Threads | Charlie - Tumblr Posts
Chuckling, he grabbed her hand and kissed it. ❝ I only do it because I know how much you love to watch me walk away. ❞ The years that they had spent together both professionally and romantically, were things he had taken for granted for a while now. Something he had to reconcile and learn that he couldn't continue to do that. Not with everything that had happened. Almost losing Sage, almost losing Elizabeth, again, even AJ, when he and Ashley's position was compromised.
No. He wouldn't take any of them for granted anymore. ❝ Of course, I mean it, darling. ❞ Laughing at the thought of the team being their goofballs, ones that they seemed to share custody of now. ❝ You tell me what you want and I'll round up the goofballs, I'll make it happen. ❞
The moment was tender, soft and it caught him unguarded when she reversed their positions. But it wasn't unwelcomed and when she teased him like that. Already feeling himself get hard at the prospect of going again, he grinned up just as deviously, hands on her hips. ❝ And how do you expect we do that? ❞
"Well, you do have quite the nice arse." Arse sounded strange his her American accent, but she knew it made him smile. "And you do insist on going in first, I can't help but look." Fingers tracing his jaw, she could spend eternity looking in his eyes. She felt safe and loved, she felt she was home. And home was anywhere as long as it was in his arms.
"You don't mean that." But the look he gave her as he said showed he did. "How would we? Just barge into the nearest registry office with our goofballs as witnesses?" She almost giggled at the idea, Rafe complaining it wasn't in some fancy venue. Elizabeth and Ashley her bridesmaids. Ashley determined to catch the bouquet so she could have that themed wedding she kept dreaming of. "Or would we, take it fancy? You in a tuxedo, me in white dress, walking down the aisle." She smiled at the idea, before hooking her legs over and rolling so she was seated quite nicely on his lap.
"Last night was the best yet. How about we try and top it?" A mischievous glint in her eyes as she slowly circled her hips, grind against him tantalisingly slow, her intent to arouse him, made her clench with need as she leaned forward to kiss him.
━━ ✦ ( @never-surrender ) cont from here
Seeing his wife like this tore Charlie apart. He had seen her sad before but there was something about the way she was crying that broke his heart. It sounded so painful and all he wanted was to take the pain away from her.
❝ Baby, ❞ he whispered, kneeling in front of her. Carefully taking her face into his hand, his thumbs wiped at the tears on her cheeks as he placed a small kiss on her lips trying to comfort her. He waited patiently for her to catch her breath, to take her time with what she needed to say. What had done this to her so he could do everything in his power to make it right.
Shit, Orion said that? This was worse than he thought, he hoped that he would have been able to tell her what he knew before something like this happened but he had been caught up last minute wrapping up a file. With a sigh, he leaned his forehead against Anna's and kissed her again before leaning back on his knees. ❝ Elizabeth said when she picked him up from school the teacher told him they had a class project about family and those tree's that they're supposed to make. Some of the kids began to pick on him because his mom wasn't drawn the same as him. It doesn't excuse what he said to you, not at all. ❞ He stood up and sat next to her instead. Taking her hand into his.
❝ I'm so sorry he said that to you. I'll talk to him, Elizabeth mentioned maybe taking him to a therapist once a month to help him with everything. Honestly, I think it's something I should've thought of doing months ago but too proud to consider. But know that he does love you, he calls you his mom. But he also can't go ungrounded in some way for this. For now, ❞ he wrapped his arms around his wife and pulled her into his lap. ❝ Tell me what I can do for you. Do you just want me to hold you for a while? ❞
After everything that had happened in the last couple of months, he wasn't going to be taking this all for granted. Both Sage and Elizabeth were almost lost to him forever. The family he had come to build and love was going to fall apart and it made him face the truth of it all. He wanted Sage by his side forever. However long that might be in this lifetime. ❝ However, you want to do, darling. ❞ He combed some stray hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. ❝ You say the words and I will make it happen. ❞ He'd use everything in his power to give her a wedding she deserved, that she wanted, that she dreamed of. ❝ Well, I believe that I look good in anything I put on but if a suit is what does it for you, then a suit it should be. ❞
His hands came up and his fingertips dug into her hips, a loud groan coming from him as she took him in. Her words were barely heard as he moaned at the scratches she left on his chest. ❝ Take whatever you fucking nee from me, love. ❞
"That is so cliché and so ridiculously true." For all he was and all they had gone through together, she treasured every single moment they spent together and was thankful every day for how he had stood by her even when she wasn't herself. If it hadn't have been for Charlie she would have lost herself to the Goddess and more than likely killed their friends. No way would Rafe allow her to hurt Elizabeth so she would have killed him to get to her. But that was over now, left only with small traces of the power.
