So here it is, the final chapter to this story. But don't worry, I have plans to continue this.

Even though we are so far off canon now, a small bit of dialogue comes from Declaration Of Independence just because I thought that little scene between Charlie and Miles was so sweet that I wanted to incorporate it into this. Also, a few things may seem a little off from the show, but this is continuing out from New Vegas which was different, so let's just say we're still in my fantasy Revolution world. ;)

Also, I want to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. You guys are the best! Thank you so much.

And I still own nothing from Revolution. Still wanting David Lyons though...

They had a lot to get done before the gang split up to head off in separate directions. By tomorrow, their little group would be heading east, west, and north, with Gene returning discreetly to Austin to keep a covert eye on Blanchard. Rachel had fought it, wanting him to come along, to stay away from the Patriots, but he insisted he'd be safe and that they needed eyes and ears in Texas. Miles also figured that too much traveling would be hard on her father; since Marion's death, the man had aged a decade.

Rachel and Charlie had gone into the closest little town to gather supplies for their journey. Miles really couldn't wait to get underway. After all the sci-fi mumbo-jumbo crap Aaron had spilled last night, he really just wanted to get on a horse and ride for hours. Preferably in the opposite direction of the way Aaron and Priscilla were heading. Thank God he, Rachel, and Charlie were headed east.

He was prepping the wagon for their trip when Bass approached. "They know to get two wagons, right?"

"Yeah, Bass, they know. One for you and one for Aaron and Priscilla."

Miles cast a glance over at the portly man and the frail woman. They were heading into Idaho, to some town called Bradbury. Oh, what the hell did he know; he'd barely understood a word that came out of Aaron's mouth last night. He'd wait until he could get Rachel alone so she could explain it to him in layman's terms.

"Do you think there's really a threat from these Nanite things Stay-Puft was talking about?"

"I don't know, Bass."

"I'm not even sure I understand what he was talking about."

They exchanged a look, and he felt infinitely better. Bass had always been smarter than him, at least as far as book knowledge went. His best friend could have easily gotten into college, if he hadn't decided to follow Miles into the Marines. At one point he'd felt bad about that, like he was keeping Bass away from things he could have accomplished. But the longer they'd been in the military, the happier he'd been to have his brother at his side.

"I know I didn't understand what he was talking about," Miles said.

"Of course you didn't, you troglodyte." Another look, blue eyes on brown, and they burst into laughter. "Do you even know what that word means?"

"Shut up, asshole." But the words were affectionate. It was seriously great to have Bass back. God, he'd missed the hell out of his best friend, and it was wonderful not to have him buried under General Monroe any longer.

"You told him, right? Six months and we all meet up again, no matter what happens."

"Yeah, I told him. You worried about Aaron now, buddy?" Miles smirked. "I thought you thought he was a pain in the ass. Not worth dying over."

Bass shrugged. "Can't exactly go wasting the friends I have left, can I?"

He nodded. Bass had already lost Connor, and all that remained was the little family they'd made. "Aaron says that they just need to see what's going on up there. Bradbury, he said. Apparently, Priscilla keeps having nightmares about it."

"Yeah," Bass murmured. "Nightmares I can understand."

They never talked about it, but he knew Philly, thoughts of Philly being leveled by nukes, still plagued Bass. "Well, he said they'd do some recon on it and then head to the rendezvous point."

"Recon?" Monroe scoffed. "You do realize in about six months we're going to be saving their asses from HAL9000 up there."

Yeah, that sci-fi reference he got. "If these little machines have truly turned evil, how are we going to fight that? You and I, we fight people. I don't understand something coming out of the X-Files. I got nothing. That fight's up to Aaron, Rachel, and Priscilla. We have to concentrate on this. Especially after Marion's warning about reinforcements. We gotta get troops and go after the Patriots."

"Yeah, remind me again why I'm the one going west and you're going after my militia?"

"They're not your militia anymore," he snapped. "And...the last time you saw any militia troops, they shot at you."

Bass cocked an eyebrow. "There is that. But that was all Neville's fault, the son of a bitch."

He steered the conversation away from Tom; thinking on it inevitably brought up Connor, and that wound was still too raw for Monroe. "Anyway, think of it as a vacation. At one time, California was beautiful."

"Before they had an insane dictator take over everything." Bass seemed to catch the irony in his own words. He rolled his eyes at Miles's smile. "Yeah, yeah, shut up. Whatever."

"California liked you once upon a time."

"Oh, right, before I turned Affleck down from all her advances. The woman wanted me to marry her to expand our empires."

"Well, you could have-"

"She was already married, the crazy psycho! The Republic never condoned polygamy, what the hell do you think would have happened if the President ended up in that kind of marriage? We wouldn't have needed rebels to take us down." Bass shook his head. "Plus, she was, like, 150 years old a decade ago."

"She was not 150. And age was never an issue for you."

"She was 150 and looked like a creature from the Dark Crystal!" Monroe shouted. Aaron looked over at them before shaking his head and going back to packing. "And I like younger women."

And that was the lead-in he'd been waiting for. Miles was a little nervous over where this was going to go. He kept praying that he wouldn't have to kill his best friend for real this time. But just that morning, he woke before everyone else and saw the two of them sleeping, his niece's head perilously close to Bass's shoulder. It had pissed him right off. And he'd been holding it in all day.

