"Miles! Miles Matheson!"

Miles frowned as he looked up from his work. Someone was coming up the path to his home but he couldn't see them well. It couldn't be Charlie or Danny. They knew not to shout his name like that. Anyone could be listening. "Who are you?" he called reaching for his sword.

"Miles! Don't you remember me?"

Miles's heart dropped straight to his stomach. The person coming toward him was Rachel Matheson. His sister in law and Charlie's mother. "Oh, I remember you," Miles nodded.

Rachel grinned at him. "The years certainly haven't changed you much," she said, reaching out to embrace him. "But you should probably put a shirt on."

Miles awkwardly hugged her back and looked down at his naked chest. "Uh, yeah. Sorry about that. Working in the desert heat and all." He reached for his wife beater.

"No problems," Rachel smiled.

Miles's heart was racing. What did Rachel know and why was she here? How was Miles going to handle this? "You…you don't look much different either," he gestured. "Thought you joined up with the rebels."

"I did for a bit," Rachel nodded. "But then I heard Danny and Charlie had headed out this way." Her smile turned soft. "I can't wait to see my kids again."

"I bet you can't," Miles agreed. What he would give for some strong whiskey right now. "Why don't you come inside?"

Rachel gratefully followed him in. Miles tried to control his raging emotions. The whole point of coming out this far was to avoid their past life but it seemed to just keep coming back on them. And it was harder and harder to dodge the awkward questions each time. Nora he could bluff or bully. Rachel was a whole different kettle of fish. He felt a vague need to throw up. "Your home is lovely," Rachel complimented. "Looks like there's been a woman's touch."

"Yeah, that's from Charlie," Miles said absently.

"Charlie?" Rachel repeated with a frown.

"Uh, yeah, yeah. Charlie and Danny lived with me when we first came here."

"Oh, right of course." Rachel gave a weak little nod. "I…I actually meant to thank you for that."

"Thank me?"

"Of course. For looking after Charlie and Danny."

"They're…they're…they're Benjamin's kids, right? That makes them family. It was the least I could do."

"You have no idea how much it means to me to know they were being taken care of."

"Happy I could help," Miles nodded. "Can I…can I get you anything?" This whole 'host' thing was really difficult for him.

"Sure. Some water would be nice."

"Alright. Take a seat. I'll get some."

Rachel made herself comfortable on the couch while Miles went to the kitchen. It was really a very cozy home from what she could see. She could imagine the three Mathesons living very comfortably here. Rachel hoped they had enough space for her. "Thanks," she smiled as Miles brought her bottled water.

"No problem," Miles nodded as he sat at the other end of the sofa.

Rachel looked at him quizzically. "Do my kids know about my…capture?"

"Yeah." Oh, they knew. Miles explained it all to Charlie while they were still hunting for Danny. She had run off for three days and Miles had been terrified he would never see her again. Thank god that hadn't happened. But even when she returned Charlie had still been upset with him for taking her mother. It was probably the first time Miles had groveled to a woman in his entire life. Charlie forgave him, she always would. Miles thought the makeup sex was almost worth the terror he went through when she was missing. Almost.

Charlie had been put in charge of telling Danny. But then they got to Danny and he found out in the battle. Charlie helped bring him to terms with all of while they made their way back to the rebel camp to heal up. It was just after that when Miles decided to take the siblings and run. Which would have been one of the best ideas he'd ever had if his past life would just stop showing up on his doorstep. Miles was jolted back to reality as Rachel began speaking again. "And they're alright with everything?" Rachel asked tentatively.

"They got used to the idea," Miles hedged.

"Good," she nodded. "I'd hate to break up the family."

"Right."

"The villagers…they talk about you guys a lot?"

Miles had to work to keep himself calm. "What do they say about us exactly?"

"Oh, just how much of a help you are," Rachel smiled. "They also… they told me Danny is married." She glowed like a proud parent.

"He's married," Miles nodded. "In fact, Marta is expecting their first child just before spring." And Charlie would be giving birth to their first child about two months later. Thank god she wasn't showing yet.

