When I was re-watching episode 9 from season one, and thinking about later episodes in season two, this one shot happened. One of my most favorite scenes from Revolution is the one in the tunnels, right under Philly. Charlie fell down on the steps, hurt, and Miles is crouched down next to her. Holding her cheek in his hand, telling her again and again to open her eyes. The emotion from Miles gets me every time I watch it. There were also scenes with Ben and Charlie in another kind of universe. I used those scenes in a different way. Adding more characters now in this story, like Rachel. Aaron. And most of all, Bass.

The story is set in episode 2x20 but is build up from elements from season one. Elements I transferred through the time line all the way here.

Because of the length of the one shot, there are three parts. All with their own theme and I publish the first part here today, the second and third one are coming soon.

Open your eyes

Part One

Bass has just zipped up his leather jacket to keep the bitter cold out. Many men and woman sit around small fires. Duncan's men, as they would used to fight with a woman that had been his friend after the mess that was the Tower, now gone forever. He had fought to satisfy his own deep hunger for revenge, but also for her. For their friendship as he had lead the attack on the kaki camp not long ago. He had barely kept his shit together when Scanlon had told him the news that she was killed by those assholes. The fact that Charlie had looked like she actually fucking cared, standing right next to him had made things even fucking worse.

It is another day in a miserable grey camp. Another day of waiting, when all he wants to do is fight those assholes and show them what revenge looks like. Something is in the air. His experience as a General and years in the field make him aware of every fucking sound. He feels it creeping up to him and into camp. His kid is on his right doing absolutely fucking nothing then just sit on his ass and stare with the stubborn bad mood of a five year old. Things between them have cooled down fast the last few days. They don't speak.

Bass is cleaning his knife. And then he hears it.

The General in him wakes up the moment he feels the shift in his camp. His hand goes instantly to his gun as it reaches him like a December wind that picks up and plays with the withered leaves on the forest ground. A ripple of men shouting moves through camp. People get up. People start to move.

Bass' eyes narrow a bit with his hand firmly around his weapon. He is assessing the situation and the level of threat. His mind is working fast. And he hears it again. Shouts of how someone has collapsed. Sharp shouts for help follow. And then, he turns cold from within. Because now it is just one voice.

The voice of a brother he carries so close under his skin.

'It's Charlie. Charlie.'

He starts to run. Bass shoves people away as he tries to reach where the screaming is coming from. He wants to fucking reach Miles. Charlie. Now. He hears a wild hysterical scream, a No tunred into despair in a primal scream from Rachel.

He watches the old man run from the tent he set up to see people who needed medical attention across camp towards the place where people have circled around. Staypuft is not far. Rachel is crashing through her knees next to long messy golden blonde curls.

Bass had seen her a couple of hours ago. Walking through camp. Jacket, boots, weapons strapped around her hips. Her hair closely flowing around her neck and tucked into her jacket, her hair flowing to one shoulder under that jacket to keep the cold out. And now, she is on the ground with her eyes closed as Bass watches how Miles has just reached her and scoops her up in his arms.

God. Fuck. Charlie.

'They have taken her, Aaron.' Aaron blinks at Priscilla.

The commotion had reached them fast and he had walked out the room he had spend time in with Priscilla, while she was listening to a freaking walk man. She had followed with curiosity in her eyes as Aaron had left her sitting there as the first shouts outside had reached him.

For one moment, he sees his wife. He sees the woman he loves and misses so much, in there.

Aaron watches a hysterical Rachel as he turns his head back to the spot in their camp before him. Rachel is kneeling next to Charlie who is Miles' arms. Gene is rushing to their side. Monroe is standing behind Miles with a wild shock in his eyes and his mouth slightly open and a weapon in hand and eyes that follow Miles's every movement. Eyes that are on Charlie.

Charlie who is laying with her eyes closed on the ground. One mother next to her, screaming at Miles and Gene to do something.

Two generals close to her, to Charlie, who are not letting her out of their sight. One holding her face in one hand. And one general fighting to keep his own emotions in check.

Miles' face is older and his eyes darker than Aaron has ever seen, aimed at Charlie. Rachel telling her daughter to wake up with a firm demanding voice like only Rachel can. With guilt visible and tearing right through her whole body. Miles 'hand is still around Charlie's cheek and does not leave that spot. Demanding from her, to open her eyes. He sounds like the General that Aaron had seen many times before.

But this is not a General, Aaron corrects himself. This is a man terrified to lose everything. Her. Charlie.

