Who: Charlie & Gavin Where: Charlie's place When: Afternoon, Tuesday 11/07
Gavin headed back to the bar for a bit after coming back from the police station, not so much to work but to digest everything he and Grady had talked about. Someone else had seen the skinny man with the bowling hat. That alone was a mind fuck. He looked over the papers he'd gotten, the proof that Amelia was who she said she was, in case those who needed to know refused to believe it. It was all very official, scientific. He folded it and put it in his pocket for later then headed out again, leaving the bar in Miles's capable hands.
This time he headed to Charlie's house. School was out by now and he hoped she was home. Her car was out front when he arrived and he parked next to it, heading for her porch. The porch he'd set up with Aaron. It looked good, he'd give them that and he was pretty sure Charlie was happy with it. It was refreshing to notice things like that again - to care.
Charlie was home grading papers, trying for some semblance of normalcy. Of course nothing felt normal at the moment and Charlie could feel herself starting to zone out after reading through a couple essays. She was trying to focus when she heard the car pull into her driveway. Curious, Charlie set her pen down and stood, walking over to the front windows to peer out from behind the curtains. She spotted Gavin walking up the stairs to the porch and a small smile curved at her lips before she realized he might be coming to tell her bad news about Amelia. The smile faded quickly and Charlie walked to the front door to unlock it before he could ring the bell or knock. "Hey," Charlie greeted, sounding cautious as she studied him. She stepped away from the door so Gavin could come inside. "This is a surprise."
Gavin hoped it was a pleasant surprise but Charlie probably couldn't be sure until he started talking. Everything was so dark lately. "I heard about your coworker," he said as he stepped inside. "I'm sorry for your loss, Charlie. Are you okay?" She looked a little tired in that way people did when they were sad. Gavin knew that look all too well just from looking in the mirror and at his own son. He hoped letting Charlie in on their secret wasn't a bad idea and more so that it did something to brighten her day.
"Thank you," Charlie said, closing the door behind him. "I'm doing all right. It's been a rough couple of days, but we're managing. I'm managing. It's just difficult to work with someone every day and then suddenly they're not there anymore." She paused because she was sure Gavin knew that feeling now, with Amelia being gone. It was a terrible feeling, and it was probably ten times worst for him. "I know it's incredibly cliched to say, or even think, but it sort of puts a lot into perspective. Life is short." She sighed and sat down, gesturing for Gavin to join her if he wanted.
Gavin accepted the offer and sat down next to her only after he'd pulled the papers from Grady from his pocket. "You've been-" he started and then went silent for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "You've been there for me lately, even when I wasn't the best company. I want to show you something but it has to stay a secret. I just, I think you deserve to know." He was watching her closely as he spoke, trying to read her expression. Charlie could probably lie to him very easily if she wanted to because to him she always looked honest, pure almost. He had her on a pedestal and while he was aware that it wasn't a good thing it was hard to stop when she did nothing to warrant the fall from grace.
A secret. Charlie's dark brows rose as she glanced at the papers in his hands. Her first thought was that they were his divorce papers, but keeping that a secret made no sense. And it sounded a bit ominous but she didn't want to jump to any conclusions. Obviously Gavin wanted to tell her something, and if it was a secret, or meant to be one, he clearly trusted her. "All right," she said slowly. Then she reached over to rest her hand on his hand for a brief moment. "Whatever you want to tell me will stay between us." Unless he was about to admit to murder or something terrible, Charlie would keep her mouth shut.
Gavin had thought about how to tell her on the way over to her house and he was still no closer to figuring it out. "Well," he said quietly and handed her the papers. "Uhm. Amelia's back. Not in any way we could've predicted or... She's uh, she's older than she should be, it's a- it's a mystery." That about summed it up though he doubted it made any sense to Charlie. "She was taken somewhere and we can't tell people she's back because... She's nine years older."
Out of everything that Gavin could have possibly told her, Charlie would have never been prepared for something like that. Maybe hearing Amelia was home, because she had still been hopeful, but the rest? It caused Charlie to blink in surprise, and then confusion as she took the paper Gavin handed her. As she tried to work over the news in her mind, wanting to find something logical about it, her eyes skimmed the papers. There was a lot of scientific jargon but she could tell it was a DNA test. With Amelia's name attached. "How..." She trailed off, not even sure what question to ask. And as Gavin said, it was a mystery so would he even know the answers? Her gaze lifted back to his face and Charlie knew she probably looked gobsmacked. "This shouldn't even be possible. Who gave you this?" she asked, lifting the papers in her hand. She wanted it to be a reliable source, someone who could be trusted.