"I can't believe I'm going to be a grandmother," Rachel grinned. "What about Charlie? Has she settled down yet?"

"She's still living here," Miles told her, not sure how much he could get out that wouldn't be strictly lying.

Rachel gave a motherly sigh. "I do wish she'd find a nice boy. I saw how well she fought when you two were rescuing Danny and I know she can take care of herself. I just wish she'd find someone to look after her."

"She's got me for now," Miles said with an awkward smile.

"Yes she does," Rachel agreed, putting a hand on his arm. Miles remembered that Rachel had always had a particular interest in him that had supposedly waned once meeting Ben. But Miles had always felt when her eyes lingered on him too long or her smiles were a little too wide at seeing him. He really didn't want to think that her attraction to him might have come back.

Before he could think up a suitable response, the door opened again. "Hey Miles!" a familiar voice called. "Is Charlie home?"

Miles could only watch in what seemed like slow motion as Rachel got off the couch and went to hug her son. It was made worse when Marta's head popped up just behind Danny's shoulder. "Danny," Rachel breathed. "It's so good to see you."

Danny awkwardly hugged his mother as he looked to his uncle. Miles gave him a helpless look in return. "Mom…" Danny huffed. "It's so…it's so…" Danny started hacking and doubling over as though he was in the throes of an asthma attack.

"Another attack," Miles muttered. "Marta, go get the inhalers from the bathroom." Miles pulled Rachel away from her son and led Danny over to the sofa. "I owe you, kid," he said so only Danny could hear.

"You have no idea," Danny answered.

"Make sure Marta doesn't out me."

"You got it."

Miles helped lay Danny down on the couch as Rachel watched nervously. Danny waved him away once Marta was back with one of their few rescue inhalers. Miles went back to Rachel who clutched at his arm. "Will he be okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. We picked up some inhalers from the rebels before we left. And Danny's attacks aren't as bad here." Miles turned to her. "It was probably just the shock of seeing you again."

Rachel worried her lip as Marta helped Danny sit back up. "Are you alright?" Rachel frowned.

"Fine," Danny wheezed. "I'll be just fine, mom."

Miles caught the look Marta shot to him but Rachel missed it as she went to her son. Miles just gave Marta a small shrug. There wasn't much he could say really. Not with Rachel around. "Your mom showed up on my door step just now," Miles explained. "She came to see you and Charlie."

Danny forced a smile onto his face. "It's…good to see you mom. I'm glad you're alright." That last part was true at least. He still felt a little something for the woman that bore him.

"It's good to see you too," Rachel smiled. "I've been so worried about you kids since you disappeared into the night."

"We were fine, mom. We had Uncle Miles."

Rachel flashed Miles a bright smile. "So he tells me. I'm thankful you two had someone to look after you." She turned to the young woman at her son's side. "You must be Marta. I've heard very little about you but everything I've heard has been just glowing."

"It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Matheson," Marta smiled. "Danny has spoken to me of you. He is very big on family."

Not an out and out lie. Danny was big on family. But Miles was pretty sure Rachel had never been mentioned except in vague, passing references. When talking about the people that raised them, both Matheson children universally spoke of Maggie as their mother. Charlie even wanted to name their first daughter after the woman. Miles figured he could be alright with that. As long as the girl's middle name was Annabelle. That had been his and Ben's mother. "Marta is the daughter of a local florist," Miles provided. "Her family was very welcoming when we first came here."

"You're very lovely, dear," Rachel said. "I'm sure you'll fit right into our family."

Miles had to fight not to raise his eyebrows at that one. Rachel had willingly left her family when Danny was barely enough to remember her and, once freed, took nearly three years to come get her children. When exactly did she become part of any family the three of them were building? He was saved from answering by a yell outside. "Miles! I'm home from market!"

"Sounds0 like Charlie," he declared. "I'm going to see if she needs help. You guys get to know each other."

Miles was out the door before anyone could object. And it looked like Danny wanted to. He hurried to their little slapped together stable where Charlie was unhitching one of the horses from the cart. "Miles," she grinned. She crossed the distance between them to lay a gentle kiss on his lips.

