Bass sat against a tree, Charlie nestled securely between his legs. Her head rested lazily on his shoulder, her hair still damp from the "bath" they had taken earlier. They didn't talk, they didn't need to. They just sat, enjoying this rare quiet moment. It didn't escape Bass's notice that they were cuddling. Hell if he actually added it up, he'd spent more time cuddling with her in the past few months than he had with any women, ever. God he was toast.

He had to admit, this was the perfect remedy for the totally craptastic day they had. He wanted to shut it out of his mind and just enjoy the evening, maybe even pretend he wasn't who he was and they weren't fighting a war. Although the decision to attack the camps hadn't been easy, the actual execution was, at least for him. He shut everything out except the image of cadet who had snuck into his and Charlie's room and tried to kill them. For the rest of his life he would remember that boy's eyes. They were vacant yet feral at the same time. They reminded him of a shark he'd seen once while diving in his younger years. That boy was no longer human, he was nothing but a killing machine. Bass knew there would be no reasoning with someone like that. They would come at you till one of you was dead. And he had damn near gotten Charlie. If Bass hadn't have woken up when he did, she would be dead. That fear and rage fueled him to take out every last one them.

The first two camps they had attached had been easier on him, mainly because Charlie wasn't with him. They had fought side by side many times but never in all that time had he fully unleashed the truly savage monster he could be. Oh he had no doubt that she knew of his past, or what he was capable up. But knowing and seeing where two very different things. When he was President of the Republic he had ordered his men to do some awful things, hell he even ordered Strausser to kill her or her brother in order to get Rachel's cooperation. He had a personal rule, unknown to everyone except maybe Miles. He would never order someone to do something that he hadn't done at one time or another or was willing to do himself. There was a reason he and Miles rose to the top. They could both be unbelievably brutal when they wanted to be. Oh sure Miles was sporting a softer side now days, than again so was he, but he remembered full well how Miles got the nickname the Butcher of Baltimore. He had been right there with him, helping him every step of the way. If Bass wanted to be truly honest with himself he had turned into someone ten time worse than the Butcher after Miles left the Republic.

But the attack on this last camp was the first time that Charlie would see him fully in monster mode. There was no mercy and no escape. All though he knew in his soul that Charlie loved him, nothing would test their budding relationship more than seeing him at his most savage.

"You're thinking really loudly." Charlie softly said.

It was amazing how she could read him. What should he say to her? What could he say? I'm thinking about how I'm a cold blood killer and I have no right to be loved by someone like you. That I'm scared to death. I'm scared you'll realize that I'm not worth it and that everyone was right about me. That one day you'll wake up and not love me anymore. Instead he said "We should get back, they'll be wondering where we are."

Charlie, being Charlie wasn't buying it. "Bass what's bothering you?" She asked as she turned around to kneel in front of him.

Bass sighed. He should know by now that he couldn't really hide anything from her. She was one of two people who could see right through him. It must be written into the Matheson genetic code. "What if I turn back into the man I was, the man you hated?"

Charlie shook her head, smiled and took his face in her hands. "What brought this on?"

"Today at the camp, it was pretty brutal, I was pretty brutal. What if I fall back into that black pit of hell I was living in for so long?"

"Then I'll pull you back. I will fight for you Bass, just like you fight for me," Charlie stated, her voice strong and full of conviction Then she kissed him, pouring all of her determination and love into that single kiss.

Bass could feel it, her resolve and her love. Holly hell she meant every word. Maybe there was hope for him after all. No one had ever loved him so unconditionally before. It humbled and empowered him at the same time. Bass held on to her for dear life.

Charlie leaned back, her hands traveled down his chest and grabbed the hem of his shirt, her intentions clear. Bass raised his arms letting her take the lead for now. She strattled his lap and kissed him again. As she moved to kiss that spot on his neck that drove him absolutely nuts Bass gasped. "You know Charlie, I'm an old man, and it takes those of us of advanced age a while to recover."

"I think you can rise to the occasion Mr. Monroe." Charlie whispered in his ear as she kissed his neck again.

"I believe your right Miss Matheson." Bass gasped.

Just as he was about to help her out of her shirt for the second time that night the sound of a cocking shotgun stopped him cold.

"Get your hands off my daughter you son of a bitch!" Rachel screamed.

Bass turned to see a barrel of shotgun pointed at the direction of his head. He slowly removed his hands from Charlie's waist, helped her off his lap and stood up, hands out at his sides.

"Now Rachel, calm down." Bass said in a low, calm voice. At the same time he made sure that Charlie was behind him. He didn't want Rachel to lose her shit and accidently shoot Charlie in the process.

"I will not calm down you bastard. What the hell where you doing with my daughter?"

