Chapter Three: We All Fall Down

"Right here," Charlie said with a chuckle, swiping her index finger lightly along the sheer poetic curve of the lower left cheek of Rachel's glorious ass..

Rachel lay on her stomach, naked, drowsing slightly with her face buried in a pillow.

"What right there? Oh, my brand," she chuckled.

"Oh, so it's all funny now, huh?" Charlie teased, pinching the spot gently.

Rachel giggled and squirmed away from Charlie's fingers. Charlie grabbed her hips and pulled her right back.

"What should it say," Rachel asked, still giggling.

"I don't know yet," Charlie said, clearly quite amused with the idea. She trailed her finger across the spot again. She jumped up and ran out of the room and Rachel raised up slightly, mostly to see where she went but also to watch the pending view.

She heard her rummaging around in the front room then Charlie came bounding back in, naked and grinning madly, something clutched in her hand.

"That better not be what I think it is," Rachel scolded.

Charlie giggled and fell back on the bed. She tapped the Sharpie against her lips, contemplating.

"Don't you dare write on me." Rachel warned lightly.

Charlie leaned down and impulsively swiped her tongue across the golden skin and then rubbed it with her finger. She was in love with this spot; she was in love with this girl. This had to happen.

"I'm serious," Rachel muttered again, snuggling back into her pillow.

Charlie popped the cap off the pen.

"Not kidding," Rachel said sleepily.

She leaned down across the back of Rachel's legs, more for the right angle than anything else.

"Charlie!" Rachel sputtered when she felt the tip of the marker make contact with her bare skin. She tried to raise up, but Charlie leaned against the back of her thighs effectively pinning her down.

"Hold still, you'll mess it up." Charlie muttered, pressing on the small of her back.

"Good god, I have wardrobe changes, you know." Rachel protested weakly and flopped back down.

"Resistance is futile," Charlie pointed out, tucking her lip between her teeth.

Rachel smiled, knowing it was true, but refusing to admit it.

"Are you painting a mural back there?" Rachel murmured after a few minutes and Charlie chuckled.

"I have a lot to express" Charlie explained. She trapped the tip of her tongue between her teeth and went back to her masterpiece.

"Uh huh," Rachel noted.

"And a very lovely canvas."she added, running her palm slowly up the back of Rachel's thigh and skimming it over her ass, watching the goose bumps rise up at the touch. Rachel shivered.

It took Charlie quite some while until she was happy with it, but she finally got it to her liking and capped the marker again.

"Done," she declared emphatically.

Rachel's eyes fluttered open and she swiped her thumb over the corner of her mouth. Despite what Charlie kept telling her, sleep-drooling was not cute.

"What are you doing now?" Rachel asked, confused.

"I'm taking a picture," Charlie said with an excited giggle.

"No. No. No, Charlie, no. You absolutely are not." Rachel said insistently, but Charlie was already scurrying for her digital camera. She came back and positioned herself so that she could frame it just so, catching the best light.

Rachel kept putting her hand behind her and covering herself, but Charlie swatted it away.

After going back and forth a few times, Charlie put the camera aside and stretched herself out fully over Rachel's back, kissing across her bare shoulders and moving her lips up the nape of her neck so she could find her ear.

"Let me," she whispered.

Rachel shook her head.

"Yes," Charlie said quietly.

"No," Rachel countered.

She worked her lips along the underside of Rachel's jaw and then back to her ear again.

"Please, just one picture." she whispered.

Rachel rolled her eyes. Charlie sucked on the soft skin beneath her ear.

Charlie, no." She said with much less conviction.

"Please, Rachel." Charlie whispered, tickling her ear lightly with the tip of her tongue

Rachel sighed. Things like this always ended badly. Pictures had a way of getting into the wrong hands. Then again, it was pretty harmless and Charlie certainly wanted it very badly.

"One," she said finally. "Very close-up. And it gets printed once and deleted."

"Yes, yes, promise, promise." Charlie kissed her excitedly, started to move away, then came back and kissed her a second time.

She picked up her camera again and futzed with the angle and the light and the bed sheet until she was happy with it all and snapped the picture.

"Look Rachel, look, " she said happily, draping herself back over Rachel's body. She pulled the camera viewfinder up so they both could see it.

