Word Count; 3137 (ex disclaimer and notes)

Whaaa! 111 Reviews! Thank you guys so much for all the wonderful and helpful feedback. I was so excited to see this (plus 111 is ust a cool little number) I decided to thank you all the only way I know how, a new update! Enjoy this chappie, your wonderful reviews keep me excited for my story and keep my muses in full swing. You all ROCK! Never forget that. Thank you, from the bottom of my writers heart :D

Disclaimer; Again, some verbatim conversations from the show altered to fit my needs. Don't sue, am already broke. All I own are Pete, two cats and my imagination. ;p

CHAPTER 14:

It had gotten dark quickly and Bass watched the camp get ready for the night. Connor was just returning from a trip to the trees to relieve himself and Charlie was busy making herself comfortable on her sleeping bag. He watched her closely, knowing Miles and Rachel were on the other side of the camp so they wouldn't catch him gazing at their precious Charlie. His precious Charlie now, though. She was his. Charlie sat up again and winced causing him to frown "Are you okay?" His eyes roamed her body to assure himself that she hadn't gotten hurt.

He watched interested when a crimson blush crept up her face and her eyes avoided his "Charlotte, what's wrong?" Bass wanted to know. She leaned in a bit closer so Connor couldn't overhear "Nothing, I'm just ... sore." Another frown "sore? Why are you sore?" She blushed again and this time looked him in the eyes "I'm sore from... what we did this afternoon." Blue eyes widened in understanding and then narrowed and darkened with animalistic lust. "Should I apologize?" But the smile on her face told him everything he needed to know "Didn't think so."

Charlie lay back down again and closed her eyes, he on the other hand couldn't because he was on watch first. Not that it was a bad thing because he could feast his eyes on her sinful body being illuminated by the licking flames of the fire. His eyes scoured their surroundings intent on catching any and all sounds that did not belong out there.

Miles might call him paranoid but it didn't mean that there wasn't something out there. There was definitely something out there it was just that none of them knew where exactly.

All of a sudden Charlie's men tensed up and reached for their weapons. Before they knew what was happening the first shot came from between the trees and hit one of Charlie's men. With a groan and a cry the man went down to never get up again. Bass cursed out loud and reached for his gun. He grabbed Connor by the collar and dragged him behind a concrete wall "Stay here!" Bass' eyes shot around looking for Miles and saw his friend was hiding behind a wall with Rachel.

He eyed Miles and bolted to the other side of the camp, planning to get around their attackers so he could come at them from behind. He hurried across a small walkway and crouched when he spotted a tan uniform. He aimed the shotgun he had in his hands and pulled the trigger, satisfied when his target went down and repeated the action with another one. The gun was empty now so he reached into his pocket for two more shells to reload, as soon as he put the first one in he was hit from behind by a linebacker, or so it felt.

Bass pushed the person off and was surprised to be eye to eye with Tom Neville who was pointing a gun at him "Right there, right there!" The older man snarled "Dead or alive, you're coming with me. I don't care." And he chuckled "Channeling a bit of RoboCop there, aren't you, Tom?" Quick as lightning he grabbed Tom's wrist and slammed it against the railing of the walkway causing the other man to lose the gun he was holding. Good, now the odds were a little more to Bass' liking. They traded blows and kicks but Bass could feel that Tom was no match for him in hand to hand combat, not surprising really, it was Bass who'd been training since he was eighteen years old, Tom had just been punching a bag in his basement before he joined the Militia.

He reached out and grabbed the other man by the throat, he'd had about enough of this. He was worried about Charlie, he wanted to go and see if she was okay and Tom was in his way. "Sorry Tom but if it's a choice between your wife's life and mine" He tightened his grip more "I say 'Screw the bitch.'" And he threw a right hook to Tom's face. Continually pounding on the other man he noticed from the corner of his eyes that the Patriot kid was making a run for it. With a grin he saw that Miles was already on it, the grin slipping from his face when Rachel stopped Miles and the kid got away. It only took a few seconds but it distracted him long enough for Tom to get a decent punch in that spun him around and sent him staggering into the railing of the walkway.

As he was facing away from Tom he noticed Connor and Charlie making a run for it. When his son spotted him in trouble he turned away from Charlie and began making his way towards Bass. Out of nowhere he was body-slammed into a car and Bass noticed it was Tom's traitor kid. Maybe Rachel was right after all and kids did grow up to be like their parents, no matter who raised them. He turned back around and continued his assault on Tom. He threw right hook after right hook "You traitor" punch "son of a" another punch "Bitch!" Tom went down hard and tried to crawl away from them. "Get up." Bass demanded "Come on, turncoat, get up!" As Neville was getting to his feet though another Patriot opened fire on Bass, bullets flying left and right, ricocheting off the iron rails.

Neville was getting up and Bass took the opportunity to use the other man as a human shield. Realizing he couldn't do anything against a gun from this distance he took his change when the gun momentarily failed. He ran down the stairs over to where Jason was wailing on Connor. Without losing momentum he slammed into the younger man pushing him into the unforgiving metal of the car. Jason went down and Bass grabbed up Connor to get him out of there.

