Choices, Chapter two


He nodded towards Connor. 'Stay with her.' Nodding his head towards Charlie who was caught between Staypuft and his kid near the fire, Staypuft making sure she was warm. Silently working to arrange the blanket, as Connor looked from his dad to Charlie and Aaron. He gave the older Monroe a nod back.

Bass heart got another dig when he watched Connor look at Charlie with softer eyes than he had gotten all fucking day from his kid. But right now, he needed someone to stay the hell with her. He shoved it away, next to all the other shit Charlie was able to get out of him, and rearranged the gun under his jacket, near his lower back.

And then, Bass looked at Rachel. And his boots hit the ground with heavy weights. He was going to find out what happened. Why the hell Charlie had gotten out of that tent, crashing down. Rachel might have kept her mouth shut for nine years in Philly, but god help her if she did not started to talk right fucking now.

Rachel was standing in the smaller tent, as her cold eyes met his. She had a wash of guilt and hurt, or whatever the fuck it was in her eyes. He did not really give a fuck.

They used to be friends. He would visit her family with Miles. He would meet them in Chicago, her and Ben when they were so much younger. When their house was an inviting table with food and catching up with beer and Ben.

They had a friendship, but it was a friendship build around Ben and Miles. That friendship had already changed when he knew about her affair with Miles. That friendship had been lost for good after nine years of Philly. After she showed up. Showed up, after they, he and Miles, it seemed like he was the only one remembering that one detail, had asked for Ben.

The minute Jeremy had walked his ass into his office when he was in a meeting, to tell him Rachel Matheson had showed up at the stables north of the city, he had know she was here for him. For Miles. He had known about their dirty little secret. He fucking had. He had also known that she had a part in ripping the world apart as it was. Her and Ben.

And then, after the many mistakes he knew he had made, she had done the one thing that ripped everything apart. The last piece of friendship somewhere out there. He was drunk. So was she. Or maybe, no strike that, not as drunk as she had wanted him to believe. Miles was gone. Smashing another piece in his soul. Not that there was much left anymore. He had fucked her. She had been more than willing. And then, the bitch had truly believed that one drunken fuck, would made him change his mind about releasing her, about letting her go. She really had thought she was able to play him like that.

She had used Miles, she had played him, she had given a piece of herself away in a game of a drunk late night with too much whiskey and too much regret. Rachel had used him, her, that night, that moment. To get what she wanted, needed. He knew he was not a saint, but he knew her. He knew what she was capable of.

He had been filled with dark anger at her and himself after the sun had come up that night, but most of all for himself. For letting himself get lost in a night where Rachel had not hesitated to use all of it, to get what she wanted. After that, things between them had been harsh, edged, filled with lashing out and a desire only to forget and wipe out all memories of the existence of the other. He had barely seen her, only visiting her to add more pressure to get the power back on. After that night, he had not hesitated to use her kids against her.

They were not friends anymore. He realised how fucking much they were not friends anymore when she straightened her shoulders here in this tent, when Miles was missing, had left him again, and her eyes had filled with blue loathing.

'Get out, Bass.' Rachel said coldly.

Bass huffed at hearing his name. Sure, now it was Bass again. Now she could use it as a weapon, to use his nickname to put him back in his place.

'The hell I am, Rachel.' His eyes were darker, the light falling in them differently, as his curls were sticky with sweat against his forehead and neck. 'What the hell is going on?'

'What is going on is none of your business,' Rachel spat out the words.

'None of my business huh?' Bass stepped closer, his voice now filled with more rage, and disbelieve , the colour of his words harsh, throwing his arms in the air.

Rachel met him with cold eyes. This was not Philly anymore, both of them had a free range, both of them were equally free now to let it all explode, right here.

Bass stepped closer, only stopping right in front of her.

'None of this is your business, Bass. This is my family.' She laced her words with contained hate, meeting his eyes.

My family. Not yours. You have non left. Except for the son that is as dark and gone to hell as you. It was what Rachel was not saying, and what they were both hearing.

Eyes were challenging him, daring him to let this all go to hell.

Seconds passed.

'Okay, you want to do this now?' Bass could not hold back anymore. Charlie was out there with Staypuft and his kid, barely keeping her shit together. Miles was missing. He had come over to see what the hell was going on but she wanted to go for another round, drag all the old bullshit in this too. Make this all about her. Fine. The bitch could have it.

'Fine,' Bass breathed out harshly, ' You are a hypocritical bitch and you are grinding him into the dirt. With all your whining, your nagging about doing the right thing I hear all fucking day, The right thing? You? Where the hell do you get off with that? Because, lady, I know you. You're a screw driver wielding psychopath.'

