Maybe it is desperation. Maybe we can't let things fall apart without trying. We can't let go of the people we love. - Lauren Destefano

In these silences something may rise - Desperation - Stephen King

Chapter 10: Desperation (by IceonFire7)

"Where's Grace?" Aaron asked, hurrying into the darkened hideout with Bonnie Webster in tow and startling the heck out of Rachel.

"Where have you been, Aaron? Rachel asked. "We've been worried sick about you."

"Grace, Rachel?" The stress in his voice must have registered with the brilliant blonde.

"Looking for you actually." She glanced at Bonnie. "Miles and Peter went with her. I'm assuming they'll be back soon. Priscilla was tired. She's already asleep."

"Well...we've got it," he said, sliding everything except the candles off the small desk in their main room.

"Got what?" Rachel asked, looking between Aaron and the strange woman. "Who's this?"

"Sorry, Bonnie Webster, Rachel Matheson." The women shook hands. "She's got a computer."

Rachel's eyes widened as Aaron's words hung in the air. Bonnie reached into her messenger bag and pulled out a bubble-wrapped laptop, then handed it to him. "Here you go. Protect her with your life."

Aaron nodded. "I think I can get this together, but it'd be really great if I had Grace."

"Had me for what?" the women in question answered as she entered the room, Miles and Peter trailing behind her. "Damn, Aaron, you scared the crap out of us."

"That doesn't matter...we have a laptop."

As Grace and Peter hurried over to the desk, Rachel took Miles aside. "Everything OK?"

"I don't know, Rach." He wiped a hand over his jaw. "They're all still milling around out there. Neville's the worst of all. The son of a bitch was always jittery and quirky, but this...this is really creeping me out."

Her eyes studied him carefully. "How are you doing, Miles?"

"I'm fine."

"And that excuse would work if I didn't sleep beside you. You drink half the night, then pass out until well after noon. What's going on with you?"

Before he could answer, a shout erupted from Aaron. "Uh, excuse me? You may want to see this."

Rachel stepped up behind him, glancing over his shoulder at the brightly lit computer screen. He'd inserted the USB from the pendant into the laptop's port. "It's the code."

Five faces stared at the screen. Miles was the only one who spoke. "OK...someone tell me how the Matrix is going to help us beat these zombies."

Bass was gulping down a glass of whiskey when Charlie entered the kitchen. The news that he'd known where Adam was the whole time, and hid it from her, hadn't gone over too well. He'd asked her to come downstairs so they could talk about it. She was fairly certain he'd just been too uncomfortable in her bedroom.

Stopping near the door, they stared at each other. Finally, she had to ask the question on her mind. The question she was sure wasn't true, she prayed wasn't true, but she needed to hear it from Bass. "Is Adam dead?"

He raised an eyebrow. "No, we may need him yet."

She sighed, crossing over to him and pouring a drink for herself. "Alright, so what do we do?"

"Those bounties are for all of us, Charlie. You, me, Miles, your mother...even Stay-Puft. There are hunters already on their way to Idaho."

"We have to warn them," she said, knowing that was already Bass's plan.

"Hell, yeah, we have to." He crossed over to the stove and leaned against it. "That's why I'm leaving for Idaho first thing in the morning."

She stared at him, eyes huge. It took two seconds for her to make up her mind. "And I'm coming with you."

For some reason, she'd expected a fight, to have to argue with him just to tag along to save her own family. But he surprised her. "I figured as much. But we need to have a discussion before we leave. Tonight. All of us. We need a plan. And if this is as bad as I think it is, it's going to have to be a hell of a good one."

Charlie nodded. "OK. Where is everyone?"

"Front porch. They're all waiting for us."

Stepping out into the warm night air, Charlie noticed all eyes were on her and Bass. And she didn't think it had anything to do with the fact that they were the last ones to arrive at the little makeshift meeting. No, they all knew, or suspected, that there was something going on with the two of them, even if Bass himself wanted to deny it.

Bass turned to the men scattered around the porch. "So as it turns out, Adam wasn't just here to romance Charlie. He had a bigger purpose all along. He was hunting bounties."