"So...speaking about younger women..." He hauled off and punched Bass in the face. Aaron popped up and started over to them. Miles stopped him with just a finger.

It wasn't a hard punch, and he knew he hadn't particularly hurt Bass; the truth was they hit each other harder while training. He just wanted to make a point.

Monroe glared at him, wiping at his face. A tiny bit of blood came away from a cut on his left cheek. "What the hell was that for?"

"What the hell did you do to her, you son of a bitch?" Bass crinkled his eyes, confusion evident. "I asked you when you first came to Willoughby with her what you did to her, and you told me nothing."

A light dawned in his best friend's eyes, making them even brighter than usual. "I didn't do anything to her."

"You did something. I woke up and found her leaning into you in her sleep. And you weren't exactly backing away."

"I didn't touch her, I swear."

Miles studied his brother. And found something he didn't like behind those baby blues. "No, you...you did something worse, didn't you? You turned on the charm. You bastard, you charmed her."

"Oh, Jesus Christ, Miles. What am I, a wizard?"

"You did that thing that you do that women love. That thing you have that women fall for all the time. You turned it on my niece." He was really getting fired up now.

"I did not." Bass looked away. Oh, hell, if that wasn't a guilty response. "I never did that."

"Well, you did something to her."

"I talked to her!" Monroe's calm demeanor finally broke. "We were on the road, Miles. We were bored out of our minds. I was honest with her, something she seemed to be lacking a bit from her family. Honesty. I opened up to her...like I haven't opened up to anyone not named 'Miles' in a long time. Or since, at least..."

"Shelly." His heart slammed in chest. Bass hadn't spoken about anyone that way since Shelly. Damn it. "Oh, you son of bitch, it's worse."

"What are you talking about?"

"You fell in love with her."

"Miles..."

"You fell in love with her." He was going to have to do it. Murdering his best friend was the only way to stop this. "When you charm women, they adore you. When you fall in love with them, they love you back like you're...the second-coming, like you're the best thing to ever walk on the face of the earth. They love you back with all of their hearts. Did you do that to my niece?"

"I..."

"Jesus, Bass." He stared at his brother; he understood Bass's charm more than just about anyone. Their relationship was completely platonic, but he really did love the son of a bitch. If he'd been gay, he probably would have fallen for the jackass. As it was, they both were only into women. And Bass loved women to a fault. But none of those women had ever been Charlie before. This was just all sorts of bad. "Do you love her?"

He steeled himself, waiting for a lie to pop out of his best friend's mouth. He was surprised when he heard the truth. "I love her more than I've ever loved anyone. In my life. Ever."

"Are you joking me?"

"No, I'm dead serious." Bass's face was solemn. "I've never loved anyone like this. Not like this."

"Cripe, you talk about her the way I talk about..."

"The way you talk about Rachel?" Monroe chuckled. "Yeah. She's my Rachel, Miles. Charlie is my Rachel."

"Christ, man."

"Are you surprised, really? You know me and the Mathesons. Are you shocked that the love of my life is a Matheson?"

He looked so damn sincere; it killed Miles to say what he had to. "All right, I don't want to be, but I have to be an insensitive dick here, Bass. You love her. The women that you love die."

"Jesus, Miles."

"I warned you. Insensitive dick mode. I prefaced the last sentence with that." Bass shook his head. "This girl. This girl is like my...daughter."

"Yeah, that's a good question. Is she?" He could tell Monroe was getting as pissy as he felt.

"No, she's not."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I asked." Bass just stared at him, those fiery blue eyes drilling into him. "Rachel wouldn't have lied, not about that."

"Kay." They'd drop the subject. Both would consider it closed.

"She's not my kid, Bass, but if I were to have a kid, I'd want it to be her. Apparently, she inherited all those traits from my grandfather."

"Oh, hell." Bass frowned. "I remember he was a tough-ass son of a bitch. But I could actually see that in Charlie. Danny must have been more like Ben. Like your grandma."

"Probably," Miles said. "I didn't have a lot of time with the kid."

His best friend looked away. He knew that was a sore spot for Bass, but he wasn't the one he needed to make amends with over Danny. "I'm sorry for that."

"Yeah, I know." He didn't want to hurt his best friend anymore than he had to, but this wasn't about Bass. It was about Charlie. There wasn't a lot he wouldn't do for the kid, including cause pain to someone else he loved. "Still in dick mode. Two women you loved have died. Shelly was not your fault. But Emma most certainly was."

"First off, do you really think I would hurt Charlie? Do you really still think that little of me, brother, because I thought we kind of made up back there? You know, after we killed each other."

"Bass..."

"You think I wouldn't lay down my life for her, Miles, cause I would. I've killed for her. I most certainly would die for her. That's first. Second...fuck you, Miles." He could see the tears forming in Monroe's eyes. "I would have given anything to take Shelly's place."

He sighed. "Yeah, I know. I just...it's Charlie."

