The newly reopened sheriff's office would be closed in less than ten minutes. The original building had been destroyed by the bomb that the Patriots had set off about a year ago, but the rubble had been cleared away and a new building put in its place. The little plaque on the desk read 'Sebastian W. Monroe'. Charlie had given it to him for his birthday.
She sat in the ancient rolling chair with her feet propped up on the polished wooden desk while she read the weekly paper from Austin. President Blanchard had declared the war against the Patriots over months ago, but the paper always held stories of wayward Patriot units wreaking havoc on unsuspecting towns. Several dead, several wounded.
At first, Miles and Bass - with her help - had gone out to deal with those messes, but as time wore on and the incidents decreased in number Blanchard had deemed their services no longer necessary. She'd been there when he handed both of the boys a small bag and a slip of paper a piece, diamonds in return for their service and a full pardon. Blanchard had given her a bag as well, he'd even added in a little wink for good measure.
The three of them had found their way back to Willoughby, Miles and Rachel picking up right where they'd left off, not even bothering to say goodnight before disappearing up the stairs. Which had left Charlie and Bass to figure out what the hell they wanted to do with themselves on their own. She'd spent the first week relaxing and just enjoying being in a place where people weren't constantly trying to kill each other, but that had gotten old pretty quickly. Helping her grandpa out with his practice was alright, but ultimately she'd decided that she was much better at killing people than fixing them. Gene had jokingly suggested that she go out and reopen Marion's bar. The look on his face when she actually did it was priceless.
Bass hadn't faired much better. After Miles used his diamonds to buy himself and Rachel a little cottage in town, he'd gone out and used his money to buy a small ranch style home on the opposite side. As much as Bass couldn't stand Rachel, if Miles was staying, so was he. He'd floated around for a while, mostly keeping to himself, though you'd find him helping out around town every now and then. If there was a watch shift on the wall that needed to be filled, Bass took care of it. If a fight broke out in the market, he was the first one there to drag the guys apart. If there was a kitten stuck in a tree, Bass climbed it with a smile and brought the little guy safely back down to the ground.
Eventually the good citizens of Willoughby had gotten used to him, so they got some guys together and built a small building in place of the old sheriff's department. Charlie would put money on the fact that she'd seen tears in his eyes when they'd given him the keys. Bass' role as the town sheriff fit him well. He was a trained killer and a professional in crisis management. The people of Willoughby loved him for it. Clan problems, gang problems, even neighborhood kids just being kids, Bass made sure it was all taken care of and that the townsfolk could sleep easy at night.
Charlie's mind wandered back from her musings to focus on the paper in front of her. A few skirmishes near the Mexican border but no deaths, and the reported number of Patriots was slowly dwindling down to nothing. When the bell above the door rang to announce that someone had entered the building, Charlie slouched back further in the chair and held the paper up high in front of her face.
"Miss Matheson," Bass tipped his head in her direction formally, "I hope you're not here to report another bar brawl."
Charlie rolled her eyes at him. He knew full well why she was there. "Actually Sheriff, I came to ask if you were planning on coming to the bar tonight."
Bass pursed his lips in an attempt to hide a smile. "Unfortunately, I've been banned from the bar by the owner."
"Yeah, well, she let it slip that she was reconsidering. As long as you promise not to break anymore furniture."
Dropping the pretense of their little game, Bass gently nudged her boots off of his desk and sat down in their vacated spot. "So in other words - you miss me."
Charlie scrunched up her face in mock distaste and swung her feet back onto the desk. "Nah. Miles and my mom are 'off again', so he's been at the bar all week scaring off my customers."
"Oh, so you're just trying to use me." He folded his arms over his chest, disapproval on his face.
She threw her head back against the chair and whined low in the back of her throat. "Why does everything always have to be about you? Can't you just... just come and deal with him?" She gave him a pleading look. "Snarky, sarcastic Miles is something I can handle. Moody, depressed Miles? That's not something I can fix."
