Chapter 1: "In The Dark"

A/N:

Begins before episode 1x09, specifically just before they reach Nora's Rebellion contacts outside Philadelphia.

WARNING: DRAWN OUT, AS-EMOTIONALLY-REALISTIC-AS-I-CAN-GET-IT, INCEST.

Episodic story (in planning phase until 1x10 is out) concerning a growing closeness and emotional codependency between Charlie and Miles which will evolve past the point of conventional propriety. Action, adventure, and story will act as catalysts for their relationship.

(Also, the title is punny phrase derived from Daughter's song "Run" which fits very nicely with the tone of Miles and Charlie's potential romantic relationship [in my opinion, of course])

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"What is she to you?" The nozzle of the aged gun prodded the soft underside of his jaw. The metal pained him as he swallowed, despite his dry mouth, before speaking.

"My brother's kid." He answered.

"No." The man rejected. "What is she to you?" The gun left his jaw. Its new target was Charlie's heart. The gun cocked.

Miles had been fine until that moment.

~ 20 hour earlier ~

Charlie squinted her eyes, looking towards the low hanging sun. Miles, Nora, and Aaron hadn't said much for the whole day. The closer the got to Philly the more Charlie could feel the tension coming off of each of them, including herself, but none so much as Miles. For a man as stoic as he was, he was sometimes easy to read - at least for Charlie. She didn't know if it was because he was family or because she simply spent more time watching him than anyone else. Both were probably true.

As she stared towards the sun and the back-lit forest on the horizon she finally realized they'd been moving west for a few miles already even though Philly was south. If she hadn't been so distracted by her thoughts of Philadelphia she might have noticed sooner than they were walking away from it.

She jogged a few paces to Miles who was walking in the front.

"I thought Nora said she knew a rebellion group right outside the base that could help get us in."

He looked over to Charlie for only a moment before speaking in that weary tone that made him sound, probably purposefully, as if he'd preferred the silence.

"Well, we don't know if they're gonna be that helpful," Miles gave Nora a terse glance she returned, "but getting into Philly is one thing, getting out is the trick." He looked back ahead of them, his eyes surveying the simple landscape. "After we get to Danny they aren't exactly gonna open the doors for us."

Charlie looked away from Miles, searching her feet for a few seconds as she was reminded of the dangers they faced. She accepted them, again, the moment she turned back to him asking, "So where are we going?"

He spoke only after the group's footsteps had taken over the silence for a few seconds.

"To see an old friend..." He replied. Charlie immediately felt a certain amount of suspicion; a feeling that was outwardly shared by Aaron who spoke up quickly.

"This isn't another friend from your Militia days is it?" He huffed a little as he caught up as well. "Because I wasn't a fan of your last war-time buddy."

Miles was quiet for another moment, leaving everyone to suspect the worst."The last time I saw him I was Militia... but we didn't exactly see eye to eye."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nora asked seriously as if she hadn't heard this part before.

"So we're going to go see a guy you pissed off when you were General?" Aaron asked for clarification.

Charlie only looked at Miles' profile worriedly.

"'The enemy of my enemy…,' right?" Miles reasoned with a small amount of wistful shame in his voice. That comment quieted everyone. "Besides," he picked up, "last time I left him, he was alive – he survived me." The shame was a little stronger in his voice; he turned away from Charlie's stare, as if something to his left was more important. "He should be able to help us."

"… Let's just hope that he will." Nora added flatly, speaking for Aaron and Charlie as well.

Charlie hanged back until they made camp, thinking non-stop and speaking every so often. Her eyes never strayed far from Miles' back. He was, visibly, the same. The same world-weary stride and the same old pack swaying over one shoulder. But something about this seemed strange to her.

~ 4 hours later ~

Charlie rolled under her covers, looking across the small fire to Nora and Aaron. They were both sleeping, Nora with her knife half tucked under her bag which served as a makeshift pillow and Aaron facing the warmth of the little flame. She could feel the cold bite her nose and cheeks. The fire couldn't afford to be any brighter and make their camp too conspicuous. She'd gotten used to this kind of cold in her childhood, though. She glanced toward her feet to where Miles would be. He was still awake, keeping a lookout, but she knew he wouldn't be sleeping even if they were hundreds of miles from Philadelphia. Just as she had all day, she could tell something about him was off tonight. If any part of Miles was obvious it was that never liked being obvious. He never voluntarily showed how he felt, especially when he was nervous, but she could feel the uneasiness from him all day.

That was more than enough to worry her to the point of intervention.

Without a second thought she peeled her covers off, trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake the others and lose the opportunity. Talking to Miles was a battle any day, but a day like this was worse, especially with Nora and Aaron even less patient with him lately.

