Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I don't own Revolution or any of the characters, I'm just borrowing them since they were left hanging when the show was cancelled. I also don't own any of the song lyrics used. Most are from Alice In Chains, from the album Sap. The other song used, belongs to the Rolling Stones. Author's Note at the bottom.
Chapter 1:
2 Months after President's Capture
Shreveport, LA
"Ok, what are we looking at?" Sebastian Monroe asked. He stood in a tent, in front of a large table. 4 officers stood in a line in front of him.
"Well, sir, we have them on the run. We've knocked out the conditioning center here and with the help of the locals; most of the Patriots are gone. We are questioning the ones we've captured, but so far, no new information has been given. It seems like the ones who had any real information left before we arrived." The Officer said. "We have about 30 kids we rescued from the center locked up." Bass sighed. He still thought that leaving those sleeper agent kids alive was a huge risk, but that was a fight he never even stood a chance on. So far, they really hadn't found enough yet, to warrant real concern and Rachel was determined to try and find a way to undo their conditioning.
Another officer, spoke up. "Sir, while we still have them on the run, our scouts indicate they are starting to turn."
Bass considered the officers before him. "Turn? They are heading north towards Miles?"
The officer shook his head. "No, Sir. They are turning south."
"South? Are you sure?"
"Yes, Sir." Another officer affirmed.
Bass cursed and studied the map.
Charlie spoke up from his side. "Do you think they are going to try and go back towards Texas? Sneak around us?"
Bass shook his head. "That's unlikely. Reinforcements are coming in from the east; I don't think they could move enough men through the swamps to be enough of a threat to the troops at the Texas border." He continued to stare at the map. "What are these bastards up to? If they go too far south, they are going to run into New Orleans. They can't be that crazy."
"They might be that desperate, Sir." One officer spoke up. "Not many men are willing to face either you or General Matheson." Charlie rolled her eyes. Bass didn't even have to look at her to see it. He knew her well enough by now; he could almost physically feel her facial expressions.
Bass scoffed. "Well, that hasn't stopped them from fighting so far. I doubt they've had a sudden change of heart. No, they are up to something and we need to find out what."
"Are you thinking we should head south after them?" Charlie asked him.
Bass hesitated. "Since the blackout, most everything below here is under water and swamp land. It'll be hard going and we aren't really equipped for that on a large scale." Bass considered. "Send a runner up to Miles. He should be about in Texarkana by now. See if he is seeing similar movements, make sure the runner is good, if those troops are all migrating south, we don't want him walking into an army."
"Yes, Sir."
"Excuse me sir," another officer spoke up. "I don't mean to disagree with you, but…" Bass could hear Charlie's eye roll again. He idly wondered what these officers thought of his second in command clearly having no respect for him. In the old days, he would have had someone like her killed. He almost laughed at loud at the thought. Killing Charlie Matheson was the one thing he would never do. He glanced over at the young woman; she was studiously looking at the map. He'd been around her long enough to know she was absorbing everything. The girl was smart and had the mind and instinct of a soldier. She had proven herself more than enough times in the past few weeks.
At first he was furious when Miles informed him, that she was going with him.
Austin , Tx
5 Weeks Before
"Absolutely NOT!" Bass snapped.
"If you think I'm letting you go off into the wild blue, with 200 men and no adult supervision, you are out of your mind." Miles snapped back.
"After everything I've done in the past few weeks…." Bass started.
"Really? You mean like trying to steal our train?"
"Hey, I helped you in the end and I brought you the President."
Miles sighed. "You did. And I am thankful for it, but it put you in a really good position with the Texas government and because of everything you've done in the past, I don't trust you with this much power."
"Look, Miles, this isn't about getting the Republic back. This is about finding Conner, wherever he is with Neville. I'm betting that son of a bitch is taking my kid to D.C., either to destroy or take it over." He had searched for Connor in the past week. He found they had escaped from where he locked them in and he had followed their tracks, but they had just disappeared. When Texas had decided it wasn't going to be enough to push the Patriots back to their border, but wanted to push them all the way back to D.C, they offered him and Miles both a commission. Bass had been delighted to accept. They were handing him troops basically to go after his son.
"That's what worries me." Miles stated. "How do I know that you won't make plans to switch sides when we get there, taking your troops and our intel with you?"
Bass glared at him. "Because after we sweep through, we are meeting you up in Knoxville and going in together, remember? It was your plan." Miles was going to follow the old I-30 to I-40 route up through Little Rock, Memphis, and Nashville. Bass was going to go I-20 to I-59 through Shreveport, Jackson and Birmingham, since these were the area's most suitable for travel with troops. They had smaller units moving in between them to take out scouting parties or any little settlements in between. Texas didn't want to conquer the lands they were crossing, just set the Patriots and their conditioning centers back a good 10 years.
