Hawk's men are vigilant. They remember what happened when Ana took their oaths about two years ago. They don't want that happening again with Spider's men. 

Phoenix's men also remember and are keeping an eye out. Especially Jackson. He may not have been able to protect Ana since she left, but he hasn't been reassigned and so considers himself still her bodyguard. He stands close to her while Trinity and Jacob take up the flanking positions. Even Damon has one hand on his gun ready to draw it if necessary. He hopes it isn't, not just because he doesn't want Ana hurt, but because if he shoots he'll be shooting to kill not maim. Ana won't appreciate him taking away her fun.

"I come before you to give you a choice. You can give me your oath as your new leader. As an oathed member you will be given your freedom. You can refuse to give me your oath and you will be given a quick, clean, and merciful death. I have to warn you, if you give me oath and then betray me, you'll wish that you were never born. 

"I have a member of Hawk group that betrayed me, even now waiting for me in the cells. I have special plans and torments for those that betray me. The last man that betrayed me took three hours of intense pain before I was finished with him. Lucky for him I was still new at the torture and lost a bit of control. My mentor was a bit disappointed in me, I hope to redeem myself in his eyes when I work on Jerome." At his name there is some murmuring. Some, many of her men didn't know who the traitor was. They are a bit upset that her third betrayed her like that.

"Silence!" Trinity's voice cuts through the angry voices like a hot knife through butter. Silence falls instantly. Trinity has been learning from Ana and his face is set in cold hard lines that make the men swallow nervously.

"Thank you, Trinity. Now, how about you gentlemen," Ana's tone shows how little she believes that they are gentlemen, "what is your decision? Those who have no wish to follow me please stand."

A unique situation arises when there are actually a few men that stand. "Thank you gentlemen for your honesty." Jonah and Tony single out a couple more men and escort them to the front. Ana takes out her gun and has them kneel. Four shots and soon four bodies lie on the ground at her feet. She makes sure that their bodies will be returned to their loved ones.

"Now, all others are ready and willing to give their oath to me, as the new Spider, and receive my oath in return?" She looks out at the men before her and notices some with a hate filled look.

She singles them out and brings them forward. If they are going to betray her she wants to get it over with.

"Give me your oaths now." She demands of the men that were brought before her.

They look at her with hate but give her their oaths. Ana nods to Jackson and he cuts their bindings. They go over to the side as they wait for their fellow gang members to give their oaths as well. But they don't go unobserved, several of Ana's men watch them like, well like a hawk.

"Now the rest of you." Ana listens to their oaths. No few of them had been impressed at her lack of feeling as she assassinated the men that refused to take oath.

When they are freed Ana gives them permission to go eat and relax.

She has Shandee brought before her. "I gave you two options, work for me as my personal maid, or be set free with no home or job. I would give you a few thousand dollars to tide you over until you could find a job if that was your choice."

The men are so used to Shandee being a nonentity that they don't even listen to the choices that she is given. They ignore her here just like they had before.

"I don't know how good of a maid I'll be, but I'm willing to learn. The only other job I've ever had other than wife, was exotic dancer and I'm getting too old to do that anymore." Shandee says and looks down. The girl that is now her new employer terrifies her beyond belief. Anyone that could take on and take down Spider terrifies her, but that this seemingly innocent looking child did just that leaves her astounded.

"Good. That's what I was hoping you'd choose. I'll talk to Damon about finding you some appropriate clothing and have Gemma train you to your duties. She's the maid that Damon assigned to me while I lived here."

"You don't live here?" Shandee is confused.

Ana gives her a gentle and reassuring smile, "No, but Damon's doing his best to get me to move back."

"Forgive me, but who are you and what should I call you?"

"Oh, sorry, Shandee. I'm Ana Young. Some people know me as Hawk and as of yesterday I'm also Spider. I let Gemma call me Ana so I'll let you do the same. But if you aren't comfortable with that you can call me Miss Ana."

The more Ana told her the more white Shandee becomes until Tony escorts her back to the house with instructions on taking her to Gemma and having her teach Shandee what to do.

"Ana?" Damon's voice brings her back from her far away thoughts.

"Yes, Damon? Have you eaten?" Ana asks absently once more losing herself in her thoughts.

"Yes, I ate while catching up on some work inside. Are you ready to take Katia now?"

"Yes, I believe I am. Trinity,  I want you to drive, Jacob you'll be coming too."

Jackson looks hurt that she didn't single him out. "Jackson, you aren't mine to give orders to." Ana says with an understanding smile. Jackson turns beseechingly to Damon.

