Roland stood on the boardwalk, his dark eyes carefully scanning back and forth. He didn't see her. Of course it was still night. And of course she wouldn't stay around. But where would she have gone?

He should never have let her leave. He had gone upstairs with the bartender, whose name he had learned to be Allie. They had talked.

He hadn't been able to do it. He let out a heavy sigh.

He shouldn't have let her leave. Walter could be anywhere. Roland started back towards the way they had come from. He would check the barn. That was where her mule was. Maybe someone had seen her.

He didn't see the man in the overalls. He must have gone home for the night. It didn't take long for Roland to find her. She was lying in a pile of hay. She was on her back with her long dark hair pooled next to her. What appeared to be her clothes was lying scattered around her. But it wasn't that that made Roland stop short.

It wasn't that she was naked. That would have almost been better.

She was covered with a coat.

A long black coat.

"She's a beauty, isn't she?"

Roland had one of his pistols out in a flash, pointed towards the source of the voice.

"I would ask if you wanted to take a turn next..." The Man in Black idly stepped out of one of the stalls, his long fingers working at buttoning his shirt. "But that just wouldn't be your style, would it?"

Roland watched Walter, not saying anything at first. He glanced back at Rachel.

It didn't take a genius to connect the dots.

Roland cocked his pistol. "What did you do to her?"

"Who me?" The Man in Black pursed his lips, gave a slight shake of his head. "I didn't do anything. Except give her someone to be there for her."

Roland's chest was heaving now. He took a couple of steps towards the man he had been tracking for way too long.

"You took her."

"I didn't take anything. She freely gave herself to me."

Roland's hand started to squeeze the trigger. Not that it would have done any good. Except wake up the girl he had supposed to have been protecting.

The girl that was now lying in the straw. Had he tricked her somehow? Used his power of persuasion on her? So many questions. But only one answer to all of them.

Rachel had been raped by the Man in Black.

And Roland hadn't been there to stop it.

"You should have seen how distraught she was. How more than happy she was to run into my arms," Walter continued.

"You tricked her," Roland spat.

"Of course I did," Walter bragged. "You don't know how easy it was. Young girl, lost in a foreign world, pining for her husband."

Roland grit his teeth, his eyes returning to Rachel's sleeping form. Just pull the trigger, he told himself. Get it over with.

But of course it wouldn't have been that easy. And with the luck both Roland and Rachel were having, Walter would have simply deflected the bullet and it would have hit her somehow.

"You're watching her again."

Walter was right in his ear. Roland jumped. The gun went off. Roland turned but Walter was already gone. Roland saw him standing by the open barn doors.

"Sooner or later the eyes do wander, Roland. Just make sure they don't wander too far. I'm not the only bad boy you have to worry about anymore."

Walter sauntered off. Roland's gaze returned to his young traveling partner. He mentally cursed himself. She was sitting there watching him, holding Walter's coat up to cover herself.

((((()))))

Rachel's heart was hammering in her chest and her ears were ringing. She stared at Roland in shock. She had almost jumped up when she'd woken up but then remembered she was naked. She held Roman's coat against her chest.

"What happened?"

"Just a coyote."

"Did you shoot it?"

Roland seemed to droop. "No."

Rachel sat up straighter and tucked her legs to the side. She started glancing around when she realized someone was missing.

"Roman. Roman?" she called out. "Roman?"

"There's no one here," Roland said.

"Well he couldn't have gone far. You shouldn't be here. My husband's here now and he gets jealous. Really jealous. You shouldn't-"

She stopped. Why wasn't Roman with her? He wouldn't have just left her lying so vulnerable like that. Something wasn't adding up. Maybe he went to feed.

"No."

Roland stepped towards her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just…" Rachel glanced around at her scattered clothes. "I need to find him. I need to get dressed. Can you wait outside please?"

Roland nodded. "I won't be far. Do what you need to do."

He walked out.

Rachel went to reach for her panties and she stopped. Why wasn't Roland still in the saloon? Had his business with the woman ended that fast? Had they even done anything? Rachel scowled. She was lying in hay. She and Roman had made love in a pile of hay. In a barn. She grabbed her panties and threw the coat aside. Roland had been so good to her so far. And she was the one who had had to make love in the hay like she was the whore. She wanted to tell Roland off so badly. But was it worth it?

Rachel stood. The ground rushed away from her. She gasped. She had expected for her legs to be shaky as they usually were after having sex. But it was just the opposite actually. She felt strong. Energized almost. She lifted her arms and flexed her fingers. Drinking Pennywise's blood had always made her feel good, but in a euphoric, floating way. Now she felt solid. She felt whole. Even her nausea was gone. But it wasn't just her body that felt different. There was a different taste in her mouth. It wasn't the usual sweet, tangy taste of Pennywise's blood, but something different. It was bitter, but not an unpleasant bitter. More of a bitter sweet, like dark chocolate.

"Weird," she muttered.

She dressed quickly. Now that her tiredness was gone, she needed to find Roman. Or Pennywise. Whichever form he was lurking around in right now. She pulled bits of hay out of her hair and left the barn. Roland was right outside.

"I need to find my husband," she announced as soon as she saw him.

"We can find him tomorrow. You need to rest."

"Yeah well maybe you should have thought of that after we ate our burgers."

Roland sighed.

"Look, I don't give a damn if you had sex with that woman or not. But my husband was just here with me. And now he's not. And I need to find him."