"Yah, but that still gives you a lot of time to make your little moves and deals. I know you, remember. I know what you are capable of."
"You know what, fuck you, Miles." Bass started, but he cut him off.
"WHAT is the problem here? You know she's good. You know she can handle herself. You've worked together in the past few months enough to know you make a decent team. You can trust her to have your back. I've trained her myself."
Bass looked away. All of what Miles said was true. Charlie was a damn good soldier. They DID work well together, but that was the problem. The two of them could communicate with a look during battle. Sometimes, they didn't even need that, they sometimes were able to anticipate the other's movements. In many ways, it was like having Miles back at his side again, but yet it was completely different. Bass was aware of Charlie on a completely different level. Aware in a way that made him extremely uncomfortable and he didn't want to think about. He did know that he didn't want to be with her this long just the two of them relying on each other.
"She's a pain in the ass like her mother." Bass countered. Although, Charlie really wasn't. She could be, but she also understood that sometimes things needed to be done.
Miles had had enough. "Look, I'm sorry you thought this was up for debate, but it's not. This is the way it is. You want these troops? You want to do this? This is the condition. It's happening, so just get used to it."
With that Miles turned away, leaving him to glare at his retreat.
Present
Bass shook off his thoughts and memories. He looked back at the soldier who was hesitating, waiting for his ok before finishing his thought. He gestured impatiently. "Out with it." He snapped. Ok, so maybe the obedient thing was getting a bit old.
"Well, sir, it will take at least a week, to hear back from the other camp. Shouldn't we do something before then?"
"We are, Collins." Bass addressed him. "I'm going to lead a small scouting party south and see what we can find out. I'll take about 20 men."
"Sir, are you sure you should be the one to lead it, what if they regroup and attack?"
"We'll only be gone about 2 days." Bass told him.
"But sir…" Another officer spoke up.
Charlie cut him off. "Our scouts to the East are at least 3 days fast ride. This means, they haven't encountered anything to worry about in between us and them. We'll have time to check things out and be back, if they do come across any trouble. And we'll go down southeast, so there isn't a chance the Patriots are coming back around to hit you."
Bass shook his head. Another example of her being able to read his mind clearly, part of him admired it; the other found it extremely irritating. "I didn't say you were coming." He said to her. She looked at him, but didn't speak. He gritted his teeth. He knew that set of her jaw and the steel behind her eyes. She was going whether he liked it or not. He looked back at the officers.
"Get me 20 men ready to ride out tomorrow before first light. Also, if there are any capable locals that may be familiar with the terrain and area these days, that would be helpful. And get that runner on the way to Miles."
"Yes, Sir!" Four voices sounded at once and they filed out.
He was alone again in the tent with Charlie; she was studying the map, but had a mocking smile on her face.
"What?" He asked her, feeling the familiar irritation at the girl…and something else.
"Nothing, sir." She said.
"Stop." He said. "Just stop, ok."
"Yes, sir." She said, with the smile in her voice clearly now.
"Thanks." He said sarcastically.
She turned towards him. "So, what is the deal with New Orleans?" She asked curiously, done with teasing him for the moment.
"It was a wild place before the blackout." He smiled with nostalgia. "Your uncle and I had some great times there."
"So not interested." Charlie interrupted. She hated the fact that any talk of his past loves or women caused a reaction inside of her.
"Anyway," he continued on. "It was also a pretty rough city. It was below sea level and they kept the water out with pumps and levees. After the power went out, the city flooded and with the change of climate, most of Louisiana flooded. The people started following old religions like Voodou again. Now, they are almost like a primitive tribe. Not many people can get in and out. You don't go uninvited or you wind up sacrificed and hung up in the swamps as an example. No one is sure how many people are down there or what it's like, but the stories that do come out." He gave her a small smile. "Well, even on my worst day, I was a fluffy kitten compared to these guys."
Charlie raised an eyebrow. That was a scary thought. "You think it's possible the Patriots don't know that and New Orleans could take care of them for us?" She asked.
"That's what I'm hoping, but I don't want to leave it to chance." He shook his head. "If they somehow got New Orleans to side with them that is not something I want at our back." He stopped. "No, we need to find out what's going on."
Charlie studied him. She could tell his mind was working out all possible outcomes to this. She hated to admit it, but he could see things in movements of troops and plans that most of their men thought bordered on mystical. Charlie could admit, if only to herself, she was impressed with his military acuity. She learned something from him every day. She had started to see, how he had managed to rule the Monroe Republic before the paranoia and thirst for power had set in.
She turned back to the map as anger surged up inside of her. Damn Miles for sending her out here with Monroe. She didn't want to understand him; she didn't want to empathize with him. She wanted to hate him. She wanted to remember what he had done and what he was capable of.
