Just a few quick notes about this story.

1. It takes place about a month after the events of the S2 finale.

2. While some of the stuff remains the same, I did divert from canon a bit.

Hope it's all easy to understand. I think the storyline is pretty straightforward. Thanks so much for taking the time to read it!

Chapter 1: Truth Be Told

The firefly dwindled towards the sharp edge of the knife, causing Bass to look up at the dark night sky. The trees were moving along with the breeze but the day's scorching heat still lingered in the air, making his forehead glisten with sweat. He looked down at his knife again, sharpening it even more and thinking quietly about Connor and his new alliance with Neville. His son had essentially backstabbed him and now he sat there alone, part of a group who didn't quite trust him enough to treat him as one of their own. After everything he'd done for Miles—putting him even before his son—they still didn't think he was worthy enough. Every time he was in that house, he could feel the coldness seeping through Rachel's eyes, always castigating and accusatory. And after the stupid move he had pulled just a few weeks prior, he doubted she'd ever see him any differently. He always acted on impulse and that kiss was nothing more than his way of getting her back for her self-righteous bullshit.

The creaking of the front door grabbed his attention and his eyes flickered towards it, watching as Charlie slipped outside, the chain belt around her waist clanking against her knife. She looked at him, holding his gaze as a ghost of a smile formed on her lips. Her head moved a bit, giving him a lazy nod. Bass always found her actions fascinating, it was like her body and mind were always in a constant struggle when it came to dealing with him. In a way, it was kind of amusing. Charlie bit her lip and looked back at the doorknob as if contemplating going back inside, Bass for his part remained silent, only watching to see what she'd do next. She looked at him again, this time seeming annoyed, something that puzzled him since to his knowledge, he hadn't done a single thing to provoke that sort of reaction—at least not at that very moment. He went back to sharpening his knife, watching from the corner of his eye as her feet shuffled across the porch and she finally made her way down the steps.

"What is it Charlotte?" His eyes trailed from her boots up to her face. She had her arms crossed over her chest, her midriff peeking out from underneath her shirt as customary.

"A while ago, Miles asked me what I thought about you. If you had come through for me during the time we spent alone on our trip back to Willoughby." She replied, looking out into the distance instead of him. Everything was lightly lit by the steel glint of the moonlight.

Bass chuckled. "Well, I can't imagine you put in a good word for me." He joked.

Charlie rolled her eyes, glancing over at him. "I said you were unpredictable." She took a breath and then kicked his leg in an attempt to get him to move over and make room for her. She sat next to him, leaning over and placing her arms over her legs. "I guess... maybe... we were wrong to doubt you." Her statement was questioning, like she still couldn't believe that was the truth.

"So is that your way of saying thank you or should I wait a little longer to see if those words come out of your mouth?" He tilted his head, moving his leg just enough to bump into hers. Charlie felt a pleasing chill run up her thigh at the touch. He was actually a bit charming when he wasn't being such an asshole. Her eyes inadvertently trailed down to his lips, an unconscious move that he became well aware of.

She raised her eyebrows and took a few beats but the words finally rolled off her tongue. "Thank you." Bass actually smiled and it was one of the most genuine ones she'd seen in a while.

Her boot dug into the dirt, making a slight dent and causing dust particles to float up in the air. He looked down at it and then up at her, an eyebrow raised as if questioning her behavior. Charlie had forgotten what it was like being alone with him, lately they'd rarely even had a chance to breathe, everyone was always barking orders left and right and life had become even more hectic than before. When they weren't killing Patriots, they were busy devising plans to do just that. What had changed since he saved her life at the high school and now? Was that side of him still there, just lying dormant until the next time she needed a hero? She pursed her lips in deep thought. Charlie had always tried to see the good in people but when it came to Sebastian Monroe, the lines always became a little blurred. Or a lot.

