Playing Dressup
"Hey!"
Charley gasped and stumbled back, clutching the towel she had just wrapped around herself before pulling open the bathroom door. Cassie was on the other side waiting.
"Jeez, Cassie! I haven't even had coffee yet."
Cassie grinned. "Sorry, sis. Want to go shopping?"
Charley cast her sister a dubious look as she turn to switch the light off. "On Black Friday? You're kidding, right?"
"Nah, it'll be fun! All the good stuff has probably been taken by now and with how early they open the stores, the crazies have probably worked their way out. We should be good. Come on. I'll buy you a pastry at Viv's place."
Charley stepped around her sister and headed for her room. "She's still running the bakery?"
"As far as I know. Unless she sold. Even then, still the best pastries in town. I'll throw in a latte. Bet they have the holiday ones out."
"What about Modo?"
"Kati has him firmly wrapped around her little finger. Two hours…three tops."
The look in her little sister's eyes was so hopeful and bright that it was impossible to say no to it. And Charley couldn't help but feel like she owed her sister the time they'd both been denied growing up. "Three tops and I pick where we eat for lunch."
"Deal."
Cassie spun on her heal and flounced off down the hallway towards the stairs. With a small laugh, Charley went to her room and closed herself in, locking the door behind her. She was still attempting to decompress. She'd woken up curled against Modo, his strong arm wrapped around her waist and his breath soft and masculine in her ear. It had taken everything she had in her not to turn in that arm and kiss him awake. Instead, she had slipped out from under it to relieve herself and not even second later, found herself pinned against the door, her gasp smothered against Modo's mouth.
It hadn't taken her long to recover and before long they were both attempting to breathlessly calm the unexpected torrent of hormones. Modo had pulled away, breathing heavily. Then he had looked at her, his mouth curves in one of the mostly sinfully adorable smirks she'd ever seen, and said, "Sorry Charley-girl. Guess I just like the way you look next to me in the morning that much."
Her heart still tripped pleasantly from the memory and she had to remind herself that she had an entire day to get through. A day, which now, included shopping with her little sister.
She perched on the edge of the bed, the grip she had on her towel loosening slightly. The man could kiss. He could kiss her into a brain dead coma if he really wanted to. Maybe she should ask him to. It would save her the frustration of trying to get through the next three days without going further than several…several…heated make-out sessions.
Sighing, she got up and quickly set to getting herself dressed. She could see snow piled on the tiny sill outside the window, see the frost whorls curling over the edges of the glass.
Probably freezing outside, she thoughts as she pulled a simple t-shirt from her bag and an oversized Greenbay Packers shirt to wear over it. The shirt had been a gift from her brother the last time he'd visited and gone to a Chicago Bear's game with her. He'd tossed it at her and dared her to wear it to the game which she had. She wasn't an avid sports fan but her brother was. So wearing the opposing teams colors to a home-town game had meant nothing to her really. And it was extremely comfortable.
After pulling on a pair of jeans and thicker socks, she started downstairs towards the tempting scent of fresh brewed coffee. Cassie was at the landing waiting for her, her coat and stocking cap already on, a to-go cup in each hand and Charley's coat hanging over her arm.
"Come on," she said, holding out one of the cups. "We're on borrowed time here."
Charley took her coat and shrugged it on. "Where is everyone?" she asked as she pulled her gloves and stocking cap from her pockets and donned them before taking the offered cup of what she hoped was coffee.
"Mom and dad went to visit some friends. Modo and Nate are out back playing with Kati. I heard promises of hot chocolate and Sleeping Beauty when they get back in so I'd say we're golden with those three hours."
"Three hours tops," Charley pointedly reminded her.
Cassie rolled her eyes and lead the way out. "Right, tops. Got it."
"We taking my car or yours?"
"We can take mine. That way you can listen to the noise its making and suggest a repair."
Cassie's vehicle was a two door coup that wasn't exactly classy. It was functional, which impressed Charley a little bit. Her sister was a flashy person. It only made sense that she would drive a flashy car. Then again…maybe Cassie wasn't all of the things Charley had just assumed she was.
