Word count; 3313 (ex notes)

Notes at the bottom

CHAPTER 17:

Her body was still a bit sore but the good nights rest she got the last couple of nights was doing wonders for her. It had been warm and comfy since Rachel and Miles had insisted she'd take one of the sleeping bags and when she'd woken up for her shift she'd noticed that Bass had, once again, draped his own blanket over her. She'd never thought he'd be so attentive but the past few days had been comfortable, there had been no fighting and it almost seemed like Miles and Bass had been getting along. Rachel still eyed the former General with suspicion and disgust but Charlie had started to ignore it, ignore her.

She didn't understand how her mother could not see the change in Bass, granted, Bass had been a lot kinder to Charlie than he had been to Rachel but actions spoke louder than words and Bass had been on his best behavior. She'd noticed he tried to stay away from her as much as possible because every time he got near her Rachel would start sending him glares and refused to take her eyes off of them unless Bass walked away.

Charlie wasn't too happy about that because she missed, actually missed, his company. She'd come to enjoy their conversations and even just their comfortable silences, somehow he'd snuck into her heart without even noticing or without even trying, at least she thought he wasn't overtly trying. He was just being him, yeah, he still thought like the General he once had been, his ideas and plans of attack were still ruthless and violent but in todays world, there was no other choice. They couldn't just let a gang of zombie-murderers roam free.

She actually agreed with him, she didn't like killing kids that young but if what the Patriots had done to them was irreversible then there was no other choice. Most of what he said made perfect sense, ever since he'd shaken the cruel part he was still lethal but only when necessary, at least in her eyes, she guessed her mother saw things differently. Maybe her feelings were slightly influenced by the fact that she was starting to care more for Bass every day.

She watched her mom come over with a cup in her hand, the steam rising up from the chipped ceramic. "Here." Rachel handed her the mug and sat down next to her waiting for Charlie to take a sip. She did so to please her mom but wrinkled her nose at the bitter taste "What the hell is this?" She tried to hand the mug back to Rachel but her mom refused. "I want you to drink it, and here.." She handed Charlie a bag filled with herbs "You should drink it at least once a day." Charlie frowned "Why, it tastes horrible." She inspected the mug once more and took another sip, finding the hot tea just as foul as she did before.

"It's..." Charlie could see her mother was having trouble with her words, a flush on her cheeks. "Just say it, mom. What in gods name is this?" Rachel reached for Charlie's pack and stuffed the bag with the herbs inside. "It's a special tea." She explained "It's to keep you from... what I mean to say is Connor... Look, what you and Connor do is your business. You're a grown woman and I can't tell you who to sleep with and though I find it difficult to understand that you chose Connor, a Monroe, I guess I'll have to accept it. I'm not happy about it, but I realize I can't stop you from doing anything anymore." Charlie was about to inform her mother that she wasn't sleeping with Connor but Rachel was on a roll and the words kept pouring out.

"It's herbs and plants that keep you from getting pregnant." Charlie nearly spat out the tea she had in her mouth at her mothers words "'scuse me?" She coughed. "It's an old remedy women used to make before pills and condoms were available, when they wanted to have sex but not have children. It contains Queen Anne's Lace, Penny Royal and some other things. It doesn't taste very good but it's rumored to do a very good job as a contraception. They would drink this tea once a day and it would keep them from conceiving. I can't stop you from having sex but I can protect you from the unwanted consequences it has because a baby will tie you to someone for the rest of your life." Rachel's eyes widened as if she'd just thought of something. "You're not already pregnant, are you?"

Again Charlie coughed up the swallow of tea in her mouth "No!" She lowered her voice and hissed "No, I'm not pregnant, geez, mom." Rachel nodded and stood up "Good, lets keep it that way." She walked away leaving Charlie alone with her thoughts.

