Day 60

10:35 am

"Having fun?"

Charlie cracked an eye open to look up at Jeremy, who was standing over her. "You're blocking my sun."

He chuckled lightly, plopping down on the grass and laying down next to her. "Are you alright? Riley told me that you've been laying out here for over an hour."

She sighed, rolling onto her side to look at him. "Yeah, I'm just trying to enjoy the sun while I can. Monroe said I could bring Xbox out here for bathroom breaks, but he never said there was a time limit."

Jeremy nodded and they both laid in the middle of the courtyard for a while, soaking up the August sun, while the dog played with the chew toy Jeremy had brought for him.

After a while, she added, "plus, my room is so hot. Monroe's got the windows screwed shut, so I don't even get a breeze in there. It's like sitting in an oven."

Jeremy turned his head towards her with a frown on his face. "I thought that there were bars over your windows?"

"There are, but I guess he's worried I'd still be able to get out."

"I'll talk to him. Escape or no, it's not safe for you to be in there like that, with no ventilation. You could die of heat stroke or something, especially in this heat." He gestured around them, indicating the hot summer weather.

Charlie scoffed, "good luck with that. I've been complaining about it for a week, I think that's why he hasn't said anything about my extended trips outside though. It's like he knows that I shouldn't be in there because of the heat, but he's too stubborn to open the windows, so instead, he just let's me stay out here, where he knows people are watching me and I can't get away."

Jeremy turned on his side so that they were facing each other. "You've obviously thought a lot about this."

She shrugged her shoulders and laid on on her back, closing her eyes against the sun. "It's not like I have anything better to do."

He nodded, even though he knew she wasn't looking. "Well I'll talk to him anyway. Maybe if we both work on him, he'll give in. I don't really see the point in screwing the windows shut when there are already bars on them, maybe we can both talk some sense into him."

"Do you really believe that?" She asked him. "That you can talk sense into a crazy person?"

"He's not crazy, Charlie. He's just... misguided... lost." The sad tone in Jeremy's voice made it hard for her to contradict him.

As far as she was concerned anybody that locked a woman up for eight years, just to try and get information from her, was nuts. And now here she was, in the same exact situation, being held captive by the same man that had held her mother.

But Jeremy seemed so sure of himself. That Monroe wasn't crazy.

She couldn't help but wonder if he was right.

11:20 am

Sure enough, about an hour before lunch, Chad let two soldiers into her room and they sat and watched while they undid the screws in the windows. Chad told her about the letter he had gotten from his sister, Ellie, the day before. His eleven month old nephew, Tyler, had taken his first steps. It warmed Charlie's heart, seeing the pride on his face. But even with such great news from home, there was bad news as well. His grandmother was sick, the small town's doctor had told his sister that it wouldn't be long. At almost seventy-one years old, it was just her time.

It broke Charlie's heart, to hear the sadness in his voice. She had spent the last eight years thinking that her mother was dead, but it had taken months after her mom had left for Charlie to accept that she had died. Every night, she had sat up and waited for her mother to come back, but she never did.

In a way, her dad's death had been easier. It had been quick and she had been there to witness it. There was no questioning whether he would come back, or if he was still alive. She felt bad for Chad, he was going to spend the remainder of his grandmother's life, worrying about when it was going to end.

The moment the soldiers were finished, Charlie opened the windows, letting the breeze flow into her room. It was still August, so it was still hot as hell, but at least she had some fresh air.

Charlie looked around her room, wondering what else she might be able to pry out of Monroe.

If she asked nicely.

12:28 pm

Bass was sitting at the kitchen table, his lunch so far untouched. He found that he did that a lot, waited for Charlotte to arrive before he started eating.

He could remember his father telling him that it was the polite thing to do.

Gentlemanly, even.

Not that Charlotte even fucking noticed.

He wondered vaguely how she would feel about him giving in and opening her windows. Wondered if maybe, just maybe, she'd be grateful.

Yeah, fucking right.

Speaking of little Miss Sunshine...

Charlotte came floating into the room like she was on a cloud, her smile as big as ever, a little dimple in her cheek.

Beautiful. That was the only word that came to mind.

She sat down, making direct eye contact, as she took a sip of water. He watched her, but she merely smiled at him. "Thank you. For opening the windows, I mean. I appreciate it."

Wow. That was unexpected.

"Oh, well, your welcome," he said awkwardly. She continued to smile at him and it was making him feel uneasy all of a sudden.

"Is there something else you wanted, Charlotte?"

He watched her bite her lip worriedly for a moment before saying, "actually, there's this other thing..." She trailed off, looking anxious.