She started past Roland, but he grabbed her arm. She stared up at him.

"We can find him tomorrow."

Rachel narrowed her eyes at him. Why was Roland acting like this?

"Look, I get it alright. You're scared to let me go again. But I'm not scared anymore. My husband is here now and he can sure damn well take care of me. Even more than you can. So you either come with me or don't, but I will find him, Roland."

((((()))))

The look on Rachel's face tore at Roland's heart. She was angry at him. She had every right to be. But a sick feeling had settled in Roland's stomach. He could still see her lying in the hay. Could see Walter Padick coming out of the shadows buttoning his shirt, his demonic lust now sated. He should have protected her.

He had failed. It wouldn't happen again.

He let go of her arm. "I'll go with you. But I need you to stay close."

She nodded. She started out into the street but then stopped, her eyes, which Roland couldn't have helped but noticed were amber again instead of gold, darting back and forth.

"Uh…"

"You don't know where he would have gone, do you?"

((((()))))

Rachel's eyes darted back and forth. Roman was nowhere. None of this made sense. Where could he have gone?

"Uh…"

"You don't know where he would have gone, do you?" Roland asked.

"No."

Rachel was starting to feel nervous. Pennywise had to have been feeding somewhere. But something was off. The night was quiet. If her mate would have been around there would have been-

Rachel heard a scream. She whipped around. It had come from her right. She heard another scream. It sounded like a woman.

"Shit."

She took off running down the street and stopped when she came to a house. The door was opened. She ran inside.

And came upon a scene that she hoped and prayed never to have to witness.

A woman and two children sat huddled in the corner. It was the same boy and girl Rachel had seen earlier playing chase in the street. Something big and lumbering was standing in front of them.

His claws were extended. He was about to go in for the kill. She had to get the clown's attention now before it was too late.

"Pennywise!" she screamed.

The clown advanced on them some more. It was as if her mate hadn't even heard her.

"Pennywise!"

Roland came even with Rachel, his guns drawn.

She grabbed his arm. "No!"

He rounded on her. "What? That creature will kill them."

"No he won't. Just give me a second."

Now Rachel wanted to scream in frustration. Why wasn't Pennywise listening to her? How could she get his attention? She needed an anchor. Something to remind him of who he really was more than anything.

Rachel's prince. Her true love.

And she was his princess.

"Do I love you because you're wonderful? Or are you wonderful because I love you?"

Pennywise paused. Rachel sang some more, her voice ringing loud and clear.

"Are you the sweet envision of a lover's dream? Or are you really as wonderful..."

Pennywise turned slowly. Just seeing his face almost brought tears to her eyes. He retracted his claws.

It had worked. She had gotten through to him. Rachel smiled and this time her eyes did tear up. She decided to continue.

"Are you the sweet envision of a lover's dream?"

Pennywise came up to her. He lifted his hand.

"Or are you really as wonderful..."

He touched her face with his gloved fingertips.

A tear fell.

"As you seem?"

Pennywise's yellow orbs scanned her face. They turned light blue. The beast had been tamed. For now. Rachel threw her arms around him. She buried her face against his chest and wept.

"Please don't ever forget me. Don't ever forget us."

Pennywise put his arms around her. "Never, my kitten."

((((()))))

Roland watched this strangely morbid spectacle unfold. The monstrous clown bearing down on the mother and her children. He had gone to stop it, but Rachel had stopped him. Stopped him from killing the monster. And then things had gotten stranger still. She knew this monster. And she sang to it. She sang it a song of love. The creature had even responded. Apparently it knew her as well.

Roland watched as the creature came to her. He had reached out and touched her cheek. It was a touch of fondness. Perhaps of love. And then she embraced it back.

Roland slowly lowered his guns. He remembered something Rachel had told him just a few days earlier. Her husband was a shapeshifter. And he had liked to take the form of a clown. Rachel's husband was not human. And from what it had appeared he was about to do to these people, to these innocent children, he was no better than the man who had just left Roland moments before. The man who had taken Rachel and the just left her lying in the straw.

And Roland couldn't help but wonder…if this monster had once done the same.

((((()))))

Pennywise's chin was pressed against Rachel's hair. He had finally gotten out of that pathetic excuse of a bind that that equally as pathetic sorcerer had placed upon him. It hadn't taken much.

He sniffed his mate's hair. She didn't smell right. It was a dark, tainted smell. One that Pennywise had just smelled all too recently. A smell that had come from him. The sorcerer. The Man in Black.

It was all over Pennywise's mate. Pennywise knew now why the sorcerer had tried to stabilize him. To get to her.

The Man in Black had done something to Rachel. Something that had should have been for just Pennywise himself.

Pennywise's eyes turned blood red. The Man in Black had put his hands all over Pennywise's mate.

And he was going to pay. With his life.

A couple of miles away the Man in Black watched all this play out in the smoke from his campfire. Saw the clown embrace the girl.

"You are a naughty little minx, aren't you?" he said to the smoke. "And your bond with him is stronger than I thought."

But it was no matter. The seed of darkness that the Man in Black had planted in her would take root soon enough. She had drunk his blood and had melded her magic with his, not that she had been aware of it.

Walter's pants got tight as he thought of what had transpired not even an hour before. He could still feel her young, supple body beneath him, feel her tight sheath around his cock. He would play the game out, enjoy the chase.

And pretty soon, the demon clown's mistress… would become his.