FIC: Hope For The Hopeless - Chapter 4 [Miles/Charlie]
Title: Hope For The Hopeless - Chapter 4
Rating: PG (until now)
Word Count: ~2200
Genre: Angst, Fluff
Summary: "But then, lately, when she looks at you with those big blue eyes of hers, full of warmth, forgiveness and affection, that’s when you feel that tiny little flame called hope awaken in your soul."
Spoilers: Set in the aftermarth of 1x07 - The Children's Crusade
Author's Note: Uhm... I. Need. A. Bed. This fic will kill me. For real.
This fic can also be found on ff.net: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8764056/1/Hope-For-The-Hopeless
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Chapter 4
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Kipling was the first person, Miles thought of when looking for a safe spot in Philadelphia. They all could need one last peaceful night before facing whatever hell they had in store for them. With a little help from Nora, it was way too easy to get into Kipling’s apartment, who showed no resistance whatsoever.
After they had settled in, Kipling, who sat nervously in the middle of the room with a hand around his drink, asked: “Why the hell did you come back?”
Miles was quiet for a moment, thinking really hard of what to say. How could he explain coming back to face his worst nightmare to a person who used to know him? And how could he make him believe?
“Hard to explain. Things are different now,” Miles finally replied and hoped against better judgment that Kipling would be satisfied with the answer.
But, of course, he wasn’t. “How?”
Miles stared at Kipling helplessly, before his eyes found Charlie. Her head was already turned in his direction and she smiled tentatively at him, until she broke the eye contact, a blush creeping up her cheeks. The moment passed and Miles found himself facing reality again. “I don’t know. Things are just different.”
Whatever Kipling had seen, it seemed to have satisfied him this time around. Not that the next question was any easier to answer. “So what happens when you come face to face with Monroe, hm?”
Looking at his friend again, Miles tried to sound as convincing as he could. “I probably have to kill him.”
With everyone probably thinking the same, an uneasy silence stretched between then group. Trying to escape this situation, Miles put down his glass and turned his attention to Charlie and Nora. Not giving him a break, a new question was thrown at him. “So what’s the plan?” Nora wanted to know.
“I gotta find out where they’re keeping Danny. You guys stay here,” Miles answered, knowing that this would be the easiest way to get out without anyone asking any questions.
The second he had said it however, he could see the objection in Charlie’s eyes. Before Charlie had the chance to say anything, Nora cut in. “You can’t go out on the street. What if somebody recognizes you?”
“They’re my streets. Nobody knows them better than I do.”
Charlie watched him as he moved silently through the room. “Be back in an hour”
Just when Miles was about to exit himself, Charlie’s voice finally reached his ear. Instead of trying to hold him back, she simply said: “Hey. Be careful!”
“Come on. It’s me!” Miles replied with a weak smile, before turning around and leaving the apartment.
----------
There haven’t been many situations in Miles’ life, where his heart was close to stop beating, out of utter fear and desperation. And then, all of a sudden, he found himself in exact that kind of situation twice within 24 hours. First, when Charlie dropped - seemingly dead - to the ground right in front of his eyes, and then only mere hours later, when he finally came face to face with Sebastian Monroe.
Miles had feared that moment ever since they had started their little rescuing mission. And now that it was here, he knew exactly why he was so scared. Looking into Monroe’s burning blue eyes, Miles’ first instinct was to run up to him, wrap his brother in his arms and apologize for having abandoned him all those years ago.
Pictures of their childhood played like a movie between them. Bass chasing him alongside the little creek. Both of them drawing the M-tattoo on their arms, while sitting under their tree. All these moments from their past, the experiences and adventures they faced together, rained down on them like a waterfall. And when grown-up Bass started promising to let his family live, offering his forgiveness so freely, Miles had a hard time remembering why he was there in the first place.
As Miles stared intently at Monroe, another set of similar, fierce blue eyes popped up in his head and his arm started shaking. Charlie. Danny. His family. That was the reason why he was there. And it was the reason why Bass needed to die. Because he has made them all suffer so much and Monroe would not hesitate for one moment to let them suffer even more, he had no doubt about that.
Miles saw his best friend’s heart breaking, his shoulders slumping and with it another tiny part of Miles own heart broke. He used to love that person standing in front of him more than he ever loved Ben. There were times, when he would have given his life for Bass in the blink of an eye. But when he looked at him now, he didn’t see that person any more.
