Mexican Standoff

By: Rhicy

Editors: Mitzi and Karen


Guest Starring:

Don Diego De la Vega: Benecio del Toro
Smithers: Martin Short
Dirk Hefner: Robert Carlyle
Charles Temple: Hugo Weaving
Helena Demarco: Catherine Zeta-Jones
Josh Carpenter: Jason Behr
Alvin Turner: Eric Stoltz
Gunther: Jack Black
Pete Dempsey: Patrick Dempsey
Joe Swanson: Jerry O’Connell
Ned: Hank Azaria
Bob: Mike Myers
Little Bob: Adam Sandler

The Nameless Pair
Lazy Eye: Stephen Bladwin
Red Bandanna: Pauly Shore




Previously - after the events in 'Penance':

Silas Poplar was dead. And more than one inhabitant of Four Corners sincerely hoped his brand of trouble would never haunt the town again. The sun had set a scant couple of hours ago and the town's lights were burning brightly, as the night life awoke. There were no lights however, lit within the small church, its occupant and resident preacher was unwilling to welcome any visitors.

One friend would not be dissuaded though.

Josiah sat on the floor of the church, his eyes closed as the events of the last few days played over in his mind. An opened but untouched bottle of whiskey sat within easy reach. The big preacher heard one of the church doors open and shut as someone entered.

"Go. Away."

Silence answered Josiah's curt demand and he hoped he had put enough anger in his voice to make whoever was trespassing on his foul mood, think twice about it. A soft footfall near the pulpit drew Josiah's eyes to the vague shape in the rising moonlight. 'Apparently not' Josiah thought to himself, unable to bring himself to chase away this particular friend. Not when he owed him for so much.

"What do you want Vin?"

Vin sat down on a tool-bench, close enough for Josiah to make out his features in the gloomy half-light, his lowered hat brim casting a deep shadow over his eyes.

"Answers." The soft voice caused a shiver to run down Josiah's spine and he was glad he could not see those piercing eyes. Josiah tried to bluff his way out of answering, "You already know more than the others. What else is there?"

Vin let the silence stretch out uncomfortably, hoping that Josiah would offer more information rather than force Vin to pry it out of him. After a long couple of minutes Vin sighed and spoke softly to the troubled preacher as if the man was a skittish horse that needed to be coaxed, "I understand the need to keep secrets, Josiah. But if what I think you are hiding is true - keeping this secret could be dangerous - for us all."

Josiah contemplated blatantly denying what Vin had obviously guessed but he owed him an explanation, especially since Vin had been so vocal and open in his support of Josiah's innocence. Lying to a man haunted by his own past, a man who understood that a trust given could be used against you, felt like adding more wrong to a week filled with anger and mistrust.

Josiah blinked in the black night, fighting the darkness, trying to see Vin more clearly and sighed, "My sister is married, to Charles Temple. He doesn't know where she is, and I aim to keep it that way."

The lack of surprise in Vin's posture confirmed Josiah's hunch that Vin had indeed found this out for himself. The slight slump in his shoulders as Josiah spoke, brought brief hope to the preacher that maybe Vin understood.

"Why?"

"Why keep her hidden?" Josiah asked, grabbing the bottle as he answered, "Because Charles Temple played his own part in bringing my sister to were she is. He pushed her into confrontations with my father, encouraging her rebellion. He didn't understand that he was tearing her apart demanding too much from an already fragile spirit. Hannah suffered for her love, suffered more than their 'love' warranted."

Josiah uncorked the whiskey and took a large drink, "At first I though he might be able to get my sister away from our father. But it turned out that all he was after was her money!"

"Money?"

Josiah's laugh was nasty, filled with bitterness, "My father vaunted himself to be the richest man alive. He told anyone who would listen how much wealth he had, determined to impress his colleagues. Temple bought the story hook, line and sinker. Only, " Josiah laughed again, "Only my father meant 'heavenly' riches - blessings and virtue. He just let people think he meant money. Reverend Sanchez, Richest Man Alive!" Josiah loudly toasted his father, raising the bottle in the air and taking another gulp. "Charles married Hannah secretly and waited, waited for the money and for the riches. He got bored, too blind to see the truth and left her, left her to my father."

Vin's keen eyes saw the anger in Josiah, the mounting fury. "And when my father was dead and Hannah … like she is, Charles came looking for her, wanting his fortune." Josiah stared at the half empty bottle, peering into its depths as if it held answers he couldn't fathom. "I told him the truth - what my father had meant but he didn't believe me. He thought I wanted to keep all the money to myself. It didn't matter that I was as poor as dirt and barely able to keep Hannah in the mission, Charles wanted what our father had left Hannah. So I gave it to him."

Josiah's voice was deadly in its intensity, a low rumble vibrating with anger, "I gave him all that Hannah had ever got from our 'father'," the last word twisted with fury, "and he didn't seem to want it in the end."

Vin could well imagine what Josiah had given Charles, a lifetime's worth of beatings and punishment. Tanner stared at the big man's massive hands, not really needing to imagine what damage they could do, having witnessed their power many times. The soft, heartfelt voice that escaped Josiah was in stark contrast to the previous fury. Vin leaned closer to hear, "I let him see Hannah once and she reacted so badly that the Abbot of the mission refused to keep her anymore. That's when I had to move her to Vista City. All he causes her is pain," Josiah's voice fairly shook with emotion, "I don't want her to ever feel like that again. He mustn't know where she is - ever."

Nodding in agreement, Vin broached the core of his own quandary, "What happens when Temple finds you?"

Still filled with anger, Josiah growled, "The same as when a marshal comes for you!"

Rubbing his gritty eyes, suddenly too tired to argue with Josiah, Vin sighed, "You really gonna die to stop him, Josiah? Leave Hannah with no one at all?"

Josiah rose to his feet with a roar, smashing his bottle on the floor. Vin remained seated, by all appearances, unperturbed by the fury towering over him as he continued, "You gonna wait till he kills one of the boys in order to find out where she is?"

Josiah rushed the slight tracker, bodily picking him up and slamming him against the wall. Keeping Vin pinned Josiah shouted, "You are in no place to question me Vin! I'm not the one with a bounty on my head!"

Despite the pressure Josiah was exerting on his chest Vin said, "At least the boys know what they are getting into by being my friend."

Josiah stared at the young man before him, his blue eyes unafraid, confident in his friendship with Josiah, trusting the big man. The anger melted out of Josiah in a rush, and he put Vin down before turning away from his friend.

"You're right Vin. But I gotta ask this of you, anyway. Don't tell anyone - at all - about Hannah. Alright?" Josiah didn't look at Vin, hoping that the bounty hunter would understand and accept the compromise. The rest of the seven couldn't reveal what they didn't know.

"Alright Josiah. I reckon all of us except maybe JD have somebody gunning for us somewhere and we're all used to backing each other up. But if it comes down to this putting us in danger Josiah …"

Josiah nodded, acknowledging to himself that he would probably not let it get that far if it indeed came to the Seven being caught between him and Temple.

"Thank you Vin."

"Ya can thank me by buying me a couple of drinks, preacher-man."

Chuckling Josiah felt the last of his anger fade back into the recesses of his heart were it usually stayed buried. He followed the dim shape of his friend out of the church, more thankful than ever before that God and a few crows had lead him to Four Corners.




Present - Wednesday Morning:

"How would you like your eggs Mr Wilmington?"

"Ya know, Inez seems a mite distracted t'day."

Buck looked up from his pile of eggs and bacon and saw Nathan gingerly poking at the burnt scrambled eggs on his own plate.

"Ha! Guess Inez likes me after all cos' my eggs sure are delicious," Buck said loudly, hoping Inez would hear him and he pointedly shovelled some more food in his mouth.

"Right Buck! Either your taste-buds are dead or you're so besotted with Inez that you'd eat a cow pie if she gave it to you!" JD pointed at the flecks of burnt egg on Buck's plate, glad that he had ordered oatmeal this morning.

Buck stopped munching as his teeth crunched unpleasantly on eggshell, his face loosing its good humour. "Damn! Inez sure is distracted this morning!"

Nathan ignored Buck and continued trying to salvage his breakfast. JD watched as the healer gingerly sifted through the eggs, separating the pile into two halves, one consisting of burnt offerings and the other, more acceptable morsels.

"Just send 'em back Nate - Inez won't mind," JD suggested as he mixed more honey into his oatmeal.

"No. Inez might just mind, she nearly bit Josiah's head off when he pointed out that he hadn't ordered oatmeal and well … I'll take my chances with this."

JD chuckled, "Chicken."

Buck, who normally would have joined in teasing Nathan, remained silent. Something else had drawn his attention away from his friends. From his carefully chosen seat, Buck had a small view of the kitchen. The narrow opening allowed him to catch fleeting glances of Inez as she moved about. Without it being obvious that he was studying the lovely Mexican he spied. At that moment something solid red obstructed his view. Buck tipped his chair onto its back legs trying to see past the red and frowned when the colour evolved into a distinctive red jacket.

The idea of the owner of the jacket, being up this early, was immediately discarded, considering he had only just returned town, late last night. Buck leaned back even further on his chair, trying to see what was happening. His long legs were stretched out to their full length, his upper body poised for balance as he bent further and further back. Vaguely he heard JD tell Nathan about his plans to take Casey out on a picnic today but his attention was firmly ensconced on the kitchen. Unfortunately Buck's view was eventually obscured by the bar the further he balanced back and Buck found that he had to lean even more dangerously backwards in order to now see around the bar.

JD didn't notice Buck's balancing act until one of his boots nudged his chair as Buck precariously balanced himself. Slowly, Buck's head crested the side of the bar and at the very extreme of his stretch, two blue eyes cleared the obstruction and giving him a clear view of the kitchen.

Time stood still, held in the balance with Buck, as wobbly chair legs, unevenly distributed weight and a firm curiosity vied for dominance. Stretched to his limit, Buck was just in time to see Inez lean over and plant a firm kiss on Ezra's lips. Buck's eyes grew to the size of saucers, his moustache twitched in shock as his jaw dropped, and the hind left leg of the chair slipped a little to the right and Nathan tossed his forkful of eggs in the air as Buck crashed to the floor.

JD choked on his mouthful of coffee and Nathan glared at the state of his egg-strewn shirt as Buck shot jack-rabbit up to his feet, brushing himself off like nothing had happened. Gurgling snorts were trying to escape from JD's nose and mouth as the young man tried desperately not to spew his mouthful of coffee all over the table. But his laughter, desperate to break out, was defeating his attempt to swallow the coffee. Finally reaching a state of choking snorts, JD gulped down his mouthful and proceeded to breathlessly hoot with laughter. The ladies man stared at Inez and Ezra who were staring back at him in shock, their kiss interrupted by the loud crash of chair meeting floor, with Buck somewhere in-between.

Snapping out of his shock, Buck picked up his hat and swatted the still laughing JD. Inez covered her mouth, trying to hide her own laughter and Ezra just grinned at the flabbergasted Wilmington. Buck raised a quivering finger at Ezra and motioned to Inez, "You …. and …. HER!"

JD erupted into belly-laughs, clutching his stomach as he rocked back on his chair in glee. Nathan also struggled to hide a smile but soon burst out laughing as JD leant too far back as well and crashed to the floor, still laughing all the way down. Buck glared at his former-friend rolling on the floor and then saw his burnt eggs. The sight of the sad little pile was just too much for him and he stormed out of the saloon, JD's laughter echoing behind him.



Two days earlier: Monday - midnight in Giant Falls:

"You ladies ready?"

Inez looked up from buttoning the chequered shirt she was wearing. "Almost senor, just give us a minute."

"Best be quick about it - it's gonna go down any second now."

Inez just nodded and continued dressing not looking at her companion who was pulling on an overlarge hide-jacket. "We'll be ready."



The Dangers of Playing Poker


"There's that cheating card-sharp! Get 'em!"

The patrons of Sally's Luck Saloon scrambled out of the way, as five rough-looking men charged at the red-coated gambler who had been lining his pockets all day. Ezra leapt out of his chair and jumped up and onto the poker table, crossing its felt covered top without disturbing the large pot of money in the centre. He leapt like an agile mountain goat off the table and in a few strides, slipped through the swinging saloon doors. The five charging men skidded to a halt, one of them slamming into the edge of the bar in his haste to turn around. "After the slippery son of a …"

The rest of whatever the leader said was lost as he stepped through the doors and Ezra brought a chair over his head. Flinging the remains of the wooden chair away, the Southerner hopped off the boardwalk and prepared to meet the rest of his attackers.

"Damnit! Ned's out cold!"

The remaining four men circled Ezra, each of them eyeing the gambler who stood with his fists held in the classical boxer pose. Shuffling his feet in anticipation, Ezra waited for his attackers and then abruptly realised that he was leading with his left rather than his right and took a step back to assume the correct position. The entire saloon had emptied out, as its patrons hurried to see the fight and a few men laughed to see the fancy gambler correct himself.

The growing crowd included all of the poker players against whom Ezra had been playing. One of the players, a tall gunfighter dressed entirely in black, stood watching the scene, a glass of beer in hand.

"Mr Larabee."

Chris nodded at Ezra's shout. "Will you kindly ensure that the pot remains in tact, I will re-join you gentlemen anon."

"Sure thing," Chris drawled, taking a sip of his beer.

"You ain't gonna be able to count your own teeth let alone any winnin's, you cheatin' coward!" one of his attackers snarled and all four of them charged at Ezra.

A grubby little man ran straight at Standish, an animalistic roar emerging from his open mouth, and Ezra got a close up view of the man's rotten teeth as the slick gambler side-stepped and brought his elbow down onto the man's exposed back. The man fell to the ground in a heap but was already moving by the time Ezra turned to face the next attack. Two of the men attacked simultaneously, one man, wearing a red bandanna, reaching to grab Ezra from behind and the other, with a lazy eye, charging low to tackle Ezra.

Unperturbed, Ezra struck out with his knee, catching the Lazy Eye under the chin and sending him to the floor and seemingly without pause, he spun about and dealt the thug behind him with a vicious uppercut. The last man, a little guy with a bowler on his head, looked to be judging the best time to attack and the moment Ezra's back was turned. The attacker ran forward and jumped on Ezra's back, wrapping his surprising stocky arms around Ezra's neck.

