Quinn:
I walked out of his apartment with a bounce in my step. Ugh I was annoying myself.
Just never could explain what I felt for Charlie. I felt like a high school girl trying to get their high school crush to like them, besides the fact that I just slept with him of course. He was just different when we were alone, I don't know how to explain it. He's so tough until he trusts you, I always thought of myself as unsusceptible to any form of true love, receiving or giving, but I couldn't tell with this one. There was definitely something in him that had an interest in me, I just hoped it came out more often.
If he knew what I thought about him, it'd be a nightmare, I'd never be able to work for B613, showing a weakness before I get initiated as a true agent.
We kind of blew it tonight, now that I think about it, it was him that made the first move, or first kiss. I made the second initiating our first love making, god that sounds so mushy. Sometimes I wonder what people were thinking of when they named it because everything just sounds... boring. Now I had this reference to it when I was a teen, I called it fonduing, because if no one except for the specific person knows what you're talking about it makes it that much more special. Of course to get to that point with Charlie... was unlikely, but a girl can still hope.
I didn't care that he was 12 years my senior, I'm a grown woman, age is just a number, if you truly love someone... if you think that's what it is, then it all just depends how much that person loves you too.
Now of course, I had to admit, since the moment I met I was attracted to him. His demeanor and integrity stuck out like a thorn on a rose. He was so very attractive, being at least 5 inches taller than me, with muscle packed on like there was no tomorrow, of course men with too much muscle are just overwhelming, his was a good amount.
Somehow he had a sugar addiction, though, I don't know how he stays so fit, he must have a tight fitness plan but I never saw him going to a gym or even eating healthily. Seeing him shirtless today... I was not prepared for that, when he opened the door I almost wanted to reach out and touch the moist, freshly cleaned skin of his torso.
What am I even doing thinking about this. I shook my head slightly. I looked back at the door that I had just come out of.
I wanted to go back, when I said this was a one time thing, I expected him to understand that I didn't mean it, and I think he knew.
I walked to my car which was behind the building instead of in the main parking lot, I think I had the advantage of him not expecting me to follow him so he didn't check but I placed my car somewhere secured anyways.
Plus I saw Huck leaving and I can not let Huck know I was here. Especially when he's going through... his phase again. His phases are on and off, he's become a bit more stable since finding his family, of course Kim is having trouble readjusting to their new life with Huck being so much different. Huck is starting to get it settled, Charlie offered to help with files about his "army training", making a fake scenario in which Huck had to take an innocent life and that had scarred him.
It worked for now, but he's been going to therapy and he really doesn't like that at all. His wife seems to think it helps, Huck plays along with it, pretending that the army was the only thing that happened to him.
He wouldn't dare tell her the truth about why he left them and finally came back, changed and... corrupted.
Kim was a normal person, with an ordinary life. She knew nothing about Huck now, nothing about him was the same, well according to Charlie.
Huck became closer and closer to being happy, with his family in his life there was a little more joy in the way he did things. I knew he never meant to forget about his family, the hole had driven him insane. I knew he was mad at me, first of all for becoming an apprentice to Charlie, but I had a certain set of skills that proved profitable in B613.
Charlie saw potential in me, and I knew why he was top agent, if top agent thinks I'll be good at something that must make it true, right? I had never had a B613 mission to kill someone yet, but when me and Charlie just started working together in training, he set me up. It was exhilarating, I may not have been ready for it, but that's how Charlie got hold of me, in the grasp of B613.
I wish it was official, but I was stuck in the training course. Charlie said I could probably be initiated fairly quickly because I apparently had talents that he had never seen so raw. He's taught me a majority of what I needed to know already, like what parts people like to protect the most, and pretty much the whole of anatomy and how much pressure needs to be inserted on pressure points to knock people out.
I was an apprentice, and he was almost like my Batman, that must be why he always calls me Robin. I had figured it out a while ago but I there was no point in telling him that I had.
He must know I'm not oblivious to these facts. These past months had been so blurry, it had only been four months since I met Charlie face to face, and became property of B613.
Four months since I took one look at Charlie and decided that maybe love at first sight was actually possible. Before that I thought love was just sappy words splattered onto those hopeless romantic pages in a romance novel.
