A/N: Charlie and Bass are the same ages here as we know and love them from the show, but I set this story in the present because I just don't believe broadcast radio (and probably not satellite either) will still be a thing in 2029. Also, I don't know how radio stations operate nowadays (I'm sure everything's more automated now than it used to be), so please excuse me if anything seems off.

Special thank yous to LemonSupreme for her help and guidance, and suggestions, and to everyone in the Charloe Book Club for their encouragement, moral support and friendship. :D

Story title is inspired by the song 'Radar Love' by Golden Earring.

PS: I created a playlist on Spotify that includes all the songs mentioned in the story, updated as new chapters are added, that includes: chapter titles (they'll all be song titles too), everything I imagine Bass playing while Charlie's listening, and a few personal Charloe favorites of mine. PM me if you'd like the link. Fanfiction won't let me post the link here or in my profile.

Monday Night

It was 1:30am and Charlie Matheson had been trying for almost two hours, but she just couldn't get to sleep. The air conditioning in her apartment had picked the hottest July day in Chicago's history to break down, and she was miserable. The humidity level had to be near 100% and there was no breeze outside, so even with the window open and the ceiling fan on, it was just too hot and muggy in her small bedroom to get comfortable. But, that wasn't the only thing keeping Charlie awake tonight...

She'd graduated from University of Illinois in May with a degree in Computer Science and received several job offers from some of the best tech companies in the country. Charlie had narrowed her choices down to two, one in town at Pittman Digital, owned by close family friend, Aaron Pittman, and the other at Google in California. She had until September to decide though, so she'd taken a job helping her best and oldest friend, Harmony, with her vintage jewelry business to help pay the bills until she made her decision. Studying Computer Science had been her mother's idea and Charlie was good at it, she even liked it, but in working with Harmony, she'd realized she didn't love working with computers as much as she did love creating and restoring jewelry. Charlie and Harmony had learned how to design and make jewelry together, and working with her had reminded Charlie just how much she enjoyed it. But it wasn't just making jewelry; Charlie was also helping run the business and building Harmony's web presence, thus enabling Charlie to use both talents.

Yesterday, Charlie had told her parents that she was considering turning down both tech job offers and working with Harmony permanently. Rachel had said that 'doing crafts,' as she'd put it, was a waste of Charlie's intelligence, completely ignoring the fact that she was also developing Harmony's website and ordering system. At first, her father was upset too that Charlie would be wasting her very expensive education, but after he'd had a few hours to digest it, Ben said he would accept her decision, whichever she chose. Her brother, Danny, had simply said from the beginning that Charlie should do whatever made her happy.

Rachel had yet to change her mind as the rest of Charlie's family had; and earlier today, they'd argued heatedly when Rachel called to make sure Charlie hadn't officially turned down the offers, and to reiterate that Charlie needed to think about her future. Charlie knew Rachel loved her and meant well, that she just wanted her to 'utilize her full potential,' but as a scientist, Rachel tended to look down on the trades and couldn't understand why Charlie would want to 'do work that was beneath her.' It frustrated Charlie that her own mother couldn't understand that she wanted to be happy in her career not just successful.

As if being lectured by Rachel wasn't bad enough, Charlie had run into her ex-boyfriend, Jason, on the way home from work today. Seeing him wasn't the problem, the breakup had been Charlie's idea, but he'd had a beautiful brunette hanging on his arm, staring up at him adoringly. Jason had been vain and controlling in their relationship and Charlie was glad to be rid of him, the problem though was that it stung that he already had a new girlfriend when Charlie hadn't even been on a single date in the three months since their split. It made Charlie realize it was time she met someone new too. At the very least, she needed to get laid, and soon.

Coming home to the broken air conditioner was just icing on the cake that had been her bad day. Fortunately, the building superintendent said it would be fixed in the next day or two. Charlie just wished it would be that easy to get her mother to understand how she felt. Resigned, Charlie finally gave up any pretense of sleep and got out of bed; she needed to get her mind off things if she had any hope of getting to sleep before her alarm went off at 7am. Harmony had told her about a new late-night show on the local Classic Rock radio station called 'The Militia Takeover' with a DJ calling himself 'The General.' According to Harmony, he was a rebel who played whatever music he felt like, Classic Rock or not, and he had a really sexy voice. Charlie decided now was a good time to check it out; if nothing else, music might be just what she needed to help her finally fall asleep.

