A/N: Again, everything belongs to Shonda Rhimes. For the purposes of this story, (just to clarify) Charlotte was not raped. The attack never happened. Cooper and Charlotte rent a house together. Please review!

Slowly, carefully, Cooper picked up the ring. He couldn't believe it. He had just lost his fiancee over fourteen seconds. He didn't bother doubting the extent of her seriousness. When Charlotte did something, that was it. Yes, it had been a good fourteen seconds, but it was definitely not worth the price. He pocketed the piece of gold that had previously brought him so much joy, and left the kitchen for his office.

His colleagues had never ceased to step in at just the wrong times before, so why had he expected this to be an exception? Halfway down the hallway, Addison stopped him in his tracks, "What did you do that Charlotte? I mean, she's not my friend or anything, but . . . Cooper! She was crying. You made Charlotte King cry."

Great. Now the world would know. About him and Violet. About him and Charlotte.

"Look, Addison, I can't talk right now. I have to make a house call." That was a straight out lie, but it would hopefully get him out of the situation.

As he walked away, Addison called out after him, "You have some explaining to do, Mr.!"

Cooper grabbed his jacket from his office and headed outside. After sitting in his car for an hour, he finally decided he would go home. Home to where he and Charlotte lived. Home to where Charlotte would soon be. He didn't have any patients scheduled for the rest of the day, so there really wasn't anything to worry about. Except the fact that he had his fiancee's engagement ring in his pocket.

When he arrived at the house, he was crying. He had promised himself that he wouldn't, but he was. One stupid mistake and it was all gone. Fourteen seconds and everything that he lived for had walked out.

Three hours later, Charlotte's car pulled up in the driveway. When she saw Cooper sitting on the doorstep, she contemplated backing out and staying at a hotel for the night. She couldn't let him have the upper hand, though. She refused to let him think that she was defeated, that he had won. He could be as sorry as he wanted to be, but the fact remained that he had kissed Violet. His lips had been against Violet Turner's for all of fourteen seconds. It wasn't even a quarter of a minute, and it was the end.

She opened the door to her car and stepped out, avoiding eye contact with the man sitting on her doorstep. Act like he's a homeless person. Ignore him and he won't ask for money.

Cooper wasn't a homeless person. When she couldn't resist it any longer, her green hues shifted to meet Cooper's dark blue eyes, and Charlotte couldn't help herself but to snap, "Why the hell are you sitting on the doorstep?"

He looked away, and Charlotte silently thanked God. "I left my keys at the office -"

"Good. You can stay at your whore's house tonight. I'm sure she'll appreciate the company." Her words were clipped with anger. Or at least that's what she was trying to convey. But Cooper knew better. Her tone was lined with hurt.

"Charlotte, I - you don't underst-"

"Oh I understand perfectly, Cooper. I understand that now I have to wonder about every time I was alright with you going out for drinks with her. I understand that now I have to think back to every time you were late coming home from work, because you had a consult or a case to talk to Violet about. I understand that you will get off of my front step, you will not talk to me at work unless it is strictly business, and you will leave me the hell alone. I'm done, Cooper."

With that, she unlocked the front door and disappeared within the safe confines of her house. Their house. "Charlotte!" Cooper yelled after her, but to no avail. Even if she had heard him, she wouldn't have bothered answering. She said she was finished, and she was finished. Cooper sunk down against the door, defeated. It was cold and damp outside, but he would sit there until she let him in. Or until he died of hypothermia.

On the opposite side of the door, Charlotte melted into a puddle at the door before she had even taken her heels off. She listened carefully for the sound of an engine starting, but never heard it.

So they sat there. Together and yet completely alone. Back to back. For hours.

At two in the morning, Charlotte finally picked herself up from beside herself and went to bed. She didn't sleep.

At three in the morning, Cooper finally picked himself up from beside himself and drove to a hotel. He didn't sleep.

The next day, Charlotte avoided the morning discussion in the kitchen. She didn't want to deal with everyone's questions and looks, and she did not want to see Cooper. Or Violet. She knew where Cooper had been for most of the night, but after he had left, she could only assume where he had gone. Sympathy sex with his "best friend" was hardly a way to show that he cared.

Managing to avoid him until after lunch, she slipped up and passed by him in the hall. The first thing that caught her attention was her engagement ring around his neck. He had looped a gold chain through it and was wearing it as a display. Proof of his feat. "I made Charlotte King cry her eyes out."

Asshole.

Sonovabitch.

She wanted to pull him into her office and give him a good ol' down South talkin' to, but she resisted the urge. Knowing him, and knowing her, they would probably end up having dirty, naughty, hot break-up sex on her desk. That was not what she was going for.

A week passed. Cooper had had to buy new clothing because Charlotte wouldn't let him in the house. He'd even had to purchase a new toothbrush. She was blowing this way out of proportion. In a way, though, Cooper understood. She had been cheated on in the past, and she assumed that she was being cheated on now. And he'd fucked up.

He'd fucked up something fierce.

Violet wasn't talking to him, either. Pete was nowhere to be found, Violet was a mess, and Cooper couldn't be her best friend like she needed. Everything and everyone around him was falling to pieces.

Everyone knew what was going on, which made things one hundred times worse. They asked questions that Cooper couldn't answer. They fell silent when Charlotte walked into the kitchen in the morning.

Until Tuesday morning. On Tuesday morning, one week after Charlotte had thrown her engagement ring at Cooper, it didn't matter when she walked into the kitchen in the morning. It didn't matter, because right before she walked in, Pete walked to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup of coffee. As if he hadn't disappeared for a week. As if everything was just fine.

Sam, Cooper, Sheldon, Naomi, Amelia, and Addison stood frozen in shock.

When Pete turned around, he gave them his smirk-question look, "You guys look like you've just seen a ghost." Then he walked out with his coffee.

A/N: I'm building up to Charlotte/Cooper. No worries! They will come, but only with a few twists along the way. Hehe... Review! I'll update soon.