A/N: This was another fic written for the supernaturalpromptchallenge on tumblr. I have fallen in love with the Charlie/Jo ship and my prompt for this month was 'Joy' so this is what I produced. Hope you enjoy and thanks to cmr2014, TuesdayToo, Snovolovac and Dragonsrule18 for the lovely reviews!

This is set in Season 2, after 2x06 'No Exit' when Jo is hunting on her own.

Warning: Implied sex, although nothing explicit.

A lot of things in life made Charlie happy; computers, gaming, The Hobbit (although that one was tinged with bittersweet memories of her mom). But happy is a loose term, especially for an orphaned teenaged hacker on the run, and she hadn't found anything yet that made her feel pure joy.

Sometime during October 2006 she found herself in the only bar in some no-name backwater town where no one knew her and everyone avoided her. It was perfect, really it was. She could start a new life with no strings attached. Maybe even settle down, find a nice girl, get a life outside of fiction. It was probably a hopeless dream but it was nice to have something to hold on to.

A young blonde girl about Charlie's age plonked herself down on the stool next to her. The girl had mud streaked on her clothes and she had a bloody cut down her cheek but she didn't seem to care as she coolly ordered a drink and shot Charlie an appraising glance.

"Are you just gonna stare all day or can I get you a drink?" she drawled. Charlie flushed, realising she had been staring at the other girl since she had walked in.

"Just a soda please," she mumbled, fixing her eyes firmly on the floor. The blonde ordered then swivelled in her seat to face Charlie, sticking out her hand.

"Jo Harvelle."

Charlie hesitated before reaching out and grasping Jo's hand. "Charlie Bradbury."

"Nice to meet you Charlie. So," Jo's voice dropped, sending shivers down Charlie's spine. "You come here often?"

Charlie laughed. "No. I'm just… looking I guess."

"For what?"

"I don't know."

The conversation petered out and the two sat in an awkward silence, sipping their drinks. Charlie cursed herself; usually she was much smoother around girls and now she had finally found one interested in her and all she could do was stare. Perfect.

"So… What brings you here?" She winced. Really Charlie?

Jo shrugged. "Just a job."

Charlie's eyes shot up as she took in Jo's bedraggled appearance. "Must be one hell of a job," she remarked, gesturing to the cut on the other girl's cheek.

Jo laughed and her brown eyes lit up with amusement. "That's one word for it," she commented dryly.

"I know First Aid. I could help you with that if you wanted?" Charlie offered hesitantly.

Jo smiled suggestively and cocked an eyebrow. "Are you asking me to go home with a girl I barely know in a shady town I've never been to before?"

"Yes!" Charlie blurted out. "I mean no! I mean-"

Jo reached out and laid a finger on Charlie's lips. Her breath tickled Charlie's cheek as she leant forward and her blonde hair caught the sunlight, turning it to gold threads. Her pink lips curved beautifully in a smirk. "It's okay," she whispered. "Let's go."

Jo whistled appreciatively as they walked into Charlie's rented apartment. "Nice place. You know, I was planning to crash at the motel down the road, but this is much more preferable."

Charlie blushed and shuffled awkwardly. "It's nothing special," she murmured.

"Well, I like it." Jo strode over to the bed and dropped onto it, watching Charlie amusedly. "Are we gonna get this show on the road?" she said, pointing to her cheek.

"Right! Yes! I'll just, um, I'll go grab the kit." Charlie stumbled in her haste and banged into the table, knocking over the lamp. She winced and flushed deeply. "Be right back!" she called, practically running into the bathroom. She slammed the door shut and leant on the sink, staring at her face in the mirror.

"Alright Charlie, you can do this. You've done this a millions times before. Don't blow it."

Straightening up, she slipped the First Aid kit off the shelf and smiled confidently. Jo was turning a tattered old book over in her hands when Charlie exited the bathroom. She cleared her throat nervously and waved the kit in the air.

"Found it! It's only the basics, but it should be enough."

"Great. Tolkien fan, huh?" Jo asked, holding The Hobbit up.

Charlie walked over and sat down next to her on the bed. "Yeah. My mom used to read it to me as a kid before she-" She stopped suddenly, realising Jo probably wouldn't want to hear about her 'tragic past'. She coughed and grabbed some antiseptic, dabbing at the gash. "Anyway, let's get you cleaned up. I think I have some clothes you could borrow if you wanted. Hope you don't mind slogan shirts, that's pretty much all I have-"

"My dad used to read it too," Jo whispered.

Charlie stopped what she was doing and looked up in shock. Jo's eyes glimmered with unshed tears and her gaze was faraway. Charlie hesitated, then reached out and took Jo's small hand.

"What happened to him?" she asked. Jo remained silent and Charlie realised that the other girl might not want to talk about it. "I'm sorry. It's okay if you don't want to tell me." Another beat passed then Jo's hand tightened in Charlie's and she began to speak.

"I was just a kid. My dad, he was out on a job with his partner and the other guy messed up. I don't know exactly what happened but my dad ended up dead. My mom was really cut up about it but she still managed to raise me and run her bar. We never saw the other guy again." Jo's voice broke and her shoulders began she shake as she cried.

"Oh, Jo. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," she sniffed. "It was years ago."

"That's not what I mean. See, when I was twelve I got scared at a sleepover and called my parents to pick me up. They were hit by a drunk driver and my dad died. My mom's still in hospital. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I understand what you're going through and if you want to talk, I'm here."

Charlie felt Jo shift next to her and then a thumb was brushing away tears she hadn't realised she'd shed. Their faces were inches from each other, so close that they were sharing the air. Charlie unconsciously leant forward and then her lips were on Jo's, blood and tears mingling together but she didn't care and-

Jo pulled away with a gasp, shock written on her face. Charlie stood up and hastily backed away. "I- I'm so sorry," she stammered. "I'll just, um… I- I'll"

Charlie hadn't seen her move, but suddenly Jo's hands were on her face, drawing her in and pulling her back to the bed. The two fell onto the soft mattress in a tangle of limbs, lips crashing together hot and fast, hands exploring every inch of the other. Their breaths came in harsh pants and – yes – Charlie knew what true happiness felt like.

The morning sun streaming in through the window woke Charlie the next morning. Her hair was intertwined with Jo's in a burst of red and gold and they lay safe in each other's arms. Charlie leant over and kissed Jo softly, grinning as the other girl's eyes fluttered open.

"Morning," she whispered. Jo smiled and reached to pull Charlie in again.

"I think I've found what I'm looking for," Charlie murmured against Jo's mouth .

"Yeah? What's that?"

Charlie wrapped her arms around Jo and let out a sigh of contentment. "You."

A/N: Cheesy? Yup! It's my first try at writing something like this so if you have a moment please review! Bye!