Georgia Federation Garrison, Union City, Tennessee
Tom makes his way down the busy streets at a quick pace. The visit with the remaining soldiers of their squadron had been necessary, Jeremy had insisted, but now he's eager to get back to his friend. He himself had somehow managed to escape their scuffle at the Plains border unscathed, but poor Jeremy took a bullet to the shoulder. A through and through, but a gunshot wound nonetheless. The garrison itself is placed at the edge of the city, but the hospital where his friend is being treated is in the center of the city. The back and forth trips everyday are starting to grate on his nerves. About a block away from his destination, he's stopped by a man about his age in a uniform.
"Excuse me, are you Captain Neville?"
His current dislike for the Georgians, due to the fact that the ambush was their fault, causes him to frown. "Depends who's asking."
The man smiles and says, "Major Ryan Goodwin. President Foster sent me to help you out."
"I think we've had enough of your people's help," Tom tells him coolly. "Now if you'll excuse me, my partner is laid up in bed with a GSW and he's expecting me." Smirking, he moves to brush past the Major without a second thought.
"Wait, I understand that you guys are pissed, but we still have to work together."
"Pissed?" Tom asks, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Four KIA's and six wounded, including one of my best friends. I'm not pissed Major, I'm irate. That's four letters that I had to write. Four families that will never see their children again. And that's on you guys."
Major Goodwin has the decency to look ashamed, but still adds, "Georgia isn't to blame. The intel Dixon gave you was bad, that's on him. Don't write us all off because of one bad egg."
Tom considers this for a moment and ultimately decides to play along, as long as it shuts this guy up. "Fine. What do you want?"
"Well I was hoping that you and I might work together," Goodwin says with a tentative smile.
Huffing a laugh, Tom pats the other man's shoulder. "I don't need your help. I've already sent word back home for reinforcements which should arrive in a matter of weeks. And once he gets here, your shit storm should clear right up."
"He?" Goodwin asks uncertainly.
"General Miles Matheson."
Major Goodwin turns white as a sheet, the rumors of Miles' ruthlessness on the battlefield, severe protectiveness of his people, and zero patience for stupidity evidently preceding him. The Major clears his throat awkwardly and slaps on his best political smile, undoubtedly under President Foster's orders. "Great. We'll need all the help we can get."
Tom smiles smugly and shakes the other man's hand. "Looking forward to working with you then."
"Uh huh."
He leaves the Major standing terrified and dumbstruck in the middle of the street and heads back to the hospital, stopping to grab Jeremy a snack along the way so he doesn't have to listen to him whine about the hospital food.
About a week later… Independence Hall
Elbow deep in dough and covered in flour, Charlie doesn't notice Bass come into the kitchen until he steps up behind her to nuzzel her neck. "What on earth are doing?"
"I am making a batch of rolls to take to that homeless shelter on the west side. The lady that runs it, Evelyn, is always talking about how they only have soup to give out, sometimes not even that, so I thought I'd pitch in."
Bass releases her slowly and steps around the counter to face her and the mess she's made. "Not that I don't admire that, but why the sudden interest in the homeless population?"
Charlie shrugs. "I'm just trying to help out."
Frowning, Bass reaches across the counter and takes a ball of dough from her hand causing her to look up at him. "Hey you didn't wash your hands," she scolds.
Ignoring her remark, Bass sets the dough aside and looks her directly in the eye. "Now tell me what's really going on."
"What do you mean?" She asks while she busies herself with more dough.
"Well on Monday, you cleaned out your closet, and mine. Then on Tuesday, you spent the entire day alphabetizing the bookshelves in my office. And Danny told me that yesterday you went around the entire house and the Academy writing people up for wardrobe infractions. And now all of a sudden you're worried about the homeless having rolls with their dinner. What's going on with you honey?"
"It's nothing," Charlie tells him flatly.
Bass raises an eyebrow at her, which she merely returns with her own. "Charlotte," he warns in a low voice, making her eyes go wide.