"Yeah, I understand that, so I'm giving you a pass on what you said. Meaning, I won't knock your block off." His brother breathed deeply. He had often ribbed Bass about it, but it had always been his calming mechanism. "But like you said, Shelly wasn't my fault, so here's this. I'm not planning on getting Charlie pregnant anytime soon. Since we're not even in the initial stages of the relationship, I don't see it happening. But if we ever got to that point and we did decide to have kids, how anal retentive do you think I'd be about it?"

He swallowed thickly. He really didn't want to think about his best friend and his niece even being in a position to have a child. Or in any position at all. Oh, God, just drop the entire line of thought. "I get it."

"Do you?" Wow, he'd really pissed Bass off. "She'd probably kill me by the end of it because I'd probably chain her to the bed. And I'd have every doctor within a hundred mile radius at her disposal 24/7. But we're not really at that point yet."

"Thank God," he muttered.

Bass ignored him. "And if you think I'm just going to drag her into a firefight-"

Miles chuckled. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, all right, that's probably gonna happen. But not because I want it to. It'll be because she bowled me over to get into the action," Bass said. "And of course I would protect her, not that she needs me. The girl's the finest damn fighter I've seen since...you."

There was silence as they stared at one another.

"All right, so you love her." He didn't want to budge an inch on this, but the emotions radiating off Bass were practically off the charts. It was obvious his best friend was in love. With his damn niece. Yeeuck...

"Yeah, I do."

"Like love of your life, love her."

"Yeah."

"So what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing."

Miles was stunned. "What?"

"I'm not doing anything, Miles. Because it's up to her. You know that I love her...she doesn't. She hasn't asked because she doesn't want to know. She's not at that point yet." Bass sighed. "So I'm not doing anything until she makes the decision."

He would rather shoot himself in the foot than say the words that were about to come out of his mouth. But he loved both of these idiots, so... "She loves you, too."

"Yeah, well, I don't know that."

"Bass, yes you do." He'd spent enough time with Charlie to see the way she was suddenly acting. He wasn't stupid enough to think that it wasn't directly related to his best friend. Bass wasn't either.

"It's up to her to tell me when she's ready to tell me. So until that point, I'm doing nothing other than being there for her, being her friend. She's calling all the shots here, Miles. I am here when she needs me, whenever she needs me." When his brother started talking about being friends with a woman, he was really lost. Miles hated this, but there was no stopping the Charlie and Bass train now. "You know this about me. You know how fierce I am about defending the people I love."

He couldn't fault Bass there. "Yeah, I know."

"And I'm not that guy who dragged Emma into that shootout, not anymore." Monroe poked him in the shoulder. "You know why? Because of her. Yeah, brother, you know, I wanted your forgiveness, I did. But I changed for her, because of her. Because Charlie saw something in me, and she brought it out. And, Jesus, if anybody can understand that it should be you."

He did know. Charlie had done the same thing for him. Of course, he'd ended up wanting her to be his daughter, not wanting to suck face with her. Oh, Christ, he didn't even like having that thought. How the hell was he going to deal with Bass and Charlie...

"She saw through all the shit, Miles, and she pulled out the good part of you. The part of you that existed before the Blackout. And guess what she did for me?"

"Yeah, but I didn't fall in love with her."

"Like hell you didn't." If Bass even suggested he thought of Charlie that way, he'd throttle him right here. "You fell in love with her the way any father falls for their little girl. She's become your daughter, Miles. Even if it's not biological."

His brother was right. He actually couldn't deny that he felt that way about Charlie. He loved her with all his heart, just in a completely different way from Bass. "I know."

"Do you know how grateful I am to her? She not only stopped the darkness inside me, she pushed it back. She made me realize that the only reason I ever thought about regaining the Republic was because of Connor. She's made everything in my life better. And I'm not about to give her up now."

Yeah, but while Bass was westward bound, Charlie was heading east. At least her mother thought she was. "You know, Rachel assumes Charlie's coming with us."

Bass nodded.

"Have you asked Charlie what she wants yet?" Miles asked.

"No."

Jesus, did he have to play matchmaker now for these two? Because he'd really rather cut off his pinkie finger than throw these idiots into a relationship. The thought of them being intimate gave him the shakes. Miles sighed. "Well, dickhead, although I appreciate the fact that you respect her enough to let her make the first move, you should maybe at least tell her you want her to come with you. With the way you two hem and haw, you'll be separated and miserable before either one of you decides to come clean, so..."

Bass raised an eyebrow. "Are you giving me relationship advice on Charlie now?"

"Ehhhh..." He raised his hands in protest of hearing anything else related to Bass and Charlie. "I hate this whole idea, Bass. I mean I really hate it."

"Yeah, I get it, brother." His best friend frowned. "She slept with Connor. How do you think I feel?"

"No...enough...no more. I don't want to hear any of this soap opera shit where my niece is concerned, all right?" He shuddered. "You're too old for her. You led a Republic that cost her half her family. And you have a tendency to go insane when you lose people you love."

"You think I haven't thought of those things?"

Miles's expression softened. "Well, think about this. Your age makes you mature enough for a young woman who grew up too fast. Leading the Republic means you're the only other man qualified enough to protect her. And your penchant for the crazy means you're fiercely loyal. Charlie, the Charlie that came to find me in Chicago, she was suited for a young man like Jason. The Charlie who walked out of that tower a year ago outgrew him. And the Charlie that I see now, well, she just may be your soul-mate, Bass."