Austin, TX 3 Weeks before
"Charlie!"
They young woman looked up at the shout. She had been watching on the sidelines as all around her Texas troops prepared to deploy and go after the Patriots. Miles hurried towards, a look of concern on his face.
"Oh no." She commented. "What now?"
"What makes you think there's a problem?" Miles asked her. Charlie just gave him a look. He sighed.
"Ok, look. The Texans are preparing to go out hunting these Patriots. The plan is to drive them back to Washington and then tear them down from there."
"Yah, I know." Charlie gestured behind her. "I've kinda noticed they are getting ready to deploy."
"The President of Texas has asked me to lead one of the troops. She wants me to be a General again, in an official capacity to Texas."
Charlie grinned. "Impressive. You taking the gig?"
"I don't want to, but unfortunately, it does seem like we are the most capable."
"We?" Charlie felt a churning in her stomach.
"Yah, me and Bass. They've given him troops, too."
"After everything's he's done, they're letting him lead troops?" She asked in disbelief.
"Pretty much." Miles sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "He did help us take down the Patriots and show Texas who was really to blame. And like I said, we are the most capable."
"They can't send him out there with troops just like that. He needs to be watched. They can't trust him!" She exclaimed. He wasn't trustworthy, every time she thought that maybe, just maybe, she could rely on him, he only let her down. Granted he always seemed to come through when it mattered, but that didn't change what he was, who he was.
"That's what I told them." Miles agreed and stared at her.
"No." She protested.
He just shrugged.
"Miles there is no way, I'm going with him."
"C'mon Charlie. I can trust you with this. You're gonna be his second in command. A full Lieutenant." He paused. "That's not a bad position to be starting your military career. Texas is good at policing and skirmishes, but it's been a long time since they've had to fight a war." And actually she deserved the position. She had more than proven herself as a soldier and she had a good mind for tactics.
Charlie glared at him. "That doesn't mean I can keep General Sebastian Monroe in line." She countered.
"You kept me line plenty of times." Miles told her. "Just judge him, like you do me and give him that look full of disappointment. You know, be your usual pain in the ass self."
Charlie gave him a look.
"That's the one." Miles sighed. "You wanted to go, Charlie. I'm not asking you to personally stop him if he starts going down the rabbit hole again, I'm just asking you to keep an eye on him, if you can, keep him from going too far. We'll meet up in Knoxville; I just want eyes on him until then." She still was shaking her head no. "You've worked with him before. You know how he thinks; you know how to read him."
Charlie just stared at him, her mind going a mile a minute. She did know how to read him, something she didn't want. She didn't want to be near him. She didn't want to be traveling with him. She didn't want anything that would make these strange thoughts more prevalent.
"I don't think this is a good idea, Miles."
"Yeah, well, you're all I've got. So will you help me?"
"Fine. But you know he'll never agree to it."
"I'm not giving him the option." Miles told her. "And can you do me a favor? Don't tell your mom I set this up please."
Charlie just sighed and rolled her eyes.
Present
So far, she really hadn't had any problems with Monroe. She was there every time he met with the other officers. She hadn't seen him sneaking off for any secret meetings. Pretty much he was focused on the task at hand.
Shreveport was the first city they had come upon with a Patriot stronghold, but they had routed them easily. The fight was short and they had very few casualties on their side. Monroe's plan had been almost air tight. She didn't admit that she felt pride when she was able to notice a few flaws with it and he had quickly agreed with her. She knew it was thanks to the both of them they had done so well.
"Has there been any sign of Connor?" She asked him, interrupting his musings.
He looked over at her. Whenever she mentioned his son, he gave her the strangest looks. It was one of his few she couldn't interpret. "No. Neville either." He walked away from the map and looked outside where the troops were going about their daily duties. "Part of me wonders if they didn't head back to Mexico. Connor may have had enough connections down there to start an army of his own." He shook his head. He just didn't know. He had been sure they would be with the Patriots somehow, but what if he was wrong and missed the opportunity to mend fences with Connor?
"Do you really think he'll follow Neville for long? I kinda think he's smarter than that."
Bass hesitated. "Yah, well, he's pissed enough at me, he just might."
"He's pissed at you for saving people?" Charlie asked doubtfully.
Bass was silent for a few moments. He hadn't told anyone yet about what had happened. "No." He finally said. "Connor and Neville almost go the drop on me when I left with the president." He admitted.
"What?" Charlie asked.
"Yah, they gave me the opportunity to kill him and leave with them. Neville even had a gun on me. I got by 'em and locked them up while I got the president out and to you and Miles." He looked over at her. She was staring at him, her eyes held some weird mixture of disbelief and admiration. He hated that it made him feel a bit better about what he had done. He didn't need her affirmation for his actions.
