Disclaimer: I only own the story specific characters I created. The originals belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.
Waking early in the morning to the feel of Eddie's arms around her, Charlotte felt so much happiness and contentment. Eddie was still sound asleep. She usually waited for him to wake up on weekends so they could have breakfast together, but this morning she had something she needed to do first. Charlotte slipped out of bed taking care not to wake the man still sleeping soundly and dressed for the day.
"Good morning, Char Bear," Devon greeted her in the dining room, purposing using his nickname for her. He wanted to reminder her of the good times and feelings they had together.
"Still an infuriating morning person," Charlotte greeted her houseguest, groaning internally at the nickname. She'd always hated it but never said anything. It made her feel like a little girl each time he spoke it. "Good morning, Devon."
"It's made easy when the bed is so comfortable," Devon replied, "And your housekeeper, Daniella, she's almost as efficient as Dorota."
"I got pretty lucky," Charlotte agreed when Daniella entered with her morning coffee, "Thanks, Dani."
"Is Mister Fraser awake as well?" Daniella asked.
"Not yet," Charlotte shook her head, "He's been working long hours for the last few weeks. I wanted to let him sleep."
"Should I wait to start breakfast?" Daniella asked.
"Yes, please," Charlotte nodded. Daniella nodded and made herself scarce until needed.
"I'm surprised you're in something so serious already," Devon spoke once they were alone. "I mean we just broke up a few months ago, and it seems serious, especially if he's spending the night right under your father's nose. Dude must have a death wish."
"The dude has a name," Charlotte reminded him.
"Right, Edmond," Devon rolled his eyes slightly.
"Eddie," Charlotte corrected him, "He's a great man. You have zero claim over me. We'd been broken up for three months before Eddie and I started dating."
"He seems a bit old for you," Devon snorted. "How old is he anyways? Thirty-five, forty."
"He's nearly thirty," Charlotte responded calmly as she took her seat at the table.
"Can't he find someone his own age?" Devon asked.
"What's your play here, Devon?" Charlotte refused to be sucked into a debate about her relationship with Eddie. "Why are you really back in New York?"
"I told you last night," Devon began.
"You told me last night you basically abandoned your dreams after only a few months," Charlotte explained, "That doesn't sound like Devon I knew."
Devon stared her down for a minute before his eyes softened, "L.A. life was harder than I thought it was going to be. I…uh…wasn't being completely honest with you before. I wasn't getting parts. I was barely getting auditions. I was waiting tables seven days a week and barely making rent in the grungy apartment I was living in. I blew through nearly every penny of my savings. I barely had enough for the plane ticket back to New York. I couldn't do it anymore."
"I'm sorry thing were so tough for you, Devon, but it doesn't explain why you're back in New York, especially when you said your parents left the area," Charlotte replied.
"I wasn't lying last night when I said I missed you," Devon admitted, "I really missed you, and I was hoping…"
"Stop right there," Charlotte replied, "You and me getting back together is not going to happen."
"Because of Captain America?" Devon motioned in the direction of Charlotte's bedroom.
"Because you and I are going in different directions, we always have been," Charlotte stated, "You want a woman who will be at your side, opening night with flashbulbs going off for some big movie premiere, someone only to happy to let you take the center stage. That's not going to be me. You're never going to be the center of attention with me on your arm because of my last name."
"That's not fair," Devon responded.
"What do you want from me?" Charlotte asked, "I can't help you with your acting career. You and me are not happening again ever, so what do you want?"
"A friend," Devon choked out.
Charlotte watched her ex fight away tears.
"Okay," Charlotte relented, "You can stay until you get on your feet, but I will not allow you to make Eddie feel uncomfortable. He's important to me. If you do anything to jeopardize my relationship with him, I'm booting you out on your ass. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal," Devon bobbed his head.
"I mean it, Devon," Charlotte stared him down for a few moments, "Any whiff of manipulation or attempts to make Eddie feel unwelcome in my house, and you're out the door. I don't owe you anything. I'm doing you a favor."
"And I appreciate it more than you know," Devon replied.
"Talk is cheap, Devon," Charlotte sent him a cautious look. "Don't make me regret this."