Once you find that person who you think it couldn't possibly happen, then become closer to them through whatever circumstance, you wonder how many scenarios in those love stories have actually happened.
This was probably the most I've thought about it, seeing now that there was a chance for me and Charlie to happen, I just wish I could read minds. I opened my car door and got in.
I rested my head on the steering wheel replaying the night in my head. Waking up feeling secure in Charlie's arms.
I started my car and backed out of my parking spot. I drove off towards OPA. I walked in in good spirits and I think Liv noticed.
She gave me a curious eyebrow raise and I smiled at her.
I sat down at my desk and leaned over to unlock the file cabinet with the code.
I heard a phone ring, it was Olivia's, she had been summoned somewhere by someone.
She stopped in the doorframe of my office, and said, "I'm going out, I should be back soon."
"Is there anything you need?" I asked.
She sighed. "My father needs me for whatever reason so I have to go see what he wants."
"Is he the curator of the Smithsonian?" I asked innocently.
I actually knew he was Command, I've met him face to face, I made the connection, the way he spoke and walked, it was quite obvious.
"Do you need me to do anything?" I asked, I needed something to do.
"I might have a case when I get back, you never know these days, business is slowing down."
I nodded my head. "Seems that the government isn't on fire right now."
"With the President in office for the first year, and finally getting settled in, people are settling down about the election."
"Well hopefully we get a case soon, I don't know how much paperwork I can handle," I said spreading out a pile of papers I had gotten from the file cabinet.
"I understand, it's OPA, there's never a full dry season."
I turned back to my desk and pulled out a file from the stack of papers.
I handed her a file. "Avery Harold, the kid who was hanging around our office, bought a drone today, thought you might want to know he's on our radar."
She took the file, "And this is?" She opened it.
It was a divorce file for between the President and Mellie.
"We'll see about that," She said. "We're going to have a little chat, has Mellie seen this?"
"Came straight to us from Cyrus."
"He's getting impatient," she said with an annoyed tone of voice.
"Are you going to go by the White House after you meet with your dad?"
"I'll have to or else he's going to ruin his run as President, I told him presidency comes first." She rolled her eyes. "The man never learns."
"Do they ever?" I replied quickly.
We shared a laugh.
"Maybe eventually they will. I have complete trust in change, or a hope of it."
"You and me both," I said, under my breath.
"You seem to be in a much better mood, anything new happening?"
"Not really, just woke up on the right side of the bed this morning."
She smirked, "All right."
"What? Do you know something I don't?" "No no, I just know this kind of happy."
"Hmm and you're the same way Liv, should we be worrying about each other's nights now? And who we spend them with." She backed away with her hands by her shoulders and shrugged.
"I'm just saying, happiness looks good on you."
I smiled, "It looks good on you too, especially because you're my boss... but mostly because you deserve to be happy. You're Olivia Pope. Badass Gladiator fighting the world of dog-whistle politics."
She came close to me, "And you're Quinn Perkins, best addition to OPA since Abby, you make it what it is, you gladiate like there's no tomorrow, best in the business."
I stood up and brought her into a hug, and quietly said, "Thank you for that, Liv."
She hugged me back, she wasn't much of a hugger, I knew that much but I don't say thank you enough. "Now I can't keep my father waiting, he's not the patient type."
"I wouldn't expect that from your family."
"Oof, ok I won't take that harshly," she said sarcastically.
I swung my chair back around to face my desk. "Bye, Liv."
"Bye, Quinn." She walked out of the office in that proud walk she had, always seeming as if nothing could touch her, she was definitely a figure for the history books.
I was just behind the scenes, and I was okay with that, I just wanted to be a gladiator in a suit like Harrison hired me to be. She gave me a new life, I had every chance to make it the best one I could live.
My mind wandered back to Charlie.. damn couldn't get him out of my head, this doesn't happen to me, I've gone through boyfriends and even fiancés, one of which was killed in a bombing might I add, I knew that wouldn't last, I was more in love with the plan of marrying my high-school sweetheart than I was with my actual high school sweetheart.
