Dear Ice, today is your birthday and this one if for you. Happy birthday!
A little note before we start: I do not own Revolution, this is just a daydream about what could have happened too...
Today's 'guest star' is little Zoë, one of my characters you might have met before in a piece called ' Cupid.' She is Aaron's and Priscilla's little girl. The story is set in Willoughby, after second two. It is a sunny but cool autumn afternoon as we join everyone in this story. Let's go to a small kitchen in one of the houses not far from the town centre of Willoughby...
Care
1.
A Tursday afternoon in autumn...
Charlie got the message from a neighbour who had walked into the small town clinic early morning. She had bitten the last piece of her apple and had then grabbed her jacket and told the new doctor in town she would need ten minutes for a special patient this afternoon. Celine had looked up from a patient file with concentration in her eyes before she had told her to take as much time as she needed with a warm smile.
Charlie feels the cool autumn air brushing her hair and cheeks when she walks up the path that leads up to the wooden house in front of her. The white paint on the wood is slowly fading with time, but it still is a gentle reminder of another Charlotte, her grandmother, who had chosen that colour and that paint a long time ago. It still is a gentle reminder of a place that feels like it is connected to some sense of home in time to Charlie.
Miles and her mother live here now, after they have all settled in Willoughby after the war. She has her own small place. An apartment with high windows where autumn sun can stream inside freely not far from Aaron's and Priscilla's house. Team Monroe lives on the other side of town, close to the one good bar Willoughby has. They are all trying to build their life after life had brought them all to this one path together.
Charlie finally feels she is getting somewhere, there, slowly. Or whatever there is or should be. The new doctor in town, Celine Matthews, family to Joe and Heather, is a strong, capable, taking no bullshit woman with a doctor's degree, a good heart and a warm smile. She reminds her of Maggie sometimes. And when Celine had offered her a job in the clinic, seeing and acknowledging Charlie's skills, Charlie had not hesitated.
That is why she is on her way now, here, today. She puts her boot on the first step of the wooden porch steps in front of her. And through the large window of the kitchen she sees the reflection of autumn trees with branches and leaves against an autumn sun filled sky in the glass. And then she sees a worried Aaron standing inside. But she also sees two Generals and an aspiring General to be in the kitchen before she can see her patient.
Charlie can feel her lips moving into a fast smirk. Her little patient made sure she has a lot of back up this morning. She opens the kitchen door and walks inside.
She looks right into the face of four grown men and a tear stained little face with big eyes and a pouty lip in a princess dress sitting on a kitchen table. Her little right hand clutched in her other hand. The little princes' father is close.
Charlie grabs a little stool and moves in front of the table and the little princess. She is looking up at the little girl in front of her, with Aaron standing next to her.
'Hey little one.' She smiles at a scared and crying Zoë in front of her in a wave of princess dress pink around her.
'Look auntie Chalie..' She raises her hand a bit, where the read of blood is covering a piece of her little hand. Zoë tries to be brave but she is failing miserably as her little shoulders are moved by hick ups and sobs.
'What happened here?' Charlie asks, when she slowly moves some hair out of Zoë's face. Bass, Miles and Connor are leaning into the kitchen counter behind Zoë and when Charlie looks up, it are Monroe's eyes that she sees first before she turns back to her patient.
'Well, daddy kind of told her not to play in that room alone,' Aaron starts with sternness in his voice but with love in his eyes and a caring hand around his daughter's shoulder,' but someone did not listen. Or wait.'
'Well, that sounds like another kid I know.' Miles says dryly behind Aaron. Connor grins and tries to hold that grin back not to piss Charlie of.
And when Charlie looks up at the other three men children behind Zoë even Monroe himself is biting the inside of his cheek not to grin. Charlie then moves her eyes over to Miles as she just throws him a 'really Miles?' look with a complimentary roll of her eyes to the rest of the guys.
'And what happened then?' Charlie asks Zoë as more tears fall on the small wound on her right hand as there are grey autumn clouds in her eyes.
'Well, someone wanted to get another princess tiara out of a closet but did not wanted to wait for her daddy. And then her hand got stuck in the upper drawer of that closet. We were on our way to see you but this little one was crying so hard that when we met Miles he offered to wait here when we ran into him, Monroe and Connor on the street. Because this little princess is a bit scared of the hospital.' Aaron whispers that last word, not to scare his little girl even more.
Charlie looks from Aaron to the men standing behind him. 'And they are still here because...'
Before either Miles, Connor or Bass can open their mouth, Aaron answers for them. 'Because they are all six year olds who do anything to not have to get to work.'
'Well, with a moody as hell Blanchard this week...he is not wrong.' Bass grunts.
Zoë seems to be amused with a whining grown up behind her. Bass is confused by her amusement and wishes he could ask Stay puft for his flask right now.
But then she feels her little hand again and the sobbing starts again. Zoë sobs and then looks terrified when Charlie takes a look at her hand.
