Snake had only made it a mile south in the two days since he left the encampment. He wanted to run and keep moving but he couldn't. She was there haunting his thoughts all the time. He hated himself for this bullshit. He'd been a fool. Snake sat back against the tree watching the road. He was determined to start moving today. Enough time had been wasted sitting still. Snake took a drink from his flask and screwed it closed as he stood up to take in the lay of the land. To the west was the road he was thinking of taking south.

Slowly he pulled himself into the saddle and glanced off toward the north. He missed her. The thoughts came back and all the feelings with them but they were interrupted by a sound. It was a low distant rumble, something so familiar that he couldn't place. He turned Kole surveying the distance to get a fix on the sound. The rumble was coming up the road to the west. Snake walked the horse out onto the road concentrating on the highway ahead. The rumble, he finally placed it. It was a steam engine. It sounded just like the Duke in New York.

Snake encouraged the horse to walk down the burm toward the sound. His previous thoughts were gone lost in curiosity. Who had the means to start up a steam engine? The answer came soon enough. Horses at first and then the truck behind as Snake watched. The truck brought a wave of revulsion. The black paint was new and glaring in the sun but the white eagle turned the disgust to hatred.

Plissken watched from horseback as they continued north on 385. His eye tracked up where the highway disappeared behind the trees. The Indian camp was just a few miles up that road. Brazen! Snake looked between the troops and the woods to the north. He hated her. Why should he care what happened?

His eye watched the truck slip behind the trees and out of sight. Brazen was a bitch. She deserved to see what her own people did to criminals. Snake knew what that meant all too well. The beatings and the torture, least there were no more shock prods. Plissken could still feel the beating in Thailand, the morning he couldn't move and the days after when he laid in the metal room on the floor. Snake's eye snapped north imagining her face bruised and the broken bones. He gave the reins a yank and kicked the horse into motion

Snake let the reins free pushing the horse to run faster. They burst into the camp clearing and made straight for Marie's tent. Scar was outside and Plissken was sure that Brazen would be with them. Dismounting before Kole came to a complete stop Snake began relaying what he'd saw to Scar.

Brazen sat inside the tent picking at a plate of food. Since Plissken ran out she hadn't felt like doing much of anything. Susan still couldn't remember what she and Plissken had said during the ceremony despite Marie's urging that it was very important. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't hear what he'd said even if she could clearly see his lips moving in her memories.

Brazen had spent two nights alone. She hadn't slept well if at all. The first night she'd debated into the wee-hours of the morning about chasing him down. Why do that? He was intolerable, discourteous and immoral. Still something was nagging her insides. She couldn't stop the tears when she first lay down. The tent seemed cold and she missed waking up to the fire and breakfast. Most of all she missed his arms around her, when they slept and kissed. As much as she despised him, she missed Snake Plissken.

She sighed heavily distracted by her thoughts and pushing the food around on the plate. Even if she knew she needed to eat it wasn't something she was keen on doing. The food was still untouched when she heard muffled voices outside the tent. Marie rushed out to join whoever was outside. There was a sense of urgency to the voices even if the words were indistinct. Brazen listened to other voices come and go before she listlessly rose to her feet. She had no desire for company but the stress in the conversation outside had peaked her curiosity.

Brazen stepped from the tent among a number of Indians all talking at once. She looked between them scanning the crowd. That's when her eyes fell on the black horse towering over the heads. It threw its head nervously. The animal was covered in sweat. She pushed toward it and froze with a gasp seeing Snake. His back was still toward her as he buckled the rifle into the saddle holster. His bare back brought a mix of emotions; passion, anger, desire and something very near hate.

Internally Brazen found herself praying he would turn around. She was worried that maybe he was injured as she still didn't know what the commotion was about. A hand touched her shoulder and whispered something about packing up and heading north. It left and Brazen remained in place. He still hadn't turned around and Brazen didn't want to wait.

"Snake." Her voice was small and tentative. Susan imagined for the past days that he would never want to see her again. Ever so slowly he ambled around to face her. His expression was flat though Susan immediately recognized the slight narrowing of his eye. He was upset or angry and she could believe that it was the sound of her voice that had caused it.

