Just a heads up, I updated the rating to M. I added a WHOLE LOT of fluff. Also, heads up for some more author's notes below. Enjoy!

Bass awoke first. It was already the afternoon. Being so close to Charlie was just making him feel even more guilty. He stood up and walked over to the lake. It was a gloomy morning. He thought the actual weather may be foreshadowing the events to come.

He hadn't gotten much sleep. He knew that what Charlie admitted to him last night was a huge deal. When he would tell her that he hadn't told her everything, she would feel duped. She would have every right to be angry. He just hoped he could convince her of his true intentions. He had only told Connor that he would re-create the republic, because he had to get him out of Mexico. Connor wanted to feel the glory of having such a massive empire. When Bass had promised him this, he knew exactly what Connor wanted, and he knew that he would never give that to his son for fear of him following the same path he did. He wanted to help Connor, not make things worse.

Thunder crashed in the sky. Charlie woke up at the sound. She rolled over to find that she was now alone. She sat up and spotted Bass at the lake. She got up and walked over to him. When she reached him, she wrapped her arms around him from behind and lightly kissed his shoulder.

He pulled away and turned to face her with a look of resentment on his face.

Charlie didn't know how to react. "You've changed your mind, haven't you," she asked as she backed away from him, nearly in tears again.

"No! No, I love you and that won't change." He was dreading what he was about to do.

"Then what's wrong?" Charlie hadn't the slightest idea of what he was about to tell her.

"There is something I have to tell you. You will probably hate me afterwards, but I need to be honest with you." Charlie looked terrified, which made this even harder for Bass to say. "When I went to Mexico to get Connor, he didn't come willingly. He said the only way he would come back is if we brought back the republic."

"What?" Charlie backed even farther away.

He took a step towards her, "It was the only way I could convince him to come back, but Charlie, there's more to it than that. Please…."

Before he could get another word out, she slapped him across the face as hard as she could.

"How dare you let me open up to you like I did last night knowing that I didn't know this. You knew this was going change how I felt. You manipulated me. You took advantage of me." She backed away further realizing how stupid she felt.

"Charlie, let me explain!"

At that moment, thunder rolled in the sky again, and rain began to fall. Charlie ran back to their campsite, grabbed her pack. She ran as quickly as she could towards an abandoned shack at the other end of the lake. She had spotted it when they arrived yesterday. It hadn't looked too stable, so she hadn't wanted to go there when they arrived, but now with the rain and what Bass had told her, she was glad it was there.

Bass grabbed his sack and ran after her. Screaming her name as he chased her. It was now storming.

As they both ran through the woods, their vision became obscured by the rain. Charlie finally reached the shack, hoping she had lost Bass. It was more like a shed actually. When she opened the door, she saw that it was just one room, stripped almost completely bare except for some old candles and blankets.

For a moment, Bass thought he lost her, but then he spotted the shack that she had spotted the day before. With the rain, he hoped that'd be where she went. He threw open the door to see her huddled in a corner. She was sitting, hugging her knees, shivering, soaking wet, with tears streaming down her face. He grabbed the blanket from his sack and walked over to her.

"Stay away from me!"

"Charlie, just listen. I can explain."

"Bass, stop!"

"No! You're going to hear me out. I had no intention of following through on that promise I made Connor. I don't want that republic back."

Charlie sat very still, desperately hoping to make some sense of what was happening. "Then why would you promise him that?"

He knelt down in front of her. "Before Miles & I started the republic, I was married. I had a wife who died giving birth. Our child died too. That was one of the reasons we started the republic, as a way to help people. It only got worse, because I became an empty person. When I left for Mexico, I was searching for a way to right my wrongs. A chance to have what I lost before. A chance to be a different, better person…for you. I had obviously already begun to develop feelings for you, and I knew that I couldn't be what you needed or wanted. I saw how greatly you changed Miles, and you had started to do the same for me. As much as I hoped that you could help me as much as you helped him, it wasn't fair of me to ask that of you."

"So you were just using Connor to redeem yourself?" Charlie still thought he was being manipulative.

"No! I had been looking for him the moment I found out he was alive, long before you and I went to Willoughby. Obviously, I was disappointed that he was already becoming what I was in the past. He's extremely power hungry. I told him what he wanted to hear to get him to come with me. I wanted to help him, and I couldn't do that while he was still in Mexico. I don't want him to become what I was. I would never wish that on anyone."

