Miles sits on the stone floor across from where Rachel is chained to the wall. "It was over a long time ago wasn't it? Why didn't I see that?"
"You and me?" Rachel asks. Miles nods and she lets out a big sigh. "We were in love once. It was real, but then everything went wrong. We did things. Then we tried to pretend we hadn't done them. We pretended we hadn't lied to Ben. We pretended you didn't lock me in a dungeon. We pretended you didn't give me to Will Strausser like a sick little birthday present. We pretended that he didn't do things to me."
"We pretended you didn't end up falling for him." Miles' voice is very low.
Rachel snorts. "It was Stockholm syndrome Miles. Will was a sick man, but since he was pretty much the only person allowed in my cell for years – thank you, by the way for that – I grew attached. It sounds crazy now, but at the time, it didn't feel crazy."
Miles sighs, running a hand through his hair.
She takes a deep shaky breath before continuing, "We pretended you didn't leave me there with Bass when you left the Republic behind…"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Charlie and Bass are sitting at Big Ethel's bar, eating scrambled eggs and thick slabs of homemade bread. Both are subdued as they eat, lost in their own thoughts. They had spent the morning at the Constable's office, going over the details surrounding the fire with Connor. Then Bass had stopped by Blanchard's to pick up the things he'd left the day before when he ran to help Charlie.
"I miss my little house." Charlie finally says, frowning.
"I do too. I wish they could have saved some of your stuff."
She shrugs, "Most of the stuff wasn't important. I didn't have a lot of personal possessions."
"You had some nice furniture."
"I did love my bed."
"And the memories we made in it?" He offers with a teasing smirk.
Charlie relaxes a little, smiling, "Luckily my memories are fireproof." She taps her temple lightly. "Got all the good stuff stored right up here."
"I'm glad." He leans in and kisses her softly on the cheek. She reaches up and touches the bandage still wrapped around his head. "I learned a long time ago that stuff doesn't matter. Most everything I had can easily be replaced."
"Most everything?" he asks. "Was there something you can't replace?"
She looks down, seemingly embarrassed. "Yeah, but it's no big deal."
His curiosity is peaked. "No Charlie, what is it?"
"The uh…" she clearly doesn't want to say.
"The what?" he prods.
She sighs, "That 50 Shades book that you'd written in and the extra pages you made. I know it's not like a love letter or whatever, but it's the only thing you've ever given me, and it was special."
He can't help but grin, and pulls her right off her barstool and into his arms. "Charlie if you wanted love letters, all you had to do was ask."
She laughs then. "I don't think it would be the same if I asked for them."
"I have a surprise for you. It's not a love letter, but hopefully it will work just as well."
"What is it?"
He reaches into the leather bag he'd picked up at his office. "Is this what you were looking for?" In his hands is her book with the extra pages sticking out at the back.
"Bass? Where was it?" Charlie's eyes shine brightly.
"I had taken it to work because I wanted to add to it. I just hadn't had time yet. Anyway it was sitting at my desk when I heard your place was on fire."
"Oh Bass." Her voice is soft and her smile is wide.
He sees tears well up in Charlie's eyes and he hugs her tighter. "Damn Matheson. I had no idea you were this in love with your porn."
"It's not the porn I'm in love with and you know it." She punches him playfully and then he leans in to give her another kiss.
Bass remembers he has news, and pulls back. "I almost forgot. We have a place to stay."
"We do?" She can't hide the excitement. One night on Miles' hard floor was enough. "Where?"
"Frank and Mytrle had an older brother Verne. He died a couple years back and his house is just sitting there unoccupied. Frank said we can stay as long as we need to."
"A real house with a real bed?" she grins.
"Yep."
"I can hardly wait."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Myrtle Blanchard gets off work early. They are expecting Bass to return to the office tomorrow. He needed the day off to deal with the aftermath of the fire. Poor fella, losing his house and fearing for his sweetheart just days after getting shot in the head… she frowns at the thought. She baked a pecan pie for them last night in Frank's big wood burning oven. She just needs to deliver it.
