A/N:

Got my AU head on in preparation for the AU Fest over on LJ, never done an AU before, figured I'd get some practice in!

The summary pretty much explains everything but just letting you know that this is not a blackout world, it's set in the real world in their present day, so 2027? 2028? Oh, and the shipper inside me got tortured into staying quiet during this but some Charloe may have slipped through... I say 'may', it's all about different perspectives.

Let me know how I did, hope you enjoy it!

Love to all,

PIP

There's A Killer In All Of Us

Looking down at the mug shot of the grinning man that had killed her entire family and destroyed her life, Charlotte Matheson felt the burning sensation of hatred swim through her. Tears stained the inky image, his dark eyes became washed and waterlogged, but his gaze was no less insane, reaching out to her from the paper.

"I'm so sorry, Charlie," she looked up into the caring, crystal blue eyes of Officer Monroe, better known to her as Bass, her uncle and her father's best friend, the only person left in the world that she could depend on, "We'll catch him, I swear."

She couldn't manage a smile, even for him. Here, at the station, he was strictly professional, but out of the uniform and away from work, he was just as broken as her, having known the family for decades, they were grieving together.

Being a gentleman and concerned for her wellbeing, Bass offered her a lift home, she was in no rush to get back to the empty shell that had once housed her family, but accepted anyway, seeking shelter from all the stares and whispered conversations.

They sat in silence outside the house for several minutes before Bass plucked up the courage to pick something out of the glove box, his spare pistol, "I want you to take this," she stared at him like he was crazy, maybe he was, "We don't know Neville's whereabouts or his intentions, so… Take it, please?" it would put him at ease to know she had at least some form of defence.

Wrapping her hands around the weapon, her heart raced, she had had experience with guns before, weekends spent with Uncle Miles often involved hunting in the woods surrounding his farmhouse, but this was an entirely different experience, this gun wasn't made for animals, though Jason Neville could be classed as one, she supposed.

She whispered a thank you as she stuffed the pistol into her handbag, Bass leaned over and grabbed her hand, leaving a gentle kiss on her knuckles, "Take care, Charlotte, I'll come round later to check on you."

There was a quick, sad hug and several repeated goodbyes before she got out and watched him drive away. Left alone again, everything around her seemed dull and cold, even the warm breeze sent a chill down her spine, the house looked foreboding and dark in front of her, despite the sunlight bearing down on it.

Stepping inside, there was no radio playing in the kitchen, her mom wasn't humming along to whatever tune was playing as she cooked, the TV in the living room wasn't on, her brother wasn't slouched across the couch, watching whatever dumb thing he'd taken an interest in, the laughter from her uncle and her dad couldn't be heard as they sipped beers in the back garden.

Like her family, the house was dead, like her, it was soulless, hollow.

She didn't sleep that night, the nightmares had been unbearable from the very beginning and weren't letting up. Instead, she did what she normally ended up doing around the 3AM mark, she analysed and reanalysed what had happened, plotted and delved into the conspiracy theory she couldn't shake.

So far, Charlie had come to the same conclusion she did every night, the attack couldn't have been random like the police thought, they saw a schizophrenic kid, psychotically high and dependant on drugs go crazy so he could afford his next high, she saw that too, but why her family? Out of a whole street of houses, full of wealthy families, what was so cruelly special about hers?

Dipping into her own insanity, she briefly blamed their connection to the cops, blamed Bass for making them a target, Neville had a history, and he wasn't unknown to Bass or his colleagues. But a bottle of whiskey soon made her see sense, Bass hadn't met Neville personally until he murdered the Mathesons, there was no previous interaction, no reason to go after the ones he held close.

What about herself? She had been left alive, forced to watch…

The shrill ring of the phone pulled her out of her reverie, she looked to the clock: 04:17, who the hell was calling at this hour?! Her hand shook as she picked the phone up and placed it to her ear, flashes of 'Scream' haunting her, "H-Hello?"

"Charlie?" She sagged with relief at hearing Bass's voice on the other end, "Hey, sorry, I err… I can't sleep."

Rolling her eyes, Charlie made her way to her bedroom window, shifting the curtains away to peek out down the road to where Bass lived, she could see him perched at his own window, watching her, and waved, "Wanna come over?"