"You know what else we could do?" Cassie asked, pulling open the driver side door and waiting for Charley to get around to her side. "We could get you some new duds and a haircut. Impress that man of yours."
"That man of mine is already impressed."
"Never hurts to put a little effort into looking gorgeous for your honey, Charley."
"We'll see, Cass."
Her "we'll see" were words she should have though twice before uttering. She had said them with the hopes that Cassie would be placated enough to drop it. Unfortunately, she hadn't. Three stores, several bags of clothing and one hair salon later, Charley was closing her eyes tightly to keep from seeing just how much of her hair was getting hacked off.
"Oh, stop being a baby," Cassie scolded from the seat next to her. "You've had the same look since high school, sis. And besides, your split ends have split ends. Don't you take care of your hair at all?"
"I shower!" Charley bit out defensively, the snip of the sheers in her ear making her wince. She opened her eyes and watched a hunk of mahogany drift into her lap.
"With what, turpentine?"
Charley shot her sister a withering look.
Cassie's only response was to laugh and send the chair she was sitting on into a slow spin. "Really, Charley, you're going to look great with a shorter cut. Trust me. Your face was made for this style. And if there's one thing I know, it's how to get the best out of what the good Lord gave ya."
It was true. From the moment Cassie was old enough to understand how to properly apply makeup and how fashion worked, she never spent a moment looking anything but stunning. Even when she was in sweatpants and a sweatshirt, her outfits always looked carefully selected and put together, her hair was always perfectly styled and her makeup, even when modest, was flawless. The girl knew her body. She knew what to wear and how to wear it to make herself look amazing. It had been something that Charley had always envied about her little sister. Now, she still envied it, but she could appreciate the work that went into keeping up an appearance like that. It was like maintaining a vehicle. One couldn't just go out and buy a top of the line car with a sleek and stylish body without maintaining it to ensure those looks remained perfect.
She could tell that Cassie worked hard at what she did. Watching her select clothing for her to try on, seeing her put together combinations Charley never would have thought of herself, showed her just how much of an understanding for clothing and style Cassie had.
"So," Charley started conversationally, trying to take her mind off of just how many inches of hair were now floating sadly to the ground, "What are you keeping yourself busy with, Cass?"
"Oh, not a whole lot. I did the waitress thing for a while but spilled more drinks on customers than I served. True story. I once bumped into two other waitresses and ended up being responsible for two trays loaded with beer mugs on a Sunday afternoon during football season crashing all over the floor. And since I have such great success with public scenes, it was right during halftime so no one was paying attention to the game. Not one of my finer moments."
Charley peeked up at her sister with a tiny smile. "I would have to agree with you on that one."
Cassie caught a toe on the floor and slowly spun herself back and forth, folding her hands in her lap. "Yeah, well…when you're not meant to do something, you're not meant to do it, no matter how hard you try to make it work. The tips were nice and all but after that whole ordeal I started getting less and less tables so I put in my two weeks and haven't waited a table since. I found a job at a clothing store in the mall working at the makeup counter and piecing together new ensembles for the store displays and I've been there for the past three and a half years. I'm hoping it'll give me a foot in the door to working in purchasing or something like that. Oh, that's perfect. I like the angle."
"What?" Charley looked up and her head was immediately shoved forward again by the stylist. "Hey, easy there."
"Sorry, ma'am. You have such thick hair that I'd hate to make a mistake and have the cut uneven," the younger woman said before setting back to work on her hair. Not long after that, Charley was staring into the mirror with her mouth hanging open, not quite believing what she was seeing. The woman staring back at her had a sweep of artfully styled bangs that the stylist was working to tame aside. The rest of her hair framed her face, the tips brushing just below her chin and the layers angled back, giving the illusion of volume.
