Brad stood dumb struck for a few moments staring at the sheets of paper on the table, he recognised them as copies of police arrest and charge sheets. He realised with a sinking feeling that either Adam or Janey's brother had been digging in 'Tanaya's past; apparently somewhere back in her teenage years according to the age stated on one of the sheets.
Drugs.
He had seen no evidence of drugs or drug use in the time he had known 'Tanaya, hadn't even heard any whispers of drugs all the times he had heard about her before actually meeting her.
"Janey sit down and let's talk about this," Brad said trying to control the anger that was growing in him.
Janey glanced from him to 'Tanaya and took a step backwards as if she expected him to try to physically force her to do as he said.
"She is never to be near Nicky! Never!" Janey exploded forcefully.
"Janey..." Brad tried to control his anger as he tried to reason with her, he recognised that someone was clearly trying to make trouble between them.
"I WILL NOT HAVE THAT DRUG-DEALING WHORE NEAR MY SON!" Janey yelled with growing agitation.
" 'Tanaya isn't the problem here..." Brad began angrily.
"I am not having someone like HER near my child! And if you're going to be letting her near Nicky then..." Janey was nearly hysterical as she all but screamed at him.
"Stop right there!" Brad roared breaking into Janey's ranting; he turned his head towards 'Tanaya, " 'Tanaya, could you..."
"I won't let you have that...that...THAT SKANK NEAR MY SON!" Janey yelled close to hysterics.
"That is it!" Brad said tightly, "Get the hell out of this house! You will not come into 'Tanaya's home and start calling her names like that!" Brad ordered hotly.
Janey took several steps backwards at his tone, fear flashing across her face. She was trembling as she shook her head.
"I will do whatever necessary to protect my son from people like her!" Janey said defiantly despite her fear.
"GET THE HELL OUT NOW!" Brad yelled outraged as he took a step towards her one arm raised as he pointed towards the front door.
Janey took one look at Brad then turned and ran towards the front door; all the way she expected to hear him behind her but there was no sound of pursuit as she reached her brother's car where James was standing at the driver's door with a worried look on his face.
"Get me out of here!" Janey said as she got into the passenger seat and promptly dissolved into tears.
Inside the house Brad walked around the table to squat in front of 'Tanaya who was crying uncontrollably.
"Do you want to tell me about it?" He asked gently.
'Tanaya shook her head wildly and tried to pull her hands away from Brad as he took her hands in his but he refused to let go.
"I thought it was all locked away, in my past, over and done with! It's not supposed to be able to come back and haunt me like this!" 'Tanaya sobbed as she jumped to her feet finally pulling her hands free from his hold. She left the kitchen and hurried to her room leaving Brad to stare after her for a few moments before glancing at the papers on the table once more.
He hesitated only a moment before following after her and stopping in the doorway of the bedroom they had been sharing to stare at the scene before him.
'Tanaya was pulling his clothing out of her dresser and throwing them on the bed in an untidy mess as she cried, wiping her tears with the back of her hands now and then.
"What are you doing?" Brad asked with a sinking feeling.
"We're finished! Over! I won't cost you your son!" 'Tanaya managed then broke down crying so hard she was unable to pull anymore of his clothes from her dresser.
Brad felt a hard lump form in his chest as his heart felt like it stopped; the pain spread until it felt like it engulfed his chest and stomach.
"No 'Tanaya! No!" Brad begged, "Don't you see? It's not about you! It's not even about me! That bastard Adam want's Janey to himself! He want's her past gone!"
Brad tried to pull 'Tanaya into his arms but she refused to let him as she let herself fall into a heap by the side of the bed.
"I won't cost you your son!" She sobbed.
"If it's not over you it'll be over something else he stirs Janey up about! I can only hope either Janey wises up or sometime in the future Nicky wants to have something to do with me! But if I loose you I loose MY future, don't do that to me Darling. I love you, I don't think I could stand to loose you." Brad said desperately.
"How do you know I'm not what she claims?" 'Tanaya demanded tearfully.
"Your not a bad person, I just know it." Brad told her gently as he lowered himself to sit beside her and brushed her fringe back off her face.
"You can't be sure! You hardly know me! You don't know everything from my past!" She protested. " I was nearly sixteen when I was arrested for possession of drugs, they were Robby's but he made me carry them because he already had drug convictions and I was just a minor so I'D get off a lot lighter than him. They weren't my drugs and I never used drugs."
