The bar was darkly lit filled by a constant hum of the people crowding it.

The so called "people" were nothing but gunslingers, gamblers, drunks and harlots. No person in his right mind would enter this bar.

One of the tables was the main event for the moment. Around it were situated 4 men and....1 woman. All playing a game of poker that seemed to intensify with each move and gamble. The bids were high and so was the tension in the room, as if you could cut it with a knife.

The woman wasn't your regular lady...she was one of them....a gunslinger and gambler - tough and menacing but oh so beautiful.

With her long black hair that coiled down her back under her cowboy's hat and her striking features - high tanned cheekbones, broad muscular shoulders and a body to match. Though her most stunning feature had to be her eyes...those baby blue eyes that were cold as ice and could bore a hole in you with just a glance.

She was wearing a white flannel shirt with the top buttons open, showing her tan skin, a tight black leather vest and to top it off, a long brown leather coat. A gun on each side hung low on her waist, black leather pants accentuated her long legs and black cowboy boots. She was a sight...to say the least.

She was know as ice, the moment you looked into her eyes you knew where she got her name from, and she was mostly known as an outlaw. Running from the law, settling for a day or two in the nearest town without being too conspicuous, and that was her life....and she liked it.

The bunch gathered around the table were starting to get pissed, they were losing and to a broad no less. Right before the last round was beginning, a door was knocked open, the sound made everyone look up.

A girl, no more than maybe 16 or 17, was backing away from a fat, filthy looking guy, who was slobbering all over her. She was clearly trying to push him off of her and succeeding in doing so that well.

"I just want a little kiss...what's the matter whore huh? I paid good money for you and you're gonna give me what I want!" said the slob as he tried to force himself on her.

At that moment Ice got up from her chair so fast that it fell backwards "Get your filthy hands off her!" yelled Ice at the man, ready to shoot at any moment.

The girl backed out  towards the stairs and stopped dead on her feet as she heard a gun shot and saw the fat slob, who was trying to out his paws on her, look at her wide eyed in shock and drop dead at her feet.

Before she knew what was happening, she felt her arm being grabbed by someone and literally dragged out of the place. Around her, the commotion was big, fists flying, bones cracking and a lot of moaning. She turned around to look at her savior and was stunned mute by her obvious beauty, she was set on getting them out of there. One final elbow was thrust in someone's face and they were out.

Ice untied her horse as fast as she could, got up on it and pulled the girl up behind her and they began galloping out of the city, quickly losing track of the town's people.

They rode quietly for a few hours, they were maybe a day's ride from the next town where they could stop and rest. Ice knew those people wouldn't track her down nor would they post a wanted poster on her for two reasons: one, they didn't know her and two, they couldn't care less about that slob she killed.

They reached a nice spot in the woods which made for a good camp. Ice was about to get off the horse when she noticed a slight weight on her back, she figured the girl fell asleep. She couldn't believe what she did and why she did it, she didn't need this girl tagging along with her, how did you plan to take care of her? you didn't think of that now did you? you dumb ass! Ice though to herself as she got off the horse slowly taking the girl with her. She brought her down on her feet just as she was beginning to wake up.

"ummm...thank you, I'm sorry I fell asleep on you like that" blushed the young girl. "It's ok" answered the always stoic gunslinger.

"My name is Keila" said the girl shyly.

"I'm Cody but everyone calls me Ice" said the gunslinger and gave a little lopsided grin.

And they began making camp. Keila wasn't really sure about what to do but she helped where she could. She brought wood for the fire and helped with preparing their meal. They ate in silence and so it went all through dinner.

As they prepared for bed, Keila was the first to break the silence. "I wanted to thank you for saving me today and taking me with you..."

"Hey, don't mention it, I was happy to help."

"Well...good night Cody"

"Good night Kido"

And they turned in. About a hour or so later, Cody woke up to the sound of....whimpers?

She got up from her bedroll and went over to Keila and was she saw made her heart cramp tight. The girl was curled in a ball, shaking and sobbing.