"How is this even possible?" Charley asked in awe, leaning forward and brushing her fingers through her hair, watching the short strands sift easily through them. She couldn't remember the last time she'd attempted running her fingers through her hair without them getting caught on several snarls.
"Cut off a majority of the damage and it gives you a lot of manageability," Cassie said, standing behind her and smiling her know-it-all smile. "Told you your face was made for it."
"Yeah, yeah," Charley griped.
The stylist removed the apron and shook it off, taking a step back to give Charley room. She stood, stepping towards the mirror and turning her head from side to side. "I feel like I just had nine pounds removed from my head."
"You probably did." Cassie handed Charley her coat and purse then looked in the mirror herself, plucking at her shortened locks with her fingertips, the pursing her lips. "All that damaged hair adds up, Charley. You should take care of yourself better."
Charley scoffed and slipped her purse over her shoulder. "For what? I'm constantly in a shop, Cass. There's no point in getting all dolled up for customers that look at their bikes with more appreciation than they would look at a woman."
"So what? That's a good excuse to just let your looks fall to the wayside and stop caring about your appearance?"
They walked side by side to the counter where the stylist was waiting; cautiously shooting Cassie the kind of smirk that two women dealing with a stubborn fashion flop would give one another. "Why should I?" Charley asked as she fished money from her wallet, unaware of the silent conversation going on in front of her.
"When's the last time you even bothered getting cleaned up and putting on something besides oil stained shirts and worn out jeans?"
"Um…"
"Oh my god," Cassie muttered, adding a few dollars to the tip and earning a glare from her sister. "You needed an intervention years ago. Do me a favor…before we head back home, stop in the restroom and trade what you're wearing for one of the outfits I picked out. I've got some makeup with me so I can freshen up that face a bit. And quit giving me that look."
"Cassie!" Charley cried, throwing up her hands as much as she could with the shopping bags and her coat now weighing them down. "I just don't understand the point of it all. I don't care what other people think about me so why should I throw all of my money and time into all of this?"
"Because of how it will make you feel." Cassie quickly rounded on her, grabbing her shoulders and stalling her in her efforts to continue walking. "Trust me, Charley. It's not about what others think about you. It's how you're going to feel putting the effort into making yourself look like the million bucks you keep hiding behind denim and grease."
Charley gave her sister a grudging smile. "That sounds like a country song." Cassie didn't flinch. She continued to stare her down, her green eyes flashing with a silent challenge. With a loud sigh, Charley rolled her eyes. "Okay fine!"
"I win!" Cassie smiled triumphantly and slung her arm through Charley's, dragging her off toward the exit "Now, where do you want to eat for lunch?"
They picked a small bistro for soup and sandwiches. The shop sat along one of the historical old downtown roads where the storefronts looked like something out of a catalog, their window displays boasting the festive colors of Christmas, wreathes hanging in doorways, Christmas music drifting quietly from invisible speakers and bells chiming merrily as they admitted new patrons.
Charley and Cassie took up a table in the far corner where they were able to watch the traffic both inside and out. The scent of coffee, mulled cider and baked goods permeated the warm air. They'd ordered coffee with their lunch so that they could sip while they waited.
"So…why don't you tell me more about your friends?" Cassie invited.
"You mean more about Vinnie?"
Cassie shrugged but couldn't stop the tiny grin pulling at the corners of her mouth. "Tell me about all of them. Are there more on Earth?"
"Hm, not right now. Sometimes Stoker and Rimfire, Modo's nephew, show up. But they've got their hands full with the Plutarkian threat on Mars so their visits are few and far between."
"Do they all look like Modo?"
Charley shook her head, wrapped her hands around her mug and slowly sipped the bittersweet coffee. "No, they all have their own looks, their own characteristics. They're all tall. I don't think I've met a Martian mouse yet that hasn't towered over me. Vinnie and Throttle are about the same height. Both are shorter than Modo. Throttle looks like," she paused to laugh. "Don't ever tell him that I said this but sometimes I think he looks like he walked right off the cover of a romance novel. He's got the long hair, the shades, tan fur, a tattoo - the whole lady-killer look. But he's also extremely kind and has the manners of a saint. I think he has a girlfriend – Carbine. It's hard to tell exactly what the status of their relationship is sometimes."