Patting her hair carefully, Myrtle walks up the front steps and knocks on the door. She can't help but smile when the door opens.
"Myrtle, what are you doing here?" Dr. Gene Porter asks in surprise.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Listen Rachel, I thought you were dead. Will showed me a body. Bass said you were dead. I didn't have any reason not to believe them and frankly, it made leaving easier."
"I have a hard time believing you even cared if I was alive or dead. You came down to visit me, what? Once a year? It wasn't like we were still together in any way that mattered by then."
"If I'd known you were alive, I would have taken you with me. Bass knew that. It's why he faked your death."
Rachel glances up in surprise. "Bass didn't fake my death. Will did, but your reasoning is right. Will was pretty attached by then and didn't want me to leave."
"I always thought it was Bass…" Miles is truly surprised.
"By the time Bass did find out I was still alive, you were long gone. He moved me into your old quarters and kept me away from Will for a while. I think he was a little worried about the two of us teaming up against him or something." She shrugs. "It was certainly a better arrangement than where you'd left me."
"So then what happened?" Miles asks, now realizing everything he thought was true isn't.
"Not much for a while. Bass would come around and check on me now and then. He put Jeremy in charge of me in Will's place. Sometimes the two of them would bring a bottle of whiskey and we'd sit around and chat like friends. They were both respectful. Other than the fact that I couldn't leave and I missed my family, life was okay."
Miles closes his eyes, remembering the tiny dank cell he'd left her in for years. "There's one question I can't figure out an answer to." Miles says.
"What?"
"Why forgive me and not Bass? Sounds like he was nice to you. A lot nicer than I was anyway. I don't get it. You are essentially blaming him for doing the same thing I did, but being a gentleman about it."
"I won't forgive him because there was more." She pauses, not meeting his gaze. "Bass was being so kind and I started to wonder if he would maybe release me. Jeremy had mentioned that they were going to come by one night for drinks and I said I really wanted to talk to Bass alone, and would he mind not joining us this one time? Jeremy didn't care. By the time Bass got to my rooms he was already drunk. I seduced him. It wasn't all that difficult. Bass rarely said no to an open invitation, right?"
Miles feels his stomach clench with anxiety. Bass had once hinted around about something happening between him and Rachel, but Miles hadn't wanted details so they'd left it at that.
"Afterwards Bass was all upset, almost in tears. He kept moaning about Emma and being sorry for hurting you again and it was obvious that he wasn't going to free me. After that he didn't even want to see me. For at least a year – maybe more, I didn't see Bass at all. I was Jeremy's responsibility again."
"Then what?"
"Suddenly Bass was back. We both pretended the thing between us had never happened. He still wanted the power but now there was a new intensity to his need for it. He was obsessed. He would do anything to get it back. Shortly after he told me Ben was dead, he sent Will back to me."
"He must not have known that you and Strausser had a thing going. Bass never would have rewarded you by sending in your boyfriend if he was that obsessed with getting back the power."
"No." Rachel frowns, "You're right. He didn't have a clue. He knew Will had a weird attachment to me but he didn't know it had ever been reciprocated." She lets out a long sigh. "Will and I hadn't even been in the same room for a couple years by then, and as soon as I saw him I knew it was all different."
"What do you mean?"
"I wasn't excited to see him. I was sick to my stomach. I didn't want him to touch me."
Miles feels a sense of dread, "Then what happened?"
"Will raped me." She shrugs, as if it's not a big deal, but her voice is shaking. "I screamed and yelled. I called for Bass to help me. I called for Jeremy. The guards had to have heard. They never said a word. Bass never rescued me. Jeremy never came. Nobody did. It went on for what felt like a really long time."
"And then?"