"So you're not planning on bringing back the republic, but he doesn't know?" While she was thankful he hadn't fallen back into his ways, she still felt a little doubtful. She was also surprised to hear of Connor's true intentions.

"That's what I've been wanting to ask you. After we dismantle the patriots, we have two options. I would be happy either way, as long as you're happy and still with me. We can either all live a quiet existence, or we can continue to protect those who need protecting."

Charlie sat their silent, pondering what he had just proposed. Over the past 2 years, she had begun to feel responsible for those around her, especially those who couldn't see they were being used, even those she didn't know. That's why she was fighting the Patriots. To protect those who couldn't protect themselves. She realized that Bass was being honest, but was scared that if she allowed him to even try to bring back the republic, especially with a power hungry Connor, he might become General Monroe again.

Bass could see the doubt on her face. "Look, I know what you're thinking. You think I'm going to become General Monroe again."

She looked away, ashamed that she had lost faith in him so quickly. While she was disappointed he hadn't told her the truth from the start, she knew that him being this honest was a big step for him. He wouldn't have told her all of this if he hadn't meant what he was saying.

Bass continued, "Last time we started the republic, I was empty. Now, I've never been more at peace. I've found my son, and I've found you. If you'll still have me, I know I would make you proud. I would never fall back to that place again."

"You say that now, but what if something were to happen to Connor or I? Are you just going to resort back to your old ways like you did the first time?"

"I wouldn't be able to for fear of corrupting memories of both of you. If anything were to happen to either of you, I wouldn't let your demise turn me back into a monster. Not again. Not like I did last time. You both deserve better." He was pleading her with his eyes to believe him.

"You promise?" Charlie believed him, but she wanted him to fully commit to what he was saying.

"I swear on my life, I will do everything in my power to make you proud in both life and death. I will not let you down Charlotte."

She stood from the ground, and he followed. She took hold of his hands. "I believe you. Whole heartedly. But you have to tell Connor the truth as soon as we got back. No more lies."

"I was going to talk to him the other day, but with everything that had been happening, I'd been unable to get him alone. As soon as we get back, I will. I promise." He couldn't believe that she would forgive him for not telling her this sooner. He had never loved her more than in this moment.

"Then, where you go I go." Charlie believed him. She trusted him. She loved him.

He watched as she lifted his hands to her mouth and kissed them. When she lowered them, he took hold of her face with both of his hands. He kissed her, but it was much more passionate than the kisses they shared the night before. She wrapped her arms around his waist, but then he pulled away. He was scared to move too fast, and so was she.

"I think we should light some of these candles. It's going to be dark soon, and there aren't any windows." Charlie nodded in agreement. She walked over and closed the door as Bass began lighting candles around the room. This was nice, they both thought, and quite romantic. Once they had set up the room, they unpacked their things. They were both still soaking wet, and somewhat muddy from running in the rain.

"I'm going to go wash off in the lake real quick before it gets too dark," Bass said to her. He began heading to the door, when she spoke up. "Wait for me. I want to get this mud off me too."

Charlie followed him outside. It was already somewhat dark, and it was still raining lightly. They walked into the lake, and Charlie began to take her top off.

"Charlie, I think we should maybe leave our clothes on." He was nervous what he might do if he saw her undress.
She smiled at him. "I'll leave on my bra and underwear, but I need to clean these clothes, Bass. You should clean your's too."

He grinned back at her. They both waited until they were fully submerged to undress. Once they cleaned off their clothes, the tossed them to a nearby rock.
Charlie swam closer to him and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"What was that for?"

"Just a thank you."

"For what?"

"For keeping this pure and honest. I can tell how much you care about me, and I want you to know I feel the same way. I want you know that I'm never going to give you up now."

"I'm yours?" Bass asked flirtatiously. He grabbed her hands under the water.

"You're mine, Sebastian." She replied. She pulled his arms around her bare waist.

He smiled, struggling not to unravel and push her to do something she may not want yet. "Sebastian? I like the sound of that." They couldn't stop smiling.

"Charlotte, you're mine too. I wish I could express to you just how much I love you. I just don't know if I can put it fully into words."

She loved it when he called her Charlotte. There was something about it that was so sincere. She was beginning to unravel. She wrapped her arms around his bare waist. "Then show me," she dared him.

That was it. He had come undone, and she had too. He leaned forward and kissed her passionately. She kissed him back with equal passion, their tongues colliding. They were awoken from their trance by the thunder tumbling in the sky.

