through the fog (throughthefog) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2019-06-13 20:38:00 |
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Entry tags: | #december 2017, charlie, charlie x gavin, gavin |
Who: Charlie & Gavin
Where: Charlie's house
When: Early Saturday afternoon 12/23
Status: Complete
Gavin had sent a message to everyone that Mila had been found as soon as it wasn't too early in the morning to do so. He knew too well that everyone was waiting and riddled with anxiety over this new tragedy and there was no sense in prolonging the suffering. Charlie, Jasper and Amelia all knew now and that afternoon he left the bar in Miles's capable hands to go see Charlie. It was still new to him and a little strange to have someone he needed to see whenever something happened, whether it was good or bad but there was Charlie, turning his world upside down and making him at least try to be a better person. She had more time now with the winter break having started and Gavin was already hoping this meant they'd spend more time together, crazy as that sounded to even him. Since when was he a romantic? It was all strange but at least it was the good kind of strange for a fucking change.
He parked outside her house and headed up, aware that this wasn't entirely happy news. Aaron had been distraught and Mila had been... Well, he wasn't even sure what to make of it. What if she was still possessed? What if she finished the job and killed Aaron? Still, at least they knew where she was and that was a start.
While school was officially on hiatus until after the New Year, Charlie still had some work to finish up. Thankfully she could grade exams in the comfort of her own home instead of having to drive into school, and things were much more relaxed when she could lounge around in her pajamas. Charlie had been doing just that, nursing a cup of coffee at her desk near the front windows of the house when Gavin's text came through that Mila was back. She felt surprise and relief, but then had about a dozen or so questions, none of which she asked Gavin as she didn't think he would really know any of the answers.
When he finally pulled up into her driveway Charlie was dressed and had managed to get a fire going in the fireplace. Her house could get a little drafty from time to time and Charlie didn't want to have to depend on her heater for the entirety of the winter, especially if they received some bad storms that could knock the power out.
Charlie left the front door unlocked. They had been seeing each other long enough now that she didn't expect him to knock when he arrived, and Charlie had just started a fresh pot of coffee when the front door opened, in case he wanted a cup to warm up. She came out of the kitchen to greet him, a small, tentative smile on her face. Charlie couldn't assume that she knew how Gavin was feeling right now. Something had been wrong with Mila, but she had also nearly killed his brother. He was no doubt dealing with some conflicting emotions. "Hey," she greeted, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before closing the front door behind him so he could get out of his coat, if he planned on staying a while. "How's Aaron doing? Mila?"
Gavin shook his head because he really didn't know what to make of it all. Aaron was a wreck and apparently so was Mila. "It's all a little fuzzy right now. Mila's in good hands but who knows. I wish I could see her myself. She had a bad reaction to me the last time we met so, I don't know, maybe if she doesn't know it's really over I could tell." But what did he know, maybe it was time to get a priest involved though he wasn't so sure that was helpful either. "How are you?" he asked, running his hand down her arm. It always felt like finding sanctuary, coming to her house. She just had a way of calming him down and not for the first time he wondered if he was putting her in unnecessary danger just by loving her.
Charlie took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm fine. Just grading papers so I don't get tempted to put them off until just before school resumes. I'm more worried about you, and your family. Mila too. If she's better now, that doesn't change what she did." Would the police arrest her? Charge her with attempted murder? Charlie had come to know Aaron well enough to realize he might be thinking that far ahead if he was just happy that Mila was back, despite everything. She pressed her free hand against his cheek, still cold from being outside, even briefly. "Do you want some coffee? Something to eat?" She wasn't very useful in the midst of all of this, but who would be? Possible possession and otherworldly things were far beyond anything Charlie was capable of handling. But she could feed him, and Charlie had been trying to focus on just making sure their basic needs for cared for. It was so easy to forget with stress and grief weighing so heavily on them.
"Our sheriff knows this place has some dark and strange things going on," Gavin said quietly after accepting her offer because coffee was definitely good on a cold day - and every day, really. "She might get away with what she did if we can make absolutely certain she's herself again." At least now people could shut the fuck up about Aaron hurting her, it made his blood boil that people could believe that. If they thought Gavin or Caden had they wouldn't be all wrong, but Aaron was the gentlest of the Lucases and there was no way he'd ever lay a hand on Mila.
