I got news for you baby, you're looking at the man
I got skin in the game
I don't feel no pain
I got news for you baby, you're looking at the man

7:15 am

Charlie rolled over on her side and opened her eyes to find Bass sitting on a chair by the bed, putting on his boots. The two eyed each other quietly for a minute, each trying to figure out what to say...

Charlie sat up and immediately felt nauseated. Rubbing her eyes, putting her feet over the edge of the bed she sat up, "Morning," she said quietly.

"Good morning," Bass said, relief evident in his tone. He really hadn't been sure how this whole thing would play out in the light of day.

"Have you been up long?" Charlie asked.

"About an hour or so, I don't really sleep much," Bass replied. Finally, he thought it would be best to clear the air.

"Listen, Charlie- about last night..." Bass began.

Charlie looked at him, silently waiting for him to continue.

"We still have a lot to get through today with paying for Duncan's men and getting out of town, I just don't want anything to be awkward and well, it really doesn't have to be," Bass explained.

"Right- I get it- you were drunk and looking for a hook-up, whatever,-" Charlie said dismissively.

"-Charlie, that's not at all what I am saying," Bass interrupted.

"Ok, then what was last night? After all, I am about the most complicated choice for you, out of all of the women around here..." Charlie looked at him squarely, putting him on the spot to tell her the truth.

"What was it to you?" Bass knew she was right- she was the most complicated choice, but he quickly turned the tables back on Charlie- he was honestly curious as to what her answer may be.

"I honestly don't know," Charlie said. "Being here in New Vegas, with you, has made me question just about every notion I ever had about my life and what I thought I knew..."

Bass nodded, seeming to understand.

"For so long, you were the enemy...I blamed you for my family falling apart but now, after being here with you, I feel like I have seen a different side of who you are or who you can be," Charlie continued. "I know that last night can't really mean anything, but I honestly don't know if I am happy or sad about that."

Bass stared at her quietly. They were pretty much on the same page in their thinking.

Since Charlie had turned up in New Vegas, she had challenged him, renewed his sense of loyalty in another person, and had managed to pique his interest with her wit, intelligence, and bravery.

"Okay, I can agree with just about everything that you just said," Bass replied after a moment.

Charlie appeared somewhat surprised and Bass noticed her expression.

"Why does that surprise you?" he asked.

"I just figured you were always sleeping around, that this was no different," Charlie shrugged, honestly hoping that somehow he would prove her wrong.

Bass almost laughed at that, "well, thank you, Charlotte, for calling me a whore without actually coming right out and saying it..."

"Hey, I am just saying that I don't have any grand delusions about what happened last night," Charlie said, almost getting out of bed but quickly realizing that she had no clothes on underneath the sheet she had pulled around her upper body.

Bass watched her with a smile on his face. "Well, in full disclosure, I don't know what last night was or what it meant exactly...I just know it was different than anything I have experienced in a really long time."

"Same here," Charlie said, sitting still on the side of the bed and making eye contact with Bass.

The two watched each other for a full minute or two in silence, both waiting for what the other may say or do next. The vibe in the room started to take on a different feel again...seeing Charlie there wrapped in a sheet on his bed suddenly sent flashes of memories (of the two of them last night in this room) washing over him.

Before he could do anything else that he would need to explain, rationalize, or apologize for later, Bass stood up and walked to the door. "I will be out in the living room, if you want to get dressed and meet me out there when you're ready. I already got the diamonds and packed a bag...I figure the sooner we get on the road, the better...I need to leave quickly before Gould starts to realize I am leaving."

Within ten minutes, Charlie had gotten out of bed, gotten dressed, and was meeting Bass in the living room of the trailer.

He put the leather bags of diamonds at the bottom of his pack. Their next stop would be to Duncan to purchase some of the men from the war clan.

"You ready to go see Miles?" Bass asked Charlie as he put the pack over his shoulder.

Later that morning, the two set out on foot to make their way to Willoughby, Texas, along with eight men from the war clan who would now be answering to Bass...

7:00 pm

Bass determined it was a good time to stop for the night and set up camp. The men were proving to be a valuable asset for travel with their hunting skills and supplies.

A group of the men were cooking their catches by the fire and another had even brought a guitar and was playing for the group. It was turning out to be a pretty pleasant journey...

Bass and Charlie had barely spoken through the day's travels, both walking with the newcomers to the group.

After dinner, Charlie was sitting on a log watching the one with a guitar (Kenny). He was singing old songs from the 1980's and Bass was about 99% sure he was the only individual here that probably remembered those songs actually playing on a radio.

Bass sat down beside her and handed her a flask of whiskey.

She smiled and took a big swig from the flask.

"I would say it has been a pretty good start to the trip," Bass said, as she handed the flask back to him.

"Yeah, I agree," Charlie replied, turning to face him.

"I would say we have another three or four travel days and we should be getting closer to Texas," Bass said.

"It took me about 7 days, but I stopped a bit along the way," Charlie said, remembering when she had left Willoughby four months ago to set out on her own.

"You never told me why you left Texas in the first place," Bass said.

"I needed to get out of there, things with my mom haven't been easy and it got progressively worse," Charlie said plainly. "She had Miles there with her, so I wanted to get out and be on my own for awhile."

"Be honest, you just wanted to come and find me," Bass interjected.

Charlie looked at him and smirked, "Yeah, I had heard that you were spotted outside of New Vegas so I planned to go there and kill you."

"'The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry,'" Bass said, staring into the fire.

"Yeah, something like that- although I will admit that I am no Robert Burns," Charlie said.

Bass looked at her quickly, clearly impressed.

"What? Aaron was always teaching us about literature and poetry," Charlie smiled.

"You are kind of unpredictable," Bass said after a moment.

"I think that's better than being boring," Charlie replied.

"Oh, I am not complaining, trust me," Bass said, looking into her eyes.

Charlie looked playfully at him, leaning over to whisper in his ear, "Meet me behind those trees in about ten minutes?...How is that for unpredictable?"

With that, she got up and walked away, leaving Bass sitting there alone and dumbfounded.