One Memory at a time...[[Charlie Parker]]

[harley]

5:30 am was a bitch and for Harley Davidson it was a rare sighting. Typically she slept in till 10:30 and that was saying something since she had a puppy and a kitten to take care of. But these days it was a common occurrence for her to be wide awake that early. But when you were staying awake half the night and surviving on just a few minutes of sleep here and there then it all made sense. It had been this way ever since she had gotten out of jail. She would crawl into bed just to stare blankly at the ceiling… things were quiet now… Angie wasn’t purring obnoxiously… Toby wasn’t whining for her to let him into the bed with them… It was just…lonely. They were the only family she had and without them she really didn’t know what to do with herself. It was so bad that she was now considering learning to knit or something… she’d read like 5 books and was now teaching herself how to cook, well better than what she used to. She was going insane and often found asked herself how normal people kept from killing themselves…. She was sooo bored.

It had been about 5 months since she was arrested for high jacking a car… not just any car at that… it was the Major’s car… To this day she regretted not changing into sneakers, but it was in the past now and there was nothing she could do about it. You could say it took a lot of nerve to try and steal the major’s car… but in Harley’s case it was just arrogance… and coincidence… she had no idea whose car it was at the time and didn’t find out until she was behind bars. Harley was a nice girl… with a bad habit. She got high from stealing cars she loved the rush it thrilled her to the bone. Mostly, though, she enjoyed it because it was like the family business… when she was hotwiring a car was when she felt the closest her dad… it was all she had left of him. That was the reason why it was so hard to let go of… when coke addicts try and get clean they suffer from withdrawals… Harley was going through the same type of experience… ever since the arrest she lost everything… well maybe not everything.

Tyler had bailed her out… she couldn’t really say she was expecting him to… she knew he would try to help her somehow, he was just a good friend like that. But she also knew that bail wasn’t cheap and it would be hard to come up with the money… so she was completely prepared to sit in jail for a while since it was clear they weren’t going to let her go anytime soon. But 2 months later there he was posting her bail. He was just about her only friend and now she was forever indebted to him. By the time she got out though someone had called animal control or picked up Toby and Angie… She was pretty torn up about it but she didn’t show it… growing up she learned pouting and mopping about stuff didn’t get you what you wanted nor did it fix the situation, and that hadn’t changed with age so she wasn’t going to waste time being upset when she could force herself to skip that step and start fixing the problem as soon as possible… She quickly came to the conclusion that fixing this problem was going to take a little longer than she initially thought.

Being in jail wasn’t really all that bad though… she couldn’t really complain. After the first couple of interrogations things got a lot nicer and she had Charlie to thank for that. Charlie was the Chief of Police and the one doing the interrogating… at first they butted heads but after a few sessions they relaxed into the routine of things. He was a nice guy and brought her good coffee and gave her good conversations… She used to say she hated the police… but now she would say “I hate the police… well except Charlie.”She tried not to mention that in front of Tyler seeing how he still detested the police… and he had every right to so Harley didn’t argue with him… Especially after what he’d done for her. But Charlie he was… He was nice to her honest… actually a good guy unlike most of the cops around town. After her dad was arrested she swore to herself that she would never forgive the police… even though technically her dad needed to be arrested for car theft but still she was young and all it meant to her was that she was losing her family. Never the less Charlie was different… to be perfectly honest she secretly thought he was extremely attractive but hadn’t uttered a word to anyone about that… not even when she was by herself… In jail he was the only person she had around him… it was only natural that she form an attachment to him…

Tyler was usually MIA during the day… and since she wasn’t allowed to go near the garage or any car for that matter and she didn’t have Toby and Angie to busy herself with… she found herself extremely bored. It had been 3 months since she’d been out of jail… she couldn’t sleep at night and being alone all day long until Tyler emerged from the dark whole that he hid in during the day she had pretty much nothing to do… it was a few weeks after that she found something to entertain herself with and now it was a regular habit… After sipping on coffee and starring out the window letting everything that haunted her surround her for a few hours she showered threw on some jeans sneakers, an Eagles football jersey and yanked her hair up into a messy ponytail then headed out. 338 Old Horse Road was her destination… she tapped on the door then shoved her hands into her back pockets rocking on her heels… and the rest… you’ll just have to stick around and find out for yourself.

[Charlie Parker]

People often said that men weren't very good at being single parents, but in Charlie's case, it just wasn't true. If ever there was a picture of a good parent, it was Charlie. He'd been through hell and back with his fiancee, and even though he was still in love with her, he knew what she was doing was only hurting him, the kids, and herself, and he had to let her go. He struggled a lot after that, trying to find balance between being a parent to the baby and the six year old she had left with him when he told her she had to go. At first he worked way too much, but the more he found himself struggling to find a babysitter who met his standards and passed the background check, the more he realized that the one his kids really needed was him, so he forced himself to stop taking on every extra shift that was available and actually go home to be a dad.

Of course, it was still difficult, being a dad and the chief of police. Being a single dad he needed to work quite a bit to be able to make enough to support his family, especially with an accident prone and somewhat destructive football loving six year old who had more energy than the energizer bunny on steroids and 16 energy drinks. Since Charlie had ended things off with Hayley, Chuck had already broken his arm, his finger, split his head open, and dislocated his shoulder. Then Melody had gotten sick and spent two days in the hospital. As you could imagine, the doctor's bills piled up easily. That wasn't to say they were hurting, but charlie was determined that they absolutely never would have to go without. Chuck and Melody meant the world to him. That was probably why he had been "elected" chief of police. When people saw a good family man with morals and a good sense of right and wrong working as a policeman, they wanted him in charge of law enforcement.

It really wasn't long after getting his new position that he met Harley. She was definitely nothing like most of the people he had to interrogate. She was strong willed and stubborn, more so than anyone he had ever met. He knew it was going to be that way when he got the call saying she'd taken down one of the cops they'd recently hired and not a single on duty officer could get her to say anything. Charlie tired for about a week to get her to give up the name of her "accomplice" but she just wouldn't do it. So, he finally gave up. Granted, since it was the Mayor's car that she had attempted to steal and the Mayor insisted that so long as she was in custody she would be interrogated every day until she gave up the name. The Mayor had absolutely no idea how exhausting that was for Charlie. that meant he wouldn't get a single day off until Harley either made bail or gave in... and Charlie knew all too well that she wouldn't give in. So he just "pretended" to interrogate her until a few months later someone paid her bail and she was let go.

