EIGHT

Blood.

The ground was painted with it.

Pain.

It was all Charlie could think about as she adjusted her position to fire her gun.

The gun gave a click that made Charlie's heart sink into her stomach. She was out of bullets and it was clear that her attackers were far from it. "Shit," she muttered and tried not to cry out as she sat back against the remains of a wall. She looked around for anything of use, but stopped at the sight of an unconscious Monroe. Panic began to take over as she watched the blood seep from the wound on his upper thigh.

Charlie saw something from the corner of her eye and tried to get up. She cried out in pain despite herself. She gulped down oxygen as she heard footsteps getting closer and closer. She knew everything would be over in a few moments, but she knew she wouldn't go down without a fight. She reached for her sword and prepared herself for whatever came, but as her would-be attacker turned the corner, a single gunshot rang out and he fell forward.

Charlie trembled as she looked up and saw someone move towards her. This was it. She clutched the handle on her sword. He stopped when he saw her and Charlie's eyes welled up with tears of recognition and relief as she saw who it was that approached.

Twelve hours ago

Charlie sat on the bed that she had claimed the night before, but had never used. Monroe was still asleep on the other bed. He was sprawled out on his stomach, his right leg and arm draped over the side. He hadn't crawled under the covers and she hadn't covered him up meaning his bare ass was in full view. Charlie tried her best to ignore it as she finished off the breakfast she had brought back for both of them.

She had been awake for at least an hour. After disentangling her body from his, surprisingly without waking him, Charlie had gone to the bathroom to freshen up. When she had emerged to pull on some clothes, she noticed Monroe had taken on a new position of hugging the bed. She had resisted the urge to crawl back into bed with him and instead went in search of food. He had still been in that position when she'd returned and was still there now that she had eaten.

Finished, she put the tray on the table between the bed and grabbed the bag and rummaged around for the container with the Nano in it. As she pulled it out, her eyes widened in shock. There were two bugs inside the bottle. They both appeared to be glowing brightly and their energy seemed to vibrate the bottle, something she could feel in her fingertips. She opened the bottle and the Nano ascended. They buzzed around her playfully and Charlie couldn't help but smile as they rested on her arm.

She jumped at the sound of a loud crash from the room they shared a wall with. She could tell Monroe had woken with a start and turned her eyes towards him. She watched as he rolled onto his back. She couldn't help but grin as she watched the moment Monroe realized he was naked and exposed. Her gaze raked over his body, taking in the sight of his tight muscles and toned skin. Her eyes rested on his cock and she shivered as she remembered the way it felt buried deep in her body. Blushing, she turned away, forcing her attention back to the Nano on her arm.

From the corner of her eye she could see him reach for the pillow behind him and brought it down to cover his lower half. "There's breakfast on the night stand," Charlie said, keep her eyes averted.

"Thanks," he replied gruffly, his voice still heavy with sleep.

He slid off the bed and awkwardly sought out his clothes. After stepping into his jeans and fastening them, he took in the sight of her. She was sitting on the other bed, indian style. There was an empty bottle propped up on her bag and two Nano bugs on her arm. She was fully dressed and had already eaten as was evident by the half empty tray on the nightstand. He felt strange knowing that she had done all of this without him noticing until now.

"You're welcome," she replied as he moved to sit on his bed, the side that was closest to her. She lifted her arm as to better inspect the bugs, trying hard not to look at him as he dug into the food. She sighed and returned the bugs to the bottle. She wanted to know exactly how the second one had gotten there, but that was something she would have to worry about later. "We should get going."

Monroe nodded and watched as she placed the bottle carefully back into her bag. He placed the now empty tray on the nightstand. They both got to their feet at the same time and Charlie turned to move, but he stopped her by placing a hand around her bicep. She didn't move a muscle, but swallowed thickly from being this near to him, especially when she was very aware of his bare chest. "Are you okay?" he asked her, his voice low.

She turned her head to look at him, her gaze devoid of emotions. Monroe knew it was her way of throwing up those mental walls of hers. Better she not show any emotion than let the world know what she was thinking. It was driving him nuts. "That wasn't my first time, Monroe," she replied, her voice equally as low.

Monroe's jaw ticked at the sound of his name. She had gone back to using his last name. He recalled her voice when she had called him Bass during their tryst the night before and he realized he liked that much better. He shook those thoughts away and stared at her. "I know that."