"Maybe a small gathering then, only our nearest and dearest." They had some close friends outside their odd ball group, Chloe Fraser for starters and Ashley's adoptive brother Jon Payne. "Maybe when we've finished up here and there's nothing that needs our attention we can just pick a location and get married, you'd look so handsome in a suit." And boy did he, she had to pinch herself a few times to remind herself that he was hers.
"Well.." She raised her hips slightly feeling him hard beneath her and with little effort slid down his length a lazy moan as he stretched her. "Why don't we take it nice and slow." With each word she rolled her hips slowly, she wasn't sure she could keep that up without wanting him to fill thoroughly hard and fast, but she'd make this last. "See where it takes us." Another moan low and soft as she gently raked her fingers down his chest.
━━ ✦ ( @never-surrender )
Grabbing their orders from the counter, he carried the coffees back to where Emma waited. Placing her order in front of her, he slid into the seat across her and took a sip from his coffee. If it could even be considered that, since giving up the drink, sugar had become his substitute.
❝ How do you balance it? ❞ he asked frankly and honestly. ❝ The sobriety, the stress of parenthood? ❞ With his best friend moving soon, it added more to his list of things he was constantly worried about and he didn’t want to burden his wife with his struggles. ❝ I don’t know what to say to him half the time. Not sure if he even really likes me and then not wanting to bother Anna with it all. She’s taken on more than she should and with Lizzie leaving soon, I feel like the proverbial rug has been pulled from under my feet. Things are changing a lot faster than I care for them to. ❞ Taking another sip from his coffee, he chuckled. ❝ And don’t give me that shite they tell us at the meetings about taking deep breathes. ❞
❝ It just happened earlier today. I told Elizabeth I wanted to talk to you about it myself. I’m sorry, love. I should've called you. I can't believe he said that. I don't think he knows exactly how to process how he feels about it. ❞ He was filled with so much and embarrassment and shame now for not calling his wife be the first thing he should've done. He would take this as a lesson learned too late.
❝ Of course, anything, darling. ❞ The words were said softly as he did as she needed. Held her close, and kissed the top of her head. One hand took hers into his while the other softly rubbed her back in small gentle circular motions. This day just seemed to snowball into a clusterfuck and he hated that it made his wife cry. When it came to navigating this Charlie felt like he was failing. Maybe having a family wasn't something he had ever been meant to have. Maybe he wanted it so much that he had forced it into being and now it was self imploding. The last thing he had ever wanted was for his wife, the love of his life, to feel the way she did right now.
What did parents do in this situation? He refused to spank Orion, not finding it a real answer. Corporal punishment was something that he would never cave into, he refused to become his father, even though he knew he would never do that, he still feared it every day.
When she sat up and pulled him from his thoughts, he gave her a small sad smile. How had he been blessed, fortunate, lucky enough to have her? He had to be the greatest conman to have stolen away an angel from heaven and convinced her to say yes to him. Placing a small kiss on her lips, he shook his head. ❝ I think it's best I talk to him first and then have him talk to you. What do you think about that? ❞
Charlie was being utterly wonderful in the moment. So calm and collected, so rational and down to earth.. it was what Anna needed in her time of her emotional high. It had hurt more than she cared to admit Orion had said such a thing to her, and while she understood he probably didn't mean it, it certainly didn't mean that it didn't sting or create doubts of herself in her head.
Currently Orion was in his room, blasting music as Anna staid in her own room to cry it out. That was how Charlie had found her.
Listening to his reasoning, Anna wiped at her tears even as Charlie's hands gently wiped them away for her, unable to help how she leans into his touch. "Why hasn't he told us that himself?" she asks, voice unsteady as she speaks.. though soon she's shaking her head. "It doesn't matter.. it happened and at least Liz knew of it..." and Charlie, but he had determined it was alright for Anna to not know until now. Unless he had found out that evening, either way Anna wasn't upset about it.
"I think a therapist is a good idea..." it had actually been her idea that she had talked to Liz about, but hadn't gotten the nerve to mention it to Charlie just yet. Elizabeth was her confidant, her best friend, and she told the woman practically everything. "Just hold me for now... I'll be alright.." she murmured after a moment, leaning into his form to wrap her arms around his middle.