Though he wouldn't admit it, and it was highly against protocol, he was kind of disappointed when she left. He'd been annoyed at first by her stubbornness, but after a while, she started to grow on him, and for some reason or another before she got out, he found himself somewhat attached to her. Luckily for him, though, he and Harley ended up running into one another a lot after that, and before too long they were intentionally spending time together, mostly because Chuck begged and pleaded with Charlie to let her come over for the kickoff game of the season with his favorite football team, and Charlie had a very hard time ever saying no to Chuck. He couldn't say he ever expected to become anything more than acquaintances with any of the people who passed through the interrogation room, but he couldn't say he minded in this case.

Today was a very big day in the Parker household... at least in Chuck's mind anyway. In Chuck's words, this was the "last game of the season for the Broncos before the superbowl and it would determine everything." That little boy knew more about football and cared more about it than Charlie had even so much as thought about it. Sports weren't really Charlie's thing, but they were definitely Chuck's. He did everything, T-ball, soccer, track and field, you name it, he did it, but his most favorite sport was by far football, and for being only six, he was already quite good at it.... probably mostly because he was so much faster than everyone else. Get that ball in his hands and a clear field ahead, and you could bet nobody would catch him. He was already all decked out in his football gear by 10:00 in the morning and the game didn't even start until 12:00. He had it all, the broncos jersey, the helmet, the giant finger, even the family dog, Jigsaw, had a broncos jersey and a broncos mascot shaped hat... football was definitely the most important thing to him at this point in his life.

As soon as Harley had knocked on the door, Chuck jumped up from the couch where he was sitting shouting "She's here! She's here!" then bolted for the door, followed closely by the large german shepherd, before Charlie even had a chance to react to the knock on the door. By the time Charlie was standing, Chuck had already thrown the door open and practically tackled Harley. If only the world was as enthusiastic about everything as Chuck was, it would be a far better place. For whatever reason, Chuck had taken an instant liking to Harley the moment he met her, and had now started insisting that she come to every important event... meaning every broncos game that would ever be played. She had condemned herself to spending every Sunday with the Parker family just by showing even the tiniest hint of interest in football.

Charlie walked to the door, unable to hide the smile at Chuck in his oversized jersey and helmet. You'd think he's been on a diet of coffee only for the past week. he said with a grin. No sooner had he said that then the sound of a referee's whistle sounded from the living room and Chuck's eyes widened in excitement "It's starting!" he said and was off like a shot, again followed by the dog. You would think every game was the superbowl game if you didn't know any better just by how excited the little boy was. He's been asking how long it would be until you arrived since he got up this morning. Charlie said as he stepped aside to let her in. Oh what a perfect family they would make, if only they would just realize it.

[harley]

There wasn’t even time for her to blink before little arms were being flung around her. Harley was no weak link; she could definitely hold her own… as proven with the ex-deputy that she took down upon being arrested. But when the powerful six year old hit her she had to take a couple steps back to keep from falling over. Chuck was a very enthusiastic little boy and that was one of the many things Harley loved about him. She immediately removed her hands from her pockets and wrapped them around him to help maintain her balance. Even though they hadn’t known each other that long Chuck and she had an instant bond. She couldn’t really explain it he just made her smile the way he faced the world with a smile constantly on his face and such determination, she actually kind of admired him. With a half chuckle she wished she could have a piece of his attitude and apply it to her own life. She smiled but by the time she uttered the words “Hey bud” he was bounding off toward the living room with Jigsaw hot on his tail.

A small sigh of relief escaped her lips as she watched him disappear around the couch. Not because he was leaving… but because she was around the living again. In the beginning she had major anxiety attacks and she couldn’t figure out why. Life was back to normal she was out of prison she was free and living life again. She wasn’t supposed to be freaking out now… if anything that was supposed to happen when she was in jail not when she got out. But never the less it did and it baffled her. She would pace her apartment and rub her legs with shaky hands and found herself short of breath. That stage passed though… she would never admit it but she hated being alone. Absolutely hated it. Once she figured out that’s what the problem was she pushed it away… refused to let it show… refused to let it get to her. She took a deep breath got up and walked through town she needed human contact. Even if it wasn’t substantial. That’s when this all started… the Sunday football mania.

Once the sigh was released she realized that Charlie had actually said something. She had heard it and it registered subconsciously. The smile just spread and she shook her head slightly… that’s all you really could do when it came to Chuck, because, well, he said it all. “You would think” She said quietly. She chuckled softly and stepped inside. “Funny, I’ve been watching the clock ever since I woke up this morning till the time finally came.” She looked over her shoulder at Charlie following after Chuck toward the living room. By now she knew the layout of their house pretty well and was comfortable showing herself to the couch. She loved how the first time she walked into their house she instantly felt at home. It wasn’t obsessively clean like how a lot of houses could be when they were expecting company. But it didn’t have a musky bachelor pad smell. For a single working dad Charlie did a good job keeping the house in good shape.

Harley wasn’t a needy, “poor me”, type of girl. She hated feeling like she was whining or complaining. She liked to think she was strong physically and emotionally. Showing emotional instability wasn’t something she did. Harley was the one that was always stable and secure on her own two feet. The one who didn’t need help but was always giving it. This whole thing with jail and being alone was throwing her off her groove and that was so not cool. Once she was around other people she was able to get a grip and not be so… fragile. Since she wasn’t stealing cars anymore… she tried to avoid situations that made her want to do so… which meant avoiding getting wasted every night like she was used to. So when it came to hanging out with Tyler she was far less fun than she used to be. She tried to be herself still and kept clear of talking about what had happened. It was like those few months didn’t exist between them… well besides the fact that she was incredibly thankful and was determined to make it up to him… even though she knew he hated the fact that she was spending time with Charlie. She didn’t blame him, and would never make him like Charlie. He had ever right to hate cops after the life he’d lived. And out of anyone he understood her the most. But they were so much alike that she couldn’t talk to him about her… insecurities. Neither of them did that it just wasn’t in their personalities.

