Word count; 2709 (ex notes)

Notes at the bottom.

Request. I was wondering if you guys had any, requests that is. I know a lot of readers don't write themselves and I'm currently out of ideas for a next story so I was wondering if you guys had any. PM (private message) me your ideas (small summery or a storyline you have in mind), be it for one-shots or longer stories that you would like to see written and would like to read but hasn't really been done to your satisfaction. Just mail me all your ideas! I'm just looking for something to inspire me for a next story after this one is done (I like to start preparing for it) The only thing I ask for that it be Charlie/Bass orriented, because that's the pairing I like writing about. It can be in this universe or AU, I don't have any preferences :D

I look forward to finding some awesome, inspiring ideas in my inbox! Just please use PM for it, don't put them in reviews :D Do review, though. YOu know how I love those ;p

CHAPTER 20:

"You can't kill him!" And really, who would have thought that in the end it would be Charlotte Matheson pleading for his life. Bass closed his eyes for a second and tried to calm himself down, for her, so that look of sheer terror would leave her face. "And why the hell not?" Neville spat at her. "Because I ..."

His heart stopped. She What? Damn that was killing him. In a fit of anger born from a furious need to get her out of there he jumped to his feet and sent Jason falling to the floor with one well placed kick against his knees. Before Neville could react he turned and head butted the man so hard he felt dizzy for a split second while Neville dropped to the floor. "Go!" He yelled at Charlie and Pete "Run!" Bass took a step forward, intent on following the two out of the tent and back to freedom when he felt a kick against the back of his leg. It sent him falling to his knees and he knew it was over for him but he needed to get her out.

"No!" Her voice was shrill and panicked as she tried to move towards him. Pete grabbed her upper arm but she was struggling. Bass needed for her to not be there, all of a sudden that was the most important thing in the world, that this wonderful, beautiful woman was not here to be captured or killed "Get her out of here!" His eyes focused on Pete, making the other man understand his need with a look in his eyes. "Not without you!" Stubborn girl, stubborn, infuriating, wonderful girl. Even now in their dire situation she worried for him and what had he done to deserve such a thing. "Get her out of here, NOW!" He felt the last patriot in the tent try to slip past him to keep the pair from escaping and he slammed his shoulder into the man's stomach as hard as he could. "Go now, Pete!"

He could hear Miles' voice from outside and he was glad that he made it. He was telling Charlie they needed to go "Not without him. Not without Bass!" She wasn't having any of it though but if she'd been less stubborn he never would have felt the way he did about her. Bass could only pray that Miles would drag her away from here, kicking and screaming if necessary. "Bass!" He heard her call out but her voice was fainter than before so he figured Miles was taking her away from camp "Bass!" The man in question tried to get up one last time, to make his way towards her but the last thing he felt before blacking out was his skull, splitting open.

Drowning! He was drowning! Bass sputtered and coughed as he opened his eyes "Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey." He shook his face, water droplets running down and he realized he'd been hit in the face with a bucket of water. His mind was still hazy and foggy and the back of his head felt like there was a marching band practicing 'Oh when the saints go marching in'. A groan escaped his lips and he shook his head once more to try and get rid of the fog, unfortunately this only caused his headache to grow.

Another bucket worth of water hit him in the face and he started coughing again, some of the liquid working it's way into his lungs. Now he could finally open his eyes and in front of him were Tom Neville and a nameless Patriot soldier. "Good morning, General" Neville's voice was sugar sweet but Bass knew what the man really was like so he wasn't fooled. "Unfortunately the rest of your merry little band of misfits escaped, so we're just going to have to enjoy ourselves with you."

Escaped, they'd all escaped? Oh, thank god. Bass started chuckling and before long he was full out laughing, headache be damned. When he looked up and saw the confused face of Tom Neville he laughed even harder, that is, until the Patriot goon punched him in the stomach and left him winded for a moment. "And what, do tell, is so amusing to you? Is it the fact that I captured you or the fact that I'm gonna have a little fun before I put that bullet in your brain, like I promised." The nameless goon grabbed him and pulled Bass to his feet.

"There's nothing you can do to me, Neville" Bass smiled "My boy escaped, my girl escaped... You don't have anything to really hurt me." Neville's smile in return was mean "Trust me 'General Monroe' there is plenty I can do to hurt you." But Bass just kept on smiling. "No, Tom" His voice steady and calm "Now, there is nothing you can do to me."

