Okay, so I struggled so hard, with how to do this chapter-if everyone is interested, once I get it done, I will post the original way I had planned to do this chapter. It's rather short compared to the others, but...yeah just read...and then leave them juicy comments

Jesse took off his hat and smacked it against his leg angrily, backing away from the door as he replaced it on his head and grit his teeth. He couldn't wait around anymore, he had to tell her. He started scanning the buildings around the theater when he heard a voice.

"What are you doing out here?"

Jesse turned to see Ami with a cigarette in her hand, one arm crossed over her as she raised a brow. Without giving it much thought, Jesse's mind registered a few things. Ami hadn't come out the doors that Rosa had locked in front of him, which means she came out another way from the building.

"Did you leave that side door unlocked?" Jesse asked as he sprinted around the building, Ami following close behind as she took a few hurried drags before putting out her cigarette.

"Yeah? Why? Did you get locked out?"

"Yeah." Jesse yanked open the side door Tosh had taken him through and quickly made his way back to the small makeshift room, ignoring Ami's questions about if he had told Sarah yet or not. When he pulled back the curtain, Sarah was unpacking a few clothing items, she turned to say something, but naturally, she hadn't expected to see Jesse. She threw a shirt back into the box and glared at him.

"What are you doing in here? I thought I locked you out?" Ami appeared behind Jesse's shoulder with a bewildered stare, "Did YOU let him back in? I locked him out for a reason."

"What did you do?" Ami slapped Jesse on the back of the head and displaced his hat.

"I tried tellin' her!" Jesse defended angrily, putting his hat back in place, "She thought I was lyin'!" Ami made an 'oh' wordlessly with her mouth and held up her hands before starting to turn away.

"What do you mean 'oh'!" Sarah snapped, putting her hands on her hips, "I guess he told you the same crap he tried to tell me?"

"Oh my god," Ami shook her head before hiding her face in her hands. "You honestly don't recognize him, this isn't just…" She waved her hands before letting them fall, "This is full on, dumbass, denial!" She pointed to Jesse who stepped into the room, and she took hold of the curtain. "Look at him!" She shook her head when Sarah started to argue, "I mean REALLY LOOK Sarah."

This seemed to get to Sarah, she closed her mouth and looked at Jesse who stepped closer slowly. He stopped just short in front of her and looked into her green eyes gently, despite his heart hammering in his chest and his hands itching to do something—clench or reach out for her, anything other than just hanging limply by his side.

So he reached up and slowly took off his hat and pressed it against his chest, running his metal hand through his hair, so it pulled back away from his face a little when it laid. He could see Sarah eyes taking in parts of his face, one section at a time until she got to his eyes, where they held. Slowly he could see her shoulders relax, and the anger shift to curiosity as she came closer this time and looked up at him, still holding his gaze.

"I'm so sorry," Jesse croaked around the lump growing in his throat, his eyes blinking back tears. "I never meant to leave you like that, scared and alone…" His grip on his hat tightened, "I'm a sorry son-of-a-bitch, Rosa…I don't blame you if'n you never forgive me." He reached up with his metal hand and cupped her cheek, "But it is me darlin'…." He smiled, trying hard to keep himself composed, "I remember our last night together…walkin' you downtown from the hotel, you'll never know all the things I meant to tell you that night…"

"Jesse, I can't…" Her eyes faltered, looking away behind her. "I can't believe you." She put a hand over Jesse's metal one and pulled it away from her face, she put it against his hat and looked up at him again, "You're not my thief…" She let go of Jesse's hand and turned to leave when her back was to him, Jesse did the only thing he could think of.

"I'm your huckleberry…"

He saw her entire body stiffen at the whisper, then slowly turn her head so she could hear him better.

"What did you say?"

"Rosa," Jesse sighed, feeling a weight lifted from his chest, "I'm your huckleberry darlin'. I'm the one you been lookin' for…" She turned to look at him with her eyes slowly widening. "It's what I said 'for I left the shop." Jesse put his hat down on the seat beside Sarah and watched as she looked him over from his face to his feet and back again, a hint of desperation in her eyes as she covered her mouth with her hand. "I promised to come back to you, and take you dancin' afterword…and I didn't….I'm so sorry."