He nodded before realising they were having a phone conversation, "Yeah, if that's ok?"

Judging by his voice, he'd been crying, they could both do with the company, "Of course it's ok… Just put a shirt on first, I've been drinking," She teased, feeling a genuine smile tug at her lips for the first time in weeks.

A few minutes later, she heard Bass letting himself in, he'd had a key for years, and quickly scurried to hide the case files and her own insane, suspicious scribbles, but he crept in and caught her in the act. Lifting one of the many pieces of paper to his tired eyes, he squinted and frowned, "Thought you were past all this?"

Charlie huffed as she grabbed the paper from him, shoving it under the bed with the rest, "I'm sorry, alright? But my family was butchered right in front of me, you think I'm not gonna have a problem with that?"

"The problem is that you're getting yourself a one way ticket on the crazy train," He pulled her close, exasperated by her constant need to move and fiddle with things in an awkward situation, "You've got to stop, Charlotte, I've been through all this myself and it isn't gonna get you anywhere, you need to move on."

She leaned into him a little more willingly, her voice a soft whimper, "I know, I'm sorry," tears she didn't realise were there started dropping down her cheeks, absorbed by the blue t-shirt he had kindly thrown on before coming over, he didn't shush her or try to cheer her up, she wanted to grieve, she needed to, it wasn't his right to try and stop her.

After a while, Charlie moved onto her bed, they sat cross-legged opposite one another and shared stories, memories of the past, remembrance brought them pain, but it was a good kind of pain, one that made them thankful, grateful.

The sun had long risen by the time they were finishing up, Bass needed to go to work.

Standing in the threshold of her front door, he smiled sadly, hugging her, "Don't worry, we will catch him."

Charlie smiled half-heartedly against his shoulder, "Well if you guys don't, I will."

Her words gave him the chills, he pulled away sharply, hoping he had misinterpreted what she had said, "Don't you go saying things like that, Charlie. You go looking for trouble, you might just end up finding it. Promise me you won't go looking for him," She cocked an eyebrow and he lost his temper, "Promise me!"

Raising her hands in surrender, Charlie shouted back, "Okay! Okay, I promise, alright?" she appreciated him looking out for her and wanting her to be safe, she was one of the few people left in his world, but it didn't give him the right to try and control her, because now she had had to lie to him.

Not convinced, Bass stepped back inside, stroking a piece of hair out of her face, "I don't want to lose you too, Charlotte, so promise me."

She felt immensely guilty but nodded anyway, which seemed to satisfy him, he walked away, offering a quick wave before disappearing inside his house. She sighed, if Hell was real, there was probably a seat reserved for her lying ass, all he did was care about her and she was betraying him.

Waiting until it was dark, Charlie pulled on some baggy jeans and a large, black hoody and tied her hair up messily, aiming to look nothing like the innocent, helpless Charlotte that watched her family get gunned down.

She discarded her mobile onto the sofa, finding Bass had called her seven times over the course of the day, phones could be tracked, he'd find her long before she would get to fulfil what her heart was screaming with need for, if she wanted vengeance, she would be doing it alone, she couldn't wait for the police to turn around and tell her they've given up.

Tucking the gun into the one big pocket in the front of her jacket, she tugged the hood over her head, covering her familiar head of golden hair and somewhat concealing her tear-stained eyes, red and raw as she forced herself to remember just why she was doing this.

She had read interview transcripts from some of Neville's 'friends', she knew where he hung out, where he'd go to get his fix, it was mainly back alleys and grotty squats deep in the heart of the city, she figured there would be good place to start.

Traipsing through the dark, dank backstreets, she immersed herself in the underworld night after night, blending in with the gangs, and the rough folk, she made connections, asked questions, gathered info, but she never found him. It was like he was a ghost, everyone had heard of him, some speculated where he'd be, others celebrated what he'd done and held him in high regard, most didn't want to know though, they were druggies, thugs, but not murderers.

After a week, Charlie gave in fairly early one night and headed home, too much alcohol and sleepless nights catching up with her. Sweeping the mess of papers onto the floor, she collapsed onto her soft bed, burying her face in the pillows, and let exhaustion take over her.

