So yet another year has gone by and I am just now updating... Sorry! I've been writing on something else and haven't even really thought about Michael and Charlie. If anyone is still following the story, I hope you like it. I kind of tweaked Charlie a little bit. Tell me what you think :) And thank you for being patient with me.

~Crews

"Michael, I'm bored," I said without looking at him. We were both sprawled on the couch in our respective corners, the television blaring reality TV nonsense (seriously, what the hell is a Snooki and is it contagious?). The couch cushions shifted and I turned to look, meeting Michael's gaze as he switched off the TV. His eyes searched mine and I had the awful feeling that he was going to say something I wouldn't like. "What?"

"We have to go meet our parents," he said. His face twisted into a grimace as he watched me. I didn't blame him. I could feel all the emotions flashing across my face—surprise, anger, betrayal. I glared at him, my hands clenching into fists on the soft leather. He got up and padded into the kitchen, opened the fridge and started pulling stuff out to make dinner.

I could have punched myself. I knew we were lucky that they hadn't butted in before this. I mean, leaving us alone for three full weeks was both a surprise and a blessing. Michael and I had been left to our own devices, me going to the gym on a regular basis (not running into Beatrice, thank God!) and Michael being his sneaky vampire self. I knew he was feeding, but I chose to just ignore it and would always knock before walking into the apartment, even though he said I didn't need to. I'd rather not be surprised with another Kate incident.

But I really should have known better. Especially when my eighteenth birthday had quietly come and gone. I figured mom hadn't wanted to bring it up because technically she couldn't tell me what to do anymore. God she's infuriating, and now she's butting in again. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and counted to ten.
"What are you doing?" Michael asked. My eyes flew open as I jumped at his proximity. He was standing right in front of me and I had not heard him.

"Fuck!" I yelled, my heart fluttering in my chest. "God, don't do that!" Michael smirked as he looked down at me and I realized that he could probably hear my heart beat. I narrowed my eyes and moved to get off the couch, but he pressed his fingers against my shoulder and pushed me back.

"I don't think so," he teased, sitting on the table across from me. "This is no time to go and sulk in your room."

"Get out of my head," I growled, my anger rising as he just laughed.

"I will if you answer my question," he persisted.

"If you're in my head already, you know what I was doing," I sighed, exasperated.

"Tell me."

I glared at him, his eyes wide with false innocence. I pressed my lips into a fine line. "Fine. I was counting to ten so that I wouldn't fly off the handle. I dislike Liz, as you know, and I would rather not go out to meet her and your dad."

"You've changed," Michael said. He got up and went back into the kitchen, his feet making noise as he went.

"What do you mean by that?" I barked, flying off the couch to follow. "How have I changed?"

He smirked as he stirred a large pot of boiling water. Looked like spaghetti for dinner.

"When we first met, you would have preferred flying off the handle. That Charlie would never have counted to ten to calm down."

"How do you know?" I asked, too indignant to realize that he was right. I would have screamed and outright refused before. Was I really changing?

"Because when we first met, that's what you did."
I sighed, leaning against the counter as he poured sauce into a pan. "Yeah, well that was before we made our deal and before I got to know you. You're not the worst vampire I know."

"You know a lot of us, do you?" he teased. He carried the large pot over to the sink and strained out the water.

"Alright, no, you're the only one really, but you're still not so bad. Except," I said and he looked at me with an eyebrow raised. "If you keep sneaking up on me like that, I am going to have to kick your ass. This is your first and only warning."

"Sounds fair," he chuckled. "I don't mean to do it. I actually have to think about making noise when I walk around. I'm naturally quiet."

"You mean unnaturally, Vamp Boy."

"Ha ha, very funny." He turned off the burner and dumped the sauce onto the pasta. "Dinner is ready." He spooned up two bowls and carried them to the table as I grabbed forks, napkins and two cups which I filled with ice and lemonade. We had gotten into the routine that he cooked and I grabbed drinks and silverware. He usually didn't eat, but I had come to find that there were certain foods that he would. Like spaghetti.

I sat down across from him and started twirling noodles around my fork. "So, when do we have to see Zane and Liz?" I asked. Michael looked up, eyes guarded. From his expression I could tell that he had hoped I'd forgotten. Guess again.

"In about an hour," he mumbled. My breath caught in my throat.

"Are you serious?" I choked out. My fork clattered to the table. "Why tonight?" Michael set his own fork down as he looked up at me. From all the stories of vampires being suave and confident, Michael sure could be meek sometimes. Like now and any other time that we've had to talk about his dad and my mom. He was also very good at avoiding discussions and changing the subject.

"Your mom said it was something about trying on your dress," he said after a moment of studying what was without a doubt an expression of pure panic on my face. Pure panic that abruptly shifted to unadulterated horror.

"You've been talking to Liz?" I squeaked. And then the rest sunk in. "AND SHE HAS A DRESS PICKED OUT?" Michael really looked uncomfortable now. Without a word, I slowly lifted myself out of my chair and walked to the kitchen door, pushing through it and sprinting to my room as fast as I could. It didn't work. Like the night he chased me out of his father's house, Michael was suddenly in front of me and we collided, the feeling still like slamming into a brick wall.
His arms circled around my back as I fought to get free. No matter how much I struggled, shifted and elbowed him, he wouldn't budge. Finally I just stopped, my forehead resting against his chest, my shoulders sagging in defeat.

He was right, I wasn't the old Charlie anymore, the one who would kick ass and take names. Time away from my mother had weakened my protective shell of sarcasm and threatened violence. There was no other explanation; I'd become docile in Michael's presence. What was wrong with me?
I felt a traitorous tear slide down my cheek and Michael's arms tensed, pushing me away just enough that he could look down at me without letting go. I ducked me head, staring at the dark red carpet.

