Chapter 3
Duncan Page Drexel hasn't had to sneak out of a man's bedroom in almost twenty years, but yet here she is doing the walk of shame on her way out of the east wing. She shakes her head with a chuckle.
This whole thing is ridiculous, but that kid Danny is fun and totally worth all this childish sneaking around. There's something completely irresistible about that shaggy blond hair and thegravelly voice and the six pack abs and the very eager to please fervor that only comes with youth… Duncan shivers just a little as she is assailed by delicious memories from last night.
She's focused on the memories and not her surroundings, and that is why she runs right into Charlie. Charlie is wearing a rumpled black dress. Her hair is a mess and she's barefoot with high heels dangling from her fingers. Clearly Duncan isn't the only one doing the walk of shame this morning.
"Don't tell me." Duncan says, one hand resting on Charlie's shoulder, "You fell asleep in the library waiting for your guy?"
Charlie blushes hotly, "Um, no."
"But that is the dress you wore to meet him last night, right?" Duncan smirks.
"Yeah, it is." Charlie stands straighter, but winces.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt? Did you…" Duncan starts to laugh, "No, wait. I know what's wrong. You're feeling sore and stretched and your thighs are shaky."
"Stop." Charlie grumbles, limping past Duncan. She makes her way slowly down the hallway but Duncan turns and follows right behind her.
"You can't not tell me Charlie. What happened?"
She shrugs, not meeting Duncan's eyes. "We talked and –"
"Talking did not make you walk like that."
"Fine. We more than talked. We more than talked all night long. It started in the library and then he took me to his room – and let me tell you, he must be really important to the President, because his room was amazing – and then we more than talked some more. I haven't slept." Charlie rubs her eyes. "Can we hash this out later?"
"Wait. You stayed with him all night? In his room?" Duncan's eyes are wide with disbelief.
"Yeah, I tried to leave but he wouldn't let me go." Charlie smiles shyly as she begins to walk again, but then she stops and turns. "Duncan?"
"Yeah?"
"We've established where I spent last night, but whose room are you leaving this morning?"
Duncan starts down the hallway in the opposite direction, but calls out over her shoulder, "Gotta run. I'll talk to you later."
Duncan gets to the breakfast table after everyone else is already eating.
Bobby frowns at his sister, "Nice of you to make an appearance."
"Sorry." She shrugs at him before glancing over at Bass. He's wearing the biggest shit eating grin she's ever seen on him.
"Good morning Duncan." The President says, his eyes are sparkling happily as he takes a bite of scrambled eggs.
"Sebastian." She says. "You're looking…. satisfied this morning."
"You have no idea." He says with a laugh.
Duncan shakes her head and focuses on the meal. Later, as everyone else files out, Bass moves over to sit at her side. Before he can say anything, she stops him, "If you're planning on gloating, don't bother. I already know."
"Oh? What do you think you know?"
"Saw her in the hallway heading back to her room."
"And?" If it's possible, his grin has grown even bigger.
"She may have mentioned that she saw you last night."
"And?"
"She looked exhausted and….sore." Duncan can't hold back any longer and gives in to the laugh she's been trying to hold in.
"Why is that funny?" Bass asks, looking terribly proud of himself. "You knew I was going to meet her. What did you think was going to happen?"
"No. That's not the funny part. The funny part was that she actually lied to me and said you had her stay the whole night in your room. I don't know where she really was, but –"
"She wasn't lying. She was in my room until almost breakfast."
Duncan's laughter fades and she stares at Monroe in shock, "But you never, ever do sleep-overs. You never have."
Bass shrugs, "Never, ever felt like this before about a girl, Duncan. Never ever."
Sarah and Jeremy (aka Charlie and Bass) meet every night for the next week. They talk about things that allow them to keep their true identities secret, and they spend a lot of time not talking as well. They share (as best they can) their hopes and dreams and they find that they are growing closer every day.
Charlie sees Duncan in the hall almost every morning, and Duncan is slowly coming to terms with the truth. Whatever is happening between Bass and Charlie really is more than what she had ever expected.
Nora is getting better. Miles is sure that she'll be able to travel within the next couple of days. He is excited and shares the news at the breakfast table one morning.
