A/N - This is a quick update, thanks so much guys for the reviews, they make me excited about updating so keep them coming :) I'm going to be posting next chap of Absence of Light at some point in the morning so look out for that. I'm guessing you guys would rather me finish off typing up that before I respond to the reviews anyhow :) Hope you like this chapter, little bit more lighthearted than some of you were probably expecting, but please don't hate me for the ending :( all will be explained in chapter 8 if i ever get it finished lol
Getting from Charlie's room to the bottom of the stairs was all the time it took for her to start panicking. She came to a sudden halt and Monroe almost knocked her over before he realized.
"Charlotte?"
She turned to him, "We should just go back upstairs and climb out the window. Just get away from all of this crap." She was pretty sure she loved this man, but if he didn't stop smiling at her right now she wouldn't be responsible for what she did to him. How he could be so cheerful about the fact that they were probably gonna get shot in the next ten minutes was beyond her.
"Hey," his arms had slipped around her waist, pulling her against him, "if that's what you really want, we'll go upstairs right now and pack a bag. We'll leave here, today, find somewhere to start over."
The enormity of what he was saying hit her. He would just up and leave Miles, after everything they had been through. "You would really do that, for me?"
His smile was blinding, "Charlotte... I would do a whole lot more." It seemed so perfect, the idea of just packing up and leaving this place with him. Beginning a whole new life, far away from the shadows that they existed under here. All of the pain and blame from the past could be put away, never forgotten, but in its rightful place - behind them.
But that would mean leaving her family behind as well. If it was just her mom she would already be gone. There was Miles though, her grandpa, even Aaron. Charlie loved them all and running away without even giving them a chance to accept this felt cowardly. Monroe was here, with her. And she knew he would have her back, that was all she needed.
"Are you calling my bluff Sebastian?" She smiled up at him, eyes shining as his narrowed. His fingers gripped her waist tightly.
"I'm telling you that I want you Charlie. I choose you. And if you want to leave here then we're gone." The look on his face was possessive and hungry. It made her heart skip. She understood what he was telling her, and damn if it didn't make her want to drag him back to her bed. Nobody had ever chosen her, put her first. Not until he did.
"But what about Connor? And your Republic?" She was almost afraid to ask the question, to risk ruining this one moment in her life where she was with someone who was willing to place her above all others. The reminder of what he was leaving behind might change his mind - but she needed to know and now was her best chance to find out if he really meant it.
"Fuck the Republic, I don't want it, never did. I made the offer to Connor when I believed that he was all I had, that I'd be completely alone without him. It was the only way to get him to leave Mexico with me. But it was a mistake. If he wants a dad he can have one, hell he can come with us if he wants. But if all he wants is a General, someone to give him power then he can stay here and do it himself." The sincerity in his voice was what killed her, he really meant it. He was choosing her over everyone, even his own son.
She reached up, placing her hands on his face and pressing a soft his on his lips. "Then I choose you, too. We'll go face them and if they can't accept us together we'll go." It was important, she felt, to let him know that he wasn't alone in this, that no matter what anyone had to say about it, she was staying with him. He was willing to lose his son for her, the least she could do was prove that she was willing to do the same for him and that meant facing Miles and everybody else, not running away like she was ashamed of him. The kiss he planted on her said that he understood, by the time he pulled back she was dizzy, breathing hard. Their eyes locked, saying everything that neither of them could manage out loud. Then he grabbed her hand, "Let's do this."
They walked into the kitchen still holding hands. Miles was sat at the table nursing what looked suspiciously like a cup of whiskey. Aaron was sat across from him. Charlie felt her cheeks burn as he looked up at the sound of their approach and froze. Their mutual mortification seemed to fill the room up, each promptly turning the color of a tomato. Poor Aaron. She couldn't quite look him in the eye. Of course the idiot behind her didn't have the same problem, she could feel the bastard shaking with repressed laughter. When this was over he was getting another kick.
Aaron had turned to Miles, looking nervous. He had yet to raise his head from his drink.
"Erm, I'll leave you guys to talk," Aaron said.
