Summary: Pretending that they were dating was nothing more than a ruse, a welcome cover for their frequent meetings. They didn't anticipate that their lies and pretense could start turning into more, that they could become real. But in the wake of this night's events how could they keep turning a blind eye to what they deep down knew all along?
Genres: Angst, Romance, Hurt/Comfort
Spoilers: References events up to episode 13, "Medallion"
Author's Notes: I had this idea after watching Medallion, thinking it would be interesting to see what happened after Charles saved Dawn... Plus, I like these two characters together. Anyways, this turned out quite a bit longer and also slightly different than I had initially envisioned, but I hope those who read the story will enjoy it.

Beneath Smoke and Mirrors

The moment the door was open Charles quickly made his way towards Dawn, calling out her name as he knelt down beside her. He reached out, turning gently her head to look at her and check her pulse, but even as he was doing so he could tell he was too late. There was no sign of life left in her. Already the warmth was starting to leave her body. Clearly there wouldn't be a point in calling for an ambulance. There was only one thing he really could do... And without thinking twice about it he pulled the crystal he had just taken back from Ethan out of his jacket pocket.

Holding the crystal against the side of Dawn's head Charles leaned over her and, his eyes closed, he murmured quietly the resusciation spell, repeating the incantation several times.

Once he felt Dawn coming back to life Charles stopped chanting and pulled slightly back as she gasped for air, watching in silence how her eyes flew open.

When she regained consciousness Dawn felt disoriented, her mind needing a few moments to remember what had happened. It startled her to find Charles leaning over her. She turned her head to look at his hand, noticing the crystal he was holding and realized that he must've used it to bring her back. After she had died from the stab wound Lucy had inflicted on her. Looking back at Charles as she processed all of it she asked, her voice surprised, almost sounding incredulous, "You saved me?"

"Yes." he confirmed as he pulled further away, letting the crystal disappear back in his pocket, his eyes remaining on her face. Seeing her trying to get up Charles reached out once more, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Careful, Dawn."

He frowned slightly in concern when Dawn flinched in pain, her hand reaching towards her injury, as he helped her sit up. Still a concerned expression on his face Charles gently moved her hand away and, without bothering to ask first, he carefully pulled her top up a few inches so he could take a look at the wound. It was still bleeding steadily, which wasn't really surprising. After all, the resusciation spell only brought a person back to life, and while it rendered injuries the person might have less severe in the process, it did not actually heal them altogether. A moment later he carefully removed her cardigan, bunching it up and pressing it against the wound to further slow the bleeding.

As Dawn moved to hold the bunched up cardigan in place Charles pulled his own hand away, his gaze returning to her face. "Do you think you can walk?" he asked her as he straightened up. Seeing Dawn nod he stretched out a hand, helping her to her feet. Once she was standing he led her to the couch in the living room, keeping an arm around her to steady her.

When they reached the couch he let go of her and Dawn sat slowly down, moving carefully to avoid putting unnecessary strain on the wound.

"I'll go and get you some water." Charles said once Dawn was sitting, his expression still showing concern. He added, "Then I'll take care of that cut." his gaze momentarily moved to the covered wound as he spoke, before his eyes returned to her face.

Dawn nodded once more, telling him, "The first aid kit is in the cabinet in the bathroom."

"Alright." Charles replied with a nod of his own, "I'll be right back." He then turned and left the living room. On his way to the kitchen he made a brief detour to retrieve the first aid kit from the bathroom.

While waiting for Charles to return Dawn tried to suppress the shivers that had started shaking her body, probably the clearest sign of how shaken she still was by what had happened earlier that evening. A distant, almost blank expression came upon her face as she got caught up in the memories.

She remembered the blazing pain as the blade had buried deeply into her flesh, the feeling of her blood flowing steadily from the wound and the sense of panic that had gripped her as she was lying on the ground dying, and all she could think of was that there won't be anyone to stop Lucy, there won't be anyone to keep Faye and the others save from the hunters... And if something happened to the kids it would be entirely her and Charles's fault. They had set this in motion when they had led Diana to the Meade family gremoire. They had brought Cassie back to Chance Harbor. All just to get their powers back. And now their children might very well end up paying the price for their selfishness.