When the first blow came, the last remaining doubts to kill Monroe were destroyed. Their friendship was gone for good, the bond of their brotherhood broken beyond repair. Never would they be able to go back to how things were before, for they were enemies at last.
When Jeremy and his companions came, Miles knew that he had to leave or he wouldn't make it out alive. He looked at Monroe one last time, silently saying goodbye to everything they once had, knowing that the next time they found themselves in such a situation he would kill Monroe for real.
Jumping out of the window, Miles fell onto a small roof terrace. Getting up as quickly as he could, he hurried down the fire ladder and already saw the smoke evaporating over the ground, leading straight to a hole in the wall. Quickly scanning the near area, Miles looked for any sign of his friends and only when he was sure that they hopefully had all escaped through the wall, did he take his legs into his hands, running as fast as he could and leaving the past behind once and for all.
In the far distance, he could already hear screams and the sound of guns being loaded. Speeding up another notch, he finally reached the hole and jumped right through it. His heart skipped a beat as he unexpectedly saw Charlie standing there, the most radiant smile spreading over her face when she spotted him.
Before Miles could even enjoy that beautiful sight, he screamed "Run, you idiot!", grabbed her by the arm and pulled her along with him.
Just as Miles and Charlie finally caught up with the rest of the group, a sound so foreign, even to the adults’ ears, made them stop dead in their tracks. In slow motion, the helicopter arose from behind the wall. Miles’ eyes were immediately fixed on the machine gun rotating. It took him a moment to snap out of it but when he did, his deep voice hollered over the plain: "LET'S MOVE!! NOW!!"
How they made it out alive, Miles had no idea. When the bullets came raining down on them, it was a miracle no one was hit. Just when they were about to reach that little piece of forest, the flying monster veered off to the east. Miles stopped for a second to lift his head, looking after the helicopter in surprise.
"The radius of the amplifier probably won't reach that much further..." Rachel suggested, her voice sending a shiver down his spine. For the first time, Miles realized that Rachel actually was alive and with them. Not wanting to think about Rachel and all those unanswered questions any further, Miles started walking again.
"We need to keep moving. Monroe's troops will come looking for us soon..."
Aaron and Danny stood leaning against the nearest tree, trying to catch their breaths, but Miles didn’t care. If they didn’t get away from there soon, they were sure to get nowhere. “We can rest after we’ve put a few miles between us and Monroe,” Miles just said, without looking back.
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“What are we going to do now?”
Charlie had kept her distance for a little while, after Miles had walked off without any sign of wanting company. After they had been walking for more than three hours, Charlie having lost every sense of orientation, she finally caught up with Miles.
“We run and then we hide,” Miles replied.
“Are you serious?” Charlie looked at him confused but Miles just kept on walking.
“Yes, Charlie, I’m serious. Since Monroe has that pendant now we need to get as far away as possible.”
“We can’t let him have it then,” Charlie suggested, struggling with the indifference that Miles showed. She hadn’t seen him that distant and withdrawn since they had started on their little quest.
“God, Charlie. Your naivety sometimes really hurts… What do you suggest we do? Just walk right back in, stealing the pendant from him?”
For a few seconds, Charlie didn’t know what to say, his cruel words cutting her deep.
“We’ll come up with a plan. We always do,” Charlie replied a few moments later.
“Charlie….”
“Come on, Miles. We can’t just abandon everyone to his or her fate.”
“WE? I can do whatever I damn well please, Charlie. I thought you knew me by now,” Miles replied coldly.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Charlie asked, roughly grabbing his arm to make him look at her. And he did. But what she saw there made her retreat. Where was Miles? And what did they do to him?
Miles was in no mood to talk. He was no talker and never had been one, until Charlie had entered his life. She always needed to talk about everything! And while he would agree that sometimes it actually felt really really nice (better than nice actually) to have someone you could confide in, right in this moment he just wanted to be alone.
When Miles didn’t answer, Charlie talked again, not giving up so easily. “Are you okay?”
“No, Charlie, I’m not okay,” Miles hissed, “I faced Monroe, again. And I couldn’t kill him, again. And above all that, he now has that freaking pendant. So no, I’m really not okay.”
As if to prove his point, he harshly withdrew his arm from her grasp, looking straight ahead again.
“Miles.”
“Charlie, please. Just leave. Me. Alone.”
