Who: Gavin & Grady, then Gavin & Charlie Where: The station When: Sunday morning 01/14 Status: Complete Warnings: Mildly NSFW toward the end
Gavin knew how this worked. The cops would let him go and decide what to do with him later, jail time or a fine, he'd find out later. He couldn't worry about that now. The only reason they'd kept him overnight was that he'd gone a little crazy when they got to the station. The shock had worn off and the thought of spending so much as an hour in a locked cell without a weapon had made him say a few not so smart things to the deputy who'd arrested him and now he'd spent the night so that had been... Yeah. Not smart. Sure, he was well used to being stuck in a cell overnight. It had been a while since last time but it was a familiar feeling - and a familiar cell for that matter. He just hadn't felt so unsafe the last time he was arrested. Bored, irritated, angry? Yes. But not unsafe.
Concrete and steel wouldn't keep the dark man out if he wanted to get in there and now that Gavin knew he was back, he expected him to show up again at any moment. He didn't sleep a wink all night, listening for any noise, watching for any movement, the small amount of alcohol he'd ingested the night before wearing off all too quickly. Come morning he was exhausted, his eyes burning with the need to rest and his brain foggy. Still he couldn't bring himself to lie down, even at the telltale signs of morning rolling in. Daylight didn't mean jackshit to the dark man, he'd come when he wanted to, no matter what the hour. At least he would be out soon. They could only keep him so long before they had to release him.
Grady was a bit exhausted himself. After the Dark Man had gone, Grady had stayed awake with Jen until she'd fallen asleep, and even then he was reluctant to leave her. Not to mention he hadn’t been able to let go of his paranoia long enough to get any decent sleep. So he was on his second cup of coffee by the time he entered the police station that morning and was given a quick rundown of what had gone on the night before. And they also had a guest...
He wasn't terribly surprised when he was told it was a Lucas. But he was surprised to see Gavin's name on the paperwork. Usually it was Caden for assault, or the youngest brother for some brand of stupidity. Gavin Lucas hadn't been brought in for a while, so Grady set the paperwork on his desk and carried his coffee down to the jail cells with his keys. He stopped in front of the cell and sipped his coffee as he studied Gavin. "You look pretty fucking terrible," Grady said, sounding more casual than provoking. He felt like shit too, so he was sure he didn't look any better. "You want to tell me what happened last night?"
Gavin was relieved to see him, which just a few months ago would have been hard to imagine but so much had changed. "I'd kill for a coffee," he said rather than point out Grady didn't exactly look awesome either. He looked better than Gavin, that was for sure. "Irish preferably." His head hurt and he'd been sitting in this fucking cell for hours, unable to sleep, unwilling to let his guard down, stone cold sober now and miserable as a result. He let his head drop back against the wall. "Last night was... Just another fucking Point Pleasant thing, you know?" That sounded more casual than he meant it to, there was nothing casual about the dark man.
"Yeah, I know." Grady figured he could get Gavin a coffee, but he had a feeling the guy would much rather just get out of the cell and go home. "Is that why you caused such a ruckus that someone had to call the police?" He knew from the report that Gavin Lucas had been intoxicated when they picked him up. Public intoxication was not unusual in Point Pleasant. But brandishing a firearm was another. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"
"Okay, nobody called you guys!" Gavin said sharply. It was hard to keep his temper in check when he was this tired and miserable but he deflated pretty fast anyway, rubbing the back of his head and groaning quietly. "Your guy was just in the neighborhood." Grady had believed what happened to Amelia but there had been concrete proof there, science. Gavin was willing to bet that fucking abomination behind the bar hadn't even left foot prints. "There was a man," he muttered. "But not a man. I've seen him before and he's... He's evil." He sounded defeated already. "I don't know, demon, ghost. I'd say maybe I'm just fucking crazy but Roxy saw him too. I'm sure of it." Or had he imagined that too? His scar wasn't imaginary but it wasn't proof either. He could have very well gotten that from any number of things that had nothing to do with the supernatural - lord knew he had plenty of other 'normal' scars.
Grady might have thought Gavin was still drunk if he hadn't had a similar experience the night before. And years ago, even. His arm seemed to throb where he'd broken it as a kid, although it didn't hurt as much as it had last night. "With the bowler hat," Grady said simply. Maybe Grady was wrong and Gavin had seen something else, but a man who wasn't a man sounded about right. To Grady he wasn't a ghost... maybe a demon... but probably not. Something Else. That's what made him so terrifying. "Is that who you saw?"
That was too specific and Gavin looked up in a snap, studying Grady for a moment before he got to his feet and approached the bars. "Did Roxy tell you that?" he asked cautiously. Gavin had never been good at talking about anything, let alone in detail, but it made sense that Roxy would have backed him up if she actually saw it too and she was far more chatty than Gavin was. If she had seen it too - or someone else had come in - that meant Gavin wasn't alone anymore and it stirred a weird sort of hope in him that kind of made him understand all those damn support groups he refused to go to. Knowing someone else had been through the same thing, seen the same thing. How many had seen him and not lived to tell? Or was this all the dark man did? Scare and hurt people? Gavin doubted it. He didn't think he'd live to tell if he saw him again.
