Mistaken - Cate/Charlotte fic
Title: Mistaken
Author: giantessmess
Rating: PG
Pairing: Cate/Charlotte
Words: 1,500
Summery/info: Aftermath - Vincent’s stalker (Beth the cliché) has turned her destructive attention towards Charlotte, taking advantage of Cate. Mid Series 8.
Sometimes, Charlotte could be horribly irrational.
When it got to the point where she was actually crying over something, then there was little anyone could say to make her think differently. Small wonder that the closest thing she had to a friend was a man she used to sleep with. It didn’t matter what Vincent saw, anymore, he’d done enough irrational sobbing around her. Both of them had seen enough of the pathetic human part of the other; they could be resentful together. It was a beautiful thing.
Charlotte was sitting on the steps of her balcony, crying pitifully over her dogs. Yes, dogs. Wasn’t it enough that everything else that mattered had turned to shit? She held their collars. All she could find were the collars. They looked like they’d been clipped off. Cut off, with a violent object. Her grip tightened.
Vincent called her mobile.
“I’m going to get that stupid bitch,” she snapped immediately, not bothering to disguise the state she was in.
Vincent said a few useless things that were supposed to comfort her. He’d never been very good at that. He was a pessimist, just like her. Worse. Who did he think he was kidding?
“Go to hell, Vincent.”
It was his fault, anyway.
He didn’t bother snapping back at her. “Just thought I’d warn you. Cate’s on her way over.”
Charlotte let out a slow breath. “I don’t want to see her.”
“Give her a break. She’s been going crazy, looking for them.”
She imagined Vincent, comforting poor Cate. His hand, wrapped around her shoulder. They should get a bloody room, already.
“Well, I hope she’s going crazy.”
“She didn’t know it was Beth. Look, it isn’t her fault.”
Charlotte didn’t miss a beat. “No, Vin. It’s yours.” She heard the knock at the door. “I hope you figure out the shit your life’s in. This is what happens, when you act like an arsehole for half a year.”
She hung up the phone, immediately feeling the guilt twist in her stomach. But she was too angry to care enough to call him back.
By the time she reached the front door, she was done with crying. She was ready to continue yelling. Yelling was good.
“Charlotte.”
Cate looked like she was ready to beg - the hands-and-knees, grovelling kind.
Charlotte let her in, not bothering to hide her sneer.
“I don’t care. Whatever you think you have to say to me, I don’t bloody care.”
Cate followed her, awkwardly, because Charlotte had spun around and stalked away already.
“Charlotte, please.” She couldn’t get Charlotte to meet her eyes. “I thought…”
“Oh, spare me.”
“Please?” Cate sighed. She suddenly looked like she’d rather be anywhere but there. “I thought she was your dog walker.”
“Well, you certainly screwed up there.”
Cate didn’t seem to have anything to say to that. She just ran a hand through her hair.
“I’m so sorry, Charlotte.” Her voice was breaking up. Charlotte could feel the other woman’s eyes on her back. She jerked her head around, and then felt strangely guilty, because of how very pained Cate looked. She was so beautiful when she was upset; it was something that filled her eyes. It was the way she tilted her head.
God, Charlotte wished she wasn’t such a sucker for a beautiful woman.
“Look,” she stammered. “I know you didn’t mean to…..”
When Cate looked at her in surprise, Charlotte glared. “But you should have bloody known better.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Get out.” Charlotte tried not to look at her. “I don’t want to talk about this right now.”
Cate nodded, and then seemed to catch on that this meant she was supposed to be leaving.
Charlotte didn’t watch her, when Cate slinked back to the front door. She was too busy kicking herself.
***
Vincent had a thing for Cate. Charlotte didn’t have to be the most perceptive person in the world to figure that gem out. She stuck to the silent treatment, for both of them, over the next couple of weeks. Her dogs were dead. The bastard had screwed around with some psychotic woman, and the bitch had killed them. And Cate had handed them over, oblivious like a lamb.
It was exhausting, being attracted to a woman she was supposed to be furious at. No, she was furious. But that didn’t stop her eyes lingering on Cate, when she rushed past her at work.
“Are you still pissed at me?” Cate asked, one day, after they’d both barely co-operated on the same patient.
