legacy [james conrad] 2

Chapter 24

The first thing Charlotte hears are voices. 

"She has a fractured rib, cuts in both hands and her face, sprained wrist and ankle" 

"Do you know the recovery time?" 

"Well, she should be able to do basic things, but she is going to require stitches and a lot of rest" 

She groans, her eyes fluttering as she becomes aware of her surroundings and the events that just happened. 

The light blinds her. 

It takes her a moment to re-adjust, but when she does, she is stunned.

Hundreds of people are wandering by, lying in gurneys, standing in lines or crying. Most of them are doing the latter.  

She lays on the ground, a mat under her as she tries to make sense of what is going on. Her head pounds, as does her side, but she pushes the feeling away. 

"Charles" James calls out to her, leaning beside her. 

He smiles, offering her a bottle of water. 

"What happened?" She asks, her voice hoarse as she looks around. She puts the water aside, not caring about her health. 

"Well, a helicopter came and rescued us, and then the bomb went off, but we're safe now" he assures, nodding.  

Charlotte sits up suddenly, wincing at the pain on her ribs. 

"Hey, hey, easy there" James starts, surprised at her movements as he grabs her shoulders softly.  

CHarlotte shrugs him off, biting her lip in pain as she pushes herself off from the ground. 

"We need to find Ford, his family" she mutters, balancing herself on a railing.  

"He's fine, Charles. You are the one that needs to rest" James stands up, looking at her. 

"I can rest later. I need to make sure everything's okay" she mumbles distractedly. 

"Charles" Just her name gets her to stop.

Charlotte stops, looking in the distance as she catches sight of Ford. He stands there, a woman who charlotte can only guess is his wife enveloped in his arms. Both of them are crying. 

She smiles at the sight before turning back to James. 

"I guess you were right," she tells him. He can still hear the tiredness in her voice.  

James looks back at her, his gaze softening. 

"We're safe, Charles. We don't need to protect Ford anymore. He's with his family, I made sure of that before you woke up. We can go back to London together or..." he trails off, shrugging. 

Charlotte smiles at the image of both of them living together, of her being happy. 

"Look," James continues, "I don't know what might happen, or what the future holds for us" He looks around, trying to find his words "but, I know for sure that now that I have you, I don't want to let you go. I did that once, and look how it turned out" he chuckles, motioning to them "I love you, and I-" he pauses, clearing his throat "I'd like to just try things, see if they work out" He pleads. 

She limps towards him, wrapping her arms around her neck as she smiles. 

"I'd like that. I'd like to try things out" She smiles. For the first time in a long while, she feels like herself once again. The snarky but soft-inside girl has returned. 

James smiles back, staring at her lips. 

"That's good" he mutters, trailing off as he grabs her waist. 

"Are you going to kiss me or...." She states after a moment, a smirk on her lips. 

"I'm going to kiss you" He responds, before joining his lips with hers. 

It feels like no other kiss, like it's the first time once again. It's filled with hope and passion. 

Charlotte pulls back, running a hand to smooth down his soft hair. 

"Don't run away this time" James warns with a smile, his striking blue eyes shimmering as he remembers the last time they were in this situation. 

Charlotte purses her lips, shrugging as she plays along. 

"Maybe I might. Who knows" 

"Charlotte" he warns, pulling back slightly. 

"I'm joking, James" She laughs, cupping his cheek. 

"I might just stick around" 

A sudden cheering jolts the both of them out of their moment. 

Charlotte turns to look around at what they're cheering at, and she finds herself smiling as she sees the big screen. 

Godzilla is displayed on the screen, his journey from the middle of the city to the ocean being followed. 

Charlotte laughs in delight, shaking her head. 

Godzilla had saved them, and she was grateful for that. 

She turns to James, who is also looking at the screen. 

He turns to her as well, shrugging. 

Charlotte pushes herself up, her lips meeting his. 

And then Godzilla roars.