Disclaimer: it all belongs to Stephenie Meyers, I just prefer what I do with her characters sometimes…

-o- Originally written for and posted on Ssherril115's Southern Fan Fiction Review, April 30, 2011 -o-

grav·i·ty (grav′ i tē) the attraction due to gravitation that the Earth or another astronomical object exerts on an object on or near its surface.

Gravity Never Sleeps

by chef diamond heart

He'd always been part of her life.

As one of her brother Stan's best friends, he and Stan and Harry had been nearly inseparable growing up. She had been the nuisance little sister trying to tag along and yelling at them to wait up. Then one day there was a shift in her vision and her brother's friends became a whole lot more than just playmates. Her mother had been so relieved when the "tom boy phase" faded, happily sewing sundresses and helping with hair, only to become a trifle alarmed at the sidelong looks, blushes and awkward flirting that ensued.

Then came that magic summer at the very end of high school, the one she recalled as being endlessly sunny and warm. She didn't consider herself the sentimental type, but every girl should have a first love like that, she thought in retrospect. She'd been very lucky with the men in her life.

What was that saying? Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans? An army hitch for him, nursing school for her; they got busy…and drifted apart. There was Harry—and very shortly thereafter, Leah, followed by Seth. There was also Renée, then Bella, in due course. And yet, there was always that subtle pull between them, like the force that keeps two planetary bodies in orbit. Somehow, he just 'got' her, in a way that Harry, as much as she loved him, never quite did.

Renée, Stan, Harry, all gone now, one way or another; the kids were mostly grown. She had no regrets, none at all, but there was that other saying: life goes on.

She knew that he was watching and waiting, letting her decide when she was ready. That was Charlie Swan's way. His quiet regard had a far greater effect than the more overt attentions of some other men she knew. She watched and waited, too, letting his patience beautify her, basking in the heat growing between them, until…

… … …

Sue turned slowly in front of the full length mirror. She hadn't been able to decide between the blush-colored teddy or the lilac baby doll, so she'd bought both, a breathtaking extravagance. Being a single mom meant that every penny had to be stretched to the limit, but this was a special occasion. Very special.

Each lacy, and not too sheer, ensemble concealed what she thought of as figure flaws, but discouragingly revealed others. At least she hadn't gotten fat—trotting along miles of hospital corridors had its upside— but she wasn't eighteen anymore, that was for sure. Oh well, neither was Charlie. Come to think of it, she'd noticed him squinting a bit over paperwork lately and moving his chair closer to the TV when he thought no one was looking. That would help.

Candlelight always did wonders for a woman, too. Candlelight and myopia. It sounded like an Alfred Hitchcock movie or the name of a band, maybe. She must be more nervous than she'd thought to have such random ideas floating around in her head.

Just why was she so anxious? It was Charlie. She held up the baby doll in front of her, looking at her reflection critically. Sue knew the talk about him, how could she not? He dated sporadically, but never seriously; she overheard the speculations, and more, from the other nurses at the hospital. His reputation was…good, something Sue could easily believe. Occasionally, the four of them, she and Harry, Charlie and whoever, went out together, but no relationship ever seemed to take. The consensus was that he still carried a torch for his ex-wife, but Sue didn't think that was true, merely convenient. When asked, Charlie would just say nonchalantly that he was too choosy for his own good.

Self-doubt took the opportunity to whisper in her brain that it had been a very long time since she'd been with a man, even Harry. How would she—Sue resolutely cut off the uncomfortable thought.

A wolf whistle sounded from the partially open bedroom door. "Wow, Mom!" Startled from her reverie, Sue turned to see Leah lounging against the door jamb, giving her a knowing look. "Tonight's your, um, date with Charlie, right?"

Ridiculously, Sue found herself blushing. It was hardly as though Leah didn't know about such things, but they'd never had the kind of easy, confiding relationship that she'd often envied in other moms and daughters. Anyway, children, even grown ones, can't see their parents as sexual beings.

A mother didn't have favorites, of course, but she'd always been closer to Seth, while Leah had definitely been Daddy's girl. In fact, she'd been suppressing a low level anxiety about her daughter's reaction to her decision to move on.

It's been over a year, Sue Clearwater! She told herself. You have a right to a life! Taking a deep breath, she plunged in. "Sweetie, I hope…that is, are you, um…" Her voice trailed off.

"Relax, Mom. If you're asking for my blessing, you have it, for what it's worth. I…understand about…being lonely and all." Leah gave a rueful, one-sided smile. For once, she let her cynical façade slip and the light in her black eyes was soft and wistful, instead of bitter. Attempting a casual tone and rolling her eyes, she continued, "All I can say is…watch out, Charlie!"

