When I wrote Things Change, my version of season two with Charloe intertwined in there, I had many sketches in my notebook ( so many I am using my second notebook now). There are a couple of ideas that I did not put into the story, since I had to make decisions of where to go and where not to. I wanted to share those ideas with you in these shorter stories because I already have them in my notebook and on my computer. You can expect a story around New Vegas where things take a very different turn on events and other intense things happen there. One story where where I write more of Monroe's gem of a conversation with Charlie, yeah, the one with "you choose a...'. And one with Neville, Jason and Bass, where Bass will be in time to make sure Charlie does not have to do what she had to do in the series.

So, these are new scenes and stories that my Charloe notebook came up with, but I wanted to write them all completely, and publish them here. They will all be about Charlie, and Bass. About their story and scenes in the story.

This one takes place right behind Austin.

Miles has been missing for two days.

Choices, Chapter one

She missed his arms. Miles arms. One a long grey day she could use his calming eyes, that fast all part of the charm wink. The scent of his neck, his scruff with a touch of grey, the scent of the sweat and whiskey that was so Miles. He had send her back to her mom with the Monoe's and left with the wagon to create a distraction for the rangers that had been on their tail after they had left Austin. She had fought the decision, but Miles had more of Matheson stubbornness inside of him at that moment near the wagon.

After Jason. After Jason would never walk into their camp, or look at her with those dark eyes. She would never see the boy again, she once fell so hard for near that riverbank. After she had to that one thing that would fill her with self hate.

That was two days ago.

Miles was missing. They had looked for him. Monroe, her mom. Not Connor, who had decided to be a twelve year old and stay and pout at camp. Realising more how bad a mistake she had made in Vegas with him. Even after all the crap she had to go through to get his sorry skinny Monroe ass out, with the other Monroe, he could not even get of his stupid log of wood near his fire to be man enough and get over himself and return the favor for her.

She had to get away from the tent, away from her mom and grandpa. She had wanted to recharge before heading out again, to find Miles, again. But her mom. Her mom. They had many fights. But this one, this one might be the end of any hope of mending things between them.

Charlie hit the ground as a bullet of betrayal and disbelieve brought her down. She cried, deep raw sobs, as she felt the weight of her tears run over her cheeks and inside of her. As she did not care anymore who was there to see. She managed to take a couple of more steps, away from that tent behind her. Away from her mom. Away from what she just told her.

Somehow in between the crying her knees gave out and somewhere in that moment Aaron was there. She was leaning half against him, as her body now turned to the dirt of the camp that was getting dark. The camp that felt even more desolate and dark without Miles here.

Aaron had watched Charlie and he knew this girl. Something was wrong. He had rushed over and was just in time to catch her. He felt his will to believe in anything good break when he felt the girl he had known with pig tails in his arms. Finally there in that dark place he feared more than anything for her. And he watched her, again and again. He had seen her again, only two days ago. She had been pissed, of course she was. He had sneaked of in the middle of the night. But he had to. Leaving her behnd asleep. But now he was here, she was here. She had been pissed, but with love for him in her eyes. It was so good to see her. So good, until he had heard that Miles was not there. Until other things of things that had happened in a city not far from their camp lay in her eyes.

A movie before his eyes as Charlie's tears had fallen from her eyes and had connected with Ben, one last time there on the ground of Sylvania Estates. As he had watched her cry with a Wizard of Oz book in his hand, as Maggie left her for good. As he had held Charlie, until he couldn't anymore when she ran to Danny. As he watched her when she told her they had lost Norah.

Aaron held her again, his arms now around her as she was leaning against his beard. His arms and all his will inadequate to sufficiently deal with so much pain in her shocking shoulders, her shaking, her cold arms and her heartbreaking sobs.

His glasses got damp with her and his own tears. He threw them on the ground next to him.

'I want them back Aaron.' He heard the desolation and panic in her voice. Ben, Danny.

'I need them to come back,' Charlie was not able to look before her anymore, her look now inside of her, as she felt the absolute sheer panic rising. She needed to see Danny's warm smile. She needed her father's arms around her. His scent of whiskey, but another kind of whiskey than Miles, around him as he would rub the back of her head, her hair under his touch.

She had been without them for so long now, and now, after Miles went missing, after Austin, after it all, after this long road, she felt so alone and they needed to come back.

The wind picked up, as the camp around her did not exist now.

Coldness met her.

Her mother who only minutes ago had maybe burned the last connection between them, the last hope for hope and trust, as the bond, that held them together as mother and daughter was already wearing thin, a small tie barely there to connect them.

Her grandpa, who's face told her he probably knew too.

Monroe. He was there in the line of people she had silently came to think of as somebody in her pack, in her group. But somehow he had forgotten her, he barely tolerated her these days, as he did fought with her but eyes were not there for her to connect with. Now they had not been there anymore, she realised how they were there before.

