Ok. Second part of Girth. More Cholivey goodness. And more angst. Enjoy!
Girth II
They spent the rest of the car ride in silence until they reached a pink house with lawn jockeys out front.
"Whoever killed Shoemaker obviously wants to give the impression that he's John Joseph's ghost. Stealing the body must be part of the plan.," Emerson said getting out of the car.
"Got it," Chuck said getting out after him.
"Oh, the mother may not know anything about her son's body being missing, so tread lightly."
"Anything else?"
"Yeah," Emerson sighed with a slight smile n her face as he looked towards some bushed. Olive came out of them, pushing her way past the branches. "Sorry, I'm late.. Hansel and Gretel would've lived a lot longer if they had to find this dump," she turned to Chuck, "Hi."
"Hi," she said she watched Olive walk towards the door.
"Olive's coming: she knows the woman. So you better keep it in your pants."
Chuck blushed fiercely, following Emerson and Olive into Mamma Jacob's house without saying a word. When they sat on the couch, Emerson made sure he was sitting between Chuck and Olive. "Just in case," he said under his breath. Chuck rolled her eyes.
"Oh, I do hope you'll forgive all the mess," Mamma Jacobs said twittering around the room, "but the hall of fame is remodeling their exhibit on Johnny, and they asked me to go over all of his trophies."
"Congratulations, Mrs. Jacobs," Olive said cheerfully.
"Thank you. It's probably just as well that you trampled him when you did, Olive, or else I would've had to buy another house just to put all the trophies in," the woman said, "I know that must sound a little –"
"Bitchy," Chuck murmured under her breath into her cup of tea. She had seen the hurt in Olive's face and wasn't about to let this woman hurt her. Emerson elbowed her, causing her to spill a little tea on her arm.
"What did you say your name was?" Mamma Jacobs said to Chuck, "Brandon? Butch?"
"Chuck."
"Chuck! I knew it was something unladylike," she said dismissedly.
The Dead Girl blushed and Emerson laughed, the information he had just received on the car ride over making the comment much more hilarious to him.
A few hours later, Chuck found themselves in a jockey bar with Olive crying over the dead body of Pinky McCoy. Ned had just joined them from whatever misadventure he had been on and was standing next to Emerson. "Dead Girl," Emerson whispered to her, "Take Olive outside so we can use the magic finger."
"Olive?" Chuck said kneeling down next to her and clutching her shoulders, "Let's go outside. We'll let Emerson and Ned look for evidence." She led her outside, the cool night air nipping at their skin. She sat them down on a bench and Olive twisted her fingers together.
"I shoulda done something," she said through tears, "I could have protected him."
"There was nothing you could do, Olive," Chuck said putting her arm around her shoulders. Olive sobbed into Chuck's shoulder, her tears soaking her dress. Chuck didn't mind, of course, wrapping both arms around her and drawing her close. The brunette knew she was using the blondes grief to her advantage, taking the opportunity to touch her, but she let her guilt subside until later, right now, she wanted to enjoy Olive's closeness. Her head rested on top of the blondes as she rubbed her back soothingly until her sobs turned to hiccups.
Olive looked up at her, "Why are you being so nice to me?"
"What?" Chuck asked, blushing slightly.
"I've been nothing but a bitch to you ever since I found out you were faking your death. And you've only been nice to me."
Chuck shrugged and looked up, avoiding Olive's blue gaze, "I like you, Olive. I don't think I could be mean to you if I wanted to." Without thinking, she leaned down and pressed her lips to the blonde's forehead like she had in the Pie Hole. Realizing what she had done, she quickly tried to apologize.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…I wasn't thinking," she said, words stumbling form her mouth.
Olive smiled slightly, resting her head on Chuck's shoulder once more. "It's okay. It was kinda nice."
Chuck smiled to herself as she held the blonde closely. "Olive," Emerson and Ned said simultaneously, and Chuck cursed their timing, forgetting they were actually on a case.
