Hi, I uploaded two chapters in one go to apologise for the long delay. So if you haven't read the return, ch36, please do so.

Thanks for reading and please do review.

'How are you?'

Alex turned and peered round the trunk. She had retreated down to the opposite side of the stream after washing all the clothes with Amanada and was sitting with her back against an aspen, her legs, back in breeches, pointing up the slope.

'I'm fine.' she said as Olivia sat down on the cold earth and placed her feet, now once again bare, against Alex's and rested back on her hands.

At Olivia's raised eyebrow Alex shrugged. 'It's…. strange.'

'Strange how?' Olivia asked. Although Alex had never been talkative she had become more silent and withdrawn as the days had gone on and Olivia worried that coming back was undoing all the good work of the year before.

Alex frowned slightly as she picked up and began tearing at a leaf that had fallen early. 'It's like down south was a dream almost. A life that I never thought I'd have. Being a person I never thought I could be. Now we're back I'm the Black Cloak again. I guess it's only really just hit that I'll never escape that.'

'I don't see you that way.'

Alex smiled slightly and looked up, 'I know you don't. The others though….'

'They just need time. Let them get to know you.' Olivia knew there was no point in denying the truth in Alex's words. She herself had seen the sideways looks the blonde got and the underlying tense atmosphere there was around the camp even though they had all seen the terrible price she had paid for her past crimes.

'I can't ask them to forget.' The leaf was now forgotten, torn in tiny pieces scattered over Alex's legs. 'I can't forget.'

Olivia shook her head, 'No one is saying forget. But you can forgive Alex. God, you've been punished enough, it's time to turn over to the next page.'

Alex leant her head back against the rough bark, feeling it catch in her hair. She would try, for Olivia, she would try to move on. To let herself be the person she discovered down South. But a part, deep inside her, felt that she could turn as many pages as she wanted but the writing on the other side had seeped through and would stain anything she tried to do. In this forest, amongst these people, part of her would always be the Black Cloak. She was jerked out of her thoughts at the sight of Olivia scooting down the slope. She widened her legs till the brunet sat between them, her legs over the top of Alex's and wrapped around the tree. She was almost sitting in her lap, but not quite.

'You looked a little lost there.' Olivia reached up and pushed back Alex's hair, 'want to tell me?'

Alex smiled at Olivia's touch but shook her head. There was no point in going over the same conversation again, and besides the warmth of Olivia's thighs against her own had driven all thoughts of talking from her head. They had barely had a moment along since returning, let alone an intimate moment. She leant forward and brushed lightly against Olivia's lips, feeling the other woman smile through their kiss. Leaning back she felt a certain smugness at how quickly Olivia's eyes had darkened.

Olivia not content with the quick kiss, their conversation quite forgotten, leant in again and with her head against the bark there was nothing for Alex to do but accept the warm soft lips that touched hers. The kiss started slow, Olivia's hands on the trunk beside Alex, but for all Olivia had planned this to be quiet and small they both moaned as the kiss deepened and their tongues sought entrance to each other's mouths. Her hands began to travel, one to the side of Alex's neck and other to rest lightly against her breast. She shivered when she felt Alex's thumbs press into the hollows between her hips and legs and dance dangerous close to her centre. Their breathing was coming is gasps and Olivia felt her heart stop when Alex's hand slipped inside her breeches. She was almost embarrassed about how wet she already was but still couldn't help grinding her hips against Alex's fingers, her own hand tightening on the breast beneath her palm; feeling the nipple harden even through the leather jerkin Alex wore.

She had to stop the kiss when she felt two of Alex's long fingers slip easily inside, her palm resting heavily against her clit. She couldn't think as she panted in to Alex's neck, all her cognisant functions focused on the heat between her legs that only grew stronger with every hard and quick thrust of her hips. It wasn't long before she felt the tell tail tightening in her belly and floating feeling fill her head. Her thrusts became erratic and Alex felt her wrist might break under the force. She smiled, partly in relief and partly in triumph as Olivia's muscles clenched, pulsing around her fingers. Her smile quickly changed into a gasp of pain however as Olivia bit down on the muscle between her shoulder and neck to try and muffle the noise of her climax.

