"We shouldn't be doing this," Charlie half-laughed, half-hissed at her husband, who had her trapped in his lap on the couch in their newly-acquired apartment that would serve as their new home for the time-being.
It had been more than a month on the trail and now they were finally here. Unfortunately they have arrived at the peak of tornado season in the Midwest, battling drastically shifting temps and experiencing wind like they'd never before.
Being encamped with six dozen men and women determined to be part of the resistance, privacy had been a rare commodity. Other than the miscarriage, Charlie hadn't spent any time alone with her husband and he was starving for her touch.
Bass held her hips straddling his own, his face upturned to hers and Charlie looped her arms around his neck.
When they had entered the fortified gate of the base, Cassidy was there to welcome them with open arms, or at least as much as one could with four defenders loaded for bear flanking her. While they were glad to have the resistance joining them, they remained cautious.
Charlie was still a bit unnerved by the stunned reaction Cassidy had when she saw Sebastian Monroe alive, walking, breathing and married no less to Miles Matheson's long-lost daughter. Wyatt had conveniently omitted the fact when he and Roark had ridden ahead to give the community a heads up.
There was no love lost between her and Bass; she mistrusted him maybe more than Miles, between his womanizing ways back when he served alongside Wyatt and his more recent insane behavior as the militia president.
So in her shock, Cassidy had cursed his existence out loud, causing one of the defenders named Evan Strate to raise his weapon. That in return had caused Miles to draw his sword and step in front of Bass.
Wyatt hastily moved forward to diffuse the situation. Evan lowered his rifle as Miles lowered his sword. The tension soon faded since both parties were simply protecting their own without malice.
Not long thereafter Cassidy offered the few homes available in base housing first to resistance command, but Charlie had insisted on living among her men in the former officer and enlisted dorms. Bass was unable to sway her and was guided to a third-floor apartment-like dwelling on the south side of the base.
Miles refused to be separated from his daughter, so he took the apartment next door. Jenessa quietly assumed the apartment across from Miles and convinced Roark to move in beside her.
Aaron and Cynthia opted for a house and Kate joined Lena in another home. Wyatt naturally moved in with his sister in base housing.
"It's time for a break," Bass cajoled, stroking his hands up and down Charlie's spine.
Once everyone had staked their claim on housing, Cassidy had given the resistance commanders a tour of the base. With Wyatt, she showed them the former wing headquarters and the control tower.
Aaron's eyes lit up at the possibilities afforded him with the control tower. Roark pointed out five planes were virtually untouched since the blackout that could come in handy with Aaron's budding abilities, to which Miles piped up.
"Are there even any pilots still in the area?" he asked. Cassidy nodded.
"Not everyone left after the blackout," she said. "They might be a bit rusty, but I'm sure we could find manuals in the squadron breakrooms for a refresher."
Bass pondered what it would be like to be in the air again as they walked back to the dorms.
Charlie brought his attention back to the present as she shifted on his lap.
"I agree it's time for a break but Miles and Aaron wanted to start strategizing this afternoon," she said.
"Then they will have to wait," he growled, nipping at her collarbone.
Charlie giggled and pulled out of his embrace.
"At least let me tell one of the guys to give Miles a heads up," she said as she leaped up and headed to the door.
Bass leaned back on the couch, closing his eyes and sighing in frustration. Being in second-in-command sometimes had its drawbacks. There was no rest for the wicked, he wryly thought.
Charlie reappeared moments later and settled on his lap again.
"Now where were we?" she huskily asked in his ear.
Meanwhile Miles and Aaron were on the patio outside the dorms shaking their heads.
"I don't even want to know," Miles said, rolling his eyes.
"I'm just the messenger," Roark retorted. "She just said they would find you later."
Jenessa hid a knowing smile as she glanced up at the third floor window. At least someone was getting some, she thought, sneaking a glance at Miles.
Miles had continued to hold her at bay. He casually flirted from time to time on the trip but nothing else had happened. He didn't seem to dislike her company but he wasn't letting on if he was really interested.
"Well, I'm going back to the house," Aaron said to no one in particular. He stalked off in a huff when he realized Miles wasn't even paying attention.
Later that evening, Bass and Charlie emerged and made their way to Aaron's house, looking very smug. As they stood in the living room, Miles gave Bass a hooded stare to which Bass shrugged.
"Lay off, Miles. I deserve some time alone with my wife," he gravelly said, refusing to feel guilty.
Waiting another day to plan on how to defeat the patriots wouldn't hurt anything, Bass countered. They had heard en route that Texas had aligned with the patriots and Plains Nation was in negotiations.
But word of the resistance with Mathesons at the helm was spreading like wildfire and it wouldn't take long to rally rebels from every corner of the country. They were gaining ground as allies rose from the ashes, old friends from before the blackout and new ones whose lives were destroyed by the patriots. Again, most had no clue Monroe had survived and those who did weren't speaking about it outside the gate.
The wild card, Bass knew, was Aaron and his supernatural powers. That brain of his would be the source for jumpstarting a new republic, whether he realized it or not.
Bass and Miles had secretly agreed between themselves that ultimately Aaron would be the perfect one to lead the future republic. He had successfully managed a corporation and had business sense versus their harsh military overtones.
Neither of them wanted to be in that position again anyhow. It had brought ruin to so many lives and had nearly annihilated their friendship. They were ready to counsel Aaron as needed or even initially take lower level leadership under his direction.
As for Charlie, neither of them had spoken with her about this yet to see where she stood on it. If she wanted to step into Aaron's cabinet, they were willing to support her on her decision. She had a mind of her own as anyone could testify.
"Something smells good," Charlie mused as she wandered into Cynthia's kitchen.
Surprisingly gas stoves were able to work without electricity much to Cynthia's delight. Cassidy had shown her that if she could ignite the flame, she could cook on the stovetop or bake in the oven. Cynthia didn't let on that Aaron was a firestarter and graciously accepted a matchbook from Cassidy.
As part of their welcome, the resistance fighters were presented with baskets of homegrown food, some fresh, some preserved in jars, to start their pantries. Cynthia felt right at home.
"I could eat a horse," Roark commented as he sat himself down at the kitchen table. Jenessa thumped him on the back of the head and apologetically looked at the other women. Her brother-in-arms could be such a dork.