"You chose keeping your word to Miles over your son and a chance to get back your Republic?" She asked him.
"Look, let's not make a thing out of this ok? I did what I said I was going to do, that's it." He snapped, turning back to face outside. "I went back as soon as things calmed down. I couldn't find where they went."
"If we don't find him by the time we reach D.C., I'll help you look, if you want." The words were out of her mouth before she realized they were coming. Where did that come from? She wanted away from him, so why was she volunteering to spend more time with him?
He turned back to her with a glare on his face. "Really? That anxious to start boning my kid again, that you'll volunteer to spend time with me?" He asked with acid in his voice. "Can't find any of our troops that are as good of a lay as a Monroe?" He taunted her. He couldn't help it. For some reason any reminder of the physical relationship she had with Conner made him angry.
"Fuck you, Monroe!" She snapped back at him. "I was trying to be nice. I don't know why I even bother. You're such a fucking asshole." It was a strange bitter relief he felt at her ferocity. This he could handle her hating him. He couldn't deal with her being nice, he couldn't deal with her compassion.
Charlie was embarrassed and angry. She wasn't hurt by his words. She wouldn't give him that much power over her. The sting she felt was just embarrassment and anger. Really. How could she keep forgetting who and what he was?
Outside Austin, TX
Connor was still with Neville, but he was getting more and more nervous. The guy seemed to have lost his mind while they were trapped in that hole his dad locked them in. He frequently had conversations with his wife and son, even though, both were dead.
Connor had thought they were going to head to D.C. once they found out the President had been captured, but Neville told him they needed to wait. He said he had troops on the way and with their help, they'd recapture the President. Neville said he had plans for him.
Not long after that, the 'troops' started showing up. They all seemed unbalanced. Many of them were talking to themselves similar to Neville and they started praising some God they claimed led them there and performed miracles.
Connor had been around religious people before. Mexico may not exactly be a place filled with virtuous people, but they did still have their beliefs. However, these people took it to a whole level. Connor thought he needed to get out of here, maybe go find his dad. From what they had heard, it seems that by turning in the US President, his dad had been made a General of one the armies. Miles had been made a General of another. If the stories were true, Charlie was his father's Lieutenant. He hated that thought. What was she doing? She hated his father. So why was she taking his place? Had he been that easy to replace?
He was worried about where he was and the longer he thought about it the more resentment he felt towards his father, Charlie and Miles.
"Connor." A voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up in shock. It had been years since he'd seen her, but he'd know her voice anywhere.
"Mom?"
Shreveport, LA
"Sir?" A soldier approached Monroe distracting him and Charlie from their argument. Monroe almost growled at the kid before him.
"What?" He snapped. He stared at the kid, Devon was his name. The kid didn't even have the brains to tell he was interrupting or that he was moments away from getting his neck snapped. He had been a problem ever since they set out. He was cowardly, lazy. They usually kept him in the back from the action, giving him more administrative duties because Bass didn't trust him out in combat. This kid would get others hurt, they couldn't rely on him. The only reason he was there was because he was the son of a politician back in Texas who wanted to give his boy combat experience to turn him into a man. Bass had news for the guy, that wasn't going to happen.
"I just wanted to let Lt. Matheson know I've gathered supplies for her to leave in the morning and wondered if she needed anything else." Charlie smiled kindly at him. She had taken the boy under her wing and made him her personal assistant.
"No, just go help the others. I'll finish the rest myself."
He smiled back, proud as anything like he had done something wonderful. Now it was Bass who rolled his eyes. The boy quickly left.
"You know he's just going to go sit on his ass now." Bass commented.
"He's just young, he's barely 20. He's scared and he needs some encouragement." She argued.
"Charlie, that boy is dangerous. You can't rely on him on the field. He's selfish and he'd put other troops in danger to save his own ass. He's been spoiled rotten too long."
"I think he'll be ok." She insisted. "I've been training him."
"Yah, how's that going?"
She hesitated. "He's gotten better." She said slowly.
Bass looked at her. "Well he hasn't gotten any worse." She muttered.
"See?" He insisted. He gave her a sharp look. "You aren't sleeping with him, are you?"
Her anger flared back up immediately. "Not that it's ANY of your business, but no. I'm not sleeping with him; I'm not sleeping with any of our troops. I wouldn't do that."
"Oh." Bass said, almost innocently. "Just troops under Miles' command, like the one the night before we left."
Charlie looked at him in shock. How did he know about that?
Austin, TX
1 Month Before – The night before deployment
"C'mon Miles." Bass was imploring him. "Its tradition. This is what we do. It's just like old times."