"Sheriff Barrett," Gavin replied as he thumbed through the pictures on his phone, then handed it to Charlie. She was only the second person he showed this picture to but it was his favorite so far, Amelia and Jasper together at the kitchen table, sleepy looking but happy and smiling. "It took me a second to recognize her, you know. I wasn't expecting..." He shook his head and gave Charlie a little smile. "It's her though, no doubt about it."
Barrett. He was respected, and as far as Charlie knew, well liked in town. She couldn't imagine the Sheriff giving Gavin false papers. But this seemed so crazy. Impossible, even. That wasn't to say Charlie didn't believe Gavin, she was just trying to figure out what happened and how. Taking his phone, she looked at the photo of Amelia and Jasper. She had never met Amelia, but she had seen her photos and the two women looked so similar. Identical, even. "You sound sure," Charlie murmured as she handed his phone back. "And you're her father, so you would know better than anyone. Was she able to tell you anything about what happened?"
"It's all a bit obscure," Gavin muttered but he would tell her what little he could about what Amelia remembered because it had come with a cryptic warning that if they ever found themselves there, they should go through the thing that looked like a black puddle. Did it make sense? No it did not, but Gavin was becoming uncomfortably used to that by now. So he told Charlie about how Amelia had experienced everything going dark and then she'd been elsewhere, in the middle of a dark street. "She doesn't remember much," he explained. "Says it's like waking up from a strange dream."
It definitely sounded surreal. Charlie was silent for a while, thinking it over in her mind, searching for anything, any reasonable explanation. But... there was no rational explanation for someone aging nine years in a couple of weeks. She thought briefly of the effects of going through something like that. Was Amelia physically okay? Mentally? Would growing up there affect how she lived here? These were all questions she was sure Gavin and his family thought of, and if they hadn't, they would. But there was a light in Gavin's eyes that had been missing since Amelia had disappeared and Charlie didn't want to say anything to dim it again. "It's incredible," she told him, a small smile forming on her lips. "It's a miracle, really, that she found her way back here. And Jasper looks so happy in that picture. I'm happy for all of you."
Gavin smiled at that and nodded. Everyone was happy so far, cautiously so but still happy. He hadn't missed how haunted Amelia looked when she wasn't smiling but she'd been smiling a lot and her smile still lit up the room. "I had a dream before she came back," he said quietly. "You were in it." He felt a flutter of nerves at the thought of telling her but he hushed it down because if he couldn't tell Charlie things then he didn't think he'd ever be able to talk to anyone. "You showed up at my house, knocked on my door and when I opened it you were standing there with... With Amelia. Only she was just little and you were holding her in your arms. I remember... I thought it was strange and it was going to be difficult to explain to people why she was little again but... At the same time I was happy, obviously, but also..." He hummed, brows furrowed as he chose his next words. "It was a chance to start over. To do things right this time." It had felt significant that it was Charlie, like it was all a part of some fantasy for a better life, one he hadn't really entertained the idea of because it felt so out of reach and he didn't feel like he deserved it. But Amelia was back and Charlie had been kind to him, far kinder than he deserved.
Charlie listened quietly as he described his dream to her. She had never been someone who interpreted dreams, even in high school when all of her friends showed off their 'dream journals'. But it didn't take a genius to see the symbolism there, and she felt a multitude of emotions, some of which made her heart skip a beat, and some that scared her. Obviously they both knew that they couldn't rewind the clock and do things differently, but Charlie also knew that second chances existed, maybe for the both of them. It should have scared her more, given how her marriage ended, but it had become abundantly clear that tomorrow wasn't promised to anyone. How much time did she want to waste on insecurities? "Is that what you want to do?" Charlie asked him, studying his face. He had always been a hard person to read, even in high school. But Gavin telling her about his dream had felt significant, like he was willing to be vulnerable with her. "Start over?"
Gavin didn't answer right away. It wasn't like he had to think about it but the words felt stuck in his throat. "Before she came back I swore I'd do better if she returned," he muttered then. "We'd all do better. Now I barely know how to but I still know I- I need to. Be better." Whether that involved Charlie or not was up to her and he still wasn't so sure she wouldn't be better off without him. "You were there for me, Charlie. Now you're- is there anything you need?"
She supposed that was an answer, although Charlie still wasn't entirely sure where she stood in all of it. They had been on a couple of dates, and then Amelia had gone missing. Charlie never wanted to assume how a man felt about her, but she supposed she hadn't yet found the courage to just ask. And Charlie certainly didn't want to complicate things for Gavin with Amelia being back and all the strange circumstances surrounding it. Clasping her hands together against her knees, Charlie gave Gavin a small, grateful smile. "I'm doing all right, Gavin." She paused briefly before adding, "Sadie's funeral is on Thursday. I know it's probably a strange request, but would you come with me? I could use a friend."
