A/N: I should have mentioned when I posted chapter 1, this story is based on a prompt ChelleyPam gave me herself. I got sidetracked with a couple ideas of my own (as I'm known to do) but hopefully the gist of it is still here. The biggest differences include: Rachel is dead and was never held captive. Ben is also dead. The Militia didn't kill either of them and didn't take Danny. Charlie has never met Baker and prior to being at Drexel's didn't know much about Miles' involvement in the Republic.

Hope that helps... At any rate, enjoy. Here's chapter two…

Chapter 2

Bass wakes up the next morning in the same way he'd fallen asleep – alone and completely consumed by thoughts of her. He remembers the way her hair had shone in the lamplight, the way her curves melted against his body as he had kissed her. Bass groans as the effect of these thoughts hits him full force. He closes his eyes and slides a hand down across his bare belly, and lower still until he grasps the throbbing reminder that he's in a whore house, surrounded by available women who are not the one he wants.

Later he gets out of bed and cleans up with some hot water one of the maids has brought to his room. He dresses and is almost out the door when he stops short, turning slowly to stare at a picture on the far wall. Slowly he approaches it. His heartbeat begins to accelerate as he takes in the framed pencil sketch. It shows a young boy playing with a cocker spaniel. The lines of the drawing are simple but elegant. Something about it tickles Bass's subconscious – it is not the subject matter, but the style… something about it is nagging at him. He shakes his head a little and walks toward the door. He actually makes it into the hall this time before he stops again and returns to stare at the drawing.

Slowly a grin spreads across the president's face as he realizes what it is about this picture that speaks to him. It reminds him of her, and of why she seemed familiar. If he's right…well, that will open a whole other can of worms. He shakes his head wryly. He's almost positive he's right, and this development definitely sheds new light on everything.

He still needs proof, and he knows just where to get it. This time when he leaves his room, he does not return.

Jeremy Baker wakes abruptly when someone pounds on his door. "Go away!" he yells, nuzzling closer between the two lovely ladies he's shared his bed with tonight. The redhead begins to bite at his ear and he's already forgotten about the knocking when it happens again – louder this time. "GO AWAY!" he yells again.

"Open the damn door or I will shoot the lock." President Bass Monroe sounds calm but determined, and Jeremy knows from experience that it's not a good idea to test him.

"Shit." Jeremy mutters, as he leaves the warm and inviting bed to walk naked to his bedroom door. He throws it open, "What do you want?"

Bass barges in, ignoring both Baker's nudity, and his two bedmates. "You remember that drawing Neville's lackey made of Miles Matheson's niece after he spotted them in Ohio?"

Jeremy stares blankly for a moment, wondering what the hell is going on, "Yeah?"

"Is it here?" Bass's eyes are dancing with excitement.

"Uh, I think so. It's with the maps and bounties and other miscellaneous paperwork that you always make us drag around."

Bass nods, "Good. Bring it to me."

Jeremy glances longingly at his bed, "Can it wait like a half hour?"

"No." Bass turns and then calls out over his shoulder, "Nice to see you again Clarissa. Love the new haircut Heather."

He closes the door softly behind him and he can hear Jeremy cursing while the girls giggle. Monroe can't help it. He smiles happily. This is going to be a good day.

Since Monroe and his men are honored guests and since as far as they know, they are the ONLY guests; both Duncan and Bobby will be sharing meals with the President while Miles and his people eat in the back kitchen with the staff.

After breakfast, Duncan makes her way to Charlie's room. She finds her young friend staring out her bedroom window, totally focused on something outside. "Hey Kid. What's going on?" she asks glancing over Charlie's shoulder to see what's captured her attention so fully.

"That." Charlie points to the courtyard below. "That is what's going on."

Duncan chuckles when she sees the two shirtless men sparring with swords on the grassy lawn below Charlie's window. "They are pretty, aren't they?"

Charlie nods mutely.

"So you and the President? That's got to be a little weird….knowing about his connections to your uncle..."

