Into The Strait of Insanity
Discliamer - Ch 1.
Notes - My "Opportunity Reel" is as follows:

Opportunity didn't knock once, ring the door bell, knock again, leave a memo, e-mail you, send you a letter, come to you in the middle of a very erotic dream, posses other people to have them remind you about your missed chance, leave you a voice message on your cell phone, Instant Message you, Text Message you, somehow manage to get on the TV show you happen to think is the best ever in order to actually be able to hold your attention, give you subliminal messages through the tracks on your favorite CD, leave a message on your home answering machine, become your next dating victime and then call you and say, "I'm sorry I missed you before, maybe we can try this again sometime." And if opportunity did do all of that...the voice on the other end of the phone wouldn't be very happy; probably stark raving mad and very loud, actually. If opportunity really went to all that trouble to give you back your chance, don't you think more people would pay attention and that opportunity would be at least a little tired? Opportunity is probably wanting that vacation time now, huh?

And now on with the fic! Oh, and it won't be in Charlie's P.O.V. from now on unless said otherwise....

-------------------------------------------------------
Into The Strait of Insanity - Ch 4
------------------------------------------------------

Charlie looked at the paper in his hand, checking the address. It was right, according to his paper. He glanced over at the blonde woman next to him, smiling a little. It looked so natural for Claire to have Hope in her arms. He walked up the three steps that led to the front porch and rapped on the door.

Moments later, it was opened to reveal a small girl with wild red curls. She left the screen door close, it being the only thing between them. She blinked up at the strange man. She kept her green eyes on him as she spoke, "Mooo-mmmy!" She shouted, her eyes still on the man on the other side of the door.

"What is it, Mandy? I'm a little busy with your brother. Can you do this on your own?" The voice was feminine and familiar to Charlie.

"No! Mommy! There's a man at the door!"

"Is it Roger? The mail man? Just get the mail, honey!"

"No, it's not Roger, mama! I know Roger! I don't know him!"

"Ask him, please, Mandy. Just ask him who he is."

"Ummmmm....Mister Man On The Other Side Of The Door, who ar eyou?" Mandy asked, looking up at him expectantly.

"I'm a friend of your mum's."

"Never seen you 'a'fore." She said with that accent all kids seemed to have at four.

"Well, we haven't talked in a long time."

"Mommy! He says he's your friends and you haven't talked in a hundred bazillion years!"

"Bazillion isn't a true tome of existence, honey."

"He said it..." Mandy said in a young, argumentative tone.

Charlie smiled at the girl She was absolutely adorable. And his niece.

"Just like him in, then, Mandy!"

"Ok...." The girl said skeptically before slowly opening the door, "Mama's busy with Jake right now." She said.

Before going in, Charlie glanced at Claire, making a motion with his eyes for her to follow him. As he entered the house, he spoke to Mandy, "Oh, that's all right. I can talk to you, can't I?" Charlie smiled at her.

"No," She said swiftly, bouncing over to the couch, "I have TV to watch." She declared, hopping onto the couch and promptly gluing her eyes to the television set, but not before quickly saying, "Maybe later."

Charlie laughed lightly. "What kind of show can a four year old have that's so important?" He asked Claire quietly.

Claire shrugged and smiled, "I don't know, but she's absolutely adorable!"

"Hey, I'll be right back, all right?" He said, kissing Claire on the cheek. Charlie wasn't sure exactly where he was going, he was just winding his way through the house towards the noise of a screaming boy. Charlie shook his head. He had a nephew, too? He stopped in the doorway and watched his sister struggle with the two year old boy. He was being very uncooperative. All she was trying to do was put a shirt on him. However, he wanted no part in it.

"No!" He shouted, crossing his arms above his head, so as to not get the shirt on.

Kristina sighed and sank to her feet again. "Come on, Jake! Please? I don't want you getting sick! It's cold out!"

"So?"

"So, you need a shirt, now let me put it on you!"

"NO!"

"Then you put it on!"

The boy took the shirt from her and put it on. Absolutely basackwards.

Kristina sighed, "Honey, you put it on backwards," When she reached over to take it off of him, so as to put it on him right, the boy let out an ear-piercing scream. "All right, fine, whatever At least you've got it on." She sighed and stood up, watching the boy run out of the room, but never actually seeing him go out the door way as she started picking up toys from around the room.

Charlie grinned. Perfect opportunity. He slowly crept up behind her and grabbed her by the waist, never saying a word.

