Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Everything belongs to their rightful owners and I am not making any profit from this.
AN1: What if there was a third Matheson sibling? Younger sister to both Charlie and Danny and not even six months old when the power went out. How would the hunt for Danny have gone differently if there was a fifteen-year-old with the group? A fifteen-year-old who even though she was very young when her mother left happens to be a lot like her, in both looks and personality and isn't afraid to fight or say what is on her mind. Amelia Matheson younger sister to both Charlie and Danny, spitting image of her mother and a lot like her father, who isn't who she believes him to be.
AN2: Okay this is something I started writing a long time ago, so I'm not even sure if people care about Revolution anymore. I have recently returned to it and did a large re write of it, and actually became determined to finish. What the response is to this story will depend on when I publish the next chapter, but it will likely not be for a few days.
AN3: I will not be including every flashback, and some will be changed to fit the this story better, I will also be including some I write to give insight into certain characters and relationships. For some 'episodes' it will be one chapter per 'episode' but for others it may be more, it just depends, there will also be scenes and storylines that didn't happen in cannon included.
Flashback September 17th, 2012, Chicago Illinois, The Night of The Blackout.
Rachel Matheson on the phone, while she walked around the living room of the house while holding her daughter, Amelia, in a front baby carrier as she was doing that her oldest daughter Charlie was watching tv, and her son Danny was playing with an iPad.
"Yeah. We'll fly up in October." Rachel said, to the person she was on the phone with, "That'll be great. Yeah, Hey Mom, you want to talk to Charlie?" Rachel asked, as she put the phone to Charlie's ear, "Charlie, hello, say hi to grandma." Rachel says, as she put her hand on Charlie's head to play with her hair, "No okay. I'm sorry Mom, she zoned out." Rachel said as she walked over to the kitchen counter where there was a computer which she started using, "I know. We've cut back." Rachel said, "Mom, the kids are great." Rachel said, as she looked down at Amelia who smiled back at her.
As she looked down at her daughter Rachel heard the door open and so she looked up to see her husband Ben hurrying in, carrying a lot of unperishable food, as well as a lot of diapers and more than a few cans of formula, which Rachel finds strange as she is breastfeeding Amelia, and plans to continue for at the very least, another six months.
"Hey, you're home early." Rachel said to Ben, "Mom, call you back." Rachel said before hanging up, "You okay?" she asked Ben having been very concerned about both his behaviour, and what he was carrying
"We need more water. Fill the sinks, and tubs, we don't have much time." Ben revealed, and as he did Rachel hurried over to him.
"Ben! Stop! It's happening, isn't it?" Rachel asked, having looked at Ben with worry, and the look that he got on his face is all the answer that she needed and so she started to do exactly what he said.
For the ten or so minutes that followed Ben, and Rachel who was still holding Amelia, started to hurry around the house, getting as much water as possible, and as Rachel filled up another tub Ben made a phone call, while he started to download something from a computer onto a flash drive.
"Benjamin, what's up?" The voice of Ben's brother, Miles Matheson asked.
"Where have you been?" Ben asked.
"What's going on? What's the matter?" Miles asked, having been able to tell that something was wrong with his brother.
"I've been calling. Where are you?" Ben asked.
"We, um, went out, had a few." Miles explained, "We're on our way back to base. What's going on?" What's wrong?" Miles asked.
"Listen to me very, very carefully." Ben requested, and as he did he heard the voice of his brother's best friend, followed by Miles shushing him, "It's all gonna turn off." Ben revealed.
"What?" Miles asked, having felt complete confusion.
"It's gonna turn off, and it will never, ever, turn back on." Ben explained.
"What's gonna turn off? What are you talking about?" Miles asked, as he felt his confusion only grow.
"Everything! Everything's gonna turn off!" Ben said, as the power faltered and the call Ben was on with his brother ended. As the power started to flicker on and off the download Ben was doing finished and he put the flash drive into a pendent, seconds after he finished the power went out completely, causing Danny, and Amelia to cry.