Charlie eyed the mug in her hands suspiciously but then lifted it to her lips once more. Ignoring the bitter taste she swallowed the entire mug down and took a couple of swigs of water to wash the taste from her mouth. It hadn't slipped past her that when Bass and she had sex he would pull out before coming to completion, she couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like for him to empty himself in her. To feel him shudder against her in ecstacy. Taking a deep breath she packed the mug away and made a note to remember to make the tea every morning with breakfast.

Charlie stretched and crinkled her nose at her own smell, it had been a few days since she'd felt good enough to take a bath. There was a small lake near where they were camping, though calling it a lake was way too flattering for the small body of water. She decided that today she was going to take the time to take a nice long, be it cold, bath.

"Where are you going?" Rachel's voice called out to her just as she was about to go to the lake and she rolled her eyes. Just like she'd figured the moment she was back under Rachel's and Miles' supervision she had lost her freedom, though Bass had kept an eye on her as well it had felt less restricted. "I was planning to take a bath. It's been a while and to say I smell 'rank' would be an understatement." She chuckled at Pete's snorted laughter and shot the man a mock-angry glance "You could use a little wash down as well, Pete... and that is NOT an invitation." More chuckles from the bearded man before she turned back to her mother.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Charlie sighed at her mothers words "I can take care of myself you know, I was on the road with Miles and then Bass for a long time." As soon as the words left her mouth she had to fight not to groan. "Bass?" Rachel's voice was sharp and piercing "Look, I know you've gotten close with Connor and that's hard enough for me to swallow but when the hell did you start calling Monroe 'Bass'?" Charlie was so sick of having to justify her every action and now her every word. "Since he's saved my life about half a dozen times. Since I figured that someone calling out 'Bass' in the middle of a street will garner a lot less looks then if I were to shout out 'Monroe', the name still being a stigma and all that." Her tone biting "And since for the past couple of weeks he's been a better friend to me than you, Miles or grandpa. Has paid more attention to me and made sure I was okay than you, you have been too preoccupied with Miles to even ask me how I've been. THAT'S why he's 'Bass' now."

She turned around and proceeded to walk out of the camp not even waiting for her mother to form a reply but once more someone calling out her name stopped her. "Charlotte" A small smile at her full name coming from his mouth. He jogged up to her and she fought to control a sigh, if he was going to start in on her needing to be careful too she might just kick him in the groin. "Bass?" He smirked and started rummaging through his newly acquired pack "I couldn't help but overhear you saying something about a bath?" She nodded but realized as he was going through his stuff he couldn't see "Yeah, I wanna wash the last few days off of me."

Done with his search he produced something from his bag and handed it to her, it was a small object wrapped in a piece of what seemed to be old and word plastic or maybe cellophane. "What's this?" She asked, unable to keep a smile from creeping up her lips as she turned the small packet in her hands. "Open it up and find out" Slowly she started removing the wrapping and a two by four inch white square mottled with red and purple fell into her hands. Her eyes widened as the scent drifted towards her nose and she looked up at him "Soap?" It was said quietly and she twirled the precious bar in her hands lifting it up to her nose to breathe in the rose and lavender scented bar "It's soap" she said astounded. It smelled amazing.

"It's nothing" But his eyes had a pleased shine to them. "You had to leave yours behind in the other camp and when we went to get new blankets and stuff there was a woman who had a little stand. I know you loved that soap so I figured I'd get some for you, I don't even know if it's the right kind, the right scent or anything. This was all she had so I just..." She was still sniffing the soap and watching him intensely as he babbled on, it was so cute. She fought a chuckle at that, who would ever even consider putting the words 'cute' and 'Bass' in the same sentence. "It's not nothing, it's soap" She smiled blindingly and laughed out loud "You have no idea how much I..." She stopped herself and smiled again "Thank you, so much." He'd told her it was nothing but to her it was anything but. Bass had actually bought her soap because he knew how much she'd miss her old bar.

