Nights in white satin, sweet dreams and flying machines…
A Revolution fic: Bass Monroe/Charlie Matheson, Charloe; Blackout AU. Miles Matheson, Rachel Matheson, Aaron Pittman, mention of other characters from the show. After the Tower, and before he found New Vegas, Bass headed towards Philadelphia, aiming to see what was left of the Monroe Republic… Somewhere along the way, something happened that made him wonder about the power of dreams, and why Charlie Matheson kept turning up in his…
Rating M
Author's note:
Hi there and thanks so much for having a look at this, and for enjoying it so far… The story is based on prompts from the Orgy Armada's Revolution, The Second Coming. I don't own any part of Revolution and am writing this purely for love of the show and its characters.
The title of this chapter is from the lyrics of James Taylor's 'Fire and rain'.
Nights in white satin, sweet dreams and flying machines…
Charlie leaned back against the warm, muscled shoulder that she was using as a pillow and gazed up at the first stars as they appeared in the sky above them. It was like a veil was suddenly lifted away because one moment the sky was a clear, darkening ombre blue and then there they were, like masses of beautiful scattered campfire lights, somewhere off in the distance, far, far away…
'Cities used to look like that at night when we flew over them…' Monroe's voice rumbled in her ear…
She stroked her hand over his chest and pressed a kiss against the strong lines of his throat… 'I can't believe people trusted those great clunky things to stay up in the air… it's just crazy'
He pulled her tighter against his side and she felt him chuckle… 'Maybe… but people went up in them anyway, all the time… it was the fastest way to get anywhere, Miles hated it though, he threw up before every single jump…'
She leaned back so she could see his face…'Jump?
'Out of the plane…'
Her eyes widened…'Why the hell would you want to do that?'
Bass flipped them round and suddenly she was underneath him, his eyes and teeth shining as he grinned down at her, his cock, thick and long and deliciously hard nuzzling in between her legs… 'We were Marines, Charlie, jumping out of planes was part of the deal…'
'But why did you have to jump - and why didn't you die?'
'A lot of our missions were in other countries…' His eyes gleamed down at her, somehow catching the light from the moon… 'So we'd fly in and parachute down over the target…' He laughed, teeth flashing, when he saw the confusion on her face… 'A parachute's like a big sail that you strap on and that stops you from falling too fast…' then he laughed again as her eyes opened wide in horror… 'I'll tell you about it later, Ok?' He leaned over to kiss her, his tongue flicking out over her lips… ' I'd rather think about you…'
Charlie sighed, her lips tingling, 'I'm glad we don't have planes anymore…I'd much rather use my legs or a good horse,' her eyes glinted up at him… 'Or I could just ride you all day…'
He lifted an eyebrow, grinning…'now that's a thought…'
She laughed back up at him 'Hell, yeah…' then she wriggled her ass and met his cock halfway, wrapping her legs round his thighs…feeling his thick cock head slip in, just a little way, then out again, little movements that had her gasping in moments, her clit so sensitised from the earthquakes that had already rocked her world that every single nerve ending went from idle to full gallop in a couple of seconds. She laughed, a little breathless, watching those blue eyes narrow in concentration as he worked on hitting the sweet spot inside her again…. Miles must have been right about the rabbits because the man really, really, really knew his stuff… She ran her hands up the muscled pillars of his arms, her fingers roaming over the taut muscles, along his neck, playing with his scruff, her toes sliding up and down his hair roughened legs as he slid his cock in and out of her; every bone in her body feeling relaxed and so, so fucking good…
Then she gasped, her lips parted as he pulled out for a moment, flipped one of her legs over and came into her from behind, thrusting deeper, harder this time, a hand reaching around in front to play with her clit, his lips and teeth biting softly over the sensitive skin of her neck and shoulders, breath hot, his tongue leaving a cool trail behind… The tight, soft curls between his legs and the soft globes of his balls slapped against her ass as he moved in and out, and she curved her back, giving him more of her ass, one of his legs between hers, his arm under her knee keeping her wide open, his eyes half closed as his cock stretched her out, their bodies moving together as he fucked her, speeding the rhythm then slowing again, the angle letting his cock slide over her sweet spot on the way out and on the way back in again, making her cry out her pleasure each time…