Lingering like that for a time, Anna's tears slowed, and soon she was sitting back straight. Wiping at her face one last time, Anna took a deep breath before offering a small smile to Charlie. "Lets get this talk over with ...unless you want it to be just you and Orion?"
How in the hells she could think about anything else while sliding him inside of her was beyond him. His head sunk into the mattress below them, as his fingertip sunk into the flesh of his hips. Self control beginning to wane with each and every move of hers, he could agree to anything right now. She could say she wanted them to get married on Mars, and he'd bloody agree.
As she took her hands into his and placed them on her breasts, he let out an appreciative moan. It was maddening to him as she continued to talk like if he wasn't inside of her. With a growl, he held onto her before rolling them over so he was on top. ❝ Sage, i love you but shut up.❞ He pressed his mouth hard against hers as his left hand rested on her hip keeping her where he wanted and his right took her knee into his hand, gently pushing it out, opening her up for him so he could plunge further into her.
Sekmet was no longer in her mind, her thoughts hers and hers alone. The powers were what they were, but she knew one thing as long as she could keep Charlie she would give up everything to be with him.
A soft moan as she slowly rode his cock. "Maybe a beach wedding. Or maybe somewhere in Peru, our first outing together." She was well aware she was teasing him with how slowly she was working him. But she was enjoying herself. Taking his hands, she brought them up to her breasts. "Maybe we can look at places together, or I could have a girls' night with Lizzy and Ash." Another moan as she sunk down on him again.
The sounds she made made him harder, made him ready to cum then and there. He was doing everything he could in his mind to keep from doing so, wanting this to last as long as they could. But goddamn, when she took his fingers into her mouth, there was no patience left in him. He had to remind himself that they still had the rest of the night, this would just be the first one out of the way.
With that encouraging thought, he stared at the beautiful image before them. As her walls began to tighten around him, he knew what was coming, his thrusts began to come quicker, pacing maddening. Her words, her cunt squeezing him, her scent, everything finally too much, his hand on her hips pulling her against him one last finally time as he buries himself as far as he can, teeth grazing the soft skin of her neck. His cock twitching, pulsing as he cums deep inside of her. His body tensed as let a groan out against her neck, chest heaving hard against her back as he tried to regain his sanity for a moment. ❝ Fuck, baby girl. ❞
He placed a small kiss on her neck where he had bitten her just moments ago, making no move to remove himself from inside of her. Not yet. ❝ We should probably get that dinner to go. I need to properly fuck you in our bed. ❞
They were insatiable in the best of ways. Unable to keep their hands off one another, and Anna certainly didn't want that to change. Watching them together in the mirror, Anna realized then and there that this would never get old. She'd never tire of being with Charlie.
Crying out as he begins to thrust harder into her, her back arches as she presses back into him, giving him a new deeper angle to fuck her with. Pressed back against his form now, Anna arches further as he tweaks a nipple, and soon a hand comes down to cover his hand, bringing it up to her mouth so that she can fit two of his fingers into her mouth, sucking roughly as she mewls around his fingers.
The walls of her cunt begin to tighten as she nears her completion ... and as he demands for her to cum, she does so and she does so beautifully. Crying out around his fingers, her body goes rigid, her cunt clamping down around his cock and pulsing, demanding him to release with her.
Charlie waited patiently for his friend's reply because that was what she was. Despite how they came into each other lives, they had built more than just a sponsor/mentor relationship. Emma had become his friend. One that he looked to at his lowest points. He would never rush her train of thought, glad to just have someone who understood how hard this journey was.
He drank his coffee, that at this point was more sugar than caffeine, as he listened to the experience she was willing to share. " I don't know," he chuckled shaking his head. Supremely nervous. " I wasn't the best person before I got sober and I put her through a lot. I don't want to put her through more now. Orion is a big enough responsibility and she's never complained once. " His fingers began to tap on the top of the table. He had hated what he put his wife through before he had cleaned up, she deserved better and for some reason had chosen him. He worked everyday to do that for her, striving to be worthy and deserving of her.