Once the door was opened all that left her mind and her focus was on the now. It was on spending time with Chuck and doing her best to help Charlie out as much as she could. Lord knew he needed it. Harley may not know the entire situation but she knew Charlie was working full time and having kids… well that was no walk in the park. Besides she had nothing else to do and she enjoyed the little monsters company so spending the day with a six year old and his family was definitely not as lame as it may sound for a good looking single girl like Harley. It was actually nice to be around a stable family like theirs. It proved that her family wasn’t the only broken one… but that you could turn it around into a happy good situation despite what the world threw at you… "How're you?" She asked Charlie from over her shoulder as she sat on the arm of the couch next to Chuck. Spending time with Chuck was great... but occasionally she craved a little adult conversation.

[Charlie Parker]

Yes, if there was one thing that was certain it was that Charlie's life was a complicated mess... yet somehow, he managed to make it a mess with some sort of insane order. He would get up at 5:30 in the morning to get himself ready for the day and have sometime of... not being a single dad... pretending he was still a care free bachelor for a few hours before the kids woke up. At 7:00 sharp, just like clockwork, Chuck was up and running down the stairs to the breakfast that was waiting for him. Fifteen minutes later, Jamie was up... though with not even half the energy of Chuck. Another fifteen minutes after that, Melody was upstairs crying, Chuck and Jamie were sent back to their room to get dressed while Charlie dealt with the baby and got her up and ready. By the time Melody was changed, dressed, and had eaten, it was time to leave. First to the school to drop off Chuck and Jamie, then to the daycare to drop off Melody, then off to work. On his break at 3:00 it was back to the school to take Chuck and Jamie to football practice after school, then to the daycare to pick up Melody and take her to the sitter, then back to work again. When he got off at 6:00 it was back to football practice to pick the boys up, then to the sitter, then finally, at long last, home.

Unfortunately for Charlie, home did not mean he finally got to relax after a long day at work... it meant he now got to start his second job. Even after school and football, Chuck was as energetic as ever and just kept going and going and going like he would never stop. Thankfully, Melody was a quiet baby and was typically content to just play with her toys by her self in the play-pen while Jamie and chuck ran around like lunatics. Jamie never lasted as long as chuck though, and about an hour after getting home, he was more than ready to do something more sophisticated than football. Dinner was at 7, then the baby was put to bed while the boys did homework. Jamie was freakishly intelligent for seven, and being a year older than Chuck he was pretty good about helping Chuck while Charlie took care of the baby. At 8:30 it was time for bed for Jamie and Chuck, and then, finally, Charlie was able to relax. Of course, by then he was so exhausted he usually turned in for the night by 9:30.

Sundays were the best days because he had the entire day off. Saturdays he worked half the day, which wasn't bad, but sunday was definitely the best. With Chuck preoccupied with football he was able to spend more time relaxing and less time chasing after that crazy kid. Jamie seemed to like it better too, when Chuck was too busy watching the pros to have much interest in convincing Jamie that football was life and they should play it constantly. Charlie could swear that Jamie was an adult trapped in a seven ear old's body. Of course, he was always up to something, that Jamie. Jamie hadn't really been there that long, though most people didn't know it, and he fit right in with the family, but Charlie still didn't really know him all that well. He wasn't like most kids in that he was always more interested in what was going on with the grown-ups, and understood just about everything. He played along with Chuck's football fetish, but you could tell he really wasn't all that into it.

Jamie was also much more wary of Harley. Not that he didn't like her, he just... it hadn't been all that long since his mom had died, and it seemed like he wasn't quite ready to have a different woman in his life, even if she was only just a friend of Charlie's. That was another thing about Jamie, he always called Charlie by his name rather than dad. Chuck had taken to calling Charlie dad almost instantly, but odds were he would always be Charlie to Jamie, and Charlie was okay with it. Chuck had never known his dad, while Jamie had loved and lost his, so it was completely understandable, even though Jamie was quite young and any other kid probably would have gone the same route as chuck had. Harley didn't know about Peyton, Jamie's mom, and neither did most people. Everything with her had been harder than with Hayley, and Charlie preferred not to say anything about it. As far as anyone else was concerned, Jamie and Chuck were brothers.

As Charlie closed the door and followed Harley towards the living room he could hear Jamie say "It's not the end of the world Chuck" to which Chuck responded with "If they don't win it will be! This is THE game, there won't even BE a superbowl if they don't win" as if the superbowl wouldn't happen if the broncos didn't go. there was no verbal response from Jamie, but Charlie could just imagine the dramatic eye roll as Jamie went back to doing whatever he was doing. The two of them got along like peanut butter and jelly... oh so very different, wonderful on their own, but even better when together. They were like the three stooges... with two of them combining to make Jamie.

Overworked and underpaid, nothing out of the ordinary Charlie responded to Harley's question, good naturedly of course. Harley knew all about the woes of the job, seeing as she and charlie had spent several hours together every day for a month or so, and seeing as Harley had been in jail... there wasn't a whole heck of a lot for them to talk about on her end, and since she seemed to not want him to know anything about her personal life, it usually wound up being about him.

The two of them could only take so much football, unlike Chuck who would have watched football all day if he could, and before long they moved from the living room to the kitchen where they could talk without being hushed by Chuck who was determined to hear every word said by the game announcer. They talked for a while about this or that, but something had been weighing on Charlie's mind, mostly since she started coming over every Sunday on Chuck's request... and he just had to ask her. He knew it might be a little abrupt, and he honestly had no idea how she felt about him... not to mention this could ruin everything and make it horribly awkward for everyone... but he couldn't just not ask her. She could probably tell something was nagging at him too, as he'd never been much good at hiding anything.

Chuck was busy watching football, Jamie was very focused on whatever he was writing and/or drawing, and Melody was asleep... and wouldn't understand anyway... so now seemed as good as any. Harley... This is completely against protocol, he started, and considering how much the mayor hates you I could use my job for it... he paused again, knowing this sounded pretty bad, but resumed again after a moment, and I dont want you to feel obligated to agree, but you're the first person I've met who gets along with these kids, and despite all the intuition being a policeman is supposed to have given me, I can't help the way I feel. The more he delayed the less confident he became... after so many failed relationships it was hard for him to ask this, or even to know how to.

