Chapter Text
With only three hours left of the Purge, most of the freed hostages decided to remain in the cathedral until it was over. Now that their captors were all dead, they were marginally safer here than they would be out there on the streets. However Leo’s first priority was getting the Senator to the nearest safe house (where she should have been all along). The problem was no one else could know it’s location, and he couldn’t jeopardize her safety by venturing back outside in search of a vehicle (because he doubted she’d let him go on his own). There were still plenty of crazies out there, and anyone he even remotely trusted had traveled here on foot. So for the time being they’d stay here with the others.
Even though she was devastated over the loss of Joe, Laney pulled herself together and began tending to the wounded the best she could starting with Marcos who’d also been shot. Charlie graciously lended a hand wherever she could, speaking with almost everyone in the room before the sirens finally rang out, announcing the end of this year’s annual Purge.
Before parting ways, Charlie gave both Laney and Marcos her number. “If there’s ever anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask.” She owed them both more than she could ever repay, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try. “I don’t even know how to begin to thank you for everything you’ve done, and I am so truly sorry for your loss. Joe seemed like an incredible man.”
“He was,” Laney confirmed with a somber smile. She just hoped his sacrifice hadn’t been in vain.
Leo had already clasped a hold of her hand, telling her it was time to go. But Charlie lightly shook her head and doubled back to give Marcos a hug. After all, if he hadn’t recognized her when she and Leo were ambushed in the street both of them probably would’ve been dead. “You take care of yourself, okay?”
Marcos nodded. “You too, Senator.”
She couldn’t see very well without her glasses so Leo continued to guide her, his hand tightly gripping on to hers as she followed him blindly to wherever exactly they were heading. Going home wasn’t an option since he’d blown it up (part of it anyway), but they also still didn’t know with any real certainty who had betrayed them or if they’d been in that room at the time the bomb was detonated. She assumed that’s why Leo hadn’t called anyone yet to come get them.
“Where are we going?” She curiously asked when Leo’s pace came to a momentary halt.
“The hospital.” That gash on her head looked pretty bad and while the cut on her neck didn’t look too deep, it needed to be properly cleaned and bandaged. There was also a chance she had sustained a concussion or other internal issues during the crash and while she didn’t seem to be exhibiting any outward signs of discomfort, only a trained physician would be able to determine the true extent of the damage.
“I’m fine, Leo,” she insisted. If anyone needed to see a doctor right now, it was him. So unless he agreed to be treated first…
“Maybe, but I’d feel a lot better hearing that from a professional.”
“The hospitals are going to be flooded with injured people. We should wait,” she said firmly. This wasn’t an emergency, and it just didn’t feel right to go when there were so many others that were in critical condition who would need immediate attention. “Unless you need to go now…” Not only had he been shot, but he had several lacerations on his face from the accident. If he was in a lot of pain, then she’d go for his sake, but not hers.
“I’m fine,” Leo stoically replied. The triage doctors had already sterilized the wound and stitched him up, so all the hospital would do was write him a prescription for some painkillers which he could easily survive without for the time being. “I need to make a quick stop at my place to grab some clean clothes. Then I’m taking you to a safe house.” It was already stocked with the essentials and a a few sets of clothes the Senator’s assistant had picked out in case she ever needed to disappear quickly and didn’t have time to pack anything. “Come on.” They were only a couple blocks away.
Charlie instinctively slipped her hand into his as they made their way through the streets that were stained with blood.
When they got to his apartment, Leo immediately locked the door behind them. Just because Purge night was over didn’t mean the Senator still didn’t have enemies.
Charlie went to take a seat on the couch preparing to wait for him there, but Leo shook his head. “In here,” he said, refusing to let her out of his sight.
He instructed her to sit on the edge of the bed as he grabbed a duffel bag out of his closet and began cramming several articles of clothing into it. He wasn’t sure how long they’d need to be at the safe house, but he knew he didn’t plan on leaving her side. He also grabbed some more ammo from his safe and his computer before briefly disappearing into the bathroom to grab his toothbrush, toothpaste, and razor.
Charlie curiously scanned the room, scooting over to the side of the bed when she noticed that there was a picture on the nightstand. Without her glasses though she couldn’t make out the figures in the photograph until she’d moved closer and picked up the frame. The photo was of Leo with a boy that looked around ten years old, and she barely recognized him because of how happy he looked. This must have been taken before… before his life had been infinitely changed.
“Is this your son?” She asked once Leo had returned to the room.