" I also don't blame Lizzie for leaving. I know I've become a bit more codependent on her with everything happening. Having her take on a lot for me when I feel like I can't handle it and she needs her space. Always has, always will. She's not the type to stay in one place for too long. I just," He shook his head and sighed. "I wouldn't even know where to start, Emma. I thought everything was going well and now suddenly we're parents to a kid I didn't know existed. And I'm worried I'm going to fuck him up and mess up things with Anna."
His left knee began to softly bounce as he thought about her advice. "How would I even begin? 'Hey darling, I've been thinking about taking a drink a lot more lately. Wanna join?' " He felt ridiculous even saying that out loud. At meetings it came more naturally knowing that they all were there for the same goal, same fucked up reasons, but opening those thoughts with Anna seemed a bit more frightening. Afraid of disappointing her.
"How do I balance what?" Emma's immediate reaction comes as she takes the coffee that was given to her. It wasn't her first cup of the day by any means... without her first cup she would be a dead woman walking. Listening to his question further, Emma sighs before she takes a sip of her coffee, mulling over her answer for long enough that silence extends between them for a comfortable moment.
"For starters, I have my husband to help me ... I know you say you don't want to bother Anna, but trust me when I tell you that its better to bother her with it than to leave her in the dark about how you're feeling and what's been going on. You can't have a relationship where you protect the other... you gotta be up front with her and real," she begins, setting her coffee down though she keeps it cupped in her hands. "As far as the rug of yours... I'm really sorry to hear that.." she grimaces at how lame it sounds.
"It fucking sucks... but we can't deal with big changes like this like other people do. Other people can go home, have a drink, take the edge off somehow, but we just ... have to deal with it. And it bites the big one. My best advice is to just... be honest with Anna. She can handle it."
Charlie hated that this had happened. Everything in him screamed to go to the nearest bar for a drink and forget it for a moment. To deal with it later. But he knew not to. He had to be better for them, for his family.
After she kissed him, his hands came up and gently wiped her tears away. " Love, it is my responsibility as his father to deal with this. Do not take it upon yourself." Kissing her forehead, he added. "I'll take him out to talk for a while. Take bath, relax. We can bring home some dinner, okay."
Orion's sudden mood swings were not the only thing that were worrying Charlie as of late. His wife's sudden deep feelings were also troubling him. It wasn't that she was experiencing them, it just seemed like they ran deeper. Bothered her more as of late. But couldn't bring himself to ask, fearing that this situation with them being parents to a son he never knew being the reason for it.
"Is there anything, you're in the mood for, my love?"
Feeling him hold her close, Anna knew she was at home in this moment, knew that she had somebody in her corner through thick and thin, knew that Charlie would take care of it in whatever way he saw fit. It wasn't fair to put that much pressure on him, and she damn well knew it, but this situation wasn't hers to fix ... she had been the target of Orion's ire already, the last person the boy needed to see was her. Or so Anna thought.
Little did she know of Charlie's thoughts of being a failure. Sniffing as she pulled away, Anna looked to him for a moment, kissing him in return before she nods in response to his suggestion. "I think that's a good idea too..." she agrees softly, sighing.
"I'm sorry... its not fair to make you deal with this but ... I think its a better idea to not have me there with you when you talk to him about all of this," as she speaks her lower lip wobbles, already on the brink of tears again.
Looking back, her emotional state should have been the biggest indication that something was going on with her body
Charlie for his part was taking his time. Wanting to enjoy this as much as they could now that everything had finally been laid to rest. Both his best friend an girlfriend were back to normal, no longer possessed by ancient deities, their teams were safe and alive, and they were all rich. Well, richer.
" I love you more than you will ever know." He grunted as he continued his thrusts slow and deep. "You're my favorite steal." While he technically hadn't stolen her from anyone, she was his. Just as he was hers and he's spend the rest of their lives showing her that.
Sage had long since learned to multitask really well, so she didn't think about it at first when she began to ride Charlie while discussing their future wedding that was until he rolled them over, given him better access forcing a moan from her lips she realised what she had been doing and had the decent to blush lightly at his words. "I will, just. I love you too." She manged before his lips crashed into her, he may have had control of her legs, but not her hands and she held on to him, fingers knotted in the ends of his hair, his mouth swallowing each her gasps and a moans at how well he filled her. If this was the reaction she got from talking about marriage, she may have to consider talking about having kids as well.
The chuckle that escaped him at her words was low and as he shut her up with a kiss. In doing so he went in deeper into her, letting her legs pull him against her, fully situating himself inside of her. His forearms on either side of her careful to not crush her underneath him. "Oh shut it." he muttered before his hips began to thrust, slowly, dragging in and out of her ever so, before he began to pick up the pace.