Present Day, Fifteen years Post Blackout
Early on a lovely sunny day the three blond Matheson siblings, Charlotte (Charlie), twenty years old, Daniel (Danny), seventeen years old, and Amelia (Melia), fifteen years old, are out exploring the area near their village, instead of hunting like they told people they would be. While Melia and Charlie are clearly more interested in what they are doing, Danny, the middle sibling, is clearly not as interested as his sisters.
"Take a look." Charlie says, noticing an overturned motor home.
"Cool." Melia says, and once she does she and Charlie walk towards the old vehicle.
"Charlie, how bout we actually go hunting for once?" Danny asks.
"No one's stopping you." Charlie tells her brother as she climbs in.
"She's right you know, and you know how much I hate admitting that." Melia says, before climbing after her sister.
Realising that he isn't going to stop his sisters Danny figures he might as well join in on the fun and so he sighs and climbs in after them.
"I can't believe people used to drive in these things." Melia says, looking around as her sister takes a postcard off the freezer.
"It's not that hard to believe." Danny informs her, "They were really safe, and common."
"Do you even remember cars?" Melia asks her brother.
"No, not really." Danny says, and as he does his sister starts to walk a few steps away, and as she does he opens a cabinet calling dust, as well as other debris to fall over him, causing an asthma attack.
"DANNY!" Charlie and Melia yell and they both hurry over to their brother, who is taller than both of them, and each put a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm fine." Danny says, and as he does he is clearly barely able to breath.
"No, you're not. You're having an asthma attack." Charlie tells her brother, and as she does Melia hurries over to the front window, "Melia?" Charlie asks, and as she does she realises exactly what her sister is doing, "Good idea." She admits.
"I know." Melia responds, as she kicks out the window, unknowns to her brother and sister cutting, and getting glass in, her leg as she does.
"I can't breathe." Danny admits.
"Let's go." Melia says, climbing out of the window, and once she does Danny and Charlie climb out too, Melia helping Danny through and then once Charlie is also through they both help their brother.
Once all three siblings are out of the motor home Melia and Charlie each put an arm around their brother and they all run, Charlie and Melia doing everything they can to help Danny, while Melia doesn't reveal the fact that her leg is cut and hurting her.
A little while later Melia, Charlie, and Danny have gotten back to the village and have gotten Danny, who is now lying on the couch, home.
"You'll be okay Danny." Charlie tells her brother, as Maggie, who is a doctor gets started on making him something to help with his asthma.
As Maggie starts to help Danny Ben notices something on the floor.
"Who else is hurt?" Ben asks, looking between Melia and Charlie.
"No one Dad, I told you." Charlie informs him.
"Then why is there blood on the floor?" Ben asks, looking at the oldest of the three siblings, and as he speaks Charlie realises something.
"Melia?" Charlie asks her sister, giving her a very specific look.
"It's nothing. I'm fine." Melia assures her sister, not wanting her to worry as she knows how much she worries about Danny and so she doesn't want her to worry about her as well.
"You cut your leg didn't you, when you were kicking out the glass." Charlie realises.
"Maybe." Melia answers.
"Amelia sit down, I'll have a look." Ben informs her.
"Dad…." Melia starts to say.
"SIT." Ben, Maggie, Charlie, and Danny all say all four of them knowing that Melia never lets an injury stop her from something.
"Fine." Melia says, rolling her eyes, and she walks over to one of the chairs and sits down.
For the next few minutes Ben first looks at, and then starts to treat the injury on Melia's leg, and a few minutes after he started Maggie walks over to Danny and hands him a glass with a green substance in it.
"All right, now suck this bag, doctor's orders." Maggie informs Danny.
"Maggie, this is awful." Danny admits.
"Yes, it's for the asthma." Maggie tells him.
"You're lucky this isn't worse." Ben says to Melia, referring to her leg, before turning to Charlie, "You were supposed to watch out for them."
"I'm sorry." Charlie says, feeling horrible.
"It wasn't Charlie's fault, Dad. Danny and I wanted to explore too." Melia says, as even though she and Charlie fight a lot she quiet often doesn't think it's far that when she or Danny do something wrong Charlie is the one who gets in trouble.
