Word count; 2952 (ex notes)

Notes at the bottom

CHAPTER 19:

It seemed like initial surveillance had been right, the three tents were still there and there ware only about a dozen Patriot guards, nothing they couldn't handle. Charlie was lying on her stomach in the dirt, to her left was Bass and her right side was flanked by Connor. Bass handed her his binoculars and she peered at the camp about a hundred yards from where they were hiding. They were going to wait for nightfall before they would attack and Miles, Pete and Mark were casing the little town about a mile away.

Bass slowly inched back and stood up, careful not to be seen by the guards and Charlie and Connor followed his example. They'd set up a small camp, not much a camp as a couple of fallen trunks where they agreed to wait for nightfall. Charlie followed Connor and Bass back and found that Miles and the rest were still out. "So... still sleeping with the old man?" Charlie whipped her head to the side and noticed Connor had sat down beside her. He chuckled softly at her shocked expression "What? I'm not blind, you know. I see the way you look at him, and the way he looks at you."

Charlie wondered how it exactly was that Bass looked at her but she was afraid to ask "That would be none of your damn business, Connor." But he smiled and nudged her shoulder "Come on! Tell me, how do I compare?" He joked. Her eyes were across the small clearing on the topic of conversation. Bass was sitting on a log, whetstone in his hand sharpening the small dagger he kept in his boot, the sound of the metal on stone was rhythmic and soothing to her. "Seriously, I wouldn't want to hurt your feelings so I think I'll just keep that to myself." Connor chuckled again and then went silent "Fuck, you're serious."

She didn't know if he was just guessing or if he saw something on her face when she was gazing at Bass but he was right. There was no comparing the two. Connor had been good in bed, he was limber and enthusiastic but he didn't know a thing compared to Bass. The former General's experience and stamina far outranking Connor's youthful eagerness, that and the little things. Connor hadn't been able to make her skin burn the way Bass could, Connor's kisses didn't leave her breathless and wanting more. Though she figured maybe some of that was because she hadn't really cared for Connor, not in that way, not in the way she cared for Bass.

"Well, good to know the old man has still got it." Charlie frowned "He's not an old man." Connor grinned "He's like what, forty two, forty three years old and you're what twenty three, four?" Charlie lowered her gaze to the ground "Twenty two." She knew that Bass was a whole lot older than her but to be honest, she'd never really noticed it. He didn't act old to her and he sure as hell didn't look it. Christ, he looked twice as good as most men half his age, and there was something to say about experience. In her mind she knew he was Miles' age and Miles was only a few years younger than her father but for some reason when she looked at Bass she didn't see the years like she did on Miles. She guessed being a maniacal dictator was good for the skin, or something.

She glanced over to the curly haired man and smiled, no, Bass did not look old in the slightest. His hair hadn't start to turn gray the way Miles' was and his body was harder and better trained than any man she knew who was still in his twenties. She had noticed the little lines on his face, particularly the one around his eyes, they became deeper when he smiled but she didn't think they made him look old. They gave his face character and to be quite honest, she loved those little lines. No, she couldn't fathom that there was a man younger out there that was just as good at the things he did as Bass was.

Bass was a master at anything he did, leading, living, fucking. Everything he did with abandon and he threw himself fully into the things that he found important. No, the age difference didn't bother her one bit. "He's gonna die before you, you know. You'll be left a woman in the prime of her life without a man because he's died of old age. What's the life expectancy these days?" Connor mused.

Charlie rather not think about that, besides it wasn't like she expected to get to thirty let alone forty or fifty. They lived a dangerous life and including fighting the patriots she didn't figure she had much of a life left anyway and she told Connor so "Our lives are dangerous and will most likely be short so why not take all that I can get while I can get it. Your dad and I, we work. He makes me smile, he challenges me he makes me feel like I can do anything"

"What are you two gossip queens talking about?" Her eyes shot up and connected with his blue ones, there was a smile on his face as he sheathed the dagger into his boot. "Nothing, I was just asking Charlie if I should start calling her 'step mommy' and wondering if or when I'll be getting a baby brother or sister." Charlie blushed furiously at Connor's words and she didn't know where to look, afraid to look into Bass eyes to find horror or disgust there. She didn't know what Bass saw on her face but he slapped Connor upside the head "Leave her alone." Bass demanded. Charlie felt a strong hand grip her jaw and till her face upwards "He gives you any grief feel free to knee him in the jewels or something" and he leaned down to gently press his lips to hers.

