A/N: Sorry, I wasn't able to update on Sunday. Things are moving at a pretty fast pace in my life right now and an update just wasn't possible. Lots going on... transfer (work) and a move (to a different state) all before the end of June! So, that being said, there may be a lag in my updates until I get moved and settled in my new place. Again I apologize to those who were disappointed that I didn't update on Sunday.

Sooo, on to the update. There's lots of stuff going on in this chapter and the following chapters will follow suit. Please read and let me know what you think.

In the very early hours of the next morning as they lay in each other's arms in the cool darkness, Beca broke the silence "Jess, are you awake?"

Taking a deep breath but not opening his eyes he said, "Mmmm, yeah."

"Can we talk?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"I need to ask you something."

"Babe, you can always ask me anything."

She took a deep breath and traced random designs on his chest with her finger, "What do you know about the fire that happened at Toussaint Plantation?"

She felt Jesse go rigid for minute before he answered. "It happened the night I was born. My mom and dad were at the hospital and my 3 year old sister Shelby was home with Chloe, the nanny."

"Do you know anything else?"

"Mom and Dad believe that Chloe was in the process of putting Shelby to bed when the fire broke out. Chloe wrapped Shelby in blankets to protect her and tried to get out of the house but the smoke was too thick. The house became engulfed in flames."

"Jess, if you don't want to talk about this we don't have to."

"No, it's something I should have told you a long time ago."

"Ok, but only if you're sure."

"Chloe and Shelby died of smoke inhalation on the upstairs landing. Chloe tried to protect Shelby by covering her with her own body." Beca looked up at Jesse, tears running down his face. "I came into the world as Shelby was going out. I never got to meet her but I feel like she's with me all the time."

Beca reached up the wipe the tears from his cheeks. "Shelby is with you. I'm so sorry I shouldn't have brought this up."

"No, it's ok really. We shouldn't have any secrets between us."

"Well, since you said no secrets, I'm going to tell you something and I want you to promise you won't get mad at me."

"I promise."

Beca let out a sigh, "When I saw John earlier this week I confided in him about us and somehow we got to talking about the fire. He told me he didn't think it was an accident."

"Ok…and?"

"I'm gonna figure it out. I have an appointment to speak to Amy's professor at LSU when we get back."

"Beca, I don't know."

"Jess, I do. You know that saying there's something rotten in Denmark?

"Yeah."

"Well, there's something rotten in Denmark and I'm gonna find out what it is if it's the last thing I do. My gut tells me that the Babineaux's had something to do with it."

"Babe, I appreciate that more than you'll ever know but I think you need to just let it go. The authorities never found anything."

"My guess is that they didn't find anything because they were paid to turn a blind eye. I'm not giving this up, so you can either help me or you can sit back and wait for me to solve this thing. It's up to you."

Jesse sighed knowing that there was no way in hell he would ever change Beca's mind. "Alright, I'll help you. We'll go see Amy's professor when we get back, then we'll go from there."

"Thank you. I was really hoping you would help."

"Well, I can't let you do it alone now can I?"

When Beca got out of the shower Jesse was no where to be found. She quickly got dressed and went outside noticing the door to the toy hauler was opened and walked that way. She stood in the doorway and watched as Jesse ran his hands over the bike as he walked around it. She smiled at the look on his face.

He still couldn't believe that Beca bought him a motorcycle. He finally straddled the bike, hands on the hand grips. It felt good and he couldn't wait to take it out for a ride. He couldn't wait to feel the wind in his face and Beca's arms around him as they rode. His mind wandered to the events of the evening before. Beca sitting on the bike half nekkid, waiting for him; waiting to give him the best gift he'd ever received.

Beca cleared her throat to let him know she was there. "Hey."

"Hey babe."

"So...do you like it?" she asked walking over to stand next to him.

"Hell yeah!" he said wrapping an arm around her waist. "What's not to like?"

Beca smiled. "I ordered it while I was in New York. I walked around the entire showroom no less than 5 times before I finally picked it."

"I love it but there's only one problem."

"Problem?"

"Yeah, but it's just a small problem and it's a problem that's easily fixed."

"Oh really?"

"You see, I've ridden it but I haven't put the rubber to the road...if you know what I mean." He said winking at her.

"Ahhh... so you wanna know when we're going for a real ride."

"Oh, we've already taken it for a real ride, but now I wanna see what she can really do."

"I see." she said smiling. "Well, the bike isn't the only present I got for you."

Looking confused he said, "It's not?"

"Nope." she said unbuttoning her shirt.