Danny scowls, "I don't want to leave yet. Kind of like it here."
"You just like getting laid." Aaron stabs a chunk of meat on his plate and bites into it with far more intensity than is necessary. His brow is knit in an angry scowl.
Miles is surprised, "Uh Aaron, if you need to get laid, I'm pretty sure all you have to do is ask. This is one place that a sure things is…well, a sure thing."
Aaron shakes his head, "No, it's okay. I shouldn't have said anything. I'm tired."
"Tired?" Charlie asks.
"Yeah, between Miles's snoring and the way you and Danny are either sneaking out or allowing people to sneak in all night – well, its hard to sleep."
"Uh, what?" Miles asks.
"You snore. Everyone knows this." Charlie adds, hoping to gloss over Aaron's other revelation.
"Who cares if I snore? Who's been sneaking out and sneaking in?" Miles looks tense.
"No offense Miles, but we're adults. We don't have to answer to you about who we sleep with." Charlie says with a nervous frown.
"You are adults. That's true, but unless you are a lesbian and I didn't know it, the only available men here are Bobby Drexel himself or Dr. Pike. Drexel is a douche and Pike is old enough to be your grandfather, so I'm guessing you like the ladies now?" Miles narrows his eyes at her, daring Charlie to prove him wrong with the truth.
"I am not a lesbian."
"So who is it that is sneaking into your room at night?" he asks.
Aaron pipes in, "No, she's the one sneaking out. It's Danny who has the visitor every night."
"Shut up!" Charlie and Danny say in unison.
"Don't change the subject. Who is it?" Miles demands.
"One of Monroe's men, okay? Happy now?"
"You have got to be kidding me!" Miles stands and throws his fork to the table with a thump. "We're hiding back here so that they won't know about us, and you are banging one of them? Are you insane?"
"He doesn't know who I am. Told him my name was Sarah."
"So he thinks you're one of Bobby's hookers?"
"Well, no. I just told him I'm visiting."
"Shit." Miles is pacing now. "We leave tomorrow. This shit has gone on long enough."
"No." Danny says, "I'm not going anywhere."
"If I say you are going, you are."
Danny stands too, facing Miles head on. "You are not my father, Miles. I don't have to do what you say."
"This piece of tail you're tapping must be pretty fine if you're willing to stay here when the rest of us leave." Miles smirks at his nephew.
Duncan chooses that moment to walk in, "Well Miles, you certainly used to think it was."
"Huh?" He looks at her blankly.
She walks over to Danny and wraps an arm around his waist, "The piece of tail Danny is tapping…. Same piece his uncle used to tap back in the day….mine. And yes, it is fine…but then you know that."
All color has drained from Miles's face. "No." he looks from one to the other, shaking his head. "No."
"Oh yeah." Duncan says with an evil grin and Danny shrugs.
Miles sits back down, his head in his hands, "I think I'm going to be sick."
Later that afternoon Charlie is in her room, reading one of the books from Drexel's library. She hears the soft knock at her door and says, "Come in" without even looking up.
The door opens and closes quietly. She doesn't hear anything at all and glances up. Her heartbeat begins to pound when she sees her lover standing at the foot of her bed. He's wearing his militia uniform and his hands are already busy with the buttons.
"What are you doing?"
"What do you think I'm doing?"
Charlie watches as he shrugs out of his shirt. She can't take her eyes off his smooth, hard chest and the way his muscles ripple as he moves. Everything looks different in the light of mid-day. Better, if that's even possible. She swallows hard, "You're taking off your clothes?"
"Yes, I am."
"Why?" She can't help herself. She licks her lips hungrily and puts down her book.
"Back in the old days, before the blackout, we would have called it a 'nooner'." He begins to walk toward her as he unbuckles his pants. "I was missing you and decided I couldn't wait till tonight to see you again – to hold you – to be inside you…" He's in her personal space now, his knees against the edge of her bed, " I had some free time coming, and decided I'd like to spend it with you."
"But what if someone sees you?"
"What if they don't?" His pants are off now. "Take off your clothes."
She stands and begins to pull off her shirt, "I shouldn't."
Bass grins at her, "Let's not worry about what we should do. Let's just do what we want to do." He tilts his head, watching her with heated eyes, "What do YOU want to do?"