"What is it?"

"It's... well... Chad's grandma, she's sick, and the doctor said she won't live much longer."

Bass stared at her in confusion. "Who the hell is Chad?"

Charlotte gaped at him. "Chad, Private Riley, my guard."

"Oh!" He couldn't help but frown for a second. "I thought his name was Gerald." Shaking his head, he asked, "what about him?"

"His grandma, she's really sick, and I was just wondering... " He watched her pick at the food on her plate for something to do, as she said quietly, "I was wondering if he could go see her, you know, before she dies."

This woman. Was she serious? Riley was literally the one keeping her locked in her room, and yet here she was, trying to help him.

Seriously, who does that?

Only Charlotte.

Bass nodded to her as he started to eat his lunch. "I'll think about it."

Day 68

8:30 am

Charlie was sitting in her chair in front of the window, watching the guards outside as she usually did to entertain herself. The guards down on the sidewalk, John and Jane, we're looking decidedly bored now that they didn't have Xbox to chase around. And the guards at the front door, Jack and George, we're looking equally depressed. Though Charlie had a feeling that George's dull attitude had more to do with his and Jane's recent break-up. She could tell by the longing looks he sent her way and the awkward way she was avoiding them, that George hadn't been the one to end things between them.

Poor George.

The only one who seemed happy about their recent break-up, was John, who Charlie knew for a fact, had an enormous crush on Jane.

Charlie was actually kind of rooting for him. He seemed like a nice enough guy from a hundred yards away.

She wondered what Miles might be up to. His little convoy of soldiers should be well into Iowa by now, and it made Charlie shudder to think that he hadn't even arrived in California yet. She could picture him riding along on his horse, complaining about his ass hurting or the sun beating down on his neck. It made her smile to think that even in Monroe's stupid uniform, Miles was still Miles.

Monroe hadn't mentioned Nora, her mother, or Danny since he had told her that they made it safely into Georgia. Charlie remembered her mom mentioning grandparents that lived in Texas, when she was little. Maybe they had travelled to be with family. Hopefully, wherever they ended up, they were safe.

Charlie was considering laying down for a nap, like Xbox had over in the corner, when Jeremy's smiling face popped into the room.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Jeremy feigned hurt, "what, am I not welcome anymore?"

"No," she laughed, "I'm not supposed to have vistors in my room anymore. Don't you remember what happened last time?"

Jeremy smiled gently, knowing that the Jason's death had been hard on her. "Bass decided to lift me from the ban. You're allowed to have me in here, but that's it."

Charlie rolled her eyes, "how generous of him."

"Hey, give the guy a break. He's trying."

She scrunched up her nose and looked out the window, choosing to keep her mouth shut, rather than argue.

"Do you want to play a game of chess?" He asked.

Charlie snorted. "How many times do I have to beat you for you to realize that you suck at chess?"

Jeremy sat down and started setting up the board. "Don't get cocky, mini-Miles, you'll see, I'll beat you someday." He grinned at her, "I just need some help practicing first."

She tried to roll her eyes, but found it difficult to do while she was laughing. They sat in companionable silence while they played, Charlie trying not to mock him when he made a stupid move and Jeremy trying not to have a temper tantrum when he lost. Again.

Jeremy put the board away and Charlie went back to her armchair, petting Xbox's head as she walked by. Looking over at Jeremy she said, "I asked Monroe a few days ago if he would let Chad go see his grandma. He said he would think about it, but he hasn't said anything about it since then."

Jeremy looked at her questioningly. "Who the hell is Chad?"

Charlie threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "Private Riley! You know, the guy that stands outside my door, all day, every day."

He frowned in the direction of the door, as if he could see Chad through it. "Oh," he said, "I could have sworn his name was Harold."

Seriously?

He had to be joking. How could neither Jeremy, or Monroe know her guard's name?

Monroe even picked the guy himself!

Deciding to ignore the increasing stupidity of the male species, Charlie continued on as if there hadn't been any interruption. "I was wondering if you could talk to him. When we both asked him to open the windows, he did, so I was thinking if we both asked him to let Chad go see his grandma, he would." She did her best puppy dog eyes and knew she had him when he sighed and slumped down onto her bed.

"Fine."

"Thank yo-"

"But I want something in return," he added.

Charlie shrugged. "Ok, fine. What do you want, for me to let you win in a game of chess?"

"Ha, ha," though Jeremy clearly wasn't amused. "No, I want you to help me with something." Charlie nodded her head and he continued. "I'll talk to Bass about him letting your friend go see his grandma, but then I want you to talk to him about going out with me and some of the guys tonight."