The moment she'd started moving she could see him glance at her. He was leaning against the trunk of a branch-heavy tree too far from the fire to be lit. She wouldn't have been able to see his eyes on her if the moon hadn't been nearly full.

As quietly as the brushing of her clothes against her coarse covers and the crunches of vegetation under her boots allowed she made her way to his side. He made no movement and predictably didn't acknowledge her existence after the glance he'd paid her previously.

But he hadn't already told her to go back to sleep, so that meant something, right?

She sat down only a few feet from him, a bold distance between anyone and Miles. She hugged her knees loosely for warmth.

Sitting next to him quietly for a minute, she let the moments settle with the silence of the quiet wind and the little fire and their breathing. She remained quiet for only a few seconds longer, trying not to push a conversation against the brick wall that was Miles Matheson.

"Miles," she started quietly, "what happened here?" She wasn't going to beat around the bush all night, though.

"... It's a long story, Charlie." His tone sounded as if they'd already been talking for several minutes – she guessed, in his mind, through their silent moments they might have been.

She wasn't fazed.

"If you think he's going to help us get Danny back, I've got all night."

The fire sparked for a moment with a crack, putting the exclamation point on her words she couldn't with Nora and Aaron sleeping a few feet away. He turned to her, looking at her like he rarely did. It took a lot to get Miles Matheson to look at you like this. Usually he shrugged everyone and everything off even when they were important to him, despite what he was really feeling. If he ever looked at you it was for only a moment till the scenery was more interesting again; he only ever turned off his cool and distant image if things got serious or if you surprised him. Charlie knew, though, that it was easier for her than for anyone else she knew to get him to look at her like this. That didn't mean she didn't enjoy it every time she could earn his undivided attention like this. With his brow furrowed and a tired half-sigh he stared at her for nearly a minute before looking away and talking again.

"Last time I came through here all this was ash."

Charlie looked around. Only then did she realize that most of the trees were shorter than average and that there were only a few with blackened trunks looking any thicker than ten years – like the one he was leaning against now. She looked back to him when he spoke again, "At least it was ash by the time I'd gone." He looked around, "All because I couldn't get what I wanted."

She had to take a moment. She'd heard stories and seen his face as he described the things he'd done, but physical evidence was always stronger.

She took a breath.

"That was years ago..." She had no choice but to accept everything she heard about Miles' past, even if he didn't explain it all, but even so she felt it was wrong of him to treat himself as if he was the same man who did all of it. He was here now, helping her, and fighting against the Militia – he wasn't the same man anymore.

"Yeah, well, not for me and probably not for Burt Coleman."

"Is that the man we're going to go see?"

Miles paused, "His place is only a few miles off the path from here. Even though it's so close to Philly, his place should still be a secret. I never told Monroe about him, and even if I did it would be a suicide mission if the Militia tried to confront him again."

"Miles, what is it that we need from him?" Curiosity and the need to stay informed were too strong for Charlie not to ask.

"A distraction." He said simply, dodging her actual question.

Charlie shifted in her seat of dead leaves a little, her booted feet clumsily trying to find friction on the dewy ground, and readying herself to ask more questions. Her questions, however. were quickly forgotten when he turned to her, "Charlie."

He was looking at her the way he rarely did again. It was all she could do to stare back.

"Charlie, when it gets down to it tomorrow," he started, "I want you to stay out of sight."

Her expression flickered into one of confusion. "Miles?"

"Hide or stay behind, I just need you stay out of it." He answered her quickly.

If she hadn't known him better his curt tone would have been easy to mistake for impatience or even scolding, but she knew that was how he sounded when he was worried. A part of her, in spite of herself, liked it whenever he worried. Far from her community and after getting caught up in everything they have, to have someone like Miles worry about her like this was... nice.

She knew he was still keeping a lot from her, but that wasn't new.

"Is he really that dangerous?" She asked.

"He used to be a good man, but I might have changed that." And like that the sky stole his stare from her. "Go get some rest." He finished the conversation.

Any other night she might have bugged him for more information or for less orders, but not tonight. Of course, she wouldn't blindly follow his instructions, either. She might not want to know what exactly happened here or how dangerous this man, Burt Coleman, could be, but she'd rather find out than let Miles walk into enemy fire because he thinks he deserves to handle all this alone.

'Getting rest' wasn't as simple as Miles had made it sound, though. She found herself waking up every few hours, never forgetting to check on Miles before closing her eyes again. She wasn't sure whether he'd slept at all that night.

Although it was comforting to know he was worried, it wasn't until noon the following day did she realize what exactly had been keeping him up all night and why, exactly, he'd told her to stay behind.

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More soon!

Reviews are welcome!