Charlie padded out to the living room where she kept her portable radio, and turned it on. She didn't really listen to the radio much, but Aaron had given it to her, already tuned to the correct frequency, last year when he bought the very station she was now listening to, WBAK, Backbeat 107.1.

According to the information on the display screen, AWOLNATION's 'Burn It Down' was playing; she loved the song, a lot, but it wasn't exactly the relaxing music or sexy-sounding DJ Charlie had hoped for, maybe he would be on next, but while she waited, she needed to cool off. She carried the radio into the kitchen, leaving it on the counter while she took a can of soda from the refrigerator and put it against the back of her neck, sighing with relief as its coolness seeped into her body. She sat down at the table to wait for The General to make an appearance.

As Charlie waited, she drank the soda and worked on a crossword puzzle; she was still hot, but at least she'd been able to quiet her mind a bit. After three more songs - all good, but dark and no more soothing than the first - and a commercial break that included an ad for Jason's obnoxious father's insurance company, "Thanks Aaron, for selling that dick airtime," Charlie grumbled, she decided to give up and try going back to bed. Just as she put her pencil down and was about to turn off the radio, there he was! Harmony had told her he sounded good, but Charlie wasn't prepared for The General to sound so hot just going through his spiel.

His voice was low, raspy, and so very male, and it was doing things to Charlie. She closed her eyes, imagining what he looked like and how it might feel to have his breath hot against her ear as he whispered into it. Considering she'd never laid eyes on the guy, the intensity of her arousal was surprising. Damn. She really did need to get laid.

She wanted to hear more, and not just through the radio's speakers... The best excuse to actually talk to The General was to request a song, so Charlie thought of one she'd been listening to a lot lately, one she liked hearing when she was short on hope or felt unsure, that was mellow enough to help her relax. Of course, Charlie had it on her phone so she could listen to it whenever she wanted, but he didn't have to know that.

Charlie tried to pay attention to what he was saying, but he was already finishing announcing the next song and it began playing. She didn't catch the number for the request line, she wasn't even sure if he'd given it, so she had to look it up. After writing it down, she tapped the pencil against the table absently as she considered her next move. She really should just go back to bed, 7 o'clock would be here all too soon, but she didn't think she could ever get to sleep now - not after hearing that voice.

Decision made, Charlie took the radio into the bedroom, sat down on her double bed, leaned against the headboard, and placed the radio on the bed next to her. She turned the volume down so it wouldn't be distracting and picked up her cellphone from the nightstand and dialed.

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Bass Monroe had spent much of the last six months since retiring from the Marines moving from place to place and job to job trying to figure out where he belonged. Being a Marine was all Bass knew, he'd joined the Corps right after high school with his former best friend Miles Matheson, and now that he'd retired, he wasn't sure what to do with his life or where to live it.

Six weeks ago, Bass's second-oldest friend, Jeremy Baker, had called to offer him a job as a late-night DJ at the Chicago radio station he managed. He'd said the station's owner wanted something different in the overnight timeslot to boost their ratings and Jeremy had immediately thought of Bass, said he had 'just the right amount of attitude and charisma they were looking for.' At the time, Bass had been working as a pit boss in a seedy Las Vegas casino run by a weasel named Gould. Bass had only spent about a month there, but he'd hated Gould and being even indirectly involved in any of his even shadier side businesses, so when Jeremy called, Bass had only needed about thirty seconds to consider his offer before accepting. There had been one wrinkle to iron out though...

Chicago was where Miles and his family lived, and he and Bass hadn't been on speaking terms for the past two years. But after nearly six months of moving around and nothing but tedious, nowhere jobs, Bass had been desperate enough to concede that Chicago was a big enough city for them both. Though a part of Bass missed his brother, he wasn't ready to let him back into his life yet, so he'd insisted that Jeremy not tell any mutual acquaintances he was in town, and that he would use a made-up persona on-air. Bass hoped anonymity would keep the Mathesons in the dark long enough for him to find his footing before any of them inevitably found out he was there. Baker had agreed to his terms, and Bass bought a bus ticket to the windy city the next day.

So far, of all the jobs Bass had tried since leaving the Marines, this was the only one he liked enough to consider staying permanently. It didn't pay as much as he'd like, but he did like the hours and not having a douchebag boss constantly looking over his shoulder. Best of all, Jeremy, with Aaron Pittman's blessing, had given Bass the freedom to develop his new persona and play whatever music he wanted - within reason, and FCC regulations, of course.