"Sebastian William Monroe! I am your wife, not a child to be scolded." She drops her dough back in the bowl and makes her way around the counter, advancing on him threateningly.
"OK, OK, OK. You're right-"
"-Damn right I am."
"But still," Bass adds gently, taking her hands in his own. "Lying to me only makes it so I can't help. Tell me what's wrong so I can fix it."
Charlie sighs. "This isn't something you can fix Bass."
"Just tell me Baby, I promise I'll do whatever it takes."
She smiles up at him and pats her ever growing belly. "This isn't something that you can make go away."
Bass pauses, the confusion evident on his face. "The baby is the problem? What… you've changed your mind? You don't want-"
"-No, no, no. Of course I want our baby, Bass. How could you even think that I wouldn't? The problem is being pregnant. Nobody will let me help with anything. Miles won't let me sit in on meetings, Nora doesn't need my help with any of the VP stuff, even Danny and Jason won't let me hang around for more than ten minutes without suggesting I go take a nap. Everybody thinks I'm useless, so I'm just trying to do something helpful for a change." She turns back to her dough and pounds her fist down into it. "I just want to be useful again, OK?"
Bass embraces his wife from behind and gently runs his hands over her protruding stomach. "I don't think you're useless Charlie."
Slumping back against him, she turns her head to look up at his face. "I know you don't, but I need to do this. For myself. OK?"
Nodding, he gives her a lingering kiss and heads over to the sink to wash his hands. "I'll help you."
"Oh no you don't." Charlie waves a flour covered hand at him. "You have work to do, now get your butt upstairs. I don't want you trying to use this as an excuse for being late for dinner."
He puts on an exaggerated pout for her benefit and stomps all the way out of the kitchen like an overgrown child, waiting until he's far enough away that Charlie won't hear him tell Maddox to keep an eye on her during her trip to the west side of town.
XxX
Eleven years she's lived in Philadelphia. Eleven years as a resident, four of those as the Vice President, and two and a half as the First Lady. All of that time and all of those responsibilities, and this is the first time she's ever set foot in the West side. Typically, she just sticks to Independence Hall because when people need to see her they come to her, not the other way around. Truthfully, she's probably seen more of cities in other places than she has of the one she lives in.
The shelter is a small, rundown building. Most likely an office pre-blackout, that has been repurposed to fit the needs of the growing population. Evelyn, the nice older lady that runs the place, offers to give Charlie a tour but she turns it down with the excuse that stairs and being seven months pregnant don't go well together. The truth is that she isn't sure she wants to see what horrors lie beyond the main floor cafeteria.
It smells like urine and unwashed bodies mixed with wet dog. The floor is covered in sticky wet spots that Charlie doesn't even want to think about. She pauses for a moment, fully aware of Maddox and the several dozen homeless people watching her, and steels her nerves. She is the Vice President of the Monroe Republic. Wife of President Sebastian Monroe and de facto daughter of General Miles Matheson. She's seen more than her fair share of shit. A little pee is no big deal.
The rolls she baked are still fresh and once people realize what she has they start crowding around her to get one, making Maddox nervous and her feel claustrophobic. But she puts on her best smile, channeling her inner Julia, and hands them out one by one, even shaking hands when they finally realize who she is. Despite being helplessly homeless, they all seem incredibly interested in the affairs of Independence Hall, specifically her pregnancy. When the rolls are gone, all five dozen of them, and she's heard all of the well wishes they have to give, Charlie separates herself from the crowd and goes in search of Evelyn. After seeing how bad this place is, she plans to help out as much as she can and wants to know where she should start.
On her way past several tables surrounded by makeshift chairs, Charlie spot a man slouched on a crate with his eyes fixated on the window. She approaches him slowly, noting his baggy clothes and sunken skin. He looks like a man who has recently lost a lot of weight.
"Hi, I'm Charlie." But the man doesn't look at her or even acknowledge her in any way. "Sorry to bother you, I just wanted to say hello. And I'm sorry if you didn't get a roll today. I'll be sure to bring more tomorrow."
