”Alright, now turn the key in the ignition,” Charlie instructed from the passenger’s seat. Gwen had seen her demonstrate it enough times to be able to do it herself, but Charlie was still keeping a watchful eye out for anything that could go wrong. They were in New York City, after all, and there was lots to go wrong. Most people would have started them out on country roads, but Charlie felt that an abandoned parking lot was good enough for a start. If she was going to learn how to drive in NYC, then she needed to learn to drive in NYC. 

The blonde leaned over her ward to see how she was positioned in the driver’s seat. From what she could see, things looked good. Real good. Charlie needed to stop looking at things or she was going to get herself in trouble. ”Just remember to keep your foot on the brake pedal.”

Sitting back in her seat, Charlie stared out the windshield. She had been meaning to teach Charlie to drive for a while, but she’d just never found the time. Still, she deserved to know and be able to get around by herself if she ever needed to. As much as she had enjoyed having Gwen live there, she knew that it couldn’t be a permanent situation. It wasn’t even supposed to extend more than a week or so.

Duke had originally set up a living situation for Gwen elsewhere. It was all ready to go, but for whatever reason, Charlie hadn’t been able to tell her about it. She had originally been against the idea of having her move into her apartment, but over the course of the first few hours that she had known her, Charlie had made the sudden decision to have her stay there rather than go off on her own, and it had… snowballed.

Charlie was not the type of person to share her space. She liked to be able to do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted, so a roommate had always been out of the question for her. However, Gwen was different. She liked having her around, even if it meant that she didn’t get drunk or take people home as often. Instead, she was learning to enjoy the company of a steady person. It was weird and the thought of her going elsewhere was hard to think about. She needed to ready herself for it, though.

Of course, Gwen was also nice to look at. Charlie stole a few glances every now and then, but she was trying to be careful about policing herself. Gwen had been a little flirty, but Charlie still didn’t know where she stood on the whole “girl on girl” thing, considering her heritage. Still, there was… something about her that made Charlie wonder. She would let her make the first move, though, if that was ever what she wanted.

For now, they just needed to focus on driving. Charlie watched the brunette go through the motions of turning on the vehicle carefully. ”So. How does it feel to be in the power seat?”

Gwendolyn White

Gwen wasn’t ready for this.  She did not like these automobiles – huge chunks of metal with people stuffed in them like sardines. She couldn’t believe Charlie had convinced her to do this, but she knew she couldn’t back out now. She was in deep, way too deep.

With a deep breath, Gwen turned the car on. The warm air began to filter out of the vents. Was she even that cold? The blonde woman leaned over her and she could nearly feel the heat from Charlie’s body on her. Her cheeks instinctively began to redden. Dang her and her easily expressed feelings!

She nodded and put her foot on the pedal and took a deep breath. She had to move the shift thingy into drive. Then she had to move her right foot that was on the brake pedal onto the right pedal to move the car forward. She wasn’t going to do that until Charlie told her to do it, though.

She wondered why she could only use one foot, though, “Um… Why can I not use both of my feet for using this contraption?” She was curious more than anything. She was really, really hoping they could just skip this and go get that Chinese that they had talked about. Gwen was not adjusted to the new world of multicultural food, but she couldn’t wait to dig into it.

Gwen was a little surprised that Charlie had let her stay as long as she did. She didn’t originally seem like the kinda gal who would want someone in her space, yet, here they were. She was still in her apartment. Gwen definitely didn’t mind – she was able to stay close to Charlie. Charlie, Charlie, Charlie… Gwen was having some serious confusion regarding her sexuality and Charlie seemed to be the primary reason behind it.

She took a breath and in a nervous, slightly afraid voice, “I… I am not quite sure. I feel certain I will get us killed, however.”

Charlie smirked at the blushing woman in the driver’s seat. She definitely hadn’t quite learned the skill of a poker face. Part of her felt a little bad for her, but the rest of her just thought it was cute. She didn’t seem to be entirely straight, but whether she had come to terms with that herself was the real question. Charlie wasn’t going to do it for her. She had already had enough change forced upon her, and if this was one that she wanted to make herself, then she was welcome to do so. If not, then that was too bad. It also wasn’t Charlie’s issue to deal with.

