Holding open one swinging door, Chris allowed his eyes to adjust to the change in lighting as he swept the room. Seeing no one unusual, he followed Vin Tanner and Buck Wilmington as they wove their way through the tables. Signaling to Inez as he passed the bar, Chris eased into a chair. Although his gunshot wound was healed enough for Nathan to take out the stitches earlier in the day, it was still tender.

Leaning back, so as to not impede the delivery of a bottle of whiskey and several glasses, Chris raised an eyebrow at the manner in which the bottle was slammed on the table before him.

"Something wrong, Inez?" Buck asked, also stunned by the uncharacteristic delivery.

"Wrong?" Inez Rocillos snapped icily, her eyes never leaving the black clad man. "Why should anything be wrong?" she retorted mockingly, before spinning and marching back to the bar, muttering in Spanish under her breath.

Catching Vin's and Buck's eyes, Chris shook his head as if to say he was unsure of what he had done to rile the resident bar keeper. Shifting his gaze, he noticed for the first time another set of eyes drilling into him from the next table. They belonged to Ezra Standish, who was expertly shuffling and fanning the worn set of cards in his hands without ever looking at them.

Narrowing his eyes, Chris tried to read what he was seeing in the set of the Southerner's shoulders and the steady emerald gaze. Whatever had riled Inez, had affected the gambler similarly.

Setting the bottle down after pouring a round of drinks, Vin settled back in his chair. "What's got you so riled up, Ezra?" he called out curiously, having noticed the barbed stare from the southerner toward Chris.

"I am in a quandary, Mr. Tanner," Ezra replied sharply, finally ceasing the shuffling movement of his hands and tucking the cards into his vest pocket.

"A what?" Buck asked.

"A quandary," Ezra snapped, finally taking his eyes off Chris long enough to glare at Wilmington. "A dilemma."

"'Bout what?" Chris asked quietly, continuing to peer intently at Ezra from under the edge of his hat.

"On whether I should settle for punching you in the face or just shoot you and save all of us more grief," Standish snarled, coming to his feet.

Launching upright to intercept the oncoming gambler, Buck planted himself in Ezra's path. "Whoa, there pard. You wanna explain what brought this on?"

"Did any of you gentlemen notice anything unusual as you passed through the town tonight?" Ezra asked tautly, running his eyes between their faces before again settling them on Chris. "No? Well, perhaps, it is to be expected as you have treated her like a... a... common working girl. No," Ezra immediately retracted, holding his hand in the air, "Allow me to correct myself. LESS than a common working girl. If she had been a working girl, you would of at least left a few coins on the dresser before you discarded her."

Coming upright at the insult, Chris' eyes reflected the coldness that had settled on him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"What? I am astounded. Did the great Mister Larabee fail to notice that a certain business has been closed until further notice due to the unexpected departure of its owner?" Ezra continued mockingly, seeing the deadly ire in Larabee's face and not caring what might happened if he kept going.

"What's closed?" Buck asked, pushing back on Ezra to keep him from getting any closer to Chris. Rapidly running the possibilities through his mind, he came to the conclusion that only one business would get such a rise out of the southerner. "Mary's gone?"

"Ah, give Mr. Wilmington the prize," Ezra retorted sarcastically, feeling a sense of satisfaction at the shocked, distressed expression that flashed briefly over Chris' face at the news.

"Where'd she go, Ezra?" Vin asked quietly, not shocked at the news. He had noticed Mary's withdrawal from the town and her avoidance of Chris over the past week.

"I have no idea," Ezra said exasperatedly, his own anger beginning to dissipate. "She bought a ticket to Falls River, but the porter said she was asking when the train would be leaving there."

"She say how long she'd be gone?" Buck asked, shocked by the news. Oh, he knew that Mary was unhappy. He just didn't think she'd sneak off when they were all out of town.

Shaking his head slowly in response to the question, Ezra looked at the black clad man who had slowly sunk back into the chair. He was shocked at how pale Chris had gotten.