“I don’t know.” Charlotte couldn’t stop staring at an exposed area of skin, from where Cate’s top had rode up her hip. Charlotte swallowed. “It wasn’t your fault.” Her voice came out sounding gravelly.
“I’d undo it if I could.”
“I know.” Charlotte wondered when she’d become so understanding. But Cate was smiling at her and raising an eyebrow. Her lips quirked. Charlotte tried not to stare.
“I’d understand if you wanted to make me suffer.”
Charlotte felt her head shake. “No. Just Vincent.”
“He’s so messed up, Charlotte.” Cate was biting her lip, and the action had a strange affect on Charlotte’s willpower.
“I don’t care…I…”
Cate nodded at the oddly-quiet emergency ward. “You up for a break? Nothing seems to be falling to pieces here. I could use some air.”
Charlotte let herself be led outside.
They didn’t say anything to each other for a while. Then suddenly, Cate took hold of Charlotte’s hand. Charlotte flinched, and the ED nurse dropped it, awkwardly.
“Look,” Cate muttered. “That woman’s still after him. You do know that, right?”
Vincent. Cate just wanted to talk about Vincent. Charlotte didn’t have to guess that she’d be seeing them, holding hands soon. Playing footsies. She cringed, a little too obviously.
Cate sighed. “I know he’s messed up about this. All you have to do is look at him….”
Charlotte tried not to snarl. “You think he doesn’t deserve all he gets?”
“Now, hang on,” Cate narrowed her eyes. “I don’t think that’s exactly fair.”
“I don’t think you’re qualified to judge,’ Charlotte bit back.
“Granted, I don’t know him as well as you.”
“I wonder if I bloody know him at all, all the shit he’s been doing.”
Cate put a hand on Charlotte’s shoulder. “Are you ok?”
Charlotte resisted the urge to nudge her away. “I’m fine.”
“You seem stressed.”
“Understatement.”
Cate put an arm around her, then. They were sitting outside, on some bench, surrounded by tried-looking nurses on break, and Cate was leaning against her. Charlotte was afraid to move.
“I think you should talk to him,” Cate’s voice was barely audible, and Charlotte strained to hear it.
“Well, why don’t you talk to him?” she stammered back.
Cate ran a hand over Charlotte’s back, as if testing the surface. “You’re so tense. Look at what this is doing to you.”
Charlotte wasn’t sure if she was still breathing. Cate was still touching her. It was soft, like a nervous massage.
“I…you’re worried about me being tense?” She could barely get the words out.
“Just talk to him, get it over with.” Cate smiled at her. “You’re making it worse for yourself, not just him.”
“I guess…” Charlotte officially had no willpower. “I guess, I mean, I could.” What was she saying? She had no intention of speaking to Vincent ever again, she was keen to make him suffer. So what if they worked together? They could communicate through Morse code.
She was being irrational again, and Cate’s arm was still around her. You’d think Cate would give any excuse to extract herself, now that she’d gotten what she wanted out of Charlotte.
“Go tell Vincent he has nothing to worry about,” Charlotte’s voice came out husky. She mentally kicked herself. “I’m not gonna do anything stupid.”
Cate sighed, probably out of relief. Charlotte could feel the breath on her neck. “You’ll talk to him?” Cate was still touching her.
“Yeah, why not.” It had definitely been too long since she’d had a meaningful relationship. She felt like a leper.
“So I don’t need to keep worrying about you?” Cate asked, hesitantly.
Charlotte shot her a look. There was something strange in the other woman’s expression. Then Cate was smiling at her. And it wasn’t the kind of smile she expected.
“Cate?”
Cate seemed to take her bewilderment as a compliment. “Stop looking at me like I’m crazy,” she extracted herself from around Charlotte, but she trailed her hand down Charlotte’s arm, until they were holding hands. “I don’t care if it makes you uncomfortable,” she shot Charlotte another smile, her face lingering a little bit too close.
“I think you’re adorable.”
Charlotte’s mouth must have been gaping. But Cate closed the gap between them, brushing her lips softly over Charlotte’s. Slipping her tongue in, as their kiss deepened. Charlotte felt her breath hitch, when Cate slid back.
Tilting her head, she gave Charlotte a knowing smirk, before heading back into Emergency.