Cody didn't know what to do so she went to her and laid down next to her. The girl was startled when she felt her blanket shift and then the heat on her back but then she heard the most softly spoken words whispered into her ear:"It's ok, I'm here now. No one is going to hurt you ever again....ssshhhhh....It's ok...". Cody put her arm around Keila and pulled her back into her, spooning against her all the while soothing and comforting her. And that's how they both finally fell asleep...in each other's arms.

The next morning, Cody was up early as usual, getting her things ready for the ride into the next town. She was waiting for Keila to wake up and she eventually did, about two hours after Cody.

"mmmm....good morning" said Keila in a sleepy voice, brushing the cow webs away. "Good morning to you too" answered Cody. "C'mon, we have another day's riding until the next town, get ready Keila."

And they were off.

Neither one mentioned the night before and neither spoke until they finally reached the next town.

They dismounted and walked together to the closest inn. When they got to its door Cody said:"Why don't you go in and take a room and I'll settle my horse in?" , Keila nodded and went in.

Cody entered the inn several minutes later to find Keila waiting for her on a stool near the bar with a mug of ale in front of her. "I thought you might be thirsty so I bought you this.." said Keila shyly. Cody smiled and said: "Thanks, I really was thirsty." and swallowed a mouthful of ale. "So....did you pay for a room?"

"Yes, it was their last one available...and I got a fairly good price on it too" said Keila with pride.

"Well good....c'mon don't you wanna go and settle in and maybe rest for awhile? It's been a long ride..." said the yawning gunslinger.

"Sure, that sounds good".

The room was quite large, furnished nicely with a big window looking at the town's square. One the right was the king sized bed with freshly laid down linens, on each side of the bed stood a dresser with a lamp on it. In front of the bed stood a lit fireplace, a table with two chairs around it and a small couch pressed against the wall. The room was nice and it was worth the price Keila agreed to pay for it.

They entered the room, Cody closing the door behind her. They spent some time arranging their things and then decided to hit the sack.

In bed, Keila was a little restless. She turned to lay on her back and looked at the ceiling for awhile, when that didn't help she turned to look at her....dare she say...friend? Cody was lying on her side facing away from her. "Cody?"

"Yes...."

"Are you asleep?"

"Yes....."

"Oh...."

Cody chuckled at that and turned to face Keila "What is it? You can't sleep?"

"Yeah I guess....I just....I wanted to...." stammered Keila

"You wanted to what?" asked Cody now intrigued with Keila's strange demeanor.

"I wanted to thank you for all you've done for me..." said Keila, not looking Cody in the eye.

"I told you, I don't need you to thank me....I'm just glad that....that...I was there in time..." said Cody almost shyly.

"I am too..." said Keila as she leaned forward to touch her lips to Cody's.

Cody was caught a little by surprise by this gesture but she wasn't one to pass up a chance to kiss a beautiful woman so she brought her hand up to the back of Keila's neck and pulled her in deeper so to kiss her more thoroughly.

When the kiss ended, they were both quite breathless. "I-I...I'm sorry" said Keila apologetically. Cody just smiled and pulled her in for another soul searing kiss. "Does that convince you that I'm not sorry?" asked Cody when she pulled back from the kiss. "Yes....." answered Keila and once again she captured Cody's soft lips with hers.

"Wait....wait Keila..."

"What? Did I do something wrong?"

"No.....Not at all.....It's just.....Keila, how old are you?"

"What does it matter? You saw what I did for a living....I guess I'm old enough" said Keila matter of factually.

"Well, what I saw was you trying to get away from that creep....now answer my question...please?"

"Well if it's so important to you.....I'm 18"

"Ok...I guess I can handle that..." "Would you mind if I asked how'd you get to that place?"

"Well.....my parents died a few years back and until now I had the money to support myself but lately I was starting to run out and I had to do something..."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that..." said Cody, putting her arm around Keila's waist.

"Yeah well....I'm alright, now I have better things to do than talk about this..." said Keila as she started kissing Cody's neck.

"Oh Cody....I want to make love with you but....I-I don't know what to do..."

"You've never been with a woman before huh? It's ok, don't worry...I'll teach you everything you need baby..." said Cody, pulling Keila into her and starting to nibble on her sensitive throat.

"No...I mean not only with a woman...I haven't been with ANYONE..." said Keila bashfully.

Cody raised her head and looked incredulously at Keila:"What do you mean you haven't been with anyone? I thought you were..."