The gambler staggered momentarily under the weight and spun around trying to dislodge the shrieking little man. Rotten teeth, who had just managed to get to his feet was knocked back to the dusty ground when Bowler's legs connected with his head. Red Bandanna and Lazy Eye managed to scramble out of the way of the battling gambler and Bowler Hat and stood on the side, waiting for chance to join in.

Ezra finally managed to toss Bowler Hat off him and ducked just in time to dodge Red Bandanna's swinging fist, the gambler replying with a successful punch to the man's gut. Lazy Eye received a boot down his shin and Rotten Teeth was knocked out with a well-aimed jab just as he managed to sit up.

On the saloon porch, the leader of the four men, Ned was coming to. Few of the cheering crowd noticed and even fewer of them noticed a surreptitious black boot sending the man back into unconsciousness. Chris Larabee double checked that Ned was definitely out before returning to watch the remainder of the fight.

Somehow Ezra was shrugging off the few blows that landed and his return attacks and defences were levelling his opponents. Not before long all four men were lying on the ground, clutching some sort of injury, moaning to high heaven. Ezra, the last man standing, looked like he'd barely broken a sweat, the resplendent gentlemen who had dispatched some ruffians without much difficulty.

"Gentlemen, I truly regret that our disagreeing opinions on the outcome of our little game have led to this fracas. Please accept my most humble apologies for resorting to such extreme manners but please be aware that any further violence sent in my direction will be dealt with expeditiously."

None of the groaning men seemed to understand Ezra, but they got the gist of his words, picked themselves up and disappeared down the street, grumbling all the way.

The crowd of spectators outside of the saloon parted to give Ezra a clear path back to his poker game. No one had really expected to see the small gambler win, let alone beat the other men so soundly. The crowd went back into the saloon, loud laughter and jeers following them. And no one seemed to notice that Ned was still passed out on the boardwalk.

As Ezra returned to his seat, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror pausing for a moment to check his hair. In the process of fingering his dark locks back into place, he noticed something truly horrifying.

There was a smudge on his shirt.

The Southerner exploded, his voice reaching volumes that Chris Larabee had never known the gambler to reach, "OH THAT JUST TEARS IT! THERE IS A SMUDGE - A DESPICABLE BLEMISH ON MY SHIRT! This shirt was handmade in Paris, from the finest and most exclusive store in the world! And those idiotic miscreants saw fit to annihilate its expertly woven silk-threads with their grubby mud-covered PAWS!"

Silence descended on the saloon as everyone turned to stare at the irate gambler. His bright green eyes were roving madly over the crowd as if he was searching for someone to blame. Several men shrank back as his stare fell on them. Ezra looked ready to explode and it was a very brave man that tempted the growing anger.

"Mr Standish, the saloon will happily pay your laundry bill, you being such an excellent customer and all ", the barkeep said calmly, from the safety of bar.

All of the anger seemed to pour out of the gambler and a dazzling smile broke across his face, his gold tooth shining brightly. "Oh that is truly marvellous, my good man. Truly marvellous." Ezra bounded down the two stairs to the gaming floor and happily made for the poker table.

Most of the saloon patrons made way for the slightly insane little gambler whose moods seem to change at the flip of a coin. Lifting his coat tails elegantly, Standish sat down at the poker table and said, "Gentlemen. Shall we resume?"

The four other players took their seats, one of them a little reluctantly. "Come now Mr Smithers, surely such a little fracas is not enough to ruin your appetite for a game of chance," Ezra drawled smoothly.

A timid little banker, on his way back east after a disastrous stay in the west, Smithers, was not at all eager to rejoin the game. It was bad enough playing poker with a gunfighter like Larabee, who looked like he was liable to shoot someone if he didn't like the way the game was going and now the gambler had proven to be an equally dangerous and disturbing man. But Smithers sat down anyway between the other two players, a rancher from outside of Giant Falls and a dark, sullen looking Mexican Don by the name of Diego de la Vega, something he had been quick to inform his co-players.

"Senor Standish, I am impressed at how easily you despatched those … ruffians."

Ezra smiled brightly at Don Diego, his gold tooth flashing as he re-dealt their interrupted hand. "Well my good Don, it pays to be able to defend oneself from such undesirable attention. Some folks seem unable to accept their loss in the face of superior skill."

"What if you ain't faced with just a bunch of angry farmers? What if it's someone a little more … experienced?"

The three other players turned to look at the gunslinger, Smithers a little nervously. Larabee had been drinking heavily all night, chasing whiskey shots with beers, followed immediately by more whiskey. He still seemed in control, despite the large amount of alcohol but had the look of someone dying to pick a fight. And after Standish's impressive demonstration, Larabee seemed intrigued by the gambler.

"Mr Larabee … Chris, isn't it?"

Chris just flashed a toothy grin at Ezra, who feigned a blank smile. "Just Larabee."

"Mr Larabee then. When faced by more 'experienced' adversaries, I find that I am called upon to … demonstrate my own abilities … in their field of expertise."

The Don and the rancher had picked up their cards, but still kept a careful eye on Larabee who was now glaring at Standish. Smithers looked positively panic-stricken as tension seemed to build between the gambler and the gunfighter.

"Abilities? You saying you're fast Standish?"

"Quite the opposite my dear gunslinger."

Chris slammed his shot glass onto the table, spilling the remains of the whiskey onto the collected pot of money and sent his chair crashing backwards as he stood up to tower over the table. "I ain't your dear - and I'm starting to think those idiots mighta been right about you being a cheat!"

The gun was in Ezra's hand faster than any man at the table could blink and it was pointed right at Chris' chest. "Mr Larabee. Please sit down. I have no quarrel with you, I merely wish to finish this game. Perhaps you wish to retire?"

Silence once again reigned over the saloon as every person stared at the confrontation. Larabee was staring wide-eyed at the gun in Standish's hand, his own guns still firmly holstered. Licking his lips nervously, Chris seemed to deflate a little, "Nope, don't reckon I do Mr Standish. Think I'll stay in - iff'n you don't mind?"

Still without re-holstering his gun, Ezra smiled genially and said, "Of course Mr Larabee, please have a seat."

Chris sat down slowly, watching as Ezra waited for him to pick up his cards before he re-holstered his gun. Smithers leant over to the rancher, whose name was Dawson and whispered none to quietly, "That was fast wasn't it?"

Dawson Janson nodded, his eyes firmly on his cards trying desperately to think of a way of getting out of this poker game with something more than just the shirt on his back.

Things seemed to settle down after that and the poker game continued. Smithers and Dawson continued to lose steadily, while the pot alternated between Larabee, the Don and Standish. Eventually Dawson won a small pot and decided to bow out immediately, having managed to recover what he had lost. And despite the fact that Smithers won the next pot, the timid banker remained in the game. Several hands later it was Ezra's turn to deal again and he took the cards from the last dealer, the Mexican Don.

Swiftly he shuffled the cards and skilfully counted each card as he ran it through his hands. Smiling to himself, Ezra wondered at the stupidity of some people. The Don had carefully marked each card, as he had the previous two decks Ezra had surreptitiously added to the game. The Don had won every hand that he had dealt and that was usually enough to have any poker player screaming 'cheat'! But the two hulking bodyguards sitting at the table behind them, dissuaded anyone from pointing out the Don's inept cheating.

"Shall we up the stakes a little?" Ezra asked hopefully, eyeing the three remaining players. Smithers seemed amiable while the Don just smiled. Judging by his clothes, the Don was a wealthy man, but one only had to look at the state of his shoes and spurs to know that he had fallen on hard times. Eager to replenish his flagging fortune, Diego de la Vega glanced at the insolent gunfighter. Larabee had lapsed into a drunken silence, having folded the last three hands almost as soon as they were dealt. He seemed reluctant to leave the game though and continued to glare at the gambler from under the brim of his hat.

"What did you have in mind Mr Standish?" Smithers asked, his hand unconsciously fingering the stack of notes in his coat pocket.

"Well, since I'm afraid this will have to be my last hand of the evening, as I must be away early tomorrow morning, I was considering increasing the ante and perhaps, the pot?"

The Don frowned, he had nothing left to bet other than what he had won during the night and now the gambler was talking about increasing all bets. "Perhaps not, Senor, not all of us, "the Don looked pointedly at Chris, "can afford such a heavy pot."

Chris just grunted and continued to glare at Ezra.

"Never fear Don Diego, I am simply suggesting that perhaps we allow 'markers' to stand in the place of our bets. I fear that I am running low on cash and will quite happily offer a signed bank draft to cover any debts."

Don Diego seemed to consider this carefully, his dark eyes narrowing as he tried to see a disadvantage to this. Any markers he himself put down would be worthless, while there was at least a small chance that the gambler would actually honour one of his own. Either way, a win favoured him. Smithers however, seemed reluctant to agree, now that he realised that Ezra was probably scheming to get him to bet his bank drafts. Larabee just nodded, playing with an empty shot glass, twisting it in the dull lamp light.

"Are you in Mr Smithers?"

Making a snap decision not to bet any of his own drafts and to fold if it came to committing anything other than cash to the pot, Smithers agreed with a small nod.

"Excellent. I'll deal."

The hand lasted a long time, as both Smithers and Larabee took their time in deciding how many cards they wanted. The pot grew to include all the cash already played and a few markers from the Don and Ezra. Smithers folded when no one called and his hand began to look poorer and poorer. "Gentlemen, thank you for the game." He stood up, tipped his hat to the players and left the saloon, a great deal poorer than he had arrived.

Ezra grinned brightly at the remaining players and said to the Don, "Your bet I believe?"

The Don was beginning to sweat. He was pretty sure his hand beat Larabee's who was scowling even more as the game progressed. If he wasn't frowning at his cards, the gunslinger was sending lethal glares at Standish. Ezra Standish however remained a mystery. The gambler gave away nothing, he had no tells, no signs of nervousness, remaining as cool as a cucumber. For all he knew, Standish could be holding four aces or the gambler had nothing at all!

Sighing, Diego de la Vega drew out an old deed, one he had no claim to anymore but neither of the men knew that. "I will bet this, senors - it is the deed to my family's Granda Vista hacienda in Mexico."

As Ezra picked up the deed to examine it, his sharp eyes caught sight of Vin walking past the saloon doors. Chris had apparently seen Vin too, his intense glare relaxing for a millisecond to acknowledge Vin's signal.

"I find this acceptable Don Diego," Ezra replied his thick Georgian accent rolling off his tongue like molasses. "I trust you will find my marker equally acceptable."

Ezra tossed in a forged bank draft for an amount that raised the Don's eyebrows in surprise. "Acceptable? Oh yes indeed."

Turning to Chris, Ezra smiled pleasantly, "Would you like to check the validity of my marker Mr Larabee?"

"Nope."

"Very well then - I see your call and call the hand."

Ezra proudly displayed a straight, aces high. Chris growled something under his breath and threw his cards on to the table. The Don however stared at his hand and Ezra's. Slowly he placed his full house on to the table and said, "Full house." Chris started to laugh and Diego couldn't believe his good fortune at actually winning the enormous pot against such a skilled gambler but Ezra's reaction surprised them all.

"WHAT?!" Ezra bolted to his feet, his eyes blazing and his gun suddenly in his hand. "You … you .. NO! It's not possible!"

The Don stared at the transformed gambler who looked as terrifying as a hungry grizzly bear and he was its next meal. The Don darted his eyes around looking for his bodyguards and saw both men passed out on the floor, drunk out of their minds. "Senor Standish … now please …" The Don raised his hands in supplication, trying to reason with the irate man.

The gun barrel wavered slightly as Ezra spluttered, spittle spraying from his mouth, "Please? You incompetent moron! You flea-infested camel-trader! I will not - I cannot conceive that such an inept, bungling imbecile can utilise sufficient grey-matter to outwit me! You … you …. you cheating scum! I can't believe …"

Whatever it was Ezra couldn't believe, the Don never found out as a scruffy-looking man stepped up behind Standish and soundly broke a bottle over his head. The gambler crumpled to the floor in a graceful heap, somehow managing to avoid a puddle of spilled beer. Chris was still laughing as he said, " 'Bout damn time you got here - he'd just about bled me dry!"

Vin looked down at the crumpled form at his feet, knocking Ezra's hat off to cover his face and said, "At least I got here." Looking up at the stunned Don who was still astounded that he had no bullet holes peppering his chest, Vin pointed the broken bottle at him and said, "Reckon you best take your winnings and get out of here before Standish wakes up."

"Wakes up?"

"Hell yes - I don't aim to be around when he comes to. Come on, Larabee."

The Don stood and started gathering his winnings amazed that the pair of gunmen didn't just shoot the crazy gambler. As if reading his mind, the slight buckskin-clad man said, "Look - you obviously don't know the guys Standish rides with - there is no way you want to tangle with them. He comes to and you're still around? Well - just remember I warned you."

Diego nodded vaguely and was escorted out by Larabee who hissed something in his ear that made the Don pale and duck out of the saloon. Chris turned to see Vin dragging one of the Don's goons towards the door. He moved to the other one and soon both men were decorating the dusty boardwalk outside. It was late and only the sheriff and his deputies were still up in Giant Falls. The saloon was empty except for the three men and Vin walked over to Ezra's inert form and nudged him. "Ya can get up, they're gone."

Ezra's eyes flashed open and he got up slowly, rubbing his head absently. "Did you really have to hit me that hard Mr Tanner?"

Vin shrugged, "Had to break the bottle."

"Yes but did you have to break it so forcibly?"

Chris checked the street for any sign of the Don, all signs of drunkenness and animosity gone. "You get them out alright?"

Vin nodded and said, "Helena and Inez are waiting for us outside of town. It's gonna take us a days ride to get back to Four Corners."

"So we better leave now." Chris said and followed Vin to the back door.

Ezra followed still rubbing his head, and he lifted his voice to shout, "Remind me why we participated in this escapade again?"

"*We* participated 'cos you offered to help Inez and then couldn't do it alone," Chris said as the trio left the saloon through the back door.

Ezra puffed out his chest in indignation and huffed, "Indeed! Rather it was your wrong-footed bungling that foiled my carefully laid plans and precipitated the need to alter my otherwise flawless scheme."

