One week later

Charlie walked past the market stalls on the main street. She had just bought fruit, soap and some other things she needed. She had felt incredibly nauseous after breakfast, and she had decided she could use some fresh air. It was a clear day and the cold air did her a world of good. It was late autumn, and she zipped up her jacket to keep the cold away from her body.

On the other side of the main street Bass was making his way to some well earned whiskey, together with Miles. They both had a couple of hours to themselves, and they were planning to make the most of that. And that meant, whiskey. A lot of whiskey. They had just seen Charlie, and Bass had wanted to walk over to kiss the hell out of her. But Miles had begged him if they could let Charlie do the shopping on her own and catch up with her later. Bass had pouted, but he knew how Miles felt about womancrap. For once, he decided not be a dick about it and save Miles from that torture.

So now they were on their way to the small town bar for some booze.

'...have to through those reports tomorrow...' Miles voice.

'Uhuh,' Bass replied, not hearing a single damn thing Miles was telling him.

'...and you did not hear a single word I just said to you,' Miles said drily.

'What?' Bass said, his mind with Charlie and their first appointment with Jo. He wished he could keep an eye on her, around the damn clock, but Charlie would never allow him.

'Never mind,' Miles sighed, 'work crap, nothing too important. Let's get that drink.'

The last week, Bass and she had started to get used to the idea to the fact that they would be parents. The feeling was so new and they had decided to keep the news to themselves for now. Bass had met Jo, he had insisted he would meet her the next day, and had asked about 52 questions in 15 minutes time. Jo had been patient and had answered each and every one of them. Charlie had just leaned back in her chair, amusement in her eyes.

Bass had been protective up to the point where Charlie had become almost irritated. When Bass had then dared to make a joke about raging hormones, Charlie had turned around and had left the room.

What she did not see was that Bass was actually biting his tongue to prevent himself from smiling at her. After a couple minutes he had appeared behind her, and had pressed a kiss in her neck. And then another. And then irritation about his comment about her raging hormones had turned into both of their raging hormones against the kitchen counter.

It was a bright autumn afternoon and Charlie bought enough for dinner for three. She wanted to invite Miles over. She had not seen him for the past couple of days and she wanted to catch up with her uncle.

That, and she liked seeing Bass and Miles in one room, bickering and fighting and pretending they did not care about each other.

She left the market stalls behind and started to head back to her apartment, when she smiled at her plan. Tonight would be dinner with the guys.

'Miss Matheson, how nice to see you again,' a deadly polite voice on her left made her blood turn to ice inside of her.

In the small alley towards her left, she saw Tom Neville when he stepped out of the shadow of the buildings around him. One heartbeat. Then another. So he had found her again. Charlie knew he was still out there. And maybe, how hard she had pushed it away, she had always known he would find her again.

Neville shot her a cold fake grin that he mastered to perfection, his eyes filled with hate and the hunger for revenge. His hand filled with a gun, the barrel aimed at her with a deadly steadiness.

'You walk over to me, now. Slowly.'

Charlie acted fast, her hand went for the knife against her hip.

'Now now , let's keep things civilized, shall we?' He nodded at her, and she knew she had no other choice left but to guide her hand away from the knife. She took a step forward, her breathing uneven, dark cold fear around her.

Dark intense dead fear started to suffocate her, when she realised that this time she was not alone in front of the barrel of his gun. It was not just her anymore. It was the first time she felt how much you could want to keep anybody else safe. It was a primal thought, a primal feeling. She was carrying their child with her, and panic starts to spread.

Time imploded. Charlie remembered finding her father dying on the ground, when Neville reached their village to take things away from her that never would be whole again. Then she was back in Austin, pulling the trigger with Jason in front of her. A flash of Neville shooting bullet after bullet in the wall behind her, when she had taken him to one of their safe houses when Miles was missing, to make sure he would not find their camp, to keep Neville away from the people she cared about.

And now he was here, in her town, again. The last seconds of Jason were flashing through her mind. Guilt, hurt, pain, fear. He is here for her. Nobody around. The alley was dark and Charlie felt like warmth and comfort and safety have deserted her for good.