At around 2am, Bass noticed the flashing light out of the corner of his eye indicating there was a call on the request line. Normally, he didn't even notice it, let alone answer, his policy being never to take requests, but tonight, a part of him wanted company, if only a voice on the phone. It was the anniversary of his parents and little sister's deaths at the hands of a drunk driver almost twenty years ago, and he still missed them terribly. The songs Bass had been playing tonight reflected his dark mood; some were about sadness and loss, but most were just the songs he liked to hear when he was royally pissed off. Bass needed someone to help pull him out of his funk, and at this point, he didn't care who it was on the line, though he really hoped it would be a woman. Six weeks in Chicago was too long to go without meeting someone.

Bass took a deep breath to prepare himself and answered the phone, "W-BAK?" he said more tersely than he'd intended. It was the first time he'd actually answered the request line and he wasn't sure what else to say.

"Uh, is this The General?" Charlie asked uncertain, she'd never called a DJ before. He sounded so annoyed and she was beginning to think calling him was a mistake.

Bass liked the sound of her voice, she sounded kinda sweet, and hot too, yet in spite of needing her company, he couldn't seem to bring himself to be friendlier, "Yeah...?" he confirmed, prompting her to continue.

His irritated tone made Charlie feel sure she'd indeed made a mistake, but she was a Matheson and hanging up now would be the chicken shit way out. She took a deep breath to steel herself, "I'd like to request a song?" she said.

"I don't do requests-," Bass began, still a little irritated.

He might sound incredibly sexy, and even more so on the phone, but he was being a jerk, "Wow," Charlie interrupted, "Sorry I bothered you," she said scathingly. "Why'd you even bother answering the phone then?" Charlie took the phone from her ear, ready to end the call in disgust.

Bass could tell she was about to hang up and he couldn't blame her, "Wait!" he pleaded, hoping to catch her before she did. He hadn't meant to be such a dick to her; he did want company after all.

Charlie heard the man and was tempted to press END anyway, but she decided to give him another chance and put the phone back up to her ear.

Bass knew she was still there when he heard her annoyed sigh, "I meant...," he hesitated, "I don't usually take requests," he said firmly, "But...," he added, making himself sound nicer, "What the hell. Name your poison."

"'Maybe Tomorrow,' by Stereophonics," Charlie said matter-of-factly, still a little annoyed.

"Sorry. Hate it," Bass said flatly, "Besides, it's not Classic Rock," he added lamely. Bass knew she'd see right through that excuse, but he actually did hate the song and didn't want to play it.

"I thought not always playing Classic Rock was your thing?" she asked skeptically. "The General plays whatever he wants, right?" she teased. When he didn't answer right away, Charlie knew she was getting to him and decided to push, "Please, she pleaded, "I'm having trouble sleeping, and it helps me fall asleep." She hoped she didn't sound too much like a girl trying to get out of a speeding ticket, but now she was having fun and just had to goad him.

Bass was tempted to rib her about why it was that that song 'helped her fall sleep,' but decided against it. He liked her persistence, and almost gave in, but he refused to break his no request rule for that song, "No," he finally answered flatly, "But...," he paused a few seconds to think of a song he did like that would still serve her need for something soothing, "How 'bout 'Kashmir?'" he asked.

Charlie considered it for a second, she loved that song, and it was definitely relaxing enough to help her sleep, "Ooh, that works," she purred. She had to admit The General had decent taste.

"'Kashmir,' it is then," he said pleasantly and added it to the queue. Bass realized talking to this woman was making him feel a little better - the fact that she sounded really sexy didn't hurt either - and he wasn't ready to let her hang up yet, "So... Why can't you sleep?" he asked.

"A/C's busted," Charlie answered resignedly. She suddenly realized that talking to The General had made her forget that fact for a little while; it was the first time all night that she hadn't noticed the heat.

"That sucks," he answered. Bass knew she must be miserable, and he felt bad for her, it was sweltering outside tonight, but he couldn't help picturing how sexy she must look reclining on her bed, sweat-sheened, wearing just her underwear.

"Tell me about it!" Charlie agreed. "I'm tempted to go sit in front of the open fridge naked, or something." She snapped her mouth shut with a small gasp, realizing she might've gone a little too far with the flirting; she had no idea what made her say that to this complete stranger.

"Mmmmm," Bass purred, his mental image of her from moments before changing to one with even less clothing. He didn't know what she looked like, of course, but she just had to be hot if she had enough attitude to tease him like that.