I think meeting Charlie was fate, he never seemed to get bored of listening to me. I talked a lot when we were on stake outs, that seemed to be our main mission, we'd just talk for hours, never losing a topic, and that was hard to do.
I was never someone who talked a lot in school, I was a shy, quiet kid, but always curious. As I got older and learned the ways of people, it became easier, people loved talking about themselves.
Now of course Charlie was different, I didn't even have to try with him I felt comfortable with him, obviously I did or else I wouldn't have followed him back to his apartment and.. fondued.
I don't regret it, he knew how I felt now, and I knew how he felt. I didn't know what was next, I had high hopes, even if they were one sided.
Annoying myself again, I'm not supposed to be thinking like this, I'm supposed to be fearless and have no weaknesses, but now my thoughts were cloudy hoping for a future, a happy future.
It could be ripped away in a heartbeat, but I need to stop telling myself the worst things that could happen and focus on what was to come.
I leaned my head in my hand as I flipped through files. I stopped as I saw a picture of someone familiar. Hollis Doyle, the one who had framed me for the bombing. I hated him with every ounce I had in me.
I told Charlie about how I came to DC and I could tell he didn't like him either, hopefully our paths will never cross.
I looked at the picture. Everything about him was just disgusting, no wonder none of his wives stayed with him, they married, took his money and left.
I closed the file, I could feel my blood boiling. I sat back in my chair and took a deep breath.
He would have to pay someday. I realized my fist was clenched to the point my knuckles were white.
I couldn't stand this, I wasn't able to do anything because Hollis was a political figure, without him around other scandals would come out. Seeing as I was obviously okay with hurting other people I knew that if I ever met him he'd be at my last mercy, that would not be a good day.
I found another file, a man named Eion Holtzer, he was a tall, Danish man who had recently come unto our radar for making contact with a man named Irakovy Solokiy, a Russian spy. We didn't know quite yet as to what the Russian spy was up to, but we had people watching and waiting for him to make a move. Russians were a known benefactor to B613 agents, they were recruited as soon as the contract was signed.
I had always envied those people, but here I am going through the fake ACME process of trust. I had no idea why I couldn't be considered an agent already, did they need a full commitment? Other agents had daytime jobs and were recruited at night, maybe I could be like one of them, I knew I was good, I wouldn't deny it, Charlie told me so, he had full trust that I would make a great B613 agent.
I was practicing behind the scenes though so Command didn't necessarily know about me, but he would recommend me.
He had caught me between the glass and cup when he set me up on that security guard's assassination.
At the time I was pissed, storming out, he had gotten me into a position that caused Huck to pull teeth out. Huck was like my brother, now he was, before I may have had a night with him but after the first I knew it would be the last, and now he's married again to his wife.
I also had Charlie to think about now, and I had high hopes for me and him, even if his intentions are different. Back to him, it always goes back to him, my whole life surrounds him, I work for B613 with him as his apprentice, his Robin, I go to work anticipating seeing his face, his intimidating demeanor, everything he was. I closed the file after realizing there's nothing to follow up on.
I stood up and walked into the mini kitchen we have. I turned on the coffee maker and made myself some coffee. I leaned against the counter and sipped out of the coffee mug. Huck walked by, looking at me then putting his head back down to continue walking back to his office, a file in his hand.
"What's that?" I said standing up from leaning on the counter.
"N..Nothing." He said continuing to walk past. I followed him, a curious glint in my eyes. "Being nosy," He said simply.
"Part of the job, Huck, you gonna crack?"
He slammed the file down on the table, it opened to the first paper inside. A picture of me at the door of Charlie's apartment last night.
My mouth gaped open. "You were stalking me?!"
"I need an explanation, Quinn, this is an hour after I was there."
"I don't need to explain my nights to you, Huck!" He sat down in his office chair and turned it so that he was facing his desk. "And why were you there?"
He turned his head and made eye contact with me, his eyes bore into me. "I wanted him to release you."
"Release me from what?"
He blinked slowly. "What do you think?"
"He can't release me from something I chose to be part of. It was my choice not his."
He looked down. "You may not think of it as a trap now, but once they find out about you and Charlie, there will be hell to pay."
