ONE: Reunited (And It Feels So Good)

Charity had arrived in Las Vegas along with her daughter Siobahn (Sam). The two had opted to take a long vacation to see her younger sister Hannah, brother-in-law Lex, and young nieces. She hadn't even seen little Freddie who had been born back in February. It had been long overdue and she had a feeling this would be the last time she'd be able to have quality time with her daughter like this. However, on this evening Sam had made plans. To do what, Charity wasn't sure. She tended not to pry; Sam was twenty-one years old and when she felt like confiding in her mother, she would. Charity made plans instead with her sister Hannah to have a few drinks.

It had been awhile since Charity had actually been in Vegas, but when she'd lived there with her ex-husband, Bruce-- there had been a dive bar they used to frequent. The place held a lot of memories for her. It was those memories that ran through her head as she dressed in a pair of floral shorts, a light pink flowy top and matching wedges. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. The plan was that she'd go have a couple drinks and then head back to the hotel for an early night.

Being dropped off by an Uber and setting her sights on the bar, she felt waves of nostalgia wash over her. Exhaling, she made her way to the entrance and swung open the door. The place smelled of stale beer and equally stale cigarette smoke-- just as she always remembered. Biting down on her lower lip, Charity walked over to the bar and ordered a drink.

"Can I get a Strongbow's Cherry Blossom?" The bartender nodded and went to work getting her drink. Charity paid for her drink in cash as it was slid in her direction. Taking a seat on a bar stool, she thought that maybe after she finished her drink she would head out. The memories were too much and she felt herself missing Bruce more than she had in a long time.

The clack of balls from the pool table was almost lost under the white noise of idle chatter of the other patrons and the classic rock playing from the ancient jukebox in the corner. She had no way of knowing that the man she was missing most had actually taken up a sort of permanent residence at the table in the back corner-- the regulars called it his 'office' and when he wasn't slumped in the booth with his back to the wall and an overflowing ashtray in the middle of the table, he was either sleeping off his last binge or the place was closed. Usually it was both.

He saw her the moment she walked through the door, this vision in a sheer little pink blouse that was almost transparent when the light hit it just right. He actually reached up and rubbed his eyes, thinking maybe he was having some sort of episode that began with hallucinations. When he heard her voice raised over the din, ordering a drink he'd never heard of, he knew he wasn't going insane. His ex-wife was here, in the flesh. Leaning forward, Bruce grabbed his cell phone from the table and thumbed the camera button without unlocking the screen, holding it up so he could use it to check his appearance. He looked like week-old shit-- his hair was too long, lank and unwashed, hanging down over his ears. His eyes were bloodshot and he was in dire need of a shave.

The glass of melting ice cubes on the table would have to do. He didn't want to disturb the assholes at the pool table to try and get into the men's room-- didn't want to risk coming out to find she was already gone. He dipped his fingers into the heavily diluted whiskey and ran his wet hands through his hair, slicking it back so he could at least pass as moderately presentable. A rough laugh passed his lips as he crushed out the cigarette burning away in the ashtray. When he hit his feet, it was a wonder he didn't sway-- adrenaline was a hell of a sobriety check and he couldn't keep his eyes off her as he made his way closer to the bar where she sat.

Charity took a small swig from her drink and set it down. Her phone was in her hand as she was texting her sister Hannah wanting to know where she was. After pressing send, she set the phone down and cupped her drink. Even though her drink wasn't strong, it was giving her a slight buzz. Charity had never been a heavy drinker and even less as she got older. Exhaling, she turned on her stool and froze as her eyes settled on her ex-husband.

Bruce's lips quirked in a smile, accentuating those old scars on his cheeks that were just part of his character. "Cherry, love." He chuckled, moving closer with a bit more courage when she didn't immediately bolt. "Long time since..." he didn't complete the thought, instead looking around at the squalor before his gaze settled back on her. "Looks the same, aye?"

She felt frozen to her stool, the shock at actually seeing him in what had been their place. It almost felt like they had fallen back into the past. The urge to hug onto him was starting to overshadow the shock, but she stayed in place. "Yeah, I'm honestly surprised the place is still standing." Looking around and then back at Bruce, she gave him a smile. "When did you get into town?" Last she knew, Bruce had been off living with some other woman. She'd always kept tabs on him, but once he was with someone else, she forced herself to stop. "Does Sam know?" She brought the bottle to her lips, taking a long swig.

"She doesn't." Bruce took a long time to answer and when he did, he looked slightly embarrassed. Rather than elaborate further, he rapped his knuckles on the bar to get the tender's attention. Holding up two fingers, he signalled for his usual double shot of whiskey, stalling while it was being poured out over ice. He knew they'd never cut him off, even if he keeled over backwards. When it was finally sitting on the bar in front of him, he let out a sigh and turned back towards Charity. "Don't tell her, Cherry. Am serious, like." He took a quick swallow of the liquor, feeling buoyed by the warmth as it went down. "Know the two of yeh, thick as thieves... gossipin' about the gutter trash yeh usedta be shackled to. Guan wit' yersel'…" he said it sarcastically, the Scottish way of saying 'you go, Glen Coco'.

