The cloying smile fell immediately from Rachel's face and Charlie could have sworn she heard it land in the dirt with a soft thud.
"What? "Rachel asked, deflated.
"I quit," Charlie repeated again, firmly. She started futzing around and gathering things together like she was packing.
Rachel cast her eyes about anxiously and then seemed to find her wits and motor skills again about the same time.
"Why?" She said urgently, moving toward Charlie in a frantic rush.
"Because clearly you're not happy about things. And, quite frankly, " Charlie raised her eyes and sought out Rachel's. They were wide and panicked. "I don't want to work for you."
The fragile look on Rachel's face nearly tore Charlie's heart in half and she had to look away. She was expecting rage, insolence, but certainly not this.
"But you can't quit." Rachel said quietly.
Charlie chuckled. "Sure I can," she said brightly. "I just did."
"But... how will I get back?" she wondered aloud.
"Rachel, " Charlie said, rolling her eyes. "I'll take you back. I'm not going to leave you out here like bear bait."
"Bear bait?" Rachel said with a whimper.
Charlie winced and grunted in frustration. God damn it, Charlie. Learn to keep your stupid snarky comments to yourself. Please, please, please don't fixate on that, Rachel.
"You can't quit," Rachel started again finally.
Charlie breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Um, I think we just went over this," she said patiently.
"But that means I didn't finish... or whatever." Rachel sputtered, trying a new tactic.
"It's kind of a pass/fail thing, Rachel." Charlie explained. "I think we can safely say the grading curve is pretty liberal. Completion is highly overrated anyway."
That last remark was mean because Charlie was pretty sure in Rachel Berry's world, completion was everything and she would never say something like that. That certainly wasn't Charlie talking and it rattled her. It was just another thing she was now going to have keep in check, if it was even possible.
"Rachel, everything will be fine." Charlie said honestly.
"But I don't want it to be fine. I don't want to be graded on a curve. I don't want..." Rachel said in a rush. "I don't want you to quit."
"But you want your cell phone back, right? You're ready to get back to cell phones and email and noise? Your great life awaits you. By comparison, this stuff really doesn't matter. It's just another meaningful experience to apply whenever called upon."
Oh my God, shut up, Charlie. Stop talking right now.
"But I don't want it to be over... today," Rachel said, her voice quivering.
"Why not, Rachel?" Charlie sniped. "This is just a bad vacation for you and, as you so happily pointed out, I'm just the hired help. I'm here to carry your bags and prop up your..."
Not. Another. Word. They were all lined up right there ready to tumble forth: To carry your bags, to flirt with you shamelessly and prop up your fragile, needy, inflated ego.
Charlie bit down on her lip, hard. So hard, in fact, that she tasted copper: blood. She toyed with the fresh split in her lip with her tongue, using the pain to her advantage and the flow increased. She spit it out. Pain was good. Another foil to use against things she thought she had mastered. Her nails dug viciously into her palm and she was sure she was drawing blood there as well.
"You're not, Charlie," Rachel said, pleading, trying to grab Charlie's arm. Charlie was pushing her off and trying to move away, but not for any of the reasons that Rachel surely imagined. Nevertheless, it had the same effect.
"You're not just the help, Charlie," Rachel said her voice breaking in fresh anguish. "You were never just the help. I'm so sorry. I wish I could take that back."
This tripped a new angle, offered a delicate, soft target and the volley of acid was launched before Charlie could react. She heard it land from someplace far away.
"Crying, Rachel, really?" The words spilled out in a bitter, twisted torrent. "How dramatic. I can see now why you're such a success at your craft. You're quite gifted. It almost feels authentic."
Holy fuck.
Rachel Berry meet Quinn Fabray.
Rachel erupted into full-blown tears. Charlie dropped her head in utter disgust. She didn't trust herself to do or say anything else so she just turned and walked away.
XXXXXX
Rachel found her sitting on her favorite rock. Charlie's face was dropped into her hand. Rachel wanted to get to her without her hearing her, but that proved impossible since Rachel wasn't quite tall enough to clamor up the large rock face. She scrabbled and slid back down a couple of times, scraping her bare legs in the process. Charlie didn't move or look up, but she certainly had to know that she was there given her grunting and scraping around. Charlie finally sighed deeply and even chuckled a bit, then held her hand out. Rachel latched onto it and Charlie tugged her up until she could get her foothold.
Charlie turned back away, but noted that Rachel was back in shorts again. Rachel stood on the rock and looked out over the valley. Okay, pretty awesome she decided with a firm nod. Then she walked the few steps and started to drop down next to Charlie.
"Hot," Charlie said quickly, but it was too late. Rachel's bare thighs made contact with the sun-sizzled surface and she lurched away frantically, rolling into Charlie's lap. Charlie stripped off her over shirt and thrust it under Rachel then rolled her back onto her butt again. It as still warm, but not painfully so.
"Thanks," she said quietly and Charlie nodded. They sat together in the sun saying nothing. One was dreading any conversation at all and the other was literally aching to speak. There really wasn't ever any question about who would break first.
