Promises Thrown

By: Wolfa Moon

Summary:

Spoilers: 1:11 'The Stand'.

Didn't like how they discarded that he was thrown off his feet into a metal container. My take on the aftermath of that scene. The family unit that Charlie and Miles have become. Protective of one another.

Disclaimer: No own but wish my muse would let me finish some of my other works. Please.

/Promises Thrown/

He felt pain but he had a duty. He is a soldier. Opening his eyes he sees Charlie and Rachel above him screaming at him to get up. Everything is slightly blurry. He needs to get up. Needed to fire the missile. He needs to save them. Then he saw Danny.

"DANNY," he yelled seeing his nephew pick up the weapon. His mother and sister turning to him. He fired the weapon but not before they fire their weapon at him. They scream for the falling boy. Everything is fuzzy but he needs to get to them. Walking half way he has to stop. Crumpling to the ground he watches them mourn from his knees. He wants to be there. Everything is fuzzy. He is hating this. This is his nephew. One who shares his middle name. All Matheson men having Daniel in the middle. The first to have it as their Christian name, the last.

/Promises Thrown/

Charlie looks down at her brother. After coming so far. Just getting him back. Looking to her mother who is truly crying. All the time she has lost with them. Lost even more now. Charlie looks around. Looking for the only family who had been with her thru this. Turning she sees him. He is halfway to them. Looking crumpled on his knees. Head bent and not looking at them.

Looking down at Danny. There is nothing she can do. Learning when you can't do anything, go where you can do. Getting up she moves to her uncle.

"Miles," she ask crouching before him. He doesn't respond. Biting her lip she wonders if she should reach for him. With all his military training. He is family. Reaching out she touches his head. Feeling the stickiness of blood. "Miles," with more concern. Reaching forward she cradles his head between her hands. His head moving with her efforts. His eyes are half lidded. "Oh my," she moves in closer to him. The situation not unlike previous ones. Her helping him, him mostly helping her. "Nora!" she calls for the woman that Miles trust.

Rachel looks at them. Watches her daughter take charge. Something she must of learned from her father, even from Miles. Yet her daughter didn't call upon her to help. She had called the other mystery woman in their group for aid. Looking down at her son. There was only so much she could do for him right now.

Making her way toward the little group.

Charlie had Miles laying down. His head in her lap. Nora was running off to get supplies. Erin wetting a cloth for Charlie to use on her uncle. She applied the wet cloth to his head. He groaned.

"Easy," she tells him.

"Wh… Danny?" he looks up at her. Charlie's face is the only thing he is focusing on. Tears well up in her eyes. Reaching up he touches her teared face. Her hand pressing it there. Accepting the comfort he is giving her. "I'm sorry."

"I know. Now let's get you better."

"I'm fine."

"Sure, right you are." Nora came over with some first aid supplies. "Lucky you have a hard head."

"Not hard enough apparently." He tries to move. The world tilts and a force of women held him down.

"Don't move." Charlie ordered. He smiles at her.

"Yes mam." Her smile widens. Rachel is in shock of the interaction between the two. The bear of a general being a pussycat for her daughter. They are family but thinking on the past not the present. The present so very different then how things once where. How very different. Her husband dead. Her son killed before her eyes.

Charlie looks to her mom. She looks the same. The same as ever. She left them. Miles had so many opportunities to leave. But he remained, for her.

"How is he?" Rachel asks crouching beside them.

"Head wound, so far." Charlie strokes the dark hair. Out of comfort for him and for her. To know she still has someone there for her. "Miles, where else does it hurt?" turning back to the man laying in her lap. Groaning again he looks up at her.

"My back hurts. I'll live."

"After you rest," Nora reiterated.

"We don't have time."

"Right now we do." He looks up at Charlie. They had time. No one to rescue. He can feel it now. The sorrow of lost. He felt it a little with the confrontation with his brother's death. Mostly the radiation from his niece. Now with her being closer and the hard work put into saving Danny. He feels it.

/Promises Thrown/

Charlie helped move Miles in for the night. She spent some time with her mom. Planning their next move. It was a short conversation then she returned to her uncle. Miles lay asleep with Nora watching over him.