The last time he remembered seeing Bass look at him so gratefully was when he'd found him at his family's gravesite, and he'd reminded him he wasn't alone. "Miles..."

"I love you two morons, so I guess it's up to me to make sure you get it right." His brother chuckled. "But Bass, if you fuck this up, I really will kill you."

She got back close to four in the afternoon, her and Rachel each driving a small wagon with a few horses. One was meant to be for Aaron and Priscilla's trek north to Idaho. And the other was meant for Bass, for his solo journey to California. It was expected that she head east with her mother and Miles. As much as she loved her uncle, the idea of Rachel and her in close quarters for six months was frightening. Going back to Austin with her grandfather seemed less daunting.

But she didn't want to go with either of them. She wanted to go with him. With Bass. She just wasn't sure how to ask or how to even approach the subject with him really. They'd fallen asleep near each other last night, but he hadn't touched her. Which was understandable with her mother and Miles so close.

But the truth was she had no idea where she stood with him at all.

They'd talked at the lake, and he'd opened up to her, even more than he had on the road, more than she'd ever expected him to. And they'd cried together. And flirted. But she still didn't know what he really felt for her. Neither one of them had revealed any deeper feelings for the other, so it might be just as much her fault, but damn it, she was scared.

Which was stupid. She wanted things; she took them. She'd wanted Connor, so she'd jumped him. It should have been that easy with Bass. But it wasn't because...because Bass meant more. And she really didn't want to screw this one up. They'd both been hurt too many times.

But she couldn't have been misreading all those signals he sent her way, could she? The way he looked at her when he thought no one was around had to mean something. She got shivers just thinking about his electric blue eyes roving over her.

Damn it, hadn't they forged something together at the lake? Why was she being such a wimp?

And what if she told the rest of the group she wanted to go with Bass? Shit, imagine the fit her mother would throw then. Rachel would handle it better if she said she wanted to go with Aaron. In fact, her mom probably wouldn't even bat an eyelash over that one. But Bass. As nice as Rachel was being to him, it was a tenuous truce at best. Him sweeping her daughter away to the west coast might shatter the fragile peace.

She pulled the wagon up next to the barn, her eyes seeking out Monroe. She didn't see him, but she noticed Miles sitting next to the campfire they'd started right before breakfast. Her stomach rumbled, and she realized it was nearly time for dinner. It had taken them long enough to procure all the provisions they'd needed.

She turned back towards her mother and found her speaking to Aaron. Looking at Miles, she headed over to him. There was something she needed to say to him anyway.

Plopping down across from him, she focused all her attention on her uncle. He glanced up at her and found her eyes on him. His face went from confused to almost embarrassed.

"What?" he asked.

"Six months is a long time."

"For what?"

"Two people to get to know each other again," she said. His eyes narrowed at her. "I think you and my mom should give it a shot. A real one."

He tilted his head. "Give what a shot?"

"Don't be an idiot. Look, I wish things could have been different for me and Jason, and now I'll never get the chance to make things right with him." She loved Bass; she really did. But she would have at least liked to make her peace with Jason.

"Jason, huh?"

Stop trying to divert attention, Miles. "You love her. She loves you. It's kind of an open secret. You guys deserve to run off and be happy together. I'm glad it's you, Miles. I want it to be you."

God, the way he looked at her. She loved him as much as she'd loved her dad. After losing Ben, she couldn't have asked for a better father than Miles Matheson. "Charlie, I..."

"I love you, Miles."

"Aw, kiddo. I love you, too." He stood up, stepped over to her and hugged her. She put her arms around him and sighed; Miles could be so stingy with hugs, so she liked to savor them when he gave one out. She heard him huff out a deep breath. "But you know, your mom and I, we could probably use some time alone. If we really want to give it a shot."

She pulled back, looking up at him, his arms still loosely around her. "You don't want me to come?"

"I didn't say that. You're welcome with us anytime, Charlie. You know that." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm just saying that, there are other convoys leaving tomorrow, if you wanted to choose one. There's an extra horse if you want to ride back with Gene. And Aaron and Priscilla could easily fit you in if you wanted to head north."

She chuckled. Yeah, all sorts of options, except the one she wanted.

"And you know...Bass doesn't actually have anyone going with him..." She gaped at him. Did he really just suggest she go with Monroe? "Before the Blackout, California was nice. Might still be."

She caught his eye and she knew. He knew. How he'd figured it out, she wasn't sure, but he knew how much she wanted to go with Bass. Maybe he even knew how she felt about his best friend.

The only problem was she wasn't sure if Bass wanted her to go. "And I'm so sure Monroe wants me tagging along."

"Well, Charlie, why don't you just ask him?" Miles smiled and nodded across the yard to his friend. "I seem to recall you getting an invite to New Vegas."

Yeah, that had worked out so well. She'd slept with Connor and nearly ruined everything. But Miles was right. Monroe had actually asked her to come along with him and his son.

"Go on, kid. I'll distract your mom for a while." He smirked at her. Damn it, he did know. And he wasn't fighting her on it. Would wonders never cease?

