It's my own desire
It's my own remorse
Help me to decide
Help me make the most Of freedom and of pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world

The Next Morning

Miles, Rachel, Charlie, and Gene were seated at the breakfast table.

"I was going to take Charlie into town to talk to one of the Rangers," Miles spoke up after they been eating quietly. He wasn't going to reveal that Bass Monroe was in town, at least not before he absolutely had to...

Rachel looked up from her plate. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Miles?"

Miles nodded. "Charlie knows what's going on, Rachel." Charlie looked from Miles to her mother.

"That's interesting- I don't even know what is going on," Rachel replied quickly, trying to keep her tone light but answer was start to bubble underneath the surface. Miles turned to look at her and immediately got into "diffusing" mode.

"Rachel, you know as much as I do...these U.S. Government guys came up from Cuba, calling themselves "Patriots" and promising to bring back a new world order," Miles said. "I don't buy it and I want to get to the bottom of it. Charlie can help."

Rachel shook her head reluctantly. Even before she left town four months ago, Charlie had been more inclined to hang "with the boys" than stay at home and prepare meals like some of the other women in the community.

Miles hugged Rachel goodbye and set out on the road with Charlie.

"Take me to the campsite where Bass and these mercenaries are," Miles spoke up after a moment. "I'm assuming they're still there."

"As far as I know," Charlie said, trying to maintain an ambiguous tone.

"So, how did you find him anyway?- Bass," Miles asked.

"He was in New Vegas, fighting for diamonds in a whorehouse," Charlie responded.

"That sounds about right," Miles replied, an amused tone in his voice.

Charlie didn't choose to respond to the statement but only continued, "I wasn't really looking for him, he just happened to be there."

Charlie didn't exactly want Miles to know she had been searching for Monroe, even when the initial reason was because she wanted to kill him. Things were different now, between Charlie and Bass, but she wanted to be very careful with how much information she volunteered to Miles, particularly regarding Bass.

Things were so volatile between Miles and Monroe now, without having Charlie added to the turmoil. She knew that if Miles were to discover anything was happening between her and Bass, he would immediately go after Bass, not her. Even though Miles seemed to trust her instincts and choices more than he used to, Charlie also knew that he still saw her as a "kid" who could be manipulated, especially when faced with someone with the life experience of Bass Monroe.

Charlie herself wasn't entirely convinced that she hadn't been manipulated by Bass...while she never felt like she had been doing anything she didn't want to do, she was well aware of his womanizing tendencies, after all she had witnessed this firsthand in New Vegas.

Even before she left Willoughby, she had overheard Rachel and Miles talking about "Pre-Blackout" Bass Monroe, the charismatic womanizer who went through women like other people changed their clothes.

Fifteen minutes later, Miles and Charlie were on the edge of town and walking through the clearing near the ravine where the campsite was set up.

Bass had been talking with one of the other men when he looked up and saw Miles and Charlie approaching.

The other men were gathering their items and would have pulled weapons if they hadn't noticed Charlie with Miles.

Miles noted the scene, "Eight men? We could use at least twice as many..."

"Like Bass said, we were lucky to get these guys," Charlie replied. "It wasn't easy-"

"Hey," Bass said, approaching them, keeping his eyes trained on Miles, almost afraid that something would show in his expression if his eyes shifted to Charlie.

"Hey Bass," Miles said. At that moment, one of the mercenaries (John) walked up to the three of them.

"Do you want for us to stay here at the campsite for now?" John said, looking at Bass and waiting for orders.

Bass started to answer and then looked to Charlie, nodding. Charlie looked at Bass, trying to read his expression and Miles looked from Bass to Charlie in confusion.

Charlie then understood what Bass was doing and spoke up, "John, keep the men here for now. We'll send a signal and go over our next move when we're ready." She looked over at Bass and he nodded in agreement with her position.

Miles shook his head and looked from Bass to Charlie again.

"Is she commanding this group?" Miles couldn't help but ask, a bit confused by the situation.

Bass looked from Charlie to Miles. "Yes, she is...we both are."

Miles couldn't keep his surprise hidden. "Well, that's a little unexpected."

"I tried to tell you, Miles. I'm not the same person now," Bass replied.

Miles watched him for a beat and then nodded. Bass did seem different. He had noticed it the previous day at the ravine as well and almost wrote it off as a fluke, but he was getting the same vibe again today. He was getting glimpses of the old Bass, the one he thought had been long gone.

Had losing the Republic really restored his humanity? Miles thought to himself. ...or was something else responsible for this shift that appeared to be the Bass Monroe of the past?

Bass and Miles spent the afternoon devising a plan on how to handle the Patriots and how they could work to get the Rangers on their side against the Patriots. They were well aware that they would have to approach this situation with extreme care since Sebastian Monroe was clearly a wanted man and the temptation of such a generous bounty on his head could prove too enticing for many individuals, even Rangers.

Miles also met with the mercenaries and he and Bass began discussing next steps with the men. Charlie mainly observed- it wasn't that they had actively worked to not include her, but rather she was out of her league when it came to giving orders for war.

She was starting to feel like many things in her life were "out of her league."

That Evening

Miles had gone back into Willoughby for the evening while Charlie had chosen to stay at the campsite, under the guise that she was going to work with the mercenaries. She couldn't tell if Miles bought the excuse, but he didn't press the issue.

After supper, she was sitting on a log, drinking moonshine and watching the campfire while Kenny was entertaining the group with his guitar and the numerous 80's pop hits he had memorized. when Bass walked over, his thigh gently brushing hers as he sat down beside her.

"Are you staying here at camp tonight?" Bass asked softly, his eyes skimming across the campfire.

