The two Hastings were at the baggage claim waiting for the girls. Charlie held up a sign that said Montgomery, Marin and Fields. Spencer thought it was kind of ridiculous due to the fact the baggage claim was also the check in counter, lounge. You could fit the building they were at into the house at the ranch. Charlie had insisted. She even donned a driver's hat as they waited for the other three girls.
"So why do I need to flirt with Hanna?" Charlie asked curiously.
"Just do it and she will be smitten. Remember Aria loves books and old films."
"And Emily?" She asked raising her perfect eyebrow.
"I'm not even going to go into detail with you on that one."
"Why not?"
"One she is my friend two she is very in a long-term relationship.", Spencer said in a harsh whisper. Hanna, Aria and Emily came walking through the airport door.
The girls to off toward Spencer and Spencer took off toward the girls. They acted as though they haven't seen each other in years. It had only been three weeks. One thing was for sure Spencer looked totally and happy. That moment for Charlie was one of the biggest reasons she was out her.
The ride to the ranch was a complete and utter headache for Charlotte. The girls got into the car and blasted Ke$ha, Brittany Spears and Rihanna. The clothes ,oh god, the clothes they talked about that and , who was dating or sleeping with who. Charlotte had never thought she really would have been so happy to be in the middle of nowhere until now.
"What the hell did those girl bring? Henry huffed as they got the last of the seven bags.
"Jimmy Hoffa's body man or maybe the whole Batman cave. Now that would be so cool." Charlie thought aloud.
The girls walked into Spencer's room. It looked like a room from the 1900s with a few modern things here or there. The queen size bed was pushed up against the right wall. A draw set was on the opposite wall in front of the bed with a 46' inch TV hanging above it. Henry fixed up and an old vanity he found and a storage building. It had appeared in her room three days after she arrived. It sat in front of the window that was a couple of feet away from the drawers. Aria was the first to land head first into Spencer's bed.
"How has the trip so far?" Emily asked as she took a seat on the stool in front of vanity.
"Good really good. I have missed having Charlie around. She is way different from anyone in my family. It's really cool to have the one-on-one time with her."
"How does your family own all this stuff?" Hanna asked.
"HANNA!" Aria and Emily said in unison.
"What?" Hanna questioned asked her joined Aria and Spencer on the bed.
"We don't. It's the Rainwater Ranch. Charlie's mother family owns it. When Charlie was discharged she moved here instead of back to Rosewood. She said there was too much back in Rosewood for her to ever feel really comfortable."
"Oh, Alison's murder? Yeh, I wouldn't want to go back either." Hanna asked confused.
"No! Her girlfriend Katie dead in a car wreck when she was a junior in high school. It's the reason she joined the army. Or I assumed she did..." Emily trailed off.
"How did you know all that?"Aria asked with a small smirk. "Sure you assumed Emily."
"Wait is there something you're not telling us Emily?" Spencer asked looking between Emily and Aria.
"No nothing to tell. Well maybe ,but not OK yes. I had a huge thing for Charlotte back went we were freshman. I just thought it was because she was older and so different. She wasn't living in Rosewood. It seemed awesome, then you invited us here and I got butterflies. I had a huge crush on your cousin."
"Why haven't you ever told any of us?" Spencer asked.
"Yeh that's something you just tell your best friend. I wasn't even out yet. Plus she is way older. Even now my parents would go crazy.", Emily said sheepishly.
At that moment Charlotte knocked on the door with a heavy load of the girl's bags. "My ears are burning you are talking about me. Hanna!" She accused and caused the blond to turn a deep red.
"No. . . We weren't talking about you.", She said quickly while trying to get her red face under control.
"Ok whatever you say. Ladies, you have the house for the night. Henry and I are getting boozed up and shooting shit. Hopefully not one another though.",she said with a straight face.
"Your what?" Spencer asked as she rushed to meet Charlie at the door. Charlotte let out a deep laugh.
"Gotcha! Like I would let myself get drunk."
"Oh thank god. I thought I was going to have to murder you."
"Nah, I'm not that dumb. We are going into town catch a meeting then come back. We are camping and going to shoot stuff. Is that OK mom?", the former MP joked with big pleaded puppy dog eyes.
"Yeh, that's fine.", Spencer joked back. "You to have a good night and don't cause too much trouble."
"Come on crackhead. We need to go. If we want to be back in time to shoot." , said the only male in the house. Henry dropped off the last of the bags.
"Ok, cracker. I was never a crackhead at any point." Charlie started as she was walking away.
Spencer turned around and faced the other three. She wondered if they thought those two were as weird as they seemed to be. The faces she got from the other girls made meant her own thoughts were true.
