Sebastian Monroe shot up in his bed with a startled gasp, his right forearm burning. Throwing the blanket off, he clutched at the spot on his arm and stumbled towards the bathroom to turn the light on in there, rather than wake up his fellow soldiers by turning on the big light. As soon as the light was on, Bass looked down at his arm and nearly jumped out of his skin. Right in the middle of his tattoo, between the M and Monroe was a single name in silver ink.
Charlotte.
The name hits him like a brick. He's twenty-five years old and he finally has a soulmate. That means she's just been born, probably within the last hour or so. His name, in the same loopy script and shimmering silver ink is branded on a baby girl's forearm, probably making her parents wonder who he is and what kind of man their new little baby is going to end up with. Bass leans heavily against the wall and feels a smile tug at his lips. Despite the age difference, the idea that there is finally someone out there that he's meant to be with, gives him hope.
Everyone else in his life has had a soulmate mark for years, even Miles got his nearly a decade ago (Nora, bold blocky script in glittering gold on his left calf just below the knee). The thought of Miles makes him laugh, he can't wait to tell his brother. He's half tempted to wake him now and tell him, but he holds off. Wake up call is less than an hour away, he can let Miles sleep for another hour. Even though he knows that he won't be getting any more sleep himself. He makes his bed and gets himself dressed carefully while he waits, annoyed that his uniform covers the name. He wants to show the world, to let everyone know that he finally has a soulmate.
Less than fifty minutes later Miles and the rest of the base are waking up and Bass barely keeps himself from jumping on his best friend to tell him his news. Instead he waits until they've had coffee and breakfast, but half way through Miles is pulled out by their CO. Bass grumbles under his breath and waits for him to get back, getting more and more antsy. Five minutes later Miles comes back in smiling widely.
"Rachel had the baby Bass! Ben's a dad! Hell, I'm an uncle!" Miles grabs him up in a quick tight embrace, uncaring who's watching. "Ben left a message, I'm going to call him back this afternoon. She's healthy, and perfect apparently. Charlotte Paige Matheson. Hell of a name, right?"
Bass pales as the name leaves his brother's mouth. It can't be! Its just a coincidence! There's no fucking way! Miles notices the look on his face and immediately stops talking.
"Bass? What's wrong?" Rather than answer Bass pulls him out of the mess hall and towards the barracks, wanting privacy.
"Did Ben say what time she was born?" Miles gives him a questioning look but answers somewhere around four in the morning. Bass staggers back and starts pulling at his sleeve until it bunches up just past his tattoo. "Around 4:30 this morning I woke up to a burning in my right arm. When I turned on the light, I found this." He turns his arm over, exposing the silver name that fits perfectly on top of his last name. Miles just stares at the name in stunned silence before raising his eyes to Bass.
"Please fucking tell me this is a joke!" Miles finally yells, gesturing to the silver on his arm. Bass shakes his head and Miles starts pacing. "It could be a coincidence. Ben didn't say she has a mark."
"You know the mark doesn't appear immediately, it takes anywhere from one to three hours to manifest on newborns. Besides what was Ben going to say? 'By the way has your twenty-five year old best friend gotten a soulmate mark yet? Because we think our newborn daughter might be his!' If he did see it, he was probably hoping it was any other Sebastian in the world."
"We need to find out. Today. Now." Miles growls, scrubbing a hand down his face. He isn't mad exactly but what guy wants to find out that his best friend of twenty years and his newborn niece are soulmates. Its fucking weird and Miles would prefer if this is all just a big coincidence but a twisting in his gut tells him it's not.
"We need to find Blanchard, see if he can get us on a video call with Ben today." Bass nodded wordlessly and followed Miles.
They tried to be vague with their CO but eventually he squeezed out the real reason they needed to talk to Ben. Neither man had seen Frank Blanchard laugh like that before, his face going red and his whole body shaking as he tried (unsuccessfully for about five minutes) to get himself under control. Finally they were able to get him to agree to get them some screen time that afternoon. Miles called Ben (who rarely answers his damn phone the first time you call him) and left a message with the time he would be making the video call. After that they went about their day as best they could until it was time, both trying not to think about it but neither able to get it off their mind.
When the time came Bass sat out of view of the camera and let Miles talk to Ben first. It took a few minutes to get connected but then there was the eldest Matheson brother, smiling into the camera with pure happiness radiating out of him.
"Hey Ben! How's my favorite niece?"
"Perfect. She is absolutely, take your breath away, the angels are singing their praises, stunningly perfect." Miles has never seen his brother look like that, not even the day he married Rachel. To Miles it seemed like Ben was more happy and content then he had ever been.
"Well brother, fatherhood agrees with you. I've never seen you look so happy."
"I've never been so happy before Miles. You know I love Rachel but it's like Charlie is my heart. One look at her little face with those big blue eyes and little blonde curls, and I was a goner." Ben's smile is contagious and Miles wishes that he didn't have to bring up the soulmark but it needs to be addressed, still Miles puts it off for a few more moments.
