A Much Needed Vacation
Author's Note: This is a fic request for a friend that wanted something featuring Helen and another character in a romantic situation. I recently rewatched "Monsoon" and I felt inspired to write a romantic Helen/Charlotte fic. I hope you enjoy
Disclaimer: I do not own Sanctuary or any of its ideas and characters.
Charlotte looked up at the ceiling as she tried not to think about how sore she was. The explosions, running from bad guys, and almost losing a volatile substance that occurred yesterday were not what she was used to. To top it all off, she met one Helen Magnus yesterday as well and somehow convinced her to stay. Yes, she initially declined, but after giving into temptation and kissing Helen she had changed her mind.
They spent the rest of the day touring the island and trying to wind down from the excitement of the day. The group dinner that they were treated to by Richard was fantastic, but it meant that there was not a lot of time for Charlotte to speak just to Helen. Yes, there were exchanged glances and the occasional brushing of hands, but she didn't get to talk to the enigma of a woman alone. Apparently Helen felt the same way because as everyone was retiring for the night, Charlotte was passed a napkin with a phone number on it. When she looked up, she saw Helen wink and then disappear out of the room.
So, here it was, 9am in the morning and Charlotte was debating on what was a decent time to call somebody. Looking at the clock once more and seeing that only five minutes had gone by, she decided to bite the bullet and dial Helen's number. As the dial tone sounded in her ear, there was a small part of her that didn't want Helen to answer. Anxiety had always been an issue in her dating life, but somebody as special as Helen Magnus on increased that feeling tenfold.
Suddenly, the dial tone was cut short and the British accent she had dreamed about last night answered with a simple, "Hello."
"Uh-" Charlotte cleared her throat as she sat up quickly in her bed, "Helen? It's Charlotte."
"Good morning, Charlotte!" Helen smiled into the receiver, "I was wondering when you were going to call."
"You were?" Charlotte was a bit taken aback by that, "I mean- I didn't want to call too early. I didn't want to wake or disturb you."
"I've been up for a while," Helen assured her, hearing the apprehension in her voice, "You wouldn't have disturbed me and even if you had, I wouldn't have minded."
"Well, I will keep that in mind," she laughed as she got up to look out her window, "I was wondering if you wanted to spend the day with me today? If you don't want to that's fine, I just figured since we didn't have a lot of time last night to talk about everything that happened and-"
"Charlotte," Helen said softly, "I would love to spend the day with you. I have a meeting with Richard in about 20 minutes, but everything should be wrapped up within the hour."
"Oh, okay. Then I will see you in a bit," she croaked out as she frantically began searching her luggage for something to wear. What the hell do you wear when you're with a woman like Helen?!
Almost as if she could hear the internal panic, Helen said, "We could have a late breakfast down by the shore. Maybe even go for a swim. This is supposed to be a vacation for me after all."
The blush that started to creep up her chest to color her cheeks definitely made her glad there was a phone separating her from Helen.
"Uh ye-yeah, that sounds great," Charlotte grabbed the bikini she had brought and wished she had brought something a little more modest.
"I'll see you soon then," Helen said before hanging up and going through her own suit case to find something to wear. She would have to make a stop at a shop for a suit before she met Richard.
True to her word, within the hour Helen had wrapped up her meeting with Richard ad was now changing into her outfit to meet Charlotte. She had found a plum colored bikini that wasn't as skimpy as the rest and settled on a light white button up shirt and a pair of jean shorts. Pulling on her hat and grabbing her sunglasses, she started walking towards the shore. Charlotte had messaged her telling her to meet down at the shore.
As she got closer, the sound of the ocean lapping at the sand got louder and Helen suddenly wondered why she didn't take more vacations like this. As the sand got thicker, the wedges that she had chosen to wear became more and more of a pain. Deciding to take them off and continue onward, she was soon greeted with the sight of Charlotte sitting on a blanket with what looked like a picnic basket.
"Now this is a truly pleasant surprise," she said softly when she was close enough.
Charlotte quickly stood up and took in the sight of Helen standing in front of her. She looked fantastic.
"You said you hadn't been on a vacation in a while, so I wanted to make sure you could have the full experience of being pampered and relaxed," she said simply, fighting off the blush as Helen looked her up and down.
Charlotte decided to wear a simple t-shirt and shorts with her bikini under her outfit as well, and Helen could just barely see the straps of her turquoise top peeking out. The two women greeted each other with a small peck on the cheek and sat down on the blanket, which was placed under just enough shade to keep them comfortable.
"I appreciate all of the thought that went into this, Charlotte," Helen said as she took a bite of another local delicacy that was provided to her, "I am surprised that you were able to get all of this set up so quickly."
"Well, I will admit that I was anxious about today and gathering all of this up was a good way to keep my mind off of it," she chuckled a bit awkwardly, not sure if admitting to her anxiety was the best idea.
Taking her hand in hers, Helen gently asked, "Why would you be anxious?"
Scoffing at the brunette in front of her, Charlotte shook her head.
"You're joking, right? Have you seen yourself?" Charlotte gestured towards Helen in a general motion, "You are brilliant, gorgeous, and bad-ass. I took a big chance with kissing you and before you kissed back I was terrified. I wasn't sure how you would feel after the fact and then you agreed to spend the day with me. This whole time I have been worried that you would tell me that was just a big mistake. I never thought any of this would happen."
Pulling her in closer, Helen let go of her hands to place them on either side of her face. Leaning in, Helen tried her best to recreate the kiss from last yesterday. It was gentle and not as uncertain as the first. There was definitely passion and a fondness in her touch as she attempted to reassure Charlotte of her worth.
"When somebody kisses as well as you, I don't think you have anything to worry about," Helen whispered against her lips as she lightly stroked Charlotte's cheek.
Charlotte smiles shyly and leaned in for another gentle kiss. Helen must have eased her back while they were kissing because when Charlotte broke away to breath, she was laying down with Helen on top of her.
"What do you say we go for a swim?" Helen asked softly.
Not having the ability to speak at the moment, Charlotte nodded and watched as Helen quickly stood up and began stripping down to her bikini. The plum bikini was not what she had expected. It was simple and generic, not what she thought Helen Magnus would buy, but that didn't mean that she looked any less perfect. When she hesitated in taking off her own clothes, Helen reached in to help her.
Helen watched as Charlotte subconsciously tried to cover up when her shirt fell to the ground and decided to kiss her again. She hated to see people lacking in self-esteem. Here was a woman who was beautiful in her own respect and she was worried about what other people thought of her. Helen kissed her lightly before taking her hand and leading her toward the water.
In what felt like no time, they had spent the whole day relaxing in the water and enjoying themselves as they worked their way through the picnic meals. Charlotte had planned for the whole day and she intended to spend every second of it enjoying Helen. By the time the light began to fade, they were back on the shore tangled in each other's embrace. The sun was setting in the background as Helen pulled Charlotte closer to her.
"Thank you for such an amazing day," she whispered against Charlotte's skin.
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," she replied with a content smile on her face, all anxiety forgotten for the time being thanks to the woman in her arms.
"Not just me," Helen laughed, "you are quite enjoyable yourself."
That caused them both to giggle and not too long after that the residents of the island could see two women languidly making their way back towards the hotel that a certain British doctor was staying in. The next morning, Charlotte woke Helen up early, but of course Helen didn't mind at all.