"I was wrong about you too." He spoke up, "You're nothing like Rachel." His eyes had that intensity that burned deep into her, "You're different." Charlie wasn't sure if the emphasis was supposed to be a compliment but she took it as such. Something inside her jolted, her stomach displaying some strange behavior that caught her off guard.

She flinched in response and immediately changed the subject. "What are you going to do about Connor?"

Bass' gaze suddenly lost its spark and the corner of his mouth lifted up into a half-smile, this one was different, verging on aversion. "Missing my kid already?"

The way he said it indicated to Charlie that he was only referring to one thing. She stood up immediately, triggered by his insinuation. "You know that's not what I meant." He came to his feet too, towering over her small frame. He looked down at her in a way that made her feel vulnerable and yet she wasn't afraid. "I'll never understand your obsession with my sex life but if it makes you feel better, it only happened once." She smiled deviously, "And maybe it's him you should be having a sex talk with. He could sure use the help."

Charlie grinned, feeling proud of her so-called jab at Bass' ego. His reply however, was not what she was expecting. "I'm sorry to hear you were left unsatisfied. I can assure you, that's not like a Monroe at all." Her eyes widened and his closeness caused her stomach to tighten once again. It was a feeling she wasn't quite accustomed to and it almost made her queasy. The blue of his eyes seemed to darken as he held his gaze on her. Charlie wasn't sure what he was doing but she couldn't find the strength in her to walk away.

A high pitch sound followed by the buzzing and crackling of white noise caused both of them to turn in the same direction. Bass immediately followed the sound, heading towards the shed behind him and drawing his blade. "What was that?" Charlie mumbled, trailing close behind. He burst the doors open, the sound becoming louder. They dug through old furniture and farming tools until they uncovered the source of the commotion—an old, beat up hand-held radio. Bass looked at her without speaking, both of them shocked by what was happening. They put their ears close to it but there was nothing to make out, only jumbled radio frequencies.

The night sky lit up with a flash of lighting, making their surroundings a bright white before everything went dark again. It was like millions of camera flashes were going off at the same time, constantly blinding them and then disappearing before resurfacing. The radio made one last high pitched noise before short circuiting in Bass' hand. He tossed it to the ground and he and Charlie stepped outside, watching as the trees bent from side to side and the weather vane on top of the farmhouse spun out of control. Charlie's body seemed to instinctively drift towards him. She'd been deep in the throws of battle and killed dozens of men but this was something she wasn't prepared to encounter. The lights of the house suddenly began to flicker.

"What the f–" Sparks flying off the power lines caused Charlie to slam into him, cutting his reaction short. He wrapped his arms around her protectively. In the distance he could see other lights flickering, up in the hills and far across the meadow. But just as everything had started, it all suddenly stopped and they were once again left in complete darkness, encompassed in an eerie silence. The door of the house swung open. Rachel and Miles were the first ones out. Charlie was still in Bass' arms when her mother called her name.

"Charlie!" She ran to her, like she was still the little girl she had left behind all those years ago. Her eyes shot over to Bass, acting like a caged lioness protecting her cub. "What are you doing out here? I thought you were already asleep."

"Mom, calm down. I'm fine." Charlie replied, feeling a little embarrassed by her overbearingness. "I just came out for some fresh air."

Rachel turned her attention to Bass. "And you?" She said accusingly. Bass shrugged and shook his head, not in the mood to engage in any sort of argument with her. "You stay away from her!" She pointed her finger at him, like he was the worst of criminals. "Let's go, Charlie." Rachel dragged her by the arm and Charlie looked at everyone around, feeling like a reprimanded child without the slightest clue as to what she had done wrong. She locked her eyes on Bass until she crossed the threshold to the house and he disappeared from sight.

"I just don't like you two being alone." Rachel spat out. Charlie paced back and forth in her room, the floor creaked below her feet. She was pretty sure that everyone in the first floor could hear them arguing. Arguing over Bass, who would have thought?