Rachel eyes filled with fury. Knowing where Bass was aiming at. That one night. She pushed it all back, falling back to her old pattern of hate, of love for one General, of loathing and nothing else for the other.

'Oh, so you know me? You know Miles, everybody?' Rachel moved closer into his personal space, her voice the sound of a lioness waiting to make her move.

'That's right,' his voice was laced with dangerous contained rage.

'Because I know you, Bass, you insecure child. You are taking down Miles and my daughter into the mud with you, because you can't bear the be alone. You are that pathetic.' Rachel spat the words at him.

Bass felt old hurt ambush him, his eyes now a more watery deep grey blue as Rachel used the days after he lost his whole family, his mom, his dad, his sisters, after she used that here, those endless lonely days, as he looked at her, the night in Philly raging through him, as he realised how much of a bitch she was being.

'Then tell me Rachel, if I am that pathetic and you are that good, than why did I just pull your kid of the ground, making sure she was all right?'

He watched her whole face constrict in rage, he knew he had gotten to her.

He felt her hand crashing onto his cheeck, as she lashed out and slapped him in the face.

Bass whole face turned into rage, as his hands just wanted to wrap themselves around her neck and fucking kill her.

Remembering Charlie, Miles, his kid, all of them out there made him change his mind.

The bitch would not win this round. Not like Philly.

He breathed harshly, letting the rage go. For now. He pushed his tongue against his teeth as he took a step back. And then another one. Looking at Rachel, Rachel looking at him.

He walked out of the tent. Not knowing what the hell had happened between Charlie and Rachel. He would find out. Right now he needed not to look at her face. Not be in the same god damn space as her.

Bass turned. Left the tent behind. Left Rachel behind and all her god damn whining and bitching.

Charlie. Miles. His mind now on the both of them.


Charlie felt his chest. Even now he had walked away, leaving her with Aaron and Connor she could feel Bass' chest. Or rather sense him, his scent of harsh sweat, his skin, on her. It was dark now, as pale stars were above her. As Miles was still not here. As the camp was buzzing around her, men, woman, cleaning weapons, the fire, eating. Sounds she knew so well. Meaningless filling of the sky.

The fight with her mom colliding in her mind with everything else that had happened. That one tent, in this camp that would forever stay with her. The whole conversation at the end of this day, that were in reality two days but felt as one long day, when Miles had not returned to camp going through her mind. Seeing him ride away, when she was huddled up in the bushes with Monroe and Connor at the side of the beaten road when the rangers were closing in on them, seeing Miles ride away on that wagon over and over again.

The fight with angry words with her mom from just now going through her mind. Her mother's face. Her own voice, the tent. Camp sounds around them fading.

Thoughts going through her mind.

And then her thoughts stopped and crashed. At that one point that had changed everything for good. And she heard her mother's voice again. Miles. It was the moment he had stopped being her uncle.

And had become her father.

She felt how Bass was back, his boots behind her. And then next to her. Not even wondering when she had gotten into tune with the rhythm of his step.

Charlie fell asleep, as heavy sleep pulled at her body.

She felt the blanket. She felt Connor on her right. Aaron sitting a little further ahead. The lingering presence of her mom and the truth so close but now far away at the same time. Because most of all, somehow she felt him most.

Monroe.

She was curled up under a blanket, between Connor and him. The sounds of their fire close.

Him. Bass. Somehow in these moments he became Bass. His large boot was next to her, so was his left leg as a solid place in this desolate night. He was sitting next to her and had not moved anymore. He felt tall, and broad next to her. She was asleep next to the man that was her sworn enemy, when everything was still black and white. Nothing was black and white anymore.

And there, when she felt the curve of his body, when her forehead touched a piece of his leg, knowing he would sit with her, knowing he was there, she fell asleep, close to the fire and next to Sebastian Monroe.


Authors note So, I never ever wrote a story where Miles is Charlie's father. It was an option in my notebook, and I wanted to explore that here. But it is also a part of this story. The story is also about the moment where Charlie lets Bass, or Monroe, he is still someone between Bass and Monroe to her here in this chapter, closer. It is the moment where Bass realises he wants to still stand up for her. That is what this story is about.

I have been travelling, so this update took a bit longer as usual. But I am back and I plan on updating in a couple of days for this story. I will finish this one and then return to answers, which is my story of giving answers to many questions I still have, my way of finding them. Also, I plan on writing a passionate chapter for trouble in between. Well, those are the plans.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please know that your feedback is always welcome. Thanks for reading! Love from Love