"I'm so, so sorry, Charlie," Rachel said finally.
"Don't, "Charlie said quickly with a hard shake of her head.
"Okay... sorry," Rachel whispered.
Charlie's shoulders slumped.
"No, I mean, please, please don't apologize to me, "Charlie explained, her voice hoarse as though she'd been yelling. "Rachel, you don't have anything to apologize for. You didn't do or say anything... wro... wrong."
Rachel's first instinct was to protest, but she resisted. No easy feat all things Rachel Berry considered.
"I'm the one who is sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean any of those things. I just, I can't...it's..." Charlie stammered trying to find a way to explain and yet, not.
Rachel tilted her head and stared at her. Charlie could feel that stare, literally feel it wash over her.
"Complicated, "Rachel said gently.
"Yes," Charlie breathed out in a rush, latching on to the word like the lifeline it was. "Yes."
Rachel watched as Charlie's body lifted slightly and her jaw didn't seem quite so tense.
"I know that wasn't you." Rachel offered sagely. She could see Charlie's breath catch at the remark. Charlie leaned her face down and propped her chin up with her hands. "I don't claim to understand, I mean, how could I, right? But I just know that wasn't... you."
She reached her hand out and stroked it softly down over Charlie's hair.
"You would never say those things. Not to anyone, you're just not like that." Rachel said, still stroking softly. She brought her hand down and rested it on Charlie's arm. Charlie cast her eyes over to it. Rachel smirked, then she wrapped her fingers around Charlie's wrist and tugged until she pulled her hand down. She pulled it into hers and then pulled away. It was sticky.
"What..." she looked at her palm and it was red, then she turned Charlie's palm over and gasped. There were four distinct, bloody half-moon gouges in her skin. All were oozing wetly.
Charlie rolled her eyes. She'd forgotten about that. Oh shit. She instinctively reached her hand up to her mouth, but it was too late. Rachel pushed at her shoulder and turned her so she could see her face.
"My God, you're bleeding," she barked.
"It's nothing," Charlie said seriously, waving her off. As if that were possible.
"Don't even try to pull that." Rachel said. She fished in her pocket and pulled out several tissues. Jeez, was the girl always a walking drug store? She daubed at the dried blood on Charlie's lip and when it wouldn't come off she held the tissue up in front of Charlie's lips.
"Rachel Berry, if you say "spit" I will push you off this mountain." Charlie hissed. Rachel frowned and
then wet the tissue with her tongue.
"Gag," Charlie said. "Like that's any better." She twisted and squirmed while Rachel tried to wipe away the blood.
"Stop it." Rachel scolded. "You're being a belligerent asshole."
Charlie laughed and held still long enough for Rachel to get everything cleaned up to her picky standards.
"We'll need to keep an eye on that and those scratches." Rachel instructed. "You can get an infection out here very quickly.
"Oh, okay," Charlie said, still laughing.
"Now, let's go." Rachel said, pushing herself up and pulling up Charlie's shirt, shaking off the dust. She didn't even bother handing it back to Charlie, she just tied it around her own waist. She walked to the edge of the rock and then stopped.
Charlie scrambled up and moved toward her before she could take a header into the dirt. Instead, Rachel dropped down on her butt again.
"Hot, "Charlie said again, but to no avail.
"Ow, ow, shit." Rachel said as she slid down the rock to the ground. The back of her thighs were bright pink but otherwise, she had managed not to break anything and she wasn't bleeding profusely so all was well. She strutted off down the path, her jaunty little swagger in full force, then realized she Charlie wasn't following. She stopped and turned.
"Well?" she said, tilting her head delightfully. Her eyes flashed brightly. "Are you going to stand there all day? Come on."
Charlie laughed and jumped down to the ground. She jogged over to her.
"Show off, "Rachel muttered and started back down the trail.
"Hurry, we're burning daylight," she said loudly.
Charlie nearly fell over with laughter.
"After all, I'm paying for this." Rachel continued to ramble.
"I think we need to talk about a raise," Charlie said sarcastically.
"Oh didn't they tell you?" Rachel asked in mock seriousness. "We're paying on a curve."
Charlie rolled her eyes and smiled.
"Can we go horseback riding?" Rachel asked.
"We can do anything you want, Rachel." Charlie said.
"Really?" Rachel teased.
"Of course not." Charlie said. "But we can go horseback riding."
"Will you teach me how to rope things?" Rachel asked.
"Yes, Rachel," Charlie said happily.
"I like to tie things up." Rachel teased.
"We're not having this discussion," Charlie said, shaking her head.
"You may need to put some ointment on my thighs. I think I may have second-degree burns. That won't be a problem will it?
Charlie scoffed.
"Are you blushing?" Rachel said suddenly. "Your face is quite red."
"It's sunburn, Rachel." Charlie said flatly
Now it was Rachel's turn to roll her eyes and laugh.
"Maybe I can peel you some grapes and fan you with a palm frond while we're at it?" Charlie sassed.
"If you insist," Rachel chortled.