"And can I assume, considering the blood on you and Baker, that you tortured that information out of him?" Gene asked.

"You want to be civilized about it, Gene, or do you want to know what we learned?" Bass asked.

Blanchard rested a hand on the doctor's shoulder. "Sometimes it's the only way to get information, buddy."

Bass rolled his eyes at the two of them. "Alright, alright, listen. He was after Charlie, Rachel, Miles, me."

"You guys are the Patriots most wanted," Connor said.

"The Patriots?" Blanchard asked. "Hell, we've got the Patriots on the run. They're mostly obliterated. What would they gain by gathering you all?"

"I'm not sure it was the Patriots that issued these." All eyes stared at Bass in confusion. "I think it was the Nano."

"Wait a minute...what?" Gene asked, as the others started talking over one another.

"Dad, what the hell are you talking about?"

"That's nuts," Blanchard said. "They're machines."

Charlie stepped in front of Bass and held up her hands. "Hold it down. Bass could be right."

"Thanks," he whispered, earning a little smile from her. "I know it sounds crazy. And yeah, Frank, they're machines. Machines that are everywhere, in the air we breath, inside of us. We've seen what they can do."

"They have controlled people," Charlie said. "I mean they basically possessed Priscilla."

"They can make someone see people who aren't even there," Connor said, eyes wide. He'd certainly seen it firsthand. "Is that how they do it? They're inside our brains."

"I have no idea, Connor. That's a question for people far smarter than me. And I could even be way off base here." Bass looked at each one of them in turn. "But the only thing that matters is our family. If it truly is the Nano, then they've walked right into a trap. If it's someone else, they're still in danger."

"What are you planning?" Jeremy asked.

Bass chuckled; Baker knew him only too well. "Charlie and I are leaving for Bradbury at first light."

"We'll come with you," Connor said.

"No, Connor, it's better if you stay here. We'll ride hard and fast," Bass explained. He appreciated that his son finally wanted to help. But it was easier if they didn't have an entire caravan of people to worry about. "It will still take awhile, but we'll get there as quick as we can."

No one noticed the look Blanchard shot Gene. Neither had any doubt Monroe wanted to get to Idaho as fast as he could; but neither also believed that was the only reason he wanted to go alone with Charlie.

"You can help us all out more if you stay here," Charlie said. "We defeated the Patriots, but there's a lot going on here."

"That's an understatement, Charlie." Blanchard scoffed, pointing to Connor and Jeremy. "The two of y'all seem like good fighters. And, Baker, you did help out with the government of the Monroe Republic, if I recall."

"Yeah, before it all went to hell." Baker shrugged at Bass. "Sorry, pal, but it's true."

"Didn't say it wasn't," Bass muttered.

"Everything is very unbalanced in Texas right now. We're still in charge, but there are a lot of factions who would like very much to challenge us for control. I could use two men like you."

Connor stood. "I'm in."

Jeremy nodded. "Me too."

"Good," Bass said. "Keep as much order as you can down here. We can't afford to lose this power struggle in Texas. With this damn Nano situation, we can't allow someone who can be controlled by them to take charge."

"Don't you worry about that, Monroe." Blanchard winked at him. "I'm pretty certain if the four of us put our heads together, we can make sure no one takes Texas from us."

Almost an hour later, ideas had been discussed and plans finalized. Bass stood, calling an end to the night.

"Alright, listen, Charlie and I have to go to bed." Her eyes locked on his and he realized exactly how that sounded. Glancing around at the others on the porch, he was met with looks varying from humor to disbelief. "I mean, we need to get some sleep."

Ignoring the murmurs and chuckles from his friends and family, he entered the house and went straight for the kitchen, needing whiskey more than oxygen at this point. How stupid did he have to be to call attention to the fact that Charlie was on his mind far more than she should be?

Hearing a noise behind him, and assuming it was Charlie, he spun around ready to apologize for what he'd said. And came face to face with his son. "Connor."