The man continues to stare out the window, though he mumbles something that she doesn't quite catch.
"What did you say?" Charlie looks out the window as well in an attempt to figure out what he's looking at but all she sees are some trees near the sidewalk out front.
The man's silence continues, which normally would make her determined to make him talk, but she's tired and her feet hurt so she lets Maddox lead her outside and help her into a wagon for the short ride home.
"Did you hear what he said?" She asks Maddox as they ride alongside each other.
"Nah. He just mumbled something. Probably nonsense."
Charlie nods, though she isn't sure she actually agrees.
XxX
The house is in chaos. Maggie is crying uncontrollably while Julia attempts to console her, Jason is itching for a fight, Miles is barking orders left and right, and Bass can't even string two thoughts together without his eyes crossing. Nora is suspiciously quiet, though everyone else is too busy to notice. The bad news from the border has everyone on edge. They all know what needs to be done, but they're dreading what will happen when Charlie finds out.
Bass manages to get himself under control long enough to set down the glass of scotch he'd poured before he takes a drink. No matter how much he wants to drown himself in it, a bet is a bet. He can't drink until the baby is born if he wants Charlie to let him name it.
It feels like hours pass before she finally arrives looking tired but pleased with her days work. She takes a quick look around the room, her smile dropping when she sees the tears on Maggie's face.
"Oh my God, Maggie what - Oh no, Jer. Is he OK? What happened? Is he…" She turns to Bass with terrified eyes, unable to even ask the question.
"He's alive," Bass assures her. "GSW to the shoulder. Doctor said he'll be fine."
Charlie sighs with relief before rushing to Maggie's side to wrap an arm around her. "What the hell happened down there? I thought the boys were still chasing down leads? We still don't even know who we're fighting!" Her blue eyes are full of fear and anger on Tom and Jeremy's behalf, and now that she's here, Bass is ready to tell everyone everything he knows.
"I don't have all the answers. All I have is this letter Tom sent. I was waiting for everyone to get here so we wouldn't have to do this more than once." Everyone in the room sits up a little straighter, the only noise coming from Maggie's sniffles.
"'Dear Everyone,
Don't worry, we're fine, but Jeremy is wounded. Single gunshot wound to the left shoulder. The bullet went straight through though, so Georgia's Doc says he'll be fine. Don't worry Mags, I'm keeping an eye on him.
Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the rest of our unit. Four dead, six wounded, only one critical. Doc isn't sure if he'll ever walk again even if he does wake up. I'll enclose letters for the boys' families. Bass, I want you to deliver them personally. They were all good kids, better soldiers.
As for what happened, I blame Georgia. That idiot, Dixon, said we would be miles away from any enemy territory, but we were ambushed only four hours after setting up camp. Major Ryan Goodwin, sent by Foster personally, seems to think Dixon is simply stupid. I'm not so sure. This whole Georgia mess is starting to smell like Jason's feet after a summer day. For now, I'm not trusting any of them. I've got our boys keeping watch, discreetly, around the clock and I've been working on figuring out who runs this town with the hopes that they'll at least know who attacked us. We managed to take out eight of them before the rest ran off into the woods. I told the boys not make chase, we are in their territory after all so they know the terrain better.
Respectfully, as an officer of the Militia, I will perform my duties to the best of my ability. But as a your friend, I'm telling you that I am honestly lost. I'm six men down, seven if you count Jer, and have no clue where to start. Miles, I need you down here ASAP. Not just to help sort this shit out, but because the boys need to see that the bigwigs have their back.
Try not to hate me Charlie. You know if there were any other way I wouldn't ask, but I need him. I'll try to bring him back before the baby's due. Promise.
Julia, my angel, don't let Jason do anything crazy like running down here to help. With Miles out of the house his duty is there with the rest of the family.
Boy, listen to your mother.
Maggie, Jeremy is laying here watching me write this (heavily influenced by some sort of pain killers) and would like me to tell you that he loves you and misses your sock (whatever the hell that means.)
