Author's Note: Thank you to LemonSupreme, Saderia and BassCharlie for leaving review's on the last chapter- I thoroughly appreciated it.

Chapter 10

"I don't like this, Bass," Charlie said exasperated with him, "I don't like it at all…and you're not the only one in this marriage. It's a partnership, remember? My opinion counts!"

"Charlie, don't you think I know that?" Bass said just as exasperated.

"Well, you sure don't act like it sometimes; you're so damn stubborn and pig headed…I don't know why I ever fell for you," Charlie said, turning her back to him and looking out their bedroom window, on the brink of tears.

She had been like this ever since he signed them up to leave; she'd been angry and sad at the drop of a hat and did admit that her ever changing hormone's were 'driving her crazy'.

Hoping she might calm down Bass mistakenly said, "Because of this?" and wrapped his arms around her and lightly biting her ear lobe. She started to acquiesce but then stiffened and pulled away from him.

"No," she said, "No, no, no!" her voice starting to shake. "You can be such an ass!" She bit her lower lip and glared at him before storming out of the room.

Bass stood there dumbfounded and ran his hand through his hair- he didn't know how much of this was hormones and how much of it was Charlie but he knew right now she wanted some space and he would give it to her. Right now he needed to sort some things out for himself. He grabbed his coat and headed for Marion's bar.

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Miles and Nora were having their own problems down at his house. "Sheriff says we're leaving the town in a really tough spot; I didn't realize just how many people would sign up to leave," he said.

"If you want to stay then stay," Nora said for the umpteenth time. "I can lead the group to Austin."

"I don't like that either," he said, "the thought of you being out there…" he trailed off.

"You don't think I can take care of myself or this group? I know how to fight just as well as you do, Miles," she said, the irritation growing in her voice.

"It's not that and you know it!" he said, irritated. "I'm going to get a drink."

Nora threw up her hands in consternation and walked out of the room as he left.

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Bass was about to get his third shot of whiskey when Miles found him sitting at the bar; he sat down on the stool beside him and ordered the same.

"Charlie?" Miles asked.

"Yep. Nora?" Bass asked before downing his third shot.

"Yep," Miles said drinking his first.

"Women," they both muttered at the same time.

"She doesn't want to leave Gene," Bass lamented. "Thinks we should all stick together…I tried telling her Gene's a grown man- he's capable of making his own decisions and he has Marion…he doesn't want to leave his patient's and you can't blame the guy for that."

"No, ya' can't," Miles said, "My problem's just the opposite- I want to stay. Andy came to me and said he's not going to be able to defend the town if they get attacked- he didn't think so many people would choose to leave…neither did I. Nora says she can go without me…but I hate the thought of that just as much as I hate leaving Andy empty handed- just the thought of those maniac's getting anywhere near her…" he trailed off.

"Miles, level with me," Bass said eyeing his friend, "If you were in my shoes and say, Nora was pregnant…knowing what we do about these guys where would you want her to be?"

Miles didn't hesitate, "Austin…least until the Ranger's get here. You'll be allowed to stay at Blanchard's place which is guarded."

"Well, if you don't go there will be no way in hell I'll be able to get Charlie to," Bass said pointedly.

"Don't worry- I'm going…but remember, Nora and I are coming back the next day; if I didn't go she'd be coming back by herself- I tried to tell her to stay until the Ranger's get there and come back with them but she said no- insists she could be here helping to reinforce the town walls and security."

Bass' thoughts were already back on Charlie, "It's just getting her there that'll be the problem…I think once we're there she'll be fine to stay for a few weeks 'til Connor and Scanlon's unit gets there."

"Have you been listening to anything I've said?" Miles asked.

"Sorry brother," Bass said, "I tend to have tunnel vision when it comes to Charlie and the baby."

"Yea, I get it- I'm worried about Charlie too…if you want me to talk to her I will," Miles offered.

"Maybe later," Bass said, "Right now she doesn't want to talk to anyone especially me."

He sounded depressed and Miles put a steadying hand on Bass' shoulder. "It'll all be okay, Bass. We've been through worse, remember?"

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Charlie had taken Flame for a walk to calm down and came back to the stable to brush her down for the night; there she ran into Gene who was busy with Cola.

"Have a good walk?" Gene asked.

"Yea, she seems to be getting better and better by the day," Charlie said.