Ezra carefully ignored the glare Chris sent his way and he turned left as Chris and Vin turned right into the alley behind the saloon.

Pausing when he realised that Ezra was not following them, Chris nudged Vin to stop and hissed at Ezra who was peaking around the corner of the saloon wall, checking out the street beyond.

"Standish!"

Without turning around to look at them, Ezra called back, "Relax Mr Larabee, I merely need to take care of one little arrangement and then I will join you at the corral. Please, I won't be a moment."

"Try not to get lost Ez," Vin quipped as he and Chris left, both men fading into the shadows. Ezra risked a quick glance down the street again, before slipping down the boardwalk towards the town's bank. He reached the bank's porch, just in time to see Don Diego de la Vega ride out of town, nervously watching his back trail.

Behind Ezra a seemingly disembodied hand reached through the shadows to roughly grab Ezra's shoulder and yank him into the darkness. Shoved up against the back wall, Ezra found himself faced with the five men from his fighter earlier. And none of them looked happy.

"Gentlemen?"

One of them, Ezra thought it might have been Ned but he couldn't be sure in the shadows, checked the street before rasping, "No one saw us."

Smiling benignly Ezra drawled, "Excellent! Now - how much do I owe you fine gentlemen?"

Instantly all five faces lost their sullen glower and broad smiles broke out. The two youngest, Bob - Bowler Hat and Little Bob - Rotten Teeth, started laughing and said mock-softly, "Did you see the look on their faces when we crashed into the saloon!"

Congratulating the men on their fine performance, Ezra beamed, "Oh yes - Robert and Robert, er the smaller, I was quite taken aback myself, if I do say so."

Ned laughed as well and said, "It sure was a lot of fun, easiest 5 dollars that I ever made. And Mr Standish, you needn't have pulled your punches so much."

Ezra's face fell, his mouth falling open in protest, "Pull my punches…? But I was giving you some of my best moves."

All five men instantly agreed that yes, Ezra's punches had been very hard to take, Little Bob even declaring that, "I thought you might have broken my jaw with that one right of yours, sir!"

Mollified a little, Ezra sniffed and pressed on, "Very well - I believe that the agreed amount was five dollars a piece?"

They all nodded eagerly and watched as Ezra patted himself down, looking for his wad of cash. Frowning a little in consternation as he failed to find any cash, Ezra managed to look embarrassed as he gasped, "My good accomplices, I fear to report that the Don proved to be a better player than I anticipated and he did in fact - clean me out."

Five, very dirty, very eager faces fell and turned - very ugly. Bob started to finger the hilt of his knife while Ned spluttered, "Now Mr Standish…" The remaining nameless pair, red Bandanna and Lazy Eye looked positively murderous.

Before the mood could turn any uglier, Ezra's hand miraculously stopped its frantic search and the Southerner smiled, "Never fear good sirs, I always keep a 'little' emergency stash close at hand." Reaching into his embroidered waistcoat, Ezra removed a hundred dollar note from the safety pin securing it to his button hole. Holding up the note for the five men to see, Ezra snapped it cheerfully and watched their glowering faces light up.

"One hundred dollars," Red Bandanna gasped.

"I ain't ever seen one of those!" Lazy Eye gushed.

"Oh yes, gentlemen - one hundred dollars. And I am afraid, that is all I have. I'm gonna need some change from you …"

Immediately the men pulled out tattered dollar notes of coat pockets and wallets, Little Bob even pulling out a dollar coin from his mouth. Cries of 'I've got seven dollars," and "I thought you was broke - you owe me three dollars as it is," along with, "All I got is a ten and all Little Bob has is a dime and two dollars!" floated around the gambler.

As their confusion grew as to who needed to give what, Ezra solved the problem by neatly taking the accumulated small change and dollar notes and handing Ned the hundred dollar note. "Excellent - excellent. Here you go Mr… Ned. One hundred dollars and I'll keep - this conglomeration of change and what's the difference of a few dollars between friends, really?" Ezra smiled. "You each get …."
Waiting for their minds to click over onto the hundred dollar note, Ezra watched as Ned's faced crumpled in concentration as he tried to figure out what amount they each got. Finally getting impatient Ezra prompted, "Twenty … dollars… a piece."

Whooping loudly and then remembering how late it was and secret their meeting was supposed to be, Bob whispered excitedly, "Twenty dollars! That's tons more than five! Gee thanks, mister." Ned was staring at the note like he wanted to bite it and test its worth, but seemed content with the deal. Shoving the mass of money in his pocket, Ezra deemed it was time to depart before Ned and Co decided to try and figure out how to 'split' their wages.

"It has been a pleasure doing business with you fine actors," Standish gushed. Five snorts of mock-humility and a few 'go on' s greeted that. "And if I ever have need of a few … angry malcontents…", the gambler continued. Everyone laughed at that, although Little Bob didn't look too sure why he was laughing or that he liked being called a malcontent. "I'll know who to call. Goodnight gentlemen."

The five men wished Ezra a distracted goodnight in return, more interested in getting a chance to touch the hundred dollar note. Standish strolled across the street like it was midday and not midnight and made his way to the corral.



Ezra found Vin and Chris with all three of their horses saddled and waiting at the open corral on the outskirts of Giant Falls

"You pay your angry marks?" Vin asked as he leant against Unalii checking the length of his rein for signs of wear.

"How did you…?" Ezra started to exclaim before Vin's knowing smirk stopped him. "You followed me." It was said with just a hint of indignant pride that was half serious, half joking.

"Nahhh." Vin replied, "Just figured it was something you'd do." There was no judgement in Vin's voice, he was simply stating a fact. He knew Ezra and the gambler was surprised to realise that one, he wasn't surprised that Vin had figured his plan out. And two that he didn't seem to mind that one of his friends knew him well enough to anticipate his usually convoluted moves. But this was Mr Tanner he was talking about after all, whose own mind worked in curious ways.

"Yes, I did reward my adequate minions who slightly over-acted their parts. Isn't it time we departed this fine locale for sunnier climes?"

Chris looked up from where he was bent over Pony's hoof - "Jus' waiting on you, Ez."




Tuesday morning: Before sunrise, Four Corners

The wake up call


"Come on kid, get up."

"Huh?"

"We gotta get up and open up the saloon for Inez, remember?"

"Huh?"

"Come on, JD, I ain't doin' this alone -."

"What the hell are you talking about Mister?"

Buck nearly fell over when he heard the deep voice. Realising his mistake, Buck whispered, "Hell - sorry mister. Wrong room."

He quickly backed out of the room, closed the door and then sprinted down the stairs in case the stranger decided to see who was waking him up at 4am. Buck leant against the railing outside the boarding house, catching his breath after the adrenaline pumping run. "Damn that kid!"

"You didn't really expect me to fall for it twice, Buck."

Buck just about leapt three feet in the air as JD surprised him, the young man's voice floating as if out of nowhere. "DAMNIT JD! I've done told you not to do that to a man - Vin is bad enough but I ain't having you sneaking up on me too!"

Grinning widely, JD laughed at Buck's puffing face, his hand clutched over his heart dramatically. "Some of us actually learn from our mistakes, Buckey. I switched rooms last night."

"Buckey? BUCKEY?" Buck hissed loudly and leapt at JD who easily dodged Wilmington and took off at a gentle run down the street. Buck soon caught up to the kid and was about to grab him in a headlock when JD expertly dodged in time to miss Buck's arm and Wilmington found himself stumbling forward as he struggled to stop his momentum.

"JD!"

Buck's shout was filled with exasperation and warning but the kid just laughed even more, "Told you Buck some of us learn from our mistakes!"

JD, in turn, yelped in surprise as a big arm wrapped itself around his neck, capturing him in the hated headlock and as he was bodily marched down the street, he heard Josiah's deep voice rumble, "That's true, John Dunne, and some of us learn quicker than others."

"Aw hell, Josiah - let me go already!" came JD's muffled plea as Buck passed the pair, laughing. Buck was walking backwards, watching JD struggle in the preacher's grip, trying to think of some way of paying the kid back.

Nathan came up behind Josiah and JD and saw Buck walking backwards. "Buck, that's not a good idea, you might …"

'Too late,' Nathan thought as Buck's boot heel connected with an unseen rock behind him and the ladies man fell down in a heap. As JD passed him, the young man lashed out and nudged Buck in the thigh. "A little help here please?"

"Oh sure - now you want my help. After scaring me twice in less than five minutes, calling me Buckey, and then making me land on my ass. I don't think so kid - you're on your own!" Buck shouted from the ground, still laying sprawled across the street.

Josiah laughed as JD continued to squirm, Nathan just sighed and Buck contemplated going back to bed and waking up Molly again. A window from the boarding house was thrown open and a large, bald man stuck his head out and shouted at Buck, "Will you shut up! Some of us are trying to sleep!"

Scrambling to his feet, Buck tipped his hat at the shouting man and ran for the saloon, just in case the angry bald guy was the same one he had woken up earlier.



Tuesday: Before sunrise, outside Giant Falls

Suspicions


About three miles ride from Giant Falls, on a gentle rise, grew an enormous oak tree. Its trunk was so broad that three men holding hands could not circle its girth. Branches reached towards the heavens, an abundance of leaves decorated the arching bows, providing ample shade in the summer sun.

Vin had left Inez and Helena to wait under the tree, the night time shadows obscuring the presence of the two women. Inez was fuming, her attention divided between watching the trail and her cousin. Because the moment Vin had ridden back to Giant Falls, Helena had tried to leave.

After sending a telegram to Inez from Giant Falls desperate for help, Helena had told her cousin a very similar story to Inez's own. Don Diego wanted to 'marry' Helena but she did not love him and had run away. The Don, furious at her rejection was now hunting her down, determined to force a marriage.

Even though Inez had not seen or heard from her cousin for nearly 10 years, she had no reason to doubt Helena's story. Fortunately for both women, Ezra was in Giant Falls for a poker game and he had agreed to help Helena escape the Don. And when Chris and Vin arrived in town after escorting a prisoner to White City, Inez had been sure that everything would be alright.

But now she wasn't so sure. The Don had not acted like Don Raphael at all - arrogant and proud but that didn't mean he would not force himself on her cousin. No, Inez's misgivings had started with Helena herself. Helena was not the shy, timid child Inez had known as a girl but that was to be expected - she was a grown woman now. Something had not rung true with Helena's story about Don Diego, but Inez had been willing to give her cousin the benefit of the doubt. That was until Helena had refused to let Inez contact her mother, Inez's Aunt Angela. Instead Helena had insisted that Inez's 'friends' escort her to Sweet River - immediately.

Helena's unusual behaviour had been momentarily forgotten in the rush of making plans and the sudden arrival of the Don's men. During Ezra's 'distraction' outside Sally's Luck Saloon, Vin had snuck the two ladies, dressed in men's clothes, out the back. To any of the residents who noticed the trio during the excitement of the fight, it would have seemed that three 'men' had left town.

Vin had not been gone two minutes, before Helena announced she was leaving. Despite Inez's initial surprise, she had managed to intercept Helena and snapped, "What?"

A rather vocal argument had ensued, one that Buck would have loved to watch. Two feisty, beautiful women shouting at someone - other than him. Helena had eventually subsided into a sulky silence, reluctantly agreeing to wait for the three men to arrive.

And now Inez's nerves were stretched taut as time dragged by and when the sound of a large number horses thundering down the trail reached her, Inez dragged her cousin further back into the shadows and watched as the Don, who was looking decidedly nervous, and his men rode by. Unsure if they were looking for Helena or not, Inez stayed hidden and was relieved that at least Helena was now prepared to stay put.

Ezra, Chris and Vin arrived a whole lot more quietly than the Don and almost before Inez knew it, the three peacekeepers were riding up to them.

"Oh thank goodness it's you! The Don rode past a few minutes ago and he looked like he had the hounds of hell on his tail!" Inez exclaimed.

Ezra literally seemed to puff up with delight at the news that the Don was still running scared. "Never fear, my dear - all went according to plan and it is unlikely that the foul Don Diego will return to trouble your fair cousin," Ezra tipped his hat at Helena, who gave him a dazzling smile. Helena had the same dark, beautiful look as her cousin, but where Inez radiated spunk and fire, Helena seemed more demur and composed - until she lost her temper that is, and then heaven help the poor soul who stood in her way.

"Gracias Senor, I would never have been able to escape that … man without your kind help," and she turned to include Vin and Chris, "and of course you Senors as well. It was very brave of you." And she graced both men with equally dazzling smiles.

"Our pleasure ma'am but we best be moving on quickly, in case the Don decides to come back," Chris replied already legging his horse forward, eager to get home to Four Corners.

Ezra looked a bit affronted that Chris felt the Don might not 'stay' duped and was about to open his mouth and complain when he caught the worried look Inez gave her cousin. Quick as always to catch unspoken nuances, Ezra quashed his complaint and sighed, "Indeed Mr Larabee, it is definitely time to go home."

"Then here is where we part ways, Senors. Inez," Helena said, guiding her horse away from the four friends. "Thank you again for …"

"Oh Helena, maybe you should stay with us at least until Four Corners," Inez tried to say but Helena shook her head exclaiming, "Oh no cousin! I couldn't do that! I've taken up far too much of your time as it is. I'll be alright from here - the Don isn't looking for me right now and I'm better off on my own."

"Perhaps one of us could escort you to Sweet River, like you asked before Miss Demarco?" Vin asked quietly as he watched Helena edge further and further from the group.

Frowning at him, Helena stammered, "No. No. It's okay senor. I don't need an escort - I can take care of myself." And before anyone else could say anything about the matter, Helena had cleared enough space from the others and she spurred her horse into a flat run - away from her cousin. Inez's horse danced backwards as the sudden movement spooked it, and it backed into Chris and Ezra, cutting them off from following. Vin simply stayed put, watching Helena disappear into the distance.

"What the…?" Chris shouted, reining his big black in, as it tried to bite Ezra's chestnut in retaliation.

Ezra, sitting calmly on his horse despite the beast snapping back at Chris' Diablo, mused aloud, "I think there is a great deal more to Ms Demarco's story than we originally thought."

Inez looked like she wanted to ride after her cousin and give the ungrateful woman a piece of her mind. She turned to her three friends and said sharply, "I don't know about you Senors, but I do not like being lied to and I think my dear cousin, " Inez's voice fairly dripped with sarcasm, "has lied to us."

