Chapter Three

The cold rain beat against her skin as she ran down the streets of Dystopia, panting heavily and feeling the harsh pounding in her chest. She felt if she didn't stop running soon then her heart would fall out of her chest and she'd die right then and there, but if she didn't keep running, her world would end, and there would be no need for her to live anyway. She remembered the moment she got the text - short, sweet, and straight to the point. With five words, Charlotte felt her blood run cold.

"HELP! They're gonna kill us!" Henry's text read and Charlotte went into go mode. She ran out of his apartment and dashed to the location he shared. She didn't know who they were but all she knew was she had to save Jasper and Henry. She reached the old warehouse and paused for a moment, wondering if she was in the right area when she heard a familiar voice scream and a loud bang. Panicking, she quickly rushed inside and saw Jasper laying on the ground motionless.

"Jasper!" she knelt down to check on him, grateful to see that he was still breathing when she heard another bang and another scream. It was Henry.

"Henry!" she called out, running towards where she heard the scream. BANG! Another loud thud and a cry of pain from Henry. She felt like she was going blind, everything was dark and blurry and she was so dazed. Nothing looked right, nothing felt right - but she needed to get to-

"Henry..." she breathed when she saw him run towards her.

"Charlotte!" he exclaimed before quickly enveloping her in a tight hug, "oh, thank goodness you're here. I-" He was cut off by a loud bang and a cry of pain, Charlotte gasping as she felt him grow weak in her embrace.

"H-Henry..." she stuttered as she felt something wet on his back. He fell to the floor and brought her down with him, his weight too heavy to maintain on her own. Her vision was cloudy again but now with her own tears as she looked down at her best friend, his blood pooling beneath them in a wicked puddle.

"Oh, Henry no! Hold on for me!" she cried out as she cradled his head to her chest, trying her hardest to find the bullet hole on his back and stop the bleeding, "Henry, don't leave me!"

"Charlotte..." he croaked out before he coughed up blood, the crimson liquid running down his chin and causing the young woman to sob harder.

"Henry, please don't leave me! I need you!" she sobbed, clutching him close in desperation.

"Charlotte..."

"Henry..."

"Charlotte?"

"Henry..."

"Charlotte!" The young woman jolted out of her sleep, sitting up straight and staring out into the dimly lit room. She panted heavily, her skin sticky with sweat and her face drenched in tears. She looked around in confusion before she finally looked to her left and saw Henry's concerned face looking down at her.

"Henry!" she practically shouted as she cupped her face in her hands, standing up on her knees and studying his face as if to make sure he was real and that he was really okay.

"Are you okay? I heard you shouting my name and-" he reached down to cup her face with both of his hands and gently wiped her tears away with his thumbs, his voice growing softer, "you were crying..." She wasn't sure what did it, whether it was the gentle way he spoke, the kindness in his brown eyes, or how soft and warm his hands were on his face, but Charlotte completely broke down. Her entire petite body shook with sobs as she fell against his frame, wetting his gray shirt with her tears.

"Oh God, I had the worst nightmare! You and Jasper were fighting some bad guys and when I got there, Jasp was knocked out and I was struggling to find you, but you found me and hugged me, and then someone sh-" she clutched him tightly and squeezed her eyes shut, "they shot you and you were dying in my arms. I was losing you and there was nothing I could do..."

"Hey, hey..." he spoke softly as he felt her trembling against him. She was really scared and seeing her like this scared him. He moved an arm under her knees and moved an arm against her back, picking her up and moving to get onto the bed with her. He rested her on his lap and he leaned back against the headboard, holding her head against his chest while his other hand rubbed her legs soothingly.

"I'm right here, okay?" he whispered and pressed a kiss against her forehead, "it was just a nightmare. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere." She nodded with a shaky breath and slid her eyes shut as she relaxed in his embrace. She ran her hands over his strong chest and let out a happy sigh when she didn't feel any holes, just all Henry. That was all she needed. Just Henry.

***

"It's just crazy because I thought we were a team!"

"We are."

"Then why am I being left out?!"

"Fucks sake, do you wanna sleep here that badly, Jasp?"

