Here it is, as promised, chapter 6! Enjoy!

Miles held her hand and slid his other arm around the small of her back. Charlie held herself rigid, and Miles opened his mouth, not really sure what he was going to say to get her to relax, when she let out a quiet sigh and leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder.

He smiled slightly and neither one seemed to notice when he arm tightened around her.

….

"How do you guys know him again?" Connor asked as the small group watched the couple lost in their own little world as they danced.

"He and Bass," Danny said, gesturing across the table to where Bass was sitting. "grew up with our dad. Dad's older by about 7 years though." He said.

Stephanie nodded. "She's always had a thing for him though, ever since we were kids." She said and Bass and Connor both turned to her.

Bass raised his brows while Connor frowned. "Really?" Bass questioned and Connor looked back to the pair dancing.

Stephanie nodded. "Yeah, she's had a crush on him since she was fourteen." She said and then suddenly realized who she was talking to. "But you know, it was just a stupid crush, she's moved on obviously." She said with a smile to Connor.

"Obviously." Connor said drily.

…

Miles closed his eyes and leaned his head down and lightly brushed his cheek against Charlie's hair. She sighed again and held on a little tighter. They both knew this was a dangerous game, but neither one wanted to waste the opportunity to hold onto the other for a little while longer.

Finally Charlie pulled away some and looked up at him. "Why didn't you stop that day? On your birthday? You just kept going." She asked him and rolled her eyes at his surprised expression.

"Yeah I saw you, you've had the same car since you were eighteen, I was there when you bought it remember?"

Miles let his arms drop to his sides and sighed.

…..

Two years go…

It was Miles thirty-eighth birthday and Bass had gone all out and planned a big blow out party at their local hangout, the crappy bar up town.

They were still stationed in North Carolina, things were working well for them and they had even been able to settle into a small apartment nearby instead of the base.

Shelly wasn't in the picture anymore, having gotten tired of the runaround that the non-committal Bass was giving her, so the night was sure to have plenty of drink and plenty of women. Not that Miles was interested in that.

He was currently driving down the road, on his way back to the apartment, his current girl Kate, sitting in the seat beside him.

She was saying something, he wasn't really paying attention, but he reached over and grabbed her hand, holding it as he drove.

"Crap." He said as he stopped at the corner a little ways down the road from his place.

Kate stopped talking mid-sentence. "What's wrong?" she asked with a frown.

Miles shook his head and didn't answer his eyes on the figure on the front porch of the little apartment house.

Kate followed his gaze and she raised her brows. "Who is that?" she asked him.

"Ben's daughter." Miles replied, hoping she would let it go, but knowing that was asking too much.

"So what's the problem? You don't like her?"

Miles shook his head. "No, it's not that, it's just…I haven't seen her in a while and last time didn't end so well." He shrugged. "I was very stupid." He said quietly.

Charlie stood up and Miles noticed she held a gift bag in her hand and he swore under his breath. She had come for his birthday. She was a better person than him, but he wasn't really surprised by that. Most people were a better person than him.

He couldn't do this, he couldn't just see her and act like nothing happened. He had done so well to not let that stupid kiss affect things with the rest of his family, but he couldn't do that with her. And he couldn't take the risk of letting anything happen, couldn't risk what might happen to his family if and when things ended, because they always ended. They all, including her, meant too much to him for that to happen.

A car honked from behind him and just as Charlie looked up he made the decision and gunned it. Not slowing down, he just kept going right by the apartment and didn't turn back.

"Idiot." Miles said quietly, but still loud enough for Kate to hear. She looked back at the fading figure of the girl behind them and then at the white knuckles on Miles hands as he gripped the wheel and she frowned again.

Later that night Miles went home and found the bag sitting on the porch, no other sign that Charlie had been there. He picked it up and opened it and pulled out his favorite whiskey and a hastily scrawled note.

Happy Birthday old Man, have a drink on me.

….

Present day…

"Do you have any idea how stupid I felt? I waited for you, I thought maybe you hadn't seen me, tried really hard to convince myself of that, but we both know that wasn't true." Charlie said as she stood in front of him, ignoring the other couples on the dance floor.

"Charlie." Miles started to say, but she held up a hand and cut him off. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be completely ignored, for years, by one of the most important people in the world to you?" she asked him.

Miles shook his head. "No I don't, and I'm sorry, more than you can know, that you do."

Charlie scoffed. "It's a little late for sorry." She said. "You made me feel like I ruined everything, like I broke our friendship over one stupid mistake." She said as she took a step back from him. "I was in love with you." She said, her anger evident in her voice. "And you made me feel like that was something wrong. So you want to be sorry? Don't be sorry to me, feel sorry for yourself." She said before turning and walking away from him.

She didn't stop at the booth, but kept walking until she made it to the door, and she didn't stop until she was outside.

….

Connor found her leaning against the side of the building a few minutes later. "Hey." He said as he leaned beside her.

Charlie gave him a small smile. "Hi." She said.

"So, that was something in there." He said, one brow raised.

Charlie sighed. "Yeah, that was a long time coming, sorry if I ruined the party." She said with a humorless chuckle.

Connor reached over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It's your party, you can cry if you want to right?" he asked with a little smile aimed her way.

Charlie smiled slightly and shook her head. "I don't want to." she said with a shrug.

Connor nodded. "So I take it he was more than you let on?" he asked tentatively.

"No, he was never really more." She said, sadly.

He nodded once again. "I assume that's part of the issue here?" he asked, and in that moment Charlie wished she could love him.

He was understanding and sweet and he genuinely cared about her. She wished with her whole heart that she could feel even a little for him what she's always felt for the jackass inside.

"I'm sorry." She said, completely aware of the irony in that statement. "I should have told you about him, really told you about him, before." She said and shrugged. "I loved him and he…" she shook her head and shrugged again. "I'm not sure what he was thinking, but he disappeared on me and I thought that I was over it until I saw him again."

Connor sighed and dropped his arm from her shoulders. "OK, here's what you're going to do." He said. "You're going to go back inside and have fun with your friends, and with me, and you're going to let him figure his own crap out. You can't do that for him. If he comes to you, talk to him, if not, screw him."

Charlie laughed a little. "You have it all figured out huh?"

Connor shook his head. "No, I just don't want you to be sad." He said with a smile.

Charlie sighed. "What does this mean for us? You and me?" she asked him as she stood up straight.

Connor grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I think you know what this means for us." He said and she nodded. "Yeah I figured. I really am sorry." She said.

Connor nodded. "I know; it's ok. It really sucks." He said and she chuckled again. "But it'll be ok. It wasn't meant to be. That happens.

"Now come on." He said as he pulled her towards the door. "Let's go have a drink and a little fun."

Charlie followed him back inside. She was going to do exactly what he said and forget about Miles and his crap and have a little fun. It's her birthday after all, he wasn't going to mess this one up any more than he already had.

That Miles man...he really needs to get his act together. lol

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