Connor. A fling, an easy way out of feelings she did know how to place. Feelings for a man so out of reach, she did not allow her heart to feel them. They should not be there. So Connor happened. A friendly distraction from all the hell and dirt around them. Maybe a friend. That was until Miles had gone missing. And all he had given her back was a snarky remark towards Monroe about how how he got it, how Monroe had to go and find his boyfriend. Charlie had been walking past them, but she had still heard the words. Monroe had caught up with her, silent, strong and broody, as she had not missed the impact of his kid's words in his eyes.

Connor had caught up with her yesterday, asking her if she was going out and that nightfall would be there in an hour, tears in his darker eyes as she told him about Neville. But when she had walked out, he had not followed her. And she knew it would be the last time she would share anything like that with him.

And Miles. Miles.

The sobs continued as Charlie felt like all things good, all people that loved her, had left her. Again.

Her hands started to shaky, folded next to her, as she looked at her fingers, and felt her fingers tremble. The tremble spread to her whole body.

They had to take her from here now. Because she did not know how to get up again.

Bass had watched some fucking shit in his life, but a Charlie that crashed down was spectacular.

It had been midmorning when they had split up, it was almost dark when they had come back. Charlie had been silent. He had found his kid staring and pouting into the fire with wild dark anger in his eyes, aimed at him, as Charlie and Rachel walked over to doc. His thoughts had been with Miles and only with Miles. But the sting of his son's words. Go find your boyfriend, dammit, they hurt like hell.

He had gotten more god damn loyatly from Charlie from the start, as his respect for her only grew more with every fucking embaressing thing his kid did along the had been nightfall. His brothers still out there. Worry flooding through his mind. he had shoved his pack near the fire, as his black leather jacket was zipped up, not even keeping the fucking cold out. He did not give a fuck. Miles. He gave a fuck about him.

Not much later there was a devastated Charlie leaving their tent tent a little uphill, Rachel behind her, standing still after large steps of her boots in the ground as he watched how she did not know what to do with her arms. Muttering something that came damn close to sorry, over and over again.

Bass stood there, his mouth open, his blue eyes wide in shock as Charlotte had looked wildly, so sad, so incredibly lost and unlike her, he could only stand there, next to Connor. Staypuft moved his ass over to her. And then, she fucking hit the ground and he watched how he crouched down next to her, catching Charlie.

The sobs came. Charlie cried. Honest sobs, her heart open there on the ground and into the dirt. The camp turned their attention to them. It is where the first hit him, of wanting to shield her from every fucking pair of eyes aimed at her.

Charlie was huddled on the ground in the middle a triangle of fires, on a clearing before the old building they had sat up camp around. And as Staypuft heald her, he could hear her mutter something. Bass felt the tension in his jaws give him away, and he felt harsh breathing and his fists clenched, crushing his want to walk over right the fuck now.

When she started to cry with lower sobs he watched her shoulders. His eyes following the lines of her shoulders and arms. Her fingers were starting to tremble with her breathing. He watched her watch them.

He couldn't take it anymore as he walked over. His defence splitting open, remembering that he did give a fuck. Something he had to make himself forget after he had to sit his ass down at that bar in New Vegas, drinking his burning drink, seeing his fucking son all over her after he walked in on them around that damn fire, Charlie's skin warmed by the fire, her body touching Connor's.

His eyes went to Rachel one more time, right before he reached Charlie. Trying to figure out what the fuck just happened. And then he looked at Charlie as he knelt down, and only her. His hand worked fast. He shrugged himself out of his leather jacket and placed it around her. His fingers brushed her skin. He registered she was getting too damn cold. He shared a look with Staypuft who looked unsure at him.

And then both men locked eyes, realising how much they had in common right now. Bass remembered Aaron standing behind Charlie on the midnight of his execution. This guy was there for Charlie, always. He respected him for that.

Slowly Aaron let Charlie go as he understood what Monroe was here for.

Bass moved an arm under her knees. He was going to get her fucking of the ground. Her head, again, against his chest. Her cheeks wet, her eyes hollow.

His jaws locked for so much of her pain.

He moved her towards the place around the fire on his left where he had left his pack. Staypuft grabbed his bedroll and moved it close to the fire. Bass felt the heavy weight of Charlie's hurt and the weight of her body in his arms. Somehow wanting to hold her there. But he fucking couldn't. He placed her down and covered her with his blanket.

He nodded towards Connor. 'Stay with her.' He barked.

And then, he looked at Rachel who was still standing in front of her tent. And his boots hit the ground with heavy weights. He was going to find out what happened.

Rachel might have kept her mouth shut for nine years in Philly, but god help her if she did not started to talk right fucking now.

Authors Note I wanted to write this one, because I wanted to write a Bass that was there for her right after Austin. And it was so hard to see how Connor did go to talk to Charlie in that episode, but never ever helped them with finding Miles, not even when Charlie put her life on the line to get him and Bass out in New Vegas. I wanted to change that here, give Bass more space and time to be there for Charlie. I also added more to the story, as that moment where Miles went missing put a lot of pressure on them all.

Things will heat up in next chapter as truths come out and things go on this story. More from Charlie, more from Bass there, who are the focus points in this story.

Love from Love