"Hey." They stared at each other in awkward silence for a few moments. "I, uh, I just wanted to say again that I'm...sorry. You know, for the thing with Neville."

Bass nodded. "It's OK. You already apologized. You don't have to explain further."

"No, Dad, I do." Connor looked around the room, his eyes focusing everywhere but on his father. "I wanted that republic back because that was all I knew. In Mexico, it was always a battle. You always had to be on your toes to get ahead or you'd get left behind in the dirt."

"I'm sorry that's what your life was like, son. I never wanted that for you. If I had known about you, I would have been there from the beginning," Bass said.

"Yeah, and that was one of the things that pissed me off about Miles. He took me down there. You didn't even know I existed, but he left me there. And then when I come back, you defend every move he makes." Connor held up a hand at Bass's protest. "But I...I get it now. Jeremy told me a lot about the two of you."

"Miles thought he was doing the right thing."

"I understand that now. Sometimes it's better to have someone not directly involved explain things to you." Connor shrugged, running his hand through his hair in a gesture that reminded Bass so much of himself. "I didn't mean to have to make you choose between your son and your brother. I thought...I don't know what I thought. But I was wrong."

Silence descended on the room again. "Well, I guess I owe Baker a thank you."

"Maybe an apology too." At Bass's confused look, a small smile graced Connor's face. "For threatening his life over Charlie."

"He told you about that?"

Connor laughed. "I think we're drinking buddies now."

"Great," Bass said, rolling his eyes. But there was something he had to get off his chest. "Connor, listen...about Charlie..."

"You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

"I just..."

"Cause, Dad, I gotta tell you, you're pretty gone on her."

Bass sighed, pouring a glass of whiskey and taking a gulp. "I'm not gone on her-"

"Oh my God, you're the world's worst liar." Connor yanked the glass out of his father's hands and swallowed the rest of the contents. "Dad, when you found us in Vegas, I thought your head was going to explode. And then you gave me all that crap about Miles being pissed off. You were the one pissed off. Are you going to deny that?"

"No," Bass mumbled.

"You know now that I think about it, you kept dropping subtle hints about how you didn't care if I got with Charlie again." Connor crossed his arms, an eyebrow raised as he looked at his father. "But you did care. Even back then. Look, if I'd have realized how much she really meant to you, I wouldn't have gone after her in the first place."

"I think we should get some rest." Bass said, brushing past Connor on his way out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, like you said, you and Charlie need to get to bed."

Bass whipped back around to face Connor. "Can we just forget I said that?"

Connor shook his head, a huge grin firmly in place. "No, I don't think so."

Bass swore as he left the room.

Rachel woke early the next morning. Glancing over at Miles, she knew he'd drunk another night away and wouldn't be up for quite awhile. She was running out of ideas of how to help him. Of course, she would be better off if she knew just what she was helping him with. Considering what Nano-Neville had revealed about wanting General Matheson on their team, she assumed the Nano was perpetrating some sort of attack on his mind. But getting answers out of the man was near impossible; if Miles didn't want you to know what he was thinking, you never would. So she was clueless, a position she hated to be in.

The rest of the hideout seemed just as quiet. After their success with getting the code uploaded the night before, they'd worked late into the wee hours of the morning. Now they just had to wait for the right moment to strike. And try to discover where their biggest enemies were...Truman, Davis, Neville, and whoever the hell was on the other end of the phone. They couldn't make a move unless they were absolutely certain of all obstacles.

Entering the main room, she saw Priscilla sitting on the windowsill, looking down at the town, her arms wrapped around her thin frame; even with a sweater on, she was shivering. Rachel was seriously worried, not only for her health but her mental stability. Since they'd arrived in Bradbury, Priscilla had become more and more fragile. She seriously wondered if they'd done the right thing by bringing the woman along.

She approached the window slowly. "Priscilla? Everything OK?"

"I keep wondering if we're going to make it. Humans, I mean," Priscilla murmured.

"We will," Rachel assured her. "We're not about to be beaten by a whole bunch of tiny machines. The code will work."