You're practically the only woman I see these days and more and more I find you really bring the only one I want to see, and if I don't ask now I probably never will. So I have to ask you if you would be interested in accompanying me to the police department's new years eve party as more than just a friend, Friday evening. He'd said it now, it was out there. This was either going to make or break their relationship, and he could only hope for the former. You would think with all his experience in dating it would get easier for him to ask a girl out, but not for him... not after the way his last two relationships had ended.

[harley]

To be completely and utterly honest, the game was slow. It was a battle of defenses… there was only one score and a field goal, that was it so far. Now Harley loved sports football especially, but even she got a little bored of the team’s running back and forth across the field. After a little while of watching the game the “adult conversation” had begun to annoy Chuck and he didn’t hesitate to make that known. So the adults moved to the kitchen. As time went on and the conversation slowed it was obvious something was eating at Charlie… actually it was pretty obvious from about 5 minutes after she walked in the door till now. He seemed, fidgety and just not his normal Charlie self; as if she actually knew what the real Charlie was like… Though she liked to believe that she in fact did know him quiet well.

While being “interrogated” by him, the mainly talked about him. It was hard to talk about much else considering that she couldn’t exactly talk about the weather or anything in that category. That was a big problem, along with the fact that she couldn’t talk about herself. Not she wouldn’t… but she couldn’t. When she was little and spending time with her dad in the garage working on the cars he would tell her the rules of life. Most of them pertaining to what not to do around the police. Saying anything that could be twisted around and used against you was a big no no. Ever since her dad was taken away she never did anything that he told her not to do. So even though she would have liked to have talked about herself with him… she couldn’t even after things relaxed toward the end. She had a HUGE wall up making sure no one got passed it. It was mostly subconscious but a part of her knew she was afraid of letting someone in… trusting someone fully. Tyler was the closest one to that… he was the only one she even slightly opened up to and that wasn’t saying much considering he didn’t know about the garage. All he thought was she just got high off of stealing cars… which was true more or less.

In not talking about herself or the weather that only left the topic of Charlie. The longer she was in jail the more she found it interesting… and the more she wanted to know. Harley wasn’t a giddy like girl who got excited when there was a good looking guy around she didn’t suddenly get dumb in their presence. She was practically the polar opposite she was more relaxed around them than girls… with the exception of little Melody but she didn’t count. Point being she wasn’t going to swoon over a guy… but she definitely felt different around Charlie and she knew it wasn’t a bad different. She liked it. So after spending a few months with him getting to know him… now that she was out I guess she did sort of know him pretty well. Well enough to know that there was something eating at him. She wanted to tell him just to spit it out but she knew it would be best just to wait and let him get it out in his own timing.

Analyzing his antsy movements she waited semi-patiently and semi not considering what was eating at him had to be pretty big to have him acting like this. She leaned against the counter and sipped at her water glancing over her shoulder at the boys on the couch and catching a glimpse of what the score is. Smiling she shook her head just slightly at how different they both were… and it was completely apparent by this moment. As Chuck screamed at the TV because of some bad call while Jamie sat quietly, methodically drawing his picture. Both great little boys but both so incredibly different and she loved that about them. Chuck on one hand opened up to her almost immediately, he was so outgoing and fun watching him go red yelling at the tv she could help but smile. Then on the other hand Jamie was reserved with her, he watched her carefully inspecting and observing. He was smart a little too smart for his own good but that’s why Harley loved him. She loved both of them almost immediately after meeting them and has come to accept the fact that he may never let her in, but that was okay.

“Harley... This is completely against protocol,” brought her attention back to him and her smile slowly faded. Whatever he was mulling over in his head was now about to come out and she wasn’t so sure if she wanted to hear it now… “and considering how much the mayor hates you I could use my job for it...” She blinked fighting back a smile at that line… odd as it may sound it was kind of a confidence booster to know that the mayor hated her. She could only imagine the snarky sarcastic remarks she would give him if ever given the chance… but it was probably for the best that she wouldn’t get that chance. It could get her into a whole other world of trouble. “and I dont want you to feel obligated to agree, but you're the first person I've met who gets along with these kids, and despite all the intuition being a policeman is supposed to have given me, I can't help the way I feel.” He said bringing her back to the current conversation.

Feeling totally lost she blinked unsure of if she should say anything but after a second she came to the conclusion that if she said anything he might not being able to get out whatever it is he was struggling to say. “You're practically the only woman I see these days and more and more I find you really bring the only one I want to see, and if I don't ask now I probably never will. So I have to ask you if you would be interested in accompanying me to the police department's new years eve party as more than just a friend, Friday evening.” As he started to go on a smile spread across her face and she realized where this was going. She almost sighed with relief… for a moment there in the beginning she thought he was going to say that they couldn’t hang out anymore. It was cute how much he struggled to get this out and she couldn’t help but grin as she fought back a chuckle.

“Charlie…” She started to respond tilting her head to the side. “I would love to go with you.” She understood why it was hard after the break up with his fiancé he had every reason to be apprehensive. If anything his bashfulness just made him all that more attractive. Come to think about it… she was trying to remember the last time she was asked out… raking her brain trying to remember she really couldn’t remember ever really being asked out. She was always the best friend. Even with Charlie that’s what she thought she was… not that she was complaining. She liked Charlie, he was sweet and a great dad and we all know that a guy who is good with kids is just amazingly attractive. Plus he was really good looking… but she never thought he would ask her out. She just figured he thought of her like all the other guys did… inside Harley, the girl that would never be swooned, there was a girl that was jumping up and down giggling…. That would be our little secret.