Once he had found the first aid kit Charles continued on his way to the kitchen. When he reached it he set the kit down on the small table in the center of the room. He then walked over to the row of cabinets on the wall across from the stove. After first opening a cabinet filled with plates he found the glasses. He grabbed one of them and walked over to the sink.

As he filled the glass with water Charles couldn't keep his mind from going back to the moment he had seen Dawn on the ground, the blood pooling around her, and how his heart had constricted with shock and anguish as he knelt beside her, realizing that she wasn't breathing and being unable to find a pulse. A moment later he shook himself out of his thoughts, turned off the water and went to head back to Dawn, pausing briefly to pick up the first aid kit from the table.

When he reached the living room he walked over to where Dawn was sitting on the couch. He frowned slightly in concern as he noticed how lost in thought she seemed.

"Dawn?" he spoke gently once he had almost reached the couch, not wanting to startle her.

At the sound of his voice Dawn snapped out of her thoughts and looked up, her gaze settling on Charles. She smiled weakly when he handed her the glass of water. "Thank you, Charles." she said, taking a sip of the water.

"No problem." Charles assured her, putting the medical kit down by the couch as he watched her drink some more water.

After taking a few more sips of water Dawn handed the glass back to Charles, who set it down on the coffee table. Turning back to Dawn he stepped closer. "Let's have a look then." he said gently, moving to kneel down so he could clean and inspect the wound more easily and, if necessary, stitch it up.

Giving a nod at his words Dawn removed the cardigan that she had up to now kept firmly pressed against her wound. Meanwhile Charles opened the first aid kit standing beside him on the ground and cleaned his hands with antiseptic wipes. He then reached out and carefully pulled Dawn's top up, once again just far enough that the wound was exposed. He looked the cut over for a moment, then he turned slightly and retrieved the disinfectant and some sterile pads from the kit. After opening the bottle of disinfectant he briefly set it aside to tear the wrapper of one of the pads open. Discarding the wrapper he picked up the disinfectant and poured some of it on the pad. Setting the bottle aside again, he moved closer to Dawn and raising his hand he carefully started to clean the wound.

When he had cleaned most of the blood off the wound and surrounding skin he discarded the final bloodstained pad, before focusing his attention back on the cut, inspecting it more closely than he had done after Dawn had first regained consciousness.

Once he had finished his examination he told her, "It doesn't look to be overly deep." And after coming to the conclusion that the wound wouldn't need actual stitches he used butterfly closures instead. He then proceeded to cover the cut with an adhesive bandage.

While Charles was treating the wound Dawn had gotten lost in her thoughts once more. How had this day ended up turning out like this? It wasn't even so much Lucy's betrayal that surprised her. She had always been wary of the psychic. Ultimately the only reason she had trusted her at all had been because Blackwell had trusted her. And as it had turned out she should have trusted her instincts, rather than blindly relying on John Blackwell's judgement. She also clearly should have ended Lucy Gibbons the day she had betrayed them the first time, instead of letting her go with a mere warning of what would happen should she ever come back. If she had killed Lucy back then she couldn't cause any trouble now, and most importantly she wouldn't be able to threaten their children...

But what had truly caught her off guard was that Charles had saved her, considering everything that had happened recently. Just this morning he had made it quite clear that he wasn't inclined to forgive her for the recent events. He had even gone so far as to threaten to kill her - although he hadn't used those exact words - should she ever try crossing him again. Not that she could really blame him for being angry... She had suggested to kill his mother. She had used Ethan to steal the crystal from him. Admittedly she had also taken their alliance to get their powers back for granted. Not to mention that she had been acting like a selfish, condescending bitch towards him at least about half the time. And yet for some reason he still had saved her when he could have just as easily walked away and let her die. Just like he had saved her from Abaddon...

Before long she got distracted by other thoughts though... The feeling of his fingers brushing against her skin as he took care of her injury sent waves of sparks through her, as if his touch caused an electric current to course through her. It made her mind wander back to that evening, the kiss... Thinking back she wasn't even sure why she had kissed Charles. She had told herself that she had merely wanted to piss off Kate for her attempts to intimidate her. That she was just playing along to the notion that she and Charles were dating. That it had meant nothing to her, that she hadn't felt anything.