"You know that road's not safe." Ben says to Charlie, not responding to what Melia said.
"I know. I'm sorry, really. It's just…." Charlie starts to say, before trailing off.
"Go on." Ben says, wanting Charlie to say what is on her mind.
"Nothing's safe. Everything is off-limits." Charlie points out.
"So true." Melia mutters, agreeing with her sister on both her points, she knows that nothing is safe, and she hates that Ben considers everything to be off limits for her, Danny, and Charlie.
"I am just trying to look out for you, for all of you." Ben says, looking between the three siblings.
"I don't need you to." Charlie says, speaking for herself and not her brother and sister as she knows that they both still need people to look out for them, "Dad, if it was up to you, you wouldn't even let us leave our street."
"Fine you know what? Then wander off into the wild blue. Get your throat slit by bandits or get yourself lynched by a militia. Does any of that sound good to you?" Ben asks.
"It's not all like that." Charlie argues.
"Pretty sure it is." Melia mutters, and as she does, her sister, who clearly heard, gives her a very annoyed look.
"I don't know, it can get pretty rough out there." Maggie says, as she, Melia, and Danny all see the signs they recognize of a fight about to break out between Ben and Charlie.
"There's other towns like ours, right? Other people?" Charlie asks.
"Trust me, there is nothing worth seeing, not anymore." Ben reveals.
"Look, I was your age once. I get it, but he's right. Things are…" Maggie starts to say.
"Excuse me, is she a part of this family now? Is that what's going on here?" Charlie asks, "She hops into bed with you and what? That makes her Mom?" Charlie asks, and as she does Melia and Danny exchange looks, both knowing that things are about to get very bad.
"No! Your mom is gone. She died out there!" Ben reminds Charlie, raising his voice, and as he does Melia stands up in a hurry, and heads upstairs without a word to anyone, honestly not wanting to hear the rest of the conversation.
Once she is out of the room where her siblings, Ben, and Maggie are Melia leans against the wall and takes several deep breaths, forcing down what she is feeling, and as she does she hears Ben say,
"You wanna end up just like her?" Ben asks, and as she hears that Melia knows, without a doubt, that she definitely does not want to hear anymore, and so she runs upstairs, not knowing that Charlie isn't far behind her.
Early morning, the next day, Melia attempts to sneak out of the house, knowing that both her siblings have left she is pretty sure that Maggie and Ben are still around so she is attempting to sneak out while still trying to avoid putting too much weight on her leg, which is still hurting.
"Where do you think you're going?" A voice asks, and Melia turns to see Ben and Maggie.
"Out." Melia answers simply, "To find Charlie, and Danny." She explains.
"No." Ben, and Maggie say together.
"You need to rest." Maggie informs her.
"No, I don't. I'm fine, Maggie." Melia says, sounding annoyed, because the truth is she really is.
"You were hurt yesterday Melia, and your leg could still get infected. I don't want to see you outside for the rest of the day." Ben informs Melia, doing so because he knows, without a doubt, that if she goes outside she will do things that will make her injury worse.
"Dad…" Melia starts to say.
"I could easily say that you have to stay inside for the rest of the week." Ben says, and as he does it is more than clear that he would do that.
"Fine." Melia says, clearly annoyed with Ben, and so she walks over to the couch and basically throws herself down, "See, I'm resting."
"Good. I'll be in to check and you better stay there." Ben informs Melia.
"Of course." Melia says, clearly annoyed, and once she does Ben and Maggie leave the house, "This is going to be so much fun." She mutters to herself, clearly sarcastic.
A little while later Melia is still inside resting as she hasn't had a chance to sneak out as she is pretty sure that Ben and Maggie are close by. As she is completely alone Melia looks around the room once more, making sure that she is in fact alone, and once she is completely sure that she is alone Melia pulls an old photo, that she always has on her, out of her pocket, an old photo of her Mom, from before the blackout.
"I miss you, so much." Melia admits, looking at the photo.