Miles shot him a look. "I'm really not as fond of the 'old times' as you are Bass." He commented dryly.
"Miles, can you just give me this? Please? Ok?" Bass asked exasperated. "We leave out tomorrow and there are no guarantees, even for us. So can you please, just sit and have the damn drink without the bitching and whining. Like we used to."
Miles sighed, but finally sat down. They were in a crowded bar that most of the military units frequented. It was completely packed tonight since a lot of them were leaving the next day with Miles and Bass.
Bass sat down across from him, a bottle of whiskey between them and a smile on his face. He poured two glasses and handed one to Miles. Miles let out a grudging grin as they clinked glasses and drank down the liquor. How many times had they done this? It was familiar, comfortable and Miles had to admit it, he had missed his friend. Right now, he looked more like the man Miles once knew. There was still a cold hardness, to his eyes, but Miles knew that was in his own these days as well. They had both seen too much over the years. He couldn't imagine either of them ever losing it.
Bass' grin grew.
"What?" Miles asked, suddenly worried what he had up his sleeve.
"I've got a surprise." Bass told him.
"Great." Miles grumbled.
"You're gonna love it." He motioned behind him. Miles turned slowly afraid he was going to see two prostitutes behind him. Something he had Bass had done for each other almost as much as they had their drinks before going out to fight. It was part of their tradition. However, instead of two cheap hookers, behind him stood two soldiers holding guitar cases. Miles couldn't help it, a real grin spread across his face.
"I told you, you'd love it." Bass said. As crowded as the bar was, they had their own section due to the fact they were commanding officers. This gave them enough room to slide back from the table and pick up the guitars. Miles admired his for a moment.
"They're in good shape."
"It's yours. I bought it for you." Bass told him. Miles' smile turned sad. He remembered back when they were both teenagers and their attempt to start a band. They had spent hours holed up in each other's basement, practicing to be rock stars. It had been so much simpler back then. "There's a pick in there for you too." Bass said.
"I've got one of those." Miles pulled the pick he had found out of his pocket and looked at it admiringly.
"Story behind that?" Bass asked. He had picked up his guitar and was making sure it was tuned.
"Something like that." Miles admitted, but didn't continue. When it was clear he wasn't going to Bass started strumming. Miles immediately recognized the song.
"Really? Alice in Chains?" He joined it. "Well, it is kind of appropriate."
Bass didn't answer him, just started singing low. "Frozen in the place I hide…."
Across the room, Charlie and her mom stood watching the two.
"I didn't know they could play." Charlie commented to her mom.
Rachel nodded. "They used to have a band. Even after they enlisted they still kept it up. They used to play all the time."
Miles' voice joined Monroe's for the chorus.
"You were always so far away
I know that pain so don't you run away
Like you used to do"
Rachel scoffed. "Nice choice of music."
"They don't sound too bad though." Charlie commented. She couldn't take her eyes off of them. Actually, she couldn't take her eyes of Monroe. She had never seen this side of him. He almost looked peaceful, if that was the right word. He looked comfortable in his own skin. She listened to them finish the song. Her mom was right the lyrics really seemed to be written about the two of them. "What are they playing?" She asked.
"An old Alice in Chains song, called 'Brother'." Rachel said. "Bass will always have some hold over Miles. There's just too much history there."
Rachel turned towards Charlie. "I don't want you going with him tomorrow." Her mother said. Charlie sighed and turned to order a drink. They'd had this conversation numerous times over the past week.
"You don't say." Charlie said sarcastically.
The bar had quieted since Miles and Monroe started playing. She didn't even have to strain to hear the lyrics of the next song they sang.
"Yah, it goes away…"
The waiter handed her a glass with some corn liquor in it. She took a drink. She turned to find her mother watching her with narrowed eyes. She stared back at her, daring her to say something about her having a drink. Rachel sighed and seemed to deflate from this. They both looked back to where they were playing.
"Stay if you please As of now I bet you got me wrong I haven't felt like this in so long
You may not be here when I leave
So unsure we reach for something strong
Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love
Strong, I haven't felt like this in so long
Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love
That don't last forever
Something's gotta turn out right"
Bass was lost in the music with Miles. Somehow the lyrics felt so appropriate right now. The music flowed out of both of them. How long had it been since he'd had this? He had forgotten what a release playing music could be. As they sang the last chorus he looked up and somehow locked on to the bright blue eyes of Charlie standing in the crowd. He felt like everything else just faded into the background. It was like she was the only thing he knew. As the song finished he broke her gaze and swept his eyes around the bar feeling shaken.
By now enough people had stopped to listen to them that they clapped when they finished. He and Miles shared a grin.
"Might as well keep going." Miles said, pouring another glass. Bass followed suit and they toasted and drank them down. Then started again.