"Yea, she'll be ready for the trip to Austin in three days," Gene said, "Will you?"

"I don't want to go, Grandpa…I don't want to leave you," Charlie said, her voice sounding sad.

"I know," he said, "But you have to do what's right for the baby, honey- and going to Austin…at least until the Ranger's get here…sounds like the best thing."

"I know. But why won't you come with us?" she pleaded.

"Honey, a lot of the people who are staying are the elderly ones…they're my patients and my friends…I'm staying here for them…and I'm getting' to be just as old as they are- I don't want to leave my home. Besides, you won't be gone very long, sweetie…you'll be back before you know it," Gene soothed.

"Yea, I know…I just don't like us all being in different places…and the town being less protected," she sighed.

"Well, everyone's going to be working extra hard in the next few days to reinforce the walls and stuff before you leave…we'll be fine," Gene said not sure if even he believed it to be true.

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When Bass got home later that night Charlie was already in bed- he had had a little bit too much to drink and tried to be quiet but was unsuccessful as he tripped over a small bench. He stifled his cry of pain, stripped down to his boxer's and climbed into bed. Charlie immediately snuggled in beside him.

"I miss you when you're not here," she said simply.

"I'm sorry if I woke you…I think I overdid it at Marion's. I missed you too," he said, making out the frame of her face in the dark and stroking her hair.

"I'm sorry I got so angry before…this whole thing is just so upsetting to me," she said.

"It is to me too, mainly because I hate to see you sad and upset," he took her hand and brought it to his lips kissing her palm ever so gently. "But you have to understand, babe…you and the baby are my main priority. Hell, you're my only priority right now- if anything happened to you I don't know what I'd do."

"Promise me something, Bass…" she trailed off.

"What?" he asked.

"Well, I know you and I both will protect this baby with everything we have but…but if the worst should happen," she paused, "promise me you won't go dark again…like after Shelly."

There was a long moment of silence and for a second she wondered if he had fallen asleep. When he did speak it was with a calmness she'd never expected.

"Okay…I promise. But only if you promise me something in return," he said.

"What?" she asked.

"Promise me that if it should ever come down to choosing between saving me or the baby and yourself, that you'll choose the baby," he said.

He couldn't see her in the dark or else he'd see the tears start to fall down her face. "Okay," she said, "I promise."

He could hear the sadness in her voice and pulled her closer her to him, kissing her forehead.

"I love you, Charlotte," he said.

"I love you, Bass," she said kissing him on the lips. It was only then that he tasted the saltiness of her tears and he leaned over her, placing his hands on either side of her face and covered her with long, sweet kisses; gentle in nature but which spoke of a deep intimacy and love that could never be broken.

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During the next few days there was a flurry of movement throughout town; some people were packing up- some from the outlying farms were moving in and there was a feeling of urgency about it all.

Miles, Bass, Andy and Rob Colson went to the camp of the former re-education center and gathered up barbed wire, wooden posts…basically, anything that could be used to protect Willoughby in case of an attack.

Even though Willoughby had aluminum paneled walls built around it they also put up a barbed wire fence as extra protection- Miles recalled the time the Andover clan attacked and had breached the town walls so easily, breaking into people's homes and taking the women. He and the sheriff at that time had saved the women but the sheriff lost his life and Miles nearly lost his hand.

Some of the other families that were present at that time were taking no chances this time by boarding up their windows.

Charlie decided to make herself useful by training some of the people who were staying how to load and shoot a crossbow. Miles and Nora had brought back three from Austin as well as some more guns and ammo. Her first students were the Jensen brothers who were also the singers in the bar when she and Bass had gone on their date. They had decided to stay behind and help defend the town with Andy and the others- her third student was Marion. They all had great eye-hand coordination and with practice were able to hit their targets within range. Marion whispered to Charlie that Jeff Jensen looked like a Greek God when he took his stance to shoot- his body was all smooth lines and grace. Even though Charlie had never seen a picture of a Greek God she did agree that he looked like a work of art. She told herself that when she was in Austin she would go to the library which was bound to have a large selection of books and look for pictures of such a God.