Love you all,
Tom and Jeremy'"
The silence stands when he finishes reading the letter as everyone processes the information. Surprisingly, Charlie is the first to break it, her words directed at Miles.
"How soon can you be ready to leave?" She asks him.
Miles looks up at her words, clearly torn for what to do. "Charlie I don't have to go."
She gives him a bitter smile. "Yes you do. I had no right to ask you to stay in the first place. If I hadn't, Jeremy-"
"-Hey, you know the rules. We don't do what-ifs in this house," Miles tells her.
"I know. But still. Right now they need you more than I do."
Miles nods in agreement and slowly rises from his seat. "I can have everything ready and be on the road first thing in the morning."
Nora stands up next to him and gives his hand a quick squeeze. "I'll pack our stuff."
Catching her hand before she walks away, Miles turns Nora to face him. "You know I want nothing more than for you to come with me, but not this time. You're the VP now, they need you here."
For a minute it looks like she's going to argue, but Nora grinds her teeth and nods. "I'll pack your stuff then. You get your people ready."
She leaves the room in a hurry, followed by Maggie and Julia, then Jason and Danny, leaving Bass alone with Miles and Charlie. His wife is still sitting on the couch, her eyes slightly unfocused.
"This isn't fair," she says quietly.
Miles sighs and plops down next to her, wrapping her up in his arms. "I know Bug. But I'll be fine. Me and the guys will be back in no time."
She turns to him with a confused face that quickly turns into a smile. "No that's not what I meant. I mean, it's not fair that you have to leave either, but I was thinking about you and Nora."
"What do you mean?"
"You guys just found each other again. Your wedding is supposed to be in three weeks. It's not fair that you guys always seem to get ripped apart before you even really have the chance to be together. And she's been so excited about planning the wedding, finding a dress and writing her own vows, it just isn't fair that now she'll have to wait even longer."
Miles frowns, his eyes flitting closed. "Maybe she won't."
XxX
An hour and a half later, Charlie comes bustling into the living room with a vase of freshly picked wildflowers from the courtyard and sets it on the coffee table which has been relocated to the side of the room along with the rest of the furniture. Miles and Bass are both out of uniform, wearing dress pants and a nice shirt, and Charlie has changed into a nice blue shirt and a long skirt.
"Nora is raiding my closet for a dress. We hadn't had the chance to go shopping yet so it probably won't be white."
Miles shrugs and pulls nervously at his tie. "It doesn't matter. White is only for virgin brides anyway."
Charlie snorts and fixes his tie before moving on to fix her husband's. "Did Maddox manage to find a priest?"
"No but he did find an old judge from Connecticut, the guy ran home to change real quick."
"OK." Charlie looks around the room to make sure that everything is ready, stopping to rearrange some flowers and light a few candles before people start filing into the room. The judge, Julia, Maggie, Jason, and Danny all gather around where Bass and Miles have been told to stand.
"And the bride?" The judge asks with a smile.
"I'm going to check on her right now," Charlie says, though it's unnecessary as Nora enters the room in a dark red dress with a deep v-neck and one of Charlie's diamond necklaces dangling between her breasts. "Never mind," Charlie says with a grin.
Nora grins back and takes Charlie's hand, pulling the younger girl with her to where Miles is standing. He clears his throat loudly and says, "You look… nice."
"Sorry it's not white."
Miles shrugs. "We aren't the traditional type anyway."
As per his instructions, the judge keeps it short, only waiting half a second to see if anyone objects and then getting straight to the vows.
"Actually," Miles cuts across him. "We're gonna say our own, if you don't mind." Nora looks up at him in shock, causing him to smile shyly. "Charlie said you wanted to write your own."
"Well yeah, but-but we didn't have time to prepare or-"
"-I know, but you should at least get one thing you wanted for the wedding."
"You don't have to Miles," she says quietly, knowing how much he hates to speak in public.
"I know. I want to."
Nora smiles up at him and quickly blinks back tears. "Alright then."