Priscilla hummed a non-committal response. Tilting her head, she pointed to the street below. "Is that Truman?"

Rachel leaned in close to the window, making sure the curtain kept her out of view. If Truman was out and about, something had to be up. And she was determined to know what. She patted Priscilla on the shoulder. "You stay here. I'm going to check things out."

"Shouldn't we wait for Miles?"

If they did, they'd be waiting until well after noon. "I'll be right back."

"I'll go." Rachel wanted to protest, but she could see Priscilla was going to follow, one way or another. Maybe it was better if she got out of their dusty hideaway for a bit.

"Let's be very quiet about this." The two women crept down the stairs and out into the bright morning sun, staying low and hiding behind the few cars that still lined main street. "There he is. What in the world is he doing?"

She caught sight of Truman heading down a side alley; so early in the morning, the rest of the zombies appeared to still be asleep. Miles was right; it was creepy as hell to see all those people just standing there in a holding pattern. "Alright, listen. We're going to follow him, but we need to keep out of sight as much as possible. We still don't know if those things are actually sleeping or not."

As quickly as they could, they scurried across the road and into the side alley Truman had shot down. Rounding a corner, they came to an immediate dead end. Where the hell had he gone? Certain she had missed a doorway, Rachel turned back, Priscilla right on her heels. Only to come face to face with Ed Truman.

"Rachel," he said. "And Priscilla. Good to see the two of you."

"How did you...know my name?" Priscilla asked. Rachel herself couldn't remember when he ever would have been introduced to Aaron's ex-wife.

"Of course we know you. In fact, we can still sense you. You were our eyes and ears for a long time. We learned so much from our time with you." Priscilla shrunk back, shaking her head in denial. "We mean you no harm. Come back to us...join us."

Truman approached the cowering woman, reaching out a hand to pull her back to the zombie horde. Rachel had other ideas.

"Hey!" Truman turned in time to get a 2x4 in the face. It didn't knock him down, but it did stun him. Taking advantage of the brief moment, Rachel grabbed Priscilla's hand and yanked her towards the mouth of the alley, instinctively ducking when she heard the gunshot ricochet above her head.

Dodging Truman's bullets, she pulled Priscilla down the side street outside their building and around the back. The last thing she wanted to do was lead him to their hideout, but they were far enough ahead of him that she felt comfortable ducking into the back entrance. Pushing Priscilla against the wall, she hunkered down beside the door; watching through the frosted glass, she saw him run down the alley right past them.

"OK, I think we're good," she whispered, turning to the brunette.

"Rachel," Priscilla murmured, holding her hand out. The hand that was stained bright red.

"What is..." Rachel stared at the other woman's fingers, her brilliant brain not even grasping the situation at first. Then she met Priscilla's eyes and just knew. "Oh my God...Priscilla."

They both pulled back the woman's sweater, even though the blood was already seeping through the fabric. One of the bullets had caught her in the side, and from what Rachel could tell, it looked pretty bad. She pressed her hands against the other woman's cheeks, holding her head steady, even as her dark eyes were beginning to lose focus.

"Priscilla...Priscilla...come on. We have to get upstairs. I need you to hang on for me, alright?" A weak little nod was all she got. Wrapping her arm around the brunette, Rachel half drug, half carried the woman up to the second floor. Slamming the door open with her body, she cried out for the rest of her group. "Help...we need some help here."

Within a minute, everyone rushed into the room, sleepy and in various states of dress. Seeing Rachel struggling with Priscilla set everyone moving at breakneck speed. Aaron shouted her name as Peter and Grace helped Rachel clear off a table to lay her on, Bonnie grabbing a few blankets to throw over her. Miles stumbled out last, bleary eyes trying to take in the scene before him.

"What the hell happened?" he asked.

"Miles, I need whatever alcohol you have," Rachel said, her eyes glued to the wound on Priscilla's side. "Get me some please."

She glanced up at him, their eyes connecting. The defeat he saw in her baby blues silenced any other questions. That one look told him Priscilla's chances were slim.