Rachel put her hand over Charlie's on the camera, holding it steady so she could see.

Charlie watched Rachel's reflection in the view screen as she stared at it. She bit her lower lip as a soft smile spread across her face. Her eyes sparkled and the corners crinkled up.

Charlie had written Still Mine with her initials CF looped through it and a spray of, presumably, blue stars surrounding it all. Beneath it, in her tiny little perfect penmanship, she had written: Til the Stars Go Blue

"Oh." Rachel said softly.

Charlie kissed her firmly on the cheek.

"Maybe you don't have to delete it," she said, still smiling.

"I'll get some baby oil and get it off." Charlie said with a grin. Rachel squeezed her hand.

"Wait, no, don't," she said. "Leave it."

"Rachel," Charlie started to protest.

"Leave it, I love it." she said, still smiling.

Charlie pushed up and kissed her awkwardly on the lips. Rachel turned slightly and put a hand back, pulling Charlie's hair and slipping her tongue into her mouth. She pulled away and found Charlie's eyes.

"Fabray," she husked, sending chills through Charlie. "Mark your territory."

Charlie didn't need to be told twice.

She climbed off Rachel and flipped over on her back and then tugged Rachel over on top of her so that her knees were on either side of her head.

She pushed her up slightly on her knees and brought her lips against the soft skin of her lower belly. She scratched it lightly with her nails and watched the muscles quiver and contract. She swiped over it with her tongue and kissed her way down.

Charlie wrapped her arms around Rachel's thighs, pulling them further apart, and then buried her lips between those impossibly long legs. Rachel grunted and immediately rolled her hips forward.

Charlie snaked out her tongue and licked her firmly, trailing up through her wet folds with broad, wide strokes, weaving side to side, dipping in and swirling.

Rachel squirmed in pleasure and eagerly pushed down looking for more – more pressure, more contact. Charlie pushed up, giving it. Charlie flickered her tongue across Rachel's clit and it twitched. She closed her lips over it and sucked.

"Charlie...oohh," Rachel exhaled loudly and partially collapsed into her pillow. Charlie alternated between sucking and rolling the tender flesh under her tongue until it pulsed rapidly and buzzed to her touch.

By this time, Rachel was on fire and grinding steadily. With one last sloppy kiss, Charlie pulled her tongue down and buried it inside Rachel.

The little brunette arched her back and raised up, forcing Charlie deeper. Charlie flicked and licked, sliding firmly against Rachel's inner walls with delicious friction.

Rachel rocked her hips, meeting Charlie's thrusts. She felt the fluttering tightness in her belly flare wildly all the way up to her chest and she pulled Charlie's hand up to her breast, keeping it tightly under her own as Charlie's fingers twisted, pinched and tugged. Rachel tipped her head back, mouth slack, eyes tightly shut.

Charlie pushed in and held firm, letting Rachel find her own rhythm, but curling her tongue to graze and rub just right with every opportunity.

Rachel's thighs lock on and Charlie could feel her muscles ripple and clench everywhere. She tweaked the hard nipple between fingers and wiggled her hand over the top of Rachel's thigh and rolled Rachel's swollen, hard clit beneath her fingertips.

"Omygod," Rachel groaned out, her body jerking for what seemed like forever. Charlie licked and sucked and nuzzled until Rachel literally fell forward, squirmed off and rolled away from her to stop her and then collapsed into her pillow.

Charlie rolled after her and trailed soft kisses up her lower back, then reached out and traced her fingers lightly across the artwork she'd created earlier. It was damp to her touch and slightly smudged. She ran her palm lovingly up and down the back of Rachel's thigh and planted a soft kiss behind her knee.

Rachel didn't flinch. She was already snoring very lightly. Charlie smiled and laid her head down using Rachel's thigh for a pillow.

Suddenly Finn Hudson seemed very far away and insignificant.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

Perhaps she had reacted too quickly, Charlie thought. Perhaps this situation with Finn was not without its advantages.

She watch as Finn flailed around, a hapless, uncoordinated tangled mess, dangling from the safety harness.

He was attempting to repel down a sheer wall. He had taken less than three steps when something, possibly the weight of his own massive head, tipped him over backwards and he pirouetted flailing and shrieking like a girl until the harness caught him.