"No! Okay, maybe..."

Charlotte yawned and rubbed her eyes as she slowly woke up from her deep sleep to the sound of her friends' familiar voices. She got out of bed and groaned as she stretched, rubbing her lower back as she walked out of the bedroom.

"Oh look, her highness finally woke up!" Jasper said incredulously.

"Whoa, I must be dreaming again because I think I just heard Jasper Dunlop get sassy with me!" she said as she walked over to the now nervous Jasper who scoffed and shook his head.

"No, you didn't hear that!" he reasoned.

"Yes, you totally heard that," Henry responded with a cheeky grin.

"That's what I thought!" she smacked him in the throat, causing him to choke audibly and cough as Henry laughed at the display. This was something he missed, Jasper getting a little too big for his britches and Charlotte easily putting him back in his place. It almost felt like they were at home in Swellview again.

"What are you doing here anyway?" the young woman asked as she went towards the kitchen, letting the smell of coffee lead her way. It smelled like her favorite - french vanilla with lots of cream and lots of sugar. Henry knew her so well.

"Hen asked me to bring some of your clothes over since you two are playing house now," the raspberry blond said when he was finally able to talk again. The short-haired blond felt his eyes double in size and he turned away from the eggs he was cooking to look at his friend.

"Shut up, dude."

"What?" Charlotte asked in confusion, "My clothes?"

"Yeah, Henry said you're gonna be staying here for a while which is why I'm annoyed!"

"Shut up!" Henry said through gritted teeth as he tossed a kitchen rag at him. He sighed when Jasper simply swatted the rag away and continued on with his rant to a completely confused Charlotte.

"We're a team, guys! You two can't keep going off and doing your own little thing and leaving me behind! I was willing to let Hen have his place but now I must draw a line in the sand!" He dramatically drew an imaginary line with his foot on the dingy hardwood, "It's been drawn! If Char is staying here, I'm staying here!" he said stubbornly and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're not staying here," Henry deadpanned, "there's only one bedroom."

"I'll sleep on the couch!"

"I sleep on the couch."

"Then we'll cuddle!"

"Are you out of your fucking mind? I'm not cuddling with a sleep fighter."

"Hey, I'm actually quite soft and cuddly-"

"Shut up!" Charlotte exclaimed to silence the bickering between the two blonds. She sighed and rested her head in her hands, trying to gather her thoughts as quickly as she could before they started to bicker again. She inhaled deeply and took a second before she turned towards Jasper, her hands clasped together firmly.

"I'm not staying here-"

"Char-"

"Shut up!" she yelled, pausing and making sure she had the silence she wanted again, "I'm not staying here. I had a bad night and Henry was kind enough to let me spend the night but I'm not staying. I'm gonna return to base today, alright? You know what, let me go get ready right now." She placed her coffee back on the counter and quickly went back into the bedroom. Henry groaned and turned off the stove, taking off his apron and tossing it at Jasper with a quiet 'I'm gonna fucking kick your ass!' thrown in before quickly following Charlotte. He quickly slipped in as she tried to close the door, closing it behind him himself and opening his mouth to speak, only for her tiny fist to cut him off when she landed a punch to his throat.

"I can't believe you did that! Telling Jasper I'm staying here, like...what the hell! Where do you get off making choices on my behalf?! Last night was bad enough but now you're having me move in without even bothering to ask me?!" she ranted as Henry worked on finding his voice again. Damn, for someone so tiny, she sure packed a mighty punch. When he finally regained the ability to speak, he cleared his throat and grabbed the tiny woman's arms, and forced her to look at him.

"Char...the woman I saw last night-"

"Was upset because of a dumb fight and stupid nightmare," she cut him off, "but I'm okay!" He shook his head.

