Hey guys! I come with a new story. This takes place right after "One More Night" and "Headstrong".

I own nothing. And, in canon, this takes place after the mid-season finale.

Rose Tint My World

Charlie Matheson could not have a tighter grip on her brother's hand, even if she tried. After all that they had gone through, she finally had him right where he belonged. Though their mother lied to them for years, the young woman was still glad to have Rachel Matheson with them just as well.

As the blonde looked back at her brother and mother, Charlie's blue eyes widened in horror as she saw a helicopter rise over their heads. Surely, the explosion should have given them more time to get away than that! Charlie gawked at her uncle, who had Nora pressed against his hip as they too stared up at the Huey that was now facing them. Guess they all really were like the energizer bunny…

Bass grinned sadistically, steering the helicopter closer towards the group. His opposite hand went to the control panel and began firing at the group below.

Charlie scrambled to block her brother from being hit, tackling him to the ground. If there was anything that she had learned on her journey, it was that Danny Matheson was the most important person in her life. Without her little brother, life just was meaningless.

"Charlie, just get your brother and run!" Miles shouted on top of the roaring engine.

The blonde girl braced herself as the bullets pelted to the ground heavier than before. She grabbed Danny's elbow and yanked him along the way. His breathing was hitching in his chest, which only told Charlie that his asthma was acting up again. Perfect timing, she snorted. Maybe once everything was calmed down, she would personally write a thank you note to Danny's lungs. No matter what trouble the Matheson siblings had gotten into, his asthma surely acted up while they were in the most danger.

Charlie didn't stop running; even as her legs were burning with agony, even as her lungs were constricting for air, she still kept going. And, no matter what, she didn't dare let go of Danny. If any of the other members of their group didn't make it, Charlie wouldn't care as nearly as much as if it had been her little brother. Harsh as it seemed, it was the truth.

When she finally looked back, she had gotten far, far away from the power plant. She let out a sigh of relief as she saw Miles, Nora, Aaron, and Rachel all catching their breaths from the vigorous running. They were all okay, thank God!

"Where… Where do we go from here?" Danny asked in a voice so quiet that even his older sister had to strain to hear him, and she was still standing right beside him.

"I…" Charlie looked down at the ground, chewing on her lower lip in contemplation. Did she really know where they were going? Absolutely not. She didn't even know how far they were from the power plant. When Charlie ran, she really ran.

"We're gonna get you some place safe, kid," Miles began, coming up behind his niece and nephew, taking them both in warily.

"But what about Bass, Miles? No matter what, he's still trying to kill other militias. And now that he has the pendants to do it with…" Rachel began; her and the former general's eyes met for far too long.

"Well whose fault is that?" he retorted, dark eyes blazing.

"Miles," Nora whispered, bringing her former lover back down to reality. "C'mon, give the woman a break."

The eldest Matheson let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed his face wearily. "We're going to deal with Bass, Rachel. We as in me, Nora, Aaron and Charlie," he sighed again as the mother gawked at him, "do you really think that she'd let me go without her? She's come with me this far."

"Where are Danny and I going?" the older blonde asked, looking between her children with a much lighter expression.

"Somewhere safe, like I said. If Charlie wants to stay, she can. But if she wants to go, well…" Miles rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "I can hardly say no at this point. Kid's got some guts on her."

Rachel locked eyes with the elder Matheson again. "She gets it from her father."

"Yeah," Miles muttered, jolting slightly as Nora grabbed his hand to pull him along.

"We might as well get started now. We'll rest when we get to safe land," the rebel began, looking back at the others, signifying for them to follow.

The former general grumbled under his breath as he traveled alongside Nora; why was this beginning to seem like more trouble than it was worth?

o—o—o

Sebastian "Bass" Monroe used to be a compassionate man before the blackout. Hell, even a little after it; he still had his right sense of mind. But after Miles left, he was forced to become the de facto ruler of the Monroe Republic. Matheson was supposed to be the ruthless one, not him. Bass just did the reasoning; he tried not to get into much trouble.

Now that he had Mandy though, she was beginning to bring out the lighter side of him. She fell in love with Sebastian, not General Monroe. The latter was only used when he had to protect Mandy for one reason or another. Lately, though, he was all that she had seen.