"Oh, I like this present." He said eye balling her pretty new bra and the way it looked against her perfect porcelain skin.

She kissed his cheek and giggled, "Ooops, that's not it." She said buttoning her shirt back up.

"You're a tease!"

Her eyes sparkled and she bit her bottom lip before opening one of the cabinet doors. She produced a few boxes and handed them to him. "Here's the rest."

Jesse's jaw dropped and his eyes bulged, "Beca, this is all too much."

"No, it's not. You need all of these things to go with your bike. Now start unwrapping." Jesse unwrapped a helmet, sunglasses, a black leather jacket, gloves and chaps. "Thank you." he said reaching over to kiss her.

"You're welcome. Now, we're ready to ride."

"Umm, no we're not."

"And why's that?"

"This is all for me, there isn't a helmet, jacket and chaps for you."

"Oh yes there is." She opened another cabinet door. "See. I came prepared." She said showing him her riding gear.

"So, you did.

"But we can't ride right now though because I have to go qualify."

Jesse pouted. He really wanted to take his bike out for a spin, but it was going to have to wait until later.

Jesse and Beca walked to the stables to get Whiskey saddled and ready to ride. She had to qualify before the actual competition. Only the top 10 competitors actually got to move on and compete for the title. The lower the score and the least amount of mistakes meant a better chance for taking the title. Beca and Whiskey were the dynamic duo and there was no stopping them. There was no doubt in her mind they were taking the title home.

As they arrived at the stables, Whiskey heard Beca's voice and got excited. When she got to his stall he lovingly nuzzled her neck like he hadn't seen her in weeks.

"Oh did you miss me?" she asked him as she scratched his ear.

Jesse laughed. "He can't answer you know."

"Sure he can." Jesse just stood back and watched the interaction between the two. It was really sweet. Beca talked to Whiskey as she brushed his mane and tail while Jesse saddled him up. The last time they had come the rodeo, he and Beca had come as friends, there was no romance it was strictly business though he knew there was definitely something more.

When it was close to Beca's turn to ride, she got in the saddle and Jesse adjusted her stirrups. A few moments later they heard the announcers talking about Beca and her win the year before. Jesse patted her leg to show his support before making sure everything was just so before she rode. The buzzer sounded and Whiskey shot out of the chute. Jesse watched Beca and Whiskey proudly. She rode with such confidence, grace and the slightest touch of arrogance. She was good and she knew it.

They cleared all three barrels and qualified with a time of 11.533. It was the lowest qualifying time of the day which all but guaranteed her the title. Her qualifying time was even lower than the time that won her the title the year before. She was proud of herself and Whiskey, they had worked hard and it was clearly paying off.

After putting Whiskey back in his stall, they watched the rest of the girls compete which made Beca feel really good about her chances. She actually sat in the stands studying them, their moves and could anticipate what they were going to do. She was telling Jesse their mistakes before they made them and what they could do to correct their posture. Some of the girls were good and showed a great deal of potential but others were just bad and Beca couldn't figure out why they had made the trip, but to each their own.

"Babe, have you ever thought about giving lessons?"

"What do you mean?"

"We have students that would love to learn how to barrel race. Why not learn from the best?"

"Ehh, I guess I could but I absolutely refuse to teach Miss. Gonasyphaherpalaids."

"Who?! What?!" Jesse asked with a disgusted look on his face.

Beca laughed. "I'm not teaching that nasty whorebag Stacie."

"I wouldn't ever suggest that you teach her but what was that other thing you said?"

"Gonasyphaherpalaids?"

"Yeah. What's that?"

"It's a rare combination of four sexually transmitted diseases, Ghonoria, Syphilis, Herpes, and AIDS. Amy learned about it in her health class. She says it's also referred to as the jackpot."

Jesse shuddered. "Uhh, I don't think I'd refer to that or anything like it as the 'jackpot'.

"Yeah, well I wouldn't refer to Stacie as anything ladylike."

"Ok, well…changing the subject to a more pleasant topic, would you just think about giving some of the other girls lessons. Savannah and Hallie have seen you race and they want to learn."

"I'll teach them." She smiled. "But right now, you have to get to the bullpens."

Jesse made his way to the check in table and drew a number for his bull. Luckily he hadn't picked Lucifer…that bull definitely lived up to his name if nothing else. Jesse picked up the stat sheet for Bushwacker, the bull he picked, and handed the sheet to Beca so he could pull his chaps on. She walked toward the chutes as she read the stat sheet.

