Word count; 2895

Notes at the bottom

Warning; More fluff... and other stuff ;p

CHAPTER 40 :

Tomorrow was the big day. Everything they'd been doing for the past year had been leading up to this, to the demise of the Patriots.

The camps were thrumming with activity, though it had dwindled some since most of the people were already in place. Staking out in smaller camps around DC or situated already inside the city, ready for action.

It was around noon and Bass had just finished setting up the last pieces of the game plan. Everything needed to go smoothly for them, it was their only chance to defeat these bastards.

Bass had made the necessary arrangements that were part of the last piece of the puzzle, something he needed to succeed more than anything. He knew Charlie was going to be pissed at him but the other option just wasn't an option for him so she could be pissed at him all she wanted as long as she didn't find out until it was too late for her to do anything about it.

"Charlotte," She was sitting next to her mother in, what he could only describe as, uncomfortable silence. Her head came up and she smiled at him. That smile that he'd been seeing for weeks now, that smile that he was getting used to, fast. That smile she gave him that made his heart pound and his chest hurt. That smile.

Blue eyes blinked and she spoke "Hey, what's up." Never in a million years would he have suspected that she would ever speak to him in such a tone. She sounded excited, even happy to see him and it did funny things to him.

"Could you go and pack your things? We're headed out in an hour." She frowned and got up off her seat "Where are we going?" She wanted to know. Bass smiled at her and tugged on one of her locks "We're heading into the city undercover, the rest is a surprise so just go and get your things together, okay. And be sure to conceal your weapons properly."

For a moment it looked like she was going to protest but then that smile broke the frown off her face and she nodded "Okay, I'll be ready in fifteen... make that thirty, I wanna go wish Miles and Aaron good luck before we head out."

He nodded at her and watched her swaying hips as she headed over to the small tent they'd been sharing for the past week. When she was out of site his eyes slipped down and connected with Rachel's.

Rachel had been ignoring him mostly, it wasn't ideal but it was better than waking up with her gun against his head or something.

"Miles told me what you're planning to do." Rachel's voice was cold but less angry than it had been before. Her eyes followed him when he sat down on the spot Charlie had just vacated. "He did?" Bass wasn't surprised, even though Miles had been getting better with him and Charlie he still loved Rachel and he'd figured his friend would tell the older woman.

"She's going to hate you." For a moment Bass closed his eyes, it would be inevitable. "When she find out what you did to her, she's going to hate you and there's nothing you'll be able to do about it." He'd thought she'd be more smug about it but she just sounded calm.

"I hate you." Now this didn't surprise him at all. "I hate you for everything you've done to me and my family. I hate you for the things your actions caused me to do for me and my family." Her blue eyes watched him carefully "I hate that you kept me for so many years, hate that you raged war on my loved ones and I hate you for making my daughter, the only child I have left, fall in love with you."

He lowered his head and stared at the ground "But most of all, I hate that you've changed. That you are turning into a decent human being and I hate it because it makes it just a little harder for me to hate you." Bass head shot up and he looked into her eyes.

What he saw there was surprising and a little unsettling, there was still anger and hate but also something else, acceptance maybe. "I don't expect you to ever like me, Rachel" He said "But for the sake of Charlie... maybe you could come to accept me, some day."

Rachel snorted "I think that after you do what you're planning on doing, I won't have to worry anymore. Charlie will be furious and a furious Charlie is something you don't want to mess with."

"It's for her own good." Bass replied "I know she'll be angry but that won't keep me from doing it. I just hope that she can come to understand why I did it. I hope she'll understand I did it for her, so she would be safe." Rachel shook her head and stood up "I'm not trying to talk you out of it, I agree with you, I agree with what you feel you need to do. That's the reason I haven't told Charlie, so she can't stop you."

The blond woman moved away and looked over her shoulder "But she will hate you, Bass. She will hate you for leaving her."

"I know." The words were soft but even if he'd said them louder Rachel wouldn't have heard him, she was already out of earshot. Bass had already wished Miles, Connor and even Staypuft good luck for the next day so all that was left was to sit here and wait for Charlie to finish packing and finish her goodbyes.

"Hey, I'm ready." Her small hand rested on his shoulder and he looked up at her with a smile "Good, let's get going."