She turned to Bass. He lingered by the barn, leaning against the side as if he didn't have a care in the world, but his eyes were on her. Without making any motions or signals, he was willing her over. Well, they did have to talk. There was still something she had to share with him. One final secret from the last night in Willoughby that she hadn't yet spilled.

She strolled over to him, beautiful in the sunlight, and his heart tripped. He was so gone on this tiny little girl. Check that, tiny little fierce-ass warrior woman. How had he lost his heart to her so easily?

She stopped in front of him, her sharp blue eyes locked on his. "Didn't see you when I first got back."

"I was getting things together. Packing," he said.

"For the big trip."

"Right." So they were just going to dance around the huge elephant? What was it about her that turned him into a teenager asking for a first date? Actually, he hadn't been as nervous asking girls out back then. And he was so far removed from that kid in high school anyway. But Charlie just played havoc on his entire system.

Jesus, he should just grab her and kiss her. But he'd told Miles he was holding back. Letting her make the first move. And for her sake, he was sticking to that. "How was town?"

"Nothing special." She smiled, seeming to realize they were both avoiding any serious topics. "Can I talk to you though? Not here."

"Yeah, sure." With a quick glance at Rachel, who Miles seemed to have preoccupied, he led Charlie into the nearby woods. He had things he needed to ask her himself. Finding a small clearing, he turned to her.

She seemed to be bracing herself to speak. He wasn't sure whether to be anxious or scared. "There's something I have to...to tell you."

Well, that sounded ominous. A sinking feeling was settling in his heart. "Okay."

"I'm not sure how to say it. So, I'm just going to come right out and say it." God, this wasn't happening. She wasn't telling him it was over before it began, was she? And, Jesus, weren't his paranoid days behind him? "I saw Connor."

He blinked, that was the last thing he'd expected. "Connor? When?"

"In Willoughby. As I was sneaking out after shooting the President." She reached for his hand. "He saw you and Miles shoot each other."

"Wha-what did he say?"

She was chuckling as she walked towards the secret side access into town. She didn't stop to look at the events playing out in front of the President's office, but she could hear her mother's cries. Even though it was all pretend, she really had no desire to see her uncle and Bass lying on the ground, faking death. It was something she could too easily imagine seeing in real life.

She was almost to the entrance gate when she noticed him. He must have crept into Willoughby while the town was so unprotected. He stood there, still as a statue, his eyes riveted on the scene a few yards away. She didn't have a lot of time to linger, but for Bass's sake, she needed to at least speak to him.

"Connor?" She tiptoed over to him, breaking his concentration. He looked at her, his eyes harder than she ever remembered seeing his father's.

"So they did it. They killed one another."

How could she tell him what had really happened? He'd betrayed his father and disappeared with Tom Neville. There was no doubt in her mind that she couldn't trust him. But her love for Bass insisted that she try. She stepped up to him, and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him. "I'm so sorry. Things got out of control with them. Things just always got out of control with them."

He resisted, barely patting her on the back before pulling away. "So now I really have nothing. Not that the son of a bitch was going to get me the Republic back anyway."

That damned Republic. How she hated it for all it had done and all it had taken away. From all of them. She reached out for his hand. "Maybe you don't need the Republic, Connor. Maybe all you need is family."

"My father is dead."

"You could still come with us. With the rest of us."

"No thanks. Living in some shitty little town with some screwed up family, not really my thing. I could have had that in Mexico." He pulled his hand away.

He was angry, and he was hurt, and she could tell he really wanted nothing to do with any of them. But for Bass she had to throw out at least one more bone. "What if your father wasn't really dead? What if you had another chance?"

He scoffed. "Christ, Charlie, what are we kids? They're dead."

She couldn't tell him. God help her, she just didn't trust him enough. "Well, what would you say to him if you could?"

"I'd say good riddance. I should have shot him when he tried to leave with you and Miles."

The disgust she felt for this little shit reached an all time high. "He came back for you. To look for you."

"Yeah, what did he expect me to do? Sit around and wait for Mr. Hero to come back, offering me more excuses and more promises he was never going to deliver on. I don't need him to get the Republic back. I'll do it on my own."

"With Tom Neville?" she asked, her voice hard.

"A man like Neville is worth twelve Monroe's. He's not afraid to do what it takes."

God, this idiot was so deluded. How did this kid ever spring from Monroe's loins? At least Bass had always understood the value of family. "You're so wrong."

"Yeah, Charlie, too bad you don't have a shot now, since my old man is dead." She glared at him. "Yeah, I know you wanted him. Hell, you wanted him in New Vegas, but I just seemed like the safer bet, right?"

"You son of a bitch." She wished she could take that entire night back. She wished she could have been brave enough to confront the only Monroe she wanted.

"Whatever. Without that bastard to drag me down, I'm going to get that Republic back, and I'm going to rule it. I'm glad he's gone. Now I don't have to pretend to give a shit about a man I never knew."

"That wasn't his fault."

"I don't care. I left my entire life behind, and I got nothing to show for it. This is over."

He turned without another word and walked away.

"Bass?"

"So that's it then." He closed his eyes. "He's glad I'm dead."

