Snake had spent almost an hour next to the fire lost in thought. He hadn't even moved much except for his fingers. He was systematically tearing up every scrap of bark and tossing the pieces into the flames. His mind was still on the night before. It was something he couldn't shake. He'd done drugs in the past, a lot more then he did now. In truth, Plissken had only been heavy into them until he learned to suffer and live with the terrible burn in his eye. Drugs lost their purpose outside of the occasional recreation or focus during a job. Still it left him remembering more of the night before then he suspected most would.

It was all about truth. The plant, which he couldn't identify, relieved inhibitions and allowed you to say and do things you normally wouldn't. The passion and indulgence was a better part of the night. Snake hadn't been kidding her or anyone else when he acted like he wanted her. He really did and he couldn't resist most of the time. That didn't bother him. He was already well aware of his weakness when it came to women. She was pretty enough and sassy. Enough of his type to keep him from putting the effort in to indulge else where, Plissken was content with one woman most of the time. The fact he'd taken her until he was too exhausted to get up was unexpected but not much of a surprise.

Plissken sighed pulling another piece of bark from the grass. He crushed it in his fingers tossing the bits into the fire. It hissed as the wet bark hit the coals. It was what he said that unnerved him. That and he didn't know how much she remembered of the ceremony. She had looked dazed and while he meant what he said internally he hoped it was forgotten. He couldn't forget it though. The words haunted him. He'd meant them more then he ever had in his life.

The last bit went into the fire. Snake slid closer for warmth and pushed another log onto the red embers. The winter wasn't too cold yet but the down side of last night, besides the words he could forget, was that he had to remain shirtless until the wounds healed. He gave them at least two weeks. That would take him well into December. The snow crunched and Snake turned his gaze from the fire. What he saw made him smile.

"What's that look for?"

Snake shrugged at Brazen's question taking in the bare legs up to the knees and further up to the leather shirt. Plissken was beginning to wonder if the drug hadn't worn off yet.

"Marie's washing my things." Brazen took a seat on the tarp pulling the wool blanket closer. Plissken watched her bunch her legs up in front of her and the smile only got wider as he laid back. His eye still hadn't left those legs or the rest of what he could see now.

"Looks nice." Nice was hardly the half of it. Snake had to look away. His body was still complaining from the night before let alone how he'd feel if he started that again.

"Thank you."

Snake's attention turned back to her and all the skin exposed from her legs being up. There was no way he could stop the smirk. Suddenly, Brazen's expression turned to shock before she shoved the fabric down between her thighs.

"You're a pervert."

"Oh, you know it baby." Snake tucked his hands behind his head gazing at the blue cloudless sky.

"You're a bastard." She shot back.

"And you like it." Snake added to the end of her sentence. He could hear her frustration and it broadened the grin ever farther.

"I do not." He could tell she was offended but it was more mock then reality.

"Really?" Snake glanced over chuckling at the look on her face.

"Yes, really."

"I don't believe you." Snake stretched feeling like a cat next to the fire, in the sun. It was a nice feeling.

"Really?" Brazen replied in the same tone he had earlier.

"You going to prove it to me baby?" Snake was all for teasing her. It was so easy that he was surprised everyone didn't taunt her. Brazen was quiet momentarily then Plissken saw her hand. He snatched it at the wrist and gave it a tug toppling her over so she was half lying across his stomach.

"Trying to hit me?"

"Let me go!" She started to struggle. He held tight for a moment and then let her go chuckling the whole time.

"You're too easy."

"Easy? I am not easy."

Snake started laughing. This time she did slap him in the shoulder. Normally he'd kill someone for that but with her he shook his head.

"Oooo, beat me baby." She hated when he started taunting her like this.

"You're immoral." It was old habit for that to be an insult but Brazen really hadn't given it up.

"Why don't you come show me what I've done wrong?" He said it in the sweetest purr his voice was capable of, low and rumbling. He heard Brazen gasp though it was quiet.

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" Snake sat up and leaned toward her.

"So would you."

Snake shook his head. "You got me there baby."

The game was over for the moment and Plissken took to tending the fire.

"Snake?"

"Hmm?" Plissken was back to throwing wood chips into the fire.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." He stopped turning away from the fire to look at her.

"You promise to tell me a straight answer?"

"I promise." Snake shrugged wondering what she was getting at.

"People are treating me weird."

"What do you mean?" Snake felt aggression inside boiling with those words but he had no reason for it.

"Just this morning.' Brazen paused for a long time staring at her hands. "Snake what was the ceremony last night?"

"It made us Indians." Snake shrugged ignoring the other meaning that it had. "I'm not surprised they're treating you differently.

"No." She shook her head. "They are almost afraid to talk to me. Something about last night... they're, well they're afraid."

Snake had dreaded this part. Foolishly he had hoped she wouldn't press so soon but she was a smart girl. It was part of what he liked about her. She had a mind for working things out like he did.

