Over the next several weeks, Bass found himself in Charlie's immediate vicinity more often than not. Usually, she refused to let anyone tag along with her while she hunted, much to Miles' annoyance - he saw it as a safety concern, but whenever Miles threw a big enough tantrum, Charlie would consent to let Bass go with her. Since he wasn't much of a hunter, Bass usually just hung back and let her do her thing, which Charlie seemed grateful for, and was content with following her aimlessly through the woods for hours on end.

It was late and Bass was sitting by the tiny fire in the center of their camp. Miles and Rachel were huddled together on the opposite side of the fire, Conner was sleeping off to his left wrapped in his and Bass' bedrolls, Aaron was snoring nearby, and Charlie was far off to the right, visibly shivering in the October weather. She and Rachel had gotten into a fight again this morning so when they stoped for the night, Charlie had picked a spot as far from her mother as she could find.

Lately, Bass had been trying to give her her space, they had been on relatively good terms since his drunken trip to her bedroom, but there was no way he was going to sit and watch her freeze. He got up and pulled off his jacket as he moved towards her bedroll. He was always captivated by how beautiful she was but it was even more so while she slept. Her relaxed face lacked that perpetual frown that seemed to haunt her waking hours. He tucked the ends of his leather jacket underneath her then made sure to pull it up in order to cover her bare neck. As the back of his hand brushed against her jaw, Charlie sighed contentedly and snuggled deeper into the leather.

Bass tore his hand away from her smooth skin with some difficulty. As much as he wanted to lay down next to her to cuddle up and never let go, he knew that Charlie wouldn't allow it. He wasn't even drunk right now, she might shoot him if he tried. He stomped back to his seat by the fire and sat brooding about Charlie and her weird mood swings. One minute she was smiling and letting him hunt with her, then she would recoil and call him a bastard, leaving him alone with his troubled thoughts. He let himself wallow in self pity until Miles relieved him about an hour later.

Conner still had his bedroll and Miles had covered Rachel with his, so Bass grabbed his pack and pulled out and extra shirt to use as a blanket and settled onto the cold ground. He pulled out his trusty flask as he propped the bag under his head to use as a pillow, and took a sip. Thoughts of Charlie continued to swirl in his mind. Everyday was a new challenge. She made him work in order to gain her attention and then made him jump through hoops just to keep it. He wondered if she suspected his little crush on her and merely enjoyed watching him squirm.

As the night passed on, Bass tossed and turned trying to get to sleep, but it was cold and even whiskey couldn't seem to dull the thoughts of Charlie. He huffed as he tried to get comfortable on his side, finding it impossible with a rock stuck in his back. Growling under his breath, he flung it away just as Charlie was starting to stir. It would be her watch soon and Bass wished more than anything that he could be asleep when her turn came.

No such luck. Miles went back to his bed after a whispered conversation with his niece and left her to her watch. Bass held his breath until she left their little clearing to do a perimeter check and then rolled onto his other side with his back to the fire in an attempt to get comfortable. He didn't hear Charlie come back from her check, his brain having finally started to let him drift off, but was suddenly aware of her standing over him. When he looked up at her, all he could see was her blanket falling down on top of him. She smoothed it over him while he watched her, her eyes focused on the task and her full lips set in a grim line.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Charlie considered him for a moment, tilting her head a little to the side. "You've been drinking again." It wasn't a question this time, and she sounded more disappointed than anything else.

"Yeah... Is that why you're mad?" He hated to think that the only thing that helped him sleep was upsetting her, but she shook her head.

"Where's your blanket?"

"Conner needed it."

Charlie scoffed. "He would have been fine without it." He was tempted to point out that she was currently wearing his leather jacket, but thought better of it.

"He's my son," he said simply, as if that explained everything.

She frowned but didn't press the subject further, instead tucking her own blanket around him. Bass knew he must be grinning like an idiot but couldn't seem to make himself stop as she leaned over him. When the blanket was situated the way she wanted it, Charlie sat back on her heels to look at him. Bass stared back, enjoying the rare moment to just enjoy looking at her - while she was awake. After a few seconds she reached out and brushed her fingers over his unruly curls.

"Go to sleep, Bass," she whispered. As if on cue, he felt his eyelids start to droop, though he tried to fight it. "Shh, just sleep." He failed, falling asleep with the image of Charlie leaning over him, wreathed in moonlight, stuck in his brain. He later wondered if he had imagined the warmth of soft lips against his temple.

When he woke at dawn, Bass found her sweet smelling blanket still tucked around him. He resisted the temptation to pull it up over his head and drown himself in her. He looked around camp but didn't see her, but the others were all packing their things so he busied himself with folding her blanket and checking his weapons.

As he slid the clip back into his gun, an apple fell into his lap. Bass looked up just in time to see Charlie grin at him and saunter away, his jacket - which was way too big on her - covering his view of her swaying hips. He picked up the apple but stopped just before he bit into it because he noticed that there was already a chunk missing. He could see the outline of Charlie's teeth in it.

He looked up again, meeting Charlie's gaze. She was watching him, almost challenging him to eat from her apple. Bass raised it to his lips, his eyes never leaving hers, and took a bite. She smiled, tucked her gun back into her jeans and threw her pack over her shoulder, then followed the others away from camp.

Bass stared after her, wondering what all of that had been about and then realizing that she still had his jacket. It was getting pretty chilly out so he was going to need it. Then again, if she kept smiling at him like she just had, he thought he might be able to live without it.

A/N Another boring day at work, so another little bit for you guys to read. :-D