Charlie shook her head, "No, Aaron, please stay." At his uncertain look, she shot him a small smile, "You're family, you need to hear this as well." He sank back into his seat with a resigned sigh. He knew full well what this meant; she wanted him to stay with her because she knew that he'd be on her side no matter what happened. This was only confirmed when he caught her eye and she sent him the same guilty smile she had eight years ago when somebody had set two squirrels, three rabbits and an over-excited dog loose inside the local schoolhouse and she had been one of the main suspects. He should have known right then that she'd end up getting him shot one day. But he sat back down anyway, because now, just like back then, he wasn't about to let her get herself into trouble without him.
Charlie breathed a silent sigh of relief. At least someone here was on her side. But her uncle hadn't said a word, he hadn't even looked up. There was no denying that it hurt. "Miles?" she said his name softly, but he flinched at being addressed directly.
When he finally lifted his head he blinked at the scene in front of him. Charlie and Bass stood hand in hand, watching him warily. "I am not drunk enough for this." He announced, standing up. Charlie stepped forward, letting go of Bass' hand. "Miles-" He shook his head. "No, Charlie, this one is beyond me."
"Then I'll ask the questions." Came a voice from the doorway. They all turned to see Gene glaring at Monroe.
"Grandpa-" Charlie started, "No, young lady, you are going to sit down and you are going to answer some questions about your behavior and where it has led you." Miles felt himself bristle on her behalf and opened his mouth to tell Gene to lay off but Bass beat him to it, "Don't talk to her that way." He said quietly.
"When I want advice from a psychopath, I'll ask for it." Gene spat at him.
Charlie immediately stepped forward, putting herself between Bass and her grandad. "That's enough!" Gene opened his mouth to argue and she snapped, "No! We came down here to talk to you, not to ask for permission to be with each other."
"Charlie... this man is a monster. Look what state your mother is in because of him."
"Are you kidding me right now?" Charlie shot back. "My mother" she said in the same tone Gene had just used to describe Bass, "if you can even call her that, is the one who almost got me killed, in case you had forgotten grandpa! And before you even think about throwing anything else in my face, just remember that the blackout my mother caused is the reason for millions of fathers and brothers dying - so don't bother trying to tell me right from wrong on her behalf. Like I said," she caught Miles' eye here and damned if he wasn't proud of her right now, "we aren't asking for permission here. I love you, all. But I'm a grown woman and none of you get to decide this for me."
She reached behind her and Bass grabbed her hand, stepping forward. "This is who I want to be with. You don't have to like it, but you are going to have to accept it." Gene sighed heavily, looking tired.
"Your mother - she's in a lot of pain Charlie." Oh good, he was going for the guilt trip. This was going to end well. Not. "She has lost a lot and this, this thing with him will destroy her."
"We've all lost a lot." Miles saw her squeeze Bass' fingers tightly. "Everyone here has lost everything - some of us more than once. Rachel Matheson isn't the only one and I am sick of pretending that she is."
Miles watched in disbelief as Bass gripped onto Charlie's hand, pain written all over his face. Maybe no one else had noticed it, but he did. So he had told Charlie about Shelly then. He almost burst out laughing at the absurdity of the scene in front of him. His niece was standing between Bass and her grandfather, fiercely protective of a man who could - and at one point probably would - snap Gene's neck. There was a sudden dull ache inside of him.
For years now he had known that all Bass needed was somebody completely in his corner, somebody strong enough to have his back, yet soft enough to allow Bass' own protective instincts and need to take care of those he loved free rein. The person he had in mind would never have been Charlie, his own niece, but it somehow seemed to fit. He could read both of their faces - Bass was trying hard to control himself, either to prevent tears or stop himself from wringing Gene's neck. Probably both. And Charlie - well, Charlie was like a lioness protecting her cubs - the anger and stubborn determination on her face was glorious to see. She, Miles knew, was not about to let her family talk her out of this. And she wasn't going to let them make her feel guilty. Bass had needed that kind of loyalty for a long time. In Charlie, it seemed he had finally got it. As far as she was concerned they were doing nothing wrong.