Grady shook his head. "Roxy didn't tell me anything. I saw the man myself, last night in my backyard." It wasn't like Grady to just offer up information like that, especially when it was personal, but it was clear that Gavin had seen the same man Grady had. And yes, there was some semblance of comfort knowing he hadn't been the only one. His fingers had tightened around his coffee cup. "I saw him... twice before last night, when I was younger." And he hadn't aged, at least not in Grady's mind.
Gavin hadn't even considered the possibility that Grady might have seen him too but he believed him, recognized that haunted look in his eyes from his own damn mirror. "I've seen him once before," he mumbled, grabbing the bars between them. "Gotta be... seventeen years ago now. Jasper was still in diapers. He uh-" he trailed off, lightly gracing his chest with the fingers of one hand, the other still firmly grasping the bars. "Left me a scar." There was a lot of unspoken stuff there, his surprise at meeting someone who'd actually seen the dark man too, the relief that he wasn't crazy while also the feel of horror that he wasn't just crazy. "You didn't try and shoot him," he said instead of trying to put those chaotic feelings into words.
It was so bizarre to be talking about this with someone else and Grady motioned to his arm with his coffee cup. "He made me fall out of a tree and break my arm. I thought I was crazy for a while, but... when I saw him last night, the pain in my arm was there again, like I had broken it all over again. And no, I didn't try to shoot him, but that's only because by the time I got my gun and went outside, he was gone." Grady gave Gavin a wry smile. "I probably would have tried if he'd still been in my back yard. But I also don't know that a gun would have done much." He took a breath and found the key to unlock the cell. "You got someone to call and come pick you up?"
"Probably not," Gavin sighed and wondered whether he'd have fired away if he'd had a chance to think about it rationally. Probably, it was a desperate measure but he refused to be as helpless as he'd been all those years ago. He felt a sense of relief when Grady actually unlocked the cell even if he hadn't really expected much to come of this. Nobody had been hurt and without privately run prisons, Maine sheriffs weren't in the habit of trying to line their pockets with unnecessary arrests. The question made the relief short lived since Gavin didn't really know who he should be bothering with this. He didn't want to scare his kids who were already traumatized enough for two lifetimes, he didn't want to pester Caden. Aaron came to mind but he honestly had enough going on too. The one person Gavin most wanted to see right now didn't deserve his bullshit but she also wouldn't be happy with him if he told her that so... "Charlie Harris," he muttered reluctantly. "I can call her myself if you get me my phone."
Grady saw no reason to hold Gavin any longer. Keeping him overnight had probably been enough. He would take a better look at the police report and decide if charges were necessary, but if Gavin had seen the dark man last night, could Grady really punish him for his reaction? Grady knew he would have tried to shoot the thing had it still been in view when he left the house with his own gun. Irresponsible and dangerous, yes, but the fear had been that palpable. And he would have done anything to protect Jen in the process. Grady slid open the cell door and stepped back for Gavin to exit. "There's fresh coffee if you want to help yourself to a cup of it. You know I can't return your weapon to you right now. But I'll get your phone to call Ms. Harris."
Gavin hated the idea of going out there without his gun. It didn't do much to protect him against the supernatural but it still spelled comfort to him, feeling the weight of it against his back. He could stop by his house he supposed, this wasn't his only gun by far, so he just grunted his understanding and took him up on the offer for coffee. He felt like hammered shit and only alcohol would really take the edge off but coffee would help. "So what then?" he asked as he poured himself a cup. "Charges? A fine? Or are you letting me walk on account of knowing exactly what went down?" He couldn't just assume Grady would do that, but here was to hoping.
Grady set his coffee cup down on the nearest desk. "I'm going to let you walk this morning because it's cheaper than keeping you locked up all day. I know what went down, but whatever I decide to do about you unlawfully discharging a weapon will come after I sit down to read the full report. You'll probably face a fine and I'll leave it at that, assuming you don't do anything stupid like that again." He understood, he really did. He'd had his gun out as well. But the law was the law, and Gavin had fired his gun. Someone could have gotten hurt. Grady started for the door leading into the restricted area. "Give me a second and I'll be back with your things."
Gavin swallowed down some choice words because he really didn't want to argue. He had a feeling Caden would screaming bloody murder if he was in his shoes, reminding Grady that he would have done the same thing and it wasn't fair to fine him for defending himself against something like that. He wasn't Caden though and Caden wasn't here and Gavin was just so damn tired. The impotent anger swelled inside him before deflating into sadness and he gulped down some of the coffee, more to distract himself than anything. Maybe Grady wouldn't fine him once he read the report but who knew what that fucking deputy had written down. Gavin grunted softly to himself, squeezing the bridge of his nose until he heard Grady return. "So what will you do it if he comes back?" he muttered. "Shooting doesn't work, I've checked."