It would take them about an hour to get to the city but the nature was a nice place to be so he didn't mind the walk, neither did she. "So, why the mystery? I mean, what's the surprise that I couldn't know about?"

He did something he didn't normally do, something he didn't know she would allow. Bass reached out and grabbed her had, lacing their fingers together and just let their arms swing alongside as they walked. "I just wanted a normal day... with my girlfriend."

Charlie chuckled and looked down at their joined hands "So you figured we should go for a walk, holding hands?" She chuckled again and he smiled softly "Yup." He replied easily and once again she chuckled "Anything else planned for today?"

Bass nodded his head "I had one of the guys book us a hotel room. We're gonna have a normal, couple-y day. Have some lunch at a nice place, go window shopping... hell, we'll do whatever you want."

She stopped suddenly, their entwined fingers forcing him to stop as well and he looked questioningly at her "Why?" Charlie wanted to know and Bass took a moment to decide what his answer would be. He decided to go with the truth "Because I wanted to take you out on a date."

"A date?" The smile re-appeared on her face and they began walking again "You, Sebastian Monroe, wanted to take me out on a date... that's so...?" He frowned "silly, stupid, dumb, corny?"

"Sweet." She replied softly "I think it's really sweet." He smiled to hide the shame on his face, she wouldn't think it was sweet by tomorrow. "Surprised I could be sweet?" He joked in attempt to cover his unease.

Charlie smiled and swung their joined hands back and forth "Pleasantly." She replied.

The rest of the way was spent with friendly banter, it made the time go faster and before they knew it they were at the edge of the city.

Bass lead Charlie to the hotel he knew their reservation was at. The lady behind the counter seemed amused by them because Charlie was hanging on him, calling him all kinds of nicknames to feed the ruse that they were a couple of newlyweds in town for the big speech.

The room was nice and well-maintained, at least as well maintained as they could manage without power. There was a bathroom that had a large bowl of clean water and the lady at the desk said that if they needed anything they could sent down a note with the servants who regularly patrolled the floors.

In the middle of the room was a large, king-sized bed with surprisingly white sheets. It looked comfortable and soft and as soon as Charlie had thrown he pack on one of the chairs she let herself fall onto the big bed.

She let out a content sigh and for a moment just lay there. Then her head came up and she rested herself on her elbows, giving him a sultry look "What are you still doing over there?" She asked.

Bass chuckled and shook his head "No, no, no. If I get on that bed then we won't ever get up again. I wanted to spend the day with you so that's what we're going to do. Tonight... we'll test out how good the springs in that mattress are."

Chuckling she jumped up off the bed and pulled him out of the room "What the hell are we waiting for, we should get going. The sooner we get done with the day, the sooner it will be night."

The streets were busy due to the big day tomorrow and on each corner there was a stand with a merchant taking advantage of the crowd. People were selling food, clothing and USA flags.

Charlie slipped her hand into his and he couldn't contain a small smile as she pulled him into different directions. She dragged him from stand to stand and from vendor to vendor, never really purchasing anything but just wanting to see what the people had to offer.

For a moment Bass felt sorry for the people, tomorrow hell was going to break loose and like it or not there would be casualties of war. He pushed those thoughts out of his mind though and focused back on the woman dragging him along the street.

They found a nice little place that sold sandwiches for lunch and they enjoyed a nice meal together. It was weird to not eat venison or rabbit for a chance and to actually sit and enjoy a meal on chairs and at a decent table. It's not something they'd ever gotten a chance to do together.

Dinner they grabbed on the fly, their little excursion had taken them across town and they still had to get back to the hotel.

The entrance was lit up with candles and there were even more candles in the stairwell and in their room. It had seemed that room service had lit them for them and Bass was grateful because the room would have been pitch black otherwise.

Charlie tried to crack a window but it turned out that the windows had been nailed shut for some reason.

She was staring out of the window, moonlight and candlelight illuminating her curves and he was struck again with how beautiful she was. Bass walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, his lips coming to rest against the shell of her ear as he rested his chest against her back.

"I had a good day." Her voice was soft as she laced their fingers together and he smiled against her neck "Me too." He confessed.

Bass turned her around and grinned mischievously "Now... let's go check out that bed." He'd wanted to have her in a bed for so long now, wanted to know what she would look like with her hair fanned across a pillow and soft sheets draped across her body. He was going to get his chance and he wasn't going to waste it.