“Don’t stress yourself out so much.”
Author: giantessmess
Rating: PG
Pairing: Cate/Charlotte
Words: 1,500
Summery/info: Aftermath - Vincent’s stalker (Beth the cliché) has turned her destructive attention towards Charlotte, taking advantage of Cate. Mid Series 8.
Sometimes, Charlotte could be horribly irrational.
When it got to the point where she was actually crying over something, then there was little anyone could say to make her think differently. Small wonder that the closest thing she had to a friend was a man she used to sleep with. It didn’t matter what Vincent saw, anymore, he’d done enough irrational sobbing around her. Both of them had seen enough of the pathetic human part of the other; they could be resentful together. It was a beautiful thing.
Charlotte was sitting on the steps of her balcony, crying pitifully over her dogs. Yes, dogs. Wasn’t it enough that everything else that mattered had turned to shit? She held their collars. All she could find were the collars. They looked like they’d been clipped off. Cut off, with a violent object. Her grip tightened.
Vincent called her mobile.
“I’m going to get that stupid bitch,” she snapped immediately, not bothering to disguise the state she was in.
Vincent said a few useless things that were supposed to comfort her. He’d never been very good at that. He was a pessimist, just like her. Worse. Who did he think he was kidding?
“Go to hell, Vincent.”
It was his fault, anyway.
He didn’t bother snapping back at her. “Just thought I’d warn you. Cate’s on her way over.”
Charlotte let out a slow breath. “I don’t want to see her.”
“Give her a break. She’s been going crazy, looking for them.”
She imagined Vincent, comforting poor Cate. His hand, wrapped around her shoulder. They should get a bloody room, already.
“Well, I hope she’s going crazy.”
“She didn’t know it was Beth. Look, it isn’t her fault.”
Charlotte didn’t miss a beat. “No, Vin. It’s yours.” She heard the knock at the door. “I hope you figure out the shit your life’s in. This is what happens, when you act like an arsehole for half a year.”
She hung up the phone, immediately feeling the guilt twist in her stomach. But she was too angry to care enough to call him back.
By the time she reached the front door, she was done with crying. She was ready to continue yelling. Yelling was good.
“Charlotte.”
Cate looked like she was ready to beg - the hands-and-knees, grovelling kind.
Charlotte let her in, not bothering to hide her sneer.
“I don’t care. Whatever you think you have to say to me, I don’t bloody care.”
Cate followed her, awkwardly, because Charlotte had spun around and stalked away already.
“Charlotte, please.” She couldn’t get Charlotte to meet her eyes. “I thought…”
“Oh, spare me.”
“Please?” Cate sighed. She suddenly looked like she’d rather be anywhere but there. “I thought she was your dog walker.”
“Well, you certainly screwed up there.”
Cate didn’t seem to have anything to say to that. She just ran a hand through her hair.
“I’m so sorry, Charlotte.” Her voice was breaking up. Charlotte could feel the other woman’s eyes on her back. She jerked her head around, and then felt strangely guilty, because of how very pained Cate looked. She was so beautiful when she was upset; it was something that filled her eyes. It was the way she tilted her head.
God, Charlotte wished she wasn’t such a sucker for a beautiful woman.
“Look,” she stammered. “I know you didn’t mean to…..”
When Cate looked at her in surprise, Charlotte glared. “But you should have bloody known better.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Get out.” Charlotte tried not to look at her. “I don’t want to talk about this right now.”
Cate nodded, and then seemed to catch on that this meant she was supposed to be leaving.
Charlotte didn’t watch her, when Cate slinked back to the front door. She was too busy kicking herself.
***
Vincent had a thing for Cate. Charlotte didn’t have to be the most perceptive person in the world to figure that gem out. She stuck to the silent treatment, for both of them, over the next couple of weeks. Her dogs were dead. The bastard had screwed around with some psychotic woman, and the bitch had killed them. And Cate had handed them over, oblivious like a lamb.
It was exhausting, being attracted to a woman she was supposed to be furious at. No, she was furious. But that didn’t stop her eyes lingering on Cate, when she rushed past her at work.
“Are you still pissed at me?” Cate asked, one day, after they’d both barely co-operated on the same patient.