"I think he was hurting. I think he's confused. And I thought he would have realized I wasn't as upset as I should have been if the two of you were really dead. I think he didn't want to know-"

"Oh, Charlie. You really do want to see the best in everyone." He sighed. Letting go of his son was going to be one of the hardest things he would ever do. "But I can't go back for him. It's done. I love him, and I always will. But I have to move on, and hope that one day, maybe...I can find him again. And just hope we're not on opposite sides of a gun. I guess I understand now, how it was for your uncle."

Tears filled her eyes. "I'm sorry, Bass. I tried, I really did. I offered for him to come with my family. But he didn't want to listen."

"I know you did. And it's not your fault, none of it is." He placed his hands on her shoulders; she was crying on his behalf yet again. God, he loved her. "Thank you. Thank you for even trying."

She swiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket. "I'm sorry we haven't gotten to talk since Willoughby."

"Me, too." There were things he wanted to say, but his mind felt so scattered after the news of his son, and all the emotions she was causing inside him. His hands slid down her arms and grabbed hers, pulling her along to sit down by him as they leaned back against a large oak tree. "So everything went okay? With the President?"

"It went well. I wonder how long it took before they found him."

"Don't know. But we got away, so..."

"Yeah, we did." She looked at him. "Bass, I wanted to ask, when Marion mentioned reinforcements, I couldn't imagine where they might have come from. But you seemed to have an idea."

He turned to her, and their eyes met. "When these Patriots went into hiding in Cuba, they were members of the U.S. government. So my thought was where are government guys going to get a bunch of soldiers? And the only answer I could think of was the army. The United States Army."

Charlie gasped. "You think the troops coming up from South America are U.S. military forces?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense. Where does one get a ready-made army, unless they already have one? That's another reason we need trained soldiers to get this done."

"And Miles agrees?" Of course she would assume he told her uncle. Which he had. She knew them both so well.

"He does. Charlie, when the Blackout happened, Miles and I were on base. And there was just...nothing. No messages, no missions, no orders. We waited for six months before realizing there was no one in charge anymore. So in that time, where did the entire government go?"

"Cuba."

He nodded. "I think they took troops and sent them to South America, and then hid themselves in Cuba, waiting for the time they could come back. They waited for us to set up militias, republics, federations, and then just destroy each other. Then they swooped back in."

"We need forces then." She leaned her head back against the tree and turned it towards him again. "Do you think California will help?"

He chuckled. "I don't know. I'm going to try."

"Well, just turn on the charm. It always works." She smiled at him.

"Governor Affleck is a scary old woman."

"Or not." They laughed. God, this was idiotic. They were both avoiding anything but small talk. Not that he didn't like just chatting with her. He could just talk and laugh with her and be happy. But she was one day away from riding off with her mother and Miles, leaving him alone and without her company for the next six months. There were other things they needed to discuss.

Well, no guts no glory. "Charlie-"

"Bass-" They laughed as they spoke over each other. "You go first."

"No, you," he said.

"I just wanted to...I just wanted to apologize again." Her icy blue eyes locked on him. "For everything."

"Charlie, you don't have to-"

She pressed a finger against his lips. "No, I do. I know we had this big plan, and I know it required us to turn against you, but Bass, it went too far. You got hurt. I could see it. When we shut you out of that gas station, I know you were pretending...but I also know it wasn't completely an act. I never wanted it to come to that."

"I know, Charlie." He pressed a hand to her cheek. "But thank you for caring about me anyway."

"When you left, I was so worried." He stroked her jaw with his fingers. He could see the pain in her eyes, pain for him. "I was worried that something would go terribly wrong. And the last thing that would be between us, between all of us, was you on the outside. After Jason...I never got to make up with him, and I couldn't bear the thought of things ending that way with you."

Two thick, hot tears fell down her face. "Charlie, it was hard. I won't lie to you. It hurt, so much more than I thought it would. But I knew deep inside that it was necessary. And I probably even deserved it-"

"No-"

"Yes." God, how far had they come that she went from wanting him dead to defending him. To not even wanting cruel words to touch him. He entwined their fingers, bringing her hand up and kissing the back of it. "We did what we had to do, and we survived. I don't blame any of you for it. Least of all you, Charlie."

"But you looked so upset when you left. I hated you being away from all of us. I hated it. You're a part of our family. You're part..." She choked back a sob, and he pulled her close, wrapping his arms tightly around her. My God, she was twisting his heart around her little finger with absolutely no effort whatsoever. She worried about him; she considered him part of her family. In the last 10 years, the only other person he could remember who cared about him even half that much was Miles.

He stroked her hair. "Charlie. I hated walking away from you, from all of you. And it ripped at me to have to be against Miles again. To have to hurt him, to have to hurt all of you. But we had no choice. It's over now. We're together again."

She pulled away and gazed up at him; he brushed away the remnants of her tears. "We're together for now. Till tomorrow."

"Yeah." Ok, here was his chance. Ask her dickhead. Ask! "I, uh..."

Her eyes never left his. "Bass?"

"I'm sorry I let Neville threaten you. I was ready to kill him, Charlie. I would have broken cover to keep you safe." Shit, he was such a pussy. A very familiar sad little smile graced her face. "You knew I wouldn't let him hurt you, right?"

