And the bells were ringing out for Christmas day, part 3 (finis…).
A Revolution fic: Bass Monroe/Charlie Matheson, Charloe; Blackout AU. It's a few days before Christmas and President Blanchard of the Sovereign Nation of Texas is throwing a party to celebrate his inauguration. Miles and Bass have been invited along to accept their full and unconditional pardons and honorary status as Texas Rangers. Rachel, Aaron and Priscilla are too busy with the Nano stuff to go so Charlie is travelling with the two former generals to Austin from Willoughby, mostly to make sure they don't get into trouble…
Rating M
Author's note:
Hi there and thanks so much for having a look at this, I hope you enjoy it… The story is a gift for Romeokijai as part of the Good Ship VeryCharloeChristmas2015 fic exchange and this is the final part! :D
The title is from 'Fairytale of New York' by Shane McGowan and Jem Finer (The Pogues)
I don't own any part of Revolution and am writing this purely for love of the show and its characters.
And the bells were ringing out for Christmas day, part 3 (finis…).
'Damn it, Bass' Charlie stood at the door of the barn and stared at the half dozen roughly dressed men and women bristling with weapons, nasty grins and bad teeth heading their way. She reached for an arrow, set her bow then unclipped her knives, 'I told Miles we wouldn't get into trouble…'
He chuckled although his eyes were hard. 'Shouldn't have said that, it's bad luck…' He pulled his swords out, swinging them round to loosen his wrists, the blades swishing through the air, and a couple of the oncoming idiots swung their own, letting out what they must have thought were war whoops but that sounded more like pigs grunting… Bass started planning his moves.
It was lucky they'd spotted the intruders, they'd only just gotten dressed after the fourth or fifth round, although Charlie wasn't quite sure if the third time counted as it hadn't involved actual fucking… She licked her lips, still tasting him there; and grinned, feeling very, very pleasantly buzzed despite the interruption.
And yeah, Miles was totally full of crap because Bass wasn't worn out at all… in fact they'd been about to go back inside because the storm was circling back towards them when they'd spotted the escapees from what looked like a down on it's luck war clan coming stumbling out of the woods, presumably looking for shelter in the barn too.
Unfortunately for them, Charlie didn't feel like sharing Bass, or the barn, with anyone else… She studied the oncoming horde, 'Guns or hand to hand? And d'you want north or south, Bass?'
Bass grinned, his teeth very white in the stormy air… 'Hand to hand, lets save the bullets for a real emergency, and I'll take north, the guy at the front looks like Ed Truman and I can't wait to have a go at him…' the grin widened, 'you take naked guy and the scary sisters.'
She grinned back, an eyebrow lifting…'Really? You're giving me a naked guy? That's so sweet'
He chuckled, 'no problem, a naked guy is gonna be more worried about protecting his nuts and bolts than where his knife is going.'
Charlie looked at the guy, they were getting closer now and she could see the man's nuts bouncing in the breeze as he ran and a large erection swaying from side to side like a dirty finger waggling at the sky… 'His bolt looks pretty happy to me, Bass.'
Bass swung his swords round again, 'happy bolt, no brains…'
She smirked…'That's something to remember…' She aimed and let fly; one of the scary sisters shrieked and dropped to the ground and the other five clans people let out a sort of collective shriek and ran faster towards them.
Then there was no more time to talk, because there were smelly, screaming, greasy bodies all round them and it was slicing and dicing, rocking and rolling.
Bass fricaseed his way through the Ed Truman lookalike, a wide grin of satisfaction flashing… then with a combination upswing and sideswipe he took out the two men crowding up behind fallen Ed before turning round to see if Charlie needed any help.
Charlie was going hand to hand with the remaining scary sister while trying to avoid being grabbed by naked guy who was definitely under the influence of something because he kept trying to rub himself on her rather than kill her which was almost worse, because he smelled really, really bad of…well, something really, really bad… She was busy avoiding one groping hand and what looked like a knife coated in tar while she finished off the shrieking woman, when she saw Bass came up behind smelly guy, catch him round the neck with one arm and stick a sword up under his ribs with the other.