Miles pulled away quickly trying to ignore Charlie's hurt look. He gripped her arms tightly, hoping it would help hold onto his slipping control. "Your mom is in the living room," he stated.

Charlie frowned. "What?"

"You heard me. Rachel Matheson, wife of the late Benjamin Matheson, is sitting in our living room talking to Danny and Marta."

Charlie tried to process that insane statement. "I thought she was with the rebels," she said.

"She was," Miles confirmed. "But then she found out you and Danny headed out here so she decided to follow and find you."

"But…why?"

"How should I know, Charlie? Do I look like a family counselor?"

"Well, what do we do?"

"We can't tell her."

"We can't?" Charlie looked honestly shocked by that statement.

Miles sighed and gave her that sympathetic look she had seen so often on their journey for Danny. The one that said a hard truth was coming that Miles didn't want to deliver followed by an emotional moment that Miles didn't want to be a part of. Charlie hated that expression. "Look, Charlie, we got lucky with Danny. Your mom…she won't be as understanding as he was. She still sees you as her little girl and if we tell her what's going on here, she will have me up on charges of rape before you can blink."

"But it's not your fault," Charlie insisted. "I started all of this. I was the one that came onto you. I wore you down, I pushed for this to be more, I did all of it." Her eyes welled with tears. "Why does everyone want to make you the bad guy?"

"Because I'm older," Miles replied with a half shrug. "And they think I should know better."

"Do you think this is wrong?"

"Charlie, if I thought we were wrong, I wouldn't' be here. I would be back in a bar somewhere drinking myself to death." Charlie looked somewhat relieved by that statement which calmed Miles a little. An antsy Charlie was likely to make a misstep. "But your mom…Charlie, she's going to see this as the worst possibility."

"How can this be bad? We…we make each other better. You said so."

"And I meant it. But I also said people wouldn't see it that way." Miles sighed again as he rubbed her arms. "I don't want to make you choose between family, I really don't Charlie. But I'm afraid I have to. And if you want to have a relationship with your mom, to go live with her instead, go back to what we used to be…I'll understand, Charlie. I really will."

Charlie looked at him with those wide blue eyes that had first entranced him back in his bar in Chicago. "Do you want me to go?"

"No! But Christ, Charlie, she's your mother."

"And you're my husband."

Miles leaned in to kiss her forehead. "I shouldn't like hearing that as much as I do," he murmured. "You need to make a choice, Charlie. And make it soon. There's no way we're hiding this for long."

Charlie watched him go with a weird sort of longing. Miles wasn't leaving her but it certainly felt like he was. She finished what she needed to do in the stable before heading back to the house. Glancing in the window, she could see her mom talking with Miles. Rachel said something that must have been funny because Miles chuckled. Then he gave Rachel a soft smile. The smile he usually reserved for Charlie alone. Charlie scowled as she headed inside. "Hey there, big sister," Danny greeted.

"Danny," Charlie smiled. "Didn't realize you were coming over."

"Marta and I wanted to stop by," Danny explained. "Have you seen…?"

Rachel stepped out at that moment. "Charlie," she beamed. Miles was right behind her with a look of resignation on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Charlie demanded.

"I'm here to see you, of course," Rachel said.

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?"

"I mean why are you here? What was the point of this visit? When did you suddenly start caring about me and Danny?"

"Start? Honey, I never stopped."

"Liar!" Miles couldn't be sure who was most surprised by Charlie's outburst but it certainly wasn't him. Maybe Danny. Charlie glared at her mother. "Don't even pretend you care about me and Danny. You left us!"

"Charlotte Matheson, I am your mother and you will not speak to me like that!"

"Why not? Because you can't handle the truth?"

"Charlie," Miles interrupted quietly. He thought he should put up at least a little resistance to this.

"No, Miles, I want to hear this," Rachel insisted. "Charlie, I left you to protect you."

"And you never came back."

"I was a prisoner. Because of your uncle, I might add." Miles might have winced at that implication long ago. But the parts of his family that mattered had already forgiven him. So he didn't really feel guilty over it anymore.