Driving, however, was. Since Gwen was essentially her ward, Charlie felt a duty as her Captain to make sure that she had all the skills that she needed to survive in the twenty-first century. Driving was one of those skills. Gwen seemed to be nervous about it, but the nerves would fade eventually. Or maybe they wouldn’t. Either way, she would learn to deal with it and have a driver’s licence.

She did have to leave Charlie’s apartment eventually, after all…

”’Cause those are the rules,” Charlie answered her question simply. ”I don’t know. I didn’t make them. Something about it being dangerous. All you need to know is not to do it.” She reached over and rubbed her arm quickly, trying her best to comfort the other woman. She was far from the best at it, but Gwen seemed to make things easier for her. Being in constant contact with another person actually didn’t seem like the worst thing in the world.

The blonde sat back in her seat, ready for the car to lurch forward. It was going to be fun to see how well she did with the new experience.

>>“I… I am not quite sure. I feel certain I will get us killed, however.”

Charlie merely grinned and shook her head. ”I’m sure I’ll survive,” she teased with a twinkle in her eye. Her mutation was not a secret. It wasn’t often that she went more than a week without dying since starting to work for the Syndicate. That was fine with her, though. All for a good cause, right?

With her back pressed against the seat, Charlie reached for her pack of cigarettes and her lighter, lit one up, and pulled her legs up so that her shins were against the dashboard. She had broken both her legs doing that once. ”Now, what I’m doing is an example of bad car etiquette. Don’t do what I do. You, however, should put the car in drive and give it a little bit of gas.”

Gwendolyn took her time exploring the car. She had to make sure she was comfortable yet not comfortable enough. She wanted to be on edge the entire time – people were killed all the time in these boxes. She knew how to turn on the windshield wipers – was it going to rain this day? She hadn’t checked the weather.

In either case, she knew she had to learn how to do this. Charlie was requiring her to do so. The world all knew how to do it. Why shouldn’t she? She bit her lip and gave Charlie a weak smile as she squeezed her shoulder. She nodded with that little boost of confidence. She didn’t like these cars but she could pull through, at least for Charlie. 

Gwen’s eyes widened and she turned red and nodded, “Oh. Right. Quite.” She briefly had forgotten about Charlie’s interesting ability to circumvent death. At least Gwen didn’t have to worry about Charlie being actually killed or anything. Although, Gwen wasn’t sure why she felt like she worried about Charlie so much. She liked her sure, and she tended to make her flustered, but… Could it be deeper than just friendship? Gwen wasn’t even sure.

In either case, it was time to drive. She could focus on that. She touched down on the gas and… ZOOM! The tires screeched. The car shot forward. Gwen let out a little squeal and slammed the breaks. Once the car stopped, she put a hand on her heart. She even felt like breaking into prayer. She glanced over at the cigarette smoking Charlie and stared with her eyes wide.

Gwen was cute when she blushed. Well, she was cute no matter what she did, but she was extra cute when she blushed. Charlie’s eyes lingered a little too long on her as she dangled her cigarette between her two first fingers and let her thumb rest on her lip. She soaked in the image of the other girl, obviously flustered in a place that she was uncomfortable in. The blonde smirked at the thought of that. She would be comfortable in a few months. It was just a time that had to be experienced.

She followed Charlie’s instructions and pressed down the gas pedal. Pressed it down. The car shot forward through the abandoned lot and then came to an abrupt stop when Gwen slammed on the breaks. It was a good thing that they hadn’t started out on any actual streets.

Charlie closed her eyes, scrunched up her nose, and lowered her legs back down. As comfortable as that position had started out as, the bang up that her legs had just received was definitely going to leave a bruise. She stuck her cigarette back between her teeth rubbed her shins for a second, regretting her decision.

She couldn’t let Gwen know quite how much that had hurt, though. She sighed quickly and sat back in her seat, letting the other girl settle herself. After a minute, she her hand back on Gwen’s arm and squeezed it encouragingly. ”It’s alright,” she told her as gently as she was capable of doing. ”You’re doing fine; you just have to take it a little easier. Try that again, but put a little less of your weight on the gas pedal, okay?”

It wasn’t Gwen’s fault by any stretch of the imagination. Charlie felt for the girl and her strange predicament in this new time. There was a learning curve that had to be taken into account. ”Just remember that you’re doing well and I’m here the whole time if something goes wrong. If.”