"No." Charlie shakes her head. "Not the President. The other one."

Duncan is confused. She'd been so sure that Monroe would have made a move by now. "The other one?" she asks.

Charlie nods as if in a trance and points at a very sweaty, but beaming, President Bass Monroe as he presses the blade of his sword to Jeremy Baker's throat. Baker signals surrender and Monroe pulls him to his feet. In moments the two are laughing and Monroe has his arm thrown around Baker's shoulders.

"The one WITH the President…I like him."

Duncan has no idea what's going on, but she goes with it. "Oh yeah, and who is he?"

"I don't know his name. He is part of Monroe's entourage."

Duncan tries to hide her smirk, but fails miserably. Luckily for her, Charlie only has eyes for Bass.

"Have you talked to him?"

Charlie turns then, "Yeah, I uh…He…"

"Yes?"

"I went to the library even though I knew I shouldn't and he was there and we talked and he kissed me and I kissed him back and he wanted to do a lot more and it was amazing but I left and I couldn't even sleep afterwards…" Charlie exhales sharply after her rushed speech.

Duncan's smirk morphs into a full-fledged grin. "So you kissed the… one of the President's men, and then what happened?"

"I ran away." Charlie is frowning now. "I ran away like some stupid inexperienced child."

"ARE you inexperienced, Charlie?"

"No. Well, not really. I'm not a virgin."

"So why did you act like one?" Duncan asks.

"Because he's HERE in a…" Charlie looks at Duncan guiltily, "No offence, but he's here in a whore house, most likely expecting some level of skill which I definitely don't have. I panicked."

Duncan laughs, "First of all, no offence taken. Secondly, so you aren't a pro…that doesn't mean you still don't have everything he's looking for."

"Are you going to see him again?"

"I shouldn't." She's looking out the window again, watching as the men disappear into a doorway on the other side of the courtyard.

"But?"

"I might stop by the library again and see if he shows up…"

"He'll show up."

Charlie bites her lip, "How do you know?"

"Because if there's one thing that I've learned about men over the years, it's that they go after what they want. Sounds like he wants you."

"So," Baker says, "You're thinking Miles is here at Drexel's hiding or something?"

"Yeah. I do." Bass puts the drawing down on the table between them. They'd cleaned up after sparring and are eating an early lunch. "His niece is definitely here. Her name is Charlotte. I uh, talked to her last night."

Baker leans back and watches Monroe thoughtfully, "Talked to her, huh?"

"Yeah."

"About?"

"Not Miles." Bass chuckles and won't meet Baker's eye. "Listen, I didn't even realize where I knew her from till later. I remembered this drawing…" He trails off, his eyes lose focus.

"You like her." Baker says, his tone awed.

"No."

"Yes. You like her a lot."

"No. I don't. She's Miles's niece. I don't like her."

"So who'd you fuck last night? Mandy? Kimmie? Josie?"

Bass mutters something and Baker grins at his friend's obvious discomfort.

"Did you spend last night alone?"

Bass won't answer. His lips are pressed together in a firm line.

Baker smacks his knees and laughs hard, "Oh my God. Bass fucking Monroe, President of the Republic – Don Juan of Independence Hall – chose to sleep alone? Never mind the fact that you are the honored guest at a rather fantastic whore house and had your pick of a dozen beautiful – and may I say really talented – women. This is… this is priceless."

Bass throws down his napkin and walks to the open window. The cool breeze feels good on his flushed skin. He inhales slowly and turns, "Okay, so maybe I do like her…."

Later that afternoon, Bass is taking a walk – his body guard Miller at his side – when Duncan approaches on her horse. She's out for a ride and doesn't take time to chat. Instead, she leans down and hands him a note before galloping off.

He opens it, and reads it silently. "She's going to be in the library again tonight. She's not a novice, but be gentle."

Bass smiles and tucks the note into his uniform jacket.

Miller nods toward Duncan's retreating horse. "What was that all about?"

"I think you can take the night off. My plans for this evening won't require a body guard." Bass chuckles.

