When Jaden came too, she felt the panic instantly rise. Not only did she learn that her hands were bond, but she was also wearing a blind fold. It also took her a moment to realize that she was on a horse as well. A hand firmly caught Jaden's left arm, gently steadily her when she lost her balance.

"Be still." Even though the voice was calm, recognizing it just made the fear she felt rise even more. Immediately she went still, not wanting to upset the man that held her. "There is no need for you to be afraid, Miss Secrete."

Jaden tiled her head to the side, "Miss Secrete? W-why would even you call me that?"

"That is your name, is it not? Victoria Secrete. For it was inscribed on your…" The man cleared his throat, when he spoke again it almost sounded as if he were embarrassed. "Undergarments."

It took a moment for it to dawn on her, "Oh my freaking god…" She whispered under her breath. If her hands weren't bound she would have face palmed. Those sexy pair of underwear had been a birthday gag gift from her roommate. Lisa would always tease her on how tomboyish she dressed, never owning anything sexy to wear. Why should she own that stuff anyway? It wasn't like she had a boyfriend to wear it for anyway. Besides, she was more of a sports bra and Fruit of a Loom kind of girl. Only reason she was stuck wearing those was because the work week had been so hectic that she didn't have time to do the laundry. The sexy pair of underwear was the only thing she had clean to wear. Who knew that she would be stuck wearing them into the colonial era.

"What did you say?" Her kidnapper asked.

"That you got it wrong, it's just the clothing's brand name." Jaden sighed, she probably just screwed something up in the time line by saying that. Explaining that too him might have just gotten Victoria Secrete created in 1774 instead of the twentieth century.

The man sounded to grow even more inpatient, "I have heard nothing of the like."

"No you wouldn't, not unless you wore women's underwear." She snapped suddenly feeling anger take hold of her fear.

For the past seven months. Jaden tried to figure out just how in the world she managed to cross through time and end up in the 1700s. First thought was that she fell asleep at the wheel while driving home from her father's house and died in a car crash. That this place was either purgatory or her afterlife. Like in the movie 'What Dreams May Come.' Everyone that died had their own personal heaven or hell, created by them and for them. But even Jaden was finding that hard to believe now, because if anything, her own personal heaven sure as shit didn't have anything to do with the colonial era. As for purgatory or hell well, surely there would be far worse places than this time period.

What, how and why she was here, Jaden couldn't figure it out. She just knew that by some fluke she was here and this place was real, and so she was forced to learn how to adapt to the sudden change of living in the century. It wasn't easy either. She had to learn which foods to steer clear of and always had to boil water before drinking it. Trying to find soap and shampoos, as well as a place to bathe hadn't been as annoying. For the kind older couple that took her in that first night she'd arrived in Boston had offered her a permanent place to stay.

Years ago they'd lost their only daughter, whom been murdered when she was out doing daily errands for their little shop. They knew there was evil in the city and didn't want to see the same happen to Jaden. She'd been super lucky to find someone kind enough to help her that night. The Mcbrides kindness reminded her so much of her parents.

Knowing of the upcoming Revolutionary War and what would soon happen to Boston, Jaden disguised herself as a young man and tried to seek a job she could do. Money was needed so she could move far west as possible before it was too late. Even more money was also needed because she was heart set on bringing the Mcbrides with her. Even though she could not tell them of the future events of the war, Jaden planned on tricking them into believing that they would make far more prophet out west. At least they would be much safer there until the war was over.

So she went out searching for work. Yet it was obviously not easy, since being a woman in this time period made it hard to make a decent living. Trying to be a doctor wasn't going to work since she didn't have the school documents to prove she was trained in medicine. Not to mention that women were not allowed to study such practice. Yes she could try to keep disguising herself as a man, but medical school still cost money, and she had none. So that was clearly out, and there were tons of other jobs that she couldn't do either. Many of which took years of experience or muscle to complete and time was of the essence.

So she ended up being a courier that had her delivering messages or packages throughout the city. After four months of doing this, she felt she was ready to try accepting a bigger route and the man whom hired her today paid a nice amount of coin to deliver a message to New York. But apparently that ended up being a piss poor career choice.

For she was now tied, blind folded and being held by a cold blooded killer. A killer who just told her that she had no reason to fear him. Yeah right, she had every reason to fear him. Even though Jaden did not know his name, she sure as hell knew of him. So did many of the residents of Boston, and she would never forget the night she first lay eyes on him.