Meanwhile, Gene continued to make his rounds to his patients even if they were still outside the towns walls. Charlie knew it was a losing battle to argue with him about it and finally gave up but would accompany him when she could…which, of course, Bass hated. So when Bass started going too Gene put a stop to all of it stressing the town needed both of them more than he did- Charlie knew he was right and agreed. Jim Jensen, the older of the two brothers, pulled her aside one day and told her that when they were gone he would accompany Gene whenever he could and that they were still trying to encourage people to leave their farms, at least for the time being. Charlie thanked him, as she was truly grateful- she loved how the town was finally pulling together, everyone wanting to help everyone else.

One man who refused to leave his farm was Alex Mayhew, a man in his late fifties whose wife had died several years ago. He had lost his son in the re-education camp but had managed to keep his seventeen year old daughter away from the patriot's. Hayley Mayhew was a beautiful yet shy girl and Alex's main concern was for her- he asked Gene if he would take her in and if she could accompany Bass and Charlie to Austin, returning with the Ranger's as they had planned. Everyone said okay and she moved into Rachel's old bedroom after the first town meeting.

Hayley helped out with whatever she could but would take time out to accompany Charlie on her crossbow training sessions, watching with increasing interest. The reasons for her fascination became immediately apparent the first time Jeff Jensen took aim at his target- her crush was so obvious to Charlie and Marion that their hearts broke for her when the young man seemed oblivious to it. They didn't know how her father would feel about any of it so they didn't try to intervene although they both were dying to.

The night before leaving they had a large dinner at Gene's house- Miles and Nora came, as well as Marion and they invited Hayley's father so he could see his daughter before she left. They feasted on barbecue chicken, corn and applesauce warmed on the wood burning stove. The conversation was light, no one wanting to talk about what they would be facing in the oncoming days.

When Bass and Charlie went to bed that night there was little conversation between them- they held each other tightly knowing that come what may they would be in it together.

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It was a brisk fall morning when they set off for Austin- a grand caravan made up of horses and wagon's and even some livestock was forming in the town's main street just in front of the gate. The few people bringing livestock had decided to make Austin their new home and had no plans to return to Willoughby, although most were.

Charlie felt nauseated but chalked it up to nerves and didn't tell Bass, not wanting to worry him. She dressed warmly in somewhat baggy pants for her ever-growing baby bump, a long sleeve sweater and a leather coat complete with sheepskin lining. When she walked outside she could see her breath but was thankful when it seemed the cool air was making her stomach feel better.

Bass was going to ride Flame while Charlie and Emma were going to drive a wagon with a bunch of the kids in back. Hayley and Becca Colson were going to sit with the youngsters and sing songs and play games to try and keep them happy as much as possible on the long ride. The kids ranged in age from eleven to ten months, a baby named Paige that Hayley held in her lap. Sam Colson rode with his dad, Rob, on their horse for a while. Nora was going to lead the caravan with Miles bringing up the rear. Everyone was cold but anxious to get going.

They left Willoughby by seven A.M. and hoped to reach Austin by nightfall- no one wanted to spend a night out in the open. As they left the town walls Charlie turned around to see her grandfather and Marion standing together and waving- she waved back and a single tear fell from her eye. Bass, who was riding right next to her, saw it and reached out his hand to her- she smiled at him and took his hand and he lightly squeezed hers in support.

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"You look pale, Charlie, are you feeling okay?" Emma asked.

They had been on the road for about three hours and were making good time; Bass had stopped hovering over Charlie and fell back to talk to Miles for a little while.

"Yea…I'm not feeling so great today; I didn't sleep well last night so maybe that's it…but my stomach's been upset. Please don't say anything to Bass…he's already worried all the time, in case you haven't noticed," Charlie said.

"Well, yea…" Emma smiled, "But I think it's sweet."

"It's sweet to a point…but I've always been pretty independent so it gets old sometimes…besides, I think it's just gas," she laughed.

Emma giggled, "Oh, I had plenty of that with both pregnancies…not sure if it was something I was eating or what…it might help if you walk for a while, although that will have Bass worrying."

"I could just tell him my back is aching…because that's true too," Charlie said grimacing and trying to stretch.

"You want me to let you off?" Emma asked, concerned.

"Not yet- we'll see," Charlie tried to smile.

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"I'm proud of you, brother," Miles said rather sarcastically, "You stopped clinging to Charlie like saran wrap for once."

"Yea, yea, I know…I do worry too much- thought she was going to kill me earlier. These clan's have me terrified for her and the baby, though…you can't imagine all the things going on in my head," he said, fear plain on his face.