"You guys are going to call her Charlie?"
"Yeah. Charlotte is such a big name for such a little girl, and she looks like a Charlie." Ben shrugs making Miles smile even more.
"Does she have a mark yet? Or is she following the Matheson way and waiting until later in life?" Miles tries for casual but Ben's face immediately goes blank and he studies his brother closely, trying to see what he knows. Something in Miles' face must give it away because all at once Ben sighs and slouches in his seat.
"Inside of her right forearm, towards the middle. Silver script." Ben stares at him silently, almost imploringly for a few seconds before continuing. "Sebastian."
"Fuck!" Miles exclaims, his eyes cutting to Bass next to him and gesturing for him to make himself seen. Bass stands and without a word holds his arm out in front of the small camera. He watches Ben's face pale and then he looks up at him, a silent question in his eyes.
"I don't know what happens next Ben. She's not even a day old and I'm twenty-five fucking years old. The only thing I know is I need to see her. Not just a picture or through a video, I need to see her in person. After that we can all talk, figure it out." Ben nods and looks at the two men on his screen. While he's never been as close to Bass as Miles, Ben does consider him not only a friend but family. He's known him most of his life, since the first time Miles brought him home when they were in kindergarten. He was a scrawny, sarcastic little shit. The perfect friend for his lanky, sarcastic little shit of a brother. And now, twenty years later that scrawny little shit is a grown man and his newborn baby girl's soulmate.
"If the damn Universe or Fate or whatever is so intent on making you an official part of our family, why couldn't you two have just been gay and each other's soulmates?" Ben grumbles. He's not really mad, he's just a little unnerved. "Did it really have to be my daughter? You're too old for her."
"Ben, I'm sorry."
"Don't be Bass. I'm just bitching, while this isn't exactly ideal at least I know you. I know what kind of man you are and I know that in the end, you'll do whatever you can to make sure that Charlie isn't hurt or taken advantage of."
"Of course! She's not just my soulmate Ben. She's your daughter and Miles' niece, I'll always look out for her."
"Well I do have a picture of her with me. Want to see your soulmate?"
Bass nods, eyes wide. "Is it weird that I'm nervous?"
Both Matheson brothers laugh and shake their heads. The whole situation is weird, a little nervousness at seeing your soulmate for the first time (albiet, just a picture through a computer screen) is the most normal thing about all of this. Ben fiddles with his phone for a few minutes before he holds the phone up to the computer screen. Its a decent quality picture and while it doesn't translate well through two screens, two things pop out. Big, vivid blue eyes and dark blonde curls that frame a tiny face are clearly visible.
"Beautiful Ben, she's amazing." Miles says with a smile. When nothing comes from Bass, Miles looks over at him and sees the softest expression he's ever seen on his best friend's face as he gazes at the baby on screen.
"She really is perfect." Bass finally whispers before shaking his head as though he can shake the reaction away.
"So when are you two coming home to meet her?"
"As soon as we can, brother." Miles says, already planning on speaking to Blanchard again today. There are always special allowances made for soulmate issues and this is a whole different kind of soulmate issue.
"Hey Ben, does Rachel know?"
"I think as soon as we saw the name, we both knew it was you. Just a gut feeling. We were both hoping it was someone a little more her age but yeah Bass, she knows. Look guys, I gotta go. I'll talk to you soon." They say their goodbyes and Ben disconnects, leaving Miles and Bass in awkward silence.
"Only you Bass, this would only happen to you."
"And your niece apparently."
"The next eighteen years are gonna suck." Miles grumbles .
Bass rolls his eyes, "At least your not twenty-five with a new born soulmate. Yours is at least a decade old at this point in our lives."
"Ew my niece is going to be a child bride."
"Go fuck yourself Miles. Nothing is happening there until she's legal."
"Legal legal or soulmate legal?" Miles asks, referring to the law that soulmates are legally allowed to be together at sixteen, even if one of them is over eighteen.
"Legal legal. Eighteen. I'm not messing with a kid."
"Let's see how that works out for you when she's sixteen or seventeen and actively pursuing you because you're her soulmate."
"What teenage girl is going to want some forty something year old? If anything when she's eighteen I'll be the one chasing her, threatening other guys to keep them away."
"I guess we'll see in sixteen years." Bass flips him off and walks out, turning towards Blanchard's office. Miles follows him silently. Frank laughs the whole time they are in his office, even as he promises to get them on leave as soon as possible.
It takes nearly a week before they are knocking on Ben and Rachel's door. Ben answers with a genuine smile on his face, ushering them towards the living room where Rachel sits with Charlie in her arms. Bass hangs back, pushing Miles towards his niece to give himself a moment. He takes a few deep breaths while he watches Miles awkwardly take the impossibly tiny baby in his arms. He's never seen Miles cry but he comes damn close while looking down at his niece.
