A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry I've dropped off the face of the planet. With college having started back, I've been crammed into quite the busy schedule. For the most part, I've been trying to write when I can and when I've got the inspiration to because otherwise I feel like the story (and plot) declines when I don't feel that need to write.

As always, thanks to my amazing beta awkward-like-grace on Tumblr. She's a peach :D

Chapter 7

Charlie made sure everything was in tip-top shape before she left Allison to go to Maxine's office. She knocked before she opened the door and closed it behind her.

"Hey Max, you wanted to see me?" Charlie tried to stave off a yawn, but to no avail.

"You can't tell me you are already tired out, Charles," Max said, pouring a glass of scotch, "You'll have to do better in order to keep up with the campers. Come on over here and sit, have some scotch, talk with your parole officer…you know, girl stuff."

"Thora?" Charlie looked around Max to find Thora, sitting on a stool and sipping at her own glass of scotch.

Thora made a disgusted face before she set her glass down, "God Max, I never understood how you could drink this. Hey Charlie, how have you been?"

"Don't you already know?" Charlie smirked and sat on the stool Maxine pulled over for her.

"I see your grades dropped a bit at the end of last semester," Thora rubbed her hands together.

"Just stress," Charlie waved a hand at Max's mixed expression of anger and slight pain, "Grad school is hard enough on its own, but my parents were being a pain."

"I thought you threatened them with a restraining order if they didn't stop contacting you," Thora asked, her grey eyes full of concern.

"They aren't contacting me. I found out recently that they've been calling up my aunt to chat, and their questions always corner her about me, and she pretty much won't tell them anything. She's doesn't feel guilty anymore hanging up on them when they pull that, and sometimes they try calling again, but she won't answer. My parents are pretty abusive with their words though, and I can tell it's beginning to get to her."

"Dicks," Max muttered in her glass.

"Why does your aunt keep answering the phone when they call then?" Thora asked.

"She believes that they will change at some point," Charlie shook her head, "I don't doubt it, but I don't think they'll be changing any time soon."

Thora nodded solemnly. Maxine drained the rest of her scotch before she set her glass down and clapped her hands together.

"Okay, let's change the topic. It's Takota's 60th birthday and we will be hosting the tournament against Camp Adder."

"Adder? I think I've heard of them," Thora's eyebrows knitted together.

"Yeah, they gained popularity recently for integrating computer-based activities or some bullshit," Maxine said, "It sounds like Jared's wet dream if you ask me."

"Nah, I'm pretty sure that would be a camp that is underground and surrounded by technology," Charlie leered. Max raised her empty glass to clink against Charlie's in a salute.

"So what does the tournament entail?" Thora leaned forward, "I don't remember there being anything like that when we were here as kids."

"It only happens, like, every ten years or something," Max explained, "Or really, Sally only participated the camp in it when she felt like it. She felt that the competition was too bloodthirsty."

"And you have no problem with it?"

"Are you kidding me? Takota is the best damn camp around! We need to show that," Max's blue eyes glittered, "With Charlie here, we were able to add two new rounds. The campers who have been in her class and who have been adept at it are going to be our champs."

"I guess archery and fencing really took off, huh?" Thora asked Charlie.

Charlie rubbed the back of her neck, "Uh, yeah. They did, but I think it also goes to Max a bit. She helped by adding a costume last year."

Max patted Charlie's knee, "No problem, kiddo. But I can only do so much, you really pull off tights well."

Thora muffled her snort, "Sorry, but I cannot see Charlie in tights."

"You should see the costume I got for her this year," Max laughed.

Charlie laughed along and then froze, "Wait, what?"

"Nevermind, you'll find out soon enough," Maxine turned to face Thora, "You said you got something for me?"

"Yes," Thora leaned over and pulled up a black leather briefcase. She unzipped it and pulled out a pack of papers, "I've got updates on Charlie's file here."

"Holy shit, is it large enough?" Charlie reached over and flipped the pages. The file had to be at least several inches thick, "And those are just the updates?"

"Well, we've been keeping tags on your parents - there's an interview with them, by the way," Thora leafed through the papers and pulled out a couple that were stapled together.

"'How to Tell if Your Child is Worshipping Satan'?" Charlie shouted, "Sorry, but what the hell? If they even read a page of any of my books before they ruined them they would see that how they worship was stolen from what I believe!"

Charlie got up from her seat and began to pace, "I just can't believe it. I knew my parents were pretty stiff in their ideas, but I thought they were a little open to reality."

"Hey Charlie? Before you wear a path in my office, you might want to read the section where they bash on your ex," Maxine skimmed over the article, "I guess they didn't get the memo that you and your childhood friend broke up."

"'The fact that our daughter got caught up in witchcraft is the reason why she turned a great, young woman who we've all known for years into a lesbian. Poor Melanie was so confused, but she must have been a little curious as to why her friend was so entranced with it. That's how it gets you-' oh this is such horseshit," Charlie tossed the papers on Max's desk.

Maxine picked them up and scanned the rest of the article, "Boy, I had a feeling your parents were nuts, but this was beyond what I thought."

"There are also a few updates concerning Melanie in here," Thora patted the file after she set it on Maxine's desk, "I've got to get going though. Do you have your time sheet?"

"Yeah," Charlie walked over to Maxine's filing cabinet and pulled open the top drawer. She rifled through until she reached her file and took out her time sheet.

Thora wrote the date and initialed it before she handed it back, "I'll be back after the summer is over, blah blah blah, I know you aren't going anywhere but the bureaucrats are making me say this. You get it."

Charlie smiled after she closed the drawer, "Yeah, I got it."