"Chaaarlotte, wakey-wakey, Charlotte," A sickeningly familiar voice sung out, putting a stop to her heart, a hand pawed at her face and her eyes snapped open at the sudden contact, "There we go."

"Jason," Her voice was barely above a whisper, he gave her the same evil smile from his mug shot and she tried to lash out, quickly discovering that her hands were tied to the headboard of the bed, she cursed aloud, damning herself for falling into such a deep sleep.

Neville flicked her bedside light on, marvelling at how small and vulnerable she looked in his presence once again, "Heard you've been looking for me, angel, thought I'd make it easy for you."

When he traced his hand down her chest, instinct ruled over panic and she realised he hadn't tied her legs up, she jumped and kicked and booted him straight in the face, sending him flying to the floor, hopefully, unconscious.

Looking up, Charlie spied what was restraining her, ribbons that her mom used to use to tie her hair up, bastard. Still, he'd done her a favour, his choice was cruel, but poor, the fabric was thin, it would tear easily if she pulled hard enough.

It took effort and her wrists were raw by the time she had freed herself, but she didn't dwell on the physical pain, diving her hands under her pillow instead, seeking the weapon that had become her best friend in the past week, by the time she had got a grip on it and rolled back over though, Jason had disappeared.

Scrambling to her feet, she didn't hesitate and charged into the hallway, she didn't get three feet away from her door when she was pulled into a bone crunching bear hug from behind, she screamed out but could hardly move, there was a pinch in her neck, followed by a sharp pain, he shushed her repeatedly before letting her go.

Immediately, she dizzied, everything became blurred and moulded together, her body became heavy, the wall she held herself against seemed to swallow her, she watched him walk away, fading into the blackness of the dark hall, "What did you give me?" she cried out.

"Welcome to my world, sweetheart."

Her scream was desperate, animalistic. With what little strength she had, she raised the gun and fired just once, before falling to her knees and melting into the softness of the carpet.

Alarmed by the sound of a single gunshot, and spotting Charlie's light was on, Bass panicked and assumed the worst, she hadn't spoken to him in a while and from the glimpses he caught of her going in and out the house, she looked like hell, he hoped he was wrong, that his fears were unfounded.

Charging over to her house, he let himself hurriedly, fumbling with the key, the place was dimly lit, the only light source being the street light peeping through the curtains, but he knew the layout well enough to manoeuvre his way upstairs to her room without injury, he found her face down on the floor just outside her room, gun in hand.

"Oh no… Charlotte," he shook her gently and rolled her over, inspecting her body for a bullet wound, but there wasn't one, "Charlotte, can you hear me?"

To his relief, she groaned and whimpered, grabbing at his hands, seeking affirmation that it was really him, he was really there, she wasn't imagining.

She squinted up at him through shaky vision, his face was distorted and terrifying but she trusted his voice, the drugs hadn't quite affected her hearing yet, she reached out to touch what she assumed was his cheek, wishing the blues of his eyes would break through the fuzziness, those eyes had the ability to make everything seem okay again.

"He's here."

Bass knew exactly who she was talking about, his peers in the force had considered the idea that he'd come back for her, finish what he started, they just didn't know why or when.

Shoving the gun into the back of his pants, he tried to pull Charlie up but her body felt heavy and uncooperative, he soon found out why, there was a bruised injection site on her neck, he'd seen enough cases involving drugs to know what he was dealing with. Changing tact, he lifted her up bridal-style, aware of her light breaths against his neck, "Alright, we're gonna get you out of here."

Cautiously making their way through the house, he kept an ear out for any movement, but it was quiet. Once outside, he broke into a light jog towards his house, it was impossible to tell just how much Neville had injected Charlie with but he hoped she wouldn't need medical attention, neither of them were fans of hospitals after what had happened.

Lying her down on his sofa, he checked her over, her pupils were dilated and appeared unfocused, she was pale and clammy, but he couldn't see any injuries anywhere, just the blackening bruise on her neck.

Feeling his touch made her skin tingle and heat, and suddenly, she could see his eyes again, they weren't quite the norm that she was used to, appearing vibrant and bright and glittery, but no less a comfort to her.

Noticing the change in her, Bass stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, "What do you see?"

