#thomas watson

Charlie went to therapy in the Arts Quarter once a week, and Pearl never asked about his sessions. She hoped one day he'd open up to her, but for now she was content that they were happy. He was supportive of her at work and kinder with his opinions about other people.

It was too much to think Ash might've knocked some sense into him, but Pearl welcomed his change in demeanour just the same.

On a short break from performances, they travelled to Henford-on-Bagley for the wedding of Charlie's twin brother, Oliver, to his longtime boyfriend, Lewis Watson.

The low-key couple had a small wedding in the front yard of Lewis' childhood home on Old Mill Hill. Pearl and Charlie watched with loved up joy, cuddling throughout much of the short outdoor ceremony.

She finally met Charlie's parents. His mother, Emi, and adoptive stepfather, Layne Wise, were kind and welcoming, excited to finally meet the girl their son never said a bad word about - so unlike him, most of the time. Pearl thought his family - his parents, brother Oliver, half-brother Ryan, and half-sister Jasmine - were all nicer than Charlie had previously given them credit for.

Getting to know his family made it even harder for Pearl to reconcile that Charlie was as dark as everyone said. She fought with her mother about it the night before she left for the wedding, but Pearl had always been stubborn in her determination.

It's not like she had no doubts about him - she wasn't stupid. But she believed in his growth and the effort he was making, and she felt she owed it to their years together to see this through.

She didn't know Nancy soon visited Charlie at his new apartment while she was with her family. She would have known why she was there, but Nancy showed up unannounced, and Charlie decided not to mention it. Why would he, when telling the truth didn't serve him?

Nancy's arrival made the hair on his neck stand at attention, but he tried to play it cool. He was assaulted in his own home by an uninvited intruder - that the hit came from Nancy's beloved grandson was a bonus. He refused to stand to greet her when she marched through his unlocked front door.

"This is where you're living now? It's a real dump."

"That's what I said."

"Shame you wrecked the good thing you had going with my idiot brother," she mewed, relishing Charlie's obvious fear. "I gather you know why I'm here."

He nodded as she sat down. "Why don't you just get to the point?"

"I know what you did to my niece, and I know that's why you think Ash hit you."

"He did hit me. Pearl witnessed it."

"I know you think so, but we both know the truth," she crowed, gaslighting the gaslighter and lighting a match. "It would be such a shame if the whole scandal ended up costing you and Pearl your jobs with the company. The Board of Directors doesn't want scandal following the next era of the San My Ballet Company, and if drama and lawsuits will always circle Pearl's personal life, the company would do well to part ways before the scandals affect ticket sales."

"No one on the Board of Directors would punish Pearl for this but you, Nancy."

(Despite how much they yelled and argued in this scene, mean Nancy and evil Charlie didn't lose any relationship points. They're barely acquaintances as it is, but still hilarious.)

"I have no real interest in punishing Pearl, same as you. I quite like Pearl, and for her sake, I wish she had better taste in boyfriends. But my grandson is my priority. The question is, what do you care about? Getting revenge on my grandson and taking yourself down with me, or keeping Pearl's career free of you and your scandals? I should have known when Heather Gordon was the one to recommend you audition for the company, it would be a curse on San My Ballet and everyone around it."

Charlie roared with anger. Nancy knew him well enough to know Pearl was the one thing he had, other than his dancing career, that he valued.

"And if I drop the charges, you won't touch her?"

"I'll even let you keep your job. You can tell Pearl you decided to be mature and drop the charges because everything was just an awful misunderstanding. We'll forget this ever happened - at least until you screw up again, which I know you will."

He wanted to take time to think about it, make Nancy and her family sweat it out, but the longer he waited, the more likely it was that Pearl would get caught in the crosshairs. So Charlie bent the knee and agreed to Nancy's terms, but there was still one thing he had over everyone else - a way he could get what he wanted, and get his revenge against Ash Landgraab at the same time.

At the theatre before a show later that week, Charlie and Pearl were hanging out, in costume, in the theatre seats with their fellow dancers. They liked to sit there sometimes before the doors opened, practicing their steps on stage for each other to perfect their angles and sight lines.

Katrina Martinez was chatting with Natasha Lobo and Connor Kibo about her upcoming wedding at an elegant conservatory - the entire company was invited, and Katrina's future mother-in-law, Bella Goth, was going all out for her youngest son's big day.

(Daniela was across the street at the Spice Festival and I let her walk back instead of teleporting her because I didn't know what was about to happen. So she missed this entire scene, which happened autonomously, though I was yelling at my laptop and trying to x-out the action and it did not stop. Like a slow moving trainwreck!)

Charlie reached into his pocket - yes, he had one somewhere on his ballet leotard, apparently - and pulled out a ring. It wasn't much, but he knew Pearl wasn't attracted to baubles or status.

He walked up behind her with a nervous smile. "Pearl, can I ask you something?"

"Of course. What's up?"

Even though the Watcher tried to cancel the action repeatedly, Charlie got down on one knee and presented the ring.

"Pearl, you mean more to me than anyone else I know, and you are the brightest spot in my life. Spending my life with you would make me the luckiest man in the world, so I got you this ring. Will you marry me?"