"Actually, I can…it all scares me too- but we're doing the right things here…getting her to Austin; she'll be safe there," Miles assured him.

"Yea," Bass said, "I'll just feel better when we get there."

They entered into a deep ravine mainly comprised of dirt and bushes- it grew wider the longer they rode into it with a few grassy knolls scattered throughout.

"So…because we should change the subject so your mind stops thinking about all that shit…Nora was asking me if you guys had picked out names…and she got pissed when I didn't know," Miles said.

"Ha! You just can't win man," Bass laughed, "Well…if it's a girl, Charlie….and if it's a boy…Charlie!"

"Seriously?"

"No…not seriously, although I would've been happy with that," Bass smiled looking ahead towards his wife.

"So what then?" Miles was growing impatient.

"All right! Geez, you sure are being snarky for someone who was trying to take my mind off things," Bass said growing slightly annoyed- he was still watching Charlie. "If it's a boy he'll be Ja…is she getting down off the wagon? She is…I better go see what's wrong."

Miles looked ahead, slightly worried, "Let me know if we need to stop."

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Bass reached Charlie and climbed down off Flame- she smiled at him and he placed his hand on the small of her back and began to lightly rub there.

"Are you okay? Should we stop?" Bass asked worry clear on his face.

"I'm okay…my back is aching…and I'm a little nauseous- just trying to walk it off," Charlie said trying to smile.

He wasn't buying it.

"Charlie, you're as white as a ghost and I can tell you're sick…let's stop," he saw the look of protest on her face, not wanting to stop the whole caravan. "It's almost lunch time anyway." He signaled to Miles who whistled ahead to Nora.

They set up on a sparsely covered grass knoll and put down some blankets down- Charlie walked around a little bit more before sitting down on the blanket. She was more exhausted than she wanted to admit and Bass was worried- she tried to reassure him that after some rest she'd be okay and she lay down on the blanket. She thought she would be feeling better as the day wore on but she was actually feeling worse- she didn't know what to do and to be honest, she was worried too. Emma sat down beside her, Sam cuddling with her, having missed his mama after the long morning of riding.

The kids ran around playing tag, just happy to be able to move and get some exercise.

While everyone ate meals of cold chicken, beef jerky and apples Bass went to talk to Miles and Nora.

"I'm really worried…I'm thinking she and I ought to turn around- I think she's really sick and not letting on just how bad it is. We've still got twenty-five miles to go to Austin," Bass said the worry creasing the lines on his face.

"How about she just lay down in the wagon for the rest of the trip—all those kids don't need to ride together; their parents can take them," Miles tried.

"It's not just that…I'm starting to worry that something's wrong with the baby. She's nauseous but is also having some pain…she says it's probably just gas," Bass said.

"Maybe she's right," Nora said, "maybe something we ate last night didn't agree with her."

"Maybe you're right," Bass agreed looking in Charlie's direction. Miles and Nora shared glances not knowing what to do. They looked back to Bass just as his eyes grew wide- they followed his gaze and Charlie was now sitting up, doubled over in pain with Emma holding her side.

Bass took off running toward her when next he heard her scream…only it wasn't Charlie screaming it was another woman.

He turned to look in her direction when all hell broke loose.

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Charlie had been lying there on the blanket looking up at the sky and sipping water when she could- she had no appetite and therefore, passed on lunch. Her nausea came in waves and Emma dipped a cloth in water and put it on her ever increasing clammy forehead. Emma still held Sam and whispered to him while Charlie tried to make it through- all the sudden though she was overtaken by a huge pain in her abdomen and tried to sit up- it hurt so bad she could hardly breathe.

Emma got on her knee's scooting Sam off and helped Charlie sit up; Sam was scared and ran for his daddy.

Just then they heard a scream- one filled with terror; they looked up in time to see a wall of men running down the ravine towards them waving axes, mallets and knives.

Everyone's worst dreams were becoming a reality: a clan attack.

Oh dear God, Charlie thought.

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A/N: This chapter was actually going to be much longer but due to the revelation's regarding Stephen Collins I haven't been able to work on this any more for now. That's not to say I won't get back to it but Gene was going to be in it more and now I'm having trouble writing for him.

If you'd like to leave a review I'd appreciate it. Thank you.