Charlie led him to the kitchen, her mind working over what had happened, at least from what Gavin had told her. She had prayed in church, but sometimes she wondered how much that actually worked. But Mila was home now, and if she was herself again... what did that mean? Where had she been? And with who? Or what? Charlie sighed and took down two coffee mugs from the cabinet. The coffee had finished brewing at least and she focused on getting two cups prepared. "Grady can only do so much," she said quietly. "He's one person. What if other people in town start to question it? Start to wonder why she hasn't been arrested? I suppose they could say Aaron didn't want to press charges, but that doesn't always matter." Then again, people in this town had a way of keeping their mouth shut and not questioning too much. Charlie found she felt a bit bad for Mila. Almost everyone knew what she had done, even if the facts didn't always align. Who would hire her? Would she want to return home to Seaview, so close to those woods? Charlie barely knew the woman but she didn't want to see Gavin's family suffer anymore either, and Aaron would suffer if Mila was suffering. She offered Gavin a coffee mug. "What can I do to help?"
Gavin had a feeling they would make up elaborate lies if they had to. There had been a third party involved, some madman who was now long gone. He didn't know. He'd never known how to rationalize the supernatural and before Amelia had come home, he hadn't really had to try. "You've helped so much already," he told Charlie as he accepted the cup but now he really knew how useless she had to have felt when he was mourning and drinking himself to sleep. There was nothing he could do to help Aaron, Mila coming back might be a blessing or it might add more complications and bad luck but either way, Gavin had had nothing to do with it. "I would have been feeding Aaron poptarts if you hadn't cooked for us," he added sheepishly and it was becoming a bit of a thing, wasn't it, women taking care of the Lucas boys.
Charlie chuckled softly and picked up her own coffee. "Pop Tarts aren't so bad. But I was glad to do it. I like cooking. I just don't do it enough when it's just me here. So... while I'm not happy about the reason behind it, I'm still glad I could do something." She brushed her hand against his arm to lead him back into the living room with the fire. Hopefully he would stay for a bit. She knew how things were at the bar with Aaron out of commission. Some part of her wanted to hope that things would get back to normal now, but Charlie wasn't entirely sure what normal was anymore. "Sometimes I think they should destroy the tunnel. Blow it up, or fill it in somehow. I don't think it's going to stop causing problems until it's gone."
Gavin tried to imagine a group of workers going up to the tunnel to blow it up or fill it up like she said. The sad truth was that the tunnel would probably just eat them too - in a manner of speaking at least. He sat down with a heavy sigh and waited for Charlie to sit down next to him. "Promise me, no matter what, you'll never go out there," he muttered, slipping his arm around her. "I don't care there's a student there or someone you love, there's nothing you or I can do there, nothing at all." It sucked, having to admit such weakness but it wasn't like it made him a lesser man. Fighting the tunnel was like trying to punch a tornado, it just couldn't be done.
Charlie kept her hands tight around her coffee mug but leaned against Gavin comfortably when he slipped his arm around her. "I have no desire whatsoever to go out there," she murmured. She hadn't been to Cooperdale since her sister had been found there. Charlie had helped look for Amelia, and then Mila, but she had been careful not to go too close. Just thinking about the tunnel made her chest hurt. "I can't say that if you went missing in there I wouldn't come try to find you," she added after a moment, glancing up at him. "I know it's not rational, but grief isn't rational." She couldn't blame anyone for doing something potentially stupid in an effort to find a loved one. Charlie could remember how her parents had been for that brief moment of time when they hadn't known what happened to Joanna.
Gavin couldn't argue with that, how could he? If anyone he loved was in those tunnels he would go in and that included Charlie. It was a massively depressing thought and he frowned softly even as he tried to smile. "I would come after you too," he admitted. "Which is why I really need you to not go there." It was an attempt at being light hearted but he was picturing it too vividly to be amused. Someone else going into the tunnels, this whole thing repeating itself with new players but the same family. He couldn't stomach it and like Charlie said he just wished someone would blow the damn thing up.