Bass sighed dramatically and picked at his fingernails. "What do I get out of it?"
"How about the first one's on me?"
He snorted. "You want me to deal with moody Miles and all I get is one free drink?"
"Ok... how about a free drink and the next time you break something I'll make Miles fix it?"
Bass narrowed his eyes at her like he thought she might be lying, but then jumped up with a smile. "Deal."
Charlie chuckled and got out of his seat. She waited until he'd sat down to gently run her fingertips over his shoulder before leaving with a wink.
XxX
The bar was crowded as usual. It seemed that people liked her homemade brew and didn't mind paying a good price for it. She saw Bass come in through the back door, his leather jacket back on his shoulders now that the work day was over. Their eyes met for a moment over the heads of the people waiting around the bar and she tipped her head in Miles' direction. Her uncle was huddled in a booth in the back with an empty shot glass. Bass caught her eye again as he approached the bar and reached over the counter for a bottle of whiskey, she gave him a nod to let him know he could take it and turned her attention back to the customers as he moved to his brother's table.
The night wore on slowly. Every now and then she'd wander past the boys' table and catch little bits of conversation about everything from Rachel to bumblebees. She made a mental note to ask about that later. Back at the bar, Charlie nearly knocked a guy out when he tried to reach over and serve himself a bottle. He'd looked up at her indignantly. "But he got one from back there!" The guy's dirty finger pointed in Bass' direction.
Charlie had looked over to find Bass watching the exchange with mild concern. He backed off with a simple shake of her head and she returned her attention to the would-be thief. "He only got to take a bottle because he knows that he'll pay for it later. You however, still owe me money from yesterday." The guy stuttered about something or other and left soon after, his tab paid in full.
When closing time came and people started filing out, Charlie watched Bass support most of Miles' weight as he led them out. Alone in the empty bar, she started cleaning up. Wiping down tables and cleaning out glasses. She'd just finished the last one and set it on the shelf when the door opened again. Without turning around she asked, "how's our boy?"
Bass leaned up against the bar, openly looking her up and down. "Asleep in his bed, safe and sound."
"Good." Charlie grinned and hopped up onto the higher counter of the bar, sitting with her legs stretched out along the countertop. "Now pour me a drink."
He chuckled and moved around the bar, dropping his jacket on a stool on the way. "So is this how I'm paying for that bottle of whiskey, by pouring you drinks?" He slapped a glass on the counter and poured a good amount of whiskey into it.
She slammed the whole thing back, setting her glass down for a refill with a thud. "Nope." She kicked off her boots and set her feet on the lower counter where all of the bottles of alcohol were. "I've got a few other things that need done." Charlie nudged him with her bare foot and Bass finally got the hint, taking her small foot in his hands and starting to rub the sore spots with his thumbs.
"So I pay in foot rubs now?" He asked with a grin.
She sipped her drink and let her eyes close as his hands worked their magic on her sore feet. "Among other things," she said lightly.
Bass hummed low in his throat. "Care to share?"
"Well... the wheels on my wagon keep squeaking, which is really annoying when I go to Austin to trade, and my roof in the kitchen upstairs is leaking. Fix that stuff, plus the foot rub should cover it."
Bass leaned in close, her eyes were still closed but she could feel his proximity, and gently kissed her neck. "I can think of better ways to pay you, Charlie."
She leaned her head back farther to give him better access. "Like what?" She asked quietly, sucking in a shaky breath when his lips closed around her ear lobe.
"Well for starters," his lips pressed hot and wet against the soft spot behind her ear, "I can help you get this shirt off." Charlie snorted but raised her arms so he could pull it over her head. He kissed his way down her neck to the valley between her breasts while he undid the clasp around her back. The thin bra she was wearing fell away and his mouth was on her nipple immediately, taunting and teasing with his tongue, one of his hands kneading the other gently. Charlie arched her back and grabbed on to the edge of the counter behind her for support with one hand, the other pushing into his curls and pulling him closer.