"So not entirely available…but not entirely taken?" Cassie asked with a grin.
"Something like that." Charley shrugged. "I'd venture to say that there's more something than there is nothing."
Cassie hummed. "Bummer. What about Vinnie?"
"Vinnie has white fur and this leanness about him. I don't say anything because his ego's so ridiculously huge…but sometimes it makes me sad. You can tell he spent some time not eating very well and there's a lot that I don't hear about Vinnie's past. Throttle and Modo are reluctant to say much about theirs. But none of them speak about Vinnie's at all aside from a relationship that didn't end well."
"Didn't end well?" Cassie leaned forward, hanging on her every word. "What do you mean?"
"He had a girlfriend…Harley. She was taken by the Rats and…well…long story short, turned traitor. They brainwashed her to hate her own species. That's what Stoker told me, anyway. Vinnie doesn't talk about her, at all."
"Charley, that's terrible."
"I know. They've all faced a lot of really bad things. Modo lost his arm, Throttle lost his sight, Vinnie took a lot of damage to his face and has this Phantom of the Opera-like mask. There are horror stories that you see ghosts of here and there. I think what's happening on Mars is a lot worse than what's happening here."
"So why are they still here then?"
They both sat back as a waitress came with their food, setting their plates and bowls down beside them and taking their drink orders before disappearing to fill them.
"I don't know. I think there was some decision made by their council…that the threat on Earth, though nowhere near the magnitude of what's going on with Mars, was big enough to need them here."
"And you got mixed up in all of it, huh?"
"I wouldn't call it mixed up. I mean…they're my boys," she said affectionately. "They've saved my life a few times and I would do anything for them."
Cassie's eyes sparkled as she nudged Charley's foot under the table. "More than anything for one of them, hm?"
The softness in Charley's eyes vanished and she glowered impatiently. "You seriously have a one track mind. You and Vinnie together might be the worst idea ever."
"Well, we won't know until I meet him, now will we? You should bring them for Christmas!"
Charley shook her head. "I don't know, Cass. I think that would be a lot for mom and dad to handle."
"Oh, they'll be fine. Think about it."
"We'll see."
The phrase was one their mom used on them plenty when growing up. It meant end of conversation and Cassie respected it this time with a sigh before digging into her food. Other patrons flowed in and out, some ordering coffee to go, others taking up various spots around the crowded interior in overstuffed chairs or at the stools of the high top tables. More came in as the sun started its descent in the horizon and Charley and Cassie quickly finished off their food, leaving a tip on the table before winding their way through the thickening crowd.
"Don't think you're out of this whole doll yourself up thing, by the way," Cassie called over to her as she unlocked the driver side door and pulled it open. "I called Nate to keep him out of the house so you could change. Him and Modo took Kati to get a tree. I want to see the reaction of that Mouse's face of yours when you come down those stairs."
Charley shook her head but kept her comments to herself. There was a small flutter in her stomach, a flutter of excitement that told her she was lying to herself when she said she didn't care. There was that small teenage part of her that wanted to see Modo's reaction too.
When they got home, the only vehicles in the driveway were hers and her parents. Nate's was still gone. Cassie nearly shoved her in the house and up the stairs with her bags. Once in her bedroom, Cassie took the bags and poured them over the bed, picking through the clothing until she found what she was looking for. "Perfect!" she crowed, tossing a pair of form fitting dove-gray leggings and a cream and blue sweater at her. "Put 'em on!"
"Cassie…I don't know if-," she started to argue, feeling undeniably self-conscious.
"Don't you start with me, Charlene Davidson. Get that outfit on and let's show this world exactly what you've been hiding."