"The woman I saw last night scared me," he continued, his voice going soft again, "Because I saw myself. And if you're anything like how I was feeling, then I'm terrified for you, because I was in a bad space, Char. I wasn't doing well at all and if I didn't take a break, I...I don't know what I would've done. So, if that's how you felt...you need to stay with me. Dystopia's bad and we're not gonna fix it overnight and it won't implode if we're not fighting crime for a few nights. So, stay...with me, and get better...with me..." Charlotte looked deep into his eyes and she could see what she swore was vulnerability and fear, and it kind of scared her because it felt like he was looking right into her own soul. Did he see her own fear? Her own apprehension and worries? Her insecurities, her anxiety, the parts of her that she never wanted anyone to see? She fought so hard to keep anyone from seeing that side of her, so how dare Henry Hart tear those walls down and see her without her permission.

"Charlotte, please..." he pleaded, pressing his forehead against her own and completely melting her heart. When did he start smelling so good? When did he start feeling so comfortable? When did he start seeing her? Damn you, Henry Hart.

"Okay..." she finally breathed out, her eyes closed as she just enjoyed the feeling of Henry's forehead against her, "I'll stay. Only for a few days." She opened her eyes and almost gasped when she saw Henry's brown eyes still looking at her, seeing her.

"Thank you," he whispered and Charlotte felt a shiver run down her spine when she felt his breath tickle against her lips. He was so close, she loved having him this close. He was so comforting. And maybe it was her head and foolish thoughts, but she could've sworn she saw him looking down at her lips, and she could've sworn that she saw him inching in closer until she could feel the warmth of his lips ghosting against her own. They were so close, just whispers away from touching...

"Hey!" The loud pounding against the door jolted the two of them away from each other, awkwardness filling the air in the room, "Hey! You two come to a decision yet?!" Jasper yelled from behind the door. Henry looked at Charlotte for a moment before licking his lips and turning away, opening the door and smacking Jasper on the forehead.

"Ow!"

"Why are you pounding on my door like that? Are you gonna pay back my security deposit?!" Henry berated him as he pushed him away from the room.

"I was just trying to see what was going on!" the other blond whined childishly.

"She's staying, you're not. Go find a girlfriend or something."

"But that's not fair! We're supposed to be a team, a trio, the three musketeers! The Golden Girls!"

"Golden Girls? Really, Jasp?"

"Hey, that's an amazing show! I'm a total Dorothy."

"Oh, please! You're barely a Rose on a good day!"

Charlotte plopped down on the bed as she listened to her friends bicker again. Usually, she'd get annoyed but now, she found that she couldn't stop smiling. Whether it was because of how funny their arguing was or whether it was because of Henry, well, that she didn't know about.

The two blonds continued to bicker over who was which Golden Girl as they made their way to the door, Henry opening the door and pushing Jasper out as he followed him. He looked behind him to make sure Charlotte hadn't followed before he closed the door.

"Dorothy is smart and sassy, like me! It's perfect dude!"

"Okay, whatever," he chuckled as he dismissed his friend who was so wrong about that, "I need a favor." At that, Jasper loudly guffawed and folded his arms in disbelief.

"You want a favor for me when you won't let me even stay in your apartment? You must be joking, señor."

Henry rolled his eyes but he couldn't deny that he was right. It wasn't fair to ask him for a favor when he literally just kept him from staying at his apartment, "Fine. You can sleep over one night a week."

"Five."

"Four."

"Three."

"Deal," the taller male relented with an eye roll, "But you sleep on the floor and you do not eat anything with dairy that entire day, got it?"

"Got it!" Jasper happily clapped his hands once and looked at his best friend, "So, what do you need?"

"I want you to find the piece of shit who hurt you guys last night," Henry said, his voice getting serious, "I need to show them not to fuck with my friends." Jasper nodded his head slowly, getting serious as well.

"No problem, man. I might have a lead on where they hang out too, let me check in on that and I'll let you know." The two of them shared a firm nod before they pulled each other in a tight embrace, Henry patting his friend's back.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there, Jasp..." he mumbled, looking at him when the other pulled away and looked at him.

"It's cool, I understand. I'll text you later alright?" Henry nodded as Jasper patted him on the shoulder before he left. He ran his hand over his cropped hair and sighed to himself. He was going to get those bastards back for what they did, and he was going to show them that no one messed with his Charlotte.

No one.

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I wanted to thank you all for reading and voting! I hope you're all enjoying the story so far, and I hope to see more comments from you all. I would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you again!