Just like the rest of them.

Aaron looks back at Priscilla. Doubting he has heard her right. Praying he has misunderstood her as he closes his eyes for a second, swallowing away panick. Because when she speaks again, her voice is colder than it should be. Colder then he remembered. And he knows this is not his wife. This is his wife taken over by a code he had created without even knowing himself at the moment. A woman, a machine now, that wants to try pizza and listen to music. Priscilla tucked deep in there, the Nano holding her prison.

'We have taken her, Aaron.' Priscilla says, her emotions almost out of her voice. Only leaving a cold kind of nauseating curiosity in her eyes that makes Aaron want to throw up. And Aaron feels guilt and horror wash over him, as he realises what she is saying.

Bass watches Miles, his brother crouched down next to his niece. Hell, he knows the truth, he has seen it in Miles' eyes. A niece he loves as a daughter.

It is a scene straight from hell and there is nothing he can do this time.

He can't slice his way through assholes in a bar for touching her. He can't snap his fingers in front of Gould to take the weasel's eyes away from her. He can't go back for her in an empty school.

Through the fear of losing Charlotte, he feels rage boil. That cold all consuming fear is never long there, because he uses rage as his shield from too much emotion he cannot and does not allow himself to feel. He does know rage. He lets it flow through him like an old friend. Fear makes you vulnerable and it numbs you, rage sets you on fire to protect the people you love.

His fingers ache to wrap themselves around Rachel's neck for whatever the fuck she and Ben had done. Not only for what it had cost him personally, images now too close of a woman he once loved and a baby girl in his arms. Not only for the way she had kept her mouth shut when she knew how to turn back the power on.

But he is aching to wrap his fingers around her neck and ask her if she is happy now. With her selfish decisions and a kid on the ground. For the way her fucking mess had reached Charlie.

Bass looks at Rachel. At Staypuft, at his creepy as fuck girlfriend. And then Bass watches Miles again. Miles' feet in the sandy dirty grass. One hand next to Charlie's head, leaning over her. Tears in his dark brown eyes. His other hand cupping her face so fucking gently Bass has to brace himself for not losing his shit right there. Connor is standing behind him ,but Bass can only look at the two people before him.

Miles has seen her go down. She was walking through camp one moment. And one moment later it had looked like her knees had not been working anymore. And she had hit the ground.

He had seen it from his spot in the tent Gene and Rachel had basically kept him hostage in after he had lead the Rangers on a goose chase gone to hell and he had been stabbed in the stomach. He had been doing better, and he was about to get his ass up from the stretcher he had to spend too much time on when he had seen her go down. Fear shot its way straight to his heart in a cold icy jolt. One thing hammering through his chest like his wild heartbeat. He had forgotten all about the stabbing wound as he had run for her, to reach her, to get her, to catch her.

Every couple of feet of distance between him and Charlie feeling like an eternity. And all he had been able to do was scream her name, right through camp. To get help. And yell for her, to her. Charlie. Charlie.

He has no idea what the hell happened. Or is happening to her. He is looking at her. Feeling her right under his fingertips. She is breathing. She seems fine. Not hurt. He runs the lists in his head for possibilities that keep Charlie away from him with her eyes closed. They check her for wounds they somehow missed. Nothing. Gene examines her. Nothing again.

Rachel is looking at him so helplessly he does not know what to do anymore.

So he holds her, gently, her face in his hand, with his fingers wrapped around her skin. Her warm skin in the palm of his hand.

'Open your eyes, Charlie.' He tells her again and again. And then he feels a flood of rage for the possibility of losing her and what she has gone through already. His voice is strong and thick and tears break free from his eyes and reach his lips.

' Open your eyes, Charlie.'

And then Miles looses it. His voice turns into strong loving despair, a demand for her not to go, not to leave them.

'Dammit, Charlie. Open your eyes.' His voice is rough and strong and gentle at the same time. Fear of losing her closing his throat with the salty taste of tears.

He feels the acid taste of loss too close in the back of his throat. He can't lose her. Not Charlie. He has already left her alone, too damn long in that hole in the ground he had climbed out of when she needed him after Austin.

Guilt, fear, more guilt for leaving her alone. He is here now.

'Come one Charlie. You can count on me, you know that. I am here.' He demands her to wake up as Rachel is sitting next to him, holding parts of Charlie he can't embrace with his arms.

'Rachel...' Aaron's voice is small behind them. "Rachel I am sorry but...'

