Lucy backed into the far end of the little compartment. She used her magic to try and reach out to Loke. He had come to her aid without the use of her keys before, so it was worth a shot.

"What are you doing?" Bacchus took a step towards her. "I can feel you using your magic. What can you do without your keys?"

"Stay away from me you bastard."

Loke, Loke, Loke, she thought frantically.

Bacchus closed the distance between them and forced Lucy against the wall. She glared at him defiantly.

"I said…" but she was cut off before she could finish as Bacchus forced his lips against hers. His kiss was rough and demanding. Bacchus was pressed too closely for Lucy to move away. She started to get angry. How dare he! Nobody puts Lucy in a corner. A cold calm came over her and she knew what she had to do.

She relaxed and returned his abrasive kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. Bacchus made a small appreciative sound and ran his hands along her arms. The kiss became gentler, more exploratory. He pulled back, breathing hard. "You…" he started to say hoarsely, and then shook his head. He peered at her and ran a finger along her cheek. "I'm sorry if I was too rough earlier. That slap really hurt." His eyelids half-closed and he leaned in again. Lucy shifted her position and Bacchus let her. She had more room to move now. She tightened her grip behind his neck and drove her knee up into his groin in one fast motion

Bacchus screamed and crumpled to the floor. The celestial mage quickly side-stepped him and ran out of the sleeper compartment. She opened the door between the railcars and looked down. The track was visible between the two train cars and appeared to be racing beneath her. She reached out and tried to open the door to the other car. It was locked. She heard a pained groan and looked back. Bacchus was trying to stand up. She looked back outside the train and saw a ladder leading up to the top of the railcar. She took a deep breath and started to climb.

"Wait," Bacchus called out.

She didn't listen. She reached the top in moments. The wind howled, whipping her hair around her. She turned around. The other railcar was just a couple feet away with a ladder identical to the one she clung to now. Still gripping her current ladder with one hand, she stretched out for the other. Her hand came up less than six inches short. The thought of escape was the only thing in her mind as she steadied herself and pushed out with her legs. She grabbed the other ladder with both hands but couldn't manage a foothold. The train bounced and she slammed into the car's surface. Lucy lost her grip.

She fell. I'm going to die, she thought.

Strong arms caught her from behind and yanked her back into the railcar. She looked up, trying to process what had just happened. Bacchus had snagged her from the doorway as she fell. Now he was looking down at her with a livid expression on his face.

"What the hell were you thinking? You're not Indiana Jones or some action hero. You could have gotten yourself killed." Sweat was rolling down his forehead. He carried her back into the sleeping compartment and dropped her into one of the chairs.

Lucy sat there numbly. Did Bacchus really just save her?

The palm magic user kicked a bag that was underneath the room's small dining table. He reached down and grabbed it angrily. He started to rummage through it's contents.

The harsh motions woke Lucy up from her daze. "I was trying to get away from you! You were assaulting me."

He looked at her dryly. "It was a kiss. I've heard that some girls like being kissed."

"Not like that. Besides, how do I know that is all you had in mind?"

Bacchus was fuming. "I have a wild spirit but I'm not a rapist!"

She stared at him. Bacchus had pulled out four slices of bread, some ham, cheese spread, and a knife. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Making something to eat, what the hell does it look like?" he grumbled.

He angrily spread cheese on two of the pieces of bread. His motions were rough and the bread was getting squished.

"Ahh…" started Lucy. She was thinking about mentioning the abuse the poor sandwiches were taking. Bacchus didn't seem to be aware of his violence toward the innocent sandwiches.

Bacchus held up a hand to stop her. "Don't worry. I got the message loud a clear. No need to go throwing yourself off any more trains." He finished with the cheese spread and slapped the ham on. He put the other pieces of bread on top, pressing them down with his palm. He now had two very rough looking sandwiches. Lucy's stomach grumbled. She hadn't eaten anything since she had ice cream with Bixslow. That had been almost twelve hours ago.

He sat down and bit into the sandwich, chewing hard. Lucy just gaped at him. He had gone from terrifying sexual predator to sulking child in just minutes. Her stomach rumbled again and Bacchus rolled his eyes. He slid the other ham and cheese sandwich over to her.

"For me?"

He nodded and took another bite of his sandwich, not making eye contact with her. Lucy lifted the sandwich and tentatively took a bite.

"This is delicious!" she exclaimed. "What kind of cheese is this?"

Bacchus continued to pout but Lucy thought she saw the corner of his mouth twitch. It seemed to please him that she liked the meal he had prepared. "It's made in France. There's a small shop near my apartment that sells foreign cheese." He reached into his bag and pulled out his wine jug, taking a long sip.

Lucy ate the rest of her sandwich quickly and eyed the other half that Bacchus had left on the table.

Bacchus took another sip of his wine and then slid the other half of his meal towards her.

"Thanks." She picked it up and smiled at him. Being nice might get her out of this bizarre situation.

He grunted.

"And thanks for catching me." She couldn't quite bring herself to say thanks for saving me. She bit into the second sandwich. "So, what now? Am I free to go?"

Bacchus seemed to have regained some of his composure. "Free to go? Because of you I have lost a lot of money, gotten into two fights, been slapped, and kneed in the balls." His eyes narrowed at the last statement. "I think the least you can do is honor the bet and spend the rest of the night with me."

"I will NOT sleep with you."

Bacchus frowned. "You sure know how to make a guy feel special." He took another sip of wine. "Is it because you find me completely repulsive or just that you are sooo devoted to the muscle-head?"

It was Lucy's turn to frown. She wanted to blurt out "both," but that was just mean. "Well, you didn't exactly make the best first impression."

Bacchus stared at her, waiting for her to continue. She expected him to be angry but if he was, he wasn't showing it.

"And I am seeing Laxus."

"Even after the crap he pulled tonight?"

Lucy flushed. She had been angry at Laxus but she didn't want to admit that to Bacchus. She decided silence was her best response.

"I thought so," he said with a smirk. "Well, be my date for the evening and maybe I can convince you that you are interested in the wrong mage."

Not likely, she thought. But, this more reasonable Bacchus was a lot less scary than the lecherous one. If it means he'll behave himself, let him think he has a chance.

"Okay, but you have to be a gentleman."

Bacchus laughed. "I'll make you a deal. If you don't kick me in the balls, I'll forget all the stupid shit you did tonight. And I'll be on my best behavior."

Luffy fan: For the American readers, I hope you all had a nice Forth of July. All of my neighbors were shooting fireworks, I'm glad my house didn't burn down. It scared the crap out of one of my dogs.

The sandwich scene is inspired by the Hollows by Kim Harrison. This is a great urban fantasy series if you like the genre.

Thank you again for all the reviews and to randigirl for proofing this for me.