It was the night of the Boston Tea Party, December 16th, 1773. At first she'd been eagerly awaiting to witness the historical event unfold before her very eyes. Grabbing some snacks and a bottle of red wine, Jaden snuck onto the balcony of a building that had the best view of the area. Once the sun was down, the Sons of Liberty made their move. She watched with great interest as they began boarding the British ships to toss the voluble crates of tea into the ocean. A few guards caught sight of what they were doing and rushed over. Jaden raised the bottle of wine and cheered as the Sons of Liberty started punching, kicking and just beating the ever living crap out of their oppressors. That's when more groups of armed redcoats showed up and so did the man in white.

Whoever this man in white was, he was absolutely and completely ruthless. Redcoats had him surrounded and he cut through each and every single one of them with such brutality that it nearly caused Jaden to lose her dinner. Blood and body parts covered the ground around him as he continued on with his slaughter. She watched him knock a redcoat down and nearly cut the man's head off with a small axe. No not an axe, but a tomahawk. Jaden could also make out a bow on the man's back.

Another redcoat came at him from the side. There he simply side stepped, grabbed and pinned the man under his arm and fired a pistol point blank into the man's face. The sight of his victim's face being blown open so that the bullet could rip straight through to send his brain matter flying out the back of his skull nearly done her in. Yet for some reason, Jaden could not look away. Her gaze was fixed on the man in white as he laid waste of his enemies.

When the fight was done and the redcoats lay dead, she watched him join a man on a ship. Someone handed the man in white the last crate of tea and he accepted. Nearing the edge of the dock, he stopped and held out the crate up high, shaking it in triumph. Before tossing the crate, he peered out across the harbor. Following his gaze, Jaden saw a small group of men that stood glaring back at him. Then in a very smug and 'Come at me bro' like manner, the man in white simply dropped the crate into the water. Whoever those men were, this guy clearly had it out for them.

"Damn." Jaden thought as she slowly stood while still feeling queasy. "Hell of a way to learn history…" She turned her gaze back to the man in white, he completely and utterly terrified her. The way he killed, so cold and brutal, no honor, just raw savage strikes. Jaden didn't care if he may have been a Son of Liberty, she just wanted to stay far from him. Nervously she brushed a few loose strands of hair from her eyes and took a deep breath. While watching the men he'd angered tuck their tails between their legs and storm off she said with a nervous laugh, "Beware the man in the white hoodie…"

Beware indeed. So much for trying to keep that record going...

Jaden nearly had a heart attack when she realized that he was gunning for her earlier. She hadn't realized that until she'd thrown the apple to try and keep him from killing that poor boy's father. When the man in the white hoodie raised his angered gaze at her, she felt all the blood in her body drain.

She was going to die…

When he had tackled her from above, Jaden could have sworn she saw her life flash before her very eyes. Believing that she was dead right then and there, but he had hesitated. She'd never been close enough to see his face before, but as he crouched over her, she looked into those dark eyes of his.

First there was anger, but it was suddenly consumed by pure confusion. He didn't seem to understand that she was actually a woman. Still, she wasn't waiting around to find out why. So she nailed him in his manhood and ran for her life. Jaden thought she'd gotten away too, but no he eventually found her and fast at that.

Now here they were, on a horse with her at his mercy. Not only did he find her belongings, he most likely had carried them with him. Jaden could have kicked herself for not destroying those items in the first place. Honestly she had tried to burn them, in fact before he found her she planned on destroying them right then. Though as for not destroying them sooner...well, it had been painfully difficult.

Having been holding onto the last belongings that reminded her of the life she once had, she just couldn't do it. When feeling so home sick, she would return just to look through the photos or listen to a song on her Smart Phone. Which still had plenty of battery life, for she rarely turned it on. Not knowing how long she would be stuck in this time, she wanted to try and have it last as long as possible. For when the life of the phone's battery finally ended, she would no longer see those beloved people in the pictures or hear the music from her time. Only bittersweet memories would have to do, but even they can eventually fade.

"I have every reason to fear you." Jaden said darkly, "I know who you are."

Her words seemed to have caught him off guard, "Is that so?" After a moment, he asked, "What do you know of me?"

Gosh, now how would anyone in her position answer this question? She was far too scared to reply with a sarcastic answer. Well, least she thought she was anyway. "Everyone knows to beware of the man in the white hoodie." Jaden replied, then wincing at the word she'd used.

"White hoodie…?" He sounded confused.

"The white coat you wear. Where I come from, we call it a hoodie." Jaden replied, before he could ask just where she was from, she continued, "I know you wanted that letter, well I'm sure by now you've read it. Just so you know, I have no idea what it was about. I'm just trying to make ends meet, okay? I get paid to deliver letters, that's it."

He didn't seem bothered by her question, "So I have gathered." That mono tone of his was really starting to get on her nerves. "But that is not the reason you are here."

"Then what is?" Jaden demanded. "How the hell do you expect me to believe that you mean me no harm when you've bound my hands and blind folded me?"