"Well, all right then." Miller laughs, "I was under the impression that you and Duncan were ancient history."

"You're right about that. We're just friends these days. She's been helping me. That's all."

"Since when do you need romantic help at a brothel?" Miller looks bewildered, until understanding dawns, "Wait, you're after a regular girl?"

"She's far from regular, Miller. But yeah, she's not a working girl."

"Well, good for you. The Republic needs a First Lady." Miller teases with a laugh.

Monroe looks hard at Miller, "Yes, I suppose it does."

"Wait. I was kidding."

Monroe doesn't answer, his thoughts consumed by two things: how much he wants Charlotte and how much he'd love for Miles to return to Philly. What if he could figure out a way to get both? "But you might have a point." he mutters in response, not even paying attention to his body guard's shocked expression.

Bass spends some time with Drexel and Dr. Pike. They've been working on some exciting new drugs that could greatly impact the Republic's future. Their versions of morphine and Penicillin are already being used by doctors in the bigger cities. They've almost finished testing on their own versions of insulin and a couple other drugs.

Dr. Pike rests a hand on Monroe's shoulder. "And how are you feeling?"

"Better every day thanks to you. I will need a new supply, Doc. That's one of the reasons I'm here."

"Of course." Dr. Pike nods. "I'll have a six month supply ready for you when you leave."

"Thanks Doc. I really appreciate it."

Charlie goes to visit Nora. Miles is sitting at her side and she's finally looking a little stronger, though she is sleeping.

"How's she doing?" Charlie asks in a whisper.

"She's better. Still not out of the woods." Miles looks tired and worried.

"None of this is your fault." Charlie says, putting a hand on his.

"Don't kid yourself. This is all my fault." He stares down at Nora, his eyes full of pain, "I can't believe I got her involved. This fight against the Patriots isn't even mine anymore. We should have all just stayed out of it."

"You miss him, don't you?"

"Who?"

"Monroe. Having him here…knowing he's close… it's killing you."

"How do you know about…" He looks at her with a worried expression.

"I'm not stupid Miles. All this cloak and dagger stuff since he arrived, and Duncan gave me some background." At the panicked look on her uncle's face, Charlie chuckles, "Don't worry. She didn't give me those kind of details. She just said you two were best friends for a long time…"

Miles sighs, "Yeah, we were. Sometimes I miss him, the way he was before…"

"Before what?" She asks.

"Before he lost his mind. He was a great guy, Charlie. You would have loved him. Everyone did."

"What happened?"

"He lost a lot of people who mattered to him. He couldn't deal with it… went off the rails. Never was the same again."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too Kid. Me too."

Bass misses Duncan at dinner and goes to her suite to see if she has any more information for him. He lets himself in and calls out, "Hey Duncan. You got a minute?"

"Noooo" she moans from her bedroom, sounding distressed. Bass is on alert for danger in a heartbeat. He grabs his sword and walks quickly to the slightly open door. He pushes it open with the toe of his boot, ready for whatever might be bothering his friend.

"Oh." He chokes out when he sees what is happening. THIS he was not ready for.

"Get out, Sebastian." Duncan growls. She's on her back, mostly naked - with a blond guy's face buried between her thighs. The guy starts to move away but Duncan pushes at the back of his head, holding him in place. "You aren't going anywhere." She says to the blond, looking down and moaning.

"Uh, I'll just come back later." Bass says with a smirk.

"Just wait outside. Won't be long…. Ahh!" she cries out as Monroe closes the door behind him.

Sure enough, a few minutes later the blond guy walks out. He glances over at Monroe and looks more than a little embarrassed, but also kind of cocky. Monroe nods to him with a grin. Bass waits a while longer and Duncan appears.

Bass can't help but laugh, "Plucking them awful young these days, aren't you?"

Duncan rolls her eyes, "You're one to talk. Aren't you meeting his sister later tonight?"