"What do you mean me and Charlie?"
"Don't act like I'm oblivious I know you spent the night with him. I saw you enter, and then exit around 7:10 am. I was given a job to entice him somewhere to help Hollis Doyle."
"Help Hollis Doyle? Why would he need to do that?"
"Hollis Doyle is ex-B613 the first to survive being fired by B613, usually they use other means to do so, as in literally firing people, he was released free because of his political standings, and his access to secrets unaccessible by digital files. He is needed, but he's getting rusty, he took one of Charlie's missions, but realized his muscles don't work like they used to and he couldn't do things properly. So he called the first person he knew would be helpful and asked how to entice Charlie to come and help him because it was his mission anyways."
"Ok… Did he help him?" "As far as I know he went, he didn't know it was Hollis Doyle who gave him the job.
I gave very vague information, only a name and address and he is naturally curious so he went without hesitation."
"Ok..ok..ok.. Why did you keep tabs of me during the night. That's what I want to know, because a gladiator does not keep tabs of other gladiators, plus you bugged my apartment and there was nowhere to go and that was the most obvious choice for me, because he would know if his apartment was bugged or not, he did a thorough check."
"Not thorough enough I assume." He said turning his computer screen so that I could see its contents.
He had put a camera in the headboard of the bed. It was an image of me and Charlie in bed.
I slapped him.
He turned away and ignored the red patch on his face from where my hand met his cheek.
"I have no words for you right now, you have no right to invade people's… MY privacy. I thought you trusted me."
"I trust you to the extent of the office. I don't trust the active government trained assassin with family."
"If I was family to you, you'd trust me, just because you're not an active agent doesn't mean you never were, you prosecuting him for being as such ricochets back at you. If you can't trust me with him, you can't trust yourself with me."
He rolled his eyes. "I'm a family man now."
"A family man who spends all his time at the office and minimal time around his son and wife."
He slammed his fist against the desk. "They're…..normal. I can't do….normal."
"You have to Huck, you can't just write your family off because you joined the wrong career, you came straight from military, got a woman pregnant, married her, and continued as if you never changed. You did, though, quite visibly, and you need to be there for your family like I never got to be with mine. Not a husband and child, but a father and a brother, I was never there for them and I can't be now, don't miss the opportunity. Take a chance at a normal family again. I know you were trapped in B613 and… the hole, I know you can't always act like everything is… normal, I didn't say you needed to, but you don't need to be alone anymore, you have a loving wife and son, a warm home to go to. You don't need to be bugging Charlie's apartment keeping tabs on me."
He shrugged. "I'm just looking out for you… Robin."
I scoffed, "Now you can't use that it has no significance to you so please stop."
He laughed lightly. I joined him. For what it was worth we were like a brother and sister, fighting and making up minutes after the fight.
I couldn't stay mad at him I know he does things before he thinks sometimes.
"I can take the camera out of his apartment if you wish."
"I do, I don't know if I'll be going back anytime soon.. .I mean I…" I stopped myself.
"You… hope?" He said turning his chair towards me.
I was half sitting on the table that was set in the middle of his office. "I mean, when you meet someone and automatically feel a connection you can only hope to spend as much time as you possibly can together."
He smirked, the rarest sight on the planet.
"Can you relate?" I asked.
He turned towards me again. "When Kim and I met, it was my senior year of college, she was wearing a red sweater, with a black pencil skirt. She smiled at me as I passed by her in the hallway on my way to the parking lot. I had to stop and smile and introduce myself before I could pass the opportunity to, I had to learn to conjure up courage to ask her for her name and number.." He stopped, "I'm...sorry."
"No, no it's ok, keep going, I like listening to stories that make you feel happy," I said listening intently.
"This story used to make me sad when my memory finally unravelled. I felt as if I ruined her life by stopping in that hallway, or changing her tire the same day after she was going home. It was fate, destiny. You feel that with Charlie?"
I smirked, I had never really talked to anyone about this, so I didn't know how to answer, "I… I don't know Huck. It's complicated."
"Is it? Or are you refusing to believe yourself capable of love, or happiness?" He said leaning on his desk.