She knew that from the moment Neville had let her walk away, after he had pulled the trigger of an empty gun, he would find her again. He had been a dark shadow on the corner of her life. He would find her again. And then, his gun would not be empty.

The thoughts were repeating and pounding through her mind.

She knew now what it would feel like, what it would sound like, those last seconds before death since that grey cold day in that safe house. She knew that the click of his gun when he pulled the trigger would be the last thing she would hear.

Or maybe, this time, it would be over even before that.

She opened her mouth but no sounds came out of her. Silent tears filled her eyes, flew over her cheek. Charlie did know anymore where to find the strength to plead for her life, to ask Neville to spare her. To tell him how sorry she was. How much it would haunt her for the rest of her life. She knew what she did in Austin.

No.

Her child. Her child. His child. He will never meet his child now. And it is all her fault. Bass eye's. Bass strong arms. His low voice. Another heartbeat.

No.

No.

The absolute knowing of not wanting to die raged through her.

The absolute longing of wanting to see him, just once, one more time. To feel him. To be with him.

Neville moves his finger and all she was able to do was watch him, crying, her mouth open, her lips parted.

And then, she heard the safety going off another gun, right before that sound repeated herself behind her. She tried to breath, but there was no air left. A strangled huff of air escaped her lips.

'Gentleman, so nice of you to join us,' Neville's voice had reached a deadly cold now, while he did not take his eyes away from Charlie.

Bass felt rage and complete panic at the same time. He and Miles were almost at the bar, joking around and grinning, when they had watched Charlie stop. He had seen her whole body tense up and every instinct inside of him told her he had to reach her. His grin had disappeared and his blue eyes had been firing at her. He had not even looked at Miles, but he knew his brother was following him when they had started running towards Charlie.

He had watched Charlie walk, in an almost frozen state, into a small alley. Somewhere in the corner of his mind he already knew who he would find there with her.

And when both him and Miles had pulled their guns, and rushed into the alley he had looked directly in the traitor face of Neville. Tom Neville. Charlie had her back towards him and Miles, and she stood directly between her and them.

'You let her go, Tom.' Bass growled at Neville, complete rage in each of his words. He held his gun firmly in his hands. he knew that son of a bitch would be back, like he always did. From the moment Connor told him Neville was still out there, he knew that son of a bitch would be here someday to hurt Charlie. And he had given the son of a bit room to do that. His jaw was locked and his eyes blue and filled with rage at Neville.

'Neville, you son of a bitch, I told you, to never touch her again,' Miles yelled at Neville, his brown eyes on fire. His gun aimed at Neville's head.

Miles. Bass. So close, and so, so far away, Charlie thought. Both men were so close, she felt completely deserted. Alone. They would not be able to get her out of this. Not out of this one.

I love you Bass. I love you. Silent words formed in her head, through the grasp of death fear.

Bass felt to urge to kill and destroy raging through his whole body. He would rip the son of a itch apart with his own hands.

Miles knew that if something was going to happen to Charlie, he would not only love the girl he loved as his own daughter, but he would also lose the brother beside him. He would lose them both.

Miles found himself repeating the same thing over and over again. Charlie had to be fine. He would give his own life right now, if only she would be fine. His gut was filled with cold anger and fear, but the fighter in him pushed it away and stayed focussed. He stood side with side with Bass.

Charlie stood between those three men, Bass and Miles behind her, death so close before her in the form of Tom Neville. She wished she could turn right now, look at Bass one more time before...

She heard the shot, but her body and mind were already somewhere else. She felt how her own hands went to her belly, instinctively trying to protect the life that was hers to protect.

So close, she thought to herself, so close to having what she so longed for. And now, it was over. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

Her legs gave out under her, and the last thing she registered so far away from her, was something familiar and strong around her. Her head landed on something she knew was so well, but she just could not remember anymore why. Another voice, she knew well too, screaming at full force.

She stayed there, when time seemed to stand still, in a land between being there and not being there. She heard her own name, pleading, begging, screaming, the words vaguely reaching her. She felt warm familiar hands around her face.

She did not know if minutes had passed, or hours.

But then a little of the numbness faded away and she felt a hand on her forehead, another arm around her waist.

'We've got you baby, we are here. It is over.' A deep low voice.

'You are safe, Charlie.'

'You are safe.'