"How is he?"

"He's a fighter. Give him tomorrow and we'll be good to go."

"I'll watch him."

"Charlie?" Nora looks at the young Matherson. Knowing the lost there. The brave girl nods to her.

"I got him." The girl wanting to be close to the mostly only family she has left. Relenting her claim Nora moves off to make plans.

Charlie lays down next to her uncle. Reaching a hand up to check his breathing. Smiling that he is, she moves to rest herself on his chest. Her ear planted over his heart. The beating heart assuring her and lullabying her to sleep. Sleep she didn't want but needs.

"Don't leave me." She whispers to him. Praying for this man who had helped her. Who stuck by her. Her hands gripping his shirt tight in her hands. She needed him more now then ever.

/Promises Thrown/

Rachel had finished what she had done with Danny to come out and see her daughter asleep atop her uncle. Shocked she stood there just staring.

"Cute isn't it?" Nora spooks Rachel from her gawking. Rachel looks at the warrior woman who kissed Miles and fought with them.

"Do they do that often?" Nora smiles while cleaning a gun.

"Most of the time. Miles is very protective of her." She looks at them fondly. "Charlie is still naive of the world and Miles is the one who," shows her everything.

"So they aren't, um, together?"

"Not that, that is wrong. But not to my knowledge." Nora smiles at the mom trying to become protective. And in this backwards world, love is love. Be happy to have while you can. For you can lose it just as quickly.

Rachel observes them. Charlie seems to whimper in her sleep. Miles' arm comes up to hold her closer to him. She stops the noise and relaxes. Amazing how the man who had killed can be this way. Guess he isn't as evil as she thought. Wondering now what happened when he left Bass.

"I'm gonna go get some air." Nora watches Charlie's mom head outside into the night. Looking over at the man who had stolen her heart. Smiling at the girl who brought warmth back to his heart. Thanking her silently for that.

/Promises Thrown/

Miles head awoke him to the pain that pounded behind his eyes. Everything was not right. But there is one thing. Looking down at the brown head of hair upon him. His hand running up and down her back. His niece burying her face deeper into him. Wanting to hide from the light. Wanting this moment to last longer. But he had to move. Needs to get his blood moving.

"Charlie?"

"Ten more minutes." She grips him more. Pulling their bodies closer together. Miles can only huff at her antics. He had pulled the same thing on her a few times.

"Charlie, please. My head." his voice pained. Charlie hearing it. He normally hides his pain. Having caught him on more than one occasion. This wakes her. Sitting up she looks at him. He smiles.

"Where does it hurt?"

"My head." he tries to sit up but his back protest. His hand going there. Charlie rolls him over. Lifting his shirt up to get a better look. The back is bruising into lovely colors.

"Your back is bruised badly."

"I'll heal."

"With rest."

"Like we have time for that. Help me up." Knowing she should get him to lay back down. To rest. But also knows that he is stubborn like all Matheson's. Helping him up he sways. Maneuvering herself under his arm. "Thanks."

"We're family."

"Yeah, we are." The two move together with practice. His legs are wobbly. Charlie bunching his shirt in her hands helping him maintain balance. "Let's go find your mom."

Charlie nods. Still wondering if she can be with her mom. She is her mom but she is a stranger. They vented to one another about Danny dying. Yet the only one who truly seemed to get her is her uncle. They had to fix her parents wrongs. They did this to the world. And they are going to fix it.

"So are we gonna save the world?"

"As much of it as we can. We need to get the power back on."

"It that a good thing?" she ask him stealing his line. Many discussions of what the world would be like if technology started again. What would become of the world then? What would become of them?

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, together." He smiles at her. She smiles back. Today is not the day the lights will turn on. Today will be like the many of the past 15 years. Yet the one moment that will cement it forever is burying her brother.

She would stand beside her uncle. She would support him physically while he supported her emotionally. That would also remain beyond this day. They watch as a wooden cross is planted to mark the grave. Danny is handwritten on the wood. So many had died. But this life would not be in vain.

"I promise," Miles spoke into Charlie's hair as he held her close while she cried.

"Promise?"

"I'll never leave you."

/Promises Thrown/