The Breakfast Club
Rating: PG-13 for possible language.
Summary: One-shot drabble from the beginning of Ep. 5. Jimmy's POV.
Pairing: Jimmy/Charlie/Abby
AN: I loved the scenes of Jimmy, Charlie and Abby. Jim Beaver, Elaine Cassidy and CJ Thomason, all had such a lovely rapport with each other and I found myself wishing for more scenes of the three of them together. The awkward scene at the beginning of Ep. 5 just seemed to be begging for fic. Although this was not written as a sequel to my previous Ep. 4 fic "Shot Through The Heart" it could occur in the same universe.
Disclaimer: I own nothing here, Harper's Island its characters belong to its creator and CBS. Dialogue in italics, is quoted directly from Episode 5.
...
Even though Jimmy has abandoned his half-formed plans for revenge the second he saw her again, that doesn't mean he can't still have a little fun with Abby. Smirking to himself, he ties a towel around his waist and joins her at the door where she's having an awkward conversation with her father, alternately explaining, and then abandoning explanations for why her father has found her at Jimmy's door in last night's clothes.
"Morning Charlie," He greets the older man with a smile, happier than he's been in a long time. Last night when Abby showed up at his door, seeking comfort from him instead of the always-available Henry, it felt like a small victory, and ended up being an unexpected opportunity for him and Abby to hash out some of their past without audience participation. Charlie can barely hide his smile, and it makes Jimmy glad to know that Charlie still seems supportive of his plans to reunite with Abby. Not that her father's disapproval has ever stopped him before, but the plans that Jimmy has for their future, will work much better with her father's cooperation.
Abby's head whips around at that, and he appreciates the look of open admiration when her gaze hits his exposed and well-muscled torso. She stares for a second and then recovers her speech.
"Wha... Charlie? You call him Charlie?" she asks incredulously, as if she's come face to face with a talking horse, a polka-dotted sky and Santa Claus all at once. Jimmy decides it's adorable.
"She telling you about last night," he says with an exaggerated leer, leaning up against the door to fully display his naked top-half, thoroughly enjoying the adorable blush that creeps up her cheeks as she again insists to Charlie that nothing happened. Charlie's eyes twinkle in amusement at the two of them and this all feels so good, so normal and right that Jimmy doesn't want it to end.
"Don't worry, Jimmy's a fisherman. I'm used to his tall tales," Charlie chuckles, clearly not worried. And he has no reason to be. Jimmy wants so much more from Abby than one night.
Charlie offers a raincheck on Pepper's, willing to let them be alone, and he's grateful to him, and somewhat stunned by the changes 7 years have brought. He has always worried that if Abby ever did come home, his and Charlie's friendship might be strained, and he'd go back to being the boy who wasn't good enough for Charlie's daughter and stop being his friend. Apparently loving the same girl can work miracles. He'd love nothing more than to spend some more time alone with her, but there will be plenty of chances for that in the future. Right now he sees an opportunity he can't pass up.
"No, no, no, we'll meet you there," he says easily, willing to play matchmaker for the man who was once his greatest obstacle.
"Wait a second, you guys had plans?"
That news startles Abby even more than the fact that he now calls her father by his first name. Suddenly he's a little nervous about the explanations that loom in his future. Up till now, he's been careful to be vague about what has happened in the intervening years, unwilling to burden Abby with too much too soon. He's long ago made peace with his choices, taken responsibility for making them and accepted consequences for them and knows that eventually he's going to have to be honest about his poor reaction to her disappearance from his life. It's not that he's ashamed, or even that he blames her for it, but it's a heavy conversation that they're not yet ready for. Maybe right now he can just tell Abby that he and Charlie slowly bonded against their wills because they both missed her, a highly sanitized version of the truth – omitting some assault charges, bar fights, jail stays, and a whole lot of alcohol that preceded the grudging respect the two men have developed for each other.
"We'll see you there in 20," Jimmy confirms, turning from the drafty door to get dressed.