"I'm not going out there," she promised again. Those woods were bad news, and she was a little relieved that Gavin had his own place, away from Seaview. Charlie sipped her coffee carefully. She had almost forgotten what it was like living in Point Pleasant when she had been in New York. Forgetting what this town was capable had been... well, blissful. She didn't regret coming home, because she was able to spend more time with her mom, and she had found Gavin. But with the good, there was also the bad. "How is Amelia doing?" she asked, ready to change the subject away from Cooperdale. "I was going to see if she wanted to go with me to Portland next weekend. There's a fairly large book sale just outside the city. She might find some new things to read."
Gavin had a momentary irrational fear that if Amelia left Point Pleasant she'd just disappear, like a mirage, as if the town was the only thing keeping her real. It was an insane thought and he chalked it up to how terrified he was of losing her again. Just thinking about her going that far away without him was terrifying on its own. "I think she'd love that," he said though he sounded more uncertain than he meant to. "She might have her driving licence by then if you trust her to drive," he added with faint amusement though he was more trying to lighten his own mood than anything. He needed to go with them, even if it sounded like the most boring thing in the world, he needed to go and he didn't know how to convince himself otherwise.
Gavin was not much of a talker, but Charlie had been around him long enough now to pick up on what he might be saying without saying it. She straightened a bit and looked at him, a small smile on her lips. "She'll be okay," Charlie assured him. "Amelia seems very capable, and you know I would never let anything happen to her. Portland isn't terribly far, and I think maybe she would like getting out of Point Pleasant for a day." Without her dad hovering, although Charlie didn't want to say that. She just knew what it was like to be a teenage girl, and Charlie knew Gavin and Jasper were protective of Amelia, rightfully so. But Amelia was going to continue to grow, and she needed to be able to do things on her own.
She was right and he knew it and he was trying really hard to internalize that as he nodded slowly and fought with himself on the matter. "I know it's a lot to ask," he finally said slowly, wincing a little as he spoke. "Can you take her shopping too? I mean, for clothes. Jasper and I - we don't know anything about that and she could use a - I'll give her money and you could maybe help her pick out something nice." He figured it could be a good bonding experience too and Amelia really needed more women in her life especially with how absolutely useless her mother was.
Charlie had no idea if Amelia would want Charlie helping her shop for clothes, but she was willing to do it if Amelia, and Gavin, wanted her to. She liked Gavin's daughter. The girl was bright and had clearly been through a lot. There were very few female influences around, but Charlie didn't want to make assumptions or have Amelia thinking she was trying to replace the girl's mother. Not that Ollie was even around. "We'll get her some new clothes," Charlie promised. "And definitely a few things she'll need for the winter. Maybe we'll get you a new hat while we're there. Keep your ears warm." she said, grinning a bit as she reached up to brush her fingers through his hair.
It was such a random thing to laugh about but it did make Gavin laugh, in the middle of all the bad it was just so sweet that Charlie wanted to buy him a fucking hat of all things. He had one, not particularly pretty and it didn't cover his ears completely but he'd made do with it. Go figure his woman would want him to have better. "Well, I'm not gonna stop you," he chuckled. "Just nothing overly... cute." He trusted Charlie but for some reason he could easily see her and Amelia buy him something ridiculous just for the laugh of it. It did warm his heart a little, thinking of the two of them picking out something and giggling about it, he just hoped they would have that kind of fun together, even if it meant he got a dumb looking hat.
"I promise you, we will steer clear of anything cute. It will be warm, and thick and do its job. You won't get any comments on the color, or pattern," Charlie said with a grin. But she would probably buy him a silly looking second hat and give him that one first. Just because. "I'll make sure she has fun," she added. "And she'll be safe. That is, if she even wants to go. I don't want her to feel pressured to spend time with me without you being around. I know how that can be for... young girls." She sighed a little because Amelia wasn't really all that young anymore, and Charlie never got the impression Amelia was overly protective of her own mother.