"Inside always trying to get back inside
But its so hard to penetrate pig-thick skin…"
Rachel turned back to her daughter as they started again. She had been focused on Miles and hadn't noticed the way Bass had stared at Charlie or the way Charlie seemed to freeze lost in his gaze.
Feeling her mother's look, Charlie turned towards her.
"Fine, I can't stop you from going, but I want you to be careful. I don't care what Bass has done recently. He's still the same. You can't trust him." Rachel told her seriously.
"This is the whole reason I'm going with him. We are all very aware he can't be trusted." Charlie answered back. She took another drink and almost coughed as it burned down her throat. This definitely wasn't the good stuff Miles was drinking. She could go over to Miles and Monroe and probably have some of their liquor, but she didn't want to get any closer to them than she was. She strongly felt the need to keep her distance.
"But you aren't careful enough. I've seen you rely on him too many times in a fight."
"And he's always come through." She said.
Rachel sighed. "Yes, he promised me that he would keep you safe, but you can't count on that Charlie, not if you get in his way."
"Wait, what?"
"In the tower, when we were locked in the room, Bass promised me I wouldn't lose another child. He promised to make sure you were safe."
The music reached a crescendo and she could hear them clearly as they sang out.
"Well it's hard to believe that somebody tricked you
When you can see you were only high
It's all up to you so you gamble
Flat on your face and into the fire"
Charlie felt the words like a punch. That was why he always came to her rescue? A promise to her mother? She quickly spoke, trying to shake of the pain of that realization.
"But he has come through. It doesn't matter why." Why would it matter? She wondered to herself. Why should she care? "I'll keep my eyes open and Miles already told me, if anything starts to go sideways, I'm to just get out, not directly confront him." Internally Charlie really wondered, was it true? Was that all he saw her as? The surviving Matheson child? The way to get back to Miles and Rachel's good graces. She looked back towards them. The applause was louder now and people started shouting out requests. Miles and Monroe were both smiling and sharing another drink.
"Willie Nelson!" Someone yelled.
"Bruce Springsteen!" Another yelled.
"Please just be careful." Her mother said. "I don't want to lose you."
"Rolling Stones!"
Miles and Monroe exchanged a look and a grin, then in unison began to play.
"I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she would meet her connection
At her feet was a footloose man"
Charlie looked back at her mother, getting her treacherous thoughts under control. "I will be. I'll be fine. I promise." She reached out and hugged her mother. When she pulled back she gave her a smart smile. "Now, it's my last night and no offense, but I don't really wanna spend it hanging out with my mom." She told her, her smile took the sting out of her words though.
Rachel gave her a small laugh. "Go. Go unwind. I'll see you tomorrow before you leave."
"Thanks mom." Charlie told her. "I will be ok." She assured her again, before turning and heading to the bar. Rachel watched her go with trepidation. It was so hard letting her go. She still couldn't fathom how her baby had grown up so fast. She turned back to the men playing, for a moment her expression darkened as she looked at Bass, remembering how he kept her prisoner for so long. She had missed so much.
She shifted her gaze to Miles; she started moving forward at the sight of him. It was rare to see him like this. Smiling, relaxed and having fun. She wanted to be around him just to watch him smile, even if Bass was the one currently causing him to smile. He brightened at her approach.
"You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes well you just might find
You get what you need"
Rachel smiled back at him as she took a seat across from him. She knew he was singing to her. She was focused on ignoring Monroe, so she didn't see what his attention was focused on.
Charlie had moved to the bar and ordered another drink. They refilled her glass and she took another drink. She licked a drop off her lips and as she did she knew, just knew, what she would see when she turned her head. For a few seconds she resisted the pull, afraid of what it meant, but it was futile, her head turned on its own. Once again she was caught in his bright blue eyes as he and Miles sang out the chorus to the song. There were probably 50 people between them, crammed elbow to elbow in the small space, but she felt as though she was only inches away. She didn't notice anyone around her; his eyes burning into hers were almost like a physical touch. She wanted to look away, but she didn't seem to be able to. It was like her mind refused to acknowledge there was an 'away'. All she was aware of was Monroe. Fragments of thoughts and memories ran through her mind, all the different versions she had seen of him, the fighter, the general, the mercenary, the hero, the maniac. Her brain spun in circles, unable to reconcile all the different emotions she had regarding him. But it still refused to look away. She took a deep drink from her glass, but the way her mind spun, that was probably a mistake. They were on the last chorus now and she was still locked in his gaze.
"You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes well you just might find
You get what you need"
She was certain he was singing it to her. She was just as certain that wasn't possible. Fear struck her and something else. Something impossible….desire? She tried to breathe and concentrate, but her head spun. She took a step forward and then stopped herself. What was she doing?
