Bullets were flying everywhere. The gunshots were deafening. Blood seemed to pool on the ground like raindrops, forming red puddles that splashed under her feet. The stains, she would later discover, would never wash out of her jeans. Miles was somewhere around, but she didn't know where. Her mom and Aaron were off across town trying to finally stop the Nano. Whether they had made it was anyone's guess.

But none of those things grabbed her attention now. Because Monroe had just been hit by a stray bullet, right in front of her. One second he had whipped his head around, looking for her probably. Their eyes had met briefly and he turned back to battle, gun in hand, only to turn right into the path of a bullet.

As she sped across the street, fast as her legs would carry her, he was already on his knees, dark red stain spreading across his chest.

Charlie's eyes were burning, her muscles screaming. People were knocking into her from all sides, whether friend or foe she didn't give a damn. It didn't slow her down for a second. She finally reached Monroe in time to catch his falling body in her arms, sinking to the ground.

He tried to struggle weakly against her until he realized who was holding onto him.

"Char- Charlotte-" The tears in her eyes and the fierce way she was clinging to him made something in Bass' soul shatter. All the times he had willed Charlie to say or do something that showed she cared for him, even a little... And now she was telling him silently that she did care, maybe even more than a little judging by the look on her face. Ironic, really, that he had to die to see it.

"Don't try to talk." She shushed him, her small hand covering the hole in his shirt.

"I need to tell- I have to tell you-" His eyes were losing focus as he blinked up at her beautiful face. He was still too shocked he'd actually been hit to feel the pain. But she had to know, how he felt, how much he wanted her. How sorry he was for anything he'd ever said or done to cause her pain.

The finale of the epic battle they had fought to defeat the Nano was still being played out around them. Infected humans against the band of fighters who had had been brave enough to come to Bradbury with their little gang.

But neither of them noticed. They were busy staring at each other, like they always did, a million different messages passing between them without a word being spoken out loud.

I'm sorry Charlie.

I know, I forgive you.

I love you. In ways I never should have. But I'll never be sorry for it.

Charlie's fingers gently cradled his face, her lips pressed into his forehead, his cheek and finally his mouth. "It's okay, I know."

There was so much more that she wanted to say to him. Thank you, for all the times he had risked his own life to protect her. Sorry, for being stupid enough to think, even for a moment that his son could replace him.

But he was fading fast and she was out of time. So she simply kissed him again, uncaring now of the fact that her tears were splashing onto his face.

"I feel it too, I feel the same," she whispered, "Please, don't go."

He seemed to sag against her. She pulled her head up to look at him and felt her heart shatter at the odd mix of relief and sadness there on his own.

"Why Connor?"

She stiffened, but she owed him the truth, this one, final chance she had to tell him. "Because I couldn't have you."

"You've always had me."

"Then don't leave me. Please." Her voice finally broke as she begged him not to go, to stay with her.

Monroe's hand reached for her face and she covered it with hers, turning her head, leaning against his touch.

Their eyes met once again.

Don't leave me.

I'll never leave you Charlotte.

Prove it.

Don't forget me.

Never.

And then his eyes went unfocused and drifted shut.

And Charlie let out the pained wail she had desperately been holding in.

The battle raged on around her, but she no longer cared who lost or won. It had seemed like the most important thing in the world not so long ago. Now, it had faded into insignificance.

Someone dropped to their knees behind her. She didn't bother to turn around. They could slit her throat if they wanted, she was busy willing the man in her arms to open his eyes, smile at her and make fun of her for crying over him.

It was only when she felt strong arms wrap around her that she knew it was Miles.

"We've gotta go Charlie."

"We can't leave him. I won't leave him."

"We have to. I'm sorry. I don't want to either, believe me." And she did, because his voice was as hoarse with pain as her own must sound. "But we have to go. Now. He wouldn't want you to die for his body. He's gone Charlie."

"He won't! He can't! He doesn't die, he never dies!"

Charlie felt herself be pulled away from Monroe, hauled to her feet by her uncle. "No. No.. Miles, please..."

His voice was trembling. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Somehow, she couldn't remember how, they ended up at the rendezvous point. It was just like when Jason died, been killed, by her. Everything was going on around her in slow motion yet still too fast for her to keep track of.

Rachel and Aaron arrived not long after them. They had split from the main group to go after the Nano's power source. Apparently even sentient beings had a hierarchy and whilst the rest of the gang had been distracting the Nano-foot soldiers, the teams resident geniuses had went after the Big Boss Nano, currently wearing Tom Neville. Aaron had developed a theory that if they fried the original Nano, the one the rest had sprung from, then eventually they would all lose their power and die off.

It had been a long, complicated theory and the plan had been even longer and ten times more complicated - which was why she'd had very little interest in the specifics from the start. And even less now. Because win or lose, she had just lost yet another person she cared about.

Once Miles had gotten her safely away and reunited with Aaron and her mom he had disappeared, stopping only long enough to explain why Monroe wasn't with them and to demand that they make it worth it by telling him their crazy plan had worked. They told him it had. He didn't seem to feel any better with the knowledge. Neither did Charlie.

For hours she sat by their campfire, staring into the flames. At some point Aaron dropped a blanket around her shoulders and a kiss on her head. His offer to be around if she needed to talk was met with a barely perceptible nod.

Monroe was dead. He was gone. The one person she had come to see as un-killable. There were more tears leaking down her face, which she brushed away angrily. The man had no right to her tears! He'd destroyed her family, killed her brother...

So why was there an aching hole in her own chest as well as his abandoned, empty body.

Because, a little voice in her head whispered, he has every right to your tears. He crawled his way into your heart and burrowed out a secure, comfortable place for himself.

And now he was gone.

Charlie wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them up to her chest and burying her head, giving in to the wave of despair and emptiness.

As she shook, her body wracked with almost silent sobs, a hand found her shoulder.

"Charlotte."

Her head shot up, a gasp escaped her, stunned awareness going through her. Monroe...

But, as she looked around wildly for any sign of him, there was nothing. Her mom and Aaron were across the fire, talking quietly to each other. Miles had yet to return. And Monroe hadn't come back to her either.

As she stared helplessly into the fire again she failed to notice the man standing right behind her, his blue eyes wide in shock as he stared at his hand.

"What the hell?!"

a/n - So... This is what happens when I have too much time on my hands and end up listening to the Ghost the Musical score. Don't ask. Anyway that song, With You, killed me. It also formed the seeds of this insane idea for a story. Let me know if you think I should continue, I'm gonna end up having to write it anyway cause it's interfering with my concentration for the other stories, but there's no reason you guys should have to suffer with me lol. Next chapters for both my other stories will be up in the next few days, they're much longer and need editing :)