Pancakes and a birthday kiss

Charlie is feeling back to her old self, and her body has decided to make up for all the food it did not get into its system. After the miserable afternoon on the first day she got sick, now a couple of weeks ago, after the company of her uncle and Monroe and a princess story from Zoë, Charlie felt better quickly.

It is Friday night. Charlie has offered to watch Zoë for Aaron and Priscilla tonight. She is just putting some stuff from her living room in a big closet on her right, simply because cleaning up is not really her thing and this is easier, when she hears the knock on the door.

She opens the door as she pushes back a lock of hair over her shoulder. Instead of the expected company, she looks right into the face of her uncle.

'Hey kid, dinner about ready?' Miles grins at his niece.

Charlie rolls her eyes at her uncle. She knows her uncle is not really the homey feeling kind of guy, but Miles does appreciate a diner, when she is cooking it. He is a Matheson, she is a Matheson. They like to eat. A lot. Of course he is welcome, but she just cannot help herself and give him a quick raise of her eyebrow when he looks at her, to not let him off the hook that easily.

'Come in.'

But then Miles nods to his left and Charlie sees her uncle did not come alone.

'I brought this moron too, hope you don't mind? Somebody needs to feed him.'

'Dick,' Bass mutters under his breath.

Charlie then sees Monroe. Jacket, unshaven, eyes with deep blue and his hands casually next to his long legs.

'Fine, I guess you both can stay.' Charlie says, taking a step back to let them both in, 'Come on.'

Bass was hungry as hell, and when his brother asked him to grab some food, the moron had not included the fact that diner would be at Charlie's. He has been in her apartment before, but always with Miles, and for something practical or a fast drink. But diner is not a drink, diner will take longer than a stupid drink and fucking hell, it is going to be torture because she is wearing that one tank that does fantastic things for her tits. Fuck.

He follows Miles into her living room when Charlie is so close for a moment he can take in the scent of her hair. His boots made low sounds on the wooden floor as he walks in. He likes it here. There is a fire in the fireplace, a couple of oil lamps. Books, a low coffee table, a couple of chairs around a strong dark brown table. It feels easy, it feels down to earth. Miles grabs a chair and Bass follows him.

Charlie walks into the kitchen to grab some glasses and some whiskey. She pours both men a drink and after she walks over to the table where both men are sitting down, she is standing next to Bass, her arm touches his shoulder for a second, when they are close. Miles does not even notice, but she can't help but notice the pressure of his body against hers.

Then there is a knock on the door and Charlie shakes that thought away when she walks over to the door.

'Expecting somebody?' Bass asks, cursing at himself for the way he is sounding. Fuck, don't let it be loser guy Charlie is dating.

Charlie only grins at him, when she opens the door and she is greeted by a small girl and her backpack that travels wherever she goes.

'Hey you,' Charlie says.

'Auntie Charlie!' Zoë yells out her with enthusiasm and a fast hug.

Then she walks over to the small table next to the door and is getting out of her small jacket.

'Oh good, I see you have company.' Aaron says, with sarcasm when he sees both Miles and Monroe. Truth is, they all have been going along. Aaron knows they are okay, for the simple fact Charlie allows Monroe in her home now. And they are still guys, so there is a lot of bantering and some nice old insults here and there.

Miles and Bass both shot him a grin and a nod. Then Aaron turns to Charlie.

'Thanks for watching her, kiddo. I will pick her up tomorrow. And for diner later..you know, some vegetables would be nice.' Aaron says to Charlie.

'Yes daddy, we will a lot of ...vege..vegeta...vegetables...,' Zoë says with great concentration , and then gives Aaron a sugar sweet smile.

Both Charlie and Zoë walk Aaron to the door and wave goodbye. They both turn their head to peek around the doorway to make sure Aaron is really gone. Miles is grinning at Bass at the whole image of Charlie and Aaron's kid, making sure Aaron is out of the door. He remembers a younger Charlie, who could not wait for her parents to leave so she could get into a lot of trouble with both him and Bass.

When Charlie closes the door, Zoë looks up at her, and both of them start to smile.