Grady knew that he would have fired his gun had the dark man still been in his yard, or even within eyesight, when he had gone back outside. And that was probably why he would let Gavin off with a fine. And if the gun wasn't registered, he would confiscate that permanently. But he wouldn't know until he did his job, which he would do once Gavin was gone. He returned with a yellow envelope, handing it to Gavin as he pulled the clipboard off the front desk to check off the items as Gavin checked them. It looked like a phone and wallet. The gun was staying. "Am I supposed ot have a plan for an entity like that?" Grady asked, not looking up from where he was writing his initials next to the checklist. "There are probably a dozen or so problems going on in this town that I don't have a plan for. That man is one of them."
Gavin signed for his things when he was sure they were all there - all but the gun. God, he missed the gun already. It was registered so he should get it back if things went smoothly but not having one made him feel naked, vulnerable. "I'm getting my kids to get tattoos," he muttered. "Protective ones. I don't know if they work against this one but I know they... They've worked in the past. Might wanna look into that." If Grady dismissed this as some bogus superstition then... Well, that was his problem. He'd already seen so many weird things, his mind had to be open to it now. "I can uh, send you some instructions, pictures. If you want. You helped Amelia so uh, I kinda owe you some help."
Protective tattoos. Grady wasn't sure what to make of that. It seemed like such a permanent thing for not knowing whether or not they actually worked - at least against frightening things like the dark man who had been in his backyard. And he could just imagine Alison's reaction if she discovered Jen got a tattoo at her age. Any age, really. But he wasn't opposed to finding something that would keep the house, and his daughter, safe when he wasn't around. "You don't owe me anything," Grady said simply. "But I won't say no if you want to see those things to me. I'll see what I can come up with. I'm more worried about my daughter than anything else."
That was right, Grady had kids too and Gavin felt for him because he understood that fear all too well. He'd never wanted to be a father and he'd neve been a particularly good one but he did love those people he was responsible for, more than ever now that he knew what it felt like to lose them - or come close. "I'll send you the info," he promised. "I know it at least pushes some of them back." Not that he wanted to go into detail about what exactly he'd tested that theory on but hell, Grady might know all about Mila now for all Gavin knew. Maybe that was why nobody had arrested her for what she'd done. He shuffled away from Grady as he looked Charlie up on the phone, leaning against the wall next to his cell as he listened to the dial tone.
Grady nodded, though he wished he had more faith in unconventional solutions. But hell, he had nothing else right now but his gun, and he didn't know how effective that would be. That, and he knew he couldn't be around Jen twenty-four seven. He walked over to an empty desk to finish up the paperwork to let Gavin leave, allowing him some privacy for his phone call.
Charlie had just dropped her mom off at home from the morning services at the church across town. With St. Dismas still out of commission, to put it mildly, Poppy Harris had flocked to the only other church in town. While Charlie found Mal to be a bit... unconventional in terms of his preaching, something was better than nothing, right? And Mal had been kind and hospitable to Charlie when she had been stuck in his church during the fog. She was stopped at a red light when her phone began to ring and she saw Gavin's name. Smiling instinctively she picked up the phone. "Hey. How are you?"
"Hey Charlie," Gavin murmured, stepping a little farther away from Grady as if there was any privacy to be had in this damn place. "I'm not good, not good at all. Are you busy? I could use a ride." Straight to the point, he wanted to get out of there and his phone was low on battery. Maybe he should have just called a cab, that way he could have gone straight home, hit the bottle. But it was good to hear her voice and he knew this was the healthier option. Gavin had never been much good at healthy but he could make an effort.
Her smile faded almost instantly and Charlie glanced up to see the light had turned green. She started to drive again, carefully now that one hand was occupied with her phone. She also drove slow just in case she had to turn around somewhere and go in the opposite direction. "I'm not busy. Where are you?" He didn't sound great. Not drunk, but not completely sober. Like he'd had a rough night. It sparked plenty of worry but Charlie tried not to get ahead of herself.
"I'm at the police station," Gavin sighed more than said, not eager to tell her that. "I'll tell you all about it in person, okay?" At least it was Sunday so she didn't have work, if he was lucky he could shower at her place and then take some comfort in spending time with her before going back to the bar. It was yet another thing he didn't want to involve her in but hell, she was better off knowing than not knowing. Knowing meant she was more careful, more likely to survive this shit hole. Also more likely to leave but Gavin would support her in that if she decided that was for the best. Maybe he deserved to be lonely and miserable forever and having Charlie was just a short, lovely reprieve from it.
The police station? Charlie's brows lifted in surprise but she turned down the next street to head in that direction without further question. Her pulse had quickened a bit. Being at the police station could mean a few things. Maybe Jasper, or one of Gavin's brothers had gotten arrested. Then again, if that was the case he wouldn't need a ride. Maybe he needed bail money. Thought Gavin seemed stable financially so she couldn't imagine it was that. The likely story was that he had been arrested himself, so all she could really do was hope it wasn't serious. "Okay," she said finally. "I'll be there in a few minutes. Just sit tight."
"Thanks, Charlie," Gavin sighed and ended the call, texting Amelia and Jasper real quick just to make sure they were okay. They were probably still asleep so he was going to try not to worry if they didn't reply right away. Either way he wanted them to know he wouldn't be home for a few hours. "Your deputy think I'm nuts?" he asked Grady. "Or does he know the shit that happens in this town." It had to be hard, working with people who didn't believe in these things, so many things that couldn't be explained. Gavin would hate to be a cop in Point Pleasant and not just because he disliked cops on principle.