[Charlie Parker]

Yes, Hayley had made Charlie much more cautious when it came to the women he got into relationships with. He had been devastated by having to make that decision to tell Hayley that she'd had her chance to shape up and hadn't done that and it was now time to ship out. He was very much in love with her, he couldn't help that, but she was only hurting them, and if she wasn't willing to change for her family then he knew it meant she really didn't feel the same way about them as they did about her. It was Peyton that really did him in. He wasn't married to her, but she had been everything that Hayley wasn't. She was a good mom, she was loving and kind, and she put everyone else first. With Hayley, Charlie had ended it, but with Peyton he hadn't been ready for her to be gone... but he didn't have a choice. When she died they were both in love with each other. After that he was very mildly afraid of commitment, and that was part of why it was so hard to ask Harley out. Of course, she knew nothing of any of that.

The other part of it was that he had three kids, none of them with the same two parents, and he wasn't sure how they would react to daddy and Harley being more than just friends. Then there was his work... technically he wasn't supposed to affiliate with anyone he came in contact with, victims or criminals. Then there was the mayor who absolutely hated Harley for trying to steal his car and for being so stubborn as to not give up the name of her accomplice and somehow making bail... and considering he had control of who held the chief of police position... he could very easily fire Charlie for violating policy and be completely within his right to do so... not to mention Harley was pretty close to the opposite of what Peyton had been. Peyton had probably never broken a law in her life, whereas Harley seemed to enjoy partaking in illegal activities. Policemen weren't supposed to fall for people like Harley. On top of all that, though she was definitely not your stereotypical criminal... and he hadn't seen Chuck take to anyone that quickly in a long time. He wasn't worried with how standoffish Jamie was, he'd been the same way with Charlie at first. He just took a while to warm up to everyone. He was too smart for his own good.

He hadn't really realized it, but in that brief moment between asking and her answering him, he had sort of forgotten to breathe. He was fully aware of the fact that if she wasn't on the same page as he was it could make everything awkward and that could end anything they had going. Harley was always so much help to him with the kids and whatnot. If he got called in when he was supposed to have time off or something of that nature, he could almost always count on her to come stay with the kids while he was at work. It was strange, having been so dedicated to finding a babysitter that passed the background check, and now completely trusting Harley, who failed the background check in so many ways, to take as good care of them as he would. It went against all his intuition, but he had no anxieties about her being alone with them.

Now that she had agreed to go with him, he felt much better... all of the anxiety about asking off his shoulders he could breathe again. He hadn't realized he was so worried about this until now. Just promise me one thing, he said with a smile, probably looking as relieved as he felt, when the mayor does his awful "inspiring" speech just before midnight or if we happen to run into him, please don't say anything that might increase my chances of getting fired. He knew she would probably want to, but he had a feeling she wouldn't anyway. After all, there weren't a whole lot of jobs in a place like Pinewood, and relocating three kids and a girlfriend to some other place where he could get a job as a policeman was not something he wanted to even think about attempting... and despite the fact that Harley didn't like police, he knew that she understood the importance of him having a good paying job. After all, it wasn't exactly cheap paying babysitters and daycares and the like when you were the only source of income and had three of them to pay for.

Some of the guys at the station had started referring to his collection of children as his "circus." It was admittedly an odd group. Melody was his daughter with Hayley, Chuck was Hayley's son with Charlie's friend and the stable's owner, Sebastian, Jamie was Sebastian's son with Peyton, and now Charlie was a cop dating a con. All they needed was a clown car and they were set.

[harley]

Thinking about it now she came to the conclusion that she hadn’t ever actually been asked out. She was sort of a tomboy when she was younger and didn’t show interest in boys until later in her teenage years she got teased a lot and rumors went around that she was lesbian. None of that really phased her though she was more interested in… other things. She wasn’t the totally baggy jeans and sweatshirts "I want to be a boy" type tomboy she just liked sports and cars and getting dirty. Cheerleading was foreign to her and she hated dresses and skirts. Just because she didn’t show interest in boys didn’t mean they didn’t show interest in them. Then about her senior year she learned that one night stands were okay for a girl to have and has stuck with that to this day. So having a one night stand didn’t really require being asked out therefore resulting in her never being asked out. Just now, when Charlie asked was officially the first time she had ever been asked on a date.

After her dad was arrested there was absolutely no chance of Harley ever being in an intimate legitimate relationship. She kept everything about her dad under wraps and that’s when the walls went all the way up. There was only one person she fully trusted in the whole world and he was behind bars. She didn’t throw herself at men or dress slutty or anything. But if there was a guy who wasn’t forcing himself on her and asked she typically wouldn’t say no. Unless she was planning on stealing a car that night, but in that case she typically wouldn’t be drinking. She liked to have her wits about her in when she did. None of that matters though. She never actually had a boyfriend and was finding it odd that she was fighting off the butterflies that were now flying around her stomach. A feeling that she was completely unfamiliar with.

Her heart seemed to be beating a million miles per hour and she couldn’t really explain it this never happened to her. Charlie wasn’t one of the guys she slept with then nothing really happened after. He was different he was more than that; she couldn’t explain it because she didn’t understand it. She couldn’t really figure out if she liked the fact that she couldn’t think all of a sudden, she wasn’t one to get tongue tied around anyone… and she wasn’t she just… didn’t want to mess anything up. It was a lot of pressure to go from one night stands to boyfriend and girlfriend with a guy who had a family. Then she mentally smacked herself for thinking too much. This was ridiculous, they were friends before nothing was going to change… well something’s would but for the most part she didn’t need to change. He obviously liked her or he wouldn’t have asked her, so she was freaking out for no reason at all. Of all the times to have a girlie moment it had to be now.


Now that she was back in her right mind she was relaxed… she had a bit of a bipolar girlie moment just then but now all was right in her world. She understood why he was so nervous I mean he had kids to think of and after his past it just wasn’t something someone like him should take lightly. She smiled slightly as he finally took a breath. She took a step forward toward him. “Just promise me one thing,” And there it was… there was always a condition… not that she knew first hand but in the movies there was always a “but” or a condition and here it came. “When the mayor does his awful ‘inspiring’ speech just before midnight or if we happen to run into him, please don’t say anything that might increase my chances of getting fired.” He was smiling now a definite sign that he was more relaxed. “Well gosh now I don’t know if I want to go anymore,” her entire exterior transformed into a fake pout. “you took all the fun out.” She let it out with a slight sigh.