Bass stares at her blankly for a moment and then remembers the sketch he has of Danny Matheson. "Oh shit. That's Miles's nephew?" Now Bass howls with laughter, tears springing into his eyes. "This is perfect. Really…" He calms down as a thought strikes him, "Wait. Does he know who I am?"

"Doubt it. She doesn't either. Thinks Baker is the President and you're the help." Duncan rolls her eyes as she pours herself a drink and another for him. "Gonna tell her the truth?"

"Eventually. Don't want to scare her off. She's skittish."

"I think maybe you just caught her by surprise before. She didn't seem quite as skittish when I talked to her this morning. We watched you and Jeremy sparring. She couldn't tear her eyes off of you. Thought she might start drooling."

"Yeah?" he smiles, taking a drink.

"Oh yeah."

This time when he gets to the library, he carries the lantern she'd left behind the night before. He thinks he's the first to have arrived until he hears her whisper, "You came back."

Bass relaxes at the sound of her voice, not even realizing until this moment how nervous he'd been that she might not return. She's sitting in the same chair he'd lounged in the night before and is drinking from a glass. He laughs a little, moving closer. "Of course I came back. Had to take a chance that you'd be here."

"Well, I'm here." She says, setting aside her drink and standing slowly. The night gown is gone tonight. In its place she wears a black knee-length dress with subtle lace accents. It is somehow both conservative and sexy. Bass licks his lips. He approves.

"You are beautiful." He says simply, aware how lame he sounds.

She bites her lip and looks away for a moment, "Thanks." Her voice is soft, and her eyes are hot when she turns to face him again. Either she's drunk or very turned on. Maybe some combination of the two. Regardless Bass is sure that he wants her more than should be humanly possible.

"You ran away last night." He steps closer, running a fingertip down her arm from shoulder to elbow, watching the gooseflesh that follows his touch. "Seemed like you weren't interested…"

She leans in closer and he can smell the whiskey on her lips. "Maybe I was too interested and not sure how to deal with that. Everything was so….sudden."

"And now?"

"Now I'm sure." Charlie lifts up on her tip toes and brushes his mouth with hers.

In his head, Bass is repeating Duncan's advice from earlier… Be gentle…Be gentle…Be gentle… but then she presses her tongue between his lips and all bets are off.

His hands slide down her arms and across her back. He grasps at the silky fabric of the dress where it covers the perfect swell of her ass. She trails her own hands up his back to bury them in the curls at his nape. The kiss is intense and all consuming. He sucks at her tongue before plunging his own into the heat of her mouth, tasting her. She bites down on his lower lip, pulling it lightly as she presses the front of her body closer against his.

He shifts his body and pulls her closer still. Charlie gasps as his erection digs into her belly. She shivers at the thickness and the hardness of it…she shivers at the thought that it is this way for her. She pulls her mouth from his, nipping along his jaw line before sucking lightly at the flesh below his ear.

Bass growls at the way her tongue feels on his throat. He moves one hand from her ass, bringing it up and finding her breast with a sigh. Bass kneads the mound, stroking at the swell of it, pinching at the nipple through the black lace dress.

She's yanking at his shirt, pulling it from his waist band and he suddenly remembers Duncan saying that this girl wasn't skittish. He smiles as she begins to unbutton his shirt. Impatient, she yanks on it, and the buttons fly.

He doesn't care at all, and finds the zipper on her dress, letting it down carefully. Charlie pushes at his shirt, baring his chest. She stares at the muscles under tanned flesh and leans in for a lick. Bass makes a strangled sound and pulls at the dress. She steps back so that he can watch as it pools around her feet.

Her lingerie is simple but very sexy, and in her head, Charlie is thanking Duncan for this more than any of the other things she'd provided her with. He is watching her with hungry eyes. Stepping close he nuzzles his face between her breasts, feeling the perfect mounds against his cheeks, nipping at the valley between.

He grabs her hand, leading her toward the couch that lies along one wall. Everything is perfect until Charlie's heel gets stuck in the dress and she loses her balance, falling into Bass. He's caught off guard and they both fall onto the couch in a surprised heap.