"Maybe so … or maybe not," Vin replied, his eyes still tracking Helena's disappearing figure. "I'll follow her, see where she goes, make sure she's alright."

Chris, eager to find out for himself what was going on, disliking the fact that he may have been duped, frowned as he weighed the thought that Helena may actually need help and either she didn't trust them or felt she might be better off alone. Or she had tricked them all into helping her escape the Don, who may have a real grievance with her. But none of them knew the truth and he and Vin were already overdue back in town. Better to let Vin follow her and then catch them up while they got Inez back to town.

Inez seemed to read Chris' thoughts and hissed, "Senor Larabee I do not need to be protected, I can look after myself. We can all go after that lying …"

Ezra placed his manicured hand on Inez's and murmured quietly to her, "My dear Ms Recillios, as you are no doubt aware, you look a great deal like your cousin, in fact, " and the realisation seemed to have only just sunk for Ezra as well, "you could almost be mistaken for her at a distance. Perhaps enough to have the Don pursue you while your cousin got away safely."

So furious that she was rendered speechless, Inez just stared at Ezra and Chris, who were also looking angrier and angrier by the second. How much of this situation was Helena's careful manipulation, getting Inez to come to Giant Falls, concocting a story close enough to Inez's own past to get her sympathy. Had the unexpected arrival of real friends thrown Helena's plans awry, necessitating this sudden escape?

"Vin, follow her - find out what she's up to and get back quick as you can. I don't like this."

Nodding in agreement, Vin spurred his horse after Helena, soon leaving the trio behind.



The wiry little Mexican had been waiting for nearly a day and twice he had actually packed his saddle-bags and prepared to leave, until at the last moment he changed his mind. It wasn't a sense of loyalty that endeavoured to keep the little man in place, it was a healthy fear of Don Diego de la Vega. More than a few hombres had under-estimated the Don, thinking his bad luck and stupidity with money extended into the rest of his life. But the Don may have inherited his family's misfortune with money, but he had definitely inherited the ruthless cruelty that had initially established the family. No one crossed Don Diego and lived to tell of it. Once you were sworn into his service, the only way you left it was in a pine-box.

Juan Gomez may not have sworn an oath of loyalty to the Don, but he had promised to find Helena Demarco for him. He had, in both San Juan and Santa Fe, until the trail had headed north. The Don had insisted that Helena would try to hide out in a small western town, but Juan had been charged not with finding Helena's whereabouts but her end goal - and he had.

After waiting impatiently at the small cross-roads, Juan saw by the approaching dust-cloud that his patròn was finally here. Just as Vin, Chris and Ezra met up with Inez and Helena, Don Diego rode up to his scout.

"Gomez. What news do you have?"

Smiling genially at the Don, Juan simpered, "Oh a great deal Don Diego, a great deal. I know that Helena Demarco is riding to meet her lover in Denver and she's going to sell your deed to pay for the train fare."

Don Diego swore viciously, "I'm going to wring her scrawny neck! Who is she selling it to?"

Gomez shrugged, his face nearly disappearing into the folds of his filthy poncho, "That I don't know Senor. The telegraph operator didn't know who picked up the telegram, just that Helena was going to meet them in Sweet River."

One of the Don's men said, "That's directly north Don Diego - if we ride through the mountain trails, we'll get there sooner than if we stayed on the coach line."

"Si, si, " Juan said eagerly, "That is the way I came senor."

Don Diego gathered up the reins of his horse, and snarled at his men, "What are you waiting for, idiots? Let's ride! And you," Diego pointed a long finger at Juan, "can come along to show us the way."

As the twenty odd gang of men rode north, Juan Gomez trailed behind reluctantly, muttering to himself, "Si senor, whatever you want senor, it's not like I have anything else to do, senor!"



Early Tuesday morning Four Corners:

Playing House


"I'm bored."

JD was sitting behind the bar, his chin resting on his folded arms as he waited for the first customer of the day. From the kitchen came the sound of pots banging together and the occasional thud as pot met flesh. "Out! Out!"

A flustered Buck Wilmington emerged from the kitchen, clutching his backside. "Sheesh, Josiah - watch where you swing those pots."

Josiah's voice echoed from the kitchen, "Just stay outta my kitchen Buck Wilmington - I'm not going to ask you again."

Nathan's breathless laughter could be heard vaguely over the continued noise in the kitchen. Buck ambled up to JD, resting his arms on the other side of the bar. "You're a little keen - Inez don't usually serve alcohol until lunch time."

JD sighed and turned his face a little to look up at Buck, "When is Inez going to get back? Do you think she's in trouble? She dashed out of here real quick the other day."

Buck shrugged and said, "Don't know JD, but Inez can take care of herself."

Frowning JD mused, "But that's not what you said when she was leaving - you were going on about her needing protection and how a lady can't be riding out on her own these days. She got pretty mad at you too, as I recall."

Dismissing JD's words with a flick of his hand, Buck harrumphed, "Inez was just worried when she said all that stuff about me - I know she loves me. Just you wait JD, she'll come round any day now - realise that I'm the man of her dreams."

"More like her nightmares!" JD scooted away from Buck as the big man lunged for him. "What is with you this morning kid - you ain't stopped sassing me since you opened your little eyeballs."

"Aw hell, Buck it's too easy picking on someone so stupid."

Buck roared in anger and vaulted over the bar but JD was quicker and ran out of the saloon doors. "Kid, you better sleep with one eye open tonight!" Buck stood out on the saloon porch and watched as JD disappeared into the early morning shoppers. "Kid's getting too slick for his own good."



Tuesday Morning, Mountains near Giant Falls:

Suspicions Confirmed


Helena rode away without looking back, urging her horse to go faster as the morning sun climbed higher in the sky. Although the local town's name professed a large waterfall in the area - this was not in fact the case. The area surrounding Giant Falls may have been mountainous enough to warrant a waterfall, but the town got its name from the large cliff-face that an inexperienced geologist had incorrectly identified as a dead waterfall. Despite future, more knowledgeable claims to the otherwise, the name had stuck and Giant Falls remained a misleading attraction.

The foothills of the mountains north of Giant Falls were criss-crossed by trails and footpaths, the area a popular hunting ground for the local ranchers. It was also an ideal location for outlaws and other souls reluctant to be noticed to hide out. A careful man could easily pass through the entire area without being noticed, even by those well familiar with the terrain. It meant that a posse and the hunted could easily lose each other - or in the unfortunate case of the ill-fated Hanson Gang, turn a corner and run straight into the pursuing posse.

As Helena rode quickly along her chosen trail, thinking that she had gained enough distance to have lost both the Don and her cousin, she let her concentration lapse as the steady rhythm of her horse's hooves on the ground lulled her into a false sense of security. And like the Hanson Gang, she turned a corner in the trail and ran smack into a group of riders.

The trail widened out into a small valley below her, but the five men blocking her way did not seem keen to let her past.

"Well lookee here, a fine little filly out riding on her own! Right careless of her owner to let her loose like that."

"Turner, keep that fat slob away from me!" Helena shouted, backing her horse away from the tall, greasy man who was leering at her. Alvin Turner, leader of the five men, just grinned as Gunther continued to make lewd suggestions.

Helena was blushing so badly at what Gunther was saying, that she looked like she was going to boil over. The youngest of the five men, a tall smartly dressed kid, in an eastern style suit eventually said, "Knock it off Gunther!"

Gunther turned on his companion, and sent the young man flying from his horse with a hefty shove. "Shut your yap Carpenter, I ain't telling ya again! You wanna ride with us - shut the hell up!"

Ignoring his squabbling men, Alvin Turner stepped his horse towards Helena, not bothering to hide his lingering gaze at her shapely figure, even disguised as it was by baggey men's clothing. Helena kept a watchful eye on both Turner and Gunther and it wasn't until Josh Carpenter leapt to his feet and charged Gunther that she directed her full attention to Turner. "You were supposed to wait in Sweet River!"

"We got bored darlin' and decided to mosey on over and make sure you were alright."

Carpenter managed to pull Gunther from the saddle and the two men began trading blows. Turning her horse further away from Turner's advancing horse, Helena sneered, "Somehow I doubt that, Senor. Where's my money?"

Cocking his head slightly at her, Turner grinned darkly, "Where's the deed?"

The remaining two members of the group, Pete Dempsey and Joe Swanson were moving to get better views of the fight and cheering Carpenter on as he punched Gunther in the face. The over-weight man shrugged off the blow and flattened Carpenter with another solid punch.        
"I got it," Helena replied, pulling the corner of a leather wallet out of her saddlebags, "the money?"

"Right here, darlin'" Turner drawled patting his groin and pulling out a small money bag from the front of his trousers. He tossed her the bag and Helena gingerly caught it, her disgust plain as she in turn tossed the deed to Turner, who immediately opened and read it.

Gunther succeeded in knocking Carpenter out cold and was about to kick the unconscious man in the ribs, when Turner pulled out his gun and pointed it in the large man's direction. "Gunther, leave the boy alone. He's got a job to do later and I ain't having him laid up cos' you can't keep your mouth shut."

Backing away from the prone body, Gunther snorted noisily and spat at young man, "Idiot."

Having pocketed her money, Helena tried to manoeuvre her way around the group, keeping as far from Gunther as possible. "Nice doing business with you Alvin, but I'll be going now."

Still facing Gunther and his men, Turner grinned nastily and pivoted in the saddle, bringing his drawn gun to bear on Helena. "Now, now my dear. I promised Gunther here at least a little morsel to make up for that slap back in Sweet River."

Paling at the implications of what Turner was saying, Helena tried to back down the trail, only to find that during the tail end of the fight, Pete and Joe had positioned themselves behind her. "In fact, I think everyone wanted a 'taste' of your oh-so-fine delights," Turner sneered as he and Gunther completed the circle around Helena.



The Watcher


It had been easy to follow Helena's trail through the hills, and when she had taken a well-travelled path that Vin knew often twisted around blind corners, he decided to take the high road and follow her on the scattered trails over the hills. Vin had eventually spotted Helena below him, as the young lady travelled along the winding route.

Fighting a yawn, Vin lost sight of Helena momentarily as she turned another corner and Vin suddenly found his way forward blocked. The trail over the hills deviated from running parallel to the trail below and Vin had to ride around a towering mound of rocks before he could see the trail again. When he finally circumvented the rocks a good 15 minutes later, the sight below made his blood run cold. Not only was Helena surrounded by some rough looking men, whose intentions were very clear judging by Helena's terrified expression but coming up the trail, unseen by the group surrounding Helena, was Don Diego and nearly twenty men.

But Tanner had to focus on Helena's more immediate problems before the thought about the approaching Don. A large, very greasy-looking man had dismounted and as Helena backed away from him, she unwittingly backed right into the grasp of another member of the gang, who grabbed her hair and roughly pulled her backwards off the horse.

Acting swiftly, Vin crested the small hill, pulled out his rifle and sighted down the weapon. The greasy weasel was trying to reach Helena, who was scrambling on her hands and knees, keeping the horse between her and her attacker. The rest of the group were laughing and jeering, moving back enough to give Helena room to manoeuvre - for a while.



She had never been so terrified in her life. Gunther made another grab for her but she managed to escape his grasping hands and keep her horse between them. But the horse was getting more and more skittish as the humans continued to scramble around its feet. Any second now, the horse would bolt and Helena would have nowhere to hide.

It all seemed to happen at once, her horse bolted through the gap left between Turner and Pete, and then Gunther was on her, grabbing her oversized shirt and pulling her towards him. And then a single, resounding shot echoed through the hills and Gunther, still with an excited grin on his face, toppled over, a neat bullet hole in the side of his head.

Before Helena even had time to breathe a sigh of relief, the sound of more horses approaching tore her gaze from the dead body lying beside her. Don Diego, his long black hair slicked over his skull and a hard smile on his face, rounded the corner.

Don Diego waved his hand forward and motioned for his men to surround the little group. No one had noticed that Carpenter was coming to, but just as the groaning young man sat up, his friends exploded into action, all four of them running before the Don could surround them.

Caught unawares, Carpenter wasn't prepared for Pete to grab his arm and hoist him up onto his saddle as they rode past, Turner in the lead. Shouting in pain as Pete's inept hold on his arm nearly dislocated his shoulder, Carpenter found himself on the back of Pete's horse, bouncing like a bundle of baggage.

"Get them you fools - Now!" Diego shrieked as the four outlaws rode away, leaving Gunther's body sprawled next to Helena. About ten of the Mexicans charged after Turner and his men, whooping and firing their pistols.

Helena realised she had jumped from the frying pan into the fire without making a move, as the rest of the Mexicans circled her and Gunther.

"So Helena - it seems you have run into a little trouble. Not quite what you planned 'eh?" Diego snapped as he guided his horse towards Helena, who scrambled backwards to escape the horse's hooves. The Don's horse was a massive Grey, nearly seventeen hands. Don Diego's father had trained the animal himself and it obeyed its rider's directions without hesitation. As the impressive animal loomed above her, its deeply muscled chest and legs coming closer and closer, Helena could not help but notice how big its hooves were.

"Diego I never meant…"

"Shut up! Where is the deed?"

Shaking almost uncontrollably, Helena stammered, "Turner, Alvin Turner has it - the man who rode away first, he has it."

"Damn you! You will pay for your treachery!"

"Please, Diego, please - I had no choice, I didn't want to," Helena cried, tears streaming down her face as the Don continued to advance on her, his horse casually crushing Gunther's hand as it passed the body.

Diego's face was a mask of fury, his eyes boring into Helena and his hands white-knuckled on the reins. "You lying, thieving whore! I will personally see you dead!" Diego shrieked, shaking his fist at Helena, his hair falling into his face.

Helena couldn't stop the small scream that emerged and she scrambled right up against one of Mexican's horses' legs behind her, "Please Diego - please!" Helena begged, trying to find some way out of this predicament. Her pleas only seemed to enrage the Don further and he shouted at a couple of men, ordering them to dismount and grab her.

As a pair of Mexicans obeyed their patròn and stood in their stirrups to dismount, Helena searched the faces above looking for any sort of help. All of the men stared back at her, offering no sympathy, a few of them laughing at her.