Flashback, Five Years After the Blackout
Five-year-old Melia was woken up by thunder, and because she was too frightened to go to sleep Melia noticed that there was a light coming through the door that was open a crack and so she got out of her bed and headed out of the room, having snuck passed the beds where her siblings were sleeping, in the house they were squatting in.
As she exited the room Melia followed the light into a living area where she found her mother just sitting by the fire, which was the source of the light, staring at it.
"Mommy." Melia said, causing Rachel to turn around and look at her daughter.
"Melia? What are you doing up, Sweetheart?" Rachel asked her daughter, as Melia walked over to her mother, and once she was nearby she climbed onto the couch, next to her mother.
"I don't like thunder." Melia admitted, and once she did Rachel pulled her daughter in close, and put both her arms around her.
"It's okay, Melia." Rachel told her daughter, as she heled her and kissed her head.
Seconds later there was more thunder, which caused Melia to jump and let out a yelp,
"Shh, you're okay Melia, it's okay." Rachel told her daughter as she held her, and as she did she started to rock Melia back and forth, humming a song, in an effort to comfort her, a song that unknown to her daughter is the very song Melia's father, Miles, was playing the night the two of them met.
Present Day
All a sudden Melia is snapped out of her staring and reminiscing by the sound of a gunshot, and the second she hears that Melia gets up and runs, as fast a she can, outside, putting her photo back in her pocket as she goes.
Getting outside Melia sees her father on the ground, bleeding and so she attempts to run towards him, but before she can she finds herself being held back by a member of the village, and before she can yell out he covers her mouth too.
In horror, attempting to fight the man who is holding her, but as he is holding her so tight she can't even move, Melia watches as more town people get shot by members of the Monroe Militia, and as she watches her brother is dragged into a wagon, and taken away.
After her brother is taken away the villager that is holding Melia finally lets her go, and the second he does she runs, as fast as she can towards Ben, yelling,
"DAD." As she does, and once Melia is at his side she kneels down next to him, and looks at his injury, wanting to help but having no idea what to do.
"Melia." Ben says to the girl who he knows isn't his daughter biologically, but who he has always, and will always, consider to be his.
"Dad. Hold on, okay. Please." Melia begs as Maggie gets to Ben's side and attempts to what she can to help.
"DAD." Charlie's worried voice is heard as she comes running to her father and sister.
"What happened?" Charlie asks her little sister, as she squat down at her father's side.
"Danny's gone." Ben tells his older daughter, who unlike Melia he has never known for sure whether she is biologically his or not, not that it ever mattered to him, because she is his daughter, they both are.
"Danny's gone?" Charlie repeats, looking like she can't believe it.
"Militia took him." Melia explains to her sister.
"Tell what to do." Charlie says to her Dad. "What do you want me to do?"
"Listen, my brother Miles is in Chicago, at the Grand on Walton Place. Miles is there. He can get Danny. You need to find Miles." Ben tells his daughters as that's what they will always be to him, his daughters, no matter who is their biological father is.
"No, that will take too long." Charlie says.
"Charlie's right, we can go now, catch up with the soldiers and get Danny back ourselves." Melia says to her uncle, the man she believes to be her father, agreeing with her sister completely which isn't something that happens all that often.
"No, they'll kill you. You need Miles." Ben tells her, knowing that Melia needs Miles for more than one reason, he just hopes his brother has the courage to see that.
"Okay, we'll go get Miles but you're going to come with us." Charlie tells her father "We'll go together, the three of us."
"I can't." Ben tells his daughters.
"You have to." Melia tells him her voice breaking.
"Listen to me, both of you." Ben tells his daughters "You're both so much like your mother, so strong just like she was. You can do this. Just stick together." Ben tells his daughters "You have to do this." Ben tells his daughters before closing his eyes for the last time.
About an hour later, having buried their father, Melia and Charlie are back home where they are packing their stuff, packing what they are going to need for their trip to Chicago.
"Take your crossbow with you. You're going to need it." Charlie tells her little sister.
"I think I'll manage all right with just my sword." Melia tells her sister, really not wanting to get into a fight, but she figures they are close to doing just that, mainly because of the topic of the discussion.
