A/n: This chapter is kinda longer, but I really like it! It focuses on Bass and Miles at first, then switches to Charlie and Nora. Also, there is some drug usage in this, so if that counts as a trigger warning, then be warned! It's only soft drugs though. I'm trying to incorporate elements of the show into this, so yeah. That's the big bombshell at the end. Also, for the purposes of this fic, it's 2012 still and weed isn't legalized, which it probably will be in 2027. Please read and review!
The flames around Charlie danced as she screamed in pain at its close vicinity. They licked at her skin and seared it; she felt blood drip from her arm and pool around her bare feet. She bared her teeth and struggled to tear from the bindings that held her hands tightly behind her back. She lurched and lunged, but nothing would free her from captivity. A noise to her right caught her attention, and she jumped at the unknown sound. From behind the raging fire, a figure started to form. Charlie squinted.
The flames parted to welcome the figure that was smiling at her: Monroe. Charlie's eyes widened as she looked at the unknown uniform he was wearing: blue, like he was a general from the 19th century. His smile was captivating, if not a bit condescending, but as Charlie thrashed more and more, it changed into one of concern.
"Charlotte?" she heard the figure ask. His voice rang through her head, the worrisome tone taking over her senses. "Are you okay?" He came forward, a knife held out in his hand. Charlie's eyes momentarily widened at the sight of it, but she relaxed when he began cutting at the bindings the held her back.
Charlie brought her hands to the front and rubbed at her wrists. "I'm going to save you," said Monroe, taking her hands into his own. "You got that?"
Charlie nodded, and she felt her knees growing weak. She started falling, straight into his arms that wrapped around her. Her back was now to his chest as he held her. In his arms, the flames changed to a solemn blue and began to fade. Monroe began stroking her wrist; she looked down to see an "M" branded onto her wrist. An identical one on his skin was to her left. "I don't…" stuttered Charlie, confused.
Monroe turned her around, so that she was facing him. He kissed the inside of her lips and gave her a tiny smile. "M," he said, "for Monroe and Matheson."
Bass stared down at the face that was soundly sleeping before him; Charlie Matheson was curled up beneath the white sheets of her bed, her hair sheathing the right half of her face. Bass felt the urge to push it back behind her ear in order to gaze upon her further, and his hand was outstretching when the door opened to reveal Miles standing in the doorway.
"Uhh…" said Miles, "What are you doing in here?"
Bass gestured to her bedside table, where two Advil and a glass of water stood next to her alarm clock. "Bringing her some pain killers and water… kid had a fun night last night."
Miles cracked a grin, but tried to suppress it and give Bass a mocking scorn. "Let's not have her mother find out about that."
Bass laughed. "Rachel would crucify us. Have you talked to her at all?"
Miles moved from the doorway to sit precariously on the edge of the bed, looking at Charlie with slight concern etched onto her face. "She called when Charlie got here," he paused and turned to stare at the wall instead. "She wanted me to send her right home and all, but I… didn't want to deal with the Matheson wrath. Or Rachel for that matter. So I just told her that Charlie would be staying for as long as she would like. I said I would try and convince her to go home or make amends with her, but I don't want to force an unwanted reunion on Charlie. It's best that these things work themselves out." Miles craned his neck and looked at Bass, who was still watching Charlie.
"I get it," said Bass. Worry was apparent on his features, something that did not go unnoticed by Miles.
Miles stood and made his way around the bed to look at Charlie too. "You know," he said. "I get that you like her. Don't think I haven't seen the way you interact with her, trying to be all apathetic towards her. I know more than anyone that that means you're trying to distance yourself from her because of some unwanted feelings. Just be careful, man. I don't want to see her getting hurt."
Bass removed his eyes from Charlie and looked at Miles. His expression was genuine, and Bass nodded to concede to Miles's observations. "I don't want to see her getting hurt either," said Bass. Miles clapped him on the back.
After a few moments of standing in silence, Miles broke it. "You want lunch? I'm still a little hung over."
Bass glanced at the clock, which was blinking a 1:30 at him. "Yeah," he said. They exited the room and made their way to the small kitchen, which was absent of Nora's presence. "Nora here?"
Miles shook his head as he stood to reach the plates in the cupboards. "Nah, she had to go to this teacher's meeting."
"She teaches what again?"
"Something to do with engineering," said Miles. He pulled some bread from a cabinet and started to slab some mayonnaise on it. "I don't like to get into the specifics of it, but I know she loves it so I'll support it no matter what."
"So you two are getting serious?" asked Bass, taking a seat at the end of the table, where Nora normally sat.
Miles shrugged, a shy grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He started packing the ham and turkey onto the bread.
"Awwww," cooed Bass. "I never thought you guys would last this long! How adorable."
"Shut up," said Miles, but Bass could see the blush that was forming on his cheeks. He finished up the sandwich and set it before Bass, null of any plate. Bass took it with a nod and sunk his teeth into the bread, chewing with thoughts full of Miles and Nora, and more importantly, Charlie.