She stared at him. "What?"

Jeremy gave her an annoyed look. "Me and some of the guys are going to a bar later tonight, and I think it would be good for Bass to go. Some of the other officers are starting to question if he's fit enough to be our leader-"

"Good, they should be questioning him," Charlie interrupted.

"No, come on, Charlie. Just think for a second, if Bass gets removed from power, then someone else is going to take over. And whoever that person is, certainly won't be a fan of Miles Matheson, which means that you and your friend Aaron are as good as dead."

Charlie thought for a moment. It made sense. Miles was technically a deserter of the militia, which meant that whoever took Monroe's place would want Miles dead. Which meant that there was no reason to keep her and Aaron alive.

Sighing, she nodded her head. "Alright, but he's not going to listen to me."

"Yeah he will. Trust me. All you have to do is tell Bass, that I told you, that me and the guys are going out drinking tonight. And then you need to tell him that you think he should join us, for whatever reason, just make something up. Then later, I'll invite him to come with us, and he won't be able to say no because you'll have already put the idea in his head." Jeremy grinned, like he had just come up with the most brilliant plan on the planet.

"I don't know," Charlie said slowly, "that's assuming that Monroe cares enough about what I think to even consider it."

Jeremy looked irritated. "Well unless you have a better idea, this is what we're going with."

"Actually, I think I do." She leaned forward in her chair conspiritorily. "We all know that Monroe only gave me the dog because you lost the bet, and it tied his hands. If he didn't give me what I wanted, then I would have been free to be pissy for the next ten months."

Raising his eyesbrows, Jeremy said, "I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"If you tie his hands, Monroe won't have any other choice but to go with you." It was like explaining math to a three year old.

"Ok," Jeremy smiled, "so what do I tell him?"

"Just tell him that we made another bet on whether or not you could get him to leave the house."

"Alright, so what are the stakes? It'll have to be something big enough to get Bass to leave the house."

Charlie grinned. "Tell Monroe, that if you loose the bet, then you have to let me go outside." Jeremy started to shake his head, but she stopped him. "I don't mean you have to let me go, but you have to let me go outside and go for a walk, let me be around people that aren't in uniforms."

Jeremy nodded slowly, biting his lip. "That could work. Bass is terrified that you'll find some way to escape. He'll come out drinking with me if it means keeping you in the house."

"Exactly." Charlie tried not to look to proud of herself, but who was she kidding?

They were about to con the President of the Monroe Republic.

And they were totally going to get get away with it.

12:30 pm

Charlie tried to keep calm as she headed to lunch, talking about conning Monroe was one thing, but actually doing it, that was something else all together. If they were caught, it was very possible that she and Jeremy would both end up dead, as well as Aaron, for even thinking that they could get away with it.

It felt good though. To finally have a plan, not necessarily to free herself, but to feel useful, like she was actually accomplishing more than simply cataloging Monroe's facial expressions. She could feel the blood rushing through her veins, the adrenaline pumping through her system. It was like the thrill of a fight, only not as violent, but with just as nasty outcomes.

In her peripheral vision, she could see Chad giving her strange looks, like he knew that something was going on. Luckily, he had the sense to keep his mouth shut.

In the hot August weather, the kitchen had become incredibly hot. In the mornings it usually wasn't so bad, but by the time lunch rolled around, it was unbearable. Monroe had taken to eating their informal meals in the formal dinning room, with the windows that looked out to the courtyard hanging wide open, hoping to tempt the non-existent breeze.

He had also started taking off his jacket in order to eat. Charlie wasn't sure if it was because of the boiling heat, or if it could have anything to do with his newfound trust in her.

Either way, it meant that she didn't have to watch him sweat to death while they ate.

Dropping her shoes off outside of the door to the dinning room, Charlie padded barefoot into the room, the plush carpet feeling warm and squishy under her feet. Monroe sat in his chair, having long since given up on pushing in her chair for her, waiting for her to arrive, his food untouched.

He did that a lot.

Why?

Who knows...

As she sat down, Charlie noticed his jacket draped over the back of his chair, and the way his t-shirt stuck to his sweaty skin.

"How was your morning?" Charlie asked him. She had discovered that attempting to be pleasant usually got her what she wanted.

He shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly. "Same as usual. So and so, did something stupid out in DumbFuckLand, and blah, blah, blah." He smirked as he started digging into his lunch, a salad with fresh vegetables and Madelyn's homemade raspberry dressing.

Which was delicious by the way.

"How was your's?" He asked.