"It wasn't long after that Bass wanted an amplifier and I started working on making a bomb instead. As long as I was working Will couldn't hurt me, but then my kids were there…" Rachel chokes back a sob then, "And Will made some comments to me about doing to Charlie all the things I wasn't willing to do anymore. That's when I knew I had to kill him."
"Will?"
"Yes. He'd went too far."
"I get it. That bastard did awful things to you. He deserved to die and I'm glad you killed him. But why the vendetta against Bass? He didn't rape you."
"No, but he had to have known Miles. I don't believe nobody told him about it. Jeremy must have been standing just outside. He told Bass everything. You know that."
"I know Jeremy was under a lot of pressure. Bass was not himself. You called him obsessed. From what I've heard, and from what I saw of him at the Tower; he was way beyond obsessed. He had totally lost it Rachel. I think Jeremy was probably afraid to tell him anything. No way would have Bass put up with anyone raping you. That's just not him. He didn't know."
Rachel stares at Miles, her expression full of venom. "Of course you would defend him." She says bitterly, "Bass let Strausser back into my life and he let him near my children, knowing what he was capable of. Bass allowed Will to put a gun in my kids' faces. Bass let him do that and he just stood there staring at Charlie like she was something he wanted to eat. And then Bass killed Danny and he seduced Charlie. He's taken everything away from me, Miles. Even you."
"Come on Rachel. Bass didn't kill Danny. Danny jumped into the line of fire. Bass didn't push him into it. Bass didn't kill Ben. Neville did. If he's to blame for their deaths, so am I. I was the one who put out the locate order on Ben. I was the first one to start searching for a way to get the power back. Did he like Charlie all the way back then? I have no idea, but as for me, the truth is that you lost me the minute you put Charlie's life in danger."
Rachel leans her head back against the bricks, "The truth is I shouldn't have forgiven either one of you."
"The truth is none of this would have happened if you and Ben hadn't turned off the damn lights."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Who was at the door?" Charlie asks her Grandpa.
"Myrtle Blanchard. She brought pie for us." He holds it up. "Want a slice?"
She nods, "Yeah, pie sounds good."
They eat their pie in silence for a while. Finally, Charlie pushes her plate away, "So what are we going to do? Miles made it clear that you and I have to decide."
Gene nods, his expression grave. "I hate being put in this position, but I would hate it even more if I were attending your funeral."
"What does that mean? You think we should turn her in?"
"Well, I'm trying to be objective Charlie. If it were anyone else – anyone at all who had tried to hurt you like this - I'd say we turn them in. Why should we treat her differently?"
"Because we love her?"
"Maybe that's not a reason to treat her differently. Maybe that's the reason we have to do what's right here. She isn't being accused of something she didn't do. We both know that. Why should she get to escape consequence? And if we let her go somehow, what's to say she won't try again?"
Charlie feels a shiver run down her spine at the thought of Bass being in constant danger. "You're right Grandpa. We have to turn her in."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Miles and Bass are sitting around Miles' kitchen table.
"So, what are we going to do with Rachel?" Bass looks uncomfortable. "Being the warden didn't really work out so well for me last time. Kind of lost my mind there for a while."
"Ya think?" Miles frowns. He takes a deep drink from his glass, "I don't want to keep her forever Bass, but we need Charlie and Gene to weigh in before we do anything." He pauses, "And for the record, neither one of us was ever very good at being prison guards."
"True. That's what we had Will for." Bass looks sad and distracted, as memories creep in from the past.
"Will Strausser… haven't thought about him in a long time and now he's come up in conversation twice in one day." He sees the questioning look in Bass' eyes. "Rachel and I talked this morning. Will really did a number on her you know – mentally, physically, all of it." Miles is staring at his hands, but then looks up, "Bass, I gotta ask you this because I think it's the key to everything."
"What?" Bass looks worried. "What is it?"
"Did you know Strausser raped Rachel after I left?"