"Did he really just call her a crackhead? Did they say they were going to shoot stuff? Can they just go kill animals like that?" Aria questioned in rapid fire.
"Aria slow down. Stuff being targets. There is a range they made on the property. Two its private land if they want. They can hunt whenever. Lastly, I think all I have ever heard them use last names and insults. It's how they work. I have heard stories about them getting into massive bar fights over someone else calling them the same insults." Spencer explained. "Anyway how have you been? Out of everyone I have heard the lease from you.", she said as she got back on the bed.
Aria got really quiet. She took a deep breath. She told the girls how she was seeing Ezra again. That they are taking it really slow. She is going Moore College in the fall and it seemed it would work with her being so close. The conversation shifted to Emily and how she will be at Penn State and Paige at Boston University. She was worried they would both meet someone new with their distance. Hanna on the other hand was on cloud nine compared to the rest of the girls. Caleb has already left for New York and had an apartment ready for them both. He was going to Columbia University and she got into the Art Institute for fashion. It hits them all that this would really be the last time they could be together with no school and outside life interfering.
The two army buddies made from town and on their way back to the ranch. "So have you found out if Spencer is dating anyone?"
"Dude no." She shook her head. "No dude I can't morally let you do that. You and I have been wing men for far to long for me to let that happen." Charlie was shocked that he had told her that.
"What why not I like her. Like, I really like her."
"Williams, this is strange OK. Mostly because you tell me you really like someone. I am shocked really shocked. I didn't know an ape could have emotions like that." Charlie chuckled. "Nah man I am really not sure. Ask her yourself stupid."
"Oh I will ask her when you tell why you look all wide-eyed and drooling at Emily." The man said. While keeping his eyes on the road.
"She is hot and legal. Which at this point is all we should be worried about. Not like Veronica and Peter would even notice. Now the Fields are a different story. They would eat me alive. You do know who her father is right, Lt. Col. Fields the man who trained us for our tours." She informed as they turned on to the long driveway. "Plus she has a serious girlfriend."
"Like that has ever stopped you before." Henry says with a raise eyebrow and smirk.
"Very true ,but I respect her not like the other girls I have been with. She is a family friend. I can't just hit it and quit it."
"When did you grow morals?"
"When my marriage failed. I had a wife that cheated on me. While I was fighting for our country that's when. Oh and that relapse didn't help either." The 1st sergeant let out.
Henry knew she was done with this topic when she brought up the relapse. It was the only thing that the two never when into detail in. The night Henry found her in her vomit from taken too many pills was the scariest moment in his life. They also never talk the bitch, Rebecca Bales. She came in wrecked shit up and left like she was never even there. The bad side to the whole ordeal was Charlie started using again. She told Henry that some point everyone relapses. No one will ever stop using. It's why you're always a recovering addict.
"Hello fucktard you there?" Charlie shook him.
"Yeh what"
"I asked if you wanted to take the ATVs or the horses. You were like in space. Ewww. . . You weren't thinking of Spencer naked were you?" She asked scrunching up her face.
Henry broke out into a huge smile. "ATVs I want to kick you ass."
"You totally were. Gross!"
Once the pulled up to the pulled up to the house. They packed up and took off toward the range for the night.
It was four in the morning. Charlie had snuck back into the house and started to make some coffee. She had left Henry passed out with him caressing his shotgun. His obsession with any weapon was beyond her. That again he more than likely thought the same about her shoe collection. She just got the door shut when she turned around and saw Emily sitting at the massive island. She jumped like four feet in the air.
"Holy hell you scared me."
"Sorry, why aren't you camping or whatever?" The swimmer asked.
"Umm. . . It's four and I have to work.", she said has she poured herself some coffee. "Thanks for the coffee. Plus if the asshat out there doesn't get his coffee he is far worse than Spencer.
"The real question is why are you up?" She asked while taken a sip of coffee and made her way to the fridge. She got the fruit bowl she was looking for.
"Couldn't sleep. It's becoming a nightly thing now.", Emily said this was also the moment she realized she was cold. As soon as the thought came to her head. She saw Charlie shrugging off her jacket and placing it on her shoulders. "Thanks."
"Your welcome. You looked cold." She claimed calmly and took a pineapple chunk and tossed into her mouth.
As they sat in silence Emily really looked at the girl in front of her. It was obvious that she was physically attracted to her. Charlotte was very similar to Spencer in bone structure, hair and eye coloring. She was straight muscle which gave her the appearance of being really thicker. You can tell she spent her days in the sun doing hard labor. Her hands were white as snow. They were in a great contrast to her arms that were in between a deep carmel and burnt brown. The only thing that Emily really knew right now was that she was walking on a very fine line with what she wanted.