This was the first time they'd shared a kiss when anyone else was present and she felt another blush creep up her face. His soft chuckle made her open her eyes and he pressed another quick kiss on her lips "Seriously, guys. Is that absolutely necessary. Connor's words jerked her focus from Bass lips and she blushed again, that was starting to get an annoying habit around the former General. "Yes, it was." Bass replied stoically before walking back to where he had been sitting. "You're fucking lucky Miles is still out. He sees that and you're both dead meat."

Charlie was still staring at him even though now he was focused on sharpening the blade of his machete. "Remember you asked me something a while back?" Connor's head turned towards her at her words "Charlie, I've told you a lot of things the past few weeks, what the hell are you talking about?" She scooted a little closer so her words wouldn't be overheard "You asked me if I could care enough about him to forgive him."

His brown eyes looked into hers and he nodded "Yeah" His voice soft now "I remember asking you that." She fiddled with the chain her dagger was hanging from "The answer is yes. Yes, I care enough to give him the same forgiveness I've given Miles. I think I have for a while now and I think I lo.." She was cut off by Miles and the rest walking back into camp.

Miles was in a damn fine mood, there was no form of threat in the village so they should be able to walk away tonight, proud owners of more weapons than they could probably carry. They took the time to get a good meal into them because an army, after all, marches on it's stomach. Though they weren't much of an army but Charlie got the point when Miles had said the words. She'd nibbled on her food a little lackluster, she just wanted to get this over with so they could go back.

Night fell and the group got ready to attack the camp, they would split into two. Connor, Mark and Miles in one, Bass, Pete and her in the other. She checked her weapons and laced her boots extra tight, last thing she wanted was an unstrapped boot in the middle of a fight. When she was almost done Bass walked up to her and held out his hand, the knife he'd been sharpening this afternoon glistening in the faint light of the moon "What's this?" She wanted to know. He thrust the knife into her hand and motioned down "Put it in your boot." It wasn't a question she noticed. "It's your knife, Bass. I have my sword, a knife and my crossbow. I'll be fine."

Bass reached out and grabbed her hand, he slapped the knife into her open palm "Charlotte, do as I say. Put the damn knife in your boot." His voice was strained "I have no clue where we're walking into and I want you to take it." She shook her head once more but stilled at the feral look in his eyes "Do. As. I. Say." There would be no reasoning with him when he was in this kind of mood, that she knew, so she took the knife and slipped it into her boot as he had asked. "Fine, but if you get killed because you weren't wearing this damn knife yourself I'm coming down into the pit myself to kill you again, understood." He chuckled softly and briefly entwined their fingers "You just be safe out there, no stupid Matheson cowboy shit."

She straightened her back and gave him a mock salute "Yes, sir." She joked but the smile left her lips when she looked into his heated gaze. "You just wait until we get some time alone, I'll give you a good reason to 'yes, sir' me." Need coursed through her and she was sure her lust was visible on her face "Now, focus. We got some Patriot asses to kick." He winked and joined the rest as they were ready to head out.

They planned to circle the camp and attack in stealth, slitting throats and firing arrows, the guns only there as a last resort. Of their little group it was Pete in front, Charlie in the middle and Bass closed ranks at the back. Her hands were closed firmly around her crossbow, ready to fire when needed. It was so dark she had to be careful where to step, the moon was faint and the trees didn't allow for a lot of light to filter through them. It opened up to a road and across the road was the little camp with the ammo and weapons tent in the middle. Their little pack circled around so they could close in from the side, Charlie took out one of the guards with an arrow while Bass slipped up behind the other and snapped his neck with an ease that should not turn her on.

After killing the guards the plan was that each group took out one of the flanking tents, they'd surmised that all the other Patriots were hold up in those. Charlie followed Pete into the tent they were going to take out and smacked into his broad back. A whistle was heard and what happened next was chaos. "Good evening, Miss Matheson, General." The voice was smooth, superior and alarmingly familiar. To her left she felt Bass react like lightning and he took out two patriots in the blink of an eye. That caused both her and Pete to jump into movement and they attacked the nearest tan uniform.

Tom Neville. The voice had belonged to none other than Tom Neville. Bass, Pete and she made quick work of taking down the patriots that had quickly surrounded them, a lot more than the previously scouted ones. An arm wrapped around Charlie's neck but before it could do anything but make it's presence known the owner had a knife buried in his temple and Bass was glaring at the body at his feet. "Bass, look out!" But it was too late. There was a hard kick to his knee and Bass went down, not a second later Jason Neville's gun was pressed against the temple of the former General.

There were only six men left in their tent. Three of hers and three of them. On her left Pete was breathing heavily, he had a cut on his arm, a bruised cheek but seemed otherwise fine. They could hear the shouting and screaming from the other tent where the fight was still going on, that meant that Miles, Connor and Mark were still well enough to fight and that relieved her. "Well, well, well." Nevilles' sneering voice made her focus back on the scene in front of her.