"What?" Now Bass looks stunned. "No. No." he's shaking his head, but sees Miles' expression and realizes this really happened. "You gotta believe me, I had no idea Miles. None. You know we always had a rule about rape. That didn't change when you left. He would have been shot if I'd known." Bass is livid. He punches at the wall angrily, leaving a big dent in the plaster. "Hell, it was around that time that I had Jeremy shot for far less. I was in no condition to be in charge of anybody." Bass presses his forehead against the wall, fighting back tears of regret and rage.
"That's what I thought. It's what I told her. No way you knew. She doesn't care. Still wants to kill you."
"Well, she should. I'd want to kill me too." Bass sounds devastated.
"Hey Bass. We're both to blame here." He too is fighting off emotion. After a few moments of silence, Miles runs his hands across his jaw thoughtfully. "I don't get it though. All this happened so long ago. What triggered her to start this revenge plot against you now?"
"Dating Charlie?" Bass asks, throwing his hands up. He is at a loss.
"No. That's not it. She was blackballing you all over Willoughby and ruining our trip plans and getting you evicted all before that even happened."
Color drains from Bass' face, and he sinks into a kitchen chair, his head in his hands. "I know what it was."
"What?"
"Do you remember that day you were stuck in that basement under a collapsed wall?"
"Kind of hard to forget." Miles says ruefully.
"Yeah, well, we were hunting for you and Rachel and I got into this very heated argument about you…"
"And?"
"And I kissed her."
Miles actually laughs, "Why? You hate her."
"Yeah, that's true but she made some smartass remark about me being pathetic."
Miles groans a little. Bass never has handled criticism well.
"And I mentioned she didn't always think that about me, considering that one time in Philly..." He looks at Miles guiltily.
Miles nods, "Yeah, I know about that."
"Well she made it sound like I'd forced her which was absolutely not true, and I was pissed. Really pissed."
Miles nods again. He knows Bass better than anybody in the world does. He can guess exactly what happened next, but asks anyway. "So then you kissed her with force to show her what force actually felt like?"
Bass nods now. "Shit Brother, if I'd known she's ever been raped – I'd never, ever have done that."
Miles stands. "Probably triggered some really bad memories, and made her associate you with what happened even more than she already did. Shit."
"I'm so sorry. For all of it." Bass says, his voice low.
"You and me both Brother. Don't beat yourself up. We both had a hand in getting her where she is today."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Frank and Myrtle walk through their dead brother's house, and look around fondly. "Verne always was the best of us all." Myrtle says with a little sigh.
"Yeah, he was that." Her brother agrees gruffly.
The house is small, with faded white siding and a matching white picket fence. The house was old long before the blackout, but it is a sweet little place.
"You think they'll like it?" Myrtle asks.
"What's not to like? It's furnished. There are books on the shelves and there's a wood burning stove for cooking and heating. There's an ice box in the kitchen, and there's a fresh water well in the back. They have an extra room for an office or company. I think it's perfect."
She nods, looking around once more. "Anything you want to take out before we go? Any memento you want to keep? I'm taking Mama's wedding china. Not sure why she gave it to Verne to begin with." She huffs slightly.
"Well, there is one thing I'd like to take with me." Frank grins. "It does make me think so fondly of our dear brother Verne."
Myrtle squints her eyes at him. "What is it Frank? You look like you're up to no good."
"I'm not up to anything, Myrtle." He leans down behind the couch to retrieve a box he'd stashed there earlier.
"What is in that box?" she asks accusingly.
"Just a memento of all the times I spent with our brother. I do miss him so. Don't get your panties in a twist."
"Mementos, eh?" She stands on tip toes to glance inside the box. "Oh dear!" she exclaims when she sees the stacks of twenty year old Playboy and Hustler magazines nestled lovingly in the box. "I change my mind. Verne wasn't the best of us all. Clearly I was. He was evidently just as perverted as you are." She is blushing madly as she stomps out of the house.