The smile on the older man's face faded as he looked into Bass eyes "We'll see." He nodded to the goon who started punching Bass in the stomach, time after time. Each time he doubled over and he felt all oxygen leave his body. Then a punch to his face, and another and one more to the stomach and the man kept going like this until Bass' head was ringing and he was sure a rib or two were cracked. When the man stopped he looked up at the both of them and smiled. His lip was split and he could feel blood trickling down the side of his head. The copper taste in his mouth was nauseating but he smiled and spit out blood, it landed on Neville's shoe "Boy" He said to the Patriot "I ran a Militia for years, you're gonna have to do better than that."

Once more he was knocked out by the man in the tan uniform and he welcomed the black of oblivion.

The next time he woke he was slumped against a pole, his hands were bound behind him and he was alone. He took in his surroundings to check if there was anything he could use to free himself but he saw Neville left him nothing. The man knew him too well. Bass took a deep breath and though his ribs hurt they weren't cracked or broken, thank god. One by one he moved his legs, arms and neck to see if he was okay and if anything had been seriously hurt but he was surprised to find everything in working order.

Outside of the tent he was in there was noise and scuffling and people were arguing and walking back and forth. It was too muffled to make out what they were saying though so he focused back on himself. He checked his bindings and was elated to find flexi-cuffs, though those were still a bitch to get out of they sure as hell were a lot easier to slip than chains. His only comfort was that she got away, she and Connor had escaped and he knew Miles would keep them safe. By now the were most likely back to the other camp and packing up to leave. Never did he thought he would be glad that Miles didn't give a crap anymore so there was no danger of them getting caught trying to save his ass.

Bass licked his dry and split lip, what he wouldn't give for a glass of water right now. He tested his bindings once more but they were still secure around his wrist, where was a broken pool tile when you needed one. Unfortunately he didn't think that he would be so lucky twice, the escape from those two bounty hunters had been almost painfully easy, no such luck this time. His eyes closed and he tried to will his headache away, some water and an aspirin, that's what he desperately wanted. Well, that and his freedom but he figured he wouldn't see neither for a while.

The tent opened and Neville stepped in, well whoop-ti-do more torture. "Ah, good. i see you're awake." Neville grabbed a chair and planted himself right in front of Bass. "Now we can have a moment alone. What I want to know is... where are Miles and Rachel Matheson, Monroe?" He frowned at Bass' silence "Come on, Monroe. Give it up, it's not like you're getting out of here anytime soon. My men scouted the entire area and there is not trace of your little friends, they've deserted you so there is no reason to protect them. It's actually in your interest to give them up because if you do I might just kill you quick instead of slow. Show you a little bit of mercy."

The former General snorted "Really Tom, all this talking. I think I preferred the punching and the kicking." His voice deadpan and he could see from Tom's face that he didn't like Monroe's consistent refusal to cooperate. "Come on, Tom" He mimicked his former Major "Did you really think it was gonna be easy? Did you really think that I was gonna give you Miles and Rachel, hmm?" Bass chuckled "You have a better chance of getting to the moon, Tom."

His head snapped to the side with the force of Tom's punch "What happened to that famous self control, Tom. Starting to show your desperation here." And he got another punch in the face. If this kept going he was going to be black and blue before the day was over "What I wonder is, why haven't you shot me? I mean, you have the authority to do so, right, so why am I still breathing. It can't just be because you need me to find Rachel and Miles, you're a resourceful man Tom, you don't need me for that. Granted, it's gonna take you a hell of a lot longer but hey... what else is there to do." He smirked.

"Like I said, Monroe. I just want to have a little fun before I take your corpse back to the Patriots." Neville's vicious words didn't worry Bass in the slightest. "You know" Bass pondered "I've been in this situation before only it was with two bounty hunters, they wanted to keep me alive as well. A uhm... friend... of mine told this bounty hunter to put a bullet in my brain or else I'd escape, slit his throat and he'd have jack squat." Neville's brown eyes narrowed "And let me guess, you escaped and slit his throat." Bass shrugged "Nah, snapped his neck. Didn't feel like making a mess." Neville could read the truth in his eyes and he blanched "Well that won't happen here."

There was a voice coming from the outside "Sir? Sir, there's someone here to see you." Tom got up but before he slipped out of the tent Bass said "That's what the bounty hunter thought, too."