Judging from the resulting groan that followed, he'd probably busted his 'nads soundly in the process. Needless to say that was Charlie's favorite part. Luckily there was a video camera rolling and she could relive it at her leisure.

It was just the little things.

It took three of them to unravel him and lower him down. They seemed genuinely appalled at her suggestion that they cut the lines and let gravity do the work for them. She told them she was kidding but they still seemed suspicious for some reason.

He was now sitting awkwardly on an icepack and Charlie had the misfortune of attracting his interest as she packed the loose ropes back into coiled bundles.

"So, what's the deal with you and Rachel?" he asked, because, well, clearly he was an idiot.

"Excuse me," she said coldly, hoping he would take the clue and drop the question. She wondered if he would dare bring up the firework incident. She had him pegged as too much of a coward.

"You and Rachel," he continued simply because he couldn't spell "clue" much less get one.

"You guys are pretty close, huh?"

"Yeah," she said peevishly. "We're close."

"Yeah, you seem very friendly with each other. Like really best friends. I think that's nice." he said babbling.

"Yup, me and my best friend, Rachel," Charlie said. Actually Rachel was her best friend. Okay, half a point to Finn.

"I think Rachel is awesome," he said excitedly.

"Yes," Charlie replied, hoping if she resorted to single-syllable responses, he'd get bored and shut up.

"I think she might be into me," he said with a smirk.

She actually dropped the rope she was winding and it uncoiled at her feet.

"I'm quite certain you're mistaken about that," she said, fixing him with a white hot glare.

Keep it up, Mr. Hudson and I'll tell you how I know she isn't into you. Come on, ask me what I did last night, Finn. Come on, ask me. Charlie got a dreamy half-smile and the familiar feeling of butterflies everywhere just thinking about it.

"No, I can tell when a girl likes me," he said, staring at her intently. "Rachel is hot for me and that's just fine by me."

Charlie was quietly fashioning a hangman's noose about the time one of his merry minions appeared and she scooted immediately away from them.

Was he actually that much dimmer than she had imagined? It just didn't seem possible. He wasn't capable of playing it coy, either. For lack of any better explanation, it seemed he really didn't know that she and Rachel were more than just friendly. Charlie was dumbstruck. So why on earth was he talking to her about this then? It didn't make any sense unless...

Oh my god, he probably thought she had been flirting with him that night and that's why he was telling her how much he was into Rachel. It wasn't to make her jealous, it was to back her off.

Charlie actually thought she might gag.

Now she really felt like a jackass because of the way she behaved. Clearly Finn pushed all kinds of buttons in Quinn. He was exactly the type of guy that Quinn would have hooked into and paraded around doing her bidding. But it was pretty clear to Charlie now that Finn brought out the worst in her as well.

Rachel she said she forgave her and clearly meant it, but Charlie still felt like she needed to make it up to Rachel. Hopefully she could figure out a way to do that. In the meanwhile, she was really going to try and find a way to ease up on Finn. Hopefully he could find a way to not be so... Finn.

"Let's try one, shall we boys and girls?" the stunt coordinator suggested.

They ran through the scene several times. Finn missed his mark twice and either flubbed or forgot his lines entirely or stepped all over someone else's. Had they been rolling tape there wouldn't have been a single useable take.

There was only so much Charlie could do when working with so little.

They clustered around the monitor and watch the playback. Charlie feigned interest. She knew it was going to be painful.

"Yeah, I really like this scene," Finn said, apparently oblivious to the fact that he ruined all the takes.

Charlie rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh.

"I think it was hot when they let Rachel try this earlier, " he explained. "The outfit she wears is like skin-tight.

Why was Rachel doing this stuff? Why wasn't Rachel telling Charlie she was doing this stuff? She already knew the answer to that one. So she wouldn't worry about her. When did Rachel suddenly become the adult in the relationship?

Charlie made a mental note to find a working copy of the script and force herself to read it.

"Not to mention, Rachel has really nice breasts, " Finn said, snickering like a five-year-old. "The way that rope cuts across and you can see her..."

Charlie jumped up and her knee banged against the table loudly and everyone looked up.

"Sorry," she muttered.

She wondered if they could her her teeth grinding in the sound booth over Finn's open microphone.