Charity raised an eyebrow as she studied the man who still owned her heart. "Is that what you think we do, especially when it involves you?" Any shock or fluster she felt was replaced by annoyance. "She is YOUR daughter who YOU claim to want in your life. This is a huge opportunity to spend time with her, but instead you're hiding out here getting blitzed?" Picking up the bottle, she drained the rest of her drink. "And you want me to keep your secret." Exhaling, she signaled for the bartender to give her what Bruce was drinking. "And for the record, I never once badmouthed you to her. You are her father and I have ALWAYS respected that." Her second drink was set in front of her as she picked up and took a long sip, wincing as it went down her throat. It was far stronger than she expected. "Unfuckingbelievable." She let the whiskey settle; the irritation clear on her face.

Bruce watched her, each emphasized word hitting like a slap in the face. To his credit, he didn't wince or flinch and when she was done, he simply took a deep breath and then tossed back the majority of his own whiskey, exhaling sharply. "Secrets?" He shook his head slowly. "She doesn't know, Cherry. Doesn't know any of it. Prefer to keep her out of it." The look he gave her was filled with the same annoyance that was on her face. "Let her think her Da has it all figgered out. Let her think he's livin' like a king."

The bit of whiskey she'd drank was going to her head. The annoyance started to fade as she took another drink of her whiskey. "Don't you want to see her?" The question was simple enough as she continued to look at him.

"Aye," he nodded as he thumped down the empty glass on the bar, "more than anything. When she went back home with you... it all fell apart." He didn't look at her, wasn't even sure if she could hear the words over the ambient noise. Maybe that was part of the appeal, unburdening himself in a place like this, with witnesses who wouldn't remember a damn thing come morning. "Was workin' that company in Texarkana. The tag wrestlin' thing. Thought it might actually pan out. We held gold. Didyeh know that?" His laughter was bitter. All the years fighting, of being paid to be nothing more than a punching bag and filler, he'd actually gone and done it in a company nobody cared about and one that nobody would really remember. "Little over three months if yeh can believe it-- doesn't matter now. I fucked up, Cherry. All of it."

"You could always start taking pictures again." Her glass of whiskey was just about gone. If she hadn't been drinking the harder liquor, she'd have better understood what he was saying. "You always took good pictures." Finishing the rest of her drink, any anxiety she'd felt at seeing him had left with her sobriety. "We had some pretty good photoshoots." A soft smile played across her lips as she signaled for another drink. "I remember the first one." She said this as she leaned in towards him.

He couldn't help the smirk that crossed his lips at the reminder. "How could I ever forget?" She'd been just as sexy then as she was now-- he'd been just as lovelorn then, too. She had a way of getting past all his defenses, of seeing who he actually was behind all the bitterness and sarcasm and that air of debauchery that had always been more act than any sort of lecherous reality. As quickly as it came, the smile faded and he let out another ragged sigh, reaching for his refill that had just arrived. The words came out unbidden, "where'd we go wrong, hmm?"

"I dunno," her smile fading as she swallowed hard. "Stuff just falls apart I guess." Grabbing the refilled glass of whiskey, she took another long sip. Leaning forward, she rested her chin against his shoulder. "I am drunk.... Believe it or not, I don't drink much." She changed the topic, not wanting to continue on a subject that might make her cry. "Think the last time was with you."

One brow quirked as he looked at her. "Aye. Last time I was sober, too. Funny how that goes..." he meant it as a joke, but there was a huge kernel of truth to that.

Pulling back, she looked into his eyes and placed a hand on his scruffy cheek. If it hadn't been for the alcohol, Charity never would have let her guard down with him. What had seemed so complicated before didn't matter. "I don't wanna talk about that stuff. I dunno, maybe it's fate or somethin'...." She hesitated for a moment, looking wistful, "you and me... here...."

"Am always here," Bruce muttered, staring back at her, unblinking. He wanted so badly to believe in what she was saying, in the idea of this moment being destined but what little hope he'd had for a happy ending had died a long time ago. "Nowhere else tae go. Least nowhere that'll have me." The quip came out easily enough and he even managed another wry grin even though he was quite aware of her hand on his face.

Forgetting about her glass of whiskey, her hand left his face and reached for his hand. "You just... you come back to my room with me. We can order room service and make up for lost time." She brought his hand to her lips and gently kissed his knuckles. "We can figure the other stuff out later but... you could come home with me." If there was ever anything that got the truth out of Charity, it was hard liquor.

He couldn't help the sharp exhale, the breath leaving him that he wasn't even aware he'd been holding. Time seemed to grind to a halt and everything else was just a low throb like a heartbeat around them. He thought for a moment that he was going to pass out, that something horrible was going to happen and all the years of abuse to his poor body was going to catch up with him all in one fell swoop. He had to reach out and grab the bar for support as his knees threatened to buckle and he blinked a few times, caught between shock and an overwhelming sense of joy that he hadn't felt in years. "Cherry..." he tried to make sense of the soup his thoughts had suddenly become. Here was the olive branch he'd been hoping for and he didn't even know what to do with the damned thing. "Love... I..." he swallowed hard, "I dunno what to say."

"You don't really need to say anything." Without hesitation, she leaned in and kissed him. This was the first time they'd kissed in years and it was easy for her to fall into the old patterns of her arms encircling his neck. "Just come back with me...."

His arms went around her waist, feeling as natural as could be even though it had been even longer since he'd actually touched her. He found himself nodding, licking his lips as she pulled back slightly to look at him. "Have tae leave my bike here," he replied, "don't have another helmet for yeh. Not sure..." he chuckled ruefully, shaking his head. There was no way in hell he could ride right now. Not when he felt this out of sorts. He rushed to contradict himself, lest she change her mind at his strange hesitation. "It'll be fine, am sure. 'Til mornin', I mean."