And memories weigh heavier than stone

A Revolution fic (Blackout AU): Sebastian (Bass) Monroe/Charlotte (Charlie) Matheson; Charloe, Miles and Rachael Matheson, Aaron Pittman, the Nano & the Patriots… Set after 'A holiday in New Xanadu' Bass and Charlie are back on the road to Willoughby – only things are a little (try a lot…) different this time…

Rating M…

Author's note: Thanks so much for reading and for sticking with this story, I hope that you enjoy this chapter….

Some partial lines of dialogue are included from relevant episodes of the show where they fit into this story. I don't own any part of Revolution – I continue to love it though and I find Charlie and Bass especially wonderful… Cheers, Magpie

Chapter 8: So here's hoping then…

They had moved everyone to a clearing in the forest well away from the Mill but still close to the river. The old building was still burning in the distance, flames and smoke rising like a twisting candle and forming an anvil shape high in the sky, visible for miles around. The safe house where Bass and Charlie had left the wagon was still a few hours travel away by horse though and they had all agreed that they needed to be close enough to town for Thea's scouts to check out what was happening without having to travel too far. So, a pail of water was heating up over a small campfire for hot drinks and soup and a watch roster had been worked out amongst Thea's scouts, she had also sent a couple riding back to Willoughby to see what they could find out about the situation with the Patriots, Texas Rangers and the others in the town. They weren't expected back before sunrise so everyone else was settling down for the night where they were.

The only sign that their Nano had survived was the green firefly cloud, circling above them, following them through the trees… Charlie had tried calling but with no response and Bass had even tried the hand signals that he and Nano had developed earlier in the piece, before it had found out how to communicate with words and images, but the green cloud simply followed them and was now calmly cycling through its patterns but doing nothing else. Charlie was starting to worry that maybe it was the other one… watching them, but it hadn't done anything so far – good or bad, except follow them…

Thea had just returned from checking with the scouts she'd set up as perimeter watch. She hitched her horse up to the tether line with the others then walked over towards where the rest of the current members of their little resistance were sitting in a rough circle around the fire. She was still avoiding contact with Miles, preferring to sit with Rachael and Aaron, near her own people so he, Bass and Charlie were sitting together a little bit away from the rest sharing Miles' whisky and some of the bread, soup, hard cheese and dried fruit that the Xanadu Scouts had brought with them.

The box from Petra, a little unnervingly like a coffin in size and shape, was waiting on the ground in front of Rachael, unopened; she and Aaron deciding to wait until dawn gave them enough light to see what they were doing – and what they were handling, especially after Charlie and Bass gave them some clues as to what could be inside. Rachael had eagerly taken the written message from Petra that had come with the box though and was sitting with it and her notebook, frustrated at the variable moonlight and lack of torches due to the need for secrecy but busy writing as she translated, her tongue caught between her teeth…oblivious to everyone and everything else…

Miles looked across at her, rubbing a hand around his neck and rolling his shoulders to ease the stiffness that was building up there… His injured hand was throbbing too and increasingly sore; he ignored it, glad at least that he'd been able to land one on the guy who did it… He tipped his head towards Rachael and Thea… 'Well, I feel about as welcome as a priest at a Buck's party'

Charlie grinned and patted his arm…'don't worry Miles…' she leaned back against Bass who shifted his weight a little to support her…'we like you…'

Bass chuckled…'yeah… as long as you're willing to share your whiskey…' he held his hand out for the flask…

Miles handed it across to him, not able to totally keep from flinching as the dressing on his injured hand caught on Charlie's jacket sleeve…

Bass caught his arm…'Hey…let me see…how bad is it?'

Charlie stared at the worn, stained and tattered cast that encased the hand, leaving only the fingers free… and a worried frown creased her forehead, she hadn't noticed it before…'what happened Miles?'

Miles pulled his hand back, irritation in his eyes…'Just leave it will you? Both of you… I'm ok…but I think everyone should try to get some sleep, I'm beat – and it looks like none of use are going back into Willoughby tonight; Rachael's got the do not disturb sign up and Aaron looks dead on his feet….' He paused…then looked over at Aaron again…'I am kinda surprised Cynthia hasn't got the search parties out already though… especially after all the fireworks…'

Bass sighed…'ok Miles, I'll bite… who's Cynthia?'

'Aaron's girlfriend, pretty, sweet – teacher type, definitely the worrying type...'