Ezra was further stunned when Chris rose to his feet as if a heavy burden hindered his movements and moved slowly out the door, without saying a word.

"Mary?"

Starting, Mary turned confused eyes toward the auburn hair woman who had called her name. Recognition and realization that she had once again allowed her mind to wonder far away caused her to blush. "I'm sorry, Rose. Did you say something?"

Allowing a tender, knowing smile to appear on her face, Rose Nivens nodded her head slowly. "I said it was time to close for the day," she repeated gently. "You know, if you talk about it, it might help," she added encouragingly, hoping the blonde woman might begin to trust her enough to begin to share the obvious burden she was carrying. In the weeks that Mary had been working at the store, she had seen glimpses of sorrow and pain reflected on her face on more than one occasion.

Shaking her head, Mary looked down self consciously. "I'm all right," she replied, hoping Rose wouldn't call her on the obvious lie. Closing the ledger she had been staring at unseeingly, Mary stacked it on top of the others on the back of the desk. "Well, I think I am about done with that," she said briskly, hoping to divert Rose so that she could escape. "Another couple days and you should be caught up."

Taking the cue, Rose diverted her eyes to the books under Mary's hand. "I don't know what I would of done if you hadn't showed up," Rose said appreciatively. Looking down at the arm tied close to her small frame, she added, "Only two more weeks and then the doctor said he'll unwrap my arm and see if the bone is healed." Sighing, she added, "Well, maybe it'll teach me to not try to carry so many things as I go down stairs."

"You would have managed," Mary said offhandedly, wrapping her shawl over her shoulders. "Well then, I better go. Billy will be waiting for me." She was almost to the door when a question stopped her.

"Who's Chris?"

Hearing a sharp intake of breath and seeing the panicked expression thrown at her, Rose knew she had guessed correctly. Whatever had hurt her new friend had something to do with a person named Chris.

Knowing all the blood had drained from her features, Mary tried to calm the fluttering in the pit of her stomach. "Why do you ask?" she finally managed to say, fighting the urge to run.

"At lunch, I overheard Billy asking when he would see Chris again," Rose said evenly, not wishing to push or spook Mary more than she had already. "I don't mean to pry. It's just that every time Billy mentions him, you seem to have your mind on other things for the rest of day."

Staring hard at Rose to judge if that was the only reason behind the question, Mary finally decided she could read no hidden agenda in her countenance. Slowly nodding as if to acknowledge the truth of Rose's statement, she replied, "Someone I use to know. He and I...," Drawing a sharp breath at what had almost tumbled out, she altered what she was going to say. "He use to take Billy fishing," she finished, pulling her shawl tighter around her as if it could protect her from any further intrusion.

"I see," Rose said non-committedly. Injecting a lightness in her voice, she continued. "I'll see you in the morning? Give that darling boy of yours a hug good night for me."

Escaping out the door, Mary walked quickly away from the General Store as fast as she dared without drawing attention to herself. Reaching the side street leading to the boarding house that she and Billy now called home, Mary darted around the corner and pressed herself against the side of the building in the shadows. Drawing several deep breaths, she tried to stop the trembling of her hands.

Leaning her head back, she winced at the pain in her chest caused by the unexpected questioning about Chris and the subsequent blunder she had almost made. 'He and I were in love,' had almost escaped her. Mentally, Mary chided herself. 'No, I was in love with him. HE was in love with someone else.' Mary drew another deep breath and blinked rapidly to suppress the tears that had sprung into her eyes at the thought. She reminded herself of her vow that she wouldn't break down anymore over him. Straightening her shoulders, she slowly moved out of the shadows to continue on her way.

Reaching the boarding house, Mary could hear the sound of Billy's voice as she opened the door. Silently closing the door behind her, she removed her shawl before plastering a smile on her face and moving to the doorway of the parlor.

"And Miss Gaines said that if it was all right with Ma, I could stay and help her feed 'em tomorrow," the young blonde haired boy said excitedly to the various occupants of the room.

"Feed what, Billy?" Mary asked, bracing herself for the rush she knew was about to happen.