Charlie realized she'd better change the subject before things got out of hand. As hot as The General sounded, and probably looked too - she was sure of it - Charlie didn't really want to have phone sex with a complete stranger, "It makes it worse that I've got a lot on my mind too," she said seriously. She realized she needed to talk about it, though she would only give him the 'CliffsNotes' version.

As much as he enjoyed flirting with her, being at work, Bass was sort of relieved she didn't take it any further, "Anything you wanna talk about?" Bass asked, genuinely curious, hoping she would. She'd helped him a little; maybe he could do the same for her.

Charlie sighed thoughtfully, "I just have a really big decision to make," she paused a moment, thinking how best to summarize, "And I feel like I'm being pulled in two different directions." She couldn't help wondering what it was about this man that made her want to tell him anything - summary or otherwise.

"I hope you get it figured out," Bass said. He could tell there was more to the woman's story, but he also knew she probably didn't want to tell him everything, and he didn't want to pry. "Hey, what's your name? So I can say who the song's for?" That was true, but he also wanted to know her name, so it was the perfect excuse to ask.

She debated giving him a fake name, but the idea of hearing that sexy voice speaking directly to her through the radio speakers was too tempting. "Charlie," she said.

Bass was reminded that Miles' niece might've had the same name... maybe... It'd been so long since he'd seen her, when she was, like, five or something, so he wasn't entirely sure. Even if her name had been Charlie, this Charlie couldn't possibly be the same girl; Miles' niece was just a kid, so he dismissed the thought. "So what's it short for?" he asked seductively.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Charlie answered coyly. She turned her head and caught sight of the time on her alarm clock. She didn't want to stop talking to The General yet, but she needed to get up in only a few short hours, so it was time to try again to sleep. "It's getting late. I gotta go," she said reluctantly, "But thanks for taking my request," she said, "I mean I know you're going against policy and all," she added teasingly.

"No problem," Bass said, unable to hide his disappointment that she was about to hang up, "I'll get it on after the next two songs and commercial; hopefully before you fall asleep," he added with a slight chuckle.

"Thanks again. Bye." Charlie took the phone from her ear and pressed END.

Charlie turned up the volume on the radio a little so she could hear and put it on the nightstand, along with her phone. She got situated on her side facing the radio, getting as comfortable as she could in the oven that was her bedroom to wait for The General to play her song.

Just as he'd said, Charlie only had to wait through two songs, both less moody than the ones she'd heard earlier, and a ad for the upcoming charity event at the Adler Planetarium she planned to attend, before The General announced he was about to play a request. "This next one's for Charlie. "Sorry, I was such a dick before," he said apologetically, "I was in a shitty mood before you called; didn't mean to take it out on you...," he trailed off, apparently realizing he was rambling.

But the song wasn't 'Kashmir' or 'Maybe Tomorrow,' it was something else entirely, one Charlie had never heard before. As it played, she realized it seemed to be a message, telling her to make the decision she wanted, though she still wasn't sure which one that would be. The radio's display showed that it was 'The Lost Boy,' by Greg Holden; Charlie usually took such things for granted, but now she found herself grateful that Aaron modernized his station so the signal included track details.

Charlie had thought The General was a jerk at first, but now she was intrigued by him. She had thought calling him would just be a fun, but one time, distraction from the heat and her troubles, but now she wanted more. What was it about him that'd made it so easy to talk to him? And how was it possible that he seemed to understand her enough from just a short conversation that he could choose a song she needed to hear? Maybe she should call him back tomorrow night and find out?

As the song neared its end, Charlie was finally beginning to doze off. She reached over blindly, attempting to turn off the radio, but as she fumbled for the switch, she thought she heard The General speak again, "Good night, Charlie." Now Charlie was sure she'd call him again. She might not get answers to all her questions, but at the very least, she had to know his name.

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Bass felt a little silly talking to Charlie as he just had over the radio, wishing her good night especially. His reputation was surely shot to Hell now, but he felt bad for being so rude to her and needed to apologize. And he felt a lot better since talking to her; he was still missing his family, but spending time with her and thinking of a better song to play for her had given him something besides his grief to focus on, if only for a short time. Bass was fascinated with Charlie; he didn't know what it was about her, but he wanted the chance to get to know her better. Much better. Bass seriously hoped Charlie would call again.

A/N: Song Credits...

Chapter title: Rainy Days And Mondays - the Carpenters

In story: Burn It Down - AWOLNATION, Maybe Tomorrow - Stereophonics, Kashmir - Led Zeppelin, The Lost Boy - Greg Holden