His eyes blazed down at her over her shoulder, somehow catching light from the moon as he kissed his way towards her lips, his tongue flicking out over her skin leaving trails of sensation…
Then her breath caught again as he picked up the pace, thrusting all the way in, and Charlie felt her body buzzing higher and higher as moved inside her, so thick, so full, the satin sheets sliding beneath them and the grass a soft cushion under that, his body warm and big and so strong behind her, surrounding her… She could feel him getting close too, could feel his breath thundering in time with his cock moving in and out…
Then he stopped, holding himself still inside her for a long, long moment; beads of sweat running down his skin as he held himself back, again, he hadn't let himself come and they'd been fucking for what felt like hours…
Then she stopped thinking as she tipped over the edge of the world again and the star filled sky fractured into colours that pulsed and vibrated with the rhythm in her blood…
He waited for her, moving in long, slow strokes until she started to come down from the high, then he carefully, slowly, pulled out, the lines of his face tight with concentration, sitting up and leaning back on his heels. He was breathing hard, cock still heavy and proud against his belly, the broad head bobbing in little jerking movements that showed her just how close he was. Then he reached down, his eyes never leaving hers, taking his cock between his fingers, the thumb stroking up over the heavy ridge around the head, fingers wrapped around the thick shaft, bringing himself off in a few short strokes, his seed landing in long, ropy spurts onto the grass beside their bed, his eyes closing as he came, head dropping back, the long lines of his throat sloping down into the hard curves of his chest and six pack, then into the long, strong legs making him look like some statue in books she'd seen, ages ago…
Charlie watched, the night air cool on the heated flesh between her legs, her eyes soft and heavy as she looked at the man kneeling in front of her, his body gleaming with sweat… He was perfect, beautiful… and each time he'd made love to her he'd put her pleasure before his, and while she didn't have that many others to compare him to she somehow didn't think that was a universal characteristic…
Then he leaned towards her, running his hands down her body and over her breasts, fingers light as they circled her well kissed nipples…down over her belly, hovering at the junction of hip and thigh, the roughened skin of his thumbs skittering over her skin, making her shiver… Then down further to her pussy, her fleshy lower lips still open to him, the curls around her cleft damp and springy, her legs spread wide around his…
He smiled as he looked at her; his fingertips brushing lightly over those curls making her whole belly tighten with excitement and anticipation for what they could to do next, what they could do whenever they wanted, wherever they wanted now that he really was here…
Then his eyes got deep, serious, 'you're one gorgeous woman, Charlie… but we've both got to remember that this isn't a dream now, even if you're like every fucking good dream I ever had rolled into one…'
Charlie's eyes widened as realization hit…'Oh, ok… so that's why you didn't… I mean why you….'
He nodded…'we can't take the risk of making a baby right now, Charlie,' he looked down, one of his hands gently stroking her belly…'this'd be a really bad time to have to deal with something like that…'
Something went through his eyes then that Charlie couldn't quite understand… a deep, awful, sadness...
She caught his hand, weaving her fingers through his, 'what is it?'
He looked at her again; the moonlight catching the glint of moisture in his eyes…'I was just thinking of something…'
'You can tell me if you want…' she squeezed his hand, 'I want to understand what happened to you, and Miles, my mom…there's so much I don't know, and no one wants to talk about it…'
He took a deep breath… 'That's because most of it's hard to talk about…' he leaned over and kissed her again, 'You're something else, Charlie…' he nodded….'Ok…It wasn't long after the blackout, and things were still really basic... I was married…to a…lovely woman…' he stroked her face with his free hand… 'Lovely in a different way…' He looked off into the distance, his eyes shadowed…'Shelley was pregnant, she was strong, healthy, got all the way to nine months with no troubles at all, but something went horribly wrong during labour and we lost our little girl the day she was born, and I lost Shelley too…'
Charlie's eyes filled, 'Oh no….'
