[right][h2]Charlie's Catharsis[/h2][@BaronOBeefDip][/right]
[color=808080]Birkin had just raised his glass to his lips when Charlie spoke.

[color=silver]"I love you."[/color]

The drink went down wrong. He sputtered, coughing violently, his hand flying to his mouth.

It took him longer than it should have to stop coughing. When he finally did, he stayed silent. His face was flushed, eyes slightly watery—whether from the coughing or from what she'd just confessed was impossible to tell.

Birkin's hands turned the glass in slow circles, gaze fixed downward.

"Are you sure?" His voice was quiet.

A simple question, but it had so much packed into it. Did she understand what being with him would mean? The judgment from others for loving a monster—for loving someone who inherited the sins of the original. His future was uncertain. His children's future, even more so. Was she absolutely sure this was what she wanted?... [i]Him?[/i][/color]