A/N: It was brought to my attention that due to the fact I deleted the last few chapters, those people who reviewed before cannot do so again. Well, if you'd like to review then could you do it anonymously? I'd still love to get feedback on this story. Thanks.

Chapter Fifteen

The next day and the group of outlaws, plus Rachel, were moving out, ready to move onto another town and see what cash and luxuries were available there. As usual, Rachel was sitting behind Charlie, holding on to him tightly. Every now and again when they slowed down her hands would reach out from around him and gently touch his.

The sun was high in the sky as it approached mid day. Hopefully sooner or later they'd come across somewhere they could lay low for a while once more. It was extremely risky staying in a certain area too long; as outlaws the law were always on their trail, searching for them to put behind bars for good, or the worse case scenario, sent to be hung. Only outlaws who were found guilty for petty thieving went behind bars, those who were mass murderers faced the noose.

Charlie felt Rachel's hands touch his again and it somehow made that small piece of paper seem so much heavier in his inside breast pocket. He didn't care who that old woman was and how she'd come by the spell. All he cared about was seeing Rachel home, however, once problem occurred to him: the words seemed as though Rachel herself had to say the words, and he knew for a fact she'd never say them willingly. She was already adamant she was staying with him. He'd have gladly kept her hands in his forever, but if she remained here she'd probably wind up dead all because of him. There was no way he'd stand having the blood of the woman he loved staining his hands for the rest of his life.

Rachel felt herself dozing again, her head resting against Charlie's back. He'd slowed down considerably, the horse's pace becoming a mere trot. When she looked around there was only her and Charlie, Wade, Tommy Darden and Campos left. She furrowed her eyebrows and whispered to Charlie's ear. "Where have the others gone? I never noticed them leave?"

"They're goin' to the border and will be back in a few days. We should be stoppin' soon," he replied to her softly.

By dusk the group had stopped after finding nowhere to stay. "Looks like we're campin' out tonight, boys," Wade announced. "And ladies," he finished, however his tone dripped with sarcasm and he shot an evil glare at Rachel. She looked away quickly and concentrated on getting down from the saddle. Charlie took her hand and helped her down.

"You'll need to help me ride," Rachel said, a smile blossoming across her face. "You can teach me. Then I won't bother you anymore."

Charlie felt something hit him hard at her words. He'd never have that chance to teach her to ride a horse no matter how much he'd love to. A faint smile erupted on his face but he looked away, shifting his gaze from hers. "We'll have to see on that," he mumbled and picked out a couple of blankets from his saddle bag whilst Campos and Tommy prepared a fire.

Rachel noticed his change in attitude, sensing that something was wrong. "You alright, Charlie?" she asked, touching his arm.

"Ah'm fine," he said quickly.

xxx

Later that evening once the fire had been started and skinned food had been cooked, everyone sat in silence eating. Rachel knew she could get used to this life; it was all so much more simple than the time period she'd come from. The lack of technology was one downside, but she was sure she'd be able to handle it. She chewed on the meat, enjoying the taste and feeling it hit her rumbling stomach. By the time she finished there was nothing left, a positive sign that she'd enjoyed Charlie's culinary skills.

"You sure enjoyed that," Charlie said, giving her a smile. He'd noticed how quickly she'd downed her meal, not even bothering to speak.

"I've just been really hungry," she replied quietly. He was sat right beside her but she didn't want the others to hear what they were discussing. In all honesty, Wade and Tommy scared Rachel, although Campos always kept himself to himself, never bothering to talk much.

Once everyone had finished eating, Wade sat on his own with his back against a large boulder and pulled out his small sketchbook. Whenever he felt bored he would often draw objects from the environment around him and sometimes even found himself drawing the odd person or animal. Wade glanced around, trying to find something to draw, until his eyes became fixed on Rachel who was sat silently by the fire. The bright embers made light dance across her face, giving him a wonderful amount of shading to practice with.

Firstly he concentrated on the outline of her face, mainly her small, pouty lips and button like nose which wasn't particularly long. Her brow was quite small, and her hair eclipsed her ears and the side of her jaw. Slowly he formed a replica of Rachel on the paper, his pencil etching each line and shadow into the paper so neatly. Then he started on her hair, drawing each individual strand down the side of her face and neck, colouring in the detail and light which reflected off it from the fire.

Through his eyes Rachel was no more than a kid, even though she was twenty years of age, but as he drew her, he was beginning to see why Charlie loved her so much. There was an air of grace which was present in her plain-looking face. Her eyes sometimes flashed with wisdom. She surely wasn't the woman he normally thought of as beautiful, but there was something about her that outshone a lot of other women despite her very youthful appearance.