Charlie wet her lips with her tongue, buying herself a moment of time to gather the courage she needed to start the game that she and Jeremy were about to play.

"It was good," she gave him what she hoped was a convincing smile, "Jeremy came to my room and I kicked his ass at chess. Again. Thanks for that by the way, letting him back in."

Monroe shrugged like it was nothing, but Charlie knew that it had probably taken a whole bunch of convincing and nagging from Jeremy to make it happen. She smiled in an attempt to keep the good atmosphere going.

"Jeremy said that him and some of the guys are gonna go out tonight," she kept her voice casual, "are you going with them?"

He chewed slowly, seeming to choose his words carefully. "Why do you ask?"

Charlie shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. "Just curious I guess. You've been in such a good mood lately, that I thought you might have decided to go out and have some fun for a change."

"I have fun." But his answer was just a little too quick, and a little too forced to be believable.

"Right," she said sarcastically, "because reading reports in your office and eating with me is such a blast." Charlie knew she was pushing her luck. Challenging Monroe would either get her exactly what she wanted, or blow up in her face. She watched him take a drink of his water, the way his lips pulled in a tight line told her that he was irritated, not mad.

Irritated was something she could work with. She'd had plenty of practice with Miles.

"I'm just saying," she continued on gently, because changing tactics would throw him off, "maybe it would be good for you. Help you clear your head."

Monroe sighed loudly, the lines in his forehead becoming more pronounced as he attempted to contain his growing irritation. "Thank you for your concern, Charlotte. I'll take your opinion into consideration."

Which was Monroe-speak for 'now shut the hell up before you really piss me off', so she did. Charlie ate the rest of her lunch quietly, watching him let her words sink in. His attitude went from irritated, to accepting, to almost - quite possibly happy, and back to irritated by the time she had finished eating.

On the way back to her room, Charlie wondered how their little plan would work out. Best case senario, Monroe would fall for it and maybe convince some of his officers that he wasn't a total nut job, which meant that she and Aaron would be safe from other people trying to take over for a little while longer. That would also mean that she would have to be nice to him for a week, but if it kept Monroe in power, then it kept her family safe.

Safety was her main priority.

Even if it meant she'd have to swallow her pride.

5:45 pm

"Miss Matheson," Madelyn entered Charlie's room with a big grin on her face, "the President asked me to inform you that the formal dinner for tonight has been canceled."

Charlie had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from smiling. She couldn't let anyone know that she had any idea before hand. "Really?" She tried to sound surprised, "why?"

"Well," Madelyn answered happily, "Captain Baker finally managed to convince him that he needed to go out an have some fun. I just came in to let you know, and I wanted to ask if you want to eat your dinner in the kitchen or in here tonight?"

"I'll eat in here, as long as that's all right with you."

"Of course, dear." Madelyn gave her a warm smile. "I'll bring dinner in a little while, alright?"

Charlie nodded. "Thanks, Madelyn."

"Mhmmm..." The older woman left the room, all smiles and humming.

Charlie almost couldn't believe it, their plan had worked.

6:50 pm

Madelyn had just brought in dinner and Charlie was curled up in her chair, eating roasted pork and potatoes, while she gazed out the window. It was so peaceful, to sit and eat in her room, alone no less. It was a nice change from the usual officer infested dinners.

BANG!

What the hell?

A gun shot rang out, the sound cracking from outside her window. Charlie set her plate down and stood in front of it, trying to see what was going on while Xbox barked excitedly. "Calm down, buddy, it's ok." She rubbed her hand over his head while she crained her neck to see outside.

The soldiers stationed on the front lawn were scattering in different directions. Jack and George ran in the front doors and shut them behind them, while John and Jane ran up from the sidewalk and took up positions in front of the doors. Ten or so other soldiers were shouting orders and running up and down the street.

As far as Charlie could tell, no one out front had been hurt, which meant that either whoever was shooting had missed, or they had been shooting somewhere else.

Charlie went and knocked urgently on the door. "Chad, did you hear that? What's going on? Chad!" Through the door, she heard something thump loudly. "Chad?"

The door opened without warning and a man with dark hair backed into the room, dragging Chad's limp body. Charlie watched in horror as the man shut the door and turned around to face her, his smile making her stomach churn.

"Hello, kitten," he purred, "I've missed you."

Oh shit.

Nevins.

A/N Welcome back, Nevins! Oh, no one else is excited to see him? My bad... :-) I owe a big thanks to KimberlyHavey for helping me muddle through my own thoughts on this one, thanks girl! Thanks for reading everybody, leave me a review if you have a minute!