They finished playing and the applause was loud now, people cheered. Bass' eyes were still on her and she took another step forward, but just then someone stepped in front of her. Startled she looked up and met the eyes of a young soldier.
"You like music?" He asked shyly.
Charlie almost laughed out loud. She took a deep breath to clear her head. What had just happened? She studied the soldier in front of her. He was about her age, kind of cute and it was obvious from the smile on his face he was interested in her. She realized that maybe she should have some fun of her own tonight. It was obvious she needed to find some release if she was having thoughts about…..she turned off that line of thought before she could complete it.
"I do." She finally answered him, with smile. "You heading out tomorrow?" She asked. She was pretty certain he wasn't under her command.
"Yeah, with General Matheson." He told her. Her smile got a bigger.
"Really? I'm with Monroe."
The boy, because that was how he seemed, got a bit more confident that she seemed to have some interest.
"I know. Everyone knows who you are."
"Oh?"
"Yah, you're like a legend, like they are." He told her earnestly.
Charlie almost sighed. She got a lot of this. Well, maybe if she could get him to stop talking they could get to other things. "You wanna buy me another drink?" She asked.
"Yes!" He said quickly.
As they finished up the song, Miles and Rachel began to talk and Bass quickly realized he was a third wheel. The crowd let out a sound of disappointment that their entertainment was over, but quickly went back to their conversations. A woman approached as Bass put down his guitar.
"That was amazing!" She gushed. She wore a shirt that left little to the imagination and even managed to find some cosmetic substitutes to try and paint herself up. She was attractive in an obvious cheap way. She put her hand on his arm and smiled coquettishly.
"Thanks." He told her amiably, but in reality felt no interest in what she was offering.
"Don't suppose you'd want to buy me a drink?" She practically purred. He gave her his most winning smile.
"I'd love to, but I have to go see one of my officers, make sure we're ready for tomorrow." He tried to put the right amount of regret in his voice. The woman wilted visibly, when she wasn't trying so hard, she wasn't nearly as attractive.
"Well, if you get done soon and change your mind…." She let the sentence trail off; she was starting to seem desperate.
"I'll find you." Bass told her.
She walked away slightly upset.
"Getting picky in your old age?" Miles asked after she left. He and Rachel were staring at him. For a quick second he wondered if they realized who he was thinking of, but then realized they both looked amused, not irate.
"Just wanna see what else might be out there." He commented. Miles shook his head with a laugh. "Don't wanna settle too early." Miles had enough to drink, combined with the music, he was in too good of a mood to be snarky or angry with him. It made Bass feel guilty and horrible about where his thoughts were right now.
"Well, don't let us stand in your way." Miles told him. He waved for Bass to go wander.
Bass headed immediately for the bar even though he knew he shouldn't. He wondered when it became a habit to seek her out with his eyes. When did he start looking towards her to try and read her thoughts and why did he care? He had spotted her through the crowd, standing by the bar, with very little effort, as though he was tuned to her. At first she was focused on her drink and then finally he saw her turn his way. Once again, everything fell away. All he knew was her. He saw her take a step towards him and he had unwillingly put all of the emotions tied up inside of him into the song. As wrong as it was, he was trying to lure her closer. They shipped out tomorrow and part of him wanted nothing more than to spend this last night in her company. It was strange, he wasn't even thinking about sex, he just wanted to be around her.
She had taken another step towards him as the song was ending and then someone stepped in between them. It broke the spell immediately and he realized he must be losing his mind. Not her. Not Charlie. Not ever. He swore that to himself.
So why was he walking through the bar trying to find her right now? Finally he cleared the crowd and made his way to where he had last seen her.
He saw her again. She was talking to some young kid in Miles' crew. The kid was smiling at her, obviously trying to pick her up. He seemed to be talking a mile a minute trying to impress her. Charlie just stood there, smiling at him predatorily. He recognized the look immediately. The kid didn't even realize she had already decided to sleep with him.
Bass turned away feeling nauseous. He wondered how much he'd had to drink. What was he thinking? Charlie was off limits. He couldn't feel anything for her. He needed to get this under control and fast.
For a second his face tightened at the thought of the kid's hands on her, but he walked quickly away before he could let the thought linger. He headed over to where he saw the woman who had just approached him.
She looked up as he walked over. She wore an exaggerated pout now. "Turns out, everything is already set up." He told. "How about that drink?" Her face lit up with excitement. This would get his mind off of Charlie. He didn't care how she spent her night. And later as he fucked the woman in front of him, it wasn't Charlie's eyes that kept appearing in his mind.