"Mama!" Billy squealed, launching himself towards her. Wrapping his arms around her neck, he hugged her tightly before pulling back. "Kitties," he finally answered, a huge grin on his face.

Standing back upright, she allowed herself to be pulled further into the room, nodding greetings to the four other occupants of the boarding house.

"Kitties?" she repeated, false astonishment in her voice. "Where are you going to feed kitties?"

"At the schoolhouse. We found three of 'em in the grass. Teacher says something must of happened to their mamma and they're not big enough to find their own food so we gotta use a bottle and feed 'em," Billy explained. "And if you say I can, I getta stay after school tomorrow and hold the bottle."

Flinching, Mary realized that she had not heard that level of excitement in her son's voice since they had left Four Corners. Hiding her feelings, she raised one hand and tapped her cheek, feigning deep thought. Caving to the plea in Billy's eyes, Mary broke into a large smile. Billy's answering whoop of joy told her he could see that she was going to allow it. "But only if it doesn't inconvenience Mrs. Jenkins to pick you up later," Mary added, interrupting the celebration.

"Oh, I think that can be arranged," Ida Jenkins, the owner of the boarding house, said from the doorway, smiling in amusement at the antics of her youngest guest. "Now, who is ready for supper?" she queried, dropping her apron after drying her hands on it.

"Me!" Billy exclaimed, squeezing past the large innkeeper to dash towards the dining room.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Jenkins," Mary began, wishing to apologize for her son's exuberant behavior.

"Whatever in the world for?" Mrs. Jenkins exclaimed, patting Mary's arm. "That boy has brought more joy into this house than has been here for years," she added, before turning to lead the adults to the dining area.

Smiling at Rose, who was approaching her desk, Mary straightened the papers she had been working on. "Is it time already?" she asked lightly.

Nodding, Rose watched as Mary stood and retrieved her wrap. "As excited as you said Billy was last night, you are going to have quite a time getting him to settle down tonight now that he fed the kittens."

"I know," Mary sighed, not relishing the challenge that lay before her.

The sound of the door chime drew both women's attention. Stepping forward, Mary called to the new arrival. "Mrs. Jenkins, is something wrong?" she asked, surprised at seeing the boarding house owner.

"Is Billy here?" Mrs. Jenkins asked haltingly, a deep frown pulling at her mouth and forehead.

"No," Mary answered, alarm building. "I thought you were going to pick him up."

"I was, but when I got to the school, no one was there. I've been looking all over town for him," the older woman explained, wringing her hands anxiously.

Moving quickly passed the older woman, Mary darted out the door and hurried towards the school. Running through the door, she stopped abruptly as her mind took in the empty surroundings. The muffled cry of kittens coming from a box in the corner seemed loud in the still air.

"It ain't right. Three weeks and not a word from Mary," JD Dunne exclaimed, turning away from the window and dropping into a chair. "Chris just sits out there, not saying a word to anyone," he continued, slumping dejectedly, the image of the black clad gunfighter sitting by himself in the mid-afternoon sun still fresh in his mind. "Hell, if you didn't know better, you'd swear Mary had died or something."

Not looking up from the game of solitaire in front of him, Ezra dryly remarked, "It does seem that Mr. Larabee is not enjoying a taste of his own medicine."

Seeing the blank stares being thrown at him, Ezra paused his game long enough to explain. "Leaving town for an undetermined length of time and sending no word, thus leaving those of us left behind to wonder indefinitely as to one's well-being."

"Yeah, but it's been three weeks since Mary and Billy left. I thought she'd least send a letter by now," Nathan countered.

"Guess she ain't ready to yet," Vin said dryly, raising his head to watch Chris cross the saloon, coming towards them.

"Judge wants us in Falls River by tomorrow," Chris announced quietly before turning away and heading back outside.

Looking at the others getting up to make their preparations for the trip, Buck broke the silence. "Ain't that where Mary headed?"

"Don't mean she's still there," Vin threw over his shoulder as he walked away.