"You won't," Devon gave her a jubilant smile.
The pair were reminiscing about old times when Eddie emerged from the bedroom a short while later.
"Good morning, Sleepyhead," Charlotte gave Eddie an adoring smile as he bent in for a good morning kiss.
"What time is it?" Eddie asked as Daniella came in with his coffee.
"Nearly ten," Charlotte glanced at her watch, "I was beginning to wonder if you were going to sleep the day away."
"I guess I was more tired than I thought," he felt himself blush a bit in embarrassment.
"I'd say you've earned a bit of rest. You've been working crazy hours lately," Charlotte replied.
"Good morning, Eddie," Devon nodded.
"Morning," Eddie gave a polite nod as he sipped at his coffee.
"What are your plans for today?" Charlotte asked.
"Justin and I are doing some holiday shopping," Eddie replied, "I can reschedule if you have something else in mind."
"No, that's actually perfect," Charlotte replied. "I'm so far behind on my holiday shopping as it is, and you're number one on my list of people to shop for."
"You don't need to go crazy on me," Eddie reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.
"Right back at you," she smiled, "But I do need to get you something, and to do that I need to go shopping. I'm going to see if any of my friends are available for a shopping marathon."
"Sounds like fun," Eddie smiled.
"It will be for the shop owners," Devon chimed in.
Charlotte sent a scowl in Devon's direction as Daniella brought in breakfast. The young man appeared to shrink in his seat, which Eddie found quite gratifying.
Eddie returned to Charlotte's penthouse from his afternoon spent with his brother to the sounds of laughter coming from the dining room. He found Charlotte and Devon looking through something resembling a photo album.
"Hey, Babe," Charlotte rose from her chair to greet him with a kiss and a hug, "How was your afternoon with your brother? Did you get your shopping done?"
"I got a fairly good start," he replied, "How was your day?"
"So much fun," Charlotte ran her fingers through the short hairs at the nape of his neck, "We met up with some of our friends from Columbia. The boys went one way, the girls went the other and then we all met for a late lunch. Major damage was done with my credit card. I think Daddy's business manager will be calling me about some suspicious activity on my card."
"Is that so?" he chuckled, "Did you make any progress on your list?"
"I did," she confirmed, "You, Mister Fraser, are going to have a very good Christmas."
"Of course I will," he smiled, "I get to spend it with you and our families."
"Oh, before I forget, I talked to my mom today," Charlotte added, "Apparently either she or your mother had the brilliant idea of us spending Christmas day together, all our families. Your sister-in-law is so excited to finally be meeting my mom."
"I bet she is," Eddie chuckled.
"Mom and I are meeting with decorators this week to get a plan for holiday decorations for the penthouse, and Brice and Collette will be arriving next week after their classes have ended for the term with Barty. This is going to be a full penthouse," she was practically glowing with excitement, "Mom's favorite holiday has always been Thanksgiving, but mine is definitely Christmas, and I think this might be my favorite one ever."
"What's going on in here?" Eddie motioned to were Devon was sitting, very much feeling like the third wheel at the moment.
"Oh, we pulled out a scrapbook my sorority sisters and I made junior year," Charlotte pulled him towards the table, "It was a cheesy thing we did every year towards the end of term just before finals. It was a way to capture the memories we'd made throughout the year. My sorority sister, Janelle, was talking about the spring production of 'Singin' in the Rain' the theater department did. Devon and I were feeling a bit nostalgic when we got back to the penthouse, so I pulled out my book. I have loads of pictures in here from the production."
"I wished I could have seen it," Eddie flipped through a few of the pages.
"Oh my god, it was so awful. I had to sing a solo. I thought for sure I was going to send the audience running for the hills," Charlotte felt herself blushing.
"You did great," Devon chimed in, "You brought down the house every night."
Charlotte rolled her eyes in reply. "We're meeting everyone at a club later on. Did you want to join us?"
"Me?" Eddie coughed out in surprise.
"Yeah," Charlotte nodded, "We haven't all gotten together since graduation. We thought it was time we did. Everyone's significant other is invited, at least those that have them."