Only that wasn't entirely true. She had certainly felt something when she had kissed him. Which was part of the problem. She didn't know what to make of what she felt for Charles. It put her on edge. It confused her to feel the way she did. And while she would never admit it, it also scared her to find herself caring about someone again. After Tom had died she had started to keep others at armslength away, to keep her guard up. The moment somebody started to get close her defenses went up and she pushed them away. Because even after sixteen years she still remembered all too well the pain of losing her husband. She didn't want to care, because she didn't want to go through that pain again. It was for this very reason that she liked being in control and keep her distance, but when it came down to her feelings for Charles and this complicated relationship they had, this constant back-and-forth between them, doing so was starting to become harder and harder. And she hated how vulnerable this circumstance made her feel.

It didn't help that Charles seemed to have feelings for her as well. Feelings that went beyond mere friendship. Of course she had known that Charles had a crush on her in high school, being as he hadn't exactly made a secret out of it. However, she wouldn't have thought that any of this affection still lingered after all this time... Perhaps she should feel flattered. Maybe she should be pleased that the attraction she felt for him was mutual. But instead it only made her feel more conflicted and apprehensive. So she resorted to pushing him away every chance she got, reacting with annoyance and irritation when he showed affection towards her, or was particularly nice, or outright flirted with her...

She still remembered how irritated she had been when Charles had announced that he had told Diana they were dating. At first she hadn't been able to really pinpoint the source for this irritation. She had tried to blame her reaction on being taken aback by this developement, by the fact that Charles had just decided to tell Diana this lie without so much as talking with her about it first. But the truth was, somehow it had hit a nerve. It had been the first time she had really become aware of the growing attraction she was starting to feel for him, unable to entirely push aside the sense of longing that momentarily rushed through her as she had wondered why of all the excuses Charles could have made, he would tell Diana they were seeing each other. And she still wasn't sure what to do about it. She didn't want to feel this way, especially not about Charles. Yes, he was handsome. He was kind. Smart. She liked how affectionate he could be. His smile. But at times being around him felt just as unbearable as it was comforting; the times when his mere presence painfully reminded her of the fire, reminded her of losing Tom, of their friends who had died...

How had this even happened? How on earth had she ended up starting to fall for Charles? They had never been actual friends, or otherwise particularly close back in school. They spent some time around each other due to having mutual friends, then there was their circle. But that was it. After the fire they barely saw each other, let alone spoke much. This changed somewhat, at least for a while, when their daughters had started kindergarten and became friends. However, when Faye and Diana got older and started drifting apart these occasions became rarer and rarer, and she hadn't exactly been saddened by that developement... The only reason they now talked and met on a somewhat regular basis was their mutual interest in getting their powers back. If it weren't for this fact the only times their paths would cross would be at fundraisers and other social events in town. So, when had she started caring about him in this way? When had she started looking forward to seeing him? Or had begun finding herself getting distracted with thoughts about him?

Once he had finished bandaging the wound Charles went to throw away the used medical supplies. When he returned a moment later he sat down on the edge of the wooden coffee table, looking at Dawn, noticing the thoughtful, distracted expression on her face. After another moment of silence he eventually asked, "Dawn... What happened?"

Shaken out of her thoughts Dawn frowned slightly. She let out a sigh, then told him, "Lucy Gibbons is back in town. She's working with the hunters." she looked at him, a concerned expression on her face as she added, "They're after the children, Charles. And Lucy intends to hand them over on a silver platter."

Charles frowned at what Dawn said, the severity of the situation not lost on him.

"If anything happens to them it's our fault. We started this." Dawn pointed out, her eyes still trained on his.

Noting the clear concern in her eyes and written on her face Charles got up, moving to sit beside her on the couch. He reached out his left hand, taking hold of Dawn's right one. "Dawn, we'll figure something out." he assured her, "Nothing's going to happen to the children."

"I hope you're right, Charles." Dawn replied with a bit of a worried sigh.

Seeing that she was still concerned he put an arm comfortingly around her shoulders. Dawn hesitated for a moment, but then she leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes, and he could feel some of the tension leaving her body.

After a short while, however, Dawn pulled away, opening her eyes and looking at him. "Thank you, Charles... for saving me." she stated, "Especially considering that I haven't given you much reason lately for even wanting to help me." and she couldn't help but avert her gaze, feeling how her eyes started to water slightly.