Charlie was an amazing father, he was great with his kids and if that didn’t totally attract every woman then they had to be nuts. They were a wild bunch that had nothing in common it seemed but they worked. Now they just had one more odd ball to add to their caravan. She was thrilled, not only did she like Charlie, but she loved his kids. Chuck was her football buddy and would not miss one of their football dates even if she was half dead. Melody was the sweetest little princess ever… and also the only baby that Harley has ever held. Jamie, on the other hand, well the most they did was color at the same together, but that was nice… he made her smile at how… meticulous he was and how closely he paid attention to detail. They were all perfect in their own little way. Her eyes peered up at Charlie with her lip sticking out just slightly… there was only one thing on her mind now…


What would she wear?

[Charlie Parker]

Charlie was all too aware of the fact that when he and Harley walked in the door, everyone was going to turn and stare... literally. He hadn't told anyone about him and harley for obvious reasons... mainly that he was breaking protocol by even being friends with her... dating her would be definitely stepping over the line. Most of the guys wouldn't say anything about it at all, and only a few would make jokes about it later, but for the most part, everyone knew that Charlie was not the kind of guy who took kindly to jests being made in his presence about his relationships, and for good reason too. Only a few of the officers knew about Peyton, but all of them knew about Hayley, and they all knew that Charlie would never under any circumstances be in a relationship if he didn't truly have feelings for the girl... and even though he liked to pretend that he was incapable of being irked in any way, most of them had seen what happened when he got irritated and/or stressed, and no one wanted to go through that again.

When he was in high school and at the academy, Charlie was your typical teenaged guy, sleeping around, underaged drinking, general stupid guy things... but when he moved to New York and started working in earnest and got shot his first month on the job, he learned pretty quickly that the downside of going through high school in two years and just going to the academy and doing the fast track to become a cop meant that he had to grow up at a much earlier age than most guys did. Unfortunately, because of his oh so rude awakening to this knowledge, he took it a bit too far... then add the kids in, and responsibility became such a priority in his life that he almost forgot how to stop being the responsible one even for just a little while, to actually enjoy life rather than going through it like it was a pre-programmed routine that he had signed a contract of carrying out to the letter what it entailed.

In that respect, Harley was good for him. She was spontaneous, care-free, fun loving... she was just the thing needed to make him stop being such a stick in the mud, and maybe make him get his priorities straight. Yes, work was important, but not as important as actually being a parent to his kids... then again, getting fired wasn't exactly the best way to go about rehab from being a workaholic. Needless to say, he had chosen a really bad occasion to ask Harley to go to as their debut as a couple, seeing as every single one of Charlie's co-workers were there and the mayor who was, essentially, his boss... and probably 90% of the people there didn't like Harley, especially the mayor... and if they called him out on a breach of protocol, he could very easily lose his job right then and there. Then again, the people in Pinewood seemed to like Charlie well enough that firing him could reflect negatively on the mayor and lose him the next election, so he was probably safe... hopefully.

He just shook his head and smiled at her pout, Well you know, I'm not so sure I'd miss the job all that much, but something tells me it might make providing for three kids a little difficult... He said sort of seriously, but hey, if you've got a suggestion let's hear it. He knew free time to spend with just Harley as if they were a normal twenty-something couple, was going to be nearly impossible to come by, but he was definitely willing to try... after all, he was more than entitled to time off with all the shifts he took and all the times he got called in when he was trying to take the day off... and now he had even more incentive than he did before to do exactly that.

[harley]

It’s funny how things happen in life in such random unpredictable ways. Charlie and Harley met in jail, and as if that wasn’t unpredictable enough she was the prisoner and he was the officer. This sort of thing doesn’t happen often. Charlie should have ended up with some sweet southern girl with a knack for cooking and a strong twang, instead he got Harley, whose signature meal was Mac n cheese and nothing close to a southern drawl, not even when she tried. Harley was more of a wild outgoing down to earth girl who had no problem speaking her mind and had a tendency of getting herself into a lot of trouble. She would keep her mouth shut for Charlie’s sake but she wouldn’t pretend to be something she’s not. Well yes she would put on a nice dress and maybe some make-up but she wouldn’t change who she was just for him. He was a great guy and like every human being, she didn’t want to be dumped but if he expected her to change then he was coo-coo. But again he was a nice guy and she didn’t expect him to be like that at all.

As for the whole nice dress and make-up… that wasn’t going to come easy. She was pretty sure she might have some old make-up in a drawer somewhere but a dress would be a little harder to come by considering her entire wardrobe consisted of shorts and jeans with maybe one skirt in there somewhere. So that meant shopping… another thing Harley wasn’t so great at. The shopping in itself wouldn’t have been such a big deal if she was still stealing cars… But you can see how getting arrested and then spending most of your time with a cop and his family could put an end to that, not to say she didn’t think about it often. Point being, she had no money to buy a dress, and she didn’t exactly have friends that were girls so borrowing a dress wasn’t going to happen. You can understand now, how the question of what she would wear popped into her head rather quickly. If she was anyone but herself she probably just would have told Charlie and hoped that he would help her out. But She didn’t want him to know she was struggling to take care of herself… yeah that thing called pride got in her way a lot.

Despite the swirl of thoughts going through her head she shoved them aside and smiled at him. This was a good thing, she liked Charlie a lot and his kids and just because she didn’t own a dress she wasn’t going to get all panicky and freak out. It was just a minor little tiny rock in the road not a mountain. She would find something and make it work and they would go and have a good time and they would live happily ever after… yeah okay maybe I’m getting a little too far ahead of myself. “Right... Well I guess since it wouldn’t be good for the kids… I’ll just have to be on my best behavior.” Sure she didn’t want the kids to suffer but she also didn’t want Charlie to lose his job, so she would wear the right clothes, smile and laugh at all the right times and say all the right things. While trying to be herself at the same time… Because that’s what you did for the one you were falling for.

That day continued on in the normal matter. Yes, she was happy and excited and had a bunch of other emotions streaming through her body after he asked her out. But they just talked and spent time with the kids like they usually did and when the kids were on their way to bed, she left just like she always did and that was that. Of course once she was at home that was a different story. Sleeping wasn’t a thing she was used to so when sleep seemed to evade her even more than usual she wasn’t too surprised. At home Harley was a different person her emotions ran true and showed very easily. That was because she was alone and when she was alone she got extremely vulnerable a state she absolutely hated to be in.