So much for cutting Finn some slack. By this time she was seriously eye-balling the softball bat leaning against the wall. If he uttered the words "breasts" and Rachel in the same room, much less the same sentence again, she could not be held responsible for her actions.

"I can't wait for the scene where I get to touch them," he said, wiggling his eyebrows and grinning like a hyena. "I'm gonna make sure there's lot of retakes that day. Uh, huh, yeah, baby. Maybe go a little off script, do some serious improvising. Oh, and that ass... Don't even get me started. "

...the fuck?

Charlie took five steps and her hand closed around the grip tape on the handle of the bat. It was a nice solid weight and probably wouldn't kill him either. She turned and... Sam.

"Hey Charlie," he said, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"Sam," she said, jumping back slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Just working," he said, his eyes flickered to the bat in her hand. "Looks like someone forgot to put that back. I'll get it out of your way."

He reached down and gently, but firmly, tugged it out of her fingers. Charlie sighed.

"Rachel still hate me?" he asked easily, grinning.

"She doesn't hate you, Sam," Charlie said, breaking into a smile. "She knows that was all my idea."

"Lucky for me I didn't make any Smurf jokes," he said, swiveling the bat deliberately up onto his shoulder.

Charlie chuckled and met his gaze.

"Tell her I said "hey,"" he said. She nodded.

"Take care, Charlie," he said.

"You, too," she replied.

She groaned.

"Come on, Finn," she said, fairly spitting out his name. "Let's see if we can't get you through a take without the Cirque du Soleil impression."

The blank look on his face was priceless.

She spent the rest of the afternoon with him and really made a concentrated effort to capitalize on his limited natural abilities. By the end of the day he could make the repel without incident. The fact that he couldn't get though his lines or hit a single one of his marks – thankfully that was someone else's problem.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

"You'll be happy to know that Mr. Hudson is quite looking forward to the scene where he gets to touch your breasts," Charlie announced to Rachel during a lull in conversation over dinner.

Rachel choked.

Tina's eyes darted back and forth between them.

Charlie took a fork full of salad and chewed thoughtfully while staring at Rachel and smiling.

Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Well, it's been lovely," Tina said as she started up with her plate in hand.

Rachel grabbed her wrist and she sat back down.

"Stop it, finish your meal," Rachel said smiling. "Charlie's just being an ass. She does this sometimes. Ignore her and she'll stop."

Charlie looked over at Tina, winked at her and shook her head.

"He thinks you have really great breasts," Charlie continued, quirking an eyebrow.

"She does," said Tina, nodding.

Charlie and Rachel both looked at her, dumbstruck.

"What?" she asked with a shrug. "She does." She took another bite of her bread.

Charlie and Rachel both laughed.

"She does," Tina said again. "Right?" She was looking at Charlie for confirmation.

Charlie nodded, laughing, trying to keep from spitting food all over everyone.

Rachel jumped up and hugged her, kissing her on the side of the head.

"Yes, Tina," she said, "I do. Thank you for noticing."

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

The flicker of the television was the only light in the room. Charlie sat more or less sprawled out in the middle of the couch with her feet propped up on the coffee table. Rachel was leaning back into Charlie and holding onto her arm with both hands.

"This is the dumbest show ever," Charlie grumbled, rolling her head back and staring up at the ceiling.

Rachel frowned and looked up her, then quickly turned her eyes back to the show.

"I seriously doubt it's the dumbest...ever." Rachel corrected.

"No," Charlie insisted."I'm pretty sure this is it."

"You just haven't gotten into it yet," she explained.

" Oh right, I'm sure that's it." she said sourly.

"Oh my god, you are such a complete pain in the ass today," Rachel said, shaking her head.

Charlie scoffed.

"Please, you have to get over this Finn thing, Charlie" she continued. "It's childish and annoying."

"Gee, I'm sorry that I find it a problem that he keeps telling everyone how hot he finds my girlfriend and how he's looking forward to groping her in front of the camera." Charlie fumed.

"It doesn't mean anything," Rachel said, her voice raising. "Charlie, it's just part of the job so I don't think you should have a problem with it."

"Obviously not," Charlie said.

"Oh, is this where you go all Quinn and then say something mean?" Rachel said flatly.

Ouch.

"Probably, " Charlie replied, cutting her eyes at Rachel.

"Whatever," Rachel said.

"Seriously," Charlie countered.