And they weren't, he realized with a pang of annoyance. Hadn't he wanted to see them get close? He'd prayed that Charlie could bond with Bass and influence him for the better. Well she had certainly done that. But did she really have to achieve it by going to bed with him? Really? No, Miles was nowhere near drunk enough to be thinking about that. Not without feeling the need to punch Bass. Gene had started speaking again but Miles had stopped listening. He watched as Charlie stepped back into Bass, who immediately slid his arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. Gene literally threw his hands up and stormed out of the room.
Miles glanced across and saw Aaron's head whip back and forth between him and the couple (who had started hugging, much to his disgust). Clearly he thought somebody was about to get shot. But all that he could do was stare as his best friend cradled his niece's head against his chest, where her face was currently buried. This wasn't fucking right! Except, it was - because all he had ever wanted for either of them seemed to be what they had in each other.
Charlie was a wild one - fiercely independent and a magnet for trouble to boot. She needed a man who could push past the walls she had built around herself, one who was able to look after her and was willing to jump into any situation she got herself in with the ability to pull her out of it. And here she was, allowing Bass to hold her, give her comfort, in front of people as well. Miles was usually the only person she allowed any public shows of affection from. Until now it seemed. A pang of jealousy hit. Bass had always went after his girls, and Miles usually didn't really care, but Charlie was his - she was his girl, she adored him not the asshole formerly known as his brother. He could steal any girlfriend he wanted, but he wasn't taking Charlie away from him. And the need to punch him was back again.
Had he really just been considering the idea of them hooking up to be a good thing? "So what's going on? One of you takes a knock to the head and suddenly you two are in love?" He burst out. Aaron sucked in a breath.
Charlie sighed, pulling her head back to lock eyes with Bass. They seemed to have a silent conversation before she swung around to face him, her expression hardening. Okay, he may have asked for that response, but still...
"Miles" Charlie zeroed in on him with that icy stare of hers, the one that could scare a man holding a machine-gun. "This isn't something we did to hurt you. And it's not a game or a joke - no matter what you might think. I didn't just decide to have feelings for Monroe out of nowhere. I've been fighting them for a long time now."
"Oh really, Charlie? How long would that be?" He knew the sarcastic answer was a mistake the second he said it. One of the many useful skills she inherited from him was the ability to cut someone dead with just a few words. He had just started an argument he already knew he would lose.
"I don't know exactly Miles, maybe as far back as the night he burst into a bar full of rapists to save me - " The fuck? Bar full of rapists? "or when I thought he was going to die inside that courthouse. I'm not sure exactly when it started but this thing, it's not new and I'm not going to apologize for it. It's not open for debate."
Miles sighed again, she brought that out in him, "I didn't think it would be kid. I knew you two had something going on. I just never thought it would be this. You're gonna have to give me some time here Charlie. Christ, this is Bass." Which reminded him, "And you, you asshole," he glared at Bass, "since when was it okay for you to start dating my niece?"
"Miles, brother... I've been in love with your niece since pretty much the second I laid eyes on her. I just took a while to figure it out." Well. What the hell was he supposed to say to that?! This was why he'd planned on shooting the prick on site in the first place. But that plan went out the fucking window as soon as he'd seen Charlie defending him. Prick. It seemed like he wasn't the only one shocked by that statement though. Charlie whirled around, eyes wide, staring up at Bass.
"Really?"
"I. Yeah, Charlie, really."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"I didn't think my wanting you would mean anything," Bass shrugged, "so I buried the idea as deeply as I could and tried to move on. I thought I had until I saw you with Connor."
Miles nearly choked, "Connor?!"
Both of them turned to him as if they had forgotten there were two other people in the room with them. It was Charlie who answered him. "I slept with Connor while we were in New Vegas."
"Um, why?" Aaron piped up, pointing between Charlie and Monroe to make his point without saying anything else.
Charlie grimaced like she was reliving unpleasant old memories. "I was just starting to realize that I felt something for Monroe and I guess I freaked. Then I thought he was sleeping with someone else, someone who thought he and I were together and I don't know... I guess I was jealous?" She glanced up at Bass, whose jaw was clenched tightly. "It was a mistake. Everybody thought Monroe and I were together and I really liked it. That was when I knew I wanted it. So when I found myself alone with Connor, I tried to prove to myself that I was wrong, that I didn't care about his dad. But I got it so wrong." Bass' face softened as their eyes met. Miles tried very hard not to heave over them making gooey eyes at each other, but the idiots were making it hard.