The first Mexican to dismount, his left foot still in the stirrup, was jerked off his feet when his horse reared as a series of shots snapped into the ground in front of it. Two more of the Mexicans were unseated as bullets thudded into the ground, incredibly missing any horse-flesh.

Helena reacted fast enough to dodge the flying hooves and surged to her feet. More shots echoed and one of the Don's men fell to the ground even as he struggled to get his horse under control.

Through the wheeling horses, and shouting men, Helena saw a rider on the top of the hill that rose above them. Three more shots were fired, puffs of tell-tale smoke rising from the hill, adding to the confusion as the Mexicans, including the Don, tried to restrain their animals. Not even the Don's highly trained Grey would stand still as bullets came too close for comfort.

And then the rider plunged down the steep hillside, his black horse running unerringly down the slope. The black gelding's hooves side-stepped loose rocks and sand, finding a clear path toward the bottom of the craggy hill. His rider lay back over the saddle, counterbalancing his horse's weight in the full tilt run. The pair moving in unison, working together made the difficult run look beautifully easy - the sure-footed beast trusting his rider to keep him balanced, the rider letting his steed run unhindered, keeping the reins in a loose hold.

Before the Don could react to the gunman riding exposed to return fire, he was among them, riding right through the startled Mexicans, leaning forward on his saddle. The big black horse sped past the Don and its rider leant down like an Indian and grabbed the startled lady's arm and swung her up behind him. Then the pair disappeared around the corner, in a clatter of hooves.

Momentarily stunned, the Don realised that Helena had escaped him again.

"NO!"



New Plans


The chase was on, and as Turner and his men outdistanced the Mexicans, he turned to shout at Swanson, "Josh is going to need a horse!"

Nodding, Swanson dropped back, slowing down enough for the Mexicans to catch sight of him again. Keeping low over his saddle, Swanson sped up as the Mexicans fired on him. Alvin Turner knew these hills like the back of his hand, having long used their twisting inroads to escape posses and rival gangs. They had used this trick before.

Swanson turned sharply around a small hill and as the Mexicans charged after him, they rode straight into Turner and Dempsey's fire. Those still able to ride after the initial volley, instantly turned and retreated, leaving behind three dead, and three new horses.

"Choose one and let's go", Turner snapped at Carpenter, as the young man dismounted.

Josh Carpenter looked very unhappy, his lip was split, and a black eye was beginning to form. "Damnitall Vin, this ain't how it was supposed to go down."

Alvin Turner, known as Vin to his friends, kicked the sulky kid as he passed, "Quit whining - you ain't the only one who got to miss out on some fun."

"Yeah right ", Carpenter replied, as he mounted one of the horses, "you lot didn't stop Gunther from slapping me around."

Dempsey snorted at the pout Josh had on his face, and laughed, "Hell Carpenter, you're just mad that we was going to start without ya!"

Joe Swanson grabbed the last two horses' reins and muttered, "Ya'll gonna stand here all day and jist let them yahoos catch us?"

"Hell no - let's go, we got us an appointment in Four Corners."



Tuesday, Midday in Four Corners:

A New Profession?


"Yes sir, I'll get that right now."

"No sir, I already gave you a quarter back."

"Here you go sir, one shot of whiskey."

"Thank you sir."

Seated at a table in the back, Nathan and Buck watched as JD played bartender for the day. "Boy sure can work a bar," Nathan said.

"Yip - learnt it all from the Grand Master Bartender himself!"

"Ezra?"

Scowling Buck snorted, "No me, Nate!"

"You! You tended bars before?"

Buck had to shake his head and say, "Nooooo - but I've been in plenty of saloons and I know a good barkeep when I see one."

Nate laughed at Buck's unending supply of advice that the kid had to deal with, it was no wonder that JD tried his hardest to pay Buck back for all the nonsense he put up with and these days, he was holding his own. Josiah emerged from the kitchen, hot and sweaty and a deep scowl on his face. He slammed a plate of something that looked like chilli onto the bar in front of a cowhand and said, "Here's your enchilada - enjoy!" The look on Josiah's face said that the cowhand was going to eat his 'enchilada' and not comment that it tasted just like chilli.

Nodding mutely, the cowhand started shovelling the food in his mouth, watching Josiah as he returned to the kitchen.

Buck laughed, "That's the second 'enchilada' Josiah has dished out that looks a lot like a plate of chilli."

"Not to mention all the other orders that looked like 'chilli' " Nathan smiled.

"Yip, seems that Josiah is not having much success in the kitchen - even breakfast was -"

"Chilli!" Nathan and Buck said in unison.



My Hero


If Turner knew those hills as well as the back of his hand, then Vin knew every dirt-encrusted inch of Turner's hand. Having hunted bounties in these hills, Vin knew which trails the outlaws favoured, and which ones led to nasty surprises. So he rode along the harder, less-know trails, as fast as he dared push Unalii.

He couldn't hear the sounds of pursuit above the thunder of Unalii's hooves on the rocky trail, but he knew that somewhere behind them, was the Don. And more men than Vin cared to tangle with alone. Helena's arms were wrapped around his middle, as she clung on for dear life. It wasn't so much due to the fast-paced ride that she clung so tightly, but rather the fact that she was safe, because she knew this man wouldn't hurt her.

She pressed her face into the back of Vin's jacket and continued to cry, overwhelmed by first being threatened with the very real prospect of rape and then with death, all in a matter of minutes. When she had left home, against her father's wishes to follow her lover to the United States, it had seemed like such an easy plan. Ride north to Denver and maybe visit her cousin Inez in Four Corners.

But the journey had been more expensive than she anticipated and when the stagecoach driver found out she didn't have enough money to reach Santa Fe, he had tossed her off the stage at the next town. And it was in that small, one horse town that both Alvin Turner and Don Diego met Helena Demarco.

When the hills gave way to strangled woodland, growing amidst the hills, Vin slowed down and threaded his way through the tangled trees. No matter how good a tracker Don Diego had, they would find it virtually impossible to follow Tanner and Helena through this scrub brush. It was a tactic that a bounty had used on Tanner himself, leaving the tracker mired in the thick, thorny mesquite trees, trying to follow a virtually invisible trail. But the bounty on that occasion had not counted on Vin giving up that route as a fool's errand and simply riding out of the wood and laying in wait for the bounty at the outlaw's hideout, many miles away.

The shadowed woodland was quiet. The small forest-life fell silent as the intruders rode past. Tanner's jacket was warm against her face, his back a wall of strength after a frightening ordeal. Helena breathed in the aromas of wet soil mingled with the dry earthy smell of the trees. "I'm sorry - I didn't mean to drag you into this."

Vin heard the words from behind him but didn't stop nor turn around. Rather he kept his senses trained to listen for the sounds of pursuit, fully aware that at any minute the Don would come to the edge of the wood. Helena continued speaking, regardless of his silence, "I was in trouble and Turner offered me a way out. All I had to do was steal that stupid land deed and take the money. That was all."

Sniffing slightly, she sighed, "I was an idiot to think that Turner would keep his word but there didn't seem to be any other way. And when Diego tracked me down to Giant Falls, I just had to ask Inez for help - I couldn't lose him!"

"And then you and Senor Standish and Larabee showed up as well, it seemed like I might actually escape the Don. All I had to do was give Turner the deed, I'd get my money and then I'd be able to get to Denver."

Vin felt Helena shiver as she remembered how close she had come to loosing everything. "Thank you Senor Tanner, thank you, if you hadn't been there…"

"Ma'am, reckon I'd like to know what's in Denver that's so all fire important," Vin said as he guided Unalii through a narrow section of trees and bushes. Finally, behind them, Vin could here the frustrated approach of the Mexicans. All twenty of them could invade the small woodland, and its tangled trees and bushes would still hide the fugitives. Curses and shouts echoed behind them and Helena paused to listen before she answered Vin. "My fiancé, Jonathan West is in Denver. My father refused to let me marry a gringo, so I ran away."

"Why didn't you two leave together?"

Sighing at the memory, Helena whispered, "Because senor, my father made sure that Jonathan understood that unless he left immediately, he wouldn't live to see another sunrise. Jonathan was working at my father's hacienda and when we fell in love, father had him 'escorted' to the border."

When Vin didn't say anything, Helena continued, "Jon managed to send me a letter and told me that he was in Denver. I wanted to …" and she choked back a sob, "wanted to surprise him and arrive in Denver, a free woman, and we could get married. El stupido huh?"

Five gunshots ripped through the air as the Don vented his frustration. A muffled shout rose through the trees, and while neither Vin nor Helena could make out the words, both could hear the fury behind them. "Seems like the Don isn't going to just let this go ma'am, I think it'd be best if you come to Four Corners like Inez wanted."

"Isn't she angry with me?"

Unseen by Helena, but she could hear it in his voice, Vin smiled, "Oh yeah, she's a tad miffed at ya, but I reckon you're her kin and she'll help you out, shoot - all of us will."

"Even after all I have done? I am a thief."

This time Vin's voice sounded tired, and all too experienced for one as young as he was, "We've all done things we ain't proud of when the chips were down, and I don't think any of the boys are going to hold it against ya ma'am. But you probably should contact your folks and let 'em know where you are - they'll be worried."

Helena buried her face in Vin's buckskin jacket and he vaguely heard a muffled, tear-choked, "I know."

The pair rode in silence for a space of heartbeats as Vin let Helena have a few moments to gather herself. "Ma'am, we'll help you set this right."

As Helena sat on the back of that powerful black horse, her arms wrapped around a stranger who had rescued her twice in two days, she found that she believed the quiet spoken man. For the first time since the Don had followed her to Giant Falls, she felt that maybe everything would turn out all right.



Far behind Vin and Helena, Don Diego emerged from the woodland, furious that he had lost the trail. Slowly his surviving men, including those who had failed to capture Turner and company, gathered around their Don. All of the survivors were treated to a scathing glare from their patròn.

"I don't want to hear your excuses. You are all pathetic and have let these gringos' make us look like fools. I am tired of these Americanos deceiving me and insulting my honour!"

Diego slowly accounted for every man and snarled at them all, "I recognised that loco gringo who snatched the girl away and I know who he works for. I am tired of chasing after a lying senorita and playing cat and mouse games with her. This time we ride to the source - we find this gringo, we find the girl, those thieving hombres and that loco buckskin."

Juan Gomez, who had managed to miss most of the gunplay, by staying well behind everyone else piped up, "Who is that Don Diego?"

Diego de la Vega caressed his ornate pistols as he spat out the name of the man he now blamed for all of his woes, "Ezra Standish."



Late Tuesday afternoon:

Of solitaire and patience


Ezra raised his eyes to the heavens and sighed. Chris had stopped half an hour ago and while the three of them were only a few hours ride from Four Corners, they were not moving - and it looked like Chris had no intention of doing so any time soon.

All three of them were camped beneath a solitary tree along the trail. None were particularly pleased with the location, as Chris felt it was too exposed and Ezra knew it was not even remotely his hotel room, while Inez kept on wishing it was further north, closer to Helena. Inez had lapsed into an uncharacteristic silence during the ride and not even Ezra's most outlandish story about the time he had had to stop a runaway stage coach single-handedly broke her silence. Inez had offered a cursory glance in his direction when Ezra mentioned how the stage-coach driver had died suddenly, his heart having apparently given out. Her face remained impassive as Ezra described his harrowing efforts to reach the front of the stage, risking life and limb to save the rest of the passengers. Only Chris laughed when Ezra told with a wide grin how he had sailed over the horses heads when they stopped abruptly and had ended up in the patch of cacti. Inez just had continued to look behind them, watching the trail for a sign of Vin returning.

Now they all waited, Chris stretched out beneath the tree, for all appearances unconcerned and merely catching up on some sleep. Ezra did not doubt that Chris was actually sleeping in between his frequent checks on the horizon, the gunslinger was wise enough to snatch sleep whenever he could. Ezra would occasionally catch Chris lifting up the brim of his hat, before returning to his nap.

Inez however was alternating between pacing around the tree, sitting on her saddle and nervously worrying her hair. Ezra had tried once again to ease her nerves but when she had snapped at him for the third time, he gave up. Despite Inez's previous temperament at the idea that perhaps Helena had been using her to escape the Don, Ezra knew that Inez was deeply worried about her cousin. Inez had confided in Ezra just before the poker game in Giant Falls that she didn't have many female relatives and Helena had been her close friend as a child. But time and distance over the years had obviously changed both Inez and Helena. It didn't change the fact though, Helena was family and in trouble, even if it was of her own making.

Ezra had finally settled himself down on a patch of grass and set up a game of solitaire. Unlike Chris, Ezra refused to lower himself to sleeping on the ground, especially when his feather bed was only a few hours away. He was on his third game when Inez, on one of her circuits of pacing decided to sit next to him. Instantly she started to finger her hair, keeping her eyes on the north-bound trail. Ezra ignored her, unwilling to have his head bitten off again, and continued to play.

"That 10 can go on the Jack of Hearts Senor Standish."

Ezra placed the 10 of clubs on the Jack of Hearts, wishing that Inez would go away.

A few minutes passed and then Inez said, "The five of diamonds should go on the spades not on the clubs."

Placing the five of diamonds on the six of clubs anyway, Ezra checked the horizon as well. **'Where are you Vin?'**

"You can put that Seven of Spades over there," Inez whispered.

Rolling his eyes as he placed the card, Ezra counted slowly to ten. If there was one thing he hated more than someone playing over his shoulder, it was someone reading over his shoulder. And Inez was doing both and he was rapidly reaching his breaking point.

"You shouldn't have put that there now…."

"INEZ!" Ezra exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air, "Will you desist! Do you know how annoying that it?"

Her eyes narrowing into little slits of anger, Inez snapped, "No senor, I do not! Why don't you tell me?"

Rather than risk her temper any further, Ezra said, "My dear, I realise that you are worried - about both of them ", Ezra added as he saw her begin to form a denial.

Inez liked Vin, considered him a friend especially after he had protected her when Don Raphael had been lurking in Four Corners. She couldn't deny her worry for him, even if she was maintaining anger towards Helena. Inez deflated a bit at Ezra's words and the understanding look on his face. "Si, I am worried."