As the sun was rising in Texas, Charlie and Bass prepped their horses for the journey. The entire crew turned out to see them off. As Bass was strapping his pack onto his saddle, Jeremy slid up next to him.

"Uh, a word," Jeremy said.

"What?" Bass asked.

"Listen, about Charlie...you're going to be spending a lot of time alone, the two of you." Jeremy glanced at her over his shoulder. "Maybe you should think about telling her how you feel."

Bass shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know how to handle this."

Jeremy studied him closely. "Man, you really like her."

"Keep your voice down," Bass hissed.

"I can barely remember the last time ladies man Sebastian Monroe was so unsure of himself." That wasn't really true; both could very clearly remember the last time he'd been lost around a woman. Shelly. "Bass, tell her about Rachel. Be honest with her. You both deserve it."

"I'll think about it."

Jeremy nodded, sticking a hand out for Bass to shake it. "Take care of yourself. Take care of each other."

"I know you've already been doing it, but, uh...keep an eye on my kid."

"You got it." Jeremy smiled as he rejoined the others.

Gene, meanwhile, was helping his granddaughter with her saddlebag, his mind on how far she was going to be travelling with the man she was falling for. "Hey, Charlie..."

"Yeah."

"Be careful out there, alright?"

She chuckled. "Of course, grandpa."

"Charlie, about Monroe-"

"Grandpa, everything's fine. I'll be fine." She really wasn't ready to talk about Bass and her feelings for him. Especially with her grandfather.

"OK." Gene nodded and pulled her into a hug. "Please be safe."

"We will. And we'll find Mom."

She swung a leg up onto her horse, slipping into the saddle with ease. Bass sidled up next to her, and they exchanged a look. "You guys keep things under control down here. We're counting on you."

They were met with murmurs of promise and agreement as they rode out of Willoughby. Bass looked over at Charlie, the road leading out of town reminding him so much of the one that lead them in almost a year ago. A lot had happened in that time. They'd been at odds with one another when they'd arrived here. But they were no longer those pseudo-enemies who had merely been putting up with one another for the greater good. Sensing the weight of his stare, she turned to him, their eyes locking.

Now they were a team.

Aaron sat on the steps, staring out the giant arch window above the stairwell, not even seeing the clouds as they passed through the sky. He saw nothing, except the red bloodstains on his hands from his wife's limp body. He couldn't believe it...couldn't believe she was gone. She'd been the first woman he'd ever fallen completely in love with and when they'd married, he'd had so many hopes and expectations for their future. And it had all ended here in a rinky-dink little town in Idaho.

Oh, who the hell was he kidding? It had all ended when he'd walked away from her after the Blackout; his fears and insecurities were what killed their marriage. What they'd had since they'd reconnected in Spring City was simply a codicil to their lives together. But he hadn't wanted this for her.

He kept hoping that they would defeat the Patriots, then the Nano, and finally, maybe, the two of them might eke out a life together. But it had never really been meant to be. He could see that now. The woman he loved had been gone the moment she allowed the Nano in. She'd never recovered from that invasion.

Rachel plopped on the step next to him, their eyes meeting, hers filled with tears. "I'm...I'm so sorry, Aaron. I wanted her to stay here, but..."

"Rachel..." Aaron shook his head. "I don't blame you."

"I do," she said, her voice shaky.

"Truman did this, Rachel. Not you." His hand slipped over hers. "So let's just make this code work and get these bastards once and for all."

She nodded, swiping her tears away with her fingertips. Resting her head against his shoulder, they sat for a few more minutes, silently mourning yet another loss to their makeshift family.

Miles felt sick. He'd known it for awhile, that the Nano was tormenting him for a reason. But after Priscilla died, Rachel had finally come clean with Neville's announcement that they wanted him so he could lead the wave of genocide they had plotted. Rachel had been holding out on him because of the way he'd been acting since he'd ridden into Bradbury; but after yet another blow to their group, she'd spilled everything.