Without giving her time to come down and get her bearings Alex bent her legs to the side and with her arms supporting Olivia's lower back she propelled them up the slope till she was laying on top of the brunet. By the time Olivia knew where she was again, and to be honest her own name, Alex had pushed her shirt up around her neck and pulled her breeches down to the middle of her calves. The cold autumn air caused goose bumps to litter her skin and that plus the feeling of Alex's warm wet tongue licking at her breasts made her shiver.

For her part, Alex wasn't thinking. She was sick of thinking, sick of this horrible forest, sick of her past, of her future. She let herself go in the moment and revelled in the softness of Olivia's skin. Back in the forest she once again smelled as Alex remembered. The light freshness of Casey's lavender soap that could never really hide the almost damp earth, fresh leaves forest smell, that Alex could never truly describe but she knew as completely Olivia. Although the brunet had already cum hard Alex had no intention of stopping and it was with an almost fevered heat that she sucked at hard brown nipples, making Olivia's back arch off the forest floor. She kissed her way down her stomach, pausing to dip her tongue into Olivia's belly button, and tasted the sharp wetness that her fingers had left on Olivia's hips. She let her tongue run down to the inside of quivering thighs and seeing Alex's head disappear between her legs made Olivia sit up on her elbows. 'Lex?' she said breathlessly. Olivia had been taking things slow, keeping their sex as normal as she could, not wanting to scare the blonde or push her too far, not knowing what her father had done. They had never moved beyond fingers and she hadn't even told her that this was something people did.

Alex barely even heard her, focused as she was. She didn't know if what she was doing was weird or not right, she only knew that the small taste she had just had was not enough. She wanted to know every inch of Olivia, every taste and sensation her body held, no barriers between them. She flicked out her tongue tentatively and brushed the outside of Olivia's glistening lips, feeling hairs lightly tickle and growing in confidence she pushed her tongue in further till her whole mouth was covering Olivia's sex. Inexperienced but enthusiastic she licked every drop of moisture she could find and when her tongue accidently swept over Olivia's clit she heard the other woman curse and a wave of wetness coat her chin. She raised her eyes to find Olivia staring down at her and ran her tongue over the hardened nub again watching as Olivia moaned.

She focused her attention on Olivia's clit, alternating between hard long licks and slight flicks with only the tip of her tongue. Every so often she would dip down again to Oliva's entrance and gather the moisture she found there swirling it around. She never kept at one rhythm for too long, more out of wanting to do everything than actual intent, and in doing so she kept Olivia hovering on the edge, panting and wanting desperately to cum.

After a time Olivia couldn't take it anymore. She reached down and rested her hand lightly on Alex's head. Not enough to keep her there but enough to remind her what she untimely wanted.

'Use your mouth?'

Alex raised her eyes again and was surprised to see how flushed Olivia's chest was and how heavy her breathing had become. She felt she had spent barely any time at all between her legs but obviously that wasn't the case. She thought she was using her mouth but seeing Olivia's breasts above her she thought she knew what she meant.

Olivia let her head drop back when she felt Alex's lip close around her clit and start to lightly suck. She couldn't help it when her hips raised off the floor and Alex wrapped her arms around to support her as the steady rhythm drove her closer and closer to climax. Alex increased the pace and started to suck harder and soon Olivia was shouting out amid the trees.

She felt herself come down from her high as Alex licked her clean and there was stupid grin on her face by the time Alex was once again laid against her body. She pulled the blonde into a deep hard kiss moaned to taste herself on the other woman's lips. Before Alex could say anything Olivia had pushed her up. She straddled her, a confused look on her face as Olivia pulled at her thighs trying to make her move up her body. Alex with some confusion complied and it was only when Olivia untied and pulled down her own breeches that she felt the throbbing in her own sex.

Feeling Alex use her mouth had only served to remind Olivia how much she had wanted to do that to the blonde. She had been wary before but now, surrounded completely by Alex, she couldn't resist. Her limbs still felt shaky and she didn't trust them to support her weight so she deftly manoeuvred her partner, who seemed a little unsure, until her thighs were either side of her head.