"Is that explanation enough for you Miles?" Bass was addressing him but his eyes hadn't left Charlie's. 'Oh please, that's just disgusting.'
This was going to cause murders. He felt another sigh coming. One look at the two of them was enough to figure out that if he fought them on this he'd lose them both. "Bass. BASS!" The sappy asshole finally tore his gaze from Charlie to look Miles in the face. "What I said before still stands. I will kill you."
"You won't have to." Bass told him. Jeez, did the dude ever stop crying? Miles nodded, not trusting himself to open his mouth. Without another word he turned and walked into the living room to find his booze. When it was time to go face Rachel he needed to be as drunk as humanly possible.
"Well." Said Monroe, turning to grin at both Charlie and Aaron, "That went well, don't you think?"
"Oh it's not over yet pal." Aaron stunned them by standing up, he was leaning on the table, palms flat on it. Charlie fought the urge to laugh at the stern look on his face. At least he wasn't glaring exactly. To his credit, Monroe straightened his face and gave a short nod. He moved over and sat down in Miles' empty seat. Which seemed to take the wind out of Aaron's sails a little. It took him a second to recover from seeing Monroe pretty much doing as he was told. Charlie folded her arms and watched them with a smile on her face. This was going to be good.
"What are your intentions here Monroe?" And Charlie erupted into giggles, earning her a smirk from Monroe and a glare from Aaron. "No, Charlie, this has to be done. I know I'm not technically a relative, but I've been watching over you since you were a skinny 9 year old and just because Miles and your mom are here now doesn't mean I am going to stop. So sit your butt down young lady or I'll start telling your new boyfriend a few embarrassing stories about you."
This was a serious situation. Plus, Aaron wasn't that cruel. So she smirked and shot him her best 'You Don't Scare Me' look.
Aaron turned to Monroe, "Did you know that as a child Charlie never saw a tree she didn't attempt to climb?" 'Oh, Aaron, you suck at this.' Monroe grinned at her. "And did you know that she never climbed one that she didn't fall out of?" 'Low blow, Pittman.' "One time, she landed on top of the first boy who ever kissed he-" "Okay, okay, shut up!" Charlie quickly rushed over and sat down beside Monroe, glaring at Aaron. She couldn't believe he had brought that up. Bobby McCoy... she would never forget that kid. He had literally broken her fall and ended up walking around on a pair of old crutches Maggie had managed to scavenge for weeks afterwards. She had felt so bad she allowed him to follow her around. The girl who had ruined his entire summer had become his first crush. It was guilt that made her say yes when he asked could he kiss her behind the school one afternoon. It had been disgusting and it only got worse when he had attempted to put his tongue in her mouth, prompting her to shove him away. Which of course had been when Aaron had found them. Later that day they had spent an excruciating ten minutes together where he had attempted to explain some of the softer parts of the birds and bees to her. That fell apart completely when she had burst out, "But he licked my mouth! Why do boys want to do that?"
She felt her cheeks burn as Monroe started laughing. "You were a ball-buster from the start then. Literally." Charlie shot him a glare, which effectively shut him up and turned back to Aaron. "You're evil, is what you are." "Only when I need to be." He shot back.
"The point is," he continued, "she's been my family, my only family, for a long time." Charlie could feel herself sink lower in her seat, she was standing her ground about Monroe, but there was no denying that disappointing Aaron wasn't quite like disappointing anyone else. If anyone was going to be able to make her feel awful about this, it would be him. Maybe Monroe noticed, cause she felt his hand slip into hers.
"You don't have to do this Staypuft, I get it. You've been there for Charlotte, even when those who should have been weren't. I respect you looking out for her." Aaron's mouth opened and closed again. This didn't appear to be going as he had planned. "Yes, yes, well, my point was..." He sighed, "Look you're the big bad General Monroe and you could kill me with one flick of your wrist and all that crap but I promise you - if you ever hurt her I will... I will... come after you and I will make it really hard for you to kill me and I swear I will get a few good punches in before you finish me off, okay?"