'Can I take a look?' Charlie asks.
Zoë just nods a firm no.
'Zoë listen to daddy, we really...' Aaron tries, knowing how much stubbornness already lies in his little girl.
Another firm nod and no from Zoë.
Charlie sees the terrified look in her face. She remembers doctors from a lifetime ago. And she knows Zoë is a lot like herself. She also knows that pushing her into anything at this point will only add more scared to being scared for this little one.
'Listen to me, I will look at your hand. I will just look okay? And I will tell you exactly what Auntie Charlie will do to make it better okay?'
Zoë is not convinced but at least she stops nodding no. For now.
Charlie slowly moves to the kitchen cabinet to grab a clean cloth and some water and some other things she needs to clean and disinfect the wound, as she grabs some aloe vera from the plant on the small table on her right. 'You know, I got into a lot of trouble myself when I was your age?'
The warmth in Charlie's voice and that reveal plus the word trouble, makes a little light shine in Zoë eyes.
'When I was about five I wanted some candy, and my mom told me no. But it was really good candy..'
Zoë giggles a bit through her tears as she forgets her tears for one moment.
'What did you do Chalie?' Zoë is all ears.
'Well, I got on a chair, and then I climbed up on the kitchen counter and then I climbed aaall the way up...but then..when I was almost there, when I could just reach the jar of candy, I kind of fell and...' Charlie moves up the sleeve from her leather jacket as she shows Zoë a little scar. '...this happened.'
Zoë looks at Charlie's arm. Charlie can feel Miles' eyes on her. She cannot look back for now. She is a lot like him, not sharing that much but every now and then, a moment like this brings them back to happier years, to a memory far away where life had been so much different.
'Does it hurt?' Zoë wants to know.
'Nah, it was a long time ago and my dad took really good care of it. I got a really nice pink bandage. It got better really fast. I am fine, and you will be too okay? And then we just have to be sure we stay out of trouble..' Charlie winks at Zoë. Tears are still there in her eye but the fear has moved a bit more away from her shoulders.
Zoë listens to Charlie and slowly starts to stop sobbing. Bass looks at Charlie, as she is dealing with the little kid in front of her and is explaining what she will do to clean the small wound and how she is going to take care of it, step by step. Like she has all the time in the world, without pressure, with that smile of her that shows her dimple right above those lips.
He felt the change in Miles, next to him when Charlie spoke about a life that is now years behind them. He felt the change in Miles and hell, inside himself, when Charlie mentioned Ben for the very first time they way she did just now. It makes his heart raw open and his hands ache for a drink.
Charlie rarely shows something that is such a deep part of herself. She rarely shares something when it concerns her heart. And there is something happening right in front of them that makes his chest feel a bit tighter around his damn chest. Something she is making them all a part of it.
He looks at her again and cannot keep his eyes away from her. She is doing a fucking great job. She is still her and all of her, fuck she is. But she is also so much warmth in this small kitchen that the kitchen is about three sizes too small for her and him in it together all of sudden.
'You will be fine sweetheart, don't you worry, ' Charlie reassures Zoë, 'And you know what's the best part?' Charlie's smile now moves into a wide grin as Zoë listens with interest. She nods a little nod no.
Charlie does not have to look at Miles or Connor or Bass to hear a soft groan coming from the three of them, all of them not sure what it is that is about to happen here in this kitchen exactly, but that a Charlie grinning that wide grin of hers is never good news.
Charlie looks at Zoë, 'When I take care of your hand...and put that bandage around it, you get to squeeze somebody's hand as hard as you can.'
Zoe's face starts to shine again as the smallest of smiles gets through tears when she hears Charlie' words. Charlie raises an eyebrow as she looks at three grown men behind her as Zoë's head turns with hers so they are both looking at all of them, all a bit uncomfortable now.
'Come on...pick one...' Charlie encourages Zoë, her hand on the little knee in front of her.
Zoë looks around in the kitchen as her eyes go through the selection of tall men around her with a serious little frown on he face. She looks at Connor who winks at her. Zoë smiles and giggles back to him but then concentrates again. She is taking this very seriously. She looks at Miles. And then, Zoë's eyes fall on the second general in the room.
She points the finger of her uninjured hand to Bass.
'Bastian...I choose Bastian.'
Connor is grinning behind his hand. Miles is just relieved he does not have to hold a little princess 'hand. And Aaron is about to say something when he looks from his daughter to Monroe as Charlie is pretty sure Monroe will be a giant ass. But then, then he surprises the hell out of her.
Bass bites a small grin away. He knows it is fucking childish but she picked him. Not Connor, Not Staypuft himself. Not Miles. Him. She choose him.
He pushes himself away from the kitchen counter behind him and then moves next to Charlie and Zoë and crouches down before her. He ignores Charlie's knee brushing his elbow, when she sits on the stool in front of the table and he sits next to her.
