Title: Gift of Life
Summary: Picks up directly after the Season 1 finale.
Author's Note: Hope you're ready for action, suspense, and maybe even some romance down the line.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. This is just fanfic. Be cool, NBC soda pops.
Rating: TV-14 (if this were the realio dealio)
Tom's men put the finishing touches on the explosives. He waits, eyes dark and focused as ever. He's going to blast his way in, and then, he's going to kill them all. And he hoped to start with that little bitch Matheson girl, the ultimate thorn in his side.
Jason looks over at his father with a set jaw. He glares at him with anger in his eyes. He hates him. His father had betrayed his trust. Again. But even more than he hated his father, he hated himself. Because he'd foolishly trusted him. Again.
KABOOM. The door blows. It's instant barrage of militia gunfire. Rachel and Aaron duck for cover as Miles and Charlie do their best to return fire, but as they're the only two with weapons, they are outnumbered by Tom's half a dozen men unloading in their direction.
Miles kneels behind the desk as bullets ricochet above him. He sneaks over to the other side of the room, takes aim, and is able to take out two men, as Charlie shoots her own pair.
Two last two men step forward and open fire as Charlie realizes she's out of bullets.
"Damn it." She mutters as she exchanges a glance with her mother. Rachel then turns to Miles across the room, and he's got the same look of dread and finality. He's out too. They're all going to die here.
As bullets strike above them, Charlie puts the gun onto the ground and just sits there, arms slung casually across her knees as though they weren't being fired upon with automatic weapons. It's like she's in another place now, with an odd peace on her face. An ironic smirk appears, as she can't help but find the irony in it all. They did it. They turned the lights back on. And now they get to die. Was this they're reward? Or was this a punishment? Depending on which, it spoke volumes as to their karma.
Rachel sees her daughter staring off into space. She can't stand seeing her daughter like this. She's too at peace with death. Too accepting of her fate. Too ready to die. And it terrifies her.
Suddenly - more gunfire rings out. But it doesn't strike anywhere near them. Miles frowns. He peeks over, and with interest now renewed, Charlie joins him. Shock spreads across their faces. Rachel and Aaron see this, and cautiously take a look themselves.
Everyone stares at the image of the last two men dead in the doorway, and Jason standing behind them, his rifle smoking and now pointed right at his father - who points a handgun right back at him. The two Nevilles stand off, as Miles, Charlie, and Aaron slowly stand.
"Put. The. Gun. Down." Tom orders slow and steady.
"You first, sir." Jason speaks, with ironic, disgusted emphasis on the final word.
"You look a bit outnumbered here Tom. You shoot Jason, maybe you even shoot me - " he begins as he cautiously approaches with a raised hand, " - but are you so sure you can get off another shot at Charlie, Rachel, hell even Aaron before one of us reaches your sorry ass."
Charlie steps forward now, not so cautiously. She wants to protect Jason. It's clear on her face she's willing to risk her life to do so, just like he just risked his for her.
Tom turns the gun on Charlie. Miles' eyes go wide, "Hey hey!"
"Don't!" Jason barks.
Tom doesn't move though. He just calmly keeps his gun trained on Charlie. His eyes glance over to his son.
"You really going to shoot me? Are you really going to kill your father, for some - little piece of ass?"
Rachel frowns. She'd noticed her daughter exchange a flirtatious glance or two with Jason during their brief time as a group at the rebel base, but she never imagined there was really anything more to it. And she hoped even now that there wasn't. After all, he is Tom Neville's son. He's militia. The thought disgusted her. Then again, he stands there now, willing to murder his own father in order to save her daughter. Or was he?
"Charlie step back." Her mother orders protectively.
Charlie easily ignores her. She also ignores the pleading, irritated look on Miles' face as she takes another step forward.
Tom cocks the gun. Jason adjusts his, threateningly. Tom looks at his son again, a hint of humor in his usually black eyes. He pauses. Looks hard at his son's face, and then - he sees it. Jason really will kill him. His smirk drops and his eyes go cold in realization of the ultimate betrayal his son is capable of. Looks like his son has balls after all. Even if he is a traitorous little bastard.
