Disclaimer: The Rat Patrol is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.

Author's note: This is for 143. Yeah, I probably made her too perfect, but Tully prefers her that was.

Charley Marie

By Suzie2b

It was 2am and Tully was wide awake. He dropped a gauzy scarf over the small lamp on the bedside table before he turned it on. The glow was just enough to see by, but not enough to wake Charley as she slept next to him. Tully turned onto his side and propped his head up in one hand to look down at her.

Charley was relaxed, her breathing slow and steady as she lay on her back. Tully brushed a finger along the angle of her cheekbone and down to follow the line of her prominent collarbone. In his eyes she was perfect. Charley's straight, shoulder-length auburn hair was soft between his fingers and shiny even in the dim glow of light. During the day when working or out on a mission she wore it in a ponytail, which tended to bounce as she walked. But any time they were together and not working she wore it loose. Tully preferred it that way.

Charley sighed but didn't wake as he continued to run his fingers lightly over her soft, lightly tanned skin. Though her eyes were closed Tully knew they were a sparkling blue that he chose to compare to the color of the Mediterranean, with lashes that were naturally long and dark. He had heard Charley referred to as petite and he wasn't sure he knew what that meant exactly, but Tully knew the top of her head was at least two inches below his shoulder and her trim, healthy body was lovely to look at whether she was wearing clothes or not. Tully preferred she not.

He let his fingers push the covers off of Charley as he continued down between her breasts. She shivered and rolled onto her side, snuggling against Tully for warmth. He knew she wasn't fond of the cold desert nights and smiled when Charley sighed against him without waking.

She had a smile that could brighten any room and melt the heart of even the most battle-hardened soldier. However, that smile could be deadly as well, depending on the look in her eyes. Charley seldom wore makeup. In fact, the only time Tully had seen her with makeup was on their wedding day. But, to keep her lips soft in the desert heat, she did wear a very pale shade of lipstick she called "nude." Tully liked the sound of it. He remembered their wedding day with a grin. Charley had looked radiant, but he had to admit that he preferred her natural beauty.

Tully could feel her chest rise and fall against his. Her head rested against him and he could feel each breath as it tickled the hair on his chest. He let his hand move slowly over her arm and then took her hand in his.

Charley took a breath and her eyes fluttered open. Without looking at him, she whispered sleepily, "Can't sleep?"

Tully kissed the top of her head. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you."

He shifted onto his back and Charley rested her head on his shoulder, her right arm across his chest. "What time is it?"

Tully looked at the clock and was surprised that it had been a half-hour since he'd turned the light on. "It's 2:30 in the morning."

Charley slowly rubbed her hand over his chest and stomach. "Too early to get up."

"Go back to sleep then."

Charley yawned. "I'm wide awake now." She felt a chuckle rumble through him and she smiled lazily. "Whatever shall we do?"

Tully pulled her into a warm, loving kiss as he moved her onto her back and covered her with his body. As Charley brought her legs up around him, Tully said with a smile, "Oh, I'm sure we can think of something."