'Not now Aaron!' Miles yells at him, looking at Charlie, never looking away from her.

'What Aaron?' Rachel spits out with venom of Aaron daring to take her away from Charlie.

'I think the nano is holding Charlie.

Rachel looks from her daughter to Aaron, whipping her tears back with the back of her hand as it grows eerily silent around them. Miles looks to Aaron, absolotely in horror for what Aaron just told him. Aaron has not seen Miles panicked or with fear in his eyes, but right now, he is looking at dark brown eyes of horror, shock and fear. And then, he sees rage fire up in Miles' eyes. The start of rage is moved away again by shock, as Miles looks from him to Rachel.

Aaron starts to explain, about Priscilla, about the past few weeks. And Rachel's eyes fill with guilt and then with cold blue fire. She pushes herself up from the ground and storms away from Charlie as she marches to Priscilla, her mouth twisting with fire and rage.

She stops straight in front of Priscilla who looks just flatly and with curiosity to Rachel.

'You are my damn science project and you are letting her go. You will give me back my daughter.' Rachel demands, spitting out the words to Priscilla, to the Nano.

It is the force of Rachel that makes Priscilla frown as she look at Charlie.

'We see we have upset you.' Priscilla says. She frowns again. And then smiles with an icy shiver in her face, looking from Rachel to Charlie. Almost filled with too much glee for what is happening right in front of her eyes. '

Rachel is still standing right in front of Priscilla. Her eyes furious with cold anger.

Priscilla almost smiles at her.' You have created us. And now, we see so much. And we find you so very interesting. Theres is so much contradiction in you, Rachel.'

Priscilla looks at Rachel with a tilt of her head and big eeri eyes. 'You want to save the world from what you have done to it. To set things straight, for them. For Charlie. And yet, you can almost not love your daughter through all your guilt. Not in the way you want to.'

Rachel almost flinches but she does not move away from the woman in front of her.

'Rach, what the hell is she talking about.' Miles says, his voice wild and more fear burning in his heart. This is an enemy he cannot see, he cannot fight. He has no idea in hell how to keep Charlie safe now he can't.

Miles does not know what the hell happens, but finally, finally Charlie starts to stir in his hand, as Charlie slowly starts to move her lips and head.

She feels a large hand, cupped around her cheek. But she can also take in her father's scent. He is here. Here in a living room that is cosy and warm and safe. And filled with Ben Matheson.

A father she knows that cannot be there for real. But it is warm here, and she is tired. So tired. She opens her eyes and sits on a couch. The room looks like a home, but she knows with her instincts this is not any of her homes she once called home. Her father is busy in a small kitchen of the small room. The sun shining through the room. Brushes of sun reach the fabric on the couch.

Charlie, open your eyes. Charlie.

She knows that voice. It is warm. And real. And she knows him, she can see dark brown real eyes. It just took a very a long time to realise it. Although she does not know how long it has been. She gets up as Ben has walked towards her. Charlie takes him in, every line of his face, every look of his gentle eyes. Dad. Not letting herself feel the grieve. just look, she tells herself. Look at him, soak him up. Love him. Here.

She wants to hug her father. One more time. Feel him, hug him. She knows she has to go. So she tells him she loves him. The sun next to them, is low, a golden circle streaming in golden light.

It is taking everything she has left. But she has to go. She takes in her father's scent and then says goodbye. Charlie. Open your eyes. She lets the voice take her back to where she belongs. She hugs her dad, one more time. 'I love you dad. You know that right? I love you.' She repeats those words in her mind over and over again. I love you. I love you.

Open your eyes.

He does not say anything back.

Open your eyes.

And then she is lifted up and moved away from the room. She never knows how she has gotten back. But she is back.

'Open your eyes, Charlie. Dammit, open your eyes.'

When she opens her eyes, she sees his face. Torn into lines of hurt and fear and darker then she has ever seen them. She looks straight into Miles' eyes that are home to her, when she feels his warm around her. She watches him curse something in relieve and feels tears on her face that have to belong to him. To Miles.

But then, Miles is there. And her father is not anymore. And that certainty is crashing into her, and sobs break free.

Bass can finally let a breath of air out, the moment he watches the relieve in his brothers shoulders. He sees Charlie move, Miles talking to her softly. And then he hears her cry. Soft heart wrenching sobs. He is looking around him, at all the people that are looking at Miles and Charlie. He needs them to fuck of.