"Probably," Grady said, glancing up at Gavin from what he was writing. "But you don't seem like the type of guy who would care." He knew some of his deputies knew what was going on Point Pleasant. But all of them? He had no idea. Grady didn't make it a point to talk about things that might get him fired, or sent to the psychiatric ward. Not unless he knew for sure the person he was speaking to understood it too. Grady stood and carried the clipboard over to Gavin, along with a pen. "Need you to the sign this, then you're free to go. I'll be in touch about the firearm."
"You're right," Gavin muttered as he signed his name after only a cursory glance over what he was actually signing. He could have been signing away his soul and he just couldn't muster up the energy to give a shit. "I don't care. Just imagine it can't be easy to work with people like that." His own people were all catching on, even Caden knew about the shit that was out there and it was heartbreaking but at the same time a huge load off Gavin's shoulders. "Be seeing you, Barrett," he murmured and since he was free to go, he had no desire to stay inside while he waited for Charlie. It might be cold outside but it would wake him up a little at least, soothe the claustrophobia he was currently feeling.
It seemed as though nearly everyone in this town knew what they were living with. So many of them simply chose not to talk about it, or acknowledge it in any way. Denial was a powerful thing. Before Gavin could slip out the front door, Grady set the clipboard down and spoke up. "Hey, if you don't mind me asking... how's Amelia doing? She adjusting okay?" He hadn't seen much of her since she returned home, but given the nature of her re-emergence, he couldn't help but be curious as to whether or not she was doing okay. She was anomaly if he had ever seen one, the one thing he thought about when faced with something bizarre and unexplainable. It was a reminder that nothing was impossible in this town, or anywhere.
Gavin stopped, but he still pulled his pack of cigarettes out of his pockets, relieved to finally get to do that. "She's doing okay," he replied though if he was going to be honest, he wasn't really sure. She was strong and she put on a brave face but was she really okay? He might never know. "The fog had her rattled but she's studying, catching up." He didn't light the cigarette yet but took some comfort in rolling it between his fingers while fiddling with the lighter in his pocket. "She's got good people around." He didn't really feel like that included him but Amelia seemed to take some comfort in having him around so maybe he wasn't too bad of a fuck-up with her.
Grady nodded. "That's good." He wondered if he ought to check in on her, ask how she was doing himself. Maybe she would be honest with him. Grady had no idea if a young girl would do that with her own father. "Tell her I said hello, will you? And if she needs anything, you know you can reach out." He had a lot on his plate at the moment, but he hadn't forgotten about Amelia and her circumstances.
"I will," Gavin muttered and yet again he was struck with how weird it was that anyone in his family had a good rapport with the police. Amelia actually liked them, she spoke of them fondly and she had good reason to. For that matter, Gavin did too now, they'd helped him get his daughter back and he and Grady had shared trauma it seemed. It wasn't something that was easy to wrap his head around, he'd hated the police since he was old enough to foster such feelings and it was a lot to unlearn. Just being in the station was making him feel antsy and uncomfortable, despite how amicable Grady was being. He gave him a stiff, awkward smile and a nod before heading out, hoping Charlie would be there already.
Charlie had just pulled up when Gavin stepped outside. There was a sense of relief that she didn't have to go inside and bail him out or anything, and Charlie unlocked the doors so Gavin could climb into the passenger side. From where she sat, Charlie could see Gavin looked horrible. Tired and pale. Was it too much to ask to have just one normal day in this town? She should have stopped to get him some coffee. Waiting until he was in the car, Charlie couldn't even manage a faint smile. She was too concerned. "Are you all right?" That seemed to be the most important thing at the moment.
His cigarette was still burning when he got in the car but he knew by now Charlie didn't mind which just made him love her more, especially now that he was in no shape to deal with a damned thing. He didn't like how serious she looked though he couldn't really blame her, it made her look tired and he wanted to make her smile and relax but that would mean lying and putting on a brave face. She deserved better than that. "Saw an old enemy last night," he muttered. "Not human. Weird skinny looking guy with a bowler hat and a grin that'll make your skin crawl. Sounds like a dumb thing from a children's book, doesn't it... Roxy saw it too, the sheriff... I shot at it and uh, nobody got hurt but I got arrested." There, she was mostly in the loop now and he took a deep drag of his cigarette before rolling down the window to toss it out. There were limits to how much he wanted to smoke in Charlie's car. "I could use a stiff drink and a shower, you busy today?"
Charlie arched a brow, not entirely sure how to respond to that. It was confusing, and a little crazy but it wasn't something she was willing to dismiss outright. Point Pleasant was nothing if not crazy. It was more that Gavin had fired a gun that surprised her. He said no one had gotten hurt, but she was aware of the fact that someone could have. If he had been arrested, were they going to press charges? Had the gun been illegally obtained? She had questions, but he looked so tired that Charlie didn't want to press for more answers. "I think it's a little too early for the stiff drink, but you can use my shower," she replied with a faint smile. "I'll make you some breakfast and some coffee, how about that?"