Bass wraps his arms around her and says, "Are you okay?"

Humiliated, Charlie buries her face in his shoulder, and mutters, "Not used to dresses and heels. Sorry."

He tries not to do it, but in the end he can't help himself. He pulls her close and laughs. "You'll never hear me complain about a beautiful half naked woman jumping on me."

She cracks a smile, thankful that he's being a good sport, "So, you're saying this happens a lot?"

"No." His voice is serious now, "It doesn't, but I'm kind of loving it at the moment."

Feeling better about everything, Charlie kisses the corner of his mouth and whispers, "I'm kind of loving this too, but you are wearing way too many pairs of pants."

"Only wearing the one pair." He chuckles.

"Like I said, way to many." She rolls to lie beside him instead of being sprawled on top as she had been. She reaches for the button and he watches enrapt as she unfastens it, lowers the zipper and slips her hand slowly inside.

"Fuck." Bass moans as she wraps her fingers around his shaft, testing his thickness and length. She hums with pleasure as he grows in her hand. His cock is thick and long and she feels her pussy growing sticky with her own need to be filled by him. He lifts his hips and shoves his pants down, giving her better access. Charlie leans in to kiss him again, her lips covering his as she strokes his cock reverently.

Bass prides himself on many things and one of them is stamina in the bedroom, but he's pretty sure that at this rate he's going to come on her fingers. That will never do. He pulls her hand away and rolls so that she is under him. He rests his weight on one arm as he reaches between their bodies to do some exploring of his own. He flicks open the bra – and makes a mental note to thank whoever had invented front closures. He strokes and cups her breasts, rolling a nipple between his fingers as he lowers his mouth to the other.

Charlie moans as he licks and sucks the hardened nipple. Then he's back at her mouth, kissing her deeply and his fingers find their way farther south. He pulls at the black panties and they are quickly tossed across the room. They appreciate the feeling of bare skin on bare skin, kissing and stroking and touching. Bass slides his fingers between her velvety folds. She spreads her thighs farther and he groans at the feel of how wet she is for him. He pushes a finger into her tight pussy, running his thumb over her sensitive clit. She writhes underneath him.

"I want…"

"What do you want?" he asks, working another finger inside.

"You. Want you."

He understands her need, because it matches his own. He removes his fingers, lining his cock up to her opening. He strokes her slippery slit with the head of his dick before pressing into her.

"Yes." She says, pushing her hips closer, urging him deeper.

He complies; pushing in as far as he can go easily, before pulling out and thrusting again. It takes several times before he's buried. By now, his brow is sweaty and they are both breathing heavily.

"You okay?" He asks, still.

"Oh yeah. So okay." She says lifting her hips against his in silent encouragement.

Bass understands and begins to fuck her, slowly at first and then faster. Harder. Her pussy clenches at his cock and he fights to keep his climax in check. They fit perfectly together and she is just as focused on getting everything from this as he is. She lifts her hips in time to his movements, her fingers digging into his ass.

He's pounding her now, going balls deep with every frantic thrust. He reaches between them to stroke her clit, and he grazes his thumb against it urgently. In moments, she bites down on his shoulder to hold in her scream as she comes. He can feel her body constricting as he vaginal walls convulse around his tender cock. His balls tighten and he pulls from her without a moment to spare. He spurts between her legs and on the course curls there.

Sagging against her body, limp and exhausted, he rolls so that he's not squishing her. They face each other, eyes locked, breathing still labored.

"So…"he says with a little smile.

"So…" she repeats with a smile of her own.

"I know I probably should have asked earlier, but I never caught your name?" He knows her name of course, but wonders what she'll say.

"Sarah." She answers without hesitating. Clearly she is loyal to her uncle and concerned for his safety. Bass likes that. There will be plenty of time for the full truth later. He'll make sure of it.

"What's yours?" she asks him.

Bass grins slowly, "Baker. Jeremy Baker."

A/N There will be one more chapter to wrap this one up. You'll see it in the next few days. Hope you had a lovely birthday ChelleyPam!