Frank follows behind with a big grin on his face, his hands tightly grasping his box full of treasures. He does miss Verne, but this big box of girlie magazines will more than help him get over any lingering grief.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Bass and Miles sit in silence for a long time. The past and all of the mistakes made there, hangs heavy in the air between them. But also there is a sliver of hope. They will survive this. They have survived worse.
"So you know what's gonna happen if they arrest her?" Bass finally asks.
"She told me that because you are a Texas government official now, they'll probably execute her for trying to kill you, yeah."
They sit in silence for a while. "Ironic, right?" Bass finally asks. "Texas wanted to execute me and she saved me. Now she tries to do what they wanted her to do in the first place… and now they're gonna kill her for it."
"It's a strange fucking world." They drink in silence.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Connor is surprised to see Gene Porter and Charlie at his office door, but welcomes them in. "Dr. Porter, Charlie, What can I help you with?"
"It's more like what we can help you with Connor." Charlie looks tense.
Connor leans back in his office chair and watches the two carefully. Neither is willing to meet his eyes. They both look very sad. "You guys are making me nervous. Is everything okay? Is it my Dad? Is his wound worse than you –"
"No, No." Gene interrupts him with a wary smile. "Monroe is fine. It's Rachel."
Relief floods over Connor. "Rachel? Okay. What about her? I'm sorry to say we haven't been able to locate her. We've looked everywhere, but she's just gone."
Charlie finally looks up and meets Connor's gaze, "I guess you didn't look in Miles' storm cellar then?"
Connor doesn't understand at first, but as realization dawns, he closes his eyes. "She's not down there because she wants to be is she?"
Charlie shakes her head no.
"But she's alive?"
Charlie nods her head yes.
"Is it just Miles keeping her there or is it my Dad too?"
"Well," Gene says carefully, "As you know, they always have worked better as a team..."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Hey Miles, I really am sorry this all went to hell like it did. I know you love her."
Miles shrugs. "It's been over for a really long time Bass, but I was too stubborn to admit it. Hell, I should have known something like this would happen. You know, I tried to leave Willoughby after I brought her here? I knew she'd be better off without me. Maybe if I would have left… " Miles trails off.
"There is no way you would have known any of this was coming." Bass takes a drink from his own glass and leans back.
Miles also leans back, looking at his friend, "Speaking of shit I did not see coming…. You and Charlie? What the fuck Bass? I was only gone three weeks."
Bass smiles, grateful for the change in subject, "Yep, me and Charlie. I've never been happier Miles. She is amazing."
"I'm aware that she is a great girl. I'm just not sure I'm a fan of you two together like that."
"Well, maybe for the first time in my life – I do not give a shit what you think. She's the one Miles. I'm done with other women. I love her."
Miles scowls at his oldest friend. "Fine. You love her. I still think it's creepy that you're banging my niece."
Bass empties his glass and stands. "And I think it's precious that you still call her your niece."
Miles gives Bass a glare. "Shut up."
"You know, maybe it's time you told her the truth? Charlie may be on the verge of losing her Mom. Might be a comfort to know she still has a parent around."
"I don't want to talk about that. Not with her. Not with you." Miles takes another drink, his expression dark, "And don't you go saying anything either. If I tell her, it will be on my terms."
"Shit Miles, I've kept your secret this long. Not gonna spill it now. You don't want to talk about it? Fine. Don't. At least think about it though."
Miles shrugs, but Bass can see the wheels turning in his friend's head.
There's a knock on the door and Bass stands to glance through the front window. "Speak of the devil." He grins over his shoulder at Miles. "Our children are here."
"You're a dick." Miles grunts before opening the door and welcoming Charlie and Connor inside.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Gene Porter is sitting at Big Ethel's, staring into a glass of whatever they are calling whiskey these days. He takes another sip and scowls. Miles and Monroe go through this stuff like it's Kool-Aid, but it is harsh. Gene misses the smooth taste of 20 year old Scotch. He'd always kept a bottle tucked away in his office for special occasions.