Leo’s throat bobbed. “Yeah, Nicholas. That was taken on his last birthday.”
He was so young… far too young to have been taken from this world.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly - unsure of whether she was apologizing for his loss in general or for bringing up a painful subject when they were both already physically and mentally drained from everything that’d happened in the last twelve hours. She wouldn’t ask Leo to talk about it… figured if and when he wanted to, he’d bring it up himself. There was no reason to force it. Maybe someday though he’d feel comfortable enough to confide in her about his son. “Here… you should bring this.”
Leo hesitated before reluctantly taking it and putting it into his bag. It wasn’t exactly a necessity. But he knew the Senator meant well, so it was easier just to comply.
“We could just stay here,” she helpfully suggested, as opposed to him having to uproot his entire life to babysit her in some faraway fortress. Obviously it would be a temporary arrangement, but it would give him some time to recover in the comfort of his own home before they had to return to business as usual. He’d more than earned that.
While he appreciated what she was trying to do (which was avoid inconveniencing him), it simply wasn’t a good idea. Sure, when he was here he could easily keep her safe. But realistically he was going to have to leave the apartment at some point and until he could determine what the hell had happened at her house last night and who specifically had betrayed them, she needed to be on lock down somewhere no one could find her. “The safe house is more secure.”
“Okay. You lead the way, boss.”
________________________________
The safe house ended up being a cabin in the woods located on the far outskirts of town that was surrounded by a tall wooden privacy fence and had a large iron gate in front that required a code to enter which was located about a mile away from the main road. The driveway leading up to it wasn’t marked, and at first Charlie thought maybe Leo had taken a wrong turn somewhere because the path was barely wide enough for a car to travel down. She should have known that he had picked this particular spot because of how secluded it looked.
“Welcome home, Senator,” he announced as he swung open the door. Hopefully she’d find the accommodations suitable. “Follow me. I’ll give you the grand tour.” He purposefully stayed just a step in front of her as he showed her around.
The layout was pretty simple. Downstairs there was a bathroom and a study which he’d turned into a surveillance room as well as the living room that was separated from the kitchen by a long marble counter top. Upstairs there were two bedrooms, another bathroom, and a study that she could use as her own makeshift office or turn it into something cozier like a library if she wanted to.
“This’ll be your room,” he said, leading her inside. “The goal was to have this place on stand by just in case, so it has almost everything you should need.” The only thing he’d have to stock up on was groceries, but he was still debating over who should make the delivery. The most likely candidate for this particular task was Valerie, Senator Roan’s personal assistant. She’d been with her for almost eight years now and had proven to be not only a loyal employee but also a trusted friend.
“It’s perfect,” Charlie said with an approving smile. “Are there any towels? I’d really like to take a shower.”
“Linen closet’s behind the door.”
She nodded in acknowledgement.
“Most of your clothes are in the dresser drawers.” But there were a couple of suits in the closet, although he doubted she’d need those anytime soon. Right now she needed to take some time to clean up and decompress. Then he’d assess her wounds to determine whether they’d need to take that trip to the hospital sooner rather than later. He had a gut feeling that she wasn’t as okay as she was pretending to be.
“What about you?”
“I’ll take one downstairs after I check the security system and make sure everything’s in working order.” He also needed to sync it to his watch so that any alerts would come directly to him no matter where his location was within the house.
“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
After grabbing a tank top and some yoga pants, she stepped into the shower.
As the water cascaded down on her and she began scrubbing away the blood and sweat from her face and body, her mind started to drift. She honestly hadn’t thought she’d make it through the night, and in a way she felt guilty that she had when so many others hadn’t. She’d never forget the look on Marcos or Laney’s faces after Joe took his last breath nor would she ever forget how he’d deliberately stepped between her and certain death. She wasn’t sure she could ever fully forgive herself either for pulling him into this mess. If only she had come to the safe house like Leo had originally suggested, Joe would’ve still been alive. What made her life more valuable than his? The answer was nothing. While they’d all protected her because she had the power to end this madness, there was a possibility that she would lose. Then his sacrifice would be in vain.
She thought about how it’d all started: when Leo had first told her that they’d been betrayed and that someone was coming for her. Who was the traitor, and why had they done it? She always tried to make sure everyone on her staff was well taken care of and received everything they needed, so what could’ve possibly been their motivation to turn on her? How long had they been planning it? Was there anyone else relatively close to her that was also secretly plotting her demise? Granted without the amnesty provided by the Purge, it was far too risky to really act upon so she wasn’t overly concerned about another attempt on her life. It did make her uneasy though when she thought about how even the people she’d thought were her allies might actually be working against her.
