A/N: Warning disturbing content contained in this chapter.

Chapter 11

Lou felt like Buck had been gone forever, the cabin they shared was just too quiet without anybody else there. Lou had grown accustomed to Buck's presence even if he never spoke much, the fact that he was there meant she wasn't alone. And before that she had lived in a Lakota village, it was never completely quiet with that many people around. So being completely on her own for the past month was about to drive her crazy. She expected Buck back any day now, it couldn't come soon enough for her. She really did miss him.

Around mid-day Lou was at the creek doing the washing. It was a very hot day, so she had stripped down to just her undershift, with the plan of going for a swim while her clothes dried on the bank. She had just finished laying out her last garment to dry and was stepping into the cool water when she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She looked around but could see no one, so she just chalked it up to being on her own for too long that she was getting paranoid. Thinking nothing else of it, even though the feeling of being watched did not go away, Lou continued her swim, splashing around in the water until her shift was completely soaked and completely see through.

When Lou felt she had played long enough, she left the creek and headed to the cabin to get into a dry outfit, but the sight that greeted her as she opened the cabin door stopped her cold. Buck was tied to a chair, his mouth gagged, a large bruise forming on the side of his face. His head lolled to the side, she could see blood running down the side of his temple. "Buck!" She screamed rushing into the room and to his side only to have the door slam shut behind her.

Lou whirled around to face the source, Jeb Spencer. The leer on his face as he looked up and down Lou's body made her feel dirty as she tried to cover herself with her arms. "Now now darlin' don't be shy. We both know what you are whore. I told ya once before that nobody says no to me." He sneered at her.

The blood drained from Lou's face as another face flashed before her mind's eye. She knew now where she knew Jeb from...he wasn't Jeb at all... he was Jethro Mills. Lou swallowed hard around the lump of fear that formed in her throat. She was calculating in her head if she could get to Buck's shotgun under the bed before he was on her. Her eyes went to the bed on their own accord only to snap back to Jeb...Jethro's... face at his cruel laugh. "Looking for this whore?" He asked as he held the shotgun up. "Yer mine now. That injun ain't gonna save ya this time."

"Lo..lou.."Buck mumbled as he slowly came too, his body tensing as he became aware of thier predicament. "You bastard!" Buck shouted as he struggled against the ropes holding him as he looked around frantically for Lou to find her crouching by his side, he could feel her pressing something into his hands behind the back of the chair...was that her knife?

"Please...don't do this." Lou begged as Jethro raised the shotgun up pointing it at Buck. "Please just let Buck go...I'll go with you if you just let him go."

"Ain't nobody gonna miss him for a long while yet...so you tell me why I'd want to go anywhere other than right here...I'm gonna kill this breed and then I'm going teach you to be a proper whore. And when I'm done with you...You can join yer injun." Jethro sneered before aiming at Buck.

But before he could pull the trigger Buck rushed him, having used the knife to free himself. "Lou Run!" He shouted as he launched himself across the gap.

Lou didn't think twice as she bolted out the door and ran as fast as she could towards the lakota camp knowing she'd find help there. A shot rang out behind her and the sounds of a fight rose in the air from the cabin but she didn't stop. She didn't have any doubts of Buck's ability, she knew he would come out on top. He would save her.

She had been running for at least ten minutes when the sound a horse racing up behind her caught her ears. She kept running only to be tackled to the ground. Lou gasped as the wind was knocked out of her, her eyes watering from the pain of being landing on so heavy. She began to struggle against the man. "Thought ya got away did ya bitch." Jethro sneer.

"Buck!" Lou screamed as Jethro backhanded her, leaving blood on her face from his hands.

Lou stared in horror at the amount of blood covering Jethro. "No ...please God no." She cried.

"Yer savage ain't coming to save you girly. Yer all mine now. Ain't nobody coming for ya." Jethro said as he held the screaming and fighting woman down, tearing at her thin shift. "Let's see iffn you remember how this works." He sneered as her pulled himself free and prepared to enter her.

"Buck! Please save me! God no, please not again!" She screamed and cried.

And just before Jethro could force himself inside of her, he collapsed with a grunt to the side, a large buck knife sticking out of his back. Lou looked up at her rescuer, Buck stood there breathing heavy, his hand holding a wadded peace of cloth to his stomach, blood seeping out around the edges. "I'm ...sorry." He whispered before clasping to his knees.

With some difficulty Lou managed to get Buck onto the back of the horse that Jethro had been riding, not caring in the least bit that she was basically naked since her garments were so torn, Lou rode like a mad woman to the Lakota camp, praying that the medicine man could help Buck. She couldn't lose him, not now. "Hang in there Buck, I'm going to save you now. You can't leave me alone Buck, please." Lou begged over and over on her mad ride to the village.

Just as the village came into view Buck's broken voice reached her ears, "I ...love ...you." he breathed out before slumping completely forward, passing out from the blood loss.

"Buck!" Lou screamed when she couldn't feel him breathing.

The medicine man and Silver Fox rushed to Lou's horse and took Buck from her. "Please help him!" she begged.

"We will try Weeping Doe. We will try." the medicine man said as Buck was taken away from her. Some of the women in the village came to Lou and took her away to dress her own wounds and cloth her, but Lou was too concerned about Buck to even pay attention to who was around her. She just wanted Buck. She had to know he was going to live. She had to tell him...he had to know she loved him...because in that moment she realized she absolutely completely did love him.