"Snake it means something else too doesn't it?"

Plissken picked the grass and dried mud from his boots trying desperately to sort out the best way to approach the subject.

"Do you remember what happened last night?" Snake was stalling and he wanted to know the answer to this question anyway. Brazen's brow creased and she shrugged.

"Some of it. Putting on your gun belt, the kiss. We said something but I can't quite remember." A faint blush appeared on her cheeks. "I remember you couldn't keep your hands to yourself."

Snake was relieved to hear her admit not remembering what he had said. The blush was nice too and brought a faint smile to Plissken's expression.

"So what does it mean?" She wasn't going to back off and Snake was resigning himself to bite the bullet.

"You know they told me I could join up but for you it was the ceremony or as they put it, you'd have to disappear. I didn't like how that sounded."

Brazen smiled seeming to crack under his sweet talk. It didn't take long for her eyes to narrow.

"Why? What does it mean to them?"

Snake took a deep breath and looked down whispering silently. "You're my wife."

"What?" Brazen hadn't heard him and he looked up at her. His mind was racing.

"Disappear usually means dead to them. So I agreed to it."

"No." Brazen was giving him a look of shear distrust. "What did you say before?"

"You're... You're my wife to them." It was out, serious, straightforward and now Plissken was waiting for the volcano to erupt. She was going to be angry. There was no two ways about it.

Shock filled her entire expression and she slapped him hard in the face. "I can't believe you!"

Snake was stunned by the audacity as she started to stand. "I didn't have a choice."

"You could have asked me. Maybe even mention it to me this morning." She was furious and Plissken admitted she had every right to be.

"There wasn't time to ask you."

"There wasn't?" Her arms crossed.

Snake felt guilt creeping in but he pushed it away. "At least you're not dead."

"No, No, this is worse then dead." The words were full of cold venom but she couldn't have known how deeply those words cut.

"I'm leaving." Snake couldn't take it. The pain was turning to fury. He just wanted away. It seemed apparent she didn't need to know what he'd said last night. Snake grabbed his guns and hastily wrapped up the blanket. He didn't need this or her.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you." Snake didn't even look at her while he collected a few possessions to take along.

"Snake I'm sorry but this... this... how can you expect me to not be angry. Do you realize what you've done?" Brazen felt dirty. Something in her old life creeping back. That life that said she belonged to her husband. She didn't want to belong to anyone. She tried not to think about the other things that it would mean like sentencing her to all his criminal acts.

Plissken stopped and turned. "Realize? Are you listening to what the fuck you're saying?" Snake couldn't bear to tell her why it had really got to him.

"What? About what you did to me?"

"Tell me, tell me what I did to you?" Snake glared at her feeding the pain into a hate filled scowl.

"You ruined me."

Snake opened his mouth to say something but his voice was gone. How could she say that? His mind reeled through the passion and the laughter but it was the words that came back.

"I saved your life. AGAIN!" Snake turned back to saddling the horse. "If I wanted to be treated like a door mat I'd go back to LA." The fury seethed inside of Plissken to the explosion point. "You know maybe you should go back and beg for forgiveness if it was so good with the Force."

Snake knew those words would wound her. He had to lash out at the agony tearing up his insides.

"You son of a bitch." There was disbelief and cold fury in those curse words as they hissed slowly from between her lip.

"I don't need this." Snake swung up in the saddle.

"Snake?" Brazen saw finally that he was really going to go. The fight bled out of her when she saw him on the back of the horse.

"Snake, Please." She had to beg him to stay. She hated him but still she wanted him to stay with her. It filled her with contradictions but they were better then being without him.

"Find someone else to use. I've had enough." Snake spurred the horse. He let it run. He needed to get away before his mind got the better of him. He could hear her call him again as he raced across the camp. People scattered out of his way. Snake imagined he could hear her crying and he reined up the horse. What was he doing? The stallion danced under him, prancing on the hard ground. Plissken could see her sitting in the snow. It hurt. It hurt as much as those words she had said and the slap in the face. Plissken wheeled the horse around and started it galloping again. He didn't want to leave her but it was clear he wasn't welcome.

He'd been a fool again, a sucker for a pretty face and let it get under the years of steel Plissken had built around himself. She was a cop. He should have known better but it was there. The same thing he'd seen in the other women who'd gotten to him. It was something so right and yet utterly wrong. He didn't even know what "it" was but he could see it. She had it and he let down his guard for that craving he couldn't seem to beat down.

His mind kept pace with the horse as he moved effortlessly across the old fields. It had been years since he'd said those few words to anyone. It had been a year after New York, sixteen long years and before that another ten. He should have learned by now but he hadn't. One more woman and one more wound to what little he had left of a heart. The horse slowed and Plissken took a deep breath burying away those words and everything he associated with them. It would come back to him like all the rest had, memories and he hoped by that time she was long gone. Plissken never wanted to see her again.