Work Text:
The two pieces for the prompt that was the basis for this story ( more in the Author's Note) belong together. Both stories are about Monroe's and Matheson's looking out for the other. My inspiration for this was the scene with Bass in front of the wagon, listening to Miles talking to Charlie when they return from Austin. The look on his face and the way he turned his body slightly towards both Charlie and Miles, started these two pieces for me. The other piece for this prompt is called 'Solace in the night' and will be published today as well.
Brothers in the night
Bass sits on the wagon, as he lets the rocking of the wagon under him move through his body. The Texan landscape is yellow and brown around them, and empty for now. No kaki. No rangers. His kid is sitting next to him.
They left with the five of them. They would return with just four. Without the Neville kid. Without the Charlie that always fired through his fucking chest with her stubborn loyalty and strength.
She was fading right before their fucking eyes and a harsher Charlie sits in the wagon with all three of them. Her slender back behind his.
He scans the landscape with his eyes, never not aware of the threat that could hide in it now Miles has to be there for Charlie, all of him. He is both their eyes now and watches both their backs to give Miles space to be with her. To talk her back from whatever hell they are losing her too.
So he might sit in the front of the wagon. But his thoughts and his damn torn heart is in the back of the wagon. With Miles. With his brother. And her. Charlie. No matter what the hell is going on, no matter how many looks she throws him, he cannot help himself. A part of him craves to be there with her. To do something, to mean fucking something to her now she is struggling her struggle from hell.
Charlie has not spoken since they left this morning. He has watched her before they had to get on the damn road again this early morning while she had been grabbing her pack. Walking passed him, lost in her own world. Pale. Far away. Bruises on her face, still wearing the god damn tank with the Neville's kid blood soaked through the fabric.
They had tried to get her out of it but she would not let anyone close. He had followed her hollow eyes until he had reached her neck. Had felt the marks around her neck reach him. And he had not been able to look at her without feeling acid hurt for what she was going through in his gut.
Silent rage boiled in his veins when he had been imagining what Charlie had been through, Jason's hands all around her fucking neck. No one was stupid enough to ask about the marks around her throat. They were telling the story all on its own.
They had just watched her, watched out for her. She had gotten in the back of the wagon, her weapon on her lap, her eyes now hard as the mask of hardness slipped over her face. Her fingers never letting go of her weapon, like it was her life line now.
He heard Miles talking to her, heard how Charlie did not let him in. And fuck, he understood. Her. Miles. His heart fucking breaking again for the look in his brother eyes after he found Miles at the back of their safe house.
Twelve hours ago
Charlie had finally drifted off to get some sleep, her eyes closing and her body curled up in a small ball. Miles never left her side and he is staying awake so he could be there the moment she needed him. .
His kid has moved a blanket over her and now Connor is sitting with her on the ground before the couch she is curled up on. She is not moving. He is not talking. He just sits with her.
Bass had watched Charlie stumble around that corner in Austin, his brother dragging her with him. He had only been able to look at her in shock. Looking at the blood on her face, at the blood in her tank. He had asked her what happened. Miles had just said there had been some bumps in the road. After that they had to run. Get out of the city. Get back to their wagon.
And now they have found a safe house and his eyes move from the dark room Charlie is sleeping in next to Connor and back to Miles. Miles eyes are flooded with worry. Bass watches eyes he knows so well. Knowing this asshole by heart by now. Miles tells him he needs to hit the head. He nods, knowing a lie when he sees it in his eyes. He watches Miles walk outside, his shoulders tensed and his face edged with worry.
Miles nods to Bass. Seconds before he has nodded to Connor, Connor nodding back and telling him he would not leave Charlie alone. He walks outside with his hand on the hilt of his sword. He does not want to leave Charlie, not the hell now but he is about to break the hell apart and he cannot do it, not in front of her. He almost stumbles through the door of their safe house for the night.
The images of what it must have been for her haunting him and ripping him apart. Images of Charlie being attacked by the Neville kid and all the ways his blood could have ended up in her tank and on her hands, haunting him and making his stomach turn.
He stumbles outside until he cannot go on anymore. One large tree in the dark night his only support as he leans against it and tears overwhelm him when that one thought crashes through his mind. He was not there. He failed her. He was not there when she needed him the most. He tries to get a grip. His fingers digging into the tree. He tries to breathe.
But all the images keep on attacking him.
