It had been six months, two weeks and five days since Charlie died. Counting kept Danny sane, it kept him calm. Most people would think that it would be the other way around but somehow knowing that time was still moving forward helped Danny keep everything in perspective. Uncle Miles sometimes asked to know the countdown but it didn't soothe him the way it did for Danny.
The day after they arrived in the Republic Danny slept until noon. He woke to find lunch ready for him and Miles sleeping in another room. As soon as Miles was up, Captain Baker came to talk to them. He explained that they wanted to find Charlie's grave. Miles thought it was an odd request but gave them the exact location. The rest of the day was spent moving back into Uncle Miles' old house. The place had apparently not been touched since Uncle Miles left all those years ago.
Two days later, Charlie's body was brought back to the capital and given a full state funeral with all the trappings. The funeral was followed by speeches about war costing children their lives and Bass welcoming Uncle Miles back to the Militia. Danny liked the funeral. He liked seeing his sister have hundreds of mourners and he liked that she had a real headstone he could go visit when he got lonely.
Uncle Miles felt differently. He had nearly taken Bass apart in his drunken rage about Bass using Charlie as some sort of propaganda tool. Bass had explained that people would see Charlie as a martyr now and they'd leave Miles and Danny alone. Then Bass and Jeremy had taken the bottle from Miles' hand and helped him in to bed. Danny had still been sharing a room with his uncle then. He pretended to be asleep during the whole thing.
The next few days were spent receiving callers as people came to express their condolences and welcome Miles back home. Uncle Miles let Danny sit in on all the visits but one. When the Nevilles were at the door, Miles sent Danny upstairs. Danny had watched the entire exchange from the crack in the bedroom door. He's a little ashamed to admit that he nearly wet himself when Captain Neville glanced his way during the talk.
Though Uncle Miles now had a job to do—even if Bass kept him in the capital so he didn't' have to leave Danny—that didn't give Danny much to do. Sure he explored the city at first but he soon found himself with endless days and nothing to fill them with. Eventually Danny wandered into the local hospital. One of the workers demanded to know why he was there and Danny gave the first answer that popped into his head. He spent so long volunteering; Uncle Miles had to come find him at the end of the night. It was where Danny spent most of his days now.
Uncle Miles spent his days trying to fix the Republic. He had been serious when he told Bass he wanted rules. So rules were made. Miles saw to it that most of the Rebels caught weren't killed on sight. Usually they were sent to labor camps where they grew crops for the rest of the empire or something else equally useful. He also made sure the Militia was now accountable for its actions. No more stealing girls from cul-de-sacs like in the past. The Republic was slowly reforming.
Uncle Miles might have had a job but that didn't fix everything. He had bad days and he had lots of them. Bad days usually meant Miles being sullen and drinking himself to sleep in whatever chair he fell into when he came home. Sometimes Danny could hear Miles breaking things in his rage. He never laid a hand on Danny though, not once. Danny preferred the good days. The days that Miles smiled and, on one rare occasion, laughed. It was those days that made Danny feel like he was going to be allowed to keep the rest of his family.
Because Miles only really had two people to lean on and one of them was usually fighting rebels, Danny was seeing a lot of Bass Monroe. And Danny had to admit for an evil, maniacal dictator…Bass was a pretty nice guy. You know, now that he wasn't using Danny as leverage. Bass was there to take the bottle from Miles' hand when he drank too much and put him to bed. Danny privately wondered if the two had started sleeping together after he moved into his own bedroom. But that was really none of his business and he never quite had the courage to ask his uncle either way.
Bass was there on the good days too. He was usually the reason for the good days, actually. Bass and Miles would reminisce about when things weren't so messed up and it would calm Miles down. They talked about baseball and school and being in the marines. Danny would occasionally venture into whatever room they were sitting in and just bask in the happy atmosphere. Sometimes they would try to draw him into the conversation but Danny didn't usually have much to contribute. It was fine though, nothing was really expected of him at these times.
Bass wasn't just there for Miles either. He did his best to look after Danny like he had promised. The Bass that spent time at their house was very different from the President Monroe that Danny had met when he first came to Philly. Bass was always offering to teach him things or just wanting to talk about Danny's life before everything. Bass revealed that he had known their family before the Blackout and it made Danny much more comfortable talking about Charlie and how he missed her.
