Charlie & Miley Ch. 06

Brian appeared, dressed in a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt emblazoned with the Avengers insignia. "Hey beautiful," he smiled.

Miley grinned at him and leaned into a kiss on her cheek, "Hey, neighbor."

"Unca Brian!" Gwen beamed.

"There's my girl," Brian moved from mother to daughter, kissing Gwen on her cheek as well. "What are you doing?"

"Tryin' to spell 'invulnabilty'," Gwen told him.

"Whoa, that's a big word for such a small girl."

"I'm not small," Gwen frowned, "I'm four!"

"My mistake," Brian sat to help with the letter blocks.

"Charlie's in the shower but he'll be ready in a bit." Miley delivered Gwen's breakfast to the table, "You want some waffles?"

"Nah," Brian shook his head, "My gorgeous bride made me some eggs just a few minutes ago. Thanks, though."

Miley nodded, caressing Brian's shoulder, "She's still coming over to go shopping with Gwen and I, right?"

"Yeah, she'll be ready in a bit."

Gwen stabbed at a bite of waffle with her fork, "Mommy are we going to the mall?"

"Yes, honey. We need to get you some new clothes before you start pre-school."

Gwen chewed, "Can I get a new toy?"

"We'll see," Miley smiled at the fact that Gwen already had peanut butter on her chin.

Brian gave up on trying to spell invulnerability, "You're going to be starting school already?"

Gwen bobbed her head, taking another bite.

"I bet you'll be the smartest one there. None of the other kids will even know what invulnerability means. Hell, I'm not sure I even know what it means."

Miley slapped Brian's shoulder, "Language."

"It means you can't get an owie," Gwen informed him knowingly.

Charlie walked into the kitchen pulling a tee shirt over his head; his had the X-Men insignia. He walked to Miley and kissed her on the same cheek Brian did, "Hey guys."

"Morning, Daddy," Gwen ate.

"What's up, dude," Brian greeted.

"Hey, baby," Miley kissed him back, "You want some breakfast?"

"Nah, I'll eat later," Charlie sat next to Gwen, seeing what she had been trying to spell and finishing her work with the required blocks.

"Look at you two," Miley smirked at her husband and Brian in their comic book tee-shirts, "Neither of you have changed an ounce since high school."

Brian cast a concerned looked down at himself, "Do I look like I'm gaining weight?"

"Relax," Charlie told him, "I think she means our fashion sense. By the way, Sam called last night. HBO says they need the season three scripts by next Friday."

"We better get to work then," Brian nodded.

"Go ahead," Miley encouraged them, "I'll bring some sandwiches and sodas up later."

"You're the best," Brian kissed Miley again as he and Charlie rose to head upstairs to Charlie's office.

"And us girls better get dressed," Miley told Gwen, wiping her daughter's chin with a paper towel.

"Mommy? Can Gramma come to the mall with us?"

"I don't see why not," Miley kissed her forehead, "Do you want to call her after breakfast?"

Gwen bobbed her head excitedly.

An hour later, after some turkey sandwiches and Mountain Dews were delivered to the boys, and a call was made to Grandma, mother and daughter walked out of the house together. Miley was dressed in a pink track outfit that seemed a size too small the way it bared the tops of her sexy hips and mid-riff. Gwen was wearing a blue floral sundress with a white ribbon in her hair, the color and waves matching Miley's curly tresses like a mirror image.

Hand-in-hand they walked towards the house next door, where another twenty-five year-old woman was coming out the front.

"I'm coming," she called, her voluptuous form six months pregnant and clad in a simple pair of jeans and a stylish blouse. "Sorry I'm running late... I was on the phone with my doctor setting up an appointment for later this week."

Gwen skipped towards her excitedly.

Stacy scooped Gwen up into her arms, "Oh my gosh you're such a big girl! Did you grow again last night?"

Gwen giggled, "I dunno."

Stacy smooched her and held Gwen on her arm.

"Hey, Stace," Miley smiled, "You look glowing this morning."

"I feel like a stuffed pig, I'm getting so fat."

"You're pregnant," Miley reminded her, "You look beautiful."

The two women kissed each other's cheeks in greeting, Gwen between them.

"Who's driving?" Stacy asked.

"I wanna drive!" Gwen proclaimed.

"Not until you're thirty," Miley declared, digging in her purse for keys, "We can take my car."

Stacy carried Gwen towards an SUV parked in Miley's driveway, "What are our husbands up to?"

"They're supposed to be plotting for the show but when I went upstairs they were in the middle of an argument about who would win in a fight between Iron Man and somebody called Rocket Raccoon."

Stacy rolled her eyes.

Miley opened the car door for them, "We need to stop by Charlie's parent's on the way; Gwen invited Olivia to come with."

=======

Charlie's upstairs office was a converted bedroom filled with movie and comic book posters, a large computer desk, a couch, two chairs, and a coffee table full of empty soda cans. One entire wall was filled with story boards, featuring Brian's artwork and visualizing the stories they were plotting. As writers and producers of their own television show, Charlie and Brian had spent many long days in the room working together.