Bass looked at Aaron with slight surprise…'He's a busy guy isn't he… A wife and a girlfriend?'

Charlie sat up…'He hasn't been with his wife for a while now… said he saw her for the first time since they split up when he and Rachael were travelling to the Tower, you know, before the bombs… She'd married again and had some kids...'

'Sounds like she got lucky…'

Charlie frowned again…'But why would she leave them and go to Spring City to see Aaron again?' she looked up at the floating nano cloud and sighed…'I wish Nano would come back… I've got so many questions'

He let out a dry chuckle… 'What you're feeling is something like the frustration we all felt after the blackout when it hit home that we couldn't just pick up a phone and talk to someone whenever we wanted…'

She thought about that, remembered Maggie…'Maggie was so sad, she carried her phone around with her for years, and I wondered why… She always hoped that somehow the power would come on again…but it didn't and she never saw or talked to her kids again…' she frowned…'except once I think - when one of the pendants came on for a minute… she told me that a picture of her boys came on the screen then just went out again' Charlie reached out for Bass and he took her hand… 'She almost cried every time she talked about it. I couldn't imagine what it must have been like, and that same thing must have happened to so many people…'

Miles yawned, closed his eyes and leaned back against one of the bedrolls helpfully provided by Thea's scouts …'Phones could be a pain in the ass too – people could find you wherever you were…even if you didn't want them to" He flinched again…'shit…'

'I wish you'd let me take a look at your hand, Miles…' Charlie leaned towards him…'I'm a pretty good field medic…' she put a bit extra into her voice…'please…?'

He opened an eye…'don't be a pain in the ass Charlie…' he shut his eye again...'I'm ok…really, I'll get Gene to have a look tomorrow, that's if we don't have to shoot him or anything to find out what he's told the Patriots about us…'

Charlie ignored that, she wasn't even going to think about her Grandpa at the moment, and turned to Bass… 'Bass?'

He shrugged…'what can I say? He's still an idiot, Charlie… and he always was squeamish and a chicken when it came to medical stuff…'

'I heard that you dick…' Miles opened his eyes again…'and I'm still working out if I should shoot you for sweet talking Charlie…' he frowned up at them…'although I have a sneaking suspicion she sweet talked you and I can't shoot her because hey, family, as well as the fact you both look so damn happy together it's disgusting…'

Bass chuckled…'Thank you…Uncle Miles…'

Miles shook his head and rolled onto his side, thumping the bedroll to get it a bit more comfy… 'Moron… now shut up and let an old man get some sleep…'

Charlie sighed…'Bass, I need to go and find a tree' she ran a hand up his thigh and leaned her head back against his warm shoulder…'do you want to come with me and keep me safe?' she felt his chest rumble as he laughed softly and kissed the top of her head…

Miles put a hand up and waved them away…'you're making me queasy, go away…and make sure you go far enough that I can't hear anything…' he frowned...'but not too far… and if you're not back in thirty minutes I'm coming looking for you'

Bass shook his head, grinning…'Miles…'

Miles pulled the lapels of his jacket closer around his face…'Thirty minutes…' he rolled further over 'fucking lovebirds…' he grumbled under his breath…

Charlie looked across the fire, she could see some of Thea's guys sleeping in their bedrolls, Thea herself seemed to be dozing, Aaron was lying down, lightly snoring, and her mother, using the box as a table, was still at work on her translation of Petra's message, every now and then taking a sip from her mug… she didn't even look as Charlie and Bass got up quietly and headed into the trees…

…..

It was quiet, only the occasional rustle of wildlife and night birds disturbing the forest. Charlie led the way, her steps confident and silent as she and Bass wound their way through the trees towards the river. She was heading towards what looked like a small cabin, no more than a lean to really, three walls and a sloping roof, far enough away that their voices shouldn't carry back to camp but not far enough that they wouldn't be able to yell for help if needed – at least one of Thea's scouts would be in calling distance too. She had just got to it, moved into the shelter of the roof when Bass caught her hand and pulled her round into his arms, his lips reaching for hers, his muscled body hard and eager against her… His sword belt falling to the ground where he'd dropped it… She ran her arms up his arms and over his shoulders to circle round his neck, her fingers tangling themselves in the curls at the base of his skull and for long moments all she knew was the smell and feel of him… everything else slipped away into nothingness… This was their real world; this was what she wanted, needed… She wound herself closer, lifting a knee so that she could pull him in tighter to her; she could feel him already hard and ready, delicious against her belly… She reached down with one hand, snaking between them, frantically undoing the buttons on his pants, a little gasp of satisfaction leaving her mouth and slipping into his as she felt his cock spring free, her hand sliding up and down the velvet hardness, over the rounded head and back down again making him gasp…