Charlie stirred in her bed, the throbbing of her head being the main reason for her disturbed sleep. The sun was streaming in through the windows, signaling either the beginning or end to the day. Charlie groaned at the brightness and put her hand up to stop it from burning her retinas. She rolled over to look at the clock. 5:45 pm, it read. Because of the short winter days, the sun had been setting earlier and earlier. Next to the clock, were two Advil and a tall glass of water, which caused Charlie to realized how dry her mouth and throat was. She chugged down the glass, leaving an inch of water at the bottom, then swallowed the pills with what remained.
Charlie pulled open her drawer and clawed around for her phone, which was under a few gum wrappers and a sock. She had two unread messaged, one from Jason and the other from an unknown. Charlie read the one from Jason first.
Where have you been? I miss you. Should we meet up later? Call me. X
Charlie rolled her eyes, but found herself typing out a response.
Reallyyyy hung over. Can I get a rain check on that?
Jason texted back immediately.
Sure. And hung over? Why wasn't I invited to this?
Last minute thing! Promise to let you know next time.
Don't worry about it. Hope you feel better!
Thanks
Charlie sighed at the conversation before her. Jason, despite his familial drawbacks, was a great boyfriend. He never questioned her, but she knew he would start getting antsy the more she held him off. Charlie moved to the next message.
Charlie! It's Nora—Miles gave me your number. Apparently, you're still sleeping… crazy night last night, right? Anyway, Miles and Bass just let me know that they're going out for drinks tonight with some of their Marine buds. I'm going to be over at the apartment later, so I was thinking we should have a girls night? Let me know! –Nora.
Charlie smiled at her words. Nora was someone who wasn't too girly, but had just enough kick to her that she would enjoy spending time with. Charlie's fingers hovered over the keypad, twitching back and forth and she tried to formulate a response. Nora's text was nice, but seemed detached enough that she didn't really seem to care one way or the other if Charlie said yes. Charlie tried to invoke the same air in her message.
Sure, Jason's busy anyway. Sounds fun!
Jason was definitely not busy, but Charlie didn't want to seem like she didn't have anything better to do. Charlie rolled back over and caught her reflection in the mirror that stood on her other bedside table. She grimaced at her appearance. What exactly had happened last night? All Charlie could remember was drinking all that her stomach could muster when Bass had taken her back to the apartment. Vaguely, she could picture a large beefy man hanging over her, but that was all. Sighing, Charlie pulled herself from bed and headed to the bathroom to clean herself up.
The shower was long and hot, and Charlie let herself bask in the comforting massage that the shower head pounded against her back. Instead of using her own shampoo like she normally did, her eye caught that of Bass's. The brand was Old Spice, and the smell intoxicated her senses. Charlie rubbed a liberal amount into her hair and let in trail across her body, then down the drain. She shut off the water, then stepped out into the steamy bathroom. She worked through the kinks of her hair and let it sit limply around her shoulders. It was just going to be her and Nora tonight, so she didn't bother styling it or putting on makeup.
Charlie decided on a t-shirt and a pair of legging to relax in, and she heard the buzzer to the apartment go off only moments later. Charlie sprinted across the apartment to it.
"Hey, it's Nora," said the voice on the other end when Charlie inquired after it. Charlie let her up and wandered into the kitchen for something to end her growling stomach. The door lurched open moments later, revealing Nora.
"Hey!" said Nora, and Charlie's eyes took in her attire. Nora was dressed in stockings, heels, a modest skirt and button up top. She wore a pea coat over it, and frankly, it was the girliest thing Charlie had ever seen her wear.
"Um…" said Charlie. "Where did you just come from?"
"Just now?" asked Nora, setting her keys down on a nearby table and shrugging out of her jacket. "I was at a conference about drugs or something like that. I wasn't really paying attention."
"Why were you at a conference?" said Charlie. She walked over to the bar to pour herself a drink, but her stomach lurched at the very thought of drinking alcohol.
"Oh, you don't know where I work, do you?" said Nora, joining Charlie. She poured a small amount of vodka into her glass, but overwhelmed it with a fruity juice that took up most of the space. The drink was probably only about six percent alcohol.
"Nope," said Charlie, turning away from the bar and heading to the couch. Nora followed after her, collapsing onto one end of the couch before Charlie could get there.
"I'm a teacher at the university. Engineering stuff."
When Charlie raised her eyebrows at Nora's vague statement, she clarified. "Basically," said Nora, "I'm just really good at blowing stuff up."
Charlie laughed, and Nora joined her. "So what did you do at this conference?"
"Ugh, it was so boring. They were talking about the increase of usage in marijuana, blah blah blah, like anyone cares. Well, basically everyone on the staff cares expect for me, but that's only probably because I smoke it."
"You do?" asked Charlie, leaning forward. She was interested.
"Yeah, of course," she said. "So do Miles and Bass. Do you?"
Charlie remained quiet, her eyes glued to the tv screen that was completely blank. Nora watched her, then realization dawned on her face. "Are you seriously telling me you've never been high?"