She inclined her head and stepped out of his grasp. "We don't have to do the awkward morning after thing," she said as she finished gathering up her stuff. "Tensions were a little high and we both needed release."

Monroe watched her move around, disappointment taking hold of him. "Is that all that was to you?" He was a little offended at how dismissive she was being.

She stopped, her back to him, and shrugged after a moment.

"Fine," he muttered and looked around for his shirt. "Let's get out of here," he added and quickly gathered up his things.

They turned the keys back in to the lady that ran the inn and then went to the stables to get their horses. They then set out on their way to Farmington where they hoped their search would either be furthered with a new lead or end all together. They rode in silence as they always did, but this time there was a palpable tension, one that could be cut with a knife. They kept stealing glances at one another when they thought the other wasn't looking, but they knew full well when the other's gaze was upon them.

They rode until early afternoon before stopping to relieve themselves and give the horses a break. Charlie was leaning against a tree with the Nano bottle in her hand when Monroe came back from his bathroom break. He had seen the two bugs in the room in Clayton, but it had just hit him that there were two. "When did you get another one?" he asked.

She shook her head, her eyes transfixed on the bugs. "There was only one when I looked last. I pulled the bottle out this morning and there were two. I know they replicate, that's how they got so big in the first place, but I thought they were dying."

"Apparently not," Monroe stated.

"Apparently not," she repeated and took a deep breath before putting them away again. As she stood up, their eyes met and she gave him a tight lipped smile. "We should go."

He nodded, but didn't say anything as they mounted their horses and continued on their way.

It was almost nightfall when something shifted in the air and Monroe stopped short. Charlie knew better than to speak at that moment and she picked up on his tension. Her eyes scanned the deserted street for any signs of danger, the hair on her neck standing up to tell her that something was there, even if she couldn't see it. There were several ruins around them, indicating that this had once been a busy street, but now empty, meant perfect places to hide.

Charlie took a deep breath and the moment she began to exhale, all hell broke loose.

It happened in slow motion. Gunshots rang through the air and Charlie barely had time to duck as a bullet whizzed past her head. "Charlie!" Monroe yelled, but the warning fell on deaf ears as she her horse fall forward. She pulled her head up enough to see that her horse had been shot and if she didn't move now she was going to be pinned when they fell. As it was, she didn't have enough time to react and her leg was caught as the horse went down.

She cried out as she felt her leg twist and snap. She put her hands over her head as she heard more gunshots, this time some of them coming from Monroe as he returned fire. It didn't take long before he had sank to his knees beside her and did all he could to lift the horse off of her. Her arm went around his shoulders and he stood up, supporting her with one arm and shooting off his gun with the other. He moved as fast as he could to put himself and Charlie out of harm's way by using a crumbling wall for cover.

Just before he was able to get them to safety, he felt himself get hit and they both went tumbling. Charlie screamed as she landed on her knees, her injured leg jarring in the process. She turned to see Monroe lying on his side. There was a gash in his upper thigh that had either been from a graze or from an actual puncture, but he was too far for her to take a look at. He had hit a corner of the wall on his way down and there was blood coming from behind him. He was out cold and Charlie was trying hard not to panic.

She took a deep breath and reached for his gun, biting her lip to keep from crying out at the pain. She tried to push all of her emotions out of the way so that she could fight back and when she was ready, she raised her gun and fired, hoping for the best.

Present

"Connor? Is that really you?" she asked, her voice tight and raw with both fear and relief.

"Charlie?" he was in disbelief, but as he moved closer he could see it was her. He ducked as more gunfire rang out through the barely lit sky. He noticed the way her eyes fluttered and he cupped her face, shaking her lightly. "Come on, stay with me."

"Monroe, he's dying," she choked out, feeling her own need to slip into unconsciousness. The pain in her leg was too much for her to stand at the moment.

Connor glanced at the body next to her and his eyes widened at the sight of his father. "Neither one of you is dying," he said. "Not on my watch." He assessed her injuries and shook her again, forcing her gaze to lock with his. "I'm going to get the rest of these sons of bitches and then I'll be back for both of you," he promised. "Stay with me Charlie," he pleaded and disappeared from sight.

Charlie watched him go and then let her eyes close, unable to stay awake any longer. The last thing she heard was one final gunshot and then nothing but silence.