At her words Charles frowned slightly. "Dawn..." he said softly, his free hand moving to her face and gently lifting her head so he could look at her. Meeting her gaze he told her, "Of course I saved you. I won't just let you die." Yes, of course he had been angered by Dawn's recent actions and it had caused him to lash out and say some rather harsh things. But still it surprised him that Dawn would think that he would've just walked away when he had found her gravely injured. And truth was, no matter how much she might have angered or frustrated him lately, he would never want her death. He simply cared too much about her...

They both could feel the tension building between them as his fingers kept lingering on her face, their eyes locked. He absentmindedly started to caress the side of her face, his gaze briefly wandering over her face, before being drawn to her lips. As his fingers brushed over her cheek Dawn's eyes fluttered momentarily shut. When she opened them again she noticed Charles studying her face, before his gaze drifted to her lips. She felt her heart speed up, her breath getting caught in her throat, and for a moment she almost expected him to lean closer and kiss her.

Caressing Dawn's cheek Charles couldn't keep his thoughts from drifting back to when she had kissed him not too long ago. Of course, he knew that the only reason Dawn had kissed him had been to anger his mother. Or so he kept telling himself. After all, he was well aware that Dawn had never been interested in him, there was no reason for that to change now, after all these years. And yet, he couldn't quite silence the part of him that hoped things might change between them, that perhaps she actually did feel something for him. Just like he couldn't deny the longing he felt for her. Or that he felt more and more tempted to lean closer to her and kiss her... However, he forced himself to push the longing aside, reminding himself that this was hardly the time. Besides, Dawn made little secret out of the fact that she did not reciprocate these feelings.

And just like that the moment had passed.

Dawn swallowed hard, momentarily looking away from him, trying her best to keep her emotions, the faint disappointment and even more so the longing she felt, from showing.

After another moment she looked back at him and broke the silence that had formed between them, "Listen Charles, I'm sorry." she told him sincerely, meeting his eyes again, hoping he'd know that she meant what she said, "For suggesting to kill your mother and this whole thing with Ethan... I don't know what I was thinking."

Charles frowned, unsure of what to say. It wasn't often that Dawn actually apologized for the things she did. He could tell that her apology was sincere, that she really was sorry... Just like he knew that she hoped to get his forgiveness. However, he couldn't find it within himself to tell her what she hoped to hear. Because he would be lying if he told her that he understood or that it was okay. She had suggested to kill his mother, after all, and he had little doubt that at least in that moment Dawn had seriously considered going through with that suggestion. And then she had turned on him and talked Ethan into taking the crystal from him. He couldn't just pretend that those things hadn't happened.

Dawn bit slightly her lip, closing momentarily her eyes as she tried to ignore the hurt she felt at his silence. Of course, she knew that after the things she had done she couldn't expect to just be forgiven. That she had to accept that it would take time. Still it hurt... Looking back at him she took a breath and said, "I don't expect you to just forgive me and forget what happened. But..." she hesitated a moment, then continued, "But I wanted you to know that I'm sorry. And that it won't happen again."

"Okay." Charles stated eventually after another moment of silence, giving a brief nod.

Seeing Charles smile slightly at her Dawn relaxed a little, feeling some of the guilt that had been weighing on her in the past few days lifting from her, and she gave a small smile of her own.

The renewed silence between them soon started to grow heavy with tension again, as all the things they had so far studiously avoided to acknowledge loomed over them. Every second seemed to stretch on into minutes as neither of them wanted to open that box of Pandora; to say something that they might end up regretting because this was just not the right time. They both were too aware that voicing any of the things that were really on their minds, or acting on the emotions coursing through them, could easily upset the fragile equilibrium of this moment, the tentative balance that they had found this evening...

After another while of silence Charles let out a low sigh, coming to the conclusion that perhaps it would be better if he left, as he could feel how the toll of the past couple of days, the recent events, began to wear on him and it became ever more tempting to just give up the pretense and tell Dawn how he felt... And he knew that after everything that had happened throughout the day this wasn't the time to do so. "I should go." he finally broke the silence, adding, "Let you get some sleep." His eyes remained on hers as he moved to get up.

