Chapter three

Telling the story

It is morning. Charlie is still on his couch.

When Bass has woken up, he has slowly moved her back to the place she is sleeping now. Not because he wanted to move her away from him, but because he needed to. Hell, the last thing he wants to do is make her feel like he is taking advantage of her.

Because her in his arms, the warm weight of the fucking amazing on a daily basis woman that is Charlotte Matheson has brought him something he is not willing to look at now. She gave him something , he can't even fucking think about. Things long forgotten, thinks that belonged to a world that was long gone now It feels wrong, feeling strangely filled, because of her, here, when she is the one that is going through hell. He shouldn't, he realises, when he looks at her as he presses his lips together, his eyes tired and stinging.

He should not get anything back from her, not when he owes her so much, not while he should be there for her. .Her golden brown hair lightening up in the morning light.

He rubs his eyes tiredly. Gets up from the damn couch. Looks at her again, looks at the glass and bottle of whiskey on the table. He has not touched them since he only wanted to get her through whatever the fuck she was going. One thing he damn well knows for sure, is that she is enough of a Mini Miles to know that Charlie is not going to talk before she's ready. He let out a huff of air, yeah, like that is going to fucking happen.

This is what is going to happen. Charlie will wake the fuck up, throw up her defences, give him that intense stare of hers and then they are going back to the exact fucking place where they ended after all the bullshit from the past year. Looks. Fighting. Never leaving the other behind like some messed up turn of faith.

She wakes up slowly to light and an apartment she does not know before she realises where she is and with who she is.

Monroe. Bass.

Bass is on the other side of the room as he shuts his eyes when he realises he has to go to some fucking meeting with Blanchard and his guys. Charlie stirs. He walks over through the small living room towards the couch, getting to her level. He got a glass of water for her that he is handing her now.

Charlie remembers the images from last night, the apartment of a guy she has gone home with. She also remembers she fell asleep again, cradled against a warm strong chest and arms around her. For once, she has let go. She does not know why she even allowed him, or how Monroe was able to give her a little corner in time where she could finally sleep.

After the running, the fighting, the blazing into every fight and picking up random men, who she never lets close, not after Austin, not after Jason, she almost cringes, when his name and even more his face, is there again. Truth is she has gone home with Allan to outrun guilt, and because she is pissed at herself that she can't seem to move on when everyone is encouraging her to do so. Allan had seemed like a nice enough guy, but he was too much of one thing, not enough of the other. He had been sweet, but she had to get away from him, as his touch, had done nothing for her pain.

At the end of the night, It is Monroe's couch that made her finally able to sleep.

And now just his couch.

She looks at him, her eyes fixed on his. He has trouble looking at her, his eyes everywhere and then again, on her. The empty grieve with her, but the deep sleep somehow brought back a piece of herself.

She accepts the glass from him, as Bass sees how her eyes are darting everywhere.

'Hey, I have to let Miles know where you are, Charlie.' His voice sounds low. He has to fight his hand wanting to go to her arm to nudge her, because after holding her his body is unable to keep the stupid down to a minimum when it comes to wanting to make contact with her.

Charlie nods.

The glass is almost empty as he takes it from her again.

'Look, I have to see Blanchard this morning.' He swallows, as Charlie sees he is unsure about what he is going to say next.

'You can stay here, if you want. You can leave if you don't.'

Charlie feels the couch, the silence in this small apartment. The warm place where she has been able to sleep. His scent around, little things in here that make her at ease. His things. It's quiet. It reminds her of nothing, only fills her with strangle little things that make her at ease.

Bass heart takes a giant leap as she crawls back under the blanket and oozes into the corner of his couch. He wants to cover her up, but here in the morning light it seems there are a different set of rules.

'Be back later this afternoon.' He says softly as he moves away from the couch, getting ready for the day. Getting ready for another round of bullshit as all he finds himself want to do, is stay here for whatever this is.

Before he is out of the door, Charlie is asleep again. He leaves a key on the coffee table for her. Before he locks the door, Bass he looks at her, slowly evenly breathing on his couch, under his blanket in his apartment.

'My daughter is where?' Rachel spits out.