"And the scent is perfect." She sniffed it again and closed her eyes "Roses and lavender, hmm" Charlie held up the bar to his face and she watched delighted as he took a sniff from the creamy bar. "That's good" He was so close now that if she were to get up on her tippy-toes she could have pressed her lips to his. She wanted to, god how she wanted to but she'd figured Miles or her mom would kill the both of them. In stead she checked if anyone was watching and when she found everyone was busy doing their own thing she gently stroked his cheek with her hand, her thumb running along his cheekbone "Thank you, Sebastian." With that she turned and resumed her way to the lake "I'm going to make use of your gift now!" She called back at him before disappearing into the woods.

On the way to the lake she couldn't stop smelling the soap and smiling like an idiot. He'd bought her soap! Sebastian Monroe had bought her, Charlotte Matheson, Soap! And maybe something was to say about her childish joy at that but somehow the fact that he bought her something as trivial as soap made her feel fuzzy-warm to her core. At the lake she hastily removed her dirty clothes and placed them along the waterline for washing. She darted into the chilly water and placed her precious package on a rock nearby so it would not fall into the water. Charlie went under and firstly scrubbed her entire body with sand from the bottom of the river, since luxury scrubs were a thing of the past one had to make do with the things around and she scrubbed and scrubbed until she felt all the grime was gone. Then she moved to shallower water and retrieved the bar of soap.

The water came to about her ankles and she gently and thoroughly soaped her body with the bar Bass had given her. The flowery scent of the soap rising up to meet her and she couldn't contain a moan of pleasure as she let the creamy bar glide across her skin. Taking her time she soaped every inch of herself and then took the bar of soap to her hair giving that a good going over. When she was good and soapy she placed the bar back onto the rocks and moved to deeper water to rinse. Her skin felt silky soft now after the sand scrub and the washing with the soap. She was beyond glad that yesterday her mom and Miles had gone back to the town and gotten her a pair of extra jeans and a shirt, this way se didn't have to get back into her dirty clothes.

For a moment she pondered whether or not to use the soap to wash her dirty clothes but she opted against it. It was such a rare commodity she didn't want to waste it on her clothing. Gently she folded the still wet bar back into it's plastic wrapping and toweled herself dry. She couldn't resist smelling her own skin, pleased that it finally didn't smell of sweat and blood anymore, it smelled clean again, better than clean it smelled like roses and lavender.

Charlie slipped into the clothes Miles and her mom had bought her and started lacing up her boots. She wondered what the new plans would be for taking down the patriots, they hadn't really discussed it since the attack on the camp. She made her way back to the camp but only got halfway there before a hand reached out and pulled her behind a large tree "Bass!" She chuckled as she recognized the person the hand belonged to "What are you doing?" The fear that had gripped her for a moment dissipating.

His body covered hers and pressed her against the rough bark of the tree "I just needed to do this?" She frowned and looked up at him "Do what, scare the crap out of me?" Charlie felt his hands slip under her shirt and palm her lower back "No, this." He crashed his mouth down on hers in a hungry kiss, his hands kneading her back and pressing her more firmly into the tree. She parted her lips so his eager tongue could explore her mouth, a satisfied groan escaped her as she sank her fingers into his curls and she pulled him closer. He was so damn good at this, the way his hands held her, the demanding but gentle way he ravished her mouth completely. She'd never felt anything like it.

His mouth abandoned her lips in favor of her neck and he licked and sucked at the delicate flesh. She threw her head back and hissed his name when he softly bit on her lobe "Oh God, Bass." He seemed to like that because she could feel him smile against the sensitive skin of her throat "You smell amazing." The words were whisper soft against her neck as he kissed down her clavicle and licked the little dimple at the base of her throat. He was so very good at this and for a split second she wondered how many women had had the pleasure of getting to know this side of Sebastian Monroe. She quickly pushed that thought to the background though, there was no use in contemplating things that didn't matter, things she couldn't change.