As if the summer heat wasn't enough to put her in a bad mood, this conversation was really pushing Charlie over the edge. "Really?" Her tone was harsh but she lowered her voice. "Do you have any idea how much time I spent alone with him already?" She wiped the sweat off her forehead. "I don't understand what the big deal is now."

Rachel leaned against the window sill, staring at the haunting stillness outside. "He's not someone you should be spending too much time with, Charlie. I'm doing it for your own good." She turned to look at her daughter, fidgeting and playing with the ring on her finger. "You don't know what he's capable of."

Charlie chuckled, actually finding her mother's words funny. "No. I think I know pretty well what Monroe is capable of. Trust me." She paused, "I watched him slaughter a dozen men before my eyes, when I was at my weakest. And I can't say I've ever been more thankful for it." She ran her fingers through her hair, "He can be ruthless and a jerk but he makes one hell of a fight partner." Charlie admitted.

The blonde shook her head, still not accepting her daughter's reasoning. "You're choosing to see the good in him and you're disregarding his true nature."

"His true nature?" Charlie furrowed her brow, "We are talking about a living, breathing human being, right? Or is Bass some kind of supernatural being I'm unaware of?"

Rachel tilted her head, not liking her patronizing tone. "This isn't a joke, Charlie." She steadily made her way to her, "He can be a good person. He can be charming and you might even find it disarming at times but don't let him fool you." She lifted her hand and touched her chin, "He can turn on a dime. You think you know him but you don't."

"I appreciate your concern but I think I can take care of myself. I know what I'm doing and I think I know him enough to trust him just a bit." Charlie turned to leave, she'd had enough of the conversation.

"You don't know him the way I do!" Rachel blurted out.

An uneasy feeling crept through Charlie's body. There was a certain fear that kept her from wanting to know more but something nudged her to probe further. "And how well do you know him,mom?" Rachel's eyes were downcast, giving herself away without saying a word. Charlie felt a rush of anger start to build up inside her, a million things running through her mind. "You..." Her voice cracked, "You and Monroe?" Her eyes glossed over with tears. "Really, mom? Dad, uncle Miles, Monroe..." There was a tone of disgust when she said his name. "Who else? Are you going to tell me you've also been sleeping with Aaron in your free time?"

Rachel responded with a thunderous slap. "How dare you talk to me like that? I am your mother!" She snarled, watching as Charlie touched her burning cheek.

"No, Rachel. How dare you do something like that?" Charlie turned her back to her, placing her hand on the doorknob. "Do you know what this will do to Miles?" She didn't wait for a reply and instead headed downstairs, rushing past the entrance to the living room and going straight to the back door.

Charlie felt sick to her stomach. Everything inside her was in turmoil, her mind was racing and the more she thought of Bass and Rachel, the more she felt increasingly nauseous. She was only able to hold it together for a few minutes before her body could no longer contain itself and she began puking all over the newly sprouted grass. And then she began to cry, feeling heartbroken and furious all at once. Her mind kept repeating the same question, why?

The backdoor flung open. "Are you okay, kid?" Miles' concerned voice only added to her dejected state.

"I'm fine." She mumbled, turning away and wiping away her tears.

Miles looked painfully uncomfortable, "Really? Because you just puked up your whole dinner."

Miles was the last person Charlie wanted to see or talk to—she felt too ashamed on behalf of her mother. Not only had he been betrayed by the person he most loved, she had done this with his best friend. The blow couldn't be any lower but Charlie knew it wasn't her truth to tell. Besides, she could never bear to see the look on his face when he found out. "I need to speak with Monroe."

"Bass?" Miles looked confused at first and then his eyes widened thinking he had put two and two together. "Did that son of a bitch do this to you? Is your sickness due to—"

"Miles, don't be an idiot." She replied. "I wouldn't let that asshole touch me with a ten foot pole." And her answer almost made her laugh at herself, thinking that just an hour before she had been seeking protection in his arms. "Where is he?"