She started worrying her hair again and Ezra gently took her hand, capturing its nervous energy in his own. "What if Helena is involved in something she cannot handle? What if Vin gets hurt protecting her? Hay, I don't know if I could stand it, if my family's problems caused you Seven trouble again."

"My dear Miss Recillios, I know for a fact that none of us begrudge you - or your family - any aid whatsoever. Buck may pursue you with an unswerving insistence but he is not the only one who holds you close to his heart. All of us do - including the formidable Mr Larabee lounging over there. We may not show the same affection as Buck, but it is there nonetheless. I know that you realize this."

Inez nodded, too embarrassed to look at the kind Southerner. "Whatever the trouble Miss Demarco has found herself embroiled in, we will help her. If Vin does return with good news of Helena's safe arrival in Sweet River or otherwise, you can be assured we will help."

"But what if she has done something illegal, Senor Standish? What then?" Inez stared straight at Ezra this time, her eyes fixing momentarily on the still form of Chris Larabee before returning to Ezra's calm face. Inez did know these men, she knew them very well and if Helena's actions got Vin in trouble or injured, Inez knew how Chris would react. Badly.

Standish sighed a little at the situation, and said, "Inez, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it - so far it does not appear that Helena has done anything wrong."

"But earlier you said - about how similar we look …" Inez stammered.

"Forgive me for that - I was merely thinking out loud. Until proven otherwise, we should give Helena the benefit of the doubt."

Inez gave Ezra a small smile and whispered quietly so that only he could hear, "If I did not know you better, senor, I would think that you were a trusting fool, but since I do know the kind of man you are, I thank you for your kind words."

With that Inez got up and walked away, her steps taking her on another circuit around the tree. Ezra watched her for a while before returning to his game, hoping that when Vin returned, he really would be bringing good news.



Interlude interrupted

"Senor Tanner?"

"Hmh?"

"Please stop, I need to - uhm…"

Sighing a little at the delay, Vin stopped and quickly dismounted. He lifted Helena off the horse, her shy blush making the tops of her cheeks bright red. Lowering her head, Helena mumbled, "I won't be a minute." She grabbed her saddle bag from where it rested next to Vin's. Somehow in the bedlam of her rescue, Vin had found the time to grab her saddlebags from where they had fallen on the trail. Her horse, which had been nowhere in sight, must have lost its burden in its flight to safety. Helena was simply grateful that she had her bags back.

Helena disappeared behind a big bush, and Vin pulled Unalii over to the side of the simple trail where he let the big black graze. Vin sat down on a rock, its cool surface a pleasant sensation after several hours in the saddle. He leant back on his elbows, feeling the stone's rough surface through his buckskin coat. He pulled his hat forward to cover his eyes from the sun sinking after its midday zenith. It felt good to be still for a few moments, and Vin fully intended to enjoy the respite while it lasted. Soon the sounds of the forest could be heard over the noise of Unalii grazing and Helena moving behind the bush. Vin reached down and pulled a blade of tall grass from its bottom sheath, leaving most of the plant behind. The bottom end of the grass stalk was still moist and smooth from being covered by the growth sheath, and Vin paused, running the smooth stalk through his fingers, before he put it in his mouth.

Helena, her ablutions complete, stepped out from behind the bush. She had changed out of the men's clothing she and Inez had used to disguise themselves and she was wearing a full black skirt and a peasant-style white blouse. Her hair was brushed and pinned up, and she felt a lot better for her efforts. Lifting her saddle bags onto her shoulder, Helena was about to step towards the waiting horse and regulator, when the sight before her stopped her in her tracks.

Tanner was lying across a large stone, his entire lanky form framed in the sunlight streaming overhead. The tan, dusty colours of his coat and pants blended into the scene, a natural contrast against the grey stone and green grass around him. Long, lean legs stretched out in a grace made more beautiful in its unconscious effort. His coat hung open, exposing the blue chequered shirt beneath, its soft cloth hiding well-toned muscle. Helena had felt that firmness beneath her hands as she clung so desperately to Vin during her rescue. Broad shoulders, strong arms, and hands that were both gentle and deadly captured her eye. She couldn't see his face, just the top of his hat as he leant forward, a piece of grass caught between white teeth, the only thing visible beneath his hat.

The moment was all too brief as Vin felt her eyes on him and he looked up at her. His incredible smile at the unexpected sight of her refreshed and in clean clothes, caught her breath and it must have shown on her face because Vin laughed softly. "You sure do clean up nice, ma'am."

Blushing again, Helena found herself preening under his attention and had to force her hands to stop shaking as she smoothed her skirt. Pushing aside her surprising feelings at receiving this man's approval, Helena said, "Are you ready to go Senor Tanner?"

Vin's answer was another smile, this one more mischievous than before and he stood up slowly, and moved to catch Unalii's trailing reins. Helena couldn't stop herself from watching him, it seemed that now that she had realised just how handsome this tracker was, she couldn't keep her eyes off him.

With Unalii walking behind him, Vin approached Helena who had yet to move, his smile hidden under his hat. Once they were close enough, Vin turned to guide Unalii around so that the pair of them could mount up. As Vin turned to face Helena again, he suddenly found her arms wrapped around him, her body close and her lips pressed against his.

The kiss lasted a long couple of moments, neither one of them keen to end it. But before the kiss could turn into anything else, Helena pulled back, and rather than look embarrassed at her forwardness, she gave Vin a bright smile. A little taken aback by Helena and the kiss, Vin held his breath for several heartbeats, his eyes running over her features, as if he in return had just realised how beautiful she was. Oh, he had noticed her exceptional beauty when he and Chris had first met Helena, but with those same stunning features only inches away from him, she seemed to be one of the most beautiful women in the world.

Helena suddenly laughed at his intense study of her face, breaking the silence between them and she stepped away from the lean tracker, leaving the soft sensation that was uniquely her under his hands.

Her eyebrows peaked impishly as she nodded at Unalii, reminding Vin that they needed to get moving. Snorting softly, Vin quickly helped Helena mount, her skirts neatly arrayed beside her and he couldn't help his hands lingering a little longer than was polite around her waist. Soon he too was mounted up, Helena and her knowing smile safely behind him. Clucking to Unalii to get moving, Vin felt a strange surge of pleasure as Helena's arms snaked around his waist and held him close.

Helena was glad Vin couldn't see her private little smile, as she again pressed against the firm muscles of his abdomen. While the tracker was not part of any of her plans, it always paid to have another ally. And if necessary, a love-struck fool.





Tuesday, Late afternoon - Four Corners, Inez's kitchen:

The Pie


Thud.

"Argh!"

Thud.

"ARGGGHHHHH!"

Thud, thud thud thud thud thud thud!!

"Josiah?"

"WHAT!"

"Why don't you let Nathan take over for a while, pard. You've been stuck in here for hours."

Thud.

"No Buck, I'm fine!" Thud.

"You keep hitting your head like that Preacher, and you'll break something Nate can't fix. Just put down the rolling pin and let Nathan take over."

THUD!

"Fine. Fine."

Josiah stormed out of the kitchen and Buck could swear that he heard Josiah mutter, "Damn pie-crust!"

The patrons of the saloon, far fewer than usual, scattered as the flour-covered Preacher stomped his way out.



Sunset, Tuesday:

Love Bites


Vin didn't even need to look to know that Chris was waiting at the tree up ahead. Instead he kept a careful eye on the trail behind him. With the setting sun casting shadows across the landscape, he wanted to make sure no one slipped in behind them unseen.

His horse was exhausted after carrying two people all day and Vin didn't have the heart to push him any faster. Helena was dozing behind him, her head resting on his back, her arms limp around his waist. They hadn't spoken much during the ride, Helena sensing that Vin needed to remain focused while they rode. She did tell him however about Alvin Turner and his little gang of cut-throats. So Vin kept a watchful eye and ear out for either Don Diego or Turner, careful to follow rarely used trails and even cutting across country a few times.

He wasn't approaching the lone tree from the usual direction, instead coming down from the northeast. The tree's unique position made it impossible for anybody to sneak up on it and Vin knew that soon Chris or Ezra would spot them.

Sure enough, five minutes later, Vin saw a lone figure stand up, silhouetted in the sunlight. The lean frame was unmistakable, and it was soon joined by a shorter man and a figure in full skirts. It seemed that Inez too had utilised the time to change out of her manly outfit.

As they drew nearer, Chris' black picked up his head and whickered at their approach. Vin's horse answered, lifting his hooves a little more, eager to stop and rest. The sun setting behind Vin momentarily blinded the trio watching him approach and Chris had to turn away slightly to save his sight. The hot dry day had resulted in a lot of dust and as Vin approached the dust stirred from the trail lifted up to form a golden haze in the air. As Vin dismounted, his figure cut a silhouette in the hazy air, and somehow Chris wasn't surprised to see Helena as a passenger behind him.

Inez didn't seem to know what to do, and for a moment she hovered undecided behind Ezra. The moment Vin lifted Helena down from his horse, Inez rushed forward and embraced her. Both women held the embrace for several heartbeats before Inez broke away and immediately began scolding Helena in rapid Spanish. Initially Helena just stood there and took it but soon joined in, exclaiming dramatically and waving her hands in the air. Judging by Vin's smile he had no trouble in following the fast conversation but Chris and Ezra were at a loss.

Chris moved next to Vin and muttered under his breath, "What happened to 'What does no bueno mean?' " The lean young man just grinned impishly.

"Ladies, ladies!" Ezra moved in smoothly as he ducked the gesturing hands and pointing fingers, "I may speak sufficient Spanish to survive a violent encounter with angry Mexicans but really - you are leaving us poor 'gringos' behind. Please, if you are going to insist on behaving like a pair of fishwives on market day, at least do it in a language we can understand. Otherwise - how may we be the judge of who the winner is?"

Silence fell as two pairs of dark sparking eyes bored into Ezra who smiled disarmingly, "Oh no, don't stop - it was such a spectacular display."

Inez frowned fiercely at Ezra and muttered something in Spanish under her breath to Helena, who replied as quietly. Soon the cousins were happily discussing the faults of men and gringos alike, slowly enough for Ezra to understand them completely.

Sighing dramatically Ezra turned to his companions and said, "It's just not the same - there's no fire, no passion, no 'je ne sais quoi'!"

"I'd quit while you're ahead Ez - no telling what they might decide to do," Vin drawled.

"Quite, Mr Tanner, quite," Ezra said brightly before turning to the cousins, "My dear fiery Spanish ladies, forgive my impertinence. Allow me to draw these fine gentlemen away so that you may enjoy the privacy such a reunion deserves and Mr Tanner can fill us in on the details of Ms Demarco's arrival."

Inez lifted her skirts and curtsied politely, playing along with Ezra courtly tone, "Gracias Senor, your eloquence knows no bounds - it is just a pity the same cannot be said for your intelligence."

Gathering her cousin's arm in her own, Inez guided Helena away from the slack-jawed Standish and laughing Larabee and Tanner. "Well I never - such -" Ezra spluttered for awhile before facing Chris and Vin who were still smiling, "Mr Larabee I pray we are leaving immediately as I cannot bear the thought of prolonging this ordeal any longer than absolutely necessary!"

Remarkably straight-faced, Chris seemed to think about Ezra's suggestion, "What do you think Vin? Camp here for the night?"

Tanner also seemed to think about the question seriously, "Maybe, it's been a long couple of days, the horses could do with a rest."

But Ezra knew his friends too well and could see the mischief in both of their eyes as they strung him along. Exasperated, Standish cut Chris off as he was about to suggest that they look for some firewood, "Mr Larabee, I realise that both you and Mr Tanner enjoy the woodsy outdoors - in fact I believe Mr Tanner thrives out here. But I, as a gentleman of refined tastes and sensibilities, enjoy the comforts of civilization. Although the little hamlet we protect may not be New Orleans, nor even San Francisco, it does not even remotely compare to the apparent status of Denver as a city. However!" Ezra fixed a pointed glare on the now-grinning friends, "I am not designed, bred, inclined NOR desirous to spend a night out in this dusty wilderness - especially since my feather bed is only FOUR hours away!"

"Is he telling us he can't sleep on the ground? Cos' it's not like this is the first time we've camped out," Vin asked Chris, mock-puzzlement furrowing his brow.

"Could be. Maybe Ez just holds out until we get back to town - remarkable ability - depriving yourself of sleep like that. Could explain why he sleeps so much in town," Chris mused, ignoring Ezra who was getting redder and redder.

"Got a point there cowboy, should we ask him?"

"Enough!" Ezra exploded, "I am quite capable of sleeping outdoors - that is not the point! I do not have to tonight - home is only four hours away and we will make it home in time. If we leave now!"

"Well Ez - that all depends on what ya'll decide after I tell you what happened, alright?" Vin asked.

Ezra deflated a little. "Of course, my dear Mr Tanner - expound away."

Tanner nodded and said, "Seems Helena is in more than a little trouble with the Don. I trailed her in the back hills near Giant Falls and found her 'parleying' with a few 'miscreants'."

Ezra rolled his eyes at Vin's exaggerated vocabulary and couldn't stop himself from comment, "Mr Tanner, while your attempts to utilise proper English is admirable, I would hesitate to endorse such elucidations at this moment in time, especially considering that time is a mitigating factor in my early retirement."

"Now you know how annoying it is," Chris deadpanned, more than happy to indulge in baiting Ezra. "Using ten words when one will do."

Ezra was about to comment when he took Chris' advice and snapped, "Indeed."

Unable to keep the smile out of his voice, Vin said in his usual abruptness, "Helena stole a land deed from the Don and sold it to a guy named Turner in order to buy a fare to Denver."

"What's in Denver?" Chris asked.

"Her fiancé," Vin said a little softly. Ezra considered the information and muttered, "I'm afraid to ask, but there is usually more to the story."

Vin nodded, "Yip, found Turner and his boys corralling Helena, this fat tick of a man trying to get his hands on her, and as soon as I shot him, the Don turned up, chased Turner away and started on Helena straight after." Frowning Chris checked Helena again, but he couldn't see any bruises or cuts. Vin noted his friends look and said, "Managed to get her out before the Don could anything more than scare her."

His own eyes hard with anger, Ezra said, "So I imagine that we now have an angry Don still on Helena's trail, after my elaborate efforts to whisk her away to safety."