His thumb was moving back and forth over her knuckles but he didn't seem to notice…'I thought there was nothing good left in the world after that, and I suppose I started behaving that way - and Miles? He'd been my brother for so long I just took it for granted that he'd always be there, and I didn't even realize that things had changed until I woke up one night and he was pointing a gun at me…' The thumb stopped then started up again, gently. His face was pensive, thoughtful… 'And then there was the thing with your mom…and your brother…' he frowned and caught her eyes…'I'm so sorry, Charlie, it started out that we wanted to do something to stop all the craziness and it all ended up going wrong…'
Charlie pulled in a deep breath…'It wasn't just you, Bass, Miles did things too…and the blackout wouldn't have happened at all without my mom and dad…'
The stuff about Shelley and the baby was new and so, so sad, and she still didn't know what had happened to change Miles, or why he ran away to that bar in Chicago planning on drinking himself to death. 'Miles said you were his best friend…' she leaned forward so she could see his face, 'In Philly, when we were in the tunnels on our way there to get Danny'
'Did he?' his lips twitched at the corners… 'When everything was happening at the Tower I stood there in front of him, told him to finish the job and shoot me…and he still couldn't do it, he said I'd been asking the wrong question, that I should have been asking why he couldn't kill me, not why he'd tried to, then he said we'd always be brothers, that nothing would change that…'
'So he cared enough about you to let you go?'
He nodded… 'Miles and me, we have a lot of history, a lot of baggage, but we've been brothers too long to be anything else…at least I hope so,' He kissed her hand again. 'There's something else, Charlie, something you deserve to know... '
'You don't have to tell me…' she could almost feel the weight of those memories, there was so much the survivors of the blackout carried around with them…
'Yes I do…' he held her gaze…'because I want you to know how important family is to me…' he looked down then back at her… 'I have a son, Charlie, with a woman called Emma, she's dead now, she died that day in Jasper when I was trying to get to Miles, she was engaged to Miles at the time we… you know…' he swallowed…'I'm not proud of it, but it happened' he shook his head…'I don't know why she never told me, I'd have looked after her, and the baby… but I never knew, and now I don't know where he is, fuck, I didn't even know he existed until a few months ago, but I'm going to go find him if he's still alive, once we get these Patriots sorted out… '
He took a long, dragging breath in… 'So now you know, bits of it anyway, the rest of it can keep for another day maybe, if you decide you want to know…' He cleared his throat…'and I'm sorry that it's all landed on you now…' Then he sat there, waiting for her to say something…
Charlie kept her eyes on his; so much more was making sense about him now… 'The thing about Shelley and your baby girl, that happened before the Republic, before all the President Monroe stuff, didn't it?'
He nodded... 'Its no excuse, but I've often wondered what would have happened if things had been different…'
She lay back…'I told Miles that the blaming has to stop' she held his gaze 'and that you aren't the enemy any more, the Patriots are' she settled back on the white sheets, looking up at him with calm eyes…'So if we're really going to fight them then we're going to have to work together…'
He just looked at her and choked off a sort of laugh 'Maybe we should put you in charge, Charlie' then he smiled…'I think you'd do a better job than we ever did…' he leaned over and kissed her, his lips warm, firm on hers, his hands sliding over her shoulders and down…
Charlie felt him take another huge breath and let it out in a long sigh, his tall body relaxing into hers… Somewhere, up in the trees, a night bird called… and a little way away there was the rustle and chomp of the horses grazing… She looked up at the moon and suddenly realised how late it was getting…'I have to get dressed and go relieve Miles, Bass,' it was getting so easy to call him that now… 'It'll be my turn on watch soon'
Bass nodded, his hair tickling her skin… 'I'll take a turn too, it'll be easier with three of us…and I guess I'd better show Miles that I'm real and not a ghost…' he looked up and smiled 'You are something very special, Charlotte Matheson…' Then he pulled her head towards his and kissed her again, long and deep… his lips firm, his tongue meeting hers in a dance that had them both panting…
Charlie drew back a little…'I'll go get him, Aaron can watch mom for a little while…' she held his gaze… 'Can I trust you and Miles not to do anything stupid like punching each other out or trying to kill each other?'
He grinned, rueful, teeth gleaming, his eyes crinkling at the edges…'I'll do my best…' he shrugged…'but you know Miles, he's as stubborn as that mule…' then his face got very serious…'You know that I came here because of you, Charlie – but now I'm here… I need to find some way to show Miles how bad these Patriot guys really are…' He sat up, reaching for his tee 'because we are going to have to get serious about finding some reinforcements…' He passed Charlie her tank and jeans, 'and I don't know where they're come from unless we can get Texas on side – or find some way to get the Georgia and Republic remnants together and make peace with the Plains Nations…
Charlie stared at him…'you're talking about starting a war against the Patriots aren't you…'
He nodded…'Damn straight…it's the only way I can think of to stop them in their tracks, and I haven't seen or heard of anyone else organizing any sort of resistance yet, have you?' He nodded again when she shook her head… then he pulled his old tee shirt over his head and arms in a couple of smooth moves and started on his pants, 'and we've got to get ourselves organised before they roll right on over us….'