Later, Chuck found herself in Olive apartment. Something that she had hoped would happen eventually, just under different circumstances.
"Lock the door behind me: don't let anybody in," Ned said, leaving the two girls alone in the apartment.
"I love In-Charge-Ned. You really don't have to stay I can totally take care of myself," Olive said bravely.
"You're not scared? " Chuck asked, not wanting to leave the blonde's presence.
"No," Olive's bravura faltered, "Why are you?"
"No. I'll make some tea," Chuck said knowingly.
"And I'll get the booze to take the edge off," Olive answered brightly.
"Bourbon with a splash of Chamomile?"
"Aunt Lily's favorite!"
"Olive, thank you," Chuck said softly.
"For what, hun?"
"For keeping my secret. I wouldn't keep it from my aunt's if I didn't have to. And also just for…being a friend."
"Oh, it's nothing. I guess we all have secrets. And all secrets need friends."
"Thank you."
The two shared a sweet smile, "I keep the booze by my bed." Olive ran off to her room and Chuck remained in the kitchen.
"Hey, Olive, I love your horsey mugs!" Chuck called but to no answer, "Olive?" Papers blew across the kitchen and fear gripped Chuck's heart. "Oh, no," she thought as she rushed to Olive's room. She saw the window open and quickly climbed out. Scaling the fire escape to the roof, she saw Olive standing shell shocked in front of a very tall man. Without hesitations, Chuck threw the coffee mug that was still clasped in her hand towards the strange figure, hitting him square in the head.
"Are you okay?" she said rushing over to Olive, grasping her shoulders firmly. She nodded, her eyes still on the now unconscious man. "Who is that?"
"John Joseph," Olive croaked. After the jockey came too, he explained the whole situation to Chuck and Olive, about how he wasn't really dead. Realizing that he was not the murderer they were looking for, the women agreed when he asked for a ride home.
Little did they know they would end up on the run from a vengeful old woman on a horse. As they ran through the woods, Chuck realized this was the fourth time in the past couple of weeks that the prospect of dying was very real. She tripped on a tree root and landed on the damp ground with a hard thump.
"Ow, my ankle," she said trying to get up. Olive turned around and helped her up, "Here, put your arm around me," the smaller woman said as she half dragged half helped Chuck to safety, "Lean on me!" They stopped and crouched behind a tree.
"Run! Save yourself!" Chuck said to Olive.
"No, she's after me, not you," Olive said, her arm still around the brunette. Chuck looked into her blue eyes, thinking that this was it, she leaned in and kissed Olive fiercely on the lips. The blonde pulled away slightly for a second, and then pressed their lips back together. Electric shocks ran up Chuck's spine and she sighed in contentment, their situation completely forgotten. The sound of a horse whinny wrenched her out of her haze and the two girls pulled back.
Olive looked at her briefly, and she tried to read the look on her face. But before she could, Olive ran into the clearing in front of the oncoming horse.
"Hey, over here!" Olive yelled, waving her arms, "The old gray mare ain't what she used to be, ain't what she used to be, ain't what she used to be-" her rambling turned into screaming as the horse and it's murderous rider approached quickly.
"Olive!" Ned said before whisking her into his arms and out of harms way. Emerson smacked Mamma Jacobs in the face with a shovel and she fell off the horse with a thud.
Olive limped out from behind the tree, just in time to see Olive in Ned's arms, kissing him with fervor. Her heart dropped. She had shown her true feelings to Olive. She had kissed her, after all. And she could have sworn that the blonde had kissed her back. But apparently, she was wrong because Olive was kissing the Pie Maker.
She fought to hold back tears, her ankle still throbbing with pain. Still motionless, she felt a large hand hold her arm. "Come on," Emerson said noticing both her emotional and physical distress, "Let's get you to the car."
Chuck nodded gratefully, slipping into the seat, the leather sticking to her body. She looked back at the clearing where she saw Ned still holding Olive in his arms, and the tears she had held back flooded down her face.