"Oh, James, I thought you--"

"I'm far from any James you're trying to talk to, but I hope that--"

"Charlie!" She squealed and somehow, though his grip was still on her waist, she managed to turn around to face him, only to engulf him in a hug. "Uaahh...I can't believe you're really here." She grinned and stepped back. "I haven't seen you in so long."

"Well...that's not your fault, Kris." Charlie said, a certain darkness about his words.

"Oh, Charlie...that's...that's completely your fault," Kristina slid her hand into his and clasped her fingers into the bends of his, closing her own fingers in his.

"Yeah, yeah, it is. I told you I'd do the rehab and stay clean and I didn't. I broke my promise. And...I wouldn't stop, even for you. And you're the only one in our family that didn't disown me. You were the only one that was ever there for me, Kris. God, you don't know what it was like losing you for those years, Kris. You just can't imagine. You'd been...sort of a security blanket, almost, and...I lost you. It was horrible..." He laced their fingers and squeezed her hand.

"But it's all right now. It's over. And...you found me." She grinned.

"Mommy!" Many yelled, "Jake changed the channel! I was watching something!" She cried out.

Kristina scoff-laughed and shook her head, "Kids, huh?" She slowly unlaced their fingers and followed Charlie down the hall to the living room. "Now, what is the deal here?" She asked, looking between her children.

"I was watching Dora and he changed it to Bob the stupid Builder!" Mandy whined.

"Was your sister's show over yet, Jake?"

Jake looked up at his mother and pulled one of those cutesey faces that all kids were blessed with. "I dunno...."

"Well, I know! And it wasn't!" Mandy shouted at her brother.

"Hey!" Kristina shouted, "Don't you yell at him, young lady!"

Mandy glared at Jake. "It still wasn't over."

"Mandy..." Kristina warned.

Charlie intervened. "Hey," He said, kneeling down next to the two of them, "Mandy...how would you like..." He glanced up at Kristina, "For your Uncle Charlie to take you to meet a famous band?"

Mandy looked as if she were considering her options before she looked up at her mother. "Who's uncle Charlie, mommy?"

Kristina chuckled as Charlie ducked his head. "He's your uncle Charlie, hon."

"Oooh!" Mandy turned to her uncle, "You know famous people?" She asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Charlie chuckled, "Yeah. The band was really popular awhile back, but they broke up."

"Aww....tha's sad."

Charlie smiled, "But it's all right, they're making a comeback. Know what that means?" When she shook her head, Charlie continued, "It means they're making more music. And you know what else?"

"What?" She exclaimed, obviously excited.

"You're uncle Charlie's a part of that band," He said, tapping her on the nose.

"You are? Wooow. My uncle's famous!" She turned to her brother, all previous vexed thoughts towards him gone, "Did'ju hear that, Jake? Uncle Charlie's famous!"

Jake clapped, "Yay! Unce Chawie!"

Charlie chuckled and stood up, receiving a skeptical look from his sister. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Charlie."

"I'm not! We were only going to LA to confirm the record deal, we were coming here to do everything else. I'm sure the guys got thte contract set. They're around here somewhere. All I've got to do is check the clubs tonight. I'll find 'em."

"Oh, yes, bring drunken men into my house. No, I don't think so." Kristina shook her head, and quietly added, "And I don't think it's such a good idea for you to hang around them right now, do you?"

Charlie shook his head, "You're probably right."

"All right, you two, upstairs, to your rooms, now."

Charlie had made his way to stand behind Claire, his hands resting on her shoulders. When Kristina looked up at them, he nodded towards Claire and winked at his sister.

Kristina smiled, "So, you must be Claire."

"It seems that way." Claire smiled, "And you're Kristina, nice to meet you,"

The women shook hands and Kristina saw the baby in the other woman's arms. "Aww...she's so cute. What's her name?"

"Hope." Claire smiled.

"That's a beautiful name." She smiled and for a moment, glanced up at her brother, clearly saying that they needed to talk earlier. "So....you want to see the room you'll be staying in for now? Go ahead and try to get things...straightened out and whatnot?"

Claire looked up a Charlie and they both nodded. That seemed like a good idea.

-------------

Notes – All right, so the chapter was shorter than the rest, but whatever. Aren't Mandy and Jake utterly adorable? I thought they were. Anyway....

Drop me a line!

Later days,
-PFB-