They both look to the judge who turns to Miles in amusement. "The floor is all yours General."
"Uh, right." Miles clears his throat and shifts his weight from foot to foot. "Well, it's not so much a vow as it is a story," he says slowly.
Nora shrugs. "That's OK. We aren't really the traditional type any way." He huffs and takes her hands in his, seeming to take strength from her touch.
"Ten years ago, in this very room, I was sitting on that ugly old couch that Julia dragged in here and trying to read that stupid history book Bass is always talking about when Charlie comes crashing in like a tornado. She was going on and on about how she wanted me to meet someone, I figured it was just another stray cat, and then you came in. You were young and… well, you were hot. You still are. And I was old, I am old, and stupid.
"I always knew you had a thing for me, even though I didn't understand why. I kept trying to push you away but you always managed to find your way back. It's one of the things I admire most about you. You never give up. No matter what I did, you were always right there. And no matter how many times I told myself to stay away from you, that you were too young or too good for me, I always found myself doing something stupid to try and impress you. Do you remember Baltimore?" He asks with a grin.
"Of course I do," Nora says, her smile even bigger than his.
"Yeah well, everyone thought that my lighting the entire watchtower on fire was some master strategic plan. Really I just thought you would think it was cool."
Everyone in the room laughs, even the judge, as Nora shakes her head in amusement. "That was the first time we kissed," she says softly.
Miles nods. "Yeah. I know it hasn't been easy for us, mostly because of me. I'm kind of a drunk and I'm a little grouchy, but I know now that pushing you away only makes me miserable. I need you, and I promise I'll do whatever it takes to keep you by my side for the rest of my life."
A stray tear slides down Nora's cheek and she brushes it away impatiently, clearing her throat as she thinks about what to say. Eventually, she chuckles under her breath and says, "mine is kind of a story too."
"Good, we can match then," Miles says with a smile.
"You should have worn red too," Bass adds.
Miles turns to glare at his best man. "Will you shut up? I was quiet at your wedding." Bass holds his hands up in surrender, making Nora roll her eyes as she begins.
"Ten years ago, I asked Charlie to keep a secret. And I'm pretty sure it's the only one she's ever managed to actually keep."
When everyone looks confused, including Charlie, she continues. "I was alone in a new city, had no money and nothing to offer, I was scared and just trying to survive. Charlie caught me stealing food from a cart in the market, but instead of turning me in like I thought she would, she took my hand and told me to come home with her so I could meet, and I'm quoting here, 'the coolest guy ever.' Her uncle, General Miles Matheson.
"I was so… ashamed that I had stooped so low that I begged her not to tell you. She just smiled and said OK. Charlie has the biggest heart, and I know exactly where she gets it from. You. You may hide it under all of your drunken grouchiness, but I know you Miles Matheson. You're a good man, and I know that I can always count on you to be there for me. No matter how far I've tried to run, I always end up right back here with you, because that's where I belong."
Nora stops and looks around at everyone in the room. "With all of you. You're all my family. And I'm proud to be a part of it."
Looking back at Miles, she gives his hands a squeeze. "But I'm especially proud to be yours, grouchy drunk and all."
Miles huffs a laugh, his eyes shining with unshed tears as he pulls her close to kiss her.
"Whoa, hang on a second!" The judge says quickly, making Miles step back like a scolded schoolboy. The judge grins and says, "by the power vested in me by the former state of Connecticut, I know pronounce you man and wife. Now you can kiss the bride."
Not waiting to be told again, Miles grabs Nora and pulls her to him, kissing her deeply while the boys whistle cat calls and yell "get a room!"
A lot of hugs go around and quite a few drinks over the next half hour, but eventually Miles pulls Nora away from the crowd with a mischievous smile on his face.
"Well, as much as I would love to stay and celebrate with you guys, I would much rather go celebrate with my wife."
Nora's only response is to throw her head back and laugh, allowing her husband to pull her from the room.
A/N Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you have a minute. :-)