"Trust me, she'll want to go," Gavin told her. He would never win Father of the Year and he didn't know his kids as well as he should be this he was sure about. Amelia liked Charlie and she was so angry at her own mother, there was no competition there. She had been delighted that Gavin was actually seeing someone and it would do her good to get out of town. Unless she was scared to for some reason but Gavin couldn't predict that nor could he imagine why she would be. "Are we still on for uh Christmas dinner?" Things might be a little depressing if Aaron got no good news about Mila by then but being around people who loved him and eating some delicious food had to help a little.
Charlie and Amelia got along and Charlie had helped her a bit with some "studies", so she wasn't too worried about Amelia being hesitant to go on a short road trip with her. Of course, if Amelia was apprehensive or scared, Charlie wouldn't push it. There were places to go clothes shopping in Point Pleasant, at least. "We're still on for Christmas dinner," Charlie said with a nod. "We'll keep it lowkey. And Aaron is welcome to come if he's feeling up to it. Caden and Roxy too. I know things have been chaotic for everyone lately. We'll have some food, drink some beer and just relax, if that's what you want to do."
Gavin gave her a grateful little smile and nodded at that. "That sounds like exactly what I want to do," he admitted. "I'll cook a big meal and we'll try to make the best of it." It wasn't the ideal Christmas but he was making Aaron come, whether he wanted to or not. It beat sulking in Caden's guest room, all fucked up on pills and booze. Mila was back, they just had to wait until she recovered, things might look grim but that was still a cause for celebration. She was alive against all odds, just like Amelia had been. "Any requests for dinner? Turkey? Ham?" He was shit at a lot of things in his life but he could build stuff and he could cook stuff. Of course he prefered barbeque and he rarely cooked unless the occasion called for it but he could still do it. He had a feeling Charlie would help too though he wasn't going to ask her to.
Charlie gave it some thought, scrunching her nose up for a moment before she smiled. "Ham. I think I stuffed all of you with enough turkey on Thanksgiving. But I'll come by early and help you cook everything if you want. Do you need me to hit the grocery store tonight?" It was something Charlie wouldn't mind doing for him given she had been meaning to go anyway. Charlie was sure plenty of people were out grabbing last minute things. Christmas had sort of been thrust upon them and Charlie still felt a bit unprepared. Some places would be open Christmas Eve, but that was usually a hit or miss.
Gavin took a moment to imagine the last minute shopping he'd have to do and Charlie's offer just looked more and more appealing. "Listen, if you get everything, I'll pay for it," he told her then because he wasn't about to make her pay for all of Christmas. He had miraculously enough already bought some presents but preparing for Christmas in any other way had been a complete bust. He could blame it on the chaos of their lives recently but he'd honestly just always been shit at holidays. "If you call me on the way back I can ditch the bar for a little bit and help you carry it all inside and put it away." It was the least he could do, though he supposed he could also engage his kids in helping, it'd do them good.
Charlie didn't mind helping. In fact, she wanted to help. Gavin had a lot on his plate, and he had both kids now that his ex-wife was gone. Granted, Amelia and Jasper seemed pretty self-sufficient, but being a parent, Charlie imagined, was difficult no matter what their ages. "I can do that," she promised. "Don't worry too much about it. I'll get what we need." She had enjoyed preparing Thanksgiving dinner for Gavin and his family, so she was looking forward to helping with Christmas dinner. She would see her mother, of course, and Charlie might have invited her to have dinner with she and Gavin, but Charlie wasn't sure her mom was... well, ready for that. Poppy Harris wanted Charlie to be happy, of course, but Charlie knew her mom still had some preconceived notions about the Lucas family. "Do you have to head back to the bar today? Or do you get a break?"
"I need to head back in soon," Gavin said regretfully. "It'll be busy soon, if Caden hasn't scared off all our customers." For once he condoned Caden's rage, anyone who came into their bar despite believing Aaron had something to do with Mila? Deserved to get kicked out and cussed out. Gavin always tried to keep calm because the minute he let himself get angry, he was punching things. Caden was better at yelling and in this case, Gavin was happy to let him yell. It was only when Joseph chimed in that Gavin got annoyed with it, that was just too much yelling and their dad didn't have a foot to stand on. "If you don't have anything better to do you could come hang out," he added with a little smile since having Charlie at the bar would for sure make his evening nicer.