Present
Charlie stared at him in shock when he told her he knew she slept with that kid. For an instant she thought he could actually see inside her, like she sometimes felt he was able to do, and knew that it had been him her mind kept conjuring while the boy pawed at her. She was terrified he knew that it was the image of him, fresh from the prize fighting, the night she found him in New Vegas that finally pushed her over the edge. She quickly realized that was impossible though and turned the tables on him.
"Why is my sex life so important to you?" She demanded. "This is the third time you brought it up."
"It's not, as long as it doesn't affect your job or the jobs of these men we are relying on. We don't need them distracted." He told her. As soon as he brought up their last night, he regretted it. He didn't want the reminder of that night. He tried like hell to forget the connection he felt to her and just focus on what was going on in the here and now.
"Has there been a problem with my job performance so far?" She asked, getting angry.
"Which one?" He snapped. "The one where you are supposed to be my second in command? Or the one where you report my every move to Miles?"
"Hey, you knew what this was. You know why I'm here and if you don't like, too bad. You brought it on yourself." She marched over and got right in his face. "Miles told you why I was coming. He told you he didn't trust you, just because you haven't brought it up until now didn't make it any less true. It's not like we hid anything from you. We were honest about it."
Monroe looked away from her. It was true. They had been honest with him and he couldn't really even blame them for not trusting him. Mainly, he said it to try and change the subject. However, that didn't mean he didn't resent it, resent her being here reminding him of things he had done wrong and all the things he could never, ever have.
"Whatever, let's just get ready for tomorrow." He told her, trying to dismiss her. He turned and started to pack a bag to leave out in the morning. However, she didn't leave. She just stood there watching him.
"Can I ask you a question?" She said, there was only curiosity in her voice instead of the anger he expected.
"Can I really stop you?" All he wanted was for her to go away at this point.
"Do you really want the Republic back, or is just the only thing you know?" He froze. She continued. "Were you really happy there leading? Do you think you'd be happy now, even if Connor was by your side? Or Miles? You are happy out there in the fight. You enjoy it." He bristled and turned towards her angrily.
"What can I say, maybe I just like killing?" He said snidely.
She gave him a look. "That's what I used to think. But now, I get it. The adrenaline, the fighting. I've been doing it long enough; I understand why you and Miles like it." He stared at her, he could tell she did. She understood. "My question is do you really want to be the guy in charge again? Do you want to be the guy behind the desk, just ordering others, being responsible for the well being of that many people on so many levels?" She studied him. "No matter how you rule, there will always be someone out to get you. You will always be looking over your shoulder."
He opened his mouth to answer her, and then shut it quickly. He found he didn't know what to say. She was right. She was so very right.
It seemed like she was looking right through him again. "Do you think that is the only reason Connor came with you? Because you offered him power?" She asked gently.
He turned abruptly away from her. That was exactly what he believed. The boy had no interest in him until he offered to make him a king. That was the only thing he had to offer him. That and hands so coated in blood they would never be able to be clean.
Finally he spoke. "Why don't you do us both a favor and worry a little less about my motives and a little more about what we're about to do. This is going to be hard tomorrow. I need you at top form." He informed her coldly.
"Yes….sir." She answered him and then left his tent.
He sat down heavily on his bed and just put his face in his hands.
Outside Texarkana
"General Matheson!" An officer ran over to Miles where he was conferring with some others. He looked up at his approach. "Sir, we just got intel off of one of them men we interrogated."
"What is it?" Miles asked.
"Sir the Patriots have set up a blockade around New Orleans. Apparently, after delivering the US government back from Cuba, they filled the boats back up with soldiers and have an armada floating around the area with numerous camps throughout the swamp."
"Son of a bitch!" Miles swore. "How many?" The soldier looked uncomfortable. "HOW MANY SOLDIERS DO THEY HAVE DOWN THERE?" He demanded.
"Close to a thousand." The soldier told him.
Miles turned and began barking orders. "Get me runners, right now. I need to get a message to Monroe, tell them they are not to follow the troops south. They are walking into a trap!"
A/N: Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this. First of all, I don't have a beta, I tried to read back over things, but sometimes my mind skip over things. Any mistakes are all mine and I do apologize if they take away from the story.
As far as the story goes, I have over half of it outlined and I'm hoping to update about once a week. I will admit that the deeper in a I get the more trouble I'm having with believable ways that they can beat the nano. I do have a theory in mind, but I'm not sure if its too cheesy or it will be in any way logical. Hopefully, it will work its way out as the story comes along. I will have all of the characters in this, as well as a few of my own imagination, but the story will mainly focus on Charlie and Bass as they come to terms with each other and the situations they will encounter.
Any and all constructive feedback is welcome. I'm trying to keep the characters in line with the show as much as possible. Hopefully you will enjoy. Thanks for your time!