"Wow, I don't know about that," Eddie responded after a moment of thought, "The club scene isn't really for me, and I've got some work to do."
"Oh," Charlotte frowned, "Yeah, you have been pretty busy. I didn't even think about that. I can skip it."
"No, don't," Eddie told her, "Go have fun with your friends. I'll just head back to my parents' place and get to work."
"If you have your work here, you could always do it in my office," Charlotte suggested, "It will be loads quieter here than at your parents' place with your parents, Justin and Abigail milling around."
"You wouldn't mind?" he raised a curious brow.
"Not at all," she shook her head, "When I get back from the club we can still be bed buddies."
"I do like the sound of that," Eddie smiled, "Alright, I'll stay."
"Good," Charlotte hugged him, "Have you eaten? I can have Dani make us something before Devon and I head out."
"I can find myself dinner," Eddie assured her, "Go have fun."
"You're the best," she kissed his cheek and then ran off to get ready for the night out.
Eddie and Devon engaged in some weird sort of staring contest until Devon wilted under Eddie's intense stare and darted off to get himself ready to head out.
Eddie was hard at work at the dining room table an hour after Charlotte and Devon left for the club when the elevator chimed, though he was too engrossed in his work to hear it. He was startled when Blair happened upon him, his head buried in his work.
"Working hard I see, Mister Fraser," Blair glanced over his shoulder at the paperwork spread out on the table.
"Oh, Mrs. Bass, I didn't hear you come in," Eddie nearly leapt out of his chair.
"Yes, I can see that, and I've asked you repeatedly to call me, Blair," Blair motioned towards his mounds of paperwork, "Is the big boss working you too hard these days?"
"No harder than he works himself," Eddie rose from his chair.
"I came down to see if Charlotte wanted to join us for dessert," Blair replied, "Dorota just got back from her trip and was eager to do some baking. I think she forgot there are only really two people to serve anymore since Aiden is always running around with his CIA friends."
"Charlotte went out with some friends," Eddie replied, "She said it was alright for me to stay here to get some work done."
"I imagine it's quieter here than with everyone at your parents' place," Blair concluded.
"Much quieter," Eddie nodded.
"Did you want a bit of a sugar rush to help you focus?" Blair offered, "There is more than enough."
"I could use a bit of a break," Eddie followed Blair to the elevator and up to their penthouse.
"Chuck, you need to stop being such a hard ass with your staff," Blair scolded her husband when the pair entered the dining room where her husband was already helping himself to some dessert.
"And why is that?" Chuck rose to his feet to shake Eddie's hand.
"I caught this young man buried in a mound of paperwork on a Saturday night," Blair motioned towards Eddie, "He doesn't even have time to take his girlfriend out for a night on the town."
"It was self inflicted tonight," Eddie tried to smooth things over, "I just want to get things done before the office shuts down for the holidays."
"Nonsense," Blair scoffed, "You should still be able to maintain a work life balance."
"Honestly I wanted an excuse tonight," Eddie admitted as Chuck motioned for him to take a seat and help himself to some dessert.
"Oh?" Blair raised a curious brow.
"Charlotte and her friends wanted to go clubbing," Eddie explained, "It's never really been my scene, and I didn't want to be the stick in the mud dragging the evening down."
"To be twenty-three again," Blair sighed, "I remember those days, sort of."
"There are times where our age difference sort of creeps up on us," Eddie admitted.
Blair could hear Chuck muttering under his breath, but she did her best to keep the young Fraser from hearing it. "I imagine at times it can seem like six years is a lifetime of difference, but it's really not."
"Most of the time it doesn't matter to me at all, but seeing her with her friend, Devon, it's really hit me," he admitted.
"Devon," Chuck choked on his dessert, "He's in town."
"Arrived last night," Eddie confirmed.
"You didn't know?" Blair looked as surprised as her husband to hear Charlotte's ex-boyfriend was back in New York.
"He just showed up last night when I brought Charlotte home after having dinner with my brother and sister-in-law. He needed a place to stay, so she let him bunk in one of her guest room," Eddie explained.
Chuck choked on another bit of his dessert.
"Oh goodness," Blair traded looks of concern with her husband.
