"Miles, hang on a second! Where are you going?" Jeremy jogs to catch up with him, Tom just behind, and grabs Miles' shoulder, spinning him around to face him.

"We have to get word back Philly so Bass can be ready!" He rubs his hands over his face and into his hair, pulling at it angrily. "God, I'm so stupid! How did I not see this coming? This whole thing was Duncan's plan. She made a mess of shit down in Georgia so I would leave Philly undefended and she could take over!"

Tom and Jeremy both stare at him, their eyes reflecting his own fear. "But it isn't undefended," Jeremy finally says. "Bass is home."

Miles scoffs, and then immediately feels bad about it. "And if it weren't for the fact that Charlie is due any day now, I would agree with you. But at the moment the only thing Bass is good for is snack fetching and foot rubs." Silence falls between them for a few moments before he says, "Come on. We've got to get home."

They stop at the tent that passes for their communications center and Miles writes two quick letters. The first is for whoever the Georgian messenger manages to reach in Frankfurt, instructions to deliver the second letter to Philadelphia as soon as possible. Preferably before their two week time limit is up. It's a tall order, but Miles has seen their men do more with less.

The second letter is really their only hope.

Bass or Charlie or Nora or whoever is in charge whenever this gets to Philly,

Get out. Duncan's planned a coup. If she's already made her move when you get this, I hope you're safe, and I'll meet you at the spot. You know the one. If she hasn't moved yet, set condition teddy bear and we'll be home as soon as we can.

Miles, Jer, and Tom

"Still don't know why we decided to call it teddy bear," Jeremy comments as Miles seals the letter and hands it to the messenger.

"Because Miles was to much of a softie to tell Charlie no," Tom says amusedly.

"It's a code name," Miles says defensively, as the messenger gives the three of them a funny look. "It's not supposed to make sense!"

The messenger makes a whatever you say face and stuffs the two letters into his bag before taking off.

All jokes aside, Miles, Tom, and Jeremy are well aware of what's at stake. They're also aware that there's no way they'll be home in time to do anyone in Philly any good.

"If we ride hard and only stop for a few hours to rest, we could make it home in time." Jeremy says seriously.

"And kill the horses?" Tom asks, though they get the feeling that the horses aren't really on his priority list.

Miles shakes his head at them both because they're both right, and he doesn't want them to be. "We'll ride hard, but we're gonna have to walk to so the horses can have a break."

Jeremy begins to untie his horse from its post, his mouth set in a grim line. "We still aren't going to make it."

Miles swings himself up onto his horse and immediately spurs it into motion away from others, not waiting for them to catch up. "Yeah. I know."

Philadelphia, one week later…

"Any word from Miles yet?" Charlie asks as Bass enters their bedroom. He shakes his head and sheds his uniform, climbing into the bed next to her with a tired sigh.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they're fine." He tells his worried wife.

Charlie frowns at him, her eyes searching his tired face. "What aren't you talking me?"

Bass opens his mouth to defend himself but thinks better of it and says, "a messenger came from the Ohio border today. He said that there's an unidentified clan making their way East."

"They wouldn't come here," Charlie says easily. "No one's that dumb."

Chuckling, Bass pulls her closer to him and wraps an arm around her, kissing her softly on the lips. "I hope you're right," he whispers.

"When have I ever been wrong?"

XxX

With Charlie safely out of earshot, Bass turn to Nora with a worried expression. "Another messenger just left. Over 1,000 guys are headed straight for Philly and they've already torn through Cincinnati and Pittsburgh." He sighs, running his hand over his face. "The count is at 412, but Pittsburgh hasn't had enough time to go through all the wreckage yet."

Nora takes a deep breath and shakes her head. "They took down Cincinnati? Really?"

Bass nods. "Miles is gonna be pissed when he finds out. He had that place set up like a goddamn fortress."

"What do you want to do?" Nora asks. After a few minutes of silence she finally says, "Bass, we can't let these guys reach Philly. If they make it to the capital then the Republic is as good as gone."

"I know," Bass says quietly.