"You're halfway there," Thora gave Charlie a big hug before she turned to Maxine to do the same for her, "Thanks for the scotch Max, even though I don't like it."

"Well, I suppose whiskey is more fitting for a woman in a police uniform," Maxine returned the hug, "Take care of yourself, and you can always visit, you know."

"Yeah, I don't expect my five years to end, and you never come by," Charlie slapped a hand on Thora's shoulder, "Not every call has to be business."

"I know, it's just hard with Big Brother staring over your shoulder," Thora sighed, "Can't let them think I'm giving you favoritism or anything."

"A.K.A. Treating me with respect," Charlie opened the door and walked out after Thora, "I'll see you later Max, I'm going to go take me a nap."

"Okay, but remember, you won't get to do that when-"

"-when the campers come, I know, I know," Charlie rolled her eyes.

"Make sure she doesn't let her camp pride take over too much," Thora laughed as she walked back to her car.

"I can't promise anything, but I'll try!" Charlie yelled over her shoulder, "See you around, Thora!"

"See ya Charlie!"

"Whoa, check out Thora's new digs," Charlie turned around to see Allison.

"Yeah, she's got a job as a correctional officer," Charlie explained, she sidestepped around Allison to head back to the cabin, "I'm wiped. I'm going back to the cabin for a nap. See you later?"

"Yeah, sure," Allison's eyebrows crumpled together as she looked from Thora's car when it departed. In the corner of her eye, a flash of red caught her attention. Allison looked to see Maxine in the window of her office, watching the exchange between her and Charlie. Allison rose her hand in a little wave and Max waved back, but her expression was still stern. Like a mother hen watching over her chick.

Allison's eyebrows scrunched even closer together when she made her way to the garden sheds. Chet was next door in the repair hut, attempting to clean up, but it seemed more like a pile of anything that was in the hut was moved to the outside regardless if it needed to stay.

"Hey Allison," he nodded at Allison and dropped a pile of cardboard on top of the pile.

"Hey Chet," she replied and picked up a flattened box, "Hey, do you think I could use this? It would make carrying the gardening tools over to the craft hut way easier."

Chet sniffed and rubbed his hand under his nose before he shrugged, "Sure."

"Thanks," Allison smiled and walked into the garden shed. She made sure the cardboard was bent down in the bottom to where it wouldn't fall out and drop its contents on her feet before she started to grab various tools from the wall.

After she stepped out of the shed with the box in her arms, she turned to Chet, "Hey, Chet? Was Maxine a little stressed this morning?"

Chet dropped an empty toolbox on the pile and threw a handful of tools on top before he stared off into the distance. Allison looked expectantly at him and she could almost hear the cogs twist, but not really connect in his head.

"Not that I can think of," he scratched his head under his hat, "She's usually stressed around this time."

Allison just nodded and said thanks when she walked back to the craft hut. Elise was there, putting up a banner to welcome back campers.

Allison let the box thud down on the table, which created a series of clinks. Elise turned around at the sound and then went back to the banner when she saw it was Allison.

"Why do you look so grumpy?" she asked, tying the string to hold the other side of the banner up.

"Has Max seemed a little more stressed lately? Like Charlie-wise?"

"Max is always a little stressed when it comes to Charlie," Elise stepped back to admire her work, hands at her sides, "She's like a mother hen after her little chick when it's first hatched."

Allison nodded, "Why is she like that toward Charlie? I mean, she's like that to us, but not to the extent she is with Charlie."

"Charlie's had a bit of a rough time when she first started out here. That's all I'm going to tell you because the rest is her business."

Elise put a hand on Allison's shoulder and slightly shook it, "I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'm sure Charlie will tell you when she feels ready, it took her about a month before she told me about it."

Allison just nodded and went to sort the tools out after Elise left the hut.

The three days went by quickly and thanks to Penny's added help, the camp was more than ready for the campers on drop-off day.

Allison and Charlie worked most of their day in the kitchen and didn't talk much outside of what to prepare next and where something was in the kitchen if it was initially misplaced. By the time they were done with food, they almost couldn't walk back to the cabin at the end of the day from the exhaustion. By the time they got into the routine, Allison would leave the kitchen to go to her gardening class.

Maxine checked the sign-in sheet to find that this summer was one of Takota's largest since she became the camp manager. She made sure the permission slips were sent to the parents for each kid who signed up for Charlie's archery and fencing classes. Not only were the slips necessary for liability issues, but it gave Maxine a way to show that Charlie was at the camp and the kids loved her to the legal system. Until they were sent back, Charlie wouldn't be able to start her activities, and it could take at least a month before they were in.

Charlie was content with the time. It gave her a chance to hang out with Allison after they served meals and just talked. She couldn't remember the last time she had ever done that with someone she liked as much as she liked Allison. With Mel, there wasn't much discovery of each other outside of sex. Even when they were just friends, Mel wouldn't tell Charlie what was on her mind for the most part, and when they got together, Charlie would have to push Mel to tell her things and Charlie didn't personally like that. She also knew Mel would lie to her at times just so Charlie would leave her alone.

Another month passed before Maxine gave Charlie the green light on her activities. Charlie would teach on Tuesdays and Thursdays right after breakfast was served. The girls who would show the best potential would work with Charlie after lunch two weeks before the tournament against Adder.

After breakfast was served on the first Tuesday, Charlie slipped out and raced to get ready for her first archery class. Maxine had also personally radioed Charlie to tell her she needed to go to her cabin room and change into the new costume she put in there.

When Charlie got into her room and saw the article of clothing her only response was, "You've got to be joking, Max."