Reaching up she ran the flat of her tongue along Alex's slit, hearing blonde gasp and her feeling her thighs widen. Alex hadn't imagined anything could feel so good, she was almost angry that Olivia hadn't suggested they try this before. In her hunger to satisfy Olivia she hadn't realised how wet she was herself, how the small noises that came from Olivia's throat made her throb and although at first she had been worried about hurting her, the fast approach of her climax drove all thoughts but release from her mind. She reached forward and rested her hands on the steep slope and started to ride the tongue that was thrusting inside her, curling and rubbing on the soft spot just inside. She tried to hold back for as long as she could but in the end her whole body shook as her orgasm took hold and Olivia was met with a flood of wetness on her mouth.

Alex rolled away when her breathing had slowed and curled up into Olivia's side. They both adjusted their clothes, feeling the cold air on their overly sensitivities skins, and simply lay staring up into the canopy.

'I love you.' Olivia said. They would talk about the new found technique later.

Alex looked up from where her head was resting on Olivia's shoulder and pressed a kiss to her check. They loved each other. The memories of the forest didn't feel as bad when she remembered that.

The weather was yet to truly turn when Olivia, Elliot and Rafael left the camp a few days later. Although it was the middle of the night it was still warm enough that they were all sweating in their cloaks. Rafael carried his copy of their contract and they walked in silence for the hours it took them to reach the middle of the forest.

Stopping just short of the clearing, Olivia hoisted herself into a tree and climbed till she could travel from branch to branch and overlook their agreed meeting place.

The oak, it was rumoured was old before humans had even walked this earth and its trunk was so large that two men reaching round on either side would not touch hands. The bark was knarled and had lost its colour years before so it stood grey and weathered. Its large roots, pushing up and breaking through the earth floor prevented any other trees from growing nearby and so a clearing had naturally occurred.

Sat on one of these roots, Olivia saw, was a man. He was dressed in a crimson tunic that fell to his knees and was belted at the waist with gold cloth. His hair was a rather plain brown and hung in curls to his shoulders while his black riding boots shone with dew. His two companions, dressed in similar wealth, one with a lavish fur cloak and the other with rings on every finger, were stood looking bored nearby. Olivia frowned and climbed back down to the others.

'The three of them are there.' she whispered. 'Elliot I want you to hang back, just in case.'

'No I'm coming with you.' He whispered back angrily.

'It might be a trap, I need you to warn the others.'

'If it's a trap I need to be with you!'

They continued back and forth for a while before Olivia realised that it was no use. Elliot's jaw was set in his stubborn way. The three of them proceeded carefully towards the clearing.

'Look our Spanish minstrel has decided to arrive.' The man, more a boy Olivia now thought, rose from the root as they stepped into the light. He had a thin voice that matched his frame.

'Lord Vesci, a pleasure to see you again.' Rafael replied bowing.

'hmmmm' was Vesci's only reply as he looked Olivia up and down, a gleeful look in his eye. 'You never told me she looked like that.'

Olivia didn't say anything as Elliot flexed his muscles beside her.

'Hurry up.' said the man with the fur cloak. It was hard to tell much about him under all that fur but his shoulders looked broad and his voice was deep. He didn't look like a man that someone would argue with and thus they tried to get quickly onto the matter at hand.

'Do you have it?' Olivia asked, as Rafael withdrew their own contract.

'Now all in good time.' Vesci replied smiling sickly, 'I know good Dunmow wants to get home but I think we have time for a little chat?' he sat back down on the root and tilted his head to the side pouting.

Olivia glanced at Elliot but although phrased as one it wasn't really a question. She walked forward and stood a few paces from the tree, but when Vesci patted the root beside him and smiled again she gritted her teeth and sat down.

'I hear you've been quiet a problem over here.'

Olivia remained silent.

'hmmm quiet a problem…. I'm glad you're not in Northumbria.' He said laughing. 'Yes it's reached all over the country how much trouble you've been causing. Maybe I should fear someone might want to copy your….bravery?' He sighed and looked up into the canopy, 'hmmm maybe not. You wouldn't have survived long with us'

Olivia frowned and looked over to Elliot who was being dwarfed by Dunmow but turned back as Vesci took her hand, the leather of his riding gloves cold as he played with her fingers. 'You see,' his grip suddenly got tighter though his smile never wavered, 'my family don't tolerate trouble makers.'