Sue just smiled and nodded. It was hardly the sort thing she would share with Leah, even if their rapport had permitted, but it was more than just loneliness, more than just missing Harry or simply missing sex, although that was certainly part of it. It was a difficult thing to put into words, even in her own head, but it was intimacy she felt the lack of, that intangible connection between herself and a man, the sense of completeness.

Alone again, she returned to her image in the mirror. Definitely the blush teddy.

Or the lilac baby doll.

Damn.

… … …

There'd been a few touches, some gaspingly sweet kisses, even a couple of dates, or rather attempts at them. For the first time in her life, Sue had wished she lived in a city, where it was possible for two people to go about their private business without being noticed, and interrupted, by everyone.

When, just a few days ago, Charlie said, "This isn't going to work out," she'd very nearly cried, thinking he'd given up on wanting to see her that way, that it was just too difficult. Then he asked her to go away for a long weekend, somewhere that kids and neighbors and the good citizens of Forks couldn't get at them.

"I don't want this to be some kind of furtive, hurry-up fuck, Sue. I want to…make love to you, then I want to fuck you. Then we'll make love some more. But I'm not the kid I once was, so…there'll be some down time in between. That's why I want a weekend." He gave a sheepish grin and a one-shoulder hug that utterly melted her heart. She agreed almost before he finished speaking, glad that the years of friendship, for lack of a better word, eliminated any pretences between them.

The phrases make love…fuck you…make love…fuck you swirled around in her brain, all week, like maddeningly extended foreplay. People kept asking her what she was smiling about; the smile was the least of it. Anticipation roamed over her like a lover's hands, startling her with its power. Her lips would tingle or her breasts ache with wanting, her sex felt full and heavy and…ready as she went through her busy days.

Had Charlie known his words would affect her like that? She hoped so.

She drove the familiar road to town, feeling the silky material of the teddy like a soft breeze on her skin under her clothes. It was another way she prepared her body, and mind, for the upcoming encounter, reveling in the femininity of her secret finery.

They had decided to take her car, an inconspicuous silver Camry, instead of attempting a private get-away in the cruiser, emblazoned as it was with the Forks Police Department seal and motto.

"'Prepared to Protect,' that sounds like an ad for condoms," grimaced Sue, rolling her eyes.

Charlie laughed and said, "Mmm, that reminds me…"

Another preparation. She shifted on the Camry's worn upholstery at the thought, unable to sit still.

He was waiting on the porch as she pulled up. He looked so nice in khakis and a striped shirt, instead of jeans or a uniform. She was glad she had dressed up too, wearing the short sleeved rose-colored wrap dress that was her 'nice' outfit for warm weather. Charlie tossed his bag in the back seat and she moved over to the passenger side so that he could drive.

"So…where are we going?" she asked as they headed south on 101.

"Lake Quinault. I got us a cabin. A very private cabin."

"Going to the lake and you didn't bring fishing gear?" she mocked lightly.

His face lit up. "Really? You want to fish?" He slowed the car and started to pull over, preparing to make a u-turn. "We can just head back to Forks and get the—"

Sue let out a squawk of protest before she realized that he was teasing back. They laughed more than the joke warranted and held hands as they drove along the ocean then into the forest. The desultory conversation faded away as they approached their destination and the atmosphere between them thickened.

The word 'cabin' hadn't prepared her; she'd been thinking of a fisherman's camp, utilitarian and plain. So long as it had a comfortable bed and a lock on the door, she was fine with that. Charlie opened the door with a flourish; she walked in a few paces, then stopped and turned in a full circle, exclaiming, peripherally aware of Charlie's pleased grin at her reaction.

This place was gorgeous, made of milled logs, with huge windows, a spacious deck and an artfully rustic fireplace. There was a sleek little kitchen, a cozy seating area and, in the room's ell, a vast bed. Sue fought down the impulse to giggle like a teenage girl in anticipation.

"I had the fridge stocked with various things or we can go out," he said diffidently, setting down their bags. "There's the restaurant at the Lodge or—"

"The wining and dining can wait, Charlie," she broke in. Her voice sounded rather far away to her ears.

"I-I just don't want you to think, you know…" His voice trailed away.

"I don't." He sounds nervous. She would have laughed, if she hadn't been feeling exactly the same. Taking a deep breath, she said softly, "This has been a long time coming, Charlie, I think we both know what we want."

