Wow...the response to the first chapter of this story was incredible. I hope the following chapters live up to your expectations.

Chapter 2

Bass walked straight to the stream and dunked his head, only pulling out when he could no longer hold his breath. Shaking his head a few times to get the excess water out he walked back to his clothes, slowly dressing as he went over the facts in his head.

One, Charlie had hit her head while being attacked yesterday. The bruises that he had seen littering her body this morning were proof of that. Oh, Lord, that body….

Focus, Bass, Focus.

Two, She had fallen into the stream and was nearly hypothermic when he had found her. He did exactly what Miles would have done to save her life. He had no choice but to get her out of those wet clothes….

Three, She had woken up and didn't know who anyone was or why they were here and assumed certain things from their situation. He couldn't help but picture her laying back on their shared bed with nothing but a smile and goose bumps from the cold morning air prickling her skin as her nipples rose to the occasion, his cock answering the call as it stood at attention. And he had taken to wearing his parent's rings on a leather rope around his neck. He could understand how she assumed that they were theirs and he was wearing them for safe keeping. Oh for God's sakes, he was beginning to babble in his head now.

Five, Miles was totally going to kill him.

You are so fucked, Bass. Fucked with a capital F.U.C.K.


Marching back to camp, he found Charlie dressed and fixing them a breakfast of left over rabbit. Their sleeping bags had been neatly rolled up and everything was ready to go except the few items she was using. She smiled brightly at him and it took his breath away. Her face had lost all the knowledge of the last few years and while definitely older, she more resembled the girl he had first met in Philly.

"What?" She asked pulling him out of his thoughts as she handed him a plate.

"Nothing. Just thinking about the first time we met."

"That good, huh?" she asked with a wink.

Bass felt his cheeks burn. He couldn't remember the last time a woman had made him blush. He coughed, clearing his throat. "Not exactly. I remember thinking you had bigger balls than most of the men I knew."

"Well, after careful inspection, I can assure you that this is all female," she replied with a waggle of her eyebrows, reaching over to pound his back when he choked on the bite of food he had just taken, causing him to toss his plate aside in frustration.

"This is not a joke!" He said jumping to his feet, "Why aren't you more upset about this? Your family, Miles, is going to kill me!" he yelled at her.

Charlie stood as well, stabbing his chest with her finger, backing him up a step with each jab, "I don't know who Miles is! I only know you, and as of an hour ago you're the only family I've got!" She screamed back at him before clutching her head in her hands.

"Shit!" he spit out instantly contrite. Taking an elbow to help her sit down, he moved her hair around to look at her injury. "I'm so sorry, Charlotte. Are you ok?"

She nodded, gently tugging on his hand. "You're right. I'm scared, Bass. You wouldn't believe all the questions I have and while something obviously happened last night, it's pretty clear by all these knives on my body and that crossbow I'm carrying, that I can take care of myself. And I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't be here with you unless I trusted you and felt safe with you." She paused nodding at him which caused him slow down and take a deep breath. He nodded back at her.

"So, why don't we get going and you can tell me why we're here, why you have an obvious commitment phobia and how I got this goose bump on my head. Sound good?" she tilted her head waiting to see what his response would be.

Bass shook his head with a snort, even with amnesia she had a smart mouth. He held out his hand to help her up. "Yeah, sounds good."


Charlie listened as Bass explained what their "mission" was, why they were out in the middle of "BFE", whatever that meant, and about the men that had attacked them last night.

"So," she began to paraphrase, "the two of us, along with my family, are resistance fighters trying to overthrow these patriot dudes. I can kick some serious ass and you totally saved my life last night?"

"That's what you took from that?" Bass asked incredulously as they rode their horse's side by side.

"Am I wrong?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

"No." he ground out as his jaw creaked from the pressure it was under.

Charlie rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, calm down, I get it. This is serious business and our lives are constantly in danger." Bass was nodding enthusiastically in relief that she did in fact get the seriousness of their situation. "But you've got to admit," she said with a broad smile that made the day light up, "it's pretty fun watching you get your panties in a twist."

Charlie's eyebrows arched in amusement as she watched Bass scowl at her, a strangled noise coming from his throat as he nudged his horse ahead needing a break from the insanity, "fucking mini-Miles," he bitched to himself.

"Oh baby, come on, don't be that way," she called playfully after him causing him to break into a trot, her laughter following him down the road.

They kept that pace up for a while before Bass finally fell back, reaching out to latch on to her upper arm. "I need you to realize how serious a situation we're in and to, well, take it seriously." Their horses had come to a stop as they talked, Bass nearly pulling her into his lap as they spoke.

"You mean kinda like the situation we're in right now?" Charlie asked with a frown as the hair on the back of Bass' neck stood straight up.

"Shit, could this day get any worse?"

"It started off just fine," she grumbled in his direction.

"We'd thank you to be getting off those horses, Mister." Bass heard someone over his left shoulder say.

"I count three," he said quietly as he helped Charlie slide from her saddle to the ground.

"Four," she breathed against his cheek as he lowered himself next to her. "He's to the left where you can't see him." She gasped as she looked up at him, her eyes wide.

His eyes roamed her face. They were both surprised at the sudden memory. Bass had no idea that she even knew about that to begin with. "We'll talk about it later." He whispered.

She nodded and let him guide her out into the open, each putting their hands up in the air.

Bass put on a friendly smile, "We're not wanting any trouble here, Gentlemen. I'm just taking the little woman home to see her Mama."

"Well that's right nice of you, but ain't gonna stop us from taking those horses and anything else we want," The man said with a wicked grin in Charlie's direction.

Bass caught her eye and casually twitched his head in the hopes that she could still read his mind as he took a step to put her behind him.

Following his lead, Charlie moved behind him. Placing her hand on the small of his back she hit something hard. Slipping her hand under his jacket she found the solid grip of a hand gun. Slowly pulling it free as Bass continued to trade insults with the four robbers, she clicked the safety off. As soon as Bass heard it he pulled out his knives, charging the man in front of him as Charlie dropped the two men closest to Bass before watching him finish off the fourth.

Looking back at Charlie who hadn't moved, he made his way to her side slipping the gun out of her shaking hands. "Hey, hey, you did good, Charlotte. You did good," he repeated lifting her chin to look at him. Forcing her lungs to work she sucked in a breath and then released it with a nod, helping him take anything useful that they had on their person. Pocketing a bag of diamonds, he walked back out to the road, Charlie trailing behind him. "Hopefully we'll find the horses a little ways down." They walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts before finally coming across one of the horses munching grass on the side of the road.

Mounting the horse, he held a hand out to her, "Come on, we'll ride double till we get to the next town. Hopefully we'll find one for sale."

Once she was settled, he turned his head to peer at her over his shoulder "You ok?"

"Yeah, just trying to process it is all. I mean I know that's not the first person I've ever killed…."

"But it feels like it." Bass guessed aloud squeezing the hand on his stomach as she nodded in agreement.

Charlie laid her head against his back. "Tell me a story, Bass."

"About what?" he asked his voice turned husky.

"Anything? Everything? My family, your family, how we came to be fighting together."

"Charlotte, most of that won't paint me in a good light."

"But it's all in the past, right?" She asked suddenly worried as she tightened her hold on him.

"Thanks to you, yes."

She smiled in relief. "Then tell me how I made you a changed man, Bass"

She couldn't see his face but felt him chuckle. "Just remember, you asked for it and it's a long walk home."