Caden could be intimidating, but Charlie wouldn't blame him at all if he was tossing people out who had the balls to go into the Lucas's bar and talk about their family. She smiled at his invitation and leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek. "Let me get what we need for Christmas, and when that's taken care of, I'll come by the bar and say hello." And help if they needed it. With Aaron out of commission, she knew they were short staffed. Charlie never minded giving a hand when they needed it, even if it was washing glasses in the back. "It shouldn't take me too long. It just depends on the crowds at the grocery store."
For a moment Gavin felt a little guilty letting Charlie deal with the shopping. The crowds, the lines, it was a nightmare if you asked him. He hated shopping on a good day, pre-Christmas rush just made it all even worse. "Fuck," he whispered as he realized this, shaking his head then scratching her back lightly through her shirt. "I'm gonna owe you big time if you do this. Just name it, I'll take you out somewhere nice or do whatever you need getting done. Drinks on the house are a given." He wouldn't let her help out at the bar too so it was probably best she didn't mention that part out loud. He was reeling enough at all the shopping she'd need to do.
Charlie laughed a little and brushed his hair back. "It's not a problem, Gavin. It's nothing I wouldn't do for my family, and you're my family. If you really feel the need to pay me back, you can help me put in a new fence next spring. Or fix my attic stair. God knows there's plenty around this place that needs attending to." It was a fixer upper and a process. Charlie enjoyed doing it, but she thought Gavin did too, at least in terms of being helpful to her. She moved to stand, and kissed him on the forehead as she did so. "Drink your coffee. I'll get my phone and you can tell me some of the food your kids might like. I just need to know how much to buy. Do you think Jasper will bring his girlfriend?"
Gavin was feeling a little warm and fuzzy after being told he was her family and he was already fixing those things in his head when she asked about Jules Cooper. That almost made him laugh because no, he couldn't imagine any scenario where his son brought his girlfriend home to hang out with the whole family. Jasper was so private and his girlfriend was an Overlook brat, Gavin just couldn't see it happening. "I doubt it," he said, clearing his throat as if the thought alone had made something catch in there. "But I supposed I'll tell him she's welcome to join us." Jasper would probably laugh at that too, or do his teenage boy eye-roll thing. That would be a treat and a half. "But my brothers and Roxy might come so let's just... let's just buy a lot. If it ends up just being us we'll have leftovers for days."
Jasper might enjoy himself more if his girlfriend were there, but Charlie supposed it might make him uncomfortable too, so she wouldn't push it. Jules was always welcome though. Charlie's smile widened and she nodded once. "A lot. Well, that works for me." She had enough dinner parties in New York with Drew that Charlie felt like she knew what she was doing here. She had done all right with Thanksgiving at least, even if Christmas might bring more people. And hopefully they could give Aaron a good day. Charlie felt like he needed it more than anyone. "I'll get what I need and then call you when I'm on my way, or if Amelia is home I can just have her help me with things if she's willing, that way you don't have to leave the bar again if it's busy."
"I can see if she's home now, if you want to take her with you," Gavin suggested. It'd do Amelia good to get out and Charlie might use the help - unless she didn't like shopping with other people. It was little things like that Gavin still hadn't learned about her and that was normal he supposed, but he still wished he knew everything. "She could use some better influence than me and her brother... She actually went out by herself yesterday," he added with a pained look. "Took the car and bought Christmas lights. Did I mention she doesn't have her license yet?" He had a feeling she wouldn't get into trouble with the law unless she really did something terrible. The cops who knew about her didn't know what to make of her and he hoped she wouldn't take their good will for granted.
Charlie's brows lifted in surprise. Not because Amelia didn't have her license, but because she was surprised Amelia knew how to drive. Not that it was difficult, but still. "Well, I suppose that's something she's doing to have to do eventually," Charlie said with a quick smile. "Teenagers never seem to enjoy being cooped up and having to depend on other people for rides here and there. I'll take her with me though, if she wants to go. I can't promise it will be fun or entertaining, but if she wants to get out of the house..." Charlie wouldn't mind the help. She liked Amelia, but she didn't want the girl to feel obligated to buy food if she had other things she wanted to do.