Bass spit on the ground, trying to get rid of all the blood in his mouth, his head hurt like a bitch, and not just from the headache. He'd felt the wound on the side of his face re-open when Neville punched him. His split lip was bleeding again and he was pretty sure he could add a black eye to his injury list. He needed to come up with a plan, fast because he didn't think that Tom was going to wait forever to put that bullet in his brain. Bass tested his bindings and felt that there still were flexi-cuffs around his wrists, and really where the hell had they gotten flexi-cuffs? It had been stupid of the Patriots to put these restraints on, anything but metal was easier to get out of, though he was disappointed that they hadn't opted for plain rope, that would be a lot easier to discard than the tight plastic bindings that were around his wrists currently.

He tried to look outside and through the split in the tent he could see it was getting dark, damn, how long had he been out? Once more the front of the tent opened and this time it was Neville JR who stepped inside, a sly grin on his face. "Come here to gloat?" He figured the younger man was here to either do that or put that long-promised bullet in his head.

"So, what the hell did you do with Charlie?" The jealous tone evident in the younger man's voice and Bass grinned arrogantly "Are you sure you wanna hear all the naughty details, Jason?" The look on Jason's face darkened and he stepped closer to the man sitting on the ground. "Like Charlie would ever do anything with you unless you were blackmailing her, or maybe it's Stockholm syndrome. How did you get her to think you're worthy of her attention. You're a monster" Bass couldn't do anything else but chuckle, it was adorable, really, this infatuation this kid had with Charlie. He wasn't really surprised about that, Charlie had that effect on a lot of people in her life, including him. "Blackmail her with what? I didn't hold her long enough for her to develop Stockholm syndrome. I can't help it that she realized she'd rather have a man instead of a boy, Neville." That earned him a kick in the leg from the young Patriot.

"Wonder if Miles knows That you're long-dicking his niece." The smirk on Bass' face grew even bigger, this kid was only torturing himself by saying these things. "Charlotte happens to love it when I'm 'long-dicking' her, as you call it so eloquently. Wonder why you care, you had to have known that the second you joined the Patriots she wouldn't so much as give you the time of day." He tested his bindings again but they were just as tight as before, he was itching to get out of them and show both Neville's a piece of his mind.

"She got hit on the head somewhere along the way? I mean, did she forget you killed her father and her brother." Bass cringed at that but he kept the smirk on his face, not showing Jason that those words hit a nerve in him. "Your dad was more responsible for Ben's death than I was, and it was your dad who took Danny away, not me. I merely... took advantage of a situation presented to me. It was a long time ago, I've changed. You, of all people, know that a man can change. You heard what she said, do you really want to take away another person she cares about? You should let me go and I'll think about letting you live as a show of gratitude." Jason snorted and shook his head "Yeah, like that's gonna happen. I'm going to enjoy when they finally put you out of your misery, Monroe. Charlie is better off without you. Maybe she'll be angry and sad to find out you've been killed but in time she'll see that it's what's best."

Suddenly the young Patriot froze and Bass noticed a hand holding a blade snaking around the man´s neck "Unfortunately for you, I'm not quite there yet." Charlie! What the hell was she doing here, alone no less. A second later Jason sank to the floor, unconscious and Charlie's slender figure was revealed to him. A surge of relief and heat shot through him at the sight of her. "Charlie?"

She walked over to him quickly and reached around to cut the flexi-cuffs from his wrists, not speaking a word as she worked to free him from his bindings. The second he was free he got to his feet and cupped her face in his hands, there was a smile on her lips that he returned without hesitation "Charlie, what... You came back?" Charlie smiled even wider and grabbed his hands "Figured it was my turn to save your ass for a change. We gotta go, now!" She let go of him and moved to the back of the tent, using her knife she made a long slit in the tan canvas before she pulled him through the ready-made back door. He couldn't do anything but obediently follow the wonderful woman in front of him.

Sorry, hope you guys weren't hoping for a lengthy capture, I just couldn't do that, my characters wouldn't let me. Also, I don't really like writing about them while they're apart, I prefer them together.

We've left plausibel behind, I'm afraid. I realise TV Bass and Charlie wouldn't behave this way, but hey, that's why it's fiction, right ;p

Hope it's still a bit to your liking though :D The story will start to follow the show a bit again in the coming chapters, like I said, I had the general storylines for these chapters worked out before the more current episodes took place. I will adress the battle on the Patriot zombie camp and Jason's death and everything. Just these chapters were roughly written when we had those 2 Revolutionless weeks a while back so I didn't have a show-line to follow and had to make up my own :D

Thanks for reading, and hopefully reviewing ;p don't skimp! ;)

Love, Marisa

oh, BTW I'm also on AO3 now, under the same handle as I am here.