She felt his hands at her waist and before she could react he had her pants around her ankles. Charlie watched as Bass fell to his knees and slipped her feet from her boots before he slipped her pants down completely and placed it to the side. Relieved he didn't just throw it on the ground she watched wide eyed as he lifted her left leg and raised it over his shoulder. Gently he began placing kisses on the inside of her thigh, his facial hair tickling as he went further and further up her leg.

The back of her knee was resting on his shoulder and her calf dangled down his back as he lavished her thigh with kisses, nips and licks slowly moving towards her aching center and wondered if he was going to do what she thought he was. Girls in her village had talked behind their hands about this, giggling and chuckling over such a naughty act so she knew there were men out there who did it. It was just, she'd never encountered such a man. She wasn't a virgin by far but in this post apocalyptic world where she had been running and fighting for her life there had been no time for slow sex, just the quick, dirty but satisfying rut against a door, a wall, sometimes in a bed but still quick. No man had ever gone down on her like she suspected Bass was about to do.

She looked down but he was so focused on his task he didn't notice her slightly panicked look "Bass?" But he heard it in her voice because he looked up and smiled reassuringly "It's okay, Charlotte" His breath hot against her skin "Just relax" He teased her with kisses in the crease of her thigh and little licks against her heated skin. Just when she thought she was going to explode with impatience he opened her folds with his fingers and flicked his tongue across her clit. Charlie's back arched and she bit her hand to keep from screaming his name, the feeling overwhelming. He licked and sucked and nibbled until her legs were shaking and she was sure she was going to sink onto the forest floor any second.

As if Bass could read her mind he gently lowered her onto her back and settled himself on his stomach between her thighs, now both her legs were spread wide, him between them as he delved back in for more. Charlie was writhing and squirming as he licked and sucked on her delicate folds, when she looked down and her eyes connected with electric blue she moaned out his name in pleasure. The tension was building and she nearly came off the ground when he entered a long, scarred digit into her. It felt like he knew every button to push on her body, he played her like a master and she was his willing slave. He slanted his mouth across her sensitive nub and while two of his fingers were working inside her he flattened his tongue and she came, his name a scream on her lips, forgetting to be quiet in case anyone could hear. Charlie was spasming around his fingers and her legs tightened around his torso, her brain felt like mush and it was hard for her to suck oxygen into her lungs.

When she came down from her high she realized that he hadn't come so she reached down, wanting to slide her hand into his jeans but he stopped her. His face was gentle and open "Hmmm, we don't have the time, this was just for you." He kissed her softly and helped her put her pants back on, her legs felt like rubber and she doubted she could stand on them. They just lay there for minutes on the ground kissing and caressing each other before Bass decided it was best if they headed back to camp.

Authors notes;

Ooops some smoop and some whoop, a little bit of naughtyness in the woods. Hope it wasn't too much for you guys. I also hope I'm not building up the lovey-dovey too quickly, it'll diminish a bit before picking up again, I think. It's a little slow now but there is action coming up ahead, don't you worry. The tea thing is an actual thing women in certain cultures used to do. I chose to use it because I have a dirty little kink of Bass coming in Charlie and this is pretty much the only safe way (assuming they haven't contracted any diseases, that is) Hope it doesn't freak you all out too much ;p I'm not sure about the particulates of the tea, how much, when.. that's all just my speculations. Just pretend I'm right for sake of the story, huh ;p

Sorry if the soap scene was a bit too mushy but my fingers flew across my keyboard and before I knew it the scene had been written. Haha.

Also, are you guys just as miffed as I am about having to wait till like April 20 something before the next ep airs... dammit!

Thanks for taking the time to read the new chapter. Let me know what your thoughts are because you know how I love comments and constructive critisism. I wanna thank all of the people who've reviewed so far for their kind words and input, I absolutle adore it :D It's what keeps my muses going and my fingers flying over my keyboard! Love you all!

Love, Marisa