"Well, she's getting her licence soon enough," Gavin sighed. "Could have waited. Know what she said to me when I pointed out she can't legally drive yet?" He gave Charlie a tired smile because it was awful but still kind of funny. "She looked me straight in the eye, shrugged and said 'Fucking oops'." The 'oops' was very Amelia but the cursing clearly came from her brother - and honestly, maybe Gavin too. They were a miserable influence on her but he supposed he was still getting used to his little girl being practically an adult already so now he had two teenagers, like Jasper hadn't been a handful already. "Let me text her real quick, see what she says."
Charlie winced and tried to hide her amusement, but she could tell Gavin wasn't really bothered by it so she didn't. "Well... I mean, we've all done things at that age that weren't entirely legal, didn't we? Having a drink at a party, smoking..." Charlie didn't bother pointing out that Gavin was a father by then, although that hadn't been illegal, but it certainly made him grow up faster than he should have had to. "And she didn't get hurt, so that's the important thing." Fucking oops sounded like something Jasper would say, which amused her on some level.
Charlie's smile always lit up the room so it was hard to fret when she was clearly amused. Gavin let out a little chuckle and nodded yes. Amelia wasn't a baby anymore, if anything she could be a little scary so he shouldn't worry about her getting hurt so much as he should worry about her hurting other people - and honestly? Fuck other people. "Wish I could have done some of those illegal things with you back then," he mumbled. They could do them now but none of them were illegal anymore.
Her smile softened and Charlie took his hand in hers as they waited to hear back from Amelia. She had a lot of wishes too, and 'what if' moments, but the past was the past and they couldn't change any of it now. "We could still do something illegal together," Charlie said before scrunching her face up thoughtfully. "We could... go graffiti a building. Or smoke some pot under the Sweetbriar Bridge." Laughter slipped into her tone as she eyed Gavin. "We could go into town and jaywalk. Can you imagine how much trouble we would get into for that?"
Gavin didn't bother telling her he did plenty of illegal things already, the difference here was that he didn't do them with her. Her suggestions were funny and oh so tame and he leaned in to bump his forehead gently against the side of her head. "I'd graffiti a building with you any day," he told her and while he doubted they ever would, it was easy to imagine her excitement, sneaking around and breaking the rules. It was fucking adorable. He phone buzzed with a message from Amelia and he took a quick peek at the notification. "She'd love to go," he murmured. "See? She likes you."
Maybe when the weather turned and spring started peeking in Charlie would grab some spray cans and do something silly like knocking on Gavin's door in the middle of the night. They could sneak out like teenagers and write CH hearts GL 4EVA or something on the bridge. It was a tame thought and kind of lame maybe but it made her smile anyway. She had a feeling Gavin would do it with her, if she wanted to do it. Charlie glanced down at Gavin's phone and then smiled. "Well, it's nice having a teenager like me for once. I'll go get ready and pick her up in... thirty minutes? Can you let her know?"
"Mmhmm," Gavin murmured as he quickly typed in a response to Amelia then rubbed Charlie's back gently. he was sure a lot of teenagers liked her, they just tended to be too cool to admit that to a teacher. "I'll text you some of the things we'll need - Amelia will know more about it though - and transfer you some money. Come to the bar after." Maybe, if he was lucky, it wouldn't be too busy tonight and he could leave Caden and Miles in charge and head out early. He would much prefer lounging at home with Charlie than staying at the bar but that was true for any night.
Charlie would make sure to tell Amelia not to give her any money. She could protest to Gavin but he would probably insist. The family was going through so much right now that buying their Christmas dinner was the least she could do. "Sounds like a plan," she said, leaning over to press a quick kiss to his mouth. "Stay and finish your coffee. I'm going to go change. Do you need anything before you head back to the bar? Are you hungry? Do you want lunch?"