Then there was Leo: her knight in shining armor. He’d promised to get her through the night, and he had. But at what cost? He couldn’t single handedly protect her forever, and yet she knew he’d try. He could be quite stubborn when he wanted to be, and he already rarely trusted anyone.
She must’ve been in there a lot longer than she’d realized because a sudden knock on the door jarred her from her thoughts. It was Leo making sure she was alright.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she responded loudly enough so that he could hear her before she finished rinsing the shampoo out of her hair and turned off the faucet. “I’m coming out now.”
She quickly dried off and got dressed, then jerked the door open.
Leo’s hair was wet, and she quickly realized that he must’ve already taken his shower. How long had she been in here?
“You hungry?” He asked, eyeing her closely.
Charlie fidgeted under his scrutinizing gaze. “Not really,” she lied. Truthfully she was pretty famished, but she didn’t have much of an appetite right now.
“Then I guess I should call Valerie back and tell her to hold off on the Five Guys,” Leo cheekily replied.
The corners of Charlie’s mouth twitched up into a faint smile. She knew he’d intentionally chosen Five Guys because she’d cut it so close coming home last night by stopping there. He’d been pretty irritated with her about it. “Well, if she’s already on her way…” She also knew he’d selected Valerie specifically because of how long she’d known her. They’d been friends since childhood, so she’d had ample opportunity to sabotage her if she’d wanted to. Val was a safe choice.
“How’s your shoulder?” She asked, her brows knitting together in concern.
“It’s fine” He’d used the spray nozzle to rinse off so he didn’t get the bandage wet, and the pain was manageable. “If you want to lay down, I’ll wake you up when the food’s here,” he offered. She looked exhausted.
“No. I’ll wait with you.” It seemed only fair since he has to be just as tired as she was.
“I’ll make us some coffee,” Leo said, hovering near the top of the stairs to make sure Charlie had a firm grip on the railing before going down them himself.
- - - - -
“Here you go: four sugars, two creams.”
“How did you know?” She asked as he carefully handed it to her.
“I pay attention,” Leo responded. It was annoying at times how many random observations he made on a daily basis, but it made him good at his job.
“And how do you take your coffee?”
“Black.”
Of course he did.
She hummed in acknowledgement before taking a sip.
A heavy silence settled between them which dragged on for several minutes and for a brief moment she thought that maybe he had dosed off, but when she glanced up from her mug she saw that Leo was staring at her.
“What?” She asked, setting her half empty cup down on the coffee table.
Leo reached out, gently turning her chin so he could get a closer look at the cut on her neck. That bastard had almost slit her throat, and he didn’t think he’d ever been as terrified as he had been up there on that balcony when he’d thought that they’d gotten there too late. Even after Marcos had fired that first shot… when she’d hit the floor, he’d thought he’d lost her.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” she assured him.
Maybe not, but it was still deep enough to get infected.
“Stay here,” he instructed before briefly disappearing from the room.
When he came back, he was holding the first aid kit.
“Seriously Leo, I’m okay,” she insisted.
“Well I’m not,” he unintentionally blurted out.
Charlie blinked. But before when she’d asked him about his shoulder-
“I thought I was going to have to watch you die.” Did she have any idea what effect that’d had on him? How devastated he’d be… because she wasn’t just a job anymore. She was someone he cared very deeply about. Maybe he hadn’t fully realized that until last night, but the thought of losing her had shaken him to his core and now that the adrenaline was beginning to wear off, he was having a hard pretending like everything was fine.
“But I didn’t. I’m right here,” she gently reminded him.
“I know.” And frankly he kind of felt like a jerk now for bringing it up: for making this all about him. He wasn’t the one who’d fallen behind enemy lines - who’d been strapped down, gagged, and God knows what else what. “I just want to take care of you, alright? Will you let me do that?” Leo pleaded.
Charlie lifted her hand and ever so lightly grazed her fingers across the gash above his right eye. “Only if you let me do the same,” she replied, proposing a compromise.
“Okay,” he agreed.
She’d already washed away all the blood and thoroughly cleaned the wound, so he gently dabbed it with the alcohol swab before covering it with gauze and taping down the edges. Then he began examining the marks on her face.
There were several deep lacerations on her forehead and the cut above her right eye (the one that mirrored his own) had started to bruise. “Is your vision blurry?”