Charley turned away from Cassie before her sister could see the shy smile. She pulled open the closet door and ducked behind it for some privacy, trading out her old jeans and sweatshirt for the clothing Cassie had picked. The leggings fit her like a second skin and the sweater hugged her curves, stopping mid-thigh. She turned to look in the mirror that hung on the outside of the door. The scooped neckline showed off far more than she had ever shown off before and she was immediately aware of just how exposed she was.
"Where the hell did those come from," she muttered, turning to the side and pressing her hands just below her breasts.
"Where did what come from?" Cassie yanked the door closed and gasped. "Oh Charley…you look amazing! How the hell did you hide that figure?!"
"I don't know?" Charley answered with a helpless shrug, wondering the same thing herself.
"Here," Cassie handed her the long black boots she had insisted Charley have to complete the ensemble. "Put those on."
"So mom can tell me to take my boots off in the house?" Charley quipped.
"Have you heard her tell me to? Just put them on and quit arguing with me. I can hear everyone downstairs."
She grumbled a few more times, just to make certain that her sister knew how much of a hassle she thought the entire ordeal was. Cassie ignored every sound, snagging her arm once she was finished pulling the boots on and yanking her over to the bed where her makeup case sat open and waiting. She wasted no time applying concealer, blush and eye shadow, opted for a shiny lip gloss instead of lipstick and then stood back to admire her work, folding her arms over her chest.
"Well, I'd personally go with a little liner and mascara if I were you…but one step at a time. All in all, I'd say a drastic improvement."
"If you say so," Charley muttered, standing and brushing her hands through her shortened hair.
"I do. Now, come on. We've got a few jaws to drop."
Again, she was being pulled by her little sister, helpless to do much more than stumble after her.
What greeted them at the bottom of the stairs was chaos. Her mother stood in the middle of it all attempting to direct it with Kati by her side watching on. Her father, Nate, and Modo were all working to fit an enormous Christmas tree into its stand before the large picture window overlooking the front yard.
"Wow, Nate…think you got a big enough tree?" Cassie asked.
"Yeah well, I figured if we have to, we can trim down the trunk. Kinda forgot about how the trees spread and settle." He turned to Cassie, startling a little when his gaze landed on Charley. "Oh, hey. I'm sorry…I didn't know you brought a friend."
Charley gave her brother a bemused look. "Um…its me, Nate."
His eyes went wide but it wasn't his reaction Charley cared about anymore. She was watching Modo who had straightened and was now staring at her, his jaw hanging slightly open and his eye wide with shock. His gaze slowly traveled the length of her body and she felt it as intimately as if it were his hands skimming over her legs, torso and ribs. She licked her lips and clasped her hands behind her back with a tiny smile. "Cassie thought it was time for a makeover."
"Oh my stars, Charley!" her mother exclaimed, moving in front of her placing her hands on Charley's shoulders. "Look at you! You look amazing, sweetheart!"
Charley could feel her cheeks heat and she glanced down, a little overwhelmed by everyone's reactions. "Thanks mom."
"I can't even believe it's you! You look like an entirely different woman!"
Kati danced around her, plucking at the hem of her sweater. "Auntie Charley, you look beautiful!"
"Thanks honey." Charley reached down to pat her on the head, then skirted around her to Modo. The chaos resumed as if there had been no interruption what-so-ever. "So…what do you think?" she asked, moving in close enough to him so that her side brushed his.
He glanced over at her family, the looped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. It no longer seemed to matter that her family was surrounding them. Her breath caught and she dropped her head back to look up at him.
"Never thought that waiting until Sunday would actually kill me," he murmured softly, then bent his head lower until his mouth just barely brushed her ear, sending a shiver racing down her spine and clear to her toes. "Until now."
A/N: AAAAAHHHH! That last line is all Traci's doing! I give her full credit! I read the suggested phrase and nearly swooned so after copious begging (like two seconds…I'm such a drama queen) she said I could use it and this is the end result! Next up…we get to see just how distracted Modo is by Charley's new look and how little he's able to function because of it…and a night that may make Sunday rather pointless. ;) MAYBE! Don't get too excited.