Charlie's last shred of uncertainty about the time and place slips away as she takes in the scene before her. He stands there proudly naked, his body perfectly toned and firm, his cock thick and hard, pre-cum moistening the head. She can't take her eyes away from the pearly drops there and sighs, "I want to taste you."
Bass groans and steps forward, separating the space between them. Charlie slides to her knees and she tongues the wet tip of his throbbing dick, her eyes locked on his. "Fuck." He mutters as she opens her lips wider, slowly sheathing his cock into the heated recess of her mouth, and then deeper into her throat. "Fuck." He moans this time, his fingers tangling in her hair.
Miles finds Duncan in the library. He knows that she is aware of his arrival, but she doesn't look his way. Instead, her eyes are trained on something outside the window.
"Can we talk?" He asks.
"Oh, now you want to talk?" Duncan frowns, "You've been here for two weeks and haven't said one word to me, haven't even looked at me. It's been like we're strangers. Now you know I'm fucking Danny and suddenly we have to talk? Nice, Miles."
Miles runs a hand nervously through his hair, "Listen D, I'm sorry."
He sees her shudder slightly at the use of the old nickname. He remembers the first time he'd called her D. He knows she's remembering it too. "Don't call me that." She says, her voice just a whisper.
"I am sorry….Duncan. Sorry I didn't say anything to you when we got here, but more than that, I'm sorry that things ended the way they did. I should have…" he breaks off, unsure that he should even be here talking to her.
"Should have what?" She turns to face him now, her expression grim. "Should have woke me up when you left my bed that night to kill Bass? Should have maybe mentioned you were thinking about leaving me? Leaving him? Leaving the Republic?"
"It was a bad time. I was worried and scared and I was sure that Bass was going to self destruct. I should have said something to you…and then when I tried to kill Bass but couldn't go through with it – I know that I should have come back to you and told you I was leaving for good. I was afraid he'd take it out on you…figured he'd go easy on you if you were unaware…" Saying it all out loud makes him feel like an idiot. Duncan had been important to him. He had loved her.
"Well, it looks like you bounced back just fine. Seems like coma girl has more than taken my place."
"I knew Nora from a long time ago. We ran into each other after I left you and things happened." He shrugs guiltily. "She's a nice girl. I care about her."
Duncan sighs, "I'm happy for you Miles. It's okay. Really. I'm over you. I'm maybe not over your betrayal just yet, but I'm over YOU."
He nods and Duncan turns back to the window. "He's different now, you know?"
"Who, Bass?"
"Yeah. When you left, he spiraled down. It was bad. I've never seen anything like it. I was struggling and not in good shape myself. We were there for each other."
Miles snorts, "Of course you were."
Duncan marches over and puts a finger in his face, "You don't have the right to say one word about any choices we made after you abandoned us, you ass. We were there for each other, supported each other. Yeah for a while, we were more, but it was clear that we were better off as friends, so we stopped trying to be more." She shrugs, "Not that it's any of your damn business. We're friends. He's changed. He's so much better now."
"How exactly is he better?"
"He got really paranoid after you left. Thought everyone was turning on him. He accused Jeremy of planning his assassination – it was bullshit of course. He ordered Jeremy's execution."
"Shit." Miles goes pale. "What happened?"
"Jeremy was a faster shot than the guys sent to kill him. He went back to Bass, very much alive and determined to help him."
"Help him how?"
"He took Bobby with him, and Dr. Pike."
"I don't understand."
"Do you remember when we first met? Bobby had been in pharmacy school before the lights went out and he was determined to continue to work with medicine even if the world was dark…"
"Yes, and heroin addicts everywhere applaud his efforts." Miles rolls his eyes and points out the window at the fields of poppies.
Duncan nods, "Yeah, he's a poppy farmer and produces the mother load of the Republic's heroin. That's how he made the money he needs to fund his other endeavor."
"What's that? Is he growing pot out back?"
"No. He, with Dr. Pike's help, has developed blackout versions of aspirin, morphine and some other legitimate drugs. His proudest achievements are versions of Lithium, Xanex and don't laugh… Viagra."
Miles laughs, "Sorry, but people are dying from starvation and he's making Viagra?"