Abby stands in the doorway just looking at her father for a minute, and he hopes he's doing the right thing. But if he can get Abby and her father on the path to reunion, then that's one more reason for her to stay, or at least come back to the island for frequent visits. He wants to take this week as an opportunity to remind Abby of everything she's left behind, everything she's missed while she's been gone.
He goes into the bedroom, and partially closes the door behind him, to quickly pull on clothes. He's up to jeans and bare feet when he hears the door shut, and goes to the partially opened door, looking at Abby. She seems pensive and a little apprehensive and again he wonders if maybe he's pushing her too far too fast.
"You don't have to go if you don't want to," he offers through the crack. "I can go and tell Charlie that you had to get back to the hotel to help with wedding stuff if you want."
She offers him a grateful smile that makes her look even more beautiful.
"No, I think this is good actually. It's a public place, we'll have a built-in referee. It's a good idea," she says decisively, lifting a hand to her hair.
"There's a comb and a spare toothbrush in the bathroom," he informs her, pulling a shirt over his shoulders and starting to button. She frowns at that and he has to hide his obvious delight at this small sign of jealousy.
"They're just extras that I keep on hand in case I run out of things. I spend so much time on the boat, and sometimes when I get back into port, the shops are already closed," he explains unnecessarily.
"There's also clean towels if you want to shower," he adds.
"No I'm okay," she says, picking up her small purse and heading into the bathroom.
A few minutes later they're ready to go, and Jimmy's looking all over the room for his keys.
"You mean these," Abby teases, holding the ring out in front of her and shaking it, then pulling it away from Jimmy before he can grab it.
"Abby," he warns, as he lunges for the keys again and she dances away from him.
"I'm driving," she laughs, again moving out of his reach.
Jimmy stands on the other side of the coffee table giving her his most menacing look, saying nothing, and Abby starts to look concerned.
"Abby, I'm warning you one last time," he says quietly.
"Or you'll what," Abby snarks with false bravado, continuing to shake the keys in front of her.
"Or I'll have to tickle them away from you," Jimmy shouts, tackling her into the couch cushions, successfully pinning her, and going for all her most vulnerable spots, making her breathless with laughter.
Abby realizes a tactical error, she can't keep the keys from Jimmy and protect her vulnerable ticklish areas at the same time.
"I surr...rrrr....rrender...." she gets out between giggles, finally letting the keys drop from her hand. The air is thick and charged, and the closeness of their bodies seems to register on them both. Their lips are so close, their breath is mingling. The room is silent, both of them afraid to upset their delicate balance even a millimeter.
Suddenly Jimmy drops a kiss on top of her nose, and easily grabs the keys, moving off of Abby. He extends a hand to help her up from the couch and they hold hands all the way to the door. As quickly as it has arrived, the tension has given way to this companionable easy silence.
"Just remember, if you drive, I get control of the radio," Abby bargains, running to open the passenger door of the truck, as Jimmy locks his front door. He remembers a time that nobody locked their doors on this Island, but that was 7 years and a serial killer ago. A lot has changed on this island since then.
"I don't remember that rule," he argues opening the driver's side door and putting the keys in the ignition.
"That's because I just made it up," Abby admits, pushing buttons, trying to find the most obnoxious station she can, and settling on polka music.
Jimmy gives her a deadly look, and she quickly switches it over to the country station.
"No sense in punishing myself too," she jokes and he notices her nervously rubbing her hands on her jeans.
"It's just breakfast Abby," he reassures her, and she lets out the breath she's been holding.
"You'll be there the whole time?" Abby asks, a hint of vulnerability in her tone that she's valiantly trying to hide.
"Absolutely," Jimmy promises. "They've got the best pancakes in the state," he adds which earns him a glare.
"Don't worry Abbs, I'm not going anywhere," he promises her softly. It's a promise he intends to keep for much more than the morning. But she doesn't need to know that yet.
"Good, I don't want you to," Abby admits quietly, surprising Jimmy, and judging by her expression, herself as well.
They both fall quiet, listening to the radio, and taking in the gorgeous fall greenery on the island, as they drive. It's not a happily ever after by any means, but he hopes it might be a new beginning.