The both of them hurried down the stairs to where Gene, Rachel and Miles were and Miles took care of their followers with the rifle in his hands. Bass looked around but stopped when he didn't see Charlie "Miles, where is she?" He made an impatient noise when Miles didn't seem to immediately get who he meant "Charlie, Miles. Where is Charlie."

He didn't like it at all that Miles had to look around after he'd asked, he should have known where she was. Bass searched the area around them but he didn't see her either. Without waiting for Miles he ran up the stairs into the line of fire "Bass, what the hell are you doing?" But he ignored Miles' words and stormed op the iron steps. At the top he took out the man who had been shooting at them with a blow to the face, he didn't care whether the man was dead or unconscious, he just wanted to find Charlie. "Charlotte!" The scream was deafening and he took off on a sprint through what had been their camp until about fifteen minutes ago "Charlotte!"

From the corner of his eye he saw a flash of dirty-blonde hair and what he saw when he turned towards it made his heart stop. She was fighting a guy in a tan uniform. For a moment he stopped and stared, god, she was something to behold as she went at the other man full force. She was strong, quick and smart as she used the other guys size and weight against him. Bass watched Charlie land a few mean hits in the guys chest and abdomen, sending him staggering back from her. He physically winced when he noticed she left an opening on her left side and the guy went for it, punching her so hard in the stomach it sent her to her knees. She reached for her knife and stuck out at her opponent, sinking the sharp blade in the guys thigh to the hilt before pulling it out and slashing him across his forearm.

Bass grinned and didn't know whether to help her or to start cheering for her. The decision was made for him however when he felt his blood start to boil and rage taking over as the man kicked the knife from her hand and then kicked her in the head. He moved forward, reaching for his knife, intent on ending this fight right now before she could get hurt even more. He had underestimated her though because Charlie scrambled to her feet and dove for her discarded blade. Her hand closing around the hilt as the guy kicked her in the stomach once more, Bass could hear her cry of pain mixed with anger. Before he could get to them, however, Charlie had gotten up and in an unguarded moment from her opponent she thrust forward and sank her knife deep into her assailants chest. There was a scream and a gurgle before the man, boy really, fell to the ground.

The rage that had been bubbling to the surface slowly started to subside when he saw she was fine, bruised and bloodied but she was breathing and still standing, that to him was all he needed to know. "Charlie!" He called out her name and went over to her, his hands cupping her face to look into her blue eyes "You good?" She nodded and smiled, her breath ragged and loud "Fine." She replied and sheathed her knife, the blade colored red with blood but since it wasn't her blood Bass was okay with it. "I'm a big girl, Bass. I can take care of myself, you don't have to play white knight for me." He chuckled in response, loving the triumphant look on her face. "I know. Just know that if there's ever a time when you're not able to do that... I'll be there." He caressed her cheek with his thumb, wiping a drop of blood from her soft skin before he looked down at the guy she'd just killed. "Well fuck me sideways." He snapped as he recognized the guy she'd offed.

"What?" Charlie came up beside him and gazed around his chest to look at the guy on the floor. "Oh my god!" And Bass realized she'd only just now recognized him. He understood, sometimes when fighting the animal part of you took over and all that was there was survival, there wasn't anything else you could focus on in moments like those. "My thoughts exactly... well, not exactly, mine would be a little less polite." Bass turned towards her and grabbed her wrist. "Come on, we gotta go before more of these bastards show up."

When he tugged on her hand she let out a pained moan and he turned to her, worry on his face "Charlie?" She lifted up her shirt and he could see a big bruise starting to form from where the guy had kicked her in the abdomen and he felt rage bubbling up once again, good thing the kid was already dead. "Can you walk?" Charlie nodded and they started to make their way to the others, careful of any more Patriots along the way. He had his arm around her waist since she'd also injured her leg in the fight with the Patriot zombie but he didn't mind the extra weight on him. His hand was on her hip and he kept glancing sideways to make sure she wasn't in too much pain. She was a trooper though, her face stoic and straight as she ran alongside him.

They didn't stop running until they were far enough away that they were positive the Patriot troops hadn't followed. Halfway through Charlie hadn't needed his support any longer and he was relieved to see she felt fine enough to run on her own. They had managed to grab most their stuff in the confusion but all the food and their sleeping bags were still at the camp, there was no way they could go back and grab it.

Moving through trees, crossing little rivers back and forth to throw people off their trail they walked for another hour before both Miles and Bass were comfortable enough to say they could make camp. Bass situated Charlie on a large log and handed her his canteen "Drink something... and you might wanna wash your face." He chuckled and pointed at a few specks of blood on her forehead and cheeks.

She gratefully took the canteen and took a few big gulps as he watched appreciatively as her slender throat worked to swallow the water. "Are you good for a few moments?" He knew she would be fine but he wanted to give her the opportunity to ask him to stay. She didn't, like he knew she would but nodded her head and formed her lips into a small smile "I'll be fine, Bass. Promise." He accepted it for what it was and walked away, there was something he needed to do.