“I’m sorry,” Charlie mumbled, deciding that it probably was best to just give him some time.
Miles knew he was hurting her and he hated it with all his heart, yet there was nothing he could do about it in that moment. Was it too damn much to ask for to get a little time and space to clear his head?
----------
They walked another two hours in total silence. Shortly before sunset, they crossed paths with the Delaware River, following it for another few miles, until the countryside became slightly hilly on their side of the river. When they run across a rather huge rock spur, the little group decided that this would be the place to rest for the night, even though Miles would have loved to go on, since any unpleasant conversations could be avoided then. But Danny, with Rachel at his side, was limping more and more with every step they took, Aaron and Nora looked beat and Charlie still needed to properly recover from her concussion.
Nora built a fire in their little cave-like accommodation, while Rachel and Charlie tended to Danny’s wounds.
“What did those bastards do to you?” Charlie whispered angrily, as she wiped away the blood from her brother’s face. While the anger bubbled inside of her, she also felt beyond relieved to finally have Danny with her again. And Charlie should probably feel even more relieved as she looked over to Rachel but she had yet to accept the fact that her mother was still alive. Had been alive all that time, while she had lain in bed, crying her eyes out.
“I… Let’s not talk about it right now, okay? I’m just so happy that we’re all together again.” Charlie could understand why her brother didn’t want to talk, so she just smiled at him, nodding sympathetically.
A little while later, after Charlie had finished putting a band-aid on Danny’s cracked lipped, Rachel in the meantime having bandaged up his right knee, the three of them sat back, leaning against the stonewall of their shelter. Charlie watched Nora and Aaron, as they sat close to the fire, barbecuing two little rabbits that Miles had brought back from his hunt. Miles himself was sitting at the river, a few feet away from them, staring into the darkness.
How Charlie would have loved to go over to him, sitting down right next to him to hold his hand. But of course that was not possible, with everyone around and Charlie knew better than to try and talk to him again, even if she was convinced that he would have felt better afterwards. Trying not to think about that… complicated man any longer, she finally turned her attention towards Rachel, asking the one question she had been dying to ask for hours now.
“Mom? How are you still alive?”
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A/N: To be continued. Cause I really need a bed right now. But you know what'd make me happy? To wake up to reviews *thihihi* Thank you!
Rating: PG (until now)
Word Count: ~2200
Genre: Angst, Fluff
Summary: "But then, lately, when she looks at you with those big blue eyes of hers, full of warmth, forgiveness and affection, that’s when you feel that tiny little flame called hope awaken in your soul."
Spoilers: Set in the aftermarth of 1x07 - The Children's Crusade
Author's Note: Uhm... I. Need. A. Bed. This fic will kill me. For real.
This fic can also be found on ff.net: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8764056/1/Hope-For-The-Hopeless
----------
Chapter 4
----------
Kipling was the first person, Miles thought of when looking for a safe spot in Philadelphia. They all could need one last peaceful night before facing whatever hell they had in store for them. With a little help from Nora, it was way too easy to get into Kipling’s apartment, who showed no resistance whatsoever.
After they had settled in, Kipling, who sat nervously in the middle of the room with a hand around his drink, asked: “Why the hell did you come back?”
Miles was quiet for a moment, thinking really hard of what to say. How could he explain coming back to face his worst nightmare to a person who used to know him? And how could he make him believe?
“Hard to explain. Things are different now,” Miles finally replied and hoped against better judgment that Kipling would be satisfied with the answer.
But, of course, he wasn’t. “How?”
Miles stared at Kipling helplessly, before his eyes found Charlie. Her head was already turned in his direction and she smiled tentatively at him, until she broke the eye contact, a blush creeping up her cheeks. The moment passed and Miles found himself facing reality again. “I don’t know. Things are just different.”
Whatever Kipling had seen, it seemed to have satisfied him this time around. Not that the next question was any easier to answer. “So what happens when you come face to face with Monroe, hm?”
Looking at his friend again, Miles tried to sound as convincing as he could. “I probably have to kill him.”
With everyone probably thinking the same, an uneasy silence stretched between then group. Trying to escape this situation, Miles put down his glass and turned his attention to Charlie and Nora. Not giving him a break, a new question was thrown at him. “So what’s the plan?” Nora wanted to know.
“I gotta find out where they’re keeping Danny. You guys stay here,” Miles answered, knowing that this would be the easiest way to get out without anyone asking any questions.