"For someone that wanted me to shut and fuck him, you're doing an awful lot of talking handsome." She smirked leaning up to nip at his jaw line, her legs pulling him down till there was no space between their bodies.
"Besides I wouldn't call it stealing if I didn't belong to anyone in the first place." Sage whispered against his lips before kissing him with so much want and need she wondered if she'd burst into flames.
008, inside an old abandoned house. ( thinking could be fun to have these two interact? Charlie and Mel )
set the scene meme
The family coming to see Elizabeth was always a well needed respite. Anna got to see Elizabeth and have girl time, Orion got to see his friends and Charlie got to kick back and relax and not have to think about the office for a while. It was no secret that he had been looking to buy a home somewhere near their friend to be able to stay at whenever they came over, so when Mel asked for his company to see a home, he thought nothing of it. Thought perhaps she had one she wanted to show him.
What stood in front of him....was not that. Perhaps it might have been beautiful once upon a time but this was something a horror movie opened with. Glancing back at her then at the house, he finally spoke. "You know, I'm beginning to think you hate me."
When taking the bounty hunter on into his practice, he expected him to be a bit chaotic, but not this much. Only so many accidents could happen before the city or someone else came down on his practice. And he knew plenty of people who would want Thieves Gambit shut down. And he couldn't deny the little satisfaction he got when Tengen grimaced.
Rolling his eyes, Charlie removed the gauze and inspected the wound now that it was clean. "Well, it doesn't look too deep. The bleeding looks like its stopping. You'll live." Then he meticulously began to bandage the man up. "Tengen, you really need to be more careful. We can't have you getting more injuries than bounties caught." Finishing his work, he put his hand on his shoulder. "If not for the business at least think about your wives. What would they do without you?"
Taking a moment to reign in his anger, he took a deep breath before making his way over to the bounty hunter. “You know Tengen, this is a fucking office.” Sitting in front of him, his practiced hands began to bandage the other. “Professional. Not an emergency room or somewhere to patch up your wounds. If it was bad you should’ve called. I would’ve come to you.” Then soaking a gauze with an antiseptic, then pressed it against the wound. “Now, what the bloody hell happened?”
Charlie hated to admit it but he was actually feeling better about the day. A day he had come to dread over the years became something else now. Sharing with Samara stories about his sister had seemed almost cathartic in a way. The drinking was just a bonus now.
"Ah," he smiled at her seeing that she was smiling. The memories of his little sister playing her Spice Girls tape as loud as it could go on her walkman as she tried to choreograph her brother washed over him "Nope. I was Sporty. Made me do the backflips and all." Downing his drink, he tapped on the counter for another before turning his attention back to her. "Now, you still haven't shared. What was your favorite memory?"
❝ She was, ❞ a genuine smile came to his lips at the the few memories he had left of Annabelle. His Bellie. Accepting the drink the bartender handed him, he listened intently to his new bar friends story. There was nothing like a good drink and grief to bring people together for a moment.
Mothers was a sore subject for him. He had loved his mother until the day she became apathetic to his fathers abuse. Until she just let it happen and stopped shielding them. He didn't hate her and the love he had once felt was not there anymore, he was just indifferent. Samara's mother on the other hand sounded like an angel. A godsend. ❝ She sounds like an amazing woman. ❞ Just like she had not asked about how his sister died, he would not make her relieve that though either. ❝ What's your favorite memory of her? ❞ Chuckling as he took a swig from his drink he offered up. ❝ Bellie loved the Spice Girls, she'd make me dance and sing with her when I'd come home from school. ❞
" A scaredycat? What are we eight?" He laughed but did not resist or turn around as she led him closer and closer to the house. The most he was scared about was possibly getting a splinter or worse tetanus, and he began to think about when was the last time he had a booster shot.
"You say that now," he dug into his pocket and pulled his latest substitute for alcohol, Blowpops, out of his pocket. Unwrapping a watermelon one, he popped it in his mouth before holding out another one out for her to take if she wanted. "Unlike, Buffy," an old English nickname that only he called her. "I am not a very curious person, I tend to not let that kill me. But," he sighed as he really looked at the place. It was good bones. "Leaving you alone with ghosts might actually get me murdered by your wife. And I am fascinated by what you might see. Enlighten me. "
cont from x | @4fter-hours
Meli smiled almost triumphantly as she turned to Charlie. The expression of glee on her face could not be wiped and let out a giggle. Placing a hand on his arm briefly she lead him forward a bit. "Oh, come now, I didn't peg you for a scaredy cat. It's not that bad." Lies. The house didn't look much of one but it had potential. Given a little tlc from her brother in law.