A couple days later she managed to find a dress…. Now here we were Friday, new years eve. She woke up and decided that not thinking about it would be the best way to start her day that way she wouldn’t psych herself out. A cup of coffee, a stroll in the park, a trip to the market, then came lunch, and after that she was finally allowed to think about it but only enough to get herself ready. You know the drill shower, make-up, then hair, the hours seemed to be trickling along and it was driving her nuts. How was it that whenever you were excited about something coming up it took forever to get here but when you were dreading it, it always seemed to come as fast as a blink of an eye. The dress was yellow and strapless and showed off all of Harley’s good points. She wore her hair down slightly curly and light natural looking make-up. He was going to pick her up any minute and she was just trying to remind herself to breathe. A knock at the door caused her to jump, partly because she never ever ever had anyone over to her place, she wasn’t ashamed or anything she just didn’t like people knowing where she lived for safety reasons. And also partly because she was so wound up from nerves. She took a breath bit her lip and opened the door smiling. “Hey…” He looked… well let’s just say it was no wonder Harley was attracted to him. The moment she saw him all of her nerves were gone. Partially because he had that effect on her and partially because she learned a while ago how to hide her emotional girly side.

[Charlie Parker]

After everything Charlie had gone through up to this point, it was pretty obvious that he didn't have the best luck when it came to relationships. Of course, falling for Haley was possibly one of the stupidest things he'd ever done, she was so wrong for him in so many ways. She was everything that he was against. She was an alcoholic, she was a drug addict, she constantly had parties, she put her own children in danger just so she could have a few hours of fun. She was definitely wrong for him in many ways, and he'd ignored all the warnings from his friends about her. Turns out he should have listened. But then there was Peyton who had been everything "perfect" for him. She was a good mom, she was always looking out for her kids. She had probably never even thought about doing drugs, and never touched a drop of alcohol. They would have been perfect had she not died. Now there was Harley.

He was understandably cautious about getting into a relationship with her. After all, he didn't have a great track record, and... well, lets face it, how often does a cop end up marrying a criminal? He really didn't want this to turn out like the last two relationships he'd been in. He was already in a tough position as a single dad, he probably couldn't handle the emotional stress he would go through if he and Harley were to have their relationship come to an end. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but be incredibly attracted to her... and not just because she was a hot girl. There was just something about her. She got along so well with Chuck and Melody... and Jamie didn't hate her... so that was a plus too. He knew it would take a while for Jamie to warm up to her, hell he hadn't even warmed up to Charlie completely yet. Chuck, though, was practically in love with Harley, and Chuck tended to be a very good judge of character.

To be perfectly honest, this was the first date he'd been on in nearly a year... since Peyton went back into the hospital. Because of this, he was naturally a bit... anxious. Not exactly nervous, just not exactly confident. He had chosen possibly the worst event to ask her to go to that he possibly could without even realizing it. This was really a bad way to "announce" their relationship. I mean everyone at the police station knew who Harley was and what she'd done... and the Mayor probably knew too... and here he was, the chief of police, about to show up to the "biggest event of the year" with the infamous Harley on his arm. Yeah, this was a really awful idea... but considering it was the day of, he couldn't exactly back out now. If they fired him for entering into a relationship with a former "inmate" then so be it. Technically they had every right to do so as Harley could use their relationship to say that she and Charlie had had a thing while she was in jail and then there would be a big investigation and all sorts of that sort of thing, but he was pretty sure that she wouldn't ever do that, so everyone else could just get over it.

As usual Chuck had insisted on "helping" Charlie pick out what he would wear... and they got Jamie to tag along. Chuck would agree to just about anything Charlie suggested, but Jamie was less easy to please. At six years old, Jamie was more like a 36 year old. He always knew what he wanted, and how to get it. He had a more professional fashion sense than most college kids and was very adamantly sticking to it. It took about 20 minutes before Jamie decided that they'd found a suitable outfit (which for a guy is a long time) to be worn to a new years party which happened to be a first date. There wasn't going to be a babysitter, when he had even suggested the notion of trying to find someone, the look on Jamie's face said that he would make life a living hell for whoever Charlie found if he dared to even try to find someone. Charlie reasoned that it was only for one night and the kids would be fine. Melody, of course, went to Charlie's parents, but Jamie was extremely anti-grandparents and Charlie wouldn't force him into that situation. He would probably be in bed by 9 if not before... and Chuck would probably fall asleep on the couch watching football.

He had decided that he and Harley would show up fashionably late, just so they wouldn't have to suffer through six hours of people staring and whatnot. So he left at 8:30 and arrived at her house shortly after. He was really hoping that everything would go well tonight. After all, having chosen such an awful occasion to invite her to for their first date made for a lot of opportunities for everything to go wrong. Yes, Charlie was being a bit pessimistic, but could he be blamed? Look how his last two relationships ended. He stayed in the car for a moment or two, working on convincing himself that everything was going to be fine. If it was meant to be it would all go well... if not... well then he would just find himself disappointed yet again.

He got out of the car and made his way up to the front door, hesitating a moment more before knocking. A few seconds later the door swung open to reveal Harley standing there. His first reaction was, of course "wow," but he had to force himself not to say it. He wasn't a college kid anymore, surely he could come up with something more intelligent to say than that. You look... he paused a moment, trying to decide on the right word, beautiful. Sure, he could have said amazing or incredible or something cryptic like that, but it didn't really get the point across. She looked beautiful, that was all there was to it. He'd never seen her in anything formal before, and she simply took his breath away.

Charlie was rarely found wearing anything overly formal, his job required him to wear a uniform all the time, so when he wasn't working, he preferred to not be all dressed up... but tonight was a special occasion. He was wearing a nice, but still at least partially casual suit, with a white shirt and no tie. His tousled curly hair was slightly less disheveled looking than usual, but only slightly. He could stand perfectly still in a room with no wind and after 10 minutes his hair would still be a tangled mess. He didn't know how it happened, only that it did... all the time. It was a good look for him, though. To be perfectly honest, he really didn't look any different than he normally did. Guys typically didn't get all "prettied up" for anything, and Charlie was definitely a typical guy in that aspect.