"And the longer we let them March towards us the more men they'll pick up. By the time they get here there could be-"

"-I know!" Bass shouts. He huffs in frustration and starts pacing back and forth. "But are we supposed to do? Our three best military leaders are in Georgia right now, and even if we sent a letter, there's no way it would reach them in time."

"I could go," Jason suggests from the doorway. Bass and Nora both stare at him for a moment, having not even noticed him come in. But Jason seems to take their silence as something negative. "I know I'm not Miles or my dad when it comes to leading and strategizing, but I can at least take the fight to them and keep the clan out of the city long enough for them to get home."

Bass shakes his head slowly. "No, I need you here. This house is the base of our entire government. I need my best man keeping watch over it."

Jason's eyes widen just a fraction as Bass' words wash over him. He stands up a little straighter and nods. "Yes, sir."

Nora gives Bass a weak smile. "OK, but then what about the thousands of people headed our way? I mean, I'm good, but I'm not that good. I've only been Vice President for a few months and the General's wife for a few weeks, there's no way the militia is going to follow me into a war."

"I know," Bass says tiredly, his eyes scanning the map of the Republic on the table. "That's why I have to go."

Silence falls on the room before Nora bursts out, "Are you nuts?"

"You can't go! You're the President and Charlie's gonna have the baby any day now." Jason says.

"But it's like you said," Bass says calmly. "I'm the President. It's my duty to defend our people."

"Bass someone else can go. The Republic cannot afford to lose you right now," Nora says. "And I didn't even want to be the Vice President, if something happens to you I'll have to be the actual President. I don't want to be President."

Bass waves his hand dismissively. "Everyone knows you only took the job to give Charlie a break for the baby. When she's ready, Charlie will be a great president."

"Oh, so you're going to make her a single mother, a widow, and a president all in one?"

His face falls for a second, but Bass picks himself right back up. "That's only worst case scenario. We don't even know what we're really up against yet. And with you and Jason to help her, Charlie will be fine. She's strong."

"No one should have to carry that much weight Bass," Jason says.

He looks over at the younger man, knowing that he's right but also knowing that there's no other way. "That's why she has two of her best friends to help her."

Nora glares up at him, her disapproval palpable. "Charlie will never go along with this."

Bass opens his mouth to respond, but is cut off by his wife's voice. "Oh good, so you guys were planning on including me eventually."

Bass reluctantly meets her eyes, finding them surprisingly clear of emotion.

"How much did you hear?" He asks her.

"Enough."

"And what's your take?"

Charlie crosses her arms over chest, putting more emphasis on her rounded belly. "I'm surprised you even care," she says icily.

Bass sighs. "I didn't want to include you until it was absolutely necessary."

"Gee, thanks."

"You know that's not what I meant, Charlie." She says nothing, and that's when he knows that it's over. No matter how much they all hate it, he has to be the one to go. He crosses the room to stand in front of her, taking her hands in his own. "I won't be gone long, just try to keep that baby in there a little longer."

She nods her head stiffly, trying valiantly to keep any tears at bay. "You've got three days Sebastian Monroe, and if you're not home by then I'll come out there and drag you home myself."

Smiling in spite of the situation, Bass kisses her gently, memorizing the feel of her soft lips against his own. "I'd pay to see that," he whispers.

She snorts a laugh and pulls him close, sealing her lips over his own in a desperate kiss. He pulls away, setting his forehead against hers. "Don't you dare make me raise this baby alone," she whispers.

"Not gonna happen."

Nodding stiffly again, Charlie wipes away her tears and steps aside. "Then go."

"And make it quick," Jason adds. "I don't want to have to chase Charlie into the middle of a battlefield if you miss your three day deadline."

"Chase? She's as big as a house, I don't think Charlie's going to be running anywhere." Nora adds.

Charlie scowls at her two friends. "Just you wait, I won't be pregnant forever."

As she leaves the room, Jason looks over at Nora. "She was threatening you, right?"

Bass shakes his head head in amusement as he leaves the room to prepare his men. It's been ten years since he's had to leave Philadelphia for this type of mission, and he realizes that he hasn't missed it one bit.

A/N Thank you guys for reading and reviewing, it's always appreciated. I only went through this to check for errors once so it's probably awful and I apologize, but I wanted to get this up before I left for work. :D