"Yes, but for me…it doesn't end here, Sue."

The simple candor banished her last pangs of anxiety. "Me neither." The chuckle she had suppressed earlier rose in her throat, "So, now that we've declared that our intentions are honorable…"

There was a fleeting regret for the kindliness of candlelight, but the thought was gone before it was fully formed. Refusing to second guess herself, she tugged at the tie of her dress and shrugged out of it, letting it fall to the floor. She stood before him, in the slanting light of the afternoon sun through the window, wearing only the blush-colored teddy and her high-heeled sandals.

The admiring glow in Charlie's brown eyes turned hot and flinty. "You look like you did at seventeen." It wasn't true, but she didn't care. Being looked at in a certain way did wonders for a woman's self esteem.

He stepped nearer, then nearer still, stopping a hand's-breadth away from her; the electric pulse of arousal that crossed the tiny air gap between them was as potent as any physical contact. Sue couldn't tear her eyes from his and felt her breath getting short, suddenly very aware of her nipples tightening. They hadn't even kissed yet.

Another step. He pressed her back against the smooth surface of the kitchen cabinets; she could feel the warmth of his skin through the crisp cotton of his shirt and the fragile fabric of the lingerie.

He remembered. All these years and he remembered that she liked the pressure of his body just that way, the feeling of surrender that swept her from knees to collar bone when there was no place to go, when his physical immediacy demanded all her attention. The lines of his body were hard against hers, he'd always been diligent about exercise, and his hands were pressed to the cupboard doors on either side of her head while his lips and the tip of his nose barely ghosted over her hair and throat and jaw, inhaling the scent of her skin.

Feeling that she would throttle on her own desire if they didn't move faster, Sue flung her arms around Charlie's neck. Muffled whimpers sounded from her as she landed her mouth on his, capturing his lips and inviting his tongue to engage.

Oh God! Not only the sensuality, but the sheer relief of finally kissing him, after the week—and longer—of yearning made her giddy. His lips were still soft-but-firm, just like always, and their tongues and breaths mingled as naturally as if the last twenty-something years had never happened.

For an instant, she was a girl again, in love for the first time, giving herself to the boy who had completely reordered her awareness of herself.

There was more now though, a sense of deep masculine power that called to her on an unexpected, fundamental level. Sue leaned her weight against his chest, slipping one leg between his. Strong hands stroked her hair and drifted down to caress the smooth skin of her bare shoulders, then traveled farther, rounding the curve of her ass, pulling her tightly to him, against the thick heat of his erection.

Without conscious command, her fingers began working the buttons of his shirt, desperate to lay skin against skin. She pulled his shirt free from his waistband and circled her arms around his naked back. Still kissing, more leisurely now but with even greater intent, Charlie walked them backwards toward the bed and sat down heavily, spreading his legs for her to stand between them.

He pulled at the ribbon laces and then parted the opening of the teddy. His hand curved and filled itself with a breast. The rumble in his throat as he squeezed and kneaded raised the heat that was seething deep in her source to an almost scorching level. His other hand gripped her bottom and he drew them both up on to the bed. Rolling her on to her back and resting his weight on one elbow and forearm, he brushed his lips over hers, then along her throat and further down. Sue shivered at his hot breath as he traced a line around her nipple with his tongue, then fastened his mouth to her and began to suckle, softly at first, then more vigorously as she moaned and arched into him.

"Touch me," she pleaded, and shivered as his fingers deftly moved the lacy strip that formed the crotch of the teddy and gently explored her lips before slipping between them. The delicacy of his stroke on her clit was too intense; she cried out and bucked her mound into his hand, seeking a firmer pressure that would allow the sensations to build.

Another change, far from having the fumbling eagerness of a boy, his touch was now sure and intuitive, guided by her reactions. Sue trembled as her excitement grew and Charlie responded with a gravelly hum, clasping her to him fiercely as the tempo of his fingers outpaced the pull of his mouth on her nipple. This sound of his arousal pushed her over the peak and she sobbed aloud with the swirling, gripping waves of her release.

Charlie held her tenderly as her breathing slowed and the repletion of her climax was stirred by the growing need to return pleasure and for deeper intimacy.

"We're not even naked yet!" Sue exclaimed with a gasping laugh. Her sandals had come off at some point and Charlie helped her out of the teddy, embellishing the process with kisses and nibbles. Perhaps she should have been more bashful, but it seemed pointless now as her flesh burned for full contact. She undid his buckle and zipper then, with a playful shove, made him stand up off the bed, easing his khakis over the swell of his cock, which bobbed heavily as it was freed. Ducking down, she rolled the flat of her tongue around the head, savoring the musky, salty tang and chuckling to herself at his hiss and shudder.