Huck was acting weird, he was more sentimental than he had ever been before.
"I said it's complicated, a one night stand doesn't count as love or happiness."
"Who implicated it was a one night stand?" Said Huck, looking to his computer screen and exiting out of the picture which he had pulled up.
"Well I of course hope for something more, but I can't tell for Charlie, he's a mystery," I said wandering into a state of mind, daydreaming.
I heard someone come into the office. Huck jumped up and grabbed a gun. I followed suit.
I rounded the doorframe. I saw Huck drop beside me, unable to prevent what was happening.
It all went dark. A feeling of nothingness surrounded me. I was completely alone, in a dark, cold…. Hole.
I blinked my eyes slowly open, fluttering my eyelashes as I tried to readjust to the light.
My head was throbbing and my eyes were sensitive to the light. I felt the cold chains around my ankles and looked around. I was in a room with brick walls. In the corner there was a continuous drip of water which fell on the concrete floor.
I felt around in my pockets, they had left everything I had in my pockets. I tried the chains and they came loose. I took them off and felt around the walls. I took my phone out of my pocket. I had service, I looked at maps to see where I was. I was in the same place, the office. But underneath ground level.
Either this was a ploy, or it was very badly done. I turned the doorknob on the steel door. It opened to the parking garage. It was a storage unit.
I was dizzy, I had gotten hit on the head. I looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Huck! I didn't know where he was. I didn't know where to look.
I looked at the time. It had been 12 hours since we were in the office.
I had missed calls from Charlie. I called him back. He picked up, "I've tried to call you twice, is everything okay?"
I slid down against the concrete wall and sat with my knees up to my chest. "I think... they took... Huck."
"What? Who? What happened? Never mind stay where you are I'll come find you," he said calmly, a hint of worry in his voice.
I was relieved that he could read my tone of voice. I was still in shock from the memories of what had happened. I stayed in the position I was in until a car pulled up in front of me.
Charlie got out of the car and ran up to me. He helped me off the floor and assisted me to his car.
I was dazed. I looked down to see blood on my hands but I didn't know where it had come from.
"We're going to need to go back to my place, I need to stitch you up." He looked worried but calm, reassuring me I'd be alright. He drove off to his apartment, not trying to get me to tell him what happened, he was patient.
We walked up to his apartment with a slow pace as he was being careful and wary of my injuries.
He unlocked the door and held it open for me to follow him in.
I sat down on his chair and watched him get supplies all while my mind was distracted, I tried to speak but I couldn't find the words to say. I tried to sit up, I don't like being useless.
"No, no, no sit down. You've got a minor concussion and couple places I need to stitch up. I'll get you the pillows you need. You may need to stay here for a while. Personal reference and for your wellbeing." He said putting up the leg rest from the reclining chair that I was resting in. He left the room and I closed my eyes.
I drifted off into a troubled sleep, I could feel the pain in my head now. I felt a sudden stinging sensation on my head and tried to open my eyes.
He had dimmed the lights so I didn't strain my eyes and he was leaning over my head now, focused. "Whatever they hit you with, it wasn't smooth."
I winced and he finished stitching the side of my head.
He spoke softly so that the noise wouldn't make my head hurt even more.
He came back into the room after giving me a couple hours to rest. He was carrying a pillow, he walked over to the side of the chair I was sitting in and lightly lifted my head. He put the pillow underneath my head, supporting my head so my neck didn't have as much stress from holding my head up.
He walked back out of the room. He turned around and I made eye contact with him. There was a hint of worry in him and he gave a slight smile, reassuring me and himself that I was going to be fine.
I still couldn't think clearly, I was trying to devise a plan to get Huck back.
He left me for a good 5 hours and then returned with a glass in his hand. He sat on a chair opposite of me and thought I was asleep.
My eyes were still closed, but I listened to his movements.
It was dark outside now, the apartment was completely dark and I focused on Charlie's breathing. It focused my mind and helped me fall into another troubled sleep.
My head was throbbing, I heard myself move in my sleep and jerked awake, the motion made me clench my fist in pain. I pushed my hands around the chairs arms and pushed myself so I sat a little straighter in the chair.