Monroe gave a chuckle, but when his eyes met the other mans they were deadly serious. "Understood."
"Okay, well, now that that's out of the way... Charlie?" He was looking at her the way he always had, that kind look on his face that he seemed to carry around with him for when she needed it. "Are you sure that this is what you want?" She nodded at him, a lump in her throat. Aaron reached across the table and she met him in the middle, grabbing his hand. "Then for what its worth I'm on your side, whatever happens." Her face broke into a wide smile and she got up, quickly rushing around the table to where he was waiting to catch her in a bear hug. "It's worth everything, Aaron, thank you." She didn't know what else to say, had steeled herself for an onslaught of hatred and revulsion at her actions. Aaron's casual acceptance had lifted a weight off her chest she hadn't realized was there until it vanished. They were both wiping at their eyes when they parted.
Just then Connor walked in the back door and grinned when he saw her. "Charlie, you're up!" In a rush of sentimentality, she didn't even flinch as he crossed the room and swept her in a hug. "Hey Junior." He pulled back and raised a hand to touch her head. "I told them you can't do that much damage to an empty vessel but they insisted on worrying anyway." She slapped his hand away with a grin, "Yeah well if you ever crack your head open we'll know not to panic won't we?"
They turned to the others, grinning, only to see that while they had been busy the tension in the room had shot back up to boiling point. Monroe looked like he couldn't decide whether to feel guilty or jealous and Aaron, bless him, looked ready to make a second attempt to run for cover.
"Let me guess," Connor turned to look at Charlie, "They don't know that I know about you and my dad?" As she raised an eyebrow at him, he rolled his eyes, "Well at least you have an excuse. But come on." He turned to his dad, "You didn't speak to anyone for two days, you just sat there the whole time holding her hand. I'm not an idiot.." Charlie suddenly developed a strange sounding cough and Connor laughed. She locked eyes with a relieved looking Monroe. Maybe this was going to be okay after all. "And you, little miss 'I think he's a bastard', I saw you when you woke up, you didn't care about seeing anyone except him. Neither of you are particularly stealthy."
Nobody said anything for a second, then Charlie piped up, "Hey, you said I thought he was a bastard, I didn't actually say what I thought."
As Bass watched them bicker something inside him loosened. Connor didn't appear to be angry with him. And they were a little too familiar for his liking, given their history, but they were acting like, well, like he and Miles used to. Like friends. He tuned back into their conversation as they had suddenly turned serious. "So... where is she?" Charlie asked Connor. It gave him an uneasy feeling in his stomach for some reason that he didn't think was all to do with the general fucked-up mess that was the Rachel situation. It didn't help that Connor had taken it upon himself to touch Charlie's arm. "She's been outside, the other side of the house, pacing mostly. Won't talk to anyone. Although to be fair, your grandad's the only one who has tried to speak to her. Miles won't go near her, I heard him arguing with Gene about it last night. Dunno why nobody has put the miserable bitch down yet."
"Connor! She's still my mom."
"She tried to kill you Charlie."
"It wasn't that simple, it's not like she dropped me herself."
"So because you decided to be happy and she didn't like it, she gets to almost end you AND get let off the hook for it?"
Bass and Aaron exchanged glances, they both appeared to be thinking the same thing.
"No, of course not. But that doesn't mean I want her dead." Charlie suddenly felt years older. Things had been a real mess for a long time now, but even for their little group, this was bad. But her mom had clearly lost it. She couldn't just stand aside and let somebody kill her for it. What kind of person would that make her? A hypocrite for one. She was coming down hard on her family for refusing to forgive Monroe, so she had to at least try and talk to her mother, right? 'We should have just climbed out the damn window.' She looked up at Monroe to find he was already watching her, his face blank. He was probably worried about the confrontation with her mom. Knowing him he was currently convincing himself that she was going to spend 5 minutes with her and change her mind about them. "Lets' just get this over with." She said quietly.