Though, at times they could become distracted.

"...but he's just a raccoon. No super powers or anything like that." Brian threw his arms up, "There's no way he could defeat Iron Man!"

"But he's really smart," Charlie argued, "I mean, Rocket is a wiz with technological gizmos and stuff. Don't you think he could come up with a device to disable Iron Man's armor? He's got, like, space tech and stuff."

"Rocket is smart," Brian conceded, "But do you really think he's smarter than Tony Stark?"

Charlie considered that, "No, I suppose not."

"Ha!" Brian grinned in victory.

"Okay, okay, what about Groot? Groot could totally take out -"

The doorbell rang, interrupting the argument Charlie was about to make.

"Who's that?" Brian wondered.

"I don't know," Charlie rose.

Brian followed him out of the bedroom to answer the door. "I need a break anyway," he said, even though they hadn't accomplished a thing other than eating Miley's sandwiches and determining Rocket Raccoon could not defeat Iron Man in a fight.

Charlie opened the door to a portly-looking young man in a beard and an untucked tee-shirt with a jelly stain on it. The source of the stain, a half-eaten donut, was in one hand; a Styrofoam cup of coffee was in the other.

"Hey guys," Theo greeted jovially.

"Hey Theo," Brian lifted his chin, "What's up?"

"Come on in," Charlie invited.

"Did you guys see last night's episode of Star Trek the Third Generation?" Theo asked as he stepped into the house.

Charlie shook his head.

"I did," Brian grinned, "That Klingon invasion was cool."

"I know," Theo beamed, "Right?"

"I've never watched that show," Charlie commented, "I just can't buy Christian Slater as a Starfleet Captain."

"Oh he totally kills it, dude. He's awesome."

Theo's head bobbed in agreement.

Charlie shrugged, "I guess I'll always be a Shatner guy."

"So look," Theo licked his fingers after finishing his donut, "I know you guys are super busy, but I wanted to ask if you'd come to the Magic: the Gathering tournament we're having at the House of Spandex on Saturday night. If people knew either of you were going to be there we'd have a packed house."

"Can I bring Gwen?" Charlie wondered.

"Sure, man, it's a family-friendly event."

"I love Magic: the Gathering," Brian agreed.

"Awesome," Theo gestured, nearly spilling some coffee.

"Chip won't be there, will he?" Brian asked. Brian and Chip had remained at odds over the years, as Chip had never quite gotten over his infatuation with Stacy - even after she had married Brian.

"Nah," Theo shook his head, "He's still in rehab."

"Again?" Charlie sounded surprised.

"Third time's the charm I guess," Theo sighed. "Well, I gotta get going and open up the comic shop. I'll see you guys Saturday!"

=======

Olivia took a moment to sit down on a bench near the young girls department at Macy's. "I think I need a nap," she declared.

Miley stood a few feet away looking at clothes for Gwen and grinned, "Giving up already?"

"I don't know how you do it," Olivia marveled, watching her granddaughter scurry around the store with Stacy in tow, "I don't remember Edward or Charlie being such a handful. Where do you get the energy?"

"I do a lot of cardio," Miley remarked, holding up a little yellow dress, "What do you think of this one?"

"Oh that's cute," Olivia liked it.

Miley trusted her mother-in-law's opinion and put the dress in her shopping basket.

"How's your father doing?" Olivia suddenly asked.

"He's fine," Miley joined her on the bench, setting her basket on the floor next to her feet. "I miss him. Ever since he and Haley moved back to Miami I don't get to see them as much as I'd like, but they come up at least once a month to spoil Gwen rotten."

"Those two are such an odd pairing," Olivia mused, "I'm surprised they've managed to stay together this long."

Miley let out a quick laugh, "Tell me about it. They've surprised everyone. I mean, they've split up about a dozen different times but they always seem to gravitate back to one another."

Olivia asked delicately, "What about Victoria?"

"She sends a card every year for Gwen's birthday," Miley replied indifferently, "But I haven't seen her since before Gwen was born. It was that day you and I came here, to the mall, remember?"

"Don't you think Gwen should get to know her other grandmother?" Olivia suggested, "Before it's too late? When Gwen gets older she may resent you for keeping her from Victoria."

Miley trusted Olivia completely and often relied on her mother-in-laws sagely wisdom. She considered Olivia's advice but decided to trust her own judgment when it came to her mother, "It's my job to protect Gwen from the evils of this world."

Olivia chuckled at Miley's choice of words, "Aren't you being a little over-dramatic? She can't be completely bad, she raised you after all?"

Miley freely admitted, "I was a spoiled brat before Charlie and I started dating."

Olivia agreed, "You were... willful. But there was a strength in you, Miley, even as a teenager. I remember you showing up at my door when your mother was trying to keep you and Charlie apart. I saw then that nothing could deter you when your mind was set. I admired that about you. I believe you got that from Victoria."