"Yes I was....but when you first saw me...that was supposed to be my first time as a....and I just couldn't do it, that's when he tried to force himself on me and then you saw what happened...I'm sorry..."

"what....what are you sorry for? there is nothing to be sorry for...I'm the one whose sorry for not being there sooner for you..."

"You're here now..." said Keila.

"Yes, yes I am..." , Cody pulled Keila in for a deep kiss and shifted so she was on top of her, when she noticed Keila's body was trembling a little "What is it Keila?" asked the concerned gunslinger.

"I'm just a little nervous...."

"There is no reason for you to be nervous....I won't do anything to hurt you and whenever you want to stop just say the word.." Cody smiled and stroked Keila's bangs off her forehead.

Cody leaned down to nibble on a sweet patch of flesh on Keila's neck, she pulled Keila's nightgown over her head, leaving her in only her underwear. "My god you're beautiful" exclaimed Cody as she continued exploring Keila's neck and collar bone.She was suspended on her elbows above her love LOVE? where the hell did that come from?! Cody asked herself as she continued her ravaging of the perfect body that lay underneath her. Yeah I guess I do...love her...wow..never thought that would happen but hey I've seen weirder things...Keila was moaning constantly by now, writhing underneath Cody. Cody was making herself busy with Keila's breasts, tweaking the nipples between thumbs and forefingers, then she lowered her mouth to taste her sweet flesh, to see if she tasted as good as she looked. She took first one nipple in her mouth, delighting in the sharp intake of air that came from Keila, and then switched to the other...suckling it like a newborn and then some. By now Keila was delirious with pleasure, her hands clenching and unclenching in the sheets, her head thrashing around on the pillow from side to side and her body arching, trying to get more contact.

Cody licked her way down Keila's body, down to her legs, taking her underwear with her. The sight of Keila's wet center drew a groan from Cody. She went up to Keila's lips and kissed her deeply, searching her mouth with her tongue, that's when she heard Keila's pleading that made her stomach clench with need...the need to drive this beautiful body to the edge of its endurance and beyond.

"Oh god.....Oh god Cody! please......take me now...." gasped Keila. And who was she to say no to such a request. Cody placed a finger right at Keila's opening and started teasing her with it, then placed the flat of her palm on Keila's clit so with each thrust of Keila's hips she would feel the friction. This drove Keila almost out of her mind, she could feel the pressure build in her body, her mouth opened but no sound came out, at the beginning of her climax her back arched almost off the bed, her body rigid, and at that moment Cody pushed her finger in through the barrier, filling Keila and bringing forth her scream of rapture. But Cody didn't stop there, she kept pumping her finger, adding another one inside, until Keila tumbled over the edge once again. "Stop.....please.....stop.....I can't take anymore..." pleaded the exhausted Keila. Cody stopped and pulled her fingers out of her, with a little wince from Keila. She then pulled Keila into her arms and held her until her breathing returned to normal and her shaking ceased.

"Are you ok baby?" asked Cody, a little concerned.

"I'm great....It was..amazing! I've never felt like that before....thank you" answered Keila shyly.

"No....thank you"

With that Cody kissed Keila on the forehead and they snuggled in together until they fell into a deep sleep.

Keila woke up with a smile on her face (wander why) and a little sore. She noticed Cody wasn't there next to her, she got a little worried that is until she heard familiar footsteps near the closed door. The door opened and there stood Cody with a tray of food in her hands and a broad smile greeting her.

"Hey, I just thought you might be hungry..."said Cody, almost bashfully.

Keila thought it was adorable that such a fearsome gunslinger as Cody could be so sweet and romantic.

"Thank you, I am."

"So....how are you feeling?" asked Cody.

"Absolutely great. You?"

"I've never been better."

"Cody...ummm...I'm sorry that I fell asleep like that last night..." said the blushing Keila.

Cody smiled and put a blond strand of hair behind Keila's ear. "Well I'm not....besides, we have all the time in the world if you want it..." offered Cody hopefully.

"Do you really mean that Cody?"

"Yes....It's up to you"

Keila just jumped on Cody almost making her lose her balance and gave her a bone crushing hug. Cody laughed and said: "I'll take that as a yes" .