'Kid, can you open your eyes for me,' his voice worried and so gentle.

She tried. And then her body broke out of the dark slow motion. When Charlie opened her eyes, she looks directly in the face of her uncle. Miles. He is here. His eyes were misty, tears in them. Tears running over his face.

'Hey kid, welcome back.' He said, giving her a faint smile. She heard the tears through his voice and feels his fingers tremble against her cheek.

And then, she just knew which arms were around her, who was sitting behind her. She felt his strong arms around her, while he moved her so she can see him. She leaned back into his touch.

'Hey baby,' tears on his face, relieve in his voice, when he presses a strong kiss on her temple. And then another one on her lips. Softly, slowly, gently.

When Tom Neville had heard the sound of another gun right above him, he had lost his concentration for just a moment. Bass had ordered a ranger to get his ass on the roof, before he and Miles had turned the corner into the alley, the alley where Charlie had disappeared into.

It was that small window of time that both Miles and Bass needed. While Bass launched himself towards Charlie, to get her out of the way, Miles had pulled the trigger. It had hit Neville straight in the head, and before he could harm Charlie in any way, he had dropped to the ground. Bass had covered Charlie with his whole body.

When Neville made his way to the ground before them, Bass had moved his arm and had pulled the trigger of his own gun, holding on to Charlie at the same time, shooting Neville through his heart.

And then again.

And again when complete rage had filled his face , mind and veins.

Miles had not tried to stop him, because the rage that Bass felt right now, matched his own. When Bass was done, Miles slowly kneeled down next to his brother and Charlie. He put his hand on Bass' shoulder, his hand had been trembling right , just like Bass' whole body.

'It's over man, it's over.' Miles said to Bass, his voice low and broken, 'Bass, it's over.'

Bass had let out a deep breath through his teeth and had moved Charlie towards his chest, while Miles had sat in front of her.

When she finally woke up, and turned around to face him, Bass felt the rage go. She was here. Still here. One moment later and...fuck no..he could not go there right now.

He held on to her, while Miles was close to the both of him. Bass noticed the shock in Miles' eyes and for a moment they looked at each other.

Charlie tried to move, but she was too exhausted. From the corner of her eyes she saw him. Neville. She saw the contours of his body spread out over the ground, blood flowing out of him, mixing with the sand around him on the ground. She felt nauseous. Cold. Her eyes on him and all that blood.

It was Bass hand, cupped around her face, that moved her eyes towards him.

' Charlie, just look at me. Only look at me.'

Bass needed her to not be here anymore. He needed her to get away from Neville right now. It was all he wanted now.

'You take her and make sure she is all right, Bass. I'll stay here and deal with this.' Miles pointed at the gathering crowd behind them. As much was Miles wanted to stay with his niece, he wanted Neville out of this town as soon as possible. The son of a bitch had to disappear into the ground now. Then, and only then, he would be able to let this whole thing go. He knew Charlie was just as safe with Bass as he was with him.

'Hey kid,' Miles placed a hand on her head, 'Bass will take care of you. I will catch up with the both of you soon.' Charlie nodded at him.

When Bass lifted her away from the cold ground, and he felt the weight in his arms of the woman he loved beyond anything, he remembered that one day. Charlie had been in his arms when he had carried her away from that bar in Potssboro. He shifted her in his arms, his arm around her, the other under her knees to carry her away from all this hell. Just like he had done that day.

Charlie moved her head towards his chest, the scent of Bass close.

Bass face was still filled with darkness. 'Move,' he growled at the crowd around them.

It is over. It is finally over. She knew she was safe now. She had always been safe with him. She realised her hands were still on her belly and she kept them there.

It is over. It is finally over. She closed her eyes and heard Bass voice.

'I've got you Charlie, I've got you.'

This was a very intense chapter, but I wanted to close this part of Charlie's past. Neville was still out there, and how hard this was to write, it is over now...and hopefully, she can try to move one now, one step at the time from that one afternoon in Austin. I wanted to end that shadow for Charlie, and for Bass and to write about how important she is for both Miles and Bass. I always liked the three of them together in the episodes, Charlie between her guys.

Thank you for your reviews for last chapter, I am so happy you liked it!

Until the next chapter...Love from Love