"You were right Ben. She's absolutely perfect." His voice is rough as he swallows back the tears that threaten to fall. Fuck, who would have thought grumpy ass Miles would be a softie for kids. Miles holds her for a few more minutes, just silently gazing at her.
"You want to hold her Bass?" Ben asks, tearing his eyes away from the touching sight of his brother holding his daughter so reverently. Bass sees Rachel tense but he tries not to let it get to him, this is weird for everyone. Instead he nods and steps forward as Ben takes Charlie from Miles.
She starts to fuss at being passed around but the moment she's in Bass' arms she just stops. Her blue eyes are wide and fixed on him, even though they all know that she can't really see him yet. Bass stares back, a ferociously protective feeling surging through him. In that moment he wants nothing more than to protect her from anything and everything that could do her harm.
The rest of the room falls away as Bass begins to talk softly to Charlie. "Hello Charlotte I'm Sebastian, your soulmate. I know I'm older and things are going to be odd sometimes but I want you to know now, I'll do whatever is necessary to make sure you are safe and happy. From this moment on, you are my number one priority." Bass leans down and presses a soft kiss to her curly head. He continues to rock her in his arms silently until she falls asleep peacefully.
"Bass?" Ben asks a few minutes after Charlie falls asleep. Bass looks up to find Miles and Ben scrubbing at their eyes, and Rachel watching him with tears streaming down her face. It finally registers to Bass that his own face is wet. He's been crying and he didn't even know it. He takes a deep shuddering breath and reluctantly puts Charlie down in the bassinet beside the couch. He watches her for a few more moments, making sure she is content before he faces the three people that have been watching him so intently. Rachel is in the closest spot to Charlie so Bass takes the chair directly across from them, while Ben sits next to Rachel and Miles sits on the small loveseat off to the side.
They all sit in awkward silence for a few beats until Miles sighs and speaks up. "Are we actually going to talk about this or just sit in really uncomfortable silence for the next three days?"
"What are your intentions with Charlie, Bass?" Rachel asks, speaking for the first time since they arrived. Bass frowns at her question but answers her.
"Right now Rachel the only thing I intend to do is make sure she is as safe and happy as possible. What I feel when I look at her or hold her is a need to protect her, and affection."
"Is it sexual?"
"No! Jesus fucking Christ Rachel she's a baby, that's repulsive!"
The tension that had been running through Rachel leaves her all at once and she leans back against the couch. "I had to be sure Bass. I didn't think it was sexual but she's my baby, so I had to be sure. You get it, right?"
Bass is about to tell her to fuck off for even suggesting it but then Charlie makes a little cooing sound from her bassinet and Rachel looks down at her daughter with so much love, that suddenly Bass does get it. He wants to protect Charlie and that is all Rachel wants too, even if she has to protect Charlie from him. "I get it Rach. Look I told Miles this and now I'm telling both of you, nothing is going to happen with Charlie until she's at least eighteen. I won't be that guy that takes advantage of a minor, even if she is my soulmate."
"I do believe that is your intention Bass." Rachel's reply annoys Bass but he lets it go. He doesn't want to fight, especially around Charlie.
"I haven't mentioned this to my family yet. I wasn't sure how this was going to go or how anyone was going to feel. I also didn't want the whole Monroe clan bearing down on you right after you had a baby but I do want to tell them, explain it to them."
"And knowing your mom and sisters they are going to want to see Charlie immediately. Future daughter/sister-in-law that she is." Miles chimes in with a smirk.
"Bass they are more than welcome to visit. Please feel free to extend that invitation to them, I mean we've all been family for years anyway. You and Charlie, well that will just make things official." Ben's voice is full of warmth, as memories of childhood barbeques with both families wash over him.
"Careful Ben, you remember how much Angela and Cynthia loved you. They might move here with that kind of invitation."
"They were children with crushes Miles. The only reason that they liked me was because I was kind to them, unlike you two little shits who tormented them mercilessly."
"Sure Ben, whatever you say.
"Besides haven't they both found their soulmates?" Ben looks to Bass who nods in confirmation. Miles just snickers, remembering when Bass' little sisters would follow Ben around everywhere anytime the Mathesons and Monroes got together. Rachel rolls her eyes at her brother-in-law, he's still such a child sometimes. Charlie isn't even a month old and she's probably more mature. She says as much, making all three men laugh.
Miles and Bass spend the next three days with Ben, Rachel and Charlie before they have to go back.
"I'm getting out Miles, as soon as I can. I want to be around for her. I'm going to have to leave her long before I want to anyway, I'm not going to cut my life any shorter." Bass confesses quietly on the plane.
"I know Bass. We'll finish our tour and get out, figure out what were going to do with our lives along the way."
"We?"
"I've got a soulmate out there somewhere, I want to be around for her too. Plus, it's you and me Bass. Always has been, always will be." Bass nods, feeling better now that he's got Miles on his side.