Ten minutes later, Miles was complaining quietly as they made their way to see Rachel. "I don't get why you're forcing me to do this." "Because, Uncle Miles, she's sick and she needs our help." "Yeah cause bringing him along is going to help." "Will you just quit bitching and do what I ask, just once?" "When did you start sounding like me?" "Somewhere between my first whiskey and my first kill, I think." Miles was just drunk enough to let his proud smile show. "That's my girl." Bass rolled his eyes beside them. Personally, he hadn't seen the need for him to be here either, but Charlotte had insisted and besides, he felt better knowing she at least wouldn't be dealing with this alone.
As they approached the porch, they saw her. She was sitting down, knees pulled up to her chest. She looked lost. For a second he felt desperately sorry for her. And then she looked up, catching his eye. And she smiled at him. It was over in a flash and he was certain the others hadn't seen it but the crazy bitch had actually smiled! In that smile there was a promise of payback. But the worst she could do to him now, short of shooting him, would be to tell Charlie about that night in Philly - and he had beaten her to it.
The three of them came to a stop in front of her. Before any of them had a chance to speak, she addressed them, her eyes on Charlie. "You've come here to talk."
Charlie and Miles glanced at each other. She sounded perfectly calm. "Yeah, mom. We just wanna talk."
"Oh Charlie, I'm so sorry baby." Bass fought an urge to grab her and slam her headfirst into the ground as she grabbed at Charlotte, who flinched visibly, moving backwards. Rachel immediately shot him a dark look. This was fucking creepy.
It was Miles who spoke next, pain evident in his voice. "Why, Rachel? Do you really hate Bass enough to risk your own daughters life?"
"You don't understand," her voice was pleading, filled with distress, "he, he... there are things you don't know. Things he did to me... When I saw him touch Charlie it all came back to me like it was happening again, that's why I froze."
"Oh, come on, seriously Rachel?" Miles shot a warning glance his direction and he shut up, furious.
Rachel continued as if she didn't even hear him speak, "There was one night, he came to my room..." 'Oh here we go, her big confession, like it's an excuse.' "He'd been drinking and I-" Sobs overcame her for a second as three sets of eyes stared unblinking at her. Finally, she looked up at them, and uttered the three words that were going to reverberate through their lives for years to come, although none of them would realize that for a long time, "He raped me."
Bass had been expecting to hear something that made him sound like a bastard. Rachel had plied him with drink and then literally climbed into his lap, but he knew that her version of events would probably sound like he had been the aggressor, the one to seduce her, but this? And then what she had actually accused him of sank in. "You lying bitch!" Before he knew what he was doing he had launched himself at her. Miles snapped out of his stunned stupor long enough to pull him back.
Charlie felt like she had been punched in the stomach. Vaguely, she became aware of Monroe calling her name, struggling against Miles, "Charlie, she's lying, I swear to you she's lying her fucking ass off!" She stepped back away from the three of them, reeling from what her mother had just said. As Monroe's yelling began attracting the others she stood rooted to the spot. Aaron and Connor had come running out of the house, confusedly looking between them all. Connor reached for her arm and was shrugged off with such force he was nearly unbalanced.
"Will somebody please tell us what's going on?" Aaron looked to Miles, who was holding onto Monroe. Miles merely stared back at him, his face an expressionless mask.
Charlie looked across, her head pounding once more, like the inner turmoil had made the physical injury worse. She looked across at Monroe, slumped in Miles arms, looking totally defeated. Their eyes met and held. After a second she reached behind her and pulled her gun from her waistband.
As she raised her arm, she registered that the others were calling her name, telling her to stop, but she couldn't. This needed to happen. After all of the pain that had been caused, she finally understood how to end it. Enough was enough. How could she have been so stupid? So naive and full of hope that things would work out alright, that she knew the worst of all of them. Clearly she hadn't grown up half as much as she thought she had. There was pure hatred in her eyes as she aimed her weapon.
Not far from the house, Gene was collecting water for the night. His mind was full of his daughter and his grand daughter. Just as he was wondering what else would befall them before this was over, a gunshot echoed through the trees.
A/N -I know, I'm a bitch :)