Bass was on his knees gazing up at Jason, if looks could kill Jason would not be standing there anymore but for now he was still pressing the muzzle of his gun into Bass' face as the only other patriot in the tent quickly slipped flexy-cuffs on Bass' wrists. This was not good. "What a nice catch this is." Neville continued "The former General of the Monroe republic and the most annoying pain in my ass both here in my little tent. Didn't expect to see me here, I bet." Bass growled "If I'd known you'd be here Tom, I'd have brought a welcoming gift for you, a nice cyanide laced bottle of scotch, perhaps." This earned him a hit in the face from Jason but Charlie saw he barely flinched.

"Well, first things first. I think I owe the little bitch a bullet in the head." To quick for Jason or Tom to react Bass got to his feet and blocked Charlie from his view. "You don't get to go near her." He warned.

Neville pulled his gun and trained it on Bass' head and before he could react Jason had pulled him back to the side and onto the ground, his gun once more pressed against Bass temple. "Okay then, if you're so eager to die then all you had to do was ask." Tom grinned and kept his gun aimed at Charlie while Jason cocked his. "Miss Matheson, say goodbye to General Monroe, now." Jason's finger tightened on the trigger "No, please!" Her cry made Jason hesitate. "Please, please don't.. don't shoot him."

She saw the surprise on both Neville's and Jason's face as she called out the words, her hands outstretched towards Jason "Please, Jason. Don't hurt him." She was panicking now, she couldn't watch another person she loved die. That realization hit her with a force like no other. She loved him. Somewhere her hate had turned into respect, like, need and now love. Charlie was panting loudly and she couldn't keep tears from pooling in her eyes. "Well this is a surprising development. I thought you would have liked seeing this piece of shit take a bullet." Nevilles words were calculated and cold.

Her eyes found Bass' and she ignored the warning in them "Son?" Neville nodded to Jason, once more his finger tightened and now she couldn't stop the tears. "Please, Jason. Stop. Don't kill him, please." Neville snorted "Tears, Miss Matheson. Tears for Sebastian Monroe. And why, pray tell, should we refrain from killing him right here and now?"

"Because he's a good man!" She didn't know who was more surprised, Bass or Neville "No, he's not" was the stoic reply. "Because he's a changed man, he's doing good now. He didn't let the bombs drop on Philly, he didn't cause your wife's death!" "Oh, I know all that." She blinked and he smirked "But I will still take immeasurable pleasure in seeing his brain splattered all over this floor." Once more he nodded to Jason. "You can't kill him!" She was screaming now, tears running down her cheek. "And why the hell not?!" Neville screamed back. "Because I ...!" Her voice broke and there was absolute silence in the tent. Tom's brown, almost black eyes studied her curiously "Because you... what, Miss Matheson?".

Suddenly Bass jumped up to his feet before he kicked out and took down Jason, the man falling to his knees and losing his grip on the gun in his hand. Bass head butted Neville and turned to her and Pete "Go! Run!" He yelled and she felt Pete's hand around her arm. Bass was starting to move towards them but was taken down by Jason, the younger man kicking him in the leg and sending Bass to his knees. "No!" Charlie called out and made to move over to Bass but Pete's hand was still on her arm. "Get her out of here." She noticed Bass' eyes weren't on her but on Pete "Not without you!" Her brief moment of relief turned back into full blown panic. "Get her out of here, NOW!" Bass shoved his shoulder against the Patriot trying to co after them, sending the man sprawling on the ground. "Go now, Pete!"

Charlie was hauled back outside the tent by Pete's strong grip "No!" She protested as she tried to get loose. Back outside Miles and Connor were waiting for them, Mark nowhere to be seen. "We gotta go, now!" Miles screamed as he grabbed Charlies other arm. "Not without him! Not without Bass!" She struggled against their grip but they were too strong for her. "Bass!" She tried again to break free from their iron grip "Bass!"

Authors notes;

Eep, the L word almost came out of Charlie's mouth. I hope it wasn't to soon for you guys it's just, she wanted to say it. I tried re-writing the scene but each time she just threw them out there. Well, it's not going to go easy for them so it won't be like 'bam!' they're madly in love, getting married and having babies while Rachel and Miles play best man and maid of honor so...

So, a little bit of action in this and the coming chapter. I hope you guys are still enjoying the story, let me know if there is something you guys really feel needs to change so I can contemplate where to go from here :D

Thanks for reading the story and for sticking with me through this short turned long-ass fic! Reviews, comments and constructive criticism is my oxygen! Always wanted and appreciated.

Love, Marisa