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.