His lips twisting in disgust as the dead man slid down to the ground, Bass stepped back quickly to avoid touching the body more than he had to. Then he sniffed the arm that had been round the dirty neck… 'Damn, that's disgusting, I don't think this guy knew what a bath was…'
Charlie was leaning on her knees, panting and looked up at Bass, her eyes laughing… 'At least you only touched his neck, I was way, way too close to his nuts and bolts…' she shuddered, brushed some dirt off her thighs and stood up. 'Next time you get the naked guy, ok?'
There was the sound of rapid hoof beats coming towards them and they turned together to see a bay horse coming at breakneck speed and nearly at the barn, Miles and Nora riding double on its back. The sweating horse streaked to a mud splattering halt in front of them and Miles swung down, pulling his rifle from the saddle mount, a scowl creasing his brow as he glared at them… 'Find some cover you morons, we've got incoming.'
Nora slid down after him, her rifle slung over one shoulder and catching the reins with her spare hand, she pulled the horse inside the barn, her eyes meeting Charlie's with a flash of deep brown irony...
Charlie looked towards the woods. There were a bunch more of the barely dressed clans people coming towards them at a flat run from out of the shelter of the trees, brandishing swords, axes, sticks, even a few bows, although thankfully few seemed to have guns, 'Shit…' She checked her weapons, she was really low on bullets… and looked for the best and nearest cover…
Bass lifted an eyebrow as he pulled a shotgun out of the saddlebag draped over his shoulder, heaved the bag behind the open barn door and ran to join Charlie. 'Could have let us know you were bringing friends, Miles'
Miles grinned, slicking a new magazine into his gun, 'didn't want to spoil the surprise…' He studied the oncoming runners, 'so what do you think, Newark or Lancaster?'
'Lancaster'll do it I reckon…'
Miles nodded 'Ok, I'll go, you stay and be mother…' then he headed off in a fast crouching run towards the back of the barn…
Bass glanced at Charlie, his eyes blazing hot blue and so, so alive…
She returned his gaze, her belly tight and her clit pulsing….'so…later then?'
He nodded, his eyes never leaving hers, 'Hell yeah….'
She grinned… she knew the plan; they'd done Lancaster a couple of times before. Miles would be coming round from behind the barn and their unwelcome guests wouldn't know he was there until it was too late…
Nora came back, rifle in hand and took cover behind the carcase of an old tractor. She slanted a glance back to Charlie, her eyes sliding over Bass, shoulders lifting in a shrug, her voice wry. 'Feels almost like old times, doesn't it?' then she turned, took aim and fired into the advancing mob…
One of the figures fell; the others kept coming, Nora aimed again, dropping another, then another…
Bass took cover behind a pile of old tires, dropped another two with a couple of well-placed shots then paused to change magazines…
Charlie joined Bass behind the tires, aiming but waiting till she had a sure shot with her smaller gauge weapon, then as soon as she could she fired, dropping a heavily tattooed woman, then fired again, winging a grey bearded man carrying a sabre. He dropped too, his sword arm broken; she got a couple more decent hits then put her gun down, out of ammo…
By the time the remnants of the mob got within range of her bow, Miles had got into position and was methodically picking off their attackers from behind a couple of water barrels… and then there were only a few attackers left.
Charlie let one more arrow fly at another target then out of the corner of her eye she saw Bass fighting hand to hand against two men, his swords flashing like scythes, one of the men falling and then suddenly, somehow, Bass lost his footing and was on the ground on a pile of fallen clansmen, a leg twisted underneath him and his belly and throat vulnerable, the remaining attacker slicing downwards towards him with his machete.
She gasped, swinging round to help, watching Bass struggle to get up, knowing she was going to be way, way too fucking late.
