Pairing: Charity & Vanessa
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine, just playing games with them.
Summary: Part five of a series of one shots, prompted by memories-and-musings on tumblr, filling in the lack of Vanity (there is no Vanessa this week) going forward in the Ketamine story line.
Vanessa comes to Charity's rescue when it comes to babysitting duty.
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Charity was going to kill Chas.
She understood that her cousin wanted and probably needed to go to the family meeting and try to figure out a solution to the 'Liv situation'. She had also been glad she had an excuse to avoid it as she was quite pissed off with the young Dingle. Charity was sympathetic to Lisa's decision, especially as Liv had come into her home to steal alcohol from her and then compounded it by stealing from her girlfriend. Vanessa's career was on the line due to Liv and Gabby's actions and Lisa could have died. Chas nor Aaron would enjoy hearing her opinion, so she was happy to stay out of it.
What she wasn't happy about was the fact Chas had allowed bloody Rebecca behind the bar with her. Sure, Charity felt sorry for the woman's predicament, but that didn't mean she wanted someone who was like bloody zombie serving her customers.
If she didn't have Moses today, then she could have handled it alone, but she was having to balance work with the toddler who was currently playing in the corridor behind her. He was sat on a blanket, playing with a range of sensory toys and his dinosaurs. Charity wasn't sure who had her more on edge, the blank woman behind the bar or the cheeky toddler who wasn't due to go to bed for hours yet.
Chas better get back pretty sharpish.
The door to the pub opened and Charity looked up hopefully. It wasn't Chas, but Charity still found herself grinning like an idiot. Vanessa Woodfield strolled in, her own toddler Johnny in her arms, and headed straight to the bar.
"Hi babe" the landlady greeted her girlfriend, "and hello little fella."
Vanessa smiled brightly at her, like she'd done something wonderful when acknowledging the toddler. Said toddler looked equally pleased to see her and waved his hand excitedly in her direction. Charity leant as far over the bar as she physically could and interlinked her fingers with his.
"Cha-ty" Johnny gurgled.
Ness leant over from the other side and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. Charity had almost forgotten that she was not alone behind the bar until a monotone voice droned out from just behind her.
"That's cute" Rebecca stated.
Vanessa smiled politely but looked totally baffled by the woman's presence behind the bar. Rebecca didn't seem to notice and walked away, heading around the bar and into the main body of the pub to collect the empties. Vanessa followed the other woman's movements with her eyes before looking back at Charity with a raised eyebrow.
"Don't ask" Charity grunted.
Vanessa didn't say anything, she didn't have to. Her facial expression and the silence drew an explanation out of the landlady without further prompting.
"Chas has gone to try and sort out Liv and for some reason she thought THAT would be a good idea" Charity whined.
Vanessa obviously saw no logic in the choice either but didn't comment. Instead she shifted Johnny in her arms, so the edge of the bar was now supporting some of his weight. It allowed Ness to lean a little bit closer so that they were nearly nose to nose. Charity was instantly drawn in by her girlfriend's bright blue eyes. For a moment the Woolpack had dropped away, and it was just the two of them. It was starting to feel like that a lot recently, like they were in their own little bubble, even if they were surrounded by others.
"I thought you had Moses?" Vanessa asked.
It took Charity a few seconds to process the question, still distracted by her girlfriend's proximity. When it did register she took a small side step and gestured over her shoulder with her thumb to the doorway behind her. Ness had to stand on her tip toes to see what she was pointing at but when she did she smiled sympathetically at Charity.
"Ah" Vanessa chuckled.
Charity rolled her eyes at the situation. She never felt like mum of the year, but she felt even worse in situations like this. It was bad enough that she'd had to pass him from person to person whilst Ross was out of the picture, but it was worse when she had to resort to placing him in the access route to the cellar and kitchen, so she could work and care for him at the same time. The doors were closed but she was in constant fear that Vic or Marlon would forget he was there and trip over him. Having Vanessa see him having to resort to playing in the corridor…well that was really frustrating.