"Bobby is a capitalist at heart. If it makes money, he's going to produce it, but he also loves the science… the thrill of creating something new and needed."
"Fine, Bobby is Mother Theresa meets Pablo Escobar. What does that have to do with Bass? Don't tell me he needs Viagra. I'm going to find that difficult to believe."
Duncan smiles ruefully and shakes her head, "No. Not Viagra, but he is taking one of Bobby's drugs."
This has Miles's attention. "Yeah, what is it?"
"Bobby calls it Drexol. It's his own creation. Dr. Pike has been treating Bass – I don't really know the exact diagnosis, but he worked with Bobby and they came up with this drug specifically for Bass. It keeps him at an even keel. He's not paranoid anymore. He's pretty happy actually."
"Bass is happy?" Miles is skeptical.
"Yeah. He's a different person. Has been for a while."
"I don't know that I believe you…"
Jeremy Baker walks in then, and doesn't seem all that surprised to see his old boss. "Believe it Miles. He's like the old Bass – the one we all loved. He is charming and funny and fair. No more firing squads. No more prison sentences without fair trials. He's been taking Drexol for almost three years now, and he's not backslid once." Jeremy walks closer to Miles, holding his hands up to show he's no threat. "Don't worry. We're all under strict orders not to hurt you for any reason."
"Orders from whom?"
"Bass of course. He's known you were here since the beginning of our stay."
"I don't understand." Miles sits heavily on one of the couches. "I figured he'd want me dead."
"Oh, he did." Jeremy chuckles, "at first. Then he started taking those pills and he mellowed. Then when everything happened here, he was more ready than ever to reconcile."
"Reconcile? With me?"
"Yeah, dumbass. With you." Jeremy shakes his head, laughing. "All he's wanted for over a year has been to find you and get you to see he's changed."
"Wait." Miles stands as something Baker said resonates, "What do you mean 'when everything happened here'?"
Baker's face goes pale and he glances at Duncan who is shaking her head no.
"What are you not telling me?" Miles asks, his voice laced with anger.
"Nothing…."
Miles looks back and forth. He remembers the weird conversation at breakfast where Charlie admitted she'd been sleeping with one of Monroe's men… "Who is Charlie sleeping with?" he directs the question to Baker, using his most commanding tone. "You?"
Jeremy shakes his head no, but doesn't speak. He sends a pleading look toward Duncan. She shrugs and sighs. Stepping forward, she answers Miles, "Bass. She's sleeping with Bass."
Miles is on the move in an instant, but Duncan is trailing right behind him, "She doesn't know it's him."
"What?" he stops and turns to face her.
"He told her his name was Baker. She thinks Jeremy is Monroe."
"Oh hell." Miles mutters. "Where are they?"
"No idea."
Miles is stomping down the hallway again and meets Aaron, "Have you seen Charlie?" Miles asks him.
"Haven't seen her, no…" Aaron rolls his eyes, "But I've heard her. She's in her room, and I'd wager she's not alone."
Miles steps up his pace. Jeremy and Duncan on his heels.
Bass is flat on his back and Charlie is riding his throbbing cock. She has her hands in her hair, her head thrown back. Her perky tits move in perfect harmony with her body's up and down movements. He can't help himself, reaching up to palm them both, squeezing roughly as he feels his orgasm closing in. "Jesus, Charlie – your pussy is so perfect….so tight."
She moans above him, also close. They've been going at it for a while now; their bodies hot and sweaty in the afternoon sunlight. She reaches down, rubbing her clit with a finger and slamming down harder, impaling him fully with every downward move.
His dick is so thick and hard and feeling how deeply he reaches is driving her crazy. She never wants to stop fucking him. It is so incredibly amazing. She feels her body begin to tense as he grabs her hips and pulls her down as he pushes up.
He's been so careful. Every time they've been together, he's been sure to pull out. He knows it's the responsible thing. He knows it in his head, but his instinct is to stay…to stay buried in her heat and fill her when he comes. "Fuck." He moans, pushing her off.
"No." she growls, pushing down again, clenching at his cock with her tight pussy. "Want you to stay."
It's like she's reading his mind, and he isn't sure he can wait even a moment longer. "You sure?" he gasps.
"Yeah. Come for me."
