July 2036

"Bass is turning 50 on the 8th," Charlie tells Maddie. "He's freaked out about it. It's that whole age difference thing again. He wants to ignore it like it won't happen if he does, but I still want to do something special for him."

"Did you want to have a dinner?"

"I don't know… I don't want to upset him. He made it pretty clear that he doesn't want a party. I just can't let his birthday go by ignored."

"Hummm…." Maddie was thoughtful. "How about a special day, just the two of you. I'll stay with Brie. Something romantic, remind him that you don't think of him as old."

"Any ideas?"

"A picnic. Take the horses. You both like to ride, go to a secluded spot. Make his favorite things and seduce him. Nothing like sex in the outdoors," she chuckles.

Charlie laughed, "Yeah, well, we had a lot of that when we were traveling but not since."

"Thought of a gift?"

"There's this saddle at the livery that he's been eyeing; it's got these intricate carvings in the leather on the fenders. I know he wants it, but he can't justify the expense when he has a perfectly good saddle."

"Maybe you could use his old one in trade to offset some of the cost. I know that John will work with you. He likes Bass."

"I could have the Double M embossed on it."

"That sounds perfect," Maddie said. "Give it to him before you go for your ride."

July 8th

Bass started his day like any other day, put on the coffee, collect the eggs, get some milk for breakfast.

Charlie and Brie were up when he got back to the house.

"Daddy!" Brie cried from her highchair, another gift from Maddie.

Bass drops a kiss on top of her golden curly mop. "Good morning, Princess."

Charlie wrapped her arms around him, "Happy Birthday, Luv."

He grunted, "Yeah, thanks."

"What are your plans for today?" Charlie asks him as he's cracking eggs for breakfast.

"Got a couple of fences that need tending to."

"They can wait. You and I are spending the day together. Maddie will be by to stay with Brie."

"Charlie… I reall…."

"Stop it!" She interrupts him. "We're spending your birthday together. You don't want a party or dinner or whatever, fine. I want to do something for you. I've got a picnic all planned. Maddie told me about a nice, secluded spot further on down… on the lake."

He pulled her in for a kiss. "Yes, Ma'am." (It will be nice to have some time alone. It's been a while.)

A few hours later, Maddie arrived with Bass' saddle under a blanket in the back of her wagon.

They all were talking in the kitchen when Maddie asked Bass to help with the vegetable crates that she had brought for Charlie.

With Brie on her hip, Maddie hung back while Charlie went with Bass to the back of the wagon. She pulled the blanket off, revealing the saddle. "Happy Birthday, Babe."

Bass was momentarily speechless, "Charlie…I…wow. It's too much; you shouldn't have."

"Of course, I should. Can't take it back; it has the Double M embossed on it," Charlie pointed out.

Bass wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you, I love it, and I love you."

"Hope you're not too attached to your old saddle; I traded in towards this one. Now, let's put it to use."

Charlie followed Maddie's directions to her favorite picnic spot on the lake. They spread their blanket, talked, laughed, ate, skinny-dipped, and made love.

Later:

Brie was down for the night, and they were snuggling on the couch. "That was a fantastic day. Thank you, Babe."

"I love you; happy birthday, Bass."

September:

Bass went into town with some pork and the venison that Charlie had bagged and to pick up some needed supplies. On a whim, he decided to go into Bud's Bar and Grill for a drink and lunch. He sat at the bar and ordered a whiskey and a cheeseburger.

He noticed two men sitting at the end of the bar, looking over at him and whispering causing the hairs on the back of his neck to prickle. He didn't think that they were from the town, at least he didn't remember seeing them around. The town was small, and he knew just about everyone, even if only by sight. Something felt off; his nerves were tingling.

The men pushed away from the bar, stood, and went over to him.

"HEY! MONROE! You are General Sebastian Monroe, right? I'd know you anywhere, you crazy son of a bitch."

Bass turned toward them and stood up. Bud stopped cleaning glasses and gave his cook the signal to get the sheriff, and he slipped out the back. The bar went still.

"I'm supposed to know you?" Bass was annoyed, and his hand slipped to his sidearm.

"We're from your tinpot militia." He flashed his brand, "conscripted, never saw my family again," the bigger of the two said. They both looked to be in their thirties.

"I can't believe you're still running around, and nobody's put a bullet in your head," the other one said.

"Not for lack of trying," Bass drawls.

"We can take care of that right now, can't we, Cecil," the first guy said as he pulled his gun.

Bass was missing his swords right then as the two ex-militia men had their guns trained on him.

"Now, General, we're gonna take this outside. Don't want to make a mess or for any of these fine folks to get hurt."

Jarvis Canterbury and Mike were in a back booth having lunch. They both stood and went to stand with Bass.

"Who the hell are you guys coming into our town and causing trouble." They both had their sidearms out. (This could get ugly, Bass thought.)

"You hicks think you can take two ex-Monroe, militiamen? And why would you care about him anyway. Would think you wouldn't want him around."

"Come on… let's take this outside, so no one gets hurt," Bass tries.

"No one is going anywhere!" Malcolm McElroy exclaims, training his shotgun on the two invaders. Sean Thompson came through the kitchen and got behind them with his own shotgun.

"Put those guns down, slowly, then hands up. Either one of you pulls a trigger; you're both dead." Malcolm says. "Down on the floor, face down, hands out. Sean, cuff um." The Sheriff hands his cuffs to Bass to do the honors on one of them while Sean gets the other.

"Mike, grab those guns and walk'em down to the station, will ya?"

Malcolm and Sean secured the two in separate cells. "Sean, find Bird, have him ride to get the Rangers."

Bass was shaken, and Bud poured him a whiskey, "On the house," he said. Then Bass ordered another.