"Charlotte wasn't all together thrilled by his return, but he apparently didn't have anywhere else to go," Eddie explained.
"I'll take care of him," Chuck told his wife.
"What is there to take care of?" Eddie was surprised by Chuck's response.
"There is a bit of a story with Devon which Charlotte doesn't know anything about," Blair admitted.
"I don't understand," Eddie was extremely confused by her vague response.
"Devon's family left New York under less than ideal circumstances," Blair chose her words carefully, "Chuck did what he could to protect Charlotte."
"What kind of circumstances are we talking?" Eddie was suddenly greatly concerned for Charlotte's safety.
"Let's just say Devon's family didn't exactly make their money the ethical way," Chuck responded.
"And Devon?" Eddie asked.
"Wasn't aware of his family's endeavors, as far as we can tell," Blair chimed in, "Until recently."
"I don't understand," Eddie looked even more perplexed, "Devon said his family moved out of the city."
"Well," Blair looked to her husband for guidance of how to respond.
"Devon's family ran just before they were indicted," Chuck responded, "Last update I had on them, they'd settled in Brazil. There has been limited contact with their son, no assistance financially."
"He wouldn't try to hit Charlotte up for money, would he?" Blair thought out loud.
"I wouldn't think so, but this situation deserves a bit of monitoring," Chuck left the room abruptly.
"Calling his P.I.?" Eddie asked.
"Most likely," Blair served Eddie a piece of the dessert their housekeeper had baked and did her best to change the subject from the heaviness of a few moments ago. "Your mother is beyond thrilled to have her family all back in New York at the same time."
"I'm enjoying it too," Eddie nodded, "It's a bit crowded at my folks place right now, but we're surviving. Justin and Abigail are looking for a more permanent place to live, but they don't really want to make any moves during the holidays."
"I imagine your parents' home is bursting at the seams," Blair smiled, "How about you? Are you looking to move out of your parents home?"
"I've been considering it. Before I moved to London, I was living with one of my fraternity brothers, but he's married now. It would be hard to live with a roommate again after having a flat all to myself in London. I grew accustom to it," Eddie admitted.
"Do you miss London?" Blair asked.
"Not really," Eddie shook his head, "I liked it enough, but New York is home."
"I couldn't imagine living anywhere else," Blair smiled, "Especially at Christmas time. This city just seems to come alive with festivities."
"I'm looking forward to restarting some family holiday traditions," Eddie agreed, "Charlotte mentioned you were going to meet with a decorator."
"She's always loved this holiday. It's her favorite time of the year," Blair felt a laugh bubble to the surface, "As a child, her father took great pleasure in spoiling her and her brothers."
"I remember how elaborate the decorations were," Eddie recalled, "It was quite the wonderland."
"I guess I started the tradition," Blair smiled at the memories, "Chuck simply amplified it after Charlotte was born."
"Charlotte's home is going to turn into a wonderland, isn't it?" Eddie chuckled.
"Yes, I'm pretty sure she's going to go all out," Blair nodded as Chuck returned to the dining room to finish his dessert. "Everything all right, Handsome?"
"I have my P.I. digging into Mister Hendrick's movements and potential intentions," Chuck picked up his utensil and resumed eating his sweet treat.
"Thank you for letting us know about Devon's return," Blair smiled.
"Charlotte never mentioned anything about Devon's family," Eddie admitted.
"She only met them a handful of times," Blair replied, "Charlotte always made it sound like Devon wasn't all close with his parents. We made sure she was insulated from their life."
Eddie nodded in understanding.
"You're still awake," Charlotte was surprised to enter her bedroom to see Eddie laying in bed with a file folder in his hands.
"I had a few more pages I wanted to get through before I turned in," he glanced up, "How was your night out with your friend?"
"So much fun," Charlotte crawled onto the bed to sit next to Eddie, "My friend, Ella, and her boyfriend announced their engagement. It seems so crazy to think of one of my friends getting married already."
"Have they been together long?" Eddie wrapped an arm around Charlotte's shoulders as she snuggled against him.
"Less than a year," Charlotte shrugged, "I had no idea they were even that serious, but they seem really happy."
"Are you okay?" Eddie felt her tense slightly.