I opened my eyes slowly to see that Charlie was not sitting in the chair anymore, I heard a shower running. I got up from the seat and started walking towards his room.
I leaned against the bathroom door's post and watched the man in the shower. His eyes were closed as he let the water run down his body.
He ran his hand through his hair and wiped the water from his face as he opened his eyes. He looked directly at me and I tried to dodge his gaze, but I got caught. He turned bright red and covered his exposed parts with his hands. "What... what are you doing up you need to rest. Your head isn't going to heal if you're up and about. And what is it about you always getting me at awkward times?"
I smirked. "Distractions, I need something to do."
He stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and put it around his waist, he stepped closer to me. He kissed my forehead, afraid to do anything else. "I need your head to heal, there's nothing you can do until then."
"I feel fine, I feel... useless, we should be finding Huck."
He reached up his hand and cradled my face. "I've been searching while you sleep, no luck yet. I'll keep looking, I promise."
I smiled. I reached my hand out in instinct and touched his damp chest. The muscles were stiff and tense.
He leaned into me and kissed me, his free hand grabbing my waist. Our lips parted and he said, "I need to get changed and you need to rest. Your head isn't going to heal if you keep getting up."
I blinked slowly, the light was causing my head to start hurting again. He saw the hint of pain and flipped the switch to turn off the light. Then he brought me into a hug, he gently pushed my head against his chest and I closed my eyes. He kissed the top of my head. "You can lay in my bed if you want to, might be a bit more comfortable for the time being, it'll be easier for those stitches to heal."
I nodded my head slightly but immediately regretted it.
He turned to the living room to get the pillows that were on the chair that I was sitting on before. He passed me in the doorway and set them on the bed.
He started to go back to the kitchen, but I grabbed his arm. "Thank you, Charlie. For whatever reason you're doing this for me, I don't know how I'll be able to repay you." I said quietly.
He smiled, "You being here is a good enough payment." He said under his breath so that it was barely audible. "Let's just get you back to your normal self and then we can figure out the rest." He said simply.
I climbed into the bed and closed my eyes, blocking out the busy street noises that were outside. No doubt Liv would be looking for me, and Huck would... Huck. I needed to find him.. but my head... I drifted off to sleep. I woke up next to a warm body, I turned towards it to identify who it belonged to. I kept my eyes closed and listened to the persons breathing.
It was Charlie, as I suspected, we were in his apartment so if it was anyone else I'd be concerned. He was sound asleep, not worrying about his surroundings. He was facing the edge of the bed, away from me.
My head was hurting less, there's no possible way I could've healed that fast, he must have given me medicine while I was asleep. I reached up and touched my head, I could feel the stitches on the right side of my head, I put my hand back by my side and closed my eyes, remembering what had happened.
I couldn't remember getting hit I just remember Huck being shot. The only other thing I remembered was waking up in that room. Who knew how long I had been there, there were 12 hours unaccounted for.
I gradually opened my eyes again and there was a figure leaning against the door post. My vision cleared as I got used to the sunlight leaking into the room.
He coughed after seeing me look back at him. He turned away, diverting eye contact. He didn't want to admit that he had been watching me sleep but the way that he walked away from the bedroom door I could tell he had been there for awhile.
I sat up on the side of the bed, I pressed against the skin between my thumb and pointer finger, a trick I had learned for helping with headaches. After a few minutes the headache mostly subsided, and I was able to get up from the bed.
I walked to his bathroom and looked in the mirror. I looked very rough. The stitches were healing cleanly and it didn't hurt anymore, only to the touch. My hair was all out of place, my makeup was almost completely off, and my clothes were slightly dirty, from being on the floor of that room.
I turned on the faucet and put my hands under the cold, flowing water. I splashed some water on my face to wake myself up.
I heard a creak in the floor and turned around to see Charlie watching me. "You can take a shower if you want, or I could take you to your apartment and get some of your things. I would like if you stayed here... with me so that I can... protect you, we still don't know who took Huck."
I leaned against the sink as I looked into Charlie's green eyes. "I don't know why you're helping me..." I said simply.