"Charlie," he said, his tone surprising me. It wasn't pity or annoyance. It was sweet and caring, two emotions that were absolutely foreign to me. Without realizing what I was doing, I looked up and met his gaze, my heartbeat jumping to three times its normal rate, my breath catching in my throat. His hand moved from my shoulder to my face, his fingers gently lifting my chin as he leaned forward to press his lips against mine.

We'd kissed a few times since the awkward sleepover debacle. Michael would always smirk and lean in quick to plant a kiss on my lips and would just as quickly back away as I raised my fists to punch him. But this was different. I didn't want to punch him, didn't want him to back away. And this was definitely all me. Michael had promised to stop messing with my head and emotions and he had kept his word. This was me. Oh shit…
I leaned into him, my arms threading up and around his neck, bringing his face down closer to mine. Michael pulled back, breaking the kiss, and looked at me in surprise. I pulled him back, my tongue sweeping across his lower lip.

Suddenly my back was pressed up against the wall as Michael took control, his tongue brushing mine as he explored my mouth. I gasped in surprise, the noise spurring him on. Without taking his lips from mine, his hands traveled down my sides, brushing against my hips before stopping on my butt as he lifted me off the ground. My legs crossed behind his back.

In the back of my mind, I realized that we probably shouldn't be doing this, especially since we had to meet Zane and Liz in less than an hour. But the rest of my brain pushed that tiny voice aside as I concentrated on the effect Michael was having on my body. I felt flushed and giddy as Michael gently scraped his teeth against my bottom lip, my heart beating erratically in my chest.

I didn't realize we'd moved until soft pillows pressed into my back where the hard wall had been before. Michael pulled back, his hair falling into his face as he stared down at me, the hunger in his eyes sending flames through my stomach as my mind briefly registered that we were in my room. He leaned forward, his lips brushing gently across my skin as he kissed my jaw and trailed kisses down my neck that felt like air. I gasped as he moved to my ear, his teeth gently tugging. He pulled back again and grinned mischievously.

My breathing was uneven and my heart was going a mile a minute as I realized he was teasing me.

"You jerk," I laughed breathlessly. His smile widened in response as he ran his hands down my body, stopping at my waist as he fingered my waistband. I hooked my foot around his leg and flipped him so now I was straddling him. Amusement mixed with the hunger in his eyes.

"Wasn't I mad at you?" I asked as I brushed my lips across his jaw line. His hands grabbed my hips, his fingers tugging at my waistband. I straightened and lifted my shirt over my head, tossing it across the room. Michael's eyes widened as I leaned forward again. I licked his bottom lip and his lips parted as he gasped. I pressed my lips to his and slowly caressed his tongue with mine. My fingers slid across his stomach, my mind reeling at the feel of his insane abs. I pushed his shirt up, breaking the kiss long enough to help him pull it off.

He grabbed my hands as I started trailing them down his sides. He looked into my eyes. "We don't have to do this," he whispered, his voice sending chills down my spine.

"I know," I whispered back, smiling. I kissed him, pulling back slowly. Michael looked up at me.

"Now who's teasing whom?" he whispered, eyes intense.

"You tell me." He growled, our bodies flying as he flipped me, pressing me into the bed. I giggled as we explored each other, our mouths pressed tightly together.

"Charlotte," my mother's voice broke in. I shook my head as I focused on her face. We were sitting across from each other, Zane on her left and Michael on my right, at this very fancy restaurant that I have never had the inclination to visit. But because it's Liz, of course this is where she wanted to meet us.

"What?" I asked, forcing my mind to focus on her and not on what Michael and I had been doing to each other two hours before. Michael's hand rested on my knee and I covered it with mine. Liz looked between me and Michael, eyebrows raised.

"I asked if you two have been getting along," she repeated, her eyes still shifting between us. "But I think I already know the answer." My eyes narrowed as Zane lifted a hand to cover his mouth, his eyes shining with amusement. I turned my attention to him, my face paling as a thought came to mind. Michael's hand tightened as Zane nodded imperceptibly. Oh crap. This was great. I couldn't keep my mind off of Michael and Zane could read my mind. This was just great. I bit my lip and glared at my mother.

"So about this dress," I started, working to set my mind on a not-as-embarrassing topic. My mom held up her hand to stop me.
"It's already been bought and paid for," she said. "You can't return it." My stomach flipped nervously. She wouldn't have immediately defended it unless she already knew that I wasn't going to like it. My eyes narrowed even further.

"Ah, that reminds me," Zane said, pulling himself together. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. My forehead scrunched in confusion as Michael released my leg to take the box from his father. Michael turned to me, lifting the lid and revealing a rather large blue sapphire ring.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Your engagement ring," Liz answered. I looked at Michael.

"Yeah," he said, smiling at me. "I hope you don't mind that it's not a diamond, but I felt that you would like the unconventional." I looked from Michael, to Zane, to

Liz and felt my stomach tying itself into knots. Being away from Liz and Zane had made me forget that I was getting married. In 3 weeks. Though Michael and I had made that deal what felt like years ago, I could feel myself starting to panic as reality began to sink in once more. My head started to buzz as I looked down at the ring once more. Michael plucked it from the box and took my left hand in his, gently sliding the cool band onto my ring finger.

This was too much. The buzzing in my head grew louder and louder, darkness pressing in from the outside until my vision was completely black. The last thing I remember before sinking into oblivion were two strong arms grabbing my arms and a shrill voice yelling, "CHARLOTTE!?"