Charlie smiled and tried not to look uncomfortable as her family and friends chorused around her. "Happy birthday to you… Happy birthday to you…" The tradition of surrounding the birthday girl and belting a song at her while staring at her was one she wouldn't have been sad to lose in the Blackout, but somehow it survived. When the song warbled to a close, she obligingly closed her eyes and made the same wish she always made when she saw a shooting star. Blowing hard, she opened her eyes to see that she'd extinguished both her candles. Well how about that, she mused. Maybe it'll come true.

She glanced up at Bass, who was standing beside her Uncle Miles, as always. He met her gaze with his usual intensity, his silent question: what did you wish for? She quirked an eyebrow and smiled teasingly, saying out loud, "Okay, who knows how to cut this thing without destroying it?"

Cynthia did the honors, and passed around slices of the sweet dessert. Charlie settled into a chair and fell into easy banter with Aaron, who was teasing her about finally being over the hill and comparing her to other things that were 22 years old, like the Tesla and the iPhone. She had no clue what he was talking about, but as usual, he made her laugh, anyway.

Earlier that night, her family had given her their gifts, all practical and perfect for her: a knife, a few shirts, some books. The only person who hadn't given her a gift, who had been conspicuously silent during the process, was Bass. Charlie tried not to let it bother her that he had apparently forgotten her birthday.

The night drew to a close, and everyone was filtering toward the door. Bass hung back, finally approaching Charlie. They hadn't spoken one-on-one all night.

"So, are you going to let me give you your birthday present next week?" he asked.

Charlie looked at him with a challenge in her eyes, "What, so you have time to come up with one and buy it?

Bass shook his head. "Come on, Charlie, give me some credit. It's something I can only give you next week. Saturday. Can you spare me half a day?"

"Half a day for one present? Better be good," she said, even as her heart was racing with excitement. Was he serious?

Smiling slightly, Bass brushed his thumb against her cheek and moved to step around her. "Saturday afternoon it is, then. Have your horse ready to ride." And he was gone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The following Saturday, Charlie had finished her household chores double-time, so she would have plenty of time to get ready for Bass. Though she realized she had no idea what that entailed, since he'd given her no information on what he had planned. Since he'd said to be ready to ride, she opted for her usual jeans and a tank top, bringing a canvas jacket along in case they were out late. The Texas March day was warm for the season, so she didn't need much more.

Sometime that afternoon, Bass rode up. Charlie felt somewhat lame for waiting outside. She supposed she should have acted somewhat less eager, but she'd never had much success with that when it came to Bass. He didn't seem to mind, though, breaking into a grin when he saw her on the porch, her horse tied nearby.

Not bothering to dismount, he called, "Ready to go?" Charlie nodded and grabbed her pack, climbing on her horse, bringing him around to stand by Bass'. The two animals knew each other well and, Charlie could have sworn, exchanged some kind of horsey greeting.

"So, what did you get me?" Charlie asked, not expecting a real answer.

Bass grinned. "I'll tell you this much: it's not another tank top."

Charlie feigned disappointment. "Too bad. I can always use more of those."

Laughing, Bass rode off, indicating she should follow. Charlie noticed he had fully-loaded saddlebags on his horse, but refrained from speculating too much as to what was inside, wanting to be surprised.

They rode for a few hours at a comfortable pace, never seeming to run out of things to talk about. They covered topics from how the current Texas government was doing, to whether Bass would ever accept any of the many posts he'd been offered, to Charlie's fond complaints about the children and parents she dealt with at the school, to the most unusual ways they'd heard of to get bloodstains out of cotton. Sometimes the horses wanted some space from each other, and they would resort to silence.

As the sun dipped lower to the horizon, Charlie began to notice signs of civilization, and she realized they were nearing a town, but not one she'd been to before. They approached the town center, and Charlie noticed a crowd of people spread out over an open lawn, with a wooden stage set up in the middle, surrounded by torches that were not yet lit, and a small tent off to the side.

Bass led them to a spot on the outer edges, with a side view of the stage, close to a copse of trees where they tied off the horses. Bass pulled a blanket out of one of the saddlebags and spread it on the ground, inviting Charlie to sit down. She didn't hesitate, happy to stretch her legs out straight after the long ride. She tipped her head back, admiring the purplish hues of the sky as the sun faded away, inhaling the warm, fresh air. Even though the situation was totally unfamiliar, her trust in Bass made her completely at ease.