He stepped closer, but stopped 5 feet away. "I..." he started but the words never came out.
"Well I appreciate everything but I need to get things from my apartment." I tried to walk past him to the bedroom but he grabbed my arm.
"Will you consider.. staying?"
I smiled slightly. "Maybe, we'll see." I said reaching up and lightly tracing his jaw with my forefinger as I walked away.
He followed me as we left his apartment and walked to his car. My arm went around his as he helped me keep balance as I still wasn't completely healed and mobile by myself.
We walked leisurely to the car and he opened the passenger seat's door. I got in and he walked around to car to get behind the wheel. He backed out of the parking spot and headed towards my apartment.
"We are going to the right way, right?"
"Yeah just keep going down this freeway and I'll tell you when to turn."
"Ok. So... tell me, you and Huck, are you... you know.."
I groaned. "No, Charlie, he's back with Kim now, he's like my brother I would never.."
"But you have." He cut me off.
I looked out the window. "What does it matter to you?"
There was a moment of silence then he spoke again saying, "I think you know.."
I looked at him, his jaw was clenched as he was pretending to be focused on driving.
He turned towards me, and I said, "I don't know anything about you, you're a mystery, I can't read you."
We stopped at a red traffic light. "What do you want to know?" He said looking at me briefly, then back to the road as the light turned green.
I shrugged. "Quite frankly everything, maybe start with, do you have family? Like distant or any blood relatives?"
"Closest family I have are fellow B613 agents. No blood relatives, left orphaned at 6, had a foster parent until I was recruited by B613 at 17. So Command... er Rowan is like the only family I've ever had. How about you? I barely know anything about before Hollis Doyle."
The mention of his name made me sick. "So no family whatsoever? Perfect for B613 I guess..."
"Yeah no joke, got kicked out on the street when I was 15 because I would torture animals. I guess they thought that was odd for a child, but I saw no wrong in it. Well ok I wasn't kicked out on the street until I used methods in order for the foster care bully to admit he had wronged me... I guess they would call it a bit excessive."
"Just a little bit for a 15 year old I presume." I said.
"So tell me about your family."
"Well my mother died when I was 5, my dad is still alive along with my brother, Bryan. When I was framed for the bombing I was assumed dead by them, neither of them follow politics so they most likely wouldn't have seen me dealing with OPA. I miss them, but if I went back then B613 would people to take away from me. So for their well-being I'm flying solo, the closest people I have is Liv, Abby, Huck, Stephen, Harrison and Huck..."
My voice wavered as Huck's name rolled over my tongue. My hand was resting on the mid-console, and Charlie put his hand over mine.
"We'll find him, don't worry, and you have me, you'll always have me." He said, he let out a shy smirk so that I knew he would be there through it all.
I had never expected him to be the one to help me out in this sort of situation, but if that night together was at all sincere, we both knew deep inside what we felt for each other. If he thought about me in any sort of comparison to how much I think about him then that's some clearance in my mind, but I wouldn't know unless he told me, I don't make assumptions.
"So, you have family but they don't know you are still alive, do they live near here?"
I shook my head also regretting doing that right after I did it. "No they live back in California, that's where I was... transferred from after Hollis Doyle." I looked at
Charlie's hand which was still intertwined with mine.
"What happened to your knuckles."
He looked down at his bruised and cut knuckles. "A little disagreement between me and an ex-agent."
"Who was it?"
He gave me the side eye.
I remembered Huck telling me he had helped Hollis Doyle with a mission on accident. The dumbass Hollis Doyle couldn't handle his own stolen mission, so I couldn't get mad at Charlie for helping.
"Huck told me that you helped Hollis Doyle with a mission." I said calmly, looking down at my right hand which was resting on my thigh.
"I was virtually summoned to, involuntarily, someone slipped it into my apartment and enticed me there. I would never help him if it didn't jeopardize B613, ex-agents as few as they are are a risky business and they are a pain in the ass. So naturally I helped him dispose of the body after he had already completed the fun stuff, a complete waste might I add. I realized he was looking for an escape and once you're in B613 it's like an addiction, the screams... the way the blood seeps out, I don't think I'd ever be able to escape the grasps of it, but I've cut it down in moderation. Then he accused me... of going soft... and I started to think."