Miles and Bass are looking at them, when Zoë moves her little legs over to the kitchen.

'What are you doing, kid?' Miles asks with a grin.

Zoë already has her hands on a big pan after opening one of the kitchen cabinets when Charlie stands behind her to help her.

'Pancakes.' Is her simple answer.

'Pancakes huh? What happened to those vegetables kid?' Bass wants to know.

'No..,' Zoë smiles, 'Chalie always makes pancakes.'

And then she walks over to him. 'Don't tell daddy.' She whispers solemnly.

'Well, if you give us some pancakes too, he won't hear anything from me kid.' Bass says, Miles grinning behind his whiskey.

Charlie looks at Monroe and Zoë. She has to admit, he is not being a total ass tonight and he is actually kind of not a jerk when it comes to Zoë. Zoë seems to like him, and although she always likes it when Miles is around too, there is something easy between both her and Monroe, and she wonders why. He is good with her.

So, when Monroe is making a we don't tell Aaron about the pancakes deal with a little girl, Charlie decides to get to work in the kitchen as she hears Zoë explain princess things to Miles and she grabs paper and some crayons out of her backpack. Miles grabs a pillow to put on the chair for Zoë, since the kid's nose barely made it above the table. It earns him a look that tells her she really does not need it. But then her feet dangle happy in the air and her attention goes back to the colourful crayons and the drawing plans she is making.

A little later, when Zoë is sitting at the table, busy with her crayons and some paper , and Miles and Bass are enjoying a drink or two of whiskey, a large plate with pancake on top of another warm pancake is ready. Charlie walks the plate over to the dinner table and Zoë eyes go wide at the sight of the endless pile of pancakes in front of her.

Then Charlie walks back and brings out al glass with some honey. She sits down next to Zoë, putting the honey down.

'Chalie makes happy face now.' She turns to Bass, anticipation in her eyes, as her little hands lay in her lap, and as her eyes go back to Charlie's hand and a sweet pancake on a dinner plate. Charlie uses a spoon to let the honey drip onto the pancakes. Two honey eyes, a little nose and a mouth make Zoë giggle before she starts on her pancake.

Bass is grateful for the shot of booze in his hand. Because right in front of him, he watches how Charlie makes the face on the damn pancake. She doesn't know it, but it is the same face his mother drew on pancakes for him when he was young, for his sisters too when they were sick or having a bad day.

He knows Ben did it for Charlie when she was little, a tradition that started with his mom, many years ago in Jasper when both Miles and Ben were part of his family, sharing diners at their dinner table. Days that seemed so simple. School, homework, friendship, getting into trouble.

He has not the heart to tell her, he has not the heart to look up at Miles now.

He grabs a fork, digs in too, although there is a fucking lump the size of Texas in his throat. A lump that is there, because this part of his old home, of years long forgotten, made it all the way here, to this table, with this little kid, Miles and with Charlie.

Three weeks later

Charlie is a little hung over, a dull headache is there, as she walks from her place to her grandfather's home. She is late. She does not like to be late. One, because it is not like her. Two, because she is meeting with Miles, and he will not shut up about this for the rest of the morning, with what could be the reason of her being late.

She met with Chris last night, they guy she has been seeing every now and then. It has been a good evening. That was until he tried to kiss her later when they were sitting shoulder to shoulder. She had frozen under his touch, he had apologized. She knew he was not being an asshole, and he had walked her home, apologizing again and again. She had smiled at him, assured him she was okay and that she just did not want more. He had looked hurt before he headed home. She had walked into her empty and silent apartment, feeling heavy and low. He was a decent guy, although she could not completely explain why he was not for her. Why she kept comparing him to something or someone she did not even understand herself.

But most of all, she was not ready. Not after what happened in an abandoned library in Austin. Maybe she was not ever going to be ready. That is why she choose Chris. He was fun, he was safe. Nothing more. Nothing to give, but more importantly, nothing to lose.

She was not the girl to stay and hide in bed for the rest of the day because she had a shitty evening, and she had promised to stop by her grandfather's. Her grandfather had been vague about the reason and she was wondering what it could be.