Bass pulled his head back a little, panting…'Miles said thirty minutes…I figure we've got about fifteen left with travelling time back…' he turned her round…nuzzling her neck through her hair, his hands busy at her waist, undoing her jeans, slipping them down over her hips… 'Find something to hang onto, Charlie, now…' his hands slid between her legs, playing in her slippery wetness, his roving fingers finding the rhythm he knew she liked…delving and pinching, rubbing the sensitive nub and soft flesh with just the right amount of tender roughness…

Charlie laughed and gasped at the same time, her senses reeling…'over there… just a little to the right, shelf on the wall…' her breath shuddered and she thrust hard against his hands, driving his fingers further…'oh…that feels so good, Bass….'

He looked up and saw the shelf… 'Ok… hang on…' he lifted her, one arm between her legs, the other around her waist…his hand gripping the cheeks of her ass, the muscles of his forearm flexing, stretching her legs apart and pressing against her clit and pussy and making her gasp again…

She grasped the edges of the chest high heavy wooden shelf with both hands, glad to find it still strong and solid beneath her fingers… feeling Bass behind her, so impatient, sliding his cock between the cheeks of her ass; gathering her wetness… She tilted her ass back, stretching up on her toes so that he could reach to get in…her breasts feeling exposed, the nipples tingling, her arms stretched out in front of her… and then suddenly he found the right angle and she felt his cock sliding inside, so thick, stretching her out as he always did…so long from this angle that she felt him surging deep inside, then out and slamming back again and again, lifting her up so that she was right on her toes…

One of his arms curved around to handle her breasts, his fingers pinching her nipples through the fabric of her tank, sliding down to slip back up again underneath so he could feel her skin… the other hand down between her legs, playing again… She felt the lovely tension building, her belly tightening with each strong thrust, her breath coming faster as she got nearer, her hands gripping the wood of the shelf tighter, the muscles of her arms rigid…each thrust lifting her higher onto her toes, almost into the air, his arms around her, their winding strength holding her tight against him as he surged into her again and again… she couldn't stop a scream from starting as she came with a rush of wonderful sensation, and barely felt one of his hands go over her mouth to block it off… his own gasps of completion muffled in her hair as he pulled out and spilled onto the ground, twisting her around so that he could exchange his hand for his lips, kissing her until she was limp, boneless and panting against him, aftershocks rippling through her like little lightening strikes…

'Charlie…' Bass held her tight, his heart pounding against her, hers against him…'we've been round people for less than a day and I want to run away with you so its just us again…'

She looked up at him, just able to see his face in the shaded moonlight, his eyes catching what light there was and glimmering with wetness… 'Me too Bass…' she sighed…'its all so complicated isn't it…' she ran her hand up through his scruff and smiled…'Hey, at least Miles thinks we're ok, that's something…'

Bass nodded, leaning into her fingers…he let out a long breath…'yeah, that's something' he pulled back, looking down at her, brushing a long strand of hair away from her face and back over her shoulder. Then he reached down to pull her jeans up, his fingers brushing softly over the skin of her back and ass on the way down, making her shiver… 'And speaking of Miles, we'd better start heading back…'

Charlie grinned, her teeth glinting…'yeah, or he will come looking…' she did up her buttons and reached up to give him another kiss as he sorted his own clothes out…

…..

They had just started back to the campsite when Bass pulled Charlie to a stop… 'Isn't that one of Thea's guys Charlie?'

She looked, there was a figure walking quietly towards them, its movements smooth but somehow not quite natural…she pulled out her knife.

Bass drew his swords…'Stop there, let us see your hands' he said, his voice quiet but clear…

The figure stopped a couple of yards away, the arms still by its sides; no weapons in the hands, the hands themselves limp, hanging… 'Sebastian? Charlotte? We are Nano; the Scout is unharmed but we needed to talk to you'

Charlie took a step forward so she could see the man's face 'so how do we know it's you?'

…..

AN: Hi there, hope you enjoyed this one – I'll have the next chapter up in a few days I hope, all going well! Cheers, Magpie