"Snake... I... well... um..." She couldn't find the words she wanted to say despite having rehearsed mentally what she was going to say if he ever came back. "I wanted to apologize."

It was all Brazen could manage. He answered with a disgruntled sigh placing his hands defiantly on his hips. He was looking past her at the people behind her milling about and talking. A breath passed in silence and then he looked straight into her eyes. He still hadn't said anything. Brazen looked down at her hands feeling too guilty to hold his gaze. There was no doubt in her mind that she had hurt his pride if nothing else.

Susan glanced around nervously and forced herself to take the two steps that would close the distance between them. Snake remained still and silent though his eye had lowered to stay with her face.

"I'm sorry Snake." Brazen looked up to meet his eye again. "I didn't mean to hit you... I just… I was..." She didn't know how to finish those sentences because she had yet to figure out what she felt about this situation in general let alone the man who had led her to it.

Snake didn't want to react, so sure that he wanted to hate her. The apology though threw him off. It had been years since anyone had apologized to him for anything. His mind returned to the last time they were together before the argument. She had been so attractive when she laughed but now she seemed faded by guilt. Plissken swallowed the memories in bitterness and forced back the feeling of hatred. She wasn't worth it but he had still come back for no other reason then to warn her.

The contradictions and forced feelings knotted up inside as Snake took in the Indians preparing to defend against the USPF. He wanted to get on the horse and run again. The temptation rose to the point he was ready to turn away when a shaking hand entwined its fingers with his.

"Snake, I'm sorry." Her words were meek again but Plissken was focused on the hand in his. There was no way he could fight it. The touch felt too right and he'd longed for it the past days. His thumb brushed over her fingers as he debated on what his next action should be. Finally he looked up at her. Her amber eyes were glassy with sorrow and filled with sincerity. Her hand tightened on his causing Snake to draw a deep breath. He refused to admit what he was feeling to himself even if he had divulged it during the ceremony.

Heartbeats passed pounding loudly in Plissken's ears. The noise around them was drowned out by the rushing blood and his eye looked between the two of hers. His hand tightened around hers and he leaned forward without thinking about it. He still tried to tell himself he loathed the woman before him. Her eyes turned down from shyness or guilt he couldn't tell. Did it matter why?

Snake focused on her eyes. Their lips touched and the hatred vanished. He couldn't hate her. He didn't want to hate her. His arm wrapped tightly around her letting the kiss deepen. He'd missed her. He wanted to take her back to their tent and make love to her, to let her know that he still cared, still wanted her.

Those things would have to wait. Plissken broke the kiss and pulled away letting his free had trail through her hair and along her cheek. She flushed pink bringing a slight smile to Plissken's otherwise determined expression. His hand lingered on her cheek while he finally broke the silence.

"Do you remember where we were heading?"

Brazen was still stunned by the kiss and glowing in the meaning behind it. She could only manage a nod while she nestled her cheek in the palm of his hand.

"Pack our things. I'll meet you on the way."

Our things? Brazen could have screamed with joy but instead tears started to blur her vision again. He was coming back but then the reality set in.

"Why?" Brazen looked up as his hands slipped away from her.

"The bastards are coming with a death wagon."

Brazen's breath caught at his words. She knew what they meant. Blankly she watched him begin to turn away.

"Snake!" She took his hand holding firm to it.

He paused and then faced her again.

"Promise me you'll come back." She needed to hear it.

He nodded in return. "As soon as I can baby."

Another kiss that was merely a brush of lips and then he was getting up into the saddle. She gazed up at him wondering where he was going. Others were mounting up around them but she ignored them. He was leaving her again. Brazen tried to be strong knowing she had duties, packing to do but his expression held her. There was fear in it that Susan couldn't place. She had barely a glimpse of it before someone shouted and he turned the horse. Susan watched it gallop off carrying Snake with it. He was soon lost in the other horsemen leaving Brazen to wonder if and when he would return.