Bushwacker was a tough bull; he was a nine year old American Bucking Bull that weighed 1500 pounds, had a 93.75% buck off rate and an average score of 46.67. She watched as Bushwacker hit his horns against the chute and tried to ram the handlers. Beca kept thinking, "This shit is crazy!" She hated that Jesse did this, it was dangerous; but she knew that he needed and deserved her support so she'd suck it up and keep her fears to herself.

Jesse was in full gear; protective helmet in hand. Beca kissed him for good luck before sending him on his way. He secured his helmet on his head before hopping the gate into the chute and onto Bushwacker's back. She watched as he pulled his leather gloves on and got a solid grip before lining his pinkie up with the bull's back bone. When he was sure of his grip he took the braided bull rope and wrapped it around his hand then scooted himself to where he was almost sitting on his hand. He was officially ready. The waiting and anticipation was the hardest part. As Bushwacker huffed, stomped and rammed the chute, Jesse bowed his head and said a silent prayer.

Within seconds the buzzer sounded, the chute opened; it was show time and the clock was running. As the bull's front feet came off the ground Jesse leaned forward squeezing his legs and maintaining a tight grip on the rope in his riding hand. When Bushwacker started to come down from the jump; Jesse pushed his hips toward his riding hand and raised his free arm. He kept his arm static because most of his balance and control were coming from his hips and grip. He had to keep his shoulders square and even with the bull's, if they were off even slightly that could keep him from completing his ride. Jesse knew he needed to stay on for the entire 8 seconds in order to receive a score and advance to the next level.

Beca just kept saying "ride the buck not the bull" over and over to herself as she watched him ride. She could tell from his posture that he'd make it. The eight second buzzer sounded, Jesse and Bushwacker continuing to fight for dominance. Jesse could feel himself getting tired and he just wanted to be done. Knowing he was beyond the 8 second mark he let go landing on the ground with thud then sprung to his feet and ran toward the fence. The handlers rushed out to guide Bushwacker back to the chute. Jesse pulled himself up onto the gate and turned to look at the score board. He scored a 47.53 and rode for a total of 8.254 seconds; he was pretty pleased with himself.

Beca ran toward him and launched herself into his arms. "That was amazing!" she said kissing his sweaty face. "You did great!"

"Thanks! I'm pretty pleased."

"You should be!" she said tightening her legs around his waist. "Let's get out of here." she said trailing kisses from his mouth to his jaw and down his neck.

Jesse pressed her back against the wall and began unbuttoning her shirt. He trailed kisses down her neck to her chest. Her breath caught as he reached the lacy trim of her bra. As much as she was enjoying it she needed to put a stop to what he was doing. "Jess…"

"Mmhmm."

"We need to stop."

Looking at her he asked, "Why?"

"Look around. There are people everywhere."

He growled. He knew she was right but now he had to try to walk while hiding a massive hard on. As Beca buttoned her shirt back up and they heard a familiar voice.

"Well, Well, Well…what do we have here?" Stacie said to Beca and Jesse after seeing their more than friendly interaction.

"What are you doing here?" Beca asked

"What do you want Stacie?" Jesse asked putting himself protectively between her and Beca.

"I wanna piece of that action you got goin' on there hot stuff."

Beca made a face. "That's gross."

"Aww…what's the matter Miss Goodie-Two-Shoes isn't up for a little 3 way action?"

"Not just no but hell to the no!" Beca told her.

Jesse reached back and placed his hand on Beca's waist to calm her. "We're not interested." Jesse said to Stacie.

"Well, then I guess you won't mind me sending this picture to Luke." Stacie said showing them the picture she took.

"That's blackmail!" Beca screeched.

"You do whatever it is you feel you need to do. That picture doesn't prove a thing." Jesse said continuing to rub Beca's side.

"Luke is gonna have a field day with this." Stacie said as she texted. "Beca, you would be quite the addition to our little collection."

"You're disgusting!" Beca spat. "You're both walking advertisements for how to successfully get an STD."

"No, I get tested every year. So far, so good."

"You and Luke deserve each other. You're disgusting and vile." Jesse said taking Beca's hand. "Let's go."

Stacie chuckled, "And that was the sound of your funerals." She said showing them that she hit the send button. "By the way, I saw you at The Hideaway last night too."

"Does this look like the face of concern to you?" Jesse asked.

"No but it should be. Luke's gonna kick your ass."

Jesse chuckled, "Oh, is that so? I do believe I've kicked Luke's ass every chance I've gotten.

"That was just luck."

"Says the girl who kisses the guy that currently drinks and eats everything through a straw." Jesse said. "That wasn't luck my dear. That was a good ol' fashioned ass whoopin."