Gwendolyn was red. So red. She felt terrible. She took a deep breath and sheepishly looked over to Charlie, “I’m so, sorry.” She held onto the steering wheel, her eyes wide still. She felt so bad. She saw Charlie rub her shins and her stomach nearly dropped. She nearly broke her legs because of Gwen. With that in mind, Gwen nearly decided she would only use the metro or bus from now on. Did she really need to drive, after all? She hadn't driven in her time, why should she now?

Although, Charlie seemed to handle it well. She just said it was okay, try again, and that she would be there. She nodded meekly, “sorry,” she muttered again. 

She took a deep breath, “Okay… Try again.” This time she slowly pressed down on the peddle. The car began to slowly move forward. Gwen nearly squealed – it was a nearly perfect take off. She then turned to the right and drove up the parking lot to the top. She slowly parked.

With a bewildered expression still, she glanced over to Charlie to see if she did well or not this time around.

”Don’t apologize to me, just show me that you can do better,” Charlie told her. That was her life advice in a nutshell: anytime someone doubted her, she worked to prove them wrong. Or outdrink them. One or the other.

The second time around started off much smoother. Rather than pressing the gas all the way down, Gwen pressed it slowly and the car moved forward. It didn’t hurt that the squeal that had accompanied it was also adorable. Coming from anyone else, Charlie would have cringed and rolled her eyes at the noise, but coming from Gwen it just made her a little happier. Seriously, she was beginning to think that there was nothing that this woman could do wrong. That was a strange thought.

The brunette was commanding the vehicle with excellent control. She turned it to the right and parked it just a little ways off from where they had started, no problems whatsoever. There it was; Charlie had taught the woman from the 1800s to drive. Of course, she couldn’t take all the credit, but she could take a lot of it.

”See? What did I tell you?” Charlie asked her with a wide grin. Her hand had migrated to the side of Gwen’s head where she trailed it down to the back of the woman’s neck. She was a naturally physical person and it was getting difficult to constantly keep her hands to herself. Anyway, what was the harm in a simple touch like that? ”You’re doing fantastically. Now, do you want to keep going to take a bit of a break? I don’t want you to get too overwhelmed.”

 She nodded. After all, she was right – she just needed to do better. She knew all about that - she had to do things in her time for her family that she didn’t really want to do and she had made plenty of mistakes along the way. After all, she hadn't gotten married yet and she had agreed to be shipped to PA/DC to a trophy wife, so.

In either case, the second time was a near success. Gwen had managed to drive the car. She had drove the car. She was nearly a 21st century citizen now! It had to be getting official at this point, right? Charlie seemed to think so. Granted, she was an amazing teacher. Gwen wondered what other kind of things she’d be wonderful at. But, Gwen stopped herself, her eyes wide mostly to herself. 

She felt Charlie’s hand on her neck and she began to blush some more. D*mn her body, it always betrayed her so much. Although, the compliments made it definitely okay. “I will do it once more. Then a break, yes?” With that decision, she decided to begin driving the car around another lap of parking lot.

She finished but she accidentally braked a little too hard – not enough that some people wouldn’t usually do, but it was still a little fast. “Okay… Now I’m ready for a break.” She smiled and looked over to Charlie. 

It had been a long time since Charlie had actually liked a person enough to give a crap about them. Yes, there were people that she would be disappointed to find in the obituaries, but she had come to the conclusion over her long existence that those sorts of things just happened. They happened and she had to man up and move on. Life would keep going, the world would keep spinning, and Charlie would be there all the while.

Gwen, though…

She had known Gwen for just a few months, and already she was seeming like something else. The fact that she lived just down the hall was torturous, but it was a torture that Charlie didn’t mind putting up with. If it meant that she got to spend time with her and make sure that she was alright, then Charlie would put up with seeing her in nothing but a towel every now and then and doing nothing about it.

But man, the idea that Gwen would be one of those people that Charlie would have to leave behind worried her. She knew that it was going to hurt like a b**** when that day eventually came, which was why she typically avoided situations like that one. This one, though, she just couldn’t help. That was why she planned to make the most of their time.