[harley]

It was crazy how her confidence shot through threw the roof by just the look he gave her. Yeah, his words increased it more so but the look was what a girl really sought after. Sure compliments were always nice but nothing really compared to all the looks guys gave you… and getting “that” look from the guy you liked was ten times better. This look isn’t easily described… it was just the look that guys got when they saw something they liked and wanted… it varied with each guy but was basically the same. Harley had gotten looks before from other guys and it was a confidence booster sure but just not the same… When Charlie looked at her just now she felt… like the prettiest girl in the world. That was the first time she ever felt like that. Harley was no girly girl she never dressed up or played dolls when she was younger and as a woman she never thought about being in a relationship. That just wasn’t her main focus she didn’t chase boys. Yeah, she liked being noticed but she never devoted hours to making sure she’d get noticed. That just wasn’t her personality.

Now she said she didn’t like getting all dressed up… but that was really a lie… she didn’t like the idea of doing her makeup everyday nor looking her best all the time. But every now and then was kind of fun to get attention… and if he called her beautiful every time she dressed up she could totally get used to it. The way he said it though… “You look…. Beautiful.” She smiled bashfully trying not to blush. It was weird she’d been complimented before but I guess since she actually had feelings for Charlie it made it different. She’d never really seen him dressed up… unless you counted his uniform… but she didn’t she thought he looked nice in it but she wasn’t a fan of the uniform it didn’t bring back nice memories. Then all the rest of the time he was in casual clothes… he kind of reminded him of her in that sense.

Biting her bottom lip she swayed her hips gently and looked up at him. “Thank you….” She felt corny for thinking this but it literally felt like she was in a fairytale. He wasn’t like any of the guys she typically hung out with… well with the exception of Tyler… But Charlie was sweet… he was a gentleman. Most of the other guys were drunken hotheads who thought they were the shiz basically. But not Charlie, he was different… he was a good guy. It was sort of a turn of the table… the good guy was with the bad girl. “You look pretty sharp yourself.” She smirked as she added. Harley was far from a sweet down to earth girl. She was adventurous, and outgoing… not sweet and gentle… she could be those too but it didn’t come as naturally. At least she didn’t think so. After that light exchange she locked her door and they headed down to his truck… he opened the door and she wasn’t really expecting it but it was a nice change of pace. She looked over at him as he got in and couldn’t help but smile a little… “So are you nervous?” She said with a light sense of humor… she maybe all dressed up but she was still the same girl underneath the dress and makeup.

She wasn’t nervous at all… there was nothing for her to be nervous about. She was before but now that she was with him it seemed stupid… he was still the same guy she hung out with every day… nothing had changed. Well what they were wearing had changed… and the location but that really wasn’t that big of a deal. All of the people that were going to be there she knew… sure they were all going to be a little shocked… maybe a little was an understatement but she didn’t mind this kind of attention. She really could care less what other people thought. But she would admit she was a little nervous for Charlie, she didn’t want him to lose his job because of her. But she also didn’t want to stop the progress of their relationship… So the reason for her asking the question was to see where he stood. Obviously he wasn’t that scared of losing his job or he wouldn’t have asked her in the first place… but this move was a little bold for him and that was saying a lot coming from Harley.

[Charlie Parker]

Before even inviting Harley to his house the first time, Charlie had tried to reason with himself... tried to convince himself that she wasn't the sort of person he should invite into his home to be around his kids, that she would be a bad influence, and hell, even that she wouldn't even want to... after all, he was a cop and she definitely seemed to have a lot against policemen, and with good reason, too. When it came right down to it, though he just couldn't help it. Maybe it was because he had spent so much time with her in the month prior that she had become an addiction of his... a bad habit, if you will. Once she got out, he started having withdrawals, and he just wasn't strong enough to resist the temptation. He had done the same thing before asking her out. He'd gone through ever possible excuse not to do it, but in the end, he just had to. Now here he was standing at her door, about to take her there no one with a criminal record should ever go... he was just full of making good decisions these days.

He couldn't count the number of times he'd heard people tell him he looked "sharp," whatever that might mean. It seemed a fairly common compliment for policemen in uniform. From his parents the first time he donned the uniform to the hookers he'd arrested in New York to just acquaintances. Coming from Harley, though, it seemed to somehow have more meaning than that. Charlie had fallen for her, and fallen hard. He knew it, but was still slightly in denial. It was hard for him to admit to loving anyone besides his kids, it always had been. He wasn't totally sure why, seeing as before Hayley he'd never really had any sort of heartache before... maybe he had just been so afraid of emotional trauma that he wanted to avoid anything involving it all together... unfortunately he was the sort of guy who fell in love easily, so he'd gotten himself a huge helping of heartbreak.

When they got into the car and she asked him if he was nervous, he just smiled. Should I be? he asked in response. Now that they were actually in the car and there was absolutely no way to back out... yes, he was nervous... but he was still a guy and there was absolutely no way he was going to admit that he was. Tonight was the night he could lose his job... or his girlfriend..... or even both. Of course he was nervous. Luckily for him, two years at the police academy had taught him how to hide any sign of nerves or fear, and he had gotten quite good at hiding both, as Harley would probably soon find. As kind and loving as he was, he didn't really like to show emotions. Just because he was a nice guy didn't mean he wasn't going to act like a guy, and we all know that almost all guys always do their absolute best to hide their emotions.

Harley was very unlike any person he had ever known. Yes, she had a criminal record, but come on, who did stealing cars hurt? She seemed like the sort who only went for the type of cars that only ridiculously wealthy people could afford, and since they were ridiculously wealthy, they could afford another one, so really, in the end, no one got hurt. It wasn't like she was doing drugs or killing anyone. He was fairly sure she did drink, but on occasion, so did he. So long as it stayed away from the kids he was fine with that. That said, she also wasn't a plain and simple sort of girl who was afraid to do anything for fear of being struck by lighting from the wrath of God. She was just about the perfect combination of crazy and sane... she was his right kind of wrong.