"A bit jealous, I guess," she admitted, "I didn't think any of my friends would get married for a couple of years, and here Ella is on the verge of walking down the aisle. It just feels a bit surreal."
"I know the feeling. When my first friend got married, it felt more like an elaborate excuse to play dress up rather than the life committing ceremony it actually was," Eddie caressed her shoulder lightly.
"That's exactly it," Charlotte nodded, "Marriage is such an adult decision to make. How does anyone know when they're ready to commit to someone for a lifetime? I feel like I'm still trying to figure my life out."
"Take your time," he missed her temple, "I'm not going anywhere."
"Good," she caressed his chin.
"Your mom caught me hard at work this evening," Eddie admitted.
"Oh no," Charlotte gasped, "Was she mad?"
"She didn't seem to be," Eddie shook his head slightly, "She invited me up for some dessert with her and your dad."
"Mom knows you've been spending the night," Charlotte bit her lip nervously, "Dad's not nearly as clueless as he seems. Maybe he's really okay with us having sleep overs."
"Or maybe he's operating under 'ignorance is bliss'," Eddie replied.
"They want me to be happy," Charlotte stated, "You make me happy."
"Before your day gets booked tomorrow, how about you and I spend the day together," he suggested.
"I'd like that," Charlotte nodded, "I'm going to change out of my club clothes."
"You're back earlier than I thought," he glanced at the clock.
"A few of my friends had to work tomorrow, so they weren't able to stay out super late. A couple others had to be up for church," Charlotte explained, "It worked out well. I didn't want to stay out too late, especially since you didn't join us. A few of them stayed."
"Is Devon one of them?" Eddie asked.
"Yeah," Charlotte nodded, "He seemed to have a lot of steam to blow off especially with everyone else paying his tab."
"Has he told you why he's back?" Eddie inquired. Her parents warnings from earlier still rang in his ears.
"Sounds like things didn't work out in L.A. like he had hoped," Charlotte replied, "I think he wanted to go somewhere familiar, somewhere he had friends…"
"And a woman he thought might be unattached," Eddie added.
"Yeah," Charlotte confirmed, "Even if you and I weren't together I still wouldn't have gotten back together with him. We're going in separate directions. It was okay when we were in college, but he wanted me to be someone else, someone content to be on his arm as he rose to stardom."
"Are you sure about that?" he pressed.
"One hundred percent," Charlotte didn't even hesitate with her response, "Devon is part of my past. Honestly I was going to end things with him after graduation even if he hadn't left for L.A."
"Then your reaction last night when he arrived about him leaving right after graduation," Eddie was mildly confused.
"He just left without even a goodbye. We broke up via text message. That's not how I wanted to end things," Charlotte sighed, "He was important to me. I gave him my virginity for crying out loud. I wanted to end things the right way."
"I can understand that," Eddie replied, "When I ended things with Heather, I made sure to do it face to face. It wasn't pleasant, but it was the right way to go about it. I'm sorry I'm bringing all this up. It's really not my business."
"You just want to make sure things are done between me and Devon," Charlotte caressed his chest, "I promise they are. I want to help him get back on his feet because it's the right thing to do, but he's not who I want to be with. You are."
"I'm glad to hear that," Eddie released a shaky breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding in.
"Were you jealous?" Charlotte suddenly realized.
"Maybe a little," Eddie admitted, "You share a history, and like you said, you were close. As much as I don't want our age difference to be an issue, when things like you going out with your friends happen…I'm not a part of that. It wouldn't have felt right tagging along."
"Honestly, as fun as it was, it felt a bit like the final hurrah," she admitted, "We're all going different directions. It's going to be hard to all get together like we did in college, and honestly, I'm okay with that. College was great, but it's over now."
Eddie nodded in understanding as Charlotte climbed off the bed and headed into her closet to change out of her club clothes. When she returned, Eddie had cast aside his file folder and was anxiously waiting for her to rejoin him.
"You know what I was most looking forward to tonight," Charlotte told him when she climbed back into bed.
"What's that?" Eddie wrapped her in his arms.
"Coming home to you," she rose up so she could press her lips to his.
TBC…