The second he had said it however, he could see the objection in Charlie’s eyes. Before Charlie had the chance to say anything, Nora cut in. “You can’t go out on the street. What if somebody recognizes you?”
“They’re my streets. Nobody knows them better than I do.”
Charlie watched him as he moved silently through the room. “Be back in an hour”
Just when Miles was about to exit himself, Charlie’s voice finally reached his ear. Instead of trying to hold him back, she simply said: “Hey. Be careful!”
“Come on. It’s me!” Miles replied with a weak smile, before turning around and leaving the apartment.
----------
There haven’t been many situations in Miles’ life, where his heart was close to stop beating, out of utter fear and desperation. And then, all of a sudden, he found himself in exact that kind of situation twice within 24 hours. First, when Charlie dropped - seemingly dead - to the ground right in front of his eyes, and then only mere hours later, when he finally came face to face with Sebastian Monroe.
Miles had feared that moment ever since they had started their little rescuing mission. And now that it was here, he knew exactly why he was so scared. Looking into Monroe’s burning blue eyes, Miles’ first instinct was to run up to him, wrap his brother in his arms and apologize for having abandoned him all those years ago.
Pictures of their childhood played like a movie between them. Bass chasing him alongside the little creek. Both of them drawing the M-tattoo on their arms, while sitting under their tree. All these moments from their past, the experiences and adventures they faced together, rained down on them like a waterfall. And when grown-up Bass started promising to let his family live, offering his forgiveness so freely, Miles had a hard time remembering why he was there in the first place.
As Miles stared intently at Monroe, another set of similar, fierce blue eyes popped up in his head and his arm started shaking. Charlie. Danny. His family. That was the reason why he was there. And it was the reason why Bass needed to die. Because he has made them all suffer so much and Monroe would not hesitate for one moment to let them suffer even more, he had no doubt about that.
Miles saw his best friend’s heart breaking, his shoulders slumping and with it another tiny part of Miles own heart broke. He used to love that person standing in front of him more than he ever loved Ben. There were times, when he would have given his life for Bass in the blink of an eye. But when he looked at him now, he didn’t see that person any more.
When the first blow came, the last remaining doubts to kill Monroe were destroyed. Their friendship was gone for good, the bond of their brotherhood broken beyond repair. Never would they be able to go back to how things were before, for they were enemies at last.
When Jeremy and his companions came, Miles knew that he had to leave or he wouldn't make it out alive. He looked at Monroe one last time, silently saying goodbye to everything they once had, knowing that the next time they found themselves in such a situation he would kill Monroe for real.
Jumping out of the window, Miles fell onto a small roof terrace. Getting up as quickly as he could, he hurried down the fire ladder and already saw the smoke evaporating over the ground, leading straight to a hole in the wall. Quickly scanning the near area, Miles looked for any sign of his friends and only when he was sure that they hopefully had all escaped through the wall, did he take his legs into his hands, running as fast as he could and leaving the past behind once and for all.
In the far distance, he could already hear screams and the sound of guns being loaded. Speeding up another notch, he finally reached the hole and jumped right through it. His heart skipped a beat as he unexpectedly saw Charlie standing there, the most radiant smile spreading over her face when she spotted him.
Before Miles could even enjoy that beautiful sight, he screamed "Run, you idiot!", grabbed her by the arm and pulled her along with him.
Just as Miles and Charlie finally caught up with the rest of the group, a sound so foreign, even to the adults’ ears, made them stop dead in their tracks. In slow motion, the helicopter arose from behind the wall. Miles’ eyes were immediately fixed on the machine gun rotating. It took him a moment to snap out of it but when he did, his deep voice hollered over the plain: "LET'S MOVE!! NOW!!"
How they made it out alive, Miles had no idea. When the bullets came raining down on them, it was a miracle no one was hit. Just when they were about to reach that little piece of forest, the flying monster veered off to the east. Miles stopped for a second to lift his head, looking after the helicopter in surprise.
"The radius of the amplifier probably won't reach that much further..." Rachel suggested, her voice sending a shiver down his spine. For the first time, Miles realized that Rachel actually was alive and with them. Not wanting to think about Rachel and all those unanswered questions any further, Miles started walking again.
"We need to keep moving. Monroe's troops will come looking for us soon..."