Giving Charlie a smile full of promises, she worked her way back on the bed, pulling him along with her, till she felt the pillows' support behind her shoulders; then with judicious shifts, she arranged him so that he straddled her upper body. Threading an arm through his thighs, Sue lifted herself to nuzzle the soft skin of his sac, inhaling the richly male scent of him. She lipped and licked her way down the length of his cock, searching out the spots that made him twitch and grunt, then revisiting them. She took him in deeply, guiding him to surge in and out of her mouth as she looked up and watched his expression change.

Charlie steadied himself with a hand on the headboard and gingerly extricated himself. "Damn, woman! That's so good it's almost scary." Reaching over to the box on the nightstand, he made a few quick preparations and moved to settle between her legs.

"A-a-a-a-aaaahhh…" the soft sound poured from her throat, growing in volume as he rocked in slowly, filling her with his length and girth. The intimacy she had craved was now shockingly immediate, she had forgotten the sensation of stretching and…accommodating, then such notions disappeared as the primal urge to respond to his rhythm took her over. As they moved together, all her senses were saturated with him, his smell and the scent of their bodies joined, his sweat-slick shoulders under her encircling arms, the coarse hairs of his legs against the smooth skin of her inner thighs, the huff of his breath.

He pulled back, tantalizing her, leaving only his cockhead inside her, moving just slightly, while she squirmed and whined beneath him, then he plunged into her, thrusting fast and deep. As she neared her orgasm, he pulled back yet again, teasing her till she was almost howling with frustration.

"Oh, god, Charlie!" she cried out, weakly pummeling his back. "Charlie, please!"

He shifted, sitting back on his heels and pulling her up onto his thighs. "I want to see your face when you come," he said gruffly. "I've thought about it so many times."

Sue felt a wave of dizzying arousal. What he could do to her with his words! She clamped her legs around his waist as he grasped her hips and began pounding into her. The top of her head was making contact with the headboard at each thrust, but she couldn't bring herself to care, so long as he kept up his amazing possession of her body. His thumb sought out her knot of pleasure, rolling it with ease in her silky wetness.

She was getting close; her chest and face and throat were hot and she knew the flush of her approaching climax was blossoming on her skin. Digging her fingers into his hips, she tried to drag him even farther inside her as she arched against him, while twisting pulses of sensation carried her away. From a distance, she heard herself cry out Charlie's name, mixed with curses and endearments.

His thrusts were growing wild and erratic; fluttering open hazy eyes, she watched as he threw his head back and harsh groans were forced through gritted teeth as he jolted his orgasm into her.

They lay together, sweaty limbs entangled as gradually their hearts quieted and their breathing calmed to normal. Charlie stretched out a leg, then the other, and they both gave a little whimper as they came unjoined. He rolled onto his back with a happy mumble and Sue snuggled into his side, finding that hollow in his shoulder where her head just fit so naturally.

"That was…as good as I remembered."

"Better."

"Yeah…"

Sue stretched luxuriously in the tumbled covers as Charlie got up and made his way to the bathroom, "Wait till you see in here!" Then came sounds from the kitchen, the pop of a wine cork and gurgling liquid, and he was back, handing her a glass. Whispers, husky laughter, caresses that started out languid but that grew in intent; at length, he propped himself up on an elbow to look down at her, a smile playing under his mustache.

"Remember how I said something about needing more down time than I used to?"

"Um, yes…"

Warm lips pressed into her ear, murmuring, "Well, I've got something to prove."

The words created an anticipation that billowed from her inner core to her extremities. "And just what would that be?"

The lips were replaced by his tongue, which began a meandering voyage down her throat, around her breasts, to her navel. Her heartbeat began picking up again. Once there, Charlie laid a hand on the subtle curve of her belly and rested his chin on it, smiling up at her. "Some parts of me are just as good as they ever were…"

The downward journey began again.

"Oohh…Charlie!"

-o-o-o-o-o-

A very different look at a couple of familiar characters…

It struck me that in the Saga we only have Bella's impressions of the adults and, like any teenager, she's pretty absorbed in her own concerns. One would expect that a whole lot more had happened, and was happening, in their lives than she was aware. Sue is quite apt in her observation about children's view of their parents!

Thanks, as always, to leelator & sfiddy, who are wa-a-ay more than beta and pre-reader!