"Well we have come to your rescue so go and pack him an over-night bag and he can come keep this little man entertained" Vanessa instructed.
Her girlfriend's words completely caught her off guard and Charity stared at her blankly. They had spent some time together with the two boys recently but this…this was a step up. This was Vanessa willingly taking on a second child after just finishing a full day at work just to make Charity's life easier. It was wonderful and kind…and so very Vanessa Woodfield.
"Oh Ness...you are a lifesaver" she gushed.
Vanessa smiled broadly again and reached across the bar, squeezing Charity's hand affectionately. The taller woman tried to get some sort of a grip of herself because all this lovey dovey stuff was doing her reputation no good whatsoever. When Vanessa was looking at her so earnestly though it was hard to do anything but gaze back at her. Johnny, who had been quite up until this point, pushed one of the optics forward. It splashed bitter out into the drip tray, making Charity and Vanessa both jump. The taller blonde pushed the pump back up and laughed. That was certainly one way to break a romantic moment. It also reminded Charity that her girlfriend would be taking on the mammoth task of settling two mischievous toddlers in for the night on her own.
"I'm meant to be on a close, but Chas seriously owes me after this" the taller woman sighed, "I'm not sure what time I will finish though..."
Vanessa lifted her finger to Charity's lips to silence her and she raised an eyebrow at the vet. The last time Ness had hushed her in that way was when the smaller woman had been drunk in the gay bar and didn't want Charity to try to deny she had been jealous. This time Vanessa reached into the pocket of her yellow coat with her free hand and retrieved a single Yale key attached to a cat keyring. The smaller woman dropped it on the bar in front of Charity without any explanation.
"What's this?" the landlady asked.
It looked very much like a key to Vanessa's house, but Charity thought it best not to presume in case she was wrong and looked like an idiot. The keyring was very Vanessa and Charity had to bite her lip to avoid making any terrible 'pussy' puns. She'd save the dirty humour for another time…preferably when the kids were not in earshot.
"After getting these two to bed on my own I'll probably be asleep by nine!" Vanessa chuckled. "You may have to let yourself in tonight."
The confirmation that it was indeed a key to Tug Ghyll made the taller blonde's heart beat a little faster. She loved the fact the vet hadn't made a big song and dance of giving her a spare house key. This blasé way of handing it over, like it wasn't a big deal, suited Charity just fine.
"You're not getting this back you know babe?" Charity chirped.
She ran her fingers over the key before picking it up and stuffing it into her trouser pocket. She couldn't contain the fact she was happy with the development, it was probably written all over her face as well as in her voice. Vanessa smirked and leant forward, the movement naturally drawing Charity forward too, so they were nose to nose again.
"I don't want it back" Vanessa purred, before pressing a quick kiss to the landlady's lips.
The vet had pulled back before Charity had a chance to react and she instantly missed the smaller woman's proximity.
"Now go fetch that overnight bag for me" Vanessa instructed.
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Chas, who was still fretting about Liv, had finally let her go at ten. She'd made Charity work for it though, insisting that she cleaned all the pumps, drip trays and scrubbed the bar (including the glass fronts on the fridges) until it was spotless. She'd done so (with a fair bit of protest) and had even made a point of wiping the spirit optics and the shelves behind the bar.
Charity hadn't even bothered going upstairs to get a change of clothes for the morning. She had a toothbrush at Vanessa's and that is all she really needed. Walking back from her girlfriend's in yesterday's clothes hardly felt like a walk of shame. It had always felt like a badge of honour when they were technically just sleeping together because others could see that someone like Vanessa wanted her. Since they had been officially in a relationship and encounters were more planned she had taken a change of clothes because she often got ready for the day at Vanessa's. Tonight, she just wanted to get to the vet's house asap, so she just threw her coat on, grabbed her phone and headed out.
The house was silent as she approached it and the lights were all off. Charity was careful to quietly close the gate to the small front garden, creeping up the pathway to the front door. She took out the key, sighing contentedly when she popped it into the keyhole and the lock clicked open. It was daft how happy using the key for the first time made her. A couple of months ago she'd have laughed at herself for being so giddy over something so utterly simple.