"For real, " Rachel answered.

Charlie sighed.

Rachel sighed.

They sat for ten minutes ignoring each other.

Rachel sat with her arms folded, huffed indignantly, tossed her hair at random intervals and pouted.

Charlie sat with her arms folded, lips pursed, rolled her eyes and generally sulked.

Then a promo for a particularly scary movie came on and Rachel wriggled closer and tugged Charlie's arm back around her shoulders.

"So are you looking forward to touching my breasts," Rachel inquired during a particularly dull moment of the episode she was watching. .

"Charlie grinned.

"No," she said, chuckling.

"Come on," Rachel said, pressing herself hard up against Charlie.

"Nope," Charlie shook her head, swirling her tongue in her cheek.

"You know you are." Rachel taunted.

"Not at all," Charlie said.

"Really," Rachel asked.

"Yup, really," Charlie said, trying to not to smile and failing.

Rachel settled back into her show and to Charlie.

"But you think they're nice, right?" she asked five minutes later.

"Eh, they're alright," Charlie said with a shrug.

Rachel pouted.

Charlie rolled her eyes and chewed on her lip.

"Well Tina likes them, "Rachel said.

"True," Charlie agreed.

"Maybe you'd like to be jealous of Tina now, too?" Rachel suggested.

"Nah, she's a sweetheart," Charlie said. "Besides, she's more into me than you."

Rachel scoffed.

"As if," she said, pulling a "whatever" face. "I mean, really."

Charlie smirked.

Rachel watched quietly until the next commercial break.

"Well, if you don't want to touch my breasts," Rachel said. "Would it be okay if I touched yours?"

"Gee, I don't know." Charlie said, staring intently at the television because she was planning on buying a remote-controlled retractable awning in the very near future.

"I'm really looking forward to it," Rachel said eagerly.

"Gosh, that's so childish and annoying." Charlie said with a heavy sigh.

"How about just one," Rachel suggested helpfully.

"Well, I dunno, " Charlie said doubtfully. "I mean, which one?"

Rachel tried not to smile.

"That's hard," Rachel said seriously. "I would have to at least look at them before I could make a decision like that."

"That seems fair, I suppose," Charlie agreed.

Rachel scrambled up on her knees. She looked at Charlie and then hooked a finger in the front of Charlie's t-shirt, pulled it forward and peered down.

Charlie watched her with smiling eyes.

Rachel was chewing on her lip.

"That one's very nice," she said, pointing and then looking up at Charlie intently. Charlie nodded.

"But that one, it certainly seems a lot more eager," she said, her eyebrow quirking. She bit her lip again and glanced up at Charlie.

"I'm having a really hard time deciding." she whined slightly while taking another long look.

"I can see that," Charlie said softly. "No worries," she assured her and Rachel looked at her.

Charlie leaned into Rachel, while reaching down and pulling her legs out from under her and pushing her gently back down on the couch. She hovered slightly over her.

"We can probably work something out," Charlie said.

"You think so," Rachel asked, her eyes smiling up at Charlie.

"Oh yeah," she said. "I'm sure of it."

"Charlie Fabray," Rachel said, softly. "I think you want to kiss me right now."

"Rachel Berry, " Charlie answered, softly, "I think you're right."

Charlie pressed her lips to Rachel's and sank down on top of her, falling into the kiss.

Rachel ran her hand up under Charlie's shirt, groping lightly.

Rachel pulled her mouth away so she could concentrate she said.

Finally, she looked up and Charlie smiled at her.

"This one," she said, cupping a breast. "Definitely."

"Excellent choice." Charlie remarked, openly adoring the beautiful little brunette. She kissed her neck and under her jaw.

"I'm sure you'll be very happy with it. We look forward to servicing you again very soon."

She kissed Rachel's lips firmly again and snuggled up against her while Rachel played happily with her acquisition, as well as a few others, until they both finally fell asleep.

~oOo~

A/N: I waffled about bringing Finn into this equation, but it seems to work for all parties involved. Finn has very visceral effects on Rachel and Quinn and thus indirectly, Charlie. I will try to restrain myself and keep from overtly bashing the character. Also, the Prologue futzed with the chapter numbers and I can see where it's oing to get confusing eventually. So, I'm switching over to chapter names instead of numbers.