Jason hurting her. His blood on her tank. Her completely lost pale face with tears and blood streaming down her nose when he found her outside that building and he had said her name over and over to get through to her. The way Connor had to cover her up with a blanket now she is sleeping on that damn couch and she is so far away he does not even recognise her even more.
And then the final push comes through his wall. What if they have lost her here. What is she becoming him? What if...and he breaks down, nausea in his gut and dark tears rolling over his face.
He feels a hand on his shoulder through the tears all of sudden. Hands he knows so well. He jerks his head up.
'Get the hell away from me Bass.' Miles spits out through the bile in the back of his throat. Through tears and endless feelings of having failed Charlie.
Bass knows Miles would lash out first. He knows the son of a bitch longer than today. He might deny it all he wants. In front of Rachel, to himself, but hell, he knows the truth. They are still brothers. And he is not going to walk the hell away from Miles. Not now he needs him.
He steps towards Miles. 'We will get her through this, Miles.'
'We?' Miles spits out again now he looks at Bass. Lashing out, his words bitter and cold and filled with ugly sarcasm. 'There is no we.. Bass.'
'Hey, watch it' Bass grunts, steadying his breath as he locks eyes with Miles. 'When it comes to her, when it comes to Charlie, you know we both take care of her.'
Miles just looks at him. His mind racing, his eyes softening. Harsh breathing, anger in this shoulders still for his own failure.
'I...I should have been there Bass..' Miles feels how his heart breaks open in a way he cannot stop. The shame is breaking through. Tears follow as he looks over at the house where Charlie is curled up on some damn couch. The blood of a guy she cares for and who is now dead, on her tank.
He does not know what to say. What to do. Emotions are running wild and are overrunning him. His voice is breaking, his breathing shaking and fast. He is getting pissed again that Bass is here. He needs him away from him.
Bass knows Miles' mind is trying to find another defence to shut him out but he does not let him. He moves to Miles and throws his arms around his brothers' shoulders. Miles fights him but Bass does not let go.
Miles feels the embrace of a brother he has not felt in years. He feels Bass close, he feels his arms steadying him as he fights back tears. And he finally lets the truth run wild, finally lets himself touch the rim of the fear for what was next. The fear of losing Charlie, the fear that losing Jason will fade and break her for good. That he has failed her. That she will never be the same and fuck, that he needs her to be Charlie to make it through another day from hell.
Miles feels how his knees give out under so much pain for Charlie. But Bass holds him up, brother to brother, arms around shoulders and two men under the shadow of a tree. One standing, one breaking down. Bass feels tears crash in his own eyes because dammit, Miles' pain is his'. Even Charlie's pain is his.
Bass helps him move against the tree behind him and sits down next to him. Both men now shoulder to shoulder. Not speaking. The nightly sounds around them until Bass speaks again. Putting into words what he has been fearing himself and knows for sure.
'Neville is going to come for her man.' Bass voice sounds raw and dark, fear for the moment that asshole would find out the truth and Charlie. 'We won't let him touch her, I'll swear, we will fucking kill him before he can get to her.'
Miles just nods. He know. He just knows. And if it would come to that, if Neville is there and coming for her, he will step between whatever threat or gun Neville would point at Charlie.
Both brothers sitting close. Nodding, understanding. Shoulder to shoulder, side to side, brother to brother under the Texan moon, a large tree behind them. Many woman had ripped their brotherhood and friendship almost apart. Emma. Nora. Rachel.
But her, Charlie, her. Charlotte. They both look at the house on their left. Charlie. She had found Miles in Chicago and brought him along with her. She had found Bass in Vegas and had brought him back to Miles. She had become the link in time between the both of them.
Two brothers. Now sitting shoulder to shoulder again. Both their hearts with the woman who lay curled up on a couch in a dark room inside with the Texan moon high above their heads.
She was the one woman that brought both brothers closer than they had been in a very long time. Sitting here, against one tree. Together in the middle of a long night they would share now together.
For her. With her.
Author's Note This first piece for this prompt is written for the Armada and is written for prompt 41 'No one was stupid enough to ask about the marks around her throat.' This one focussed on Bass and Miles, the other one will also tell this story and will focus more on what Charlie has been through when Connor is there for her as Bass follows Miles outside when he is falling apart. That piece is called Solace in the night and tells more from this one story. Thanks for reading! Love from Love