Gavin's initial reaction was to say no. Not because he didn't want to go but because people wouldn't want him there. He had to remind himself that he was trying to be better and if Charlie wanted him there, he'd go. Fuck what everyone else thought. "Of course," he said, like he hadn't even considered saying no. "What time? I can pick you up." Of course that meant digging up something nice to wear. Maybe he'd take Amelia with him and go buy a proper suit. It wasn't something he normally cared about but he would for Charlie.
“The funeral is at five o’clock at the church, so we should probably leave by four thirty.” There was a viewing from two to four but Charlie knew it would be closed casket and she didn’t want to impose on the family’s grief. It didn’t occur to her for even a second that someone may not want Gavin there. Since spending more time with him, Charlie had more or less forgotten about the Lucas family reputation in town. She felt like they got it all wrong, but that wasn’t surprising. People liked to gossip, even if they didn’t have all the facts. “Thank you,” she murmured, reaching out to slip her hand into his again to squeeze gently. “I appreciate it.”
"Yeah," Gavin murmured. He couldn't very well say it was his pleasure since it was a funeral and all but it was close enough. He liked doing things for Charlie and he liked it when she touched him and looked at him like that, soft and warm. "You should come meet her sometime," he muttered, lightly stroking her hand with his thumb. "Amelia. She'll like you. I'm sure you'll like her too."
"I would love to do that," Charlie said, wondering if it would be awkward, or comfortable, meeting the girl who went missing for a couple of weeks and returned nine years older. She knew Jasper wasn't a fan of hers, but most kids in high school weren't terribly fond of their teachers. All Charlie could do was hope Amelia liked her. Trying to date someone was hard enough without their children disliking her. "When she's settled and the both of you feel ready for it. How is the rest of your family handling the news?"
"I haven't told everyone," Gavin admitted and was that weird; that he'd come to Charlie before so many people? "So far so good, we all need some happy news right now. We just need to figure out what to do next. It's all a little... complicated." That was obviously an understatement. Everything was very complicated and Gavin didn't feel all that well equipped to deal with it all. At least he had support - some of it from the most unlikely direction. "You and I, we should... Go to dinner sometime again," he mumbled awkwardly. "When things settle down." Not that he was sure things would ever settle down in this town, but he could hope.
Complicated. That was the easiest way to describe what all of this meant. But she felt touched that Gavin would tell her about Amelia, knowing that they probably wouldn't be spreading the news far and wide. A small smile touched her lips and Charlie glanced down at her hand that was still clutching his. "I don't know that things will ever really settle down here," she admitted. Charlie didn't want to sound pessimistic, because she wasn't, not really. But being home now reminded her why she had been so eager to move away after Joanna died. Of course Gavin could have been talking specifically about Amelia, which she understood. Charlie inhaled deeply and her smile came a bit easier. "You know where I am, anytime you want some company."
"Here or the high school," Gavin replied though he couldn't imagine visiting her at her place of work. That would cause some chatter for sure, not to mention that his son would be mortified to see him there. "You know where to find me too," he added. "It's a little easier to visit me at work. Fewer teenagers, for sure." He didn't want to let go of her hand but at the same time he wondered if he should, if he was being weird and she was actually dropping hints that she wanted to pull back. Social cues were hard, he didn't exactly have much experience with women who weren't crazy. All he knew was that sometimes a woman said one thing but expected him to know she had meant something different and it was hell to navigate. He wanted to think Charlie wasn't like that but there was no way to know for sure until he ran into the first wall.
Charlie smiled a bit and nodded. There was no part of her that wanted to pull back, but she was still feeling a little unsteady, and unsure. She still wasn't exactly where what he wanted this to be, but it didn't feel like the right time to ask. If it turned out to only be the occasional dinner and companionship, that was all right. Charlie wasn't sure she had the right to ask for more. Not right now. Charlie squeezed his hand comfortingly. "I would ask you to stay for dinner, but I'm sure you want to get home to Amelia. Is there anything I can do for the two of you?" She released a soft chuckle. "I could make you a few more casseroles?"
Gavin chuckled too. "Oh thank god for all that food," he said, smile widening. "My girl was hungry when she got home." He was pretty sure she could single-handedly finish all the food that was left in the fridge and with her home he and Jasper had gotten their appetite back too. "I'll take a raincheck on the dinner, whether we eat here or go out." He paused, tried to think of words for his jumbled thoughts, brows furrowing. "I really do appreciate everything you've done, for being there," he mumbled. "I appreciate you, Charlie."