Riding into Falls River in the late morning sun, six of the seven men were tired, dusty, and more than a little irritated with their leader. Chris had pushed them far into the night and then roused them before the crack of dawn. Finally reaching their destination, they just hoped that the reason for being summoned was worth the trip.

Pulling the group to a halt outside of the jail, Chris eased his lanky frame from the saddle and handed Vin the black's reins. "You boys wait here. I'll see where the Judge is at," he said, before stepping onto the boardwalk, his movements causing dust to fall from his clothing.

Glancing around, the ones who had been here before were surprised at how much the town had grown. Nodding at Buck's raised eyebrow, Josiah commented, "Take a look at the future, boys. When the railroad reaches Four Corners, it'll grow like this too."

Tipping his hat at the ladies passing on the boardwalk, Buck grinned at the comment. "Means more women will be comin' to town."

Snorting, Vin put the cap back on his canteen. "Too many people for me."

Straining in a vain attempt to look further down the street, JD sat back down and sighed. "I don't see her anywhere."

"See who?" Nathan asked, tucking his kerchief back in his coat after wiping some of the dust from his face.

"Mary," JD retorted exasperatedly. Seeing the amused smiles and shaking of heads, JD added defensively, "What? She could be here."

"Mrs. Travis will allow us to discover her whereabouts when she is ready to and not a minute before," Ezra said dryly.

Coming out of the jail, Chris stepped to the street and took the reins of his horse back. "Down the street," he said, pulling himself into the saddle and nudging the black.

Turning off of the main street, the seven walked their mounts down the street leading towards various houses. Pulling to a halt in front of the a large two story structure with a worn sign that said "Boarding House" in front of it, the men followed Chris' lead in dismounting and securing their mounts. Trooping up the short walk, the men tried to brush some of the dust from their clothing.

Knocking, Chris glanced around to see who was watching. By the time he had finished, the door in front of him opened to reveal an older woman with gray hair pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck.

"May I help you?" Ida Jenkins asked, running appraising eyes over the men at her doorstep. She wasn't sure they were the kind she wanted in her house.

"Ma'am," Chris said, tipping his hat. "A man at the jail said that Judge Travis was here."

"Oh, you're the men he's been waiting for," Mrs. Jenkins exclaimed. "Please, follow me," she said, her earlier reservations disappearing.

Following the motherly figure down the hallway, the men filed into the parlor at her urging. Nodding a greeting at the man rising to greet them, the seven were shocked to see Mary Travis with him.

"You boys made good time," Judge Orrin Travis said, stepping forward to greet the newcomers.

"Judge," Chris said, his eyes darting past the older man to look at Mary. He was struck at the pallor of her sunken cheeks and the dark shadows that loomed under her eyes. She had lost weight and was obviously troubled by something. "Mary," he greeted her, unsure how she would take his presence.

Not daring to speak, Mary tipped her head in greeting at the seven. While the biggest part of her was overjoyed that they were there, there was also a small part of her that knew it was too soon yet to see Chris again.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush," Orrin began, moving back beside Mary to lay a supporting hand on her shoulder. "Day before yesterday, somebody took Billy. I want you boys to find out who and bring my grandson back."

A ripple of alarm went through the peacekeepers.

"Where'd you see him last?" Chris asked, taking an instinctive step closer to Mary. No wonder she looked so haggard. Peering intently at her, he fought the urge to gather her in his arms.

"At the school," the Judge answered. "He was suppose to stay after to help the new school teacher bottle feed some kittens. When Mrs. Jenkins, the woman who showed you in," he clarified, "went to get him, nobody was there. Nobody has seen him since," he sighed, patting Mary's shoulder reassuredly.

"What about the school teacher?" JD asked. "What does she have to say?"

"No one's seen her either," the Judge said, knowing she was the most likely suspect.

"You said new teacher?" Josiah stated.

Nodding, Orrin moved back to the chair he was sitting in before the seven arrived. Easing himself down, he continued. "The other teacher suddenly left several weeks ago. Got word that her father was very ill so she went back east to be with him. The new teacher showed up two days ago and was hired to fill in until the regular teacher came back."