She got her answer when she walked into the kitchen. Bass and Miles are in the middle of a conversation, her grandpa is going through some books in the living room he needed later and in the middle of the light morning activities in the small kitchen and little girl stands next to Aaron with an actual cupcake in her tiny hand, a small candle on top of it.

Slowly, Zoë walkesto her, as Aaron has a hand on her shoulder, helping her.

'What is this?' Charlie asks, as she got to Zoë's level, squatting down in front of her.

'This is for your birthday Chalie.' Zoë looking very concentrated at the cake and burning candle in front of her.

Bass looks at the blue changing in Charlie's eyes, and he is hit by how god damn beautiful she is like this, a real smile, that smashes down that wall he sees around her. And he sees her. And he realises how few times he actually sees her smile. And how much he fucking hates that.

Charlie looks at the tiny cupcake in a shape she remembered from Chicago, from other birthdays at home and the candle, burning in a golden tiny flame with warmth. She is moved by this gesture. Birthdays have been a luxury on the road and now this little girl was here, a tiny present in her hand for her. For her.

'We know we are a week early, but we are leaving later for the next couple of weeks to visit some friends a couple of towns away, so we wanted to give you a present now.' Aaron explains, Zoë nodding at her father's words.

'Well, I love it.' Charlie smiles, a wide smile from both Aaron and Zoë as she turns her attention back at the cupcake and girl in front of her.

'Make a wish Auntie Chalie.'

And Charlie makes a wish, although it has nothing to do with the easy wishes she used to make in a world a lifetime away, where it was about princesses and fairytales as well, as she gently blows out the candle and Zoë puts the cupcake in her hands. Then Zoë kisses her, followed by Aaron.

Bass crosses his arms when he sees how Zoë turns around to him, when Miles just heads out the kitchen telling him he needs to hit the head. The old men is busy with his books as Aaron is grabbing something from the living room.

He knows trouble is not far away.

'You kiss Chalie too.'

Trouble it is. Fuck.

When he not moves immediately, Zoë keeps looking at him with wide blue eyes. Then she frowns and she is not really smiling at him anymore.

'It is almost Chalie's birthday and then you have to give her a kiss.' Her voice is still sweet, but her eyes tell him there is no going around this.

Bass lets out a fast grin. Feels kind of really fucking stupid as his eyes turn to Charlie who has turned his way, her mouth already open to say something to Zoë.

Dammit, He is Sebastian Monroe, he does not walk away from a challenge. Certainly not from a challenge that comes from a tiny princess with a lot of attitude.

Charlie knows what he is about to do before he even starts to open his stupid mouth.

'You know what, you are right Zoë.' His voice is low, with a hint of arrogance and challenge only for her to pick up on and has a rhythm of rough goodness that makes Charlie stop in her tracks and lock eyes with him.

'It is her birthday...'

Zoë says something back but Charlie does not register what.

Bass pushes himself of the kitchen counter. He walks over to her and stands impossibly close to her. He is tall, and his shoulders and chest are broad, and so close. Charlie feels how dry her mouth feels all of a sudden.

She feels his hand on her arm. His hand is large, his fingers adding just enough pressure.

She takes in his scent that is suddenly all around her.

She feels his breath.

His beard.

And then, his blue fire up into hers, before he slowly puts his mouth on her cheek, although stupidly close to her lips, and he kisses her. Gently.

And then, he goes in for the kill. He moves his mouth, moves it close to her ear. His breath against her ear, his voice even more low and oh so good.

'Happy birthday, Charlie.'

And then, as he steps back, Miles walks back into the kitchen. Her grandpa asks her something about a patient, Zoë wants to go home with Aaron to play with her princess doll and she just stands there. Telling herself to move.

Bass eyes are still on her as he walks out the door with Miles, the screen door of the kitchen a little bit longer in his hands then she thinks has to be, as his eyes are still on her, as he says something to Miles about a meeting later. And then, she is looking at the screen door, Miles and Bass already at the end of the garden path as she tries to understand what just happened.

Thank you so much for your reviews for last chapter, they made me so happy! I will work on this story this week, and you can expect another chapter later! Love from Love