And he does. He yanks her body tight against his own, flexing his hips as he seeks the deepest spot he can reach and unloads inside her center. The remnants of her climax milk him dry and they are both gasping for breath as she collapses onto his chest, his dick still sheathed in her heat.
"Why?" he asks, somewhat awed at this turn in events.
"Complaining?"
"No." he shakes his head, watching her carefully. "No. Not even a little, but why?"
"We're leaving."
Bass's heart falls. "What? No. You can't leave. Not yet."
"We were here because our friend was sick. She's better. We're leaving tomorrow or the next day at the latest. Before I go, I just wanted to feel all of you…just once."
He shakes his head again, "No." this time his voice sounds more determined, angry.
They are both startled when her bedroom door is flung open. Charlie scrambles for a sheet to cover herself. Bass knows without looking who their visitor is. He closes his eyes for just a moment and then sits up slowly, not bothering to cover his nudity. "Miles."
"You son of a bitch." Miles says, stomping close. He stops and frowns, "Oh for fuck's sake, cover yourself so I can kill you and not feel like a perv."
"You can't kill him." Charlie says, moving to stand in between the two men.
"Yeah, you can't kill me. I don't even need her to tell me that. I was there the last time you tried." Bass is a little worried, but also so genuinely glad to see his old friend again, he can't help but smile.
"Stop smiling." Miles growls. "You were fucking my niece."
"Yeah, I was."
"Wait." Charlie says, "You know him? You know who I am?" she stares blankly at Bass and then begins to frown as a memory comes into focus, "Just a little while ago… when we were… you know… you called me Charlie."
Bass shrugs, "Sorry. Sarah never did fit you."
"You've known who I was all along?"
He nods, "Yeah. Well, not the very first time in the library. It was after that when I figured it out."
Jeremy moves forward, "Miles, this isn't the time or place to work through this. Give him a chance to get dressed at least."
"Oh shit." Charlie says, facing Jeremy, "Mr. President, please go easy on my uncle. He only wants to keep me safe."
"Oh, this is awkward." Miles says with a grim smile. "That", he points at Jeremy, "is not the President."
Charlie stares blankly at her uncle, "Who is he then?"
Baker holds out a hand for Charlie to shake. "Jeremy Baker, at your service, ma'am."
Charlie grasps her sheet with one hand and shakes his. "But – " she glances over at Bass. "Who are you then?"
Miles smirks, "That's the President, Charlie. You've been banging the Commander in Chief of the Monroe Republic."
"No." She is shaking her head. "No."
Bass is on his feet, grabbing at a quilt. "I was going to tell you, I swear. I was waiting till I knew for sure. I was getting ready to tell you today. Then dipshit busted in."
"Knew what for sure?" Her eyes are brimming with tears.
"That I love you."
"Noooooooo." Miles says. "No."
"You love me?"
Bass moves in, closing the distance between them. "Yeah, I do. I don't care what your name is or who you are related to. I love you."
Tears are streaming down her cheeks, but she can't tear her eyes from his. "But…"
"No but. I love you."
Duncan chuckles from the doorway, "I knew he'd get away with it. Charming mother fucker always gets what he wants."
"He may think he loves her." Miles says, "Doesn't mean she feels the same way." His voice is almost pleading as he looks at Charlie.
"Except that I do." She smiles through her tears. "I don't care what your name is either, but…"
"But what?" he drops the quilt, pulling her into his arms, his bare ass on display.
"You can't lie to me again, okay?"
"Okay."
"And you can't hurt Miles – not now, not ever."
"Never planned to."
"But we know you've been looking for him. We saw the bounties?" She looks confused.
"I want him to come back to Philly and take his place where he belongs, leading at my side." Bass turns to Miles, "What do you say? Leave behind this nomadic bullshit. Come back to Philly? Bring your family, your lady and your fat friend too."
"You were crazy before." Miles says, shaking his head.
"That's true. I've changed."
"He really has." Jeremy says from where he stands by Duncan.
Miles doesn't say anything. Bass breaks the silence, "At least come back for the wedding."
"What wedding?" Miles and Charlie both ask.
Bass looks down at Charlie with a brilliant smile, "Charlotte Matheson, will you marry me?"
