy :)

Bethany Fellows - he won't ever be boring! Promise!! :)

Surabhi - your comment stuck! Full on seduction is starting :D

Annie - me too:)

Klara Noel - you are right, he really is powerless!

Justine.A - you are officially funny commenter! Your school....want to hear more!! Otherwise hope you love this chapter!

JBieber Lover - thank you so much. It was a nasty comment, I'm all for criticism, but that seemed ridiculous. If you hate say WHY? Surely? Hope you still enjoy:)

Anonymous - I don't rush things, but it starts here:)

Jess - seems you and everyone else is waiting for that happy ending:!!

Lovelypalacios - I LOVE new commenters! Glad you like my stories! And can only hope this one ends with similar praise, have loved working with Charlie and Noah!!

Shweta - they are so similar to me too, hope that the normal nature of the characters (as normal as a world famous rock star gets), love that you enjoy things! Will appreciate your comments as the story comes to an end!

Katie - thanks :) I'm so glad, and this is as soon as I could!!

M - Yep, she's laying it all out for him to see what he lost! Sense there'll be fireworks!

So here goes Chapter 29!!!
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After the market they walked home via the seafront, it was so pleasant to spend time as a family with no animosity, no arguments, and Charlie was so relieved at Noah's response to one of Lucas's tantrums. He had been pushing boundaries for weeks, and she'd struggled to really deal with it alone, but when he shouted at her in anger Noah's chastised him, as usual his response was to writhe around causing a scene, but Noah scooped him under the arm and took him away onto the sand kneeling in front of his morose looking son he talked to him. Lucas looked sad, but Noah persisted, not keen on disciplining him usually, he later admitted he'd hated seeing Lucas turn on Charlie so severely. For Charlie this was the perfect response.

Back at her house her father and Pam were lounging by the pool, cold glasses of ice tea and newspapers adorned the decking. Lucas and a released from the pushchair Molly tore through the calm like a hot knife through butter, but Pam and Martin didn't care.

"I promised them a swim in the sea," Noah offered.

Her father nodded, "I'll join you Noah!"

"Dad? I just wanted to check whether you'd mind having the kids again tonight? Noah's promised me a night out."

Charlie's father smiled knowingly, as Noah looked at her in surprise, he was not used to this manipulation from her, but he did kind of like it! When Charlie smiled back innocently he turned to lead his children down to the beach.

Charlie perched on a wall near Pam who'd stopped reading her paper to look at the younger woman, "so?" She asked.

Grinning, Charlie looked at her, "I love him Pam, and I've had a lot of time to think. I've hated him for months, but it is all so tragic. Since the accident he's become this devoted father, the perfect caring partner....but where's the wild and rugged Noah? It made me realize that I've missed him, not the new him, but how he was....so that means that I'm the one that's changed, doesn't it? I moved the goalposts, and now I realize exactly what my role has been.....I just hope it's not too late."

Pam grinned, "I've wanted to hate him for so long, but I can't. He's wicked and funny....in a good way and I've always hoped that you could get past things."

"I don't know if we can, but I want to try, for my sake, not the kids or him....and I do know I need your help!"

"Anything!" Pam offered.

And so Charlie dragged her into town to help select a dress, nail polish, haircut....the works. They were both pampered to within an inch of their lives, and as they returned to Charlie's home they were literally glowing. The children were eating food, her father had football on in the lounge, Noah was helping Molly eat her chicken, cutting it into small pieces, Lucas needed little help and was guzzling as though he was starving.

Smiling at the cute family picture on display, she headed upstairs, but halfway up the flight, she turned to look down at the ensemble, her eyes met Noah's and she mouthed, "pick me up at seven?" then almost ran to her room.

There were just over two hours until she was due to be collected, so with Pam and her father bathing the children, she stood in front of her full length mirror and contemplated what to wear, how to present herself.

She held up several outfits against her frame, she wanted to look sexy but not too suggestive, she knew that how she dressed would be the crux of the evening. Maybe the crux of their life to date. If she looked slutty she was emitting the wrong idea, but then a lack of interest, lack of detail would suggest the same thing.

Finding a pair of silver leggings she slid them on, added a strappy hugging white top and heeled sandals, then stood back. It was sexy but powerful not slutty or suggestive....perfect. She spent a little while on her hair, her makeup, and then perfume. She'd stopped wearing the scent that Noah liked, it had been one of those things that reminded her of him, but today she dusted off the bottle and used it.

As the door bell rang she was ready. Kissing each of the kids and thanking her father and Pam, she headed down to the hallway. He'd become a regular at the house letting himself in and out unannounced, so it was strange to open the door to him, but yet another string in her powerful bow.

Charlie smiled at him, "Hi! You look good!" She slowly looked him up and down. He was such a beautiful man, and in charcoal gray trousers and an ivory fitted shirt he looked divine.

It was a few moments before he managed to acknowledge her, "So do you!" His voice was hoarse and Charlie smiled inside, this was so much easier than she imagined.

Calling out a goodbye, she shut the door behind them.

"Where are we going?" he asked dropping into step beside her, her answer was a grin.

As they stepped out onto the street a well timed taxi pulled up and they got in. She gave the address of a small restaurant in the hills outside the town, though Noah had no idea of that. He was lounging next to her in the back seat admiring her. When had she become so....words failed him. She'd always been independent, organized, and there was no doubt that he found her attractive, she was what his father would call voluptuous, curvy, sexy, a full figure, not an anorexic waif, but as he watched her now, sat back in the seat half looking at him like a cunning cat he felt a jolt of adrenaline surge through him, he was scared....that was the difference, he had no idea what she had planned, and he was worried.

Charlie heard Noah laugh and turned to look at him, "what's funny?"

He was grinning, "I'm just wondering if you're taking me off into the hills to kill me?!"