He'd dealt with Rachel's big reveal as well as tears and anguish the whole day; once evening came, he had to get out. He needed to get away from everything and everyone. Someone else had died on his watch, and the pressure was becoming too great. And to top it all off, Truman now knew they were in Bradbury. Things couldn't really get much worse. So Miles had made excuses about patrolling the outskirts of town, when all he'd really wanted was a break.

"Look at you out here all alone," Nora cooed, sauntering up next to him. Miles gritted his teeth at the apparition. "Had to get away from Rachel, huh? It seems she got someone else killed."

"You don't know anything." Now that he knew what the Nano wanted from him, he would never give in.

"Well, I know you. The pressure has always been too great for you, hasn't it, Miles?" Nora asked. "You fall apart time and time again. You always think it's Bass who cracks under pressure, but he never really does. You do."

Stomping through the trees outside of town, he waved the vision of Nora away with his hand. "Leave. Me. Alone."

She ignored him. "No, Bass never cracks. Think about it, all the tragedies he's suffered through in his life. Sometimes, you're not even sure how he does it. How one man can take so much pain and keep going. You know you wouldn't be that strong."

"You're not her. You need to go."

"So the bad things in life may have turned Bass into a megalomaniac...or was it you who turned him into that?"

"Stop..." He was at his wit's end, ready to rip his hair out and tear someone apart with his bare hands.

But Nora never even paused. "You wanted the republic, so Bass went after it with you. Without you, it's very possible he might have recovered from his losses completely. Or...he might have just killed himself and ended it all. Think of how many lives would have been spared if Sebastian Monroe had pulled the trigger in that cemetery in Jasper."

It was too much. Invading his mind for something as personal as that moment he'd shared with his brother pushed Miles over the edge. He roared in anger, swiping out at the image of Nora. The nano chuckled and disappeared, reforming in a different spot. He swung a fist, desperately hoping he could cause it even a little damage. But he missed once more.

Being so involved with the Nano, he never saw the pair of bounty hunters creeping close to him. Miles rarely made mistakes in fights or battles, but with his entire focus on Nora, he noticed nothing until the shot rang out. He felt the bullet as it pierced his body, and his warrior instincts immediately took over. Ducking, he heard another round whiz past his head. After that, he saw nothing but red.

What the bounty hunters hadn't counted on was coming upon an enraged Miles Matheson in the woods outside Bradbury. He descended on them like a man possessed, taking out all his anger and fury on them. It was all over in a matter of minutes, the two men lay dead at his feet, his swords dripping with their blood.

"There he is...The Butcher of Baltimore has returned," Nora taunted.

He turned towards her, violence still burning in his eyes. "You are not her. You will never be her. She's gone. What you fail to realize is that I loved her and she loved me. You're just a bunch of machines who will never understand what humans really are."

For the first time since he'd seen the vision of Nora, the Nano faltered. It was silent for a few moments as it plotted it's next move. "That wound is bad. You could die."

"Then I'll die." Turning away, Miles headed back in the direction of town.

"Wait..." He stopped, still not facing the Nano. "We can save you. Offer you a life that would never end. All you have to do is join us. Help us in this quest."

"I'll never sacrifice my family and friends. I would rather die than live one minute in your world," he said over his shoulder, then walked away leaving the Nano behind for good.

Charlie and Bass huddled in the small cave they'd found. Outside the rain came down in torrents, drops of water splashing back up as soon as they hit the ground. They'd barely come upon the rocky terrain when the storm had kicked into full gear; thunder, lightning and intense wind had forced them off the road and into the shelter of the cavern. It wasn't very deep, more of a long overhang really; Charlie could see the back of the cave from the small fire they'd built, but it was enough to bring the horses in from the rain and keep them all warm and dry.

Bass tossed another branch onto the small fire. With nothing but wet wood outside, they'd been forced to use the few twigs and branches they found littering the cavern floor. "You warm enough?"

"I'm fine. Thanks," she said as he joined her, leaning back against the wall beside her. "Do you think we'll make it there in time, Bass. Do you think we'll be able to help them?"