When Bass heard that Danny was trying to count how long it had been since Charlie died, he brought over a small chalkboard that Danny kept on his windowsill and used to count how long Charlie had been gone. It was very hard to reconcile this smiling stranger with the man that had ordered Danny hurt before. Danny was actually starting to think of him as Uncle Bass just like he thought of Miles as Uncle Miles.
"Danny, are you ready yet?" Miles called, startling Danny from his reverie.
"Almost!" Danny yelled.
"Well move it!"
Danny threw the last of his stuff in his bag and bolted down the stairs. "Ready," he panted.
Miles gave him a once over. "Don't have an asthma attack before we even leave," he said. Danny stuck his tongue out. "Real mature kid."
Danny shrugged as he followed Miles out of the house. "I learned from the best."
They strolled down the street basking in the morning warmth. A few people called to them as they made their way to Uncle Bass' house and they returned the greetings. Danny was surprised to find he was actually making friends here. And they weren't so different from the friends he'd had back home either.
He and Miles made small talk until they reached Uncle Bass' home where the other man was waiting outside for them. Uncle Bass and Uncle Miles had given themselves the day off to just hang out with family. They were going to ride up to the lake and do a little fishing, something Danny enjoyed learning, and then head back when Jeremy got off and mess around in the park. Personally Danny was hoping he could convince them for some two on two soccer. He and Uncle Bass had smoked Uncle Miles and Jeremy the last time they played.
"I was wondering if you two were planning on showing up," Bass grinned.
Miles rolled his eyes. "Blame the kid. He took forever getting ready."
"Yeah, sure, it's all Danny's fault. Sure you're not just getting old?" Bass teased.
Miles playfully shoved him. "You're an ass," he replied with a half-smile.
The three of them made their way to the stables at an easy pace. Kip came jogging up to them as they were picking out their horses. "General Matheson, you need to see this," he said.
Miles rolled his eyes. "Kip, I've got the day off. Go bother Neville or someone with it."
"Gotta be you, Miles."
"Fuck. Alright, where's the damn fire?" Miles demanded tiredly.
"This way sir."
Bass and Danny followed as Kip led Miles back to the field just behind the large building where Bass and Miles ran the government. This private field was usually used for executions so no one could actually see them. Miles told Bass that public executions were in bad taste. Bass gave in like he did with everything Miles asked. Right now there was a very familiar prisoner surrounded by a firing squad led by Jeremy.
Danny watched as the mask of General Matheson fell over his uncle. "What's going on here?" the general asked stiffly.
"Sir, this prisoner was caught aiding rebels who were trying to liberate enemy factions from a Republic work camp."
"Please, Miles, please don't do this!" Nora begged. "Miles, don't let them kill me!"
General Matheson's eyes flicked over her for a moment. "What do you mean liberate?" he asked.
"She was making explosives to get past the sentries and possibly blow up the officer's quarters."
Nora spotted Danny in the back and struggled to get up. She was pushed to her knees again. "Danny, please don't let your uncle do this! I didn't mean for Charlie to die!"
Danny's face hardened at those words. "Uncle Miles what's taking so long?" he whined. "She's just a stupid rebel. Let's go already. We're wasting time here."
General Matheson looked back at Jeremy. "Does she have other charges against her?"
"Sir, yes, sir. She's wanted in connection for various bombings and Militia deaths."
General Matheson looked back at the bound prisoner. "And what is the punishment for someone in her situation?"
"Death, sir."
His eyes went back to Jeremy, cold as ever. "Then why are we still standing here talking, captain? Kill her and be done with it."
Nora shrieked as General Matheson turned away. They could hear her pleading for her life but the pleas fell on deaf ears. Danny noticed that Uncle Miles came back as soon as he was no longer facing Nora. "So," Miles began as he shouldered his stuff, "I think this soccer match later should be me and Danny against you and Jeremy."
"Why?" Bass asked.
"Because Matheson men should stick together."
Bass rolled his eyes. "Liar. You just don't want to lose again."
"That too," Miles grinned.
The last sound Nora heard before the crack of the guns was Danny and Miles laughing together.
A/N: The title comes from a George Bernard Shaw quote "IF you can't get rid of the family skeleton, you might as well make him dance"
A/N2: For Iron America who wanted Nora's head on a platter. Hope this fits the bill.