Bass cocked an eyebrow and just stared at her. If she didn't know what they were doing, or about to do then he needed to have a talk with Miles.

"What the hell did it look like we were doing Mom?" Charlie shouted back from behind him.

"Did he hurt you Charlie? Did he force you?" Rachel asked, tightening her grip on the gun.

"Hell no," Charlie shot back as she maneuvered herself in front of him.

"Get back Charlie," Bass hissed at her, but she ignored him. He was going to have a serious, very loud conversation with her about standing between him and a loaded weapon.

"Did it look like he was forcing me mom? If I remember correctly I was the one on top before we so rudely interrupted."

Rachel's eyes widened. "What are you thinking Charlie, how could you, are you that stupid and naive?"

"You know I'm getting really tired of you calling me stupid and naive. You need to come up with better insults mother."

"Have you forgotten everything he's done? How can you even think about kissing him?"

Bass could tell Charlie was about to lose it, a little muscle in her neck started to twitch. He knew what that what came next wouldn't be pretty. They would be lucky if they survived the night.

"Oh we've done a hell of a lot more than kiss. We've been sleeping together for a while now mom."

"What!" Rachel shrieked. "How could you? You could you do that to me, to Danny, to you dad?"

"Of course you would make this all about you. Believe it or not the world does not revolve around you."

"Charlie how could you, have you forgotten what he's done?"

Charlie sighed. She knew her mother wouldn't understand. She was just so damn tired of fighting with her. Charlie feared that Rachel would make her choose between Bass and her. She already knew what her choice would be. She lost her mother once and survived, she could do it again. But Charlie knew she wouldn't survive if she lost Bass. She hoped it wouldn't come to that, so she chose her next words carefully.

"No mom, I haven't forgotten but I've let it go.

"You let it go? Just like that?" Rachel interrupted.

Charlie closed her eyes and sighed. "The hardest thing to do in this world is live in it. I've lost so much, dad, Maggie, Danny, Nora and I was angry. I was so consumed with hate and anger that it ate me up. So much that I wanted to die, hell I even welcomed it. I figured I'd be dead in a month, six tops and that was okay with me. I was just existing and I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't live like that anymore. So I made a choice. I let it go. I decided to live. And when I did I finally was able to take a good look around and see what was right in front of me." Charlie reached behind her hand out behind her and Bass took it. "I was finally able to see everything he's done since he's joined us. He's changed mom, he's not the man he was before. I love him and he loves me."

Rachel stared at her in utter shock, speechless for once.

Miles took that moment to join their little conversation. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Rachel was pointing a shotgun at his daughter and Bass was standing half naked right behind her. Miles groaned inwardly, this was not going to end well.

"What the hell is going on here?" he growled. "Rachel for god sakes put the gun down before you accidently shoot Charlie, and Bass put your damn shirt on. I told you I didn't want to see any hanky panky between the two of you."

Rachel whipped her head around but kept the gun trained on Charlie. "You knew!?" she hissed.

Miles nodded.

"And you didn't tell me?"

"And you wonder why. You are pointing a loaded gun at our daughter Rachel. I knew you wouldn't take it well but I didn't think you would go this crazy."

Rachel looked down at the gun and seemed to realize for the first time that she'd been pointing it at Charlie. She choked back a sob and slowly lowered the gun. Miles quickly stepped in and took it from her.

"Now maybe we can talk about this like normal people." Miles growled.

"I'm done talking dad, I've said what I needed to say." Charlie said evenly. She walked up to Rachel and put her hand on her shoulder. "Mom I don't expect you to understand or even approve but I do ask that you respect my decision. I've earned that much."

Rachel didn't respond, just stared at her daughter with confusion and hurt in her eyes.

Bass put his hand at the small of Charlie's back and started to lead her back to camp. Charlie stopped and turned back toward her mom. "Mom I love you and I always will. But if you ever point a gun at me or Bass like that again you'll regret it." Then she let Bass lead her away.

Rachel looked at Miles. "He's done something to her Miles, he's turning her against me. He's using her to hurt me."

"Damn it Rachel he's doing no such thing. This has nothing to do with you and everything to do with Charlie and Bass. I've known that man my whole life and I can honestly say he is in love with her. For the first time in years I've started to see the man he was before the republic. It's all Charlie's doing. She's changing him, she's saving him."

"He's not worth saving." Rachel spit out.

"He is to Charlie, and he is to me. And if you keep this up you are going to lose her for good and me too. Is that what you want?"

Rachel shook her head. She couldn't form words. Her world had just been turned upside down. She didn't want to lose Charlie but she couldn't pretend that she was okay with this. She didn't know if she ever could be.