"Maybe," Miley remained adamant, "But Victoria has different values. Money and reputation are more important to her than things like love and compassion. She was willing to destroy the love Charlie and I share because he didn't fit within her social ideals. I don't want someone like that having a significant influence on Gwen, I won't. I want Gwen to grow up to be a kind person, like her father and Grandma White."

Just then, like a ball of limitless energy, Gwen came tearing towards the women. "Mommy!" she squealed excitedly, "Mommy! Look!" She was waving a packaged toy in the air. "Can we get this?"

Stacy came trotting after looking out of breath. "I'm too pregnant to be chasing after this little girl, can someone else take over?"

Olivia grinned and scooped Gwen into her lap.

Miley looked to Gwen's toy and saw a Captain Darkness action figure, "Another Captain Darkness toy? Honey, I just bought you one last week."

"But this one's for Daddy," Gwen complained, "He doesn't have a Cap'n Darkness toy and I wanna give it to him as a present but I can't because I don't got no money."

Miley and Stacy both looked as though their hearts melted from Gwen sentiment.

"You don't have any money," Olivia corrected her granddaughter's grammar, smiling at Miley to let her know she had already succeeded in raising a kind-hearted daughter.

Gwen nodded in agreement, "I don't have any money."

"Well," Miley pushed a tear from her eye before opening her purse, "How about I give you some money and you can buy whatever you want with it? You can give it to the cashier and everything."

Gwen squirmed out of her grandmother's lap, "Really? Then I can be just like you, mommy."

Stacy stifled a laugh by covering her mouth, "Yeah, she's been good at giving cashiers money since we were about twelve."

=======

"... and then he can be fingering her and sucking on her tits when Captain Darkness bursts through the door."

Charlie offered Brian a dubious look, "I don't know man, that's pretty pornographic."

"It's not porn," Brian argued, "It's HBO."

Charlie thought back to some of the other shows and the graphic content he had seen on the network, "Yeah I guess you're right. Besides, Miley keeps telling me the show needs more sex. I'll fit into my re-write of episode ten's script. Can you storyboard it?"

"Yeah I should have time tomorrow. I love drawing naked chicks."

Charlie grinned.

Brian glanced at the face of his cell phone which displayed a clock, "Speaking of time, I better go. The girls will be back any minute and I promised Stace I'd make dinner tonight."

"Yeah, all right, brother," Charlie rose so the two could man-clasp, "I guess I'll see you Saturday night at the comic shop."

After Brian left Charlie returned to typing out a script at his computer, but he quickly noticed the silence. He had grown accustomed to being surrounded by family at all times, which included Brian and Stacy. He smiled, reflecting on what he once was - the hopeless high school geek who wondered if he'd ever have a girlfriend. But Charlie had married to the most beautiful girl from school, he had a daughter that was the light of his life, and he was a millionaire doing a job he had always dreamed of.

The drama of his teen years were long gone. He no longer worried about bullies like Brock, or crazy psychos like Darla. He didn't stress out about his parents (or hers!) catching him and Miley having sex. Miley was completely devoted to him and she no longer needed to make him jealous by dating guys like Adrian or Brett. Stacy and Brian were happily married, expecting a child, and no longer broke up every two weeks. Charlie didn't miss any of it. He was happy.

And then the silence was broken by the adoring voice of a four-year old girl who loved her father, "Daddy! Daddy! We're home! Come look at what I got you!"

Charlie smiled, saved the document he was working on, and rose to meet the rest of his perfect life.

======= Epilogue =======

Staring at herself in the bathroom mirror, Miley pulled a brush through her dark curls. Gwen was beside her, kneeling on the sink counter, mirroring Miley's every move with a small brush of her own.

"Mommy?" the four year-old asked.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"How did you and daddy meet?"

"Um," Miley blinked, recalling events that took place in a high school bathroom, "We went to school together."

"Was I there?" Gwen wondered.

Miley smiled, "No, you came along later."

"Where was I?" Gwen seemed confused.

"You weren't born yet. You didn't start growing inside me until we were all done with school."

Gwen seemed astonished, "I grew inside you?"

"Yep, right after Daddy put you in me. I looked like Aunt Stacy, with a big round tummy cause you were crawling around in there."

Gwen beamed a grin, "Daddy put me inside you?"

"Mm-hmm," Miley set her brush down and reached for some moisturizer to rub into her cheeks. Of course, Gwen wanted some too and Miley squirted a little into her palm. "That's why I'm always going to love your father, forever and ever, because he gave me you - and I love you more than anything else in the world."

"Daddy sure is nice," Gwen remarked.

Miley laughed, "He sure is."

"I hope Aunt Stacy and Unca Brian have a boy."

"Why is that, honey?"

"So I can get married and have babies too," Gwen reasoned.

All of Miley's teenaged sexual adventures suddenly flashed before her eyes, "Forget it, young lady. You can't date any boys until you're thirty."