Without warning Bass stalked over to Miles and decked him right in the face. Miles reared up and got in Bass' face and hit him back. Adrenaline was still surging through Bass' system and he launched a full out attack on Miles, driving the other man further and further back until his back hit a tree. Two of Charlie's men grabbed Bass around the waist and shoulder and pulled him off of Miles, he was still furious and tried to escape their grasp. That was easier said than done because they were very strong and Bass was so focused on Miles he couldn't focus his skills on them.

"What the hell was that, Bass?" Miles' voice was angry and loud "What the hell did you do that for?"

The former General fumed "Your stupidity nearly killed her!" He knew he should keep his voice down just in case there were people nearby but he didn't have the best of control right now. "Because of her bleeding heart" nodding in Rachel's direction "and your recently acquired stupidity she almost got killed!" He pointed a hand in the direction he left Charlie sitting on the log but his eyes were still on Miles. "Wanna know how I found her, Miles? I found her fighting for her life against that supposedly harmless little kid you and Rachel wouldn't let me near! The one you had the chance to take out but didn't because of little miss 'they're just kids' over there! He nearly killed her too if it wasn't for her training and smarts she wouldn't be sitting there."

Miles' shocked face barely registered with Bass. "I fucking TOLD YOU not to let the kid go. Told you he was a threat to our safety but did you listen? No! And why... because your precious Rachel batted her eyes at you and all common sense and military training went out the window because the blood started flowing south in stead of to your brain!"

"That's enough!" Bass hadn't even heard Charlie walk up to them but now her slender hand was resting on his chest, not so much pushing him back as to keep him in check. He looked down at the digits splayed across his shirt and then up into her eyes. "That's enough, both of you." She sounded demanding and strong, slightly diminished by her quickly blackening eye and the scrapes on her face. She had a split lip and he could see bruises forming on her slender arms. These were just the visible bruises, he didn't want to think about the bruises and cuts being hidden by her clothing.

Bass felt the angry heat rise again but her fingers dug into his chest demanding he come back to the present. "I'm fine." But he knew she wasn't fine. Knew it by the way she grimaced as she spoke the words, knew it by the wince she gave when she rested her weight on her left leg.

He wanted to wrap her up in his arms. He wanted to spend the next hour hunting down every bruise on her body and kiss it better, but he couldn't. Because of who he was, because of who she was and because her family still hated his guts he could never show his concern for her in public like that. Hell, he didn't even know if she would want him too, maybe she was embarrassed ad ashamed for even sleeping with him. Since he could neither kiss her pain away or care for her wounds he did the only thing he could do at that moment, he threw another furious glance at Miles and he walked away. Without saying another word he turned around and disappeared into the woods. He needed to think, he needed to clear his head and that was impossible to do when she was near.

Fuck, he was screwed. Bass sank down against a tree and rested his forehead against a knee. He was absolutely and positively screwed. He was starting to fall in love with Charlotte Matheson. It had hit him on their run from the Patriots, he had realized the feelings he felt when he saw her getting beat half to death by that boy that this wasn't about just sex or company any longer. This wasn't because he didn't want to feel alone anymore, this was because she was strong, she was stubborn and arrogant. She fought with passion and grace just like she did every other thing in her life and somewhere along the way his feelings of need and lust had taken on something else.

It wasn't rational though, it wasn't smart and it wasn't good. It was insane. He was twice her age, twice! He had done almost everything wrong in his life and she'd been one of the people who'd gotten hurt by his bad decisions. He was a former dictator, her uncles former best friend and her mothers former jailor. He had a son who was older than she was and her family hated his guts. Her mother would rather see him burn on a pyre if she'd get half the chance. All these things he knew and realized. All these things told him that he was wrong for her, that he should run and never come back, leave her alone so she could get a real life, a good man. But he couldn't. The past few weeks had made sure of that. Even though he knew he could never have her the way he wanted he couldn't leave her either, not now she was constantly put in danger.

He groaned and let his head fall back against the tree. Yup, he was completely, utterly and royally fucked.

Authors Notes;

Hi guys,

Ok, So the first draft of this chapter had Charlie getting wailed on by the patriot kid and Bass come swooping in snapping the kids neck to save her butt. A reader, and helpful reviewer Lady Krystalyn! Pointed out that Charlie has gone through a lot in the three months she was on her own so she shouldn't be constantly placed in situations where she needs to be saved, she needs to do a little ass-kickery of her own. I completely agree with her and hadn't even thought about that when calling my Charlie to life so I switched this chap so she could save her own butt but still know that if she'd needed him, he'd have been there. So I am making my Charlie a bit more bad-ass to coincide with tv-Charlie.

This is why it's so great to have reviewers because sometimes I miss things completely and it's nice to have outside ideas and input. Thanks, Krys, for this one :D

I hoped you guys enjoyed reading this. Thanks for taking the time to read and as always, reviews are wanted, welcomed and appreciated. They are pretty much the fuel for my twisted, little Charloe centered mind :D

Love, Marisa