The kiss was fierce, it had a sense of urgency to it, both of them having tomorrow on their mind. Charlie's hands roamed eagerly across his body before slipping under his shirt and demanding he take it off.

He was going to do anything she wanted tonight so he quickly took off the piece of fabric and threw it across the room. Bass grabbed the hem of her shirt and bared her torso to his greedy eyes, candlelight bathing her in a golden glow.

Impatiently they tore the clothing off each others body, hands caressing and touching wherever they could. She felt like silk under his calloused hands and he grabbed the backs of her creamy thighs so she could wrap them around his waist. He was so painfully hard he didn't know if he was going to last long.

Sighs and moans spilled from her lips as he kissed her neck and breasts, her bra already forgotten on the chair. Charlie was so responsive to him it turned him on even more, her slender fingers digging into his hair.

He carried her over to the bed and gently lowered her down onto the soft mattress without breaking their kiss. Charlie's legs spread off their own accord and he nestled himself in between her thighs, her silky skin so soft against his.

She was hot and wet, he could feel her desire against his pelvic bone where he rested against her center. They were completely naked now and every inch of their skin was touching. His tongue was in her mouth licking and nipping at everything he could reach, her nails digging into his skin only encouraging him more.

On fire, his body was on fire, alight with a need, a lust that he had never felt before. Charlie was the only woman who'd brought it out in him, his lust, his need, his possessive and protective side, his love. God he loved this woman, more than life itself and if anything was to happen to her he didn't think he'd survive.

Bass pulled back and looked down at her, like he'd fantasized her hair was splayed across the pillow and the sheets were bunched up around them. He couldn't help but smile and she blushed in return "What?" She asked, obviously embarrassed.

He shook his head "You're so beautiful." It only caused her to blush more furious "I love you, Charlie." She nodded her head and grabbed him by the back of his "I know" She whispered before she pulled him back down for a kiss "I love you, too." She murmured in between kisses.

It was slow and gentle and when he finally slipped inside of her it felt like coming home. For the first time since his parents and sisters had died he felt complete, he felt satisfied and he felt happy. Shelley hadn't been able to make him feel like this, nor had Miles or any of the other women who'd come before Charlie.

She was everything he'd ever wanted, his salvation. Their movement were easy and languid and he didn't rush a thing, he wanted to enjoy this for as long as possible because come morning there was a good chance she'd never love him again.

His fingers dug into the soft flesh of her hips, marking her one last time, making her his one last time. Her body moved in unison to his, it wasn't sex, it was a dance, it was perfect.

When she came to completion she shivered around him, contracting and spasming and he lost it mere seconds later. They laid there for minutes, sweaty and satisfied in each others arms.

At one point Bass got up to grab a washcloth and some water for the both of them. With gentle hands he cleaned her up and handed her the glass of tepid water. He watched intently as she drank it down, relieved when she finished the entire glass and took it from her to place it on the night stand.

He crawled into bed beside her and gathered her up in his arms once again. Soft skin resting against his as he kissed her on the forehead "Go to sleep, baby." He whispered "Go to sleep."

She drifted off and when he felt her breathing pattern change he knew she was asleep. The herbal extract he'd put in her water would make sure she would sleep through the night and a good part of the day. Gene had provided him with the extract, after some protest.

When he was sure she was sound asleep and wouldn't wake up for quite some time he got up out of bed and got dressed. His eyes were constantly drifting to the person on the bed but he couldn't hesitate now, he couldn't change his mind. It was too late.

Dressed and ready to go he blew out all the candles beside the one by the door. Bass walked over to Charlie and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her still slightly sweaty forehead. "I love you, Charlotte Matheson. More than you could or will ever know." He whispered.

Walking over to the door he took one last glance at the woman asleep in the large bed "Be safe." He blew out the candle by the door and slipped through it, Charlie none the wiser, and closed it behind him.

Here's the latest chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed this, working up to the final battle now and that will be happening real soon.

I would like to warn you in advance the next few chapters might be a bit more angsty than you expect from me but keep the faith and keep reading!

Let me know what you're thoughts are on the story! Also, send RedBanker rozes and chocolate because once again her (I think she's a her) PM prompted me to get my arse in gear and post the next damn chapter. Thanks for waking me up hon! Love ya :D

Love,

Marisa