"Yeah, I knew. I know. You're always there when I need you, Monroe."

What the...Monroe? When did that name come back? What the hell did he do? "I always will be."

She nodded, pulling away from him and standing up. "We have a lot of packing to do. We should probably get back."

What the hell was happening here? She'd gone from hot to cold in about three seconds. "Charlie, I-"

"You have a long trip ahead of you, to California." She turned and walked away. He stood there, stunned and speechless. He was rarely speechless.

They'd been talking and cuddling, and he'd been about to ask her to come with him. But then he'd wussed out and brought up Neville instead. Then she just up and ran out like he'd grown a third eye in the middle of his forehead.

Eyes. She'd been looking into his eyes when he'd abandoned his original train of thought. They held entire conversations without ever opening their mouths, which meant she knew what he was thinking. She must have seen the question in his eyes and then saw him choose not to ask it. Hell, did she seriously think he didn't want her with him?

He ran after her, grabbing her arm to stop her before they neared the barn and the rest of their group. "Charlie, wait..."

She spun around; she didn't seem angry, but she didn't seem really happy either. "What?"

"I was wondering if...I wondered if..." Great time to sound like a 13-year-old idiot, dumb-ass. Talking to women was easy for him; he had conquests under his belt that stretched back longer than she was born. Wonderful, that's a fantastic topic to bring up right now. So why was this so hard? Because her answer could affect the rest of his life. "I thought maybe...look California's a rough place."

"I get it, okay. You go do your thing...I'll do mine. I'll see you in six months." She scoffed, ripping her arm away from him and walking away again.

"Charlie!" His shout stopped her in her tracks, and he moved to stand directly in front of her. "What I was going to say was that California is a rough place. It's also quite a long trip and rather lonely. It would be nice to have a traveling companion."

"Do you want me to ask Miles for you?" There was a smile hidden behind the cocky look. "Cause I think he wants to go with my mother."

Smart ass. "Charlie...come."

"Where?"

She was not going to make this easy for him. "Charlotte, come to California with me."

The smile broke through, blinding him in its brilliance. "Okay, Bass."

He grinned and knew the wattage of it match hers. He yanked her into his arms and hugged her, kissing the top of her head. It still wasn't a declaration of love, and he still wasn't sure she was ready for that. But she wanted to go with him, that much was obvious. And for right now, he could live with that.

She was relaxing by the fire when Rachel dropped down next to her. "So...Miles tells me you're not coming with us."

Oh, boy. This was all she needed. "Mom..."

"You're going to California...with Monroe." The tone wasn't angry, but there was an edge to it.

"I thought you forgave him."

Rachel crossed her arms and shook her head. "I haven't forgiven him for everything, Charlie."

"Look, Mom..." She so did not want to have this argument on their last night together.

"I know you've become...friends with him." God, could she get lucky enough that her mother thought that was all she felt for the man? "But I don't want you to think that Miles and I don't want you to come with us."

Huh? "Um, I don't think that."

"Miles told me what you said to him. About he and I giving it a chance." Rachel sighed. "I did love your father, Charlie."

"Just not the way you love Miles." She could understand that. She'd loved Jason, just not the way she loved Bass.

Rachel reached out a hand and placed it on Charlie's head, stroking her hair. "I admit it would be nice to spend time with him, but you are my daughter, and you're welcome to come with us. Honey, Miles loves you as much as I do."

She smiled. "Yeah, I know that, Mom. But I think the two of you should be alone for a bit. I know this is a working vacation, but there has to be some fun time on it, right? You and Miles deserve that."

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Then enjoy it together." She glanced at Bass across the yard; he was discussing something with her uncle, and eyeing her as discreetly as he could. "And don't worry about me. I want to see the ocean. Just go be with Miles."

"I hope someday you love someone as much as I love Miles." Well, looked like that little tidbit of information was still safe. So Miles hadn't spilled the secret he'd discovered. Talk about loving her enough to cover for her. She'd have to thank her uncle.

"Yeah, that'd be great." There was no way she was breaking that kind of news to her mother tonight.

Rachel stood, her gaze traveling over to Miles and Monroe. "Just be careful."

Jesus, her mother was going to let her go with Bass, without any kind of recriminations or fuss. "Mom, in spite of what you may think of him, Monroe will look out for me. He's saved my life before."

"I know. He's kept good on his promise."

His promise? "His what?"

"He promised me in the Tower that he wouldn't let another one of my children die. He swore to me he'd keep you safe." Rachel glanced down at her. "Do you need a blanket, Honey? You look like you might be shivering."

Only the once, when the shudder ran through her at the thought that everything he'd done for her was because of a promise he made her mother. It couldn't be that.

"Charlie?"

"I'm fine, Mom." She caught his eye again. It wasn't about her mother; it was about her. Wasn't it?

She stood there as the sun rose, preparing to say goodbye to the people who mattered most in her life. Her family. Aaron and Priscilla had left 20 minutes ago. Her grandfather had ridden off 10 minutes after that. Her mother still had tears streaming down her face from their goodbye. Charlie hadn't fared much better. Gene was old, and he was heading back into enemy territory. Anything could happen to him before the six months was up. She just had to pray that he would be all right.