"Like I said, it's your funeral." Stacie said. "Wouldn't be the first time and it damn sure won't be the last time a Babineaux takes out a Toussaint."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Guess you'll just have to wait and see." Stacie said as she sauntered away.

"Fuck!" Beca said so that only Jesse could hear her. "We're fucked. We're SO fucked."

"No, we're not." Jesse said moving to stand in front of her. "Call John Breaux; get him to put a hold on the settlement papers. Luke's family being served with those papers will only make this situation worse."

Beca immediately pulled her phone out of her pocket and called John. She explained the situation and he agreed to put a temporary hold on the papers, but also advised Beca to be careful. "Now what?" she asked Jesse.

"Now, we collect all the evidence we can to prove that Luke and his family had something to do with the fire that ruined my family home and killed two innocent people."

Beca smiled. "We're gonna nail his ass!"

When they got back to the trailer they quickly changed clothes, put on their riding gear and took Jesse's shiny new iron pony out for her first ride. Riding a motorcycle was extremely freeing; you could see everything unobstructed. At this time of year the Texas Bluebonnets were in full bloom and were growing everywhere. Texas had some beautiful country side, wide open spaces and back roads to travel. As they rode, Jesse would drop one of his hands to rub her thigh. If they were stopped both of his hands were on her thighs rubbing them and pulling them tighter around his own. At one point during the ride, Beca took her feet off of the foot pedals and wrapped her legs completely around him. She found that she liked riding that way and he certainly wasn't complaining.

They rode for about two hours before Beca started to complain that her "butt hurt" so they stopped to stretch their legs and eat a late lunch before continuing on their journey. When Beca asked where they were going, Jesse replied, "It's a surprise."

After eating they climbed back on the bike for the second leg of their journey. When they pulled into Enchanted Rock State Park Beca got excited. She had read about it on the internet but she had never been. She read that there was a distinctive 500-foot-high dome of pink granite, which happened to be the second largest formation in North America. She had also read that it was estimated to be about one billion years old, making it among the oldest exposed rock in North America.

When the bike finally came to a stop, they both took their helmets off and secured them in the saddle bags. "Now what?" Beca asked.

"Now, we go see what all the fuss is about. This place is supposed to be one of the most gorgeous places in Texas."

Putting her backpack on her back and placing her hand in his, they walked toward the office to get a map then set out to explore the park. They walked around the park for a bit just taking in all the breathtaking views. They had been walking for about 30 minutes when Beca dropped Jesse's hand and jumped on his back. He tried ignoring the fact that Beca was kissing his neck and rubbing his chest. Knowing he couldn't ignore her forever he started to scout out a place away from people and crowds.

When he finally found the perfect spot, a grassy area near a ravine, he stopped and put her down. He turned and kissed her hard. He'd wanted her since they were still at the rodeo and this was the first chance that they'd had to really be alone. It wasn't long before clothes were flying off in all directions without a care in the world for where they went, so long as they were off. They paused only to take the blankets Jesse packed out of Beca's backpack and place them on the ground.

They laid down pulling the top blanket over their bodies and picked up where they left off. Jesse kissed her with every ounce of passion he could muster up. Beca wasn't sure if it was the elevation, the location or the thrill of possibly getting caught but somehow this seemed so much more exciting than any other time they'd been together. It was soft, sweet and oh so memorable. They were sure they weren't the first ones to defile the park and they certainly wouldn't be the last but it was still really fun. As they laid in each other's arms they watched the sun set over Enchanted Rock.

"I've wanted you since earlier today." Jesse said rubbing her back so lightly that he sent chills down her spine.

"And I've wanted you since I saw you in those chaps." she giggles. "I have to say I'm glad we put the brakes on things earlier because Stacie would have gotten some pretty risque photos to send to Luke."

"And that's the last the last thing we need. We definitely have our work cut out for us when we get back."

"First thing on the agenda... we need to speak to my parents." Beca told him.

"Agreed." he said standing up to look for his clothes. "You know, we can't stay here forever right?"

"Yeah, I know." she said finally standing up to get dressed. They had a long ride back to Houston and getting up in the morning was going to be brutal. After getting dressed and cleaning up after themselves, they began their journey back to the parking lot. They bid farewell to Enchanted Rock promising to come back another time when they could actually enjoy it for everything it had to offer, but for now, it was a romantic spot they wouldn't soon forget.

A/N: Sooo...was this chapter boring and full of fluff? You be the judge. I have the next several chapters in the works but again, I have a lot going on so I'll do my very best to get them out as soon as possible. Don't forget to review! :)