She caught his eyes and for a moment saw a desperate regret, a love and passion that seared through her like one of his swords. She leaped towards him; her lips open in a scream of denial…
Then, the clansman's head burst open like a split melon and he swayed in place for a long, long moment, before dropping like a stone, machete falling from a lifeless hand to the ground, the blade clattering and splashing into a puddle, drops of water flying up in a slow, surreal dance with the rain falling down…
Charlie turned…
Nora lowered her rifle, her eyes full of so many things that Charlie couldn't begin to count them…
Charlie looked at her, heart pounding and tears filling her eyes along with the rain that had just started falling. He was alive. Nora had saved him; she'd saved Bass, after everything that had happened…
Bass had found his feet, his eyes on Nora too… He stood there, breathing hard, for a long moment, his face full of a mixture of anguish and a deep, deep gratitude; his shoulders slumped and his swords hanging loose from his hands…
Nora took a deep breath, then let it out… 'Its Christmas; a new year, time to start over, ok?'
Miles finished off the last attacker and came over, wiping sweat and rain from his forehead with the back of his arm, his sword dripping blood and rainwater… He looked from Bass to Nora then Charlie, 'is everything alright, guys?'
Nora nodded…'Yeah…' She reached out for him, her free arm going around his waist and her full lips curving in the beginnings of a smile as he leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, careful not to drip blood on her, 'I think it's going to be ok…'
….
Charlie looked at herself in the mirror, not quite recognising the young, clean, gorgeous woman standing there in a calf length, low cut, sleeveless crimson dress, the silky fabric clinging to her curves like a second skin, the dark blond waves of her hair swept in a heavy fall over one bare shoulder, high, red pumps completing the outfit… 'I love this dress, Nora.'
President Blanchard's household in Austin had been very welcoming, someone finding them rooms in one of the best hotels in town and after hot baths, they'd found a selection of dresses, shoes, makeup and other things waiting for them to choose from for the ball…
Nora looked over from where she was sitting in front of her own mirror, 'it looks fantastic on you, Charlie…' She looked at her reflection, 'I like mine too…' the turquoise shot silk shift shimmered over her slim, taut figure, somehow picking up blue and red highlights in the shining dark hair piled in a messy up do, loose tendrils trailing around her ears, her neck and shoulders rising in graceful curves from the gathered bodice and cap sleeves, her breasts full, the valley between them a tempting shadow…
Charlie smiled… 'We look pretty damn good all cleaned up, don't we?' she wriggled a little, 'the shoes take a little bit of getting used to though…'
Nora grinned back, 'It'll be worth it when the guys see us, Miles is gonna blow his mind…' she stood up, smoothing the soft fabric down over her hips…
Charlie came over, taking the other woman in her arms in a hug, careful not to dislodge hair or makeup and for a long moment they stood together, Charlie's eyes closed, just enjoying the scent, the warm, female curves of a friend she'd thought lost forever. She swallowed, 'Nora, thank you so much…for saving him I mean, I don't know what I would have done if he… if he…'
Nora hugged her closer, her skin smooth and fragrant; her voice warm, her breath gentle on Charlie's cheek… 'I saw how it was between the two of you back at the church' she shrugged...'He really loves you, Charlie.' She pulled back a little, 'he's still Sebastian Monroe, and he's still a son of a bitch, but he really loves you and I think you love him - and that counts for a hell of a lot…' She let go, gently, her lips curved…'besides, with you two occupied with each other,' the smiled broadened and an eyebrow rose…'I'll have Miles all to myself.'
Charlie's laugh rang out, 'I knew it…' then she sobered, 'Miles and my mom aren't together anymore, Nora, not for a while now, he spends most of his time with me and Bass…'
Nora nodded…'Yeah, he told me…' she looked in the mirror again and smiled, 'and I'm going to make the most of it.'
There was a hard knock at the door, and Miles' voice came through the gap, muffled by the thick wood, 'are you guys ready? We gotta go, they've got a carriage waiting…'
Charlie picked up the soft white wrap that went with her dress, went over and opened the door…
Miles' eyes widened and his jaw dropped when he saw her, 'Holy crap, is that really you, kiddo?'