“I don’t know.” Charlotte couldn’t stop staring at an exposed area of skin, from where Cate’s top had rode up her hip. Charlotte swallowed. “It wasn’t your fault.” Her voice came out sounding gravelly.
“I’d undo it if I could.”
“I know.” Charlotte wondered when she’d become so understanding. But Cate was smiling at her and raising an eyebrow. Her lips quirked. Charlotte tried not to stare.
“I’d understand if you wanted to make me suffer.”
Charlotte felt her head shake. “No. Just Vincent.”
“He’s so messed up, Charlotte.” Cate was biting her lip, and the action had a strange affect on Charlotte’s willpower.
“I don’t care…I…”
Cate nodded at the oddly-quiet emergency ward. “You up for a break? Nothing seems to be falling to pieces here. I could use some air.”
Charlotte let herself be led outside.
They didn’t say anything to each other for a while. Then suddenly, Cate took hold of Charlotte’s hand. Charlotte flinched, and the ED nurse dropped it, awkwardly.
“Look,” Cate muttered. “That woman’s still after him. You do know that, right?”
Vincent. Cate just wanted to talk about Vincent. Charlotte didn’t have to guess that she’d be seeing them, holding hands soon. Playing footsies. She cringed, a little too obviously.
Cate sighed. “I know he’s messed up about this. All you have to do is look at him….”
Charlotte tried not to snarl. “You think he doesn’t deserve all he gets?”
“Now, hang on,” Cate narrowed her eyes. “I don’t think that’s exactly fair.”
“I don’t think you’re qualified to judge,’ Charlotte bit back.
“Granted, I don’t know him as well as you.”
“I wonder if I bloody know him at all, all the shit he’s been doing.”
Cate put a hand on Charlotte’s shoulder. “Are you ok?”
Charlotte resisted the urge to nudge her away. “I’m fine.”
“You seem stressed.”
“Understatement.”
Cate put an arm around her, then. They were sitting outside, on some bench, surrounded by tried-looking nurses on break, and Cate was leaning against her. Charlotte was afraid to move.
“I think you should talk to him,” Cate’s voice was barely audible, and Charlotte strained to hear it.
“Well, why don’t you talk to him?” she stammered back.
Cate ran a hand over Charlotte’s back, as if testing the surface. “You’re so tense. Look at what this is doing to you.”
Charlotte wasn’t sure if she was still breathing. Cate was still touching her. It was soft, like a nervous massage.
“I…you’re worried about me being tense?” She could barely get the words out.
“Just talk to him, get it over with.” Cate smiled at her. “You’re making it worse for yourself, not just him.”
“I guess…” Charlotte officially had no willpower. “I guess, I mean, I could.” What was she saying? She had no intention of speaking to Vincent ever again, she was keen to make him suffer. So what if they worked together? They could communicate through Morse code.
She was being irrational again, and Cate’s arm was still around her. You’d think Cate would give any excuse to extract herself, now that she’d gotten what she wanted out of Charlotte.
“Go tell Vincent he has nothing to worry about,” Charlotte’s voice came out husky. She mentally kicked herself. “I’m not gonna do anything stupid.”
Cate sighed, probably out of relief. Charlotte could feel the breath on her neck. “You’ll talk to him?” Cate was still touching her.
“Yeah, why not.” It had definitely been too long since she’d had a meaningful relationship. She felt like a leper.
“So I don’t need to keep worrying about you?” Cate asked, hesitantly.
Charlotte shot her a look. There was something strange in the other woman’s expression. Then Cate was smiling at her. And it wasn’t the kind of smile she expected.
“Cate?”
Cate seemed to take her bewilderment as a compliment. “Stop looking at me like I’m crazy,” she extracted herself from around Charlotte, but she trailed her hand down Charlotte’s arm, until they were holding hands. “I don’t care if it makes you uncomfortable,” she shot Charlotte another smile, her face lingering a little bit too close.
“I think you’re adorable.”
Charlotte’s mouth must have been gaping. But Cate closed the gap between them, brushing her lips softly over Charlotte’s. Slipping her tongue in, as their kiss deepened. Charlotte felt her breath hitch, when Cate slid back.
Tilting her head, she gave Charlotte a knowing smirk, before heading back into Emergency.
“Don’t stress yourself out so much.”