She rested her elbow on the door next to her and thought through that fact as she let Gwen continue to drive. One more time, she had said. She had come to a rather fast stop, but that was to be expected for the first little while. ”Good job,” Charlie nodded encouragingly.

Time for a break, then. Perfect timing for Chinese food. Charlie was hungry in a way that only the sodium filled noodles of her favourite place could fix. ”Alright, scootch, kid. I’ll drive us to get some food so we don’t die on the streets of New York.” With a wink, she unbuckled and opened her door to walk around to the other side of the car.

Gwen gave Charlie a shy look before looking back to the steering wheel. It was weird the way Charlie made her feel, a way she had never felt before.  She felt like she was discovering not only the 21st century, but she was discovering Charlie, too. The looks Charlie would give her every now and then, the touch of Charlie’s hand on her, it made her entire body shiver a little. 

Would Charlie really like a girl like her, though? She didn’t understand basically anything that was going on in this world, was oblivious to a lot of things, and really naïve about subjects. Like that time she saw an African American and said… Well, that was then. She knew the terminology of the time a lot better. Did Gwen really like a girl though? Did she really like Charlie? All the signs in her mind, and heart, said yes.

In either case, she beamed at Charlie’s praise. That always made her extremely happy, to see Charlie impressed or happy with her. Although, the death on the streets of NY joke made Gwen laugh. “Remember, only one of us will go.” She unbuckled and hopped out of the driver’s seat of the car and passed by Charlie. Her hand brushed against Charlie’s as they switched seats – a moment which nearly caught Gwen’s breath. 

Once back inside the car, she buckled up and was ready to go for this so called Chinese food. 

Their hands had brushed gently when they switched seats. It was like some horribly cliche meet-cute in some horrible cliche romance movie, where one of the characters was an immortal a-hole and the other was a time traveller. Of course, the two characters were also both female and were living together, but not together like that. And part of a modern day mafia. Okay, so less cliche, but still, the hand brushing thing had made Charlie shake her head.

Gwen blushed once again because of it, though, so that was cute. As the blonde settled into her seat and adjusted the various things in the car, she snuck a glance at her companion through the mirror. She seemed to be deep in thought about something. Charlie wondered if it could possibly be her.

She had actually figured that the days of crushing and wondering if she had a chance with someone had ended when she had surpassed two-hundred pathetic years on the earth, but that clearly wasn’t the case. She had met a girl and things were just different between the two of them. She didn’t get to assume that things were just going to happen; she had to wait and see.

>>“Remember, only one of us will go.”

Charlie raised her eyebrows and let out a breath. ”Yeah, and the other will be left to pick up the pieces.” It was a sad reality, but it was her reality. Whenever she happened to get attached to someone, they eventually left her all alone to deal with the fallout. That was how it was, and that was how it was going to be. Thinking differently would be setting herself up for failure and heartbreak.

”Anyway,” Charlie continued, clearing her throat, ”Still good with Chinese?” She assumed that the answer would be yes, considering how much she had talked the place up, so she moved the car forward and drove onto the actual street. She joined the line of traffic going in their intended direction and followed the flow forward.

With a deep sigh, Gwen gave Charlie a brief, quick smile before getting lost in her thoughts again. It would be so strange if she did have a huge crush on Charlie. But what else could she explain? Maybe the time travel changed something... Else, about her? She took a deep breath and took a quick sneak peak at Charlie. At least she wouldn't have to worry about Charlie getting old and dying on her. Granted, she would have to worry about Charlie not liking her when she got old and ready to die... It's kinda weird, an immortal and a time traveler.

In either case, Charlie took her joke way too seriously and it made Gwen turn red. Gwen stared out the window of the car, knowing what she said was true but what was wrong with being with someone for decades, after all? It would be bittersweet when Gwen died, but at least they would have had a life together. Gwen gasped quietly. Was she really already thinking about them... Together? She panicked for a moment before she realized Charlie had said something, which threw her mind somewhere else. Of course she was still good with Chinese - she had been looking forward to Chinese for forever, "Um. Yes, yes, quite." She mumbled, her mind racing as the car began going.

Was she that much of a loser? She was like a lovesick teen, planning out their future. She shook her head, sighing. 