When he didn't reply, it was then that Jaden decided to make a move. Before he could realize, Jaden kicked her heels hard into the horse's side, making it rear. Her back pressed against his chest and she slammed the back of her head hard against his face and sent the man falling off the saddle. However, what she didn't expect was for him to pull her along with him. She hadn't bothered to think that he'd been holding onto the rope that was used to bind her hands. "Shit!" Jaden yelped as she fell backwards.

The man grunted when she landed on his stomach and coughed as the air was knocked from his lungs. Jaden tried to pull the rope free from his grasp and they both rolled until he pinned her beneath him. She tried to struggle blindly beneath him, but he grabbed her bound hands and held them above her head. His strong body rested between her legs, keeping her from kicking him. Then removing the blind fold from her, he shouted in a rage filled, booming voice that shook her very soul, "Enough!"

As much as Jaden wanted to fight back, her body refused, fear took over. She was forced to lay there starring up at very angry killer. The man's hood had fallen over his shoulders and this was the first time she'd ever seen it down. Now she could see that he was native, though the complexion of his skin made her wonder if his blood also held another heritage.

His smooth skin was dark yet light enough to be either Italian or Spanish mix. There was a scar on his upper right cheek that caught her attention, and then her gaze fell upon the native beads that were braided into his raven hair. She took in the sight of the many trinkets that also decorated his clothing. Feathers, beads and the necklace made of some kind of animal claws that hung around his neck. Eventually Jaden met his heated gaze, yet she saw some of that anger slowly fade from those dark amber eyes.

When he spoke, his voice was calm and collect once more. "I may be brutal, but I am not a cold blooded killer. I do not slay women nor children. Those you have seen me kill, either deserved their fate or opposed me. Heed my words well and remember them. For I will not repeat myself again." Then tilting his head slightly to the side he asked, "Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." Jaden replied, her voice coming out harsher than intended. Before she could tell him to get out of her personal space, he released his hold on her.

"Good." He said sternly while rising to his feet. "Now stand." After helping her up, he raised two fingers to his lips and let out a sharp whistle that made her wince. The horse they'd been riding came galloping back and soon they were off to whatever destination he had planned.

Now that the blind fold was removed, Jaden could see that it was nearing sunset. Many moments passed when he broke the silence by asking for her actual name.

She hesitated a moment, then gave in and said, "Jaden Hawthorne." Instantly she regretted being so honest, thinking that perhaps it been wiser to have lied and given him a fake name.

He paused, then introduced himself simply, "Connor."

Jaden waited for him to mention his last name, yet when he did not she asked, "Is there a last name in there somewhere?" her voice sarcastic. When he did not reply, she couldn't help but smirk at their unusual introduction. "Well, I would say it's nice to meet you Connor, but that would just be an outright lie."

"That is understandable." He replied, his voice bland.

Oooh...not only was he a quick one, he had no sense of humor whatsoever. Great.

Sighing, she tilted her head to the left and glanced around at the woods that surrounded them. "So, where are you taking me and for how long will I be there?"

"Someplace safe. As for how long, that…Miss Hawthorne, entirely depends on you." Connor replied sternly. "If you answer my questions, you-"

Before he could finish, a panicked voice called out, "Master Connor! Wait!" Both he and Jaden turned their attention to the two young boys that came running down a hill to their right. Connor eased the horse to a stop, "Father and Godfrey are fighting! You need to stop it!"

"Master?" Jaden asked out loud. Glaring at Connor from over her shoulder she demanded, "You own slaves?!" If so, was he planning to make her one as well?

"Of course not!" Connor stated firmly, sounding insulted. With a nudge, he forced the horse to start to climb over the small grassy hill, following the two panicked children.

Within moments, they arrived at the scene. The scent of saw dust filled Jaden's senses as she spotted the two men fighting near a large stack of freshly cut wood.

"Damn it Terrie! Calm down!" Shouted the larger of the two. He was a big bear of a man, with a thick brown beard and broad shoulders. The off white shirt he wore was covered with drops of blood from the small gashes on his face.

"You're a no good bastard, Godfrey!" Terrie growled back, whom was shorter and had a much slender build with a reddish beard. Both men had thick Irish accents as well.

Connor let out a small sigh and eased the horse to a stop. Still holding onto the rope that was bound to Jaden's hands, he carefully helped her down while they both dismounted.

She watched as Connor quickly tied the end of the rope to his belt. "Seriously?" Jaden asked, arching a brow at him.

Ignoring her, Connor sprinted over to break up the fight, forcing Jaden to stumble after him. Placing a hand on each of the man's chests, he tried to push them apart.

Wanting to put as much distance from her kidnapper and the two fighters as possible, Jaden held out her bound hands, using every inch to add to the space. People started to gather, their eyes shifting from her, to the rope, to Connor, then to the two fighters. How re-damn-diculous this must have looked to them.