Charlie spoke up, "I think we should get in side. The storm looks like it might get rough again."

Bass nodded in agreement. They walked out of the lake, both shivering as they collected their clothes. Bass grabbed ahold of Charlie's hand, and they quickly made their way back to the shed.

As they walked in, they were both giddy. Smiling & giggling. Not fully believing just how happy and how lucky they were. Bass closed the door after they had both gotten inside. Charlie stood shivering, but smiling, just staring at him. Bass grabbed a blanket off the floor and wrapped it around her shoulders. He grabbed another for himself. Charlie walked across the room to lay out her wet clothes. Bass did the same. They stood on opposite sides of the room.

Bass just stared at her, candle light flickering on her skin. "You are so beautiful."

She gave a timid smile. He had never said that to her before. No one had. She slowly began walking towards him.

Bass could sense what was about to happen. "Charlotte, we don't have to do anything you don't want to do. This is enough for me."

When she reached him, she replied, "Sebastian, you get me like know one else does. I promise. I want this."

She dropped her blanket and grabbed his neck, pulling his mouth to hers. He immediately gave in to her. As she slowly dropped her hands to his back and moved her kisses down his neck, he dropped his blanket. He moved his kisses down her neck and shoulders. Their lips met again. As they did, Bass grabbed her bottom and lifted her to him. She responded by wrapping her legs around his waist. He turned them both and pressed her back against a wall. Their embrace was now much more intimate than it had ever been. Charlie pulled his hands behind her back to undo her bra. He pulled his lips away for just a moment.

"You're sure?"

She smiled again and wrapped her arms back around him. "I've never been more sure."

They kept eye contact as he slowly unhooked her bra. Each of their hearts were racing. As the straps fell off her shoulders, she slowly pulled it off. They remained staring into each other's eyes. He moved his hands back to her butt and carried to her a blanket that they had laid out earlier to sleep on. He knelt down, while still holding her, then lowered her to the ground. As she reached back to adjust her position, he got his first glimpse of her bare chest, now greatly anticipating what was about to happen. She grabbed his neck and pulled him down on top of her. They kissed even more passionately than before, each of them wanting more of the other. They rolled over so that Charlie was on top of him.

She sat up and smiled down at him. She wanted him badly. She leaned back down and kissed his chest, slowly moving down to his pelvis. When she reached his boxers, she moved backwards onto her knees and slowly pulled them off. He sat up, moving onto his knees. She reached for his hands and guided them to the waist band of her underwear. She moved her hands to his neck, still gazing into his eyes. He kissed her neck, then her shoulder, then her breasts. She smiled again. As he continued down her body, she adjusted her position so that she could lay back down. When she did, he was able to pull away her underwear. He laid back down on top of her.

With that, she opened her legs wider, and he pushed himself inside of her. They began moving back and forth slowly. This was more than just sex. They were making love.

"Bass," Charlotte moaned.

"Charlie," he moaned back.

They began to move a little faster, staring into one another's eyes. As they were both on the verge of finishing. "I want you," she whispered into his ear. "I want you more," he whispered back. Their movements intensified, and then they slowed abruptly.

He leaned down and gave her one more passionate kiss.

"I love you, Charlotte."

"I love you too, Sebastian."

He moved off of her and began to make his way across the room to grab some more blankets. It was getting cold, and he was sure she would want to get some rest.

She laid there watching him, not quite ready to go to sleep. She rose to her feet. "That's it?" She was grinning from ear to ear.

He walked back towards her and picked her up again. This time with more force. He smiled. "Not if you don't want it to be." She let out a small laugh as he pushed her against a wall. He thrust back inside her, and she let out another moan.

The rest of the night, they couldn't stop smiling. They were unable to keep their hands off each other.

So my final 5 chapters kind of extended into like 10, lol. There's no way I'll be able to finish them before the show now, but I think it's better that I wait. The story will be better, because I'll have more time. It probably won't be posted till Sunday, so I hope this chapter is able to hold you over till then. I know that some of this chapter was probably completely unrealistic. I mean I definitely think the interactions regarding the republic could happen, but everything else is probably a stretch, but one can dream, right? Also, I've never really written any intimate scenes before now, so I'm so sorry if it came off as totally awkward instead of intimate. If it did, someone please tell me, and we can work on a re-write, lol. Seriously though, I'd really like some feedback on this chapter specifically since it's so different than everything else I've written so far! Thanks again for reading, and look for more posts this weekend! :)