"Melia, you may need it." Charlie tells her sister.
"Look Charlie, you're Queen of the crossbow, not me. We both know that I'm decent, at best, when it comes to using a crossbow." Melia points out to her sister as she puts her swords around her waists "I'm better with a sword, hell I'm better than you when it comes to using a sword." Melia reveals, talking in an, 'just stating the facts' voice.
"Yeah, that's what happens when your part of an underground kids fight club." Charlie tells her sister, there being a small amount of disapproval in her voice.
"Exactly, I'm pretty good with a sword, and if we're going to try and get Danny back that's what I'm going to use the weapon that I'm good with." Melia tells her sister.
"Melia…." Charlie begins to say but Melia cuts her off.
"I'm not arguing about this Charlie." Melia tells her in a tone of voice which puts an end to all other conversation "We've got more important things to worry about, like this Uncle Miles. Do you remember him?" she asks curious.
"Maybe, I'm not sure. Maybe I'll know him when I see him." Charlie tells her sister looking uncertain.
"So, we're going to go and try to find someone who we don't even know what he looks like." Melia says having a bad feeling about that.
"He will know us Melia." Charlie tells her little sister "And once we tell him what happened to Dad and Danny he'll help."
"How do we know that?" Melia asks her sister as she fills up her water.
"Because Dad said he would." Charlie says to her sister.
"Dad said we needed him. He didn't say anything about Uncle Miles actually helping us." Melia reminds her as Charlie opens her lunch box to look at the picture of her parents that she has.
"He has to. He's our only hope." Charlie says, believing that, "Plus your middle name is Myles that says something." Charlie says looking down at the picture.
"My name was chosen over fifteen years ago; a lot has changed since then." Melia points out.
"At least wait until tomorrow. You both need to sleep." Maggie tells the two girls as she walks in, putting an end to the conversation between the sisters.
"There is something I have to do before we go." Melia tells her sister "I'll meet you at the gate in five minutes." She says picking up her bag knowing that whatever fight Maggie and Charlie are about to have will likely be over before then.
Charlie gives her little sister a nod knowing what she is going to do.
"See you Maggie." Melia tells Maggie as she walks past though she is pretty sure that that fight Maggie and Charlie are about to have is about Maggie wanting to come with them.
After leaving her house Melia makes her way behind the houses to what has become a cemetery. Once there she walks down the rows to a grave which she kneels in front of. The grave has the name Jessica Lewis carved into a wooden cross.
"Hey." Melia says running her hand along the cross "So I'm not going to be able to visit anymore, I won't even be in town for a while. Maybe ever again." Melia says to the cross, knowing that that is a real chance, "My Dad's dead, and the militia took Danny. So, Charlie and I are leaving. We are going to go find our Uncle who can help us get Danny back, and I don't know if we'll ever come back." She says looking upset, "I left Jacob in change of the group. He joined the same time you and I did and he's the best there is, he'll teach them well. He gets why it is so important." Melia says wiping a tear from her eye, for several minutes she doesn't say anymore just stares at the cross, "I better go, Charlie's probably waiting. She was about to start a fight with Maggie when I left, so I really shouldn't keep her waiting. Bye Jess." Melia says standing up, with one last look at the grave Melia wipes the last tear from her eye, takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and when she opens them seconds later the look of sadness that is on her face is gone, being replaced by one of determination, and once it is she leaves to go and meet her sister, so that they can find their brother.
When Melia reaches the gate she sees Charlie, Maggie, and Aaron, who was a friend to Ben and someone that she has known since she was young, all waiting for her. All three of them with packs.
"You ready to go?" Charlie asks her little sister as she approaches.
"Yeah." Melia tells her "You're both coming with us?" she asks Aaron and Maggie surprised, not so much that Maggie is coming because she was expecting that but because Aaron is.
"Yeah we are." Maggie tells her.
"Your Dad would want me too." Aaron says, and once he does Melia, Charlie, Maggie, and Aaron all walk out of the Village gates and start their journey to Chicago to find the one person who apparently can help, Miles Matheson.