For the time being, while I am trying to put myself back together, I think I will only do one update each day. I want to continue to be regular with chapters but it's too taxing right now to do more than one. But hopefully I will be back on my feet soon and I can increase again. I hope you enjoy the chapter – short but hopefully sweet. Love, IJKS xxx
Chapter Thirty Eight
It had been another empty and fruitless night. For a moment there, it looked like they had found the killer but he had just been a shifty punter looking for a good time. Angelo and Watson had both been taken off the case and during surveillance, Charlie had overheard a hell of a lot of gossip. She'd tried to tune out of it, feeling rather humiliated over what her supposed boyfriend had done.
Back in the apartment, both Joey and Charlie were in low moods. Joey headed straight for her room and flopped down on the bed. Charlie followed, perching on the edge and tentatively, holding her hand.
"I'm sorry," Joey mumbled into her pillow.
Charlie squeezed her hand affectionately.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," she assured her.
Joey rolled back over, looking distraught.
"I feel like I'm letting you down every night that we don't catch him," she admitted.
Charlie moved to lie on the bed, gathering Joey into her arms. She kissed the top of her head.
"You're doing your best," she said soothingly. "It's all any of us can do."
"But it's my fault that he's out there at all," Joey said. "I'm the one he wants to kill. And all those other girls…"
"It's not your fault," Charlie insisted. "And on the plus side, all the while he hasn't tried to attack you, he's not attacked anyone else either."
Joey nodded, feeling at least a little comforted.
"I bet you wish you'd never met me," she said sadly.
"As if!" Charlie chuckled, giving her a gentle squeeze. "I just wish I'd known you longer. I love… spending time with you."
A curious smile twitched at the corner of Joey's mouth as she watched Charlie blush and panic.
"I love spending time with you too," she said deliberately.
They smiled lovingly at each other, the moment suddenly charged with emotion. Before she could stop herself, Charlie leant in and brushed her lips softly against Joey's. Any fear of rejection was dispelled when she felt Joey return her kiss, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her closer. They kissed tenderly and for a long time.
"You're still the best kiss I've ever had," Joey murmured softly when they parted.
Charlie giggled as they rested their foreheads together.
"And you're the best kiss I've ever had," she replied shyly.
Joey smiled and kissed her again. She sighed when they parted.
"Charlie, what are we doing?" she whispered.
"I have no idea," the police officer admitted. "Apart from breaking all the rules."
"You rebel, you," Joey teased.
Charlie giggled and stroked Joey's hair, cupping her face with one hand.
"You're the most incredible person I have ever met," she said. "I adore you."
"I don't really understand how," Joey admitted. "I mean, you know what I am and where I've been and…"
"And I adore you anyway," Charlie interrupted. "I don't care about your past."
Joey smiled and kissed her again. She faltered when Charlie didn't look happy.
"Was that a bad kiss?" she asked worriedly.
Charlie chuckled and shook her head.
"No kiss from you could ever be bad but…"
She sighed heavily.
"I just… I don't know where we can go from here."
"Because of what I am?" Joey asked.
Charlie nodded anxiously.
"I just… I couldn't do it, you know?" she ventured. "I mean, I'd love for us to be together. I'd love to… I don't know, be your girlfriend. I'd love to have a future. But… but I just couldn't if I… if you were… you know."
Joey nodded thoughtfully. She chewed her lip and studied Charlie's beautiful face. Not for the first time, she wondered how it could possibly be that someone as wonderful as Charlie could ever be interested in her.
"I don't have to… you know," she said before she could stop herself.
Charlie looked a little startled.
"But you said that's all you know how to do…" she said.
"Yeah, well, I thought a lot of these things before the beginning of this week," she said. "I thought this was all I had. But if a miracle like you can come into my life then who knows what else can? I… I'd give it up for you, Charlie. I'd give anything up for you. I'd do anything if… if you really wanted to be mine."
Charlie couldn't stop smiling.
"I want to be yours," she said.
"Even if… if all I was capable of doing was kissing?" Joey asked cautiously.
"Even if," Charlie confirmed with a quiet chuckle.
She ran her hands through Joey's hair.
"Because I really, really like kissing you," Joey mumbled against her lips.
"Well, then there's at least one thing we've got going for us in our rather unconventional set up," Charlie replied, refusing to come up for air.
Next time… Charlie frets about her conduct with Joey…