Tom lifts the gun in submission. Miles rushes him, taking the gun and shoving him hard against the wall as Charlie follows, stepping in the space between her uncle and Jason.
"You've threatened my family for the last time, Tom." Miles puts the gun to the back of Neville's head. He steps back next to Charlie, readying his aim. His fingers is about to squeeze the trigger when -
"Rachel?" a voice calls to their right. Grace appears, eyes wide as she takes in the scene.
Miles turns, and that's all the opportunity Tom needs. In a flash, Tom elbows him in the face and regains control of the gun. A quick whip and Miles takes the hard metal of the barrel to his temple, sending him to the floor.
Jason lifts his gun again but Charlie is in his line of fire as she quickly reaches for Tom's gun. The two struggle a split second until Jason drops his rifle and grabs his father from behind in a choke hold. With Jason's grip on his neck and Charlie's on his wrist, Tom struggles for survival as Rachel and Aaron rush towards them, stopping to help Miles to his feet. Suddenly -
BOOM. The gunshot is deafening. Everyone freezes. Jason loosens his grip. Tom drops to the ground. They all stand there a moment, looking down at him. Miles especially can't take his eyes off of him, and he frowns as he realizes something's wrong. There's no blood forming under Tom. Miles takes a dizzy step forward and reaches down, turning Neville over.
Everyone sees now, that Tom's not been shot. He's just out cold from Jason's choke hold. But if he's not shot then -
Rachel's face drops as she - and everyone - look at Charlie, who just stands there, her back to them. She turns slowly, and then it becomes visible. The growing red on her white shirt. She brings a hand to her stomach, and collapses.
"Charlie!" Rachel screams as they all rush to surround her and Jason catches her before she can fall. He gently lowers her to the ground.
Rachel grasps desperately at her daughter, her hands becoming bloody and then smearing it across Charlie's already bloody and bruised face as she gently cups it.
"Baby, baby stay with us." she pleads as Charlie's eyes start to glaze over.
"Charlie - Charlie!" she yells as Miles applies pressure with furiously shaking hands. Aaron just stands there, his eyes wide. Jason looks lost and desperate, unable to move.
"Grace - " Rachel looks up at her former friend, "You have to help us, Grace - "
But Grace ignores her now as she walks right past them to the doorway, looking inside at the screen, horror on her already troubled face.
"What did you do..." Grace finally manages to ask in knowing dread, tears in her eyes.
Miles quickly places Charlie onto the bed in the infirmary as Aaron digs furiously through the nearby supplies. Jason finally steps in and shoves him out of the way, retrieving what he knows is needed and quickly bringing it to Miles, as he works quickly to try to stop the bleeding.
"Just hang on Charlie, I'm not losing you too." he says with a slight crack to his usually strong and sure voice.
Rachel sees this and knows it must be bad. But this can't happen. It just can't. In pure desperation, she hovers over her -
"Charlie, hey. You remember - the summer before the blackout? We took a road trip, do you remember that? To Virgina Beach. It took us hours to get there but when we did and you saw the ocean for the first time - your face just lit up." Rachel pauses, tears running down her face now as she tries to keep composed as a pale Charlie blinks lazily, barely clinging to consciousness.
"I had never seen you happier. And when we had to leave, you were so upset. You wanted to stay. You begged your dad and me to move us there." she smiles through the tears at the innocent memory. She sniffs, and wipes a tear as she continues, "The only way we could get you into the car was for me to promise to take you to see it again. But then the black out - "
Rachel saddens a moment, then her face hardens with conviction, her eyes going firm through the tears. She focuses her eyes on her daughters'.
"I promise you Charlie, I promise you - I will take you to see the ocean again. If you just hold on." Her face shifts to pure pain once again. More desperately now she pleads, "Don't leave me. I have so much to make up to you..."
She weeps now, burying her face down next to Charlie's arm on the bed as Miles continues to try to do what he can to try to save the only person he has left.
To be continued...