It was never too early for a stiff drink, Gavin thought, but he didn't argue. "That'll do," he replied with a little smile instead, relieved that she wasn't bombarding him with questions at this point. He thought about getting his car before going to her place but no, it could wait. He just wanted to relax right now and driving did not feel relaxed. "You know shit like this is just gonna keep happening here," he said quietly. "You just gotta try to keep safe and avoid it while you're living here, it's not gonna get better."
Charlie reached out to touch his hand. "Maybe so. But we stay safe, and we try to avoid it as much as we can, don't we? And it might get better." She needed to stay optimistic about something. Giving into doom seemed like it was nothing more than a path to depression. Charlie didn't think she was made for a defeatist attitude. She needed to have hope, something to hold onto. For Charlie, that was her mom, and her job and Gavin. She couldn't let fear control her.
Gavin wanted to believe she was right, he really did, and she almost made it easy too. Everything that came out of Charlie's mouth was just... nice. At least to Gavin. "Yeah," he muttered. "Stranger things have happened." He rubbed her hand with his thumb before letting go again to let her drive. "I just wish I could've killed that damn thing. It left me a scar back in the day, seems it broke the sheriff's arm when he was a kid. I doubt that's the worst of what it's done." Maybe Reagan would have answers to this too though it felt like he was asking too much of her lately without adding some random monster to the mix. "At least we got our dogs to look out for us at home," he said and gave her a faint smile. He was glad she'd found - and kept - Baxter, knowing she had that dog in the house gave Gavin some peace of mind when he wasn't there with her.
Charlie clutched the wheel with both hands now, frowning out the window. "What do you mean it left you a scar?" He had described what he saw, but she had no idea it had actually hurt him before. And the sheriff, apparently. Charlie didn't really want to think about Gavin killing anything, especially with a gun, but she was more concerned now about this thing, whoever or whatever it was, being in town and physically harming others. Yes, she had Baxter who seemed to be a pretty protective dog, but that might not always be enough.
"Mean what I said," Gavin replied, not sure how else he could put it. "Gave me a scar." She probably wanted details but unless she pressed him he wasn't really eager to get into the details of it all. "What this town needs is a hunter, someone who can take those fucking monsters out." He was already itching for another cigarette so he knew the topic was getting to him. On some level he wished Charlie didn't know anything, that he could just pretend none of these things existed when he was with her, that she was safe inside some bubble that bad things couldn't enter. "And broke Barrett's arm," he added quietly, as if he hadn't already said so. It was worth repeating, he felt like. It was proof he wasn't crazy. "You ever think about getting protective tattoos too?"
She had wanted details. Not to make him relive something traumatic, but she wanted to know what had happened to him. But it didn't seem like Gavin wanted to talk about it so Charlie let it go, sighing inwardly as she turned down her street. She supposed she just needed to keep an eye out for a skinny man in a bowler hat who had the ability to hurt people. Then again, most people had that ability. Maybe she could talk to the sheriff and get his story. He might be as tight lipped as Gavin, but somehow she doubted it. The mention of a tattoo prompted her to glance at him, a faint smile on her lips. "I have nothing against tattoos, obviously," she said with a small smile, "but I don't think I could ever get one myself."
Considering how often she ran her hands and lips over Gavin's tattoos he was well aware she had nothing against them and the thought did make him return her smile before laughing quietly. "Yeah well," he murmured. "Doesn't have to be big. Maybe I can find some jewelry for you that does the same thing." The benefits of tattoos was that they weren't quite as easily removed as jewelry but he'd worn the same little silver cross around his neck for years now and nobody had taken that away. He unfastened his seat belt when they came to a stop outside her house, and leaned over to press a kiss on her cheek. "Thanks for coming," he muttered, trying hard not to be a sour bastard when she'd gone out of her way to pick him up.
Charlie very nearly made a joke about what kind of jewelry he could give her, but now probably wasn’t the right time to tease him about it. He’d had a rough night and he might think she was serious. “You’re welcome,” she murmured, turning off the car. What he had seen and gone through was still on her mind, but the important thing was to get him inside and into the shower. She would make some hot coffee and breakfast and let him nap for awhile if he wanted to. Charlie was trying to remember if she moved the wash to the dryer the night before. She knew she had some of his clothes in the laundry so hopefully she had. Getting out of the car, Charlie began to walk up to the porch, glancing over at Gavin. “When you mentioned this time needing a hunter... I would prefer that not be you. You know that, right?”
"Oh it won't be me," Gavin muttered. The last thing he wanted to do was to go out and look for trouble. Maybe that made him a coward but he didn't want to face any of those unholy things living in their town. They terrified him and he doubted he'd be able to kill them even if he wanted to. People didn't scare him, but these monsters did. "Don't worry, I'm not planning on a new career path." He rested his hand lightly against the small of her back as he caught up with her. "But I'll be praying for one of those fuckers tonight."