'Rachel I am begging you' Miles warns her, he is not ready for some stupid ass round forty fucking five between the three of them.

He has been worried sick since Charlie was not there in the morning. It is not uncommon for her to stay out late, and although he hates it, he can't keep her here, safe with him, in this house forever since getting Charlie to do anything she does not want to do is impossible as heel.

But this is her home, and normally she would have found her way back to them, to him, about now.

Miles has been looking through the window since dawn, walking to the porch with some whiskey poured in a cup that is supposed to go for coffee. Whiskey with a side of disapproval from Rachel.

It is not much later when Bass has walked towards the house, as Miles would recognise him anywhere. Shoulders slumped into that jacket, the way Bass keeps his head down, just a bit. God, he swears, he misses the days his brother walked around with his head high, with firing blue eyes turned to the world, joking around, making movie references like he never done anything else, flirting easily with Holly from two streets from his house in high school, getting into as much fucking trouble as they could, instead of turned to the demons they both face now.

Bass has walked into the kitchen and talked him through what has happened. Finding Charlie, giving her a place to sleep. Austin biting him both in the ass, like they knew the silent aggressive look in Charlie's eyes a day after, meant trouble for the future. It has not taken long for Rachel to join them.

Bass had been filling them in, and even Miles has to admit the moron was doing his very best to not let Rachel freak the hell out. Miles has been trying to talk some reason into Rachel, but the match near the gasoline train has left the station ten minutes ago.

Miles is just glad that Charlie is safe, asleep. Not running away as he knows she normally chooses to do, because hell, it is what he does too. Bass took care of her.

Bass fires back at Rachel with his own eyes as he hears the contempt in her words. She is with you. You.

Rachel moves to the door.

'What are you doing?' Miles asks.

'Getting my daughter.'

'No you are not,' Miles says, really trying to keep his calm.

'And why not Miles?' Rachel looks at him with big eyes, torn line around her mouth and the look filled with cold playing with his emotions.

Bass has to go over his nose with his fingers, as he takes a sharp breath in. He is already beyond done with all of this bullshit, but there is satisfaction as he sees his brother finally stepping up for Charlie. For him. He clenches his jaws and lips as he stands with a hand on his hip looking at Rachel with a storm of warning at rage in his eyes. A warning to not push it.

If this is going to be another Rachel Matheson show when another person is going through hell, he swears he will not be able to keep his mouth shut.

'We know where she is, she obviously needs some space and the last thing I want for her is to feel she has to start running again to deal with whatever it is she is dealing.' Miles says, this time his voice pitches higher, with more force behind his words. 'Hell, Rachel, that girl has done enough of running.'

Bass picks up on the change in Miles' voice, as sharply blunt pain runs through them. And every fucking time, Miles gets to him.

Rachel looks at him like her eyes shoot fire, as she clenches her fists together and Gene walks in.

'You know he is right, honey,' Gene looks from Miles, to Rachel. 'Give her some space, be there for her later.'

Rachel shoots cold hate at Monroe one more time before she leaves the kitchen. Making sure he knows, Miles knows, she is done with this conversation with him and the freaking monster standing in their kitchen.

Bass spreads his arms.

'So, no thank you then for making sure she is all right?' He snaps after her, his voice booming through the kitchen. He shakes his head in frustration, boiling up on rage that stays in his blue steely eyes.

'All right.' He says bitterly, as he nods to the door, 'Blanchard is waiting, I have to go.'

Miles nods.

Bass grabs the doorknob of the door in the small kitchen of the Porter home.

'Bass?' Miles asks, as Bass hears the uncomfortable yet familiar tone in his brothers voice. He is already far to pissed with Rachel's holier than hell but forgets to be there for her own kids attitude, and he is ready to bolt and leave this shit behind. It is the voice in his brother's voice that makes him stop.

He turns, irritation in his eyes. 'What?' he snaps, with rough voice.

'Thanks man, for coming by to tell that she is all right...you know..' Miles does his best to not look away. 'For making sure she has a place to crash.'

Bass sees his old friends squirm, and fuck, friendship and brotherhood get in the way of just ignoring his ass. And isn't that how it always has been.