"I'd only hate you if you stopped bringing me the good candies." Whatever she couldn't get from the island she'd ask him to get from the states. "Are you really telling me you're not the least bit curious? If you like how it looks on the inside, Andy's company can take care of it. Technically this property is up for grabs. Tell me you can't picture Anna and your kids here? If you take out the cobwebs and the dust. It has potential. This supposedly has two floors. If you don't come with me you'll have to tell my wife that you left me with the ghosts."
Shaking his head he began to clean after the bounty hunter. He remembered all too well the days he was ready, itching, for a fight. Now a days he just hoped for an evening alone with his wife. “Clean this up and make sure you get that checked out later today by an actual doctor. Don’t want it to get infected.” He could tell the man was deflecting maybe trouble with the wives, but that was none of his business.
Deciding that maybe this was the right time to tell him what he had been ruminating for a while he dragged a chair to sit in front of him. “Tengen, we have to talk about something.” Running a hand through his hair, he sighed wondering if he might be making a mistake. “ I need you to shape up because I’m thinking about taking Anna and Orion on a family vacation. A get away for a while, and with Elizabeth gone, I’d leave you in charge of this office, but I can’t do that if you’re running around like this.”
It wasn't as if Tengen chose to get injured as often as he was, it just simply happened to him, and while he couldn't control how people reacted, he did understand what Charlie was saying, no matter how peeved it made him to admit that Charlie was right.
"You're acting like I can control how other people act when I go and grab them," he grumbles even still like a petulant child, lowering his shirt once Charlie was done tending to him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were worried about me, boss," Tengen teases, grinning over to him in an effort to change the topic and avoid the conversation about his wives
The laugh was a genuine one, his inner child had been snuffed out by his abusive father long ago. The loss of his little sister killed it completely, but since his wife entered his life and then his son, and soon his daughter, it had slowly been reignited. "You have a medical license now?" His eyebrow arched in a playful manner that said 'sure you do.' But none the less his feet traveled forward following Meli towards the home.
"I quite like it." He commented it about all the children. "It had just been my sister and I for a while growing up and then Orion. So seeing all the kids together is acutally quite nice." It was family. Something he had always wanted and knowing that Elizabeth and Orion were in good hands when they weren't in New York was a comforting feeling. "I see, so I'm the second choice." A tease.
"It's an old English thing. When kids couldn't say the name Elizabeth, they would say Buffy. Why, who the devil knows anymore." He shrugged. "I called her that to annoy her once I trained her, but then it just stuck. She hates it when I call her that." A smirk graced his face at the thought of his best friends annoyance. They were like that, him the older brother always finding new ways to annoy his little sister.
"Screamed Charlie, huh," he repeated to himself as the looked at the thing and took the blowpop out for moment. He wanted to ask, just how broken Elizabeth made him sound to others, but knew that was just him being harsh about himself. "I mean," a sigh as he continued to venture in and couldn't help but imagine Anna carrying their daughter around these halls and Orion running down them, once it resembled more of a home. "Good bones." With a sigh, he placed the pop back in his mouth and his hands on his waist. "How many rooms, how much and how much work needs to go into this?" It was a consideration, not a final decision.
Meli looked over at her friend and chuckled softly. The same manner of laughter that both her baby brother and sister had. It was easy to see the similarities between them when around the trio. "Have you really bullied your inner child to go hide in a deep corner of your mind? Where is your sense of adventure of the unknown. The worst thing about this house might just be how ghastly it looks. Besides," she said as her head turned to look at the house. "If you need medical attention. I got you."
One thing that could be counted on was that everybody in the family loved sweets but Meli? She loved blowpops. Those were her favorite and when Charlie pulled that one out she excitedly took it and smiled in gratitude. Hearing Charlie talk about Liz she couldn't help but smile. "She'd had been the better choice for this but bringing you was the best decision. We don't really get time to talk. Not with ten kids all clamoring for attention every five seconds. Can I ask, how did Buffy the nickname come about?" Nicknames made her curious how other people came up with them for their loved ones. "No, you're right. Dont incur Lena's wrath. Come on. Well, last time we talked you had me thinking. I saw this house and something about it screamed Charlie. Ghosts and other things aside. I think the old timey bricks give it an old English feel. Would you consider buying something like this?"