The day was spent exploring each other, mind, body and soul.

Days passed and the bond between the girls grew stronger each day. Cody taught Keila how to shoot a gun and Keila tried to teach Cody how to cook but to no avail. All the while being on the road, going from town to town, from inn to inn.

One day, they reached a town named "Salt Lake", they thought they would like it there but they could never have thought of what awaited for them.

"Salt Lake" wasn't a very large town, very few inhabitants but still it looked peaceful enough for the two.

What they didn't know was that the people from that town they escaped from several months ago had taken out a wanted poster on Cody and have been searching for her all this time. Maybe it was luck or maybe they could follow trail better than Ice thought but they were there and waiting for her....to bring her to "justice".

The second they entered town, everyone knew who she was and knew of the people looking for her. Being the small town they were, they weren't looking for any trouble so they figured that by telling the search party of the newcomer, they would save themselves from trouble.

Cody and Keila were definitely not waiting for this kind of welcoming. There at the town's inn was the search party, fully armored. "Oh shit!" exclaimed Cody.

They dismounted their horse slowly and raised their hands in the air. They heard the captain of the search party: "Cody Dakota, also known as Ice, you are under arrest as of this moment and to be executed at noon. Step forward and don't cause any more trouble Ice, you are in more than enough. Now, your little friend there..."

Cody jumped in seething "Now you listen, you piece of shit, do what you want with me but leave her alone! she hasn't done anything to you!"

"Alright Dakota...if you come peacefully will spare the girl" said the man.

"You got yourself a deal" answered Cody.

"No!" interrupted the frantic voice of Keila.

"Keila, honey, it's ok...shhhh.....everything'll be ok...you'll see" Cody held her and cooed in her ear.

The men grabbed Cody and started taking her away from Keila.

"CODY!" cried Keila.

Cody was being held in the town's prison which consisted of one cell.

Keila was walked in by the town's sheriff:"You have a hour until the execution...use it wisely..he he he..." said the mocking sheriff. Cody just sneered at him.

"Keila, baby, listen to me. I want you to take one of my guns and walk away from here. I want to know that your safe....I don't know if they'll keep their promise and let you go....that's why I need you to do this for me....can you do this for me baby?"

"Cody I can't......I won't! I won't leave you here to die. That bastard you killed deserved to die, they're just looking for a scape goat and I don't want you to be it! please, Cody I know you can get out of here if you want, please! I...I love you."

"I love you too Keila but you don't know me......I've done some really horrible things in my past that I regret but I can't erase them and I have to pay for them. That bastard I killed in their town....that is one thing I am not sorry for. Now please...Key, if you love me you'll do what I ask of you...let me die in peace..."

"Alright Cody, I'll take your damn gun and I'll go....but.....I'll never forget you...I love you so much." they were both sobbing by now, Keila tried to hug Cody as tight as possible through the bars and kissed her for all she was worth.

"Goodbye Keila....always remember how much I love you and that I'd everything all over again just to be able to be with you even if it was for such a short time. Take care my angel."

Keila was almost at the door, she turned back and ran to Cody one last time, hugging and kissing her, searing the feeling of being in those strong arms in her memory.

"Alright ladies, it's time for an execution." said the sheriff as he opened the cell and pushed Cody out with his riffle.

"People of Salt Lake, we are gathered here to see justice being made. This woman is a murderer and for that we shall take her life. A life for a life, a soul for a soul and so it shall be. Hang her."

As Cody was being led to the wooden stage where she would breath her last breath, no one noticed that Keila was missing. Cody was happy to see that Keila finally listened to her and escaped from this place. At least she'll be safe, now I can die in peace and worry about her. The rope was being put around her neck and the moment they pulled the rope tight a gun shot was heard and Cody was no longer hanging there. Then hoof beats could be heard, everyone turned their eyes to the mysterious rider, what they saw made them dumbfounded. It was no other than Keila. As the horse neared the stage and the place where Cody was getting her footing back, Keila reached out a hand and pulled Cody on the horse behind her.

"Nice shot." said the amazed Cody.

"Thanks, I had a great teacher." answered Keila with a huge grin.

They both chuckled as they rode towards the sunset.