She laughed and punched his shoulder…'Yeah, and you don't look so bad yourself,' He did look good, his tall frame almost neat in a white shirt and dark pants and jacket, although somehow his bow tie had slipped, he'd missed a button on the shirt and he still had his sword belt on, but she didn't think she'd ever seen him without it... Then his eyes slid past her and she knew the exact moment he saw Nora because his eyes went a soft brown and a smile softened the hard lines of his mouth…
And then she forgot about both of them because Bass was just behind Miles and he looked so fucking amazing she had to hold herself back and remember she was dressed like a lady…
He came closer, tall and beautiful in a suit very like Miles' except that his was a dark blue and he actually looked like he was enjoying wearing it. His tie was straight, all of his buttons were neatly done up, his moustache and beard combed, his hair slicked back and his eyes, his eyes were so intensely, burning blue as he looked at her that she could feel them, like he was touching her, and then he was, his arms went around her, carefully, one of his hands stroking the golden waves of her hair…
'You look amazing, Charlotte…'
She leaned back so she could see his face, 'Charlotte?'
He stepped back and offered her his arm…'tonight you look like a Charlotte'
She grinned, wicked…'it's all Charlie underneath though…'
His eyes glinted, 'Is that a promise?'
She patted his butt; it felt firm and tempting beneath her fingers then she pulled one of his hands down to her thigh…'what do you think?'
He laughed as his fingers traced the shape of the thigh holster and knife resting against the skin of her leg under her dress…
…..
The carriage was comfortable, covered against the weather, although the rain had moved away again and the skies were mostly clear, the stars shining and the moon a bright golden circle high above.
Charlie looked out of the window as Bass played with a strand of her hair. Miles and Nora sat opposite, talking quietly, Nora's head resting on Miles' shoulder.
Austin was a beautiful city, the streets lit with gas lamps and filled with people celebrating the season. Occasional steam trams and buses passing them by but mostly there were horses, carriages or people walking… Christmas decorations winked and glowed on the house fronts and shops that they passed and the sound of bells came from somewhere up ahead…
Charlie thought about Christmases in Wisconsin, they'd had snow there, her dad would bring in a tree to decorate and Maggie would cook something special… Texas was warmer, no snow although there was a bite to the air. But all around them were people, life returning to something near peaceful now that the Patriots were (mostly) on the run. There was time to enjoy living a little.
She leaned back against Bass and he dropped a kiss on her lips, his were warm and sweet, the soft hairs of his scruff tickling her cheek, his tongue gently playing with hers and she closed her eyes, returning the kiss, a wave of gratitude that she was with him washing through her… grateful to be alive…
The driver pulled the horses to a stop outside a large building and got down, opening the door for them,
'Here we are, folks, welcome to the Presidential palace of the Sovereign Nation of Texas…'
…..
Inside there were more decorations, more gorgeously dressed people smiling, the ballroom set up like a fairytale palace with tables laden with food and huge vases of winter blossoms… And on the stage an orchestra played music that made Charlie want to dance, even in the high shoes…
President Blanchard met them, his eyes glinting appreciatively when he saw Charlie and Nora, although he was obviously on his best behaviour with his wife standing next to him, voluptuous in a gold and cream dress that made the lady look like a Christmas bauble according to Bass, whose whispered comment had Charlie holding back a giggle… Mrs Drusilla Blanchard was very nice though, with a wide, friendly smile, and kind eyes…
The President made a speech about courage and valour above and beyond the call of duty, and handed out medals and honours to a number of people, including Bass and Miles, although when their names were mentioned there was a kind of hush around the room, before wild and almost hysterical applause amid the blinding flashes of what seemed like hundreds of cameras as the press went wild too…
They discovered that the two Generals were still regarded with considerable awe edging into occasional terror and Charlie felt her lips curling in a wide and disbelieving grin as person after person asked her in hushed whispers what 'they' were really like… So, what she didn't know she made up, regardless of Miles raised eyebrows or Bass' look of stunned, laughing outrage…in fact she made up so many outlandish stories about the exploits of Generals Matheson and Monroe that she was surprised no one challenged her, instead, her wild tales were met with big eyes and gasps of admiration and before long, she and Nora found themselves being pushed and jostled as Bass and Miles were surrounded by a growing circle of men and women wanting to talk about campaigns, battles and stories, and a steady stream of women (and men) hoping to get close to one or both of the heroes of the day. It was kind of exhilarating but also exhausting…
Then, suddenly, there was a bugle call and almost by magic everyone seemed to find a seat at the tables as dinner was served.