Bass appeared at her side with a picnic dinner of chicken sandwiches, cheese, apples, and wine. "Had to find that balance between fancy and travels well," he said apologetically, but Charlie insisted that it was perfect. It was a little disconcerting, seeing the usually brash, snide Bass so eager to please. She wanted him to know he was succeeding.

Just as they were finishing their food, continuing to sip their wine, two men climbed onto the stage. One of them began lighting all the torches, and the other cleared his throat.

"Good evening, and welcome to the show. As you may know, we are the Flux Quartet. We are based out of Austin, but the folks there do get tired of us sometimes, so we like to take our show on the road where we can. We hope you enjoy the performance tonight, and we will be asking for contributions at the end, so please be generous!" He then went on to describe the composers and origins of some of the music they would be played, but Charlie tuned out as she looked at Bass in shock.

They were sitting side by side on the blanket, their shoulders nearly touching, and he leaned over slightly to nudge her. "What do you think?" he asked quietly.

Charlie took a moment to answer, busy watching four musicians with black music cases emerging from the tent. The man who had lit the torches followed behind them with music stands.

"I think…" she said, at a loss for words. "I think I understand why you were a week late with my present."

He had to laugh at that and nodded. "Yeah, I wasn't able to line up a command performance, sorry."

"There are downsides to not being President anymore, aren't there?" she quipped. He just shrugged in agreement, and they fell into silence as the musicians pulled their bows across their instruments, getting in tune.

The concert was magical. Charlie had never heard a string quartet before. Her primary experience with live music was a single guitar or fiddle player, maybe with a harmonica thrown in if the stars aligned. This was something else, something transcendent. The outdoor atmosphere made it even more beautiful, as the sounds of the music echoed through the trees and crooned up into the evening sky.

Charlie felt her eyes welling with tears at several points, and she couldn't have explained why. Something inside her was knocked down and rebuilt by the soaring melodies, which evoked loss, hope, joy, and exultation.

She and Bass didn't exchange words during or between songs, just applauding enthusiastically along with everyone else. At one point, after clapping so hard her hands her, she placed her hand back on the blanket and her fingers landed on top of Bass'. Without hesitation, he pulled her hand into his, and the intimacy of the contact felt right in that moment. She clung to him until the end of the song, when again they applauded.

When the concert was nearly over, several assistants walked through the audience with black bags to collect donations. Bass jumped up to give them something, then returned to Charlie's side. The emcee announced that this would be the last song, and she savored every moment, leaning into Bass, feeling his warmth at her side. As the last note faded into silence, the crowd leapt up and burst into applause. The players packed up, and people started to disburse, dousing campfires and rolling up blankets.

Charlie turned to Bass. "That was incredible," she said. "I don't even know how to… thank you. So much. For knowing that I would love that."

"I'm glad you did," he said sincerely. "It's been a long time since I heard real music, and I wanted you to be with me."

Charlie sighed happily and looked up at the stars for a few seconds, then asked, "I guess we're not riding back to Willoughby tonight?"

In the dim light, she could have sworn Bass looked unsure. "No, I know there's an inn in town where we can get… a couple of rooms…" he paused, then added, "It's also a nice night, I've got a tent. I leave it up to you. Birthday girl."

The thought of staying in a room at the inn alone, she immediately rejected. She wanted to be with Bass, she didn't want to say goodnight to him like she had to every other night of the year. But the thought of telling him she wanted them to share a room… her mouth went dry. She wasn't sure if she was ready for everything that would imply.

"Okay, so, I'm not feeling the inn," Charlie said. "You're right, it is a beautiful night. Why don't we set up the tent but just plan to lay out here unless it turns bad?"

"Alright," Bass agreed, and together they got to work making camp, as they'd done countless times together before. As they worked in companionable silence, Charlie's heart hammered in nervousness. Something told her that this night was going to be different from all those others.

A/N: This chapter is uncharacteristically tame for me, but don't worry – Charlie and Bass' night is far from over. Will update rating as needed. Thanks for reading!