"Thief?" Her voice was tiny, and to Jesse, it almost sounded scared. "You, can't be…" She reached up and touched his face, stroking his beard gently as he nuzzled her hand.

"I am darlin'," Jesse covered her hand with his and pressed it against his face. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I'm afraid of puttin' you in danger."

"What happened? Why didn't you come back?" Jesse could hear her voice cracking as she dipped her head lower so he couldn't see her face. "I looked all over for you, you vanished like a dream."

"Things went south, I uh…" Jesse put her chin in his metal hand and lifted it, so she looked at him, tears running down her cheeks as she listened. "I got hurt, shot several times…my arm was useless…." She put her hand on his metal arm, "Had to get taken back to Switzerland once they got me stabilized...by the time I came too…I had a metal arm, and you were gone…" Jesse put his forehead to hers, cupping her cheeks with both his hands now as he closed his eyes. "I came back and looked for you too when I was here…I thought you'd moved on…hated me for abandoning you."

"Oh Thief," Her laugh was soft, just above a whisper as Jesse too began to cry. "I was hurt…worried…but never angry…" She pulled on his beard, "Well, except now, I'm a bit angry now."

"owowowowowowoww," Jesse leaned forward with her pulling as she kept talking.

"I mean how long have you known who I was and that I was looking for you!" Her lips pouted up angrily as she twisted her hold on his hair left and right, so his head tilted with her. "Did you know when you saw me in the bar? Was all this a big set up!"

"I wasn't sure it was you, OW! Till Ami showed up with her gaggle a kids and confirmed it!" Jesse made her let go and rubbed his cheeks as she crossed her arms and huffed. "I got a price on my head, Rosa, I couldn't just let my guard down—you coulda been an enemy!" He gave one more, loud 'ow!' before putting his hands on his hips. "I didn't know when I met you in the bar, and I was like you: it couldn't have been true. You couldn't be MY Rosa. My Southern Rose…"

Jesse remembered the other part of why he hadn't told her and realized how long he had gone without checking his surroundings. He glanced around the room and strained his ears, Clover and the family were playing another song—this one upbeat and happy. But something was slowly sapping away at the warmth Jesse had felt consume him in the moment. "And what with Reaper bein' around I didn't want him comin' after you—so I been wrestlin' with myself on if I should tell you or not…" He turned to look at her, she was still pouting but seemed to be thinking over his reasons. "Has anyone odd approached any yuns lately?" He watched as she put a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, thinking hard.

"Just these two…." She shook her head. "Two older guys, they felt…familiar." She shrugged. "One asked for a job running protection for Clover, said he was looking for work…" She held a hand high above her head to show height and then made an outline of how broad the guy was. "For an older man with white hair, he sure was big. Had these scars on his face and a deep, gruff voice. Clover was terrified of him, so we turned him down nicely."

"Did he give a name?" Jesse asked, trying to think if it fit any description of anyone he knew.

"No, that's what was odd about him," Sarah's brows furrowed before she shook her head. "Just a number."

"Cell phone number?"

"No, just a double-digit number." She shrugged, "Figured it was like a stage name you know? A brand. Had it on his jacket."

"What number?" Jesse asked, baffled.

"76."

"Huh, you don't say." Jesse growled low, "What about the other guy. What made him odd?"

"He's actually here," She nodded when Jesse panicked and brought himself to full height and alert, scanning the room and curtains. "He wanted to sponsor Clover, like fund her shows? I guess he's in the music business or something, but Clover doesn't want to be a big megastar—just an indie gig."

"Give a name?"

"Gabriel Segador." A dark voice purred as the curtain was pulled back gently. A tall, broad man dressed in a black suit and tie stepped through, a smirking smile playing on his lips amid a black goatee. His dark hair cropped very short to the point he almost looked bald. "Whats the matter mijo? Look like you've seen a ghost." The man broke into a creepy smile that showed his white teeth and Jesse hissed a curse as he stood in front of Sarah.

"Fuck me, why you gotta suck at Spanish Rosa?" This made her make a strained, shocked noise as she looked around Jesse's left side, putting a hand on his arm.

"What are you talking about?"

"Segador isn't a last name." Jesse growled as he put his hand slowly on Peacekeeper, "It's Spanish for Reaper."