"Yep."

"Think they'll be able to follow you?" Chris asked and Vin shrugged as if to say anything was possible. "Helena reckons Turner might try to find her as well."

Pursing his lips in thought Chris sighed, "So we better get Helena outta sight fast and hide her until the Don leaves the area. The man has a legitimate grievance - just don't like his methods." Ezra found himself nodding with Chris and saying, "For once I agree Mr Larabee, and I suggest that if necessary we point the Don in Mr Turner's direction and ensure Helena's whereabouts remain a mystery."

Chris turned to look at Vin and saw his friend staring at Helena, a strange look on his face. "Vin," Chris said and Tanner tore his gaze away from Helena, a little reluctantly and stared at the tall gunfighter. "Why don't you trail behind us, making sure there aren't any unfriendly Dons or Turners behind us. We'll meet up with you in Four Corners."

For a moment Vin blinked at Chris, as if deciding something and for a moment Chris thought that Vin was going to look at Helena again. But Tanner fought the visible urge to do so and said, "Sure thing cowboy." Rather than draw out the moment any longer, Vin turned and strode towards Unalii, and Helena.

"Mr Larabee?"

Chris answered Ezra a little distractedly, "Hmm?"

"Something the matter?"

"I don't think so…" But it was obvious that Chris was unsettled by Vin's distraction. Ezra found himself watching the tracker mount up and leave the temporary camp and was able to see Vin's lingering look at Helena. Remembering Vin's infatuation with Charlotte, Ezra was a little surprised to see the tracker so smitten. And judging by Chris' puzzled expression, the gunfighter didn't know what to make of it either. Vin sure knew how to choose 'em.



Tuesday evening, Four Corners - the Saloon:

"Some things aren't meant to be…"

Buck and JD were handling the bar as the evening crowd flowed in. Buck would have preferred to make time with a few of the saloon girls, but he had promised Inez to help out while she was away. And since he had managed to avoid doing most of the work all day, Buck decided it was time to put in a few hours - otherwise the others would have ample reason to tell Inez how 'helpful' he had been.

JD seemed to be in his element - in the middle of everything and Buck mostly passed orders to Nathan in the kitchen and poured the occasional shot of whiskey. A tall glass filled with liquor from Ezra's private stock sat at his elbow and Buck truly found himself enjoying the evening, despite the absence of any female company. He knew most of the men gathered in the saloon and exchanged pleasantries with them as they came to the bar to get re-fills. Sam Hiller, a rancher from near Eagle Bend kept on giving Buck a strange look though. Hiller was sitting at the end of the bar, closer to JD than Buck, but he kept his gaze fixed on the ladies man, whenever he thought Buck wasn't looking. Buck caught the gaze a few times and carefully tried to remember if Hiller had any reason to be sore at him.

As far as Buck could recall Hiller wasn't married, didn't have any daughters nor a sweetheart near Four Corners. And Buck sure as hell didn't remember him from anywhere else. Feeling his good mood disappearing as Hiller continued to stare at him, Buck scooted past JD and leant on the bar near Hiller.

"Something I can help you with Sam?"

Sam Hiller shook his head and took a long sip from his beer. "Nope."

Undeterred Buck pressed on, "You seem awful interested in something or someone. You sure?"

Hiller seemed to think about it for a minute and finally leant closer to Buck and whispered, "I'se jus' thinking on something is all. Didn't mean no offense to ya."

His curiosity piqued, Buck whispered back, "Thinking about what exactly?" Hiller squirmed in his seat a little, reluctant to tell Buck. But he had the air of a desperate man about him and he obviously wanted to tell someone - something. Taking on the traditional role of the barman, listener of woes and provider of advice, Buck smiled and said, "Shoot Sam, whatever it is it can't be that bad."

Still squirming and now looking embarrassed Sam leant even closer to Buck, his unshaven face barely inches away from Buck's. An odd sort of smell wafted from Sam, a kind of sickly sweet smell and it was mingled unpleasantly with the odours of beer and sweat. Pulling back just a little, Buck waited for Hiller to spill the beans.

"Well you see Buck, I got this small problem - a medical sorta problem."

"Uh huh."

Sam tried to lean even closer but couldn't get any higher off the bar short of standing up. He whispered quietly, "I got trouble see … with uhm … doing you-know-what." Buck's eyebrows immediately shot high up, nearly into his hairline and he selflessly closed the gap between Hiller and himself. Buck's lips barely moved as he hissed, "You mean…" and his eyes drifted south.

Hiller's eyes also drifted south and a look of confusion creased his face, until finally comprehension dawned and he blushed bright red. He instantly sat up straight and succeeded in knocking heads with Buck who was a little slow in reacting to the sudden movement. "Hell no!" he shouted rubbing his head vigorously.

Buck backed off a little, raising his hands in surrender trying to calm Sam down. But Hiller refused to keep quiet and shouted, "There is nothing wrong down there! You got it!"

Buck nodded, trying to keep as much distance from Hiller as possible from behind the bar. Sam Hiller shook his fist at Buck and screamed, "I'm just constipated, you nitwit!"

Silence fell over the bar and everyone turned to stare at Sam. Suddenly aware that he was making a spectacle of himself, Sam's momentum faded a little and he grabbed his hat from the bar and stormed out, trying to preserve what dignity he had left. But before he pushed through the saloon doors, he turned and hissed at Buck, "I'll get you for this Wilmington," and then viciously shoved the doors open and strode out.

JD sidled up to Buck who was still standing stock still at the bar and whispered, "What happened Buck?"

"Nothing kid," Buck said woodenly still trying to work out how his friendly bar-tender conversation had turned so wrong so suddenly.

"That ain't nothing Buck," JD would have continued but the bar was getting rowdy again now that the entertainment was over. "I'll talk to you later."

"Sure kid, " Buck sighed, "sure."

Next time Inez needed someone to watch the saloon, no matter how much it put him in her good books, Buck was staying on the other side of the bar, period.



Late Tuesday night:

Four Corners was peacefully quiet as Chris, Ezra, Inez and Helena rode into town. Chris had been eager to get back to home territory where the rest of the boys could provide back-up and now that they were finally home, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

There was still the worry for Vin who was doing what he did best, watching their backs and Chris knew he wouldn't be completely at ease until Vin rode in - which wouldn't be until morning. It had taken longer than expected to return to Four Corners - much to Ezra's disgust. The horses were tired, as were their riders, from using the rarely travelled path from the north, which wandered in deep turns down from the mountains.

Helena was seated behind Inez and the cousins hadn't stopped talking the entire journey. It seemed that they had patched up any misunderstanding and Inez had promised to help her cousin, despite the theft of the deed. Inez had taken a room above the saloon, and it had a separate entrance to the street below. A narrow staircase rose up to the room, a small landing offering the occupant a view of the alley below.

"Once Vin gets back, we'll call a meeting and try and figure something out. In the mean time - let's get some rest," Chris said, as Helena and Inez dismounted.

Dismounting as well, Ezra said "I will see to your mount, Ms Recillios and it would be best to ensure that only the seven of us knew of Ms Demarco's presence in town, so you need to remain secluded for a while, my dear."

Her legs were aching after riding behind Vin and then Inez for so long, but Helena still managed to summon up a winning smile for Chris and Ezra. "Thank you so much Senors. You have been so kind to me - more than I deserve after what I have done - gracias." She gave Ezra a tight hug and would have hugged Chris but decided against it as he was still mounted. She settled for grasping his hand tightly and patting his leg. A little unsettled by Helena's display of affection, Chris just tipped his hat and rode towards the livery.

"Ladies," Ezra drawled smoothly and stayed to watch as they climbed the stairs to Inez's room. Once they were safely inside, he followed Chris, "At last - my bed awaits."



Early Wednesday Morning: Four Corners.

"Well I never …"


Chris had only been able to catch a few hours of sleep, when he suddenly found himself wide awake. Unable to return to his rest, Larabee had shrugged off the bedcovers and quickly dressed. As it was still early, he quietly made his way out of the boarding house.

It was going to be a hot day, no clouds were present in the softly lit sky above and the sun hadn't even tipped the horizon. The town was quiet, bathed in shadows and only one or two windows had lights in them. Chris idly noted that Mary Travis was one of the early risers, her kitchen window illuminated from within.

Deciding to check on Inez and Helena, Chris walked slowly towards the saloon, his eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. The few natural sights and sounds that would still occur in a pre-dawn town were present, a cat returning from a night's hunting, pigeons stirring in their roosts, the occasional whickers from a horse in the livery as Tiny prepared to feed them. Nothing seemed out of place, only the hushed peacefulness of the day beginning to break. His boots and spurs barely made a sound as he climbed the stairs behind the saloon, but he made sure he knocked loud enough to warn the ladies he was a friend.

Helena cracked the door open, her hair sleep-tousled but her eyes bright and awake. "Senor Larabee! Is anything wrong?"

Shaking his head, Chris pushed the door open a little more to see into the room and said, "Nope. Jus' checking that you're alright."

"Oh I am Senor, I am. Thanks to you and Senor Vin and Ezra. Gracias again." Before Chris could stop her, Helena had thrown her arms around his shoulders and was hugging him as tightly as she had hugged Ezra the previous night. The sensation was far from unpleasant and it wasn't one he had felt in a long time. A woman pressed against him, her arms comfortably tight. He gently patted her back, but didn't really return the hug with any warmth and Helena soon realised she was holding on a little longer than appropriate. Breaking away, she blushed in the grey dawn light, "Ai senor, I am sorry - I didn't mean …it's just…"

Smiling gently, Chris said softly, "You're welcome ma'am - I'll check on you later." Without another word, Chris turned and walked down the stairs, leaving Helena to stare at his retreating back. "You are a strange gringo, Chris Larabee - I like you, but you are strange," she said to herself.

Neither of them noticed a pale figure on the boardwalk, and Mary Travis quickly hid as Chris passed by her to patrol the town. She had seen everything - she just couldn't believe what she had seen.

Inez hugging Chris - passionately.



Wednesday Morning, trail into Four Corners:

Vin rubbed his eyes, fighting back a yawn and returned to studying the horizon with his spy glass. The tracker was lying flat on his stomach, hidden from any watchful eyes by rock and bush, methodically checking for any signs of pursuit. The immediate trails north and west were clear, but then, Vin didn't expect Don Diego De la Vega to use well-travelled trails.

Vin had covered their back-trail expertly, leaving nothing behind to give away their passage but the Don had unusual resources at his disposal. Well, at least there was no gang of angry Mexicans tearing down the trail towards Four Corners. Yet.

Sighing slightly Vin snapped his spy-glass closed and rested his head for a minute on his folded arms. He could quite happily go to sleep right there, his exhausted body already relaxing into the soft sand. He didn't dare close his eyes though, in case his body betrayed him and he dozed off, so while he lay there Vin eyed the south-western trail in the distance.

As he gazed, unconsciously adopting his methodical system of checking and re-checking the horizon, a small rise of dust drew his attention. Wearily, Vin sat up and trained his spy-glass towards the dust cloud. What came into focus was not the Mexican gang Vin expected. Instead a rowdy trail herd of cowboys were raising up a storm of dust, yelling and shooting their guns in the air. From the amount of dust and the number of hats, the group numbered over twenty.

Cursing, Vin clambered to his feet and headed for his horse. The animal was borrowed from the livery as Unalii was still recuperating from the last couple of days of hard riding. Turning the bay's head, Vin spurred it on back to town, hoping that he would beat the trail hands home. That many cowpokes arriving at one time, in high spirits could only lead to trouble. As Vin felt the wind take his hat and whip it off his head, the chinstrap keeping it fluttering at his back, he looked again in the direction of the cowboys. It would take a stroke of luck for him to beat them to town, they were already ahead of him and had easier country to travel.



Those eggs again.

Ezra ambled through the back door of the saloon, straight into the kitchen. He had just delivered a few shirts and jackets to the laundry for cleaning and was feeling particularly rested after only a few hours sleep.

Inez was already busy making breakfast, her usual smooth efficiency absent today as pans and ingredients were thrown together haphazardly. Her face was set, a deep frown etching her beautiful face, as she vigorously beat some eggs.

"Inez dear - those are meant to be scrambled eggs, not 'strangled' eggs." Her face shot up at his voice and her frown instantly disappeared. "Oh Ezra - it's you."

"It is indeed - and may I ask why you are in such a - disarray this morning?"

Realising she still had a stranglehold on the fork in her hand, Inez set the bowl down and sighed, "If you mean why I am so loco this morning, I don't know." She set a frying pan over the stove and began to stir the eggs a little more gently, "Helena is safe - for the moment, but I can't help wondering where Don Diego is and this Turner!" Inez poured the eggs into the frying pan and began to stir furiously again.

Gently Ezra stepped closer to Inez and took the spoon from her hand. "Inez - it will all work out well in the end, never fear." Ezra gave her a dazzling smile, his gold tooth flashing. She was unable to stop her own smile from forming and she impulsively threw her arms around his neck and before either of them knew it - they were kissing.

A resounding crash broke the moment and they both turned to see a flummoxed Buck staring at them. JD was choking on his coffee and Nathan was staring at his egg-covered shirt but Buck was priceless. His mouth was opening and closing but no sound was emerging and eventually he shouted," You …. and HER!"

Neither of them could help it, Ezra smiled, Inez laughed and JD crashed to the floor he was laughing so hard. Buck slammed his hat on his head and stormed out of the saloon, leaving his plate of burnt eggs half-eaten.

"Oh dear," Ezra murmured. Inez was now mortified and stammered, "Oh Senor Standish, I am so sorry … I didn't … I just…"

Ever the gentleman, Standish smiled kindly and said, "Never fear my dear, heat of the moment and all." With that, he took her hand, bent slightly to brush her soft skin with a kiss and before Inez could stammer another apology, Ezra was out of the kitchen and sitting down next to a still chortling Nathan and JD, who was still rolling in the floor.



New arrivals


Following the eastern trail into Four Corners, a pair of travellers met up with another rider as the trails from Eagle Bend and Mission Bridge intersected. The pair of riders nodded at the younger man who was dressed very smartly, almost as if he worked in a bank back east. The picture of a respectable banker was ruined by his spilt lip and blackening eye.

