#6 - “Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?”

(Set before they are officially together.)

Vanessa frowns as she moves up the path to the front door. She could have sworn she turned the living room lamp off when she left for the pub earlier, but it’s burning brightly through the window as if it’s been on for hours. She unlocks the door, peeking around the vestibule into the living room. Nothing looks out of place, or missing. Must be the drink, playing with her memory.

She leaves her shoes on the mat and hangs her jacket on the hook by the stairs. Her dad has Johnny for the night, a sleepover with Eliza, and she’s looking forward to having a lie in tomorrow morning without little elbows in her ribcage and tiny, cold hands on her face.

Oh god! I’d love to see Charity’s Cain impersonation on screen now! 😂

Yo dude… everything about this has been perfect! Everything that I wanted to see and more.. you managed to put it into words that I can see perfectly in my head. I could feel Charity’s anguish and I hurt for her.. thinking about Ryan and the what could have been. I hurt for Vanessa.. for trying and being strong for Charity. For knowing that Charity wouldn’t have liked for her to find her like that.. choosing to give her an out. By making Charity’s burden a little lighter.

I have sooooo many feelings about this storyline. Thank you for liking this half-assed attempt at spewing some of it out. 

This is just so!!!!! I love the way you write them! What is up with Paddy always cutting in on Charity’s sexy time??

2. pretending to be a couple for the holidays

“You could tell him the truth,” Vanessa says slowly.

“Could I?” Charity’s voice is high and mocking, her mouth twisted into a frown. “Right, that’ll go over just fine, won’t it?” She pulls her eyebrows in, tipping her chin towards her chest. “What do you mean, Charity, that you’re not dating someone like you said you were?”

Vanessa stares at her for a long moment. “What’re you doing with your face?”

“Being Cain!” Charity lets out a long stream of air and sinks back against the booth she’d thrown herself into a few minutes earlier, sliding an arm across Vanessa’s shoulders tightly. “Couldn’t you tell?”

“He’s a bit… better. At brooding,” Vanessa offers. She shrugs. “Anyway, don’t you think you-” She pauses and pushes at Charity’s leg. “Get off me, would you? I can barely breathe over here.”

Charity scoffs. “What a way to talk to your girlfriend.”

Vanessa’s lifts an eyebrow. “One, you’re not my girlfriend. Two… Well. See point one.”

Charity pushes out her lower lip. “Please, Vanessa? Just until leaves. He’s not stopping long.”

Vanessa shakes her head. “There’s loads of available people - men - in here, you know. Why don’t you bother one of them?”

Charity wrinkles her nose. “Have you seen Emmerdale’s eligible bachelors lately? Because it’s lacking, babe. It’s bachelorettes, on the other hand…” Charity winks. “Well, it was either you or Rhona. Figured I couldn’t go wrong with either, could I? And then you walked in, so…” Her shoulders drop at the fury and embarrassment splashed across Vanessa’s cheeks. “Oh, come on, babe. It was a joke.”

“Why’re you needing to pretend to be dating anyone?” Vanessa continues. Her eyes narrow sharply. “You’re not trying to-”

“No,” Charity says quickly. “No. But I couldn’t be doing with his snarky comments. Another year without a Christmas kiss and all that. He was going on and on and having a laugh and I just couldn’t take it anymore.” Charity looks away, only turning back to the table at the feel of Vanessa’s hand on her leg. “Holds it over my head. Lonely Charity. Empty Charity. For once, I’d like to show him I don’t give a flying nun about what he thinks. I can be with someone who isn’t him.”

She exhales loudly and bites at her bottom lip. “I don’t know why I told you that.” Charity stares at the hand on her leg before she looks back up at Vanessa. “Everything about you is little, innit?” She smiles crookedly. “Well, except for-”

“Don’t,” Vanessa says sharply.

“Aw,” Charity coos. “Look at us, fighting like an old married couple.”

Vanessa opens her mouth to say something more, but Charity jumps. Cain turns at the bar, eyes narrowed as he scans the room, trying to find them.

“Quick!” Charity hisses. “He’s looking!” Her hand moves from Vanessa’s thigh to the back of her neck. “Laugh at me, like I’ve said something funny.”

Vanessa glares at her instead.

Charity sighs, scowling. “Just go with it,” she breathes against Vanessa’s mouth, her lips replacing the words a moment after they’re uttered.

Vanessa’s mouth is soft and warm. Charity can feel her hesitate for a moment before she kisses back. She’s a good kisser, Charity thinks. Vanessa hums softly, her tongue sliding against Charity’s bottom lip - just enough for Charity’s lips to part. Vanessa pulls away too soon, blinking rapidly at Charity.

“I think…” Vanessa swallows, shaking her head gently. “Um, I think I…”

“Yeah,” Charity breathes. “I think too.”

“Never would have guessed that,” Chas says sharply. “If you two are done snogging, maybe you’d like to get to back to work, Charity?”

“Not really, babe,” Charity says, still looking at Vanessa.

Chas jostles the table with her hip. “It wasn’t a question, Charity. Shift it, lady. I’ve got to go to the little girl’s room and there’s punters need serving.”

Charity sighs, finally looking up at Chas. “Tell them to wait.”

“I’ll tell them you’ll top them off instead,” Chas says, smiling toothily. She turns to Vanessa, her smile more genuine. “For the record, love? I think you can do better. This one’s a moody cow.”

“Oi!” Charity protests.

Chas shrugs a shoulder and slips past their booth.

Charity stands, running a hand through her hair. She starts towards the bar and stops, turning back around and marching sharply towards Vanessa. “Stay, would you?”

Vanessa nods slowly, eyes drifting to Charity’s mouth.

“Good.” Charity takes a small step backwards, smile growing on her face. “I’ll bring you a drink in a bit, then, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Vanessa says softly. “Yeah.”

Vanessa thought she was doing some classy photos for her girlfriends eyes only...Pearl meanwhile saw pound signs! You know Pearl has done something like this in her youth! Paint me like your French girls Pearl!!

Well, Vanessa’s got to do something to keep Charity’s mind off these Uptown Hunks, hasn’t she? ;)

brandxc replied to your post “brandxc replied to your post: brandxc replied to...”

Ah stop! I love it!! Charity could walk in thinking all her dreams have come true. Then Vanessa just bosses her around too having to hold things and hand out props! Like some intern!

I was thinking Charity would walk in and Pearl would be like ‘Oh thank God! You can try and find her ‘good side’. I’m not paid enough for this.’ And she’d thrust the phone into Charity’s hand and storm out. 

And Charity would raise an eyebrow, all ‘So, babe...I know we haven’t seen as much of each other as we’d like, but I didn’t think you’d resort to kinky photo sessions with Pearl to get your rocks off.’ 

‘Oh, give over. It was just an idea to promote the surgery.’ 

‘What? You think people will come from far and wide for a glimpse of your baps doing their level best to bust out of that lab coat?” She smiles and kisses Vanessa’s nose. “They’ll be queuing out the door and down the street, kid. Half of them won’t even have animals with them.”

eclecticearthquakepersona replied to your post “brandxc replied to your post: brandxc replied to...”

Somebody needs to fic the hell out of this idea ��

I love it! Hahaha! I can literally hear her saying something along the lines of “right you hold the camera up like this and click away when I tell you I’m ready”

I can see her being very critical of Pearl’s camera skills. 

“No, you’ve not captured me good side there. Your thumb’s in that one. Oh come on, Pearl, you’ve chopped off half me head in this one!”

“Well, it’s so big it’s hard to fit in the frame.”

“Eh?” 

What I’m wondering now is.. how did Pearl convince Vanessa to pose? Hahaha!!