The battle was over, bodies strewn everywhere, dust just starting to settle when Duncan finally turned to the man she called her husband. She's not sure why some days but he's usually pretty good at keeping her happy. Today does not look like one of those days. "You brought a knife to a gun fight," he remarked, looking around. Still, they're alive and the assassins from the Wallace Clan aren't. So it's a win.

"You brought a baby?" she countered dryly.

"Your baby," he pointed out, looking down at the boy in a sling around his chest. The 18 month old smiled up at him, completely unharmed. Bass smiled back down at the boy.

"Isn't your job to keep him away from the fighting?" Duncan demanded as she began to root through the bodies for anything they can use. "I thought we agreed he should at least be able to walk before he starts seeing blood and violence."

"First off, you were just supposed to be on a sweep. I didn't think assassins were going to just jump out of the shadows. Second, your son was screaming and I don't have the parts required to help him out."

"If you wanted to see me with my shirt off, you could have just asked," Duncan told him. She unbuttoned her shirt and reached for their son. "Can you check my back? Something there hurts."

Bass gently began pulling the shirt away from her skin. "Well there's blood so I think we can rule out sore muscles. How bad was the fight?"

"I won. Any fight you walk away from is a good one."

"You have to actually be able to walk away from it and I'm not sure you're going to this time. I don't have tools with me to fix this. But I can clear up the blood for you. You need to get back to the clan so Nick can look you over. He's much better at this than me."

"Sounds good," Duncan sighed, as he began to wipe the blood from her back. It hadn't been that long since their last fight for territory. She had probably torn most of her stitches out. "So how long do I have to wait before you start lecturing me?"

"I think I'll be nice and wait until after Nick gives you one. You do realize you're a new mother right?"

"It's been a year and a half. Pretty sure my body has healed from that wonderful experience."

Bass kissed the back of her neck. "I want you to be around while Leon is growing up," he breathed.

A small smile blossomed on Duncan's face. "I've dealt with assassins before," she murmured, stroking the soft downy hair on her son's head. "It's not that big a deal."

"I will not apologize for being worried about you," Bass insisted as he helped her back into her shirt. "I love you. You're my wife and the mother of my son. It's my job to worry about you."

"I love you too," Duncan told him. "But I don't need anyone to worry about me."

"But you like it."

She twisted her lips to keep the giggle inside. Warlords did not giggle. "I thought we had to get me back to Nick so he could look me over."

"Yes we do. And afterwards, you're going to relax in the tent with me and Leon. In exchange, I won't lecture you about all the fighting. Deal?"

"Perfect deal."