Mouth agape, Charlie was about to say that of course he loved his wife when Emma continued on. His eyes never left his friend as he took a sip from his coffee, taking in the advice seriously. When she was finally done and a break was given when she drank her coffee, he nodded. Emma had given him a lot to think over. "So you think it's best for me to talk to her more about my struggle than it is to keep it to myself?" There was something about him having to verbally say it to confirm it, as if he didn't he would get this all wrong.
"I just," He looked down at his cup of coffee sighed. "I worry that with the kid, adding on how stressed I am on top of her stress would just stress her out even more. How do you find that balance?" When his best friend was around, he would pour everything and anything out onto her, he realized now that she was gone just how much he had been putting her through too. The last thing he was going to do was do that to his wife or to Emma. That was the whole reason for this conversation. "Is there ever like a hard line you draw about what you tell him? Or keep to yourself?"
Much like Charlie did for her, Emma sat and listened to everything Charlie had to say before she responded to things. He had a lot to say, there was no doubt about it, a lot of worries that ate away at his consciousness and she was doing her best to try to mitigate them so that they weren't so big. Not that it was necessarily working at the moment, but she was trying.
"Listen to me," she can't help but to interrupt, "Do you love Anna? Don't answer cuz I already know the answer to it. You love her so much, you couldn't possibly fuck or mess things up with her for being honest with her about how you feel. She's a good woman, Charlie, trust her to react properly to what you're going through. Its more harmful to you both if she doesn't know," she speaks with a shake of her head, taking a moment to take a sip of her coffee.
"Just be honest with her. Maybe don't tell her what you're going through quite like that, but still be up front about it. I tell my husband when things are going south and I'm craving a drink, we're able to talk about the why's, and typically I feel better enough that somebody knows that it doesn't bother me as badly... let Anna do that for you too."
At her agreement to focus on herself for a while, Charlie smiled. Happy that she would relax, knowing how hard things had been as of late. He had already made arrangements at the office to ensure he would be home more often than not. Having Tengen do the fieldwork while he did more administrative tasks and some tracking down of leads, so as to not be tied up and available to his wife or son if need be. He was determined to make this work, to be there for his family. To not become his father. He already had one in the bag, sobriety. Just needed to keep it up now.
"Chinese it is, love." He was about to confirm if she wanted the usual when she mentioned orange chicken. Eyebrows quirked in interest at his wife's request. About to chalk it up to stress about what just happened with Orion, he asked. "Are you sure, love?"
Anna was an angel, he had no idea how she chose him over anyone else in the world but he would strive every day to be worthy of her. Her heart looking out for the boy, when he had just broken hers moments ago. She could be nothing else in Charlie's mind but an angel. As she kissed his lips, he wanted to pull her close but smiled and spanked her ass as she walked towards the bathroom. "Take your time, you deserve a little you time. Remind me of that spa you like so much when I get back."
A couple of hours later, the boys returned. Having had a long talk and discussion about things and how to express oneself instead of lashing out. And even perhaps having him talk with a counselor or therapist who could help with the adjustment with school like Anna had suggested before. After they picked up the food, but Charlie made sure to get a lot of choices for them all to pick from, still a bit confused about Anna's choices. Again, just chalking it up to the stress of their present situation.
"We're home." Charlie called out as they walked through the front door and headed towards the kitchen to get the dining room table set up.
Anna nods, sniffling once he was finished kissing her forehead and had pulled away to look at her once more. "Alright," she speaks softly, a small smile upon her lips because she wanted to be strong for him so he wasn't so concerned about her anymore. The last thing she wanted was for his mind to be split in his attentions ... he needed his full attention on Orion right now.
"I think I'd like some chinese?" She offers. "Orange chicken sounds amazing..." clearly in a better mood thinking about food, Anna doesn't realize how odd her suggestion was. She rarely ate chinese food, and when she did orange chicken wasn't among her usual orders.
"Be gentle with him... he's been through a lot.." Anna speaks as she cups Charlie's face with her hand. "Now go ... go get this taken care of so it can be over with. I'll be alright," she begins to stand then, taking a moment to kiss his lips before she turns to go to the bathroom to do exactly as he suggested.