Where someone loves her best of all
"Charlie!" Miles voice drifts up the stairs to where she lies sprawled on her bed staring at the ceiling. "We've got company!"
"No one considers Bass 'company', Miles!" she hollers back listening as several snorts and a "Hey!" drifts back up to her.
Her mother's voice is next. "It's Aaron and Priscilla, Charlie."
"Is the baby with them?"
"Yes, and we're ready to share his name if you can manage to get yourself down here!" Aaron yells from the bottom of the stairs.
With the first grin of the day, Charlie bounces off the bed, heading for the stairs. Today has sucked and she's refused to take part in it any more than necessary, nearly shooting Miles full of arrows when he compared her to a moody teenager and not a peep from her Mother why that might be, but a chance to see Aaron and Priscilla's baby boy was enough to get her up and moving.
Bounding down the stairs, she skids to a stop in the door way to the living room.
Priscilla holds the baby out, knowing that Charlie will want to hold him as she's been at their house every day to visit.
Charlie had discovered in the two weeks since he'd been born, that there was nothing she loved more in than world than rocking a baby.
Bass watches Charlie's face go soft the second she takes Stay-puft's kid in her arms and stands from where he sits in the rocker. "Here, Charlie," he offers.
She smiles at him as she gently sits down pushing off the floor with her toe.
The adults in the room watch silently as different thoughts and emotions drift across their faces as they watch her with the baby.
Aaron smiles at Priscilla who smiles back with a nod.
"Charlie, if it's alright with you, we'd like to name our son Charles Daniel."
Charlie looked at Priscilla and Aaron, "You're not just doing this because…"
"No, no," Aaron assures her scooting forward on the couch. "Charlie, I watched the two of you grow up. I met you as a scared little girl who sat up every night with a candle in the window waiting and hoping…and watched as you became a strong, determined woman who would kill for those she loves, and while that would probably sound somewhat demented in any other family, it's fairly tame for ours." He smiles looking around at the people gathered in this room who had become his family.
"I'm honored, Aaron. Thank you." Charlie replies with a watery smile.
"As for the other, we'd like for you to be his Godmother."
"Oh, Aaron! I couldn't!" Charlie gasps looking between him and the child in her arms.
"It's a gift. And what are our rules on gifts, Ms. Matheson?"
"You can't give them back." Charlie responds in a whisper looking down at the child in her arms.
"We'd also like your opinion on who the Godfather should be." Priscilla spoke up with a smile. "We have a few people in mind…"
"Bass." Charlie said interrupting her without hesitation.
"Wait, What?" Miles said pushing off the wall looking between Charlie and Bass in confusion.
"Now, Charlie." Bass says with an uncomfortable chuckle, "Why don't we take a minute and talk about this."
"Uh uh, don't need to." Charlie says looking up at him from where she sits in the chair. "You're the only reason I'm alive and if you took that good of care of me, imagine what you'll do for Little Pitt." They share an amused smiled at the groan Aaron gives at her use of the nickname she had christened the baby with when he and Priscilla had refused to share his name.
Scooting to the end of the chair and standing with his help, she keeps a gentle grip on the baby in her arms. "Bedside's, it's my birthday and it would be rude of you to say no."
Aaron stood with his arms out and Charlie went straight to them. "Happy Birthday, Kiddo."
"Thank you, Aaron, so much. You too, Priscilla," Charlie says holding her hand out to the older woman who squeezes it. "You singlehandedly managed to turn this day around." She says with a tearful sniff. She heads towards the door, calling softly over her shoulder "Your godson and I'll be outside if you'd like to join us, Bass."
Aaron looks over at Rachel and Miles who look stunned, before he's accosted in a friendly hug by Bass leaving him speechless.
"You never fail to amaze me, Aaron." Bass says as he walks out on the porch.
The adults inside watch as a laughing Charlie transfers Charles into Bass arms, a look on her face that has Miles cursing.
"I'm sure she'll forgive you in time, Rachel." Priscilla says trying to comfort the woman.
"No, she won't," Rachel replies sadly looking over at Miles. "Bass is the only person who has a valid excuse not to know that it's her birthday. Look at them. They'll be sleeping together before her next one."
"Actually, I think they already are." Aaron says cringing as Miles shoots him a scathing look. "He's the one that asked me to wait until her birthday to announce the name."
"Son of a Bitch" Miles hisses heading towards the door, only to be stopped by Aaron's hand on his arm.
"What good is that going to do, Miles? Look at the two of them. I realize it's…weird, like really weird, but he seems to genuinely care about her, so much so that he remembered her birthday."
"I think they balance each other out nicely," Priscilla says with a smile as she walks out on to the porch to where Bass and Charlie are sitting on the steps shoulder to shoulder talking quietly over the baby.
Miles sighs heavily looking over at Rachel. "I need a drink," he says heading into the kitchen.
"Make mine a double," Rachel answers following him.
Aaron stands looking between the two couples for a moment before shrugging his shoulders with a muttered, "If you can't beat'em, join'em."
"Hey, Miles? Can I get one to go?"
~Fin~