Dawn blinked slightly, shaken out of her thoughts when he spoke. Looking up at Charles as he rose to his feet she gave a slight nod, getting up as well. As they silently made their way to the front door she briefly frowned, trying to clear her mind from her racing thoughts, the confusion, indecision and uncertainty that had recently seemed to grow ever more present.

As they reached the door Charles paused, turning back towards Dawn. "Will you be okay?" he asked, and he couldn't fight the impulse to lift a hand, tucking a strand of hair out of her face.

"Yeah. I'll be alright." Dawn assured, smiling slightly at him. Her eyes closed for the briefest moment and she breathed a little sigh, when rather than letting his hand sink, it came to rest on her cheek, his fingertips briefly brushing over the skin.

His fingers still resting against Dawn's face he smiled back at her, and without really thinking about it - before his mind could tell him not to - he leaned closer and kissed her softly. When their lips met Dawn tensed for the briefest of moments, startled as Charles kissing her was just about the last thing she would've expected with everything considered. But then she relaxed, her eyes flying shut, a soft, contented sigh escaping her.

However, after only a few seconds Charles forced himself to pull away. Looking at her he said, "I'm sorry, Dawn. I- shouldn't have done that."

"It's okay..." she told him, meeting his eyes. And just as he was about to turn and open the door to leave her left hand clasped around his, causing him to pause.

Before Charles could fully comprehend what was happening Dawn stepped towards him, closing the space between them, and kissed him with clear longing and passion, her right hand coming to rest on his chest.

Taken by surprise - yet again - it took him a moment to react, but then he lifted his free hand to her face, drawing her gently closer as he kissed her back with an equal amount of desire.

As they eventually broke away after a long couple of moments, both of them a little breathless, he murmured, "Dawn..." It was all he could get over his lips as he wasn't sure what else to say, too many different thoughts and emotions swirling through his mind, coursing through seemingly every fiber and nerve of his body...

Dawn didn't say anything at first, a soft smile playing on her lips as she leaned close again to brush another kiss against his lips. This time their kiss was slower, laced with not only longing and underlying passion, but also conveying deep, mutual affection. To Charles it felt all too soon when Dawn pulled away after a short while.

"I care about you, too, Charles." she finally admitted, her eyes on his, "And it scares me. I'm scared that if I let someone get close, if I let myself care about somebody again, I'm only going to lose them... and I can't lose anybody else..." she trailed off, knowing he would understand. Or at least she hoped he would. After all, they both hadn't just lost the person they had loved, but also some of their closest friends on the day of the boatyard fire.

His fingertips starting to brush tenderly over her cheek, Charles gave a slight nod in understanding, a trace of sadness entering his eyes. "I know the feeling." he told her gently. In fact he understood all too well... It was one of the main reasons why he hadn't dated over the years. He, too, doubted he could go through losing someone else he cared about. And then there was the fact that deep down he knew part of him would always love Elizabeth. Sure, they had been very young when they had married, but it didn't change that he had truly loved her and he knew that, if she hadn't died, he would have without a doubt spent his life with her...

But both Elizabeth and Tom had died. It had been sixteen years now. They couldn't hold on to the past, the grief for the rest of their lives... Perhaps it was starting to get time that they finally allowed themselves to move on.

"I don't want to lose anybody else, either, Dawn." he eventually said after a moment of silence, his eyes locked on hers, "But I also don't want to wake up one day and regret that I allowed my concerns to keep me from being happy again. You mean a lot to me Dawn, you always have and I don't want to keep pretending otherwise anymore. I'd rather take a risk and be with you than to never know."

"Charles..." she murmered softly, leaning her head against his chest, and as he embraced her she added just above a whisper, "I would like that very much."

She spoke so quietly that he almost would've missed her words had they not been so close to one another. A smile making its way upon his face he replied, "I'm glad to hear that." causing her to pull slightly away and look up at him. They shared a smile before leaning in for another kiss.

~oOo Fin oOo~

Author's Notes: Okay, I'll be the first to admit, the end is a tad bit too cheesy for my own taste, but when I reached that point in writing this story it just seemed the logical conclusion. Like I said at the beginning, the story didn't fully turn out the way I initially thought it would. I do hope that it's not too OOC...