When she heard the outer room door close, signaling Angel's departure, Charlotte let the weight of her back fall against the bathroom door. Resting her head against the cool wood, she closed her eyes and sighed. The last two nights were burning in her mind. She had blown it by showing herself to Amy, and that had caused her to not show herself to the little boy when it could have been the difference between his life and death. She understood why she had to stay hidden. Angel had warned her of what could happen if she was discovered, but it hindered everything she could do. She imagined how many lives she would be able to save if she'd been free to go into any situation in her full demon form, with the FBI to back her up. Evil would bow to her as if she were the Queen of Hell itself.
She liked that idea a lot. She cursed the ghostly chains that bound her, but she didn't blame Angel for it at all. If anything, he'd given her a purpose—a great one. And she was grateful that he'd accepted her as his partner. Pushing away from the door, Charlotte started the hot water and undressed. This time, when she looked into the mirror at her disheveled self, she shrugged and thought with a soft smile, Still a sexy bitch!
Now that she was safe in the hotel room—with her mind made up to focus on the positives rather than the negatives—she permitted herself to feel what she had denied herself when she held the boy in her arms: relief. Like the scalding hot water that moments later drenched her crusty, long hair and soaked her slim form, that sense of relief washed over her and cleansed away her sadness. There was a lot of complicated shit yet to deal with, but it would wait. The water was a balm to her emotional state, soothing her, and she let her thoughts turn to Angel. She needed to let him know she was okay, so maybe he'd feel better, too. She owed him that.
Soaping up to rid herself of the mud, grime, and sludge, Charlotte spent the rest of the shower enjoying the feel of her hands over her naked form, allowing herself to feel a sense of pleasure for the first time as the soap cleansed her physical & spiritual selves. She rinsed and then re-soaped all of her body a second time, lost in sensations she couldn't recall experiencing the last time. Covered in the layers of suds, all the filth long since taken by the drain, her hands explored herself intimately. With the sadness and other negative emotions tucked away, new, more intense needs took their place. An ache had started to build, familiar and foreign all at the same time. Her hand slipped between her legs, where heat not from the water, pulsed. A ballet of fingers slipped into folded spaces, caressing her need, pulling the ache from inside until it teetered on the edge of her clit. Biting her lip, Charlotte slowly teased it, over and over, as waves of pleasure tingled throughout her body and her groin throbbed and escalated until she gasped once, clenched her hand between her legs and orgasmed. Her body shivered under the scalding hot water as soft moans whispered through semi-parted lips, and she licked them with her tongue, dreamily.
When the tide ebbed and she was short of breath, Charlotte brought her fingers to her lips to taste her sweetness and sighed contently. She swayed under the water, eyes closed, lost in the euphoria of her intense climax for what seemed like forever, only to be rudely brought out of it as the hot water was replaced by bitter cold pellets. Cursing her selfishness for using up the hot water, since Angel had yet to shower, she shut the faucets off and stepped out while reaching for a towel. With it wrapped securely around her, she walked out into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed.
For a moment, she sat there, feeling a bit stunned at the sensations, yet completely relaxed for the first time. Shaking her head, Charlotte began repeating the tasks from the night before, she dried her body and slipped on the clean clothes Angel had left her, then started to brush her hair. She looked at the TV and grinned, suddenly quite curious about what there was to watch. She went for the remote when she heard the door rattle. Her eyes took on a red hue, and her defenses rose until she saw Angel step inside, struggling with six full bags of items.
Charlotte's demeanor changed quickly, and she jumped up, her hair still a mess, and came over. "Let me help." She took half the bags off him to help set them on the desk by the door, "Wow, what all did you get?"
Angel picked up on her tone, "You feeling better?"
"Yes! I came," there was a slight pause as she smiled internally, "to an agreement with myself to focus on the purpose you've granted me and that we can do a lot of good and save a lot of lives. I'm so-so sorry I made you worry tonight, Angel! You've given me a chance to do good, and it makes me feel amazing that I was able to help Amy, Jamie and that little boy and I want more of it! I want you to be able to trust in me and to see how much I can help you fight for your dreams, too!"
The complete change in Charlotte's demeanor eased Angel's own angst of worry for her, and while she may be overcompensating a little bit, being able to let the sadness go was good for her. For them both.
"I already trust you, Charlotte. From that moment you gave me my gun back, and your soft voice carried from those demon's teeth, I trusted you." He made sure his voice was firm, so she could feel the way he did. He still had to discuss with her his feelings about using her powers, but her words quelled his concerns for the night. Opening one of the bags, he pulled out two plastic containers, announcing dinner.
Charlotte's eyes bled red again, and he heard the playful tone in her voice as she scolded, "No meat?"
Angel returned her crimson stare with a serious look, his voice carrying a humored undertone: "No, no meat, your highness."
"Good!" she declared, taking the offered container, eyes back to their dark black. "You learn fast, My knight."
"Knight, huh? A bit more medieval than Angel." He chuckled.
Charlotte had the container open and looked at the salad hungrily, but what he had said distracted her: "Is it okay to ask what Angel means? I know it's not your given name, right?"
Sitting across from her and opening his own container, admitting to himself that it looked pretty good, Angel took up the plastic fork and poked at the various items to scoop some food up, "Angel is short for Angelus, my middle name. In the service, It became my call sign in my unit, too. With what I do now, I feel I am still serving and protecting the innocent, so I kept it."
"You are an angel to the ones you save," Charlotte blushed, adding, "Including me."
Angel smiled gratefully at the compliment and bowed his head slightly, "I am honored to have you by my side, Charlotte."
Hunger took over, and the two ate in comfortable silence until the salad and bread were devoured in short order. Charlotte downed two bottles of water, and after the meal was over, Angel presented the chocolate to her. The light that sparkled in her eyes told Angel all he needed. The chocolate was a success. Charlotte looked at him like he'd just granted her entrance to Heaven as she bit into the bar three times in quick succession after the first. She asked what it was, and he told her, and she declared that water and chocolate were to be stocked in full at all times. Angel told her he'd obey. The lightness of the air was refreshing, and all other items would be checked off later. Angel went and turned on the TV, flipping through until he found a movie to entertain Charlotte with. Sitting on the bed with his back to the headboard, he watched Charlotte lay on her stomach, flipping her legs up in turn as she giggled at the action on the screen, and for the first time in a long time, Angel felt a calmness he didn't know he would be allowed to have again. There was another feeling, teasing the edge of his emotions as he watched her. If she never found herself, if she were to stay with him forever, he didn't know if he was allowed to feel anything for her or if it was even possible. She wasn't human after all. She was a demon. But, for the time being—as both of them seemed to desire—she was Angel's demon.