He misses so many things about life before the blackout. The Scotch is just one on a very long list. He misses his wife Charlotte. Though the cutting pain has passed, he still misses her face and her voice and her sweet presence. He misses the comfort of having someone to talk to when he's having a bad day. Gene sighs. He misses his daughter. He misses the version of Rachel that existed before - the version that wasn't broken and beaten and who hadn't suffered through so much. He misses Danny, the grandson he still remembers as just a toddler. He misses hot showers and
He misses it all.
"You look like you could use a friend." Myrtle Blanchard says, as she scoots into the bar stool at Gene's side.
Gene looks at her curiously. He's seen more of Myrtle these last few days than he had in decades. He is surprised to note that he's not at all unhappy to have her here. "Hello Myrtle. Can't promise I'll be good company, but you're right. I could use a friend today."
"How is your family holding up?" she asks after ordering a glass of water from the bartender.
"Oh, not great. My daughter is accused of trying to kill my granddaughter and Monroe. Kind of hard to bounce back from that quickly."
"Did they arrest her yet?" Myrtle asks carefully.
"If they haven't already, they will be doing it soon. I couldn't stick around to watch. Had to get out of there."
She nods. "Maybe you need an attorney?"
Gene looks at her, "You know an attorney? They're kind of hard to come by these days."
"Well, yes. My Uncle Joe still practices law in Austen. He was fighting the death penalty since long before the lights went out. He's terribly old, but still sharp as a tack. He and Frank go round and round every time they are together, but I've always been Uncle Joe's favorite, so if I ask – he'll help."
For the first time in days, Gene feels the tiniest glimmer of hope. He reaches out and puts a hand softly on Myrtle's. "Thank you so much. It would mean the world to me if your Uncle could help Rachel."
Myrtle blushes prettily. "It would be my pleasure, Gene."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Connor is not thrilled about this turn of events. He'd hoped to find Rachel on his own, or that one of his men would do so. Now he'll have her in custody (which is obviously good), but will have to cover for the fact that his Dad and Miles kept her captive like vigilantes (which is obviously bad).
So now he's at Miles' place with Charlie in tow. He is here to arrest Rachel officially. Gene had begged off, claiming he just couldn't watch his daughter be drug off to jail. Charlie being the warrior she is, had no such qualms. He can see she's sad, but she's also determined.
"You doing okay?" he asks as they trail behind Miles and Bass, heading toward the storm cellar.
She shrugs, "Not really. They're gonna lock her away, maybe even execute her. I hate that."
He puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but his Dad glances over his shoulder at them just then and the look he sends his son makes Connor jerk away from Charlie in a hurry.
"There was no easy way out of this one, huh?" he continues.
"No. We talked about letting her go, helping her leave – "
"I'm so not hearing this." Connor growls, cutting her off.
She sends him a death glare not unlike the one he'd just received from his Dad. "BUT," she says carefully, "The risks were just too high." Her expression goes soft as her eyes settle on Bass. "I hate what is happening to my Mom, but if she did something to Bass…" She doesn't have to finish the statement. He gets it.
Connor smiles a little, "You guys are good for each other I think. I'll be proud to call you Mom someday."
For this he gets a hard punch to the ribs, but she's smiling and that makes the pain worth it. He's glad they're happy, and hell if they can make it through this mess, they've got what it takes to make it all the way.
The group reaches the storm cellar and Miles leads Connor down. They remove her restraints and help her to her feet.
"Rachel Matheson, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Sebastian Monroe and Charlotte Matheson and for the act of arson that destroyed Charlotte's home."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Charlie and Bass arrive at the address Frank had scrawled on a small piece of brown paper.
"This is it." Bass says, motioning to the little white house.
The paint is weathered, the shutters are faded from what appears to have been a bright blue long ago. The windows are all intact and the little picket fence that surrounds the yard makes Charlie giggle in delight.
"It's adorable!" she says happily.