"What's her name?"

"Gaines. Miss Catherine Gaines. I've already wired several people to try to find out what I can about her," the Judge assured them, while watching the abrupt movement of Chris' head and the looked he shared with the others at the name. Frowning, he made a mental note to ask Chris about it later.

"There's been no ransom request?" Ezra queried, his mind whirling to try to understand why someone would take the young boy.

"None."

"What did this Gaines woman look like?" Buck asked, a hard edge to his tone. He was quite fond of Billy and the thought that someone may have hurt him made the easy going man bristle in anger.

When eight set of eyes looked expectantly at her, Mary whispered, "My height, dark hair." Distressed by the realization that she couldn't remember much about the school teacher, she shook her head helplessly.

Patting Mary's arm to try to calm the agitated woman, Orrin intoned softly, "I'm sure Mrs. Jenkins can help us," before turning and catching Vin's eye as he was the closest to the door. Slipping out, the tracker was back in a few seconds escorting the older woman.

"Ma'am," Josiah said stepping forward. "We were hoping you could tell us about the teacher, what she looks like or anything else that might help us find her."

"Well, let's see. She's about Mary's height, brown hair, and a big smile," Mrs. Jenkins began, trying to remember.

Catching Buck's eye, Chris could see his own suspicion reflected in his friend's eyes. "Ma'am," Chris said, stepping towards her. "Did she look something like this?" he asked, holding out a torn photograph.

Taking the picture, Mrs. Jenkins nodded excitedly. "Yes, only younger."

Flinching at the aborted explicative that had started to come out of Chris' mouth at the identification, Mary raised out of her seat. "Chris? Who is it?" she pleaded huskily. "Who has my son?"

"It's Ella's sister, Catherine Gaines. And if Catherine's involved, Ella can't be far away," he said flatly, as he shoved the picture back in his coat and abruptly moved to the window, turning his back to the other occupants. He couldn't allow them to see the fear that had exploded in him at the memory of Ella's vow to kill anyone who came between them. If she had found out about Chris' affection for the boy, she might have taken him to do just that.

Interrupting the muttered oaths cascading around the room, Mary's voice shook wildly. "But why? Why would she take Billy?"

Darting his eyes between Chris' back and Mary, Buck reluctantly said, "To get Chris back."

"Or to lure us into another trap," Vin snapped, his anger at Ella Gaines flaring once again. The woman had not only tried to kill all of them once before, she had come way too close to succeeding with Chris. Now she had taken an innocent little boy from his mama for no reason.

Tearing her eyes away from Vin's apparent anger, Mary swallowed hard as she took several steps closer to Chris. "Chris?" she called again, wanting to know why this woman who had already caused her so much pain had now taken her son. When her call again went unanswered, her anguish erupted in a hiss of fury. "Damn you, Chris Larabee," she spat, grabbing his arm and pulling him around to face her. "You tell me why."

"She's got a right to know, Chris," Josiah said, his voice cutting the silence that had descended.

Raising his eyes from the hand that was gripping his sleeve, Chris glanced at the ex-preacher and conceded the point. Mary did have a right to know that he was the cause of her son's disappearance and, perhaps, death. Nodding his head once, he looked back at Mary but spoke to the others. "Nathan, Ezra, JD, find out where she was staying and who she's talked to. Somebody might know where she went. Buck, you, Josiah and Vin check the countryside for any sign of them," he intoned quietly, his voice easily carrying around the room. Still not making any attempt to free himself from Mary's talon sharp grip or gaze, he heard the regulators shuffling out of the room.

"Mrs. Jenkins, perhaps I could have a cup of coffee," Orrin said calmly, taking the hint that Chris wished to speak to Mary alone. Herding the older woman out the door, he paused long enough to glance back at the couple still frozen in the throes of their respective misery. Grimacing at the sight, he left the room and slowly pulled the door closed behind him, hoping their relationship was strong enough to survive this storm.