Romana pitched another handful of dirt onto the smoking coals of their campfire and glanced up. Rukh still lay groaning on the ground, holding his privates and grimacing.

Shaking her head, she said conversationally, "When I say no, I mean no." He managed a growl in response, but little else. "I'm not in the mood means keep your hands to yourself."

"Bitch," he hissed.

"What did I say, when we started on this adventure?" she snapped. "I want to explore, see new things, do fun stuff."

"Fucking is fun," he snarled.

"Yeah, but if all we do is fuck the hell out of each other, we'll never get anywhere, will we?" She tossed a clod of dirt past his head. "Even that gets old after awhile, you know."

"Prove it," he snapped. "Bore me with fucking. I dare you."

"No time, smart ass," she said, standing and stretching. "Sun's coming up, and I want to be on my way. You can hobble along when you've recovered." She picked up her pack and settled it on her back. It probably wouldn't be so heavy or awkward if the lute wasn't inside, but that was a price that had to be paid. She'd hauled it every step of the way since Rivendell, and she wasn't about to abandon it now.

Without a backward glance, Romana took off.

Rukh struggled to sit up straight, but resisted the urge to check the condition of his privates. He thought it would be easy from here on out. The seemingly insurmountable hurdle of seducing her had been cleared remarkably fast, from his point of view. He'd reasoned that if she was that willing to bed something like him, maybe there was some truth in his fellows' joking after all. He'd assumed that, now that she'd had a taste of him, she would be hungry for more.

Except that she apparently wasn't.

And what the hell was a mood?

Forcing himself to stand, Rukh grabbed his pack and stomped after the woman. It wasn't getting any better; now he was watching her backside sway invitingly as she walked. Remembering his hands clutching said backside only hours ago. He shook his head to clear it.

In moments, his long strides, even labored by his discomfort, brought him up behind Romana. She glanced back at him with narrowed eyes, but said nothing.

Lips curling in a sneer, he noticed her bear's head poking out of her pack. He darted up and snatched the toy, then ran off.

"Hey!" Romana yelled, and was quickly in hot pursuit. She knew she'd never catch up to that idiot. She well remembered the last time the Uruk-hai led her on a merry chase across Rohan, and she didn't relish another round of it this morning. "Give it back, you jerk!"

To her surprise, she caught up to him easily. Either his groin was a little tender, hindering his speed, or he let her catch him. Either way, when she made a grab for him, he twisted, and she found herself tangled up in his limbs, rolling across the ground. Not giving up, she scrambled up his body and reached for the bear as he held it above his head.

The little shit was laughing at her! Infuriated, Romana pounded on his chest. "Give it back!" she repeated.

In a moment, he rolled, and she was on her back, the bear tossed away. He grabbed her wrists and pinned her down. His legs roughly parted hers, and his hot breath covered her face as he gasped, "Yes, fight me, it is better when you fight."

Her body went rigid, and she squeezed her eyes shut. A wave of the visions Sauron had given her flooded through her mind in a torrent, and she whimpered as tears threatened. She hadn't wanted to believe he would do those things to her. He promised!

Rukh shook his head and snorted. The stench of her fear was overwhelming. Why in the world would it offend his nostrils now? He's always reveled in it before. Yet he was aroused, desperately in need of her body. He ground his hips against her, growling low in his throat.

"Please," she begged, her voice thick and rasping, "get off me. Please, Rukh. Please."

Something in her tone unsettled him completely, and he slowly retreated. Once free of his weight, Romana curled up on her side and wept, hugging herself.

This was wrong, he realized. He had done something very wrong. Unsure what to do to fix it, he cast about until he saw her bear. Rukh grabbed the toy and pressed it against her chest, then scooted back several feet. Hugging his knees, he watched her gradually calm enough to notice and embrace the bear.

After a few minutes, Romana's choking sobs diminished to occasional hiccups, and she sat up. She held the bear against her as a shield and glowered at Rukh.

"You're a complete ass," she snarled.

He winced. "You accepted me last night. Why not now?"

"Think about it, moron," she retorted. "And you'd better savor the memory, because you won't be getting so much as a sniff again."

"I do not understand," Rukh growled. Fuming, he snapped, "Why are you different? I have seen your face and smelled your fear on others, and I never stopped before."

"Yeah, well maybe you just recently decided to stop being a dick," she bit back. "Oh wait, didn't work out for you, did it? I guess it's back to being a dick."

"You... you tried to tame me!" he roared, pointing a clawed finger accusingly. "I do not like being tamed by a female!"

"I didn't hear your ass complaining last night!" she cried. "Rolled right onto your back and took it like a man, as I recall. Moaned and grunted your approval, in fact."

"You made me the female," he snarled.

Romana burst out laughing. "Oh, honestly!"

His scowl deepened. "I did not like it."

Snickering, she shook her head. "You fake orgasms better than I do, then."

The Uruk wasn't laughing. Sighing, she firmed her mouth and looked expectantly at him. "You can admit liking it, you know. There's no shame in it."

He looked away. "It was... good," he muttered sullenly. Then he growled, "I did not want it to be good."

"Do you trust me?" she asked, and he looked sharply at her. "Rukh, if you trust me, you can be yourself, and like what feels good, no matter what you think anyone else will think of it. You don't have to strut around like a macho jerk. If I made you feel good, admit it and move on."

"But... did I not make you feel good?"

"You did," she nodded. "Moreso when I was on top, if you recall. It wasn't quite as good the other way around. You have a lot to learn, Rukh."

"Do you trust me?" he asked awkwardly.

"Not as much as I did."