'All right folks, show is over. Let's move.' Bass barks with thunder steel eyes. It is an undeniable order from a General. People start to move immediately.

Bass walks to Miles. Stops to give him his space.

Charlie is feeling the sobs through her body. She had him. Had her father back for just one moment. So real and so sharp it is causing her to panic for not feeling him there with her anymore. She starts to cry as Miles feels he can move her now they know she has probably no other injuries close to her head or neck. So he lifts her off the ground and holds her against his chest.

'He was there Miles...He was...' Sobs fill her body, tears fill her eyes and mouth as they drip towards her lips and moisten them. More panic from the desolation she feels now her dad is not here anymore.

'I am here kid, I am not going anywhere...' Miles is holding her, feeling so damn inadequate. So he is cradling her and softly talking to her as Miles sits with his niece on the ground. Rachel is close again but is almost frozen after the Nano's words. She gives Miles the room to comfort her child in a way she should. But she is not sure that Charlie would allow her. Aaron is looking at them.

For one second Miles looks up and watches the crowd around them, people are starting to move but he needs her to no be here anymore. To keep her away from their eyes. He is trying to get her away from the ground but a sharp pain moves through his lower stomach. 'Hell...' he curses, holding one hand over Charlie's head. Damn that stab wound.

He looks around him and finds Bass waiting for him.

'Bass..' he swallows tears away as he looks at him, 'Could you help me, get her away from all of this shit?'

Bass just nods and is already with them. Locking eyes with Miles, knowing that at that point, his brother trusts him with Charlie. And it shoots straight to his chest.

'Bass is going to take care of you, all right kid?' Miles says firmly but softly to Charlie. 'And I am right here.' Bass can hear the sound of aching tears in the back of his brother's throat. Rachel tries to to step in and moves closer to Charlie. She tries to let Charlie's hand slide in hers but Charlie pulls away from her mother in a small but forcefull movement.

Rachel tries to mask the hurt but she can't. Charlie knows her mom wants to reach her and part of her still wants to reach out to her mom, but she can't. Not when her dad had been so close to her just now. Not when he is a reminder, of how alone Charlie had felt seeing her mother dissapear to never return only to find her again years later in Philly, knowing she left by choice.

Bass sees how Rachel cringes under Charlie's rejection. What the hell did she expect? Leave her kids all alone at the side of a fucking road, come to Miles and him instead of Ben and whatever the hell she was denying to feel for Miles? And Charlie welcoming her back with a fucking tea party? He shakes his head at Rachel with a dark look in his eyes. He then focusses on Charlie again.

He moves through his knees and lowers his body gently next to Charlie to scoops her up in his arms. He places one arm under her knees as Miles gently guides Charlie from his chest to Bass' chest. Bass pushes himself up without much effort, having Charlie's weight and her body in his arms once more.

She is still crying. And looking now directly at him. Bass is holding his breath as he is holding Charlie. He watches her normally so strong clear eyes filled with grey, liquid tears and grieve. He knows that grieve and he feels tension in his gut for her, and more rage for what the hell just happened to her. He is sick to his stomach having to watch a Miles who was only able to wait.

Bass is sick to his stomach he could not get her out of whatever the hell just happened. But he can get her away from all these eyes.

Rachel throws him a cold look and Bass' rage starts to come out in his steel blue eyes aimed at her. Daring Rachel to open her damn mouth and make this all about her. Again.

Then he decides quickly and effortlesy that his one and only priority is now Charlie. he gets them both up from the ground as he adjusts her in his arms.

'Hey, you are okay, we will take care of you, Charlie.' It is out there before Bass knows he has said it. His voice is more low then he had expected it to find.

Instead of pushing him away she moves her head into the crook of his neck. Her fingers grabbing his leather jacket. She closes her eyes the moment she feels and hears Miles walking right next to them. Next to her. Next to Bass.

Charlie feels the rhythm of his boots under her as Bass is taking her somewhere. Somewhere she knows she will be okay. Right now she needs any kind of comfort from something that nocked her of her feet and she does not understand. And she finds it against the chest that belongs to Monroe. She finds it knowing Miles is close as the scent of his leather jacket is calming her down.

Authors Note Thanks so much for reading everyone! What can you expect from the second part? A fight from hell between Rachel and Miles. Rachel slapping Miles. Miles taking care of Charlie. Bass taking care of her too. And a lot of Bass' rage for Rachel finally breaking through the surface. See you there? Love from Love