He leaned towards her, his eyes boring into hers…'Charlie, these guys used nukes on their own country,' he shrugged again… 'And I think the only reason they didn't bomb Austin too was that the fallout would have covered half the map….' His face was grim… 'And if they're willing to do something like that, what else are they willing to do?'
She stared at him then pulled her tank down over her head, standing up to pull her jeans on, 'I don't know, but I was there when Randall Flynn pushed that button and said he was a Patriot, and it was pretty obvious that he was one crazy son of a bitch…'
He stood up and dragged his pants on…'yeah, and I walked him in the fucking front door…'
She frowned…'and my mom thought that turning the power on for Randall Flynn was more important than saving Nora… I thought we were going to stop the blame thing, Bass…'
He looked at her…'I didn't know about Nora, I'm sorry…'
Charlie pulled her jeans up and fastened them too then she stepped up close, her eyes narrowed, 'I'm sorry too, we've all got things we're sorry about, but we don't have time for all that crap… right now we need to get my mom to Grandpa Gene without making her any worse, which means you have to stay out of sight…'
He nodded…'I'm more than happy to oblige, Charlie,' an eyebrow lifted… 'Your mom and me? Saying we don't get on doesn't even come close…' he frowned… 'Rachel could have turned the power back on years ago, she knew how to do it, so why didn't she?'
Charlie smiled, although her eyes were sad…'Because of Danny; the nano was keeping him alive…' she shrugged and let a long breath out…'Mom talks in her sleep - if they'd turned the nano off and the power had gone on while Danny was alive, he would have died, just like that…'
Bass stared at her…'so once Danny was dead, she had nothing to lose by turning the power back on… ' He blew a breath out through his teeth…'I knew there had to be a reason, and I guess I can even sort of understand it, but all those years, all those other people, Charlie…'
She nodded…'yeah, I've thought about that too…'
'No wonder you're mom lost it after Randall did what he did…' his eyes were full of something… compassion? 'Rachel thought she was finally doing the right thing, giving power back to the people and then that maniac dropped the bombs and let the Patriots in…'
Her full lips tightened in a line, her eyes slanting up at him, 'that's my mom, she always thinks she's right, even if she's dead wrong… like a couple of other people I know?' The mouth twitched…'so maybe I'll take you up on the me being in charge thing…' This time her lips curved in a smile that showed teeth…'I mean, you two messed things up pretty badly the last time you tried to run things, and I want to make sure you don't do it again' she walked up close and poked his shoulder… 'So you are going to include me in any plans you and Miles put together, Ok?'
He laughed, shaking his head at the same time…'Oh, Charlie, you might not have spent much time with your mom growing up, but you are a hell of a lot like her…'
She just grinned at him, eyes promising retribution later…
Before they left he picked up his swords, gun and the pack of cards, he chuckled… just the bare necessities…
…
Miles leaned on the rail at the front of the house and looked out towards the river. It all looked peaceful enough, the trees swaying gently in a light breeze, the moon casting shadows that danced over the silvery grey of the grass and the winding track leading from the house to the road in the distance…the horizon just starting to lighten up as the sun rose, he sighed… just the usual romantic crap and he had been trying so fucking hard not to think about any of that…
Then he saw them, Charlie and Bass; walking towards him, together, just like it wasn't totally weird to see his niece and General fucking Monroe strolling along like it was a Sunday outing and they were sweethearts going to a dance… Bass was keeping to the tree line though, out of direct line of sight from the house so Charlie must have warned him about her mom… Then Miles saw him sink back into the shadows and Charlie came on alone, waving…
She walked up to the bottom of the steps and looked up at him, her hair blowing around her face and a grin from ear to ear… 'Hey, Miles….' She tipped her head towards the trees…'I got someone over there who wants to prove to you that he's not a ghost…'
Miles took a long slow breath, his hands wrapped around the top rail… 'This might not be such a good idea, Charlie, the last time we were together we beat the crap out of each other…' He reached towards his pocket for his flask then pulled his hand back again; empty…
She came a bit closer, her voice a low whisper on the breeze 'so maybe you both got it out of your system then, come on, Miles, you told me he was your best friend…'
He breathed out again… 'I know, it's just all this weird shit, Charlie…I don't get it… How did he find us?'