Once Wade had completely finished his drawing of Rachel, he signed the piece of artwork and shut his book away, placing it back in his saddlebag. During this time, all the rest of the group had lay down, although there was some chitter chatter still going on.

With a sigh, Wade got back down against the boulder, rested his back up against it and pushed his black hat down over his eyes. He then crossed his arms and let his eyes close.

On the other side of the camp, Rachel and Charlie lay next to one another, only a few inches between them. Both of them smiled at one another and snuggled down as well as they could under the blankets. The fire was still burning brightly in the centre of the camp and would hopefully remain that way for some time yet. Gradually, all of them drifted off to sleep, savouring the silence and peace. The moon and stars shone overhead, and due to there being no cloud cover, the biting cold atmosphere was particularly sharp tonight.

A few hours later, Rachel woke. Her eyes were heavy with sleep and she yawned. The feeling of a full bladder had once again woke her like the first night she ever spent with Charlie. She got up awkwardly, trying not to slip over any of the bedrolls and saddle bags which had been left about. The fire was still burning, although it had lost much of its momentum and had diminished to just a faint light. But it was enough for Rachel to see where she was going.

She scampered away, trying to find a secluded area and finally found one some way away from the rest of the group. She unbuttoned her pants and squatted down, relieving herself on the dusty dirt. Unknown to Rachel, someone was hanging about nearby and the sound of faint footfalls alerted her. Inhaling sharply, she pulled her pants back up and looked around, her tired eyes searching through the darkness. Nervously she edged away until suddenly she felt someone shove her hard against a boulder which was a foot or so away. Her stomach smacked it hard, making her yelp.

"Shut up, bitch!" a harsh whisper came. Then Rachel felt a pair of hard hands pressing into her backside. She struggled, twisting to get away and then suddenly felt something cold against her right temple. "You move and ah swear your brains will be scattered across the floor." Rachel instantly recognised the voice as the panic gripped her. It was Tommy. All along all he'd done was make passes at her, wink perversely and just generally be an animal around her.

Rachel knew there was no way out now. If she moved Tommy would no doubt use his gun on her. His hands continued feeling her from behind and all Rachel could do was bite her lip and tense. She prayed for Charlie to wake up as tears welled in her eyes. Then she felt her pants being pushed down. Everything was happening so much slower than when she was intimate with Charlie and it made shivers of disgust race down her spine.

"What the FUCK do you think you're doin'?" a loud voice came suddenly. Rachel closed her eyes and thanked God for helping her.

"Nothin', Boss," Tommy said, moving away from Rachel and pulling at his own pants.

Wade stared at Tommy and then looked at Rachel, seeing the distinct terror in her eyes. "Get back to the camp you little shit!" Wade hissed, and then he turned his attention to Rachel, approaching her slowly. For a couple of seconds he merely listened to her heavy breathing as she stood motionless and speechless, tears dripping down her cheeks. "Keep your mouth shut, and don't even think about tellin' Charlie. Ah know him better than anyone, includin' you, and if he knows this happened, he'll rip Tommy's head off his shoulders. Ah ain't havin' that happen all caus' of you. Understand?"

Rachel merely nodded her head in obedience and watched Wade walk away from her. She felt her body grow weak and her legs buckle beneath her, sending her to the ground. Tears streamed down her face, leaving crystalline streaks down her pale cheeks. She knew now for sure that she could never be away from Charlie in any shape or form. He was her protector, and no man would ever cause any harm to her without them finding themselves six feet under.

Eventually Rachel found her way back to the camp and sat back down, her shivering body lying back next to Charlie who hadn't even moved. He was still lying on his side and snoring lightly. Her shaking body moved up against him, and in that moment she didn't care if anyone was watching her. She knew full well that she couldn't tell Charlie due to what Wade had told her, but in future she'd learned that she must remain with Charlie at all times.

It took her some time to eventually drift back off, but when she did, she kept on waking up. Anxiety took hold of her and her breathing became short, shallow gasps. If Wade hadn't of woken up and intervened, God knows what Tommy would have been making Rachel do. The very thought of having that man anywhere near her made her feel nauseated.

By morning, Rachel was the first to wake after finding her sleep extremely uneven. Her eyes immediately sought after Tommy, searching for him, and then she saw him. When she saw him, his dirty face peeping out from under a grey blanket, she tensed. All she could feel was anger, disgust and panic. What if he tried again? What if next time for some reason no one was around and he actually achieved what he set out to do?

"Mornin'," a gentle voice came. And as Rachel turned she saw Charlie looking at her with a boyish grin on his face. All she wanted to do in that moment was rush into his arms and never have to leave.

"Morning," she replied quietly, her voice growing into a whisper.