"He went to get water from the well."

It was now past midnight and the humidity in the air was finally starting to diminish. The gentle breeze provided a hint of refreshing change to the otherwise sweltering heat. Bass dunk his hands into the bucket of water, splashing it on his face and running his wet fingers through his hair. After the fiasco with Rachel and Charlie, he'd hardly had the mental capacity to keep up with Aaron's explanation to the flickering lights and the sudden surge of power. He'd only caught slight mumbling—something about a wormhole and the nanos.

Heavy footsteps emerged in the distance and he could hear the familiar sound of her chain belt the closer she got. It took a while for him to finally see her silhouette make its way through the shadows. He'd watched Charlie Matheson walk toward and away—especially away—from him plenty of times to recognize her anywhere.

"Rachel finally put you out of time out?" He grabbed the bucket off the edge of the water well and set it on the ground. "I've always said she was a psychotic b–"

Charlie didn't let him finish, her fist landed on his nose, causing him to bleed immediately. "You disgusting son of a bitch!" She growled, continuing her attack with the bucket he had just set down. Water splashed all over him as it hit his back. That was going to leave a mark for sure. Bass tried to block her hits but one knee to the balls was all it took to bring him down.

"Psychosis. Must. Run. In the family." He said breathless, his hands between his legs as he remained on the ground.

She was furious, seeing him only made her blood boil even more. It made everything more real, her chest felt like a knife was being wielded into her. "You thought I wouldn't find out?" Charlie felt betrayed and hurt. "You make me sick."

Bass finally recovered, coming to his feet slowly but still holding on to his manhood. "I can explain, Charlie."

Charlie shook her head, unwilling to comply. "You slept with her. You betrayed Miles. You lied to me. There's nothing to explain. It's all perfectly clear."

He took a hold of her arm, pulling her closer and forcing her to listen. "Don't touch me!" She grappled with him but his hands were securely locked around both arms now.

"I never lied to you." Bass replied, "Charlie, listen to me." He pinned her against the water well, his remorseful eyes staring straight at her. "It happened one time. We had just gotten word that Miles had switched his alliance and was fighting for the Rebels after he left. Rachel and I were both in a very unstable state of mind."

She tried to push him away, only achieving to rub her chest against his torso and closing the distance between them even further. "So now you're blaming Miles? The one innocent person in this screwed up triangle."

"What triangle, Charlie? There is no triangle. There is no me and Rachel. There's nothing but regret and animosity when it comes to her. What's it gonna take to get that through your head?" His mouth was dangerously close to hers, she could feel his breath on her lips.

Charlie continued to pull away from him, "I think a lobotomy will do."

Bass stared into her eyes, he could see right through her. She wasn't just angry because of Miles, she was angry because she herself felt victimized. He hadn't quite figured her out yet but there was other stuff going on in that head of hers that she wasn't telling. It was too soon to make any assumptions but Bass knew there was more to Charlie's constant bickering than just hostility. He just couldn't wrap his mind around it and it was driving him nuts.

"Well, now you know what it felt like to see you and my son naked in the middle of that field." He admitted, loosening his grip.

She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. How dare he make this about him? Her head tilted upwards, unwilling to give up the fight that easily. "Don't compare this to me and Connor? It's not even close to being on the same level."

His body inched closer to her once again and she felt a familiar nervousness take over. Charlie couldn't understand how he had the capacity to make her feel so many things at once. She wanted to feel nothing but repulsiveness for him but her body was proving to be a traitor.

"Why? Are you gonna tell me you banged him because you have feelings for him?" He smirked, "Maybe we're both just guilty of taking out our frustrations by fucking the wrong people." Bass murmured into her ear, leaving Charlie shaken up and immobile for a few seconds.

"Go screw yourself." She spat back. With her arms finally free from his grip, she swiftly turned around and walked away, leaving Bass with no other option but to look on like he'd done so many times before.

Reviews are very much appreciated! xoxo