It unnerved Charlie to think of hunters in this town. It unnerved her to think that they even needed any. Sometimes it was easier to pretend like nothing bad was out there, even if she knew better. The evil of this town had touched her personally, even if she didn't allow herself to think too much about it. Charlie was just trying to continue moving forward. She unlocked her door and pushed it open, immediately greeted by Baxter whose tail was flapping excitedly from side to side. Charlie greeted him and then shrugged out of her coat to hang. "You know where the shower is, if you want to take one. I think I have some of your clothes in the dryer. I'll go downstairs and check."
Gavin intended on taking a shower and brushing his teeth, if not for his sake then for hers. "You're a lifesaver," he murmured as he kicked off his shoes, then settled his hand on her waist and tugged her closer for a quick kiss on the cheek. "If there's no clothes then I'll stop by my place before work, don't worry about it." He could lounge around in a towel for a while, Charlie's place was quickly beginning to feel like a second home to him - and one that didn't have his teenage kids roaming around. "Hey Baxter," he murmured then, reaching down to ruffle the dog's fur gently. Maybe the dog was a small part of why Charlie's house was starting to feel so familiar, no house was a real home without a dog.
Charlie smiled a bit at the kiss on her cheek and Baxter seemed pretty happy with the attention Gavin was giving him. "If I don't have any clean clothes for you I can run what you're wearing through a quick wash," she said. It felt like she should know how to be more helpful but all she could do at the moment was try to take care of him. Food. Laundry. Maybe it was inadequate but she liked to think if Gavin needed more from her he would say so. Then again, he didn't say much, so Charlie wasn't really sure if what she was doing was enough. "Take your time," she told Gavin, moving away to head for the kitchen. Baxter pulled away from Gavin and trotted after her, eager to be let outside for a bit.
Gavin would have felt mildly exasperated if he read minds, what she was doing was more than what he felt like he deserved, maybe even more than what he needed. Without her he'd likely be in his truck or at the bar, drinking and feeling miserable. More miserable at least, he did feel plenty miserable but she was making it easier to bear. "Don't worry about it," he said with a little handwave before heading up. His clothes weren't too bad and he'd only really need to wear them for the short drive home. He felt a little more human when he came back down in just a towel, clean now and hungry, the smell of coffee reminding him he should eat something. He still wanted a stiff drink but the hot shower had helped and really, food and coffee were going to be more helpful to him at the moment. He helped himself to a cup and these days he felt well enough at home to help himself to some food too before heading for the living room to find Charlie.
Charlie had found his clothes, and yes they were dry, so she folded them and brought them up from the basement. It was kind of nice doing someone else's laundry again. Not that laundry was ever fun, but for a long time after her divorce she had missed separating Drew's clothes from her own after pulling them from the dryer. There weren't many things in her house that belonged to Gavin, but she liked having a few things of his scattered around. She had her own cup of coffee and was checking her phone when Gavin appeared. "Hey," she said with a small smile, setting her phone down on the coffee table. "Are you feeling any better?"
"Yeah a bit," Gavin replied. "More human at least." He leaned over where she was sitting and stole a kiss, not terribly fussed about being half naked in her living room. Gavin was ashamed of a lot of things in his life but his body wasn't one of them, even after the accident, it was just another scar and that scar had since been mostly covered up with more tattoos. "I was thinking about what kind of tattoo you'd get if you ever got one," he muttered and yes, he'd been thinking about that in the shower with all the details involved. "I could see you with a realistic flower type, maybe on your hip?" He liked that idea a lot and the smile said as much but his priority was still protective tattooing so that didn't quite work. "Those little ones, blue or violet or whatever." He could picture it in his mind but there was no way he could remember anything but the most basic flower names.
Charlie didn't mind the half-naked part either. She loved being able to appreciate Gavin's body, even if she wasn't touching and kissing it at the time. When he mentioned the tattoo, Charlie arched a dark brow and lifted her coffee. "A flower tattoo on my hip?" She couldn't help but grin a little before sipping her coffee. "Little blue or violet ones... verbena? Petunias? What about a giant rose on the small of my back?" She knew they were called tramp stamps, but she imagined Gavin knew that too. She was mostly teasing him now, but she thought it was cute he was trying to picture her with a flower tattoo. It seemed so feminine to her, but that was likely how Gavin saw her, and that was okay. "Which of your tattoos are protective?"
"Do I look like I know the names of flowers?" Gavin said with a little titter, amused by her antics. She would never get a tramp stamp, of that he was certain. "One of those little blue ones," he said with a shrug and started looking over his own body. Most of his tattoos were protective in some way, even if they weren't magical. There were the Christian ones, the phrases, the crucifix, the virgin, the rosary. Even his children's birthdays felt protective in a way he couldn't explain. He located the real proper ones, the symbols designed for him by a witch, the ones Mila's entity had most likely been put off by. "These here," he said, lightly touching each one. "And this is the scar he left me." He ran his finger over the small indentation in the middle of his chest and it was so strange to think about how much it had hurt the night before.
Charlie decided not to point out to Gavin that there were a lot of little blue flowers. She had no plans on getting a tattoo at the moment, so it was sort of a moot point. It was still slightly amusing. Maybe in the spring she would have him help her plant some flowers, just so he knew what they were called. Charlie's gaze followed his fingers as he pointed out his protective tattoos. She had seen them plenty of times, had even kissed them before, but she hadn't known they were magic. In a way, anyway. Charlie reached out to touch the scar, frowning. "I'm sorry you went through that last night. And I'm sorry you spend the entire night in a jail cell."