"Not sure yet," Charlie responded, trying to seem noncommittal, blinking a couple of times and trying to maintain through the strong buzz of alcohol pumping through her veins. Normally, she would be ready to invite Bass into their woods for their normal 'tryst', but tonight she was just angry. Angry at herself, angry at him, angry for the 'casual' situation that they had been dancing around for awhile - the cold truth that the alcohol allowed her to reveal was that this arrangement was no longer working for her...

"You shouldn't be on the road after dark, it isn't safe and I would say the sun will set in the next hour," Bass replied, pulling her from her internal struggle.

Charlie only looked at him, her impatience starting to show in her voice. "Have you completely forgotten? I was on the road by myself for weeks, traveling from Willoughby to New Vegas..."

"Have you forgotten that I saved your ass from those Bandits who wanted to do unspeakable things to you because you were alone and trying to camp on their land?" Bass sniped back.

For some reason, Bass had sensed an air of tension between him and Charlie all day, and he had no idea why. Of course, it had been easier to dismiss while Miles was present since Bass and Charlie had barely spoken to one another and it never looked suspicious. It felt like things ha d gotten complicated between them, so it was easier to become distracted with Miles, the mercenaries, and their plans to take down the Patriots.

Charlie didn't argue with his comment about the Bandits. She only replied, "well, if I do stay here, that doesn't mean anything is happening between us..."

Bass looked at her for a second and back at the campfire, "I didn't mean to imply anything about that."

"I know what you were thinking," Charlie bit back quickly. "You figured if I stayed here, I would be an easy lay, yet again..."

Bass felt like he had been slapped in the face. He was hurt by her words- that he would regard her as 'an easy lay'... but he wasn't willing to let her see that he was hurt- in that moment, he'd only been looking for words to snap back at her...to show her that she couldn't get to him and to try to gain the upper hand...digging that hole even deeper...

"Charlotte, I am pretty sure that you have no idea what I was thinking," Bass said seething, looking at her. "Stop pretending like you know me so well...we've had sex a few times, that doesn't mean you can read my mind," he added coldly.

Charlie was almost surprised at his brazen response. "At least you pretty much admit that it meant nothing to you then...I was waiting for that shoe to drop." She bit her lip as if it would stop her from saying anything further. The alcohol was making her way too forthright.

Bass jerked his head back to her, "What the hell are you talking about? I never said it didn't mean anything. Charlie, you're putting words in my mouth-"

"-Just admit, that you and I were just sleeping together to pass the time and that you were using me the way you use the other women you have banged when you feel the urge," Charlie snapped.

Bass' mouth fell open. "Excuse me? Using you...is that how you feel? You were the one who initiated this little 'arrangement' in the first place...and let me ask you something, all of those times, did it feel like you were being used?"

Charlie bit her lip again, silently in thought. Bass had always been an excellent lover who not only showed her genuine affection and respect when they were together, but he had honestly been very gentle and loving. Not one time had she ever felt like he was treating her like some common whore. She wasn't quite positive why she was lashing out like this, maybe it was her own uncertainty of the entire situation and the fact that it meant more to her than she was willing to admit.

Charlie didn't reply, only sitting there silently. Bass stared at her, trying to understand what was going through her mind.

"Where the hell is all of this coming from? Did I force you to do something?" Bass asked.

"No!" Charlie said a little too loudly, which caused a few of the men to look in their direction. She lowered her voice, "No, I wasn't forced...I just kind of came back to reality- this is what you do...this is what you have always done..."

"...and what exactly is this?" Bass asked slowly.

"Ya know, sleep around...I have heard the stories my mom used to tell-" Charlie replied when Bass interrupted her.

"-Of course, this is about Rachel," Bass replied, seething again. "Your mom has never been my biggest fan, but what has she been saying about me now in the oh, two days you have been around her again?"

"Not really now, as much as just old stories I remember hearing, about you being a womanizer," Charlie said, feeling her face burning, not sure if it was from the alcohol, the campfire, or her embarassment at how this was playing out...She must look like such a child right now...

"Well, Rachel didn't know shit about my life, even before the Blackout. She only liked to pass judgment on the random stories she may have heard over the years through Ben from Miles...she isn't exactly one to talk either- that woman isn't exactly Mother Teresa."

"...Have I been with a lot of women? Yes, you could say that...I was with a good number of women before the lights went out and the tradition sort of continued over the years..."

Bass was silent for a few moments, thinking about the fact that he had been with women long before Charlie was ever born...he had a wealth of knowledge and world/life experience compared to her own... he was starting to understand what was going on on here.

"Charlie, do you feel threatened by that?" Bass finally laid it out there. The big question that Charlie had been asking herself.

"I don't know what I feel," Charlie sighed, trying to answer honestly. She was utterly confused, and that was the truth.

Bass only nodded. "Well, if this is your way of asking if I have been with anyone since you and I started things, the answer is no."

Charlie looked at him, biting her lip again and he watched her in silence, trying to gauge her expression to see what she was thinking. What did this mean?

"I think you do know how you feel, Charlie," Bass said after a moment. "...and I think that is the problem. You don't like the answer you have come up with-"

"Oh yeah?" Charlie asked, her tone bordering on challenging. "...and what answer would that be?"

"The same conclusion I have come to...Charlie, from the moment you found me in New Vegas, you have pissed me off like no one else, you have found ways to challenge me, disturb me, attract me, but the bottom line is, you made me feel alive again...like maybe there was something still left in this god forsaken world to live for..."

Charlie nodded, waiting for him to complete his thought. Bass took her hand in his, looking into her eyes.

"...but dammit, through everything- through the fights and the banter, even before anything happened between us physically, I realized that I was falling for you."