She shouldn’t have taken the joke that far. Charlie knew that, but it had just come out. It bothered her at night that she would only know Gwen for a short while. She was just another speck of human existence that would be carried away in the wind in a matter of years. Some other sad reminder of how meaningless and droll Charlie’s life would always be. That was what really scared her - not that she might lose Gwen; that was a given - but that she would have to keep going on after that.

But Gwen had just been enjoying her time. She didn’t deserve to be bogged down with thoughts like that. Charlie heard her let out a quiet gasp beside her and figured that it was just some realization of what was bound to happen. She ignored her and the little pang of regret in her stomach.

New York traffic was, as always, deplorable, but Charlie kept her road rage to a minimum. If nothing else, Gwen was helping her to be a better citizen and to keep her cool. Not a single bird was given to a single driver by her that day.

The Chinese food place was only a few blocks from where they were practicing, so it didn’t take them all that long to get there. Charlie pulled the car into a nearby lot and parked it. She slid out of her seat and began to walk toward the restaurant, wordlessly expecting Gwen to follow her. After hearing footsteps, Charlie turned ever so slightly to face her. She knew that Gwen was still getting used to navigating the streets of New York, so she didn’t want to leave her completely on her own.

”Sorry for - uh - getting… dark back there,” Charlie said softly just as they reached the front door of the restaurant. She did regret putting that hardship on Gwen’s shoulders. ”That’s something I have to deal with, not you. I mean, you don’t even have to stick around me for long enough for that to happen if you don’t want to. I’m not exactly the best company anyway.”

Gwendolyn stayed quiet after that. It wasn't like she really had anything to say, anyways. Charlie was right, after all. Gwen would eventually die and leave Charlie alone. It was the way things were. Granted, Gwen didn't want to leave Charlie alone. Far from it. Regrettably, Gwen also didn't want to live forever - and in either case, it seems almost impossible to do.

Gwen simply watched out the window as they drove to the Chinese place. It wasn't far, thankfully, so they coasted into a parking lot. Gwen unbuckled and stepped out of the car, and followed behind Charlie quietly. She wanted to say something, but Gwen was wrestling through her own thoughts - not only about Charlie's comment, but about her own personal feelings about Charlie. It was a complicated world.

As they reached the door to the Chinese restaurant, Charlie apologized for her darkness. Gwen gave a soft, small smile. She understood why Charlie would feel that way, why she said what she said. Gwen shook her head, "Charlie, you are the best company. I'm not sure if you'd want me around, honestly. I'm the one who'll get old..." She sighed, entering the Chinese restaurant. "It'll be a fun few decades, though, right?"

Gwen’s comment actually made Charlie blush a little. Man, she must’ve been very charming with her to make the girl think that she was actually good company. Actually, that wasn’t possible, considering they had lived together for a few months and it was rare for Charlie to maintain any sort of charisma for more than a few hours. Maybe Gwen had been poisoned or something. Or Charlie didn’t let her out enough.

Whatever it was, it was working. Gwen didn’t hate the idea of spending a while with Charlie. Actually, she liked the idea. Charlie couldn’t imagine being on her end, but she appreciated that it was possible.

”Sweetheart, I’d want you around if you were as old and decrepit as any old woman in a nursing home,” Charlie told her honestly, placing her hand on the middle of Gwen’s back as the entered the restaurant. ”But yeah, I think we can make it a fun while.” The words stung a little as they left her mouth. Sure, Gwen wanted to spend this time with her and they would get it, but it would end. Even as they stood there in the restaurant, that time would end. It would always end and there was nothing she or anyone else could do about it.

Charlie sucked in a quick breath, working hard to shove her feelings back down where they belonged. She then turned to the main floor of the restaurant and walked forward, guiding Gwen to a table. It was only a little busy, since they were slightly too late for the lunch rush, but far too early for dinner. She had chosen a small table off to the side, placed nicely next to the window that gave them the view of the little alley beside the restaurant. New York truly was a gem.

She sat down in the far seat and picked up the menu in front of her, scanning it quickly. It wasn’t of much use, though, since she already pretty much knew what she wanted. There were only so many times that one person could eat Chinese food before they started to play a little bit of favouritism. She set the menu on the table and then directed her attention back to Gwen. ”Anything sound appealing?”