Gavin just smiled at that. He knew what she meant and he wanted to say it was okay, that it was over now, but that felt like a lie. "Could have been worse," he said instead and dipped down to kiss her, hoping she knew that she at least made him feel better and that alone was a small miracle. "I just hope I get my gun back," he muttered. "And they don't fine me." Money wasn't his biggest worry lately but it was still a delicate balance he was trying to maintain and with winter looming over them, the secondary business was slow. Even criminals couldn't easily slip through the cracks when the roads got closed. He didn't want to think about that now, he wanted to soak in the bliss of being in Charlie's home and not have to think about everything on the outside for a little while. "C'mon, let's get something to eat, I'm starving," he murmured. "And I know for a fact you have some good food in the house."
She couldn't do much about his gun, but she knew Gavin would pull through this. Charlie felt like a fine was a hell of a lot better than dealing with more serious charges. But it didn't feel like her place to say so. So she smiled instead and nodded before standing. "I definitely have some food for you. Feel free to eat in your towel too. I won't mind." Her tone took on a teasing lilt. There were clean clothes ready for Gavin, but if she could keep him half-naked for a while longer, she wasn't going to complain.
"I wasn't planning on getting dressed," Gavin told her as he followed her to the kitchen. "If anything I was hoping to get you undressed." He didn't often lounge around half naked, didn't often get to do that. He lived with his kids and even without them there he felt like he had to be on guard against some unseen enemy. At Charlie's he felt calm, her house felt safer somehow or maybe it was just her presence putting him at ease. And he didn't have to worry about his teenage kids seeing him in the buff.
"Oh. Well, that won't be difficult." Charlie laughed and started to put some breakfast together for him. Baxter had come back inside and was sitting quietly near the table, watching Gavin with interest. Charlie didn't know if he thought Gavin had food for him or what. But the dog seemed pretty inquisitive of visitors, even ones he knew. "I'll tell you what, you eat some breakfast and I'll go upstairs and take my clothes off. When you're done, you can come join me and I'll do whatever I can to make you forget last night."
Gavin loved that dog. It wasn't really the kind of dog he usually took that special liking to since Gavin usually reserved that for the dogs most other people didn't love as much, but Charlie's dog - because that's what Baxter was now - was a sweetheart and felt right for Charlie. He wasn't close enough to pet but Gavin smiled at him fondly before grabbing the plate from Charlie and settling his hand on the small of her back. "That sounds almost too easy," he murmured. "But I like it." He might even have skipped eating if his body wasn't bitching at him to get some food in, it had been a rough night, he needed nutrition before doing anything else.
Charlie pressed a kiss to his jaw. "Well, something in your life should be easy, right? Why not have it be me." She kissed him again and ran her hand down his arm before taking his hand and squeezing it. "I'll be upstairs." Charlie let go of him and began to walk out of the kitchen before she paused and turned back to Gavin. "You know, I have some laundry to put away, but maybe I can leave a drawer empty for you. You could bring some extra clothes over to keep here. I mean, hopefully for not for mornings after you've spent the night in jail," she added with a faint smile, "but for... well, any other reason."
That suggestion might have sent him running, coming from anyone else but then he probably wouldn't be lounging half naked in somebody else's kitchen. He actually liked the idea because yes, he did spend a lot of nights here. Not all the time, sometimes he felt like he needed to be home just to make sure Amelia was okay, but more than he'd have expected. "No more nights in jail," he said with a crooked little smile. "But after the bar. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." He already had a spare toothbrush there, why not some clothes?
As she walked away it was tempting to skip the food, but Gavin knew he was useless if he did. He was hungry and no use to her without nutrition and he definitely wanted to be of use to her. He needed to give her time to get that laundry out of the way and her clothes off so he could take some time but not too long. A little while later he headed upstairs, looking for her and wondering if she really was naked already or if he needed to stop her from working to get her that way.
Charlie could only hope that there would be no more nights in jail. Thankfully they seemed to have a rather understanding sheriff, though Charlie knew understanding could only be pushed so far. When he agreed Charlie couldn't help but smile as she turned away to head upstairs. It had been a gamble to suggest that Gavin leave some of his things at her place, but they had been together for a couple of months now... officially anyway. They had both been married, and now divorced. She loved him, and even if he wasn't ready to say it, Charlie knew he loved her too. It was silly to stand still when it felt natural to progress.
Upstairs she brushed her teeth to get rid of the coffee flavor and then made sure Gavin had clean clothes folded on her dresser for when he decided to leave. After a moment of thought, she did take her clothes off because she told Gavin what he would find if he came upstairs after breakfast. He would have to go home eventually so Charlie figured it was only fair that she get to cling to whatever time she had with him before he had to go.