"Uncle Miles left the militia," Charlie pointed out. "And he could have taken you with him."

"And then what? We would have lived with targets on our backs for years."

"I doubt that," Charlie snorted. "Dad and Uncle Miles managed to survive just fine."

"Charlie, please, just let me explain…"

"No." Miles wondered briefly if Charlie had learned that tone of voice from him. He used it on her often enough. "I don't want to hear any more. You stopped being my mother the day you walked away from me and Danny with no thought of how we were going to survive without you. I was raised by Maggie Foster and she was twice the woman you'll ever be. Now get out."

"Charlie," Rachel gasped.

Charlie held onto the anger at the thought of being forced to leave Miles as she said her next words. "Get out of this house and don't ever come back. I don't ever want to see you again."

Rachel looked around for a friendly face. Marta did know her, Danny couldn't look her in the eye and Miles…Miles' reaction was somewhere between resigned and not interested. He just shrugged when she looked at him. "Charlie, please…"

"You heard me!" Charlie's voice was rapidly entering shrieking range. "Get out!"

"Alright," Rachel agreed slowly. "If that's really what you want, Charlie. Then I'll go."

"What are you waiting for?" Charlie demanded when her mother hesitated.

Rachel opened her mouth but could see that nothing she was going to say was going to make any difference. With a small shrug she headed out the door. Charlie stood where she was for a second before bolting up to the room she shared with Miles. "That was awkward," Danny stated.

"Our family needs therapy," Miles sighed. "I'm going to look in on Charlie. I can't promise she'll be fit for human company any time soon so…"

Danny nodded. "I'll take Marta home and started up some comfort food when I get back."

"Thank you." Miles climbed upstairs with a particularly heavy feeling in his chest. He hated that he had been forced to make Charlie choose between him and her mother. It wasn't in any way a fair choice. "Charlie?" he called softly.

"Come in," answered a surprisingly strong voice.

Miles entered to find Charlie sitting in the middle of their bed, completely dry eyed. "I'm sorry," he sighed, sitting next to her.

Charlie rested her head on his shoulder. "You told me I had to make a choice and I did."

"Why choose me? She's your mother Charlie."

"Because when we finally made this real, the only thing you ever asked from me was my loyalty. You said if we were going to take that final step, I was going to be loyal only to you. And now I am."

Miles remembered that. He was big on loyalty. It had been ingrained in him in the Marines. So he had asked Charlie for it before taking her virginity. Mostly because he thought it would be the one thing she would object to. That she would pull away and say that she had to be loyal to Danny first and foremost. (And maybe he had been more drunk than usual. Not that drunk. He could still perform, after all. And well enough that Charlie had come back for more.) "Never thought you'd take those words so seriously."

"I do."

"Good." Miles kissed her hair and they sat in silence for moment. Then Miles smirked. "You look hot when you're jealous, by the way."

"You saw me?" Charlie asked sheepishly.

"Through the window. What ticked you off so bad?"

"You smiled at her," Charlie said.

"Excuse me?"

Charlie lifted her head to look him in the eye. "You smiled at her in that sweet, soft way you have and I got upset. I'm supposed to make you smile like that."

Miles kissed her softly. "Oh trust me, Charlie. You do."

Charlie pushed him back on the bed. "Let's see just how much I can make you smile right now," she grinned, straddling him.

For a really bad day, Miles had to admit things were really looking up.

A/N: First, you're all welcome for the image of shirtless Billy Burke. We've all been waiting for it on the show, don't deny it. The man is built. Second, I'm disappointed at the very little attention my last story in this series received. Barely any reviews for "Tending the Ill" and it was one of my favorites to write. So, though I hate to do it, I'm holding the series hostage. (That little piece of power I have left as an author). If you hated "Ill" then fine. But at least tell me. I can't write what you people want if you don't let me know. So go read and review "Ill" and when it gets a little closer to the numbers of my other fics, we'll get to see things like Miles and Charlie getting frisky (T rated, I don't write M) and Miles/Charlie fluff. Of course, don't forget to review this one as well.