Bass breathed out a sigh of relief as they sat, nodding politely and smiling to the other people on their table, 'I'd forgotten what that was like,' he shook his head, 'and to think I used to live like this all the time'
Miles pulled at his tie to loosen it a little more, his voice wry 'there was more than one reason why I spent most of my time with the troops, Bass'
Nora chuckled and attacked her steak, 'I wouldn't want to do it all the time' she shrugged, 'but you gotta admit the food's great…'
Charlie was rubbing her thigh against Bass' under the table. She was finding it harder and harder to concentrate on the food, or the music or other people when he was sitting so close to her, his arm brushing against hers, his broad shoulders in their expensive fabric covering, so tantalizingly near her cheek.
He noticed… of course he did, moving a little closer to her, his body a heated temptation next to hers, one of his hands caressing her back, his face close to hers, his scruff brushing her cheek…
She felt overwhelmed, and it was suddenly too crowded, too noisy; she wanted the night air and Bass to herself…
He noticed that too, 'Do you want to go outside for a while, Charlie?' He put his fork down, drained his glass of wine and stood up…
She nodded, grateful, and stood, taking his arm and following as he threaded his way through the crowded room, Bass nodding and smiling as people greeted them, politely brushing off invitations to join various parties, promising later meetings, doing it all so effortlessly, so easily that she would never have believed he wasn't enjoying himself if she hadn't been able to feel the tension in his arm, the tendons like steel cords, the muscles hard, tight…
Then they were going through a pair of the French doors that led to the wide, concrete balcony that ran the length of the building, and it was suddenly quiet, calm…
Bass walked her past the ballroom to a shadowy corner, away from the lights from the ballroom and hidden from view and swung her into his arms, his lips joining hers in a hard, deep, searing kiss that had them both panting, bodies pressed so close together that Charlie felt her nipples tighten into little nubs on the fabric of his shirt, felt his cock, a hard ridge of flesh against her belly…
She felt decadent, sensual in her high shoes and silken dress, her body leaning on his, his hands raking over her shoulders, her back, then one hand snaking up into her hair while the other followed the line of her back down to her ass, his fingers spreading over her ass cheek, digging into the fabric over the springy flesh, pulling her harder against him…
'I don't have anything on under this dress, Bass…' she whispered against his lips, laughing as he went totally still for a charged moment…
Then he flipped her round so she was backed up against the wall, going down to his knees in front of her, his hands stroking down over her hips, her thighs, down to the hem of her dress, his eyes laughing up at hers, their blue depths somehow gathering all the available light until they were like blue lamps, shining up at her… 'Except your knife…'
She laughed, 'except my knife…' then she gasped, her breath coming in hoarse pants as his hands circled her thighs, slowly stroking up the smooth flesh towards her waiting, aching core, his fingers drawing the hem of her dress up with them.