He stopped and pulled into my apartment complex's parking lot. "Am I going soft, Robin?"
I looked at him, there wasn't a glint of regret in his eyes.
He made eye contact with me and looked deeply into my eyes.
"You're not going soft, you're just... opening up.. to me. And quite frankly, I want full barn doors opened." I smirked, he returned the smile and released my hand, I had forgotten we had been holding hands and he blushed, he had too.
"But opening up is going soft isn't it? Letting someone in? Not wanting someone to leave your side, that is a weakness, someone they can take away. It's a scary business, but if the person is worth it I guess it could be a strength," he said opening up his car door.
I smiled to myself, was he talking about me? I opened the door to find him standing outside the side of the passengers seat. I nearly hit him with the door.
"Sorry not used to gentlemen in DC," I said getting out of the car.
"It's because they're so hard to find," he said, turning towards the apartment complex, "Which one is yours?"
I started walking towards the steps and he followed. We got to the second floor and he followed close behind, his hand accidentally grazed my butt and he stepped back slightly, afraid of what I might do if he did it again.
I turned suddenly in front of the door and he almost ran into me. "Here we are, home sweet home." I got the key out of my pocket and turned it in the door knob. I opened the door to reveal a recently cleaned apartment which smelled of lavender, but not too strongly.
"It's a nice place you've got here, I never thought I'd step foot here."
"Don't get used to it." I said, I winked at him, as he saw me wink he stepped closer to me and he continued to examine my apartment.
"But I really could get used to this, I mean my apartment is fine and all, maybe it's because it's yours." The soft wrinkles by his eyes made me feel warm inside.
"I need to take a shower, you can wait here."
"Or?" He started, but I cut him off
"No other option," I said, his eyes showed hints of disappointment. "You can help yourself to any drinks I may have." I turned to walk towards my bedroom to get freshened up.
He rolled his eyes slightly in disappointment. "Fine, I'll just sit here and patiently wait."
"Good," I said. I walked into my bedroom and closed the door.
I got a fresh outfit with clean everything and walked to my bathroom, I had recently cleaned my towels so everything was fresh. I turned the shower on and put the water onto hot, it felt amazing to be able to take a shower.
My head wasn't hurting as much so I was starting to wonder if I had a concussion or not, the stitches were holding up nicely, I could tell he had done that before, maybe to himself, or maybe to others.
I tried to shower quickly but I decided that keeping him waiting was the best option, to be truthful I didn't really care if he watched me, or joined me for that matter, but he had already shower earlier.
It had been thirty-seven hours since everything had happened, I slept for the most part of yesterday and some of today, so it was three pm. I finished cleaning my body of any cuts or dirt I had on me and stood there letting the hot water relax my muscles.
I could feel the presence of someone else in the bathroom, I took the curtain and covered my bare body and peeked around. Charlie was once again standing against the doorpost, his signature thing I suppose.
He didn't flinch, he wasn't ashamed of him being where I told him not to be. Maybe he knew I didn't mean it.
I sighed. "What do you want?"
"Nothing nothing, just... admiring. That curtain doesn't really do anything by the way." His arms were crossed and he pointed with one hand but his elbows were still bent at his side.
I looked down, the curtain was close to transparent, I had never really needed to hide myself from anyone in my own apartment. "How long have you been there?"
He did that thing with his tongue, rolling it over his teeth, it gave me chills through my spine, it was the most subtle movement but he knew that when he did it he meant to be enticing, it worked. "I looked in your fridge, you have nothing, do you even eat?"
I met his gaze. "My eyes are up here." I said.
"Yeah but that's not where I want to look." He looked me up and down then looked into my eyes with an endearing stare. He stepped closer and his arms became uncrossed and were now by his side. He smirked.
I stepped back, releasing the curtain so that my body was uncovered. The hot water still refreshed my skin, I washed off the past day.
Charlie went out of the bathroom, giving me my privacy. Respect is a good start, even though I wouldn't have minded if he joined, but my head still hurt a little bit so I didn't want to move too fast.