'You know...that is a very impressive princess dress kid.' His voice has a warmth that reaches Charlie, if she wants to or not.
Zoë beams with pride as she looks shy all of a sudden as she looks at the dress and all that pink around her.
Charlie cannot hold back the smile that is slowly playing around her lips.
'Show me what you got ...' Bass looks at Zoë, offering her his hand. Zoë smiles at him when she does not hesitate and takes his hand with a firm lock.
'And remember,' Charlie winks at Zoe, 'Squeeze really hard all right?'
Zoë nods as she tries to be brave, her little hand now in Bass' hand. Charlie takes care of the wound in just a few minutes as she explains where the cloth and the aloe vera is for. A distant memory close all of a sudden, a memory of Maggie who told the children in their small town where the herbs and plants were for.
Charlie shows Zoë the plant.
'This little plant is going to help to make your hand all better.' Charlie works as fast as she can, disinfecting the wound before Aaron gives her the bandage from the table. Zoë looks at her, then at Bass, then to her daddy and back to Charlie again. But she is never letting go of Bass' hand.
'You are really strong kid.' Bass grunts in a fake sigh of painful agony as Zoë adds a bit more pressure, as he kind of loves the beam of pride in the kid's eyes. This time Charlie has to bite back a grin. Zoë smiles proudly.
'Come on, you can squeeze even harder than that.' Charlie grins at a giggling Zoë who tries to squeeze bass' hand even harder. And then, then Charlie looks to her left and she meets his eyes. Blue, clear, relaxed. He is close, too close. She is sure it took about two seconds to lock eyes with him the way they do know, but time seems to stretch out a bit in between them.
She slowly moves her eyes away from him but is never not aware of their proximity and his scent of something spicy and leather jacket, and his arm so close it brushes hers when she is working on the wound in front of her. She is never not aware of his large hand, so gentle with Zoë's little hand in his.
Five minutes and a bandage later and a little Princess' hand is fine and on its way to recovery again.
'Well, Mary Poppins...let's get out of here...' Miles grins at Bass as he nods to the door. Blanchard is waiting and he really needs to get there before all the good whiskey is gone.
'Oh just shut up Miles.' Bass bites back.
'If you would not curse around my kid, that would be kind of awesome.' Aaron says with a not so amused face as he helps his girl step down from her table, safely in his arms before she demands to have both her feet on the kitchen floor again.
'Look, I got to squeeze Bastian's hand and Auntie Charlie took care of my hand.' Zoë shows her hand with pride to all the men in the kitchen.
'Auntie Charlie will pay for that one later, ' Bass grumbles softly in her ear when he is still standing close to her.
Charlie just rolls her eyes at him but even when she is not looking directly at him, Bass does not miss the short but honest smile around her lips, as he is still standing so damn close to her. Charlie tries her best to be offended but she cannot hold back the smile or that one wave deep inside her belly that has never been there before the way it is there now, when she feels and hears his voice against her neck.
Miles is still mocking him and Bass can see his brother's mind at work and he just wants to get the hell out of this kitchen before Miles can find any more ball insulting insults this afternoon.
But then a little princess stops him.
'Bastian...wait...' Zoë asks as she walks over to him and climbs on the chair next to him. She grabs his arm and her little hand around his leather jacket moves and demands his head closer to hers. And then, she stands on the tips of her toes as she presses a small fast kiss on his cheek.
Bass wants to curse something but against this little princess force, he does not stand a change. He just grins at her, stupidly. Feeling, Miles, Staypuft's, Connor's but most of all, Charlie's eyes on him. It takes him about five whole long seconds before he can look at the little girl next to him again, who is smiling openly and with trust for him and at him in her eyes.
'Thank you Bastian.' Zoë says solemnly and a bit shy all of a sudden. And then she giggles 'Your beard tickles.'
Bass has to grin back. 'Not a problem kid.' Bass swallows and as Zoë climbs of the chair he looks at the very interesting kitchen floor in front of him.
And then Zoë is on the move again, grabbing Aaron's hands and walking outside, on her way to a new adventure after both of them thank Charlie.
'Take care of that hand Zoë,' Charlie waves goodbye at them while she starts to clean up the kitchen.
'I promise, auntie Chalie.' Zoë smiles.
'Thank kiddo.' Aaron nods to Charlie.
'No problem Aaron.' Charlie smiles. And then a princess in a pink princess dress walks out of the kitchen with her daddy, in search of that tiara in that closet in that one room. Leaving another grown up princess who once dreamed about ballerina's and princesses in the room with three grown men.
Connor and Miles are already whining a bit about an afternoon that will probably move into a late night, filled with Blanchard and meeting, when Bass is doing everything he can to not look at everyone else in the kitchen , and certainly not look at her.
Author's Note, Dear Ice, happy birthday, I wish you everything that is love! There is another chapter for this story waiting in my notebook and when I find some time, I will publisht that one as well. Love from Love