He licked his lips, his tongue flicking out, his lips open in anticipation as more and more of her thighs were exposed to his view and he leaned forward, pressing kisses to the sensitive skin on the inside of each knee…
She laughed again, her hands on his shoulders keeping her upright as ripples and waves of sweet, molten sensation rocketed up from his lips, his scruff on her skin, setting her belly, her clit, her nipples on fire and her head swimming…
He chuckled, the vibrations of that against her skin almost making her knees buckle… then licked and kissed his way higher, his hands bunching the fabric of her dress almost at her waist now, the moist, dark, springy curls between her legs exposed to his view, his breath warm and cool at the same time as he blew gently, the pink tip of her clit and the sensitive petals of her inner lips pulsing as the air hit them…
She watched, fascinated, the sight turning her on almost as much as the sensation as he delicately licked her, his thumbs parting her pussy lips, giving his lips and tongue access to her inner lips, her clit, her core, his tongue plunging in, his teeth gently grazing her flesh, his lips caressing her, suckling at her clit while his tongue did magic things to her core…
Her head fell back, helpless, her back braced against the wall, her knees buckled against his shoulders as he grazed on her, feasted on her… His fingers stretching round her hips to find the soft, smooth, pliant skin of her ass, pulling her cheeks apart as he sought deeper access to her, plunging harder, faster, sucking harder… Charlie felt the orgasm building, her belly tight, her clit pulsing as he held her dress up with one hand, the fingers of the other sliding between her legs, one then two fingers slipping into her core, another playing with the little pucker behind, her slippery juices making entrance there easy, the nerve endings there taking her to new levels of feeling… his lips and tongue still feasting on her clit, every part of her dancing in time…
Then the world shuddered on its axis and she felt herself falling apart around him, the sky full of streaking stars, the moon shaking, and she slid her hands into the curls on his scalp, holding him right where he was because it was…just…magic…
Then as her breath started to come back, he stood up, his body rising above hers like a delicious wave of male muscle and warmth, his eyes bright in the moonlight and the light of nearby lamps, his lips and chin wet, his tongue darting out, collecting her taste, her juices…
She felt the hard ridge of his cock, let loose from his pants and rising against her hip and she felt his lips on hers, warm, firm and tasting of her, then, his hands on her hips, turning her round to face the wall, one hand reaching down to flip her skirt up, then both hands stroking her bare ass, then his lips there as he bent, biting softly, sending more sensations rippling through her… His hands going round to find her belly, stroking up to her breasts, along her arms, making sure her hands were braced on the wall, his body behind her a hard, hot bulk, the thick, hard, ridge of his cock feeling huge between her legs, parting her lips, her legs, the tip sliding over her clit…
She panted in anticipation, thrusting her ass back and as high as she could, wanting him inside so, so, fucking much that it was an ache and a need and a desperate want that sent her soaring…
Then, he reached down a hand, pulling back a little, his cock sliding back through her cleft, finding her ready, waiting, wanting him…
And then, he was there at last, inside, plunging in and filling her, so…fucking…full…and she let out a cry of triumph, of exhilaration, his breath coming hard and fast, his body all around her, in her, behind her, everywhere, thrusting her again and again against the cool, dry surface of the wall, her fingers spread against the moonlit white, the sky shattering into rainbowed drops of starlight and moonlight and lamplight, all mixed with the sound of flesh meeting flesh, breath meeting breath…
….
Afterwards, they somehow found a bench seat a little way along the balcony, collapsing onto it in a pile of arms, legs and laughter, Charlie on Bass' lap to save her dress, her hair lying in golden tangles over his shoulders, his hands round her waist as they lay there getting their breath back…
She looked down at herself, her dress was creased and mussed, even in the dim light outside and she knew that any trace of the make up Nora had helped her put on had to be gone...
'You look beautiful, Charlie…'
He'd read her mind again…'everyone'll know what we've been doing…'
He pulled one of her hands to his lips, sucking her fingertips one after the other…'do you care?'
Little shivers ran up her arms from his lips…'Not really…' she turned to look at him, 'but I'd rather be somewhere with you'
He laughed softly, 'we can go back to the hotel if you want, Blanchard won't mind'
'What about Miles and Nora?'
He laughed again, 'I think it's probably a safe bet that Nora's taken Miles home already'
As they crept down the back stairs, taking the old servants passage out of the building, the few staff they met along the way smiled indulgently and wished them well, and when they got closer to the exit, Charlie saw two very familiar figures a little way ahead of them, Nora held close to Miles' side, his arm tight around her waist, and as the two of them slipped out of the door into the street, Nora turned and grinned at Charlie, one eye closing in a wink…
Charlie smiled back, sighing happily and leaning back against the strong, beautiful man behind her, 'Happy Christmas, Bass…'
He pulled her close, kissing her ear, 'Happy new year, Charlie…'
And somewhere, the bells were ringing out for Christmas day…
….
AN: Well, there it is, I hope you liked it Romeokijai hoping you had a wonderful, joyful Christmas and wishing you and everyone, the very, very best for the new year…
I've so enjoyed writing this story, so thank you for some lovely prompts! Cheers, Magpie xxx
