Metanoia | Chris Evans

1.6

Charlie smiles fondly as she watches the group in front of her, the adults listening intently to the children chattering excitedly about what they hope Santa is going to bring them in the morning. She's always loved visiting Chris' family since they've always been so welcoming to her, openly inviting her to join in the hijinks they've gotten up to over the years - including the pranks on each other.

"How're you doing?"

She glances at her best friend by her side before shrugging, "I'm okay - it's just been a while since I last saw everyone together."

"Who's fault is that?" She hears Scott remark as he passes the pair, obviously hearing what she said as he got closer.

She sticks her tongue out at him, making him laugh as he continues walking off to wherever he's going, before turning her attention back to Chris who she sees has been watching her and his brother interact with a soft, content look. She nudges him to get his attention. "What about you? Is it good to be completely surrounded by everyone again?"

"Just like old times." He jokes.

"If you rule out the little ones then sure, it's just like old times."

"Anyway-" He cuts in, putting a stop to her good-natured teasing, continuing from where he left off before she interjected. "I don't know how to explain what it feels like to be here, with my family and you, just like it used to be years ago. I know how this is going to sound but it's true - it doesn't quite feel completely like home, even with everyone else here, unless you're here too."

Charlie feels her cheeks heat up as she ducks her head, biting her lip. "Now, we both know that's definitely not true."

He gives her a noncommittal hum before nudging her with his shoulder. "If that's what you think. I'll be back in a second."

She nods, finally feeling her cheeks cool down, as she watches him leave the room before going back to observing the comings and goings of the others around her. She catches Lisa glancing at her out of the corner of her eye, sending the woman a kind smile as she sees her moving across the room to take Chris' place in his absence. Charlie has always been quite fond of her best friend's mother, and if what Chris said is true then the older woman seems to share the sentiment, seeing her as a second mother given that Lisa has always treated her like one of her own kids.

"I was wondering when my son would finally leave your side for longer than two seconds," Lisa comments as she gets comfortable, smiling when the statement gets a laugh out of the younger woman. "How have you been, sweetie? You look a little tired."

Catching the last part, Charlie raises an eyebrow before shaking her head at her best friend's expense. "He told you."

The older woman sighs, taking Charlie's hand and holding it between her own in her lap. "He worries about you - always has."

Charlie huffs in amusement at the statement since it's true before nodding reassuringly to Lisa. "I'm okay - it's chilled out a bit for now, again."

"But not gone completely." Lisa points out.

"No, not gone, but it's better than it was." Charlie shrugs with a tight smile when she sees the look on the older woman's face. "They'll never be fully gone - it might stop for a couple of nights, maybe a week or two, but the nightmares will come back. They always do."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Charlie squeezes the older woman's hand. "Nobody asked me to become a soldier - that's all on me - so now I have to deal with the consequences."

Lisa sighs before changing the subject to a hopefully lighter subject. "It's been a while since we've had a one-on-one gossip together. So, other than what my son has let slip, what's new in the world of Charlotte Hayes?" She nudges the younger woman's shoulder with her own. "Any young men in your life? I won't tell anyone."

"Ha, no." Charlie laughs. She continues once she's mostly gotten over her fit of the giggles. "Other than Christopher, who's my forever best friend, Aslan, and the guys I work with, there's definitely no guys in my life. That would be an accident waiting to happen."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chris' mother frowns.

"I don't exactly have much going for me here," Charlie speaks, her tone indicating that she thinks what she's saying is obvious. "I carry a ton more baggage than most girls and it wouldn't be fair to ask someone to put up with all that. Let's face it, I'm kind of a mess on a good day, nevermind a bad one."

"Oh, Charlotte..." Lisa murmurs, a devastated look taking over her face.

"It's okay - I've accepted that I'm a lot for anyone to deal with and that I'm probably never going to find my very own Prince Charming, at this point."

Charlie goes on to change the subject, asking about what the plans are for the rest of the day. Lisa takes the hint and goes on to tell her about everything she wants to do while everyone is together over the course of the next few days. The pair only notice Chris' return when he announces himself by clearing his throat just behind them. Neither really know how long he's been there but they hazard a guess to themselves that he probably wasn't there for long before getting their attention.

The pair glance over the back of the sofa to where Chris is towering above them before Lisa turns back to Charlie. "I should probably go and get started on meal prep for tomorrow anyway, so I'll leave you two to go back to whatever it is you were talking about before."

Chris smiles as his mother gets up, kissing his cheek as she passes him to leave the room, before reclaiming his seat. "What did I miss? Any good gossip?"

Charlie pretends to think about it before shaking her head. "No, I'm afraid you're all out of luck because there was no gossip. We were just chatting and catching up."

Chris gives a considering hum. "So, what did you talk about? Anything interesting?"

Charlie shakes her head straight away, missing the look in his eyes since she is watching the kids playing together on the floor. "Not really, just general chit-chat."

She hears him sigh quietly but brushes it off for the time being, both of them getting thoroughly distracted from any further conversation about that topic as Chris' nephew, Miles, asks them to play with him.