He heard the desperation in her voice, and as much as he wanted to simply comfort her, he didn't like lying to Charlie. "We're going to ride as hard as we can, Charlie."

She nodded. Bass rarely minced words and never with her. "Yeah...I hope they're alright."

"Me too."

"Do you really think the Nano issued bounties on all of us?" she asked, turning to look at him in the firelight.

"Well, if not them directly, then maybe someone working for them." His eyes met hers, their gazes locking on one another. "Or with them."

There were still many questions swirling around in her head, but the second their eyes connected, she lost all train of thought. He was so handsome; that unrelenting blue stare nearly swept her off her feet every time he trained it on her. She trusted him with her life, her family's life, and could hardly remember when they'd been enemies. But he was so stubborn and headstrong that he refused to see the chemistry burgeoning between them.

There was so much she wanted to say to him, but she went with the simple truth. "I'm really glad you're here, Bass."

"There isn't anywhere else I'd rather be." And damn, he realized he meant every word. There was nowhere he wanted to be more than with Charlie.

She swallowed, the moment threatening to overwhelm her. Her voice was shaky when she spoke. "For our family."

God, she was so close. When had they moved in so close to one another. "For our family, yes. But for you too. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you, Charlie."

"Bass..." She couldn't stand it anymore. Leaning forward, she softly pressed her lips against his, praying he wouldn't pull away from her.

He didn't resist for a moment. Within seconds, his lips covered hers, his tongue slipping into her mouth, stroking and teasing. Toying with his tongue, she opened for him, allowing him complete access. Lightning struck nearby, the spark electrifying the air around them; Charlie wasn't sure if it was the storm or the heat between them that caused it. The kiss finally broke and she rested her forehead against his, contented and happy that he finally seemed to be accepting the inevitable.

Bass was lost. He knew he'd been fighting a losing battle against Charlie, against his feelings for her. Now there was nothing more he could do. It was too late; he was head over heels and couldn't deny it anymore. But he also hated lying to her. So while his mind was still jumbled from that amazing kiss, and before his brain could catch up, he blurted out his big secret.

"I slept with your mother."

If he'd doused her with a bucket of cold water, he couldn't have destroyed the moment any quicker. Charlie's eyes widened as she pulled away. "What?"

Shaking his head at his own stupidity, he realized he had no choice but to explain further. The one thing from his past he should have broken to her gently and he'd blurted it out like he was a guest on a game show. "I...uh..."

She couldn't believe it. The way he was stammering, the look on his face, the betrayal that pounded into her heart was devastating. Her mother, the same woman who hated Sebastian Monroe with a fiery passion, had slept with him. Charlie couldn't stop the horrifying images assaulting her; her mother and Bass wrapped up in each other in bed. God, she was going to be ill.

Shifting away from him, she forced herself to ignore the pang she felt at the distress on his face. "Charlie, please let me explain."

"Stay away from me. I don't want to hear it."

"Please, Charlie, it happened once, a long time ago. It didn't mean anything," he pleaded, begging her to understand. "It was right after Miles left, and we both missed him, missed the world before the Blackout. Nothing had ever happened between your mother and I before or since. I've never even been attracted to her, but we'd both been drinking, far too much, and it just...escalated. It just happened."

"Stop." Laying down, she turned away from him, refusing to even look at him.

"I didn't want to hurt you. But I didn't want to lie to you." He stared at her back, at the unforgiving position she'd assumed. "It was a huge mistake. We both realized it as soon as it happened. Charlie, please...what you mean to me is so important. I don't want to lose you."

When she said nothing he had no choice but to give up. For now. Sighing, he turned to face the entrance to their little cave, silently berating himself for handling the situation so poorly. He was such an idiot.

He never saw the tear-stained tracks running down Charlie's face.

A/N: OK, guys, here's another chapter. Thanks to everyone still reading and being so patient with us. It's really hard to organize a story with four different people who have pretty busy lives. But we haven't abandoned you or this story. So please leave a comment if you're still with us and have a moment. Next chapter will be by lostinmysticfalls.

Credit: The title comes from the Stephen King book "Desperation".