"Yes, Jackson, I'm not going to separate her from you. You'll take Calum's place, although I suspect you'll protect Ana before you'll protect me." Damon says in jest but there is truth in his words and they all know it. There is a deep bond between Jackson and Ana that Damon can't match.

At Damon's words Jackson relaxes although most wouldn't have noticed any difference. But Ana, Damon, Trinity and Jacob all did.

"Ana, what about Jenny?" Jacob reminds her.

"Oh, I ran into her before I came out here to deal with the slaves. I gave her my instructions and sent her home after she got her tattoo."

Damon hadn't noticed Jenny in here at that time or the artist being busy. Ana smirks at Damon, she knows that he hadn't noticed Jenny at all.

"You think it safe to send her home at this time?" Damon queries.

Ana nods and smirks again. "She's absolutely terrified of me. Your men made sure of that. She didn't even mind entertaining Jacob last night."

"Speaking of which," Damon's voice takes an angry tone, "I thought you said that he is gay?"

"Oh, he is. But it turns out that there are some females that do it for him. So maybe mostly gay with a dash of bi? I don't know what the correct term is or if there even is one." Ana turns from Damon and starts walking away.

She stumbles and there is a collective rush to get to her. Of those rushing to her aid are no less than three men from the Spider group. Yet, Damon is there first. He holds her close to him until she regains her footing. Damon frowns, "You should rest Ana. I can feel you shaking from exhaustion."

"I'll rest in the car. Trinity knows where to go, that's why I made him the driver."

Damon holds her still as she stumbles once more. "Ana, is Jacob attracted to you?"

Ana turns to him and smirks. "What, are you jealous of a fourteen year old boy?"

Damon braces himself by taking a deep breath before answering. "I know you aren't mine, Ana, but the answer is yes."

Now Ana stumbles because of Damon's answer. She looks at him in shock. She becomes so white that Damon picks her up and carries her out of the tent and to the car that Trinity has ready to go. Jacob brings out Katia and Jackson brings up the rear of the group.

Katia sits next to Ana. Damon is on Ana's other side and Jacob is in the seat behind them more than willing to kill Katia if he thinks she'll harm Ana.

After several minutes of silence Katia can't hold it in any longer. She bursts out with the question that's been bugging her ever since she saw Ana and Damon together.

"So how do you two know each other?" 

Ana smirks and looks to Damon to see if he wants to answer her question. He looks away from her and out the window.

"Damon saved my life when I was eight. It was what, about a month after you thought she was dead?" Ana asked that last bit to Damon. He merely nods and lets her do all the talking.

"Damon saved your life?" Ana finds it hilarious that Katia thinks it's so unbelievable that Damon could save someone's life. 

"Yep. My father owed his father a rather hefty sum of money. My father gave me to Damon's father to pay the debt, but his father decided it wasn't enough."

Damon interjects here, "It was more than enough to pay off his debts and any interests that he might have accrued. My father was just an asshole and an idiot."

"Anyway," Ana goes on to tell Katia the story ending it when he offered to become her guardian and Damon was thankful for that. He still considers Scott a failure and he can't stand thinking about it.

"I never would have thought it possible. Kill without a thought, yes, but save someone's life and then offer them a home, no."

Ana smiles sadly, "Damon has done a great deal more than just that. He's a good man trapped in a bad life." Ana closes her eyes and ignores Damon's snort of disagreement.

There is silence for the remainder of the ride. By the time they get to their destination darkness is starting to fall.

"I'll need to be staying the night, for sure Damon," Ana says standing up stiffly as they exit the car.

"Ana, are you sure this is the right place?" Katia says as she looks around. The whole place is eerily quiet and no lights are to be seen nearby.

Ana nods to Jacob and Trinity and they take Katia's arms as they escort her further away from the road. Damon gets a small smile on his lips as he follows with Ana at his side. Jackson stays with the car, he's never cared much for executions.

Trinity forces Katia down after they reach the area Ana had chosen earlier. "Damon would you like to do the honors or do you want me to?"

Damon's slight smile turns into a full smile as he takes out his gun and sets it against Katia's head. She looks at Ana in disbelief. "You told me that I would be free here and I would be..." her words trail off as she realizes the double meaning of Ana's words. 

Once Damon is sure that she understands that's when he pulls the trigger.

"Are you eating dinner at the house or would you prefer stopping at a restaurant?" Damon asks as they head back to the car.

"At the house. There are still people that I need to see. I need to spend some time at Jackson's house before his wife kills me." Ana smiles at the silent man now at her other side in the car. She's feeling decidedly smooshed being pancaked between the two large men.

Ana falls asleep and Damon gently holds her to him as they return to the house.