"Seriously?" Miles asks, stunned.
Charlie bites her lip, "I know I should be mad at you right now and should say no or pretend I need to think about it…."
"But?"
"I don't have anything to think about. I'll marry you."
"Deal." He says and then he's kissing her and she's kissing him back and they've both forgotten anyone else is even there.
"For crying out loud, we are still here!" Miles yells. He turns to Charlie, "You can't love HIM. You can't marry HIM. He's old and crusty. He's an evil dictator…"
Charlie looks over at her uncle, "Weren't you an evil dictator with him for a long time?"
"Well, I'm different now."
"So am I." Bass offers, "Also, if I'm old and crusty, you're older and crustier."
Miles just shakes his head as he watches Bass pulling Charlie even closer, stroking her lower back through the sheet she still has wrapped around her middle. "No. This is a bad idea." Miles says, but his conviction is slipping.
"Besides," Bass continues as if Miles hasn't spoken, "We may already have a little presidential bun in the oven. You never know." He kisses Charlie's temple. She blushes, but doesn't deny the fact that a baby is a possibility.
Miles wilts a little. This does seem to be the version of Bass he hasn't seen in years, and the way Charlie is smiling tells him she's seeing the better version of his friend as well. "Shit." He mutters.
Later, after Bass and Charlie are both dressed and much has been discussed; Drexel leads the group toward the formal dining room where he is hosting both sets of guests together for the first time. As they pass the library, they hear something inside. Bobby throws open the door. "Oh, sorry." He says, chuckling at a half naked Aaron who is being ridden by a pretty brunette on one of the leather sofas.
"That library is a very busy place." Bass says wrapping his arm around Charlie who smiles up at him happily.
Miles smirks, "Maybe Aaron will finally start smiling again. He's been a grouch the whole time we've been here. Can't believe he took this long to hook up with one of Bobby's girls."
"She's not a hooker." Bobby says to clarify, "Cynthia is our cook, and my guess is dinner will now be late." He yells over his shoulder at the closed library door, "Thanks a lot Pittman. I was hungry."
"So was I." They hear Aaron's muffled voice coming from within.
Everyone laughs as Duncan leads them all into the kitchen instead of the dining room. "We'll fend for ourselves." They feast on cold sandwiches and an assortment of fresh vegetables, followed by chocolate cake. Bass's security detail joins everyone in the kitchen, and so do Nora and Danny. Nora is still pale, but seems happy and Miles dotes on her.
"You know, a girl could get used to this." Nora says around a mouthful of cake.
"Maybe we can start eating like normal people again?" Miles asks. "Bass wants me to go back home. What do you think?"
"I think the fact that you call Philly home means you've already decided." She smiles up at him.
"Yeah, I guess I have." He squeezes her shoulders and nods at a beaming Bass.
"Glad to have you back, Brother." Bass says, sounding a little choked up. Charlie wraps a supporting arm around her man and smiles at her uncle.
Miles is overcome by emotion as well, but keeps it in check, "Glad to be back I guess. Didn't realize how much I missed all this….and you, ya big oaf."
"I'm not going to Philly. I meant it when I said so before." Danny interrupts. He's been quiet ever since joining the others in the kitchen. Now he walks over to Duncan and slips an arm around her waist. "I'm staying here."
She grins up at him with a wink; reaching down to grasp his ass firmly.
"Me too." Aaron says as he enters, holding hands with Cynthia. "I'm staying here too." Both of them are rumpled, but grinning.
Bass's bodyguard Miller puts his feet up on the corner of the table and grins at the group, "Well, hell. If this isn't what happily ever after looks like, I don't know what the fuck does."
"Well," Bobby Drexel says with a grin, "I do always promise my guests a happy ending."
**END**
A/N Sorry for the delay. I had a touch of writer's block this week. I think it was due to the news about those damn comics. I'm less than thrilled to be honest. I don't care that we're getting comics as opposed to actual new episodes. I think we all saw that coming. I worry that they might kill someone I love and/or put Bass with Rachel. I'll tell you now, if either of those things happens…I will proceed as if the comics don't exist and my canon will end with 2x22. Just sayn.
Happy birthday to ChelleyPam. Hope it was lovely.
Please leave a comment if you are so inclined.