“Yes,” Charlie deadpanned.
Leo frowned. Why did it look like she was trying to suppress a smile? This was serious. Then it hit him. “Right, sorry.” Dumb question.
She knew what he’d meant though. “But it’s equally blurry in both eyes.”
“What about your head: does it hurt? Do you feel dizzy, nauseous…”
“No, doctor,” she sarcastically replied. “It’s a little sore and I have a slight headache, but it’s not that bad.” Currently it was just a dull throbbing, and that could’ve easily been from her not wearing her glasses as much as anything else. “What about you?” She asked, her tone laced with concern. “You got pretty banged up yourself.” He had already been wounded when the triage van was hit, and she had no idea what kind of injuries he’d sustained in the parking garage while he was eliminating the guns for hire the NFFA had sent to capture her.
“I’ll survive,” he promised. But she insisted on sterilizing the cuts on his face anyway.
The one above his eye must’ve been deeper than he thought because despite his best efforts to mask his pain, he winced (which of course she noticed).
“Sorry,” she said apologetically before blowing softly on where she’d just applied the antiseptic. It was something her mother used to do for her whenever she got hurt, and it’d always seemed to help minimize the initial sting from the alcohol.
An involuntary shudder ran through Leo’s body when he felt her breath brush across his face.
“Who do you think it was? That betrayed us,” she clarified. Maybe if they were engaged in conversation, it’d distract him until she was done.
“It had to be Eric. I sent him downstairs to cover the ground floor. There’s no way those men got past him without his knowledge, and he never alerted me or anyone else that the house had been compromised.” He should’ve seen it coming: been able to tell that something was off with him. They’d worked together for almost three years. What he really wanted to know was why. Was the payoff really worth it? Not that he’d be getting it now.
“I’m sorry. I know you two were close.”
“We weren’t that close,” Leo responded. They’d established a friendly rapport with one another because of what he’d thought were mutually shared goals and how much time they’d spent with one another trying to keep the Senator safe, but apparently he’d completely misjudged him: pegged him as someone they could trust when nothing could be farther from the truth.
“There, all done,” she announced.
Suddenly there was a high pitched beeping sound which Charlie soon deduced was coming from his watch. It must’ve been alerting him that someone was at the front gate because as soon as he checked it, he silenced the alarm and told her he’d be right back.
A couple of minutes later she heard him come back in and head to the kitchen. She headed that way too, and when she walked in she found them both loading the fridge, cabinets, and pantry with food and drinks. From the looks of it, Leo intended to have her stay here awhile.
“I can help,” she offered.
“We’ve got it, Senator,” Leo said with a shake of his head. They were almost finished putting everything away.
She and Val exchanged a few words as she thanked her for bringing all this by and told her she was glad that she’d escaped Purge night unscathed. Valerie was visibly rattled by her appearance though and must’ve asked if she was okay at least three or four times before leaving but not before handing her her glasses.
“Better?” Leo asked, shutting the refrigerator door.
“Much better. Thank you.” She thought it was sweet that amidst all the chaos, he’d remembered to have her assistant pick up her glasses and bring them to her, but then again he always seemed to know what she needed (sometimes even before she did).
They ate in relative silence, watching the news reports as they flashed across the screen which all centered around this year’s Purge and the destruction it’d left in its wake. It was heartbreaking to see what their country had become and what people would do simply because they could.
Local breaking news was that presidential candidate front runner Senator Roan’s home had been destroyed in ‘what looked like some kind of explosion’ and that local authorities were searching for a body but so far hadn’t recovered any matching her description.
Charlie found it ironic that despite all the devastation and death surrounding them, that was their headline story.
“I’ll get in touch with our PR guy - have him verify to the public that you’re alive and well.”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t get into any trouble until I get back.”
“Trust me, I’m not going anywhere.” Not yet anyway, although realistically she’d only be able to hide out here for so long.
When he got back from making the call, Leo found her passed out on the couch.
He considered carrying her to the bedroom, but the searing pain in his shoulder made him quickly second guess that idea. Besides, he didn’t want to wake her up by trying to move her when she looked perfectly content where she was. He did however gently lift her legs onto the couch and lay her down after propping a pillow beneath her head.
After covering her up with a blanket, he watched her sleep for several minutes to make sure she was completely out and also partially because he was still afraid that if he took his eyes off of her for even a second something terrible might happen. He realized how crazy that sounded, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that they weren’t completely out of the woods yet. Maybe he was just being paranoid.