'Anytime,' he almost growls back, as his eyes go softer now that Rachel has left the kitchen and it is just Miles and him, ' Just surprised she wants to stay with me.' His voice is now more open, as he looks at Miles.

'Well, I'm not.' Miles answers, his usual sarcasm coming through.

'Excuse me?' Bass turns towards Miles, not believing his fucking ears.

'Well, she did save your ass more than once Bass. Ever thought of why she did that?'

Bass looks completely dumbfounded. He has saved her. She saved him. That's what they do.

'Well, somehow had to help your asses out with the patriots.' Bass bitterly answers.

Miles feels more guilt. The jab from Bass directed at him for coming back for fighting with them, putting his life on the line not to get his own revenge but also make sure their little group was all right without ever a word from Miles through all these months tug at Miles' heart.

He looks at Bass the way he did under that bridge, with Charlotte in the middle, when he just came back with her. Like he wants to fucking take a step towards Bass.

'Bass, she somehow choose to want to be at your place now. Ever see Charlie something she does not want to do?'

Miles looks at him, before he turns away, realising this is going into the mushy direction fast. And, well, he kind of enjoys Bass look on his face.

And there, Bass feels the start of realising what is in those words. What he is to Charlie right now. Something he fucking envied so much, seeing her confiding in Miles. He is becoming that person for her now too.

'Come get me if she needs me. I don't want to...' Miles eyes go to that sad guilt loaded place again, 'push her or anything like that.'

'Sure brother.' Bass nods. They have an understanding.

'Thanks man, just keep her safe, or else, I will kick your ass.' Miles warns with a smile. They both know that even with that smile, Miles is very fucking serious.

Bass looks at the ground, grins. Remembering that Allan asshole from last night that caught up with them on their way to his apartment. He will do exactly the same to anyone who gets to fucking close to Charlotte.

'Anytime.' Bass nods before he is out of the door.

When Bass comes home Charlie is still on the same side of the couch. Asleep.

He makes her something to eat. She eats. She uses the bathroom. He gives her something to drink. She drinks. As she accepts a glass of whiskey and then realises she still feels it, the overwhelming need to sleep, to slip away, let her body and mind and heart do the mending of a tired exhausted body.

She has nightmares.

But he is there.

There is fire in the middle of the night, waiting for her to wake up to. To realise she was dreaming, to realise she is not alone. That he is there. His voice soothing here, hearing his voice again when he told her the night before that she was not alone. The warm breath of air filling her with warmth, flowing through her chest, casting away some loneliness.

And maybe it is the fire in his fireplace. The small sounds of rain outside. Maybe it is them again, the two of them, forming a alliance that no one would believe or see coming if they heard about it before. But it is real. There at 4 a.m., there in his living room. Bass and her. And then, there, on the second day she is there with him, she starts to talk.

And he is there to listen.

Author's note This chapter was about a couple of things: of finding comfort where you did not think it could be. Or if you are honest, there were some signs that someone was paying attention. Because Bass really was, in all those little moments before.

I also wanted to write the moment between Bass and Miles, and yeah, Rachel. Bass keeps on doing good things for Charlie, and I think, it was time for Miles to understand that and acknowledged it. Secondly, Miles realises Charlie is okay with Bass here and that she chooses to stay there, that she needs that. And that, her needs, are more important now than what Rachel wants. This time, Miles does not want to push Charlie away, as I am sure he had many sleepless worried nights about Charlie when she walked away from him at the start of season two.

I wanted to show that their brotherhood, and friendship is still going strong, and that thrust and loyalty are coming back. Charlie the one igniting that.

Also, I wanted Miles being the one that made Bass see, that Charlie choose him, to stay with, to be here.

I stopped at a turning point in the chapter, where Charlie is ready to talk, and tell her story completely.

In next chapter there will be more from that story, and we will see how Bass will be there for her in new ways, as the story moves on.

I am so overwhelmed by all the kind reactions and feedback and reviews you have sent me for this story, thank you so much. It was a joy to read them all! I love reading them and knowing you are reading my story, so thank you for that!

Feedback is always appreciated!

Love from Love