Charlie shrugged, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. "It's against Jason's dad's platform, so he's always been adamant against me even coming within four feet of the stuff."
"Well guess what," said Nora, reaching for the side table. She pulled open the drawer, revealing about three grams of marijuana. "You're within three feet of the stuff. You wanna try it? I'm not going to pressure you into doing anything, don't worry."
Charlie played with the tassels on the end of the pillow, "Does it hurt?"
"It's like smoking a cigarette," said Nora, pulling out a small bag. She had taken Charlie's question as a yes. Following the bag, she put a glass ornament looking thing on the table next to it.
"What's that?" said Charlie, gesturing to the glass. There was an impression on the top, and a long shaft that led to a hole. On the side where the impression was, it was bulbous with a raised hole on the end.
"It's called a bowl," said Nora, pouring the weed from the bag so that it was on the table. She took a pinch of it and started packing it into the impression.
"Oh," said Charlie. She was intently watching Nora at work, as she packed the weed into it. Nora turned and rifled around in the drawer for a bit until she found a lighter. She held it in her right hand and brought the shaft with the hole in it to her lips. Holding a thumb of the opposite hole, she lit the top of it and sucked in a breath, before releasing the opposite hole. Charlie watched the weed burn as Nora sucked it in, before Nora moved the bowl away from her lips and puffed it out of her. Immediately, Charlie saw Nora relax incrementally.
"Your turn," said Nora, holding it out to her. "Just do what I did. I'll light it for you."
Charlie took it with shaky hands and put it to her lips. She covered the clutch with her thump, and when Nora put the flame to it, she sucked it, then released her hold on the clutch. Smoke filled her lungs, tasting of something that was sweeter than cigarettes, but was similar to chewing on a flower stem. "Swallow it," said Nora, so Charlie did, and felt her chest burn at holding it in her lung. Charlie dropped the bowl and coughed wildly at the feeling and burn in her throat.
"You want some water?" asked Nora.
"I'm fine," said Charlie. Her voice was tight, and her eyes watered.
"I'm gonna go get you some anyway," said Nora. She left the couch and made her way into the kitchen, her heels clacking against the floor.
Charlie stared at the bowl in front of her and decided to give it another try. She had heard many horror stories of her college friends' first try, such as throwing up or getting too high. Charlie wanted to do it, though, no matter the experience. She took the lighter that laid abandoned on the couch cushion and tried to spark a flame. It took a few tries, but she got it. Charlie took another hit, and felt something change in her this time. When she exhaled, she only coughed once, but felt much more relaxed. She moved to take another hit.
"Woah!" said Nora, entering the room. She was sporting a glass of water and was barefoot now. "Someone's enjoying themselves." Nora sat the glass of water in front of Charlie, and Charlie devoured it.
"I just really want to see what it's like," said Charlie.
Nora took another hit from the bowl and nodded. She puffed out smoke rings, before offering it to Charlie. "Chances are you won't get high your first time, but it always varies person to person."
Charlie took a hit and coughed it out again. She took another sip. "I really hope I get high my first time."
Fifty minutes later, Nora and Charlie were through the entire bag of weed, sporting red wine and laughing their asses off at some reality TV celebrity meltdown. "Oh my god," said Nora. "She's so fake! Her lips are like an inner tube."
Something about the way Nora said it sent Charlie into another fit of giggles. Apparently, everything was funny when you were high. Also, when you were high, the outside world seemed to shrink. Charlie felt like Nora and her were in their own little pocket of the universe and that no outside force could touch them. But whenever she looked outside the window, a whole world of possibilities opened up to her, and she was reminded of how insignificant her existence truly was.
"Miles would kill me," said Charlie in between laughs.
Nora shrugged, "I don't think he would. He's pretty open minded."
"How are things going with him?" asked Charlie.
Nora let a wide smile spread across her face. Her eyes glazed over more than they already were as she lost herself in her thoughts. "It's going really well. He makes me feel so special, and he never lies about anything. Do you know how we met?"
Charlie shook her head.
"We met at this dumb karaoke bar. I was only twenty-seven at the time, not that much older than you. I had just gotten my teaching job, and my friends took me out to celebrate. He approached me after my humiliating rendition of 'Dancing Queen' and said some cheesy line that I thought was adorable, for some reason. Probably because I was already a little tipsy. We didn't go home together that night or anything, but he talked to, like, all of my friends before he forced them to give him my number. He called me the very next day and took me out to dinner. He was sweet." Nora snapped out of her reverie and turned to Charlie. "How'd you meet Jason?"
Charlie shook her head, "I don't want to talk about him."
"Why not?"
"I think I'm going to break up with him."
Nora straightened up, "Why?"
"I like someone else, I think."
Nora was quiet for a few moments. "I think I know who it is. I'm not going to guess who, but I think I know. Listen to me for a minute. This guy that you like: he likes you too. But watch out, okay? He's broken more than a few hearts in his day. Plus, his son is, like, four years older than you."
"His what?" said Charlie, spilling a bit of her wine as she turned to fully face Nora.
"Oh fuck…"