Mike and Jarvis went over to him. "Hey, you okay, man?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, thanks, both of you. There was a time when I would have taken them out…at least tried, but I just kept seeing Charlie and Brianna."

"S'ok, you're one of us," Jarvis said. "We've got ya back."

"And we're no hicks!" Mike added. "Think they can come into our town and do whatever the fuck they want? Not gonna happen. We look out for our own."

"Hey, Bass," Frank called from the kitchen. "You still want that burger?"

"Nah, thanks, Frank. Kind'a lost my appetite. I just want to go home and see my girls."

"Can't say that I blame you there."

Bass brought the wagon up to the barn, unhitched his team, rubbed them down, and turned them out. He hung up the harnesses, then sat his ass on a hay bale and pulled out his flask. After a couple of long pulls, he capped it and dropped it at his feet, and put his head in his hands.

Charlie had heard the wagon pull up while she was settling Brianna for her nap. When Bass hadn't made it inside, she went looking for him and found him sitting on that hay bale, head in his hands, flask at his feet.

"Bass…Bass…what's going on?" she said, kneeling in front of him and taking his hands in hers. His cheeks were tear-stained, and his eyes a raw red. He told her about the incident in town.

"I'm never going to be free from what I did, not that I deserve to be. There's always gonna be someone who wants my head on a pike."

"Charlie reached out and placed a hand on his cheek. "Bass…."

"Let me finish, Charlie. What are our kids going to think of me when they find out about the monster that was me."

"Bass, they'll love you. You're a wonderful father, and that's what they'll see. When they're old enough, we'll tell them about the Republic. They'll hear it from us."

"Yeah, as long as some fuck-tard doesn't spread shit first."

"That happens, then we'll deal with it. They will love you, no matter what."

"Charlie, If I had had my swords…. The rage, it came back. The blackness."

"Understandable, good that you didn't have them then."

"I felt helpless, I haven't ever felt like that…well, hell I'm a Marine, for Christ's sake."

Charlie stood, took his hands, and pulled him to her, and held him close. She kissed him. "You're a good man, Bass, and the town knows that. Come on, I'll help unload the wagon. Did you get to have lunch?"

"Got interrupted."

"I'll get you something."

"Not hungry."

"Not even for pie and coffee?"

He smiled, "Pie and coffee."

November 12, 2036

Charlie brought Brianna outside to find Bass so she could finish getting ready for Brie's birthday party.

"Bass!"

"Yeah? In the barn."

Charlie walked into the barn and set Brianna on her feet. "Daddy!" she cried as she ran to Bass. Bass' smile couldn't get bigger as he scooped up his little girl.

"Little Princess, what are you doing?"

"Mommy's cooking."

"I see, and she doesn't need your help," he said, chuckling.

Charlie smiled. "Could you take her for a while so I can finish?"

Bass leaned in for a quick kiss. "Of course. Let's go, Baby Girl. We need to collect some eggs."

"Chickens!"

"Yup, chickens, and you can help."

Bass got the egg basket and showed Brie how to collect the eggs. She only broke two, which Bass considered a success.

"Someday, this will be your job, Princess."

Charlie was putting the finishing touches on Brie's birthday cake when Bass walked through the backdoor and into the kitchen carrying his birthday girl.

"Look, Princess, Momma made you a special cake for your birthday. How old are you? I forgot again."

"I'm two, Daddy," holding up three fingers. Bass laughed and helped her to hold up only two.

"You two wash; everyone will be here soon."

"Yes, Mommy," Bass quips.

Gene, Rose, Maddie, and Warren were there celebrating Brianna's second birthday. There was even a special gift from Grandpa Miles and Lauren that came by post. Lauren had found a doll collector in Austin and got Brianna a pre-blackout baby doll complete with several outfits. Brie loved it.

It was 7:00, and everyone had gone home. "Come on, Birthday Girl, time for your bath, then Daddy will read you a story," Charlie says to her as she scoops her up.

"Baby needs a bath too!"

Charlie laughed, "Okay, baby too."

Clean and in her PJs, Bass sat in the rocker with her on his lap and read her a story from one of the children's books that Gene had given her. Fifteen minutes later, she was asleep. Bass tucked her into her bed and kissed her curls goodnight. Charlie had been watching from the doorway and joined him in tucking her in.

"That was a nice party," Bass says to Charlie after they left her room.

"It was."

Bass poured himself a whiskey and settled into his recliner to read. Charlie slipped upstairs and changed into a special nightgown that she had found at Sally's. It's full-length cream satin with spaghetti straps and a low V-neck trimmed with lace.

Returning to the living room, she went over to Bass, took the book from his hands, removed his reading glasses, which she thinks are adorable, and set them on the side table while straddling his lap.

"Charlie?"

"Shhh…" leaning in to kiss him as he brings his arms around her and kisses her back.

Charlie worked her way down his jawline and to his neck, where she sucked out a hickey, and he laughed. Then she pulled off his shirt. "I love your shoulders," as she rubs them. "And your chest," kissing her way down from his neck. Things went exactly as she expected from there…

Afterward, Charlie lies against his chest and snuggles into his neck while he's rubbing circles around her back and kissing her head.

"Fuck, Charlie, that was a pleasant if unexpected and incredible surprise."

Charlie sits up and moves her arms around his neck. She smiles and kisses him again.

"We're having another baby."

Bass blinks, then smiles, "seriously?" Then he kisses her. "That's fantastic! How're you feeling? I haven't noticed that you've been sick like the last time."

"I'm doing better this time. Grandpa says that's not unusual with second babies."

"When?"

"June."

"I love you, Charlie," pulling her close.

"I love you too."