"Where you headed to son?" the larger of the men asked.

"Council Bluff. Gonna stop over in Four Corners for a meal before I head out again. Any idea how much further it is to the town?"

The second man, his brown almost black eyes taking in the well-worn but well-cared for holster, shrugged and replied, "Reckon maybe about 10 minutes. Over that rise and we should see it."

The young man tipped his hat to the pair and said, "Then I'll hurry along. See ya in town." He took off in the cloud of dust and was soon out of sight.

The first man wiped his blonde moustache thoughtfully, "That boy's more than he seems."

His companion snorted, "Hell Charles, the kid's a scout. Go in, check out the town, report back to the boss. Don't think we should stay too long in Four Corners, a bank robbery and a bunch of riled up law-men ain't something we want."

"Yep. Keep your head down this time Dirk, I wanna actually finish my meal this time."

"Ah hell, Temple that sodbuster was asking for trouble. He just couldn't handle what he got," Dirk Henfer sneered at his partner.

"We can't be delayed Dirk, remember?" Charles Temple glared at his impulsive partner. "In and out - no fuss!"

Dirk Hefner, wanted in four states for murder and armed robbery, just laughed and spurred his horse onwards, following the dusty trail left by Josh Carpenter.



Midday Wednesday:

It's all included in the price of a beer


Buck stood beneath the jail's porch, worrying his hat as he turned it every-which way. Ezra had not emerged from the saloon yet, and Buck was getting tired of waiting - it had been hours. The ladies man was determined to corner the slippery gambler and get some answers - because he couldn't bend his mind around what 'may' have happened and Buck refused to believe that it 'had' happened.

JD had left a few minutes ago to meet Casey for a picnic. The young man had seen Buck hovering near the jail and burst out laughing again. Buck would have chased JD and given him what for, except Chris chose that particular moment to make a very noisy exit from the Clarion.

First was the sound of the door slamming so hard that the glass rattled in the door. Second, was the stream of curses that erupted from Larabee, easily audible to Buck standing on the opposite side of the street. Next was a blonde whirlwind that emerged behind Chris. Mary looked furious, her eyes ablaze and her mouth already or perhaps still running at full speed. The argument that followed was one of the strangest Buck had ever seen. Neither of them actually raised their voices, so Buck couldn't hear what it was all about, but their body language, gestures and overall tone was screaming a whopper of a fight. Buck had half contemplated going over to try and soothe the troubled waters - and find out what was potting. But the argument didn't last long with Mary storming back into her office and Chris stalking off down the street. The townsfolk, well used to Larabee's moods, got out of his way and Chris disappeared into the saloon.

Buck initially hoped that a foul-tempered Chris would somehow chase Ezra from the saloon, but there was no flurry of coat-tails or ten-dollar words. Now Buck was faced with a decision. He could stay out here all day until the whole town heard about the 'incident' or he could pre-empt any fuss over his fine self and shift the focus on Ezra. Either way, he had to question the gambler.

Buck was so pre-occupied, he only noticed the arrival of the trail herd cowboys as they charged past him. Flapping his hat to clear the air from all the dust, Buck watched as twenty-odd trail-hands poured into the saloon, already sounding very drunk and noisy.

Buck smiled because here was his excuse to go into the saloon, it was only a matter of time before a fight broke out. Fifteen minutes later as Buck made his way to the Saloon, he saw Vin ride in, looking particularly dusty. Tanner tied up his horse near the cowboys' horses and strode into the saloon with a quick glance in Buck's direction. Well, if Tanner was worried enough to race back into town, Buck decided he had better get his butt over to the saloon.

Although only midday, the cowboys' arrival had transformed the saloon into one with a rowdy atmosphere. The few working girls that were awake had made their way down to take advantage of some early business. Inez and Ezra were plying the men with drinks and knowing Ezra, the whiskey was well-watered. A few regulars were present and two other strangers sat at a corner table. Chris was hunkered down in the back as usual, Vin making his way over to him. Larabee looked like he would eviscerate the first idiot stupid enough to talk to him and that had kept the cattle drivers an uncomfortable distance away from his table.

Vin, undeterred by Larabee's mood as usual, was halfway through the crowd when his eyes fell on the two strangers. Vin had noticed the pair as he had walked in, but both had had their backs to him at the time. One of them turned to look at the rapid rise of noise in the saloon and Vin stared straight at Dirk Hefner. Unable to hide the flash of recognition, Tanner saw Dirk motion to his companion and as that man turned to see who had recognised Dirk, Vin's heart plummeted. Charles Temple stared over the crowd at Vin, his blue eyes flat and cold.

It was in that moment that a big steer puncher threw a fist at one of his friends who had 'stolen' his new girl. The rest of the trail herders, eager for some fun, immediately joined in and launched themselves onto each other and the locals. An especially boisterous range-hand ploughed into Vin, knocking him off his feet. From the floor Vin saw Chris rise like some dark spectre, eager to vent his anger and entered the brawl, already swinging. Buck charged in from the doorway, sending a couple of cowboys into each other. Ezra vaulted over the bar and leapt on the back of a large man, trying for a chokehold. The burly man reached back over his shoulder and easily tossed Ezra off his back, straight into Buck.

Picking Ezra off the floor, Buck shouted over the noise, "You and me gotta talk, Ez!"
Ezra ducked a punch and fended off the returning fist before yelling, "Now is not a good time Buck!"

Buck slammed his fist into a whooping cowboy who was trying to clamber up onto a table, "I ain't taking no for an answer!" Ezra rolled his eyes at ladies' man, side-stepping a reeling cowboy who Buck promptly knocked out. The regulators were having a difficult time containing the brawl and Chris wasn't helping either, laying into anybody who came close enough. Josiah and Nathan arrived together and quickly set to work, trying to break up the fight.

Vin, unable to force his way to Dirk and Charles, retreated onto the bar as three wrestling cowboys charged towards him. From his vantage point, Vin could see Hefner and Temple fighting their way to the door. Josiah, unaware of them, was right in the middle of the brawl now, his hefty fists quickly discouraging anybody from continued violence. Nathan was pulling the unconscious and dazed from the brawl, adding an occasional punch to keep some stirring brawlers unconscious. Vin tried to catch Chris' attention, but the gunslinger was happily venting and oblivious to anything else for now.

Dirk shouldered his way past a pair trading blows, scanning the crowd for the man who had recognised him. Looking up, he saw Tanner standing on the bar, staring right at him. Flicking Vin an insolent grin, Dirk continued his push forward, nearly to the door. Charles was behind him somewhere, 'discussing' his displeasure with the cowboy who had interrupted their meal. Dirk's smile faded as a mountain of a man waded past with a pair of young cow-hands under each arm. Sanchez? 'What the hell is he doing here?'

Dirk quickly snuck a look back to see if Charles had noticed his brother-in-law but Temple was still occupied with mercilessly pounding his opponent's face into a table. Dirk knew that if Temple saw Sanchez, they would have to stay and indulge in his obsession with finding Hannah. Dirk was tired of pandering to Charles' ongoing quest for his imaginary inheritance and decided to end it once and for all. Slipping behind the large man who was leaving a wake of groaning bodies behind him, Dirk drew out his knife and stepped towards Josiah.

Josiah sent another man to the floor and watched as Chris knocked a cowboy flying. Taking a breath to orient himself, Josiah noticed a stranger pounding relentlessly on a trail hand. The unconscious cowboy's face was a bloody mess and yet his attacker was still punching him. As if aware that he was being watched, the vicious man looked up and instantly Josiah recognised him.

"Temple!" Josiah roared, but his voice was drowned out by the noise from the brawl. Realising that Temple hadn't seen him, Josiah shoved a bigger man out of his way and tried to part the flaying arms and legs before him so that he could reach Charles Temple. A sharp, stabbing pain in his lower back, that raced down his left leg, stopped him in his tracks and Josiah gasped as he felt the blade slide free.

Vin watched as Dirk stalked Josiah and finally got Chris' attention. Indicating the danger to Sanchez, Vin dived off the bar and tried to force his way through to Hefner. Buck and Ezra were occupied with several trail hands and although Ezra had seen the signal, he wasn't in a position to help. Chris elbowed a man in the face, breaking his nose and reached Josiah just in time to see Hefner reach back to stab the preacher again. Snarling, Chris drew his gun and fired at this man who dared attack a friend. Unfortunately a cowboy staggered into Chris, knocking his shot upwards. The shot went into the roof but Dirk heard the close report and saw a black-clad man bearing down on him, smoking gun in hand. Another man, dressed in a bright red coat was also nearly on him, so Hefner abandoned his attempt, pulling away from Josiah.

Chris caught Josiah as he sank to his knees, clutching at the wound, the big man's face pale. Ezra indicated that he would go after Hefner. Temple finally finished with his victim, located Dirk just as Josiah collapsed. All Temple saw was Ezra hot on Dirk's heels. Shoving his way through the tangled mess of bodies, Charles cleared a passage through with sharp punches to anything that impeded him. Coming up behind Ezra, Charles tripped the gambler by swiping his feet out from under him. Stepping on Standish to make good his own escape, Temple finally cleared the brawl to see Hefner struggling with a single drunk cowboy at the doorway.

Fighting inside the crowd, Vin cursed as he saw the pair reach the saloon doors, Temple joining Hefner who was beating up a drunk. Changing tactics, Vin again vaulted onto the bar and over it, having made no head way. He raced towards the back door, hoping to reach the front before Hefner and Temple got away.

Temple dealt with the drunk quickly, knocking him out and pulling Hefner through the doorway. "Enough Dirk. We gotta go!" Dirk regarded his fallen opponent, blade still in hand and turned to follow Charles through the doors. As he stepped through the swinging doors, he collided with a smaller body, his knife burying itself into the man in front of him. The young man they had met on the trail into town, stared up at Dirk, his wide brown eyes shocked. The young man stepped back, clutching the knife hilt protruding from his stomach. A small trickle of blood ran out of his mouth and then he collapsed onto the boardwalk. Temple stared at the body for a moment before dragging Hefner with him towards the livery stable.

"Come on!"

Finally getting free of the brawl, Vin ran around the saloon and saw the body lying on the boardwalk. He quickly mounted the stairs and checked for a pulse. The young man grabbed at Vin's hand, mouthing soundlessly his teeth coloured red as more blood trickled out of his mouth. "Nathan! Hey kid, hang on, alright?"

As if hearing Vin speak was all it took, the young man sank back dead, his hand loosing its tight grip on Vin's arm. "Hell!" Vin closed the sightless eyes and yelled for Nathan again. Momentarily torn as far as what to do, Vin got up and ran towards the livery stable, determined to catch Hefner this time.

Vin slowed as he approached the livery stable doors, drawing out his gun, his ears straining for any sounds. Vin didn't hear anything, no sounds of horses being saddled or riders approaching the doors. He debated trying a side window first but didn't want to risk the pair escaping through the doors as he climbed inside. Hoping he could catch them still saddling up, he reached up and opened the door. The stable burst open as Temple and Hefner made their escape, spurring their horses to a gallop instantly. The combined force of stable doors and horse flesh, knocked Vin flying and he landed with a bruising thud, the breath knocked out of him.

Struggling to his feet, Vin watched as Temple and Hefner disappeared out of town, heading directly north. He could hear Buck and Ezra dispersing the cowboys - some were headed for Nathan's clinic, most for boarding houses nearby to lick their wounds. Vin turned to see Chris and Nathan helping Josiah to Nathan's rooms over the livery, the dark patch of blood visible on his back. Fingering his split lip, a memento of the brawl, Vin made his way to Nathan's. His eyes were drawn to the prone corpse on the saloon boardwalk, the young man's blood seeping into the wooden planks.

Even though Vin had no idea who the kid was, his death sent a burning sensation through his chest, and he couldn't stop the thought running through his mind, "Another one I failed."




Getting in the way of young love


The little picnic area was ideal for a pair of young lovers to spend a romantic day together. Tall, willowy trees provided shade next to the slow flowing brook, sunlight dappling the soft grass beneath the trees. It was isolated, picturesque and everything a couple could ask for.

Except JD and Casey. Somewhere along the ride to their picnic an argument had started. Buck teased JD that he spent more time arguing with Casey than any man in his right mind would, especially since he never seemed to take advantage of the making up portion of the row. Today's argument had started as most of the pair's did, with an ill-advised remark.

No matter how hard Casey tried, she couldn't bring herself to apologise after what JD had said. JD, whose face was still tinged an embarrassed red, refused to speak to Casey, until she apologised.

The picnic basket that Casey had packed, sat forgotten between the quarrelling pair. Casey sat herself under one of the tall trees up a ways from the water, while JD chose to remain at the stream, as far from Casey as he could get, short of leaving. Their horses however had no compunction about being near each other and the equine pair grazed happily side by side in the grassy meadow.

Casey was hungry, it had been hours since she had eaten breakfast and she had planned on having lunch straight away. But that had been before the argument. Now, she sat nibbling on a piece of grass, unknowingly turning her bottom lip green as she chewed on the tender stem. She really wanted this picnic to get back on track and was trying to think of some way to repair the damage to JD's ego - short of actually apologising though. Because, after all, it wasn't as if it weren't true, sort of.

JD was getting a little warm, sitting in the sun by the stream, his coat already tossed onto the grass beside him. He was also hungry and had been eyeing the picnic basket furtively, wondering what Casey had packed. 'Maybe one of Miss Nettie's pies.' JD positively drooled at the thought. If she would just apologise, then he could eat!

But the pair remained stubbornly silent and the minutes ticked by. When in unison, both JD's and Casey's stomachs growled, they shared an embarrassed smile.

"JD."
"Casey"

But before either of them could say anything more, the sound of a branch snapping behind them, brought them around.

Standing behind them were three men, all still mounted on their horses. JD didn't have to look through any wanted posters to know that they were trouble. Casey took a nervous step backwards, uncomfortably aware how far she was from JD at the moment. All three men drew their guns. Gulping, JD belatedly remembered his own guns, but he didn't reach for them - not yet.

"Well, didn't expect to find a pair of kids at our watering hole? Whadaya think Pete, should they pay a tax for using our water?"

Peter Dempsey smirked wickedly at his boss Alvin Turner and said, "Why sure Vin - I'm sure we can think of something they have that we want."


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