Bass finally pulled himself away from her breasts and moved back up her neck to her lips so he could claim her mouth. Charlie pulled him as close as she could, yanking his shirt over his head quickly and then going right back to his lips, running her hands over the hard muscles of his chest. They broke apart breathless, Bass going for the button on her jeans and helping her out of them. He spread her legs apart so he could admire her swollen pussy, just begging for his attention. He leaned in slowly, kissing along the inside of her thighs and loving watching her writhe in anticipation.
Pulling her closer to the edge of the counter, Bass ran his tongue up and down her soaked folds, groaning at the taste of her. He zeroed in on her clit and sucked it into his mouth, her loud moan echoing around the empty bar. He worked her over slowly, alternating between her clit and fucking her pussy with his tongue. He eventually gave in to her incessant demands for more with a single finger in her pussy, twisting and curling while he nibbled her swollen clit with his teeth. Charlie's fingers yanked at his hair as she came with his name on her lips, her pussy clenching around his finger.
Bass pushed the bottles of liquor on the lower counter aside to make room for her before pulling Charlie down onto the lower counter top. He tangled his fingers in her wavy hair and slanted his mouth over hers, smearing her juices on her face as he did. Their tongues moved against each other slowly, teeth nipping gently at lips as Charlie's hand slid into the waistband of his too-large jeans and grasped his heavy cock. He groaned while she stroked him, her hand going lower to cup his balls then back up to his shaft over and over again. He dug his fingers into the soft skin of her hips and dragged her closer to him, pushing his pants down around his ankles and releasing his aching cock. He pushed forward, the head of his dick slipping through her wet folds. Charlie reached in between them and took him in her hand, tilting her hips at the same time to guide him into her hot pussy.
They moaned together, Charlie wrapping her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist to pull him deeper inside. Bass moved slowly at first, just enjoying the feel of her wrapped around him, getting lost in their kisses. But the gentleness gave way to need as the pressure in his gut built, Charlie begging for more, so he thrust faster, pressing her harder against the counter as he fucked her. His balls were tightening he was so close, he needed her to finish. "Touch yourself, Charlie. Come on." He watched her hand slide down over her stomach, her fingers finding the little ridge and rubbing in quick circles. She came hard, her head thrown back and her eyes shut tight. Watching her touch herself while his cock kept disappearing in her tight pussy pushed him over the edge, he pulled out and spilled his come all over her thigh, groaning her name into her neck.
Breathless and sweaty, Bass extracted himself from Charlie's embrace with a quick peck on the lips. She jumped down from the counter on unsteady legs and grabbed Bass' discarded shirt. Pulling it on, she headed up the stairs behind the bar to her apartment, leaving him to collect the rest of their clothes and her boots to bring them upstairs. By the time he entered the small apartment she was already in the bedroom, so he dropped her boots on the floor in the kitchen along with his own, and stripped out of his dirty clothes, leaving everything in the basket in the corner of the living room. On his way back past the kitchen, Bass noticed a metal bucket sitting in the corner of the room. It was full of water.
Making his way barefoot and naked back to the bedroom, he found Charlie already tucked into bed, his shirt left laying on the floor. The covers on his side were turned down and he climbed in, spooning himself up against her back and kissing her bare shoulder. "I thought you were kidding about the leak. How long has it been like that?"
Charlie yawned. "About a week."
"A week? You should have told me, I would've come to fix it earlier," he scolded.
"Babe?" She asked sleepily.
"Yeah."
"Can you wait to yell at me till tomorrow?"
He chuckled, pressing another kiss to her skin. "Ok." After a few minutes and he was sure she'd fallen asleep, Bass whispered, "love you."
Charlie sighed deeply. "Love you, too."
A/N My Charloe brain seemed to think that it was going to go on vacation the past few days, so this was my attempt at getting it back where it belongs. For anyone who may be waiting on updates for my other stories Marks on the Wall or Baby Blues, don't worry, they are coming! :-D