When it looked as though the two men had enough, Connor took a step back, but apparently Terrie wasn't finished. For he leaped back at Godfrey to only get instantly blocked by Connor.

After a few tries, Connor finally managed to separate the angered men for good. The one named Terrie stormed off while Godfrey headed over to sit against a wagon wheel. A woman, whom Jaden figured was his wife already began patching him up.

Jaden couldn't help but let out an amused whistle, then raising her bound wrists towards Connor she asked in a forced polite tone, "Mind letting me go now? I'm getting rope burn here."

Connor turned and shot her an annoyed look, though before he could reply, another man came running over to them.

"Jaden?"

Glancing over her shoulder, Jaden was surprised to have recognized the man that had called out to her. "Norris?!"

Norris skidded to a stop and gave her that friendly smile of his. "It tis you! Nice to see you again!" Then taking notice of her bound hands that were still attached to Connor's belt, he turn to the young man, "Connor, why do you have her tied to you? Has she done something wrong?"

"No-" Jaden started but was cut short.

"How do you know each other?" Connor asked, sounding completely shocked.

Norris explained how they met and that he had been purchasing the supplies he needed for his work from Jaden's friends that owned the general store back in Boston. She couldn't help but remember how they ran into one another a few weeks after he first brought her to the city. How she apologized for her behavior and offered to buy him dinner, since it looked as though he hadn't eaten for days. Since then, the two had become good friends. For not only did the man have a kind soul, but he also reminded her of a childhood friend she grew up with. The two were so much alike, she wondered if Norris could possibly be her friend's ancestor.

"You have no idea just how glad I am to see you buddy!" Jaden said with a relieved chuckle, "Maybe you can convince this big lug to let me go."

Norris opened his mouth to speak but seeing Connor glare at Jaden, he fell silent.

Raising his hand, Connor pointed a finger at her face. First it looked as though he was going to shout at her, instead he began to untie the rope from his belt. Stepping closer, he looked her in the eyes. "Fine. I will untie you. Though heed my warning. If you run, I will chase you down and bind your wrists again." Once her hands were freed, he took a step back. "I hope it will not come to that, Miss Hawthorne. For there is someone I would like for you to meet."

While rubbing her wrists she blinked up at him, "Who?"

...

An half hour later, Jaden stood within the living room of what Connor explained was the Davenport Manor. Before her sat an African American gentleman, his graying beard suggested that he was in his late fifties, perhaps even early sixties. Somehow the man reminded her of Shepard Brooks from the TV show Firefly. He just had that look about him, a look of one who lived through many hard times and acquired much knowledge from it. For there was wisdom in those old eyes that watched her curiously.

Achilles Davenport peered up at her from beneath the rim of his hat while Connor stood protectively by his side. Her kidnapper already explained how he found her and before Jaden could even stop him, had also poured out all of her belongings on the table before Achilles.

"This is why I brought you here." Connor stated firmly, "I want you to explain what these items are and where you found them. This particular item I am very interested in." Then to Jaden's pure astonishment, Connor picked up the Taser and turned it on. Demonstrating his curiosity, he zapped at the air, causing both her and Achilles to jump in place. She watched him turn it off and held it at his side. "It is a weapon, that I am aware of. Now, tell us where you acquired it and know this…we will be able to tell if you are lying."

Jaden let out a noise that sounded like both a snort and groan. Out of all the things she had that was the one item which should have been destroyed. For a while she did bury the Taser along with her other belongings, but the crime in the city was getting bad fast. Since she didn't know to use the guns or have the proper skills to use a sword, she was left with knives and the Taser for protection.

Placing hands upon her head she raised her gaze to the ceiling and inhaled a deep breath of air then exhaled it out slowly through her nose. For the past seven confusing ass months of trying to hide these things, to blend in, to survive, it had all been for nothing. Jaden honestly did not know how to get out of this messed up situation and God knew that she was tired of the frustration.

Dropping her hands to her sides, she thought of one way to possibly get out of this mess. Perhaps she could fool them into believing that she was just some innocent mad woman by telling them the truth. After all, from the history books and documents written down through time, people were easily frightened by such talk. Maybe, just maybe these two men would toss the items back at her and order her to leave before she brought a 'hex' down upon them.

Jaden glanced to Connor, seeing how he watched her very carefully with those dark and untrusting eyes of his. 'Or maybe he'll kill me.' Blowing a few loose strands of hair from her eyes she thought, 'I'm dead either way...fuck it. Might as well just go it.' Meeting Achilles' gaze she said in a tired tone, "Well, Mr. Davenport. Honestly...I'm from the future."