When he ushered her to Boston, that wasn't Sebby talking. The general still cared about his girlfriend's wellbeing, of course, but the way he went about doing things when it came to her wasn't the best. He came to see her at their Boston home after Miles and the others got out of his reach. It would have been easy for him to chase after them in the helicopter, but he decided that he would let them go for now. Obviously, they just weren't ready yet.

Mandy had been trying to take care of herself after she found out that she was pregnant. She had let her cooks in on the news, and they opted to make her baby-friendly meals with the resources that they had. The brunette wasn't quite ready to tell her boyfriend about her situation, and had let everyone in on the fact that Bass didn't need to know about this until she was damn well ready to tell him.

Of course, Bass being Bass, he'd probably already figure it out just by looking at her. Intuitive bastard.

Monroe came up to the front porch steps of his home, the guards already cocking their guns before looking to see who it was. "At ease, gentlemen," he whispered, "it's just me. I've come to check in on Mandy."

"General Monroe, sir," one of them greeted, opening the door for him.

Bass padded through the hallway that led from the kitchen to the bedroom and study. He glanced down at his watch. It was late; Mandy was probably sleeping by now. As he opened their bedroom door slowly to avoid it creaking loudly, he peeked his blonde mop of sleeked back hair inside. Mandy was curled up with her back towards the door. The general grinned to himself. She always hated being right next to the door as she slept. Oddly enough, there was still a candle lit. Maybe she wasn't sleeping at all.

Monroe entered the bedroom and shut the door behind him as quietly as he could. He padded around to the opposite side of the bed, only to discover that his girlfriend was awake. She had her nose in a book. Of course, without him here with her twenty-four/seven, the poor girl had to have been bored. Well… Sebastian grinned as the wheels began turning in his head, he would be sure to screw the boredom right out of her.

Mandy looked up from her book, obviously startled. "Sebastian? What are you doing here?" She sat up easily, a tiny smile playing at her lips, "not that I'm not happy to see you."

Bass slipped his shoes off and plopped down in bed next to her. "I'm happy to see you too, darling," he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a gentle kiss. "How are you doing?"

"I'm alright," the brunette began, placing her makeshift bookmark back into the book. That was when she really started paying attention to her boyfriend. She let out a tiny gasp of air as she noticed how beat up he looked. "Honey, what happened?"

The general winced as his girlfriend caressed his marred cheek as lightly as she could. "I got into a bit of a fight."

"A bit? Sebby, you look awful!" Mandy scooted closer to him, her big brown eyes shimmering back at him against the candlelight.

Sebastian just stared at her as she started inspecting the cuts and abrasions on his face. "May I just say that you look beautiful under the candlelight?" Mandy smiled back at him, to which he leaned forward to start a passionate kiss with her.

The brunette pulled back after a while, a brilliant smile on her lips. "Are you trying to change the subject, or just suck up?"

Bass just grinned back at her, giving her another quick kiss. "Oh maybe a little bit of both."

Mandy sighed and tucked her head underneath his chin. "I'm just glad that you're here. I've missed you."

Her boyfriend looked down at her the best that he could. "Is everything alright? Are my people treating you well?"

"Yes of course. I just really miss you when you're away. Especially when I know that someone wants you dead," the brunette snuggled deeper against his neck, pressing a gentle kiss to it.

"You know that I'm being careful, right? I don't want to lose you, you're all I have left in this world," Bass clung tighter to the petite girl in his arms.

Mandy's heart dropped to her stomach at that thought. She knew that he lost his parents and younger sisters a few years prior to the blackout, and that only made her love her boyfriend more. He literally had no one left in this world. Come to think of it, that probably was the reason why he had changed so much. But now that he had a baby on the way… God knew what that would do to him.

"Are you okay? You look a little spooked," her boyfriend whispered, gently stroking a thumb over her arm.

The brunette sighed and picked her head up to lock eyes with the president of the republic. "Sebby, there's something I need to tell you. Please try not to freak out, okay?"

"Mandy, babe, what could you possibly tell me that would make me freak out?" Sebastian asked, a proud grin in place, though it wasn't completely genuine. He was kinda worried at the same time.

"Well…" Mandy took her boyfriend's opposite hand in her own and placed it over her flat belly. "Sebastian, you're gonna be a daddy."

How was it? Good, bad? Think dear ol' Sebbykins is gonna go bonkers? Ya'll know how to let me know!