Knowing the Senator, the first thing she’d want to do once she woke up was make sure her staff members were okay and then address the public: probably to give some motivational speech about how it was time to rebuild and to remind everyone to be especially kind to one another during these next several weeks as they all healed together. And he doubted she’d want to do that from here, so he needed to start making all the necessary arrangements to ensure that she wouldn’t be in any danger once she stepped outside these walls.
- - - - - -
Leo grabbed his gun and bolted from the study when he heard the Senator scream ‘no’ before frantically yelling his name.
He reached the living room in seconds and meticulously scanned it along with the adjoining rooms downstairs, but he didn’t find an intruder and nothing appeared to be out of place. That’s when he realized her eyes were still closed. She must’ve been having a nightmare.
Leo set his gun down before briskly making his way over to her to try and rustle her awake. She didn’t respond though: just kept repeating his name over and over again as a tear leaked from the corner of her eye, so he shook her more forcefully.
Charlie’s eyes finally snapped open as she abruptly sat up, nearly head butting Leo in the face. He managed to sway back out of the way, but he kept his hand steadily anchored on her shoulder.
Once her vision began to clear and she became more aware of her surroundings, she tossed her arms around Leo and held on to him tight while an uncontrollable sob ripped from the back of her throat.
“Hey… it’s okay. You’re okay,” Leo whispered, stroking her hair.
“You’re not dead,” she muttered almost incoherently.
“No, I’m right here.” Was that what her nightmare had been about?
“I saw you…”
Leo shook his head. “It was just a bad dream. I’m right here,” he reiterated, “and I’m not going anywhere.”
He couldn’t make out what she said next due to her face being muffled in his shirt, so he drew back just enough to put a tiny space between them (although he didn’t break away from her completely) and asked her to repeat it.
“I… I don’t feel so well.”
Leo frowned. Her speech was beginning to slur, and it looked like she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” she announced suddenly as she stumbled to her feet.
Leo was beside her in an instant guiding her towards the bathroom, but before they could get there she swayed on her feet then collapsed in his arms.
“Shit. Senator… hey, I need you to open your eyes for me, alright? Can you hear me? Charlie!” He immediately checked her pulse and discovered her heart rate was dangerously low which sent him into full blown panic mode.
He quickly retrieved his phone from his pocket and dialed 911, but they were about forty minutes away from the nearest hospital. There was a diner about ten miles up the road though, so he instructed the paramedics to meet him there and described his vehicle in detail so they could easily identify it once they arrived. He’d briefly considered driving her there himself but ultimately decided that she might need oxygen right away and only the ambulance would have the proper equipment to stabilize her until they could get to the ER.
“Don’t you fucking die on me,” he implored as he scooped her up into his arms and carried her outside.
Leo could feel something warm and wet seeping through his shirt as his body was seized by an excruciating pain that shot through him like lightening. His entire chest and left arm felt like it was on fire, but he pushed through it and kept on moving. There was no time to waste.
If he lost her…
After speeding the whole way, he pulled into the parking lot and immediately checked again to make sure she was still breathing despite the fact that she remained unresponsive.
“Come on… stay with me,” he desperately pleaded.
Once the ambulance arrived she was whisked inside. He tried his best to stay out of the way and let the EMT’s do their job, but when they got to the hospital and she was rushed to the OR a nurse told him that he would have to wait in the designated seating area.
“Do you have any idea who that is? That’s Senator Roan, and as her head of security my primary objective is to keep her safe. I’ll wait right here.” He had no intentions of interfering, but he wasn’t going anywhere.
About twenty minutes later as he was pacing back and forth, another RN approached him after seeing the blood on his shirt and suggested he have a physician examine him since he was obviously wounded. He adamantly refused, once again stating that he needed to stand watch until the Senator had been moved to a private room where he could have armed guards stationed outside her door if he needed to step away for any reason.
“I understand you’re just trying to do your job. But I’ll leave a message for the front desk to notify me as soon as they’re finished treating her, and I promise that I will come and get you.”
“What if you’re with another patient?”
“My shift ends in ten minutes. I’m done with my rounds for the day. Look, you’re not going to be of any use to her if you bleed out while she’s being taken care of so please… we’ll make it as quick as possible.”
Leo didn’t want to go, but she had a valid point. So once he’d given her his name (and he’d gotten hers in case he needed it), he reluctantly agreed to be seen by a doctor.