'I told you… he saw it in a dream…'
'That's impossible, Charlie'
She made a shushing motion with her hands…'keep it down, Miles' Her eyes snapped up at him, 'I know it sounds impossible, but it happened…' she glanced back at the river…'as well as other things…'
He chewed his lip…'ok, I'll come down, but if his head starts spinning round I'm outta there…'
She gave him a 'what the fuck' look…
'It's from a movie, Charlie…about demons and stuff like that'
She scratched her head…'Demons? Really Miles, get a grip'
He held his hands up, walked down the steps and followed her across the grass… Up ahead his best friend, best enemy and former co-general stepped out from under the shadow of the trees….
'Hey, Miles…'
'Bass…'
Bass came a little closer…'A thank you would be nice…'
'I had it covered….'
'The hell you did, I fucking saved your ass…'
Miles shook his head, as though he was shooing a fly…'So how long have you been following us, Bass?' he took a couple of steps forwards, his voice getting louder… 'And what's with the stupid ghost story? Was it just to get close to Charlie…for fuck's sake, that's low,...' his hands clenched into fists…'She might believe that... that crap, but I don't…'
Charlie stepped between them, her face set… 'That's enough, Miles…'
Behind her, Bass jerked suddenly, as though he'd been hit, then he dropped like a stone…
'Shit…get down, Charlie…' Miles grabbed her and swung them both to the ground, his eyes scanning round for whatever or whoever it was… 'Bass? You ok?'
Charlie crawled over to check him out. She couldn't see any blood but there wasn't enough light yet to see properly, she shook his arm…'Bass? What happened?'
'Charlie…?' he lifted his head cautiously…'Stay down…'
She flattened herself to the ground…'I didn't hear any shots, what happened?'
Miles had a gun in one hand and his sword in the other; he was crouched low behind a bush… 'I can't see anything… where're you hit, Bass?'
'I'm not hit…something grabbed me, pulled me over…'
There was something on the ground nearby; Charlie could see some pale shapes… 'What's that, next to your sword?'
Miles scooted over…'I'm going to do a sweep… stay here…'
Charlie reached out a hand and grabbed the end of his coat…'Miles; wait…' she sat up, still staying low, but there were no shots, nothing moved around them… 'Look…'
He glanced across, then did a double take…'What the fuck?'
Two Tarot cards were lying on the ground next to Bass and in front of Charlie - placed perfectly straight…
Bass sat up and reached into his pocket, pulled out the box of cards, and held it out to her…
Charlie took it, the box looked closed at both ends…'it feels like the other cards are inside…'
'The last time this happened two bounty hunters showed up' He winced and pulled a stone out from under his right butt cheek…
Miles shuffled closer 'you mean this happened before?'
He nodded…'Rose said to check the cards each morning, that she'd try to warn me if anything was wrong'
'So who the fuck's Rose?'
Bass looked a little embarrassed…'She's the one who's been helping me, Miles, she's how I knew where to find you?'
'You have got to be kidding me…'
Charlie butted in…'I heard her laughing, Miles, tonight, and I think she made the mule shove Bass…' she shrugged, 'but it doesn't matter really, does it? Help is help wherever it comes from…' she turned back… 'So what do you think the cards mean, Bass?'
He leaned forwards to have a look, 'the first one's a ten of swords…' he frowned… 'If it's like last time, it means that we should expect company soon… and maybe more than one or two…'
Then he picked up the second card. A skeletal figure stood in a bare field, holding a scythe…'Death?'
Miles snorted, 'Well, that's all kinds of helpful…'
One of the horses down by the river suddenly whickered, the sound travelling easily in the clear air of early dawn…
And from down the road came an answering whicker, along with the clip clop of hooves and the sound of wagon wheels…
…..
AN: I hope you're enjoying this, please let me know what you think if you have a moment; this story seems to be taking on its own momentum and I think it might go on for a bit longer, so hope to see you at the next chapter… cheers, and thanks for reading Magpie