"Nah, got my coffee, I'm good," Gavin murmured. He might regret it later but he wasn't hungry right now so why make her go through the trouble of whipping something up? It was so tempting to follow her and help her change - so to speak - but they didn't have time and they both had somewhere to be. Maybe tonight, if his brother was kind enough to take over. One cigarette and then he was out of there so he fumbled in his pocket for a pack, rubbing at Charlie's back again when she stood up.
Charlie left him to smoke and headed upstairs to change. It would be fun to shop with Amelia and maybe Charlie could get some ideas on what to get Jasper for Christmas. She had a couple small things, but it felt like she ought to do more. Amelia might like her, but Charlie wasn't so sure about Jasper. Pulling on jeans and a sweater, Charlie tied her hair up into a ponytail before heading back downstairs to get her boots on. She smiled when she saw Gavin. She liked seeing him there in her house, and she wished it could happen more. "I'll pick up Amelia," Charlie said, "and give you a text when we're back at your place and getting things put away. I know I said I would take her to get some clothes next weekend, but if we have time I may take her to a couple shops on Main just to see if there are any winter clothes she needs right now. Sweaters, and things. Do you need anything? Other than an adorable hat."
Gavin had forgotten all about that hat and he laughed as she reminded him, shaking his head. "I want a city hat, thanks," he teased. "But no, don't wear yourself out either, just get what we need and let Amelia help you." He got up and stubbed out the cigarette, bringing the ashtray with him to dispose of it outside the house. Funny how he didn't care about it at his own home but he knew those stubs smelled bad and he didn't want to soil her house with that stink. "I'd say I wished I could go with you but I'd be lying," he admitted with an apologetic little smile as he joined her in the hall. It was no secret that he hated shopping.
Charlie pulled on her coat. "Don't worry, you know I would never make you do anything you didn't really want to do." She knew when to persist, but there was also a line and Charlie would never push or guilt Gavin into doing something like going grocery shopping with her. He had things to take care of and she was looking forward to spending some time with Amelia. With her coat buttoned, Charlie turned to give Gavin a quick kiss. "I'll keep you updated on where we are and if we need any help later. I don't think we will, but..." She was sure Gavin would probably want to know they were back home safe, even after a simple grocery trip.
Gavin grabbed his jacket and slipped it on, kissing Charlie back when she leaned in though it didn't linger enough for his liking. He didn't chase her though, just held onto her arm for a little longer before letting his hand drop. "I'll see you tonight," he said but she was right and he would really appreciate an update every now and then, two of the most precious people in his life out and about in this pre-Christmas havoc? He needed to know they were okay. It was probably insane but he lived in Point Pleasant, everything here was insane. "Get yourself something nice too."
That made her laugh and Charlie buttoned her coat. "Oh, well thanks. If I see something nice I like, I'll get it." With it being so close to Christmas that wasn't likely to happen. Not that she expected any gifts, but she would rather use her money to buy things for other people than herself. Maybe she would grab something for dinner tonight too, so Gavin had something to eat when he got home from the bar. "Just be safe tonight and we'll come by and say hi when we finish up." Or she would. Charlie had no idea if Amelia had any interest in going to the Porch after they were done shopping.
Something about the way she said it told Gavin she wasn't going to treat herself to a damn thing and that just made him realize he had to put more thought into her gift. It was already close to giving him an ulcer; he wanted to give her something very special but he didn't have the first clue what that should be. Amelia wasn't much help either and he wasn't terribly close to Kat so he wasn't about to ask her for advice on romantic things. "See you tonight then," he murmured rather than try to argue that she should buy something nice for herself. Instead he leaned in and kissed her again, this time letting it linger like he wanted to before.
Charlie cupped his face with both hands now, kissing him properly like she had been wanting to do since he walked in the door. It would have been so nice just to take him upstairs and spend the rest of the day in bed, but there were things to do and obligations to uphold so Charlie pulled back reluctantly after smiling against his lips. "Tonight," she promised before reaching out to open the door so they could both head out. He to the bar and she to pick up Amelia. With any luck the day would go by quickly and smoothly without incident. Maybe that was wishful thinking, but Charlie would take what she could get.