Brad closed his eyes as he tried to think what he could say to her to convince her that he knew that whatever was in her past was exactly that, in her past.
"I love you and I believe you." was all he could think to say.
'Tanaya was still in the bedroom while Brad had returned to the kitchen when Brent, Matty and Ren returned to the house nearly a quarter of an hour later.
The folder was still sitting on the kitchen table but with the papers tucked away inside of it unread; Brad didn't want to read it, he trusted 'Tanaya to be able to tell him what it was inside the folder.
"I'm going to put on some music, liven up the place." Matty announced oblivious to the strained atmosphere in the kitchen.
While he was in the lounge room at the stereo 'Tanaya came out of the bedroom to the kitchen door. Brent was the first one to notice her and was quick to spot the tear stained cheeks and red eyes.
"Something wrong 'Tanaya'?" Brent asked softly as he walked over to her.
'Tanaya shook her head silently but more tears started and Brent wrapped his arms around her as she buried her face in his shirtfront.
"What did you do to her?" Brent demanded accusingly as he glared at Brad.
"It's not Brad's fault," 'Tanaya sniffed as she managed to halt her tears when she felt Brent tense.
"We had a visit from a very upset Janey, seems someone has been feeding Janey a heap of stuff she has taken the wrong way and she now thinks 'Tanaya shouldn't be allowed anywhere near Nicky." Brad said quietly.
"Fucking stupid idiot!" Brent swore tightly and released 'Tanaya when she pushed away from him.
"I refuse to let her use me to stop letting Brad see Nicky so I've broken up with him." 'Tanaya said faintly.
"And I keep telling you you're not the cause, only a handy excuse Adam or her brother Robbie has used to get to her. There will be another excuse some where down the line if you must insist on this silly idea of breaking up with me and we loose what we have for no reason." Brad insisted.
"I won't be responsible for you not being able to see your son." 'Tanaya said tightly.
"So you're going to drive me crazy instead?" Brad demanded angrily.
"Hey, calm down now!" Ren said stepping in between the two of them, "We are supposed to be celebrating tonight. If you two are arguing then who ever gave that folder to Janey is getting what they want, for both of you to be miserable. And just a thought, if that folder contains police records then I believe it is illegal for anyone not a police officer to be shown them."
'Tanaya looked at Ren as the information got through to her, she walked over to the table and picked the folder up to quickly skim through the contents.
"There's stuff in here that I was told would be sealed in my juvenile record and not looked at as it would have no bearing on an adult conviction." 'Tanaya said as she glanced towards Ren startled.
"So who-ever gave that to Janey not only made it so she wouldn't let Brad see Nicky, not only broke you pair up but also invaded your privacy and made public some stuff I'm sure you believed was in the past and over and done with." Brent said flatly.
"You didn't piss anyone off did you?" Ren asked curiously.
'Tanaya and Brad glanced at each other as both of them remembered 'Tanaya mentioning Ren's appeal to Janey on Friday night. Was this what all this was about?
"Janey couldn't have had that information to long, she would have freaked out as soon as she read it. That's why she wasn't at the appeal today! She was too busy freaking out over this to remember the court was today!" Brad exclaimed and glanced towards Ren.
"And I told her about the appeal Friday night." 'Tanaya said aloud.
"Was lover-boy there?" Ren asked dryly.
"He was out at the car at the time but I don't doubt she had something to say to him because she didn't seem to know about the appeal but covered it up by saying she had forgotten about it." Brad said quietly with a quick glance at 'Tanaya.
"Just like Janey is always on edge here when he's with her but okay by herself or with James." Brent said with a shake of his head.
"What are you going to do about what's happened?" Matty asked worriedly.
"Well my son is getting christened on Sunday and I aim to be there, don't know about anyone else." Brad said tightly.
"You could ask Graeme Walsh what the law is on your records getting handed out like that," Ren said to 'Tanaya, " it borders on harassment in my books."
'Tanaya glanced towards Brad only to find him watching her; she looked away hurriedly. Had she thrown away the best thing to happen to her in a long time for nothing?
* * * * *
Brad sat back in the recliner and looked at his can of beer moodily; Brent and Matty had headed off to their flat leaving him, 'Tanaya and Ren in the lounge room but 'Tanaya had been quick to head off to her bedroom shutting the door with a pointed glare when he had tried to follow her to talk things over with her.