Bass can't help but return her smile. Her excitement is contagious. He holds up a gold key. "Ready to go in?"
He unlocks the front door and they go inside. The furniture is old and worn but has been well taken care of. There is a smell in the air. "What is that?" Charlie asks, sniffing curiously.
"Amonia." Myrtle said the place was dusty so she cleaned the whole house before they gave me the key." They toss the few items they brought with them onto the sofa. Their worldly possessions are now truly very few: Bass has his leather work bag. Charlie has a couple changes of clothes she'd borrowed from Priscilla, the Fifty Shades book, and her crossbow which thankfully she'd left at the Academy when she ran home that morning. Other than that, all they have are the clothes on their backs, and each other.
They wander from room to room. Charlie gets very excited at the shelves packed full of books. Bass is happy that the kitchen is very usable with a wood burning cook stove and an old ice box. There is a tiny pantry – long empty, an old bathroom in which there is just enough plumbing in place that they'll be able to drain water after baths. There are two fairly big closets, which they both find amusing. When they get to the first bedroom, Charlie grins. "This is my favorite." She says. The bed is a big four poster made of oak. The bedding is pale blue and it is topped with a green and white quilt. The curtains are white and flowy. Everything is spotless. "She must have cleaned all the linens too." Charlie says with a happy sigh.
Bass tugs at her arm, "Let's see the rest. We'll have plenty of time in here later. I promise." He grins down at her and she leans up to give him a big kiss, before they walk hand in hand down the hall to the last door. This is a small room. It holds a narrow bed, a dresser and a desk.
On one wall there is a long shelf lined with old magazines. Two shelves have been cleared, but the rest are full. Bass glances over the titles, "Mother Earth News", "Car and Driver" and "Entertainment Weekly… This guy had quite a wide variety of tastes." He says, amused.
"I'll say he did." Charlie is blushing. In her hands she's holding a red wooden box.
"What's in there?" he asks curiously.
"Um, I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing you'd call them bedroom tools."
"Bedroom tools?" he looks confused, and walks over to open the box. Looking in he laughs. "Sex toys Charlie. They call them sex toys."
"Well, it seems like Verne had a bit of a 'sex toy' collection." Charlie is a little embarrassed, but also very curious.
Bass moves closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Maybe we can try some of them out later?" he whispers against her ear. "What do you think?"
"I know I'm new to this, but that doesn't sound very hygienic Bass."
He laughs loudly, "We won't use all of them. I can't imagine there will be any hygiene issues with the silk scarves or the hand cuffs or this…" he picks up one of the items and shows it to her.
Charlie's stomach clenches and she feels a throbbing need in her core. "Yeah, maybe we can use that." She smiles. Bass leans in for a kiss.
"I missed you today. It was good to talk to Miles, but I missed you."
"Well," Charlie says against his lips, "I'm here now."
Author's Note: First of all, I'm sorry for the long delay. This has been the single most difficult chapter I've written. I painted myself into a corner in earlier chapters by making Rachel soooo very crazy. I don't like Rachel (Pretty sure this is no secret) but it was important to me to be fair to her character in the show and not make her actions in this story totally unbelievable. That's where I then really ran into trouble. My earliest drafts of this chapter made Rachel far too empathetic, and made Bass & Miles out to be truly evil guys. So I rewrote it and rewrote it and finally came up with this. I hope it works. There will be one more chapter of this story. I'll have to see how that goes to know for sure, but my guess is it will be the last one. The chapter you've just read was very heavy on the Miles/Bass/Rachel relationships and background. Sorry about the lack of charloe smut. I shall make it up to you in the next chap here, as well as the final real chap of Brush Strokes which you'll see early next week (hopefully).
A huge thank you to IceonFire7 for helping me tone down the back story so none of us would hate Bass ourselves…. And to Priya for giving her insight as well. Please let me know what you think. I love to hear from you guys.
Oh, and if you think you know what's coming next… you don't. haha