Everything looked high-definition and zoomed in, like someone had replaced her eyes with binoculars, she focused on the curls of his hair, the colour mixing between dark blonde and brown, the various shades of colour confused and mesmerised her, she hadn't noticed before, then again, her eyes hadn't been set to super zoom before.

Charlie reached out to touch, some wisps passing through her fingers before he held her hand between his two firm ones, she looked back into his eyes then, remembering his question, "Pretty," was all she managed out, it was the only word that came to her fuzzy mind.

Chastely kissing her hand, he got up, "I'm gonna make a call to the station, you want some water?" he disappeared into the kitchen when she nodded.

She listened carefully as a glass clattered and there was the sound of running water, followed by his voice, she guessed he was on the phone. Suddenly, there was a crash and the glass shattered. Heart racing, Charlie forced herself up and wobbled her way towards the kitchen.

She found Bass on the floor, unconscious, with a bloody nose. A hand came around her throat and her drug-fuelled adrenaline kicked in, she fought back viciously, kicking, hitting, biting, scratching, until she was released.

Taking her chance, Charlie dove to the floor beside Bass and reached around to his backside, relieved to find the gun still hiding there, she grabbed it, whispering an apology to Bass, who was coming round.

Neville had disappeared again, but Charlie had had enough, she charged through the house, the drugs giving her an unhealthy dose of unfiltered anger, "No more games, asshole!" she shouted at an empty room.

Hearing a floorboard creak upstairs, the hunter inside her switched on. For a klutz, she was uncharacteristically stealthy as she crept up the stairs and made her way down the hall, she paused, thinking she heard something behind her, she was almost about to pass it off when…

"Peek-a-boo, princess," Charlie managed to duck before he could get his hands on her and swung her elbow into his stomach.

Neville went to his knees, gripping his torso, she raised the gun, pressing it into his forehead, that's how Bass found them, Charlotte, poised to kill the man that had ruined everything.

Coming up behind her, it hurt him to keep his distance, but he couldn't chance startling her, "Put the gun down, Charlotte…," she ignored him, too focused on her own goal, "Charlie!"

"What?!" That caught her attention, well done Bass, piss off the girl with the gun.

Training was telling him to remain calm, but training had never prepared him for something like this, in his own house, with someone he cared deeply for, "Killing him won't make anything better, the boys are on their way to deal with him, you take that shot and you'll end up getting arrested too, is that what you want? D'ya think it's what they would want, for you to get banged up?"

"They don't care, they're dead!" She spat the words out like they were poison, firmly believing in what she had spoken.

"They love you, Charlotte, I love you, don't do this," Her shoulders loosened visibly, she believed that too, and it hurt like hell.

Neville chuckled at the pandemonium going on in her eyes, his mirth was cut short when she jerked the pistol against his head. Unfortunately, now he had found something else to torture her with, "Hey, kiddo," she shivered at the nickname, "H-He's lying… They didn't love you, that's why I did it, they were only going to hurt you… But me, I can protect you, I can love you."

"Listen to my voice, Charlotte," Bass's gentle voice cut in, "He's trying to trick you, that's why he drugged you, don't you dare believe him, Charlotte, don't."

Their voices merged and echoed in her head, growing louder and turning into a deafening drone, she couldn't separate them anymore and was on the verge of collapsing from the confusion and the pain, she just wanted everything to be silent.

The gun crashed onto Neville's head and he fell to the floor, unconscious but not dead.

Charlie stumbled backwards but Bass was there to catch her, shuffling them down onto the floor slowly, he held her tight as she caught her breath, "I couldn't do it, I couldn't pull the trigger, after everything he's… I should've been...," her words were rushed, only making a little sense, "Why?"

Bass stared at the KO'ed Neville, before burying his face in her hair, "There's a killer in all of us, Charlotte, it takes a lot of strength and courage to control it, it's nothing to be ashamed of, it separates you… From him."

The strong heartbeat against her temple was soothing, she nuzzled to try and get impossibly closer.

There was a whisper of a voice, it was either the drugs or Charlie was going insane, but she didn't really care, because she could hear her mom, "Everything is going to be okay now, sweetheart, you can let go."

The earlier exhaustion was making an appearance and her body sagged with fatigue, her eyes flickered shut as Bass smoothed his hand up and down her back and her mother's voice faded away.

Everything is going to be okay.