Charlie smiled, thankful that something so small as her casseroles had helped in some way. She hadn't been sure if he or Jasper had eaten any. It was hard to force food into someone with no appetite. But Gavin was looking healthier now than he had the last time they saw one another, and she was grateful for that, no matter what the strange circumstances. Charlie squeezed Gavin's hand gently. "I know. And you know I'll be here whenever you need me to be."
He had felt a little stupid saying those things but her smile made him feel better about it, like maybe it hadn't been the wrong thing to say. There were other things he wanted to say - to do - but maybe later, if he worked up the courage. It probably wasn't the time for it anyway, things were still hard and strange and they had a funeral to go to. "I should get back to the bar," he said a bit apologetically. "I'll come pick you up for the service."
Charlie nodded, thankful that he was willing to take her to Sadie's funeral. It wasn't a romantic kind of outing by any means, and funerals were hard to take, even when one wasn't overly close to the deceased, so it meant a lot to her that Gavin would go with her. With her hand still holding his, Charlie stood to walk him to the door. "I'm glad you stopped by," she told him. "And I'm glad you told me about Amelia. It's... a lot to process, but it's still amazing. Just let me know if she needs anything, or even Jasper."
Gavin shrugged softly. "Jasper could use all the help he can get to graduate this year," he admitted. "There's been so many setbacks... I'm hoping his girlfriend is a positive influence, she at least looks like she's going places." He knew he couldn't really judge people by the way they looked but Jules Cooper was nothing like his deadbeat wife. "It's not something I'm gonna put on you, Charlie. Just... be patient with him at school, please. He's not a bad kid." He glanced down at their hands again, a small smile curling his lips. "Unless he's an ass, then you don't have to put up with that."
"Jules is a pretty decent student," Charlie said. The girl could be a little flighty in class sometimes, but Charlie never knew if it was sincere or just an act for her friends. "He could do a lot worse, in any case. But I'll do my best to help him where I can if he's willing to meet me halfway." She smiled and released a soft laugh. "And... well, yes, Jasper can be an ass, but I've been doing this long enough to recognize a defense mechanism when I see one. Don't worry about that. I want to see him graduate, so I promise I'll be as patient as I can."
Gavin couldn't promise Jasper would put in any of the work but he hoped he would, he really hoped getting his sister back would motivate him to be better too. He was pretty sure everyone wanted to see him graduate by now, though not all of them for nice reasons. He couldn't help but huff a little laugh when she agreed with him on his kid being an ass, it wasn't something a lot of people got away with saying to his face but she somehow managed to make it sound nice, even before she started analyzing it. "Thanks, Charlie," he said softly and then leaned in to briefly kiss her cheek, moving his free hand to clutch pat her hand still in his.
She didn't know Jasper terribly well beyond what Gavin had told her and her interactions with him in class. But she wanted to see him graduate too. Not only for himself, but for Gavin's sake too. She knew it had to be important to him that his kids succeed. Charlie couldn't exactly make that happen on her own, but she could try to help where she could. Her heart seized when Gavin moved in toward her and for a second she thought he was going to kiss her. But then his lips grazed her cheek and he was pulling back. Charlie's face felt warm for a variety of reasons and she gave him a soft smile and a nod. "You're welcome, Gavin." She moved to open the door for him so he could get going. "I'll see you on Thursday."
He noticed she didn't look quite so pale after the kiss but it wasn't something he wanted to overthink. A part of him said he should kiss her, just properly do it and find out after all those years what kissing Charlie felt like. He was sure it felt amazing, her lips looked so soft, she'd always smelled so good. The thought alone made him feel a little panicked, it was too easy to imagine all the ways that could go horribly wrong. He had a friend in her and that was a rarity, something precious he couldn't destroy. "I'll be here, Charlie," he muttered and gave her a little smile as he fought his stupid urges. They could meet sooner, she could come to the bar, they could go to dinner, he could introduce her to Amelia. "Thursday," he added with a nod and then turned to leave.
Charlie wanted to meet Amelia, but she would do it when Gavin was ready. Whether that was tomorrow, or the weekend, or later. She didn't want to rush him into anything. Clearly. Still, it was a bit difficult sometimes, especially now, watching him leave. There was a lot to digest, but she had plenty of time to do it. Standing in the doorway, Charlie watched and waited until Gavin was in his car and pulling out of her drive before she finally closed the door. It was time to get back to work.