Aaron and Danny stood leaning against the nearest tree, trying to catch their breaths, but Miles didn’t care. If they didn’t get away from there soon, they were sure to get nowhere. “We can rest after we’ve put a few miles between us and Monroe,” Miles just said, without looking back.
----------
“What are we going to do now?”
Charlie had kept her distance for a little while, after Miles had walked off without any sign of wanting company. After they had been walking for more than three hours, Charlie having lost every sense of orientation, she finally caught up with Miles.
“We run and then we hide,” Miles replied.
“Are you serious?” Charlie looked at him confused but Miles just kept on walking.
“Yes, Charlie, I’m serious. Since Monroe has that pendant now we need to get as far away as possible.”
“We can’t let him have it then,” Charlie suggested, struggling with the indifference that Miles showed. She hadn’t seen him that distant and withdrawn since they had started on their little quest.
“God, Charlie. Your naivety sometimes really hurts… What do you suggest we do? Just walk right back in, stealing the pendant from him?”
For a few seconds, Charlie didn’t know what to say, his cruel words cutting her deep.
“We’ll come up with a plan. We always do,” Charlie replied a few moments later.
“Charlie….”
“Come on, Miles. We can’t just abandon everyone to his or her fate.”
“WE? I can do whatever I damn well please, Charlie. I thought you knew me by now,” Miles replied coldly.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Charlie asked, roughly grabbing his arm to make him look at her. And he did. But what she saw there made her retreat. Where was Miles? And what did they do to him?
Miles was in no mood to talk. He was no talker and never had been one, until Charlie had entered his life. She always needed to talk about everything! And while he would agree that sometimes it actually felt really really nice (better than nice actually) to have someone you could confide in, right in this moment he just wanted to be alone.
When Miles didn’t answer, Charlie talked again, not giving up so easily. “Are you okay?”
“No, Charlie, I’m not okay,” Miles hissed, “I faced Monroe, again. And I couldn’t kill him, again. And above all that, he now has that freaking pendant. So no, I’m really not okay.”
As if to prove his point, he harshly withdrew his arm from her grasp, looking straight ahead again.
“Miles.”
“Charlie, please. Just leave. Me. Alone.”
“I’m sorry,” Charlie mumbled, deciding that it probably was best to just give him some time.
Miles knew he was hurting her and he hated it with all his heart, yet there was nothing he could do about it in that moment. Was it too damn much to ask for to get a little time and space to clear his head?
----------
They walked another two hours in total silence. Shortly before sunset, they crossed paths with the Delaware River, following it for another few miles, until the countryside became slightly hilly on their side of the river. When they run across a rather huge rock spur, the little group decided that this would be the place to rest for the night, even though Miles would have loved to go on, since any unpleasant conversations could be avoided then. But Danny, with Rachel at his side, was limping more and more with every step they took, Aaron and Nora looked beat and Charlie still needed to properly recover from her concussion.
Nora built a fire in their little cave-like accommodation, while Rachel and Charlie tended to Danny’s wounds.
“What did those bastards do to you?” Charlie whispered angrily, as she wiped away the blood from her brother’s face. While the anger bubbled inside of her, she also felt beyond relieved to finally have Danny with her again. And Charlie should probably feel even more relieved as she looked over to Rachel but she had yet to accept the fact that her mother was still alive. Had been alive all that time, while she had lain in bed, crying her eyes out.
“I… Let’s not talk about it right now, okay? I’m just so happy that we’re all together again.” Charlie could understand why her brother didn’t want to talk, so she just smiled at him, nodding sympathetically.
A little while later, after Charlie had finished putting a band-aid on Danny’s cracked lipped, Rachel in the meantime having bandaged up his right knee, the three of them sat back, leaning against the stonewall of their shelter. Charlie watched Nora and Aaron, as they sat close to the fire, barbecuing two little rabbits that Miles had brought back from his hunt. Miles himself was sitting at the river, a few feet away from them, staring into the darkness.
How Charlie would have loved to go over to him, sitting down right next to him to hold his hand. But of course that was not possible, with everyone around and Charlie knew better than to try and talk to him again, even if she was convinced that he would have felt better afterwards. Trying not to think about that… complicated man any longer, she finally turned her attention towards Rachel, asking the one question she had been dying to ask for hours now.
“Mom? How are you still alive?”
----------
A/N: To be continued. Cause I really need a bed right now. But you know what'd make me happy? To wake up to reviews *thihihi* Thank you!