Pearl gasped in surprise. This was unexpected, and she was still young. But she loved him, and he was there for her most of the time. He'd even decided to drop the charges against Ash on his own (as far as she knew, anyway). Before she could form the words, she felt herself nodding as she placed the ring on her finger.

"Yes. Yes, I'll marry you."

With a beaming smile, Charlie stood to embrace his new fiancee. Their fellow dancers smiled for them, inwardly concerned but just as unable to stop this as anyone else. Somewhere, in the ether, the Watcher cursed out the insecure bastard for trapping Pearl even deeper into their relationship.

Charlie couldn't know what the Watcher had in store for the future, but today, nothing mattered but her.

Pearl was his future, and he knew his love for her could change him for the better.

The question was whether or not this evil, insecure, cheating predator would ever let it. ->

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NOTE: Charlie's proposal was autonomous and unstoppable (I didn't even think of the resetsim cheat to cancel the action, I was so shocked when it was happening), and I couldn't stop Pearl from accepting. I didn't plan this, especially not this soon, but once it was official, I knew it worked with the plot. I planned to drag out the pressed charges storyline a bit longer, have him turn Nancy away and get lawyers involved, but then he did this - and this hurts just as much, honestly. Curse you, Charlie Wise!!

TOWNIE TREE NOTES: Oliver and Charlie's family drama contrasts with Lewis' more peaceful upbringing. He did lose his grandmother Rahmi Watson to health issues that persisted after the untimely death of Lewis' aunt, Rashidah Watson-Chopra, during a Brindleton Bay heatwave. But that was almost two decades ago, and his grandfather Thomas Watson is still kickin' at age 80. Jada Bjerg-Watson (who wore a wedding dress to Hazel and Suri's Windenburg wedding) is a cousin, as Thomasine Chopra Flex, wife of Heather's former vet tech-turned-Ximena's unwitting informant in the city, Marcus Flex.

The Watson family lineage goes all the way back to the founders of Old New Henford, and Thomas has always felt the lofty weight of legacy weighing him down. He’s recently taken full ownership of the family’s most profitable business venture, Henford Horse Stables. Unfortunately, managing its day-to-day operations has left him with little time for his wife and children, and there are nasty rumors spreading about his wife’s supposed dalliances with a well-known local politician — which, if true, could jeopardize not only their marriage but the Watsons’ storied connection to the community as a whole.

Rahmi and Thomas were high school sweethearts, married as teenagers, and his family’s money cushioned them from the start. She’s poured her heart and soul into raising her three children, but the older they get, the less they need her, and the more bored with the stay-at-home mom life she grows. Meanwhile, she’s cheered on her husband’s endeavors for the past 20 years, barely receiving a thankful grunt in return. Neither his nonexistent romantic passions nor baking blue-ribbon-winning berry pies for the annual Finchwick Fair are enough to keep her fulfilled much longer.

According to Maira, the family business is dreadfully dull. Ever since taking a nasty fall from a horse when her father was teaching her to ride, she’s sworn the things off completely. As the semi-neglected middle child, she can typically be found hanging from the playground monkey bars or scurrying around the village square with her equally dirt-crusted best friend, Tess Uchiyama. She also enjoys pestering local produce seller, Kim Goldbloom, with all the new facts she’s learned about squash. At least Kim humors her where her mother would only swat her away.

Imran wants to grow up to be just like his dad, even if most days Thomas seems to forget he even exists. But that won’t stop Imran from idolizing him, at least not for a few more years. Unlike his father, who has a head for business above all else, Imran finds joy in the animals themselves. Although his gentle, reserved demeanor doesn’t make him many friends at school, it comes in handy for calming spooked horses. If only his mediation efforts worked as well on his actual family, who’ve been growing more and more at odds in recent months.

Never call Rashidah Watson a horse girl — she’s an equestrian. With admirable focus and determination, she’s steadily risen in the competition ranks since she was old enough to ride solo and was barely a teenager by the time she placed in the top three at the prestigious Chestnut Ridge Ultimate Horse Championship. This year, she’ll settle for nothing less than number one. After all, the prize money is her ticket out of this podunk village, where all the food makes her sick and the only thing she’ll truly miss is her clandestine rendezvous with her older boyfriend, Rahul Chopra.

Originally hailing from San Myshuno, Cecilia has never been particularly lucky in love. She moved to Henford-on-Bagley to escape a broken engagement and has put an indefinite hold on romance, choosing instead to shift her focus internally. For now, she’s learning to be happy with her small sunflower farm, a coop full of rowdy chickens, and a yoga mat. She’s often seen selling her flowers around town and escapes frequently to Crimson & Clover’s Retreat in nearby Moonwood Mill to realign her chakras.

Sara may not be a Henford native, but her bright, cheerful demeanor immediately won everyone over. Despite her eccentric and sometimes edgy style, she soon blended right into the sleepy countryside town. She can be the life of the party when she wants to be but also has a real head for business. She’s not afraid to get tough when it comes to achieving her goals, and she’s been so singularly focused on managing the bed and breakfast the idea of growing her family hasn’t even crossed her mind. But Simon is ready to talk children. The only problem is she’s not entirely sure she wants them.