She was peeling off the last of her clothing when Gavin walked in and it struck him - not for the first time - just how much more graceful women were when getting undressed. Of course that was his opinion as a straight man, but he found it hard to believe anyone would refute it. There was just something so fluid about it and the shape of her body sure as hell didn't hurt that visual. "You're always true to your word," he murmured as he closed the distance between them, hands settled on her waist as he pulled her in closer. "I like that." He dipped down to kiss her, just light and brief at first and now he really wished he didn't have to leave at all.
Charlie smiled against his mouth and slipped her arms around his neck. Not for the first time Charlie was struck by just how different Gavin was to her ex-husband. She didn't spend much time comparing the two, because that was a silly, pointless thing to do, but whenever Gavin kissed her, Charlie was so acutely aware of how wrong she had been about Drew, once believing he had been made for her. The soft kiss was lovely, but she wanted more so Charlie kissed him again, deeper this time, just to get lost in the feeling for a moment. There was always something going on that Charlie couldn't help but try to hang onto any time she had Gavin to herself.
There was so much bullshit on Gavin's mind but Charlie helped him let go of it all, even if it was just for a few minutes at a time. It was welcome reprieve and at the moment he wasn't thinking about much of anything but the way her body looked and felt against his own. He enjoyed the deepened kiss, wrapping his arms more firmly around her. It was kind of sad to think he'd all but believed he didn't care about sex anymore, it had started to feel more like an obligation, a way to prove he was a man and not something he actually craved - until now. It was also hard not to think Charlie was the one for him, he didn't think he'd ever really let go of his feelings for her, despite all the time that went by. Seeing her again had been like a lightning strike of memories and emotions and while they were settling into something a little less scary and overwhelming with time, they were still strong and so much like they had been eighteen years ago. And now he actually got to kiss her, hold her, run his hands over her body and breathe her in. On really good days he even got to wake up next to her. It didn't feel deserved but he'd take it while he could.
Charlie's hands made their wait into Gavin's hair, still slightly damp from his shower. She wished she could give him more of a reprieve than these temporary moments at her home, but Charlie knew he had his own life to live. He had a business and two kids of his own, and neither of those things was easy to manage on a day to day basis. But she could be here when he needed her to be. Charlie lingered against his mouth, simply enjoying the sensation his lips invoked inside of her. She didn't think she felt this kind of tingly pleasure from a kiss since high school. She and Gavin had kissed plenty of times since their first one, and every single one still made her feel so good. Dropping her hands from his hair, she tugged gently at the towel to pull it away from his body. If she was going to be naked, he was going to be naked with her.
That towel had held up well but Gavin agreed it was time for it to go. Gavin grinned faintly when it dropped and pulled her closer to his body, his cock already half-hard, pressing against her thigh. He felt like he could spend hours just kissing her - clothed or not - comforted by the feel of her body and the taste of her tongue. He felt less nervous about touching her now, she'd made it clear enough that she wasn't as fragile as he seemed to have convinced himself she was but he still touched her with reverence, every inch of her body worthy of praise and adoration. He grunted softly as he deepened the kiss again, all that naked skin and soft curves getting to him, fueling a fire deep in his core.
Charlie didn't think anyone had ever touched her the way Gavin did. There were times she thought maybe he was convinced that she would break if he wasn't gentle with her. It made those moments when he lost control all the more satisfying. Caught up in how he was kissing her, Charlie smoothed her hands down his chest, her fingers brushing gently over the scar he had shown her earlier. There was something about his body that really sparked intense heat in her core every time she got to see and touch it. Even when she had been married, Charlie didn't think Drew had ever made her feel this passionate about another person. Moving back home had been done reluctantly, and out of necessity, but now Charlie couldn't imagine ever leaving. Biting softly at Gavin's lower lip, Charlie slipped her hand lower to curl her fingers around his cock, stroking it slowly to full hardness.
Gavin always tried so hard to keep himself in check because losing control was normally a bad thing. Letting it slip felt safe with Charlie, like he could more easily find his balance and he could feel it now, the loosening of his carefully tightened grip on his control as she sparked his arousal. He enjoyed the rush of it for a few moments, kissing her as he grew hard in her hand, then grabbed her by the hips and walked her backwards over to the bed. There was always this thought in the back of his head that he was going to wake up soon, that this had all been a nice dream in the midst of an otherwise completely shitty life. It was only recently that he'd stopped believing that and let himself enjoy the moment without fearing that it would end too soon and he felt a little more relaxed now. It was easy to maneuver her onto the bed and she looked beautiful there, her dark hair stark against the white sheets. Gavin too often felt like he could just stare at her for hours but not now, now he needed to taste and touch her, because he fucking could. Like a billion teen fantasies had suddenly come true despite all odds.
Charlie could tell Gavin had settled more comfortably into their relationship. She had done her best to stay steady and patient, to not pressure him into anything that he wasn't ready for. They had both been burned but Charlie was finding it easier to let go of the lingering pain caused by her divorce. Gavin made her feel desirable and cared for. More importantly, he made her feel good enough, which was something Drew had never been capable of doing. Charlie laid back on her bed, her eyes on Gavin's face and her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She reached for him, wanting her hands on his body again, and to feel his weight against hers. More than anything Charlie wanted to be a sanctuary for Gavin, someone he could turn to when things got too dark.