She shut the door behind her, flicking the latch on now they were all in the house for the night. It was a sign of how much time she had spent in Vanessa's house recently that she didn't have to turn on any lights to hang her coat up and make her way through the living room to the stairs. She edged up the stairs slowly, avoiding the second to top step which creaked when stood on.
By the time she had reached the top her eyes were getting used to the dark and she could make out a little of the details around her. Her first stop was the bathroom, cleaning her teeth quickly and seeing to other bed time necessities. The next door on route was Johnny's room. She opened the door enough to stick her head around and peer in.
Vanessa's little fella was on his side, facing the door, and well away. She craned her upper body further around the door to see her own son. Moses was splayed out on his front, his head facing the wall. He was also fast asleep, but the blanket had half slipped off him leaving his left side uncovered. It was still quite warm in Vanessa's house, but Charity knew it would drop a little in temperature overnight. She opened the door wider and crept into the room. A quick tug on the blanket covered him completely again and she lent down and kissed his temple.
She made her way back to the door but not before looking over them both again. It was really nice having them both together. It made everything feel that little bit more real and permanent. The pounding feeling in her chest had returned and she rolled her eyes at her own soppiness. Vanessa really had broken her. Or perhaps she'd fixed her. The vet had certainly done something.
Once she'd shut the door on the boys again she headed to their bedroom. Well…Vanessa's bedroom…that she was spending a lot of her nights in. Charity quietly opened the door and headed inside. Vanessa was facing towards her, and she could see the duvet gently rising and falling with her girlfriends steady breathing. Charity's own breath hitched in her throat as a wave of affection passed over her. Vanessa always looked beautiful but there was something about seeing her unguarded like this…it made Charity feel weak at the knees. It didn't matter how many times she watched her sleep (and even during the first time they were together at the pub) she still found it took her breath away.
Charity quickly stripped off her clothes, hanging them over the chair by the dressing table, and climbed into the bed so she was facing her girlfriend. A few strands of hair had fallen over the smaller blonde's face, tickling at her nose, so Charity reached out and delicately moved them back behind Vanessa's ear. The slight touch was enough to rouse Vanessa who opened her eyes and smiled sleepily at her.
"Mmmm hey beautiful" the vet greeted her, voice thick with sleep.
Charity affectionately trailed her finger tips from her girlfriend's ear, down the soft skin of her cheek and traced her jaw line. Vanessa's skin was warm, the heat radiating off her suggesting that she'd been tucked up in bed for a while. Charity had planned not to disturb her, happy to just curl up in bed with the other woman.
"Sorry babe I didn't mean to wake you" she apologised.
"S'ok" Ness sleepily assured her.
Vanessa shuffled closer to her, reaching out at the same time and pulling the taller woman closer. They were pressed front to front and Ness tucked her head under Charity's chin, her lips pressing against the landlady's sternum. The duvet had been pulled up to the vet's chin, so Charity hadn't previously noticed, but now they were closer she felt the soft material of Vanessa's pyjamas against her skin. It was a foreign feeling as any clothing would normally be strewn on the floor by now.
"You're naked" Ness stated, her voice still quiet and muffled.
"I'm always naked when I'm in your bed babe" Charity pointed out.
She could feel her girlfriend smile against her skin before Vanessa started to shift away from her. It took a couple of seconds for her to realise that Vanessa was undoing the buttons of her pyjamas. The vet was struggling because she was so sleepy, so Charity reached out and helped her undo the last couple of buttons and shrug the top off. She had no idea where it ended up or if it had even left the bed, because Vanessa was already shuffling her way out of the bottom half of the set. Once she'd successfully removed them Vanessa curled back into Charity, pulling her as close as physically possible.
"That's better" the vet smiled.
Charity sank into the heat of Vanessa's skin and wrapped her arms around the smaller woman's body. Her girlfriend was right. It felt much better.