While Monroe was securing the last of their gear on the wagon, Rachel and Miles stepped up to her.

"Well, kiddo...try to keep the stupid to a minimum." She smiled at his well-worn favorite line. "And try not to let him get into anymore trouble. I don't want to hear about a new Republic out there in the Wastelands before we meet up again."

"I promise that's not going to happen." She looked at her mother. "Mom."

Rachel swallowed thickly, reaching out and pulling Charlie into her arms. "Just please be careful. And please, stick close to Monroe."

She pulled away and eyed her mother. "You're actually recommending that I stay near Monroe?"

"I know you know how to fight, Charlie. But there are some places that are just so unsafe." Rachel sighed. "He may not be my favorite person, but he'll look after you. That much I know."

"Cause he promised you." Her mother nodded, but her uncle frowned. She glanced between them. "I want you two to be happy. Have fun with each other."

"We will."

"Uh, Rach, can I have a moment?" Her mother nodded and stepped away, crossing over to Monroe. Charlie exchanged a look with Miles.

"Should we be worried?"

"Nah, she's probably just going to threaten him with bodily harm if he lets anything happen to you."

"Good to know." He pulled her into a big bear hug, and she relaxed into the comfort of her uncle's arms. God, she was really going to miss him. "Miles."

"Your mother's right. Stick close to him. He'll protect you." She nodded against his chest. He drew back a bit to look at her. "But not because of some promise he made Rachel."

"He promised her in the Tower he would save me."

Miles shook his head. "Yeah, Charlie, that might be why he saved you in the Tower. But that's not why anymore."

Her heart sped up. What was he saying? "I..."

"It's okay, kiddo. The two of you'll get it together when you're ready." He smiled at her, that little half-smile she associated only with him. "I love you, Charlie. You take care of each other."

"We will."

Her released her and stepped away. "See you in six months, kid."

"Yeah." She was seconds away from bursting into tears. Why was saying goodbye to Miles even harder than saying goodbye to her mother?

"Hey," he said. Her head popped up and she looked at him. "Six months. And then this little family gets itself back together."

She nodded, now unable to stop the tears from falling. "Yeah, right, our family."

"Right, and family sticks together." Once he would have mocked those words, but now she knew he meant them with all of his heart.

Loading another basket of food onto the back of their wagon, Monroe watched as Charlie hauled herself into the front. Then his eyes fell on his brother as he approached.

"Everything all right with Rachel?" Miles asked.

"Yeah." He glanced over to the woman who was crawling onto the front of her own wagon. "She just promised to castrate me if I let anything happen to her daughter. That and something about cutting off my hands and wearing them as a necklace. Something to that extent."

"Well, then I guess I'll just save all the threats I'd intended to make." They both chuckled. "Seriously, man, watch her."

"Like a hawk." He looked at his best friend. "Miles, get as many militia troops as you can. Some of them still have to be loyal. And we trained them well. If we have to fight the U.S. Army..."

"I know. And let's hope California's military is as good as they always bragged it was."

Bass scoffed. "Yeah."

"Don't lose yourself out there, Bass." His blue eyes met Miles's brown ones. God, it was good to be part of the Matheson family again. "I can't go through that again, brother. I can't."

Monroe turned his gaze to Charlie. "I won't. She's worth staying sane for."

"Yeah, take care of my niece. Bring her back safe and sound."

"I will."

"And maybe think about telling her how you feel."

"Miles..." He'd already explained all that to his best friend.

"I'm just saying, Bass. There are some things she needs to know." What the hell did that mean? Before he could ask, Miles wrapped and arm around him, pulling him into a hug, and patted him on the back. "Look out for each other. I love you both."

Then Miles stepped away and turned towards his own wagon. Six months was not that long. And yet, in their world, it was very long indeed. There was every possibility that one or several members of their gang wouldn't make it back.

"Miles." His best friend looked back at him. "Promise me after we fight the Patriots, we can just retire and do nothing."

His brother smiled. "We'd get bored as hell doing nothing, Bass. Trust me. I ran a bar for five years. Retirement sucks."

"Asshole."

"Dickhead."

"See you soon." Miles crawled onto the front of the wagon and got the horses moving. Rachel raised a hand to wave at her daughter as they pulled out onto the road heading east.

He jumped up onto the front of the wagon, positioning himself next to Charlie. "You ready?"

She pulled her eyes away from the road that her uncle and mother had just disappeared down. She was barely holding back the tears. "Tell me we'll see them again, Bass."

He hated to lie to her, whether she wanted him to or not. He covered her hand with his, his eyes locked on hers. "I can't make any promises, Charlie. But the Matheson family knows how to survive. I can promise that we will do everything in our power to meet up in six months. And I can promise that your uncle will do the same. How's that?"

"It'll have to do."

He squeezed her hand before letting go to take the reins. "Well, you ready for an adventure?"

She smiled at him. "Lead the way."

He clicked the reins and directed the horses away from the barn. The wagon rolled out onto the road, heading into the west, towards the sun. Every old movie he'd ever seen came flashing back to mind.

The woman he loved was by his side. And they were riding off into the sunset together.

The End...for now...