She grinned too, "maybe a year ago that would have been a realistic fear, but now...I've got more important things planned for you!"

And there it was again, suddenly he was like a horny teenage boy on his first date full of angst, anxiety and testosterone. Ten minutes into the journey, Charlie slid her hand across the seat and laid it over his. Noah's heart thumped at the contact, her warm soft skin against his rough abrasive palm. Curling his fingers around hers he sighed, not wanting to let her go. When his eyes reached Charlie's face her expression was the same, aloof, distant. Closing his eyes, he let his head fall back against the headrest, he could only wait and see what the evening brought.
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The car finally stopped at a Hacienda literally in the middle of nowhere. Noah climbed out and took Charlie's hand, and despite her protests he paid the taxi. Taking her hand he led her in and they were shown to a table on the covered terrace with a view down the hills to the distant sea.

"This place is beautiful!" Noah announced sinking into a seat opposite her.

She nodded, "Katie told me Dan brought her here a few months ago. She said the food was divine."

Noah picked up the menu and started to peruse, when he noticed Charlie wasn't reading hers, he raised an eyebrow in question.

"You can order for me!" she announced, fighting not to show her reaction of pleasure to the confusion in his eyes. Every time she noticed him look a little edgy, nervous even, she threw him a lifeline, touched his hand, smiled at him, massaged his ego in some way. Him choosing her food was part of that, but also a judge of how well he knew her.

"You sure? Your Mediterranean tastes outdo my conservative ones!"

She watched him intently before replying, "you were the one who always hit local restaurants when the boys wanted a McD, you encouraged me to try so many things. I trust you to order for me!"

He gestured to the waiter, not wanting to think to strongly about her using the word trust. "Can we have two martinis please? And a bottle of the Corsanne champagne....the vintage." The waited nodded and scuttled off.

When he returned with the Martini's, Noah ordered, gazpacho for him, a grilled vegetable salad for her, then for main, griddled local fish for her, and Escabeche Sardinasmarinated raw fish. She raised an eyebrow once the waiter had disappeared.

"A little exotic Mr Fleet!"

He grinned, "when in Rome....it said local specialty, so why not!"

The martini was tart and zingy and she sipped at it slowly, watching Noah do the same. She was lavishing him with visual attention, she'd thought this through so well, he was desperate for her, she could tell, but this had to be more than just a conquest, she had to restore him to where he was before all this mess, and that was the hard part.

"I've booked a room here." She offered once the appetizers had arrived, he almost choked on his champagne.

"Excuse me?"

She shrugged, failing to elaborate more, and Noah felt as though his shirt collar was choking him, his trousers were now uncomfortably tight. This was Charlie at her wildest, one minute coy, the next sexy, fun...and SO desirable!

The main courses arrived, the champagne was disappearing Charlie bided her time until she spoke about what was really on her mind.

"So what are your plans?" When he looked up questioningly she added, "well, you say you can't get into music anymore, you're here cut off from your friends and family...You might think it's ok at the moment, but you are a social magnet Noah, you thrive on friends, parties, the attention your music gets. I don't think you can be a house husband, a full-time Dad, and accepting that scares me."

He chewed his food looking at her intently, she could almost hear the cogs of his mind churning, eventually he spoke, "I've had a long hard look at what my life had become Charl. I've missed out on so much, hurt so many people, it's time I take a step out of the limelight. I need to think about what I am, who I want to be. And I think that's a father and a partner." He watched for her reaction and spotted the flare of her eyes.

"I'm glad you didn't say husband! I don't think I could ever get married again."

He nodded, "in a life full of success marriage has to be the biggest failure I've ever had, and I don't ever want to repeat that again."

She was smiling as she leaned back in her chair to sip at her champagne, "I can see how much of it was my fault." As he made to protest she held up a hand to silence him, "no, it was. I changed, and I struggled to accept that I was a mother, that I had to sit back and let you carry on....and I wanted you to change to meet me, but I was wrong. I don't think this is you." She gestured aimlessly around herself, "settling here, never singing, performing, never writing again. It isn't Noah."

He shrugged, "I can't go back to it, I can't Charl."

"You're scared of it? Scared of not being able to get back to it?" He shrugged noncommittally, but she knew she was on to something, "you don't want to fail. You think you can't write, can't perform without the drugs? Since your head injury?"

He tried to deny it but Charlie was stunned, this had thrown her plan right of kilter.

"Are you here with us because it's safe? This is you hiding away from any new challenges, taking the safe option?" she felt tears well in her eyes, all of this was a waste, she was no one's consolation prize.

He took her hands and forced her to look up at him, "NO! I am here because I should never have let you down in the first place. The last eighteen months I haven't been myself. I'm not proud of how I've been, but it has made me realize how shallow I'd become and how shallow my life is. I left you do the worthwhile things and rebelled like a bloody child. If it takes me twenty years, I'll prove that I am worthy of you, that I've changed."

She reached a hand across the table and cupped his cheek, "that's just it though; I don't want you to change. I believe that all the shit of the last two years was you struggling to cope with something, your worries, your fear, I believe that. But I don't want a shadow of Noah Fleet; I want Noah Fleet the rock star, cocksure, arrogant, but fun. The man who made me believe that I was the most beautiful woman in the World, the man who made me laugh everyday, who cared for me like no one else. I want to stop doing everything for myself, I want you to look after me again, sing songs about me. Make the World know how talented you are. I want it all Noah, or nothing!"

His eyes were bright and she could see he was fighting tears, "I don't think I'm that man anymore..."

Charlie smiled softly and stood, "well that's who I want, and if he's here and he's man enough I'll be in room 11 waiting. If he's not, then the taxi will be here in half an hour."
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Sorry another cliff hanger! Will end soon, promise!

MZ, xxx.